Table of contents for December 5th 2018 in MCN

The room had been full of excited chatter as eight bikers banged on about how brilliant motorcycles are. And then conversation turned to bike theft. One guy recounted a particularly harrowing tale of having his pride and joy stolen. There was almost a tear in his eye as he recalled events. The listeners, shouty and exuberant just moments before, hung their heads in reverence. Everyone had similar stories to tell. I’ve had three bikes stolen and could relate to the despair hanging over the gathered group of MCN readers, asked to share views on their biking lives. So when the conversation turned to what should be done about those who seem so happy to deprive us of our bikes, things got a little heated and the language colourful. That gathering…

Bikers are a charitable bunch, and a new company is now capitalising on that to raise money from a range of biker wear for the Movember Foundation, which aids men’s health causes such as research into prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide prevention. While most biker charities set up rideouts and events, Full Tank Moto have come up with a range of clothing available from their online store (www.fulltankmoto.org)with all profits going to the charity. Speaking to MCN, founder Scott Wilson said the project started when he learned that a friend’s child had taken their own life. “A teenager with seemingly everything ahead was, without anyone’s knowledge, suffering from depression,” he said. “When experiencing dark times, it’s easy to think you’re alone. I know because I’ve been there. But something…

It’s the issue that divides households and stirs the passions. No, not Brexit, but satnavs; are they the greatest contributor to a quality ride since John Loudon McAdam or a brain-shrinking device that switches off our internal compasses forever? Nowhere is the debate bubbling more vigorously than among MCN’s R5K members; the mile-crunching community that knows a thing or two about how to get max satisfaction from a ride. “No GPS here,” says on and off-road loving Lee Rider. “I’ll take the occasional peek at Google Maps, but the best roads and trails I’ve been on I found while I was lost.” R5k wise owl Kev Raymond agrees: “I use satnav for finding addresses in unfamiliar towns. The rest of the time it’s just basic directions scribbled on an old…

The Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show will boast a new and thrilling live action feature when it opens its doors on February 15-17 and it’s called the Michelin Rage Cage! Standing nearly six metres tall and nine metres in diameter, bikes will be tearing around the cage at breakneck speeds defying the laws of gravity as they climb to the top of the structure. Constructed from steel girders and mesh, all of the action will be visible from outside the cage. Watching bikes riding the Rage Cage high above the ground will be an amazing spectacle you won’t want to miss. What’s more, it’s FREE to watch. Top flight customs and café racers Built magazine will be bringing a jaw-dropping collection of the latest machines from Europe’s premier custom…

Ural may be best known for throwback sidecars with DNA dating back to World War II but they’ve now come up with this electric prototype which uses the batteries, controller and motor from a Zero S. There are actually two Zero battery packs: a lighter ZF6.5 in the main chassis, and a heavier ZF13.0 under the sidecar seat. These yield an effective range of about 100 miles and take about 13 hours to recharge when plugged into a normal household circuit. On Zero’s advice, Ural brought in high-end California design studio, ICG, to help with packaging and styling which explains why the prototype looks so finished. ICG created the snazzy alloy side panel and came up with the idea to conceal the charging port inside the fuel tank under the…

Good to see video footage on the TV news this week with the police deliberately ramming the thieving scumbags who refuse to stop when they are chased by police cars and put the public at risk with their dangerous riding (not to mention the other offences linked to bike thefts). Inevitably the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott "is very concerned" that we might see them injured. Live by the sword / die by the sword I say. Jim Cripps, Essex Ed. See our pole (right) which attracted 5000 votes in two days…

I heard they have changed Sports Personality a bit this year in a bid to stop what happened with Jonathan Rea last year when he came second? That’s wrong, isn’t it? ‘HE’S A CHAMP. HE’S NOT COME THIRD, OR GOT A BRONZE MEDAL’ I usually get an invite and go along, it’s a great night but sometimes I’m sat in the crowd wondering who some of the nominees are. I don’t mean it disrespectfully, it might be a swimmer who has won millions of medals but I don’t follow the sport so I don’t know who he is. He’s obviously brilliant at what he does and I sit there and respect it, so I don’t understand why people can’t do the same with Jonathan. He’s a World Champion. He’s not…

Analogue clocks versus colour dash tell you everything you need to know about the eras in which these bikes were conceived. The Busa’s business like dials ooze nostalgia, but feature a clock and gear position indicator, where the H2 SX’s readout is thoroughly modern. It’s so easy to gather speed on the Suzuki you need to keep an eye on the speedo, but with 32 numbers squeezed on its face, it’s tricky to read at a glance. KAWASAKI KAWASAKI SWITCHGEAR There’s a lot going on with on the left switchgear and tiny buttons are hard to work with winter gloves. They’re not illuminated. SUZUKI SUZUKI SWITCHGEAR Clock buttons are all up on the dash, making the switchgear uncluttered. The right switchgear offers three basic power maps. FUNCTIONALITY…

HEL Performance’s owner, Simon Lane, is somewhat understated when he describes the firm’s success as “lucky; we were in the right place at the right time”. Luck had little to do with it. Dedication, determination and producing a quality final product were far more influential. Formed in 1999 following the purchase of a small local hydraulics company, HEL have gone on to achieve remarkable global success. In less than 20 years the firm have grown into a multi-million pound business that distribute their products to over 80 countries worldwide and are the UK’s largest motorcycle stainless steel brake line supplier. “The original company was called Hose-Equip Limited and operated in the general hydraulics industry,” explains Simon. “That market wasn’t where my interest lay, but it offered the foundation to branch…

‘We went to the TT and the Blade was awesome’ It’s a familiar tale: boy has bike, boy meets girl, girl hates bike, boy gives up bike. But once the confetti’s stopped fluttering and all the wedding cake has been eaten, boy and bike usually find a way to get back together. “My wife hated bikes,” says proud Blade owner Justin Peel, “but all my mates were bikers and I really missed it, so we struck a deal that if I bought the loudest, most day-glo helmet possible, she’d be happy with me riding again.” After 17 years out of the saddle, Justin bought a light-up Shark Skwal lid, took his full test then bought a Honda CBR600RR. He then enjoyed 12 happy months gaining experience on his 600 before…

Yamaha’s Alex Lowes was the only rider at Jerez within a second of Rea’s time, but the former British champion said his team must take further steps if they’re to continue the form that saw him and Michael van der Mark both win races in 2018. Yamaha will support four bikes next year with Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese in the new GRT squad. While Lowes thinks the extra riders will help develop the R1, he’d still like to see further investment. “I think Yamaha need to invest more because you can’t have the same level of investment for two teams as you did for one and improve the package for all.”…

After 15 years working in the bike industry, it took just one ride on a Zero to convince Abe Askenazi electric bikes are the future. In an exclusive interview with MCN, the firm’s Chief Technology Officer gives us the inside line on Zero’s goals, the joy of electric and why it’s time to make the change. What’s the goal for Zero? “To make the bike go away! If the bike just went away, and it was just you flying along the road as if you’re in a dream... wouldn’t that be just perfect? ‘For what many use bikes for the range is enough’ ‘Motorcyclists aren’t really rebels’ ‘We’ve broken sales records’ “With a bike you get a sense of the character; the vibes, the noise, the feel, so I used…

What do you do when you skipper a yacht as a day job but want to be on a motorcycle whenever you reach land? You establish a company building your own bespoke electric motorcycles, that’s what. Veitis is the company Steve Smith established after originally taking a 1953 BSA Bantam and stripping the engine out in favour of an electric motor to create his own test mule. This also meant he had something he could carry around the globe with him as his own personal transport, ensuring he was ready to roll whenever he steered into port. It was then that the business opportunity idea began to form. “I started with a petrol-powered BSA Bantam about three-and-a-half years ago,” Smith told MCN. “But every time I took it on board…

BSA C12 The picture is a bit creased but this is me posing on my BSA C12 in 1960. I still have a couple of bikes. Huw ‘Tudor’ Phillips AGRATI GARELLI Here’s my first bike, an Agrati Garelli moped with my mate Steve Holt on his Garelli Tiger. It was taken in 1980 in the White Hart pub car park in North Cave, East Yorks. Darran Williamson YAMAHA RD250LC Here I am with my 1982 RD250LC which I bought and picked up brand new for £1030 on my 17th birthday to replace my very slow and rather yellow FS1-E. Chris Webb BSA BANTAM This is a picture of my early 1960s BSA Bantam. I bought it new for £129 and still have the receipt! Roger Bishop NORTON Mum and Dad…

Winding its way from Cirencester to Buckingham our route is wide, fast and flowing. Most bikes feel lost through here, rattling around between the trees. Long straights and shallow curves usually seem to take forever, but now they’re being shrunk with ridiculous ease, screwed up and tossed nonchalantly behind. Never has the MCN250 felt so small. It’s official, the Busa has still got it. Even standing still the big Suzuki looks fast. It was born to make mincemeat of European motorways; flat in sixth, white road lines firing at you like lasers. Breakfast in Calais, lunch in Paris and tea in the Cote d’Azur. Next year Suzuki are celebrating the Hayabusa’s 20th birthday… by dropping it from the range, so taking it around the new MCN250 is our way of…

Bathed in strangely warm November sunshine, this stretch of tarmac is straight out of an on board TT video. Funnelling through tunnels of shimmering red and orange-leaved trees the H2 SX is in its element. On any normal machine it’s a lovely constant throttle flow, but the Kawasaki is no normal machine: it’s a supercharged hyper tourer that devours tarmac almost faster than your brain can process it. Such are the reserves of speed contained within the bowels of this green monster it turns sweeping curves into tight, scratchy point-and-squirt corners in fourth and fifth gear, accelerating with the kind of maniacal force most bikes can only muster in first and second. A light brush of the brilliant brakes is all you need to set up for 8.9-miles worth of…

1 Manufacturing the parts The Star Sliding Head CNC machines work 24-hours a day, seven days a week, to make the brake line fittings. The firm go through a staggering 20 tonnes of stainless-steel bar a month. 2 Cut to length A database carries the exact length of brake line. As well as clear, HEL supply 12 different hose colour options. 3 Preparation Brake line is a PTFE inner core surrounded by a steel braiding and covered in a PVC coating to avoid it rubbing. 4 Assembling the fittings A banjo fitting is either used as it is or hand-bent to the specific angle required by the model of motorcycle. As the fittings are stainless steel, they can be bent without distorting. 5 Swaging in place A swaging machine crimps…

‘Don’t just stick the bike in the middle of the image’ In a world awash with tech, recording our life in the form of a photograph is now common place. Gone are the days where every picture costs 50p to process at Boots so you had to be careful with your 36 exposures; digital photography and smart phone cameras mean we can all blaze away until our hearts are content. However, while the ability to take pictures has improved, most riders’ ability to create a decent image hasn’t. Luckily MCN’s staff photographer Joe Dick is on hand to show you how take that perfect picture of your bike to create a lasting memory (or just a cool screen saver). These are his tips… The set up A good picture starts…

‘The V4 R has face-peeling acceleration’ Never has the gap between a Ducati R-model superbike and its siblings been so wide. The new £34,995 Panigale V4 R feels nothing like a road bike when you take it on track. It accelerates so brutally, turns so fast and pummels your body with so much force it makes the 1103cc Panigale V4 S (MCN’s sportsbike of 2018) feel like a soft, fluffy touring bike. Ducati are desperate for WSB glory after the old V-twin Panigale failed to win a world superbike championship. With rules now tied more closely to showroom models, the new V4 R’s aim was simple: make the road bike as race-ready as possible. Mission accomplished. Ready-made racer The Panigale V4 and V4 S’s 1103cc Stradale engine is based on…

1 Sticky situation A sticking throttle is a problem that creeps up on you and it’s easy to learn to live with it, but it’s a huge safety risk as well as an MoT fail. The problem can often be traced back to a few basic things: the throttle tube rubbing on the handlebar, old cables, poor routing, or the grips binding on the bar end weights. 2 Need a new cable? To replace the throttle cable you’ll first need to remove the tank and airbox from the bike. Carefully detach the vacuum pipe and fuel line from the fuel tap, as well as any electrical connectors and breathers. To remove the airbox, undo the clamps that secure it to the carbs, as well as any breather pipes. STICK’S TIPS…

Spaniard 4th quickest in WSB baptism Jonathan Rea continued to lead the way as the main World Superbike teams prepared for 2019 in Jerez last week, but new boy Alvaro Bautista also impressed on his Ducati Panigale V4 missile. The Spaniard, who comes to WSB from MotoGP, posted competitive lap times from the early stages of the two-day test and ended his first day on a superbike just 0.3 seconds slower than the four-time reigning champion. Day two was a little more turbulent for Bautista with two crashes halting his progress. But he still ended the test faster than team-mate Chaz Davies and just 1.1 seconds off Rea’s quickest time. ‘It has less power’ Bautista’s fastest time was just a second slower than he went the following day on a…

Takaaki Nakagami has shown just how good the Honda RC213V is by topping two days of testing at Jerez, some 0.025 clear of factory rider Marc Marquez. Nakagami graduated to the 2018 machine after a difficult rookie season on 2017 machinery. He set the super-fast time on injured team-mate Crutchlow’s factory bike. The Japanese rider said the more rideable, smoother engine introduced at the start of the season makes a huge difference; not only for one fast lap but for consistent times over race distance. “It’s a big jump, and the power delivery has improved a lot. From the middle to the top of the power range, it’s a lot smoother, and in the bottom it’s sweeter and easier to ride. We’re still working with a used tyre to get…

This is Triumph’s latest and greatest retro, the Speed Twin. It’s a hopped-up, tuned and uprated version of the Bonneville T120 inspired by the original 1937 Speed Twin, the firm’s very first performance parallel twin. To create it, the Hinckley firm have blended the best bits of their retro range, resulting in a machine with the styling of the new Street Twins but with the performance of the Thruxton R and the comfort of the Bonneville T120. Can you handle it? A prime concern when developing the new Speed Twin was nailing its handling. The aim was to give a classic-looking bike the dynamic manners of a modern machine. To achieve that Triumph have give the Speed Twin a new frame based on that of the sporty Thruxton R paired…

The first ZX-6R Ninja landed over 20 years ago and the 2019 model takes the story to a new level with uprated electronics and styling. But over those years there have been lots of variations with the Kawasaki rated repeatedly as the best and often most powerful 600, too, often due to its extra 36cc. As a result, any Ninja 600 fan is spoilt for choice with a bike to suit every budget, taste and riding style, as well. 2019 ZX-6R What is it? With styling harking back to aggressive ZX-6Rs of the early noughties, an upshift quickshifter and raft of dash functions including an economical riding indicator, the new ZX-6R promises to be a renaissance machine. MCN says “This is more than just a track-focused supersport screamer.” Want to…

The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, has come out in defence of the Metropolitan Police after a video demonstrating their latest tactics to stop moped criminals attracted criticism online. The video showed the police ending numerous pursuits with ‘tactical contacts’, which involves using cars to knock suspected criminals off bikes. After the video was posted, Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, tweeted: “Knocking people off bikes is potentially very dangerous. It shouldn’t be legal for anyone. Police are not above the law.” But Javid has now spoken out in defence of the Met’s methods, and said: “Risk-assessed tactical contact is exactly what we need. Criminals are not above the law.” ‘Tactical contact is exactly what we need’ HOME SECRETARY, SAJID JAVID Camden Police also responded directly to Abbott, saying: “Someone who’s…

Riding a motorcycle is a visceral experience that stems from the feeling and sound delivered by a petrol engine. But what if your vehicle’s motor lacks any vibrations and your bike is eerily silent? You need to create an element of stimulation to allow the rider to get immersed in the new riding experience. “Within our Origin jacket, we have developed the world’s first motorcycle haptic system that links to the Vector motorcycle to provide communication via touch,” explains Ollie Evans, Arc’s COO. “Haptic is an interaction that involves touch. It’s the sensation when your phone buzzes to alert you rather than when you see or hear it ring. Because an electric bike lacks the feedback you get on a petrol bike, we’ve built a haptic alternative, which we call…

‘Spain is still number one, but we can fight them now’ Over the last ten years Valentino Rossi has had to painfully witness Spain’s ascendancy and subsequent domination of the MotoGP paddock. While Italy put all their eggs in the Rossi basket, Spain’s approach was more measured. With close to two decades of investment into the next generation, a plethora of circuits and the mercurial talents of Marc Marquez, Spain is now producing a conveyor belt of race winners and title contenders. But that freight train of Spanish talent is being halted as Valentino Rossi’s plans for his own dominance has finally started to pay off. Thanks to years of labour, countless hours of study and a few million euros of his own money, the future now looks bright for…

1 THE BAD • Bike is lent towards the camera on its sidestand with light behind the bike • Dirty tyres look messy • Position of bike lacks imagination • Telegraph pole distracts • Natural light isn’t being used to full effect • The bike’s shadow is too prominent 2 THE GOOD • Natural light is illuminating the bike • Ugly telegraph pole is gone and a tree adds visual interest • Bike is ¾ rear shot, which is unusual, and taken at a slightly higher angle • The disappearing road is used as a feature • Tyres are clean 3 THE PROFESSIONAL PICTURE • By utilising a shallow depth of field, the bike can be isolated from the background. This requires a camera with a variable lens aperture, which…

‘The V4 R has unflappable high-speed stability’ MORE POWER Ducati have taken its new 1100cc V4 Stradale motor and shrunk it to fit superbike racing rules. Running the same 81mm bore the stroke is shortened by 5.1mm to 48.4mm bringing capacity down to 998cc. The redline is set to 16,000rpm and 16,500rpm in top. It has higher lift cams, titanium instead of steel conrods, a lighter crank, variable intake trumpets and bigger elliptical throttle bodies (up from 52mm to 56mm) and a dry clutch. Despite its raciness, the valve clearance service is still every 15,000-miles. It’s Ducati’s most powerful road bike engine making 218bhp, or 231bhp with the race kit exhaust. MORE FEEL In a sea of high technology Ducati have used a very basic solution to give the ultra…

Every one tested for over 1000 miles In all weathers For at least one month Oxford Continental Advanced Jacket £199.99 Tested by Jordan Gibbons, two months, 1000 miles The jacket works on a layering system with a lightweight and well vented outer, backed up with a waterproof liner and a thermal liner. The fit and finish of the jacket is spot on and the outer, with its sensible amount of pockets and numerous vents, really hits the mark. Unfortunately, the cuffs are not adjustable, so as soon as it rains water goes up the sleeve, evades the liner and soaks you. Paired with the £169.99 trousers, water came in at the waist under the jacket too. If you want something for adventure riding in the summer months or in hot…

Back in the day 250cc race reps were the sharpest-handling, most frenzied, maddest things you could buy and there was a steady stream of exotic strokers boasting cutting-edge tech. Nowadays these bikes are modern classics and probably a bit slower than you remember. But they still look good, sound amazing and the smell of burning two-stroke oil will take you back. £3500 APRILIA RS250 249cc | 55bhp | 810mm seat height • Dealer £5999-£6999 • Private £2500-£4450 • This one 1995, 14,000 miles The best and most up-to-date in terms of looks, handling and performance as it was still in production up to 2004. The MkIIs handle well and look great, but which one you buy really comes down to condition and if you prefer a Chesterfield Biaggi or Rossi…

British Superbike champ Leon Haslam used the Jerez test to become familiar with the World Superbike-spec ZX-10RR he’ll ride alongside Jonathan Rea next year. Haslam finished the test third quickest, just a second off his teammate, as he continues to adapt to the machine, riding with full electronics for the first time since his WSB wildcard ride at Donington in May. Re-learning how to ride with electronics, such as traction control and anti-wheelie, has been the 35-year-old’s focus instead of set-up. ‘This is a winning bike so it’s up to me to make it work’ “I need to adapt to the bike and not the bike to me,” Haslam said. “This is a winning bike so it’s up to me to make it work. We’ll get it where I need…

Ever since engineer Gigi Dall’igna took command of Ducati’ racing efforts in 2014, introducing radical new concepts into MotoGP at any given opportunity has become his trademark, and the final test of 2018 at Jerez last week was no exception. Working to fine tune the weak points of what is already described by many of their rivals as the best bike on the grid, Danilo Petrucci ended the two-day test second fastest with fellow factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller not far behind him inside the top ten. Most radical of the new components was a metal bar that ran under the right side of the swingarm. While Ducati remained typically tight-lipped, having spoken to engineers within the MotoGP paddock, MCN believe it is designed to alter the geometry…

Jorge Lorenzo has started to prove that Repsol Honda boss Alberto Puig was right to put his faith in the five-time world champion. Puig rescued him from potential early retirement at the end of the 2018 MotoGP season by offering him a lifeline on the title-winning RCV missile. Finishing the final test before winter in fifth place and only 0.16 from the top spot, the Spaniard has surprised many critics with his incredibly rapid progress on the RC213V. Now looking like he will be seriously competitive at the first race in Qatar in March, instead of taking 18 months to adapt like he did to the Ducati, it seems like Puig’s gamble could well pay off. But these things rarely happen by accident. Here, MCN takes a detailed look at…