Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i BIKE

» Spectators chanced frostbite to attend the final biking event of 2017. It was worth the risk. The Plum Pudding Meeting at Mallory Park was hilarious. Watching Batman, Spiderman, Santa Claus, the Christmas Elf and a bunch of other hardy club racers competing on Boxing Day was a perfect end to the year. The story from the Plum Pudding is on page 86. Now to start planning for 2018. I’m reserving 25 March for Hartland Quay hillclimb. I’ve never been before, but its combination of amazing location (sea view, cliff face, pub) and talented riders on over-powered bikes sounds compelling. Bike designer Paul Lang has said he’s going to compete too, which will make it even better. I need to see Irish road racing this year too. The Faugheen 50…

LIGHTWEIGHT Dymag carbon wheels are light, slim, and take 110/70 ZR17 and 150/60 ZR17 tyres. Wheelbase is just 1380mm, and with extensive use of exotic materials (carbon, titanium) Vins say it weighs less than 95kg. For reference that’s about 40kg less than a Honda CBR125R. FRAME-FREE Vins is made up of ex-Ferrari employees, so the bike’s suitably exotic. A carbon monocoque acts as bodywork and frame, with a cast aluminium section at the front of the tank carrying the centrally-mounted radiator. Air is scooped at the front and ejected under the seat. SMART SUSPENSION The front end uses a carbon fork hanging on twin wishbones and working a monoshock. Similar to BMW’s Duolever, it separates loads – the suspension can work braking hard over bumps, for example. The rear monoshock…

‘You need to be able to push for 70 laps a day. That’s the only way the team will get through’ IT’S DIFFICULT TO find a balance between having a break and staying sharp. In December I had a month off motorcycles – no motocross, supermoto or trials. I even had a week where I didn’t do any training at all, and had lay-ins – it sounds so basic but normally I’m always being woken up because I’m on a schedule. I had time to catch up with people I hadn’t seen for a bit too. There’s a lot of F1 drivers and World Endurance drivers around where I live [that’ll be Monaco – Ed] who I never usually see because of the way the championship dates work, so it’s…

» Where are you right now? I’ve just returned home from leading a National Geographic Expeditions trip to Cuba. » Back in 1996 you shipped your GS to Cuba. How did you manage that? I’d been contracted to write a travel guidebook and saw an opportunity to create an adventure out of my research journey. I would ship and ride a motorcycle with a view to writing a travelogue which was eventually published by National Geographic. As a journalist, I was licensed by the U.S. government, but transporting the bike was a challenge due to U.S. embargo laws. Fortunately, I found a skipper with a license to run humanitarian aid and he agreed to take me across from Key West. I arranged paperwork upon arrival. It’s all much stricter these…

LAST MONTH I unwisely alluded to an ambition to build ‘a poor man’s Ronin’ which some may recall was my 2016 Bike Of The Year. The Ronin, named after a leaderless band of Samurai, were and remain a limited edition of 47 industrially chic monopostos created around a bankrupt stock of Buell/Rotax 1125 engines by a team of design engineers in Colorado called Magpul. Using the 1125’s already extraordinary alloy upper chassis, swingarm and rim-mounted front disc, Magpul added a unique single-shock front fork which also housed a radiator and oil cooler, plus bodywork, seat unit, rear subframe, exhaust system and electrics to create an extraordinary whole at an extraordinary price: upwards of $38–50,000 depending on tune and paintwork. Which is why I could never buy one. But what Ronin…

‘It screams to 13,000, a grand into the red’ IN THE JULY 1988 issue of Performance Bikes were a Yamaha TDR250, Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk 5 and Honda NTV600. For an oily teen this magazine had considerable influence, hence a smoking 250 in my shed, an illogical desire for obstinate Italians and solid belief in drab Hondas. They weren’t the only things to make an impact. The test of Kawasaki’s GPX250 ran the headline ‘I’ve got a buzzbox and I’m going to abuse it’. I’ve never forgotten the words about giddy redlines, lunatic throttle abuse and ‘a noise like a Messerschmitt in a nose dive’. Why are we rambling off down this side street? Kawasaki have put this frantic buzzbox in a sensible adventure bike. Taken from the Ninja…

GO AND SEE IT La Baneza is a 200 mile ride from the ferry port of Santander, through the fantastic roads of the Picos de Europa. The races take place in mid-August, on a weekend close to the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August). motoclubbanezano.es PREPARATION, PREPARATION… A family work to get their machine running for the mini moto event which takes place on the evening before the main event’s practice. Adults and kids take part in these madcap races through the town centre under the street lights after the sun goes down on Friday night. Practice for the main races takes place on Saturday evening with the racing run in the furnace-like heat of Sunday afternoon. ‘Straw bales are the protection of choice…

IF YOU ARE, OR SOON WILL BE, buying a new bike the odds are that sometime during the process the sales person will come to you with an accessories catalogue and your bank account will cringe. The question is: how insured are your aftermarket goodies – official or otherwise – if your bike is nicked or you crash it? The key test is whether the parts are performance enhancing. If they are they do need to be declared, however, if they are for looks, comfort or ease of use they do not need to be declared. The law is simple enough and following a Europe wide change of insurance law in April 2013 the rules and the law have changed in the consumers’ favour. Certainly we’ve all heard stories about…

Austin Clews Managing Director » Eldest son of CCM founder Alan, and a handy motocross rider in his time. Gary Harthern Director » Strengthening the family brand and brother-in-law to managing director Austin. Ben Clews Sales Manager » Grandson of CCM founder Alan Clews. Fine off-road rider, too. As you would expect. John Drogan Head of Customer Experience » Taking care of massive demand, a fat order book and high expectation. Get in Touch CCM Motorcycles, Unit 5, Jubilee Works, Bolton, GL51 9NQ Tel: 01204 544930 ccm-motorcycles.com spitfire@ccm-motorcycles.com…

ADMITTEDLY DRIVING FROM NORFOLK to Krakow and back, 1100 miles and roughly 17 hours each way, for 30 minutes riding probably sounds idiotic. But riding SuperEnduro indoors in front of a 12,000-strong crowd was intense, not idiotic and well worth the trouble. It’s serious hard work too, but I enjoy the technical challenge of racing a tight track of logs, tyres and rocks alongside the world’s best. My two-stroke KTM 250 TPI was rare as more riders opt for a torquey 4T bike indoors these days. But it worked: fiery or docile depending on what power I needed around the technical track – in truth the rider matters more than the bike. I almost couldn’t start when the shakey-headed FIM scrutineers didn’t like my new plastics from Polisport. An enduro…

The obvious choice 2003 Multistrada 1000DS £3000 » Prices are all over the place for Multis, Greys are cheapest while a fully loaded red ’03 DS can cost the same as an S with no extras. Open the wallet a little wider and I could even look at an early, base 1100. But for me it’s got to be red and have extras –boxes, centrestand, hot grips, gel seat, Termis. Bubbled tanks, missing digits on the clocks and iffy mileage records are red flags. No mention of the must-have red key or history and the wheels are the wrong colour, but on spec, looks and price this one’s bang on. The left-field choice 2007 Guzzi Griso 1100 £5000 » Much as I love the R nineT, I’d rather have one…

TRY BUYING PARTS FOR A 15 year-old Fiat or a five-year-old washing machine and you’re in trouble. In the age of obsolescence even the most basic request is met with a sullen ‘Sorry mate, discontinued’. By contrast, obtaining essential supplies to keep a stone age British motorcycle on the road is an uplifting experience. Fork rebuild kit for a 1948 Matchless 350? ‘Yep, I can do that,’ says Steven Surbey without a pause. ‘It’ll be £38.81.’ Steve and his mum Linda run AMC Classic Spares from a collection of sheds in Bedfordshire. They specialise in the AJS and Matchless models produced by Associated Motor Cycles in South London from the 1930s to the mid-sixties when the original firm went bust. The Surbey’s business was started by Steven’s late father Tony…

Colleen Moore This month: The 341 event, 32-page event guide was a lot of work. It was heroically assembled by Editorial Assistant Colleen. Why no date for Dirt Quake and Macau? they haven’t published yet. She’s annoyed. Events Guide in the middle of the mag Pete Boast This month: Boastie last raced at Mallory in 1991. He could have backed away when we suggested that he might ‘like’ to ride at the Plum Pudding race meeting on Boxing Day, but he’s made of tough stuff. He’s almost thawed out. Suzuki at Plum Pudding on page 86 Ben Lindley This month: Fresh from launches of Ducati’s 1260 Multistrada and Triumph Bobber Black, and already looking forward to Bike’s 2018 track days at Rockingham. 10 May, 16 July and 13 September. See…

£896 discount Honda Rebel » Have a nose at the list price for a Honda CMX500 and you’ll observe that they want £5395. Given what a success it’s been across Europe this is a reasonable amount for the amusing CB500-powered tool. However, you can get a pre-reg spanker at Torbay Honda (01626 352527) for £4499. Who wouldn’t want to save over 16%? Slashed by £2136 Ducati Enduro Tour » There’s a new Multistrada 1260 (see p34). It’s ace, but the existing Multi’ Enduro was already ace – a mix of civility and craziness, ability and impact. Loaded with extras too, with traction, cornering ABS, cruise and elec suspension. phmotorcycles.co.uk have them with the Touring pack for £17k on the road, a saving of £2136. £1000 lopped off BMW nineT Pure…

‘Many were taken in part exchange and were parked, some indoors, some outside’ A FURTHER INCENTIVE TO take in some Florida sunshine in March is provided by an auction of 1800 motorcycles. The bikes are the collection of former Honda dealer Earl Harrington. Many were taken in part exchange over a 40 year period, and were immediately parked, some indoors, some outside. They haven’t moved since. The most popular bikes from the US market from the fifties to the 1980s, from Kawasaki two-stroke triples to Triumph Bonnevilles are all included, in varying stages of decomposition. Some are tidy, most are projects. There are also some rarer machines such as one of only 500 Triumph Hurricanes. There are also tons of parts. The auction happens at Ocala, 75 miles west of…

DON’T BE SCARED to over-rev the engine,’ says former MXGP racer and now Off Road Racing manager for Honda Europe, Gordon Crockard. The ‘don’t be scared’ idea is hard to swallow on the first few laps of a daunting Ponte Sfondato track near Rome, Italy. It undulates wildly like Cadwell Park but is steeper and tighter. One of two drop-offs around the Sfondato circuit are like riding off the roof of your house and temporarily re-locate your stomach into your mouth. Luckily the chassis soaks up this kind of treatment as happily with me aboard as it does with 2016 MXGP World Champ, Tim Gajser who also happens to be on track. The bigger brother CRF450R was launched a year ago with an ‘Absolute Holeshot’ philosophy, Honda aiming to improve…

» Triumph have just announced a new adventure centre, based in beautiful South Wales. They say the ‘arena’ is set to open Spring 2018, and will feature a mix of terrains and trails. Triumph are also promising a ‘full range of riding experiences’, which makes me think of a multi-day GS Trophy-type challenge. The GS event is only open to owners of BMWs, after all. A Triumph spokesperson told Bike : ‘The exact size of the venue is still to be decided, but there will be permanent structures to house a range of facilities, and a dedicated fleet of motorcycles to ride. This will include Tiger 800s, 1200s and Street Scramblers. The aim of the centre is two-fold: to provide riders with the opportunity to try out Triumph motorcycles, and…

I’m raising a glass to salute all the road-salt romantics who choose to ride bikes through winter. My daily commute involves 40 miles of M25’s pre-dawn/post-dusk, treacle-thick traffic. I’ve become expert at threading the old girl (CBF1000/panniers/bar muffins) through the moving man-trap’s jaws, yet every morning my heart is cheered by two insaniacs who come hooning by, immortal in their contempt for all four-wheeled sheeple. But I realise I’ve begun applying these filtering expectations to A and B-roads. You name it, if it’s holding me up I’m squeezing past. And if those cars are doing under a ton they’re my dismissed bitches. Yet I’m a regular Clark Kent for the rest of my day. Maybe I’ve unloaded my pentupness getting to and from. My point is, in this tame grey…

MOST POPULAR BIKE in the universe? BMW’s R1200GS. It’s due to go-anywhere capability, appreciable character and that conformist roundel. Inventing a small capacity BMW for new riders, city dwellers and emerging markets is therefore easy. You just make a little GS. Beemer try hard to make the 310 a valid member of the GS clan. Look at the rear light, and the plastic trim on the seat unit aping the big bike’s subframe. The difference to the 1200 and 800 (and the old 650 singles) is, of course, that the G310GS is a thrash-happy tiddler the same weight as a skateboard. The 313cc single is mighty keen. Its intake is on the front, the exhaust fires straight out the rear, and it leans backwards – partly for throttle body space,…

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. *DESMOLAND... Forget queuing at Alton Towers. Take the nippers to Ducati World. The factory is planning a ‘Ducati experience’ at Mirabilandia leisure park in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, with a roller-coaster, simulators, virtual reality, and of course a showroom. It’ll cover 35,000 sq.m, and open next year. ‘Paga qui per favore’. * THE FUTURE AS PREDICTED Honda are the first Japanese…

AFTER ANOTHER SHOVELHEAD ‘outage’ due to a smoking rear pot, fixed with new valve stem seals, it’s now time to change the perfectly good Keihin carb for a Dellorto PHM40. Super Mick Read (Radical Precision, Peterborough) machined a nice adaptor flange up in ally and the big Dellorto pumper now fits like a huge loudhailer on top of the 45º Vee. Now the bother begins. The stroke of the stock H-D twistgrip is only 31mm, the big Dell needs 41mm. The choice is to either mess with the original twistgrip to allow more throttle barrel movement, or fit a different single pull body. H-D in their wisdom like a 1-inch handlebar diameter. Normal factories have largely agreed on 7/8ths of an inch diameter. So fitting a new twistgrip means changing…

‘I’d rather pay extra for the Blade’s build quality than the faster lap time you might get from a Suzuki’ RIDING 500 MILES IN A DAY on a modern sportsbike in winter is no big deal (except perhaps on the latest R1, which is bloody uncomfortable). But it usually throws up a few strengths and weaknesses. Here are the findings of my 500-mile Blade day. There’s a lot of practical goodness going on. The battery, for example, is easy to get to, should you wish to plumb in heated clothing and/or a sat nav power feed for your trip (as I did). Oddly, you don’t even need the ignition key – just undo two allen bolts and the seat comes off. There are enough places to strap luggage to, the…

I went to Gran Canaria for Ducati’s Multistrada 1260 launch (page 34) and the riding was fantastic. It’s a circular island that just happens to be the tip of an ocean-going volcano. Spanish settlers arrived in 1478 and started lacing forests, crags and cliffs with amazing roads. But it’s only been in the last few decades that motorways have spread along the coast, pulling traffic from the well-surfaced and sinuous minor routes. Sunny all year round, too. A long weekend booked two months in advance will cost £125 return with Jet2, and a BMW F800GS from the likes of motoandbike.com is yours from £75 per day. It’s the best place for a quick winter adventure I’m yet to come across. We rode the GC-500 from Arguineguin to Pasito Blanco. Long…

GOODBYES »Mike Armitage is leaving Bike to join custom bike mag Billet as ‘Executive Editor’. Access to the management washroom lured him away. Good luck Woo Wah. PLUM PUDDINGS »Boastie shows off his pudding. Every competitor received a complimentary pud at the Plum Pudding Meeting. It won’t help with the fitness regime. SNOW MEN »Freezing temperatures, flurries of snow and Xmas have added to the challenges this month. But the snowmen have been great. This is the Lang familyman. DISMANTLING »This complete and running motorcycle was reduced to parts between Christmas and New Year. Will it go back together? Believe in the power of prayer.…

» Recent news of Touratech’s uncertain future has no doubt been keeping owners of their well-thumbed catalogues awake at night. However, the German parts supplier’s future now seems assured thanks to a takeover by investors Happich GmbH. Touratech entered administration in August after issues surrounding production and a ten million Euro factory forced them into insolvency. But the Happich acquisition, completed on 1 January, should ensure an uninterrupted supply of parts to the UK.…

‘Neither feel-good thrummer nor on-its-toes street racer. A missed opportunity’ ‘Two-pot sliders aren’t WSB spec, but the ABS-equipped system is capable’ AND SO IT seems I was wrong. Or gullible. Actually, let’s say caught momentarily off-guard. Yes, that’s it. Harley-Davidson’s Street Rod impressed launch attendees earlier this year, and I could see why. The entry-level Street has a Fisher-Price image and the poise of soggy brassica, yet the hopped-up Rod version is convincing. Proper suspension, serious stance, styled somewhere between bullish streetfighter and café racer. Numbers from its tuned-up twin rival the best of the latter, and the price is keen. This could be Harley’s hit: ample performance for its corner of the showroom, good looking (XLCR 1000 from some angles, XG750R from others), genuine and affordable. We arranged a…