Bike May 09

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.


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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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.


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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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


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.


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…


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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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


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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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