Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i RiDE

THE FORCES’ BIKE SHED happens at the Chetwynd Barracks in Nottinghamshire every Wednesday between noon and 8pm. It’s a chance for serving and former services personnel, and local civilians, to work on bikes. It’s been running for a year, after local bikers Pat Machin and Nigel Atkin met Lt Col Stuart Wiles, based at the barracks. He said: “We could not have predicted the interest that has been shown in the project and the support we have had. It’s about bringing military and civilians together.” Local individuals and businesses have donated bikes, workbenches and tools to support it.…

CADWELL PARK, BRITISH SUPERBIKES AUGUST 27-29 TRADITIONALLY THE biggest meeting of the domestic championship, everything seems right about the Cadwell Park round of British Superbikes. It’s held over a long Bank Holiday weekend, with the racing on the Monday. It’s at the end of August, when the weather is most likely to at its best. The beautiful tree-lined circuit always delivers great racing, with the added bonus of spectacular action as racers leap over The Mountain. But best of all, the circuit is surrounded by amazing roads through the Lincolnshire Wolds. But there are a few decisions to make. Do you go just for race day or the full weekend? If you go for the weekend, do you camp at the circuit or stay in a pleasant country pub or…

I GET THROUGH LOTS of bikes in my search for the best overland machines, and when Honda’s CB500X came out I knew it was going to be a contender. Then, when Rally Raid Products (RRP) announced kits to convert the adventure-styled 500X into an adventure-ready 500X RR it shot to the top of my shortlist. A middleweight, compact, parallel twin has the makings of an optimal do-it-all travel bike. In terms of cost, weight, agility and usable performance, something like the humble Honda has the potential to quietly get the job done. My bike was similar to the test bike Nathan Millward rode in RiDE’s November issue: full-monty Level 3 kit plus RRP bashplate, racks, footrests and a few other knick-knacks. I added my trail-beaten Barkbusters and 12-volt power take-offs,…

WE HAVE GREAT roads in the UK, but there are some even better ones in Europe if you’re prepared to go and find them. The mountains are higher, views are even more epic and the summer temperatures are higher than we have. Just the fact that you’re away for a few days on the bike makes the trip memorable. An exotic location only adds to the experience. I’ve never ridden on the right. Should it worry me? Not at all. It’s just the same as riding on the left. Road signs make it easy to see which way to go, even on roundabouts. Just pay attention when setting off after a fuel stop – especially if you have to turn across a road. It sounds stupid, but just saying “Ride…

“A practical everyday sportsbike with an exotic Italian twist” THE TURISMO VELOCE does exactly what you hope it will. It’s a comfortable, practical sportsbike. It isn’t the best touring bike; it isn’t the best sportsbike. But it is a very good compromise between the two. Tour to a nice region, then when you arrive enjoy the roads the area has to offer. Sportsbike pleasures experienced from a more relaxed riding position. Or think of it as a more practical, everyday sportsbike with an exotic Italian twist. So the Turismo Veloce is a good road bike. In Sport mode the engine is superb, the quickshifter making it no hassle to keep in the right gear. The suspension is a slightly less successful compromise, being under-damped, especially for the long travel of…

1 INSPECT FOR CRASH DAMAGE Is everything straight? Are there scratches on the bodywork, bar ends, levers, pegs and mirrors? Check the wheels are aligned, and check the lockstops haven’t broken off. Does the steering feel right? 2 LOOK CLOSELY AT THE WHEELS Worn-out tyres cost a couple of hundred quid to fix. Is the chain in good condition? Are the brake pads worn out? 3 CHECK THE FORKS Bounce the forks up and down, then inspect the stanchions. A ring of oil residue means the fork seals are at the end of their life. Inspect the fork tubes for pitting and rust. 4 GET IT RUNNING Start the engine (after checking the oil level). You’re looking for easy starting, smooth running, no mysterious noises, and a strong idle –…

Quite a bit, especially if you opt for the fully loaded SE version, which most owners do - to the extent that from late 2015 it’s been the only model offered. Even the standard bike, when available, was well appointed, featuring cleverly linked brakes, ABS (of course), traction control (ditto), ride-by-wire throttle, ‘dynamically mounted’ panniers (to avoid gusts of wind shaking the bike around, the panniers can move independently), adjustable seat height, electrically adjustable headlight, onboard computer, accessory sockets and a very useful cruise control system. The SE adds a variety of bells and whistles, including electronic suspension adjustment, USB connection and a fully integrated audio system with Bluetooth capability. If that’s not enough there are also loads of factory options, from a 50-litre top box (with integrated 12-volt socket)…

“Work your way through every gadget and switch” 1 RECALLS/WARRANTY WORK There were official recalls on very early models to correct an ECU/ throttle position sensor setting, and to strengthen the sidestand mounting lugs. There have also been other updates and niggles requiring dealer intervention under warranty. The main one was replacement cylinder heads on 2013 models to cure excessive noise. It was up to owners whether they wanted the work done. There have also been upgrades to the firmware in the audio and satellite system, which was causing a parasitic drain and resulting in flat batteries. You can check the firmware version by scrolling through the set-up menus (with the radio off). It should be 1.04E. If it’s not, talk to your dealer. There are loads of minor things…

#9 Kawasaki H2 Where did it come from? In the mid ’60s Kawasaki made a perky 250 two-stroke twin, the A1 Samurai, and the 350cc A7 Avenger, which were considerably more modern and appealing than the four-stroke W series. But from 1966 onwards they’d been working on a plan codenamed N100, aimed at creating a high-performance bike for the US market. Two- and three-cylinder two-strokes were developed, and at the end of the ’60s the first fruit of the scheme was revealed: the 500cc H1. That was soon joined by the 250cc S1, the 350cc S2 (which turned into the 400cc S3) and, at the top of the range, the wild and crazy 750cc H2. What changed? The two-stroke triples underwent many changes in a short period, with frequent restyles,…

AN INTRIGUING TEST – with some surprisingly good results and some equally surprisingly poor ones. Two areas that let a lot of bags down are fiddly mounting systems and showerproofing. Once you’ve got the strap or ring system into place, generally you can forget it. Leaking is more of a concern, but most bags come with rain covers or liners. We are slightly surprised at just how good the official BMW tankbag is. When luggage is so well integrated with the bike, it makes a strong case for being the one to get if you own a GS, so we have to recommend it. If your adventure bike isn’t a BMW, there’s lots of other good luggage here. If you want a compact bag, the AltRider Hemisphere and Givi ST602…

“Slow down a little, take time to asses the road and relax” HEAD’S UP The further you look ahead, the less you’ll feel the need to comfort brake – instead, you’ll be more confident adjusting your speed with the throttle. BRIGHT IDEA Some riders seem to think that activating their brake light on the way into a corner is a crime. It isn’t – if you need to use the brakes, then do so. EASY SQUEEZER Having a quick, gentle squeeze on the lever into every corner is probably a confidence issue rather than a genuine need to adjust your speed for the turn. SOMETIMES YOU’LL APPROACH a tight corner and need to slow down quickly – which is a job for the brakes. The sequence of blended braking applies:…

MOTO GUZZI V35 TT Not something you see every day, or indeed every decade. The V35 TT was a product of Moto Guzzi’s mid-’80s burst of enthusiasm for grabbing a piece of the dual-purpose action stirred up by the BMW R80G/S. TT stands for tutto terreno, or all terrain. It used the engine and frame from the small-block roadgoing V35, but with different suspension, bars, seat, brakes, a tiny fuel tank and a useful luggage rack. This one has a nonstandard headlamp. A V65 TT was also available, which morphed into the NTX650 and then NTX750. The later Quota 1000 was a completely different and much heavier bike, as is Guzzi’s current adventure offering, the Stelvio 1200. TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE Old seamlessly merges with new on this Triumph Bonneville special. Although…

New Zealand I started on my Direct Access licence at the ripe old age of 57, in order to ride my son’s Triumph Street Triple R. This was shot in New Zealand, on holiday with my friend Mark Scott. I was riding a Yamaha Star cruiser, Mark was on a Triumph Bonneville. We were joined in Invercargill by Graeme McMillan on a Ducati Multistrada for the Invercargill-to-Queenstown leg, and spent the following morning riding from Queenstown to Glenorchy alongside Lake Wakatipu – Colin Swinburn Swiss Alps We rode from Leeds to the Swiss Alps on our classics. We took the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge, rode to Bühl in Germany (staying at an old convent with the nuns), then down the B500 into Switzerland. I was riding a Yamaha XS850…

GREAT ROAD Start: Worcester Finish: Llandrindod Wells Distance: 61 miles Time: 2 hours Starting from RiDE’s Peterborough office we headed west, covering around 560 miles looking for good places to take photos and discovering what Wales has to offer. The stretch we’d recommend to anybody riding any bike is this stretch of the A44 from Worcester to Llandrindod Wells. It’s a stunner on a sportsbike, but fun whatever you ride. If you’d prefer to make a triangular journey of it, you can combine it with the A483 and A470 to make a spectacular route around Llandrindod Wells. “An achingly beautiful 200bhp computer” RUSHING BETWEEN WELSH hedges with the sun shining in a blue sky, I feel like a bad man. Legal speeds or not, riding 200bhp superbikes with a group…

“Should I ride a bike with a wheel that my dealer has said should be replaced?” Andrew Dalton’s legal Q&A Andrew Dalton, ex-dispatch rider, now a solicitor-advocate and barrister with 20 years’ experience with bikers, gives the inside track on what the biker needs to know to stay on the right side of the law. QI WAS HIT from behind with quite a clunk, which tipped me off my Triumph Tiger 800. Luckily I received only bumps and bruises, but because I hit my head on the kerb I want to claim for my helmet as well as the damage to my bike. My problem is that the rear wheel took a big hit and, even though the tyre remained intact, when I took the bike into my Triumph dealership…

HERE AT RiDE we’ve always liked Triumph’s Speed Triple for its real-world power delivery, timeless naked style, great handling and muscular soundtrack. But, like many bikes, new Euro 4 emission limits mean it has to be re-engineered. Will this affect the Speed Triple’s bare-knuckle appeal? It might look similar to the outgoing model, but much is new. “The 2016 bike has been in the pipeline for three years,” explains chief engineer Stuart Wood. “There are 104 components changed just in the engine - only the crankcases remain.” It’s still a 1050cc triple wrapped in an aluminium twin-spar frame, with a single-sided swingarm, twin headlights and twin high-level exhausts. But it now uses a ride-by-wire throttle, and benefits from new rider modes and traction control. The Speed Triple’s already-butch looks have…

PICK YOUR POKE Engine maps are easily swapped with a dedicated mode button. There’s Rain, Normal and Sport, plus a rider-defined Custom map. From its three-cylinder motor to the shapely single-sided swingarm and underslung triple-exit exhaust system, the 2016 Brutale 800 looks good. With the throaty triple running, it’s soon clear that the riding position is excellent too. The pegs aren’t high, the seat is firm but spacious, and there isn’t too much weight on wrists. Trundling along the motorway, the LCD display is good - though it lacks a fuel gauge - and adjusting the traction control, ABS, quickshifter and power settings is simple. Sport mode is a pleasant surprise: not at all jerky, as the fuelling was on some previous MV Agustas, but with the right amount of…

“Like a dog that’s just spotted a rabbit” B-roads When the Turismo sniffs a B-road it feels like a dog that’s just spotted a rabbit. With the all-too-easy-to-use quickshifter blipping the throttle as it changes down a couple of gears, the engine climbs to peak revs and it pulls you towards the horizon. Sports mode is the best, while Touring sacrifices a little top end to boost the midrange, but feels odd. The upright position gives you vision over cars and hedges, and the wide bars give you muscle over the steering. It turns so quickly, so definitely, that you can have any number of lines around a bend. The brakes are superb and get you out of all kinds of trouble, but the letdown is the front forks. There…

THERE WAS A time when the idea of buying a decent motorcycle for less than £2000 would have your friends and family ridiculing you for wasting money on a rusty, rotten death trap – but not any more. Today, with motorcycle performance ever increasing, durability improving and the prices of bikes over a certain age continuing to fall, it’s relatively straightforward to find a machine below £2000 that will offer years of good, all-round performance – as long as you know what you’re looking for. Most of the dos and don’ts are common sense. So long as you follow our advice, take heed of the potential pitfalls and ensure you go and check out any bike in person before bidding for or buying it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t…

1 CLEAN IT Although the bike may have been cleaned by the seller, now’s a good time to really go to town. Deep-cleaning a bike can help reveal faults. 2 CONTROLS AND CABLES Check all the controls and cables operate smoothly. Cables will probably benefit from lubing; check the routing and adjustment. Check the operation and adjustment of brake and clutch levers, throttle action, both pedals and all the switches. 3 PLASTICS Check all fasteners and replace, realign and refit if necessary. Cosmetic finish can be improved with T-Cut or paint compound (like very fine wet-and-dry paper) to remove all but the deepest of scratches, then repolish. 4 ERGONOMICS Handlebars and lever position can usually be adjusted, as can mirrors and sometimes peg position and seat height. Sit on the…

Service schedule Owners appreciate the 10,000-mile service intervals - they’d rather be out riding than hanging out at the dealer’s. Valves are checked at 20,000 miles, and there’s also a camchain tension and cam-timing check at the same time (it’s a one-off, not every 20k), which requires special tools. Sensible owners change final drive oil and fork oil at the same time, rather than the 40,000 suggested by Triumph – fork oil in particular will be revolting, contaminated and causing damage by 40k. Few owners do their own servicing, not least because it’s a lot of work to get into the bike’s guts, and once there you’re faced with a lot of electronics and need diagnostic equipment, special tools and the patience of a saint. Even if you don’t want…

“The plain-coloured £300 version looks good value” HJC RPHA 11 £300-£450 www.oxprod.com NEVER WORN AN HJC before, but it’s really impressed me so far. The RPHA 11 is an evolution of the RPHA 10 Plus – they must work on their names – and is aimed at road and track riders. It comes with a Pinlock and a black visor included in the box, making the plain-coloured £300 version look especially good value. The shell is light at 1300g, the shape is aerodynamic and the lid is available in sizes from XXS to XXL. There are plenty of vents for hot summer or hard track work, and the vent controls feel nicely made. MATT HULL Chain Monkey £24.99 www.tru-tension.co.uk A FANTASTIC TOOL that needs to live in your toolbox. Invented…

“Easy to use, agile, fast, fun, with plenty of practical touches” OUR YAMAHA MT-09 Tracer arrived on April 2, with eight miles on the clock. This was great, as I wanted to run it in myself: steady, avoiding “prolonged operation above 5600rpm” for the first 600 miles. A back-roads ride up to the Pennines and a few non-dual-carriageway commutes got it swiftly to the first service. After the oil change, the rev ceiling rose to 6800rpm for the next 400 miles. None of this was a chore: even in top gear the Tracer would cruise at 70mph when running in. These early days also saw the engine return its best fuel economy: 55-60mpg. That couldn’t last, of course. It’s a lightweight bike with a glorious 113bhp 847cc inline triple. There…

SUZUKI V-STROM 650XT I love knowing you can cover any mileage in any weather with ease and comfort. So far 215 miles to a tank is my best effort, but in a rush this can drop to just 130 miles. I’ve never known a bike with such sensitive fuel economy. MATT HULL Spec 645cc 90° V-twin, 68bhp, 215kg Current new price in this spec £7735 Current mileage 9597 Average mpg 54 HONDA VFR800X CROSSRUNNER With the Tracer gone, I’ve poached the Crossrunner. I’m enjoying the motor, the riding position, the heated grips - everything apart from the clocks. Each time I try to reset the trip, I end up losing the time display. Why? It’s maddening. I might crack and read the manual. The horror… SW Spec 782cc 90° V4,…

Capital punishment? So I must live in a deserted part of the UK: North London. I have been an ardent fan and reader of RiDE for many a year and find it strange that there seems to be a shortage of “great rides” starting in this neck of the woods. The Midlands, Wales, North England and Scotland are all well covered. Do I have to ride 100 miles first to find an epic ride? Will the other biker(s) who lives in North London please let me know if they have found any gems? Paul Lewis Seek out Hideout In your tests of high-end textile suits I have not seen you feature the Hi-Pro suit from the UK-based Hideout leathers. After being disappointed with the performance of my current midrange textile…

YOUR NEXT GREAT RIDE GLEN COE, SCOTLAND IF YOU’VE NEVER been to Scotland, it’s hard to comprehend the sheer scale of Glen Coe. This isn’t a landscape that dwarfs humans: it enfolds, absorbs and miniaturises us. Tiptoeing past the peaks is one of Scotland’s great roads, the A82 which links Glasgow and Inverness. The ride north is pleasant, leaving the city belt behind from Alexandria, though it’s quite tight as it hugs the shore of Loch Lomond. After the practically obligatory stop at the Green Wellie in Tyndrum, the A82 passes through the snow gates and gets better with every mile. From Bridge of Orchy, after Britain’s biggest hairpin, the road climbs over Rannoch Moor and into the mountain-shaded valley of Glen Coe, descending to the island-studded Loch Leven at…

“Two bikes stand out on the road: the Ducati and the BMW” THE BARE FACTS are hard to disguise: these bikes are too fast for crowded roads with mercilessly enforced speed limits. They are like lions in a cramped cage, trudging the perimeter in the hope of someone leaving the door open. But if you can resist the throttle they still give so much – handling heaven, backed up by technology you can tailor. They’re all good on track too, with the R1 and F4 revealing themselves to be particularly well suited to wet English tracks. In winter these bikes make very little sense; all you can realistically do is head to the garage and just look at the amazing details. Even in summer on empty roads there’s no way…

OUR ROUTE Start/finish: Geneva Distance: 1645 miles Time: 8 days WHEN WE TESTED the Bikeshuttle service, which ships your bike direct to Geneva overnight, it seemed like an ideal way to get to the Route des Grandes Alpes (February issue). Then we realised it’s an ideal way to get to loads of other amazing roads in France. So here’s a tour we’ve planned for the summer that uses the Bikeshuttle service to unlock the mountain areas of the Vercors, the Vosges and the Jura, the epic Ardèche gorge and Auvergne volcanoes, the hills of the Morvan and Champagne. Of course, the route is easily adapted if you want to ride all the way. From Calais you’d take three days riding cross-country to get to Gresse-en-Vercors, picking up our route on…

“The X takes Diavel DNA further in all directions” THIS BIKE IS a cruiser. I have to keep reminding myself of that – because it sure doesn’t feel much like one right now. I’m on the picturesque Highway 94 in southern California, gripping the wide handlebar, with my legs stretched out to forward-set footrests. So far, so cruiser. But the XDiavel has just carved through a series of bends feeling taut and well controlled even when cranked well over. And now there’s open road ahead so I’ve wound back the throttle, and those bars have almost been ripped from my hands as a torquey 1262cc dohc V-twin has sent the bike charging forward, emitting a soulful induction moan that is adding to the fun. Cruiser? By Ducati’s standards, yes (in…

After a few business-related hiccups Peugeot scooters are back on track. The stylish Django - a sort of two-wheeled Fiat 500 - has been selling well, and now the Satelis maxi-scooter line-up is boosted by this 400i version. The heart of the bike is its four-valve, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine, made by Peugeot rather than bought in from Piaggio. It’s also used in the Metropolis three-wheeler, where it hauls more weight. Here it feels lively, smooth and strong. The overall package works a treat. It’s not huge like the Suzuki Burgman 650, and not a weapon like the Yamaha T-Max. It’s more akin to the X-Max 400 and Honda Forza 300 (more expensive, but they have ABS - not available on the Satelis). It’s not as wriggly through traffic as a…

Big, fast, comfy and growly, but still nimble. It’s a bit of a lump to paddle around, especially for the short of leg - but then it weighs more than 300kg. That weight, carried fairly high up, also contributes to a slight vagueness and uncertainty at very low speeds – the similarly proportioned BMW R1200RT is much more precise at low speed. But raise the pace and the Trophy’s extra weight becomes a plus - it’s always easier to get good ride quality with a heavier bike, as the ratio of sprung to unsprung weight tends to work in your favour. So the Trophy floats nicely over everything from rough concrete to medium-sized potholes, insulating the rider from decaying roads just as efficiently as it insulates him or her (or…

“Handling and comfort are up there with the best” WHAT A CRACKING bike. Handling, comfort, weather protection and general build quality are up there with the best, you’ve got gadgets galore and the added bonus of one of the world’s more characterful engines giving you plenty of punch. For Triumph to come up with something that could come straight out of its corner and give the mighty BMW a bloody nose was impressive in 2013 and it’s still impressive now. Less impressive is the list of niggles and recalls with early models, but in the end that hasn’t put owners off because it’s how those niggles are dealt with that counts and Triumph’s dealers have generally been up to the task of keeping their customers happy - well, just keeping…

Getting fed up of seeing the Yamaha Tracer in the magazine now. It’s getting as boring as Carol Vorderman when she was never off the box. Great mag though - I like the British touring. Oh, and I prefer the Triumph Tiger 800 XRx, having ridden both. I now own the Triumph. WIN AN OXFORD AQUA30 BAG WORTH £50 This heavy-duty roll-top luggage bag is dry and rugged, easy to fit to a bike and convenient for carrying around. Win another fantastic Oxford product in next month’s RiDE…

“The book the serious travellers refer to” Adventure Motorcycling Handbook Author: Chris Scott Price: £15.99 www. trailblazer-guides.com A quarter of a century on from Chris Scott’s first desert biking guide, the seventh edition of what’s now called the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook comes with a formidable reputation. It’s the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet of adventure riding – the book the serious travellers refer to before, during and after their big trips. Which prompts two questions. One: is this latest version significantly different from the previous ones? And two: does it have anything to say to the vast majority of motorcyclists, who are unlikely to be crossing the Gobi any time soon? The updates are quite modest. There are more colour photos. The section on bike choice has been significantly revised…

REGULAR RiDE READERS will be familiar with GlobeBusters, founded by Julia and Kevin Sanders to inspire and challenge riders on long-distance motorcycle journeys. They’ve had a close relationship with RiDE since their early days. And we were there on their first Trans Americas trip: five months and more than 21,000 miles, riding from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska down to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina. Our man David Batchelor flew in to join the 10 customers for the final 2000 miles and two weeks of the trip in Argentina and Chile. He’d missed some of the more challenging sections, but he still had a life-altering experience with some great company and wonderful riding in a landscape that included mountains, plains and a glacier. “Following Kevin, we sweep through some…