Innehållsförteckning för May 2024 från Fast Bikes

WELCOME There's a real fine line between pleasure and pain, as I was reminded first-hand a few days ago at Portimao. Motorbikes are awesome, but highsides aren't. I've come to that conclusion lots of times in my many years of motorcycling, and after a five-year break from this extracurricular activity, I was back in the throes once more, staring down on my CBR600RR as it jettisoned me unceremoniously. I don't know what hurt most; the tarmac or the journey back to the pits, where I had to hand myself in front of my mates. What a sausage! Just moments before, life was exceptional, rinsing the living daylights out of this much-missed supersport sensation that's now back and better than ever (full review next issue), but in one foul moment, the…

LAUNCH HONDA FIREBLADE S ome bikes just sound that little bit naughtier than others, that little more special, but even then, few come close to the audible ecstasy that was booming from the ’24-spec Blade as I rounded Portimao's final corner. Throaty, deep, and suggestive of absolute lunacy, you'd be forgiven for thinking I was on some trick racebike, with kit electronics and more firepower than you'd find down the local army range. To cut to it, it's obvious this wasn't the Blade of last year – not just by sounding different or looking different, but also riding different, too. A few days earlier, I'd been primed for this by Havier Beltran, Honda Racing UK's team manager, at its headquarters, where he'd gone through the mass of changes that have put…

FEATURE YAMAHA MT-09 Ten years ago, I found myself a part of the maddest, baddest, and arguably most illegal motorcycling I've ever put my name to. The gig was called the Dark Dog Moto Tour, crossing from the north to the south of France over seven days, littered with road races, time trials, and (too many) pigs trotters for us hungry, tired competitors. It was nothing short of bonkers, with rolled cars, crashed bikes and the occasional police chase for good measure. Befittingly, I had an equally bonkers bike to power me through – in the shape of Yamaha's then box-fresh, audacious MT-09. And that's when my love affair with this absolute headbanger began. Back then, there was nothing else on the market quite like it, blurring the lines between a…

Hi guys, I’m a big BSB fan but have never actually been to a race track to watch the action. I want to change that this year, but the question is what circuit should I go to? I’m based in the Midlands, so there are a few around me. It'd be great to get your thoughts. Thanks, Chloe L Hi Chloe, this is tough! Truthfully speaking, there are so many great tracks on the calendar, all with massively different characters and viewing experiences. Donington is nothing short of iconic, but maybe the viewing is a little more limited because you tend to have to watch through a fence a good distance from the track in a lot of places. The pit and paddock access are great, though, so don't write it…

Upfront PLANET FAST BIKES – NEW METAL, NEWS & REVIEWS It's been a bit difficult to know where to place Husqvarna's various recent roadster machinery. As you should all know, the classy Swedish brand is part of the same firm (Pierer) which owns KTM, GASGAS and WP Suspension. And its machinery shares the same fundamental powertrain and chassis foundations, so the Svartpilen and Vitpilen (‘black arrow’ and ‘white arrow’ in Swedish) bikes have used the engines and frames from the 125, 390 and 690 Duke models. The Svartpilen is a subtle retro-scrambler, and the Vitpilen is an unfaired café-racer, with both using the same unique design language that screams ‘IKEA’ to all right-thinking folk. The current single-cylinder machines are all perfectly decent; there's usually a chassis upgrade, they get the…

With a day in the saddle done and dusted, we sat down for a natter with BSB champ and Honda's new recruit, Tommy Bridewell… “It's weird, really, because I race for Honda now and you'd almost think I've done a million laps on the bike, but today was the same for me as it was for you guys; my first day on the new Fireblade. I’m impressed – really impressed. I knew where I wanted to go for this year. I was in a position where I was winning races and fighting for the championship, and because of that, without wanting to sound cocky, it put me in a position where I knew I could go where I want, within reason, and I knew I wanted to ride for Honda,…

addiction We've had them all on these pages down the years: MotoGP bikes, superbikes, TT racers, endurance weapons… but some of the most fun bikes to look at are the one-make race bikes, like this little Kawasaki ZX-4RR. It's the control bike for this year's Superteen support race series in British Superbike and will let the next generation of hormone-heavy teenage racers showcase their headbanging track skills. The kids on these bikes this year will, god willing, be the ones you see waving the flag for Old Albion (though there are riders from other countries too) in Grands Prix, Superbike and (perhaps) MotoE racing into the 2030s. The spec for these control race bikes is limited compared with top-level racebikes, of course. That makes sense: budgets are tiny in comparison…

If you've been a naughty biker, you need some decent legal advice. Get it from mail@whitedalton.co.uk Q A few of us are off to a trackday in the south of Spain. Now that we are outside of the European Union, does it make any difference to us? A Yes. There are a few differences now (in 2024) and more likely to come. First, if you are loading your bike into a stillage for transportation down to Spain, the vehicles and kit etc. must be listed on a Carnet. The good news is that one single Carnet can cover multiple items being transported. So, if you book with Focused Events or Redline Trackdays, they will organise the Carnet for you. It does mean lots more paperwork for you to fill out as the…

PRODUCTS DAINESE MUGELLO 3 D-AIR SUIT Dainese has released its latest top-end D-AIR airbag race suits and they look pretty sweet. The flagship is this kangaroo leather Mugello 3 D-AIR, which the firm claims is the most advanced ever, with even more lightness and protection, plus luxurious comfort levels. It comes with the cutting-edge triple-activation D-air® Racing airbag and a pentaxial elastic system, which is claimed to offer the very highest levels of performance and safety on the track, while maximising comfort. The airbag now allows for up to three activations – so you can swap out the gas generator three times yourself before the airbag needs a service. And the riding mode by Dainese lets you select the airbag use mode depending on whether you’re on the road or…

FEATURE KTM DUKE 990 The all-new 990 Duke from KTM presents a tricky dilemma in more ways than one, which I’ll go into right after I just come out and state that the 990 Duke is bloody brilliant in every single way. If there is any part of you that doesn't like riding bikes because they’re fun, then you should move on to the next feature in this mag – because having fun and being naughty is what the 990 Duke is all about. In fact, if there is a new bike in 2024 on the planet which is more exciting to ride and as competent as the 990 Duke, I have yet to ride it… apart from the 1390 Super Duke, which leads me neatly to my first dilemma. A…

FEATURE ROSSI'S RANCH It's only a matter of weeks postcompeting in the coolest motorcycling event I've ever experienced and I’m still absolutely peaking! My brother Tom and I were fortunate enough to be invited to race in Valentino Rossi's La 100km dei Campioni ninth edition flat track race at his purpose-built flat track ranch in Tavulia. Mind blown! We owe a big thanks to team boss John McGuinness for firing a WhatsApp over to his old mate Vale and pulling this off; we couldn't believe it when the voice note came back from the man himself saying he'd heard of us two… who would have thought it, aye? Two old farm boys from Lincolnshire. Anyway, it all came about at very short notice, and we didn't have long to get our…

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: April 17 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 look…