Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i BIKE

I got back from the MotoGP [at Austin, Texas] last year and looked at a wrecked Sportster frame I had,’ Corban Gallagher tells Bike. ‘I thought it would be fun to do something with it, something comical, because Harley-Davidson aren’t exactly known for their race bikes.’ Corban also wanted to rail against the MotoGP’s stratospheric costs. ‘People at the GP were telling me how much the bikes cost, so I thought it would be fun to build mine on a budget. Almost everything you see is from a wrecked or salvaged motorcycle. It was a cheap build. Just a lot of labour…’ He’s a nuclear chemist who uses cutting-edge technology, but Corban designed the bike on the hoof. ‘I didn’t have designs sketched out or on CAD – it was…

Next month this 90kg Kawasaki KX100-powered creation will be tearing across the Bonneville Salt Flats trying to break the world record for sub-100cc bikes with no streamlining. And there’s a fair chance it’ll do it, judging by the wild innovation that’s pushed power from 24bhp to well over 40. Besides all the usual two-stroke tuning, it has two novel additions – a variable expansion chamber and a supercharger (which is traditionally deemed impossible on a two-stroke). Builder Casey Anderson explains… Let’s start with the variable expansion chamber. How? » You get a two-stroke powerband when you have your ignition, porting and pipe all working perfectly. But you can only design a pipe for one rpm range and that’s it. So, I’ve come up with an electronically controlled expansion chamber that…

‘Is there a better illustration of what makes the Isle of Man TT so special?’…

MICK GRANT 7 WINS 16 PODIUMS » I’m torn. I love the Yamaha TZ350 because you could take it out of the crate, put some Dunlop tyres on, get the jetting right and win a TT. But my favourite is the Kawasaki KR750. Nowadays there are road bikes with more horsepower, but at the time it was cutting-edge technology which was very exciting. And it was fast – in 1977 I was timed coming down towards the Creg at 190mph. But back then things broke. In 1975 I set the lap record then the chain broke. In 1976 the clutch went on the line so I only did a lap. In 1977, while I won the race, we had to adjust the chain every time I came in for fuel, and it was…

Honda's Dean Harrison and John McGuinness share the riders' perspective on the marshals » I put it to Harrison that marshals are unsung heroes. ‘Yeah, massively. They’re our eyes and ears on the ground. They’re all really nice people and so enthusiastic. I don’t think I’ve ever met a bad one – I’ve broke down a few times and the marshals always have a flask of tea, box of buns, biscuits… As much as it’s like a job, it’s a hobby for them at the same time. And if you can make a job a hobby, life is good.’ McGuinness concurs: ‘You have no idea what’s around the corner, so you take the yellow flags very seriously. Stationary yellows are different to waved yellows – waved yellows mean marshals may…

Small bikes, big business. Modest machinery has made a massive comeback, thanks in no small part to Royal Enfield. Ignore all the 125s left outside to corrode by distracted teens and all the scooters used to feed Über Eaters, and in 2022 the modest Enfield Meteor 350 was only stopped from being the UK’s best-selling bike by something with sticky-out cylinders and a BMW roundel. And last year it was Enfield’s HNTR 350 that displaced almost all headline-grabbing big bikes to become the UK’s fourth most popular motorcycle (for good measure, their Classic 350 was the eighth). Wearing the Hunter moniker when first shown but amended to HNTR due to copyright issues (presumably not from Hillman), the 350 is based around the platform used for the Meteor and Classic. It’s…

» Supernakeds are ace. But they’ve got too super. Headline and wow factor draw us in, but the thrill of 200bhp is diluted by paranoia and track-ready suspension only makes sense on track. Give nerves a rest and inject usability with a GSX-S. Its gruntmeister motor and capable chassis deliver all the thrills you need, yet it has suspension designed for the Llanberis Pass, not Mugello. The motor is easy in town and has a swollen midrange. The tank takes 19 litres. Its seat has padding. It’s a 150bhp supernaked, with full electronics including lap timer and quickshifter, for £11,799 – way less than a base S1000R, MT-10 or Tuono. Some dealers only ask £10,250… and pre-reg ’23-plates are under ten grand. Staggering value.…

You have to remember that traffic cops are recruited from the public, so some of them will be nitpickers and others will be far more relaxed. I was in the latter camp, but I had colleagues who used to drive me up the wall with their nerdy approach – to them, the rules were far more important than common sense. Combine this with performance indicators [each officer’s monthly targets – Ed] and you get the situation where a traffic cop could stop you for what seems like the most minor infringement. Top three for a tug There are three main niggles that motorcyclists need to watch out for: black visors, small number plates and loud exhausts. What happens when you’re pulled depends on the cop. It could be a talking…

This is our first win for nine years,’ says a stoked Ian Martin, Team Bike’s crew chief, engine builder and team manager extraordinaire. ‘I’m so pleased for the team. We genuinely don’t go to win – my aim is to make sure everyone has a good time. But obviously when you do win, everyone has a really, really good time.’ In the end, victory in the four-hour endurance event at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France was easy, after the only two teams able to match their pace dropped out through a mechanical problem and a crash. Team Bike eventually won by five laps. ‘I’m glad we were leading when they dropped out though,’ says Ian. ‘That’s so much better than inheriting a win.’ Given the team’s…

Five bikes… [ NEW BIKES ] It started with Pol Tarrés riding a Yamaha Ténéré at the world’s most extreme enduro. Then last year Ducati upped the ante by sending out a DesertX. And now, surely, we have reached peak competitive adventure bike: KTM turned up at this year’s Erzberg with a prototype Super Adventure R believed to be fitted with the latest 188bhp, 1350cc V-twin. Not only that, but it was an automatic – there was no clutch lever, and up and down buttons were visible on the left switchgear. And in case spectators were in any doubt, KTM plastered ‘AMT’ – Automatic Transmission – all over the lightly disguised prototype. Though the bike’s appearance at the Erzberg was a surprise – KTM made no fuss about it –…

ON THE DYNO Power 75.4bhp @ 8200rpm Torque 54.3 lb.ft @ 5400rpm Ignore the fact Aprilia’s RS660 has 15bhp more. Instead, look at that hefty midrange. Peak grunt is at the sort of revs where the RS – and also the old GSX-R750 – are yet to wake up. This accessible clout is what makes the 8R real-road speedy. AT THE PROVING GROUND 0-60MPH 3.6s Half a second quicker than a Yam R7, and as swift as Kwak’s ZX-10R. Usable grunt is your friend for quick starts. 1/4 MILE 12.1s Acceleration falls away at the end of the quarter, so the time’s not ace – it’s about what an ol’ GSX600F teapot does. 70-0 MPH 56.4m Stopping in 54m is what we’d expect, but a wet test strip means the…

Acosta on the TT SPECIAL EDITION Spain may be the home of MotoGP, but the Isle of Man TT means little to Spanish fans. Why? Because the country lost one of its earliest racing heroes at the TT. Santiago Herrero was leading the 1970 250cc world championship when he was killed during that year’s 250 TT. Spain’s motorcycling federation reacted by banning Spanish riders from competing on the Island. The ban still stands, so any Spaniards determined to tackle the Mountain course must get their race licences from elsewhere. This hasn’t stopped stellar MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta from becoming a massive fan of the TT, and of Michael Dunlop in particular. So, what got the Moto2 and former Moto3 world champion into the thrill of racing between the hedges? ‘I…

Picos perfection On the one hand, everything is going well: we’re carving a seemingly endless series of bends as we ride deeper into the mountains of the Sierra de Cebollera, a national park two hours south of Bilbao in northern Spain. On the other hand, trouble is brewing: a vast black cloud obscures the distant peaks. There are five of us, riding a curious collection of motorcycles ranging from a 1971 BSA Lightning to my brand-spankers Suzuki GSX-S1000GX, via a 62,000-mile KTM 990 SMT, a Yamaha Ténéré with a daft woollen seat cover and an annoyingly brisk BMW R1200RS. Aside from Rupert on the BSA – which has already broken down twice and has the ride quality of an anvil – we’re all having a lovely time. Or at least…

Triumph were most proud of the T-plane crank that appeared in the all-new Tiger 1200. The idea was to add charismatic lumpiness to the previously turbine-like three-cylinder engine and help it find traction off-road. However, for some riders it unbalanced the triple too much, adding an unwelcome vibration that grew in frequency as the revs rose. At Bike, we suspected the hand of marketing – look, the crank makes a T for Triumph – and couldn’t understand why they’d sacrificed the Tiger’s USP in a world of big twins, ie its luxurious three-pot motor. And now here we are, just a couple of years later, with a new Tiger 1200. It’s still a T-plane engine, but Triumph’s engineers have now re-distributed mass on the balance shaft to cut vibes by…

GOOD… AND NOT SO GOOD The 990’s airbox is under the rider’s bum, so the battery is under the pillion seat. Brilliant. Charging or wiring-in accessories is so much easier. Pillion cable is a bit ‘whack’, according to my teenage son after a short trip – and there’s no proper grab handle in KTM’s accessories. LOOK! LOOK! THEY LIGHT UP! I’ve seen it before on Harleys and BMWs, but still love the combined indicator/brake/running light combo at the rear. These ‘adaptive brake lights’ are in the Tech Pack (see below), but I’d haggle to get them regardless. I’m as smitten with these as the 990’s agility and grunt… IN FOR A PENNY, IN FOR A POUNDING The Duke starts at £12,999, and if you start adding options like this Akrapovic…

[ Events ] ‘All manner of motorcycles and an old-school vibe’ British MotoGP Silverstone 1-4 August » Look, I know it’s obvious and we say it every year. But this is your only chance to see the loudest, fastest, scariest circuit racing bikes in the world here in the UK, wrestled by the greatest riders. Go to the Day of Champions on Thursday to meet your heroes (and raise cash), and cheer when Marc Marquez wins (that’s my bet…). silverstone.co.uk Heritage Sprint Betteshanger Park, Kent 10-11 August » Small, enthusiast-run sprint race with all manner of motorcycles, an eighth-mile strip, straw bales, ice creams, and an old-school vibe. £11.50 to get in, or under 20 quid for the weekend, and only a fiver to camp. Displays, exhibitions, and live music…

It’s easy to take for granted – perhaps occasionally forget – that there’s a land just a short ride away where you can ride as fast as you like. Where there’s a world-famous race course you can ride any time you like. As often as you like. For free. It’s been 20 years since I first made the trip – heck, let’s call it a pilgrimage – to the Isle of Man. It felt mythical, exotic, a faraway world where regular rules no longer applied. And while some of that’s still true, Triumph’s Tiger 900 GT Pro makes it seem a lot closer. Home to Heysham is four hours. On the Tiger they pass with sublime ease, adjustable screen pulled up high, cruise control keeping speeds clean, and standard fit…

5 BIKES THAT REALLY MATTER THIS MONTH [ RACING ] When Peter Hickman won both Supertwin races at the North West 200 recently it was confirmation that the Yamaha R7 is, at last, a race bike to be reckoned with. Of course, he did win a Supertwin race at last year’s TT, but only after the top three didn’t finish… ‘Yeah, we were gifted that,’ he tells Bike. ‘We just had no straight-line speed – we were 10mph down, and that’s a lot on a twin because you’re flat-out everywhere. It did well because we got it handling -through the twisty stuff I was really strong.’ So, over last winter, Hickman and his team at PHR (Peter Hickman Racing) set about improving the motor. ‘We did all the porting, cams, tuning,…

It’s not all about the Jota in the Laverda world (Bike, May). Others do exist… just! Like my M-reg 650 Sport, out recently in Cambridgeshire. Number 27 of the 100 kevlar specials, with WP suspension, Brembo Goldlines, and so on. Bought new in 1995. Showing 37,490km on the clock. Over the years most faults and issues that have been thrown at me (Italian character) have been fixed. It’s an old bone shaker of an engine but fully old-school analogue, no riding modes, ABS, IMUs… I have only seen one other red one and, even rarer, a green one. This and previous bikes – a Honda NC35 and Ducati Monster 797 – have been used on the track with around 70bhp or less. Ignore the trackday trophy hunters and enjoy yourself.…

TT SPECIAL EDITION Riding the Nortons Norton have some serious TT heritage. When the very first Tourist Trophy races kicked off 117 years ago, the multi-cylinder class was won by Rem Fowler riding a Norton. It featured a V-twin Peugeot 726cc engine with about five horsepower, no clutch or gears, direct drive by a leather belt, and pushbike-style pedals. And pushbike-style ‘brakes’, too. Fowler had so many issues during the ten-lap race on unpaved roads – punctures, failed plugs, knackered belts – that he decided to pull out, and only carried on when a spectator told him that he had a half-hour lead. His fastest average lap was 42.91mph. Teasing the twistgrip and experiencing what appears to be a shift in the space-time continuum, I wonder what Rem would make of…

Fair to say the Indian name conjures up images of cruisers and sizeable, luggage-clad things. But the American firm also enjoys a spot of racing at weekends. Everything they enter, they win; from their FTR750s pretty much dominating in flat track, to their fearsome Challenger RR in The King of the Baggers and supernaked FTRs in Super Hooligan. Now they’ve poured all this knowledge into their new Scout range, topped by this 101 model. It takes its name from the 1920s original, a bike then revered for its fruity performance. And if the new 101 Scout were a Ducati it would have an SP or R badge. Yes, it’s a cruiser – but the new bike has fully adjustable forks and piggyback rear shocks, a radial Brembo front brake set-up,…

Imagine riding along not having to use the clutch lever. Not to start the engine, pull away, stop, change gear, or even for low-speed feathering. In a time of quickshifters, and given how many Hondas are sold with DCT (dual clutch transmission), it sounds like the interesting next step; a bike where everything is taken care of via wonderful and yet reasonably simple technological wizardry. And the best bit? With Honda’s new E-Clutch the skill and joy of riding isn’t taken away by eliminating the need to tug a lever on the ’bar. Optional on the revised CBR650R, the system adds just a couple of kilos compared to the standard bike. Don’t think of it as being like DCT or something sort of twist and go, because it’s very different;…

Adventure Peruvian dogs are the least friendly hounds in South America. Being chased by them is never ideal, but at the end of an exhausting day we’re cold, hungry, soaked thanks to rainy season, and dusk is fast approaching. They start pursuing Robbie mid-corner, and she starts shouting what sounds like ‘cluck off’ while trying to coax her Yamaha TTR250 into out-running the mutts. It’s wet, loose, and in a panic she locks up the rear brake, takes a quick hit to the ground and slides to a stop. The dogs stop too, as do I – and we all watch the bike’s rear light disappear from sight as it plummets off a bridge… I met Roberta, an Italian girl from Milan, in June 2018 when I was travelling through…

BINDING BRAKES The front Brembos are a mighty set-up and higher spec than the rest of the chassis. Not without niggles, mind. Binding calipers – you’ll hear the annoying squeak – are a common issue. It’s brought about by a build-up of brake dust, which causes the caliper pistons to stick, therefore preventing the pads from retracting fully from the disc surface. This in turn creates heat build-up, causing the discs to warp. Clean calipers are a must. 2021-on models, with 320mm discs and radially mounted calipers, are less problematic. JERKY THROTTLE The torque-rich engine is fabulously responsive, but at low revs it can feel as though the throttle is a tad snatchy. It’s a bit of a taste and preference thing, though fortunately it’s a cheap and easy fix…

Know How [ Ahead of its time ] Who knew the retro thing would get as big as it is? Triumph did, presaging this mammoth boom as early as 1993 (Bike, May), albeit a trifle unwittingly. Ducati, curators of a long line of handsome, storied machines from the 1970s, embraced the market slot tightly with their now sprawling Scrambler range in 2015 – but they dipped toes in the water a decade previous. The Bologna firm hinted they might have a grasp of monetising famous names and glorious history as far back as 1986 with the 750 Paso. Named after 250 and 350 Grand Prix contender Renzo Pasolini (killed in a horror crash at Monza in May 1973, which also claimed Finnish star Jarno Saarinen), it was a heartfelt tribute to…