THEGAYUK

Author: Mark Turner

  • MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati Monster 797

    MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati Monster 797

    ★★★★ | Ducati Monster 797

    Ducati’s Monster has been credited as the genesis of the naked bike niche. The bike that started the street bike revolution.

    Ducati introduced the Monster in 1993, designed by Miguel Angel Galluzzi.

    Famed motorcycle designer, Glynn Kerr, described the Monster design as having “all it needs and no more.”

    With Monster sales eventually accounting for two-thirds or more of Ducati’s output, the bike became the company’s best selling and most profitable model line, essential to the company’s success.

    The Monster has gone down in folklore as the bike that saved Ducati. You simply can’t underestimate the significance of the Monster to Ducati.

    The Monster 797 is the most accessible Ducati with a starting price of just £7,995. This is often considered the entry point to Ducati ownership, the Ferrari of motorcycles.

    Of all the motorcycles I’ve ridden, I’ve never ridden a Ducati. Often admired, always revered, but never had the opportunity to experience it for myself.

    On the way to collect the Monster 797 press bike, I felt the weight of expectation bearing down on me. I was on my way to one of the most illustrious and celebrated motorcycle manufacturers of all time, to collect arguably one of the most significant models in their long and distinguished history, a Monster.

    Thumbing the start button brings the 73 bhp and the 803 cc 90 degree (L) twin-engine to life. Ducati L twins have a very distinctive sound and feel. They sit somewhere between a smooth Japanese V twin like the SV650 and the irregular, lumpy idle of a Harley. The Ducati has an uneasy but alluring murmur.

    Our press bike only had 250 miles under its belt when I collected it, so mechanically was still very tight. 1st gear engaged with a clunk and my journey began with a ride into the sunny, Northamptonshire afternoon.

    Bars are wide which help the bike turn very well. Immediately you feel at home with the little Monster. It’s such a pretty motorcycle, elegant and muscular, with those wide bars, sculpted, flowing tank, exquisite trellis frame, graceful seat unit and curvaceous double-sided swingarm.

    I found myself looking for reflections at every opportunity, just to see the Monster from someone else’s eyes.

    The heart of the Monster 797 is the 90-degree twin cylinder, 803cc air-cooled engine, with 2 desmodromically actuated valves per cylinder.

    Electronic fuel injection delivers its elixir through 50mm throttle bodies.

    Front forks are 43mm Kayaba USD non-adjustable units, complemented by a rear Sachs monoshock, adjustable for preload and rebound.

    Tyres are Pirelli Diablo Rosso II and worked very well in all conditions.

    Overall I thought the bike was fairly softly sprung, with a bit of dive on the front end under initial braking. This isn’t entirely fair though as I’m a 47-year-old overweight guy, not exactly representative of the typical Monster 797 owner.

    Front brakes are 320mm semi-floating discs with radially mounted, 4 piston Brembo Monobloc callipers. ABS is standard of course.

    The rear brake is a 245 mm disc with single piston calliper. Brake feel is excellent and the front Brembo’s are superb.

    Instrumentation is basic. There is no gear position indicator or fuel gauge. I missed the fuel gauge but the gear position indicator is more of a luxury that we have come to expect, rather than a necessity. Having no fuel gauge, I opted to refuel every 100 miles. The fuel tank capacity is 16.5 litres and after 100 miles of spirit riding, the fuel light wasn’t ever on, I was just being cautious.

    I’ve covered around 1,000 miles on the Monster 797 on all kind of roads from motorways to A roads, from sprawling urban streets too narrow, winding country lanes and everything in between.

    There are bikes that are better suited to long motorway journeys, but it handled them with ease.

    Where the little Ducati did excel was everywhere else. Wide bars, a nimble and refined chassis and that torquey engine make it a great urban bike. Cutting through the city streets with ease, carving through the winding country lanes and revelling in the flowing A roads, and all with an abundance of character and style.

    My lasting memory of the Monster 797 is how easy it is to ride. This is a very friendly and familiar bike but with passion and vigour.

    The clutch is easy to use, it’s has a seat height of just 805mm, it looks fantastic and is an ownership experience that offers more than most. Placing the keys of a Ducati on the table feels special.

    The Monster 797 is also available for those with a restricted licence, as a version with 35 kW of regulated power.

     

  • MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki Katana 2019

    MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki Katana 2019

    If you were around in the ’80’s you’ll remember that Rocky fought Ivan Drago in Russia and won the hearts of the Soviets, despite the cold war raging on around them. Doc brown made a time machine out of a Delorean, ET phoned home, the Russian nuclear plant Chernobyl blew up and so did a space shuttle, the world discovered crack but most significantly, Suzuki unveiled the fastest production motorcycle ever. The GSX1100S Katana.

    The Katana was a sign of virility and masculinity. You just couldn’t buy anything faster, end of.

    Katana has been around in various guises for a long time. Introduced in ‘80 in 1100 trim (Aircooled 1075cc 16v), (they had a 750cc version in Japan only), but was gone in Europe by ‘85.

    Fast forward to 2019 and the beast is back.

    Suzuki have resurrected the Katana name. In the same way the original Katana was based on the GSX1100, Suzuki have based the Katana on the GSX-S1000 a very competent bike in it’s own right.

    This means the Katana is powered by the street-tuned version of the four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 999cc, inline-four engine that became a legend in the 2005 GSX-R1000. This engine is a masterpiece. 150ps (148bhp) and 108 Nm torque means this is a very strong engine, with a wealth of torque low down and a strong rush of power higher up the rev range.

    Suzuki’s new Katana is equipped with some of the most advanced rider technology available, including an Advanced Traction Control System², Low RPM Assist, Suzuki Easy Start System and Suzuki Clutch Assist System (SCAS) (slipper clutch) and ABS.

    Front brakes are superb 4 piston radial mount monobloc Brembo calipers, working on 310mm floating discs. Forks are 43mm KYB inverted and are fully adjustable for damping, rebound, compression and spring preload. Rear suspension has adjustable rebound damping and spring preload.

    We were fortunate enough to be invited along to the UK press launch of Katana.

    Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t kind to us, it poured with rain all day.

    After a short presentation and some breakfast, we were allocated our bike (mine was no.7) and set off in convoy.

    Our day was spent touring the cotswolds, getting to know the Katana on a variety of roads, with some cool people. The rain was relentless but didn’t dampen the mood. By lunch we were all soaked through. Even my boxers were wet.

    Arguably the rain was a good way to test the manners of the Katana. She’s a big bike with a lot of power, on wet roads. Katana’s engine and power delivery is sublime. Tiptoeing around, looking for trouble, the throttle response proved to be excellent. There was no snatchy, jerky throttle openings and the bike proved to be very user friendly. For the last half hour of the day, the rain stopped, the roads dried and the pace picked up.

    The Brembo brakes are excellent and the front end is very confidence inspiring. It turns quickly and is easy to throw around.

    The Katana is such a great package. It’s fast, very well balanced, well equipped, brakes are excellent, the engine is a masterpiece and those looks!

    Echoes of a legend, a reflection of a icon or maybe a tribute to an infamous motorcycle from bygone era. Whatever you call it, the 2019 Katana is unforgettable.

    The styling is as individual and as unique as you will find on a modern motorcycle. Everywhere you go, people stop and look. Some have no knowledge of the legend that is the Katana, they simply notice the futuristic looks. Some remember the original Katana and stand and stare as memories come flooding back.

    If you’re in the market for a naked retro that radiates charisma like no other, i strongly urge you to arrange a test ride at your local dealer. You won’t be disappointed.

  • Great Escape Cars – Classic car hire

    Great Escape Cars – Classic car hire

    An invitation dropped on the mat recently from an awesome company called Great Escape Cars, based in Redditch.

    It was an invitation to join them on one of their classic car road trips.

    Let me explain; Great Escape Cars are basically a classic car hire company with a twist.

    They offer a range of services, from a one hour classic car taster, to a full day road trip where you get the chance to experience 5 different cars from their £300,000 fleet of classic cars, with lunch included. There are many other options too, something for everyone you might say.

    The day started with a meet and greet at the Great Escape Cars premises in Redditch. Coffee and a chat with the other attendees and a look around the fleet.

    There are something like 20 cars on the fleet, there something for all tastes.

    If you’re a Jaguar fan, you’re in good company. On the day we had a plenty of choice in the Jaguar stable; XKR convertible, Mk2 3.4, Mk2 3.8, XJS convertible 4 litre, XJS coupe V12, XJS coupe 4 litre and XK150.

    Fancy something a bit newer, they have; a Porsche 911 (996), Ford Capri 280, Saab 900 T16S or even a Mondeo ST200. If you prefer something more traditional, how about; a Morris Minor Traveller, MGB GT, HMC Healey or Alfa Romeo GTV V6 (916). Whatever your taste, these guys pretty much have you covered.

    5 cars were allocated to us randomly.

    Our day started in the Jaguar XJS coupe V12, series 2. Slip in to the stylish, leather and wood trimmed, unmistakably Jaguar cabin, and you immediately feel special. There’s a touch of the old film star to it. It feels like we should be cruising to Monaco for my latest premiere.

    This is a lesson in how GT cars should be. It’s not modern car fast but it’s chic, dignified and relaxing. The V12 is silky smooth and the car drives very well.

    Next up was the MGB GT. Ours was a 1971 chrome bumper model. This is such an alluring, pretty car, you can’t help but like it. Driven by such names as Margaret Thatcher, Sting, John Voight and many more, the MGB GT is arguably THE iconic, archetypal british sports car.

    With 97bhp when new from the 1798cc engine, it’s not fast by modern standards, but is a lovely way to pass some time driving through the Cotswolds.

    After a spot of lunch at the incredible Caffeine and Machine in Warwickshire, we were off in our next ride.

    Mine was in an iconic british muscle car that I have always admired from afar but never manager to win her heart. The charismatic, rarefied and brutish 1986 Ford Capri Brooklands 280.

    The Capri was the British Mustang, a muscle car for Europe.

    Leather Recarros and that 3 spoke leather trimmed steering wheel are unmistakably Capri. Fire up the V6 and you’re met with a menacing, deep rumble.

    Hopefully I’ll get another chance to drive one one day, but if not, that’s ok, I’ve had my moment in the sun and it was worth the wait.

    Next up was the 1988 SAAB 900 turbo. There used to be a SAAB garage near me when I was a lad and I remember swooning over the 900 turbo. Now here I was, sat in the leather driving seat of one.

    As you would expect, it wears it’s miles very well. It’s no match for the modern crop of 250+bhp hot hatchbacks but the SAAB turbo makes a very healthy 175bhp from it’s 2.0L intercooled 16-valve. It’s old school laggy but goes really well when you press on. You can’t help but giggle when it comes on boosts and heads for the horizon.

    Last was the Jaguar XKR convertible. What can you say about this car. It’s a brute. The 370bhp supercharged V8 has all the power you need. The interior is typical Jaguar. Soft leather seats and burl walnut trim and the torque from that supercharged V8 is intoxicating. This is a true continent crushing GT car.

    I would strongly urge anyone who wants to try one of these classic cars to give Great Escape Cars a call.

    Maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to drive one before, or perhaps relive your youth and drive something you reminisce about.

    It’s an experience you won’t forget or regret.

  • MOTORBIKE REVIEW | MotoShed’s ‘Road Runner’ Indian Scout Sixty

    MOTORBIKE REVIEW | MotoShed’s ‘Road Runner’ Indian Scout Sixty

    ★★★★★ | MotoShed’s ‘Road Runner’ Indian Scout Sixty

    MotoShed is a like-minded and free-spirited bunch of mates who have spent the last 20 years in various aspects of the motorcycle industry. Their experience is wide-ranging from bike building to race preparation, design, marketing and generally living and breathing motorcycles. They operate guerilla style, preferring to stay out of the spotlight. They don’t talk shit, they build cool bikes.

    Their list of badass builds is long and distinguished just like their client list, including some names you might recognise; Jonny Rea, Fogarty, Adam Ant and plenty more.

    Indian Motorcycles are America’s first motorcycle company, founded in 1901.

    In 2016 they launched the Scout Sixty. It was on that launch in Spain where a couple of the MotoShed team hatched their plan to build ‘Road Runner’.

    “The main thing I wanted to achieve was a more ‘sporty naked’ ride and I wanted to do under seat pipes, as nobody else had done it on a scout.”

    A few hours kicking ideas around about how you could modify one and the under seat exhaust idea was born. They ordered a Scout the next day.

    Standard Indian Scout Sixties ride very well. It’s a good looking, well-built bike out of the box, but Moto Shed could see there was potential for more, it just needed releasing.

    There’s a more aggressive riding position with heavily upgraded suspension in the form of fully adjustable HyperPro shocks at the back and rebuilt stiffer front forks with black nitride coating. The increased ground clearance, thanks to a stiffer suspension, allows more lean angle. All of this means dramatically increased cornering performance. To further enhance this, the standard foot controls have been switched out for a set of Rizoma rearsets mounted on custom plates and there’s a set of lower Renthal bars. The more aggressive riding position means you can ride the Moto Shed Road Runner harder and faster.

    What about the under seat exhaust?

    On modern bikes with their ever-increasing electronics, packaging is always an issue. There are a lot of important components hidden away under the seat, such as the battery, ECU and miles of wiring. It’s an impressive packaging job by Indian Motorcycles.

    In order to achieve a light-weight aesthetic, while retaining the factory look, the team had to get seriously creative, relocating the ABS pump, building a custom battery box for the smaller race-style battery, regulator, rectifier, ECU and extend the wiring loom to accommodate. Serious work, and all done to Incredibly high standard.

    Once the space under the seat had been created, the team set about fabricating the under seat exhaust.

    It really was the most complicated part of the build. Serious thought and skill was needed to route the pipes around the engine and through the new gap under the seat.

    Managing the heat was a big concern so the exhaust was wrapped to try to insulate the heat and protect the bike and rider. There’s also a rear hugger/heat shield to deflect the heat and keep the road dirt away from the exhausts.

    A Dynojet Power Vision CX system was incorporated to log data and help to perfectly re-map the ECU and fly-by-wire throttle. The guys say the fueling and throttle response is superb but man it’s loud.

    Road Runner is dripping in bespoke parts. For example, Chris Walton of CW Engineering hand made the headlight nacelle, front mudguard and rear hugger and Steve Adams, an ex-Aston Martin upholsterer, re-finished the 1920 Solo Saddle Seat and Illusion Race Paint did what they do best.

    A host of high-quality accessories and parts were chosen to compliment their work and enhance the performance and aesthetics of Road Runner. There are a black Galfer clutch lever, brake lever and master cylinder and a JB Speaker LED headlight. There’s even a unique carbon fibre water header tank, sourced from a renowned British Superbike team.

    The team invested over 100 hours of labour in the Road Runner build, not taking into account the many long nights of discussions, planning and head-scratching that lead to what you see here.

    If you fancy a Moto Shed bike in your life, they can be contacted on; build@motoshed.co.uk

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Getting Dirty with the new Jeep Wrangler

    CAR REVIEW | Getting Dirty with the new Jeep Wrangler

    We managed to get ourselves an invite to drive the new Jeep Wrangler recently.


    The email invitation read;
    “We would like you to be among the first to drive this exciting new car, and invite you to join us for a special drive event in the Lake District. There will be opportunities to drive the cars on- and off-road.”

    Off-road you say? We love getting down and dirty so didn’t need asking twice.

    Jeep are very proud of their heritage. They started making vehicles in 1940 for the Army and have been making civilian vehicle since 1945. That’s some pedigree.

    They describe their all-new Jeep® Wrangler as the ‘Go Anywhere, Do Anything’ 4×4 that blends together excellent on-road performance with legendary off-road capability.” We’ll be the judge of that.

    We won’t go mad about the details. We’ll tell you more about that after we’ve had one on test for a while. What we will say is that, depending on spec, it includes two advanced four-wheel drive, active, on-demand full time systems – Command-Trac and Rock-Trac – plus Tru-Lock electric front- and rear-axle lockers, Trac-Lok limited slip differential and electronic front anti-roll bar disconnect. We can tell you first hand that this stuff is unbelievable. It makes you feel invincible, like you could drive anywhere, over anything.

     

    The format for the event was simple. Pick a car, get in and follow the leader.

    Ardent Off Road looked after us and guided us along the course, helping us through the most challenging parts and keeping us safe.
    These guys are amazing. They run off-road tours and training sessions for the public and emergency services etc, they run holidays and events in the UK and abroad and lots more. They are really good guys and absolute experts when it comes to anything off road.

    Our day consisted of 3 different off road sessions with some road driving in between.
    The first off road session was a very challenging, uphill rock crawling section, the second was woodland, heavily rutted with big rocks all over the place and the third was even more rocks with steep steps and big drops.

    The Ardent guys kept things moving, guiding us through the perils but kept it safe and fun…..lots of fun.

    Our car was a Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2.2 diesel 2 door and was really really nice. The Sahara is the entry level and crucially, comes with road biased tyres. No big chunky, nobblies here, they’re standard fit on the Rubicon.

    Despite this, it was truly awesome off road. I mean, really impressive. Ardent took us up some really technical and challenging routes; rock crawling in the rain, fording in the woods and much worse. Even on road biased tyres our Wrangler didn’t struggle. It’s was jaw dropping, breathtaking and more fun than you can imagine.

    It’s easy to use too. The auto gearbox was simple, just put it in drive and select 4×4 low ratio, then go and get dirty. Some modern 4×4’s seem to have a million settings. The Wrangler has some buttons like hill decent but we didn’t use them. It is very simple to use and unbelievably effective.

    We’ll get one on test and do you a road test review. If it sunny, we’ll even show you it’s other party trick and take the roof and doors off too for a bit of fresh air fun.

  • Jaw Dropping Harley Scrambler

    Jaw Dropping Harley Scrambler

    Fastec Racing, based in Newmarket, is an engineering company who manufacture custom parts for everyone from race teams to joe public. To promote their work (and because they live and breath bikes) they have built a string of show bikes. One of the latest is this disrespectful, insolent Harley Sportster Scrambler / Tracker. This bike reeks of attitude and bad manners but man, it looks like it’s fun.

    Originally an XL1200 Sportster, it’s been rebuilt, piece by piece from the ground up. The engine has had a complete nut and bolt rebuild including brand new pistons and barrels. Exhaust gasses exit fast and loud through some hand made stubby pipes

    One of the most impressive tricks up the sleeve of this mischievous Harley is the electrical system. The old Harley wiring was ripped out and replaced with a Motogadget M-unit blue. This is the heart of the entire onboard electrical system and controls everything from the ignition to the lights to the alarm and everything else electrical. The coolest thing about this system is the Bluetooth capability. All of these features and more can be controlled from an app on your phone. Remote start, engine diagnostics, positioning and a whole host of other stuff.

    The rear frame overhang on the standard Sportster has been cut off behind the upper shock mounts and an upswept rear hoop has been seamlessly grafted in, following the line of the fame, from swingarm pivot to upper rear shock mounts. An in house fabricated short rear mudguard and hand fabricated oil tank, ignition cover and custom made short seat gives the bike a tough, hard as nails look and those CNC’d footpegs have a steampunk kind of vibe.

    A Suzuki GSF 1200 Bandit rear wheel has been expertly squeezed into the rear with a Fastec brake calliper mount and spacers. Up front, there’s a Bandit 1200 front end; forks, wheel and brakes. That’s not as easy as it sounds. The bandit forks are beefier than the Harley forks and the spacing is wider to allow for the wider front wheel. To accomplish this, Fastec designed and manufactured a custom set of yokes to take the 43mm Bandit stanchions. The forks are held tight with one of their own Suzuki Bandit fork braces. Bars are mounted on custom risers with machined handlebar grips, all made in house.

    Why a Bandit front end on a Harley? The GSF Bandit is a great bike to modify and always has been. By grafting on a Bandit front end they get a twin disc front brake setup and a wider front wheel allowing for a much broader choice of rubber.

    Talking of rubber, this scrambler/tracker runs Heidenau K73 supermoto tyres to give that hardcore look and still offer plenty of grip, with 120/70-17 up front and 160/60-17 at the back.

    The icing on the cake is the paintwork, taken care of by Hilary at  Hurricane Airbrush Art.

  • TECH REVIEW | Zumo 396 LMT-S Sat Nav

    TECH REVIEW | Zumo 396 LMT-S Sat Nav

    ★★★★★ | Zumo 396 LMT-S Sat Nav

    These days, most of the cars I drive have factory SatNav. If not, I’ll use my Google maps on my phone in a holder, simples.

    On the bike, I have persevered for ages, trying to strap my phone to a holder or, if it looks like rain, stopping regularly to check google maps on my phone then carrying on for a bit.

    On the bike, I had to say enough was enough. The phone doesn’t work in the sun, isn’t waterproof and just isn’t practical. Time for a dedicated SatNav.

    Garmin came to the rescue with the devices a rugged unit, comes complete with bar mounts (and suction mount for the car) and it has a glove-friendly, sunlight-readable 4.3″ display; resistant to fuel vapours, UV rays and harsh weather.

    It’s rammed with features like WiFi updating, adventurous routing (forget boring A road slogs), live traffic, speed cameras and weather, as well as on-screen notifications from your phone and hands-free calling if you connect it to your Bluetooth headset. You get free lifetime maps too.

    This Garmin is a genuinely clever bit of kit. To really turbocharge it you need to connect it to an app on your phone (doesn’t use much data at all) and then you get live traffic updates and re-routing options, notifications for sharp curves, speed cameras, rail and animal crossings, schools and slower traffic and even Incident notification (to alert the contact of your choice in the event of a crash by sending them a link to your location). Now that’s clever.

    The more I use it, the more features I discover, like the fatigue warning that flashes up after a couple of hours, offering you suggested stops nearby.

    There’s a TripAdvisor app for ratings of nearby restaurants, hotels etc and a Foursquare app for a list of restaurants and things to do nearby, I don’t really use that much but it’s a pretty good feature.

    You can mount the unit easily with the supplied bar mount and brackets.

    It has a decent battery: A full charge seems to last for about an hour and a half, then dims to 40% brightness and it’s around 3 hours in total until it turns off. You can, however, either hardwire it with the kit supplied (direct to battery or ignition) or plug it into a USB type 12v charging socket. The satnav simply clips to a spring-loaded holder so it’s really easy to unclip it from the bike when you’re at your destination.

    The sidebar is fully customisable. Smart notifications can include alerts of emails, missed calls, SMS, WhatsApp, social media and more. Even things like elevation, traffic and other items like fuel stops ahead, trip data, weather (it’ll show you the expected weather at three points along your planned route), phone and the media player.

    You can select what categories of alerts are shown, or turn them off altogether vid the apps menu.

    The Zumo 396 LMT-S has car, motorcycle and off-road profiles. These affect the default route planning, map view, tools displayed, avoidances and off-route recalculation modes.

    Stopping to check my phone has been a massive pain in the arse. I have to keep taking a glove off to get the touch screen to work. One of my favourite things on the Garmin is the touch screen.  It works with a gloved hand… bliss. I’m sure others have it but it’s such a relief.

    The Garmin Zumo 369 LMT-S seems to be very well sealed from the weather, I haven’t had an issue yet and have been out in pretty heavy rain.

    Navigation is really good. That’s what this is about after all. The top bar shows information about the upcoming turn and distance, that kind of thing. There’s a clear map which you can change to suit you, and as you approach your exit, a clear illustration of your motorway junctions makes it easy to understand which lane to be in. Positioning accuracy is great and it doesn’t seem to lag much at all.

    I’ve been running the Garmin Zumo 369 LMT-S in my car next to Google maps on my phone as a comparison.

    I think Google Maps is slightly better when suggesting the best route and rerouting around traffic or issues. Google just seems to have slightly better information. Only slightly though and that’s more than offset by the myriad of awesome features on the Zumo.

    The other main benefit I find with Google Maps is the address search. I visit customers all week. That means I don’t always know their address. With Google, I search up the business name and usually just click ‘directions’, which ports that info into Maps. Most aftermarket SatNavs I’ve used, including this Zumo (unless I’m doing it wrong), don’t have a great business name or address directory function.

    In my opinion, this is a great unit. It’s bike specific, waterproof, touch screen you can use with a gloved hand and can see it in daylight and all the other cool features.

    I really like it. It’s made a massive difference to my riding.

    Available from Amazon for under £60

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  • CAR REVIEW | The 2019 Skoda Fabia

    CAR REVIEW | The 2019 Skoda Fabia

    ★★★★☆ | 2019 Skoda Fabia

    What Have We Got
    The Fabia has been a mainstay of the ŠKODA range for nearly 20 years. It’s a very important model for the brand. We were lucky enough to get our mucky hands on a facelifted Fabia recently. The car comes in five trim grades & three engine options with hatch and estate variants. Interestingly, to push them along there is an all petrol, three- cylinder 1.0L engine range with outputs from 75PS to 110PS. No diesel for the new fabia. Our test car was one up from mid range, the SE L 5dr hatch with the 110PS engine, matched with a seven-speed DSG gearbox. No flappy paddles, just push the gear lever forward or backwards or better still, leave it in auto.

     

    Driving


    The Skoda Fabia looks subtle but classy. Outside it’s handsome but not eye catching. It’s very well built as you would expect and has that odd quality where you feel immediately at home, like it’s been yours for ages, familiar. The engine and gearbox are great. It’s hard to believe it’s only a 1.0L engine, it goes really well with plenty of torque, not laggy like you would expect from a small capacity turbocharged engine. Suspension is compliant but not soft. It rides very well and is way more fun than I expected.

    The gearbox is very good, smooth and better than most and you can change gear by pushing the lever forward or backwards if you prefer but i didn’t feel like i gained anything so left it in auto.

     

    Inside


    It’s a classy affair in here. If your familiar with any other modern Skoda’s such as Kodiaq or Superb, you’ll feel at home with the Fabia. The dash is straight from its bigger siblings, and very nice. Fabia has plenty of kit too; Multifunction trip computer, Radio Swing Plus touchscreen infotainment unit with SmartLink+ and lots more.

    You also have LED headlights, blind spot detection with Rear traffic alert, LED daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, alloy wheels, Amundsen satellite navigation, Cruise control, tyre pressure monitor and the list goes on. It’s a very well engineered and well appointed car.

     

    Living with it


    With 20 years of development under its belt, the Fabia was always going to be good. For those of us who mourn the passing of the Fabia vRS, there is no vRS in the new lineup. Saying that, it’s still loads of fun! The engine is surprisingly torquey and very tractable. The gearbox is very slick and the interior is in a different league from its competitors.

    The Fabia is so easy to drive. From the first drive, it felt like we’d been together for ages, very familiar. It’s fun but not unnecessarily sporty, maintaining a nice comfortable ride. There’s plenty of room for 4 or even 5, with plenty of boot space… to boot.

     

    The Verdict
    Skoda know their market and their customers very well and they build excellent cars. The Fabia isn’t trying to be a hot hatch or hipster, retro styled lifestyle accessory. It’s a well engineered, safe, pretty & fun car that’s packed with equipment. Our choice would be the 110ps with the DSG gearbox. It’s so smooth and drives very well, particularly around town. They offer something for everyone, funky Colour edition, sporty Monte Carlo edition the elegant SE L model plus S and SE.

     

    Love
    Engine – Torquey, responsive, smooth.
    DSG gearbox – Very smooth
    Styling – Elegant

    Loathe
    Economy – Couldn’t get anywhere near the recommended.
    No Diesel – I’d like a 1.2 diesel
    No vRS – I’d like a firebreathing version

    Lowdown
    Car – Skoda Fabia Hatch SE-L
    Price – £18,155 (ours with options £19,120)
    MPG – 60.1 mpg (combined)
    0-62 – 10.1 seconds
    Power – 110ps and 200nm torque
    Top Speed – 120 mph
    Co2 – 106 (g/km)

  • MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki GSX-S125

    MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki GSX-S125

    ★★★★☆ | Suzuki GSX-S125

    Float like a butterfly sting like a bee

    What Have We Got

    In this age of ever Increasing motoring costs, swapping to two wheels makes more and more sense. Roads are congested, fuel costs a fortune and we seem to spend half our lives sitting in traffic or looking for a parking space.

    We wanted to try one of the current crop of 125cc commuters and see how practical they are.

    Suzuki’s GSX-S125 is a funky, naked styled, Street bike. It looks great, it’s fun and it’ll do up to a claimed 122.82mpg! What a way to beat the traffic, have some fun and save money at the same time.

     

    Riding

    It feels tiny. With a seat height of just 785mm and a kerb weight of only 133kg, it’s a featherweight. The bars are in a great position making it easy to manoeuvre and legs are nicely placed for a comfortable ride. When you’re sat on it you’re the widest part which means you can judge gaps in the traffic easily making it a superb commuting tool, slicing through traffic with ease.

    With only 15ps it’s not fast but the little single cylinder, DOHC (Double Over Head Cam) or ‘twin cam’ engine loves to rev and is good fun.

    On a dual carriageway or motorway you struggle. It wouldn’t do much more than 70mph with my fat arse on it, but with a little 17-year-old should be good for more. Either way, 65-70mph is fine.

    https://youtu.be/hihcf1iLa7w

    Details

    A bike like this isn’t going to be festooned with kit. It’s nicely built, unlike the cheap Chinese 125’s you can get. Switchgear is all good quality stuff and it looks and feels great. The gearbox was ok, it didn’t like clutchless up changes but the ‘box is smooth and easy to use.

    This little Suzuki is really light. They’ve saved weight all over, for example, it has forged aluminium wheels which help the bike turn quickly. ABS is also standard, helping to keep you safe as are LED lights and a neat, compact LCD dash.

    We would expect the Suzuki GSX-S125 will hold its value much better than a cheap Chinese bike too.

     

    Living with it

    You have to take this bike in context. It’s an urban Street bike. Cool, fun and made to cut through traffic and put a smile on your face.

    It handles really well, it’s very flickable. As you would expect from a bike that weighs as much as a paper bag, it turns and stops very sharply.

    15ps (maximum allowed for an A1 licence) isn’t much but it’s on par with the most powerful in its class. The styling is spot on. That big Suzuki logo on the side looks really cool, and the metallic blue paint on our bike looked great.

    The Verdict

    Back in my day, you could pass your CBT on a little 125 scooter or something like that, then jump on a 500cc bike to take your big bike test which allowed you to ride anything. These days, it’s not so easy. There are several stages now, have a look here for more info; http://www.geton.co.uk/motorcycle-training-licence/

    The first main step after you basic CBT allows you to ride this and bikes like it. Whether it’s a stepping stone to getting your big bike licence, a way to get on the road cheaply as a kid or just a commuting tool to beat the traffic and save money, you can’t go wrong with the GSX-S125. It’s fun, looks good, easy to ride and cheap to run. What’s not to like?

     

    Love

    Fun factor

    Cheap to run

    Easy to ride

    Loathe

    Slow (compared to big bikes)

    I looked a bit daft on it

    Nowhere to put anything

    Lowdown

    Bike –  Suzuki GSX-S125

    Price – £3,799

    MPG – 122.82 (combined)

    Power – 14.9hp and 11.5nm torque

    Top Speed – approx 80 mph if you’re little

    Co2 – 54 (g/km)

  • MOTORBIKE REVIEW | KTM 790 Duke – Ready to Race

    MOTORBIKE REVIEW | KTM 790 Duke – Ready to Race

    ★★★★★ | KTM 790 Duke

    What Have We Got

    KTM has a rich and successful motorcycle pedigree. Countless world championships across a wide range of disciplines from Motocross to Endurance to Moto3 and much more. They have become one of the most successful motorcycle brands in history. KTM has been one of the world’s fastest-growing motorcycle manufacturers for some time now. 2016 was the company’s sixth consecutive record year and in 2018, they unleashed this 790 Duke on the world.  

    Small, light and fast, the KTM 790 Duke is powered by the brand new LC8c parallel twin engine kicking out 105 hp.

    Riding

    When you first swing your leg over, the Duke feels small, like a 250, narrow and short. It’s purposeful and uncomplicated. Press the starter and it barks into life. The parallel twin sounds just like a V twin with a powerful and potent rumble.

    When you increase the pace, the 790 really starts to make sense.

    It’s great at commuting, it’s noisy, torquey and very easy to manoeuvre, making light work of slicing through town. As you leave the 30mph confines and the road starts to open up and the pace increases, the KTM loves it. The harder you push, the better it gets, It really is a little hooligan.

    It’s fitted with a quickshifter as standard so going up and down through the 6-speed box is effortless, helped by a slipper clutch (PASC™). I found a couple of false neutrals on the way up through the ‘box but put it down to the bike having been a press bike that’s probably seen it’s fair share of abuse.

    Details

    There’s a funky ultra lightweight chrome-molybdenum steel trellis frame with bolt-on aluminium rear subframe and very cool looking die-cast aluminium open lattice swingarm and at the sharp end, you’ll find 43mm upside-down WP suspension forks fitted with progressive springs.

    Outback is a WP suspension, gas-assisted, directly linked rear shock, also with progressive spring and 12-stage adjustable preload.

    Front brakes are KTM branded, radial 4-piston callipers with a radial front brake master cylinder working on twin 300 mm front brake discs. I thought the whole lot was excellent, needing little more than 2 fingers.

    KTM’s 790 Duke has ride mode technology with customizable track mode as standard. This wild child is among the best equipped bikes in this arena, with ride mode technology with customizable track mode as standard. It Boasts an array of tech usually seen on bikes costing twice as much; Cornering ABS including Supermoto mode (for backing it in), lean-angle sensitive motorcycle traction control (MTC), motor slip regulation (MSR), Quickshifter+, and even launch control work seamlessly to make this a very serious weapon.

    The compact and neat TFT dashboard works with KTM MY RIDE which is a smartphone app that is an awesome tool, click the link to see what it can do.

     

    Living with it

    KTM have fitted Maxxis Superamaxx ST tyres which on my test ride on dry, warm roads, were great. It had a brand new rear tyre so I took a few miles to wear it in but they felt very stable, loads of grip, easily able to get a knee down without feeling it was anywhere near the limit of grip.

    KTM says the goal with the 790 Duke was to create the ultimate street weapon. Ultimate is a big boast but it is really, really good.

    In my opinion, it was all the bike you’ll ever need. You can jump on it and pop to the shops or head off to a track day, it will easily do everything and do it bloody well.

    My one complaint was the complete lack of protection. It’s a naked bike so no fairing, not even a fly screen. The 790 is fast, so you’re at mad speeds most of the time. On dual carriageways and motorway, it’s tiring but, don’t go on them!

    The Verdict

    Brilliant, fast, light and more fun than any bike has a right to be. That’s how I’d sum the KTM 790 Duke. Accelerating hard, throwing gears at it with the quickshifter doing its job, cutting through the countryside at daft speeds. Looking for trouble, adrenaline pumping, the parallel twin barking and shouting “is that all you’ve got”.

    Riding the 790 Duke was a pure, visceral experience. I keep catching myself daydreaming about it now, imagining gunning it out of a corner or flicking from side to side through a roundabout.

    Loves

    1 Fast! It’s really fast

    2 Handling. It’s outrageous

    3 Quickshifter+

    Loathes

    1 No wind protection

    2 Heat, it got pretty hot

    3 Gearbox. I got a few false neutrals

    Lowdown

    Bike – KTM 790 Duke
    Price – £8499
    MPG – 48 mpg
    0-62 – 3.1s
    Power – 105 bhp / 86 Nm torque
    Top Speed – 151 mph
    Co2 – 102.9 (g/km)

  • MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki V-Strom100XT

    MOTORBIKE REVIEW | Suzuki V-Strom100XT

    ★★★★★ | Suzuki V-Strom100XT, Jack of all trades

    What Have We Got?

    I would have loved to see the look on the old guy’s face, comfortably oblivious of his surroundings, safe in his generic eurobox, as we exited the roundabout side by side, me on the V-Strom, cranked over will a full set of luggage. ‘Round the outside, hard on the gas, then off into the distance.

    I’d like to think he would have turned to Dorris in the passenger seat and muttered, “I didn’t expect that.”

    Suzuki have been in the adventure bike game for a long time. The V-strom first landed on our shores in  2002 and this is the latest incarnation. It’s got a 1037cc 90 degree V twin kicks out 100 bhp and 101 Nm torque and is huge fun.


    Riding

    Well, I’m actually quite new to adventure bikes. These days, the roads are in a pretty shit state and I’m older, so I thought I’d give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed. The V-Strom100XT is a big beast but so are all adventure bikes in this class. Mine had optional (and expensive) luggage too so I was a bit tentative filtering through traffic.

    It’s big, very comfortable, punchy and great fun, way more fun that I expected. It turns well, handles nicely and I’d go as far as to say pretty sporty on the road. Something I particularly liked was the ability to be fast over any road surface. A few times I was riding with other guys on sports bikes on the back roads and they just couldn’t live with the Strom. It’s plush, forgiving suspension just dances over the rough, potholed roads, still giving good feedback and confidence, no doubt helped by the electronics. The guys on their sports bikes were shaken to pieces.

    Details
    Stopping the V-Strom is easy thanks to radial mounted four-piston monobloc Tokico brake callipers biting on to twin 310mm diameter discs on the front, and a 260mm diameter single disc with a single piston calliper on the rear.

    The Bosch ABS system has what Suzuki call “Motion Track Brake System¹” which uses a 5-Axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which measures lean angle and front and rear wheel speeds and provides optimal ABS braking for the situation. Very clever.

    There’s also 2 mode traction control.

    1 is the lowest level of intervention, allowing sporty riding. It allows an amount of wheel spin so you can have fun.

    2 is normal which eliminates wheel spin to ensure a safe ride. Great for riding in the wet.

    You can, of course, turn it off if you want, if you were heading off road for example.

    Living with it

    Suzuki’s V-Strom1000XT is an awesome bike. It did everything we asked it to without breaking into a sweat. We even took a V-Strom on track, hooning it around Bruntingthorpe. Admittedly it’s not the obvious choice as a track slag but it was surprisingly good. It moves around a little when you really push on and the pegs tend to go down, but it’s very good and very funny to see other people’s reactions. It doesn’t do anything stupid, it’ll hold a decent line and doesn’t sit up on the brakes in the corners. It’s a very civilised way to do a track day.

    The Verdict

    Why a V-Strom? The adventure bike sector is crammed with bikes. Everyone seems to do one or even several. BMW is the obvious choice and arguably, you can say they started it all.

    Yamaha, Triumph, Honda, KTM, Ducati and more all play in this playground.

    The V-Strom sits in between most of these interestingly. Generally, adventure bikes are around 1200cc or 800cc (ish). Suzuki’s V-Strom1000 sits in the middle. At 232kg It’s lighter than pretty much all of the competition, even the smallest capacity bikes like the Triumph Tiger 800.

    It’s obviously down on power on the big capacity competition but at £9,999 it’s very well priced.

    A BMW R1200GS, for example, starts at £12,400 and a Honda Africa twin starts at £11,575.


    Loves
    1 Comfort, you can ride for hours
    2 Great handling
    3 Torquey V-twin engine

    Loathes
    1 Optional luggage was odd shaped & pretty small
    2 Vibey at low revs
    3 Dashboard is pretty busy

    Lowdown
    Motorcycle – Suzuki V-Strom1000XT
    Price – £9.999
    MPG – 58.85mpg (manufacturer claimed. We only got around 40 mpg)
    0-62 – 3.1s
    Power – 100 bhp / 101 Nm torque
    Top Speed – 126 mph
    Co2 – 112 (g/km)