Table of contents for April 2024 in RiDE

'The next few months are the best of the year’ It’s here! Spring has started - and with it a whole host of opportunities that make riding bikes brilliant. While many people ride though winter, you can’t argue with the fact that being a biker is better in spring and summer. There’s dry, warm roads, great places to go and you don’t have to layer up like the Michelin Man or plug yourself into the Matrix with heated kit to protect yourself from the cold. This issue of RiDE is all about helping you get the most from the next few months. With this in mind, we’ve collated what we think are the best springtime routes in Britain. Some are short blasts (and might be around the corner); others are…

When it comes to catching speeders in Northamptonshire, the camera vans certainly rack up some impressive numbers. According to a Freedom of Information Act response, the force had seven camera vans plus two handheld devices in 2022. Figures show that in May 2023 - the most recent month for which full information is available - they caught nearly 7000 speeders. These were split close to 50:50 between those snapped by fixed cameras on the M1 (3622) and those picked up by the vans or handheld devices on the county’s other roads (3159). Does that make them a money-spinner? Well, 1045 of those mobile-device-caught drivers accepted a fixed penalty - at least £100 a pop - but the fines go to central coffers, not the force. Another 1753 speeders, usually those…

Harley-Davidson has revealed an updated Street Glide and Road Glide cruiser range, with both now available in dealers. At the heart of each bike sits the new Milwaukee-Eight 117 - a thumping-great 1923cc counterbalanced V-twin, which receives an updated intake and exhaust characteristics to enhance performance, as well as a new cooling system. Both get four riding modes, plus revised aerodynamics for a claimed reduction in helmet buffeting. A revised saddle and a rear suspension travel increase of 76mm aim to improve comfort. They also come equipped with heaps of technology, which includes a giant 12.3in touchscreen TFT dash and booming new 200W amplifier.…

FIRST RIDE KTM 1390 SUPER DUKE R KTM’S SUPER DUKE 1290 has evolved into the 1390, and been treated to largely incremental development and refinement. The biggest change (capacity aside - it’s now ‘only’ 1350cc) is a cam-shift system that uses a more gentle cam profile below 5700rpm, before an electronic solenoid shifts over to a lumpier lobe that delivers what’s needed in the mid-high end of the rev range. KTM claims power and torque is improved everywhere, which is nice, but reading between the lines the motivation is as much about appeasing Euro5+ emissions standards. No matter - for once, keeping the Eurocrats and their lambda probes happy has improved the bike with no discernible penalty. The transition from mild to wild cams is undetectable, but the immense stab…

AT QUICK GLANCE it is easy to assume Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GX is simply a GSX-S1000GT with longer-travel suspension, a more upright riding position and some new bodywork. But dig deeper and there’s more to this crossover bike than initially meets the eye... It’s the first GSX-S model to come with an IMU to allow its safety assists to be angle-responsive, and it features Suzuki’s first semi-active suspension system - a significant advancement in the company’s somewhat-lacking technology programme. Naturally this new tech comes at a price - and the GX retails at £1800 more than the GT, which is a significant amount. Although for buyers who opt for monthly PCP finance, the difference is a palatable £40 a month, with an extra £700 to find for a deposit. Is this new…

GOOD OLD BLIGHTY is a modestly-proportioned island - but boy, do we have a lot of road: over 215,000 miles of tarmac, from tip to toe. And while not all of it is worth riding, we all know how a motorbike’s unique talent has ways of livening up even the dullest motorway or city back street, ahem. And that still leaves more desirable distance to be covered than we have time for in a riding lifetime. From side-streets to mountain passes and back roads to coastal epics, it’s all out there waiting to be explored by a new set Of tyres and seen by a fresh pair of eyes - yours. So, why wait? To help kick the riding season off, here’s RiDE’s recommendation of ten of the best routes…

The go-to destination for a big proportion of UK riders still delivers when it comes to beauty and riding challenge The Peak District is the most popular national park for motorcyclists - partly because it’s surrounded by six million people living on its doorstep, mostly visiting on mountain bikes or in motorhomes. But bikers come too, attracted by the Peaks’ wonderfully varied riding, dramatic and constantly shifting scenery, and its ever-changing character (not to mention a seemingly unlimited number of cafes and bike stops). So although the Peaks can get busy in holiday time, there are plenty of back roads and undiscovered routes - alongside legends like the Cat and Fiddle or the Snake Pass - to keep riders entertained and coming back time and time again. A great…

BEST FOR CLOSE RACING WORLD SUPERBIKES Donington Park, Derby, DE74 2BN > 12-14 July > £45 (adv. raceday) £70 (adv. weekend) > www.donington-park.co.uk Why it’s worth the trip With nail-biting racing and a world champion Brit, WSB offers better value and more excitement than MotoGP. After years in the doldrums World Superbikes is on the climb - as proven by the growing numbers heading to Donington each year. With its rolling topography and sweeping corners, Donington is one of the best tracks in the world for spectating and fosters a far better atmosphere than you’ll ever have watching Silverstone’s MotoGP round. There’s plenty of characters to cheer for, too - six-time champ Jonathan Rea has moved to the Yamaha team, while showman and riding genius Toprak Razgatlioglu is now riding…

SW-Motech DUSC luggage £877.80 (side cases and racks), £498.96 (top case and rack) www.sw-motech.co.uk THE CLAIM “Whether it’s a sporty trip, off-roading or a long journey, the redesigned DUSC impresses with its easy handling and reliable luggage transport. Its own style and adventure DNA cut a fine figure on touring bikes and travel enduro bikes. Can be easily attached to the motorcycle.” THE REALITY What caught our eye about this system is its flexibility. Based around two box sizes, they can be used as panniers or top boxes - so you can fit three for maximum capacity or have the choice of a large or small top box if you don’t need side cases. Made from ABS plastic, the boxes are lightweight (4.1kg large, 3.9kg small, with locks) and fit…

‘It’s hard to see why you wouldn’t add either set to your riding kit’ With the joint highest scores here, the Richa Rain Warrior and Oxford Rainseal sets top the test. Hard to split, both scored perfect 10s for their trousers in the waterproof test with the Richa kit just tipping the Oxford when it came to the jackets, although it was very close and we were extremely critical when it came to water ingress. In reality, if you were wearing a textile jacket underneath this extra layer of protection would ensure you remained 100% dry even under extreme weather conditions with both sets of waterproofs. Costing around the £70 mark, it is hard to see why you wouldn’t add either set to your riding kit. Arguably, the slightly disappointing…

A NUMBER OF Conservative and Labour politicians are now backing proposed reforms to the UK motorcycle licensing structure, with a focus on greater accessibility and affordability to get more people on two wheels, Speaking at the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) annual conference, figures from both parties said reform is needed and pointed to environmental benefits as part of net zero targets. In a pre-recorded video message, Transport Committee chairman lain Stewart (Con) told the audience: “I support your call for a full scale review of the L-category [motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers, and quadricycies] licensing regime and I’m looking forward to helping you hold the Government to account on its action plan promises. “By emphasising the advantages in urban mobility, last-mile delivery efficiency, and the future of urban and suburban transport, you…

Chinese firm CFMoto has launched an A2-compliant 450SR S sportsbike powered by a 46.3bhp, 449.5cc parallel twin engine complete with a rumbling 270° firing order. Lining up alongside the established competition - including the £6699 Honda CBR500R and incoming Aprilia RS457-the £6499 CFMoto builds on the existing 450SR and comes with a single-sided swingarm, winglets and full-colour TFT dash. Only the racier SR S will now be available in the UK, with bikes arriving in dealerships from March. Among further updates for the 450SR S are an underslung exhaust, winglets, a bigger 240mm rear brake disc, and beefier 37mm upside-down forks with damping adjustment. Although it’s still an emerging brand in the UK, CFMoto’s distribution and European parts backup comes from Pierer Mobility, which also owns KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas and…

The GX introduces Suzuki’s first semi-active suspension system, SAES, and is a major difference between it and the GT. During straight-line cruising the system works very well, with the auto self-levelling system keeping the bike flat and the softest setting absorbing the worst of the bumps. So for mile-munching it’s hard to fault. The ride quality is a step better than the GT and is as good as any tall-rounder and better than most. It also feels fine for the kind of relaxed bend-swinging tail-rounders are made for. But for aggressive, sporty riding things aren’t as rosy. When you try to up the pace the GX’s suspension doesn’t respond very well. If you leave it in the auto preload setting it’s sluggish to turn, requiring lots of rider input. You…

2015-2024 | £95750-£16,000 | 136mph | 109bhp THE TURISMO VELOCE is the surprise star of the MV range. The sports-tourer derivative of its F3 800 sportsbike brings the best of Italian flair and performance and mixes it with usability you'd expect from something like a Yamaha Tracer, Standard models (named Turismo Veloce early on, then badged as ‘Rosso’ when the Lusso and RC joined the line-up) are good value, costing little more than a comparable Tracer on the used market. An interesting option is the SCS (Smart Clutch System). The Rekluse-made, motocross-derived clutch only requires use of the left lever for initial gear selection: you can shift or even stop/pull away without using it again. Lusso specification brings a ‘skyhook’ semi-active electronic suspension kit as well as panniers, LED headlight,…

UPDATE 03 I’M SAT WITH Jim Blackstock, RiDE products editor and Devon resident. We’re chatting over a cuppa and bag of chips. It’s chucking it down - and through the window I can just about see the drenched Honda NC750X parked in Brixham Harbour. It’s a long way from Stamford - 286 miles to be precise - and right now I’m happy to be warming up after a chilly couple of February riding days. What am I doing here? It’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times over the past couple of days. I’m always one for adventure and love touring, so thought it would be chance to see if the NC’s more than the commuter bike it’s often thought to be. I’d prepped through January. From the off…

UPDATE 01 THE SPEED TRIPLE RR hasn’t been the success Triumph hoped it to be. Have you seen one on the road? I haven’t. And 30 seconds of searching finds brand-new unregistered examples being offered for £12,999 - almost £5000 less than list price. For a 178bhp bike with semi-active Öhlins, Brembo Stylemas and incredible fit, finish and detail, that’s outrageous value for money. Interested now? Thought you might be... I think I know why they’ve been a hard sell. It’s not the way they ride - I rode one when it was launched in 2022 and thought it was wonderful. My heart lies with sportsbikes of the 1990s/early-2000s, when they were still decent road bikes and able to boogie on track. For me, this is the same formula applied…

‘300k-mile BMW is still going strong’ After a slow start, Eddie Barnes’ BMW R100S has been piling on the miles for more than 40 years as a commuter and pleasure bike Name Edward Barnes, 76 Bike 1978 BMW R100S Total miles 299,500 Miles per year 7000 There are several ways to get a bike up to a high mileage - the obvious one is to buy it a longtime ago and keep riding it. That’s certainly worked for Eddie and his 1978 BMW, which he bought new in 1981. Hang on a minute, how did that work? Turns out back then bike sales were very slow, and lots of dealers had unregistered bikes hanging around for years waiting for buyers. “Then in 1981 the chancellor imposed a 10% tax on…

FOR JUST OVER a year, Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team have been using a stealthy, unmarked safety camera van alongside their fleet of fully marked vehicles to nab speeders at sites across the county. After its first full year in use the van is now a permanent addition to the police’s arsenal - and other forces across the country are thinking of using one too. Speed cameras have been a fact of life in the UK since 1991, but they really hit their stride at the turn of the millennium with the formation of so-called ‘safety camera partnerships’ that were able to retain the revenue from fines and plough it back into the project. During that decade the emphasis started to shift from fixed sites - the yellow boxes, often…

Hopes for a three-cylinder Yamaha R9 sportsbike based on the popular MT-09 naked platform have been ignited within the World Supersport paddock. Kervin Bos - team manager at Ten Kate Racing, which won the 2021 and 2022 World Supersport titles with Yamaha - told our sister title MCN that development on the race bike is under way. He said: “The racing model is already in heavy development, and many things are already happening about that. “The only thing I can tell you for sure is next year in World Supersport the Yamaha R6 will be replaced for the R9, but by my information it is unclear when the bike will be available for on the road.“…

Email ride@ride.co.uk Write to us RiDE, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA LETTER OF THE MONTH Under pressure We do a lot of two-up touring and normally carry a puncture repair kit and a plug-in electric pump. But these take up valuable luggage space, so I was persuaded by your Product Test in the February issue to buy the Michelin Mini Inflator. Although your comparison test was good, it did not represent what I needed to know; specifically, how would it perform inflating my 180/55 rear tyre from flat to 2.9 bar. In the end, it was ten minutes with a pause to allow it to cool. I am very pleased with the results, as I know from bitter experience that five CO2 cartridges only inflate the rear tyre to…

NEW BIKES FIRST RIDE HONDA AFRICA TWIN ADVENTURE SPORTS HONDA HAS ALWAYS gone its own way with the Africa Twin, never chasing big bhp figures - and that’s been to its credit. The 1084cc parallel-twin engine may ‘only’ make 101bhp, but it’s never lacking on the road - and with such friendly power it’s a piece of cake to live with. It’s comfy and has always been one of the prettiest adventure bikes with its ’80s Dakar styling. It’s no surprise the Africa Twin has a loyal following. It’s been in Honda’s top three best-selling motorcycles since its 2016 launch and consistently snaps at the heels of BMW’s big GS in the sales charts. There are two Africa Twins: the £13,199 (£14,699 with electronic suspension) base model and this more…

Yes, it can cover big miles in comfort at speed - as you’d expect from a tall-rounder. The crossover riding position is very comfortable with a natural stretch to the ’bars, and while the pegs initially feel a bit sporty in their height they are low enough to ward off cramp for the bike’s fuel range. The same is true of the seat’s padding. But it’s not perfect... The screen is three-stage adjustable but requires tools, which is poor on a premium tourer. To alter its height you need to undo four hex bolts (the hex key supplied doesn’t fit, either) before prising out four rubber well nuts and then repositioning them. It is very tricky to do, especially with cold hands, and you get the feeling that if you…

From a pillion’s point of view, the GX feels like a sportier sports tourer. When you climb on to the pillion seat it feels much taller than similar tall-rounders/adventure bikes due to the separate seat that’s stepped higher than the rider’s perch, rather than a one-piece rider/pillion seat. I’m 5ft 10in and this step elevated me clear of the rider’s helmet - and while it gave me a fairly unobstructed view of the road ahead it put me more in the airflow. Some pillions may like this; others won’t. On the go, I liked the position of the pillion grab rails. There’s lots of room between the rail and seat, which means your fingers don’t get trapped, and as the rails are nice and long you can vary the position…

YOU KNOW THE scene: you’re braking into a right hander, you line the bike up on the left side of the road, not too close to the camber drop into the gutter, watch the vanishing point moving away from you as you ease back on the brakes and peel in, steering towards the apex... so far so textbook. But this isn’t the 1990s. As you drive out from the corner, your exit line takes you across a pothole the size of Yorkshire, surrounded by a scattering of excavated gravel. Meanwhile a small army of pedal -powered Lycra warriors chooses that moment to fan out and fill the road towards you, forcing impatient traffic to cross on to your side of the road to get past. And, as luck would have…

TWO-PIECE WATERPROOFS ARE a great example of kit you should never leave home without. Small and generally light enough to fit in the bottom of a rucksack or under a seat, they provide enough protection to ensure your day isn’t ruined by damp clothing if the conditions take a turn for the worse. They can also make you more visible to other road users in bad visibility that often accompanies poor weather. But they aren’t just good in wet conditions - they are also very helpful in the dry. Two-piece waterproofs will generally also be windproof and can help keep the cold out by reducing the effects of wind chill. Then, once the sun emerges, they can be quickly rolled up and tucked away. Also, should the road be a…

APRIL 2023 BIKE WASHES Oxford Mint £7.99 oxfordmint.co.uk Quick, easy, no-fuss, general-purpose bike wash that does the job at the right price, with a five-litre bulk top-up option available to reduce future costs. RECOMMENDED XCP Cleaner/Degreaser £5.95 MAY 2023 LAMINATED TEXTILE JACKETS Bering Alaska £329.99 bikerheadz.co.uk Lightweight, flexible, comfy and warm enough for early-morning starts. Lots of venting for when the going gets hot. Pictured above left. Oxford Stormland £399.99 oxfordproducts.com A heavyweight jacket that has a comfortable and traditional, if a little bulky, fit. This one will keep the cold and wet out in all conditions. Pictured below left JUNE 2023 SPORTS TOURING TYRES Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE £344 metzeler.com The best tyre in the wet conditions we tested in, the Roadtecs improved the performance, safety and enjoyment of…