| AUGUST 2016100

LONG-TERM KIT

OCTOBER 2015 £4.10

NEW LOOK! MORE BIKES MORE ROUTES MORE KIT

KTM 1290 Super Adventure vs BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal 3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES

TESTED Ducati Multistrada Suzuki GSX-S1000F

Victory GunnerKawasaki Z250SL

How to buy a £3000 sports tourer

Yamaha Super Tenere used buying guide

SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SHORT BOOTS HOT WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS

CHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERS

Great roads through France

Great roads through France

Great roads through France

Bol d’Or spectator guide

Routes in Wales and Scotland

THE BIG FIGHT

NEW LOOK! MORE BIKES MORE ROUTES MORE KIT MORE ROUTES MORE ROUTES MORE KIT MORE KIT

September 2015 £4.10

New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer vs BMW R nineT vs Triumph Thruxton

OLD SCHOOL THRILLS

PEAKED PERFORMERS12 adventure helmets tested

BMW S1000XRFull-throttle UK road test

Yamaha FZ6 buying guide+ Used tourers for

just £3500

OCTOBER 2015 £4.10

KTM 1290 Super Adventure vs BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal BMW R1200GS Adventure in Portugal 3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES3000 FAST MILES ON THE ULTIMATE LONG-DISTANCE BIKES

SUMMER KIT TESUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SUMMER KIT TEST SPECIAL SHORSHORT BOOTS SHORT BOOTS HOT WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS HOT WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS HOT WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS HOT WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS

CHECHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERSCHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERSCHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERSCHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERSCHEAP OVERSUITS TO BEAT SUMMER SHOWERS

Great roads Great roads Great roads Great roads through France through France through France through France through France

Bol d’Or spectator guide

Routes in Wales and Scotland Routes in Wales and Scotland Routes in Wales and Scotland

THE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTSeptember 2015 £4.10

amaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer vsvsBMW R nineT BMW R nineT BMW R nineT vsvsvs Triumph Thr Triumph Thruxton Triumph Thruxton Triumph Thruxton Triumph Thruxton Triumph Thruxton Triumph Thruxton

SCHOOLSCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL THRILLTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLS

PERFORMERSted

BMW S1000XRFull-throttle UK road test

OLDOLD OLD OLD OLD SCHOOLSCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL

KTM 1290 Super AdventureKTM 1290 Super AdventureKTM 1290 Super AdventureKTM 1290 Super AdventureKTM 1290 Super AdventureKTM 1290 Super AdventureTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHTTHE BIG FIGHT

TESTED Ducati Multistrada Suzuki GSX-S1000F

Victory GunnerKawasaki Z250SL

THE 10,000 MILE TEST

HOW WE TEST KITNo other British motorcycle

magazine goes to as much

trouble as RiDE does to obtain,

use, compare and appraise kit.

As well as conducting several

RiDE Product Tests every year,

we are constantly appraising

new and familiar kit.

Where to buy it A growing

selection of gear endorsed by

RiDE is available from a special

RiDE zone on the MCN Shop

website. Find it by clicking the

link at www.ride.co.uk.

JARGON BUSTERCE approval: European

product safety labelling

system. Check what the CE

label on a garment applies to

- is it the whole jacket or just

the armour? For boots, look

for CE EN 13634; for jackets

and trousers it’s EN 13595;

for body armour it’s EN 1621

(where Level 2 is more

protective than Level 1).

Remember, you don’t have to

wear CE-approved gear, but if

it’s not CE approved, it can’t be

sold as protective clothing.

Sharp: UK government

helmet-testing scheme – see

sharp.direct.gov.uk

MISSED ONE OF OUR PRODUCT TESTS?In the September 2015 issue

we ran an adventure helmet

comparison test. In August

2015 we tested riding jeans,

and October had a summer

kit special. You can order

print editions of RiDE from

01858 438 884, and buy

tablet editions from Google

Play or the Apple Newsstand.

MILE TEST

NEW LOOK! NEW LOOK! NEW LOOK! NEW LOOK! NEW LOOK! MORE BIKES MORE BIKES MORE BIKES MORE BIKES

New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer BMW R nineT BMW R nineT BMW R nineT

SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL THRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLS

PEAKED PERFORMERSPEAKED PERFORMERS12 adventure helmets tested12 adventure helmets tested

New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer New Yamaha XJR1300 Racer BMW R nineT BMW R nineT BMW R nineT BMW R nineT BMW R nineT

SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL THRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLSTHRILLS

PEAKED PERFORMERSPEAKED PERFORMERS12 adventure helmets tested12 adventure helmets tested

- is it the whole jacket or just

the armour? For boots, look

for CE EN 13634; for jackets

and trousers it’s EN 13595;

for body armour it’s EN 1621

(wher

protective than Level 1).

Remember, you don’t have to

wear CE-approved gear, but if

it’s not CE approved, it can’t be

sold as protective clothing.

Sharp:

helmet-testing scheme – see

sharp.direct.gov.uk

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR OLD

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR OLD OLD

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR OLD

SCHOOL

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR SCHOOL SCHOOL

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR SCHOOL SCHOOL

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR SCHOOL SCHOOL

MISSED ONE OF OUR MISSED ONE OF OUR SCHOOL

PRODUCT TESTS?PRODUCT TESTS?PRODUCT TESTS?PRODUCT TESTS?PRODUCT TESTS?In the September 2015 issue

Interphone F5MC Bluetoothintercom £199.99

I NEVER WANTED an intercom, but

having tried this I’m sold on the idea.

There’s a comprehensive fitting kit,

with mics for both open and full-face

lids and a choice of clip-on or glued

mounting brackets. It’s fiddly to tuck all

the wires away on some lids, and you

have to be careful to get the earphones

as close as possible to your ears. Even

then, riding with earplugs means

conversation’s impossible above 60mph.

At lower speeds it’s excellent – nice and

clear, ideal for passing on directions or

just pointing out interesting stuff. The

buttons are a bit fiddly to use with big

gloves, and I’d like to have a Push To Talk

(PTT) button on the bars.

Charging is via USB and they’ll do a full

day’s chat no problem. Bluetooth pairing

with a phone or other device is easy and

I’ve successfully streamed music from my

phone. I’ve never successfully made or

received a call while riding though.

Downsides? You need to waterproof the

main plug with silicone grease (supplied), or

you risk shorting the unit in heavy rain (don’t

ask…). Wind noise from the other helmet’s

mic can be intrusive even when nobody’s

Shark Vision R Helmet £219.99THIS STARTED OUT as, “I’ll try it if I have

to,” but has ended up being my favourite

helmet for years. Comfortable, light,

mist-free and not too pricey, it ticks

all the right boxes. I thought the

flip-down sunshade was a gimmick,

but it’s been incredibly useful. The

lining’s easy to remove and wash.

After years of constant use in all

weathers it’s picked up a few

scuffs, and the visor’s now starting

to get a bit scratched, but it’s still

mist-free, which is impressive.

I’ve now moved on to the current

updated version (the Vision R

Plus), but this still gets a fair bit

of use since it already has the

Interphone wiring and unit attached,

and I haven’t yet got round to

swapping that on to the new lid.

talking – in a crosswind it sounds like the

Swedish Chef from The Muppets is fighting

to the death with the MGM lion. In a tin bath.

I find the FM radio useful - when it works.

Too often on the Continent it can’t find any

signal, and even in the UK it can struggle to

find anything other than Radio 2 – no use to

anyone with a functioning nervous system.

It’s now superseded by the Interphone

Tour (£379.99 for a two-unit set-up), but

there are still F5 systems available from

around £150 per helmet set. KEV RAYMOND

“I was sceptical of the lid and the intercom, but I’m convinced”