Table of contents for October 2015 in Performance Bikes

WELCOME TO THE October issue of Performance Bikes. This month we’ve fallen in love again with V4 sportsbikes. It’s not hard really – from the sublime RC30 right up to the modern day thrills of an Aprilia RSV4, the throb and drama of a sorted V4 superbike is a thing to savour. See page 34 for aural sex. But despite gawping at all this mega-money exotica, it was when features editor Chris turned up on a tiny borrowed Honda RVF400 that we got really excited. Pint-sized and perfectly-formed (unlike Chris) the little Honda is financially in the grasp of most of us and goes to show that a ‘PB’ bike doesn’t just have to have 190bhp and electronic everything. We love the current GSX-R1000 for similar reasons – a no-nonsense,…

THEY’RE SMALL BUT not insignificant changes. Ducati’s new slightly higher spec Monster 821 Stripe only differs from the base model by having forks adjustable for preload, compression and rebound, radial Brembo brakes and the white stripe on the tank that gives it its name. OK, so the paint isn’t a big deal, although it does look smarter for having it. The front end is the bit that interests us. We liked the base model when we rode it, but basic forks are always compromised, and the lesser brakes on the standard bike are nothing special either. New forks have improved its thrashing credentials, whilst retaining the Monster’s best qualities. However, although it knocks out a claimed 112bhp from the liquid-cooled motor, it’s not a hard-charging Ducati only fit for experienced…

PROTECTIVE | PRO - LEVEL | DUTCH REVIT REPLICA ONE-PIECE RACE SUIT Dutch clothing manufacturer Revit might not be as famous as the likes of Dainese or Alpinestars, but considering they’ve only been around since 1995 they have an impressive presence in the MotoGP and WSB paddocks. Riders such as Alvaro Bautista, Danilo Petrucci, Alex Rins and Randy De Puniet have all had input into the firm’s latest range, and the fruits of their labours have now appeared in the shape of the new Replica suit. Made of cowhide with Kevlar stretch panels and reinforced stitching and seams, the Replica is CE-approved and comes in a wide range of colours and sizes. And with Bautista as a development rider, you just know its impact resistance has been thoroughly tested. Price:…

HOW SHOULD I GET HOLD OF PB? I have just been to purchase PB, which you advertised as being on sale from Wednesday, July 1, but there aren’t any to be found, just some copies of the last issue. And last month the issue didn’t appear in the stores until a week later than stated. R Pittman Sorry for any trouble – sometimes newsagents are rubbish and don’t replace the issues. They should reach them in time. As sales are up this year, we’re now printing more issues and putting them in more places. We’ll get the people upstairs to ‘have a chat’. MW MORE OF DESMO THE DOG, PLEASE! I’d like to say how nice it is to see Michael Rutter’s dog, Desmo, make an appearance in PB. He…

TO TELL THE truth I wasn’t really looking forward to riding £19,000 of limited edition Italian exotica. The early generation Aprilia RSV4s never floated my boat: too small, too angry and I never felt like I could get the measure of them. But they’ve changed a lot. They’ve won WSB titles since then, and the race development has fed back into the road bike. More power, more electronics, better weight distribution and all the detail improvements that make an externally similar bike significantly different. One retrograde step, at least in my eyes, is the paint. I’m assuming the target market for the graphics on this particular RSV4 RF are wealthy Italian chavs with poor eyesight. It’s a mish-mash of colours, decals, an oversized Aprilia logo and a bellypan showing pride…

HONDA RVF400 1994-1996 Power 59bhp @ 13,000rpm Torque 26.6lb.ft @ 10,750rpm Weight 187kg (wet) Price £2500-£5000 THE LAST 15 pages have shown we are not lacking in trick machinery at the PB office, but when this 55bhp 400 came in, we all wanted to sit on it and admire the scaled-down HRC cool. It’s not surprising really. The development of Honda’s 400 V4s mirrored that of the 750, except the big H didn’t start with the F1/ endurance factory RVF750s (not to be confused with the later RVF750R RC45 road bike), they took inspiration from the F3 RVF400s (not to be confused with this road bike). The 1989 VFR400R NC30 closely mirrored the racer like its bigger brother, with the same high-spec, high-end finish and near race-ready performance. They were…

1 8MM T-BAR ‘When rebuilding and stripping an engine, a good 8mm T-bar is essential as most of the bolts have 8mm heads. The Japanese use loads of 6mm bolts with 8mm heads all over their engines. You can spin a T-bar and it speeds the whole job up. A heavier T-bar spins longer and makes it even easier.’ 2 CAM TIMING WHEEL ‘Getting the timing spot on its crucial for getting power out of a motor a and keeping it reliable. Manufacturers suggest timings for their race engines but sometimes you can get a bit more out of the motor by varying it by a few degrees. But if you push it too much the valves can hit the pistons, which is annoying...’ 3 SNAP-ON IMPACT DRIVER ‘Electric impact…

2001 DUCATI 900SS RUPERT PAUL WHILE I NURSE ambitions to build a new Ducati along the lines of a KTM SMT I must, for the time being, continue my penurious adventures with the 900SS. Adventure is the right word. I’ve decided to ride to the Belgian Classic TT in Gedinne. It’s a road race with a new-for-2015 class for RGV250s, VFR400s and all that caper. I mentioned it to my old school friend Jonny, who said he’d like to come. Jonny was a despatcher in the 1970s and we went to our first TT together in 1981. But owing to wifely pressures he has not ridden a motorcycle for 27 years. The ban has now been lifted, but he hasn’t got a bike yet. “You can ride my Ducati,” I…

UPDATES The ZX gained radial brakes in its 2004 update, alongside new 43mm forks, plus a few engine and fairing tweaks CHASSIS Until the Panigale arrived, Kawasaki was the only manufacturer to use a monocoque chassis on a production bike HUGE REAR TYRE The ZX-12R was the first production motorcycle to have a 200-section rear tyre IT HAS WINGS According to Kawasaki, the ‘wings’ on the side of the ZX-12R smooth the airflow around the bike THE NINJA ZX-12R is a fantastic hark back to an age when speeding didn’t make you a social pariah. In the mid-2000s you could pack a rucksack, catch the ferry over to France, and go absolutely tonto to the south of the country without fear of losing your licence or getting your bike impounded.…

MATT WILDEE EDITOR matt.wildee@pbmag.co.uk Stephen A’Lee’s race-kitted RC45. Better than an RSV4 back-to-back SIMON RUSSELL ART EDITOR simon.russell@bauermedia.co.uk I loved the Desmosedici, but I really fancy an NC30 at the moment CHRIS NEWBIGGING FEATURES EDITOR chris.newbigging@pbmag.co.uk A 1980s Honda RVF750 endurance racer. Rothmans colours, obviously JOHN McAVOY ROAD TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk Kenny Roberts’ Suzuki RGV500 V4. Did I tell you I once rode one? (Yawn... MW) MICHAEL RUTTER TRACK TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk My V&M RC45 that I got a podium on at Brands Hatch WSB in 1997 MARK WHITE TECHNICIAN editorial@pbmag.co.uk Hard to say - NC35, or RSV4 perhaps. It bloody isn’t a Honda VFR1200 though RUPERT PAUL CONTRIBUTOR editorial@pbmag.co.uk An NC35. They’re jewel-like and hilarious, riding white line to white line SIMON HARGREAVES CONTRIBUTOR editorial@pbmag.co.uk Does the new Yamaha R1 count…

PB TRACKDAY RULED! Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone at PB. I was one of the lucky 100 riders to be invited to the trackday at Rockingham and it was a great day – really well organised and smoothly run. Also, a big thank you to my new best friend Mr Johnny Mac, who gave me some great advice and then guided me as I wobbled round the track on my Busa. Still, my frazzled tyres say ‘hero’ about me in my mind. Thanks, too, to all the people who chatted to me throughout the day. Obviously, because I’m a bloke I didn’t ask anybody’s names, but if you read this you’ll know who you are. The day also made me realise that deep down I…

I’VE GOT TO admit that back in 2007, when the Ducati Desmosedici RR was launched, the phenomenon of a road-going MotoGP replica with a £40,000 price tag pretty much passed me by. At a time when I had just been made redundant, I had other, much bigger priorities in my life. But, as the years have rolled by, my appreciation for the Desmo has grown, specifically the reason for its existence and the challenges Ducati’s engineers faced in bringing it about. There is no easy way to say this. The Desmosedici RR is not Ducati’s MotoGP bike with some concessions for road use added and its engine detuned for reliability. Think of it more as a tribute. The only things it shares directly with the MotoGP bike are the bore…

THE RSV4’S ENGINE was designed to be as compact as possible, using a 65-degree angle rather than a more conventional 90-degree. The RSV4 has very narrow heads thanks to an unconventional head design, helping the motor slot within the frame rails and keep the bike slim. On a normal engine the camchain turns both the inlet and exhaust cam, however on the RSV4 it only turns the inlet cam, which then turns the exhaust cam via a gear centrally mounted on each cam (for WSB racing Aprilia released a kit that replaced the cam chain with a gear system, but it was never used on the road bike). Add to this a cassette gearbox, titanium valves, high-comp forged pistons, an aluminium block with magnesium cases and variable length intake funnels…

WHEN YOUR NAME is spoken in the same breath as Kevin Schwantz’s, you know you must be doing something right. At June’s Catalunya Grand Prix Aleix Espargaro made a little piece of history by leading Suzuki’s first one-two in qualifying since Schwantz took pole position at the 1993 Dutch TT, ahead of team-mate Alex Barros. It would be wrong to compare Espargaro and Schwantz too closely because Espargaro has yet to win a Grand Prix, let alone a world title, but there are similarities you can’t help but notice. The young Spaniard is gangly of frame and hyper of temperament, just like the Texan superstar. He wears his heart on the sleeves of his Spidi leathers, just like Schwantz did on his RS Taichis. And both men bubble over with…

BSB’s Superbike rules are the most restrictive of any national-level class, but there’s still a lot that teams can do. Electronics are the most significant restriction – the control Motec ECU doesn’t have traction control, engine braking control or anti-wheelie. ENGINE This is one area where neither team nor riders want for anything more. Jack Valentine explains: “Having run a ZX-10R before, we know exactly what they can make, and we know the GSX-R is stronger. We don’t make full use of its potential most of the time – it’s only fast circuits like Snetterton where we use everything the engine has. We retune it for midrange or easier power delivery elsewhere. The riders never have a problem staying with anything else on the grid.” CHASSIS The age of the…

TIDY AS YOU GO I always put my tools away as I’m going along, not at the very end of a job. Tidiness is essential in a workshop and I hate a messy work area or dirty tools. I keep a clean rag near my toolbox so I can wipe off any oil or grease before I put them away. I absolutely hate picking up a dirty spanner or socket. ALWAYS USE A TORQUE WRENCH When you get experienced you know the feel of a spanner, but if you are unsure always use a torque wrench to avoid damaging soft metal items. I’ve seen people bend swingarms and crush bearings through over-tightening axle nuts. If in doubt, use a torque wrench. TORQUE OFF If you don’t zero a torque wrench…

2015 YAMAHA MT-07 ABS MARK WHITE I’M LYING IN bed thinking about how to stop housemartins nesting under my eaves (answers on a postcard please) and how to write this month’s instalment on MT-07 ownership. Knowing I’ll be talking some more about suspension, handling and braking I was very wary of sprinkling my text with as many clichés as I have squeaky little sunrise alerts outside my windows. Then I realised I was basically riding one of the greatest motorcycling clichés of our era so trying to avoid using them would be futile. I might as well revel in them as they all apply to the cheeky Yamaha. It’s a budget, mid-capacity naked bike with frankly poor suspension and weak brakes out of the box, but still offering good value…

SEEN A BASE-MODEL Panigale 1299 on the road yet? If the answer’s no, it isn’t surprising –Ducati sell more of the £20,795 S than they do the £16,695 stock Panigale. It seems that riders are more than willing to part with the extra cash for the …hlins suspension, electronic gadgetry and cosmetic touches that split the S and the stocker. Which is surprising considering, on paper at least, there isn’t much between them. Lets’s talk about the stuff that matters first. The main change is the suspension. While the S model has …hlins EC semi-active units front and rear, the stock model makes do with a combination of Marzocchi and Sachs items. The 43mm …hlins gold-anodised units of the S are replaced by girder-like 50mm units from Marzocchi with aluminium…

JOHNSON’S HAT-TRICK Lee Johnson won both Supersport races and the Superstock race at the Ulster GP to take his first international road racing wins. He fought off Hickman, Irwin, Hutchinson and the Dunlops for the three wins. GUY’S BIG SMASH Guy Martin dominated practice and the first four laps of the Dundrod 150 superbike race, but highsided out of the third-gear Ireland bend. Luckily, the organisers removed a hedge to create run-off before this year’s event. Less luckily, Guy’s crunching landing saw him richochet off a safety fence, breaking a vertabra and his sternum. An eight-hour operation successfully stabilised his back. Get well soon, chief. RED FLAG CONTROVERSY Bruce Anstey won the Dundrod 150 after it was red-flagged. The result was counted back to lap four, to Ian Hutchinson’s irritation.…

NEC SHOW TICKETS ON SALE Steadfastly organised types will be glad to know tickets to the Motorcycle Live show at the Birmingham NEC are now on sale. The show is on from November 28 to December 6. Adult tickets are £17.50, seniors £11, 11-16 year-olds £7. Under 10s are free. motorcyclelive.co.uk STOCK S1000RR LAPS NURBURGRING IN 7:23 An Italian on a 2015 BMW S1000RR has set a ‘bridge to gantry’ time of 7.23 at the Nurburgring. That’s still 13s short of Ring-regular Andy Carlile’s time on his built-for-purpose 2004 R1. Search YouTube for ‘Nordschleife BTG 7:23.’ ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY GSX-R Suzuki USA have unveiled their own version of the Slabbie-rep GSX-Rs to mark 30 years of the sportsbike line. Nostalgic Americans now have the option of a red/black/silver scheme replicating the…

FURTHEST TRAVELLED DAVE HAINES Dave travelled 1300km from near Toulouse in France on his screen-less, naked Yamaha MT-09, then had to blast up from Portsmouth. “I’m riding home after the trackday, too,” he said. “I’ve got a strong neck.” We hope you have. MOST STYLE DAVE COCHRANE Dave, or Rompy McPoot as he prefers to be known, wore his early-90s Nankai leathers with pride. “I got them for next to nothing,” he said. “But they are a bit sweaty, it’s like wearing an all-over body condom. I crashed my NSR in them!’ BEST BIKE JACK NASH PB BSB GSX-R Although technically the best bike here was Nathan Colombi’s Frankie Chili GSX-R, we had to award this prize to Jack, for the restoration of his ex-Gus Scott, PB-sponsored BSB bike from…

CAGIVA V-RAPTOR RON SMIT HERE IS SOMETHING you don’t see every day – a Cagiva V-Raptor. When I bought it, in 2012, it was great, but I have made it even better. I swapped the shock for an Aprilia Falco unit, which raised the rear by a few cm and sharpened the steering as well as giving more damping adjustment. Then I fitted progressive springs and thicker fork oil. To stop the shock and rear master cylinder overheating I wrapped the exhaust. A timing retard eliminator gives it back its spirit in the first few gears, and I’ve also fitted an SV bellypan and had the OE bars powder-coated black.…

WHO IS JOHN McGUINNESS? The Morecambe Missile has 23 TT wins, the Senior lap record and the fastest ever lap, at 132.701mph. He’ll be proper good one day... I’VE JUST GOT back from San Francisco and it was beautiful out there. The EMC mob invited me out to go over the data they gathered from all the sensors attached to me during the TT, which was really interesting. I was looking at my data traces and I could actually see where my heart rate increased at certain sections of the track due to stress. I don’t enjoy some parts of the course as much as others and that showed up in the data. I don’t particularly like the run from Parliament Square through to the Gooseneck as it is right…

WHEN IT COMES to motorcycling landmarks, there are few that stand out more than the introduction of Honda’s RC30. Between 1988 and 1993, it was key in reasserting the Big H as an engineering powerhouse – a company at the cutting edge of motorcycle technology. The RC30 proved the value of V4 engines in high-performance bikes after a spate of embarrassing failures, scooping nine TT wins, two WSB riders’ titles and three WSB manufacturers’ titles. Redemption. As a road bike it was stunning and in full-factory race form it was near unbeatable. But thanks to design concepts so far ahead of its time, and flawless execution, the RC became the de-facto choice for private teams all across the world and launched a thousand racing careers. Without it we may never…

THE 989cc MOTOR has the 90-degree V4 motor has the same 82mm bore and 42.56mm stroke as Capirossi’s GP6, as well as a desmodromic valve drive with gear-driven cams. Interestingly, and presumably due to Ducati’s experience with V-twins, the Desmo runs a ‘twin-pulse’ firing order of 0-90-290-380 with a 70-degree off-set which replicates the pulses of a V-twin by firing each pair of cylinders at almost the same This V-twin imitation means it’s often refered to as a ‘big bang’ V4. Ducati believed this twin-pulse firing order, gave better traction and drivability. Inside, the Desmo road bike is full-on MotoGP-spec with titanium con rods and valves, sand-cast crankcases and cylinders, magnesium covers and a cassette gearbox. Interestingly, the GP team no longer use a twin-pulse firing order, opting for a…

ALL THREE OF these bikes offer the same kind of pulsating character. There’s a feel, a connection between back wheel and throttle that is absent from conventional bikes. The RC30 is an icon, a machine that is 27 years old but in some ways still feels ahead of its time. The richness, the texture of its character makes it an eye-opening ride, nearly three decades after it was launched. You’d have to have one in your dream garage, and properly fettled it could live with the best out there. The Desmosedici splits opinion. Loved by some, detested by others, there’s no getting away from its noise, thunder and presence. Launched in a maelstrom of hype, it’s only now, seven years after it first saw the light of day, that we…

The weekday trackday I’ve booked on to is full of racers practising for an upcoming meeting. I consider ditching the numberplate bracket and mirrors, but in the end my only concession is adjusting the mirror glass so I don’t get distracted by bikes catching me. The first session is damp, and passes with minimal fuss or enjoyment. There’s no standing water so the Supercorsas get on and heat up OK, but there’s nothing to gain from being a first-session hero – the ABS makes itself known slowing over the damp spots approaching Park corner to remind me. The second session is dry, and I get more chance to wind the GSX-R on. A few laps in, I encounter a track-prepped ZX-10R. It should cream my barely-fettled GSX-R, but doesn’t. I’m…

MICHAEL RUTTER PB TESTER AND TT WINNER 42 years, 5ft 10in, V4 victor Michael shocked the WSB regulars when he won the 1997 Brands Hatch race on a V4 RC45 (OK, he was actually third on aggregate) APRILIA RSV4-RF 184.3bhp, 207.5kg, £18,135 Tweaked for 2015 with altered geometry and an even more powerful V4 engine, the RSV4-RF is basically a WSB racer with lights RUTTER ON... APRILIA RSV4-RF ‘What a noise, it’s addictive and the chassis feels just like a race bike’s with the right amount of flex. Superb on the front end and the feedback is excellent.’ ONE OF THE greatest mysteries in motorcycling is how the Aprilia RSV4 has so spectacularly failed to sell to UK owners. Launched in 2009 at roughly the same time as the BMW…

2000 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MATT WILDEE IT’S BEEN A good month for the R1, with some great road riding, more learnt about its set-up and a chance to take it on track for the first time. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – the Yamaha has never felt better. The handling, power, torque, grip and braking have never been stronger than they are now. In 2000, PB’s group test R1 made 126bhp; mine, 15 years later, makes 8bhp more. And the suspension is far superior thanks to MCT’s clever tweaks. It’s turned into a proper fast road tool; I love it more than any bike I’ve owned. So it was with a huge amount of excitement that I booked the old girl on a Cadwell Park track evening.…

2015 SUZUKI GSX-R750 SIMON RUSSELL AFTER GETTING THE keys back from Jon Urry after his little jaunt to the TT, I’ve been concentrating on getting some proper miles on the bike, making some cheap, effective mods and – just to make sure they work – doing a couple of trackdays. Since day one, the GSX-R has felt low at the rear. Rather than just twiddle with suspension settings aimlessly, I’ve taken a step-by-step approach. Firstly I skipped the uninspiring OE Bridgestone BT016s and replaced them with Dunlop Sportsmart 2s – a known quantity to me and a tyre Jeremy McWilliams quite liked during our 2014 tyre test (“Great front grip everywhere...”). The results on my Suzuki were mixed, though; we know the tyres are good, but the GSX-R made them…

2015 KTM SUPER DUKE R JOHN McAVOY AFTER THE INITIAL wheelie-fest euphoria of new bike ownership wore off, I must admit I found the Super Duke R to be a bit baggy and underwhelming. It would tie itself into knots and stop communicating to me, draining my confidence in the process. Some fairly major changes to the standard suspension set-up and some KTM rearsets immediately transformed the bike. I couldn’t wait to give it everything at PB’s Rockingham trackday. 15 sessions and nearly four tanks of fuel, on top of a totally destroyed (but cleanly worn) set of Pirelli Supercorsas should tell you all you need to know about how satisfying the Super Duke R is now. Both ends of the bike now work in harmony through the steering phase…

2015 DUCATI 1299 PANIGALE S MATT WILDEE IT’S BEEN AN amazing month to work on PB. In the last four weeks I’ve ridden an RC30, Desmosedici RR, Aprilia RSV4, Kawasaki H2, Triumph Daytona 675, GSX-R1000, GSX-R750, Monster 821, stock Panigale 1299 and my own vintage R1. But it is our long-term 1299 Panigale S that I’m always drawn to when it comes to excitement – the combination of its explosive midrange, the resulting drive out of corners and amazing suspension quality mean it’s still my favourite bike of all of the above when it comes to fast, lairy road riding. This month’s highlights have included a joyous early Sunday morning on deserted roads and some awesome lunchtime banzai rides. New Bridgestone RS10s have proven to be able companions, helping calm…

FAST AND LOOSE Fit at the chest is a little baggy, even with a chest protector QUICK-WEARING Right-hand kneeslider was seen off in the space of one trackday PROTECTION Leather held up to 40mph lowside, but lack of hip armour led to bruising Spidi Track Wind Pro HOW LONG THREE MONTHS/ONE 40MPH LOWSIDE COST £849.99 CONTACT WWW.FERIDAX.COM DAMN MY LUCK. One 30p O-ring and I’m gently deposited on the floor as a sprinkle of coolant wees on to the rear tyre in a 40mph right-hander. Minimal damage to the bike, and minimal damage to my barely broken-in suit. They copped a light scuff to the surface on the hip and underside of the right arm, and some road muck staining the Spidi lettering. The ‘S’ has lifted a touch but…