Table of contents for 29 April 2020 in MCN

When MCN launched in 1955 the world was used to dealing with adversity. It was just ten years since World War II had ended, racers knew there was a high chance of not making it to the finish line and rider protection for the road meant your best flat cap and a double knot in your bootlaces. Apocalyptic predictions from the dawn of the space age may have claimed the world would be wiped out by a huge bomb or a terrible pandemic, but no-one would have guessed, even as late as January this year, that we’d be right in the middle of the latter. But as the world hopefully starts to get to grips with Covid-19 and we all try to maintain a semblance of normally amidst the madness…

• Government backs Manx hotels’ decisions •‘Many do not have the ability to refund deposits’ With travel to the Isle of Man now limited and the annual TT races cancelled due to Covid-19, some visitors are now facing the prospect of losing thousands of pounds as some Manx hoteliers refuse to alter dates or offer refunds. ‘No refunds or rebooking’ This includes John Graham, 55, from the Isle of Skye, who was due to stay at the Ellan Vannin Hotel in Douglas for race week on a nonrefundable booking costing £1365. “The first time I phoned they said they weren’t sure what was happening because it was only just after they announced the cancellation of the TT,” John explained. “I phoned them a week later and it was just an…

The Triumph Daytona Moto2 765 Limited Edition is the final version of the model range. Born from a track-only test mule to prove the 765cc Moto2 engine, only 765 of these stunning road bikes are being sold worldwide. That carbon fibre bodywork, riding modes and traction control come with a hefty price tag of £15,765, but with a lineage that stretches back to 2000, fans of modern classics and can still grab a Daytona. 2013 675R What is it? Faster, better-handling, easier to ride and with an even angrier engine note, the Daytona 675R took Triumph’s supersport machine to another level in 2013. You say “Just listen to that triple that engine, what a stormer.” Fullthrot tle675 Watch out for Oil leaks from balance shaft gaskets One we found…

‘Regularly check on your security and upgrade if necessary,” is the message from police across the UK as forces see a rise in joy riding during lockdown. “This increase in motorcycle and scooter theft is not unexpected with the good weather,” said crime expert and Met consultant Dr Ken German. “Police reports from all around the UK show an increase in machines of all types being taken, by the young in particular. “These bikes are not necessarily taken to sell but to use, quite often off-road. According to several arrests made, these machines were easy to steal, offering little or no security at all. “Many bikes will be dumped after use or when they run out of fuel. Sadly, some will be burned and others will languish in a police…

The new BMW R18 is something of an engineering marvel, after all there’s not many people who would design a new 1800cc air-cooled engine in our emissions obsessed world. But the innovations don’t end with the motor – out back BMW have used something brand new to help it look dead old. Spinning free BMW have used driveshafts on their boxer motors right since the very beginning but they’ve updated the tech along the way. The current R1250 series uses paralever rear ends: hollow, single-sided swingarms with a final drive supported by a torque arm. Inside the swingarm is a driveshaft that features two universal joints – one at either end. Universal joints allow movement of a shaft to continue at an angle, however even if the motion into one…

I'm so pleased that Norton has been sold to TVS, at least now maybe I might get to own one. I have a poster of the DomiRacer in my shed that I drool over regularly. It’s sad that Mr Garner cocked it up after it all looked so promising, Maybe the early forays into the TT with another stunning looking bike were too much. Hopefully the new owners bought the 961 engine rights as well so that production of the Commando series of bikes can resume and flourish. Fingers crossed that the Indian success with Royal Enfield will be mirrored with TVS and Norton. Go for it TVS and make Norton a success we can be proud of. Dave, South Wales…

I was out in my garden last week and I heard what had to be a 1000cc sportsbike being ragged through the valley and it got me thinking. I think motorcyclists can be a bit of a selfish bunch and we don’t necessarily appreciate what the NHS actually do. And right now the NHS could definitely do without someone rocking up to A&E with their arm snapped having fallen off their R1, even if they have a duty of care to treat them. ‘IT’S STILL EARLY AND THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF TIME TO RIDE’ I do struggle with it a little bit because you could fall off a ladder doing something that wasn’t essential and end up in A&E but if you came in with the same injury having…

It’s Britain’s toughest road test route. A fun but punishing mix of A- and B-roads, busy motorway, towns and villages. It’s all Britain’s road types compressed into one route. There are three sections and we combine the two that best test the bike’s character. On average we ride 450 miles per bike, per test. 1 Feel the quality Route 1’s bumpy, broken-up stretch of backlane just before Waltham on the Wolds is a hard test of any bike’s suspension. It makes the BMW’s forks feel overly firm and gets the Yamaha’s rear shock confused if you go too quickly. The Honda’s plush, supple setup gives noticeably the best ride quality on this testing section. 2 Easy progress Flowing, wide, open roads like Route 2’s county-hopping run from Grantham…

•‘The Hickmans and McGuinnesses, they’re my ultimate heroes’ Murray Walker’s fame stems from F1, but he’s a motorcyclist first and foremost – he experienced his first TT when he was two (in 1925!), raced grasstrack and short circuits, won a gold medal in the 1949 Six Days Trial and has owned everything from Nortons to BMWs to Hondas. Oh, and his dad was a TT winner and Norton factory rider. “I was born into motorsport,” says the 96-year-old. “My father earned his living racing motorcycles so I was living in this unusual atmosphere and didn’t think it was particularly special going to the TT. And Alec Bennett (TT and GP winner) was Uncle Alec, Stanley Woods (TT and GP winner) was Uncle Stanley. “There’s something about road racers, a down-to-earth…

1945 MV Agusta MV98 The MV98 was launched in 1945 and was MV’s first road bike. Powered by a 98cc two-stroke single, it came with the option of a two or three-speed gearbox and made 3.5bhp. Initially called the Vespa 98, this name was quickly changed. 1954 MV Agusta 175 CS The 175 CS was the first four-stroke MV to go into mass production and formed the base for many early race bikes. Powered by a single-cam 175cc motor, it had four gears and a variety of styles. 1967 MV Agusta MV600 MV’s first inline four signalled the company were looking towards the export market. The MV600 made 50bhp and was later expanded in capacity to 750cc and finally 800cc for the American market. 1997 MV Agusta F4 750 Marking…

Based in Cambridgeshire, Herald Motorcycles built their business importing retro-themed bikes from China, modifying them in the UK and then selling them with an easily-affordable price. But the new Brat 125 is a little different. The first of two new models, with a 250 arriving soon, the 125 sees Herald take more overall control by making their own moulds for the tank and seat unit while the rest of the bike is created by combining a selection of Chinese-sourced parts. Entirely built in China to Herald’s specification, this use of pick and mix, aligned with unique components has allowed Herald to release the Brat for a budget £2999 price tag. But does it work where it matters; on UK roads? A big Brat Despite its 125cc motor, the Brat is…

On face value the 2020 R1 doesn’t look that different to the outgoing 2019 model, but the McAMS Yamaha team have had one of their busiest winters to date, building and developing the 2020 bike. As witnessed in the opening round of WSB where Toprak Razgatlioglu won the opening race, the new bike appears to have made a significant step and BSB men Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran intend to do the same. In 2019 both riders showed promise, but were ultimately hampered by injury and the dominating Ducati V4 R. MCN spoke with Mackenzie’s crew chief Chris Anderson about their brand-new machine, which he says has left the team feeling confident and more prepared than ever before. 1 Electronic upgrades All teams in BSB have to use the…

The Spaniard has been teammate with his boyhood idol since the start of 2017, but rising star Fabio Quartararo will take Rossi’s prized seat in Yamaha’s factory squad next season. Viñales though wants to see Rossi race on beyond 2021 with the Petronas Yamaha SRT squad and he said during Yamaha’s special virtual Q&A session: “I hope he stays for many more years. I love sharing the track with Valentino and battling against him. He always makes me go one step more in training and on track.” Viñales also said last week that he is ‘upset’ Rossi is leaving the Yamaha factory set-up in a separate interview He said: “I’m a little bit upset losing Valentino because he is a very important rider for the team and he is fast…

One man’s greatest moment is another lady’s most disappointing. Apparently. But whichever one of the 65 great moments in our list most strikes a chord with you, it could win you a rather pleasing prize to keep you informed, entertained and persistently tickled with temptation. Lodge your vote now and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a full year’s subscription to MCN, meaning that whatever era defining biking events happen in the next 12 months, you’ll read about them first. THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT T&CS The prize draw closes at midnight October 1, 2020. This competition is open to entrants aged 16 and over. There is one prize which consists of one one-year subscription to MCN. UK mainland residents may choose from either a print or digital subscription. A…

Many still credit Geoff Duke with setting the first ever 100mph lap of the TT course. During the 1955 Senior TT, it was announced that he had cracked the 100mph barrier but his average speed was revised down to 99.97mph. Many people thought it was solely because Duke was riding a Gilera at the time, having turned his back on Norton. But the man recognised by history as the first holder of a 100mph lap of the Mountain Course is Bob McIntyre. The Glasgow-born racer started as many did in that era, racing his daily transport – but his talent soon shone through. But 1957 was his most famous season, arguably benefitting from Duke being injured, he rode the Gilera to a momentous win and two laps at over 100mph…

Born on February 11, 1934, John Surtees was the son of a south London motorcycle dealer and was surrounded by bikes from an early age. He entered, and won, his first competitive event at Trent Park, North London, in 1949 at the age of 14 as passenger to his father, Jack, in a grasstrack Sidecar event but the pair were disqualified when the organisers discovered John was underage. As soon as he turned 15 Surtees began entering solo grass-track races on an old Excelsior-JAP and when Brands Hatch was converted from a grass-track circuit in 1950 he made his tarmac debut on a pre-war 250cc Triumph – still shod with grasstrack tyres. His first road race win came at Aberdare Park in Wales that same year but it was his…

Three of the four bikes were stolen before the movie had wrapped. Fonda was furious Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson changed the face of biking forever in this 1969 counterculture classic. The image of Fonda riding ‘Captain America’ (the custom chopper that was the unintentional hero of the film, not an inappropriate coupling with a Marvel character) is one of the most iconic in motorcycling. The movie tells the story of two drug dealers, played by Fonda and Hopper, and a drunken attorney (Nicholson) who ride around the American south west selling dope, lighting campfires, and getting stoned. It may not stand up so well today; Easy Rider was, after all, a movie of its time, but it truly struck a chord in the summer of ’69. The…

For an entire generation of bikers Yamaha’s FS1-E (Fizzy) was the key to freedom. It was the first bike of your dreams if you were growing up in the 1970s. The term ‘Fizzy’ has become a generic term for Yamaha’s sports moped, which was so popular with the rebellious youth of the 1970s. But to be accurate the term came from one specific model, the FS1-E, where the ‘E’ meant ‘England’. Between 1972 and 1977 was the golden era of sports mopeds with pedals, and in many people’s eyes the Fizzy was king. Today the 1972 to 1977 models are the most sought-after, complete with pedals and drum brakes. But jump on a Fizzy now and you’re in for a shock. The biggest surprise is the size; they’re absolutely tiny.…

The place held its breath. Then Evel, braving the pain, stood up… When Evel Knievel wiped out at Wembley in 1975 there was a real fear that he might well die in the stadium. The whole place held its breath. Then Knievel, braving the pain of a broken pelvis, stood up to speak to the 80,000-strong crowd and reveal that he would never jump again. Of course, he did – just six months later, in fact – but no-one was to know that at the time. In order to sell tickets for Wembley, Knievel had resorted to every publicity trick in the book. He drove scores of golf balls into the Thames because the authorities had refused him permission to jump it in his Sky Cycle, he appeared on Blue…

Arguably the most loved and inspirational Japanese bike of all, Yamaha’s RD350LC was a complete stroker of genius (sic). In 1978 Yamaha’s RD250/400 was due for replacement and ever-tightening emissions regulations spelled the end for performance two-strokes in the USA. So Yamaha decided that the successors to the air-cooled RDs would be aimed at Europe, designed with assistance from Yamaha Europe and be as sporty and innovative as possible. Brit Paul Butler, later team manager for the Marlboro Yamaha GP team, was Product Planning Manager for Yamaha Europe and recalled: “Around 1977-78 we were looking to stimulate the supersports category, particularly with younger riders, with something inspired by our racing TZs. The LC was Yamaha Europe’s main project.” That TZ influence meant water-cooling and cantilever-type monoshock rear suspension were vital.…

In what is widely regarded as the most exciting TT race of all time, 1992 saw Steve Hislop on the Norton NRS588 line up against Carl Fogarty on the Yamaha OW01 in the Senior. During a race that saw the two fiercely contesting the lead and trading fastest laps, Hislop eventually emerged victorious by just 4.4 seconds over the six-lap 226-mile race while Foggy claimed a new outright lap record of 123.61mph, which stood unbroken for seven years. Although it has to be noted, Hislop set the average race record of 121.28mph. And pair were a staggering near two minutes ahead of third-place rider Robert Dunlop. “The reception I got on the last lap was tremendous,” said the late, great, Hislop afterwards. “The fans wanted a British bike to win…

The Government let Anne Sacoolas, the woman charged with killing 19-year-old Harry Dunn, return to the US because of an “apparently illogical” reading of the diplomatic immunity laws according to the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant. The statement by Sir Simon McDonald, the Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service, was given to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and will galvanise the Dunn family’s hopes of mounting a judicial review into the way the Foreign Office handled the case. Sacoolas is accused of causing death by reckless driving, but immediately after the accident she claimed diplomatic immunity as the wife of a CIA agent working at RAF Croughton. She was allowed to return to the US but the Crown Prosecution Service has subsequently charged her. The US Government…

Members of MCN’s #R5k group are planning to go large once the lockdown ends - and none more so than a US-based rider who is plotting a 7300-mile tour from his home in Boise, Idaho, to Misano, Italy, for World Ducati Week. Tim Mills, 62, had hoped to ride to this year’s event, before it was cancelled due to Covid-19 and aims to make the journey aboard a 2002 Ducati Monster 620 Dark which he has owned from new. “I got my first Ducati in 1996, having wanted one since I started riding in the late 70s. This cemented the passion for me,” the Software Engineering Manager told MCN. “I have picked up a brochure for every Ducati since 1993 - until my local dealer closed in 2011 - and…

Focus on building bikes Great news about TVS saving Norton Motorcycles but following the comments made by Sudarshan Venu of TVS,I do hope that they will shelve any racing plans for a while and just concentrate on building bikes and fulfilling orders. Norton already have a great racing history with nothing more to prove. Colin Humphries, Hampshire Trust must be rebuilt So the Norton deal ‘could be the most exciting buy-out, ever…’ Well, yes, it could be. It could also be another false dawn and yet another huge disappointment. Successful turnarounds of failed/ failing businesses are notoriously tricky to achieve. Believe me, I’ve been involved in many of them. The current truth of the matter is given in your reader survey on page 21. Twice as many people wouldn’t touch…

Bespoke stainless exhaust The exhaust system is hand-welded from stainless steel and gives the Brat a cool shed built vibe. The baffle can’t be removed. Fire-engine red calipers Front and rear brakes are linked, which allows the Brat to conform to Euro4 regulations. Unlike some rivals, the Brat has disc brakes all-round. Detailing has a quality feel The Brat comes in Military Green, Iron Grey and Copper with 24-months RAC cover as well as a two-year parts and one-year labour warranty.…

It’s hard to imagine now, but before the CB750 the idea of a Japanese inline-four was just that: an idea. By the mid 1960s Honda were serial world champions and the most modern, advanced bike factory on Earth. Their target – the remains of the British bike industry – was run by head-in-the-sand management relying on ageing designs built with clapped-out tooling. A 1968 Triumph Trident cost £895. The following year’s CB750 was £745. For that you got undreamed-of smoothness, power and street cred – not to mention a unit gearbox and four chromed silencers. Even Honda were surprised by how popular the CB750 was. The initial production target was 1500 a year. That soon became the monthly figure, then that doubled. The first 7700 units (all destined for the…

Trying to pick a specific year within Ago’s career to highlight at ‘the one’ is like trying to decide which doughnut to eat first. But if we have to hang our helmet on one in particular, it’s 1975. Already a multiple world champion in 1968, and with the Japanese out and MV surging to the height of their powers while Hailwood took early retirement, Ago delivered the biggest period of domination the championship has seen. In the 500cc and 350cc classes, he was beaten just 11 times in six seasons, racking up 15 world titles and 122 race wins, a record that still stands today. But then Ago did something Rossi would emulate 30 years later. At the end of 1973 he left MV to join Yamaha and, after struggling…

‘I felt the Island would be kind to me. I was lucky to get away with it’ As comebacks go, this was one of the best of all time. Despite an absence of 11 years, Hailwood returned to the TT on a Ducati 900 supported by a Manchester bike shop and surpassed himself – stunning the crowd, and his rivals, with a race record of 108.51mph and a lap record of 110.62mph. He was 38-years-old. The big Ducati from Manchester’s Sports Motor Cycles never missed a beat. It ran as superbly as its jockey who, with characteristic professionalism, did not wave to the crowds until he’d crossed the line. “I realised that I would be quickly down the tubes if I tried to go grand prix racing, but I felt…

Triumph went to the Cologne Show and pulled the covers off six new models In 1983, industrialist John Bloor bought the rights to the Triumph name following the collapse of the British industry. Many assumed Bloor would mothball the brand, but behind the scenes something exciting was happening. In the late 1980s, Bloor assembled a small design team based at Unit 14, Bayton Road, Bedworth, who began working on a new range of modern Triumphs using a ‘modular’ concept. This idea allowed the team to develop a range of triples and fours that all shared the same basic foundations, saving costs and development time and in 1990 the first bikes were ready to launch. The Cologne Show saw Triumph pull the covers off six new models. And that wasn’t all,…

Rossi displayed race craft beyond his years to win Following a hectic last-lap battle with Jorge Martinez, a fresh-faced rider called Valentino Rossi took his first GP win at Brno in 1996 during his debut year on the Aprilia RS125R. Few could have predicted that 24 years later at the age of 41 the same rider would be a nine-time world champion and still battling it out at the front of MotoGP races. Not to mention being a global superstar. Son of Graziano Rossi, himself a former 500GP rider, Valentino had set pole position in qualifying and after breaking away from the pack, Martinez and Rossi traded places numerous times as the race came to a climax. Showing race craft beyond his years, Rossi pipped Martinez to the line, adding…

On a sunny weekend in 1999 the World Superbike round at Brands Hatch became the UK’s largest outdoor sporting event as a total of 89,000 fans packed themselves in to cheer on Carl Fogarty. Even more amazingly, it is estimated a total of 120,000 attended over the course of the weekend. “When you closed the throttle and hit the brakes going into Druids you could hear the crowds cheering,” Foggy remembers, “it was mental.” But unfortunately the pressure of the fans’ support made it a weekend to forget for the World Champion. “I qualified on pole but was never going to win the race. I got distracted all weekend by PR and media stuff, it got in the way. I set off in the race knowing I didn’t have the…

At the ripe old age of 48, no-one thought that Joey Dunlop could win another F1 TT – especially on the fickle Honda SP-1 against the V&M Yamaha R1s ridden by Dave Jefferies. The year previously, Jefferies had dealt a crushing blow to Honda, taking the F1 TT title and ending an 18-year winning streak in the class (see separate story, left). But ‘Yer Maun’ wasn’t one for backing away from a challenge, especially at the TT, although the signs weren’t promising. At the North-West 200 the SP-1s were outclassed by the R1s, so much so that Joey had declared: “It doesn’t stand a chance against the R1s on the Island.” But after Honda’s British race boss Bob McMillan pleaded with the factory and one of Aaron Slight’s WSB-spec engines…

The final race of the 2002 WSB season was one of the most memorable of all time and was filled with drama. Having dominated the first half of the season, Troy Bayliss on the Ducati 998 found his lead eaten into when Honda SP-2-mounted Colin Edwards received some special HRC parts following the Suzuka 8-Hour race. Entering the final race at Imola, Bayliss needed Edwards to finish in third and him to win to take the title and so attempted to slow the pace to allow fellow Ducati rider Ruben Xaus to catch up. What followed was a series of fairing-bashing overtakes and huge drama that saw both riders throw caution to the wind. “I decided to shove it up the inside and if I lost the front as long…

The news of Norton’s £16m cash buy-out by Indian manufacturing giant TVS has brought a glimmer of hope to buyers who were facing the prospect of losing tens of thousands of pounds. Last week the new boss of Norton, Sudarshan Venu, told MCN that it was their “intention to get bikes to people who have paid deposits as soon as possible”. Many of Norton’s customers had paid in full for the range-topping V4 superbike, with plenty handing over in access of £44,000 expecting to receive their bike, sometimes in a matter of days. Stewart Campbell paid in full for his machine and ended up with just a frame to show for his £44,000 investment. He said: “I am pleased to hear something positive come out of Norton at last. I…

Consumer Expert Katie Watts at MoneySavingExpert.com told MCN: “Unless there is free cancellation or rescheduling in the T&Cs of your booking, it’ll have to be a negotiation between you and the hotel if you don’t want to wait or if you’ve already paid in full. “Most (though not all) travel insurance policies will allow you to claim for cancellation if you booked the trip and insurance before the Foreign Office issued a no-travel warning and before coronavirus became a ‘known event’. “While the Foreign Office warning now applies ‘indefinitely’, it’s possible that it could be lifted before late May – so again, you may have to wait until much nearer the time to find out if you can claim on your insurance. If you didn’t already have travel insurance, I’m…

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) have been forced to change their approach to motorcycles after outraging the biking community with scathing and unsubstantiated claims. A document published as part of the council’s pre-consultation ‘engagement activity’ called motorcyclists a ‘danger to themselves’ who made a ‘substantial contribution to noise pollution’ attracting anger from groups like MAG and the BMF. After being challenged by these groups and MCN, OCC quietly published an updated version of the document with most of the offending content removed. Cllr Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment said of the document: “I am sorry that [MAG] feel that it is biased in its outlook as this was not the intention but accept that it was construed this way.” The original document also stated that, “Motorbikes are mostly still using…

1 Get the low-down The retune Honda have given it means peak power is lower in the range and peak torque comes 500rpm earlier 2 Frugal life 190mpg should see it go forever (well, at least around 221miles per tank), although two-up it does drop to a miserable 172mpg… 3 Bigair The taller suspension gives 165mm of ground clearance compared to 125mm for the standard machine 4 Light is right All the extra off-road bits up the weight by 11kg over the C125 to 120kg, but that’s under half what many adventure bikes weigh 5 Cheap as chips Given the cost of the C125 in the UK, the CT125 is likely to be around £3500, which makes it ideal second-bike territory Don’t laugh but Honda…

Whatever type of riding you are into, MCN and its sister titles Bike, RiDE, Classic Bike, Practical Sportsbikes and Built have it covered. Bikes Unlimited is a new way to check out the very best in motorcycling on your digital device. Right now you can take advantage of a great special offer where we will give you your first month’s access free of charge. Just head to Apple’s App Store or Google Play to get signed up. Full T&Cs online. Turn to page 29 for more information.…

HUSK Y TC50 Here’s young Charlie having a great time at Magiligan motocross track on his Husky. Gareth Black ter moving down from KAWASAKI GPZ500 My first bike af Inverness to Wigan in 1999. The boys are Oliver and Toby. David Anderson HONDA CG125 Rosie with her first bike, a CG125 which I bought off my training school and fixed up for her to learn on. Julian Merriman HONDA CB900F Not quite my first bike but it was a good one – me back in 1985 on my Honda CB900F. Tony Duke TRIUMPH SPORTS CUB This was my 1962 Triumph Sports Cub, bought in 1965 for £50 ( which was four weeks wages). Tony Ball PUCH MA XI I remember riding my Puch Maxi to school in 1973. The previous…

Rudge -Whitworth Nine-year-old Murray and his dad Graham at the Isle of Man in 1932 on his Rudge. The year before, Graham had won the Lightweight TT on the bike. Ex-Army Matchless G3 Post-war he got a job in advertising and could afford to buy a bike. KTT Velocette Murray had a go at racing – winning at Brands Hatch in 1949 pre-tarmac. Norton 500T After racing, Murray concentrated on trials. He plays down his ability, but he was good – winning a gold medal in the 1949 International Six Days Trial. Honda 500 Four This was a step up in performance from his other bikes and he loved it. BMW R90S “My two BMWs lived in a heated garage – the car lived outside.”…

Few motorcycle marques have combined racing success with showroom sex-appeal quite like MV Agusta. With 38 Grand Prix World Championship titles, the Italian brand have enjoyed the most on-track success of any European manufacturer and helped contribute to the tally of the sport’s most-decorated rider, Giacomo Agostini. Since the late 1960s, the MV monogram has become a byword for exotica, having graced the tanks of jaw-droppingly beautiful bikes including the 750 SS, F4 750 and F3 800 Serie Oro. Yet the firm’s history goes back a little further than that and owes its success to the creativity of its founding fathers as well as two other passionate biking families along the way. Take a moment to stop and look at that familiar logo, unchanged since the motorcycle company was incorporated…

1 Compare new with old Most bikes have reinforced rubber brake lines as standard but they can absorb some of the hydraulic energy transmitted to the pistons inside the brake calipers, especially if they’re old. Swapping them for braided lines will dramatically improve braking power and feel. First, lay the new hoses out and make sure they are the correct length and have the right fittings. BRUCE’S TIPS ‘Always make sure the new lines will fit before you get started’ 2 Drain the system Undo the banjo bolts that connect the bottom of the brake lines to each caliper and drain the fluid into a suitable container – undoing the master cylinder reservoir cap and pumping the lever will help. Keep pumping until the reservoir is dry. Crack the banjo…

What we said then This is Suzuki’s first proper super-naked and at its heart is the meaty, long-stroke motor lifted from the much-revered 2005 GSX-R1000 K5. Many have fantasised about owning a naked GSX-R1000, so the comfy, spacious GSX-S1000 is the answer to our prayers. Out on the road, the GSX-S is pure K5. With its new 4-2-1 exhaust, stubby can and a sonically stirring new airbox, the soundtrack takes you right back to 2005. It’s all growl, gurgle, howl and bark as you play with its non ride-by-wire throttle to unleash all those claimed 144 horses. Just like its K5 dad, the GSX-S grunts off corners energetically in any gear, but will plod along on motorways with just a whiff of throttle in top and trickle through towns on…

Catch a glimpse of the local trail-junkies disappearing across a field and there’ll be a DR-Z in the group. Go to a trackday and you’ll be surrounded by GSX-Rs. Cities hum to the thrum of V-Strom mounted commuters, classic shows are scented by the emissions of RGs, and there’s nothing that covers ground like a Hayabusa. Suzuki might not have Honda’s legendary reputation or the bold image of Kawasaki, but all these bikes speak volumes. £3750 SUZUKI GSX-R750 K6 749cc |163kg |147bhp |810mm seat height • Dealer up to £4500 • Private up to £4000 • This one 2006, 24,000 miles By the time the 750 celebrated its 20th birthday in 2005 the three-quarter-litre market had collapsed. We were all buying 1000s. Yet Suzuki completely updated the 750 for…

Elvis may have heralded the new year singing about Heartbreak Hotel, but for speed obsessed fans of two wheels, the big story arrived on September 6, when a 27-year-old American by the name of Johnny Allen piloted a streamliner dubbed the Texas Cee-gar down the Bonneville Salt Flats at a nerve-wrenching 214.40mph. A new world record was his for the bragging, taking the title from the German Wilhelm Herz (by a slim margin – Herz had managed 211.4mph with his turbocharged NSU, the Delphin III). But speed records come and go with a following wind, so why was this such a pivotal moment in the history of motorcycling? It was all about what was hiding inside that streamliner’s flanks. Reworked to breathe through twin carbs, the Cee-gar was packing a…

The new model was marketed as ‘The best motorcycle in the world’ It’s now sixty-one years since the most famous British motorcycle model of all time first went on sale: Triumph’s Bonneville. Born out of the Tiger 110, it sported twin carbs and was built at the behest of the aggressive US market – and named in honour of Johnny Allen’s 1956 land speed record. It was the fastest Triumph the Meriden factory had ever built and was marketed as The best motorcycle in the world. But it was an oddly reluctant birth. American buyers and the influential importers wanted the already legendary brand to give them a model with ‘more cubes’, more power, and more pizzazz. And with Stateside sales vital, Meriden eventually relented. Triumph had produced the first…

We might be very used to seeing Ducati at the sharp end of world-class motorcycle racing –and seeing their road bikes as being at the pinnacle of aspirational ownership – but it wasn’t always the case. If you trace their success all the way back to its source, then you really have to start with a Brit called Paul Smart. Invited to ride the firm’s innovative 90° L-twin Desmo at the 1972 Imola 200, he’d jumped on a plane from Atlanta to Modena on the strength of a phone call and the promise of £500 to ride, whether he won or not. Initially unimpressed by the long and heavy-looking road-derived racer that was waiting for him, it didn’t take long to realise that it was better than it appeared. After…

There were several remarkable things about Barry Sheene’s Daytona crash in March, 1975. One was the speed – at 175mph, it was the fastest on record. Another was that he survived at all. The tally of injuries included a broken left thigh and right arm, compression fractures to several vertebrae, broken ribs and extensive road rash on his back. He said later: “If I’d been a race-horse, I’d have been shot.” Another was that he retained his sense of humour. His remark to team manager Merv Wright was a key factor in endearing him to the public. Merv asked how he was. Barry ran through his list of grievous injuries, then added: “Apart from that, I’m fine.” The speed with which Sheene recovered was amazing. He was on crutches a…

Between 1962 and 1967, Honda racked up 15 championships. But one title, the premier 500cc class, still eluded them. At the same time, the European factories who had the ear of the rule makers weren’t happy with their sudden relegation. In came new rules, designed to save costs by massively reducing race machine complexity. Gone overnight were the exotic and complicated Japanese race bikes, and as the bikes disappeared so did the Japanese factories. It wasn’t until 1979 before Honda returned to racing with the NR500 four-stroke V4 at the British Grand Prix. The riders were Mick Grant and Takazumi Katayama, but far from being an immediate return to glory, both bikes had retired within two laps. But while the Honda’s return was a desperate failure, the lessons learned were…

Initially only destined to be a stop-gap model until the new generation of K-Series Even BMW aren’t 100% certain how the G/S came about but it is generally accepted that test engineer Laszlo Peres is the father, while Hans Muth would claim the idea started with him, and the desire to build a Gentleman’s Scrambler (GS). A keen off-road rider, Peres built himself an 800cc boxer-engined bike to compete with in German enduro events as early as the 1960s, but it was in the late 1970s his baby came to fruition. With Motorrad struggling to compete and on the verge of being shut down, Managing Director Karl Gerlinger went to the prototype team and asked for a fresh concept that the Japanese hadn’t yet thought of. The answer was a…

In 1985 you only entered the motocross world championship if you were as hard as nails – and few were harder than British HRC factory rider Dave Thorpe. Riding the evil CR500 two-stroke, Dave took the first of his three FIM World Motocross Championship titles in 1985, rewarding HRC’s faith in him and taming the CR. “The art of riding the CR was to use its torque,” Dave remembers. “If you started to go up and down the gearbox and use its power it would bite you – hard.” If you want any more proof of how tough the championship was that era, look up the video of the Belgian round at Namur on YouTube where there is even a section on tarmac as riders hit a huge jump as…

While the 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 created the sportsbike blueprint, it was the 1992 CBR900RR-N FireBlade that heralded the modern litre sportsbike. In an era of 750s, Honda’s decision to build an 893cc (they did test a 750cc version) machine was revolutionary – as was their use of technology. Under the guidance of project leader Tadao Baba, the Blade was built using the very latest computer tech to ensure its mass-centralisation was spot on while the development team also had a fanatical determination to keep it as light as possible. The result was a bike that redefined the rulebook and with a claimed 122bhp and a weight of 185kg it blew the competition into the weeds. The rest of the world were forced to up their capacity game with the YZF-R1…

After Honda’s 1992 FireBlade caught the rest of Japan off-guard, it was Yamaha who were the first to respond and 1998 saw the launch of the YZF-R1. The new bike was quite simply a sportsbike revolution. Within the 998cc engine, Yamaha moved the gearbox’s main shaft upwards rather than inline to make the motor more compact. This new design of ‘vertically stacked’ gearbox (although technically not the first as the TRX850 already had one) allowed the use of an extra-long swingarm for stability while wheelbase was kept short for agility. Add to this a claimed weight of 177kg and a class-trumping 150bhp and the R1 demolished the opposition. “It was built through pure engineering and dedication. I am still very proud of it and even prouder that the R1 name…