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6

inessIn the last couple of years few bikes have had as much of a slagging as the MV

Agusta F4. “I’ll never ride one again,” I was once misquoted as saying when the

throttle stuck open on me during a Fenland thrash (it also lunched the motor).

“Italian lemon,” PB tester Trevor Franklin said of the stuttering MV F4RR that took

part in our litre bike group test this year.

You see, when a company with the heritage and history of MV Agusta produces a

machine as brutally beautiful as this, expectations are raised. Every time you look

at it, you want it to be amazing – especially when you find out about the price tag.

But in the past little niggles meant it has fallen short, to the point where it almost

isn’t fair comparing it to its non-exotic rivals.

Te bike you see before you is the MV F4RR Corsacorta, the updated 2012

F4RR. It’s the upgraded, lighter, more powerful version of the F4R that

Guy Martin tested for us at the beginning of 2011. With a virtually

new, short stroke, (claimed) 201bhp engine, top of the range

Ohlins forks and shock, lighter wheels and race-spec Brembo

monoblocs, MV say this is the most powerful superbike in the

world. And it needs to change some perceptions.

7

2012'SBBS'"S...IOKYHOOPS_ _ _ _ _ _ b 0 "

The definitive guide to t hebest performance tyre foryour 1000cc spor t sbi ke

The.."ll"01.Y'"" thet< <!.yo iounbtliovablt; 'h....,•..-intIY_hingfo.-rocusion.Touringryrn. "I"""l101.1ri.... lyra, opony rood~ sponytyteo ro.peoplowho__bomon~W~ond

how...,R;"thoir~...I!ut~ PB Wr.olObepthulp......,..wbi<h

1I..n,. tho_.I.o_c1rood1opI~.,....-""".,.....tMu.:ItboIor.botwoom roodand ........pode<tftl<tJ-af_wlx>'..,p._olhArd...-lridiaa_ln<IoI:qs"""...~......,...."- "",, ... tho,-

poddado and onodIe<... tho """ •....,..IiiI:d<..u-.ctJNd-.S-~IR!lo-'" ...h...-.tthoir lJO.......... tho............c1tb<

--........Mt< 1 "-pock . IthnrRlJr! I 'Cilo.~_roodbiaoedpoodralct.

w.·........tu-...~~........,..._rood... tnd;biaoed-"Oft io,l>o<-_"",,,,,,,,Ja..dr.Ln­..."""",",,~_.__boolo<dlhe_"""""'l1"__<JOIIIclMd_tulIIe<lede.><h hml,~oncl_oo""'........__hoft r--.........-l"'lt""<'-"I--'Thx'._£l3OO""",",,'"rW>bo.-.d..... "".,.,...11

ON TEST_,rl o, nun. n o T~u l a~7 pol rh nhp ~lU , p Roc•••d l u. naDp. l .n", ..h. R. c.no U aSD u lrPlnll l Su,, " . "u SP I l ' D p. l .." I < ~ . ll n Pov. " 0"' Rou I~~D p. l r

Trackday tyre test

TBBTBSTDry,sunnyintervals,airtemperature 13°Tracktemp 18°

Tester 1 Bruce DunnLong time road tester, 250GP racerandexperienced

tyre tester, Bruce has been the man behindmanya PB

tyre test. He's here to represent the ultimate evaluation

as he 'sable to push the tyres to their limit in a highly

consistent manner. His lap times, GPSdataloggingand

opinions will form the foundations of this test.

"Tyre tests are the most demandingform of testing

Ido," says Bruce, "because it's not all about goingas hard

as you can .Youhave to ride at 9/10ths in order to push

the tyre to its limit while also freeing up mental capacity

to note all the subtle differences between the tyres on

each session, and also remain utterly consi stent. It's a

tall order but I really enjoy doing it."

Tester 2 Emma FranklinIf Bruce is representing the top 5%of riders, PB'sdeputy

editor is here to represent the majority. Emma rides a

litre bike on the road and the occasional trackday. She

also races a TZR250 at club level. She won't be pushing

1 0

7as hard as Bruce, butwill be able to pick up on aspects of

each tyre that Bruce's skills allow him to ride around.

Test bike 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000.Suzuki's big litre bike is here as the test mule. Chosen

for its lack of electronicaids and power delivery, the

GSX-R1000 is agoodrepresentation ofyour typical

road-spec 1000ccsports bike. Although as standard the

GSX-Rwears 120170 up front with a 190/50 rear, all the

rear tyres on test are the slightly tallerprofile of190/55.

FitterJames Powell, ofInFront Motorcycles, Chester, is an

experienced tyre fitter, mechanicand racer. When he's

not tweakinghis customers' roadbikes, he's fitting tyres

at trackdays or spanneringforhis mates at BSB.He's

here to make sure each pair are fitted correctlyand help

us ensure the pressures are set to the manufacturer's

recommendation.What James doesn't knowabout

tyres isn't worth knowing.

The test trackBlyton Park nearGainsborough is theperfect facility for testingtyres. The newlyresurfaced 1.6 mile circuitoffers a 160mph straight ,undulations, technicalchicanes , hard-brakingareas, off-camber cornersand plenty of run-off plusit allows us to configurethe layout to our ownrequirements . We've gotsole use of the track sowe're able to subject eachset of tyres to a fair,repeatable, unobstructedlap. www.blytonpark.co.uk

Howwe did itWith our pair ofidentical GSX-RI000s, fitter James set

about removing the wheels and tyres from one while

Bruce completedinstallation laps on the other. One bike

was fitted with the datalogger andwas used for all of the

track test, while the otherwas used for its wheels alone

to speed up the tyre changingprocess.

With the installation laps completed, Bruce returned

to the pits to tweak the suspension. He dialled one click

of rebound damping to the forks anda full turn of

rebound to the shock. No further suspension alterations

were made for the rest ofthe test. He then seta lap time

for our control tyres - the OEM spec Bridgestone S20s.

All test tyres were set to the manufacturers'

recommended coldpressures but, owing to the cool

conditions, we opted to warm each on warmers for 30

minutes prior to fitting for safetyreasons. Bruce then

completed six warm-up laps then came back into the

pits to adjust the pressures to the manufacturers'

suggestedworking/hot pressures (where given) before

heading out on 15 datalogged test laps .

The controltyreBridgestone 520 £248

Best lap time 1:06.88

Weight:Front 4.75kg; rear 6.5kg

Contact:www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk

Bridgestone's S20 is the newest tyre in their range and

comes as standardfitment on our 2012 GSX-RI000 test

bike. As a sporty road tyre it's not in the same categoryas

the rest of the tyres on testbut it's here to illustrate the

performance difference between a road biased tyre and

the more track-biased tyres on test here.As we're using

the OEM spec S20s theirperformance maywell not be

indicative of the S20s available from yourlocal tyre shop

as theywill have been made to Suzuki's own

specification for cost reasons.

Emm a Fr an kl i n

T Em ma Fr a nkl i n

J a me s Po well

T Ja mes Po we l lT Bru ce Du nn

Trackday tyre test

Dunlop 0211 GP Racer£280 (perpairas tested)

Compound: front medium; rear enduranceWeight: front 5.5kg; rear 6.25kgWorking pressures: 32psi front; 23psi rearWorking temp: front 42'C; rear 53'CBest lap time: 1:03.56Web: www.dunlopmotorcycle.eu

"I was able tobrake later andharder than on

the Mi.che1i.nsand Metzelers"

s

ROAD_...........-

Bruce says: "These are at the

sportier end of the spect ru m and

it shows with how they made the

bikefeel- angry. The bike comes

alivewith these tyres in moreways than one.

Icertainlywent quickly on them,quicker than

on the stock tyres, Michelin s and Met zelers

but Iwas just grittingmy teeth and holding

on. Gettingthe bike from upright to leant over

is much more lin ear than it was with the

Michelin s or Met zelers and mid-corner

stabilityis vastly improved meaning initial

drive is good, but overall stability is

compromised.The bike shakes and slaps quite

a bit and you need a firm hand tohang on to

them, but in spite of this Iwas able to make up

time massively on corner entries andexits.

"Braking is superior. Iwas able to brake later

and harder than on the Michelins and

Met zelers, just as Iwas able to get hard on the

gas earlier when exit ing corners.Because

these Dunlops are at the sport ier endof the

spect rum there's a little more compromise

with them which explain s the stability issues.

Theywould need more setting up to get the

most out of them .But overall I'm impressed ."

Emma says: "For me these felt

awesome. Turn-in is absolutely

spot on . Iapply input and it leans

without anyresistance or undueflightiness. It'sa direct, connected feeling.On

thebackstraight Iexperienced a littlehint of

the in stabilityBruce described but nothing to

those ext remes.The Dunlops gaveme a great

feeling of confidencewithout compromise.

They performlikea sports tyre: they're pointy

and accuratebut they do makeyou feel likeyou'reworking for your lap time - they're no

magic carpet ride."

TechnologyThe rear features Dunlop's 7000 series Multi­Tread compound meaning there are sevenzones of compound across the width of thetyre , maximising side grip, stability and drive.They also feature NTEC technology which hasfiltered directly down from the handmade racetyres and allows them to be run at very lowpressures (as low as 17psi) to maximise grip.

Pirelli Supercorsa SP£290 (per pair as tested)

~ nocnoa 01-"";Wolg/lt ""'" ~.~ <ear 6.1lokgWori<ioIe "'........, Iron!36pol; .- 2'9\OOiW«klng t«np: ""'" 5Il"C; .- 5II'CIleSlIap _, ':(13,'9

W OI> www.-.com

"They could turnas quickly as t heraciest tyres and. .were tmpresstve

t n the chicane"

BI'UC<I says' "In ",..ny...,yst~p<rform in. similuw"}' to

<he Ilridge<"".. RIO.K• •yr. bu'I nunogedtogof..tetont.......

Uk< ,he RiGs the .moontof rid<r input

..-lo;d to 11'" ,hem 'UmMismuchIns thonlhe OI!wn,.rod riding futon thomb«omeoralIy,ralIyOUf·~tb<f..t ...l.>ptimrsam< I r>o<k<d1~ ....nto_.mJndquile- bit.They oqu.ot.nd SQUinn u """" lun:!""dorllion.«p«WIywhrn J"I'1"", ..illlr."t~.IN, ,hisi""hbodthing. rnf..ttome~givesag...tsens>'iorl.Bdunder'l.lndingof

howmuch grip til...-.is;1!>q'.. lelli"8"'"k.......how much""""Janpush tIwm. Pinlli'l..lm to h"""otiffl."l'l<d up thos;dewallt of <heSP'outthoy'...,m.loI toft« ltun l!>oHmth<rornprti';oruoo h'"hisgiw in ,h..id<­...11 tlut <TN,,,'ho <ammunir"ioo oigrip.

They could (u'" U'lUi<kIy... tho""...1tyre<on 'm(II>< R10sland d••ywoni"'P"-m.in thodue.".,bu' I'd..y.1>qneededjust~ 00 <lightly"..,...offerllo getth.m from knr< ,ok""" S,ill,it '..v<ry

imp<~perform<lr,a,.ndu.....'r=tUlly sui. , ....GSX·R1000 in.to<lcIn m.

Emma says' "1bey·...sublime.r......Super<....... """"good.t.", rd<Or'JVi~mystifu­_SP.~ldbtali\lIe"-"

road bW><d. so IW"IIUfpr;s..d.when Inail<dmyf."..,lapof' hodaron<hem.Theydon',f~l..p>in'y.. tho BtidgMono RIO.w!><'nchangingdi_. bu'lhq"..somblo.ndCOJ'>$i$,en,,!Ieya110..mHO gn on'hogas..rli.und 'boo brakab,Ot. Phu Y"'-' don', gi....grip... oond thoogII,.ndIknowfrom past• • pt'fin>:o how...;ll thoSul"'fCO'"'" laS!.so"-~ldbomypi<koflhobu"'''

Trackday tyre test

Metzeler Racetec K3£250 (perpairas tested)

Compound used: no choice of compou ndWeight: front 4.3kg; rear 7kgWorking pressures: front 36psi; rear 29psiWorking temp: front 42°e; rear 50SeBest lap time: 1:04.71Web: www.metzelermoto.co.uk

"The dataloggerproves I managed agenuine 160mph onthe back straight

on these tyres"

S b

Bruce says: "Of all the tyres

here these feel like theysit more

towards the road end of the

spectrum,but the overwhelming

sensation Iget from themis justhowstable

they are .On the back straight I could blast up

to top speedwithout any proble ms at all and

the datalogger proves it - on these tyres

Imanageda genuine 160mph.Youcan

accelerate really hardand theystay totally

planted.Around Lancaster, the flat -in-third

cornerdirectlybefore the straight, these tyres

allowed me to fire out whi le Iwas still

standing the bike up; the side grip isvery

impressive.There's good feel in all the places

you need it - from the backwhen accelerating

andon the brakes when trailing in. Where the

Met zelers lost out was in the turn-in and

direction changes; they're so tough to turn-in,

requiring a big shove and a lot of effor t .The

data shows theywere themost ponderous

through the chicane, at 2mph slower. But they

balance th is by beingverystable at speed once

upright. They feelphysicallyheavy.The ride

qualityis also a little bit severe too,choppy

anda littleharsh ."

Emma says: "In one word:

planted.Theyfeelreassuringly

heavy (the heaviest tyres on test)

which gives a great sensat ion of

connection to the tarmac but makes the

handlingfeel slower. Ifound them an effort to

haul from one side to ano ther in the chicane

and they didn't feelas pointyas the Dunlops

or Bridgestones. Ifyouliketyres that give the

ult imate sensation ofgr ip, these are for you,

but ifyou likeyour tyres a little livelier and

quick to turn,they'll annoy. Good bet ifyou

plan to do more fast road riding than trackdays."

Bridgestone R10£267 (perpairastested)

--~Weighl: IrMI. <Il<g: ..- 6.4SI<g_ Ing ","""reo: front 3Opoi: ... 25poi

'NO,'d"II~' 1Jonl51'C.... 56'1:_, lap lime, 1:03.5:1

W<tt>;~.tIriagM lOO_ocfutl. co.,*

"The R10s deliverperformance 'in a

t ot ally unflappableway. Hi ghly

recommended"

Bruce says: "Th<Rl Oo porlo<mIDsolut~brilli.ontly.lhq""live, loul ".1>;1 i'y,grip .nd~ F"""u""",. pointof

~<J.....tyftSp<rlonnso ...lI ,!JeyUIlac'... bit of • go! "'" oi ja;1 f_ a ni beuuseyoua n g<1 'w;oywith br2king deep ;RlO <»met'$,

or <hongingl;....t th<lu' minu..without• nypenolly. 1htw.y ,hey chong< dire<lion is

proNbIyon< of their "..,.. "".....nding.uriblJ,... I," qui..owrwh<lming.Youg<t

lh.>l ,..I kn ife·edge ''''''' Iyte porlo<m<>"".withou' rompromising....bility.1 w.....sily

f....."hrnugh tho ,ha..."" ,n-.bu'l w"stiI1 rngoodsh.;>< ...bili,y·""'" '0 I"""""lh.-....gll Lon<Ulot • nd,n."""Ie thobad"night.r....got nothingNd"' ..y>boutt l.... ' pOUt .11.ruJly.Y... thry . ",.t u..""""e.,_. r>ocyend of Ihe ,,>tk<L>y ty'"nu."'" . nd......olt will"..".amulw.nningifyou~tou>< th.montherood.bu' thof.justcom"""' .......Tho RIlls~perfornu.n«in.,oul!ynnlbpp.obie,

"'. ....ringway- tMy'", like, I>< rubberoqumlent of the Hondo F;.-.bb&e. !lriU;"nt,~highly r«ornmmdod.-

Emma says:-n....fffi.xxtlyhowIuf>«' ,;ocOlyre>houId.Neverm;nd ,hogrip,.lhhetym......,onl... ~ultim..l..Jy

grippy. bu' thos< Bridgmonesdo in<rMibiothings to IhisSl=k;', N ndling.Theynu""thrbiJu, f.., llil« iuup on iu toes. prim<d.rId7Ndyto 'lheytumthequicl=.,al.nyty>'t' in foct they aught "",,'ut l><cou5<thtydo.,',....,...mud> i"""t togrt thrmOWf. IWJld;....., lly thrtxlgh,he 'hic. ....onI hom. If!w. nted. set of tyrapurelyfot trod<<by..... thos< wouldb. them:

Trackday tyre test

TBBPAOTSWe'veanalysed thefastestlapbyeach set oftyresandoverlaid themonacircuitmapto seewhereand whysomedo betterthanothers.

Top speed at endof straightThe back straight at Blyton is727 metres long and featuresa bumpy mid-section wherewe deviate off the freshtarmac in order to miss outthe chicane. It's a great testof high speed stability andshows a wide variance ineach of our test tyre'sperformances.

1st Pirelli 162.1 mph2nd Michelin 160.5mph3rd Metzeler 160.4mph4th Bridgestone 159.2mph5th Dunlop 15S.5mph

Fastest laps1st Pirelli 1.03.1 92nd Bridgestone 1.03.533rd Dunlop 1.03.564th Metzeler 1.04.715th Michelin 1.04.88

High speed side gripLancaster is a high speedcorner that leads onto the backstraight and is an extreme testof a tyre's grip and drive whilstunder incredible load - 100mphflat in 3rd gear whilst still at 30degrees of lean. Tyres withgood side grip will be able toinspire enough confidence tokeep driving hard until thebike's fully upright. Bruce ratedeach tyre on how well itgripped and how stable it wasunder power.

1st PirelliJoint Bridgestone3rd Metzelers4th MichelinJoint Dunlop

The 'Ump'Low speeddirectionchangeA right-left flickthat requires a lotof physical inputto get the bigSuzuki from yourright kneestraight onto yourleft knee , it's agreat test of howagile each set oftyres is. Herewe've measuredthe time it takeseach set of tyresto get throughthe chicane,along with itsentry and exitspeeds, as wellas lean angles.

1st BridgestoneTimethroughchicane 3.94secEntryspeed53.3mph at 41.S2" of leanExit speed 61.5mph at 40.46" of lean

2nd PirelliTimethoughchicane 4.03secEntryspeed54.4mph at 43.39" of leanExit speed 61.4mph at 40.46" of lean

3rd DunlopTimethroughchicane4.05secEntryspeed54mph at 43.90"of leanExit speed 59.6mph at 42.33" of lean

4th MichelinTimethroughchicane4.0SsecEntryspeed51.1mphat 40.99" of leanExit speed 59.6mph at 40.66" of lean

5th MetzelerTimethroughchicane4.11secEntryspeed52mph at 43.31" of leanExit speed 59.1 mph at 39$ of lean

2nd BridgestoneTimethrough chicane 9.S0secEntryspeed77.1mphExitspeed96.7mph

5th MetzelerTimethroughchicane10.29secEntryspeed75.4mphExitspeed95.Smph

4th MichelinTimethroughchicane9.91secEntryspeed79.SmphExitspeed96.9mph

1st PirelliTimethoughchicane 9.73secEntryspeedS1.SmphExitspeed9S.6mph

3rd DunlopTimethroughchicane9.S6secEntryspeed76.5mphExitspeed96.2mph

Jochen

Twickers

High speeddirection changesPort Froid is an exhilaratinghigh speed chicane with a lotof run off. It's approaching100mph so you need to beelectrified with your steeringinputs. It's a good test of howreactive each set of tyres isand also a good measure ofhow linear the steeringcharacteristics are. Againwe 've measured the time ittook each set to get throughthe chicane and also recordedentry/exit speeds.

Ushers

~=~ Twickers

Port Froid

Apex speed1st Bridgestone 56.5mph2nd Dunlop 54.3mph3rd Pirelli 53.13mph4th Metzeler 52.Smph5th Michelin 52mph

Braking tomid corner1st Pirelli 6.0sec2nd Bridgestone 6.1sec3rd Dunlop 6.11sec4th Metzeler 6.12sec5th Michelin 6.2sec

Hard brakingBishops corner sits right atthe end of the back straightand it's tighter than it looks,so to prevent us fromploughing a new furrow intothe farmer's field beyond weneed to scrub off 110mph tomake it round . Braking here isthe ultimate test of front endstability and also trail brakingprowess. The figures belowshow the time from the startof braking to letting off thebrakes at the apex and alsoapex speed.

f1 BIShops

Michelin Power One£240 (pef- pair as tested)

~:roo<I

w.IgIlt from •.~ ..... 6.25I<U_ Ing ... _ ~~ 1coi:l ............. 10JOpoI Irt>fI1, 25poi ....,_ Ing temPo: Irt>fI1 oI2"C, _ 55,5OCBest lap time: t:Of.811_ www.rnc:nelln.oo.~

"Revving hardi n second gear

on corner exitsi t felt under

total control"

Bruce says: "Slnighl owoyI,«lid fffi thr diff"""""~-.m ,hes.o.ndthoOEM­

"J'«""",.... ty.u.lhert'ob.lgs~grip, 'h<y'.. """"....,.~'oyourinpu..• .-.1 <Mr.'o~,.,.f<edb.<k,~.....,.""u,..'.Iy .nd~deunt.moun .. ci<i<logrip which gi.....goodconf>don« mi.d «>rno<,

1h< ...r f...J.wdl""",,",,'od too; Tevvinglard in~8""''''' <Or'J'>O>' <>;i.. f.1I undortot.lI con'rol H<>wew< whm Iw.....rting '0pu' '''S'"'hemyf_ t.",...bilityw>Wfod.On ,he • • it ciLonuotor, A.,inIhirdg..r,,he

TechnologyAST~ Tocl.iW\M.3CT~~Tocl"o...".Jl.Tho...._an.t>ao__~ ..ltll oolt onono _ son onlhO _ """ n-..n In thO

e.ntt-. Tlio ltS'f"WI'OII'k deolgn_l'O" to_thO tyro .. IhO _ """'l>OUl<l ""'"on 11>0 _ "'"' wiI _11>0 ..- come«.

landlob>.. , ..,to<! ki<klng.It lupponod twry

Iop.OOoerioody . ff""to<! my"","""",,"" ,n." nigh, .. Iw.sh.,.;ngto roll off>lightly. If,n.ci<cuillud bHn ,moo! ho' <hI< pn>babIywoukIn't h.o.., hopp<'Of!<!. hut If<el~ 'Y'"didn't ,op< .....11 wi'h b.ingun~t1od.1\"n-ini<V.,11y i"'Jl<OYod .,.,.,.OEM, hut {n>m.

pmonmnc. riding poin' of vi<wit:' not ""'YIi...... -throffon roquirodchong<> ......n-.poin..of,,,,,,·in. rdoay'hoy',. nussivolyimprovrdfrom tho.""kty=.OO~'o

goodgrip hu' i.....bili'yon>«omtioo..ndbnkingdoesn'I irupi",ronf><lo.-"

Emma says' "1hoyfeolknitlodto thr rood.liR ,he.'s~ofgrip.,., off..,...,.eWIy lrom tho,..,whmon,bego.. Butl w..

,....".ful!ycon'..,'with 'befron'<nd.1be/ront tyR f.h ligh" <=flOivdyso,Iii« itw ', b;tingin to ,be ,1..,.h.ord """"&h.nd ....,r,go"" b;t ci• f1igh'yrido.nd. «.., to<! myconf>don«.,., tho b... ka

Jfound i' hord lObo consi<,.." withIhom,Swo thoy'..grippy. but <Mr.·o somothingquit. q..irl<y .bout them inthr ...y thq<tteJ'ed t1ut Iju<t ""'Idn\ goton wilh."

Trackday tyre test

And thewinner is ... PirelliSupercorsaSPThe fact that all the tyres on test were at least two seconds quicker than the 0 EM

control tyres - themselves not badatall- speaks volumes. All of these tyres will make

you ride faster and more confidently in the right conditions. They've all got an

abundance of grip andall have the potential to improve yourbike's steering. But a

couple of the tyres delivered standoutperformances.

There's no gettingaway from the fact that the Pirellis posted the fastest lap times.

Both of our testers were blown away by how theydelivered this pace in a totally

unflappable way.The Pirellis made riding fast veryeasy andprovided an excellent

sensation of grip in all situations.Ifyou're lookingfor a setof tyres to have some road

and track fun this summer, these are for you .They even last remarkablywell too.

Butifyouwant to get your trackbike shodwith something tastyyou won't go wrong

with a set of Bridgestone R10s. They're similar in performance to the Pirellis but felt

that little bit racier and sharpened the bike's handling.The R10s will be right up the

street of those riders who enjoy a quick-steeringbike.

Do ityourselfBike trackdays at BlytonIf you fancy having a crackat Blyton Park, why notrock up to one of theirtrackdays this summer?BikeDays.co (That's .coonly and NOT co.uk) arerunning a series ofsessioned bike days thissummer with pricesstarting from just £69.Blyton Park is locatedfive miles outs ide ofGainsborough in Lines.

11 May23 May5 June19 June4 July1 August

To book call07788 992589 orgo to bikedays.co

Big thanks toJames Powell of InFrontMotorcycles (07810300127) for his superbtyre fitting skills. If you'relooking for advice or tobuy tyres then James isyour man.

Richard Usher of BlytonPark. Richard's done agreat job developingBlyton - it's the perfectvenue for testing andtrackdays . www.blytonpark.co.uk

grea JO eve opingBlyton - it's the perfectvenue for testing and+I"-:I"l.rn'3\/~ \AI\/lI\,."

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● Suspension set-up clinic from MCT

● Tyre advice from Bridgestone tyres

● Modifying clinic from M&M Motorcycles

● Mobile Dyno

● The best specials of the last 25 years of PB

● PB-Hosted barbeque on the Thursday night

● Road bikes AND track-bikes are welcome

● Instruction from top racers

TRACKDAY

JULY 2012

Friday 6th JulyFor more information click on www.clubmsv.com

only

£119

trackdays

are coming

Home!

As well as use of the best circuit in the country and the chance to take the piss out of the PB staff we offer the following…

After a two-year absence PB’s trackday is back at

the circuit where it all started – Cadwell Park.

CAMPINg AvAIlABle

You’ve read the track tests, you’ve pored over the pictures, but now it’s time for the acid test: how does the 1199 fare in the real world?Words Matt Wildee, Kar Lee Pics Rory Game

You need at least £15,750 to buy a Ducati Panigale 1199. And while

Ducati can’t make enough 1199s to satisfy demand from well-heeled

bikers and collectors, for most of us it may as well cost a million.

But it doesn’t stop us dreaming, or speculating with our mates what it would

be like to ride one day in, day out. Te next ten pages are about furnishing that

dream with a healthy dose of reality. We’ve done everything that a Panigale

owner would do with their bike in a year and crammed it into one week.

We’ve thrashed the bike through our favourite twisties; nipped, tucked and

posed our way through central London; raced it against a GSX-R1000 and a

BMW S1000RR; and even worked out how much it would cost to own compared

to a Fireblade. We also took it on a trackday. If you had access to the world’s

sexiest bike for a week, you’d do the same. Wouldn’t you?

What would it REALLY be like to own a Panigale?

47

What happe

ns when yo

u re-unite

a 90s rac

ing hero w

ith a bike

just like

the one he

raced bac

k in his h

eyday? Ans

wer: he co

mpletely d

isappears

Words Matt Wildee Pics Rory Game

RACER

REUNITED

Golden Era Superbike Honda RC45

Colin Morris

Former GP mechanic and Honda expert, not to mention the RC45’s owner. Hence the nervous look...

iAn siMPson

1994 BSB championand winner of the 1998 Senior TT on a Honda Britain RC45. He now races just for fun.

80

What is Golden Era Superbike?Run by Thundersport GB, Golden Era Superbike is a brand new class for 2012. Essentially trying to replicate the golden era of superbike racing the class is for pre-2000 750cc inline fours, 950cc triples and 1000cc V-twins, plus some post-2000 machines where the spec hardly changed. More details at: www.thundersportgb.com

Round 7 26 May – Oulton Park GP

Round 8-923-24 June – Snetterton 200

Round 10-1128-29 July – Rockingham

Round 12-1326-27 August –Anglesey

Round 14-1522-23 September –Cadwell

Round 16-1720-21 October – Mallory Park

eople say this series is all about

celebrating the golden era of superbike

racing, but it isn’t just old racebikes being put out to

seed,” explains 1994 BSB champion Ian Simpson. “This

bike is better than the Honda Britain RC45 I raced back

in 1998. It has a better engine, better power delivery and

far better tyres than back in the day. It’s astonishing.”

I’d bumped into Ian and his RC45 in garage number

nine at Donington Park. Team PB had been stumbling

up and down the pitlane looking for miracle remedies

for our wobbly Triumph racer, when a familiar face and a

very familiar bike caught my eye. Multiple TT winner,

five-times British champion and – thanks to his efforts

winning BSB on the Duckhams Norton in 1994 – a

personal hero of mine, Simpson and his bike had been

brought in to give a dose of glamour to the PB-supported

RST Golden Era Superbike championship.

In a garage full of scuffed 600s and race-prepped

SV650s, the Honda glows like a jewel. Te RC45, which

dates back to 1998, is the sexiest club-racing bike I’ve

ever seen. Simpson’s team-mate in the V&M-run Honda

Britain squad was a certain Michael Rutter, who took

this very RC45 to sixth in the BSB title that year, scoring

two wins and eight podiums.

Owned by former GP mechanic and Honda expert

Colin Morris, it runs bare, virgin carbon bodywork but,

apart from that, is representative of the ultimate race

version of one of Honda’s greatest superbikes. I watch

agog as Colin and his team of holidaying GP mechanics

work on the RC. It’s an education.

A mixture of factory race parts, Honda race-kit items

and engineering inspiration by Steve Mellor (the M in

V&M), the bike is the fastest, best-sorted 750

“P

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how To pull more ThaBraking g for a 38,000-mile Yamaha R6 going from 100mph to 20mph as quickly as the rider dares. S

More than enough power, even then. Modern brakes are

more powerful still, but most development over the last

couple of decades has been about improving feel and

getting consistent performance. Today, we take both for

granted – at least in a new bike. On a used bike these

handy attributes can deteriorate shockingly quickly.

Back in 2010, I tested about 30 five year-old bikes with

PB’s Kev Smith and Johnny McAvoy. None of them had

any engine problems, but about half had weak braking,

poor feel or warped discs. Te reason: corrosion getting

into the calipers. It seems many people just don’t regard

brakes as service items, even when it’s obvious that the

bike can’t stop as well as it did when it was new.

The neglect effectWe thought it would be interesting to measure the

effects of poor maintenance, and also to discover

whether typical upgrades really make a difference. Our

guinea pig was a 2000 Yamaha R6, mainly because it was

there (it belongs to photographer Rory Game, who took

most of the pics in this article).

Te bike’s done 38,000 miles and been ridden through

two winters, though you wouldn’t know it – Rory is an

obsessive cleaner. On the other hand, all three of its discs

are near the service wear limit, and it’s not had new brake

fluid for at least a year. Te pads are brand new (EBC HH)

but as far as Rory knows the calipers have never been

apart. All in all, a reasonably typical enthusiast’s bike.

Average 0.92g

l l

l

l

l0.9g

1.0g

0.8g

0.7g

0.6g

1.1g

l

l

l

l

l

Average 0.90g

Takes a moment to find full

pressure, but OK feel and power.

No detectable fade. Back end

fishtailing from 60mph, stoppies

from 30mph. Tyre making loud

howling noise. One lockup.

As before but stoppies from

60mph. Evening run, so cooler

weather. No other detectable

difference.

How we did the testIn the absence of a standard braking test, we invented one: hook up a GPS datalogger, ride 120-ish, then brake as hard as seems prudent down to 10mph or so. We then took the slice of braking between 100 and 20mph, and used the time to calculate average deceleration. (If you have a GPS phone app you can do this yourself: divide your speed loss in metres per second by the time taken, then divide the result by 9.81. To convert mph to m/s, multiply by 0.447. It probably counts as pacemaking, and therefore invalidates your insurance, but there you go.)

Our test deliberately ignores how quickly the rider gets up to full power, because we don’t have the means to set consistent start speeds. It also eradicates any low-speed stoppies which tend to muck up an otherwise clean run. So it’s a bit of a sterile test but at least it is repeatable. What it does reveal is how much power the rider can get at over a given speed range. And because we repeated each run five times, it also tests for fade. Averaging the results of all five runs masks the effect of one unusually good or bad run.

Old brake fluid, worn discs,

fresh EBC HH pads (£48.99)

test 1 test 2

New brake fluid (£8)

Red line shows data for five crash stops in a row

“It seems many people just don’t

regard brakes as service

items”

Maintenance brake guide

Painting the cleaned, pumped-out pistons with silicone grease – a vital once-yearly job

106

han 1g on your brakes s. Slightly worn, negative profile tarmac. Dry, warm weather. Dunlop SportSmart tyres.

Average 0.97g

l l ll

l

Felt slightly mushier but much

easier to be consistent.

EBC’s new discs are cast, rolled

and ground in Germany, and use

a patented square button system

to ‘eliminate distortion’. Fitted with

new mounting screws (Yamaha’s

originals are made of cheese)

and bedded in for 80 miles.

The difference was astonishing:

masses more feel, power and

precision. Best run: 1.076g.

RCS stands for Ratio Click

System – the rider can vary the

lever ratio with a click roller,

and also choose from two pivot

positions. The master cylinder

comes with a brake light switch

and a folding brake lever. It

promises even more feel and

consistency. Unfortunately rain

stopped play so we were unable

to run a test. But we already know

the RCS gives better feel than a

standard master cylinder.

ll

l

l l

Average 1.035g

Rory’s calipers turned out to be annoyingly free from

corrosion, but the results are still interesting. In its

original form, with no recent servicing and freshly run-

in pads, the bike averaged just over 0.9g. Tat’s a

respectable performance, similar to some new bikes. But

with improvements (the biggest of which was a caliper

rebuild) it got consistently close to 1g – close to the limit

for any bike. Racer and PB tester Bruce Dunn has

datalogged new bikes for MCN at Bruntingthorpe

Proving Ground for the past 12 years. Te fastest

stopper, a 2005 Triumph Speed Triple, went from

70mph to zero in 43.8 metres, at an average deceleration

of 1.03g. If Rory’s bike had been more neglected the

improvement would have been even more dramatic; a

typical sportsbike with gummy calipers languishes

around the 0.7g mark.

where’s the limit?

A really good car can probably stop a bit better than a

bike. Bruce has measured a Hayabusa-engined Radical

sportscar going from 100mph to 20 in 3.3 seconds and

110.2 metres – an average 1.1g. A standard Hayabusa

needs almost half a second and 12 metres more,

dragging it down to 0.96g. Ten again, the Busa is hardly

the best braker, so how about a MotoGP bike? A data

test 3 test 4 test 5

Calipers rebuilt with red rubber

grease, new brake fluid

New EBC X series discs (£270

front, £115 rear), new EBC HH pads

Brembo RCS 19mm master

cylinder (£290), new brake fluid

A brake bleeding kit makes the job easier. The hat doesn’t, but it looks nice

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