Table of contents for 8 January 2020 in MCN

It’s not always easy to get excited about new bikes. Too expensive, too complicated, too powerful, or even too bland. But some years the collective brains of the world’s best bike manufacturers do manage to churn out a remarkable tide of new metal. And 2020 is one of those years. The range is exceptional. From the cheapest and most deliberately simplistic at one end, right up to the inevitable unobtainable headliners that most of us will never even see in the metal, let alone have a chance to own or ride. I’ve picked my favourite 60 tempters for you to drool and deliberate over – so grab a cuppa, hide your wallet somewhere safe and dive in from page 32. And once you’ve meticulously drawn up your wish list, stick…

HIGHLIGHTS • 124.7cc single • 14.8bhp @ 9000rpm • 140kg (kerb) • 810mm seat height • £4449 Yamaha have given their CBT-friendly MT-125 its first major overhaul since 2014 to bring it in line with the rest of the popular MT range with new styling, improved performance and revised geometry. Most of the updates were first seen on its sportsbike sibling, the fully-faired YZF-R125, which was relaunched last year with a new frame, new engine complete with Variable Valve Actuation (VVA), fatter 140 rear tyre and R6-style fairing. Plastics aside, the new MT gets all the above, so much so that it’s now a ‘mini supernaked’ with big bike looks, excellent build-quality and an impressive spec. The VVA system is triggered at 7400rpm, with a pin switching the intake valve…

A Wolverhampton-based biking magician has bagged a brilliant motorcycling prize – a brand-new Yamaha Tracer 700 GT in an MCN competition. Shaun Mansfield, 56, says the middleweight tourer allows him to visit his family more frequently and plans to ride it to the Isle of Man TT, where he volunteers as a marshal. “I found out I had won when I was out walking my dog. I got an email to say I’d won a competition,” he told MCN, admitting he’d forgotten all about entering it. “I thought I’d won a magazine subscription so when I found out I’d won the bike I kept saying ‘No, that can’t be real!’ Then I spoke to Yamaha and after they confirmed it all, I still couldn’t believe it! “My children and my…

PHIL WEST MCN CONTRIBUTOR If you’re after a sporty cruiser the new Low Rider S is a significant step up over the old: more punch, better ride and suspension yet the same classic JPS looks for a fairly reasonable price – it’s certainly better value than the £2000 more FXDR, for example. For Harley fans that might be enough but for the rest of us, it probably isn’t as it’s also crude, uncomfortable and frustrating. Harleys like the Fat Bob and Sport Glide are better motorcycles while the latest Diavel, even though imperfect, is simply light years better. If you want a slick, modern, fast V-twin cruiser – though how much of a cruiser the Ducati is remains debatable. Go for the Diavel, but I’d save £3k and go for…

MV Agusta Brutale “I’m very proud of that bike and although I didn’t fully get the acknowledgement because I left the company, its DNA is all my work.” Benelli Tornado “The Britten was partly the inspiration as it also had an underseat rad, but the fans were added to highlight the location.” Benelli TnT “The TnT was a super-cool project to be involved in. I always saw Benelli a bit like an edgy Lamborghini in terms of design.” 2010 MV Agusta F4 ‘square pipe’ “Redesigning a machine as iconic as the F4 was hard, but Claudio knew he wanted a new look and so I created the ‘square exhaust pipe’ models.” Superveloce 800 “I’d wanted to build a neo-retro bike for ages I had done loads of sketches in my…

2020 is here! In just seven weeks WSB kicks of at Phillip Island followed by MotoGP in Qatar and BSB at Silverstone. We’ll have to wait a little longer for road racing but it’s now time to mark your calendars, plan your trips, set your TV recordings and avoid making any other plans while the racing is on! MotoGP R1 Losail (QAT) – Mar 6-8 R2 Burriam (THA) – Mar 20-22 R3 COTA (USA) – Apr 3-5 R4 Termas de Rio Hondo (ARG) – Apr 17-19 R5 Jerez (ESP) – May 1-3 R6 Le Mans (FRA) – May 15-17 R7 Mugello (ITA) – May 29-31 R8 Circuit de Barcelona (CAT) – Jun 5-7 R9 Sachsenring (GER) – Jun 19-21 R10 Assen (NED) – Jun 26-28 R11 KymiRing (FIN) – Jul…

Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sporting Director “He has to consistently be in the top five and fight for some podiums – this is what we expect from him. He is very fast and is strong in qualifying. The podiums in Phillip Island and Valencia at the end of the season showed he is very competitive. “If he does this job he is definitely one of the candidates for the factory team in 2021. He knows Ducati, we like him, he’s young and he’s fast.”…

Guy Martin has avoided a court case over his possession of a fake driving licence after prosecutors dropped the charges upon hearing that the TV star and former TT racer, who is known to have Aspergers, does not always apply common sense and may have been taken in because he was vulnerable. The case had hung over the popular 38-year-old for over a year and Martin had been scheduled to face a three-day jury trial at Lincoln Crown Court starting Monday 6 January after being accused of possession of a fake Irish licence and attempting to use it to alter his genuine UK licence to allow him to drive HGVs. However, after reconsidering the case following the submission of psychiatric evidence the Crown Prosecution Service decided to offer no evidence…

• They had to rely on locals with generatorsBOORMAN REVEALS CHARGING WOES Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman have finished their third riding adventure, having ridden a pair of electric Harley-Davidson LiveWires up through the Americas. The route took them from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Los Angeles, California in the USA. The trip finished in a similar fashion to previous journeys with an invite-only group ride of 40 local riders, stopping off at a Harley-Davidson dealership for a quick charge before making their way to a party in downtown LA. The duo left Ushuaia on September 19, with long-time collaborator Claudio von Planta riding with them to film their escapades. Russ Malkin and David Alexanian, two producers and directors from theLongWay RoundandLongWayDownTV series, followed the trio in a pair of Rivian R1T…

A new bike-centric TV show airs this week which follows British ex-special forces soldier and custom bike builder Titch Cormack as he attempts to create an off-roader with a difference. ‘The Speedshop’ premiers on Sunday (January 12) at 8pm on BBC 2 and follows Titch as he sets about building a bike for Chris, a member of the Parachute Regiment, who recently had his right leg amputated. Chris wants to use the bike to cross the Alps between France and Italy off-road, a trip Titch tries to help make happen by drawing on his 10 years experience as a mobility expert in the Special Boat Service. He sets about modifying a Honda FX650 Vigor with the help of mechanic and ex-tank commander, Billy, who himself suffered life-changing injuries in an…

Save the scoreboard The Manx Government are holding two TT-related consultations at the minute. One’s about the proposed changes to the road closure schedule and the other’s about the mooted replacement for the scoreboard. Both of them close on January 31, 2020 and the details are on https:// consult.gov.im. For those who wish to see the traditional scoreboards maintained, there’s a group on Facebook called Keep The Isle of Man TT Scoreboards Traditional and a petition on Change.org. Shelley Blair, Northern Ireland Let's keep it grown-up Agreed, there should be no space for flag-waving politics on blog-off. But neither should overly sensitive readers (MCN Letters, January 1) indulge in infantile hate-signalling about ‘socialists’. Please, just grow up, stay safe and have a happy new year, whatever your persuasions. Oliver Stutter,…

KAWASAKI ZXR400 This was day after I passed my 33bhp test in 2009. A nearly mint 1996 ZXR400. Loved its speed and lightness. Matthew Shearer YAMAHA YB100 This is daughter Laura, 12, in 1994 on the Yam YB100 I passed my test on aged 40. 25 years on I’ve a Bonnie T120. Ray Palfreyman KAWASAKI ZRX Technically this is actually my second bike – a Kawasaki ZRX – as sadly don’t have a pic of my first, an old Z650! Sarah Kahlbaum MZ ETZ125 My MZ ETZ125 I bought for £200 in 2008 at 18. I kept it 3 years, then gave it to my brother for his 17th. Mega. Samuel Turner HARLEY LOW RIDER How is that for a first bike? Why go small when you can have a…

Harley’s reintroduction of the Low Rider S, the sporty (hence the S) version of the pared-down and blacked-out Low Rider, marks a return to the ‘sports cruiser’ category. And with a new Softail chassis, enlarged, 1868cc version of the latest Milwaukee Twin (the old had the 1802cc Twin Cam) plus new inverted forks, it looks to be a significant step up from the last S of 2017. But as we enter the electronic rider aid and 200bhp-packed 2020s, is it enough? We pit the new Harley against the benchmark performance cruiser – Ducati’s latest Diavel 1260 S – around the MCN 250, to find out. Whichever way you look at it, Harley’s 2020 Low Rider S, for all its updates, remains a bike from a bygone age; that much is…

The Diavel’s dash has the latest sports tech but in a subtle, minimalist package: a compact but info-packed, full-colour TFT display leaves the bar area virtually clear and complemented by a strip of warning lights above. It’s impressive and comprehensive but not completely intuitive and some of the digits are a little small. Harley’s twin dials are as old school as it gets but annoyingly, are positioned out of view on the tank – infuriating as the cowling holds a blank panel which is crying out to house them.…

‘I wrote the Italian for brutal on sketch for the MV’ When it comes to creating a beautiful looking bike, the Italians undeniably lead the way. However, for the last 25 years, the likes of Ducati, Benelli and MV Agusta have had a secret weapon – British designer Adrian Morton. Yes, the man behind iconic machines such as the Brutale, Tornado and all of the current MV range was actually born in Norwich! “Growing up in Norwich you have three options: work in a chicken factory, work in insurance or join Lotus. I tried the chicken factory as a summer job and it was terrible, but one evening whilst studying for my A-levels I picked up a newspaper and saw that Peter Stevens was giving a lecture regarding his career.…

People say that nothing smells better than a new car – but we’d argue they largely smell of boredom, traffic jams and all the emotional excitement of a new fridge. A new bike, though? That smells like happiness. And we all deserve a little more happiness in 2020, don’t we? The ever-marching tide of progress means there’s even more of everything for the New Year: more electronics, more clever chassis tech, more suspension trickery, more cunning material use and more bikes that cross the class boundaries as they try to carve out a new little niche all to themselves. But which ones really deserve your attention? These are MCN Editor, Richard Newland’s hottest picks of 2020’s best new metal. Go on, treat yourself – because you’re worth it! Sharpening the…

RATINGS POOR ★ AVERAGE ★★ GOOD ★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★★ EXCEPTIONAL ★★★★★ Rukka R-Star gloves £250 Tested by Simon Relph for 2 years, 2300 miles If you want to give your hands a treat, these gloves definitely do that. Very nicely made with full leather exterior, Gore-Tex membrane and soft warm fleece interior. There’s a choice of two entries: one allows your hand to be nearer the palm with more insulation on the back of the hand, perfect for winter on bikes with heated grips. The second option offers more insulation to the palm, though I’m not as keen on this because it reduces the amount of feel through the handlebars. So far, I’ve enjoyed warm dry hands on even some of the wettest rides, which is where the visor…

HIGHLIGHTS • 13.4bhp & 30ftlb • 2.6kWh battery (53-mile range) • 79kg • £12,000 Cake, the radical Swedish electric bike firm, have brought their road-legal model to the UK. Called the Kalk&, it builds on the off-road Kalk, with the addition of the usual road-going bumpf. What makes it so good? Well the key to this cake, like all others, is just how light it is. In fully road-legal trim, it weighs just 79kg. Despite this it’s good for 53 miles, can achieve a top speed of 56mph and will recharge from 0-100% in just two-and-half hours attached to a household socket. How have Cake done it? They started from scratch, obviously. Unlike most electric bikes which are made from standard motorcycle components, the Kalk& has been designed from the…

Suzuki’s V-Strom has always been good value and the new 2020 models, the 1050 and 1050 XT, continue that trend, arriving in March at an affordable £9999 and £11,299 respectively. If you go for the current PCP offer, they’ll also extend the two year warranty by 12 months to cover the whole PCP term. But if you aren’t in the market for a new one, you have 18 years of V-Stroms to choose from, including a Kawasaki version. 2020 V-STROM 1050XT What is it? Enduring adventure with revised ‘Dr Big’ styling, improved electronics and more powerful Euro5-compliant engine. MCN says “As an update, it’s a decent step, but there’s also ever-stiffer competition from the new Africa Twin.” Want to buy one? £11,299, £2360 deposit, £129 per month on three-year…

Police have arrested five people, four men and one 12-year-old, in dawn raids across the north-east in relation to a spate of motorcycle and other vehicle thefts. Officers from Operation Benelli, a specialist motorcycle theft taskforce, seized three motorcycles, three Transit vans and one other vehicle as part of the major investigation. Detective Inspector Tam Fowler, who leads Operation Benelli, praised the partnership between forces in making the raids. “As a result of the co-ordinated operation, we are questioning five and we have also seized a number of suspected stolen goods which will be important as we progress this investigation,” he said. “We have done some fantastic work already in the Operation Benelli team to raise awareness of motorcycle thefts and the work we are doing around the clock to…

Best-selling Chinese/ British bike brand Lexmoto have just unveiled this all-new, A2-compliant, 380cc sports twin – and it’s nearly £2000 cheaper than its Japanese rivals. Until now, the brand has concentrated on big-selling, budget-priced 50s and 125s, which makes the LXR380 the first A2 licence-friendly bike it has produced. It’s powered by a 378cc Euro4-compliant parallel-twin, producing 40.2bhp at 9000rpm, which, paired with a six-speed gearbox, propels it to over 90mph plus a claimed wallet-friendly 80.7mpg. And although that performance is a little down on, say, Kawasaki’s 44bhp Ninja 400 or Honda’s 47bhp CBR500R, the LXR has one obvious ace up its sleeve – price. At £3699, the LXR is £2399 less than the CBR500R (£6099) and £1800 cheaper than the Kawasaki. It’s nearly £2K cheaper than its Japanese rivals…

I'd have to agree with Chris Night (MCN Letters, January 1). Phil McCallen was a TT great and deserved a mention in John McGuinness’ TT heroes list. Perhaps John just couldn't bear to watch Phillip racing – I must say there were many times I could only watch with my hands partially obscuring my vision, such was his aggressive riding. Anything McCallen lacked in talent (and his many road race wins suggest that wasn't much) he certainly made up for with verve and commitment. A proper road racing warrior. I for one would love to see a good McCallen biography, I suspect it would be a rollercoaster read. On the occasions I've met Phillip he's been a real ambassador – generous with time, self-effacing and completely different from his racing…

I think it’s brilliant. He 100% has the ‘minerals’ to do it – a bit like Plater, Brookes, Hicky. He’s from the same mould – a quality BSB rider. He’s been on the phone asking what it’ll take for me to go over with him to take a look around and do a few laps – so fair play. He knows what it takes but at this stage of his career he’s vulnerable. Vulnerable as he has so much talent. He’s got 9ft of talent with 1ft of experience and that doesn’t line up in the middle for a year or two. But then after that he’ll be away. ‘HE’S GOT 9FT OF TALENT WITH 1FT OF EXPERIENCE’ What Glenn has to be able to do is take it on…

It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B- roads, a stretch of motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time for sportsbikes when needed, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. 1 Chalk and Cheese At standstill it’s striking how different these two are – despite their similar ‘S’ designations. The Low Rider may have moved on but is still classic Harley; even its JPS black and gold evokes the ’70s. By comparison, the Öhlins, alloy and electronics Diavel is pure 21st century. Both are…

While neither machine really delivers much real sporting ability up the hairpins of Fish Hill in these winter conditions (the Harley is too clunky and crude, the Ducati’s near-slick 240-section rear tyre struggles with the slime), on the fast, sweeping A44 then A424 towards Stow-on-the-Wold they do come into their own. The Diavel is the easiest: great gobs of sharp grunt in Sport, so much so that Touring is the preferred mode; upright comfort that reminds of a Monster and sport brakes, a cultured Öhlins ride and all-round sophistication that’s beyond question – as they should be at this price. But the Harley, though no real match, delivers, too: plenty of more clunky grunt, sharp enough steering and brakes that, if the rear is added, are adequate. All that Harley…

‘I’d gone in to buy a maxi-scooter…’ Experience is a wonderful thing. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Worldliness also improves your biking life too, by not only making you a better rider but also a wiser buyer. Being a biker for over 40 years means that MCN reader Jonathan Fish can legitimately be described as experienced. He’s has had his fair share of bikes, from 125s to race machines, which meant that when it came to buying he knew what he wanted. Well, sort of… “At the time I was commuting just 13 miles a day so decided to buy a scooter,” begins Jonathan. “I went over to Vertu Honda in Grantham and signed up to buy an SH300i. While I was waiting for it to arrive, the…

Don’t be a snob. They don’t have a clutch lever and may have a hook for your shopping but a maxi-scoot is a truly fabulous thing. Fast enough to see-off traffic, comfy in all weathers, practical, efficient, cheap to run, they’re not just great two-wheelers for the daily slog but great as your only bike. I had a Burgman 650 that was ace, and MCN tester Michael Neeves has a worrying obsession with his own TMAX. Seriously, get a test ride... £6000 YAMAHA TMAX MCN’S BEST BUY 530cc |220kg |46bhp |800mm seat height • Dealer up to £8000 • Private up to £7250 • This one 2015, 12,000 miles The scooter for bikers, with 85% of a small car’s practicality but 90% of a ‘proper’ bike’s performance and feel.…

1 Feeling a little flat? A battery’s health can suffer for various reasons, such as prolonged periods of non-use as well as parasitical drain from GPS trackers and alarms. Most new bikes are fitted with maintenance-free batteries which, if connected to a trickle charger, won’t need a second thought. But older style batteries require a little more care. 2 Master your multimeter In order to assess your battery’s condition the voltage needs to be measured using a multimeter. With the meter set in voltage/V mode, you need to select the voltage scale which, as we’ll only be measuring around 12V, should be set at 20V. With the ignition off, place the probes on the battery terminals and measure the voltage. It should be between 12.55 and 12.95V. 3…

Steve Williams at Stevelin Motorcycles had been looking after his customer’s 2002 Honda CBR600FS for about 18 months when the guy announced he wanted to sell it to upgrade to a Fireblade. The owner had done the routine servicing himself, leaving Steve to do any specialist jobs such as changing the tyres. “It was in lovely condition, so I was happy to give him a fair price for it,” said Steve. ‘It’d clearly been too much work to replace the studs’ The only issue was a slight ‘ticking’ from the cylinder head area. When the bike had been in for its last MoT elsewhere, Steve could see the examiner had put an ‘advisory’ on, identifying that ticking as a leaking exhaust, or possibly a leaking gasket. So the deal was…