Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2015 i BIKE

DUCATI’S REBORN DESMOSEDICI MotoGP bike may be biting the heels of the factory Hondas and Yamahas, but Cal Crutchlow insists he’s happy he quit the factory at the end of last year. ‘I still don’t regret what I’ve done,’ said the Briton, now riding a Honda RC213V, backed by a city finance company currently embroiled in accusations of serious fraud. ‘I chose what I chose and I’m happy with that.’ Crutchlow’s frustration with the performance of the GP14 wasn’t the only reason he severed his ties with the Bologna marque. ‘The situation at Ducati was that they’d already signed Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone on factory contracts for 2016, so even if I’d won this year’s title, I’d have had nowhere to go for 2016. Plus there were a few…

The race is on. For those of you who don’t believe that Valentino Rossi is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), the nine-time World Champion is chasing down the only record he hasn’t beaten, the all-time Grand Prix victory record established by Giacomo Agostini during the 1960s and 1970s. During Rossi’s miserable two years at Ducati most people thought he had lost all chance of bettering Ago’s record, but his form since rejoining Yamaha has him inching closer and closer. Many will say Rossi has the record that really counts – the most premier-class wins in history – but it is the total number of wins that most people remember. The 36-year-old Italian is the longest serving member on the grid. When he made his GP debut on 31 March…

Strapped for cash ‘former’ Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May are selling off bikes from their respective collections at Bonhams Stafford auction on 26 April. The 2010 Commando 961 SE, which appeared in Bike’s July 2014 issue, has an auctioneers estimate of £14,500 to £18,500. If that’s a bit salty how about James May’s 1973 Honda CD175 with an estimate of £1400-£1800. ‘I also have a canoe, and some hi-fi speakers, if anyone’s interested,’ said Hammond.…

SNAKE RIVER CANYON has so far not been kind to daredevils. Evel Knievel famously failed to leap the 500ft deep and quarter mile wide gorge in 1974. Now two rival stuntmen are vying for the chance to attempt an aerial crossing again. ‘Big’ Ed Beckley, a 64-year-old jumper who bills himself as ‘The World’s Largest Motorcycle Jumper’ (and with some justification as he weighs nearly 20-stone) is one contender. The other is Eddie Braun (53) a Hollywood stuntman who worked on Transformers (2007). But red tape and bad memories from 1974 are proving a bigger obstacle than the Canyon itself. Knievel was lucky to walk away from his botched attempt when his landing parachute deployed mid-jump, but it’s the fall-out on the ground from that fiasco that’s causing problems. Beckley…

BETA HAVE JUST launched their Crosstrainer 300 and bikes will be arriving in the UK as you read this. The Crosstrainer has been developed to be lighter, smaller and easier to ride than expert enduro bikes, yet uses the brutal 300RR enduro weapons-grade engine. However, the performance of the two-stroke is more linear and progressive which will work for riders who don’t want the rawness of a full blown race bike and expert riders looking to enhance their technical skills. This new arrival will no doubt help Beta’s already strongly growing reputation; clearly they don’t want KTM having it all their own way with the Freeride when it comes to this new breed of machine which is easier and friendlier to ride, yet competitive. The Crosstrainer 300 is built around…

4-9 May Scottish 6 days Trial The best trials riders in the world, in some of the most stunning scenery… and you can watch it all for free. This year you might also see history being made as the Vertigo breaks cover with Lampkin and Dabill going head-to-head on the same machinery. ssdt.org 4-7 June Erzberg Rodeo If you don’t fancy the trip to Austria then watch from the comfort of your armchair thanks to Red Bull TV. Expect Jarvis and Walker to be battling the legendary course. erzbergrodeo.at 9-11 Oct Weston Beach Race This year sees the 33rd running of this unbelievable spectacle. Millions of tons of sand are pushed and shovelled to create a seriously challenging course which attracts a lunatic band of racers and hundreds of thousand…

PARISIANS HAVE A distinct attitude. Take, for example, the moment when a driver rammed the back of my Bonneville with his Renault in a snarl-up near the Eiffel Tower. It was a decent impact, shoving the bike forward and delivering extended splintering noises. I kicked the sidestand down and leapt off, firing WTFs into my chinbar. How could anyone just drive into a stationary bike that’s, you know, in front of their fricking eyes? The driver regarded me with interest and nonchalantly shrugged – a full gallic, double armer. I couldn’t hear what he said, but my guess was ‘Est-ce que je suis bovvered?’. As it happens, I wasn’t bovvered because while he was busy shrugging I noticed he’d driven into one of the Bonneville’s exhausts which had cleanly smashed…

PLUS Dream Beemers More new metal from BMW: the radical 160bhp S1000XR and half-sensible R1200RS flat twin. Question of sport Kawasaki H2, Ducati 1299 Panigale S, Yamaha R1, BMW S1000RR and Honda Fireblade tested. Muscle hustle Aprilia’s latest Tuono V4 1100RR in all its frantic glory on the fabulous roads around Rimini. July issue on sale 27 May…

KTM RC390 Total mileage: 1811 Tyres: Metzeler Sportec M5 Price: £4999 otr Story this month: been back to KTM to be fixed, now it’s back and is still no better. Kawasaki Z1000 Total mileage: 6280Tyres: Conti RoadAttack2 EVO Price: £9632 otr Story this month: suspension sussed and trackday thoroughly enjoyed. BMW R1200R Sport Total mileage: 746 Tyres: Michelin Pilot Road 4 Price: £11,060 otr Story this month: first rides reveal brand new character. KTM 1050 Adventure Total mileage: 605 Tyres: Metzeler Tourance Next Price: £10,999 otr Story this month: serial giant trailie enthusiast bonds with 1050. Lexmoto Adrenaline SR Total mileage: 360 Tyres: Kingstone Price: £1499 otr Story this month: freshly arrived and ready to enjoy. Ducati Multistrada Total mileage: 0000 Tyres: Pirelli Scorpion Trail Price: £15,730 otr Story this…

This month: Ducati Monster Other bikes ridden: KTM RC390, Triumph Street Triple Rx, VFR800F Miles ridden: 299 LAST MONTH I bought a 1993 Monster without taking it for a test ride. Five minutes down my favourite back road and I knew something didn’t feel right. The suspension probably hasn’t been tweaked in 22 years. One name kept coming up when researching the best place to take it, Darren at MCT near Stowmarket, Suffolk (01449777161 or mctsuspension.co.uk). My forks and rear shock were unbolted in minutes, sooner if most of the bolts weren’t rusted in. Rear shock revalved, bump stop replaced and re-gassed. Fork oil and seals replaced and new springs inserted. A blur of drilling, banging and cups of tea and soon it was time for Darren to test ride…

This month: Honda CB400N Other bikes ridden: Honda CBX750-F, Ducati Scrambler, Miles ridden this month: 163 IT IS OF COURSE against the law for a project bike build to go smoothly, and my street-tracker whimsy continues to obey that law. But there has been progress, largely thanks to outside forces, or rather specialists. Andy and Gary at Classic & Modern Bikes removed the bent and broken exhaust studs from the barrels and with the aid of a modern miracle called Loctite Freeze & Release, ‘froze’ the recalcitrant and mangled screws on the carbs enabling them to be sent off for ultrasound cleaning. By the time you read this they’ll also have repaired the broken alloy shield that protects the generator wiring from the chain and drive sprocket. Meanwhile to ensure…

This month: Honda RC30 Other bikes ridden: van to Milan to pick up new brakes and wheels Miles driven: lots but worth it THE ONLY BOTHER Stéphane Mertens had last time out on Team Bike’s Honda RC30 was braking. The dear, old AP Lockheed set-up was no match for a troublesome Brembo-equipped Ducati 916 and the 1989 WSB runner-up (to Fred Merkel by just six points) quite reasonably asked for more stopping power. Being a decent lot the team have shelled-out 1200 euros on 320mm floating Brembo discs and Goldline four-pots replete with RC30-mounting plates, plus a pair of matching Marvic three-spokes. Now all they have to do is fit them, but the big problem is the brakes are in Italy. Team Bike Bol d’Or T-shirt and Bike Bol d’Or…

ALL-NEW ENGINE 689cc side-by-side twin has a 270° crank, dry sump and single balance shaft. Cylinders are ahead of the crank centreline (desaxe) to reduce piston thrust and friction, and valve timing targets economy –Yamaha claim 69mpg. It weighs 7kg less than the inline four in an XJ6. VARIABLE FRAME Steel tubes are different strength in different sections – the headstock is stiff,swingarm pivot and footpegs flex for feel. Rear suspension bolts to the engine, not frame, to reduce parts, weight and cost. REAR SUSPENSION Asymmetrical swingarm is stubby for ‘feel’. It pumps a progressive shock with nine levels of preload adjustment. Set-up is firmly road-biased. STYLING Alloy-looking swingarm pivots are plastic covers. There are five paint schemes, also with different frame and logo colours, and the white bike gets…

600 miles: change oil and filter, clean air filter, check hose, synchronise injection. 6000 miles: change oil, clean air filter. check hose, clean and gap plugs. 12,000 miles: change oil and filter, clean air filter, check hose, new plugs, grease head bearings and swingarm linkage. 18,000 miles: as 6000. 24,000 miles: as 12,000, plus check valve clearances, change air filter element. In addition: new brake fluid every two years; new coolant every three years; replace brake hoses every four years, grease swingarm pivot every 30,000 miles.…

SERVICING Plenty of high mileage examples still going strong. Basic servicing (oil and filter) should take place every 6000 miles and cost no more than £200 from a main dealer (spark plugs need checking and time is money). Valve clearance checks are scheduled every 24,000 miles – service cost £450. YCC-T Yamaha pioneered a fly-by-wire electronic throttle system with the 2006 R6, and it’s been on the R1 since 2007. Yamaha’s Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) uses sensors and a dedicated ECU to control throttle valve opening. HOT STUFF Low speed riding during the summer months does get a little uncomfortable as the R1 generates a massive amount of heat from its standard, underseat exhaust system. Fitting a de-cat link pipe, or a full system seems to abate this toasty problem.…

» The Dales are a contrast of cosy river valleys with warm pubs, and the rugged isolation of the moors between them. There are good quality single carriageway roads. The regular circuit, very popular with local bikers, starts from Devil’s Bridge in Kirkby Lonsdale and runs north on the A683, turning east on the A684 to Hawes, and then south west on the B6255 to Ingleton, passing the majestic Ribblehead Viaduct. Intersperse this route with slimmer roads, which are more challenging, more adventurous, with better scenery. A good example is the B6259 to Nateby, which follows the Settle to Carlisle railway line. » Hawes , the central point of the Dales, sits on the A684 between Leyburn and Sedbergh. This is a main road by Dales standards that still has…

Draggin Holeshot £235.99 The first CE approved Level 2 jeans from Aussie company Draggin. CE armour at hips and knees, full length Kevlar liner and Dupont’s own breathable Roomoto lining. In the CE abrasion test, they lasted 7.45 seconds. Bull-it +7 VoloCE £239.99 Bull-it +7 VoloCE jeans are Level 2 CE approved, and in the top price bracket. With CE armour at the hips and knees, and full length Covec +7 and breathable mesh lining. In black “Carbon” or traditional blue ‘Indy’. Rev’it Carnaby £159.99 Constructed from a blend of cotton and Cordura denim.CE Level 1 armour in height-adjustable pockets at the knees with slots for hip armour. PWR Shield is Rev’it’s own poly-aramid lining in the knee, hip and seat area. RST Vintage Aramid Fibre £89.99 RST Vintage Aramid…

This guide only contains the bikes that have actually been evaluated by fussy, obsessive, full-time testers. This isn’t a brochure-style round-up of machines on sale, but genuine opinion and information gathered during hundreds of thousands of road miles, day in, day out, in all weather. Not to mention the countless dyno runs, in-depth datalogging, weighing and specialist involvement. Buying a new bike? Don’t part with your cash until you’ve read this first. FINEST V-TWIN EVER Right then: which of Ducati’s sportsbikes has given them most track success? The 916 or 996 with that Fogarty fella? Maybe the 1198? Nah, it was that there 999, with five World Superbike titles in the hands of Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Troy Bayliss. ‘It had beautiful power,’ reckons Bayliss. ‘Even without traction control…

Could this be the year of the TT triple? Following the Triumph 675R’s first Supersport TT win last year, in the hands of Gary Johnson, both Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson have signed to ride triples in this year’s Supersport races. Martin will race a 675R for Johnson’s old Smiths Racing Team while Hutchinson – the only man to win five TTs in a week – will ride an MV Agusta 675 F3, backed by Chinese beer brand Tsingtao. The bike has already proved a winner in World Supersport, more than can be said for the Trumpet. Hutchy, who has had a hellish fightback from an horrific leg injury in 2010 needs a top result after several difficult TTs. Martin meanwhile needs a first win before becoming a full-time TV…

RACING AN OLD bike on a sunny day is a sensory overload. The sound of a rasping exhaust and the smell of hot oil are all part of the experience as you thrapp along aboard a living, breathing, rattling and chuffing piece of history. That experience is normally limited to those eccentrics who’re prepared to invest significant cash, as well as time, fingernails and bad language, needed to understand oil pumps, magnetos and gearbox selector forks. But no longer. You can circumvent a lifetime of experience with old bikes by simply renting one. After a brief bit of instruction you’ll be able to sample right foot gear-changes, manual advance retard levers and carburettor tickling for yourself. There is even the opportunity to ride in holiday locations. So, while taking the…

10 May Hoghton Tower Motorcycle Sprint, Preston, Lancashire One of the longest standing motorcycle events in Lancashire featuring bikes of all classes blasting up the driveway of Hoghton Tower. £10 admission, children free. Tel:01254852986 19-21 June World GP Bike Legends, Jerez, Spain Reunion of classic two-stroke GP bikes. Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Graeme Crosby, Steve Parish and Loris Capirossi have confirmed their entries. Evening entertainment from Bonnie Tyler. Tickets cost €80, discounts for advanced booking. Worldgpbikelegends.com 26-28 June Goodwood Festival of Speed, Sussex Valentino Rossi will ride a Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Sunday 28 June having raced at the MotoGP at Assen the previous day. It’s part of Yamaha’s 60th anniversary celebrations. Former champions Casey Stoner and Giacomo Agostini will also be there.…

Not too long ago, I got into a conversation with a girl working one of those mobile cafés so ubiquitous to UK motorcycle dealerships (does the sausage industry appreciate the financial support it gets from motorcyclists?). She was soon to do her CBT against the advice of two other girls at the café. ‘They reckon it’s too dangerous,’ she said. ‘Can I ask you: Do you like riding a bike?’ All I managed to say was: ‘Uhm, yeah, I guess I do.’ This is what I wish I’d said to her: motorcycling has saved my life. I’m originally from the United States, and the pain of missing home can sometimes make me physically ill. Homesickness is a condition that lends itself easily to depression and I’ve had all those clichéd…

‘The bike is a KTM 690 Rally that has completed the Dakar, but it’s not the one I rode. I took a used bike with twenty thousand racing kilometres on it and rebuilt it from scratch: modified the suspension, chassis, fuel tank set-up, strengthened it and did all sorts of stuff to make it more travel-worthy, including fitting a luggage rack and places to store spare parts. Fuel range is very important because of the remote routes I take, that’s why it carries 32 litres of fuel, which is good for 700 kilometres. ‘Being a racer I wanted the best suspension I could get, but it’s always a compromise. My Factory race suspension is expensive and I don’t have the facilities with me to service it, so I chose to…

This month: KTM RC390 Other bikes ridden: BMW R1200R Sport, Yamaha YM125-S (round the car park) Miles ridden : 1405 SINGLE-CYLINDER ENGINES are famous for thudding delivery and low-down torque. However, the oversquare mono in our wee KTM only measures 373cc and is a buzzbomb. It’ll bimble but prefers being thrashed, picking up noticeably at 6000rpm and happiest with shift light blinking from 7000 to 9000, which stays lit to the 10k limiter. Brisk progress means ensuring the light is always flashing. Out for too long and I won’t get home for Come Dine With Me . So the RC is treated like a two-stroke; head down, twistgrip wide, one eye on the revs and left foot blurred. Being ridden like a TZR250 isn’t the only stroker similarity. As I…

This month: Aprilia Falco Other bikes ridden: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, Kawasaki Z1000SX Miles ridden: 243 BEHOLD! The last new Falco rear cylinder down pipe in the country, secured for the princely sum of £130 and the latest part added to the growing collection I’ve needed to keep the Aprilia on the road. My exhaust had been blowing a bit since I crashed last July with the right can taking the brunt of the impact. Except it was more than a bit. Turns out the rear down pipe had completely separated from the mounting plate Ð the weld sheared all the way round. After several phone calls, incorrect stock figures and dead ends, Ultimate Parts Ltd (01159 216668) came to the rescue. Aprilia no longer make the part, and they had…

This month: KTM 1050 Other bikes ridden: Gas Gas 280 Miles ridden: 605 FIRST LOOKS can be deceptive especially when you look at the specs of the 1050 (A2 licence friendly) giant; 95bhp and 212kg. Surely hauling a big bike around is going to throw up one or two niggles, especially when you look at its big brother 1190 which punches out another 50 odd bhp but only weighs another 5kg. You just think ‘how will it work?’. Even the original 950 Adventure had 7bhp more and was a whopping 14kg less when it first hit the roads and that was more than 13 years ago. Well it does, it feels lighter than the original 950 and torqueir too. Stacks of low down overtaking power leave you giddy with excitement…

This month: Kawasaki Z1000 Other bikes ridden: Yamaha FZ1 Miles ridden: 899 A CHILLY TRIP TO the delightful Cadwell Park highlighted all that is brilliant and bonkers about the Z1000. Let’s start with the bonkers. If you’ve ridden a naked bike, you’ll have more firsthand experience of airflow than an F1 aerodynamicist. You’ll know the speed you can sit at for long periods without your neck aching, and the angle of torso lean you need to crack 100mph without your elbows dislocating. But all naked bikes are not the same, and I put it to you that the Z1000 is the most naked of all. Because the headlight unit droops down for styling purposes, and the clocks are miniscule, almost no wind is deflected upwards. Consequently you get 100% windblast.…

Jamie Duncan Out-there Editor Bike’s tame wanderer rode the MT all the way to Morocco and back, then employed it as a workhorse. He got deep under its skin. Hugo Wilson Editor Bright blasts and icy winter commutes for Hugo, who also found great pleasure in how easily the MT could slip up his back passage and into the conservatory. Mike Armitage New Bikes Editor Pitted the MT against a mixed bag of rivals in a handling test on a big mountain. Also attended the launch and pitted an MT-07 against the Triumph Street Triple (July ’14).…

There are more than 50 official parts, from luggage to rearsets to crash bungs. We’ve tried the rack, which is a sizeable affair with grab handles. It vastly improves luggage-hauling ability, but at the expense of aesthetics. Their tankbag is, to quote Jamie, ‘comically oversize for the bike and not at all waterproof’. The flyscreen doesn’t do much – it’s tiny – but there is a small benefit to wind management that makes 80mph cruising more bearable. And the Akrapovic exhaust doesn’t make any real difference to performance (or not that our thick hides can notice), but it looks better than the industrial standard collector and deepens the sound.…

The unrestricted country road is a challenging riding environment and one where a significant proportion of our claims work arise from. The law is simple enough and I summarise ‘on country roads, expect country things’. A Court of Appeal decision which sums up the law is a case called Arnott v. Sprake. In short, the Court of Appeal said on country roads the agricultural economy and agricultural activity will be going on and people who use country roads must expect these. You can take this further and the logic is self-evident that on country roads you can also expect other hazards such as groups of cyclists and equestrians, pedestrians, hikers, dog walkers and farm animals. So if you ride a motorcycle on rural roads, and you come across a wide…

YAMAHA HAVE GONE the whole way making their new R1 resemble a track refugee. Tank details are lifted from Rossi’s racer, and it has tiny headlights. Its image is really nailed in this all-black scheme, with the menace of something from pre-season MotoGP testing. Don’t amble to your nearest dealer and try to buy one, though. You’ll be laughed at. Manufacturers make bikes in various colours and schemes. Individual countries then select ones they think will sell in their market. America has a history of gaudy schemes, for example, with vivid orange R6s and CBR600s, and stickers involving flames, skulls and fireworks. Or all three. But this year the US has got it right, as they’ve taken the R1 in black, as well as the red/white and blue/silver chosen for…

BMW are recalling a few bikes. That’s a few as in about a third of a million. It affects every K and R-series model from 2003 to 2011, plus a few older GS and RT models. Over-tightened wheel nuts may damage the mounting flange on the single-sided swingarm, causing cracks. BMW only know of one case where these cracks have then caused the component to fail, but are replacing the part on all the bikes potentially involved as a precaution. There are 300,000 bikes involved, with about 23,000 in the UK. BMW will contact owners and carry out the work for free. They’re good like that.…

Former Suzuki works rider, and John Player Norton Team Manager Frank Perris has died aged 83. Perris started racing in 1950, raced his first TT in 1951 and, after finishing 18th in the 1952 Junior TT he rode his Velocette KTT around Europe for five weeks, racing it at weekends; he got as far as Monza. He finished third in the 1961 500cc World Championship and rode for Suzuki from 1962-66, finishing 2nd in the 1965 250cc championship. After a brief retirement he re-started racing in 1968 and finished third in the 1971 Senior TT. He was then team manager for the John Player Norton team from 1972-74.…

THE NEW HONDA Africa Twin must surely be one of the most eagerly anticipated adventure bikes in recent years. Trouble is, anticipate is all we can do. Over the years internet rumours and mock-ups have turned into blurred spy-shots, which in-turn have morphed into the now obligatory teaser videos. It all reached a crescendo this year when Honda wheeled out an unfinished prototype, a shiny new ‘True Adventure’ logo and no technical details whatsoever. Oh well, maybe next year. Maybe. While Honda continue to procrastinate, KTM specialists Rally Raid Products have taken matters into their own hands and gone and built their own. More accurately, they’ve taken the CB500X and developed an adventure kit that turns it into a much more off-road capable dual-sport. The slightly mundane, although well liked,…

17 May Yamaha Day, Ace Café It is what it says and it is what it is. Last couple of times a very, very nice DT250 flat tracker in Kenny yellow and black speedblock has turned up. Since we’re on a mild KR tribute this month we make no excuses about fixating on the great man and his equally mega machinery. Ace-café-london.com 21-25 May FHDCE Super Rally The Federation of Harley-Davidson Clubs Europe event is back in Britain for the first time in 26 years. A draw for a new H-D is reason enough to go (or avoid according to your tastes). Plus bands, etc. Not cheap though: £65 pre-book and £75 otg. At Lincolnshire Showground, Lincs LN2 2NA Superrally2015england.com…

1 SLEEP OUTDOORS Ride, unpack bivvy bag, sleep, see the dawn, feel utterly alive. Repeat once a year for improved mental health 2 NIGHT RIDE Go for a long, fast night ride. Roads to yourself and that illicit feeling will take 30 years off you. 3 Become a race marshall Flag waving fun. A brilliant way to get closer to the racing and be part of a sport you love – provided you don’t mind dressing up like a Guantanamo Bay prisoner and occasionally freezing your ass off. Apply at your local circuit. 4 Book ferry crossings Book channel ferry crossings at least five days apart and make up the bit in between as you go along. Our favourite: arrive in Caen, take in Bordeaux, savour the Pyrenees, ferry back…

KILIMANJARO AIRPORT, TANZANIA, nine in the morning. A local guide picks me up and we head out on a long stretch of highway that cuts across 800km of country, connecting the Serengeti in the west, to the cities of Arusha and Moshi. Further east the winding road snakes past epic Mount Kilimanjaro, pushing through Kenya to Mombasa and the Indian ocean. I’m in Tanzania photographing a volunteering program in Patandi, a village along this highway. The kids here have few opportunities after ‘graduating’ from local schools and orphanages. There’s little industry in this part of the country and most of the youth is destined for a life tending a family farm, or hawking souvenirs to tourists. Groups of bikers, not just a few, but lots, sit on the edge of…

This is an official UK track-day warning: if you see someone riding a Fireblade SP in black Axo leathers, stay well clear because he is armed and certainly dangerous. Sylvain Guintoli is a regular at UK track days at places like Mallory Park – just a short ride from his home – and he likes Oulton Park too. ‘Last year I rode my Aprilia RSV4 road bike to Mallory quite a few times for their Wednesday afternoon test sessions. Mostly it’s just an excuse for some fun, but I also do it because the WSB calendar has some big gaps between races, so you miss riding, plus you need to ride a bike because however hard you work on fitness you still need to ride. ‘Ten Kate are building me…

Honda CB1000R £9999, 110bhp, 220kg wet Heavier and less powerful than newer rivals, but still a very capable and well-made device. Easy to overlook. BMW S1000R £10,200, 159bhp, 207kg wet Class leading power and electronics courtesy of the RR and it’s only £700 more than the GSX-S. Fears nothing. Triumph Speed Triple £9749, 126bhp, 214kg wet The original super-naked and still brilliant. But the GSX-S and S1000R will make it feel old. Also in swanky R form. Kawasaki Z1000 £9499, 131bhp, 221kg wet Defined by its concept-bike styling and manic attitude. Heavier than the GSX-S but still hauls ass thanks to low gearing.…

This month: Lexmoto Adrenaline SR Other bikes ridden: 1977 Mobylette V50 Miles ridden: 50 LEARNING TO RIDE, in 2015, is a bothersome business. There’s a theory test, which costs money (WCM); there’s the CBT (WCM); there’s the training (WCM) and then there are the riding tests (WCM). And that’s before you calculate the kit and the bike. Thank goodness then for Lexmoto who are currently selling out of stock (p9), and with good reason. From the novice seat (which is my seat) the Adrenaline SR is a nice thing. Well built, nicely detailed, something to be proud of when it comes to buying your first new bike. Custom sticker packs mean you can customise and there’s even a gear position indicator nestled between the gauges. Which, in truth, are a…

This month: Matchless 350 Other bikes ridden: Yamaha R1, KTM 1050 Adv, Honda VFR800F Miles ridden: 517 SITTING ON A scenic fellside in Cumbria admiring the view. It’s magnificent. To the east the snow dusted Pennines. To the west an outlying flank of Shap Fell. Dry stone walls, bracken, big rocks and coarse grass. Fluffy clouds scud across a blue sky and the sun makes regular appearances. My backside is cosseted by the soft, peaty earth, but the track that climbs over the hillside is hard. Literally. It’s made of loose rocks varying from small pebbles to large boulders. In the foreground, resting against a bank is my 1948 Matchless 350. 400 pounds of British iron (literally). What a fine looking machine it is. The only nagging problem was how…

This month: Honda Melody Other bikes ridden: Harley-Davidson FXR, Hodaka Wombat Miles ridden: 520 THE WORLD’S fastest Honda Melody Deluxe once more breathes fire. Swift recap for anyone fresh to the Melody saga: meant to blitz the 50cc TT ( Bike , March 2015), rider error dictated otherwise when the entire contents of the 3.2 litre fuel tank dumped itself into the engine/ transmission after the operator wrecked the vacuum fuel tap while drunk. Now with a proper on/off idiot-proof tap, new main bearings and crankcase seals and a new clutch, CB Tuning’s engine man Mike has reassembled what is undoubtedly the swiftest Melody Deluxe in the western world. We speed tested it at a heady 28mph on Mikey’s electronic gun (but he probably calibrated it down by 100mph to…

TIME TO ANNOUNCE the prestigious June 2015 Bike Award. This month we’ve got a great deal on a great deal of cleaning and protecting product. The first great deal is that it’s free (if you are the lucky awardee) and the second is you get various products specially developed by the prestigious SDoc100 corporation to make your motorbike clean and keep the some of the bits that go round and round (chain and sprockets being the technical term) in good order. Receiving this award will change your life beyond recognition and participants should be advised not to enter unless they have a true desire to make filthy things clean and then keep them sparkling. Just the way Bike’s Art Editor Rev. Paul Lang likes to do. How to nominate yourself…

FZS600 1998 - 2003 Fazer is response to Suzuki’s Bandit. ThunderCat motor, R1 brakes, simple frame and suspension. Cheap, eager and lots of fun. Redesign in ’02, but killed by Euro2 regs in ’04. Price now: from £1250 FZ6 2004 - 2009 R6 engine, aluminium frame, underseat pipes, naked or faired Fazer. Swankier than FZS, but also much revvier, firmer and more serious, and no longer as affordable. Price now: from £2000 MT-03 2006 - 2012 Mid-weight sibling to MT-01 when they tried the MT thing the first time. XT660 engine, sublime chassis, ace quality, great looks, but very expensive for a 45bhp single. Price now: from £2500 XJ6 2009 - current 600cc four can be revved like a 400, simple chassis soaks stuff up, finish is fine. Good, if…

Kawasaki ER-6n Light, affordable, livelier than expected and able to scurry along at a right old lick, the ER was for years the benchmark middleweight naked. It’s still great, of course, but the MT is gruntier, better finished and even easier to ride. Several hundred less than it was last year, thanks to the Yamaha... Price: £5534 otr Suzuki SFV650 Used to be a Gladius, and still says it on the side, but now referred to as the SFV. Lightly pepped-up SV650 V-twin is punchy, the chassis able, there’s a pleasing ‘big bike’ air and it looks decent now they’ve dropped the original flowery colours. Bloody cheap too, although next to the lighter, crisper MT the Suzuki is showing its age. Price: £5134 otr Honda CB650F The bike that killed-off…

CORDURA DENIM Cordura Denim is a blend of cotton and Cordura denim fabric. This retains the look and feel of cotton denim jeans with added abrasion resistance and toughness. Most jeans combine this cotton mix with a knitted aramid or Covec inner liner for two-fold abrasion resistance. Combining the reinforced denim with an inner gives the jeans added heat-resistant properties, reducing any heat transfer through to the skin. ARAMID FIBRES Aramid fibres are used in denim jeans liners for their high heat and abrasion resistance properties. The best known of these is Kevlar, a registered trademark produced by Dupont. The knitted variety is better for heat resistance than woven types. There are differing qualities and prices. The most expensive Aramid-lined motorcycle jeans are around £250, the cheapest £65. ARAMID OR…

LIKE MANY PEOPLE, when I was taught I had half an hour in a car park and then we went straight out on the road. It was a macho thing – the instructor said, ‘Come on, you’ll be fine.’ But I was thinking, ‘I really don’t feel like I will be fine, because I don’t know what I’m doing.’ It doesn’t matter if you’re a 6ft 4in, 18 stone rugby player and hard as nails, if you’re not in control of a motorcycle out among traffic which has no patience for you, that is a dangerous place to be. The CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) is fine but it is… basic. There are areas it doesn’t cover that I think are essential. Take braking, for example. The 31mph emergency stop is…