Table of contents for 16 November 2016 in MCN

‘When was the last time a major manufacturer made an all-new superbike?’ Radical liquid retention There has been a glut of new bikes revealed over recent weeks using carbon fibre in ever-increasing applications, but the new Norton V4 is the only one to use a carbon fibre fuel tank. The tank, built by carbon gurus BST in South Africa, is of full carbon construction, then reinforced with kevlar for impact resistance, and finally chemically lined to make it safe for holding petrol. Holding it together The main frame is a polished, hand built aluminium twin-tube shotgun chassis on the SS, and a cast frame and swingarm on the RR. The engine acts as a stressed member, and features an adjustable headstock angle, and swingarm pivot. The frame is actually 3kg…

Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen Husqvarna say: “The Vitpilen 401 is a refreshingly simple and progressive urban street motorcycle that provides a new gateway into the motorcycling culture for a wider range of riders. Devoid of any excess and focused on providing a pure riding experience, the Vitpilen 401 features a technologically advanced single-cylinder 375cc engine that is housed in a stripped down but progressive layout.” Husqvarna 401 Svartpilen Husqvarna say: “Featuring a bold and rugged appearance it offers a progressive new way for potential riders to experience motorcycling. Beyond its unique styling, the Svartpilen 401 has a high focus on everyday functionality thus featuring rugged knobbly tyres, a practical tank rack and more robust protection all-over.” Husqvarna 401 Aero Husqvarna say: “Drawing inspiration from the brand’s iconic past, the Vitpilen 401…

Old Empire Motorcycles were founded by Alec Sharp and Rafe Pugh, about four years ago as a bespoke custom builder with the intention of creating a handful of one-off machines annually to the very highest standards. Operating out of an impressive yet charmingly rustic workshop/ office building in a converted barn in the glorious British countryside near Diss, Norfolk, its design themes, as its name suggests, are Great British automotive, aeronautic and maritime history. Think: Supermarine Spitfire, 1930s Bentleys, Brooks bicycle saddles, brown leather and hand-turned brass fittings with a dash of steam punk thrown in and you’ll start to get the idea. On top of that, the aim is to design and create as many of their components as possible in Britain – either on site or through an…

We have been bombarded with brilliant new bikes over the last few weeks and, we reckon, the final count for 2017 models is well over 100! That’s an incredible amount of new metal. Some of these new arrivals are revamps to get bikes Euro4 compliant but many are ground-up new machines. Nonetheless it makes for a mouth-watering Motorcycle Live at the NEC and the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show at ExCeL in February. And MCN has decided to get in on the act by offering something new too! From next week you will notice a whole host of changes to the paper as we try to offer even more of what you want. There’s a new Riding section with cracking routes to explore and tips on how to improve…

 It’s exactly 9.30am on a Tuesday in the middle of October. To my right, the calm, obsidian black waters of Langsett reservoir lap gently against the bricks as the cooling engine of the Pikes Peak ticks and pings. Just a moment prior, the booming tone of the Ducati and its Termignoni exhaust shattered the autumnal peace and reverberated among the country homes. ‘Since my last visit, the entire road has been resurfaced with racetrack-smooth tarmac’ It’s cold – the Ducati’s dash tells me 10°C - but with the hills surrounding the reservoir hidden under a thick layer of mist it feels much cooler. Despite the peace and quiet I can’t linger – I have roads to ride. The Ducati booms into life once again, the exhaust note bouncing off the…

‘We’ve never had to take a cylinder head out. They’ve been very easy’ “The ER-6f is a good bike, really. It’s the perfect step-up bike from a 125 and there’s plenty of poke, but it’s not going to blow your socks off. We also get people buying them that are experienced riders who don’t want to go too big with their bikes. It is also very popular with commuters - offering good returns on fuel and being very reliable. “If you are considering buying one of these bikes secondhand, it is worth noting that the exhaust on the early 2006-2008 models used to crack, due to the bike’s vibrations. You need to make sure they haven’t just been repaired rather than being replaced. They used to crack where the downpipes…

Harley Sportster 1200C It’s already off to a flying start with a sissy bar, luggage rack and screen. Now it’s up to you to add in some Screamin’ Eagle parts from the Harley catalogue. Suzuki Bandit 1200 This 2007 Bandit has done just over 27k miles and boasts extras such as a Micron can and braided brake lines front and rear plus an aftermarket oil cooler guard. Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré Yamaha hard luggage, heated grips, engine bars, hand guards and more for this 2012 bike that’s on sale with 10,428 miles on the clock. Kawasaki ZRX1200 Twelve years old but with fewer than 3000 miles on the clock, this muscle machine is almost too tidy to modify but you can always keep the original parts immaculate.…

“I freely admit to turning on the heated seat just 30 minutes after we set off!” writes Sarah Tuckwell. “Being a pillion means you are familiar with buffeting and always trying to duck behind the rider, but with the screen fully extended there is a huge difference, immediately you can release the tension in your neck and start to appreciate the scenery. You can even sing along to the radio without the wind whistling past your ears. “Once we reached the scenic route the BMW was much more fun, the engine’s power meant that overtaking was effortless. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and as the sun set we reached our destination warm, sheltered and without a numb posterior. “A quick word about luggage: I packed three outfits, which included a…

‘On a litre bike, there’s more grip than you know what to do with’ Dunlop’s new GP Racer D212 will give serious trackday riders and club racers a chance to enjoy top-level tyre performance without the hassles that can go with full-on competition rubber. Replacing the current GP Racer D211 (they’ll cost around the same), the new GP Racer D212 is based heavily on the French firm’s D212 GP Pro supersport tyre, itself a treaded version of the KR106/8 racing slick used in Moto2. The GP Racer D212 shares the D212 GP Pro’s basic construction, fast steering character and tread pattern, but comes in new, friendlier multi-tread compounds that aren’t as track and temperature-sensitive as a racing tyre, so there’s less chance of the dreaded cold tear that can ruin…

‘We are quietly confident about putting this bike at the front’STUART HICKEN Suzuki will mount a serious assault on the 2017 MCE British Superbike title with the all-new GSX-R1000 after penning a deal for Hawk Racing to become the official factory supported team. As reported in MCN last month, the Mallory Park-based team will switch from BMW to run the all-new Suzuki effort next year and have already taken delivery of a new bike, and begun work to transform it into a title contender. While the team are still to confirm their rider line-up, MCN understands they are locked in talks with several big-named riders. 2014 World Super-bike Champion Sylvain Guintoli is favourite to lead their title challenge, but at this stage nothing is signed. They are also believed to…

The move for Hawk to take on the Suzuki deal comes after the Halsall Racing squad, which has been Suzuki’s official BSB team for the last two seasons, opted to part company with the Japanese marque at the end of 2016 citing a lack of certainty regarding when the new GSX-R would arrive. Halsall’s initial plans involved securing Yamaha machinery to run 2015 champion Josh Brookes alongside current rider Tommy Bridewell, but the squad have announced that they will withdraw from the British series for 2017. MCN understands team boss Martin Halsall has been considering a switch to compete at next year’s International Road Races, but no such plans have yet been confirmed.…

Ducati man Andrea Dovizioso was pleased to salvage fifth in the 2016 championship standings despite a tough race in Valencia. Unable to carry his strong practice pace through to the race, the Italian was left to cross the line in seventh place while his team-mate celebrated on the podium. “The race was not too good,” he explained. “It was very different from what I expected as my speed in practice was much better. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same stability on the front as I did in practice. I don’t understand why, but we will try to work it out from the data. I don’t think I had a problem with the tyres, just the characteristic of them is like this, if you push a little bit more you can…

‘It was not the best ride of the year, but it was a positive one’SAM LOWES British Moto2 duo Sam Lowes and Danny Kent finished the final race of 2016 on a high, with Lowes ending the year with a solid result after a difficult second half of the season, and Kent turning his year around at the 11th hour. Lowes has struggled since his home race at Silverstone ended in disaster back in September, crashing out alongside title rival Johann Zarco and ending his hopes of becoming the 2016 champion. That run of form continued right throughout the flyaway races, as he completed only four race laps in three outings. But Lowes finally took something positive from the end of the season, by beating Alex Rins in the last…

Valencia marked the end to a challenging season for Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, and it didn’t get any easier for the diminutive Spaniard as he returned from the injuries he sustained in Japan. Crashing out in the early stages of Sunday’s race, Pedrosa finished the year in just sixth place – his worst championship standing in ten years of racing in the premier class. “It’s a shame about the crash,” he said after the race. “I started well and was taking things calmly since I didn’t feel perfectly comfortable with the tyres. Unfortunately, after just a few laps, on the entrance to Turn 2, without pushing, the rear stepped out, and at the same time I also lost the front and couldn’t avoid the crash. I don’t know what went…

‘I’m leaving a great team, but hopefully my next team will also be like that’JORGE LORENZO Jorge Lorenzo signed off an incredible nine seasons with the factory Yamaha squad by taking a stunning race victory in Valencia, having led the race from start to finish to claim the most dominant win of a unique season. Setting up the weekend’s results by dominating not only Sunday’s race but the entire weekend, he walked away with a gentleman’s set of pole position, fastest lap and race win. He admitted after he crossed the finish line that the realisation that he was leaving his home of almost a decade hadn’t yet begun to sink in. “It was an incredible weekend with a perfect first few laps, the pole position, the fastest lap, and…

‘We’ve beaten all the constraints. The V4 is exactly what I wanted’ Simon Skinner is head of design at Norton, and the man from whose brain this stunning new Norton was born. “Getting the geometry of the bike right was a massive challenge, especially as we wanted to make it a 1200,” says Skinner. “It’s a really tricky packaging challenge to get the weight distribution right while using a big V4. From day one we had to get everyone on board to make an engine and package as small as possible. “You have to start with the end game, then work your way back to achieve it. I had to get Ricardo to stick a square peg in a round hole so that we could build a really compact superbike.…

THE FACTS • 54.3bhp • 199kg • Seat height 785mm A year after the launch of the new V9 models, Guzzi have given the pair a small tickle to address early concerns over comfort, and opened up a huge range of accessories. The Roamer now has a slightly different riding position, with the footpegs mounted 100mm further back, and 35mm higher, changing the rider positioning for better control, and creating a little more room for taller riders. The seat is also new, and set at 785mm. Effectively taking over the mantle of the Nevada, Guzzi are pushing the Roamer’s touring capabilities, and have created a mass of GT accessories to make it a continent-crosser – from big screens to luggage racks and panniers. Meanwhile, the Bobber gets the same mods…

Ducati’sScramblersuccess In two years, Ducati’s Scrambler range has sold a total of 29,246 units. This success has allowed the firm to maintain its overall production volume and year to date they have sold 50,012 bikes in 2016, a small increase on their 2015 figures. To the MAX Since the original TMAX was launched in 2001, Yamaha have sold a massive 560,000 TMAX family bikes, of which 230,000 were the larger capacity model. Retrorevival Triumph’s sales grew 14% in 2016, helped mainly by their retro family of bikes increasing their sales volume by 68%! Interestingly, the Speed Triple also saw a 67% boost in sales. Fanticprototypes Fantic displayed two prototypes at the Milan show, with both models set to enter production in varying capacities in 2017. The Caballero bikes will come…

  Minutes ago, the big red Ducati was wafting me in calm comfort to Oulton Park on this crisp, damp morning. But now, with the sun breaking through the clouds, I’m about to find out if this Pikes Peak Multistrada, the most unlikely of track-day bikes, will shine at one of the most breathtaking circuits in the country. Before the morning’s safety briefing and 102dB limit noise testing (the Ducati is no louder than the standard bike, despite its flashy Termignoni can) it’s time to start pre-flight checks. We’ve fitted Metzeler Racetec RR K3 trackday tyres, so my first job is to drop the pressures: 31psi rear, 33psi front. Now, go into the on-board computer menu and customise the ‘Sport’ riding mode: we’ll keep the full fat power, but disable the…

It is often said that Macau was a holiday race until Steve Plater’s back-to-back victories in 2006-7. With no championship points at stake and very little prize money on offer, the November event traditionally marked the end of a long, hard season. Racers often saw it as a chance to let their hair down on the all-expenses-paid trip. But Plater, who made his Macau debut in 2003 as he began a move from British championship racing to the roads, had other ideas. “I wasn’t interested in partying,” said Plater. “I was in Macau to race.” Bouncing his head and shoulders off the yellow walls and Armco barriers, Plater’s double whammy on the AIM Yamaha in ’06 and ’07 shook up the established order. It brought to an end the four-time…

‘You win some, you lose some... by one second’ Well, the Sprint ST deal went through after all. The seller toted it to Metropolis Motorcycles, who indicated where they’d hidden the alarm/immobiliser, fitted the blanking plug (and a new battery), and it runs like a charm. So that’s in the lock-up, awaiting fitment of the new ignition switch, replacement of the cracked panel, and a full cosmetic valet. 24,000 miles, fsh, lots of useful extras, and a full three-piece luggage set, all for £840. I might even keep it for myself. I just missed out on a really, really clean low-miles Kawasaki GPX250. I’ve tipped these before as being astounding value for money as, while the styling is very early-1990s, the engine is basically the same as in the modern…

SUZUKI SV650 £5495 FUEL 13.8 litres @ 55mpg = 167 miles WEIGHT 197kg SEAT 785mm POWER 75bhp TORQUE47ftlb TONY HOARE Experienced rider and former racer who seems to be losing his appetite for going fast HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 95kg ‘I already miss the nippy handling and frugality on fuel’ ‘The slightly springy nature of the SV was shown up on track’ Yoshimura Alpha exhaust £499 With the baffle inserted, the V-twin burble was still better than the standard can. I didn’t dyno-test the bike with the exhaust, but it felt freer when running the unbaffled exhaust. www.performanceparts-ltd.com Suzuki Sports Tuck Roll seat £149 I didn’t have a problem with the standard seat, but I had emails from SV-owning readers who found it uncomfortable, so I tried this…

HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 £5795 FUEL 13.1 litres @ 57.5mpg = 165 miles WEIGHT 223kg SEAT 710mm POWER 52bhp TORQUE 43ftlb ALISON SILCOX Office Manager Riding for 12 years and over 20 as pillion. HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 72kg ‘If you took the Harley badge off it could be a Kymco’DAVE HUGHES As the Street 750 is built in India and is powered by a water-cooled engine, I’m aware the entry-level bike is not true to Harley-Davidson’s roots. I wondered what dyed-in-the-wool Harley lovers would think of it, so I caught up with three of them. All are active members of Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapters and have 25 years of ownership between them so they were well qualified to comment on the Street 750. As we start chatting it becomes…

Zip All the zips are waterproof, and the pockets are easy to reach Patch Hideout patched and resealed a small hole in the knee as part of the alterations Popper Adjustable straps prevent flapping whether you have a woolly jumper or a T-shirt Tester Rupert Paul Time used One year/5000 miles What’s good? One look at the price tells you this suit belongs among the poshest winter protection gear, alongside Halvarsson and Rukka. I hasten to say I didn’t pay for it myself – I got it secondhand and asked Hideout to alter it to suit me (bigger diameter arms, smaller diameter legs) for £140. It’s made from a breathable, Kevlar-weave outer material that repels water, and the seams are sealed after sewing or repairs. The whole thing feels soft…

2016 has been a record-breaking MotoGP season for many reasons – none less so than witnessing an incredible nine riders take race wins. Smashing the previous record for most wins in a season, and bringing satellite bikes back into contention for the first time in a decade, new rules, new tyres and adverse weather conditions all combined to provide the perfect storm. And with Michelin promising to continue their work to provide tyres that work differently for different riders, in essence creating a tyre war within a controlled class, next season could see more of the same! Jorge Lorenzo Championship position: 3rd Wins: Qatar, Le Mans, Mugello, Valencia Best moment: The final round of the season at Valencia is one of the few times this season we’ve seen the Spaniard…

‘I have been counting the days to get on the new Moto2 bike’BRAD BINDER Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder showed his class in the final round at Valencia this weekend as another masterclass saw him fight through to take victory after a technical issue left him 22nd on the opening lap. The Red Bull KTM rider came close to retiring from the race when his bike cut out on the opening lap, but re-joined in 22nd as it appeared to sort itself out. In a race that mirrored the heroics which saw the South African fight from last to first in Jerez, fastest lap after fastest lap saw Binder charge through the pack to be on the back of the leading group with ten laps to go. “I wanted to…

Bradley Smith Qualified: 10th Finished: 9th Bradley Smith was pleased to finish off a forgettable season with a strong result, signing off his six seasons in Moto2 and MotoGP with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad. “It was a tricky race, but I gave my all, and to finish in 9th is quite a positive way to end the season after what we’ve been through. I’d like to give a big thanks to the entire Tech3 team for all their work in the past four years in MotoGP and the two years before that in Moto2. I wish the guys the very best with the new riders for 2017 and I’ll come and say bonjour again in the future.” Scott Redding Qualified: 14th Finished: 14th Valencia saw yet another diffi…

 Valencia marked the end of the beginning for Suzuki as the two riders with whom they made their return to the premier class in 2015 rode their last race on the GSX-RR. ‘We ended with what I believe is the best Suzuki MotoGP bike in history’ALEIX ESPARGARO With young hotshot Maverick Viñales on his way to partner Rossi at Yamaha next year, and Aleix Espargaro moving to Aprilia, Suzuki greeted two new riders in the shape of Andrea Iannone and rookie Alex Rins at the test on Tuesday. While there were no fireworks from Viñales or Espargaro on their Suzuki, swansong with fifth and eighth place respectively, both were full of praise for the Hamamatsu factory as they prepared to hang up their striking blue leathers for the final time.…

‘If he wants to come back to Yamaha, we’d be ready to listen’LIN JARVIS “For me, it was a perfect end to a very successful multi-year programme together, and we couldn’t have ended it in a better way. “Lorenzo is exceptionally skilled and determined and committed, and when he is able to align all of his stars he’s unbeatable – which is what we saw this weekend. From Friday morning to qualifying to the race, there was no doubt in his mind who was going to win. ‘Right, I’m going to get the holeshot and I’m going to win.’ That’s exactly what he did, and every other rider will tell you that when he’s in that mood, he’s untouchable. “We’re here to perform, to win, and to be ultimately successful,…

The Manufacturers Hot metal and maximum temptation APRILIA 3D20, Hall 3 See all the new Aprilias, including their new 900s. ARIEL 2D15, Hall 2 Marvel at the stunning hand-crafted British bikes. BMW 3B20, Hall 3 See the new R nineT Racer, the G310GS and all the rest of their 2017 range. CCM 3C10, Hall 3 Celebrating 45 years of British-built off-roaders. DUCATI 4C10, Hall 4 From Scrambler to Superleggera, Multistrada to Monster, they’re all here. FANTIC 3D20, Hall 3 The beloved brand are back in the UK with a range of Enduro and SM bikes. HARLEY-DAVIDSON 3G15, Hall 3A New Milwaukee-Eight motor mixes mean with clean. HERALD MOTOR CO 4E20, Hall 4 Cambridge-based purveyors of fun, affordable machines. HONDA 3G20, 3H20, 3H15, Hall 3A Don’t miss your chance to see…

‘It’s not hand-built, we are ready to mass-produce carbon frames’BMW’S CHRISTIAN GONSCHOR The concept behind the HP4 Race is to introduce the idea of a main frame and wheels made from carbon-fibre into a production motorcycle,” explains BMW project leader Christian Gonschor at the Milan show, where BMW unveiled their surprise addition to the 2017 line-up. “It is a deeper look at this new technology and also the opportunity to offer customers a very advanced machine that certainly won’t disappoint them.” Somewhat annoyingly, for BMW, the fanfare of the HP4 Race’s debut at the Milan Motorcycle Show was muted by Ducati and its Superleggera, revealed the day before. However, while both of these bikes use carbon-fibre technology, they do it in very different ways. “The technology for the construction of…

‘It sounds a little Heath Robinson, but the OEM bike is also charmingly brilliant’ Customs don’t come much more exclusive than this one-off commissioned by Triumph from UK-based Old Empire Motorcycles and built around the T120 Bonneville. Called, simply, ‘Triumph’, it’s based on a standard T120 Black and the result is glorious. From the one-off, underslung, open pipes; hand-formed, leather sidepanels; 1960s tank; clean and uncluttered handlebars (there’s no switchgear, mirrors, indicators or even clocks) to the exquisite paint, everything about it reeks class and quality. And the idea is for it to inspire buyers to create their own specials - ideally around Triumph’s ever-expanding accessories range. As such you’ll be able to admire it on Triumph’s stand at Motorcycle Live at the NEC. Alec Sharp, OEM’s founder, told MCN…

My mind wanders. I’ve been on a continuous stretch of grey road for a hundred miles, sharing it with car drivers battling tiredness on their boring traffic-heavy commute. I can’t stand it any longer, my mind peels away, and my front wheel follows. I miss the exit for work. I miss the next four, too. Flat tarmac crumbles into gravel, then stone and finally mud before I realise I’m at the foot of a long trail. I whip out the rubber pegs and flick this bad boy into ‘Enduro’ mode. As I stand on the pegs it’s like my helmet is filled with a sudden rush of cold air blended with caffeine. The Scorpion Trail rear tyre flicks left and right, spinning up when mud tickles the tread, traction control…

The Pikes Peak race in Colorado, USA, is 12.4 miles long. Which, let’s face it, is rubbish. Here in Great Britain we’ve a man-sized, 390 mile-long hill climb, rising from the lowest road in the UK at Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire, to its highest, the Cairnwell Pass on the A93 in the Cairngorms, Scotland. So that’s 30 times harder. And, at 8.5 hours, it’s 51 times longer than the Pikes Peak race record time. So, metaphorically at least, up yours, America. On the other hand, the real Pikes Peak rises from 9000ft to over 14,000ft, while Holme Fen is 10ft below sea level and the Cairnwell Pass is just 2200ft above it. So nosebleeds and oxygen starvation won’t be a problem. But bum-ache might be, considering this is going to…

1 The Macau GP track, often called the Guia circuit, is 3.8 miles long. Spectators are not allowed to watch anywhere along its length except from the grandstands at the paddock and Lisboa Bend. 2 The bike race takes place alongside the Formula 3 car race during the four-day Macau event. World champions Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher were both Macau winners. 3 John MacDonald is the only man to win Macau on two and four wheels. The Australian won the bike event once, in 1969, and the car race four times – in 1965, 1972, 1973 and 1975. 4 Michael Rutter is the most successful Macau bike racer with eight victories. The 44-year-old took his first win in 1998 on a Honda RC45, with his latest in 2012 on…

BMW R1200RT £15,875 FUEL 25 litres @ 52.3mpg = 287 miles WEIGHT 274kg SEAT Height 805/825mm POWER 120bhp @ 7500rpm ADAM CHILD Professionally testing bikes for the last 15 years. HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 75kg ‘The grips get so warm you could cook hotdogs, and you can feel the heated seat through thick Cordura’ Touring Scotland in late autumn might sound like madness – far more sensible to hop on a ferry down to Santander, surely? But get some half decent weather and you’re in for an absolute treat, as I discovered heading to the Cairngorms on the RT with my fiancée Sarah along for the ride. Scotland is stunning this time of year; the forests and landscape are bursting with colour and breathtaking in golden beauty. The summer…

DUCATI XDIAVELS £18,395 FUEL 18 litres @ 50mpg = 200 miles WEIGHT 247kg SEAT HEIGHT 755mm POWER 156bhp TORQUE 95ftlb THE RIDEREmma Franklin. 125GP racer with a love of sports and performance. HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 60kg emma.franklin@motorcyclenews.com Maybe it’s the way my brain’s wired, but I can never usually be bothered with the rigmarole of resetting a bike’s clock at the end of British Summer Time. Even though I love to keep an eye on the time as I’m riding to work, I’m usually flummoxed by the need to press and hold buttons to enter menus and submenus, and then I usually balls it up. Even the clock in my car, which I’ve owned for five years, is only right for half a year (incidentally, if anyone knows how…

Richa Drift Waterproof boot £99.99 Sports boot style and protection with warmth and weatherproofing. Featuring a leather construction with a shin protector and toe slider, these are ready for the road or track – whatever the weather. Spada ST1 WP boots £99.99 Sporty boots with a Hipora membrane, to help keep feet dry and sweat free. The leather and synthetic mix outer is reinforced by hard armour at the shin and heel, with replaceable toe sliders. RST Raptor 2 Waterproof boots £59.99 Ideal for keeping out the worst of winter. There’s a coated leather outer with Sinaqua waterproof membrane, with added security courtesy of built-in shin, ankle and heel protection. Spyke Owl WP boots £59.99 Happy buyers of this boot say it really is as comfortable as it looks. Leather…

Andrea Iannone was able to round out the 2016 season with one of his best rides of the year as he beat close friend Valentino Rossi to the podium. In a surprisingly sensible ride, the man they call ‘The Maniac’ used the strengths of his Desmosedici in a race-long duel with both Rossi and Marc Marquez as they grappled for the runner-up spot. Using the Ducati’s power, Iannone could blast past his adversaries down Valencia’s straight, but was also able to pull some aggressive moves to maintain position despite having struggled with cornering all weekend. While Marquez was able to get away, Iannone beat Rossi fair and square to bid farewell to the Italian marque with just his fourth podium of the season. “I am very happy with this last…

‘I’m glad that the season is over... It’s been emotionally up and down all year’CAL CRUTCHLOW Cal Crutchlow has walked away from the final round of the 2016 MotoGP season pleased to finally draw a line under what has been a difficult season for the LCR Honda rider – despite enjoying his best success ever in the premier class with not one but two race wins. While taking the top step of the podium at both Brno and Phillip Island means he enjoyed his best ever results, as well as finishing the year seventh in the championship and as the top satellite rider, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Crutchlow. He failed to score points in five of the season’s opening eight races – and made things worse by crashing…

‘I started to push as if I had nothing to lose and I was catching Jorge’MARC MARQUEZ Marc Marquez missed out on the chance of wrapping up the 2016 season with a victory at Valencia after giving Jorge Lorenzo the inch he needed to take a mile in the opening laps of Sunday’s closing MotoGP race – but he did pull off a cunning move with his tyre choice. With Lorenzo showing rapid pace throughout the weekend, Marquez knew if he was to frustrate his fellow Spaniard he had to be on him in the opening laps, but any hope of that was ended after just metres as a dreadful start saw his front wheel fly skywards. There is no doubt Marquez had the pace to fight for the win,…

While their relationship as team-mates has been acrimonious at best over the past few years, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo took the time on Sunday evening to make something of a reconciliation. Speaking to MCN after the race, Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis says that the move, which came about naturally in the garage, was nice to witness after a hard time managing the pair over the years. “We celebrated at the end of the day and had a team affair in the garage. Jorge won the race, and we celebrated that, his departure, and winning the team prize, which they both participated in winning. “There was a very nice moment in the garage where they were together, not staged at all but just naturally. We were putting together a photo,…

It’s one of the highlights of the year, and a absolute pilgrimage for many of us, as we wrap up warm and head to the NEC for the annual orgy of new metal that is Motorcycle Live. And with such a phenomenally strong influx of new bikes for 2017 – well over 100 new models in total – there’s more to see, stroke, sit on and salivate over than ever before. Maybe even more impressive than the sheer volume of motorcycles is the rampant diversity, and quality, on offer. There isn’t a taste, style or predilection that isn’t catered for amongst the latest crop – and add in the huge amount of exiting bikes that will roll into the new year with just light revisions for Euro4, and it adds…

Show information Opening Times Sat/Sun – 09.00 to 18.00 Mon to Fri – 10.00 to 17.00 The show will be run over nine consecutive days, with live features running every day. Ticket information Advance ticket sales close at midnight on November 18. To book, call 0844 581 2345 or see www.motorcyclelive.co.uk. In advance: • Adults £19.50• Child (11-16) £1.00• Senior (65+) £12.00• Under-10s go free with a paying adult – no ticket needed• Includes entry to FMX Live On the door: • Adults £25.00• Child (11-16) £1.00• Senior (65+) £15.00• Under-10s go free with a paying adult – no ticket needed• Includes entry to FMX Live• Bike parking is free, subject to availability. Car parking: £12 MCN MCN 4C21, Hall 4 Come and meet the team, grab a goodie bag, and all the latest, best-informed, bike news from the world’s largest…

Donington Park will play host to Endurance Legends on May 6-7. It’s a weekend-long celebration of 70s and 80s endurance racing and will feature classic bike displays, parades, trackday sessions for superbikes, middleweights, 250s, 400s and novices. The program includes sprint racing and the main event: the 4-Hour Classic Race Endurance Race for 1986 and older machines. Classes include F1 Classic (750cc-1300cc), F1 Superbike (750cc-1300cc) and Formula 2 (247cc to 749cc). See www.endurancelegends.co.uk for more details and information on how to enter the parades, trackday sessions and races.…