MCN -julkaisun 6 July 2022 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

Thousands descended on the picturesque village of Cassington in Oxfordshire last week for the return of the popular bike night. Covid forced the meet-up to take a hiatus and it’s been three years since the familiar sound and smell of motorcycle engines filled the air. But now it’s back and bigger than ever. You’ve probably heard of Cassington Bike Night (it’s been running for almost half a century) but you might not know that it’s organised by the residents of the village themselves. “The last Monday of June was the day when the BMRC Oxford members met up to renew their memberships, ” explained Cassington Bike Night Chairman, Martin Ritchie. “Eventually got so big that the club couldn’t really run it.” The villagers decided that the event was too good…

‘Original factory Supermonos fetch £75,000’ This mint 1990s Ducati Supermono racing single is set to star, along with not one but three classic Vincent V-twins, at an auction at the National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) in Solihull at end of July. Although not built by Ducati itself (just 67 original examples were made at the Bologna factory between 1993 and 1995), it’s been assmbled by Supermono specialist Alistair Wager from rare ‘new old stock’ parts and is believed by him to be the last accurate continuation/replica Supermono able to be made. Original, factory Supermonos now sell for in excess of £75,000, with this ‘new’ version is expected to go for a relative bargain £64,000-£68,000 when it’s offered for sale at the H&H Classics auction on July 20. The Supermono is arguably…

Vertu Honda, Stockton, have teamed up with Darlington’s MMT Motorcycle Training to encourage newcomers onto bikes. The dealer has provided two new Honda CB125F and two CB650R bikes and is offering those who pass their full test with MMT £500 towards a new 125cc+ Honda. Mike Poad of MMT said: “This means people will be using the very latest models from Honda and the £500 discount is a nice reward.” Zero % on a Zero Electric bike firm Zero are offering a range of 0% finance deals. Buyers can take either a 0% hire purchase offer over four years, or a £99 deposit PCP deal with a manufacturer contribution of up to £1100. The offers run until the end of August. You can also try out Zero’s 2022 range at…

Convincing traditional bikers of the merits of electric bikes can be a challenge. But when that biker is a 90-year-old ex-factory test rider who hasn’t ridden in over a decade, it might seem an impossible task. But that’s exactly what happened when up-and-coming British electric bike brand Maeving invited retired former 1950s Francis-Barnett test rider Colin Dean to sample their first machine, the RM1. Maeving are a new British brand founded by university friends Seb Inglis-Jones and Will Stirrup. Unlike many new electric lightweights, which are often Chinese-designed and built, the Maeving is a British designed and built machine, albeit using some proprietary parts such as the Bosch hub-mounted motor. The result, the RM1, is an A1/125cc equivalent roadster with retro wire wheels and classic styling but also clever, modern…

LS2 Advant flip-front £249.99 LS2’s new Advant meets the latest ECE 22.06 safety standard. The shell is made from LS2’s Kinetic Polymer Alloy and it all tips the scales at 1650g. The chin bar sits close to the face and opens the visor automatically when lifted. www.ls2helmets.com Tucano Urbano Texwork 2G jacket £99.99 CE Class A-certified, it features CE Level 1 shoulder and elbow armour and there’s a pocket for a back protector. A light mesh lining gives added breathability and there are adjusters on the sleeves, cuffs and hem. Also available in women’s sizing. www.tucanourbano.com/en/ Skidmarx Touring Screen (Honda NC750 Integra) £99.95 Skidmarx have introduced this new, taller screen in response to requests from owners for more protection than the standard version affords. The screen is 64cm tall, with…

Make the most of this biking summer with a new video series that is set to make for essential viewing. To help everyone make the most of their motorcycling, BikerTek and MCN have teamed up to produce a third series of exciting and informative riding videos. 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 improve your riding enjoyment 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 racer-turned-bike dealer Chris Walker and the DocBike team. BikerTek’s Mik Barton said: “The…

Send your first bike pics to: yourpics@motorcyclenews.com HONDA FORZA 750 Wishing it was his first bike… this is my grandson Louis Marcus aged 11 on the Honda Forza 750. Alan Marcus HONDA CB400/4 I’d just passed my test and moved up to a Honda 400/4 from an SS50. The S&N shocks made a massive difference. Chris Dove AJS OUTFIT My step-father Des Hawkins with his mum and dad on their AJS sidecar outfit. Martin Green YAMAHA XS650 Not his first bike (yet), but work in progress. My nephew Charlie on my Yamaha XS650. I may need to get him a better helmet! Andrew Cooper HONDA MB5 AND SS50 Me and my best mate back in 1982ish. Mine’s the MB5 and Spam’s is the SS50. Much fun was had on those…

Aprilia RS660 Colour TFT, with optional connectivity. It’s clear and concise, controlling the riding modes and electronic interventions and remaining legible in all light conditions. Swaps from white to black backing once the sun goes down. Yamaha R7 Colour LCD designed to look similar to recent R1s. It’s easy to read and operate, but the engine temperature at the base of the screen is obscured by cabling. Not as glitzy as the RS660, but that’s to be expected at almost £2000 less. Honda CBR650R At a smidge under £8500 the Honda packs a thin slither of a colour LCD dash. It displays everything you need including revs, fuel, speed and trips, but it’s the hardest to read of the three and feels cheap in comparison to the Aprilia.…

THE MCN TEST • THE HOTTEST BIKES • EVERY WEEK We spent a day on track at Racalmuto – 1.5 miles of Sicily’s toughest asphalt and the perfect testbed for our race reps. Sprinkled with climbs, descents, and more bumps mid-corner than an English high street, it challenged the suspension, braking, agility, and acceleration, with each machine rolling on a fresh set of Pirellis. So how did they get on? Well, let’s start with the CBR650R. Sitting lowest with the most upright bars, I thought the mild mannered four-pot might be a bit soft and mushy on circuit. Just 10 laps proved that my assumption was misplaced. Beautifully fuelled at the top end, it screams its way between the gears – reminding you of the golden 600 days of yesteryear.…

“After the PR people got involved there were lots of stories about why it’s called the Monster. The real story is that, in a sense, it was created by my two sons. “At that time in Italy there were these funny little rubber kids toys you could collect, and every day when I came home from work my kids would say ‘Did you buy me the monsters?’. Sometimes I did and sometimes I’d forget. “Around the same time we were unofficially working on the bike and one day my boss called me from Bologna and said ‘Listen, you’re spending too much money, we need to make it official. What shall we call it?’ Usually prototypes had numbers but the only thing I could think of was the toy so I…

For me, proper biking adventure always involves a ferry. The excitement starts when I’m sitting at the port gobbing-off with my biker buddies, drinking a weak-yet-overpriced coffee and chewing through a stale croissant whilst waiting to board. It then continues to grow through various audio cues that I’m sure are familiar to many: that ‘clunk’ when you first ride onto the boat, the clicking of ratchet straps securing your bike to the deck, the alarm that sounds just before the ramp opens at your destination… I never get bored of it. One of my favourite ferries (not that I have a list) is the one that leaves Algeciras in Spain and takes you to Tangier in Morocco. Unfortunately, though, up until very recently the dreaded ‘Rona had put a temporary…

Inspired by their small single-cylinder models of the Sixties and Seventies, Ducati’s retro-flavoured Scrambler line-up was an instant hit when it thudded into showrooms in 2015. They’ve offered various versions of the 800 since to try to maintain the bike’s momentum, of which this Scrambler Urban Motard is the latest. There’s also a range of 1100cc models too, for those wanting a bit more meat with their potatoes. Based on the familiar platform of trellis frame and air-cooled V-twin engine, the £10,746 (on-the-road) Urban Scrambler features a smaller front wheel and crisper geometry for a sportier attitude and, according to Ducati, ‘a fun, energetic and explicit bike which rides through the urban jungle’. Well I’m entirely not sure about all that guff, but it does definitely have a sharper edge.…

ALI SILCOX OFFICE MANAGER Owns a Ducati Monster and a Yamaha XMAX400. Loves solo touring trips 1. How comfortable is the seat, after a day’s ride? Nick Gill I like the upright riding position – it gives great visibility, and with a multi-positional screen, there’s little buffeting or wind noise. Seat comfort is OK, my longest ride to date is 330 miles to Scotland and at the end of the ride my bum cheeks were a little tender, so I’m investigating the plusher seat option for my next big trip. One thing I do notice is when I take my feet off the pegs I regularly catch my shins. I can’t work out if it’s me just being clumsy or the position of the pegs themselves. 2. How easy is…

“I’ve always said from day one that I believe I can win a TT. When you see how successful Hicky is, you think surely, he could have won one in two or three years. I have the impression that he could have won earlier, but he’s inch-perfect, he doesn’t make mistakes. “He’s a top BSB rider that uses all of his knowledge from the TT and he’s putting it together now. Whereas I can be an equal rider with him in BSB, the TT is the type of place where you can’t put that skill down without the knowledge because it’ll bite you on the ass. So, I can see why it took him four years to win. I hope it doesn’t take me four, but honestly, I’d say it’s…

Peter Hickman will make a World Superbike Championship appearance at Donington Park later this month. The British Superbike rider has made two previous wildcard appearances: one with Worx Suzuki in 2012 and one with the factory BMW squad in 2019. This time, Hickman heads into the world championship onboard his FHO Racing BMW M1000RR. “Obviously I’m mega excited to get a chance to have a go at the World Superbikes, ” Hickman said. “I’ve done it twice before, but both times were last minute arrangements, jumping on bikes I had never seen before. “This time I’ll be riding my FHO Racing BMW which I race BSB, so that will be good. We are having to work on raising the electronics package to World Superbike spec, which will change things quite…

It often feels like our lives are dominated by the pursuit of excess – and that gluttony has inevitably spilled into motorcycling with the same ease that it’s pervaded everything else. More power, more torque, more technology, more complexity... more money needed to pay for it all, too. Maybe that’s part of the reason why the backlash bikes – those machines that concentrate on the very essence of what it is we love about two wheels and which shun complexity – feel somehow more rewarding. Don’t get me wrong, I’m guilty of enjoying a bit too much of most things, as my waistline will attest, but when it comes to riding bikes it’s hard to beat the purity of having less. And it seems many of you agree. Sales of…

Two volunteer Blood Bikers have ridden all round the nation in a biking marathon to raise money for charity and attempt to set a new Guinness World Record. Thomas Carroll, 52, and Mark Robinson, 58, both from Aberdeenshire are members of the Highlands and Islands Blood Bikers (HAIBB). They set out to ride from the north of Scotland to meet representatives from other Blood Biker charity groups across the UK and to commemorate the work of the NHS over the pandemic. “To say it was an exceptional experience is an understatement, ” Thomas told MCN afterwards. “We met some truly amazing people along the way, were welcomed at every stage and even got escorts into some meeting points! “We’ve also raised the profile of all Blood Bike groups in the…

Honda celebrated their CMX500 and CMX1100 Rebel cruiser models by showcasing a range of radical custom builds at this year’s Wheels and Waves Festival in Biarritz, France. The 10-strong line-up were on display from June 29 to July 3 and were put together by builders from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and the UK. With the show now over for another year, the Japanese marque are inviting you to choose your favourite in an online vote, with the most popular bike announced at the end of August. To see the full range and have your say, visit hondacustoms.com…

This MV Agusta Superveloce Ago limited edition raised £52,900 in aid of the UNICEF Ukraine emergency fund when it was auctioned at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. Signed by 15-times world champion Giacomo Agostini and briefly ridden at event, the machine is number one in the 311-strong production run – which commemorates the number of race Agostini won over 17 years. “We’re delighted to honour one of the legends of motorsport while helping to raise funds for a most worthy cause, ” commented Tim Schofield of Bonhams. Apart from the bike, which was donated by MV, the new owner got the MV Agusta Experience consisting of a visit to Bergamo for dinner with Ago, a tour of his private museum and a photo shoot. The bike, meanwhile, also features…

Unless you’re immersed in the world of trials the name Vertigo might not be a familiar one. Represented in the UK by Dougie Lampkin, who has taken their machines to five wins in the Scottish Six Days Trial since 2015, the company have long had an eye on expanding into road bikes. Now, thanks to a design registration filed in the EU, we get a glimpse of the bike that will carry the Vertigo name on the street. It’s not the first time Vertigo have made a stab at road bikes. Back in 2015 they unveiled the Ursus, a crazy creation with scooter-style twist-and-go transmission and off-road looks. This new design shows a much more conventional offering with styling that sits between trials and enduro. The engine appears to be…

Just had a fabulous day out at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. If you’ve never been, please book a ticket for next year. Nowhere else do you get the opportunity to get so close to your heroes and their machinery. Wonderful to see Wayne Rainey ride his YZR500 again, and I managed to get a photo with one of my all-time heroes, Kevin Schwantz. I think the attached photo really sums up Kevin’s riding style, a caged bundle of energy bursting to escape. You guys make my Wednesdays. Peter Spiers, Watford 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 ESSENTIAL INFO ● Mon-Fri 12pm-11pm, Sat 9am-12am, Sun 9am-11pm ● Find out more / bikeshedmoto.co.uk ● 384 Old Street, Hackney, London EC1V 9LT This place has taken the capital by storm and is now a favourite for riders and walk–ins alike. Although folk who leave the bike at home miss out on the novelty of riding between the chairs and tables to park their machines underground. Unsurprisingly, the Bike Shed’s origins are fittingly leftfield. Co–owner Dutch Van Someren originally had a career in media, but had a passion for bikes. After watching blockbuster Tron his partner, Vikki, bought him a Ducati SportClassic which he then decided to customise and created a blog documenting his work. Before long,…

1 30 Years of Fireblade July 9 Sammy Miller’s Museum have organised an event with loads of stalls and plenty to see. Hosted at the museum just south of the New Forest, everyone is welcome and it makes a perfect excuse to nip into the museum. sammymiller.co.uk 2 Rock and Bike Festival July 7-9 Rock and Bike fest is back this year at Carnfield Hall, Derbyshire with a whole host of live music and more. Tickets are £52.50. Email: info@rockandbikefest.co.uk 3 Weston Park Show July 10 Weston Park in Shropshire will be packed with more than 500 vintage and classic vehicles. For adults, it’s £9.18 with kids under seven free (and discounts if they’re over.) classicshows.org 4 Southern 100 July 11-14 Hosted on the Isle of Man’s 4.25-mile Billown circuit…

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ £8400 2022 Yamaha R7 FUNCTIONALITY AND FEATURES ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ £8449 2022 Honda CBR650R ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ £10,300 2022 Aprilia RS660…

‘Ex-Triumph employees had a hand in the chassis’ Traditionally, the Midlands has been the hub of the British motorcycle industry with Triumph, Norton, BSA, Royal Enfield and Velocette all having established factories in this area. And now there is a new name to add to the list, Maeving. Based in Coventry, this start-up was formed in 2017 by Seb Inglis-Jones and Will Stirrup with the intention of creating a retro-styled British-built electric bike with swappable batteries. Now employing a 16-strong team of predominantly ex-Triumph engineers, their first model, the RM1, is ready for market. It’s all in the detail The 1920s boardtracker styling makes the RM1 stand out and its look is unique in the electric bike world. With the battery and motor very much at the heart of the…

The Challenging Roads Tour starts very cleverly with some nice, flowing open roads which gave us all the chance to figure out what the buttons did on our new toys. However, it didn’t take long for the black hard stuff to turn dirty. The trails were quite easy at first, albeit with a very loose top-surface which gave you a few cheeky moments, but gradually kindergarten turned A-level with winding mountain passes involving tight hairpins and rocky descents. I personally witnessed a few people come very close to taking the quick way down the mountain, which would have been less than ideal, and as the trails got trickier and the riders worked a bit harder it wasn’t long before someone broke Rule #1... Don’t crash into the tour guide. This…

Road, off-road and adventure rider who loves getting away touring It’s hard to describe the feeling of deflation when you hit the starter button on your bike, and it fails to… well… start. There I was, panniers loaded, helmet on, ready to set off to Dorset to meet my family, but the three-month-old Multistrada V2S had other ideas. My attention immediately turned to the battery. The bike hadn’t been used for nearly two weeks and whilst it would turn over, there just wasn’t enough oomph to make the 937cc motor burst into life. After a brief but fruitless attempt to bump start it, I pushed it back to my garage for investigation. The voltmeter read 12.51v. So, although not flat, not enough power to turn it over fast enough to…

Rory Skinner is determined to grab the opportunity of a lifetime when he makes his Grand Prix debut as a wildcard at the British GP next month. The Scot has a chance to earn a full-time seat on the world stage next year after it was confirmed he will make two Moto2 appearances for the American Racing Team, starting at Silverstone, with more races if all goes well. Skinner has been one of the standout performers in the British Superbike Championship this year and sits fourth in the championship after the opening four rounds. But the Scottish starlet has made no secret of his wish to join the Grand Prix paddock, and describes his two upcoming appearances as an “awesome opportunity”. “My aim has always been to go to Grand…

Andrea Dovizioso made a surprise comeback in 2021, but in 2022 the three-time MotoGP runner-up is finding it hard to get to grips with the Yamaha M1 – the same bike series leader Fabio Quartararo is racing to wins and podiums. This is your 15th season in MotoGP. What is the biggest change since you first joined in 2008? There have been a lot. But the biggest change is racing with Yamaha, because I did not expect this situation. When I started I noticed the good things, but also some big limitations in some areas. And when you don’t expect it to be like that, it’s a big shock. When you try to do something and you’re not able to fix it, it becomes very hard. That was the most…

Arecent poll conducted by our insurance partners at MCN Compare has revealed one in five motorcyclists claim to have had an accident or sustained damage to their bike as a result of hitting a pothole. Just over 1000 people were questioned, with 79% of those answering also agreeing there were a lot of potholes in their area. “Local authorities are under significant financial strain and central funding from Government is allocated on an annual basis, ” Head of Roads Policy at the RAC, Nick Lyes, told MCN. “This, in effect, means councils struggle to schedule in routine maintenance and resurfacing works which then leads to a quicker and cheaper ‘patch and dash’ approach.” The most recent Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) report for 2022 conducted by the Asphalt Industry…

Ducati have released fresh technical details of their 2023 MotoE racer, which looks set to provide the development data for plug-in production bikes of the future. Dubbed the V21L, the finished bike will be the sole machine used in the 2023 MotoE World Cup, with an 18-strong fleet lining up on the grid at a number of MotoGP rounds. They will take over from Energica, who have supplied modified versions of their Ego sportsbike since the inception of the class. “The world is going through a complex period and environmental sustainability is an element that all individuals and all companies must consider, ” Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali commented. The V21L has been built by Ducati and their Corse racing division, with development work carried out on track by world championship…

BSA have announced a new UK and Ireland distributor, alongside a new visitor experience. The historic brand was bought by Indian automotive giant Mahindra in 2016 and BSA unveiled their first all-new bike, the Gold Star, last December. Now, in what the firm call ‘another step toward bringing the new BSA Gold Star back to the streets’ Lukas Distribution have been appointed to help build a new dealer network from a new 100,000sqft HQ near Coventry. In addition to being a distribution hub, the facility, just 18 miles from BSA’s original factory in Birmingham, is also set to become BSA’s new UK home, aiming to offer something akin to Triumph’s Visitor Experience in Hinckley.…

HJC’s new RPHA 1 is unlike any other helmet in production today. It is not designed with the road rider in mind, and it is not for pottering about. No, the RPHA 1 is the product of several years of development at the highest level of racing and its purpose is to optimise the performance of world class racers on the world’s circuits. The big surprise is that HJC decided to produce RPHA 1 in large enough volumes to make it available to us everyday riders – so we can look just like our favourite MotoGP stars. What you find in the box is the very same helmet used by HJC’s athletes in both MotoGP and World Superbike, as well as home-grown stars Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon in BSB,…

Readers Matt and Richard The trip Circular route to the Mediterranean coast How many miles? 2700 How long do you need? We took 12 days in total Best time to go? Early summer once the passes are clear but it’s not too busy What were the bikes? Matt: 2021 Yamaha Ténéré Richard: 2003 Moto Guzzi California Don’t miss… Route Napoleon to Nice is a stretch of tarmac everyone should enjoy. Doing a lap of the F1 circuit in Monaco was pretty amazing as was the alpine pass between France and Italy near the Isola 2000 ski resort, the road has wonderful hairpins yet there were more marmots to be seen than cars. Another highlight was visiting the Flying Herman’s Café Racer Festival in Belgium. Send your trips to yourpics@motorcyclenews.com ‘There…

What’s happening? Take a step back in time this weekend at Santa Pod raceway. Dragstalgia is back, and the track is set to be rammed with historic engines in a battle to the quartermile mark. You could get a glimpse of some of the most amazing drag bikes during the NSA bike shootout and, of course, there will be stacks of four-wheeled action too as well as a show and shine, vintage fair, jive dance classes, beer festival and even a caricaturist. The essentials Taking place from Friday, July 8 until Sunday, July 10, the event is set to be packed at £70 for an adult for the weekend. For a day ticket, it’s £30 and kids are £5 regardless of whether it is a day or weekend ticket you…

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted Pirelli stickers on our three test bikes and that’s because they provided each bike with Diablo Rosso IV Corsa control tyres. Wedged between sports and trackday rubber, Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves attended their launch earlier this year and said: “The best compliment you can give them is you’d be hard pushed to tell them apart from a Super Corsa SP on a road bike, aside from the steering response is very slightly milder and the ride slightly firmer.” Perfect for our middleweights then.…

MCN BIKING LEGENDS People who have shaped our world MIGUEL ANGEL GALLUZZI Argentine, 62, designer most famous for the Monster Designer who, at Ducati created the first Monster, at Aprilia the RSV4, and at Guzzi the 1400 California. Now head of Piaggio’s design centre in Pasadena, USA. Miguel Angel Galluzzi is probably the most significant and successful living motorcycle designer. Born in Argentina then educated in the US, Galluzzi moved to Germany for his first automotive design job with Opel before swapping to Honda then Cagiva/Ducati in the late 1980s. Working there under chief engineer Massimo Bordi, his first major project was the 900SS. The 1993 Monster 900, which proved so successful it effectively saved Ducati and spawned a whole new ‘naked’ class, came next, followed by the ST2. Then…

If you fancy a fly-ride trip of a lifetime over to Morocco, Wheels of Morocco offer a variety of guided tours, ranging from a long weekend right up to a 14-day extravaganza. Everything apart from the flight is covered in the cost, meaning you’ll get transferred to and from the airport in Marrakesh, bike hire, professional tour guides, hotels, breakfasts and dinners, support vehicle, as well as souvenir photos of your trip too. They’ll even throw in full riding kit if you need it. But if you choose to take your own, you’ll easily be able to get all your stuff into a 90l rollbag or suitcase, except for your helmet, which I carried with me on the plane; I don’t mind my gear getting bounced around in the hold,…

All the downsides of a car with none of the benefits of a bike... I’ve heard that line so many times, along with hilarious japes about Wallace and Gromit and suggestions that ‘one wheel’s fallen off your car, mate.’ Ah, brilliant. But whatever your reasons are for letting the odd madness of a sidecar outfit into your biking life – choosing the right one is critical to it feeling like a stroke of genius, rather than the worst decision you ever made. And this R18-based Watsonian Sterling outfit is the Albert Einstein of its class. Full-factory feeling Watsonian are now in their 110th year, and you won’t be too shocked to discover that they really know what they’re doing. Based in the heart of the Cotswolds, this quintessentially British firm…

Michelin first shook up the sports-touring tyre market with their game-changing Pilot Road 3 in 2011. With their distinctive tread pattern and use of sipes, the PR3s looked – and performed – more like a pair of racing wets than anything we’d seen before. Eleven years and three iterations down the line, the new Road 6 boasts a broader treaded area and wider spaced grooves that reach almost out to the edge of the tyre at the rear, to provide, so say Michelin, 15% more wet weather grip than before. This contrasts with the previous Road 5, which featured an untreaded ‘slick’ shoulder in an attempt to provide extra dry weather grip for those warm, dry, high lean angle days. Aside from the new tread, a big part of the…

Café racers have been a part of the British motorcycle scene since the ton-up boys of the 1950s and 1960s popularised this style of machine. Of course things have come a long way since then, and the new breed of café racer is far removed from a oil-dripping British classic of the black and white telly era. If you love the retro look but want it in a thoroughly modern machine, these are the bikes for you. YOUR EXPERT Jon Urry is MCN used bike guru. He test rode all of these bikes when they were first released and still has the aching wrists and numb bum to prove it… £6500-£8500 Honda CB1100RS Honda’s relaxed retro racer oozes class, charm and style Powered by an old-school aircooled DOHC inline four,…

The wheels used in this feature are from a 2007 Monster 695, and a deep clean has restored them back to their original factory finish. Ducati suppliers Brembo, who made these wheels, should be commended – they’re of excellent quality. But sometimes you have to admit defeat. No amount of cleaning will cure paint that has chipped or been lifted off when the surface of the wheel has been corroded. There are two ways of sorting out wheels in this condition: get them re-painted or powder coated. In either case, make sure the person or company you choose to do the work is experienced with motorcycle wheels especially when it comes to powder coating. Refurbing motorcycle wheels is a job that needs to be tackled by someone that knows what…

JOSH CLOSE REPORTER Our man with his finger on the pulse of racing Glenn Irwin took the Isle of Man TT by storm by becoming the fastest-ever newcomer with a 129.849mph lap. Irwin went faster each session, but it’s his approach that caught the eye. Unwilling to push beyond the limit, he stuck to his gameplan, learned the circuit, and gained that coveted bit of experience whilst staying safe. Respect between riders As well as having TT legend John McGuinness as his teammate, plenty of other riders were more than happy to share their advice and knowledge with the BSB man, warning him about certain aspects of the circuit. “What I enjoyed most, apart from riding around a really thrilling track, was the respect. We have respect in BSB from…