Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i BIKE

£3.40 A MONTHBIKE “Bike, ISSN 0140-4547, USPS 8700 is published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, PE2 6EA, United Kingdom . The US annual subscription price is $105.77. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to [publication name], WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Bauer Media, Subscriptions, CDS Global, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, Leicester LE16 9EF, United Kingdom. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent” From where photographer Matt Howell’s camera is, to the end of the runway is probably…

AS MANUFACTURERS BUSY themselves developing all sorts of different flavour adventure, naked and retro machines, it can feel like the once-beloved sports-tourer is getting left a bit behind the rest. But it’s not easy to leave BMW’s re-energised R1250RS behind. With its boosted boxer, sharper styling and greater sophistication, it’s a bike that looks big miles in the face and laughs. Hysterically. The all-new motor is grunty rather than revvy, the riding position is sporty not racy and there’s space for a properly grown adult instead of a grandprix pixie. Bodywork offers everyday wind and weather protection rather than 180mph aerodynamic optimisation and there’s even room for hard luggage. A passenger is also welcome. The RS is the final model in BMW’s range of water-cooled boxers to inherit their new-for-2019…

Price £28,750 Engine water-cooled permanent-magnet synchronous motor Power 104bhp @ 15,000rpm Torque 86 lb.ft @ 0rpm Top speed 115pmh Rake/trail 24.5°/108mm Wheelbase 1490mm Wet weight 249kg Seat height 780mm Battery15kWh Lithium Ion Economy 90 miles on open roads Colours orange, yellow or black Availability September Bike verdict The LiveWire accelerates like a superbike, sounds like a fighter jet, has an un-Harley-like passion for corners, and is well-built, comfortable, smooth and easy to ride. But that price… Bike rating 6/10…

‘An unburstable motor and good basis for customising’ ONE OF MANY GREAT THINGS about the nicely maturing custom bike scene is the diversity of its builders. Some are lone individuals toiling away in sheds, others resemble pukka modern dealerships with lounges and hot running cappuccino. But most are somewhere between like the intriguingly titled Boogie, the Gorilla & Myself. Or more handily, BGM Café Racers. Tucked away between a hay barn and the back-end of an industrial estate near Stratfordon-Avon BGM was founded by Bulgarian ex-pat Den Ivanov, a talented graphic designer who paid for his studies by spannering for his brother’s Ducati dealership in Strasbourg. A chance trip to the UK in 2010 then convinced Den this was the place to turn his passion into a business. In addition…

Love the mag but I’m thinking a bit of fun and feedback on H2 SX SE+ article (Bike, August) is in order… The article was so pointless I read it twice. Is the H2 SX ‘the pinnacle of sport touring’, ‘nearly pointless in Britain’ or just compensation for some masculine deficiency? Feeling mildly irritated by the literary fug it was a relief, if not a surprise, to learn that the author couldn’t ‘figure out which way the satnav arrow is pointing’. If following the pointy arrow was a challenge then appreciating the point of the H2 SX was unlikely. So, how were my recent 2400 miles across European on an H2 SX SE? Beautiful when slow and meandering, tight in intricate filtering, mind blitzingly rapid on the Autobahn, glue on…

‘A bike spot-on for folk who are 45-going-on-25’ » Power: 94bhp » Weight: 203kg » Engine: 694cc 16v inline four » Price: £7729 BEING MIDDLE-AGED DOESN’T automatically mean riding with a broom handle up your arse, reflective strips on top-boxes and Farah slacks. Having been shaped by the sportsbike-mad 1990s there’s a part of me that still craves bikes that look exciting, play silly buggers in corners and make me want to stop to show off my scuffed kneesliders (while running a hand through where my hair used to be). Trouble is, my wrists and lower back are bothersome due to those unforgiving ’90s race replicas. And that’s why the CBR650R is ace. Upgrading the previous CBR650F with superior forks and radial brakes, Fireblade styling, traction control and a slip/assist…

‘Makes you feel good about life, the universe and everything…’ » Power: 47bhp » Weight: 202kg » Engine: 648cc 8v sohc parallel twin » Price: £5500 WITH THE 650 Interceptor (and its GT sibling) Royal Enfield have introduced a new gauge of value into the motorcycle market. This is a good looking, capable and engaging bike, so the question of any other new bike, and especially anything remotely retro, is now ‘How many Enfield Interceptors is that worth?’ A Honda GL1800 Gold Wing costs £27,499. That’d buy you five Enfields. A Suzuki Katana at £11,542; worth two Enfields? And, perhaps most relevantly, Triumph’s Street Twin at £8100. Or an Enfield, doing almost exactly the same job, with £2600 change. Sure, the Triumph has better performance, and better equipment, but is…

THE BEAKY PTERODACTYL snout of BMW’s GS adventure range has become ubiquitous on British roads over the past ten years. And rightly so. The big boxer-twin powered 1200 and 1250 GS models have helped wean us off our once seemingly insatiable desire for sportsbikes and opened-up the continent, if not the world, to eager owners. That’s all well and good, but there is a dirty great fly smack bang in the middle of the ointment. Big GSs don’t come cheap, even on the used market. They’re massive too – literally – both in terms of weight and sheer size, so for anyone short of stature they can be a real handful. But there is another way that gets you on a BMW, and a GS to boot. The F800GS. Okay…

JEAN BEHRA’S BIKE This silver Terrot 175cc LCP was raced by French rider Jean Behra before he won four consecutive national titles (1948-51) on a 500 Guzzi. He subsequently raced F1 cars for Gordini and Maserati. Facing the Terrot is a 175cc MV Agusta Squalo. THERE ARE AEROPLANES TOO The château’s grounds hold about 100 jet aircraft ranging from the English Electric Lightning seen here to French Dassaults including a Mirage IV bomber, MiGs and Sukhoïs, plus various American models such Vought F-8 Crusaders and Lockheed F-104 Starfighters. YES IT IS RARE This is a 1954 Hoffman Gouverneur. The German company produced over 60,000 Vespas under licence, plus small capacity bikes powered by ILO two-strokes. A 250cc flat-twin was introduced in 1951 but production problems meant only 2800-ish were built.…

Ducati Supersport Pros: V-twin soundtrack, higher-quality parts, sweeter handling at the ragged edge. Cons: much more expensive, harder work in town, less comfortable, even less wind protection than the CBR. Yamaha R6 Pros: violent acceleration, 6-stage IMU-controlled traction control, R1 looks. Cons: the extra gadgetry and speed don’t add enough on the road to justify the extra £3000. Not as comfy as the Honda. Kawasaki Ninja 650 Pros: cheaper than the Honda, cool Ninja looks, torquey mid-range, slightly more relaxed riding position than the CBR. Cons: only kicks out 67bhp and some components are clearly built to a budget.…

Start at Bala on the edge of Llyn Tegid lake and follow the B4391 to Penybontfawr. Admire the scenery, and dodge the cattle grids. After 17 miles turn right onto the B4393 following signs to Lake Vyrnwy and ride over the dam wall at the end of the lake. Here you can go twitching in the bird hide. Having spotted your first ever Black-tailed Godwit get back on the B4393 and turn right onto the A490, riding through Llanfyllin and Bwlch-y-Cibau, then onto the A495 which runs parallel with the River Vyrnwy. Continue through Meifod until joining the A458 for 16 miles before turning right onto the A470 heading towards Dolgellau, which sits on the River Wnion. Stop at the Cross Foxes pub for refreshments, then turn onto the A487…

Scott Leathers Venom from £260 Proudly making bike kit in the North East of England for 36 years, Scott leathers are an institution for road racers and road race fans alike. As well as making custom-made race suits for TT riders as decorated as John McGuinness and Conor Cummins, the Barnard Castle-based workshop also produces beautifully made and well-priced jackets, jeans, two-piece suits and even textiles. scottleathers.co.uk Hideout G6 jacket from £600 Tucked away in a rural spot on the Essex/ Cambridgeshire border, Hideout have been making leather bike kit since 1978. With retro kit now extremely popular styles like this simple classic G6 jacket are going down a storm. It’s made from top-quality 1.4mm cowhide and has a soft but robust feel. Inside there’s a fixed quilted…

» 2015 BMW S1000R Sport Ad says: two owners, service history, six-months warranty, top spec, 9975 miles. We say: BMWs hold their residual value very well hence it’s hard to get a real bargain, but this Mk1 comes close. Price £7450 » 2017 BMW S1000R Sport Ad says: one owner, R&G radiator guard, tank protector and taller screen. FSH and 2363 miles We say: well priced and low miles – most S1000Rs of this age will be showing double this. Price: £8800…

1972 Carnielli Motograziella COST: £1200 ENGINE: 47cc Sachs TYRES: very small MILEAGE: challenging IT WAS THE SPORTSBIKE SHOP’S 4th bike night of 2019 and I decided to take my weird and mildly amusing Carnielli Motograziella along to amuse the masses. To my amazement it wasn’t the only curiosity on display. My three favourites were... Chopper squad Owner: Shane Hilton » Five years in the making Shane’s scoot features an SV650 engine, 250 section back tyre and Mikuni HSR45 carb. He says: ‘it was a challenge, especially the frame, which doesn’t have one straight tube.’ Captain America Owner: Ben Major » It took Ben nine months to build his lovely 1942 Harley WLA from a box of bits. It has blackout lights so enemy aircraft can’t spot him, gearchange is by…

1 Trio of hot new triples ‘Almost twice the grunt of BMW’s bonkers S1000RR…’ Reinvented Rocket 3 heads an enticing threesome of standout new Triumph models for next year TRIUMPH HAVE THREE tasty new bikes for 2020. After a couple of years flooding the retro market they’re full-tilt in the other direction with cutting-edge machines and at the forefront is this high-tech Rocket 3, with a special-edition Daytona and all-new Tiger in hot pursuit. The reborn Rocket is a big ’un, with a rather significant 2458cc from three bin-sized cylinders. There’s little in common with the previous Rocket III, launched back in 2004 and killed off a couple of years ago. The old engine was already huge at 2294cc but the new inline triple is far more oversquare (110.2mm x…

Price £15,640 Engine 1254cc 8v DOHC liquid-cooled flat twin Power 134bhp@7750rpm Torque 105 lb.ft@6250rpm Top speed 150mph (est) Rake/trail 26°/116mm Wheelbase 1530mm Wet weight 243kg Seat height 820mm Tank size 18 litres Economy 50.4mpg Colours black, yellow, blue, brown Availability September, 2019 Bike verdict The new 1250 carries over all its predecessor’s practicality – spacious riding position, adjustable screen, shaft drive – and adds a tangible boost in power, modernity and refinement. Its biggest issue is the price: there’s no denying it’s a lot of money with all the option boxes ticked. But the R1250RS is a truly supreme sports-tourer. Bike rating 9/10…

IT’ S EASY to get blasé about serial winners, and even easier to dismiss their achievements in retrospect. People who never saw Giacomo Agostini are willing to damn his achievements with faint praise, despite that at the start of his career he had to deal with Mike Hailwood and then with Phil Read at the end of it. Strangely, those same doubters rarely have the same opinion of John Surtees. Similarly, Mick Doohan’s domination was ‘boring’ but Fogarty’s was not. Consider this: what will you tell your grandkids? That there were eight different winners in the 2000 championship, or that you saw Doohan race? What we crave is a battle between two greats: Ago v Hailwood; Roberts v Spencer; Rossi v Biaggi. Mike Trimby, the IRTA boss, demonstrated this eloquently…

» Where are you right now? Home! » You’ve just finished an epic ride you have titled the Dominar Polar Odyssey. Tell us more… I led a team of three from the Arctic Ocean, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska through Canada before entering the USA in Montana. We then headed to Niagara Falls before circling back to ride across 24 states of the USA. From there we went south into Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. I ended my Odyssey in Ushuaia,Argentina at the tip of South America. It was 31,000 miles and 99 days of saddle time through 15 countries and across two continents. Actually that wasn’t really the end. From Argentina I took my motorcycle to Antarctica and rode a…

» 24 September Dream Machines Night, The Quay, Poole, Dorset Although it’s a regular weekly meet for custom and classic bike owners, this is the last one of the summer season and promises to be bigger and better than ever. With plenty of cafes and bars along the way, the seafront venue alone is worth the ride. Expect a cracking array of bikes to complement the refreshments. pooletourism.com/ whats-on/festivals/pooledream-machines » 29 September North Manchester Custom & Classic Show, Ramsbottom Cricket Club, Lancs Now in its eighth year this one attracts many thousands of visitors and hundreds of owners/ builders, with proceeds from the modest £4 entry fee going to local charities. A showcase for the best in northern customs. search facebook.com » 19-20 October Classic Motorcycle Show,…

» Power: 218bhp » Weight: 193kg » Engine: 998cc V4 liquid-cooled » Price: £34,995 WHEN YOU’RE FORKING out £34,995 for a Ducati homologation special, you want something to brag about down the pub. The Panigale V4 R obliges. It does two things no machine this side of a MotoGP paddock can do right now and the first comes courtesy of its manic, short-stroke ‘Stradale R’ engine: it revs to the moon and back. Red-lining at 16,000rpm in the first five gears and a stratospheric 16,500rpm in top, the bloody thing thinks it’s an axe-murdering 600. Using every one of its angry bumble bee revs takes some doing, not least because you need lots of room and when the Ducati’s tacho lights up and pulses red, like the dials in a…

‘What do you really want of an adventure bike?’ » Power: 72bhp » Weight: 204kg » Engine: 689cc parallel twin » Price: £8845 IF YOU WERE expecting the new, and much hyped, Yamaha Ténéré 700 to deliver the on-road performance of a large capacity adventure machine and the off-road agility of an enduro bike, then prepare for disappointment. It’s important to approach this with realistic expectations; it’s a 72bhp, 204kg bike with a £8845 dealer sticker and the level of equipment that price suggests. But within those parameters it’s flippin’ fantastic, and it’s a question; do you really need all the gadgets, power and weight of a big adventure bike, or would you prefer something lighter, simpler and more usable? The Ténéré’s engine has the delightful thrashability of the MT-07…

MANY OF US of a certain age – me included – have long mourned the passing of Yamaha’s 350LC. But mourn no more because the Elsie’s spirit is alive and well in another Yam, the fantastic XSR900. The XSR is one of those rare gems that wasn’t built to multi-task or measure up against an earnest role to satisfy a specific ‘market sector’. No, it was created to be fun. That simple. Despite packing a 195kg dry weight, the XSR has a similar lithe, chuckable feel to an LC. Conventional upright ’bars and slightly set back ’pegs mirror the RD’s stance. The black motor and gorgeous ocean-blue tear-drop tank are surely no coincidence either. Although visually disjointed in places – the lines don’t flow with the seamless perfection of an…

‘We paused every few seconds to listen for an approaching train – our recent experience told us unladen trains run at about 60mph’ THE SUMP GUARD of my bike grounded out on the railway sleeper and the rear wheel dug straight into the gravel. My bike was now perched immovable at the entrance to a single track rail bridge and the clock was ticking on the next train’s arrival. The trains come along randomly but the basic rule of thumb when it comes to crossing the bridges is to go immediately after one has exited. The BAM railway (Baikal-Amur Mainline) is so long and remote most of it is single track only, for both directions. Also, the bridges allow just enough room for a fully laden train to pass. Right…

Honda quickshifter A factory fit option and worth the £305, especially if you intend venturing out on a trackday. There is no autoblipper for down shifts though. Crash protection I’ve added a few bits from Evotech Performance including engine bars, which will be well worth their £175 if I have an unfortunate one. Akrapovic exhaust We’re still waiting for slip-on solutions and although this option from Akra will spice up the noise £1000 seems a lot to spend on an eight grand bike. EvoTech tail tidy The stock tail unit on the CBR is unnecessarily long. This EvoTech item tidies the job up and is easy to fit. It costs £109.99 and the kit includes everything you need.…

The choice of a speed awareness course is only offered if your speed is naughty rather than shocking: the formula is the speed limit plus ten per cent, plus 9mph as the upper level. However, this formula is not mandatory and is subject to local police discretion – some forces will not offer it if you are speeding in a 20mph zone, others will. The course has no particular legal standing and you are unlikely to be offered a repeat if you have already attended in the last three years: the database is now centralised so a course offered by the Met will be known by Cheshire Constabulary. And so on… I have been on one of these courses and in pretty well every situation it is worth taking a…

FLYING FAIRINGS After some owners of early 2014 S1000Rs reported their bike’s side fairings flying off at high speed (140mph) on trackdays, BMW issued a fix. The update saw a small screw inserted over the mounting peg of the upper leading nose of the black plastic fairing. The screw has a BMW roundel and creates a more secure bond. SWITCHGEAR The MK1 suffered the same faulty switchgear that plagued most BMWs of this era. Issues start when buttons on the left bar intermittently won’t allow ASC or main beam toggling. The right-hand switches were also an issue, particularly the mode selector and killswitch. The right-hand switchgear was replaced on most bikes via a technical update. FRAME PAINT The paint on the frame is water-based and very thin which means it’s…

Save £3650 Kwak ZX-10R SE The bells and whistles SE version of the ZX-10R has semi-active ride, cornering TC and ABS, quickshifter and all that. List is £19,149 on the road… but if you toddle along to Preston Superbikes (01772 598088) they’re only asking £15,499. Yeah, it’ll be pre-reg, but who cares? Save £2000 Tuono Factory Aprilia put Öhlins semi-active suspension on the Tuono Factory this year, making a superb bike even better. They also added a grand to the price, at £17k. Doesn’t matter, as Wheels (01733 358555) already have them at £14,999. Exotica for base-bike money. Save £1900 Husky Svartpilen Husqvarna’s ace single is as smooth, punchy and fast as a similar-size twin, flicks like a 250 and looks great. The problem? £8899 sounds a lot for one…

‘If this is one of our futures, things won’t be so bad after all’ CONVINCING PETROL ENTHUSIASTS about the benefits of electric bikes is the very definition of polarization. And at this point in time it’s fair to say Harley-Davidson’s new LiveWire is not for all of us. Or even most of us. However, the new Harley-Davidson is the closest an electric bike has come to convincing me there could be a petrol-less future. The LiveWire is the first large electric motorcycle produced by a major manufacturer, and Harley are also first to create an infrastructure to support it: there will be twelve UK dealers (250 worldwide) with 24kW charging stations and factory specialist technicians. The basics of life with a LiveWire look like this: the first service is at…

‘Sheeney must have been scrunched up like a jockey. The stirrups are well up underneath you…’ I’VE GOT EVEN MORE respect for Barry Sheene after riding his 1982 GP Yamaha for a few demo laps at Scarborough. Paul Boulton, who restored it told me on the line: ‘you’ve got to ride it hard, don’t let the revs drop below 8000.’ He was right, I was slipping the clutch like hell to get it going, and then again for the hairpin. By the time I got to the straight there wasn’t much clutch left. Mind you, once it got going it was alright. It steered nicely and was light. The brakes feel pretty awful compared with modern stuff though. And the riding position is really cramped. Sheeney must have been scrunched…

» 29 Aug-1 Sept The Overland Event, Oxfordshire, UK Get inspired on home territory at what has become a must-attend event for all UK mototravellers. This year boasts a great selection of speakers from across the globe, plus test rides and trail riding. overlandevent.com » 20-22 Sept Horizons Unlimited Meeting, France Hop across the channel for the 7th HU French meeting. Held in a beautiful region of central France this event brings together many European riders heading away for the winter, or coming back home after a summer of adventures. Good times and fine wines guaranteed. horizonsunlimited.com/ events » 18-19 January, 2020 The Adventure Travel Show, London Olympia If you don’t fancy a run out to Oxfordshire come and learn the adventure ropes at the Adventure Travel…

‘Other bikes have more at spec sheet-level for less cash, but nothing brings it into such an impressive whole as the 1250’ » Power: 128bhp » Weight: 249kg » Engine: 1254cc 8v opposed twin » Price: £13,415 NAUSEATINGLY PREDICTABLE? MAYBE, but I don’t care. There’s no other motorcycle on the planet offering the sensations, abilities and ownership experience of BMW’s omnipresent adventure bike. That’s why the GS has been the galaxy’s best-selling big bike for yonks. And with the introduction of the cunning ShiftCam variable-valve engine for this year, Beemer have not only further polished the dynamic of this miraculous machine but added another unique selling point. The 1254cc flat twin is genius. It looks and sounds (and occasionally reacts) like something Fiona Bruce might showcase on a Sunday evening,…

IF YOU’VE EVER fancied riding like an off-road pro but don’t quite have the skills to pay those bills, you’re in the right place. Because, Bike have teamed up with off-road and adventure bike-building gurus KTM UK on a competition to win a two-day Sweet Lamb KTM Adventure Bike Experience. The Sweet Lamb venue, Powys, mid-Wales, enjoys some of the most amazing off-road riding Britain has to offer, and some of the most famous stages of the Wales Rally GB. The site is a massive 6600 acres and, of course, you’ll be riding KTMs – the most capable adventure bikes you can buy today. The breadth and scope of the riding at Sweet Lamb is inspiring and KTM’s expert and qualified instructors will be with you every step of the…

KIT’S ONLY AS GOOD AS THE FIT… Riders who wear off-the-peg often find that, although their kit fits OK, it’s not spot-on. Perhaps the knee armour sits too low, or maybe the shoulders are a little bit too loose. In these situations you have to ask yourself what would happen in the event of a crash – improperly positioned armour is just as bad as not having armour at all. With British made-to-measure leathers the person who’s taking your measurements is the person creating your suit. There’s no third party involved, nothing that’s lost in translation between the measurer and a foreign factory. This way you can discuss your exact requirements so you can strike the balance between safety, fit and comfort. BRITISH KIT’S NOT IN THE DARK AGES Although…

2014-2016 BMW S1000R Featuring a re-tuned version of BMW’s superbike S1000RR engine, the S1000R is every inch the supernaked. In fact the engine’s got more below 9000rpm than the fully faired bike, at the cost of 2000rpm off the red line. The entry-level base-model bike has conventional suspension and two rider modes - Rain and Road. 999cc – 207kg – 157bhp – £6000-£7000 2014-2016 BMW S1000R Sport Launched alongside the entry-level bike in December 2013, the Sport is mechanically identical but features two extra riding modes (Dynamic and Dynamic Pro), lean-angle sensitive traction control, and the semi-active suspension (DDC) as first featured on the HP4. Look for the wire coming out of the left-hand fork top. 999cc – 207kg – 157bhp – £6500-£7500 2017 to present BMW S1000R Updated version…

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. ✱ BRAVE NEW WORLD Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire (see p16) isn’t the first time they’ve gone on a trend-following tangent. As well as various small two-stroke bikes (actually Aermacchis), H-D introduced a step-thru’ in 1960 to cash-in on the scooter boom. It was a 165cc two-stroke rev ‘n’ rip with recoil start, like a mower. Best bit? The name: Topper. ✱ THE ZXR…