Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i BIKE

» This is an Ariel Ace. It’s a crazy device, with a frame and forks hewn from solid alloy, bodywork bits in hand laid carbon fibre and a massive leather saddle that’d make sense to The Lone Ranger. It looks amazing, sounds brutal and rides like nothing else. We like it a lot. Ariel made their first motorcycle in 1902 and, although there is no direct link between the current company and the original, that heritage is part of the appeal. The romance of the old British brands and of a bike that is ‘Made in England’ is compelling. The current healthy state of the UK’s bike industry, from CCM’s crazy custom singles to Triumph’s brilliant Street Triple deserves celebration. But the British industry doesn’t exist in isolation. The Ariel’s…

UNCERTAINTY OVER THE future of the Supersport 600 market sector has meant the future of the Supersport racing class has been seen as distinctly rocky. Hence the appearance of a couple of Moto2 bikes in last year’s British Championship in the GP2 subclass. Grand Prix’s switch to Triumph power has liberated a number of affordable Moto2 machines for use in both the British (BSB support) and European (CEV) championships. The Honda CBR600RR motor as built by Externpro remains compulsory for the CEV. Back in the UK, the new-spec Kawasaki ZX-6R means there will be some competition for Yamaha’s R6, expect at least 20 Supersport bikes on the grid with nine or ten GP2s. That designation covers machines straight off last year’s Moto2 or CEV grid plus some interesting British variations…

60 years of the 59 Club The legendary London-based biker club celebrates its diamond anniversary this year. It was founded by bike riding vicar John Oates as a place for leather jacketed teenage tearaways to congregate. Those teenagers are now OAPs, so there’s a strong ‘classic’ element to the club, and it’s still a registered church charity now led by Father Sergiy Diduk. How to celebrate? Two separate ride outs on 4 May. One meets at All Saints Church, Uxbridge, TW13 5EE at 1.30pm, the other from the Ace Café, NW10 7UD at 2pm. The destination for both is St Paul’s Cathedral for a special service. 59club.co.uk 50 years since Easy Rider ‘Hey man, all we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.’ The movie that turned…

» 26-28 April Bernd Tesch Motorcycle Travellers’ Meeting, Malmedy, Belgium Get going quick to join the legendary father of German adventure riding at his three-day gathering of globe-trotting motorcyclists that has been running since 1978. Venue is a meadow by a river in a forest setting and Bernd promises a giant bonfire with coffee, cake and loads of talks from worldwide riders. berndtesch.de » 6-9 June MACH Festival, Llanidloes, Wales Nick Sanders returns with his four-day party celebrating motorcycles and music. Ride-outs, green laning and demos by day. Bands, films and circus acts by night. machfestival.co.uk » 26-29 September Horizons Unlimited Travellers’ Meeting, Yosemite, Ca, USA Possibly the most stunning location of all the Horizon Unlimited meetings, and ideal if you fancy combining rock-climbing with your motorcycling.…

Touring screen » We took a Skidmarx Tracer 900 screen (£89.95), drilled some holes and fitted that. It needed support struts (made from garage shelving) to stop it bending. Paddock stand » No centrestand (and not an option) means a paddock stand is worth having. This aluminium Ryde costs £34.95 but is well made and handles Niken’s bulk. Waterproof boots » Each of the Niken’s front wheels fires spray over your boots. A leak means they’ll be full to the brim in 30 minutes. BMW’s ProTouring boots are perfect for the job. £243. Heated grips » The new screen protects the torso, but hands are in the breeze. You should be able to retro fit GT items, alternatively Oxford Hotgrips are the best option. £80.…

Kawasaki Z400 >> Price: £4999 >> Engine: 399cc parallel twin >> Power: 44bhp >> Final payment: £2319 APR: 6.3% >> Kawasaki have updated their Z300 by fitting the latest Ninja 400 motor, et voila the Z400. The result? A whole new lease of life for this cool middleweight thanks to the much-needed power boost. If you like Zed styling (and to be fair not everyone does), the new 400 should be right up your A2-legal street. ‘If you like Zed styling this should be up your street’ Yamaha MT-07 >> Price: £6492 >> Engine: 689cc parallel twin >> Power: 74bhp >> Final payment: £2885.63 APR: 2.9% >> A much-needed update in 2018 saw improved suspension address the bike’s only criticism, and that was by no means universal. A simply superb…

ENGINE The original 1299cc models are slightly smoother than the longer-stroke, 20088-onwards 1340cc bikes. However, revisions to the pistons, valve train, exhaust and the inclusion of Suzuki’s Dual Throttle Valve system make the second generation model superior in terms of power delivery and response. It also benefits from slightly more torque at a lower rpm, and a 17bhp boost in peak power, up from 155bhp to 172bhp. TRANSMISSION The gearbox and clutch are reliable but slipping clutches are an issue – usually because water gets behind the rubber boot on the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder. This makes the pushrod actuator sticky which means the clutch springs stay slightly compressed, and until it frees itself the clutch slips. A new slave cylinder is £90. BRAKES They lack feel, but fitting EBC…

Urban myth has it that if you apologise for a collision, it is an admission of liability. Urban myth also considers you liable if you offer to repair a scratched fairing or cracked mirror after a minor knock. This proposition is also nonsense. An apology, or offer to fix, is not an admission of liability. Said urban myth is unhelpfully recycled whenever you get one of those, ‘what to do in the event of a collision,’ cards with your insurance certificates. Admit nothing and call us is the general gist. And here is your insurer’s motive: it is not to keep you from opening yourself (and your insurer) to liability for losses. It is so your incident gets filtered through the ‘collision management’ circus that pays insurers so handsomely. ‘If…

» Suspension set-up was my priority at Cartagena. But major faults with my £2227 Nitron trivalve fork cartridges and NTR RacePro shock almost wrecked my time in Spain – and me. I couldn’t get a reasonable amount of machine-only sag at the back. It’s how much the bike compresses the shock without a rider on board, and a range of 8-15mm is preferred. It was barely 7mm. We backed off compression and rebound damping to almost zero in a bid to get some movement. The rear shock’s spec sheet was wrong due to a computer update, with the reduction in preload (for a track bike) set at zero instead of minus 4mm. Then my final session didn’t happen as the left-hand fork cartridge (which handles compression damping) came loose and…

NO NEED TO borrow the works van to transport my collection of folding mopeds. With handlebars and seats in transport position the Honda Motocompo and Carnielli Cheeky Boy slide easily into the back of the family estate car for a journey to The Motorcycle Works in Peterborough (01733 578883) to get an MoT for the Honda. After tolerating abuse: ‘Did you shrink them in the wash?’, ‘Are you sure you can reach the ground with both feet,’ etc. I’ve got a fresh MoT certificate and the Honda is ready for the summer. Getting the Cheeky Boy road legal isn’t as straightforward. It’s an unregistered import I bought last year. To register with the DVLA a dating certificate is needed which, because the original manufacturer is defunct (they shut up shop…

Save £1500 SWM Silver Vase » Honda-based 436cc motor made in China, assembled in Italy, with nice-quality touches. The Silver Vase isn’t a ’19 model, so Branson (01935 474998) have pre-reg bikes with an upgraded tank for £3695 – or £57 a month. Simple, reliable, retro biking fun doesn’t get any cheaper. Save £19,805 Benelli Tornado » LE versions (magnesium wheels, Öhlins) were £22k in ’02 – almost £36k today. Bike Specialists (0114 3993750) have bike 20 of 150, unused with all the extras that came with it, for £15,980. The tall 899cc triple is fickle and gruff, but also beautiful, rare and curiously engaging. Save £1900 GSX-R1000R » Suzuki’s list is £16,299. Quite reasonable for a sensational variable-valve superbike with cutting-edge chassis and electronics. However, Fowlers (0117 977 0466)…

WELL SET as a key arbiter of taste and trends in customising big V-twins, Harley-Davidson’s international Battle of the Kings (BOTK) competition now has a British candidate to go forward to the final in Milan, Italy. The winner will be announced, as usual, at November’s EICMA show and the UK’s combatant is Warr Harley-Davidson’s re-working of a 2019 Street Bob christened ‘The Crook’… The Crook Warr’s have been building customs for two decades. Their design chief is Charlie Stockwell. So what’s the Crook all about? ‘It was actually built for a Warr’s customer who had a chop/bobber, kind of, back in the ’90s. This BOTK build is a modern take on that.’ To that end Warr kept the frame as is, but widened the original rear rim and replaced the…

I loved Andy Gurski’s article ( Bike , May) on the benefits of long term bike relationships. It struck a genuine chord with me… Walking to my wedding in August 1992 I passed the Bike Studio, Harrow Weald and spotted a VFR750 for sale. I left a £10 deposit with Roger Etcell (the man responsible for persuading Honda to develop it), returned after my honeymoon and paid the balance. Now married for 27 years I occasionally remind my wife that the bike beat her by one hour! I’ve considered other bikes over the years and ridden friends’ bikes, but nothing else feels as natural for me, as the VFR… and maybe I now feel guilty even considering looking at other bikes. In 27 years apart from going through tyres, chains,…

» The original Honda Cub (nominally the C100 Super Cub) was introduced into Japanese markets in 1958. The 49cc ohv engine produced 4.5bhp at 9500rpm and the style, with pressed steel chassis construction, semi-automatic three-speed gearbox, leading link forks, plastic legshields and enclosed chain, was there from the start. The first bikes came to the UK in 1962, and Honda UK was established in 1965. From 1966 there was an 89cc C90 and from 1970 a 72cc C70 too. The fifties got an ohc engine in 1970 too. At various times there were electric start versions, and different versions for different markets, many produced in factories outside Japan. By 1993 21 million had been made. By 2008 60 million. It’s now over 100m.…

BMW R1250GS Pros: wondrously torquey new engine with a midrange like few other motorcycles. Usual brilliant GS handling, clever electronics and sublime balance. Cons: everyone has one. One front wheel. Kawasaki Z1000SX Pros: fast, comfy, and well nailed together. It’s the best new sports tourer available – at any price. At just over £10k, it’s stonking value. Cons: fewer gizmos than tackle such as the GS. Only one front wheel. Yamaha MT-09 Pros: same great three-cylinder motor as the Niken, but with a lighter crank which means it feels more snorty. Handles well, looks good. Cons: lacks the loony power of rival nakeds. Only one front wheel.…

THE LEATHER JACKET has been the motorcyclist’s go-to garment since the 1930s. And, yes, till a few years ago a traditional ‘biker jacket’ would summon up images of Brando in The Wild One and London’s Ton Up Boys. But now the styles and types of leather jacket are as varied and diverse as the riders who wear them. So whether it’s a lairy sports jacket, a casual style that won’t look out of place down the pub or something in a classic touring cut, the chances are there will be plenty of choice at various price points… WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT LEATHER? The main reason leather has been so popular for so long is protection. Quite simply it’s the best around. If there was something better on offer then MotoGP…

» 1999-2007 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa Pre 2001 models featured a 220mph speedo, which translated to a radar verified 190mph. Post 2001 models were subject to the manufacturer speed restriction of 186mph. Slightly lighter than subsequent iterations. 1299cc – 250kg – 155bhp – £3000-£7000 » 2000 Suzuki Yoshimura Hayabusa X-1 Created by Yoshimura to race in Japan’s domestic Formula X series. The road version was limited to 100 units, just two or three making it to Europe. Nicknamed ‘Heavy Bus’ it was nonetheless much lighter and more powerful than the standard machine. 1299cc – 215kg – 193bhp – £15,000-£25,000 » 2008-2012 Suzuki Hayabusa The ‘GSX1300R’ name was dropped at this point, but the Busa gained an extra 41cc and 17bhp. The first and only real update in the…

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. ✱ NR’S TRUE POTENTIAL Honda’s 1992 NR750 had an oval-piston V4 engine with 32 valves and it cost £36k. At 125bhp and 223kg dry, power-to-weight was lower than a Suzuki GSX-R750 costing one-sixth of the price. But the NR was restricted. GP rider Loris Capirossi used a de-restricted 155bhp NR to set a 186.3mph flying-mile speed record for 750cc bikes. ✱…

ZERO EMISSIONS, pretty much no noise and most definitely not the sickly-sweet smell of fully synthetic. This is the latest Honda CR – and it’s completely electric. Making its appearance from beneath a whipped-away sheet at the recent Tokyo show (see p55), the CR Electric Proto is based on the rather handy CRF250R off-roader, with a lightly-modified twin-spar aluminium frame and high-quality Showa suspension. However, the 250’s dirty fossil-fuelled single is replaced by a water-cooled electric motor, with a small radiator in the usual place and batteries at the front of the motor (the black areas ahead of the machined motor casings). Motor and batteries appear larger than those on KTM’s Freeride, and have been developed in conjunction with Mugen. Mugen was set up in 1973 by Soichiro Honda’s son…

‘Teasing the gas is like being on the bridge of the Enterprise as Kirk engages warp drive’ NOT INCLUDING SELF-CANCELLING indicators is a curious oversight, though it’s the only tech or conceivable extra lacking from Kawasaki’s new H2 SX SE+. The latest version of the ballistic tourist has more gadgets than Q branch. Sports tourers are good business for Kawasaki. For many years the fisticuffs to be their best-selling UK model has been between the all-round-capable Z1000SX and whooshing ZZR1400. Last year they slung the H2 SX into the mix. Housing a bespoke supercharged 998cc engine in an all-new chassis, it’s plusher and faster than the Z1000SX but almost as practical, while sharper and better-equipped than the ZZR yet more comfortable. And its riding position is literally midway between the…

» 5-7 May BSB, Oulton Park, Cheshire I may be biased, but I consider Oulton to be the best track in the country. Fast, scary, picturesque, it’s got the lot. Worth a trip up from the south or down from over the border. britishsuperbike.com » 2 June Italian GP, Mugello, Tuscany, Italy A trip to Mugello should be on every MotoGP fan’s bucket list, but it’s not an easy trip. The place is really a test track so doesn’t have many facilities, it is a nightmare to get in and out of – even by bike – and there aren’t any hotels. However, there is a finite chance this might be your last chance to see Valentino at probably the finest track on the planet (I’ll entertain submissions…

‘The bike is also a dude-magnet. Grizzled Harley-Davidson riders have run up to me and shouted, “I love your bike!”’ » Where are you right now? I’m home in Vancouver, staring at maps. » You’ve done some big rides on a very small bike! Tell us more… In 2014 I loaded my 100cc Symba Honda Cub with camping gear and headed east from Vancouver to a Horizons Unlimited meet-up in the mountain village of Nakusp, British Columbia. That was 1200 miles over three weeks. It cost less than 60 Canadian dollars in fuel (4-litre tank) for the entire trip. In 2017 I flew to Australia, bought a 1997 250cc Honda Rebel on Gumtree and borrowed camping gear. I then pointed the bike towards the south coast and the Great Ocean…

» 18 May Southern Classic Bike Show & Jumble, Kempton Park, Middlesex Though nominally a trad classic bike beano, this one majors on café racers and from personal experience the massive jumble area is a great place to acquire specialised bits and pieces, and even complete donor bikes. And if for some reason you can’t ride there it sits conveniently next to a railway station. kemptonparkautojumble. co.uk » May and June Custom Specials, London and Prescott, Glos Although we’ve flagged them before, it’s still not too late to book your tickets for two of the UK’s primo custom events… The Bike Shed Show, held as usual at East London’s Tobacco Dock, happens on 24-26 May while the Kickback Custom Show, which this year moves to Prescott, Gloucestershire, occurs…

Just thought I’d send you my contribution to You’re not going out like that. The stitching is all my own work (lived alone then). Tequila bottle scarf and your bike name were essentials. Year bars from the rallies and race meetings were to prove how hardcore you were. Psychopathic Motorcycling Hoodlum appears to have gone missing though. Best badge ever. Dare you to reissue it, hahaha? Mark Lonsdale, email Not quite patches, but Bike stickers (from the 1980s?), on the box file I keep my bike documents in. Tim Mitchell, email I’m a subscriber from Malta and long time Bike reader. And back in the day a Bike Tour veteran, with Ron Brett. Clive Chipperfield, email Ogri badges on forearm and shoulder among others. Had a black XS1100 softail and…

FORM AN ORDERLY QUEUE Unlike their counterparts elsewhere, Japanese bikers are almost impossibly restrained and polite – as evidenced by the thousands patiently waiting for hours to enter the show. Also unlike other major national showcase events, the ticket holders keen to marvel at some of the quirkiest as well as the most important new bikes were predominately in their 20s and 30s. GENTLEMEN PREFER THAIS? Interesting, low-cost machinery: retro-style 200cc Gentleman Racer from Thailand’s GP Motor Company – but Euro 4 compliant it ain’t. ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY Specialist electronics company Mitsuba displayed their 48 volt, 6kw replacement electric motors which they claim are suitable for many 50-250cc single cylinder bikes. MONKEY MAGIC Unsurprisingly, the mighty Yoshimura organisation had a big stand featuring a large range of go-faster kit mainly for…

If you’re used to paying for your mobile phone monthly then the notion of buying a new bike in the same way, save for a few key differences, will be familiar ground… What does PCP mean? » Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is a finance plan that sets out to offer the lowest possible monthly repayment amount – a lot lower than traditional hire purchase. How does it work? » There are four key financial elements to buying a bike on any PCP deal: deposit, monthly payment, mileage and the final payment. To keep things simple, with this guide, we have gone for a deposit of £2000 and an annual mileage of 5000. In some cases this one-size-fits all approach doesn’t work as well as it should and so we have…

Dainese Corbin D-Dry £449.99 A vintage-look but beneath its stylish cowhide outer sit technical layers that make the Corbin perform as well as a three-season textile touring jacket. The removable D-Dry membrane and quilted thermal lining seal out rain and cold while vented front panels promise to keep you cool in summer. There’s CE armour at the shoulders and elbows, but no back protector. It’s also machine washable. dainese.com Rukka Coriace-R £959.99 New this year, the Coriace-R is for touring riders who prefer the protective qualities of leather but need the water resistance and breathability of a textile suit. Made using a laminate of Corium+ applied directly to the leather outer, the concept isn’t new: Rukka launched a waterproof leather suit ten years ago. The makers of the…

» The Land’s End Loop is an hour of absolute riding pleasure. At around 40 miles it’s not the longest route you’ll come across. However, it’s a great mix of places to stop off at, wonderful Cornish countryside and tight lanes with a few faster roads thrown in for good measure. From Halsetown near St Ives take the B3306, which runs parallel to the coast, south west to St Just. Continue south to Land’s End then take the B3315 north east to Penzance and ride north on the B3311 back to St Ives for incredible coastal views. » If 40 miles just isn’t enough the Cornish Loop is 190 miles of all that Cornwall has to offer the motorcyclist: flowing A-roads lead into tighter B-roads that give way to twisty…

WHETHER YOU CARE to admit it or not, you know naked bikes are the only things that are real motorbikes: very little plastic, big easy engines, comfy seats, great urge (up to 90mph), and good for pillions and luggage. Try these… Yamaha XJR1300 (£1500-£4000) Among the last big air-cooled machines (1998-2014), and still wondrous to behold.SP version with fancy springs is the choice, and preferable to the later rebooted versions with the silly louvred number boards (2015-on). Engine gives and gives, brakes are OK, suspension is marginal (Öhlins shocks on SP version aren’t even adjustable) and finish not the greatest. None of this matters. The XJR looks dead right from every angle and the seat unit is one of the best ever bits on any motorcycle. Aprilia Tuono (£2000-£10,000) Doesn’t…