Innehållsförteckning för April 2018 från Performance Bikes

UNDERBONE TO MOTOGP FOR MALAYSIAN FAST KID Malaysia goes nuts for bike racing: the MotoGP crowds dwarf those of Formula 1 at Sepang. They’re going to wee with excitement this year: Tech 3 have picked Hafizh Syahrin to replace the sick Jonas Folger on their second YZR-M1. He is a multiple Malaysian ‘underbone’ (horizontal-cylinder, step-thru commuter scooters tuned to buggery) champion, setting Marquez-style records for being the youngest to dominate each class before oil giant Petronas funded a Moto2 ride for him, where’s he’s bagged a few fourth places. TECH 3 DITCH YAMAHA Tech 3 have announced that they will end their long association with Yamaha at the end of this season. At the time of PB going to press, all we know is that the French team has a…

WHO IS JEREMY McWILLIAMS? Ex-250 and 500 GP racer Jezza is also a KTM development rider, road racer and occasional film star... JANUARY IS ALWAYS the worst time of year to be stuck at home waiting for the season to get underway. So, when I was offered a trip to Italy on the new 790 Adventure and the 1290GT, I jumped at it. Sadly, Rome was even colder than home and 50% of the test was on a wet track... but I was pleasantly surprised with the new 790. I hadn’t expected much from the middleweight bikes; I’d wondered what all the hype was about at the Milan show, but then I rode one. I was really impressed by how well the motor pulls and how well it handles. We…

1 Thread pitch gauge “To be honest, this is one of Simon’s top tools, but I see where he is coming from. He has an old 1974 Bultaco at home and had no idea what threads it was running. He borrowed this tool and it told him what they were. I’ve been a mechanic for years so I just kind of know these things, so it is a tool that has sat in my tool chest for years unused, but he was absolutely blown away by it!” 2 Laser wheel aligner “Never align a bike’s wheels using the swingarm marks as they are usually way out. You can use a set of straight edges, but this tool is simply brilliant. You clamp the laser to the rear wheel and can…

1992 SUZUKI RGV250N JOHN McAVOY IF YOU’RE a long-term reader of PB, you will know about my project Suzuki RGV250N. If, however, you have only joined the family in the last year, you will have no clue about it – which is a reflection as much on my garage skills as it is on my cash flow. So for the benefit of the Johnny-come-latelies (come to think of it, I haven’t), here is a quick recap... Five years ago (yes, really), I got drunk and bought an RGV250 basket-case online, without even viewing it in person. Upon collection of said boxes of bits claiming to be an RGV250, it was quickly apparent that it was in fact only about 60% RGV, at best. And so began a couple of years…

2016 BMW S1000RR ALEC TAGUE THERE’S NO NEED for a complete strip and rebuild, or even replacement of any of the bikes this winter – Michael only had one crash last year and the damage was minor, and fully fixed at the circuit. Although we’re working on a smaller budget than the teams that have factory support, we’re doing all we can to give Michael a bike that’s every bit as good, and part of that is year-long maintenance and knowing which parts to ‘life’, and swap before they can become a problem. CHASSIS > The bike gets a full set of new chassis bearings over winter. I remove the front and rear ends between every meeting, clean and regrease every bush and bearing, but the fractional wear adds up.…

2017 SUZUKI GSX-R1000R CHRIS NEWBIGGING TO APPRECIATE HOW far you’ve come, you must remember where you started. This has been very much the case with the GSX-R – although I’ve spent the last year messing around with it, it’s all been detail work and largely personal preference rather than provoked by any pressing need for improvement. I didn’t think I’d really strayed far from Suzuki’s handiwork – but I got the chance to ride a stock bike to learn a foreign track before riding a bike for an upcoming feature, and it highlighted just how effective each change has been. RIDING POSITION The first thing that struck me was the handlebar and footpeg position. I’ve fitted Gilles clip-ons and their new California Superbike School-designed footpegs. The handlebars are wider (I’ve…

CHRIS NEWBIGGING EDITOR chris@pbmag.co.uk Beige diesel Volvo. Dead Kennedys shaking the window glass AUSTIN SMITH ART EDITOR austin@pbmag.co.uk VW Touran, kid’s sick in the door pocket, Pixies on the tape deck MICHAEL RUTTER TRACK TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk VW T5, airbrushed Desmo memorial on bonnet. Sounds: Radio 1 Extra MARK WHITE TECHNICIAN editorial@pbmag.co.uk MWB Transit, more vegan stickers than paint, handsfree for radio call-ins JOHN McAVOY ROAD TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk Audi A6, 648 empty McDonald’s bags, cruise control set to 180mph JEREMY McWILLIAMS COLUMNIST editorial@pbmag.co.uk Secret KTMs. If he told you, he’d have to kill you (and would, too) JOHN BENNETT VLOGGER www.youtube.com/lambchoprides Tiny Volvo coupé thing, carrying entire GoPro accessory catalogue KAR LEE FORUM EDITOR editorial@pbmag.co.uk Audi Avant. ‘Neverbeen’ Nurburgring and 2005-spec PB stickers CAROLINE BARRETT EDITORIAL ASSISTANT caz@pbmag.co.uk BMW Mini Cooper,…

NOW HERE’S an interesting development in the electric bike world: one that’s cheap. Naturally, it’s from a Euro engineering establishment, or some hemp pant-wearing Californian hippies – it’s produced in India with low labour costs to enable a £7000 price tag despite Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and a single sided swingarm dangling from a tubular steel chassis. There is also the question of oomph: it’s not up there with the best, but still reaches a claimed 125mph with claimed 3s 0-60 time, and max range of 125 miles. It’s mostly their own work, too, with Samsung batteries the only outsourced drive train part. A fast charger is claimed to bang in 80% power in just 36 minutes, or a full slow charge in three hours. Impressive, if it ever comes…

I’d like to ask you all kindly to stop porking fun out of Whitey for his dietary decisions. He must be bacon up a plan to take his revenge by now. Maybe he’ll just beef up his next long-term test bike so it wipes the floor with everyone else’s. That’s egg-axtly what I’d do. Or maybe there are tofu reasons for him to stand up and be counted. Come on, Whitey – don’t let the rest of PB milk this for all its worth... you’re butter than that. Malcolm Lamb CN: I seabass what you did there. You’ve veally hurt his feelings, and if he evers meats you in a dark alley, he’ll beer-batter your nut cutlet. Never meet your heroes I’ve been a readers for a few years now,…

Power 148bhp @ 10,500rpm Torque 86.29lb.ft @ 7150rpm Weight 189kg (claimed) Price £13,550 THE DETAIL ENGINE Type Liquid-cooled, 12v inline triple Capacity 1050cc Bore & Stroke 79mm x 71.4mm Fuelling Fuel injection Power 148bhp @ 10,500rpm (claimed) Torque 86.29lb.ft @ 7150rpm CHASSIS Frame Tubular alloy twin-spar Front suspension Öhlins 43mm NiX30 forks, fully adjustable Rear suspension Öhlins TTX36 monoshock, fully adjustable Front brakes 2 x 320mm discs, four-piston Brembo monoblock calipers Rear brakes 225mm disc, twin-piston Nissin caliper DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1445mm Rake/trail 22.9 degrees/91.3mm Weight 189kg (dry, claimed) Seat height 825mm Fuel capacity 15.5 litres TECHNOLOGY Rider aids Five ride modes, cornering ABS, traction control, quickshifter/auto-blipper, cruise control BUYING Price £13,550 Contact www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk TURN OVER to see how it fares in PB’s EXCLUSIVE head-to-head against Yamaha’s MT-10SP…

Power 189.96bhp @ 13,500rpm Torque 81.82lb.ft @ 8750rpm Weight 200.8kg (claimed) Price £19,399 THE DETAIL ENGINE Type Liquid-cooled, dohc, 16v, crossplane inline four Capacity 998cc Bore x stroke 79mm x 50.9mm Fuelling Ride by wire electronic fuel injection, twin injectors Power (measured) 189.96bhp @ 13,500rpm Torque (measured) 81.82lb.ft @ 8750rpm CHASSIS Frame Aluminium Deltabox Front suspension 43mm Öhlins NiX upside-down forks, adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping, semi-active Rear suspension Öhlins monoshock, adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping, semi-active Front brakes 2 x 320mm discs, four-piston, radial-mount monoblock calipers Rear brakes 220mm disc, twin-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1405mm Rake/trail 24°/102mm Weight (wet) 200.8kg wet (51% F, 49% R) Seat height 860mm Fuel capacity 17 litres TECHNOLOGY Rider aids ABS, four riding modes, four power modes, traction control, slide control, quickshifter,…

2003 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 750 CHRIS NEWBIGGING ACCEPTED WISDOM is that OE Sachs MV shocks cannot be rebuilt, despite their quality, fully-adjustable nature, and even the Schraeder valve fitted to the reservoir for easy recharging. Can’t get the parts, apparently – the seals are unique and not catered for by general suppliers. The MV might be a premium bike, but I need my improvements to stay cost-effective – I could easily double what I paid for the bike with a shock, fork kit and a few other tweaks. So I didn’t give up on making an outwardly good shock fit again: I called MCT Suspension (www. www.mctsuspension.co.uk) in Suffolk for some advice. Darren Wnukoski does the usual race-grade suspension service most shock technicians offer, but he’s equally, if not more,…

2017 YAMAHA YZF-R3 ALEC TAGUE SETTING UP BATHAM’S Racing in the new workshop, with all our own kit and infrastructure, has been a huge task. It’s just as well the BMWs only need routine maintenance, because I’m having to worry about security systems for the workshop, travel logistics for the road races, and fitting out our new team truck. Michael is getting oddly excited about caravan sink/cooker combos and cassette toilets. I’m not even joking... So our Supersport 300 Yamaha R3 isn’t getting much time from me, so it’s down to rider Harris Beech and his father, Richard, to get things rolling. Richard has been out on the road running it in, and now they’re beginning its transformation into a race bike. It might not seem like much of a…

ADVERTISING Phone 01733 468000 Group commercial director Gareth Ashman Group commercial manager Rhonda Janes Key accounts Shaun Collin Account Manager Phil Martin Senior Telesales Sarah Frisby Telesales Exec Jessie Hutchings MARKETING Phone 01733 468845 Marketing manager Sarah Norman Marketing executive Angela Humphrey Head of newstrade marketing Leon Benoiton Newstrade marketing Joe Deboo PRODUCTION Phone 01733 468341 Production controller Carl Lawrence Advertising production Kerry Beasley Printed by Wyndeham Peterborough Distributed by Frontline THE BOSSES Managing director motorcycling Rob Aherne Group managing director Rob Munro-Hall Editorial director June Smith-Sheppard Finance director Lisa Hayden Group finance & strategy director Sarah Vickery CEO Paul Keenan…

Power 197bhp @ 11,000rpm Torque 101.2lb.ft @ 9500rpm Weight 256kg (claimed) Price £18,099 THE DETAIL ENGINE Type Liquid-cooled, 16v, supercharged inline four Capacity 998cc Bore x stroke 76mm x 55mm Fuelling Ride-by-wire electronic fuel injection Power 197bhp @ 11,000rpm (claimed) Torque 101.2lb.ft @ 9500rpm (claimed) CHASSIS Frame Tubular steel trellis Front suspension 43mm upside-down KYB forks, fully adjustable Rear suspension KYB monoshock, fully adjustable Front brakes 2 x 320mm discs, four-piston monoblock radial-mount calipers Rear brakes 250mm disc, twin-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1480mm Rake/trail 24.7°/103mm Weight 256kg (wet, claimed) Seat height 835mm Fuel capacity 19 litres TECHNOLOGY Ride modes, TC, quickshifter, auto-blipper, ABS, anti-wheelie, cruise control, cornering lights BUYING Price £18,099 (not including panniers) Contact www.kawasaki.co.uk…

TWO DAYS before the official Triumph press launch at Circuito de Almeria, PB hitched a ride on a Focused Events trackday at the Spanish circuit, to thrash a posh naked of similar claimed power and price against the Speed Triple. Enter the Yamaha MT-10SP, with identical Pirelli Supercorsa SP tyres to the Triumph, suspension settings from our Rutter Test last year, and a full tank of fuel. PB being PB, we weren’t going to sit about with our thumbs up our arses, so we took a datalogger along and strapped it to both bikes, so we can reveal exactly how much better the Triumph is. Yes, you read that right. Road bikes, track manners The Yamaha is great fun on track, and the stars of the show are undeniably its…

2008 HONDA FIREBLADE CHRIS NEWBIGGING YOU DON’T GET a chance like this very often. Whitey had this HP4 Race on his workbench to prep it for an upcoming test, and it required several bits removing. The perfect opportunity for a perve and to get some inspiration as we begin buttoning up the finer details of our altogether more home-brewed superlight project. One of Mark’s first jobs on Bayerische Motoren Werke’s finest is swapping the tyres over. Opportunity to compare with the Rotobox Boost wheels we’ve fitted. The BMW’s seven-spoke, complete with discs and sprocket carrier, is 6480g. Ours is 5773g in like-for-like condition. A surprising win, and we’ve yet to fit titanium fasteners, too – though the BMW still has steel bolts in these areas, oddly. Whitey notes the spindles…

2014 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R JOHN BENNETT AFTER A FEW months of bolting bits on and making little baby steps with the bike, I feel like we have finally turned a corner and made some proper performance enhancements this month. You may recall that I’ve been banging on about my Rottweiler airbox for what seems like an eternity. Well, finally the stars have aligned and I’ve managed to get my arse up to the boys at Dynojet UK in Preston for the installation and set-up. As we know, new bikes are all built to meet ever stringent emission and noise regulations, so manufacturers really do have their hands tied when it comes to designing intake and exhaust systems. But by bypassing the overpaid bureaucrats who insist on ludicrous regulations,…

Alpinestars S-MX Plus boots HOW LONG ONE YEAR COST £290 CONTACT WWW.ALPINESTARS.COM ALPINESTARS do brilliant boots... most of the time. These nearly hit the mark, but they’ve been relegated to moped racing duty after only a year, simply because they haven’t lasted. The main issue is the toe sliders: Alpinestars used to mount them with simple clips and poppers: you could grind them paper-thin and still fit new ones. Now, there’s a mounting post with a grub screw. It’s far too easy to have a hard session on track and start wearing it away – a few sliders left on too long and I’ve lost the left side mounting. The outer material of the boot also tore early on after getting snagged on a sidestand. It’s not structural, but the…