Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i BIKE

Last month I zipped to the local bike shop to get an MOT on my 1998 Suzuki GSX-R750. Obviously, thanks to my care, attention and meticulous preparation, it breezed through. Then I nosed at the certificate and realised that it hasn't had the opportunity to develop any issues – I haven't even managed to cover 900 miles on it over the 12 months. In this issue we've several folk for whom 900 miles is just a pre-breakfast warm-up. Simon Hargreaves is an ex-Bike staffer with a curious addiction to epic rides, so was just the person to tackle the UK's longest road – in one hit – on Ducati's rather excellent Multistrada V4 GT. It's on page 32. We've unearthed a gaggle of readers obsessed with being on two wheels…

FROM £149.99 Oxford NEXUS 1.0 boots WHAT IS IT? Available with either PG Tips-style perforation or in waterproof form (£159.99), the NEXUS is designed to complement Oxford's latest range of track-derived leather goodies. It's certified to the higher CE standard of 2/2/2/2 and is packed with action-ready details like the external armour and a removable toe slider. It's not all ‘grrr’ though, with a 3D mesh lining for comfort. WHAT DO WE LIKE? Racy without being too in-yer-face and shouty. That'll do us. The waterproof version is a nice touch, meaning you can have something that looks all trackday refugee but works on those road rides where you get caught in a shower (all of them, then). Top-drawer all-the-twos rating for 150 quid looks good, too. HOW MUCH AND WHERE…

On, and on, and… THE MILES ISSUE When a dealer assesses your bike for a part-ex and sucks his teeth at the 20,000-mile odometer reading, it's easy to think big miles are bad. But mechanically speaking, that's cobblers. On these pages we have a 173,000-mile Ducati Monster that's still happily gallivanting around Scotland, a bloke who put 140,000 miles on a 1969 Triumph Trident, and another who did 257,000 miles on a Honda XBR500 and never broke down. Okay, they know their way around an engine, but their message is simple: follow the service schedule, use good oil, and the odometer reading means bugger all. So, settle back, soak up some high-mile wisdom, and then a) buy a high-mile bargain, or b) stick a chunk of carefree miles on the bike…

Racing a 250GP bike is quite involving. Keeping the bikes at peak performance means being on top of all the serviceable parts – and with a Yamaha TZ250 we're talking more than a new air filter. Before a meeting I replace pistons, rings, gudgeon pins and little-end bearings. Their service life is just 150 miles. Reed valves are swapped every other meeting, or when they show signs of wear. Let's not forget the crankshaft, which is changed every 600 miles. Two grand, please. Based on component life and current prices, plus fuel and entry fees, every mile at a race meeting costs £16.54 – excluding the cost of the bike, van, time off work, etc, etc… I've been racing 250s since the 1990s and this bike has the biggest appetite…

When Bike last road tested the Trident 660 against its keenest rivals – Honda CB750 Hornet, Yamaha MT-07 and Kawasaki Z650 – it was pipped at the post by the Hornet, largely on account of the Honda's remarkable value for money. Now Triumph have hit back by giving the 2025 Trident a load of new kit as standard without raising the price. So, for your £7895 you now get an extra mode – Sport, which sharpens the throttle response – plus cornering ABS and traction control thanks to a new IMU (inertial measurement unit). Also now standard are a quickshifter (was £270 extra), cruise control and turn-by-turn navigation (was £245 extra). Suddenly the Trident looks comparable to the £6995 Hornet in terms of value. The superb three-cylinder 660cc engine has…

Bike, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA Telephone 01733 468000 Email: bike@bikemagazine.co.uk facebook.com/bikemagazineUK twitter.com/BikeMagazine The Northwich Thundersprint celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2007 and attracted more than 145,000 spectators over two days. It comprised of sprint racing, static displays, cavalcades, and a meet and greet. World-class riders attended and raced, including Giacomo Agostini, James Toseland, Cal Crutchlow, Jonathan Rea, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Leon Haslam, Jim Redman, James May, Sammy Miller and so many more. A truly wonderful event and close-up racing. Damian Murray IF YOU'VE GOT AN OLD T-SHIRT LIKE DAMIAN'S AND FANCY SEEING IT IN BIKE, TAKE A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE SHIRT, ARMS INCLUDED, AND EMAIL IT TO THE ADDRESS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. IF WE PUBLISH IT WE'LL SEND YOU A NEW T-SHIRT.…

Pete Boast's earliest memories involve Cadwell Park, a venue he first visited with his dad when he was just seven years old. It was 1971 and they went to watch John Cooper race a BSA triple in the MCN Superbike series. After marshalling at the track, Pete's race debut was at Cadwell – and over the past 44 years he's become a regular fixture, both racing and instructing others on how to master the quirky strip of Lincolnshire tarmac. Racking up around 163,000 laps (a conservative best guess…), it's fair to say he's worn his own groove around the place. Here are some of Boastie's memories and archive shots of him in action, revealing a side to Cadwell only people who have done as many thousands of miles as him…

Price £14,799 Engine 999cc 16v DOHC inline four Power 143bhp @ 10,900rpm (tested) Torque 77 lb.ft @ 8700rpm (tested) Rake/trail 25.5°/97mm Wheelbase 1470mm Seat height 845mm Colours blue, green, black Availability now MY FAVOURITE BITS « SUPER SEAT The saddle is a proper touring job, with enough width and length to allow shuffling, and plenty of depth for comfort. Ten-hour riding days have been no problem. « ENGINE The top end gets the headlines, but for everyday use the brawny midrange is more of a joy. It's ample to render almost everything else a dot in the mirrors. « RACK IT UP Massive and covered in attachment points, this is the template for all motorcycle racks with touring pretensions. One of my bungees has worn through the paint, though. THE…

Have a natter with Max Want to buy Aprilia's new RSV4 X ex3ma track bike with its Max Biaggireplica RS250 paint? Of course you do. Well, good news: their new ‘digital product passport’ lets you see performance data, images, details and video of the bike on your device, plus has an interactive AI chat – you ask questions and an avatar of Max answers them. Apparently it's to elevate the experience of purchasers. We have our head in our hands as well… ROAD TEST BACK ISSUES BLUE = Available just on iPad RED = Available on iPad and Android ORANGE = Available in print only For the dedicated… It's 60 years since Honda built the howling, six-cylinder, 247cc, RC164 race bike. Celebrate the anniversary with this lovely new watch –…

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We're in different times to when French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr scribbled out his famous line in 1849, and he didn't smoke about Paris enjoying the comedy charms of a moped. But his much-used phrase rings true with today's two-wheeled teens. For those of us who cut our biking teeth on 50cc machines – most of Bike‘s readership – it's easy to moan at a lack of youngsters riding. Sales of super-small-capacity bikes are a fraction of what they were. And those you do see are usually scooter riders, filling the gap between pushbike and Vauxhall Corsa; they're not learning about grass-verge maintenance and proper biking, like we did. Except, maybe they are. The market for used 50cc bikes is…

Five bikes… [NEW BIKES] STYLING Fairing is slightly more angular to give – Honda hope – a more aggressive look. Colour options are still a rather reserved blue, beige (sorry, Matte Warm Ash) or black. PRACTICALITY Redesigned screen can now be moved one-handed, panniers are bigger and the seat is larger for even more comfort. ENGINE Parallel twin gets more torque thanks to all the changes the Africa Twin received earlier this year. Peak power of 101bhp is unchanged. The Honda NT1100 was Europe's bestselling sports tourer in 2023 for good reason – behind that conservative styling is a hugely capable motorcycle. And for next year the NT raises the bar higher still, with a torquier engine, cornering ABS, slicker DCT gearbox and the option of semi-active suspension. The engine modifications…

As children, most of us were told that two wrongs don't make a right. But for bikers two things that can make our noses wrinkle – cars and exhaust emissions – can, it turns out, make things good for us. They're the primary reason why bikes don't break and do massive mileages. Clean air is what we all want and need. Worldwide there's been progressive tightening of emissions limits in this regard for many years, with the first regulations raised in California in 1966 due to ever-worsening air quality. The car industry, of course, fought back in their normal way by claiming there was no real way of meeting the regulations and it would bankrupt them. They squealed and squealed until it was obvious The Man wasn't going to back…

Oxford Lever Guard Pro Trackday frolics have required the fitting of a front brake lever protector for a while. There are cheaper alternatives than this £79.99 guard from Oxford, or you could even fit adventure-style handguards, but surely this is the nicest solution. Machined in aluminium and replacing your bar-end weight, you can adjust the height of the guard as well as its mounting angle. Comes with black, silver and gold tips. And it's a ‘pro’, which instantly makes you faster. oxfordproducts.com…

‘For hardened trackdayists, it's heaven’ Ducati Panigale V4 S It's still a monstrous thing. But also friendlier than any 213bhp superbike can surely ever be What's new? Big news is the new frame and double-sided swingarm, both of which are lighter and bendier. The Öhlins semi-active suspension is more supple and accurate to adjust, the screen's larger, and the whole bike weighs 2kg less. Fancy electronics trail the brakes for you without being asked, replicating Pecco Bagnaia's technique. The 1103cc V4 is tweaked for Euro 5+ regs, maintaining its wild 213bhp but making it 500rpm higher. Peak torque is higher too, and there's a bit less of it. Colour-coded wings as well, look. Very MotoGP. Bike's opinion Faster than ever in properly skilled hands, the new-found chassis flex and staggeringly…

DXR FITTER EVO £17.99 Only a very light smattering of impact protection on these gloves and they're not waterproof. I wouldn't use them for a long road ride. But for low-speed, trail-based adventuring (or summer frolics on a moped) these are good – and cheap. The goat skin palms offer feel and protection, they're light, airy and comfy, and the fingertips work on a touchscreen for when I get lost and need to summon a grown-up for assistance. sportsbikeshop.com OXFORD ROCKLAND PANTS £199.99 All the adjustability, configuration options and protection of the jacket, and equally fine value. Will zip to the jacket, but also come with braces – something you never realise you need until you've used them. Choice of three leg lengths too (short, regular, long). Decent year-round strides.…

Bridgestone W01 £370 a pair bridgestone.co.uk Buy some scruffy, cheap spare wheels and have a pair of these waiting for chilly autumn trackdays. Bridgestone's wets are acknowledged as the grippiest and most tolerant of cold temperatures, as well as standing water – ideal for you or I muddling around. Wets are like a cheat code, allowing committed braking, lean angle and powering out of bends. Warmers help, but these work from cold with grip increasing the warmer they get. Dry (or drying) tracks will overheat and chew them up faster than other full-wet options, so don't leave a switch to normal trackday rubber too late on a changeable day. That aside, they add a new dimension to your track fun, and extend the trackday season, too. Bring it on, November……