Table of contents for June 2017 in Performance Bikes

THERE’S LITTLE greater satisfaction than a project well done, in our book. Our 2008 Fireblade started life as eBay’s least desirable CBR1000RR, but six months later our big-miler has been turned around – it’s now a simply brilliant road/track bike. It was a tense moment waiting to find out how it matched up to the four bikes kicking off our new-look Rutter Test at Donington, but the outcome vindicated our faith in 5-10-year-old sportsbikes, some graft from Whitey, and a bit of British knowhow to make it sing. Rutter’s test of the new GSX-R and Fireblade against the R1 and S1000RR starts on p34: it’s followed by the reckoning for the PB Blade on p49. Another standout project bike this month is Paul Milbourn’s titanium-framed Guzzi. Not since the MGS-01…

BRITISH BIKE builder Norton, who plan to be manufacturer of the shiniest V4 superbike ever made, have received a £3m investment from Santander, to aid with the bike’s production and create another 40 jobs. “Having developed and pre-sold a huge number of bikes, we needed the funding to be readily available to pay for tooling, stock and people to allow production to move from 40 bikes per month to in excess of 130 bikes with effect from summer 2017,” Norton CEO Stuart Garner told the Derby Telegraph. Demand for Norton’s V4 SS and RR have been outstanding, with hundreds of bikes pre-sold after the machine was unveiled at the end of last year. However, it is still a work in progress, with a new 1200cc V4 developed in conjunction with…

BITEY-BIG DISH-UPGRADE BREMBO SERIE ORO ZX-10R DISCS Brembo’s Serie Oro 330mm discs are now available as a retro-fit for pre-2016 Kawasaki ZX-10Rs. The 2004-2007 bike has 300mm discs, while the 2008-2015 model wears 310s, so the increased braking leverage offered by these 330s should be keenly felt. Being 5mm thick (OE is 4.5mm) they’re said to dissipate heat better and reduce the chances of warping, too. Price £485 per set Contact www.biketorqueracing.co.uk TINY-TECHNO-TORCH ANTI-GRAVITY ULTRALIGHT X LED FLASHLIGHT If you’re planning on taking a two-wheeled camping trip to a GP or road race this summer, this amazing little gizmo will provide all of your lighting and device recharging needs. Ideal for when luggage space is tight, this compact tool is a USB-rechargable flashlight, power pack and Bluetooth speaker all-in one.…

‘How ugly are those supernakeds? They look like Transformers or a Lego kit’ WE’RE ONLY HUMAN Over the last few years of reading your mag, I had come to believe that the new generation of digital superbikes and their more upright siblings were too clever to be crashed. Thanks Chris for reminding us all that 160bhp through a single ring of rubber can put anybody on their arse. Ronan Timmins THOUGHTS ON AN MT TANK I’d love to buy an MT-10 to sit alongside my old Fazer 1000 but what’s stopping me is the tank range. My old Fazer will easily do 160 miles before the fuel light, but so many new bikes’ usability is crippled by poor tank range. Is it possible to make the tank on an MT-10…

RIDING OUR 2008 BLADE to Suzuki’s workshop to swap it for the new GSX-R is a reminder of just how good we had it before the tech war really started. Here’s a bike we’ve tweaked to go faster, and which is still a comfortable-ish, smooth-cruising machine. Wind protection is tolerable – it’s not a tourer, but it gets on with it. But we humans don’t know when to stop when we’re on to a good thing. We demand more – and that’s what we’ve got with the 2017 Blade, which I start on. It’s lighter, more techie and more powerful than the 2008 bike I recently dismounted, because that’s what we’ve demanded since the S1000RR turned up and changed the path of development for litre bikes. Which is great when…

THE YAMAHA YZF-R1 represents the closest challenger to the BMW’s crown that is still in production. Ducati’s Panigales were actually slightly faster at Mallory than the R1, but due to not being upgraded to save the kittens, are no longer in production, and therefore not invited to this particular fight. Being Italian, I’m sure they won’t mind. We may well see a Panigale put round Donington later in the season, if for no other reason than to benchmark the V4 superbike due in 2018. It’s hardly a surprise that the R1 should be present as the ‘best of the rest.’ It is a serious piece of hardware, blending mechanical innovation with electronic excellence. The well documented crossplane crank engine offers a unique experience and set of benefits to anyone who…

REDGATE, Craner Curves, Old Hairpin, Starkeys Bridge, Melbourne Loop... All iconic parts of the Donington Park GP circuit, and all with an unshakeable association with motorcycle racing. And all cited as reasons why some of the greatest riders of all time rate Donington Park as one of the best race tracks in the world, never mind just the UK. Valentino Rossi won his first MotoGP race here, the first ever WSB race was staged here, and whilst not two-wheel-related, Ayrton Senna produced what is universally regarded as the greatest first lap of a Formula One Grand Prix ever, at Donington Park. It has stood the test of time because racers love it, and for the challenges posed by its high-speed direction changes and elevation gains. A quick lap at Donington…

‘I knew I needed to give it some serious weight loss, and the only way was to build my own chassis. Making it from titanium was the real challenge, though’ PB DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE when it comes to reader-built specials. You might think a Moto Guzzi V11 wouldn’t be top of our list of perfect performance bikes, but what Paul Milbourn has done with this air-cooled Italian throbber is something truly special. Not only did he build the whole bike in his home workshop (which is featured in this month’s 360-degree garage, on page 90), but it also has a bespoke frame and swingarm made from titanium by Paul, …hlins suspension, radial brakes, yokes and Marchesini wheels taken from a Ducati 1098. OK, the Moto Guzzi engine is a bit of…

TANK The outer edges of the tank have become notorious for grinding through in an accident, potentially compromising the tank and leading to fuel escaping. A few bikes have caught fire on track following accidents, so fitting tank protectors is a good idea. GEARING On the road, the R6 can be frustratingly gutless. Swapping the front sprocket from the standard 16-tooth item to a 15-tooth replacement can help artificially boost the midrange. OIL LEVEL If you take an R6 on track,eep an eye on its oil level as it does drink a bit when thrashed. The level dropping by about half a litre is perfectly normal after a hard day on track. SHOCK The 2008-onwards shock slips straight into the 2006/07 R6 and is a far better performing unit. Fully…

PB’S PAST and present columnists have been in the wars in testing for the start of the road racing season. It all started when McGuinness hurt his thumb testing Honda’s new Fireblade at Castle Combe. The 44-year-old TT legend crashed his Blade approaching the Esses and had to attend hospital. “When I told the nurse I was a bike racer, she asked if I knew Guy Martin,” McPint said. After that, the two team-mates headed to Japan to test the latest version of Mugen’s electric TT racer. Guy will be joining the team this year and thanks to John’s injuries, GM did the majority of the testing. However, Guy was to suffer the first crash of the Mugen project. With the Honda still in development, the electric race could be…

ENERGICA, THE manufacturer of the only electric bike we’d actually bother to ride, have given their bikes even more power for 2017. The Ego superbike (which PB exclusively tested in 2015) now makes 145bhp and 147.5lb.ft, up from 136bhp and 144lb.ft. Remember, too, that the torque is delivered as soon as the electric motor starts turning... The clever Italians have also boosted the power of the Eva, their electric super-naked. It now makes 108bhp and 132.7lb.ft, up from 101bhp and 125lb.ft, but even this entry-level naked costs the best part of £30k and will empty its battery in 50 hard-ridden miles. But we’re getting there...…

2011 APRILIA TUONO V4 RIC MARR ‘I’m loath to trade it in for a new Tuono now’ THIS IS MY well-modded 2011 Tuono V4. I’m tempted by the new 1100, but after all this work I’m loath to go to the bother of trading it in. It has a remapped ECU by Gabro of Italy and a stubby Akrapovic slip-on exhaust. I’ve fitted an Öhlins shock and forks, and had the forks tuned by MCT. It has an Öhlins steering damper, too. It has Dymag carbon five-spoke wheels, I use EBC pads in the original calipers and the motor is fitted with Samco hoses. I’ve added a seat unit and bellypan from an RSV4 with a bit of custom paint, and the frame/swingarm have carbon protectors. There’s a tail tidy,…

I SEE YOU have bought a Brutale, Chris, so I thought you might be interested in my experience of owning one. I owned my 2005 model for a couple of years, then sold it to a friend. Like yours, the headlamp lens detached itself just when he came to collect it. I glued it back together with car windscreen adhesive. The fuel filter in the tank decided to clog, causing lack of top end power. It’s an easy fix as the filter is the same as Ducati and BMW. The rubber pipes inside the tank need replacing as the ethanol in fuel degrades them. Merlin Motorsport at Castle Coombe sell it by the metre as it’s not normal fuel hose. I also found the front end too hard but rebuilt…

YOU’VE GOT to hand it to Suzuki. There is no getting away from the fact that they have cooked up a winner with the new GSX-R. It is sophisticated, innovative, raw, refined, user-friendly and seriously fast. It feels just like a race bike in every way. Even the way it wheelies off corners, and gives just the slightest of shakes at the handlebars. Enough to make you go “wow,” but not so much as to cause concern. On more than one occasion, I stopped myself shifting gear the wrong way, simply because I was so wrapped up in the ride. It’s not just the power of the thing, but the way it is all brought together as a package. It made the BMW feel a little bit big, heavy and…

One of the things that makes road racing so special is the way each meeting is unique. You might have the same riders at the North West 200, TT and the Ulster Grand Prix but all three tracks are completely different and each event enjoys its own special personality and atmosphere. The smaller Irish national races, scattered throughout the island, are poles apart from these big events. Throw in Scarborough’s Oliver’s Mount or some of the European races like Horice in the Czech Republic or Frohburg in Germany and the mix is even richer. For the past 30 summers I’ve been on a perpetual pilgrimage around all of these circuits and these are some of the places I think are well worth a visit. NORTH WEST 200 Attracting all the…

BMW’s engines are very fast, and so reliable. They offer three different Superbike engine specs. The one you see here is a World Superbikespec motor built and sealed by the factory. We put it in, change the oil and filters, and forget about it for 4500km. Last year we did the North West 200, the TT and Macau GP on the same clutch plates. They’re still in it now! “We strip a standard road bike, put the frame on a stand and put the engine in. The rest of it – the entirety of the chassis – is down to me and Michael. We sit down and go through what he wants, and what I think we should do with it. Then we do the best job we can with…

PB AND DUNLOP are pleased to reveal the date for 2017’s free trackday on Rockingham’s 1.94-mile ‘International’ circuit on August 17. As well as the usual six sessions of fun, expert instruction from one of Dunlop’s top-level international racers (TBC) and the PB team, we’re also introducing the Dunlop Grand Prix Experience – anyone who turns up on a set of the firm’s finest tyres can take advantage of an exclusive garage with paddock stands, tyre warmers and technicians on hand to assist with pressures and other technical advice relating to your tyres throughout the day. You’ll also be able to take advantage of exclusive tyre offers at the event. To be in with a chance of joining the fun on August 17, you simply have to vist www.performancebikes.co.uk/ trackday,…

THERE’S LITTLE form over function in this custom Yamaha. In fact, we love what Taipei’s Rough Crafts have done to this XSR700. Over the last few years Yamaha have been throwing bikes at custom builders as part of their Yard Built initiative, but this effort is the best we’ve seen. There is sorted suspension with R1 forks and better brakes, with XSR calipers and Beringer discs. At the rear, there is a Shark Factory shock, the settings of which are adjustable with a smartphone. The wheels are much lighter, too – R1-fitment Rotobox wheels are super-light and exquisite. More power comes from an Akrapovic exhaust system, a race filter and new velocity stacks. The motor itself is stock, churning out a claimed 74bhp and 50lb.ft of torque. The café racer…

‘It starts at 27,930 Euros. But you’ll need to buy a CBR6000RR engine, too’ SUPPORT NETWORK Pre-preg carbon-fibre chassis will set you back an extra 5250 Euros ROAD GEAR Oddly enough, adding a numberplate hanger doesn’t destroy the aesthetics PB LOVES VYRUS. As readers of any longevity will recall, sometime contributor Phil Read Junior raced one, and raced one hard. And now the company is offering bikes for sale to racers and road riders, so if you have the coin, the Vyrus experience can be yours. Now let’s just suppose that in these exchange rate tortured times you have a spare 36,000 Euros to drop on a motorcycle, you might care to peruse what’s on offer from the hub steering devotees. Indeed, that 36,000 Euros – which is almost £31k…

1995 HONDA RVF750R RC45 DAVID ‘SPIKE’ DOWNING AFTER HELPING out at GT Performance Engineering, I gained an unhealthy addiction to HRC goodness. This 1995 RC45 is the result and was purchased after mulling it over for three months. It was the cheapest in the UK by a long way, due to having aftermarket parts and a small dent in the frame from a crash. It’s not running very well but hopefully ultrasonically cleaning the injectors, new spark plugs and replacing decade-old fuel should help. It had been used as a track bike by the previous owner, but I think it’s been stood still for many years. It has seen a gravel trap or two in its time, but the damage is mostly cosmetic. It has a full Yoshimura exhaust, Öhlins…

‘It would have been 5s inside the cut-off for Superstock qualification’ IT WOULD BE easy to say that, due to having raced at the TT, North West 200 and British Superstock on an S1000RR, Rutter would be right at home on the BMW, now updated for Euro 4 compliance. However, under the surface, while his race bikes conform to every rule in the book, they are much lighter, much stiffer and have different suspension. And that’s just his Superstock bike... the Superbike may as well be from another planet. So in a twist of irony, the upshot is that by racing trick S1000RRs, Rutter could be underwhelmed by the road-going S1000RR, especially as he isn’t a contracted BMW rider who has to stick to the script. The Beemer has undergone…

‘I could happily ride it all day long without getting bored or frustrated’ RUTTER ON GSX-R ‘Its set-up is as good as a factory race bike. The riding position is perfect, and the weight distribution is spot-on’ “JUST HOLD on Johnny,” Rutter instructs me as I wait, notebook and pen in hand. He takes his helmet off, goes straight to his mobile phone and calls his crew chief Alec back at his team’s workshop. “Yeah, Alec, I just rode that new GSX-R <pause>. Yeah, it’s amazing <pause>. If you can think of anyone who’ll want to buy our bikes after the TT, do the deal <pause>. No, I’m serious <pause>. No, really it’s THAT good. I’ve gotta go, just thought I’d let you know.” He takes a swig of…

TFT DISPLAY Welcome departure from the LCD dash and clock of 2016. Also displays lean angle data, amongst other things. ENGINE Treated for less internal friction and longer life. Revs 500rpm higher, still makes a claimed 175bhp. FRONT END 2017 bike gets 43mm Öhlins NiX forks, plus radial master cylinder, 330mm discs and Brembo M50 monoblocks. 2017 APRILIA TUONO V4 FACTORY KAR LEE BRAAAP, BRAAAP.. APPROACH hairpin, ignore the clutch and stamp down a gear, brake deep into the corner (cheers, cornering ABS), knee on the deck then fire it out, front wheel in the air, but not too high (thanks wheelie control). Ignore the clutch and hoik it up a gear without throttling off (you rock, Aprilia quickshifter). Front wheel goes light, hunker down behind the tiny screen and…

‘I got called thick for being dyslexic. I was determined to prove people wrong’ TOOLS ‘I like Britools, but when you manufacture parts such as I do, you hardly ever need any traditional tools. I only have a very basic toolkit – a set of spanners, a ratchet and multimeter cover most of the applications I need. That said, when designing a bike I do ensure that every nut and bolt is accessible.’ TROPHIES ‘I’ve won quite a few competitions in my time and I’m very proud of my creations. Winning the MCN Show with the Titanium V was probably my biggest achievement.’ HAYNES MANUALS ‘I only really use these when it comes to making wiring looms as generally I’ve thrown the rest of the bike away!’ PILLAR DRILL ‘You…

More ride height and better damping from pair of good shocks really helps Don’t piss money on tuning: simple breathing mods are what’s really worthwhile POST-WAR BMW RARELY entered the periphery of anyone with a sporting bent (barring a 1970s AMA Superbike foray, and Dakar-smashing with the GS). Half-arsed efforts like the K1 attracted the same beardy, big-mileage types who bought BMW’s usual robust, comfy but weird offerings. Then this thing appeared. Sports tyres, 90bhp, keenish geometry, but still with cylinders poking out in a gesture of German defiance. ‘We’re here, we’re weird – get used to it’, said David Robb’s first squinty-eyed Beemer. Reluctantly, PB admitted to liking it despite the weight, torque-reaction and peculiar suspension. Late PB legend John Robinson noted, ‘The BMW’s handling is precise but staid,…

‘WE’RE NOT OUT THERE PLAYING CHESS. WE’RE OUT THERE TO RACE’ In all the hullabaloo surrounding Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop’s bitter rivalry last year it went almost unnoticed that one of road racing’s most enduring records had been surpassed at Northern Ireland’s North West 200. For more than a decade, the late Robert Dunlop’s tally of 15 victories on the seaside circuit had stood as the benchmark. His elder brother, Joey, and the evergreen Michael Rutter had amassed 13 successes and many people thought the diminutive Dunlop’s 15th NW200 triumph in the 2006 125cc race had laid down a marker that would never be broken. But another rider of small stature had other ideas. Alastair Seeley won his first NW200 race in 2008. Riding the JMF Millsport Yamaha R1,…