Table of contents for January 2017 in Performance Bikes

DUCATI’S SUPERLEGGERA, BMW’S HP4 Race and Norton’s V4 SS are the new poster bikes of our generation. The latest family of superlight, super-powerful, super-trick superbikes are truly something to behold, and I’ve travelled all over Europe to find out more about them. Despite being mega-money beasts, all three could have a direct effect on the shape of mainstream sportsbikes to come. I headed to Milan to speak to the Ducati and BMW design bosses about their new bikes. Both of them raved about carbon-fibre and its use in chassis construction, and both of them expressed hope that in the future carbon-framed sportsbikes will be as common as aluminium is now. Then I headed to the NEC to have a look at the Norton V4 – an amazing, beautiful thing. It’s…

BRITISH HEART Euro 4-compliant V4 makes 200bhp and will be as compact as possible. Oil filter is side-mounted to move engine further forward. Assembled in the Midlands by blokes called Barry or Dave. CHASSIS Lighter than Norton’s TT racebike and put together with a selection of billet pieces and extrusions, it’s also made in Leicestershire. It looks beautifully made, but we’d still take a Scotchbrite pad to all that polishing... TOP-END ELECTRONICS The bike will have full datalogging, with laptimes, maximum lean angle, speed, and braking. It’ll also have a rear-view camera instead of mirrors. SUPERCAR DESIGN CUES Norton design boss Simon Skinner says that he’s taken design cues from British supercars, from the likes of Aston Martin and McLaren. We also see a bit of Panigale and RSV4... AFTER…

MORE ELECTRONICS, TOO Two electronics upgrades are available: Performance (includes variable engine braking and quickshifter) and Track (adds multiple engine maps, anti-wheelie off and launch control. WHEN KTM’S 1290 Super Duke broke cover in 2013, it was given its ‘Beast’ nickname because, well, it was supposed to be a bit of one. And on paper it was; claiming north of 170bhp made it the most powerful machine in the supernaked class. But anyone anticipating a raucous, untamed beast of a bike was in for a surprise; the Super Duke, especially with its full suite of electronics engaged, was way more civilised than expected. It was comfy, for a naked bike, with a relatively balanced riding position and a wide spread of power. There was definitely a lot of poke, but…

IN 2007 SUZUKI declared they would build a GSX-R250. It’s only taken 10 years to do it, possibly because of endless meetings about whether to drop the hyphen in the name. Either way, the GSX250R has the GSX-R family look. Under the MotoGP paint and behind the LCD dash, Suzuki’s 248cc parallel twin makes a meagre 24.7bhp – which, unless you’re 17, isn’t a great deal. But we all have to start somewhere, and we can’t remember an RD125LC making more than 25bhp.…

HONDA HAVE PREVIOUS when it comes to building awesomely desirable concept bikes and then failing to put them into production – we’re thinking specifically of the CB1100R, shown at various bike shows back in 2007. A very real, production-looking prototype (it even had scratch marks around the ignition barrel – someone had ridden it!), it’s still the most beautiful bike never made. But now Honda have a rival, from themselves. Using a current air-cooled CB1100F motor and frame, a team of Honda’s Rome-based R&D engineers threw Öhlins shocks and forks, Brembo calipers, a custom-made twin side-exit/underseat exhaust and various elements of flat-track style at the bike – although where the Simoncelli tribute comes in, we’re not sure. But we are sure we’d like one.…

BIKE OF THE MONTH ‘Finding nitrous for it was difficult...’ YAMAHA YZF-R1 SIMON ALPIN “I’VE OWNED THIS R1 for 11 years and have built it up over this period. It started life as a red 1999 R1 and there’s not one piece that’s standard, apart from the 5JJ motor, which isn’t even the original motor. “The bike itself has Öhlins suspension, Robby Moto yokes, Dymag wheels, R7 Braking 320mm discs, Brembo M4 calipers, an Öhlins steering damper, Gilles rearsets, Akrapovic titanium manifolds, a Racefit Growler exhaust, and a braced swingarm. “I’ve also chopped the subframe and had it welded to make it shorter but I’ve done it so I can still use my underseat storage. I’ve shortened the front end, too, as well as lowering the fairing. “I’ve also cut…

WHILE THE SUPERLEGGERA was unveiled at the Milan show with fanfare, dry ice and a certain Mr C Stoner riding the bike onstage, the release of the BMW HP4 Race was relatively low-key. But in many ways, it’s far more important. BMW are rightly very proud of their abilities to mass-produce carbon-fibre. They’ve been doing it for years, from the roof of the M3 CSL back in the early 2000s, right up to the chassis of their i3 hybrid town car and i8 hybrid supercar. Both of these cars use a carbon-fibre reinforced polymer chassis, and the HP4 Race, which will be available to buy from mid-2017, looks like it uses the same technology. BMW’s automated moulding techniques have less wastage than slow, labour-intensive hand production of carbon. The chassis…

PADGETT’S BEAUTIFUL RS250 hasn’t been ridden since Bruce Anstey was making 37.73 miles of bumpy, dirty TT course look like a polished ballroom floor on the rainbow-painted stroker. Pint of Okells bitter in hand on the grass bank, Matt and I marvelled at how he made the Honda glide out of Kate’s Cottage, seemed to float down towards Creg-ny-Baa and made the transition from flat in sixth to third gear look so slick, effortless and fast. He used that bit more of the road, arrived that bit faster, braked that bit later in comparison to Ian Lougher, next on the road and in the results. That was the story of his race: a little bit better everywhere, all the time. Four laps later, he’d put a minute into the Welsh…

HONDA’S 2008-2016 FIREBLADE will go down as one of the longest-running, most successful sportsbike platforms of all time. Since its introduction nearly nine years ago, the Blade has won countless BSB, WSB and TT races and been consistently one of the best-selling sportsbikes of the last decade. And while it’s lost pace in development compared to some some rivals, it’s continued to be a great roadbike that has an air of quality few others can match. But now, after years of sterling service with just one model upgrade, it’s up for replacement. The latest bike is lighter, more powerful and should rival the best in the world, but there’s still life in the old dog yet – and now, thanks to the wonders of depreciation you can get an early…

TYRES ‘We sell more than 5000 tyres a year, mainly Pirelli and Metzeler but we also do all the other major brands. For road riders, the Michelin Pilot Road 4 and Metzeler Roadtec 01 are the best out there, while track riders opt for the usual Dunlop, Pirelli or Metzeler trackday tyres. Some riders like slicks, but personally I’d get a treaded road tyre as they retain the heat better and are just as good when it comes to grip. Metzeler’s Comp K are a good road tyre-based slick if you want one, but don’t write off Continental tyres, which are cheaper than premium brands but still very good.’ BITS AND BOBS ‘We never throw things away and these containers are full of old bits and bobs such as gears,…

LONG ANTICIPATED, OCCASIONALLY glimpsed in factory tests loping through Austria’s pine forests like a camouflaged Sasquatch, KTM’s parallel twin emerged, blinking, into the spotlight at the recent Milan show. KTM call it an LC8c, with the ‘c’ standing for ‘compact’ – the factory put it in a chassis that follows their V-twin heritage then got regular KTM design bods Kiska to style it as a supermoto streetbike with an underseat exhaust. The result looks like it will be the kind of bike that will go toe-to-toe with the 765cc Triumph Street Triple we expect to be unveiled next month. It should be a huge laugh. The prototype does look compact, if only because it has no tail unit to speak of. It is also undeniably slim, tall and looks featherweight;…

WITH DUCATI’S MULTISTRADA 1200 providing a sublime combination of comfort, technology and a batshit motor, it makes sense to offer a lower-spec, lower-powered, budget ‘Ministrada,’ using the feisty 937cc, 113bhp Hypermotard motor and with cut-down electronics (basic traction control and ABS). The Ministrada also reverts to a double-sided swingarm and standard LCD dash. It’s 6kg lighter than the 1200, and also comes with a Touring Pack of panniers and centrestand.…

KEEPING OLDER MODELS in the limelight with a few well-chosen mods is now standard practice at Kawasaki, who’ve been spicing up bikes like the ZZR1400 and ZX-10R for years with upgrade packages. This year, it’s the turn of the Z1000, with a short list of bolt-ons: Brembo M50 monoblocks and stainless brake lines at the front, Öhlins fully adjustable rear shock at the back, a digital gear position indicator, a seat covering embossed with a Z logo and specially understated black and grey paint. The R will run alongside the existing Z1000 model.…

FASHION HELP REQUIRED! I need some help. I’m 44 and ride an MT-10 with dayglo wheels. The bike is cool; the problem is I’m not. I’ve become the embarrassing dad who tells crap jokes and can’t dance. And now, on the MT, my old Lewis leathers just don’t cut it. Please, help me look young and cool again. What should I wear? Dr J. Rogers You’ve come to the wrong place for fashion advice, especially if it involves trying to look young or cool. My advice would be to avoid attempting to match your bike, and don’t get a Ôtechnicolour puke’ custom helmet paintjob. With armoured jeans, a decent jacket and a nice lid, you can’t go wrong (maybe). MW APRILIA RSV4 TRUMPS EVERYTHING ELSE More kudos from the USA…

EXHAUST In days when exhausts didn’t have catalysers, the weight saving of the Nera’s full titanium race system over the RSV1000 Factory wouldn’t be as much as it would on today’s superbikes. But its titanium system would probably save an equivalent amount of weight to a fuel tank. OZ WHEELS 1.9kg lighter than the already trick forged alloy wheels on the RSV1000 Factory. As well as a chunk of overall weight saved, there is also the already well documented benefit of reduced rotational inertia, quickening handling. CARBON FUEL TANK Possibly one of the single biggest weight savings over the standard bike. Sensible wisdom would suggest a weight saving of at least 2kg with this one component. With that much weight saved so high up on the chassis, the C of…

WHO BUYS A racing two-stroke? Two types: racers and collectors. All two-stroke racebike owners are obsessive – it’s in the job description – and have to sink lots of cash into their bikes (although the rate at which two-strokes are appreciating, it’s hard to lose money in the long term). But, as a starting point, buying, prepping and racing a two-stroke isn’t something you can do if you’re skint. SO, WHAT CAN I BUY? I could write a list, but it’s easier to say you can buy anything you like – from a Honda RS125 to an ex-factory V4 500. Where it gets complicated is if you want to race it. WHERE CAN I RACE IT? You can find a class, somewhere, with a club who’ll take your money and…

WHAT TO PAY Rough as a badger’s... £3500-£5000 Average nick £5000-£7500 Minty mint £7500-£11,000 THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS of our well-used SC59 are that they deal with miles well, given regular care. But they aren’t perfect; using 160bhp with regularity over eight years is going to take its toll. Like us, you too may want to pursue more speed. If you’re buying one, or have just wheeled one across the garage threshold for the first time, here is all you need to know. OIL BURNING The 2008 bikes quickly raised eyebrows when boxfresh bikes burnt as much as a litre of oil inside 1000 road miles – figures usually associated with loose-tolerance air-cooled engines, not cutting edge sportsbikes from a world leader. Generally, it doesn’t cause visible smoke (though you might…

TONY’S YAMAHA YZF-R7 ‘I used to have Rutter’s old R7/1, but I sold it to buy this R7. It’s a proper R7 but is a racebike only as it has no frame numbers. The engine has been tuned by Pete Beale and is making around 155bhp, which means it is probably a B-kit engine and the chocolate crank shouldn’t shit itself. I swapped the R7 forks for FG privateer items from the era and fitted period Brembo monoblock calipers as you can’t get the Nissin six-piston units the WSB team ran for love nor money. It’s not a show bike – once it is up and running I’ll be taking it on trackdays. I may even race it in Golden Era for a laugh, but it probably won’t bother the…

THE BREMBO RCS made a decent improvement to the braking performance of the R1, both in the crash braking tests and during fast laps of Brunters. It’s a marked improvement and there is a good case for fitting one to your bike. However, it won’t change your life. My R1’s improvement was impressive, but my ultimate braking performance was still held back by bottoming forks, small discs and a conservative pad material. In many cases you’d be better to address those first, or at the same time as a master cylinder swap. There is potential for big gains then. Even as it is, the brakes feel nicer, but you are aware that there is probably more to come. The other thing to consider is fitment. On older sportsbikes, there isn’t…

SWINGARM Completelyredesigned to reduce the wheelbase by 26mm. The onlythingin common with the old Monster’s swingarm is that it is cast from aluminium. FUEL TANK Holds one litre less of unleaded in the name of aesthetics. Key to the Monster’s redesign was making it more compact and narrower. Something had to give,and it was tank capacity. Our test bike needed refuelling after 160km of slow mountain switchbacks at altitude, but on UK roads, we’ll see better economy. TFT DISPLAY Full colour TFT displayhas a new readout for each rider mode. ‘Urban’ mode shows the speed and time of day, with no rev counter. ‘Touring’ mode displays everythingevenly. ‘Sport’ mode has a large rev counter and gear p position with a small speed readout. It switches to ‘Night Mode’ automatically. HEADLIGHT…

IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR with the development of Ducati’s middleweight Monster range over the years, you might be forgiven for feeling a sense of déjà vu with the new Monster 797. It employs an air-cooled 803cc two-valve V-twin, as used in the Scrambler range, but also in the Monster 796 of 2010. That bike had twin underseat pipes and a single-sided swingarm, as opposed to the new 797’s conventional swingarm and single, side-mounted can, but was in many other ways pretty close to the 797. Better, in fact: it made over 10bhp more (87bhp to the new Monster’s 75bhp), weighed 8kg less, and the seat height was 5mm lower. On the other hand, of course, it wasn’t compatible with Euro 4 regulations (hence the power reduction and weight increase applied to…

APRILIA BELONG TO a select group of manufacturers who are a) Italian, b) make some great bikes, but c) don’t sell them in large numbers. Two examples of bikes Aprilia didn’t sell were the overgrown, Ducati Hypermotardstyle Dorsoduro 750 (and, a few years ago, a 1200) and the more traditional Shiver 750 naked roadster. For 2017 their (identical) motors have been stroked out to 896cc, for 95bhp, made Euro 4-compliant, and re-kitted to benefit from (basic) traction control and ABS. Definitely worth a look if you fancy something leftfield.…

SPRINGY | PRICY | SWEDISH ÖHLINS FKR SUPERSPORT/ SUPERSTOCK FORK KIT It’s 40 years since the Swedish god of suspension, Öhlins, invented yellow springs and gold forks. The latest offering is a ‘racing-inspired’ FKR100 fork cartridge kit with new piston design and a wider piston shaft that Öhlins says gives less pressure build-up, a more linear and faster damping response, and more fine-tuning options as it’s less sensitive to shim changes. Compression and rebound are in opposite legs and both adjusted at the fork top. Price: £1646 Contact: mctsuspension.co.uk RACY | RUBBERY | GRIPPY DUNLOP D212 GP RACER An upgrade for Dunlop’s GP Racer D211, the D212 is designed for very fast road riding and trackdays. The new hoop has a multi-tread compound with more grip, quicker warm-up, longer life…

BRAKES The new Ducati uses Brembo M50 monoblocks and 330mm discs – as you might expect – but it also uses a Brembo MCS 19.21 master cylinder and track-spec TT29OP1 brake pads. Like it needs it... SAFETY The carbon chassis goes through three types of non-destructive testing before it is verified for use. These tests include the use of ultrasonic inspection and 3D X-rays. Every Superleggera owner also gets a free endoscopy at their local dealer... TRACK KIT You get the ‘wheelbarrow’ Akrapovic exhaust you see in these pictures, front and rear paddock stands, sidestand and numberplate removal kit, race screen and mirror replacement plugs. Power goes up to 220bhp, kerb weight down to 162kg. SUSPENSION Öhlins FL396 forks have been developed specifically for the Superleggera and are combined with…

BA-BA-BA-BAAAAHHH! THE RGV machine-guns into life as Team Classic Suzuki’s main man Nathan Colombi dumps the clutch on the rollers. Loud, proud and at a GSX-R-packed trackday, a 500GP bike has come to life. In a world of digitised engine management and Euro 4, it’s almost a living, breathing thing. You hear it inhaling air/fuel mix through four 36mm flat-slides; you see it exhaling thick plumes of fragrant two-stroke smoke that drift through Silverstone’s cavernous garages. Vibes shake and blur the Pepsi-clad bodywork as revs rise and fall. Each blip is met with such aural urgency that everyone else in the garage stops what they’re doing. The blips get louder, the revs get higher as the digital temperature gauge starts to flicker bigger numbers. No-one’s moving until it hits 75…

WITH ITS OVAL pistons, its 32 valves, carbon fairing, titanium-coated screen and styling that influenced the next decade of bike design, the NR750 was a truly monumental motorcycle. Which is why, when we tested it in 1991, we gave it the respect it deserved with the headline ‘Spamalangadingdong’ in reference to its meat-tin-shaped pistons. Nice one PB. The key to the bike was those pistons. Designed to circumvent the four-cylinder limit for racing, its V4 in effect mimicked a V8 and had eight con-rods, eight throttle bodies and the same piston and valve area. The costs of machining those oval bores alone would have been eye-watering... By the time author Mat Oxley tested the bike for the mag in 1991 he’d been racing Honda V4s for years and had tested…

A SWEET CHASSIS AND a strong midrange make our roadbike a still-capable underdog. The same is true even at national level: Honda Racing’s BSB and Superstock bikes are still getting on with the job of winning way beyond the normal shelf-life of a superbike. The last year of the SC59 saw Dan Linfoot finish up fourth in the championship, with Jason O’Halloran just behind him. That’s in front of a fair few ZX-10Rs and S1000RRs... The long-standing basic design has its advantages – while teams using rival manufacturer machinery have had to start from scratch with three different models within the life of the Blade, the team in Louth have eight years of data and knowledge from Superstock, BSB, World Endurance and road racing bikes to build on and fine-tune.…

SMALL BUT PERFECTLY developed: Honda’s 400cc fours have long been class leaders. The best are arguably the V4 NC30 and NC35, but you pay for these miniature marvels: good ones command £4000, easily. Smarter money goes on the CBR400RR – built to the same HRC levels of quality and design, just as fast, and with gears driving the cams like the V4s, they have a unique character that makes them more than just another inline four. These are not bikes for speed freaks: they’re limited to 112mph, and only another 15mph is available with derestriction. They are also not bikes for tall people to feel at home on – any more than 5ft 8in and you’ll clobber knees on the fairing whilst looking like you’re trying to inseminate the poor…