Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i BIKE

>> The irresistible force of technological change leads inexorably to the new Honda Fireblade and Suzuki GSX-R1000, each loaded with enough electronic brilliance and engineering ingenuity to alter the laws of physics. I’m looking forward to riding them with a mixture of sweaty palmed excitement and utter dread. The excitement is a given – jeez, they’ve got nearly 200bhp. The dread is not because the mind-warping performance will expose my limitations as a human being (though it will) but because this will become, for a while, the new normal. In the same way that the sweet Triumph 675 Daytona, the sensational Suzuki GSX-R750 and the scintillating (old) Honda Fireblade were once the latest, greatest and most exciting things, as sure as eggs is eggs they are now last year’s models,…

>> This is Aprilia’s Tuono 125. Styled like the Tuono 1100, it’s a 125cc four-stroke single in a cast aluminium frame with suspension and brakes that are top-line in this part of the market. It boasts a digi dash with full data and lap timer, ‘astonishing tank capacity’ of 14 litres, and you can connect the bike to a smartphone so that, well... we’re not sure. It’s based on the RS125 – previously the RS4 125 – that has small tweaks for 2017. Elsewhere the RSV4 and Tuono 1100 get smarter electronics and new suspension.…

>> We rate Husky’s 701 Supermoto and Enduro. Good looking, huge fun, yet more civilised than a grunty single has a right to be. It’s better still in 2017 as the 701 has KTM’s latest 690 Duke motor, with a second balance shaft (cunningly placed in the head), 5bhp increase, 1000 more revs to explore, greater economy and longer service intervals. More fun, more practical. Ace.…

>> Seen the new Moto Guzzi Flying Fortress on page 18? This is the halfway house version. Moto Guzzi have taken their surprisingly capable Audace, base for the Fortress, and added a selection of carbon parts and red-painted details for the new Audace Carbon. It’s the feel of their imposing stealth bagger without resorting to its panniers, screen and ludicrous 21-inch front wheel.…

‘Already the UK’s best-selling 651 - 1000cc bike, and now there’s an SP version as well’. >> Yamaha’s MT-10 is staggeringly exciting, easy to ride and the UK’s best-selling 651 - 1000cc bike. Now there’s an SP version too. It uses Öhlins electronic suspension from the R1M that continually looks at what’s cracking off and adjusts damping to suit. It has the R1M’s thin film transistor dash too. Blue and silver only, it’ll be here in February. The base MT-10 also has a new quickshifter and different fuel mapping for nicer throttle characteristics. Changes to the MT-09 too, with better and more adjustable front suspension, shorter tail with new seat, redesigned exhaust, quickshifter, slim LED headlights and a numberplate that’s now bolted to the swingarm like on a Ducati Scrambler.…

IT’S FAIR TO say the World Superbike Championship has been a bit flat this year. The racing hasn’t been that great and the Kawasakis have just dominated, despite an improved showing by Ducati in the second half of the season. There used to be so many strong characters in WSB, like Carl Fogarty, Scott Russell and Noriyuki Haga, who certainly weren’t as politically correct as the current riders. It’s weird to say this because it’s great to see them there, but there are almost too many Brits in the championship – British Superbike has a more international grid than WSB these days! The new two-day format just doesn’t seem to be working either and Dorna are being very cagey about it. One of our Eurosport team tried to interview one…

DUCATI’S FACTORY MUSEUM has re-opened after refurbishment. Previously the bikes on display were almost exclusively racing bikes, but the emphasis has been shifted so that there are now 18 road bikes among the 44 machines on show. The re-working of the museum, which attracts 40,000 visitors a year, was arranged as part of the firm’s 90th anniversary celebrations. It was opened by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Admission costs 10 euros and it’s open Monday-Friday, and Saturday mornings, but check opening times before visiting. >> ducati.com/ducati_museum >> Bologna is 850 miles from Calais, or a £65 Ryanair flight from London Stanstead. WANT ONE Based on the successful F1 and F2 race bikes, the 750F1 was the first production bike to use designer Taglioni’s monoshock trellis frame. 16 inch…

>> 3-4 December Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting, Argentina If you’re making the overland pilgrimage to Ushuaia for Christmas stop off for the Horizons Unlimited Travellers’ Meeting in Argentina. Find it at the Los Trentinos campground, del Balneario El Cóndor horizonsunlimited.com/ events >> 21-22 January Adventure Travel Show, Olympia London Book early for the Adventure Travel Show where myself and Austin Vince will be teaching two brand new seminars for budding adventure riders. One is for total beginners and the second for those wishing to explore a little further. These always sell out so don’t delay. adventureshow.com >> 10-12 February Elephant Rally, Nürburgring, Germany For hardcore riders only. Freeze your bits off at the legendary Elephant Rally, where people ride from all over Europe to spend a weekend camping in deep…

>> 29-30 October Revival Show, Rotherham Modern custom events in the north of England have been few and far between, so Down and Out Customs have organised their own in their home town of Rotherham. Expect stunning Bonnevilles and beards. facebook.com/ downandoutcaferacers >> 20-22 January Motor Bike Expo, Verona, Italy Great indoor show. As well as the one-off eye candy, there are dozens of manufacturers, clothing companies, clubs, and a plethora of performance bolt-on firms. It’s not far from Venice if you want to split your time. motorbikeexpo.it >> 10-12 February The One Motorcycle Show, Oregon, USA Portland is a motorcycle-lover’s city, a creative melting pot and hosts The One Motorcycle Show, the custom event that all others should be judged against. It attracts the greatest bikes, the shakiest movers,…

>> 6 November Hafren Rally, Sweet Lamb, Hafren Perennial Mid-Wales dirt bike romp on a 50-mile lap of moorland, gravel roads, forest tracks and trails. hafrendbc.co.uk >> 12/13 November Supercross Lille, France UK Arenacross is off around Britain in January, but before all that happens the more international Lille Supercross is the legit excuse to mix pre-Xmas shopping and bike racing. supercrossbercy.com >> 3-4 December British Extreme Enduro, Westwood, Barnsley New event format over two days includes night racing. fasteddy.com…

>> For their new GSX-R1000 Suzuki have adopted technology from their MotoGP race bike. Not just for power, but for driveability too. First, power. The inline-four 999.8cc engine has bigger valves which result in about 10% more flow area, and they’ve worked to reduce friction. Cylinders one and four have ‘stacked’ inlet trumpets, taking air in through a shorter length at high revs, and changing the valve train from bucket tappets to finger followers will help as well (they reduce moving mass, with each finger saving 6g over the old buckets, allowing higher revs). However, the new shorter stroke is key: presumably lighter pistons and possibly longer conrods are probably what has allowed them to remove the balance shaft. The shorter stroke has meant a modest 3% increase in piston…

‘Excessive red wine whilst flirting with a full bosomed French barmaid half your age’ COULD HAVE, SHOULD have, would have, if, buts and maybes. I could have written that book, taken that trip…if only. I’m sure I’m not the only 40-something male who’s looked back on his life and thought: Christ, I’ve blinked and it’s another five years down the line. I’d also wager I’m not the only Bike reader who’s perused a Dan Walsh article and thought: that jammy fecker. You can spend your life beating yourself up about lost opportunities, but to stay sane you need to accept your part in the play. Life is a stage they say. A bike trip allows me to tread the boards, be a player, a hero. Be part of the story,…

>> When most people think of Andalucia, they focus on the roads around Ronda – especially the A397. If you are riding it, stop at Venta El Madroño at km marker 26.4. It’s just a small whitewashed building with red terracotta roof tiles and plastic chairs outside, but it’s the bikers’ place around here. Relax and admire the view, because the service is sometimes a little slow. These lush green mountain ranges are a far cry from the deserts to the east. >> Talking of which we have the only desert in Europe. Cross it from west to east on the N-340A, starting at the Mini Hollywood theme park and passing the well-known Circuito de Almeria. It’s a fast blast of a road, with epic views, like the gorge around…

Harley-DavidsonFXLR TYRES: Avon Road Riders VALUE: £5500 MILEAGE: 10,840 MPG: 44 mpg TO SUNNY SPAIN WITH Trialmaster for fun and games. The holiday of a lifetime I’ve always promised her. After dancing the night away on the sumptuously appointed Brittany Ferries M/V Pont-Aven we reach Santander and it pisses down for two days solid. Never mind. Onwards to Luarca on the northern coast, the trusty Harley-Davidson Evo powering through the beautiful, deserted terrain of northern Spain. After eating more squid than Moby Dick, it’s on to Santiago but learning there’s a three-day god-bothering festival in full swing, we divert to Corunna. The FXLR is perfectly suited to touring. It has poor brakes, scant comfort and meagre tank range which means stopping frequently for refreshment and general chit-chat among ourselves and…

Yamaha FZ1 Fazer TYRES: Avon Storm 3D COST: £3250 MILEAGE: 21,312 MPG: 43 LAST YEAR I RODE my beloved FZ1 through the winter. Because I feared every fastener would dissolve I plastered the bike in ACF-50 and it worked a treat - the exhaust downpipes suffered but there’s barely any corrosion anywhere else. So, after repeating the ACF soaking this year I bought some Oxford heated grips (see below) and Acerbis hand guards (£62) in an attempt to stop my fingers getting frostbite. Fitting the grips is a doddle – you don’t even have to wire in a relay because it’s got an auto-off system to stop the grips draining the battery. In theory, fitting the hand guards should be even easier – I estimate ten minutes. Two hours later,…

EVERY SEASON, AS dealers clear out old stock to make way for new, there are deals to be done. But, as 2016 draws to a close, this year in particular is likely to be a cracker – and it’s all thanks to our friends in Europe. The introduction of Euro 4 emissions regulations means all bikes built from 2017 onwards must conform to tough new targets for pollutants. This isn’t as simple as just increasing the efficiency of the catalytic converter – a bigger bung in the exhaust – but a whole raft of re-engineered changes that include cleaner exhausts, more efficient intake systems and much tighter control over combustion, all controlled by a new level of engine management. Plus Euro 4 requires emissions conformity even after 12,500 miles (for…

THE DEAL >> List price: £10,999 >> Typical deal price: £9999 >> Typical PCP deal: £1500 deposit, 36 months £136.83, 3.9 per cent APR, Final payment £4335, Total payable £10,760.88 THE SALESMAN SPEAKS... All sorts of people love the 1050. Some want to try the 1190 Adventure but we get them to try the 1050, and they buy that instead because it’s more than enough bike and it’s great value. It’s a full-spec 1050 for the price of some 800s.’ Launched at the start of last year, KTM’s long-awaited successor to the outstanding 990 SM-T turned out, on paper, to have more in common with a sleeved-down 1190 Adventure than a next-generation touring supermoto. The cast wheels shout road-based riding, but the 19in front and off-road styling is pure 1190…

Mike Armitage Deputy Editor >>When Aprilia’s RS250 went in ’04 we knew it was the last stroker. I thought: ‘buy a cheap used one in ten years . Seen values recently? John Westlake Contributor >>Back in 2006 I got to thrash a 675 Daytona prototype. It was brilliant and I wanted to buy the first off the line. Instead I got a kitchen. Cock. Rupert Paul Contributor >>Gawd, I wish I d bought a KH400 new. And a 916. And a KTM SMT. I d have a gorgeous classic, a trackday dream and a perfect roadbike.…

>> Take a Monster, wrap in Panigale styling and voilà: Ducati’s SuperSport, a friendly, accessible bike without sacrificing Ducati’s air of being something special. ‘Fun and versatile with true Ducati zest,’ froths the blurb. ‘The SuperSport makes riders feel like racers: every day, on any road.’ It’s remarkably like the Monster 1200’s chassis – steel trellis, single-sider, adjustable fork, brakes, peg hangers and subframe are all familiar. It uses the Hypermotard’s 937cc V-twin, with 113bhp at 9000rpm and 80% of maximum torque from just 3000rpm. It’s a road bike, not a track toy. Servicing is 9000 miles, valves at 18,000. Traction control, three modes and adjustable ABS are standard. A large dash carries info and will talk to your phone, and there’s a USB socket. The screen has two positions…

‘Kawasaki will show the all-new Z900 at EICMA in November with a 126bhp, 948cc inline four’ >> Kawasaki’s bubbly, flexible ER-6 has been a middleweight mainstay for a decade. And it’s killed off. But fear not, as its DNA goes in two new models – the Ninja 650 and Z650. Replacing the faired ER-6f, the Ninja 650 is what the ER has always been known as in America. The parallel-twin 68bhp engine has almost 7% better fuel efficiency, and hangs from a new steel trellis with a gull swingarm. Styling echoes the ZX-10R and the tacho needle glows red when it’s time to change up. Oh yes. The Ninja was shown at Intermot but the naked Z650 version won’t be seen in the metal until EICMA at the start of…

‘Suzuki claim class-leading power, torque and acceleration’ >> Suzuki continue their return to greatness, flinging updated favourites and fresh new bikes into almost every class, from 125 and adventure to naked and superbike. Perhaps unexpected is the new GSX-S750. Based on the GSR750 and looking like the GSX-S1000, it’s still the 749cc inline four from the 2005 GSX-R750 but meets Euro 4 and has 8bhp more, with almost 113bhp. Altered gear ratios sharpen acceleration, there’s three-level traction control and the SV650’s low-rpm assist. It’s basically the same chassis as the GSR but with a new swingarm, stronger radial brakes and ten-spoke wheels. Clocks and switchgear come from the larger GSX-S model. The evergreen V-Strom 650 now looks like the 1000 version, meets Euro 4 and also gets low-rpm assist. There’s…

>> 29-30 October Classic Bike Live, Peterborough New end of season show organized by Classic Bike magazine. John McGuinness will be bringing a display of his TT bikes, Mick Grant will show his fearsome 750cc Kawasaki two-stroke race bike from 1977 TT, and Norton legend Peter Williams will be there. Expect the usual mix of restored bikes, club stands and an autojumble. £12 on the gate. classicbikelive.co.uk >> 5 November Open Day National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull The National Motorcycle Museum, which was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2004, is having its annual open day on Guy Fawkes day. What could possibly go wrong? Free admission, autojumble, celebrity stage featuring James Whitham and Carl Fogarty and some of the museum bikes will be fired up, including Steve Hislop’s…

YAMAHA HAVE BEEN promoting the customisation of their current bikes for four or five years now, first with the Yard Built program, bikes built by respected new wave custom builders such as Copenhagen’s Wrenchmonkees, and then with their Faster Sons initiative. Despite the innovation, quality and blanket coverage of many of the bike builds, it’s hard to quantify how successful the programme has been. The shed built scene still seems dominated by Bonnevilles, Harleys and airhead BMWs, but I admire the Japanese company’s commitment. One of Yamaha’s go-to builders is Cologne-based Jens vom Brauck of JvB Moto and this is his latest Yamaha, built in partnership with German Yamaha specialists, KEDO. The MT-07 has long been a favourite of Bike , but, JvB reckons, ‘The distinctive styling doesn’t appeal to…

IN THEORY JONNY Walker’s KTM 300EXC and Graham Jarvis’ Husqvarna TE300 should be identical, except for the graphics. They’re both built in the same Austrian factory, same chassis, same WP suspension, same 300cc two-stroke engines. But surely they’re a million miles from the 300cc KTM or Husqvarna you can buy at the local off-road dealer. Having just ridden both bikes (Walker’s KTM in the South of France, and Jarvis’ Husky in Italy) I’m amazed that both are remarkably close to standard 2017 models. That’s because, a) the standard bikes are so good and b) standard means softer, soft means easy and easy is good in Extreme Enduro. ‘When you’re riding for hours you want a bike to be easier, make you less tired and the 2017 bike does that,’ says…

>> I’m a fan of the Blade. The last SP had a tremendous chassis with lots of feel, and was a bike you could override and exploit. I’m a tad surprised the new higher-revving engine ‘only’ has 189bhp – given rival claims I expected mid 190s. But with 14kg removed it’ll transform the power-to-weight ratio, which is what actually matters. The electronic tech is new production ground for Honda, but expect them to completely nail it with this maiden system. It’s a five-axis IMU similar to the Yamaha R1’s six-axis, which is good as the Yam’s system is sublime – best on the market. Glad to see Öhlins semi-active suspension too. It’s what the R1M has, and is the best system for natural feel. The Honda will be equally good,…

‘It’s been four days since I ate anything green and I suspect I’m developing ricketts’ THREE THINGS BECOME more popular as I ride south: barbeque dinners, heat-induced delirium and God. Let’s start with the most important of the three. Barbeque food outlets start appearing as the Busa and I leave Georgia and enter Mississippi. We’re heading west for 1500 miles to Albuquerque where we have an appointment with some muscle cars at a drag strip. And until now, food has been something of an issue. Because I’m travelling on major roads and have a schedule to keep, fast food outlets are my prime source of dinners. At the start of the journey I vow not to eat at the same fast food joint twice, thinking this will force me to…

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. *KEEP YOUR FROCK CLEAN Bimota hub-centre steering separates loads so suspension, brakes and steering don’t affect each other. But the first hub system had different motives. 1921’s Ner-a-Car was intended to keep ‘drivers’ clean and a car-like chassis for stability. It’s low-level hub steering was so nothing could ‘interfere with a woman’s skirt’. * HONDA, BUBU AND ZIPPER Isn’t it mega?…

Honda VT500 Ascot TYRES: Pirelli Scorpion Trail VALUE: £2587 MILEAGE: 21,930 MPG: 41 THE PAINSTAKINGLY, I.E. painfully, crafted alloy nacelle bearing its 5½in headlamp and faux numberboard have replaced my Honda Ascot’s ugly square plastic original and the even uglier panel hiding the rats nest of wiring Honda amusingly called a ‘control unit’. I then stuck a small Chinese tacho, speedo and idiot lights on a holder specially made for the weirdly shaped Ascot yokes by CRK, replacing the huge, equally unsightly plastic dashboard with its redundant temperature gauge. This fitted together hunky-dory except that the wiring, which fuelled all this stuff, wouldn’t squeeze into the much smaller residual space. Maddening hours poring over wiring diagrams and gerry-rigging my own sub-loom merely blew fuses, so thank gawd for Tich at…

KTM 1290 Super Duke GT TYRES: Pirelli Angel GT PCP: £162 monthly MILEAGE: 4862 MPG: 41.4 AS STANDARD, THE 1290 GT doesn’t come with luggage. The official panniers are pricey and until now were the only option. Now the bike has been around for a while new aftermarket gear is appearing. Heading out for a weekend away almost always involves Sara, my other half going pillion, which means two people’s stuff. It also means no back seat for a roll bag. The KTM panniers will both take a full-face helmet, but if we camp that’s not enough. So what are the options? I’ve used a Ventura rack pack on my Aprilia Falco since I bought it and think they’re superb. I already had the bag at home, so thought I’d…

‘The R nineT Racer has lower ’bars, rearset footpegs, polished stainless steel pipes, and its glorious bodywork is painted up like Beemer’s old Motorsport scheme’ >> Buoyed by the continued popularity of the classic-inspired R nineT, BMW have two new variations: the Pure and Racer. They’re based on the Scrambler (see p48), and use its 1170cc air-cooled flat twin with a claimed 110bhp and three-piece steel frame. As with the Scrambler the forks are right-way-up and brakes are lower spec than the original high-spec nineT. The grey-only Pure is stripped-back (clue’s in the name) and is the cheapest R nineT at £9900. The Racer has lower ’bars, rearset footpegs, polished stainless pipes and that glorious period bodywork, painted like Beemer’s old Motorsport scheme. It’ll cost £10,675. At the other end…

>> Reinventing their Bonneville range and trading heavily on their brand heritage has been hugely successful for Triumph. So for 2017 they’re doing more of the same with new models based on our pick of their ‘modern classic’ range, the rather pleasing 900cc Street Twin (see page 68). Most alluring is the Street Cup. This is a café racer job, with flyscreen, lower ‘Ace’ ’bars, what they call an ‘authentic bullet seat’ with silver stitching and removable pillion perch cover, and that great yellow and grey paint scheme. There’s a tachometer thanks to the use of twin dials, and detailing is enhanced with cast Thruxton headlight mounts, Thruxton R footpegs and a painted headlight bezel. It costs £8600 on the road (£1100 more than a base Street Twin) and there’s…

>> Where are you right now? Couch-surfing in Guadalajara, Mexico. >> What’s the big plan? I’m riding from Alaska to Argentina. I was travelling with my boyfriend (the infamous Ed March of C90Adventures.co.uk) in North America, but now I’m riding solo from Mexico to Argentina. I’m planning to take around 3½years… I think. >> Despite not now travelling with Ed you have stayed together as a couple. How’s that working out? Ed and I travelled together for 18 months and although we love each other we discovered we’re really different people. While this isn’t a problem when it comes to being in a relationship it doesn’t work when it comes to travelling together. In the end we were both compromising so much that neither of us was happy and we…

MY DAD MORRELL Snowden is 80 on the 16th of November. He started riding bikes in his teenage years and used to tour Scotland and the Yorkshire Dales. His pride and joy was his Norton Dominator which he’d have hoisted onto the ferry to the Isle Of Skye. His mates were into grass track and speedway and built bikes for the kids. Dad stopped riding when my brother and I came along. But he was happy to let us play on the bikes and let me skive school to go to the bike show at Belle Vue, Manchester and ogle the Moto Guzzi Le Mans and Ducati 900SS (brilliant Bike road test on the Guzzi in ’76, I still have it – and I bought one). There were noisy late…

‘There’s much more going on here than new electronics’ WE DON’T HAVE things that are just ‘new’ anymore. Oh no. When something is updated it simply has to be referred to as ‘all-new’. Doesn’t matter if it’s a lightly spruced bike, a mobile phone with more functions or the next run of a television series – it’s got to have the ‘all’ prefix. In the case of Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 the term is more than deserved, however. It might not be a visual revolution but it’s new from slimline nose to rocket launcher can. You can count the number of significant parts that it shares with the outgoing GSX-R1000 on the fingers of no hands. We saw it this time last year, of course. The ‘prototype’ was wheeled out at major…

SMOKIN’ OUTTA QUERENCA The sweet smell of burnt two-stroke fills the air as the (very) loosely termed Querenca Moto Club – basically an impromptu gathering of anyone with a bike in the Eastern Algarve – heads out into the wilds. And it is wild inland from Portugal’s holiday hotspots. This stretch pictured is a virtual motorway. THAT JD DT50 IN FULL EFFECT An interesting take on the official Yamaha North America colours of black and yellow (alright a very goldy yellow in this case) and testament to the enduring appeal, and indeed endurance, of Yamaha’s littlest dirt iron. It’s safe to say this pair of DT50s have been fully ‘breathed-on’. TASTY LOCAL PRODUCE Joao Casal began building mopeds with German Zundapp engines in the early sixties. In 1966 he started…

IN A WORD, sensible. True 75mpg on the motorway, combined with a cavernous helmet-gobbling storage area where the tank should be. That’s sensible. A 2012 asking price of £5850? A sensible investment. The decision to cut a Honda Jazz engine in half to power the NC? That does sound a little ludicrous at first, but its car-like low-down shunt beat competitors away from the lights. Turns out in town that’s pretty sensible too. The original NC700 was A2 licence legal, producing 47bhp (tested at 42bhp). Even these early models came with an optional Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). Once the licence-friendly CB500 range was launched a year later, the NC was upgraded to a 750 for 2014. A 4mm-larger bore increased torque from 44lb.ft to 50lb.ft and a second balancer shaft…

Yamaha MT-10 TYRES: Bridgestone S30 PCP: £92 monthly MILEAGE: 3028 MPG: 35 COMFORT SEAT £223.30 Ooh, an embossed logo and contrasting stitching. Actually it does look better than the stock perch, and it’s a tad thicker and plusher. I’m not entirely convinced comfort is improved on a longer ride, though the greater sense of luxuriousness when you hop aboard is pleasing. CITY TANK BAG £117.73 Press into the mounting ring and it clips in. You have to remove the bag to fill up, but it’s simple (just pull the release string) and hasn’t got annoying (yet). Moulded base follows tank lines (near enough) but along with the mounting mechanism it limits space – wallet, butties, phone, spare gloves and day-to-day clutter soon fill 11 litres. If the good lady wants…

Husqvarna TX125 TYRES: Metzeler 6 Days COST: £6199 HOURS RIDDEN: 8 TANK RANGE: 2 hours I PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH is and entered the Husqvarna TX125 in a round of the Rock Oil GBXC Championship. I went into the two-hour race unsure about tank range but it worked out perfectly: a telltale ‘bwoar’ throttle response arrived with just a lap and a half to run, I switched the fuel tap to reserve and finished with fuel to spare. Two hours non-stop riding and the TX was brilliant, though my hands didn’t fair so well (the standard ODI grips are too soft and sticky, they pulled my skin off). A bigger capacity bike wears you down physically over that distance. When the results came in I was amazed to…

‘The Matchless doff, doff, doffed to the summit without missing a beat’ Matchless 350 TYRES: Mitas (front) Ensign (rear) VALUE: £3500 MILEAGE: yes MPG: 60mpg TO ME AN old bike is like a ticket to a party. On the third Sunday in September the entertainment can be found in Weardale, County Durham and the fancy dress code is waxed cotton jackets, open face helmets and off-road boots. This is what makes the oil puddle on the garage floor, the bill from the engineer and the bad language when it won’t start worthwhile. The Pennine scenery is fantastic and this year the sun shone. The Beamish Trial is 100 odd miles, some of them on trails, a few marked sections (no stopping, no putting your feet down) and the occasional pause…

THE DEAL >> List price: £28,995 >> Typical deal: Good luck >> Typical PCP deal: £7233 deposit, 36 months £299, 6.9 per cent APR, Final payment £14,951, Total payable £32,948 THE SALESMAN SPEAKS… ‘We’ve sold four Panigale Rs this year... and we’ve only been in business for six months. The guys who buy them obviously aren’t short of a bob or two, but they get used for foreign track days or the odd Ducati track day over here. At nearly £30k it’s a premium product so we don’t have to push it’ The keen-eyed will have spotted there are no deals to be had on the Ducati Panigale R. However, this isn’t strictly the case because what’s surprising is, as the R enters what is rumoured to be its final…

THE DEAL >> List price: £9814 >> Typical deal: £8995 >> Typical PCP deal: £1954.70 deposit, 37 months £115, 6.4 per cent APR, final payment £4954, total payable £11,048.70 THE SALESMAN SPEAKS... ‘We’ve had no information from Yamaha about what’s coming up and we’ve not had many used sports 600s come through this year, which suggests people are holding onto them. The R6 is the pinnacle of the howling 600s that defined a generation. Less than £9k is a steal’ Even in the rarefied atmosphere inhabited by sports 600s – machines so narrowly focused and brightly coloured the rest of the world is a monochrome blob when you’re riding them – the YZF-R6 stands head and shoulders above the rest as an extreme example of the breed. It takes every…