Table of contents for 19 January 2022 in MCN

Michelin have announced new versions of their do-it-all tyre, which will now be called the Road 6 and Road 6 GT. Following on from the Road 5, which has been a firm favourite in the MCN office since it was introduced in 2018, the Road 6 focuses on increased wet grip and greater longevity, as well as a larger spread of sizes. Michelin say the new tyre benefits from a fresh tread design, improved raw materials and an improved build, which all contribute to a claimed 15% improvement in wet grip over the old model, as well as a claimed 10% increase in tyre life. The Road 6 is available now in six front and eight rear sizes, while the Road 6 GT comes in one front and three rear…

Detectives are seeking help from the public after the attempted robbery of a moped in Mansfield. The rider had stopped in Jubilee Way South in Mansfield, near to the Tesco petrol station when he was approached by a man described as white, aged 15-19, of slim build and with dark brown hair. The victim managed to fight the man off but his scooter was damaged. “The force will always investigate reports of this nature and treats them very seriously,” said Detective Constable Louise Foster, from Nottinghamshire Police.…

We’ve teamed up with Oxford Products to give away a pair of Oxford Zero-G paddock stands and workshop mat, a prize worth up to £320. Zero-G paddock stands cater for all kind of bikes (including those with single-sided swingarms). The stands are engineered using the latest CAD technology and 3D modelling techniques. By being scientifically designed to minimise the required effort to move a given load, the new Zero-G range of paddock stands literally take the weight off. The winner can choose one front and one rear stand from the Zero-G Lite or Zero-G range including headstock and single-sided stands. ENTER FOR FREE – NOW! Visit www.motorcyclenews.com/winpaddockstands TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 1. The prize draw closes at midnight on February 8, 2022 2. This competition is open to UK residents aged…

MCN CONTRIBUTOR Over the last 45 years Brabus have established themselves as one of the world’s most respected car tuning firms, but in 2022 the company will make their first move into bikes with this machine – the Brabus 1300 R. If you think it looks like a KTM 1290 Super Duke R, that’s because it’s a restyled and uprated version of that bike, with Brabus forming a connection with KTM that mirrors their relationship with Mercedes in the car world. Although there’s been no official announcement, the Brabus move to bikes has effectively been confirmed by documents including a trademark for the name ‘Brabus 1300 R’, which registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office in December 2021, specifically to be used on motorcycles. Even more importantly, the bike…

What’s there? As the name suggests, Keswick’s Filling Station Café used to be just that, but now instead of filling your motorcycle with petrol, you can fill yourself up with the fantastic food and drinks on offer. Designed as a retro-American-style diner, the Filling Station doesn’t boast the most square-footage, but there’s plenty of space for bike parking outside and the food is cooked to order and uses locally-sourced produce. The route Since the café is in a prime location just off the A66 at the heart of the Lake District, you won’t be surprised to hear that the surrounding roads, routes and scenery are all spectacular. Buttermere is a popular stop off for many and you can get there if you head south from The Filling Station and ride…

GUEST ROAD TESTER £9400 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport • 888cc liquid-cooled inline triple DOHC 12v • 84bhp @ 8500rpm • 212kg kerb (est) £10,395 (£12,005 AS TESTED) BMW F900XR TE • 895cc liquid-cooled parallel twin DOHC 8v • 103.5bhp @ 8500rpm • 219kg kerb If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that you don’t need to go abroad to enjoy a fabulous two-wheeled touring holiday. Here in the UK we are blessed with an amazing variety of roads, landscapes and weather – including the occasional ray of sunshine. Staycations are the future and that’s nothing to be sad about. But there is a slight issue. The UK is a small island and that means we are more limited in our road network than Europe. We don’t have…

GUEST ROAD TESTER With all its trinkets and gizmos the F900XR TE could have outshone the Tiger 850 Sport, but this wasn’t the case. Although the BMW is a more fun machine to ride on B-roads where agility takes precedence, the Tiger was never far behind and when we switched to flowing A-roads it proved a considerably more relaxed machine. “You could ride the Tiger all day and its easy-going nature would always see it working with you where the XR does require a bit more concentration,” summed up Justin. “That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the XR’s sporty focus, while fun, can also occasionally count against it.” But that’s not to say the Tiger isn’t without drawbacks. Undeniably lacking in some areas, it would be nice to see…

• Cleaning performance rated • Ease of use and value assessed • Tested against baked-on flies and winter crud RATINGS Exceptional ★★★★★ Very good ★★★★ Good ★★★ Average ★★ Poor ★ R&G Gleam Nano Bike Wash (1 litre) £7.49 ‘Great for the price’ Tested by Richard Newland for six weeks/four washes This wash works like most: give your bike a good rinse, ideally blasting away any heavy dirt; spray on (‘generously’, they say) with the high-quality supplied spray gun; leave for 3-5 minutes so it can get to work loosening the dirt; agitate with a good brush; rinse thoroughly. And it does work well, too. On all but the most stubborn of greasy grime, it gets under the dirt and lifts it away, dissolves splatted buglife, and leaves your machine…

Even a hack should make you happy... Motorcycles aren’t like other transport. As a rider you’re far more engaged than any driver – be it accelerating, braking or balancing through a corner. Sensations are more direct, and you enjoy a connection that you can’t find from the seat of a car. You form a relationship. This fact should always be in your mind, whether you’re investing in dream machinery or simply buying a cheap hack for the commute. Any bike is a piece of machinery that you’re going to create a bond with, that’s going to stir your emotions. So even the cheapest wheels need to inspire you to ride when the garage opens. There needs to be enough pride to make you rinse off salt, to carry out even…

MECHANIC Chris Self of Chris Self M/C in Ipswich Bike mechanic Chris Self had to doff his cap recently to one of his more ‘experienced’ customer’s ingenuity when he rolled into the workshop on a venerable 1981 Honda CB250N Super dream. Chris said: “We could hear a ‘chuffing’ sound coming from the top of the engine, which usually means the exhaust is blowing. It’s normally where the downpipes exit the barrels because the exhaust gasket has burnt through, or it’s been reused so it doesn’t seal properly, but then we could see this weird up and down movement from the sparkplug lead.” Harry, the 76-year-old customer, from Ipswich, has had a 60-year riding career on a wide range of machines, so he’s learnt a thing or two about keeping the…

Ever since its inception in 1988, the World Superbike Championship has provided gloves-off, shoulder-to-shoulder, handlebar-to-handlebar action. After all, the series’ motto is ‘Pure Racing’. The cast has featured multiple champions, rookies, GP superstars and sometimes the unlikeliest of characters. In 2021 not only did WSB deliver more than ever before but, with every year that passes, there’s even more history to live up to. Here’s our selection of some of the most memorable championship contests of all time… CORSER VS SLIGHT 1996 The forgotten WSB finale The 1996 season actually went down to the final round at Phillip Island with 26 points between Troy Corser and Aaron Slight. The former clinched the title in Race 1 with a fourth place, the latter crashing out. BAYLISS VS EDWARDS 2002 The showdown…

A man unlike anyone before him in the bike category, Petrucci brought his charming and philosophical character to the Dakar and with it a legion of new fans. He said: “It was great to see how many people became interested in the Dakar, just because I was there. We told a good story, we got excited, even too much at times. Above all, it was great to see how many of my former MotoGP riders have been cheering and writing to me over the last two weeks. And you know what I tell myself? ‘What if I’d never tried it?’ “I’ve had moments that I will never forget, the night before the prologue: we did the first part of the liaison and camped in the desert a few kilometres from…

I’ve not bought a brand-new bike since 1997. That’s not some sort of inverse brag, but a simple matter of fact. It does rather beg the question: Why not? And the answers aren’t in the least bit controversial. For many years, it’s been a simple lack of financial possibility, mixed with my aversion to taking out credit (my 1997 extravagance locked me into a 5-year HP deal – I swore ‘never again’). But it occurred to me this year while we were compiling our pick of the hottest new bikes of 2022 (see page 26), that I could finally afford a brand-new dream bike. Not because I’ve won the lottery, climbed sufficiently high on the greasy pole of capitalism, or sold any kidneys – but simply because I’ve been carefully…

SERV Wessex have received a boost to their blood-running efforts in the form of a new BMW RT. The bike was donated by David Luckett MBE in late 2021 and has already been pressed into service helping the volunteers complete over 3000 drops per year. Luckett said: “My son Steve has been a volunteer biker for SERV Wessex for the past four years, so this was a perfect way to show my support.” Born ready to race KTM have unveiled their latest electric balance bikes for kids – the 12eDrive and 16eDrive. The number in the name refers to the wheel size with the 12in for smaller kids and the 16in for taller ones. Both have varying power modes, the 16 has options for 5, 7.5 or 13mph top speeds…

Scorpion EXO 490 Tour £99.99 Bag a bargain for under £100 Most of us are a bit skint at this time of year, but the good news is that shops are keen to clear space for new kit so there are bargains out there that won’t cause too much of a crater in your wallet. We set ourselves a budget of £100 and found some corkers – from helmets to riding gear to garage essentials. This full-faced helmet from Scorpion is yours for a penny under our £100 ceiling. It’s available in two brightly-coloured graphic designs and has all the features you’d expect from a product that’s twice the price – such as a polycarbonate shell, a removable and washable liner which wicks moisture and a drop-down sun visor. The…

‘Are Chinese bikes off the menu?’ One of my less glamorous jobs is helping put together What Bike? I won’t bore you with the details but I update prices and ranges to show what’s for sale. While not thrilling, every now and then it throws up a few items of note. This year I couldn’t help but spot just how much the prices of Chinese or Far Eastern 125s have jumped. Most years, prices remain fairly static but this time increases of up to £500 are common, which is a huge percentage on a bike costing less than £3000. AJS, Lexmoto, Sinnis, Zontes and even CF Moto have all upped their RRPs. Why? As well as Euro5 updates, thanks to Covid and the Suez Canal issue bikes now cost far…

Q ‘Are they trying to con me?’ I had an accident on the morning commute five weeks ago and the other driver’s insurers have contacted me and said that I don’t need a solicitor to claim compensation. They have already repaired my bike and have offered me compensation without having to go and see a doctor. This seems reasonable to me but my mum is telling me that I need a lawyer to stop me from being conned – is she correct? Karl Reynolds, email A Unfortunately, the insurer’s interest is the opposite of yours because they want to pay as little money as they can but you want the correct amount in your claim. Because the injured rider typically has no experience of the process, the other side’s insurer…

Readers Steve Bond and friends The trip UK to Switzerland via France and Belgium How many miles? 1650 How long do you need? Six days was ideal Best time to go Early June Tell us about the ride One of our touring group (Ron Gainsford), was given a large poster by his wife of two Brits on Triumphs at the dam in the Grimsel Pass in Switzerland. The image was from 1951, the year Ron was born. A plan was hatched that five of us would ride there to recreate the 1951 shot but using more modern-day Triumphs. The riders were: Ron (Triumph 1050 Sport), Nigel Strick, who hatched the plan and organised the trip (Triumph 1050 Sport), Andrew Foulkes (Triumph 1050 Sport), Andy Melton (Triumph Explorer 1200) and me,…

1 Bike Night at Loomies Moto Café Wednesday night is Bike Night at Loomies Moto Café, West Meon. The café stays open late – until 10pm – and it regularly gets the parking area buzzing with like-minded people. The grub is great, so arrive hungry. There’s a shop on site, too. loomiescafe.co.uk 2 Seaways Sunday Seaways in Driffield, East Yorks, has always been a great destination, and Sundays bring in bikers from all over. Open from 7am until 4pm, there’s plenty of time to rock up, grab a bite to eat and then go enjoy amazing roads. seawayscafe.co.uk 3 Bike Day at the Ace On Sunday January 23, the Ace Café is playing host to bikes for a full day. Starting from 9am, the Ace will attract bikes of all…

Steve Bowlas Age 65 Height 5ft 8in Current bike 2012 Suzuki Bandit 1250 and Triumph Tiger 850 Sport Been riding 48 years First bike 1971 Suzuki Stinger 125 Twin Dream bike Moto Guzzi V85 TT “After owning a 2018 Tiger 800 XRT for 15,000 miles I was looking at trading in. I loved the middleweight adventure Tiger and its triple motor but realised I didn’t need all the bells and whistles, so I wasn’t prepared to pay the extra for the new Tiger 900GT. When I saw the Tiger 850 it made far more sense to me – I don’t want a quickshifter, I’m not interested in cruise control, and the factory suspension settings work perfectly well for me. Aside from heated grips, it had all I required for a…

The Pan doesn’t appear to be doing very well with the dampness of a British winter. Now, I’ll be really clear – in the time it wasn’t ridden, it was inside a dry garage and I’ve not taken it out on horrible salty roads. Yes, it’s got wet and filthy from time to time but I’ve always kept up with the sponge and hose. That hasn’t stopped rust appearing on bolts, furry fixtures and cruddy spokes. By contrast the Tiger 1200 I used as a long termer did twice the mileage and barely had a mark of corrosion on it.…

1 Halvarssons Walkyr £499 Paired with the Halvarssons Wish trousers, it’s a superb bit of kit! The Outlast liner works surprisingly well down to sub-zero and the laminate dries fast. I’d recommend it to everyone. Calum Moss, Glasgow 2 Klim Carlsbad £599.99 I’ve had Gore-Tex kit before and always worn an over-layer to stop the jacket from wetting out. With the Klim kit I just get on with my day. Worth every penny. Luke O’Mahony, Cork 3 Oxford Mondial £249.99 £269.99 Absolutely superb for the price. I wear it for both my commute and for work as a part-time DAS instructor and it’s perfect. Paul Williams, Morden 4 Rev’it Poseidon 2 GTX £699.99 Light and warm and you’re not going to know it was raining. Pricey, but I think you…

Saving you money on essential bike maintenance BRUCE DUNN MCN’s expert technician 1 Pick pukka parts Performing a basic service at home is a very straightforward but highly satisfying job. It requires very few tools and only a couple of parts – simply oil and air filters, new sump plug washer and the correct grade of lubricant. When purchasing your consumables, always go for OE as these parts are often critical to your engine’s longevity. 2 Warm up then let it flow If the bike isn’t warm, it’s a good idea to run the engine for a few minutes to heat the oil so it will flow out more freely. Stop the engine, then undo the sump plug – initially using the correct sized spanner, then spin it out by…

Valentino Rossi has signed his first car racing contract. The nine-time world champion has joined Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe series and will race an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Rossi has made it no secret that he wanted to race cars, and the Italian will participate in all 10 rounds of the championship, which includes Sprint and Endurance events. Standout races include a trip to Brands Hatch at the beginning of May, plus local rounds at Misano and Imola, as well as the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium. New-look Gresini Gresini Racing unveiled bold new colours at the weekend ahead of the 2022 season. Following their split from Aprilia, Gresini are an independent team once again and have signed a two-year deal with Ducati.…

Marc Marquez’s hopes of being fit for the official MotoGP test at Sepang next month have been handed a major boost after he was given the all-clear to ride motorbikes again. The Repsol Honda has been out of action since November after suffering a severe concussion and double vision following a highside on an enduro bike on a small circuit close to his home. However, last week doctors found a clear improvement in his vision during a medical check-up, which led to Marquez returning to cycling and motocross training. Marquez visited Portimao and rode the Honda RC213V-S production bike on Sunday, completing a total of 65 laps to see how his eyes would cope in that environment, and also when he was tired. All being well with the assessments that…

It wasn’t just trail-blazer Sam Sunderland, the three other British riders David McBride, David Mabbs and Simon Hewitt all conquered the race and got to the finish following aborted attempts in 2020. It was 54-year-old McBride who finished highest claiming a seriously impressive 47th place overall with a total time of 49h 01m 56s meaning he was 10h 14m 26s behind winner Sunderland. Vendetta team-mate David Mabbs claimed 94th spot with Welshman Simon Hewitt achieved a lifelong dream of completing the brutal race, finishing 111th with a total race time of 74h 13m, which was 35h 25m 30s adrift of fellow Brit Sunderland.…

How good is it to see Marquez back on a bike? We need him back, Honda needs him back and the championship needs him back. He’s the most popular rider in the series now that Rossi has gone. It’s sad, but a rider like Joan Mir is already the forgotten champion. Marquez is a bit Marmite, but whether you love him or loathe him, he’s got charisma. He gives it full gas whenever he rides and at the last chicane at Assen he’s going to have a go – nothing so sure. He has around 25 crashes a year so you’d think he’d know where the limit is, but he keeps on pushing and seeing him save 120mph front-end slides is something you can never get tired of watching. I…

The Isle of Wight Road Races have been postponed due to issues surrounding the closure of the roads. The event was scheduled to go ahead this April, however the Motor Race Order (MRO), which is essential to road closures, has not been issued. The ACU – racing’s governing body – has confirmed all the relevant paperwork, including the event permit, was submitted in plenty of time, however the Isle of Wight Council says it “is not yet satisfied that the application has been duly made in accordance with the relevant legislation”. The team behind the races say they will now work to understand and solve the issues the council has highlighted before negotiating new dates for the event to be hosted. “We have reluctantly accepted that the Isle of Wight…

£15,999 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory Despite being superbike-fast, the Tuono Factory can also be calm and comfortable on the road and comes fully loaded with some of the very best chassis and electronic goodies around. Colchester Kawasaki are making the deal even more tempting by bolting on an £1800 Akrapovic carbon race end can, too. • www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk £6495 Yamaha XSR700 The neo-retro XSR looks refined, classy and handles superbly. And it does all that for an extremely attractive price. • www.wiganyamaha.co.uk • Engine 689cc • Power 74bhp • Weight 186kg • Seat height 815mm £9999 Yamaha Tracer 900GT This 2020-model comes on a 21-plate and comes packed with a host of touring extras. • blademotorcycles.co.uk • Engine 847cc • Power 113bhp • Weight 227kg • Seat height 850mm £5495…

ASSISTANT EDITOR, MOTORCYCLING Kelston Chorley, the determined biker who traced his stolen AJP to Romania last year, has finally managed to bring his machine home. For those who missed the story, the PR7 was pinched in July 2020 from Chorley’s garage in Oxford, but he was later made aware through a Facebook forum that the bike had been spotted for sale in Eastern Europe. After flying out to Romania in 2021, Chorley approached local police and within 24 hours his bike had been tracked down and recovered. It was then stored at an AJP dealership while the long process of sorting out the paperwork and buying the bike back from insurers took place. Now, in a new video posted to the Fit Bones YouTube channel, Chorley explains what happened next.…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews Fight for the right So pleased to see that MCN are highlighting the threat to motorcycles from the proposed ‘anti-tampering’ laws (MCN, January 12). And ten out of ten to MAG for keeping an eye on motorcyclists’ rights and campaigning for our freedoms. Steve Mallett, MAG SE Rep Pays to shop around I have just changed my bike and updated the details with my insurer. At the same time, I requested that the ‘auto renewal’ be disabled, as I would be checking quotes prior to the date. I also asked what the revised premium for the remainder of my insured period equated to. When they checked, it came to some £65 more than an MCN Compare quote I recently obtained. Just shows that it still pays…

MCN staff and readers share their one-hour routes Roll out from The Old Stores motorcycle café in Pontblyddyn and head north on the A541, making a pit stop at the petrol station on the left if needed. Peel off towards Ruthin and onto the A494, where the through route will lead you to the B5105 and a series of sweetly flowing curves that lead to the A5. Turn right onto the A5, then right again at Pentrefoelas onto the A543, an absolute gem of a road, packed with long sweeping turns, great visibility ahead and views that stretch all the way to the horizon – it’s ideal for picking your perfect line and just chasing that vanishing point. The sensational little swoop around Lake Bran is worth it for the…

DUCATI DESERTX £13,795 Retro rally heaven Desert stormer’s got the ‘X’ factor... Ducati have combined two of the most popular market trends – adventure and retro bikes – to produce the brand new DesertX. The bike is based on the latest Multistrada V2 meaning the peachy 937cc Testastretta V-twin is its beating heart, giving the X a useful 109bhp and 68lb.ft of torque. Ducati have fiddled with the gear ratios to match its new intent, meaning the first two gears are considerably shorter for better off-road bite, while third, fourth and fifth are also shorter but sixth stays long for cruising comfort. It’s got serious dirt credentials, too – with 21in/18in wire wheels offering owners the pick of most serious off-road tyre options. The new steel trellis frame is suspended…

In these electronics-driven times, an oil and filter change is one of the few remaining tasks that can be done fairly easily at home. When it comes to the scheduling, most owners think in terms of mileage. Yet it’s important not to overlook the time that’s also often specified, especially after the last couple of seasons when many of us won’t have ridden as much as usual. For example, the interval for an oil and filter change could be every 8000 miles or two years. So, if you have clocked up much less distance than the mileage interval, check the date at which the oil and filter were last changed. It also seems to be the case that older Japanese bikes have much shorter intervals than today’s European brands. A…

MCN CONTRIBUTOR When Danilo Petrucci announced he would race Dakar, nobody knew what to expect. But over the past three weeks the former MotoGP winner brought the race to life through adversity, heartache, pain and success. It’s been an incredible story in which he’s introduced a whole new group of fans to the Dakar. But rewind to the start of the event and it nearly didn’t happen at all. Petrucci tested positive for Covid in Jeddah before a second test was negative, allowing him to start. Then his race ended just two stages in due to a blown fuse on his KTM machine. “I used more fuses than petrol,” laughed the former Ducati MotoGP rider. Although officially out of the overall classification, Petrucci continued and his speed and results exceeded…