Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Fast Bikes

You’re right to wonder why three middleweight ‘mid-life crisis’ adventure bikes have made their way on to your coffee table under the banner of Fast Bikes mag. Well, we decided to look past the hi-vis ‘Polite’ vest and ‘Sam Browne belt’ wearing image to investigate whether any tomfoolery and enjoyment could be achieved on these frumpy, mid-powered tourers, or whether indeed these bikes should be left to born-again bikers and those restricted to 40mph by their own eyesight. With that in mind we picked the hottest day of the year, donned our best cow suits and embarked on a plethora of twisty, testing, unrelenting ribbons of tarmac to see what these three middle-aged anomalies could do, not forgetting our favourite private test track to put them through their paces when…

PRICE GUIDE: £8495-£11,000 Cheapest private: £8495 10,156 miles, white bike in standard condition with FSH. Our choice private: £9199 6145 miles, just serviced and very clean bike with a good service history Cheapest dealer: £8795 10,681 miles, 2016 model in red with an aftermarket exhaust and a few extras. Our choice dealer: £9495 9000 miles, lovely bike, new tyres, just serviced. Ex-demo: £11,299 694 miles, like new with an accessory exhaust. Motorcycling is quite a macho activity and, much like so many things where testosterone has its part to play, size is always a factor. A major reason for the decline in the Supersport class was not only the fact they were getting way too expensive but also because riders simply wanted the biggest and best, which meant a litre…

@CARLSTEVENS17 Just when we feel like things are settling down and getting in a groove, the whole thing just gets blown wide open. I mean, who could’ve possibly predicted such a roller coaster of a season in such a short amount of rounds? Before Oulton, it looked like Glenn Irwin on the Honda had things sewn up, yet after a hectic weekend, just 12 points separate the top four… it’s closer than a bloody showdown! And you know what? Just like in MotoGP, it’s not just the points that have made this season exciting, but the fact that there are now a whopping eight different winners on different machinery, with Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki picking up wins. Now that shows not only the class of rider, but also that…

Soeveryone, meet John Shipley… the fastest Scouse we’veeverfound in the paddock. Andno, we don’t meanthe fastesttowhiphis top off andflex for the camerafor alaugh (though he winsthatsought-after competition hands down), and it’snot an inference to his assumedly innate Liverpudlian wheel removing abilityeither! John is one of life’sunassuming chaps who youwouldn’t expect to be raggingthearseout of afire-breathing R1 in bright Rossi Replica-style fairings, and then climbback into hishigh-waisted paddock trousers. However, when we approached him due to his immaculately well-presented2016R1, it turns outhe’s quite abit moreversed to throwingbikes around than one could wrongly assume! WhenIstarted chatting to him about his experience, John humbly mentioned he raced at the Isle of ManTT, and by the sounds of it he wasn’t just there for the experience and to make the numbersup. His greatest tale…

FB: Tell us a little bit about helmet testing? ME: There’s a lot to talk about here! Using the UK as an example, we’ve had the ECE 22-05 testing which has been in place for an incredibly long time, soon to be replaced with new 22-06 rules. These tests are put in place in order to make sure that helmets are safe for use, and then further on from that there’s also extra testing for different ratings in different places like SHARP for example, and FIM for top-level racing. FB: What is SHARP? ME: SHARP testing was actually launched by the Department for Transport back in 2007, because of the disparity in safety from different helmets. The point of it is to get people to buy helmets that fit properly,…

It’s been a long time since we last caught up, and so much has happened. For starters, we’ve had four rounds of BSB and I’m now sitting fourth in the National Superstock 1000 championship. Ask me now and I’d tell you it feels right to be in that front mix, scrapping it out at the pointy end of the field each round, but just a few months ago I was hoping for much less. I’ve always said that if I was on the right bike, with the right people around me, that I could go toe-to-toe with anyone, and my Suzuki GSX-R1000R and the Hawk Racing team are that perfect pairing. I feel like I’m in a really good place, on a mega bike with a mega bunch of lads…

This season is going oh so fast. The world is still absolutely upside down and, in terms of racing at least, I find myself in October even though it feels like May. We are four rounds in right now and normally at about this point in any series it’s the time you are really finding your feet. About now the understanding of the package you have around you is increasing and the thoughts are set on how to improve and go to that next level. Instead, we find ourselves with only two rounds left to go and are careering full steam ahead towards the series final. Despite having taken a race win back at Snetterton I still wasn’t fully content with the feeling from the bike I have underneath me.…

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There’s a new C-word in town… coronavirus. As if that mother hubbard hasn’t screwed our lives over enough in 2020, the final straw was us being unable to board our flights and head to Portimao for three days of unadulterated, red-raw bike spanking to figure out which of our three finalists was befitting of this year’s Ultimate Sportsbike crown. Pissed off doesn’t cut it, but we found solace in our plan-B option to head to Cadwell Park where man and machine would be put to the test on one of the UK’s most loved, feared and challenging circuits. There was no sun, the wind was blasting around at 47mph and they didn’t stock sangria in the clubhouse, but that’s not to say we didn’t have a belter of a time pushing…

To make this test fair and to ensure we had loads of grip ontrack, each machine was kitted with Michelin’s road-legal, track-loving Power Cup 2s. These latest-generation hoops are ideal for fast road and track riders, with aminimal tread design to optimise dry grip and stability levels. We ran the fronts at35psi (hot) and the rears at 25psi (hot), and felt fast and safe on these talkative tyres. The grip levels were hard tofault and the durability ofthe rubber impressed us all. Ifyou ride with asporty inclination and like totackle the odd trackday, give these ago – michelin.co.uk…

When you look at the Multi 950, you’d swear that it couldn’t possibly be the ‘small’ version of anything–even though I have ridden the Multi 1260, I found myself wondering how much bigger the bigger one could possibly be as the ‘little’ 950 does seem like a big old bus, at first glance. At second glance, though, and under closer inspection, there are a few giveaways that this isn’t quite as meaty a motorbike as you may have first thought. The exhaust looks fairly feeble, like a little pea-shooter, and the brakes don’t look particularly hefty, either. In fact, the first time I pulled the front brake lever on our road ride I nearly stoved myself into the back of a bus because the lever was that spongy it came…

So with all three bikes thrashed to within an inch of their lives and given abuse on a level their creators never really intended them for, it turns out that despite their appearances as weekend plodders for those who like to dress in multi-layer textiles and discuss the best way to go about striping a lawn… these bikes are an absolute hoot! Once you get past all the usual rider aids supplied as standard these days and turn everything off, what you’re essentially left with is a comfortable, wide-barred bike with solid grunt that is capable of doing what most people want from a road bike and more. Let’s not forget, it’s not that long ago that powerful road bikes didn’t have clip-ons, Brembos and wings. Back in the day,…

After riding the new ’Blade on track in standard form, we really were taken aback by its performance, precision and utterly sexual handling. But then again, it’s a road bike after all, and all too often we hear about bikes that are the latest, greatest things, not making it work when converted to race spec. So, hands up, who’s been surprised by the big H, and their performances in both British Superbike and National Superstock? Because we sure are. I mean, over the past five years (and a few more) Honda and their Fireblade haven’t really been setting the world on fire when it comes to results in BSB (or the world over) but then they haven’t truly had the tool for the job. See, they’re one of the most professional…

LEARNFROMTHE BEST. For the ultimate one-to-one instruction which includes everything from initial bike checks to video playback and on/off track tuition tailored to suit all abilities from a former WSBK racer, check out Dean Ellison Rider Coaching at www.Ellison42.co.uk When I’m working with a customer on one of my No Limits coaching days, I rarely get involved with bike set-up, as my main focus is always on the riding and helping make sense of what input is needed to make the bike do what you want. However, I will often see that a badly set-up bike is making it hard work for the rider and it could be something simple that’s preventing my customer from hitting an apex – or even destroying their rear tyre after just a few sessions…

As if hypernakeds weren’t mental enough as it is, Aprilia have now taken things up a serious notch with the release of their track-only, limited edition Tuono V4 X. So what is it, I hear you ask? Well, dubbed the ‘super Tuono’, Aprilia’s V4 X is a 221 horsepower, 166kg (dry weight) weapon. The engine, derived from the RSV4 1100 Factory, comes equipped with a trick Akrapovic exhaust system and carbon end can, while the air filter has also been swapped out for a Sprint Filter – which is what Aprilia say they use in their MotoGP machine. As far as electronics go, the Tuono V4 X comes with all the gizmos you’d expect, including an electronics suite that has been developed purely for use on the track. That’s coupled…

Since its release just last year, we’ve fallen head over heels for BMW’s S 1000 RR. It’s undoubtedly one of the best sportsbikes in the biz as far as road riding is concerned, thanks to the fact that it’s comfy, smooth, easy, and even comes with cruise control and heated grips. Yet even so, the Beemer is a mega track bike; it knows its way to an apex, has loads of usable power and does wonders at inspiring confidence, for everyone from trackday novice to seasoned veteran. As you’ll read on in a few pages however, the current S 1000 RR didn’t quite cut the mustard when it came up against the clock; its mild road-going manners meant it got pipped ever so slightly and had us wishing for something…

As I slid backwards into the tyre wall, two thoughts crossed my mind; did anyone get that on camera, followed by why hadn’t I gone faster on the Beemer? Both were worthy questions, but it was the latter query that really got my brain ticking. Even as I leant down, turned off the ignition and tried to salvage a bit of dignity by lifting the Beemer back on its wheels, I was left feeling utterly perplexed. Only last year the RR had stormed to victory in the inaugural USB, and just a few months back it had made a mockery of its rivals out on the roads. Yet here it was, covered in mud, with a measly high 1min 36 to show for it. Was it me that lacked the…

Aprilia’s RSV4 is the gift that keeps on giving. Since its inception in 2009 it’s rocked our world and following a recently sized-up motor and some sexy wings too, 2020 has seen the introduction of class-leading Gen.2 Öhlins electronic suspension. The Italian manufacturer claimed these latest trick-bits would knock a second off a lap time, and we needed no excuse to see if they were telling porkies. Despite being the most powerful machine in this mix, I anticipated the Aprilia would prove the easiest of this trio to blast around on, and within a few laps that prediction was ringing true. It was fast but not furious, benefiting from a linear, powerful and characterful motor that never seemed to feel or sound like it was working hard, even though the…

I quite often have sleepless nights, but in the build-up to USB Part 2 the ’Blade was to blame for them. How the hell was it going to make it through noise testing, I wondered. If you’ve been in close proximity to one of these beasts when the motor’s singing, you’ll know my concern was justified. At the track, on the test, wheeling the bike over for some audible probing, I felt like a drug smuggler going through customs as I wound the throttle open for the desired 5500rpm. This was no mean feat, blasting up to 7000rpm for the first few times until I learned to anticipate the unholy speed the engine spun up the moment the exhaust valve opened around 5000 revs. This thing was nuts, CBR1000RR-R SP…

Let’s cut to it; none of these bikes are in any substantial way lacking. They’re all brutes, born to go fast and brush aside your inabilities with their arsenal of clever tech, ridiculous horsepower figures and cornerloving chassis. If USB has taught us anything, it’s that the competition has never been so tough and that all three of these machines are deserving of some serious praise. That said, this is no primary school egg and spoon race where you’ll get excessive back-slapping simply for taking part – USB is all about the winning, and there could only ever be one winner. Honda’s new Fireblade is that machine, and while it showed some fairly hefty weaknesses on the road during USB Part 1, it showed nothing but a masterclass when we…

I chose Yamaha’s MT-09 Tracer to have a blast on, and what it lacks in outright sex appeal, it more than makes up for in bang-for-buck. Having ridden the Tracer when it first came out, one of the more Marmite-like features of the original model was its ‘pitchy’ nature, which for most spelled the comedy of trying to peel the bars away from your chin at every opening of the throttle, due to the short wheelbase and punchy motor. On the flip side, when you wanted to go for a less ‘progressive’ long distance ride, especially with a pillion on, it was frustratingly tough trying to get away from the lights without it rearing up at you, which inevitably leads to a clip round the ear from your signififificant other…

2020 is abig year forSuzuki, as not only aretheyinaserious position to contend for both race wins andthe championship with both of their riders, but it also marks their 60th year in racing since they first competed at theIsleofMan–which theydecidedtocelebrate with this dropdead gorgeous colour scheme fortheir GrandPrix campaign. Withwell over 250horsepower, and weighing in at just 157kg, theGSX-RRisanabsolute beast; the inline four-cylinder motorishoused in atwin-spar aluminium frame, with full Öhlins suspension, Brembobrakes and Magneti Marelli electronics. As with allGPmachines, the Suzuki is afull-blood-edracing machine, with a seriousspecand aheftyprice tag. If only it wasfor sale……

FB: You seem like a changed man from last season, and have had a mega year so far. Tell us what’s changed? GI: To be honest, I overcame a lot of personal trouble, and from a racing point of view I’ve changed and learnt a lot. That learning has come at the right time for me, especially with Harv’s experience, and the discipline from Honda–I probably wouldn’t have seen it through at any other point in my career. I now see riders making the mistakes that I did; I’m not knocking anyone, but Tommy (Bridewell) was coming to Snett to dominate, but nothing is sure-fire in this championship. I’ve taken things a bit more relaxed and done lots of homework and revision, and it’s making me a better all-round package.…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NO LIMITS TRACKDAYS WANNA WIN? To be in with achanceof winning aNoLimits trackday, eithersend us a piconour Facebook page or emailone to fastbikes letters@mortons.co.uk Closing date: November 15, 2020 Here at Fast Bikes magazine, we love trackdays. So much so, we wanted to give something back to you, the reader! We’ve teamed up with the lovely lot over at No Limits Trackdays to offer a free trackday every month! All you have to do is send us a picture of yourself at your last trackday for a chance to win. If you’re the lucky person highlighted on this page, you’ve won a trackday of your choice! If it’s you, get in touch with us, and we’ll look after the rest, and if you haven’t won this time,…