Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Fast Bikes

Bikes are beyond exceptional these days in terms of performance, tech and styling… as I’m sure most of us would agree. It’s crazy to think how rapidly models have evolved over the past decade or two, and who only knows what’s waiting around the corner for us. It’s an exciting time but it never hurts to look back every now and again, to remind ourselves of where our biking roots began. One machine that’s allowed such an opportunity has been Yamaha’s R7, which I’ve covered comprehensively this month, both testing the new parallel-twin version and the original OW-02 that Haga put to good use in World Superbikes 22 years ago. The name’s the same but the differences between both machines are startling…and not just because of the engine configuration. As…

Just a couple of days after riding the new R7, I found myself in the saddle of original, blasting it around my favourite back roads and ticking an enormous box I thought would never get ticked. The Yamaha’s been on my radar since I was a teen, witnessing via the telebox the masterclass Haga performed at tracks around the globe, defiantly flying the flag for inline fours at a time when if you wanted to win, you needed a twin. It is a bike with real pedigree and presence, and enough hype to fill Wembley Stadium a dozen times over…but what is it actually like to ride? Special, undoubtedly, but not from a performance point of view. I was hoping for fireworks but the R7 proved more pleasant than potent,…

It’s not just pro-racers who turn to Craig for help. Mike Sterrow was gagging to get club racing…and not just to make up the numbers. He got stuck into some coaching and told us how it transformed his riding. “I started the Performance Principles course with Craig after round three of the No Limits championship following a difficult start to my Cup 600 campaign. I had struggled with some bike issues from the get-go, and as the frustration crept in, I feared it would end up being a repeat performance of the previous year when I lost the newcomer championship. The issues began to really play on my mind; it was as though a blanket was over my head and I couldn’t see how to get out of it. I…

Is it time that we all admit we were wrong about Pierre Terblanche’s controversial superbike? To be truthful, it is a well overdue apology – after enduring years of scathing comments about its looks, the Ducati 999 is now red-hot property in the used bike market as it rapidly ascends the steps to iconic superbike status. But does it deserve such an accolade? If you look at the stats, it dominated on track in a way that the Panigale V-twin and V-four have failed so miserably to do (which is always a key requirement for any Ducati superbike…) and after a bit of a slow start, showroom sales back in the day weren’t actually that bad, something that is enforced by the relative commonness of the 999 in the used…

I am beginning to wonder if my plans for mass-mile munching will ever come to any fruition with the Speed Triple. No sooner had I picked up the bike ready for more adventures than some genius in the national press decides that five petrol stations running out of fuel was front page news, thus sparking extraordinary scenes in the station across the road from me, which was mirrored across the country. You all know the drill, and despite being able to pick my moment to replenish a quarter-filled tank there were no such guarantees en route to any of my planned trips at the start of the month, so they all had to be canned. This included a very kind invite from Triumph to go to its premiere of No…

What are your future plans with this bike? Any more upgrades? “Just to enjoy it, to be honest. For the level I’m riding at, I think it ticks every box, so I’m not looking to do anything in particular. If I had to do anything, I’d go with some better suspension for more support on the track, but I’m really not bothered... for me, to keep it fun means keeping it cheap. Plus, on this bike, no one’s expecting me to be quick.” Is this the right bike for you? “I think so. I’ve got three kids now, so I don’t want to be doing 190mph everywhere! It does what I need it to do and it ticks every box. It’s just a fun bike. It doesn’t cost the earth…

WIN A FAST BIKES HOODIE! To be in with a chance of winning this most tasteful of tops, just email us (letters@fastbikes.co.uk) or post on our Facebook page with a pic of you, your bike and a few words about it, where you’ve been on it and why you rate it so highly. We’ll then pick our favourite post each month and that lucky person will be the proud owner of their very own Fast Bikes hoodie – which is proven to make you at least 60% faster!* Send yours to letters@fastbikes.co.uk WINNING RIDE Baz smart Suzuki Bandit 600 Finally lost my rookie bib at Pembry. Gotta be worth a hoody… Kieran Turner Suzuki GSX-R 600 Recently passed my full test and got my first proper bike, K6 Gixer 600.…

That’s another season of racing over and done with! I’d hoped to be writing this sitting next to a big-ass champion’s trophy, sipping a glass of champagne on a sofa made of wads of bonus cash but alas, I am not. This year will be one I remember as being very bitter-sweet... starting out so well that I could seemingly do absolutely nothing wrong, to a mid-point where the polar opposite was true and literally everything I touched went bad. That is honestly how it felt as suddenly everything - both on and off the track - became so much more difficult. It seemed like I was a target for other riders to bash into, I had come down with an ailment which was making racing much harder, and I…

FB: Who is the course aimed at? CM: “I’m currently running three courses and they are all aimed at racers. We’ve got the Junior Riders Academy for 12 to 17-year-olds competing in the British Talent Cup and Junior Supersport. Performance Principles is aimed at national licence racers or riders looking to start racing, and this course is available to riders all over the world. Finally, there’s the Peak Performance course, which is for professional racers only. This year I am working with Sam Lowes, Joe Roberts, John Mcphee and Jaume Masia from MotoGP among others in national championships.” FB: How do people get in contact with you? CM: “The best place to make contact is through my Facebook page, Camino Coaching, or check out my website (www.caminocoaching.co.uk).” FB: What are…

FB: Was there sports psychology in your day? SP: “Not as far as Iwas aware, and I know Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts and all that sort of crew didn’t…there was no such thing. If you’d have seen one, they’d have said you were mad! I didn’t know anyone at any level who used a sports psychologist to look into your head to try and sort you out. All we had was a surgeon who put you back together if you got hurt.” FB: If you were in abad place, how did you get back out of it? SP: “I guess you just lived within your own little team of people. The only psychology would have been from your mechanics, or anybody involved in the team really…it was a ‘get out…

One of the highlights of the qualifier was seeing so many women getting stuck in to the challenges and showing their male counterparts how it’s done. Running alongside the main competition was a separate category for female riders, who were simultaneously competing for their chance to represent BWM’s two ladies’ teams in Albania at the international final. The GS Trophy has long supported the drive to get more women competing in the event, and this year’s challenge saw the highest number scrapping it out in spectacular fashion. If you want to know more about riding GSs off-road or what’s needed to get stuck in at next year’s qualifier, get in touch with Off Road Skills at – www.offroadskills.com…

I’m really starting to rack up the miles on the Beemer now, and I’m still loving it. I thought maybe the novelty of having a bike for the road might wear off a bit, but I guess that could change if I get caught out in the rain. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet, so for now it’s still filling me with excitement when I know I’m going for a ride…I just love being able to jump on it and get somewhere in half the time, and that smug feeling of passing queuing cars puts a massive grin on my face! Now that the nights are drawing in rapidly, I have been caught out on a few night-time rides -a first for me and an interesting experience, to say the least.…

IN BRIEF… Rider: Tim Neave Track: Brands Hatch GP Series: National Superstock 1000 Fastest Lap: 1.27.6 Position: Ninth Championship Position: Ninth Brilliant, strange, fast and manic are all words I’d use to describe this season; it’s been a year like no other and just like that, the British Superbike championships are over. I’d be lying if I said it had gone completely to plan. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite. In pre-season testing I was quietly confident I was going to be fighting for the National Superstock Championship this season. We were fast straight away, topping the official test at Silverstone and on the money at the Oulton and Donington tests. I’d also done a load of riding with No Limits in the endurance and sprint races, so I…

PENAL SERVITUDE PREVENTER The Fast Bikes Legal Clinic is compiled by Andrew Dalton and his bike-riding barristers and solicitors at White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors. They deal with personal injury claims and their sister company, Motor Defence Team, deals with all the motoring offences. They know everything about bike law. Andrew is a former London motorbike courier turned barrister and solicitor, and we know he’s good. All the White Dalton lawyers are qualified barristers or solicitors, or both -and they all have full bike licences, too. They don’t act for insurance companies or the prosecution. They are Britain’s most specialist law practice, and if they don’t know the answer to your question, there probably isn’t one. Don’t rely on the advice from your insurance appointed solicitor; get proper independent advice.…

HPS HEAVY DUTY MOTORCYCLE PADDED WHEEL & TYRE BAGS In our experience, there are basically two types of home garages – either an operating-theatre spec cleanroom with every Snap-on spanner in a neat foam cut-out in the tool chest and a polished floor you can see your face in... or something out of that obsessive compulsive hoarding programme, with a bike hidden behind a mound of kids’ toys, bicycles, an ancient tumble dryer, chest freezer and grubby lawnmower. Whichever you have, these smart wheel bags make a lot of sense. You’ll obviously have spare wheels for all your bikes, fitted with slicks or race wets for trackdays. And these heavyweight bespoke 17-inch wheel bags from HPS will keep them neat and tidy if you have a WSB-spec garage (or keep…

A bike this special doesn’t appear on the market all that often, but just a few weeks ago auction maestro Bonhams sold Rutter’s old bike. It was raced by Michael in the year 2000, when he won both North West 200 superbike races before crossing the line in second place at the Senior TT behind his teammate Jefferies. The bike then saw action at the North West and Macau at the hands of Ian Duffus, adding to the provenance of this fantastic machine. While it’s hard to put a value on a motorcycle like this, you might be surprised to know it sold for the very fair price of £12,075. To keep tabs on what other great bikes are being put up for sale, check out www.bonhams.com…

In 2016, I turned 50. It was a milestone year when I looked at my life and I realised that I wasn’t very happy with what I was doing. I was working in the corporate world and knew I didn’t want that for the rest of my days. I was feeling unfulfilled but didn’t know what I wanted to do next. I had been to Porto that May and talked to several people walking the Portuguese Way to Santiago. I learned more about the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, researched it, and when I got back home I decided I could walk the 490 miles in 30 days. I called my boss and asked for the time off during the August shutdown and was told I could not, so I…

A lex Lowes remains with the Kawasaki Racing Team squad for the second consecutive season on board the newly updated ZX-10RR. He proved to be a winner in his first-ever race weekend for the official Kawasaki team in 2020. Finally scoring one race win and four podiums last season, Lowes finished up sixth in the championship. Alex is determined to build on his 2020 experiences aboard the even more potent new Ninja ZX-10RR for 2021 and compete for more victories inside the most successful contemporary WorldSBK set-up there is. SPECIFICATIONS KRTKAWASAKIZX-10RR WSBK • Wheels: Marchesini Aluminium 17-inch • Discs: Brembo 336 mm • Pads: Brembo Z04 • Forks: Showa • Shock: Showa • Engine (max power): More than 230Hp at 14100rpm • Exhaust: Akrapovic Titanium • Tyres: Pirelli • Fairings:…

If this feature’s whetted your appetite, why not give it ago next year? Covid permitting, the UK qualifier should be back in full swing in 2022 and whatever your off-road riding experience, you can be sure to enjoy it. More to the point, there’s plenty of time to get up to speed and all the opportunity you could wish for to hone your skills thanks to the guys at Off Road Skills. They host training programmes that cater for absolute beginner to hero-spec riders at their adventure playground in south Wales. Check out www.offroadskills.com for more info, where you’ll also be able to keep tabs on the 2022 qualifier. Alternatively, ask for more info at your local BMW dealer or find out more at www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NO LIMITS TRACKDAYS WANT TO WIN? To be in with a chance of winning a No Limits trackday, send us a pic on our Facebook page or email one to letters@fastbikes.co.uk Closing date: November 28, 2021 WINNER 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 these pages, you’ve won a trackday of your choice. If it’s you, get in touch and we’ll look after the rest. If…

STAR LETTER NEXT LEVEL PENDING Hi guys, I read the mag every month (my girlfriend subscribes for me), and recently I passed my full test and got my first big bike. It’s a GSX-R 600 K6 and what a bike it is! Got her with 16k on the clock and I’ve just clocked 18.5k - it’s going like a dream. I’ve been keeping it clean and will continue to, so long as the weather is good! I want to take it on track soon; that’s the next aim. Keep up the good work with the mag. Kieran FB: Great to hear from you, Kieran. Congrats on passing the big bike test and well done with keeping the Gixxer so clear. We’ve got to say, that’s one of the cleanest we’ve…