NEWS2 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 3

Ducati Streetfighter sales stampede!

andy.downes @motorcyclenews.com

DUCATI is bracing itself for a rush of orders for the new naked 1098

Streetfighter after it made its UK debut last week amid a surge in interest.

Both the Streetfighter and the S model won’t be with owners until summer 2009. But that hasn’t stopped doz-ens of orders being placed by Ducati fans anxious to be at the front of the queue for one of the most extreme naked bikes ever seen.

TV chef Gordon Ramsay was among the fans checking

out the Streetfighter when he went to the show at the weekend, see page 17.

The Streetfighter is a bare-

ly changed version of the 1098 superbike – it’s the first naked bike with traction control. MCN readers voted for it to be built in the big-gest-ever poll on our website.

Ducati UK has now con-firmed prices for the two versions – £10,600 for the standard bike and £12,750 for the S version which comes with higher specifica-tion Ohlins forks and Brembo brakes as well as carbon bodywork. Both prices take into account the 2.5% reduction in VAT that came into force this week.

Ducati UK boss Tim Mac-cabee said: “We have seen massive demand for this bike and that has been reflected in the interest since the show opened. Dealers around the country are reporting that orders have been brisk.

“The Streetfighter offers

SEE MORE PICTURESMore pictures and full details of the new Ducati at www.motorcyclenews.com/streetfighter

ONLINE

Naked 1098 is the star of the NEC Show as, Ducati reveals that its 2009 bikes will be a sell-out

‘No deliveries before summer but orders are flooding in’

Ducati put the 1098 Streetfighter into production after MCN readers urged the firm to build it

BAYLISS ON RECORD PACE – ON A ROAD BIKETROY BAYLISS lapped Portugal’s Portimao circuit last week on front-running European Superstock pace, on a standard road bike shod with ROAD tyres.

The recently retired three-times World Superbike champion Bayliss displayed his stunning skills at the recent launch of the Ducati 1198.He lapped the track at 1:47.7s – enough to grab pole position for the 2008 World Superstock race!

Bayliss said: “It was good fun – and not a bad time for a road bike, eh?”

Bayliss was fast enough for pole on

road -going 1198

all of the fun of the 1098 superbike but it allows that fun to happen at a speed that is a little easier for road rid-ers to access. I think the numbers of Streetfighters we are going to sell is going to take people by surprise.

“It is a radical naked bike, which hasn’t been diluted in any way, and is exactly what customers want.

“Our superbike sales are

strong and we are expecting these to pick up even more with the launch of the new 1198 but the Streetfighter should be very popular. We won’t know exactly how many orders for the bike have been taken until all our dealers report back.”

Back in the summer when MCN first heard of rumours of the Streetfighter, we polled readers and website users on whether they wanted the bike to be built. The result was not only a resounding ‘yes’ from almost 70% of the thousands of people who voted, but it was also the most popular vote ever carried on www.motor-cyclenews.com

Sleek, stylish but still with an aggressive look at the front Warning display strip is clear in digital clock housing

‘Road riders will get all the fun of the 1098 superbike’

Next up for Ducati is the launch of the full Ducati accessories range – the 1098 Streetfighter is expected to be one of the most custom-ised bikes in the range. The range of Ducati Perform-ance accessories will include Termignoni exhausts, Marcheshini wheels and car-bon-fibre bodywork.

Strip the fairing from a 1098 superbike and you have the sexy new Streetfighter

www.motorcyclenews.com

2 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 3

Ducati Streetfighter sales stampede!

...and another big name goes back

Norton and Dunlop’s TT returnTWO of the biggest names in TT history will come together next year when Michael Dunlop rides the Norton NRV558 on the Isle of Man.

The son of the late Robert Dunlop and nephew of the legendary Joey will pilot the Rotary Norton round the 37.73-mile circuit in the Senior race.

Norton has been away from the TT for 16 years since Steve Hislop’s historic victory in the 1992 Senior. And the return for 2009 will be part of Norton’s resur-gence into the motorcycle world thanks to bike enthu-siast and owner of Norton Racing, Stuart Garner.

He said: “This is the first time in many years that an official Norton team has raced at the TT.

“We have a fantastic racing pedigree with the brand established over 100 years ago and our aim is to emu-late the success Norton race bikes achieved, particularly, in the 1930s, 1940s and

1950s. The 588cc Norton race bike has been developed over the last year by Brian Crighton and the Spondon engineering team. We are confident 2009 will prove to be a significant milestone in the history of this famous UK motorcycle brand.”

Michael Dunlop will fol-low in his father’s footsteps by riding for the British manufacturer.

“This is a fantastic oppor-tunity to make history with Norton’s return to one of the world’s most famous races – a real highlight of the racing calendar,” said Michael. “It means a lot to me. My father finished third on his JPS Norton when he competed in 1990.”

Martyn Quayle, the Isle of Man’s Minister for Tourism and Leisure, added: “Having Norton back in the TT is sensational news. Nortons were a crowd pleaser and we have every confidence this will be the first of many suc-cessful races for the Norton team.”

YOUR VIEWS ON THE STREETFIGHTER

The Streetfighter maintains the Ducati style with a beautiful single-sided swing arm

Michael Dunlop will follow in his father Robert’s footsteps when he rides the Norton NRV558 on the Isle of Man next year

NORTON’S TT HISTROY

NORTON has a glowing TT history. In the first year of the race in 1907 Rem Fowler won the twin-cylinder event using a Peugeot-engined Norton.

Norton’s first overhead valve machine, the Model 18, won the Senior in 1924 with Alec Bennett. In 1950

Norton ran a new frame and dominated the TT with Geoff Duke and Artie Bell.

The success continued through to the John Player Norton in the ’70s and ’80s and culminated in Steve Hislop’s Senior TT win in 1992, beating Carl Fogarty on a factory Loctite Yamaha.

Robert Dunlop on way to victory in 1991 North West 200

Titanium frame on the Hailwood replica weights just 5kg

ITALIAN tuners NCR will begin track testing the incredible Mike Hailwood replica race bike very soon as the firm prepares for an assault on the Isle of Man TT’s Senior race.

The Hailwood tribute machine made its UK debut at the NEC show last week with a huge level of interest in the £84,000 machine which is one of just 12 being made.

NCR’s Michele Poggipo-lini told MCN: “The bike

starts testing in February because we have a lot of work to do to make sure the bike is ready for the TT. We are working with a number of riders at the moment but at this stage we have not made a decision about who will race the bike at the TT.”

NCR has gone to extraor-dinary lengths to cut weight from the bike to achieve a stunning 136kg in total. The 1120cc big-bore Ducati air-cooled V-twin will produce 130bhp.

Dean Smith, Triumph Speed Triple owner from East Croydon.

“It’s good that they are listening to customers and they have decided to build it. But it doesn’t look as good as it did in the first picture of it in MCN. It’s nice though. It looks to have a comfortable chassis. I might well be tempted to buy one.”

Andy Linge, from Bath, is looking to buy a Triumph Speed Triple.

“In the flesh it’s not quite as good as on the cover of MCN. Maybe it’s better proportioned in black than it is in red. The only things I would change are the fluid reservoirs and the mirrors because they look a bit Mickey Mouse but it’s still awesome.”

Zoe Patten from Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, has just passed her test and is looking to buy a Street Triple or Suzuki Gladius.

“It will appeal to men and women. It appears to have a comfy riding position unlike Ducati sports bikes. It looks mean and aggressive but I think it would be a good all-rounder and a bike you could use every day.”

NEC SHOW 2008

NEWS8 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 9

Customs go to the XtremeSpecials built from Spitfires, Lancaster bombers and old Nortons rock the NEC Showmichael.carroll @motorcyclenews.com

THOUSANDS of us flock to the NEC to grab our first look at next year’s hottest

bikes – but there’s more to it than that as these outrageous specials prove.

They are the stars of the Carole Nash Custom Xtreme stand.

Most were built in back-street garages over several years – one-off specials don’t always have to be big budget affairs, built for high-profile owners.

Here are some stand-out bikes from the show.■ MCN Carole Nash Britain’s Got Biking Talent winner revealed, see page 16. Feeling inspired? Look out for next year’s contest.

2. CAFE ROUGELarry Houghton built this bike to take on the Americans at the Sturgis custom bike championship.

“I wanted something that was obviously British,” he said.

It started life as a 1976 850cc Norton Commando. The engine, gearbox cases, barrels and cylinder heads have all been powder coated, and Houghton fitted Amal 932 Concentric carburettors, with one-off bellmouths and manifolds.

He made a one-off frame with an adjustable headstock sporting an exposed fork yoke stem. The forks are from a 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000.

1. BLEEDIN’ HELL BLOWIN SHOVELHEAD Builder Richard Chys used parts from old aircraft lying around his garage to build the bike, above right.

They include a supercharger boost gauge from a Spitfire, a speedo from a Sopwith Camel, and a fuel switch that was once the oxygen release valve on a Lancaster bomber.

The head from an anti-aircraft missile became the axle nut on the single-sided swingarm

“I wanted it to look old fashioned and eccentric,” says Chys, whose father had worked in an aircraft factory.

The suede seat, came from a penny farthing and the rear wheel is from a Jaguar MkII car and still has the original splined hub.

Other parts are more recognisable, like the Ducati Monster forks, Harley front wheel, and the 1340cc Harley-Davidson Shovelhead engine.

Powder-coated 850cc engine

Polished primary drive

NEC SHOW 2008

www.motorcyclenews.com

8 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 9

MORE SHOW BIKESSee our show photo gallery at www.motor cyclenews.com/necshow

ONLINE

6. KAWASAKI KH500/H2A modern twist on a classic 1970s bike, it was built by Stu Yates and uses a frame –from a 1976 Kawasaki KH500 A8 – strengthened with box-section tubing. The engine is a 1974 750H2B three-cylinder two-stroke, mildly ported.

An upside-down Yamaha FZR400 swingarm connects to a monoshock from a 1999 R1. The rear wheel is from a Suzuki RGV250, and a wavy brake disc is fitted.

4. TPE HONDA FIREBLADEThis custom breathes new life into the original 929cc Honda Fireblade, with a hand-made alloy-tube frame mated to Ohlins race forks, and a 954cc Fireblade swingarm. It’s made by Colin Chapman, and has Marchesini wheels, HEL brake lines, Brembo master cylinders and Renthal flat bars.

3. MINT GSX1100EFESuzuki’s classic GSX1100 is barely recognisable in this bike, made by Mark Law and Mark Hamey.

The frame is one of the few parts of the 1984 bike that remains standard, but the duo removed fairing brackets. The engine cases are coated with chrome, with green coloured chrome added on top.

The mint-green theme is continued in the drive chain, and a hand-cut gearbox sprocket cover has a green Perspex window.

Forks come from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 K4, and the swingarm from a Hayabusa.

Law and Hamey retained the original bike’s petrol tank, but constructed the wild tail unit by joining the rear-ends from a Hayabusa and MV Agusta. The look is completed with a hand-made undertray and custom tail lights.

5. BARON’S STREET SCRAMBLERThis 1953 Triumph Scrambler comes from the firm that made Charley Boorman’s red Triumph bobber. Baron’s Dick Smith and Del Russell retained the

original single down-tube rigid frame. A nine-stud, twin-carb splayed cylinder head is mated to the original bottom-half of the Tiger T110 engine, and a big-bore kit is fitted taking capacity to 750cc.

Green chrome on casings Minimalistic digital dash

Clocks match H1 paintwork Three-mendous tail lights

Banana tank by WE Wassel

Standard frame was used ’70s-style stainless oil tank

The 954cc Fireblade swingarm was retained by Chapman

Underseat custom exhaust

Custom-made fuel tank

Magnificent misfits

These are the bikes that drive manufacturers mad – they’re good, but don’t sell and are now available for silly money. MCN investigatesmichael.neeves @motorcyclenews.com

WE all make mistakes – that’s what makes us

human and why pencils have rubbers on the end.

So it’s comforting to know that even the cleverest manufacturers

are capable of making the odd blunder, too.

The giants of the motor-cycle world have the technical know-how and marketing expertise to create some of the most revered two-wheelers ever produced.

BMW has the phenom-enal R1200GS Adventure, Ducati conceived the

Desmosedici RR, Harley makes bikes to fulfil the American dream, Honda dreamed up the Blade and Kawasaki crafted the original Z1000.

But these same manu-facturers also get it spectacularly wrong.

Over the next four pages you’ll find five modern machines that cost their

companies millions to design, manufacture and market – yet they were all withdrawn within a cou-ple of years of their launch fanfare.

So what went wrong with the BMW R1200ST, Ducati Multistrada 620, Harley-Davidson Street Rod, Honda FMX650 and Kawasaki KLV1000?

26 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 27

ROAD TEST

Kawasaki KLV1000 had an excellent V-twin engine but still failed to attract many buyers

BMW R1200STPower (claimed): 110bhpTorque (claimed): 85ftlbWeight (dry): 205kgInsurance group: 15 (of 17)Fuel capacity: 21 litresSeat height: 780mmRake: 27°Trail: 112mmWheelbase: 1502mm

TECHNICAL SPECEngine: Air-cooled, 1170cc (73 x 101mm), 8v, flat-twin. Fuel injection. Six gears.Chassis: Tubular steel space frame with load-bearing engine. Telelever front suspension with single shock, non-adjustable. Paralever rear suspension with single rear shock adjustable for preload and rebound damping). Brakes: 2 x 320mm front disc with four-piston caliper. 265mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70 x 17 front, 180/55 x 17 rear.

SPECS

ST has an unsettling ‘face’

Substantial exhausts emit typical Boxer twin offbeat throb R1200ST sports tourer has a relatively low seat height, making it good for those challenged in the inside leg department

BMW R1200ST

ABS was an optional extra

Honda FMX650 was a decent bike, outshone by other supermotos

The 620 version of Ducati’s Multistrada was a fine, novice-friendly machine, but didn’t sell well

Harley Street Rod: sporty version of the

V-Rod was not a hit

Launched: 2005Canned: 2006Price new in 2005: £9060Price now in MCN Bike Mart: £4800-£6995

WHAT IS IT?BMW’S sports tourer – a rival to the Triumph Sprint ST, Honda VFR800, etc. Hot on the heels of the new generation of faster, better-handling, more advanced BMWs like the ’04 R1200GS and K1200S, the R1200ST was powered by a smooth, torquey 110bhp air-cooled 1170cc flat twin motor, with a lovely new gearbox.

WHY DIDN’T IT SELL?WITH the exception of the upcoming S1000RR super-bike, BMWs aren’t exactly pretty. With their sticky-out engines, tubular steel frames and chunky great shaft-drive swingarms they look like the inside-out Pompidou build-ing in Paris, on wheels.

The R1200ST is spectacu-larly scary, though. It grew fat at the top of the ugly tree, broke a good few branches on the way down and landed on its head. On top of that, it cost £9060 when it was released, which isn’t cheap.

If you wanted ABS, it was

another £795 and if you were feeling very rich you could tick the usual goodie boxes including heated grips (£195) and a centrestand (£95).

You could forgive its looks and price if you got some kind of buzz from riding it, but you didn’t. It lacked the stonking performance of the Sprint ST, the user-friendli-ness of the VFR800 and the character of the ST3. But it wasn’t all bad.

The low 780mm seat height made it easy to ride around town and good for the short-legged, the engine gave decent, smooth, reliable

performance and it didn’t handle too badly, either – weighing in at 205kg, it was quite agile for a big bike.

Those who actually bought

it, loved it, there’s no doubt-ing that, but the R1200ST was never really tempting enough for the masses.

I TRIED TO SELL THEM“THEY’RE actually very good bikes and we’ve had very few problems with them. When you’re buying second-hand make sure it’s got a full BMW service his-tory and that, if it’s an ABS model, the fluid has been changed. We haven’t sold a lot of them, but they’re still being produced for the Ger-man market. Everyone who has bought one has really enjoyed it – we don’t get many in as part exchanges.”Gary Evens, Service Manager, Balderstone Motorcycles, Peterborough

‘The engine performed well and it was quite agile’

I BOUGHT ONE“IT’S not very inspiring. I like the engine, but it’s not as much fun as my old R1150GS Adventure. However, it’s a good compromise between sports and touring for me and the wife at our age (50s). The brakes are excellent, as is the weather protection.

“It’s a little bit heavy on the arms in traffic, but perfect at motorway speeds. The finish is superb, even after 4000 winter miles. The service I got from BMW was

very good on my Adventure, so I expect the same with the ST. It’s very easy to live with, is a good tourer and it doesn’t rot, which the journalists often overlook.

“It’s a good bike, but it probably was the wrong choice after the 1150. I nearly bought a KTM Adventure, but service costs, lack of dealers and reliability concerns ruled it out.” Crossharp, motorcyclenews.com forums

26 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 27

www.motorcyclenews.com

SPORT44 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 45

WORLD Supersport run-ner–up Jonathan Rea is focused on using next week’s Kyalami test to improve the useability and rideability of the Ten Kate Honda Fireb-lade in preparation for his rookie WSB campaign in 2009. The 21-year-old Brit got his first taste of the Superbike at the final round of the 2008 season in Portu-gal. Despite finishing a highly impressive fourth in race one and leading race two, he believes he can make significant improvements to the bike to enable him to run at the front in next year’s championship.

He said: “Kyalami should be fun. Everyone will be at that test and I’m sure all the doers will be up there. I had the Portugal race to get the bike set up, and in South Africa we’ve got different swingarms to try and we’ll also be working on getting the bike more rideable.

“The Ten Kate Honda has a lot of power, but one of my complaints was the rideabil-ity. The chassis balance is good, but I did struggle with corner-entry stability, which is a priority to get sorted at the test.

“Then, when we get to the second test at Portugal in January, that’s where I’ll want to be fastest.”

Two days after the final round of the championship in Portugal, some of Rea’s 2009 rivals tested at the track, including Tom Sykes, Shane Byrne and Max Biag-gi. Despite all three men setting impressive lap times during the two-day test, Rea remains unfazed by the pace of his rivals.

He said: “I read in MCN about the Portugal test and

Five British riders: all of them WSB rookies, all of them capable of scoring podiums. Watch out, Haga and co...

Brits can’t wait to get stuck into WSB action

michael.guy @motorcyclenews.com

FACTORY Yamaha WSB rider Tom Sykes says next year will be a special one

for British fans – and reckons he will be able to fight at the front in the series.

Sykes got his first test on the all-new 2009 Yamaha R1 four weeks ago in Portugal and believes he will have the bike and the team to back up his stunning WSB wildcard performances of 2008.

He said: “It’s good for the British fans because there are so many of us in the

championship next year. Shakey [Byrne], Leon [Haslam] and Jonathan [Rea] and they are all fast riders, but at the end of the day I think I’ve got the correct package to be working with.

“They are all going to have the pace to run at the front, so that’s going to be good. Next year we’re going to have a massive field and an incredible amount of talent on the grid. Riders like Max Biaggi and Troy Corser, who have six world titles between them and a lot of experience – but they can still only go so fast. I’m looking forward to it – there will be so many

champions on the grid – and I want a piece of them.

“Us Brits are more than capable of giving the elbow

to the top WSB guys. There are a select few riders in WSB who over-step the mark, so it’s only natural to repay the favour.”

Sykes is now preparing for

his second test, which takes place at Kylami in South Africa next week. In his debut test, Sykes had only one 2009 bike and was back-to-back testing it with Troy Corser’s 2008 machine, but in South Africa he will have two 2009 R1s at his disposal.

He will also be on track with all the main WSB pro-tagonists including Noriyuki Haga on the Xerox Ducati, Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano on the Aprilia, Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus onboard the BMW and Honda men Carlos Checa, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea.

REA FACTS

Name: Jonathan ReaAge: 21Best 2008 result: World Supersport runner-up, wins at Brno, Brands and VallelungaCharacter: Dogged unwavering confidenceMCN predicts: Knows all the tracks and with his pace on a Superbike he can win races but must be ultra-consistent if he wants to fight for the title

Rea to fine-tune Honda at test in South Africa

the pace of the front guys, but to me it’s not scary stuff. I had one dry session there and I was on the pace in the race. Bayliss, Haga and Corser weren’t there, nei-ther were any of the Hondas, and you’re only as good as the people you’re on track with at the time.”

Tom Sykes: not intimidated by WSB’s big guns

SYKES FACTS

Name: Tom SykesAge: 23Best 2008 result: Second at Donington WSB. BSB wins at Oulton and KnockhillCharacter: Determined, confident, unfazed by competitionMCN predicts: Could be fighting for a top five

‘I think I’ve got the right package’ TOM SYKES

Jonathan Rea: aims to be fastest by next January

www.motorcyclenews.com

44 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 45

Shakey confident in his pace How competitive Shakey’s Ducati proves compared to the factory bikes will be decisive

GOLD

& G

OOSEBrits can’t wait to get stuck into WSB action

TOMMY HILL will get his first taste of the Altea Honda Superbike he will ride next year in a two-day test at Cartagena today (Wednes-day). Hill, who had a nightmare ’08 having broken his right leg twice, is more focused than ever on getting his career back on track.

He will test again in Spain before taking part at the offi-cial FG Sport test at Parkalgar in January and may also test at Phillip Island before the opening round of the championship in March.

Hill fit and ready for race back to form

SHANE BYRNE aims to take advantage of his famil-iarity and experience with the Ducati 1098 to make his mark in the early rounds of 2009’s championship.

The newly-crowned BSB champion clearly has an affinity with the 1200cc V-twin Ducati, and his Sterilgarda team aims to make the opening rounds count while his rivals get their bikes up to speed.

Byrne said: “I’ve been rid-ing the 1098 all year, so that made my job coming into WSB easier. I’m jumping into a whole new world – it will be my first time in the championship and there will be a few new circuits I don’t know.

“Next year there will be new bikes and new riders. In theory, in the early rounds we should have the advantage of a known pack-age – the question is, how strong teams like BMW and Aprilia will be when they get up to speed – and how quickly they’ll achieve that. These manufacturers

BYRNE FACTS

Name: Shane ByrneAge: 31Best 2008 result: BSB champion. Wins at Brands, Thruxton, Oulton, Donington and SnettertonCharacter: Naturally gifted, relaxed, composedMCN predicts: If the bike is up to speed, could be winning and fighting for the championship

haven’t invested so much money to finish tenth.”

Whilst the exact specifi-cation of Shakey’s privateer Ducati compared to the factory Xerox Ducati bikes remains unclear, the 31-year-old Brit isn’t worried about what he’ll get.

He said: “I don’t know

what I’ll get compared to the Xerox bikes in terms of updates during the year. It’s hard to say how competi-tive we’ll be – there’s no point worrying about it.

“My 2009 bike has just been finished. It’s been built in the factory and I’ve been told it will have a few more rpm and a bit more power. Ducati won’t want me to be uncompetitive and I’m

confident it will be good. I love riding Ducatis, they suit my style and as long as we get enough improve-ments from the bike, we can run at the front. The bike I rode at the Parkalgar test wasn’t far away and next year we should have something even better.”

‘I’ve been told my bike will have more rpm and power’ SHANE BYRNEHILL FACTS

Name: Tommy HillAge: 23Best 2008 result: Qualified eighth at Nurburgring in only race of year (injury woes kept him off the bike)Character: Determined, gutsy, fitMCN Predicts: If the team can get the bike close to the factory machines he can fight for top fives at tracks he knows

Tommy Hill: determined to put a nightmare 2008 behind him

He said: “I’ve got a good team and I just want to get back on the bike. My leg is feeling really good now – the doctor says it’s 100% healed.

“This ride is a mega oppor-tunity for me – the doors have opened thanks to the

fantastic performances of the other Brits this year.

“I think next year is wide open. Next season you might be twelfth on the grid and have Biaggi and Checa on the same row – that’s how tough it’s going to be.”

LEON HASLAM intends to use his experience of rid-ing for the factory backed HM Plant Honda team in BSB this year to get his all-new Stiggy Honda squad up to speed for the 2009 season.

Haslam has a wealth of experience at world level and with the Honda Fireblade, so is well placed to lead devel-opment on the new bike.

Haslam needs to get new team on the pace

HASLAM FACTS

Name: Leon HaslamAge: 25Best 2008 result: Third in Parkalgar WSB. BSB wins at Knockhill, Cadwell, Croft, SilverstoneCharacter: Talented, assured, experiencedMCN predicts: Podium and win potential

The 25-year-old will get his first test on the 2009 bike in mid-December in Spain.

He said: “I got to test after the Parkalgar race on one of the Paul Bird bikes, so we’ve got a benchmark of that bike plus the HM Plant bike I rode all year. I’d like to get the bike closer to the HM Plant bike and we’ve got new Honda kit parts and an Oral

Eng inee r ing-prepa red motor to achieve that.

“The key to it all is mileage so that I can get good feed-back to the team. The testing will be all about getting the right base setting – if we can achieve it in time for Phillip Island, I see no reason why we shouldn’t be at the front.”

“As a rider I want to win every race, but I also want to

beat my team-mate, finish top Honda and be top Brit.

“Shakey [Byrne] is in a proven team and on a com-petitive bike. Jonathan [Rea] showed he can run up front at Parkalgar and Tom [Sykes] is a fast rider on one of the best bikes. Tommy [Hill] is very talented, too, so I can see no reason at all why we can’t all be up there.”

Leon Haslam: riding for all-new Stiggy Honda team

SPORT50 ❘ MOTOR CYCLE NEWS DECEMBER 3, 2008 DECEMBER 3, 2008 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS ❘ 51

Rossi fastest on ‘short’ Yamaha

matthew.birt @motorcyclenews.com

YAMAHA’S new, shorter-wheelbase factory YZR-M1 came out fighting at

the Jerez test, taking Valen-tino Rossi to the top of the timesheets.

The shorter wheelbase is designed to maximise the performance of Bridgestone tyres – and James Toseland also benefitted from a ‘short’ Tech 3 Yamaha at the weath-er-affected two-day test.

Rossi’s best time of 1.39.429 edged out Dani Pedrosa by just 0.018s, as the dominant duo finished a whole second clear of their rivals. Rossi smashed Ped-rosa’s Jerez lap record by 0.7s in the process – an ominous sign that the Italian will be an even more formidable force next year.

Rossi’s bike is now a mas-sive 40mm shorter than the M1 he raced to fifth place on his Bridgestone debut back in March in Qatar. He said the drastic reduction was essential to help keep Yama-ha ahead of Ducati and Honda.

“The new bike is different in the chassis. The weight distribution is different and the feeling is not so bad. We have a little bit more stability with the front and rear.

“We discovered during the year that Bridgestone tyres

Shorter-wheelbase M1 improves tyre grip and takes champ to top of timesheets at Jerez test

TOSELAND TALKSSee our exclusive James Toseland video interview from the NEC Show at motorcyclenews.com/toselandtalks

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need a completely different setting compared to Michelins. We knew this quite early in the season, but we realised we needed to move the weight of the bike, so we had to shorten the bike to use the tyre in a different way,” said Rossi, who admit-ted the shorter wheelbase meant sacrifices elsewhere.

He said: “A shorter bike is a more difficult bike. You have more wheelies and it becomes more unstable, particularly in the faster corners.

“I have to change my style

to adapt to the bike, because it is quite different compared to last year, but if you can use the potential of the Bridge-stone tyres, it is possible to go very fast.”

The 2009 M1 also features an all-new inline four- cylinder engine. The motor is designed to improve Yamaha’s acceleration and driveability weakness out of slower corners.

Rossi tried some new engine parts in his ’08 motor to check the improvements before he focused exclusively

on the 2009 prototype.He also tried a batch of

new engine parts on the sec-ond day and he was consistently 0.5s faster on the new bike than his times on his 2008 world champi-onship-winning bike.

Rossi explained: “In the slow hairpins we suffered, but we have tried to concen-trate on making the engine accelerate better out of slow corners.

“Usually we struggle in the slow hairpins on accelera-tion. We struggled also when

we have less grip on the track, so we try to improve the acceleration, but also the driveability. We have found some good things and we also have some ideas for the future.”

AND SHORT IS SWEET FOR TOSELAND, TOOJAMES TOSELAND also tested at Jerez, making his debut on Bridgestone tyres and riding a heavily-modified 2008 Tech 3 Yamaha M1.

The bike featured a much shorter wheelbase setting to help Toseland prepare for

‘We had to shorten the bike to use the tyre differently’ VALENTINO ROSSI

WHY YAMAHA SHORTENED ITS BIKE TO SUIT TYRESTHE Bridgestone control tyres are a development of the family of tyres used this year by the Ducatis and Valentino Rossi. They were developed specifically to suit the Ducati, and Bridgestone found that the solution to the Ducati’s light-at-the-front-end chassis was a super-sticky front tyre and a hard rear. On the same tyres, Rossi’s rear tyre span up and lost grip – it needed more weight on it than the Michelins he’d used before.

Rossi’s team had to find a new setting to mimic the weight distribution of the 90° V-twin Ducati, so they shortened the back of the motorcycle and extended the front, effectively moving the weight of the engine

backwards. This enabled Rossi to load weight onto the rear wheel on acceleration, which simultaneously un-weighted the front, although Bridgestone’s famously grippy front tyre

allowed the bike to function under these conditions. The resulting unusual weight distribution, with a 52% bias towards the rear wheel, wouldn’t work with any other racing tyre design.

Shorter wheelbase puts more weight on the rear tyre

when he gets his 2009 Yama-ha in Sepang next February.

The bike Toseland rode had a 27mm shorter wheel-base than the one he raced in the final GP in Valencia.

He said: “It is a massive, massive change. At first, we had to run quite a lot of anti-wheelie to keep the front end down.

“The Bridgestone rear needs a lot more weight and a lot more load to get the grip out of it. But the mass of the engine and the whole bike needs to be further back, and this is the direction that they have to go in now we are all on Bridgestones.

“For a guy like me who has been on Michelin all year and got used to the setting, to make a dramatic change like this is a big step. I’m over a second quicker than I was in the race, which is encouraging.”

Toseland was delighted with the performance of the Bridgestone tyres, although the shorter wheelbase wasn’t without its problems.

He said: “It is a bit nervous on the faster corners and coming off the turns.”

The British rider ended the Jerez test with the ninth quickest time, his best of 1.40.752 being a massive 0.6s faster than he managed on his way to sixth place in the 2008 Spanish GP on Michelin tyres.

Toseland was impressed with the Bridgestones, par-ticularly the front.

“The feedback it gives is very good. The feedback on the hairpins – when you’re braking for a long time and while turning in – gives you the confidence to keep the brake on and really gets it turning. You can hit the apex in a good position quite con-sistently.”

Toseland was also trying a new braking strategy in Jerez to help him get to grips bet-ter with carbon brakes.■ Next week: World exclu-sive – tech secrets of Rossi’s 2009 YZR-M1.

James Toseland was impressed on his first test by a shorter-wheelbase bike on Bridgestones

Rossi front with spine copy.indd1 1 29/10/08 17:03:02