The penultimate day of racing at this year’s FIM ISDE offered competitors a new course and new challenges. Taking competitors south and into demanding forestry in a route known as the Peñuelas Lake and Wood, both riders and machines were put through another three-hundred kilometres of challenging Enduro terrain. Those remaining in the competition now only have the traditional day six final Motocross race to finish off this year’s gruelling race.
Offering no weakness to their rivals, Australia continued to stamp their authority on the ninety-third edition of the FIM ISDE. Marching ever-closer to their second FIM World Trophy title, they left no one doubting who was in control of the proceedings by topping the standings on day five. With a commanding lead, only the final Motocross race now stands in their way of securing the top step of the podium in Viña del Mar.
Daniel Milner remains untouchable with yet another consecutive day win and heading into the final test tomorrow Milner has an iron fist hold on first place overall, ahead of Taylor Robert from Team USA, by almost one-and-a-half minutes.
Clocking the second fastest time for Team Australia on day five was Daniel Sanders, the Victorian comfortably in third podium position overall.
Daniel Sanders
Rounding out Australia’s World Trophy Team was Joshua Strang who now sits in 10th position overall.
Joshua Strang
Daniel Milner – Team Australia
“There were two new tests today and I had to try and memorise the first test whilst moving through it, which ended up being a struggle! Although I essentially guessed a lot of it, I ended up being 10 seconds ahead of everyone else, which was fantastic! Thankfully we had already walked through the second test last week, so I was much more comfortable walking into it knowing full well which sections were tricky and the points where I could quicken the pace. After completing the tests, I found myself changing into cruise mode and lost a bit of time, but overall I still won the day by 28 seconds! The team is killing it! We’ve put some more time on Team USA, so all in all its been a good day for me and the team.”
Daniel Milner
Despite putting in another determined performance, the United States were unable to force the Australians into a mistake and had to settle for second. Barring any final-day drama, they look set to claim the runner-up result this year, holding a healthy four-minute buffer over Italy in third.
After a disappointing week in Chile, defending champions France will be happy to see this year’s event come to an end. Fourth in the FIM World Trophy classification, the hot, dry and dusty conditions have not favoured them, as Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) explains.
Loic Larrieu – Team France
“Unfortunately, it’s just not been our year,” admitted Larrieu. “The dusty, hard pack terrain and unique special tests have been difficult to adapt to and we’ve not shown our best. Personally, it’s been a hard race for me, especially having won the overall in 2017. I was carrying some injuries starting and through a combination of too many crashes, I haven’t been able to race like I wanted to.”
Spain are currently fifth, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Sweden round out the top eighth.
In the Enduro 1 category Italy’s Davide Guarneri (Honda) claimed the day win over Spain’s Victor Guerrero (Yamaha) and Andrea Verona (ITA – TM). However, despite suffering some trouble on day five, Verona still tops the Enduro 1 standings from Guarneri and Guerrero.
Aiming for a clean sweep of class day wins, Taylor Robert was again fastest in Enduro 2, winning four of the six special tests. Over five minutes clear of Steward Baylor (USA – KTM) in second, Robert can enjoy his final day of racing in Viña del Mar.
Taylor Robert
Arguably the standout performer in this year’s FIM ISDE, Daniel Milner added the Enduro 3 class win to his overall victory on day five. Two minutes clear of fellow Australian Sanders in second, the KTM rider will aim for a trouble-free Motocross race to sign off his week in style.
Juniors
In the FIM Junior World Trophy class, the United States finally got the better of rivals Italy, claiming the day five win. Feeling good on the new special tests, the United States pushed hard to reduce the gap to Italy ahead of day six. But with the Italians fighting back during the latter half of the day, they limited their loss and are three minutes and thirty-five seconds clear with the final Motocross remaining.
Putting the brakes on Chile’s challenge for the final step of the podium, France answered back having lost out to them during the last two days. Third fastest on the penultimate day, France keep Chile one-minute and thirty seconds behind them entering day six. Knowing all is still not lost, expect Chile to lay everything on the line in the hope of a possible debut FIM ISDE podium result, on home soil.
Andrew Wilksch
Australia continues to sit comfortably in fifth position, behind Chile in fourth place, who gained ground ahead of Australia by just under 12 minutes. Clocking the fastest time for Australia in day five was Fraser Higlett ahead of Andrew Wilksch and Thomas Mason who fought through the punishing conditions to make a staggering jump from yesterday’s 70th position to a new 52nd position overall!
Women
Easing back as they race towards a recording-breaking sixth consecutive FIM Women’s World Trophy victory, Australia still claimed victory on day five. Beating closet rivals the United States by less than one-minute, the trio of Tayla Jones (Husqvarna), Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) and Mackenzie Tricker (KTM) have a commanding nine-minute lead. Now eleven minutes behind the United States, Spain are third, with Sweden fourth.
Day two of the FIM Vintage Trophy saw Germany’s Jens Oestreich (SWM) top the ’76 class. Germany’s Jens Bossdorf (SWM) leads the ‘79 class over Rolf Nickolai (DEU -Kramer), while Sven Roth (DEU – Kramer) is the overall leader of the ’82 category. Germany’s Swen Schiller (Kram-It) is best of the Evo 86 riders.
World Trophy and Women’s Trophy teams on the verge of victory in Chile.
Image: Supplied.
Australia are on the cusp of victory at the 2018 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) as they take a sizeable lead into the final day of racing in Chile.
With just day six of the ninety-third FIM ISDE remaining, Australia’s FIM World Trophy team enjoy a 7m30s lead over the United States, with Italy third.
Offering no weakness to their rivals, Australia continued to stamp their authority on the 93rd edition of the ISDE. Marching ever-closer to their second World Trophy title, they left no one doubting who was in control of the proceedings by topping the standings on day five.
With a commanding lead, only the final motocross race now stands in their way of securing the top step of the podium in Vina del Mar.
Despite putting in another determined performance, the United States were unable to force the Australians into a mistake and had to settle for second ahead of Italy. After a disappointing week, defending champions France will be happy to see this year’s event come to an end as they sit fourth in the classification.
In the Junior World Trophy class, the United States finally got the better of rivals Italy, claiming the day five win. Feeling good on the new special tests, the US pushed hard to reduce the gap to Italy, but with the Italians fighting back during the latter half of the day, they limited their loss and are 3m35s clear.
Putting the brakes on Chile’s challenge for the final step of the podium, France answered back having lost out to them during the last two days. Third fastest on the penultimate day, France keep Chile 1m30s behind them entering day six. Australia currently sits fifth overall.
Easing back as they race towards a recording-breaking sixth Women’s World Trophy win in a row, Australia still claimed victory on day five. Beating closet rivals the US by less than one minute, the trio of individual leader Tayla Jones (Husqvarna), Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) and Mackenzie Tricker (KTM) have a commanding nine-minute lead.
Racing to his fourth overall day win, Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) once again set the benchmark. The Australian is now almost 90 seconds clear of closest rival Taylor Robert (KTM) in second, with Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) 33 seconds behind in third.
Milner and Sanders are currently 1-2 in the E3 division, Andrew Wilksch (Sherco) is 15th and Tom Mason (KTM) P16 in class. Husqvarna’s Josh Strang climbed to fourth in E2, as Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) is now sixth in E1.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completes Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana as the fastest man in some tough and wet conditions thanks to his FP1 time of 1:39.767, with the Spaniard heading Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci with the top three split by just 0.140 on Friday.
Marc Marquez
Just like FP1, the FP2 session was red-flagged in the early stages due to unsafe track conditions. This came after debris was left on circuit after Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed at the tricky Turn 12, but the Frenchman was ok and returned to the pits. A short delay followed before the riders headed back out, but with the rain heavier than it was in FP1, none of the riders were able to improve on their morning times and the top three – and ten – were decided for the day.
Marc Marquez – P1
“Honestly, it was a difficult day because not only were there wet conditions with a lot of water, but also because it was very cold. When there’s so much water on track, it’s a kind of lottery, and the only thing you can do is try not to crash. This situation made things more complicated, but luckily the track here in Valencia has very good drainage and very good grip all things considered, and this allowed us to actually ride today. That said, I felt very good on the bike and was able to feel the limit and be fast, which is very important. It looks like the weather will be a bit better tomorrow, only to worsen again on Sunday, so we need to be ready for whatever condition we may find if we wish to fight for the podium.”
Marc Marquez
Jack Miller had clocked the second fastest time in the FP1 session and looked as though he was going to the top of the charts after lighting up the red helmet late in the session before a fall cost the Australian his chance.
Jack Miller – P2
“The feelings are very positive. This morning we did very well and in the afternoon we preferred not to do too many laps not to wear out the soft rear tyre in sight of qualifying and the race. I’m satisfied.”
Jack Miller
Danilo Petrucci topped the wetter FP2 session by a significant margin, 0.407 was the gap back to Marquez with Valentino Rossi the only other rider within a second of the Ducati rider in the second session. It was P12 overall for ‘The Doctor’, however.
Danilo Petrucci – P3
“The conditions we found in FP2 are better for me. However, I have to admit that in some parts of the circuit it was not easy as the visibility was really limited. But I am happy because the feeling was very good from the start”.
Danilo Petrucci
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sits fourth overall and the Italian was P12 in FP2, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top five on Day 1 despite conditions that have often been more difficult for the newly-inducted Legend this season.
Andrea Dovizioso – P4
“This morning, despite the rain, the track had good grip but in the afternoon we encountered different conditions: there was really a lot of water and I didn’t have a particularly good feeling with my bike. In any case we managed to do a few tests with the tyres: the session was useful for this reason, especially because this year we haven’t lapped much in the rain, and we picked up some good indications for Sunday’s race, should it be wet.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Dani Pedrosa – P5
“It seems it’s going to rain quite a lot this weekend! The track changes when the water increases, and in some points it’s a bit difficult to ride. That was the case this afternoon, so I just did very few laps. On the other hand, when there’s a bit less water, like at a certain point during FP1, you can be much faster. So we must wait and see what conditions we’ll have over the weekend. This will also affect the tyre choice and the rhythm of the race.”
Dani Pedrosa
Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – fourth in FP2 – ends P6 on the combined times, with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ending the day as the fastest Yamaha rider in P7 overall.
Andrea Iannone – P6
“Today was not so bad, and it’s only Friday. The conditions are a bit difficult, but that’s the same for everyone. We worked well today and found a few areas we can improve on – especially on the braking point and cornering. So for tomorrow we hope we’ve found the solutions for these areas. We’ll give our best for qualifying and my feeling is positive and good. The grip on the track is really good, but when there’s a lot of water we get some spinning, especially on the straight. But we just have to deal with these conditions.”
Andrea Iannone
Maverick Vinales – P7
“I didn‘t feel so bad, and honestly it was better than I expected. In the morning I was a bit faster than I was this afternoon, because there was a lot of water on the track. There are still some things to improve on, but I‘m actually happy. Let‘s see if we can take another step tomorrow. Our objective is to be in the top-5, if it‘s raining and conditions are similar to today, that result would be great. Today I announced that next season, and starting from next Tuesday at the Valencia test, I will be riding with a new number: 12. The reason why I decided to change the number is that I used to ride with number 12 when I was a kid, for at least five or six years, and I was really successful. I also feel that number 12 identifies me a bit more, though I‘ve been riding with number 25 for quite a few years.”
Maverick Vinales
Wildcard and Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro sits P8 overall thanks to his FP1 time, a strong showing for the Italian, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro grabs a provisional Q2 spot by ending Friday in P9. A P6 in FP2 – along with teammate Bradley Smith’s P8 – caps off a good day for the Austrian manufacturer in the wet conditions.
Michele Pirro – P8
“It was a day with really a lot of rain, but this morning we worked well in any case and in the afternoon we tried a few things in view of the race that might be useful because on Sunday it seems as if the conditions could be similar to today. With such changeable weather it was important to finish the day inside the top 10: I managed to do this, I’m eighth and this is positive. Let’s hope we can continue to work like this also tomorrow.”
Michele Pirro
Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki) rounds out the top ten, but just 0.002 ahead of compatriot Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) in P11.
Alex Rins – P10
“I’ve been feeling very good today, both in FP1 and FP2. The bike is working well and we’re preparing for race day. It looks like it will be wet all weekend but we are ready for that. It’s really difficult to ride in these conditions, and during FP2 the track was so wet that all of us riders were experiencing a bit of aqua-planing and spinning on the straight, but I think the track will be OK for the race. I came into the box towards the end of the session because the risk was a bit higher and my feeling was already good.”
Alex Rins
Aleix Espargaro’ – P11
“Today I really felt good. Finishing FP1 close to the top 10 and fifth in FP2 is a great sign. The bike’s grip is very good and I was fast, confirming that we have made some steps forward from this point of view because the grip problems get worse in the wet. If the weekend should continue along these lines, we’ll be able to aim for important positions in the race.”
Aleix Espargaro’
Valentino Rossi – P12
“It was a busy day and fully wet. It’s actually a good thing, because it looks like the weather will be very bad on Sunday, so we need to understand which tyre we will try to use and also work on the balance of the bike. This morning the track was a bit faster because there was less water on it, but unfortunately I didn’t feel fantastic with the bike, it wasn’t a perfect combination. But we made some good modifications so in the afternoon I was stronger. It’s a shame we couldn’t improve our laptime from this morning. I’m outside of the top-10, but with a good feeling and also a good pace, so in the end it’s not so bad.”
Valentino Rossi – The effectiveness of the chin spoiler on the back of the bottom fairing can be seen here in this shot of Rossi in the rain at Valencia
Jorge Lorenzo for the moment had to settle for nineteenth place with a time of 1’41.782 in his return to the MotoGP grid, and his final appearance with Ducati before the Spaniard joins Repsol Honda for season 2019.
Jorge Lorenzo – P19
“Undoubtedly these aren’t the best conditions for my come-back, because the track today was treacherous. My wrist still hurts, especially under braking and coming out of the corners, and even more when I do more than five laps continuously. I can’t be too aggressive and I have to make smooth movements that make me lose speed. With very little water on the track I feel better, but when it rains a lot everything becomes more complicated. Let’s see if conditions improve a bit tomorrow and we’ll try and get inside the top 10 to go straight through into Q2.”
Jorge Lorenzo
A completely wet day in Valencia looks like it will set the tone for the weekend.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice
MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda 1’39.767
MILLER Jack AUS Alma Pramac Ducati 1’39.873 / 0.106
PETRUCCI Danilo ITA Alma Pramac Ducati 1’39.907 / 0.140
ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Gresini 1’40.967 / 1.200
ROSSI Valentino ITA Movistar Yamaha 1’41.015 / 1.248
ZARCO Johann FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’41.146 / 1.379
ABRAHAM Karel CZE Angel Nieto Team 1’41.160 / 1.393
SIMEON Xavier BEL Reale Avintia Racing 1’41.277 / 1.510
BRADL Stefan GER LCR Honda 1’41.479 / 1.712
SMITH Bradley GBR Red Bull KTM 1’41.489 / 1.722
MORBIDELLI Franco ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’41.713 / 1.946
LORENZO Jorge SPA Ducati Team 1’41.782 / 2.015
NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda 1’42.471 / 2.704
BAUTISTA Alvaro SPA Angel Nieto Team 1’42.617 / 2.850
REDDING Scott GBR Aprilia Racing Gresini 1’42.857/ 3.090
LUTHI Tom SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’43.000 / 3.233
SYAHRIN Hafizh MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’43.727 / 3.960
TORRES Jordi SPA Reale Avintia Racing 1’45.001 / 5.234
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice
Moto2
Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) impressed in tough wet conditions after his FP1 time saw him end Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana at the summit of the Moto2 combined standings. Because of the heavier rainfall in the afternoon, FP1 times would remain the fastest of the day for the intermediate class and Lecuona’s 1:46.705 in the morning was enough to see him better Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) by 0.798, despite a crash for both. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sits third quickest on the combined times – 0.912 off Lecuona.
Fourth overall and P4 in FP2 was American rider Joe Roberts (NTS RW Racing GP), who showed his incredible pace in the wet once again, despite a crash. He was just ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40), who was fifth on Day 1 and third in the second, trickier session. World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) ends Friday in P6 overall but was P13 in FP2, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) seventh quickest overall.
Second of the NTS wet weather heroes was Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP), the South African crashing in both sessions but quick, with two MotoGP-bound riders completing the top ten: it was P9 for Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and P10 for Fabio Quartararo (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up).
Remy Gardner – P24
“Today has been quite good. I definitely thought that I would be stronger in the wet, but I always struggled in Valencia, so I knew it’s going to be a tough one. I had a bit of a strange crash this morning, but anyway, we got a bit softer clutch setting which helped in the afternoon, where I just did laps and found confidence. We were back inside the top 10 in FP2, my feeling was pretty ok, although the conditions were a lot worse than this morning. We’re still working on the setting and we still have to do some things before Sunday, as it looks like it’s going to be wet.”
FP2 saw no less than 16 crashes: Lukas Tulovic (Forward Racing Team), Hector Garzo (Tech 3 Racing), Khairul Idham Pawi (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Team Gresini) twice, replacement rider Tommaso Marcon (HDR Heidrun – Speed Up), Xavi Cardelus (Marinelli Snipers Team), Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2’s Simone Corsi, Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors), riders ok.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice Moto2
Rookie Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) went fastest on his final flying lap in FP2 to end Friday at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana on top; his 1:51.873 enough to oust Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) – despite a late crash – from the summit by just 0.039. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took P3 in FP2 and on the combined times after a P15 in the morning, and the top three overall were split by just 0.094 on Friday.
A wet FP1 and a wet FP2 was the order of the day as the lightweight class machines completed their final Friday of the year in a rain-soaked Valencia. The aforementioned home rider Lopez takes the honours to top the two Italians, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) fourth in a tight top four – 0.140 was the gap from the Japanese rider to the Spaniard after he ended the first session in P13. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) completed the top five on Friday.
World Champion Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) – who didn’t venture out in FP1 – ended the day sixth fastest, just ahead of Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), who rounds out a solid day in P7 after ending FP1 inside the top three. Wildcard and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Can Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, took an impressive P8 to end his first day in Grand Prix racing in the top ten despite a crash, with fellow former Asia Talent Cup rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) P9 overall. Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took P10 and was another who crashed in tough conditions.
Crashes were aplenty in the wet conditions, with replacement rider Izam Ikmal (Petronas Sprinta Racing) the first rider to crash, joined by Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team), Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider), Raul Fernandez (Angel Nieto Team Moto3), Vicente Perez (Reale Avintia Academy 77) for the second time of the day, Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Bester Capital Dubai’s Jaume Masia and Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) – riders ok.
Valencia Day One MotoGP Combined Free Practice Moto3
Difficult conditions greet riders as final round of MotoGP season commences.
Image: Supplied.
Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez completed day one at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana as the fastest man in some tough and wet conditions, topping Australian Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing).
Thanks to his FP1 time of 1m39.767s, the Spaniard headed Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci and the top three were split by just 0.140s on Friday.
Just like FP1, the FP2 session was red-flagged in the early stages due to unsafe track conditions. This came after debris was left on circuit after Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed at the tricky turn 12, but the Frenchman was okay and returned to the pits.
A short delay followed before the riders headed back out, but with the rain heavier than it was in FP1, none of the riders were able to improve on their morning times and the top 10 were decided for the day.
This left Marquez ending Friday as the quickest rider and Miller P2, despite finishing 13th in FP2. Petrucci topped FP2 by a significant margin as 0.407s was the gap back to the number 93, with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) the only other rider within a second of the Ducati rider in the second session.
It was 12th overall for ‘The Doctor’ however. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sits fourth overall and the Italian was P12 in FP2, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top five despite conditions that have often been more difficult for the newly-inducted Legend this season.
Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) ends P6 on the combined times, with Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) ending the day as the fastest Yamaha rider in seventh overall. Wildcard and Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro sits P8 overall thanks to his FP1 time.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro grabs a provisional Q2 spot by ending Friday in ninth, along with teammate Bradley Smith’s eighth caps off a good day for the Austrian manufacturer in the wet conditions. Alex Rins (Team Ecstar Suzuki) rounded out the top 10.
In Moto2, Iker Lecuona (Swiss Innovative Investors) impressed in tough, wet conditions after his FP1 time saw him end day one at the summit of the Moto2 combined standings. Lecuona’s 1m46.705s in the morning was enough to see him better Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Remy Gardner (Tech3 Racing) was P24.
Rookie Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) went fastest on his final flying lap in FP2 to end Friday on top in Moto3, his 1m51.873s enough to oust Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PruestelGP) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) took third.
Muchas gracias al Repsol Honda Team por este homenaje con tanto cariño. Grandes recuerdos en este GP inolvidable para mí. / Thank you very much to the Repsol Honda Team for organizing this little tribute with so much affection. Great memories In this GP unforgettable for me.
#DP26 #MotoGP #ValenciaGP #RepsolHondaTeam @ Circuit Ricardo Tormo
National Cycle VStream windscreen fitted to a BMW G310GS. Image courtesy National Cycle.
If you read our First Ride Review of BMW’s new G 310 GS, or the Mini ADV comparo that followed, you might’ve noticed that one of our complaints about the little GS’s street friendliness was its lack of wind protection. The tiny barely-a-flyscreen was great for bouncing around off-road but not so great once it was time to hit the highway and head home. Living in Southern California means freeways are an unavoidable way of life, so we called up the folks at National Cycle and ordered a VStream Sport Windscreen for our GS.
National Cycle offers three sizes of windscreens for this model, described as Sport, Sport/Touring and Touring, but we decided that with a center height of 14.25 inches and a width of 13.25 inches, the Sport would be plenty big for this pint-sized machine. We also liked its super dark tint, which blended in with the GS’s dark gray paint and pointy nose and didn’t look completely out of place.
The VStream Sport screen is made from 4.5mm Quantum hard-coated polycarbonate; National Cycle says the combo is 30 times more scratch-resistant than acrylic, with better optics and superior UV, chemical, crack and impact resistance. Mounting it is as easy as removing the four 5mm hex head bolts and stock flyscreen, then bolting on the VStream screen with the included 3mm hex bolts.
The improvement in wind protection was immediately apparent. Whereas in stock configuration I was taking the full force of the wind on my chest and (often peaked, wind-grabbing) helmet, with the VStream that wind was diverted around my torso to my shoulders and arms and to the top of my helmet. The larger Sport/Touring and Touring screens would likely decrease wind blast even more, but I found the Sport to be an ideal compromise between a sporty, off-road ADV look and decent protection.
At $129.95 and covered by a three-year warranty against breakage, the VStream Sport Windscreen is a necessary upgrade for any G 310 GS rider looking to better their ride’s road manners, without overpowering the little GS’s aggressive ADV looks.
For more information, call (708) 343-0400 or visit nationalcycle.com.
Some things just make sense: tacos from Baja, coffee from Colombia, and motorcycles from Italy. Last year, Ducati released the friendly and approachable Monster 797 to offer somewhat of a stepping stone into its premier Monster lineup. The Monster was first introduced back in 1993 and at one point accounted for more than half of Ducati’s sales worldwide. The beast from Bologna has been mostly praised for its exceptional performance and power, which can be intimidating for some. However, being such an iconic bike desired by riders of all skill levels, Ducati decided to aim the newest addition to the Monster family toward a more casual enthusiast.
The Ducati Monster 797 comes packed with the same 803cc air-cooled Desmodue twin as the Ducati Scrambler which produces a maximum 73 hp at 8,250 rpm and 49 pound-feet of torque at 5,750 rpm. Matched with a six-speed gearbox transmission, 50mm throttle body, suspended on a 43mm Kayaba USD fork and a preload- and rebound-adjustable Sachs monoshock, all enclosed in a steel trellis frame.
We spent a day putting the Monster 797 to work ripping through canyons and slaying freeway miles to get an overall opinion of the bike in a variety of road conditions. At first glance, the Ducati Monster 797 looks like a bike packed with performance for tight corners, fast speed, and big wheelies, however, looks can be deceiving. My initial impression when throwing a leg over the 797 is the bike offers a neutral, upright seating position that creates a comfy ride. However, this sporty-looking machine became a little disappointing from the initial turn of the key due to an extremely generic display, reading nothing more than mph, trip 1, trip 2, the time, and, well, that’s it. With a very limited electronics package offering only non-switchable ABS, I immediately felt as if I was on a dated motorcycle.
Once I was on my way, bobbing from one side of the tire to the other as I carved through the twisty roads of Julian, California, I found myself gaining confidence in the bike for its rugged chassis and stiff suspension that allows the rider to feel extremely stable and planted throughout the corner. However, the 803cc air-cooled Desmodue twin left me wanting more for its lack of character throughout the revs. Although this bike gets up to speed quickly it just doesn’t seem to do it in an exciting, perilous way that leaves the rider in an emotional spectrum between excitement and terror as they try to put power to the ground and keep the front wheel down. After gaining all that speed it’s time to slow down, and this is where the Monster 797 fell short for me with is twitchy, divvy front end feel when grabbing a handful of front brake.
Although the Ducati Monster 797 doesn’t offer the same raging performance as some of its competitors, the more time I spent in the saddle the more I appreciated Ducati’s vision for a simple middleweight naked bike. This particular Monster creates a traditional experience for the rider transforming them to a time where bikes were more raw and mechanical, and less computerized. This is where the bike excelled for me. It’s not the latest and greatest thing on the road, but for making some pleasant-sounding noise on the open road, this Ducati fits the bill.
TomTom has finally released their new Rider 550 satnav with new routes, wifi, personalised trips, smartphone connectivity, group sharing and voice activation.
It costs $599 and we wondered whether it is worth the money when smartphones these days seem to do so much of the tasks of a satnav.
The qualified cartographer has spent 20 years as Sales and Marketing Manager of HEMA Maps and five years running his own geographic information consultancy, so he knows what he is talking about.
Here is his review:
Tom Tom Rider 550
Out of the box the first thing that impresses is the handlebar mount.
It is RAM brand which I believe to be the best, most secure and robust range of vehicle electronic mounts in the world.
When I attached the mount to the handle bars and went for a run, it did not disappoint; solid with virtually no vibration.
It also allows you to quickly swivel the unit from landscape to portrait mode depending on what you prefer.
The Rider 550 came fully charged and ready to go. And with faster processing, it fires up very quickly. No more waiting for it to load.
It includes a short cable with a proprietary plug on the end to connect to a cable with bare wire ends to route it straight to your battery terminal. There is also a cable with a USB plug to go to a USB charging port. Handy.
However, on my first test I didn’t bother plugging it into power. I ran it on full nav operation for more than four hours and it still had 3/4 battery left. (It is claimed to have six hours’ battery charge.)
I haven’t yet got around to plugging in the power cable and might never feel the need with that much battery power storage!
Speaking of storage, I downloaded the complete set of free world maps. Not many satnavs have that much storage capacity.
The instruction manual is concise but tells you everything you needed to know.
Wifi connection
Since it has wifi, you don’t have to connect to it to a computer for updates.
Once connected to home wifi, the TomTom Rider 550 tells you if there are any updates required and you do this while you are connected.
Operationally it is typical of any modern satnav devices. It is easy to use and quite intuitive. When you take a wrong turn it is lightning fast at recalculating. So much faster than any other GPS unit or smartphone navigation app.
Its stored POIs (points of interest) are also extensive.
On the bike, the screen visibility is very acceptable even in full sun. I could read the screen in all light conditions with minor head adjustments. It automatically reverts to night mode when it is dark.
The mapping data is very up-to-date which is underlined by the accuracy of the speed zone, speed camera and red light cameras.
Another thing that impresses me is that during school hours the speed in school zones automatically change.
Here’s another impressive feature: the strip map window down the side shows distance to speed cameras, fuel, etc. Very handy!
As you would expect, the device can connect to Bluetooth intercom units. However, if you turn up the volume, it’s easy to hear without Bluetooth connection at all but highway speeds.
Given that I don’t use Bluetooth much, I wasn’t able to test the voice activation or the new feature that reads smartphone messages aloud in your headset.
However, that sort of technology works well elsewhere so Im sure it’s fine, if you like that sort of thing.
My only concern was that the view randomly swapped orientation between horizontal to vertical, but it did correct quickly. (We noticed this with the previous model if you set it too close to horizontal. It needs to be positioned closer to vertical – MBW).
Conclusion
TomTom Rider 500 is a useful navigation tool and much more suitable to the rugged conditions on your bike than a delicate smartphone.
Given that traffic warnings, speed camera locations and worldwide mapping is included free for the lifetime of the unit, it could be taken and used anywhere in the world.
Tech specs
Price
$599
Battery
Rechargeable Lithium Ion
Battery charge
Up to 6 hours autonomous operation
Screen type
11 cm (4.3″) touchscreen. Capacitive, glove-friendly, sunlight readable screen
Screen Resolution
480 x 272 WQVGA
Processor
Quad-Core
Memory
16 GB
RAM Size
512 Mb
SD slot
Micro SD slot
Waterproof
IPX7 – Protects again any wet weather conditions
Connectivity
Smartphone Connected, Bluetooth audio
Wi-Fi
Update and download without plugging into a computer
Features
Hands-free calling. Smartphone messages. Siri & Google Now
Services
TomTom Traffic, TomTom Speed Cameras, QuickGPSfix via Bluetooth® on your smartphone
Maps
Pre-installed Australia, New Zealand, North America, Canada, Mexico. Worldwide maps available to download. Lifetime map updates.
Services
Lifetime Traffic and Speed Cameras Updates
USB
Micro USB port and 2.0 USB cable
Dimensions:
136.8 x 88.4 x 30.5
Weight
280g
Mount
RAM universal mounting kit – fits nearly all bikes
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