B r i t a i n ’ s b e s t - s e l l i n g b i k e m a g a z i n e
MAR 2020
29 JAN -
25 FEB
£4.50 £
New, improved and
even more useful
New & used bikes, destinations
& routes, products & kit,
projects & fettling
THE
TRIUMPH
ISSUE
« EXCLUSIVE: New Tiger 900,
from concept to reality
Naked truth
NEW STREET RS
fights SPEED TWIN
NEW and SPEED RS
More...
New bikes, ‘Errrrrrrr, I think
used bikes,
races and we just won the TT’
places Amazing story of the 2003 Isle of Man win
PLUS Used Sprint ST, classic
650 and new Thruxton RS
Dodging cows 14,320 MV AGUSTA PORN
PLUS AND
Riding India CHOPPERS TO MEXICO
with Enfield’s epic miles aboard
design boss Kawasaki’s Versys AERO FOR THE ROAD
FXDR 114
™
™
With a racing heart and radical looks, the FXDR 114 pushes
performance motorcycles into the next dimension. Super-
sleek design is paired with a wealth of alloy and composite
components to create a lightweight, aerodynamic design
that lives to lean into corners.
It’s got plenty of guts too, with a throaty 2-Into-1 exhaust
attached to that Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. While
®
keyless ignition and an LED Daymaker headlamp are just
two of the smart new tech features that will take Harley-
Davidson riders into the future.
THE ALL-NEW
Low Rider S
®
Funny how something clad in so much black can stand out
so much. But there’s no blending in with the aggressive
®
style of the Low Rider S. From the blacked-out finishes to
the moto-style bars with 4-inch risers, it’s every inch the
anti-hero.
The performance is just as thrilling. On top of the other
®
Softail upgrades, the model frame rake has been reduced
for sharper handling, while the inverted front fork delivers
split-second response when you’re steering and braking.
Sport Glide ®
Devour endless miles with some room for gear. Or strip it
down to carve city streets with fairings and saddlebags
®
that detach in seconds. With a nimble Softail frame and a
®
Milwaukee Eight 107 engine, The Sport Glide is ready for
®
adventure- wherever you are.
THE KINGS
OF CUSTOM.
Bad attitude.
Good for the soul. Every rider has a personal connection to their
®
Harley-Davidson , but with the new Softail ,
®
there are limitless opportunities to create a custom
look that really makes a unique statement. Softail
®
was originally inspired by custom designs, so it’s
easy to make it your own. Just speak to the Custom
®
Kings at your local Harley-Davidson dealer, they’ve
got years of experience, plus a huge range of genuine
®
Harley-Davidson parts and accessories to work with.
Whether you crave a bobber, a chopper, a board racer,
or anything in between, our custom experts will work
Off the leash. with you to make your ultimate custom vision a reality.
®
Versatility is now YOUR SOFTAIL IS WAITING.
in new territory. Find your local dealership at www.h-d.com
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Hello
Issue 564 March 2020
Contact us: [email protected] or 01733 468099
facebook.com/bikemagazineUK
twitter.com/BikeMagazine
ovember 27th 1999 and France is gripped by the worst then develop a rival. So by the time it was in production everyone else
seasonal weather for 30 years. I’m at the Spanish border had moved on and they were always playing catch-up. They might have
Nand I need to get to Peterborough, so I’ve got to ride won the 2003 Junior TT (p58) with the Daytona 600, but on the road it
through a snowstorm that starts south of Lyon and continues till north was never as good as Honda’s CBR600.
of Paris. Fortunately I’ve got a decent bike. But once they’d got enough confidence to plough their own furrow
I’d picked up a new Triumph Sprint ST two days earlier, from the – Speed Triple, 675 Daytona, Street Triple, Bonneville – they made
model’s launch event in Seville and was heading back to the UK so that fantastic bikes. And their current commitment to model development
Bike could test the new model against its sports tourer class rivals – the is astonishing. Witness the new Tiger 900 (p40).
Honda VFR800, BMW R1100S and Ducati ST4. It’s also guaranteed that they’ll win this month’s group test (p48).
The Triumph left me deeply impressed after our French ordeal. The most significant rivals for the new Street Triple RS are surely
Growly, characterful engine, balanced chassis and comfort. It was Triumph’s own Speed Triple and Speed Twin so we rode them back to
a great bike on which to cover hard miles. It impressed when we back. Enjoy the issue.
compared it with the rest of the class too. I’m pretty sure that was the
first time a Hinckley Triumph had won a Bike group test.
In the early days of Hinckley production Triumph’s development Hugo Wilson
plan seemed to identify a popular category, look at the class leader, and Editor
Bikes in this issue
Aprilia Caponord 108 / Bimota KB4 14 / BMW E-Roadster 12 / Ducati 848 108 / Honda Africa Twin 110
Honda MVX250F 130 / Husqvarna Norden 10 / Indian Hendee Special 17 / Kawasaki Z900 78 / Kawasaki Versys 1000 96
Triumph Tiger 900 40 / Triumph Street Triple RS 48 / Triumph Speed Twin 48 / Triumph Speed Triple RS 48
Triumph Thruxton RS 64 / Triumph TR6R 114 / Triumph Sprint ST 116 and more…
5
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18
1 8
Harley power,
Ha rl e y p o w e r ,
26-inch
2
6
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wh
wheels, mad
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66
66
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o
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Escape from LA to Mexico.
E
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…
o
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Choppers are go…
pp
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6
Contents
Front end
10 THE FIVE BIKES THAT MATTER THIS MONTH
Husqvarna, Bimota, electric BMW, electric start Indian and a custom.
21 BRAKING NEWS
Dakar Rally, BMW’s big engine, the best of this month’s new bike deals.
34 LETTERS
T-shirt stories, revived bikes, Moto Guzzis and more.
38 SUBSCRIBE
This month’s best deal on a Bike subscription. Go on, treat yourself.
Features and Tests
40 TRIUMPH TIGER DEVELOPMENT
Development bosses Stuart Wood and Steve Sargent tell all.
48 GROUP TEST: TRIUMPH’S BRILLIANT NAKEDS
Triple v triple v twin in a battle of Hinckley headbangers.
58 FOLKLORE: TRIUMPH’S 2003 TT WIN
The unlikely story of Bruce Anstey’s Junior TT victory.
64 FIRST RIDE: TRIUMPH THRUXTON RS
A spiffy new, top of the range version of Triumph’s ace cafe racer.
66 ADVENTURE: CHOPPERS TO MEXICO
‘Adventure South from LA on Pans and Shovels.
bikes are like 72 MAT OXLEY INTERVIEW: JENNY ANDERSON
From UK club racer to KTM’s MotoGP Electronics Strategy engineer.
sportsbikes 78 FIRST RIDE: KAWASAKI Z900
The revamped naked is really a bit special.
were in the ’90s’ 80 INSIDE: THE MV AGUSTA MUSEUM
40 Another religious site in Italy, and it’s closer than the Vatican.
88 RIDE WITH: MARK WELLS
Royal Enfield’s design boss riding in southern India.
96 BIG TEST: KAWASAKI VERSYS 1000
88
88 Lots of miles aboard the ace all-rounder reveals virtues and irritations.
g
h
w
i
t
R
Riding with
din
i
R o y a l E n f i eld ’ s
Royal Enfield’s
d e s i g n g u r u Know How
design guru
108 BIKES
Ducati buying advice, Africa Twin foibles, used Triumphs and more.
118 THE TESTS
New bikes rated by Bike’s team of testers.
122 PEOPLE, EVENTS AND RIDES
Surviving the Dakar, riding the Cairngorms, places to go and more.
130 WEIRD AND WONDERFUL
A three-cylinder two-stroke Honda that ain’t an NS400.
7
Made for motorcyclists... by these motorcyclists
EDITORIAL
Phone 01733 468000
Editor Hugo Wilson
Deputy Editor Mike Armitage
Art Director Paul Lang
Managing Editor Nigel Grimshaw
Contributing Editor John Westlake
Road Tester James Haydon
Sensible Adult Colleen Moore
Head of publishing, motorcycling
Steve Herbert-Mattick
ADVERTISING
Phone 01733 468000
Commercial director
[email protected]
Group advertisement manager
[email protected]
Staff shortleg Paul Lang demonstrates Account manager
mounting technique, p124 [email protected]
Classified advertising
Chippy Wood shooting Triumphs for the [email protected]
group test, p48 MARKETING
Phone 01733 468499
Founding editor Mark Williams bidding Marketing manager Sarah Norman
farewell to his custom Honda, p114 Newstrade marketing manager Mark Webb
PRODUCTION
Phone 01733 468341
Print production
[email protected]
Advertising Production
01733 468341/8397
Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd,
Willenhall, West Midlands
Distributed by Frontline
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Enfield design boss Mark Wells (right) CUSTOMER SERVICES
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Call 01733 555161 and ask for sales ops
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BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA
Managing Director – Motorcycling
Rob Aherne
Editorial Director June Smith-Sheppard
Finance Director Lisa Hayden
CEO Bauer Publishing UK Rob Munro-Hall
Bike magazine is published 12 times a year by H Bauer
Publishing, registered address Academic House, 24-28 Oval
Road, London, NW1 7DT. Registered number LP003328. No
part of the magazine maybe reproduced in any form in whole or
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We cannot accept any responsibility for unsolicited
manuscripts, images or materials lost or damaged in the post.
» Friend of Bike Todd Blubaugh contemplating life, bikes Whilst every reasonable care is taken to ensure accuracy, the
and the road in California and Mexico, p66 publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions nor do
we accept any liability for any loss or damage, howsoever
caused, resulting from the use of the magazine. COMPLAINTS:
Subscribe to Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and endeavours to
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Thanks to... Simon Hewitt » Richard Chesterfield » Ben Purvis » Sam Smiths of Stamford
» Assorted cold and flu remedies » And of course our glorious founding editor Mark Williams of Wales
8
5
BIKES
THAT
REALLY
MATTER
THIS
MONTH
e N
e N
n w
i
l
l be
i
l
n w
r
r
d
d
e
e
o
o
‘The Norden will be
‘ ‘
T
T
l be
h
h
s
c
c
e
e
i
ble
ble
i
i
n
n
s
i
s
s
a
more accessible in
or
e
m m
e
or
c
c
a
,
m
t t e r m s o f c o m f o r t ,
f
m
o
r
s o
o
t
r
f c
terms of comfort,
e
nd
nd
a
i
ot
r
wind protection and
w w i nd p r ot e c t i o n a nd
e
c
o
n
i
t
p
’
er
i
v
d
el
y
power delivery’
p p o w er d el i v er y ’
w
er
o
10
Based on KTM’s
platform, but more
progressive and
modern looking
[ NEW BIKES ]
It’ll be
alright on
the road…
… and off it. Husky’s new adventure bike
looks like a winner. Just don’t call it Denis
usqvarna’s new Norden adventure bike is a more
comfortable, powerful yet milder version of KTM’s 790
HAdventure parallel twin. Given how good that is, this is
a seriously enticing prospect.
The bike you see here is a working prototype, and though Husqvarna
are being cagey about when it will appear, the Vitpilen and Svartpilen
timelines suggest it should be in showrooms next year.
‘When I unveiled the bike [at a show in Italy] there were cheers and
clapping,’ Husqvarna’s global marketing director Federico Valentini
tells Bike. ‘That was a pleasant surprise. Given that reception we would
like to have the Norden on sale tomorrow, but our R&D department is
working on a lot of different projects.’ Sadly
the bike wasn’t named after comedy
writer Denis Norden; Norden
means ‘north’ in German.
‘We started the Norden
at almost the same time
as the 790 Adventure
started its development
[around 2016],’ says
Federico. ‘KTMs are
“Ready to Race”, so our
objective is to make the
Norden more accessible
to a wider customer
base in terms of comfort,
wind protection and power W i n d p r o t e c t i o n : i f t h e
Wind protection: if the
r
e
e
o
t
t s
e
h
p t
e
o
n d
’
n
s
c
s
delivery. It’s based on a screen doesn’t stop the
a
e d
h
s
l
i
h w
e t
r
e
e
b
z
900cc parallel twin so it’s more breeze the dash will l
powerful and torquey than the 790
and so more tractable and easier to use.
‘The designers went into a lot of detail in the
front end to increase the wind protection and to dissipate the heat
better around the engine. The ergonomics are similar to the KTM’s and
the chassis and electronics are similar too. We’re working on the engine
now. We always try and give our bikes their own character – that has
worked well in motocross where our competition bikes have a different
power delivery. We’ll be doing this kind of thing on the Norden.’
And that foxy styling? ‘Everything we do is based on the KTM
platform, and we modify it to our core values – more progressive, more
modern-looking, and a simpler design language with more clear lines.’
11
Five bikes...
[ electric Bikes ]
‘You don’t need long
range to have fun’
fter Harley’s Livewire hauled a Jedi and his
mate up America and Zero launched more
A models, BMW have revealed this prototype
electric supernaked to demonstrate they’re not far behind.
In an exclusive interview with Bike, the leader of BMW’s
E-Roadster project Rainer Bäumel said: ‘We presented
this bike to show we are not sleeping, and that we are
progressing with E-mobility. We now know what is
important and what components we need. BMW are ready.’
Well… they’re ready to progress. The bike you see here is
a prototype built to test components – hence its bitsa look –
and is three years away from actual production, according
to Bäumel. And the project has now stopped while BMW
management decide whether to proceed.
The bike is made from a mixture
of bits: the front-end is S1000R,
the shaft is from an R1200RS, the
battery is from a 2 Series (car), and
the motor is from a 7 Series. The
frame was designed and made by
a group of students doing work
experience at BMW.
‘We are ready if our bosses
tell us to make an E-Roadster
with 120 miles of range and
100kW (135bhp) and a fast charge
of 30 minutes,’ says Bäumel. ‘It’s a
concept that shows we can meet those
targets. But we’re not sure if we would
use these kinds of batteries, motor or
electronics in the production version.’
He is sure about the type of bike it
would become though. ‘The prototype
feels like an S1000R to ride [BMW claim
the acceleration figures are very close] and
if we do make an E-Roadster, it will be a
Back-end
musclebike. I don’t think we will have E-bike BMW chose shaft drive (from an
PHOTOGRAPHY: BMW bike you don’t need a long range to have fun.’ S1000R. Don’t get your hopes up that
tourers going into the Alps for days. For a muscle
R1200RS) rather than chain like the
The project follows on from the DC Roadster, which
there’s an electric tourer on the way:
showed what BMW’s styling department would like to do
‘that won’t happen,’ says Baumel.
with an electric motorcycle.
12
12
STYLING
As you can tell, there isn’t much going
on. That’s because this is an engineering
concept, to prove BMW could make a bike
with 135bhp and 120-mile range. The styling
concept (right), called the DC Roadster,
appeared earlier this year.
DC Roadster: making
electricity look good
MASSIVE BOXY BATTERY
This is usually hidden away in a 2 Series
hybrid car, hence its rather blunt aesthetic.
Aside from the frame, all the components
were pinched from other BMs.
MOTOR
This is from the £83,500 7 Series
hybrid limousine. Considering
it could power the vast limo to
87mph with no help from the
main engine, it’s not surprising
the E-Roadster accelerates as
fast as an S1000R – that’s 0-60
in around 3s.
FRONT END
Entirely stolen from a
S1000R, so these are
46mm forks (not the semi-
active ones from the S) with
320mm discs and radial
calipers.
TRELLIS FRAME
‘The frame was built by
our students to hang
the components from,’
says project chief Rainer
Bäumel. Half the project
team were on work
experience from university.
13
Five bikes...
[ new BiKes] Kawasaki’s benefactor-ism
allows Bimota to do what
Bimota crank out
Bimota do best
the Kawasakis
Hot on the heels of the Tesi H2 comes the Kawasaki
Z1000-powered, KB4. And there are more on the way…
hen Kawasaki applied their financial defibrillator have the homologation [it’s actually
to the Bimota corpse back in October 2019, they going on sale around April]. We also get all
Wsurely did not expect life to return quite this fast. Kawasaki’s electronic systems which take millions to produce. It was
After the internet-breaking Tesi H2 comes the KB4, a Z1000-powered impossible for a small company like Bimota to do that.’
retro sportsbike. Kawasaki are also providing funds to get the old gang back together.
Bimota’s new marketing manager Gianluca Gallasso told Bike: ‘It Bimota’s new CEO is Dr Pierluigi Marconi, the engineer who created
is early days with the KB4 – we are still designing it and don’t have a the original Tesi. ‘Kawasaki told him that they want to have the
PICS: BIMOTA/enrICO BOrgheSAn working prototype in three months. championship on a Bimota in the 1980s and was a development rider
prototype yet, but that will be ready by spring.’ And if that timeline
Bimota of the past, when the people were very important and kept the
seems ambitious, don’t forget that the Tesi H2 went from sketch to
style of Bimota alive,’ says Gianluca, who won the Italian Superbike
for the company from 1988 to 1998. Five of the other new recruits are
This speed is down to one factor: Kawasaki have already done all
also ex-staffers.
the homologation, so Bimota can just get on with design. ‘Having
‘We need people urgently because we now have a lot of work.
homologated parts from Kawasaki is very important to us,’ says
We have a list of model ideas and once the Tesi H2 and KB4 are in
Gianluca, ‘because it means we can go to market immediately. For
production, we will move on to the next projects.’
example the Tesi H2 could have sold on 1 January because we already
‘It is early days with the KB4…but the
prototype will be ready by spring’
14
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Five bikes...
For sale in
Vegas at the
end of January
[ CLASSICS ]
Your starter for $100k
The world’s first electric start motorcycle is up for sale at the world’s biggest auction
By Gez Kane Photography Mecum Auctions
n the early years of motorcycling, American bikes were among the recall was rumoured to cost an eye-watering $100,000.
the most advanced in the world, as this 1914 Indian The model is named after George M Hendee, the founder
IHendee Special proves. Well over 100 years ago, of Indian, which was America’s first motorcycle
here was a bike that sported a superbly-engineered manufacturer. By 1913, production was running at
1000cc V-twin engine (albeit only putting out 32,000 machines a year and Hendee and business
7bhp) mated to a two speed gearbox and – its partner Oscar Hedstrom came up with a new,
crowning glory – the first electric starter to improved range for 1914. The Hendee Special
be fitted to a motorcycle. was right at the top.
Sadly, the electric start, doubtless In total, only around 200 Hendee Specials
inspired by the first electric start car, were built in 1914 and only a handful
a 1913 Cadillac, wasn’t an unqualified survive. Even fewer machines with the full
success and ended up costing Indian a original equipment, like this one, remain
fortune. Though it worked well enough, in existence, making this an extremely rare
battery technology of the day restricted find. Owned by the vendor since 1986, it’s
the performance of the starter motor and estimated to make $100,000-125,000.
a number of expensive factory recalls were The Indian is for sale at the end of January
required. The bikes came back for magneto Full original in Las Vegas at the giant Mecum auction,
ignition, a kick starter and eventually the equipment present which is a wonder in itself. The sale looks set to
removal of the electric starter motor. That must and correct be the biggest classic bike auction in the world with
have taken some explaining. Indian ended production a staggering 1620 lots going past the block during six
of the ‘electric’ model after around 50 machines were built and selling days. » More info: mecum.com
17
17
Five bikes...
[ CUSTOM ]
Harley power,
26in wheels, mad...
L
WH
E
E
WHEELS
S
Yes it’s jaw-dropping, but it also works. Builder Nicko Eigert AND FRAME
D
AN
AM
E
F
R
talks about test rides, mad hubs and chopping up his lathe…
These are 26in, ‘to make it look
T h e s e a r e 2 6 i n , ‘ t o m a k e i t l o o k
e b
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larger than life’. The bike is a
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uilding those huge, hollow wheel hubs took bravery. bike). The engine is a stressed
member, so it’s got what Nicko
Each one needed such massive cubes of aluminium m e m b e r , s o i t ’ s g o t w h a t N i c k o
a
ll
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s
me
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s
fr
l
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k
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.
Bthat builder Nicko Eigert’s industrial lathe wasn’t calls ‘a frameless neck’.
big enough. ‘I decided to cut the lathe in half so it could take the
aluminium blocks we had to machine. We stood about 30m
from the lathe while it was turning because if that 60kg
block flew out it would kill anybody in its path.’
Mission accomplished with no deaths… but
this was just the start of the challenges created
by the sheer size of those hubs (internal
diameter: 25cm). For a start, where do you
find bearings for them? ‘Yeah, that was
difficult,’ says Nicko, who owns and runs
Smoked Garage in Bali. ‘We got them
from a cruise ship’s electric generator
– we needed high speed bearings and
these can run up to 20,000rpm. The
grease for them costs $500 a tub!’
Then there’s the knock-on effect of
the hubs’ size. ‘Because the holes are so
massive we had to make 24in (610mm)
disc brakes. Because of that we needed
massive calipers, then we needed a
massive master cylinder pump to work
the massive calipers…’ It wasn’t a great
deal easier at the back because the hub size
meant Nicko could only use a huge 70 tooth
sprocket which meant he had to change the
internal gearbox ratios so the bike would have a
reasonable cruising speed.
The bike – called The Spirit – was commissioned by
an Indonesian cigarette company to be the star attraction at
events and Nicko and his team of machinists built it in only two
PICS: SURYANATION MOTORLAND in the present, not in the future, but in between – the near future. Nicko chose an old Softail power unit, ‘for
and a half months. ‘It’s a neo-boardtracker,’ he says. ‘Neo means not
ENGINE
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I
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E
I didn’t want to go so modern that I covered everything up, or so
classic that everything is exposed. We had to find a sweetspot.
a
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The customer requested a Harley engine
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because they’re so popular in Indonesia.
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‘At the outset we drew this beautiful thing then thought, “fuck,
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how are we going to build that?”. We were lost for a week but in the
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that classic thumping carburated sound’.
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end we just started in the obvious place, those 26in wheels.’
18
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complicated TFTs
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‘I was surprised how well it handled considering it must weigh 400kg,’ ’
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p
s a y s N i c k o . ‘ I t l o v e s t o g o s t r a i g h t , b u t o n c e y o u g e t i t i n t o a c o r n e r i t ’ s
says Nicko. ‘It loves to go straight, but once you get it into a corner it’s
p
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y g
, t
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pretty good. However, when you stop, the wheel hubs are so heavy (the
e
p
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front end is 150kg) that if the bars flop to one side it pulls the bike over.’ ’
f
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… just quickly
nipping to the shops
sweetheart
N
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HIDDEN MACHINING
HID
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‘Neo means not in the
n t
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s
‘If you take off those covers on the hubs, it is so complex in there,’ says
f t
e
Nicko. ‘Making the bearings waterproof was a real challenge because
p r es e n t , n o t i n t h e f u t u r e , N i c k o . ‘ M a k i n g t h e b e a r i n g s w a t e r p r o o f w a s a r e a l c h a l l e n g e b e c a u s e
present, not in the future,
r
e
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dynamos [where the bearings came from] are not meant to be washed.
n
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ng
but in the near future’
b u t i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e ’ We precision machined everything to incredibly fine tolerances.’ ’
19
Tel No: 07894 862 467
T el No: 07894 862 467
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Brakıng News
From the wonderful to the weird, Bike’s pick of this month’s
stories from the motorcycling world…
[ RALLY SHOCK ]
Honda’s
just deserts
After 31 years of trying,
Honda finally win the
Dakar Rally
B instead of coming up through enduros, his background is desert racing.
arring a disaster on the final day, Honda will have won the Dakar
Brabec’s ascent to the rally stratosphere is typical of the new breed:
Rally for the first time in 31 years by the time you read this. As
Bike went to press, American desert racing specialist Ricky Brabec Brabec won the Baja 1000 and Baja 500 in 2014 before moving to rallies
(above) was on course for an historic victory on his CRF450, though it – his first Dakar stage win was in 2017.
was over-shadowed by the death of Paulo Gonçalves (see right). » More Dakar: p122
KTM have won the previous 17 Dakars, but this year the Honda
factory team dominated, with three CRFs in the top five for most of the RIP Paulo Gonçalves, 1979-2020
event. Brabec’s team-mate Joan Barreda Bort was running third with
two days to go, but now looks likely to finish off the podium, having » Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves died after crashing his Hero
been overhauled by the KTM of former Dakar winner Toby Price. Motosport Honda CRF450 on stage seven. The 40-year-old was
an experienced and successful Dakar rider – this was his 13th race
Pablo Quintanilla looks set to hold second place on his Husqvarna and he had finished in the top 10 four times, coming second in
FR450, which started life as a KTM 450 Rally, but we can’t see KTM 2015. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
taking much solace in that.
21
Braking News
Ǯ -2% 6:$3 ǰ
Legends
day out
/HZLV DQG 9DOH WDNH D EUHDN IURP WKHLU GD\
MREV DQG VZDS NH\V :LWK LPSUHVVLYH UHVXOWVf
Predictably anodyne PR pic,
ore details have emerged from Valentino Rossi and Lewis but you get the idea…
Hamilton’s day of japes at Valencia. The only official footage
M of the two multiple world champions is predictably glossy,
showing both legends looking pretty damn impressive on/in the other’s
daily transport. But the rumours that Hamilton crashed an M1 Yamaha
have now been confirmed by PR stuntmeisters
Monster, and that Vale had three spins in the 2017
Mercedes (F1 tested rules meant he couldn’t use
the latest car). Sky Sports also claim to have
times from the day: Rossi lapped the car 1.5sec
slower than Hamilton’s best, while – perhaps
even more impressively – Hamilton got to
within 5 seconds of Rossi’s best time on
the bike. No wonder he lobbed it.
ÒËÅÕ ÛÃÏÃÊðÏÑÐÕÖÇÔ ÇÐÇÔÉÛ ÒËÅÕ ÛÃÏÃÊðÏÑÐÕÖÇÔ ÇÐÇÔÉÛ To enjoy Hamilton’s on
m
i
a
y H
o
’
s
n
l
t
o
j
n
o e
T
t
ring
a
endearing admiration
admir
i
a
ende
al
of Rossi type ‘Vale
of
e
p
e
R
ty
o
V
ssi
‘
Le
Lewis’ into YouTube
22
22 wis ’ int o Y o u T ub e
[ GEar ]
Shark Spartan
GT Carbon
The problem with touring-focused lids
is generally weight – after wearing a race
helmet, a tourer can feel like you’ve got a
very comfortable bowling ball on your head.
Shark’s new Spartan GT aims to change that,
with all the comfort and quietness of a high-
end road helmet, yet weighing just 1290g –
that’s lighter than Arai’s RX7 race helmet. It’s in
showrooms from February at around £450.
[ Ewan and CharlEy baCk on thE road ]
Return of the Jedi (and his mate)
» Ewan McGregor and Charley boorman have finished their long way Up trip on
electric harley livewires, riding from Ushuaia on the southern tip of argentina
to los angeles, California, USa. details of how the livewires coped are minimal
because none of the crew are permitted to talk until the tV series airs later in
2020, but there have been hints. rob day joined Ewan and Charley to ride the
last leg and told advpulse.com he’d asked the duo how they’d kept the livewires
topped up in South america: ‘Charley said charging wasn’t too bad and they
often charged from locals, even off-grid locals who had generators.’ In the US
charging stations were faster and plentiful, Charley said, and they made about
300 miles per day, compared with 120-180 miles a day in South america. It’s not
known why they stopped in la, rather than going all the way up to alaska.
[ ElECtrICIty, plUS ]
Ultracapacitors
are coming…
» yes we know it’s another electric concept, but this
one could be momentous. Ignore the rim motors and
fancy styling, the really exciting bit is the power…
Instead of using just a lithium-ion battery, with
all its inherent problems – range, weight, size and
charge time – the nawa racer adds a carbon-based
ultracapacitor to the mix. this can be charged and
discharged in seconds and can recoup 80% of
regenerative braking power (compared with the usual
30%). because the ultracapacitor can’t hang on to its
charge for long, you still need a normal battery, but
this can be smaller because the ultracapacitor is so
good at topping it up. nawa – who specialise in nano-
tube ultracapacitors – say that’s how they got the
a
h
s t
t a
n
concept bike’s weight down to 150kg. I Is that an
o
i
a
ultracapacitor in
For town riding, where you’re on and off the brakes ult r ou c r a p p o a c cit et r o n
your pocket, or
y
,
r
k
a lot, the range is a claimed 180 miles. on a ‘mixed are you just…
t
e y
r
…
u j
u
a
s
o
cycle’ it’s 90 miles. there’s no word on price.
23
Braking News
Ǯ NEW ENGINE ǰ
NE
ǰ
Ǯ Ǯ NE W ENG INE ǰ
INE
W
ENG
s l
s l
’
W
M
M
B B W ’ o w t e c h wh p p e r
BMW’s low tech whopper
h wh
o
c
w t
e
e
r
p
o
p
o
0
r
2
8
e
pa
s a s
a
w
te
c t
a
c
i
n h
New 1802cc twin has a separate
w 1
N New 1802cc twin has a separate
e
s
g gearbox, pushrods and locknut
a
ea
p
s
gearbox, pushrods and locknut
rod
h
u
bo
r
n
c
k
o
d l
u
t
,
x
n
v valve adjustment
valve adjustment
e
u
lv
ad
j
s
t
ment
a
MW’s vast new boxer twin is an intriguing blend of new wide. And, at the low revs a cruiser operates, pushrod engines are
technology and old ideas. New details released by BMW show it pretty efficient – BMW claim 91bhp at 4750rpm, 116 lb.ft at 3000rpm
Bcombines all the latest tech you’d expect of a 2020 engine – four and the motor passes Euro5 emission regulations.
valve heads, fuel injection, sensors everywhere – with some ideas Another low tech solution includes using a screw and locknut
BMW came up with in 1936. system instead of shims or hydraulics to adjust the valve clearances.
Whereas previous retros by Triumph, Kawasaki et al have been The advantage of this is it’s a doddle to do, while the disadvantage is
styling exercises applied to modern motors, the R18 engine takes retro you end up doing it a lot. There’s no word on valve adjustment intervals.
to a far deeper level. The valves, for example, are actuated by pushrods The gearbox is in a separate housing, as per the old days – so you’ll
running from two camshafts (one per cylinder) sitting at the top of the have to change the gearbox oil separately to the engine oil. Also, the
motor. It’s an arrangement first used by BMW in their 1936 R5. shaft drive and universal joint exiting the gearbox are exposed, just like
Though BMW imply pushrods are purely a nod to the past, there are on BMW’s post-war classics. Bringing the R18 rather more up to date,
practical benefits too: overhead cams would have made the already owners can specify a reverse gear. This could come in handy – the
massive cylinders even taller and the bike would have been absurdly engine alone weighs 110kg, so the whole bike could push 300kg.
Ǯ DUCATI COLLECTIBLES ǰ
Spares for your GP bike
º It’s that time of year when you notice your garage has filled with tat and
decide an eBay clearout is in order. Clearly, Ducati have had the same
thought, and are now flogging old parts they no longer need. Admittedly
their tat is rather good – there are no holed endcans and worrying piles
of left-over bolts here. Instead, you’ve got pristine crankshafts, con-
rods, pistons and camshafts, all used in MotoGP or World Superbikes.
Ducati have decided against the eBay route and will be selling them in
dealerships and on ducati.com. Each part comes with a posh case, a
certificate of authenticity and details of the rider, season etc. Prices TBC.
24
Looks like a
challenge…
[ TAKE A BREAK ]
Ride in Sete’s
back garden
» As long weekends go, this takes some beating: ride on track with
ex-MotoGP legends Dani Pedrosa and Sete Gibernau, watch the
Spanish MotoGP at Catalunya with them in a VIP lounge, spend the
night in a posh Barcelona hotel then scoff brunch the next morning
bobbing about on a yacht in the harbour. The predictable downside
is cost – you’ll need 3800 euros for the trip (flights not included). The
other concern is the riding experience. Despite fleeting pictures of
CBR600RRs in the blurb, you’ll actually be riding mini bikes round a
minimoto track. It’ll be a laugh, certainly, but unless you’re as diddy as
Dani, your knees will be mush by 11am. Dates are 5-8 June.
» More details: destination.redbull.com
If you fancy bigger bikes and possibly even more glamour, how
about three days riding Laguna Seca? A package that includes
shipping your bike out there, four nights in a hotel and three days
on the ace Californian track costs 2800 euro. You’ll need flights to
the US on top of that. Dates are 18-20 November.
» More details: bikersdays.com
Colin and Wally Rawlings
winning the Dutch TT
in 1964
Jackets... we’ve
got masses
Over 18,000 jackets ready to send
[ THE CHEQUERED FLAG ] to your home or nearest store
Colin Seeley 1936-2020
» A perfectionist to the tips of his very shiny shoes, Colin
was a sidecar GP winner, made race frames for Barry
Sheene, was commissioned by Ducati to make chassis
for their first V-twins (which they copied), was team boss Order from Britain’s number one bike
of the 1994 British Superbike championship Duckhams kit website or visit us in-store.
Norton squad and was a friend to Bike. God speed.
LEEDS BOSTON MILTON KEYNES
LS2 7QA PE20 1QS MK6 4AE
Braking News
Deals on wheels
The flood of new models and introduction of Euro5 means some favourites
are leaving us. But what’s meant for you, won’t pass by you…
£1700 saving £2250 saving £1700 saving £574 saving
v
i
a
7
1
0 s
0
n
av
s
i
g
n
£2
g
2
0
5
£
KTM BMW Kawasaki Honda
690 Duke R nineT Racer ZZR1400 CB500X
» Despite being the base of various » Arguably the finest-looking of » Kawasaki have already said the » It’s not a departing model, but
KTMs and Husqvarnas, KTM’s BMW’s R nineTs, yet the Racer has ballistic ZZR will be discontinued at the deals on the A2-legal twin
single-cylinder Duke has sadly been discontinued. It’s probably the end of 2020, so maybe they’re are good. Frugal, comfy, reliable,
departed showrooms. We love because the riding position isn’t hoping we’ll all rush out and buy well made, last year’s update
how its clever engine does big the best for reluctant joints. Mind one while we’ve still got the chance. made the 500X finer still with
wheelies and how it out-performs you, the Racer’s prone stance is It’s tempting given dealers like a ‘proper’ adventure 19-inch
rival twins yet can do 80, frugal, the most inspiring if you enjoy Robinsons (01706 572018) are wheel, improved suspension and
mpg. But where there’s a departure ‘making progress’, and is the best heavily discounting – they’ve got better details. List is a £6069
there’s a deal to be done. List was of Beemer’s retros for trackdays. the 1441cc, 193bhp, continent- but everyone discounts – Hunts
£8299, but On The Wheel (01273 List was over £11,000, but with swallowing hyperbike at £11,499, (01616 727284) only want £5495.
027638) are asking £6995. And dealers selling off their demos which is a rather significant £900 With a paltry £399 deposit it’s
if you’re happy with a 2016 bike there are cracking deals; Park off the already reasonable price. £99 a month. With 80mpg and
(same as the 2019 model, new and Lane only want £8769 for their And some dealers are doing consumables that last ages,
unregistered) Drysdale (01738 super-low-mile bike, and it’s got spankers with expensive Akrapovic surely it’s time to sack the
451050) will take £6495. accessory heated grips too. pipes thrown in, yet still under list. railcard and get one of these.
£2800 saving
Deal
of the KTM 1290
month Super Duke R
» The current Super Duke R is
astounding. Stupidly fast, insanely
powerful, crisp, accurate and overflowing
with tech, yet also utterly usable when
required (see January issue). It should
cost £14,799, but there’s an even more
powerful and swanky new version
coming soon which means deals. How
about £11,995 at Craig’s Motorcycles
(01924 488117)? That’s almost three-
grand lopped off. There are dealers still
doing the ‘trade keys’ finance deal even
on heavily discounted bikes, too.
26
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What’ll
it do,
Mister?
Street Triple RS
New bikes versus
our dyno, scales Triumph
and datalogger
The latest range-topping RS is being touted as the lightest
in class and with equally exhilarating performance.
So how light, powerful and fast is it? Bike wheels
Triumph’s triple under the microscope...
The most powerful Street Triple
ever produced. Well, apart from the
previous RS we dyno’d last year
2828
Flat out in half a mile; For quickest starts,
scales reveal wet use ‘M’ to select
weight and track- fast mode then use
ready distribution joystick to turn TC off
THEY SAY WE SAY
POWeR
121bhp 124bhp
Same claim as last year’s RS. Looks a lot next to 106.5bhp for the Blimey. The RS actually makes more rear-wheel horsepower than
original 675cc bike, but power density (bhp-per-cc) is identical. Triumph claim. Should have expected it – last year’s made 126bhp.
TORQUe
58.3 lb.ft 60.6 lb.ft
This is 1.5 grunts up on last year and produced 1500rpm earlier at Not often a bike has 4% more torque than claimed. It’s only part of
9350rpm, and Triumph say the midrange spread benefits by 9%. the story, though – the RS really does have a meatier midrange.
WeIGhT
166kg 190kg
Most brands claim wet weights, to EU guideline 168/2013 with all 17.4 litres of fuel is 13kg, 3.5 litres of oil is 3kg. That’d make 182kg
fluids and the tank 90% full. So Triumph’s dry figure looks delicate. wet, so the dry claim must exclude fork oil, battery, seat, wheels...
MPG
54mpg 48mpg
Triumph’s claim is in-line with rivals, though they point out it’s ‘from Considering it’s a naked that encourages spirited exploits, this isn’t
specific test conditions’ and ‘may not reflect real driving results’. shabby. But Triumph’s bigger nakeds are more frugal – see page 48.
TOP SPeed
150mph 148.2mph
They don’t declare what the RS will do flat out, but this is what the Triumph gear bikes to suit what the engine can pull – this is against
colour TFT dash shows on a cool, dry day at our test strip. the rev limiter in top. With a tailwind it gets there in just half a mile.
£10,300 PRIce £10,300
Despite its enhanced engine, new dash, styling tweaks and other Triumph are like Honda, and their list price is on-the-road including
fiddling, this is the same as the previous RS model cost last year. first registration and road tax. It’s £800 more than an MT-09 SP.
on THE dYno AT THE PRoVInG GRoUnd
160 A trademark
of 1990s 0-60MPh
140 Triumphs Power delivery, chassis balance and
Power was hitting control allow super-fast starts; 0-60mph
123.7bhp @ the rev 3.21s time is identical to Yam’s 192bhp R1.
120 11,500rpm limit before
power had 1/4 MILe
100 Torque peaked, and ‘Just’ a mid-weight? RS does a quarter
60.6 lb.ft @ the RS has as quickly as the original Honda Blade,
9000rpm the same with the same 131mph terminal speed.
80 10.8s
trait. Top-
end power 70-0 MPh
60 isn’t the
story here, Brembos have oodles of bite. On a cool
though – the surface with damp bits the ABS gives a
40 57.9m longer distance than an MT-07, though.
RS has a real
increase in
20 grunt in the 40-80 ROLL-ON
middle of its New grunt means top-gear flexibility
range, at real – this roll-on is pretty decent. But the
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10,000 12,000 road revs. 5.43s 1050cc Speed Triple takes 1.5s less...
29
29
Sportsbikes
gıve you
Tech
TECH TALK
The innovations
wings…
that are
transforming
our ride
… well, they soon will. Ben Purvis explains why
we should all be getting excited about aero…
erodynamics have been a create 37kg of downforce. Sounds good,
backwater of motorcycle but you have to do 186mph to achieve
Adesign for decades. Compare it, and since aerodynamic forces are
a Yamaha M1 MotoGP bike from 2004 proportional to the square of velocity,
with one from 2014 and you’ll struggle downforce plummets as speed drops.
to spot any significant changes in According to Ducati’s figures, at 60mph
the shape. But in 2015 a revolution there’s just 4kg of downforce and at
started in MotoGP as bikes began to 30mph the wings generate only 1kg.
sprout wings and now, following the It’s early days though. The biggest
inevitable delay between prototype and untapped area is active aerodynamics,
production, the same transformation is where wings can move to change
coming to showrooms. downforce depending on your
What’s more, these changes will be speed and lean angle. The potential
more pronounced than anything we’ve is huge because bikes aren’t stable
seen so far in racing because road bikes aerodynamic platforms like cars. Lean
aren’t shackled by race regulations. far enough over in a corner and the
Although a handful of production previously-helpful downward force
bikes already sport winglets – the from a wing will push the nose away
Kawasaki H2R and Ducati Panigale from the apex. The drag of winglets Kawasaki's H2R
has already
V4R – 2020 sees them move into the also reduces top speed, so ideally you’d sprouted wings.
mainstream. Honda’s new Fireblade, get rid of them when you’re flat-out But aero is about
Ducati’s reworked Panigale V4 and new as well. Regulations stop MotoGP to go much more
Streetfighter V4, MV Agusta’s Brutale bikes using this tech but mainstream…
1000 and Aprilia’s RSV4 1100 Factory there’s no such rule in World
have all grown wings.
Do they actually work? When it
comes to racing, yes, otherwise they’d
be instantly ditched. But rules now
limit what MotoGP designers can do
with wings, so their effects are small –
important, but minimal. Road bikes,
however, have no such restrictions so
their wings could be far more effective.
But they’re not there yet. Ducati say
the winglets on the 2020 Panigale V4
30
Braking News
Superbikes. In fact a is disturbed. As a result, the downforce This is Honda’s likely to be adopted onto a road bike
rule clarification for effect is reduced, so that the motorcycle active aero, seen used to homologate future WSB racers,
2020 says: ‘For active or can be easily banked and turning from above in the forcing other manufacturers to react.
patent drawing.
dynamic aerodynamic parts performance is improved.’ The fourth Protruding wings Aprilia are already working on an active
only the standard homologated idea, from the same engineers, is even are drawn into the aerodynamic system, although they’re
mechanism may be used. The range stranger. It features vibrating body fairing by cables keeping schtum on the details, and you
of movement must be the same as panels to detach the airflow and reduce can be sure every other manufacturer
that used by the homologated road downforce, making cornering easier. in superbike racing will be preparing to
machine in normal use – not the If just one of these ideas works it’s react.
mechanical maximum.’
That means any manufacturer
wanting to explore the potential of The craziest aero bike. So far…
moving wings in racing needs to offer
them on a production road bike.
Honda recently filed four separate
patent applications for moving
superbike aero. Two illustrate winglets
that retract into the bodywork when
they’re not needed. The author of
the first, Takuya Yamasaki says: ‘It
is possible to obtain downforce by
moving the wings to the operating
position. By moving the wings to the
storage position, it is possible to reduce » Although the latest ideas in active aerodynamics show that motorcycle aero is on
the air resistance.’ An IMU controls the verge of a stride forward, if you want to see the ultimate expression of two-wheeled
the whole process, deciding when the downforce you need to go back several decades.
wings need to be extended or retracted. Back in the mid-1980s, a young Honda engineer named Satoru Horiike – who’d later
Another Honda patent suggests go on to design the CBR600F and VFR800 before heading to HRC to help develop the
a nose that hinges like Concorde’s, RC211V MotoGP bike – designed a no-limits aero bike that exploited not only downforce
disrupting the airflow and killing the but F1-style ground-effects.
downforce in corners. Its inventors, To achieve it, his idea was to keep all the bike’s bodywork parallel to the ground at all
Hisafumi Matsuo and Takeshi times, fitting a hinge in the centre of the chassis to keep the rear wheel upright. Only the
Kimijima, explain: ‘The tip portion front wheel, tank and seat tilted, along with the rider, into corners.
swings downward… and the flow of the
running wind along the upper surface
31
The
Road
Because bikes
are for riding
32
Braking News
P I C : J A S O N C R I T C H E L L
PIC: JASON CRITCHELL
[ THE ROAD ]
52.931423, -3.810654
Type into Google Maps and go here.
33
Write off
[ STAR LETTER ]
And when Kevin
got back into
riding he bought
It’s good to be back himself one of
these, an old
school Africa
Twin. We
ike magazine works! My bank account provides a free approve
magazine subscription and I found my way to you via GQ
(
B ot really for me), Men’s Health (bit boring). Thankfully
n
they recently expanded their range and now I revel in the variety
of articles, features and adventures in Bike. Fond memories of
reading my brother’s copies and riding motorcycles for necessity
(it was the only transport available and affordable) came back. So
I did what you wanted me to do, what all your contributors drove
me to do, and bought a bike again. What you largely omit from
your pages is how difficult it is to ride a motorbike: pulling away
and stopping confidently; riding smoothly; turning in the road;
constant vigilance; route planning; the sheer concentration needed
to get from A to B. I am used to the mundanity of driving, jumping
from one car to another, arriving without consciously attempting to
drive. Riding is hard work. But then I am looking at the sky spotting
the hawk and buzzard, feeling the temperature changes, smelling
the plough, feeling the engine fire and am leaving the congested
queues behind. The rewards for our risk and work are ours alone to
realise and I think we know we are the better for it. And that is why
we salute one another as we pass on the road. It’s good to be back.
Kevin Dinwoodie, email
And good to have you back Kevin. HW
EACH montH wE givE AwAy A NEW SET OF MICHELINS AND A YEAR’S
SUBSCRIPTION TO BIKE FOR THE MONTH’S STAR LETTER. GET TO IT…
Forget the Pacific Coast Camping out, I would pick late July-
Highway and do this early August. It will be hot, but this is
Minimal traffic on California's Pacific high country and the nights are cool.
Coast Highway (PCH)? Sorry Felix There are really nice days in September,
(Bike, Nov 2019), I know better. cool mornings and drop dead gorgeous
It’s not far from me, but I never afternoons. Hell's Canyon and Idaho
ever go because I hate PCH. It’s like are high elevation, I would want
Yellowstone, unmatched natural to be out of there by the middle of
beauty with enough traffic to plug September, just to be safe. Yellowstone
them skinny lanes tight. even more.
So if the PCH is the ass of the Earth, Floyd Rogers, email
where should you go? Anywhere east of
Highway 97. It's pine forest and desert Pearl of wisdom
all the way to Idaho. Any kind of road, I’ve found it, a genuine emergency tool
plenty of free camping, friendly locals kit that will fit pretty much any job,
and little traffic. And the further or issue. I have got an XT1200Z Super
east you go, the better it gets. The Emergency tool restaurant both, so they combine – if Ténéré and it can tighten 90% of the
Columbia Gorge is awesome. The Blue kit? Look no the bar is open they can feed you. The bike and the case also has room for
Mountains are great. Hell’s Canyon is further than this reason the riding is good is because additional items or debit/credit cards.
the best, and thanks to its isolation, the population is small. Don’t expect Bits fit in both ends like a screw driver
has the least traffic. Idaho is nice too. a wide variety of goods and services. or ratchet. Search for the Blackburn
Pendleton’s a cool little town and so Small gas stations usually only have Silver Mini Bike Tool Kit in all the
is Baker. And a lot of others too. The a regular or diesel. For rentals it’s usual places. £17.
smaller places can’t support a bar and Portland or Boisie, Idaho. Lea Cocks, email
34
Bike, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA
Telephone 01733 468099 Email: [email protected]
facebook.com/bikemagazineUK twitter.com/BikeMagazine
same is as same does
It seems that more and more [ been there, Got the t-shIrt ]
manufacturers are coming up with
more and more electric-powered bikes.
But surely, they are signing their own
death warrants?
BMW are known mainly for
horizontally opposed flat twins, the
Japanese for howling high revving
four cylinder in lines, Guzzi for their
transverse V-twins, Triumph triples
and parallel twins, Harley and Indian
for massive V-twins.
Each of these engines has different
power delivery characteristics so when
all manufacturers are offering battery
powered bikes surely they will all feel
much the same.
roger Martin, email
Guzzi's V85 – in
your dreams
Guzzi love 1
Many riders now wear their bikes ‘Foreign bikers were regarded
rather than ride them, and the desired
image of the tough lone hero who has
been round the world on a Sunday as collateral damage’
afternoon is now trending. In the belief
that the success of the GS is due to omething for your T-shirt feature perhaps? June 1989 and, much to the
form over function, everyone in the
adventure bike fashion seems to be chagrin of my boss, two days into my new job i headed off on a two-week
competing to produce the ugliest. S jaunt to Europe on my 60,000-mile GS1000 – destinations, the Austrian GP
Meanwhile in true Italian tradition, at the salzburgring followed a week later by the Yugoslavian GP at rijeka.
Moto Guzzi have attempted to produce Austria was brilliant, but Yugoslavia… For starters i’d needed a visa and a flippin’
a genuinely attractive vehicle that expensive green card just to get in the place. Then there was the rampant inflation
marries form and function (Bike, and a sense that here was a country on the brink of something nasty; the locals
January 2020). Maybe this could set a clearly hated each other, especially on the roads where foreign bikers were
new fashion, and long may it continue. regarded as acceptable collateral damage in on-going car wars.
Graham Elliott, email
My shirt predates homogenised ‘official licensed product’ and is all the better for
Guzzi love 2 it. As for the Gs? On the way back the electrics started playing up. The lights went
Sitting on the train, I’m reading out completely a month later coming home from Le Mans.
the adventures section of Bike and Guy Moody, email
dreaming about circumnavigating
before I get too old. But what bike to If you’ve Got an old t-shIrt LIKE GUY’S AND FANCY
take? A small single? A lot do, but too SEEING IT IN BIKE, TAKE A PIC AND EMAIL IT IN. IF WE PUBLISH
underpowered. A big single? Again a lot IT HERE IN ‘LETTERS’ WE’LL SEND YOU A NEW BIKE T-shirT.
35
Write off
do, but big thumpers are not my bag.
[ dead or alive? ]
I want something that can take on
poor roads and dirt tracks, but not the
DEAD likes of a giant GS. The middleweight
world has many competent adventure
‘I offer no machines but one stands out to
me – Moto Guzzi’s V85 TT. It’s the
shaft drive, accessibility and simple
excuses servicing that ticks my boxes. It’s also
reasonably light, very comfortable
for my and has a decent tank size. On and on
I ride across mountains and deserts
inactivity’ on my trusty Guzzi, until a sudden
jolt wakes me up as I arrive at London
Bridge station.
’ve not ridden my 2005 honda nick Brewer, email
cb1300 sa-5 for four years. but
Ii do keep it clean and covered Proud
in acF-50. standards have to and loud
be maintained. i’ve also got a
multistrada 1200s, which i got
four years ago. obviously there’s
no link between that and my cb’s
predicament. and the ducati’s
now in bits.
I offer no excuses for my
inactivity, and i live plum in the
middle of some great riding -
south lincolnshire. which makes
matters worse. but i’ve probably Be loud and alive
got more chance of getting An interesting article on the
psychology of vehicle drivers pulling
mobile soon than marcus does out of side roads in front of bikes
(Bike, February). Feet up since by John Naish (Bike, January 2020).
2016. disgrace
dean sturrock, email However, adjusting your position on
the road and attempting to look into
alive the eyes of the driver, although positive
actions, just does not cut it on today’s
‘Blow off that dust’ crowded roads. After 53 years of solid
motorcycling and numerous near
really do hope marcus allard manages misses in my youth, I have a foolproof
to get at least one of his dusty non- solution to prevent being T-boned by
u
r
I nners back on the road (Bike, cars: use your horn. All my bikes (I
am on my 95th) are retro fitted with
February), because as i found late last year
a powerful mega-loud horn and if I
solving problems and fixing things can be have the slightest suspicion that the a
rewarding enough. vehicle in a side road has not seen me,
But, hearing that engine start for the first I slow down hit the horn and stay loud
time in years and then riding the bike is until I have passed the danger. It has
absolutely amazing. i managed to do this not failed me yet, so be proud, be loud
with a bmw k1 that had apparently sat and live.
gently dissolving for over 15 years, and Chris devine, email
now i have a bike that not only is great fun
to ride but also draws attention scotland: the rave
Reading through Bike February my
Back in action; whenever i get it out of the garage. heart was lifted by the stunning
Mike's BMw k1
Mike Blanchard, email photograph of the Applecross pass, a
place I rode in June 2019.
anyone else who’d like to shame themselves into reviving their After years of fairly local riding I set
dead bikes, or who has just got one running please send pictures. off for the Simmer Dim Motorcycle
Rally on Shetland – I can’t recommend
36
Applecross: for this the rally and the people enough, but I
month's Road turn to probably shouldn’t because I want to go
page 32
back and capacity is limited.
Planning the trip I started looking at
the North Coast 500. My wife said do
it as it’s a long way up country so make
the most of it. After getting off the ferry
at Aberdeen, post rally, I embarked on
Scotland’s great road trip. And what a
trip: the weather was variable but the
scenery stunning. You don’t have to go
abroad to get amazing motorcycling
although my trip did include two 12
hour ferry crossings. In all I clocked
2300 miles in two weeks. I am planning
my return trip as I write.
Paul Aylward, email TO GO ANYWHERE ELSE
Dakar heroism
The combination of the story about the
1987 Dakar Rally, and Simon Hewitt's
piece about preparing for the 2020
event (Bike February) inspired me to
follow this year's event online, and
it's only midway through as I write.
I've never paid much attention before,
though I remember the stories in Bike
UK’s
about Simon Pavey competing back in
the 1990s. LARGEST
The death of Paulo Goncalves was SHOWROOM
tragic, and the energy drink fuelled
circus around the event and the sense
of it being a giant PR exercise for a
dodgy regime in Saudi Arabia annoyed SuperBikeFactory.co.uk/bike
me, but still it really got under my skin.
The bike racers are amazing, and the
commitment of privateers like Simon
Hewitt is astonishing. It must have 01625 836384
been heartbreaking for him to have to
drop out mid-way through (p122). I just Snape Rd, Macclesfield SK10 2NZ
wanted to say thanks for doing it, so
the rest of us don't have to.
Peter Haig, email
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39
THE
ISSUE
40
STUART
RT
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ST U A RT
WO
WOOD
WO
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,
engineer
engineer
Chief
Chief engineer, has
has
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has
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worked for Triumph
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SA R G E N T
SARGENT
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O O
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20 years.
a
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20 y e a r r s . .
20
Tiger, Tiger
burning
brighter
Triumph’s Steve Sargent
and Stuart Wood reveal the
secrets of the big bang Tiger 900’s
three-and-a-half year gestation
Words: John Westlake Photography: Grant Evans and Triumph
41
Triumph Tiger 900
Most new Tiger 900s will spend
most of their time on the road.
Which is why Triumph have
maintained refinement in the
middle and top of the rev range
I
n February 2018, the motorcycle
world was getting excited about the ‘Adventure bikes are like
revamped Tiger 800 – Triumph had
sportsbikes were in the ’90s – then
announced 100 changes to the old
bike and journalists were packing
bags for the riding launch while you had to update every other year
dealers readied their bank accounts
for a deluge. otherwise you’d fall off the pace’
In Triumph’s HQ in Hinckley,
meanwhile, a small team had already ridden a prototype of
the machine that would replace it: this, the Tiger 900, an all-
new bike that’s crucial for Triumph’s continued success. It
features – amongst other things – a radical new crank layout,
a new exhaust note and a blizzard of electronics.
Of course, the new bike is the work of hundreds of people,
but leading the project from beginning to end were two
Triumph stalwarts: Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent (he’s
worked at Triumph for 20 years) and Chief Engineer Stuart
Wood (32 years). Steve and Stuart reveal the untold story of
how the new Tiger 900 came to be.
Early 2016: first ideas
Steve Sargent: we started this bike over three years ago –
well before we had launched the last version of the Tiger
800. What we are conscious of in the adventure bike sector
is that it’s like sportsbikes were in the '90s – then there was
42
a nuclear arms race where you had to update each model
every other year otherwise you’d fall off the pace. If new
technology is going to come on to any bike first these days, it
will be an adventure bike.
Stuart Wood: The Tiger 800 market is evolving and we’re
selling a lot of bikes. We’re always looking at what we can do
better and how we can appeal to more people [Triumph have
permanent teams working continuously on the development
of all the major models].
SS: There are a few of us involved in the front end of
projects – me, Stuart and in this case a group of my guys who
specialise in the adventure market. They look at how the
market is moving – we know that if we start building a bike SW: There’s lots of simulation work but, as with It's not all about
now, it will come out in three years time, so where will the everything with a motorcycle, it’s about riding so you can the engine: the
market be then? only go so far with simulation. We can do simulated sound styling has been
redone and the
The first thing we did was talk to customers who bought files for the different crank configurations but it’s not until stance is more 'up
the Tiger 800 and asked what they liked about it and what you hear the bike running you know it’s right. on its haunches'
they’d like to improve. People love the Tiger 800 but they
were saying the engine doesn't feel like a natural off-roader Mid 2016: everything rolling
because the triple always seems like it wants to spin up. SS: You can’t develop a bike bit by bit, developing the engine
SW: About 3½ years ago we started thinking about engine first, then the chassis, then the styling. You have to see it
configuration and how we could get better feel at low rpm as the whole thing. It all has to come together, including
and off-road. We wanted character and tractability. the styling. That’s important – we wanted to come up
SS: The engineers came up with a number of different with a different look and stance for the 900, more up on
alternatives, we played around with them in simulation – we its haunches and raised at the front. So that has to come
didn’t build all of them. together with everything else at the start.
43
Triumph Tiger 900
SW: Some of the electronics have to be decided before any research nothing should come completely out of the blue.
mechanical engineering work, so right at the beginning we You’ll know there’s a technology that’s somebody is working
decide what electronics we want. It’s all about timing. We on – don’t forget that we share a lot of common suppliers so
want to build prototypes at a certain stage in the project and we know what’s going on. It’s very rare something will come
those prototypes must have as many production components out that will mean we would have to delay our plans.
as possible – frames, swingarms, wheels, brakes, suspension,
electronics. When you get into that you have to have your Early 2017: new engine takes shape
IMU, ABS and chassis control modules all there and working. SS: We liked the balance of this engine [pointing at the new
Only then can you start tuning them and dialling them in. Tiger] – the sound was right and we thought the spaces of
SS: There are two sides to why we didn’t fit semi-active the firing pulses would give us what we wanted.
suspension. a) it’s quite expensive, and b) when we asked SW: We forge crankshafts in different ways, but often
customers if they wanted semi-active or electronically we’ll forge it flat so all the crankpins are on one plane. And
adjustable they actually just wanted to adjust the suspension then when the crank is red hot it’s twisted twice at both
electronically. ends to get the crankpins at – in this case – 90-degree
intervals. Combined with a 1,3,2 firing order, that gives you
Late 2016: ideas v engineers firing intervals of 180, 270, 270. One short gap, then two
SS: Sometimes we’ll go to the engineers and say we want longer ones. That gives you the character and sound,
something like a lower centre of gravity and more ground but also that feel of control at the rear wheel.
clearance. They might say, ‘that’s really difficult because if SS: We built a prototype crank and put it in the 800
you’re going to drop something down, how can you have engine and tried that. We loved it, though we didn’t
more ground clearance?’ But it’s not my job to give them an have enough time to do the balancer at the same time so
easy time. It’s my job to challenge them. The great thing it was more vibey than the standard bike. But we knew
about engineers is they love problem solving – they live for we’d have to do that as a second stage, and went away to
it – so they’ll go off and think about it. Occasionally they’ll work on the balance.
come back and say we’ve really looked at this and we just SW: We made two separate mules for the Tiger 900, one
can’t package it, or it’s going to cost too much. for ergonomics and geometry, one for the engine. The engine
SW: There’s a lot of engineering to achieve the lower one came at about nine months and it was ridden by the
centre of mass without going into the ground plane [ie development riders and Steve.
grounding out]; there’s a new lubrication system, a shallower SS: The main advantage of the new crank is that because
sump, the engine is rotated forward, there’s a narrower of that gap in the firing pulses, low down it feels more like
alternator… Owners of 800s a twin. So when you’re off road, it feels a lot more tractable.
complained that
SS: These early stages can be stressful because you’re the engine always But once it’s spinning it feels like a triple. It’s not that
trying to predict the future. You’re saying, ‘I am confident felt, off-road, like dissimilar to Yamaha’s crossplane crank – it’s not big bang
that this is the right thing for the company to invest money it wanted to spin where you’ve got two pistons going up at the same time, but
in because when we launch it, the customer will want it.’ But up. Triumph claim it still makes quite a difference at the bottom end.
their new 900 will
that’s the job. Occasionally a competitor will come out with put an end to this SW: We didn’t want to lose any refinement in the middle
something you weren’t expecting, but if you’ve done your type of thing and top of the rev-range because people are going to run
44
Tiger 800 Tiger 900
6.8°
42mm
Note the sump height difference – that’s how the 900 engine manages to have a
lower centre of gravity without being any nearer to the ground
‘It’s not big bang where you’ve got two
pistons going up at the same time, but it
still makes a difference at the bottom end’
The new one-piece cylinder sleeve (in yellow) is used instead of three separate
ones. This allowed the 800’s bore to increase without the engine being wider
45
Triumph Tiger 900
‘The way the engine is tuned invites
‘ T h e w a y t h e e n g i n e i s t u n ed i n v i t es
s
o u
t h
e i
y
you to use it hard at low rpm…
u t
o
a
m
p
…
t l
d a
r
o
w r
It invites you to ride the bike
I t i n v i t es y o u t o r i d e t h e b i k e
f
f
e
i
in a different way’
i
n a d
r
y
’
a
e
n
t w
these bikes on the road most of the time. A web balances Stuart and Steve SW: Pressure for me comes with the responsibility to
may have just
the rotating mass, then you balance the reciprocating finished the 900, manufacture – there are production lines that have to run
mass by adding more mass and balance shafts. We’ve got a but they also know at a certain speed, there is a date when the bike has to go on
contrarotating primary balance shaft. what they’ll be sale, and there are plenty of places to trip over on the way.
SS: If you were to ride the first mule bike and the stood next to in We build a lot of the bike inhouse, but we’re dealing with
production bike back-to-back, you’d notice they had a very three years time outside suppliers too, so it becomes a much wider team at
similar feel. The riding position of the production bike, for that point.
example, would be almost exactly the same as the mule that SS: All the bits come in stages. From about 12 months in,
was signed off at around six months. you’ll start to test components. In the final year it will be
about getting it productionised – getting the bike ready for
Early 2017: signing off the mule the manufacturing areas so the assembly guys know what
SS: It’s signed off by four or five people – the chassis chief they’re doing, and there will still be components coming in
engineer, the development engineers in Spain, and me or that need testing.
Stuart. John [Bloor] still comes into the business regularly
but he’s less actively involved in saying, ‘I want this,’ and now 2019: riding the finished bike
tends to ask more questions – ‘have you thought of this?’. He SS: The final sign-off test is always an exciting stage.
has years and years of experience building motorcycles, he Following experienced test riders such as Felipe Lopez
knows the business inside out and is a clever guy, so he asks can take a lot of concentration [Felipe is an ex-racer and
questions that make you think. is blindingly fast] but riding the Tiger 900GT made it
a pleasure. Everyone got off the bike with huge grins.
2017 onwards: legwork begins Vindication that all of the changes had been worth it.
SS: After mule sign-off you have to finalise the engineering, SW: The way the engine is tuned, the amount of weight
but also design all the detail components. Every single we’ve put on the crankshaft and the firing order invites you
component on the bike has to be engineered in CAD, to use the engine hard at low rpm. That’s ideal off-road when
someone has to do all the tolerances on it, someone has to you want that connection between throttle and rear wheel. It
do all the calculations on it [for stress etc], then all those invites you to ride the bike in a different way. I’ve been doing
calculations have to be done on complete systems not this for 32 years and it’s still an absolute joy to see a project
just individual components. Then you’ve got to find your like this through to the end. I think you’ll really like this
suppliers, buy the bits and then test them. bike.
46
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47
THE wahey
ISSUE
Up, up &
48
Group test
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Three rowdy, inspiring and mischievous nakeds and they all proudly
e
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y
w e a r a T r i u m p h b a d g e . N e w S t r e e t T r i p l e R S , S p e e d T w i n a n d
wear a Triumph badge. New Street Triple RS, Speed Twin and
Speed Triple RS engage in sibling rivalry... .
a
l
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P
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By Mike Armitage Photography Chippy Wood
B
y
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k
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Wo
p
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i
t
T h e h r i e a s h a nd r y f o a r T e r d b m k p h , a ou g h h e t i n t v h e a g K t g l a n a n o m t p h e e l r s t g s e o i f mo d t - o r a c c y k c l e .
l
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here are more naked bikes bought in the UK than any other style of motorcycle.
r
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This is handy for Triumph, as they have a gaggle of compelling stripped-back
i
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a
Tmodels ready to deliver unfiltered biking sensations.models ready to deliver unfiltered biking sensations.
R e c e n t l y l a u n c h e d , t h e n e w S t r e e t T r i p l e R S i m me d i a t e l y b e c a me t h e b e s t - s e l l i n g b i k e i n
Recently launched, the new Street Triple RS immediately became the best-selling bike in
y
0
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c c
d
. B
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the 651-1000cc category. But is the high-tech middleweight really the best choice for knotted
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British roads? The perennial Speed Triple and thudding Speed Twin have other ideas...
B r i t i s h r o a d s ? T h e p e r e n n i a l S p e e d T r i p l e a nd t h u d d i n g S p e e d T w i n h a v e o t h e r i d e a s . . .
49
Group test
Triumph
Street Triple RS
More power, bling and attitude than any version
in its 12-year history, they reckon the new
RS is the ‘ultimate performance street’.
Maybe you can have too much
of a good thing...
Ooh, just look at the
attitude. It makes the
round-lamp original
look like a teddy bear
Left: stock shock
setting is ‘concrete’.
orget the usual pigeonholes. Triumph’s newly juiced-up Below: gizmo-riddled
Street Triple RS might have a mid-size motor but this is a TFT dash (stands for
Fsupernaked. Yes, like a BMW S1000R, Yamaha MT-10 and, Too Flippin’ Techy)
of course, the Speed Triple RS it’s here alongside. If this sounds like I’m
stretching it, trust me: I’m not. Powerful, fast, sharp, focused, sparkling
with tech, the middleweight RS really is a full-on naked sportsbike.
Refreshed with a new exhaust cam, lighter crank, rejigged balancer
and other tweaks by people in white smocks, the 765cc inline three
has the same 121bhp as the previous Street Triple RS. Which is more
than plenty enough – the last one we dyno tested actually made more
power than Triumph claim, meaning the RS has almost 20bhp more
than their T595 superbike made in the late 1990s (and at 26kg less has
a way higher power-to-weight ratio). The fiddling does have an impact,
though. Inertia is reduced by a significant chunk, peak torque is up and
many more horses have been bundled into the midrange. So now the
Street RS isn’t just bloody fast, it’s also more flexible and easier to ride.
‘Great throttle response and a brilliant engine,’ says Bike’s designist
and resident Street Triple nut, Paul Lang. ‘It’s revvy, eager and very fast
– it’s like a turbo screamer next to the other bikes’ big-bore muscle.’ in normal riding it’s bump, bump, bump. I’m not as confident as on the
Though gruntier than before, the Street RS can’t match the easy roll- Speed Triple – where the bigger bike is graceful and composed, this
on performance of its bigger siblings. Exit a 40mph limit in a high ratio feels like I’m going to tip in and then tip off. I’m fifty-pencing corners.’
on the Speed RS and the mere aroma of fuel is all its 1050cc triple needs Despite its race track leaning Triumph remembered to fit excellent
to flick you to the horizon. The same response out of the Street requires mirrors, light-up switchgear and a headlight with a superb full beam.
tapping down a couple of gears (new two-way quickshifter, though Plenty of modes and new dash settings to play with too, with colour
autoblip downshifts at urban speed aren’t as slick as using the clutch). options and a never-ending choice of layouts. Clever, yes, but none of
Get the triple all fizzed up and you’re further us are particularly fond of any of the options.
encouraged into riding like a numpty by the Worse, the super-small tacho numbers and
chassis. Perfectly balanced, the lightweight ‘Get the triple some bits of trip data are too small for my
Street RS feels oh-so together on a smooth, middle-age eyes. The Speed Triple’s display is
fast road. It’s a sharp, purposeful, nose-down fizzing and you’re easier to read. And the Speed Twin’s ye olde
set-up that connects you and bombards with dials and simple trip info make you wonder
information. The seat’s long, so snuggle up to encouraged to ride how things got so complicated.
the 17.4-litre tank and perch upright through Following their limited-edition Daytona
town, then shuffle right back and get the balls like a numpty’ Moto2, there’s rumour of Triumph making a
of your feet on the rearset ’pegs for slicing up new cooking Daytona. But there’s no point:
open roads. It’s like a flat-barred Yamaha R6. the Street RS already fills the sportbike slot. This is great if that’s what
Unfortunately it’s every bit as stiff as the supersport tool. Maybe you want. But the RS ignores the ‘Street’ part of its name and lacks
stiffer. It’s a constantly fidgeting ride, and catching a generously-applied the cheery all-things-to-all-people attitude that made us fall for the
white line after an overtake causes a shimmy. ‘You immediately notice original Street Triple. ‘When people ask me what bike they should buy, I
the lack of weight and nimbleness – it reminds me of the original Street say a Street Triple: it’s all the bike you ever need,’ says Langy. ‘Or it used
Triple that I fell in love with all those years ago,’ reckons Langy. ‘But the to be. With the RS, they’ve turned a brilliant every day, every occasion
suspension’s not just too hard, it’s way too hard. I’m sure in the middle motorcycle into something too narrowly focused. If you want one, buy
of summer, hot roads, no traffic, perfect surface, it’ll be amazing. But the friendlier and more usable S version. Better still, buy a Speed Twin.’
50
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