International Motorcyclists Tour Club |
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Tested No. 16 - Honda XL1000V Varadero Tested No. 19 - Givi (again!) and the Suzuki SV650
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I was privileged to be
amongst the members and friends who were conducted
around Brooklands, the old motor racing circuit, by
the remarkable Jim Kentish. Dick Hills.
Honda introduced this motorcycle to its range in January 1999. It was thought that it would replace the Africa Twin, but Honda will continue to turn these out for several years. Firstly let me give you the Tech. Spec: 4 Stroke, liquid cooled, vee 2, 996cc, bore x stroke 98 x 66mm, max. BHP 98 at 8000 RPM, 5 speed, seat height 845mm, ground clearance 195 mm, fuel capacity 25 Litres, dry weight 220kg. Chain driven, price £6950 without luggage. Those are the cold hard facts, but riding is not about sitting in the pub comparing bore and stroke, what you want to know is what is it like to ride. Well, let me tell you. Honda is marketing this bike at two classes of rider and in a way it compromises on both. That is not to say that the Varadero does not bring great pleasure when the conditions are right but if the conditions change, well, she can be a handful. The first is as a trail bike and by the account of the Morocco blast (not the imtc Partitour, a Honda organised ride - Ed) she fared well in those dry conditions, lots of clearance. However we in the UK have a temperate climate and on a warm summer day she is a delight to green lane but that is about as far as the trail issue goes. The Varadero is top heavy and when she slides from beneath you there is no pulling her back from the point of no return, which is a lot less than a 'real' trail bike. As a touring bike (which is what the club is interested in) the Varadero is a good machine. The super comfortable seat allows you to ride to its 250-mile tank capacity in shear bottom heaven for both rider and pillion (you just don't need those distractions). The bike has a fine fairing that does the job if you are less than 6 feet tall, after that a higher screen would be recommended. The height of the seat gives you the feeling that you can see well into the next danger and avoid accordingly. The dials provide what you need, with only one additional feature that is the two trip counters (there and back?) While you are going at slow speed the Varadero can be tiresome; this is due to the majority of the weight being quite high. Some thought has to be put into parking and tight manoeuvring at slow speeds (but it is good practice for your riding skills). She only has a side stand as standard but a centre stand can be added as an after thought… I have heard that several owners who have this added extra have considerable difficulty in pulling the bike up. Like a lot of things I am sure that this is more to do with technique than strength (does size really matter? If you are less that 5'8" I think it would be a struggle but there are always exceptions…). The disadvantage of not having a centre stand is chain / rear wheel maintenance, but this can be resolved (in part) by the installation of an oiler. The Varadero will cruise all day at 100 mph plus and not complain once, however maybe at that speed you may find yourself wishing you bought something nearer the ground. I enjoy the bike, it suits my style of riding, and the wind (always a good reason for wearing leather trousers) that may have been a problem on the Transalp is no more of an issue than on any other bike. If I was considering buying just a bike for touring I would go for a BMW 'R' or a Pan (and I could afford it) but the Varadero does what it does in comfort. Maybe the style is dubious but I am on it not looking at it… Colin Keil.
Bob Luck's experiences with the Givi 'Wingrack' system (November 'Tourider') broadly echo my own and I was pleased to hear how impressed he is with Givi UK. My own contact with them was not so satisfactory, see later. Elaine was right to insist on Givi. My own history of hard luggage started with BMW (1987 K100) and progressed through Krausers to Givi. The BMW cases were oddly shaped inside leaked and needed assistance of a torch to lock or unlock at night. The Krausers were better in the shape and locking departments, but still leaked in really prolonged rain. The Givis are a delight to use and after 3 ½ years' regular use, do not leak. My last use of the Krausers was on the second of my Suzuki VX800s. The great advantage, until then, of Krausers was the availability of fitting kits for most reasonably popular machines. From the VX800 I changed, in 1996, to the 900 Diversion. Annoyingly, Yamaha were offering own badged side panniers, which were widely known to be supplied by Krauser but no top box. This was a no-go for me because (a) I want the three when touring and (b) in normal weekend and shopping use, the top box alone is preferred - not least because it does not affect filtering in traffic. Furthermore - and contrary to their previous practice - Krauser refused to offer a fitting kit for the 900, presumably in deference to Yamaha marketing. So, if you bought your Yam with O.E. panniers, it looked unlikely you would be able to retain them for subsequent machines. So, I changed to Givi. The total cost, in 1996, of 2 x 32 litre and a 45 litre top box, with Wingrack and fitting kit, was well over £500. A 1997 Partitour, however, to Provence with Steve Goad, covering almost 2500 miles, showed it to be a wise selection… Even if it did need members' pithy comments on my lop-sided rear aspect to make me aware I had clipped the 45 litre to one side… at least it demonstrated their perfect interchangeability! Until then, I normally had at least one other "fun" bike for non-touring, non-shopping work. The RD350LC Powervalve and Honda Dominator come to mind. Retirement, fixed income and stiffening joints (mine, not the machine's) brought a change of requirement. Our new home endowed me with a lovely workshop but also a couple of awkward floor / drive height changes. The listed weight of the Diversion is 240kg (without extras) and that discouraged regular use. At the 1998 NEC Show I went looking for a lighter machine which would appeal both for daily use and for touring. As an aside, isn't the Show so much more interesting when you are actually looking for a change of model? The Suzuki SV650 was put at the top of my list, in view of its 165kg and 68bhp. That's 18bhp less than the Yamaha 900 but also 12 stone lighter! A subsequent test ride (first time in my life I've had to pay for one!) confirmed the glowing magazine reports and I took delivery in March 1999 of the SV650 i.e. the unfaired version. The faired version would not have allowed the conversion to comfortable tourer, in my view. This was when my problem with Givi UK arose. At the NEC, on their stand, I was told that the SV650 would, when launched, be endowed with a Wingrack fitting kit. After I took delivery - you've guessed it - they decided otherwise. So, I designed my own fittings and made them from timber and 3 - ply which then served as patterns for a local fabricator to cut, machine and weld. Took 6 hours at £20 per hour, so the fitting kit cost about twice the average Givi kit. I do now, though, have a neater and more easily fitted / removed kit and it has survived the 650 mile round trip to Heysham, for the Manx Grand Prix, with no problems whatsoever. What of the SV650? I have owned 20 - plus bikes and this promises to be the best all rounder of the lot. The engine sounds and feels sweet, pulls from 3000rpm and seems perfectly happy at 7500rpm for an hour at a time (=100mph). Although only 16 litres, the tank gives some 170 miles at motorway speeds with air brakes out i.e. the panniers. In normal running around the range is over the 200 miles, which is 65mpg. Handling and comfort are fine, brakes superb. The only downside, compared to other tourers I have owned, is the chain. It has only needed adjustment - which is simple and quick - once in 3000 miles but lube ends up on the rear wheel and some other places you'd prefer it not to be. (Is this not a problem with the chain lube you're using Don? The Castrol synthetic one I use flings virtually nothing onto the wheel rim - Ed.) Anyone contemplating (or already owning) a SV650 might be interested in what I have done: 1. Luggage: See above. 2. Dural plates, interspersed between the original footrest hangers and the beautiful frame aluminium casting, have lowered the pegs by ¾" and moved them rearwards by ½", thus putting my knees comfortably into the tank recess rather than on the sharply sculptured flute (32" inside leg). 3. Handlebar screen fitted. This is the admirable Dutch 'Speed 7', model S4500, which I had previously on a VX800. Imported by Bob Porecha, about £75 (10% off for BMF members). 4. Heated grips (Oxford Products). 5. Front mudguard extension (Pyramid Plastics), fitted after the photo was taken. 6. Rear hugger (Powerbronze), after post-photo. Huge improvement. 7. Cheap, battery powered watch (less strap) double sided taped onto a handlebar clamp. Fine provided you don't need to know the time after dark.
Schotten is the principle town of the Vogelsberg Naturpark which is adjacent the Taunus, about 60km NE of Frankfurt.The original Grand Prix circuit was on closed public roads in and around the town of Schotten, and the old circuit still makes a jolly good squirt on a pleasant summer evening when the traffic is minimal. The current Grand Prix, which was revived in 1989, is held each year on the middle weekend of August, this year 14/15th, with practice on the Saturday and racing onvideos Sunday.The town is given over to the meeting, roads are closed to provide the circuit and parking, and stands are erected on the best corners.The circuit encompasses all the fun of off cambers, manhole covers, drainage channels, and shiny plastic. For those who enjoyed the halcyon
days of sidecar racing, when the 500cc Rennsport BMW
motor dominated the class, ridden by the greats of
the era such as Camathias, Scheidegger, Deubel,
Harris, and ably challenged by Chris The solo classes were spread over
1931 - 1949, and 1950 - 1964, and included Manx
Norton, Vincent Comet, G50, Horex Imperator, 7R,
Aermacchi Ala Doro, and the usual spread of small
Germans such as The Schottenring
weekend is not only enjoyable in itself, but provides
a focus for some road riding in this scenic part of
Germany, where the light traffic allows enjoyment of
the excellent roads which abound.
Situated in the Naturpark Hessiche Rhon, east of Fulda and north of Wurzburg, off route 458 about 20km from Fulda, is the German glider museum and flugplatz. Powered and towed gliders fly from the platz adjacent the museum, which is housed in a delightful circular building formed by clearspan glued laminated timber portals.A good history of gliding is given in the exhibits, which range from the ancient to the latest slender and lightweight plastic creations. Your appreciation of the development of gliding, which appears to have been at its fastest in the '30's, will to some extent depend on the German only wall charts which line the outer circle, but there are plenty of photos and diagrams to aid you. For the seriously interested there is a good range of books, slides and videos on sale in the entrance hall, whilst hatpins and stickers can be purchased at the less attractive stalls outside. The special Thuringian bratwurst,
mit pommes of course, are available at the inevitable
imbiss, before you take off to enjoy the scenery and
roads of the area.
This small one man (and his wife) museum is found near to Hachenburg off the B414 in the Westerwald, a pleasant area to the east of the Koln/Koblenz A3 autobahn. The museum is predominantly 1923 to 1960 BMW, with some very tasty BM/Steib outfits, but does include some rarities such as the OHC Jawa twin. The mezzanine houses the usual paraphernalia such as petrol pumps and Adler typewriters and various incredible rain and cold weather goggles.You also look down on two racing outfits, one of which was campaigned by Siggy (Sideways Sid) Schauzu. Gerhard Weller has been collecting for about 30 years, but only recently has semi-retirement from his agricultural machinery dealership allowed the bringing together of his collection in a purpose designed building.Open each day except Monday from 9 to 18 hours, admission is DM5, -, and Agnes Weller serves a good cup of coffee and a waffle for DM2,-.
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