Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2026 i Fast Bikes

For me, this is always a moment to pause and plot the many twowheeled antics I hope to cram into the next 12 months. More often than not, most of those plans never quite make it past the dreaming stage, but if even a handful cross the finish line, I call that a win. Life's busy, right? For most of us, motorcycles are a hobby squeezed between work, family, and whatever's left in the bank account. In other words, you take the victories where you can and double down on the things that really matter. In this issue, you’ll find 26 ideas to fuel your year ahead, and I’m genuinely curious which ones resonate with you. If anyone manages to tick off all 26, I’ll eat my hat. As for…

As with any good fairytale, there’s always a hero… someone who steps up, cuts through the noise, and makes the impossible happen. In the story of the RC213V-S, that role belonged to Honda’s then head of product planning for Europe. While an army of engineers and test riders shaped the bike we know today, he was the driving force who pushed, persuaded, and ultimately helped turn a MotoGP machine into something you could (technically) ride to the shops. His fingerprints are all over this extraordinary project, and without his vision, determination, and a fair bit of corporate arm-twisting, the RC213V-S might never have made it past the drawing board. Here’s Dave Hancock’s take on how this once-in-a-generation motorcycle went from fantasy to reality… “In 2010 I was promoted to head…

The growth of the internet in recent decades has made me a bit more convinced about the theory of ‘the wisdom of crowds.’ You know the one – the idea that if you ask 1000 people a question, they will broadly get it right. It’s best shown up when it comes to a bit of niche knowledge: there are Reddit chat groups called ‘What is this thing?’ and ‘Where is this?’… tens of thousands of Redditors look at an old picture of a street and a few of them know it’s Bellenden Road in Peckham or Parnie Street in Glasgow. Post a photo of a random headlight on certain motorcycle Facebook groups and you can be sure someone will know it’s off a 1985 Honda CBX550. But the crowd doesn’t…

Keen to get as much info as possible from the experience, I asked Dan what his top five track riding tips were when coaching novice to advanced riders: “Invest in tyre warmers – cold tyres are a difficult thing to manage, and you can crash very easily when your tyres are not up to temperature, so you need to eliminate that risk completely by having warm tyres and setting your tyre pressures accordingly. A set of tyre warmers are relatively inexpensive and can seriously help prevent a cold tyre crash.” “Select a group that reflects your ability – whatever your ability, use the fist session to set your sights on safe braking references, as well as familiarisation of the circuit. You then have an understanding of the track and can…

If you look on the cover of this magazine, it says February 2026 - but you’re probably reading it just after the new year in a post-festive fug of turkey, cheese, chocolate, beer, and cheap prosecco. If you’re lucky. What can get you out of this rut of misery, with more months of grey cold dark misery ahead, the bike parked up in the garage? Well, as we all know, perfect planning prevents piss-poor performance, so what you need to do is get planning your magical two-wheeled 2026 RIGHT NOW! And we’re here to help, with a massive list of top bikey stuff to get you going. We’ve not listed 10 things to do. We’ve not listed 20. We haven’t even listed 25! Yes, in a cunning piece of numerology,…

Triumph’s impressive stake in the performance naked sector has just gone up a gear following the announcement of two new weapons: the Street Triple 765 RX and the ultraexclusive Street Triple Moto2™ Edition. Both machines have just been unveiled on Triumph’s stand at Motorcycle Live and build on the much-loved RS platform, sharpening geometry, bolting on premium kit, and wrapping it all in styling that screams performance. The RX badge carries serious weight among Triumph fans. First seen on the Street Triple 675 RX in 2015, it quickly became a cult favourite for riders who wanted sharper handling and a racier edge. Now, for 2026, the RX moniker is back with a vengeance. The Street Triple 765 RX is a oneyearonly special, dripping with racederived upgrades. Fully adjustable Öhlins NIX30…

When you consider that Triumph has been the official engine supplier to the Moto2 World Championship since 2019, it seems a crying shame that the firm’s only production sportsbikes since the link-up began have been the limitededition Daytona Moto2 765 and fairly lacklustre Daytona 660. In fact, Triumph’s class-leading Daytona 675 was actually discontinued the year before the 765cc triple was catapulted onto the world scene! All of which makes you question the logic behind spending millions of pounds supporting a race series when you lack a sportsbike to sell on the back of it. But whatever Triumph’s marketing department’s logic is, that’s for it to justify… instead, let’s celebrate Triumph’s last great massproduced sportsbike – the Daytona 675R. Released in 2013, the Daytona 675R and its lower-spec sibling, the…

No matter your experience level, coaching on the track is a game changer for every motorbike rider and can transform your riding experience turning good habits into great ones and unlocking performance you didn't know you had. Coaching isn't just for beginners; even seasoned riders can benefit from expert eyes that can spot subtle flaws in body position, braking technique, or maybe suggest a line choice that pieces the puzzle of your favourite circuit together. And what's more, a controlled track environment provides the perfect setting to push your limits safely while receiving real-time feedback from professionals who know how to elevate your riding. And if you choose an outstanding coaching provider, then they will help riders of all skill levels, from race craft to mental focus, and ultimately enable…

Understanding how your tyres function helps you to extract the best of them. Sylvain gave me a quick overview… “With every tyre, you have three parts. The braking zone in the centre of the tyre, the traction (mid-section), and the outer lean angle zone. When you’re on the bike, the optimal patch on the tarmac is like the size of a credit card. If you’re travelling at 50mph or 200mph, when you get on the gas or you’re leaning the bike, the size of the contact patch remains the same. “Body position is so important in relation to this. If you don’t have a good body position, then your bike will have more lean angle at the apex when you get on the gas and the bike will want to…

If you’ve been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice, get it from mail@whitedalton.co.uk Q I read the case of Prof Fares Haddad, the surgeon who fixed Harry Kane's hamstring injury, whose Bentley was stolen. Apparently, he sued the dealer - and won - for failing to fit a tracker. Is this correct? I have a tracker on my Ducati Panigale V4 and wanted to know how to make sure I am safe in the eyes of the law. A I am waiting for the judgement to be released but the facts of this case are quite simple. They may be relevant to your Ducati purchase, especially if you have it on hire purchase contract (or similar). Prof Haddad had a Bentley on lease. He asked for a…

I’ve seen a fair few things roll out the back of a van in some dodgy-looking laybys, but until this point, an RC213V-S wasn’t one of them. It was a proper ‘pinch myself’ moment, made even more memorable when one of the bods from Honda UK placed a carbon-clad key fob into my hand and told me to behave. It was a day I thought would never arrive… and I was hell-bent on making it count. For the best part of a decade, the MotoGP-derived protagonist had lived rent-free in my head. I’d seen it, heard it, studied it, but I’d never so much as sat on it. I’ll admit, I’d come to accept that it was a joyride as improbable as Big Mac getting a round in down the…

Let’s face it, we all like a bike with a bit of rarity about it. A machine that isn’t your usual run-of-the-mill version and instead is either limited in its production or a top-spec variant pushing the boundaries of a bike’s performance. Featuring top-quality components, they not only enhance the stock bike’s abilities, but they also draw a crowd of admirers and stand out in a busy bike park. And, best of all, they needn’t cost the earth… We have been delving into the used bike market to uncover the best-value used exotica, and our search has uncovered some absolute bargains. From Rs to RRs via SPs and even a few limitededition models, here are 10 great used bikes that are far from your average model… 2013-2021 MV Agusta F3…

Because this was a Michelin track day, members of the team from Michelin floated around the garage throughout the day to gaze over our tyres and answer any questions regarding tyre choice. My Power Cup 2 tyres were working brilliantly, both in straight line performance and in cornering grip. This is Michelin’s most extreme road-legal tyre, with approximately 95% of the tyre being slick. With the fantastic weather conditions we had on the day, it was a great choice for me to fit these for the track and then van it back home. This model boasts Michelin’s 2CT+ technology on the rear, which gives a harder rubber underneath the softer rubber on the shoulders for better stability at lean. The front Power Cup 2 tyre has 2CT technology, which again…

TIME ON TEST: 23 WEEKS ODOMETER MILES BHP: 136 GAIN: 0 NEXT AIM: Prepare for return to Kawasaki. Finally, I managed to clear a day to get some track time in on the SX. I booked No Limits’ penultimate UK track day for 2025 at Cadwell, which probably wasn’t the best bet when looking at odds for the weather, and while I like to think of myself as an optimist, I am also very much a realist. I have a set of Michelin tyres I used previously on another bike that I’ve kept to one side which are more track-focused than the as-standard Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23s and was very tempted to switch them a couple of days before. With the weather being very hit and miss leading up to…