Table of contents for April 2016 in Performance Bikes

A MODERN-DAY TWO-STROKE 500GP bike will be lining up against four-stroke superbikes at this year’s TT as Suter have confirmed they will be competing with their MMX500. Despite the bike’s two-stroke V4 motor having a 576cc capacity and it not being a production road bike, it is still eligible to race in the Senior and Superbike TTs, setting up a mouthwatering prospect. Can you imagine the sound of a 195bhp V4 stroker as it screams its way over the Mountain or down Bray Hill? The 2016 TT just got a lot more exciting! Suter Racing is a very familiar name in the MotoGP paddock and they aren’t going to the TT just to make up the numbers. The firm has an enviable record when it comes to track success and…

SUZUKI GSX-R750 SLINGSHOT SANDER ‘DUTCH’ KNOOK “I BUILT THIS bike for vintage racing in the USA, with AHRMA. The class limit is 750cc with a 1992 cut-off. I already had an ’86 7/11 and know my way around an oil boiler, so I started looking for a Slingshot as it has a better frame for racing. This ’89 popped up in the local classifieds; it was in boxes but it only cost $400. “I work at Airtech Streamlining, a composite fairing manufacturer, so for once the bodywork was the first thing sorted. It had to be the Yoshimura F1 kit; Doug Polen won the ’89 All Japan TT-F1 Championship on a Yoshimura GSX-R750 with this and it’s dead sexy. “The rules allow USD forks (no radial brakes) so I opted…

YAMAHA YZF-R1 KYLE GOWLAND “LAST YEAR I started racing on a 2008 ex-R1 Cup bike. I was looking for a bike I could progress on in 2016, so I imported this weapon from Denmark. “As well as a YEC ECU, it has a YEC loom, kit throttle bodies, high-lift cams and a blueprinted motor that makes 187bhp at the rear wheel. This winter I fitted a Power Slide traction control system with launch control. “It has Harris adjustable yokes with Öhlins FGRT 206 forks and a TTX shock, Marchesini forged aluminium wheels, PP Tuning rearsets and Renthal grips. Braking is by way of Galfer discs and an Accassato master cylinder. “Since buying the bike in September it has totally consumed me. I’ve spent every day preparing it for the season.”…

A BLIND MAN WRITES I know you’re all patriotic and ‘Cool Britannia’ and such, but the new Speed and Street Triples are simply grotesque. I reckon they’ve both fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. The bug-eyed look used to be a bit different, but endearing. Like the late Marty Feldman. But putting the bug eyes on plastic stalks is a horror. Then compounding the problem, is the red plastic on a grey bike. As Giorgetto Giugiaro said when he saw the first Triumph TR7, “Mama mia, they’ve done the same thing on both sides.” Triumph are becoming the Aston Martin of the bike world – same old, same old. I shouldn’t be too surprised, you like it though; you all loved the…

‘The engine is the star of the show but the H2R also has genuine sportsbike credentials’ NOTHING COULD HAVE prepared me for just how fast the H2R is. It genuinely shocked me. But much more than that, I was just as shocked at how different it felt compared to the road-going H2. Kawasaki have done so much more than create a hugely fast straight line motorcycle. It’s perfectly composed when cornering. I felt like I could put it anywhere on the track at will. There were a few places where I had to short-shift before the revs rose above 10,000rpm, which was counter-intuitive as even on the Panigale you can keep it pinned through some of the them, but to ride the H2R in the same way would have ended…

THE TRAFFIC CLEARS and, peeling away down a back road, we find enough open tarmac to give the big Suzuki a chance to unload its big guns. The twistgrip snaps a short turn against the stop, stretching wire cables tight. Deep beneath the GSX-R’s tank, the cables spin a pulley against a spring and physically pin four primary butterfly valves flat in the throttle body throats. Under the seat, the ECU registers my crude demand for acceleration. Software written in Hamamatsu delivers an instruction to four servo-driven secondary butterflies, based an inch upstream in the 42mm Keihins, turning them at a steadier rate and supporting gasflow velocity at hairy primate throttle openings. At that instant, more binary orders are sent to a quartet of fuel injectors, to deliver their tiny…

‘I don’t have to fight the bike’SCOTT REDDING SCOTT REDDING FEELS more in control of his Ducati than the Honda he raced last year. The 2015 Desmosedici’s twin-pulse engine makes life easier for the rider than Honda’s aggressive screamer RCV. “It’s easier than the Honda because you can get on the gas earlier and the bike is more level on the straight – it’s not always making big wheelies,” he says. “We’ve worked a lot with the electronics but I already feel comfortable and we’ll feel even better as we go on.” The 2015 Ducati chassis works well with the latest Michelins, as Casey Stoner has shown in testing. And in engine terms there has never been any doubt about its power output. The only question is whether Ducati can…

FLIP-FLOPS Quickness of direction changes will depend upon crankshaft re-design. YOUNG ’UNS Honda are throwing their trainee engineers in at the deep end. SOFTLY, SOFTLY Honda’s chassis tweaks to accommodate new tyres won’t be the quickest. ZERO SPUTTER Two extra litres of fuel will assist throttle programming. Honda have a big job on this year, but one that’s now a little easier because their 2014 chassis seems a good starting point to work with the Michelins. After last year’s throttle control issues caused by taking their quest for an ultra low-inertia crankshaft a bit too far they have changed the engine substantially. To reduce the bike’s desire to wheelie, and to get more stability coming in to corners the most likely change would be to reverse the direction of rotation…

HOPPER’S NOSE CONE ‘This is Hopper’s 2016 nose cone, painted up and ready to go. I hadn’t spoken to him since I beat him to the 2011 title and our first words were when I sat down with him at the hotel in Brands Hatch four years later with a contract to be our rider.’ CARBON BRACKETS ‘These are Yamaha Motor Europe (YME) factory-spec carbon fairing brackets and a race billet rear subframe. This stuff is from the Milwaukee team; we will be getting our own order of YME parts through in February.’ JOSH BROOKES’S NOSE CONE ‘That’s taken from his title-winning bike and even has his number one sticker on it. It was on the bike when we bought it from Shaun Muir and I’m not sure what we…

A BOXFRESH LOOK FOR £250 FULLY WRAPPED, PROJECT TL looks absolutely amazing. The colours are even more vivid than paint and the quality of Ted’s workmanship is so high you can’t see a single seam. It doesn’t look like a wrap, it looks like a brand new fairing. It has taken him all day, but with a price tag in the region of £250 (this varies depending on the complexity of the design), wrapping is excellent value for money. According to Ted, the wrap should look as good as new for more than 10 years, can be washed and polished like paint (although you need to avoid pressure washing as it can lift the seams and not use an abrasive polish) and is very hard-wearing. PB wouldn’t recommend trying to…

1989 SUZUKI RGV250 CHRIS NEWBIGGING AS NICE AS Matt’s Nitron shock looks over there, I don’t think that sort of thing would look right on the RGV. First year bikes like my K-model didn’t have a remote reservoir as standard, and anything too shiny and bling doesn’t really suit the subtle resto-mod style my RGV has developed. I’ve run a Hagon for the last three years, which has been OK on the road, but I fancy dialling the handling in a bit more finely than the British firm’s cost-effective replacements can offer with their single adjuster. Time for something a little more sophisticated – but not too OTT either. So, I’ve got this from Mike Capon’s Shock Factory. It’s a £450 shock with preload, compression and rebound damping adjustment. Mine…

2015 SUZUKI GSX-S1000F MATT WILDEE IT’S BEEN ANOTHER interesting month with the GSX-S. Part sportsbike, part naked, part sports-tourer, the GSX-S does have a bit of an identity crisis, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun, effective and stupendously fast piece of transport. And there are some pretty decent gains to be had with just a little bit of fettling, as I’ve started to find out. After 1000 miles last month, I’ve clocked another 800 this month, with everything from filthy, wet commutes to snatched sunny midweek rides. As I write this, I’ve just returned from a 30-minute frenetic lunchtime blast on the GSX-S, where it’s been lairy, wobbly, effective and refined in equal measure. Now the weather is beginning to perk up I’m finding out more about the…

TYRES This is the first bike to get Pirelli Diablo Rosso III rubber as OE fitment. The grip they offer means you’ll rarely bother the ABS. SHIFT OF POWER Peak power is lowered, peak torque chimes in earlier. Changes to intake/exhaust cams, pistons and new exhaust are responsible. ELECTRONICS The new 800 features eight-stage traction control, switchable ABS and a quickshifter (with de rigeur autoblipper). GEOMETRY An increase in the Brutale’s rake and trail lend its front end more stability to cosset newer riders. 2016 MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800 CHRIS NEWBIGGING THE BRUTALE 800 might mark the dawn of a new era of common sense from MV Agusta. Note the caveat – we’re talking about Italians, and they’re liable to go wild again and begin spouting about ‘passion’ at any…

YAMAHA YZF-R1 LARRY ORELLANA “HERE IS MY 2007 YZF-R1, which I’ve given a stealthy black that hides a stack of extras. The carbon panels are from Magical Racing and Akrapovic while the single seat unit is a Catalyst Racing Composites supersport tail. And the carbon doesn’t stop there; it also has BST carbon wheels and carbon slash-cut Akrapovic silencers. “The bar-end mirrors and bar ends are from Greggs Customs while the rearsets are from Rizoma. The black paint scheme R1 came with black forks as standard, unlike the red one that had gold forks, but I have uprated the brakes with Galfer wave discs and changed the calipers for Beringers. They aren’t black (unlike the original Yamaha ones) but they look cool and work brilliantly. Add to this Pro-Bolt fasteners,…

POWER, TORQUE, REVS, BORE & STROKE OUR K1 DYNO test netted 142.25bhp at 10,750rpm and 73.43lb.ft at 8250rpm. The new GSX-R1000R must make 190bhp to compete with its rivals but, like them, has to do it with a similar 80lb.ft or so peak torque (gasflow, heat transfer, friction and pump fuel limitations mean that’s it, without forced induction or more cc. The extra 6.5lb.ft is from lower friction). Thus the new bike does it by revving higher; 2000rpm more than the K1. More revs equals more power (the rate torque is produced determines power). The 2017 GSX-R redlines at 14,250rpm; same as BMW’s S1000RR. If the Beemer makes 196bhp at 13,500rpm with around 82lb.ft at 10,500rpm, that’s how high the new Suzuki will rev. Cam timing, ignition, fuelling and gasflow…

THE FIRST THING I did as editor of PB was to blow our budget on the purchase of a GSX-R1000 K1. It was a little rough around the edges, had a few problems, but at £2600 was cheap. These days, a bike in similar condition would cost you £1800. But we knew it had huge potential, so over six months we set about unleashing it. And there was a lot more to come – at 198.5kg on PB’s scales it was already 10kg lighter than the then-current GSX-R1000 K9. The first thing to do was make the most of what we had, sorting out the sticky exhaust valve and making the standard suspension work better with a re-valve and re-spring. The beauty of Suzukis then and now is almost total…

ELECTRONICS Control ECU and operating software will be used across the board FUEL CAPACITY A common limit of 22 litres applies to all bikes this year, regardless of results TYRES New Michelin rubber has forced factories to adapt their racebikes’ frames THE THREE MAJOR CHANGES 2016 BRINGS A few long overdue changes to the MotoGP grid. One set of rules for a start, and a rulebook designed to both slow down the fast guys and give the also-rans a leg up. Racing can be a cruel mistress. We want to watch a close race for the lead, but we also want the best bike to win. The trouble is Honda, and to a lesser extent Yamaha, have built up such a commanding lead in electronic controls that it’s hard for…

ROCKETSHIP Advanced aerodynamics, and extra fuel, mean the GP will rule the straights. CONTROL ECU Unlike Honda and Yamaha, Ducati have never enjoyed highest-spec electronics. STABILITY Dovizioso will need more confidence in the front end to push hard. TWEAKS Adjustable headstock means Ducati have options. 2015 saw the debut of the much anticipated ‘Dall’Igna’ bike, a more compact 90-degree V4 engine layout, still using Ducati’s preferred Desmodromic valve gear. It had all the power of the previous version but fewer of the weight distribution disadvantages that prevented the previous ‘L4’ engine from allowing the bike to handle well. For 2016 Ducati built a completely new chassis to deal with what they thought would be completely different Michelins, but with a radical change of tyre design that job has just been…

2015 BSB-SPEC YAMAHA YZF-R1 ‘This is Josh Brookes’ 2015 title-winning YZF-R1, bought from Shaun Muir Racing. It did the NEC show and was then delivered to us with its Milwaukee fairing still on. It’s full BSB-spec with YME electronics including 2D datalogging as well as factory-spec Öhlins suspension and everything you would expect on a BSB bike. It is even labelled ‘JB25’ on areas such as the fuel tank...’ WHEELS ‘We have 12 sets of OZ forged aluminium wheels (British Superbike race regulations don’t permit magnesium wheels, even though they’re stock fitment on R1s). The rear rims have their inner lips left rough to prevent the tyre spinning on the rim, which can send the wheel out of balance and cause chatter. Superbikes produce so much power now that this…

CARBON BODYWORK Areas that would have been black have been left clear to allow carbon weave to show through. 1999 SUZUKI TL1000R TEAM PB WITH PROJECT TL resplendent in its new carbon fairing, PB decided to go for the wrapping route rather than the tried and tested paint option. A phone call to The Image Works (www.bike-stickers.com), and Project TL was whisked off to get a complete vinyl wrap with the brief being to make it look exactly the same as a 1999 TL1000R, just with the black bits left clear to show off its carbon fairing. Subtle but modern, which has always been Project TL’s mantra. Ted Stevenson and Graham Talkes set up The Image Works nearly 20 years ago having cut their teeth painting bikes at Dream Machine.…

LENGTH ADJUSTABLE Shock can be altered by up to 7mm for length, equating to a 15mm change in ride-height. Set at OE length for now. BILLET SHOCK BODY Each body is machined from ally billet, rather than cast as in many mass-produced shocks. Nitron say it is more accurate, promoting lower friction and less wear. STEALTH SPRING The Oxfordshire firm now offer springs in ‘titanium’ colour rather than just torquise like before. They also go easy on the gold anodising these days. Perfect for subtle bikes like my stock-looking R1. HIGH AND LOW-SPEED COMP ADJUSTMENT Set correctly, it allows support while bike is loaded up without making the shock too stiff over harsh bumps. GAS RESERVOIR Gas reservoir is larger than standard, filled with nitrogen and uses a floating piston…

OVERSPRAY What, you wanted us to mask off before getting giddy with the spray tins? There’s no time for all that A SOLID PERCH It’s a big old lump alright, the Bandit 600 frame. There’s a ton of weight that we’d like to lose here but this is production racing HEADS UP We’ve checked valve clearances, cleaned out the exhaust ports and replaced tired and perished valve seals STAYING STOCK With engine tuning being a no-no, we will instead have to rely on some solid fettling and sheer riding skill FILTER TIP The exacting rules of the Formula Prostocks’ Bandit 600 Challenge say we have to stick with the standard airbox and carbs. Fair enough PASSING MUSTER We’re not going for a blast and powdercoat for the frame. Wirebrushing and…

LOUD | FREE-FLOWING | SHINY YOSHIMURA R-11 FULL SYSTEM FOR SUZUKI GSX-S1000 One of the first full systems for the GSX-S, it does away with the power-sapping cat, saves a load of weight and if you’ve already bought a Yoshi end can, you only need to buy the downpipes. Price: £1135 to £1257 Contact: www.performanceparts-ltd.com COMPLIANT | SIMPLE EFFECTIVE MATRIS F15 FORK CARTRIDGE KIT Reaching the limitations of the non-adjustable forks on your MT-07, SV650 or ER-6? Matris have been in the suspension business for over 30 years and their latest offering, the F15 fork cartridge kit, brings preload, rebound and compression damping adjustment to the front ends of these and a host of other bikes. Check Bike Torque Racing’s website for the full fitment list. The F15 fork cartridge…

BMW S1000RR SIMON HEGGIE “AFTER SOME YEARS on a modified Kawasaki ZX-10R, last year it was time for a new bike. I was torn between an S1000RR or Ducati Panigale. “PB’s track test helped me make up my mind, but by adding comfort features to a sports weapon, BMW have built a two-wheeled version of their M-series cars. It’s an all-day bike that can still match the very best on track. I’ve modified mine with an Arrow competition exhaust system and PC-V boosting the power, plus LighTech rearsets and levers, a BMW HP carbon hugger, bellypan and chainguard and a BMW pillion seat cover and Evotech tail tidy helping to sharpen the looks further. “I know a few guys who have bought Panigales and gone off them because they are…

THE CIRCUITO DE Almeria might not seem like a natural alternative to our regular test track at Mallory Park. However, if you look past its spectacular setting, its climate, 1km long back straight and relaxed approach to noise limits, there are several similarities. Two very heavy braking zones, a long constant-radius left hander that lasts for 300 metres, high-speed and low-speed direction changes and four generous traction zones. There is elevation change, positive and negative camber corners and blind approaches. With a total of 13 corners (eight left, five right), it dwarfs Mallory, but asks the same questions of a bike. Almeria is popular with race teams due to its year-round warm and dry climate, so Michael Rutter has been coming here since it was built. He has done thousands…

SUSPENSION & BRAKES The Öhlins TTX36 shock and R&T forks are designed for the R1, which means you either need to retain the stock R1 calipers or use a special adapter plate to fit Brembo HPK calipers with their 108mm spacing. Rear ride height is 3mm higher than standard to sharpen the steering; forks are standard height in the yokes. CLUTCH An STM slipper clutch replaces the stock unit and when combined with the Brembo clutch perch gives a far lighter clutch feel. Early R1 models suffered from clutch issues and according to Mark the STM unit works far better both in terms of performance and feel. THUMB REAR BRAKE The Brembo system has its master cylinder on the fork leg. In theory you can run it with a foot…

‘The more technical riders will have fewer problems’JORGE LORENZO IS LORENZO GOING TO DOMINATE? SOME PADDOCK INSIDERS are predicting a season of Doohan-like domination from Jorge Lorenzo. They may be right. Whenever there’s a major technical change in any motorsport series, someone gets it right first time and the rest have to catch up. We saw it with the dawn of MotoGP’s 800 era in 2007, when Casey Stoner and Ducati made everyone else look silly. Lorenzo looks so strong because his float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee riding may suit MotoGP’s new Michelin tyres and same-for-all electronics even better than it fitted the last tech regs. “With Michelin tyres and the new electronics it’s more difficult to ride the bike,” says the reigning champ. “So I think the more technical riders will have fewer…

CHASSIS Yamaha reverted to an older design after the first Michelin test. NOT THE FASTEST But the Yamaha M1 has the best overall characteristics, making it a title favourite. QUICKER BY DESIGN High-inertia counter-rotating crank means throttle doesn’t require as much electronic taming. WINGS Last year’s were too high and big to be effective. Yamaha got the mix of handling and power spot-on in 2015, they also built a bike that would work well with the differing styles of their two top riders. Always way down on top speed, Yamaha proved that it is overall ability that wins in MotoGP, not one single skill. They have new engine specs ready, and all bikes will this year use the new ‘plug-in’ starters we first saw at the Valencia test. STRENGTHS Balance…

RUBBER As with every factory, Suzuki are now re-thinking chassis design to suit new tyres. SEAMLESS GSX-RR’s seamless transmission currently only work on upshifts. BALANCING ACT The bike handled very well last year, but how will it cope with more power? STRONGER Swingarm was stiffened to cope with ‘old’ Michelins. Suzuki came back in 2015 after a self-imposed three-year absence. Their bike was completely different to their old 75-degree V4, with a new YamahaÐesque inline four featuring a crossplane reverse-rotating crankshaft. Initial engine reliability worries were quickly sorted and they managed one start from pole position. Suzuki may not have had enough power but they had certainly put together a good handling package. But that is a lot easier to do when you don’t have tons of power. The new…

BACK-TO-BACK TESTING (COMPRESSION AND REBOUND ADJUSTERS SET TO MID-POINT) THIS GRAPH DISPLAYS the force generated by the damper (y axis) vs piston speed (x axis) for both compression (above the x axis) and rebound (below the x axis). The OE shock could, on paper do with more low-speed compression control, which is something the Nitron excels at. You can see that the OE line is a little wavy before ramping up. That isn’t to say that my revalved OE shock is bad – it’s performed well with good ride quality, just that it needs a little more low-speed comp for track.…

1996 HONDA FIREBLADE SIMON HARGREAVES “HERE ARE A few ideas for Si H’s 1996 CBR900RR FireBlade,” writes PB reader Steve Jones. “I was lucky to find a one-owner, 1996 Blade with 1850 miles on the clock back in 2011. The owner put the bike in his garage in 2001 and just shut the door. Race Lab in Bournemouth helped K-Tech design a full revalve kit, plus springs. Now the forks have a superb range of adjustment for a beautifully compliant front-end. Better than messing around with later USD forks. For the shock, Paul at Race Lab had a Nitron someone had ordered and never collected. I had the blue spring powder-coated red to look standard.” Like Steve, I’ve had a fork and shock overhaul, but by PB stalwarts MCT in…