Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i BIKE

Twin-engined bikes are usually undertaken by vastly experienced professional custom builders who want to push their skills to the limit. Not this one. It was built by amateur tinkerer James Rogers in his spare time, looking at YouTube videos when he got stuck. ‘My engine-building skills aren’t great,’ he tells Bike. ‘I had rebuilt VW engines and a Rover V8 from my hot rod, but I only started building Triumphs a few years ago – I watched some videos on YouTube to find out what to do. There’s nothing to it – they’re so basic.’ Sensing our scepticism, James attempts to prove his point. ‘Take the reverse cylinder head,’ he says, referring to the rear engine that has its exhausts exiting to the rear. ‘I’d seen in a magazine that…

The Tracer 7 and its 700 predecessor were always cunning buys for the solo tourer. If you weren’t lugging a pillion and the associated clobber mountain, the perky 690cc twin was just the job to whisk you away in entertaining fashion. But rivals were closing in, and the old bike was looking and feeling dated. This heavily updated Tracer 7 (£8804) and 7 GT (more kit, £10,104) are Yamaha’s answer. Both are based on the new MT-07, which means they get loads of rider aids thanks to a new ride-by-wire throttle. Cruise control, rider modes (Sport, Street and Custom), three power modes and two traction control settings are all on board. They’re managed via new switchgear and a 5in TFT screen that replaces the Casio-esque LCD one. As with the…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Priority for protection www.araihelmet.eu ‘Look at the chain. And the tyre. And the stance…’ ‘How anyone manages to do this is beyond us’ ‘Ducati hadn’t won a TT since Robert Holden on a Supermono in 1995’…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Priority for protection www.araihelmet.eu As the only pukka factory team at this year’s TT, Honda once again had the biggest presence in the paddock and packed the entry lists with Fireblades and CBR600RRs. But winning 198 TTs at the time of writing – way more than any other manufacturer – must surely take more than just deep pockets. We ask five of Honda’s best ever TT riders what makes Honda the most successful team the TT has ever seen. John McGuinness » 23 TT wins » 13 on Fireblade » 19 on Hondas ‘My first Honda TT ride was a little under the radar – it was in 1998 on the Vimto TSR250, that was Honda supported. By 2000 I was on the new SP-1 with Joey,…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Priority for protection www.araihelmet.eu No good wondering how a man who amassed 26 Isle of Man TT wins could perish on the 4.2 miles of the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa Circuit in Estonia. Racing is dangerous. Racing on roads riskier yet. Doesn’t matter where an immovable obstacle is. A tree is a tree wherever it might be. Stone walls are stone walls regardless of location. Every rider knows that. Respects the fact. Yet somehow Joey’s demise seemed the oddest, cruellest event. A man who made pure road racing seem the most natural pursuit met his end when the negative realities of piloting anything from a 125 to a 1300cc proddie bike at speed bit awfully hard. It happened he was on a 125. A class he began riding after the…

We’re only 20 French miles into a four-day romp to the Alsace region, yet it’s clear that guest tester Gary Hartshorne is already in trouble. He’s moving around on the F900XR like a cat on a hot tin roof, unable to find comfort in the BMW’s ergonomics. That or he forgot his Preparation H. But we’re a long way from our overnighter in Reims so we plough on for a further 100 miles, much to his obvious displeasure. Finally we stop. Gary, who holds a PhD in profanity, wastes no time in offloading his thoughts about the XR. ‘That seat is like having a red-hot poker rammed up your nipsy,’ he winces, holding the remains of his backside in his hands. ‘Sports tourer? My arse – literally…’ To be fair,…

For all its flashy paint, impressive tech and up-for-it attitude once the motorways are done, BMW’s F900XR is flawed. There are times and places where the BMW shines, and brightly – but not brightly enough to make up shortcomings. As Chris puts it, ‘the XR is more of a weekend blaster than a sports tourer. It hasn’t got the tank range or comfort to tackle big trips and in this company that makes it the weakest.’ Despite an improved base spec for this year, the XR still requires an appointment with the extras catalogue before being able to stand toe-to-toe with its rivals, too. To get the spec we have on test, including the panniers and satnav, needs an extra £4198 on top of the £10,890 base price. And this…

Despite much brain racking, chin rubbing and gazing thoughtfully into the distance, I can’t think of any bike-related carry-on that I’d rather be doing at this moment. I’m on a trail somewhere in the Peak District with mate and occasional Bike contributor Dom Mattock. We’re mere dots on a rolling, jutting and endless landscape that stretches to shimmering distance horizons. Soul-warming sun radiates from an expansive sky and ahead is a byway open to all traffic (BOAT), encouraging us to deploy our Fantic XEF 250s. And the best bit is that neither of us has endured an unplanned interface with the ground or verdant greenery. These surroundings aren’t where we’d normally ride a motorcycle, but last year Dom and I did a level one beginner trail riding course with Phoenix…

It was early 2022, and my two friends and I were brainstorming holiday ideas after our Europe 2020 plans were cancelled due to Covid. Our 28th birthdays were just around the corner. ‘Boys, I’m thinking this has to be a big one,’ said my quintessential Australian mate, Jordan McNamee. ‘How about one of those outback budget-rallies, the ones where you can only spend $1000?’ suggested Tom Kimberley, attempting to please Jordan’s aspirations. ‘What if we rode motorbikes to London?’ The three of us had next to no motorcycle experience. Jordan didn’t even have a licence. None of us were particularly in shape or had any expedition-based experience, yet it was decided in that moment that it was what we wanted to do. Fast-forward to June 2023, where an office worker…

This has been a long time coming. It’s at least 18 months since me and the old man have been on a ride together, back when I had my 125, and having flown through my test with Honda’s Safety Training (honda.co.uk/engineroom/honda-school-of-motorcycling) I can’t wait for us to get back out – but this time on, well, a proper bike. The Peak District is the obvious choice. The scenery is brilliant, there are some great roads, and it’s less than an hour and a half from home – distant enough to feel like a decent ride, not so far that it’s a slog. On a glorious Tuesday like this, it’ll be perfect. Our route north-west takes us mostly on main roads, enduring the bustle of afternoon rush hour traffic. I’m riding…

ENGINE 999cc four cylinder from the World Superbike making ‘at least 230bhp’, say BMW. Current M1000RR makes a piffling 218bhp. ELECTRONICS Like the engine, these come direct from Toprak’s company vehicle. Engine management, traction control and engine braking electronics are all pure WSB. CARBON AND ALUMINIUM BMW say the bike is a test bed for innovative blends of carbon and aluminium to set ‘new benchmarks in lightweight construction’. The concept’s weight is not revealed. The M1000RR weighs 194kg wet. If you want clues about the next S1000RR and M1000RRs, study this concept bike that BMW showed at a swanky custom show in Italy. ‘Never before has BMW Motorrad provided such an early glimpse into a future generation of the RR models,’ says BMW’s motorcycle chief, Markus Flasch. It’s based around…

I only did the TT for a holiday. In 1984 I was an MCN road tester and in my fifth year of racing. MCN were sponsoring the proddie TT, so they wanted to have a go. ‘No way, too dangerous,’ I said. ‘What about if your only job in the fortnight is to write a story about racing there?’ they replied. Sounds cushy. I’ll do it! When I got there, the course terrified me, so I was going to back out of the whole thing. Then I rode my first laps on closed roads and fell in love. I’d been going bonkers on back roads since I was a teenager and here was a place where going bonkers wasn’t only legal, but encouraged. Of course, I didn’t get the two…

Everyone’s favourite » ‘Joey Dunlop at the Isle of Man was quite amazing,’ said Barry Sheene in his Bike column. ‘A fantastic ride.’ Joey’s rivals were equally gushing. ‘How could I go home and say I’ve been beaten by a 48-year-old man?’ said Phil McCallen. ‘There’ll never be another TT rider like him.’ Having first won a TT in 1977 (the Jubilee Classic, Yamaha TZ750), Joey did his fastest-ever lap 23 years later in his final big-bike TT, averaging 123.87mph in the Senior. The one and only » The impact of Joey’s Formula 1 win on Honda’s unfancied SP-1 is underlined by the MCN front cover. Only one story mattered. Honda’s celebration advert didn’t show the bike, but Joey, while Bike’s usual scattergun of news titbits gave way for a…

‘My heart sank when I first saw the Triumph,’ declares Gary, who assumed the BMW would be better on account of its retina-assaulting colours. ‘It looks a generation behind the others even though it’s a new model and, if I’m honest, a bit cheap. ‘But I was way too hasty to make those assumptions. In many ways it’s the best bike here – best value, most comfortable, lightest, sweetest handling. It’s the surprise of the three.’ Up against a benchmark Yamaha dripping in tech and wafted along by one of Japan’s finest engines in years, plus a German that’s had the BMW parts and trinkets catalogue thrown at it, the drab-looking Triumph (yellow is a way better option) seemed like an also-ran, here to make up the numbers. Never judge…

Damon Hill and his dad Graham won three Formula 1 car world championships between them – in 1962, 1968 and 1996 – yet their first loves were motorcycles. Hill senior was a motocrosser – a scrambler, in 1950s jargon – until he had a nasty crash on a road bike, which eventually led to him racing F1 cars with Lotus, BRM and Brabham, among others. Hill junior won club racing championships aboard a Yamaha TZ350 until he ran out of money and moved into cars. ‘Dad’s first sport was motocross, but he badly broke a leg in a road accident, after which he always walked with a limp,’ says Damon. Damon knows he inherited his love for motorcycles from his dad, but he has always wondered from where his dad’s…

I used to be a Yamaha V-Max fan – I’ve always liked my bikes to be out of the ordinary. Then 18 years ago I took a Rocket out for a test ride and by third gear I was hooked. Even now, when I jump on one I can’t help smiling. The torque is immense, but it’s controllable and the bike does what you want. People say they don’t handle, but they do – they’re not an R1, but they go where you point them. After a while my gearbox went and I rebuilt it, and then built a custom. Then people started bringing me Rockets to fix and it’s gone from there [Carl runs a workshop called Just Rockets]. I serviced a nice one this morning and have just…

‘It was all there – well, apart from the V5…’ ’I’ve got a half empty van and a 170-mile cross-country drive back home tomorrow. Let’s see if we can find me a bike to put in it.’ These are the words I typed to our ‘small-capacity bike’ chat group on WhatsApp one evening last month. Knowing I was ahead of a bout of insomnia, I felt confident a new project could be unearthed on Facebook and collected on the jaunt home. I desired a Japanese two-stroke scooter and set myself a pride-preserving maximum budget of £350. Alas, my eyelids became too heavy before any deals were done. With its morning alarm sounding, my phone also revealed a message about a Suzuki RV125 VanVan in Leicester. Listed for a snip-like £250,…

On the pace? Oh yes « We arrived with two near identical RC30s, both with big-bore 840cc motors. Dan and James went out together in practice and swapped bikes for the next session. Both ran perfectly, so we chose the slightly quicker number one bike. James did a 2m 17s lap in qualifying – pole in class, six seconds quicker than second – and eighth on the grid with only 1000cc superbikes ahead of us. Not just fast riders » James started and immediately got into a groove. The bike sounded awesome down the start/finish straight. We had a 30s lead when we pitted after 50 mins. The team did a usual slick refuelling, and when Dan crossed the start line after his first lap our lead was 1m 28s.…

War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. So sung Edwin Starr in his 1970 take of a Temptations song. Nothing changes. But shortages of materials brought about by war can often produce splendid lateral thinking. Norbert Riedel designed a flat twin two-stroke motor for starting Nazi jet turbine engines. It was necessarily compact and highly effective. By 1948 he had set up a factory in Immenstadt, Bavaria, producing arguably the cleverest small two-stroke motorcycle of all time. Clever, but with one fatal flaw. The Imme (bee) had so much smart thinking rolled into it. Employing one size (40mm) of seamless steel tube, Riedel constructed a front end, a frame, and a single-sided swingarm doubling as the exhaust. The frame was of monoshock design, the engine a very stylised two-stroke…

Seismic changes have been occurring within the Yamaha MotoGP team over the past few years, according to team director Massimo Meregalli – and they’ve catapulted Yamaha back to the sharp end of MotoGP. ‘In the past the Japanese [at the Yamaha factory] were perhaps just hearing us without really listening,’ Meregalli tells Bike. ‘Now there is much more collaboration and trust between Japan and Europe [Yamaha’s MotoGP base is in Italy]. In the past, the information only flowed one way, which used to be fruitful in the past, but not anymore. ‘We knew that if we could put together our brave and fast European way of working with the Japanese methodology, that would be a win-win. And now we are seeing the benefits. I think this is also what is…

ENGINE Standard Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 parallel twin. Dirk tested the bike on a runway, but it’s unclear how long it can go before it overheats… CHASSIS Frame is standard – Dirk just extended the swingarm by 100mm and changed the Shotgun’s upside-down forks for conventional ones. GIN AND TONIC These are housed in a compartment in the rear along with glasses and other essentials. Dirk Oehlerking has got a thing or two about art deco streamliners. The German customiser had his first crack at one five years ago (see Bike, November 2020), but he’s now taken matters to a whole new level with this fully enclosed piece of kinetic art. It’s built around a Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 – and while it’s 3.9m long and possesses the turning circle…

I remember it being dark and wet. It was deepest December in southern England and I was about to ride the VTR1000 SP-1 for the first time on the new Honda’s UK premier. Alex Hearn, the affable road tester from Performance Bikes, was also there. His approach to the miserable weather was different to mine, and probably wiser. He’d brought a van to take away his SP-1, keeping his powder dry for a warmer day. ‘No point riding that thing in these conditions,’ he said, with all due respect. Such pragmatism wasn’t the Bike way. ‘You learn something about a road bike by riding it in all conditions, good or bad,’ was our rugged mantra. That’s what I told myself as I warily eyed it. It was like a wolf…

Like many readers (especially those with children), I find solace for a few minutes every day on the throne with a copy of my favourite magazine. If I read slowly, I can usually go a month between issues, but now and again I come up short and get to ‘Know How’ with a few days to go before the next issue hits the shelves. So, imagine my delight to find that in my haste to read about the new Triumph Tiger Sport 800 (Bike, June), I had inadvertently skipped past the article about the Bol d’Or in the early ’80s – I made it to the next issue with a few sheets in hand! Keep up the good work. Rob Simpson, Rossendale Enduring memories Run to the Sun (Bike, June)…

‘In Superstock the Fireblade is an absolute weapon. But the TT is definitely more of a battle than it ever was’ ‘The desire to win at the TT is a constant with Honda,’ says team manager Havier Beltran, sitting among his 15-strong team of TT mechanics, data analysts and suspension technicians. ‘But the event has changed massively. He’s not talking about the track itself – though of course various bits have been smoothed out – but how the rules have both increased competition and ruled out wildly exotic machinery. ‘You can’t just install a factory engine like they used to,’ says Beltran, who’s been going to the TT since 1994 and involved in the Honda factory race team since 2006. ‘In the Superbike class we have to use standard camshafts…

The veteran racer ‘I made a big decision this year not to be on a Superbike for the first time in 30-odd years, which really hurt me to be honest,’ admits 53-year-old Michael Rutter. The seven-time TT winner contested this year’s event on a Yamaha R7 Supertwin only – giving him more time to work with his second rider, Manxman Jamie Cringle. ‘Before I went out, I was thinking “what’s the point” and I was a bit flat with it, but I got about halfway round and I thought thank god I haven’t got a f*cking Superbike!’ Rutter’s first TT was in 1994, and he stood on the podium with Joey Dunlop in the 2000 Formula 1 TT race, in what would be Dunlop’s final big bike win. ‘When I’ve…

Claim 3 gifts when you buy 2 Bridgestone tyres Scan QR code for details IN ASSOCIATION WITH Fruity performance, continent-dispensing comfort, engaging handling, plus enough tech and gadgets for an easy life. What’s not to like? Sports tourers always used to run the risk of being a bit nowt-nor-summat - jacks of too many trades - but today’s staggering design and engineering mean the current upright examples of the genre are truly inspiring. Yamaha’s Tracer 9 (like the 900 before it) is the recognised benchmark in the ‘middleweight’ area, and this year’s reconfigured GT version has a new bling-per-quid ratio. But it’s got potent competition: first from a reinvigorated BMW F900XR that sports a finer spec and the option of dazzling colours; and secondly from the fresh Triumph Tiger Sport…

Designed in Italy, built in China, reborn Morbidelli’s first attempt at a big adventure bike cuts quite a dash. From a distance it looks the part – no sense of being a clone or bitsa – and when you get up close it continues to look the business. There’s nothing that suggests cost-saving measures that allow the standout price tag. On first impressions it’s hard to know quite how they can design, develop, build, distribute and sell the new T1002V for just £7999 (yes, okay, plus £200 on-the-road costs). For those going ‘Morbiwho?’, the brand was famous back in the ’70s, notching up multiple wins and world championships in 125 and 250cc GP racing. Besides their bizarre (but cool) V8 prototype produced in the ’90s, it’s not a name particularly…

Hot Bolognese sauce, what manner of ungainly contrariness is this? The cold-blooded red Ducati lumbers, kicks, chunters and confounds in equal measure as we thonk our first tentative yards across corrugated town streets chiselled into a Desperate Dan jawline of stubbly bumps. The Streetfighter’s bars are spread so wide it’s like steering a floorboard. The thin, hard seat tests the measure of my inside leg – and I’m a six-footer; I’ve ridden ’crossers with less lank. But few with less weight – the Ducati doesn’t connect with the road so much as stutter an inch above it. And the suspension might say Öhlins, but it’s surely named after the Norse god of granite… The words of editor Mike ring in my ears between the V-twin’s combustion strokes: ‘Everyone says the…

MOVE OVER, COMING THROUGH The 801 headlight arrangement is so good at shifting cars out of fast lanes that I actually checked its adjustment (it was fine). I’m at a loss to explain it – perhaps the funky ring round the main beam somehow wakes people up? Whatever, it’s a motorway weapon. EASY TO TWIDDLE The forks are fully adjustable and have four clicks of adjustment. But that’s fine as they don’t significantly alter what is a firm but tolerable base setting. I’ve ended up on the comfiest setting for both compression and rebound due to the awful state of my local roads. GLORIOUS FRONT END The combination of Michelin Road 6 tyres, WP Apex forks and cock-on geometry results in a gorgeous front-end feel. It’s steadfast and confidence-inspiring while…

Regular readers may remember me banging on about a traumatic and ultimately futile attempt to do a long-distance trial on a CFMoto 450 (March issue). Several litres of Ibuprofen gel later, I decide that to successfully complete one of these weirdly addictive 36-hour painfests, I have two choices: a) become much better off-road, or b) buy a lighter bike. Obviously, I choose b). With a budget of £2000, I set forth unto the internet. Facebook Marketplace offers dozens of stolen CRFs and WRs. MCN Bikes for Sale tempts me with legit CRF300s that I can’t afford and eBay has everything from repainted KLR250s to overpriced Yamaha XT225 Serows. And then I see a French import 1986 Suzuki DR250 for £2500 that the owner claims has only done 1200 miles from…