Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Fast Bikes

It doesn’t seem that long ago when manufacturers were fighting tooth and nail to bring out the most potent, sophisticated, and desirable of sportsbike as often as possible. You could pretty much guarantee there’d be a major update every four to five years, and a tweaked version every two or three. And when those new arrivals landed, they often came with game-changing technologies like pioneering frame types or unconventional engine configurations. Almost every year the crown for the most potent production bike output was toppled by a rival that would be, in turn, beaten the year after by some other box-fresh upstart. And so the cycle continued. Sadly, those days are gone, to the extent that we are now more expectant to see brands release colour updates annually rather than…

It’s two years since I first climbed on Honda’s all-new Blade, where it proceeded to blow my mind out in the Qatari desert. After what felt like an eternity of mediocre Fireblades, this was the real deal, complete with a claimed 214bhp and more shiny bits than you’d find under a Christmas tree. At last, the wait was over… but what made this bike so different from all that came before it, you might wonder? Well, this was an example of Honda putting performance before practicalities, stepping outside its comfort zone to make a motorcycle that was more track targeted than high-street happy. For what seems like forever, some might even argue since the deliverance of the RCV-inspired Blade of 2004, Honda’s flagship sportsbike has consistently been overshadowed by its…

What is your racing background and how has it shaped your performance as a team principal? “I have been involved in some sort of motorsport since the age of 11, starting with four wheels, then moving across to two wheels. I did my first British Superbikes support race in 2008 in Superstock 600 and went on to ride at BSB until 2015, switching between the Supersport Cup and Superstock 1000 classes throughout the years. “Being a racer has definitely improved my ability as a team principal; unless you have done that particular role at that level, it’s difficult to understand and comprehend what is going through riders’ heads and how to deal with particular situations. “It’s not just riders: from a staff perspective, I have pretty much done every role…

There’s no easy way to hear that a best friend has died, but it must have been a hell of a lot harder for Clive’s wife, Debs, to make that call and say those words to me. For more than a decade he’d been a huge part of my life, and my wife’s and kids’ in turn. Be it on a road test, messing around with a project, or just chatting about anything and everything, he was that go-to guy for me… a proper mate who would give you all the time in the day. A proper happy bloke, ridiculously talented, and undoubtedly one of the most helpful and decent people I’ve ever met. A week before he passed we’d sat down and watched the Brand BSB season finale at…

I said in my last column that I was hoping to be writing about a successful race week again soon, but that’s going to have to wait until next month now, I’m afraid. I fully understood the complexity of my pelvis injury at the time of my accident, but as every other racer out there will tell you, we always think we’ll be back sooner than the doctor says. In fact, I still am hoping to be back up and running a week or two ahead, but being ready to race at Brands Hatch was always going to be a little too ambitious... I had a go at thinking I’d be ready anyway. Oh well, that boat has sailed, and as gutting as it will be to see my competitors…

Good morning, afternoon, or whatever time of the day it is you’re reading this at. It’s been a while since I last wrote an article. I’ve actually only had one race weekend up at Knockhill since my last column, but plenty has been going on in the last couple of months. For me, the speed of how fast a year goes by is usually based on the length of the race season, and with the last two years being condensed championships because of Covid-19 spoiling all the fun, I’d got used to racing almost every weekend. This year, however, I’m not sure what to do with myself, with all this time off in between rounds! We’ve had three or four weeks off recently; it’s basically to make space for the…

It’s around this time of year that we’d typically be frenetically busy, ordering bikes, ordering tyres, and seeing if we can still squeeze into our leathers, all for the sake of our biggest test of the year – Ultimate Sportsbike. But, as regular readers will have picked up on last issue, there was little sense in doing so in 2022. Even before I started on the mag, way back in 2016, that test (SBOTY) has been a major player in our agenda, but the fundamental ingredient it’s lacked this season is fresh metal. Of the seven bikes we tested last year, five are the same, so going over the same ground for the sake of it and hoping for a different outcome would’ve proved a tad deranged. That’s why we…

Engine and performance: Back in 1992, the original Blade had an 893cc motor that made 120bhp@10,500 revs. These were headline figures at the time, but they can’t hold a candle to today’s proposition. The latest model is 106cc larger than its originator (999cc), but kicks out a stonking 214bhp… making it 94bhp more potent. There’s also a gain of 17.6lb-ft of torque between the two (from 65 to 82.6lb-ft), which is around a 27% gain in that field. Gone are the carbs of old, replaced by a modern fuel injection system. And while the old bike’s only rider aid was a horn and four indicators, the latest Blade is brimmed with a suite of tech, featuring everything from wheelie control to engine braking. Size and mass: In 30 years of…

Going fast is one thing… but knowing you can stop is arguably even more important, in my book. Especially so when you’re on track and there are plenty of tyre walls littered around. Yep, stopping quick should be right at the top of your wish list, and to help you in that process Spanish stopping sensations Galfer have got something that should be right up your street. Founded in 1952, this year marks the 70th anniversary for the tried-and-tested top tier braking manufacturer, sharing the landmark with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and to celebrate, Galfer is launching a new sintered compound formula for its racing brake pads… the G1310 compound. It’s exclusively made for track use and racing, and has been developed alongside championship-winning supported riders (the likes of Marco…

After seeing the Kramer GP2 bike for the first time in the BSB paddock last year, my interest was piqued and I was surprised that I’d never even heard of one before then. Luckily enough, on an absolutely glorious day I came across what I can only describe as the GP2 890’s agile little brother, the HKR EVO2 R. I couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a toy shop when I saw this bike… I had to go and take a closer look. The HKR EVO2 R sports an 85hp KTM 690cc LC4 single cylinder engine, similar to what we saw in the KTM 690 SMC R. The KTM LC4 features a reworked cylinder head and super light internals, plus an incredibly strong and ultralight piston and con-rod.…

STAR LETTER WARNING – TALL LOAD! My little sv650s got a lot of attention at the TT this year. Don’t know why? Martin F FB: Hey Martin, if I had to guess why anyone would be drawn to your bike, it must have been the bright pink Pringles can. All jokes aside, with that much camping equipment you must have had a great time on the Isle of Man. Good thing the SV isn’t too powerful or you would have been doing wheelies everywhere. We hope to hear back about any more crazy ideas you have on future adventures. WIN WORTH £139.99! You can win a Weise Redwood Shirt for simply writing the Fast Bikes Star Letter. This classic checked shirt has an abrasion-resistant aramid lining, with CE-armour at elbow,…

in association with Dunlop Big, bare, and ballistic... yep, it’s that time again! We’ve gathered the finest supernakeds on the market and given then a thorough thrashing to work out the good, the bad, and the other stuff you’ll want to know before ordering your next naked missile. ▪ Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP ▪ Triumph Speed Triple 1200RS ▪ MV Agusta Brutale 1000 R ▪ Kawasaki Z H2 ▪ Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory ▪ BMW S 1000 R M-Sport ▪ KTM 1290 Super Duke R ▪ Yamaha MT-10…

HJC CL-XY II CREED YOUTH MX LID Getting the kids into some off-road riding? You’ll be needing a properly designed MX lid, then. This new HJC CL-XY II has a lightweight bespoke polycarbonate shell that’s been specially produced to be ‘youth-sized’. The ACS Advanced Channelling Ventilation system allows full front-to-back airflow to release heat and humidity, and a large face opening provides great visibility and easy goggles fit. It comes in four youth sizes (S, M, L and XL), and has a removable and washable plush Nylex interior. £99.99 hjchelmets.eu SKIDMARX RS660 SCREEN British firm Skidmarx has been producing top-notch aftermarket wind screens since 1999, and it’s just released a new fitment for the Aprilia RS660 supertwin. This race screen is manufactured in the UK from 2mm cast acrylic; that’s…

The SP formula is a proven one for Ducati in the shape of the Panigale and Streetfighter. The addition of carbon wheels in particular gives the donor bike a new dynamic, and some bling components further extend the performance envelope, give it exclusivity and desirability over the base models. In each case there is no denying that the SP badge is much more than just a few trinkets and a bit of faux carbon, and that the current bearers of the badge are worthy of it. Once upon a time, before Ducati had R models as its homologation specials, it had SPs up to and including the 916 SP as the homologation specials. The 996 carried the SPS derivative but was also the first Ducati model to bear the R…

Once upon a time, back in the good old days, you could safely count on there being a bike that came along and made all others old news. Bikes that moved goalposts and set new standards, such as the Honda Fireblade in 1992, the Ducati 916 in 1994, the Yamaha R1 in 1998 and 2009, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in 2005, and the BMW S1000RR in 2010. They made us stop whatever it was we were doing at the time and recalibrate what we thought was the pinnace of performance and innovation. Such occasions occurred roughly once every two to three years, but since 2010 there hasn’t been a showstopper sportsbike. That’s not to say there hasn’t been significant advances in technology or evolution – today’s bikes are genuine improvements on…

The last of the analogue GSX-R1000 models is a bit of an odd machine as it arrived almost as an apology from Suzuki just at the point when most rivals were already experimenting with advanced rider aids such as traction control and sportsbike ABS. This decision to deliberately shun technology, and also the fact it kind-of looked just like every other GSX-R model before it, conspired to make the 2012 GSX-R1000 a bit forgettable. Flying below the radar, it was one of those bikes that failed to set the world on fire and in an age of tech was quickly destined to sit on the sportsbike sideline rather than be a star striker capturing headlines. Based on the GSX-R1000 before it (which was first released in 2009 and gained the…

Established in 1952 by Maffio Milesi, Galfer provided drum brake linings and clutch discs for Seat as well as developing the first drum brake linings for motorcycles. From there it moved on to create disc pads for the Seat 124, embarking on the disc brake pad journey. As the second generation of Milesi took over, Galfer continued to create brake linings and first put together a catalogue of brake pads in 1980, consisting of 45 products and composites. The company kicked off in the 1990s by completely discontinuing the use of asbestos for manufacturing brake components, creating and registering a patent for its very own ‘disc wave’ design which is still used to this day, and establishing Galfer USA in California, continuing to start the development and manufacture of sintered…

Well, the mission last time I wrote about the GT was to just get it run in so I could leave it with KTM while I went to the TT with the SuperDuke Evo for the Rutter feature in last month’s edition of the magazine. I’m happy to say I hit my first self-imposed deadline and dropped the GT off with just under 800 miles on the clock after taking it to the Northwest 200 race in Northern Ireland and back. Actually, I only took it back due to a particularly complicated set of circumstances that occurred, resulting in me taking the GT over there in a van, along with a few dozen boxes of Michael Rutter’s new book that had been delayed at the printers. Racing done, and no…

If you’ve been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice. Get it from mail@whitedalton.co.uk Q I booked a trackday with a well-known provider at a famous track. I was out on my Fireblade when a rider ploughed into the back of me. My bike was smashed to bits and I bust my arm. I reckon my Blade will need £10,000 thrown at it to get it back to its former glory. My arm is in a sling and the doctors have told me just to rest. I don’t need an operation and should be back to work in three weeks. My leathers are ruined. The other rider said I braked in a silly place and thinks I am to blame. He doesn’t have trackday insurance and has basically…