Table of contents for 13th February 2019 in MCN

The UK is a funny old place and that’s without all the B-word shenanigans! In the middle of summer the weather can be positively Mediterranean with more than 17 hours of sunlight, allowing long lazy days of riding around some of this sceptered isle’s glorious countryside. And yet seemingly just moments later we’re battling sub-zero temperatures and a mere eight hours of daylight. The winter can be tough for all sorts of reasons, but motorcyclists get hit particularly hard. But there is now light at the end of that tunnel. Signs of better things to come are springing up here, there and everywhere. MotoGP is back (see Sepang Test Special from page 54), with the first race of the season surprisingly close at hand. It’s not actually getting properly dark…

Beautiful customs don’t have to cost the earth or spend their life stood still, according to Norfolk-based Old Empire Motorcycles who have stripped back one of the new Enfield twins to create one of the cleanest creations we’ve seen. OEM co-founder Alec Sharp says Enfield approached them last year with the idea of enhancing their new 650 Interceptor by making the engine the focal point “without going too mad”. The result is a beautifully minimalist, pared-down vision with a number of striking features. The handlebars have no visible controls with the throttle cable routed internally and it’s the same with the clutch, which also operates from a twistgrip on the left-hand bar. There’s no switchgear, no clocks and the front brake runs off the rear stopper’s pedal through a proportioning…

Germany’s Court of Appeal has upheld a patent ruling against Alpinestars over the long-running battle regarding their Tech-Air system and Dainese’s D-Air. The ruling only concerns one aspect, relating to ‘the general installation of an inflatable air bladder within a pocket of a garment,’ rather than any particular design infringement. Alpinestars have an appeal pending on the validity of this patent, which only applies in Germany. The Italian firm is awaiting the court’s judgement before taking further action.…

Reader Lawrence Corr The ride Ferry to Dunkirk then Germany, Austria, Lake Garda and down to Venice and Croatia When to do it Spring to autumn Miles 2600 Time required 16 days Don’t miss this “The wonderful coastal roads of Croatia through Split and onto Dubrovnik.” STELVIO From Innsbruck we headed through the famous Stelvio VENICE Not so good for riding around but it is an iconic location to visit GREAT VIEWS We found great places to stop for pics. Note the Rossi replica! GOING COASTAL We found wonderful roads and even stayed in a floating Botel THE ROUTE SEND US YOUR TRIP PICS EMAIL YOURPICS@MOTORCYCLENEWS .COM…

The C400X comes with BMW’s accessory TFT connected dash, which costs £595 extra but is a thing of great beauty. As well as allowing you access to your smartphone’s music, it can make and receive calls and has turn-by-turn satnav built in (linked to BMW’s app) as well as loads of bike information that is all accessed via the toggle wheel. The Burgman relies on good old-fashioned analogue dials and a small LCD display, but why does a twist-and-go scooter need a rev counter? It’s not as if you can change gear. BMW SWITCHGEAR The TFT dash is controlled via the BMW toggle wheel and simple up-and-down menu switch. The indicators are self-cancelling. FUNCTIONALITY SUZUKI SWITCHGEAR The Suzuki’s switchgear is about as basic as it gets, but it is all…

Milton Keynes is a roundabout-surfer’s heaven and it came as no surprise that in this urban jungle both scooters felt right at home. In fact, they were more than just at home, they were brilliant fun to boot! With the ability to hammer both brakes with your hands and not have to worry about downshifts, it is remarkable just how late you can dare to leave your braking on these scooters. With both machines so evenly matched on both top speed and acceleration, every roundabout soon became a battle of the late brakers as we vied for the lead. And all at legal speeds. When the traffic started to build up and our fun was curtailed, the scooters were no less entertaining as wide wheel rims with quality tyres allowed…

1 Safety sandwich Polypropylene honeycomb sheet and polyethylene foam layers are die cut to shape to form the basis for a back protector. Peak production is 4000 back protectors per week. 2 Pressing matters The sandwich is bonded, heated and thermoformed using a 40-tonne hydraulic press. 3 Making patterns Pattern work is a highly skilled process, all done in house and transferred to fabric using cardboard master templates. 4 Cutting edge All cutting is done by hand to ensure the highest levels of quality control. The chain mail glove is a protective necessity and not a tribute to the king of pop! 5 A stitch in time Expert machinists work on garments in batches of ten, allowing for flexibility during a production run. 6 Packed up and shipped out A…

• 1913-14 Matchless V-twin works racer A 2003 fire damaged 300 bikes but most have been restored. This Matchless was one and is the only example in existence. • 1939 Brough Superior Golden Dream Unique prototype with four-cylinder engine halted by WWII would be the most expensive motorcycle in the world if ever offered for sale. • 1968 Royal Enfield Interceptor Series II Classic ’60s Brit whose lines are copied by nearly every modern retro scrambler. • 1912 Trump-JAP ‘90 Bore’ Racer famous for tackling Brooklands’ banked oval. Colonel Stewart, who rode it, was a very brave man indeed!…

1. STAY FOCUSED Focus on riding. Even on roads you know well, stay alert and don’t take anything for granted. Don’t let your mind wander. 2. ROAD SENSES Observations shouldn’t be just what you see – use your hearing, smell and experience to pick up as much info as possible. 3. ANTICIPATE Anticipating hazards gives time to manoeuvre. Don’t assume others will be logical. Allow a safety margin. 4. PRIORITISE Is the next turn more of a hazard than the sheep that’s just gone onto the road? Grade risks and deal with them in order. 5. ACTION Adjust your speed, gear and position based on what you perceive, but be ready to adapt if things change. COMMON SIGNS Look out for junctions, gates, drains, animals, tractors, mud on the road,…

Back in the ’90s and early Noughties, if a manufacturer wanted to build a competitive middleweight, the usual route was to take an older supersport inline four, retune it for extra midrange and then stick it in a budget chassis. Machines such as the Honda Hornet, Yamaha Fazer and Suzuki Bandit all sold in huge numbers based on this principle. But then a few parallel twins broke the mould. £2499 KAWASAKI ER-6N 649cc | 204kg | 71bhp | 785mm seat height • Dealer up to £3500 • Private up to £2800 • The one £2499, 2007, 14,800miles The ER-6n was a revolution when it appeared in 2006. Crazy styling (especially with its pink/red frame) made it stand out from the crowds while the parallel-twin motor provided stacks of grunt with…

Cal Crutchlow has made an incredible return to form only 110 days after shattering his ankle in a crash during practice at Phillip Island at the end of last year. Sixth fastest at the Sepang test, despite being told by doctors his rehabilitation could be as long as 12 months, it’s been an important breakthrough test for the LCR Honda rider. On the pace Crutchlow ran inside the top three for most of the three-day test despite admitting to MCN last month that he’d feared he might never ride again. Now he’s keen to draw a line under the crash and return to winning ways in 2019. He said: “The movement in the ankle still isn’t 100%, but it seems OK. My control on the rear brake lever isn’t great…

Moto2 rookie Jake Dixon made a big step forward on the Angel Nieto KTM after another successful test on the Triumph-powered machine at Valencia. Joining most of the Moto2 field at the Spanish circuit, in what was only his second outing in the class, the Briton admitted that although he’s still struggling in many areas he’s pleased overall with his progress. “The bike is getting better and better every time I go out on it, and we’ve tried so much to improve the feeling and to understand the direction. We still need to improve in certain areas but it’s coming. My riding style is adapting and I feel really good. As the bike changes and I get more comfortable, I’m finding my style naturally changing to suit it.”…

Reigning Moto2 world champion Pecco Bagnaia says he’s still only 65% there in his transition from the intermediate class to MotoGP, despite finishing the Sepang test second fastest. The rookie stunned the paddock by finishing only 0.063 off Petrucci and faster than the outright lap record set last year by Jorge Lorenzo. ‘I wasn’t expecting to do a 1:58 lap, my target was 1:59!’ Only on his ninth day of MotoGP testing and already adapting well not only to the top class but to the Ducati, Bagnaia was adamant after the Malaysian test that there’s still plenty more pace to come as he continues to work on his riding style. He said: “I still need to improve, but I’m happy with the work we’ve done in Sepang. I’ve started to…

Ride the hottest new bikes The MCN Festival of Motorcycling is all about riding. It’s the only event in the UK where you can ride bikes from top manufacturers in the same place. There are hundreds of test rides up for grabs. In the morning you could cruise the lanes on a Yamaha Niken and in the afternoon take to the lanes on a Ducati Diavel. You just need to bring your licence and lid, and book yourself a ride or two, or three, or four! Watch two days of proper racing The Dirt Track Riders Association will be holding a full two-day round of racing at the Festival, including the popular Hooligan class. This crazy action around the speedway track is guaranteed to be super-close and while it looks…

Ducati WILL make an electric motorcycle, in fact there’s one already in the pipeline, but it’s a bike “for tomorrow” according to Pierluigi Zampieri, Ducati’s Head of Innovation. As with most manufacturers, electric bikes are clearly part of Ducati’s future, for a business so focused on racing, it’s difficult to know what direction they will take. “We’re still developing our production bikes with the aim of being the best on the track,” Zampieri told MCN. “But with electric the difficulty is a compromise between weight and performance or range. Today the whole package is not as good as we would like it to be, because the energy density that you can store is not high enough. The main challenge, technically, is reaching our performance and weight targets.” He continued: “Being…

Yamaha’s parallel twins have a long and illustrious history, from the Paris Dakar-inspired XTZ750 Super Ténéré 30 years ago to the latest incarnation of the MT-07 platform in the 700 Tracer GT. They have even created new classes down the years ranging from the TDM850’s oversized, supermoto styling to the back-to-basics MT-07. Choose wisely and you can get a slice of the action for as little as £1250. 2019 TRACER 700GT What is it? The Tracer gets the GT treatment for 2019, gaining an adjustable, larger touring screen, a padded seat and colour-matched 20-litre side cases. MCN says “The bike is a recipe for long-distance, B-road carving fun.” Want to buy one? £7999, (£1600 deposit then £177 a month). 2016 TRACER What is it? Ticks all the tourer boxes yet…

‘Some have been scammed out of thousands’ Bike buyers have been told to be cautious after an increasing number of reports of fake motorcycle listings on online auction site eBay, with some unwitting buyers having been scammed out of thousands of pounds. The scams all follow a similar format and are easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. A popular motorcycle will be listed with a low ‘Buy-It-Now’ price to attract buyers. The advert, or listing, will have little information but usually states that the vendor is selling the item on behalf of a friend, so for further info they should contact the person mentioned in the listing. This person often has lots of info, plenty of pictures and can sometimes even show the V5. This is…

Over the last three years biker Gareth Maxwell Roberts has travelled the planet with a camera crew in tow, interviewing nearly 300 people to get to the roots of motorcycle culture in hislatestfilm Oil in the Blood. To the outside world, motorcycling is going through something of a renaissance, pushed by the new wave custom scene. The once niche movement has grown so large it’s inspired manufacturers to create whole ranges of retro and custom models and helped expose bikes to a whole new audience. To help understand this new culture, Roberts’ team travelled across the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA and Asia meeting custom builders, manufacturers, event organisers, artists, journalists and racers. Working with the likes of Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Ducati, BMW and Harley-Davidson, they’ve filmed everything from maverick…

YAMAHA XJ6 Mandy on her Yamaha XJ6 proving that it’s never too late to start riding. David Pearce BSA GOLD FLASH I love this picture of my step-father Pete with his daughter on his BSA Gold Flash outfit. Gary Stone JAMES 500 My grandad Jack Donovan in 1935. It was actually his second bike and the reason for my love of motorcycles. David Donovan GILERA 50 TOURING I got my first motorbike, a 50cc Gilera moped, in 74. Not sure about the mirrors now. I’m still riding today. Andy SUZUKI GP100 Me looking pretty chuffed on my GP100 1987. Check out how low those clip-ons are. Andy Powis HONDA XL600 My first brand new bike with the jacket to match, naturally. Peter Stapleton XWD ROYAL ENFIELD This is me on…

Knox are synonymous with bike safety. Over the past 36 years this Cumbrian-based firm have developed a host of pioneering products all aimed at keeping us safe. Planet Knox was founded by managing director Geoff Travell, an upholsterer by trade and a keen club racer. “He was pretty good in his time, particularly in the wet,” says son Aaron, who is Knox’s Operations Manager. “He was always prepared to push the boundaries, but that also made him a bit of a crasher and he sustained some pretty serious injuries, including a broken back.” Armour didn’t exist back then, so Geoff decided to develop his own. He’d already put his upholstering skills to work by making his own race suits and now took it a stage further. Forming a dual compound…

‘Riding a bike fast isn’t about aggression’ “How do you ride a sportsbike really fast? Less brake, more throttle. Simple, isn’t it?” laughs Peter Hickman, the fastest-ever human around the Isle Of Man TT circuit. In June last year he set an outright lap record of 134.452mph, posted during the nail-biting final lap of an epic Senior TT. Fortunately, today the road racing and British Superbike star has stopped long enough for MCN to catch up with him at his Lincolnshire workshop where he’s preparing for another season on roads and short circuits on the brand new 2019 BMW S1000RR. We want to find out if there are any lessons us humble, law-abiding riders can learn from the fastest man on the roads. Here’s how Hicky does it... 1 ‘Expect…

‘The vast majority are ready to ride’ How many times have you been to Motorcycle Live at the NEC and seen that brown sign off the roundabout that points to the National Motorcycle Museum and thought: ‘I really must go there sometime…’? Well stop thinking about it and make it your mission to visit what is without doubt the UK’s premier motorcycle museum. First opening its doors in 1984, the NMM is a celebration of the UK motorcycle industry through the ages. It was founded by Roy Richards, a self-made man who sold his huge plant hire company and used the proceeds to create this venue dedicated to sharing his love of motorcycles with the world. And they’re all British bikes so you won’t find a single machine that wasn’t…

1st DANILO PETRUCCI 1m 58.239s “It’s been a good test. I did a very good lap time, but I wasn’t focused on speed. Viñales was the strongest rider over the three days. I don’t know who would be fighting for the win if the race was today and I don’t know if we have enough for the podium just yet.” 3 rd JACK MILLER 1m 58.366s “A couple of crashes weren’t the way I intended to end the test, but we’ll take the good with the bad. We’ve got great outright speed, the bike is working well and we just need to start reading the data in detail a little now to understand what the bike is doing.” 4 th ANDREADOVIZIOSO 1m 58.538s “I’m leaving happy, we tried everything we…

The 2019 MotoGP season is well and truly under way after three action-packed days of testing in Sepang last week. With Ducati having dominated the top of the time sheets, a deeper look into all of the team’s lap times reveals that the coming season has the makings of a classic. It may only be the opening test of 2019, but with just one more outing in Qatar before the first race, it’s clear the season is wide open with plenty of reasons why teams and riders will be running closer than ever. 1 Rossi and Viñales make a big step After two false starts in 2017 and 2018 there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel for Yamaha after Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales made big steps forward…

MCN columnist and 23-time TT winner John McGuinness will be bringing some of his own very special bikes to the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show. First seen at the 2018 show, the McGuinness bar is half-pub, half-museum with bikes, trophies and family memorabilia on display, much of which has never been publicly displayed before. As well as pulling a few pints, John will be talking about his career from his first TT win in 1999 to that unforgettable 130mph record lap in 2007. He’ll happily chat away after the shows and loves a bit of banter with show-goers. He said: “I love talking about bikes and I love talking about myself so what could go wrong! And I genuinely love meeting bikers and fans of the TT. They are…

Venue details The Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show ExCeL London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1XL Show times Friday, February 15 10am-5pmSaturday, February 16 9am-6pmSunday, February 17 9am-5pm Ticket prices You can purchase your tickets on arrival at ExCeL, or online at www.mcnmotorcycleshow.com – allowing you to beat the box office queues on the day. Ticket prices available online and on the door… Paddock Passes Paddock Pass holders should make their way to the Paddock area 30 mins prior to the Michelin Thunderdrome performance selected at point of purchase. The Paddock is an extension to the Michelin Thunderdrome, situated at the centre of the show. Paddock passes allow access to the paddock area for 30 minutes after the Michelin Thunderdrome show, they are non-transferable, only valid…

Set to impress Yamaha YZF-R125 The already popular YZF-R125 just got a whole lot sharper for 2019. The bike has been restyled and also gets serious engine tech (see page 24). There’s also a Slip and Assist clutch and a new Deltabox chassis with revised geometry offering more stability and control. A new aluminium swingarm is shorter and lighter and holds a wider rear tyre. Yamaha have yet to confirm a price, but we’d expect it to be around £4000-£4200. KEY FACTS • £TBC• 124.7cc single• 14.5bhp \ 9ftlb• 142kg (kerb)• 11-litre tank Comebackkings Kawasaki Ninja 125 and Z125 • £4399 (Ninja), £4099 (Z125) • 125cc single • 14.5bhp \ 8.6ftlb • 146kg (kerb) • 11-litre tank Kawasaki have returned to the 125 class with a vengeance for 2019. You…

The all-new-for-2019 Bonhams Classic Zone will feature gorgeous old metal including two Brough Superiors and a 1925 Coventry Eagle Flying Eight, all of which are expected to command sky-high prices when they come up for auction later this year. If your pockets aren’t quite that deep there will also be a broad range of bikes, from old Brits to classic Japanese machines and they will all be available to buy during the show in the dedicated Classic Bike Dealer village. Meanwhile, Godin Sporting Cars and Motorcycles will have an amazing collection for sale at the show, too. The company will boast a wide range of bikes including: a 2015 Norton Domiracer (No. 20), a 1999 Ducati 996 SPS 2, a 1949 Triumph Tiger 100, a 1961 Triumph TR6 Trophy £9,995,…

The Wall of Death is coming to the London Show for the first time and you can see the talented riders hurtle around the wooden drum for free. Entry is included in your show ticket, but it’s first-come-first-served so make sure you get there early to ensure a spot in this time-honoured biking spectacular. Daring stunt riders have been defying gravity since the 1900s and there’s nothing quite like the sound and sight of riders roaring around the wall, just inches from your noggin!…

The Government has been blasted by the Police Federation over road safety policies which have seen serious drops in police activity to combat dangerous driving while also failing to follow through on plans to better protect police drivers involved in chases. Speaking at the National Roads Policing Conference in Leicestershire, federation chairman John Apter said drivers often “feel free to drive as dangerously as they like without fear of being caught” due to police budget cuts and described the situation as being “like Wacky Races out there”. “They’re not being caught and it’s only going to get worse,” he warned. “Road policing is seen as something nice to have. It’s not seen as essential.” The conference was told that due to Government policies of increasing speed camera usage while lowering…

One of the great things about the #ride5000miles community is everybody has a different story to tell about their riding exploits. Tim Cooper is no exception. Early last year he took redundancy and invested his pay-out in the adventure of a lifetime. The time was right to set out on an 11,000-mile ride across the USA. Tim wanted to avoid the endless tarmac and big cities that make up the famous Route 66 so chose a combination of dirt-tracks, trails and back-roads that the Trans-America Trail offers and set about finding the right machine for the job. “I’d been looking around for a bike that was both big enough for long highway distances, but also light enough to be able to pick up when riding alone on the trails,” he…

The idea seemed perfect back in 2002: take Petronas oil money, combine it with WSB legend Carl Fogarty and a team of top engineers, and build a new superbike to dominate road and racing. Sadly, it didn’t work out. The Foggy Petronas FP1 racer suffered a series of failures and was overtaken by the rules while the road bikes never materialised in the numbers promised. Over the last 17 years, however, a few survivors have emerged (MCN has tested several), while this month sees the first to appear at auction. The immaculate road example goes under the hammer at the Race Retro Classic Car Sale at Silverstone on February 23. Manufactured for Petronas by MSX International in Essex, it uses a Suter Racing 899.5cc triple producing 127bhp and rolls on…

Once upon a time tuning a motorcycle engine was an art performed by an exalted few. You could have a go yourself but staring through a hole in a piston would be the most likely outcome. This was even more true with off-roaders whose fiddly carbs and tiny powerbands could be a recipe for disaster but Yamaha have come to the rescue with their Power Tuner app. The principle is quite simple. With a transmitter installed on the bike (just under the fairing on the left hand side), the bike transmits a WiFi signal just like a router at home. With the app downloaded on your phone, you simply connect to your bike and the world is your oyster. Unlike most tuning options on a modern superbike, which merely let…

I am staring at the £87k ‘Ducati Streetfighter’ and note with horror that you hint that it may be the future direction of Ducatis to come (MCN, January 30). This in itself is mind-bending enough! However, may I remind my fellow motorcyclists that this is NOT a streetfighter. A streetfighter is built by a dedicated individual, someone who is gifted and artistic, usually in a shed and mainly for the purposes of show and street ability with a predilection for living on the edge and colossal wheelies, all of these requiring great skill. Walking into a shop or clicking to buy one of these will not enable your £87k to buy you into this club. Respect is earned, not bought. I doubt that any of these bikes such as the…

I’ve been thinking about getting a new bike, I’ve got a good collection of old bikes, but each year when I see the metal come out at the shows I tell myself I’ll look at getting something. There are definitely a few on my ‘must-check-it-out-at-London-show’ list! ‘I’D LOOK LIKE A RIGHT NOB ON ONE OF THOSE FOGGY CCMS’ I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Norton’s Atlas Scrambler. I think they’ve done a good job and it looks pretty cool. It’s got a nice seating position, the whole concept behind it is great and you can go anywhere on it. They’re affordable for an iconic brand too. I also love the 650 Superlight that Norton have just wheeled out. It’s a proper sportsbike. There are far too many…

It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B- roads, a stretch of motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time at Silverstone for sportsbikes, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. WEATHER WATCH 1 What’s the spec? On the face of it the Suzuki is £99 more expensive than the BMW, however our C400X is far from standard. Where the Burgman comes with accessory heated grips (£295), the C400X has metallic paint (£50), the ‘comfort package’ comprising a heated seat and grips (£390), keyless ride (£280)…

Despite their small engine size and presumed city-focus, both of these scooters shrugged off a very cold and tricky MCN250 with consummate ease. From motorway to fast A and B-roads through cities and villages, nothing fazed them and that speaks volumes for their  practicality levels. While the Burgman is certainly the more relaxed of the pair, making it more suited than the BMW for a commute that involves dual carriageways, for me the C400X is ultimately the better buy due to its agility, specification and accessories list. The fact you can add the Connectivity dash makes it feel like a premium product with a longer lasting appeal than the Burgman, which although a solid performer is a little less inspiring or fun to ride as it feels a bit too…

Ever since its release in 2012 the Versys 1000 has hovered under the sports adventure radar, playing second fiddle to machines like the BMW S1000XR, Ducati Multistrada and KTM 1290 Super Duke GT. It may not have been big on brute power or, let’s face it, have the looks of its more suave rivals, but after its makeover in 2015 it grew to be a wonderful machine to spend time on. Smooth, spacious, fast, comfortable and, importantly, affordable. It has been tweaked again for 2019 and we’re at its world launch in the Canaries to ride it, in its new electronically semi-active suspended SE trim. 1 Comfy cruising Kawasaki have fitted a bigger, manually adjustable screen to hide behind. It banishes buffeting, but for a tall rider like me the…

THE OWNER Karl Willis , 57, Rushden. Lifelong rider Karl’s had everything from Fireblades to Z1000s, but his garage now holds two Enfields, a Suzuki Inazuma 250, Guzzi V7 and a Benelli . Serial buyer Karl Willis says he was shocked to discover the Benelli Leoncino was Chinese. “I’d owned Chinese 125s in the past and some of those were dreadful, literally fell apart. But over the years they’ve got better. This new Benelli tops Japanese bikes at the same price point.” The historic Italian brand is still based in Rimini, Italy, where R&D still takes place, but is now owned by Chinese giant Geely, who also own Volvo, Lotus and The London Black Cab Company. “I popped into my local dealer, Cooperb Motorcycles in Wellingborough, and Ian there showed…

1 Stand for action Put the bike on a suitable stand that will allow the wheels to be removed safely. Use paddock stands, a swingarm pivot stand, or your bike’s centrestand, and tether if necessary. These devices give much more safety than simply propping the bike up with a jack, which could be easily knocked as you wiggle your wheels free. 2 Pop the valve Before you remove the wheel, check the tyre you’re about to fit is the correct type and size. Remove the wheel and make a note of the wheel rotation, as it’s often not so obvious once the wheel is out. Place the wheel on a surface that won’t damage the finish. Undo the dust cap then use a valve key to remove the valve. STICK’S…

New Aprilia signing Andrea Iannone sat out the final day of the Sepang test after suffering from the consequences of plastic surgery he underwent during the winter break. Completing only 75 laps compared to teammate Aleix Espargaro’s 161, he complained about a lack of energy as he battles a mouth infection after undergoing a cosmetic operation to alter his jawline. In the presence of new Aprilia boss (and former Ferrari F1 manager) Massimo Rivola, it’s unlikely Iannone’s performance will have gone down well. While his absence gave an opportunity to British test rider Bradley Smith to step into his shoes. Espargaro was quick to sing Smith’s praises afterwards, saying that his addition has helped a resurgence for the Noale squad that saw Espargaro finish the test inside the top 10.…

Yamaha went some way to answering whether they’ve fixed their M1 with a highly encouraging Sepang test. After struggling for two years with a machine that’s hard on tyres and slow on corner exit they have made radical changes aimed at alleviating those issues. As a result all eyes were on the Monster Energy Yamaha duo of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi as they got a make-or-break season underway at the Malaysian circuit. And with Viñales far and away the most consistent rider on track and team-mate Rossi not far behind, the signs were good. With a new specification of engine (engine spec must be fixed before the first round in Qatar) and a slew of other chassis parts and electronics settings, Viñales was upbeat at the end of the…

Ducati technical guru Gigi Dall’Igna has once again left the MotoGP paddock scratching their heads after rolling out mystery new components at the Sepang test for factory trio Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller. Ducati’s MotoGP contender is built to a completely different design philosophy from that of many of their rivals and the Desmosedici has grown more and more akin to a drag racer in recent years, becoming long, low and slow-turning in an attempt to harness close to 300bhp on tap. That ethos in comparison to the low power but sweet-handling Suzuki or the all-round compromise of the Yamaha has left Dall’Igna in search of all manner of patches to close the gap in the bike’s weaker areas. From wings and aerodynamics to the bar under the…

The BSB superstar and two-times TT winner will appear in the fast and furious London Motorcycle Show arena for the first time and he’s looking forward to having a crack at a few big names. One of those big names is TT winner and regular podium finished James Hillier and you can be sure that their on-track rivalry will continue as the lights go green in London. ‘I’m going to win or bash a few elbows trying’ TT WINNER PETER HICKMAN Hickman said: “I can’t wait to bash shoulders with some of the boys on the LMS Thunderdrome track, it looks like a lot of fun. Although I’ve never done it before, I’m not going to make up the numbers “If doing over 200mph down Bray Hill doesn’t…

All the biggest clothing, kit and accessory brands will be at the London show and more than 100 retail stands are expected to be packed into the main show hall. There will plenty of show-only offers from some of the country’s best bike clothing and accessory firms and you’d be mad not to get your biking season started without bagging a few bargains while you can. There will be everything from crash helmets to exhausts on sale and a stack of leathers and retro clobber to choose from. There are often some incredible bargains as retailers try to shift any remaining 2018 stock, so have a rummage for some cool gear!…

1 Big shift in valve timing BMW ShiftCam engine BMW’s new ShiftCam engine is appearing on many of the firm’s 2019 machines and has caused quite a stir. The system increases power and torque, reduces fuel consumption, gives a better exhaust note and sees reduced exhaust emissions. And unlike other systems, there is no unsettling step in the performance as the system kicks in. At small throttle openings, the smaller cam is acting on the finger followers and depressing the two intake valves. As the throttle opening widens, an electronically-activated actuator raises a pin, which locks into the camshaft gate. The locking pin then works with the shaft’s rotation to draw the camshaft sideways across the head. This brings the more aggressive cam profile into line with the valves, resulting…

Talks and advice from experienced travellers should help you make that dream trip a reality. Sidecar globetrotters Matt Bishop and Reece Gilkes have been riding their barmy, shed-built scooter around the world and will chat about their antics. The pair set off from the UK in October 2017 aboard their modified Honda SH300 and have travelled over 30,000 miles so far through 29 countries, breaking records and stocking up on stories along the way. Matt and Reece will be interviewed on the Michelin Adventure and Travel stage alongside other esteemed travellers. Globetrotting adventurers Steph Jeavons, Sam Manicom and Mark Kemp will all provide fascinating insights and invaluable advice for new and experienced travellers alike. If you’re planning a trip for charity, Mark will give advice on the best ways to…