Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i BIKE

Bike of the Year 2023 It's not the open bends or glorious visibility. It isn't the make-your-belly-light crests, engaging tight turns or relentless supply of gob-smacking vistas. It's the fact that this near-perfect oad combines all of these elements in a barrage of brilliance – and mid-morning on weekdays it's even all but devoid of other traffic. Rising up out of Hutton-le-Hole, tracing Blakey Ridge and dropping into Castleton, this section of road might be just 12 miles but is biking heaven. It's been a favourite of Bike for as long as anyone can remember – not just because it's a fantastic location for photoshoots and only a short hop to that great chip shop at the bottom of the hill in Robin Hoods Bay, but because it's simply an…

NOT AN OFFICIAL ACCESSORY The display can talk to the KTM phone app for turn-by-turn navigation. It's ace… when it works. On a 500-mile weekend it had periods of refusing to function, when it wasn't directing down tiny lanes… This is my Oxford Cliqr phone mount for back-up route info. KEEPING DIGITS BUSY Switchgear is as pleasing to thumb as it is to look at. Operation is easier than on earlier KTMs and the display is clear. Winkers turn themselves off, but sometimes they don't have to because they haven't come on in the first place. Despite repeated prods. I DON'T LIVE AT SILVERSTONE WP's semi-active suspension has classy damping and assorted preset modes, with differences that can be felt. But the ride's a tad firm on disintegrating B-roads unless…

Know How [Racing] We'd been talking about who Honda might get on their Superbike to replace Andrew Irwin, who was injured in testing at Knockhill. And then our team boss Matt got the phone call. He rang me, we talked about it, and we rang crew chief Dave and discussed it with him… and the next day we told Franco himself. Straight away he said, ‘yes, I'll do it.' When Honda's factory team comes calling, what do you do? It went to-and-fro a little bit while everything was being sorted – and Franco would be throwing away a great position in the Superstock championship. But he's got four rounds with Honda on their Superbike and, as I understand, if he's done a good job there might be a chance of a…

The protracted death throes of the British motorcycle industry through the 1970s make for a sad, sad story. And yet one ray of hope was the stepped-piston two-stroke engine, the work of NVT (Norton Villiers Triumph) chief engineer Bernard Hooper, and John Favill who had worked with Hooper at Villiers way back in 1959. Hooper had already given Norton a new lease of death when he and Bob Trigg re-engineered the flawed ‘Isolastic' frame of the new Commando. Now, he and Favill had NVT chairman Dennis Poore's backing to save the day with a radical engine design. Because NVT were skint this engine had to be relatively cheap to make, so something without valve gear would be preferable. And because of the desperation of NVT's financial predicament it could be…

ENGINE A home-made replica of a 1910(ish) 4.4-litre V8 JAP aero engine. All the top-end is exposed and requires copious oiling by hand before start-up. Pavel designed and made every component except the vast crankcases and the pistons. Max power is 50bhp at 1300rpm. SUSPENSION Nowt at the back, and Pavel's own design at the front – a mixture of springs and friction dampers. Wheels are 26in with specially made Ensign tyres you have to order six months in advance. Much like Aprilia spares in that respect. It's not often we call a motorcycle a masterpiece, but this is a prime candidate. It's not just that Czech toolmaker Pavel Malaník somehow fitted a vintage 4.4-litre V8 aero engine into a bike, or that it runs perfectly. No, what elevates this…

SUSPENSION BMW S1000RR froks with Bitubo cartidges inside. The rear shock is from TFX Suspension. ELECTRICS There's an entirely new loom, so Tim could reposition the battery out of sight above the engine and fit a Motogadget ECU. Back in the early 1990s, the K1100RS represented civility and class – the perfect choice for gents who couldn't bring themselves to join the grubby sportsbikers. And yet customiser Tim Somers of Powerbrick Customs in the Netherlands has turned one into this: a tuned, lairy cafe racer that's 90kg lighter than the original. Tim, explain yoursel 90kg? How did you slice that off? We used many aluminium CNC parts. The subframe is the crown jewel and was a challenge; we wanted to machine it from one block of aluminium, but it was…

Write off It was good to see the few lines scribbled by Mark Graham on the X-ADV (Bike, August). Editor Mike's correct that it's a bit on the heavy side, but wrong to say, ‘that this stops it cutting it off-road'. A few years ago a 73-year-old Italian enduro rider called Rennato Zocchi won the sub 900cc class (and was 7th overall) in the Gibraltar Rally, Europe's longest off-road challenge covering 7000km. He beat all the usual KTMs and BMWs on a lightly modified X-ADV, and after the race rode a further 2000km back home to Italy. Mine has done around 15,000 fun and trouble-free miles, taken me and my wife on holiday from Glasgow to Scarborough two-up with luggage, been on Sunday runs with sportsbikes, rattled up forest fire-breaks,…

Ducati track days » You obviously need to ride a Doocardy and they're not the cheapest (as in £285). However, there's something a bit different about these days. Some track capers can be a bit intimidating, full of experts and racers seeking track time, but these Ducati days have a more welcoming air. There's a swarm of excellent (free) instructors, usually a few celebs milling about, and breakfast and lunch included. This year's remaining date on Silverstone's GP circuit has been sold out for ages, which speaks volumes. Mike Armitage Oxford Mint detailer » Squirt this all over your bike and make black plastics look new, paint work gleam and prevent muck from clinging on your next ride. Perfect for those who prefer riding bikes to cleaning. Like me. Mike Armitage…

The greatest MotoGP bike... ever Don't go steady – ride it,' shouts the man in the Team Classic Suzuki shirt, over the top of the sharp crackle from four deafening expansion-chamber pipes. For a moment I think he's joking. After all, this is the Suzuki RG500 XR14 that took Barry Sheene to the 1976 world title, the most recognisable Suzuki race bike of all time and one rumoured to be insured for half a million quid. But the fella who's been warming and fussing over the bike is Martin Ogbourne, who was Sheene's technician, and when he talks RGs it's best to listen. ‘You'll need to slip the clutch out of lots of corners or it'll bog down. The engine really starts to go at 9200rpm. It'll rev to 12,000rpm,…

The Xley interview Mat is a TT winner, endurance racer, author and MotoGP paddock insider My appointment with Marco Bezzecchi is within the VR46 paddock set-up: two artics parked five metres apart, with a first floor constructed on top, which includes offices for team director Uccio Salucci, team manager Pablo Nieto and team PR Laura Berreta, plus a conference room, where Bez, me and Laura take our seats. Like everything with which Valentino Rossi is involved, the team's paddock HQ has been done in the best possible taste: the offices are bright and stylish, with lots of brushed steel, frosted glass and, of course, the warm glow of Rossi yellow everywhere. It's the Thursday of the French grand prix at Le Mans, two weeks after Jerez, where the FIM stewards fired…

SITTING COMFORTABLY Comfort is a significant improvement over the donor VFR (and also over the first generation Crossrunner), due to an improved riding position and height adjustable (815-835mm) saddle. From 2017-on there's a two-way adjustable screen as well – some owners complain that the rubber grommets in the screen mechanism disintegrate easily so have a poke about. This version of the 'runner also gained a new, larger, reversed LCD digital dash which, though adequate, is a little dated and dark. Make sure it's not got condensation inside. You also get three-way traction control, ABS, five-level heated grips, a 12v power socket, self-cancelling indicators and LED lights. All should work as intended. ANY CYCLE PART WOES? Suspension, brakes and wheels are all fairly conventional and basic – but also proven, straightforward…

Let's be clear. My wife's original Honda CB600F Hornet is the only motorbike I've ridden in the past 20 years. We bought it brand new in 2003 when my old Kawasaki GPz550 died, and ended up keeping it as we both love it. Compared with my GPz the Hornet was an absolute rocket – it had about 30bhp more. The first time I rode it I just loved the power distribution; it felt fast but also incredibly smooth and even. Its handling was miles better as well. I'm a paid-up member of Team Upright, but riding the Honda was the first time I felt I could corner confidently. Which is why we've still got it. However, this means I'm definitely out of touch with modern motorcycling – and genuinely don't…

Braking News Tech Because motorcycle engineering is beautiful This is a really big question. But before we get into it let's define what an e-fuel is. In its purest sense an e-fuel is a chemical energy carrier that is synthesized using renewable electricity from water and CO2 (possibly). ‘Green' hydrogen (made by electrolysing water using that fully renewable electricity) is classed as an e-fuel; it is the building block of all the others. Ammonia, which like hydrogen contains no carbon, can be made the same way. But there are safety concerns with both of these gases, they are hard to store and distribute, and ammonia is frankly rubbish in a combustion system (which perversely makes it quite interesting to the engine scientist). To make a practical e-fuel, you need CO2 to…

Your Bike of the Year experts Bike of the Year 2023 Mike Armitage Editor On-road plushness and usability mean more to Bike's editor than modes and big power. Likes chips. Michael Neeves Road tester Accomplished racer. His day job is road testing for MCN, but he likes helping out Bike on the side. Martin Fitz-Gibbons Contributing brain Ex-Bike road tester has ridden everything ever. arge brain and inquisitive nature. Good at wheelies. Chris Newbigging Contributing riding Used to work for Performance Bikes and Practical Sportsbikes. Fond of bikes with edge. John Westlake Contributing insight Ex-Bike editor, Triumph Sprint ST owner, keyboard wizard. Rides every day all year-round. Picking and awarding the greatest new bike of the year is an annual Bike tradition. We've been doing it since the 1970s. In the…

Photography Chippy Wood Like all the greatest ideas, this started as a daft conversation when we should have been doing something important. John Westlake mentioned that he'd passed an amusing street name on his travels ‘Bottom Clappers Avenue' or some such – which obviously induced much sniggering. This made Mike Armitage mention Butthole Lane in the town he grew up in – yes, more smirks – at which point Paul ang remembered that somewhere in his kitchen's crap drawer (every home has one) was a large map showing all of the UK's silliest and rudest place names. And the plan for this year's Bike works jolly ends up being what they call a no-brainer Assembling in morning sunlight and huddling around the map like a gaggle of greedy treasure hunters,…

Gorafe Desert, Andalusia This desert in south-eastern Spain charmed us from the moment we arrived there. Thanks to the chance of life and travel we met Muriel and Reto, a Swiss couple with whom we decided to explore this desert wonderland. The plan was to do a short two-hour loop of track. In the end we rode for five magical hours. We got lost in these mazes, riding canyons and ridges, and from time to time a river blocked us, forcing us to extend our tour, to our great delight. The scenery was hypnotic. Tabernas Desert, Andalusia This desert is famous for all the Hollywood movies shot there. From Indiana Jones to Lawrence of Arabia. We didn't think to stop here considering the quantity of deserts already visited. But as…

» While the olde worlde Z900RS flies out of the shops and remains hard value in the preloved market, the Z900 shares virtually the same engine and running gear – and fortunately fails to look like something dredged up from 1974. If you like your pastiche feel free to buy the wheezy imposter. For motorcyclists who prefer living in the here and now – do not walk past the Z900. For starters you get 123bhp at 9500rpm (as opposed to the RS's 100-ish). And just as importantly, you'll enjoy Kawasaki's ‘Sugomi' styling, instead of their recherché back catalogue nonsense. There is also the not inconsiderable matter of cost. A Z900 is £9855 new, the RS £11, 385. A used example can be had for six grand, an RS (even of…

[ Events ] ‘Like Spa and the TT, it's one of those places...' Day of Champions Silverstone 3 August As is tradition, Two Wheels for Life's Day of Champions kicks off the British MotoGP weekend the right way. Think family outing with an all day entertainment zone which includes live music, interviews and a from-the-stage auction featuring MotoGP's biggest stars. silverstone.co.uk Women in Moto Uttoxeter Race Course 19-20 August A move from Thorpe-St-Peter sees the annual celebration of women in motorcycling touch down in East Staffordshire. As you'd expect all genders are welcome to a weekend of workshops and speakers including motorcycle adventurer Vanessa Ruck. Tickets from £19. womenmoto.co.uk British Superbikes Cadwell Park 26-28 August Greatest meeting of the BSB season? Quite probably. There's little like being on Cadwell's sun-soaked…