Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i BIKE

AERODYNAMICS The old bike didn’t have any wings, for goodness sake. That terrible oversight has been rectified with a couple of pointy out ones and some in-fairing ducts. ENGINE 997cc 88-degree DOHC water-cooled V-twin with four valves per cylinder and a turbo. Power is 225bhp. CHASSIS CNC alloy frame connects headstock to engine, with the swingarm bolted to the back of the crankcases. Double wishbone front suspension, all made from machined alloy. PRICE £128,000, which is £7000 less than the cheapest new Aston car. Bargain really. When Aston Martin and Brough Superior joined forces to make the £93,000 AMB 001 last year, you probably thought the same thing as us: that’s far too cheap. Well, happy days, because now there’s the AMB 001 Pro which costs £128,000. Although utterly irrelevant,…

Braking News [THE NEW THING] Despite hardly being on the cutting edge of all things on-trend (we think that’s the term) we’re not bad at motorcycle trend spotting. And so we can now confidently-ish predict biking’s next boom will be modest-sized cruisers. In fact not-massive cruisers are already making sales headway. Where once wannabe Rossis squabbled over clip-on-clad sportsbikes, the mid-sized cruiser is now creating a new-look biking landscape. Honda’s cheerful CMX500 Rebel is the best-selling model from their broad line-up of 500CC parallel twins, while Kawasaki’s Vulcan S outsells the Z650, Ninja 650 and Versys. Royal Enfield take things a step on with the accessible, affordable Meteor 350 - yes it’s only 2obhp but it was the best-selling cruiser model in the UK throughout much of 2022 according to the…

[SURPRISE…] Dreamed of owning an MV Agusta but can’t stretch to £20,000 for an F3 RR? Good news. The Italians are diversifying into affordable electric urban mobility. Though a battery commuter might be unexpected, MV made scooters in black-and-white times and the old models influence the look of the new Ampelio. Styling is MV’s only real MV input, mind - they have a partnership with Kymco and it’s the Taiwanese firm’s S7 model underneath. The 9.7bhp motor is fed by two 1.7kWh removable batteries that can be charged inside or swapped, and give a 50-odd mile range. It also has two riding modes and keyless function. It’s a ‘future model’, but MV also tag it as ‘MY23’ and are good at putting concepts into action. Expect to be able to…

Estonian based Verge Motorcycles have begun manufacture of their Verge TS and TS Pro. Looking like they both should have been in /, Robot or under Arnie in Terminator the TS and TS Pro feature a hubless rear wheel with integrated motor which. Verge say, enables power and torque to be transmitted straight to the ground. The Pro model generates 737 Ib.ft of torque while still delivering over 200 miles of range. Verge will build just 32 of the €35,000 machines and delivery is scheduled for late ’23.…

FUNCTION OVER FORM The default rear tyre size is usually 180/55 ZR17, but Honda have used a 160 on the Hornet. This thinner tyre has a more rounded profile and smaller contact patch, for easier turning. ‘At spec sheet and price tag level the £6999, 755cc, 91bhp twin has it all going on’ PARTS SHARING Twins with a 270° crank need a balancer. The Honda doesn’t have a balancer drive gear-the primary drive gear doubles up and spins the balance shaft, to keep the motor compact. WHIZZBANG TECH There are three levels of engine power, engine braking and traction control, plus integrated wheelie control. All linked to the riding modes: Sport, Standard, Rain and User. SHINING BRIGHT Not the headlight, but the winkers. The Hornet has Emergency Stop Signal (ESS)…

K1600 to Scotland Peterborough to A68 diner, Toft Hill Mileage: 161 miles Wafting northwards on the A1, the seat of a BMW K1600GT is a wonderful place to be. The seat itself is broad and comfortable, has two height settings and the benefit of electric heating, but we won’t be needing that on a sunny summer Friday. Comfort is further enhanced by a wide and electrically adjustable screen, and a natural, upright riding position. At an indicated 80mph the tacho is reading 3750rpm and the inline six-cylinder engine is barely breaking a sweat. In fact, it’s so smooth you hardly know it’s working. The big BM just glides forward like it’s being propelled by a giant electric motor (but maybe we don’t want to start that discussion), and when the…

Group test The fact that MT-07S are still pouring out of showrooms with only minor changes since its launch eight years ago - how different did the world look then - should tell us something. But we’re increasingly forgetful here at Bike and despite having ridden the 689cc twin before, both Dom and I are taken aback by how good the Yamaha is. ‘I love this,’ he says after a frantic ride down the B660. ‘I’d forgotten how the engine feels like it’s got more power than it really has - it’s so revvy and eager. The gearing is clever because you keep feeding it gears and it keeps accelerating so you feel like you’re really shifting, but when you look at the speedo it’s not going that fast. I’ll…

Like choosing the world’s best pudding, picking a definitive winner among these four is impossible, partly because they’re all winners already, partly because they all do different things brilliantly, and partly because one of the puddings costs £22,345. Our BMW R1250GS Adventure test bike had so many boxes ticked that replicating the spec on BMW’s configurator is actually very easy - just tick everything. Dynamic Pack (£1490), Comfort Pack (£720), Touring Pack (£885), Lighting Pack (£770), Billet Pack (£2050) plus a £900 Akrapovic and Triple Black paint (£830). The packs alone cost as much as the Enfield. The result is a phenomenal motorcycle, both in terms of how it rides, what it can do, and the impression it makes on those in the know. That’s why it’s the UK’s best-selling…

Interesting new bike fact. After extended investigation 1 can confirm that bikes fitted with wings are harder to steer on one wheel than those without wings. BMW say that the Sopwith Camel-style ones protruding out of its new M1000R can generate up to 11 kilograms of downforce, and with their effect on air flow the bike only wants to go straight during a wheelie. Pulling wheelies is quite easy on the M1000R, This is the £19,480 range-topping super-sporty version of BMW’s four-cylinder supernaked. It’s based on the existing 163bhp S1000R Sport but has got the same all-singing, 207bhp, full-on engine as the 2023 S1000RR (see p6o), complete with ShiftCam variable-valve cleverness. On the M1000R there’s also one more tooth on the rear sprocket, lowering the bike’s overall gearing to increase…

Who doesn’t love a Husqvarna and the associations with Scandi scramblers and Steve McQueen ’sleds’? Sensible BMW decided they didn’t and sold the brand to KTM five years after buying it. There was but one offspring -the 2011/12 Nuda. With an enlarged F800 engine producing 105bhp, supermoto-ish style, 13-litre tank and a price above Ducati’s Hypermotard it was impractical, expensive and niche. It was canned after a year with barely 800 built. However, the Nuda is way ahead of the Yamaha MT-09 or similar when it comes to hooning fun. Quality is high, you get proper Öhlins and Brembo in classy ’R’ trim, and it’s different. When launched the ’R’ cost £9250 (before dealers discounted like crazy). Today, if you can find one, this overlooked cult classic still costs much…

[ Watching ] ‘The most exciting race ever recorded’ Toni Bou: nature calls In sport, no matter what sport, there are the good, the greats and alien beings who are so far above the rest it’s like they’re competing in a different sport. Toni Bou is that alien. For confirmation he takes to nature tackling forests, waterfalls and anything else the great outdoors has to offer… YouTube search: Toni Bou, outdoor freeriding Henry Atkins: riding around a field Just how exciting can riding around a field be? If you’re Henry Atkins, and his fellow grasstrackers, then about as exciting as sport gets. Described in the YouTube bumf as the most exciting race the film-ist has ever recorded, a field in the middle of nowhere will never quite look the same…

Five bikes… [NEW BIKES] This handsome device is the new Fantic Caballero 700 Scrambler, which is essentially a Yamaha MT-07 wearing stylish Italian trousers. The 689CC parallel twin motor is exactly as it left the Yamaha factory, but everything else is made or procured by off-road specialists Fantic. Impressively, this not only includes the frame and suspension, but also the electronics - there’s a 3.5-inch circular TFT screen with Bluetooth connectivity, three riding modes (Road, Off-road and Custom), and the 700 also gets traction control and cornering ABS. The frame is more prosaic - a chromoly steel backbone - but you do get an aluminium swingarm and Marzocchi suspension. It’s the first ever twin-cylinder bike from modern-era Fantic and the latest product of their partnership with Yamaha that kicked off in…

SUPERCHARGER The C30-94 Rotrex supercharger lives in a TTS-designed housing with an integral oil cooler and reservoir,and a carbon fibre air intake. Maximum impeller speed is 100,000rpm. Superchargers are driven directly by the engine, rather than the exhaust gases (as turbos are), so there is no lag. ELECTRONICS Atricky business because Triumph locked down the ECU to stop tampering. However, TTS have managed to change the mapping to suit the supercharger. ENGINE The2458cc inline triple gets new forged pistons, new cams and stronger clutch springs, but is otherwise left alone. The supercharger is driven off the clutch basket. Peak power is 300bhp. This supercharged Triumph Rocket 3 produces 300bhp, which is of course optimal for a road-going cruiser. But even more impressive is the quality of the build - the…

This tasty Ducati 916 smashed its estimate at Silverstone Auctions, defying the cost-of-living crisis to set what is believed to be a UK and world record. The 1995 SP2 model, with just 2200 miles on the clock from new, sold for an eye-watering £42,750that’s £3755 more than a brand-new, 237bhp Panigaie V4R. Someone out there really can’t let go of the 1990s. Other lots of note included a 1967 Triumph TR6C Trophy 650cc, a Salon Privé Concours winner presented in factory condition, which sold for £14,063 - a relative bargain in this company.…

THE WINNERS ISSUE 2022’s biggest winners Toni Bou Hugest GOAT In 2007 Gordon Brown became PM, Ducati launched the 1098 and a 20-year-old Spaniard called Toni Bou won his first trials world title. Since then, we’ve been through five prime ministers and seven new' flagship Ducati sportsbikes (more if you count all the Superleggover editions), but in the trials world - indoor and outside - it’s just been Toni Bou. Every single year since 2007 he’s won both world championships - the 2022 outdoor championship was world title #32. Statistically he is the finest motorcyclist who has ever lived, and, in all likelihood, ever will. And it’s not as if he operates in a sporting backwater where anyone half decent could dominate - trials is massive in continental Europe and Japan…

Best bit of Honda’s new Hornet? The engine. It might not be an inline four or derived from a sportsbike like the original, but this doesn’t matter. There’s nice power all through the rev range - it’s happy pootling using low-rev drive, will pull out of almost any corner in third and so is easy to ride, but if you want to rev it then it really likes to be revved. The throttle can be a bit jerky, but with a claimed 91bhp it’s the most powerful in class, and it’s fun. And exciting - turn the electronics off, give the clutch a flick in third gear and it wheelies. The 270° crank means it feels like a V-twin. Sounds like one as well - at certain parts in its…

THE WINNERS ISSUE YAMAHA MT-07 Been wheelieing out of showrooms since its launch. Third biggest seller of 2022 and the UK’s favourite naked. ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR The UK’s bestselling retro of 2022 (and 2021, and 2020), second overall behind the BMW GS/GSA combined. BMW R1250GSA The Bavarian masterclass is the best selling adventure bike, and 2022’s best selling motorcycle overall. TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 660 UK’s most popular adventuresport model, fourth overall and Triumph’s best seller (pipping the Trident 660).…

Clattering down the bumpiest section of our test route, I take respite from aiming the Triumph between verges heaped with fallen leaves and glance down at the clocks. Bloody nora this thing’s deceptively fast - it’s carrying as much speed as the BMW did yesterday and feels almost as effortless. Admittedly I’m thrashing the Triumph whereas the GS was striding along in its parpy midrange, but the 660cc triple is so smooth at its top-end that it doesn’t feel stressed. And that’s the beauty of Triumph’s adventure-style adaptation of the Trident 660: for a modest amount of money you get a seriously capable motorcycle that - from a riding point of view - comes close to matching a £23,000 R1250GS Adventure, albeit with a little less panache and a lot…

BREAK OUT THE SELLOTAPE RE’s Himalayan is pleasingly functional with almost utilitarian appeal. This trendier Scram version has cleaner lines, and as well as losing the screen it’s also lost the rack. This wouldn’t be an issue if they’d fitted bungee points. But they haven’t. Oversight on this type of bike. A LITTLE FAITH IS REQUIRED CEAT is an Indian firm that’s been in business since 1958 and makes tyres for everything from bikes and cars to tractors and buses. The Seram’s tyres cope easily with 24bhp, but don’t give any feel in the wet. I’ve not had any moments, but you need to trust they’re up to it. PLEASINGLY PRACTICAL Key slot for the seat release is a neat detail, hidden on the left-side subframe. Removing the perch doesn’t…

Know How Weird & Wonderful Few motorcycling development stories are as protracted and painful as that of Midual. But then maybe that’s to be expected of a high-end new-build from France which, in typically contrary Franco fashion, insisted on using their own boxer twin mounted not transversely, like a BMW, but longitudinally. It wasn’t just counter-intuitive but counter cooling common-sense, and that’s before you get into the difficulties finding space for other fairly significant bits. Like the rear suspension. It was already hard enough with a 90-degree V-twin… Midual’s longitudinal boxer wasn’t the first. Blighty’s own Douglas built such bikes as early as 1907 before, as legend has it, BMW’s Max Friz noticed one of his worker’s bikes, reverse engineered it and rotated the engine 90 degrees to create the 1923…

ENGINE The same 134bhp twin as the R1250GS and RT, but now with a new Eco mode that adjusts the ShiftCam, torque and throttle response to get more mpg. ELECTRONICS The base model now gets cornering ABS and traction control as standard, plus gains options to unlock fancier riding modes. TFT SCREEN Like the S1000RR you can now switch to a Sports display showing your lean angle and traction control heroics (or otherwise). As usual, there’s little fanfare about BMW’s new R1250RS, probably because it has fewer fans than the GS and RT. But for riders who want delicious R1250 thrust without enormity, the RS is perfect. The new model moves things up a notch by getting cornering traction control (DTC in BMWese) and cornering ABS as standard and a…

KTM have recalled their 1290 Super Duke R supernaked for improvements to the wiring harness. The routing of these cables has been improved on the current model, but bikes built from 2020 to 2022 require a frame cover to be retrofitted, to prevent chaffing, plus all-important cable ties. Owners can check at ktm.com to see if their model is affected before booking it into an authorised KTM dealer. As you would expect the rectifications are free and come under the bike’s warranty.…

Honda CB750 Hornet It’s all Suzuki’s fault. They revitalised the market for nakeds (‘motorbikes’ as we used to call them) with their GSF600 Bandit in 1996, using a proven sports-based engine in a simple chassis to create wide-spread appeal. Keen for a generous slice of the pie, Honda dished up the CB600F Hornet in 1998 with a CBR engine in a steel-spine frame with superbike-size wheels, served with a healthy portion of trademark quality. A whopper of a hit, the Hornet became to naked middle-weights what the VFR was to sports-tourers. It had almost cult status. Still has. But now there’s a new one. This time Yamaha are to blame - their cheap-but-very-cheerful MT-07 parallel twin has stomped all over rivals, and the new CB750 Hornet is Honda’s response. At…

First Ride It takes just a handful of laps to realise the operating level of the new S1000RR is way beyond most of us. Now boasting 207bhp and an advanced slide control system for WSB-style cornering, releasing all of its warp-speed power and exploiting the electrical wizardry takes talent. BMW have fitted the cylinder head, airbox and variable-height inlets from the homologation special M1000RR, meaning maximum torque (83 lb.ft) arrives 500rpm higher at 11,000rpm. In turn, this pushes peak power from an already silly 204bhp at 13,500rpm to a fabulously bonkers 207bhp at an even giddier 13,750rpm. Overall gearing is shortened by one tooth on the rear sprocket (up to 46 teeth) for more punch out of corners - the new RR is insanely quick at full throttle. However, there’s…

Unlike its rivals in this test the Enfield doesn’t have to move for it to demonstrate one of its key selling points. In the flesh it’s effortlessly handsome from every angle, with an old-school appeal the rest can’t touch. Park the Interceptor beside the MT-07 and GS, and it’s like Clark Gable has materialised next to Harry Styles and a gargantuan alien robot. In some ways, Enfield’s designers had it easy. After all, they just had to copy the formula perfected by Brit twin manufacturers of the 1960s and ’70s: curvaceous engine, tubular frame, shiny exhausts, twin clocks, spoked wheels, a couple of rear shocks, job done. But the Interceptor takes matters to another level. There’s so much attention to detail. The way the base of the tank lines up…

Group test Buy a used GS With all those sales comes plenty of used ones. Prices start at around £10,500… that’s 50% off new… Because there are so many electronics, it’s important to make sure they all work – owners have reported problems syncing dash to the Garmin sat-nav, for example. On a more basic level the original batteries can be frail so make sure the engine turns over brightly on a cold start. But the rather complex Shift Cam engine has proved reliable, so no worries there. The reason it’s faultless,’ says Dom, twiddling the R1250GS Adventure’s neat lever adjusters, ‘is that BMW have spent 30 years ironing out the faults.’ Later we’ll agree the GS does have a few left to resolve, but I can see exactly where…

The winning at life adventure THE WINNERS ISSUE F or me life is not a journey to the grave, where you arrive well-preserved and underused. No, my aim is to broadside into the pit thoroughly used up and yelling… ‘Wow what a ride!’ As many of you will know my life has been about motorcycle adventure which took me an hour to pack for and 40 years to learn how to do: camera; tripod; spare chain and a single set of clothes. Phone in pocket. GPS on bike. Air-freight to New York. Unpack. Start ride. Then it dawned on me: it’s possible the difficulty of a journey is in proportion to the life you’ve left behind - family, job and a bit of stage nerves before you set off. For me, adventure…

Know How [ Buying ] MAGICAL V4 The VFR’s stand-out feature has always been its sublime V4 motor. The preceding 750 delivered lOObhp, peerless flexibility and a unique rumbly character with complete reliability and durability. The 800 added injection, then VTEC, then was further refined for the final revamp. It never got the capacity/ power boost it could have done with and as a result its 108bhp now seems a little lacking. But its delivery is still real-world useful and charming -yes it is ageing but, arguably, no engine is more refined and cultured. Overall, there’s nowt to worry about, although service intervals are also a little closer than more modern units and the 14,000-mile valve clearance check is essential. SASSY CHASSIS The older 750’s brakes were uprated with Honda’s linked…

Know How After four months and a few thousand miles living with our Indian long-term test bike, today’s last ride will be a simple affair. I’m not indulging in brain-off final-ride madness or wading into a trackday, I’m just going for a back roads thrum. Being an FTR R Carbon means this bike has many look-at-me bits, including twin Akrapovic end cans, beefy Brembo brakes and suspension with an umlaut. It’s also got body panels crafted from expensive weave. On top of this there’s traction and cruise control, rear cylinder deactivation to stop you melting while sat in traffic, a choice of three riding modes, plus a colour TFT touchscreen display with connectivity and various display options. It’s all very today. None of this matters, though. After wet commutes, a…

It feels ace walking into the workshop and seeing our two bikes. We’re entering National Superstock 1000 in 2023 with our Marvel HCL Motorsport team, racing Honda’s Fireblade SP, and the bikes have just arrived. They’re just as they left the crate, right down to the little bits of polystyrene to protect them. It’s a thrill to start with new bikes, to have everything proper, untouched. It’s a nice feeling. Then you think shit, gotta strip these down… There are some major jobs we need to do first. We’ll PDI the bikes, check oil and whatever, then they’ll go to Honda Racing at Louth for die running-in procedure. They’ll be done just right when it conies to how many revs and how long they’re run for. Pull it to bits…