Table of contents for 29 January 2020 in MCN

January. It’s a month I usually struggle with. It’s cold, dark and bleak, the racing season feels a long way off and, to top the lot, there’s 31 days of it to endure. Yet the first month of 2020 has been a little different. Last weekend, inspired by the glorious spring-like sunshine, I took my ‘garage queen’ 1990 Kawasaki KR-1S out. The roads were dry, I could hear bikes in the distance, and it was warm enough for leathers (which hadn’t shrunk). I burned through a tank of fuel buzzing round my local lanes, doffing my Shoei to every rider I met coming the other way. Pure euphoria. The feeling continued as we were putting together this week’s issue of MCN: the first WSB test kicked off and reigning BSB…

Nigel Lomas has combined his love of riding motorcycles a long way with raising money for worthwhile causes and his latest venture could make a huge difference to the homeless. The active #ride5000miles member is organising a three-day event on June 20-23 across the UK in a bid to raise £30,000 to tackle homelessness, with a specific focus on former military personnel. He said: “I find it offensive that a country like ours doesn’t offer the care that these people need – in particular, military veterans who find themselves living and dying on the streets.” Nigel, 67, rides a Honda Gold Wing and he is now looking for others to join make up a 50-strong convoy, which will begin at the Ace Cafe, London, on Saturday, June 20, before snaking…

With all the interest in café racers and home-built specials, how about this? A 1970s TZ-inspired street racer based on the Yamaha Fazer 600 that you can build yourself with a new £1800 kit. It’s the latest from Isle of Wight-based Café Racer Kits who design and make a range of detailed, idiot-proof conversions. Their first, back in 2012, was based on the old Honda CX500, followed by a CB250/400 variant and, in 2016, a Hinckley Triumph triple. Now, with donor CXs becoming more valuable, CRK’s Ian Saxcoburg, a lifelong biker and professional draughtsman, came up with this. “I’d had my eye on the Fazer because they were good bikes that seemed near the bottom of the value curve, between £600 and £1200, which makes it viable,” says Ian. “And…

How can we know we are protected? Last week's special investigation into fake body armour has to be a wake-up call for all of us. I don't know about anyone else, but it had me heading straight for the kit cupboard and saw me removing and examining every item of body armour in my riding gear. Fortunately everything seems to be as it should be, but in future I will be very careful where I buy stuff and will be certain to remove the armour and check that it is up to scratch – if it's not I will be taking the kit straight back for a refund and will be in touch with my local Trading Standards to get the people responsible prosecuted. And as for that fake helmet…

Sense of security The XR comes on either Michelin Road 5 or Bridgestone T31 tyres. It’s not optional; you get what you get. The test bike’s Michelins work brilliantly on slick, wet roads. Screen adjuster Fiddle with buttons and dash functions? Mess around with a handwheel or even have to remove bolts? Nope – just flick the screen adjuster up or down. Full marks for functional simplicity. Cornering lights BMW say hectic lives mean more people ride at night, citing sales of mountain bike lights and skiing head torches as proof. So the XR has new headlamps with optional cornering lights.…

It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B- roads, a stretch of motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time for sportsbikes when needed, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for gleaning hard and fast data. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. 1 Need for Speed It’s still dark as I begin my 25-minute cross country dash to the MCN250 start line, but the Speed Triple RS’s back-lit switch gear and colour dash glow warmly in the January gloom. The classy Speedie has come a long way over the years. On these back roads the purring, sweet-fuelling…

It’s my final few miles on the Speed Triple RS as we approach the MCN250’s halfway point. Just before we fill up and swap bikes there’s a fast, tree-lined TT-like stretch and after a morning on wet tarmac, the road is now bone dry. The Speedie has been surprisingly sure-footed. Plush Öhlins and a perfectly-weighted chassis have ironed-out the angriest of bumps; brakes have been powerful and progressive and the big triple has been perfectly docile and friendly. Four hours in I don’t have any aches or pains, but the Speed is about to deliver its final gift. Even under hard acceleration it refuses to get flustered or wag its bars, which the Street can do when provoked. It has the poise of a superbike and is a riot of…

I’ll forever be confused as to why so many ‘real’ bikers are so snobbish about scooters (only in the UK, strangely), but the Yamaha is fast, fun and so practical I haven’t used my car in over a year. When I’m not riding test bikes, I use the TMAX for commuting, racking up 200-odd mile stints to see mates and the weekly supermarket grand prix, where there’s enough space under the seat and in my topbox to carry three or four bags of (usually broken by the time I get home) supplies. Best of all the TMAX is a ‘feelgood’ bike which excites me every time I straddle its huge seat. On sunny days it reminds of zipping around on holiday hire scooters and when it’s grim there’s no warmer,…

1 ‘The same dimensions as the RCV...’ The team are all very positive about the potential of the new engine. During testing with the stock bike, both Honda riders were impressed and, after dyno testing, believe it would be competitive in BSB even in standard form. Williamson says “We haven’t done anything to the engine yet but it’s very different to begin with. A big change is the bore and stroke. It’s gone from 75 x 55mm to 81 x 48.5mm, the same dimensions as the RCV, and that’ll provide more rpm. For the first time, the Fireblade also uses finger-follower value actuation, which creates less inertia and allows for higher revs.” 2 ‘The riders will get more feel...’ One issue with the old ’Blade was its engine performance outgrew…

Ducati kicked off their quest to overhaul Marc Marquez and HRC in the 2020 MotoGP championship in a glitzy live-streamed team launch in Bologna last week. As is the case every year, senior team management and riders spoke predictably of their intentions to fight for, and ultimately become kings of MotoGP in this new decade. Leading the development of the project is Gigi Dall’Igna. Although having finished second for the last three years with Andrea Dovizioso, their relationship has become strained due to Dovi’s constant demands for improved turning, while Dall’Igna’s focus remains on power and having the fastest bike on the grid – an advantage they saw negated in 2019 when Honda made a big step forward in top speed. Speaking at the launch, Dall’Igna talked around the bike…

A Swedish motorcyclist is aiming to be the first one-legged person to compete in an enduro series after taking up off-road riding. Joacim Boive lost his right leg to cancer when he was 13 but was determined not to let it stop his dream of riding a motorcycle. His dad adapted a bike so he could apply the rear brake with his left heel and he became the first person in Sweden to gain a motorcycle licence with only one leg. “I rode everywhere for years,” Boive told MCN. “But then I had a very bad accident 16 years ago when I broke my pelvis and gave it up. I didn’t ride until four years ago when my wife suggested I take it back up as she used to enjoy…

Ducati have unleashed these two new Scrambler 1100s – the Pro and the Sport Pro. Both get a new exhaust, shorter rear mudguard, improved seat and lower numberplate as well as new colours and graphics. The air-cooled 1079cc V-twin now meets Euro5 regulations, but makes the same 85bhp and 65ftlb as the current models. It also uses the same steel trellis frame. But the new bikes come with a restyled right-side, twin pipe exhaust plus the low-slung plate-holder from the Diavel. As such, it seems a shame Ducati haven’t taken the opportunity to close the gap on some of their more powerful rivals, such as the 110bhp BMW R nineT. The Sport Pro gets top-notch Öhlins suspension, lower bars, café racer-style mirrors and comes in a matt black paintjob, while…

With the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show just weeks away along with the next riding season, you might be thinking about grabbing yourself a new helmet and perhaps a bargain along with it. Well after the recent revelations about fakes online, we’re encouraging people to get involved in the MCN helmet amnesty, where you can get yourself a bargain without fear of being ripped off. It’s really simple. Register online then bring an old helmet along to the show (it can be of any age and in any state) and chuck it in the bin. Just for doing that you can take away either a helmet care kit with cleaners and whatnot, or a brand new helmet bag. Of course, you might well want a new lid to put…

Scott Redding has the potential to mix it up in World Superbikes. He’s dramatic to watch, just like his Ducati teammate Chaz Davies who’s backing it into every corner. ‘I THINK WE COULD DO WITH SOME ARGY BARGY IN WSB’ But he’s got some big shoes to fill. When you follow him on Instagram he’s having a craic, messing about – but he came back to BSB and jammed it into them and now he’s off to the world championship. He comes across as a bit nuts, but I follow him pretty closely and I can see he’s got an edge to him. He comes across as a bit of a joker, but he’s deadly serious and you can see that he works really hard. When the helmet goes on…

The Street Triple RS is always a joy. We can’t get enough of its bassy airbox roar, the way it leans and screams like a supersport racer and its lightning agility. Best of all it can make mincemeat of Cotswolds backroads one minute but be calm, unflustered everyday transport the next. But if you’re after the ultimate three-cylinder naked the Speed Triple RS is it. It has all the Street RS’s good bits with a motor that’s a little bit smoother, with extra midrange and a more menacing growl. Ride quality is plusher, it’s better equipped and more comfortable. It has more power than you’ll ever need and it will corner with poise of the best super nakeds money can buy. In terms of value for money the Street Triple…

Catching up with the sport’s tyre suppliers Aldridge works closely with MotoGP’s one-make tyre suppliers every race weekend. This started with Bridgestone before the series switched to Michelin rubber for the 2016 season onwards. Random bike checks At the end of each session MotoGP bikes face checks where the control ECU is examined and the bikes are put into the aero jig (above) to ensure wings meet the regulations. Roll up, roll up! At the start of the weekend the engineers from Moto2 queue up for a lucky dip where their Triumph engines are allocated. It’s all about keeping things fair. Working together for the good of the sport Aldridge is part of the wider IRTA family where many of the key personnel have been in their roles for more…

‘It’s been a great winter motorcycle’ On paper, a 650cc sportsbike should be no fun at all to ride through the winter but actually the Honda CBR650R has really come into its own as the temperature has dropped and the nights have drawn in. The trusty Honda is my daily commuter and weekend toy rolled into one, so has experienced everything a UK winter can throw at it (apart from snow… yet) and handled it admirably. When it’s cold on the motorway you wish for a little more wind protection and, although I can tuck behind the screen for short spells, it’s not a comfortable riding position for longer stints. I’ve also been using heated gloves that plug into the bike’s electrical system but still reckon heated grips would be…

SAFE AND SMOOTH OVERTAKES… 1. BACK OFF Getting too close impairs your ability to see past and will seriously reduce your braking distance too. 2. FINE TUNE Adjust your gap by moving back and forth. You can fine tune it laterally depending on the direction of the road. 3. VISION As with all aspects of riding, look as far into the distance as possible, as well as scanning the mid-ground too. 4. SPOT SIGNS Pay attention to road signs and markings that may prevent you from passing at this point. USE IMAGINATION Junctions present a hazard. Anything could pull out, or the vehicle you’re following may make a sudden move. REAR VIEW TOO Pay attention to what’s going on behind you as persistent changes of position may confuse other road…

Brand loyalty can hold a lot of sway when choosing a new bike and it’s further underlined when you’re smitten by a particular model, as is the case with MCN reader Martyn Ward. “I left school at 16 and bought a Honda SS50 for £100,” he told MCN. “Then a year later I got a brand new Suzuki GT185.” A GT250 X7 followed, which he kept until his first Kawasaki, a Z400J with a Rickman Tempest fairing. “That was a good bike, it never missed a beat,” he continues. “And it started me on the Kawasaki route - these days if I cut my finger I’d probably bleed green!” Since then Martyn has owned a Z400F, which he rode to destruction, and a GPX600R, which lasted for a good 20…

Broken your New Year’s resolution already? Never mind. Here’s a better one: 2020 is the year you learn to wheelie. It’s still the coolest trick on any bike, not just looking cool but also feeling amazing when you get a whopper just right. You want a bike with friendly, accessible grunt, fine balance and great control – and this means a bike that’s also ace to ride when you’re not dicking around. Here’s our pick. £3500 YAMAHA MT-07 689cc | 179kg | 74bhp | 805mm seat height • Dealer up to £5950 • Private up to £5250 • This one 2016, 7500 miles Its spec is unexciting and it suffers the terrible ‘budget’ tag. Yet the MT-07 is ace, with parallel-twin torque, low weight and great ergonomics. And this…

1 A weighty problem Your bike’s standard suspension setup has been designed for a solo rider and a light load. If you start carrying a passenger and luggage you’ll notice that the handling characteristics can change, sometimes dramatically, meaning you need to make a few changes to keep things sweet. Check the owner’s manual for the correct procedure for your bike. 2 Don’t take it to the max The extra weight your bike can carry will affect how it behaves, which is why there are maximum permissible load warnings in the owner’s manual as well as stickers on the bike. Refer to this information when carrying a pillion and luggage. Over-loading a bike will upset steering, braking and stability in a potentially dangerous way… you have been warned.…

HRC rolled out the heavy artillery, which arrived in the old Repsol Honda MotoGP trucks, as the team’s Barcelona-based mechanics and Japanese staff attended last week’s tests. Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista have completed numerous tests but this was the first time the all-new Fireblade had accompanied fellow World Superbike machines. The most amusing rumour to date is that Bautista broke the Portimao lap record at the end of last year despite the Spaniard not even being there; he skipped that particular test to witness the birth of his daughter. Nevertheless, judging by rider comments and speed trap figures, the new Honda is producing remarkable amounts of bhp. Last Wednesday in Jerez, Haslam topped the speed trap timesheets as onlookers struggled to remember when a Honda last went quickest. “Normally,…

Triumph and Bajaj Auto India have sealed a longterm partnership to build a new range of mid-capacity motorcycles that will bolster Triumph’s fortunes in emerging markets – and also see a new range of lower capacity Triumphs arriving in British and European dealers. This isn’t the first time the two manufacturers have confirmed a working relationship – first doing so back in August 2017, when they agreed a similar deal to see Bajaj offering Triumph a route into the massive Indian market. The partnership recognises Triumph and Bajaj’s respective strengths in large and small-capacity motorcycles and will see the two collaborate to design, engineer, and manufacture a new range of 200cc to 750cc motorcycles – perhaps using the ‘postponed’ 250cc Street Triple and Daytona prototypes which MCN repeatedly spied out…

More details have emerged of Ducati’s new V4 Superleggera and they go some way to explaining how they’ve shaved 20kg off the stock machine. Ducati have worked with V4Evo – an American company that specialises in complicated structural carbon fibre components, who have helped them unlock a new manufacturing process. In the third of eight videos gently teasing the new bike (codename Project 1708) before its full unveiling in February, Leonardo Bagnolio, Head of Vehicle Simulation at Ducati, explains the process. “In Project 1708, we focused a lot on weight reduction and the use of innovative materials. Unconventional materials require extensive research activity both for material characterisation and above all for choosing the right material to be put in the right space.” To help design the bike, Ducati have worked…

A motorcycle security firm got more than they bargained for when a routine recovery led to a stack of stolen machines. The BikeTrac team hunted down a customer’s machine to a lockup in Basildon using their tracking equipment and were able to see a partial registration through the door, which was enough to request the police to attend. When the police forced entry, they discovered not only the tracked bike but also a range of other machines – one of which had been taken and reported stolen just one hour earlier. All of the machines and a selection of tools found inside the lock-up garage are now with police forensics to try and find DNA evidence left by the thief or thieves who took them. “The recovery process for this…

Harley-Davidson have just started production of the largest and most powerful road engine in their history. Called the ‘Screamin Eagle 131’, it’s a tuned version of the latest Milwaukee-Eight engine and will be sold as a ‘crate motor’ – a separate unit sold to specials and custom builders. Named ‘131’ because of its cubic inches displacement, that puts its capacity at a whopping 2147cc. The motor is also Harley’s most powerful ever, with a claiming 119bhp at the rear wheel (the V-Rod was 125bhp at the crank). So how have Harley done it? By ‘supersizing’ everything, basically. The majority of Harley’s ‘Milwaukee-Eight’ motors start out at 1868cc, so Harley have expanded the bore considerably. Piston diameter has gone up from 102mm to a whopping 109.4mm, while the stroke is unchanged…

A BBC investigation has shown just how dangerous smart motorways can be with the revelation that 38 people have died on the controversial roads since the scheme was begun. A smart motorway does away with the safety hard shoulder, instead relying on specially-built refuges up to two miles apart and the ability to close lanes electronically. However, the BBC found that it takes on average 17 minutes to spot a broken down vehicle and a further 17 to remove that vehicle from the carriageway. As a result, one section of the M25 saw ‘near misses’ rise 20-fold since its hard shoulder was removed. Those 38 deaths have also occurred despite smart motorways only accounting for a few hundred miles of the total UK road network. The government is due to…

SEE THE LATEST BIKES Big-name brands coming along to the show include: • AJS • BMW • Ducati • CCM • CFMoto • Honda • Husqvarna • Indian • Kawasaki • KTM • Mutt • MVAgusta • RoyalEnfield • Suzuki • Triumph • Yamaha • ECOOTER • Zero BIGGEST ROAD RACING CELEBS IN ACTION We’ve pulled together the very best road racers to compete in this year’s Michelin Thunderdrome including John McGuinness, Michael Rutter, Peter Hickman and James Hillier. When they’re not racing they’ll be interviewed on the MCN stage or, more than likely, in the McGuinness pub. ASTON-BROUGH MAKES ITS DEBUT The incredible AMB 001, the limited-edition motorcycle born from the collaboration between Aston Martin and Brough Superior, will be making its UK debut next month when…

•‘You can just hop on and get the best from it’ IT’S NEW BUT IS IT WORTH IT? Motorcycles don’t get much more ‘together’ than this. BMW’s new £9825 F900XR might have started life as their F850GS adventure bike, but this is no half-hearted rehash. Engine, chassis, ergonomics and extras gel to create a superbly balanced, rounded experience – and from a bike with the spec and price to make an impact. It doesn’t take a balloon-headed genius to see what BMW are up to. Jacked-up road bikes – or ‘adventure sports’ – are all the rage, with Yamaha’s Tracer 900 being Europe’s third best-selling bike (behind the R1250GS and Africa Twin). So, they’ve Tracerised the GS. Actually, that’s selling the F900XR terribly short. The new BMW features serious re-engineering.…

Both have PlayStation-like 5in TFT colour displays first seen on the 2017 765cc Street Triple RS. The 2020 model has new graphics with four different layouts (the Speedie has three) and four colour choice. Both present more information than you’ll ever need and for the Street there’s even a connectivity kit available that’ll let you pair your phone for basic sat nav functions and operate a GoPro. But it can also be ‘information overload’ and would benefit from a layout just showing just speed, revs, gear position and a fuel gauge. STREET TRIPLE RS FUNCTIONALITY SPEED TRIPLE RS…

•‘We have 22 riders separated by 1.5s, so our rules are working’ The story of Danny Aldridge’s career is one of dedication and a very steep learning curve. His official job title is MotoGP Technical Director, which means he’s not only involved with writing the rule book for MotoGP, he also has to stay one step ahead of a paddock full of the best engineers in the world, all looking to exploit any advantage they can find in a bid to gain a performance edge. From an early age Aldridge spent time in racing paddocks with his father, who was F2 British Champion and also did GP wildcards on a three-cylinder Honda. The young Danny raced schoolboy motocross to a high level, but nothing that really prepared him for doing…

•‘People don’t seem to realise I’m quite a shy person’ No rider has ever won the British and World superbike titles in successive seasons but Scott Redding, the MotoGP outcast who says he no longer has time to even watch grand prix, believes he’s the man to make history. He’s also looking to end Ducati’s WSB title drought which, incredibly, stems back to 2011 when Carlos Checa conquered onboard the aging 1198. MCN sat down with the exuberant Brit during testing last week in Jerez (see page 60) for an exclusive insight into his past, present and future… •‘When I joined this team they said ‘We want you to win’ – I like that’ Are you ready for your new life in World Superbikes? Yes. I come into 2020 with…

There are many reasons why Britain’s leading bike manufacturer, Triumph, are making the news: their bikes feature in the new James Bond film and they’ve just unveiled the new Tiger 900 while their engines are proving a big hit in Moto2. But one of the best and most accessible reasons of all is the huge success of the Triumph Visitor Experience and accompanying Factory Tour, which gives fans not just a great day out but also a fascinating insight into the brand. Opened by HRH the Duke of Cambridge in February 2018 and recently celebrating its 100,000th visitor, the Experience is essentially a motorcycle museum but with added modern features which give an insight into the development and creation of Triumph’s bikes. It’s beautifully and impressively done, too. Located in…

Excitement levels are soaring as the World Superbike Championship prepares for what is potentially its most open season for years. Two big tests have been staged over the past week in Jerez and Portimao, with teams having to rejig plans as weather proved a greater force than any amount of horsepower. Riders were lucky to get a few hours of dry running in Jerez last week, but day one was a total washout while day two’s showers held back until later than expected. With snow falling only an hour from Jerez, the remnants of Storm Gloria meant pouring rain, lashing winds and temperatures of just six degrees into the wind as heaters were switched on and shivering riders put on a brave face. Five-time World Champion Jonathan Rea again showed…