Table of contents for 26 April 2017 in MCN

H2 is miles faster Rickey Gadson has set a new world speed record for a standing start mile on a Kawasaki H2 at the Texas Mile. Gadson achieved a top speed of 229.1mph after making considerable changes to the bike resulting in 323bhp at the rear wheel. Cornish safety Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service have started a new campaign to promote motorcycle safety. The CFRS will attend biker meetings across the county offering advice on riding safely. They are also training people on what to do if they come across a motorcyclist who has had an accident. Norton get £3m Norton owner Stuart Garner has announced that they have received a £3million cash injection from Santander. Norton will use the money to scale up production and hire 40 more staff,…

A turbocharger is a mechanical device that uses an engine’s exhaust gases to compress ambient air before forcing it back into the motor via the intake. A turbo contains two fans with one located in the engine’s exhaust system and the other to a fresh air supply. The high velocity exhaust gases spin the first fan (turbine), which in turn rotates the second fan (compressor) via a shaft. This second fan sucks in and compresses ambient air, creating charged air, which is denser than ambient air and therefore contains more oxygen. This is then forced into the engine (ideally via a charge cooler or intercooler to reduce its temperature), improving the efficiency of the burn and increasing the motor’s power output. Amazingly, a turbo can rotate at over 240,000rpm!…

As of last Monday (April 24) the speeding fine system has changed and could result in an offender paying up to 150% of their weekly wage as a fine. There are now three bands (A, B and C) that correspond to different speeds. Getting caught at 31-40mph in a 30mph zone would be a B or an A offence, netting a 50% fine, meaning someone on the UK average salary would get a £200 fine. Getting caught at over 51mph in a 30mph would be a Band C offence, boosting the fine to around £600. These guidelines only apply in court, Fixed Penalty Notices remain unchanged.…

BILTWELL LANE SPLITTER £220 The Lane Splitter is Biltwell’s first EU-approved helmet, despite the prevalence of their Gringo already over here. The highlight is the beautifully stitched, quilted interior. Our pick is Blood Red. www.biltwellinc.com BUILT ISSUE 5 £4.99 Issue 5 sees the Built chaps head to Paris to see Bad Winners, Blitz and T birds as well as JPD Cycles in the USA and a revisit to the guys at OEM to check out their latest build, simply named “Triumph”. www.builtmag.co.uk…

Buying something new is lovely. You get the box-fresh feel and stuff even smells new. But, of course, you pay handsomely for that privilege. Buy a two-year-old Panigale 1299 and you’ll save up to £4k on what it cost new. And it’s still fast and lovely – assuming it’s been well looked after. If it hasn’t, you’ll pay even less. The further back you go, the less you’ll pay. Generally, the further back you go, the greater the gamble. But scrolling through some bikes on mcnbikesforsale.com it’s tempting to take that gamble. MCN’s Ped Baker has just bought a 2002 FireBlade for £3.5k (see page 44) and seeing it in the flesh really hammers home just what a wonderful hunk of metal it is for not very much money. Nothing…

KAWASAKI KX80 Found this pic in the loft – my first motocrosser, a 1989 KX80. Dave Parker TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE My first bike – a 650 Bonneville. Photo taken in 1975 and I’m still riding all over the world on a KTM. Paul Owen SINNIS APACHE 125 My son Josh is 17 in May – so we’ve got him his first bike. Nick Bolland YAMAHA DT125 Back in 1984 on my Yamaha. Ian Small KAWASAKI KH100 Here’s me on my Kawasaki in October 1978. I passed my test on it and bought a Z400 next. Chris Holding HONDA CL350 SCRAMBLER My 1970 Honda scrambler at Ypsilanti, Michigan, when I was 17! Mike Hannah…

‘What is it about scooters that UK commuters don’t understand?’ What is it about scooters that UK commuters don’t understand? Take Yamaha’s new X-MAX 300 as an example. For just £65 a month on PCP you can have one of these A2-legal maxi-scooters and basically kiss goodbye to your public transport woes, not to mention save a stack of cash in the process. How does that not make sense? And if you are yet to be converted to two-wheels and are worried about safety, the X-MAX even helps quash this fear. Alongside ABS, Yamaha’s new 292cc single cylinder maxi-scooter comes with traction control as standard which, although a little unnecessary on a 27.6bhp twist-and-go, is still reassuring when it starts to rain. Add to this keyless ignition and disc brakes…

If you’re looking for a fast retro with great styling, unflappable track prowess and a voracious appetite for long sweepers, the new BMW R nineT Racer is it. But you pay heavily for all this goodness with a brutal riding position. The Triumph continues to be class-leading. It’s not as quick as the BMW, nor as stable, but it’s smooth, comfortable, fun, pretty, involving and a joy to ride on the road and track.…

FACTFILE How to ride it Leaving the A1 Northbound, go right on the B1340 to begin your loop. When to ride Warmer months. Where to eat The Copper Kettle, Bamburgh. The scones are superb and you don’t have to venture far off the route to find it. Northumberland is all about the scenery. Instead of hacking through it on the tedious A1, divert east and take in the coastal route up to Bamburgh, where the coastal castle dominates the landscape. It gets busy with tourists at peak times, and it’s not a scamper-fest but more a chilled-out, salty-aired cruise along the coast as you fill your lungs with the fresh stuff as an antidote to all that grimy main-road pollution. Places like Seahouses offer a more interesting backdrop than anything…

‘Chilly tracks offer less grip and can wreck your tyres’ RIDING EXPERT Michael Neeves MCN Senior Road Tester and Elite instructor at the Honda Ron Haslam Race School Trackday season is upon us. Now’s the time to blow out those cobwebs on your favourite circuit, but for the next few months at least, until it’s properly summer, you’re going to be riding on cold tarmac. Keep your hands working A cold rider is a distracted one and your hands take the biggest cold weather beating. There are lots of racing-style gloves available now that will keep you warm and give you excellent feel and protection on track. Wear thermal undersuits with a thin vest underneath, a neck warmer and even a balaclava to keep cold windblast at bay. And if…

Q Can cops go after this car door idiot? As I was passing between two lines of stationary traffic a passenger in a car in the outside lane opened his door and knocked me off my bike. I have a fractured clavicle and minor nerve damage to my shoulder. I am seeking compensation from the passenger, and I want the police to prosecute but they refuse – can their decision be overturned? Archie Murray, email A Clearly the passenger was negligent in not looking to see that it was safe to get out of the car. However, rather than the passenger it is actually the driver of the car that is responsible for his or her passengers’ actions and therefore it is the insurer of the car that should be…

There’s little doubt that attractive finance packages have changed the way we view buying new bikes. Walk through a dealer’s showroom and you’ll see that new bikes no longer have just their full RRP emblazoned on their price tags, but also an enticing-looking monthly payment. It could be as low as £60 or as high as £250, those monthly payments depend on a number of things: the bike’s price, the interest rate and, chiefly, how much you put down as a deposit. Experts say you should put down 25% of the total on-the-road price in order to secure some equity with the bike for you to use as a deposit on a future PCP deal. However, if you’re not 100% certain what option you’ll take at the end of the…

Top Bobber Hinckley’s new Bonneville Bobber has become the firm’s best-selling new model ever in the US and Canada. Trans-Atlantic owners have snapped up the 1200cc factory custom in the few months since its launch to help Triumph to a 15% increase in overall sales during the first quarter of this year. Dealer thinks big Loughborough’s Redline Motorcycles got 2017 off to a flying start with the opening of their new showroom. Dealer Principal Tim Walker revealed their new double-sized premises, which stocks off-road Hondas and Yamahas, as well as used machines and KTM’s full range. See www.ktm4u.co.uk Get retro with Pel The new Turcano Urbano Pel jacket has just been launched. Available in both mens’ and womens’ cuts and sizes, the Pel (and Pellett for ladies) is made from…

Ironically, the original Gold Wing was supposed to be a flat six, but Honda bottled out and made it a flat four, only tacking on the additional cylinders in 1988. The Valkyrie – or F6C – is a rare sight in Britain. Essentially, it’s a naked Wing: the flat-six engine is housed in a cruiser-type chassis, with a gorgeous curvaceous fuel tank, fat seat, pullback bars, chrome and the rest. The 1500 Wing is an imposing sight, but the Valkyrie lets everyone see that fabulous engine, which is otherwise hidden by the acres of Wing bodywork. It shouldn’t work as a cruiser, but Honda did the job properly, and it does. We first got the Valkyrie in late 1996, and it’s always been a slow seller. It has always been…

 “It’s a nice adventure bike and it did well. To be honest, in recent years the most popular Guzzi models have been the smaller-engined stuff, the V7 and the new V9. But in days and years gone by it was things like the Griso and the Sport 1200 that were popular, and the Stelvio was similar. ‘They don’t have many problems, the engine is strong and it’s got shaft drive’ “It’s a good bike. Not as big a seller as a Multistrada or KTM Adventure, for example, but a good bike. They’re very nice things and good to ride, too, especially the later ones. “Mechanically the only thing to look out for was an early recall on the engine around 2009 for a problem with the cams and tappets which…

Bouncing Byrne Shane Byrne bounced back from his race two crash at Brands to round out the test second quickest despite not being 100% happy with his setup. Oulton Park proved a difficult circuit for the champion last year where he had a 9th, DNF and 5th. Mossey happy Double winner at Brands, Luke Mossey was happy with Thursday’s test despite lapping almost a second slower than his team-mate. Stating he’d found a good set-up for next week’s race, he felt he didn’t get a clear lap in the final session with Superstock bikes also out on track with the BSB riders. Sylvain is slow Bennetts Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli was just 14th at last week’s test as the team work through electronic and chassis issues. He also had to re-acclimatise…

At 5.34 miles the Tandragee 100 circuit is the longest of the Irish National circuits. The Co Armagh course was first used in 1958 and with 20 wins, Ryan Farquhar holds the record for the most number of victories while Michael Dunlop’s lap record of 109.297mph, set on a Kawasaki, has stood since 2011. But events like Tandragee are under threat with the number of National events dropping from a dozen to just seven this year. Run in small, out-of-the-way places, there are three National events in the North – Tandragee, Cookstown and Armoy– plus four in the South – Skerries, Walderstown, Faugheen and Killalane. They continue to exist albeit struggling under the pressures of rising insurance costs and falling revenues.…

 Marc Marquez put Maverick Viñales firmly in his place on Sunday by showing just why he is the King of Texas. His emphatic win extended his unbeaten record on US soil to an incredible nine victories and closes the championship points gap to Viñales in the process. ‘This is possibly the most important race victory I have had here’MARC MARQUEZ Coming into the weekend with unprecedented pressure to take the fight to his fellow Spaniard after two straight defeats in Qatar and Argentina, the reigning world champion did not come up short. Marquez managed to stay calm, despite a series of crashes and a serious challenge from Viñales throughout practice and qualifying. He admitted to MCN that he had to adapt to the situation and not crumble as his Spanish…

Short-track racing is a fast growing sport with an über cool vibe. The Dirt Track Racing Association hold events across the UK and the Carole Nash MCN Festival hosts an entire round of the DTRA championships in the Maxxis Arena. Back for 2017 is the Hooligan miniseries; 750cc machines with stock frames and road legal tyres. It’s an epic sight and the first round of the year takes place at the Festival. Watch out for Chris Walker who’ll be taking part in the Hooligan racing on an MCN-prepped Harley Street 750 (see page 46 ).…

Rossi’s race wasn’t completely without drama on Sunday, after an incident between him and fellow Yamaha rider Johann Zarco left the pair in a feisty war of words after the race. Making an admittedly aggressive overtaking attempt on the factory rider at turn three in the early stages of the race, rookie Zarco forced Rossi to sit up and run across the tarmac run-off area – a move that the Italian was quick to attack after the race. “He is always very fast and he rides the bike very well – he has great potential. But this is not Moto2, and if you want to overtake then you need to do it in another way. For me he has to stay a little more quiet!” However, never one to be…

NAME THE RIDERS 1 Who are the top-three from this British Supercup round in 1995 WHAT IS THIS? 2 Name this almost-mythical superbike spotted in testing WHAT’S IT MEAN? 3 So What does the strange ATAC acronym mean on Honda’s GP-replica NS400R? WHO IS IT? 4 Do you think this actor Obi-Wan his Ducati trackday? WHAT YEAR? 5 The Honda CR500 is a dirtbike icon. When was it first introduced? WHO’S THIS BLOKE? 6 He won a 250 production TT and used to be MCN’s road tester and Grand Prix reporter. Who is he? WHAT’S THE CAPACITY? 7 What is the displacment of this naughty Honda? WHAT IS THIS BIKE? 8 The world lusted after this bike’s stunning one-piece bodywork, but just what is it? WHERE IS THIS? 9 Which…

‘I found a straight bit of road and went for it’ MATTHEW PINSENT Most game-changing motorcycles are wonders of technology or performance – or both. Machines such as the first race-replica GSX-R or mould-breaking superbikes like the GPz900R or first FireBlade. If not, they’re usually clever new concepts like the Ducati Monster or Honda GoldWing. But Suzuki’s brilliant Bandit was none of these – it was quite the opposite. As a four-cylinder roadster the Bandit was utterly conventional. Thanks to having a familiar layout and proven components, it was versatile, practical and fun. But, best of all, with the 600 being £3999 new when supersports were nudging six grand, it was phenomenal value. So much so, that the Bandit 600 became the first big bike for a whole generation. Olympic…

Q. How does one piston make a claimed 70bhp? A. 21 years of work – and a factory that loves singles THE EXPERT Sebastian Faistauer Sebastian is head of engineering for KTM’s LC4 project, which developed the two road versions of the world’s most powerful production single: the £7000 Duke 690 and the £9000 690R “The Duke originated in 1994, and it has become a cult bike. We have sold more than 68,000 LC4s, most of them Dukes of one sort or another. Today’s bikes are our fifth generation, and the second major update on the 690 engine introduced in 2008. We now have 300 R&D engineers in our factory at Mattighofen. It’s the only way a bike this sophisticated can come to market. Of 33,000 hours spent developing the…

Deposit towards PCP: 2017 Ducati 1299 Panigale S, £229 per month for three years after £4911 deposit or... Deposit working harder: One payment of £6200 for this 2009 Ducati 1098 with Termi exhaust and 16k miles Deposit towards PCP: 2017 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, £119 per month for three years after £4139 deposit or... Deposit working harder: One payment of £4500 for this 2002 Honda VTR1000 SP1 with 35,000 miles on the clock Deposit towards PCP: 2017 Aprilia RSV4 RF, £249 per month for three years after £5000 deposit or... Deposit working harder: One payment of £4700 for this 2002 Aprilia RSV1000R Factory showing 9000 miles on the clock could land you a lovely bike…

 Personal Contract Purchase now finances 20-30% of all new bikes sold in the UK, and it’s a method of ownership that is growing fast. But it might not be right for you, so make sure you understand the ins and outs. ‘Get yourself a new bike for less’ You can have these new bikes for less than you might have ever imagined – and what’s more you can have another new one in three years’ time, probably without increasing your monthly outlay or having to find a fresh deposit. This is how it works… • Work out what you can afford as a deposit and in monthly repayments for the duration of the contract. • You can get PCP on any amount from £1500 upwards. • Choose your new motorcycle…

‘To go to Oulton and lap under the record shows that Brands was a blip’LEON HASLAM ROUND 3 OULTON PARK APRIL 29-MAY 1 Length: 2.692 miles Corners: 12 2016 podium: R1: Haslam, Ellison, Hickman R2: Haslam, Ellison, Linfoot R3: Haslam, Mossey, Bridewell Lap Record: 1’34.483 (Josh Brookes, Yamaha, 2015) Leon Haslam is confident of returning to the top step of the podium as the third round of the 2017 MCE British Super-bike Championship gets underway at Oulton Park this bank holiday weekend after lapping under the lap record at last week’s official test. Beaten by younger team-mate Luke Mossey in both races at Brands Hatch two weeks ago, Haslam is determined to fight back at a circuit at which he took a hat-trick of wins when the series last…

‘If you are happy in a team you can get the most out of it and I’m happy now’DEREK SHEILS Guy Martin may have ended up on his backside but for reigning Irish superbike champion Derek Sheils it was business as usual at the Co Armagh meeting. The Dublin man won the big bikes road championship on the Burrows Suzuki last season, and he began the defence of his title with an emphatic win on Saturday. “Tandragee was my first race when I went road racing for the first time in 2007,” the 33-year-old explained. “I had a couple of second place finishes here last year, so it is great to start the year with a win.” Sheils led the Open Superbike race at Tandragee from start to finish, eventually…

Paul Cranston was riding in his 39th Tandragee 100 meeting on Saturday. At 58, the Dungannon man has become the patriarch of the Irish road racing paddock – and he is adamant there’s no stopping him. “Con Law, Conor McGinn and Joey Dunlop were in the race that first year I came here,” he recalls. “Joey had broken his collarbone at Aghadowey a week or two before and he was all strapped up.” Cranston has raced against all of the greats of the sport in Ireland over the past four decades. Perhaps his greatest claim to fame was his victory in the 500cc race on a Yamaha at the 1982 Ulster Grand Prix. He can still spin great tales about encounters with Ray McCullough, Joey and Robert Dunlop, William and…

SCOTT REDDING Started: 10th Finished: 12th The US Grand Prix saw a difficult end to a promising weekend for Scott Redding, as tyre life issues once again plagued him in the race, meaning that he was unable to do anything more than come home safety outside the top ten, especially after a mysterious shoulder injury left him struggling. ‘Smith looked set to take points but it wasn’t to be’ BRADLEY SMITH Started: 18th Finished: 16th Smith looked set to take points on the Red Bull KTM for the second weekend in a row in Texas, but that wasn’t to be. Running in fifteenth but unable to keep Alvaro Bautista behind him after he crashed and remounted, in the end Smith says that at least the information they gathered was useful.…

 Former Moto3 world champion Danny Kent has been left without a ride in the Moto2 class, after walking away from the Kiefer Racing squad that took him to title glory before Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas. ‘I know the repercussions from this decision are big’DANNY KENT Initially claiming a back injury as he bought himself time to discuss his future with the squad, Kent then announced that he would be parting ways with them – a decision that he told MCN afterwards was a consequence of poor result after poor result since he stepped up into the middleweight class with the German team. “It’s been a long 15 months with hardly any decent results to show. Last year me and Miguel Olivera were pretty similar in results,…

 Maverick Viñales walked away from the American Grand Prix unconcerned by crashing out of contention for the race win. A strong weekend’s performance up to the second-lap crash has left the Movistar Yamaha rider confident that when the 2017 MotoGP championship returns to Europe, he can be just as strong as he was in the opening rounds. ‘Marc and I could have fought together but I am still ahead in the championship’MAVERICK VIÑALES The Spaniard’s weekend had been going well, as he became the first person in five seasons able to take the fight to Marc Marquez. It’s a track that Marquez has made his own since taking his first MotoGP win back in 2013. Viñales is adamant that if things had gone his way, he’d have been able to…

Dani Pedrosa was another Honda rider bouncing back on Sunday. Coming from an uncharacteristic crash last time out in Argentina and a fall during practice in Texas the Spaniard took his first podium finish since he won the Misano Grand Prix last September. A dark horse all weekend and tipped by a number of his rivals to be a likely podium contender come the race, Pedrosa looked strong as he diced with his team-mate at the front for the first half of the race. He ultimately got caught out by tyre life and was unable to fend off Marquez and Valentino Rossi. He said: “Overall it was a good weekend, because although some things could still be better, we’re happy overall. I got a clean start, finally, because qualifying on…

2017 Valentino Rossi 56 Maverick Viñales 50 Marc Marquez 38 Champion: Place your bets 2016 Marc Marquez 66 Jorge Lorenzo 45 Valentino Rossi 33 Champion: Marc Marquez 2015 Valentino Rossi 66 Andrea Dovizioso 60 Andrea Iannone 40 Champion: Jorge Lorenzo 2014 Marc Marquez 75 Dani Pedrosa 56 Valentino Rossi 41 Champion: Marc Marquez 2013 Marc Marquez 61 Dani Pedrosa 58 Jorge Lorenzo 57 Champion: Marc Marquez…

Spada Peace Dog jacket £279.99 What’s good Distinctive and practical, the Peace Dog is a retro jacket with a unique tumbled sheep hide construction. The soft leather outer is underpinned with CE Level-1 armour at the shoulders and elbows, and there’s a removable thermal lining beneath. What’s not A pukka CEapproved back protector replacement for the foam insert costs £30 extra. www.spadaclothing.co.uk Powerbronze hugger for 2017 Fireblade from £95 What’s good Beautifully made in Britain, this freshly developed Powerbronze hugger offers lucky owners of the brand new Blade a lot more protection over the stock item – helping to keep road muck away from the Blade’s shock. What’s not Choosing which colour to have: black/gold, black/ silver, carbon-look/gold, carbon-look/silver, matt or white! www.powerbronze.co.uk Twiins FF2 hands-free comms system £79.99 What’s…

Harley stumble Harley-Davidson have announced a 25% drop in profits in the first quarter of 2017, compared to 2016. The firm has suffered a 5.7% drop in sales in the US, leading to them holding shipments of new models. European sales remain relatively stable. Sex with Suzi A man has appeared in Folkestone Magistrates Court charged with exposing himself and attempting ‘sexual manoeuvres’ with a Suzuki motorcycle. The man was allegedly drunk and remembers dropping his trousers, but says he has no recollection of the act itself. Dainese hat-trick Dainese have scooped three wins at the Red Dot design awards for their protective products. Selected from over 5500 products, Dainese won awards for the Mugello R D-Air race suit, the AGV Pista GP R helmet and the latest Pro-Armour inserts.…

One of the only downsides to gorgeous custom motorcycles is that they are often one-offs. By the time you’ve seen it on these pages or online, it’s making its way into its owner’s hands never to find a home in your garage.Baak Motorcycles, custom builders from Lyon, France, think that this should change. This V7 Scrambler is built from a Moto Guzzi V7 base bike that they modify to give it a stylish dual-sport twist. One of the most striking elements of the bike is custom high-line exhaust made in-house by BAAK that is said to sound as good as it looks. The front-end is cleaned up considerably by a Bates headlight and mini speedo, mini-indicators and a cropped stainless front mudguard. To suit the scrambler name, the V7 is…

‘My favourite tool is a swimsuit and a pair of goggles!’ Q1. What are you riding? Since it was first produced in 2001, I’ve had a different T-Max every year. I feel so good with it – it’s the only love story in my life that’s never stopped and one that I think never will. Q2. Which living motorcyclist do you most admire? In MotoGP Marc Marquez has impressed me since he joined in 125s. What he did in Moto2 was unreal: starting from last and winning races, winning the world championship as a rookie, and 10 out of 10 rounds. They’re incredible achievements. I love watching him ride. He’s a great ambassador too, because he’s always happy and smiling. Q3. What’s your worst riding habit? Riding too fast. The…

‘It has a 17in front, and fat, sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres’ Hot on the heels of the new Desert Sled off-roader, this is the latest addition to Ducati’s Scrambler range: the £9305 Scrambler Café Racer. It makes for a six-strong line-up for 2017: Café Racer, Desert Sled, Full Throttle, Classic, Icon and the A2 licence-friendly Sixty2. Just like its brothers and sisters – excluding the Sixty2 – the Café Racer boasts a 75bhp, 803cc, air-cooled, L-twin. Ducati haven’t conceived it to be a rival to the sharp-toothed Triumph Thruxton R or a wild BMW R nineT. It’s less about blasting around the block before the record on the café jukebox finishes and more about listening to the whole album and enjoying the ride. Here at its world launch…

The riders Michael Neeves Age 47 Height 6ft CV MCN Senior Road Tester. Unmodified classic with virtually all working parts Paul Cooper Age 42 Height 5ft 8in CV MCN Guest Road Tester. BMW technician. Owns a Triumph Daytona 675 track tool R nineT Racer is wolf in a 1970s sheepskin coat BMW R NINET RACER S £11,360 110bhp • 220kg wet Inspired by the iconic 1970s BMW R90S and Roland Sands Concept 90, R nineT-based Racer has an Imola-style fairing, clip-ons, rear-sets and a stubby seat unit. TRIUMPH THRUXTON R £12,000 96bhp • 203kg (dry) MCN Award-winning Thruxton has it all: great looks, build quality, a soul-stirring and rider aids. This R model has Öhlins twin shocks, Showa BPF Forks and Brembos. You can guess the general size of your…

A WHOLE NEW CLASS Budget but fun four-cylinder roadsters didn’t really exist before the Bandit. Suddenly we had the Fazer, Hornet and more… RENTHALS Previously, the preserve of hardcore dirt bikes. With the Bandit Renthal bars became an official accessory. OUTRAGEOUS FUN Few bikes did so much for so little. No wonder, then, it also proved so popular. EASY STREETFIGHTER Before the big Suzuki, those wanting a Streetfighter had to butcher a GSX-R. With the Bandit 12 it came ready-made……

‘River and road slowly converge as the valley levels out then rises again’ FACTFILE Where to stay The King’s Head on Market Square has secure parking. Where to eat West End Café, Llandovery How to ride it Llandovery, Llandwrtyd Wells, Tregaron, Lampeter, Llandovery. On the northwest border of the Brecon Beacons National Park lies the Welsh market town of Llandovery, a popular meeting place for riders and a great base from which to explore some truly amazing roads; from twisty mountain passes to unpaved forest fire trails, there’s something different in every direction. This brilliant ride will take in many of the delights that a purely tarmac-based route through mid-Wales can offer. Fuel stops will be few and far between, so top up before heading off at the only petrol…

1 The Ox and Plough, Old Buckenham, Norfolk. 07887 691722 2 Glen Cafe, St Mary’s Loch, Yarrow, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, TD7 5LH. 01750 42241 3 Whiteways Cafe, Bury Hill, Arundel, West Sussex. www.whitewayscafe.com 4 The Bushe Cafe, Blackbushe Airport, Camberley GU17 9LQ www.thebushecafe.co.uk 5 Hungry Hogs at Hillside Cafe, A47, Belton, Rutland. LE159AB Search Hungry Hogs on Facebook for more GET YOUR MEET ON THE MAP If you have a bike-friendly cafe venue and want to get your meet on the map email: samwilliams@motorcyclenews.co.uk…

‘The Eva whirred down the runway like a futuristic jet fighter’ ENERGICA EVA Price £27,999 Fuel n/a Weight 296kg Seat 795mm Power 75kW/95bhp Torque 125ftlb EMMA FRANKLIN 125GP racer with a love of sports and performance Height 5ft 7in Weight 60kg emma.franklin@motorcyclenews.com Before we get stuck into a summer of commuting and touring on our electric streetfighter, we decided it would be a good idea to test the outright performance of the Energica Eva against what its Italian manufacturers claim. The 11kW produced by the Eva’s Permanent Magnet oil-cooled AC motor equates to around 95bhp, which puts it into a similar horsepower category as a naked middleweight like a Honda CB650F. However, with 125ftlb of torque the Eva has the engine pick-up of bikes like Ducati’s Panigale and Triumph’s Rocket…

Less is more Engines don’t get more powerful by magic. It comes from reducing inefficiencies: making valves lighter, cutting rotating mass, reducing friction, and so on. We worked on making moving parts lighter – for example, using special steel for the exhaust valve rocker, and changing roller bearings in the conrod for plain ones. Fewer vibes The lower balancing shaft works against the oscillating masses of the crankshaft and big end. But that also creates momentum, and so a force. The upper balancer works against this force. There was a lot of brain work on this because of the leverage: if the balancer is a bigger distance from the crankshaft, its weight is less; shorter distance, more weight. And it must rotate at the same speed as the crankshaft. We…

My Kawasaki ER5 was quickly flipped for a £70 profit. You may remember I hooked the battery up to a car battery, and it turned, chuffed... then stopped. I switched the fuel tap to prime and petrol poured out of the air intake and it hydraulic locked. I doubt it did any damage as it was turning very slowly, and I shoved it back into the lock-up for a day when I could strip and clean the carbs. Anyway, somebody wanted it as a project so away it went. I’m quite pleased, actually, because I only spent half-an-hour trying to get it to go, and nothing whatsoever on parts, so it’s someone else’s problem now and if it turns out to have a damaged engine, there’s money to be made…

2008-2011 Moto Guzzi Stelvio Colours Red, white or black Dealer £4750 Private good £4800 Private average £4400 This one 2008 model featuring colour-matched panniers. 22,000 miles. Dealer sale, £4490 2009-2011 Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX Colours Red, green or grey Dealer £8000 Private good £7800 Private average £7500 This one 2010 model with colour-matched black panniers and 6173 miles. Dealer sale, £7899 2011-2016 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 8v Colours Black, white, orange or blue Dealer £7500 Private good £7200 Private average £6500 This one 2011 model in black showing 20,000 miles, £6995 2011-2016 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 8v Colours Black, white, orange, blue Dealer £7500 Private good £7200 Private average £6500 This one One owner, 8694 miles. Fully-loaded with extras: spotlights, heated grips. £6499 Insurance MCN COMPARE Sample MCNCompare.com quotes for £5000 used…

Sam Sunderland has extended his lead in the FIM Cross Country Championship with another commanding win the second round in Qatar. The 27-year-old Brit combined his undisputed pace along with strong race strategy to secure victory in the five-day event. The factory KTM riding Brit and 2017 Dakar winner spoke to MCN after the race. He said: “It wasn’t an easy race with a lot of navigation. I started the final day in first and expected to lose a lot of time, but in the end I didn’t lose as much as I expected. At the fuel stop I was still in second on the times on the stage and no-one actually physically passed me.” Sunderland now enjoys an eight-point lead in the world championship standings ahead of last year’s…

 There was no fairytale racing comeback for Guy Martin at last weekend’s Tandragee 100. Returning to the roads for the first time since a huge crash at the Ulster Grand Prix in August 2015, the Lincolnshire ace crashed out of the Open race on the first lap of the Northern Irish event on Saturday. ‘I got run into the hedge by another rider going into the corner’GUY MARTIN “It was just a minor excursion,” the 35-year-old laughed as he walked away unharmed after what was his third crash since his return to action. The Tandragee tangle, in which he also brought down local rider Paul Jordan at Marlacoo corner, followed hard on the heels of his Mugen Shinden crash during a recent Japanese trip to test the electric bike and…

 Cal Crutchlow came away from the third round of the 2017 MotoGP season in Austin with mixed feelings after securing an impressive fourth place, but disappointed to have missed out on his second podium of the year. ‘I could have made it to third, but I left it too late getting past Zarco’CAL CRUTCHLOW The double MotoGP race winner looked strong throughout the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas as he made himself a regular feature inside the top five – but a crash that left him starting from ninth on the grid instead of a predicted front row meant he had just too big a mountain to climb come the opening laps of Sunday’s race. He said: “I’m happy enough with the race but disappointed to not have…

Join the champions Tickets for this year’s Day of Champions event at the British GP are now on sale, giving fans the chance see the stars of MotoGP while raising money for charity. You can buy your tickets for the full day of activities on the Thursday before the Silverstone race at www.silverstone.co.uk A Reale chance The Reale Avintia Ducati squad announced a major coup at the weekend, extending their deal with the Italian manufacturer for another season and securing the brace of GP17 machines currently being used by Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso for Hector Barbera and Loris Baz next year. No American race? With the contract at the Circuit of the Americas expiring with Sunday’s race, MotoGP currently has no round confirmed in America for 2018. The Texan…

 Sunday gave us the MotoGP race that we’d all hoped we’d get – almost! The race was always going to be an important one, especially for Marc Marquez as he looked to get his title aspirations back on track after a difficult start to the season. ‘Marquez, Viñales clash will happen’SIMON PATTERSON, MCN But the 24-year-old was able to show just why he’s a three-time world champion, by taking a stunning win that you have to think would have happened even if Maverick Viñales had been in the mix. And while the Movistar Yamaha’s fall from contention wasn’t something anyone was hoping for, it means that the championship battle is wide open again – even if the fall seems to have had very little effect in denting the awesome self-belief…

Camping is a great way to experience all that the Festival has to offer. Not only can campers watch the Saturday night speedway racing for free* but they also gain early access into the show – giving them the opportunity to be the first to sign up for test rides, plus access to retail zone to bag an early bargain. There’s also great evening entertainment for those who stay all weekend – Yamaha will be hosting the MT Dark Side Party on both Friday and Saturday evening with plenty of live music and real ale to get the party going.…