Table of contents for September 2015 in Performance Bikes

THIS IS NOT a sports tourer. Even though it looks like and is specced like a sports tourer, Suzuki are adamant it is not. It’s a sportsbike for ex-sportsbike owners in their 40s, who still like a weekend thrash, don’t bother with pillions or touring but want a more road-biased, comfortable attitude. To prove their point, Suzuki launched the bike on the Isle of Man. No chance for any long jaunts – just a day hammering the unrestricted roads that make the Irish Sea’s premier lump of rock a sportsbike lover’s haven. I’d already ridden the naked GSX-S1000 (see page 62 ) so knew what to expect to a degree. The engine is the same detuned version of the GSX-R1000 K5-K7 engine, the frame is unchanged and the swingarm…

Victory and Roland Sands didn t quite get the result they wanted at the lairy Pikes Peak hillclimb, with a crash in both practice and the race leaving the prototype entry down the finishing order. Californian 250 racer-turned custom builder Roland Sands was given a prototype 1200cc liquid-cooled twin by the North American firm to build a racer for the ball-busting race up a Colorado mountainside. US mag Cycle World s editor Don Canet was picked to ride the Project 156 up the mountain. He tucked the front on a white line in a practice event weeks before the race, sending the one-off into the armco at high speed. Sands’ team got the twisted wreck sorted for the race, and Canet showed promising pace before a low-speed hairpin drop and…

SUZUKI GSX-R1000 K5 STUART BROADFIELD I HAD THE ‘unpolished diamond’ GSX-R750 that featured in your September 2013 issue and then promptly blew up a month later. So when this K5 came up for K3 money I grabbed it. It was a bit sorry for itself, with a beaten-up Chinese Relentless fairing kit, and it needed some work. I fitted R1 calipers, an Öhlins steering damper and K7 750 forks with Öhlins pistons from my 750 to it. A Brembo master cylinder was added up front and I replaced the warped stock discs with some Brembos. All was good until last October when I hit a diesel spill and wrapped it around a central reservation. The bike came out with mainly cosmetic damage and sat in the garage for a few…

GOT SOME FRONT Showa forks work brilliantly. Nissin four-pots stop as hard as you’ll ever need BORN AGAIN The first ground-up rehash made the 900RR faster, sharper and more polished 2000-2001 £1500-£2800 119BHP 170KG DESPITE EVIDENCE TO the contrary, Tadao Baba was still convinced a 900cc superbike offered a better overall balance than a full 1000cc motor. But by 1999, the basic design of his 1992 ground-breaker was past it, getting its arse handed to it by the ZX-9R, and then having said nether region thoroughly rogered just moments later by the Yamaha R1. So he lit a fag, and started with a clean sheet. Honda U-turned on its previous commitment to the 16-inch front wheel, and earlier claims that upside-down forks didn’t offer a benefit, by fitting USD forks…

SOUND OF CHUNDER The Rotax motor is a coarse, thrashy sounding engine, but shouldn’t rattle or clank. Walk away if it does REV HAPPY Aprilia robbed some midrange to beef up the top end. It’s rapid, but you need to keep it revving past 6500rpm R OR FACTORY? There’s plenty around in both specs from the four years of production. They’re all similar to ride, though 2004-2008 | £3200-£5500 | 118BHP | 180KG FOR A LONG time, ‘twin’ was synonymous with Ducati. The Desmoquattro dynasty defined how you built a two-pot superbike. Suzuki failed to match them, and Honda only bested them with full HRC support. The SP-1 had poor suspension and fuelling traits, and the SP-2 might have fixed the ailments, but it didn’t make much impact on road…

2003-2004 £3200-£4500 143BHP 170KG THE K3/K4 1000cc GSX-R is a shrewd buy. They’re a little overlooked – the early K1/K2 is getting to the stage where it will attract nostalgic buyers after the first examples of one of the greatest superbikes in the last 15 years, but for fast riding they’re starting to feel dated. The K5/K6 has a legendary reputation (deserved, admittedly) that keeps values firm. The piggy-in-the-middle makes a great compromise of low prices and decent performance. It was a thorough update over the K1, getting an overhauled motor, new suspension (with a fly-looking black Diamond-Like Carbon fork stanchion coating to replace the K1’s flaky titanium nitride) and radial four-piston Tokicos. The paint schemes also gives it a more grown-up feel – more subtle graphics and colour combinations…

2011-2015 £5700-£7000 125BHP 187KG POOR OLD SUZUKI. After a few years of playing catch-up with their 600, they finally got it back on a level with the R6 and Daytona 675 ruling the class. It didn’t break new ground – it was just a good 600, with the usual Suzuki benefit of being a bit cheaper. And then the market for new 600s slumped. What was once a hotly-contested class dropped off the radar for buyers. It’s recovering now (Wheels Motorcycles, who loaned us the bike on the cover reckon they’re selling more new/used supersport bikes than they have for years), but Suzuki’s efforts weren’t really rewarded with sales. So we’re giving the L1-onwards 600 the recognition it deserves. Suzuki shaved loads of weight, gave the motor more midrange and…

CROSS-BANG Funny crank makes it drive beautifully at the expense of low-end grumpiness ONE FOR THE ROAD PB editor loved his R1, and reckons the new one isn’t as nice on the road 2009-2014 £1500-£2800 162BHP 206KG WHAT TOOK YAMAHA so long? The MotoGP YZR-M1 got a crossplane crank when Rossi arrived in 2004, but it took until 2009 for the road-going superbike to get its crank pins staggered at 90-degree intervals, rather than two pairs sitting at 180 degrees as is the norm for an inline four. The idea of the crossplane crank is to give more linear inertia, to give more feel and drive at low-mid rpm. Pistons come to a dead stop at the top and bottom of the stroke, so the crank is subject to the…

TYRED OUT Worn, mismatched or just plain shit tyres ruin way too many old bikes. Spend a little, and ride happier BEARINGS Chassis bearings are also widely neglected. Make them good, and it’ll feel like new all over again SERVICE PLEASE Whitey never takes service history at face value. Check the work has been done, or do it again if you’re not sure STOPPERS Another must-do that generally isn’t. Sort them and damn the expense: be faster and safer THE ONCE OVER “Take the fairings off, and give it a through clean. It’s nice to have it spotless from the start – it’s easier to keep it nice that way, but it also gives you a chance to familiarise yourself with the bike before you need to work on it…

IN THE LAST five years, Supertwin racing has been dominated by Kawasaki’s ER-6. The humble commuter has proved its worth as a highly-modified racebike, capable of almost 100bhp in stock form and with suspension upgrades capable of lapping the Isle of Man TT at over 120mph. Until PB road tester Michael Rutter got a Paton on the podium at this year’s TT, Kawasakis had taken every top position since the lightweight TT was re-introduced in 2012. But now there is another very serious challenger for top Supertwin honour – the CF Moto 650i. Piloted by Gary Johnson, the CF was a favourite for victory and started first on the road at this year’s race, until engine problems scuppered its chances. Still, it was a sign that Chinese bike industry is…

PROPER SUSPENSION Öhlins Road and Track forks are sprung and damped for the road and provide superb ride quality TESTASTRETTA ENGINE Can trace its heritage right back to Pantah 500 of 1980. That only made 50bhp, though BUYING ONE They’re rare – just 78 S4RS are currently licenced in the UK, and just twelve red, white and green Tricolores on the road MATT WILDEE EDITOR THE S4RS MIGHT be a perfect example that you can have too much of a good thing. With more power than a Ducati 916SP, top-level running gear and a riding position better suited to cruising a Bologna suburb than lapping Brands Hatch, it is a rolling contradiction in terms. Brash, ballsy, but about a million miles from Ducati’s original Monster concept, it isn’t for everyone.…

MV Agusta will launch a new F4, Brutale and a ‘crossover’ model – likely to be a larger version of the tall-rounder Turismo Veloce 800 triple currently on sale – next year. The news came at a memoral event for Cagiva founder Claudio Castiglioni, the man who was repsonsible for the revival of MV Agusta at the turn of the millennium (as well as turning Ducati around before that). His son Giovanni led on-stage proceedings at the Schiranna factory in Varese, Italy, and announced that decent sales of the company’s 675/800 triples have put them in a position to build three new litre bikes around an all-new engine and frame. For now, that’s where the details stop. But the good new is that we’re expecting to see the new range…

2006 KAWASAKI ZX-10R MICHAEL LE’FEBOUR MY 2006 ZX-10R isn’t the prettiest, but with 58,000 miles on it, it has a comprehensive life story. I bought it three years ago with 7000 miles on the clock and have added more than 50,000 since. It’s been tastefully modified, with twin carbon-fibre Akropovics, solo seat cowl, ASV brake and clutch levers, GI Pro gear indicator, Power Commander, Speedo Healer, front calipers from a ZZR14 and I’ve painted all the screen and fairing bolts black to maximise the stealth look.…

SUZUKI GSX-R750 & 1000 PAUL JAMES BOTH OF THESE started life as standard road bikes and have slowly evolved over the last three years. The one with the flowers is my wife’s bike. It’s a GSX-R750 K6 with a standard motor. We’ve fitted alloy Dymags, K-Tech fork internals, Öhlins steering damper, Translogic quickshifter, rearsets, carbon front mudguard and engine covers, double bubble screen, Goodridge brake lines, quick-action throttle, lithium battery, Brembo master cylinder with EBC HH pads, and EBC discs. My K9 GSX-R1000 has an Öhlins steering damper, Öhlins fork internals, Öhlins TTX rear shock, OZ alloy wheels, Yoshi exhaust, carbon hugger, Crescent engine case covers, Gilles rearsets, Goodridge brake lines, R&G bungs, Bazzaz system, lithium ion battery, quickshifter, Brembo calipers and Brembo HPK discs.…

SECOND TIME LUCKY Triumph made the 955i faster and smoother than the first T595. It was as powerful as a Blade, but nicer to ride FIRST REVISION This model is the pick. Better than the T595, but prettier than the 2002 overhaul CHEAP SEATS They’re stunning value. Pound for pound, they tend to be better kept than Japanese alternatives 1999-2001 | £1800-£3000 | 112BHP | 225KG SUPERBIKE BUYERS WERE spoilt rotten at the end of the 1990s. You had the batshit-crazy YZF-R1, the final incarnation of the ‘original’ FireBlade and Kawasaki’s brutal ZX-9R C1/C2 to choose from. Not only that, Aprilia came out with the quirky RSV Mille, Ducati made the 916 better by evolving it into the 996, and then there was the three-cylinder Triumph T595/955i. The first six…

1999-2002 | £1800-£3200 | 99BHP | 196KG THE R1 SET the tone for superbike development, so it should be no surprise that the vastly similar R6 that arrived a year later did the exact same in the 600 class. The little ’un was developed alongside the litre bike, and it benefitted from the same innovations and radical design to create a bike that nothing else measured up to for years. The hard-revving motor surpassed the thrashability of all 600s before it, and the compact, stacked gearbox design helped contribute to making it as short and compact as possible whilst keeping enough swingarm length to generate traction. The ‘blue spot’ Sumitomo calipers from the R1 worked even better on the flyweight 600. It creamed the supersport opposition in track tests, a…

2007-2008 | £3700-£4600 | 107BHP | 188KG THERE ARE FEW machines that make more efficient trackbikes than a Honda CBR600RR. Honda has always been good at building motorcycles that are friendly and easy for most to get on with, but they could have jeopardised that by getting embroiled in the battle for the best 600 road bike (and base for a winning Supersport racer). Somehow, they managed to build a bike capable of turning out laptimes as fast anything else, yet in such a way that the high-revving power and precise chassis could be used effectively by most people. True, the RR lost the flexibility of the old CBR600F, but for fast riding there’s a whole lot more potential. The 2007/2008 bike represents the best value – it’s a significant…

AIRHEAD The air-cooled 2v motor only got better with more capacity. It’s the most fun you can have with less than 100bhp THE GOLD STANDARD Öhlins suspension is standard on the S. Fine adjustment and track performance is better, but so is ride quality 2009-2010 £5500-£7200 86BHP 190KG THE MONSTER 1100S is PB’s favourite version of Ducati’s unmistakable legend. They’re always at their best looking when air-cooled, rather than with pipes, radiators and ugly water-jacket cases. The aggressive nature of the four-valve motors never really feels truly at home either – the midrange of the two-valve bikes makes for a much more rounded ride. The 2009 model was the first complete redesign of the Monster – Ducati ditched the superbike-powered variant, and gave it the latest version of the air-cooled…

YOU’VE BEEN FRAMED The last Ducati superbike with a frame. The Panigale bolts everything around its engine 155BHP The same power as Foggy’s 1994 WSB bike, with road bike service intervals £7600-£11,000 Year, accessories and colour mean a wide spread in value 2009-2011 | £7600-£11,000 | 155BHP | 193KG THERE ARE FEW more prestigious (and traceable) model lineages than the Ducati four-valve Desmos. The 1198 would prove to the ultimate development of Massimo Bordi’s 1988 work of engineering brilliance. The four-valve engine was designed for WSB from the outset, and competitive from start to finish. Not bad, considering Fabio Taglioni (creator of Ducati’s desmodromic valve operation) poo-pooed the idea and initially blocked the development of the belt-cam DOHC engine by his engineering colleague. Naturally, the 851 and 1198 are worlds…

2010-2015 | £8000-£10,500 | 180BHP | 213KG MV AGUSTA F4s have never been as good as rival bikes. Harsh, but true. And also largely irrelevant. You buy an MV because you really want one, and its position in a road test pecking order is unlikely to have any bearing on your purchase. They’ve always been good-handling, exquisitely-designed and enhanced with a feeling of owning something a little different to the usual Japanese four. A bit of iffy reliability, crap ergonomics and carrying a few extra kilos doesn’t detract from the experience. The new-for-2010 model’s all-new frame around a heavily tweaked motor made the F4 lighter, more compact and more competitive. Though being launched in the same year as the BMW S1000RR was unfortunate. Some things didn’t change – the high-spec…

JON URRY PB WRITER Winner of a third place award in a stag do go-kart race in 2005. Moderately competent home mechanic who extended his mortgage to buy a comprehensive toolkit. Has recently rebuilt his Yamaha RD350LC. KEVIN SCHWANTZ LEGEND 1993 500GP world champ and winner of 25 races during his 10-year spell in the premier class. One of the most popular riders of GP racing’s golden era, he last won a GP in 1994 before injury forced his retirement in 1995. BANG. BANG. BANG. Flashguns go off in my eyes as the serenity of our garage is shattered. A wall of photographers aim their lenses in my direction and behind them fans jostle, autograph books and cameras at the ready. We’re at Jerez’s three-day World GP Legends event, where…

DUCATI 1199 PANIGALE R 188.44bhp, 187.5kg, £28,995 Ducati’s homologation special, built to satisfy regulations for World Superbike racing. Expensive, exotic, fabulously electronic MICHAEL RUTTER PB TESTER AND TT WINNER 42 years, 5ft 10in, digital precision As clinical as a surgeon, Rutter carves through Mallory Park like a hot knife through butter. Which is why his nickname is ‘Blade’. Fact YAMAHA YZF-R1M 189.89bhp, 201.5kg, £18,499 The pinnacle of Yamaha’s superbike development, featuring electronic assists, DIY datalogger and active Öhlins suspension JOHN McAVOY PB TESTER Age 42, 6ft 4in, analogue anger As hamfisted as a masturbating pig*, Johnny’s grip on the throttle tests every facet of a modern superbike’s electrickery ‘The suspension is perfectly matched to the lightweight chassis and works brilliantly’ RUTTER ON... 1199 PANIGALE R ‘It’s not a road bike…

SECOND OPINION IT’S HARD TO disagree with Rutter, but I’m going to. The R1M is a huge step up from the base model it is derived from. Fully-active suspension is a stroke of genius while the electronics and datalogger are the most sophisticated and best integrated on any bike I’ve ridden. The Ducati is special, but its problem is its sibling, the 1299 S. It’s cheaper, not exactly heavy or short of power and just as much of a riot to ride, while the R1M makes the stock R1 feel a bit ordinary. IT’S A CLICHÉ I know, but it really is difficult to pick a favourite on this test. Both bikes are so good at what they do and in the totally different ways that they do it. It’s…

NOBODY SAID GETTING old meant growing up. So, if your body resists the contortions required to get in the saddle of a race-rep, but your mind still demands to be speed-addled, you might find the S1000XR satisfies both soul and flesh. BMW are undisputed leaders in adventure bikes, and you could reasonably expect the S1000XR to replicate the qualities of the R1200GS, just with four cylinders. And it is, to the extent that it offers comfort for rider and pillion and ease of use, just like the Boxer twins. Otherwise, as the XR model name suffix suggests, it’s not playing the same game at all. The ball isn’t even the same shape. The heart of the S1000XR is also the heart of the S1000R super-naked. The power curve is softened…

The Isle of Man TT has rejigged the timetable for next year, moving the Lightweight race back from Friday to Wednesday. In turn, the Sidecars are being moved forward from midweek to the pre-Senior time slot. The move is to lessen the strain on riders competing across all classes – racers like PB road tester Michael Rutter were having to spend three laps wringing the neck out of the 650 twins just hours before the prestigious six-lap Senior on 200bhp superbikes. The move has also allowed organisers to tack on a fourth lap to the Lightweight.…

LIGHTER | SEXIER | BETTERER NEW R1 ACCESSORIES As is the way with every manufacturer these days, Yamaha have launched a huge range of genuine accessories for the latest 2015 YZF-R1. Realising there was good money to be made from people modifying their bikes, Yamaha were actually developing this kit alongside the production bikes. It means, in theory, it should work as well and be as reliable as the OE stuff. It also means that Yamaha could lavish time and money on things which are nice, but don’t sell bikes in the showroom. You’ll find beautifully-made cans, rearsets, levers, crash protection and other bits and pieces that have to be built down to a price for the production bikes. Price: From £64.99 www.yamaha-motor.co.uk BILLET REARSETS Just like BMW, Yamaha have…

HONDA CBR600RR JOHNATHON FOLEY THIS IS MY first ever bike. I got it just over a year ago and even before I bought it I knew I wanted to modify it. First I fitted a Sigma slipper clutch as the back wheel was locking up coming down the gears. Then I upgraded the suspension to set it up properly for my weight. I got Öhlins 30mm fork cartridges and a TTX36 rear shock. Next I fitted a Brembo 18-20 RCS master cylinder, Brembo M4 calipers, HEL brake lines, Brembo reservoir and 320mm front discs. Then I went crazy over the winter, fitting an HRC quick-action throttle, HM quickshifter, Akrapovic exhaust, matching Brembo clutch lever and Rizoma mirrors. Next up is a Power Commander and a dyno run. Then it might…

WHO IS TREVOR FRANKLIN? Former road tester and all-round PB legend. Now a PR maestro, and wrestler of pike, coypu and GSX-R1000s AS MOTORCYCLISTS WE are more than aware of the dangers that riding two-wheels in a world of four, eight and 16-plus wheels can bring. And I don’t need to remind you of the destructive capability of roadside furniture, as in telegraph poles, road signs, stone walls, kerbs and the like. Wallop any of the aforementioned and you’ll feel decidedly second-hand instantly or in years to come. But one of the most painful injuries I ever received wasn’t directly from riding a bike. It was the result of a PB feature about adrenalin, and would anything top riding a bike for that ultimate rush? We dreamt up several different…

2002 £1600-£2700 97BHP 198KG KAWASAKI WERE LAGGING in the 600 race in 2001. The ZX-6RJ was largely a four-year-old design, positively archaic in a time when a new model appeared every other year. Kawasaki were still quietly working behind the scenes on an all-new range to pluck themselves from the ‘also-ran’ rut they’d been stuck in for a few years (the ZX-10R C1, Z1000 and ZX-6R B1H were the result), so to prop up the ZX-6R’s appeal for a year until the all-new bike arrived in ’03, they just added 37cc. Naturally, it didn’t solve the comparatively stodgy chassis that held it back on trackdays, but it did improve the ZX-6R’s already commendable road manners by boosting the midrange, and ridden alone it’s still a good handling, stable bike. The…

A LITTLE OFF THE TOP Triumph clipped peak power a little to give it some more guts. For once, that doen’t just mean de-tuned TWIDDLE ME THIS Standard model only has preload adjustment. Just get on and thrash. R gets full adjustment at both ends 2009 -2011 £3800-£6000 98BHP 195KG IF YOU HAD to pick the best bike Triumph build, there would be a strong case for the Street Triple. Taking parts (and a little performance) away from the Daytona 675 could have made it feel second rate, but Triumph put a lot of development in to its small-bore naked, and the result is about the most fun you can have on a powered two-wheeler. Earlier bikes are more fun – the old, longer stroke motor suits the naked perfectly,…

NOT THE USUAL Three years of production, but the Fireblade sold much better. Less choice, more bike better exclusivity SPIN IT UP It needs revving, but it’s exciting when you do. Midrange fans best find themselves a Honda TOP NOTCH Our budget should get you a mint one, or save a few quid on an average bike 2008-2010 | £4000-£6250 | 165BHP | 208KG PB LIKES ITS litre bikes to command a little respect. Sure, we appreciate the Fireblade’s ease of use, but sometimes we want a little more spark. That’s where Kawasaki’s ZX-10R comes in. Where the Honda is refined, efficient and quick, the ZX-10R was just as quick, but angrier and harder to get the best from. That was little use for Superstock and Superbike race teams –…

2008-2015 | £5200-£10,000 | 152BHP | 188KG IT TOOK KTM years to work up to a full superbike from its dirt bike origins, but the result was as outrageous and individual as we hoped it would be. The RC8 used a bigger, fettled version of the LC8 engine that had already spent a few years powering hooligans on Super Dukes about the place. The running gear is fairly standard Euro superbike kit – WP suspension, Brembo brakes, tubular steel frame. The finishing details are what set the KTM apart from a Ducati. For a start, there’s the styling. It dates back to the the 2004 990 RC8 concept bike, yet it still looks current. And although KTM managed competitive figures on spec sheets, they managed to make the dimension and…

WELCOME BACK FROM your cave-dwelling sabatical. Just so you know, BMW are cool now, and their superbike is the best in the world. It was the first one to traction control, and it’s been the bike everyone else has tried to beat for the last five years. For the rest of us who know how brilliant the Beemer is, we’ll look at why you might spend your overtime earnings on a used one. It’s always a gamble buying first-year models, but it’s telling that BMW haven’t messed with it too much. The 2015 model is two steps removed from the first bike, but they’re incremental tweaks rather than a drastic overhaul. A new one is £14,760, and makes 196bhp. It’s wonderful. But an early model is under £8000, and still…

ENGINE The RGV’s 498cc (56mm x 50mm) 80° V4 two-stroke motor with reed induction is liquid cooled and makes 65bhp @ 12,800rpm. It is fed through four 36mm magnesium Mikuni flat-slide carbs. CHASSIS The aluminium beam fame is all hand-built and welded and the 1994 RGV features the iconic ‘banana swingarm’, which first appeared in 1989 on the Pepsi RGV500. BRAKES AP six-piston billet aluminum calipers with steel AP 320mm discs. Discs have a smaller swept area compared to a modern disc as the AP calipers run smaller pads. WHEELS Suzuki initially ran Marchesini three-spoke, 17-inch magnesium wheels, but by 1994 they went to a five-spoke design as the increased braking forces were causing the three-spoke wheels to flex. FORKS Suzuki ran Kayaba suspension until 1997. The RGV has 43mm…

IF THERE WAS ever a shining example of why Mallory Park is such a good circuit to test motorcycles on, this is it. Due to the range and variety of corners, traction and braking zones and elevation that Mallory has on offer, we are able to get a good look at how the R1M and Panigale R go about the business of setting identical lap times, where the different design philosophies of each bike shine and where they are held back. The weather conditions were far from ideal for super-fast laptimes with really strong crosswinds through Gerard’s and a stiff headwind on the run down to Edwina’s being the main reason Rutter suggests there’s one second of laptime left on the table. An earlier downpour had washed the circuit clean…

PILLAR DRILL “This is mainly used for drilling rivet holes in silencers. They are held on jigs but you still need to be precise. It’s a low-tech solution for a high-tech part. We also use it for polishing silencer parts using a polishing mop attachment.” ARGON TANKS “It’s a damn sight easier to get welding gasses in Thailand than the UK. There is considerably less red tape and no special licences required. We mainly do TIG welding, it’s a far more professional weld than MIG and looks much better.” CUT-OFF SAW “This has a large cutting disc. We use it to cut steel and swap the disc to a grinding one to smooth off exhaust sections before they are welded together. They have to be perfectly flat or the weld…

2000 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MATT WILDEE THIS MONTH I turned my attention to fuelling. I’ve always enjoyed the grunt meted out by the R1’s old-school, long-stroke, carbed motor but I’ve always been slightly underwhelmed by its midrange. Sure, it drove hard through the middle and felt strong at the top, too, but there was something lost in translation between throttle and rear wheel. After riding the bike, features editor Chris felt the same. Like me, he suspected perhaps it was running rich. A carburettor is a wonderful mechanical instrument, but like anything packed with delicate moving parts is subject to wear. Each time the vacuum-operated throttle slides on the R1’s bank of Mikuni BDSR 40mm CV carbs open and close, the needles and jets they interact with are subject to wear.…