Innehållsförteckning för November 2019 från Fast Bikes

It’s not every day a young nurse rips your clothes off while your wife’s at your side, but this was no ordinary day – this was a big crash day. We’ve all been there, it’s an unfortunate part of motorcycling, but I’m not here to labour on how dangerous our crotch rockets are, or how the world would be a better place if we all took up knitting and made one another cotton wool cardigans – not a chance. I’m here to say thank you to the brilliant medical services we have in the UK and to highlight just how far rider protection has come. Crashing is nothing new to me, but airbags are still something of a novelty that have fast become an essential part of my riding kit.…

SHARK RACE R-R PRO GP 30TH ANNIVERSARY Got your eyes on one of those new, snazzy FIM Approved Race-R Pro GP lids? Well, they’ve just got a whole load sexier, as in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the French brand, Shark have released 1989 units in three different colourways – each limited to just 663 units for each: Red Carbon Black, Black Carbon Pearl and White Carbon Black. This is plastered on the 100% Carbon Aramid structure, which offers increased resistance to both abrasion and compression, while also offering better anti-delamination performance. The multi-density Expanded Polystyrene has also been improved, while the interior comes equipped with a two-tone, high-tech Alveotech lining, which prevents the breeding of bacteria. The Shark Race-R Pro GP also contains shape memory ear pads…

Usually something easy isn’t worth having, but in the case of the Beemer, that couldn't be any less true. I don't know how the bods In Bavaria do It, but the S1000RR just feels so simple, effortless and almost slow, but In the very best possible way. There's no big, laud noises, no torque y, head-shaking brutality, just pure, unadulterated performance - the BMW just laps up the, well, laps, with an undeniable prowess. It took a bit of a playing around with the electronic suspension to find a reasonable set upon such a challenging track, but when we did, the combination of a glorious chassis, silky-smooth engine and those Bridgestone slicks made those lap times tumble with an alarmingly low amount of effort needed. Saying that though, although It…

1 Ducati 916 designer Massimo Tamburini sculpted the profile of the model to replicate the curvature of a woman’s body (busty cockpit, narrow waisted seat area, wide hipped tail unit). 2 The original 916 designs did not feature under-seat exhausts. They were added after Honda unveiled its NR750, prompting Ducati to follow suit. 3 The first 500 916s were actually built in the Cagiva factory (Ducati’s parent company at that time), and were coloured a slightly different red to later models.…

Sadly there is no such thing as a bargain Ducati 916 as prices have skyrocketed for this model. A reasonable 916 Strada will set you back in the region of £7,500, while minters can touch £10,000. You may be able to locate a tatty bargain, but the costs in returning it to a decent condition are prohibitive. If you want the higher-spec S version, expect to add roughly £1,000-£1,500 to the Strada’s price tag. The 996 used to be the bargain generation as it wasn’t very popular as it lacked the 916’s iconic status or the 998’s testastretta engine, but even this model has now jumped in value, with prices matching the 916. If you want a 998, which is arguably the best of the bunch in terms of performance…

ENGINE Type: 998cc, liquid-cooled, 16v, inline four Bore x Stroke: 76mm x 55mm Compression: 12.7:1 Fuelling: Electronic fuel injection Power: 167bhp @ 12,000rpm Torque: 110Nm @ 8,100rpm CHASSIS Frame: Aluminium twin spar Front suspension: 43mm inverted forks, fully adjustable, twin-speed Rear suspension: Monoshock, fully adjustable, twin-speed Front brakes: Four piston radial callipers, 300mm petal discs Rear brakes: Single piston calliper, 220mm petal disc DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 1390mm Seat height: 825mm Weight: 175kg Fuel capacity: 17L SPEED 0-60: 3.20 sec 0-100: 5.90 sec 0-140: 11.89 sec Standing ¼mile: 10.57s @ 142.66mph Standing mile: 26.70 sec @ 180.29mph Top Speed: 185.24mph…

Good evening, Fast Bikes. After a 32-year break, I started riding again four years ago. I went to Donington and the Ron Haslam Race School to do some laps with my mate Paul only four months after passing my test in 2015 and had a pretty difficult time on a CBR600RR. I was just too slow, didn’t have the experience of riding regularly, and that bike wanted the nuts revved off it. Wind forward four years, and I decided to treat my father-in-law Stuart Farrow to his first track day as a birthday present, riding the CBR650R. This is a bit unremarkable, until I tell you that it wasn’t any old birthday…it was his 80th! I’ve been riding with him for four years and he is super smooth on his…

1 It takes just over an hour to fully charge and balance the Mugen’s batteries. Back in 2012, they had to be removed from the bike first so the process took between 8-12 hours. 2 The overall gross weight of the bike hasn’t really changed over the years, but the motor is half the weight of what it was in 2012 and allows for around 50-60% greater power output. 3 In 2019 the Mugen’s top speed was 176mph down the Sulby Straight – 50mph faster that what it achieved in its first ever TT Zero. 4 Keeping the motor, batteries and inverters cool is the biggest challenge. The Mugen runs a water cooling system for the electronics, oil cooling for the electric motor and air cooling for the batteries. The…

WORDS: PRETTY BOY My god, how good has this season of British Superbikes been? It’s had the lot: drama and disappointment, jubilation and joy, and all in a neat little championship package – but alas, we’re almost at the last hurdle now, and who’s going to take home the title? It really is still anyone’s guess. So what have we missed? Well, not a lot, really. Sure, we could’ve put a fairly weighty punt on Redding being successful at Assen (like I did last month, mwuhahaha) but in my opinion, the real challenge comes at the final round. When the chips are down, and it’s the last call for action, things get tasty and the pressure builds, and not only is Brands GP a delightfully challenging circuit, but the October…

Since the Motocross of Nations is being held the week after Assen BSB at the same venue, I thought I’d stay on and catch up with friends over here, as I used to live nearby. I had planned on a bit of motocross myself, but the weather has been utter poo, so I’ve just been training and looking forward to the MXoN. I’ve never actually been, but heard it’s a naughty event and makes Le Mans 24hr look like a school disco. Anyways, Oulton Park was pretty sweet. With The Showdown place wrapped up, it was just about racking up those podium points and to come away with two 3rds and a win was ideal. Being my second visit to the track, and the first time I’ve returned to a…

I didn't make it in. For the fourth year in a row I have missed out on a Showdown slot by just a few slender points. Last time I left you all I was embarking on my journey to Oulton to fight for my spot as a ‘title fighter’, but despite it looking like all my stars were aligning, it just wasn't to be… once again. In the first race of the three-race weekend I finished P5 and all three of the guys I was battling with to get in the Showdown failed to score at all – and they all had damn rubbish grid slots for race two. I'd cut the deficit coming into the final race of the weekend to just 10 points, but mid race I had…

I've always been a fan of the Aprilia, and after spending a lot of time on one of these things at USB part one, I was absolutely buzzing to give it a proper blast on slicks. For those of you who haven't sampled an RSV4 of any generation, you're really missing out; the composure of that chassis and the efficacy of its mid-corner prowess is second to none - and that's without even mentioning the rushing shove of power on corner exit as that 1100cc powerplant winds itself up. Okay, it might look a bit discreet for my liking, but the Aprilia ticks the rest of my boxes for an absolutely incredible machine; the engine, the brakes, the chassis, the suspension and the electronics are all incredible, and for me…

It took hundreds of laps, thousands of miles and about a million laughs to put this massive two-part test together, but if you ask us, it was definitely worth it. Nobody has gone to the lengths that we have to assess every single quality of all of the eight starters in USB 2019, on the road, on the dyno, at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and on two very different race tracks, Cadwell Park in the UK and Parcmotor in Spain. It almost seems a little unfair to have journeyed to Spain, leaving five of the best sportsbikes behind, but rules is rules and it was only the top three models that made the grade and earned themselves a place on our inaugural USB Finale. By now you will have read that…

Ducati 916 / 996 / 998 ENGINE Type: 916 / 996 / 998cc, liquid-cooled, 8v, Desmo V-twin Bore x Stroke: 94 x 66mm / 98 x 66mm / 104 x 58.8mm Compression: 11:1 / 11.5:1 / 12.3:1 Fuelling: Electronic fuel injection Claimed power: 112bhp @ 9,000rpm / 114bhp @ 8,500rpm / 123bhp @ 9,750rpm Claimed torque: 90Nm @ 7,000rpm / 93Nm @ 8,000rpm / 97Nm @ 8,000rpm CHASSIS Frame: Steel trellis Front suspension: 43mm forks, fully adjustable (generally Öhlins on S models) Rear suspension: Monoshock, fully adjustable (generally Öhlins on S models) Front brakes: Four-piston Brembo calipers,320mm discs Rear brakes: Single-piston Brembo caliper,220mm disc DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 1410mm Seat height: 790mm Dry weight: 198kg (claimed) Fuel capacity: 17 litres…

2006 YAMAHA YZF-R1 Private: £4,000 Dealer: £4,800 Never the most popular of R1 models, the underseat pipe generation are a touch too refined to really set your pulse racing. Fast and well built, just not thrilling. Engine: 998cc, l/c, 20v, inline four Power: 155bhp @ 12,500rpm Torque: 100Nm @ 10,000rpm 2006 HONDA CBR1000RR FIREBLADE Private: £3,800 Dealer: £4,500 Updated with better brakes and a bit more oomph in its engine, the second generation of the underseat pipe Blade is the one to buy. A great road sportsbike and decent on track. Engine: 998cc, l/c, 16v, inline four Power: 149bhp @ 10,500rpm Torque: 107Nm @ 8,400rpm 2006 SUZUKI GSX-R1000 Private: £4,500 Dealer: £4,900 The K6 is identical to the K5 GSX-R and is viewed by many as one of the best…

TYRES ON A EUROPEAN TRACKDAY? I get a lot of people ask about tyre choices for European trips, and the single fact of the matter is, we go there because it’s hotter – the weather’s nicer, generally, which means that the tyre choice will be slightly different to a normal day. Say you turn up to Brands. You’re on a set of M7RRs or S22s, they’re the perfect tool for the job for most people, working in whatever kind of condition the British weather has in store. When on the Continent, however, having a tyre that’s good all-round shouldn’t be necessary. This means you might want to be using something different. For those using road tyres, it’s an opportunity to use a more track-focused, or even race-focused product, on a…

Q By way of background, I am a 47-year-old married father of two, with a full, clean motorcycle licence. I was on my regular journey back home from work. On my journey home I had a crash. A car driver pulled out from behind a Give Way line. I was in the major carriageway. I had overtaken another car, probably half-a-minute or so before the collision, in a 60mph zone. The collision took place in a 40mph zone. I was taken away, as it turns out, unnecessarily in an ambulance, because I was a bit stunned at the collision scene and the paramedics wanted to get me to hospital so that I could have a brain scan, so when the Police turned up I had already been taken away. My…

To be in with a chance of winning this most tasteful of tops, just email us (letters@fastbikesmag.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!* *Disclaimer: May not actually make you any faster. Send yours to letters@fastbikes.co.uk…

I’ve been doing some proper miles on the MT-10 this month, and quite a few of them have been two-up. I thought I’d treat the better half to a weekend away, so we filled my trusty Kriega with pants and socks and headed up to the Lake District; because I know how to treat a girl. Now, despite Bruce and Frodo being convinced that I’m only interested in fat girls, the lady in my life is only about 20 stone… just kidding, she’s pretty slim and I could hardly tell she was on there. Well, that was until she started digging me in the ribs for wheelie-ing. I have found that some sportier bikes tend to lean the pillion forward a bit, particularly when you grab the brakes, making it…

It’s that time of year again where you need to make sure your alarm clocks are fully serviced and operational for some seriously early starts, thanks to MotoGP’s flyaway season. For those in the paddock, the light at the end of the tunnel that has been a long, hard season that pretty much started in February (November for the engineers), is in sight. You should always be weary of the light at the end of the tunnel – for sometimes that light is an inescapable train heading right for you. 2019 has been the Year of the Train. More precisely the Marquez Express. Marquez boarded his plane to Thailand with the first match point of the season. Fittingly, the last two occasions we saw a match point this early in…

After the Classic TT there is always a little bit of a lull in proceedings when it comes to the road racing. I know a lot of the boys go over for the Ulster GP, but I haven’t been able to make it there this year, but I have been keeping busy with a few other bits and bobs – like the Goodwood Revival. It’s always such a good event. In fact, it’s probably one of my favourite weekends of the year. I was down to race John Chapman’s 50-odd year old MV Agusta MV3, but as is often the case with classic bikes, it broke down before we even got to the race! It was still a brilliant weekend, though, and there was plenty to do. I was dressed…

God, I can’t believe we’re at the end of summer already! Even so, I’ve been lapping up the last little bit of sunshine I can, and I have to say, it’s been a pretty darned successful month for me, starting off with racking up a podium at the Goodwood Revival. What an event that is; rammed with ex-BSB and current TT stars, incredible bikes and an immense atmosphere, I really don’t think weekends come any better. The place was buzzing, and the racing was incredible. One of the highlights had to be interviewing Dani Pedrosa after I’d out-qualified him, which felt good between us. He’s an absolutely mega bloke. We were talking a lot, but what struck me the most was talking about rivals. I asked him who he thought…

When he wasn’t out on track making us journos look like we’d never ridden a bike before, World Superbike veteran and Factory Yamaha rider Alex Lowes was all too keen to tell us what he made of of the the new new R1s... I get asked quite a lot how the R1 street bike compares to my R1-derived race bike. I always say that as different as the two end products are, the core DNA is the same in both. To be honest, they are pretty different, but I can tell they're cut from the same cloth. Chassis-wise on the bike, I always find a Yamaha DNA characteristic is that they're easy to turn and good In long comers. I can feel that same quality in the street bike as…

There’s a lot to be said about the V4S Corse, and if the competition was just about the looks alone then this fitty would’ve won hands down, thanks to the stunning lines and the drop-dead gorgeous colour scheme, Alas, It's not all about the looks, and when that glorious V4 fires into action, the antagonistic abark from those 200+ horses give a lear indication of what's about to come. From the moment that throttle is stretched, the Ducati turns into a big, brutish animal; the power is relentless, and with every touch of the "shifter, which is one of the most sublime standard systems that my left foot has ever been treated with, it just keeps giving more and more. Although incredibly accurate in its delivery of cornering, it takes…

There are three basic models that have the classic 916 silouette – the 916, 996 and 998. Yes, there is also the 955, but it was an America-only homologation special and costs a fortune. As a rule of thumb, the newer the model, the more reliable it is. So, if you want to ride and enjoy a Ducati, ideally buy a 998 (which has the testastretta engine), but a 996 is more reliable than a 916. Within each model there are three versions – the base, S and R/SP/SPS – but also often monoposto (single seat) or biposto (twin seat) variations. The basic bike usually runs Showa suspension, which the S replaces with Öhlins (or uprated Showa units), while also often adding uprated brakes and occasionally a bit more power.…

I’ve always loved the RC30, and to be honest I’ve always wanted one – especially one this special. This bike is an ex Steve Ward TT machine, which he raced in the 90s before moving up to the RC45 with Honda. Unfortunately, Steve was killed in 1996, but in 1993 this bike got on the podium in both the F1 and the Senior at the TT, so it’s absolutely smothered in history. Since then it went off the radar for a while, but I actually bought it from the Joey Dunlop Foundation. They had it dressed in Joey’s colours, so I restored it back to the original bodywork. Steve’s widow confirmed it was his and ever since then I’ve owned it. It’s been out and about quite a bit and…

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 single month, for simply being chosen from our social media posts. So, if you're the lucky person in the circled picture, you've won a trackday of your choice! Send us a message over on our Facebook page and we'll look after the rest, and if you haven't won this time, there's always next month. The usual T&Cs apply, blah, blah... THE PRIZE: ONE U.K. TRACKDAY OF YOUR CHOICE, FOR ANY U.K. CIRCUIT WITH NO LIMITS TRACKDAYS. FastBikesMag.com/ FastBikes-Forum Facebook.com FastBikesMagazine @FastBikesMag…

WET WEATHER SET UP? When it’s wet you’re not braking as hard or accelerating as hard, so you’re not working your suspension as hard, and that translates to your tyres and their grip levels. In essence, you’re not allowing the suspension to do its thing and the compromise is adhesion. So how do you make your suspension work better in the wet? For track riders, the answer is often to soften your set up, allowing the forks and shock to work through their stroke more and allowing your tyres to maintain a better relationship with the ground. When it rains, most people reduce a bit of spring preload to allow the bike to squat more, but then a lot of people go fiddling with both the rebound and compression damping.…

GOOD CALL Hi guys, just received my first FB issue, and I’m pretty stoked it turned out to be everything I was expecting: great bikes, humour and interesting/useful tech articles. I used to receive a rival magazine at my doorstep, but since they demoted that particular magazine to a centrefold in a mag dedicated to old farts and ditto bikes, it was time to search for something else... I picked up a FB copy at the airport and the rest is history. Please keep up the good work! As for my own garage: I am still totally in love with my S1000RR, which I have had in my possession for quite some time now, and recently I added a mint/low mileage BMW K1200S to the stable. Because the S1000RR is…

PENAL SERVITUDE PREVENTOR 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…

Before round 10 of the 2019 World Superbike championship, it was thought we knew where the big hitters of the WSBK Class of 19 would be sitting next year. After another weekend of racing, it seemed like we actually knew nothing... Current leaders of the championship Kawasaki have already confirmed multi champ Jonathan Rea. Another year in the same team, on the same bike goes without saying. Sitting next to him is where the puzzle starts. Initially all-action Toprak Razgatlioglu was all but confirmed, but after Suzuka it seems that it’s all changed. Haslam may keep the ride for a second year, but the emerging rumour gathering pace all the time is that it may be Alex Lowes changing from blue to green for 2020. Alex, still third in the…