APRILIA SHIVER, DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 800, MV BRUTALE 800

80 DEGREES LEAN, 20 DEGREES BELOW
THE
TH
EB
BE
EAST ARRIVES IN BRITAIN
mar'' 2014
mar
issue 228
issue
85
THAN A DUCATI
1199 PANIGALE
THAN A LOADED
BMW HP4
THAN ANYTHING
JAPAN CAN MUSTER
TOP TIPS FROM BRITAIN'S MOTOGP MEGASTAR
APRILIA SHIVER, DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 800, MV BRUTALE 800
PLUS: KTM MOTO3 BIKE YOU CAN BUY, INSANE DAKAR RACING, SUZUKI TL1000R BUYING GUIDE
ROAD TESTS
FIRST UK RIDE
KTM 1290 Super Duke R .................24
The Beast is in Britain – and it’s off the leash. Be on
the lookout for a flash of orange searing past you
anytime soon. But is the hype justified now it is in
the shops? Rootsy rides off to discover the answer.
GROUP TEST
Naked Italian Bunga Bunga Party 36
Going naked is all the rage these days, but the only
streaking we’re doing is that across the roads of
south west England on the back of a trio of naked
Italians. Silvio Berlusconi would be proud...
Aprilia Shiver
Ducati SF848
MV Agusta Brutale 800
THE WALLET READY FOR
TO THE HARDEST
TEMPTING TREATS...
RACE IN THE WORLD. DAKAR
12 GET
14 WELCOME
BRUCE!
TEAPOTONE HITS OZ
20 RIPPER,
82
ICE RACING
TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
4
march 204 www.fastbikesmag.com
A NAKED ITALIAN?
BEAST HITS THE UK.
TRY ONE OF THESE...
36 FANCY
CAN IT BE TAMED?
24 THE
ISSUE 285 MARCH 2014
IT’S THE NEWS
Upfront .............................................. 8
We round up what’s been happening on Planet Fast Bikes
GEARED UP
Products............................................ 12
Stick the credit card on standby, this gear rules!
GET IT FIRST
Subscribe ........................................108
Get your dose of sportsbike hedonism posted to you 13
times a year - and get a free Oxford Oximiser worth £50!
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide .......................... 90
Suzuki’s TL1000R is fast becoming a desirable machine,
but why is this? We investigate the reasons...
MASTERCLASS
Riding .............................................. 96
CSS talks about slappers, so best get your rubber sorted!
FEATURE
RIDING WITH REDDING
TOP TIPS FROM MOTOGP’S LATEST MEGASTAR
Technical .......................................... 98
More tea and talk from our spannering master...
Legal ............................................... 102
Want a hire bike after a crash? Be very careful...
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter ............................................ 104
28 Japan vs
Europe
FEATURE
King of Bikes ..................... 48
How the Aprilia RSV4 won SBOTY
three times on the bounce.
MOTO3
KTM RS250R......................58
The best racer £45,000 will get you...
FEATURE
Back to School.......................78
Al heads to uni to learn about racing!
TEN WITH
Baron Von Grumble .......... 86
The biggest vlogger in town talks...
You lot let us know what you’ve been up to this month.
Write the star letter prize and win an Ixon jacket!
Tracks and Travel ............................ 106
Tell us your tails and win a Kriega R30 ruck sack! Plus we
round up all of the month’s trackday action for you.
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Staff Bikes .......................................110
There’s only a few bikes left on the fleet tackling winter,
but talk is on regarding the 2014 longtermers!
Yamaha YZF-R1
Kawasaki Z800
Ducati Panigale 1199
Ducati Hypermotard
RACE SECTION
Pit Pass ............................................114
Looks like WSB is going to be busy this year – and we
watch Marc Marquez dirt tracking through our fingers!
Race Feature ................................... 120
One Hit Wonders - those who only win a single race...
COLUMNISTS
Eugene Laverty ................................127
Eugene raps about his new WSB Suzuki.
Chaz Davies.................129
Chaz gets ready to own 2014, bitches!
Steve Parrish.....130
Stavros has really lost it this month...
buy fb gear
fastbikesmag.com
WELCOME
Simply The Best!
B
etter than all the rest. Better than
anyone... OK, I’ll stop now – I’m sure
you don’t want me to croon on
about the sheer awesomeness of the Aprilia
RSV4, so we’ll let our words and pictures do
that instead – it all kicks off on page 48 and
parties on for another ten pages.
We thought that we had to celebrate the
Aprilia’s quite remarkable achievement of
winning the Fast Bikes’ Sports Bike of the
Year test three years in a row. That’s some
feat, and only the Honda Fireblade has come
anywhere close by winning the crown in
2008 and 2009.
Its first outing in 2010 left a lot to be
desired, but then from 2011 it has simply
been peerless, brushing aside the likes of the
Ducati Panigale, Kawasaki ZX-10R and BMW
HP4 in the process. How this almost
boutique manufacturer from Noale has
come to do this is the big question, but after
talking with staff, both past and present, it’s
clear that racing and engineering were key
drivers in the original conception of the bike.
It wasn’t a money-no-object project, but
Aprilia certainly didn’t scrimp on speccing
the RSV4 to an impressively high standard.
And what all that work achieved was the
creation of the best sportsbike ever made. If
anyone tells you otherwise then they’re
sadly wrong, and with only Honda releasing
the Fireblade SP in 2014, the Aprilia is now
honing in on four SBOTYs in a row...
In other news, it’s the New Year, and
there’s lots to look forward in 2014. Already,
we’ve had our first ride on the KTM Super
Duke 1290 R, watched in awe at the racing at
the Dakar, got invites for a raft of new bike
launches and started planning our year
ahead. It’s going to be a packed program, so
if anyone knows how to work an eighth day
into the week then we’d really like to know
about it as that’s the only way
we’ll be able to fit everything
in! Have a great month.
48
THE BEST
SPORTSBIKE
EVER MADE
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EDITOR
Simon ‘Rootsy’ Roots
[email protected]
DEPUTY EDITOR
Benjamin ‘BJ’ Kubas Cronin
[email protected]
ROAD TEST EDITOR
Alastair ‘A-Force’ Fagan
[email protected]
ART EDITOR
Ian ‘Lloydy’ Lloyd-Edwards
ia
[email protected]
AD MANAGER
Charlie ‘The Sheriff’ Oakman
[email protected]
Print 20,553
Digital 2,050
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circulation for January - December 2012 is
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march 204 www.fastbikesmag.com
7
A row about
electronics means you
won’t see this in 2014
TT Harmony Shattered
MILWAUKEE YAMAHA WALK AWAY FROM THE ISLAND…
T
he TT is in rude health, but a potential
thorn in its side has cropped up in the
form of a set of new superbike
technical regulations that has seen the
Milwaukee Yamaha team pull out of the 2014
races. These changes were proposed in July, but
a hard line taken by both parties has resulted in
this withdrawal of men and machines.
In an effort to bring bike specifications in
line with BSB, most teams agreed that a switch
to kit electronics would be in the best interests
of the sport, enabling a leveller playing field,
both between the big teams and not forcing the
little guys to stump up huge amounts of cash to
compete. This is a halfway house between the
current situation and a desire to move to a
specified ECU in 2015. This is the case currently
in BSB, with all bikes running a Motec system in
the big class.
The Milwaukee Yamaha squad (and WSB
team before this), however, has invested a lot of
time and effort into the Magneti Marelli system,
and as the factory kit system is a few steps off
this high-grade weapons material, team boss
Sean Muir believes this puts the R1 at a
significant disadvantage over the likes of the
Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and BMW.
But it was Milwaukee, as sponsor of the
squad, that pulled the plug on the team’s TT
efforts, with a statement reading thus, “After
much thought and deliberation – following the
recent ECU rule changes that have been
implemented for the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races
8
march 204 www.fastbikesmag.com
– it is with a heavy heart that Milwaukee Power
Tools has decided to withdraw its support for
SMR Racing at the event. The decision to
withdraw our support from the 2014 Isle of Man
TT Races with SMR is two-fold. Firstly, we
believe the rule changes, apparently initiated as
a cost saving exercise, would actually have had
an adverse effect on SMR Racing – costing
Shaun Muir and his team in excess of £30,000 to
convert machinery that is currently ready to
race. SMR, with much reluctance, made a
proposal to the ACU and manufacturersupported teams, proposing to run their current
Magneti Marelli ECU System – albeit with
disabled rider aids. This would have brought
the team’s Marelli system into line with the
proposed Motec variant, which was listed as an
option by TT organisers. The forced ECU
changes, suggested at the outset by Honda,
would have made all SMR road racing
machinery less competitive than its rivals, and
the control ECU that SMR would have been
forced to fit [Motec] – gives less control than
that of their main competitors’ kit systems.”
That’s quite some dig at Honda, which was
later rebuked by the TT organisers, who said,
“At no point did any one manufacturer
influence the decision and after discussions
with a number of competitors, ACU Events Ltd
does not believe that it will in any way
compromise rider safety, which remains the
organisation’s utmost priority.”
The TT isn’t an electronics-heavy event.
Come on, let’s all be
friends again...
Speeds are so high they are largely irrelevant,
further befuddling the withdrawal. And that’s
the ironic thing about trying to make racing
cheaper. In forcing teams to buy new kit, which
may indeed be cheaper, they have to ditch
accrued kit. That’s why 16.5” wheels are all
over eBay, all production racing has gone 17”
forcing renewed investment.
All this squabbling means that Ian
Hutchinson and Josh Brookes will not be
competing at the TT this year. This is a blow for
fans, especially as Hutchinson should be match
fit after signing up for a season of BSB racing
with FFX Yamaha – a satellite team to
Milwaukee (and sub brand of the firm).
Hutchy’s mammoth recovery from devastating
injuries is almost over, and 2014 looked to be a
year where he could finally hope to add to his
nine TT wins to date. Josh Brookes, too, will be
a sad omission from the racing. Oh well...
The Milwaukee
Yamaha was a tool
for the job last year...
SUPERPRESTIGIO!
Fearless off-season fun for Marquez and Co...
Ex-Formula One driver Jamie Alguersuari had the bright idea of holding a dirt track race, and roped in one of his
mates to bring the idea to life. That mate was Marc Marquez, and the Superprestigio was born. After then going
through MotoGP’s rolodex, the team brought US dirt track king Brad ‘The Bullet’ Baker over to give Marquez a run
for his money. Baker said of the event, “When I improve the set up in this KTM I think I can give a great show. Marc
and I we were born on the same day, it’s such a coincidence! He’s one of my idols. I can’t believe I’m dirt tracking
here in Barcelona with him on the same track, this is one experience in a life time.” The event was full of thrills and
spills, with Baker punting Marquez off at one point, but with high ticket prices the stadium was half full at best. If
three world champions and Brad Baker can’t pull in a full house then you’re screwed…
W W W.F
ASTBIK
ESMAG.
COM
That’s nuts (and bolts)…
Local Bristol boys done good
Race bolt supplier, Race Bolt, is about to unveil a massive
new range of steel, aluminium and titanium replacement
bolts to the world, with www.racebolt.co.uk about to go live at
the end of February. The firm is experienced in making
precision race parts for the likes of PBM Kawasaki and Suter,
so they certainly know their stuff. We’ve seen the kit, and we
didn’t think bolts could give us the horn, but these certainly
do. And the best thing? It’s all made here in Blighty, by state
of the art equipment turning out these parts in Bristol. Top
ARE YOU
ADDICTED?
Everybody loves a
bit of carbon!
Say Hi to the Ti...
It’s a deal
The best Japanese bikes at 0%...
If you’re looking for a decent deal on the run up
to Spring, then look no further than Kawasaki.
Offering a ‘Champion Choice’ finance deal on the
WSB winning ZX-10R (and others), you can take
advantage of a zero per cent finance deal over
two years, or a low two per cent deal over three.
Take up Kawasaki on the latter and with a
£2,937 deposit you’re looking at £269 a
month for 36 months. That’s a pretty
impressive deal on the best bike Japan
makes at the minute. Head to a
Kawasaki dealer now…
The AA is going to love
trying to sort this out!
ROAD TO RUIN
We’ll be on the hunt for our
latest lot of Addiction bikes to
shoot soon, so get your spec
lists and images together and
email them to fastbikes@
futurenet.com quick smart. If
your bike is the ultimate
Addiction bike of 2014 then
you’ll be winning yourself a set
of Dymag carbon fibre wheels
worth £2,600! Needless to say,
these have a mighty
impressive effect on the way
your bike performs, so it’s one
hell of a prize. We’re not
looking for the most amount
of money spent, just intelligent
and informed changes that
have turned your production
machine into the stuff of
dreams. Get to it!
Britain turns into one big pot hole!
Thanks to years of under investment, UK roads now languish low
in a new report commissioned by the World Economic Forum.
Dropping four places down the table, now finding the UK in 28th,
our road infrastructure is miles away from those of the
table topping United Arab Emirates. Second in the list
is France, belittling any argument that climate and size of the road network has the UK lingering.
Local authorities estimate that there is a £10.5bn backlog in maintenance repairs of roads in
England and Wales, hence the big slip down the table. Now the likes of Croatia and Cyprus
are above the UK – which is saying something after we experienced
Croatia’s slippery roads during the Yamaha MT-09 launch last year. Be
careful out there and report any pot holes!
march 204 www.fastbikesmag.com
9
UPFRONT
Prescott On!
The Prescott Bike Festival will
be held on 6th April this year. You
can book yourself to charge up
the hill climb, hope to meet the stars or just wander
and take in the event. The likes of our own Steve Parrish will be there,
along with John Reynolds, Nick Sanders and stunt man Dave Coates.
There’s also a chance to see Carlos Checa’s GP5 Ducati, and 2011 WSB
bike as well as David Jefferies’ GSX-R1000 TT bike. All proceeds go to
the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes. Stick the laptop on and
head to www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk for more information.
Exhausting Work...
We’d love this M1’s speed limit!
M1
Speed
Limit
KTM offers a big box of accessories, including an Akrapovic Evo system,
for its new 1290 Super Duke R, but down on the South Coast, Rich Austin is
tinkering away making his own exhaust to replicate the original Beast’s.
Coming in the guise of a GP1 can, Austin Racing will offer both a high and a
low (to keep the rear footpegs) decat exhaust. Austin has bought a Duke
himself, and has just about finished the prototype, where he’ll then reverse
engineer it to jig and tool it up for production. Available with four end tips
and with various inserts for dB levels, you can also choose between titanium
and Inconel construction. Expect to pay under a grand for the high level
system, and around £650 for the low level.
www.austinracing.info
BACKWARDS, NOT FORWARDS...
If you’re heading up the M1 at
any point soon, pay attention to
the speed limits – as they could
be about to get slashed along a
34-mile length of its route
between junction 28 and 35a.
This Highways Agency proposal is
to meet EU regulations on air
quality that came into force last
year. This is the first time the
limit would be lowered to meet
environmental concerns, and will
be controlled by yet another slew of
speed cameras. So we’ve gone
from the coalition wanting to raise
the motorway speed limit to
80mph to this proposed 60mph
limit in the space of two years –
great... The consultation on the
change closes on the 3rd March.
On or off?
Festival of 1000 Bikes and Brighton Speed Trials
Hein Gericke
Support your local shops,
folks, or they won’t be
around for much longer!
After yet more bad news from Hein Gericke hit just before Christmas, with
the German firm closing 16 UK stores, the good news is that J&S has bought
12 of the shops and will honour 50 per cent of any outstanding vouchers (but
on a minimum spend of £250). This is good news at a time when much bike
related shopping has shifted to the internet. Selling bike gear is a specialised
area, and going to a store to get properly fitted out is something we should
all aim to do – rather than search around for the cheapest internet deal...
10
march 204 www.fastbikesmag.com
For 2014 there will be a Festival of no bikes, mainly due to Mallory
Park’s fate being up in the air for so long. Now the track’s future is more
secure it was hoped that the festival could press ahead, but too much
time has been lost according to the organisers, the Vintage Motorcycle
Club. Mallory itself, now run by Real MotorSport (Buildbase BMW’s
Stuart Hicken and long time paddock resident Eddie Roberts), are keen
on putting a similar event on, but as yet no plans have been set in stone.
And as we went to press there was still no decision on whether Brighton
and Hove council had abolished the 108-year-old Brighton Speed Trials.
Last year’s event was
cancelled following the
death of a competitor, and
this has prompted
councillors to go for the
jugular no matter how
popular it has become. We
await its fate…
There were another 998 bikes
to see at last year’s Festival...