Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i BIKE

>> Making magazines can cause chewed fingernails. We’re putting this page together on deadline on Wednesday, before we know whether Triumph’s World Record attempt at Bonneville has been successful. The printers are letting us hold one page back till Friday morning and we hope the team have got the record by then. Apparently the weather in Utah is good, and the salt flats are in good condition too. Did they do it by Friday? Find out on page 48. I’ll stop biting my nails and just cross my fingers. Cal Crutchlow was more sympathetic to Bike’s production schedule. His win at the Czech GP is the first by a British rider in GP racing’s top class since Sheene, but was almost ignored by mainstream media in the frenzy of Olympics…

£650 and falling Yamaha Ténéré >> We love big engines and gizmos. But for a genuine all-terrain adventure the 21-inch wheel, frugal-yet-strong single, vast tank and proven ability of Yam’s XT660Z make sense. It’s been quietly discontinued (expect MT-07 based replacement) so mmcbikes.co.uk have almost £650 off pre-reg bikes. Expect more savings before the year’s end. Reduced by £800 Honda CBF1000F >> The most overlooked bike ever? Ace ride quality, purring ex-Blade thrust, confidence-inspiring handling, clever ABS, adjustable seat and screen, and GT spec has full luggage, hot grips and satnav. At bransonsmotorcycles.co.uk you can get one for £9499 – cheaper than a less luxurious Z1000SX, similar cash to a much less refined Sprint GT. Down two grand Kawasaki 1400GTR >> 139bhp, 93 lb.ft, zero to sixty in three seconds…

SIXTEEN YEARS AFTER he won the last Lightweight TT, Bruce Anstey dominated the first running of the 250cc Lightweight Classic TT, leading the three lap race from start to finish. Riding a Padgetts Honda RS250 in a race designed to bring 250 two-strokes back to the Island, he beat multiple TT winner Ian Lougher riding a Yamaha TZ250 into second place and broke John McGuinness’ 17-year-old 250 lap record in the process. The veteran Kiwi posted 118.774mph (19:03:876) on lap two of the race held on Saturday 27 August. The attrition rate was high; 55 entries, but only 31 classified finishers. Earlier in the day the Senior Classic race had been won by John McGuinness on a 500cc Paton at 111.559mph. Up and coming TT ace Dean Harrison was second…

‘Ready to punch like a cage fighter if you go large with the throttle’ A YEAR AGO ALL seemed lost for Spanish off-road manufacturer Gas Gas: 30 million euros in debt, production ceased and factory workers were laid off. Mercifully the local Spanish government stepped in and managed to help arbitrate a new owner from a choice of three bidders. Step up electric bike manufacturer, Torrot… Trials bikes are Gas Gas’s bread and butter and so a full range of TXT triallers was the first back into production, and they shipped earlier this year. They’re quickly back to winning ways too, taking two youth world titles care of British riders Jack Peace and Jack Price. And now Gas Gas finally have a new enduro bike to shout about too, the…

SERVICING Costs are pretty standard for this type of machine; the initial 600-mile oil and filter change costs £157.52, then it’s an oil and filter change every 6000 miles. The 12,000 miles sees new spark plugs and final drive oil, £337.52. The 24,000-mile service is the biggy and takes six hours to complete and includes valve adjustment, £556.87. DASH The Super Ténéré was updated for the 2014 model year. The revised model got a full LCD dash which included: gear position indication; trips; oil temperature; fuel level and whatever driving mode has been selected. There are also more control switches on the handlebars and the rider can now switch screen options without letting go of the bars. SPARK PLUGS The Super Ténéré’s is a dual-spark engine which means there are…

‘When you learn to dominate it (and it needs to be dominated) you can make sportsbikes blush’ Suzuki GSX-R750 Anniversary TYRES: Pirelli Supercorsa SP PCP: £129 monthly MILEAGE: 1997 MPG: 53.9 I’M STANDING NEXT to my GSX-R750 in the paddock of Rockingham racetrack talking to James Haydon, today is going to be a great. I’m at our road bike-only trackday and the sun is out. Whilst chatting to the ex-GP and BSB racer I start to pick his brains about how a road rider like me can be better on track. He gives me six top tips (see below) so I thought I will put them to good use. I did follow James for a few laps and when an instructor says, ‘follow my lines,’ it helps when they are…

John Westlake Contributor >>The consummate professional set fire to his Yamaha before riding across the USA on a Hayabusa. Anything for a great story. Mark Gardiner Contributor >>Kansas resident and long term follower of Land Speed Record racing, Mark’s deeply impressed by the Triumph record effort. Mike Armitage Deputy Editor >>From mopeds at the village fête to Yamaha MT-10 at Rockingham, is there a bike journalist with a broader view? We don’t think so.…

>> Where are you right now? TB: In Colombia, overlooking the many lakes of Guatape, 2000m above sea level in the foothills of the Andes. >> What’s the big idea? The route? And how long will it take? TB: We’ve been discussing this trip for two and a half years since we met, and planning for the last year. Our route covers 15 Central and South America countries including Cancun, Mexico and Brazil. We want to prove you don’t have to have a big, modern adventure bike to do a trip like this, and also that you don’t have to be of a certain age to appreciate and ride classic bikes. We’re lucky enough to have no time limit and we reckon it’ll take six months. >> So… the bike?…

Political unrest Imagine my surprise as I picked up my copy of Bike magazine (October 2016) only to find it morphed into the European Journal. First the bizarre letter from Mark Hucke from the ‘Liberal Metropolitan London’ elite accompanied by a picture of a deserted ski resort. It seems that Mark is besotted with all things European with the exclusion of anything British. He was so shocked at Brexit that he had to leave the country. Mark, like many Europeans, doesn’t understand the concept of democracy and one might suggest that the ski resort was deserted because they heard he was coming. This letter was followed by an article from Mark Williams and his post-Brexit angst. If Bike wants to make inroads into the political arena please provide us with…

‘Flick modes and you feel the bike tense up as damping changes’ SURELY IT CAN’T be long till BMW’s tech gurus add a flux capacitor and time circuits to their never-ending array of whizzbang gizmos. When they do, I wonder how far back you’ll have to travel for this upright, high-bar, crossover mutant – with optional hard luggage – to stand a chance in Superbike racing. It’d need higher footpegs and adhesive tyres of course, and I’m sure Foggy’s death stare and Ducati 916 would be problematic. But what about Fred Merkel’s WSB-winning RC30 from 1988? His Honda had 20bhp less than the S1000XR, and no quickshifter, traction control or semi-active suspension. Yes, OK, Mr Merkel would have a skill advantage. But the thing with the S1000XR is the way…

AFTER 32 YEARS in the NHS as a nurse and nurse manager I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to retire at 55. I was still young and fit enough to hoist my short legs over a motorbike. For a long time I have loved lighthouses and the serenity and seclusion they offer (a bit like a motorcycle). I have worked closely with people all of my life but I am an introvert by nature and people sap my energy. I need restoration hence my love of motorcycles and lighthouses. On my retirement my excellent colleagues presented me with vouchers and money which I used to buy a camera as photography is another of my passions. My retirement gift to myself was to trade in my Triumph Tiger…

» 1989-1996 Yamaha XTZ750 Iconic parallel-twin dual-sport machine. Five-valve cylinder head, twin disc front brake set-up and 26-litre fuel tank. 749cc – 203kg – 69bhp – £1500-£2500 » 2010-2013 XT1200Z 1199cc parallel-twin featuring a 270-degree crank to boost traction feel, traction control, ABS, rider modes and shaft drive. 1199cc – 261kg – 90bhp – £6000-£8999 » 2014-present Yamaha XT1200Z Updated engine internals slightly boost performance. Changes to the electronic riding modes soften the throttle response. 1199cc – 260kg – 95bhp– £8500-£12,595 » 2014-present XTZ1200ZE Same engine and electronics updates as the Z but with electronically adjustable KYB suspension. Seat height adjusts by 25mm. 1199cc – 265kg – 95bhp – £9999-£12,999 » 2014-present Worldcrosser Accessory kit to turn your XTZ1200Z/ZE into a serious adventure bike. Carbon-fibre panels, super knobbly off-road tyres.…

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. *HAMMER TIME Twins racing was a US national class alongside Superbike and 250 GP in the ’80s. Harley’s bike had an XR750 bottom-end with iron Sportster barrels, in the frame from an old crashed bike. Known as Lucifer’s Hammer, it won first time out and took three titles, beating Marco Lucchinelli’s factory 8-valve Ducati. * DUSTBINS AND WINGS This is the…

1 Build up the speed >> This isn’t superpole! Take a few sessions to build your pace, to learn the track, warm your tyres and get into a rhythm. The speed will come. 2 And breathe… >> If you are tense you won’t ride well and you’ll get tired quickly. And don’t grip too hard. Use the straights to check your breathing and to release tension. 3 Don’t turn in early >> Many road riders do this. Stay out as late a possible, look for the apex, turn sharper and you will be able to pick the bike up and get back on the gas earlier. 4 Use all the track >> Road riders take a while to get used to looking through the corner. Especially on corner exits, if…

Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin TYRES: Continental TKC70 PCP: £125 monthly MILEAGE: 5494 MPG: 50.4 DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION is an £800 option on Honda’s Africa Twin. So is it worth having? When the model was first introduced, at the start of this year, around 20% of sales were DCT bikes but now it’s upto around 30%. Our long term test bike is fitted with the fancy transmission and everyone who spends time with it comes back a convert. There are drawbacks, and we’ll come back to that, but is there a performance difference compared with a conventional manual gearbox bike? First a recap on how it works. The gearbox is conventional, except that the selector is powered by an electric motor rather than your foot. There are two clutches, one deals…

Husqvarna TX125 TYRES: Metzeler 6 Days COST: £6199 HOURS RIDDEN: 3 ICAN’T TELL YOU HOW MUCH of a brilliant surprise riding the new Husqvarna TX125 is. It’s fun in a way I haven’t felt on a bike for a while, like a kid with a new toy if I’m honest. The 2017 TX125 is a new model which I’ve taken hold of for a few months. Why’s it so good? Because it is easy, accessible, light and packs more punch than anyone has a right to expect from a 125 two-stroke. The TX is Husky’s enduro 125 machine and hugely versatile WP suspension gives it a heck of a range of off-road skills from MX track to low-speed trials-type terrain. Once run in I changed the oil, checked around the…

‘Valve clearances are set at the factory and never adjusted, ever’ ALL OF NEXT YEAR’s Harley-Davidson touring models will be powered by this, the Milwaukee-Eight. The new engine has four valves per cylinder, higher compression, twin-plug heads, a single cam to save weight and a new balance shaft. Most interestingly of all, Harley say their rocker arm design allows valve clearance to be set at the factory and never adjusted, ever. No more pricey major services. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 (for 107ci, or 1750cc) has oil-cooled heads, while the ‘twin-cooled’ 107 and 114 (1870cc, for CVO models) have liquid-cooled heads. Flowing 50% more gas than the outgoing Twin Cam 103, the Milwaukee-Eight 107 has 10% more torque and is 11% quicker 0-60mph and 60-80mph (no figures, mind). Re-routed exhausts keep heat…

‘ There’s nothing like winning a race to give you a boost’ MAVERICK VINALES AND Cal Crutchlow’s performances at the recent British Grand Prix proved how important confidence is. Vinales went into the race knowing he had the pace to run at the front, he’s also vastly out-performed his more experienced team-mate, Aleix Espargaro, all year and has signed a deal to join Valentino Rossi at Yamaha next year. He knows he belongs at the very top in MotoGP and that’s starting to show in his results. Crutchlow has come back from rock bottom after a disastrous spell with Ducati and a difficult start to the season on the LCR Honda. But his wife Lucy gave birth to their first child in August and Cal won his first MotoGP race…

A LOT GOES ON in Sturgis, North Dakota, USA in August, most of it involving beer and titties, with a lot of American motorbikes thrown in to clog up the streets and ensure no one can hear a word anyone says. However, a little ways out of town at a venue known as Buffalo Chip there is invariably a jaw-dropping array of custom machinery and live music. The big show this year was Motorcycles As Art, the theme Skin and Bones (bikers and tatts, bikes and engraving). Curated by Michael Lichter, because a proper show like this has a curator, it’s not just a field full of matt black streetfighters. Lichter also shot these pictures because that’s what he does. This is but a tiny sample of the many wondrous…

I feel spoilt. I’m a not too recently born-again (2003) and I can’t get over the Bike of The Year coverage in last month’s magazine. It took me a while to find bikes number six to one (until I realised they were all in the bigger stories that followed the preamble bit) but when I did and after getting my head round just what a huge number of very good bikes there are out there, I felt very lucky. Lucky because this year I think (barring central heating or washing machine disasters) I’ve got enough spare money to buy something decent and new. I’ve been reading Bike long enough to trust the testers’ opinions and for what it’s worth the new points out of ten judgements are way better than…

OLD MEETS NEW The original Brough Superiors were handmade in a small factory in Nottingham between 1920-40. The 1000cc V-twins had a reputation for speed and quality. The 21st century Brough Superior is made 850 miles south of Nottingham in Toulouse, France in the art deco inspired premises of Boxer Design. But there’s an old Brough Superior to greet you at the door. INSTANT HERITAGE Understandably, the new company is keen to underline the brand’s heritage. Including their most famous customer. ‘Toulouse is the home of the French aerospace industry, handy when you’re looking for skilled engineers’ THE PRODUCTION LINE This is the space where a dream becomes reality. Brough Superior plan to assemble 300 motorcycles in this workshop/factory in the next 12 months. They already have orders for half…

IF BY ‘CRASHES’ you mean leave the road, slide into a ditch and get back on again, there’s probably 10-20 of those a day on a busy Saturday,’ says Killboy, who’s been photographing at the Tail of the Dragon for 16 years. ‘The sportsbike guys fall off at higher speeds, but they tend to be wearing more gear, the bikes are lighter and they’re fitter. The cruiser people tend to wear less gear, the bikes are heavy and they’re maybe not as in shape to take the beating. Those guys tend to get hurt more. We see one or two people ambulanced away each Saturday and Sunday. There are two to three fatalities per year. But you have to remember there are 250,000 bikes coming through here every year –…

VISITED 62 done and dusted (and hugely enjoyed) PLANNED A colossal 217 still on Derek’s radar 1. HEUGH HILL, NORTHUMBERLAND Heugh Hill lighthouse is a very modern light and although it is not as majestic as many in the British Isles it is interesting and beautiful because of its location on Holy Island on the Northumberland coast. This is accessible only by the infamous causeway where many people have been caught out over the years by the tide and having ignored the warnings find their vehicles swamped by sea water and written-off. It pays to read the sign and tide timetables. 2. BEACON STREET, NORTH SHIELDS Surprisingly one of my favourite lighthouses is local. I still cannot believe I waited 55 years before I visited Beacon Street in North Shields…

» Take a tourer or classic bike onto the back roads of the Brecon Beacons. Ride east from Hay-on-Wye on the B4348. This takes you over the top of the Black Mountains along the border between Wales and England. At Vowchurch take the right hand fork to Ewyas Harold on the B4347. These roads are tight, single-track affairs with dirty surfaces because of all the farm traffic – ideal for smaller capacity bikes. Hay-on-Wye is all about independent bookshops and cafés. There’s a castle on the hill to the south east of the town centre that you’ll pass on the B4348 (follow the signs for Bredwardine and Peterchurch at the Blue Boar Pub). » Between 3-4pm on a Sunday there’s a massive bike meet outside the Abergavenny bus station. Ride…

‘Yamaha’s new MT-10 is the most wheelie-happy motorcycle I’ve ever ridden’ Yamaha MT-10 TYRES: Bridgestone S30 PCP: £92 monthly MILEAGE: 1867 MPG: 35 THIS MIGHT BE sticking my neck out but Yamaha’s new MT-10 is the most wheelie-happy motorcycle I’ve ever ridden. Forget 190bhp superbikes, fruity middleweights and every other supernaked – nothing shines lights at the sky like the gurgling, growling, machine-gunning 998cc inline four. There’s 152bhp from the ex-R1 engine, with a fatter midrange, lower gearing and fraction-of-a-nanosecond response from the ride-by-wire. Anything beyond half throttle in first gear and the Yamaha stands erect. A bit more gas and it wheelies as eagerly in second. Leaning back in third generates whopping monowheels, and it only takes a small bump driving hard out of a corner for the front…

Ducati XDiavel TYRES: Pirelli Diablo Rossa Corsa PCP: £162 monthly MILEAGE: 1572 MPG: 48.8 I WAS THRILLED TO get another Diavel. Years ago I had one of the first ones on test and I loved it. It was unique and I will never forget my wonderful ride through Europe on it with my mates. Fast forward to now and I have a new Ducati XDiavel in the garage. Boom! So what’s it like? Well, I still love the looks of the Diavel and the XDiavel is a notch kinkier than standard. It’s born for cruising which suits me now. In fact all it’s missing is a sawn-off shotgun and Arnie saying, ‘I’ll be back’. It’s highlight is the meaty, effortless beast of an engine. You can just short shift, chuck…

Honda Crossrunner TYRES: Pirelli Scorpion Trail COST: £10,399 MILEAGE: 1687 MPG: 46 IT’S AGES SINCE I DID SUCH A SORTIE, but 1600-odd miles down through France to the Ardeche and back proved easypeasy aboard Honda’s VFR-engined Crossrunner. That said, the VFR800X (whew!) is a mighty tall bike – its 835mm seat height is a bit of a stretch even for this six-footer but once safely perched, the high vantage point makes fast lane-slicing possible and predictable, and also allowed a progressive and brilliantly damped all-Showa suspension package to provide a damn comfy ride during long, blisteringly hot hours in the saddle at a steady 150kph down the A6 from Calais to the Saône Et Loire. However the complex, hugely oversquare engine is a tad lumpy below 2000rpm so once on…

Yamaha FZ1 TYRES: Avon Storm 3D COST: £3250 MILEAGE: 20,867 MPG: 43 YOU KNOW THOSE PIVOTAL MOMENTS that you look back on and think ‘if I’d made a different decision my bike wouldn’t have caught fire’? No? Lucky you. Mine came after I’d identified the malfunctioning thermostat on my Yamaha FZ1 that brings the idle speed down when the engine is warm. Unfortunately the two screws securing the device, located by the throttle bodies, were seized so I doused them in WD40 and then attacked them with a screwdriver, promptly rounding the first one off. Arse. Then came the pivotal moment. I picked up my Dremel and started grinding a groove in the mullered screw for a flat blade screwdriver. On reflection, I shouldn’t have done that. Almost immediately a…

Gaerne Midland Gore-Tex boots Used for: four months Price: £249.99 Info: gaerne.com >>As far as I’m concerned these are the Holy Grail of boots. They work on all but the sportiest sportsbikes (the heavily treaded sole is great in a gravelly carpark but gets stuck on rearsets). They’re easy to get on and off, genuinely all-day comfy on and off the bike and totally waterproof. The Velcro and aluminium buckle closure lets me tailor a perfect fit whether I wear them with jeans, leathers or textiles and despite the rugged build they broke in quickly and flex and bend easily. The only disappointing thing is the crappy insoles which were sliding forwards as I walked and crumpling up in the toe section. Replacing them with decent ones has created boot…

RULES TWO AND three in my purchasing policy: never buy anything without seeing it, and never pay full price. These can only apply if you remember to obey rule one, however: never use the internet after alcoholic lubrication. I’ve wanted an MZ for ages. My first bike memories are of tooting the horn on my dad’s TS250. Selling my wife’s under used Mobylette created cash and MZ-sized shed space, so after an afternoon at the pub I showed domestic management a TS on eBay. ‘Only a low bid,’ she said. So I did, and ambled off to source more refreshment. It was late when we remembered the auction, and to her dismay I’d ‘won’ a 1977 MZ TS250. I got off lightly. It’s the right colour, has intact chrome tank…