Table of contents for 2 November 2016 in MCN

Cal Crutchlow would be the first to admit he is not the most naturally gifted rider in the MotoGP paddock compared to the likes of Rossi and Marquez but if hard work, determination, desire and self-belief won MotoGP world championships, Cal would have at least one in the bag by now. They usually tell you having kids takes a second off a rider's pace but the arrival of baby Willow has given Cal a second per lap! Happy at home, happy at work equals results – and that’s been proved with his brilliant win at Phillip Island. Not quite alien status yet Cal, but getting there. Steven King, email Ed: Cal has undoubtedly got an incredible amount of grit and determination and he’s using his know-how and experience to good…

The Fireblade Owners Club started as a forum called the CBR Firebladers and about four or five years ago commuted across to Facebook, because that’s the way the world was going. When I joined, there were around 800 members and now we’ve almost 7300 worldwide, but we’re 75% UK-based. We do lots of events and lots of people love the group because there’s so much good advice going around. We have between four and 10 new joiners every day. The Blade is so versatile, which is what draws people to it, whether you want to tour comfortably around Europe, hack it around the track, or take a pillion. Convert it to a single seat and it looks great, too. Honda gave it an extra sharp look in 2012 with the…

THE BEST YAMAHA OW48 Kenny Roberts, 1980 Yamaha USA’s iconic yellow and black paintwork mimicked the buzzy-bee sound of Yamaha’s early two-strokes. PEPSI SUZUKI RGV500 Kevin Schwantz, 1989 It might have something to do with the guy riding it, but this just looked right: a big logo, clean, simple. JPS NORTON Ron Haslam, 1990 British bikes are cool, black bikes are cool, so the JPS Norton looked very cool. As a bonus, it sounded great as well. THE WORST CAMPATELLA APRILIA RSW250 Alex Debon, 2002 This crime looks like it was committed by someone with a bad rave hangover. Ten years' hard labour, we say. MOVISTAR YAMAHA Jorge Lorenzo, 2016 A green M for Monster, a green M for Movistar, plus a bank and petrol firm all fighting over the…

 The Yamaha is A2-licence friendly, but that doesn’t mean they're all being bought by youngsters. A more obvious route is for a fresher to opt for something like an MT-07, have it restricted then get the dealer to restore full power once the time comes. ‘The Yamaha coped easily with some two-up riding around the Isle of Man’ Where it seems more popular is with older riders looking to downsize and also for folk looking for a second bike, folk such as MCN reader Mike Woodward who has a Tracer 900, MT-07 and Honda MSX 125 but selected an 03 because it is ideal for carrying around in the back of his motorhome. Mike says: “With a motorhome garage weight limit of 250kg the 168kg Yamaha fits nicely with spare…

YAMAHA MT-10 £9999 FUEL 17 litres @ 35mpg = 131 miles WEIGHT 210kg SEAT 825mm POWER 158bhp TORQUE79.59ftlb RIDER Tim Thompson Loves big trips to epic race tracks then beers tim.thompson@motorcyclenews.com I’ve been experimenting with the MT’s bar position. Adjustable Gilles risers (£149.99) allow the bars to be raised or lowered 8mm from standard as well as moved forward or back. Initially I fitted them to get a bit more of me over the front end but as the year has progressed I’ve developed a cracking case of epicondylitis, better known as tennis elbow, which flares up every time I ride the MT with any purpose. Hard braking and acceleration send a stabbing pain up my right forearm, which seems to be exacerbated by the angle and height of the…

Disc locks are your first line of defence against oportunist thieves. They can’t match a chain but they will make it harder to roll your bike away – and alarmed ones will draw attention. Here are five to consider… Oxford Boss Disc Lock £44.99 When it comes to showing thieves who’s in charge, the Oxford Boss is one of the reigning champions. Plus, it’s Thatcham approved thanks to its hardened casing and unique double-locking system. Mammoth Security Shackle Disc Lock £22.99 This nicely sized disc lock is small enough to be stashed under your seat. Thatcham approved, it features an 11mm hardened shackle, tough steel body and a reinforced cylinder. Xena XX10 Alarm Disc Lock £54.99 With a 120dB alarm contained inside a robust stainless steel body, the Xena arms…

‘Why should I retire if I can still win races and take titles?’SHANE BYRNE Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and the Paul Bird Motorsport team re-wrote the history books this year as both Byrne and the Be Wiser-backed effort became five-times MCE British Superbike champions. Byrne’s five titles place him two championship victories clear of any other rider in the history of the series, while the PBM team equalled GSE Racing’s record of five BSB riders’ crowns. And now, MCN can exclusively reveal that the pairing will strive to etch themselves further into the record books after reaching an almost unprecedented two-year agreement which will see Byrne remain with Bird’s team until the end of the 2018 season. While riders remaining with teams in Brtish Superbikes is not uncommon, it has long…

‘There was no official order or contract. I just knew the maths’JONATHAN REA While the fight for the championship may have been all but over coming into Qatar, Chaz Davies’ five wins out of six races meant he had closed in on Tom Sykes for the runner-up spot. However, another dominant double for the Welshman wasn’t enough this weekend after Jonathan Rea controversially gifted team-mate Sykes second in Sunday’s final race to ensure a Kawasaki 1-2 in the final standings. Davies had every right to be furious about being relegated to third, but was almost resigned to it saying: “I saw it coming. I said to everybody before the race, ‘watch this, watch what is going to happen!’” With Davies out front, Sykes needed the second place in the race…

Sylvain Guintoli took Yamaha’s first podium since 2011 with third place in Saturday’s opening race. The Frenchman is still without a seat for 2017, but is in talks with IODA Racing as well as a number of BSB teams. Nicky Hayden was forced to start his final WSB race of the year from pit lane after exceeding his engine allocation but he was still able to secure fifth overall in his rookie season. Luke Stapleford (below) secured both his and Triumph’s first ever Supersport pole on Saturday. Unfortunately, he crashed out of contention in the opening stages of the race with a hard-fought victory going to fellow Brit, Kyle Smith – who beat World Champion Sofuoglu by just 0.006 seconds.…

PHILLIP ISLAND An emphatic double to start the season on form. THAILAND A strong win in race one, but teammate Tom Sykes got the better of him after an uncharacteristic mistake in the second. ARAGON Unable to stop a dominant Davies, Rea settled for the points in Spain. ASSEN It was a return to the top step in style, with a double victory in mixed conditions. IMOLA With Davies again unstoppable, Rea took two vital second places. SEPANG Further podiums as Sykes and Hayden share spoils in Malaysia. DONINGTON Team-mate Sykes was once again dominant at home, leaving Rea to cross the line third and second. MISANO Back on the top step in Misano, Rea was untouchable as he racked up his third double of the season. LAGUNA SECA Rea…

Valentino Rossi achieved one of the key goals of his weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix by holding off team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in Sunday’s race to cement second place in the 2016 MotoGP championship. With 24 points separating the pair going into the weekend, Rossi only needed to finish ahead of his Movistar Yamaha teammate to secure the No2 spot – something that he was able to do with ease, even if he couldn’t challenge Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso for the win. Rossi said: “At the end, second is a good result and I’m quite happy. When you have the chance to close these things, you have to try – I could have made a mistake and left the gap at only four points in Valencia, at a track where Jorge…

‘It looked like I was controlling the race, but that’s not the reality!’ANDREA DOVIZIOSO Andrea Dovizioso has taken a stunning race victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix to become MotoGP’s record-breaking ninth winner of the 2016 season – as well as taking only his second win during nine years in the premier class. The Italian didn’t just win Sunday’s race – he dominated the entire weekend, taking the pole position, fastest lap and race win en route to Ducati’s second win of the season. It’s the first time since 2007 that Ducati have won two races in a season, when Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner took the honours. Appearing to be in control all race, even when fellow Italians Valentino Rossi and Andrea Iannone were dicing for the lead, Dovizioso…

The weekend might have ended more ignominiously for Dovizioso’s team-mate Andrea Iannone, but the Austrian Grand Prix winner still walked away from Sepang pleased with his efforts despite crashing out of the race at the halfway point. Marking his return to race action since breaking his back in free practice for his home race at Misano in September, Iannone was delighted to have displayed such strong pace. He said: “I’m very happy, because I rode for more than half the race at the front, I rode with Valentino, and I came back from four races not sure of what my performance would be. Sure, it was possible to arrive at the podium in third place, but Marquez and Crutchlow’s crashes were on the same lap as me. If I had…

‘The IMU talks to the traction control and cornering ABS, both which are lean-sensitive’ ‘The seat is a big improvement over the old model, as are the taller screen and wider top fairing’ 1 Friends electronic As with the previous Z1000SX, there are two power modes to choose from – full and low. As with the traction control settings, these can be changed on the move by way of a switch of the left-hand bar. Low mode limits the power output to around 70% of the maximum claimed 140bhp. 2 Get a grip The new Kawasaki traction control system has three levels and can be changed on the move. Level three is the most intrusive, with levels one and two allowing a degree of slip. It also controls wheelies…

Cal Crutchlow has, quite rightly, been hogging the headlines recently. But it was a Northern Irishman who achieved something remarkable last weekend that should see the spotlight shine in his direction – at least for a while. As two-times 2016 MotoGP winner Crutchlow struggled and slithered his way to a DNF at Sepang, Jonathan Rea rode a cool and calculating two races at the final WSB round in Qatar to land his second title in as many years. It’s the first time anyone has successfully defended their title in consecutive years since Carl Fogarty in 1999. And while WSB has seen a serious slump in interest over recent years, Rea’s incredible feat and talent must not go overlooked. In fact, WSB has seen some encouraging signs of a revival this…

JON URRY, MCN contributor Specialist subject Bikes of the 2000s Credentials Motorcycle journalist since 2000, geek with a big collection of bikes and 1000+ motorcycle mags. TIM THOMPSON, MCN Head of Content Specialist subject Late 1980s and 1990s sportsbikes Credentials Motorcycle journalist for 30 years and owner of a very rapid KR-1S and HP2 Sport. RUPERT PAUL, MCN Sport Editor Specialist subject 1980s sportsbikes Credentials Motorcycle journalist for more than 31 years, and current editor of MCN's glossy quarterly, MCN Sport. MICHAEL NEEVES, MCN Snr Road Tester Specialist subject Late 1980s and early 1990s sportsbikes Credentials Motorcycle journalist for 14 years, and huge sportsbike fan since the late 1980s. RICH NEWLAND, MCN Deputy Editor Specialist subject 1985 to present day Credentials Motorcycle journalist since 2000, owns a CB750 Dunstall, 996…

 ‘It’s a brilliant bike – but they do seem to get used and abused. Maintenance-wise, people only seem to bring them in when something’s gone wrong. Owners don’t tend to look after them as much as they should. But the bike itself doesn’t really go wrong, it’s the type of owners they attract who tend to just ride them, and ride them, and ride them. ‘People often don’t get them maintained properly’ ‘Mechanically, it’s a good engine. With the bigger version, the DL1000, we do get a few problems but the 650 is very tough. But again, the type of people that buy them often don’t get them maintained properly so if you’re buying used try to find one with a service history. ‘High mileages are quite common. I think…

Honda Silver Wing 600 This 2007 bike is showing 17,000 miles on the clock and is ready to be pressed into commuting duties. Bodywork looks to be in pretty good condition and the price is right too. Suzuki Burgman 650 Despite rolling off the Suzuki production line in 2005, this Burgman has only done 12,500 miles and looks in near perfect condition. Comes with a full service history. BMW C650GT The last word in luxury scootering, this 2012 model-year C650 comes with factory-fitted heated grips, quick-release top box and also a cheek-toasting heated seat. Yamaha TMAX 500 Lovingly cared for by its passionate previous owner, this TMAX has full service history, a new battery, fresh tyres, and has immaculate bodywork. It’s got 11,330 miles up its jumper.…

BMW F800GS £10,055 FUEL 16 litres @ 48.04mpg = 169 miles WEIGHT 214kg SEAT 880mm POWER 85bhp TORQUE 61ftlb THE RIDER JAMES ARCHIBALD Long-distance commuter with four years experience. HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 84kg Tyre choice has been the defining factor of my time with the GS – especially with the limited options available thanks to the 21in front. The Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres (typically £198 before fitting) that came as standard were fine on the road but didn’t offer sufficient grip for any serious off-road applications. With some dirt action planned, as well as a riding adventure around Scotland, I was curious to see how a set of off-road focused tyres would perform on tarmac and in the mud. I’d found the Continental TKC70 tyres £214) that were fitted…

Jonathan Rea became the first rider to successfully defend his World Superbike crown since Carl Fogarty, 17 years ago, at this weekend’s series finale in Qatar. Taking a 48-point advantage into the weekend, Rea was almost certain to become champion in Saturday’s opening race. While he was unable to overcome on-form Chaz Davies, second place saw him extend his championship lead over team-mate Tom Sykes to an insurmountable 51 points. The series victory makes Rea just the fourth rider in history to win back-to-back WSB titles, joining Carl Fogarty, Doug Polen and Fred Merkel, following through on a feat that even other multiple world champions Troy Bayliss, Colin Edwards, Troy Corser and James Toseland couldn’t achieve. But while he has etched his place in the WSB history books, Rea said…

‘I was riding with a broken bone, but I just gritted my teeth’CAL CRUTCHLOW Australian GP winner Cal Crutchlow suffered a downturn in fortunes at Sepang, leaving Malaysia with zero points after crashing out of fourth. Running with the leading pack – and dicing with factory Honda rider Marc Marquez for fourth place – the Brit’s hopes of maintaining a streak that has seen him be one of the top points scorers in the second half of the season came to a crashing halt. “We were struggling because we needed it to be either wet or dry, not in-between,” said Cal. “Both Marc and I were really trying. I was there again, being able to challenge at the front of a MotoGP race, but it just didn’t work out. “I’m…

Marc Marquez’s misfortune last time out at Phillip Island continued at Sepang, with yet another fall robbing him of any chance of a podium finish. Caused this time by treacherous conditions rather than a return to his wilder riding style, he admitted afterwards that it had caught him unawares. “Wet conditions can always happen, and I made a completely different mistake to Phillip Island,” said Marquez. “I was trying to make a more normal race like we have during this season. I was waiting to push at the end, but I crashed without doing anything wrong. “After the crash I told myself, ‘OK, we need to finish the race for the team,’ and just tried to come back faster and faster. To finish 36 seconds behind the leader after a…

Following the massive success of Museum LIVE over the past two years, the team at the National Motorcycle Museum will once again be throwing open the doors on Saturday, November 5 for their annual free-entry open day. Everyone is invited to visit the recently revamped museum collection and there’ll be a large indoor autojumble. Racing legends Carl Fogarty, James Whitham and TT superstar John McGuinness will host two special stage shows, at 11am and 2pm, each comprising an hour-long chat show where the irreverent duo will invite other motorcycling personalities up on stage – amongst them will be Ian Hutchinson and James Ellison. There’ll also be a live start-up area at this year’s event, where you can see, hear and smell bikes old and new as the team fire them…

FACT FILE Years run 2003-2008 Most famous graduates Tommy Hill, Cal Crutchlow, Tommy Bridewell Mastermind Rob McElnea R6 CUP CHAMPIONS 2003 Tommy Hill 2004 Richard Wren 2005 Billy McConnell 2006 Tom Grant 2007 BJ Toal It was arguably the highest profile one-make race series since the days of the Yamaha Pro-Am Challenge and made stars out of the likes of Cal Crutchlow and Tommy Hill. So what became of the Virgin Mobile Yamaha Mobile R6 Cup that pitted promising young riders against each other on identical, and standard, YZF-R6s? Whose crazy idea was it? Virgin Yamaha superbike team boss Rob McElnea masterminded the R6 Cup. A former GP and TT rider, McElnea’s team had also won three BSB titles so he knew the sport inside-out and was perfectly placed to…

2016 Honda Fireblade SP £12,699 They say: Zero-mile, pre-registered bike. We say: This pre-reg represents a saving of £1800 on Honda’s RRP. Bargain! Contact: Dealer sale on MCN bikes for sale. 2015 Honda Fireblade £8995 They say: 1705 miles, one owner, great condition. We say: Honda UK released a few special edition ‘Urban Tiger’ painted bikes in 2014/15. Contact: Dealer sale on MCN bikes for sale. 2012 Honda Fireblade £7499 They say: 6985 miles in HRC colours, FSH, one owner from new. We say: This bike has minimal miles and is good value. Contact: Dealer sale on MCN bikes for sale. USED VALUES 2012 £6195-£7500 2013 £7000-£8300 2014 £7999-£8800 (SP from £11,000) 2015 £8600-£9800 (SP from £11,800) 2016 £9900-£12,199 (SP from £12,500) Pre-registered bikes From £10,999 (SP £12,699) Honda RRP…

2009 SUZUKI GLADIUS In a word: Patronising • “Billed as a ‘girl’s bike’ the pink Gladius with a gold frame both patronised its target audience and offended the eyes.” JU • “It’s an Eton Mess on wheels.” RN • “If you put that on an RC30 it would still be revolting.” TT 1999 HONDA VFR800 50TH ANNIVERSARY MODEL In a word: Cut-and-shut • “Supposed to pay homage to Mike Hailwood’s race bike, but looked like a crashed VFR with an eBay fairing." JU • “It looks like an old man with grey sideburns and a big nose!” MN • “You'd have to be blind to like it.” RP 1999 SUZUKI GSX-R750 SRAD In a word: Hideous • “Absolutely hideous with no redeeming features. It’s just crap.” MN • “Suzuki’s attempt…

 Demographics being what they are, there are quite a lot of machines coming up for sale, and the adverts declare that the owner is now too old or infirm to continue motorcycling. Or the bike was stashed away as a project which never got finished, for all the usual reasons (I’ve got two of that sort of bike…). My new rule: ‘Don’t buy used bikes from old men’ The trouble is that so many people seem to have rose-tinted specs on. They fondly remember the bike in its heyday, before it was stashed away, and somehow just forget or overlook what was wrong with it. Not so long ago, I bought an old classic, sight unseen, and had it delivered to me. And the engine had some fins broken off,…

YAMAHA MT-03 £4499 FUEL 14 litres @ 68mpg = 209 miles WEIGHT 168kg SEAT 780mm POWER41.5bhp TORQUE21.8ftlb SIMON BROWN Been riding 20 years, has a Scrambler FT in the garage at home HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 70kg ‘I’ve honestly never been on motorways on anything this small before’ So far most of my time with the MT-03 has been commuting down the back lanes between my village and MCN’s Peterborough offices. And I have to say it has excelled, making every journey easy and fun while sipping the juice. But what about a longer voyage? One involving some of Britain’s busiest motorways. Could the little Yamaha possibly be man enough? Time to find out with a mission to my old home town of Margate, Kent, for my dad’s 80th…

‘I’d trade 1500 miles of tyre life for days filled with cornering heaven’ KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT £15,999 FUEL 23 litres @ 44.55mpg = 245 miles WEIGHT 205kg (dry) SEAT 835mm POWER 173bhp TORQUE 106ftlb RICHARD NEWLAND Sportsbike addict with a love of road riding, in all weathers. HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 115kg ‘You won’t get more than 800 miles out of those,” said MCN’s tyre fitter as he expertly manipulated a set of Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SPs onto the 1290 GT’s rims. “They’ll be fine for at least 4000,” said I, and with over 2000 miles to nail in the following 72 hours I was really hoping it was me with the upper hand in the knowledge stakes. His face, though, suggested otherwise. But I’ve done a…

Q What is an inquest for? A friend’s boyfriend sadly lost his life last year while out with a group of bikers on a Sunday morning run. He lost control on a bend. What caused him to lose control is not clear as his friends who witnessed the accident deny that he (or they) were speeding. My friend’s family liaison officer has said that the inquest will be soon. Can you tell me what is involved in an inquest and what we should do? Linda B, by email An inquest is a medical/legal enquiry held by a coroner into a death – but it is not a trial. The purpose is to establish the identity of the deceased, when the person died, where they died and how the death occurred.…

‘I did enough to make myself stand out but next year I really need to up my game’GLENN IRWIN The Be Wiser Ducati line-up will remain unchanged next year as Glenn Irwin once again joins Shane Byrne in the team. The Ulsterman enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign to take two podium finishes this season, which was enough to convince team boss Bird to sign him up for a second year. “To be going into a second year in British Superbikes on the same bike, with the same team is the dream,” he told MCN. “I’ve had that once before in my career, with Gearlink, and it proved to be a good year, so it’s nice to have that again. We didn’t do a mega job towards the end of this…

Bradley Smith Qualified: 13th Finished: 14th Admitted that being unhappy with a points-scoring finish as he returns from a horrific leg injury shows how much progress he’s made in the last three races. Danny Kent Qualified: 24th Finished: 18th With no feeling all weekend on the Leopard Kalex machine, Kent is another rider looking to put a poor season behind him and move on after Valencia. Scott Redding Qualified: 18th Finished: 15th Pramac Ducati rider struggled all weekend for edge grip. The battle for a GP17 machine next season with team-mate Danilo Petrucci now looks out of his grasp. Eugene Laverty Qualified: 19th Finished: 12th Disappointed, despite a strong finish, after losing touch with the group in front in the early stages of the race and being unable to close…

‘I stayed on the bike even though it didn’t feel very good’JORGE LORENZO Five-time world champ Jorge Lorenzo went a long way to regaining his mojo in wet conditions during Sunday’s Malaysian GP, keeping his head while those around him lost theirs, to take the third step of the podium. Struggling all season to find any pace in the rain, Lorenzo put himself in a position that allowed him to move steadily up the field to a result he admits was important to him psychologically. He said: “I stayed on the bike even though it didn’t feel very good, and I was lucky because all the crashes happened in front of me and allowed me to pass from sixth to third. It’s good for my confidence to take a podium…

‘This year was much more emotional – I tried not to cry too much but I failed!’JOHANN ZARCO Frenchman Johann Zarco has become the first rider in the history of the Moto2 class to successfully defend his crown, pulling together an incredibly strong weekend in Malaysia after a somewhat shaky few rounds. Knowing that a podium finish ahead of Alex Rins and Thomas Luthi would do, Zarco instead opted to obliterate the field first in qualifying and then in the race. Taking pole by a huge 2.2 seconds (a record for the modern era) he then showed just how much pace he had in the race by riding away from early leader Franco Morbidelli for a clear race win – and a second title that he told MCN afterwards gave…

Andrea Iannone “I’m very happy for Ducati and Dovi. Finally, he’s arrived with the victory! I think he would have preferred to have won in dry conditions, but the important thing is that the win has arrived, and I’m happy for him and the team.” Marc Marquez “We have a good relationship, and he deserved the win. He works hard, and he’s very important for Ducati to improve the bike. We said he would be the ninth winner, and now, who knows – we might even have a 10th in Valencia!” Danilo Petrucci “He’s one of my best friends inside the paddock, and he’s always helped me and looked out for me. He lets me stay behind him to learn things, we train together, and I think I was the…

‘I’m happy he finally broke the spell; he can win many more’PAOLO CIABATTI We came close a few times, but it always looked like in the end something went wrong for Dovi. But in Malaysia we had a perfect weekend – he was consistently fast, in the rain and in the dry. He made a very clever race with the perfect strategy, and he won because he deserved to win and not because people in front of him had problems. We all deserve it, but he deserves it more. It’ll give him extra self-confidence and motivation for the future, and that can only be good for the next years we will spend together. I’m happy he finally broke the spell, and I think he can go on to win many…