November 2013

CONTENTS

7 NEWS
There’s a new Ducati on the horizon and some
other rather large bits of interesting things
going on too.

12 FIRST RIDE: YAMAHA’S MT-09
This is something of a unique thing for
Yamaha, a new bike that’s competitively
priced, great fun and encourages silliness (but
can also commute). Looks like the tuning fork
lot have got their heads on the right way
round again...

20 THE £1000GS: BUY IT CHEAP,
RIDE IT LOTS, MAKE MONEY ON IT
A real story about a real man who really did do
just that with arguably the most iconic
motorcycle of the last several years. And
we’re explaining how you can do it, too.

26 FIRST RIDE: BENELLI’S BN600
A hugely significant bike this, but we bet you
don’t see many of them around. This is the
first Chinese/Italian four-cylinder coming
together, okay... but does it work?

34 MAIL
Four weeks on since the tweaked MSL hit your
stands (or your doormat if you subscribe) and
a few of you express your thoughts about it,
and other items of interest.

44 BE BETTER AT RIDING: FOR
FREE AND IN 15 MINUTES!
Part two of our ongoing series about how
to be a better, smoother and safer rider
on the road.

TOURING

51 MSL TOURING
Thirty pages of our top touring section, this
month we’ve got a look at the Pan European
motorcycle, a trip along the Roman Ermine
Road, a tour to Monopoli in Italy and a jaunt
(yeah, we said jaunt) through Romania to the
Black Sea. Among other things.

68 OLD RECORDS REVISITED
So we all tend to think that just because we
want to go on some life-changing ride around
the world that it’s a unique thing... check out
what the old boys were doing in 1925.

72 AMERICANS VIA THE STURGIS RALLY
Our Bruce had a certain idea of what riding a
big, classy American bike across the
heartland of America would be like. And it was
pretty close to the ideal – until he got to
Sturgis and saw the sights... poor boy...

78 LONG TERM (SPORTING) LIFE
So there they were, Tony and Bruce, sat at
Cadwell Park waiting to go out on track.
Around them a selection of GSX-Rs and
R1s. It was at this point that the editor
(on his 1190 KTM) turned to Bruce (on the
Tiger Sport) and said: ‘Whose bloody stupid
idea was this?’. Bruce reminded the ginger
idiot that it was his...

KNOWLEDGE

90 BUYER’S GUIDE: 1999 DUCATI 900SS
As crazy as this might sound these days, the
900SS wasn’t really liked when it was
launched. It seemed a bit ‘odd looking’ for the
time. Today though, there’s no denying its
instant-classic appeal.

96 IN THE GARAGE: MY COLLECTION
A quiet, unassuming businessman from
Nottingham and his collection of incredible GP
motorcycles including bikes raced by Sheene,
Mamola and Rossi.

112 KAWASAKI’S TOP GUN
It was the bike that launched Tom Cruise
(literally, watch the film) in Top Gun and
secured it’s place in history. The GPZ900R.