Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i Fast Bikes

BMW motorbikes are 100 years old this year, the firm having released its first bike, the R32, in 1923. The R32 was a 494cc Boxer with shaft drive and premium manufacturing quality – so you can see how the firm has stuck to the knitting, as it were. As part of its centenary celebrations, it has set up a new 100 Years exhibition at the corporate museum in Munich, which showcases all the milestone machines from those 100 years – from the early vintage Boxers, which had a troubled life interrupted by the two world wars, through to the firm's resurgence in the 1960s and 1970s, up to its current range of superbikes and GS adventure machines… it's all here. There's also a focus on the people who made the…

So, what has this test taught us? Fundamentally, just how epic that first generation of RR truly was. You've read all we've had to say, so there's not much point in harking on for the sake of it, but hopping on that bike, mindful of its age and lack of foundation to build on, it's mind-blowing to experience just how right BMW got it from the very beginning. Admittedly, the following two generations of RR only made the package better, but we're not talking light and day, as can be claimed from the point BMW went to the Shiftcam design in 2019. The ’23 spec RR is a whole different beast, armed with more performance and also the tech to back it up, and weighing in notably lighter, too. The…

YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+ I'll be honest, I normally hop on a bike, thumb the starter and get cracking with my ride… but on the Tracer test, I indulged in a bit of tech. And when I say a bit of tech, I mean a lot. The bike's 7in dash is a hub for information and features, especially when working in conjunction with Garmin maps and Yamaha's Myride app. Having downloaded the latter to my phone, it was a simple case of sorting a Bluetooth connection between my phone and the bike; when configured, I could record my route and its data, including top speeds, lean angles and time in the saddle that could be shared retrospectively with friends and other riders. The other piece of technology that proved utterly…

FEATURE INDIAN BAGGERS It might sound like a concept that's been dreamed up down a pub over a pint or 10, but as our friends across the pond have shown over a few seasons in the MotoAmerica ‘King Of The Baggers’ series, taking luxury cruisers, trimming them down in weight, cranking up the horsepower and hitting speeds of up to 160mph is a sight and sound that race fans the world over very much need in their lives. Yep, it's every bit as bonkers as it sounds, as has been validated by our Aussie mate and TT racer Rennie Scaysbrook, who took last year's championship-winning Indian out for a spin… Chuckwalla Raceway is my local track in California. It's a bit of a goat track, but it's got some decently quick…

NICE TO MEET YOU Hello Bruce, We met briefly the other night in the Admiral Rodney bar and talked about bikes – GSX-R K1s, Aprilia RS125s, Cagiva Mitos etc. I was doing a trackday at Cadwell the next day on my GSX-R 1000 K4. Just wanted to say what a nice and down-to-earth guy you are – not big-headed or self-obsessed (unlike some idiots!), and it was a real pleasure meeting you and just talking about bikes. I am reading my latest Fast Bikes edition and love the pieces on the GSX-R1000 K1 and Rutter's RCV. Great articles and great magazine. Keep up the good work. Loved riding Cadwell on the GSX-R the following day, although, to be honest, the bike felt massive on that track. I've attached a pic.…

TECH SLIPPER CLUTCHES WHAT THE TECH: SLIPPER CLUTCHES Once upon a time, when all this was fields as far as the eye could see, the action and operation of how a clutch felt on a motorbike was part of the list of things I would notice… and therefore note as part of its character and operation. These days, once you let the clutch out and pull away on a bike, that's usually the last time you have any interaction with it until you want to stop. Being of a certain age, I well remember how it was back in the late 1990s and early 2000s in particular, when bikes didn't have fancy engine braking electronic management, or even slipper clutches. Backshifting, especially at higher revs to set up for a corner…

Upfront PLANET FAST BIKES - NEW METAL, NEWS & REVIEWS Bored with ugly MotoGP bikes? Tired of BSB machines covered in a million confusing sponsor stickers? Appalled by control ECUs, one-tyre deals and whacked-out aerodynamic hocus-pocus? No, us neither. But we can definitely see the appeal of simpler times and simpler race bikes – like this Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1. It's been built by the team, backed by Suzuki UK, to take on the European Endurance Cup this year in the classic categories. Because, yes, terrifyingly enough, a K1 Gixxer thousand now counts as a classic. Begad. The sweet GSX-R follows the team's luscious GSX1100 Katana (and a road-going GSX-R1000-based Katana), GSX-R750 SRAD, XR69 and RG500 machines, which have graced the start lines at the Manx GP, Classic TT,…

BMW S 1000 RR Just how much have sportsbikes changed over 13 years? Like most of our tests, this one came about following a casual conversation. Johnny and I were nattering about iconic sportsbikes, and it didn't take long before BMW's very first S 1000 RR was thrown into the mix. Its arrival on the scene in late 2009 created a massive stir, breaking the confines of convention and setting a new standard and expectation for sportsbikes thereafter. BMW achieved the unthinkable, launching a box-fresh wonder weapon that produced more power than its Japanese rivals, featured more tech, and dispatched the German brand of its ‘pipe and slippers’ affiliation. It was a watershed moment, and as we harked on about our first rides and memories from 13 years earlier, we…

I get nervous when I hear a manufacturer seemingly create a solution to a problem that doesn't exist – or, at least, one I wasn't aware of in the first place. Who knew that the world needs a Supermoto Tourer? KTM did, evidently, and the 890 SMT is proof that all along, the world has been missing a motorbike with words in its description that couldn't be more diametrically opposed if they tried. I freely admit to making an inevitable comparison in my head between the KTM 890 SMT and the Ducati Hypermotard, so let me tackle this straightaway… there isn't a comparison. Put that out of your head now, because while the SMT does have the same fundamental architecture as the Hypermotard, it is far more versatile. For a…

LONGTERMERS You can learn a lot about a bike over 500 miles, especially one as characterful as the SP2. It's been an awesome month on the Ducati, simultaneously clocking up the distance needed for its first service while getting my head around the package and understanding its multitude of idiosyncrasies. I should probably start by admitting that this is not the easiest of sportsbike to get on with, but for all the niggles exposed in the past few weeks, nothing's been enough to put me off this wonder weapon. The smile on my face has been relentless, even when handing over my card to the fuel pump attendant for what feels the millionth time to keep the hungry V4 topped up with fuel. Scarily, I've been averaging 120 miles between…

Interviews with Kawasaki factory BSB racers in Fast Bikes are a bit like buses. None for ages - then you get two at once… Last month we spoke to Max Cook, the new rider for the Cheshire Mouldings team about his career so far and his relationship with SHARK. And this month we're doing the same with Lee Jackson, the senior rider in the Kawasaki UK-backed team (Team Green completists can also read about Jackson's ZX-10R race bike on the Addiction pages this month). We say ‘senior’, but Jackson is actually just 27 years old. His seniority comes from an almost-precocious rise to the BSB paddock: he was racing in the British 125 championship/ACU Academy Cup back in 2010 aged just 14, moving to Superstock 600 two years later and…

Hate it or loathe it, electric power is expanding everywhere. And this month saw a couple of new launches that may be more significant than they first appear. First up is the Livewire S2 Del Mar – a smaller, lighter, less cruiser-y variant on the Livewire One machine, developed when Harley-Davidson owned the firm. Harley has sold off the brand since that bike launched (though it retains an interest), so there's more freedom for Livewire to develop other electric bikes. The Del Mar uses most of the Livewire One powertrain, with some updates and optimisation, in a more youth-oriented street bike design. It weighs 195kg, puts out about 80bhp and will do 110 miles to a charge in ‘urban’ conditions. It's not going to replace petrol for most folk (especially…

FEATURE S 1000 RR: GEN 1 Some bikes don't bode well over time – it's a simple fact. They're either too ugly, marred by an underwhelming level of performance, or hated because they break down more often than a snowflake. BMW's first generation S 1000 RR is not one of those bikes, and every time I see one I find myself doing a double take. How the hell did the German brand nail the brief so well, without a warm-up act, crafting a machine that not only still looks the part but also delivers a riding experience that defies the test of time better than Botox? You get the gist… I'm a big fan and always have been. I first rode one in 2010, undertaking a massive blast around the Yorkshire…

FEATURE YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+ “THIS LATEST ITERATION HAS BEEN DIPPED IN GLUE AND ROLLED IN TECHNO GOODNESS.” I slumped down in my seat, wiping the sweat from my head under the baking Sardinian sunshine. It had been a good day. A very good day, and surprisingly so. Being honest, when the invite came through to test Yamaha's Tracer 9GT +, it didn't exactly set my heart racing, but that's the state it had left me in after nine hours of hammering switchbacks, coastal roads, and a smattering of goat trails. It had transpired to be the consummate wolf in sheep's clothing, disguised so subtly behind its tall screen, broad panniers and high-rise handlebars that it seemed the only thing missing was a pipe and some slippers. In reality, it was…

In the late 1990s, World Superbikes popularity was at its height. Hundreds of thousands of fans flooded into race circuits all over the world to watch the action on track while millions more sat at home, glued to their TV screens. But if you were a fan of Japanese bikes, there was a problem – from 1994 until 2000, the series was dominated by Ducati's V-twins. Honda grabbed a single victory in 1997, but that took an RC45, the genius of John Kocinski and an open cheque book for HRC's racing budget. A relatively small company like Suzuki, which was desperate to get in on the action, had no chance, and its GSX-R750 racer was simply outgunned and under-funded. So, thinking outside the box, Suzuki's race department came up with…

Legal MASTERCLASS If you've been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice, get it from mail@wBiitadalton.co.uk Q I have been reading conflicting stories about how headcams might be used in court. Are they legal? Can they be used? Is there anything a biker should be aware of when using one? A First of all, there is no rule banning headcam footage from being used in court. Subject to some rules about continuity of evidence (in criminal cases), it will be admissible in any courtroom. This means footage could be used against you in a criminal case, even if it is your own footage. I have used headcam footage in support of a claim, and also had it used against a biker client in a criminal court. The problem is…