Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Fast Bikes

Special bikes. I dare say we've all had a few in our time. I'm not necessarily on about the one's that cost a million quid and were made to the tune of singular figures, but bikes that changed our lives, put smiles on our faces and brought about friends and experiences we otherwise might never have had. Some of the best bikes I've ever owned have cost less than a grand, have most certainly had a dozen other previous owners and, at times, would've had me pulling my hair out just to try and get them running. But when they did, they delivered. My favourite road bike of all time would probably be my Aprilia RS50 that powered many a misguided moment in my younger years. It was the bike…

Have you ever found yourself in two minds, arguing with your own thoughts as to whether something is better, worse, or simply indifferent? Is it worth paying an extra 70p for the specially dried Columbian virgin coffee beans from your local barista, or does the run-of-the-mill stuff they serve taste just as good, at half the price? Can you really tell the difference, or are a few sexy words scrambling your brain into thinking something is simply better because it costs more? The reason for this tangent is to give context to the Blade and my relationship with it. It is a bike I know well, having not only been on the latest iteration's launch back in 2020 under a roasting Qatari sun, but also going on to clock 5000…

Why is it special? It's hard to know where to start with the Bimota Tesi H2. There's so much going on in terms of its design, concept, engineering and finish that literally everywhere you look is something that makes you stop and stare. Even from a distance, the Tesi looks like nothing else, with its monstrous dinner plate wings, sharp angular lines all over the place, rich carbon fibre bodywork, crazy exhaust with the sort of trick welding you only see on a handmade bespoke item, and, of course, the forkless front end. Did I mention that it's also got a 240bhp supercharged engine? Yeah, that too. Welcome to the madness of the Bimota Tesi H2, a genuine one-of-a-kind motorbike that blurs the line between engineering and art. You could…

Sports tyres are going through quite the metamorphous these days. Yes, they are still black and round and sticky, for the most part, but they are no longer allowed to be good at only one thing. If you've ever ridden on slick tyres at a racetrack, you'll know the riding is only part of the endeavour. There are stands, tyre warmers, generators and probably a bunch of other stuff in there I'm forgetting you need to worry about… and you still need to ride fast enough to get the tyres into a working window where their grip can be properly exploited. Ride below that threshold and they won't retain the heat required to make them work, and then they can become downright dangerous. As such, the market for a tyre…

If you've been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice. Get it from mail@whitedalton.co.uk Q I was filtering through traffic and clipped someone's wing mirror. They were in the car and shouted at me as I rode past. I didn't want to stop or have a confrontation, so carried on filtering and raced home. There was no way they followed me as the traffic was gridlocked for about a mile. I know I should have stopped but my friend has been telling me that I might get nicked and get a criminal record, is this right? At the time of writing this, I haven't heard from the police. Isn't there a 14-day rule the police have to follow? A Whoops. I am not judging you as I clipped…

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: February 16 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 with us and we'll…

Return of the Daytona If you click on the Triumph website, there's a section we've all been waiting on for a long time. Yes – there's now a 'Sport' tab alongside the adventure bikes, modern classics, roadsters and the like. There's only one bike in there when you click through, though – the new 2024 Daytona 660. Now, it's great to see the Daytona name back in the Hinckley range after an absence of a few years, since the 675 was dropped. Sadly, it's not a full-beans 140bhp supersport 765, nor is it a 210bhp three-cylinder litre-class superbike – but a much more sensible A2-friendly 660cc machine that bears the historic moniker. Ah well, maybe next year (actually, probably not). A closer look cheers things up a bit because it's…

Why is it special? On the list of things from which one or two are required for a bike to feel 'special', the Petronas FP1 probably ticks ALL of them – and adds a few of its own. The reason for its very existence is bonkers: the story about how it was then conceived, engineered and produced is so full of folklore, urban myth and conflicting stories of skulduggery that it's worthy of a Hollywood film script. Even to this very day, getting your hands on a Petronas FP1 is the stuff of legend and involves knowing the right person… who in turn knows another person, who in turn, depending on what day of the week it is, might be able to put you in touch with someone who might…

Manufacturers love a good buzzword, and there aren't many better than 'T-plane' – which has nothing to do with Mr T and his hatred of planes. It is, in fact, the name given to Triumph's proven, unconventional crank configuration. Most triples tend to have a 120-degree spacing between their cylinders' firing intervals, but the T-plane design means that cylinders one and three are set 180 degrees apart, with cylinder two being 90 degrees from the others. Triumph's main aim in doing so is to achieve better tractability down low, with a better spread of power, which is arguably good news for off-road trackability, overall control and usability. In essence, that's exactly what it offers and is the main reason why the tech's been continued into the new Tiger 900. Another…

Having already thoroughly rained on the Japanese manufacturers' parade in 2008 with the launch of the original Street Triple models, in 2013 the wet spell turned into a torrential downpour as Triumph released the second generation of its class-defining middleweight. Lighter, more agile, and with a smattering of tech, the new Street Triple and Street Triple R basically ended any hope the Japanese had of fighting back. So, what was new? And is it equally impressive nowadays? Sharing the same all-new aluminium beam chassis as the Daytona 675, the Street Triple models also gained uprated KYB suspension, a sharper look, a new low-slung exhaust system, a lightly modified motor and the option of ABS and a quickshifter. Far from a small facelift, this was a fairly radical upgrade to the…

TESTED BY: Dangerous TIME: Six months EVOTECH PERFORMANCE RAD GUARDS: £115.50 EVOTECH PERFORMANCE LEVER GUARDS: £150 EVOTECH PERFORMANCE GO PRO MOUNT: £49.99 EVOTECH PERFORMANCE FUEL CELL GUARD: £46.99 WEB: www.evotech-performance.com If there was ever a problem with having a bike so brilliant, so well-finished. and so perfect in its box-fresh form, it's the question of how you can add to it. That's been a mind-boggler for me year-long with the SP2, relentlessly wondering what is worthy of joining the masterpiece, which comes so bloody awesomely built and spec'd from its Bologna base that there's not much of a need to go fettling. Consumables aside, the Ducati spent most of last year completely standard, until the need to go changing it was enforced by my craving to take it on track. As any of you who likewise enjoy going round and round on…

The Italians are known for many things, not least of all their fine wines, fine art and fine women. Their motorcycles aren't bad either, and this, right here, is one of the finest of them all. It's also one of the least known, but that's probably more to do with its limited run of just 100 units than anything else. Yep, these things are up there with hen's teeth and are arguably just about as valuable, considering they hit the market in 2018 at a tear-inducing £65,000. So, what makes it so special? So exotic? So damn expensive? The answer's a pretty long-winded one but, suffice to say, this is the fastest, feistiest, and most race-track orientated F4 to ever leave the Italian marques' manufacturing line. It was crafted in…

FEATURE TRIUMPH TIGER 900 GT PRO / TIGER 900 RALLY PRO It's not every launch where you get back at base so pumped up that you feel obliged to indulge in a rolling burn-out for all and sundry to see. With some brands, that kind of antic will get you barred from future tests faster than a pisshead can down a pint, but that's how my day in the saddle of Triumph's latest and greatest Tiger 900 befittingly came to an end. In my defence, after arguably one of the best rides I've had in recent years, hitting the trails high above Malaga, I simply wasn't thinking straight, drunk on adoration for this absolute beast of a bike. But before I go reasoning my tyre-shredding antics any further, I should properly…

For those who want adventure bike looks but the prowess and performance of a road-borne renegade, here's your solution. The GT Pro is near-identical to the Rally Pro in all but a few ways, mainly set apart by its different suspension (with less travel), different wheels (smaller and cast, not spoked) and lower seat height (820mm-840mm versus 860mm880mm). The end result offers a much more refined road bike, with better agility and stability than the Rally on tarmac. I spent a day on the GT and really enjoyed what it had to offer, proving to be surprisingly agile and packing the trademark plush feel that all Triumphs have stacked in their arsenals. As for the engine, it was fantastic to rip around with, offering loads of torque, a strong…

We caught up at the Krämer stand at Motorcycle Live, with Owen looking to capitalise on his Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship 2023 win with his a fresh ride for the 2024 season, a Krämer 890-GP2RR. I'd met Owen before our chat in the congested halls of Birmingham's NEC. In the warmth of the Andalucia sun in early 2022, he had blitzed past me in 'Ronnie Mac 69'-themed leathers on his stock Yamaha R6. It's easy to think you're punching on a trackday until BSB talent apexes so effortlessly that you both admire and detest in equal measure. Owen was there for pre-season testing but that's a smidge formal for 'Team Smiler', where Owen's family head out to ride in the sun for a few days and feast on Spanish…

It's funny how quickly you can mess up your own head, isn't it. We are our own worst enemy and sometimes making yourself stop, evaluate things from an outside perspective, and reset, can completely change the decisions and paths we end up taking. I did a lot of endurance racing back in 2021 and rode for the British Endurance Racing Team (BERT), which was run by David Railton. I really enjoyed the gig: riding motorbikes is the best feeling in the world – along with shagging, I guess – so to ride a 1000cc race bike for hours on end, right through the night, pretty much ticks all the boxes. The British Endurance team started with a UK race, then two rounds of the World Endurance, which was mega and…

ALPINESTARS SP-X BOA BOOTS A less conventional style for these smart Alpinestars sports boots, which are designed to both fit underneath riding trousers and also be comfy for walking in. They've got a compact, mid-height construction so sit between a full-size race boot and a short urban boot, giving good protection with an easier fit. There's a BOA speed-fastening system and zip closure, plus knitted panels and an inner Ortholite sock for extra comfort on and off the bike. Protection is extensive: a TPF transverse protection frame in the sole; shin guard plate; and TPU armour on heel and ankle. A grippy rubber sole, toe sliders and shift pads round off the high spec. RRP: £350 www.alpinestars.com FURYGAN RAPTOR EVO 3 JACKET We've said it before: the Furygan logo jacket…