Table of contents for 8 June 2022 in MCN

When it comes to race-spec, track-only supermotos they don’t come more potent than KTM’s 450 SMR – nor more advanced than this brand-new 2023 version. While racing supermotos cover many capacities and street-legal versions, such as KTM’s own 690 SMC R can boast up to 700cc, the premier world championship racing class is for 450cc ‘S1’ bikes. The 450 SMR (Super Moto Racing) is KTM’s stand-out performer and is a multiple world championship winner. And now there’s a new one. For starters, the 63bhp SOHC single has been tilted two degrees further back for better mass centralisation, and is housed in a new laser-cut frame with a revised shock position. The riding position has also been tweaked, with the footpegs moved inwards for better ground clearance, and there’s a new…

The Bike Shed London Show has returned to the capital after a three-year Covid-enforced absence, with 19,000 visitors flocking to the capital’s Tobacco Dock site over the long weekend of May 27-29. The show was organised by Shoreditch venue, the Bike Shed, who offer everything from food and drink, to contemporary biking clothing, to tattoos, and a barbershop. They recently opened a second base in Los Angeles. “We planned a show in 2020 that had to be cancelled, ” Bike Shed co-owner Anthony ‘Dutch’ Van Someren told MCN. “We are kind of lucky to still be here to be honest, so the event was our comeback.” The three-day gathering began in 2013 and has gone from strength to strength. This year was the first since 2019 and housed 318 custom…

This cute little cruiser might look the spitting image of Harley-Davidson’s 883/1200 Sportster but it’s actually the latest from budget Anglo-Chinese operation, Lexmoto. It’s called the Detroit, and joins Lexmoto’s existing 1980s-style, Michigan 125 custom and is available now for £2899.99. Devon-based Lexmoto were founded in 2007, and specialise in affordable, Chinese-built 50s and 125s, often with retro styling, producing bikes such as the bestselling Echo 50cc scooter. The Detroit continues that theme and adds to Lexmoto’s extensive 125 line-up which now boasts 12 motorcycle models and four scooters. Claimed to offer “The perfect combination of custom styling and accessibility into the world of two wheels”, the Detroit’s ultra-low 720mm seat, relatively high and wide handlebars, slim proportions and light 141kg kerb weight, make it both unintimidating and easy to…

Muc-Off Pressure Washer £89.99 You could clean up! This week we’re bringing you some stonking deals on garage essentials. From security to chargers, there’s a mass of bargains to be found and we’ve trawled the web, so you don’t have to. Take this bundle of cleaning gear from Muc-Off. Available from internet retailer M&P, it comes with all the necessary paraphernalia to keep your bike glistening this summer. Stowed in a special, waterproof bag, the distinctive pink pressure washer has been specifically designed to be used on motorbikes. It comes with three nozzles, all of which are safe for use on your machine and one of which has an adjustable nozzle for heavily soiled tyres. The Snow Foam lance converts the Muc-Off Nano Tech Cleaner, which is supplied in the…

We’ve had our first look under the skin of a new CFMoto electric in the works that uses a modular plug-and-play design that could be adapted into a range of models. The Chinese firm have already revealed images of a police-spec bike developed for the domestic market. And now, thanks to patent documents, we can take a deeper dive into what’s to come. Although the initial machine, dubbed 300GT-E, is clearly a touring style model that’s purpose-made to suit police needs, with plenty of built-in luggage space for equipment and even a flashing light on a rearmounted pole, the structure underneath is designed to suit virtually any type of bike. It mirrors an increasingly common theme in electric bike design, with the batteries stored in a cast alloy central section…

Send your first bike pics to: yourpics@motorcyclenews.com HONDA ST50 This was 1979 after dad turned up with a Honda ST50 in the boot of his Ford Cortina. Fraser Hoole YAMAHA RD350 The look of wonder on my (18-year-old) face says it all, my first real bike in 1983. I can still smell it… Gordon Carr YAMAHA XT250 Don’t try this at home and all that… Clearly having a bit of fun on the XT back in the day. Andrew Gent YAMAHA XJ600 I have waited for 30 odd years to actually get to take my test and get my licence, then all of a sudden the wife was on board! Chris Sweet HONDA FIREBLADE Not my first bike but my favourite bike and wish I’d never sold it. I’d buy…

What’s happening? This weekend Mono Motorcycles are hosting their very first custom and classic bike show. There will be plenty of categories for a chance to win a host of prizes including Best in Show, Best Paint and Best Bobber. There are also trade stands to browse with stalls, demos and food and drink too. The essentials The show takes place at Mono Motorcycles in Chichester from 10am-4pm. Tickets are £3 on the door and if you want to enter the Best in Show competition which could bag you a set of Dunlop tyres, you can enter for free by emailing info@monomotorcycles.co.uk, or visit www.monomotorcycles.co.uk…

LCD display features a fuel gauge and gear indicator but lacks connectivity. The bike’s screen is one-hand height adjustable. The Tracer runs conventionally-mounted four-piston calipers (technically monoblock) with ABS that is not lean angle-sensitive. ★★★★☆ £8450 Yamaha Tracer 7 New 4.3in TFT display can be linked to Kawasaki’s Rideology app via Bluetooth to bring functions such as riding logs and smartphone connectivity. Screen is four-position adjustable. Parallel twin is now Euro5-compliant and features two-stage traction control. Two-piston sliding calipers but petal discs add a touch of class. ABS not angle-sensitive. ★★★☆☆ £8255 Kawasaki Versys 650 Analogue revs with LCD inserts. Screen is three-way adjustable but can’t be moved while on the go. The V-Strom has conventionally-mounted two-piston Tokico calipers with ABS that is not angle-sensitive. ★★★☆☆ £8155 Suzuki V-Strom 650…

You’d think Indian would hold the press launch of their big 416kg tourer somewhere where the roads are long, straight and smooth. But no. Instead, they’ve let us loose on their new £27,695 Pursuit here in the French Alps, where it’s all switchback after switchback, hairpin after hairpin, and not a stretch of motorway in sight. That may seem a daft thing to do on a machine made to trample big distances in supreme comfort – something we know the bike will do brilliantly having ridden its Challenger stablemate in California a few years ago. But the Pursuit also has a surprising appetite for corners. That might not be a concern for riders who’d traditionally buy an American V-twin tourer like this, but if you’re coming from something more sporty…

Riding around the world is really only riding on roads somewhere else. Any experienced rider can do it. Only John McGuinness can do what John McGuinness does, but anyone can do what I do. Except, it’s never as simple as that, is it? I’ve met riders who have had to put their business on hold, sell a house, divorce or promise to come back, or they have waited until the kids have left home – but always there was an itch they couldn’t scratch. So really, can anyone do it? Well, yeah, but as Guy Martin once said to me, “you have to do the coursework?” It’s not just about the road. As a bike the Ténéré 700 worked a treat. Take it anywhere, it’ll always get you home. Perhaps…

Richa Daytona 2 £299.99 ‘It’s smart and protective’ Tested by Simon Brown for four years/4000 miles No matter how much we might like to pretend otherwise, we all want to look as good as we possibly can when we are out on our bikes – and that is one of the reasons I love this Richa gear. Few jackets I’ve tried have drawn as many admiring comments, and I even fitted in just fine wearing it at the recent Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (yes, I know it’s not tweed but I like to be presentable and protected at the same time). That said, a jacket can look as smart as you like but it’s no good if it doesn’t work well on the bike, so I am pleased to report few…

MCN CONTRIBUTOR Sometimes you need more than the fastest bike and a stable of the world’s best riders. You need luck as well. Luck that deserted the Ducati factory team in Barcelona. Yet again, the Bologna squad had to fall back on support teams to rack up points in the constructors’ table. And yet again it was the wrong riders who did it. Factory rider Pecco Bagnaia and Gresini Racing’s surprise triplewinner Enea Bastianini had been closest to pinning back defending champion Quartararo – yet both left Montmelo on Sunday with scuffed leathers and zero points. The podium places (thanks to Aleix Espargaro’s gift) went to Pramac teamsters Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco – a second top three for each after six zeropoints races between them. Bagnaia, fresh from homerace…

COLIN YOUNG INSIGHT Paddock veteran reports from the weekend’s racing The genius of Fabio Quartararo has given the flawless Frenchman untouchable influence over Yamaha’s MotoGP fortunes. In his first race after committing to a two-year extension to his lucrative contract, he confirmed that his value to Yamaha is immeasurable. Quartararo delivered an astonishing demolition job to win the Catalunya GP, his second win of the season and 10th since entering MotoGP in 2019. In the process he has taken control of the world championship against a squadron of high horsepower V4s from Ducati, Aprilia, Honda and KTM. Quartararo is a class act in weaponising the under-powered, inline four-cylinder YZR-M1 which conceded a massive 11kph in top speed to the fastest Ducati. His calm precision and metronomic lap times when running…

Neither a last-minute change of machinery nor a difficult week of practice could derail the podium ambitions of Michael Dunlop. On the Hawk Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 after the deal to ride the PBM Ducati collapsed at the end of April, Dunlop salvaged a brilliant third place and was the only man to keep Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison honest. The roads legend was full of praise for his rivals after the race. “We struggled with the bike this week, the two lads here [pointing to Hickman and Harrison] are riding hard so you have to ride hard to stay with them and maybe today I didn’t ride hard enough. The bike wasn’t where I wanted it to be and these boys are tramping on, there is no room for error.”…

SPORTS EDITOR Peter Hickman regained his status as the TT’s No1 after an emphatic victory in the Superbike TT on Saturday. Bringing an end to the two-year Covid-19 enforced break to the TT, the Gas Monkey BMW rider controlled the opening race from start to finish. Historically a slow starter who’d allowed close rival Dean Harrison to take an early lead in past TTs, it was a rebooted Hicky that came out of the blocks the fastest, taking a 3.1s lead by the time they arrived at Ballaugh Bridge on the first lap. An advantage he put down to the new race day warm-up lap introduced for 2022. “I’m not a morning person so I think the warm-up lap helps me get going, ” Hickman smiled. “I got my head…

Watching MotoGP on Sunday was the usual mix of awe and breath-holding – not least when Taka Nakagami brought down Pecco Bagnaia by using his face as battering ram. It was sickening to watch the crash unfold, and even worse to review it from every angle in slow motion. How all three riders escaped serious injury is unfathomably lucky. But while MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 were all captivating displays of the sort of talent I can barely comprehend as an occasional trackday rider – watching what the TT riders do on the roads is even more extraordinary. I’ve ridden the Mountain Course a few times, and while I’ve seen well over 135mph on the speedo in several places, the thought of averaging that for the whole 37.73 miles is absolutely…

Ian Anthony Huntly first visited the Isle of Man as a seven-year-old boy in 1947, when the Senior race winner lapped the course at a fastest average speed of 84.07mph. Flash forward 75 years and the current TT lap record held by Peter Hickman stands at an average of 135.452mph, with Ian coming back to the island every single year – only missing the years travel was prohibited by the Covid-19 pandemic and when the TT was hit by foot and mouth disease. “I came over with my parents and my auntie, uncle, and cousin and I hated it to start with!” the TT veteran told MCN. “I’d been in hospital for nine months with a very serious chest condition and the doctor recommended sea air to help it. “My…

A biking cleric is gearing up to lead a mass charity rideout to Land’s End in a bid to raise money for the Children’s Hospice South West charity. Dubbed the ‘Highway to Well’ the event was debuted last year and proved successful despite poor weather – attracting 35 riders and raising over £700 to help care for children with life-threatening conditions via three hospices in Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall. It’s hoped that this year’s event on Saturday, June 18, will be bigger and is again being organised by Harley-riding Pastor Israel Stanway of Hayle Light & Life Free Methodist Church in Cornwall. The ride will start at 1pm at the playing fields at RNAS Culdrose naval station before riding down to The Lizard. The convoy will then head north and…

Fresh spyshots captured by an eagle-eyed snapper have revealed CCM are making the finishing touches to a new flattrack-inspired Spitfire. The new bike, thought to be called the ‘Classic Tracker’ looks to blend the current Street Tracker with more classic styling touches including a Monza fuel cap. It was spotted on two separate occasions – taking part in a photoshoot with CCM ambassador and former world trails champion Dougie Lampkin on the Cat & Fiddle in Cheshire, and on track at Aiden Collins’ Ride & Skid flattrack school in Buxton. In the latter it appears the bike is being ridden by former French supermoto champion and CCM works rider, Stephane Mezard, who took the French flattrack title in 2021 and is contesting it again this year on a CCM FT6…

So Marc Marquez is having further surgery on his arm in the US this week. What with that and the eye problems of late which saw him suffer a return of double-vision, I can’t really see him winning another championship. It just seems he is having the worst luck these last few years after what was an astonishing debut in the premier class what feels like years ago. Such a shame for such an amazing rider. Phil Hadley, Warwickshire Ed: We’re all wishing MM93 a speedy recovery from his latest round of surgery Be our Star Letter writer and win a pair of touchscreen-compatible Weise Apex leather gloves worth £59.99 from weiseclothing.com…

Ride further in 2022 with a little help from our one-stop event guide If there’s ever a perfect pilgrimage destination for bikers, Tan Hill ticks all the boxes. Sitting in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales, Tan Hill is only accessible via a thin string of singletrack roads through the hills and when you arrive, you won’t see many other buildings nearby. But don’t worry too much, inside there are open fires for days with changeable weather. “There’s been a building on the site since about the 1200s, ” says Maria Lowcock, duty manager, “but it hasn’t always been an inn. It was a building for all the mines around here. “And then I believe it was the 1500s that it became a public house.” There have been a few…

1 Daventry Festival June 11 The Northants town will be a shrine to two-wheels this weekend as the free motorcycle festival returns. Get involved by joining the mass charity ride-in for a fiver. www.facebook.com/DaventryMotorcycleFestival 2 Southern 100 June 11 If the TT wasn’t enough for you, hang on a little longer and you can experience a little more road racing with road closures from 1pm-4pm then 5pm-8.30pm. southern100.com 3 Ripon Classic Show June 12 Held at Ripon racecourse in North Yorkshire, classic vehicles will be in abundance at the classic car and bike show. You can book online with adults £8 a ticket, kids £2 or a family ticket for £20. www.greatbritishmotorshows.com 4 Off-road bike ride-in June 11 Sammy Miller’s Museum in New Milton, Hants, is hosting a ride this…

Obviously the star of the Ninja H2 SX SE show is the supercharged motor, but Kawasaki have left no stone unturned in their pursuit of excellence. As well as angleresponsive electronics, semiactive suspension, an up/down quickshifter, launch control, cornering lights, keyless ignition, hill hold and tyre pressure monitors, 2022 sees the SX further enhanced through not one but two radars, adding blind spot detection, collision warning and adaptive cruise control. It even gets a new dash but does this rolling showcase of tech justify the £24,635 price? I’ll be blowed... The structure of the supercharged inline four hasn’t been touched, but the cam timing is altered, and a new exhaust has been fitted to meet Euro5. Kawasaki also appear to have refined the throttle response, as the abruptness when you…

Year-round all-weather rider, weekend blaster and serial racetrack dweller When I first reported on my time with the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo in the May 4 issue, I was around 1600 miles and two months into my time with the Austrian brute and still trying to establish a sense of companionship with it. A glance at the spec sheet suggested it would be love at first sight for a performance bike nut like me, but we struggled to bond in the early stages, due to a few electrical gremlins in the key and rear shock. However, now I’ve had time to put more leisure miles on the bike, our relationship has blossomed and I get out for a raucous rip along my favourite backroads whenever I have time…

Getting intimate with your drive chain may seem like a bit of a saddo thing to do, but you will reap the benefits. Keeping on top of cleaning, lubing and adjusting will massively extend the life of your chain, thus offsetting the cost of replacement. Added to the price of the chain is the cost of sprockets. Because if you have neglected the chain then the sprockets will have accelerated wear as well. My own routine of chain care is done when I have cleaned the bike – I treat the chain as a completely separate item in my cleaning regime. It’s also something to be done even when the rest of the bike doesn’t need a spruce. Remember, it’s the last part of the transmission, and it’s totally exposed…

Britain’s Jake Dixon hailed Sunday as his best Moto2 performance yet after finishing fourth – just 0.6s off the winner. Dixon was one of four riders fighting for victory in a thrilling contest after early leader Joe Roberts crashed out on lap 11. But the result was bittersweet after Augusto Fernandez nabbed the final podium place with just three turns to go. “Just annoyed, ” said Dixon immediately after the race, which was won by Celestino Vietti. “I was struggling to turn the bike compared to the others. That hurts because third would’ve been great. Anyway, 0.6s from first is another solid step for me. Every time we finish, we’re fighting at the front.” While not his best result (third in Austin), this was Dixon’s most complete performance. His start…

Marc Marquez’s fourth surgery in the USA has repositioned his right arm by a massive 30 degrees. With the humerus bone effectively re-broken in the process, he is back to square one in recovering full strength. It is his own determination as much as overly compliant doctors to blame. If he hadn’t got back on his RC213V Honda five days after the first injury at Jerez in 2020, two days after Dr Xavier Mir had attached a titanium plate with 12 screws and then passed him fit to ride, he might now have added more titles to his eight so far. Instead, he’s now starting again. After the first operation, straight back on the bike, the stress bent the plate. A new one was inserted two weeks after the first.…

Sidecar passenger Olivier Lavorel died following an incident on the opening lap of the first Sidecar on Saturday. The 35-year-old, from Sillingy, France, was competing in his first Isle of Man TT as the passenger to César Chanel. The accident occurred at Ago’s Leap, just under one mile into the Mountain Course. Lavorel and Chanel, also a newcomer, had been elevated from start number 39 to number 21 after qualifying 15th with an impressive lap speed of 108.420mph. Together, Lavorel and Chanel had taken several victories and podiums in the French F1 and F2 National Sidecar Championships. Chanel was taken to Noble’s Hospital by road and then airlifted to Aintree Hospital, Liverpool, in a critical condition. At the time of writing, no further updates have been released on Chanel’s condition.…

Dean Harrison had no answer for the relentless pace of Peter Hickman in the opening Superbike race, but showed his class to secure second place and his 17th TT career podium. Like all his main rivals, the 33-year-old was riding a new bike at the TT, with each of the major manufacturers introducing new flagship Superbikes. But Harrison also had the additional challenge of adapting to Dunlop tyres after a career on Metzelers. When asked about the performance of his Dunlops, the usually loquacious Harrison paused for a number of seconds before replying: “Yeah… it sounds daft but I’m old now and I’m a miserable bastard. When you’ve been on one tyre for so long and then you switch it’s such a transition whereas these lads [Hickman, Dunlop etc] are…

Despite the dominant Birchall brothers winning the opening two-lap sidecar TT, the event had a different feel with a new generation of stars filling the podium and one of the closest finishes in history. Second place finishers Ryan and Callum Crowe pipped Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley by just 0.112s. Ben and Tom Birchall won the race by 13.989s with a 119.22mph lap on the final circuit. Speaking to MCN, driver Ben Birchall said: “For so long it’s been John Holden and Tim Reeves but these lads have come out of nowhere and all credit to them because I know how hard it is to prepare mentally, physically and mechanically to get to these speeds. They’ve done it in their second TT so I’ve got some battles to come and…

The Isle of Man TT races are back and more accessible than ever, with organisers taking full advantage of a three-year Covid layoff to deliver expansive live-streamed coverage, plus a greater focus on rider and marshal safety. “The pandemic was terrible for lots of different people… but for the TT, I think it will be the best thing that ever happened to it, ” TT Business Development Manager Paul Phillips told MCN. Phillips leads a team for the island’s Department for Enterprise covering TT marketing, promotion, racing, facilities, funding, and more. “When the TT was cancelled in 2020, it gave us a once-in-a-career opportunity to get some space to really consider everything that we’d done up to that point, challenge ourselves, admit mistakes, and conduct research that we’d probably have…

Wigan-based Langen Technology are developing a new modular battery system that they believe could revolutionise the off-road and greenlaning industry. A sister firm to Langen Motorcycles (the team behind the Two-Stroke café racer), they have been working on the design for the past three years and developed a running prototype using their technology around a year ago. “We’re looking 10 years ahead, so we have to be ready for electrification, ” Langen’s Chris Ratcliffe told MCN. Sitting where a conventional engine would, the honeycombshaped batteries can be stacked for more range, or reduced to make the bike lighter. What’s more, the batteries can be charged from home, or used as a power source for a phone or laptop. “The PowerPOD is a 1.7KwH power pack, but that can be flexible.…

The Monster Energy British Grand Prix MotoGP is taking place on August 5-7 and we’ve got a pair of three-day hospitality tickets worth over £1000 each to giveaway. You and a friend could be enjoying three days of action from the Riders Lounge, located between the Brooklands and Luffield corners. This stretch of track is synonymous with some of the most iconic moments in racing history. It offers guests one of Silverstone’s best viewing experiences, including all the drama as bikes brake hard into Brooklands, then fly down the straight before squealing into Luffield corner and exiting fullthrottle out of Woodcote down the start/finish straight. Hosted by a knowledgeable race-day compère, guests will enjoy an all-day grazing menu which includes a buffet breakfast, gourmet two-course buffet lunch, ‘bikers afternoon tea’…

Readers Emma Heywood with Tom, Danny, Paul, and Brett The trip Pre-TT trip to the Isle of Man How many miles 600 in total How long do you need? We stayed for three nights Best time to go Easier to get crossings when it’s not the TT Don’t miss… This really is a magical island. Other than the obvious mountain road, another one not to be missed is The Sloc that runs out of Port Erin to Foxdale (A36), once you get over the initial bumpy bit that leads up to it! Places to visit, definitely the bottom of the Island where the Calf of Man is, especially if the sun it out as it’s stunning down there and there is The Sound Cafe, which serves the best cake. Also…

THE MCN TEST • THE HOTTEST BIKES • EVERY WEEK £8255 Kawasaki Versys 650 • 649cc parallel twin 8v • 66.1bhp @ 8500rpm (claimed) • 217kg kerb weight (claimed) £8450 Yamaha Tracer 7 • 689cc parallel twin 8v • 72.4bhp @ 8750rpm (claimed) • 196kg kerb weight (claimed) £8155 Suzuki V-Strom 650 • 645cc V-twin 8v • 70bhp @ 8800rpm (claimed) • 213kg kerb weight (claimed) £8550 Tiger Sport 660 • 660cc inline triple 12v • 80.0bhp @ 10,250rpm (claimed) • 206kg kerb weight (claimed) When it comes to sales figures, the middleweight class is where it’s at. Low in price yet big in terms of what they offer, this fiercely competitive segment of the motorcycle market is a hotbed of do-it-alls that all appear extremely tempting. But which is…

BikerTek and MCN have teamed up to produce a third series of exciting riding videos to make your biking summer both exciting and safe. Presented by MCN’s Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves, Secrets of a Road Tester takes an in-depth look at a wide range of subjects, and how focusing on the safety side can help boost your riding skills as a whole. Individual episodes cover setup, maintenance, mindset and group riding, as well as what to do if you’re the first on the scene in an emergency – with input from industry experts such as Chris Walker and the DocBike team. BikerTek’s Mik Barton said: “The first set of videos from Michael Neeves and the team had such a great response it was an easy decision for BikerTek to…

Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. I’ve concocted a 40-year exercise in not having to ever stay in one place. Eat, sleep, ride, repeat. And now I’m back home again, life is no longer simple. Pre-Covid, the world was a different place. We’d got used to it, humans foraging in a kind of muggy fog, when Yamaha asked me to ride their Ténéré 700 around the world for the first time. Mission instantly accepted. Part one from London to New York and overland to Patagonia was straightforward. Now, post Covid, money was tight but so was time. I had three months to ride home from Australia. Back on the horse Shipping had trebled in price, the Russian land bridge was closed, China impossible to cross, Africa struggling,…

Sportsbike lover for over 18 years, enjoys trackdays, club racing and Sunday blasts Smartphone connectivity. It seems every household device offers it these days. But whilst I’ve managed to resist downloading the apps for my ‘connected’ washing machine and toaster (honestly, why?), I installed the Suzuki MySpin application straight after the first ride on the new GT. The GT is the first Suzuki motorcycle to offer smartphone connectivity, and the feature opens up an expanded range of functions from the bike’s impressive 6.5in full-colour display – allowing you to make and receive calls (in-helmet headset needed), access your music, check your diary and view maps. And it’s the latter function that I was most excited about… Thing is, as a recovering sportsbike addict, I’ve often found myself on bikes that…

Maybe it was one burnout too many, or perhaps the rider had a deathwish, but when John Birchill, boss of Stourbridge Motorcycles, saw this neglected tyre on a bike brought in for an MoT test, he simply rolled his eyes. “There are so many riders who are blissfully ignorant of the state of their rubber. Having the cord of the carcass on display is not uncommon, ” said John. Obviously, this Yamaha YZF-R125 failed its MoT. Problems can start when someone switches from some multi-purpose sports-touring tyres to full-on sporty rubber that’s unsuited to the style of riding they actually do. John added: “I have had riders return complaining about a drop-off in tyre performance because the super-sticky compound has worn away on long motorway runs and the tyre profile…

This had all the hallmarks of a frantic Moto3 encounter with 3.8s covering the top 25 five laps in. Yet Izan Guevara’s brilliant late speed stretched the group, with only rookie David Muñoz, Tatsuki Suzuki and Sergio Garcia able to stay with him. John McPhee finished seventh despite being unable to overtake comfortably. “The work we did on Friday helped the feeling on the rear, ” he said. “As soon as there was a gap in front of me, my pace was strong. “My biggest issue was in the fight, trying to brake late and pass other guys. At Le Mans I was destroyed after the race. Mugello at half-race distance I was tired. Today was the hottest race we’ve done and physically I felt a lot better.” Scott Ogden…

After a wretched run, which saw results affected by physical issues (numb right hand at Le Mans), mechanical problems (tense gear lever at Mugello) and a lack of front-end feel (Jerez, Le Mans and Mugello), Jorge Martin provided Ducati with a reminder of his talent with a fighting second place. The reason was clear. Previously, he was riding with a set-up similar to Pecco Bagnaia. But on the advice of his Öhlins technician on Friday, Pramac Ducati reverted to Martin’s fork settings from the beginning of the season. Immediately his braking potential returned. “I’m a rider that needs a lot of the front to ride, ” he explained. “The last races, I wasn’t feeling the front. I was crashing every time. I didn’t know why so I was losing confidence…

Out-of-favour Ducati rider Jack Miller extended his losing streak to 22 races and 13 months at Barcelona knowing that a KTM safety net awaits for 2023. The move is set to kick into touch KTM’s in-house talent pool with a disenchanted Miguel Oliveira on the move despite being KTM’s most recent MotoGP race winner. Oliveira won as recently as March (Mandalika GP), clocking his fourth win in 57 starts but is seeking a new home at Gresini Ducati. Miller has won three MotoGP races in 127 starts. The mid-season rider market is crowded and shrinking, with Suzuki closing down at the end of this season. KTM boss Pit Beirer’s move to the open market for Miller sends an intriguing signal to other riders in the KTM system. What are the…

SPORTS EDITOR It’s hard to quantify the pressure heaped upon Glenn Irwin ahead of his TT debut. As a BSB, Macau and NW200 race winner he’s the highest profile newcomer since Josh Brookes in 2013 – and to say he’s lived up to the hype would be an understatement. A 122mph lap on the opening night set the bar almost impossibly high (the next fastest was Adam Lyon’s 116.45mph lap in 2018) but despite the pace the 32-year-old factory Honda rider has showed unwavering focus and remained composed, in control with the mantra of being ‘here to learn’. He’s received praise from his peers for the homework he’s done before even turning a wheel, and his race pace and eighthplace finish – with his final lap being faster than teammate…

SPORTS EDITOR Michael Dunlop stormed back to the top step with a thrilling victory in the opening Supersport race on Monday. Running and spannering his own MDRacing Yamaha R6, Dunlop went head-to-head with DAO Kawasaki rider Dean Harrison throughout the shortened three-lap race. The two men were a class above the rest of the field and were separated by as little as 0.1s on lap two. Dunlop, who appeared despondent after finishing third in the opening Superbike race, cut a different figure on the Supersport podium. “Dean’s a hard competitor. I had a couple of big slides on the first lap, I was trying to bed into it. When I came into the pits and saw it was Dean, I was like ‘oh no, this is going to be some…