BIKE

Bike Issue 602 May 2023 Contact us: bike@bikemagazine.co.uk or 01733 468025 facebook.com/bikemagazineUK twitter.com/BikeMagazine This is a Suzuki GSF600 Bandit being enthusiastically enjoyed back in 1996 by Bike designer Paul Lang. He’s wearing borrowed leathers and clearly having a jolly time frolicking in the sun that shone relentlessly through the nineties (or maybe it’s just my memory). He wasn’t alone in getting excited by the Bandit. With a GSX-R-derived motor, decent chassis, light-hearted demeanour and low price, the 600 proved that simple, affordable bikes didn’t have to be rubbish. It kickstarted an entire class. It was a landmark occasion. We’re having a Bandit moment here in 2023. This time it’s thanks to Honda, who’ve looked at the naked middleweight market and made something with more power, gizmos and class, yet somehow priced to undercut any and all potential…

1 Mat Oxley Out of his natural MotoGP environment this month, Mat sits down with BSB saviour Stuart Higgs. Resurrecting a major race series takes some doing. Mat Oxley interview, page 40 2 Jim Moore Jim’s tested bikes for over 25 years, on titles such as Performance Bikes and, in the early 2000s, this very magazine. He recognises a landmark motorcycle when he rides it. The new boss, page 46 3 John Westlake Ex-editor Westlake likes a bike adventure, having been around Europe, across the States and to Japan. But Africa, and the Sahara, is a whole other kettle of concern. Next stop Sahara, page 78 4 Nick Sanders Bike has a long-standing relationship with the UK’s favourite world-lapper. He knows what it takes to go adventuring. And it’s not just about packing grundies and tea bags… Alternative rules… page 82 5…

PRACTICALITY Height adjustable heated seat, tall screen, handguards, 9500-mile service intervals, and a 19-litre tank that hangs down either side of the engine to keep the centre of gravity low. ELECTRONICS The full electronic monty: cornering ABS, off-road ABS, cornering traction control, four rider modes, up and down quickshifter, cruise control. CHASSIS Steel tube frame with the engine as a stressed member. 48mm WP Xplor forks (standard bike has 43mm WP Apex units). Rear shock gets high and low-speed compression damping. Front wheel is 21in, rear is 18in. ENGINE Identical to the KTM 890 Adventure, so an 889cc, 8-valve parallel twin with all the modern trimmings -ride-by-wire throttle, forged pistons, slipper clutch, high compression ratio (13.5:1) and two balance shafts (one up in the cylinder head). 'It's not a Norden on steroids. It's for riders looking to go…

BIKE The base bike is a 1953 Jawa 18, complete with original frame, friction dampers and drum brakes -Czech laws meant Marek couldn't mess with those and stay road legal. ENGINE The design on CAD took seven months, with the next two years spent on the build. Marek blew the motor five times until he got the assembly cock on. PAINT As if Marek didn’t exhibit enough talent with the engine, he did all the paintwork too. BISTELLA The name translates as ‘twin star’ in Latin – a reference to the two layers of radial engine. Marek was inspired by an Indonesian fivecylinder radial custom called Naga Lima. In the last 32 years, we have featured all manner of fascinating and bonkers engines, but this one is surely the most extraordinary we have yet talked about. Designed and…

TUEL TANK Designed and made by RSD. They did the rear mudguard too, along with the yokes, risers and exhaust. ENGINE A straight lift from Buell's 1190SX superbike, so it's a 1190cc, liquid-cooled V-twin making 180bhp. All the electronics are from the superbike too. The radiator is by RSD. CHASSIS The steel frame was made by Roland Sands Design (RSD) but everything else is 1190SX: wheels, swingarm, forks, brakes, the lot. The forks are extended and the Penske rear shock rebuilt. Buell’s new Super Cruiser is a 180bhp supernaked with a laid back riding position and chilled geometry. Bike asks Buell boss Bill Melvin what on earth he was thinking… » Bike: Hang on, haven’t Buell always specialised in sporty bikes? Bill: Buell is really an American performance motorcycle brand. There were a lot of ideas within Buell…

This Energica EsseEsse9 has just beaten the Guinness world record for the longest journey by electric bike - 7922 miles in 30 days. The feat, by Egyptian Ali Abdo, clearly demonstrates the pros and cons of the current crop of electric motorcycles: on the one hand, maintenance free and only £50 on fuel for the entire trip; on the other, interminable charging stops and you need a petrol generator for when you run out. ‘Egypt still doesn’t have an efficient infrastructure for electric vehicles,’ Ali tells Bike. ‘We only have chargers in big cities so we had to use a plug and socket everywhere you can imagine - mostly petrol stations, hotels and cafes. Plus we had a generator in the support van because there were some stretches where we travelled…