Featured Threads Archive

Ducati celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, and the Italian manufacturer used World Ducati Week to debut a limited edition machine – the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario.

This stunning bike is more than just a cosmetic exercise; there are only 500 motorcycles being produced and each will receive the special paint, gold-colored metal and technical upgrades.

The stand out features are the bike’s enhanced rider aids – this S Anniversario is equipped with an EVO version of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) – the first Ducati to receive these systems. The enhanced traction control system bolsters the current Bosch IMU-powered lean-angle sensitive system by allowing the rider to slide the rear wheel through a corner – the system allows the wheel to...

Day one of the WSBK test at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit saw factory Ducati’s Álvaro Bautista clocking the fastest time of the day, over four tenths of a second faster than Yamaha’s Alex Lowes and Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea.

Bautista said: “Today was a very positive day and I felt good on the bike right away. We mainly focussed on chassis set-up work by testing various solutions that I hadn’t tried out until now. I’m pleased because we were able to improve the turning of the bike, which gave me a lot more confidence going into the corner. In addition, we tried the different tyre solutions that Pirelli brought along for the weekend. Now we have to have a good look at the data and try and make another step forward, but all in all I’m very happy.”

The Spaniard’s best lap of 1’30.743...

These new boots are Sidi’s mid-range offering and have been designed as the prefect combination of a road and a race boot.

The Roarr is packed full of features that were previously only available on the company’s top-of-the-range Mag 1 race boots, including fixed, hard plastic shin plates, thick plastic anti-twist ankle braces which run half the length of the boots and replaceable toesliders.

The Roarr features Sidi’s Techno 3 ratchet closure system for a truly snug and reassuringly secure fit, stretch panels and a Teflon-coated lining to make getting them on and off easier and quicker.

£199

www.sidiselect.co.uk

There are now five bikes bearing the R nine T moniker, and this is the latest addition to the family – the Racer.

Essentially the sporty version of the range, the Racer S definitely looks the part. Long and low, the Racer comes with a fairing complete with BMW Motorsport paint, a steel fuel tank, a set of clip-on bars, new rearsets and a single seat. The rest – the headlight, clocks, the tail – has already been seen on the original R nineT. Yes, it may be a spare parts lash-up, but the overall effect is stunning – this looks every inch the carefully crafted cafe racer. This is in no small part down to the fact that Boxer motor looks perfectly so at home in a café-racer, especially one as sleekly proportioned as the Racer.

The first thing that makes itself known when sitting on the...

Arai has just announced that it’ll soon be accepting orders for a limited edition RX-7V HRC.

The lid features Honda’s famous HRC logo, along with the manufacturer’s iconic wings motif and Honda racing colours, and has been designed by legendary designer Aldo Drudi – the very same man who paints all of Rossi’s lids.

Honda Racing Corporation has taken the significant move of granting Arai permission to use its logo, but only for a limited time, meaning Arai will only be able to make a small quantity of these hand-made helmets.

The £649.99 RX-7V HRC LTD will be available for preordering from Why Arai, and will come from Arai in Japan; it’s not being stocked at Arai’s European warehouse.

For more information contact your local Arai dealer.

Here it is – the eagerly-anticipated Yamaha R6, the manufacturer’s all-new supsersports machine.

It’s been a long wait, and the bike more than lives up to the hype. This is no evolution, think more full-blown full-on technical revolution.

Yes, the engine and chassis may be essentially the same, but the 2017 R6 features a revised suspension package, ABS brakes, traction control, and an optional quickshifter.

The ride-by-wire system has three riding modes, which can change the throttle response and engine map for more or less throttle aggressiveness, while there is also six-stage traction control, which can be switched off. Yamaha claims it is so smart it can even take adapt to tyre wear throughout a race or track session – trick.

Visually the bike apes the R1’s styling cues, which...

Speculation continues to surround Guy Martin, with media channels across the globe wondering whether we will see the maverick road racer between the hedges in 2017.

Many are suggesting the fastest man to never win a TT has done with the roads for good, his huge off at the UlsterGP in 2015 proving to be the crash that broke the camel’s back.

However, we can reveal that the world’s fastest truck mechanic was in talks with Neil Tuxworth to ride for Honda last year, with Honda desperate to see Martin on their machinery in 2016.

Sources close to Martin revealed that the star was told he could name his price, but it isn't money that drives Martin and he told Tuxworth so. Instead of a fat pay cheque, Martin said he’d race for nothing, so long as he could race the RCV, the road-going...

Used test: BMW S1000RR

BMW’s litre bike took the class by storm when it was introduced in 2009, effectively reinvigorating sportsbikes and moving the game on substantially.

The bike was updated in 2012, and this is the bike we’re testing here. It’s well specced – Race ABS, Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and Gear Shift Assist comes as standard, and this one even has heated grips. Heated grips on a sportsbike? Yes, don’t knock them until you’ve tried them– toasty hands make a huge difference to your comfort and concentration levels this time of year.

The original bike was launched in a range of colours, including a very pale yellow and a lurid ‘piss’ green, but BMW reigned back the colour palette and this bike looks stunning in its red, white and black paint. Other subtle changes that...

Let’s start off with the elephant in the room – the Versys is one ugly bike, and I mean fugly. It looks a mess – there’s just too much strangely sculpted bodywork. Every single one of my friends were blunt about its styling. “It’s hideous”, “it’s ugly”, and “it’s a poor man’s Street Hawk” were some of the kinder comments. There’s no getting away from it – the Kawasaki’s looks divide opinion, with some saying the appearance puts them off considering the bike as a road-only alternative to the leading adventure bikes, the BMW R1200GS, the Honda Crosstourer and the Triumph Explorer. Which is a shame, because beneath all that plastic is a solid, if unspectacular, bike.

The first thing to say is that it’s a very physically tall bike. I’m 6ft 2in tall, with long limbs, and it was a struggle...

Aprilia’s RS125 is right up there with some of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden – in the top three definitely – and rightly so. You’ll struggle to discover a bike that leaves you grinning as much as this little pocket rocket.

Aprilia ruled the roost in small capacity racing for years, dominating the smaller classes, and this bike is rammed full of the lessons they’ve learnt on the track. It’s light, agile and achingly good looking.

The RS125’s single cylinder engine may only pump out just shy of 15hp in restricted form, but it’s still an intoxicating ride. The lack of power means you’ll try and keep it in the sweet spot as much as possible – the secret to riding this bike is all about working up through the slick gearbox as quickly as possible and keeping the momentum going, and this...

The Ducati Factory WSBK outfit has announced Marco Melandri will be riding its Panigale R in 2017, the 34-year-old replacing Davide Giugliano.

Melandri will partner Chaz Davies, the Welshman who is spearheading the Italian’s current campaign, and a move which will see the former BMW team-mates reunited.

Davies, 29, is currently in the middle of his third season with Ducati and, thus far, has secured nine wins and 32 podiums overall on the Panigale R,while Melandri return to the series which has seen him claim 19 wins and 49 overall podiums in 100 races.

The Italian said: “I’m really excited to come back to racing, it’s a dream come true. I always said I was only interested in a top bike and top team, and I could not have asked for more. I kept following WSBK closely, and I’m...

Motorcycle Live is now open and Lincolnshire Biker in on hand, bringing you the latest news and stories to give you your two-wheeled fix. here’s a taster of what awaits if you make the time for a visit…you’ll be rewarded with all kinds of loveliness if you do…

01) Our roads are shocking, really fucking shocking. Massive potholes, cracks, poor surfaces, gravel – they need sorting out. Fast.

02) It’s still way too cold for vented leathers.

03) The Factory’s Akras sound like victory…boooooooom, braaaaaaap, baaaaaaang.

04) The amount of drivers using their phone behind the wheel is frightening.

05) Aching knees, wrists and necks mean I’m getting old, but the lack of thermals means I’m not getting wiser.

06) The first scraaaaaaaape of slider on tarmac of the year still brings a MASSIVE smile to my face.

07) Chicks dig wheelies.

08) I’d forgotten how good fish finger sandwiches are.

09) There’s A LOT of blood when you strike a pigeon.

10) Little Chef lollies do strange things to grown men…

Ducati has released a micro website for Project 1408, the name of its secret new super superbike.

While the site itself has no information as such – it doesn’t even tease what Project 1408 could be – insiders within the factory have hinted that the bike will be a new Superleggera model, based on the Ducati 1299, which makes extensive use of the company’s MotoGP and WSBK involvement.

The bike will be far more than just a 1199 Superleggera with a new 1299 engine, and will feature carbon fibre throughout – for the frameless chassis, headstock, airbox and swingarm.

The wheels will also be carbon fibre, and will be manufactured by British company BST. Other trinkets include Öhlins suspension and a WSBK spec exhaust which ditches the underslung unit in favour of an underseat system.

The...

Macau is one of the highlights in the international road racing season – and this year’s race saw an intense three-way battle at the front of the field, a battle of three BMW racers.

The protagonists were last year’s winner Peter Hickman, his Bathams team-mate Michael Rutter and Martin Jessopp on the RidersMotorcycles.com BMW.

This trio secured a great 1-2-3 result for the S1000RR in Macau last year, and they dominated the race again this year. Hickman, Macau record winner Rutter and pole setter Jessopp were involved in an intense fight for the lead, changing positions several times and soon building a huge gap to the rest of the field. After 12 thrilling and dramatic laps on the Guia Circuit, Hickman crossed the finish line as the winner, just 0.533 seconds in front of second placed...

Motorcycle race suits offer the very best form of rider protection. They’re constructed with abrasion resistant materials, have generous impact protection and are designed to keep you as safe as possible in the event of a crash. Leather slides incredibly well, and you’re more likely to suffer heat burns from your skin rubbing against the leather than damage from cuts and the likes. Speed causes a lot of injuries but the injuries caused by friction are far greater.

The Racing Absolute Leather Suit is different. Using lessons learnt from the MotoGP World Championship and input from Alpinestars athletes, the Racing Absolute is a state-of-the-art kangaroo leather one-piece racing suit which sets new benchmarks for protective technology available to riders. An example of this is the...

This is the X-Spirit III, Shoei’s top-of-the range racing helmet.

Developed by knowledge gleaned from Marc Marquez, Bradley Smith, Eugene Laverty, Tom Lüthi and a host of other top racers from series across the globe, the X-Spirit III has been designed to offer superb levels of aerodynamic performance – an all-new shell and new wings on the side of the helmet boost stability while reducing buffeting.

The new shell and visor aperture have been designed to make it easier to see while sat in a full racing crouch, and a new design of comfort lining allows riders to tilt the helmet backwards or forwards on their head by four degrees – a useful trick for anyone who finds the helmet brow obstructing their forward vision when fully tucked in.

Another important new feature of the X-Spirit...

Meet the BMW HP4 Race – the German manufacturer’s oh-so-desirable trackbike.

Featuring carbon fibre throughout – frame, wheels, swingarm and bodywork – the bike will be hand-built.

There’s still no news on price or a release date, but it won’t be cheap

This is one of those bikes that manages to be all things to all people – it’s agile, punchy, entertaining and has character in spades. It’s British too, and it’s the best naked middleweight money can buy.

This is the ‘inbetween’ model, a final runout of the predecessor tot the current model which featured the neat, twin, underseat silencers but ditched the trademark bug headlights for some equally distinctive Dame Edna-esque units, which were cracked. I’ve ridden four of these bikes now, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 (all press bikes admittedly) and they were all cracked. Not good enough.

The 675cc powerplant is the star here, its 105bhp more than powerful enough for the road, but it’s torque not power which is key here, offering a wide, silky smooth and elastic spread of drive out of...

After a wet morning of action at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, the red flag then came out during the second session for MotoGP – and it was decided to cancel the remainder of the session, as well as FP2 for Moto2.

With few bikes venturing on track during the early part of the session, it was Ducati’s Hector Barbera who went quickest and found himself unthreatened at the top of the timesheets in FP2. His Avintia Racing replacement, Mike Jones, was the next man in the table in his second MotoGP outing to impress once again, with Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat completing the top three. Danilo Petrucci on the Pramac Ducati was only a few hundredths off the Spaniard’s best in fourth, with the other two riders to venture out, Suzuki’s Aleix Espargaro and Yamaha’s rider Valentino Rossi, more...

Since its introduction in 2011 Ducati has sold nearly 25,000 examples of the Diavel; a bike based loosely on classic American muscle cruisers and given a Ducati coating of fairy dust. The results were spectacular. The Diavel was a super cruiser like no other, combining comfort, power, presence and handling. And boy could it handle, even if its massive 240-section rear tyre and 1590mm-long wheelbase suggested otherwise. All this was backed up with superbike levels of electronic aids; traction control, ABS and a basic anti-wheelie system.

Ducati has just released two new models; the standard Diavel and a Carbon version. The standard model is available in one colour, Dark Stealth, while the Carbon Edition comes in either Red Carbon or Star White Carbon and features carbon fibre panels,...

Sylvain Guintoli will return to BSB for the 2017 season to spearhead Suzuki and Hawk Racing’s assault on the 2017 title.

The 2014 WSBK champion and former MotoGP pilot will return to the Suzuki fold to race the all-new GSX-R1000R, after riding for the Japanese manufacturer in the British Championship in 2009, when injury curtailed his title campaign.

Guintoli joins reigning Superstock 1000 champion Taylor Mackenzie in the new-look Bennetts Suzuki team, with a third rider soon to be announced.

Guintoli said: “I’m really happy to be back in British Superbikes. Even though it was short, I enjoyed my time in the series in 2009 with Suzuki. I had a really good start to the season on the GSX-R1000, with a win and three more podiums in four races, and I feel like I have unfinished business...

The iconic New Zealand-built Britten machine will make its return to the Isle of Man in August with not one but two of John Britten’s ground-breaking creations taking to the Mountain Course once more at the Classic TT Races.

The pink and blue Britten and CRS Britten, owned respectively by Kevin Grant and Bob Robbins, were both campaigned at the 1994 Isle of Man TT races and will be ridden this year by Bruce Anstey and fellow Kiwi Stephen Briggs in the Classic Racer Magazine Classic TT Retro Parade on Monday 28th August.

Grant’s machine won the BEARS World Championship in the 1990s and was ridden by Nick Jefferies at the 1994 Isle of Man TT Races with the 1993 Formula One TT winner lapping at more than 118mph from a standing start in the 1994 Senior Race before being side-lined with a...

HJC Helmets have reached an agreement with Cal Crutchlow to become his official helmet sponsor for 2019 and 2020 in the MotoGP World Championship.

Cal has been a permanent fixture on the MotoGP grid since 2011 and the British rider continues his relationship with Team LCR Honda in 2019 after celebrating three podiums in 2018 including a victory in Argentina. Unfortunately, an injury sustained in Australia excluded Cal from the final three races of the season.

A well-respected rider by all in the paddock, Cal will become a vital part of HJC’s racing program. His maturity and experience on track bring important knowledge to contribute to the development of HJC’s products, building on their 47 years of experience in manufacturing quality motorcycle helmets.

“I am very pleased to...

This bike is far more than just a standard 848 with a fancy paint job. It’s the 848 Evo Corse SE, and stunning colour scheme aside, it comes with an Öhlins rear shock, a quickshifter, larger front discs and traction control.

The Evo looks beautiful in the flesh, and the Corse paintjob suits the 848’s purposeful lines.

Throw a leg over the bike and everything’s where it should be, though the riding position won’t suit everyone – the seat is canted forward and there’s a long reach to the bars. And shorter riders might find their knees getting caught on the end of the fairing scoops.

Turn the key and the clear and uncluttered dash springs into life. Thumb the starter and you’re greeted by the bassy sound of the 848’s V-twin rumbling into life. Twist the throttle and listen to it...

This is HJC’s top-of-the-range lid, as worn by Jorge Lorenzo and the recently-retired Ben Spies.

It’s an updated version of the popular RPHA10 and features a new easier-to-use chin vent, a new chin curtain and a new, more comfortable lining. It also comes with a Pinlock Max clear and tinted visor as standard.

The first thing that strikes you about this lid is the weight – it feels ludicrously light and tips the scale at just 1250g. And then there’s the fit – it feels comfortable, snug and secure. I know fit is a personal thing, but HJC seem to have managed a rare trick and built a helmet suitable for all head shapes. A lot of friends tried the RPHA10+ on at Motorcycle Live and every one of them said just how comfortable it is.

I’ve been testing this for some 3000 miles now and I...

The row over airbag supremacy rumbles on as Dainese has issued a statement responding to an earlier statement issued by Alpinestars over legal action between the two powerhouses regarding the ownership of airbag technology.

Dainese has now released its own statement, which insists that legal action was taken in the German market – the Court of Munich ultimately granting an injunction on the sale of Tech-Air products in Germany – and that legal action is underway in Italy.

Here is the statement in full: With respect to Alpinestars’ “Statement regarding press coverage of Patent Challenge,” and for the sake of clarity, Dainese deems it necessary to reply to the following claim:

“In Germany, Dainese did make a direct request to certain retailers, that they cease and desist...

After taking his first race win of the season at Donington Park in the previous round, Kawasaki's Tom Sykes was gifted another win at Misano, despite starting the final lap in fourth position.

The drama saw championship leader Jonathan Rea fall after colliding with the last-lap race leader Chaz Davies, just before Rea was set to make a final move to try re-take the lead he had held on two separate occasions in a dramatic 21-lap race. it was a nasty coming together – Rea had nowhere to go and rode over the prone Daveis, with the Ducati rider's speed hump and helmet bearing the full weight of the Kawasaki

In a race full of incident and close competition Rea took the lap one lead, only to be passed by Michael van der Mark who was in a leading position for the next 13 laps. Rea had to...

It is now mandatory for motorcyclists in France to carry EC homologated motorcycle gloves.

The move is the result of the 2015 decision of the Interministerial Committee for Road Safety, which now comes into force and applies to all drivers of motorcycles, tricycles and quads such as the Piaggio MP3 or Quadro.

Any rider or pillion stopped by police not wearing approved gloves can be issued a €68 fine.

The new law is the result of a French study which found that 12 % of motorcyclists wore no gloves.

The final day of testing saw Ducati dominate the timesheets with factory rider Danilo Petrucci leading the charge with a jaw dropping time of 1:58.239 after 32 laps.

The Italian said: “Today we started off on the right foot: I was supposed to try two ‘time attacks’ but one attempt, done with a medium rear tyre, was enough. When I saw the lap time on the dashboard, I was really happy. After that, we resumed our work on some new items. Unfortunately, however, I crashed while I was trying a new fairing around midday. Given the fact that I was also experiencing some issues with blisters in my hands, we decided to stop a bit ahead of schedule to recover and make sure we’re at our best in the next tests in Qatar. Overall, it’s been a really positive test.”

Rookie Francesco Bagnaia was hot...

Suzuki’s new SV650 is everything the original bike was, and then some. The king of the middleweight’s is back, and gives more bang per buck than ever.

Suzuki launched the original SV650 back in 1999, and the mercurial middleweight V-twin quickly won us over with its eclectic blend of agility, punchy performance and low price. It was a successful formula and more than 410,000 units were produced. It’s no understatement to say this was a bike that revolutionised the middleweight class, but then Suzuki took its eye off the ball – the Gladius lost the SV’s agility, and Yamaha introduced the class-leading MT-07. The writing was on the wall, and brand new bikes were heavily discounted. We know of some brand-new bikes that were being sold for as little as £3900.

But this year Suzuki has...

KTM has unveiled the 2019 liveries for its Factory and satellite teams at a special event at its Austrian HQ in Mattighofen, and while the 2019 Factory KTM MotoGP livery follows the colours of the previous two seasons, the new satellite Tech 3 team’s striking blue, silver and orange paint caught the eye.

The team had used a black-and-white test livery for the Valencia, Jerez and Sepang winter tests, but this has been ditched in favour of blue and silver, combined with KTM orange, similar to sponsor Red Bull’s paint for its Toro Rosso ‘Junior’ team in F1.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took his first-ever MotoGP win at Twin Ring Motegi on Honda’s home asphalt, securing the 2016 MotoGP title in the process.

At 23-years old, Marquez is now the youngest ever rider to win three premier-class World Championship titles and five World Championships over all classes during a period of only nine years of World Championship racing. Marquez has now equalled Mick Doohan, Jorge Lorenzo and Toni Mang’s tally of 5 World Titles in his career.

Marc Marquez 2016 World Championship facts so far:

– Marquez is the youngest-ever rider to win three premier-class World Championship titles, at the age of 23 years 242 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 24 years 108 days when he won his third successive 500cc title in 1964.

– Marquez is also the...

American John Hopkins has secured his place on the 2017 BSB grid after signing a new deal to return to the Moto Rapido Ducati team for the forthcoming season.

The Californian, who has previously been a MotoGP podium finisher, came tantalisingly close to lifting the 2011 BSB crown in one of the most memorable season finales in history. ‘Hopper’ missed out on the crown to Tommy Hill by just 0.006s at Brands Hatch making it the closest ever championship title decider and is now gunning to be back in contention in 2017.

Hopkins had his first taste of the Ducati in 2015 when he joined the Winchester-based Ducati dealership run team mid-way through the season. He then went on to score the first ever podium finish for the Ducati Panigale R in the Championship as the team scored their first...

The Bandit is TomTom’s first foray into the action-camera market. It’s a pretty decent attempt by the sat nav company – it’s waterproof up to a depth of 50m, although this is a feat the Bandit achieves
with an additional lens-cap accessory, which is an optional extra costing around £30. Without it, the device conforms only to the IPX7 standard, which is 1m depth of water.

The Bandit is essentially a point and shoot bullet camera, which means both ends unclip and rotate off the main body. The lens end is just a cap, but the other end releases what TomTom is calling the Batt-Stick, a standalone unit with a built-in USB plug. This houses the battery and microSD slot, which means that when you plug this into your USB port, you can charge the battery and transfer footage at the same time....

Pata Yamaha WSBK rider Alex Lowes got the chance to ride a MotoGP bike yesterday as reward for winning the Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race.

Lowes joined Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider and fellow Suzuka team-mate Pol Espargaró at Brno to experience the YZR-M1 during the official one-day IRTA test.

The Lincolnshire lad had to wait until the last hour of the day before he could sweep his leg over the bike, but he soon got a feel for the power of the M1 and improved his first hot lap by over a second when he set a fastest time of 1’59.558s.

Clocking the twelfth fastest time and managing a 1.146s improvement in just fifteen laps, the test unfortunately ended a prematurely when Lowes suffered a small front end crash at the end of the session.

Lowes said: “Obviously this was one of the best...

What you’re looking at here is the 2017 Yamaha MT-10 SP, a hardcore version 0f the manufacturer’s already accomplished streetfighter.

The bike has received Öhlins semi-active suspension, a quickshifter and slipper clutch, all the trinkets the bike needs to confront its tech-heavy European rivals head on.

The standard bike is already excellent (see our review earlier this year) and these simple enhancements will refine the package even further and give it even more bang per buck.

We can’t wait to ride it…

This brilliant set of vented leathers has seen Alpinestars pull themselves out of the doldrums after a fair few years of producing mediocre suits. They’ve taken a proper battering after a high-speed low side at a wet and greasy Oulton Park, and I’m happy to report that they crash well.

I lost the front of the bike at speed tipping into Old Hall Corner and slid for eight seconds before coming to a crumpled halt, and everything performed exactly as it was designed to – the heavy-duty plastic external armour on the knees shoulders and elbows took the force of the impact, ensuring I kept moving and that nothing dug in to the ground. The CE-approved armour on the forearms, shins and knees stayed in place and although the 1.3mm thick leather took a pounding on the arse, thighs and forearms...

The Champions Flat Track School is one of the UK’s best kept secrets. Run by the godfather of flat tracking, Lincolnshire’s own Peter Boast, this is the place where the cream of racing come to practice their skills. Italy has Valentino’s Ranch, America has Colin Edwards’ Texas Tornado Boot Camp and Spain has Marc Marquez’s Oval, but Guy Martin, Sam and Alex Lowes, Steve Plater, Josh Waters and a host of other leading racers have all been to Caenby to sharpen their bike control and racecraft under the expert tutelage of Pete. That tells you just how good he is…

There’s no doubt flat tracking has massively influenced bike racing since King Kenny Roberts came to Grand Prix racing and put his own stamp on it, winning three world titles with his sideways style and impeccable bike control....

Wet weather riding tips – the basics of riding in the wet are the same as riding in the dry. The secret is in staying smooth…

RELAX – Many riders don’t enjoy riding in the wet and most actually avoid it where possible. It’s completely the wrong approach. The reality is that the skills you need in the wet are exactly the same as those you need when you’re riding in the dry, namely you need to be smooth with your inputs and you need to be relaxed on the bike.

The biggest secret to good bike control is to ensure you’re in the right riding position. You need to be comfortable and leant forward slightly, with your arms bent – they need to be parallel to the road, and this allows you to steer the bike with the lightest of touches. This is important. If you’re holding too tight and...