Table of contents for February 28th 2018 in MCN

The famous yellow-springed suspension company was founded in Sweden by Kenth Öhlin. A talented engineer and accomplished motocross rider, Kenth put his skills to good use and after initially starting a business tuning engines in the 1970s, his attention moved to bike suspension. Word spread after he modified Swedish factory Kawasaki rider Thorleif Hansen’s suspension and when Husqvarna asked if Kenth could supply OE suspension units for their bikes, he took the plunge and formed Öhlins suspension in 1976. Initially, Öhlins used a brown spring and it wasn’t until a few years later that the famous yellow colour appeared (Kenth’s inspiration was to visually link his suspension to gold medals). After dominating the off-road world, in the early 1980s Öhlins turned their attention to road racing and in 1984 Eddie…

Sick of carrots? A business in the US is working on night vision for motorcyclists after it emerged that 50% of riders are put off from riding at night. Rubicon Technologies are hoping to create a device that will mount to the bars and show you wait lies ahead. Not good enough US President Donald Trump has said that India’s reduction of motorcycle import tax from 75% to 50% is not good enough. He says it is unfair on brands such as Harley-Davidson and he may choose to raise tax on Indian imports into the States to counteract this. Giving back Road racer James Hillier has offered his support to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance to help bring attention to their good work. Nearly half of all incidents…

REV’IT NOVA ONE-PIECE, £999 Perfect for people who want to take their modern retros out for a spirited ride, the Nova has all the protection of a regular one-piece but with a classic look. www.revitsport.com RICHA ORIGINAL JEANS, £149.99 Made from a mix of Denim Cordura, cotton and polyester and including removable D3O armour in the hips and knees, the jeans are both protective and comfortable. www.nevis.uk.com FURYGAN ENDIGO D3O GLOVES, £74.99 The Endigo is a stylish denim glove with all the protection of a regular glove: the palm is double layer leather and it has D3O in the knuckles. www.nevis.uk.com BUILT MAGAZINE, £4.99 If one retro story every week isn’t enough, then Built magazine is what you need. Jam-packed full of the latest and greatest customs, it’s perfect for…

‘Five years ago there were just five of us’ It might not have been built by Ducati or located in F1 country but hiding away in Leicester is a multi-million-pound motorcycle design and technology centre that promises to transform the two-wheeled world. It is bristling with the very latest in automotive design technology, ranging from 3D printers to massive screens. It has fully-kitted work and machine shops that are the stuff of garage dreams – dynos and design suites, rolling roads and photo studios plus 120 of the brightest and most brilliant design talents in Britain. And, as unlikely as it may sound, it also has two words on its side that tech-heads wouldn’t expect: Royal Enfield. And now they have Triumph, Ducati and every other motorcycle manufacturer in their…

YAMAHA XMAX 400 £5999 Fuel 13 litres @ 65mpg = 185-mile range Weight 210kg (wet) Seat height 800mm Power 33bhp Torque 26.55ftlb MARIA VALLAHIS In her second year of riding, trying out new things like riding on track and in Europe (not at the same time). Height 5ft 3in Weight 54kg maria.vallahis@motorcyclenews.com Along with MCN’s Office Manager Alison, I decided to head to France for a weekend away. The forcecast didn’t look terrible and I thought it would be interesting to see if the 33bhp scoot could cope with the motorway miles. Would it blown into the weeds by juggernauts? Would it be comfortable? The first thing to do was pack. I knew I needed clothes for two nights, but there was still room for four small bottles of water,…

Furygan Full Apex £679.99 This CE approved suit has D3O protection in the elbows, shoulders and knees and features a removable back hump. The impact zones have been triple stitched and there are perforated panels for cooling. Held Slade £978.99 Available in sizes S-5XL, this suit is made from kangaroo leather and cowhide and includes a breathable mesh inner lining. There is one internal pocket for essentials and titanium sliders on the shoulders, elbows and knees. Spidi Track Wind Pro £957.99 This outfit comes with a removable mesh liner, neoprene cuffs and collar and CE armour in the knees, hips, elbows and shoulders. The knee armour is also adjustable. We’ve tested one at MCN and been impressed with the quality. RST Tractech Evo 2 £499.99 Features triple and double stitched…

THE EXPERT Si Martin Si has a TEC Diploma in Motorcycle Engineering from Merton College, and 30 years’ experience building, modifying and repairing bikes from Supermonos to CBX1000 café racers. Early exhaust systems were required to do little more than keep hot, high pressure exhaust gasses away from the machine and rider, with a rudimentary nod to keeping the noise down. Over time, they have evolved to be a critical element of engine performance, noise control and environmental damage limitation.…

Taking on an already-started project is OK if you’re looking at some old classic and you know that there’s going to be a lot of work needed, and you’ve got the expertise to do it. The personal rewards are great – the financial ones less so, of course. I looked at just how many project bikes were actually sold on eBay in the last 90 days. Guess how many… One thousand, five hundred and sixty-six. More than 1500 potential hellhounds and these are the ones that people actually shelled out for. Understandably, the vast majority were classics. A 1937 Brough Superior engine mated to a Norton ES2 gearbox and installed in a 1937 Ariel Red Hunter frame must be worth eight grand, because that’s what somebody paid. Me? I’d blink…

‘All I remember are fantastic memories, great results we shared with the Yamaha family’HERVE PONCHARAL Monster Energy Yamaha Tech3 have stunned the MotoGP paddock by announcing they will split from Yamaha at the end of the 2018 season. The move brings an end to a 20-year relationship with the Japanese factory and rumours have already started that the French squad will switch to KTM for 2019. Tech3 have taken more podiums than any other satellite squad in the modern era but despite their success boss Herve Poncharal has made it clear that the decision was his and not Yamaha’s. Poncharal revealed that the new deal that he’s been offered for 2019 is simply too good to turn down. He told MCN: “Since I first met Mr Iio in 1998, where…

Both the GSX-R600 and the R750 face the same problem that the Hayabusa does – they’re not Euro4 approved and face the same January 2019 deadline. Unfortunately for supersports lovers, the outlook is not good. Amid poor sales and a stagnant market for smaller capacity bikes, we’re led to believe that the 600 will disappear from the range and not be replaced. Sources suggest that the 750 may well get a reprieve, especially if Triumph release a Daytona 765 and help reinvigorate the segment, however it’s very much up in the air. So don’t hold your breath, basically.…

1901 Humble beginnings The first Royal Enfield motorcycle, displacing 150cc, is produced. 1910 Made like a gun First Royal Enfield V-twin.RE began supplying the British Army. 1933 First big step First Bullet single launched. The Bullet remains in production today. 194 2 Eyes overseas Madras Motors founded in India to import Enfield bicycles and motorcycles. 1956 Brave new world Enfield India Tiruvottiyur factory to manufacture Bullets. 1968 They think it’s all over Royal Enfield is taken over by Norton-Villiers-Triumph. 1970 Carry on abroad UK production ceases. Enfield India, however, continues. 1994 Time for a fresh start Enfield India is taken over by Eicher Group, one of India’s leading automotive groups. 1999 Rebirth of a classic Enfield India adopts the Royal Enfield name. 2013 Picking up the pace An all-new factory…

When the very first World Superbike race took place at Donington Park on April 3rd 1988, no-one knew what to expect. Briton Roger Burnett took pole, while Italians Davide Tardozzi and Marco Luchinelli shared race wins. Throughout its 30 years, the World Superbike Championship has provided a vast number of iconic racing moments. We caught up with some of the key figures who were there at the time to revisit the best. The very first race By the man who started on pole, Roger Burnett “There was a real buzz about that first meeting. For the first time we had a world championship that was production based – it created a level playing field. It really did feel like a world championship event – the teams, manufacturers and promoters all…

2018 TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE RS £10,100 Fuel 17.4 litres @ 49mpg = 187 miles Weight 166kg Seat height 825mm Power 121bhp Torque 57ftlb MPG: 49 JOE DICK Shortie Joe is smooth and fast. For a photographer… Height: 5ft 5in Weight 70kg joe.dick@motor cyclenews.com Every time I open the garage door I’m greeted to the stunning RS gleaming in the ambient light, crying for a cheeky blast, some attention, a whiff of fun – and now with the odd nice day appearing here and there (when it’s not bloody freezing) the opportunity is presenting itself more often. With some new riding textiles and a helmet to bed in I took no time in turning the key and firing the RS up and went hunting for some new roads near to home.…

Header pipes The length of the header pipes is critical to the engine characteristics because when the exhaust valve snaps open it sends a pulse of gas down the header pipe. As the gas exits, a reflected pulse bounces back up the pipe. The returning pulse will influence gasses exiting from the exhaust valve which may help or hinder efficiency at different points in the range. Because manufacturers pay so much attention to header pipe design it is unlikely that changing them will bring significant gains unless the engine has been significantly tuned. But there may be scope for reducing wait or adding kudos. Collectors Joining two or more pipes, the collector will also influence performance. Ideally, it will allow smooth gas flow without excessive section changes. When header pipes…

Early Suzuki TS50X £1000 Seller says Bare frame rebuild, including engine, 70cc kit gives 60mph Neil says Illegal for a sixteener, but you’re not 16... 2006 Honda CBF500 £1000 Seller says 27,500 miles, ABS, heated grips, flyscreen, long MoT Neil says Very capable and tough twin – perfect for a first biggish bike. 2002 BMW F650CS, £1000 Seller says 35,070 miles, full Givi luggage, recent belt change, some corrosion Neil says Appallingly ugly styling conceals a good bike. MCN BIKES FOR SALE 12,608 tempting bikes for sale right now!…

2014 Yamaha MT-07 non-ABS Colours Black/Purple, Matt Grey, Red, Black/Blue Dealer £4500 Private good £4000 Private average £3800 This one Dealer sale with relatively high miles at 16,000, £4191. 2015 Yamaha MT-07 ABS Colours Black/Purple, Matt Grey, Yellow, White/Blue Dealer £4700 Private good £4500 Private average £4200 This one Dealer sale, 16,000 miles with heated grips and Gilles levers, £4295. 2016 Yamaha MT-07 Colours Matt Grey, Grey/ Fluro, White/Blue, Red Dealer £4900 Private good £4700 Private average £4500 This one Fitted with an A2 kit. 3875 miles. Has sports exhaust and more. £4795. 2017 Yamaha MT-07 Colours Matt Grey/Fluro, Blue, Black, White Dealer £5500 Private good £5300 Private average £5000 This one Private sale, one owner, 726 miles. Seems like a bit of a bargain, £5350. Insurance MCN COMPARE Insurance…

Get riding KTM have announced that the 2018 edition of their Adventure Rally will take place in Sardinia, on June 20-22. Limited to 150 places, riders will spend three days riding around the island with off-road legend Chris Birch. Speak up! A study carried out by German automobile association ADAC has found that riding a bike at 62mph without earplugs can permanently damage your hearing after just 15 minutes. Raising the speed to 74mph can damage your hearing after just seven minutes. Husky on the up Husqvarna have posted their fourth consecutive year of record sales. The sister brand to KTM sold 36,883 bikes in 2017 – a 20% increase on the previous year. With the arrival of the Svartpilen and Vitpilen range, 2018 is expected to be even better.…

‘It’s based on an XS650 sidecar frame, but with a 2000 Fazer engine’ Wasp Motorcycles are best known for their exquisite classic off-road race frames. They’ve been at it since the 1960s but now their 22-year-old welder John Hands has been let loose on a Yamaha Fazer. “I bought a Fazer intending to use the stock suspension set-up but with my own frame,” says Hands. “I used Yamaha geometry to make the frame but mine is one inch lower. I had a stock Fazer as my first road bike. “Believe it or not, the frame is based on a Wasp R27 Yamaha XS650 sidecar frame. That frame is over engineered for the basis of a café racer but once we weighed the final bike, it came out 12kg lighter than…

Suzuki’s Hayabusa has been one of the mainstays of high-speed motorcycling for almost 20 years. Very few bikes have such effortless performance and it was with great sadness that we heard that production was ceasing thanks to Euro4 regulations. There are still a few new ones in dealers, but when they’re gone, they’re gone. But it looks like the Busa will be back (see page 4). For the thousands of owners in the UK who may want a new bike, this great news, but it is also a sign that Suzuki haven’t given up on developing new models. You could have been forgiven for thinking they have, though – the latest news is that it looks like the GSX-R600 won’t be replaced and the highlight of this year’s new models…

‘I did 120mph at Silverstone and thought it was fast until people overtook me!’ Q1. What are you riding? I have two bikes – a 2017 Triumph Street Scrambler and a 1969 Honda CB450. The Scrambler has the two-into-one exhaust and a diamond-stitched seat and I love riding it. The CB has been customised by a guy in LA called Jared from Holiday Custom Cycles. It’s actually about three different bikes combined. It’s kickstart and a lot of fun to ride but also quite challenging. Q2. Which living motorcyclist do you most admire? I’d have to say Carl Fogarty. I’m from Sheffield, so technically a white rose where Foggy is a red rose, but that’s OK. Q3. What’s your worst habit? Going into corners too fast and not realising until…

First seen in 2016, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is now in dealers. Using a new 401cc air-cooled motor, it’s the firm’s first adventure bike with long-travel suspension, digital instrumentation and even a compass. It costs £4199. Then in May we’ll see a new 650 twin in dealers. Unveiled in Milan last November, it comes in two guises: the café racer Continental GT and the more upright Interceptor. Built in India, they are both powered by an all-new, oil-cooled, 650cc parallel twin designed in-house. It has a 270° firing order for that V-twin rumble and produces a claimed 47bhp along with 38ftlb of torque at 4000rpm (making it A2-licence compliant). The tubular steel double-cradle frame was designed by Harris Performance, and it has a twin-shock rear, 18in wheels with a 320mm…

While World Superbikes was bigger than MotoGP for a much of its history, the modern day series has serious issues. TV and crowd figures have dropped significantly over the last ten years. How do our experts think it can be sorted? Use more standard bikes James Whitham “The racing hasn’t been bad. I’ve heard people say there’s too many good Brits but I don’t know about that. The bottom line is you need to be able to make a link between the bikes in WSB and the bikes you can buy. We’ve got MotoGP for the top level, factory stuff. WSB needs to be about basic level bikes and competitive racing.” Level the playing field Neil Hodgson “The problem is there are two factory teams (Ducati and Kawasaki – Ed).…

RIDING EXPERTS Mark Edwards Instructor for Rapid Training. Consultant to the bike press Tim Thompson One of the UK’s most experienced bike journalists PERFECT POSITION Sort your gearing and position yourself to the left. Don’t turn in too early - wait until you can see the exit. HIDDEN DANGERS The further left you are, the more of the road you can see. You should be able to stop in the distance you can see. As you approach a right-hander you should focus on three things: your road position, your speed and your gear. Road position for a right will normally be to the left side of your own lane. In the left-hand wheel track of where a car would occupy is a good starting point but allow some wiggle room…

With the clocks soon to go forward #ride5000miles members have been out in force, building on their current totals and kickstarting new campaigns. Early BMW R1200 GS rider Shaun Odell added 70 miles to his total, riding up to Settle, via Airton, for dinner. Then it was through to Stainforth, taking the Arncliffe Road to Kilnsey before a quick stop at Burnsall, then home. Meanwhile, Sally Weighill took a 126-mile trip over to Mablethorpe for the sand racing. Hosted throughout the winter months, the event is the perfect excuse for a Sunday morning blast. Mark Bruce also took advantage of blue skies, adding 60 miles to his total on Saturday, February 17, exploring back lanes on his XT660. As well as adding to totals, it’s also been a week of…

SUZUKI V-STROM 650XT £7899 Fuel: 20 litres @ 52.5mph = 208-mile range Weight: 216kg Seat 835mm Power : 70bhp Torque: 45.7ftlb OLI RUSHBY BSB reporter, long distance commuter seeking practicality, riding for five years. Height 5ft 7in Weight 85kg oli.rushby@motor cyclenews.com My time with Suzuki’s V-Strom 650XT is almost coming to an end. I’ve covered more than 9000 miles and I’m hoping to hit the magic 10k before it goes back. It’s amazing how much you can learn about a bike in ten months and how much your view of it changes over that time, especially when riding in different conditions. My opinion of the V-Strom after 3000 winter miles is quite different to that which I had of the bike after 6000 miles in summer. Here are a just…

Belstaff Ariel jacket £450 Tester Adam Child Time used 800 miles/five months What’s good? I have a confession to make; I’ve got a weakness for motorcycle jackets. I can’t resist a quality, fashionable item – or a ‘pub jacket’ as they’ve been labelled by friends! My brother goes weak at the knees at the thought of new Snap-On tools, but for me it’s jackets and now I’ve got a new favourite. This Belstaff Ariel in Racing Red is dripping in quality and style. The fit is perfect; there are no bulges or stretched parts. It looks just as good stood at the bar, as it does on the bike and the simple, classic design just works. The retro zips on the three outer pockets and cuff-adjustment feel quality and give…

Q While I was filtering a pedestrian knocked me off. Who pays? I was riding my scooter to work when traffic came to a halt up ahead. There was nothing coming the other way towards me so I filtered past the queue at about 20mph. Suddenly, a bloke ran into my path and knocked me off. I was a bit bruised and shaken but my bike needs £800 of repairs. I have witnesses confirming that I could not have done anything and that it was the other guy’s fault, but he has told my solicitors that if I carry on with my claim he will counter claim for his more serious injuries. He says he was waved across by the car driver. Surely he is to blame here? Clive Pollard,…

New HJC graphics HJC have updated their RPHA 11 racing helmet for 2018 with some new striking new graphics. Priced at £359.99, the range includes the ‘Chakri’ in blue and fluo, as well as the ‘Deroka’ in blue, yellow and white. www.oxfordproducts.com ASV add to C5 lever range Brake and clutch lever experts ASV have unveiled a new line of ‘Dual Colour’ designs, adding to the already extensive C5 range. Priced at £115 each the adjustable mods are CNC machined across the top and bottom surface. w w w.per formancepar t s-ltd.com Accessorise this BMW specialists Wunderlich have introduced a range of accessories for the new G310GS. The range includes engine crash bars (£163), a sidestand extender (£45), handlebar risers (£36) and a topbox rack (£89). If you combine these…

“The MT-07 has been the motorcycle success story of the modern era. When it was launched, would-be owners simply flocked to our showroom displaying never-before-seen buying behaviour; most didn’t even want a test ride, they just placed their order and waited for their bike to arrive. The effect was unbelievable. “So too was the effect the MT had on the used market, it really hurt the price of similar spec second-hand bikes. Suddenly that used XJ600 Diversion, ER-6n or Gladius didn’t look so appealing when you could have a new MT for around the same price. “The MT-07 simply appeals to a much broader spectrum of people than other middleweights. It’s excellent for the young and inexperienced as well as being fun for more expert hands, many of whom buy…

Jonathan Rea wasn’t the only man pulling off stunning passing moves on Sunday. At the start of lap two, the SP2 Fireblade of Leon Camier shot through on World Champion Jonathan Rea, Xavi Fores and Chaz Davies in a splendid manoeuvre. Honda passes Kawasaki? You had better believe it. We can’t get too excited just yet. Some disorganisation behind the scenes has led to the Honda not starting the season on its new Magneti Marelli electronics, instead running the familiar Cosworth system for at least the first two rounds. With thoughts of a spec ECU still on the cards for 2019, getting onto the Marelli is a priority, with PJ Jacobsen and TripleM testing it on their Honda. Nevertheless, a seventh and a sixth was a strong start. It’s not…

‘Marco’s chassis was much better than mine, turning much better’JONATHAN REA Jonathan Rea was conspicuous by his absence on the Phillip Island podium in race one, struggling to fifth place after hitting tyre problems late in proceedings. The World Champion bounced back to a close second on Sunday, pulling off some mega overtakes at Turn 1 but losing out to Melandri’s Ducati on the start/finish straight. Not winning at Phillip Island means Rea has jettisoned the championship lead for the first time in three years, ending a record run of 76 straight races atop the standings. Having enjoyed five of the previous six Australian wins, it was unusual not to see green on the top step. “I started having a huge vibration with about six laps to go,” the Northern…

Race one was good but race two was fantastic! The pit-stops were absolutely brilliant. It was like two short races which meant everyone could bully their tyres. Anybody can make a tyre last for ten laps. If that keeps them all together, why not have a pit-stop race at every round? The Kawasaki is less dominant in speed, maybe down to the regulations. Ducati is really savvy at working its way around the rules, mechanically as well as electronically, and it’s worked really well. Honda is improving; Gagne is learning which is what he needs to do, while Camier showed there is so much more to come from that bike. Yamaha can take some positives, they were close to the front in Race Two. I’m really pleased Laverty could run…