are) Pa ae Drees 9 a WES PTT Ao ieee eit TT LT OU eae ena Eat te TR eA al re eur sae Lele)The best deals for your bike’s wheels are at HPS... Whether you want wheels with overwhelming Pe Re ae ae eae ee ees cos Pag Our perfect compliment eC ceed for your lighter wheels. Ben ace) Call us now, oF visit. + Early bikes, latest models & special builds a BieHPS.comds Ultralight Ceramic Dises NERC maT mC ee ee ee ae reenact Neate ee meta Ceres Nee eee mel RUC Cole N for the best prices available DYMAG ASTER DEALER 4 > REARS FOR y KTM & DUCATI eee ata YT mes CP eee lig eR a eed Reece) brand has been synonymous Reenter 4.5,(5.0CH3A J performance road and racing wheels. i t a ONLY), 5.5 & .0-INCH REAR: Countless Grand Prix, Superbike, World Endurance FOREARLIER AND Pree UMAR ee yak LATER BIKES CHA, Classic Bike Diameters & Widths eC er ar ese Ct Pees eon aCe eos Cee es cue Teas Senn ee reece Meester ee Ly now been brought fully up to date to deliver forged Aluminium wheels which, compared EIIETs ciistterdieerenmeeseear se ot a durable and entirely maintenance-free, HOICES Cer TTC To) an 01773 831122 atanast es een ®Bo0 coer ett Snare eee te!— Te el ee ee ee _ Co —4 |---| — > ports performance meets long dista ORDER YOURS TODAY OR DISCOVER MORE AT BIKES.SUZUKI.CO.UK/GSX-S10006XPeony our frst hit of snow... a solid four inches, Fil have you know, The panic buying has kicked in, there's no milk left shops, and town mayor arted project planning an air sto keep us from rioting. Is at times lke this that | reflect and laugh on my adventures in my youth. have done my fair share of riding in the snow, nat always for pleasure, but sometimes out of sheer necessity, That sald, growing up on a farm, snow was. often perceived as a point of access to a different kind of fun, often involving @ trials Dike, a makeshift sledge, and a dirty (ld tow rope that would shed the skin from your hands just by looking at it. W ere always messing around. il never forget my older brother coming home cone night, drenched, stinking, and Let it snow covered in snow; he'd been out on his cro to launch his bke ite miles from nome set about recovering it, going two-up on my Cagiva Mito on whited-over road ‘towards the crash site, We made itall of a ile before | washed the front and we \went down, smashing my bike to pieces but the recovery job went on, We ‘eventually got to his bike, dragged it out the ditch, got it into a farmer's straw barn, \whipped the plug out, and began running his R125 up and down to get the water ‘out ofthe barrel, it was my turn to do so, thinking nothing ofthe fluid coming up ‘and out ofthe cylinder... until it set on fire, tripped over in a panic with the bike (on top of me, setting my jeans on fire in the process, While I was breakdancing the flames away on the straw-aden floor, my brother got his bike, ran it outside, threw ‘water to smother the flames. We were back to square one, albeit with a smashed-up Mito and a sight thoroughly flooded Honda, funny, but on reflection | wouldn't change that kind of experience forthe world Motorcycling isnt forthe fainthearted it doesn't ahways goto plan, but does, t's awesome, great fun, and the best way to while away your time ~ even ‘when it snows. More to the point, i's a profic memory maker. As we kick of 2024, 'm truly excited to see what 0-Wwhieeled endeavours come my way, riding new roads, with new friends, and making the most of the chances out there, With luck, that! involve bumping into you guys, be it on track, on road, or on trail... but hopefully notin a barn with a burning crosser Have a cracking New Year. Q Dr ‘Christian iddon rd Et aaa coneTHE WORLD'S ° WARMEST BASELAYER Japanese baselayer brand Zerofit has created a range of game-changing products to keep you toasty warm and ensure that plummeting temperatures won't stop you getting out on the road or track this winter, Designed by apassionate team of innovators and baselayer specialists, the Zerofit Heatrub Ultimate is the most technically advanced baselayer on the planet and completely different to any other product you've ever worn before, It’s five times warmer than a. standard baselayer Thatisqute acini, bt es afact Tested at Heatrub timate base rcored a Heat Retention Rag of O78: tarcar basayer woutshave aang of between 0034 An forrtereres,ajarper woul Yypcaly have a tating of 0.3. The Utimata performe bestina tempature rane of 10° Cals tr 10° Calas 20 evninthecldertofcondtions nd moat biting of winds, you st be nicely este. Instant warmth the moment you put it on ‘standard baselaye aps bod het betwoen Your skinand te materi aes ate time before you fal the beefs wih Zante, fre separate tres, along ith apatontos lowerg process create tar waren 3s Seenasyoupulton Ar because of he retaned forte craton of yurtime on Sheba maanessetapecectic Sascadsrand —anesnsuperane iamerupz023 Trustpilot Pr dd a Heating from top to toe this winter Innovate Heat Tread postonedonthe Ine ofthe parent erty ub aganst your ‘Senandareactiatadupon eve the saest ct movements, cea pastve warmth acess your body Wealsomaka Heat Urimate Lage Heap Utena Socks (StandardandLergoptons new fer 2003724) and abeatvb Utmate ‘Necawarmerthat remade omtha same materaland wrk eae te sameway 0 yeucanhavetop-to-oe warah with Zac. Ride free with fewer layers and greater warmth The Ltmat the eal procuct fr brs hohatewactionaltight baseayers Over theyeas youray wel have Tayored un'n ‘rer tocambat the eet of ols weather Thsis where we ve chang the game Te Heatrub Uma ss godat keeora vou warm, jou wort need rutile ascsonal ‘SeamanSome things are better left behind, but Fast Bikes isn't one of them... trust us. For a start, we'd miss you, but itd also mean you'd miss out on a whole load of news, reviews, tech, talks and insight into pioneering protagonists. Just think about the road trips, the project bike builds - and all the excuses we throw in with them. We want you on this ride, and we want your stories, your input and guidance, so don’t be a stranger! Check out the cracking deals we've got here and let's get you settled into another season of the good stuff from the UK's leading sportsbike magazine. BRUCE WILSON, EDITORCHOOSE WHICH FAST BIKES SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST 12 print issues for £47 Direct Debit SAVE 12 print issues for £50 £14.20 credit/debit card 6 print issues for £24 Direct Debit SAVE 6 print issues for £26 £6.60 credit/debit card Great mag for anyone interested A great magazine with a good mix A fab magazine with great articles in sporty road bikes, racing and of related topics. ‘and humour! trackdays! GRAHAM SALEM BRUCE BENEDICKTER CHRIS ROLLINGSUpfr PLANET FAST BIKES - NEW META\ ADS. SIA ALAN OF DOWDS SUPER DUKE R/ EVO R 1390 KTM launches the ultimate Vtwin Super Duke Fans of massive mental v-win engines (or ven smaller sensible ones) haven't had much to shout about in recent years. Ducats gone to \fours for its wid Pangale, Streetfighter and Dav. priia dropped is big Ves years ago. ‘and even Suzuk has drifted away ffom the layout, preferring 2 paall twin engine for its new GSX-85/R and VStrom 800 adventure tools Kr looked tobe wavering lately. went for an inline-twin motor when making 3 Imdciewelgnt engine for the 790 Duke and ‘Adventure the [C8c une which now finds set iin 947c¢ form powering the 2024 Duke 990. But the mad Austins have stuck with thelr 75° LB twin as the basis for ths beastie: the 2024 Super Duke 1390's avalabe in to forms, the basic, and a posh EVO version, wich comes with WP's sem-actve teennology jlectronc suspension setup oth have the same basic engine and chassis foundations, centred on that new engine. ts now got an enormous 1350cc capacty, up from 1301¢¢ thanks to 2mm overbored cylinder led with new bigger 110mm pistons. snot a massive capacity Increase tb 130 ccs already abit Mr Creosote for a madem high-performance tw), but the extra mopedsized dec, together with other mods have added 10bhp to te top end, ow atay 190bhp ata heady 1,000%pm, while torque hits 14SAme@aoo0rpm. Nice. “Those ther engine mods include afary extensive top-end revamp, There's anew ‘cam shift variable valve timing set-up onthe DOHC heads, which ges two diferent cam profs for high and low-speed running. allowing ontimised eer esa oe breathing through the revs, as Wel as better EUS+ emissions performance ~ always important these ‘ays, The throttle bodies ae bigger, up am to om from Sémm with repositioned top-feed fuel injectors, and the revised arbox has anew ram-air intake design, Final In case there was @ risk of boredom at any stage inproceedings, they've revised the gearing in fifth and sixth gears Worried that this newfangled lum Wl eed more regular servicing? Panic no: the ‘Matighofen masswe has extended major ave sevice intervals to @ heady 60,000km. What a time tobe ale. The spanking new motor Ives ina chassis hich is much the same as current not that there's anything wrong with that. You gt a steel tube telis-type frame with saucy single-sided ‘aluminium swingarm and your choice of Standard suspension in he Ror the semlactve kitin the EVO R. That means 4émm USD fully adjustable forks and a piggyback monoshock With separate high and low-speed compression ont L, NEWS & REVIEWS = adjusters (bth from WP APEX) on the R and WPS ‘hit. generation semi-active electronic kt on the VO. This has new magnetic damping valves and {an updated suspension control unit, which has & numberof neat new functions. The base set-up has five settings ~ aut, comfort, rain street, and sport = while the suspension pro upgrade axis ‘on track and pro modes. The fro upgrade also ‘adds three automated preload geometies. auto standard, auto low, and autohigh - which tweaks spring oad automatically depending on fier weight. And the pro hasan intriguing new factory start mode, which crops the bike down ‘on the rea shock, a ite ie ke a MotogP holeshot device, for harder acceleration off the line and keeps the ant cardo.Lee tr eee " | 399cc parallel twin engine complete with assist and slipper Y \y7/" lutch, With its predictable handling and low weight, it’s the > Pee ee ae ee er“ aa ZIT Not only does the Ninja 400 offer stunning, high-quality looks, PC a MANUFACTURER its strong engine performance, light, predictable handling and WARRANTY, relaxed, sporty riding position make it both fun and easy to ride. FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.KAWASAKI.CO.UKGeared Up ALL THE LATEST, COOLEST & TRICKEST PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS ALPINESTARS COROZA\ Short winter gloves seem tke a mad idea ~ but many riders real like them, especialy on shorter rides. Having no massive cult fag around your Jacket steve often aves a ‘comfer fal you Seal everything up careful there should be no draughts o leaks. These Alpinestars Corozal gloves, V2 GLO fingertips and rubber palm round of the spec. OXFORD MERTON 2.0 BOOTS Oxford Products has upgraded its top-seling ete a een pea ere ree grees reo gs erences pee: sole shank They have RRP: £129.99 www.oxfordproducts.com RRP: £52. ‘Top ritish accessory frm RG Racing has given its paddock stand range 2 fete with 2 now design ‘and added tting options. ‘The stands are powder coated Back, with new larger whos for extra stablity and easier rong, plus a ster steel ube ‘onstruction, Tere ae two RRP: from £69.99, havea ystar breathable ‘waterproof membrane, thermal lining a leathertextie outer shell with goat skin alms, har knuckle armour and easy fastening Velcro cuf strap Touehsereen-compatile reinforcement on thumb and worn alpinestars.com ter raly stresses bike batteries ~they have more lan on them from thick engine oll when starting the ‘chemistry that produces the vots is extra sluggish, and thare's acaonalcurent raw from heated clothing, sips seats and soon, so the hance ofneeing a jump starter i high Ener tis Louis Moto Pro jump starter a pocketszed 10,000mAh litium battery pack that can ‘get a fat ike running quick, Fe doubles up asa handy USB ower bank, andi has an ‘emergency builtin torch as wel. dea fr sticking ina top box or under the set ifyour bike batery i ite bt dodgy ‘www louie-moto.co.sk options for front stands: an under fork model or @ steering head stand for ‘when youre taking forks fut tthe back there's the ‘hole ofa conventional stand for dua sided swigarms, and you can have a single-sided arm in either ight or left hand fiments, Got tat? Good! wonw.rg-racing.comTe tou dose ofa aed bike wnen you FR itentiode tne os one Youre, youre nt fo thd o weather protection ucts wncercn aration sean you fe some protection eucky Se easly en you can remove ist x quct hen notes. ou coud do Your shor ibn conmite 1250R WINDSCREEN all week bolt the sereen on ‘with just four bos, touring all weekend, and whip fof again for Monday = orjust fit inthe colder months “This one i for the BMW R1290 R, but there's a range ‘of naked bike tment, as. Well as larger replacements for bikes with screens as, standard. PRopucTs RRP: £178 GB RACING ENGINE COVERS FOR YAMAHA R3 68 Racing has sportsbike, with anew overhauled is engine water pump cover to case protectors forthe sult 2023-0n bikes, so Yamaha R3 min = RAP: from £59.60 the antish frm now has FM-approved ‘engine protection covers to suit al Rs, from 2015 on ‘There's aso a selection a ther crash protectors: frame sliders, clutch and brake lever ‘ards and achain uard LUE eeisrelehy British fi Hipok startod out ‘making superstrong locks for bicycles, with some pedal bikes costing upwards of £10k nowadays ts products have ‘radualy got tougher and ‘tougher ~so much a that they ‘ate now on par with motorcycle locks in terms of performance. And now the ‘company has launched @ Ine of angle-grndertesistant ocks RAP: £350 LATE RstOi TS esa Gala) Heated clothing makes winter biking a cinch - and this new KEI jackets ‘aimed atthe mast hardcore sub-zero 7 for atefty 65 watts of maximum heat output, which will keep you toasty in the most extreme ‘onaitons. KEIS uses anew UtraFlex {plus £139 for mount bracket on some models) wun gbracing.ou SHARK Nace Mea ‘Aerodynamics have taken aver MotoGP bike design and there's been afew attemprs at Improving the aero design of hemes recently This new Shark Aeron helmet is pothaps the mast imteresting yet. features ‘2 ratial new movable aerodynamic spoler section called the Adaptive Aero System (025), This patented set up works by utlsing moving aps to channel the alow and improve comfort. The mabile Naps on ‘ide ofthe spoiler work to deflect the ‘aitlow and adapt tothe rider's hump. Asa result, shark claims thatthe ne AERON GP redices turbulence by 50% and ag by 59% ‘Away from the fancy flaps anew catbonvaramid shel design, 30 Mor ‘cheek pads for superb fit, emergency release system and al the ater stu you's ‘expect on a supertop-ed race ‘Avaliable as Zarco and Fernandez replicas, plain carbon, o in redbue or white colours. RP: ETBC www.charichelmets.com NCHOR and ground anchors designed forus lot. These use specially daveloped carbon compositey ‘ceramic materials and Ube-tough ste, which means the scrotes need to use stacks of cuting diss, afew batteries, and alot of time to cut trough them. That ears the products a Sold Secure ciamond rating, This AX1000 ground anchor Is made ofthis Super materia, ‘maul to the body for a more ven heat, There's even a cosy heated calar section 1 Keep draughs out riding fans. t's @ complete mit-ayer heated jacket, with electric panels in the sleves, chest and back areas for total warming performance. t's rated material forth jacket, with tmero-caroon heat elements and stretch fabric shell hat beter RAP: £220 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTEIKESMAG.COM 47 Dotyour neck. It comes with a fee heavy-duty heat controller for @ ‘2 ited time, us everything needed towie it into your bike wun keisapparel.com ‘and is aso a cunning design, With rotating arm, eight bolt base and locking button to| adjust the ange ofthe am. it lets you lock on toa fame, swingarm, wee or other secure point with ease, and Can attach to concrete oF ‘masonry floor or wal, inside (rout. also looks pretty good ‘and seems ikea high-quality Unita ound ‘ww hiplok.comWORDS: TIMMY PICS: CHAPPO The mid-sized sportsbike sector has never felt hotter, but do you go all out for a big capacity twin or put your money where your fevs are with an absolute screamer of a bike?«apt or dle, I's an adage that's ever been truer for motorcycle \manufacturers than itis right now, prompting a load of big decisions when it comes fo new model production. Ifyou went Dhack a decade or two, there seemed something ofa steadiast formula for sportsbike owners, who typically Kicked things off with aleamner legal 125 before sepping onto a 400, then a 600, and maybe fever visited the 750 sector before hopping ‘onto alte bike. t made sense, it helped people progress, and it seemed set to stay that way forever ~ but time has shown us that's not the case. Gone are the 780s, most ofthe 600s, and even the resurgent 400, sector has had a batt But with the aforementioned absentees, we've also witnessed new offerings hitting the market. The most successful scene ofall has tobe the 700cc(ish) parallel twin market very brand and their dog have wheeled one ‘out, or soit seems, often boasting naked and sportsbike packages - such as the R7 inthis feature - that burst into showrooms back is 2022, and has been doing decent ever since. Kawasak's Ninja 650/2650 models are also huge hitters, with many a Lightweight ‘TT win to their name... which makes Kawasaki's most recent decision to revive a 400ce in-line-foursereamer tothe market all the more biliant. Quite simply, it didn’t heed to, as it already had machines that covered the capacity output pretty tas why bother! Probably, it's down to the demands ofthe emerging global markets that often have litle interest in litre bikes but have an unparalleled eraving for the small RACY RIVALS stuff, For Kawasaki, the Nin) perfect sense, and it do they ascend through the sizes. Interestingly, unlike the R?, there's not an A2 lige option, despite the key similarities and fact the two bikes have proven different ways to go about naling the Same equation, wil tthe Yammy ‘making roughly ?5b Unde hin 90 kilos, and both costing ust shy of 25k. While Tm on one with my sayings Seems apt to throw another one into the equation... there's more than one way 10 skin a cat ~ o, in this case, there's more than fone way to make a racy middleweight. The ‘question i, Which is best) More cylinders revs or more capacity? There was only one Way to find out » Coe aRACY RIVALS Std pear nese big bike market, and so the orn, When th he all-new Kavwasakl ZX-4RR is an allsinging, alle impressive performance. I you're the new g modern-day performance market tends changed and these sportsbike with all the ‘goodies’ but don’t whippersnappers soon fizzled out withthe big bike ticket, or if you' nt of techni and and for large bikes in the UK and Euro ‘and ZX-1DR have certainy ide you to claimed the limelight forthe last th hed decades, but sure enough, times ar n, and this small-capaciy bike is ‘the stage fom is bigger Took and might just pe part ways with that chunk of eash hanging and performance, this litle ive design with KTR paint that not only looks the mut’s onto the "big bike rid rt aerodynamics that siritions hammer maximum 9efficlency. The bike is equipped with a high revving 399cc Inline four-cylinder engine which makes SOhp at 15,000rpm, the chasis is lightweight and rig, and it’s equipped with fully adjustable Showa Suspension. The bakes are more than Adequate: twin 290mm diss with radial calipers and a single 220mm disc on the back. The ZX-4RR also features advanced electronics, Including a fancy 4.3in colour fash, traction contol, multiple riding modes, and a quick shifter for seamless gear shits ‘Oh, and you can also connect it to Your smartphone via the Radiology app. Ths bike ‘Weighs in at 188k when its ready to rie, ‘with a brimmed ISitre fel tank and the starting price is £8699, which isn't shabby at al ‘itera break inthe typical British weather, we finally ot some sunshine again and it was time 10 wheel this green beauty out onto the Lincolnshire roads for a good and proper thrashing, but before I delve int the riding, 1 ‘want fo fall about is looks. Kawasaki has absolutely naled it, if you ask me.I looks ‘mean and the perfect smaller sibling to the 2ZXOR and ZX-10R, The KTR race paint and angular font fairing makes it quite clear that this bike means business, and the quality allie arate ies close tet folten thought that some members of the Kawasaki range have a cheap look about them, but not with this one), The riding position is right up there too. ‘When [first hoppest on if, twas a sweet surprise; spacious, comfortable, and everything justin the right place. In typical Kawasaki fashion, you sit sight in this bike, rather than on top oft, which always gives the feeling of connection to the machine. The high handlebars and low footpegs are a welcome touch tothe small bike, and the low dle height was just the job fora short arse THE BIKE WAS PLANTED AND | HAD A GOOD FEELING. Cee Ports sonra like me. If you're a big old boy like Johnny Mac, then you might be in rouble; that sald, Ifyou are long in the leg then you probably ‘wouldn't be looking at smaller bikes like this anywray. The bike is narrow between your legs, and despite the miniature sereen, which gives near enough no wind protection, it Soon became apparent that wind protection wasn’t exactly a necessity with thls road bike anyway T wasn't disappointed when I fired it up, either. It sourced just lke a miniature 600, as raspy and revvy, With some poke en I got it out on the open road and slretched the cables, [was quite disheartened at how flat it felt an’t lie: L was expecting more torque from this four-cylinder motor but it just didn't deliver on my intial hopes. ‘buuuutt that was only my inital feling andRACY RIVALS Up sho goes. ror beautiful pleased to say that from the fist corner took with Z-4RR, | knew this is one of them, Is hard to put Your Finger on which sling with abike ‘viously one. Once you stat p the corner with this ane, ie just with minimal etfrt. The bike was plantedfa ‘underneath me, It felt nimble, and with ltl effort from my body pasition would go wherever I looked. Agile and stable on the etige ofthe tyre, this could well be the tltimate knee-down toy for any back re Fidet. The Showa suspension was soft and plush, but not too sot as inital thought when rocked around on it before the ride and it felt great when {got it ot on the road. The brakes are more than adequate powerful and progressive and with an adjustable lever tot any hand... ‘Complaints. Lean’t not mention the turning ‘rele ether Finally! A bike that actually ‘urns realy tight in fll lock and doesn’t smash your hands into the fairing or clo bracket. I know this may seem tinimportant to many, but when you're doing a milion turn-arounds inthe middle of the shoot, itis an absolute god send, IT had to pinpoint exactly what make this bike really special, in my opinion, though, it would be the tech ~ is loaded with goodies. We've got traction control and der mode maps (Four of them In total: ra, oad, sport and rider). As you move through the modes, the torque level gets progressively stronger and the bike revs increasingly hharder Rain mode fet overkill if you ask me the bike felt ridiculously numbed doven and really didn’t do much above 10,000¢pmn. The road and sport modes Were a good slep forward from rain, but be iyng if | sald 1 could tll the diference between the to It was rider mode that really brought this litle weapon to life. In this mode, you are abe to customise the rider aids. There are three tl (one, two and off) selected “of for skids and s.a choice of two power ‘moles, low or high. Selecting high drastically allowed it to rev out to is full potential at 16,000rpm, The colour dash ilu ‘mode that adds lap times, gear an easy-toead Fev counter when your pm Fises above 10,000. The quick shifter and blip a perk to this litle machine ‘and makes the riding experience even more enthralling. You'd have to ride one to know what I mean, but screaming this lite cylinder with a Bip up and down the er gets old. truly is the cherry might not be the fastest thing on the ‘market, nor is it trying to be, but what I can tell you i that this little beauty ties a lot of boxes I's a proper toy and will ally put a simile on your face If you've got some exciting, fvsty roads to have a thrash on, 1 couldn't wheelie tif my life depended on it because there is zero torque, and Ves, it might take forever to rev this gio When you get it in the sat and sing {this motor really does come alive andi packed with character Thad to sum up this bike in four words, they would be smooth, soft, forgiving and plush, These words came to me while [wa Fiding back to th ith a massive smile ‘on my face. Yes, i's as flat as afar, but man, itis so much fun to Fide! Twisting the trot hhard and using al ofthe gears p real pleastre might not be with an agere ‘thumbs-up from me 24 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKRACY RIVALS eres Pacer) ‘eat. grew up racing 4005, among a flock Cree ee no Cee ona Cn cea nord ore ieee ecu ee eer eee Tobe frank about it, was dlsappointed by een ee ey See ee Senne ts Pr er ee een ney Re ie a ‘come close to blowing me away... oly my Cae! Peel od reece etree) Ret aS Cer ey Coren oe enntt See ec eros eo absolute sense for new riders, and wish it rere nny Pe eee connaLRACY RIVALS RIVALS YAMAHA R7Nit Zoro traction ‘vena. 28 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW fora comfortable re, When it comes to riding bikes on the road, 'm all about the ‘onifort and Tl save the rac) position for the track any day, but the R7 Is set to soldi Jooks with a head down/arse up riding positon, It isn't roomy by any meat the ‘bar to peg distance wouldn't w anybody much taller than me (St in), in my pion, least ofall Johnay Mac, but You a remember, the ta bike is more than likely younger folk hhave just passed their test. That sad, Tid find the saddle height a touch on the taller je, which is strange considering what this es, this beauty comes in at through, ut to put tha ito i's only four Kilos lighter than {he four-cylinder Rs ~ a comparison that {doesn’t ook too good on paper. This would be thanks to the whopping great cat exhaust system needed to meet Euros regulations and the solid steel dlamond chassis holdin everything together... is no featherweight, That said, still aks the talk with its spicy image, but can it walk the walk when it omes to performanc The 689ec inline twin engine p serious punch, with about S0lb- and a maximum output of about 72hp, makes it not just great forthe road, but also a reat base point for any twin-ylinder rac ‘The power delivery is smooth and RR, ection is key if you Want (0 g¢ fom this package. I started on a 650 towin-ylinder (mini twin) racer back inthe day, and riding this bike echoed memories of the yesteryear, which [really did enjoy ~ and that learning to ride on like these can only make you a better rider when you move up and are spollt with more horsepower Unlike the litle Kawasaki, the throttle open in the middle of the corner this out in the torque department, so d an optional single direction quick shifter, which works ing up the gears. found it works great at high speeds, but atthe lower end of the re range, I felt that it might be healthier to use the elutch to change up asthe sift seemed notchy and unrefined. As for the downshifts, a quick blip ofthe throtde or pull of the ‘teh was light work, an the assist and slip flute tackled the job with ease. rm a huge fan ofan auto blip when banging it dove the like a flare spitting backs ery time. While we're an the topic owing down, I feel should mention theRACY RIVALS 1 SOON HAD IT ON MY KNEE WITH A DECENT. UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS GOING ON BENEATH ME.”Pete remeeaei te 2 alae) Rcd Bernina eee Oe Sd Remote ery ; a front-bias riding position, just like any good * Se 4417S AN UNCOMPROMISING = adPr Yeagt 1 (Ais setup all, on to bike riding position made omewhat distanced from the tarmae when [fist started but after a short period had it on my Kae understand) on bi fe should expect from a machine c the R name ta firm front suspen out on the open country Foads finally ga and what a mae made. vie clip-on itneeds to fet: Tiny fle e combo for some gears andr ‘a home on the | needown action ant apex sash potential - the liver on the sporty R7. “ie nstantly made much more sense on the smile factor. I you'Te cl at race bike image ‘ight: frame to Fcettack than ithad on the roads, but that but don't Mie fowoue said it makes a great road bike iROUNDING OFFWhich bike is best? That's a ble 00d question - and the answer Is probably dawn to your prefren fair to say thatthe Yamaha isan easier ik blast around! on because it's got a punchier ‘motor, whereas you have to play the game with the Kivacker to get the engine screaming. BU is easy always the best option? Being honest Fevving the nuts off the ZX-aRR was so much fan and gave a wholly different sense of satisfaction. How often do you get the chance 10 beb ke these days? That motor is anything but easy to go fast with, but when the 400's on the pipe, isso saisyi Performance wise, | don't think there's much init, but the Yammy seems that bit quicker and easier to getup to speed. From an aesthetic point of view, the ZX-4RR feels more finished. Kawasaki has dane a mega job of giving this lt bike big bike styling cues. The tech on itis better, to, You could say there's a few bits on it that you don’t need, but i's often better to have ‘ore than les, so that’s nota complaint. nother thing tha’s worth factoring in when Aciding on which bike is right for you isthe esate really aki being a sit-in kind Fiding position, Th diferent withthe K bike, while the Yammy very much fn top in a much sportier, more ag stance. The sea is taller, the weight on your ams is greater too, so Keep that in mind if you've Bot long rides planned. At high speeds, it's not sich an issue, but the slower you go, the more you feel The ZX-4RR, on the ather hhand, gives you all-day comfort... well, as much an hope for on a small sportbike, ‘They both handle nicely, s0 there's no discrepancy in that respect. Audiby, they 0 rr) uiferen experiences. {absolutely loved the Kawasaki when it was onthe pipe, but the sounds better at lower revs, with a mi {hroatier bark, like You tend to get on twins ‘You could play this game all day, splitting hairs, but wltimately, they are both ptions, both easier to ride, and each with Jooks and character. Its erazy to think how diferent these two bikes are, yet the end result In terms of speed and output i so similar. h would | havet That's not an ea question to answer. For pure laughs, T'd gc the Kawasaki, but if | were looking at bit more ye towards the slight a. When alls said and here A2rssassins ‘British superbikes has announced two ice classes for 2024, which wil both the Kawasaki ZX-4R and the ‘Yamaha R7 competing in their respective class, while the National ‘Superstck 600 ana Junio Superstort classes are axe. Pirelli National Sporthike Championship othe 2024 season elle ines Include te Yamaha 7, AprilaRS660, Kawasakl Ninja 650 and Honda Hornet 750, s well as otters belleved to be entering the sector. ll ‘machines wil run on Mektronic ECU platforms with BoP formula to manage ‘model party and sick tyres, Rider elgbilty fs a minimum age of 16 years fon March 1, 2026 Kawasaki British Superteen Championship tn assaclation with Kawasaki UK, 2 high level promoted championship with manufacturer presence and suppor, and important contained budget and technical controls. The ‘machine tobe used i the Kawasakl ‘Ninja 2x-48R, which wil ofe a higher tandard of competition material Rider eligi is @ minimum a ears and a maximum of 20 oFBeleDe U Cre iL ae PO NCE PEECSn eee leEs YY /atey al dea bial ele) 0 ae 1PM CeCe Col LAAN ole ESS neck: ele lm Cntr) ea Cia pukka 400cc four, and why the new RR could be suth a game changer... pages Fc because i'm what lam, Thefetch daft money these days, and the previous 400cc object of desire fan be picked ip f ‘When {could eventaaly afford to bu was, of course, afew years olde, And thus the cost of insuring a 6o0ec isbike had become affordable, s then hold me up in the comers. I hated them because [just couldn't compete with their age, but it int stop me trying, ustally resulting in i my boots and cursing the joved onto racing a 600 for th wo seasons and once again took the ZXR dida’t have to race against i The thing that made the ZXR such an TLIOO0s and 9168 (the then) all came and went. The time when the ZXR40O was stars just never lined up for me, s make do with a KRI-S, RGV230 and TDR250 my kicks and cu my teeth, Wwas a period when I actively hated the ZXR4O0, In 1993 1 club racing in the Formula s on another KRI-S because they pei. I spent the season get blown away by really fast ZXRs which Would precisely nothing apart from look trick (isn't Wa pai of plastic tubes can still make a bike lod trek!) sep because beneath the which looked the same a5 the nsion was adjustable 10. watered-clown tribute FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTEIKESMAG, that raced in British and World Tong before the les changed to allow 1000ce bikes. So, in the mind arold John MeAvoy, ine could be drawn direcly between the ‘2XR400 and the likes of Scott Russel’ 0 ‘Anthony Goberts" WSB bikes. | know that ‘with the benefit of hindsight, this might seem ke a stupid thing to believe let alone say ‘ut loud, but in my defence, when yor compare it to the ZX-4RR of today, the hhardware on the ZXRS00 is a LOT closer to he superbike it was mimicking than the modern version isto the ZX-10R So, Why am I so excited about the ZX-4RR it’s just a cheap imitation of the ZX-10R, ‘hile the original ZXR400 was an actual ‘small version of the 750? It's nothing really to do with the spec when you get dawn to it For the 20-year-old version of me, the main "was that lt looked js ike the 750, and Sno denying thatthe ZXARR teks that the ARR is broadly the wakes a bit more power a chunk more to9, which is ine uss of ste! forthe frame mnsty down stead of alloy, and the aion ofall the mover day extents ke ABS, catlye Convertors being the main contbutos to the Most ofl though, Fm excited about the potential forthe ZR to provide some thickened inspiration nd reasons for ‘move on to something sporty th ris also Girecty rated to inthe case of a {2X and ZX 10K Bringing that four Glnder engine over hete othe UK to go Read to head withthe neverending te of sy adeqeate but often dl pale {treylaer engines dressed as sportbikes brave move by Kawasaki. which, by dition, also makes ta breath of ts al ift works and what some perceive asa famble pays of it could open te doo fo‘more exciting, high spec and affordable sportsbikes tothe marke, which can only be a good thing. The early signs are good, as Kawasaki telis me that the ZX-4RR is sold out until March 2024, with two-thiads of its total 2024 allocation forthe UK market already Sold at the time of writing So, what does it all meant Am I just being sentimental old fool who should accept that the UK's lve affair with the sportbike Is on a temporary break? Or am I right to be ‘optimistic? All ean tll you is that without Interesting, different and aspirational bikes, Which are aso affordable, the market is providing fewer and fewer reasons for people fo get excited about sportsbikes, which have been and always will be my one true love, entirely due to Just how accessible pukka ‘mint superbikes were to me back when I bad rho grey hairs or man boobs, Even though I hhever got my hands on 2 ZR4O00, the fact is that I simply can’t lt the arrival of ts near namesake go by without doffing my cap to its forefather and crediting it with being the bike that pulled me into sportsbikes and kept me there at a time when I could easly have lost inerest due tothe affordability of the actual superbikes being out of teach, Looking back, its hard to believe that spent so much time hooning around on my GV wishing I could be on 3 “proper sportsbke like the ZXR400, when all the time [was actually sing the bikes that would become the icons, while the 400ec phenomenon faded into obscurity, Yet here twe are agnin with history more or less Fepeating itself, a8 Kawasaki fs now ~ a8 i was then ~ the only manufacturer to import [ts mint superbike into the UK. “The Yamaha FZR400, Suzuki GSX-R400 and Honda NC3O and CBRAOO were all brought into the UK from Japan via what was Known a8 "grey importers They were pretty— common, $0 availabilty of the alternatives wasn't generally a problem, but it was only Kawasaki that stuck its neck out and brought the ZXR in offically. This meant that ‘compared to all the other 400ce options, While the ZXR did lack the certain aura that the rarer Japanese imports had, it was the cheapest precisely because it wasn'ta grey Import, so for a while they sold in bucket Toads but still had that certain magic about them and a reputation for being a properly extreme, hardcore sportsike with absolutely 1 concessions for being ‘only’ 400cc. I also rieans there are plenty available today on the second-hand market T'm not so nalve as to think that just because Kawasaki has once again brought us 2 four-ylinder 400ce min:-superbike, we are fon the brink ofa revival and rerun of one of the greatest decades in motorojling anda fusca evil ofthe sporebike sector However because Tow fom my cum experience jst how power the appeal of the right bike canbe to an impressionable Tate ten/eaty twenty-something canbe, hope you now understand why aimoet bove ater new bikes for 2028 he ite 2X ARR isthe one be chering for he lowest. FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTEKESMAG COM 37UMPH SCRAMBLER X & XE RELISH If you like your bikes big, retro, and with a penchant for dirty activities, Triumph’s new Scramblers should be on your wish list 1rd never ridden tis before; it doesn’t ly sfor that reason alone I was drawn toi, but high expectations ofthis heavyweight thumper weren't on the cards and I wasn't sure where it would fit in a magazine full of fire-breathing sportsbikes. Wel, that’s where the old adage comes Into play... was this joing ta be the sedate experience its looks Suggest, or did the Scrambler 1200 XE have a few tricks up its sieve? ‘Scrambler by name, soramblor by nature. For abit of context, the Scrambler 1200 joined the Tiumpl line-up back in 2019 and ‘was an instant hit, and when you've got the likes of James Bond thrashing through the slreets of Matera, Italy, on the CV, i's hard not to take the bike serotsiy, New for this year, we see a reinvented 1200 XE and the all-new 1200 X model. The Scrambler 1200 ‘XE might just have nabbed cente stage with iting the all singing, all dancing spec'd up ‘model, but thats not to say the X isnt worthy of some limelight. Costing £800 less than the outgoing XC model, its also armed ‘with a new philosophy which answers many ‘questions asked by the Scrambler fanbase. For starters, and possibly most importantly, the lower seat height, which comes in at ‘20mm and isa whopping SOmm lower than the XE model, This bike is way more ith is reducedTRIUMPH SCRAMBLER X & XE OPYPWAS THE OFF-ROAD FIDING THAT BEALLY BLEWME AWAY.UL 2 SxE 2 TI Par moran ueling fen eos Ean Seer iota Ss m een ws ro cS Sacre 3 = ‘Autobipper i =—* Coo peer oon Front suspension SS ulate, Pmt Pees es poses fate) Pe sen aisle ed Soom Cry cos "mod front brake: es paren Stet ar Sor fer Seca eco co Cos cee Ce ao eee. model an adju agend ul rp cheape inflato path mir Jolows Timmy wa impressed by the Trumpet and the rear brake ls able oe piece s0 You n two postions depending on the fof road riding ison the isano-brainer, but than the X and ingly, It does stil come in £100 than the old XE m r or achieving that In an age wher Scramblers benefit fom the sam upgrades, which sees improve! torque and better fuel elfcieney legisla ame unique tubular ste bodyror andthe = seramb Speris and stability in of piumpl has done away with th tion after listening to custome it's back to a traditional key othe beefed-up off-road ith an easly fick k ‘Scrambler 1200 XE 0, 0 kick things off! jumped on the X an [literally di have to jump onto it, With a seat height of 870mm, I was about at my imit with this bike, and boy di | fel the felfct ofa full tank of fuel, too. The weight of his bike sits high, and when you're alrea an your tiptoes {can’t say i's the nicest o ings, but thankfully whe " q motion and out on the road, the height and weight of the XE was a distant memory This bike is 80 comfortable, with a sot yet sup big enough tot dr and spongy enough stance, and the cockpit is spacious with tonnes of room: g, wide handlebars (which can be moved forwards or backwards), lov footpegs an adjustable levers to get things just right. But he undoubted highlight for me is tae 1200ce Bonneville motor, ull of thump and poten through the rev range. [wasn’t sur hat to expect with this bike, but certainly asn’t that. The forque was increible, an love the fact that when you cracked the g the bike responded instantly with a siz Weight transfer tothe rear shock and an extension ofthe forks, The soft offroad suspension was very reactive and made this ike enthralling to ride on the road. it ike a big armchair, but it seemingly and surprisingly held its line with ease and planted through the corner The upright and offroad polse lends ise oa completely different siding style on the oad, an | found myself using mainly the tit throg pike rather than hanging et made a lee change to th porty way of riding I'm used to. 1 actual hink the weight helpsionce up and running anc even with the highwinds we got on the‘mountainous roads, the bike felt incredibly stable and planted ‘One ofthe fist things I notice ona bike i thyottle response and, surprisingly enough, there are man} getit nailed na super slippery twack up a mountainside i equipped with Mich with the offroad bike turned int maybe, but and TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER X & XE controlled throttle made things fel nimble as Thavigated my way up the challenging 30-minute loop at the Adventure Centre, 'a never done any kind of hard tral riding old in that the son abit ith the ABS off was im Marzocchi the Brembo ‘overkill, but the control fantasti andthe softer 4 dealt ‘lassie is class-leading in the tech ‘department, With a choice of sx rider mo ad prand efficient, but! personally red the off-road pro with no TC so | steer f rthout intervention WITH-NO TC | COULD STEER FROM THE REAR: Eee INTERVENTION.‘Scrambler 1200 X ‘Next up was the X model, and when | swung iy Teg over this bik, it was so reffeshing to feel the difference in seat height. Coming in at 820mm, it was noticeably different to the Xe and I'm sure ths wil be a game changer In making this bike more available to the wider public As [blasted away during an hour-long road ride consisting of tight, technical twists and. wide, open high-speed sections, gota real flavour ofthe bike's capabilities and instant felt more in control. The narrower bars and higher footpegs meant fora sportier riding position, but don't get me wrong - there is Bill so much room on this bike, and it ha the same option to move the handlebars forward or back, just like on the XE. “The suspension is much firmer on the X and initially didn't feel as nice because Vd really enjoyed the welght transfer from the Softer, taller suspension, but a5 the pace picked up on the road, it soon made more Sense. {could push the bike into comers, braking deeper and later, and the support TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER X & XE ‘exactly what needed. This bike felt Incredibly confidence-in intitvest went where | looked, and the feeling from the chassis was the same a all lean angles, toa p dragging the frst, the scraping real ‘once [knew what to n'tso bad... knew Triumph was going to listen I'd suggest it ited them up litle Tes clear thatthe X is much more roa focused than the XE and there area few key dlferences to note: it has a shorter wingarm, which makes it more agile on the its got 8omm shorter nt where [as ‘map that does away with ABS and TC. Other subtle changes include a Smaller dash and slightly lesser quali witchgear, no hand guards, more standard non-adjustable Marzocchi forks, and Nissin brake calipers, which {suppose contribute to the reduced price tag but, fundamental, the X shares all the same core capabilites 2 the With the X being the more focused road bike, I did query why it didn’t also get the » Ifyou want to try before you buy oF simply go for the adventure ike us, Triumph now ofes three venues for exacty that. They're located in Wales, (Uc. Malaga, Spain, and Michigan, Us and you can book onto any ofthese through your nearest UK dealer. Ica only comment on the ‘Adventure Experience in Spain, but | highly recommend it We benefited from training a he purpose-built arena and then put or skis tothe test on the challenging 30-minute ofFf0ad loop. There are ve very experienced instructors, sen more than 5000 customers though the doors since opening in 2017, and i's there to sharpen and develop your offroad ring skis ~but, most important, to have fun onthe bikes. ‘with a flat of 20 Tiger 9005 and 1200s and now the new Scrambler 1200, there are plenty to choose from, For more ino, check out tps: triumphadventurees/en/experiencesybetter Brembo Stylema calipers, rather than the Nissins, but the answer was quite frank: The Nissins are up tothe job and are all you need” — which, | must say, 1 agree with, ‘As far asthe road riding maps are concerned, had fick through and found sport mode to be best by a good margin. If you're feeling a bit fruity and want to do Some skids and wheelies it's no hardship to enter the setings and dial out the TC and ‘ABS, but with all that grunt fom the 1200, ‘motor, leaving the TC on isn'ta bad idea, 1 820mm is stl too tall inthe saddle height department, there's now a shorter seat available (it fils both models) that'll drop the hneight by a further 25mm. Thankfully, comfort isn't compromised as you'd commonly expect with cut-down seats, and It's ergonomically sculpted to feel identical 10 the standard one, If touring is your thing, | \woulda’t dismiss this model, It has the legs and the comfort, and with one-touch ertise Control and new accessories available, such as the wind shield and up to 102 litres of ppannier and tank/tall bag storage, this bike Very much wants to be considered And despite having two large exhaust pipes running elose to your right leg, 1 thought the heat management was impeccable and would be lying if said 1 noticed it once, Conclusion 11s refreshing to see real changes based on real customer needs, and Triumph has this bike can do what those 1960s scramblers I'm trashing it up an offroad mountainside felivered with both ofthese bikes. Improved could only dream of thinking I'm Billy Blt, and the next I'm performance and an improved price tag is Riding back from the Adventure Centre to erusing along in the sunset thinking E'm a hard to come by in this day and age, so ‘hiumph HO, | had a teal moment of ‘member of the Sons of Anarchy with The kudos to Triumph for ticking that box. But appreciation. The sun was setting beautifully White Buffalo playing in my head. when it’s all sad and done, it's good ‘over the mountain tops andl breaking T challenge you to find another bike that enough for James Bond, then what does my between the palm trees, we were crusing in give you those moments, because T can’t say ‘measly opinion matter a pack down the twisty mountainous roads I've experienced anything like it before, and “The Scrambler 1200 has classdefining __of southern Spain - and What struck me was for that reason alone, fll in lve with the capabilities, looks great in the garage, s loads just how versatile this bike is, One minute ‘Tiumpl Serambler. of fun on the road, and is inredible off roa. The performance bar has been set high, andEstoblshed "1958 CONTACT US Xe oz suzse2 ‘5S sales@hagon-shocks.co.uk Cae i @ CLASSIC sue ete ote, SLASSIU vont feet JANUARY 6-7, 2024 fens Sturdy 9am Spm | Sunday Sam dpm Newark Showground, NG24 2NY sverexson m Frm ra Copan ryiy Comma ter fr a pecs fromaCampee ba rap icanpeent Cry ot or Hundreds of bikes and scooters on dspay including rotary racing royalty rom the National Motoryele Museum Join Steve Patron stoge wit Trevor Nation & Bran Crighton www.newarkclassicbikeshow.com rsa a= fas Seine Ta Aura sen pe ae with oS tun saan rom eo pe S cea RNC RTg SPANISH Ee TRACKDAYS [ees NO LIMITS 2024 CARTAGENA ANDALUCIA 22nd-24th January —_3rd-6th February Bee ore 7th-Sth February ——_‘19th-22nd February raaitacteteneen 23rd-26th February 29th Feb-3rd March 4th-6th March 24th-26th March 29th-31st March 26th-28th April eer MONTEBLANCO sthadaih Februsri eat Ua eee @ rowesmcans ewer) sowsmcs FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKESMAG COM 47INDIAN MOTORCYCLES BAGGER RACERjurpston ai rout>_ —_. —— /(Zi777 oA WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COMect meet rt GT tg ‘DISCOUNTED ADVANCE TICKET: £16 aoe Pt oe DSi eee See Matern UPR Sets Deere Eco ene COMnn tend De NOR en eae Deo r eee eee REAL BIKERS. REAL LAWYERS. REAL ANSWERS. in England & Wales, Europe and the Isle of Man H IT E A LTO N '* Takeover claims from other Solicitors + Road Traffic Offences, from Speeding to Death by Dangerous Driving MOTORCYELE SOLICITORS © Obtaining compensation where your personal injury claim has been tundersettled by your previous appointed solicitor Rie een corer eee 0800 7836 191 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTBKES!DLE Ne Bike Guide SY a BUD CEL PAG eae) 0 00m 2024 - but is buying used a better idea? ™ ™ . 54 FEBRUARY 2024 W/V FASTEIKESMAG COMn 2013 there was a definite el inthe air that th upersport class's best day were bond it. After expl ack into life when Yamaha launched the all-ne the class ad stagnated slight! (not helped by the financial Crisis) and soon the popularity lite bikes surged (tulle by th finance, making them m affordable toa greater number of Fiders), while superspor sales tipped, Despite this background, fn 2013 Kawasaki released an allnew Ninja ZX- tohelp it compete inthe showrooms with the new breed of tech heavy lie bikes, the Ninja arrived, packing some electro “While the optional A nothing new (Honda was already to power mo ‘updated slipper clutch. But as headline grabbing as these flashy now gadgets were, what made the biggest difference to the new Ninja was actually down to old-fashioned engineering kawasaki the decision to focus Its oad riding than track, the 2013 Ninja benefits hnigely from this boost in capacity. Where the previo generation had impressed due the fact its $99ec ‘pulled harder than you expected it to fo, the 2013 bike i way better, delivering a surging micrang that means you aren't having to eed ry} ‘9000 mie ere own, 0d Cueceeued J Ja Ca cus f < eee eer y ron enn Sian uae ‘FEBRUARY 2024 W2013-2020 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. aki Ninja THE 2013 ZX-6R IS A JOY TO RIDE THANKS TO ITS WONDERFULLY COMPLIANT Peibloya alls) 0) 56 FEBRUARY 2024 W/V FASTEIKESMAG COMa GEARING continuously tapdance on the a WSS tle fn 2012) and, without soaks it all up and allows you to gear lever. What this equates to diluting its track abit, injected exploit the razor-sharp agilty Pon fs a motor that, while stl fan extra clement of refinement, that has always been atthe heart iam than happy to unleash the ‘And that's what you really spot ‘6R model. Trilling, fun, rev-happy nature that make on the road, anda bike that al superspor bikes so engaging and Noticeably more settled over ish your abilities, blasting, . fun to ride, ean dial ts bumps than any previous " fs Pere Ninja mode, the 2 ie 2 lute Jay toride the best feelings two wheels this change of atutude wonderfully deliver... and its a sen ie clearances: reflected in sis, compliant new suspension and isn't harmed by the added tech Featuring updated updated shock linkage Arguably, there is fas separate fun really attack a B roa on the requirement . (SFF-BP), the Ninja's Ninja and where older ver a supersport bike and the vast, Cee development ream took the would be bartering your wi majority of ZX-6R owners Will already incredibly impressive and back with their overly firm simply sick it in full-at mode Poe s chassis (which had won damping, the 2013 generation and ignore the switch, but the FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTENInierestg, dng th vacelauchot the De, Kawase ded anmsimptres uc ofthe bke ar sha Fanti. yout yours on wack, is auld be wrth ersetenatne wh up he Is certainly going to b fxeitement surrounding th y fora 600cc bike, $0 and-new they will main mewhat limited in their appeal Tn the used market, where supersport sales are already red-hot itis easy to predict an fen bigger surge in interest. 1s really when you consider good 2013 ZX-6R half the cost of a 4 model, and while it the latest Ninja look, it hha basically the same and chas really matters ‘Get in there now before,he prices rise even further Werdict: 7/10 capaci ad fa easier onthe red ALSO CONSIDER THESE: CE] “he mast ack focused of al the Engine: $e le 1 ineot Testod power f7oto@ 14500rD “Testod torque sTen 81000 Ear tke that has r 7 al and compact, but ts motor has deceit mitange as wel as a Screaming top end Engine: enna “ested power: cp 914007 Tested torue: un @ 1, apm COLQUAS AND VARIATIONS: TheNacame nstancard (Geen wnt or tak} as wal the RT Edition pant soto GOW ‘rware as a0 so Porn whch aed road akraponecan FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTBKESMAG COW SOit Peeters ATO Cellet me aM Ma eR oe V0) dies =e LUT Lane Olt oo legged four-cylinder crossover. cP thi point out Smother feature, which is essentially an over GO FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTEKESMAG COMLIKE BURNING MY HAND ON A LUMP OF COAL, KNEW NEVER TO GAGE IN THE SOFTER, DUL GS AGAIN. SETTINGTECH DATA a amr eects a cos oe OR foment ico cect Gea oo me os Poy ry ca pea cod co eet Brats Comer aoe coo con Cremer Pierre fens card earl cs a Remmi oreo The GX wae transformed bya firmer setup. hyped up the bike's torquey 15tbhp motor, but the experience Iwas having felt lke a dumbed: down 100 ponies, and lame ones at hat, with a pick-up so slow that [could count the seconds between twisting my hrotle and the rear Wheel coming to le And as for the set-up, the bike was wallowing ke a blanemange, lazily pitching into comers and leading with a floppy fron wheel. Istomached the experience for all of 20 miles before my itchy fingers got to work with the bike's adjustability: The poster Was fone thing, but the hesitant handling of the Suzuki felt horrendous... had to ty and do something about i (On the 6.5in display under the suspensio icon read the word SAD. I literally spelled ‘out how Leas feeling, until toggling the bike (othe next stifest of settings... MAD. The {templation was there to completely skip this midalle ground and head to HAD forthe firmest of all bt {could tell pretty quick that the bike's fel had been upped immediately with this change, so I decided to fide it out. The thing i, a bike like this is may not be designed for hard braking, big Jean, and general immaturity, but | couldn't help myself, and the way [was riding the Suzuki was bringing out its worst traits, Long travel suspension and loads of mass is a proven equation for seasickness, as any bike Will pitch all over the shop when being over ‘worked! and under-supported. One of the st fferences between this and the GT i the additional travel (20mm in the forks, 2omnm in the rear shock), which make hen you're cruising along a nd laden with luggage, but the led pace raised centre of gravity and aforementioned ravel made for @ less harmoniods experience when cracking o between SAD and MAD front wheel leading fe The biggest ference wea slightly les but the Si sil far too supple for my Iiking AtTast, the time came to put itn HAD, and to also dive into the preload adjustability land alterit fom “Auto 10 RiderSPilio jacking up the back of the bike in seconds, Tilstop short of saying the GX felt any ke a GSKR, ut the handling was drastca mproved from either of the previous set-ups. I hegan to trast the bike a bit more, could ee eee ee appreciating what was going on beneath me ‘When the bike was super-soft it Was a nightmare to tll where the be Was sting ‘or how close { was toa limit With the upped handling, {also decided to ‘up the pace, going all n and switching the bike to’A mode. Tl be honest, the pickup incontrast from C was massive, Suddenly, the Suzuki was laden with poke, punching out of comers almost a hitle too aggressively. It 100k bit of time to calibrate to the harshness, ‘while simultaneously loving the animal that ‘was now released. here Was the character rd been hoping for. My early Impressions ofthe bike hadn't been great but were by this point irelevant Like burning my hand on a lump of coal, | kknew never to engage inthe softer, duller settings again, The more miles eloeked, the more I was liking the Suzuki, which now handled respectably for such a big machine and made ight work of overtakes, It di 80 in a typical in-line-our fashion, building in tenergy withthe best of the buzz being right atthe top ofthe motor. Speed was egged long by a decent bi-directional quicksbifting package that only worked abave 2000p, which was never an issue on this bike a8 1 ‘vas typically in the 3000-7000 rev range. It would go much higher than that, butt was just as easy to hook another gear and get lose of energy a8 i was to scream the engine fou tis limiter fr the sake of it. Besides, 1 learned that at anything above 7000rpm, the bike would become quite vibey inthe pegs, seat, “bars, and even the big be tank that ‘was well gripped by my legs ‘Another thing that stopped me revving the ruts of ofthe bike Were the roads We Were riding, For us mere mortals to experience the sublimeness of the Suzuki's fancy electronic suspension, the decision had been taken for us to ride one of the bumpiest, bendiest, and perhaps most questionable rautes Id ever Bikes being propped in che po eee ridden on a launch. If we werea’t in tat we were blasting along roads so rough 1 quite often preferred to stand on the pegs. This isn'ta knock at the suspension, asa rough road will feel rough on any ike, but more a trilicsm ofthe route we Were undertaking, ‘We spent a day being hampered by such scenarios, nver truly getting to grasp how bike this would be on the imaginable, fast, ‘open sweepers you'd probably find yourself riding along if you were to own this bike, ‘What [learned was that the bike actully felt best in B mode, being less aggressive, and that despite the Inial bite ofthe front brakes being a litle weak, they would do the business when squeezed upon with a vice like grip. Doing so could would also prompt the ABS to kick in on occasion, but it never caused too much drama, Talzo found the TC ‘was never far fom being present, even when dialled down as low as level two (of seven), Ifyou went fora handful of gas on some shiny cobbles, i kick the rear wheel out for all ofa second before the system engaged {and put an end tothe party. The other thing it would do, owing to the fact the wheelie control Was linked tothe taetion (and couldn't be separated), was to engage the LF {lift control) when you cracked the throtle ‘pen hard, culling the engine's output sibstantially for as long as was needed to get {ings back under contro. If you wanted 10 wheelie the bike, the traction had to be fully ‘off, which you could do on the go with a closed throtle, Wheelies, on the other hand, ‘were completely forbidden, along with endos, bburn-outs.. and fun. That was made cleat during the models presentation, plus on day ‘one's briefing, and then again on the second ‘day's briefing, about an hour before we bpecame stuck static in Lisbon’s rush-hour watt Tf didn’t know better,’ have sworn someone was having a laugh With our test, route. The day's agenda transpired to be a Tong ride south over the impressive Abril, suspension bridge before hitting afew rmotonways, a load more back roads, and teven umpier sections of tarmac than the day before. Itwas a shame, because by this point in time I'd experienced enough of the Suzuki to appreciate slthers of is hidden qualities tha this route simply wasnt allowing us to fully explore or exploit, Over two Full days in the saddle, it'd shown me it was a credible milemuncher, with a comfy riding position land a powerful motor. This Wasn't a bike for popping to the shops on, or hammering ‘around a racetrack, but more for loading up land going the distance on big rides to faraway places... fas. In other words, it sits perfectly in the sector that Suzuki has tesigned i or: the eressover market. I looks every bit that kind of bike, too, ‘As similar as thls machine was to the GT, with the only major differences being aller ‘pogos, a lower seat and less far forward ars its styling hits home that bit sharper in iy opinion... that bit more ready for an adventure, Perfect? Most certainly not, ‘hough my general consensus Is favourable, with good tech, brakes, and reasonable hhandling if you know what to ask for trom the multitude of settings. If could have asked for anything specific, a bit more character Wouldn't have gone amiss. ‘thought the soundirack ofthe bike was pretty decent, but the experience never truly won ‘me over, which again might be owing to the roads We were riding it on. I’ rare get back from a launch, especialy having had few days inthe saddle, and think that reouldl do ‘with abit more ofa blast on a bike, but thar’s the best way to deseibe the outcome fom my encounter with the GX. I's got potential, for sure, But right nove, i's not dguite captured my soul FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTBKESMAG COW 6STHE SKIN: If you like what you've read but want a bit more detail on the design, tech, and function of the GX, get your teeth into this... 66 FEBRUARY 2024 W/V FASTEIKESMAG COM SEXY SUSPENDERS aut Folios Sapneen SACS ate aterSUZUKI GSX-S1000GX SIZED TO SUIT TECH IT OUT odes ht ater pone, ssperson ad vactn els aca the ¢lameto malo tte om ts 99 dsplacnert Su Saye ttsmare moc ha 80 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKESMAG COM 67Cee aT cere DeLee een hale MACAU GP: ACCESS ALL AREAS For the sake of science, alcohol, and an experience unlike any other, Big Mac. found himself at Macau with the FHO squad, spannering for his mate Rutter. POM CU ke Rech enue a cen onto hr acacia Ce eenPre elyut What happens in Macau co ora Sardines have more space. The local delicacies. 70 FEBRUARY 2024 WiWhen you think about the wealth, ofthe place, the density of the population, and te gambling culture, i ight round a 3,8-mile lap w me 2, with either cuth Chins a car race in the mid. re added as a support race in motorbikes the late 1960s. As luck would have i, ofakind e mate Michael Rutter is ait handy at Macau privilege ins up a record nine and peo years he's been cP tunity for imo othe FHO. ron the planet, an nt, and various et ons and make a textra hands to work on his bike ~ which would get me a seat onthe plane for not only que72 FEBRUARY 2024 well as the fastest-ever newcomer tothe Isle of Man TT in 2013... unt his now teammate Peter Hickman took that record from him. He's twice finished fifth in the Senior TT and claimed his fist TT podium this year in the Supertwin race. Brookes is one of those rare {alents that only come along ance ina while, ‘who can master short clruit racing and road racing. He's still a relative newcomer atthe TT with ‘only’ 21 stats, but when you consider that he has oniy finished outside the {op 10 just thee times, itis a matter of time before he wins on the isle of Man too, Given his tenacity fr turning his hand to both disciplines, andthe FHO team being ‘owned by Faye Ho, who was born and raised Jn Macau, it was almost inevitable that Brookes would take tothe streets of Macau \when racing returned thee forthe fet time ;ost-Covid without the need forall team personnel to quarantine for weeks. Tabbed a wide-eyed Brookes not long after he had debriefed ‘with his mechanics following his frst 45-minute session on the notoriously tricky Gula cireuit to see what he made of it and what 4 his frst impressions were. 1 didn't really know how 10 prepare. You know, for the TT | went there many times and was able to drive round the track ~ and that Isa Long way round with aot of comers - whereas here is relatively shor. You can do alot of Tape in a short period of time and Start to knovr your way around, but itis dificult to learn. F managed 10 get 10 laps in that first session. A Brookes had a blast ‘on the strocts few days ago, when someone said how long before you think you'll start to feel normal, and I said 20 laps, because just thinking lout BSB and stuf ike that, i's usually out that many before you're properiy on form, so I'm halfway through that process. ‘Even though I'm not consciously hanging om tight, think Lam, because I can fel i in ‘my right hand, which may be because it's the brake hand, or how I'm siting onthe bike, or ‘uring it, but fundamentally think Fm holding on too tight, an the bike isn't really compliant enough. I thik if 1 relax abit more nd get off the brake, il roll over bumps abit better, but atthe moment I'm going into comers probably abit too quickly intially “Ata given point on the way i, {should actualy be braking ealier and geting back to the throtle and off the brakes, s0 there's a certain numberof techniques I can do 10 Improve te feeling ofthe bike even without ‘making any changes oi, which will come ith better knowledge ofthe track and riding ‘with conlidence and commitment. Atthe ‘moment 'm not really committing to the corners fully because I'm not confident of my positon on the track and where the corner 0 Visually, it's what I expected because there are many visual references to study by ‘watching on-board laps, but they don't {generale sensation conditioning, and the only ‘way to do that is to come here and ride ~ and the only way todo that i to come to this event. Iwas surprised at how bumpy it felt land haw intense it was, There ae certain areas that stand out, mostly the bits that kind fof Want to catch you out, such as some of the tight bits. You remember them because they caught you out... then there’s other comers thal are more flowing and les tricky, but because they don’t stand out, they don’t log. So, every time you got to the sweepy, flowing bit, you're lke oh. it doesnt have any 2 tf :strong references embedded. They seem 10 take the longest to remember, which seems counterintuitive because you'd think the comers which are easiest should be the ones you learn the fst, but they aren't because they don’t stand our and log into your mind ‘Not knowing the eieuit makes It hard to know what direction to go with the bike's Setup, but we are going to make some changes, because even If didn't change the bike at all, 'm going to improve, but we do think that the gearing isa lite bit off. I felt thatthe gearing wasnt quite right, even though fd made a ehange before Fl even ridden the track based on #1) BSB knowledge ofthe bike. The gearbox has been out at every round we've been to, s0 | sald we need to change the gearing up before the session, then after I've ridden it I think we need to go further with it so we've changed that, which will also change the wheelbase, but I'm not really bothered about that because we'l sil be ta window where the bike normally works, ''don’t knovr the name ofthe one section that I really did enjoy, but if you go backyards from the main hairpin, there's Another lft hairpin before tha, and the entry to thats quite visible: you come down through abit ofa kink before it goes into the main lefthander. was looking forward to that bit because it feels god to drive dawn, there and out 10 the wall, purely because you can soe right through the corner. I felt confident about going to the wall there and ‘sweeping it back in I's a confidence thing, and why i's dificult t enjoy the firs Session, but I'll go away now and sleep on it before coming back again. That really helps ‘me, as it gives my brain a moment to absorb everything ‘Also, ow that ve done actual laps, the on boards are relatable, whch makes them ‘more useful. Previously i's just footage that Is hard to take anything away from, apart from rehearsing the visual efect, but with actual laps logged in my brain, cn-boards ‘ake on a whole diferent meaning Tes a shame that there was only one session onthe first day for motorbikes; 1 oul tell that Josh was chomping atthe bit to get back out and keep on learning, but he'd have to si tight for 24 hours ~ oy, as it turned out, even longer before he could spin more laps. His gearbox developed a fault that meant he los the whole ofthe next session, and the final qualifying session Would be the next time he could ride the cireut in anger, He ‘qualified in 13th position and finished the race in a seriously Impressive fourth plac lapping faster wit almost with every lap, eventually finishing not very far away from getting a polum. Kudos to Yosh Brookes, MACAU GP Darren Jones: The boss Daz Jones is the man tasked with running the team, making sure that everything and everyone are where they should be, when they should be. His tle I team manager, ‘whieh somehow doesn’t do justice to the sheer amount of stuff he has on his plate that needs sorting, virtually 24 hours 2 day. He's the person Who has to be two of three steps ahead of everyone inthe garage, anticipating everyone's needs before they even know they ‘need them, Just the thought of geting everyone and everything needed to run thtee Superbikes tothe other side ofthe planet on time is enough to make my head hurt, but Daz makes it look easy and ike i's the most ‘normal thing inthe worl. ‘When I needed Rutter’ ear shock absorber stripping, Daz did it. Daz had the race fuel tokens ready for me before Pd even thought of fuel, Daz had food and drink delivered tothe garage before anyone realised they were hungsy, and he even had some Imodium delivered to my hotel room after the entire word fell out of my arse one night. Daz has been by Peter Hickman’s side since 2010, when Hicky walked int Daz's small bike shop in Louth looking for some Sponsorship. Since then, he's been Peter's ‘mechanic through all his privateer years, right up to and including his time at Smiths Racing, which, with some persuasion ftom Daz, then became FHO Racing, when Faye Ho took it over. So, it's no surprise that what Daz doesn't know about racing or tuning race team can probably be writen on the back of a postage stamp ~ which is why I was keen to pie his brains on just what's involved to go racing thousands of miles ant several time zones away from home. “There's me and Andy who ace the only full-time staff at FHO. Andy is oue engine bullder, and we've also got Bex who Is. full-time on the media side of things, plus FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTBKESMAG COW 79she’s also helping me out massively on the Togistes now too “we have to start planning the Macau trip into the schedule quite early, especially the engine allocation. That's probably the fist thing you plan in because most stl i qulte ‘easy to get hold of from aur BSB stock. Our engine allocation from BMW is quite sitet, sof we have an engine failure at BSB or the TT, the engine you've put aside for Macau will then have to goto the BSB schedule, ‘hich actually happened this year, meaning Wwe got our last engine on the Wednesday before everything got shipped on the Monday “I would say we start looking at where we are with engines at about the North West 200, time, s0 that's when Macau starts for us [seven months ahead), and you stat working ‘out what your mileage will be on your current engines, so you've got enough fresh fengines when the time comes. The engine schedule really has to be locked in by ‘August The paintwork is something we do bespoke for Macau, so that must he planned In early too, but inevitably you're waiting for news on sponsors. We didn’t actually get the sraphics dane until the week before because Wwe had to wait for decisions. Ie say two Weeks before the crates went, we had a rough design but no sponsor, but that’s typleal, I's the same withthe clothing ‘because that needs the same sponsors on, so this year we had to get that made in China, then some guy flew from Shanghai to the hotel herewith al the clothing for the team, “The shipping is obviously a big deadline to hit, plus I've got to get everyone out here They all ned aight, somewhere to sta, and food and drink, and they also need to get from their houses tothe airport, and if they're using a car, they need car parking Bex holps a lot with that stuf. “You're allowed 750kg per rider, so we hhave three bike erates forthe three bikes and cram as much in there as we can, mostly all the tyres and wheels. The bikes have their coolant and fuel drained, and batteries are disconnected. We can leave the oil and brake That polish out. fluid in the bikes. We also have to cover all the metal parts in WDMO when they get shipped back to the UK because they'te on a ship for six weeks and everything just gets corfoded. Everything gets flown out but shipped back “Then there's another four cates for stu like fans, toolboxes, spare parts and spare fengines, which the rules stipulate that you hhave for each rider, which makes sense. They’te flying you out ere at great cost 10 them, so from their point of view if an engine shits itself in FPL, that's a waste oftheir ‘money as organisers. “The organisers caver the cost of one rider and to mechanics ~ so the Mihts, ‘accommodation, and the shipping. We are responsible for getting the seven crates to Slough, whichis where the forwarding logistics company is based, but you can't get them in a van, s0 you have to have a truck for that, and fortunately one of our ‘mechanics, ‘Whiskey’ also owns a haulage firm, so he picks them up and takes them there, and he'll bring them back when they Jang. “The paperwork ist too bad; you have an fnventory of whats in the box with a cost WHEN I'M HERE, IT'S NON-STOP next to it and that's it. Each box then has to hhave a label with whats inside it itemised Everything let exacily a week aftr the final BSB round at Brands Hatch, but we also squeezed In a quick test at Donington Park to get Rutter on the bike, so actually we just had four days to get back from that and get everything packed. The erates should be back fon about January 4 ‘When the rates arrive at Macau, they get Jocked up in your garage. Then when you arive, you have to open the erates, and they Jog the chassis number and engine numbers, and that's customs cleared. ‘When I'm here, i's non-stop. Even this week, I've been geiting up early every other day to have an hour on my laptop because we are already focusing on next year. For ‘example, Josh i heading home 9 Australia fom here for the winter and wants a test bike, which I'm trying to sort for him. Plus, there's aload of parts we want to develop fr nxt year, such a5 a different fuel tank, which ‘ve had fo get in motion. We have from now ‘until January to get everything made, plus T've had to put my order infor engines for next year ~ an this i ll happening while we're here 1s not too bad. You ean do so much on. your phone these days. it's just that it needs doing, And with that, Daz takes of to organise a table ata restaurant and taxis to get everyone there, and then lets everyone know what time to be realy for Peter Hickman: The champ icky is, ofcourse the man of the moment when It comes to toad racing suecess inian| ae mh Marae ne ee PREPARATION AecAL BE | LITERALLY DO SOD ALL.icky destroyed the field fagain). drinking water, you flush your system of everything it needs, so isotonic supplements are a must, of even something as daft 3s a fizzy drink of pop wil do. 'My knees ache after a race because I'm quite tall and on the bike I'm quite cramped because Ihave my pegs close tothe seat. I's Just how I seem to be able to get the bike 10 ‘work best for me, but it does mean that my knees get a good pounding, Other than tha, 1 don't really got any side effets, such as blisters, In the absence of anything meaningful in terms of physical preparation and recovery from racing, l reach out to none other than Cecilia Rutter, who as well as being one of Michael's ever sulfering daughter, i also studying osteopathy a college and came long to Macau to complete a case study on the physical eects of racing motorbikes on the body, She assessed each rder before they started the frst session, then ater every session thereafter, and she made some alarming observations inthe case of all thee spectieally on ther posture and how it changes musculaely and mechanically during the course ofthe three She noted that in Peter's case, the biggest change came in his cerviealstitiness (his, neck) due to his oculo-motor muscles fontracting. These are the muscles controling his eyeballs and eyelids, and due to the extreme levels of concentration, and ‘need for his gaze to remain straight and horizontal, they contrat for sustained Periods and create a blockage at the base of his skull, which causes the sifness and loss of movement No doubt the high-speed wind blast would also contribute to this foo, but extreme levels ‘of concentration are alsa known to have this side effect ‘Right: You can smell it from here. MACAU GP King ofthe roads. Another observation in Peter was how his torso was lopsided to the right before first practice, ater which his posture completely ‘hanged to being lopsided to the let, causing him to change which of his lowe limbs be favours. This only happened during the first practice, as his pesture returned 10 normal {lopsided tothe right) after qualifying and the race. So, despite his claim that all he fever suffers from is sore knees from time to tim it turns out thatthe rigours of racing take their toll on Peter's neck and actually completely change his standing posture. Back to Peter, and I'm curious as to what, if anything, makes the Macau circuit unique, and how he approaches siding it compared fo the TT or BSB. “The risks are higher at Macau. It is a ‘more dangerous tack than even the TT, but the difference is that you don’t put youself at risk for as long as you do at the TT. So, lover the three days we do at Macau, Fl do FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTEIKESMAG COM 77tit about 350km, which isn't very much, but its very high risk. At the TTT do more than that in One night, so the risk as far as the physical danger Is not as much at the TT, believe it or not, but you're doing it for much Tonger “Tums one and two at Macau are fourth and filth gear respectively, so propery quick, Smile forthe camera, 78 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKESMAG.COM and I'm happy to go through them at 100% ft Macau with the walls, just as T would at ISB with all the run-off and gravel traps if have to, 'm weighing up the risk versus reward ratio all the time and managing the risk in qualifying, [only went as fast as 1 ‘needed for pole positon, and then when 1 ‘ame in thinking I'd done enough, Davy (odd) went one second faster, so was like, ‘okay, [need to pull my finger out more’ and did a two-minute 24second lap, and when you get to that lap time round there, you are preity much flat out at BSB levels of ‘commitment. I'm pushing the front going in land sliding the rear coming out of pretty ‘much every comer, like those fist two corners, The TT has Joads like that, which is one ofthe reasons 1'm good at the TT. I'm just good at fast comers, always have been. The back section at Macau is more BSB-syle, fast and frantic. 1 ‘Was 0,7 seconds faster than Davy ta those {wo fast comers; it just suits me. The first time I came to Macau in 2014, 1 just got one fll session because I had a water leak, crashed, and wrote the bike off But | did admin 33see lap in my very ist session on a superstock ike that year, Which, for context ~ and no disrespect to Josh - took him three sessions on a Superbike todo a 2min 32sec, Then in 2015 1 actually had my rst race, which won and id a 2min 25sec lap. I just seem to pick circuits up fast, even the TT. In my fist year there Iwas fast, and the reason for that is because I Tearned the track fast. | just tend to pick them up. [learn the full lap al atthe same tim, not section by ‘Some things come naturally, so you just do them, then there are oir cornets Vou hhave to really think about and work out Also, year to yea things change, lke here at Macau ~ its bumpier, so some of my lines aren't the same, $0 you have to relearn stuf The contrast between Peter's approach to learning circuits compared to Josh's could rnot be more diferent, but as Peter himself says, whatever works for you is what works for you.roles experts Took afterall three bikes and is not an exaggeration to say that with the click ofa few buttons, he can make the factory superbike unrideable or just plain slow. He's there fo take care of all the bikes electronic systems, from the fuel injection and jgnition to the engine braking characteristics, There Is Iterlly nothing he can't tell you about any aspect of the bike's performance at any given point on the circuit, which is all Lastminute fixes on Davoy Todd's Beemer. ‘At Macau, this is considered ‘runoff. well and good, but it counts for nothing if you can't interpret that data and use it as part ofthe session debriet withthe ider to then improve everything from how the thyottle feels, through to how the suspension ing, Peter and the other electronies/data guy. known as “Brains, can iterally talk and listen ta the bike ~ and can even be seen on the gid plugging their laptops into the bikes’ brain for one ast health check before the “They know all the bikes’ secrets, which, as well as being good for going faster, is also food for some Fast Bikes trivia, as Peter Kindly supplied me with some sats from icky’ race. A total of 33 gear changes per lap Max speed: 296kph Fastest apex: T2 s0-degzee lea, fandarin, fifth gear, kph Biggest lean angle: Left, 719 Donna Mania Il, 63d ght, T3 Lisboa, 47, Braking to 13 Lisboa: 285kph to 74kph, 300m in 71sec K deceleration: Minus 15.25 m/s2 jest bump/depression: Melco to Black is Start launch: 0-100kph in 2.988 ull rote time per lap: Average 278 Engine speed max: 15,200qpm; average ‘overlap: 10,950rpm Front Whee off the ground per lap Aver 28 Standing wheelie over finish line: 225m. @ I75kph FEBRUARY 2024 WWW. FASTBKESMAG COW 79Working overtime. Michael Rutter: Over-50s club Twenty-nine years afer he first showed up at “Macau, Rutter’s corner of the garage ~ which fncluded me and one of his long time regular ‘mechanics from road racing, Warren Bardsley, aka "Woz’ ~ had a combined age of well over 150 years old. While Rutter did get to spin some laps on the BMW superbike at a trackiay, nelther myself nor Wor, ha lain a finger on the bike until we were in the garage at Macau, First job was to flit with coolant and change the brake fui, then wait for half a tay while the broadcaster fited a whole load fof on-board camera kit to broadeast live footage literally around the world in teal time, Impressive, but there Is a LOT of stuff ‘on the bike that a home has 10 be found for “The next job was to go through the bike's settings, Including the fork springs, preloads, famping and air gaps, and then the reat ride height, wheelbase, gearing, shock absorber length, preload and damping settings ~ just so we knew what the starting point was for the bike, Then Ratter sat on itand we looked at his riding position, which was fie apart fom that he wanted the seat to be lot lower. In fact, he Wanted it so much lier that 1 actually took an angle grinder tothe seat and leat eed peered 80 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKESMAG.COM cut about 80% of it away so he could sit on the fel tank, Before the race schedule began, we had to stay late one night for a film crew made up of no less than 13 people to come to the garage ind film some footage fora promotional trailer. It was all very Hollywood, but the alarm clock would be going off at Sam the next morning dt tothe bikes being ontrack Rutter fini he first session in seventh, not at all happy with how the bike was behaving while braking. He was also sulfering physically, feeling dizzy and puking 2 few times in his helmet, We put our heads {ogether, got the measuring tape out, and came up witha plan for the next day. Then ‘we went through the same post session routine, with the bike of craining the remaining fuel to measure constmption, giving ita thorough clean, and had more {yres fitted before taking them back tothe garage to balance and pressure them, First qualifying was better, with Ruter going 2.8sec quicker to getup to fifth Position, svth more changes for the next Session the final chance to got onto the front row. He went faster sil posting a 2min 27.Ssee, another two seconds faster but thea an wide at cur three (Lisboa) while going leven faster. He stayed in fifth forthe race but ‘was definitly in the mix forthe podium in the race. Since all the changes were making the bike better, we tied some more inthe \warn-up session, whieh Rutter finished in tind place to give us all even more belie that a podium was on the ead, More tyres, and some calculations on fuel and we took our man to the grid for his race only for htm to be back inthe garage, retiring with a brake problem. Gutted, but also strangely satsfed that we'd made some really postive progress with the bike and ‘Were at least atthe pointy end ofthe timing screens, In al, Rutter used a total of nine tyres and just under 50 lites of fuel forthe 54 laps he completed over the four practice ‘qualifying sessions and incomplete race, ‘While Fm no stranger to working with Rutter at races this felt ike much more of an adventure, not just because the bike Was Such a big unknown to us, but also, the place {slike nowhere else ve ever been. It's hand to describe Macau to anyone, and tobe honest I've struggled to do so since I got home. all I can say is that whatever You've heard about itis probably tue, and the 10-day round trip fel like it was over in the blink of an eye... which is usually a good sign.Macau GPMASTERCLASS GAVIN GREWAL PENAL SERVITUDE PREVENTER The Fast Bikes Legal clinic eee ey omens reread cee een ale ml en eed ey cee slitor T eens Pass vere Fortoa afc oeees| ‘al Motor Defence Team Forronotence cases ‘SE White Baton Motoreyele Soleo 0800 783 6491 me SALTON ‘whitedaton.couk srw rnin os Iyuive been @ neusy biker, you need some decent (By legal advice. Get it from THE SLIPPERY WHITE STUFF If you crash on ice or snow, isit totally your fault? Q| | ride ail year round anc ride myset on that fact. fam nota fai-weather ret, although all my mates ae. with the latest cold snap, | found myself riding during-3 degrees Costus 1 can usually spot microclimates and take extra care. Last week hit an ley atch onthe oad just dct see it fll off my G5 1200 and ‘damaged it quite badly (t doesn't have engine bars}. am most kay, Just walking wounded wth some bruises. My insurer wants to put ‘this dowm as a aul clam’ but am ‘wondering, do nave a aim? Lnbetiovabiy, am going to say (potential) yes. Ths is probably not what you ‘expect, as most people tinkriding in-3cy conditions will mean you run the risk of iting ice and fang ofl there isa reason we have fait weather riders. The law on this can be found in the Highways Act 4980: 41114 ream particular, a highway authority are under a duty ‘to ensure, so far asi reasonably practicable, tha safe passage along ‘highway isnot endangered by 82 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW FASTEIKESMAG.COM So, your claim actually comes down o what te local authority id to ensure the road was sate Tiss avery fact senstve case. it is wort puting the claim to the local authority and ining out what its response sf itd absolutely nothing, despite there beng a weather warning fr icesnow, then reckon you are in with a shout a bringing a successful aim, ‘This happened in the case of Micha! Smitnsonv Bradley Lynn (1) North Yorkshite County Council the local authority was sued on the bass Idi not git te road. twas icy and a caret the road an hit a tree, causing serous injury. His Honour Judge Gosnell stated that the foal authority was under a cuy tobalance the ‘quantum of risk, ie, the ikelnood and severity of an accident agaist the cost of ‘ameliorating that risk, Local authorities don’t have to go and grit every road in its area It can approach the ‘iskest” roads, the busiest ones, and grt those, t would be impossible {o git every road inthe area, pus itwould cast too much, Judges ‘aren't stupid and know this to be the case. However, the local ‘authority must have a policy in lace for doing this type of siting; cannot be on aad noc basis, This is what happened inthe case of Michael smithson v Bradley Lynn (1) North Yorkshire ‘County Counc, The focal ‘authority was found to be In breach and had to pay out. Therefore, my advice to youl to ‘ask the local authority fora copy of its poly and what it ci to the road In question onthe date of your ‘accident Depending onthe answer, Few ge you the information you ‘eed to elther abandon your clam orpursueit to cout if necessary) Hf yu co win, make sure you got ‘2 copy ofthe judgment, as you can Wave this in font of your insurer to gett to record this as anon faut cam, However, tis is only if you win 100% the judge blames you in part for example, or traveling 100, ‘uicky poor road conditions ~ ‘hen it wil til show asa faut cai, as you have been found (parti to blame forthe accident. Good luck!