Innehållsförteckning för September 2023 från Fast Bikes

Upfront PLANET FAST BIKES – NEW METAL, NEWS & REVIEWS Did your numbers come up big on the EuroMillions last week? Did you bet big on Boris Johnson not finishing the election he won in 2019? Are you just really, really minted? Then get yourself over to the Silverstone Auctions event at Shuttleworth House on July 30, where a pair of utterly saucy megabucks Ducati classic specials are on offer. First up is one of the actual Ducati 916 SPS Carl Fogarty Replicas from 1998 – this was the bike built to homologate a new frame for WSBK, that let the firm use a bigger airbox to give more power. Only 202 were built, 200 for folk to buy, one for Fogarty, and number 001 for the Ducati Museum. And…

Upfront PLANET FAST BIKES – NEW METAL, NEWS & REVIEWS Suzuki’s Hayabusa is 25 years old next year, and the guys at Big CC Racing in Wokingham have got a 750bhp party planned. Owner Sean Mills has started development on a turbo kit for the latest thirdgeneration Hayabusa, with the aim of keeping all the standard bike’s electronic features but more than tripling the power – with a massive Garrett turbocharger, water-cooled charge cooler, piggyback engine management system and a super-stealth install that keeps almost all of the stock bodywork intact. The development turbo is good for more than 750bhp, and the engine internals on this bike have all been replaced with high-end race parts: conrods, pistons, clutch That’s ideal for the normal Big CC customers – drag racers, landspeed…

FEATURE HONDA CBR MIDDLEWEIGHTS The first thing you should know about the ‘little’ CBR500R is that it’s anything but little. It’s substantial bike, to the extent that when both this and the 650R were placed next to each other, I was initially reliant on the labelling to discern between the two. It certainly looks the part, especially having been gifted with a new, meatier swingarm and twin front discs in its 2022 model makeover. The engine might be the kingpin of the motorcycle, but its cylinders are hidden away neatly behind the fine finish of the model’s aggressively styled plastic bodywork, so it doesn’t give the game away in the fashion you’d expect of a typical sub-500cc twin. Nissin radial calipers and Showa big piston forks only add to the illusion…

FEATURE DUCATI DRE: RACETRACK ACADEMY Some days just start better than others… like when you open your bedroom curtains and stare down at one of the sauciest racetracks in the world – Silverstone. If the day had ended there, then I wouldn’t have been too disappointed. But as it happens, this was but a warm-up act to the kind of prestige to be expected on Ducati’s inaugural DRE Race Academy event. What’s DRE, you might wonder? And rightly so. For the likes of myself, who all too often has to search down the back of the sofa for loose change in the week before pay day, it’s a world far estranged from the one I can afford, providing motorcyclists access to Ducati’s finest machinery on track, tours, and even off-road. The…

As we recently discovered with Project R7, which concluded last month, an airbox can make a massive difference to the performance of an engine and, therefore, motorbike. On the R7, the gain was 12bhp, which made us want to delve a bit deeper into how that’s possible. Of course, in the case of the R7, the base starting point is particularly low – in so much as the standard airbox is about the size of a cigarette packet, whereas the one we fitted was significantly larger. But surely air is air, and it’s everywhere anyway, so what’s the big deal? Over on the Isle of Man, at the exact time we were marvelling at the boost in power the R7 had just got from its posh new airbox, a certain…

Hi guys, I’m after some advice. I want to go on a trip this year and figured that a ride to Europe should be on the cards. The problem is, it’s a big place and I don’t know where’s best. I’ve got a week off work. Help! Lee Peters FB: Hi Lee, that’s a good problem to have. The truth is, you could throw a dart at a map of Europe and probably end up at a cracking location… it depends on how many miles you’re happy to clock each day and whether you’re in it for the views or the tracks, for instance. Spain is probably the go-to place for both, and we spend most of our time over there testing new models. The country is dripping in cracking…

If you’ve been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice. Get it from mail@whitedalton.co.uk Q I had a serious accident while I was riding very, very quickly. I don’t have a brilliant memory of the accident, but I do recall that the other driver changed lanes with no indication, directly into my path. This caused the accident and I have serious injuries. I have been told I was riding at more than 100mph before the crash and that there is CCTV of me doing this. I have approached three lawyers and none of them think I have a case. Do I? A I think you do. The other lawyers you approached might have a lower appetite for risk, but there are plenty of cases out there where the…

MV Agusta is set for a bit of a renaissance, it seems. The Pierer Mobility company, which owns KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas, invested a chunk of cash into the Italian exotica maker earlier this year and has already announced an expansion at the Varese factory. Next stage is to strengthen the firm’s retail operations, including in big markets like the UK, Europe – and the United States. Which brings us to this: the new Dragster RR SCS America. It’s actually the latest in a long line of stars n’ stripes-based special editions, dating back to 1973 and the inline-four cylinder 750 S America superbike. Even then, the wealthy US market was vital for a luxury brand like MV, and soon after it relaunched in the late 1990s, another America special…

At the start of the day, Iddon and I had a stab at what times the bikes would do. It was a calculated guess, you could say, based off the back of the previous weekend’s BSB times and in particular the pace of the Superstock machines. The thing is, there’s a big difference between a stocker and a street bike, so to be anywhere in the parish of a purpose-built racer on a machine with headlights, mirrors and a sidestand is no mean feat. The fastest superstock lap was 1m 29.4s, with blokes at the back of the grid clocking in the 35s… or, to put it another way, slower than Iddon on the Panigale out of the showroom. That blew my mind, but so too did the pace he…

FEATURE SHED FIND TO SUPERBIKE… PART THREE What started with a cough slowly turned to a splutter, as the Kawasaki cleared its throat and powered itself to life. “Yep, it’s running on all four,” shouted a beaming Paul over the seductive sounds of the ZX-7R that’d failed to run properly for the best part of 10 years. Being honest, just a few days earlier I’d all but thrown in the towel on this bike, having lost faith in it and my abilities to remedy its plethora of problems – problems that now seem straightforward but at the time had me scratching my head harder than nits. Believe me when I say that getting to this stage has not been an easy ride, to the extent that I’ll admit buying this bike…

LONGTERMERS TIME ON TEST: 3 MONTHS ODOMETER MILES BHP: 213 GAIN: 0 NEXT AIM: GET ON TRACK When you ride a lot of bikes, you get a general feel for what’s right and what’s not. By that, I mean you can tell the difference between something handling, powering or acting as it should or not – and when it doesn’t, it stands out like a stripper at a convent. Two years ago, I was at Portimao with Tim testing Ducati’s Panigale V4 SP (this bike’s predecessor). It was absolutely epic in the handling department, with so much feel, grip and agility on tap. Truthfully speaking, the SP2 is not light-and-day different to the V4 SP, sporting the same basic geometry, wheelbase and even suspension… but my bike feels nothing like…

SHARK stars Our last chat with SHARK Helmets’ 2023 crop of British riders is with Swindonborn Hawk Honda man Charlie Nesbitt. He’s only 22 but has been riding for 20 years already, and came up through the race ranks via a now-familiar route. Kicking off on minimoto racing soon after he could walk, he went on to Metrakit racing before moving to Spain from his home town of Swindon for a season in the Spanish series, aged just 11. That Spanish sojourn seems like a common theme – was it an essential step for Charlie? “Yes, it was the next level for my age. I wasn’t old enough to go to 600s and at the time my dream was to go to a world championship, and that was the only…

We are old enough to remember when Alpinestars only really made boots. And it was a pretty special time when the Asolo firm launched its first leather suit after some collaborations with Japanese firm RS Taichi in the late 1990s. This feels like another big leap forward and we’ve been waiting for it for a while now. Alpinestars’ first road/track helmet has been in development for what feels like years, occasionally spotted on the head of MotoGP racers like Jake Miller and Jorge Martin. But there’s finally a helmet on sale, albeit as the super-limited Launch Edition of just 200 units. It’s a gorgeous-looking bit of kit, featuring a multi-layer 3K carbon fibre outer shell with 11 venting ports, multi-density EPS liner, quick-change visor with a metal locking mechanism, and…

SPORTSBIKE VS. SUPERNAKED Let’s be honest, we all like a bit of rivalry in our lives. Be it an egg and spoon race, a cage fight, or a hit of motorcycle racing – each and every discipline can leave us hooked, shouting at the TV and desperately anticipating our favoured outcome. Through competition, we are able to categorically cut through the crap, crowning the rightful winner with the adoration and praise they’re deserving of. In my book, and as my uncle always used to tell me, it’s not about the taking part… it’s about the winning. Admittedly, I’ve not known a great deal about reaching the top step of the podium in my 36 years, but a mate of mine has – Christian Iddon. The BSB star’s racing accolades are…

SPORTSBIKE VS. SUPERNAKED The V4S is a bike I know quite well as I used one in totally standard trim for training a few years back, and from the very first lap I instantly felt more at home on it – but of course that’s to be expected. At home, however, this does mean I was less comfortable, and I’d also lost that feeling of being ‘different’. No longer was I the guy on the Streetfighter on a trackday… I was just another bloke on another faired bike (even if it is a super-cool one). After a morning on the Streetfighter, my eye was already in and it wasn’t long until I had matched and then bettered my time. The quick changes of direction weren’t so easy and the stability…

FEATURE HONDA CBR MIDDLEWEIGHTS Think Honda, think Fireblade. Why wouldn’t you? For more than 30 years, the iconic head of the CBR family has flown the sportsbike flag for the Japanese brand on racetracks and in showrooms the world over, delivering class-leading performance figures, pioneering tech and the kind of engineering prowess that’ll hurt your head if you study it too closely. Yep, the Blade has made an indelible mark on the world of sportsbikes – to the extent that even those who despise the thought of sporty motorcycles will undoubtedly know of the model, its history, and its significance. But what’s lesser known – albeit no less important – is Honda’s other CBRs… Throughout the years, the headlining Honda has been backed up by a raft of similarly guised smaller…

As is often said, size matters, and in this instance, the significance to Honda of these two Baby Blades cannot be understated. They are the foundations of the brand’s sportsbike family and are worthy propositions for new and experienced riders alike. As already mentioned, the CBR500R is that first step on the rung, giving A2 riders a taste of CBR ownership, while the doubly powerful CBR650R brings added edge, performance and potential for those wanting more speed, comfort and everyday usability. Despite their differences, they are both cracking foundation platforms, priced impressively, and finished to the kind of standards you’d expect from Honda. I can’t pretend I was overly excited about riding either, but that’s more a reflection of my naivety than the deliverance these two have on tap… I…

Having already secured one WSB title (in 2010 with Max Biaggi at the helm), in the early 2010s Aprilia, with its new V4 superbike, was starting to make a serious nuisance of itself to Italian rival Ducati. Not only was it threatening to amass a collection of WSB titles where Ducati was struggling (the 1098R won in 2011, but that was it until 2022, whereas the RSV4 won in 2010, 2012 and 2014), it was also pushing boundaries in terms of tech – and this investment was quickly filtering down to its road bikes. Ducati may have grabbed the headlines with its R or SP models, but these were costly homologation specials. Aprilia, on the other hand, took WSB tech and transferred it directly to the customer’s bike… which is…

STAR LETTER WIN ON A TWIN Since buying my Ducati V2 in 2021, I’ve done 15k miles on it – all over the UK and regularly attending BSB weekends. Even with it being a sportsbike, it’s very comfortable to ride and I can easily manage a 10-hour touring day on it, but it’s also brilliant on track. I’ve attended BikeSafe courses every year. Here’s a picture chasing down a South Wales Police biker (safely on a BikeSafe course). Tom Northcott FB: Thanks for dropping us a line, Tom. That’s a hefty amount of seat time on the Ducati. We’re also big fans of the bike, so can understand why you never get off it. It’s great to see you making the most of its versatility, too. WIN You can win…

LONGTERMERS TIME ON TEST: 2 WEEKS ODOMETER MILES BHP: 207 GAIN: 0 NEXT AIM: WORK ON RIDER AIDS Well, it looks like I’ve only gone and hit the jackpot this year. Sitting in my garage as I type is a fully loaded 2023 BMW S 1000 RR. Granted, it’s a bit late getting here, but that’s entirely down to my own schedule during May and June. That’s not to say it’s been sat around doing nothing – quite the opposite. It’s been used on a recent cover test in the mag by Bruce and Tim, when they compared it to a first-generation S1000RR, and Tim has been hammering the hell out of it on track, producing his latest track guides for the Fast Bikes YouTube channel, so it’s been earning…

YOUR LIFE ON BIKES IN ASSOCIATION WITH NO LIMITS TRACKDAYS FastBikesMag.com/FastBikes-Forum Facebook.com FastBikesMagazine @FastBikesMag WANT TO WIN? To be in with a chance of winning a No Limits trackday, either send us a pic on our Facebook page or email one to letters@fastbikes.co.uk Closing date: August 15 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…