Table of contents for June 2015 in RiDE

RIDING HOME FROM the office last night I had to improvise a diversion to avoid some kind of blue-lit armageddon on my usual route. It was cold and it was dark, but on the plus side I was riding the splendid new BMW R1200R and soon found myself on the B660, one of the finest roads in this part of the world. What might have been a 10-minute detour turned into an extra half hour, and my most enjoyable ride so far this year. The rides you don’t plan can be great, but you can’t rely on them. That’s why, starting in this issue, we’re going to be doing a lot more to suggest great rides to great events, such as the Touratech weekend in Wales previewed on page 90.…

Q MY BIKE WAS involved in an accident. My own insurance company’s “accident managers” wanted the bike repaired by one of their approved repairers, who were not franchised. I told them I wanted it repaired by a franchised dealer. The other driver’s insurers then got in touch. They said I did not need to run the case through my own insurers and that they would deal with the repairs through a franchised dealer. They also made an offer of £1000 for my injuries. Bearing in mind I had a stiff neck and a sore thumb for a couple of weeks, I was happy to accept £1000 and my kit being replaced, as I asked. My own insurer says I have to have the bike repaired under my policy, and if…

GSX-R heart A decade after the world first fell in love with the GSX-R1000 K5 engine, it’s back. It’s detuned for GSX-S1000 duties, but still makes a claimed (and possibly conservative) 143bhp. Fancy front end These 43mm forks are fully adjustable – preload, as well as rebound and compression. Front brake calipers are the same as on the current GSX-R1000. SPECIFICATION SUZUKI GSX-S1000 Price £9134 (ABS model £9634) Engine 999cc dohc inline four, 4v per cyl, l/c Power 143bhp @ 10,000rpm Torque 78 lb.ft @ 9500rpm Transmission 6-speed, chain Chassis aluminium twin-spar Front suspension 43mm usd forks, adjustable preload, rebound and compression Rear suspension monoshock, adjustable preload and rebound Front brakes 2 x 310mm discs, 4-piston calipers Rear brake single disc, 2-piston caliper Front tyre 120/70 ZR17 Rear tyre 190/50…

You may know them better for washing machines and cordless drills, but Bosch are at the forefront of many technologies. Their latest creation is the IMU, or Inertial Movement Unit. This measures the bike’s roll, pitch and yaw and feeds this information to the bike’s ECU. It isn’t a service part and is expected to work for the life of the bike. Without the IMU the Multistrada would have no cornering ABS, wheelie control or corning lights and its suspension would be much less advanced.…

Rain cover The main compartment is waterproof, but there’s also a hi-vis pull-out rain cover to keep the pockets dry as well OXFORD B35 BACKPACK £90 www.oxprod.com OXFORD’S NEW FLAGSHIP rucksack has a 35-litre, dry-lined, roll-top main section, secured with three clips and adjusted by a trio of straps on each side. There are two zipped external pockets: a deep one, with an MP3-player pouch and a rubberised hole through which a headphone lead can be poked; one shallower “key pocket”, containting a carabiner. On top of this key pocket is both a netted “glove pouch” and an integrated, elasticated cargo net. There’s also a fold-out helmet carrier and, in the base, a hi-vis rain cover with a huge, reflective Oxford logo. The height-adjustable (and detachable) waistband has…

ONCE YOU’VE DISCOVERED the joy of the tail pack, it’s hard to go back to other luggage. An unobtrusive bag that sits securely on the pillion seat is hard to beat, especially if it’s waterproof. Even if you need to take a passenger, you can still use one if your bike has a luggage rack. Of course, not all tail packs are the same. They come in a huge range of sizes. Some need waterproof covers to remain dry. Some are sealed by zips, others use roll-top designs. Some are pretty much fixed to the bike once fitted, others have quick-release systems so you can take them with you when you stop. How do you find the right one for you? That’s where this test comes in. We’re looking at…

Occupation Factory supervisor Year 2012 Mileage 8000 I was never interested in adventure bikes, as they seemed too tall for my 29in legs. Then I went with a friend to A1 Motors in York for their Explorer launch as he was interested, I got sat on it and liked it straight away. I could also put both feet down. The salesman arranged a two-hour test ride for the following week, and within 10 minutes decided it was right bike. It was so easy to ride and the handling was in another class compared with what I’d been used to. Overtakes brought a big smile to my face and that smile is still there every time I ride my bike. There’s plenty of power and the engine note is addictive. Finish…

Day 1: Teba to Granada Distance: 140 miles Riding time: 4 hours A half-day’s ride, after flying out to Málaga and collecting hire bike. Day 2: Granada to Carboneras Distance: 250 miles Riding time: 7 hours Includes the Veleta. Day 3: Carboneras to Almunecar Distance: 245 miles Riding time: 7 hours Has our tips for Spain’s best roads Day 4: Almunecar to Teba Distance: 125 miles Riding time: 4 hours Half-day to return hire bike and get to the airport to fly home For motorcycle hire, see www.bmwmotohire.com…

ALAN BIRD WAS the lucky winner of the competition run in RiDE last year for a place on GlobeBusters’ To the End of the Earth Tour. It’s a 17-day South American adventure tour through Chile and Argentina, covering an incredible variety of terrain and conditions in Patagonia. It even takes in Ushuaia, the world’s most southerly city. The IT specialist from Clackmannanshire normally rides a BMW R80G/S on and off road, but for the trip rode a hired F800GS. He’s an experienced traveller, but had never experienced anything quite like this. “The scale of the place is amazing,” says Alan. “There are so many mountains and valleys to explore. Many are inaccessible. The motorbike was a fantastic way to see a small snapshot of the different geographies of Patagonia. “I…

Insulate yourself Newspapers, foil emergency blankets or even plastic bags can be stuffed down your jacket – and anywhere else that’s safe and decent – for extra insulation. Plastic bags over your socks will also help keep your feet dry. Pull your tights up Cold legs? A pair of thick tights will act as a kind of base layer. If the petrol station sells washing-up gloves, stretch them over the top of your gloves for a waterproof, windproof barrier. The disposable gloves found at diesel pumps do the same job underneath your gloves. Add warmth Have a hot meal or snack and make it something energy rich, like pasta, that gives plenty of fuel. Make use of the handwarmers in the loo, for a quick blast of warmth in your…

USED OPTION #1 Kawasaki W800 Gentle, softly spoken parallel twin Impressive detailing Less power, heavier Price £4750-£6250 (2011-2014) USED OPTION #2 Harley-Davidson XL883R Long-running novice-friendly cruiser Famous name, great sound Less power, heavier Price £4000-£6500 (2005-2014) NEW OPTION #1 Triumph Bonneville Scrambler High-piped, knobbly-shod style icon Steve McQueen fantasies Less power, heavier Price £7899 NEW OPTION #2 Moto Guzzi V7 II Stone Underrated, well-equipped, V-twin retro Handling, huge tank, shaft drive Less power Price £7134…

WHATEVER THE WEATHER, whatever the terrain, whatever the distance.” Dunlop is making big claims for the TrailSmart, its new adventure-bike tyre and replacement for their TR91. The TrailSmart claims to have a 90 per cent focus on road riding, but does have a little off-road ability. At first glance the new tyre looks similar to the TR91, but it has slimmer grooves and more of them. In addition, one of the outer treads has been removed to prevent the tyre wearing unevenly towards the end of its life. On the TR91 a ridge would form towards the edge of the tyre, creating a noticeable step when rolling into a corner. The recipe of the silica compound has also been tweaked, for what Dunlop claim is a 14 per cent increase…

Kawasaki ZX-6R Rider Lee Skellett My very first motorcycle, bought for just £1400, has run its course as a road bike. Now I’ll be using it exclusively as a track bike until it goes pop OK, I’LL ADMIT it, working as designer on RiDE I’ve been spoiled by a steady stream of new, tight, shiny and posh test bikes to ride. As a result, my first-love ShedX-6R has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Left hiding under a cover in my back garden, unloved, bodged up and fixed on the cheap, it’s become a knackered old shadow of its former self. So here’s where I should start fixing the old girl up and making a good ’un out of it again. First love and all that. I could do,…

If cost and complexity is putting you off fitting a tracker to your bike, the Oxford Tracker could be what you’re waiting for. It’s extremely simple – essentially a tough, waterproof tube that uses GPS to tell you where it is via Google Maps. The unit is too long to be concealed easily on some bikes, but it doesn’t require any wiring in or installation. It runs on a battery with a potential life of 10 years. It can be used in anything you like, from a trailer to a toolbox. The only downside for those wanting to keep things cheap is that, like other trackers, there’s an annual subscription, on top of the purchase price of £199.99: options include £60 for 12 months and £180 for five years.…

ONE OF THE first nice sunny days of spring, and the bikes are out in force. And where better to appreciate the diversity of bike choice (and riding styles) than the M25 in rush hour on a Monday morning? Normally I wouldn’t be caught within 100 miles of the south’s largest car park, let alone on a Monday, but today I have no choice. To make it even worse, I’m not even one of the bikes slicing between the tin boxes. I am hopelessly stuck on four wheels. I know, I should be ashamed. But having failed to find a way to carry four Land Rover wheels, a GSX-R engine and two welding gas bottles in a topbox and panniers, I wasn’t left with much choice. Still, it gives me…

Power claims Kawasaki claim the H2 makes 197bhp, with ram air boosting this by a further 10bhp at speed. The H2R makes 306bhp, with ram air claimed to add 12bhp River Mark This small logo on the nose holds huge significance for Kawasaki. Called the River Mark, it’s a symbol used by Kawasaki Heavy Industries since the 1870s Headlight Single headlight is an all-LED unit. The two diamond-shaped position lights below it look, Kawasaki say, like “the sharp fangs of a predator”. See it? Tyres The road-going H2 come with new-for-2015 Bridgestone RS10 tyres. However, all the bikes available to ride at the world launch were fitted with slicks SPECIFICATION KAWASAKI NINJA H2 (H2R) Price £22,135 (£41,000) Engine 998cc dohc inline four, 4v per cyl, l/c, supercharged Power 207bhp @…

Stretch panels Leather stretch panels on the shoulders, elbows and, for some reason, the biceps, gives the jacket a great deal of flexibility and a decent fit Fabric panels Breathable and slightly stretchy fabric panels replace leather up both sides and under the armpits, to keep the rider cool RICHA REBEL 2-PIECE SUIT £199 jacket, £159 jeans www.richa.eu THIS SOMEWHAT SPORTY offering is Richa’s base model two-piece suit, and being just under £360 for the set makes it one of the most affordable options from the reputable brands. It’s available in three colours, all predominately black with panels of either red, white or blue. Both jacket and jeans are constructed from cowhide with a mesh lining, joined together by a pretty robust zip that’s easy enough to operate…

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PARTS Not cheap, but it’s not a cheap bike. Front wheel £487.50 Front disc (each) £219.44 Front brake pads (set) £62.99 Spark plug (each) £10.74 Fuel tank £625.22 Oil filter £9.36 Air filter £26.24 Screen £220.57 Mirror (each) £67.73 Front brake lever £48.83 Handlebar £92.93 Headlight £264.58 Exhaust headers £631.50 Side panel (each) £100.38 Tank panel (each) £155.94 Clocks £441.96 Radiator £485.12 Silencer £334.08 Engine cover (alternator) £507.61 Source: www.fowlers.co.uk AFTERMARKET PARTS Becoming popular with accessory makers, so plenty of bits available. Oil filter £6.99 Footrest lowering kit £89.99 Front brake pads (EBC HH x 4) £39.99 Front discs (pair, EBC) £299.99 Rear suspension lowering kit £34.99 Handlebar risers £32.00 Adjustable gear lever £60.00 Mirror extenders £15.00 Panniers (TraX aluminium) £660.00 Rear hugger £85.00 Fender extender £18.00 Touring…

MEET THE EXPERT Mark Eilidge is the technical services manager for Shark UK. As well as training Shark dealers how to service and maintain customer helmets, he spends his summer in race paddocks across the country looking after helmets in series ranging from British Superbikes to club racing. 1 Check for damage The first step is to look for damage. “I always start with a visual inspection,” says Mark. “There’s no point doing work on a helmet that’s damaged so you can’t wear it any more.” This may be more of a common problem for Mark, looking after racers’ helmets, but we all count on our helmets for protection. We know the helmet is likely to be trashed if we’ve had a crash – but what if it’s just been…

The man behind the Touratech phenomenon With their hefty catalogue and their logo prominent on many an adventure bike’s luggage, Touratech is a massive global success. Based in Germany, it’s run by the man who founded it 25 years ago. Herbert Schwarz is still a very active rider. He told us: “It feels like I started just a few years ago – 25 years have passed so fast. “When I started Touratech, I wanted to ride for at least one month every year – if I couldn’t do this, then I would have stopped. I still have plans to grow the business, as well as continuing to travel and spend time with my family. It’s the team of more than 300 employees who give me the possibility to take time…

The Compulsory Basic Training system that’s been in place for 25 years is ready for an overhaul. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is asking for suggestions on the changes to be made. You have until April 21 to see the consultation document at www.gov.uk  and share your views. The content of CBT courses, qualification process for instructors and the way their standards are checked are being reviewed. Transport minister Claire Perry said: “We must do all we can to improve road safety and I hope our proposals to change the training will do that.”…

Road to Paloma Director: Jason Momoa Genre: Thriller DVDS £15.99, Blu-ray £19.99 Road to Paloma is a gorgeously shot road/buddy/biker movie. Jason Momoa plays a Native American on the run, who ends up hooking up with a troubled musician and enjoying all manner of good times on their Harley-Davidson Panhead bobber and Yamaha chopper, interspersed with a good dose of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll… The film certainly isn’t short of cliche and sentimentality, but is actually pretty enjoyable all the same. It’s well paced, tightly scripted, and helped by appearances from Lance Henriksen and the timeless Lisa Bonet. Colin Overland Ducati Desmodue By Greg Pullen www.crowood.com £25 There are prettier coffee-table books about Ducati, but this does a good job of getting to the facts. It analyses the line of…

Sport pack £950 Includes a road-legal Termignoni carbon silencer, a carbon fibre front mudguard, and machined aluminium brake and clutch reservoir covers. Touring pack £950 (£750 if factory fitted) Includes three-level heated grips, a pair of hard panniers adding 58 litres of storage, and a centrestand. Urban Pack £560 Includes a 48-litre topbox and a tankbag with a USB charging port. Enduro pack £950 Includes tubular steel engine bars, a radiator grill, a metal sump guard, a sidestand foot extender and grippy off-road footpegs, all made by Touratech. Also comes with auxiliary LED lights.…

New peak The heavily louvred peak helps stop the helmet getting wrenched to the side by the wind. New design The visor mechanism and peak are now completely seprate, making it easier to use both. New visor The previous Hornet’s visor distorted at the bottom, but the new one has a more conventional curve for distorion-free clarity SHOEI HORNET ADV £370 (plain) £450 (graphics) www.shoeiassured.co.uk THE SHOEI HORNET adventure helmet has found favour with many riders, including our editor Colin. “I’ve ridden thousands of miles in a Hornet, and it fits me really well,” he says. “It rarely steams up, even wearing glasses, as there is plenty of air coming in from under the chin if you leave off the guard. The peak doesn’t force your head up…

Occupation Sales manager Year 2013 Mileage 15,000 I don’t change bikes often. However, when I came across the Explorer, I could see a bike that shared the same Brunel build quality (and, let’s face it, the weight) of the early Hinckley Triumphs, but with a riding position and comfort that really reminds me (don’t laugh) of my Land Rover. Yet it still came with all the practicality and character of our much-loved Sprint. The best bits are the riding position, the comfort, and the huge character and charm of the bike. That triple gives fantastic performance and charisma, but without the intrusive width, vibration and inflexibility of some of the twin-cylinder competition. Other than the common modifications (screen, handguards, etc), my bike was repainted by 8 Ball Paint when it…

I don’t see all that many of these in the workshop yet – they’re too new. I have done some warranty work for silly stuff, like coolant leaks from hoses. Triumph use car-type spring hose clips on all models now, so coolant leaks should be a thing of the past now. I’d really recommend you buy from a main dealer and make sure that all recalls and updates have been done. Service intervals are at 10,000 and 20,000-mile intervals, which is good. At the first 20k service you have to reset the cam timing, which needs lots of special Triumph tools. It’s seven hours’ workshop time, so that’s never going to be cheap. But a lot of early ones had the heads replaced on recall, which means the valves and…

•803cc •90° •V-twin •186kg •74bhp •ABS •£7130 THE TEST How do you find out what a new bike is really like to ride? Put it under the microscope of our painstakingly structured series of riding tests, designed to tease out flaws and highlight strengths in all situations. The ultimate weekend ride A four-hour loop of brilliant roads we know like the back of our hands. We won’t be surprised by how good they are: will we be surprised by how well the bike performs on them? The RiDE fuel economy TT A fixed 40-mile circuit of dual carriageway, A-road, B-road, town and villages, ridden to the RoSPA test standard to produce consistent, comparable fuel-consumption figures. Motorway miles A solid two hours of multi-lane drudgery, with only two roundabouts to break…

Icon The base-model Scrambler. Comes with cast wheels, ABS, and everything you see in the main test photos. Available in two colours: modern red and classic yellow. The red Icon is the cheapest Scrambler available, costing £7030 on the road. The Ò’62 YellowÓ version commands a £100 premium. Urban Enduro The adventure-style Scrambler. Comes with spoked wheels, a headlight grill, a high front mudguard, a sump guard, a braced handlebar, army green paint and a brown seat with ribbed stitching. Costs £8130 on the road. Full Throttle The flat-track-style Scrambler. Same cast wheels as the Icon, but a shorter front mudguard, lower bars, a twin-exit Termignoni exhaust, and a seat that apes a race bike. Costs £8130 otr. Classic The Ô70s-style Scrambler. Gets spoked wheels, metal mudguards, a regular numberplate…

“You can’t touch the electrics on bikes these days – that’s best left to the experts. I don’t need to understand how any of it works” NOT SO. THE basics are pretty simple. Think of your battery as a bucket, filled with electricity, but with a hole in the bottom. As you turn on the bike’s lights, energy drains out of the hole to power them. Now blow your horn, use your indicator or turn on your heated grips and even more energy needs to flow out to power everything. But this holed bucket needn’t ever empty, thanks to the bike’s alternator filling it up. The alternator is a flywheel attached to the end of the crankshaft, which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy – specifically, alternating current. The flywheel…

Yamaha Fazer 600 Rider Simon Weir Bought when it was three years old and it’s still too good to replace (on my budget). It’s not ridden enough, as I spend too much time on test bikes THE PROBLEM WITH having alternative transport is you can use it as an excuse to let things slide. Like stripping and cleaning the brakes. I put off doing my Fazer’s front brakes for nearly 10 months before caving. I realised I hadn’t done that particular job for nearly 20 years, so my mate Martin assisted/did most of the work for me. But he left me to get on with back brake, once I’d remembered the drill. That was six months ago. Having kicked over the glass I was bleeding the fluid into when doing…