Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i BIKE

SCREEN The front-end styling, lights, mudguard and screen are pure 900. WHEELS This bike has a 21in front and 18in rear, so we guess it’ll be the Rally version. That’s Rally as in BMF rather than Dakar. REAR Subframe and saddle looks similar to 900. Saddle is, as per the current model, a veritable sofa. SHAFT Rest assured, it’s still there. Now completely redesigned and no longer a singlesided swingarm. ENGINE It’s tilted forward and looks more compact than the current model’s. All the cases are different. At first glance this looks like the new Tiger 900 with a curiously large rear shock reservoir, but then you notice the shaft drive and different engine cases and plastics. So what is it? We reckon it’s a prototype of Triumph’s new 1200…

As Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam will tell you, being Jonathan Rea’s Kawasaki team-mate isn’t fun. But Alex Lowes didn’t get the memo – the new Kawasaki rider blitzed the field, came away from Phillip Island leading the World Superbike championship and is a serious contender for the title. ‘I wouldn’t say I’m surprised I’m at the front,’ the 29-year-old tells Bike while hanging around in his hotel in Qatar, having just found the WSB race there has been cancelled because of coronavirus. ‘I suppose I was expecting to take longer to feel comfortable on the bike, after so long on the Yamaha. But if I didn’t think I could beat Jonny – or have a chance of beating him – I wouldn’t have signed for Kawasaki. I wanted a…

» All mainstream Triumphs will be built in Thailand by the end of the year, with only factory customs and prototypes being made in the UK. It’s thought that up to 50 factory workers will be made redundant, though 20 new staff will be taken on as the UK R&D department expands. Triumph CEO, Nick Bloor, said: ‘We want to maximise the growth opportunity for the brand globally, particularly in the Asian markets. This is why we are increasing our design resources in the UK and focusing our mass production in Thailand.’ Though slightly depressing from a flag-waving Rule Britannia perspective, the move is unlikely to make any difference to quality as 90% of Triumphs are already made in Thailand anyway.…

» Ten years after the air-cooled Multistrada was discontinued you should buy on condition and history, with prices between £2000-4000. You need evidence of regular servicing, though I’d still budget on an immediate service and cambelt change using genuine belts. Thereafter service intervals are three years or 7500 miles. An independent specialist would charge £400-500 for a service with belt change. 1100s seem to be prone to valve guide wear at higher mileages, but there are only two per cylinder. Check all functions on the dash are working – ten year old LCDs are starting to fail, though they can be expensively rejuvenated. Try to ascertain whether the tank has ethanol induced distortion, though it can be hard to tell without removing it. Use super unleaded to reduce the risk.…

BMW R1200S2006-2012 £4750 » What a BMW sportsbike was like before they invented the S1000RR. And for my cash it’s a finer road bike. The burbly twin (highest-revving boxer ever when released) overflows with charm and lazy drive for high-velocity bend-swinging. Which is handy, as it’s what the floaty Telever-shod chassis excels at. The R1200S is rapid and composed on the A684, rather than Circuit de Catalunya. That said, it’s great fun trying to scuff the heads on track. Leaky final drive shaft, iffy clutch, graunchy gears? Walk. Otherwise pick the best colour (yellow) and get used to people staring. » Power 123bhp » Engine 1170ccflat twin Yamaha MT-01 2005-2012 £5000 » Five grand? Be patient. Dealers easily shift the MT so prices tend to be nearer £6500 (and SP…

‘Winding it on is addictively freaky. Being shoved forwards with no sense of mechanical effort is as bizarre as it is thrilling’ If good things come to those who wait, where the heck are decent electric motorcycles? ‘They’re the future,’ we’ve been told for the past ten years. Come on, it’s 2020 – that definitely sounds like the future. Clever Californians Zero know the difficulties better than most. They’ve been making proper mass-produced electric road bikes for a decade, yet chances are you don’t know much about them other than the facts in this sentence. You may remember Zero’s SR/F roadster from Bike’s September ’19 issue, when we put one beneath veteran drag racer Pip Higham. He declared it ‘incredibly quick’ – solid praise from a man who clung to…

If you stumbled into the police box piloted by that Dalek-fighting lass and were whisked from 1990 to 2020, chances are the F900XR would be as unbelievable as her larger-on-the-inside spaceship. BMWs used to be obstinate buggers. They had curious three-switch indicators, odd servo brakes, narrowboat handling and excess kilos. And now here’s the F900XR: an 895cc all-rounder that’s so intuitive, straightforward and simple to ride you hurl it around like a moped within moments. It’s remarkably nimble at lower speed. The XR flicks in a way that defies its weight and geometry, yet without feeling flyaway or insubstantial. ‘The F900XR feels heavy when you pick it off its stand, yet transforms as soon as you move,’ says Bike subscriber Dom Mattock. ‘I’ve read about GSs feeling unwieldy when you…

‘It’s the one we want to ride for its fun – and at the end of the day, isn’t that what riding a bike is all about?’ Fifteen years back we did huge group tests of sportsbikes. With such close specifications (the 600s had identical bore and stroke, matching geometry and so on) people understandably said that the bikes were all the same, but there were always clear differences. And there was always a clear winner. Now we have three high-rise all-rounders, each with a different engine configuration, equipment level and character – and it’s the closest test I can remember. Even the PCP deals are neck-and-neck. Sounds lame… but buy whichever you think looks best and be delighted. It’s five years since this version of Honda’s VFR800X Crossrunner appeared.…

Michelin Anakee Wild Used for: 1782 miles Price: £211 (rrp) pair (90/90 R21, 150/70 R18) Info: michelin.co.uk » These are the homologated ‘off-road’ tyre for Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 (which requires them to be run with tubes), and I’ve used them on slimy trails, slimy rock, slimy roads and, just for variety, some dry tarmac too. On road they are noisy, and there’s some knobble induced vibes, but that’s the same as any adventure tyre with off-road pretensions. On the Yamaha, on the road, they remain stable at speed, but there’s less ‘feel’ on turn in. Once you are used to them there’s plenty of grip, provided that the road is dry, but on a wet roundabout you aren’t getting the grip of a road tyre and cack-handed throttle use can…

‘You go into a corner at a pace you managed last summer and realise it’s too fast. You might get round, but there’ll be a lot of “oh f*cks”.’ Ididn’t think I needed this training. After all, I did a similar day 18 months ago which went OK and I’ve had 25,000 incident-free miles since then. Peter Hickman won’t be losing sleep about my corner speed but I’m old enough not to be bothered about that – enjoyment and arriving in one piece are where it’s at. And riding 5000 miles through winter should mean there’s no rustiness. ‘Yeeeeaah, it doesn’t always work like that,’ says Ryan Decarteret from Rapid Training as we stand beside a B-road somewhere near Berkhamsted. ‘Riding all winter is better than sitting in a car,…

Brazil wasn’t overly bouyant in the 1970s. Its buggered economy lead to an import ban on foreign products in an attempt to boost home-grown industry, which included motorbikes and spare parts. Brazilian police were forced to smoke around on ancient bodgedup Harleys, so a bloke called Daniel Rodriguez decided to make an all-Brazilian machine and secure the police contract. He set up Amazonas Motocicletas Especiais (AME) and created the Policial. Several car firms were bashing out cars locally so Rodriguez popped to the VW plant in Sao Paulo and bought a pushrod 1584cc flat four. Yes, the air-cooled Beetle engine. This was shackled into a basic and ridiculously oversize chassis using as many other car parts as possible, including the brake calipers and solid 10mm-thick discs. With just 56bhp, a…

‘That’s certainly a big outlet pipe and it would make you think it’s a turbo’ Last year Yamaha registered several patents showing a turbo bolted to what looked like an MT-09. And now we get this spyshot of a Yamaha MT-10 prototype sporting a serious amount of pipework, heat shielding and whopping air intake on the left hand side. Is it a turbo? Bike’s experts think so. ‘That’s certainly a big outlet pipe and it would make you think it’s a turbo,’ says Jack Frost of Holeshot Tuning, who have built several of the world’s fastest turbo-charged bikes. ‘Most of our bikes have 2.5in outlet pipes, though some of our really big stuff is 3.5in. I’d say that the one on the MT-10 looks approximately 2.5in.’ The huge intake on…

‘We got our restoration team to start it up… It ran perfectly’ It’s not often you come across a brand new 43-year-old motorcycle and rarer still to find it for sale. Yet this 1977 Triumph T160 Trident is just such a beast. It was bought by National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) founder Roy Richardson from a dealer back in the 1980s. The bike was new and unregistered and Roy couldn’t have found a more original example of Triumph’s second generation triple. It came with its owner’s manual and keys and became part of the museum’s display for a number of years before, amazingly, another brand new T160 was donated to the museum from the USA. With two brand new T160s available for display, the decision was made to offer this one…

Harley sales have fallen for five straight years, their CEO has just quit and now BMW are targeting them with a huge new rival to the Road Gilde. Spy shots show the R18 concept – an 1800cc push-rod twin – is being developed in a full tourer mode and Marcus Schramm, BMW’s CEO, is confident it will eat some of Harley’s diminishing cruiser pie. ‘We have proven in the past we can enter new segments,’ he said. ‘Take the S1000RR in 2009 – we were not part of the superbike world and now we are one of the leaders. It’s important for us to bring an emotional bike for BMW – we are not copying anybody. I think we have a good opportunity to grab a big slice of this…

When Marc Marquez announced his new four year contract with Honda there were the inevitable moans about him being too chicken to try riding for anyone else. But the stats say he’s made the right move. If you want to win a boxful of premier class motorcycle championships, you’re best off staying with one manufacturer. The only major exception to the rule is Valentino Rossi, who left Honda in his prime after winning three world championships and joined Yamaha, where he won another four. And though Duke, Agostini and Lawson won a single championship with a different manufacturer, every other multiple winner of the GP era – from Masetti to Roberts to Doohan – got all their premier class championships with a single marque. The rule even applies to arguably…

WIND FORCE The sum of all the wind pressure on bike and rider is about here. The centre of gravity is lower down though, so at 200mph the front will be very light, if not airborne. OPTIMUM WHEELIE This is an acceleration wheelie, held in check by the Ducati’s electronics and/or Dovi’s right hand. At 200mph-plus, acceleration is not required to start a wheelie – wind force will do it. NO BIG WINGS AT THE BACK? F1 cars have massive wings at the back as well as the front. MotoGP bikes don’t because their aero is primarily doing a different job – it’s trying to stop the front of the bike lifting off at top speed. WEIGHT FORWARD Here we see Dovi shoving all his weight forward to try and…

This T-shirt is from the 1970s. My memories of that time are warm sunshine reflecting off my honda CB400F’s polished chrome exhaust. One issue of Bike back then ran an article on what to do if caught speeding. it said don’t say a word when approached by Plod so as not to incriminate yourself. so when i was pulled over on the A10 by two burly officers in a rover P8, which had a large speedo on top of the dash for recording motorists’ speeds, i remained silent and scared. They turned out to be pleasant enough and said they were once bikers and understood why i rode in such a fashion. But unfortunately i got the points anyway. Colin Powley, email IF YOU,VE GOT AN OLD T-SHIRT LIKE COLIN’S…

£4290, 2006 Daytona 675, 10,155miles » Because of the long production run, there are plenty of tidy 675s like this one. It comes with a full service history, all original keys, low miles and some useful bolt-ons – heated grips, seat cowl, tail tidy etc. The main thing to check is whether it’s been raced – look for the usual signs such as a drilled sump plug and sparkling plastics but tatty everything else. Other stuff to check: the lockstops – they snap easily in a crash; cam chain rattle – there shouldn’t be any on pre-2009 bikes; 12,000 miles service – it’s a £600er, so check it’s been done, or knock off plenty if it’s due. » From Optimum Bikes: 01937 325045…

To avoid making you nauseous with the Yamaha’s very many positive attributes, let’s crack off with the less-than-ideal. Slippery roads don’t bring out the best in the Tracer. The standard tyres play a big part, as although fine in the dry they’re too easily overwhelmed by the triple’s torque in the damp, and feel evaporates; the rangy Yam is also the loosest of the three, nothing like as inspiring when it’s grotty as the Honda or BMW. Some riders whine about screen buffeting, and diminutive Langy says, ‘I keep kicking the pillion handles swinging my little legs over – I’ve done it three times.’ But this short list is the lot. In every other way the Tracer 900GT is a truly fabulous device. It’s the three-cylinder engine that makes the…

Welcome to New Zealand The GS Trophy is an amateur rally run by BMW every two years. Riders from all over the world enter qualifiers in their home country, with the top three bagging themselves an all-expenses paid trip of a lifetime. This year the event enjoyed New Zealand while previous excursions have taken in Mongolia, Thailand and Canada. Typical challenge Two of the team ride over the hill and round the pillar with two jerry cans of fuel. The other team member runs to the river and waits. When the bike arrives the pillion dismounts and, with the third team member, runs through the river with the fuel, and back to the start . Drop the bike and it’s a disqualification. Any questions? Throw down the gauntlet As well…

Jennifer Huntley, Marshal » There’s a big catch to the GS Trophy – the rules say you can’t go twice. The only way you can return is as a marshal, which is why most of the team is made up of former competitors. The first hurdle, however, is becoming a qualified BMW Off Road Instructor. Jenny teaches at Off Road Skills in South Wales. ‘First and foremost a marshal’s job is to keep the riders safe. A lot of people think of us as guides because we have the route and we generally know what’s going on, but rider safety is the big thing. The biggest danger is tiredness – around 2pm everyone starts to get a little sleepy, and with the Sena intercoms we had this year you could…

Between 1965 and 1981, U.S. motorcycle registrations increased from 1.4 million to six million. Honda got the lion’s share of that increase, but that growth was not dependent on racing success. That’s because American Honda didn’t have a concerted or comprehensive AMA racing program, although some of the company’s American employees ran ‘back-door’ racing teams. That was how Honda won their first-ever AMA dirt track race in 1974, at the season-opening short track held in the Houston Astrodome. Mike Gerald, known locally as the ‘Cajun King of Short Track’, rode an XL350-powered single to the win in front of a huge crowd. In the late ’70s Dennis McKay, who controlled American Honda’s small racing budget, funded a back-door flat track team with bikes made by Jerry Griffith, who had previously…

‘Some bikes had rusty spokes – Honda changed to double-dipped and rebuilt wheels, but it happened again’ COME IN, YOUR TIME IS UP There was a new recall added in 2019 regarding the centrestand. It needs to be poked and prodded to ensure the clip that holds the whole thing in place isn’t going to make a bid for freedom and allow the stand to escape. It’s a small annoyance (just like the heated grips and spokes, right) but not worth getting flustered over as the rest of the Africa Twin proves why Honda have such a solid reputation. REBOOT THE DCT Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) is flippin’ clever and removes helmet bashing from two-up riding. Shifts should be eerily smooth, but sometimes they get a bit lumpy, with…

PANTS ON FIRE This motorway figure looks ace, but the display is a liar. Over my mixed-route commute it claims 61.9mpg, but calculations reveal 42.5mpg. It’s 3mpg better than a Pani’ V4 on the same journey. This means a range of 159 miles from the 17-litre tank. The fuel light pings on around 115 miles. OWNERSHIP REWARDS Sometimes it’s the smallest things. These aero doodahs sit inside two large holes punched through the seat unit, and were only discovered during cleaning. The holes mean dirt collects in the cutouts, which is a shame. But the taillight also makes the holes glow at night, so that’s OK. HAND JOB The sidestand is obscured by the left footpeg. Getting the stand down involves prodding, swearing and folding the footpeg out the way.…

1 This is my Prime Factors Racing bike for 2020, which my old mate Bob Stockley will work magic upon during his lunch breaks, evenings and weekends. We’ve chosen the M model as the base bike for its chassis adjustment. 2 First job: run-in for 300 miles. Which Bob does over two days between Christmas and New Year, 2019. The bike is washed after every ride. Bob then vans it to BMW Wollaston to have its rev-limiter removed. 3 Anything that doesn’t make it go fast is removed: road bodywork, chain, sprockets, bars, exhaust… then sexy blue Samco hoses and Alpha Racing carbon fibre frame and swingarm protectors kick off the race mods 4 We’ll be swapping the M’s stock carbon fibre rims for Oz Racing forged ali jobs. Carbons…

‘This road will scare the life out of you, and the bike is guaranteed to take off if your balls are big enough’ Scotland has lots of excellent roads, and if you live there you’re lucky because you get to ride them every weekend weather permitting. But for those of us south of the border, the two main ways of getting into Scotland are less than brilliant – to the west it’s the M74 and in the east it’s the A1 going the long way round hugging the coast past Berwick-upon-Tweed. But in between them is the A68, going from the A1 north of Darlington for 125 miles to meet the Edinburgh ring road. It’s easily the best ride to Scotland and has something of everything. The A68 starts with…

MASSIVE AERO EFFECT ‘The wings had a massive effect on the bike at the NW200 – there’s over 35kg of down-force at 170mph so at a lot of places the front end ploughs over the road. You need to take a bit of weight off the front to give the rider a better feel.’ DON’T CHANGE TOO MUCH ‘Ten years ago there would be big alterations from a short circuit bike to a road racing machine. But nowadays the bike in the BSB championship is virtually the bike that heads off down Bray Hill. ’ FLYING STONES ‘We’ll add protection to the forks, bodywork and radiator to stop stones causing damage.’ SCREEN ‘ A standard Ducati Corse item, which will probably be OK. Chaz Davies, Scott Redding and Leon Camier…

‘Last year the tyre shredded on a Hayabusa doing 155mph and tore the swingarm in half’ You’re about to race a one-off bike for a mile down this frozen Russian lake. What do you think the main problem will be? Freezing your arse off? Mechanical issues? The vodka hangover? Nope, it’s much, much worse than all those. ‘As speeds increase, there’s so much centrifugal force on the spikes in the tyres that they can tear out,’ says Brice Hennebert, who built this extraordinary Indian Scout-based drag bike. The result is not only that you get very sharp bullets flying out randomly, but also that the tyres disintegrate. Sub-optimal at 150mph. ‘One of the modifications we made was building a guard to stop ice and spikes from hitting the rider,’ says…

Where are the Benellis Great magazine, but why in your listings section is only one Benelli reviewed? There appear to be quite a few decent looking bikes in the range now and some have been widely available for some time. There is a decent looking cruiser, retro, scrambler and adventure bike in the range. I’d know if they are any good. Rick Cuthbert, email The new Benelli 752S looks good, and we were due to ride it in March, but then they shut Italy. As soon as we can, we’ll report on it. HW Shhhhhhhhh Regards the April issue and 52.876964,-3.477983. I recognised it straight away, and I’m not happy. It’s one of my favourite roads and I feel it belongs to me. So ssshhhh. Rob Stub, email Till deaf…

The choice available in the used bike market is extraordinary. Motorcycles with mileages that are only just nudging into five figures are available at a fraction of their original cost, and as soon as they’re a few years old, out of warranty and no longer a current model, they get even cheaper. But they’re still the same bike. Still capable of big miles, of European trips, of trackdays, of bringing a huge smile to your face. Canny buying will put you on a bike to cherish and enjoy.…

‘The Multistrada was heaven sent for Ducati freaks who wanted to keep their chiropractors poor ’ Inn May 2004 I borrowed a new Ducati Multistrada 1000 and rode it from Peterborough to the Isle of Skye. On the A82, crossing Glen Coe after 400 odd miles in the saddle, there were roadworks with single file traffic and a red light. We approached the queue of cars and caravans at speed, slowed, and then hustled to the front where a Dutch registered Ducati 750SS, two-up, was waiting too. The 750 was gun metal grey, with red wheels and soft luggage. Nice bike, and an earlier piece of work by Multistrada designer Pierre Terblanche. The rider turned and looked up to me from his crouched position, stretched over the SS’s curvy tank.…

» There’s a bit of stuff to check on a K1300S. A handful of owners have had transmission issues, so check it’s got a full quota of gears. Coils can pack up, and poor spark plug access can mean expensive servicing – so make sure it’s all been done. Check the function of the electronic suspension too, as replacement can cost more than the bike’s worth. Used K1300S prices start at £3500. We’re taken with this peach found on MCN’s bikes for sale: 2010-model K1300S Sport, just 21,000 miles, full service history, all the extras (quickshifter, ESA, traction, heated grips) plus expanding luggage. In the best colour, too. £4950 with three-month warranty. » More details from ridedmc.co.uk, 01322 280594…

Let’s begin by ignoring the ‘adventure sports’ tag that comes attached to our three test subjects. Then let’s also sidestep that, despite displacing almost a litre, they’re called middleweights. These three bikes are good, wholesome, old-fashioned all-rounders – sensibly priced large-capacity bikes with the performance, handling, comfort, manners and practicality to make a ruddy good fist of pretty much anything asked. They’re bikes worthy of the old UJM (universal Japanese motorcycle) tag… apart from one is European, but let’s not get needlessly fussy. Yamaha’s MT-09-based Tracer 900 is the benchmark, a fruity yet friendly creation that’s as exciting as it is sensible. This proven three-cylinder tool has its work cut out though, as BMW’s new F900XR is aimed squarely at stealing the Yam’s customers. And then there’s the Honda Crossrunner:…

‘Low-speed willingness is startling. The way it’ll bank through fast corners is just as remarkable’ Let’s get straight to it. No, the new S1000XR doesn’t have ShiftCam. The engine is based on the variable-valve S1000RR superbike but its über-cunning system isn’t employed. Why? Using it on the XR would be a con… According to a man responsible for the S1000XR, their cam-swapping system isn’t ShiftCam but, as he calls it, ‘ShiftScam’. On the RR the system does increase bottom end but its main function is allowing a hairy cam for mad power. The extra horses arrive beyond 10,000rpm which, as our PR-unfriendly engineer points out, is irrelevant for road riders. They’re selling us something we don’t need. Though the S1000XR’s 999cc inline four spins to 12,000rpm, they say 3000 to…

Miles ridden: 4275 Riders: Mike Armitage, Martin Fitz-Gibbons Tyres tried: Metzeler, Maxxis Fuel used: 379 litres Jet wash visits: lost count According to exciting statistics just one-in-forty new bikes is a sports-tourer. That’s just 2.5% – and given the random classifications used by those who collate such trivia, there’s every chance this is generous. Fast-yet-comfy, engaging-but-polite bikes have been forgotten in the stampede for adventurers and nakeds, so it makes you wonder why BMW bother with the R1250RS. Especially as that two-and-a-half percent is dominated by Kawasaki’s Z1000SX (now a Ninja). Thing is, the R1250RS could be the overlooked star of BMW’s range. You get the same variable-valve engine as in the omnipresent R1250GS, same tech and options, but without the isolating Telelever front end, blocky tyres or feeling like…

California Pass The winding road leading up to California Pass: the dirt is a rich red colour, and it’s hard not to take the time to gaze back at the beautiful valley on the way to the peak. Chasing pots of gold By the time we reach the rocky strewn peaks of Ophir Pass the weather’s turning. We pull on our rain suits and make a break for it, hoping we can outrun the rain and find somewhere dry to sleep for the night. We are able to set up camp in the dry but the rain continues off and on. But that means, between the showers, we get a beautiful rainbow. Red rocks The road south is wide and open, and we are able to move along at a…

» Yamaha’s forward-looking TDM850 combined the best bits of a giant trailie and sportsbike in a funky road-biased bundle. But nobody understood it in 1991, and the subtle looks of 2002’s TDM900 did little to help (hence the Tedium tag). We’ve all grown up though, and today the TDM’s mix of slim 17-inch-wheeled chassis, flexible 897cc twin-cylinder power, 20-litre tank, ease of use and adventure stance are what everyone wants. Slip the 900 into this month’s ‘adventure sports’ test and it’d fit right in. It wouldn’t be the best bike, of course, but then it wouldn’t cost ten grand either: a spotless low-mile TDM with tasty accessories is £2500.…

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. Hero-Davidson » Harley’s reinvention continues. As well as electric bikes, they’re developing small bikes with Chinese giant Qianjiang, based on Benellis – a 338cc bike is due this year. And now Indian firm Hero, the world’s biggest bike manufacturer, wants to snuggle under the duvet too. ‘The sooner it happens, it’s good for everyone’, reckons Hero chairman Pawan Munjal. Call of…

‘Dress up as Evel Knievel, ride your bike around the TT course, raise money for Macmillan cancer charity’ Ducati Strada C3 £129.99 ducati.com » These gloves are made for Ducati by Rev’it and have a nice list of features: CE certified, rigid knuckles, Goretex - so waterproof and breathable - they’re not insulated, but have a clever liner so are warm enough for cool days and OK as the thermometer climbs too. The best bit is that they are fantastically comfortable (for me), and they aren’t bulky. Now discontinued, some online sellers still have stock. HW Dainese Ergotour Gore-Tex £159.95 dainese.com » These are waterproof, windproof and have a small amount of insulation – just enough to stop my fingers going white on autumnal mornings, but not so much that…

Four-season clobber like it used to be Used for: 1000 miles Price: £329.99 Info: weiseclothing.com » Being blue isn’t the only good thing. This is very warm and comfy, hasn’t let rain through and has Knox armour, too. The softness, long cuff zips and general feel remind me of an Alpinestars jacket I had in 2005, except that cost a lot more. The downside is this means the Weise also feels a bit dated, especially as it has a removable ‘drop’ waterproof liner – it can get waterlogged and take some drying. Oxford shook the lower-price end of the textile market last year with their laminated Mondial jacket that’s £70 cheaper; Weise have responded with a new laminated (and AA-rated) Outlast Frontier jacket for £269.99 that’ll be safer, drier and…