may 2009 £3.99 i us$9.95
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wn Bike’s definitive verdict on road and track
one shock winner
the ’09 superbikes YZF-r1 Fireblade gsx-r1000 Zx-10r
miles
Bike special
40 years of the superbikeRiding the bikes that changed our world
30 years of the race replica lc to Rc8 R
Fantastic plastic performance
20 years of kneedown
Whaddya mean you haven’t done it yet?
10 years of the
200mph motorbike 200.2mph, actually
Mad Max meets
stalingrad surviving the elefant rally
>> >>New KTM SM T: Sportsbike thrills, all-day comfort
café culturethe ex-despatcher
building café racers for rock stars
B r i t a i n ’ s B e s t - s e l l i n g B i k e m a g . . . B y m i l e s
001_Bike_ COVER MAY.V2.indd 1 9/3/09 15:47:39
18 Bike18 Bike18 Bike
18 years after the TDM850, we get a bike giving all the Yamaha promised: supermoto handling, all-rounder stability, comfort, and a punching twin-cylinder engine
018-020 BK MAY FR ktm smt CDP.indd 18 11/3/09 08:01:12
first ride
Bike 19
first ride
Bike 19
KtM Renowned for uncompromising, focused creations, KTM’s new990 SM T adds welcome usability to their big-balled supermoto BY MIKE ARMITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY FREEMAN, HERWIG PEUKER
The handling’s still lively too,
with all the agility, accuracy and
athleticism of the SM. The new
suspension actually gives even
sharper geometry (0.5° steeper
rake, 1mm less trail, 5mm shorter
wheelbase) and there’s huge
leverage and control from the
wide bars. The difference with
the SM T is the extra compliancy
and willingness to absorb
bumps displayed by the
reworked suspenders – on back
roads of particularly interesting
surface, I can see the wheels on
the bike in front rapidly flapping
up and down as they track the
road, but feel little of the
imperfections myself. It’s a
better ride than the base bike.
Of course the pay off for the
plushness is a smidge less
composure ridden hard on
faster routes (or fast on harder
routes). It’s no carrier bag full of
custard, but the stupendous
Brembo radial brakes create
plenty of fork dive if all the
potential is used, and throwing
the T about in the manner
inspired by the chassis there’s
the smallest hint of disobedient
movement. Neither is a
problem, but switching to the
‘sports’ suspension settings
conveniently listed under the
seat (30 seconds of tweaking
the damping adjusters) tautens
the job up nicely. Then you feel
more bumps on poor surfaces…
Wind protection from the
new fairing is spot-on, give or
take. There’s no neck-wrenching
blast or turbulence, but equally
there isn’t the isolated
separation of a tourer-style barn
door. Triumph’s Tiger keeps
more weather off, but a stretch
of motorway shows the T’s
‘The light, compact motor’s instantaneous reaction, thrust and free-revving nature make it a jewel of modern internal combustion’
As comfortable as BMW’s r1200Gs. Better handling and with a plusher ride than a ducati Multistrada. More fun
and noticeably better built
than Triumph’s Tiger.
Wind-cheating hand
guards, integrated
luggage. And, of course, the
punchy flurry of controlled
lunacy we expect from a KTM.
The new 990 SM T might have
the practicality to square up to
more serious rivals, but it’s still a
veneer of sensibility on a
fantastically amusing device.
From firm roots and an
enviable reputation in the
off-road world, the Austrian
company has developed into a
world force, building everything
from 125cc two-stroke
mud-pluggers to bare-bones
nakeds and 1195cc, 160bhp,
£15,000 superbikes.
Supermotos are at the heart
of the firm – their bonkers 450
SMR racer won the 2008 world
championship, and the road
range contains three models
based around the lusty 690
single (in racy SMC, friendly SM
and pepped-up SMR specs)
plus the imposing 990 SM.
The latter might be 200kg of
tall road bike and some distance
from the crisp, delicate, race
450, but it’s a giddying device.
Like the 950 that preceded it
(and won our group test against
the Ducati Hypermotard and
BMW Megamoto), the 990 SM is
a heady mix of instant torque,
snappy gearing, immediate
response and handling on the
swift side of rapid. It’s an utter
hoot and exactly how you’d
expect such a bike of basic
purpose to feel, but the high,
thin perch, naff-all weather
protection and narrow focus
limit its usability and appeal.
KTM admit supermotos are
‘specialised, uncomfortable and
not for everyday riding’.
Hence the addition of the
SM T. It isn’t intended as a
touring bike – the T stands for
travel, and KTM say the bike
allows the riding experience of
the standard SM to be enjoyed
for longer periods over greater
distances. So it has a sculpted
seat 20mm closer to the ground
containing a gel pad.
Suspension at both ends has
less travel and uses revised
internals for improved ride
quality. There’s a fairing with
fixed screen and hand guards to
keep off the worst of the
weather, plus a natty rack and
the quick-fix mounts for
optional luggage.
It’s the glorious 999cc, 75˚
V-twin that dominates our first
ride on the flicking, undulating,
deserted roads snaking north
from Portimao in Portugal,
however. Unchanged from the
base SM, it’s a jewel of modern
internal combustion; the 108bhp
and 68 lb.ft we measured on this
engine in last year’s SM might be
a sniff below the claimed output
and not all that much from a
litre, but the light, compact
motor’s instantaneous reaction,
thrust and free-revving nature
more than compensate. Short
gearing makes it both flexible
and foolish, politely accepting
tall gears and roll-on, roll-off
teasing on unknown sweeps yet
readily sending the sharp end
skyward in second gear with
just a twist of the wrist. Brilliant.
Fuelling is precise, though
KTM’s typically light, slack-free
twistgrip can require a little
acclimatisation. I’ve no issues
and love the direct link from
twistgrip to tyre, but it won’t be
everyone’s brew.
018-020 BK MAY FR ktm smt CDP.indd 19 11/3/09 08:01:30
Price £9595 Top speed 140mph (est) Power 115bhp @ 9000rpm (claimed) Torque 71.6lb.ft @ 7000rpm (claimed) Engine 999cc, 8v, 75° V-twin Bore x stroke 101mm x 62.4mm Compression ratio 11.5:1 Fuel system fuel injection Transmission 6-speed, chain Frame tubular steel trellis Front suspension 48mm upside-down WP forks Adjustment preload, compression and rebound Rear suspension WP monoshock Adjustment preload, compression and rebound Front brake 2 x 305mm discs, 4-piston radial calipers Rear brake 240mm disc, 2-piston caliper Tyres front; rear 120/70 ZR17; 180/55 ZR17 Wet weight 196kg (claimed, minus fuel) Wheelbase 1505mm Rake/trail 24.4°/109mm Seat height 855mm Fuel tank 19 litres Insurance NU13 Colours black/orange, black/silver
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TM
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FIRST RIdE
20 Bike
plastic stub to be adequate up
to 90mph. This is a supermoto, a
bike that’s supposed to excite
and inspire, so the compromise
between protection and bugs-
in-teeth seems about right.
First thing this morning the
riding position felt completely
natural, and it’s only at the end
of a full day’s riding that I realise
I’ve not noticed anything else
about it. And not noticed it in a
good way: no aches, discomfort
or ergonomic quibbles mean
there can’t be much wrong.
Unlike the choice of standard
tyres. Early on a sunny morning,
on cool roads, the Continental
Sport Attack move around and
blunt the edges of the handling
until a good eight or ten miles of
spirited use has added enough
warmth. And even after a frantic
50-mile ride in 20 ̊midday heat,
they never feel sucked to the
tarmac. Admittedly the average
Portuguese blacktop isn’t the
finest, but they never give
complete confidence.
This is getting finicky, but
I have to as there are few things
to whinge about with the SM T.
Maybe a Tiger or R1200GS are
more relaxed over distance, and
get a few more miles from a full
tank (the T’s fuel light pings on
after 100 miles rollicking down
back roads). But neither of these
alternatives encourages, inspires
or activates a smile like the KTM.
They don’t tread with such a
light footprint, don’t exhibit such
deliciously eager response; can’t
give the supermoto thrill of the
SM T. The top-heavy triple and
lumbering boxer don’t get near
the vivacious twin’s effortless
ease and perfect balance during
low speed manoeuvring and
feet-up U-turns, either.
It’s a pity you pay extra for the
panniers. Exchange rates that
add a grand to the base 990 SM
also mean the T recently arrived
in dealers at £9595 – £100 more
than the Adventure, almost
£1600 more than a Tiger. But,
for me, it’s almost twice the bike.
018-020 BK MAY FR ktm smt CDP.indd 20 11/3/09 08:02:00
Price £14,995Power (claimed) 167bhp @ 10,250rpmTorque (claimed) 91lb.ft @ 8000rpmEngine 1195cc, 8v, dohc, 75° V-twinBore x stroke 105.0 x 69.0mmCompression ratio 13.5:1Fuel system 52mm fuel injectionTransmission six-speed, chainFrame chrome moly tube trellisFront suspension 43mm usd telescopic forks –adjustment preload, compression and reboundRear suspension monoshock–adjustment preload, two-speed compression, rebound and ride heightFront brake 320mm discs/4-piston radial calipersRear brake 220mm disc/2-piston caliperTyres front/rear 120/70 ZR17; 190/55 ZR17Dry weight 182kgWheelbase 1425mmRake/trail 23.3°/97mmSeat height 805/825mmFuel tank 16.5 litresInsurance 17Colours black/whiteAvailable from KTM, 01280 709500, www.ktm.co.uk
KTM What do you get if you take a 2008 RC8, add 47cc, ten bhp, a nicer gearbox, sweeter fuelling, £2360 and less orange paint? Welcome to the 2009 KTM RC8 R WoRds siMon HaRgReaVes pHoTogRapHy gaRy FReeMan and alessio BaRBanTi
Twelve months after KTM’s first big-bore sportsbike comes the R version. As well as a higher
spec, KTM say it fixes the issues
customers had with the RC8.
Sloppy gearbox? Fixed. Snatchy
fuelling? Sorted. More power,
vicar? Done. And the RC8’s
immaculate handling, sound
ergonomics and delightful
hardware detailing remain.
In a flooded pitlane at
Portugal’s Portimao circuit, the
R’s black finish is much cooler
and probably easier to keep
clean than the RC8’s orange,
and the R still has a brilliantly
flexible riding position. Two-way
adjustable pegs, subframe and
bars are much roomier than
Ducati’s cramped 1198, making
track work less tiring and road
riding relatively comfy.
The RC8’s 142bhp 75° V-twin
is an honest, flexible motor with
plenty of midrange. It matched
Ducati’s 1098 on peak power
but, with less top-end rush,
didn’t feel as fast. The R’s extra
47cc (wider bores) plus new,
high compresssion pistons and
more aggressive cams (with
slotted sprockets to let tuners
play with timing) completely
alter the bike’s character.
It’s now a beast, with
bludgeoning acceleration at any
throttle opening and a stunning
top end in the last few mm of
throttle travel. KTM claim
167bhp; feels like low-to-mid
150bhp at the wheel – enough to
keep pesky R1s in sight.
The delivery is so explosive it
makes controlling the R tricky in
the wet. Other riders complain
of a mid-rpm glitch which I don’t
notice, but I certainly notice a
sharp throttle pick-up which
takes concentration (and rear
brake) to keep smooth. It feels
like the R’s throttle response
hasn’t improved at all. Then I try
a bike fitted with a ‘street’
throttle, not the ‘race’ throttle
fitted as standard – it’s an
alternative, mechanical way of
shaping power delivery. Instead
of switchable power maps as per
Suzuki GSX-R and Yam R1, the
RC8 R comes with two throttle
tubes: the race throttle uses a
quick-action, circular pulley
which delivers linear travel while
the street throttle has a cam-
shaped pulley which opens at a
more gentle rate.
The difference is stark. With
the race throttle the R is harder
to ride smoothly, with the
smallest movement threatening
to have you on your ear. Fit the
street throttle (a five-minute job,
say KTM) and the R feels a
different bike. The transition
from shut to open becomes a
thought rather than an action,
and I can sense much more
accurately how much grip is
available. The transformation is
staggering. The challenge
becomes not merely staying
upright in the rain, but how fast
you can go. Which is the point.
As the track dries out, I ride
with more intent and the
difference between the two
throttles is less obvious – but I
still prefer the progressive one
(the race throttle is fitted as
standard, although KTM UK are
reviewing this).
The RC8’s gearbox has taken
stick – not positive enough, too
many false neutrals. Of three
bikes I’ve ridden, one had a
terrible box, one was fine, and
the other terrible until I adjusted
the shift lever to get more
leverage under it, after which it
was fine too. Which suggests
the problem is ergonomic.
Similarly, some launch RC8 Rs
are okay, some are not. On one,
I get the lever position lowered.
No more missed gears.
Steel trellis frame and alloy
swingarm are unchanged, but
geometry is tweaked with more
trail for greater steering stability.
Fully-adjustable WP forks and
shock use softer springs than
the RC8. Brembo Monobloc
calipers, 10-spoke forged wheels
and Pirelli Supercorsa tyres
complete the spec.
The R’s chassis is still
comfortably ahead of the game,
braking, steering and holding a
line with the same remote
control and intuitive mid-corner
suction as the old bike – only
with added speed. Stability isn’t
perfect – bumpy roads will have
its head nodding – but by Christ
it’s good everywhere else.
‘The R’s chassis is still ahead of the game, braking, steering and holding a line with remote control, intuitive mid-corner suction’
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mr
c8
r
On track, KTM are competing
in the 2009 German Superbike
Championship, which runs
relatively stock bikes. The
expense of World Supers will
only come when the factory are
ready. But various race kit parts
are available to anyone who
wants to club race the RC8 R,
from Akrapovic exhaust
systems, to slipper clutches (not
standard), to comprehensive
Superstock or Superbike kits.
And all at a price. The stock
RC8 R is £15,000, which puts it
in Ducati 1198S territory – which
is to say out of the reach of most
of us. The base RC8 will still sell
for £12,595.
KTM say although the UK is
the RC8’s biggest market,
they’re bringing in fewer bikes
than 2008 – recession and all
that. Thus we’ll get 175 RC8 Rs in
2009, and 100 stock RC8s. If
you can, sign up now.
024-025 BK MAY FR RC8 R CDP.indd 58 11/3/09 08:04:28
first ride
the rC8’s peerless handling and roomy riding position remain, but with muchos added power Below: Monobloc Brembos, fab detailing, bewildering multi-function instruments and thumb-able laptimer
024-025 BK MAY FR RC8 R CDP.indd 59 11/3/09 08:05:01
030 Bike
Every great undertaking starts
small. As winter bleeds away,
there’s no better time to get
intimate with a map. The Big
Plan is to get you involved with
Bike like never before. We want
this summer to be absolutely
filled with activities, events, trips,
stories and new experiences –
and we want you to share them.
So we are going to help you plan
a year of riding like no other,
we’re going to let you share it
A motorcycle is more than just an engine, wheels and a seat. A motorcycle is freedom – to be who you want to
be, go where you want and see things few other people can. Your bike is a gateway to a whole world of sights, sounds and stories you’d never experience from anywhere but the saddle. This summer is the time to see more than ever before.
Consider this our grand crusade – let Bike inspire you to get out there and do it all
words khal harris photography bike archive
y o u r b e s t s u m m e r o n a b i k e
030-034 BK MAY Busiest Summer.indd 30 11/3/09 14:27:21
Bike 31
with everyone else – and we’re
getting involved too.
Calling on their combined
years and miles of experience,
the Bike staff and contributors
have come up with a list of
nearly 200 essential events,
places to visit and activities to
get your started. Some are
obvious, others off-the-wall.
Many are easy; others will be the
trial of a lifetime. But this is just
the beginning. We want you to
add your own things to the list.
Think of something to do and
come back with great stories.
But remember to take photos...
We’re going to encourage
your adventures in two ways.
First, we’ll publish the best
stories, pictures and ideas in the
mag. At the end of the year, the
person who’s had the most
incredible year will get to tell
their story. We’ve set up a brand
new web forum, so you can
upload and share stories of your
travels, get together with and
offer advice to other like-
minded riders. We’ll be keeping
up to date with the best stories
and photos – and publishing the
cream of the crop in print.
This isn’t a competition to see
who can spend the most. We
won’t reward flash hotels and
flying bikes to exotic shores
over ingenuity and genuine
adventure. Flying to Morocco
and renting a bike is fantastic,
sticking a tent on the back of
your bike and riding over is even
better. To show how serious we
are about this, we’ll be joining in,
too. As the 2009 test fleet is
introduced this year, every
staffer will be scored and ranked
along with everyone else taking
part. Who knows, you might
even see us out on the road?
Here’s your starting point for
2009. Go fetch your map…
great escapethe
y o u r b e s t s u m m e r o n a b i k ewww.bikegreatescape.com
030-034 BK MAY Busiest Summer.indd 31 11/3/09 14:28:14
42 Bike
Bigger by kilometres than your average UK bike show, with jaw-dropping spectacles well beyond the usual showroom fare
January’s MotorBike Expo in Verona, Italy, was equal parts inspirational eye-opener and cultural slap in the face. The closest British equivalent to the MotorBike Expo is the MCN ExCeL Show. Both are held in January, but the Verona show is six times the size of the London show. Yes, the Expo houses de rigeur stands from the likes of Yamaha, Ducati and Triumph, plus the smaller Italian players. But it’s also a showcase of Italy’s huge aftermarket parts business and specials-building artisans. There are dirt bike stands and a large buzzing Yamaha owners’ club zoo, with each sub-species – V-Max, Tenere, XJR – having its own hutch. The final, colourful piece of the jigsaw is the custom bike and kustom culture scene that takes up twice the room of the ExCel Show by itself.
The MotorBike Expo unifies motorcycling when, so often, it is dissected into ever tinier, more specialised niches. Here tribes, interests and influences cross-germinate so handsome mongrels and half-breeds develop.
I’m not an habitual Brit knocker, but when it comes to events there are very few the British do better than our Euro cousins. There are a handful (see box on p46), but doesn’t our rich heritage deserve more?
For a decade, this show was in Padova (Padua) but for some bizarre reason a rival show was set up at Padova the very same weekend and, by all accounts, still made a good fist of it. But there was only one winner. Everything about the Verona show is upbeat. Well, except the stand-off between the two biggest groups of Hell’s Angels and Outlaws I’ve ever seen.
At most UK shows you’re paying to see bikes that will be in a local dealers next week. There are some specials and classics, but not on this scale. Here, the whole show seemed geared up to bring bikes and characters out of the woodwork and under one roof. And hundreds of dealers followed them.
words gary inman PhotograPhy by ben Part
Motorbike Expo, Verona
The Crossover Kingmarcus walz is the german behind hardcore Choppers, a company that makes the €100,000 fat-tyred monstrosities/works of art (depending on your outlook) bought by the likes of Kimi räikkönen and david Coulthard. ‘whenever i build a bike like this for myself someone wants to buy it,’ says marcus. it’s easy to see why. overall they’re subtly modified but virtually every line has been cleaned. the ascari, based on a Paul smart 1000, is my favourite. ‘it has PVm wheels, brembo monoblocs, Öhlins suspension, walzwerk pipe, V-rod headlight…’ €33,000 in case you were wondering.
The guzzi godin most countries, admitting you like moto guzzis has a stigma on a par with a dinner party blurt about your predilection for dressing in a nappy. but i’m loud and proud. stumbling on guzzi royalty had me squirting a tiny dribble into my Pampers. Filippo barbacane, from Pescara, has built some the world’s most beautiful and whacked-out guzzis. his latest project, diamante, is a griso with a heavily-modified gilera CX single-sided front end, millepercento liquid-cooled heads, a new tank under the seat, and 1420cc. that kooky, all-to-cock engine produces 140 italian stallions. barbacane explains. ‘when we italians are little we see Ferrari, Lamborghini, bimota, guzzi. we’re taught that motorcycles have heart.’
The iConoClasTsducati desmosedicis don’t come in blue. ‘mr bursi has completely modified this ducati,’ says anna. the new owner of bursi evolution is an urbane italian named walter Panella. he takes up the story. ‘the forks and brakes are now much better. it has a new exhaust and eCU, new seat and carbon body panels. we couldn’t put a price on this bike.’ ‘it was built by mr bursi,’ anna explains, before adding. ‘he has no wife or kids.’
On Any Sunday
042-046 BK MAY On any sunday.indd 30 11/3/09 08:17:52
‘We couldn’t put a price on this bike. It was built by Mr Bursi,’ Anna explains, before adding. ‘He has no wife or kids’
Bike 43
Clockwise from top:Dino Romano and his dirt track style Hinckley Bonneville; The Bursi Desmosedici; Walter Panella of iconoclasts, Bursi Evolution; Guzzi God Filippo Barbacane; Crossover king Marcus Walz plays it cool. Opposite: Mr Martini’s Matty Triumph; Barbacane’s Diamante Guzzi Griso; The Bursi Desmosedici
042-046 BK MAY On any sunday.indd 31 11/3/09 08:18:27
getting thereWe rode to Verona (see Bike, April 09), but if you book a flight before Christmas this year, it’ll cost you buttons.
it’s hard to recommend riding there. Verona is 750 miles from Calais. in January. if you’re in a hurry, France is a bore, Switzerland is fun (you don’t hear that phrase very often) and italy is tedious. it’s also far more expensive riding than flying. Verona is near Venice and there are a bunch of budget airports. hotels can be had for €40 a night. two days at the show isn’t too long.>For more details see,www.motorbikeexpo.it
Mr MArtiniNo one builds Hinckley specials like Nicola (stop sniggering) Martini. His love of the British brand is so heart-warming it makes me want to buy an old Adventure, a hacksaw and a Union Jack T-shirt. Prior to the Verona show, he’d given a whistle and a pack of his custom creations came running to heel, already polished and ready for display. Martini runs
a Triumph dealership in Verona but adds spice, and interest, by creating one-offs. He’s so sure it brings business to his shop he keeps building them. Not really occurred in Britain, has it? Then, listen to this for a radical idea – he rides them. ‘I rode to Ace Café and the Brighton Rockers Reunion three years ago,’ says Martini with a smile, patting the mixed media streetfighter he took. ‘I love England. It is beautiful.’
italy has gone crazy for the kustom lifestyle. the furry fella is Luca of Chops 76; below, with petrol tank, is Alessio of Los Scorpione. he and his brother built a chop, including welding and grinding, on their stand over the three days of the show; also pictured, the Walz hypermotard tosa 1100r and Mr Martini Super Cooper 900.
042-046 BK MAY On any sunday.indd 33 11/3/09 08:20:00
BRILLIANT BRITISH BIKE EVENTSWe have lots of good ones, but the ones we truly trump the world at are...
THE ISLE of MAN TTIncomparable festival on a beautiful island that actually likes motorcycles and lets riders take ridiculous liberties. Don’t listen to the jaded journos spout. Some would rather be at home watching a DVD and feeding the cat its medicine. Go to the TT or live a life of regret.
GooDwooD Both the festival of Speed and Revival. The former has a hillclimb (that no bikes take seriously) and incredible bikes and cars to stare at. The other has a classic bike race, taken very seriously, at a toff’s fancy dress. The setting, the attention to detail, the history, all so British. Very heavy on the corporate sponsors but someone has to pay for it.
REAL RoAD RAcESThe antipodeans have a good go, but they can’t hold a candle to the nerve-jangling, heart-in-mouth, eyes-on-stalks spectacle of Irish road racing (Northern Ireland is GB and Eire is included for this argument). Photographs give a taste, but few things compare to the sight of a pack of six BSB battling for the same piece of country lane.
There was also a rockabilly band and Eve champagne – a burlesque dancer with a modesty bypass. It’s what the NEc is missing
46 Bike
VERoNA SHow
THE oPTIMIST‘Doom,’ says Japan. ‘Gloom,’ says America. ‘We are quite ’appy about the situation,’ says Gianluca Lanaro, Moto Morini’s sales director. Excuse me? ‘We are small. We are scheduled to make 1500 bikes in 2009 and we have already sold them all. Moto Morini build motorcycles with passion for people with passion.
These people will always find the money to buy a bike.’ And looking at the studiously rugged types making goo-goo eyes at Morini’s tricked up, black-on-black Scrambler you can believe him. I was expecting a story about a company ready to board up its windows and left elated that they’re in a confident mood.
KING KERoSINOne corner of the six halls the show inhabits belongs to the King Kerosin collective. KK is a clothing brand trading heavily on the flavour du jour kustom kulture vibe. The stand, as you’d expect, has a huge market stall of black T-shirts covered in skulls, skeletons and sailor tattoo artwork, dark denim and chain wallets. But the stand also had a rockabilly band and a customised hot tub (permanently full of half-cut, tattooed hangers-out). And there was also Eve Champagne – a burlesque dancer with a modesty bypass. She’s pictured above. That photo was taken at 10.45am. It’s what the NEC is missing…
042-046 BK MAY On any sunday.indd 34 11/3/09 08:20:44
years of the superbike
62 Bike
062-066 bk may CARPY.indd 62 11/3/09 12:51:05
Bike 63
Steve ‘Carpy’ Carpenter is proof that Barry Sheene had the right idea.
Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet it. Carpy’s been swimming for nine years.
A former London bike courier, he says he ‘got sick of the cold and
wet, after 25 years of it,’ so sold up and moved to Australia.
‘I loved Aus but it was too bloody hot.’ So he moved to California in 2000 and things started happening. ‘I rented the house I’m still in from day one. A bunch of hot rodders used to live here and there was no furniture, except a seat from a ’50 Ford. When the owner of it moved out, he needed the seat so he could move the car and I was left with nothing to sit on.’
Having a few quid to see him through, Carpy tried his hand at different jobs. ‘I started
It took a Londoner to reintroduce the cafe racer into Californian consciousness. And now he’s building them for punk rock royalty
café california
words gary inman PhotograPhy fly
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78 Bike
Okay, we know. There will be an old fella in the corner who’ll argue that BSA’s Gold Star or some such proper bike was the first true race replica, but here at Bike our Cresta (‘it’s frothy man’) rotted brains only go back to the early ’70s and in our world the race replica starts with Yamaha’s iconic LC and finishes with whatever is floating our boats this Tuesday. The following pages are a simple reminder of how far we’ve come and how we got here. In that time racing has changed enormously and road-based replicas have moved on too. That 140bhp, sticky-tyred, hi-tech 2008 GSX-R750 you just walked past in the bike park would have probably been quick enough to win a WSB championship 20 years ago. Though maybe with someone other than me riding it.
> Yamaha RD250LC35bhp, 141kg, 103mph+ ride on L-plates- someone told Maggie
1979
1980 Yamaha RD350LC44bhp, 145kg, 115mph+ faster than a superbike...- ...but not for long
1981 Honda CB1100R120bhp, 235kg, 143mph+ built to win, no expense spared- Japan’s least reliable superbike
1984 Yamaha RD500lc88bhp, 173kg, 148mph+ the only V4 two-stroke- Not as crazy as we’d hoped for
1985 Suzuki RG50095bhp, 156kg, 150mph+ closer than you’d think- 14mpg, 16in wheels, scraped like a cruiser
Yamaha said it was a TZ on the road and charged almost twice as much as a discounted Suzuki X7. Most of us thrashed, crashed and learned about bike theft on ours and have spent the last five years trying to buy it back.
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102 Bike
years of the superbike
Got an email from the editor yesterday, ‘Do you remember doing 200mph on the first Hayabusa?’
Stupid question. Even when I’m dribbling soup down my shirt in the old folks’ home I bet that’s one of the precious memories that’ll be on constant loop in what’s left of my mind.
1999. In those pre-GPS/datalogging days, all our performance testing was done on Bruntingthorpe’s two-mile long, 60-metre wide straight, designed to launch wartime bombers and 1950s Lightning jets into the blue, now used as a test track. I spent a lot a lot of time there in the 1990s. We used custom-built timing lights placed on pre-painted marks on the right-hand side of the runway, doing quarter-miles first: break a beam to start the clock, break another to start the terminal speed trap, break a third to stop both clocks. For the top speed runs we usually howled through the
whole lot, but on that day there was a very, very strong cross tailwind from the left, and in the quest to squeeze the absolute max from the Suzuki and its rivals I was waiting until the last moment to let the wind blow me across the runway, and hoping I didn’t misjudge it and wipe out the lights as I screamed past.
It was a strategy that worked fine with the Blackbird (186.5mph, faster than expected, maybe thanks to new fuel injection and engine mods), made no difference to the R1 (178mph but hitting the rev limiter long before the lights) and utterly, completely terrifying on the ZZ-R1100 (186.1mph and needing a huge dose of counter-steer to keep it from veering off into the ploughed field a few yards to the right – they were always horrible in sidewinds).
And so to the Hayabusa. A couple of hours earlier it had pumped out 160bhp at the rear wheel on the dyno,
by the late 1990s there were few superbike milestones left to topple. the double ton was one we had to have words kevin raymond PhotograPhy chiPPy wood>
h a y a b u s ah a y a b u s ah a y a b u s a
200200200mph
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Bike 103
years of the superbike
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years of the superbike
104 Bike
>A brief history of speed (and the things that made them happen)
comprehensively stamping on the others by at least 20bhp and seriously out-torquing them as well. Now it was time to see if its much-vaunted aerodynamics could translate that into pure speed. A few runs showed mid to high one-nineties with the promise of more to come. One last try.
Round the back of the airfield, warming tyres and then carrying as much corner speed as possible through the long, fast, bumpy 180 degree right-hander onto the main straight, drifting all the way out to the left and getting as much speed up as possible as the bike climbed the ramp up to the slight crest halfway down the straight. With about half a mile to the lights, the cross/tailwind really kicked in as the trees thinned out on the left and then disappeared. At that point the speedo was reading 200mph, and there was still a gear to go... Click up. Now it was a downhill, wind-assisted slingshot to the lights – time to see if moving around the bike would smooth out the airflow.
One eye on the rev counter, and trying every speed-testing trick I knew, from arse-in-the-air jump-jockey silliness (as used on the Blackbird to good effect) to completely tucked-in 80cc GP racer style, with the latter winning by a couple of hundred precious rpm. The last hundred rpm came with a subtle raise of the shoulders a second or so before the speed trap – details matter at well over three miles a minute.
This is the sort of stuff few people ever have the time or the incentive to explore but I’d learnt at the feet of a master – the late, great John Robinson. I’d spent a decade honing those skills and
I was, frankly, damn good at it.Through the lights and
I knew it was as good as it was going to get – reading 215mph on the speedo, kissing the redline, feeling effortless, stable, no drama – and if it
hadn’t bust 200 on that run then it wasn’t worth trying again. I didn’t know the rest of the guys were jumping up and down yelling at a readout of 200.2mph – I was hard, hard on the brakes, the Hayabusa’s suspension compressed over the rutted blocks of concrete, a serious test of braking control on the limit and all part of our normal Bruntingthorpe test process. Then a cooling lap before I caught up with the celebrations. Bloody hell – 200mph.
After the euphoria had died down and the photos came back from the developers (no digi cameras then...) someone noticed that the timing lights had been due a calibration check months earlier. That and the fact that none of the other mags cracked the double ton led some to doubt if we’d done it in the first place. But... the calibration was a formality; that particular bike was best of breed (press bikes are always good, but sometimes they’re better than good, if you know what I mean); the tailwind was worth a hefty dollop of speed (witness the ZZ-R hitting the same elevated top speed as the Blackbird) and JR’s tutelage meant I could make the most of it (Bike’s road tester at the time – demon road rider and Manx and TT racer Martin Child – was a full 5mph slower). The clincher for me was that on that final run it was hitting the redline in top – I never got another one anywhere near that.
So, did the Hayabusa really do 200mph? Everyone else’s might not have, but that one did....
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 205
1969 Honda CB750 >124mph >Triumph’s Trident was almost as fast
1990 Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 >170mph >Slippery bodywork and ram-air induction system
1972 Kawasaki Z1 900 >134mph >DOHC and 167 extra cc. Wobble at 125
1996 Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird >175mph >Engineers wore 300kph (187mph) T-shirts at launch
1978 Honda CBX1000 >135mph >1st 100bhp bike, unaerodynamic inline six
1999 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa >200.2mph >20bhp more than the Bird but 25mph faster
1984 Kawasaki GPZ900R >150mph >105bhp, 16 valves and water-cooling, full fairing
2006 MV F4 312R >187mph >MV claim the unrestricted 312 will hit 312kph (195mph). We only manage 187
1989 Yamaha FZR1000R >161mph >130bhp, 20-valve engine, first bike over 160mph
2007 Suzuki GSX-R750 >171mph >First 750 to top 170mph
2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 >172.3mph >First 600 to top 170mph
Through the lights and i knew it was as good as it was going to get – reading 215mph, kissing the redline
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