Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i BIKE

To highlight the amazing deals that are available on last year’s models we’ve had a 2019 KTM 1290 Super Duke R on test. You can read Mike Armitage’s considered verdict on page 66, but here’s my unconsidered opinion; it’s flippin’ amazing. At tickover the raucous clatter and harsh notes from the Akrapovic exhaust sound dangerous. It gives you wobbly knees and heart palpitations in the way that a Honda CR500 motocrosser would. Well, maybe not quite that terrifying. But when you climb aboard the power delivery is smooth, controllable and calm. Until you dial in some revs and then everything goes absolutely hatstand bonkers. I can’t even begin to imagine how much better the 2020 version is but I’m looking forward to finding out. And I’ll join the queue for…

» 16-19 January, 2020 MotorBike Expo, Verona, Italy Now described as ‘the world’s largest custom bike event’. Expect a truly massive show – over 170,000 folk turned up last year. ‘At MBE, the gearhead could feel the motorbike love from every stand,’ says Chabott Engineering’s Shinya Kimura. And that’s good enough for us. motorbikexpo.com bikes there will also be a number of rare proddie and concept machines on display. So, it’s well worth the long haul flight. the1moto.com » 14-16 February, 2020 Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show, Docklands Last year’s event boasted a fine display of custom builds from across the country and for 2020 the good people at Carole Nash and MCN are promising an even larger area dedicated to what turns us on. Tickets are on…

YOU’VE HEARD THE saying, ‘it’s only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for it’. In the case of the 1977 Triumph T140V ‘Strongbow’ flat-tracker that sold at Bonhams’ Autumn Sale at Stafford in October, what someone was prepared to pay turned out to be an eyebrow-raising three times the initial estimate. The auctioneer’s gavel confirmed a new owner for the Triumph at £33,350 (inc premium). A handsome upturn on an expected £8000-£10,000. But it’s little wonder bidding got frantic for this uber rare ’tracker. It’s one of a batch of six (some sources say seven) racers commissioned by cider brewers Bulmers, makers of Strongbow – who at the time sponsored UK-based Transatlantic Match Races-inspired flat-track series. The bikes were built inhouse by Triumph. Despite that T140V turning an…

16-24 November Motorcycle Live, NEC, Birmingham Ducati’s 916 is 25 years old. To celebrate Ducati UK will show 12 of the best examples of the breed, from 916 through to 998, on their stand at Motorcycle Live. And they’ll have a wall of ‘916 memories’ – that’ll be photos and tales from owners offering a unique insight into the love and passion for the bike that made Ducati a sporting great again. And there’ll be plenty more classic goodness in Hall 2. motorcyclelive.co.uk 24 November Malvern Classic Autojumble, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs More than 100 stands overflowing with old parts, hard to find components and automotive bric-a-brac. Sift through the bits or flog off your own stash. Entry is a measly seven quid, jumble stalls from £30. Parking’s free,…

Aprilia’s top-of-the-range RSV4 1100 Factory now has semi-active suspension. Developed over two years with Öhlins, it’s a different system to the one on the Tuono Factory. Aprilia claimed they wouldn’t use electronic suspension until it made the RSV4 faster on track, and say in testing it cut lap times by an average of 0.5 sec. Just as importantly, it’s more comfortable on the road. Win-win, as they say. Having sprouted semi-active for this year the Tuono Factory has a smaller update with mudguard, side panels and engine cases now in carbon.…

WHAT IS IT? Lighter, more usable and higher-spec update of BMW’s oh-so-capable upright sports-tourer. WHAT’S NEW? There’s not the ShiftCam variable valve excitement we expected, but the new S1000RR-based motor has more midrange, longer fourth, fifth and sixth gears, and is 5kg lighter. The motor carries more load allowing a new ‘Flex Frame’, suspension is revised, electronics updated, and styling is edgier. Weight is down by 10 kilos to 226kg. Obviously, there are chuffin’ loads of options. WHEN IS IT IN THE UK? Hopefully spring, but it’s a guess.…

Price £9995 Engine 600cc 4v DOHC liquid-cooled single Power 55bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 43 lb.ft @ 5500rpm Top speed 110mph Rake/trail 26°/118mm Wheelbase 1423mm Dry weight 135kg Seat height 760mm Tank size 14 litres Economy 56mpg Colours silver or optional ‘Black’ pack (tank, tail piece) for £500 extra Availability now (although it’ll be built early in the new year) Bike verdict Given the trend for ‘authenticity’, CCM’s pure sensations and style have obvious appeal. Practical? Not really. Cool? Yes indeed. Bike rating 8/10…

Bike says: ‘Carving Californian canyons in 25°C sunshine, you’d need a heart of ice to not fall for the Low Rider S’ THE OLD LOW Rider S was a stripped-down, tarmac-hugging cruiser with a dollop of West Coast cool (California, not Blackpool) and a modest slice of sporting intent. Harley fans loved the LRS, and when Harley killed it – along with the rest of the Dynas – in 2017, you could hear pained howls from Seattle to Miami. So now it’s back, but this time in Softail form. That means it gets a single rear shock and stiffer frame, plus the biggest, most powerful motor in any of Harley’s regular road bikes – the Milwaukee-Eight 114. In English, that’s an air-cooled, under-square, 1868cc V-twin with four-valve heads… and it’s…

» This is the new ZX-25R, and it’s a four-cylinder 250 like those hot imports of the late 80s and early 90s. Suzuki started the four-cylinder 250 thing with the GS250FW in 1984, and soon all Japanese brands had 250 inline-four race reps. Making bugger-all torque, they multiplied what they had by the most revs possible to try and get somethingresembling power – redlines went to 20,000rpm to get 40bhp. Kwak have revealed zip about the ZX-25R, other than saying the 249cc 16v engine is brand new, and it has separate-function Showa big-piston forks, a radial caliper, modes and traction control. Now the bad news: it’s aimed for 250 sportsbike-loving Indonesia, and while it might go on sale in Japan and Thailand, it’s unlikely to come to the UK.…

WHAT IS IT? The third generation of the loveable yet ludicrous 1.3-litre supernaked. Nicknamed ‘The Beast’ by people in orange shirts, the 1290 Super Duke R is sold as a thrash-metal skids-and-wheelies adrenaline fountain for cross-eyed, well-heeled sociopaths. Yet, as our test of the 2019 bike on p66 shows, in reality it’s as manic or as mellow as you want. WHAT’S NEW? The first 1290 Super Duke shared its steel trellis frame with the 1190 Adventure – a surprise, given dual-purpose tourers aren’t famed for their hummingbird agility or on-the-limit feedback. The 2020 Super Duke R has an all-new design, with wider tubes and thinner walls saving 2kg. The subframe is cast aluminium (like the 790 Duke’s), while the single-sided swingarm is longer and pivots from 5mm higher up for…

WHAT IS IT? Guzzi’s charming 853cc V-twin adventure alternative in accessorised form. WHAT’S NEW? The Travel comes with genuinely useful extras as standard, namely heated grips, panniers (37 litres on the right, 27.5 litres on the left) and a larger touring screen with a 60% increase in surface area. It’s got MIA too, so it’ll connect to your phone. WHEN IS IT IN THE UK? Take a guess. Maybe Easter? 2020 FACTOIDS Power: 80bhp Torque: 59 lb.ft Wet weight: 235kg Price (est): £12k…

WHAT IS IT? The first significant refresh for Yamaha’s hugely popular and entertaining mid-size all-rounder. The affordable 700 has gone a bit posh. WHAT’S NEW? The chassis gets the biggest update – cartridge-type forks with preload and rebound damping adjustment, with the same adjustment at the rear. For the Tracer’s price point and likely customer, the previous set-up was fine, but the switch to cartridge forks should improve ride quality, while adjusters allow us all to make the handling worse. It’s still the same 689cc parallel-twin engine, as shared with the MT-07 and Ténéré. Power and torque stay the same at a claimed 74bhp and 50 lb.ft, though ignition, injection, intake and exhaust are tweaked to clean it up and pass Euro5. A lower second gear ratio perks up acceleration…

» Sinai Peninsula, Wed 10 Aug, 1988: took bike for a test ride. It breaks down 2km from the mechanics. I push it back in the midday heat. I tear the skin off my foot trying to kickstart it. The mechanics think the condenser is burned out. I ask the driver of the bus to Cairo to get me a six-volt one. Two days later he returns, takes ten Egyptian pounds off me and the mechanics tell me it’s the wrong part. They rig up a direct 12V system instead, bypassing the bike’s electrics, with a car battery balanced on a pannier, a coil dangling by wire from the frame. The engine runs perfectly. I check the alternator and realise it is loose on the crankshaft. I had forgotten to…

Suzuki GSX-R1000R £140 a month » With BMW’s variable-valve S1000RR stealing headlines and Kawasaki’s ZX-10R winning everything in World Superbike, it’s easy to overlook the GSX-R1000R. But the thing’s amazing, especially this version with the extra R on the end: electronics are super-slick, suspension is high quality (there’s more to life than Öhlins, y’know), handling is delicate and you get staggering access to its bewildering performance. It’s also had variable valve timing since 2017 – we love the clever-yet-simple system, which just uses centrifugal force and a few ball bearings. We didn’t make the Suzuki our 2017 Bike of the Year for the hell of it. In their munificence, the fine folk of Suzuki have slashed a bag of sand off the list price of the GSX-R1000R, which makes it…

BMW F850GS Pros: a super competent balance between on/ off-road ability comes with BMW levels of cleverness and accessory options. Cons: feels a bit sensible, and lives in the shadow of the mighty 1250GS. Triumph Tiger 800 Pros: road bike brilliance in whatever version you choose. Fantastic engine with glorious three-cylinder sound. Cons: about to be superseded by new 900, best you don’t take it off-road. KTM 790 Adventure Pros: off-road ability, a raw and entertaining engine, good range from pannier tanks. Cons: strange looks (from pannier tanks), lacks road bike sophistication compared with rivals. Much more expensive than Ténéré 700.…

» 2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R Ad says: 32,643 miles, MoT to March 2020. Seat cowl, Yoshimura pipe, Brembo master cylinder, carbon-fibre in fills. Tidy bike for age, regularly used and serviced. We say: test ride to check six-pots. Price: £2999 » 2001 Kawasaki ZX-12R Ad says: 23,626 miles and nice condition. Service history, double bubble screen, adjustable levers, braided lines. We say: choice mods and we like the original exhaust. Check history. Price: £3499…

Keis B501W men’s/women’s body warmer £150 Slightly wider at the hips and slimmer mid-body than Keis’ other products. But unisex black-red colour and a tall heated collar make this body warmer appealing to all riders. The men’s version V501 is £10 cheaper, but doesn’t feature a collar. You’ll need the optional £30 heat controller to adjust temperature, so factor that into the purchase. keisapparel.co.uk Halvarssons Powerbank Collar £50 Compared with other heated thingamajigs this is good value. To keep the price down, this collar uses any normal powerbank with a USB connector to power its heating elements via USB to micro-USB cable. Not included, but the idea is you’ve already got one lying around. A £10 5000mAh powerbank should last two hours on a single charge, a £6…

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. ✱ YOU MEET THE NICEST PEOPLE... Honda recently had their ‘Homecoming’ bash at the Kumamoto factory. Owners got an exclusive tour, test rides, engine disassembly demos, a live stage, stunt show and other niceties. And it was free: all you did was show a Honda key to get in. Best of all, they served the canteen’s most popular dish: curry udon…

AT THE START of the season I predicted it was possible for Ducati to win the MotoGP championship plus the World and British Superbike titles. Well, one out of three ain’t bad… Now things have come into stark focus it is easy to analyse my mistake. Simply put, it’s Marc Marquez. It’s easy to forget he started the season in recovery from a major shoulder operation, which should have affected the first quarter of his season at least. There was no noticeable effect. Jorge Lorenzo also started with a recently repaired wrist. Surely, went my reasoning, Dovi would open up a useful lead while the Repsol team mates were getting back up to speed. And even if Ducati failed to cure the Desmosedici’s problems in the middle of corners, surely…

» Where are you right now? I have completed my trip and am back home in England. » Where’ve you been? I completed the first section of my trip in July 2018. I took a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, where I bought my bike. I picked it up on 3 July 2018, and started my journey on the same day. First I went to Prudhoe Bay (the northernmost point in the Americas) then to New York via the Yukon, British Columbia, the Canadian prairies and some relatives in Toronto and Montreal. After this first, 8000-mile section of my trip I shipped my bike back to England. Then in April 2019 I rode from the UK to Moscow where I handed my bike over to the shipping company who took it…

1960 Viscount 1000cc Owned by Eric Patterson, AMA speed record holder: Est: £55,000-£65,000 Went for: £63,250 1907 Norton 6hp V-twin Same bike as first TT winner Est: £18,000-£24,000 Went for: £43,700 1925 Norton 490cc Model 16H & Swallow sidecar project Est: £12,000-£16,000 Went for: £16,675 1927 Norton Model 18 Racing motorcycle project Est: £5000-£7000 Went for: £13,800 c. 1953 Norton 348cc Manx Model 40M project Est: £7000-£10,000 Went for: £13,800 1957 Norton Manx-JAP 1150cc Owned by Eric Patterson, AMA speed record holder. Est: £35,000-£45,000 Went for: £41,400 1951 AJS 7R 350cc Racing motorcycle. Believed to be the former works machine of Bob McIntyre. Est: £30,000-£40,000 Went for: £36,800 1989 Suzuki GSX-R750RK Homologation SP special. Est: £6000-£8000 Went for: £10,925 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 LTD Homologation special. Est: £5000-£7000 Went for: £7590…

MEET YOUR EXPERTS Jordan Gibbons Our man in Italy MCN’s news editor is at the vast EICMA show in Milan doing a crafty bit of work for Bike . ‘I love Harley’s Pan America (p34). At last, an adventure bike not trying to be a BMW GS.’ Hugo Wilson Editor ‘How can you resist a supercharged naked bike producing 200bhp? The Kawasaki Z H2 (p42) is wonderfully unhinged. I love the look of the DesertX too (p31).’ Mike Armitage Deputy editor ‘The Aprilia RS660 (opposite) could be the most exciting bike of 2020 – £8000 and the power-to-weight of an RSV Mille? Oh yes. Some of the Chinese bikes look tempting too.’ Martin Fitz-Gibbons Contributor ‘I’m already clearing a space in my garage for the Ducati DesertX (p31) – Scrambler…

CCM launched the first Spitfire to global acclaim at The London Motorcycle Show in February 2017. It’s since become the basis of a series of models for the Bolton company So how’s production going? We’re currently building up to full capacity of 100 units per month of Bobber production, and the first deliveries took place in October. We also delivered the last of the 250-bike Café Racer and 250-bike Flat Track production runs. What about the Six and Foggy Edition Spitfire? All Bobber orders will be delivered throughout the winter months followed by the RAF Benevolent Fund bike [a Spitfire model inspired by TE Lawrence’s bikes, with £1000 donated to RAF charities for each machine sold] the Six [the most customisable Spitfire] and the Foggy [underseat exhaust, gold forged wheels,…

Is the goal to make your bikes easier to ride? Feedback from our customers was that it [the Panigale range] was super technological but it was really a bike for professionals. They said, ‘oh it is fast but it takes a lot of effort to go fast and I’m tired by the end’. We want to make motorcycles that are easier to ride when you’re not a top level rider. Why have you updated the range so soon? This is the kind of bike we do best. The Panigale range is our flagship and it always has to feature our latest tech. Our idea is to improve this bike every year – to make it faster year after year as if it was a GP bike. Who is the V2…

WHAT IS IT? Honda with the gloves off. This is one fast superbike. WHAT’S NEW? Pretty much everything. The new engine has a much shorter stroke and bigger bores compared with the old one (81 x 48.5mm vs. 75 x 55mm), allowing higher revs and so more power – Honda claim 215bhp at 14,500rpm. Incidentally, bore and stroke are the same as the RC213V-S (and also Ducati’s mad V4 R, give or take 0.1mm). In the cylinder head, bucket and shims are ditched for finger followers (like BMW’s S1000RR), everything has a friction-slashing slippery coat and even the camchain is half the width. Electronics are modernised, while the frame is softened in some places and stiffened in others to make it more forgiving to ride. Well, as forgiving as any…

Bike says: ‘The Challenger feels fast and is likely to toast its closest rival, Harley’s new Road Glide’ CRUISING THE PACIFIC Coast Highway north from LA is dreamy on anything with two wheels, but it’s especially relaxing on the new Indian Challenger. Flick the cruise control on, sit back in your V-twin armchair and let the Indian hoover up the miles. Stress? What is that exactly? As you’d imagine, day-long riding is an ache-free breeze. Indian’s new 1770cc PowerPlus motor is refined and perfectly fuelled, a wafting weapon, and in top gear it’ll murmur along at 70mph with just a gentle tremor of its super-sized, short stroke pistons lolloping away beneath you at 2800rpm. The 122bhp motor has noticeably more instant grunt than Indian’s air-cooled Thunder Stroke-engined machines but drop…

WHAT IS IT? Husky doing their annual ‘coming soon’ with a prototype showbike, just as they did with the 701 Supermoto, Vitpilen and so on. It’s an all-rounder that can be ‘used on daily commutes, extended adventures and everything in between’. WHAT’S NEW? It’s a concept currently, so details are rather limited. In fact, the only solid information is that it uses an 899.5cc parallel-twin engine, with a 21-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear, and WP suspension. Given Husky’s close ties with KTM you don’t need to be a rocket surgeon to realise it’s probably the new 890 Duke R engine (right) slotted into the capable 790 Adventure R chassis, and wrapped in Husky’s usual styling bodywork. We think the Norden looks ace, with a different air to the KTMs…

WHAT IS IT? The production version of the semi-retro concept shown last year. WHAT’S NEW? Under that glorious retroish new bodywork are the engine and chassis of the very modern F3 800 race rep. Retuned for more midrange, it still has 145bhp. The TFT dash is from the new Brutale 1000, and it drips with electronic extras. There’s a Serie Oro version as well, which gets a collection of machined alloy parts and an anti-theft tracking system. WHEN IS IT IN THE UK? No date, but it’ll be £17,390. There’ll be 300 examples of the Serie Oro for around £24k. 2020 FACTOIDS Power: 145bhp Torque: 65 lb.ft Dry weight: 173kg Price: £17,390…

WHAT IS IT? Suzuki’s friendly ever-green V-Strom 1000 with a new look derived from their giant trailies of the late 1980s, plus a mildly more enticing name. Look, it’s a 1050, not a plain old 1000. WHAT’S NEW? You can’t miss that styling. Based on Suzuki’s old Dakar racer and the single-cylinder DR750S BIG road bike from 1988, the angular lines shake-off the mild dreariness of the earlier V-Stroms. There’s a lighter Katana-style headlight, and improved colours: the red/white with DR hints is cool, but the bold yellow scheme inspired by the Dakar bikes is ace. We definitely approve. Under the beak there are quite a few changes, too. It’s the same 1037ccV-twin as before, but Suzuki have messed with cam profiles to change the valve overlap and stuck an…

3X BIMOTA 1994 SB7 (front) based on Suzuki GSX-R750 SP engine, but with high end parts and a hefty period price tag of around £20,000. Just 200 SB7s were built and this bike is an immaculate example. However, Italian sports bikes were not a hot ticket at this year’s sale. Even with a pre-sale estimate of £5000-7000 it didn’t sell. 21 BIKES BOUGHT 32-year-old Ben Levy, who runs a motorcycle shop in the West Midlands, secures a BSA Goldstar replica. ‘I’ve bought 21 bikes so far and there’s probably another I’ll get, hopefully. Been a lucky weekend.’ SIDE EFFECT Looking like something Jules Verne could have ridden, this combination matches a nicely patinated 1925 490cc side valve Norton bike with an airship styled Swallow sidecar. Swallow were the forerunner to…

WACKY DESIGN Kawasaki went off-script with the ZX-12’s monocoque frame, which doubles as the airbox. Two huge ram air scoops pull air into the frame either side of the headstock then through two filters that sit within the frame and finally into the throttle bodies that push through the bottom of the frame. This allows the ZX-12R’s 20-litre petrol tank to sit under the seat. All this helps speed up handling through mass-centralisation and creates a narrower profile for aerodynamics. The ZZR1400 still uses a similar monocoque setup today. SPEED UNLIMITED Because of a gentleman’s agreement between Japan’s manufacturers, a top speed limiter was added to the ZX-12R from the A2 (2001) model onwards. This limiter dropped the top speed from 192.3mph (in the US with stock ECU, cat and…

Engine 1199cc, liquid-cooled, inline four Power 178bhp (152 tested) Torque 99 lb.ft (82 tested) Top speed 180mph (tested) Rake/trail 23.5°/93mm Wheelbase 1440mm Dry weight 210kg Seat height 843mm Tank size 20 litres Economy 31mpg Bike verdict A phenomenal sports tourer, if you like your touring sporty and very, very fast. Snatchiness on and off the throttle caused by rudimentary fuel injection is an irritant, but the gargantuan midrange and top-end more than make up for it. Nineteen years on, the engine still feels outrageous. Speed-wise, the Kawasaki failed to topple Suzuki’s Hayabusa, but on real roads it has it beat. Bike rating 8/10…

» Basking in southern Europe’s sun for 3000 hours every year, Portugal sits on the Iberian Peninsula neighbouring Spain.The country has an array of spectacular landscapes, beaches, cities and a rich cultural history which makes it one of the most exciting places to explore on two wheels. But where to start? » Start in the capital, Lisbon. From here, you can enjoy a ten day 1100-mile ride. There will be mountains, coastal roads, UNESCO World Heritage sites, wine routes, the Estrela mountain range, villages, castles and no motorways. » Head north from Lisbon to Vila Franca de Xira, cross the Tagus river on the N10 then eastwards for a two hour cruise to Évora on the N4, joining the N2 then the N114 all the way to the capital of…

THE CLASSIC WEEKEND at Misano was a great opportunity to ride Team Classic Suzuki’s Katana on one of the world’s most famous tracks and I was really looking forward to it. For various reasons we got minimal practice but thankfully, one of my co-riders Neevesy (part time Bike tester Michael Neeves) has done loads of riding there so at least he was fast straight away. The other rider Richard ‘Steady’ Steadman and I managed to get out in the afternoon before night qualifying, but we had a gearbox problem so had to change the engine. It only took us 90 minutes, which was pleasing – we had a plan and we all knew what we were doing so it wasn’t difficult. But that was the last of our practice time…

The end of season Kickback Festival of Bikes in Cheltenham’s Town Hall is one of our regular haunts, and this year threw up a fascinating central theme – smaller capacity machines. And, for my money, the most impressive was a Honda FTR-based street-tracker built by Tim Cumper from Somerset. Having seen a few FTR 223s on a visit to Japan many years ago Tim acquired his one from BridgeMoto, Reading. It’s a Japan-only model that comes in various guises from commuter to faux dirt-tracker, and features an air-cooled SOHC engine which puts out a modest 19bhp. The motor is only shared with the CB223S (another Japan-only model). Tim left the engine alone while substantially reworking the rest of his bike. There’s a set of Suzuki SG350 Goose USD forks and…

» 23-26 April, 2020 Horizons Unlimited Travellers’ Meeting, Virginia, USA Get yourself one of those Hertz BMWs (see above) and head across country to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to join the Horizons gang for the 5th Virginia Travellers’ Meeting. Presentations, demos, tech clinics and all the usual fun stuff. horizonsunlimited.com/ events » 7-9 February, 2020 Overland Winter Warmer, Northants The Overland Event’s mid-winter get-together promises an intimate, if potentially chilly, gathering of hardy two-wheeled travellers. But your ticket price does include a bowl of warming stew as well as talks, workshops, music, camping and (thankfully) hot showers. overlandevent.com/ winter » 1-3 September, 2020 The V.I.N.C.E, Spain Europe’s biggest off-road navigation event, hosted by adventurer Austin Vince, moves to the Aragon region, home to mountains, gorges…

You recently asked for good excuses to ride your bike. Why you would need them I have no idea, but I have quite a few. I thought you could try this one on for size… I call this one the ‘Because It’s The Christmas Bank Holiday So No One Else Is About’ ride. I live on my own, my partner having passed away, and even though I have children and grandchildren who would all be pleased to see me, and feed me, I decided, a few years ago, to go for a Christmas ride. I decided to visit the Angel of the North (big statue on the side of the A1, north east England) and then the Soldier memorial, Seaham. Great riding, few other vehicles about and the weather was…

Bike says: ‘The exhaust bark, sharp response, low weight and firm suspension make for an exciting, engaging ride’ WHEN THEIR FIRST limited-edition Spitfire was a sell-out hit, CCM quickly realised the hand-built single was the right bike at the right time. So they created some more, including a Café Racer, Flat Tracker and hopped-up Foggy Edition (see the June issue). The new Bobber goes furthest from the original, however, with 1940s styling, smaller wheels and white-wall tyres, plus a more laid-back riding position. It’s gone a bit cruiser... yet the Bobber still manages to be perhaps the most inspiring Spitfire I’ve ridden. With its footpegs placed further forward and also lower down, this latest CCM has the most relaxed ergonomics. Where the others compel you to stick your elbows out…

Bike says: ‘More comfy and controlled, it’ll be the best Panigale’ WHAT IS IT? A thorough shake-up of the previous Panigale 959 and, if you believe Ducati, the first middleweight track bike for young people. Sorry, middleweight? We’re talking 955cc and 155bhp, for crying out loud. It’s a superbike. That said, with improvements in comfort and control, plus comprehensive electronic assistance, the V2 will be the best Panigale for road riders. WHAT’S NEW? At its core this is still the excellent 959. The 955cc desmodromic V-twin engine is massaged with reshaped intakes and new injectors, which help give a small boost in torque and so create five extra horses – Ducati claim 155bhp at 10,750rpm. Clever internal work has also reduced pressure spikes in the exhaust, and so the previous…

WHAT IS IT? More than a little bit loopy, that’s what. Kawasaki reckon that their ‘modern development philosophy called for a machine that enables a wider range of riders to understand the pleasure of riding a motorcycle’ – and so obviously the thing to do was take the supersonic blown H2 SX, put the fairing in the bin, bolt on flat ’bars and wheel it out for one and all to enjoy. Eek. WHAT’S NEW? Though based heavily on the H2 SX sports-tourer, there’s some hefty re-engineering involved to turn it into the new Z H2. Already featuring ridiculous midrange response and romping drive in the SX, the 998cc supercharged engine has been retuned for its naked role – peak power is still a monster 197bhp, but the tyre-wasting 101…

WHAT IS IT? A new, larger, slicker and even higher-spec Tiger to replace the current 800. Triumph haven’t officially confirmed this new bike, but having seen it being tested in what looks very close to production form, we’d be staggered if there isn’t something ready to roll into showrooms by the end of this year. WHAT’S NEW? We predicted there would be a 900 version of Triumph’s triple back when the Street Triple went to 765cc. The current Tiger 800 uses a 61.9mm stroke, which means it needs different crankcases to the 675/765cc unit, while the 765 features bores that are as wide as they can be. Slipping the Street Triple’s top end onto the Tiger’s bottom end would give 887cc, allowing the new Tiger 900 to stick out its…

» Being grumpy and old-fashioned, my instinct is to save up for something I want to buy. Or to take a loan if the interest rate is friendly. The idea of effectively renting a bike on PCP is something that’s taken a while to get my head round – but when you experience these three bikes then look at the figures involved, it’s impossible not to see the attraction. In terms of performance and spec per monthly pound, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R is unbelievable. Enough grunt to wheelie off the throttle in third gear, instantaneous handling and electronics providing a dependable safety net for tomfoolery, yet also dependable and stress-free transportation when it needs to be. There’s a new one next year and while it’s undoubtedly better I…

Top box Guzzi’s £575 aluminium accessory top box ain’t cheap, but it feels like a decent quality thing and has a locking system that allows for easy removal. Centre stand No chain to adjust on the Guz, but the £150 centre stand is really useful for wheel removal, oil level checks, loading the bike and long term parking. Heated grips Surely they should be standard, the button’s already there so why not the grips too? Negotiate them into the deal when buying – the official ones are £209. Big screen Guzzi’s tall screen option is £175 well spent. When combined with hand guards, sticky out cylinders and fuel tank bulges it provides decent protection.…

2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R A1 To challenge Suzuki’s Hayabusa, Kawasaki combined huge power from a big-bore inline-four with impressive handling. There’s a sharp 23.5° rake, short 1440mm wheelbase, and slim monocoque chassis. Look carefully to see fairing wings for downforce. 1199cc – 210kg – 178bhp – £2500-£6000 2001 Kawasaki ZX-12R A2 220mph clock face replaced with a more reasonable 180mph version. Original slim coolant reservoir upgraded to a wider unit. A few models got flame graphics, but they were a bit too subtle to be noticed during a 180mph fly-by. 1199cc – 210kg – 178bhp – £2500-£5000 2002-2003 Kawasaki ZX-12R B1-B2 There were 140 changes for 2002. Look for the updated ram air intakes under the better headlights and shorter snout. Updated gearbox and engine tuned for quicker acceleration. 1.5bhp less…

BIG SQUEEZE Tight-fitting heated kit is vital, otherwise your precious heat will slip through the gap between body and heating filament. To get the best fit I recommend going down a size in jackets and even two sizes in vests. Keis kit is comparable in size to Dainese, so if you wear a size-48 Dainese jacket, try on a size-46 Keis jacket and a size-44 vest. If the size you’ve ordered is too small, we offer year-round returns for items that still have the original tags and packaging, and haven’t been worn on the bike. So it’s all pretty straightforward. GET WIRED UP For best results connect heated kit to your bike’s battery. Undo the two battery terminal screws, then screw back in through the eyelets in the cable provided,…

When it comes to the UK’s country roads the law places some particular duties on users. The most obvious is we all have to share the rural roads network. This means farmers with large machines have to share the road space nicely with us, car drivers, equestrians and cyclists. So, the first rule of the rural road is to expect rural things; if you bowl into a blind corner and end up fishing yourself out of the pointy bits of a tine harrow the Courts will be unsympathetic. The fact that an agricultural vehicle may be taking up both sides of a road, does not make its presence negligent or unlawful. Where the law does help us though is that drivers of ‘large and invulnerable vehicles’ do owe a high…