Fast Bikes - November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015 ISSUE 307

LIFESADtHe H2R on tHe s

HONDA

PLus: FuLL Gas! Get FasteR, GeRossis HoMe toWn taLes FRoMHoPPeR RaCinG in BsB is CostiPRoduCt sPeCiaL WondeRFuL WHe

MARTINSRIDEBaLListiC tt RaCeR on tRaCk

BRitisHBuiLtRaCeR

HONDARC213V-SHRCs MotoGPBike WitH LiGHts

001 FBK Nov Cover 26/09/2015 08:52 Page 1

002 adverts FB NOV 25/09/2015 11:11 Page 2

B I K E S

32 Built from the Ground up, this drmoto is one hell of a Bike... 46 its amazinG What you see When youGo off to a strip shoW...

70 Gas it, W**ker! skills to open thetaps sooner and harder!

MOTOGP ROAD RACER24 HONDA RC213V-S

LEFTFIELDHarley-Davidson Street 750. . . . . . 12lefteld is back, and as wacky as ever!

LAUNCHHonda RC213V-S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24the wait is over, honda nally produces amotoGp replica for the road. But is it anygood and is it worth 188,000?!

RIDDENKawasaki H2R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40finding somewhere to ride the astonishingh2r is tricky. luckily, the one place whereits legal also has timing lights...

RIDDENTyco BMW S 1000 RR . . . . . . . . . . . 48We take Guy martins tt bike for a spin. notat the isle of man, but the slightly sanerspanish circuit of valencia. shell be reet!

LAUNCHMaxxis Supermaxx ST . . . . . . . . . . 56new sports touring rubber given an absolutepasting on track and road.

60 We pay a visit to tavullia, home of acertain valentino rossi...

004 Contents 29/09/2015 09:26 Page 4

Contents

NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 5

ITS THE NEWSUpfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The new crop of 2016 starts to show up!

GEARED UPProducts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20We round up some spanking new wheels,plus lots more new kit to drool over...

GET IT FIRSTSubscribe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Winners get it on their doorstep early!

THE KNOWLEDGEUsed Buyers Guide . . . . . . . . . . 84Fancy a Ducati Desmosedici? Best readabout the rather expensive servicing...

MASTERCLASSESRiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Guru Keith Code on setting up for turns.

Technical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Getting the best from your drive chain...

Legal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Our brief on the ner points of the law...

YOUR LIFE ON BIKESChatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Why would you drill a hole in your hand?

Travel and Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . 100The best rides and tracks in the world!

OUR LIFE IN BIKESStaff Bikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Another busy month of bolting bits on,taking to the track and riding some of thebest machines ever invented!

ISSUE 307 NOVEMBER 2015

BUY FB GEARFASTBIKESMAG.COM

TYCO BMW S 1000 RR TANKED!

48GUYS RIDE

WWW. F A S T B I K E SM A G . C OM

FEATUREDR MOTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

MotoGP machine made in MK?

FEATURETAVULLIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60We make a pilgramage to Rossis home

FEATUREMcGUINNESS OFF ROAD . . . . . 76OK, so hes alright at the TT, but whatsMcPint like in the dirt. Oh, quite good...

4400H2R ON THE STRIP

Yamaha YZF-R1Suzuki GSX-S1000FKawasaki ZX-10R

MV Agusta F3 800Triumph 675Ducati Scrambler

RACE SECTIONPit Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114All bow down to our new worldchampion, Jonathan Rea!

Race Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Hopper is back in Blighty, under paid,under pressure and changing nappies!

COLUMNISTSClive Padgett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124A successful season comes to a close...

Gary Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Gaz has a spifng time at Goodwood!

Chaz Davies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Another few wins will do very nicely!

Steve Parrish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Another entertaining month for Stavros...

004 Contents 29/09/2015 09:27 Page 5


Fast Bikes didnt get an invite to HondasRCV launch. In fact, no one in the UK bikepress apart from the chip wrapper got aninvite. Instead of taking magazines whose readersreally wanted to know about this amazing road-legal MotoGP bike, Honda took some bloke whoworks for Saga and the motoring correspondent ofthe Daily Telegraph. So your Nan will know all aboutthe Hondas Moto GP heritage, but we wereworried that she might not be able to see past theheadline power gures of 159bhp (or roughly1000/bhp) and appreciate just how special theRCV really is beneath the beautiful carbon bre.Plenty of internet experts have had a lot of tosh tosay about the RCV based on nothing but thoseheadline gures.

Now, here at Fast Bikes we know better thanthat.We were there in the glory days of WSB andthe Foggy/Hizzy TT era when blokes with way moretalent than well ever possess did unbelievablethings on public roads with a lot less than 159bhp.And, the RCV actually represents phenomenalvalue-for-money compared to the customer RCVracer which works out about 4,000/bhp anddoesnt even have a sidestand, mirrors orindicators. And, lets not even think about howmuch extra you have to pay just to lease a worksbike to get the nal extra 25bhp. Compared to allthat the road bike is a, er, bargain.

Hondas 150,000 asking price for the RCV buysyou a bespoke, hand built state-of-the-art racingmotorcycle with the absolute best in currentchassis design anywhere. And that stuff costs a lotmore money than horsepower and shaves a lotmore seconds off a lap time.

So lets try and see past the headline gures andlove the RCV for what it is.Without an invite to theEuropean press launch Fast Bikes had to lookoverseas for a rider with an invite who could do thebike justice. Thankfully we know a bloke calledZack, who writes for American magazineMotorcyclist. American Honda decided to leave theinsurance salesmen at home and invite properriders instead and so you can read what Zackthought of the RCV on page 24.

Have another great month onwhatever youre riding!

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ED I TORSimon Rootsy [email protected]

DEPUTY ED I TORBenjamin BJ Kubas [email protected]

CONTR I BUTORAlastair A-Force [email protected]

AD MANAGERCharlie The Sheriff Oakman

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A MEMBER OF THEAUDIT BUREAU OF

CIRCULATIONS

Print 13,230Digital 2,027The ABC combined print and digitalpublication circulation for January December 2014 is

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2424Honda RC213V-S.

Worth every penny?

007 Editorial 26/09/2015 09:12 Page 7

8 NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

and the gearbox and ratios arespanking new, too.A lighter crankshaft reduces

inertial push and also helps speedup handling. Aiding that are newgas-charged, balance-free Showaforks, with a likewise speccedShowa rear shock. Both top andtail a revised frame and thewheels are even lighter thanbefore. Monster Brembo M50brakes biting on whopping330mm discs slow the show,featuring ABS and a newintelligent anti-locksystem. Theres also anelectronichlinssteeringdamper toboot.

It utilises a Bosch IMU (InertialMeasurement Unit) running via6-degrees, ve of which aremeasured, and one calculated.This works with the TC and thethrottle valves, incorporating acornering management system.TC is new and has ve-levels,there are three riding modes,engine braking can be altered, ithas launch control and (yippee!)a quick-shifter.Then theres the race kit! This

can actuate the down-shifter anda whole host of other features viaa new ECU, and could make it

the track day bike of yourdreams. And wehavent evenmentioned the newaerodynamics yet. They

say this isnt new, but itmay as well be and wevebarely touched on its fullarmoury. Prices are TBC,but who cares? We wantone now!

NewKawasakiZX-10R!We'vewaited, and here it finally is in all its angry green glory...

Kawasaki teased this bikenot long ago, and teasedus rotten but now sheshere, the new ZX-10R. Lets getright down to business, Kawasakilook to have taken a leaf out ofAprilias book and tweaked it withtheir own trademark take onsuper sportsbikes. What yourebasically looking at then, is a roadlegal WSB machine hallelujah!Its not a ground-up new machine,its a derivative of the one thatsbeen out for four years but there isso much new and improved, itmay as well come wrapped andtied with a bow.Power is claimed to be around

207bhp with ram-air, whichshould equate to around 185-190bhp at the wheel which isbang in its rivals arena andmaybe a bit more. The extra

boom comes from new camproles and a redesignedcombustion chamber, shorterpistons, revised cylinder headports and larger-diameter valves,while the airbox has a far greatervolume for more bang.Now, one of the big items is

the electronic throttle valveswhich allows the ECU to controlhow much fuel and air isdelivered to the engine. Thisworks in tandem with the new S-KTRC traction-control systemwhich could possibly mean thisbike will be a twin or a triplethrough and exiting corners and afull blown four on the straights,just like in WSB. But, we wontknow for sure until we ride it,and could just be dreaming! Italso features secondaryinjectors for top-end push

008 Up Front 29/09/2015 11:53 Page 8


By the time you read this, well have had ourrst shot on the most powerful MonsterDucati has ever made. The new 1200 Rversion turns things up to 11 over theMonster S in a number of important areas. Fora start, it uses what Ducati are calling the Rversion of the Testastretta 11-degree motor,meaning a 10 per cent hike in power over theestablished brothers in the Monster 1200family. Ducati is claiming 160bhp, thoughstresses that itll still have the manners to dothe morning commute. The extra mumbocomes from a wider exhaust and highercompression ratio. We like it already!

Other factors that justify the R are moreground clearance, a 200-section rear tyre, newhlins suzzies (fat 48mm forks and a newshock), and separate rider and pillion pegs.Add to that three spoke forged wheels, a newtailpiece and carbon trinkets and youve gotyourself a bike that weighs in at 180kg, dry.

BAG IT UPDaineses D-Air system has notched up 1,000deployments, and to celebrate (surely tocommiserate, thats 1,000 crashes Ed), theItalian rm has created the Misano 1000. This isa new leather jacket that is the companys rststand alone system, ergo it allows you to jumpon and off any bike, without the proprietysoftware installed on the bike.

This has required more programming, and thepackaging of the six sensors and GPS gubbins tobe hidden into the back protector. Whenactivated, a uniform ination of 5cm covers thetorso, protecting the body in the process. Withthe system checking 800 times a second, this ishigh-grade technology, and can detect whether itshould be deployed or not.

Speaking to Dainese big cheese Cristiano Silei,its clear that this is just the start, This system isdesigned to hug the body, but we think that wecan go beyond the motorcycle here. We have ajacket for the skiing, but we are also looking atother applications, like to protect children onschool buses. World domination awaits...

1: Fracture from a rider wearing D-Air15: Years in development26: Patents on the system354: Racing deployments553: Racing crashes, the system doesnt triggerduring minor offs800: Times a second it checks sensors15,000: hours of data recorded500,000: kilometres ridden to establish reliability

D-AIR INNUMBERS

THE RIVALS

UP FRONT

MV Brutale 1090 RR158bhp inline four, massivelygrunty but supplied with morestandard Sachs suspension.

BMW S 1000 RAnother 160bhp naked, packedwith electronic gizmos, butlacking in the style department.

Aprilia Tuono V41100An utter rocketship, theMonster R will have its work cutout when faced with this.

MV Agusta has announced that the RC (Reparto Corse) project, that rst saw the light of day in F4 1000form, is going to be adopted by the F3 range, too. That means that a very limited edition of 100 of thesmaller 675 bikes will be launched, alongside 250 of the F3 800 RC bikes. Until Jules Cluzel spanneredhimself at Jerez, the Italian manufacturer had a real shot at theworld supersport title, and while the Frenchmans injuriesscuppered his assault, the fact that the MV supersportbike is competitive is worthy of celebration.

But while the F4 RC is a true WSB homologationspecial, with super trick suspension, brakes,electronics and a dollop more power, these newsmaller RCs have none of the special extras asidefrom the factory paintjob, race numbers and asquiggle from the teams riders. Thats a bit of ashame, because MV could have a pair ofsensational machines on its hands if it suppliedthese bikes with trick suspension and a souponmore power as were seeing with our longtermer!

NEWDUCATIMONSTER 1200 R

MVF3STURNRC...

Now thats more like it!

Oooff!

008 Up Front 29/09/2015 11:37 Page 9


THEGRIDOFNEWSWhos qualiedwhere in thismonths news race?

JUSTNOT CRICKET Thanks to BT Sport having to fork outgazillions to watch European footballerswrithe in agony after being barely touched,MotoGP is now no longer free when youbuy a broadband package. Those with BTnow have to pay an extra ver a month,leaving many that signed up specicallybecause it was free somewhat miffed. Atthe time of the deal, BT boss Ian Livingstonsaid, Many have been priced out of themarket but we will change this by givingaway BT Sport for free with our broadband.Sports fans are the winners today. Howquickly times change...

YAMAHA YZF-R1-M If you either didnt believe the hype, orcouldnt muster over 18k together to buyyourself an R1M this year, then youll beglad to hear that Yamaha is opening is thetaps again to produce some 2016 models.The deal is the same as last year, meaningyou have to apply to buy the bike beforegetting it and the Yamaha RidingExperience that goes with it. Theapplication process is available now, sohead to yre.yamaha-motor.eu for more info.

DUCATIDIAVELCARBON2016 We all love a Diavel here at Fast Bikes,and for 2016 Ducati is releasing a slightlytweaked machine in Carbon form. Availablenow, the 162bhp bike has new Zirotecceramic coating on the exhaust manifolds,a new seat and fresh colours. Forgedwheels are also new, and feature anexposed machined nish that look veryhandsome indeed. Nowt to make you wantto chop in your old one, but all verywelcome nonetheless

WHEELIE IMPRESSIVE Perennial wheelie puller Gary Rothwell hasbroken the 200mph barrier on one wheel.The previous world wheelie record stood at199.4mph, set by Dutch stunt rider EgbertVan Popta, and at Elvingtons Autumn SpeedTrials Van Popta upped that to a sensational205.4mph. But that gure was usurped byRothwell on his Jack Frost prepared 540bhpTurbo Hayabusa, scoring an incredible209.8mph and setting a new record that onlya maniac would consider challenging

INDY OUT After eight years (wow, where did thetime go), Indianapolis is now no longer onthe MotoGP calendar. This ends aprotracted on-off debate over the future ofthe event, which has never really taken offin the way it was hoped. The decline ofAmerican riders hasnt helped the event,nor has seeing the stands half empty. Thelatter is a little unfair given the stadiumscapacity to hold 400,000, but the 67,000that turned up on race day this year stillmade the place look empty. When will wenext see an extra GP on American soil?

FREENATIONALMCMUSEUMDAY If youve not been to the NationalMotorcycle Museum, then you really need tohead to Brum to visit it. And what better timeto do so when its free! The museum isopening its doors to all on the 31st ofOctober and you wont pay a dime to get in.Not only this, but King (of the Jungle) CarlFogarty and JamieWhitham will be doing astage show, there will be an indoorautojumble and non riders will be able to trya bike with training sessions offered on theday. Go to www.thenmm.co.uk for more.

210mph on one wheel...

Get yer wallet out...

Bye bye, Indy!

Quite the pair...

More R1Ms? Yay! Freshly fettled

008 Up Front 29/09/2015 11:38 Page 10

Like any self-respecting manufacturer ofthe modern age, Harley-Davidson isgunning 4 da kidz. A quick squiz onWikipedia shows that half of the worldspopulation is under 30, emerging markets arebooming and that urbanisation is goingbananas. So with that in mind, are four billionpeople about to rush out and buy Harleysnew entry level machine, the Street 750? Onthe evidence presented by a day on the bikearound the pork pie capital of the UK, MeltonMowbray, the answer is probably not.But Harley isnt after four billion sales

hitting four gures in the UK would be nice,and that seems perfectly achievable given thata) this is a Harley-Davidson, like fromAmerica and everything, and b) it costs just5,795. Harley-Davidson likes to put thatprice another way, namely 79 a month (afteryouve stuck down a 999 deposit) on its PCPscheme, and even wed admit that given thestrong residuals Harleys always achieve, thatsounds like proper good value to us.But that dont mean a thing if the Street 750

cant sing, and this is where even we startraising an eyebrow. Thanks to ditching theair-cooled 883 motor as the initial point forreconnaissance into all things Harley, the new749cc liquid cooled v-twin is somewhat of arevelation. The old motor used to rattle in itsframe more than produce genuine forwardmomentum, but the same cant be said of thislump. Its smooth (the balancer shaft doingsterling work here), the fuelling is half-decentand its capable of producing respectablespeeds. Add to that a gearbox that doesnt

require a rat-catchers stamp to get it intogear, over 8,000 revs to play with and a lightand easy to operate clutch, and youve gotyourself a propulsion unit to be proud of.The rest of the bike, however, doesnt quite

live up to the standard that the engine has set,and its easy to see where the Americanaccountants have cut corners. As ever, dontexpect much from the braking and suspensiondepartment. Although the suzzies are animprovement on the bone-shaking units of old(read last year), were not talking about gas-charged forks or titanium nitriding here.Theyre merely units that connect the chassisto the wheels, though better equipped fortaking on potholes than before. Similarly, thesingle front caliper, though developed withBrembo, has the bite of an anorexic although it can be argued that in this regard itsuits the package almost perfectly.Elsewhere, the bike uses nuts, bolts and

screws of almost agricultural standards, thenish of the basic swingarm and top yolk areone up from a rattle can and newspaper andthe Michelin Screamer II tyres offer about asmuch traction as Bronco paper in an dodgyIndian restaurants khazi.But much of this may be deliberate. Harley-

Davidsons research shows that nearly 90 percent of owners customise their bikes, andwhat better incentive to buy one of the near10,000 accessories in the catalogue than bysupplying something a bit shoddy in the rstplace. The bike has some attractive angles, ofthat theres no doubt, but the arse end looksold and ready for an instant transformation

while some of the plastic parts will bewhipped off and replaced by something farmore suitable by any owner worth his salt.Riding-wise, its not bad. The funny-sized

front wheel means you need to steer notcounter-steer into some slow corners, andits hardly an RSV4 RF, but a day out on it isnot without its enjoyment. The riding positionis very easy, the seat all-day comfortable andit feels relatively balanced. Take into accountits limitations grip, ground clearance, stability and youll go nowhere fast, but at leastyoull be doing it with a smile on your face.Sure, lots of short cuts have been taken

theres no clock for Gawds sake but Harleysee this as a starting point both in the ridingand the customisation stakes. Somesensational tricked up specials have emergedwith the Street 750 as its base, and the looksand diversity of them are stunning. Thatsnothing you could accuse the standard bikeof, but all Harley is doing here is supplyingthe blue-print its up to you to do the rest.

FEATURE

Harley-DavidsonStreet750The big H-D hopes to hook a new generation of theworlds bikers with a new blank canvas of a bike

Optional lump ofwood for the standnot included...

RIDING THE LESS SPORTING WAIFS AND STRAYS

R TRAYS

012 LeftField 29/09/2015 09:24 Page 12

XXXXXXXXLEFTFIELD


DUCATI SCRAMBLER 6,995The hipster hit of 2015, Ducati has hit the nail onthe head by offering bang-on looks with easydynamics and a most un-Ducati like price.

KAWASAKI VULCANS 5,945Spocks bike of choice isnt out of this world, butthe Vulcan is unoffensive enough if youre intothat sort of thing. Which were not.

YAMAHAMT-07 5,199Bar far the most brilliant bike at this price point. Itmay not boast the Harleys looks or heritage, butbollocks to all that because it rocks!

HighlightsL/C 749cc motorSix speed gearboxLightest H-D frameSportster suzzies59bhp208kg

TRACK 2Pegs will be destroyed!

FAST ROAD 5The motors eager...

HOOLIGAN 1No ABS means skids!

NEW RIDER 8Low seat, low power.

DESIRABILITY 4If it oats your boat...

Verdict 5/10Surprisingly enjoyable on the hoof but theres still alot to be desired, namely in the catalogue! CHEAP, CHEERFUL, MODERN MOTOR SOFT, SQUIDGY, CHEAP FINISH

HIPSTER RIVALSNot taking the bait? Here are some alternatives for you, er, alternative types

Nice motor, OK looks,passable dynamics...

012 LeftField 29/09/2015 09:25 Page 13

UPfrontUPfront

MotoPhoto

Words

and

Pic

:Jonny

gaW

ler

Mr G reveals some unexpected anglescan be fruitful so long as they'refocused on an unexpectedmachine...

Heres a bike that takes acouple of walks aroundbefore you start to feellike youve taken it all in. Thesporty cruiser version of ArielsAce looks amazing no matterwhere you stand, but I ended upat the rear three-quarter as adecent way to show as much ofits engineering intrigue as ispossible in one view.

The list of visual amuse-bouches is a long one, and anextra helping of fascinationcomes from the way the design ofthe functioning mechanicalsmakes it so compelling to lookaround it. When you get reallyclose, some parts reveal a littleabout the process by which theywere made; so its not just a lumpof thing, its a very special itemcrafted by actual people.

Its also an angle that worksreally well as a bike-to-biketracking shot. I dont often dothis. Its pretty tedious, few bikeswarrant (or look good) being shotfrom this close with a wide-angle

lens, and showing a supersportsbike perambulating in a straightline is largely pointless. With thisimposing sculpture showcase,however, it all comes together.We get the trellis frame, industrialstrength girder front end, frontand rear shocks, single sidedswingarm, 1,237cc motor andbespoke pipe, and that uniquerear end. And Als showing us allthis when he just thought he wasriding along at 50mph whilediligently keeping to the left.

The big win here though is thatwe end up on the throttle-handside of the bike and were headedleft-to-right, which wereprogrammed to read as thepositive direction, or towardswhat happens next. Which, onbeautiful day like this, must bethat hand cracking open thethrottle creating the V4s fruityblare that gradually fades intodistance. Beautiful stuff.

Nikon D300s, 12mm,1/200th sec at f11, ISO 200.

14 NOVEMbEr 2015 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

014 Moto photo 23/09/2015 16:16 Page 14


Moto photo

014 Moto photo 23/09/2015 16:17 Page 15

UPFRONT

TheBol isBackW o r d s : r o o t s y P i c s : y a m a h a , K a W a s a K i , h o n d a , s u z u K i

easy awayNow thats what we call a competitive grid. TheSRC Kawasaki team qualied on pole, but behindthe French Kwak team sat a pair of Yamaha R1s,the Louth-based Honda team, SERT on theSuzuki and then two BMW squads. Other exoticmachines were few and far between, but therewas a Metiss bike, a Ducati Panigale R and thelast in qualifying, an R7 that not only nished,but did so in a proud 25th position. The blisteringstart was too much for GMT94s David Checa,who managed to crash on the rst lap...

The RhyThmof ThenighTNight is when the race comes alive, the sights and smells aliento earlier in the day. According to Christophe Guyot, GMT94smanager, this time also comes with dangers but, Experiencedriders have no problem riding at night. Theres no room forfeelings; their reactions are conditioned by their markers.

dead seRT championsTaking the world endurance title was no easyfeat for the legendary French Suzuki team, SERT.Having taken the lead earlier in the race, theteam had to swap both the swingarm and therear shock over the course of early Sundaymorning. Losing only seven laps in the process,the team fought from ninth to nish the racethird, enough to win them the 2015championship the teams 14th world title.

1999was the last time the BolDOr was held at PaulRicard. The 22 years thatit had been held previously at the track close tothe Mediterranean coast saw the event buildsomewhat of a reputation a reputation that maybe revived in years to come. Built by the pastismagnate, Paul Ricard, the track is in a fabulouslocation to hold a 24 hour bike race in mid-September, and so the 2015 event enjoyedwonderful weather, spectacular speeds, a worthywinner and the seasons champion crowned.

Tales of TheUnexpecTedRiding at over 200mph inthe dark does funnythings to your eyes...

016 event 30/09/2015 09:38 Page 16

2015 BOL DOR


WinningWaysAfter 684 laps, 24 hours, and a single minute,SRC Kawasaki crossed the nish line rst, twolaps ahead of the Yamaha GMT94 team. In theprocess the team scored the fastest lap andracked up their fourth Bol victory on the bounce.The team spent nine minute less in the pits thanthe Yamaha squad, just showing how costlyDavid Checas early mistake was...

016 event 30/09/2015 09:39 Page 17

EVENT

Ride Like TheWindThe big draw of the Paul Ricard track is the 1.8km longMistral straight (named after the prevailing wind in thearea). Easily the home of 200mph antics all through thenight, all riders then had to do is to commit to the mega-ballsy Signes turn at the end of over a mile of pinnedthrottle abuse. And abuse is what the Bol at Paul Ricard isall about. Engine (and chain) failures were rife, meaningonly the strongest survived. Building a motor to survivethis abuse is quite a feat as is staying sober enough toremember everything that happened for the spectators

016 event 23/09/2015 16:22 Page 18


One modication we always make to our staff bike here at FB, so longas we can get our grubby mitts on them, is in the wheel department.Usually we are after lighter ones, be they carbon, magnesium orotherwise. This is because losing unsprung weight off your bike haswonderful affects upon it. Not only does handling and steering vastlyincrease in scope and effectiveness, your bikes also faster due to theweight loss. In fact in this modern era, theres a perfectly goodargument that purchasing a set of wheels can have just as much impact,perhaps more, than a full exhaust system. And, all for around the samecost too those Akrapovic titanium zorsts arent cheap, after all!

Yet its not just performance, sometimes aftermarket wheels cansimply just look better than stock, or be in more preferred colours. True,any set of Gucci wheels arent a light (sorry) investment, but the truthis, what you get from them in return always outweighs (sorry, again)the outlay. So, here are some super hoops weve brought together foryou to peruse and drool over, enjoy!

SpecialWheelsBSTFROM 2,187 WWW.BIKEHPS.COM

Regular readers will know of our lovefor BSTs carbon wheels, as weveused them quite a lot over the years.Weve abused the hell out of them too,and are yet to come unstuck or haveanything untoward happen, so any lingeringnegative preconceptions about using thismaterial for wheels deserves to be banishedforever. Theyre made using the latest Prepregtechnology, with advanced materials utilising stringent aerospacemanufacturing processes with a single moulding process. We seethese wheels a lot, meaning theyre very popular, so much so that BSTeven do a set for the weeny Honda Grom at 998!

Many top specication bikes comewithlightweightwheels these days, but despitethat, theres still somekilos that can be shaved,or coolness added, in the aftermarket arena.

DYMAG CA5FROM 1,700 WWW.DYMAG.COM

Not letting BST have it all their own way in the carbon wheel market,Dymag presented the stunning CA5 not long ago. It is gorgeouslyconstructed and claims up to a 30 per cent weight reduction (up tonearly 5kg in some cases) off of standard hoops, with a far lowerinertia value. Theyre made using 3D carbon cloth with Kevlarreinforcement, and come with an option to upgrade to hybrid ceramicbearings, oooooo Like the BSTs, Dymags CA5 is strenuously testedto ensure they not only do their job, but are bloody strong with it.What they also offer is a different choice to BST, but not only that,some competition. This means that theyll just get better and betteras both continually improve their products, and we cant wait to seewhat Dymag comes out with next, or where they take the gorgeousCA5 to. Want!

KINEOFROM 2,068 WWW.BIKEHPS.COM

You may recognise these particular type of wheels already, as theycome on MV Agustas Dragster 800 RR. Its part of what makes thatbike look so special, and considering the price difference over thestock Dragster and what you get as well as the wheels, its a bargain!Anyway, Kineo wheels come for many naked bikes, including thosesporty ones we love. They come in ve powder-coated rim colours,and also different hub colours too, plus the spoke ends are alsoavailable in a range of anodized hues. They would certainly make yourMonster (or similar) stand out from the crowd, and the build quality isutterly delicious.

020 Products Special 29/09/2015 09:21 Page 20


OZ CATTIVAFROM 2,675.48 WWW.BIKETORQUERACING.CO.UK

Oz is a very well known brand to bikers and race enthusiasts and evenused to come as standard on some bikes like Aprilia back in the day,remember? Their wheels are used in Moto 2 and 3, and also in WSBand several national championships because theyre brilliant. Wevefocussed on the Cattiva here, as its a terric magnesium wheel, whichcomes in various specications including 6-spoked road and race-onlyuse, which to us says track days! The race-only ones are interesting asadditional machining makes them even lighter than the road Cattivaoption, so if youre buying for a track day machine or race bike, thoseare the ones youre after. Of course, they have other wheels availablein aluminium, but cmon, magnesium is proper Bo!

BORRANIFROM 864.40 WWW.CENTRAL-WHEEL.CO.UK

Borrani is a new name to us here at FB, even though theyve beentrading since 1922, but we liked the look of their kit at rst glance. Thetraditionally spoked wheel is making something of a comeback in

recent years, with even someproduction bikes going back down

that route. Borrani uses apatented tubeless system,and have a cold-spunseamless alloy rim,coming in 20 and 40-spoke congurations.They do wheels formany bikes, includingDucatis Hypermotard,Monster, Multistrada andDiavel lines to name justa few. They even do them

for KTMs SuperDuke range,and you can nd the full

application list on the CentralWheel Components website.

GALE SPEEDFROM 1,420 WWW.PERFORMANCEPARTS-LTD.COM

Gale Speed wheels have seen a renaissance of late, and have broughtnew hoops onto the market for several bikes. With a wafer-thin rimthickness of 3mm, these forged items are rather boss, and come madefrom forged aluminium or magnesium, in 15, 10 or two different 5-spoke form, one of which is MotoGP stylee. They come with anyspacers or cush-drive necessities and an OE sized sprocket to maketment a piece of the proverbial. They also have a colour chart youcan choose from, with hues ranging from the outlandish, bright oreven brown, yep, brown!

WHEEL BAGS119.96 WWW.BIKEHPS.COM

Do you ever remove your wheels to take them to have tyrestted? Do you have spare wheels for your race or track

bike? Are your wheels encrusted with diamonds,emeralds and rubies? If the answer is yes to any ofthat, perhaps some pukka wheel bags fortransporting them, sir? These bags are heavyduty and ultra padded, meaning your preciousround things are kept snug, warm, and awayfrom nasty scratchy things. Hooray!

020 Products Special 29/09/2015 09:22 Page 21

Sidis new top of the range boot is the Mag1, anddoesnt she look a beauty. But, more importantly, theboot is packed full of features to keep your feet ingood shape. The upper is made from a microbreMicrotech material, and to aid in its duties theres areplaceable PU shin plate and shock absorbingsystem around the back of the boot. The entrymechanism uses Sidis Tecno 3-Mag system, whichuses handy magnetic retaining clips (hence the bootsname). The calf area is adjustable for, ahem, girth. Allin all, plenty of boot for your money.


HUSQVARNA:PATHFINDER SHIRT

65.99 www.husqvarnamotorcycles.com

279.99 www.sidiselect.co.uk

Its not oftenthat we see abranded shirt.Too often itsjust T-shirts andhoodies on offer,so its nice tosee something abit differentfrom theSwedes, orwherevertheyre fromthese days (er,the KTM factory Ed). Its a 100 per centcotton annel shirt with the check designthat should suit those with or without beards.Then it has, er, buttons and, er, sleeves, andeverything else associated with thismost traditional of garments.

SIDI:MAG1 BOOTS

MUC-OFF:DEGREASER

10.00 www.muc-off.com

You cant beat the right toolfor the right job, and in theform of this Muc-Offbiodegradable degreaser, thatmeans just the right stuff toapply to horrible oily stains. Itcuts through grime like itshould be a washing up liquid,and yet its gentle to frailsurfaces, like rubber seals andfairings. Once applied, it canbe easily washed off, meaningits mint for getting a chain-lubed wheel sparkling again.

WUNDERLICH:BMWTANK BAG

119.00 www.nippynormans.com

LIGHTECH:ZX-10R TAIL TIDY Every bike on the planet can be madeprettier by the simple addition of a tail tidy.Ditch the cumbersome stock unit for thisLighTech part and your rear end suddenlyperks up a treat. Its made from a carbonenriched polymer and comes with a reectorand LED light to illuminate the number plate.You can t standard indicators or plump forsomething a bit sexier if you so wish.

79.50 www.reactiveparts.com

Struggling for storage space on your BMWS 1000 R or RR? Thats where this smartlooking Wunderlich carbon bre tank bagcomes in. Designed to sit snuggly within thelines of your boisterous Beemer, the bag isunobtrusive and held in place with a set ofTenax quick release fasteners that locate onalready existing mounts. Theres a smoothbase to ensure no scratching to the tank, andonce tted you can store it with up to 10litres of guff. It doesnt have to come off for all-up, theres a charging entry point forphones and the like, and theres a netcompartment on the top too. Snazzy stuff.

MWR: RACING AIR FILTER Handmade in Cloglandia, over a period of four days, MWR appears to havecracked the tricky business of getting clean air into your race bike. Used oncompetition bikes the world over they consistently pump out more power, andfor such an easy install its a no brainer. Using a special re resistant foam, aswell as quality stainless and aluminium parts, each is designed specically toextract more horsepower. At the top of the MWR tree are these WSB-spec ltersthat increase the lter surface by, in some cases, up to 100 per cent. BecauseKawasaki and MV worked so closely with MWR, the lters arent available for theZX-10R and F4, but for the likes of the S 1000 RR, you can jump right in. Testshave shown increases of 6.5bhp over MWRs R lters, let alone standard.

169.99 www.speedycom.co.uk

022 Products 29/09/2015 09:49 Page 22

XXXXXXXXUPFRONT

BONAMICI:BRAKE GUARDS

Regrettably, winter is on its way. And ifyou intend to keep the faith and ride onthrough (which we thoroughly encourage),then you need to deck yourself in somethingsuitable. And this Alpinestars Valparaisojacket is exactly that, with a nod to summerriding, too. With a waterproof andbreathable Drystar liner, the jacket is alsoblessed with abrasion and tear-resistantpanels in impact areas. For hot weather, thesleeves can be zipped off and theres freshair all over the shop via its Jet ventilationsystem. Bio-armour in the shoulder andelbows is CE approved. Then you get qualityYKK zips, pockets galore, stretch inserts forcomfort and reective detailing so you canbe safe and be seen, as they used to say...

39.00 www.speedycom.co.uk

SIDI: COLORADOBACKPACK If youre looking for a decent rucksack thenlook no further than this Sidi item. Its notjazzed up like the more bike specic bags wefeatured last month, but then its pricereects this. It can store 22-litres of stuff inthe main compartment, with a front pocketand two side pockets there for back-up.Fitment-wise, theres a chest and waist strapto keep you comfy. No word onwaterproofness, so wed take that as a signthat you may need to put stuff in bags toensure it stays dry...

52.99 www.sidiselect.co.uk

Not everyone can afford a lid priced the wrongside of 500, so for under half the money AGVoffers the K5. Made in homage to the remarkableGSX-R1000 of 2005, probably, the lid is the startingplace for AGVs range of sports hats. Its madefrom a glass-carbon composition, so keeps theweight down (1,390g in size MS), is offered in twoshell sizes and there are four different EPSdensities available to get your melon in therecomfortably. It uses the Italian rms IVSventilation system, theres a drop down sun visorand it does up via a D-ring. Great looking, too.

219.99 www.agv.co.uk

AGV: K5 HELMET

SP ENGINEERING: YAMAHA YZF-R1 DECAT PIPE

275.00 www.spengineering.co.uk

When it comes to decating your spanking newR1, most will go with the standard Akra option tosuit the pipe that many plump for. But Frome-based SP Engineering offers an alternative in theform of this. Its a decat pipe, thus enabling you toditch the heavy catalytic converter. Made frombrushed stainless steel, its designed to then matewith any silencer of your choice be it the stocker,the Akrapovic or SP also do a range of pipes foryour delectation. No word on power gains, but tonot have your gases ow through the cat shouldopen up a world of untapped power.

WEMOTO: RADIATOR

FROM120.00 www.wemoto.com

Anyone thats holed a rad is acutely awareof how much ofcial replacements cost. Ifyouve not got a rad guard and its suddenlytoo late to t one Wemoto is taking thesting out of replacing it with a range of wellpriced pattern parts. Made using high gradealuminium, these rads offer the same owrates as standard, and are designed to slotstraight in. Wemoto reckons that the rrp wasan ofcial 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa rad is 644,but its unit comes in at bargain-like 177.

ALPINESTARS: VALPARAISO 2 JACKET


Some see brake and clutch guards asouncy foo-foo extras that dont do muchapart from add weight, but weve seen twoincidents in the last two years where the useof these guards would have saved a lot ofaggravation. Obviously designed to stop aforeign body applying the brake (or, lessdangerously, the clutch), theyre easy to tand look full-factory trick. CNC machined,theyre designed to t a 16mm clip-on, andare available in black with the end partsoffered in a range of different hues to suit.

349.99 www.alpinestars.com

022 Products 29/09/2015 09:50 Page 23

LAUNCH

HondaRC213V-SIts MotoGP for themasses! Or, rather,MotoGP for those earningmasses

W O R D S : Z A C K C O U R T SP H O T O S : M I L A G R O & H O N D A

ALL-AMERICANHEROESWe could have got grumpy about not being invited on theRCV launch, but the bigger thing is to tell you lot about thebike. So we rang our pal Zack, who works for Motorcyclistin the States, and being a lovely chap, he said yes. Hugethanks to Motorcyclist for letting us use their words andpictures - we owe you a big one.And if youre one of the 41 UK RCVbuyers... er, can we have a go please?


024 RC213 25/09/2015 14:32 Page 24

HONDA RC213V-S


160bhp claimed at the crank.Before hitting

second gear the ultra-aggressive rider triangle

was apparent. The clip-ons are at about the

same height as the tall, thinlypadded seat,

putting lots of weight forwardon the grips.

Footpegs feel high, too, as youwould expect

from race-derived ergonomics, but at 6-foot or

so there was still room for mylegs. A TTX36

shock and gas-charged TTX25fork suspend

the RCV-S, and on the glassysmooth Spanish

track the suspension feels stiff.

Even with 30bhp less poweron tap than a

current litre bike I eased intousing the

engines potential, wary of the pedigree alone.

Overall acceleration on the straights was not

particularly impressive (the rev limiter cut in

abruptly at around 12,200 rpm) compared to a

under no obligation to say how the valve

trains work, exactly, or howmuch

horsepower they really produce. Not knowing

these details adds to the mystique.

And so it was with a bit of apprehension

that I swung a leg over Hondas new

RC213V-S. Was I worthy of this 188,000 slice

of MotoGP history, or the opportunity to ride

it at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia?

No, of course Im not worthyof it, but I tried

not to let that or the deep and obvious

concern in the eyes of the Honda Racing

Corporation engineers get to me as the

RCV-S grumbled out of pitlane.

My rst experience of the Valencia circuit

was on the European-spec streetbike, with

lights and blinkers in place, and just under

Igrew up with photos of grand prix

motorcycles covering my walls. Mostly

500cc two-stroke NSR Hondas, and mostly

painted in Rothmans or Repsol colours.

Eventually I watched MightyMick Doohans

dynasty come to an end, andValentino Rossis

begin soon after. I saw Rossidominate the

eld on the radical, ve-cylinder RC211V, then

Nicky Hayden salvage the world title against

the odds, and now the geniusof Marc

Marquez take the globe by storm.

What never changed was myinfatuation

with the machines. I love that they are cutting

edge, insanely powerful andultra rare. In

particular, I love that we never know just

how cutting edge or powerful they are. Being

competition prototypes, the companies are

Hondas new RC213V-S is the monetary equivalentof a three bedroom semi getting its knee down...

024 RC213 25/09/2015 14:32 Page 25

Launch

TECHNICAL Honda RC213V-S

TypeBore x StrokeCompressionFuellingTested PowerTested Torque

FrameFront SuspensionRear SuspensionFront BrakesRear Brakes

WheelbaseSeat HeightKerb WeightFuel Capacity

PriceFrom

999cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16v, V481.0 x 48.5mm13.0:1PGM-DFS! EFI, 48mm throttle bodies159/215bhp @ 11,000/13,000rpm102/118Nm @ 10,500rpm

Aluminium twin sparhlins gas charged TTX25 forks, fully adj.hlins gas charged TTX36 shock, fully adj.Four piston Brembo calipers, 320mm discsTwo piston Brembo caliper, 220mm disc

1,465mm830mm188/177kg16.3 litres

188,000 (12,000 Sports Kit)www. rc213v-s.com

ENGINE

CHASSIS

DIMENSIONS

PRICE

BMW S 1000 RR or Aprilia RSV4, but low-end and midrange thrust is instantaneous.After a couple of laps I fed enough power tothe ground that the Bridgestone RS10 rear tyrestarted to squirm exiting corners, and it feltlike I was hardly opening the throttle. Anorange T light on the dash was illuminatingto tell me the Honda Selectable TorqueControl (read traction control) was working,set to level ve of the nine available.With a few laps under my belt I could

experiment with entering corners faster andfaster, and this is where the RCV-S reallyshines. The transmission is one area wherethe S differs greatly from the MotoGPmachine, utilising a standard gearbox ratherthan the state-of-the-art seamless systemtted to Marquez and Pedrosasbikes theres no auto-blip downshifteither. What the RCV-S does have isa sophisticated engine braking

The home of 159 horses or 215with the Sports Kit inside...

Stick a Repsol paint jobon and youre Marquez!

024 RC213 24/09/2015 11:30 Page 26

ENgINE The compact unit, assmall as previous 800cc motors, is a999cc V4 conguration. The designallows a shorter crank, while the 90-degree angle allows good balanceand removes the need for aharmonic balancer. It uses a 360-degree crank phase angle whichimproves efciencies through theexhaust pulsing. Crank cases aresand cast, con-rods are titanium, asare valves. The timing system isgear-based for better valveactuation at high rpm, althoughhere Honda moves back to coilspring actuation for better durability(as opposed to pneumatic). Thesame is true of the conventionalgearbox, that is used ahead of theseamless shift box of the racer although this did feature on theRCV1000R customer race bike.

CHASSIS The RCV213V-S usesan aluminium frame, built with hightorsional rigidity via thin reinforcingplates in specic areas hence thelow overall weight. Steeringgeometry is adjustable. The frame isTIG welded together by hand.Hondas focus on weight sees theuse of titanium bolts thoughmuch of that weight loss is negatedby resorting to running roadequipment (mirrors, lights, biggerbattery, etc). The fuel tank sitsunder the seat for better masscentralization. Mega spec hlinssuspension is used, the rmsTTX25 fork married to the TTX36shock, both gas charged, both fullyadjustable. Brakes are some ofBrembos nest, and are used bythe customer race bike in the wet.Marchesini supply the 17-inchwheels. The fairing is made formcarbon bre. Lush stuff.

HONDA RC213V-S


system (adjustable four ways) that cracks thethrottle plates open during deceleration athigh rpm, and slowly closes them as the revsdrop. The result is ultra smooth deceleration,even if your downshifts are clumsy and poorlytimed. It doesnt hurt that the transmission isinsanely easy to use, with short throws andextremely precise feedback.The brakes are also predictably amazing.

Massive Brembo calipers squeeze 320mmdiscs, and because the bike is so light (190kgwet, claimed) even in street trim, it shedsspeed incredibly well. When the corner doesarrive, any misjudged line is easily xedwith light steering and loads of feedbackfrom the perfectly balanced front end. Thestreet-limited Euro-spec RCV-S didnt lightmy hair on re with acceleration, but it iswithout a doubt the most precise and directmotorcycle I have ever ridden. There issimply no way to feel as connected to everypiece of a machine than to slice through aset of corners on an RC213V-S.

Tech TalkAnd that, not coincidentally, is exactly whatHonda was aiming to accomplish. Inpresenting the RCV-S to the media, Hondaengineers and project leaders stressed thathorsepower was not the goal, but ratherconstantly repeated that the basis of theproject was to create, the worlds easiestmachine to manoeuvre. In other words, thebest handling bike ever not the fastest.

Make a cup of tea and just stareat this for the next 15 minutes...

Shockingly good suspensionTC on a Honda sportsbike!

The bikes 159bhp eatsthis up for breakfast...

024 RC213 24/09/2015 11:31 Page 27

Launch

In doing so there are a handful of rsts forHonda sportbikes, things that interestinglyHonda did not emphasize or even discuss inthe RCV-S media presentation. For example, afob-type key and the quickshifter, both itemsthat have appeared on countless motorcyclesto date, but never a Honda. A full-colourdash, with a bar tachometer reaching acrossthe top and adjustable for which informationis displayed is also not new to the industry,but fresh to the Big H.

Most notable of the new technology is theadvent of ride modes, which can be tailoredindividually to set the nine-level tractioncontrol, four-way adjustable engine braking,and three power modes to suit your style.Power modes are regulated via the ride-by-wire system and offer linear changes in powerand torque outputs P1 is the most aggressivewith the most power, P3 the least. Hondadidnt provide claimed numbers for eachmode, probably because output is differentbetween bikes shipped to Europe, Japan,Australia and the States.

Five years ago, the HSTC system controllingtraction would have been revolutionary. Nowlots of bikes work like this. A Bosch InertialMeasurement Unit (IMU) detects each of themachines movements, from rollcharacteristics to lateral acceleration, andcommunicates the information to the ECU.The IMU information is combined with frontand rear wheel-speed data to mitigate thetorque that is allowed to the contact patch.Basic stuff these days (though there is noABS), however Honda says that the RCV-Ssystem is especially sensitive to vehicle rolland position detection due to technologydeveloped for the companys clever ASIMOrobot project (or is that Pedrosa dressed up?).

But really, its all of the stuff besides theelectronics that makes the RCV-S such astunning motorcycle. Mass centralisationtechniques used on the RCV MotoGP racer aretranslated directly to the S. Things like thefuel cell residing mostly under the seat, tocarry the weight of the fuel as low as possible.

Because of that, the bottom of the tank isjust above the top of the swingarm,

which is why the swingarmbracing structure is

triangulated

down rather than up. This isnt a swingarmsort of like the RC213V racer, its the sameswingarm. That design, along with theplethora of other strategies and techniquesthat Honda Racing Corporation has learnedover the nearly 15 years of four-strokeMotoGP racing is essentially all wrapped up inthe RCV-S chassis and it feels like it.

For a mere 157 horsepower (or the 101claimed ponies that the US-spec model isputting out) all of the technology might seemlike overkill. Its riding the RC213V-S with the

optional an option everywhere outside theStates, that is Sports Kit installed that puts itall into perspective. With around 215horsepower (claimed) at the crank, suddenlyadvanced TC with wheelie control, silkysmooth engine braking, and ultra high-endcomponentry seem borderline necessary.

The afternoon on track consisted of twosessions aboard the kitted bike, upgraded withtoo many options to list, but heres the juicystuff. A new ECU changes fuel mapping tocorrect for more power, created by the ram-air

down rather than up. This isnt a swingarmsort of like the RC213V racer, its the same

optional an option everywhere outside theStates, that is Sports Kit installed that puts it

Now were talking!

like overkill. Its riding the RC213V-S with theHalf a million quidsworth, right there...

024 RC213 24/09/2015 11:32 Page 28

HONDA RC213V-S


ducts that replace the headlights, new sparkplugs, and the circuit-only exhaust. The newECU also includes a launch mode, and moreadjustability for Engine Braking modes. Theshift pattern can be changed to GP style, thatsone up and ve down, and hardware isprovided to change rear suspension rideheight. There are also more aggressive brakepads, a sprocket set, a thermostat that allowsthe engine to run 20 degrees cooler, and a GPSunit for data logging.

Sports KitRiding the bike in street trim it feels special,no question about it. It handles wonderfully,and feels more precise in every commandthan anything Ive ever ridden. But its alsoquiet, and relatively tame. However, the RCV-Swith Sports Kit installed is a completelydifferent experience. First of all, it soundsvicious. Its loud, raspy, and gives theimpression that it will make no compromisesfor you the rider. This is more like it.

I was intimidated. Just like the street bike,though, it was incredibly easy to ride. Thethrottle response is quick, fuelling is perfect,the dry clutch is light and accurate, and thetransmission is the new gold standard. In kittedtrim the RCV-S is 10 kilos lighter (half of that isthe race exhaust with catalyzers removed) butit felt more like double that in standard form.Part of that was probably due to theBridgestone Battlax V02 slick rubber mountedto the kitted bike, a denite upgrade in tractionfrom the Bridgestone RS10 street tyres.With slicks, more aggressive brake pads,

and around 215 horsepower at the ready Ihave to say I have never felt less adequate ona racetrack. In the press brieng the nightbefore, lead test rider and ex-MotoGP racerShinichi Itoh said, Machines that win racesare machines that respond to the riders will.And that is exactly what it feels like. Nomatter how quickly I icked from side to side,or how early I felt like I got on the gas, themachine was two steps ahead. Once up tospeed I tried to engage the traction control,coming out of a rst-gear corner and pouringon the gas heavily just after my knee lifted offthe ground. The rear slick dug in and carriedthe front wheel out to the kerb, wheeliecontrol blinking calmly and accelerating like ademonic carnival ride.Simply put, it is the most composed, utterly

capable motorcycle I have ever ridden. Trail-braking, corner exits, fast sweepers, franticdownshifts from 185 mph. I went as fast as Idared, and never once was there a wobble,shake, or mis-step by the bike. It seems myrst impression was correct; I am not worthy.As a side note, I learned later that Itoh-san

Time to strap yourselfin for the ride!

In pre-seasontesting mode...

024 RC213 24/09/2015 11:33 Page 29

LauncH


HighlightsV4 MotoGP motorTop spec hlinsTC on a Honda!Optional Sports Kit160/215bhp188/177kg188,000track 10With the Sports Kit on

FaSt rOaD 8With the Sports Kit off

HOOLIGaN 3Im MotoGP, darling

NEW rIDEr 1Er, insurance?

DESIraBILItY 10Rare breed

Dont ForgetYourSportSKitOtherwise youll have to play in pants and vest!Once youve bought your RC213V-S youre going to have tobuy the Sports Kit, arent you. This 12,000 bundle of funincorporates plenty of goodies to unlock the bikes truepotential rather than keep it as a weedy 159bhp trinket.

tested the RCV-S at Valencia before the pressarrived, and decided to make no changes tothe suspension at all. Out of the box, from thefactory, HRC-rider approved. All from a bikewith a 12,000 km service interval (aside fromthe clutch, which Honda recommendschecking clutch plates every 3,000 km).

IS IT WORTH 188,000?So, its the most impressive motorcycle Iveever ridden. You might be mumbling toyourself that it ought to be for the better part of150k. And, if you live in the United States youmight be appalled that the American versiononly has 101bhp and there is no Sports Kitavailable. Those are all fair feelings to have, butnow that Ive ridden the bike Im starting tocome around to the exorbitant price.The truth is, I have mixed feelings about

this bike being released to the public in therst place. Part of me would prefer if MotoGPbikes were only ever allowed to be ridden by

MotoGP riders; it should be earned, notpurchased. But, its not up to me. Honda hasdecided to crack the door open to the tune ofno more than 250 units. And something tellsme those owners who have the means topurchase this motorcycle will be able to dig abit deeper to fund the Sports Kit to turn it intothe real deal. But not if youre American.I always knew that it would be valuable as

a museum piece, a meticulously crafted pieceof machinery from deep within HRC and acrown jewel of almost any collection. For theright person, and any Honda enthusiast, thatsworth the asking price. What changed mymind was feeling the potential of the machineunleashed. Lighting the fuse on a MotoGPengine (albeit without the pneumatic valvesor the seamless gearbox) and soaking in thesensation of carving through a corner on atrue, 177 kilo, carbon-draped, slick-shodgrand prix replica got the point across to me.There is nothing else like it.

Verdict 10/10In street trim, an exquisite museum piece and a funSunday ride for those with deep pockets. In kittedtrim, the closest you will get to MotoGP, period. Precision, exclusivity, technology Price, Sports Kit, no downshifter

Indoors, on a paddockstand. This is sadly where

most RCs will end up...

024 RC213 24/09/2015 11:33 Page 30


With Red Bulls Formula 1 team basedin the town, Silverstone just downthe road, and all manner of high-tech race suppliers making bits hewn fromunobtanium based in and around MiltonKeynes, I wasnt surprised to learn of a

MotoGP-based weapon being assembled inthe Buckinghamshire new town. But insteadof directing me to some lavish HQ withmarble oors, shining worktops and frothycoffee on tap, the BMW S 1000 XRs sat navpointed me towards a common or garden unit

nestled between a car servicing unit and asteel fabricators just on the edge of town.Think Pagnell rather than Panigale...After double-checking the Beemers

Garmin, I noted that above the door is a signfor Reynolds Engineering. Seeing as I was

feature

W O R D S : R O O t S y I M A G E S : G A R E t h h A R f O R D

Honda isnt the only manufacturer making a MotoGP bike that you can buy. Using MotoGP regsas a guideline, a precision engineering company based in Milton Keynes has made its very own

racer for discerning customers with a few quid to spend. Well, its made two actually...

MOTOMK

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:21 Page 32


DR MOTO

Caption to come

here to see Dean Reynolds, the creator of theDR Moto machine I was here to drool over, Imade a calculated guess and strode in to sayhello.Turns out the sat-nav was right...Alright, so the unit is absent of marble

oors, shining worktops and Eritrean coffee,but in their place is a smiling welcome,impressive looking CNC machines and a kettleprimed and ready for action. So afterintroductions, a cup of splosh and a choccybiscuit I started to learn what it takes to builda MotoGP bike from scratch, zilch, nothing.This venture hasnt come from thin air,

Reynolds has previous when it comes toprecision parts. We started the businessinitially to do repetition turning big batchesof parts. When we got into the milling side ofthings one particular customer was doing a lotof work for Stewart Grand Prix, what turnedinto Jaguar F1, and we ended up doing a fewbits for them. Then that built up until we did

Deans relatively humbleriding CV doesnt hint of themadness hes since createdwith the DR Moto machine.

I did a bit of classic racing in thelate Eighties and early Nineties,then after that I got intotrackdays. I bought an early R6and went out on that a lot, butI got to the stage where it wasgoing to end in tears on trackas it was my everyday bike too.So I decided to sell it andbought a race SP-1. Never goton with it. It felt like it wasgoing to kill me because it hadso much torque. The backcame round on me a few timesand it felt like it was really

long. So I bought a 2000 modelR1, a track bike, and I never feltcomfortable on a litre bikeeither. Id got used to the leanangle and corner speed youcan run on a 600 and thisdoesnt work on a bigger bike. Ikept on running out of tyre.Thats when I ended up with

the GSX-R750. Its 600 sizedwith a nice bit of extra power.Ive had that seven or eightyears now, its a fantastic bikewith a bike of suspensionwork, Ive got a Phil Setonhead, so it pumps out 143bhp.Then I built this. I admit its notthe most obvious next step

PimPmyride

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:21 Page 33

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lots more work, then we got involved withBAR Honda in Brackley, and we weresuddenly doing nearly all Formula 1 work.In Motorsports Valley this isnt an

uncommon tale, nor was the move into bikes,I really wanted to work with motorbikes,says Reynolds, so after a phone round we gothold of Chuck Aksland from Team Robertswhen they were at Banbury, and we starteddoing some work for them. It was much moreinteresting than F1, but 80 per cent of ourbusiness was with Honda there. Then Hondadecided to go home, and that left us in theshit. Id just spent 100k on a new machine,and had to let seven out of the ten workinghere go. Not a happy time...Reynolds managed to keep the business

aoat, and continued to work with the KennyRoberts team making, in Reynolds words, Allthe dangly bits. This meant things likerearsets, fuel llers, yokes and spindles. Butwhen Kenny Roberts packed it all in anotherwave of uncertainty followed. Fortunately,Roberts chief designer, Barry Ward, was kepton to look after the fabricating side of thebusiness, which mainly revolved aroundswingarms and a few frames for some 125ccteams. When Roberts pulled out completely,Ward lled the void with his GPMSTechnology company with Reynolds makingthe metal components.We do about 90 per cent of machining

work for Barry. He produces anything from 8to 15 billet swingarms a year for the likes ofTen Kate and Paul Bird. So I was machiningthese panels up, and loving it, and I thoughtthat Id really fancy one on my own bike. Ibet you can guess where Reynolds is takingus. So I got talking to Barry about how muchhed charge to design me a whole chassis. Heput some gures together and we talked to afew suppliers, and I thought it was a goodway to channel money back into the business,an investment. Id get something out of it too.So with the decision made to begin the

project, another big choice had to be made;the engine. We had to choose an enginebefore we started, and the frame obviouslyonly ts this motor. We chose the Yamaha R1motor for the big bang aspect of the M1 GPbike. We bought one, got it laser scanned toproduce a solid (CAD) model of the engineand airbox and exhaust. We were into severalthousand pounds just to get the scanningdone. Barry then got on with wrapping theframe round the engine. Dean wanted to usethe Yamaha M1 as the inspiration of the styleof the bike too, and you can clearly see theinuence of that machine in the DR Motobike. Its a very handsome weapon.

As youd expect, designing a bike isnt aback of the fag paper project. Barry does alot of FEA testing, and the design side is reallytime consuming because the software has tocrunch lots of numbers, says Reynolds. Ittakes hours to run an analysis for a chassis,and if anything doesnt stack up then youhave to tweak the design and run it again.With regards to the chassis numbers, this

was Wards meat and drink. Barry had madehundreds of swinging arms, so he knew allabout stiffness characteristics. For the frame,once youve wrapped it round the engineyouve got to make the stiffness gures workand thats a long process. Regarding thechassis, the geometry is multi-adjustable.There are insets for the yokes and headstockso you can move the effective headstock back

and forwards, and you can change the angleof it both ways. Its plus or minus 3mmeverywhere. The swinging arm pivot goes upand down and is also adjustable for stiffnessvia inserts that can stiffen it laterally andtorsionally, independent of each other.The choice of motor, however, presented

some problems. Its quite a wide engine, andits lopsided too. One problem was we wanteda symmetrical frame, which gave us anadvantage because we didnt want any airexits in the fairing, and one side has got agood ow, so there are no overheatingproblems. The engine hangers come out fromthe main spars a long way and that gave usproblems on the FEA, so we had to t a crosstube to strengthen it. Its only quite thin, andin stainless, but it was enough to give us the

Top spec electronics and dash as standard!The fuel tank mostly resides under the seatThe ow to the airbox can even be altered...

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:22 Page 34

DR MOTO


right gures and stiffness.But when Barry and Dean got the gig to

make Paul Birds MotoGP chassis in just threemonths at the end of 2012 it comes as nosurprise to learn that Deans project was puton the back burner for a while. A lot ofmidnight oil was spent on Paul Birds bikes,but it was worth it because it was a beautifulchassis. Because of the slim engine (theAprilia V4 motor) it could be designedwithout compromise, it was very neat. Oncethat was over, we started up again. We got thebodywork designed with another guy thatused to work at Roberts, but who now worksat PES Performance, an engineering designcompany in Shefeld. While that was beingdone we were busy machining all the parts.Once all machined and made, the onerous

task of tting it all together laid in wait. Thebuild, however, was a breeze according toReynolds. When it came to building the bike,it just tted. An idiot could put it together,really. Everything has a drawing and a model.The headnut, for example, Barry designed thenut, but then also the tool to do it up with.There were so many little things like that.Every edge is radiused, there are no burrs, itjust comes out of the machine ready to go onthe bike. Even the bolts, Barry did a completebolt list for us, to the extent where themagnesium yokes have M7 bolts in. Wewerent happy with the strength of M6 boltsand M8 ones are too bulky, so we had to ndM7 bolts and helicoils for it. Everything hasbeen thought of.Its a credit to the bike that it comes

together as a whole, you dont just focus onthe beautiful frame. Only when you study itclosely, or see the component parts, do youstart to appreciate that this was once a lumpof metal and a big bit, too. An 80 kilo billetof aluminium is used for one part of one sideof the frame. So its 160 kilos for one framespar. Now one of the parts weighs aroundthree quarters of a kilo and some moreweight has to come out of it through postweld machining. An 80 kilo block of billet isaround 250 a block, so youre looking at1,000 for the chassis in raw materials for,just the spars. From the swarf we recycle youcould probably buy a meal out. Anyway, theyslot together easily and the weld is run downit. We have a bloke called Pete Brown weldingit up, he used to do all of Barrys stuff at the

ARAceRs viewJoe Burns Currently running in Britishsuperstock, Joe (Chriss brother) was oneof the rst to sample the DR Moto machine

Before even leaving Valencias pit lane I couldfeel the smoothness of the motor. I wound thepower on and there were no hesitations likesome high powered engines I've tested, butthen the rst time coming onto the start/nishstraight I gave it full throttle - and JESUS! I'venever felt anything like it, absolutelyphenomenal acceleration. I'm well used to200bhp-plus superbikes, but the power of theDR Moto still shocked me!

Over the three days, as I got more used tothe bike, Dean (Reynolds) removed theswingarm ex adjusters to see whatdifference could be felt. Instantly, there was aless harsh feel through the rear, and what Ifelt was more edge grip and corner exit gripwhich worked well at Valencia, but obviouslycould be adjusted depending on the circuit.

The DR Moto, by a million miles hassmoothest and most positive chassis, thestrongest engine, the best electronicspackage, and the nicest riding position of anybike I've ever swung my leg over.

The BSB lump is good for well over 200bhp One hell of a stunning swingarm The best combo in the business...

Utterly jaw dropping

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:22 Page 35

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Composites. I paid over 20k for the patternsand moulds, which was cheap as it happens.They did a great job. They did the moulds andmade the fairings under the same roof. Tokeep costs down some of the patterns weremade out of MDF instead of the usual epoxyresin. Usually a mould would be made out ofcarbon, then you mould the mould over thepattern. But thats expensive, so weve got acarbon mould for the tank/seat unit as it hasto t so closely, then the others are breglassmoulds off MDF patterns, there is nocompromise in the quality of panel but youcant produce as many panels before themould wears out. A set of carbon brebodywork for the bikes is about 3,200.As for the engine, its not as simple as

phoning up Yamaha for a motor. We foundout that you cant buy new Yamaha engines.Rob Mac nished up his team just as the BSB

time. The swingarm is 5.2 kilos. The crosshatched nish is there so it doesnt scratchup. Its a bit of a talking point, and thats onceinstance where we disagreed because Barrydidnt like it because its not necessary!At some point, you have to get your credit

card out and make a few expensive phonecalls to people in Sweden and Italy. Theancillary decisions were made early. We wentwith what they were using in CRT at the time,so the forks and shock were direct fromhlins in Sweden, built by the racedepartment. The rst set were 11,500 for theforks and shock, then a bit less for the secondbike because the exchange rate was better.The shock was a challenge to package itneatly. With hlins you get a choice ofdifferent head styles, so we chose one to suitout of their range. The Brembo calipers arebillet machined, not the forged ones, also

Moto GP spec. We tried Freno Carbon brakesearly. They were ceramic coated carbon discs,beautifully light, the steel discs are a kiloheavier, but they just didnt work. Theyjuddered when they got hot so we had to sendthem back. Wheels are Marchesini, 16.5 onthe rst bike, but well move to 17 on thesecond because Ive exhausted all the 16.5BSB tyres going.Not everything is from abroad, however,

and the DR Moto aptly demonstrates the skillson offer in this country. The radiator comesfrom Pace Products in Suffolk, all to Barrysdesign. Theres nothing you can do, you cantnd something to t a unique bike. Wedesigned the chassis, so weve got to supplyradiator designs that are millimetre perfect tothe fairing. So we sent Pace the models anddrawings and they came up with this. Thecarbon was done by a company called KS

Bought InThe only parts we havent designedand made are the front and rear huggerand the bars and levers from Renthal.The front hugger is from Paul BirdsMotoGP project and the rear one wegot off MSS Kawasaki. Theyre notperfect, but it would cost me 1,500to make a mould to get a few produced,and that was a step too far.

fuel for thoughtThe tank holds 17.5 litres, which wasa discussion point. At the time theruling in MotoGP was higher, but wedidnt want to spend masses of moneymaking it MotoGP compliant unlesssomeone was there giving us moneyto take one racing. So it ended up beinga simple shape, rather than lling inspace everywhere. Originally we hadto take the seat unit off the fuel it, butweve changed that now with a holecut in the seat unit to ll it.

weIghIng It upWeve weighed at 160kg, with thecarbon discs and a gallon of fuel in.Theres now a kilo of paint on it, itssurprising how heavy paint is.

MouthIng offThe bell mouths weve had rapidprototyped from the factory carbonunits.

exhaustIng workThe headers are factory Yamaha, soAkropovic I think. But we had to get alink pipe altered because the R1 wasan underseat design, so weredesigned it. CoBuilt is Jeff Kane, hewas in F1 before, but now works outof the same unit as Barry, so he doesa lot of work for the likes of Paul Bird.Its all in titanium. The new one isfrom one of FTRs Moto2 bikes after Isaw one and fancied it. Its properlyloud, but in a nice way. Ive addressedthe noise situation, and weve got anexhaust that gets us down to 105Db.It doesnt look as pretty, but it doesthe job.

Insert hereIll admit to being a bit scepticalabout the swinging arm inserts, butyou can tell the difference. Theyreonly on or off, and I could feel thedifference when we took them off.And I was surprised at that.


032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:23 Page 36

DR MOTO


Evo rules came in. He had factory support,and we got an engine from him. It was a fullFIM spec motor, so titanium rods, two ringpistons, factory cams, factory bell mouths,lots of money spent on a Cosworth lightenedcrank and balance shaft. Everything is specialon the motor. The loom is from the same bike,so it was a BSB loom so a fully enabled MotecM800 system with TC, launch control, wheeliecontrol, pitlane limiter, all of that.These spec engines dont grow on trees, but

Reynolds has still sourced something prettyspecial for his second bike that is close tobeing nished. New rules came in, so thespecial parts stopped. So for the rst customerbike weve got a fully refreshed engine fromSean Muir out of last years BSB bike. Thatsgot everything done to it to current Evo rules,which makes it a bit more user friendly. Imtold there was 3,500 worth of head work on

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Barry Ward, KennyRoberts ex-designer, supplied all the CAD workfor Reynolds to then manufacture using hisweapons-grade CNC machines.The precision of the parts is a thing of wonder,no surprise it all tted like a glove.Before being machined, you would have beenlooking at 160kg of aluminium that went intomaking the frame spars. Its a bit less now!The bits for the third bike knocked up alreadyThe fuel tank and swingarm are both true worksof art, its a shame the tank has to hidden, butthe swingarm can be shown off to all!

Airing debAteWe spent hours debating the shape ofthe air intake. You dont realise theamount of time that goes into it.When we got what we wanted fromthe front it didnt look right form theside. Barry and I are very like-minded,we like clean lines, we dont likeanything unnecessary.

Winging itTheres a wing in the headstock thatcan be changed to suit air owcharacteristics.

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:23 Page 37

it. Horsepower-wise, Im told its got 215bhp,but that all depends on what dyno you use.Electronics-wise, everythings been designedfor that bike, so it uses a Motec M130 ECU,which is expandable to the number one bikespec and beyond. Its a lot lighter too, and allthe functions are controlled by the one unit.But its in basic form, but can be upgradeddepending on what the customer wants.Andrew Brook at Mototronics, who does a lotof the BSB paddock, has done the loom andweve learned a lot on the rst bike to makethe electronics a more elegant package.So thats how you go about building your

own MotoGP bike. Dean completed the rstone, razzed it round a select few Europeantracks, and satised a personal desire to seethe bike nished. But the DR Moto is aboutmore than building the one bike, its about

offering it to a discerning group of riders whowant to have that GP experience on tap.Reynolds admits that the initial hope was thatsomeone at the end of the phone would offerhim the chance to take it to the MotoGP party,but soon discovered its not as simple as that.After speaking to a few people in the game,like Steve Bones who was at FTR, I got anidea of the politics in MotoGP. None of theteams want to pay anything and wed have togive away frames to people, and we didntwant to get into that. But from the start wewanted to make something that the better offman in the street could buy and be ready togo on MotoGP grid. No-one else has donethat. OK you can buy a second hand MotoGPbike, but theyre either really well used orimpossible to run. Whereas this is a bikewith a proven engine, the chassis has realpedigree, plus there are neat options likestarting it on the button, something your ex-racer MotoGP bikes cant do.The rst bike proved it could be done, the

second one thats nearly nished proves thatthe rst was no uke. Its not been sold yet,but Reynolds is condent that theres amarket out there, The bike is underpriced at90K (plus VAT) but the philosophy is to getone out there to show what it can do. Quite afew people have told me its too cheap. I getall the comments that my R1 has 200bhp ormy GSX-R cost me eight grand, but thesepeople arent my market, the DR-Moto isin a whole different league. More likewhats on the current MotoGP grid thantheirs.

What might speed up sales is anappearance at the 2016 TT. GaryJohnson was at the bikes debuttrackday, and Reynoldsapproached the Lincs lad to have

a shot on it. Johnson reckons that in itscurrent state its good for a 128mph lap beforeany tinkering prised more speed from it.Thats some prospect, and another competitiveoutlet for the bike other than MotoGP.And the bikes need to be sold. Its been a

big investment. We have to sell a couple ofbikes to break even and Id like to do morethan that. We didnt go into it with not sellingany being an option. Ive enjoyed doing it,and enjoyed riding it. It would be nice to getthe money in to develop the project further. Ifwe can get enough sponsorship to get it to theTT next year, well probably be struggling tokeep up with demand.But theres no mournful introspective

thinking here, and as our snapper asks thebike to be moved, Reynolds catches the bikeat another angle and an, Oh, look at that,spills from his lips. When he res it up,another schoolboy smile grows large on hisface, as does the prospect of running it atMugello in a few weeks time. Theresnothing I would change with it, its my visionof what I wanted, when asked about thesatisfaction hes gained from the project.And this is a bike that has the potential to

infect another with that enthusiasm andpride. Yes, theres a 90,000 barrier to get overrst, but once youre over the not soinconsequential hurdle, youll be all set tohead to Silverstone for MotoGP next year. Notto watch, but to race

feature


The room on boardthe DRMoto is

impressive indeed

The businesscontinues in thebackground...

Time to re herup. And what anoise it makes!

Want one?Head to www.dr-moto.co.uk where you cannd out where to deposit the 89,500 (plusvat) asking price! Otherwise check out thesite for more drool-worthy info!

It was interesting in that it wasntan anti-climax, but I was expectingus to be tinkering and setting up,but it wasnt like that. Other thanthe carbon brakes, that wechanged, we didnt make a singleadjustment. We started it androde it.

Nothing came loose, nothingneeded adjusting, no click ofpreload, nothing. Thats atestament to the design. It wasfantastic. We were at Cartagena,which is nadgery at the best oftimes. The guy who did the

electronics came out with us, hebuilt the engine at Rob Macs, anddrove the laptop for us in Spain.He told me about the gearing Ineeded, and we had to go upthree teeth on the rear sprocket.That pushed the spindle forwardand it just reared up out of everycorner. So after the secondsession I asked Ian about thewheelies because it was justridiculous, so Ian looked at thenumbers and I was nowhere near100 per cent throttle. Id onlyopened it up to 83 per cent

My first tiMe: tHe DrMoto riDDenOnce youve built it, youve got to test it Dean Reynolds talks about that magical moment.

032 DrMoto 24/09/2015 16:24 Page 38

FEATURE


Glory10Secondsof

WORDS:

FAGAN

PIC

S:

GAW

LER

Bagging an exclusive ride on the evenmore exclusiveKawasaki H2R isnt a straightforward procedure. Unless yourname is Chris Walker or you own a deserted racetrack thatisnt populated by sheep poo, noise limits are an issuewhen itcomes to the 128dB, supercharged H2R.

040 H2R 29/09/2015 09:37 Page 40

KAWASAKI H2R


Everyman and his dog has ridden it

on a circuit. Amazing, Crazy, An

engineering masterpiece or any

other generic superlative you can chuck at

Kawasakis exquisite handiwork. Without

being forced to drop the soap in a shower,

we wanted to take the H2R away fromits

natural, comfortable habitat and trial

something a little different, entering the

Jersey sprint before it was promptly

cancelled. Then we opted for the annual

Brighton Speed Trials before the organisers

laughed at us upon declaring the H2Rs

supposed noise levels. Short of going

abroad and slinging on some trade plates

for an Autobahn shindig, concrete options

were scarce.But following some internet perusals,

BJ

unearthed the ideal scenario for H2R

spankings Santa Pod! Britains nest

stretch of quarter-mile Tarmac hosts

regular Run What Ya Brung events, with

no noise limitations, no machinery

restrictions. Other than the Senior TT,this

wasnt going to be trumped.

Very rarely do I get anxious about riding

motorcycles, regardless of cost, pedigree or

power. Having wobbled round on priceless

GP machinery and World Superbike exotica,

nothing could have prepared me for what

was about to unfold. On arriving at thePod,

we were greeted by a very damp paddock and

consequent quarter-mile strip, and the

raucous sound of the jet-propelled drier

futilely banishing the mornings rain. It

wasnt a Dyson.Needless to say, the chromed Ninja dre

w

serious attention as soon as it was wheeled

from the van. Meanwhile, I was rapidly

absorbing advice and any advantageous input

from a eet of regulars who seemed toknow

what they were talking about, but thatsoon

switched to starting/trying to fuck withmy

head. Ooosh, that rear tyre is way toohard

and is this really the rst time youre going to

ride it? And my suggestion of attempting a

completely undiluted run without any

electronic aids was greeted with directions

to the local mortuary. Im not joking and

neither were they.

The aim was simple. I heard (because Isure

as shit didnt read it) that the weekly rag had

nailed a 9.8s standing quarter-mile aboard the

H2R, so I wasnt going to leave the Pod

without beating that marker. Again, thelocals

and RWYB patrons some of whom were

wearing jacket, jeans and dainty boots to do

180mph pitched in with some candid

cynicism: not only is Santa Pods strip tangibly

uphill, we had a erce headwind to combat

and, as I was nding out, every teeny tiny

variable manifests itself into great importance.

Ignorance and naivety would say this

sprinting lark is just a case of opening the gas

with as much vigour as possible and dropping

the clutch, feeding in the gears via theslick

quickshifter. Sounds easy, right? Any numbnut

can go fast in a straight line, right? Dropin the

little Ninja nugget that is the H2R and the

whole equation deviates somewhat.

The rst run was all about getting a feel for

things, getting accustomed to a potential

widowmaker in the H2R, and making sure I

wasnt going to die. It sounds ridiculous

initially, but it was also a case of sussing the

040 H2R 29/09/2015 09:37 Page 41

FEATURE

quarter-mile track: exploring grip levels,guring out lines (the cars have leftgargantuan ruts over the years) and, above allelse, fathom how/when/if I can slow thispuppy down before running out of road andtaking up ploughing.As I rolled onto the strip for the rst time, it

was a daunting view: like it was out of a lm,or doctored in Instagram. A hazy ascendinghorizon cluttered with an abundance ofspectators lling the grandstands either sideand the stickiest, most bizarre stretch ofTarmac youd ever seen. To touch, its likeyoure treading on a halloumi-based rubber,squeaky and almost spongy on the boot.With no tyre warmers allowed, burnouts

are essential for the perfect launch particularly when there are 300-plus poniestrying to valiantly escape via one wheel and aslick tyre. Very much like the ZX-10Rs KTRCelectronics suite, the H2R still allows burnoutsaccompanied by a violent soundtrack.Following some brief homework and a

watchful eye beforehand, the lights are fairlyeasy to understand. The top four indicate yourposition on the start line, as the front wheelneeds to be primed in between two strips thathouse the timing equipment. As soon as thosefour lights are illuminated on both lines, youtoo need to be primed. When the next striplights up, its go time, as no human reactionwill be able to anticipate the green light.With the KTRC set to level 1, it was a case

of experimentation. And hope. Lining up next

to me was a standard-ish ZX-10R. What betterway to induct the H2R into sprinting than tospank its cousin? I held the revs at 6,000rpmand gently released the clutch/mayhem.Its not often I lack the ability to articulate

riding sensations or dynamics, though on thisoccasion, summing up that frenzied 10seconds and putting them into words hasproven problematic. My brain has honestlynever had to manage such warp-speedacceleration and blurry peripheral vision,packing numerous decisive riding inputs intowhat felt like four seconds.Having buckarood the start, legs ailing

behind in a desperate attempt to nd balance,I was soon in full tuck and sucking up the ZX-10R, rear wheel still spinning despite havingthe traction control engaged. When I saysoon, I mean three-quarters of the way downthe strip, as I was only just able to ght theforces and wind battering. Looking back, Ithink the revs were too low during launch,therefore engine torque levels andsupercharger boost joined to offer euthanasia.Hitting fth gear, the rear wheel span againand momentarily peppered the redline as Icrossed the nish line. Fuuuuuuuuuuck, is allI could muster inside my head.Dyno numbers usually mean bugger all.

Kawasaki claims 326bhp might be a littleoptimistic as a rear wheel gure but afterseeing the H2R chew up JHS Racingspreviously pristine dyno, heeding its ferocityand sheer metallic lunacy, my botty dyno

acted as enough of a power barometer. Itmakes the H2 feel like a Christmas crackertoy. On returning to the pits, I collected ourtiming sheet from the ofce upstairs. 10.8s?Not bad. Only a second to trim and fastestbike in the rst round of runs. This is easy.Oh no it aint. With far too much wheelspin

for my liking and self-preservation, a lengthierburnout was the order for the next run, liningup next to a ratty but trick Bandit 240bhpworth of turbo Bandit. On launching andnearly reaching the moon, I gured that it wastoo much of a burnout, too much rear grip asit wheelied for the entire quarter-mile stretch.Still, I shaved a tenth off and was faster inevery segment.It soon became apparent that I was losing

all my time in the rst 18 mile, as the weaponof mass destruction threatened to loop or

Parp! Only one of these two is scared

OMG, OMG, OMG...

You want it warm, not hot

040 H2R 29/09/2015 09:38 Page 42

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Fast Bikes - November 2015