Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i BIKE

CARBON BITS All made from moulds taken from Simone’s hand-crafted aluminium parts. The carbon is unidirectional which is immensely strong in one direction. And looks cool. FRAME All made by Simone. The front half is tubular, the rear is CNC-milled aluminium. Simone hasn’t weighed it, but it’s probably half the weight of the original steel cradle. ENGINE Standard 1972 Yamaha XS650 air-cooled parallel twin making – when new – 50bhp. SUSPENSION The rear shock is Öhlins and the forks are from a Honda CBR600RR. The front brake calipers and discs are Brembo, though the rear brake is the original. It’s often the case that the wildest customs come from the sheds of enthusiastic amateurs because they can afford to spend years creating something outstanding. And here’s a case in point:…

[ PAY AS YOU RIDE ] These days we all know about ‘pay as you go’ subscriptions: TV, dog food, tooth brushes, you can pretty much go regular payment with anything. Including, it seems, motorcycle communication devices. Intercom specialists Cardo Systems have recently introducing their first subscriptionbased headset – the Packtalk Custom. It comes with a suite of basic features including a two-year warranty, waterproofing, 40mm speakers, Bluetooth connectivity and the ability to speak to up to 15 riders within a range of 1.6km. All of which will cost you €279.95 (around £245). Customers can then choose to pay for three levels of additional stuff, otherwise know as the Gold, Silver and Platinum packages. These pay-per-feature packages include music sharing, universal Bluetooth intercom, voice commands and much more. Silver is…

Braking News Tech Because motorcycle engineering is beautiful The new ZX-4R is a blast from the past for biking boys and girls of a certain age. Way back, the inline four engine was the template engine design, but one by one has dropped from middleweights in favour of half the fun – the inline twin. But now the firm perhaps most associated with straight fours – Kawasaki – are bringing it back in the small middleweight class. And in some style. At 76bhp the ZX-4R has 190bhp/litre. Impressive, especially relative to its 400cc forebears from the 1990s which could only manage about 150bhp/litre. It’s almost as powerful, and significantly lighter than, the GPz900R – a rose-tinted benchmark for many. But how do you go from 60 to 76bhp, and how does…

14 ways to beat inflation MONEY SAVING SP£CIAL Buy a Honda Fireblade Nowt like the feeling of riding home on a showroomfresh spanker. And it’s probably more affordable than ever, as this issue’s best-deals guide demonstrates. However, if you want the highest-value motorcycle in motorcycling then buy a second-hand Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Let’s be specific. You want a 2008 model, for very many reasons. First, it’s arguably the finest road-going Blade of all. Second, it’s brisker than the current version. In April ’08 our datalogger recorded 0-60mph in 2.9 sec and a 10.16s quarter mile, both quicker than today’s CBR1000RR-R (0-60 in 3.29s, quarter in 10.3s). It’s thanks to the 2008 model’s romping midrange and greater flexibility, making it both faster and easier to ride – crack the throttle in…

£4k funsters There’s a village down there called Burton-leCoggles. I like the sound of that. Let’s go that way.’ We’re at a junction somewhere in Lincolnshire, or possibly Nottinghamshire. Actually, it could well be the north-east tip of Leicestershire for all I know - geography has never been a strong point (at school we did ‘humanities’ instead), and to be honest I’ve not really been paying attention. The morning has been spent dipping and darting down squirrelling B-roads and bumbling backlanes, going nowhere specific and heading wherever our noses take us. And now my son Ed fancies a bit of Burton-le-Coggles. We’re all for epic rides and striding endeavours, but today is about local adventure. Okay, maybe ‘adventure’ is generous. However, it’s easy to overlook the pleasure to be had…

100 best deals Few things beat the noises and smells coming from a new bike after its first good workout. Steel and aluminium alloy engine internals ticking cool, tank breather still gently squealing as pressures equalise, hot chain lube and rubber in the air… Some riders only ever buy new bikes, others wait until someone else takes the initial depreciation hit and pounce in the nearly new market, while for many of us fully preowned has forever been the only option. Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) provides opportunities to buy new. Yes, you sign on a dotted line. Sure, you have financial obligations. You also, maybe for the first time in your life, have a new bike. And a split new bike at that. Imagine it. No more haunting worries about…

Zero SR/S » £22,240 » Electric motor » 110bhp » £4500 deposit » Final payment: £9648.50 APR: 7.9% It looks better than okay. Cycle parts tick boxes, 140 lb.ft of torque impresses, and it wangs about with a smooth, flowing, almost-silent groove. But £23,995 is the ask, which is just too much, and there’s no escaping that 235kg isn’t light. And here we go again: can anyone get to Scotland on one charge? Nope. ‘It wangs about with a smooth, flowing groove’ BMW CE04 » £12,580 » Electric motor » 42bhp » £2500 deposit » Final payment: £5304.50 APR: 7.9% If people weren’t currently trying to offload Fizzies and AP50s for ten grand a pop, this £12,850 price tag might look like a mistake. But no. Still heavy, miserable range,…

THE STORY SO FAR Ex-Bike editor Westlake is riding to the Sahara on a Suzuki GSX-S1000GT to prove you don’t need long forks to have a proper adventure. Last month he toddled to Spain. Now he takes the ferry from Algeciras, lands in Morocco and strides into the unknown… Let’s just forget Spain. The plan was to scorch south from Santander, consume my bodyweight in chorizo somewhere near Madrid, sleep, then let the GT off its leash for a few hours on the divine roads around Malaga before hopping on the ferry to Morocco. Fat chance. It lashes with rain for 48 hours straight. It’s still raining at 6am as I ride to the ferry that will take me across the Straits of Gibraltar to Tanger-Med, just down the road…

For me, Buell only came good with their very last bike: the 1125 CR. Ironic really, as the machine which could finally have made the American marque successful never got a fighting chance as owners Harley pulled the plug just months after the CR went on sale. The bike is the 'café racer' version of the 1125R sportsbike from 2007, which had a rushed launch (test bikes reportedly had incorrect ECUs) and so suffered despite decent manners and a likeable 146bhp Rotax V-twin after years of clunky Harley motors. The later CR was sorted, though. Somehow stylish, its performance is plenty, the dynamic is engaging, there’s exclusivity - and, if you can find one, it's even fine value. Haggle hard and it'll be yours for under £5k.…

Know How [ Weird & Wonderful ] There have been some fabulous race replicas over the years, from the 1974 John Player Replica Norton Commando to Honda’s 2015 MotoGP-alike RC213V-S, with lots of lesser fry in-between. But how about a race-replica sidecar? That’s precisely what the short-lived, ultra-exotic Krauser Domani turned out to be. It was the dream of ex-sidecar racer turned luggage magnate Mike Krauser. The German was a successful factory BMW sidecar racer in the 1950s, turning to team management in the ’60s and running BMW’s factory squad in the ’70s. As if not already busy enough, he launched a successful company producing motorcycle luggage and the success of Krauser panniers led to his sponsorship of leading sidecar racers - most famously Rolf Biland but also British multiple world…

Electricity currently sits in pole position for powering ‘near’ future vehicles, be they motorcycles, cars, buses… However, Kawasaki have an experimental supercharged hydrogen prototype based around the four-cylinder Ninja H2, and are pushing forward with car giants Toyota. And now iconic digger builder JCB have joined the hydrogen shift, giving further hope for combustion engines. JCB are so unconvinced by electric they’ve spent £100 million on a project developing a hydrogen combustion engine, a team of 150 engineers creating 50+ prototypes at the firm’s UK engine plant. Revealed at the recent Conexpo 2023 show in Las Vegas, the firm say what they’ve come up with is the solution for zero-carbon construction and agricultural vehicles. JCB’s motivation was to lay to rest the idea that hydrogen fuel cells are too expensive,…

First ride: Suzuki GSX-8S On paper the new Suzuki GSX-8S looks like it’ll fall short of besting the also-new Honda CB750 Hornet. As we know the Hornet has waded into the mid-weight hen house and unceremoniously barged aside previous roost rulers. The Suzuki’s 10-kilo weight disadvantage, 10bhp power deficit and less keen geometry would suggest it’s a lesser machine, especially given the £7999 price is a grand higher than the Honda. So what of the riding reality of this new Suzuki? In two words it is ‘eye opening’. The new blue twin is a more balanced, considered package with no significant criticisms – everything from comfort to suspension performance contributes to an overall feeling of harmony, and it’s up to (or beyond) the standards expected from bikes at this price.…

There are high-fun little ravers like the sporty nakeds in this month’s group test. There are supernakeds that’ll ace a trackday and wheelie off the throttle in third gear yet are still relatively easy to ride and to manage. And then there is Ducati’s Streetfighter V4: a snarling, unneutered Panigale V4 superbike with straight ’bars, bugger-all bodywork and a vast 205bhp. Sure, it can be civilised and refined, but the Streetfighter’s always been a track-focused device – you can only use everything it’s got on a circuit and it’s often a handful when you do. Ducati tweaked it slightly in 2021, a year after its introduction, with an Arai-full of Euro5 mods and more midrange to bring some excitement back down to road speeds. But it remained as subtle as…

Yamaha MT-10 » £14,210 » 998cc inline four » 164bhp » £2850 deposit » Final payment: £7942.50 APR: 9.9% Not quite so lunatic as it once seemed, but always a best value proposition in the supernaked pile. If ever a 150bhp sit-up-andbeg motorcycle could be described as the sensible choice. It’s this. Kawasaki Z900 » £9855 » 948cc inline four » 123bhp » £2112.34 deposit » Final payment: £5554 APR: 9.9% All you could ever ask from a four-cylinder engine wrapped in minimal modern style. Cycle parts deliver, longevity is well-proven, and the price tag remains one of the standout features. Fine machine. Suzuki GSX-S1000 » £11,665 » 999cc inline four » 150bhp » £2300 deposit » Final payment: £6350 APR: 9.9% Hamamatsu’s awesome, evergreen 999cc K5 engine powers this…

Group test On paper this is a tough gig for the Tuono 660. More than 100cc down on the Triumph and almost 250cc on the MT-09, this Italian twin has got its work cut out if its going to shine in this accomplished three-cylinder company. But shine it does. Having pinched the Tuono’s key for a 90-mile round trip from the Bike office to home and back, I’m fully seduced by the Aprilia’s ability to keep me grinning and engaged even during a potentially tedious rush-hour commute. With its rev-hungry engine, race rep-derived chassis and powerpacked brakes (at 320mm the front discs are the largest here) the Factory 660 hands me the confidence to whip in and out of the traffic, picking off each vehicle briskly, safely, and immediately ready…

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS Large, solid grab handles have moulded-in bungee points. They're not perfect - size and position means hooks slip off a bit too readily -but it's a nice touch. And anyway, there’s a trellis subframe and sturdy numberplate hanger. Both are happy to receive straps. THE PRICE OF IMAGE When they called it 'Sport' they must have been thinking motocross, rather than BSB. Michelin's Anakee rubber looks the part and grips well enough in the dry, but doesn't give masses of confidence. Rain means minimal feel and a flashing TC light on smooth, polished roads. TURN ME UP, BABY The rear preload adjuster is your friend. Even a tailpack with modest supplies makes the long-travel suspension squat, raking out the forks and spoiling the steering. A twirl keeps…

‘There’s a sunset after party if you fancy taking full advantage’ MCN Festival Peterborough, 13-14 May » Peterborough tends not to be a motorcycling destination scribed on anyone's to-go list. Unless, of course, it's the month of May and the MCN Festival. Look forward to test rides on the latest bikes, bargains galore, a live auction of classic and contemporary bikes and much more. mcnfestival.com The Malle Beach Race Margate, Kent 13-14 May » Inappropriate motorcycles racing on a beach. Hard to think of a better way to spend an early summer weekend. It all starts on the Saturday morning once the tide has gone out and there's a sunset after party if you fancy taking full advantage of proceedings. mallelondon.com Bike Shed Moto Tobacco Dock, London 27-28 May »…

Valuable miles Boastie: We tried Öhlins, Bitubo and K-Tech suspension. Franco gave good feedback on all three, but his best times were with Öhlins - the Blade SP comes with it, so we just had to have the internals changed. We got through loads of brake discs because they warp - and brake pads warp too. Turns out it's a common thing with a big, fast 1000. Welcome sun Boastie: We've never been to Spain to test before. It was expensive but so worth it, for Franco and for us as a team. He'd never ridden a 1000 before but at Alicante he was on it - I was amazed how fast he was straight away. He's only 18 and on a 209bhp bike, but straight away was, like, ‘can…

TELLTALE MUDGUARD This bike was designated D1 (there were 4 Barcones in total) and is identifiable by the shorter front mudguard and bracing. ENGINE A 125cc single-cylinder motor with desmodromic valve actuation designed by Fabio Taglioni. Factory data gives the maximum power as 21.8bhp @ 11,800rpm. FUEL TANK The original was replaced with a taller one by Hailwood's team, who also gave him a plusher saddle. For the last 25 years, the owner of this 1959 125CC Ducati race bike thought it had been ridden by Italian GP champion Walter Villa. It turns out the Ducati’s history is even more special - it was actually owned by Stan Hailwood and ridden by his son Mike who went on to win nine world championships. 'It’s one of those bikes that has…

SUSPENSION Standard, as are the brakes. ‘Obviously they’re rather underwhelming if you ride at full boost,’ says James. ENGINE Stock 920cc, apart from two Garrett T25 turbos with carbon seals to prevent smoking. They’re large turbos, so boost is linear according to James. SAND SKIS These stop the front end burying itself in dunes. James made the struts by welding up a chain. We admire a disregard for common sense so were heartened by James Kauder’s decision to fit twin turbos to his 1982 Yamaha Virago 920, transforming the unloved plodder into a Harley-eating apocalypse machine. We asked James what on earth he was thinking. » Bike: Twin turbos? Virago? Why? James: My goal was to show people you can build something wild out of anything. I’d seen custom builders…

Braking News [ RACING ] On the face of it, it is hard to figure out how there is no prize money in British Superbikes – if you win a race you get nowt. However, if you enter your BMW F900R into the new BSB support championship you’ll be in with a chance of winning a stout £75,000 prize fund. Intended to incentivise fledgling racers, £56,000 will be won across the nine-round championship with additional moolah awarded to riders in the heat races, the R&G Last Chance Qualifier, and main final. On top of this the series champion will win a new BMW S1000RR superbike to help them graduate to National Superstock. This new class replaces the Ducati Tri-Options Cup and is, as you may have guessed, a one-make series based…

Harley Street Bob » £16,977 » 1868cc V-twin » 92.7bhp » £3400 deposit » Final payment: £10,025 APR: 11.7% Mid-controls (ie footpegs in the usual spot, not way out front) so not too much of an outlandish riding experience. Plain(ish) styling, but still an American motorcycle in every sense of the term. This is pukka H-D. Triumph Bobber » £12,995 » 1200cc parallel twin » 76bhp » £2600 deposit » Final payment: £7822 APR: 10.9% One of the more authentic factory customs simply because it’s not trying too hard. Faux hardtail chassis works a treat, engine’s punchy, and most important of all it just looks right. This is a very good motorcycle. Honda CMX1100 Rebel » £9599 » 1084cc parallel twin » 86bhp » £1992.89 deposit » Final payment: £5405.67…

BMW R1250RT LE » £20,705 » 1254cc boxer twin » 134bhp » £4000 deposit » Final payment: £12,069.63 APR: 7.9% Stacked with gizmos from ShiftCam to radar, BMW are not new to touring and RTs have forever been the preserve of the serious distance rider. This is no exception. A serious bike for dedicated long-haulers. Honda Gold Wing Tour » £25,249 » 1833cc flat six » 125bhp » £7057.83 deposit » Final payment: £14,233.15 APR: 8.9% Speed-limited to 115mph, but it matters not. A magical machine for putting away miles in unmatched opulence and with a unique feel. With wishbone front end, six-pot motor and full tech, nothing flies along quite like a Wing. Harley-Davidson Road King » £24,877 » 1868cc V-twin » 91.7bhp » £5000 deposit » Final payment:…

As we know Triumph have been busy tweaking their Street Triple range and they’ve focused their efforts into making all models sharper, more powerful and more responsive. Added numbers to the name, too. And the Street Triple 765 R is the weapon of choice when it comes to whipping between the hedges of typical gnarly British back roads. And, if you fancy stretching your legs, and ambition, most gnarly back roads on planet Earth for that matter. ‘Love that,’ beams occasional Bike tester Dom Mattock, stepping off the 765 R following a 15-mile blast in the glorious spring sunshine. ‘It’s a perfect blend of sporty intent, every-day friendliness and polished sophistication.’ Of course Dom is right, and it is little wonder because Triumph have been through this motorcycle front to…

Group test This midfield naked class is a serious place. It’s where supersport performance intertwines with everyday usability and, most importantly, fun. If a 100bhp-plus naked isn’t fun to ride, it’s toast. The Aprilia’s down on cubes and power compared with both the Triumph and Yamaha, but the little Tuono puts up a mighty fight nonetheless. And it’s a riot. But you have to be in the mood. With less torque and most of its 100 horses hidden high in the revs, the 660 Factory doesn’t do gentle cruising or ‘not in the mood’ anywhere near as well as the Triumph or the MT-09. However, if you really want the Aprilia the Factory is the one to go for. You get a lot more kit for only a bit more…

FROM £4250 BRAKING UP Honda's C-ABS (offered from 2009, bronze calipers are the giveaway) is dated. The issue is it relies on wheel speed alone with a hydraulic system that splits lever force between front and rear. Hard riding can make it cut in a tad soon, though most of the time you won't notice it. Check for warning lights and proper function, as a long wheelie can trip it out (which might tell you plenty about the seller, too). Braided brake hoses and sintered pads are a common upgrade, and if there's evidence of brake fiddling check the caliper castings for cracksover-torquing the pad pins on Tokico calipers can bust them open. PROPER THIRST 2008-2009 models are known for drinking oil - a litre or more every 1000 miles…

AGV K5-S Tempest Used for: 48 months Price: £329.99 Info: agv.co.uk » This has been rolling around my garage for almost four years and is still a very pleasing helmet. I like that it's comfy with glasses, that the basic-looking lining means fewer seams and extended comfort, and how the vents are so very effective - you can close the rear exhausts on frosty winter rides, and in July's splendour the ones on the front are as effective as removing the chin bar. I also like the drop-down sun visor, the handy clip to hold the visor open a smidge (handy if it's boiling, or if you've not cleaned the Pinlock), and that viewed head-on the round shell has a hint of ye olde Arai Giga. What's less pleasing is…

[ Project ] Know How Behold the Candy Persimmon Red magnificence that is my Kawasaki ZZ-R600E. It was bought for our 600th issue (March 2023), when we set out to see if you can still buy a decent bike for 600 quid. The ZZ-R had a long MoT, consumables that hadn’t yet been consumed and cost £695… which was near enough. I was chuffed with the inline four’s intact power rush, pleasing sporty-touring ergonomics, and the fact it didn’t immediately explode the moment I wheeled it off the seller’s drive. The only niggles were rough low-speed running and a rear shock with dubious damping, which I obviously ignored. But regular riding is causing more problems - as well as the soggy rear end and lumpy idle, the battery is now complete…