Table of contents for 25 January 2017 in MCN

‘It will not be exotic like the Desmo, but a more regular high-end sportsbike’CLAUDIO DOMENICALI ‘I confirm Ducati is working on a four-cylinder engine project for road bike that we should be able to present in two to three years’ time,” said Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali last week. He was speaking at the firm’s race team press conference, confirming that technology from the new generation of MotoGP bike will be trickling down to their road-going superbikes. There are also huge ramifications for the World Superbike team, which will also get the new four-cylinder bike for 2019. When Domenicali says “four-cylinder”, he means a V4, and it seems probable that the capacity will be different for road and track, as it is now within the Panigale range. While he wouldn’t put…

 “Someone had to do it, because there are a lot of people out there into the old school chopper scene. We wanted the show to have a period feel in the spirit of the biker B-movies from the 60s and 70s, so we found a site and just started organising it. We really didn’t know what to expect; the first one felt like our own party but now people come from all over the world! It’s quite a close-knit, underground scene, but The Trip Out isn’t exclusive or elitist in any way – everyone gets on and it’s got a great vibe. ‘We’ve got a new site – an airbase where they had a UFO landing’ANDY AND ANNA PORTER “A lot of work and a lot of love goes into…

A bit of Brough TE Lawrence was a big fan of the ‘Rolls Royce of Motorcycles’ which is why an original Brough Superior SS100 has been lent to the National Civil War Centre as part of their Lawrence of Arabia exhibit. The museum is in Newark, making it the perfect destination after a morning at the autojumble. Commuting is snow joke With the weather apocalypse firmly upon us (or not), now might be the time to break out the snow bike. Two-wheel-drive motorcycle people Christini have taken the snow bike idea one step further, by adding a track at the front where most people put a ski. CHiPsahoy! Those of you familiar with 1970s American show CHiPs will be delighted to hear it has been rebooted as a film, to…

New Ducati Diesel Ducati have teamed up with fashion brand Diesel to create a limited-edition Diavel called the Diavel Diesel. Apparently the Diavel Diesel has been inspired by a ‘hyperkinetic dynamism of a post-apocalyptic, retro-futurist world’ – so Mad Max, basically. The Diesel goes on sale in April. £22m shed plan After a successful first year at their Shoreditch venue, the Bike Shed Motorcycle Club is seeking funding for an expansion over the pond. Founder Anthony ‘Dutch’ van Someren told the Financial Times they are looking to raise £22 million. What’s your beef? The Office of US Trade Representative is looking at a 100% import tax for European motorcycles between 50 and 500cc into the USA. The proposed tax is a retaliation from the American Beef Lobby due to EU…

New motorcycle sales have been soaring for the last three years, but it seems rising bike prices might slow down that success story. Huge fluctuations in the Euro and the dollar and costly modifications – so that machines can meet Euro4 legislation – and inflation are the main reasons manufacturers give for the price rises, but if sales start to slow we could see less development of new bikes and a slowdown in the secondhand market. There were some small signs of a change last year with the month of July showing a 2.6% drop in sales on the previous year. It was the first – and only monthly drop in the last few years. And once dealers started to offer great deals on Euro3 bikes – to clear the…

WHO ARE THEY? 1 Who are these two Royal pranksters, heading into medieval battle? NAME THIS BIKE 2 The year is 1902, and this was one manufacturer’s first bike. Whose? HOW MANY? 3 It defined a new level of superbike exclusivity, how many were built? NAME THE SHOW 4 This fresh-faced duo are about to change the world. Name the series. NAME THE CONCEPT BIKE 5 It’s very obviously a BMW boxer engine – but it appears to be sporting a rather tasty supercharger, too. It’s just a prototype at this stage, but what’s it called? WHAT’S THIS BIKE? 6 The decal on the tanks says ‘World Motorcycle Speed Record Holder’. WHO’S THIS? 7 Who is this famous ex-racer looking surprisingly hairy? WHAT IS THAT? 8 In 2005 it was…

‘The MT-07’s engine makes it a really special motorcycle’ The litre sportsbikes will soon be fighting it out on the track for top honours, but on the street the middleweight class war has already started, and it’s no less heated. Where the sportsbikes will be split by fractions of a second, only a hair’s width separate these middleweights. There isn’t a bad bike among them and they all represent tremendous value for money, but the MT-07’s engine is the deciding factor. On a dry day both the Suzuki SV650 and Kawasaki Z650 will probably be the faster bikes through the B-road bends thanks to their better suspension, but there is something about the MT-07’s engine that makes it a really special bike and one that punches far above what its…

MCN reader Ryan Slessor says seeing a C90 now is still an emotional moment for him. “I used to work at McGowans Motorcycles in Aberdeen and the workshop runaround was a Honda C90. Myself and one of the other mechanics, Andy Wallace, used to ride it to and from work, two-up, everyday through the city centre and had a laugh a minute. Just £3 used to fill the tank and it would last all week. Andy went on to become a road racer before losing his life during the Ulster Grand Prix in 2004. Every time I see a C90 it reminds me of Andy and the good times we had. RIP buddy.”…

If you live in the south of England finding decent roads to open your bike up on can be tricky, but this route is one of the few roads sportsbike riders can really enjoy. Starting at Ashford the A2070 is an open and flat road with wide straights and tight corners, making it perfect for sportsbikes. The surface is excellent and if you time your ride correctly away from rush hours the traffic can be very light as well. At the roundabout with the A259 you are faced with two choices – head north towards Folkestone or south to Rye. The Rye road is by far the better choice and like the A2070 is flowing and has some excellent corners to warm the edges of your tyres. At Rye most…

LEARNING EXPERT Rupert Paul MCN Contributor Author of Pass the Bike Test (And be a great rider too!) available on Amazon Find a quiet country road with a bend in it. A 45mph, 90-degree turn is ideal – it keeps things simple. Now find safe places to U-turn, so you can go round the corner several times. Warm yourself up with a couple of passes, and then notice how you’re getting round. Let’s say it’s a left-hander (see graphic, point 1). As you approach, the vanishing point (the furthest point on the road that you can see, where the two kerbs meet) will be fairly static. That tells you it’s a fairly tight corner. And as it’s a left-hander, you will probably be making your approach on the right side…

‘Despite its rather chunky nature, I learned quite quickly that its size belies its svelteness’ KAWASAKI J125 Price £3799 Weight 182kg Seat 775mm Power 13.8bhp Torque 8.49ftlb SIMON PATTERSON A1 licence holder, but not restricted to urban riding Height 5ft 11in Weight 110kg I have a dirty secret to confess to – a year riding my Kawasaki J125 long term test bike made me into the laziest rider you’ve ever met! It wasn’t the intention at the start of the year, but there’s something inherently easy about riding the big 125cc machine that means I think I’ve found the future (or at least mine) on two wheels! It came as something of a surprise too, because when I first sat on the bike, I have to admit to being…

HONDA CB750 DUNSTALL PRICE £265 WEIGHT 226kg Seat 800mm POWER 67bhp Torque: 44ftlb MILES 34,439km RICHARD NEWLAND Sportsbike addict with a love of road riding, in all weathers. HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 115kg After years of inactivity, my CB750 Dunstall is finally starting to feel the fruits of my labour. Having languished while I stockpiled parts, the process of rebirth has commenced. The first problem was ignition, or – more accurately – the complete lack thereof. With no keys for the cut and bodged ignition switch, and no ignition or points plate behind the engine cover, all mixed with a bird’s nest explosion of disconnected wiring – there was no chance of assessing just how electronically challenged the Dunny really was. So I sourced a new old stock ignition…

Q Were cops right to stop my mate? The police pulled a friend over at the side of the road and said their system showed that the vehicle was not insured. He assured them it was and showed them a scanned copy of his current insurance certificate on his phone. But the officers weren’t interested in the certificate and repeated that their records show the vehicle as uninsured. In the end, it turned out to be a mistake by the insurer. They had failed to arrange cover even though they had taken payment. Back to the police, can they stop you at the roadside for reasons you know to be false? I thought you had seven days to produce documentation. Andrew Blee, email A As you point out, the vehicle…

‘I can find rough ones, but I want a really tidy mint example’ JOHN McGUINNESS 23 TT wins, best lap 132.701mph YAMAHA TZR125 ‘I’m trying to find some of my first bikes’ “I’ve got a good collection of bikes, but I’m trying to find some of my first bikes, mint examples. I’d want a Yamaha TZR125, I can’t find one anywhere. I can find rough ones but I want a really tidy mint example. I also want a Suzuki RM 125 preferably 1987 and a Yamaha YZ80J – it has to be a 1982 J model, the one with the radiator on the handlebars. These are all bikes I once had. Years ago there were plenty of models kicking around but now they are so hard to find, mint ones…

Jorge Lorenzo says he’s not thinking about Valentino Rossi’s failures at Ducati as he prepares to embark on his own adventure with the Italian manufacturer after nine hugely successful seasons with Yamaha. Lorenzo was speaking at the official launch of the team’s 2017 machines alongside team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in the Borgo Panigale factory. The Spaniard was keen to stress that times are very different now than they were only a few years ago before the arrival of his 250 GP mentor Gigi Dall’Igna from Aprilia – a move that saw a radical change in fortunes for the firm. “My goal isn’t to try and improve on the results of Valentino. That happened in another time with different people in Ducati and with a different bike and different tyres. I’ve joined…

‘I’m intrigued to know what I can do on a Yamaha in WSB’JOSH BROOKES Josh Brookes will be reunited with his 2015 MCE British Superbikewinning YZF-R1 when he makes a one-off wildcard appearance in the opening round of the Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island. Determined to prove a point after a difficult year on the world stage with Shaun Muir’s Milwaukee BMW team, Brookes – alongside long-time friend Deon Coote – has acquired his 2015 BSB machine from Tommy Hill to compete in the event next month. “This idea is particularly interesting to me because I’m as intrigued as the rest of the world to know what I can do on a Yamaha in WSB. We know the engine will be below the factory spec. But it doesn’t matter…

Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) was used in cars in the 1980s and first appeared on bikes in the Japan-only CB400 in 1989, but it wasn’t until the 2002 VFR800 VTEC that it gained notoriety. Like most motors, the VFR has two overhead cams that operate two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder with a bucket and shim-style valve train. Below 7000rpm a hydraulically-operated pin inside the valve lifter bucket of one intake and one exhaust valve is moved aside by oil pressure. This allows the bucket to move up and down under the cam without operating the valve, effectively making the engine a two-valve motor. Above 7000rpm, the oil pressure is released and a spring forces the pin back into the path of the…

‘We’ve done everything from 125s to XV750s’ Kevil’s Speedshop has been branching out over the last year and been making some incredibly cool customs using very humble donor bikes. The team, based in Paignton, Devon has earned an enviable reputation for knocking out customised BMWs for the last eight years, but with donor bike prices rising, owner Kevin Hill decided it was time to branch out. He launched a new brand called Kevil Moto a little over a year ago and has built 20 machines since then. Customers come to him with a dream and the name of a base bike they want using and Kevin does the rest. He said: “From getting the order to delivering the bike is usually about two months, maybe less. I source the bike…

BILTWELL LANE SPLITTER HELMET £220 This aggressive-looking helmet combines an ABS outer shell with a plush hand-stitched internal lining that also features removable/washable cheek pads and a BioFoam chin bar cushion plus a range of vents. www.urbanrider.co.uk CNC RACING ROCKET MIRRORS £47.38 Beautifully finished by Italian parts specialists CNC Racing, the Rocket mirrors are machined from solid, light alloy then anodised to give specials builders a choice of either black or silver finish. www.cncracing.it BUILT MAGAZINE £4.99 Built is a new magazine all about handcrafted, customised motorcycles and the lifestyle that surrounds them. It’s for riders who like being different. Order yours at www.builtmag.co.uk…

‘I spent three weeks pulling bits of denim out of my knee’ Q1. What are you currently riding? A Domiracer. We took it to Goodwood and rode it up the hill and you kind of develop a bond with it. Q2. Which living motorcyclist do you most admire? It’s difficult to think of anyone who’s been so good on short circuits and roads as Foggy. And we’re seeing a legend being made in Michael Dunlop. We’ll look back in the future and say he’s maybe even better than Joey. Q3. What’s your worst habit? Probably poor mirror use and not looking behind enough. Q4. If you could have one riding super skill, what would it be? To be able to do those standing, 12 o’clock wheelies like Troy Corser. Q5.…

‘Fire it into life and the exhaust plays a distinctly British tune’ Everyone loves a scrambler. And everyone will love this. Triumph kicked off the retro scrambler platform in 2006, paving the way for a breed of fun, simple and accessible bikes. Triumph’s most accessible bike right now is the Street Twin, launched a year ago. It’s simple, manageable, fun, packed with mod-cons, affordable (£7500) and meets Euro4 requirements. So it made sense for Triumph to ditch the Street Scrambler’s old 865cc motor and start again with the Street Twin as the base bike. The Street Scrambler sets itself apart from the Street Twin with its scrambler styling, raised and wider handlebars, a more relaxed riding position thanks to a higher and new seat, slightly more forward pegs, a larger…

Slide, the fast-paced, handlebar-bashing, celebrity-packed race series at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show, takes on a different dimension in 2017 as a glittering UK team takes on top riders from Australia. John McGuinness and Troy Corser will captain the two teams in this Anglo-Antipodean grudge match. Joining McGuinness on the UK team are Slide veterans and racing legends Neil Hodgson and Chris Walker, plus speedway ace Aidan Collins. All the UK team are hard-nosed stalwarts of the Michelin live action arena and will be difficult to defeat. Troy Corser’s team of talented Aussies include BSB rider Billy McConnell plus elite speedway riders Mark Lemon (ex-Newcastle Diamonds) and Kevin Doolan (Berwick Bandits). All the Aussie riders are new to Slide but their considerable shale experience should prove invaluable. Expect…

‘You can throw one in a canal, leave it for 10 years then fish it out and ride it to work’ C90 FACT FILE 1966 to present 89.5cc four-stroke single 65mph (downhill with a tail wind), 7.5bhp, 100mpg Contacts: www.c90club.co.uk www.c90adventures.co.uk Want one? £250 (scruffy) to £2700 (2002 final Euro edition) ‘Before the C90, bikes were notoriously unreliable and difficult to ride’ While his future US and Australian Grand Prix rivals were learning their trade on proper dirt bikes on purpose-built tracks, Niall Mackenzie was honing his skills on a Honda C90 in muddy fields near his rural Scottish home. “I paid about £40 for my secondhand C90 when I was 16, which was quite a lot of cash in 1977, but I had saved up enough money from my…

Returning to the TT after a year’s absence may delight his legions of fans, but Guy struggles to deal with the attention he receives. “I’m not ungrateful for the amount of support I get, because it’s great, but I can’t go anywhere,” he explained. “The last year I raced was better because I took the dog and I could get away from it, but by the end of the TT I was still ready for home.” Guy explained one of the main reasons he signed for Honda was that race boss, Neil Tuxworth, has agreed to shield him from some of the unwanted attention. “Neil said that I can concentrate on the job. I don’t know how he’s going to do that but I’m there to do a job and…

2008 Missed out on his first TT win after breaking down with an 11-second lead in Superbike race. 2009 Mechanicals forced him out of second place in both the Senior and Supersport races. 2010 A 30-second speeding penalty cost him second place in the Superbike TT and he had a major crash on the third lap of the Senior having led the race. 2011 Loss of concentration saw him lose a nine-second lead to John McGuinness in the Senior TT. 2014 Second to a dominant Michael Dunlop. 2015 Clocked 132.398mph lap, just two seconds slower than race-winner John McGuinness.…

TRIUMPH THRUXTON R PRICE £11, 700 FUEL 14.5 litres @ 49mpg = 149 miles WEIGHT 203kg (dry) SEAT HEIGHT 810 POWER 95.6bhp TORQUE 82.6ftlb SIMON RELPH Forty-one years of experience, both on and off road. Passionate bike-builder. HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 98kg When I first saw the press shots of the Triumph Thruxton R, there were pictures of the standard off-the-peg model that was gorgeous, but the one with the Inspiration kit on it was absolutely stunning. One of the things I liked was the way the back end was decluttered with the removal of the rear guard and light. As with most things, rules and regulations need to be obeyed, so when I received my new bit of kit (£155), it was nothing like the thing I had…

AGV K-5 Enlace £249.99 Time tested Seven months/5500 miles What’s good? This is my first-ever AGV and I’m impressed. Firstly, it’s pleasingly quiet – I still wear earplugs but wind noise isn’t a problem, even at motorway speeds. Secondly, the wide aperture provides a reassuring field of vision and the Pinlock visor insert provided means there has been no problem with misting. Ventilation is decent (you can actually feel it working, which isn’t true of all helmets) and there’s a drop-down sunvisor so you can get away without swapping to a dark visor on bright days. The helmet is reasonably light, too, and comes with the usual removable lining. The strap has a double-D fastener, which I favour over micrometric ratchet styles thanks to their more secure feel. The visor…

‘Cornering ABS is good news in panic situations’ THE EXPERT Bob Gray Former road tester who’s spent the last 16 years working as technical advisor, engine-management technician and crew-chief for BSB teams There are two problems with braking while cornering on a motorcycle. The first is the front loses grip and you crash. The second is the bike sits up and runs wide, and you crash. It’s not something most people try more than twice. But cornering ABS aims to change that – which is good news in panic situations, and for those who didn’t get it after the first two occasions. Cornering ABS works by calculating the bike’s attitude (roll and pitch) using an inertial measurement unit (IMU). When the ECU thinks the bike is leaning, it limits how…

Just as I’d got the Triumph Sprint ST running sweetly, and obtained the used parts I needed to fix the minor fairing damage, the Cosmic Foot stamped on my choc ice. I couldn’t start the used Honda CD200 Benly I’d bought. To be fair, this didn’t surprise me as it had been standing for a while and the seller had bought a brand new battery and put it on a 12-volt charger, not realising it was a 6v unit, and buckled the plates. But I have my own sweet-running Benly, so I swapped over the battery and removed and set the carb up properly (the pilot setting was miles out). And then checked the ignition timing and valve clearances and changed the oil. I got it to fire up and…

Kawasaki ER-6n 649cc | 204kg | 72bhp | 805mm Cash price £5799 Deposit £1159 Mileage 5000pa Term 37 months Rate APR 5.9% Optional final repayment £2557 The trusty ER-6n has been replaced this year by the new Z650, but both bikes share Kawasaki’s characterful and fun-to-use 649cc parallel-twin cylinder motor – the only real difference between the two being the new machine’s Euro4 compliance and conventionally mounted shock. But the ER6 is still a belter of a bike. BMW R1200GS Adventure 1170cc | 260kg | 125bhp | 890mm Cash price £13,200 Deposit £2611.47 Mileage 5000pa Term 36 months Rate APR 5.9% Optional final repayment £7259.22 The 1200GS isn’t disappearing from BMW’s line-up but there is a revised model due in dealers this spring. However, this interim model features some of…

2004-2007 Honda CBR1000RR-4/RR-5/RR-6/RR-7  Colours Black, blue, red, Repsol Dealer £4225 Private good £3225 Private average £3000 This one 2006 model with 23,000 miles, totally standard and in great condition. £3991 2008-2011 Honda CBR1000RR-8/RR-9/RR-AE/RR-AB  Colours Graphite Black, Winning Red, Pearl White, Pearl Fire Orange, Silver Metallic, HRC, Repsol Dealer £5400 Private good £4500 Private average £4200 This one 2008 bike with 29,942 miles. £4591 2012-2016 Honda CBR1000RR-CE/RR-EE  Colours Black Graphite, Ross White, Tricolour, Repsol Dealer £7750 Private good £6200 Private average £5900 This one With 14,461 miles on its clocks this 50th anniversary edition comes with a full service history. £6795 2012-2016 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP  Colours HRC tricolour, Repsol Dealer £11,499 Private good £10,449 Private average £10,000 This one 2014 bike with Öhlins. Stunning in HRC paint scheme. 1013 miles.…

‘When I was a kid the Doctor was my idol. I hope we can keep the respect’MAVERICK VIÑALES ‘I think I can have a better relationship with Maverick’VALENTINO ROSSI Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales look united, relaxed and ready to set the 2017 MotoGP season on fire. The Movistar Yamaha pair have formed a fast friendship that looks set to turn into a strong working partnership. The team has suffered a fiery relationship between Rossi and the Ducati-bound Jorge Lorenzo – but the arrival of Viñales, a rider Rossi admits to enjoying a healthy relationship with off the track – seems to have created a completely different atmosphere within the squad. Speaking as the covers came off the team’s 2017 bike at Movistar parent firm Telefonica’s Madrid HQ, Rossi…

THE SPECIAL ONES Kawasaki ZX-10R £14,149 200bhp, 83.7ftlb, Launch control/quick-shifter as standard Suzuki GSX-R1000 £12,999 199.2bhp, 86.74ftlb, All new GSX-R1000 here next month Yamaha R1 £15,599 200bhp, 82.9ftlb, Our group test winner in 2015 Kawasaki ZX-10RR £16,249 200bhp, 83.74ftlb, Lightweight wheels, more tuneable engine SuzukiGSX-R1000R £14,999 199.2bhp, 86.74ftlb, Will have an additional quick-shifter Yamaha R1M £19,399 200bhp, 82.9ftlb,Yamaha’s range-topper is back Blade special 25 YEARS OF BLADES, P34 USED BUYUING GUIDE, P58…

‘Fly over ruts, spitting sand and locking up the rear wheel’ Today’s scramblers aren’t actually meant to go off-road. We all know that. Sure, they offer a nod to dirty trails, but actually going down them? No thanks. And that’s fine, manufacturers aren’t pretending they’re dirt warriors, and even if they were, customers wouldn’t fall for it anyway. But this one’s different. Ducati reckon they’ve built a proper off-road Scrambler - something that can handle more than a gravel drive. And they’ve got it bang on. It still belongs to Ducati’s Scrambler family and uses the same 803cc air-cooled motor, steel teardrop petrol tank and strong four-pot Brembo caliper up front… but that’s it. The Italian marque have put some serious effort into off-road-proofing the Desert Sled. The most important…

BSA BARRACUDA Me on my first motorbike, Douglas Jones KAWASAKI KH250 Posing on my lovely new 1975 KH250 at the age of 17. Brian Palmer SUN 250 Cost my dad £40 including a crash hat! Note the odd forks. Steve Chubb KAWASAKI Z200 Ripping up the L-plates! Me and my Kawasaki Z200 on the day I passed my test in 1979. Peter Cave SUZUKI GT250A Russ Brookes sporting some impressive flares back in 1980 YAMAHA RSX100 Me on my RSX100 in 1987 – it’s my second bike really because I had a Honda MT50 before. Andrew Longley Send shots to: yourpics@ motorcyclenews.com…

CHEAP, AFFORDABLE , NO-FUSS TRANSPORT 100mpg, easy to ride, and cheap as chips, it’s no wonder the C90 is the biggest-selling bike of all time with over 60 million units shifted. A NEW IMAGE ‘You meet the nicest people on a Honda’, coined for a 1963 US marketing campaign, went a long way to changing public perception. A BIKE FOR LIFE Many bike mags have tried (and usually failed) to kill a C90. The bikes are so basic and bulletproof that they just keep going forever. THE HONDA FIREBLADE Without massive sales of the C90 it’s unlikely that Honda would have thrived as a company and we’d never have had the Blade.…

Dave Hancock FireBlade test rider “In 1989, I walked into the garage at the Suzuka circuit and there was a Japanese man sitting on a petrol drum smoking a cigarette. That was the first time I met Tadao Baba. He said, ‘Gentlemen, today you are going to ride a bike that will change the face of supersports’.” Tadao Baba Designer of the FireBlade “Some of the designers called me ‘Hotoke no Baba’ or ‘Buddha Baba’ in English. I think it is fair to say I was very stubborn when it came to the FireBlade’s weight. Sometimes you have to show someone your leadership through being calm, but I did also get angry...” James Toseland WSB champ on a Blade “I loved riding the Fireblade. When you won a race you…

‘Explore an area the size of Wales with the population of Dover’ There’s a scene in Skyfall in which James Bond elopes to Scotland, like we all do at some point or another, with his boss, which we generally don’t. Bond gets out of his car and stands alone, staring into the silent, mist-shrouded mountain distance of his childhood. But you don’t need to be a fictional orphaned secret service agent for the majesty of the Scottish Highlands to swallow you like a maudlin duvet. Anyone’s who’s traversed the sky-blown emptiness of Sutherland, Scotland’s most northwesterly county, will share a special thousand-yard stare. Skyfall was filmed in Glen Etive, just off the stunning, but touristy, A82 into Glen Coe. But if you’re after genuine solitude, you’ll need to head further…

1 Ogri MCC Kickstart Rally, Kemble Airfield, Kemble Airfield, nr Cirencester, Gloucs. 0151 336 1991 or www.ogrimcc.org Friday-Sunday, January 27-29 2 TT Pit Stop Super Sausage Cafe, A5 Watling St, Potterspur, Towester, Northants. www.supersausagecafe.co.uk or 01908 542964 3 Narmous Autojumble Newark, Notts.www.newarkautojumble.co.uk Sunday, January 29 4 Rout 59 Cafe, Bolton Abbey, Skipton, North Yorks. 01756-711554. Facebook and Twitter: route59cafe Tuesday meet 5 The Pit Stop Diner, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, Co Durham. www.thepitstopdiner.co.uk Tuesdays, 5pm-9pm. GET YOUR MEET ON THE MAP If you have a bike-friendly venue and want to get your meet on the map, email: sam.williams@motorcyclenews.com…

66 MPG BEST 76mpg WORST 60mpg AVERAGE 66mpg Servicing Minor £150 Minor service is roughly £150 all in and a Major is £250 Major £400 Big one at 12,000 miles is £400-plus with drive belts replaced Tyres Maxxis iPRO 120/80-14 front; 150/70-13 rear (still on original set) Best PCP deal £52 A MONTH Kawasaki J125 on PCP Deposit £1000 Annual mileage 4000 Interest rate per annum fixed 5.9% www.kawasaki-kalculator.co.uk Insurance Via MCN compare.com Quote is for a 40-year-old rider living in DN14, with two years no claims and no convictions in last five years.…

1 Give me a ring The ‘toothed’ ring bolted to each wheel is called a phonic ring. There need to be enough teeth to give enough info but without overloading the sensor. It would be hard to smoothly detect wheel lock-up with just two teeth as that’s only one pulse per half wheel revolution. Most phonic rings use 60-70 pulses. 2 Electronic brain Your cornering ABS needs to know when your bike is leaning. The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) helps the system to establish this by measuring the chassis’ attitude (roll and pitch). But it isn’t the IMU itself that makes the system work, it only provides an input to control systems that take advantage of it. 3 Wheel sensors Variable reluctance (VR) type sensors were used historically – with…

Scoots get smart Dunlop have expanded their sports-touring Roadsmart III tyre range to now cover scooter fitments. The Roadsmart III SC is the first scooter tyre to use Dunlop’s jointless belt technology (JLB), which the French firm say boosts ride comfort and stability. The scooter variant also features the same tread pattern as the larger tyres in the range to help give all-year-round confidence. Get a loan now… With less than a month to go before the MCN Carole Nash London Show, motoring auction specialists Coys are putting the finishing touches to an extraordinary motorcycle sale. Taking place inside the show on Saturday, February 18, Coys will be offering special machines like Troy Corser’s 1997 Ducati 996 RS, a 1964 Norton Dominator 88, and a 1961 Velocette Venom. To register,…

PRICE NEW £4400 PRICE NOW £750 IN A YEAR £1000 • Liquid-cooled 8v parallel twin • 40bhp • 95mph • Revvy screamer You’ll have a job tracking down one of these, because they only sold them in 2002 and 2003, and not many people bought them then because 250s were as démodé as afro hairstyles. But just as the afro can be seen in the wild, here and there, so too are ZZ-Rs creeping out from the backs of garages. What you get is basically the same engine as in the 250 Ninja, though you have to rev the tits off it to get anywhere: max power is at 11,000rpm. It also has a beam frame and styling from the ZZ-R1100, so that’s all right. Oh, and it has an…

‘The brake fluid needs changing every two years and isn’t cheap’ “This generation of Fireblade is great, but we have seen some problems with the early 2008 bikes having excessive crank noise. “There’s an easy check you can do to see if the bike you’re looking at is affected. Pull the clutch in and increase the revs, then release the clutch to the biting point and hold it for a few seconds. If the whining noise gets quieter or goes then it’s more than likely going to need a new crankshaft. This is an expensive job as the engine will need to be taken out and the lower part of the crankcase removed. Honda kindly extended the warranty for seven years so most that had issues were fixed. But, if…

Double MotoGP race winner Cal Crutchlow has been awarded the prestigious Torrens Trophy, the Royal Automobile Club’s award for the promotion of motorcycling in the United Kingdom. Awarded only nine times since its inauguration in 1978, Crutchlow joins an illustrious shortlist of former winners. The award comes after an incredible second half of the 2016 MotoGP season that saw him take two wins and a series of podium finishes while dicing with the top factory machines on the privateer LCR Honda. The 31-year-old was left gobsmacked by the award during a formal lunch to celebrate his achievements at the RAC’s Pall Mall headquarters on Tuesday. “I feel very privileged that the Royal Automobile Club considers me worthy of it. It’s taken a long time, and a lot of hard work,…