Table of contents for 13 December 2017 in MCN

Piece of history A set of leathers has appeared for sale on eBay with a price tag of £10,000 as the seller claims they once belonged to Kevin Schwantz. The seller says the Lucky Strike Suzuki outfit was worn by Schwantz at the Brit GP at Donington in 1993. Nothing is safe Thieves have stolen a Monster Energy Honda CRF450 Rally bike ahead of its departure to the Dakar rally in South America. The crooks broke into a lorry at the port of Le Havre, France, from where the vehicles are shipped. Police are appealing for witnesses. Yamaha unfazed Yamaha will show a brand new Fazer R at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, in January although it’s not what you might imagine. The Fazer R is a new unmanned…

Have you ever found yourself idly stroking your expertly waxed beard wishing that there was somewhere you could get a fix of custom machinery and sit with a craft beer? Maybe you’re taking a break from the Bike Shed and fancy going (a lot) further afield. Well, BMW have you covered with the new House of Machines store. Opening its doors on November 29 and located in the Arts District of Los Angeles, the store caters for both machine and coffee addicts. It even has its own fashion label with its own limited-edition range of clothing. The workshop is the place where the magic happens. There are in-house motorcycle craftsman on hand building bespoke machinery and if you fancy there will also be regular live music events too. The new…

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Based around the Sportster, the Forty-Eight is one of Harley’s best selling models and is powered by an air-cooled 1202cc V-twin. It sounds and looks the part, but the 7.9-litre tank is annoying. • Power 60bhp • Torque 70.8ftlb • Weight 252kg Harley-Davidson Fat Bob The Fat Bob is designed to look like a zombie apocalypse survival bike. Part bobber, part naked bike, the Fat Bob is powered by the excellent Milwaukee-Eight motor in either 107 or 114 guise and uses the new Softail platform. • Price £14,295 • Power 74bhp • Torque 107ftlb • Weight 306kg Indian Scout Bobber A clever mix of old-school styling and modern performance, the Indian is beautifully built and its 1133cc V-twin is an absolute peach. The only downside is the suspension,…

‘Marc uses his knee, shoulder and elbow’ “Marquez’s whole style is about preempting losing the front, partly because the front-end grip of the Michelin rubber is still less than the Bridgestones. The way he sits on the bike helps cope with any front-end loss. It is all to do with how far he positions himself on the inside of the bike. There are a couple of reasons for this – the first is that it reduces the lean angle for a given speed, the other is that it is easier to react to the slide as you’re already closer to the ground which lets you react quicker and use your body as a lever to help regain traction. It’s much harder or impossible if you’re in line with the bike…

Learn the skill Find an open space and try and ride in circles at slow speed with the bike almost on full lock using the clutch and throttle to control your speed. Also, try riding up a hill as slowly as possible using the clutch to control your speed. As well as completing ten Dakars, Simon runs the BMW Off Road Skills training centre in Wales. If you want to learn about  slow-speed control, he is your man “Low-speed riding relies on three things – throttle control, clutch control and balance, but vision is also a factor. As soon as your head drops it is hard to keep balance, so always look up and where you want to go, not at your front wheel. “Low-speed control is all about being…

Triple WSB champ Jonathan seldom crashes, despite being the fastest rider on the grid “The biggest factor is always confidence. If you are confident in the grip, stability and handling of a bike then you feel comfortable on it and it feels easier to ride - and easier always translates to fast. “It all boils down to experience. I grew up on bikes and from five years old was doing motocross and learning what a bike feels like when it is moving around beneath you. “Racers always push the boundaries of what is possible, which is when mistakes happen, but you can practise over-stepping the limit. If you brake later and later and then miss the apex you know that’s the limit. You can feel the rear moving and that’s…

Learn the skill Stay calm, if you panic you’re less likely to respond in the right way. I put as much weight as I could through the rear brake by practically standing on it – you could see the black line where my rear wheel locked up on TV! 500GP, WSB and BSB racer Haslam lost the title this year with a brake failure “I had a little bit of brake fade a few corners before, so I had a little bit of warning but I didn’t expect the lever to come back to the bar when I pulled it to slow down from 172mph! “When something like that happens, you have to react quickly. From initially grabbing the brake and nothing happening, I stamped on the rear brake and…

MCN’s campaign to encourage as many readers as possible to cover 5000 miles in a year is all about getting the maximum enjoyment from your motorcycle. We realise that life is full of pressures that can stop you biking, but there’s always a way. So #ride5000miles is all about finding time on a Sunday to go for a blast, or doing that tour or trip you’ve always wanted to do. It can even be about just riding your bike to work more often. There’s a great network out there to help you achieve this – and thousands of bikers have already signed up to our #ride5000miles Facebook group. It’s a wonderful place, full of friendly faces who are happy to share routes, experiences and tips. Even if you’re not going…

RIDING EXPERTS Mark Edwards Instructor for Rapid Training. Consultant to the bike press Tim Thompson One of the UK’s most experienced bike journalists MOMENTUM OVERTAKE CHECK UP THE INSIDE Car drivers can’t get this view but on a bike you can exploit your vision NIPPING OVERTAKE INDICATE MOVE Indicating that you are moving back in will reassure other drivers The sweetest moment to overtake a single car is when you first come up behind it. Carrying your momentum, you pass with a minimum of fuss in a decisive and understated sweep. One way to tell if you’re riding well – and planning ahead – is to see if you can engineer successive momentum overtakes by employing subtle approach-timing so you arrive with all checks done and momentum maintained. You may…

‘I’ve ridden mine from East Anglia to John O’Groats’ HONDA X-ADV £9599 Fuel 13.1 litres @ 69.78mpg = 200 miles Weight 238kg Seat 820mm Power 54.04bhp Torque 50.18ftlb ALISON SILCOX Office Manager Been riding for 13 years and over 20 as pillion. Height 5ft 10in Weight 72kg alison.silcox@motorcyclenews.com My Honda X-ADV is motorcycling Marmite, you either love it or hate it and the Honda has spit opinion. Me? I love it (I mean the X-ADV, I despise the yeasty spread with a passion)! But plenty of people have been buying. Honda have sold 210 X-ADVs in the UK this year, which pretty much matches Fireblade SP sales. So it’s no niche bike – but it is unusual. So, what makes people invest and what do they think of them after…

With Christmas just around the corner (oh yes it is), what better way to get into the festive spirit than by joining in with MCN’s Great Advent Giveaway? Santa has been busy and he’s got more than £4000 worth of goodies up for grabs from December 1 through to Christmas Eve, with prizes including Alpinestars riding gear, MSV Trackdays, a Honda Turbospoke kiddies bike and a pair of Dunlop tyres. There really is something for everyone and it couldn’t be easier to get involved. Follow MCN on Facebook or like us on Twitter to check out all the prizes. All the giveaways are free to enter and it’s just a couple of clicks to register at winit.motorcyclenews.com Enter at winit.motorcyclenews.com…

HJC go Car-azy with new lids! HJC have unleashed new Cars 3-inspired helmet paintschemes. The red and yellow Lightning McQueen colourscheme comes on the full-face RPHA 11 and costs £469.99, while the black and blue design of Jackson Storm adorns the higher spec Carbon RPHA 11 helmet and costs £599.99 – both are about £100 more than the standard paintjobs offered. Deals on Wheels Christmas has come early at Wheels Motorcycles in Peterborough, with huge savings across a range of pre-registered bikes, in a variety of styles and capacities. At the time of writing, the multi-franchise store had £4500 off an Aprilia RSV4-RF, £1000 off a Kawasaki H2 and much more. w w w.wheelsmotorcycles.co.uk A talking point The days of fitting an external Bluetooth intercom to your helmet are almost…

You have to feel sorry for Kawasaki. They were ready to launch a four-cylinder 750 in the late 1960s and Honda beat them to it. A quarter-of-a-century later they were prepared to do it again with the ZX-9R. Only Honda produced the FireBlade and made everything look clumsy and dated. The early ones were just too heavy and the chassis wasn’t properly developed, but Kawasaki worked on it, improving the handling, shedding the weight, and with the 1998 C-series, a funny thing happened. Although the headbangers and racers homed in on the Blade, a more thoughtful clientele found that the 9R had its good points. What was the 9R really? It was a bike with the straight-line performance of the mighty ZZ-R1100 – seriously, 170mph was within reach – and…

GARRY EVANS Service Manager at Balderston Motorcycles in Peterborough ‘It’s an awful lot of bike for your money. Keep it serviced and it will go on and on’ “We see a lot of these and they’re pretty good and fairly robust. There are things that can go wrong, but on the whole they’re a good bike. This one (left) has done around 37,000 miles – which is just sort of ‘running-in’! I’ve seen bikes that have got well over 100,000 miles on them. They go on and on. “They do need maintenance. The valves go out as you’re heading towards the 6000-mile service and you can feel it as you near the service period, as the engine gets a bit fluffy. However, it’s just a screw and lock-nut to fix,…

World Supersport race winner Gino Rea will make his British Superbike debut in 2018 as he joins the OMG Racing team. Racing a Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the all-new set-up, run by former Superstock racer Paul Curran, Rea will be looking to bounce back from a tough year on the world stage with the Go Eleven Kawasaki team. Rea won the European Superstock 600 championship in 2009 before moving to World Supersport, where he impressed with a home podium at Silverstone in his debut season. Between 2012-14 he spent three seasons in Moto2. He said: “The new GSX-R1000 has huge potential having already won a race in BSB, so combined with having Ray Stringer as my crew chief, I jumped at this opportunity and can’t wait to get cracking.”…

 After yet another imperious season in the MotoGP world championship, Marc Marquez wrapped up his fourth premier class title in only five attempts last month at Valencia. Shattering records and delivering a knockout blow to main rivals Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales in the second half of the season, the Repsol Honda rider is well on the way to GOAT status and one day overtaking the astounding feats of Valentino Rossi. ‘Having a good team helps a lot... they took me out of the hole I was in’MARC MARQUEZ Rewriting the history books every time he steps onto his RC213V, the 24-year-old has delivered six world championships in just eight years. But the real genius arguably comes from his combination of almost inhuman skill and his willingness to risk everything…

While Marquez might already be one of the most successful racers in Grand Prix history, a look down his record sheets shows just how much time there is left for him to make a claim for the greatest of all-time record. Starting out years younger than most of his rivals, time is definitely on his side. Here are the records he’s set so far... • Youngest rider for a MotoGP fastest lap 20 years, 49 days • Youngest to take a MotoGP pole 20 years, 62 days • Youngest MotoGP race winner 20 years, 63 days • Youngest to take successive podiums 20 years, 63 days • Youngest to win 12 races in a season: 21 years, 251 days • Youngest to get 50 wins 22 years, 243 days •…

I ran a 1290 Super Duke GT as a long-term test machine in 2016, and rank it as one of my favourite bikes of all time. This new version looks to boost its skillset further, although the bulbous styling leaves me cold. And that headlight… But with the Duke 790 released for 2018, and a 790 Adventure planned for 2019, there could well be a 790 GT for 2020. All the practicality of the 1290, but with a saner 103bhp on tap, less bulk to heave about, and lower fuel consumption – it could be the hedonist’s VFR for a whole new generation, and one of the best everyday rides on the market.…

The spring preload adjuster on your forks and shock does exactly what it says – preloads the spring with tension. Preload is how much the spring is compressed when the bike is static and unloaded (without you or anything else on it). When you raise the preload you compress the spring, by reducing preload you allow the spring to expand. Although many believe increasing the preload makes the suspension stiffer (or softer when reduced), this is not the case. To increase the stiffness, you need to swap in a heavier weight spring. Most motorcycle suspension springs are linear and therefore preloading doesn’t alter their stiffness, what preload actually does is change the height the bike sits on its suspension. Upping preload raises the height of the bike and reducing it…

HJC IS-Max II Dova £179.99 What’s good This popular flip-front helmet from HJC has received new graphics and is perfect for touring. Available in black, red, pink and blue, the helmet uses a quick release visor, removable and washable liner with a glasses groove. Also now included is a Pinlock max vision insert to prevent steaming. What’s not Some riders may want a little more visibility to other road users and may opt for something else with a fluro pattern. www.hjchelmets.eu Bull-it Men’s Stealth 17 jeans £249.99 What’s good These slim fit jeans are available in three leg length options; short 30in, regular 32in and a long 34in. Waist sizes are 28 to 38in and the slim fit means they are ideal to be worn with short boots, or tucked…

‘I smashed a TT winning Triumph into four pieces’ Q1 What are you riding? A GSX-R1000 for my training days and I normally tax three of my bikes every year. Next up it’ll be my Suzuki X7, a Kawasaki W650-based scrambler I built myself - I want it on record that it actually looks nice! – and a Yamaha DT175 I’ve just done. Q2 Which living motorcyclist do you most admire? Kevin Schwantz. I loved the way he wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn’t worried about being a professional factory rider, and I loved the idea of him just having fun. Q3 What’s your worst habit? Getting bored… on a bike it can be quite a dangerous thing. Sometimes you get bored doing the same thing every single…

‘I was pinned all the way down… awesome!’ Learn the skill Vision is everything, so have a reference point. If I’m going through a large field of dunes, I’ll normally look off into the distance and try to find something on the horizon to aim for that is at the right bearing – a tree or a big dune. Dakar competitor and adventurer competes in the Malle Moto category for unassisted riders. He’s as tough as they get “When you get dune riding right, the best way to describe it is being on a rollercoaster that goes up and down, but doesn’t have any corners. When it’s good, it’s the best type of riding. “The hardest thing to learn is cresting the dunes correctly. You see inexperienced riders not going…

Jordan’s round trip to work is 172 miles. He undertakes it hundreds of times a year, whatever the weather “The hardest part of such a long journey is keeping your mind occupied enough not to drift off but not so much as to distract you. My weapon of choice is a Sena 20S headset, which connects to my phone allowing me to listen to podcasts or music and take calls. It’s also got an FM receiver built into it, so I can pop the radio on if I fancy. If you feel yourself getting drowsy, singing along (loudly!) quickly snaps you out of it. “Changing your route is essential, especially the first and last few miles. When you regularly do a journey it’s easy to slip into autopilot and stop…

How good is this? You can save cash on your favourite biking read – and get a set of riding jeans that’d cost you £107.99 in the shops! The SR4 Bull-it jeans are tough yet comfortable and look great both on and off the bike. • The traditional design gives you five pockets, including a coin pocket • The jeans are not just fashionable; they also include abrasion resistance coverage for up to four seconds! The side and rear have a triple seam construction for enhanced durability and abrasion resistance • They are made from water resistant material with a thermal barrier to keep you warm and have integrated pockets for CE hip and thigh protectors • They come in nine waist sizes (28-44) and three leg lengths (short 30/regular32/long…

Suzuki’s V-Strom 250 was a little disappointing. The engine is the weakest here, it feels small in this company, and it’s poor off-road. But it handles well, the low seat may tempt smaller riders, and it’d be a great urban commuter. The BMW looks like a mini GS, the single-cylinder engine delivers some punch, but it’s vibey, the fork is terribly soft and it doesn’t have the road manners of the other two. The Versys-X can do it all, and isn’t that far behind its big brother, the Versys 650. You don’t have to make allowances for it’s a lower capacity. It can tour, commute, and even take on some light off-road – making it a very clear test winner.…

‘It’s hard to imagine a more perfect day’s riding The experience begins with a personal pick-up at Malaga airport by Toro’s main man, Lyndon Foster – a genial host whose infectious enthusiasm instantly sets the tone for the adventure ahead. From there it’s just a short drive to Toro HQ, a luxury villa deep in the Andalucian hills with a private pool and plenty of space to chill out. Full riding kit is available, so the option to travel light on a short budget flight from the UK keeps hassle to a minimum. If you choose the self-guided Stress Buster tour, from thereon you’re on your own – though with your route pre-loaded in the sat nav and accommodation booked in advance all you need worry about is the riding.…

YAMAHA R6 £10,999 Fuel 17 litres @ 43mpg = 160 miles Power 121.1bhp @ 14,500rpm tested (without race exhaust) Weight 190kg (wet) Seat height 850mm ADAM CHILD 17 years road testing experience on all kinds of bikes Height 5ft 6in Weight 78kg adam.child@motorcyclenews.com The Metzeler Racetec RRs have been replaced by Bridgestone’s Battlax T30 Evo. The Metzelers were still legal and despite over 3000 miles, which included a few track sessions, they still had plenty of tread and weren’t too badly worn. But I needed something more suitable for winter. So far I’m impressed, the Bridgestones warm up quickly, the rear offering grip within a mile of hard riding. The recent wintery conditions have been horrendous – full of snow and sleet. I’ve not been brave enough to push the…

 Personal Contract Purchase now finances 20%-30% of all new bikes sold in the UK, and it’s growing fast. But it might not be right for you, so make sure you understand what it is and how it works. ‘You can have a new bike for less’ DEPUTY EDITOR RICHARD NEWLAND 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…

‘The last time a racer was nominated was Toseland in 2007’ Three-time WSB Champion Jonathan Rea will go up against sporting stars such as Lewis Hamilton, Anthony Joshua, Chris Froome and Johanna Konta at this weekend’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The last time a motorcycle racer was nominated was when James Toseland won his second World Championship back in 2007. He finished fourth in the contest – and entertained viewers by tickling the ivories – with 84,570 votes behind winner Joe Calzaghe with Lewis Hamilton and Ricky Hatton second and third. It’s not as if there hasn’t been anyone worthy in the last ten years. Tom Sykes won the WSB championship in 2013, in 2015 Danny Kent became the first Brit to win a Grand Prix motorcycle World…

 Shane Byrne won a record sixth British Superbike title this year, but it didn’t come easy for the Be Wiser Ducati star. After failing to score in three of the first four races, Byrne went on to endure a rollercoaster year, winning back-to-back doubles to take control of the championship at the mid-point before things fell apart over a difficult five rounds between Thruxton and Assen. ‘The glass with me is never half empty. You never get ifs and buts from me’SHANE BYRNE ‘Winning back-to-back titles was one of my most important goals’ Those five rounds left him 33 points behind series leader Leon Haslam going into the final clash. Successfully defending the British title for the first time in his career was starting to look unlikely, but a remarkable…

1290 Super Duke R • 195kg • 835mm seat • 174bhp The naked nutjob in the range. It’s a stripped super-naked that’ll blow your mind if you let it. Fourth gear clutched-up wheelies anyone? 1290 Super Duke GT • 205kg • 835mm seat • 170bhp A rare blend of hilarious anarchy and daily practicality will take you any where and every where – and you’ll arrive smiling. 1290 Super Adventure R • 217kg • 890mm seat • 158bhp The pinnacle at the bonkers end of the adventure market has it all for on- and off-road globetrotting – at the expense of road manners. 1290 Super Adventure S • 215kg • 860mm seat • 158bhp Marginally saner than the R, the S is aimed at riders big enough to admit that their off-road activites are firetracks and green lanes.…

A spark of hope? It’s not just the bike market that is struggling. Sales of new cars fell 11% in November, but sales of alternative fuel vehicles (such as electric) grew by 33%. The alternative fuel trend has not been reflected by motorcycles so far. Speeding on up The number of motorists caught speeding has increased by nearly 40% over the last six years. Figures released by the DfT show 2.2 million speeding offences were committed in 2016, up from 1.6 million in 2011. Driver jailed Samantha Ayres has been jailed for three years and disqualified from driving following her conviction of causing death by dangerous driving. Ayres was on her phone when she veered across the road and killed David Kirk, who was riding home from work at Webbs…

‘I’ve been pushing too hard on a bike that isn’t good enough’CARL FOGART Y Christmas may have been coming, but in 1997 we were more excited about Kawasaki’s new ZX-9R and a then 18-year-old Rossi, who was breaking lap records in pre-season tests. Tony Blair’s Labour Party had booted the Conservatives out of power which led pretty quickly to a ban on tobacco sponsorship. So no more Marlboro Yamaha. The UK was also in the process of handing over Hong Kong to China and sadly, the Spice Girls were still topping the charts. We all laughed at Kevin Keegan losing his temper live on TV as his Newcastle battled with Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd, and were horrified when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear. Mick Doohan ruled the 500GP roost…

I have a confession to make. One I am not proud of, one I’ve had to live with for ten long years. I can’t always push it to the back of mind and at this time of year it tugs away at my frontal lobe like a Labrador on a lead whose just got the scent of a sizzling sausage! After all this time I figure a public confession might alleviate some of the guilt. Here goes: When James Toseland was nominated for BBC Sports Personality in 2007, I failed to vote for him. Not because I didn’t want the two-times WSB champ to win, but I just don’t do that public vote thing. Toseland came fourth with 84,570 votes, just 710 behind third-placed Ricky Hatton. If I had been…

Brno 2014 Front tuck Still the biggest save of his career according to the man himself (at least, until Valencia this year!), it was the first time we saw what’s now ‘normal’ from Marquez. Assen 2016 Tankslapper Definitely one of the fastest, after braking with the front wheel still in the air, only to have it lock when it touched down at 200mph! The tankslapper fired off his airbag suit… Malaysia 2017 Front tuck This one will go down in memory thanks to the incredible slow-motion shots caught of it – much to Marc’s delight and the first thing he checked when he got back to the box!…

‘I take catnaps of about 15-30 minutes’ Learn the skill The best way to teach yourself how to cover big miles is to get out there, so why not ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats? It’s 839 miles by the fastest route and should take about 15 hours. Although it is best to break it down into two 400-mile days. Nick has been around the world seven times on a motorcycle and holds the Guinness World record for the fastest circumnavigation on a bike, covering the 19,600 miles in 19 days and four hours! “To ride big distances you need to understand your body as it is as much a physical challenge as it is a mental one. These kind of mileages aren’t something you can just decide to…

Learn the skill Work on your observation skills by doing a commentary to yourself as you ride along. Look what’s going on ahead, imagine scenarios, and talk yourself through them. With 25 years as a motorcycle trainer with Rapid Training, Mark knows a thing or two about riding swiftly but safely “The No1 thing when it comes to riding quickly-but-safely is observation. When I’m riding I’m looking out for two things – physical static features such as bends and speed limits and dynamic features that may do something strange such as cars, animals or other road users. The static features obviously don’t change, so you need to quickly assess and process what the dynamic features are doing. And conserving speed is crucial. “I try to avoid too many peaks and…

 Fast and safe, Neevesey has covered 20,000 miles a year for the last 15 years with barely an incident. He is an Elite instructor at Ron Haslam’s Race School at Donington Park ‘There’s no need to prove yourself on the road’ Speed doesn’t matter! Here’s the most important lesson: thanks to the invention of track-days there’s no need to prove either yourself or your bike on the road. It doesn’t matter if someone’s faster. Just let them go and meet up when they stop. Chances are they’re taking more risks, anyway. Beast the back brake I drag the rear brake all the way to the apex of the corner and a little way beyond as I pick up the throttle. It helps suck both ends of the bike into the…

‘Inspired by #ride5000miles, we feel ready for the challenge’ 1 An Alpine tour 7 days, 1500 miles “Four of us are planning to take the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, ride to Germany then take in the Alps including Switzerland Austria, Italy and France. Two of us have never ridden on a tour into Europe before, having only toured Scotland and parts of the NC500, but after reading the posts and been inspired by a lot of the comments on MCN’s #ride5000miles FB site, we feel ready for the challenge.” Phil Wade 2 Calais to Kazakhstan 40 days, 8000 miles “The length of the E40, Calais to Ridder, Kazakhstan; and Transnistria via the Transfagarasan. The former because I’ve been trying to do it for ten years, it traverses the Silk…

Maria Vallahis MCN Web Editor 5ft3in, 30 years old, one years’ riding experience. 3 SUZUKI V-STROM 250 It’s a smooth ride, just not a quick one. The seat is narrow and the handlebar position isn’t comfortable for my short arms. The wind protection isn’t bad and it drops into turns nicely, filters through traffic no problem, and the dash is very efficient and easy to use. I did 61 miles and it didn’t even dent the fuel gauge, but it’s still my last choice. 2 BMW G310GS It’s smooth at speeds below 40mph, but above that there are too many vibes. The seat height was worrying at first, but I was fine after five minutes. The seat and bar position make for a comfy ride and the Beemer gets to…

Sena 30K Dual £499 Sena 20S EVO £259.99 Tester Maria Vallahis Time Tested 2000miles/ three months What’s good? These Bluetooth headsets and intercom systems have come in so useful and have given me such confidence on my bike. Sena state the 20S Evo and 30K have a 1.2-mile radius in open terrain when using them as Bluetooth. In the real world, it’s about half-a-mile. If you do lose connection, once you’re back within range, both Senas automatically reconnect. You can set-up speed dials to call people while riding too, which is handy. Both headsets’ batteries have lasted for my five days. The 20S has a shark fin antenna as opposed to flip-up antenna, which has been brought back for the 30K. Sena have improved their 30K with their Mesh Intercom…

Q Should I play filtering claim blame game? I have received a liability offer in my accident claim, which resulted from a filtering accident. The offer is 50% in my favour, meaning I am 50% to blame. My solicitor thinks I should accept it but how do I know what is right, as I think it was mainly the car driver’s fault. I was doing no more than 20mph on a 30mph road when he pulled out on me. Roger Jackson, Liverpool ‘Relevant factors in determining a liability split in filtering accidents include the speed of the motorcycle’ A Without seeing the papers in your case I cannot be specific. But, relevant factors in determining the basis of a liability split in filtering accidents include the speed of the filtering motorcycle,…

When any motorcycle gets discontinued as a new model is released, it’s always interesting to see what happens to the residuals. Sometimes the things weren’t that much cop in the first place, so nobody notices and the world moves on. But sometimes you can be surprised. Yamaha are looking likely to replace the 660 Ténéré series (which left Yamaha’s UK range at the end of 2015) with the twin-cylinder T7 concept. I’m sure the new machine will be faster, lighter, torquier, better-handling, comfier and any other Ténéré you can think of, but the little Ténéré has always been a single and – as far as I’m concerned at least – it ought to stay that way. It’s a cult bike and there are three main models to look out for.…

MANDY MCMULL SUZUKI DL1000 V-STROM ‘I did the North Coast 500 ride in June this year on a Honda VFR800. Although I loved the bike, I found it a handful on such a long journey. When I got home, it wasn’t for me, so I decided to look for something else. That something else ended up being the DL650 V-Strom. It is an awesome bike and I could ride it all day long. However, if you gave me £12,000 I would probably buy the 1000 version with all the trimmings!’ LUCY BISWELL DUCATI DIAVEL CARBON ‘I’d buy the Ducati Diavel Carbon. I took one for a test ride and it was by far the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden. It looks very big and heavy, but it was so…

2004 BMW R1200GS Colours Red/silver, yellow/ silver or black/silver Dealer £4350 Private good £4000 Private average £3850 This one 2004 model, private sale, one owner, 50K miles, FSH, luggage, £3750. 2007 BMW R1200GS Colours Red/silver, yellow/ silver, white/silver, grey silver or black/silver Dealer £6000 Private good £5750 Private average £5300 This one Our test bike; 2007 with Touratech goodies. 37,000 miles, £5295. 2007 BMW R1200GSA Colours White/black, silver/ black Dealer £6350 Private good £6000 Private average £5750 This one 2007 model with five owners from new. Panniers and top box, 28K miles, dealer sale, £6495. 2006 BMW R1200GS Colours Red/silver, yellow/ silver, white/silver, grey silver or black/silver Dealer £6000 Private good £5750 Private average £5300 This one 2006 model, 15,000 mile, panniers, heated grips etc, £6500. Insurance MCN COMPARE Premiums…

Online Voting is only open during the show and to vote online you need to have a BBC account. Head to https://account.bbc.com/register to create one so you can vote during Sunday’s show by heading to the Sports Personality website at www.bbc.co.uk/spoty and clicking ‘Vote Now’ How to watch The show will be live on BBC One from 6.45pm By phone During the show, presenters will give out the number to ring to vote for your favourite contestant. Just ring up and cast your vote, simple!…

To mark his back-to-back titles, Byrne has launched a limited-edition end-of-season book to tell the story of his up-and-down 2017 season from his point of view with additional insight from his wife, Petra and stunning images from renowned BSB photographers Jamie Morris and Tim Keeton. “I thought this season would be very different to what it ended up being like,” he explains. “Winning back-to-back titles meant a lot to me, so I’d been planning to do a book at the end of the year if we managed to do that. “The story really surprised me! I expected it to be so straightforward, but what we ended up getting was a rollercoaster of anger, frustration, elation and all kinds of emotions. You can see that from the notes we pulled together…