MCN 3 November 2021

‘It’ll make any two-stroke fan’s heart skip a beat!’EMMA FRANKLIN PUTS THE LANGEN TO THE TEST WORLD EXCLUSIVE Two strokes to heaven with Langen We’ve been waiting so long to get our hands on this stunning bike. Ever since its creator, Christofer Ratcliffe, first told us about his desire to build the ‘Two Stroke’, it’s been top of our must-ride list. And this week saw MCN’s resident two-stroke specialist Dep Ed Emma get the golden ticket. While the weight of expectation was huge, the Langen did not disappoint. FULL FIRST TEST PAGE 36 PAUL SMART TRIBUTE Saying goodbye to a true legend Very few riders are more synonymous with pivotal moments that changed the future of a company than Paul Smart is with Ducati. Smart was an almost accidental hero, but his spectacular win at the…

There’s so much joyous content in this issue. From the stunning new Ducati Pikes Peak, to the great 1980s-aping Yamaha XSR900, the reveal of Husky’s long-awaited Norden 901 and the first signs that Norton are close to starting a – hopefully less flawed – chapter of V4 superbike production. And then there’s two great interviews with two great champions: TazMac (p40) and Quartararo (p60), and the first ride of the stunning new Langen Two Stroke – a jewel-like new stroker that looks right, smells right, and goes better than anything from the golden era of 250 smokers (page 36). But for all the joy, I was knocked sideways by the loss of Paul Smart last week. I only met him once, but grew up round the corner from him, coveted the Ducati…

Kent police have appealed for witnesses following an accident that resulted in the death of Paul Smart, 78. The crash took place on Wednesday, October 27 at 1.55pm on the A21 near Flimwell. Police say the vehicles involved in the crash were a grey Ford Focus and a red Ducati motorcycle. Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or who was in the area and has dashcam footage that may assist the investigation. Witnesses should call 01622 798538 or email sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk quoting reference HW/DGC/119/21. See page 34 for Paul Smart tribute. Harley’s quids in A new deal between America and the EU could be a huge boost for Harley-Davidson. The US and the European Union have agreed to end a dispute…

MCN CONTRIBUTOR These are the first official pictures of the new, performance-enhanced, Pikes Peak version of Ducati’s Multistrada V4. And, with its new, single-sided swingarm, lighter, 17in wheels, revised steering geometry, uprated electronics and a sportier riding position, not to mention racy MotoGP livery, we’ve no reason to doubt the Italian firm’s claim that it’s the “sportiest Multistrada yet”. As with previous Pikes Peak models (the first coming in 2011, the most recent the 2019, 1260, 158bhp V-twin), the new bike is inspired by (and named after) Ducati’s success at the American hillclimb, even though the race now excludes bikes following Ducati rider Carlin Dunne’s tragic, fatal crash in 2019. Like those predecessors, the new Pikes Peak features race replica (in this case MotoGP-inspired) livery and revised styling including a smoked, cut-down screen, two-tone…

Royal Enfield are marking 120 years of motorcycle production by attempting to ride to the South Pole on two modified Himalayan adventure bikes. The trip, known as ‘90° South – Quest for the Pole’ is said to be the first of its kind and will begin on Friday, November 26 in Cape Town South Africa before snaking around 479 miles to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The 39-day adventure will see the riders aiming to reach their final destination via the Ross Ice Shelf and Leverett Glacier, with the bikes ridden on a compacted snow track from the ice shelf onwards to reduce drag and limit the emissions generated by the trip. The two Himalayans will be ridden by Royal Enfield workers Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson and will be joined by…

MCN CONTRIBUTOR Following the fully-revised 2021 MT-09 roadster comes Yamaha’s new 2022 XSR900, the retro-styled sister bike to the popular MT triple. And, with more power, a much improved, lighter yet stronger chassis, plus a new 1980s-themed styling makeover, the punchy, fun and cool-looking triple promises to be one of the stars of 2022. The makeover is the first major revision to the XSR900 since it was introduced as a retro alternative to the MT-09 in 2016 as a follow-up to the similar MT-07-based XSR700 parallel twin. But with the MT-09 receiving a massive overhaul last year, partly to adhere to Euro5, it was inevitable the XSR would follow suit. So now the new XSR gains the same lighter, stronger, Deltabox frame as the latest MT-09 but with a slightly lower headstock for a lower…