Table of contents for November 21st 2018 in MCN

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. And so is value... really. Something can only be good value if it provides what a particular person needs for a price that person deems appropriate. So the Enfield Hamalayan (tested on page 23), offers a lot for four grand. It has a compass, what more could you want? Maybe a few more bhp... or front brakes that work a bit better. But if you do want a compass and are happy with the 24bhp and slightly underpowered stoppers, then it’s good value. Some would also argue that the V4 Panigale R, at £35k is good value for money. All that engine tech and MotoGP performance for about five hundred quid a month over three years. You get what you…

MV Agusta have unveiled the Superveloce; a F3 based tribute to the 1970s and their years of GP dominance. To make the bike, MV say they started with an F3 800 chassis, engine and brakes, but they wanted to enhance the sporty F3 even more. The F3 is already a fast bike, quick to rev and turn in thanks to the counter-rotating crank. But for the Superveloce, MV have completely remapped the engine to fatten up the midrange and MV say there’s plenty more top end potential. As part of the engine tune, MV have worked with SC Projects to create an asymmetrical 3-into-1-into-3 exhaust, reminiscent of MV’s racing history. After they tuned the innards, MV then built an all-new fairing package for it out of carbon fibre, which takes…

‘The current crime wave echoes that of the late ’80s’ The police are engaging in new tactics and having to reclassify crimes to combat the latest spate of motorcycle theft: joyriding. The current crime wave echoes events in the late 1980s and early 1990s when car and bike crime rose to 700,000 offences annually. At that time, people were stealing vehicles without the intention of permanently depriving their owners, something later defined as Taking Without Owners Consent (TWOC) rather than theft; this became commonly known as joyriding. ‘The rapid rise in torching is yet another worry for the police’ CRIME EXPERT DR KEN GERMAN Today the joyriding of bikes and scooters, often ending with the vehicles being burnt or ‘torched’, is back on the rise, fuelled, it’s been suggested,…

This year’s EICMA motorcycle show was full of new innovations, including plenty of new helmets many of which featured a ‘MIPS liner’ but what on earth is that? We found out. “The origins go back to the 1990s, to a neurosurgeon who was finding more people on his operating table with brain injuries even though they were wearing helmets,” says Greg Shapleigh, MIPS Board Member. “Realising helmets obviously weren’t doing all that they could, he decided to do something about it. Working with various researchers his ideas lead to the ‘slip plane’ and an idea we now call ‘MIPS’.” So what exactly is MIPS technology? MIPS stands for ‘Multi-directional Impact Protection System’ and in its simplest form, is a ‘slip plane’ that allows your head to move inside a helmet…

When it comes to meeting spots there are few places that can challenge the enduring heritage to be found in an area of ancient woodland just to the North East of London. Bikers have been flocking here since the halcyon days of speedway back in the 1930s, when the track at High Beach would attract tens of thousands. The circuit has long since disappeared, but there’s one element that still remains, and it’s still attracting bikers. So this week we head deep into Epping Forest to pay a visit to the Original Tea Hut. The hut was established by Ernie Miller in 1930, who ran it for some 50 years until handing over the reins to his son, Bert. These days it’s still in the family and operated by Bert’s…

It will be interesting to see Scott Redding coming to British Superbikes. He’s won Moto2 races, 125cc races, was the youngest grand prix winner ever when he won at Donington all those years ago. He’s had a rough time with the Aprilia thing though. It’s not really worked out for him. ‘HE WON’T GET HIS DRINKS HANDED TO HIM IN BIRDY’S TEAM’ He’s definitely got the talent, he’s got the minerals to do it, but BSB is a different ball game to MotoGP. There are no fancy electronics, it’s on Pirelli tyres and then there’s the new Ducati V4 he’ll be riding. It’s a lot to take on. There are a lot of riders in BSB with stacks of experience, they know the tracks inside out, they know how it…

I’D BUY ONE MARK SHRUBSOLE Age 50 Height 5ft 6in Current bike BMW K1300S Been riding for Since I was 17 “I’m booked on a trip to India and will be riding the Himalayan. I’m happy the seat height is nice and low, not always the case on adventure bikes, but I wouldn’t buy one. It’s old technology and a bit slow, but in India it will be perfect. It’s cheap, but I don’t have money to burn on a toy.” WINTER HACK BARRY GREEN Age 55 Height 6ft 1in Current bike BMW S1000XR Been riding for 40-odd years “The Himalayan would be good for a commuter or winter hack. I use a Suzuki DR-Z400 for winter and the DR cost me £3000 used, so the Enfield isn’t bad value.…

The Himalayan doesn’t set your pulse racing. It is cheap, basic and designed to simply churn out the miles whatever the road conditions, weather and quality of fuel stuck inside its tank. But it is surprising just how effective it is at its role in life. While failing to dazzle in any way, it certainly charms and as the miles pass by in comfort its appeal grows. It’s just a shame the front brake is so pathetic because for £4199 on-the-road it would make a great all-weather steed and summertime green lane explorer. ROYAL ENDFIELD HIMALAYAN Power 24.5bhp @ 6500rpm Torque 23.6ftlb @ 4500rpm Engine 411cc 4v SOHC air-cooled single Frame Tubular steel cradle Suspension 41mm conventional forks, non-adjustable. Rear monoshock, adjustable preload. Front brake 300mm disc, two-piston caliper. ABS…

1 Engines arrive out of the chassis Complete engines are delivered. “The worst thing anyone can do is strip it down and send it in boxes, I’d much rather have a complete motor so I can diagnose any issues,” he says. 2 Strip and evaluate Having stripped down the motor, Stan will then call the customer with a quote. 3 Rebore Every barrel is rebored and matched to a new piston by Stan and the heads skimmed flat if necessary. 4 Cleaning and finishing A local firm aquablasts the motor before the parts are stove enamelled where required. Any nuts and bolts are cleaned and zinc plated or replaced. “By the end it all looks like new,” says Stan. 5 Rebuild It takes Stan about a day to completely rebuild…

Biblical rain can’t dampen my spirits on-board Triumph’s updated Street Scrambler, which is shining despite gruesome weather. As I cruise gently along the dramatic Portuguese coastline I’m constantly scanning the roadside, looking for possible off-road trails and the chance to flick into the bike’s newfor-2019 off-road riding mode, which cancels the ABS and traction control. I don’t care about rain or the fact my shoes are full of water; I just want to pretend to be Steve McQueen and get sideways. Preserving history Triumph’s first stripped-back Bonneville Scrambler appeared in 1963 as the unmistakable T120 TT. The likes of McQueen and Evel Knievel, who famously attempted to jump the fountains at Caesars Palace on one in 1967, gave the bike street cred and coolness that continue today. Thankfully Triumph have…

‘The supercharger spins up like a gas turbine engine’ ‘It’s a hedonistic space shrinker’ KAWASAKI H2 SX SE TOURER £18,899 Best ride A 304-mile day scouting out the MCN250 route. I learnt almost everything about it thanks to the nature of the 250’s mix of roads. Longest day Rolling off the drive at exactly 4.30am, I headed from Stamford to Matlock, over to the Lake District, up to Edinburgh then down to Newcastle and the North York Moors, over the Humber Bridge into the Lincolnshire Wolds and home. That notched up 714.5 miles in exactly 18 hours to the minute. What hurt first? Knees. After that comes my lower back – but the big Ninja looks after you pretty well. Slow riding is hard on your wrists. Anything to confess?…

RATINGS POOR ★ AVERAGE ★★ GOOD ★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★★ EXCEPTIONAL ★★★★★ Shark Evo-One 2 £ 399.99 Tested by Alison Silcox, five months, 4000 miles Unlike traditional flip-fronts, the Evo-One 2 just has a moveable chin bar and is legal to wear in the open faced or full-faced positions. Made with a plastic shell, it has an internal sun visor, comes with a Pinlock anti-fog insert, quick-release visor, ratchet-style chin strap buckle and removable liner. I’m a fan of Shark helmets, they fit my head shape well and, as with previous models I’ve worn, this took very few miles to break in. It’s not perfect though. To convert from full to open faced, the bar has to be pulled out and over in one go, and it’s not a smooth…

With MotoGP turning four-stroke for 2002, a major shift occurred in the litre sportsbike market. Suzuki had been leading the way with the GSX-R1000 since 2001, but in the same year Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki all released new litre bikes with cutting-edge MotoGP tech. But no one gets it right first time and that’s why it is always best to look beyond the first-generation models for a real bargain. £5494 YAMAHA YZF-R1 998cc | 177kg | 170bhp | 835mm seat height Dealer up to £6500 Private up to £5700 This one 2007, 16,389 miles Abandoning Yamaha’s traditional five-valve head for a more conventional four-valve style, the 2007 R1 added ride-by-wire, variable intake funnels, huge six-piston calipers and a motor that gained a searing top end rush at the expense of…

Jonathan Rea once again laid down the marker at the first winter test at Aragon in preparation for the 2019 World Superbike season, but all eyes were on Ducati and their all-new V4 R. Having grabbed headlines with power figures of 234bhp as well as its MotoGP-style winglets, Chaz Davies tested the machine for the first time in the two-day test. With rain writing off the second day, Davies was a reassuring 1.5 seconds off Rea. It may seem a big gap but considering the Welshman was riding the Ducati for the first time, his comments tell the bigger story. “I’m really happy,” Davies said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve swung my leg over something new, but it was a really solid test. By the 20th lap my…

Jorge Lorenzo says his leaving Ducati is bittersweet after two tough years. Unable to deliver a title challenge, he did at least stand on the top step three times in 2018. Sunday’s Valencia race brought his time to an ignominious end as he came home 12th. While he might have had a strong mid-season, outscoring every rider on the grid as he romped to a series of wins and podiums in June, July and August, he still leaves Ducati with regrets. Cutting short his time as both sides failed to agree terms to extend his deal beyond two seasons, he says he’s leaving knowing he could have done great things. ‘The real goal was to do what Casey did in 2007 and win the title’ “You have to be sad,…

Dani Pedrosa bid an emotional farewell to MotoGP after 13 seasons in the premier class, bowing out by matching his best result of the year at Valencia and coming home fifth in Sunday’s race. Surrounded by friends and family for his MotoGP swansong where he was officially inducted as a MotoGP legend, Pedrosa admitted that Sunday’s conditions meant that he wasn’t able to give it his all. “I was a little emotional before the race, but afterwards when all my family and friends were in tears I was OK! When I came in and saw the box full of people it was a nice moment, but it was before the race I felt it most, when I met some old friends wishing me luck and the sadness of some fans…

While he might be on a high after racking up another title in 2018, there’s one thing that Marquez says he isn’t a fan of as his success grows: the changes that it’s forcing on his lifestyle. Now one of the world’s most popular athletes and instantly recognised not only in Spain but across Europe and Asia, the price of success has been a high one. “It’s interesting, because five years ago I thought that I would always keep the same style of living. I thought that I didn’t need a big house, I don’t need VIP in the disco, I don’t need a private jet, and I didn’t want any of it. But the life moves you in that direction. I’m building a new house, a big one, because…

‘We are slower mid-corner so that’s where we can improve’ When Andrea Dovizioso beat Marc Marquez in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix he must’ve thought he had a good chance of winning Ducati’s first MotoGP crown in more than a decade. But it didn’t quite turn out like that. The 32-year-old Italian lost his way after Qatar and it wasn’t until after the summer break that he turned things around. Dovizioso took one victory and one podium from the first nine races and two victories and four more podiums from the next eight. So what went wrong? “It was a mixture of two things,” says Dovizioso, after his sixth season with Ducati. “We took a lot of races to find a good base setting because Michelin changed the rear tyre…

‘Ankle break ended hopes of a best-ever 4th place finish’ Brit Cal Crutchlow was denied a perfect ending to what could have been a fairytale season in 2018 when a badly broken ankle at the Australian Grand Prix ended hopes of a best-ever fourth place series finish. After taking an early race win in Argentina to lead the standings he became a consistent front-runner and a persistent thorn in the sides of the aliens of MotoGP. When he stated he could fight for the championship in 2018 Cal was written off. But he confounded critics by taking victory in tricky conditions at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit and, by doing so, became the first Brit since Barry Sheene to lead the premier class. After that Crutchlow strung together his…

One person who will be glad to see the back of the 2018 season will be Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales. Waiting an incredible 28 races between Le Mans last year and Phillip Island this year for a victory, it’s been a year that has fallen well below expectation. Struggling from day one to find any sort of pace with the M1 machine as their acceleration and rear grip woes got worse from 2017 to 2018 after they went the wrong way with their sealed engine design, Viñales spent much of the year alternating between petulant brat and moody teenager. Lashing out at his team, his manufacturer and his crew, he made an already-difficult situation even harder as relationships within the squad disintegrated. Launching a war of words midway through the…

Tyre giant gets a struggle cuddle Michelin man (left) gets a celebratory hug from Marc Marquez after another gripping win Dovi flagging in 2019 Italian star took a while to get going in 2018 and then had run-ins with team-mate Suzuki star gets slime time Alex Rins has had plenty of practice handling slippery characters in 2018 Grand designs on 2019 Jorge Lorenzo draws a track map to suit Ducati (left) and a circuit where the Honda should go well (right) Rossi makes us all ROFL Fed up of saying he feels okay, but not brilliant about his M1 Yamaha, the GOAT resorts to sign language during a press conference How the mighty have fallen Jorge Lorenzo highsides at Aragon’s first turn and then bizarrely blames Marc Marquez who was…

Cheshire-based suspension specialists, Maxton Engineering, have launched a new fork cartridge kit for road and track bikes. Designed to be a cost-effective improvement over standard equipment, the new SD25 cartridges separate rebound and compression damping functions into each leg for improved feel and control, allowing greater adjustment. Each cartridge is built to suit the individual bike and rider and comes with weight-matched silicone chrome springs, at a cost of £809 per pair.…

Motorcycle Live 2018 kicked off at the weekend as thousands of bike fans poured into Birmingham’s NEC to meet their heroes, pick their next bike, or simply bag themselves a bargain. The show opened with a huge celebration of some of the very best motorcycling talent the world has ever produced. On stage there were none other than Jonathan Rea, Tai Woffinden, Ana Carrasco, Dave Thorpe, Ron Haslam, Leon Haslam, John Reynolds, Niall Mackenzie, Carl Fogarty and Ben and Tom Birchall. Between them they’ve amassed an incredible 30 British Championships and 24 World Championships. Not a bad haul. Then there’s the bikes. ‘The show opened with a celebration of top talent’ Now we couldn’t possibly name every single bit of metal on display, but there are some serious headliners for…

BMW have offered comfortable and dependable mile munchers since the 1970s and the latest RT is no exception. For 2019 it gets variable valve timing with ShiftCam technology and the option of exceptionally impressive latest generation Dynamic ESA. Prices start at £14,415, rising to £16,710 for the LE edition, but you can get an RT onto your riding CV for a tenth of that money if you’re prepared to roll back the years. 2019 R1200RT £14,415 What is it? MCN’s Best Tourer for four straight years is now all packed into a remarkably dynamic package. MCN says “From fast road riding in the Alps to devouring motorways, there’s very little that can truly rival the RT.” Want to buy one? £14,415, £2883 deposit, £320 per month 2014 R1200RT £8995 What…

Globetrotting adventurers Steph Jeavons, Sam Manicom and Mark Kemp have all been confirmed as the latest speakers for February’s Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show. All three will appear on the Travel and Adventure stage providing fascinating insights and invaluable advice for new and experienced travellers alike. If you’re planning a trip for charity, Mark Kemp will give advice on the best ways to get cash for your cause. He’s already raised £25,000 for the Teenage Cancer trust with 70,000-mile trips across Australia, the Americas and Russia. Seasoned traveller Sam Manicom will be sharing his experiences on the basics of packing and planning for a trip of any duration, not just a big one. Having completed a 200,000-mile tour of Africa, the Americas, Australia and Asia, Sam will be revealing…

Spyshots have emerged of a brand new BMW sports tourer that looks perfectly poised to fill the gap for rapid tourers that don’t have the weight (or the high cost) of the 1000cc-plus offerings. The new bike uses BMW’s new(ish) 853cc parallel twin taken from the F850GS, but combines it with the more angular styling of their S1000XR sports tourer. But you may be thinking that you’ve seen something like this before, well you’d be right; this bike is the spitting image of the Concept 9Cento that BMW unveiled earlier this year. At the time BMW’s Head of Design, Edgar Heinrich, said of the Cento: “It doesn’t always have to be about ‘bolder, bigger, brighter’. We’ve created a bike that combines the appropriate power with reliable sports touring properties and…

I almost laughed out loud when I read the snippet in MCN saying mudguard extenders "specially designed to cover the downpipes" were already available for the brand new R1250GS. I've been banging on about this for years. Just look round any bike park and see how many are fitted with extenders (except "sportsbikes" of course... but they're not allowed out in the wet.) How can BMW (or anyone else) make a so-called 'Adventure' bike with a ridiculous, useless mudguard? All designers ought to be made to ride their own creations for a month, and clean them after every ride before they're released. I bet they would all have bigger mudguards and rear huggers then! Brian Newbold, Doncaster PS: At least you didn't call it a "Fender" because that's a guitar…

I’m not into off-road riding and I’m filled with dread when I hear a manufacturer will be adding an off-road section into the first ride of their new big-capacity adventure bike. However, there are a few local, light green lanes and for a giggle I decided to explore them on the Himalayan. Bouncing along these pretty easy off-road sections on the Himalayan was a great laugh and revealed this is a bike that is designed for roads that aren’t all tarmac. I would be happy taking it green laning as it has crash bars (for £100 extra), an easy-going single with not too much power and a light 185kg weight. And if it did hit the deck, I can’t see spare parts costing the earth. The Himalayan has the potential…

It you owned a two-stroke in the late 1970s and 1980s there was one thing you wanted above all else: a Stan Stephens tuned engine. In an era defined by riders dressed in a paddock jacket and jeans screaming past in a haze of blue smoke, it was Stan’s motors that ruled the roost. “At our peak we were tuning a humongous number of engines, there would be 30 ready and waiting for us every Monday morning,” Stan says. “I remember doing an advert at the end of a season, it showed the Marlboro series and the first ten in the 350, 250 and 500 were all on our bikes, I’d say 90% of the bikes out there were tuned by us.” After starting out at a local shop in…

While the likes of the charismatic Thruxton R and Bonneville Bobber turn heads and grab the headlines, it’s the lower-profile Street Twin that leads the sales chart in Triumph’s extensive range of modern classics. It’s incredibly popular, which is why the Hinkley firm were keen to give their top retro a raft of upgrades for 2019, with significantly improved performance, braking, rider aids and cosmetic upgrades. MCN tested the new Street Twin in rain-lashed Portugal to see how far the changes go. 1 Rain and road modes For 2019 the Street Twin comes with two riding modes: rain and road. Via the ride-by-wire each mode changes the throttle map and level of traction control intervention and can be switched on the move. There’s a noticeable difference between the two: the…

‘So much more than a pretty face’ DUCATI SCRAMBLER 1100 £11,495 Best ride A 50-mile Austrian mountain pass between Graz and the Red Bull Ring; the Scrambler made it both an effortless and enjoyable ride. Longest day 801 miles travelling home from Austrian Grand Prix. What hurt first? Knees. The footpegs are quite high so you start to ache after a few hours in the saddle. Anything to confess? Got pulled by the cops. I can’t remember what speed I was doing but they didn’t know either. Someone was on my side that day. High point Opening the throttle on a summer’s day and drinking in the sound of that throaty V-twin. Low point My foot slipping off a footpeg on a commute home and looking down to find oil…

‘I only popped in for a coffee,” says Alan Harrison as he describes the morning he got back into bikes for the third time. “I was meeting a friend at the café at Wollaston BMW. I wasn’t interested in buying a bike at all when I walked in, but I ended up walking out as an RnineT owner. So that cuppa ended up costing me £11,000.” After two years lavishing his boxer with custom goodies, Alan then had his head turned by the German brand’s flagship sportsbike. “I took the S1000RR demo out for a test ride. I’d only ridden down the dual carriageway and back before I knew I had to have one. I didn’t know that was what I was looking for until I rode it. The power…

Jason O’Halloran will switch to the McAMS Yamaha team for 2019 as he joins Tarran Mackenzie in the factory-backed squad. Having ridden for Honda for the last decade, the Aussie hopes the change will help him become a more consistent front-runner. “It’s really exciting to be joining a new manufacturer,” he said. “I have big aims and I know I’ve got loads more to prove; people haven’t seen the best of me yet!” Tarran Mackenzie remains for a second year as he seeks a first BSB win. “We had a mega first year and I’m pleased to continue so we can build on that,” he said. Andrew Irwin joins Honda’s Superbike squad but there’s no word on the other rider, though WSB’s Xavi Fores has been linked.…

Maverick Viñales says Yamaha are in their best shape in years going into the first 2019 preseason tests this week. Crashing out of Sunday’s race despite showing strong pace, an upbeat Viñales says afterwards that the performance was enough to carry him through the winter. He said: “It was nice to feel strong again in the wet, to be able to actually ride the bike again. If we hadn’t crashed, then Valentino and I would have been first and second for sure. It’s important to start the next season like this.”…

There’ll be a big change for Marquez within the Repsol Honda garage next year, when he trades long-time teammate Dani Pedrosa for a new face in the shape of Jorge Lorenzo. With many expecting fireworks and tension within the garage, Marquez is adamant that he believes that they can successfully work together without coming to blows. ‘Jorge and I know our job is to fight on track’ He said: “Drama is something that people expect next year, and I understand that, but Jorge and I are professionals and we will compete on the race track. But the competition will be on the track, and we know that our job is to only fight on there. Sometimes in boxing, you see the two guys punching each other, then going to drink…

What would have happened if Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati had fixed the GP18’s ergonomics before the start of the season? Because as soon as Ducati adapted the bike to fit the Spaniard he went from nowhere man to double winner and then victory contender at pretty much every race. Until he got injured; twice, at Aragon and Buriram. Lorenzo’s 2018 season was his strangest yet. And not only from a machinery point of view. During the first part of the championship he didn’t feel good on the GP18. He didn’t make it into the top ten once at the first four races, then he won rounds six and seven. It was quite a turnaround and probably the first time such a transformation has been achieved by adding a lump of…

Yamaha had a mostly horrible time in 2018, enduring their worst losing streak since they entered the premier class in 1973. At first, electronics were blamed, then engine performance and chassis balance. Yamaha’s main failure was not adapting to the combination of Michelin tyres and unified software. The YZR-M1 is a corner-speed bike, which needs a lot of edge grip. Yamaha also reduced crankshaft inertia too much, so when the rider closed the throttle the engine shut down too quickly, making the rear end snappy. 1 Tyres too hot to last Yamaha had a major problem with poor rear-tyre life, caused by the rubber getting too hot. Unable to fix the problem with electronics and chassis set-up they got so desperate that they introduced a heavily slotted rear mudguard, designed…

It’s 5am on race day morning in Malaysia and Pecco Bagnaia is wide awake. His stomach is churning like a cement mixer and nerves have crushed his appetite to the point he can’t contemplate breakfast and his traditional pre-race meal of pasta and rice is also off the menu. Match point number one to lift the 2018 Moto2 World Champion came and went with a surprising surrender to 12th in Australia, which was one of the few times all season he missed the podium. To make sure stage fright didn’t consume him again in Sepang’s penultimate race, Bagnaia had a heart-to-heart with SKY VR46 owner and mentor Valentino Rossi. Bagnaia said: “Valentino is like a big brother and he speaks to me like a friend, not like a boss. He…

‘I think I’m doing the right things to come back in 2020’ Valencia proved a MotoGP swansong for two British riders as both Bradley Smith and Scott Redding bowed out after 13 and 11 years respectively in the grand prix paddock. But while it might seem like the final curtain both say they’ve still plenty to prove and have very different intentions when it comes to future career plans. While British Superbike-bound Redding bids to forge a new career in production-based racing, Smith is adamant that his break from the premier class is merely a temporary blip on his career path and, with wild-card MotoGP rides and MotoE already lined up, he’s positive he’s not down and out just yet. Having signed a deal to be Aprilia’s test rider for…

‘I’ve had some good moments, especially in 2012 when I felt the best’ Dani Pedrosa bowed out of MotoGP at Valencia last Sunday after 13 seasons in the premier with Repsol Honda. Throughout his career he has been one of the MotoGP ‘aliens’ and seen the likes of Nicky Hayden, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner come and go from the team. But, despite his incredible pace and having won 31 races, he ends his career without a MotoGP title. In recent years the 33-year-old has struggled to run at the very front. A catalyst to this was the introduction of Michelin’s control tyres at the start of 2016. Smaller and lighter than the rest of the paddock at only 5ft 2in and 48kg, Pedrosa’s found it hard to exploit the…

Markus Schramm, the new Director of BMW Motorrad, has assured MCN that UK supplies of BMW motorcycles and parts will be unaffected by the impending implementation of Brexit; even if at the end of the negotiations there’s a no-deal scenario. ‘Bike and part supply will not be affected by Brexit’ ‘Goal is to become leader in all segments’ ‘On target for an eighth year of growth’ “In terms of logistics, in the case of a no-deal scenario there will be no impact. We have it completely under control,” says Schramm. “As usual in every market supply and demand defines the prices and if the whole industry decides to hold their prices we cannot step out of this. We need the UK as part of the European market and to avoid…

The very first Norton V4 SS superbikes have rolled off the new production line at the Donington Hall factory, and were united with their owners on Monday afternoon as Norton simultaneously unveiled the next chapter for their sportsbike family, the 650cc Superlight, at Motorcycle Live. The complexity of building a completely new superbike with their own design of chassis, V4 engine, bespoke electronics package, and a new supply chain for everything from the engine parts and wheels to the unique carbon fibre fuel tank, have made getting to the start of production a herculean task. With final electronics calibration concluding just weeks ago, all the pieces of the jigsaw are now able to come together and the factory is buzzing with activity as frames emerge from the fabrication and welding…

It’s officially winter, so getting out on your bike is harder. You have to spend more time watching the weather forecast for a window of opportunity, more time kitting up and more time washing the bike afterwards. But you only have to hear what our members say, to realise it is worth it. This week our Facebook group have been sharing their winter wisdom and encouraging others to get riding. John Ralston decided now was a good time to take his ten-year-old daughter for her first go on the back of his Triumph. He said: “When it started to rain I asked if she liked it and she said ‘it’s amazing! The best thing I have ever done’. “We went to the local cafe and she saw a classmate as…

Reader Marius Anderson The Ride Himalayan Heights by Ride Expeditions When to do it August Miles 800 Time required Nine riding days Don’t miss this “Don't miss any of it! Stunning scenery and all kinds of road conditions: mud, hardcore dust, sand, tarmac and river crossings.” HIGHEST PASS Boy, was the air thin. Note we took a copy of MCN along for the ride SARCHU VALLEY The 400cc Enfield Himalayan proved itself on these roads PANGONG LAKE The sheer beauty made it the trip of a lifetime. Highly recommended NORTH OF SHIMLA The Ride Expeditions' organisation was second to none all the way THE TRIP SEND US YOUR TRIP PICS EMAIL YOURPICS@MOTORCYCLENEWS. COM…

HONDA SS50 This is my first bike from 1977; a Honda SS50 cafe racer, which I built myself at 15 when I should have been revising for my O-levels. Russell Rhodes SUZUKI X7 Me and my new Suzuki X7 in 1979. I loved it so much that I now have another one. Steve Ratcliffe BSA C10L Here I am aged 16. That BSA was a great bike! I’ve just sold my FZ6 and am looking forward to another bike. Stuart Bunyan KAWASAKI Z250 SCORPION 1983 and it’s my Kawasaki Z250 Scorpion. Check those boots out. We are still riding 35 years later. Chris and Nicola Jackson HONDA CB250T This was taken in 1976. I was 17 and this was my third bike after an SS50 and a CB125. Graham Knight…

‘At £6500 the hammer drops as does my jaw’ Entering a motorcycle auction room is a risky business, especially if you are weak-willed and suscept’. Temptation is all too real and it is extremely easy to get swept up in the moment and find your arm in the air when the hammer drops. And suddenly you are the proud owner of some pile of crap after you refused to back down in a bidding war. But by the same token they are fantastic events to attend, as long as you are able to show some restraint. And this is my problem. I am the person who scans the isles of Tesco searching for that yellow reduced sticker, piling loaves of bread I don’t need into the trolley “because they’re only…

‘For me it’s perfect for the Ring and for short blasts’ ‘I could sit and stare at it all day’ DUCATI PANIGALE V4 S £23,895 Best ride It lives for fast, flowing corners and no place on Earth plays to its strengths like the Nürburgring. Turning up there in May, my first few laps are scrappy, but by the fourth everything clicks and what follows, as the V4 floats through the next 73 corners, is one of the most memorable 12.8 miles of my life. Acceleration is so relentlessly brutal, the German straights have never seemed so short. Back in the pits I’m trembling. My senses have been sharpened to the point I could read a number plate from the moon. Longest day Penultimate day of a Croatia road trip:…

1 Start with a clean sheet Give the bike a thorough wash with a dedicated motorcycle cleaner. Use a brush to get into all the awkward places and scrub behind the exhaust downpipes. Leave the cleaning agent to dwell for a few minutes then rinse well. Use a clean sponge to wipe over bodywork before rinsing. 2 Banish excess water With the bike cleaned and rinsed off it needs a thorough drying. Any dampness or water that remains will dry off and catalyse the oxidation process, leaving rust on steel or white powdery deposits on alloys. Use an airline or a soft towel, remember to check for any hidden pockets of water in places like under the fuel cap flap, behind mirror glass, etc. 3 Prepare your chain Make sure…

KTM enjoyed an almost perfect day at Valencia, by scoring podiums in all three classes as Pol Espargaro rocketed to the MotoGP winners’ enclosure and Miguel Oliveira and Can Oncu backed it up in Moto2 and Moto3. Espargaro was fast all weekend in both wet and dry conditions, and despite crashing out of the original running of Sunday’s race before re-joining, he was able to make the best out of a red flag to get a second chance.Coming home in third, it marks the high point of KTM’s two-year campaign in the premier class. Speaking to MCN after the race, KTM boss Pit Beirer says while they’ve been on an upward curve for the last two seasons, he couldn’t have imagined that a podium success, even in the wet, was…

Andrea Dovizioso won a crash-strewn final race of the season in treacherous conditions at the Valencian Grand Prix. He finished ahead of Alex Rins and an impressive debut KTM podium for Pol Espargaro after the two-part race saw 12 riders crash in the torrential rain. Dovizioso hunted down Alex Rins not once but twice as red flags stopped the race halfway through, taking his season’s fourth win in the second 14-lap race by nearly three seconds. Admitting conditions were so bad he was prepared to let Rins take the lead in the early stages, Dovizioso’s clever strategy with limited Michelin tyre allocation enabled him to take the win. “Alex started too fast and I decided it was too much. But I realised I had some margin to play with until…

‘I don’t want to think about names like Ago, Hailwood, Nieto ’ With a grand total of seven world titles to his name, Marc Marquez appears to be in a hurry to earn the accolade of greatest of all time. His stats speak for themselves with records continuing to be broken; seemingly at will. When he clinched the 2018 crown at Motegi he became the youngest rider to win five premier titles and the youngest to win seven titles. He has also become one of only four riders to have taken five or more premier class titles, and the first to have won five or more races in nine consecutive seasons. Yet despite those stats, the 25-year-old is adamant that being the GOAT is not something that crosses his mind…

Did Honda win the 2018 MotoGP crown or was it Marc Marquez? A bit of both, of course. Man and the machine are made for each other: a bit wild and on the edge. It takes a rider with the aggression of Marquez... or of Cal Crutchlow – to wrestle the best out of the RC213V. And yet Honda have worked hard over the past three seasons to make the RC213V work better with the Michelin tyres and lower-tech unified software, so they’ve made the bike more neutral, with a big-bang firing order to improve traction and reverse-rotating crank to reduce wheelies. “This year we tried to improve our bike to be competitive on all track layouts,” explains Marquez. “Now we are stronger in what were our weak points but…

Last season Ducati should’ve had their best chance of winning the MotoGP crown since the heady, faraway days of Casey Stoner. In 2017 they won six races and took the title fight to the final race. In theory they should’ve given Honda an even harder time in 2018. But in MotoGP’s closest-ever season, when the average gap between winner and first loser was just 2.1s, the differences between getting your motorcycle just right and just missing out were tiny. For Dovi the big difference was a series of minor tweaks to electronics and chassis set-up. For Lorenzo it was a fat fuel tank that transformed his results. 1 Flexing the frame Chassis flex is one of the main performance factors in MotoGP. Bonded carbon-fibre frame inserts allow them to adjust…

Bradley Smith Smith will be working as Aprilia’s test rider next season at a series of both official pre-season tests and private outings for the Noale factory. He’ll also be making five wild-card appearances in the premier class with the opening round at Qatar as well as Barcelona and Brno (both being followed by one-day tests) already confirmed. It’s also possible he’ll get the chance to ride at Silverstone after being denied a home round in 2018. In addition, Smith is due to line up at the five MotoE rounds at Jerez, Le Mans, Sachsenring, Red Bull Ring and Misano, ensuring that he’s likely to attend at least 10 of the season’s 19 grand prix. Scott Redding Redding is making the bold move to the Bennetts British Superbike championship next…

The 2019 MotoGP championship promises to be one of the best yet with big-name rider changes, new teams and a host of super-fast rookies making the step up to the premier class. The most anticipated change is Jorge Lorenzo joining Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda, with many predicting fireworks both on and off the track as Lorenzo sets out to make up for the largely dissapointing two seasons he’s spent at Ducati. Further down the grid, there’s a host of super-fast rookies who’ll be looking to impress. From former world champions like Joan Mir at Suzuki and Pecco Bagnaia at Pramac Ducati to outside bets like Fabio Quartararo on the newly-formed Petronas Yamaha team, there’s plenty to be looking forward to as testing kicks off this week. STAYING PUT 93…

There’s not much change in 2019 as the series looks to follow the pattern of this year with 19 races across the globe. But there are a few modifications that should spice things up a little, though. First is the number of back-to-back races, with three doubleheaders. That’s balanced, slightly, by a longer summer break; a key demand from the riders safety commission. TESTING There’s no rest as 2019 begins as soon as 2018 finishes at Valencia. With less testing and only two pre-season tests in the new year, the Valencia and Jerez tests become more important. With all riders on track, including those who’ve switched teams, it’ll be our first clue at whether Yamaha have solved their woes and how Lorenzo will perform on the Honda. Valencia: 20th -…