Table of contents for 26 October 2022 in MCN

It’s a machine that's come from the heart’ MICHAEL NEEVES, CHIEF ROAD TESTER FIRST RIDE Prepare to see Guzzi in a new light Moto Guzzi is a brand steeped in tradition and heritage. They've been using that 100-year history to great effect, satisfying the modern rider’s hunger for retro roadsters with their V7 and V9 ranges, as well as old-school adventuring with the V85 TT. But now they've entered the 21st Century with a sport-tourer like no other - laden with tech but still with loads of soul, the new V100 Mandello might make you see Guzzi in a whole new light. FIRST RIDE PAGE 34 TOP STORY Harry Dunn finally gets justice Last Thursday, American Anne Sacoolas pleaded guilty to causing the death by careless driving of teenage motorcyclist,…

Ducati have refreshed their Streetfighter V4 range with Learnings from the Panigale including an updated chassis, clever electronics and a track-spec SP2. The biggest change sees power modes ported over from the Panigale. There are four in total — Full, High, Medium and Low, with High and Medium getting gear-bygear torque curves. Ducati have also added a Wet mode. With these new modes comes a new dash setup (Track Evo), again from the Panigale. There's also new engine braking software plus an update to the quickshifter. For the chassis changes, the V4S comes with semi-active Öhlins NIX30 forks and a TTX36 shock, while the swingarm pivot has moved 4mm higher. The fuel tank too is from the Panigale, growing one litre to 17l and changing shape to improve support under…

Bikers looking for a bracing start to the 2023 riding season can now purchase tickets to the Dragon Rally in North Wales. The event has previously been held at Bryn Bras Castle in Llanrug and Gwrych Castle in Abergele, with the location of the 2023 event kept secret until after paid riders check in. Tickets cost £28 and are available at www.conwymotorcycleclub.org.uk/Dragon-Rally. Magic for Motohall KTM's Motohall museum has been awarded the Austrian Museum Seal of Quality. The three-storey, purpose-built venue situated next to the KTM factory in Mattighofen joins a select group of Austrian museums to be awarded the accolade. Eva Priewasser, Managing Director of KTM Motohall, said: “This seal clearly shows that we are on the right track." EV network boost The EU has taken a big step…

Oxford Rainseal oversuit £59.99 Regardless of how weatherproof your kit is, an extra outer layer can make all the difference when dealing with freezing rain, biting winds and nasty winter road grime. This lightweight, waterproof onesie from Oxford has long zips for easy entry and folds down into a waistpack so it's always at the ready. www.oxfordproducts.com Harley-Davidson Staple ¼ zip pullover £97 H-D have just dropped a massive new line in riding and casual gear for both men and women, including this vintage style jersey that just oozes old-school board tracker cool. It's a cotton/ polyester mix for fleecy comfort and comes in either black or java brown with appropriately contrasting details. www.harley-davidson.com Triumph Daalsgaard GTX gloves £130 One of two new winter gloves from Triumph. Key to its…

Q ‘My lid came off, what now?’ My opponent's solicitor in my personal injury claim from my bike accident has queried whether I was wearing a helmet during my accident, as I sustained facial fractures. They say that they don't think I was, but even if I was then it cannot have been strapped up properly as it came off, so I should accept some blame for my injuries. I was wearing a helmet and have no idea how it came off as I always ensure it is properly secured. While I can prove that I was wearing the helmet, how am I supposed to prove it was properly strapped on? Am I LikeLy to get less compensation as a result? John W, email A A European study showed helmet…

Reader Steve Staines The trip Tour of Wales How many miles? 764 How long do you need? Long weekend Best time to go Summer Don’t miss… On the Friday my first stop was Café Express at Crossgates for breakfast. Leaving Crossgates I headed into the Elan Valley to stop at Craig Goch Dam then onto Cwmystwyth Mines followed by Devil's Bridge after a stop at Two Tweets café for coffee and Welsh cakes. On Saturday I was heading to Abergavenny through the Brecon Beacons then on to the Wye Valley and spotted a sign for Arthur's Stone, so took a detour where I found a 5000-year-old Neolithic chambered tomb. Then I headed to Blaenavon which is a world heritage site thanks to its history. The road down the mountain was…

KEY TO THE AREA ■ SOUTH WEST ■ CENTRAL ■ NORTH & SCOTLAND ■ SOUTH EAST WEDNESDAY October 26 BIKE MEETS ■ The Old Stores Pontblyddyn, Mold, Flints 6pm-9pm 07548-224866 ■ Squires Cafe Newthorpe, West Yorks 01977-684618 or www.squires-cafe.co.uk ■ Seaways Fridaythorpe, East Yorks, 4pm-8pm mike@seawayscafe.co.uk ■ Loomies Moto Cafe West Meon, Hants. www.loomiescafe.co.uk TRACK DAYS ■ Cadwell Park Lincs from £95 www.msvtrackdays.com THURSDAY October 27 BIKE MEETS ■ Iron Horse Ranch House Market Deeping, Lincs, 5pm-9pm www.ironhorseranchhouse.co.uk ■ Vic Bikers Pub Coalville, Leics www.vicbikerspub.co.uk ■ Down and Out Motorcycles The Boiler House, Rotherham, S Yorks, 5.30pm onwards. downandoutcustoms.co.uk ■ The Flotterstone Inn Penicuik A702 nr Edinburgh City Bypass 7pm 01968-673717 ■ Whistlestop Cafe Whitby, North Yorks 4.30pm-8.30pm Facebook: Whistlestop Cafe ■ Zoom Zoom Tearoom Sand Lane, South Cave, East…

‘It could be the adventure bike I’ve always dreamt of’ Picking the best bike out of these five offerings has never been so critical given that I'll actually be buying the winning machine. While there are no bad bikes here, there are also none that exactly fit the bill in terms of what I want. My wish is to have a bike that's highly capable off road, lots of fun and with the ability to crunch out an hour or two on the motorway to get to where I want to be riding. The two twins on test - Yamaha Ténéré and new kid on the block Aprilia Tuareg are far and away the best road bikes here - and while neither of them offers the creature comforts of a…

‘Direct from the heart…' Moto Guzzi have created a tasteful, sports-tourer that's neither bland, nor shouty and offers the perfect mix of comfort, sportiness, tech and character. It's pricey, but the V100 Mandello is well made with great attention to detail and feels like a machine that's come from the heart rather than just a machine produced to fill a gap in a model range. It's Like nothing else around, which is all part of its appeal and you never get the sense, either by riding or looking at it, that any corners were cut during its journey from design sketch to showroom floor. THE FACTS £15,750 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S…

BRUCE DUNN MCN’s expert technician Stop sticky situations Troubleshoot a sticking throttle to boost safety and smoothness 1 It can creep up on you… A sticking throttle is one of those problems that slowly gets worse over time so it's easy to end up living with it. But it will cause an MoT failure, and quite rightly so. The problem can often be the result of a few basic issues: the throttle tube rubbing on the handlebar, old cables snagging, poor routing, or the grips binding on the throttle housing or end weights. 2 First, suspect the guards Lever guards and barkbusters are commonplace on road bikes and not just dedicated track machines or adventurers. If your bike has either, you need to make doubLy sure when fitting that it does not…

NEWS BSB ‘McPhee had us off the sofa…’ I thought John McPhee’s Moto3 win was absolutely brilliant… there aren’t enough superlatives. I love that he's the oldest guy and I love that he's an underdog too. We’re in a world now where we talk about all the stuff going on behind the scenes. Twenty years ago you'd have just been told to get on with it, and going back further when I was an apprentice I got a few smacks in the jaw when I did something wrong and you knew not to do it again. Now that's not acceptable. And look, I’m not going to pretend to know what’s been going on behind the scenes in that team - but there's something. So for John to come back from…

Alex Lowes led a race for the first time since Phillip Island in 2020 as he made an incredible start to the third Argentina encounter. Having finished sixth and fifth in Race 1 and the Sprint, respectively, he ended up fourth in the finale after teammate Jonathan Rea overtook in the closing stages. Had his SCX tyre not dropped off, there's every chance the Lincoln-born rider would have clinched his third podium of 2022, but he still moves back into the championship top five. Axel Bassani continued to impress. Despite a messy last race, taking out Loris Baz and failing to complete the subsequent long lap penalties, resulting in a ride-through, the 23-year-old Italian mustered a tremendous podium after leading for much of Race 1. The Motocorsa rider is within touching…

SPORT With a World Champion’s performance Fabio Quartararo demonstrated that he knows his sublime talent and racing mentality better than anyone on the grid. Against overwhelming odds Quartararo’s third-place podium at Sepang has forced the championship to a last race decider in Valencia. Of course, Yamaha’s pitifully slow M1 has no right to lay a glove on the power-laden, slickhandling Ducatis, the definitive bikes of both 2021 and '22. This season Ducati have won 12 of 19 races - a dominant 63% strike rate - with seven of those going to the increasingly fast champion-in-waiting and Rossi protégé Pecco Bagnaia. There’s only one reason why Bagnaia doesn’t have the title locked away: Quartararo’s steely mental resilience and racing IQ. Sepang was another blow to the commentary that he fades under…

Marc Marquez predicted a reality check in Malaysia, and he got one with a seventh-place finish from a front-row start. Marquez has been in the tricky balance of test and race mode during the flyways as Honda plot a RC213V revamp for 2023. Marquez assessed a new chassis and aero tricks at Sepang as part of the intensebut-delayed test programme. “Honda know we’re behind, so we will have only one chance to get things right [at the Valencia tests],” Marquez said. Of the low grip Sepang race which he found a physical struggle on what is a hot and demanding track Marquez said: “I felt we had a slow bike all weekend, so you have to push more in the corners. “It’s a circuit with the weak points of my riding…

BAGNAIA 2022 2 Bagnaia needs just two points to be crowned MotoGP World Champion 4 Only Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Andrea Dovizioso and Max Biaggi have won more premier class races for Italy than Bagnaia. 5 Bagnaia has started from pole position in five races, which is the highest tally of any rider in 2022 7 Bagnaia's Sepang win was his seventh of 2022, which is the most in a single season by a Ducati rider since Casey Stoner in 2007 10 Bagnaia has scored 10 podiums in 2022 189 Bagnaia has led for 189 laps during 2022, which is 113 more han Quartararo and 167 more than Bastianini…

WHAT’S NEW IN TECH Security specialists Litelock say their new X1 Moto D-lock offers the perfect combination - maximum strength in a compact, lightweight and portable design. The X1 has been engineered to withstand lock picking and, more importantly, attacks from mechanical devices. With the increasing availability of small, powerful portable power tools, the angle grinder has become the tool of choice for hardcore thieves but the X1 has the answer in the form of a ceramic composite called Barronium that is fused onto the hardened finegrain, high-tensile steel core. Litelok claim that Barronium resists angle grinder attack by turning the grinder’s energy and force in on itself and so quickly wearing down or breaking grinder discs. As such, the company claim the X1 can resist an angle grinder attack…

‘Just what were they thinking?’ Sometimes I am left wondering what goes through a manufacturer's mind when it comes to developing a new bike. Let me give you an example that still makes me chuckle. I was in Spain in 2014 with Honda at the launch of a new CB650F when halfway through they led us to a cave. As we descended into the depths it was all getting a bit weird. Then, as we got to the bottom, there it was… the Vultus. In case you have erased this bike from your memory, it was a mad sequel to the DN-01 (which hadn't exactly flown out of showrooms. I was a bit shocked, so asked one of the men in suits. “Isn't that just a reimagined DN-01?” “It's a…

OUT AND ABOUT Riding high in the Peaks Dan Sutherland takes in the very best of Derbyshire's roads Taking Matlock Bath as a rather obvious base, head South to Cromford Mills then turn right onto the A5012 and begin the wiggling route up though Grangemill and all the way until you hit the A6. Then take a left past Haddon Hall, clinging to the A6 through Bakewell (grab a tart or two here) and on to the spa town of Buxton. Climb out of the town on the A5004 up over Long Hill and then plunge down the fantastic helter-skelter past Fernlee Reservoir to Whaley Bridge. Pick up the A6 again to Newtown before cutting back right an on to Hayfield, where you take a left onto the A624 towards…

‘French fancies!’ R5K MEMBER MARTIN POTTS Bonjour! A pastry and a coffee to start my day while watching the local council workers start theirs, during a recent trip on my BMW GS. ‘Rocket 3 rolling’ R5K MEMBER MARC STEPHENS I don’t do selfies, but I'm happy to share a picture of my new Triumph Rocket 3 GT last month with Burgruine Waldeck castle ruins, in Bavaria, in the background. ‘Brit Butt Rallying’ R5K MEMBER CHRIS BUTLER Home from the 2022 Brit Butt Rally on my Royal Enfield Himalayan. We covered just shy of 1400 miles in three days. A fantastic bike for it too, if a little sedate on the highway! ‘A trip to Anglesey Abbey’ R5K MEMBER DEREK AND GILL SOL A great ride today to Anglesey Abbey and…

KTM 890 Adventure R KTM's latest offering is even better that the original 790R thanks to its 1Obhp power gain and heavier crank. Incredibly capable off road and highly capable on, it the bike's £12,499 price tag that was the reason that it wasn't included in this test. Honda CRF450L Has the makings of a brilliant adventure bike due to it essentially being a detuned competition enduro bike. But short service intervals, (600 miles between oil changes) and a lack of road practicality makes it a non-starter for Michael's needs.…

I tend to have an issue with women's gloves not fitting my long fingers properly, but these have proved it is possible to find a comfortable pair. The stretch fabric provides a snug fit, while also giving abrasion resistance. This is backed up by the CE KP1 rating. There is padding on the back, the side, and the palm as well as along the fingers. Plus there is protection in the form of a variable-density polyurethane shield on the knuckles. The only small niggle is that they're not quite warm enough for those sub-zero days, although not many gloves are. But, for most chilly days where you actually want to go out riding, the 100g polar fleece lining is enough to keep you relatively warm. There is a leather patch…

There’s no riding around a charging system failure as your lights start to dim, indicators go doolally, the bike runs erratically and finally grinds to a halt with only a click from the starter solenoid switch as you try to get going. Most of the time it’s due to the regulator/ rectifier failing, but the one fitted to this 2004 Harley Softail was still doing its job of dumping excess voltage, so it needed some more digging to find the culprit: a burned-out stator. Kevin Hollingsworth of Doncaster Motorcycles picks up the story: “I’ve replaced plenty of Japanese, Triumph and Ducati stators in 20 years of working on bikes, but only one or two Harleys. So I was surprised to see this one had burned out.” Age is an obvious…

SPORT In a world of tech hurdles and finite strategies, millimetres can make all the difference. They certainly did on Saturday as Toprak Razgatlioglu came within a whisker of colliding with Alvaro Bautista when he crashed out of Argentina’s opening race. Just 24 hours later, it was Jonathan Rea who was making unforced errors in each of the Sunday contests. They’ve been forced into the situation by Bautista, who proceeded to clinch another double and is poised to wrap up the title in Indonesia. Toprak’s opening lap crash was the first significant mistake he’s made in a race since joining Yamaha. On Sunday it was Rea’s turn to get it wrong, throwing away the lead of the Sprint Race through a fumbled downshift before running wide in the afternoon encounter.…

SPORT Britain's Sam Sunderland has wrapped up a brilliant 2022 season by becoming the FIM World Rally-Raid champion. The factory GasGas rider finished fifth in the Andalucian Rally, which was enough to secure the world title ahead of Monster HRC riders Pablo Quintanila and Ricky Brabec. The result comes in the same year that Sunderland won the prestigious Dakar Rally. He is now a two-time Dakar winner, having also won the race in 2017 and a two-time World Champion in 2019 and 2022. 'It's been a crazy year with the Dakar win’ Sunderland said: “Amazing! It’s been a crazy year with the Dakar win and then winning in Abu Dhabi, but then we had a big gap over the summer. We were back in action for the Last round in…

Aprilia's title charge ended with a whimper in Malaysia. Aleix Espargaro was beset by mechanical issues on Friday, then a lack of rear grip in the race, limiting him to 10th. “I'm very proud of everybody in Aprilia. What we did this year is amazing. But at the same time, the way we end the season is a bit sad," he said afterwards. Track tribute to Red Bull genius There was a minute of applause on the grid before the race to commemorate the passing of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz. The energy drinks brand entered the paddock in 1997 and has backed countless careers, including that of Brad Binder who said: “All we can say is thank you. This guy made more sportspeople's dreams come true than anybody else."…

Triumph are bedazzling the Bobber and sprucing up the Scrambler with a run of chrome editions. Inspired by the chromed tanks of the 1937 Speed Twin and the 1960s Tritons, the collection spans ten models and will be available for one year only. First teased at the Cologne show with a chromed Rocket 3, the limited run includes the Bonneville, Thruxton, Scrambler and Speed Twin, each benefitting from Triumph's state-ofthe-art chrome-detailing facility. All ten models receive a chrome tank with various levels of shiny coverage, with additional bling allocated to tank badging, filler cap and knee-pad infills, dependent on the model. Jet black mudguards, headlight casings, radiator cowls and other peripheries enable the chromed parts to stand out even further. Available to order now, these exclusive limited editions are availabLe…

SAVE £1505 £10,995 Yamaha TMax 560 Tech Max Think of the TMax as the ultimate high-speed commuting tool-a fast, practical, jam-busting alternative to a car or expensive annual train season ticket into a major city. It's also a two-up holiday buddy that will swallow your groceries one minute and scratch ably through backroads the next. www.wiganyamaha.co.uk SAVE £1409 £17,899 KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo A free £1000 Tech pack, plus a £400 Datatool tracker sub for the wild and thrilling Austrian twin. www.premierbikes.com • Engine 1301cc • Power 177bhp • Weight 191kg • Seat height 835mm SAVE £1400 £24,999 Honda CBR1000RR-R SP Bransons are bolting on the £2400 carbon kit to their last 30th Anniversary Blade for only £1000. bransonsmotorcycles.co.uk • Engine lOOOcc • Power 215bhp • Weight 201kg…

‘Ride, Park & Pose…’ 1. Honda XR600R My biggest regrets are the bikes I’ve sold, and the XR600R is one of them. I had one 25 years ago and it was just brilliant, but it could be a bitch to start! 2. Suzuki GSX-R750 SRAD This is the other bike I really miss, back then I was obsessed by trackdays and did hundreds of them on the SRAD. 3. Vincent Black Shadow Ewan McGregor has just narrated a docu-movie - Speed is Expensive - about this one. It’s a brilliant film all about how this genius, Philip Vincent, designed and built these amazing bikes. 4. LiveWire I love the idea of electric and I think this is an important bike to have on the list because it’s where are future…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews ‘How about a Valentino corner? Watching the Australian MotoGP earlier this month, I spotted that the track had renamed the Honda Hairpin in honour of Jack Miller. No problem with that, I like Jack and he is their local hero. But it got me wondering why there aren’t corners being named in tribute to the greatest of all time, Valentino Rossi. You’d certainly expect Italian tracks to be honouring the great man and quite a few round the world too. Why’s it not happening? Peter Exelby, Redruth, Cornwall Ed: Good point, the how about Laguna Seca having a Rossi Corkscrew? That might work! STAR LETTER Write something that spikes our interest, and you could get selected for the Star Letter slot. Each week one lucky reader…

October 30, Classic Show and Jumble The South of England Showground at Ardingly is playing host to an autojumble and bike show. Pick up a bargain and gaze upon iconic metal this weekend with tickets online for £7, or £10 for an early bird. www.elkpromotions.co.uk October 30 Huddersfield Auto Retro Jumble For sellers, stalls are £20 and set up starts at 7am, and for buyers’ admission is £3 with doors at 10am. phoenixfairs.jimdofree.com October 30 Gold Top Halloween Bike Meet The monthly bike meet at Gold Top in Bishop’s Stortford is taking a spooky turn this month with a Halloween theme, goldtop.co.uk/pages/event-calendar…

Your drive chain transmits power from the engine to the rear wheel, so keeping it in peak condition will ensure none of that power is lost. And one of the simplest - and most often overlooked maintenance jobs is cleaning. Chains get clogged with road dirt that has stuck to the lube, which acts like a grinding paste that wears down the chain and sprockets if not cleaned off and replaced with fresh lube. You can tell at a glance when the chain needs cleaning, because it will be coated in a sticky, greasy black sludge. Washing it off is simple, thanks to a wide choice of chain cleaning sprays from trusted brands. Squirt the cleaning solution onto the chain, leave for the recommended time, so it can get to…

£9900 Yamaha Ténéré 700 £10,600 Aprilia Tuareg £6449 Honda CRF300 Rally £9349 KTM 690 Enduro R £9495 AJP PR7…

This is Moto Guzzi's smoothest, quietest, cleanest and most powerful engine. It’s also their first with liquid cooling, not that you’d know with its pipework neatly hidden. The 1042cc (96 × 72mm bore and stroke) DOHC, 8v ‘compact block’ 90° V-twin makes a claimed 113bhp@8700rpm and 77lb.ft of torque - 82% of which made as low as 3500rpm. A host of lightweight internals are now used to produce 50% less inertia than Guzzi’s old 1200cc 8v lump as well as being 103mm shorter, which allows a more compact wheelbase for sharper handling. The cylinders have been turned by 90°, so the exhausts exit from the side instead of the front while the throttle bodies now live between ‘V, freeing up space for the rider’s knees. Service intervals are every 7500 miles…

NEW SCHUBERTH C5 Setting the standards “For Schuberth the new C5 is the first helmet featuring the ECE 22.06 standard. But our Schuberth standard is far above the standards of the regulations, so even with 22.05 helmets in crash tests, we were safe against 22.06 standards. As part of the standard, the sun visor sits in the very edge of the helmet shell. The mechanism is fully integrated inside the helmet shell, and you have the complete field of view of 180 degrees.” Good news for bigger riders “We’ve changed the position of the rivet of the chin strap. For some of our customers, the original position was generating a certain discomfort in the throat area. For a big guy this new position is a big advantage because it is…

In the old days, the throttle cable provided a direct connection from your right hand to the carburettor slide. As the carb slide opened it allowed air in, at the same time fuel was drawn in from the carb - or in the case of an injector system, a TPS (throttle position sensor) told the ECU that the throttle is opening and thus a measured amount of fuel is squirted into the engine. These days, most new bikes don’t have a throttle cable at all. Of course they still have a throttle tube and twist grip, but the mechanical linkage has mostly been replaced. On these ‘ride-by-wire’ bikes, the throttle twistgrip housing has a potentiometer, and the movement from the throttle is sent as a signal via a wire to…

No one saw Sunday’s Moto3 result coming not even John McPhee. The Scot had been on the cusp of walking away from his Max Racing Husqvarna team on Saturday. Repeated calls to change set- up to his liking went unheeded, as well as the reoccurrence of issues with his brakes in free practice contributing to a grid position of 22nd. The mood was low after. “I just want to curl up into a ball and cry,” he said. Remarkable then, that he pulled off an epic last-lap will less than 24 hours later in what was surely his finest GP ride to date. After McPhee threatened to walk, a member of KTM’s support staff insisted on dramatic changes to set-up to a previously hesitant crew chief, which were enacted after…

‘Tangled trauma of the top ten’ News from Sepang: title deferred. We must wait another fortnight before knowing who is the best Grand Prix rider in the world. But does the best rider always win? Is the championship anything more than a game of percentages, rewarding reliability as much as speed? And the lucky luxury of having the fastest bike? For the past three decades and more I’ve had the (not selfappointed) task of picking the 10 best riders of the year, to be enshrined in the bookshelves of dedicated fans in the pages of the august annual Motocourse. Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes agonising, knowing that my flippant views will upset riders who might (or might not) fall short in a few areas, but are still a million times better,…

Getting the inside line on grand prix racing since 1996 TOP STORY It will take the greatest capitulation in GP history to stop Pecco Bagnaia taking the 2022 title, after a magnificent seventh win of the season in the pressure cooker atmosphere of Sepang moved him into a commanding 23-point lead over reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo heading to Valencia’s title decider next month. Such a luxurious position seemed ludicrous to contemplate 10 races ago when he’d slipped 91 points behind Quartararo after falling off his factory Ducati at Germany’s Sachsenring. But barring a late collapse of monumental proportions, Bagnaia must surely complete the greatest comeback in MotoGP’s 73-year history. The equation is simple. Quartararo must win the season finale otherwise Bagnaia will end Ducati’s 15-year quest to win just…