2019-07-01_RiDE

What will it cost me?

Insurance

A 45-year-oldinruralLeicestershirewithfiveyears’NCBcanget

comprehensivecoverona 201 4 basemodelforjust£221;thesame

SPEEDMPGRANGE

Slow 49 165 miles

Average 45 151 miles

Fast 39 131 miles

FUELECONOMY

BridgestoneS21

£201a pair

Byfarthemostpopular

fitmentwithowners.Smooth

steering,grippyenoughfor

funbuttherearwillbetoast

after4-5kmiles.Theharder-

wearingT3 1 at£233a pairisa

goodbetforlongertrips.

Metzeler

SportecM7RR

£262a pair

A reallygoodall-

weathertyrethat’s

goodenoughforthe

oddtrackdaybutoffers

decentwear(4kfrom

a rear,typically).

Avon 3D Ultra

Sport

£153a pair

The price alone

makes these a

tempting choice and

they’re also pretty

grippy and fairly

hard-wearing.

Prices are mail order. Add £6 per pair for P&P. Source SMD Tyres: 01942 604511

Owners’ tyre tips

YamahaMT-102016-on

>£8000–£10,000>998ccinlinefour>158bhp>210kg

ProbablytheclosestdirectrivaltotheS1000R,the

MT-10 runs the BMW close with its combination of

usability and latent madness. It’s based on the R1, but

shifting the power to the midrange

means no need for lightweight

high-revvingparts,whichkeeps

thecostsdown.

Lowergearing

though,keeps

thefrontwheel

up,evenwiththe

tractioncontrol

turnedon.

TriumphSpeedTripleR

2016-on

>£8500–£11,000>1050ccinlinetriple>138bhp>219kg

ThefirstSpeedTriplewithride-by-wiremanagement,

andit’swell-developed,givingexcellentfuellingand

plentyoflow-downdrive.ThisR

modelhasfullyadjustableÖhlins

suspensionand

Brembobrakes.

Theelectronics

packageislimited

— switchable

modes,ABSand

tractioncontrol.

ApriliaTuonoV42011-on

>£5500-£12,500>1000/1077ccV4>160/173bhp>205kg

Genuinelya full-onsportsbikewiththefairingrippedoff

• andtounderlinethatfactit camewithAprilia’soptional
  fullsuiteofelectronicsandthree-wayswitchableengine
  modes.ABSarrivedin 201 4.For
  2015 the Tuono became an 1100,
  but also got a slightly
  softer overall feel,
  with a new Öhlins-
  equipped Factory
  version. They’re
  all barking but
  later models are a
  bit more civilised.

Alternatives

If the BMW isn’t for you, these might be

Former racer Jon

Ashley has had

three Rs

Daren Garraway

loves his, despite

minor niggles

rider in London would

be looking at £1743! By

adding security and

tagging it, we got it

down to ‘only’ £730,

or £621 with a £500

voluntary excess from

BMW’s own insurance.

JULY 2019 | 89