Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i BIKE

We turned up in the Yorkshire Dales a couple of days after a deluge. The fields in the valley bottom were still flooded, and mud and stone had washed off the fell and across the roads. And it was really nippy too. Here we are, up on the Buttertubs Pass, about to watch Nigel warm up by flailing on the kickstart of his reluctant Moto Guzzi Nibbio, while Ben amuses himself by riding his Yamaha QT50 shopping bike in circles. I love riding in the Northern Pennines. Even with the temperature dipping down towards freezing, and even though I had to sweat to get my Mobylette to climb the one-in-six crawl up Cliffgate Road from Hawes. Doing it on a moped with a bunch of friends made it a top…

‘They have a huge distribution network and want to build several thousand bikes per year’ NORTON ARE GOING to India. Gaffer Stuart Garner signed a deal with Indian company Kinetic at the recent EICMA show and the newly set-up Kinetic Norton hope to be flogging Commandos and Dominators in India within a few short months, and then distributing across Asia. Kinetic had a partnership with Honda during the 1980s and ’90s, and sold millions of scooters. They continued under the Kinetic name after splitting with Honda in ’98, then sold the rights to Mahindra – the firm that raced in GPs and owns the BSA name. Kinetic are currently taking MV Agustas into India under the MotoRoyale banner, and assemble SWMs there as well. There’s a ludicrous 100% import tax…

‘The rider controlled the power delivery by using the kill-switch, but leaving the throttle wide open’ 1951 Black Lightning Australian speed record bike that reached 141.5mph in 1953, ridden by Jack Ehret, and in unrestored condition, but has been re-commissioned by Vincent expert Patrick Godet. One of 30 Black Lightnings, tuned and stripped down competition versions of ‘The World’s Fastest Motorcycle’ built by the factory in Stevenage. To be auctioned at the Rio Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas on 25 January, 2018. They’re still being coy about the estimate, but it’ll be more than £100,000. bonhams.com 1948 Series B hill climber Originally built in the early sixties by Glen Kyle, who reduced engine capacity from 1000cc to 750cc to comply with hill climb rules, and who fuelled the…

Elspeth Beard Lone Rider Ben Lindley, staff writer It’s 1982. A 23-year-old Londoner sets off on an epic solo adventure onboard a 1974 BMW R60/6. She begins blissfully unaware of the 35,000-mile challenge ahead: corrupt police, serious accidents and illnesses, countries on the verge of revolution, and attempting to stay on track without reliable mapping. Over two years after she first left the UK, Elspeth Beard becomes the first British woman to ride all the way around the world on a powered two-wheeler. And she did it all without sponsorship from the shockingly chauvinist Bike editorial team. The 1982 team, not the one sitting around me now. » More info: mombooks.com Lois Pryce Revolutionary Ride Chris Scott, adventure-motorcycling.com Lois sets off for Iran on the same Yamaha TTR250…

AS A YOUNGER kid in the KTM off-road range the Freeride is the welcoming and fun bike for every rider. The 2018 Freeride 250 F stands alone now as the single petrol-powered model option (there’s also the electric E-XC) and it aims to right the wrongs of previous Freerides such as soft suspension and a flappable chassis. With parts handed down from the KTM EXC enduro range the 2018 Freeride has more purpose – simply bolting on enduro model headlight cowl, handguards and front fender has changed its appearance. But the crucial changes are WP Xplor forks and WP shock absorber. The Freeride chassis was still deliberately softer and smaller than an enduro model and that aspect hasn’t changed. And that comes across very quickly on our first ride at…

YORKSHIRE 13 miles in Yorkshire, on mopeds. Because you don’t have to go somewhere exotic to have the ride of a lifetime. THE ARCTIC CIRCLE Richard Newland rides to the midnight sun on a Honda Africa Twin. ‘The best roads i’ve ever ridden’. WW1 BATTLEFIELDS Thought provoking journey through the battlefields of WW1 on two Triumph twins. MOSCOW The perfect destination for a weekend ride on a Triumph Tiger 800 If you are an Iron Butter. BRITISH COLUMBIA Long distance traveller Naomi Tweddle takes a weekend journey in her home state. SOUTH AMERICA From the Atacama desert to The Road of Death in Bolivia. 14 months of drifting around South America. AFRICA 4000 miles through Africa as part of a round the world ride, raising money for Water for Africa.…

1 Always fuel up at the end of the day… » No matter how cold, hot or tired I am, I always fuel up at the end of the day. It makes the start of the next day all about the ride, plus if you’re an early starter you don’t have to wait for a petrol station to open. It ensures you can get the miles under your belt when the traffic is lighter and, in hot climates, when it’s cooler. 2 Carry three wallets  » It might sound crazy, but it works. I have one with a fake copy of my driver’s licence, an out-of-date credit card and about one hundred pounds. This is my police wallet, so if I get a dodgy copper, this is the one I…

FOR MANY ADVENTURE riders it’s not enough to simply have the ‘go anywhere’ bike. They want a real adventure that serves up a memory-making riding experience, brain testing navigation challenges, epic scenery, the opportunity to get hands-on with bike maintenance and then sit at the end of the day and enjoy a well earned beer with good company. To many that ultimate adventure ride is a rally. Based in stunning mainland Greece, the Hellas Rally is an event for all rider levels from professional rally teams to novice ‘racers’ looking to broaden their horizons. Crucially, although plenty do fit navigation towers on a wide range of bikes, the Hellas does not have to be a race. The Adventure Raid class is unique in that it means you can take part,…

COMING SOON Norton say they have a £16 million order book for the new V4, but haven’t made one yet. It’s still in final development and will be ‘ready when it’s ready’ – they’re aware what happens if you rush a bike to market. Here the frame is on a measuring table in the fabrication area as it’s ‘productionised’. MOTORING ALONG Parallel twin 961cc motors being built by hand. There are three engine stands in the first-floor area, recently relocated as Norton expand. The 1200cc V4 will be made the same way. And so will the new 650cc twin, which they’re already tooling-up for. PRACTICE IN ALUMINIUM An advantage of a large machine shop and 20 apprentices is being able to get them knocking-out prototype parts, in the metal. This’ll…

PEDANTIC CHECKING Triumph’s Thai set-up is a large-scale version of Hinckley, but with even more quality control (QC). All parts are checked; for example, a frame assembly has 60 to 70 tests. If one fails they don’t try to rescue it – it’s scrapped. QC on engine parts involves X-ray and pressure tests, and the foundry makes crankcases even for UK-built bikes. NON-STOP BIKES Design, engineering and development is in the UK but 80% of bikes are made here. Three plants employ 1220 locals, with 23% female. They can make 350 bikes a day. The 765cc Moto2 engines will be made here.…

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. *THE END OF EXOTICA Bimota are gone. The Italian chassis experts have a history of financial woe but this time it looks final, with the sign down and machinery removed. We hear the last bikes were built in a Swiss shop from stockpiled bits. Still it’s a fine reason for a shot of the first Honda V4-powered Tesi prototype. And…

THIS FIRST-TO-MARKET HEAD UP DISPLAY (HUD) is astonishingly clever, and equally flawed. What’s good about it: navigation, communication, high definition action camera and media player, all in one. Stuck on your lid and all visible in a crystal-clear display, right in front of your right eye and overlaid on the ‘real’ road. The interface is incredibly well designed, easy to set-up and use, and it is controlled via a glove-friendly, bar-mounted joystick and smartphone app. Video quality is on par with anything the competition have to offer. What’s not so good: it is very heavy, and mounts to your lid’s chin bar. You notice the pull and drag less at high speed when wind is pushing your head up, but it’s still a problem. Getting the display in the right…

OUR HONDA IS PROVING to be a pleasant bike all round but with a few well chosen optional extras it is now more useful than a Swiss Army knife. HEATED GRIPS » At this time of year they are a godsend and I believe all UK bikes should have them as standard. Three stages of heat, neat switch and takes the chill off in the deepest and darkest hell of British winters. Should tick this box on the options list without thinking. Trust me. PRICE: £339 FROM: HONDA EXHAUST » Motorbikes are meant to be loud, fact. This titanium Akrapovic makes a thunderous howl near the redline and a gentle rumble through town. Quality is high as usual and it looks great. Saves 4.4kg and gives a claimed 4bhp increase.…

YOU’D IMAGINE IT TO BE A straightforward process: to get a key cut. But no. It’s not a key to a safe, nor a key to a penthouse suite at the Dorchester. It’s a Harley-Davidson ignition key. Surely nothing comes simpler than that. Simple, maybe. Available, no. ‘I’m afraid we will have to order the blanks in,’ says a locksmith. One week later. ‘They’re not the right blanks.’ I decide to take my business elsewhere, already mildly baffled at how this centuries old routine is stalling at the first hurdle. How hard can it be? I know what, I’ll get the blanks on American eBay. Number 97 looks the go, two of them, BUY IT NOW. Job done. Go to locksmith number two. They’re the wrong blanks. Again. ‘Let me…

Steve Fraser This month: Steve’s ridden 26,000 miles around the world in support of Water for Africa. The final leg, in Africa itself, is an inspiring tale of amazing people, places and riding. He’s got some useful advice on clobber as well. Round the world page 52, kit page 58 Naomi Tweddle This month: Snow, scorching desert conditions, quicksand, forests and errant HGVs. Twedders finds there can’t be many places that offer the ever-changing landscape and life-affirming riding of British Columbia. British Columbia on page 66 Richard Newland This month: Amazing rides don’t have to head south, and don’t have to focus on dirt. Richard’s week-long adventure over the length of Norway on a Honda Africa Twin reveals that for the very best riding we should head north... Amazing Norway…

Slashed by £1900 Triumph Explorer Yeah, so it’s more adventure-style tourist than gritty go-anywhere tool, however Triumph’s Tiger Explorer is a fine thing. Especially in range-topping XCA form: it drips with luxury and extras. List is £15,900 but dealers are making room for the 2018 Tiger 1200 (see p46), and so laguna.co.uk only want £14k for their last pre-reg bike. £4280 increase Aprilia RSV-R Haga Exuberant Japanese racer Noriyuki Haga rode for Aprilia in WSB. Chuffed with his efforts, the Italian firm built 300 Haga Replicas, with Akrapovic pipe, carbon, new mapping and other goodies. They were £10,700 in 2002. The Bike Specialists (01143 993750) have #75, never used, for £14,980. But would you then dare ride it? £1750 reduction Honda CB1000R There’s a lovely new CB1000R for 2018. It’ll…

» 1 January Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey Big gathering of classic cars, but worth jumping the queue of Austin Maxis and E-types on your bike. Pre-’88 vehicles get a special parking area. Usual museum admission charges apply (and it’s worth seeing). If the sun’s shining it’ll be a good outing. brooklandsmuseum.com » 1 January Vintage Stony, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes Pre-1940 cars and bikes on display in the village centre, others in adjoining streets. There’ll be ‘a minutes noise’ to celebrate the arrival of new year (12 hours late) at midday. Display vehicles give £5 to charity. vintagestony.co.uk…

REGARDLESS OF STYLE, customs fall roughly into two categories: re-purposed classics and aesthetically improved moderns. But Malcolm Shepherdson and his talented team at Metal Malarkey Engineering manage to offer both, often simultaneously. Arguably they are best known for their ‘21st Century Classics’ – essentially ’60s and ’70s British metal with thoroughly upgraded chassis and engines whose original looks belie their performance. Typically their engines involve 270˚ cranks, appropriate cams and lightened internals to minimise bad vibes and such subtle transformations can also be made to later Hinckley Bonnies including the beauty shown here. Malcolm honed his, very well-developed, frame-building skills working for Metisse licensee Pat French until he set-up his own shop in the lovely little Welsh border town of Bishop’s Castle back in 1998. And, in fact, his third…

» On 6 January the annual mayhem that is the Dakar blasts off. This year that means 5142 miles 2630 miles of which will be raced flat-out, through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. But who Every year Honda arrive at the Dakar looking every bit as impressive as any HRC race team ever has, but every year they either crash, or suffer mechanical problems or huge tactical errors. Re-fuelling outside the clearly should we be looking out for…? Well, all four KTM riders is either a Dakar winner or former world champion. 2016 winner Toby Price is back alongside Sam Sunderland, Mathais Walkner and Antoine Meo. And don’t forget factory-backed Laia Sanz, who will aim for a top ten overall finish. The almost too handsome Chilean marked re-fuelling zone and incurring…

Recently a good number of Bike column inches have been devoted to Harley-Davidsons. Positive verdicts, including ‘spot-on’ ( Bike , January 18, p46). My brother and I spent October riding 3500 miles across the USA on an Electra Glide and a Road Glide – including a bit of Utah. The hire shop reckoned the Road Glide ‘the best Harley’ because of its frame-mounted fairing. The H-D website claims, ‘Once you experience the wind-cutting power of the frame-mounted shark-nose fairing… it’s hard to get behind anything less.’ Let’s say the H-D marketing people don’t seem to have tried anything more. They should… Both 107ci Milwaukee 8 H-Ds were lumbering, cumbersome and handled like bricks. At one point my brother reckoned he would rather stick needles in his eyes than ride any…

THIS YEAR, I’VE ridden across five continents, ridden the length of the Trans Siberian Highway and survived the 405 in LA (see part one of Steve’s epic story Bike November, 2017). In the past, I’ve travelled the death roads of Bolivia, but I may have found the most dangerous road in the world… The little-known road from Dar Es Salam in Tanzania to Morogorro almost got the better of me. During this one hundred and twenty five mile journey, several personal records were broken, including being forced off the road thirteen times. On one occasion, an oncoming bus decided to overtake a truck at the last minute and forced me into a ditch. It missed me by an inch. Fortunately, the big KTM held its own, as we enjoyed a…

Hugo Wilson editor 1965 Mobylette AV42 » 49cc » 2-stroke » 1-speed » £500 Mike Armitage yeeeeeah wooo editor 1973 Honda C50 » 49cc » 4-stroke » 3-speed » £40 Nigel Grimshaw managing editor 1976 Moto Guzzi Nibbio » 49cc » 2-stroke » 5-speed » £offers Ben Lindley staff writer 1988 Yamaha QT50 » 49cc » 2-stroke » 1-speed shaft drive » £273 …under starter’s orders…

GOING FULL CIRCLE Based in Redditch, Royal Enfield’s first powered two-wheeler was in 1901. In ’55 they joined Madras Motors to form Enfield India, making 350cc Bullets, and changed name to Royal Enfield in ’99. Now, fifty years after the UK factory shut, this new R&D centre has opened in Leicestershire.…

James Haydon » Race correspondent and road tester Every autumn I ride abroad with a bunch of mates. We often go to Spain, but this year was different, we went to Vietnam… ‘The bikes were strangely fun to ride and the scenery was incredible’ I’VE A GROUP of friends from around Amersham, with a complete mix of riding talent and skill levels. Every year we go enduro riding in Spain, but we decided to look at doing something different for 2017, and Vietnam on Urals was certainly that. Most of us have wives and kids so I thought we’d done well to get seven of our original 12 going. But within ten hours of arriving Nick had an emergency at work and had to return. After a drunken first…

‘Break out onto smaller roads and I fall in love with the directness of the Triumph’s handling yet again’ I REMEMBER THE DAYS before going to Belgium. Fretting about what riding gear to take and worrying about the weather. First day one, then day two succumb to rainstorms. Reading the steadily-worsening forecast is like binge-watching a slasher-movie boxset. Because my Street Triple R has no weather protection… I’m here in Belgium to write stories about Wallonia – see supplement in Bike , January. Wallonia is basically the southern half of Belgium. It’s a beautiful place famous for race tracks such as Spa and Chimay. There’s a weighty history too, with World War Two relics a common sight. The soft, hilly landscape means the only real Wallonian…

PARK OLD BIKES CLOSE together and they pass on contagious diseases. This month’s ailments are forkitis and brakeology. My 1949 Matchless has suffered these ailments for ages. Then the Morini Camel got infected. When the Camel’s front brake started to grab I assumed it was because it was wet and expected it to improve as it dried. Then, slowing on slime covered tarmac, I gently applied the brake, which locked, tipping me over the handlebar into an elegant (I thought) dive. Damage looked light. Renthal ’bars are tough, Barkbusters protected the levers and I bounced. Then I realised that the brake’s torque arm mounting on the fork leg had sheared off. Weird. Maybe the torque arm bolt was loose, making the brake feel grabby, and then the mounting had finally…

REFUELLING IS HORRIBLE. Not only are forecourts cluttered and staff generally ignorant, but most garages are also supermarkets, with checkout queues full of stress and bulging baskets. Waiting, filling, waiting and paying is now 15 minutes of misery. Moto Guzzi’s V7 reduces suffering. It’s got a proper-sized 21-litre fuel tank, and bounces along back lanes and knotted B-roads doing 58mpg. This is with much brisk use, though. Last summer Steve Herbert got over 60mpg on a trip, and ridden a tad more gently I reckon the softly-tuned 744cc V-twin will give 70mpg and a 300-mile range. So, with can of standby juice on the pillion seat and tank brimmed, I reset the trip and embark on a few days of thrumming. Accidentally resetting the trip after five or six miles…

WORKS WASHING »Kawashower: given to Ben on the Z900RS launch. Assuming it’s what J. Rea bathes in, he’s hoping frequent lathering might make him nearly as quick. ORNAMENTS »Paul Lang loves Honda’s tiny Motocompo. He’s got one already, but has found a zero-mile ‘bike’ going for auction, complete with box. Be good on the mantelpiece. CHIP BUTTIES »After gruelling physical (and mental) exploits in Pints Peak (page 74), we revitalised at the Tan Hill Inn with chip butties and ale. There’s no finer nutrition. CARRILLO RODS »Spotting Mike’s hopeless Guzzi fetish (December issue), reader Neil Stokes has offered him this 1100 Sport Corsa. Surely it’s what 0% credit cards are for...…

IT WAS GREAT to see World Superbike champ Jonathan Rea beating all those MotoGP bikes to top the time sheets at the Jerez test. There were some big MotoGP names there – Iannone, Petrucci, Pol Espargaro – and if you’re one of the top guys in a factory MotoGP team you don’t want to get beaten by someone on what is, let’s face it, a modified road bike. They will definitely have their noses out of joint. There was talk of Jonathan using an ultra sticky qualifying tyre, but that still doesn’t detract from his remarkable achievement. A WSB bike should never be able to beat a lighter, more powerful MotoGP bike. I think it’s great for WSB itself too, to show how fast the bikes can go, especially as…

Scary 1974 CCM 580, £15,500 » There are plenty of people still racing old CCMs in classic scrambling, there’s decent spares and specialist back-up and they’re really cool. So prices are high. Based around the discontinued BSA B50 engine with improvements for performance, reliability and weight loss. A pukka hand built competition bike, this one was apparently raced three times in 2017. Hairy: 1977 Kawasaki Z900, bidding at £7200 with 6 days to go » One of the best looking bikes of all time, and still usable on UK roads, albeit with some caution in the braking and handling departments; it’s a 40 year-old bike after all. This is an original UK bike (loads of them are US imports) that has been restored with lots of new parts, plating and…

» 9–18 March Daytona Bike Week, Florida, USA Every biker should do Daytona at least once and anyone keen on customs will be gobsmacked by the variety of ironware on display. Fastlane Campground is the place to be with hundreds if not thousands of wild creations, the Burning Bike Festival and of course the bikini contest. There are also flat-track events, supercross and the 200 road race, which is where it all started. officialbikeweek.com » 7–8 March Kickback, Stoneleigh Park, Warks Hosting the finals of the annual National Championship for Customised Motorcycles, Kickback is the premier show for both pro and homebuilt creations and there are plenty of stands selling kit and services. Great atmosphere, a welcome lack of poncing around and a great source of ideas and inspiration. thecustomshow.com…

ALL ABOUT THE BIKES Just a lift? Look again. Wide, deep and with an aluminium checkerplate floor, the lift between the upper office level and the lower workshop level in RE’s tech centre has been designed for shifting bikes. There’s a wide space between the desks where bikes are parked, for studying and trying prototype parts, such as accessories. There’s frequent bike traffic between the departments. It’s all pleasingly hands-on. SNIFF, SNIFF, SNIFF The dyno cells are in a separate building that also holds the emission testing ‘shed’. This sealed state-of-the-art area is equipped to measure evaporative emissions – hot bikes can be taken straight from the dyno and fumes coming off precisely measured.RE can prove they’re testing to the correct standard and almost self-certificate. And the pipework threading round…

AS LAUGHABLE MARKETING nonsense goes, Harley’s prattle about the new Fat Bob being a means of escape come the ‘zombie apocalypse’ sets the bar so high you need binoculars. Someone’s consumed too much trashy US telly. Or at least I thought as much, until watching the single-file stream of head-down bodies leaving the upper levels of our offices. Faces eerily lit by the life-draining devices glued to their palms, trudging in silence, it’s a truly chilling sight. Gunning the Fat Bob’s massive 1868cc engine, its knobbled Harley-branded fat rear Dunlop yelps in torture as 114 full-fat American lumps of torque are released. We bludgeon forward, limbs and anti-social media scattered wide as we burst through the lifeless army, the V-twin leaving its own hashtag in the form of wide, smoking…

‘Do not lie or evade questions on proposals… If asked answer honestly’ Some of you may have heard that road traffic insurance is compulsory for track days following the European Court of Justice’s decision in a case called Vnuk. This resulted in a very startled reaction from the UK racing and track day world. So, if you ride track days, or race, do you need insurance? No more than you did before Vnuk but with one big caveat. The ECJ said, and I summarise, ‘if you use a vehicle in a way which a vehicle might be expected to be used, then it has to be treated as though it were insured’. Take the scenario that you have knocked a rider off their bike on a United Kingdom race track.…

FOR NOW, AT LEAST, the older I get the faster I get and where once KTM’s standard WP enduro suspension worked for me I now find I’m getting too good for it (that’s not to say I’m getting too good). Standard enduro bike suspension has a user-friendly softness about it, particularly KTM enduro bikes. It’s deliberately that way but it is common for enduro riders to get suspension upgraded to match their skills and (importantly) weight. The faster you go and the harder you hit stuff, the more control you need from your bike’s suspension. The problem with the KTM is the WP EXC forks ‘blowing through’ and quickly hitting their bump stops. I can’t ride bumpy sections of a track as fast as I want because the shock over-reacts…