Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i BIKE

The ‘old’ Triumph Tiger 800 is a brilliant bike that was motive power for one of my best rides; a summer Saturday afternoon cross-country blast from Peterborough to Bristol on one of those days where the patch of sunlight follows you, where traffic opens up at the perfect moment, where you spot every speed camera, where you don’t put a foot down for 120 miles and you step off feeling perky enough to party. The package of the 95bhp three cylinder engine, the chassis dynamic and riding position makes the Tiger a great bike even if the XR/XRt/XC? model designations are baffling. It’s a regular search when I’m in ‘need a new bike’ mode. And now Triumph have rejigged it. Same concept, but bigger engine with a bigger bang firing…

» This month’s winner of The-Answer-To-A-Question-No-one-Asked Award, goes to a French outfit called Efesto who have given the almighty Ducati 1299 Panigale a huge chunk more torque courtesy of an electric hybrid motor stashed under the swingarm. Though clearly barking mad – few 1299 owners get off the 207bhp, 107 lb.ft sportsbike and complain about a piffling lack of shove – the system is impressively compact. The battery sits in the tail (which will shift the centre of gravity and could play havoc with the handling) and the counter-rotating motor connects to the gearbox output shaft, charging the battery when not in use. Efesto claim the system delivers an extra 99bhp and 111 lb.ft for an additional 26kg, though we’re more worried about the air-con duct-style exhausts, which look like…

» A recent survey found that 41% of us wear a crash helmet that’s over five years old, which means it’s past the service life recommended by most manufacturers and might be unsafe. And that’s if you’ve looked after your lid and it still fits snugly – if it’s been dropped or the liner has gone saggy, it’s definitely dodgy. To encourage riders to ditch these older helmets, MCN have launched a Helmet Amnesty campaign. If you dump your lid in a skip at the MCN London Motorcycle Show in February, you’ll be rewarded with a free Oxford helmet bag worth £14.99 or helmet care pack worth £19.99. The campaign ties in with a recent ITV investigation which found alarming numbers of fake helmets on eBay and Gumtree. The lids…

» Adaptive cruise control is the most basic function of the radar system, and Geoff expected it to be used only on motorways. But the engineers soon discovered it could be made to work on twisty roads too. ‘Non-adaptive cruise control doesn’t work very well on winding roads because it pushes you into corners. But we can cut out those accelerations [using the IMU lean data]. That means if the vehicle in front ‘disappeared’ from the radar – for example on a hairpin bend – we don’t allow acceleration and, depending on the lean angle, we decelerate. Then, when we come out of the hairpin, the radar will pick up the vehicle ahead again and accelerate back into its original position.’…

It’s never easy living in someone’s shadow, so what’s it like being the little brother of one of the greatest motorcycle racers the world has ever seen? Not bad, according to Alex Marquez. ‘Since we were kids we’ve always been together: at tracks all weekend, every weekend, riding motocross, dirt track, pocket bikes,’ says the 23-year-old, three years younger than big bro. ‘Marc’s my brother and he’s my best friend. We have more or less the same hobbies and he knows so much and helps so much. Now he has a girlfriend, so he’s a bit busier, and I’m a bit jealous!’ Come on, surely they fight sometimes?! ‘No. Well, sometimes, but not for serious things. When we were small kids, yes, but not now. Now when we have a…

Price £11,649 Engine 562cc, liquid-cooled, 4v parallel twin Power 47bhp Torque 41 lb.ft Top speed 115mph (est) Rake/trail 25˚/92mm Wheelbase 1575mm Kerb weight 220kg Seat height 800mm Tank size 15 litre Economy n/a Colours Green, black Availability December 2019 Bike verdict A salty pricy tag and an image problem won’t do much for slow TMAX sales in the UK and despite its upgrades it’s not hugely different from the current model. But for those who ‘get’ maxi scooters… fill your boots. Bike rating 7/10…

Wheels and Waves I’m not cool but I do a good impression of someone who could be. So I took our FTR to W&W, where the cool people live, to find out if it is... erm, cool. The crowds it attracted suggest the answer is probably yes. Café Racer Cup Also cool are the folks at the Bike Shed, so we sent the FTR to spend a day circling Lydden Hill on their annual track shindig. The FTR performed admirably, even if it did grind off half its exhaust. Better tyres would be nice, mind. Saddle up The train ticket cost for London to Sheffield would make anyone faint, so the FTR was loaded up and hit the road. You'd think the frame design would make attaching stuff easy. It…

Hugo Wilson Multi bike owner Lifelong rider, loves an old knocker, copes well with a spanner. Mike Armitage High mileage rider Hates cars, rides every day, holidays in a caravan. John Westlake Used bike dabbler Lapsed Bike editor, home mechanic, likes a trials bike Michael Neeves Road tester If it’s new and worth riding Michael’s flicked the ignition. Andy Dalton Biking lawyer He knows about the law and bikes. Pay attention at the back. Simon Hewitt Dakar racer Off-road racer facing much adversity, and the Dakar in January.…

26 December Wild and Woolly Scramble, Blisworth, northants »Traditional Boxing Day amusements in the midlands. Practice from 10am, race at 11am then home to tidy up turkey sandwiches and sweet sherry. Take wellington boots and woolly hats. Spectator carpark at NN7 3DW. 26 December Plum Pudding Races, Mallory Park, Leics »More seasonal diversions in the midlands. Combined car and bike meet with wildly mixed grids and riders in fancy dress. Good fun, if you can avoid frostbite. malloryparkcircuit.com 4 January MCC Exeter Trial, Devon »Historic and bonkers long distance trial. When competitors arrive at the Fingle Bridge section (grid ref: SX 743899) at 08:00 they’ve already been riding for hours. Then on to Simms (park at grid ref: SX 779760). themotorcyclingclub.org.uk 14-16 February Carole nash MCn London Motorcycle Show, Excel,…

Welcome to the tightwad challenge, reviving my crash-damaged 2003 Trumpet for under £200. The 955i Sprint ST returned from a summer trip round West Wales with trashed plastics, smashed levers and only one front disc (its shattered twin lies in a Camarthenshire hedge). I had two busted ribs as a souvenir. We managed to limp home to Brighton. When spending on bikes, I’m as tight as a wet hairpin. Why pay more? Pristine low-mileage Sprints with all the extras sell for a grand-and-a-half. I could spend double on new factory bits. Nobody lusts for the 955i, with its nineties Honda styling and silly name. Why call the class fat-kid ‘Sprint’? It’s just cruel. But beneath the superficialities lay awesome triple torque, all-day comfort and solid highway handling (let’s not talk…

Oxford Aqua V20 £54.99 oxfordproducts.com » I am a big fan of Oxford’s Aqua range – this is my third and won’t be my last. The V20 is an everyday essentials carrier and overnight storage solution. It is well made, lightweight, waterproof, comfortable, has padded shoulder straps, a waterproof pocket and a sponge section for the small of your back. There are two straps at the front, one is chest height and the other goes around your waist so this bag never moves. It’s also really reflective and helps me be seen. The V20 is a mid-size rucksack but bigger and smaller versions are available. Keep an eye on Bike subscriber offers as we often give one away as a welcome gift. Paul Lang Givi GRT701 Gravel-T £85.99 givi.co.uk »…

This month I’ve been to the roads around the Parque Natural da Arrábida, nestled on the rocky coast 15 miles south of Lisbon, to ride Yamaha’s new T-MAX scooter (page 82). Photographers can’t get enough of this scenery and it’s a great place for digging deep into a motorcycle’s soul (or a big scooter’s), especially the N379-1 between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Atlantic rain is no stranger here, so it’s very green and the roads have more than a touch of the swooping Italian Lakes about them, mixed in with the undulating madness of the Route Napoleon and the open-sided tunnels of the Alps. With a mixture of second and third gear corners and the odd fourth gear straight (or, on the T-MAX, just twist) in between it’s a road that…

‘Though it looks similar to the fabulous 800, everything is revamped or new’ This is the Tiger 900, Triumph’s most important new bike of 2020. Though it looks similar to the fabulous 800, everything is revamped or new, including a more powerful engine with uneven firing intervals. There’s also a lighter frame, fancier electronics and a variety of suspension options. There are five bikes in the range – two road biased GT tourers, two off-road biased Rally models, and a base model that’s a GT without the extras. None get adaptive suspension though. All share the new engine, that’s a longer-stroke version of the 800 – the bore is the same as the old bike – but with a radically different crank. Instead of the three crankpins evenly spaced 120-degrees…

The last time Wayne Rainey rode a bike was on lap ten at the Misano GP in 1993. He was leading the race and the 500cc world championship, and had won the previous three world titles – a rider at his peak. Then he crashed, tumbled with his bike, and lay in the gravel with a broken back, paralysed from the chest down. Rainey has done many extraordinary things in the 26 years since that day – raced karts, managed the Marlboro Yamaha team, and rejuvenated America’s domestic race series. But he’s never ridden a bike again. Until now. In November, Rainey tested a specially adapted Yamaha R1 at the Buttonwillow Raceway in America, then rode the same bike with fellow former world champs Kenny Roberts and Eddie Lawson a…

£950 saving Triumph Tiger 800 XCx » Deals on Triumphs are a rare thing. However, there’s a new Tiger 900 coming next year and dealers are getting twitchy about existing stock, which means tempting offers. List price for an XCx (TFT dash, modes, ABS, traction, cruise, posh WP suspension, heated grips) is £11,400, but Three Cross (01202 087559) have £950 off. Not only that, they’re lobbing in free Triumph panniers too. Choose blue or khaki. We really rate the 800, and ten-and-a-half is a steal, new bike coming or not. £55 a month Suzuki GSX-S750 » Great on-the-road performance for naff-all cash, that’s the GSX-S750. Riding position, chassis balance and controls make it easy to use, which is why the GSX-S (or at least the previous GSR750, effectively…

‘A masterful musclebike, not a cartoon cruiser’ Around the turn of the millennium, some researchers in Leicestershire identified a personality trait that caused humans to become indecently excited by big things. They called people with this condition ‘Americans’ and built a motorcycle for them. Fusing the 4-inch piston size of a Dodge Viper with the largest crank throw they could physically manufacture, Triumph concocted a ludicrous 2294cc triple and named it after something large, fast, shiny and noisy. The Rocket III was born. But those who like ‘big’ love ‘even bigger’ – and so follows the new Rocket 3. More engine, with capacity up to 2458cc. More power, with a Honda Blackbird-beating 165bhp. And more tech, with digital treats including cornering ABS and traction, cruise control, hill-hold and an optional…

In the ‘80s Dakar was France’s national obsession and their heroes were Cyril Neveu (The rough diamond) and Hubert Auriol (The aristocrat). No love was lost between the two racers and the inevitable, tumultuous, climax came in 1987. Chris Evans, who worked for both men, tells the tale… Pics: Moto Revue Classic Among fans of the race at least, the biggest complaint regarding the modern Dakar is always along the lines of: ‘it’s not an adventure anymore, it’s just a race.’ A criticism that the 2020 edition, to be held entirely within the borders of Saudi Arabia, will struggle to redress. But as the epic 1987 battle for victory in the motorcycle class proves, up at the pointy end competitors have been giving 1001% to win the thing ever since…

FTR1200£10,250 » List price for the FTR1200S is £12,999 (our Race Rep' is £14k). But the non-S (fewer electronics, softer suspension) is £11,899, and ex-dealer demos with a few hundred miles are about to drop under ten grand. That's a bargain. CCM SSLWfiUH £8000 » Thin, light, CCM's Spitfire is closer to the real deal than the FTR – especially in Flat Tracker guise. List was £9995 (they only made 250, it's no longer available) but low-mile bikes go for £8k-ish. If you can find one. Indian Scout Sixty £8499 » Fancy buying into the brand but go more trad'? The Scout Sixty uses a 999cc version of the V-twin in a classy, low-slung chassis and is the finest 'mid-size' cruiser there is. 2016 bikes are two grand cheaper than…

SERVICE GIVEAWAY There are two Allen bolts holding a water pipe to the cylinder head. If you can gain access, see if they’re full of filth. If they are it means two things: one, getting them undone to check the valve clearances will be a pig, and chances are the water pipe’s locating shoulders will be in a similar state and hard to re-seat; and two, the previous owner might have skimped on the expensive full service. DON’T BE SCARED Some FJRs show ‘fault code 14’ on the dash. If you’re looking at a bike that does and the seller doesn’t know what it is, use it to knock them down as much as you can… and then fix it super-cheap. It’s just a blocked, collapsed (with age) or disconnected…

£14,950 Moto Guzzi Le Mans » If you want a ’70s Italian sportsbike purely to look at and polish, buy a Ducati. If you want one that’s just as stylish and full of character but robust enough for the rigours of modern riding, buy a Moto Guzzi. It’s the classic Le Mans that collectors and brand aficionados still get all frothy over, and this 1978 Mk1 is about as good as they get. Restored in Italy using original and genuine parts, it’s a flippin’ peach. Take pride of place at the local classic meet, then strap on a tailpack and thunder to the South of France for some winter sun. Proper motorbike. £11,000 Bimota YB10 » The trouble with modern classics is they never quite live up to expectations. Their…

» Registering a used import is straightforward though, as with any bureaucratic process, you should expect frustrations. Most of the information is available on the gov.uk website. These are the highlights. » Tax and import duty are liable on some imports. You won’t be able to register with the DVLA until HM Revenue and Customs have issued NOVA (Notification of Vehicle Arrival) authorisation. Start this process via the gov.uk website, but you may need to create a Government Gateway ID. If you are buying an unregistered import from a UK dealer, they should have done this. » You need form V55/5 to register a used imported vehicle. There will be a fee of £55, plus any road tax, and you’ll need to provide ID. If the vehicle is more than…

‘Drag racing like it used to be. Inhale that nitro while you’re still allowed’ 1 Cumbria Nostalgia Scramble, June A proper old fashioned scramble, with racers blasting round a hillside in Cumbria on old Bultaco and Suzuki two-strokes, and British four-strokes. It’s mega. Date is tba, but it’s usually in June.cumbriacrmc.com. Pete Boast 2 DTRA flat-tracks, all summer Flat-track race weekends mean Saturday evening racing, and they’re usually free for spectators. Great racing, friendly people, and, in the Hooligan and Thunderbike classes, great looking bikes.Dates will be announced at dirttrackriders.co.uk. Hugo Wilson 3 Dragstalgia, Santa Pod, 10-12 July Drag racing like it used to be, at a venue that’s much better than it used to be. With adult tickets starting at £22 it’s hard to think of a better weekend’s…

The jockey » Toes sat squarely on pegs away from gears and back brake, ready to pounce. Used mainly on track to complement the head-down-arse-up race tuck, but also handy on a rough road – lock into the tank with your knees and take the shock of the bumps through legs. The Charlie Chaplin » Feet flat on footpegs, toes pointing out. The default position for just getting about. It’s comfy and kind to knees, especially for tall riders, but it lacks control and forces your body too upright. You’ll carry too much cornering lean and run out of ground clearance. The ’90s trackday » Toes on the tip of both footpegs. It’s what you feel you should be doing and it feels good, but it puts you in an…

» Triumph’s X-infested model designations are mercifully gone with the Tiger 900. They’re replaced by a more intuitive system, where the two touring variants are called GT, and the two off-roady ones are called Rally. Adding a ‘Pro’ to both denotes the most expensive, kit-tastic option. The big differences between the GT and Rally are the suspension (GT gets Marzocchi, Rally gets longer travel Showa) and the wheels (GT gets cast, with a 19in front, Rally gets tubeless spoked, with a 21in front). Pro adds a multitude of kit such as an up and down quickshifter, phone connectivity, heated seats and up to six riding modes. The GT Pro even gets electronically adjustable rear preload. The base model meanwhile scrapes by with just two modes (Rain and Road), a 5in…

All of a sudden the least expensive new Aston Martin money can buy isn’t a car but a motorcycle, the limited edition, mostly carbonfibre, £93,000 AMB 001. The bike, a collaboration with Brough Superior powered by a turbocharged V-twin, is an unexpected move even by Aston Martin’s standards. Aston’s early plays under current CEO Andy Palmer were shot through with good sense. He established a relationship with Mercedes to get hold of infotainment systems and control electronics (two fiendishly expensive areas of R&D). Ditto the riotous twin-turbo Mercedes-AMG V8 that powers the Vantage and V8 DB11. Palmer’s technical partnership with F1 team Red Bull produced the incredible Valkyrie hypercar – a calling card for both concerns. Then things got weirder. We’ve had a plane, a submarine, bicycles the price of…

‘This generation are used to going fast and hitting stuff hard’ » How is the bike better than last year? After last year’s rally we did a lot of suspension tests and found something good with the suspension linkage. It’s a big step forward – this year there will be a lot of off-piste sections in Saudi Arabia [the entire rally is held there, it’s four times the size of France you know] and the new harder suspension will help the riders. » Why is the suspension harder? The boys ride so aggressively these days and they hit stuff harder and harder. If they find an obstacle they lift the front wheel over it and hit it hard with the rear. You have to adapt to the style of today’s…

Every now and then when reading Bike something springs to mind. Today it is – the price of bikes. Is the price of bikes the way it is because manufacturers know the vast majority will now be bought on PCP and therefore it doesn’t really matter how much the on-the-road price is? I’ve just read the 3500-mile test on Ducati’s Multistrada 950 S ( Bike , December ). Very nice but £14,729 in grey… really? I earn good money, but I don’t want to afford a £15,000 bike. I don’t really want to afford a £15,000 car. I read stories (in Bike ), especially Yamaha MT stories, that bang on about how in real terms the bike is the same price it was when the year started with BC (to…

Price £14,995 Engine 955cc, liquid-cooled, 4v V-twin Power 155bhp Torque 77lb.ft Top speed 175mph (est) Rake/trail 24˚/94mm Wheelbase 1436mm Kerb weight 200kg Seat height 840mm Tank size 17 litres Economy n/a Colours Red Availability December Bike verdict Not what you would call cheap but now with the looks, attitude and tech to match its magical chassis and engine combo. The new Panigale V2 is the go-to sportsbike for scratchers and track-heads. Bike rating 9/ 10…

» Engine Power: set this to number 1 (Race) for the road. You want strong midrange in the lower gears and fuelling is so beautiful you can easily control the RR’s engine with the throttle. Traction Control: set to 3 (Road) to keep intervention moderately immediate. Helps to offset the full engine power of Race mode. ABS: set to 4 (Road). This provides full intervention to front and rear brakes, plus it keeps an eye on rear wheel lift under heavy braking. Wheelie Control: understandably important for track riding, turn this to 0 (Off) for the most on-road enjoyment. Use a dab of rear brake to keep wheelies under control. Suspension Damping: toggle to 1 – the softest for both the front damping and separate rear compression and rebound.…

Price £19,500 Engine 2458cc, liquid-cooled, 12v triple Power 165bhp Torque 163 lb.ft Top speed 138mph (est) Rake/trail 27.9˚/134.9mm Wheelbase 1677mm Kerb weight 320kg (wet) Seat height 773mm Tank size 18 litres Economy 35mpg Colours red, black Availability January Bike verdict The Rocket’s larger engine is nice, but the bigger story is its lighter, sharper chassis. A masterful musclebike, not a cartoon cruiser. Bike rating 8/10…

Miles ridden: 8629 Riders: Jordan Gibbons, Mike Armitage, Pete Boast Fuel used: lots Tyres tried: Dunlop and Pirelli Crashes: one Indian excited us with the FTR1200. We were already big fans of their laid-back Scout, which cleverly mixes modern engineering with traditional character and style, so the idea of a tuned-up version of their refined V-twin in a bike modelled on the all-conquering AMA flat track racer sounded like a Very Good Thing. The concept version looked amazing with its 1203cc engine, racer-derived frame and high-level S&S pipes. Could the real EU-friendly machine deliver on the promise? The FTR charmed on its launch event in the US ( Bike , July 2019), and despite some obvious 'character' the Indian made a solid case for itself in a group test with…

Saddle bag rack £128 » Allows you to strap on some luggage. But only on one side because of the twin upswept rocket-launcher exhausts. S&S Grand National 2-2 £2000 » If you don’t want to take a pillion, stop messing and fit these – they look and sound ace. Just don’t think about the price. High level tail tidy £204 » An official accessory that gets rid of the scaffolding hanging off the swingarm, but gives the FTR more conventional lines. Phone mount £60 » Neatly clips onto the wing mirrors. Essential if you put more value on Twitbook, texts and swiping than enjoying the ride.…

In these days of comparison websites and superficially internet savvy consumers I have noticed a very unpleasant pattern in comprehensive insurance claims, and you, as a wise Bike reader need to tread carefully… You will be familiar with the process of applying for an insurance policy. Based on a quote generated by general questions either answered over the internet or by phone your insurers will give you a quotation. Then, usually but not universally, a written version of your ‘proposal form’ will be sent to you. The word ‘proposal’ is important. It’s about 2013 ‘You recklessly failed to declare a claim so we will void your policy’ The proposal is a hangover of old law whereby you as a consumer proposed insurance to the insurer and they accepted the policy…

In 2006, when I was 15 years old, I did a two-week work placement at BMW Off-Road Skills (ORS). It was a pivotal moment in my life. Nearly all of the instructors at the time had Dakar finisher’s medals and hearing their crazy stories from the event just blew my mind and made me want to get into racing. Two years later my first race was the Dawn to Dusk enduro. As the name suggests, it’s a 12-hour race, which I did as a two-man team with Llewelyn Pavey. The lap was 15 miles of tough forestry trails that would take most riders under an hour. My first (and only) lap took me three-and-a-half hours. I literally could have walked it quicker... I was destroyed when I passed the transponder…

Dunlop Roadsmart II Used for: 5000 miles Price: £172 a pair Info: demon-tweeks.com » If money’s no object, get the newer Road Smart 3s. These have better wet grip and last a bit longer. But if, like me, you want to save £100 and still fit a great pair of sport touring tyres, the 2s are cracking value. I stuck them on my Yamaha FZ-1S and put 5000 miles on. Dry grip was faultless at fast road riding speeds, they warmed up quickly on cold days, wet grip was reassuringly solid and the FZ steered sweetly provided the pressures were cock-on – if the steering started feeling treacly, it was a sign the pressure had dropped by 3psi at one end. After 4000 miles the dual compound rear was starting…