Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i BIKE

Mike Armitage Deputy editor >>In the sun I love my simple Givi 10.8 Style open-face hat. Smell fields, feel sun on your face and actually get bugs in your teeth. John Westlake Contributing editor >>I love my BMW boots. No squeaks, no glamour, no logos, just 100% waterproof. And good for a ten mile hike round Silverstone. Mark Graham Production editor >>I never ride without a little silver earplug tin that the long-suffering Trialmaster gave me. Though I don’t always wear the earplugs.…

A2 super-deal Yamaha MT-03 >> Yam’s new A2 licence-ready MT-03 has a 321cc twin, 41bhp, 21.8 lb.ft, and is £4592 on the road. Yet the original 03 is just £400 more at chorleyamaha.co.uk. It’s high quality, agile, has a solid 660cc single with twice the torque, and is still A2 legal. This classy device was £4899 when launched in ’06, which is £6600 in today’s cash. So you’re saving too. Cut-price cruiser Victory Judge >> Don’t think tassels and sissy-bars, think two-wheeled muscle car. The Judge has a beefy 1731cc twin, proper brakes, muscular lines with just-right 16-inch wheels, and out-handles any equivalent Harley. It undercuts the US rivals too, especially if you get it from bladegroupvictory.co.uk where a 2016-spec bike is £10,499. That’s £1200 off. Save two grand Aprilia…

>>Aerodynamic wings are The New Big Thing in MotoGP. First seen on the factory Ducatis last year, Yamaha soon followed suit and have now been joined by every other manufacturer in the championship. It isn’t the first time they’ve tried to cheat the wind. All-enclosing ‘dustbin’ fairings streamlined bikes in the 1950s. MV Agusta tested front wings remarkably similar to those on Rossi’s Yamaha back in 1972, and 250cc GP bikes used droopy seat units and rounded noses in the 1990s. But the latest sticky-out bits aren’t about top speed or even lap times. Small differences from today’s wings make the bikes more stable on corner exit, reducing the rider’s effort over race distance. They may (or may not) help prevent wheelies with the less effective ant-wheelie of this year’s…

THE HELLAS RALLY is one of the last international events to run a large capacity class, so Touratech are using the race to develop their range of parts for the new Honda Africa Twin. The job of riding this CRF fell to 15-times German enduro champ, Dirk von Zitzewitz. He’s won Dakar stages and fifth overall is his best result – though he last raced on two-wheels in 1999. ‘Thanks for remembering me!’ he tells Bike. Touratech’s development workshop focused on the Africa Twin’s suspension as Zitzewitz describes: ‘We used specially made components with a different cartridge system in the front fork and a completely different damper in the rear. With these changes the bike has got more safety over high speed bumps and 20mm more suspension travel – the…

EVGENIY V, SAINT PETERSBURG Leaving a bike outside for months of undeserved sub-zero desecration is a sin. Doubly so when decent machinery is rare and expensive, and when winters are so unutterably vicious. Many Russians live in flats, mid-rise blocks where a lift is a luxury. If you live on the top floor, the bike comes up the stairs in late November, back down again in April. In bits if need be. VICTOR M, RZHEV, TVER OBLAST A pleasantly recurring theme in these photographs is the frequent company of pets – in this case a kitten impersonating a squirrel. Victor’s Kawasaki Zephyr 550 is so comprehensively green it’s a minor miracle he’s allowed the sky on his walls to stay blue. No surprise the exhaust is off for a fettle…

Held Stint/ Turn two-piece Price: £419.99 (jacket) £339.99 (trousers) Used for: 5 months Info: held.de Tester: Steve Herbert >> Good points Under the radar, sporty two-piece designed for the road, not the track. There’s no aero hump or kneesliders, so I’m not carrying any unnecessary bulk. It has excellent ventilation, especially from the chest vent that’s the full length of the zip. I rode 1600 miles around France in the middle of summer in this and didn’t regret it once. >> Bad points The jacket’s a great fit but tight. My fault, should’ve got a bigger one so it’s strictly summer only as there’s no room for anything more than a T-shirt under it. Trousers are more forgiving but look a bit baggy in comparison to the ‘snug’ jacket. >> Rating…

‘I’m distracted by movement 20 feet away. It’s a bear cub… if there’s a cub nearby, there’s a momma bear too’ IN CASE NO ONE TOLD YOU, Canada is a big place, a really big place. In fact the province of British Columbia (BC) is four times the size of Great Britain. Our six day route takes us from the plains of Alberta, through the Rockies, and on to south central British Columbia. From there it’s north into central BC and the Coast Mountains – northern Washington is on the cards for the return trip, but reality dictates a different route. The participants are, in no particular order: Serge – BMW F650. A well-sorted, freshly serviced bike with a new battery filled with a bit too much fluid. Matt the…

GETTING ON A bike when you’re not in the right frame of mind is foolish. This sounds obvious, but lots of riders do just that and then wonder why they’re riding badly, or even dangerously. One aspect a lot of us ignore is over confidence. If the sun’s shining and everything seems right with the world, beware. Over confidence can take you that little bit further than the point of common sense, particularly on a sportsbike. It’s then that you can start to assume nothing’s going to pull out in front of you, which can end badly. If you feel slightly nervous and apprehensive before getting on your bike, that’s probably about right. There’s no shame in that. In fact, research has shown that’s far better in terms of your…

‘The reception we received everytime we stopped and rattled charity tins was amazing’ This month: Triumph Street Twin Other bikes ridden: Thruxton R, XSR900, R nineT Sport Miles ridden: 1634 I’M A BIG FAN OF A CAPE while riding a motorcycle – so any excuse to wear one and I’m in. When I found out there was a charity ride in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and I’d be dressed as one of my biking heroes, Evel Knievel, then it had to be done. I even rummaged through mum’s loft for my old custom Evel lid. Ride Cmyru, the brain child of Jason Lewi, has been going since 2012, and the event has so far raised over £23,000. All types of bikes and riders are welcome – you just need…

This month: Harley Davidson FXR Shovelhead Other bikes ridden: Harley Davidson FXLR Miles ridden: 610 YOU SHOULD ONLY SMELL petrol when you open the tank filler cap. So when a bike reeks of gasoline there’s something amiss. The Zenith/Bendix carb on the Shovel has been one of the few things to have behaved faultlessly on this bike so far. That changed when the unmistakable niff of Shell V-Power Nitro+ was traced to a weep from the float bowl/body joint. Without a master rebuild kit to hand the only option was to nip up the Allens……

This month: Yamaha XSR900 Other bikes ridden: Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki Hayabusa Miles ridden: 473 WILSON’S LAW STATES that ‘Non-functioning motorcycles accumulate to fill available space’. For me that means eight old bikes in various states of dilapidation spread between four locations; three in a lock-up across town, one in the Bike lock-up, one away being fixed (it’s been a year already, no rush lads) and another three in the conservatory at home. Well, they were in the conservatory but it’s been demolished. The home improvements committee decreed it had to go. It’s to be replaced by a bike cave with restricted headroom and room for only two bikes. Something’s got to give… I’ve got the 1981 Morini 500 Camel from my lock-up running and MoT’d so that’s one storage…

1 This is one of the EFI engines and looks typically modern. It is a 499cc pushrod OHV single cylinder motor with a bore and stroke of 84mm x 90mm and a five speed gearbox. 2 This is an original Bullet engine from the 1950s. It’s also a 499cc pushrod OHV unit with the same 84mm x 90mm dimensions. It has a four speed gearbox. Power outputs are similar. 3 While the rocker cover and cylinder head are outwardly different, the rockers clamped in their supports by caps secured with four studs are very similar on new and old engines. 4 There’s more difference beneath the cylinder head. The EFI combustion chamber shape is much more modern – but the gasket face still has a very recognisable shape. 5 Deeply-spigoted…

[1] Bullet sweatshirt, grey, £59.99 One hundred percent cotton, premium brushed fleece with a Bullet outline print on the chest and Royal Enfield logo on the back. It’s had an enzyme wash (a bit like a stone wash) to give it that lived in look. Also available in blue. [2] Billfold wallet, brown/olive, £39.99 Hand crafted in 100 percent leather. Utilitarian pockets cater for all necessities. Specially designed D-ring allows you to attach it your belt loop. [3] Compass key ring, antique silver finish, £12 Compass key ring made from zinc alloy with an antique brushed silver finish and a fully functional compass so, should your sat nav let you down in the Sahara, Death Valley or Croydon, you’ll stand a good chance of reaching safety. Also available in a…

>> Decent riding kit is fantastic. The first time I rode up the A686 to the 1900 feet summit of Hartside Pass I was wearing an orange cagoule, jeans and a Griffin Clubman crash helmet with a rattly visor. It was a long time ago, but the soaking I got is still a vivid memory. Great view from the top though. This month I travelled the same roads wearing proper gear from Bell, Halvarssons, Dainese and Daytona. And some long johns, though they’re now called ‘technical base layers’. It snowed Ð evidence on page 52 Ð but I was dry and snug, but still pleased to make it to the cafe at Hartside top for a rejuvenating sausage sandwich. Every year the Bike team rack up thousands of miles riding…

THESE ARE THE last photographs of Ducati’s museum in Bologna. Days after they were taken, the priceless race bikes were wheeled into storage and the museum doors closed as a huge modernisation project gets underway. Ducati are being cagey about their plans, only saying that the new museum will be bigger, contain all the significant road bikes (at the moment it’s dominated by race bikes) and have more multi-media displays. We think that means tellies. For Ducati fans, this is a big deal because the old museum was bloody lovely. As you walked in you could study Ducati’s first ever bike, the 1946 Cucciolo, and then wander round in a huge circle absorbing Ducati’s history through the medium of racing. Everything was there – from Paul Smart’s 1972 Imola 200-winning…

That’s my favourite toy I’m writing this on the Portsmouth to Santander ferry reading the latest issue and I’ve just read Mike Johnson’s letter (Bike, June 2016, p25) about people who don’t use their bikes and would like to offer a different opinion. I’ll struggle to hit half the 4000 mile average Mike quotes, despite being on my way to Spain for five days riding. Does this mean I don’t love riding it? No, but it’s my favourite toy, not my daily mode of transport. I ride my bike with my friends on annual holidays to seek out interesting roads under sunny skies (we hope) but rain has never stopped play. It’s seen Holland, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy and tomorrow it’ll visit Spain. Is it some high-end exotica…

HELD Crackerjack jeans Price: £219.99 Used for: 12 months Info: held-uk.co.uk Tester: Paul Lang >> Good points Crackerjacks have Kevlar woven throughout the jean giving overall abrasion resistance. Supplied with CE approved D30 knee armour that slips into a three-position knee pocket system and with the option of having hip protectors too. And they actually look like jeans. Bonus. >> Bad points Only available with an inside leg of 34 inches (so the knee armour is round my ankles). And I had to take up the hems (a lot). Can be a little too thick and hot when off the bike if wearing them all day. Sometimes the knee pocket Velcro can scratch your legs. >> Rating 7/10 Oxford SP-J2 Price: £90 Used for: 12 months Info: oxprod.com Tester: Mike Armitage >>…

THE 1999 F4 750 heralded the return of one of the most celebrated names in Italian motorcycling. The F4 is a celebration of Italian passion and engineering thanks to its stunning looks sculpted by the godfather of styling Massimo Tamburini, and its short-stroke 749cc inline-four heart, complete with hemispherical heads developed by Ferrari. That said there are issues: the F4 can’t quite match its contemporary Japanese rivals in the performance or ease-of-use stakes and many prospective owners are put off by its rev-hungry engine and uncompromising riding position. For those unconcerned by trivialities the MV excels at making every ride an event and something to be savoured. On release the F4 was the only model in the MV range and got the factory’s undivided attention. As a result, and unlike…

‘If you are hurt overseas your life becomes a whole lot harder outside the EU’ If you travel to Europe by bike there will be significant disadvantages to an EU exit. The first is that as non-EU citizens we will require passport controls, and potentially visas, to travel into Europe. If, as seems quite likely, the divorce from Europe will be a messy one, with the remaining countries trying to make an example of the UK to discourage other potential leavers, then the EU is quite likely to make our lives a lot harder. There is no legal reason why British riders should require visas but if we leave the EU we will need to queue in passport control to ensure we do not overstay in Europe. This could mean…

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. *BIMOTA-DAVIDSON Harley took 50% of Aermacchi in 1960, and full control in ’74. The Italian’s 250 and 350cc 2-stroke racers were fast and Walter Villa won World Titles for H-D. There was also a 500, water-cooled four-carb twin. Bimota took it on in ’76 and built a frame with a coaxial swingarm pivot – but it still wore a wee Harley…

This month: Suzuki SV650 Other bikes ridden: Yamaha MT-10, Triumph Thruxton Miles ridden: 1625 CONSIDERING THE JOY of piloting a motorcycle we take it way too seriously. Maybe it’s my HJC’s rose-tinted visor, but I recall biking being a bit more lighthearted. Back in the nineties it was sunny every day, roads were smooth and clear, bike meets bustled, and everyone smiled. Suzuki’s SV650 was a spot-on mix of sportiness, accessibility and cheerful deportment in 1999. So I’m taking our new SV test bike to roads that 17 years ago were beloved of me and my mates, in a misty-eyed attempt to revisit brighter times. The SV is updated and enhanced, but it’s soon clear its chirpy charm is intact. On open roads the V-twin is brisk without being ridiculous,…

This month: Honda CRF250RE Other bikes ridden: BMW R1200GS Hours ridden: 9 AFRESH EDITION of a book you may have heard of is just out. It’s called Enduro Excuses Illustrated and I feature heavily in chapter seven: choosing the right motorcycle. And so to Honda’s CRF250RE. It’s a good all-round off-roader which I’ve taken to MX and enduro practice days where, as an MX bike with enduro bits bolted on, it’s delivered most of what I’ve asked for. But at the British Extreme Enduro Championship the CRF was a questionable choice… The problems started with a too-tall first gear, quick as Clint Eastwood stall reflex and no electric start – the consequent kickstarting frenzy sapped me of what energy I had. It was the perfect off-road storm – particularly for…

CLUTCH CENTRES for use with Royal Enfield 250 unit construction engines. The 3 plate clutch centre for engines from 1959 onwards has been unobtainable for some years. English made. Part number: 43487 at £121.00 (£145.20 including vat). 250 CYLINDER BARRELS cast iron and lightweight alloy cylinder barrels for Royal Enfield 250cc unit construction engines. These are the later type, with two pushrod tunnel screws fitted from approx 1960 onwards. Alloy part number 45275A at £176.00 (£211.20 including vat) Cast iron part number 45275 at £151.30 (£181.56 including vat). CAM FOLLOWERS After years of absence, now available again the inlet and exhaust cam followers for the 250 sports engines - Crusader Sports, Super-Five, Continental and Continental GT. (They can also be used on other 250 unit construction ‘Crusader type’ engines when…

The new Royal Enfield contains so much of the original big British single design that it is no surprise that the performance hasn’t changed that much either. But as with the original Redditch Enfields, they do respond well to tuning. Hitchcocks can supply parts to improve the performance of old Bullets or their Indian successors, right up to the Continental 535 GT. BOOST THE BHP Hitchcocks supply Enfield India-made alloy cylinders which suit both old and new Bullets, offering them either individually checked and with thread improvements for £150 (£125 350cc model) or an as-it-comes Indian barrel for £45 less. There is also a 535cc alloy barrel big bore kit for Redditch models. A big bore kit to convert the 500cc EFI engine to the GT’s 535cc is also available…

‘MY PROUDEST MOMENT WAS DISCOVERING THE REAR FENDER SWINGS UP’ 1. LINSDELL RACERS Steve Linsdell (far right) started racing on a 350cc Bullet in 1977 and added a 700cc Enfield twin to his stable the following year. More recently, he and his son Ollie (right) have starred in classic races on short circuits and at the Classic TT with Steve’s Seeley-framed Bullet. 2. NICE TOTTI Italian customiser Roberto Totti built this 2005 Electra X Bullet to race at Bonneville. Totti added a one piece crankshaft, Carillo rod, high compression forged piston, titanium valves, 40mm Mikuni carb and Boyer ignition. 3. MUSKET V-TWIN The American-made Musket engine was conceived by Aniket Vardhan as a vintage V-twin based on the original Enfield Bullet single, using the original top-ends, crank and internals. The…

>> Where are you right now? I am in Guatemala editing a TV series about my recent nine-month journey (search Electric Powered Odyssey on Youtube to view the trailer). >> And what was that journey exactly? I wanted to prove that riding electric motorcycles over long distances is possible now and to be the first electric motorcycle rider to travel the Pan American route. So I headed out from Philadelphia and rode through 14 countries to Cape Froward, Chile – the very tip of South America. This 17,325-mile journey is the longest ride on an electric motorcycle in history and has more than doubled the record. >> Tell us a bit more about using an electric bike for this trip… The bike was a 2012 Zeros S motorcycle. It was…

‘A lot of people think customs are all about raked-out stuff – it doesn’t have to be like that’ WHEN YOUR MAIN form of entertainment is serial sportsbike thrashing and following the fortunes of V.Rossi in MotoGP the last thing you’d be expected to turn your attention to would be a big-inch V-twin lowrider build. That is, if you’re not Steve Dilnott, forty-something Kiwi currently domiciled in Perth, Western Australia, and with enough disposable Aussie dollars from a successful business to imagine and then fashion a machine so painstakingly and beautifully wrought. ‘I had Valentino Rossi in mind when I made this,’ said the man from Tauranga (NZ North Island). ‘He’ll soon be like me and not wanting to go everywhere at 190mph.’ While 190mph is far north of the…

Alpinestars Andes Drystar suit Price: £189.99 (jacket) £159.99 (trousers) Used for: 16 months Info: alpinestars.com Tester: Paul Lang >> Good points Once the jacket is on then the fit is lovely. It’s warm, waterproof and has plenty of vents to keep you cool if/when the sun comes out. If you take a liner out there’s a pouch on the back of the jacket that turns into a bumbag. There are waterproof pockets all over. The trousers zip to the jacket nicely and the braces are comfy. CE armour on shoulders, elbows and knees. >> Bad points Someone has spent too long trying to make everything clever. Too many liners, so many adjustments that finding the perfect position for everything takes ages. Keep it simple Alpinestars, I want to zip and go.…

Alpinestars 365 gloves Price: £169.99 Used for: two years Info. alpinestars.com Tester: Paul Lang >> Good points If I’m on a motorcycle then nine times out of ten I’ll be wearing 365s. Comfortable, loads of protection and Gore-Tex waterproof. Thin enough to feel the controls easily but thick enough to keep your hands toasty. You name any tarmac-based biking activity and the 365s can handle it. >> Bad points In deep winter I dig out thicker mittens. Can take a few months to bed in because of the stiffness of the leather. I had a Friday afternoon pair come apart but this never put me off getting another pair, and hasn’t happened on this second pair. >> Rating 9/10 Rukka R-Star Price: £219.99 Used for: two years Info: tranam.co.uk Tester: Steve Herbert…

>> 1999-2000 MV Agusta F4 750 Serie Oro Limited-edition created to launch the F4. Gold magnesium wheels, top yoke, swingarm and engine cases. Carbon-fibre fairings, tank, airbox. Only 300 were made. 749cc – 106bhp – 179kg – £25,000-£30,000 >> 1999-2001 MV Agusta F4 750S The ‘mass production’ Strada version came in single seat and biposto versions, with aluminium and plastic replacing the Oro’s magnesium and carbon-fibre. Got an extra radiator in 2000. 749cc – 106bhp – 190kg – £4000-£6000 >> 2005-06 MV Agusta F4 Ago Honouring MV’s celebrated rider, Giacomo Agostini, to herald the arrival of the 1000cc version. Yellow number boards, special seat, gold plate on the top yoke, signed certificate. 300 made, and only 25 came to the UK. 749cc – 149bhp – 190kg – £n/a >> 2002-2004…

PADDOCK STAND Quick and easy to use. Simply push down on the handle and the stand levers up the rear wheel via small platforms that sit under the swingarm, or by using V-shaped fork attachments which engage with small aluminium or plastic spools called bobbins attached to the swingarm. The bike needs to be level, not resting on its sidestand when levering and you should check and re-check that the platforms are seated under the swingarm, or that the bobbins are seated in the forks. Ride a machine with a single sided swingarm? The main manufacturers make left and right-sided paddock stands that lock a pin into the rear axle. Paddock stands can cope with the heaviest bikes. Oxford Big Black rear stand – £46.99 The Big Black has four…

>> Kawasaki ZX-10R Total mileage: 836 Tyres: Bridgestone RS10 Price: £13,785 otr Story this month: our ballistic superbike is proving truly astounding, but is making John paranoid about plod. See p120. >> Triumph Street Twin Total mileage: 1972 Tyres: Pirelli Phantom Price: £7300 otr Story this month: bumbling round Wales, raising money for charity with what looks like late-career Elvis at the helm (see below). >> Suzuki SV650 Total mileage: 527 Tyres: Dunlop Qualifier Price: £5635 otr Story this month: thrumming about gleefully as if it’s 1999 all over again. Turn to page 120 for a spot of bumpy B-road time travel. >> Honda Africa Twin Total mileage: 946 Tyres: Dunlop Trailmax Price: £10,499 otr Story this month: off being fitted with a few replacement parts following a gentle DCT-provoked…

This month: Kawasaki ZX-10R Other bikes ridden: Yamaha FZ1 Fazer, Royal Enfield Classic Miles ridden: 682 AFTER 800 MILES on the ZX-10R I’m still waiting to get used to it. But, so far, after every journey I get off and – after checking the sky for circling police helicopters – marvel that herberts like me are cut loose on devices like this. It engenders curious feelings though. On the one hand there’s the utter joy of riding a bike that is so, so fast and steers so sweetly that anything above a hairpin is dispatched by just aiming your eyeballs. What a machine. But here’s the thing. Despite all the low sexy wheelies, flashing traction control lights and general stupidity, I know it’s nowhere near its potential. After one particularly…

‘Anything more than this would be hard work’ This month: Royal Enfield Classic Other bikes ridden: Aprilia Falco, Triumph Street Twin Miles ridden: 432 WHEN WE GO camping Sara and I don’t travel light. Consequently we have a well developed taste for super-techno uber-tourers – the complete opposite of this ancient-looking Royal Enfield Classic. In the Bike office we are renowned, and mocked, for the amount of stuff we take. The thing is two sleeping bags, roll mats, tent and other camping gubbins take up a lot of room: I maintain comfortable two-up bike camping cannot be undertaken lightly. A weekend away on the Enfield means we put our usual gear in a pile and remove the non-essentials. Stripped to the bare-necessities for our one night in a field 60…

I’m stopped at a red light on my Bullet and the guy in the pick-up next to me rolls down his window and calls to me. I’ve been through this many times here in Florida, so I know where the conversation is going. He’s going to ask what kind of motorcycle I’m riding. Royal Enfield is still little known in the US, so he’s going to look puzzled. Then he’s going to ask if I restored it myself. He’s going to frown when I tell him it’s not restored. It just looks old. Next he’ll ask if it’s British, and this is the killer. Because when I tell him it’s an Indian motorcycle he’s going to break into a wide grin. “OH!” he’ll smile. “It’s an INDIAN!” No, it’s not.…

‘WE SELL ENFIELDS TO ALL AGES – FROM GUYS IN THEIR 20s TO LATE 70s’ Two years ago, Royal Enfield announced its first concept store in Europe, next door to TTT Motorcycles in Bethnal Green, East London. The only other is in India, near the factory, though there are rumoured plans for 21 launches across Europe and one destined for Venice Beach in California, USA. TTT Motorcycles is owned by Andy Treloar. A former Yorkshire-based chef turned London-based despatch rider, he opened a bike shop in Islington in 1993, servicing and repairing bikes. Then he moved to the East End and opened TTT, selling scooters, superbikes, clothing and everything in between, plus running a busy workshop fixing and servicing. Recent redevelopment of the area and a shift in fashion houses…