Table of contents for 15 April 2020 in MCN

KEY TO CHANNELS: DRT - DISCOVERY REAL TIME DSC - DISCOVERY CHANNEL DHD - DISCOVERY CHANNEL HD EXS - EXTREME SPORTS CHANNEL EUR1 (2, HD) - EUROSPORT 1 (2, HD) MOT - MOTORSPORT.TV CH4 - CHANNEL 4 CH5 - CHANNEL FIVE BBC BBCI – BBC INTERACTIVE ESPN – ESPN CLASSIC CHANNEL ITV DST – DISCOVERY TURBO SHED – DISCOVERY SHED INST – INSIGHT SS1 (2, 3 OR X) - SKY SPORTS 1 (2, 3 OR EXTRA) QUEST BTS1 – BT SPORT 1 BTS2 – BT SPORT 2 TVL – TRAVEL UK…

Biking charity Two Wheels for Life are joining forces with Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP and World Superbikes, to raise £50,000 to fight Covid-19 in Africa. The virus now poses a serious risk for the 1.2 billion population of the world’s poorest continent. Two Wheels for Life, together with their on-the-ground partners Riders for Health, are experts in healthcare delivery across the African continent. For 30 years they have been enabling healthcare workers to reach even the most remote areas with care, education and supplies. Joining forces with Dorna Sports, Two Wheels for Life have pledged to battle the potentially disastrous threat of Covid-19 across Africa using their team of highly skilled motorcycling healthcare workers. Funds raised will be used for the delivery of test results, education…

When it comes to pure kerb appeal, the classy Benelli 752S is streets ahead of the somewhat brash Yamaha MT-07. But kerb appeal has never been the MT’s main selling point and as soon as you start to ride these two bikes, the MT’s sheer fun factor wins you over where the 752S just leaves you a bit cold and wishing for more. The Benelli is a good-looking roadster and you can’t argue with its incredible price tag, especially when you look at its spec list, but bikes need to be far more than just the sum of their parts and it is the MT-07’s ‘X-factor’ that sees it overcome the classy Benelli’s challenge. There is no way you can throw a leg over an MT-07 and not enjoy the…

‘It’s the best of the bunch’ In developing a new bike from scratch there was a risk Triumph could screw it up. They haven’t. The biggest compliment I can pay the new bike is to say it feels like a better version of the old one. The mid-capacity adventure sector is crowded, but this is probably the best bike of the bunch. Triumph expect to sell dramatically more of the Rally and Rally Pro than the GT – but ultimately the choice between GT or Rally, base models or Pro versions, will more likely be made by budget, intended purpose and inside leg.…

A few months ago, back when we used to work in an office with other humans, someone raised the question of what bike everyone at MCN Towers would choose to ride around the world. During the conversation that followed, two letters came up time and time again: XT. The simplicity, reliability and ruggedness that runs in the DNA of Yamaha’s XT models makes it the ideal overlander and that’s exactly what the brand were hoping to tap into with the Ténéré 700. In a sector replete with 1200, 1250 and 1260cc behemoths stuffed full of cutting-edge gadgetry, Yamaha saw an opportunity to launch a lighter, simpler option. Obviously, the world has taken a bit of a turn since we took delivery of our T7, but in the few short weeks…

Using either a solar powered or mains battery optimiser charger is a no brainer, especially when you consider the cost of a new battery. Just prior to the lockdown, I fitted MCN’s secure lock-ups with a bank of solar panels to keep all the test bikes’ batteries inside in tip-top condition. It’s an impressive array which wouldn’t look out of place on the International Space Station, to be honest! Once a battery has run down to a very low voltage there is often little hope of getting it back to its original condition. Battery manufacturers identify the condition as ‘permanent sulphation’. This occurs naturally over a long period of time when the battery is in normal use, but when deprived of a full charge for a few weeks, combined with…

1. H-D Hoskin textile jacket £385.31 I’ve only just bought this, but in terms of general comfort it’s made a massive difference over my old leather jacket. It’s wind and waterproof as well as being super warm thanks to the thermal lining. 2. H-D Brother’s Ride rain suit £210.46 More often than not I just use the bottom half and they keep me absolutely bone dry, even when it’s really pouring. They’re lightweight to get in and out of, plus they pack away nice and small to store in your panniers. 3. H-D FXRG Carbon helmet (Discontinued) . I can have the ‘sunglasses on, wind-in-my-face’ experience when it’s nice and full face when it’s not. 4. H-D Midland waterproof boots £125 They’re fully waterproof and the…

RATINGS POOR ★AVERAGE ★★GOOD ★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★★EXCEPTIONAL ★★★★★ Shark Spartan GT Carbon £469.99 Tested by Mike Armitage for three weeks, 1000 miles I wore a Shark Spartan for a couple of years and got on well with it. My only real niggles were mildly inadequate ventilation (something true of other Sharks, especially the Skwal 2) and, as miles racked up, a visor seal that wasn’t always dependable. This year it becomes the Spartan GT and the issues appear to have been sorted. Chin inlets are certainly better and closing the exhausts on a chilly morning to retain heat seems to work too. The visor (now mounted like a Race R Pro) closes with a central chin catch. The seal seems effective; hard to know how it’ll stand up over…

Lord Beaverbrook, who hustled the production of 22,000 Spitfires fighters, had this motto on the wall of his office: “ORGANISATION IS THE ENEMY OF IMPROVISATION”. GP bikes are peacetime Spitfires; “Organisation” the technical regs. Designers are proscribed by a 320-page rulebook. Much more is banned than allowed. This inspires engineers’ creative juices. It’s not the letter of the law that matters, but the gaps between the words. In bikes, innovations are generally in the details; Michelin’s radial tyres of the 1970s, soon afterwards 16in front and later wide 16.5in rear wheels. Upside-down forks (in hindsight rather an obvious improvement) and soon afterwards carbon brakes in the 1980s. Yamaha’s “pioneering” rear mono-shock, meanwhile, simply revived the Stevenage-made Vincent system introduced in the late 1920s. ‘Designers are limited by a 320-page rulebook’…

At Qatar, the top speed of a 250bhp+ MotoGP bike is around 218mph, while a 150bhp Moto2 bike does 175mph. It’s a huge difference which helps the MotoGP men lap the 3.34-mile circuit around five seconds faster than their Moto2 counterparts. This info is readily available, but what isn’t common knowledge is the difference in budget between the two classes. Our calculations are based on a top Moto2 team and a satellite MotoGP team, because a factory team has unquantifiable research and development costs. ‘All the guys at Marc VDS fly business class’ So let’s start with the team structures. In MotoGP, a satellite team has approximately 20 personnel ranging from crew engineers to the communication managers, team coordinators and team management. In Moto2 they operate a similar structure but…

Donington Hall Estates Ltd and the Priest House Hotel Ltd were also part of the administration process as Stuart Garner was a director of both companies. Donington Hall has a ‘net book value’ of £3.27m, although the Administrators have been made aware by Leicestershire City Council that certain planning restrictions may have been breached on the site. Hastings House (where the Norton factory is based) has a ‘net book value’ of £1.4m. Metro bank is owed £3.07m by Donington Hall Estates and Leicester City Council is owed £993k. Both will be paid from proceeds of any sale. The nearby Priest House Hotel was also put into administration, but has been trading under management of another hotel group since January 29, 2020. The report says: “The Hotel had latterly struggled to…

The economic effect of the Covid-19 lockdown is worsening. My daughter has just had to take a 20% pay cut and I’m gloomily anticipating something similar. It’s bargain time for those brave, solvent – or reckless, given that we don’t know how long this is going to last – enough to go out and buy bikes. Honda CBR600s seem to be weathering the storm reasonably well, but you still need a couple of grand for a decent 03 or 04 plater and perhaps £2500 for an 05 or 06 RR model. With the nastiest economic crash in a century looming, we need a ‘Recession Bike’. Something reasonably versatile, 600cc minimum capacity so decent performance, with a good reliability rating and – and this is the crucial part – overlooked when…

Readers Chris Lucas and riding friends The Ride Isle of Wight to Normandy When to do it Any time! Miles Approx 650 Don’t miss this “Arromanches, the American Cemetery and German Cemetery to pay our respects to the fallen, to say it was quite emotional would be an understatement.” SETTING OFF Our first ferry of the journey was from the Isle of Wight before we went to Roscoff via Plymouth. THE BIKES We took a Honda CBF1000, two Africa Twins, a Triumph Tiger 900 and a couple of BMWs. HISTORY The area is steeped in wartime history and we stopped off at the Pegasus Bridge Museum. RESPECT No ride to Normandy is complete without paying your respects at the cemeteries. It is an incredibly emotional and humbling experience and everyone…

Q ‘Can they nick me for taking a Covid-19 ride?’ With the current coronavirus restrictions and lockdown in place, where do I stand going for a ride to get out of the house to alleviate my boredom? I want to take advantage of the nice weather but don’t want plod arresting me! Darren, email A The Government has given the police the power to restrict your right to move around. The rules are essentially the same across the UK, but each country has its own regulations which you can check at www.legislation. gov.uk for England, Wales and Scotland and www.health-ni. co.uk for Northern Ireland. Police can enforce the two key social distancing rules, which ban leaving your home without reasonable excuse or being in a public gathering of more than…

EMMA HEYWOOD Age 51 Height 5ft 9in Current bike 2017 Yamaha MT-07 Been riding Four years, four months First bike Yamaha MT-125 Dream bike There are too many! “I started riding on an MT-125, which I used for my CBT and then kept for a while before I got around to taking my Direct Access. During this period I was knocked off, so I bought another MT-125 before I upgraded to the MT-07 when I got my licence. To be honest I didn’t know anything about the MT-07 when I bought it, I just liked the MT-125 and saw the MT-07 as a natural progression. I have problems with my back, so I wanted a naked bike, and I liked the look. The MT-07 was a great bike to help…

‘Every mile you ride in the US desert you feel like you’re in a movie’ I’m lucky enough to have ridden some of the most amazing routes on the planet over my many series of The Motorbike Show and World’s Greatest Motorbike Rides. But whenever anyone pins me to a metaphorical wall and asks me to pick one big trip that everyone should have on their bucket list, I always give the same answer: chose the Western deserts of the USA. If you’re looking for an otherworldly riding landscape that can transport you from suburban Blighty into the expansive film sets of cowboy movies where you can imagine Indians (the real ones, not those pesky Harley rivals) lurking behind every rocky outcrop – this is it. The Wild West. There…

After two weeks of sitting forlorn, staring at an unused bike I’ve moved on in favour of sitting forlorn, staring at the Suzuki website. Like most of us I’ve come to the conclusion that if you can’t ride your bike, you might as well load it up with stuff. My KTM has got a new tyres, my Harley has a new exhaust and I think it’s time the V-Strom got a similar treatment. The obvious thing it’s calling out for is some luggage because it’s not really pulling its weight in the shopping department currently. Suzuki offer a few different luggage options, including some that clip straight to the subframe, but for the rugged adventure look the aluminium units are the proper option. However, they’re definitely not the cheap option.…

Multimeter It’s not essential, but a multimeter will allow you to test the voltage output, so set the dial to the 20 volt range. Buy one for around £6-£15. Crosshead screwdrivers You’ll need a selection of different crosshead screwdrivers to help remove any bodywork panels and battery terminals. Cable ties Want to make a neat job of routing the battery lead to the outside of the bike? You’ll need these. Some of the cable ties here are a hybrid type, ideal for clipping the wire to the side of a shed. Wire strippers and cutters These wire strippers make a really easy job of removing the insulation from wire, precise and repeatable every time. You can bag a pair for around £12. •Tell us about your favourite at mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com…

The owner of this 2007 Kawasaki ER6 definitely doesn’t like Mondays after his bike started shooting flames out of the red hot exhaust as he was about to hit the M1 at the start of another week. The ER6 had only had 24,000 miles on the clock, but it had served as a training school hack before the owner bought it early last year for his 24-mile daily commute. ‘I thought I might have to drop the engine out’ It didn’t take Laurance McCann, of McCann’s Motorcycles, long to work out what was going on. He reckoned an ignition problem meant unspent fuel had been gathering in the collector box, before catching light, and one stone-cold downpipe told him it was the right-hand cylinder. In all probability the coil pack…

Crime expert Dr Ken German has warned that there have been reports in London of conmen using fake warrant cards to stop people in the street and issue fines to be paid on the spot. “There are a few signs that a warrant card is a fake, a real one will include a picture of the officer, a hologram and barcode and a signature from the police commissioner, Cressida Dick,” he said. If in doubt, you can always dial 999, a real policeman won’t prevent you from doing this or run away. You can ask a uniformed officer to present a warrant card, too.…

Ready for a bit of escapism? Need to look busy to ward off the evil lure of domestic duties? Fear not, the team at MCN have amassed our collective knowledge and finely-honed time-wasting skills to bring you 10 more belting biking things to do this week. With this little lot to keep you going, it looks like the fence will just have to paint itself… 1 Watch epic film ‘Road’ Watching this again feels even more poignant after the tragic loss of William Dunlop in 2018. Narrated by Liam Neeson, it charts the story of both generations of Dunlop brothers – Joey and Robert, William and Michael – told through interviews with their family and friends. In places it’s extremely emotional and difficult to watch, but it’s a spellbinding film…

Support the industry I’ve just read your 10 things to do when you can’t ride your bike (MCN, April 8). I reached number six about cleaning and organising your garage/ shed, and it got me thinking about what you said about buying chain lube, brake cleaner etc. I suppose we all take for granted riding to the local stockist to buy the things we need, having a browse, a chat and a brew. But under the restrictions these places have had to close their shops. However, if you go online you can still order goods, get them delivered, put the kettle and the radio on in the garage while you isolate in peace. So my point is – don’t forget these companies who rely on your business are still trading…

£6695 Yamaha MT-07 • 689cc parallel twin 8v • 73.8bhp @ 9000rpm • 182kg ready to ride £6699 Benelli 752S • 754cc parallel twin 8v • 75.2bhp @ 8500rpm • 226kg ready to ride The parallel twin has come a long way. Cheap to produce and reliable, it used to be seen as a workhorse for commuters but Kawasaki’s ER6 range demonstrated that parallel twins could be fun before BMW highlighted the engine’s versatility in a variety of F-Series models. Yet it was Yamaha who unlocked the motor’s true potential with their smash-hit MT-07. Nowadays, the parallel twin defines the middleweight class, which is why any new bike using this motor needs to be taken seriously. So have Benelli nailed it with their all-new 752S? Let’s see… Parked…

WSB RACE WIN “Manfeild Park in New Zealand was like a British track – tight, twisty and undulating – and I just clicked with it and it really suited the OW01. The first race was wet in 1989 and I won it easily.” BRITISH CHAMPION “Yamaha were desperate to win BSB, so I had to focus my attention in 1990 on that. We dominated the season on the OW01, taking the title as well as a WSB race win in New Zealand again, this time in the dry.” WORLD CHAMPION “There was a bit of needle between me and Foggy, we really didn’t get on, but we buried the hatchet and dominated the season on the Kawasaki through sheer hard work. We had no choice, we were both skint!” SUZUKA…

The three-cylinder engine in Triumph’s new Tiger 900 combines two existing triples and uses new tech to keep it compact. Well, ‘new’ as in ‘been around for decades...’ Derived from the old 675cc motor, the previous Tiger 800 was a long-stroke design. Measuring 74.05 x 61.9mm (and so displacing 799.75cc), the larger crank required for this 61.9mm stroke meant different crankcases to those used on the old Street Triple. Raising its capacity for the new 900 couldn’t involve extra stroke as there was no room for an even longer crank throw, so Triumph needed a larger bore size. To do this they’ve used the top end from the 765cc motor in the latest Street Triple, which measures 77.99 x 53.4mm (so is actually 765.3cc). With the 765’s bore and old…

Any big trip will always leave you wondering about what you might have done differently afterwards – niggling little regrets that you wish you’d circumnavigated by being forewarned and forearmed with a bit more knowledge. So, here are a few little things I’ve learned along the way which might help you: Forget UK sensibilities and wear an open face – it’ll allow you to feel the heat and the temperature change. Breathe it all in! You don’t have to wear a helmet in Arizona, but for god’s sake don’t be tempted to ride without. If you’re riding the American dream, you need to be riding some ‘American iron’ - and that means Harley. Plus, there’s a Harley dealer in every town, which is great if your bike develops a problem.…

PCP. You’re probably fed up with hearing these three letters, but personal contract purchase has become a very popular way to finance a new bike. Most of the new bikes leaving our showroom are on PCP finance. If you’re tempted by the very affordable monthly payments but worry what would happen if you struggle then it’s worth knowing there’s a safe way out of the deal. Unfortunately you can’t just stop making payments, as doing so would result in arrears and make a mess of your credit rating. However, you can contact the finance company and ask for Voluntary Termination (VT). VT is a little-known right that’s guaranteed under the Consumer Credit Act to protect consumers who have run into difficulties. As long as you have paid more than half…

The cancellation of the 2020 road racing season has hit everyone hard. Riders have been left chomping at the bit, teams remain in limbo while race organisers have been forced to write off 2020 and look to start again in 2021. The effects of the pandemic are acute and ongoing; ruining dreams and ambitions of the racing community. One man that is feeling those effects is John McGuinness. The 47-year-old (who turns 48 on Thursday) is on the comeback trail and, having secured a top ride with the Bournemouth Kawasaki squad for 2020, is now left scratching his head not knowing if another year out of action and a racing return in 2021 is simply too big an ask – even for a man who has won 23 TTs. “It’s…

MotoGP remains the pinnacle of racing and it has never been healthier. Four manufacturers producing machines that perform within microscopic levels of each other (Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Suzuki), with a further two (KTM and Aprilia) ready to join that club; when we get back to it! The racing is closer than ever and to steal a phrase from Dave Brailsford, the man behind British cycling’s all-conquering squad, development is all about ‘marginal gains’. Ducati have always explored innovative concepts to extract performance. They already had the fastest bike in 2019 but were unhappy that Honda managed to close the gap on top speed. With engines producing close to 300bhp, aerodynamics have become the Holy Grail. Wings help increase acceleration by reducing wheelies, but they also increase drag. It takes…

‘Sponsors both large and small will all be affected by this’ ‘All of the riders are like coiled springs’ Last week both the Mugello and Barcelona rounds of the 2020 MotoGP championship, scheduled to take place at the end of May and the beginning of June, were postponed. As MCN went to press no alternative dates had been put forward with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continuing to put a stop to the world as we know it. Currently, the earliest opportunity for the season to start would be the scheduled Sachsenring race in Germany on June 21, but given the ongoing situation it’s highly likely there will be a number of further postponements. In a bid to ensure there will be still be teams in a position to race when…