SuperBike - 2006 Issue 02 February

WE RIDE
VALENTINO ROSSIS
YAMAHA M1
FOR ALL KINDS OF RIDERS ON ALL KINDS OF BIKES
DUCATI, MV AGUSTA, BIMOTA
NEW 2006 BIKES

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www.superbike.co.uk
BEST BEST 12
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
OF THE
PAGES OF THE BEST BIKES, ROADS, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
THE TRUTH ABOUT
EXOTIC WHEELS
DO THEY REALLY MAKE YOU QUICKER? MYTHS EXPLODED!
OLD RULES NEW TOOLS

APRILIA RSV FACTORY VS SUZUKI GSX-R750 VS DUCATI 999S
WSB PEDIGREE SUPERBIKES
PLUS!
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FEBRUARY 2006
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FEBRUARY 2006
ON THE COVER: Our man Roots throwing an Aprilia Mille on its proverbial ear in sunny En-ger-land. Happy day. Pic: John Noble
G BIST TE
EE EDIGR WSB PERBIKES UP S
THE
2006
12 YAMAHA MT-03
NEW BIKES
Style normally comes at a price but somehow Yamaha has managed to make its new MT-03 both modish and modest. Simon heads to Spain to see it strut its stuff on a Catalan catwalk.
ON TEST
Not even Kelly Brooks bikini waxer is as lucky as JP as he jets off to Valencia to ride the best bike on the planet. Valentino Rossi chucks over the keys to let our man have the spin of his life.
ROSSIS 6 WE RIDEM1 YAMAHA
50
FEATURES 44 EXOTIC WHEELS?
If youre about to drop a whole wad of cash on a new set of rims then hold re until youve read this. Trick wheels are a big investment so Bob Gray gives you a big explanation on why this uber-mod makes the world of difference to your riding.
WSB PEDIGREE SUPERBIKES
OLD RULES, NEW TOOLS
Race rules change but some things remain constant like the pleasures of riding WSB-inspired road bikes from Aprilia, Ducati and Suzuki
31REVIEW OF THE YEAR

A review of the year if you will (sadly not a rear-view of the year a collection of gratuitous pit-chick arse shots we were hoping for). Anyway, we round up what rocked our world in 2005; the bikes, the roads, the races and the babes as well as the odd blooper or fuck-up as we like to call them.
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POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE

020 8726 8445
Editor KENNY PRYDE
kenny_pryde@ipcmedia.com
A true oracle of learning, we answer your questions, report on the state of the nation and suggest little ways to make your life better.
alan_dowds@ipcmedia.com
74 NEWS, RIDING TIPS, ADVICE
REAL WORLD SUPERBIKING
HELP
YOUR PROBLEMS SORTED BY OUR EXPERTS
WORTHY SECTION
020 8726 8444
Deputy Editor ALAN DOWDS
78 LONGTERMERS
jon_pearson@ipcmedia.com
020 8726 8443
Features Editor JON PEARSON
Covered in salt, the longtermers are indefatigable in the face of such a rancid adversary. That doesnt mean to say that theyre much fun in this weather mind.
86 OLD STUFF TESTED
Testing gears great so long as it works well. We suffer the good, the bad and everything in between and spread the good word to you, dear readers
Road Tester SIMON ROOTS
88 BUDGET NAKED LISTINGS
simon_roots@ipcmedia.com
020 8726 8442
Keep the bank manager happy by steering clear of those pricey sportsbikes and plumping for a utilitarian middleweight roadster. Theres plenty of fun to be had on them honest as Mossy nds out while testing a Yamaha Fazer 600.
020 8726 8438
huw_williams @ipcmedia.com Art Editor HUW WILLIAMS
RACING
Assistant Art Editor JAYNE TOYNE jayne_toyne@ipcmedia.com
020 8726 8439
92 TOSELAND INTERVIEW
alex_goss@ipcmedia.com
WORLD OF SPORT
6NEWS
P92 James Toseland Happier days at Ducati for JT. Will we see him on the podium this season?
REGULARS
020 8726 8419
Editorial PA ALEX GOSS
Literal hero one year, proverbial zero the next, James Toseland has had a funny old year or two. But hes dusted himself off from Ducati sparking him out and is now looking for revenge with the Ten Kate squad as a willing accomplice.
After Paris, the NEC, and the Tokyo shows comes the Milan extravaganza, a massive homage to two wheels, attended by the Italian PM, no less. Plus we round up all matters motorcycle not to mention being rst with the gossip.
18 LETTERS 22 STUFF
ADRIAN VAUGHAN Marketing manager 020 8726 8401 adrian_vaughan@ipcmedia.com KEITH FOSTER Publishing director 020 8726 8400 keith_foster@ipcmedia.com AMY PUTT Keith Fosters PA 020 8726 8402 amy_putt@ipcmedia.com
PUBLISHING
95 RACE NEWS
The season may be over but theres no hibernation for the wickedly good. We round up all the action from the transfer market and cast an eye on the start of the testing season.
You tell us your NEC stories and other tales of woe. Meanwhile crashes and robberies prompt this months jeers but trips abroad and quality wives bring out the cheers. If your Christmas stocking was full of crap like The Long Way Round the Directors cut DVD or books like Superbikes by A. Dowds then chop them in on eBay and put the proceeds towards some of this glorious stuff.
ADVERTISING
STEVE JONES Advertising manager 020 8726 8415 steve_jones@ipcmedia.com NEIL HANDLEY Display senior sales executive 020 8726 8411 neil_handley@ipcmedia.com CLARE PAYNE Ad production 020 8726 8316 clare_payne@ipcmedia.com SUE BANN Classied sales manager 020 8726 8412 susan_bann@ipcmedia.com CHARLOTTE ROGERS Sales executive 020 8726 8414 charlotte_rogers@ipcmedia.com
If you can prise your eyes away from Porchia youll see 12,000 worth of gleaming Ducati 999S behind that fulsome gure. Not even Santas sack has gifts as good as this.
56
PORCHIA AND A 999S
CENTREFOLD
1 FINISH LINE 14
If your pissed-up, incontinent Aunt was funnier than the crackers round the Christmas table this year then cheer yourselves up with some of these beauties.
Can you name... SuperBike is produced at Leon House, 233 High St, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1HZ, part of IPC Country and Leisure Magazines, which is part of the IPC Magazines Group. All enquiries on direct lines above or switchboard on 020 8726 8000. Fax on 020 8726 8499. General e-mail is on: superbike@ipcmedia.com ...the stupidest animal... Call 020 7261 7704 if you have trouble nding us ...in the sea? Subscribe on the subs page. Full rates are 43.20 for UK and BFPO surface mail, 53.50 Europe and Ireland air mail or 69.50 Rest of World for air mail. Send cheques to IPC Media Subscriptions, Freepost CY1061, PO Box 272, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH16 3FS, or phone 01444 475675. Back issues are on 020 8503 0588 Its an imbe-seal of course. Arf! Colour repro at CTT, Sutherland House, London E17 6BU, 020 8523 6705 Printers, St Ives Andover Ltd, Telford Gate, Westport Way Ind. Est, Andover, Hants, SP10 3SF, 01264 387000, and distributors, MarketForce, 5th oor low rise building, Kings Reach Tower, Stamford St, London SE1 9LS. Tel: 020 7633 3300 Next issue on sale Wednesday 25th January 2006 SuperBike is published by Focus Network Magazines and is copyright, ISSN no 0262 8456
NEW BIKES
EVENTS
NEWS
GEAR
CONTACT
For latest news click on www.superbike.co.uk
THE EDITOR
...ITS NO SURPRISE
THAT WE ARE INVOLVED IN MORE ACCIDENTS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR...
got an email from an insurance company, pointing out that November in the UK was the worst month for bike accidents. I could have guessed it. The weather gets worse, the temperature drops, leaves tumble from trees and are turned to slippery mush on cold Tarmac and, of course, it gets dark earlier. When you add these factors all up, its no surprise that we are involved in more accidents at this time of year. But then, some of them are our own fault. For instance. I was riding home from work one night when I ended up behind a shitty old Mondeo being driven slowly and erratically in town. Now my old dad always told me to get the hell out of the way of cars like that, and since the car was weaving around doing around 20mph, I decided to overtake. Just as I opened the throttle and got level with the driver, the car decided to turn right. We all know the feeling. I thought I was going down and waited for the car to clip my rear wheel. But I got away with it. And got away with it is the correct phrase. It would have been my fault. Overtaking a car anywhere near a junction is plain stupid and the fact that the car didnt indicate is no excuse. And the moral of the story? Dont let your concentration lapse. Especially not in November!
BIG IN MILAN
2006
BIKES
NEW
NOT TO BE OUTDONE BY THE BRITS, JAPANESE AND THE GERMANS, THE ITALIANS PUT ON THEIR OWN BIKESHOW IN MILAN
Ducati Monster S4RS
S4RS to a Ducati unveiled its new Monster nos, wired on salivating crowd of Italian bike jour ur at the Milan strong coffee and nationalistic fervo t . As per usual it looks like just abou bike show ster to roll out of Bologna, but its every other Mon bo calipers, got a 999S motor, radial-mount Brem els, Michelin Ohlins suspension, Marchesini whe
design to the Pilot Power rubber, and a similar 996-powered Monster S4R. tasty age, its Actually, it sounds like a good pack phantic Italian press tends to go just that the syco ral inclination overboard on this stuff and our natu and doppia is to piss on their toasted pannini espressos.
MV Agusta F4 Senna
Agusta showed off this special edition of the F4 1000S. As usual, its a specced-out version of the agship model, with proceeds going to the Senna Foundation a kids charity set up
after the F1 stars death. You get radial Brembo brakes, forged Marchesini wheels and dual-speed damping adjustment on the shock. Power is 174bhp, and dont expect change out of 20,000.
6 FEBRUARY 2006 www.superbike.co.uk
NEW SB WEB STORE OPEN www.superbike.co.uk
CLICK HERE
Ducati Hypermotard
You may have noticed that staff have sometimes been seen sporting a SuperBike T-shirt. Well, weve been wearing the same design for years, so in a pub-based brain storming session, we came up with some new designs which will be on our website soon. They look like this one for the ladies in your life too. Theyre on the website www.superbike.co.uk. New SuperBike T-shirts about time too!
THATS A RESULT!
YOURE A
JOE ROCKET DESIGN A SUIT COMPETITION
WINNER
OK, we should have sorted this competition winning stuff out earlier, but, well, its a long story. Sufce to say, its got a happy ending. Sam Nelson (in the pic) designed her own suit and Joe Rocket made it for her and, just to prove she got her suit and it ts, here she is at the NEC show with it. Shes from the Swindon area and rides an Aprilia RS125, so if you see those leathers on that bike, itll be Sam.
Milan, Ducati loves showing off concept bikes at ly forward-looking, wacky and theyre usual pieces of nonsense (MH900, SportClassics). the But were not so sure of this. Jumping on moto bandwagon that left sometime ago, super
no with a 175kg air-cooled V-twin seems rash, r how sharp the bodywork looks. The rm matte suggests the Hypermotard will become a reality soon, but its cool reception may mean otherwise.
Bimota Delirio DB6
The Rimini rm made a big song and dance about this, but to be honest, its just a funkily-designed naked version of the DB5 sportsbike JP tested recently. You get the usual steel tube trellis frame, housing an aircooled Ducati 1000DS motor, with some fancy chassis components. The exhausts, swingarm and
front fairing all look superb, but the main problem for us is the gutless motor. With Triumphs Speed Triple, and the 999-powered Monster above all pumping out stacks of power and torque, the DS motor is perhaps a little at for this market now. Were still looking forward to a ride on it though.
LITERARY REVIEW
MOTO GP 2005
Its a comprehensive, 212-page run-through of all last seasons action from the methodical and thorough hand of the lesser annoying of the two Eurosport commentators, Julian Ryder. The mans enthusiasm comes across readily as does his on-the-spot insight into the GP circus but we also like his occasional cynicism regarding teams, riders and general proceedings. Being more than a little cynical ourselves, we think its well worth 12.99 of your Christmas tokens. Its published by Haynes, www.haynes.co.uk.
We only had a drawing of this last month, so here it is in the metal. Benelli clearly fancies a chunk of the growing adventure sport market, so the basic bike gets offroad styling, a retuned TNT motor and some long travel suspension. Also gets a conventiona llymounted radiator. If the Chinese owners get it right, it should be a hoot for touring. No solid word on price or availability as yet.
Benelli Tre-K
www.superbike.co.uk FEBRUARY 2006 7
NEWS
EVENTS
NEW TYRES
GEAR
CONTACT
NEW TYRES?
METZELER M-3
GERMAN RUBBER JOHNNIES RELEASE THE M3 AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE HIGHLY REGARDED SPORTEC M1
This months bitching, back-stabbing, praise, stupidity and grateful thanks
Luke Plummer, who has served the Ducati UK massive for many a long year, has jumped ship to work for Motocom, the tip-top PR and marketing rm who recently took over the Suzuki account. So, are we to assume that Luke will now be extolling the virtues of in-line Japanese fours over those old-fashioned V-twins?
Metzeler concedes riders in 2006 are generally more sport orientated which means the M3 edges a bit closer towards the equally highly regarded, track-biased RaceTec tyre. Different compounds on front and rear, improved grip and quick-warm up time are the key points common across all new tyres but improving these areas can only be a good thing. When we get a chance to ride a pair, then well give you more feedback. Until then, you can check out unadulterated, unmediated, unltered Metzeler propaganda on www.metzelermoto.com
CIAO E GRAZIE
GO ON, SMILE, YOU AUSSIE MISERIES
FIND A FITTY COMPETITION
Jerry Burgess is Valentino Rossis crew chief and runs a team well-used to success and people telling them what a great job theyre doing. Well, get this, ol Jerry and his band of not so merry men aint keen to let slow journos ride his bikes and sees the whole thing as a waste of time. Word up Grandad, without the press making a fuss and reporting on racing, do you think the fancy sponsors would give you fag money to build and race MotoGP bikes? No, they fucken wouldnt.
HOO ROTE SHIT?

SEND US YOUR SEXIEST PICTURES AND WIN THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH ONE OF THE UKS TOP MODEL AGENCIES ere always on the look out for fresh talent at SuperBike and so, in the spirit of making a fresh start at the new year weve resolved to nd the new face of 2006. So, participate with us in our Babe search, our nd a tty competition, our hunt the hottie, our(right, thats enough Ed.) So, the simple question is do you know someone sexy and sassy enough to be join the bevy of beauties who regularly grace our pages and work with us at bike shows and other promotional events? Does this person stand out from the crowd? If so, we want to hear all about her. We are scouting for girls that not only look amazing, but also have the style and charisma to be part of a great team. There will also be the chance to join the books of top UK model agency Blues-agency.co.uk to work on different projects.
Welcome to the wonderful world of bike mags, new SHiT editor Chris Maillard. Two issues into his editorship and his new, ball-shrivellingly unfunny The Mouse column printed the immortal line about something built by Hoo Flung Dung of North Korea. Did we laugh? Yes we did, but not in any way intended.
rnalist Burgess to pit crew... Jou t... approaching from the Wes Release the hounds!
THERES NO I IN TEAM, BUT THERES A U IN
Further underlining his intentions to rock the world of moto journalism, our Chris took the DiRE BrIDE troops on a teambuilding trip to the Milan show. Sounds good to us jump on Easyjet, schmooze the factories, pick up a few Italian scoops, nice dinner, shoot back. Do some journalism. But Signor Maillard decided the best way to get to Milan in November is on a series of tired, poorly prepared secondhand bikes. Cue tearful roadside blow-ups between terried staffers after hundreds of fog-bound miles, bikes only just making it, and stand-up nger-poking rows over a midnight pizza once they nally arrived. Go team! Journalists worldwide entertained themselves this month with a new contest called Count Cathcart. The aim of the game is to see how many words roving bike tester Sir Alan Cathcart can pack into a sentence before he blesses the reader with a full stop. In the copies of Motorcycle Racer weve read hes yet to break the magic 100 gure (86 words, page 64 Racer, Nov 05), but maybe hes just warming up. Were organising a Blue Peter-style collection of punctuation for him, so if you can spare a comma, a semi-colon or even a full stop, send them in. Does anyone sub this stuff? What do you mean, it is subbed? In the meantime, weve called in the crisis intervention team from the Oxford English Dictionary, which is now air-freighting a Chinooks worth of emergency punctuation ration kits to Cambridgeshire. Each kit contains enough standard marks to prevent a thousand readers going blind or mad. This month, were very grateful to Tor Sagen, tenacious Scandinavian newshound, for much scoopings. Harriet Ridley for subbing and words. Paul Cordle for Michelin rubber, Arthur from Bridgestone for said Japanese rubber supplies. Dan Sager for chats and lunch.
CALL LYNNE TRUSS
THE RULES:
Applicants should be at least 54, aged between 18 25, with vital statistics appropriate to the work! If you have someone in mind that ts the bill, send their details (including a recent photo) and a brief paragraph stating why you think you have found a winner to us at: SuperBike Babe 2006, SuperBike Leon House Croydon CR9 1HZ. Alternatively you can email your words and pictures to: Kenny_Pryde@ipcmedia.com. Please include SAE if you want us to return your photo. All applicants will be judged jointly by SuperBike and Blues Agency
THANKS!
NEWS
EVENTS
NEW BIKES
GEAR
CONTACT
JUST
FIRST RIDE HONDA CRF450R
JOSH COPPI NS
HONDA CRF450R
RIDT E
FIRS
JOSHIN
JOSH COPPINS CONVINCINGLY BROKE THE HONDA 2005 RUNNERS-UP DUCK WITH THE BRITISH MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. BUT THAT WAS YESTERDAY, THIS IS MONDAY MORNING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SOME MANIAC HAS GIVEN SUPERBIKE A SHOT ON HIS HONDA CRF450R
WORDS: JONATHAN PEARSON PICS: RAY ARCHER
SPEC HIGHLIGHTS
Honda doesnt just do MotoGP bikes, superbikes and sportsbikes, it also makes some of the best off-roaders. Such as this one, the Honda CRF450R. A l/c, SOHC, 4-valve, four-stroke single makes around 55bhp (37ft-lb torque), the chassis weighs 99.7kg (claimed) and they cost 4,995 in the shops.
ormally, if youre lucky enough to get a go on a world-class, GP-winning bike, just before you go to grab that handle bar and swing a leg over the nearest technician will run you through a list of dos and donts. Dont rev it above blah blah, dont let it get too hot, the gear box works this way, dont do more than four laps, in fact it would be better for me if you didnt ride it at all. But theres none of that from the CAS Honda team. In fact Josh Coppins GP-winning (as well as British MX1 championship winning) CRF450R had been leaning against the awning strut waiting for ages. Surely the top Honda MX team in the world, with the world number two and British number one rider at the helm, should have the same factory-spec bikes as Kiyonaris Fireblade? At least thats what I gured. Other than the supply of bikes and parts this GP winning Honda is about as factory as my long term CBR600RR. Team technician Nick Moores says Coppins bike is much more comparable to a superstock bike, with suspension, a pipe and electronics being changed. OK so the full-factory Showa suspension and a MotoGP-developed Leo Vince titanium exhaust system is far from stock. But beyond that, billet titanium footrests, and the vast majority of nuts and bolts being swapped for lighter and stronger titanium ones, thats about it. The rest is in the skill of the spanner-man. The truth is Hondas production MX bikes are developed by HRC in the rst place so what you buy in a shop is not a million miles away from as good as it gets anyway. Frenchman Pascal Leuret proved the point in 2005 by grabbing a podium nish at the Nismes, Belgium, round of the championship this year. Skilled spannering by the CAS team transforms the stock Honda motor and they work hard at getting the power curve smoother and longer. As with a road bike, bolting on a race pipe reveals similar peaks and troughs where the stock pipe and ignition complies with emissions and noise regulations so they smooth those glitches out. The stiffer suspension (stiffer because on average Josh Coppins is landing from around 20ft higher than I was) makes it a little more edgy around the lower, slower sections of the track. Get giddy with the idea that you too could be a MX GP star (shortly after this pic was taken) and you quickly nd the Showa stiffness turns to plushness. Put simply, a wellprepped superstock bike is how the CAS CRF feels to ride the power is longer, stronger and smoother in a stiffer chassis with sharper brakes. For a part time mucker like me that means I could be lazier with the bike and play at being a GP god, for a moment at least.
NEWS
EVENTS
NEW BIKES
GEAR
CONTACT
A 45BHP SINGLE CYLINDER BIKE SOUNDS LIKE ITLL BE AS MUCH FUN AS ROOT CANAL WORK. CAN YAMAHAS MT-03 REALLY GO AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS?
t the height of summer the Costa Brava is normally awash with sun-hungry Brits, desperate for rounds of golf and San Miguel all topped off with a mahogany skin nish. Throughout its mild winters though there is no ner place in Europe to take a bike to within an inch of your life. And to do this youd normally pick the most beastlike tool you could get your grubby mitts
RIL TH
on. Which is why I was a little bemused about heading there to test Yamahas new concept bike turned real, the MT-03. On the face of things, the funky little Yamaha seemed to promise far more method than madness and its meagre 45bhp was surely destined to a life in town, itting through Brownian motiontype trafc than carving up a far-ung Spanish cliff-face. But now that Yamaha has expanded its MT range beyond the gorgeously grunty 1,670cc V-twin MT-01, the -03 ts into a neat concept; that of a charismatic engine and decent chassis all packaged into a sight for sore eyes. 5,000 customers worldwide bought the MT-01 in its rst year so you can only think that a bike at half its big brothers price is going to do OK. But, the news is that the MT-03 wont only
CHEA
WORDS: SIMON ROOTS PICTURES: PAUL BARSHON
LLS
be sold because its cheap. Itll sell because its bloody good too. Sat on its sidestand, the MT-03 immediately looks different to other bikes in its sub-5,000 price bracket. It doesnt quite have the impact of its butch big brother but you can see that the designers really had some fun in the drawing room, penning a bike that they wanted to see, not what would appease the accountants. The jewel-like headlight, neat
0 20KE6 S
BI
NEW
and petite display, wacky side-mounted shock and signature high-mount exhausts give it a hybrid look, far more stylish than a commuter but not quite a supermoto, with smart touches that carve its own niche. While its style may give it an aloof air, things couldnt be friendlier when you hop on board. With Yamaha hoping to grab some of the rst time big-bike market, the designers have made the initial seating position very neutral and unprepossessing, but theres plenty of room on board to encompass aggressive positioning when you graduate to sillier times. The whimper from the single cylinder motor, extracted from the XT660 trail bike, might dampen an experienced riders initial enthusiasm, but will be welcome to novices who fear that a bikes bark is equal to its bite. With just 45bhp to its name the motor may be innocuous, but that means its easy to get used to. It revs to 7,500rpm, and its simple to reach the limiter in rst and second gear, but you soon start to learn what the big piston likes surging between 4,500 and 6,500rpm and ride accordingly. The bike will pull cleanly from just under 3,000rpm and the feather-light clutch and gearbox all ensure that a healthy injection of momentum isnt far away. From this point the bike makes just enough torque to keep most people happy so long as the road ahead is packed with
NEWS
EVENTS
NEW BIKES
GEAR
CONTACT

corners or trafc. On a straight road you soon discover the bikes limitations. Itll just about top a ton, but the monotony of its tone in top means long distant commuting will be an insight to the joys of tinnitus. In town, the bike can be placed pretty much where you want it. It will crack the urban commute with ease as it effortlessly zips into spaces and steers easily around all manner of objects. Yamaha gave the
WHAT MAKES IT TICK?
MT just 97mm of trail and shifted as much weight as they could to be at the front of the bike (including the battery, which is placed at the front of the dummy tank) and the handling of the bike in town benets because of this. The riding position is good; placing you nice and high for a good view of the carnage ahead and the controls are as easy as on a 125cc bike. But the most surprising aspect of the
MT-03 is how well it rides out of town. Yamahas route took us along the Catalan coast to Tossa de Mar that included a 35km stretch of road that featured a reputed 366 corners. I cant conrm there were that many, but I can verify that I had a hoot around every single one of them. With so little power on offer the throttle was just a switch it was either apologetically off or savagely on leaving the small matter of negotiating a path
YAMAHA MT-03
Theres not much difference between the MT-03s engine and the one prised from the XT660. Changes are mainly to the peripheral parts so the MT gets modied fuel injection and ECU settings, a large 5.9-litre airbox, a separate aluminium die-cast oil tank and different secondary gear ratios.
ENGINE
No, thats not a bullworker stuck across the MTs engine, its its rear shock. The lateral suspension was used on the MT-01 and the benets are accrued on the MT-03 too. The bike is made slimmer around the middle of the bike as well as concentrating mass around the centre of the machine. The 43mm front forks are from the FZ6 and are unadjustable. The smart ve-spoke wheels help to keep the MTs weight down while rubber will come either in the form of Pirelli Scorpion Syncs or Dunlop D270s. The rear tyre is a narrow 160-section to improve the bikes handling characteristics. The 298mm discs and four-piston calipers are straight off the FZ6 while the rear comes from the XT660.
SUSPENSION
WHEELS
The frame uses high tensile steel tubing to make it rigid to cope with the stresses of an asymmetrical suspension layout but responsive and agile too. The motor is used as a stressed member. The bike is designed to have a weight distribution of 52/48 while the seat height is a low 805mm.
CHASSIS
The best accessory in the catalogue are a set of Akrapovic pipes which really enhance the MTs snivel. You can also get hand guards, a y screen, bash plate, and cowl as well as a top range of clothing.
ACCESSORIES
BRAKES
Youd bet your house that the MT-03 runs two silencers, but the MT-03 has a big single chamber under the rear seat with the two outlets poking out the rear.
EXHAUST
The MT-03 won the best concept model award at the 2003 Milan show, and its easy to see why. Yamaha Motor Italy was heavily involved in the design and the companys plant near Milan builds the bike (and Italy is corrupt? - ED). The engines character is important, but looks and its sport capabilities were just as crucial. To achieve this, mass was centralised as the stylists went to town on the looks.
STYLING
Because Yamaha went left eld with the rear shock the well-crafted (and hollow) swingarm extends beyond the pivot point. The rear wheel uses a massive spacer, indicating that any future MT perhaps an MT-02 could get a bigger rear hoop.
SWINGARM
Price 4,800 approx NU Ins group N/A Engine liquid cooled 4v single cylinder, SOHC Displacement 660cc Bore x Stroke 100x84mm Compression ratio 10:1 Carburation electronic fuel injection Gearbox Five speed Power 45bhp @ 6,000rpm (claimed) Torque 41.4ft/lbs @ 5,250rpm (claimed) Chassis Steel tube truss diamond Suspension (F) 43mm telescopic forks, unadjustable (R) Sachs side-mounted monoshock, preload adjustable Brakes (F) 298mm discs, four-piston calipers (R) 245mm disc, single piston caliper Wheels/Tyres Pirelli Scorpion Sync (F) 120/70 ZR17 (R) 160/60 ZR17 Rake/Trail 26/97mm Wheelbase 1,420mm Fuel capacity 15 litres (3.3 gal) Dry weight 174.5kg (384lb) Contact Yamaha UK 01932 358000
SPECIFICATION
between a cliffs wall and a 150-foot drop to the sparkling Mediterranean below. But the MT took everything in its stride. The front end was Gibraltarrock-solid, with the forks off Yamahas own Fazer FZ6 working well with the Pirelli Scorpion Sync (a road tyre for enduro-looking bikes), allowing all sorts of liberties to be taken. The brakes, also from the Fazer, were plenty strong enough for the speed of the MT-03 and even offered predictable performance when a reassuring dab was needed
while still leant over. The side-mounted rear shock seemed a little stify set, but with little to trouble it engine-wise and billiard-smooth Spanish roads it offered encouraging performance so its radical conception matched conventional performance. Yamaha has given the MT plenty of ground clearance and cornering can be achieved with either a supermoto or a road bike style, you choose. Three years ago Yamaha launched the R1 on these same roads and I know which bike Id have to tackle these tight turns. SB
FINAL ANALYSIS
Competitor-wise, Kawasakis parallel twin ER-6n certainly has more go than the MT-03 but it has precious little to challenge the Yamahas show or its ability to corner. As such, the MT-03 offers lots to different sets of people; wide-eyed experiences for those whove just binned the L-plates, an entertaining way into work for a disillusioned commuter or a real hoot for a sportsbike baiter so long as you can nd a road twisty enough. If you cant, top up your tan and head to the Costa Brava.
SIMONS
READERS
LETTER OF THE MONTH
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LETTERS
WRITE TO: READERS LETTERS, SUPERBIKE MAGAZINE, LEON HOUSE, 233 HIGH ST, CROYDON, SURREY CR9 1HZ FAX: 020 8726 8499 E-MAIL: SUPERBIKE_LETTERS@IPCMEDIA.COM
MISSUS OF THE YEAR?

I got knocked off my 1995 FireBlade by a nice woman driver who didnt see the red light she jumped back in September. I ended up with a dislocated right knee that tore out my two cruciate ligaments and the collateral ligaments. Im looking at at least six more months until I can ride again but hey, thats winter out of the way. In the mean time I cant thank my missus (Suzi) enough. She has been fantastic and to cheer me up last weekend she used the 3,000 that we got for my old bike and added a few pounds from her own money to buy me a 2005 Fireblade in Repsol colors. I get it this weekend and even though I cant ride it yet my mates are all jealous. Arron, email Its not only your mates that are jealous as it sounds like youve got yourself a top spouse there Simon
A WOMAN WHO UNDERSTANDS A BIKERS NEEDS

NICE WIFE
Less than six months now Arron...
EVERY MONTH THE STAR LETTER WINS AN HJC FG-14 HELMET
WORTH 169.99
NON-CONFORMER
I apologise to the humble Americans that Ive met but Im about to whinge, a lot. I constantly read US bike magazines, and some Aussie ones too, with the same knobbers saying the same shit; wear a helmet, your immature actions ruin motorcycling for everyone, dont do monos, no burnouts, no endos, slow down, blah, blah, blah. In the words of an old movie, Id rather be dead and cool than alive and uncool. You guys and girls at SuperBike are keeping it real so thanks for not conforming. Never grow up. Bikes are the best fun you can have next to bullets ying, and often not as safe but hey, life is short and youre a long time dead. Pete, email I dunno about that Pete. Being alive is pretty sweet whether youre cool or not. Ive not tried it but Im sure dying hurts, so best not to, eh? Simon I have been a long time reader of SuperBike magazine, I rst started reading SuperBike when I was 16 and I am now 42 and still reading it. Me and a friend went to the NEC and the rst stand we went to was the SuperBike stand and I was very pleased to see Mackenzie sitting behind it. We had a chat and got our picture taken together by my friend, she also signed one of her calendars for me. We then set off around the NEC and had a browse at the other exhibitions before coming back to your stand, surrounded by a crowd watching the poledancer. Thanks for having a great magazine and stand at the NEC. It was by far the best stand there and really made my day. Peter Lawler, Newmarket Mackenzie may have helped to make your day but she made
EXHIBIT A
our whole week. Time ies when youre having funogling Simon
EXHIBIT B
Simon keeping it real
Oh Yamaha, what have you done? Thats what we were all saying at the NEC show. I ride a 2005 R6 and it love it to bits and when Yamaha tweaked the 2004 model I understood they felt it needed upside down forks to keep sales up. But the new 2006 model R6? I just dont get it. Most R6 riders will never go near a track with their bike, despite what they say most riders will never get their knee down and as for using all the available bhp? Its impossible on the road. So why do we buy them? Because they look good, sound good
(well mine does thanks to my Blue Flame Evo can) and can mix it with the big bikes on a ride out. Yamaha have created a beast with more bhp than your average 600cc rider will dare to use, an exhaust that looks like it came off a Vespa and a front end that looks like Predator with Dame Edna Everidges specs on. Ill keep my R6 thanks and unless the Yamaha eggheads can show me the light, my next bike will be a Gixxer. Please feel free to forward this letter to Yamaha because they need telling keep it simple!
Steve Mann, Southport Yamaha has covered its bases Steve because the current model will still be sold alongside the super-fandango new model. So you can pay yer money and take yer choice Simon
ORGANISED CRIMEON TELLY!
Im writing to you as I am mega depressed as my 2003 R1 was stolen by a crew last week in London (W14- one min from West Kensington That was a bit stupid wasnt it? You could have got round there look where you want to go and keep leaning
ROAD RACING
THOU SHALT NOT BE TEMPTED INTO A DUAL
I was foolishly led into a dual on the road and a road I didnt know at that. While chasing my mates I approached a right-hand bend far too fast with no idea how tight it was or what was around the other side. I panicked and jumped on the brakes. By now the bend in the road had gone and I was heading into a eld knowing that this was going to hurt. The next thing I remember was bouncing along with the bike karting along only inches from me. The result was three broken ribs, a broken hand and no bike. My advice? Dont be foolishly led into a race. You will come unstuck, especially on roads where you dont know what could be coming around the corner. Oh, and last of all, make sure you have fully comp insurance, I renewed my policy to third party re and theft only two days before the accident. Oops... Mike Ashcroft The only place you should be competitive is on the track in a proper race. Unless a pretty lady is involved Simon Tube). The police managed to get surveillance tapes of the theft, but my bike is still well and truly gone. I had it alarmed, disc locked, the immobiliser was set, it was parked outside a surveillance camera and even covered, but the thieving bastards still got it. The police said the crew probably had someone watching the bike and stole it by reversing a transit van up to the bike, putting two poles through the front and rear spokes and a four man lift to get it into the back of
Dear SuperWives Here are some pictures of me on my partners 916 and ZX-6R Which one would you ride?
Karen, Shefeld
Mackenzie, keeping herself on a short leash at the NEC
To be honest, Im not keen on silver bikes, so...
AND WIN
READERS SHOOT THE MISSUS
RECKON YOURE THE NEXT DAVID BAILEY? MARRIED TO THE NEXT KATE MOSS? WELL SEND US YOUR PICS OF THE OTHER HALF AND IF WE PRINT EM, WELL SEND YOU A WHOPPING 50
50
Readers
the transit. The time of theft was close to midnight. I hope any SuperBike reader who reads this and lives near or in W14 will be on the look-out for suspicious people looking at motorbikes, and if they see anyone please report it to the London vehicle crime unit. The police think the crew is still operating in the area. If the
LETTERS
ASH PICS READERS CR
thieving crew who stole my bike are reading this, fuck you and I hope you all die. What goes around fuckin comes around. Jamie, email You could at least hope that they die painfully Jamie, because thats what they deserve. Keep em peeled and let us know if you see anything
THROUGH
Heres proof that you can tour on an R1! Im just back from Valencia and what can I say apart from what a bike. I wouldnt want to do 2,650-miles on anything else. Charlie and Ewan, you can poke your BMWs thank you very much. The roads in Northern Spain are all absolutely fantastic and coming into Andorra I didnt think I could do another corner! Somehow I managed though Gus, email Life doesnt get much better than holidaying on your bike, does it Gus. If youve not done it then stick a trip in your diary for 2006. You wont regret it Simon
HIGH SPEED TOURING?
I was just nippin to town on one of my favourite sections of racetrack, sorry I meant public highway, when I encountered Farmer Palmer pulling out of a eld on a bend in his tractor. Now the tractor was considerably lager than my SRAD so I came off a lot worse, the result being a shattered left femur which was poking out through my leathers (as on the picture above) and a broken b and tib. There were some pieces left on the road so I am missing a bit! As you can see from the x-rays, they did a good job of A KNOX ACK reassembling my leg with a ET B RICOCHECTOR nail in my tibia and xed my OT PR femur with a 10-inch steel plate held in place with 12 screws. Good thing is that I had a good quality set of leathers on, if I hadnt I think it would have taken my leg off! Like the man said in last months mag, always wear protective clothing. I didnt when I was 16 and ended up in hospital for nearly three months. I saw my tibia that time! Aaron, Ipswich
THATS GOTTA HURT
GRINDER
THE
WIN!
SEND US YOUR CRASH AND INJURY PICS AND IF WE PRINT EM, THOSE KIND PEOPLE AT KNOX WILL SEND YOU A TASTY RICOCHET BACK PROTECTOR FOR THE NEXT TIME YOU CHUCK IT DOWN THE ROAD
SEND TO! Through the grinder, SuperBike Magazine, IPC Media Ltd, Leon House, 233 High Street, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1HZ. Email: superbike_pictures@ipcmedia.com
READERS! MAKE YOUR PAIN PAY OFF!
Do you need someone whos more than just along for the ride?
Here at Wright Hassall not only do we ride bikes but were bike claim specialists within a highly regarded legal firm so you can be sure: Were as keen as you to get you back on the road as quickly as possible; we actively consider rehabilitation in every case. Weve been around for over 150 years and know what were talking about. No win, no fee - you get every penny of your compensation. Were solicitors - you deal directly with us and not through a middle man.
Well help get you back on the road
01926 886688
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NEW BIKES
EVENTS
NEWS
GEAR
CONTACT
THIS MONTHS BEST NEW KIT & PARTS
EVEN THOUGH THE STANDARD SUZUKI GSX-R1000 ISNT SHORT OF HORSEPOWER, YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH. CAN YOU?
CRUZ TOOLS
FULL SYSTEM
AKRAPOVIC RACING
ECONOKIT
At last, a dinky tool kit that wont turn nuts and bolts into chewed up bits of metal like the standard underseat tools can. Forged spanners (including an adjustable), four allen keys and a six-in-one screwdriver are all included as well as a tyre gauge, zip ties, wire and a little sachet of oil too. It could be priceless in the event of a breakdown. COSTS: 19.99 CONTACT: 01306 885111
TORC
STUFF
LITTLE
SUPERBIKE
Unless your bike is chained to something solid then you run the risk of two likely lads coming along with scaffolding poles and lifting your bike away. This ground anchor gives you something solid to lock to and wins a Sold Secure Gold award in all six available categories. Its pretty easy to t, easy to use and is a massive deterrent against toe-rags. COSTS: 69.95 CONTACT: 01827 286267
(WWW.TORCANCHORS.COM)
GROUND ANCHOR
nd anyway, the stock pipe is also hindered by its odd looks and tempered sound. This Akrapovic full system comes in and kicks the old systems arse however you want to qualify it. More power, more noise, less weight and better looks sum up where this Slovenian system scores bountifully over the stock unit. The manufacturing processes that make this system are a true work of art and the welding simply superb. Combine this with extensive work on the Akra dyno and you get yourself a big kick in power (11bhp, according to the rm) and torque. The design of this Racing system is the same as the top of the range Evolution 1 system apart from the extensive use of titanium in the Evo pipes. The headers are used using state-of-the-art Hydroforming processes, which forms the tubes using pressurised water. Overall, the system saves nearly 2.5 kilos over the bulky stock item (more if you go for the Evolution titanium option). If youre not keen on the carbon-bre end can then you can opt for the classic titanium version for the same cash. In short, if youve got a GSX-R1000 then youre a very lucky person (unlucky Simons longtermer has just been written off) and you need this in your life. COSTS: 904 (1,234 FULL TITANIUM) CONTACT: 0870 2402118
KRLL
Youre practically inviting thieves to have a pop at your bike if youve not got proper security on it, so protect your pride and joy with this Thatcham approved chain and lock from Krll. Its got approval thanks to the hardened chrome-molybdenum alloy steel shackle and 12mm hardened chain of the same material. The shackle is double locking and is said to resist hammers, saws and drills. COSTS: 89.99 CONTACT: 01256 704909 (WWW.MOTOHAUS.
COM)
LOCK AND CHAIN
Even if youre wearing pukka motorcycle outerwear, you can still get more than a little parky on winter journeys. Thats where Oxfords Chill Out clothing comes into its own. Oxford reckons that at an ambient temperature of zero the wind chill factor at just 24mph is a staggering 16 below proper brass monkeys. The range includes gloves, balaclavas, jumpers and trousers and theyre all waterproof, windproof and breathable with a Thermacel eece lining. COSTS: GLOVES 10.20, BALACLAVA 12.75, TROUSERS & SHIRT 34.04 CONTACT: 0870 9909620
(WWW.OXPROD.COM)
CHILL OUT CLOTHING
OXFORD
KNOX
CONTOUR BACK PROTECTOR
Weve come a long way since GP riders improvised crash protection in the 1980s. This new Contour back protector is the lightest (622g) one weve tested, which means you strap it on every time you ride without a second thought. It doesnt look that slim, but the contoured (geddit?) t means its snug and unobtrusive. Its got a heat-transferring fabric in the back, its got loads of adjustment in the waist and shoulder straps and the t moulds itself into the small of your back. Its actually a ve-layer mould which helps with the t too, its CE approved and comes in three sizes. Youve only got one spinal column. COSTS: 99.99 CALL: 01900 825825
WWW.PLANET-KNOX.COM
Xena already makes a ne range of alarmed disc locks and now the rm is moving in on the tealeaves when your bike is stuck in your garage. Statistics show your bike is very vulnerable here and 50 per cent of nicked bikes are done so from locked garages. So this remote alarm should provide a 130dB deterrent (10dB louder than an ambulance) to the bastards if they break in. The movement sensor detects an intruder and emits the alarm for 30 seconds, enough time for you to grab hold of your nearest ve-iron. This is the midrange model with other alarms covering more/less area. COSTS: 29.99 CONTACT: 01256 704909
GARAGE ALARM
XENA
NOS RACESUIT
M-TECH
Dont be fooled by Neils hysterically serious appearance: these M-Tech leathers are a serious piece of kit. For a start, they use the rms Mastrotech cowhide that has good waterproong capabilities (apart from the vented bits) as well as tting well and looking good for ages. There are CE protectors and Kevlar inserts as well as double-layered leather on the arse and shock-absorber padding on vulnerable areas in the event of Neil resorting to type. His stink can be washed out as the lining is removable too. The best bit? The price. 659.99 for a suit of this quality is top value. COSTS: 659.99 CONTACT: 01425 277788
SuperBike
EXO2
MOTRAX
THIS MONTHS BEST NEW KIT & PARTS
STUFF
LITTLE SUPERBIKE
Winter clothings aim is to keep the heat in. Various materials and designs are utilised to try and keep your core body temperature up but the real key to keeping warm is to start generating heat separately from your body. This EXO2 heated vest self-regulates its temperature at an average of 55C, creating a warm layer and keeping you toasty inside. An optional temperature controller gives you control over the heat while a battery pack option can keep you warm when away from the bike. Its dead easy to t and is surely the only way to make riding comfortable over this horric winter. COSTS: 180 CONTACT: 01256 704909
(WWW.MOTOHAUS.COM)
STORMRIDER HEATED VEST
LED KIT
Want to pimp your ride? Want to cruise the streets of downtown Grantham looking like the coolest dude on two wheels? Then get yourself some ElectroPods for a brighter life. You can light up your life in three colours (red, green and blue) theyre waterproof, easy to t and they have wide dispersion LED lights which are apparently better than normal LED lights they tell us. No doubt they disperse themselves wider or something smart like that. CONTACT 01933 418414 COST 45.00 (APPROX)
STUFF
OXFORD
Heated grips may not be sexy, but neither is frostbite. The premise is simple; your digits suffer terribly in the cold (they bear the brunt of wind blast and have a comparatively large surface area to lose heat from). So it doesnt take a genius to recognise that if you heat your hands you become a happier person. These grips have an adjustable temperature control (up to 55-degrees!), are rainproof, easy to t and are guaranteed for two years. COSTS: 59.99 CONTACT: 0870 9909620 (WWW.OXPROD.COM)
HEATED GRIPS
Laptop fans will love this new Vector rucksack from our Italian friends at Alpinestars because theres a special padded cell within the main compartment just for your notebook/makeshift back protector. Plus theres a pocket for an MP3 player with a headphone pass-through. Other than that, its not a massive sack but there are pockets aplenty (well, three) and the zip/buckle fastening system means your precious possessions should stay put. COSTS: 69.95 CONTACT: 0039 04235286
(WWW.ALPINESTARS.COM)
VECTOR RUCKSACK
ALPINESTARS
FRANK THOMAS
FULL FORCE AQUA
Its an apt name, this Full Force jacket, because Frank Thomas has made the coat to withstand truly rotten conditions. Crucially, it keeps you warm and dry through the winter thanks to the Aquapore membrane that keeps the water out while the Antifreeze windproong outer keeps your torso cosy. CE-approved armour in the elbow and shoulder covers the crucial areas in a crash. Buttons on the cuffs and around the neck are a little restrictive when youre wearing loads of layers or trying to get thick winter gloves on but all in all its an essential winter selection. COSTS: 179.99 CONTACT: 01933 410272
(WWW.FRANK-THOMAS.COM)
24 FEBRUARY 2006www.superbike.co.uk
OGIO
800 HELMET BAG & 9800 KIT BAG
If you think about how much we invest in a lid anything up to 500 its rather silly that we dont give it the love and attention it deserves. For just 25 you can cosset your crash hat in this smart Ogio bag, keeping it safe and snug when its not on your bonce. The kit bag is the Daddy of all kit bags at a whopping price too. 150 is pretty costly, but if youre away doing foreign trackdays, or domestic ones come to that, then the 160-litres that this wheeled bag affords can be put to serious use. Its got a padded helmet area to protect your lid from the baggage handlers, a ventilated boot area and is easily manoeuvrable, with loads of handles. COSTS: 24.99 (HELMET BAG) 149.99 (KIT BAG) CONTACT: 01726 879332
(WWW.ONFIRE.CO.UK)
WEISE
Heres a break from winter gloves that are normally available in any colour so long as theyre black. These able Weise gloves keep the rain and cold out with their Oxford nylon outer and Hipora and Thinsulate breathable lining. Carbon knuckles are included to keep the st protected and once on they feel snug and safer than they rst appear. Also available in red. And black! COST: 39.99 CONTACT: 0800 369 537
WTG 2 WINTER GLOVES
DEVIL
RACER CAN
Devil is a French company thats been sponsoring some proper race teams in the MotoGP paddock the Gresini Honda team for one. This is an end can for the old R6 (which will still be sold beside the new sporty one) so its still current. This one is made from stainless steel and, as such, is pretty well indestructible and rust-proof. Its shorter than the stock pipe at 420mm and features an oval tailpipe which looks good and sounds rather fruity. Too fruity for road use? Thats be your call. There are carbon and alloy versions too which offer same power, same noise but less weight. COST: 350 CONTACT: 01706 212102 WWW.AUTOMOTIF.CO.UK
SUCCESS
SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK. REGULAR MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION VALENTINO ROSSI INVITED HIS OLD MATE JP OVER TO VALENCIA FOR A TRY ON HIS BIKE
WORDS: JONATHAN PEARSON PICS: YAMAHA RACING
SWEET SMELL OF
THE
VALENTINO ROSSIS
YAMAHA YZR-M1
GP TEST
etting a few laps on Rossis bike is like getting a shot at being Liam Gallagher. Walking from the back of the Yamaha MotoGP pit still warm from the last round of the championship the day before, passing Jerry Burgess (aka Noel Gallagher), past the other team technicians (Gem, Andy and er, one other who keeps changing) and stepping up to the M1 was like stepping up to the mike to sing Live Forever, I imagine. Nervous? Fuck yeah. With customary bluntness Noel Gallagher (aka Jerry Burgess) tells me, No, he isnt really worried about people like me trotting out to get his bike because, the seasons over now, I dont really care about it any more because were nished with it. Alright then! Yamahas M1 is, of course, a very special bike. What am I saying?! Its a double world champion for Gods sake. Conventional wisdom says it doesnt excel in any one area but is the best sum of parts ever assembled into a racebike. Luckily for Yamaha at least its also ridden by the best racer in the world, Valentino Rossi. Without Rossi this Yamaha would still be an also-ran, second in the championship again behind the dominant force that is Honda.
So what does the best bike in the world feel like? Well, and I feel ashamed to admit this, but its pretty easy actually. If you listen to Yamaha technicians thats no surprise because as well as making the bike go ever-faster one of their aims since bagging the Doctor was to make the riders job easier. If you know anything about the GP bikes people like Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Gardener had to deal with youll know this is a big step forward. Right now Im pretty grateful for that because I expected something like an angry wasp but in fact got something closer to Yamahas agship road bike, the YZF-R1. How you sit, where you sit and how it steers isnt so
OK Pearson, you crash it, we know what you look like
different. The seat is noticeably higher, the whole thing is alert like a gun dog and theres far less weight but really, youd be surprised. Obviously it is much, much better at going round a track than a road bike. To a greater or lesser degree a road bike will always bend, ex and protest against the idea of cornering fast. The M1 doesnt bend or ex or protest and the only thing stopping it going faster is the size of your bollocks. The beauty of the M1 chassis is how exactly the same it feels no matter where you are or what youre asking. Any lean
SWEET
THE
SUCCESS
exactly on the right line. Theres every chance thats not the case if youre going 15 seconds a lap faster and your name is Vale, I suppose the forces of physics play a greater role there. But, take it from a regular human being, this bike handles like nothing else. Rossi apparently changed his style when he switched from the Honda RC211V to the YZR-M1. Recent Honda MotoGP super-subs Shakey Byrne and Chris Vermeulen both commented that the Honda was slower in the corners than other bikes. The M1 is closer to a 250cc machine so Rossi adopted a more gentle riding style by comparison to the run in, turn, squirt style of the Honda. I must remember that next time... Of course itd be very, very easy to get carried away on the M1. The Brembo brakes with carbon pads and carbon discs, for instance, feel a little soft until warm but once warm
SMELL OF
angle, any amount of brake or throttle and it seems to sit the same sprung height from its spindles. At rst I thought it fell on its side too quickly but that changed the quicker I got and the closer I got to how it should be ridden (relatively). Since the bike is equipped with probably the best slipper clutch in the world, light weight and a delicately-balanced chassis, theres little inertia stopping you from turning in. So while theres more effort needed to counteract the huge braking forces, it felt like less effort to actually get to the apex, in effect the M1 is sensitive to weight changes like a thoroughbred horse reacting to a jockey. The same is true out of the corners as well the usual forces needed on the bars and/or foot pegs to keep a road bike chassis going in the right direction once you get on the power just isnt the same. The M1 grips, drives and remains
Magneti Marelli engine management system is a claimed 25 per cent smaller and lighter than last years and crucially now controls engine braking (through and idle control system which can partially open two of the four throttle bodies if more revs are needed rather than a slipper clutch) and the traction control. Neutral handling and predictable feedback are the main aims of the chassis engineers, which sounds familiar if youve ever read a technical brief on any modern sports bike. The chief difference in 2005 was retaining vertical and twist rigidity but reduce lateral stiffness to gain better front end feel at high lean angles (when the suspension is doing less).
WHAT MAKES IT TICK
VALENTINO ROSSIS YAMAHA YZR-M1

The switch from a regular-ring-interval 5-valve engine to the irregular-interval 4-valve engine was a deliberate choice to develop a sweet engine instead of an exciting one. Sweet being Rossis word after testing four different engines when he rst arrived at Yamaha. The 5-valve format (like the R1) produces a more linear rise in torque at lower rpm, so it is easier to get an exciting engine character. But too much excitement can lead to rider fatigue in the latter stages of a race. General manager of Yamahas technical development division, Shigeto Kitagawa, explains, We wanted a character that doesnt interfere with the riders riding skills, because we want the rider to be able to concentrate on the race. If you just want to get a milder character, that is something that can be done simply by adjusting the ignition timing map. But when you enter the realm of differences in acceleration that even the rider cant perceive, you want torque that builds like a two-stage rocket. Sublime Ohlins suspension is top secret stuff so few details are available. The wise among us say a gas-assisted chamber doesnt alter when the forks move. Superbike teams like the Virgin Samsung mobile squad use the same kit but possibly not to the same specication. One aid to Rossis late-in-the-race control of the bike (on worn tyres) is the lengthened swing arm. It steadily grew during the last two seasons, which slowed steering down but also made it easier and more predictable to slide into and out of turns. The M1s reverse rotating crank (opposite to direction of wheels) partially counteracts the gyroscopic forces of the wheels which helps the bike to turn-in with less rider effort.
5-Valve Uneven ring order Even ring order Excitement
5-Valve
Sweetness
TDM 900
2004 YZR-M1
2003 YZR-M1 YZF-R1
FJR 1300
ENGINE CHARACTER MATRIX
The traction control system on the 2003 M1 functioned only with engine rpm data, while the 2004 system used data from the chassis and tyre revolution rate.
Overall the M1 has a greater centralised mass than last year and stands taller, pushing more weight over the front under heavy braking. Previously the M1 pushed from behind the front wheel under braking, now it pushes down onto the wheel.
they do need care because they really haul it up like someone attached a rope to the back. Theres bags of feel from the lever too and basically, although its sensitive, the more you squeeze the lever the more brake you get. The throttle, unsurprisingly, works in the same way. Traction control is among the latest rider aids curbing power just enough to stop the rear Michelin slick spinning under acceleration (despite better judgement I did try and it did work). The result is controlled grip at the back wheel, turning it into an armwrenching, wheelie machine from each corner. Every lap I tried to accelerate as hard as I could out of Valencias nal
corner (a quick-shifter means theres no need to shut the throttle or use the clutch). Every lap, without fail, I had to either close the throttle, change up way too early or bang on the back brake to stop the thing pointing at the sky. Thats also the point at which the M1 felt the most sensitive. I quickly learnt if you dont have your weight exactly in the middle of the bike itll veer off whichever way you have most your weight. So not only are you ghting to keep the front wheel somewhere near the ground but youre also trying desperately to put exactly the same amount of force through each foot or else the thing heads for the grass.
At its most aggressive and sensitive a bike like this is clearly miles away from the R1 but it is remarkably easy to get on with. The most astonishing thing to me was how perfectly poised and certain of itself it felt. Like the team and the great man Rossi himself. Which I suppose is why they keep winning the championship. Someday sooner or later tobacco sponsorship in MotoGP will come to an end. When it does Ive got an idea for them, ring Carlsberg because at the moment the Danish beer brand doesnt make MotoGP bikes but if they did it would probably be the best MotoGP bike in the world. SB
THE
TM
REVIEW OF THE YEAR: 2005
THERES SOMETHING ABOUT LONG WINTER NIGHTS THAT OBLIGES YOU TO STAY INDOORS, GET LOADED ON BOOZE AND LET YOUR MIND DRIFT, REMEMBERING THE GOOD TIMES. YOU DONT? WELL, WE DO
32
here are times when youre riding in winter when you wonder what the point is. The roads are like a mess of slick, slippery treacle, glistening black and shiny in the low sun. Are the roads damp? Wet? Is that diesel? Can I feel my toes? Will that ache in my neck ever go away? Weve all been there. At times like these you really need to think back to the happier times youve had on two wheels, days when the road temperature wasnt hovering above freezing and the fasteners on your bike were sparkling in the sun, not furred and rusting with road salt. In the spirit of the season, we asked the boys and girls to look back on the year just ended and recall the good times in order to help us through these dark biking days. Spring is just around the corner. No, really
34 36 38 40
42
BEST OF THE BEST

REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE
AMAZINGLY, THE EDITOR ACTUALLY GOT OUT AND RODE MORE THIS YEAR. EVEN MORE AMAZINGLY, HE ONLY CRASHED ONCE! AND INTENDS TO DO MORE OF IT NEXT YEAR RIDING THAT IS. YEAH, FAT CHANCE...
KENNY PRYDE
SUPERBIKE EDITOR
I cant think of any bike I rode this year that I really disliked (a perk of my job is I manage to avoid the dogs) but my favourite is easy to pick it was my R1. Presence, power, poise and other words that dont start with p spring to mind. True, the thought of those 150 horses tends to make me extra cautious in winter on cold, damp roads, but I cant really fault it. And I havent seen anything else at this years shows that I would swap it for.
WHAT BIKE DID YOU MOST ENJOY?
I never thought Id say this, but it turned out to be Cadwell Park (left) the day after I crashed on the road. I had never been to Cadwell full circuit, had hated the club circuit which I rode four years ago and swore Id never be back. Plus my condence was shot to hell from the previous days tumble. I wobbled round, relaxed and ended up wanting to go back, nally understanding why most racers I speak to love Cadwell and overlook its shortcomings. The two days I spent at Almeria with the California Superbike school were great too Ive never felt so relaxed or went so quick on a bike.
WHAT WAS YOUR BEST DAYS RIDING?
TM
Actually, there are a couple of stretches on my daily commute which I really love. Depending on the time of day and whether the school holidays are on, there are bends, corners and safe straights where I can enjoy more of the R1s potential more than I should. Theyre almost too obscure for anyone to be bothered, but theres a bend at the top of the Sutton - Banstead
WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF ROAD?
backroad (B2218) which can make me smile if I get it right and curse and shake my head if I get it wrong. And curse even louder if a car is trundling through it. And then theres the swoopy section of the Banstead to Purley (A2022) road before it gets built up. I know, its not the Nurburgring, but it proves that you can nd pleasure on two wheels just about anywhere in the right conditions. Other than that, rather more seriously, the roads in North Yorkshire and the Lincoln Wolds were impressive too, although Im not sure the local police will be thrilled at me telling you this.
5BEST TRACK
OF THE
HERE, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER ARE FIVE BIKES WED RECOMMEND FOR TRACKDAY LARKS
BIKES
APRILIA RSV FACTORY Packed with saucy parts to tweak and a twin motor with loads of character, the Factory is special straight from the crate.
What did you enjoyed the least? There were a couple of things. One was riding a Ducati 999R through London. In the rush hour. In the rain. Probably not what it was designed for. Also, the number of times I got lost this year wasnt funny. I bought a pocket map of the UK and a Silva compass so the next time Im lost on the north York moors at least Ill know whether Im heading north or south.
celebrity biking schtick, spin-offs and career resurrections.
What was your low point? Crashing a Honda CBR600RR on a road test. I was trying too hard, too soon trying to impress a photographer (I remember thinking: Ill show him I can do this as well as anyone and get my knee down on the rst pass on the corner. On cold tyres. What a twat.) The front washed out and my condence went with it.
The rest of the test I was reduced to spectating. Crap. Dont crash folks!
What piece of kit changed your life? The V2 Sponge! A fail safe when it came to sorting a lthy visor. Its not much, a clever sponge in a zip-lock bag, but it goes everywhere with me. Whaddya mean Im a sad bastard? www.visorvision. co.uk
SUZUKI GSX-R750 With a tad more than the GSX-R600 and a tad less than its 1,000cc relations, a lot of people call this the perfect sportsbike.
What was the hype of the year? The Long Way round. Fair enough, it briey brought biking into the mainstream, but fuck me, how hard did BMW work it? Enough already with the
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: Ride more. Ride Oulton park track. Take more holidays. Ride more bikes. Ride more dirt bikes. Spend more time at the NEC show. Do more spannering. Learn more about suspension and tyres. Get quicker. Shout less, listen more. (Shout less? Ha ha ha ha the entire staff)
APRILIA RS250 The closest ticket to two-stroke GP glory with a number plate, its a corner-speed king youll need to re-calibrate your mind.
Most memorable day? It was the day I learned that my wife Jo was pregnant which, as it happened, was also the day I learned that I had lost my job at GSE. She called and said, Ive got something to tell you. And I said, well, Ive got something to tell you
2005 JAMES HAYDON

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
DUCATI 748R Classic Ducati looks, an exclusive R on the side and performance to match this Duke was designed with tracks in mind.
too! Looking back it was the only thing she could have told me that would have made the job loss seem unimportant.
No prizes for guessing the low point then? Yes, it was the same day. But really
the season was tough, After having so many expectations about the year with GSE, then sort of wandering around the paddock riding for Suzuki then Yamaha then Suzuki, at times I really needed to dig deep to drag myself back up.
HONDA CBR600RR The current best from Hondas how to make a sportsbike mold. Easy to pilot, condence-inspiring with a front-biased riding position thats hard to beat for fun, out of the showroom.
BEST OF THE BEST

REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE
ITS BEEN A BIG YEAR FOR AL WITH TRIPS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. AL WAS THE FIRST MAN IN THE OFFICE TO TEST THE GSXR1000 K5 AND IT RE-AFIRMED HIS LOVE OF ALL THINGS BIKING. HE DIDNT LOVE IT ENOUGH NOT TO CHUCK SIMONS DOWN PADDOCK HILL THOUGH. DO AS AL SAYS, NOT AS HE DOES KIDS!
ALAN DOWDS
SUPERBIKE DEPUTY EDITOR
Being the rst in the ofce to ride the new GSX-R1000 K5 in Australia in February was pretty amazing. It was a ne trip, but I didnt need any business class ights or views of Sydney Harbour Bridge to convince me how hot the new K5 was. One day on the demanding Eastern Creek circuit was enough to convince me that this was, indeed, something new and impressive that would most likely take top honours this year. But it was a less glamorous ride that sealed it for me. Riding through London a few weeks later, the balance, poise and sheer controllability of this utterly balls-out, ballistic machine almost knocked me down. And even when a lost front end at Paddock Hill six months later did actually knock me down, I was still wowed by the GSX-R. The less obvious choices deserve a mention too. I spent a day on a Yamaha TT250 at the Track Sense Off-road school, and the softly-tuned, easy nature of the wee trail bike was perfect for my novice dirt skills. And Yamahas MT-01 did actually impress me when I nally got around to a ride on it through Scotland. Its too pricey and doesnt have enough bhp for its fat arse. But it is fun.
I dont go there often enough on a bike, and in fact, this year was the rst time Id been down it on two wheels for nearly ten years. But the A82 road north over Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe is a superb piece of Tarmac. The scenery makes it, as do the super-fast straights then the twisty sections through the pass. The bit before by Loch Lomond is super too, although watch for cop cars and mobile cameras.
TM
Probably the second of two days spent at the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School in Atlanta, Georgia. The rst day was good, but the cautious nature of the instruction and the slower pace of most other riders meant it was slightly frustrating. But on the second day, the instructors slacken the leash, and I spent three glorious sessions battling the exhilarating Road Atlanta circuit. The bikes 2005 GSX-R600s were ace, with superb Michelin Pilot Power tyres and sound setup, and the instructors were encouraging and massively procient. Having Mr Kevin Schwantz himself show you round is the glorious cherry on the icing on the excellent cake.
3 BEST TOWN
OF THE
BIKES
Dowds stalking Kevin Schwantz at Atlanta (above) and at enjoying Cadwell Park (below)
HERE, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER ARE FIVE BIKES WED RECOMMEND FOR TOWN OR CITY TRANSPORT
The GSX-R1000 launch at Eastern Creek deserves a mention too, but an amazing day at Cadwell Park on our summer Best of the Best test showed you dont need glamorous surroundings to have a ball on a bike. Wazzing round the Lincs circuit on a 999R, GSX-R1000, CBR600RR and Speed Triple had the perfect blend of excitement, exhilaration, danger and fun that makes for a great days track riding. What made you consider giving bikes up? The worst day on a bike Ive had this year (indeed for a few years) was a ride from Falkirk to Skye. It was early summer, and I hadnt packed sufcient clothing to make up for the utterly dismal weather that transpired between Fort William and Portree. Mile after mile of gales, stair-rod rain and freezing temperatures in race leathers and an old one-piece waterproof suit. Summer boots and gloves didnt help, but the worst thing was knowing each mile north
GSX-R1000 Strange but true the K5 is a pussycat in town. The controllable fuel injection has impeccable down-low performance, the brakes are ace, and its even pretty comfortable. Overkill for a three mile commute perhaps, but then too much is sometimes just ne.
was going to be followed by the same miserable mile south again in another few hours. I was reduced to impotent shouting at the weather through chattering teeth a sure sign of a bad day. A shout has to go out to my dislocated shoulder at Brands Hatch too unutterably painful, and enough to make you wonder about the sense of hurtling around on 170bhp motorbikes. Not for long, of course
What was your biggest disappointment this year? The continued lack of glamour in the new bike models. The Yamaha
R6 is lovely, as is the Triumph Daytona 675. But wheres the innovation? No Honda V-5, Ducati still trundling along with the Plain Jane 999. The Tokyo show provided a glimmer of hope in the concept department the new 1,800cc Yamaha V-Max and Suzukis six-cylinder Stratosphere (shown here) will be just the job if they ever make it into showrooms.
WR450 (WITH SUPERMOTO WHEELS) JPs racebike is the example here, but pretty much any of the Japanese dirtbike/ supermoto combos will do. The violence of the brappy motors, together with the sticky tyres and strong brakes all works amazingly in the city. Narrow proles, tall seats and soft suspension all helps too. If you have to do more than 15 miles, forget it. Otherwise, theyre top.
Z750 Kawasakis budget middleweight roadster cheats by having more cc, but then who says life is fair? Its still the best answer to the mundane question of what to ride day-to-day with a good mix of performance and practicality.
What was the best test? The hypersport Euro pub crawl was a total blast, with six nations worth of (very) high speed lunacy (adjusting the Hayabusas left hand mirror for a better view of the long black lines appearing behind it had me giggling like a 10 year old on magic mushrooms), The group supersport 600 test is the winner
2005 DAVE THE GOAT SMITH

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? SUPERBIKES SMALLEST ROAD TESTER AND VAN DRIVER
though, swapping murky England for Spain with six supersports 600s, sole use of the fantastic Guadix circuit, fantastic scenery and 23 degrees of sunny heat was nothing short of bliss.
Your favourite bike? For years, Ive been banging on about how the best fun youll
have on track is on a decent 600, but the Crescent GSX-R1000 made me reconsider. Having close to 180 controllable horsepower in a chassis which makes it (almost) easy to use is a tough one to beat, this, more trick bits than Paul Daniels has in his pants, top notch build quality and looks to die (kill?) for make it a clear winner.
Whats your ambition for next year? With the Crescent bike in mind (and having ridden a pukka race kitted R7 a few years ago) getting let loose on a proper 200-plus hp slick-shod superbike seems like a very good idea indeed! If I can do this and crack 200mph next year, Ill be a very happy goat indeed!
BEST OF THE BEST

REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE
ITS BEEN A PACKED 12 MONTHS FOR OUR FEATURES EDITOR, MR JON JP PEARSON. PACKED WITH RACE BIKES BY THE LOOK OF IT. WHETHER HES BEEN ON A BSB R1, GRAND PRIX MX PUDDLE JUMPERS OR VALENTINO ROSSIS M1, JP HAS HAD PLENTY TO SMILE ABOUT.
JONATHAN PEARSON
FEATURES EDITOR
There are many candidates, this being the best job in the world and all; the Virgin BSB R1 at Almeria was ace, my long term CBR600RR a constant joy but Id be a liar if I said anything other than the Yamaha M1 (see page 26). In the four brief laps it both frightened and amazed me but it tops my list for the moment when Id got out of sight of all the people in the Valencia pit lane and let go of the bars, sat up and freewheeled along in the warm Spanish air, just me riding the Doctors bike. I couldnt believe it.
WHAT BIKE DID YOU MOST ENJOY
The TT course. A trip there on my new CBR600RR long termer late in April gave me a whole day doing lap after lap, living the dream, testing my bollocks, testing my bike and topping up the memory card. Its a glorious stretch of road which thousands enjoy every year on a sunny day in late Spring the road was mine.
WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF ROAD
TM
Our 600s group test at Guadix. A group of mates working hard and doing a good job in great part of the world. The best of it was having a track to ourselves for a whole day, perfect testing, perfect pictures and lap after lap enjoying myself. Guadix is a long way but the circuit is for hire cheaper than you think and sunny 95 per cent of the year. Go to http://guadixcircuit.com/
WHAT WAS YOUR BEST DAYS RIDING
5BEST
OF THE
PADDOCK HILL, BRANDS HATCH You dont need to wait for a WSB or BSB meeting. Just park your arse on the grandstand at the top of Paddock Hill at a club race and watch the carnage unfold in front of your very eyes.
RACE
HERE, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER ARE SOME CORNERS WEVE ENJOYED AND SUGGEST YOU CHECK OUT FOR SPECTACULAR RACE ACTION IN 2006
BENDS
What was your low point? Standing at the side of an Italian road for ve hours because Simon clattered an Italian curb with a hire van wasnt good but getting off Rossis factory Yamaha after four laps wins this prize. Twenty four laps wouldve been better but all I really wanted to do was run around shouting about how good it was. All I got was a surly pit
crew scowling miserably at me. Grumpy fuckers have forgotten theyre not royalty, just
blokes doing a great job. Thank heavens for Yamaha UKs Jason Grifths.
Best racing moment? Watching WSB practice on Friday afternoon round the back of Brands Hatch GP circuit among the trees is highly recommended. Just me and an old bloke with a ask stood feet from the action. Better than that was standing outside Coppice in the terrible weather at British GP and watching Rossis supreme talent once he took the lead. Second lap round he had the most monumental front wheel slide as he tipped into the corner it had the crowd gasping, third lap round hed pulled half the straight
clear with lap times at least two seconds a lap better than the best riders in the world. Pure genius. Best off-road moment? This is a special JP category this one. The Team Green Kawasaki day at Cusses Gorse was mammoth; four, non-stop 20 minute sessions was the most exercise Ive done all year. Dont believe me? Try it. Topping that was getting a go on Josh Coppins Honda CRF450R. One of the best MX bikes in the world and mine for as long as Matchams moto park and my arm muscles would let me.
CRANER CURVES, DONINGTON PARK Lie back in the lush grass and watch the MotoGP boys take on the toughest corners in the UK. Even better are the mental 125 jockeys. THE MOUNTAIN, CADWELL PARK The best photos of the season are always shot here and prove that bikes can indeed y. Karl Harris is the king of this hill. FARM BENDS, OLIVERS MOUNT Or more specically the yumps before Farm Bends. 200bhp bikes racing on single track roads jumping 30 feet? With trees as gravel traps? Madness. BRAY HILL, ISLE OF MAN Maybe its a clich, but youll watch every bike with a knot in your stomach hoping that riders get through unscathed.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: Ride the Nurburgring for one because its time I found out for myself. The other thing is learn to stunt better. Im pretty sure I can do a stoppie in a circle or wheelie until the tail unit hits the oor but have never dared.
Best snapping moment? It had to be the 600 group test at Guadix. Really good track to photograph, quiet smooth roads and really bright clear sunshine, perfect. On WSB track the most memorable moment has to be watching Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser slide their way around Brands Hatch. To see Haga
2005 GRAEME BROWN

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
THE BEST SCOTTISH PHOTOGRAPHER CURRENTLY TAKING SNAPS OF WSB, BSB...AND US
and Corser backing it in to Druids and then spinning it up on the exit was awesome. More of the same please in 2006 guys.
Funniest moment? When you work for SuperBike magazine there are so many funny things that happen
throughout the year. Classic gut wrenchers from 2006 have to include; Big Al buying a replica Winchester rie in a Motorway Services in southern Spain, JP burying his head in the snow whilst on a mini snowboard during our visit to Andorra to see Karl Muggeridge, Kenny trying to pole
dance at the NEC Show and the numerous times I have made an arse of myself by consuming too much alcohol.
Biggest disappointments? That all those grid girls that I give my business card to never call me back.
BEST OF THE BEST

REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE
ROOTS GOT MARRIED THIS YEAR, SO HES BEEN A CHANGED MAN. FASTER, LOOSER, MORE DEVIL-MAY-CARE, ALWAYS SKINT AND MUTTERING ABOUT THE HELL OF IKEA AT WEEKENDS. SERVES HIM RIGHT WE SAY
SIMON ROOTS
ROAD TESTER
Um, was is the mediocre Buell Ulysses, the workman-like Kawasaki ER-6n or was it Alex Barros 240bhp RC211V at Jerez at the end of last season? Have a guess. What can I say about the best GP bike in the world (that sadly wasnt blessed with the best rider especially when I had a shot on it)? Its the epitome of motorcycling to me and I could listen to it all day then stare at it all night. And for all of its looks and sounds it rides even more beautifully. It is such a complete bike; as strong as a GSX-R1000 and GSX-R600 stuck together but with abilities beyond the skills of all except three or four people on this planet. I found out on that day in Jerez that I wasnt one of those three or four but still had the most staggering day.
Right: Roots in action on Barros RC2IIV. Below: Preparing for lift off
Who would have thought that the last 10 miles of Tarmac in the country (or rst, depending on where youre coming from) would be the most amazingly intense of the year? I went to Lands End twice this year and wasnt expecting this slithering slice of road. The rst time was on a Ducati ST3 and I was expecting the A30 from Penzance to Lands End to be strewn with coaches, caravans and the Cornish but what I got was the closest thing to a free Oulton Park (without the run-off, mind). The second time I came properly armed with my longterm GSXR1000 and what a blast I had. The roads possesses some great cambered corners, swoops up and down and if you time it right its not too busy. A worthy nish to an amazing journey.
TM
BMWs K1200R the bike was good but the Ascari track was sensational
Unless youre so rich you eat swan for your Sunday roast and light your Davidoff cigars with fty-pound notes then youre unlikely to have heard much about the Ascari Race Resort. Its a new track thats been built in Southern Spain by a multi-gazillionaire so that he can wazz his ex-F1 Benetton cars around it. He invites friends to join him, so long as theyve got a cool 150,000 Euros for membership. Now I dont have that sort of money lying around, but BMW did and they took us there for the launch of the ercely strong K1200R. The bike was good, buy my word, the track is superb. It has every conceivable type of corner, it ows like poetry, its smooth as silk and has some really foxy women working in the clubhouse. I still fall asleep dreaming of riding round it to this day. monotony of nowhere in between the two cities and the fancy hotel youve booked in Cambridge turns out to be a shit hole on the outskirts of an entertainment complex life becomes a little tiresome. Then it snowed the next day. resulted in horrendous injuries. I dont have the answers, but investigations into start procedures could nd safety improvements. What piece of kit changed your life this year? Ive only recently started using the EX02 heated jacket, but what a revelation its been. Until now, I battled permafrost by just adding more layers, and largely failed in my quest to beat frostbite, but thanks to the warming properties of electrical elements I can now ride all year round, honing my skills in the process, in relative comfort.
5BEST
OF THE
THEYRE BIG, THEYRE BAD, BUT IF YOU GOTTA RIDE TO CHINA, DO IT ON ONE OF THESE
DISTANCE
BUSTERS
BMW R1200RT This is the Daddy Of Distance, the Mutha Of Mileage. A cracking motor also carries GPS, a CD player, heated everything and a sofa of a seat.
What did you enjoy the least? On paper, travelling from Oxford to Cambridge shouldnt be too bad a journey. But when youre riding naked bikes, its freezing cold, some prick has opened their door on you in trafc and then run off, it started raining, you spend a fortune in a Little Chef, you cant nd anywhere to do photos, you get lost in the
point? We seem to have lost a lot of racers at all levels and at all sorts of events this year. The risks are evident at road racing where the toll at the Isle of Man and over in Ireland was high this year, but there also seems to have been a spate of start-line incidents have
What was your low
BMW R1200GS Take the long way round with every journey if youve got one of these big Berthas in the garage
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: Now Ive snagged a wife I can bin the whole keeping t thing, so its going to be binge galore in 2006! I also want the record to show that dressing up as Hitler or Elvis and wheelying sportsbikes will happen no more. Im gonna concentrate more. Rossis got two arms and two legs just like me so it can only be whats going on with his noggin that separates the two of us. (Er, what about pure talent? Ed.)
Triumph Sprint ST A creamy 1,050cc triple motor and respectable chassis nally knocks the Honda VFR off its perch
2005 SHANE BYRNE

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
Best bit of 2005? Its been a bit of an odd year really but I suppose the best bit was when I got the phone call about riding the Camel bike. It came out of the blue and you dream of things like this and when I got the call it became a reality. I got on better with the bike after Qatar and Sito (Pons, the team owner) said that I should pack my leathers for Australia, so that was pretty good. As it happened Honda were
RACER WHO USED TO BE FAMOUS FOR WINNING STUFF
putting pressure on Sito to run Chris Vermeulen so it never really happened.
Q Q
year.
Worst bit of 2005? Its been a bit of a atline of a year but the way the whole Kenny Roberts/KTM thing just disintegrated wasnt good. It was mega working with the team but in the end me and Jeremy McWilliams were at the Brno wondering who would go out in rst practice while the guys didnt know which bike to re up.
What are you most looking forward to in 2006? Trying to win races again, pure and simple. Away from that Im hoping to get more of a tan this year and I want to do a bit more helicopter ying too. New Years Resolution? To have more fun than this
Honda VFR800 But the Honda still remains a cracking bike to do tonnes of miles. Scratching has never been so comfortable.
2006 Predictions? BSB Me, Lavilla, Haslam MotoGP Rossi, Melandri, Hayden WSB Corser, Bayliss, Haga.
Kawasaki ZZ-R1200 Often overlooked in favour of the nutty stuff (Busas, ZX-12s etc), the ZZ-R is, in fact, a one-man TGV.
BEST OF THE BEST REVIEW OF

THE YEAR
THE
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE
12 MONTHS IN THE LIFE OF AD MAN AND SOMETIME ROAD TESTER NEIL HANDLEY? IM NOT SURE THESE PAGES COULD COPE WITH THE UNEXPURGATED CONTENTS OF HANDLEYS WARPED BRAIN. HOWEVER, HERES THE EDITED HIGHLIGHTS
Easy. The Harris GSX-R1000K4 special we tested a couple of months back. After glancing at the mental spec sheet it turned out to be a typical big bike special. It was a puppy of a ride around town but open it up and it would try and detach my arms from my body. The speed it accelerated was something else due to the Ray Stringer tuned engine. 185mph on a minor B road tells the story as did my face and multi coloured underwear when I was pulled off it. Any others? Id like to say my long-term GSX-R600 as the bolt ons have given it extra power and shed some poundage to make it a cracking track bike. But, I got the chance to sneak a go on Roots 1000K5 before Al ended its life. This is by far the best production bike available and will be for years to come. Warp speed Mr. Sulu As I always believed, GSX-Rs rule.
Has to be the A44 from Worcester to Rhayader. It stretches for around 60 miles and has such
a variety of turns and straights that you will want to turn around and do it all again and again. The Rhayader Dam is truly breath taking once there; just watch out for the sheep that hog the road as its a National Trust area. There are also some nasty corners around the halfway point that tighten whilst knee on the deck. Get these wrong and it is goodnight as there is a big drop the other side of the barrier! Makes it all the more challenging. And others? I have to agree with Kenny on the commute to work road. (He lives near me you see) The swoopy section of the A2022 from Banstead to Purley has a great dipping chicane that is blind. Enter it fast, knock it back one into third, up the hill trying to scrape your knee on the exit. If a doddery old dog walker isnt turning right in front of you into the car park at the top you can clutch it up and sail down to the roundabout. Its one big uid move but you take your life into your hands if busy. It certainly engages the brain before getting to work.
TM
Snetterton track day back in May. I had picked up the GSX-R600 only a week before and it was the perfect antidote to a four month lay off. I badly needed to be fast again and after three sessions of a track I hadnt ridden on for 10 years it all came ooding back to me. Largely thanks to the bike I was riding as it took my inept input in its stride. The weather
was good and you just cant beat your rst track day of the year. Any other memorable biking days? JP falling off outside the ofce on cold tyres was one, as was his CBR600 low side whilst out testing the exact same bike Kenny crashed an hour or so later. Alan destroying Simons long-termer and not me for a change. God I havent so much as scratched a bike all year!
5BEST
OF THE
NEW
TYRES
ROAD
WE LOVE TYRES HERE. THEYRE BLOODY IMPORTANT SO HERE ARE FIVE CRACKERS
MICHELIN
PILOT POWER Top of a new breed of tyres coaxing us down the drive way in winter and holding us round the bends in summer. Best all-rounder in our huge tyre test.
visiting the impressive factory in Vicenza I can vouch for their quality and obviously being a slightly rotund man the t and cut of the suit is the most comfortable I have worn. So much so I now have a new one to pack out. what is your favourite piece of kit? My M-Tech leathers havent been needed in moments of life saving skin scrapes as I havent crashed all year (isnt that because you never ride anywhere? Ed). But after
What was your best biking moment? My gay looking one-foot on the seat wheelie (see opposite) screamed look at me on the Harris GSXR1000. It was easy really and I had it sussed after three attempts. Really, I am that good. (Youre way too modest, Neil Ed.)
Who was your racer of the year? Obviously Corser winning the WSB championship nine years after his rst was a great achievement. Yeah he had the best bike out there but after a disastrous period on a bike that rode as bad as it looked, he walked into a new team, with a completely new bike and wiped the oor with everybody. Although he was lucky late on as Vermeulen and Haga werent hanging about eh? Who else? Lavilla for winning the BSB title with Airwaves Ducati whilst all the teams that turned him down at the start of the year held their heads in shame. And Sete
Gibernau for being man enough to start each race knowing that it was pretty fucking likely he wasnt going to nish it.
AVON
VIPER SPORT Part of the new Viper range quashing the idea that the UK-based rm cant match the bigger boys sports bike tyres.
CONTINENTAL
SPORT ATTACK Another manufacturer whose new range matches the best of the rest for grip and handling characteristics track or road, Try em, we dare you.
DUNLOP
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: The Nurburgring is something Ive always wanted to do. A technically demanding track of around eight miles is recipe for disaster or big smiles for a rst time Ring rider. The ride to Germany and a few sessions will be a great run-in for the new longterm test bike too.
QUALIFIER The D208 is dead and long live the Qualier, it does everything the old D208 didnt; fast warm up and grip consistently.
2005 BECKY REID

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? SUZUKI MARKETING PERSON
Best bit about your job in 2005? Being given the opportunity to really make a difference with such a good motorcycle brand. Oh, and getting to ride a GSXR-1000K5! Best drunken moment, either you or someone else? I would have to say everyone at my (landmark)
birthday this year, though I cant reveal any of the details (yes, SuperBike was there and we can vouch for this) Who would you like to punch and why? There have been plenty of times Ive wanted to punch someone, but I tend to get even rather than mad. Worst experience of 2005? Being sat
METZELER
on the M1 for three hours and remembering why it is that I prefer bikes.
SPORTEC M3 A replacement for the Sportec M1, the M3 shifts with the times, gathers pace with modern bikes and delivers rain or shine.
BEST OF THE BEST

REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE
JAYNES SPENT MUCH OF 2005 SNAILSIDE SEDUCING FRENCHMEN, BUT HER CHOICE OF BEST BIKE REVEALS SHE STILL PREFERS SOMETHING BRITISH UNDERNEATH HER
JAYNE TOYNE
DEPUTY ART ED
Riding Triumphs 2005 Speed Triple was without a doubt the most fun Ive had on a bike this year. From the moment I thought, I wonder what it will do it I do this and opened the throttle enough to lift the front wheel off the oor, I was laughing out loud inside my helmet for the whole ride. It wasnt a particularly long ride as they go, but it has stuck in my mind all year. I didnt care that my arse hurt at the end of the ride, the grin lasted all day. I love riding those litre bikes and a naked bike such as the Triple with a lady as pilot really does turn some heads when youre sitting at the lights.
Q
,

Any road that is smooth and curvey gets my vote! I have a somewhat limited list of roads this year what with not having a longtermer to ride, my rides have been few and far between, I went for quality not quantity. So sticking with the French theme I would have to say the roads down in Southern Brittany take some beating, they are smooth, open and fast. In particular the D769 that leads from the N165 motorway towards Plouay is pretty swift and owing. Also in the same French region but a little further south is the D152 which is basically a coast road that runs from Guidel Plage all the way to Lorient, its too busy in the middle of the day, but go there as the sun is setting (going west to east) and you are in for several miles of smiles.
TM
The best day out has to be the ride to Brittany in France. Waking up early on a mid-summers morning to catch a ferry, knowing there is 500 miles ahead of wide open uncongested roads really isnt a chore. With it being summer I was able to wear my favourite vented one piece leathers, combine that with using sat nav instead of paper maps and having my MP3 player rocking my favourite tunes virtually the whole way and I was in biker heaven. Only stopping for fuel and a snackette every hundred or so miles, I literally rode from dawn til dusk.
5BEST VALUE
OF THE
AFTER CONSIDERABLE DEBATE, HERE ARE FIVE BIKES WHICH WERE SAYING REPRESENT GREAT VALUE
BIKES
4,499
SUZUKI BANDIT 650 Arguably the denitive budget bike. Cheap and easy, practical, classic, rewarding and fun all in one package.
What did I enjoy the least? I had several less than wonderful moments, but nothing to really complain about. Arriving back from a hot and sunny 10 days holiday in France to go to a wet and windy Silverstone track day was a bit like a slap in the face. The nal 200 meters of my French journey up an unmade 20 per cent gradient farm track complete with
hairpin really was the stuff of nightmares but the pain I experienced in my knees after riding Alans ZX6R all day made me soon forget that.
What piece of kit changed my life For me this season
has been all about longdistance rides on unfamiliar roads loaded up with luggage. So its no surprise that the kit that changed my life this year has been Garmins Quest SatNav gizmo and my very trustworthy Oxford Lifetime luggage. Every time I have tted the silverpanniers and tailpack I have to stand back and nod with approval. I can t everything I want into those three pieces of luggage. Including laptop, SLR camera, MP3 players, a wet suit and enough clothes and shoes that a lady might require for ve days or more without the need for an extra rucksack.
The Sat Nav, what can I say, brilliant. What a difference it makes not having to lug big paper maps around or sticky tape bits of paper to the tank. Its all right there, under your very nose on the top yolk, with audio no less if you have headphones to plug into it.
5,445
KAWASAKI Z750 Easily a class winner with its 750cc engine in a sharp chassis, the Z750 is many things to many men.
4,399
What was the low point of the year? The moment I was told I would not be getting a longtermer this year because Triumph didnt have a Speed Triple they could spare for a few months. And then receiving emails every week from readers asking when I would be getting my Triple or sending pics of theirs did nothing to boost my morale.
SUZUKI SV650 Simple and easy to ride like the Bandit but with a twin motor that adds spark (and wheely potential).
5,999
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: To ride Donington Park, its the one track I have always wanted to ride. Oh and I really want a ride in a Caterham car around any race track, either that or a huge fuck-off truck!
2005 MACKENZIE
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
HONDA HORNET 900 A heavier tool than the popular 600 Hornet but the old FireBlade engine gives this naked bike a bag more punch for little bit more dosh.
PERENNIALY PULCHRITUDINOUS POSTER GIRL
Wwhat lessons has 2005 taught you? Caravans at race meetings are the creation of the devil and Harry Potter lms are never as good as the books. How do you keep your bum perky?
100 bum clenches every night and lots of chocolate too.
the name, but this might not happen until 2007.
6,145
Whats new for 2006? Im building up my agency www. mackenziegirlfriends.com to eventually have my own girls on the grid promoting
Have you ever considered pole dancing? I would love to learn all those upside down acrobatics, but I have no co-ordination at all.
KAWASAKI ZZ-R600 Tucked away behind glamorous sports bike siblings theres often a marginally less useful older model still going strong. See the Honda CBR600F too.
Q ARE EXPENSIVE WHEELS WORTH IT?
WHEELS
IN THESE DIE-CAST DAYS, STANDARD WHEELS ARE ALREADY PRETTY GOOD. SO WHY DO COMPANIES BOTHER MAKING EXPENSIVE WHEELS FROM SPACE-AGE MATERIALS? AND MORE TO THE POINT, ARE THEY WORTH FITTING TO YOUR BIKE?
WORDS: BOB GRAY PICS: JASON CRITCHELL, JP & JAYNE
ts fair to say we only bolt things on our bikes or change them in some way if we think itll make them better or faster. Its plain to see (and hear) that an aftermarket exhaust, for example, will give your bike more power. But what about wheels? All race bikes have them tted so why dont we buy them as readily as a titanium system or Power Commander? Maybe most of us dont actually realise what difference fancy wheels make. Or maybe most people just dont notice aftermarket wheels like they do exhausts and why bother spending money on something no one will notice? Theres no question carbon wheels are sexier than the OE ones, so SuperBike arranged to borrow a pair of BST Carbon Fibre wheels from HPS (www.bikehps. com) for our longterm Suzuki GSX-R600 so as we could put them through a proper test. While they might be trick to look at theyre also lighter, which is always good. But trickness and less weight aside, the question remains do they really make a signicant difference in performance?
THE I WORD
Before we talk about wheels we must talk about inertia, the I word. Inertia describes an objects reluctance to change the state of its motion. What that means in you and I speak, is that inertia describes how much something doesnt want to move in the rst place, and how much it wants to keep going once its got moving. The more inertia something has, the harder it is to change its speed. For example, its easier to push a roller-skate than a tank
because the tank is heavier and has more inertia. But, if you manage to accelerate both of them up to 5mph, then run in front of them and try to stop them, the roller-skate would be easier to stop because it requires less persuasion to slow down. In terms of motorcycle wheels, inertia is very important. Think about one of your favourite roads. Now forget about where youre going, and think about what happens to the wheels. How many times are you riding along at a constant speed? Not many? In terms of the entire journey your wheels are almost constantly changing speed or direction. To do 100mph you must have accelerated from 0mph. Regardless how long its taken, your wheels have changed speed from zero rpm to many rpm. We know that changing somethings speed requires effort. Sprinters use it to accelerate from the blocks, bikes use it to overtake, youre even using it now as your eyes accelerate and decelerate from each word across the page. The
heavier an object is, the more effort it takes to move it. So if we could make things a little easier every time that happened by reducing their inertia that would add up to a pretty big effort saving. Which brings us to this test. Our rst thought was to datalog a bike tted with standard wheels, then the BST wheels and go on track. While this is logical, the constraints of budgets, randomness of clear laps on a track days and the potential for slight rider error meant we opted for another solution. Thats not to say we didnt do a subjective test we sent our be-goateed tester Dave Smith out, with a GSX-R600 between his cloven feet, to nd a clear piece of Silverstone in which to feel if there was a difference. We also took both sets of wheels for performance testing at Bruntingthorpe salt ats and conducted acceleration and braking tests with a MicroSat GPS unit and nally, we rolled the wheels down a gentle slope (no, really, we did).
ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN?

The idea behind rolling the wheels down a slope came from a book by John Bradley called The Racing Motorcycle: A Technical Guide For Constructors Vol. 1 (I got mine from K-Tech Suspension, 38 inc p&p, 01530 810625). In this, Bradley explains a method of measuring a wheels moment of inertia by timing the wheel down a known slope. Done correctly this is an accurate way of pinning a value on a wheel which you can then use in other calculations for example how it might affect acceleration and deceleration. We used this value to help verify the acceleration tests were correct and not inuenced by outside factors.
WHEELS OF
PERFORMANCE
FORTUNE
ARE EXPENSIVE WHEELS WORTH IT?
Weve already discussed inertia by imagining pushing a roller-skate and a tank. However, if you were to spin your front wheel when the bike is up on paddock stands, you can still feel the reluctance of the wheel to accelerate as you spin it and yet its speed in mph is still zero because the bike is not moving (unless its fallen off the paddock stands). So when considering the inertia of something that rotates, we also have to consider its rotating inertia or reluctance to rotational acceleration (called the moment of inertia). The data we gathered for our standard front and rear (Std) and BST wheels is as follows:
TRACK TESTING
Std GSX-R600 (F) Std GSX-R600 (R) BST Carbon Fibre (F) BST Carbon Fibre (R) Mass [kg] Moment of inertia [kg/m2] Total effective wheel mass [kg] 4.7751 0.154117 8.09 5.1986 0.146595 8.35 2.5058 0.067614 3.96 3.8663 0.081274 5.61
The wheels mass is for the rim and bearings alone no discs and no tyre. The moment of inertia is just that, and the total effective wheel mass is how much the wheel would effectively weigh if youre trying to do a force = mass x acceleration calculation. Which we can do now. Using the data above we can play around with some numbers and see how the wheels perform. For instance, how much torque would it take to accelerate each wheel to 60mph in three seconds? Remember this is for the rims only (itll take more with the additional mass of discs and tyres).
t this point we should look at the Bruntingthorpe data to see how the wheels affected the bike in a real life test. The data was collected using the same rider, on the same bit of track and riding in the same direction repeatedly for an hour. We chose a top-gear roll-on test because its consistently repeatable. The rider got the bike into top gear, was upright and tucked in at 35mph and then opened the throttle to the stop. This avoids any inuence he might have. Again the carbon bre wheels have a clear advantage in acceleration, as the roll-on data we collected suggests they should. Its hard to discern in the rst ve seconds, but there is an advantage there as speed increases.
160 140 120
Std GSX-R600 (F) Std GSX-R600 (R) BST Carbon Fibre (F) BST Carbon Fibre (R) Torque [ft/lb]* 3.45 3.28 1.51 1.82
100 80
ROLL-ON PERFORMANCE
GSX-R600/BRUNTINGTHORPE
*required to accelerate wheel to 60mph in three seconds

Already you start to see things shifting very much in favour of the carbon bre wheels, which require signicantly less torque to accelerate at the same rate as the standard wheels. Putting this into context of you on your bike means less throttle for a given rate of acceleration, or more acceleration for the same amount of throttle. The only other ways to achieve this are to reduce the weight of your bike, increase the available engine power or reduce friction.
60 40
) SPEED (mph
0 5
BST WHEEL STANDARD WHEEL
30
TIME (s)
10 15
20
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Racers say to slash lap times, improved rideability always beats excess power...
which means gaining Better Traction, Better Braking, Faster/Easier Turning plus Enhanced Ride & Grip. The proven way to achieve all these benefits on your road or track bike (combined with stronger acceleration and braking too) is by reducing its rotational inertia and unsprung weight - with lighter and stiffer wheels...
If you could compare both these bikes side by side (in the same way computer games show a ghost of your previous lap) there would be no way to catch the BST-wheeled machine. The difference is small to begin with, but the carbon wheels get the bike to 50mph in one metre less than the standard bike. It then builds with time and by 60mph the BST wheels have taken 3.5metres less, at 100mph they have
a 13 metre advantage and by 150mph they are a full 108 metres ahead. The carbon bre wheels performed better during normal acceleration tests as well. Up to 60mph the time was 0.1 seconds quicker and by 140mph the improvement had increased to 0.5 seconds. Its the same story in braking tests. Remember our tank example? Just as it takes more effort to start heavier wheels
60 50 40
BRAKING PERFORMANCE
GSX-R600/BRUNTINGTHORPE
30 20
BST WHEEL STANDARD WHEEL
10 0 5 10
DISTANCE (m)
40 15 20 25 30 35
so it takes more to slow heavier wheels. Because the total amount of brake force on the bike remains the same, the rider can turn this into a shorter stopping distance and were not just talking about a single bike length here. Repeating the pattern across several tests showed (in real terms) that the standard wheels actually slow down more quickly for the rst 20mph, but then get outdone by the carbon bre wheels to 0mph. In one sense you might prefer the OE wheels certainly if you only ever scrub off the 20mph. But the carbon bre wheels ability to stop sooner in an emergency, when youve over-cooked it, or someone pulls out in front of you, means that extra bike length of distance can make a very signicant difference indeed.
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THE GOAT SPEAKS
So, your bike will change speed more readily, but what about handling and suspension? This is one of the harder areas to evaluate. The reason we didnt simply data-log the suspension of a bike tted with both sets of wheels is because it isnt repeatable enough, there are too many possible variables we cant scientically control. So instead take it from Dave the Goat, former racer and SuperBike tester: They were slightly better, but not as much as I expected. Perhaps its because the GSX-R600 is such a good handling bike already you might notice the difference more on a 1,000cc bike. The bike did turn in with a bit less effort and I felt it took less effort when Dave Smith. Acting the, er, goat icking through a chicane, but I didnt notice any other improvement. There are some bumps going in to turn one at Silverstone (where we tested) and I thought the bike might behave differently over these but it didnt. When asked if hed buy some for his bike knowing what they were he said, Yeah, I think I would, but only if I had the budget and the bike was being done up anyway.
HANDLING
) SPEED (mph
3 SPOKE CARBON/MAG
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Strong & stiffer JWL & BSAU50 certified for road & race use (not all makes of race wheel are suitable for road) which is why so manyTT winners consistently choose Dymag, year after year Up to half standard weight, with lower rotational inertia, for stronger acceleration & braking Tyre valves, bearings, disc bolts, cush drive, sprocket & carrier included Deep well to aid tyre fitting without rim damage WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Single and double-sided swing arm applications Individually UK manufactured, inspected and serial numbered Wide range of durable and attractive powder coated colour finishes High purity Magnesium with chromate anti-corrosion protection coating and/or Carbon Fibre
Available both by phone/mail order and to visitors, subject to minimum purchase value and deposit. Finance arranged by HPS. During the deferred period, you can settle in full without finance charges or, continue with normal monthly payments and interest arrangements. Ask for details of straightforward application requirements before visiting or, ask for written details. Available to UK consumers, subject to status.
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UK
+441 77 383 11 22 WORLD WIDE www.bikehps.com/dymag

Email: info@bikehps.com
Alfreton Derbyshire DE55 7BP England

UK Fax: 0870 774 7741 International Fax: +441 77 383 10 40
Prices include VAT at the current rate of 17.5% but exclude standard delivery, express carriage or export options. US Dollar prices are for US export only, are tax free, and have been calculated at a rate of 1=$1.6 which is variable and subject to any charges levied by the customers card issuer/bank. Sprocket not included with single-sided wheels. Dymag Carbon 5 spoke Wheels are TUV approved.Transactions are subject to Harwoods Ts & Cs of sale, a copy of which is available on request. All offers are subject to availability. Information and prices correct at time of going to press. E&OE. Harwood Performance Source is a division of the GHC group (Gordon Harwood Computers Limited), founded 1955.
WHEELS OF
FORTUNE
ARE EXPENSIVE WHEELS WORTH IT?
STABILITY AND COMFORT

Finally theres stability and comfort. Your bikes ability to follow the road depends largely on the ratio of sprung to unsprung weight. A rough guide to which is to bounce a bike up and down. If something moves closer to the ground when you sit on the bike then its sprung weight. If not, then its unsprung. As you ride along, gravity does all it can to pull your bike down onto the road. So as the road moves up and down beneath you the bike tries to rise and fall with it. When you hit a bump, the rst thing to physically
move is the wheel. There will of course be a little deection in the tyre but well ignore this. The movement then passes through the wheel spindle to the bottom of the fork, which presses on the spring, and whatever movement hasnt been absorbed by the spring is passed on to the frame and rider. Again coming back to our roller-skate and tank example, we know something heavier is less inclined to begin moving, but is more inclined to keep moving once it has. So when we hit a bump the heavy wheel might be less eager to follow it (it
would compress the tyre a little more), but it would then begin to move and actually move further than necessary because it would keep moving after the bump stops and the bump force has diminished. In contrast a light wheel would be more inclined to begin moving and to stop once the bump had stopped forcing it to move. So a lighter wheel should be better for following bumps and equally at following dips too. From the riders point of view this means marginally more tyre contact time which means more grip or stability.
QSO, ARE THEY WORTH IT?

THE BIG QUESTION
Theres no question that tting the BST Carbon wheels improved the performance of the GSX-R600. However, the improvements werent as great as you might hope for, especially given the 1,795 asking price. Acceleration was improved but not by as much as 2Ks worth of engine modications might gain. Having said that, engine mods wont help you go around corners or improve your fuel economy both of which the carbon wheels do, which makes them more of an all round improvement. For people who have the money to spend, yes the wheels are worth it. For those who have to spend more selectively, you will probably get a greater sense of satisfaction tting an exhaust and Power Commander and having you suspension re-sprung, re-damped and set-up for around the same amount of money. What you wont be able to say and what wont be obvious with your internal mods is Have you seen my carbon bre wheels? SB
OLD BIG RULES

THE
GULATIO WSB RE IGREE PED BIKES SPORTS
TEST
NEW
WORLD SUPERBIKE REGULATIONS MAY HAVE PUSHED 750 SPORTSBIKES INTO RETIREMENT, AND TWINS INTO A DESPERATE REARGUARD ACTION AT THE TRACK. BUT OUT ON THE ROAD ITS ANOTHER MATTER
WORDS: SIMON ROOTS PICS: JOHN NOBLE
t the turn of the millennium the world superbike championship threatened world domination. Irreplaceable characters, insatiable fans and a breed of sportsbikes nely honed for this gladiatorial battle saw the series explode in spite of its relative infancy. But just as the championship was about to go global the 500cc championship turned all growly, morphed into its current four-stroke guise
and prised riders and fans alike from WSB, leaving the series to lick its wounds and stumble forward. But what remained were the bikes themselves, still being shipped out to the masses. But better than the dozen or so closely contested races each year was the fact that you could go out and buy the basic bike that Fred Merkel, Carl Fogarty or John Kocinski crowned their seasons
with. Now this is the stuff of dreams, and manufacturers the world over set about improving the breed to the point where these racing Reginas were ying at the tracks over the weekend and ying out of the shops during the week. But then the world went MotoGP crazy and while WSB recovers from its rule-induced implosion, manufacturers are still producing bikes t to grace any
OLD RULES
DUCATI 999S SUZUKI GSX-R750 APRILIA RSV FACTORY
NEW TOOLS
HEAD SCARF Simon Roots SuperBike road tester HEAD OF STEAM Chris Moss Freelance road tester
circuit on the globe. Of the three bikes here, only Ducatis 999S traces a lineage to a current racer, but that doesnt stop the Aprilia RSV Factory and Suzuki GSX-R750 from rekindling past glories in the current context. To prove this I can categorically state that these were collectively the best group of road bikes Ive ridden on this year. Their grace negated the unparalleled power of any bike in the litre class, their guts easily surpassed anything a 600 supersport rocket could muster, and their sheer purity and pleasure to ride made the frivolity of the new breed of naked sportsbikes irrelevant. A glum early autumn day in Cambridgeshire was made bright beyond belief thanks to a day in these hard, race-like saddles and the next day was spent at the UKs second quickest track, Snetterton, to make it a brace of days to remember. Add speed, brake and stunt testing at Bruntingthorpe and some days away from the photographers gaze and youve got as thorough a test youll nd. Anywhere.
The Testers
HEAD BOY Jonathan Pearson SuperBike features editor
halk, in the engine department, comes in the form of the everyday inlinefour of the Suzuki GSX-R750. Sure, theres a huge amount of work thats gone into developing this powerplant and it bristles with technology, but at the end of the day its just a common or garden inline-four brilliant but a little bit boring. Cheese,
ENGINES & PERFORMANCE
and were talking about formaggio of the most pungent form, comes in two V-twin packages that dene everything about the conguration. Switch between the two types of bike and the difference is as stark as it is immediate. The GSX-R750 feels revvy, playful and easy to ride. Jump on it after
either of the twins and you feel as if you could potter round an Asda car park and do your CBT on it, it feels that friendly. The fuel injection system is far from perfect though and on many bikes would upset the chassis at times. Its nothing that a Power Commander would tidy up though, and no worse than many in-line fours.
The Bikes THE BENEFITS OF A RACING PEDIGREE THREE BIKES WHICH UNDERLINE
DUCATI 999S
The newest contender is also the one with the closest racing relative. Ducati revamped its 999 range at the end of 2004, two years after the self proclaimed red-volution. The revisions to the base model were the most signicant in the range with a big boost in power and a new swingarm. When we get to the mid-priced 999S the changes became more modest, to the point where the 1,750 cheaper base model is only 3bhp shy of the expensive S. The motor is the same as before but exclusivity comes in the form of expensive Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes. Other changes for 2004 came in the form of the new race-replica swingarm and an aerodynamic alteration of the fairing.
APRILIA RSV FACTORY

Fresh for the start of 2004, the Aprilia RSV Factory shed the previously rounded image of the Mille series with a sharp set of clothes and an impressive list of extras. The rm may have had its money worries at the time and retreated from the WSB scene, but the spec list of the Factory read like any racers wish list. With close to 140-bhp belching out of the V-twin motor and blessed with exotic Ohlins suspension, erce Brembo brakes and fabulous OZ cast wheels the Factory deserved to race once more on the international scene, but the MotoGP effort was bleeding the company dry. A crying shame.
SUZUKI GSX-R750
Whats just as disappointing is not seeing Suzukis GSX-R750 keeping the rest of the WSB eld honest. The introduction of 1,000cc four-cylinder machines was supposed to be the death knell for the legendary Gixxer, but you cant keep a good bike down and the 750 has risen from the ashes for one last ght before it undergoes yet another metamorphosis to take on allcomers in 2006. It may not wear its equipment ostentatiously like it rivals, nor may it claim the power of its 1,000cc peers but theres something unique about the GSX-R750. Perfectly proportioned in every sense, its surely capable of combating larger capacity rivals?
The way the motor develops power, in a whirl of revs, airbox growl and growing intent as you approach the redline at 12,500rpm belies the fact that the Suzuki is the least powerful on test. With 121bhp at the rear wheel it would be tempting to write off the GSX-R at the nal fence. This is the sort of power that a race-prepped
supersport machine could produce in its sleep and after spending a summer on my longtermer GSX-R1000 the 750 feels decidedly underdone, but the 750 offers more than its headline gures proffers. Torque is signicantly lower than the two twins, but from 6,000rpm theres enough grunt to get the machine to the plateau of
power beyond 10,000rpm. This may all mean that youll have to use the excellent Suzuki gearbox a little more than the twins in a competitive environment, but this adds to the excitement of riding this legend. Top speeds are competitive (3mph off the 999S and just over 1mph off the Factory) and
OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
while gearing is crucial to top-gear roll on gures, the Suzuki fares best in the top cog as the four smaller pistons develop inertia quicker than the Italian internals. Once the twins get into their stride, higher in their rev ranges, the ghtback begins If ease of riding was the sole criteria on test then wed draw a veil over the results now, but while the Ducati and Aprilia are less receptive to casual use the rewards are ultimately richer. The 999S is the more user-friendly motor of the two but
it doesnt take long to discover that the Testastretta motor possesses some truly awesome power. The dyno revealed 131bhp at the wheel and this advantage nearly propels it into the territory of four cylinder litre bikes of two or three years ago. Expecting the 999S to be an utter ball-ache of a ride on the road, it was a surprised to nd that the Ducati had an affable side to it. Although the tickover is low (causing the 999S to stall every now and again), the motor revs headily
for a twin. Often, if a bike revs easily it doesnt have the power to make up for this giddiness, but other than a hiccup at around 3,250rpm it feels deft and alert. Throttle response is sound and the chassis copes easily with the power transferred through it. Like the motor itself, the controls are surprisingly easy to use. Gone are the days of the 916-series with heavy clutches and fragile electrics, in fact, the only noteworthy deciency of the 999S seems to be a gearbox
that verges on the sloppy at times. It feels as if the lever itself is too far away from the footpeg so the simple physics of its action hinder smooth changes. On the road there is more power than you could ever wish to use. The 999S even has a crest upon its wave at 9,000rpm meaning that it needs to be revved to 10,000rpm to really get the best out of it. Below this, and from 5,000rpm theres a juicy band of torque that sinks any argument a V-twin-ophile could ever make against the conguration. If the Ducati attered to deceive then the Aprilia RSV Factory is a plain old-fashioned straight talker. It feels like a real bruiser from the start, delivering a no-nonsense growl from its convention defying twin pipes. It feels raw and uncultured, but thats unfair on the precision that the V-twin motor offers. Sure, its no town bike, but the Factory does keep its nose clean before all hell breaks loose as you escape town for the about-to-be-broken serenity of the countryside. Smoothly harsh could be a good description of the big twin. Once past an inconvenient 1,000rpm wide at spot starting at 5,000rpm the Aprilia builds power neatly, but with malicious intent. Though never quite as strong as the Ducati, the gulf between the two bikes is at its highest at maximum power, elsewhere there is just a couple of horsepower in it and
this is what keeps the Factory in business. On track, and from the thick midrange through to at-chat, the Aprilias motor ticks most boxes. Though not quite as eager to rev as the Ducati, the Factory res out of corners stingingly, whether approaching the redline in third out of Riches, Snettertons rst corner, or from much lower in the rev range from a lazy second gear exit from Russells, the circuits last challenge.
Thanks to its short gearing, the Factory has a real sense of urgency. It got to its top speed down Bruntingthorpes wide expanse of runway nearly a kilometre (equating to nearly 13 seconds) before the taller geared Ducati and 300 metres (and ve seconds) before the screaming Suzuki. This makes the Factory the most intense of the three to ride; it packs an almost impossible amount of performance into its diminutive structure.
OLD RULES, NEW TOOLS CONTINUES PAGE 62
DUCATI
999S
Pics: Claire Collins
I E EREBOK SUP F LD
The Fam
ous
CENTR
WHEN THE 999 WAS UNVEILED IN 2002 IT RECEIVED A MIXED REACTION. UNSURPRISINGLY FANS HAVE BEEN WON OVER BY THE NEW LOOK SINCE
if it dominating superbike championships the it Even that isntclear itthat thevarious still a potentitmachine2005. Thisway the used to, its 999 is and you get feeling this year will win more races than did in isnt the race-homologation R model, but the S still has plenty of fancy kit to drool over (once youve stopped drooling over Porchia)
SPEC HIGHLIGHTS
Engine: l/c 998cc 8-valve, DOHC, 90 V-twin Frame: tubular steel trellis Suspension: (F) 43mm fully-adjustable Ohlins fork (R) Fully adjustable Ohlins monoshock Max Power: 131.2bhp@9,974rpm Brakes: Radially mounted Brembo four-piston calipers Cost: 13,995
Porchia
SPEC HIGHLIGHTS Age: 20 Vitals: 32D, 24, 34
tarting the year as we to go on, weve ne in shape of young Sinto modelling. I was meanmy friend whos found some withnewlmtalentdaythe shapelyhad when to her Porchia here. Shes from Essex and was studying photography, and theatre at college she fell with a model I was her one when she to go agencys ofce and they reckoned I could get work. How right they were. Shoots for Maxim, Loaded and Hustler (the clothes, not the magazine!) and of course us here at SuperBike suggests that shell full her ambition of doing everything, anything. We think she was talking about acting and singing rather than anything base. So calm down.
DUCATI
MODEL PORCHIA @ WWW.BLUES-AGENCY.CO.UK HAIR & MAKE-UP LISA HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY CLAIRE COLLINS
999S
DUCATI
MODEL PORCHIA @ WWW.BLUES-AGENCY.CO.UK HAIR & MAKE-UP LISA HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY CLAIRE COLLINS
999S
OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
CHRIS MOSS
SECOND OPINION
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 55
ll three bikes are perfectly poised to wrestle honours away from the bullying 1,000cc class thanks to their ability to corner exquisitely; and nothing personies this more than the GSX-R750, a bike that has balance written through it like a stick of rock. Just as the sweet engine abides by what we call the Goldilocks principle (not too much, not too little), the chassis manages to be just right too. If you take the softly, softly approach, the GSX-R750 is hard to beat. It encompasses all manner of riding abilities within its short 1,400mm wheelbase. With the frame being almost identical to the 600 its surprisingly well proportioned. Controls fall easy to hand and coupled with the breezy motor the Suzuki is as effortless as it is anonymous. Its difcult to differentiate between each member of the GSX-R family mid-corner. Take away the noise, the stickers and the tell-tale red line on the rev counter and youd struggle to pick between the 600 and the 750. In many ways this is a good thing, after all, wed all take 600cc feel in a turn over a bigger, lumbering lump, but it hardly adds to the spice of life. The suspension has a soft hint to it,
CHASSIS & HANDLING
Ducati 999S
The Duke is a fancy bit of kit, thats a fair bit easier to ride than 998s, and a lot more manageable than Ducatis of days gone by. Its a classy looking bike thats got plenty of style, street-cred and sheer feel-good factor. All the trick kit like the Ohlins suspension, Marchesini wheels and Brembo brakes work well and help to make the 999 feel like a racer. The very free revving twin-cylinder
motor has plenty of punch and power. Id say its more of an enthusiasts bike and one youd be proud to own and ride. But whether you think its worth the extra money, and whether you think you could live with its little annoyances like the shite mirrors and tricky sidestand is another question. I really like the Duke but Id need to have a hell of a lot of spare cash to think about buying one.
heightened at times when the fuel injection interrupts harshly around the apex. The light feel to the steering can magnify this snatch, notably on track, and especially on tracks with bumps to them. The Bridgestone BT014s communicate well through the forks but the unadjustable steering damper needs honing to the environment youre riding in, be it the road or the track. Like the rest of the package, the radial Tokico calipers are powerfully friendly.
Hunt down some smooth curves and the Suzukis front end works well until you start wishing you had some track rubber on. With weight and its neutral feeling on its side it can turn into a roundabout or Russells with the lightest of touches where it will then track to the apex deferentially before applying the throttle with more abandon than on a litre bike. Indeed, think of the Suzuki as a supersports bike and you may end up with the odd fright, but youll have
T E C H
DUCATI 999S
13,995 17
S P E C
TECHNICAL
ENGINE
D Y N O P E R F O R M A N C E
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Price NU Ins group
ENGINE
Type Displacement Bore x Stroke Compression Carburation Gearbox Power Torque l/c 8v 90 V-twin DOHC 998cc 100 x 63.5mm 11.4:1 Marelli electronic fuel injection, 54mm throttle bodies Six-speed 131.2bhp@9,974rpm 75.1 lb ft@7,935rpm
The end of 2004 saw the release of a revised base 999, and the power the standard machine made rivalled the S version. But the S still has the edge thanks to titanium con-rods and a lighter crankshaft. However, claimed power is only 3bhp higher than the base model. But the 999S also includes a race kit that includes a special 102dB Termignoni silencer and race-mapped ECU to reduce weight and improve power.
RPM (x1,000)
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Max Power Max Torque

Power (bhp)
131.2bhp@9,974rpm 75.1lb ft@7,935rpm

Torque (ft lbs)
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CYCLE PARTS
Chassis Suspension Tubular steel trellis Front: Fully adjustable 43mm Ohlins USD forks, TiN coated Rear: Fully adjustable Ohlins monoshock Front: Dual 320mm discs, four-piston four-pad radial Brembo calipers Rear: 240mm disc, two-piston caliper Cast alloy Marchesini Front: 120/70ZR17 Michelin Pilot Power Rear: 190/50ZR17 Michelin Pilot Power 23.5-24.5/na 1,420mm 15.5 litres (3.4 gal) 186kg (409lb) Ducati UK 0845 1222996
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Lots and lots of power for a shonky old V-twin, eh? The torque curve is less at than some older twins, but its in no sense peaky
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CARBONTEK 01737 789878
Brakes
SUSPENSION
Wheels/Tyres
Rake / Trail Wheelbase Capacity Wet weight Contact

CHASSIS
The 999S boast Ohlins suspension front and rear and is, naturally, fully adjustable. The FG315 forks have a titanium nitride coating to improve the stanchions performance as well as Teon bushes and top-out spring. The DU326 shock now features a new one-way valve. An Ohlins steering damper is tted too.
BRAKES
The 999S shares most of the equipment of the standard bike. So that means that the tubular steel trellis chassis is at the 999Ss core. Like with the standard bike the swingarm is now a braced, fabricated aluminium replica of the 2004 race bike. This unit improves stiffness while saving weight. As has been the case with all 999s, footpegs and the tank/seat position is adjustable, as is the steering angle.
Radially-mounted four-piston four-pad Triple Bridge calipers are some of the best Brembo produce and team up with the 4.5mm 320mm discs to offer ne braking.
WHEELS
Five-spoke Y-shaped Marchesini wheels are lightweight cast alloy items.
BODYWORK
Like the standard model, the 2005 999S has new bodywork in both material and form. The new shape improves aerodynamics while the use of new materials saves a kilo in weight.
There are a couple of bikes that have a couple of versions, not least Yamahas new R1 that now comes in SP form, but currently only Ducati offer three versions of the same model. The choice of which version is right for you is largely dependant on your credit rating. Lottery winners and self-made-men need only apply for the 19,995 999R (far right). For your cool 20 large you get a bike thats pretty close to what the rm races in WSB.
999, 999S or 999R?

Massively powerful for a twin (150bhp) thanks to all sorts of engine mods (a new cylinder head, titanium valves, conrods and light crank for a start), the 999R also boasts top-notch Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, forged aluminium Marchesini wheels and the bike also drips with carbon bre. Its some premium, but then again, its some bike. Youve read about the 999S and the base model loses a little bit of power and a lot of bit of suspension
and braking components. The main differences are the base model gets Showa suspension as opposed to
Ohlins kit and conventional brakes as opposed to the radial brakes on the S. 3,750 separates the two bikes and
while the extra components certainly make a difference the price disparity seems a little strong.
OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
like this mainly because the bike and the seat itself is low, but the suspension and Michelin Pilot Power rubber also atters early into any run on the bike. But the compliments the bike pays fall away as you try and hustle harder. Be it ying down some familiar roads or trying to up the pace round a track, the Ducati stops its progressive improvements until you really add some commitment. You try your hardest and it feels like you dont get the rewards back, but just as you start to give up on the glitzy 999S you realise that this is a bike that needs to be ridden smoothly, not bossed like the Suzuki. So as inputs become planned and consistent, all of a sudden the bikes lean angles improve, steering accuracy becomes pin-sharp and you feel able to exploit that powerful twin to its full extent. If anything, the stock settings and Pilot Powers favour road riding over pure track work, but both of these variables can be upgraded for pure circuit work. Whatever rubber you shoe the Ducati with though, itll reward you massively, especially as you put more faith into the front, itself beneting from the light Marchesini front wheel. The rear Ohlins shock allows the Ducati to re out of a corner with real re in its belly while the excellent Brembo radial calipers allow braking to be left later than you dare consider. All of this makes straights longer, and long straights either get you round a track quicker or get you home earlier. If suspension is a dyno curve, the Ducati suffers from a midrange dip, whereas the Aprilia lls this hole with progressive and rewarding ability right up to the limiter. It may be the most cumbersome to begin with but if you put the effort in, the Factory will reward your courage. It takes a more than a few corners to get
Aprilia RSV Factory

The Aprilia sits nicely between the GSX-R and 999S. Its more civil than the Duke but doesnt have the anonymous (or, unfortunately, the fully polished) feel of the GSX-R. Its a bloody good-looker, though I think the garish paint scheme and graphics take the edge off its exclusivity. The motor responds well to revs and gives the Factory a very impressive turn of speed when you do spin it up a bit. The chassis handles the pace nicely, and the
CHRIS MOSS
brakes are brilliant. You dont see many of them about so it would be a good bike if you want to be seen on something different. Given the kit its tted with, youd have to say it offers good value too. The only real things that put me off it are the tall seat height, slightly focused riding position and fairly average mirrors. Bar those things, the Aprilia is a bloody enjoyable bike to ride.
SECOND OPINION
an edge over the 600s (not as much as you think though; in similar states of tune at Silverstone this year the GSX-R750 Cup front men were logging 1-32 min laps but the R6 Cup boys werent far behind at 1-34 min). The 999S signals its intent early and before you can contemplate any of the Ducatis fancy components or stunning chassis your knees on the deck and youve become a hero. You can set an early marker
T E C H
APRILIA RSV FACTORY

11,199 16
S P E C
TECHNICAL
ENGINE
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Price NU Ins group
ENGINE
Type Displacement Bore x Stroke Compression Carburation Gearbox Power Torque l/c 8v 60 V-twin DOHC 997.62cc 97 x 67.5mm 11.8:1 Indirect multipoint electronic injection, 57mm throttle bodies Six-speed 124.1bhp@10,037rpm 70.0 lb ft@8,002rpm
Power (bhp)
&'%
Torque (ft lbs)
The motor has not changed since the RSV1000R became the Factory. This means that the V60 magnesium motor pumps out about 135bhp at the crank. Aprilia made changes to the mapping to release more power from the Mille motor in 2004 and the double exhaust system is still retained.
RPM (x1,000)
Max Power
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124.1bhp@10,037rpm 70.0lb ft@8,002rpm
Max Torque
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CYCLE PARTS
Chassis Suspension Aluminium twin spar Front: Fully adjustable 43mm Showa USD forks Rear: Fully adjustable Sachs monoshock Front: Dual 320mm discs, fourpiston four-pad radial calipers Rear: 220mm disc, two-piston caliper Forged aluminium OZ Front: 120/70ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa Rear: 180/55ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa 24.8/101.7mm 1,410mm 19 litres (4.2 gal) 185kg (407lb) Aprilia UK 0161 475 1800
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Flatter torque curve than the Ducatis but with a big dent in it, that gives a slightly revvier feel. Seven bhp down on the Duke, but three more than the GSX-R
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Brakes
Wheels/Tyres
Brembos radial calipers adorn the Ohlins fork legs. Aprilia has the longest association with the radial set-up: the rm was the rst to use it on its 250GP racer. Braided hoses nish one of the nest braking packages on the planet.
BRAKES
Rake / Trail Wheelbase Capacity Dry weight Contact
CHASSIS
CARBON
Only the matt black nish separates the Factorys chassis to the old Mille Rs frame. The banana swingarm remains the best looking in the business.
The mudguards and some other body parts (for example the fairing vents and cockpit fairing spoilers) are made from woven carbon composite.
WHEELS
SUSPENSION
The Factory is blessed with Ohlins everywhere. The upsidedown forks and monoshock are both fully adjustable as is the two chamber steering damper. The forks are coated with titanium nitride to improve the action while the monoshock incorporates a separate piggy-back nitrogen cylinder. The bikes set-up has been made through the rms experience in the Italian superstock championship. The standard bike uses Showa and Sachs items.
The exclusively designed forged aluminium OZ wheels (the front is six-spoked, the rear ve) are a tour de force and look surprisingly good in blue made using an 8,000 tonne hydraulic press. They perform well too thanks to a 25 per cent weight loss over cast items. This reduces unsprung weight, cuts steering inertia and gyroscopic forces, making the bike easier to steer. Rear tyres come in either the 180 or 190-section size.
FACTORY MAN
If you start up adding the costs of all the Factorys goodies then it wont take you long to work out what good value this bike is. The stock RSV R (right) comes in at 1,700 under the Factorys price but when you start adding up items such as the wheels (factor around 1,200 for a set), the suspension and steering damper (pushing 2,000 for forks and a shock although you could get away
with upgrading the internals) and the various carbon bits and bobs and youve got yourself a bargain my friend. If you want to get technical about my point about Ducati offering three models then you could argue that Aprilia do this as well with the Nera
(above right) although we believe the existence of this bike is purely imaginary because weve never seen one. At 24,565 you get carbon
everywhere, magnesium wheels a full titanium exhaust, titanium nuts and bolts and a motor with three extra bhp not to mention
tailored leathers and a special lid. The bike weighs in 10 kilos lighter, but since its imaginary, then its all irrelevant anyway.
OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
CHRIS MOSS
Compared to the Italian bikes, the Suzuki is much less nicky. Quirk-free and more sorted, you could easily think it was a Honda thanks to its relatively more nished feel. The engine and chassis balance is ace and arguably makes it a better bet than either the 600 or 1000 GSX-Rs. Its a tricky bike to fault
used to the Factory feeling as if its falling into each turn. From your lofty position on board it feels a little top heavy and the sharply proled Pirelli Super Corsa tyres conspire to unsettle you. But then you suddenly get the Factory and life becomes very interesting after this revelation. From its tall posture, it takes no time whatsoever to get the bike angling towards an apex. Where youd be expecting your knee to deck out on the Ducati the Aprilia still has your knee in no mans land, proving that theres loads of tip to go. Some of the credit goes to those excellent Super Corsas that offer grip and feedback in spades. Praise also goes to Aprilias decision to t the rear with a 180-section tyre. The rest of the acclaim can be equally divided between the chassis and the suspension. The Ducati suffers a little from the use of a wider 190 tyre, but the Factory revels on this slender rubber. Snetterton has two sections that need a quick change of direction and despite the Factorys slight reticence to change direction quite as quickly as the Suzuki, it still got to the edge of each side of the tyre in double quick time. But if you want an indication of how serious Aprilia has made the Factory all you need do is squeeze the front brake in anger. The Brembo set-up is truly phenomenal and stopping really doesnt get any sharper than this. Frightening and stupid, but brilliant at the same time.
SECOND OPINION
Suzuki GSX-R750
really. The motor is grunty and bloody fast and the bike handles brilliantly. All Id moan about is the unadjustable damper that makes the steering a bit heavy at slow speed, and the fact that the massproduced Suzuki doesnt have much of the special feel or wow-factor of the more exotic Italians. But that still cant stop the 750 being a fantastic bike that has top performance and offers much more value than the other two. Its the one Id have.
ERGONOMICS & STYLING
othing special, is how youd sum up the GSX-R750s look and feel. Theres nowt to linger over, nothing to spend that extra ve minutes polishing, no glitz, no glamour, just pure 160mph functionality. It looks a short and compact machine but theres nothing to put off the six-footer once you get on board. Everything nestles into place making the Suzuki feel and heres
that word again balanced. The clocks offer information, not statements, the mirrors work, it looks well assembled and what more can I say. Its a manufactured machine, whereas the other two are crafted beings. Theres no doubting that the 999S is hewed differently to its Japanese counterparts, but that doesnt mean to say the market will embrace it. The 999 series
T E C H
SUZUKI GSX-R750
7,649 16
S P E C
TECHNICAL
ENGINE
( ) * + , . &% && &' &(
Price NU Ins group
ENGINE
Type Displacement Bore x Stroke Compression Carburation Gearbox Power Torque l/c 16v inline-four, DOHC 749cc 72 x 46mm 12.3:1 SDTV electronic fuel injection, 42mm throttle bodies Six-speed 121.5bhp@12,448rpm 56.3 lb ft@10,474rpm
Back in 2004 Suzuki took what it learned from developing the K3 GSX-R1000 and applied it to the Seven Fiddy. So this meant reducing mechanical losses and make combustion more efcient. The bike also got titanium valves, shorter pistons and lighter camshafts. Dual double barrel 42mm throttle bodies were also introduced and the bike uses Suzukis clever SDTV fuel injection system.
RPM (x1,000)
&)%
Power (bhp)
&'%
Torque (ft lbs)
A very different curve, unsurprisingly, but a not unpleasant one. More revs mean a shallower incline, but keep it over about 7,500rpm and youll nd little to complain about. Midrange amply stomps a 600
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CYCLE PARTS
Chassis Suspension Aluminium twin spar Front: Fully adjustable 43mm Showa USD forks Rear: Fully adjustable monoshock Front: Dual 300mm discs, fourpiston Nissin radial calipers Rear: 220mm disc, two-piston caliper Cast aluminium Front: 120/70ZR17 Bridgestone BT-014 Rear: 180/55ZR17 Bridgestone BT-014 23.25/93mm 1,400mm 17 litres (3.74 gal) 163kg (359lb) Suzuki GB 0845 8508800
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Max Power Max Torque
121.5bhp@12,448rpm 56.3lb ft@10,474rpm
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Brakes
SUSPENSION
Wheels/Tyres
Rake / Trail Wheelbase Capacity Wet weight Contact
Suzuki use Showa 43mm upside-down forks, although they are similar to the items they replaced on the K3 version. The rear shock was revised to include a wider damper rod.
BRAKES
By using the Tokico radial mounted brakes Suzuki was able to reduce the size of the brake discs to 300mm (from 320mm). The GSX-R also uses a radial master cylinder and the rear torque arm was binned to save weight.
CHASSIS
The major revision to the bike came in the form of the chassis, which was all new for 2004. Overall width was reduced by 15mm (the tank was made 30mm narrower) and the frame itself uses thinner walls while retaining rigidity through reinforcing ribs. Wheelbase was reduced by 10mm to just 1,400mm while the trail was reduced by 3mm to 96mm, thus made sharper. Overall the 750 is just two kilos heavier than the 600.
GSX-R600, 750 OR 1000

rights to everything then you must get the big 1,000cc machine. It bristles with power but is not wholly dominated by what the engine generates as theres guise to the package too. The 1,100 difference between this and the 750 may be important to some and not for others, but theres no doubting what you get extra for the money. The GSX-R600 is, and always has been, a bionic bike, capable of ghting well above its weight. Only 800 separates it from the 750 and for that the extra money goes purely and simply into power as the two bikes are furnished very simply. Couple insurance and you could saving over a grand, and that money goes a long way towards making the 600 very trick indeed. Its a tough choice.
When the K6 series of bikes comes on stream the whole look of the Gixxer series will be as one again.
With launch schedules a year out of kilter, its the turn of the 600 (above right) and 750 to have their
makeover in 2006. So with very similar forms, which bike do you go for? If you have to own the bragging
OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
trellis frame, substantial swingarm, stacked headlights, clocks, acres of fairing and other smaller features all look ne in their own right, but they dont come together in harmony as one single entity. Everything feels right when you are on board, but as soon as you pull up somewhere the feeling
has been a sluggish seller for Ducati and given its dynamic abilities you have to think that its looks are responsible for this spiral. Apart from the seat, its a comfortable bike, not putting too much pressure on the forearms or bending your body in two in fact the very antithesis to the bike it
replaces. The seat is low but the pegs feel squat too. Youd think that this would be a recipe for poor ground clearance, but nothing could be further from the truth. But where the 998 could be strung up in a gallery, the 999 could just be strung up. The look doesnt work as a package. The
The thing about this bike, and the reason why Simon votes it top of the test, is how involving it is to ride. It feels like youre riding a GP bike and you come off any track session buzzing with life. So immediate are the controls, so responsive is the throttle and so, for want of a better word, thrilling is the feeling through the seat of your pants you cant fail to enjoy it. You have to get used to the Aprilia more so than other bikes because weight bias generally feels quite high compared to other sportsbikes. Ohlins suspension front and rear is of a higher calibre than the GSX-R or Ducatis. It took me a while to feel happy trusting the front end because the forks are better at masking stuff than responding. Some Snetterton corners are pretty bumpy but the RSV Factory felt stable and sure of itself, as I say often, masking the fact that bumps are there at all. Sporting soft-feeling Pirelli Diablo Corsas helps with that too. The brakes feel amazing and easily make up for any lack of speed it may have compared with a
RSV FACTORY
APRILIA
four-cylinder bike down the straights, with impressive power and feel. The bonus with the Factory in comparison to the old Mille or the standard RSV-R, is how it manages to stay in shape under heavy braking. RSVs traditionally get a bit of a wriggle on under heavy braking, especially over bumpier surfaces, as the back-end skips around when light. This one, for once, is damn near as good as the GSX-R, certainly better than the 999S and feels as good as the bike did at the launch two years ago. The gearbox is hard work by comparison to the GSX-R but precise after the sloppy Ducati. Theres very little in engine performance terms between the 999 and the RSV. Both are clearly slower than a GSXR1000 or R1 but quicker than a CBR600RR or R6. Relying on torque more heavily makes life easier on the twins than the GSX-R750 and theres also a sharp wallop of grip-testing power high up the RSVs rev-range.
...THE RSV FEELS LIKE YOURE RIDING A GP BIKE AND YOU COME OFF ANY TRACK SESSION BUZZING WITH LIFE...
Its hard to say why precisely but the 999S didnt excite me in quite the same way as the Aprilia on the track. I dont have the same desire to sit and look at any 999 as I feel compelled to with the Aprilia. About two in ten people who walked past the SuperBike van at Snetterton and took any notice of the Duke (about one in ten noticed the GSX-R while the rest were all ogling the Aprilia). Theres a stronger feeling of transition between upright and leant over during turn-in, by that I mean its quicker to go from one to the other. That
999S
DUCATI
leaves you reluctant to keep braking hard and more inclined to do all the braking with the bike still upright. The front is totally reliable in the corners and the 999S always feels solid. One thing always in the 999s favour is how close to the ground you feel. A track or road surface never feels so close and youre left thinking you could have got your chin down sometimes not merely a knee or an elbow. That said it takes more physical effort to get the thing turning, especially on fast corners, and its easy to nd yourself a yard off the line and ghting hard to get back. In my
experience thats a trait of the modern Ducati that is only changed by increasing rear ride height and getting more weight of the bike over the front. The bike demands better tyres than the Pilot Powers even though they performed perfectly well during the day at Snetterton. Theyre ne on the road and indeed are probably the best option but on the track they give up the ghost after six laps or so on track. Some of the harsher feeling from the bumps you get from the Ducati chassis compared to the other two bikes could be down to the harder feeling road tyres as opposed to track-type Pirellis on the RSV.
The thing about this bike, especially in this context, is how normal and dare I say it, boring, it seems. You must understand this notion is purely based on looks and the impression you get from riding it around sensibly. It does little more than exist as a sportsbike (and a classic sportsbike at that) but in this company, well its just not fancy enough. While we all spend more miles riding around sensibly than we imagine, the truth is its the rest of the time that you cant help but love the GSX-R750. As they say, it does beautifully blend the best bits of the
GSX-R750
SUZUKI
600 and 1000: positive and reliable front-end and a very neutral, stable chassis let you exploit a track to your own potential with a strong engine capable of hauling you up from midrange to ballistic revs. It takes a bit more effort to get a perfect lap on the GSX-R750 because it
seems to demand more precision from you as a rider to get the best from it. But all the time youre trying your hardest to bang a qualifying lap together youre safe in the knowledge this bike is going to behave perfectly. A hell of a lot less money but nowhere near as special.
SPEED
TESTING
SUZUKI
THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GAIN 3 SECONDS A LAP - EASIL Y!

BUY NO AND BE W THE PRI AT INCREA CE SE
GSX-R750
ACCELERATION Speed Time Distance (MPH) (secs) (Metres) 10 0.63 1.382 20 1.24 5.491 30 1.80 11.748 40 2.35 20.287 50 2.90 31.445 60 3.56 47.630 70 4.24 67.500 80 5.08 95.633 90 5.91 127.159 100 6.87 167.981 110 8.14 227.465 120 9.47 295.751 130 11.35 400.181 140 13.99 560.602 150 18.23 836.609
Accel (G) 0.72 0.74 0.76 0.78 0.79 0.77 0.75 0.72 0.69 0.66 0.62 0.58 0.52 0.46 0.38
Rider Top speed Time Distance 1/4 mile
Simon Roots 157.92mph (159.919mph in Roll-on) 31.45 seconds 1754.286 metres 11.40s @ 130.29mph
BRAKING 70mph-0mph 51.10metres ROLL-ON 40-80mph 6.90 seconds 40-120mph 14.4 seconds
DUCATI
FASTER LIGHTER STRONGER SAFER WHEELS

BSTs MotoGP proven road legal race wheels and GP/race-only wheels, are crafted from aerospace quality carbon fibre in a single moulding process, for immense strength and longer life. Up to 12lbs lighter than standard wheels, BSTs reduced rotational and gyroscopic inertia - and unsprung weight - massively improve acceleration, braking, turning and grip giving rider-fatiguereducing lighter handling Simply fit your discs and tyres and go!
The ZX-10R feels like a totally different bike. It seems that 50kg of balast has fallen off... and that all inertia is gone. Its responsiveness has gone through the roof, leaping forwards at the slightest invite from the throttle and changing direction unbelievably fast. The BSTs leave you gob-smacked as the bike now snaps from full-lean-right to full-lean-left in an instant. ...there is no other [physical road-legal] modification you can make that will instantly cut two seconds from your times, even for 1,900.
Deputy Editor, Jamie Wilkins. BST Wheel test. Fast Bikes, January 06
999S
Accel (G) 0.78 0.83 0.80 0.81 0.79 0.78 0.70 0.68 0.66 0.61 0.59 0.55 0.49 0.44 0.35
Rider Top speed Time Distance 1/4 mile
Simon Roots 161.219mph (164.301mph in Roll-on) 39.85 seconds 2343.336 metres 11.65s @ 129.34mph
Ducati & MV single sided rear
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APRILIA
RSV FACTORY
T discuss BSTs advantages or buy your set o
Accel (G) 0.68 0.77 0.78 0.80 0.81 0.81 0.77 0.76 0.74 0.68 0.65 0.61 0.54 0.49 0.40
call
Rider Top speed Time Distance 1/4 mile Simon Roots 159.41mph (163.893mph in Roll-on) 26.60 seconds 1441.969 metres 11.20s @ 131.46mph fax: 0870 774 7741
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OLD RULES
NEW TOOLS
the purists way. You wont get too many admiring glances from the side of the road but chances are, you wont care. If, however, youve just been handed ve pounds change from 14,000 by your local Ducati dealer then Im sure youd be hoping for a bit more kudos from both trained and untrained eyes than your typical GSX-R750 owner. Youll struggle to get this cachet though, because the 999S suffers from Ducatis post 998
SIMONS FINAL ANALYSIS

It doesnt take Mystic Meg to gure out which bike Id have (was it the Aprilia then? clarity ed), but the choice of runner-up is much more difcult. Its the age-old battle between price and function with the sublime Ducati 999S and the everyday GSX-R750. If you can only afford the Suzuki then there is no choice. It knocks spots off the supersports category while retaining excellent usability and great value. If youre still considering a litre bike, ask yourself if you really need that fatter midrange, that extra 15mph at the top of the scale or half a second over quarter of a mile. If you can live without these little extras then save money on the bike, insurance and running costs and live life
design hangover Massimo Tamburinis leaving drinks must have been a hell of a party. Its not that it looks bad, its just not a bike you can lose yourself in. Providing the Alka-Seltzer, in extra strength formulation, is a rippling motor, a chassis born to corner and components that shine no matter the situation. If you expect it to be a bitch to ride then youll be in for a pleasant surprise because the Ducati moulds itself to many paces, although getting the best out of it requires commitment aplenty. It is a better bike than the Suzuki, but think of what you could do to the GSX-R with the near 6,500 that you save by buying Japanese. The Aprilia Factory, however, combines GSX-R value with the Ducatis ability and
exclusivity to make it a worthy winner here. The list price of just over 11,000 is not inconsiderable, but if you do your homework you should be able to nd one for around the 9,000, if not a little cheaper. Even at list price, its cheekily 50 cheaper than the base model 999 At litre-bike money it makes a sensible option. Sensible I hear you say. Yup, sensible. Theres none of that frightening 150bhp raw power of say a ZX-10R, theres cornering ability that the Factory has learned from its time in superbikes and the 250cc GP class and theres a look and feel of true discernment. Pull up on a Factory and youll not be short of people wanting to know the hows, the whats and the whys.
Its pure conjecture to ponder what the Aprilia could do in WSB today were it still carrying the momentum of the Mille project. That its not racing in WSB is a crying shame but at least Aprilia is keeping yesterdays dreams alive. SB
VERY SPECIAL THANKS
Muchos gracias goes to Carbontek for supplying ne dyno work. Call em on 01737 789878 or www.carbontek.com. Top work too by Focused Events (08702 646 268) for letting us on its top track day at Snetterton. It has trackdays aplenty through the winter, both in the UK and abroad. Head to www.focusedevents.com for a full list of events.
REAL WORLD SUPERBIKING WINTER RIDING
SECOND HELPING
I
runabout when it comes to trade-in time. Besides there are more advantages to year-round biking than youd think. Bikes still guarantee to get you anywhere faster and theyre a damned sight easier to park. With another bonus of sharpening your riding, avoiding congestion charges, and giving you stacks more experience, using a bike every day throughout the year does have its plus points. Buying a second bike should actually involve a fair bit of care, so dont rush in and buy the rst shed you see. Mull over your choices with a careful eye and youll nd a loyal servant that could be an understudy to your pride and joy for years to come. The rst rule is not to get too proud. Remember, this is a back-up
SUPERBIKES ARE SEASONAL, WHICH IS A BIT OF A PAIN. BUT BIKING DOESNT HAVE TO BE, WHICH IS MUCH BETTER NEWS. CHRIS MOSS TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT THE PLEASURES AND PITFALLS OF THE SECOND BIKE
bike thats letting you save your preferred choice for the more special occasions. So stuff thats not too fast, ash or fashionable will be perfectly OK. Youre after a bit of dependability, durability and cost saving. Nothing more. The second rule is, dont spend too much. Dont forget, this is an economic exercise, so dont mess it up by busting the budget from the very start. The best places to go to buy from are smaller, backstreet shops as theyll offer a bit of a warranty and some back up if stuff goes wrong. Otherwise check out private ads in both specialist and local papers, or try eBay and bike auctions. The bigger boys dont deal in the sort of cheap runabouts youre looking out for, so give them a miss. Wherever you choose to go, do it soon, as its a buyers market at this time of year. Therell be hundreds of bikes to pick from. So just like you would with a new and expensive bike, take your time and get what you need or want the most.
f you run a superbike every day, all year round itll clock up too many miles, get a bit worn and scruffy, and cost a fair amount of wedge to keep it in tip top order. Keeping superbikes on duty for twelve months can, in short, be a bit of a nancial ball ache. And using one for your daily commute may make you sick of bikes come the weekend. But there is a solution a second bike. Now some think you have to be loaded to afford a second bike but thats not the case. In fact, if you want to ride daily right through the year, a second bike could actually save you money. A second bike can save your number one mount from depreciating, getting bashed in a crash and generally getting knocked about. Save your superbike for best, and itll be worth more than you paid for a winter hack/
JP about to head into the depths of winter on his CBR-6. Until he had a word with himself and out came the trailie
10
TOOL UP
THINGS BE DOING THIS MONTH... YOU REALLY SHOULD

PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN...
7th
HOT DATES JANUARY
SPEND SOME CASH
...AND DRIVE
WIND UP
On a really good tools. Snap-on screw drivers, a King Dick tool box or how about a Husqvarna chain saw? Go on, treat yourself and your bike to a bit of class (stick to trees with the chain saw mind).
In your car. Is your favourite road as empty as a Leeds fans sympathy for George Best? Dont waste it (or risk your bike). Go for a Sunday blast in the car to keep your memory fresh and your reexes sharp.
MATES CAN BE SO CRUEL
PEDAL TO THE METAL
BE A PUSHER
HEALTH MATTERS
Make one of your mates look like a cock. See if the rest of you can wind one mate up with a complete and utter lie about something. Valentino Rossi has been testing an electric Yamaha? Honda is developing a three-wheeled vehicle to win both F1 and MotoGP.
Ride your push bike. Got a mountain bike in the shed you never use? Got some mates in the same boat? Get out and see the world at a different speed. Hell, you could even ride your favourite road and get a better picture of where those trees/ditches/ road signs are.
EAT MORE FRUIT

Eat more fruit. We know its not always as nice as a bar of chocolate or a bacon sarnie but a bit of vitamin C never did anyone harm and its just as cheap and easy to carry in your rucksack.
ROUND 1 WORLD TRIALS CHAMPS The Hallam Arena, Shefeld, is the venue and everyone should witness the skills of the worlds top trials riders close up whilst cheering on the biggest man in the sport, our very own Dougie Lampkin. 0114 256 56 56 or www hallamfmarena. co.uk
HOT DATES JANUARY

SOUTHERN SPAIN Most southern Spanish circuits will be booked by manufacturers, race teams and loads more besides (including us) for testing over the next month or more. If youre there on holiday check out some great action at Almeria, Cartegena, Guadix, to name just three.
1st
SPORTING CALENDAR
PLAN YOUR BIKING YEAR
Having things to look forward to gives you something to look forward to so get a calendar and nail down when youre going to have a camping weekend, next track day (s), when the service is due, when youre going for a ride with your mates and so on.
Get a bit of education and never be bull-shitted down the pub again. There are plenty out there by astonishingly clever people (John Robinson for instance) wholl explain about chassis, suspension, engines all to depths you wouldnt think possible.
BUY THE BOOK
THE KNOWLEDGE
STOP RIDING...
WRONG RUBBER
COMMUNICATION
...around on the wrong tyres. If youve got a sports bike and you spend all your time riding on the road get yourself a set of sporty road tyres. 2005 threw up some great new road tyres easily able to deal with everything up to a GSX-R1000. What use are race tyres at this time of year anyway?
TALK TO PEOPLE
The old dear next to you at bus queue, the bloke stood next to you by the fence at a race circuit, the fella who you see ride in the car park at work every day, maybe event the neighbour who hates noisy, smelly motorbikes.
PICTURE PERFECT
TAKE A DECENT PICTURE...
...of your bike. Get it looking really smart, all polished and shiny. Then park it up somewhere scenic on a sunny day (by a lake, on top of a mountain) and get a picture of your pride and joy to be proud of.
SO WHAT MAKES A DECENT SECOND BIKE?

n obvious sort of bike to consider is a small trailie . They t the second bike bill perfectly. Theyre rough and tough and wont get written off unless you chuck em out of a plane. But the best thing about them is that you can also use them for a bit of green-laning, which is always a hoot. Stuff like Yamaha DT125 or 175s, Honda XR 125 or 250s, or Suzuki DR models are readily available from 1,000-2,000 depending on age and condition. Another good type of bike to consider is your bog-standard budget roadster. Think of the
sort of tackle that despatchers use and, more to the point, why they use them, and youll understand what makes them such good second bikes. Suzuki GS500 and GSX600Fs, Kawasaki ER-5 and GPZ 500s, Yamaha Diversion 600s and Honda Reveres are totally solid and reliable performers that can take loads of knocks and abuse without complaint. Just make sure you dont buy one thats been used by an actual despatcher. Like the trailies, youll nd a stack of these bikes kicking around for 1,000-2,000. Staying in that price bracket, theres a whole range of bigger, fairly unsexy, but perfectly suited stuff from days gone by to have a look at. And
though bikes like Yamahas Diversion 900 and TDM 850, Triumphs Trophy and Daytona 900s, Hondas CBR1000 and Kawasaki ZX-10s are no longer considered fashionable enough to hold a decent price, they still represent a whole load of bike for the money. And they dont mind doing longer runs either. Dont forget if youre not too worried about the odd bit of damage or corrosion above and beyond what youd expect for a bike of any given age or mileage, you can really start saving dosh. Stuff like earlier CBR600s, VFR750s, FZ750s or GSX-Rs will all lose stacks from their value if they have a bit of accident damage or feature more than your average level of
rot. And they may end up only costing you a grand. Running round on something scruffy like that might be hard to take at times, but remember, if youve got a mint latest-spec superbike shining in your garage back at home, then getting the odd sneer from onlookers shouldnt bother you. And if you have the misfortune to slip off your shed and bash it about a bit, then it wont be anywhere as heartbreaking as it would be normally. Downgrading your bike might not always feel too good for the ego, but itll help to massage it nicely when youre able to wheel out your in-totally-tiptop-nick superbike from your garage when the times right.
Yamahas XR 250. Bomb-proof and fun
Kawasakis ER-5 (above) and the Suzuki GSX600F are favourites with dispatch riders for good reason
HELP
YOUR PROBLEMS SORTED
EVERY MONTH, DOCTOR ALAN DOWDS REFERS YOUR BIKING PROBLEMS TO OUR DISTINGUISHED PANEL OF EXPERTS. FROM RIDING TIPS TO MECHANICAL MALADIES, WE HAVE THE CURE
IVE GOT A 1999 CBR900RR FIREBLADE, WITH A 16 INCH FRONT WHEEL. IVE BEEN TOLD I CAN FIT A 17 INCH WHEEL, NOT TO IMPROVE THE HANDLING SO MUCH BUT TO HAVE A BIGGER TYRE CHOICE. WHAT WHEEL CAN I FIT STRAIGHT ON? Well, before you start, its worth considering the tyre options you do have currently. There are lots of 16-inch FireBlade front wheels out there, and most manufacturers are still supporting this size. For example, Bridgestone supplies its BT-014 and BT012SS tyres, Metzeler 16 TYRE makes a Sportec M1 and Pirelli supplies OPTIONS it Diablo, all of Most manufacturers still produce tyres in which are excellent this size, here are four tyres. Steve Frost, good examples Hondas press workshop manager doesnt recommend changing the rim either. Honda cant recommend this it upsets the handling, steering geometry etc. But if you really need a bigger tyre choice some trackday rubber, say then there are a few options. But Bridgestone Bridgestone BT-012SS BT-014 there isnt a perfect, easy option on the 99 model no stock wheel ts and looks the same without some modications. A VTR1000F Firestorm wheel ts right on, with the same brake and bearing ttings. But it is a three-spoker, so doesnt match your rear. VFR400, VFR750 and CBR600 Metzeler Pirelli F3 front wheels all Sportec Diablo t, but you may need to use your stock axle and spacers, while changing the discs. Whatever wheel you try, make sure theres clearance on the mudguard, the spacers all t correctly, and check the caliper and disc alignment carefully. Your bike has a speedo sensor on the gearbox sprocket, so you dont need to worry about that.
WRITE TO: SUPERBIKE FIRST AID, SUPERBIKE MAGAZINE, LEON HOUSE, 233 HIGH STREET, CROYDON, SURREY CR9 1HZ. E-MAIL: SUPERBIKE_LETTERS@IPCMEDIA.COM
Q A
I WAS DOING 145MPH ON MY BMW K1200S IN A SWEEPING CORNER AND I HIT A PATCH OF UNEVEN TAR AND I GOT A SHORT BUT VIOLENT TANK SLAP. ISNT A STEERING DAMPER SUPPOSED TO PREVENT THIS ? MARTIN, SOUTH AFRICA A steering damper is certainly designed to reduce tankslappers. They all do this in a similar way by absorbing the kinetic energy of the bikes steering. Most use a hydraulic damper (like a suspension unit) which forces oil through small holes that converts this energy into heat. A tankslapper is caused when your front wheel hits a bump, taking weight off the tyre, and allowing the bars to turn slightly. After the bump, weight goes back onto the tyre, and it grips. If its still off-centre the castor effect of the steering straightens it up. But it may travel past the midpoint, and then the castor effect throws it back in the opposite direction, and if it passes the midpoint again, the motion repeats again. If all the parameters are right, the steering starts to oscillate more and more violently. On the K1200S, the steering damper is a simple, unadjustable unit. This means it has to compromise between allowing you to turn the bars easily (when ltering through trafc), needing a light damping effect, while also preventing high-energy tankslappers, which needs a heavier damping effect. So its not inconceivable that hitting a bad bump, while accelerating, with some weight in the panniers could cause a short steering instability. If your bike had no damper at all, the slapper would have been worse, perhaps ending in tears. Best solution is an adjustable damper, which you can turn down in town or at slow speeds, then turn up again when youre thrashing down bumpy back roads at 100mph-plus. I JUST PASSED MY TEST AND BOUGHT A 2006 ZX-6R. THE BOOK SAYS STAY UNDER 4,000RPM FOR 500 MILES THEN UNDER 6,000RPM FOR ANOTHER ETERNITY. MY MATES ARE TELLING ME NOT TO BOTHER, SO IVE PUSHED IT UP TO 120MPH. ARE THEY RIGHT OR AM I GOING TO RUIN MY FIRST BIKE? MARK ELLISON, STAFFS
To be honest, if youve not been riding long, you should be going pretty steady anyway. And since the people who know best about the ZX-6R is Kawasaki, youre probably as well following its advice on how to treat the bike
Q A
it built. Having said that, the occasional foray into higher revs wont do much harm. It is very important to make sure that the engine is warmed up properly before using higher revs, and that you avoid labouring the engine either screaming along at very high revs for miles, or lugging along in a high gear, with large throttle openings and low revs. Avoid constant engine speeds for long periods too try and vary the engine speeds. Whats vital is to have the rst service at the right time, so the oil and lter is changed to rid the engine of all the bedding-in debris. Having said all that, bikes are so well built these days, and average mileages so low, that the motor will probably be good for at least a decade, no matter how aggressively you run it in.
RIDING TIPS
IS THE BIG FREEZE LIMITING YOUR WINTER MILEAGE? JP TO THE RESCUE
COLD COMFORT
Q A
IM INTENDING TO RIDE THROUGH THE WINTER BUT ALREADY UP HERE IN SCOTLAND WEVE SEEN SNOW AND ICE. WHATS THE BEST POLICY FOR RIDING IN SUCH CONDITIONS JAMES REID, ABERDEEN
The cocaine store went up with a hell of a bang
The best policy is to never ride in the snow and ice, but how do you handle it if you have no choice? First things rst. Slow down, give yourself more time to think and pay more attention to the road surface because it is far less predictable. Choose your line more carefully, sometimes following car wheels is best, other times this might be where the hard-packed snow or black ice is, so is best avoided. You need to be uid, able to move and you must allow the bike to move underneath you, so dont ride tense, with rigid arms or a stiff body. Dont get xated with the bit of road two feet in front of you either, you need to know whats coming before its too late. Only use your brakes very lightly
and make sure its 50/50 front and back as well. Your tyres could have little or no grip, so suddenly asking them to do something aint going to happen, they need gentle persuasion. You might think riding with your feet down gives you a better chance but youre actually making it worse. Your feet are two direct ways of feeling for grip in the rst place but
without your feet on the rests youre losing the steering effect they have and dangerously limiting yourself to the front brake only (think how many rear wheel skids you did outside the house as a kid? How many front wheel skids have you controlled?) A bit of slip is normal so dont overreact with panic braking when it does happen, go with the ow. Your
physical reaction to a slide, either front or rear wheel, should be to pick the bike up away from the direction it wants to fall and by steering away from the slide (like a speedway rider). Having your feet on the pegs is a quicker way of picking the bike up because your leg pushing on the footrest provides more weight nearer the centre of gravity of your bike.
IVE GOT AN 05 CBR600RR WITH ONLY 260 MILES ON THE CLOCK. IM USING IT FOR MY SHORT COMMUTE TO WORK AND THE OCCASIONAL RUN OUT, DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET IT RUN IN. SHOULD I RIDE THROUGH THE WINTER OR LOCK HER AWAY FROM ALL THE SALT? SIMON BRADLEY CHESHIRE religious about keeping the bike clean hose it down every night, dry it off and use a maintenance spray on all the metal parts then itll be ne. Hot soapy water every few days, and careful protection of parts like the chain and sprockets, footpegs, levers and switches will pay dividends too. Plenty of chain lube, maintenance spray (WD40 or similar) and a heavier oil, wax or grease on these parts will stop corrosion in its tracks. But if youre lazy, you will end up with decay showing. Nothing should break or rust Hondas dont do that. But plated steel parts will dull and alloy may develop white corrosion. If you can trust yourself to do the cleaning, keep riding. Otherwise, be prepared to lock the bike in the garage, or have a scruffy CBR next summer.
Q A
SHOULD I LOWER MY TYRE PRESSURES FOR RIDING IN THE COLD? WHAT ABOUT RIDING IN THE SUMMER HEAT? DO I NEED TO TAILOR MY PRESSURES TO SUIT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES FOR ROAD RIDING? JAMES NEWTON, EMAIL
We gave some sound advice on winter preparation last month, so that should have been some help. We reckon the best plan is always to ride through winter itll keep your skills topped-up for when spring arrives, and in your case it will mean the bikes well run-in too. But youre right to worry about the effects of winter salt, grit and damp. If youre really
Arthur Macdonald, Bridgestone UKs motorcycle manager told us; The recommended pressures are designed to work across the broadest range of applications. Theoretically, therefore, it would be possible to optimise performance by tailoring the pressure to suit that application specically. However under normal road riding conditions, even in winter, a wide range of conditions are met and a wide range of speeds are used, so I would still say use the recommended pressures. So there you have it. Stick with recommended pressures on the road for the best mix of grip, stability and wear to deal with all the various circumstances youll encounter.
KAWASAKI ZX-6R YAMAHA YZF-R1 HONDA CBR600RR YAMAHA YZF-R6 SUZUKI GSX-R600
COUNTY
WE NORMALLY VENTURE FAR AND WIDE TO TEST BIKES, RARELY STAYING IN THE HECTIC HOME COUNTIES. BUT NOW THAT WINTER HAS SHORTENED THE DAYS, WE THOUGHT WED VENTURE INTO KENT
es, the big county were talking about is Kent, one-time garden of England and global warming aside still a sizeable chunk of this green and pleasant landmass. Its not like one of those mickey mouse home counties (Buckinghamshire anyone?) that feeds commuters into the call centres of London. No, Kent is properly massive and large swathes of it are empty. OK, empty-ish. OK, empty considering its in the south east of England, the most overcrowded, fenced-in and surveilled patch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
WORDS: KENNY PRYDE PICTURES: CLAIRE COLLINS
But its got a truck-load of history, plenty of roads and, importantly for us, its got a coastline. Theres something about beaches that we like here at SuperBike. Or if not actual sandy beaches, then the sea at least. Looking back over previous years, you nd snaps of us beside the sea in the four corners of the country (Isle of Man, Woolacombe, Southend, Lulworth, Blackpool, Skegness, Anglesey, Islay, Torquay). I suspect this unconsciously reveals us to be big kids at heart, but youve probably realised that already. As Jon says, Where else can you get a decent strawberry milkshake but the seaside?
And why are we heading to the Kent coast at this precise moment in time? Well the calls and emails had come in asking for out long term test bikes to go back to their registered owners and it was a chance for a last hurrah on them. Except that Simons GSX-R1000 is already back with Suzuki, nursing its Al-inicted wounds, Neil Handley the ad man was a no-show (something about planning his wedding in an Italian lap dancing club). Either that or he was at the Milan bike show (or maybe both) so we had to draft in Dave to pretend he was Neil, which is an insult to Daves riding ability, looks and manners, but no matter.
. Its and butter and hot tea Fish and chips, bread are for seaside what cold trips to the
By the time Al got hom e, he had a nicelygrilled piece of dogsh ready for supper
Best known for the battle where Harold got one in the eye, Hastings isnt exactly Monaco. But its still worth a trip on a sunny Sunday
OK, so its no surprise to anyone that the rst thing on our minds when we found Hastings seafront (having skipped breakfast, honest) was hot food and a brew. We made a bit of a mistake in falling into the rst cafe we found. Dont do it! Instead, avoid the sea-front car park (where you have to pay a pound to park your bike or cop a ridiculous 25 ne youve been warned), head east out of town (towards Rye) and turn right towards the sh market type area. Fresh sh and proper sh and chip shops await you.
FOOD
Ofcial Hastings commemorative battle cake
KENTISH ROADS
1: A21 Leaving the M25 for the coast. This is actually an entertaining stretch of road, a decent, swoopy mix of single and dual carriageway. The problem is that its more like the entrance to a shopping centre car park at Christmas than the Nurburgring. There are times when theres less trafc on it, but youd probably collide with badgers, foxes and other creatures of the night, if you see what we mean. As you close in on Hastings, you might as well sit up and relax, since its clogged with all manner of road-going obstacles. 2: A268 Rye Flimwell. A proper ribbon of road that takes you from the coast back up towards the big smoke. The stretches between the ensuing oasthouselled villages could do with being a bit longer to get a proper rhythm going but nevertheless, scratchers should delight in roads as good as this so close to the capital. 3: A2100 Hastings to Battle. A mixed surface and not much to commend it, its still too busy to relax and enjoy on. In fact the only good thing is that theres a decent tea-room beside Battle castle, Gallery 31. 4: A259 Hastings to Rye. This has a lot to commend it and there are a couple of proper catch-you-out bends and a mad hairpin that the council has clearly imported from the Alps or Pyrenees. Great fun on a supermoto and a wary giggle on anything else. 5: Unmarked off the A259 to Fairlight and Cliff End. Its narrower than youd want it to be but it twists and squirms like a government minister facing a select committee. It calms down as it runs parallel to the sea, but its worth it and its pretty quiet. If you were of a mind to get some wheelie practice, well, you know
4 5
LONGTERMERS ROAD TRIP
Lets get a pic on the beach, they said. Then only narrowly avoided a trip to Hastings General Hospital with four heart attacks after heaving the bikes back off the crazy pebbling
A thousand acres of angry Kent
sky
Are yeeoouw looking at me?
As well as the seaside lovers, we had a war nerd in our ranks in the shape of Al, so the prospect of seaside tearooms with a side-order of bloody slaughter at Hastings was too good to pass up. Wrapped up in winter kit and with pockets of change for the amusement arcades, we headed south on the A21 just after the morning rush hour. Considering the county is so big, considering too the time of day and the season, you wouldnt believe how badly the road was jammed with
decided to ride the cars and trucks. Yamahas nest do battle by the sea. Its just on the right there, behind the massive embankment bikes onto the pebble Judging by the beach to provide drivers, few of appropriate light and them looked like they had the same end-of-season backdrop. Dear reader, in case you had thoughts on their minds as us as they any doubts, you cant ride a sportsbike bumbled along, pointing out garden through seaside kitty-litter. We got centres and other points of dubious the pictures, but the sweat it cost us interest. forced us into another twee tourist And its at times like these when tearoom, this time in the shadow of the torque and power of a 1,000cc Battle castle. Such was the quality of in-line four comes into its own. All the cakes and the speed with which the temperature was dropping, there those slightly dodgy was a decided reluctance to saddle up overtakes you are again, but off we went, heading along tempted by when the coast towards Rye for a nal nal the frustration blat of 2005. with trafc gets to All that remained was to join the you are rendered appalling trafc heading back up considerably less towards the M25 and wonder at the dodgy with an R1 psychological prole required to sit underneath you. in a car and crawl along in mile after And if you havent mile of trafc jam every fucking day. got 1,000cc of grunt, The expression comfortably numb you can always just never seemed more appropriate. Bikes ride like a twat. can be a pain in the arse (cold and In as much as wet equals dangerous) but itd have to we make a bit be a cold day in Hell (or Kent) to turn of an effort at me into a Home Counties car-bound least in terms of commuter. SB the pictures we
SUZUKI GSX-R600
SUZUKI GSX-R1000
YAMAHA YZF-R1
HONDA CBR600RR
KAWASAKI ZX-6R
YAMAHA YZF-R6
ALAN
I
DOWDS
KAWASAKI ZX-6R
TOTAL MILES DONE: 4,722 MODIFICATIONS: Fitted steering damper. Got cold
ts when the rst few really cold days of winter strike that you might consider questioning the sanity of riding a motorbike. Youre mufed up in thick winter kit (and still a bit cold), theres zero feel for grip from seemingly-solid tyres, and the roads look slippier than a Bush advisor. Its always dark, your visors steaming up, and the texting commuters in their cars seem blinder than ever. Winter gloves stiffen your ngers, heavy boots and socks cramp your ankles and your mirrors now show only thick thermal arm padding rather than whats behind you.
But even in these chill weeks, Im still happy every time I get on the ZX-6R. Our awayday to the seaside underlined once more what a sorted machine it is. With that extra grunt from the bigger motor, you feel more relaxed, even when chasing JP, Simon and Dave on the CBR600RR, R6 and GSX-R600. Sat on the motorway, it does still feel a little undergeared youre always checking the Datatool Digi gear indicator to check youre in top. The droning wail from the Yoshimura full system exacerbates
the feeling, but to be honest, its always felt a little like that on longer trips. Winter kit has also made the slightly uncomfortable riding position even more awkward. Add that to my not-entirely-healed dislocated shoulder, and youll see why I needed a hot bath and a couple of co-codamol when I got home. Kawasaki looks like it may be letting me keep the ZX for another few weeks or so yet, so Im considering a few changes to winterise the bike a touch. Handlebar muffs are out, but I may try some heated grips. And while the BT-002 race tyres
are doing remarkably well in these cold temperatures, Ill still feel safer with something else on. Metzeler is sending me some of its new Sportec M3 tyres to try. These are the replacements for the Sportec M1, which was a pretty capable sporty road tyre, so Im hoping theyll be just the job for damp, cold road riding. Hopefully Ill have a better idea by next month. In the meantime, Im off to Malaysia for a few days to ride a fancy race bike. Check out the superbike website for news on that (www.superbike.co.uk) or wait until next month. What Ive done is switch my ZX gearchange around to get the reverse change into my head before the trip. The Arata rearsets make this a two minute job (just take the knuckle off the shift shaft and ip it over). Ive only forgotten once or twice on the road, but hopefully it will pay off on the long straights of Sepang circuit. SB
Pic: Claire Collins
SPRINT SXC DAMPER
Ive nally got round to tting the Sprint SXC steering damper Ive had on my desk for a couple of months too. Its straightforward enough,
but do pay attention to the tting instructions, particularly regarding the base mount which lives under the fuel tank cover. I now have a
neat-looking, adjustable steering damper which I can turn down for town use then turn it up when the CONTACT speeds get higher. Recommended. www.performanceparts-ltd.com
SUZUKI GSX-R600
SUZUKI GSX-R1000
YAMAHA YZF-R1
HONDA CBR600RR
KAWASAKI ZX-6R
YAMAHA YZF-R6
KENNY
YAMAHA YZF-R1
hats it. I thought it was all over last month, but it is now. Yamaha has decided that my time with its R1 is up and the bike is heading back to Yamaha, to be given the once-over before being sold. As I say elsewhere in this issue, the R1 was my favourite bike of the year, as an all-round package I didnt see anything else that could touch it. The Suzuki GSXR1000 might have been more manic which is ne on a trackday but there are times
PRYDE
T
TOTAL MILES DONE: 6,782 MODIFICATIONS: Cleaned and lubed chain, adjusted tyre pressures
when you want a slightly less committed riding position and a little bit more comfort. Which is not to say that the R1 was perfect, although the fact that I didnt really do that much to it says as much about me as it does the bike. Of all the tweaks made I would say that the most signicant one was the dropping the fork through the yoke routine (by 4mm). In truth, I would rather have raised the rear ride height and if I had had time then I would have done that
instead. The shift in weight bias (towards the front) would have been the same but the ground clearance would have been improved too. Basically, after the changes were made the bike felt better at the front and thats never a bad thing in my book. The fact that Yamaha made some adjustments to the front end of the new-for-2006 bike felt like I was maybe on to something (a little). Since Im typing with frozen ngers fresh from a morning ride, its funny to recall that there were times in summer
when the R1s arse-boiling underseat exhaust was a discomfort. There must be ways to improve the heat deection, but, maybe thats just the price to be paid for what is still the best-looking sportsbike on the market. I mean, come on, have you seen the new ZX-10R? And speaking of aesthetics, the rear number plate hanger and indicators could do with a rethink, i.e. shrinking. And the front blinkers? Why not build them into the plastic like the Kwak? But not on the mirrors like the Suzuki a cracked mirror is one thing but a busted indicator after a soft spill means more cash to repair. Plus you cant whip them off on a track day as easy either. So thats it. But you know, if I havent seen or ridden a better bike than the 2005 R1, maybe I would be as happy (happier?) with a 2006 model? Hello, is that Yamaha? SB
IMPROVING THE BREED

The 2005 Yamaha hid its mass well but I suspect the next generation R1 (2007) will be a slightly sleeker bike with a narrower front end and a slipper clutch like the excellent Sigma model I tted. It could maybe have done with a bit more slip (again a lack of time prevented more adjustment) but it worked without a complaint since it was tted. And I cant say farewell to the bike without mentioning the tyres. I had Dunlop OE tting on, then tried Bridgestone BT-12SS and nally Michelin Pilot Power. Id rate the Michelin above the others in every circumstance and in every parameter wear rate, track manners and on cold wet roads. And I know Im not alone in that assessment.
CONTACTS
Sigma Performance: 01892 538802 www.sigmaperformance.com Michelin: 01782 401853 www.michelin.co.uk
SUZUKI GSX-R600
SUZUKI GSX-R1000
YAMAHA YZF-R1
HONDA CBR600RR
KAWASAKI ZX-6R
YAMAHA YZF-R6
JONATHAN
HONDA CBR600RR
PEARSON
I
MILES DONE 4,578 MODIFICATIONS Loads of protective spray applied, everywhere. Race pipe off, stocker back on for the salty roads
am not enjoying the onset of salted roads this year (like anyone is). The CBR is looking pristine as I write, a couple of healthy doses of protective spray after each clean has kept it corrosion free, so far. Ive used a combination of Scottoiler FS365 and Protect it
from Yoomee products. Both are designed to disperse the water after washing then leave a protective layer of lm, and both cost piss-all. The trouble is, no matter how good your intentions, you can never clean the bike every time you get home and thats when the salt gets to work. I bet if you sat in the
garage or shed at night youd hear it eating away at the aluminium like a grub eating bark. For that reason Im removing the Arata titanium exhaust system and bolting the stock one back on. Our ofce day trip to do battle down Hastings way made me realise I might have misled you about the
suspension settings. Earlier on in the year I noted down the suspension settings, saying I back the rear suspension right off to fully soft for my ride to work. While that works ne in the stop-start, at world of London it very obviously doesnt on a bumpy open roads. Apologies if you thought I was riding around with a bouncy, wallowy thing that wont steer when Im not on a track. So for the road, front rebound and compression one and a half turns out from hard with the preload as standard. Rear rebound and compression are two and a half turns out from hard, again with no adjustment to the preload. SB
GETTING IN A PAD-DY
The Carbone Lorraine pads have been a topic of conversation here in the ofce lately because Alan has them tted to his long termer too. Theyre top rate in the dry, especially on the track where theyve given me better feel, power and wear-rate than the stockers. But in the cold and rain the pressure drops off when they dont achieve the same heat build up, so much so that I have to click the spanadjuster back. The strength comes back if I work hard at getting them warm again but its something to be aware of. The importer says the SBK5 pads are the Diablo Corsa of the brake pad world, so just as with tyres I recommend using the right thing for the right conditions: keep summer tyres and brake pads for the summer. Dont forget you can easily take pads out and t them again next spring.
CONTACTS
Carbone Lorraine pads:
Pirelli Moto, 0845 6094949 www.scottoiler.com www.yoomee.co.uk
Scottoiler FS365: 0141 955 1100 Yoomee: 01663 733137
USED STUFF
YES, ITS ALL MANNER OF KIT WEVE USED AND RIDDEN IN. ALL RATED BASED ON PRICE, FINISH, DESIRABILITY, DURABILITY AND VALUE FOR MONEY
THE TEST OF TIME
WOLF
SIMON ROOTS
TM
KANGAROO LEATHER SUIT

angaroo leathers funny old stuff. You read everything about it, about how light it is and about how much tougher it is than real moo-jacket and you believe the hype and think about getting one. You then try a suit on and you suddenly think that theres no way that this seemingly imsy suit will protect as well as a
ING RAT
COST: 699 ON TEST: 18 MONTHS CONTACT: 01623 757262 (WWW.WOLFMOTO.COM)
91%
traditionally skinned suit. I went through this experience but Im here on the other side praising the virtues of Kangaroo leather because this Wolf suit is like a second (very tough) skin. Because its lighter and tougher Wolf doesnt have to use as much of it so its only 1.1-1.2mm thick whereas most decent cow leather suits are around the 1.4mm thickness level (this equates to around a 0.5-kilo weight saving). It
feels so light and supple on that you initially have to tell your brain that it will protect you in the event of an accident. You can jump around a bike so easily in it and its no problem to wear it all day if youre out and about whereas I often feel like Id love to slash a leather suit off at times. Materials aside, its well vented, has CE approved protection at all of the joints, theres stretch panels right where you need them and the main seems are multiply stitched. Ive not thrown myself off
a bike with this suit on so I cant comment on how it would react surng along the tarmac. What I can ever so slightly deride it for is for the zip. Its a clever two-zip affair (meaning you can unzip it from the bottom if you need a slash) but once or twice its worked its way open as Ive been spiritedly going along, but like I say, this has only happened a couple of times and is no show-stopper. So how much would you expect to pay for this opulence? Nearly a grand? Nah, 700 notes to you squire, making this great value for such a well appointed outt.
DATATOOL
ALAN DOWDS
SYSTEM 3 ALARM
your battery, and ddly arming procedures can be a faff day-to-day. This Datatool alarm has the answers though. Its easy to use, hasnt caused any battery drain problems, and doesnt emit a peep unless its getting wobbled about. The remote control is robust and simple, with just two buttons. And its Thatcham-approved, so you know its passed a few independent tests designed to disarm or bypass it (and youll get an insurance discount). Its not the perfect
COST: 299 ON TEST: THREE YEARS CONTACT: 0870 160 1747
always try and get an alarm tted to my long term test bike as soon as I can. Even with most new bikes having keychip immobilisers, an alarm adds an extra layer of security to your bike. When its outside your house at night, theres the peace of mind from knowing the least bit of disturbance will have a hellish noise breaking out. And while thieves can defeat alarms, its another job for them to do, and adds to the deterrence effect. There are a few potential downsides. Over sensitive mechanisms cause false alarms, poor design can drain
single solution brazen bad men will still be able to lift your unchained bike into a silencing van. But a 117db siren going off will put the willies up many a light-ngered Artful Dodger type. And if youre in earshot, youll know somethings going on. There are loads of features (different tones, sensitivity levels etc), which to be honest, I havent really bothered with. It has a service mode for when
youre working on the bike (which beeps annoyingly every 30 seconds), and you can bypass the motion sensor for van transporting. Apart from that, you just push the button every morning, then get on and go. The Datatool alarm costs 299, so its not a super-cheap option. But then, neithers a stolen bike.
TM
ING RAT
93%
BACK PROTECTOR
KNOX
JPS
COST: 89.99 ON TEST: FOUR YEARS CONTACT: 01900 825825 WWW.PLANET-KNOX.COM
bout four years ago a fantastic Knox advert was distracting my reading of the bike magazines. A fantastic-looking naked woman with dreadlocks, and a fantastic arse, had her back to us. Ill never forget that arse and the idea that her precious, soft, brown skin did indeed need some proper protection. Around about the same time I got this back protector, the X1 which was part of the KC2000 range. So you see advertising does work. Back protectors are essential, like a helmet. In my opinion you cant fuck about with them because they could potentially save you from a very serious injury. Which is why Ive stuck with this one for so long. Its fairly big, spreading across my shoulders, slimming around my waist and
then growing wider again around my kidneys before coming to a halt at my coccyx. I feel much safer having my whole back covered rather than only my spine like those slimmer back protectors which dont seem substantial enough. Broad, secure and adjustable Velcro strapping holds it rmly in place around the waist with elastic straps coming over the shoulder. A chest clip stops the shoulder straps getting under your arm pits (something racers complained about with the previous model when this model was new). I still think its hard to beat, despite being long surpassed by new and improved Knox back protection. Ive noticed at least two experienced crashers in the BSB paddock wear a version of
the X1 which is as good a product test as youre likely to get. Despite the number of times Ive worn it, (every time Ive put on a set of leathers and ridden a bike over the last four years: a lot) there are minimal signs of wear. Being so large, it denitely requires a bit of a dying swan impression to get into and out of tight leathers. But I dont mind that because that means it is utterly xed in place and that makes me feel as safe as houses.
TM
ING RAT
95%
KLAN
JAYNE TOYNES
HEATED GLOVES
COST: 89.99 ON TEST: TWO YEARS CONTACT: 08700 110112
TEKNIC
KENNY PRYDES
CYCLONE GLOVES
lectric heated clothing may not be the rst thing you associate with sports bikes but gloves like these make you laugh in the face of Jack Frost
TM
ING RAT
70%
during those freezing winter rides. With heating elements running down each nger, the thumb and around the back of the hand they are miles better than heated grips in terms of keeping your hands warm all over and let you concentrate on
riding rather than thinking how to avoid frostbite by putting your hands on the engine every opportunity you get. They take a little getting used to because you have to plug and unplug yourself every time you get on or off the bike and they can be a real ddle to get on over a winter jacket with the enormous Flash Gordon style elasticated gauntlets but its a small hassle to live with compared to the benets. A fun side to them is that since you need to run a wire through your jacket, down each arm to plug into the gloves you can pretend you are a child again and leave your gloves dangling from your sleeves like the old mittens on a string trick. It saves putting soggy gloves in your lid to avoid losing them as well. The only real downside is the lack of decent crash protection on the knuckles. The textile is reinforced with Kevlar, but it doesnt feel the same as a decent solid piece of carbon.
COST: 49.99 ON TEST: 18 MONTHS CONTACT: 02476 705444 WWW.TEKNICGEAR.COM
Among the many things I dislike about riding a bike in winter is the shift from summer gloves to winter mittens with the concomitant loss of feel. Ive been searching for a glove that offers a bit of warmth and rain protection without totally sacricing feel and these are the best Ive used so far. Theyre a combination of Clarino, leather, cordura, carbon, Scotchlite, a breathable membrane, PVC theyve thrown
everything in the mix. And they work pretty damn well. Theyre a bit snug though and the cuff could do with being a bit more generously cut, but unless its a freezing motorway-based ride Im on, Id have no hesitation in pulling them on. Any colour you want so long as its black.
TM
ING RAT
90%
SUPERLISTINGS
OUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST BIKES OUT THERE, AND HOW MUCH TO PAY FOR THEM...
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USED TEST
BUDGET MIDDLEWEIGHT ROADSTERS
YAMAHA FZS600
IT SPAWNED A THOUSAND STUN HEADLINES. BUT THE FAZER REALLY IS A KNOCKOUT BIKE, SAYS CHRIS MOSS
PICS: JASON CRITCHELL
FAZER
alling Yamahas Fazer 600 a budget bike is a bit of a misnomer really. It rides far too well to be labelled with such a cheap tag. The word value is a much more appropriate one to use whenever youre considering a Fazer. It offers more of that stuff than the vast majority of bikes on the market. It wasnt the rst nancially friendly middleweight to hit the streets; Suzukis Bandit got that honour. But when it did land in the showrooms for the rst time in 1998, the Fazer 600 raised the standard
of budget bikes signicantly. The Fazer is, in short a superb all-rounder that does virtually everything you ask of it both well and with
ease. On top of that, it doesnt cost much to either buy or run, and can be depended on to stand and deliver each and every time you stick the key in it. In fact its so
brilliant, its replacement proved to be an inferior bike. It was only ever-tighting emissions rulings that forced the original Fazer to be dropped from the Yamaha line-up at the end of 2003. And when the FZ6 Fazer, powered by a retuned R6 engine, superceded it, those on a budget moaned at its too-revvy and too-edgy nature. This is a really obvious downfall of the newer bike when its compared directly to the rst Fazer and its much gruntier engine. The four-cylinder Thundercat-based motor behaves like a much bigger capacity unit thanks to its really broad and usable spread of power. Theres a lot more to the Fazer than just cruising though. Get it revved up a bit and theres a fair turn of speed on offer. The gearbox might not be the slickest, but use it a bit to keep the motor on song and youll see over 140mph on the clock. Not bad at all for a budget bike. The Fazers handling isnt too bad either. Its a very easy bike to manage at most speeds and suits newcomers and experienced riders equally well. The upright, sit-up and beg riding position helps you to dominate the bike and push it where you want it to go without any real effort. The only real limitation to this Yamahas chassis poise is the suspension, though you have to be getting a bit of a move on to notice its handicaps. Then youll pick up on the soft and under-damped nature of the fork and shocks movements in corners, and excessive fork dive when youre using the very powerful brakes. The soggy feel wont slow you down too much, but if you want to feel either more composed, or raise your pace still further, youll have to dip into your pockets to upgrade your equipment. Youll also have to shell out a few quid and a few hours to keep

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WE RIDE

DUCATI, MV AGUSTA, BIMOTA

NEW 2006 BIKES

PAGES OF THE BEST BIKES, ROADS, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT

THE TRUTH ABOUT

DO THEY REALLY MAKE YOU QUICKER? MYTHS EXPLODED!

OLD RULES NEW TOOLS

WSB PEDIGREE SUPERBIKES

ROSSIS 6 WE RIDEM1 YAMAHA

WSB PEDIGREE SUPERBIKES

OLD RULES, NEW TOOLS

31REVIEW OF THE YEAR

AUDITED SALES FIGURE FROM JAN-DEC 2004

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POSTCARDS FROM THE HEDGE

74 NEWS, RIDING TIPS, ADVICE

REAL WORLD SUPERBIKING

020 8726 8444

Deputy Editor ALAN DOWDS

020 8726 8443

Features Editor JON PEARSON

86 OLD STUFF TESTED

88 BUDGET NAKED LISTINGS

020 8726 8442

Assistant Art Editor JAYNE TOYNE jayne_toyne@ipcmedia.com

020 8726 8439

020 8726 8419

Editorial PA ALEX GOSS

PORCHIA AND A 999S

For latest news click on www.superbike.co.uk

THAT WE ARE INVOLVED IN MORE ACCIDENTS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR...

Ducati Monster S4RS

6 FEBRUARY 2006 www.superbike.co.uk

NEW SB WEB STORE OPEN www.superbike.co.uk

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GO ON, SMILE, YOU AUSSIE MISERIES

FIND A FITTY COMPETITION

HOO ROTE SHIT?

THERES NO I IN TEAM, BUT THERES A U IN

CALL LYNNE TRUSS

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For latest news click on www.superbike.co.uk

WORDS: SIMON ROOTS PICTURES: PAUL BARSHON

12 FEBRUARY 2006 www.superbike.co.uk

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14 FEBRUARY 2006 www.superbike.co.uk

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MISSUS OF THE YEAR?

A WOMAN WHO UNDERSTANDS A BIKERS NEEDS

Less than six months now Arron...

EVERY MONTH THE STAR LETTER WINS AN HJC FG-14 HELMET

Simon keeping it real

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ORGANISED CRIMEON TELLY!

THOU SHALT NOT BE TEMPTED INTO A DUAL

Mackenzie, keeping herself on a short leash at the NEC

To be honest, Im not keen on silver bikes, so...

READERS SHOOT THE MISSUS

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