Table of contents for 4 May 2016 in MCN

BMW K1600GT Sport When you absolutely have to get across the whole of Europe in one day, nothing beats BMW’s stunning straight-six K1600GT. Yours for just £239 per month after a £3819.99 deposit. Kawasaki 1400GTR If you’re after a stonking engine, superb comfort, and a decent standard spec without forking out quite so much moolah, there’s nothing wrong with the GTR. Great value at £170 per month after a £2877 deposit. Honda Pan European Do they still make those? Yes, the Pan is still going strong. The grandad of GTs can be yours for £199pm after £3294.60 up front. Triumph Trophy SE Another one quietly trotting along in the shadows, it’s one for the Anglophiles at £185 per month after a £3262.74 deposit. Fancy a slightly sharper grand tourer? See…

MAG Lembit Öpik, Director of Communications & Public Affairs The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is not prescribing a formal position on the UK’s EU membership. Our supporters hold varying views, and it would be inappropriate to take a stance without a formal debate and democratic vote on the movement. Our position is: we provide the info – you make the choice. In the next edition of The Road magazine, we’ve invited two motorcycling MPs – Scottish Nationalist Chris Law and Conservative Steve Baker – to share their reasons for voting to stay in and to leave. FEMA Anna Zee, President The Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA) does not take a position on the EU Referendum in the UK. However, given that motorcycle organisations from Switzerland, Norway and Iceland are…

‘If there is a bit of friction a woman can often diffuse the situation’ The History Maker LIZZIE KINVIG Age 35 Lives Isle of Man Job Deputy Clerk of the Course John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson may have their sights firmly set on breaking records at TT 2016 but for one woman involved in the race organisation a little piece of history has already been made. Lizzie Kinvig has been appointed the Deputy Clerk of the Course for this year’s races, the first woman to ever hold such a lofty office in the TT’s trackside management. It has been a long and dedicated journey for the Manx woman, who started her apprenticeship in 2004 alongside her mum, Ann, helping out with rider sign-on and recording race retirements in…

BMW R1200RT LE £17,445 Adam Child Senior Road Tester adam.child@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 6inWeight 74kg Miles 1323MPG 46 Back in 2005 I was lucky enough to be given a BMW R1200RT as a long-term test bike. We covered over 40,000 miles together over an 18-month period that included a very harsh winter. I toured Europe’s roads and got as far as Jerez in southern Spain, I used it for commuting and even tackled Cadwell Park and Magny Cours trackdays. I’ve missed the old girl. But now, more than 10 years, on I’m back on an R1200RT, though now it’s the much newer water-cooled version. The old RT was an impressive bike, but the most recent RT has moved the game to a different level, claiming MCN’s Best Sports Touring Machine award…

‘It’s not unusual to look into psychiatric reasons for complex regional pain’ Q What can I do about my unhelpfulexpert? Following a bike accident in October 2014 I am getting mixed messages from the doctors treating me and the doctor instructed by my solicitor in my compensation claim. My treating doctors have diagnosed complex regional pain syndrome, which I agree with. But the neurologist instructed by my solicitor doesn’t agree with the diagnosis as I did not sustain any nerve injury. He thinks it is all in my head and has recommended I see a psychiatrist. How do I stop this so-called expert from scuppering my case? Lee Staniforth, London There are two types of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS): type 1 where there is no clear cause, and type…

‘I’ve probably won more titles than anyone else – I know what it takes’CHRISTIAN IDDON Christian Iddon left the second round of the MCE British Superbike Championship as a surprise series leader after his second double podium in as many weekends. The Tyco BMW rider came to his home round at Oulton Park brimming with confidence after bagging two third place finishes in the opening races at Silverstone. The 31-year-old was denied his maiden BSB win by inches in both races, but left the Cheshire circuit with two second places and having been the only man to finish on the podium in all four races so far, Iddon vaults to the top of the championship table to lead four-time champion Shane Byrne by a convincing 14 points. While he might…

• Lloyds British MotoRapido Ducati’s Danny Buchan was ruled out after briefly losing consciousness in a crash during Saturday’s first qualifying session. • Oulton Park was plunged into darkness on race day after a power outage struck off all mains electricity during BSB warm-up. Organisers brought in generators for the medical centre and race control. • Three-time Grand Prix World Champion Freddie Spencer graced the paddock with his presence for the second consecutive round in his ambassadorial role with the 6t9 lubricant products company. Speaking to MCN, the American lauded the British Championship as the most competitive domestic series of all time. • Michael Howarth’s BSB return was cut short when he crashed out of the first free practice session on the MotoDex BMW. He suffered multiple injuries including a…

Kawasaki team-mates Leon Haslam and James Ellison ignited their rivalry for number one spot in the JG Speedfit team after an intense BSB battle in race two. The pair were pushing hard to make the podium in the final race of the day but Haslam made some hard moves that saw paint swopped a few times as the race reached its climax. Ellison explained: “I was going to pass him around the outside. The plan was working; I had moved left to right and could see him already lining himself up, and thought ‘right, I’m having this.’ Then just as I got alongside him, I saw him do a massive endo, knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop it, but was already committed to the corner. “We touched…

WSB 1 Chaz Davies 50 points Career-boosting double in front of Ducati top brass 2 Jonathan Rea 40 points No answers for Ducati but still leads the series 3 Tom Sykes 32 points Has called for more changes to the Kawasaki Length:3.067 miles Corners: 22 - 13 left/9 right Trackconditions:Dry. Race 1: 20°C air, 32°C track. Race 2: 16°C air, 23°C track TOP SPEEDS SYKES 181.56 MPH WSS 160.69mph Zanetti WSB TOP SPEEDS FASTEST TIMES 1’45.598 Superpole: Davies LAPS LED THIS SEASON POSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP TOP 10 LAPS LED AT IMOLA CHAMPIONSHIP TOP 3 WSB RESULTS FINAL POSITIONS RACE1 FINAL POSITIONS RACE2 WSS RESULTS FINAL POSITIONS SUPERSPORT…

‘I feel good on the Ducati – I feel like I’m dancing on the bike’CHAZ DAVIES Chaz Davies and his factory Ducati squad blew both the bloody doors off his team’s home round, but there was something very different about this particular Italian Job. Such was his domination that his start-to-finish race wins were backed by pole position and a new lap record of the Imola circuit. Better still, his victories played out under the adoring gaze of Ducati’s home crowd, with Imola located just over 30 miles from the Borgo Panigale factory. But even more significantly it also happened under the watchful eye of the man who is in charge of all Ducati’s MotoGP and WSB racing activities, Gigi Dall’Igna. And in terms of timing, it could not have…

Whip off the KTM’s frumpy fairing and panniers, fit some race bodywork and clip-ons and the GT would be challenging for bragging rights in a superbike shootout. It’s an incredible sportsbike, but also great on the long haul, although it’s not quite as cossetting or refined as the Ducati or BMW. At the other end of the scale, the Ducati is unquestionably the real grand-tourer here, but you can still call on its superbike DNA to have fun when you fancy it. But the BMW wins this test by neatly combining the best of all worlds with superb sportiness, refinement and comfort. It’s no exaggeration to say it's every bike you’ll ever need. BMW S1000XR SPORT SE Price as tested £17,289 (£12,450 std) Engine 999cc, 16v, inline four Measured power…

‘You can dismantle one right down to the last bolt’ Nigel Billingsley, 56, from NBS Motorcycle Servicing, has been working on Guzzis for the past 15 years “I love gearbox rebuilds. Guzzi’s design is OK with no inherent faults, it’s just that the original execution might not have been so good back in the Italian factory. The gears cost £80 each, but they are pretty hard wearing, it’s the dogs on each side of the gears that tend to wear out. I get the corners welded back up and then I grind them back into shape. Even a really graunchy box should only cost about £250 to get sweet again. “That’s the thing with older Guzzis, the way they were designed and constructed means you can dismantle one right down…

Bikes to bet on for the future I’m going to point out a few bikes that (I think) are undiscovered bargains. Not necessarily cheap, but solid value, and likely to appreciate. Ducatis first. Forget 916s – they’re already climbing, and good 996s are even costlier. There aren’t many 748s that haven’t blown up, so that leaves…. Correct. The 749. The 999 was a slow seller after the 916. The styling put people off, though the world is starting to grow into it now. Decent 999s start at about four grand, but the 749, with the same styling, can be had for well under three. How about £2700 for a 12,000-miler? Perfect condition, Termis, remapped engine, loads of stuff. The cheap Aprilia to buy is the Falco: the detuned version of…

SUZUKI SV650 £5495 Tony Hoare Consumer Editor tony.hoare@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 10in Weight 95kg Seat height 785mm Miles 180 It’s only just occurred to me that my motorcycling days may be happening in some bizarre kind of reverse order. When I first started out, I didn’t take the sensible option by going small and building up – instead I had a quick spell on a knackered old Honda NTV650 before leaping up to a Yamaha Fazer 1000, then a Suzuki GSX1400 and a BMW R1150GS. That was definitely a mistake, which I learnt when I went for a spin on a Honda CBF500 and loved having the ability to really ride it rather than wafting around at half-throttle or less. I’ve had a more balanced diet since that discovery, racing 90cc…

Sportsbikeshop voucher £50 We’ve teamed up with the guys at Sportsbikeshop to offer a £50 gift voucher. They have a massive range of biking products up for sale and will deliver direct to your door. Enter until: May 31 Jonathan Rea Print £30 This is a brand new limited-edition of 165 fine art prints by well-known bike artist Billy of Johnny Rea riding his factory Kawasaki ZX-10R superbike to become the 2015 World Superbike Champion – a feat he may repeat this year. Each is embossed and signed by the artist. The print is available in A4, A3 and A2 sizes on archival matte art paper. Prices are £20, £30, and £40 respectively and includes post and packing for UK orders (plus £10-13 for international orders). We have signed copy…

TT big guns John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, Bruce Anstey, James Hillier, Peter Hickman and Steve Mercer, have had their final shakedown test at Castle Combe before the roads season begins in earnest. ‘It doesn’t matter what make it is, if it makes us faster then we need it’JOHN McGUINNESS With less than a week to go before the start of North West 200 practice, the traditional two-day session at the 1.85-mile Wiltshire circuit is usually confined to Honda riders but Hillier and Hickman were allowed to join the fray this year. Castle Combe is a favourite with TT teams because of the opportunity to run Isle of Man gearing through the bumpy, fast corners. In other years the test has been used primarily to dial in final settings gleaned from…

BSB 1 Leon Haslam 41 points Ex-WSB man makes his presence felt 2 Christian Iddon 40 points Two seconds see him take series lead 3 Richard Cooper 32 points Strong weekend for BMW at Oulton Length:2.6920 miles Corners: 17 – 6 left – 11 right Track conditions:R1 Dry. Air temp 12.1°c, track temp 23.9°c R2 Dry. Air temp 11.9°c, track temp 13.9°c SIDECAR RESULTS FINAL POSITIONS FASTEST TIMES LAPS LED THIS SEASON POSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP TOP 10 SUPERSPORT STANDINGS LAPS LED AT OULTON BSB RESULTS FINAL POSITIONS RACE1 FINAL POSITIONS RACE2 BSS RESULTS FINAL POSITIONS SUPERSPORT Race One: 1. Currie. 2. Jones. 3. Westmoreland. 4. Irwin. 5. Hedger. 6. Twyman. 7. Reid. 8. Law. 9. Estment. 10. Stafford. 11. Dixon. 12. Truelove. 13. Allingham. 14. Philp. 15. Coventry. 16. Persson. 17.…

‘Sometimes people focus too much on beating their team-mate’TOM SYKES Not for the first time in 2016 the previously all-conquering Kawasaki Racing Team and their two world champions Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes ended up with a race day package that could not match Chaz Davies and Ducati. Rea, who bagged two second places, once more complained of electronics gremlins on his machine which he said caused him many anxious moments and wrecked his chances of staying with Davies in race one. Race two saw the Ulsterman make an uncharacteristic and sizeable change to his set-up in a bid for more speed, a move that hints at needing to take risks that he would never normally have considered. Meanwhile 2013 champion Sykes, who was third in each race at Imola…

Last year at Imola Chaz Davies had a double DNF, with his broken bike a symptom of the ‘nearly-there’ nature of the entire Ducati WSB project. With hard work from all, under the watchful eye of Ducati technical chief Gigi Dall’Igna, it was two wins this year, and a bike that appears to be the best of the bunch right now. “I am really happy about the improvement that we made during the winter and not only then,” said Dall’Igna, clutching the manufacturer’s race-winning trophy after race two. “In the first part of this season we had some lack of performance from the engine point of view and we made some small steps during the first part of the year. Starting from Aragon the bike was stronger and we could…

Join BSB racer Billy McConnell on Saturday, May 14 for the official TomTom Ride to the MCN Festival. It will depart from the Little Chef at Thickthorn Service Area, Norwich NR9 3AU, on the intersection of the A11 and A47. Meet at 8am, ready to depart at 8.30am. Each participant will receive a free hot drink and bacon bap at the Little Chef. TomTom has provided 50 TomTom Rider sat-navs, with a preloaded route into the Festival, for loan to riders. Want to give one a try for the ride-in? Email marketingUK@ tomtom.com  prior to the event. SAVE £££SNOW! Advance ticket sales close at noon on Monday, May 9. And remember, one child goes free per paying adult. Camping can be booked online up until midnight…

We want to find out what an ordinary rider makes of common chassis problems. James Archibald, 27, is MCN’s Web Producer, rides a VFR800 and a BMW F800GS, and has over four years’ riding experience – not too much, not too little. This isn’t a test – we’re not trying to trick him – so he knows what we’ve done to the Street Triple. We just want him to describe how it feels. 1 Hard suspension – all settings (preload, compression and rebound, front and rear) on maximum “That’s horrible. The back isn’t so much of a problem, but there’s no feel at the front whatsoever. When I try to turn the bike, it just won’t do it. No feel at all, doesn’t want to steer, feels rock solid. As…

Mobile addiction What planet is Brendan Coleman on? (MCN Letters, April 20). We are living in a society that is more addicted to mobile devices than hard drugs. I cannot believe that his insurance company were so gullible as to fall for his explanation that it is impossible to use a mobile phone while riding. I was waiting for a breakdown truck and a kid went past on L-plates and yes, he was texting. I am only surprised that someone hasn’t developed one of those app things so they can wipe their arse with their phone because they never put the bloody things down. What a sad society. Keith Wareham, Wilts Rossi should make amends Watching the BT Sport coverage over the weekend and listening to the two old dears…

I really am a miserly git when it comes to gauging value for money – and that causes some interestingly contradictory feelings when I’m trying to justify buying a new bike. I want to buy a new bike. I’ve wanted to buy a new bike every year since 2002, when the finance deal finished on the last bike I bought brand new. But I’ve never managed to take the plunge – while a grand total of eleven used bikes have passed through my hands in that time, four of which I still own. It’s a cycle that gets reenacted every year, usually as the new tide of longterm test bikes starts to arrive at MCN Towers, and I inevitably get sucked into a persistently morphing maelstrom of desire versus expectation…

‘Even now I still have to look down to double check where to perch my feet’ DUCATI XDIAVEL S £18,395 THE BIKE Wet weight 247kg Seat height 755mm MPG 47.8 Mods to date none Milage 1572 THE RIDER Emma Franklin, Production Editor emma.franklin@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 7in Weight 59kg Her riding 125GP racer exploring life in the (slightly) slower lane ‘Are you ready to change your position?’ is the question asked by Ducati’s XDiavel marketing literature regarding the firm’s first feet-forward super cruiser. It’s a query being posed to two different types of rider: firstly to sportsbike owners – could they ditch their rearsets and go ‘feet forward’? And secondly to Harley-Davidson riders – could they defect from their star-spangled brand? Having never owned a Harley, I fall into the former…

Last year’s Superbike TT winner, Bruce Anstey, was the busiest rider at Castle Combe, completing 155 laps on his Supersport, Superstock and Superbike Valvoline Padgett’s Hondas. “This test is about getting a feel for the bikes and a feel for the speed again after the winter,” the 47-year-old Kiwi said. “I am not here to make any big changes and the bikes are all ready to race. We have got a little bit more power out of the 600 and the Superbike.” The machines are equipped with K-Tech forks and shock and team boss Clive Padgett says they didn’t alter the settings even by one click from the first night of TT practice last year until the end of the Senior race last year. “This is quite a bumpy circuit…

BSB is wide open and it’s good to see it’s not a two-horse race at the minute! The weather threw everyone a curveball this weekend though, and you can see the ex-motocrossers and exsupermoto racers are looking strong in these conditions. Some guys just have a bit of a better feel for it, while some of the others might be a little cautious. It’s the Tyco boys’ second year with the bike and they seem to have got the handle on it too. I like the way Laverty goes about his business. Been there and done that, here and in MotoGP, and he just looks really solid this year. He’ll be in the mix come the last few rounds, but there’s so many good riders in BSB that there probably…

‘There’s a lot of expectation on me to win, but that’s racing’LEON HASLAM From the moment Leon Haslam announced he was returning to MCE British Superbikes after eight years away a mountain of pressure and expectation was heaped upon the new Kawasaki rider. As a former WSB race winner and GP rider, the target on Haslam’s back couldn’t have been any bigger and at Oulton Park he showed what all the fuss made of his return was about by securing a thrilling race one win. The 2010 WSB series runner-up came back to Britain with high expectations and after a tough opening round at Silverstone, kick-started his title campaign with a win and a third place. Admitting it was a huge relief to get the first win under his belt,…

‘It started out as a giggle, but now that I’m going fast it’s getting serious’CHRIS WALKER British Superbike veteran Chris Walker’s switch from two wheels to three could not have got off to a better start after he stormed to an incredible sixth place in his first British F1 Sidecar championship race at Oulton Park. In his first race alongside former world champion passenger Ashley Hawes, Walker was so pleased with the results he warned that his success might be dangerous! “I’m mega pleased with top six – I’d have never have dreamed of that before the weekend. I always want more though – I was fourth in warm-up and wanted to go faster in the race! It was a good weekend, it was a safe weekend, and I gelled…

Nicky Hayden had never seen Imola before, but he knew just how challenging the classic 4.936km circuit can be by the time he left on Sunday. After both he and his team-mate Michael van der Mark had taken podium finishes at Assen last time out, they finished 14th and 16th respectively in Friday’s combined qualifying sessions. Even in the races, a seventh and ninth for VDM, and a ninth and eighth for Hayden, could only be considered as harsh setbacks. Changing conditions in practice caught out the Honda squad more than most. A philosophical Hayden said: “It has not been an easy weekend, especially after we had come from quite a strong weekend in Assen. “We know in racing we had better not get too high or two low. Friday…

‘We had a few more horsepower and it definitely made a difference here’LEON CAMIER Ducati and Aprilia have a great and glorious World Superbike history but it has taken until 2016 for the official MV Agusta Reparto Corse WSB team to be spoken of in the same breath as their Italian rivals. Like Ducati before them, MV are relying on the pace and power of a British rider to get their results – and Leon Camier is that man. He sits ninth overall, despite three non finishes, having secured an impressive sixth and fifth at Imola. “We had a few more horsepower and it definitely made a difference round here,” said the former BSB champion. “It felt pretty competitive on the straight and I was with Chaz in one of…

The National Motorcycle Museum will be bringing along an incredible ELEVEN classic and historic bikes for people to try out. With guidance from the experienced tutors you could be riding a priceless machine around our controlled course. Spaces will be limited, so sign up as soon as you get on site. And it’s free! The full list of bikes available: 1930 Brough Superior SS100 1949 Vincent Black Shadow 1939 Triumph Tiger 100 1958 Ariel Cyclone 650cc 1962 BSA Rocket Gold Star 1914 New Comet 400cc 1990 Norton F1 Rotary 1976 Triumph Trident T160 750cc 1953 BSA 500 Star Twin 1961 Velocette 500 1928 Sunbeam 500cc All riders must be over 21 years of age and held a full motorcycle licence for a minimum of one year. Not been disqualified from…