Table of contents for 2 October 2024 in MCN

‘We’re just two friends riding together’ CHARLEY BOORMAN BIG TEST Old cool with new tools If you’re in the market for a middleweight naked then you’re absolutely spoilt for choice these days. From twins to triples, sporty or laid back, there’s a lot to choose from. But if you want something that stands out from the crowd, there’s these two: Yamaha’s XSR900 and the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 - a pair of eyecatching neo-retros loaded with tech. But which one is best? We find out. PAGE 27 NEWS Tribute fit for an emperor How can it be 30 years since Max Biaggi won his first 250GP title on the utterly iconic Chesterfield Aprilia RSV250? Not ones to let the moment go unnoticed, Aprilia decided to honour their GP and WSBK-winning star…

SAVE £4101 £13,999 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory Endowed with superbike chassis componentry, excellent electronics and a howling V4 motor, Aprilia’s full-fat Tuono is truly one of the best options out there for backroad scratching, occasional trackday antics, and (thanks to its partial fairing setup) it makes for a genuinely competent all-rounder, too. www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk SAVE £2000 £12,999 Suzuki V-Strom 1050 Tour It may be a little long in the tooth, but the big ‘Strom oozes comfort, is suitably sporty, and is rock-solid reliable to boot. www.singletracker.co.uk • Engine 1037cc • Power 106bhp • Weight 236kg • Seat height 855mm SAVE £1854 £30,995 Honda GL1800 Goldwing Tour DCT Still the last word in luxury, the Wing is leaps and bounds better than the old model with significantly improved handling, ease-of-use, and…

‘Chasing those stranger things’ A while ago I wrote about my heartbreak after tracking down and viewing my dream bike (a Bimota Mantra) for the first time only to discover that in the flesh it was, well, a bit crap. Actually it was a lot crap, which is why I didn’t buy it and I now no longer hanker after one. But that hasn’t stopped my fascination with quirky bikes. I was searching through the used bike listings the other week when one leftfield model caught my eye – the Aprilia Moto 6.5. If you don’t remember the Moto 6.5 it is probably for a very good reason – as well as being ugly (and oddly reminiscent of a kettle) it was a sales flop. But, if you are a…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews STAR LETTER Be the bigger man, Vale Oh dear, so Rossi still doesn’t like the Smiling Assassin (MCN, September 25). The one who knocked him off his GOAT perch. What a surprise! But I’m deeply disappointed that Vale isn’t big enough to recognise and accept the changing of the guard that Marc represented, and acknowledge Marc’s young and now more mature abilities. And a works Ducati seat against his protégé Pecco Bagnaia? Wonder why he doesn’t like that? This failure seriously knocks down my previous huge respect and admiration for VR, and I’m sure many others will feel the same. Peter Scatchard, email Write something that spikes our interest, and you could get selected for the Star Letter slot. Each week one lucky reader will receive…

I’ve been doing a lot of riding this month, over 500 miles on my 5000cc Flying Millyard alone. First I rode it to Shrewsbury for the Bike4Life fest in aid of Midlands Air Ambulance, where I was one of the lead riders alongside Carl Fogarty, James Whitham, Eddie ‘The Beast’ Hall, and Elspeth Beard. The five of us led 3500 bikes on the rideout from Shrewsbury to Weston Park showground. It was really amazing because they shut the roads, so we had police in front guiding us through red traffic lights and straight down the M54. People lining the motorway bridges all cheering and clapping, and we’re bibbing our horns at them. Then when you get to the showground, there’s 10,000 people there too, on top of the 3500 bikes.…

Send your trips to yourpics@motorcyclenews.com Reader Jon Rowlerson The ride London to France, Switzerland (Furka & San Gotthard passes), and Italy (Tuscany & Amalfi) and back How long do you need? Did the whole 3200-mile trip in 11 days on a Yamaha Xmax 300. You don’t need a 1200 GS to explore! A ‘twist‘n’go’ 300 makes alpine hairpins a breeze and cruises at legal speeds on the motorway all day. All while returning 80mpg. Three days down to Amalfi and stayed a couple of nights in Sorrento to allow a day trip to Capri. Then round the Amalfi Coast taking in Positano (insane traffic), Amalfi and Ravello. Don’t miss… Went up the Furka on the way out and the San Gotthard on the way back. Both fabulous roads and part…

GET 12 ISSUES FOR JUST £19.99! Subscribe to MCN now at: greatmagazines.co.uk/mcn-offer ‘Moffat miles’ CHRIS HOOD Recent trip to Moffat and the Buccleuch Arms Hotel with one of my best pals. Just an overnighter, but a respectable 570 miles and smiles! ‘Spanish sunshine’ PAUL RUDEN In the Pyrenees for some properly technical roads. It was my first time doing northern Spain, then into France. ‘It’s a Hardknott life’ CHRIS NAGEL This was my first experience of Hardknott Pass recently on my Sprint GT. ‘Water watcher’ SHAUN AKROYD Alnwick from Preston, no motorways and mainly B-roads. Photo was taken overlooking Kielder water. ‘Tempting twisties’ LEWYS PRIEHS Recently did a trip from Norfolk-Hartside Pass-Kielder Forest drive to Selkirk and onto St Mary’s Loch and MoffatNorfolk. Brilliant weather the entire two days. ‘Rare…

Drowning in options You’re spoilt for choice in the naked middleweight roadster class right now. And there’s a broad enough spectrum of price to suit a range of pockets, too. KTM’s 790 Duke and Suzuki’s excellent GSX-8S are the most wallet-friendly at £7999 and £8299 respectively. It’s a big (read £5K) jump to the far fruitier KTM 990 Duke, and more than £2K extra for Suzuki’s GSX-S950, but the latter - basically a neutered A2 friendly GSX-S1000 - isn’t really in the fight. Still around the £10,000 mark, which is where both the XSR900 and Svartpilen 801 slot in, there’s a bulging choice of options, from Triumph’s excellent Street Triple 765 R, Yamaha’s own MT-09, Kawasaki’s Z900, and BMW’s F900R; the latter starting at £9090 but, like all BM’s, benefitting…

2004-2009 Triumph Rocket III • 2294cc • 140bhp • 147lb.ft • 320kg (dry) The first Rocket was a full five years in development. Aimed primarily at the US, it had a roadster/cruiser/hot rod style and was dominated by its all-new 2294cc triple. It proved a far more explosive and decent-handling machine than its bulk suggested and was a big hit-particularly Stateside. 2006-2009 Triumph Rocket III Classic • 2294cc • 140bhp • 147lb.ft • 320kg (dry) With US buyers clamouring for a more laid-back, pillion-friendly Rocket, the result was the Rocket III Classic with a deeper, more comfortable dual seat, footboards in place of pegs and more pulled-back bars. Extra chrome and revised paint choices were also added. 2008-2009 Triumph Rocket III Touring • 2294cc • 106bhp • 15Olb.ft • 358kg…

Lichfield, Rocket 3 GT “This is probably the fifth or sixth Triumph I’ve had and before this I had a Speedmaster. I’ve also owned things like a Daytona 1000 in ’92, and a Trophy in ’02. I went to the bike show last year, sat on one and thought ‘I’ve gotta have it’. I’d earlier tried the Rocket R with the forward bars and it’s too far forward for me and I’d not got on with it. But this is the GT with a more laid-back riding position and it’s really comfortable. When I sat on this one I could actually reach the bars. And the weight is so low down it’s really manoeuvrable. I bought it immediately after the bike show and it got delivered January. I’ve done about…

‘It’s a real challenger’ This is a road bike first and foremost. With its smaller wheels, shorter suspension travel and hefty size, it’s an adventure bike with a small ’a’. Think Honda NX500 or Benelli TRK502X, not CFMoto 450MT or Royal Enfield Himalayan. Yes, it’s a touch raw in places, but the 510X offers an extremely tempting spec for under £6k. The lack of dealers will be a sticking point, as will concerns about stepping into the unknown with a fledgling brand. If nothing else, the 510X should light a fire under the seats of established names. If they don’t up their game, firms like Kove will very soon be breathing down their necks. THE FACTS £5999 Kove 510X…

In isolation, my Africa Twin felt punchy enough but the school bikes had a whole new level of responsiveness from the throttle. Honda Technical suggested my bike may need an ECM reset as the electronics can adjust their parameters over time, effectively changing how the bike behaves. It’s an easy dealer job so I put my ATAS in for the reset and I’ve never experienced such a performance increase from a single mod - it feels like switching to race mode after languishing in rain mode.…

MCN’s website has expert opinion and buying advice on hundreds of used bikes, regularly updated and packed with insight. Here are three of the latest - visit motorcyclenews.com for tonnes (literally) more. 2020-2023 Triumph Rocket 3 Owners’ rating The updated Rocket 3 model, not only has more tech but also an even bigger 2458cc triple powering it. Owners score the engine a 4.8/5 but its high price brings the overall score down. 2006-2010 Suzuki M1800R Intruder Owners’ rating Suzuki’s short-lived muscle cruiser is generally rated quite highly. Reliable with a storming engine and good build quality, if you want a cruiser with a sting in its tail, this could be it. 2008-2017 Yamaha VMAX Owners’ rating Part cruiser part sportsbike, the second-gen VMAX is powered by a1679cc V4 that packs a…

Electrical hack jobs can lead to serious headaches for our nation’s motorcycle technicians. And have-a-go home mechanics and backstreet bike repairers can-at times - seem hell bent on butchering looms with sub-par quick connectors, rather than taking the time to do a proper job. One rider’s tidy GSX-R600 K3 fell victim to this fate when a second-rate job gave up the ghost. Hoping for a quick fix, he entrusted his beloved machine to the experts at Doncaster Motorcycles. “It came in as a nonstarter,” said Kevin Hollingsworth, owner of Doncaster Motorcycles. “He wanted us to get it running, give it a service and get him back on the road. “The fuel pump was priming, but there was absolutely nothing on the button. “The first thing I checked was the main…

Yari Montella (Barni Ducati) reduced the World Supersport lead of Adrian Huertas (Aruba Ducati) to 41 points, with both taking a win but Huertas coming fifth in Race 2 as opposed to Montella’s fourth in Race 1. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Yamaha) is the only other remaining title contender. In Supersport 300, the three last fighters are Aldi Mahendra, Loris Veneman and Iñigo Iglesias. Meanwhile, in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup, 17-year-old Marc Vich (Palma, Mallorca) has been crowned 2024 Champion.…

I spent the weekend at Donington and BSB is healthy. The rules are brilliant in terms of levelling up the manufacturers, but they’re not great if you’re a rider wanting to move to the world championship. We’ve got good riders going to WSBK but when they get there they’re scratching their heads because of all the electronics. In terms of this year’s championship it’s a pressure cooker environment at the moment. I thought Tommy Bridewell did an amazing job at Donington. I’d like to try to help him but I don’t necessarily know what to say. He’s obviously on the edge and squeezing absolutely everything out of it, but when you’re watching it doesn’t look like that. He’s on the limit, but every thing looks smooth and in-line. If he…

Danny Kent was right on the back of Kyle Ryde when the red flags were waved in Sunday’s finale, Could the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider have passed the series leader? We’ll never know but it’s certainly the closest Kent’s come to his maiden BSB victory. It was another positive chapter in a fantastic season for the 2015 Moto3 World Champion. Kent now holds a 25-point lead over Ryan Vickers in the battle for fourth in the championship, and it’s been his consistency that has shone throughout his campaign. Kent now has eight podiums in 2024, as well as an astonishing 16 top five results from 29 races. ‘I’m starting to believe in myself more’ “Personally, I feel there’s been a massive improvement with myself this year,” Kent told MCN. “In…

At the heart of the MotoGP paddock for over 35 years MotoGP shot itself in the foot again on Sunday. After an epic ride, rookie Pedro Acosta’s excellent second place was left in limbo for almost an hour after the race. The rookie heir to Marc Marquez’s throne was glum on the podium. Small wonder. He was under threat of having the podium snatched away, to be demoted 16s from second to ninth. His sin? To fall foul of the derided minimum tyre pressure regs. Around an hour later, he was absolved. The stewards ruled that he had indeed broken the rule, but through no fault of his own or the team. A leaking rim was the culprit. So while in other cases lower tyre pressures (always inadvertent) are serious…

Jake Dixon’s title dreams are over for 2024 after a second non-score in succession. The Brit crashed out of the fight for second on the third lap and was puzzled as to why his bike felt so different in the race. “A disastrous race,” he said, now 78 points behind in the title fight. “We didn’t touch anything on the bike, but it felt completely different - I wasn’t comfortable at all.” If you wanted to know how Dixon’s CFMoto teammate, David Alonso is in Moto3, the Colombian took yet another victory when, he later revealed, that wasn’t even the aim. He had endured his toughest weekend to date after a highside on Friday. “With the heat and the fact that I had no speed, my head was telling me…

“There are so many things Ewan and I would love to do together. There’s always somewhere to go, something to do, and another country to see,” Charley Boorman told MCN. “It’s interesting how the landscape has changed because now you couldn’t do Long Way Round or Long Way Down. “If we do another one in few years, we’d have to look at the global political climate again because it could all change. “Personally, I’d love to do the Dakar Rally again and finish it, but I might be past it now. “There’s a lot of West Africa I haven’t seen too and riding there would be interesting. Africa is a very special place for me – I think it’s my favourite continent. There’s really nowhere else like it in the…

Aprilia have accumulated 54 world titles and taken 298 Grand Prix victories in their history, with Max Biaggi being one of their most successful racers. Officially achieving MotoGP Legend status, Biaggi made his debut in 1991 and raced until 2005. He won four 250 GP titles on the trot – three on the bounce for Aprilia, plus a fourth for Honda, and took 42 victories in all classes. Moving to World Superbikes for the later stages of his racing career, Biaggi won the championship for Aprilia in 2010 and 2012 aboard an RSV4.…

Motorists are twice as likely to drive recklessly and impede the safety of others if they are tired behind the wheel, according to new research from insurance provider Allianz. The latest data comes from an experiment conducted by the insurer involving two groups of drivers – one well rested and the other tired – who undertook four driving tests. The fatigued group performed worse across the board. Half of Brits surveyed agreed that weary motoring should be treated as seriously as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A further 79% are reported to believe being tired is more dangerous than speeding. ‘Drivers admit to powering on through’ Despite this, 85% of the same respondents admitted to driving tired themselves, with well over a third also professing to ‘powering…

Givi 11.7 demi-jet helmet £99.90 Designed as a solution to suit the whole family, this slick open-face lid is available in sizes from XXS to XXL. The ECE 22.06 certified thermoplastic shell weighs in at less than 1kg, making it ideal for younger pillion riders, and it comes in an array of different colours to suit all tastes. A micrometric strap buckle and removable interior gives it practicality. givi.co.uk Weise Recon jacket £219.99 This AA-certified textile jacket takes military styling cues to offer something a bit different to the mainstream. Features include lightweight RE ZRO CE Level 1 armour for back, shoulders and elbows, and a 600D outer shell with a water- and windproof liner. Nine external pockets provide options for storage and it’s available in black or olive. Sizes…

Q ‘Sorry, not sorry’ I was riding to work and filtering through congested traffic a couple of weeks ago when a car exited a side road and I hit the front of it. I was shaken but fortunately escaped serious injury. I apologised to the car driver because I thought it was my fault for filtering at that point by the junction. My brother has said that I can make a claim against the driver – but as I indicated that it was my fault, does this stop me from making a claim against him for my injuries and bike and kit damage? Martin R, email A Admissions of fault or blame made in the immediate aftermath of an accident are not legally binding. When someone is involved in an…

Q ‘Just how do you do it?’ MCN reader Tim Hughston asks: “I can just about get my head around how you work out the crank angles for your creations, and even how you work out the cam intervals, but what really intrigues me is how you manage to set the ignition timing for the extra cylinders. I can understand the points setting on a classic multi-cylinder, but how do you add the extra sparks on a five- or seven-cylinder engine?” A Allen answers: “You just reconfigure the points, so if it’s a four-cylinder you’ve got four sets of points at 90 degrees; if it’s a five you got five sets of points at 72 degrees. So I make a new backplate, drill and tap all the holes, fit the…

1 October 5 Ride to the Wall Bikers will flock to the National Memorial Arboretum (DE13 7AR) in an act of remembrance and to show support for the Arboretum. Register online. www.rttw.org 2 October 5 Rufforth autojumble Rufforth Autojumble is go! It’s just £2 for admission to Rufforth Park, York (Y023 3QH) for bargains galore. rufforthautojumble.com 3 October 5 Run What Ya Brung See what your bike can do this weekend on Santa Pod’s quarter-mile (NN29 7XA). Prebooking only, sign on fee is £45 and admission is £21. santapod.co.uk 4 October 2-7 No Limits trackdays The weather might be turning, but you can still get on track with No Limits with trackdays taking place at Donington, Oulton and Cadwell Park. www.nolimitstrackdays.com…

THE MCN TEST • EVERY WEEK • THE HOTTEST BIKES From £10,499 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 • 799cc liquid-cooled DOHC 8v parallel twin • 103.2bhp @ 9250rpm • 191kg (kerb) From £10,716 Yamaha XSR900 • 890cc liquid-cooled DOHC 12v inline triple • 117.3bhp @ 10,000rpm • 193kg (kerb) The middleweight naked roadster market is red hot right now. Multiple Japanese and European manufacturers tempt with a plethora of exciting two, three, and four-cylinder options. But with so much choice it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what to go for: Sporty? Practical? Street tracker? Retro? If the latter two tickle your fancy, Husqvarna’s funky new Svartpilen 801 (Swedish for ‘Black Arrow’) and Yamaha’s gloriously old-school-GP inspired XSR900 should pique your interest. The Husky’s part-roadster, part-street tracker vibe brings a new dimension…

‘It’s the XSR every time’ Husqvarna’s Svartpilen 801 is fun, engaging, and practical-a worthy contender in the middleweight naked roadster class. That said, going head-to-head with Yamaha’s proven, larger capacity and more powerful XSR900 was always going to be a challenge. More concerning for the Svartpilen, however, is the fact that its closest rival, KTM’s 790 Duke, which shares the same engine and chassis, is more than two grand cheaper. It really shouldn’t be, given that the only tangible extras 801 owners get are a quickshifter and phone connectivity. And because of this, Husqvarna appear to have shot themselves in the foot. Nice bike, but not at that price. Yamaha’s XSR900 can justify its price due to its extra capacity and performance. Admittedly, Yam’s own MT-09 is £600 cheaper, but…

280BHP BIKE Grantham, Rocket III Touring (with supercharger) “I’ve had it since 2013 and for the last four years it’s been supercharged, by Richard Albans at TTS. Why? Because I did have the world’s biggest production motorbike at 2.3 litres, then Triumph brought out a 2.5. The new version didn’t really do anything for me and I thought ‘I like this, what can I do? I know, a stage II supercharger!’ “It just appealed to my sense of perversion to have a very fast, very high horsepower, very high torque armchair… As a Touring, the detuned version, it put out about llObhp, now it has 280! It’ll ride around town at 30mph all day long but when I crack the throttle I can surprise a few people. It also fires…

16,000 miles ON TEST Garmin Zumo XT2 £529.99 ‘Navigation par excellence’ Tested by Justin Hayzelden for 14 months The Zumo XT2 is a dedicated satnav with a suite of useful route-based information at a touch of its colourful 6in screen. I’ve been using it over the past year to guide me on more than 16,000 miles of adventures, from traffic avoidance on the daily commute to exploring green lanes and plotting Euro excursions. Garmin include everything in the box for a simple bolt-on set up, but I’ve since upgraded to a Touratech GPS bracket (£76.16) and lockable mount (£126.98), which places the XT2 above the OE instruments ’nav tower style’ on the Harley-Davidson Pan America. The XT2 has been designed to work with Garmin’s Tread smartphone app, and although it…

GET 12 ISSUES FOR JUST £19.99! Subscribe to MCN now at: greatmagazines.co.uk/mcn-offer I took my girlfriend to Spa Francorchamps in Belgium recently. The four-hour trip from Calais is worth it just to bask in the circuit’s majesty as it winds its way through the Ardennes Forest. But we also checked out the Spa Bikers Classic Festival and I did a two-day trackday with No Limits. There are few bikes as comfy for me. The riding position spreads my weight evenly, there’s loads of room for my long legs, and the accessory screen keeps the wind off. And thanks to the Evo model’s electronic suspension, a plush ride and selflevelling rear preload is just a press of the button away. Around Spa the KTM lets you enjoy this fast, dramatic circuit…

Changing the plugs on most bikes is fairly straightforward, it only gets difficult when access is limited and it becomes necessary to remove loads of hardware such as the petrol tank, various panels, the airbox, injectors, ECU, etc. Bear this in mind when taking on the job and ideally, read through the process beforehand in a maintenance manual so that you know what is involved and don’t get yourself in over your head. And when replacing the plugs, remember that the final torque figure is incredibly important. The value is usually quite low for spark plugs, typically around 13Nm, so it can easily be overtightened. Even with experience it doesn’t feel tight enough, so use a torque wrench and get it spot on. The consequences of stripping the threads, especially…

Reporting direct from the World Superbike paddock Some said Andrea Iannone should never compete again in motorcycle racing following his ban for illegal substances. Others argued that he’d done the crime and done his time. After the 35-year-old became the 15th Italian rider to claim a World Superbike win last Saturday, the consensus was that this is nothing but great news for bike racing. It’s made particularly big headlines in his home nation, where the GoEleven Ducati rider is a major name courtesy of his celebrity singer girlfriend, Elodie. There’s no doubt Iannone is a complicated character. He was always a hard-charger when coming up through the ranks in the 125cc and 250cc Grand Prix classes, where he was a 12-time winner before claiming his 2016 Austrian MotoGP success; that…

He may hate qualifying with a passion but Garrett Gerloff’s races have been very impressive of late. A podium at Magny-Cours preceded fourth place in Cremona, while Aragon’s three races brought another rostrum plus two fifth places. MCN has learned an early-season mix-up on the electronics front had been causing issues; since the correction, Gerloff’s race results have improved dramatically. “It’s the best weekend I’ve had in a very long time,” smiled the Bonovo BMW rider. “Props to the top three: they had super-fast pace. I thought I’d be third again in Race 2, so was a bit disappointed. On the final lap, I lunged at lannone but missed a gear. ‘I lunged at Iannone but missed a gear’ “To be top five all weekend is good. I’m super happy…

Alvaro Bautista will move over for Nicolo Bulega if necessary in order to beat Toprak Razgatlioglu to this year’s title, the reigning champion has revealed. “Before Aragon, nothing was discussed about team orders,” Bautista explains. “However, with Toprak back, we decided I shouldn’t finish between Toprak and Nicolo which would take points off Nicolo. If I could pass both to win, I would and I did, but I’ll make sure I don’t finish between the two if Nicolo is behind.” ‘Before Aragon, nothing was discussed’ Bulega’s Aragon fell apart on Saturday with an engine failure, leaving rivals with a full race of data to work off for Sunday. The Italian was also pushed wide several times and had to fight his way back through the field for a brace of…

Lucas Brown secured the British Talent Cup title in the final, race of the season despite having to start from 20th on the grid. Brown held a healthy advantage over his main rivals heading into the final day after winning Saturday’s opener, however disaster struck in Race Two when Brown crashed out of second on the third lap reducing the gap in the standings to 24 points to Amanuel Brinton. ‘A great season, I can’t thank the team enough’ However, Brown didn’t let that get to him and was up to 12th by the end of the third lap, eventually crossing the line in eighth. Brown ends 2024 with three wins and a total of 12 podiums, with Brinton 19 points behind in second. “I’ve had a great season, I…

Going behind the headlines at the 2024 Showdown 1 Winning combination Kyle Ryde has been sensational on his R1 over the last few weeks and is without doubt the form man in the paddock. He now has six wins from the last nine races and a total of eight wins in 2024. He’s been on the Yamaha since the start of 2022 and witnessed former teammate Bradley Ray win the title, but now it’s his time to shine. Together, Ryde and his crew have spent countless hours working on the bike, and he’s looked ominous as a result. Ryde has grown as a rider, while the bike continues to thrive around circuits such as Donington, where he, plus fellow Yamaha men Ryan Vickers and Danny Kent locked out the race three…

Grab that diary… A new-look 2025 MotoGP calendar has been revealed by series organisers Dorna. The season will see a total of 22 races starting in Thailand with a series of fly-aways at the end of February and culminating with the traditional Valencia season finale in November. Other notable changes include the British GP at Silverstone moving from its long-established August date to May and the introduction of the new Hungarian MotoGP round in August. Visit www.motogp.com for more details and to find out when tickets go on sale for each round. R1 Thai GP Feb 28-March 2 R2 Argentina GP March 14-16 R3 Americas GP March 28-30 R4 Qatar GP April 11-13 R5 Spanish GP April 25-27 R6 French GP May 9-11 R7 British GP May 23-25 R8 Aragon…

With the title fight whittled down to two names, the Japanese GP at Motegi this weekend should offer up another chance for Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia to show off their credentials. There’s no doubting the Spaniard enjoyed the edge in Indonesia but Motegi is a different proposition. Both he and Bagnaia were closely matched last year where Martin won both races. Yet the Italian would argue he could have taken victory had Sunday’s wet race not been stopped due to worsening track conditions. As always, a threat of rain promises to mix it up with early forecasts indicating Saturday could be wet. And going off recent weekends, it’s hard to look beyond Ducati’s awesome horde of GP24s. History suggests KTM will have a say. Brad Binder was a dose…

Paddock veteran delivers his verdict on Mandalika TOP STORY Jorge Martin asserted his championship ambitions with a dominant Mandalika MotoGP win to confirm a tense two-man Ducati title fight with Pecco Bagnaia. From zero to hero Martin went from a mindless mistake with a simple 40mph crash out of the Sprint lead to the heroic exorcising of his Mandalika demons with a masterclass Sunday win. With this forceful response to his embarrassing Sprint spill and inclination to over-reach himself, he took revenge in the GP and reinforced the resilience of his MotoGP title credentials. In the process he buried the ghosts of 2023 when he tumbled out of the lead and squandered his title bid. The Pramac man carried the burden of that calamity all the way to this win,…

The National Motorcycle Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an action-packed weekend. Taking place on October 26-27, Museum LIVE 2024 is free to attend and in addition to access to the collection of over 1000 bikes, there is a new Dragster Burnout display; Henry Cole and Friends live chat show; riders including James Hillier; BSA Gold Star demo rides; trade stands – and more. Car parking is £20, bikes park for free. £28k RC tribute… must be a wind up! Luxury Swiss watch maker Baresi & Caine are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Honda Six GP bike with an officially licensed watch. Only 60 of the RC164 Stella watches will be made with each one costing an eye-watering £28,000 – for which you also get a special presentation…

Honda have whipped the covers off an updated NT1100 for 2025 that improves upon the original version of their budget-friendly, Africa Twinbased sports-tourer. Not only that, there is also a new variant that comes with Showa-EERA semi-active electronic suspension. Prices will start at £12,679 for the base spec, and climb to £14,099 for the semi-active option. Launched in 2022, the NT1100 is a no-frills tourer or daily do-it-all that sells itself on practicality, a tempting price tag, and its ability to boast broad versatility. Hitting the right note with buyers, the NT was Europe’s best-selling sports-tourer in 2023 and to date Honda have sold more than 12,000 units. Heavily based around the existing machine, the new NT1100 features a six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for the first time, bringing an…

MCN’s 2024 Sportsbike of the Year, the Suzuki GSX-8R, made its racing debut within the ultra-competitive British Superbike championship at Oulton Park last month, showing potential for top-10 pace. Mixed conditions made 22-yearold Taylor Moreton’s debut on the bike in the Pirelli Sportsbike National Championship a tricky affair. And yet despite a lack of set-up data or experience with the new bike – against teams and riders that have run Aprilia RS660s, Yamaha R7s, and Triumph Daytona 660s all year – the Powerslide Motorcycles team, who prepare and run the bike, are hopeful they can soon start to unlock the GSX-8R’s potential that has seen it winning in Moto America’s Twins Cup. ‘A couple of seconds off was impressive’ “The main thing was to get laps in,” explained Powerslide Team…

JUST BREW IT Ride out to Britain’s best biking cafés THE DETAILS • Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am4pm, open late for bike nights • Plymouth Road (A38), Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 5GD Planning a Cornish adventure but don’t know where to start? One of your stops should definitely be the Chequered Flag Café. The venue opened in 2015 with Rob and Karen Partington at the helm. Motorcyclists themselves, they wanted to break the mould and make the place a proper destination. Now, with a café, workshop and showroom, it has evervthine you could need. “We made it about people, not bikes. People ride the bikes - the bikes don’t ride themselves,” says co-owner Rob. “Everybody thinks that the biking community is an antisocial one - we fought hard to make sure that it’s…

If the formula for assessing a racer’s success is calculated by comparing two principal criteria - the number of races won and the number of seasons competing - Ian Lougher would sit at the very pinnacle of road racing. Racing since 1982, the 61-year-old Welsh veteran has chalked up ten Isle of Man TT victories, eight North West 200 wins, 18 Ulster Grand Prix successes, 34 Southern 100 triumphs and a phenomenal 130 -plus wins around Scarborough’s Oliver’s Mount. Four decades ago, Lougher had to borrow a set of leathers to make his competitive debut on a Yamaha RD400 at Llandow and he has never forgotten the prophetic warning of the donor: ‘“I’ll lend you my leathers but I’ll tell you now, racing is like a drug and you’ll never…

Derby, Rocket 3 GT turbo “I’ve had all sorts. Before this I had a Kawasaki H2 which was lovely but when this came out, I took one out and fell in love. So, I bought one, ran that for a couple of years then my mate, Jim, came up with this idea of putting a turbo on it! “So, we took the standard exhaust off, and the turbo fits in the massive gap where the catalytic converter was. I’ve done a couple of thousand miles and it’s been brilliant. We’re only running 4lb boost because it’s on the limit of its injectors, but it’s doing 200bhp at the back tyre and 195.5lb.ft of torque. It’s so much better. It’ll wheelspin in third and comes up on the back wheel in…

Kettering, Rocket III Classic “I’ve had this going on six years now, before it I had a Harley 1200, which I’ve still got. That’s my everyday bike, this normally just comes out on a sunny day. Six years ago I went over to Sycamore in Uppingham, a Harley dealer, saw it in the showroom, sat on it and just wanted it. I asked if I could go out on a test ride on it and it was just something else. The sheer road presence, the comfort and the torque is just unbelievable. It’s just great to ride, fantastic. The wife tells me I’ve got to get rid of it: ‘You can’t have two bikes, you’ve got to sell one.’ I love them both but the Rocket is just something else.…

BRUCE DUNN MCN’s expert technician Be a bright spark Fresh plugs will improve your bike’s performance and economy 1 Don’t just assume all is well A spark plug will last for thousands of miles, often way beyond its service life without any noticeable issues but its performance will decay. This is because they wear out, the gap between the electrodes becomes wider and the edges of the electrodes start to round off. As a result the plug needs more voltage and the efficiency of combustion can suffer. BRUCE’S TIPS If your plugs are black and oily they will need replacing 2 Sooty plug means all is not sweet If your bike has a misfire or it feels like it is not running on all cylinders’, this can be a symptom of a…

Reporting direct from the World Superbike paddock Huge numbers of race fans donned BMW colours as Toprak Razgatlioglu returned to World Superbike action in Spain last weekend, stunningly sealing a trio of second places just three weeks on from the MagnyCours accident which so nearly killed him. “If I’d not hit the very end of the barrier, I wouldn’t be here talking to you now,” he told MCN at MotorLand Aragon. The circumstances made Toprak’s achievements at Round 10 all the more special. So much so that by the end of the weekend, people around the paddock were talking about him wrapping it all up by Estoril in ten days time. Razgatlioglu loves Estoril and can’t wait to get back on the top step of the podium: something he’s yet…

Going behind the headlines at the 2024 Showdown ‘My weakest area and I don’t understand why’ Donington Park proved to be a strange weekend for Tommy Bridewell and ended with him relinquishing his championship lead to Kyle Ryde. It’s the first time the reigning champ has left a weekend without the championship lead since Snetterton (round five) at the start of July. It’s Bridewell’s superb consistency that has kept him on top, and in many ways that continued with a pair of seconds. Beyond the results Bridewell and his team found themselves banging their heads against a wall trying to solve issues with the bike. He may have scored two podiums, but it was far from straightforward. Bridewell was struggling in the last part of the lap; on the brakes…

Kalvin Kelly was crowned the inaugural Kawasaki British Superteen Champion at Donington after getting the better of fellow ROKiT Rookie Brodie Gawith. Kelly held a 17-point lead heading into the finale, but Gawith started from pole while Kelly was on the second row. The 10-lap race was cut short after eight laps due to rain, and despite Gawith finishing second to Karl Harris, Kelly did enough to secure the crown by nine points by finishing fifth. “It’s been an amazing season, it’s been a learning curve but the support from Leon [Haslam], Ron [Haslam] and the whole team has really helped push me along,” Kelly said. “These last few rounds have been great fun and although it’s been close, I knew what I had to do. “I’m champion and this…

And then there were two… If Enea Bastianini hadn’t crashed out trying to catch the leaders on Sunday and if Marc Marquez’s engine hadn’t exploded there’d be four riders travelling to Japan to continue their fight for the 2024 MotoGP crown at Motegi. Instead it’s a duel between championship leader Jorge Martin and reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia, so who will win? There’s an old military saying that goes like this - he who makes the fewest mistakes wins the war. And that’s how it will be over the remaining five GPs. So far this year the pair have crashed out of ten races! Six to Bagnaia, four to Martin. So whoever makes the fewest mistakes between now and Valencia will be king. Why are they crashing so much? Because they…