Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i BIKE

WITH MIKE ARMITAGE It’s possible to look at the pictures of Honda’s latest bit of corporate willy-waving and think ‘so what?’. However, get up close to the RC213V-S and it really is something else – the engineering is exquisite. Just delicious. THEY SAID THEY’D do it, and now they have. This is the Honda RC213V-S: a high-performance V4 sportsbike based on Marc Marquez’ MotoGP machine. It isn’t like an RC30, RC45 or other previous HRC-badged roadsters. These were homologation jobs – special high-spec bikes giving a better start-point for Superbike production racers. Instead, the new RC213V-S is the flashiest race replica yet conceived. Replica might sound harsh for a bike touted as a road-legal MotoGP racer, but it’s not been built for actual racing. And let’s consider the changes. It…

WITH MAT OXLEY I’ve been around the GP paddock long enough to see a few British World Championship hopefuls, and Danny Kent looks like the real deal. Our first champion since Sheene? Lets hope so A MOTO3 BIKE HAS five times less power than a MotoGP bike, so does that mean it is five times easier to ride? Of course not, because all race bikes, big or small, demand a similar amount of thought and talent to understand their secrets and take them to the limit. Right now, there is no one better at extracting the maximum from a Moto3 bike than Gloucestershire lad Danny Kent, who is poised to become Britain’s first Grand Prix world champ since Barry Sheene won the 1977 500cc crown. So what’s the key to…

» Many fans believe Kenny Roberts, 500cc world champ in 1978, 1979 and 1980, to be the best rider ever (I’d put him top three with Rossi and Hailwood). The State of California disagrees. ‘I just moved back to California,’ 62-year-old Roberts told me at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. ‘So I had to get a new motorcycle licence, so I had to do the test again. I failed the damn thing three times! I told them, whoever wrote this test has never ridden a motorcycle; it’s just plain weird. Fourth time I passed – they felt sorry for me.’…

» 14-16 August Adventure Travel Film Festival Mill Hill, London NW7. Inspirational travel films from across the eras, along with guests, seminars and workshops to help you make a travel epic. adventuretravelfilmfestival.com » 14-27 September Paddy Dakar County Limerick. Motorcycle orienteering and the chance to meet some Irish Dakar riders. thepaddydakar.ie » 12-15 November Horizons Unlimited South Africa Potchefstroom Grant and Susan (of Horizons Unlimited) will be attending this very popular gathering. It’s a bit of a trek from the UK, so you’d better leave fairly soon. I already have (fortunately). horizonsunlimited.com…

WITH CHIPPY WOOD What a month. To be in at the launch of one bike’s pretty good, but to be able to sample the entire KTM 2016 enduro range in one hit was a revelation. And tiring. Then there was ‘helping’ at the Welsh Two-Day (p94) ‘I reckon the 350 EXC-F is the pick of the bunch. You feel directly connected to the back wheel’ AFTER A DAY spent razzing seven different models from KTM's 2016 enduro bike range around the three-mile enduro course at Seal's Farm near Banbury I reckon the 350 EXC-F is the pick of the bunch. The heart of any bike is the engine and the 350 EXC-F's 348cc dohc single is explosive, but so easy to control. Steer with body position and throttle and feel…

Having never had a lesson and having barely glanced at the Highway Code I was a student when I took my test on a rainy November day in North London in ’77. There were four of us there, three long-haired lads in leather jackets on two-strokes and me on my Honda four-stroke plodder. I had just had my fashionable shoulder length hair cut short and had bought one of those newfangled full-face helmets. My tester hid from the rain by standing at the end of a queue in a bus shelter and I could see him leaning out as I passed him on the figure 8 route I had to ride. He could only see me for a few seconds of each five minute lap. And he must have been…

» It’s been 20 years since Foggy’s first World Superbike title and to celebrate Shark have released this limited edition replica helmet. The unique design features a Union flag and four number ones, each representing one of Our Carl’s titles. To win this helmet tell us what bike Foggy is riding in this issue of Bike . Send you answer to bike@bikemagazine.co.uk and mark your email ‘Foggy bike’. The closing date is 25 August. The winner will be picked at random from the winning entries and notified by email. Terms and conditions at http://bauerlegal.co.uk/competition-terms.html…

ONCE, YOU HAD to adapt yourself to get the best from a Ducati. Not the new Multistrada. It’s more multi-layered, multi-faceted and multi-talented than before, and can be altered – with an essential instruction manual – to be any bike you want it to be, ridden any way you want to ride it. A wireless key starts the 1200 S, provided its signal isn’t blocked by, say, a mobile phone in the same pocket. You press an ‘on’ button to arm the bike, then the start button to fire it up. It doesn’t sound quite the way a Ducati is supposed to. The exhaust thud is definitely 90° V-twin, but quiet and civilised. The LCD dash is tablet-sized. Thankfully stuff like speed, revs and gear position are obvious. Backlit switchgear…

IT’S 1990, AND Carl Fogarty is on the startline of the TT on his wildly fast Honda Britain RC30. Thanks to a Bike magazine time machine, a 2015 Mugen electric bike has been plonked next to him with John McGuinness on board. And off they go down Bray Hill, roaring and whirring. The result after one lap? Well, going by the stats, the electric bike would win – it averaged 119.28mph in this year’s Zero TT compared with Foggy’s Formula One TT race-winning average of 118.35mph. OK, so Foggy did faster individual laps during the six-lap race, and the track was slightly bumpier back then, but even so… Over one lap of the toughest road racing course in the world, electric race bikes are now on the pace of factory…

This month: KTM Freeride 250 Other bikes ridden: Ducati Multistrada, Moto Morini Camel (on one cylinder) Miles ridden: 1017 IT’S 10.40 ON DAY ONE of The Welsh Two-Day Enduro. Team Bike has made our relaxed 9:53 start slot, survived a special test (well, I crashed, but got up again) and taken a wrong turn on the route. But we’re feeling good. 100 yards further up this forest track is a time check and we appear to be 45 minutes early. To judge by the traffic jam of other enduro bikes so is everyone else. What’s going on? ‘They’ve cut out some of the sections,’ says a fellow competitor whose riding kit and his well-used KTM suggest that he’s got more enduro experience than my 47 minutes. ‘Apparently there’s too much…

This month: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer Other bikes ridden: Suzuki GSX-S1000 Miles ridden: 1319 TYRES » A rogue screw sent the decent OE Dunlops to an early grave. Replacement Pirelli Angel GTs (£250 per pair) claim to be the ideal tyre for long, fully-loaded trips and so far are perfectly suited to the Tracer. The profile isn’t aggressive so you get a stable, predictable roll through corners. They’re sure-footed in the wet, even with pillion and camping clutter. In the dry there’s all the grip and handling you need. And after 1300 miles they’re not showing any signs of squaring off or loss of performance. Spot on rubber for this bike. » pirelli.com COMFORT SEAT » Other riders haven’t complained of this but I find the Tracer’s standard perch…

This month: H-D Troublehead Other bikes ridden: Honda Melody Deluxe, CZ 175 Trail Miles ridden: 235 AH YES… THE SHOVELHEAD… what a very unmerry dance this heap is leading me on. After 1034 (count ’em) trouble-free miles, the front cylinder’s exhaust stud decides it’s had enough of living and shears off flush with the flange. Single bolt exhaust to head fixing? Really? Yes really – this is, after all, the Motor Company at its lowest engineering ebb. Stud extractor won’t shift it, so the die grinder is next. While lying underneath, with only an Angle poise lamp for company, it becomes horribly apparent that the exhaust boss is cracked. Oh yes. Options are: (1) set fire to the bike. (2) throw it in the canal – but at least three…

R1200R » Same name as the previous model, but it’s all new. The 125bhp flat twin from the GS/ RT is in a steel tube frame, with normal forks instead of Telelever, radial calipers, much more modern styling and digi dash. ABS and ASC (auto stability control) are standard, there are two riding modes, plus a host of factory-fit options and accessories. Comes in blue only. Price: from £10,250 otr R1200R Sport » Pay the extra for the Sport with white paint and red frame, and enjoy your flyscreen, belly pan, extra riding modes and ‘dynamic’ traction control. It also has Gear Shift Assist Pro – a quickshifter which allows full-throttle up-shifts and has an auto-blip for clutchless down-shifts – and a stainless steel strip on the tank. Fill your…

» Isle of Man: £3000 Definitely a trip to the IOM on trail bikes, that’s the first thing. Rent a house and get a secondhand dirt bike. I don’t know what I’d get though… a secondhand dirt bike’s going to be a pile of shit. You’d spend a couple of grand and then another grand fixing it up. This is getting expensive now. » BBQ: £500 Gotta be a new barbecue if there’s any change from the IOM dirt bike trip. The old one is properly falling apart now. We used to be hardcore charcoal fans, but I’m getting lazy now so it’s got to be a gas one. And get a really good one for £500. » New rubber: £1000 If someone’s giving me free money I’d blow a…

In our north Atlantic climate we are not often bothered by temperatures which make regular riding gear too hot to wear. But on those rare scorching days when your bike kit boils you and you have a real risk of heat stroke, what does the law say about minimum protection levels? The criminal law says you must wear a type approved helmet and be decent. The civil law says that if you do not get knocked off it is no one’s business but your own. But if you and your bike part company does the law hold the bare naked rider at least partially to blame? The answer is not clear. If your feet are damaged and you were not wearing ‘stout footwear’ then you will be looking at a…

Split decision » Filtering – lane-splitting as they call it – is illegal in the USA, but widely practised in California. The state legislature is now looking at making it legal. Hawaii has enough » The island has banned ethanol in petrol because it’s costing islanders too much in fuel system repairs. Ethanol increases water formation which leads to corrosion. Good effort. No really » German riders who are found to be wearing ear plugs (foam type) if they crash will not be paid out by insurance companies. They have to wear the ones with holes in. Suzuki shows » In 1977 these would be flagged up with local newspaper ads saying ‘At the sign of the hot red S’ . But as it’s 2015 Suzuki’s road show dates are…

» 28/29/30 August British GP, Silverstone It may not be the best fans’ track but this is the British GP: it is your duty to go! Plus Silverstone produces some of the best racing in MotoGP. motogp.com » 29/31 August Classic TT, Isle of Man The Classic TT grows bigger each year. Easy to see why: a huge array of machinery on the world’s greatest track. iomtt.com » 18/19/20 September Bol d’Or 24 Hours, Circuit Paul Ricard We keep telling you about the Bol’s return to its spiritual home after 15 years, and with good reason because it may just be the race of the year. boldor.com…

» 22 August-4 September Classic TT The Steam Packet will probably tell you that ferries are full, but there will be a way that you can get to the Isle of Man to see William Dunlop ride a Norton Rotary at this year’s Classic TT; by dinghy, hang-glider or teleporter. Pray for good weather. iomtt.com » 18-20 September Bol d’Or Classic You were going anyway, right? Two-leg classic endurance race on Friday evening and Saturday morning precedes the start of the main event, at 3.00pm on the Saturday. Team Bike will be there, hopefully with two bikes; RC30 and Harris Yamaha. See you there. Ticket offer page 112. boldor.com » 28 September-4 October Moto Piston Rally Santander, Northern Spain, for pre-1980 bikes. Combines Spanish hospitality and pork-based cuisine with great…

WITH MARK WILLIAMS »I rode up through the Pyrenees from Barcelona to Biarritz to cast a beady eye over the latest custom creations at the increasingly influential Wheels ’n’ Waves show. Well worth the trip. And I wisely left the Waves part of the deal to people with surfboards. Faster Son MT-07 Of the Japanese marques, Yamaha is the most committed to custom bikery as a marketing tool and featuring several of their Yard Built commissions, the only one who’d set up stall at W’n’W. Shin Kimura’s extraordinary gothic take on the best-selling and thoroughly modern MT-07 stole much of the rain-lashed limelight. The painfully modest California-based Kimura-san actually acquitted himself very well on his ‘Faster Son’ creation in Friday’s extremely jolly Punks Peak hill climb just outside Biarritz which…

KTM 125 EXC » 124.8cc 2-stroke» Weight 94kg» Price £6149 A full-size bike that has you using the gears more than you might imagine. Vicious, rip-snorting power band with low weight and the same soft supple suspension as the rest of the range. No starter motor though. Tiring to ride with all the gear changing to keep it on the boil – great fun though. KTM 200 EXC » 193cc 2-stroke» Weight 99.5 kg» Price £6349 Like the 125, ultra-light but less gear swapping needed because of a more linear (and much friendlier) powerband that won't intimidate a novice but still has plenty of go for experts. Got electric start, which is nice, though it’s dead easy to start on the kicker anyway. KTM 250 EXC » 249cc 2-stroke» Weight…

1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 » Top speed: 146.5mph » Power to weight: 0.54bhp/kg » Price (then): £3499 » Equivalent price now: £10,058 » For me it’s not even close. Modern motorcycling had begun in 1969 with the CB750, and the sportsbike era started in 1985 when Suzuki unleashed the 100bhp, aluminium-framed race-replica rocketship that made every other superbike seem slightly overweight and dull. Three decades later no other bike has approached the way it changed high-performance motorcycling. It was immediately obvious that the GSX-R was extra special. I can still recall the excitement of eyeballing it at the Cologne Show in autumn ’84 and realising that (a) if it was as good as the spec sheet suggested it’d be sensational. And (b) I had to have one. Project chief Etsuo Yokouchi’s…

» Ten years ago, Ian Smith was looking for something his bike-mad 3-year-old son Oliver could ride. But all the petrol-powered machines were too big, heavy, and powerful, or had dangerously hot exhausts. So Ian built a little electric bike for him, and the first prototype was so good Oliver came second in a trial within a week. It was light, easy to ride, and as much fun as petrol rivals. Oset was born. Now the company is global, with hundreds of dealers around the world – there are more than 50 in the UK alone. Most buyers are attracted by the technical advantages such as no clutch, no gears, no petrol slopping about, minimal maintenance, no hot exhaust and the ability to turn the power down depending on the…

This month: BMW R1200RS Other bikes ridden: Beta Rev 3, Yamaha Fazer 1000 Miles ridden: 3067 I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH to borrow a new BMW R1200RS for my annual tootle round Europe and here are the main things I learned over 2500 miles. » To send yourself raving mad, keep clonking your shin into the left cylinder when putting the sidestand down. » With the screen in its highest position there’s barely any wind on your torso, but your helmet bobbles a bit. In the lower setting, you lid is more settled, but you get windblast round your shoulders. » Cruise control must be engaged to pull the screen from one position to the other above 60mph because you need both hands to overcome aerodynamic forces. » This is the…

This month: Honda CB400N Other bikes ridden: Lexmoto Adrenaline, Honda CBX750-F Miles ridden: 1325 DUE TO THE ‘never-turn-down-work’ ethic of the freelance life, progress on the ’tracker has advanced triflingly since last month. On the plus side, thoroughly cleansed inside and out, the fork sliders have been resealed and reunited with the lovely re-plated stanchions and David Silver’s (davidsilverspares.co.uk) carb repair kits installed into the ultrasonically cleaned Keihins – albeit with much cursing due to the fiddliness of accurately seating the float bowl seal. And after drilling out and replacing knackered exhaust studs, Andy at Classic & Modern (classicandmodernbikes.com) blasted the barrel and cylinder head before painting them black and replacing the valve gear. Clearances will obviously be rechecked once the motor’s been run again. He also carefully cleaned and…

THERE WERE HINTS of suggestion in some of the responses to our generous award of last month that our award of a tyre, a tent, a barbecue and a broken headlight in some way fell short of the high standard demanded by Bike’s discerning readers. Well, this month’s little lot should quash any moans at a stroke. You have the chance to acquire SIX paddock stands of varying degrees of quality and (let’s be frank) repair. Nevertheless, this is, by any standards, a huge haul of essential workshop equipment. Especially if you have six bikes (and two of them would require single-sided swingarms). The lot will not be split. All six will go to one lucky individual (entry instructions below). And that awardee will have to arrange collection from Bike’s…

Triumph Speed Trip’ Burly British beef at its best. The Speed Triple is a heady blend of solid engineering and traditional muscle-bike stance, with modern ability and handling. Öhlins-clad R version goes a step further. Sportier than the BMW and a firmer ride, but less comfy and far fewer desirable toys. Price: £10,999 otr Ducati Monster 1200 Imposing but approachable, grunty but controllable, the Monster is close to the BMW on feel, spec, toys and ability. Not quite as absorbent on bumpy roads as the R1200R (especially with Dyn’ ESA), but is a bit classier and makes more of a connection. The S (£13.5k) offers swanky Öhlins. Price: £10,931 otr Moto Guzzi Griso The problem with the Griso 1200 SE is that it’s hard to pigeonhole. Cruiser? Retro? Sporty naked…

IT WAS 1999 AND THE DAWN of a new age when Suzuki took the wraps off their millennium falcon: the GSX1300R Hayabusa. Striking, wind tunnel-sculpted styling joined a prodigious fuel-injected 1299cc inline four-cylinder engine to deliver acceleration and top speeds that stole the wind from competitors’ wings. Indeed, its performance ruffled so many feathers it prompted the now famous Japanese manufacturers’ ‘gentlemen’s agreement’, limiting the terminal velocity of all bikes made in Japan to 186mph. Yet the newborn Busa was no single-minded dragster, this was a bike Suzuki regarded as the ultimate sports machine for the road, a fact that showed with the bike’s surprising agility. The Hayabusa remains Suzuki’s flagship machine; it’s totally unique in terms of its mix of unmistakable styling, earth-shattering performance, usability and practicality. It’ll match…

2015’s BIKE OF THE YEAR Experts from all corners of biking vote for this year’s finest new metal PLUS » Cheaper than a cappuccino Less than three quid a day – Scrambler v MT-07 v Versys 650 » Bike to Africa Tengai repairs on the road to Burkina Faso » Subtle genius Honda NC buyer tips » Inside Suzuki On Japan’s shop floor October issue on sale 26 August…

I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE WE should filter – getting through traffic quickly is part of what a bike is for. It’s legal and there’s no reason why it should be dangerous provided you’re aware that you’re doing something that other people might not be expecting. The biggest error people make is going too fast at the wrong time. Filtering isn’t done at one speed – you should be altering it constantly depending on the situation. So when you’re coming up to junctions, entrances and exits you need to back off and wait and see. If there’s a gap you can’t see into, the car about to stick his bonnet out can’t see you. Most filtering accidents happen in towns. Here it’s predominantly the case of a car pulling out of a…

WITH HUGO WILSON A bunch of middle-aged loonies, riding 30-year-old 35bhp bikes as a British GP support race? What an excellent idea. It sent all of us here at Bike straight to YouTube to check out the period action. THE MAIN EVENT at Silverstone on 30 August is set to be a recreation of a 1982 250cc Pro-Am Yamaha race featuring a bunch of middle-aged reprobates aboard 30-year-old bikes producing just 35bhp. The original Pro-Am series featured ultra-close racing and produced some great riders. Three decades later many of them will be riding again at Silverstone. Niall Mackenzie, Nigel Bosworth, Geoff Fowler, Donnie McLeod, Terry Rymer and Jeremy McWilliams are among the 24 who’ll line up on identical Yamaha RD250LCs. The plan was hatched in April and the bikes are…

WITH JAMIE DUNCAN This month’s Travel is brought to you by the letter S – for Senegal. I’m currently in Dakar on the west coast of Africa, recovering from the long, hot ride down through the Sahara and planning the next leg of my Africa-on-the-cheap trip, applying for visas and giving the Tengai a little, ahem, maintenance. If anybody knows how to say ‘balancer shaft chain’ in Wolof then please do get in touch… THINK OF RIDING a bike across the good old US of A and you’d be forgiven for thinking of Harleys and cruising down Route 66, but there is another way to cross the States. The Trans-America Trail (TAT) is a connected network of gravel roads and dirt trails that stretches from North Carolina in the east…

» 14 August Madone des Motards It’s not every day you get the chance to be forgiven for all sins as a biker. So if you’ve been particularly sinful recently this event might be of interest. The custom (which is why we include it on these pages) of ‘Pardon Of The Madonna’ is a Breton tradition, appropriated in 1979 by father Louis Prévoteau for all motorcyclists. Porcaro, 45km from Rennes, is where it happens. 20,000 very naughty people are expected. madonesdesmotards.com » 23 August Cheltenham Festival of Bikes Incredible as it might seem, genteel Cheltenham Spa, better known for retired colonels and horse racing, will be hosting a custom show at the Town Hall in the Imperial Gardens no less. Organizers expect at least 100 bikes of all forms plus…

» 30 August Final round of the British Solo Trials Championship at Guisborough It’s almost certainly a done deal that James Dabill will lift the Championship again on the still-not-for-sale Vertigo, but the race for second place is far from over with 6-7 riders still in with a shout. guisboroughdmc.co.uk » 12-13 Sept Veterans MX d Nations, Farleigh Castle Motocross gods from '70s, '80s and '90s amass at one of the UK’s most famous and demanding old school tracks. They gather from around the world to wrestle giant, ill-handling and impossible to start 500 two-strokes from a forgotten world of pain. vetsmxdn2015.co.uk » 9-11 Oct Weston Beach Race One thousand crazies take to the infamous sands of Weston-super-Mare on a man-made track along the sea front. It destroys bikes and…

THERE WAS SOMETHING new for riders to experience in 1985. The arrival of the Suzuki GSX-R750 brought racetrack handling to the road, and immediately introduced a fresh sound to the British countryside – that of plastic puck being thrust generously into the passing road surface. Kneesliding had been the accepted way to successfully scorch round a circuit for some time, but now we road riders had the steering, feedback and suspension to copy racers on B-roads. Make that local roundabouts – as tyre and sportsbike development went mad in the 90s, traffic islands were packed by dizzy riders with protruding limbs and worn-out sliders. Of course it’s all a bit daft. Dragging a knee on the road doesn’t really offer benefit, especially with oh-so-able modern bikes. However this doesn’t stop…

AND THE WINNER IS… Steve Holcombe, a 21-year-old gardener from North Devon riding a Beta 250RR won this year’s event by 30 seconds. ‘It’s a great event, with great people,’ says Steve. ‘To win it is pretty special. There are some famous names on the trophy. It’s not as serious as doing a World Championship Enduro, you can chill-out and have a drink afterwards but it’s still a proper challenge. There are some people you might have the beating of at most events, but at the Welsh they’ll really push you.’ ‘The sight of 500 machines under floodlights is impressive, especially for KTM shareholders’ PARC FERME Bikes are scrutineered on the Wednesday afternoon, then held in Parc Ferme, with no access allowed, until the start the following morning. The sight…

UNTIL NOW, ARIEL has had a relatively easy time of it with their new Ace. Road testers from around the world have pitched up at the Somerset factory, swooned at the Ace’s engineering, ridden round the countryside and declared it to be a Very Good Thing. Which it undoubtedly is. But how good? To decide that, you really need to test it against a benchmark production bike, which – until now – no-one has done. Step forward the Triumph Speed Triple R, the hotted-up version of Triumph’s premium hooligan which comes with Öhlins forks and shock, light wheels and Brembo brakes. However, despite these valuable adornments it still shouldn’t stand a chance against this version of the Ace which matches the Triumph’s Öhlins front and rear, adds in some super-light…

» Yamaha MT-09 Tracer Total mileage: 2876 Tyres: Pirelli Angel GT Price: £8284 otr Story this month: Scottish camping epic, fervent attempt to exhaust entire UK supply of bolt-on Tracer goodies. » Suzuki GSX-S1000 Total mileage: 1557 Tyres: Dunlop Sportmax D214F Price: £9499 otr Story this month: Choir practice at Boston cathedral, fitted Oxford tank bag (a surprisingly challenging task). » BMW R1200R Sport Total mileage: 3029 Tyres: Pirelli Angel GT Price: £11,060 otr Story this month: Up and down and up the A1 and under intense scrutiny in this month’s Big Test (p102). » KTM 1050 Adventure Total mileage: 2040 Tyres: Metzeler Tourance Next Price: £10,999 otr Story this month: Blatting around northern France and southern Belgium, sheltering from rain outside Waitrose. » Lexmoto Adrenaline SR Total mileage: 760…

This month: Suzuki GT200 X5 Other bikes ridden: BMW R1200R, Suzuki GSX-R1000 Miles ridden: 1642 LAST WEEK SAW the maiden voyage of my repaired Suzuki. During a bout of acute stupidity I let the 196cc twin drain its tank of two-stroke oil, and it seized. Could have been worse – only one piston actually welded itself to the bore, and rebuilding it gave a genuine reason for extended shed dwelling. The post-fix commute took yonks, due to running-in and also huge paranoia. I spent most of the ride looking for that reassuring blue haze, stopping a dozen times to ensure oil pipes were affixed and full of lubricant. Thankfully all was well, and the X5 buzzed merrily for the 100-mile round trip. Smugness is eradicated today, however. Bobbing along a…

This month: KTM 1050 Adv. Other bikes ridden: KTM 125, 200, 250, 300, and 350. Miles ridden this month: 702 THE KTM 1050 has just given me a hard on (can I say that?) and a motorcycle hasn’t done that since I rode the Kawasaki ZX-12R in 2000 and had it flat out on the M18 for a minute. I didn’t think I had it in me anymore, but after a thrash around northern France on some of the smoothest, most scenic and deserted roads I’ve ever ridden, a brief blast into Belgium brought about this revelation. Now Belgium has some of the bumpiest roads in Europe, especially its narrow forest roads. These have more in common with the famous Citadel motocross track at Namur than the billiard table smooth…

BMW COMPLETELY reworked the R1200R for this year. No longer is it the beardy member of the range – take an R1200GS, cross-breed with Triumph’s Speed Triple and sprinkle with bits from Maplins, and you’re about there. Already fans of the previous model, we’ve put over 3000 miles on the new bike to really get to its core. » Bike’s team of test riders for this bike: Paul Lang Art Director » Bike’s resident sportsbike fan wants to be excited by bikes. Jamie Duncan Hapless Wanderer »Familiar with older BMs, wants character with gritty usability. Mike Armitage New Bikes Editor »Commutes, late night blasts and fully loaded excursions. » Engine THERE ARE BRUISES all down the shin of my left leg. You’d think after so…

SPORTSBIKE Ducati 848 ‘Handling strikes a perfect balance’ » Why: Achingly pretty middleweight sports machine with plenty of soul and lashings of build quality. Looks almost identical to the 1098 superbike but has more accessible performance. » The history: Launched in 2008 the 848 uses the same tubular trellis frame as the 1098, but employs the new Testastretta Evoluzion 849cc V-twin engine and a wet clutch. The 848 makes 20bhp more than the original 916 superbike and weighs 20kg less than the 749. » What to check: The arrival of the 899 Panigale means many racers have been chopping in their 848s for the new model. Tell-tale scuffs on forks and wheels give the game away. A full service history is a must. » How it rides: Power delivery is…

» When it comes to biking destinations Crete isn’t top of most people’s lists, or on the list at all. But it should be. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the most heavily populated. But it is also known for its varied terrain, which means lots of great riding options… » Starting up in the mountains you have highly technical Alpine style passes (minus the armco) which are all really well surfaced thanks to well judged EEC funding – the roads through the White Mountains are spectacular. Even at sea level nothing stays straight for very long. The E75 shadows the North coast and is the fastest road on the island, with some steep descents, rapid corners and hairpins thrown in for fun. There is also a…

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. YELLOW PERIL Think Ducati, think red. Yes, the 899 comes in white and sells OK, as does the Multistrada. Diavels are dark and moody. But if you want the real Bologna sportsbike thing it must be red. Back when the 999 and 749 were new, Ducati had such trouble shifting yellow ones that some dealers had to take…