Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i BIKE

Issue 622 January 2025 Contact us: bike@bikemagazine.co.uk or 01733 468000 facebook.com/bikemagazineUK twitter.com/BikeMagazine Here's a plucky statement to start us off: motorcycling in the UK has never been more affordable or finer value. No, I haven't been drinking (6pm rule on a school day). Yes, I know the cost of living seems to rise daily. The bar staff in our local roll their eyes every time I pay for a pint with carefully saved loose change, and my teens chunter at squirting Cheery Shopper ketchup on their dinner, not Heinz (I'm not yet drying and reusing tea bags). But in a world of soaring prices, biking really is bucking the trend. It's highlighted several times this month. There's the Triumph Street Triple R in our group test (page 56), a cutting-edge…

Loiter next to a Peak District green lane and every group of gnarly mud-splattered trail riders that burbles past will contain a Suzuki DR-Z400S. The single-cylinder device nailed the dual-purpose thing. It was solid, dependable and a decent performer in mud and brambles, and far more bearable on tarmac than a bespoke puddle-jumper. There was a small-wheeled, big-fun DR-Z400SM supermoto version, too. Both were sadly discontinued yonks ago. But now they're back, as the new DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM. The ongoing passion for the old DR-Z has obviously influenced the decision (have you seen what battered old examples still fetch?), and so has the fact smaller-capacity singles are in demand. Just ask Royal Enfield, Honda and Triumph. And truth is the DR-Z never really went away – emissions stopped it coming…

Saunter into the local bike meet on next year's revised Ténéré and there probably won't be a stampede. The updates are subtle; Yamaha have been reserved and hardly done what you'd call night-and-day changes. And that's just fine. The 700 was already glorious, so they've just deepened its shine with an extra layer of gloss. Yam have given the 689cc twin-cylinder adventurist the same ride-by-wire update as the MT-07 it shares its motor with (left). You get two riding modes and switchable traction control, along with the turn-off-able ABS. Fiddling with all the settings and trip info is done via new switchgear and on a colour TFT that's now 6.3in instead of 5in and comes with connectivity (of course). There are also gentle tweaks to the bodywork, new winkers, a…

13 bikes… [ BIKE'S PICK: ÜBER-CRUISER ] These photos of Langen's Lightspeed super-cruiser show the 185bhp V-twin is close to launching. The chassis, engine, geometry and many details are in their final form. The remaining big challenge is the electronics package. ‘The electronics are a step up for Langen,’ says Langen founder Chris Ratcliffe. ‘Obviously our team has worked with them before [several are ex-Triumph] but implementing our own ECU with traction control, anti-wheelie, launch control, etc is a challenge. ‘It costs several hundred thousand [pounds] to develop an ECU, so we had to find one that had the right hardware, and then work with companies to develop the firmware and software. ‘ABS in particular is a massive challenge. There are two premium companies – Bosch and Continental – and to…

[ BIKE'S PICK: SUPERNAKED ] Building a new Panigale V2 means there's a new Streetfighter V2 as well. And this makes us happy. While there's little wrong with the departing version, it's quite a demanding swine. With 151bhp from its blunt desmo V2 and a circuit-biased chassis, it's glorious on track or when riding like your pants are alight on smooth roads, but the words ‘plush’ and ‘manageable’ weren't on its design brief. Being based on the Panigale means the new Streetfighter V2 has the same 120bhp variable valve V-twin engine, Marzocchi forks, Kayaba shock (Öhlins both ends for the S version) and double-sided swingarm. It also means the new bike is deliciously light. Claimed to be just 177kg wet but without fuel (175kg for the S), it's a whopping…

Telephone 01733 468000 Email: bike@bikemagazine.co.uk facebook.com/bikemagazineUK twitter.com/BikeMagazine [ BEEN THERE, GOT THE T-SHIRT ] ‘A Grand Prix weekend that cemented my love of bikes’ The 1994 British Grand Prix at Donington Park was my first trip to a GP on my Suzuki RF600, and I went with a couple of pals on a Honda VFR750 and Ducati 916. It was a wild weekend of booze, camping (not in the zoo, thank God), detonated bike engines, and idiots wheelieing through other people's tents. It was also special being present at my favourite 500 rider Kevin Schwantz's 25th and final win. It was a weekend that cemented my love of bikes. IF YOU'VE GOT AN OLD T-SHIRT LIKE DAVID'S AND FANCY SEEING IT IN BIKE, TAKE A PICTURE OF THE WHOLE SHIRT,…

Engine MV's new 9.5 engine is the largest version yet of the three-cylinder platform we first met in 2012's F3 675. It sounds incredible, delivers mountains of torque even from low revs, and has a distinctively raw feel that's unlike any other triple. Windscreen MV say they used all sorts of software simulations to get the aerodynamics spot-on. Wind protection is always a personal thing, but the Enduro Veloce's two-part screen feels good to us, offering a large pocket of protection without any buffeting. Suspension No electronic suspension may seem an omission given the £20k price tag. Manually adjustable Sachs kit doesn't sound particularly premium, but it's deceptively effective – firm enough to keep the chassis in check, soft enough to give a comfy ride. Switchgear Feels thin and unsubstantial,…

‘The adventure tyre market was fairly straightforward 25 years ago, with each manufacturer making one or two different tyres’, reckons Cambrian Tyres’ rubber expert Bryn Phillips. ‘In 1999 Michelin made just the T66X; now they have five different tyres – Road 6, Anakee Road, Anakee III, Anakee Adventure and Anakee Wild. Likewise, Bridgestone made one tyre in '99, now they have six. As a result we now stock over 50 different tyres for the big GS. ‘The change from sport-touring and sports tyres to adventure has been gradual. Adventure bikes sales had to increase, and there's always a delay in replacement tyre sales compared to new bike sales. As bike sales increased, tyre sales followed suit with increasing speed – especially over the past 10 years. ‘Continental have always been…

Most bikes that have seen a single major overhaul in a decade can feel a bit, well… stale. Not so the MT-09. Ten years in, this three-pot gem has lost none of its effervescent sparkle or ability to engage and excite. It's a feel-good motorcycle that's still very much at the top of its game. Frequent subtle tweaks (as well as a complete redesign in 2021) have kept the MT fresh. Recent updates include ‘acoustic amplifier grilles’ atop the tank to accentuate the airbox's intake howl; two extra customisable riding modes on top of Sport, Street and Rain settings; a third-generation quickshifter that allows clutchless downshifts while accelerating as well as upshifts while slowing; slicker switchgear with self-cancelling indicators; and a six-axis IMU to control a host of electronic trickery.…

Ex-Dakar Rallyist Si Pavey manages BMW Off Road Skills and offers some tips… ‘Over decades of teaching people to ride GSs off-road, we've discovered the biggest factor is mindset. If you can truly believe that low-speed skills are the foundation of everything else, you're on the right path as then you'll practise them and see dramatic improvements. We all want to jump puddles and do skids, but you can't do those safely and reliably unless you've nailed the foundational skills. ‘Firstly, you need to be comfortable with the weight and balance of the bike when it's stationary – being comfortable with one foot on the peg and one on the ground at a standstill, turning the bars when you stop to stabilise the bike… these are simple skills that can make…

Generally you know where you are with a Japanese bike because all the threads are the same type, although you can get different pitches (the distance between thread crests) for a given size. But when you move into British stuff it gets much more interesting because they use everything. For example, on my 1971 BSA Lightning [a 650 twin – Ed] you've got British Standard Whitworth – a coarse thread – and British Standard Fine (BSF), the fine version. Then you've got the later American equivalents, Unified National Coarse (UNC) and Unified National Fine (UNF), which started to take over from the British stuff. Because the British and American pitches are mostly the same, you'd think they might be interchangeable, but they're not because the included thread angles [a measure…

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[ BIKE'S PICK: ROADSTER ] Yamaha's MT-07 is so good that it hasn't required much fettling since its 2014 launch to keep it near the top of sales charts. But with rivals such as the Triumph Trident 660 now making it look dated, Yamaha have finally given their perky middleweight a comprehensive overhaul. Improvements are concentrated on two areas: electronics and handling – the 689cc parallel-twin is largely unchanged apart from a sound amplification system, which we'll get to later. The outgoing MT-07 didn't have a ride-by-wire throttle, and consequently couldn't have any of the electronic rider aids buyers are coming to expect. The new one fixes that, so you get three rider modes (Street, Sport and Customisable), three power modes, two levels of traction control and the options for…

13 bikes… [ BIKE'S PICK: RETRO ] Way back in 1960, the Big Bear Run in the deserts of California attracted 765 entrants. Big-name racers slogged it out in the ludicrous 150-mile event, including Triumph-supported legend Bud Ekins, but it was won by a spunky teenager called Eddie Mulder. He was riding a 499cc single-cylinder Royal Enfield Fury. Fast Eddie's famous win – at 16 he was and still is the youngest ever victor in the epic race – is why this new bike is called the Bear 650. But ignore the strange choice of moniker. Ignore too all the promotional pictures of it being ridden by hip types in clobber worn by no one outside of California/Shoreditch. And instead get ready to make a beeline to a Royal Enfield dealer.…

[ BIKE'S PICK: SPORTS TOURER ] You can get a quick feel for the new 1390 Super Duke GT with a few quotes from the press blurb. More muscle and aggression… more power… an exceptionally fast road bike with serious track ambitions… It reads like the promo guff for a head-down superbike, not an upright mile muncher, and is supported by pictures of professional hardman Jeremy McWilliams hooning around a racetrack. Next year KTM's sports tourer is no longer the 1290, becoming the new 1390. Essentially, it's been handed the chassis and beefy V-twin from the stupendous Super Duke R Evo supernaked. This means a stiffer frame and lower centre of gravity, WP semi-active suspension, and the previous piddly 1301cc engine being replaced by the 1350cc unit complete with variable…

Weise Recon Jacket WHAT IS IT? An on-trend textile jacket with fashionable military-style looks, with nine – count 'em, – external pockets. It's AA certified and includes lightweight RE ZRO CE level 1 armour for your back, shoulders and elbows, plus a robust 600D polyester outer shell. It's also windproof. Available in either black (no) or olive (yes please), sizes S to 5XL. WHAT DO WE LIKE? Textiles no longer all look like they were designed in 1996. This is a good thing. The Recon is waterproof – not all trendy textiles are, y'know – as well as windproof. Looks like the sort of thing that'd become a go-to favourite to wear all year round. All the pockets and compartments really add to the style of the jacket and mean…

Adventure boom It's been 20 years since everything turned upside down. BMW's R80G/S had appeared in 1980 – arguably the first adventure bike – and the R1100GS and R1150GS had built a following through the 1990s and into the fresh millennium. There were others: Honda's Varadero was proven, as had been previous Paris-Dakar replicas such as the Africa Twin and Yamaha's Super Ténéré. But ‘giant trailies’ were still quite niche – just 10 different models were on sale in the UK in 2004. But it was the year all that changed. In January BMW launched the R1200GS, and in October Long Way Round with those Ewan and Charley blokes on 1150s first aired on Sky. Two years later, the GS had become the UK's best-selling big bike. And it's remained…

Changing tastes and the BMW explosion caused a surge of pie-wanting rivals. Fitting semi-knobblies, a beak and robust-looking luggage to a big motor is no guarantee of a German-rivalling machine – but for the confident and far-sighted there are alternative, affordable ways to do the big adventure thing without those two letters… Aprilia ETV1000 Caponord (2001-2004) Born from Ivano Beggio's ambitious bid to make Aprilia ‘Europe's Honda’, the Caponord was the final spin-off of the Rotax V-twin used in the RSV and Falco. Rushed development led to a so-so detuned motor (98bhp), soft forks and poor build quality, and contributed to Aprilia's collapse and the Piaggio takeover. However, the Capo’ is comfy, ride quality is good, and the motor is apocalypse-proof. It can give bargain adventure-touring – accessorised low-mile bikes…

Pay for your Duke 990 Examples » CASH PRICE: £12,999 on the road » PCP: Deposit £3300, 36 monthly payments £149.55, optional final payment £6592.50 (4000 miles, 9.4% APR, total £15,276.30) » HP: Deposit £3300, 36 months £308.51, total £14,406.36 (9.4% APR) Jimmy Doherty is all wide-eyed and animated. I can see him in the MT-09's mirrors. We've stopped to swap bikes, in a lay-by just outside Leicester, following a riotous B-road fling from Bike‘s Cambridgeshire base. His face full-beam, he gesticulates excitedly to fellow tester and man-sized rodent Jon Urry who's pulled up alongside him on the Street Triple R. Little wonder Jimmy's so animated – he's been riding KTM's new 990 Duke. Jon, who pinched the KTM's keys last night for a long ride home, shares Jimmy's delight…

[ Inside ] Instantly recognisable from their distinctive white springs, WP were formed in 1977 by Dutch motocross rider Wim Peters. The colour was borne from necessity rather than creativity: white was the only colour available as the coating supplier Wim chose made hospital beds. This happy accident led to the firm's original name of White Power Suspension – later changed to WP for obvious reasons… By 1983 Wim was supplying suspension to KTM, and the two firms pioneered the first upside-down fork on a production bike (1984 KTM 495 MX). The companies grew closer and won motocross titles together, but in 1991 would both enter bankruptcy and be reborn under new ownership. A revitalised KTM became a majority shareholder of WP in 1999, and in 2009 all WP production…

Champs first time out Imagine KTM or Husqvarna wheeling out a new sportsbike and winning British Superbikes at their first bash. That's the equivalent of what Ducati have just done in motocross, claiming the Italian MX1 Motocross series with their new Desmo450 MX and rider Alessandro Lupino. They'll race the single-cylinder four-stroke in GPs in 2025, with a new 250 doing the Italian series. What next? Trials bikes? Ooh, maybe bagger racing… Run out of juice They've led the way in electric bikes and supplied machines for the MotoE world championship. And now Energica have gone bust, despite recent decent sales and hefty investment from American electrification outfit Ideanomics. Having started designing battery bikes in 2009 and setting up the company in 2014, the Italian firm reckons a ‘crisis in…

metzeler.com Think of these as sports-touring tyres with deep grooves to suit light off-roading and to give a suitably rugged look. With a dual-compound rear and single compound up front, they supply 'peg-scraping dry grip, are sure-footed in the wet, and ultra stable even on the most powerful adventure bike. Quieter at speed than some more knobbly dual-purpose tyres and as hard-wearing as a sports-touring tyre, too, plus a supple ride quality. Best of all, I'm talking the first-generation Tourance Next here, which can be picked up for a steal now the updated Next 2 has been released. And if you never plan to get the tyres on your large adventurer muddy, Metzeler's rather superb M9 RR Sportec (also £305/pair-ish) now comes in a 19in front.…

1 Jamie Turner He started his career at Norton, worked for Cosworth and Lotus Engineering, and is a professor of engines. Knows his stuff – and knows why MotoGP is wall-to-wall V4s. Tech, page 28 2 Martin Fitz-Gibbons Inquisitive ex-Bike road tester loves adventure bikes and owns an MV. His test of the new Enduro Veloce in the Peaks is informed, eye-opening and a great read. High class, page 36 3 Phil West A full-time bike journo since 1847, Phil was at the centre of the adventure boom. He digs into why it happened, how it's affected motorcycling, and whether it'll last. Rise of adventure, page 44 4 John Westlake Take one confident but largely inexperienced trail rider, sit them on an R1300GS, and launch them into the Welsh greenery. Laugh-out-loud brilliant. GS Trophy, page 68 5 Simon Weir…

13 bikes… [ BIKE'S PICK: HOOLIGAN ] We've nothing against wings – we like them on aeroplanes – but they're a daft addition to road bikes. Adding 10kg of downforce to the front end at 150mph is as useful to most of us as a 15th level of slide control. So respect to BMW for resisting the temptation to plaster the new S1000R with sticky-out bits and focusing instead on what's actually important: how it rides. So, for example, it has got a shorter final drive ratio, a slicker quickshifter, and a new short-stroke throttle that reduces the amount of effort required from your right wrist to go from pottering to prison – the old S1000R needed 72 degrees of twist, while the new model needs only 58 degrees. Other tweaks…

There was little wrong with Yamaha's flexible, adaptable and much-loved Tracer 9. But they've improved it anyway. The 890cc, 117bhp three-cylinder engine is unchanged, but the new three-bike range – made up of Tracer, GT, and GT+ models – gets updated bodywork, a tweaked riding position to improve the already fine comfort, and more room for pillions. The up-spec and increasingly blingy GT and GT+ keep their semi-active suspension and electric screen, but now also feature super-high-tech cornering lights. These are proper clever. The lamp assembly contains a camera that tells the ECU about light levels from oncoming cars, street lights, dog walkers with silly head torches, etc. The ECU knows what lean angle the bike is at, so adjusts a matrix of LEDs to give the optimum light without…

Motorsport is a funny thing. The longer rules stay the same and tech advances, the more engineers converge on a single solution. Sometimes the regulations force it; sometimes it's cold, hard logic coupled with the beauty of hard sums. It's happening in MotoGP, where Yamaha are developing a new V4 engine, despite theirs being the last bastion of the inline four. It means the V4 engine is approaching hegemony in the class. However, not all V4s are the same. We still have some room for brand differentiation and different approaches. First, let's consider how we got here. In 2002, the new MotoGP was open season on novel solutions, with interesting regs built around the number of cylinders, giving myriad possible engine configurations. Two and three-cylinder bikes had a minimum weight…

‘We were very much focused on sports when I first came here, 12 or 13 years ago,’ says Chris Winters, managing director of Sportsbike Shop. ‘But there's definitely been a massive move over the past five to 10 years. ‘You see it in the manufacturers. With Alpinestars and Dainese, everything was always about sports – leather jackets, one-piece suits – but now they start [their new ranges] with the touring section. We've seen the growth of Rukka, Klim… every manufacturer has moved towards it. The most popular Forma boot is the Adventure boot. The most popular Sidi is the Adventure 2. It's the same when you see people in the shop. They're not in Alpinestars leathers, they're generally in an Oxford Mondial… ‘The market has moved towards general touring. It's…

A charismatic retro alternative to simply picking a BMW GS, the taller Scrambler model can handle any kind of surface. It was hard work on motorways and stopping at traffic lights in a hot city (I'm looking at you, Nice) wasn't comfortable with that high-routed exhaust – but it is only an issue when stationary. Even creeping along at 3mph, heat isn't a problem. The motor is grunty and flexible, although it's happiest between 4000-7000rpm. There's not too much point hanging on to revs past that – and chasing anything over 80mph takes an act of will to hang on to it. Brakes are good, and the chassis is flickable and surprisingly composed and accurate. The seat is on the firm side at the end of a long day but…

‘It'll shrug off a trail - and the odd spill’ BMW R1300GS Adventure Big-tank, high-rise version of Beemer's über-giant-trailie What's new? The Adventure version of the latest 1300 has at last arrived. Starting at £18,870, this is the serious go-anywhere version with a giant 30-litre fuel tank and 20mm more suspension travel at each end, plus a shimmering spec that includes adjustable 'bar height, semi-active ride, and an options list that could fill this entire magazine. Bike‘s opinion As with the regular R1300GS, don't be put off by the Adventure's figures. Despite being 269kg (without extra goodies) and having a towering (though adjustable) 870/890mm seat height, the new GSA is better balanced at low speed than it has right to be, even with the huge tank full. Even getting it…

Know How [ Head to toe ] ‘I like that I do not have to change, thanks to casual design’…

It's a GSX-R for modern roads and riders. At least that's what I've convinced myself and what spills out my mouth when asked what our long-term test Suzuki GSX-8R is like. The new-this-year parallel twin has entertaining punch, nimble handling, and a riding position with just enough plugged-in-ness. As last month's group test discovered, it's a cracking sporty road bike. Reality is that the 8R is a world away from the GSX-Rs that defined sporting Suzukis from the middle of the 1980s onwards. Of course it is. This is obvious when parked next to the 1998 GSX-R750 SRAD that's in my garage. The older bike makes an extra 40bhp and is nearly 10kg lighter. It has sharper steering geometry, fully adjustable suspension, a stubby wheelbase, and a bum-up riding stance…