Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i BIKE

» Sunny afternoons spent razzing about on a Honda Monkey bike should be available on prescription. There’s no better way of wasting time than zooming(?) along at 58.4mph (rising to 61.3mph down hills) enjoying the countryside. No modes, no TFT screen, no power and no worries. Well, except possibly the gutter seeking wobble induced by the draft of a Mercedes Sprinter van passing inches away from your elbow at 85mph. Simple entertainment is part of the attraction of Royal Enfield’s new 650 twins too. No modes and no TFT screen, but analogue instruments, gleaming chrome and enough power to stay well ahead of that pesky Mercedes Sprinter. Enfield’s ambition for their new bikes is massive, and for the first time in recent history they’ve got a machine that can compete…

‘The doubters were right, not many fans thought a single Superbike race on Sunday warranted their entrance money’ AS WORLD SUPERBIKE heads off to remote corners of the world, and even smaller crowds than usual, there is still uncertainty over next year’s British race. As in it’s not yet certain whether or not it will happen. Motor Sport Vision, who run Donington Park, have been working for months to try and break down the three obstacles to the event making sense from their point of view. First, there is the matter of the fee; secondly an acceptable date in the calendar; and third some serious adjustments to the running order. Up until very recently it seemed as if a July date had been secured but that hope has faded. I…

»28 October Yorkshire Grand National, Monkton Shooting Grounds, Beverley If you’re quick you’ll catch the National Twin Shock’s final outing of the year. Though the Championship will have already been settled, there’ll be the usual frantic elbow-to-elbow action with all manner of classes: pre-’78, pre-’85 twinshock, an open Evo skirmish and an over-40s class. Flat-out seizures assured. nationaltwinshock.co.uk »18 November Newark Autojumble, Newark County Showground The days of stumbling across a non-running pile of scruffy parts for £500 that the owner doesn’t realise is a super-race 1926 HRD TT Replica are long gone. However, there’s still plenty of ‘essential’ whatnots to be gathered at a good jumble and the opportunity for some rummaging satisfaction, and Newark is a whopper. Newarkautojumble.co.uk…

WITH ITS CORINTHIAN columned entrance and ornate ceilings, Cheltenham Town Hall is not the obvious choice for a bike show. However… The early autumn Festival of Bikes, re-christened the Oily Rag Festival, is now established as the last big UK custom event of the year. The ‘oily rag’ appendage was a bit of a misnomer as I could see only one machine with a drip tray. Also noticeable was a high representation of British-based customs, and it was encouraging to see so many builds that hadn’t been at Tobacco Dock. Imaginations are clearly running wild on a regional and national basis… Electric Virago All-electric customs may ultimately be the way to go, but today they are rare. Painstakingly built by Peter Walker, this one’s based on Yamaha’s XV535 Virago, because…

» ‘An intoxicating three-hour mix of fast-paced action sports and adrenaline-fuelled family entertainment,’ is how the organisers of Arenacross describe it. And for once they’re not just blowing smoke, it really is as action-packed as they say and good for young and old alike. In a slightly changed tour schedule the six round series will visit Belfast, Birmingham and Sheffield for two nights each. Perfect for getting rid of winter biking blues. 2019 Arenacross dates: » 18-19 January, SSE Arena, Belfast » 1-2 February, Genting Arena, Birmingham » 15-16 February, The Fly DSA Arena, Sheffield arenacrossuk.com…

I’m currently in a bit of an emotional pickle being sans bike for the first time in ten years, after writing off a Ducati 899 Panigale I had owned for just two days. It feels unpleasant that I’m no longer the living adjective that once so comfortably defined me as a person. I recently found myself stuttering and didn’t know what to say when a colleague asked me what I was riding. My lament is self-inflicted so I’m not moaning – you see I couldn’t bring myself to add to my already substantial loan so the bike cover currently lies neatly folded in the shed. I’ve decided to save for a bike and pay cash for the first time in my life next Spring. While the crash wasn’t serious, it…

CYLINDER HEAD Retro looks demand air-cooling, but there is also a substantial oil-cooler, and clever design allows oil to remove much heat from the cylinder head. Single overhead camshaft operates four valves-per-cylinder. CRANKSHAFT 270° crankshaft results in V-twinesque power delivery with uneven firing impulses. Original British twins had 360° cranks and even firing pulses. Balancer shaft is gear driven, and sits ahead of the crank. INDUCTION Twin throttle bodies have cable control from the twist grip, with fuel metering controlled by Bosch fuel injection and engine management. Modest 9.5:1 compression ratio means that it’ll work fine on bad fuel. POWER UP? The crankshaft’s substantial bearing area, and the hefty alloy crankcases suggest that the engine could comfortably deliver more power. Compression, capacity and revs could be raised on future models.…

WHO DOESN’T LOVE a little yellow Honda? No-one seems capable of looking at the new 125cc Honda Z125A Monkey without smiling. ‘It feels like you could use it to commit a robbery,’ says road test editor John Westlake after riding it ten miles home and back, ‘and your victim would be charmed.’ Everyone who encounters it has a better day. Even crime victims apparently. Riding it provokes an even bigger grin. On the daily commute you amuse yourself in congested traffic by bouncing over kerbs, wriggling under car mirrors, doing gratuitous feet up circles and practicing stoppies and doing skids, just for the hell of it. B-roads, A-roads and dual carriageways are flat-out fun, all the way to an indicated 65mph, and because third and fourth (top) gear are quite…

PEOPLE WANT TO talk to you when you arrive on the Brough Superior SS100. Get used to the what, why, who, where, how fast and how much? But are the smiles on the faces of your inquisitors expressions of joy, or sympathy? Is this a two-wheeled marvel of human ingenuity and artistic expression? Or a £60,000 irrelevance that identifies its owner as no more than a mug? These are the basics; it’s made in France, it’s inspired by the Brough Superior SS100 of the 1920s and ’30s, but is a completely new and modern design. They’re hoping to make around 200 a year, and they’ve already sold over 20 of them in the UK. It’s their own engine, a 997cc dohc liquid-cooled 88° V-twin that is tuned to produce around…

I STARE ACROSS THE garage, cup of coffee in one hand, an exquisitely rolled joint of Moroccan hash in the other. As nature’s wonders take effect my eyes fixate on my scarred Africa Twin. A glorious montage of people, places and excessive speed rattle through my mind. I snap back. Two things are clear to me – Moroccan hash is my favourite form of cannabis, and we must ride again… The Moroccan link is strong, as our last adventure took us to that hallowed land and across the border into Romania ( Bike , April 2016). But where next? I convene an emergency meeting – me, Marc, Ramon and Marsi – at our favourite tavern. I arrive to a scene of great beauty (and a good omen): Ramon being slapped…

PERFORMANCE TESTING The first Tracer Nine used to wheelie off the throttle in second gear. However, the 60mm-longer swingarm means off-the-line acceleration is now much easier to control. FACTS AND FIGURES Steep 24° rake is reminiscent of Tracer’s naked roots. It’s the same as KTM’s 790 and steeper than MT-09. Trail is shorter than MT-09 but the lively handling is kept in check by 1500mm wheelbase. TYRES For an OE tyre Dunlop’s Sportmax D222s are beyond criticism. They give you confidence and let go much more smoothly than the MT-09’s sporty S20s. Throw on a pair of Michelin Road 5s for all-weather stability, longevity and better sidewall grip. Spank them on track and there is hardly any movement. Brilliant tyres. POWER AND TORQUE 50 lb.ft from 3500rpm all the way…

A head for lights Shark Skwal 2 Used for: six months Price: £230 Info: sharkhelmets.com » Skwalling is a winter sport made popular by the sort of people who enjoy ‘eyewear’. But, quite what it has to do with a motorcycle crash helmet is anyone’s guess. This second version of Shark’s Skwal has all the French brand’s regular niceties: large Pinlock insert, deep built-in sun visor, easy to use with spectacles, good build quality and a fine sense of safety. It’s also a tad shy on vents, so got clammy during the exotic summer and I can’t stop the sun visor misting on cold autumn mornings. That chin vent also flips shut too readily – raise a hand to wipe you visor and it ends up closed every time. The…

This isn’t a limp brochure-style round-up of all the bikes you can buy. No, your guide is far more useful as it only contains bikes that we have tested, with comparable on-the-road prices plus data, expert opinion and must-know detail gathered by fussy full-time testers. We do hundreds of thousands of miles, dyno, datalog, weigh and answer the big questions. Don’t buy a new bike without reading this first. ✱ BEST FOOT FORWARD BMW are deep into future tech, evolving their ‘urban mobility’ scooters and exploring vehicles that talk to each other with car-style ‘aids’. Hopefully it’ll all be applied to something with a boxer engine and funny front end, and the 2020 R1200RT will be like the BMW Booleroo FF shown at the NEC in 1981. ✱ NO SUBSTITUTE…

We used the Dover-Calais crossing. It’s 90 minutes each way and just £25 for bike, rider and pillion. Top value. dfds.co.uk Rock Oil supported Team Bike back in the 1980s, and they are still supplying us with fine quality lubricants. Sean Merrick, of Manchester based Speed Couriers helped make this year’s Bol adventure possible. Thanks Sean. Dunlop’s D213GPs were brilliant. They saved Stephane from a crash when a backmarker braked in front of him. Support comes from the most unexpected places. If you want to buy gold, speak to these people.bleyerbullion.co.uk…

Save £2440 Suzuki GSX-S1000 » If you’re not bothered by the GSX-S1000’s new Katana outfit, why not just get the bike underneath? This 2016 GSX-S has done 158 miles, comes with a range of Suzuki extras (screen, tail cover etc) and is up for £7399 from On The Wheel. Call 01273 020981. Save £4000 Moto Guzzi California Touring » Underrated tourer that makes most rival Harleys look like low tech dunderheads. Maybe the new V85 (p16) will give Guzzi an image boost, but in the meantime there are bargains galore. This Cali is £13,999 from 0114 4788806. Save £1590 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT » The world’s barmiest tourer has apparently just got better (see p16). But the 177bhp old one is still fearsomely good, easily capable of spanking sportsbikes,…

» Rich Newland from MCN rode a prototype FTR1200S. Here’s what he told us… ‘From the moment you release the light clutch and feel the drive build as you dance through the gearbox and revel in the exhaust note, it’s obvious that the FTR is about refined street hooliganism. It feels dense without ever feeling as heavy as its claimed 222kg, its mass giving it stability and security without ever getting in the way. Direction changes come as fast and hard as you dare use the wide bar leverage, or trust the bespoke Dunlop DT3-R tyres – and while multiple rider aids boost control, most owners will probably keep the most visceral settings engaged where cheeky wheelies are allowed, along with a bit of drift, and its 120bhp is meted…

17 November Grand Prix of the Commumitat de Valencia, Circuito Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain Your last chance of the year to get your fix of live MotoGP. If you can’t get a direct flight then go to Barcelona and get the train. Stay in the city and get a train to the track or in the town of Cheste which turns into party central. And if you can’t do any of that, go to Motorcycle Live where the races will be on the big screen. motogp.com 17-25 November Motorcycle Live, NEC, Birmingham If you want to time your show visit to coincide with racing stars, you need to know this. The first day there will be more World Superbike Champions in attendance than you could shake a stick at –…

‘I had no clue what the world looked like’ » Where are you right now? Back in Australia. The trip made me realise where I want to live and what I want to do. For me that is in Australia. Although it’s not easy to move here, I’ve been able to secure an amazing PhD position in Sport Psychology on the Sunshine Coast. » You’ve just returned from an epic solo ride, what was your route and what bike did you ride? It was a 43,500-mile, two year journey from Australia to the Netherlands. I rode a Yamaha XT250, known to Australians as a ‘Chook Chaser’ – just right for a 5ft 2in featherweight like me because it’s light, easy and durable. First, I rode all over Australia, then I…

» 28 October South of England Motorcycle Show, Ardingly, West Sussex Just a few miles off the M23 at Junction 10 you’ll find the South of England Showground which on this crisp autumn Sunday – well we live in hope – will be crammed full of custom and classic machinery. What’s more, there’ll be lots of custom accessories, autojumblery and ‘project bikes’ for sale. elkpromotions.co.uk » 17–25 November Motorcycle Live, NEC, Birmingham Yes, it’s that time of year again. Of special interest to us lot here on Bike’s custom pages is the reprise of the Custom Xtreme Zone – and that is how they spell it. Hall 3’s the place to head for and it promises to be exactly what it says on the tin. Which sounds hopeful. motorcyclelive.co.uk…

» 25 November Thumpers Trial, Poplars Chase Farm, Thorrington, Essex 2018 will see the 38th consecutive running of the Eastern Centre Thumpers trial. It’s a trials bike fest in the woods for pre-1970 machines of British manufacture with classes for Pre-unit, Unit, Tele-Rigid, Girder-Rigid, 2-Stroke and ‘Specials’. Eastern-fourstrokeassociation.co.uk » December 8 Super Enduro, Tauron Arena, Krakow, Poland If the first of the five round SuperEnduro series is anything like all of 2018’s rounds it is worth a budget flight and a night in a hotel so you can watch it live. Bar-bashing, spectacular and the Polish crowd is awesome. Britain’s Billy Bolt is hot favourite in a world class field. superenduro.org…

Quick shifter Comes as standard on lower-priced MT-09, and on the Tracer 900 GT. Action is smooth at full throttle, but lumpy on lazy changes around town. Best used in anger. £251. Luggage system 20-litre panniers are slim for sliding through traffic. But they’re expensive, especially when you add the essential add-ons needed to mount and use them. All in, you’ll pay £908. Heated seat Heated comfort seat is £340 while a comfort seat comes in at £150 – buy the heated version and be toasty when the weather turns cold. Heated grips are also available for £166. High screen You could buy this (£143), but it doesn’t work very well. Instead, head to skidmarx.co.uk and order their Tall and Wide Tracer screen. It’s only £90 and works much better…

with Martin Brown Martin Brown is director of Bike Stop, one of Britain’s most well-respected accessory stores. Based in Hertfordshire. » bikestop.co.uk 01438 317038 IT BETTER BE WATERPROOF... …but it better also be breathable. Consider a plastic bin bag: that’s 100% waterproof but 0% breathable. It’d keep you dry from the rain but not from your own sweat. Enter ‘breathable waterproof membranes’. Most famous of these is Gore-Tex, a standalone company that vets manufacturers who apply to use their membrane to check their processes are up to scratch. It’s top-quality and is bonded to the jacket’s outer layer to create a ‘water off a duck’s back’ effect. But it’s also expensive to use. You’ll find it in the most expensive gear. The price point below Gore-Tex features each manufacturer’s…

with Steve Grover Launched Motoscot in 2007 after 21 years as service manager of a BMW main dealer. Steve currently has 29 liquid-cooled GSs on his service books.. » motoscot.co.uk ENGINE CORROSION The finish on parts of the engine has been known to flake and corrode quickly, even on bikes that haven’t been used over winter. BMW UK have replaced entire engines under warranty in order to fix the fault, as long as the owner hasn’t admitted to using certain brands of cleaning products which BMW deem to be damaging. Always tell your dealer you wash your bike in BMW’s own cleaning solution. SERVICING It happens every 6000 miles. The small service includes engine oil and filter change, a thorough check of fluids, fasteners and components, plus a plug-in…

If you have a crash which looks likely not to be your fault your insurance brokers can, and frequently do, go into a feeding frenzy for money. The most money a broker makes on an insurance claim is hiring you the replacement bike. Before you take up the offer of a ‘free’ bike know these things… The bike is not free. You are entering into a binding contract to pay usually between £100 and £120 per day for the use of a serviceable but unexciting motorcycle. The ‘delivery note’ usually has printed on the back of it a binding Consumer Credit Act contract which renders you personally liable to pay for every penny of that hire so tread carefully. Secondly, you are likely to need to go to court to…

AFTER TWO YEARS AWAY FROM Goodwood (it clashed with BSB) this year I was back riding for Ian Garbutt of Ripley Land – I raced with them in 2015 and we won. The event alternates between early 1950s bikes one year and early 1960s the next. This year it was the oldies so I was riding Ian’s 1953 Manx Norton. My team mate was Goodwood virgin, but proven ace classic racer and top bloke, Chris Firman. In Saturday’s race I was soon in a hilarious battle for the lead with McWilliams, Corser, Rutter, McGuinness, Hillier and Child. They were all passing me down the straights, then I was out braking them or riding round the outside come the corners. After an epic battle it was time to pit. Us leaders…

USED BIKE OF THE YEAR in the October issue was Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 K1, a 17-year-old bike that’s bloody good and very affordable. For £2300 I bought a scruffy track-only K1 three years ago and, after recently welcoming home a much-missed Honda VTR1000 SP2, the Suzuki had to go. A last hurrah at Portimao in Portugal underlined what a fantastic bike the Gixxer remains. At the circuit I’m on a machine giving away 40-50bhp to the sparkling herd of S1000RRs, RSVs and Panigales. It has no traction control and enjoys the old-school aerodynamics of a cannon thrown off a cliff. Ahead lie 17 turns over almost three miles, including a blind crest taken as fast as you dare and an off-camber squeaky-bum 100-mph-plus right-hander exiting on to a 160mph straight. My…

Fuel warning system When the fuel gauge gets to one bar it starts blinking to show you’re running low. Fair enough. But instead of also giving you a figure for your range until empty, it shows how much fuel you’ve used since the bar started blinking. What? Given that it knows your average mpg, and how much fuel is left, why doesn’t it give you a range? Annoying. Handlebars As you can see, the bar-end surface finish is wearing off, which seems odd on an otherwise minty 3000 mile bike. But that’s not the main complaint. What irritates me more are the bar vibrations at 6000rpm, which is 80mph in top. For short rides it’s barely noticeable, but if I sit on a motorway for a tankful I get white-finger…

‘The Katana styling seems to hit the spot… what’s not to like?’ WHEN THE GSX1100S Katana arrived in 1981, jaws dropped. Here was one of the fastest production bikes ever built, wrapped in styling so radical that dealers feared it would never sell. It was massive news. The 2019 Katana is not like that. Instead, it’s an homage to the 1981 bike built around a GSX-S1000 engine and chassis – both largely unchanged –in the same mould as Kawasaki’s latest Z900RS. So you get a 999cc four-cylinder motor originally from the 2005 GSX-R1000, and a neutral handling chassis with quality suspension. Styling aside, the only changes from the GSX-S1000 are some tweaks to the engine mapping which apparently smooth out the jerky on/off throttle response, a reduction in fuel capacity…

ELECTRONICS The California has loads and sure enough the V85 gets plenty too. The centrepiece is a full-colour TFT screen with Bluetooth capability. There are three riding modes, cruise control and traction control. ENGINE Compared with the V9 motor, this has a lighter crank, bigger fuel intakes (throttle bodies are 52mm), titanium inlet valves, and pistons with shorter skirts. This combo should let the engine spin up quickly – not a usual Guzzi trait – and have a higher redline than the V9 to help it towards that claimed 80bhp figure. CHASSIS The engine acts as a stressed member, with the pretty steel tube trellis frame attached. Wheels are 19in front and 17in rear – the lack of 21in front hints that this is aimed at B-roads not green lanes.…

BROOK HENRY AND his Australian Vee Two company have been building super-fast and meticulously engineered Ducatis for decades. The latest project is perhaps the most aspiring creation to date, an exact replica of the Ducati NCR 900F1 on which Mike Hailwood won the 1978 Senior TT, after eleven years away from the Island. Actually, calling it a replica is underselling this new V-twin. Vee Two have got hold of the original factory blueprints, casting patterns and manufacturing rights for the prototype 883cc bevel-drive motor used in Hailwood’s racer. The design has been polished up using 40 years of progress, and though identical to the original on the outside it’s modern internally. With one-piece crank, Nikasil bores and strengthened cases, it’s also got 1mm fatter forged pistons to give 905cc and…

» 3 November, 2018 Elspeth Beard, Phoenix Theatre and Arts Centre, Bordon, Hampshire Elspeth Beard, first British woman to ride around the world, author of the bestselling book Lone Rider, award-winning architect and all-round legend, will be telling the incredible story of her 1982 RTW motorcycle adventure. phoenixarts.co.uk/event/elspeth-beard » 15 November, 2018 Austin Vince’s Captain’s Table at The Bike Shed, London London hipster hangout, The Bike Shed hold a monthly ‘Captain’s Table’ event where you get to share a meal and hang out with iconic figures of the biking world. This month it’s Mondo Enduro legend, Austin Vince. thebikeshed.cc/calendar/ austin-vinces-captainstable » 25-28 April, 2019 Horizons Unlimited Travellers’ Meeting, Virginia, USA If your 2019 adventures take you Stateside try to stop off at the ever-welcoming Virginia HU meeting, where you’ll meet…

‘A classic case of a local council trying to prevent access to a brilliant trail’ PART OF THE Trail Riders Fellowship’s (TRF) remit is to ‘responsibly and respectfully conserve green road access’ across the United Kingdom. The TRF’s fight/mission is unrelenting, and the latest on a seemingly never-ending list of threatened access are rights of way past Stonehenge and Jacob’s Ladder, Derbyshire. When it comes to access and traffic Stonehenge is always controversial, but usually it is the A303 that’s at issue and its queues of holiday makers. However, byway, B-road and footpath access in the immediate area is now under threat after Wiltshire Council imposed a ban on using minor roads next to the World Heritage site. In short the contention is unless you pay to visit Stonehenge you’re…

LAUNCHING HARD A Top Fuel nitro-methane bike launches at Blair-Bedford dirt drag strip, Pennsylvania, USA. The clay/soil based track is a rarity as it’s one of the few tracks that runs up to 500ft, most others run up to 300ft. The course record was recently set at just under 4.5 seconds @ 142mph on a 1000bhp bike. With a top prize of $2000 competition is intense. DIRT/STREET BIKES Buddies Len Metcalf and Aaron Hoard from Virginia sit astride their Honda CBR600RR and Honda CBR1000RR. Apart from the extended swingarm on the 1000 they’ve been left completely stock: ‘we’ll take ’em back home, remove the knobbies, put street tyres on ’em and run ’em straight down the street’. NITRO HARLEY 72-year-old Paul Plummer checks over his nitro-methane fuelled, 96ci (1500cc), hi-gear,…

BOUNCING DOWN THE road, enjoying the Triumph Bobber Black’s excellently sprung, plush, arse-hugging solo saddle, it’s impossible not to break out into a big grin. Sense of humour? If this bike was a human being it’d be packing them in at the Edinburgh Fringe. Or waving a tickling stick at the Palladium (RIP Ken Dodd). We loved the base model Bobber that was introduced for 2017. And the Bobber Black variant introduced this year is just as good. Maybe better. ‘It’s a unique riding experience. With a belter of an engine’ It’d have been easy for Triumph to get the Bobber wrong. After all, almost every other non-Harley-Davidson cruiser has felt a bit… well… naff. The last thing you should do in this market segment is take it seriously. Triumph…

Honda Crossrunner Pros: comfortable spread of power from the 90° V4. Sounds fantastic, and it’s better-suspended than the Tracer. Cons: utilitarian construction equals style deficit. Small LCD screen is also hard to read. Ducati Multistrada 950 Pros: Hypermotard V-twin with clever traction control and ABS. Well-appointed with Brembo calipers. Cons: it’s expensive (£11,535), or £12,390 for a fully-equipped Tour edition. MVAgusta Turismo Veloce 800 Pros: super-smooth quickshifter, blinding pace, quick-steering road brilliance. If, of course, you’ve set it up correctly. Cons: £13,840 and a lack of dealers makes ownership an act of dedication.…

Halvarssons Prime £460 Halvarssons claim their ‘Hi-Art’ abrasion-resistant material has up to 400% more abrasion resistance than comparable textiles. Level 2 armour in shoulders and elbows. Artificial Outlast and Thinsulate regulate body temperature. Vents front and back help when the weather warms up. Add Prince trousers, £349. Richa Infinity £200 This all-season touring jacket has a longer body than the RST. Shorter buyers beware of bunching around the midriff, as this could lead to water seeping in and dousing the loins. Elsewhere, there’s D3O armour, which is flexible and comfortable to wear, and a Level 1 back protector as standard. Two removable liners and a soft neoprene finish to cuffs and collar. The Infinity trousers match at £135 extra. Dainese Tempest 2 £270 Upgraded version of the original Tempest D-Dry.…