Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i BIKE

The sensations of summer; insects splattering themselves onto the visor of an Arai, the smell of haymaking wafting across the hedgerows, the coolness of a freshly filled fuel tank between your legs, the feel of handlebar grips through lightweight gloves, hot, grippy tarmac, the surprising and satisfying grind of a hero blob on tarmac. It feels like it’s been ages coming… Long evening rides and gratuitous deviations on the ride home from work, the aroma of methanol and fried onions at a speedway meeting, the sun on your neck when you’re working on a bike in the yard, the distant drone of an inline four on an Akrapovic, the taste of that glorious post-ride beer. Outside. In the beer garden. The clang, and then the whine of a winch as…

Price £16,999 Engine 1077cc 16v V4 Power 173bhp @ 11,000rpm Torque 89 lb.ft @ 9000rpm Top speed 168mph (est) Rake/trail 27˚/99.7mm Wheelbase 1450mm Wet weight 209kg (claimed) Seat height 825mm Tank size 18.5 litres Economy 40mpg (est) Colours red/silver/grey ‘Superpole’ only Availability now Bike verdict Aprilia don’t have many dealers and still have a slightly flaky reputation. They also depreciate like something from British Leyland. But there’s no escaping that their bikes are ace – and the new Tuono Factory is one of the best road-going sportsbikes you can buy. Bike rating 9/10…

‘After Sheene’s big Silverstone crash, Nick was the only print journo allowed into the hospital’ ANYONE WHO WATCHED Dorna’s world feed in recent years will know Nick Harris as the genial bloke conducting press conferences and commentating in an Oxfordshire accent while giving Dovizioso’s name a varying number of syllables. Or you may remember him as Grand Prix reporter for the weeklies in the days of Ago and Sheene. Or as a motocross reporter when that sort of thing got in the papers. Or if you worked in the paddock you knew him as the first proper PR man, inventor of the post-qualifying press conference and provider of the first hospitality thanks to some tobacco money. Or if you were Barry Sheene you knew him as NickleArse, the reporter who…

After the debacle of last year, when the combination of a dodgy surface and heavy rain caused the British GP to be cancelled, Silverstone is getting fresh tarmac. Work started mid-June, ripping up the old asphalt and using state of the art road laying machines to put down the new, smoother and better drained surface. Here’s hoping, though before the Moto GP event on 23-25 August the surface has to survive the car Formula One event in July. Lots of people seem to have forgiven Silverstone for the 2018 debacle, the cheaper tickets for 25 August have already sold-out, so as we went to press the cheapest available tickets were £70. silverstone.co.uk…

» 6-8 July Horizons Unlimited Travellers’ Meeting, Sweden A Horizons mini-meet comes to Sweden for the second year. Set in a beautiful location, the event is focused on riding, camp-fire chats and evening presentations. Numbers are limited to 25 attendees, so get in quick. horizonsunlimited.com/ events » 11-13 Oct Overland Expo East, Virginia, USA America’s biggest overland event moves to a brand new venue in the stunning state of Virginia. Gathering together travellers, vendors, exhibitors, cool overland rigs, bikes and off-road training, this is the place to get inspired for the big trip. overlandexpo.com/east » 18 October Lois Pryce at Bewdley Festival, Bewdley, Worcestershire Me! Come and see me! I’ll be giving a talk about my motorcycle adventures in Iran and signing copies of my book, Revolutionary…

It’s in the jeans I’ve just returned from a great week away with dad to the Isle of Man (IOM), for TT practice week. Although bleak and wet most days we loved it. I’ve only been riding for two years and will admit I’ve always been an all-the-gear-no-idea kind of bloke. My dad’s your old school jean wearing type. First day home from the IOM and I decided to go on a quick run out, during which an elderly lady U-turned her Skoda in front of me and my beloved Suzuki GSX-R. My knee slider made a lovely dent from skimming along her bonnet, while my crash bung bounced me off her car, but left a mark on her bumper. I stayed on, but if I’d been wearing my father’s…

Luggage carrying tip Rok straps, roll bags and Kriega rucksacks are ace, but so are backracks that allow straps to be anchored further back, so the bag they’re securing isn’t pushed towards the rider. Renntec make good racks. Luggage carrying tip Bungee, bungee and bungee some more. Beware of a, ‘that’ll be alright,’ stance, or prepare to see your tent and pants wedge themselves in the back wheel, at 80mph, on the A1. Not good. Luggage carrying tip Riding a sportsbike? On a trip such as this one the less you bring the more you will enjoy the trip. The more you bring, the more you will enjoy the night. Balance these two truths carefully. Luggage carrying tip Rok Straps. Why people still bother with bungees baffles me. I’m also…

THIS ALL APPEARS quite normal. I’m on a Surrey dual carriageway behind a BMW GS1250 rider who’s in jeans, trainers and a Belstaff jacket. We’re spoddling along at the legal limit. I’m looking at his jacket. It’s not new or flash. But buying Belstaff is a costly option nowadays. However, this guy hasn’t only bought the jacket. He’s bought the whole company. Hitting the road with Britain’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, 66, the chemicals billionaire and overland adventure rider, is an unusual business. ‘I almost did the motorbike test just to irritate my father. Right after passing on a 125 I bought a white VFR 750… I felt petrified of the thing’ Our day started at a jet-set enclave normally closed to the grubby likes of photographer Chippy and…

Touring seat Maintains the stand-over height of the stock perch, but intended to give greater comfort for both rider and pillion thanks to ‘3D netting’. £140 to you. Tall tinted flyscreen The RE is surprisingly bearable on motorways, though this will make it even less tiring. Costs £110 and there’s a shorter café racer-style version for a tenner less. Engine guards What used to be called crash bars. 25mm stainless steel tube, cost £110. Black plain steel is £100. There’s a larger version too, for £130 in black or £140 in stainless. Handlebar brace pad Branded-up foam tube that goes over the brace on the ’bars. Made sense on a Raleigh Burner in 1982, but we struggle to see the point. It’s £25 if you really must.…

SDoc100 Motorcycle Total Cleaner Power Gel £15.99 for 1 litre Highly acclaimed cleaning gel is pricey but does the job. Its PH neutral gel formula clings to the bike while it penetrates deep into grime – after 20 minutes the filth simply flows from metal, plastics and paintwork when rinsed. The formula also claims to help drying by preventing spots and marks so reducing the need for chamoising. It’s also available in a 5-litre pack, which is handy because you end up going through a fair amount of the stuff. It’s that good. motohaus.com Autoglym Motorcycle Cleaner £11.99 for 1 litre Autoglym are renowned for their car stuff, but they also make Motorcycle Cleaner which has been formulated to dissolve bugs, road salt, tar, brake dust and all…

» 2004-2009 Triumph Rocket III The first production bike with an engine larger than two litres. Designed for the US market so feet-forward pegs, wide-and-high bars and lashings of chrome. Brakes were from Daytona 955i which hauled it up well. Two-pipes-on-one-side-one-on-the-other exhaust. 2294cc – 362kg – 142bhp – £5000-£8000 » 2006-2010 Triumph Rocket III Classic Designed to appeal to the US market even more than the original Rocket the Classic added rider footboards, single-piece touring seat with extra pillion comfort, pulled-back bars, conical-tipped silencers and two-tone paint. 2294cc – 365kg – 142bhp – £7500-£9900 » 2010-2014 Triumph Rocket III Roadster Triumph reinvent Rocket III as the world’s biggest streetfighter. Increased power and torque plus a revised gearbox and beefier shaft drive. Riding position ‘normalised’. Softer rear suspension,…

There is something especially pleasant about a warm summer day, a beer garden and a ride. Especially when Kevlar jeans and a light, armoured, jacket mean you don’t have to walk into the pub looking like a Power Ranger. And of course, you are safe on one pint. Or are you? In all probability if you are an average sized healthy male, one pint of ordinary strength beer will not tip you over the English and the Welsh drink drive limit. So you are legal. In Scotland which has a lower level of 50mg of alcohol/100ml of blood, as opposed to the more generous English and Welsh 80mg of alcohol/100ml of blood, the one pint marker may be lower. Interestingly a correlation between the Scots drink drive level going down…

» After another workshop epic, and another long drive through Europe, practice at Oschersleben showed up a gearbox fault with the Katana, so we had to do an engine rebuild in the paddock. Steady took the first riding shift and was eighth at the end of the first lap. Then it all went wrong. There was a big crash and Steady went down on someone else’s oil. He was OK, but the bike wasn’t fixable. It’s a long way to go to do one lap, but onwards to Spa Bikers Classic on 5-7 July (bikersclassics.be)…

IT WAS WHEELED out to a fanfare at EICMA last year as a look-what-we’ve-made show queen, and only last month won the Concept Bikes class at the prestigious Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este 2019 (a classic bash at Lake Como stuffed full of tweed-clad Americans and people in raspberry strides). And yet MV Agusta’s Superveloce 800 is already available for you to buy as a production model. It’s essentially the F3 800 sportsbike in 1960s-style carbon clothing, so that means a 798cc inline three with MotoGP-style counter-rotating crank, an unshabby 148bhp, plus the F3’s sharp chassis. The Superveloce’s bespoke body is joined by a new TFT dash, adjustable footpegs and a fuel tank strap. Just 300 are to be built at £25,000 each, give or take, for delivery early in 2020.…

Save £1400 SWM SuperDual » Effectively an old Husky TE610, made in the old Husqvarna factory with the same motor as CCM’s Spitfire. Think Yam XT. 2019 bikes have a 21in front wheel, so there are savings on ‘old’ 19in bikes: Riders Group (01283 243481) want £5499, including luggage. Save pub cash Honda CB1000R » At £11,499 the luxurious, fast, high-quality CB1000R is already attractive next to rivals. But Honda’s current 0% finance deal makes it a real steal – pop down just over £2k and it’s only £99 on PCP. So that’s a spanking new supernaked without having to sacrifice any beer. Save £2947 Yamaha FJR1300 » No headline numbers, nor is it the flashest tourer, but AE versions of the FJR mix long-legged old-school drive and luxury with…

THE PURIST OF BMW’s opposed twins, the R1200R introduced in 2015 is an ace roadster. Uncluttered by the bulky adventure adornments of the GS or touring clothes of the RT, it’s the most agile boxer of the family. It is the briskest accelerating, best braking, the one that’s easiest to get your feet down on and, crucially, the most fun. It is comfy and spacious and makes all-day riding a doddle, with loads of accessories to make clicking off miles easier. For 2019 the R1200R gets the new 1254cc ‘ShiftCam’ engine and becomes the R1250R – and is now possibly the best on-road boxer BMW make. With its extra 84cc and clever variable valve timing, the motor has extra meat low down and additional top-end excitement. Torque increases to 106…

‘I’m building a round-the-world-adventure while holding down a job and life’ » Where are you right now? At home in Manchester. » You’ve just completed an epic overland tour… My friend Tom and I decided to tackle the classic overlander route to far eastern Russia. Our route took us through Europe, Turkey and Georgia to Baku in Azerbijan. As Iran currently won’t let UK passport holders travel overland we had to get a ferry over the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan, then Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, up into Russia. Then a week exploring Mongolia before heading back into Russia and across Siberia to Vladivostok. We covered 12,500 miles through 17 countries and completed the trip in only seven weeks and one day. » What bikes did you use? I have…

One of the first The Husky Vitpilen was always going to attract custom builders and Outsiders Motorcycles, who made their name with older Hondas, are early adopters. They’ve moved bang up-to-date with this street-tracker. 883 Sportster ‘Race, and particularly drag-race, bikes were unusually prominent’ Warr’s are a major force in Harley-D world and this is their 883 Sportster-based flat-tracker, which bears the surname of the company’s Design and Custom chief Charlie Stockwell. Favourite donor ‘ Honda’s CX500 continues to be a favourite donor. Anders Jonasson-Belten’s offering was this svelte café-racer with its retro-style 2LS front brake and spoked wheels. Stand out More at home on a trail than the metropolitan byways around Tobacco Dock, Rough Crafts’ Enfield Himalayan based trailie stood out in a sea of café racer culture. Sultan…

As we know the EU is planning that all new cars, and presumably bikes, be fitted with ‘speed limit linked’ and (probably) Artificial Intelligence control of vehicle speed. While this seems like a laudable idea, it begs the question similarly applied to many self-driving car issues: does it really know where it is? I have an, albeit elderly, GPS based speed camera/ accident ‘black spot’ detection device. And it used to regularly warn me, when I was driving on the motorway, that I was approaching a speed camera. This warning was false and occurred because the motorway passed close to an urban speed camera. So, would this now mean that there would be a sudden application of brakes by the speed limit linked artificial intelligence. (I acknowledge that my example…

Hugo Wilson Best bit: Waking up to the Pennines and I’d got an extended weekend pass, so got another full day in Yorkshire. Worst bit : Keys. Paul Lang Best bit: Riding truly amazing roads. Worst bit: Camping. Ben Lindley Best bit: Every single crest on the A684 between Leyburn and Hawes. Plus the jump off the bridge on the approach to Tan Hill Inn. Worst bit: The time I thought I’d got out of camping only for Westlake to offer his bivvy bag with a smile. John Westlake Best bit: Riding my own bike, feeling really good about it. Worst bit: Not having another day riding in the Dales. Mike Armitage Best bit: My 250 is ace on tight roads, yet rules on the A1 too. 80mph is 7000rpm…

EVERYONE WHO RIDES the CBR650R nods in satisfaction, then says how it’s ‘like a steel-framed CBR from the 1990s’. This is positive. From the mid-Eighties to late Nineties the CBR600F was the defining sporty middleweight with speed, handling, ease of use, usability and quality in all-enveloping plastic wrapping. Insert all-things-to-all-people cliché here. But they’re wrong. The new CBR650R isn’t really like a 25-year-old 600F. Nah, it’s better than that. The CBR developed into the super-sharp CBR600RR during the 2000s, and Honda have already tried to recapture the all-round goodness of the ‘steelie’ – first with the CBR600F in 2011, then the 650F in 2014. These should have appealed to everyone who fondly remembered the originals. Which is all of us. But they were the naked 2007 Hornet with a fairing,…

Help the aged… Shoei Neotec I I Used for: 6 months Price: £599 Info: shoei-helmets.com » Like many aging riders brought up on sportsbikes who still secretly regard themselves as a bit tasty – despite plenty of evidence suggesting otherwise – I’ve resisted the flip-front experience. In my mind it had a whiff of old codger about it. But it’s time to face facts: the new Neotec II looks like a normal lid, and I am an old codger. Initial impressions are joyous. Everything from putting on gloves, to finding keys in pockets, to strapping kit on bikes is easier because your vision isn’t obscured by a chinbar. Then there’s the ability to talk to people at fuel stations and shout effectively at cyclists who insist on riding two abreast…

Engine inline triple DOHC, four valves per cylinder, liquid cooled Power 146bhp @ 6250rpm Torque 163 lb.ft @ 2750rpm Top speed 124mph Rake/trail 32 ¡ /148mm Wheelbase 1695mm Wet weight 367kg Seat height 750mm Tank size 24 litre Economy 42mpg (est) Bike verdict Number one in a field of one. The mostest motorcycle of its time. A practical proposition if you crave primal forces and curious glances, less so if you don’t. Everything (except rear tyres) will last forever and a day and its behaviour, inspite of itself, is truly impressive. If you want mad it can’t be straitjacketed. Bike rating 6/10…

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. ✱ GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME... Aprilia have an RS660 for next year, with half an RSV4 motor and the flash to make an R6 look drab. It’s not the first exotic middleweight the Piaggio group have attempted. Shown in 2001, Gilera’s Supersport 600 had GSX-R power, titanium headstock glued to aluminium spars and posh components. It never surfaced. ✱ NOT…

Let’s get them out the way here and now: shock new Triumph; watt Hinckley plan; battery of futuristic bikes; Triumph charge into the future; Brits employ current thinking; Triumph line up on the (national) grid... Yes, Triumph are working on electric bikes. They’ve plunged into a two-year scheme known as Project TE-1, that’ll ‘provide significant input into potential future electric motorcycle offers’, and sees them working with outfits established in electrickery. WMG at the University of Warwick bring battery tech from cars, trains and planes. Integral Powertrain have 20 years experience with major automotive manufacturers, Williams (as in the F1 team) are wading in, and it’s partially funded by the government and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles. It’s a serious do. ‘Our future product strategy is focused on delivering…

APRILIA’S TUONO V4 1100 is much more than just a stripped-down RSV4 superbike fitted with a cow-horn handlebar. With its longer wheelbase, altered steering geometry, upright stance and lower seat the Tuono is far more road-biased than the race replica, and its 1077cc V4 engine is tuned for even greater torque, delivered 2000rpm earlier in the rev range. Yet despite its undeniable usability the Tuono still howls like a MotoGP bike and thrills you like a superbike. It was hard to imagine how the existing Tuono V4 1100 could be improved, especially the fancy Factory version. But Aprilia have tried anyway by adding semi-active Öhlins suspension, similar to that on the Ducati Panigale V4 S and the Yamaha R1M. This puts a grand on the list price – now £16,999…

Price £11,215 Engine 1254cc 8v flat twin Power 134bhp @ 7750rpm (claimed) Torque 106 lb.ft @ 6250rpm (claimed) Top speed 150mph (est) Rake/trail 27.7˚/125.6mm Wheelbase 1515mm Wet weight 239kg (claimed) Seat height 820mm Tank size 18 litres Economy 60mpg (claimed) Colours black, bronze (Sport: white/red/blue; Exclusive: green) Availability now Bike verdict Roomy, calm, easy to use, with the poise of a supernaked and a wonderful engine. It’s a brilliant all-rounder, but not cheap and there’s obviously no weather protection. Bike rating 9/10…

» 28 July Suzuka 8 Hours, Suzuka Circuit, Japan The most important single race in the calendar sees the factories throw massive resources at the final round of the Endurance World Championship. Honda are desperate to stop Yamaha’s winning streak, Kawasaki field Rea, Haslam and Toprak, but I suggest you keep an eye on Yoshimura Suzuki if they again field Ray, Guintoli and Tsuda. fimewc.com » 2-4 August GP of the Czech Rep, Automotodrom, Brno This may be the last GP at one of best tracks in Europe for the foreseeable future, assuming the Kimiring in Finland is on the 2020 calendar. Take no chances: stay in the city, get the free tram to the track, eat unfeasibly large amounts of pork and fried potatoes. Then join the…

» 26-28 July Burning Budgie Rally, Beaconsfield, Hertfordshire Based at the town’s Windsor Road football ground, this event has everything you need: bands, booze, camping and a well supported custom and classic show. And you can just turn up and join in. westlondonharleyriders. co.uk » 26-28 July The Malle Mile, Orpington, Kent A new-ish but already well established event which combines a big custom show with riotous grasstrack hillclimb races. And it all takes place in the impressive grounds of Kevington Hall. mallelondon.com » 17-18 Aug DTRA Flat Track Nationals, Redcar Speedway, Middlesborough This year’s DTRA Championships are sponsored by Indian whose bikes are already spawning a slew of street-tracker lookalikes. So, as well as the racing, there’ll also be a slew of great custom builds to…

‘Textbook torque curve, crisp response, short gearing and feel-good thump’ TRIUMPH’S SPEED TWIN doesn’t impress at spec level. Its twin-cylinder engine is 1200cc, but with a dyno-tested 95.4bhp at the wheel (matching its claimed 96bhp) it only has the same sort of power as Honda’s CB650R – a bike half its size. In fact, on horsepower-per-cc the chunky Triumph is less powerful than Honda’s Super Cub step-thru. Britain’s sporty retro isn’t about bragging rights, however. With a textbook torque curve, crisp response and road-biased gearing, the Speed Twin is the exemplar of accessible, feel-good thump. And on dappled summer roads it creates unrivalled sensations. Tuned for grunt Torque is the work done by an engine; think of it as the size of its punch (horsepower is essentially torque multiplied by…

33RD MILESTONE The story of this year’s TT was the weather. This is Tuesday evening of practice week and was the only time that I got onto The Mountain during the fortnight. This is New Zealander Jay Lawrence on the Buildbase Suzuki. On his TT debut he was 23rd in the Senior. HICKMAN AT CRONK-NY-MONA This is about 8.40pm on the Thursday of race week, during a one lap superbike practice. The light is perfect, but you’d never normally get this shot because superbike practice doesn’t usually run this late. Hicky on the BMW was awesome here, sliding the back end to square the bike up for the exit. Cummins and Harrison were doing it too, but they looked like they were fighting the bike. Hicky just looks like he’s…

YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700 » Weight (Wet) 204kg » Seat Height 875mm » Tank Size 16 litres » Power Output 72bhp » Price £8699 KTM 790 ADVENTURE » Weight (Wet) 205kg » Seat Height 850mm » Tank Size 20 litres » Power Output 94bhp » Price £11,099 KTM 790 ADVENTURE R » Weight (Wet) 205kg » Seat Height 880mm » Tank Size 20 litres » Power Output 94bhp » Price £11,999 BMW F750GS » Weight (Wet) 224kg » Seat Height 815mm » Tank Size 15 litres » Power Output 77bhp » Price £8225 BMW F850GS » Weight (Wet) 229kg » Seat Height 860mm » Tank Size 15 litres » Power Output 95bhp » Price £9875 TIGER 800 XCX » Weight (Wet) 220kg » Seat Height 840-860mm » Tank Size 19 litres…

Triumph Street Twin Pros: proven package, higher quality details and chassis parts than RE, torquey 900cc motor better two-up, strong residuals. Cons: not as pretty or authentic as the RE, costs £2600 more. Moto Guzzi V7 III Stone Pros: old-school handling and feel – just like the RE. Desirable brand, fine details, quality build, A2 legal, lean-happy handling. Cons: doesn’t offer much more than the RE but costs an extra £2500, matt black is dull. Honda CB500F Pros: greater all-rounder ability than the RE, better overall finish and quality, more modern features, costs the same price. Cons: unfairly seen as a ‘learner’ bike, and you won’t wander out to the shed just to look at it.…

WHY SHOULD I USE A DEDICATED MOTORCYCLE DETERGENT? A detergent differs from a shampoo wash. It’s your pre-wash and it’s going to do the hard work of breaking down road contaminates and getting the bike ready for a wash with a good shampoo. There are plenty of motorcycle-specific spray-on-wash-off detergents out there, designed specifically to loosen tar, bugs, etc. Think Muc-Off Nano-Tech Bike Cleaner (£9.99), SDoc100 Gel Cleaner (£11.99) and AutoGlym Motorcycle Cleaner (£11.99). Guy Martin’s even brought out his own, environmentally friendly, wash: Proper Cleaner (£7.99). I always use a pre-wash even on what looks like a clean bike. I start by getting the bike wet and applying the product. I then leave it for a few minutes to allow the magic to happen. You should always do this…

TYRES The Rocket III is tough on tyres, so if you’re averaging 3000 miles per year expect to refresh at least one rear every 12 months. The big Triumph was the first production bike to have a 240-section back tyre and, when launched, only a few manufacturers made rubber for it. However, now owners can choose from Metzeler, Bridgestone, Dunlop and Avon – Metzelers are the most popular. But be aware that because of their girth changing tyres on a Rocket is not an easy job so you may be charged a premium. Notably the Touring model uses 180/70-16s as opposed to 240/60-16s. The Rocket is also extremely sensitive to tyre pressures so you should ensure there’s always 32psi front and 42psi rear. REAR BRAKES For a bike of its…

> Northumbria is rugged, atmospheric (Holy Island), peppered with interesting towns (Alnwick) and fantastic food (The Ship Inn, Low Newton). It also oozes sites of historic interest and great roads… » This 140-mile coastal route is a great place to start your Northumbrian adventure. Begin at Corbridge just outside Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. From Corbridge head north on the B6529 then pick up the A68. Turn on to the B6342 to Kirkharle then to Morpeth on the B6343. Think breakfast here. After your eggs and bacon join the A192 through the centre of Morpeth then pick up B1337, the start of the main coastal section of the ride. Follow the B1337 through Longhirst and Ulgham before joining the A1068 through Amble and on to Warkworth. Stop here for a look around the medieval…

CHALK UP ANOTHER skill for the 790 Adventure: bridge jumping. Actually, it’s not the jump the KTM excels at, it’s the landing. No matter how hard or ineptly I hit the ramp on my back-road route home, the landing is nothing less than silky. I’ve done the same thing on a new BMW R1250GS and it sounded like an anvil landing in an empty skip. I stopped to check the sump plug was still there. And this is despite the KTM having, on the face of it, budget suspension – there’s no adjustment bar preload on the WP forks or shock. Except, the suspension feels anything but budget. Whether it’s high altitude landings or dodgy road surfaces, it feels supremely controlled. As you’d expect with forks this long combined with…

GARETH EVANS cut his teeth as a race mechanic - Old Spice Ducati, Loctite Yamaha, Crescent Suzuki, Honda Britain - and now runs the Motorcycle Suspension School from his Reactive Suspension workshop near York. That senior people from Dunlop, BSB mechanics and an off-road KTM mechanic from Israel had showed up tells you about the man’s pedigree. These are my ten outstanding observations from the £110 day. 1 » Tune the front for entry into a corner and the rear for exit. 2 » Adding preload can, counter intuitively, make a rear shock softer. It’s down to the linkage ratios and the equilibrium point between rider weight and spring force. A spring preloaded 13mm with a 75kg rider onboard would hit equilibrium at 35mm of wheel travel, Gareth explains. Set…