Bleeding knuckles and recalcitrant bolts, Not enough to stop me - I have and shall continue to prevail

The Zed Diaries.

Picture from the gloom and dank cavern of the garage.



Now safetly ensconced in the garage, time to take a proper look, in the cold grey steel of a winter's day. Firstly the tank has to be removed this should reveal whether the main part of the loom has melted from some arcane self destruct-ism in a fit of pique only usually reserved for the old and failing or desperately suicidal euthansior.

Have I bought a right old dog? Thank the Gods, it would appear that I am saved severe electrical stress, loom looks wholesome, unbutchered and with a drop of GT-85 even the weathered shrinkfilm passes for a glossy black.

0

I had to sever the petrol feed pipe as it was harder than Lemmy's veins and the fuel tap was not in a playful mood, so it got a damn good squirt of the ubiquitous GT-85,the underside of the tank is clean and I have the misssing tank decal in proper 3D faux plastic, in fact in those days they were bold plaques of chrome and black as if stating their intent of heavy metal and speed, not like today's computer generated micro gsm vinyl laquered, to pare down weight and to remain understated, not like their proud Nastilini forbears who sought the sunlight to blink and bedazzle onlookers rapt and amazed at the day's musclebike. (which if you consider the lumpy old brit thumpers and spindly two strokes of the day, they were in deed heavy metal heroes in the making.

Seat next, The pan is in one piece and clean but stuffing is worse than a beggars palliase and will need restuffing with something better than Japanese straw. No airbox on this baby as the previous owner obviously got carried away with the latest go faster fad of K&N's (debatable whether they are the quality US items, probably the cheaper S&B variety. The battery was dead so that's gone in the bin, but all the connections seemed perfectly servicable.

A quick rummage through some bits and pieces I have stashed about the garage revealed a Z1000A1 rear light unit which matches exactly the R, so on went the lens, a perfect fit.

Whilst waiting for a battery to check the Zeds vital signs, I must have a plan.
Battery to check all is well, and then to see if the motor turns over. If it does then drain the black custard out of it's guts, replace the filter, bung some clean but cheap oil back in for the time being and turn over to circulate the clean stuff around the lump. If all this goes to plan then I might try just feeding some juice straight into the carbs to see if it will actually run or whether the carbs will need stripping and cleaning (most likely)but you never know, under the suface crust of filth and neglegt their does actually lie a few clean surfaces. I'd like to be suprised.

Anyway haven't got all that yert, so in the meantime, I thought I'd disconnect the drive chain (horseshoe clip thankfully) and take the wheel out. The adjusters need some rubbing down and coating once clean with ACF and I need to check the wheel bearings and cush drive as well as freeing up the rear caliper for a probable strip, and rebuild, (had to get the heavy mallet out to knock it off the disc).



Remarkably the spindle showed evidence of fresh grease, the bearings were fine, the cush drive looked like new and despite the rear sprocket looking crudful and shitty it was square toothed and would only need a scrub up and would be entirely re-usable.



The Rear wheel is blooming with ally canker and bubbling non standard gold paint which means that whoever sprayed them several millenia ago didn't etch prime them, so easy job to scrape the old paint off, ready for possible bead blasting (depends how bored and wealthy I feel)etch priming and spraying a lustrous satin black with picked out edges to the spokes and rims in shiny ally.


Well that's the plan anyway, next post should be fitting a shiny new Yuasa YB14LA-2(handy as thats exactly what the A1 needs to get it running again, so they'll have to share) and seeing if the thing spins up, assuming the leccy boot hasn't rotted away at the controls, the switchgear look a bit rank and needs investigating and there is no sign of the spare (make that redundant - in '78 kickstart arm under the seat - missing, the march of technology eh, what a wonderful, awe inspiring thing to behold the revolutions played out before us in metals and alloys mostly unnoticed every day, only truly realised with hindsight and affection).

Well that's it 'till the battery is strapped in and ready to jolt the Frankenstein into life once again.

Z1R

The last two months have been hideous, jaded, disconsolate and isolated, morose, desperate and full of shite. However once you have hit the bottom there is only one way and that is up.

Just purchased a Z1R '77 in desperate need of some TLC, by repute it featured in the first Mad Max film and despite the lack of provenance it is a very early frame number and registered in the UK in November '77, which lends credence to the story as the Z1R D model didn't appear over here until '78. Was going to turn it around quickly but now I think I'll take it apart and clean it up , see if I can get the old girl running and looking like she should.
Could take a little while and a few quid needs to be bunged in it's general direction, but been ages since I had a project to work on, boring stuff seems to have got in the way over the years, so time to polish the spanners, dig out the ancient Zed manual and get fettling, might even post a few pics soon. I like them cheap and dirty, allows me to stamp my own authority and care on them. Last one I did properly was a KH250 and a Z650. Looking forward to taking it apart and wielding the spanners and oily rags.

Thanks to the raving punkster (former owner) for letting me in on it. Come on you splodges, make that two pints of lager and a packet of crisps please, the circle has turned and the three Oaks boys have all owned the same piece of history now.

First things first, get the old thing belching some flame and smoke before polishing up and replacing the other vitals. I reckon, the wheels need re-spraying, the block needs respraying, the front fairing needs repairing, new handlebars, rear fender, front fender, control cables and a few hundred litres of GT85 should do the trick, plus an exhaust system and a new forkleg, hey presto, a pretty mint Z1R, registered '77 and with an interesting history and a very early frame number.

Condalini where are you now? Where are you when I need you? Bubba ring up Zed power and get me the vitals, this baby is not dead yet!

Talking about people or things that are not dead yet, went to see Motorhead last week, is Lemmy still breathing or has his record company filled his veins full of mercury and propped him up with some robotic fingers and glaring warts? Motorhead England? I think not, Lemmy is Welsh as far as I'm aware, and the other two are septics. Thank fuck for Wurzel making an appearance for The Ace of Spades, the coke and alcohol abuse hasn't killed him yet.
New album Motorizer, not bad, bit formulaic, no suprises really, but 'Rock out' has some amusing lyrical passages.

I digress, the glass is empty and a wild keening is in the air, more wine required from the Devils cellar.............

Brightona 2008 - The sun shines on the blessed

After the hideous summer we've all had, any organizer of outside events must have been cacking it, especially events later in the year. One of which was The Brighton based 'Brightona' motorcycle extravaganza.

What a glorious day, the organizers must have cackled with glee after the fog cleared about 10.00 from the surrounding countryside.

I arrived at around 8.30 forcing my way through the murk from Hastings, I didn't have a great deal to do, just hang out with the low riders really and help artist pal Portisart set up his easels to display the one off oil paintings he had bought along.

I watched the bikes come in for over four hours solid, from scooters to huge trikes to custom specials, classics etc, it is fair to say it was a celebration of all things motorcycle. The Dyno sounded like it was busy all day, the hot rod display was a useful foil to the plethora of bikes. The three music stages rocked out, the custom tent was full to capacity all day and if the stallholders didn't do brisk business they were doing something wrong.

I will be getting a few facts n figures from the organizers next week, but a conservative estimate was that 4,000+ bikes came through the gates with an estimation of 10,000 people/bikers in total. It makes you wonder where they all come from.

Wherever you came from the organizers are hugely grateful, because we all helped raise enough money (fingers crossed) to buy yet another piece of vital equipment for the Sussex Heart Trust, this years equipment is gonna cost circa £30,000 so if they make their target, it'll be down to all of you who attended.

Heres a few pix of the day, more to follow along with a proper report when I've got five minutes.

Well, It's been quite a week, the murky waters of the credit crunch have lapped at my own shore, rendering yours truly a victim of the bottom line.

My time as Channel Manager at UKBike has ended, it's been a great learning experience, a pretty good company to work for, great for riding bikes and made me a few more good friends, as well as remembering about all that office politics stuff again, presumptuous and naive I suppose to have assumed that it would have changed after such a hiatus in similar occupations.

Any way the bike....

The Harley XR has been returned and finally with a bit more time on my hands the ZX9-R will be polished to within an inch of its life, the mighty Zed Thou will be treated to a long awaited birthday, (poor thing hasn't run for two years, last time I looked at it, there was a disused nut store in the well by the starter motor beneath the carbs).

The last year has been kind to me in many ways with reference to riding bikes, not may people get to ride a 1098R, Fatboy, ZX-10R, ZZR1400, ZX6R, Z1000, CBR1000, Buell Lightning and that fabulouus black Nastilini the Morini 1200 Corsaro Veloce in the course of a year.

I managed to drop the last one, the XR1200 on the penultimate day before return.
They are not the most svelte of motorcycles, though this was a proper Harley sportsbike, the like of which has never beenn since that filthy porker the VR100O, in fact it was deemed such an important bike as to be specifically launched in Europe.

Its 90hp (still not as much as a Buell) which begs the question, why? Especially as Buell is a wholly owned subsidiary of H-D. It doesn't feel as balanced as the Buell, and other than its pseudo XR750 flattracker values is not much different to the rest of the range.

For sure its got twin front discs, a higher ground clearance, UD forks and sportier rubbered wider wheels but the back end is 70's design style at its worst, I feel sure more could have been done with this, the side panels are black and look cheap.

On the open road it's great to bomb about on, but I could not give this bike a Sporty tag, knowing what else is out there in Bike world, at low speed it's jerky, when it rained, my gloves fouled the mirrors and the front end did not feel that positive, at one point it felt like I had a puncture, maybe thats the nature of the suspension at low speed as it isn't adjustable in any way, it's not too bad at higher speeds.

Anyway, lacky feely brakes, gravel road lost foot purchase resulted in a tumble at about 7mph or something equally as rediculous.

The damage was a scuffed muffler a mere 480 odd quid (someones having a laugh) the exhaust lower heat shield about 35 quid, and minimal grazing of front brake M Cyl, mirror, indicator lens and the rear brake lever and possibly slightly untoward handlebars if they wanted to get picky, all in all about £700 quid.

I wanted to like it, it looks great in the press launch pics, it is a serious departure for Harley, so fair play to them on that score, but the ground clearance is still poor, the hero blobs were scuffed which was not a result of my cack handed low speed riding style.

Marks out of ten --4, its not an authentic copy, however modernised, of the XR750 it hasn't got enough grunt and it's not very refined, if it's a sporting Harley you want, then it's got to be a Buell I reckon.

Sporty Harley that's not a 'Sportster'

Next up for your delectation avid readers of the UKBiker blog is one of these new, launched in Europe prior to the states the XR1200.

Looking forward to testing the ground clearance (always an issue)and feeling my way around the 90hp claimed power.

Looks alright, but not sure what the point is when Buell a H-D owned subsidiary use Harley engines and produce slightly more power (excepting the 1125R of course).

Proof is in the pudding etc.

Looking forward to it though, always good to sling a leg over a brand new bike I've never ridden before

Brightona Bike fest

Make a note in your diaries for The Brightona Bike festival Sunday 12th October.
Madeira Drive Brighton.

Eddie Kidd special guest signing autographs, stalls, bands all day - three stages, custom show, hot rods, food, dyno, loads of bike parking space and loads more going on, entrance on foot is still free (though donations are welcome) and a fiver per bike (not per rider)to get into the event (that includes a pillion if you bring one).

All welcome, bikers, trikers, scooters, rock n rollers, hot rod fans, family's.

Custom show entries and stall holder enquiries welcome

The organizers are hoping to raise over £20,000 again this year, so come along and support the south coast's leading bike event.

Who says bikers have a bad name?

All profits donated to The Sussex Heart Trust

If you need more info check the gallery pages on the main UKBike site where you will find links to the organizers and archive pictures.

Sponsors of the event include

UKBike -
http://www.ukbike.com/Brightona/GalleryIntro.aspx
http://www.billet.co.uk
http://www.811studio.co.uk
http://www.portisart.com
http://www.concorde2.co.uk

(for some reason the link tool isn't working, so you'll have to copy and paste into your browser or hit the back button if you've got here via UKBike.

Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro Veloce

Well version one is the previous post, but you might see the following version published in print shortly. If not then nevermind, but so it gets a fair airing here's the second version, a bit more visceral perhaps.

The main reason being. I like to have a bit of criticism, constructive naturally. The consensus of opinion at UKBike where most of the material is placed is that other than being a windbag who tends to go on and on, the quality of writing is good its just bring presentation issues.

Most people it would seem (online anyway) appear to have a very short and finite attention span, and whilst theuy might happily read a bike review in for instance Bike magazine that is 2,000 words long, online they won't. (Quite what the difference is I don't know if the copy is the same)so attempting to be a little less prosaic than usual I penned the first piece to be a bit more informative and structured it with sub headers etc so that it was easier to navigate between sections without trawling through the whole piece to find out the relevant information required.

I always send the finished article to a few alternative places, one of them being the Riders Digest magazine, who are a great bunch of people and down to earth with it as well, not parading themselves as egotistical big shots, which unfortunately (in my opinion) a number of UK magazine journalists tend to do. Anyway, the editor there gave me the completely different opinion, preferring the more prosaic and visceral road trip style of review. So that meant another bottle of wine and here it is. If you've read the first one, skip to para 6 and read on. It's all true (honest, Its just that I didn't include it in the first one because thats what I thought was required, and I didn't want to go on at length. which I appear to be doing here so read on mes braves......


2008 Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro Veloce



Predatory and purposeful in its look and build the new Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro 1200 veloce (in effect the SP version of the existing Corsaro) is a street fighter to be reckoned with. Equipped with all the attributes and necessary equipment to make it a bike you don’t really want to get off.

The newly revived still wholly family owned factory at Marabese in Italy has drawn on its heritage and produced a thoroughly modern V- twin motorcycle that is such a grin to ride it’s almost painful.

The Corsaro is the fifth Model in a small but perfectly formed factory line up which after investment started producing motorcycles again in 2005.

A quick straw poll of bikers I came into contact with over the Corsaro weekend either hadn’t heard of Moto Morini at all, or, only remembered the seemingly legendary 3-half sport and that was the extent of their knowledge. A case of out of sight out of mind.
Unlike Triumph for instance that is enjoying a remarkable renaissance, Moto |Morini only ever made its mark in the minds of the few and though still lovingly remembered by the cognoscenti, their numbers are dwindling and the modern motorcycle audience has grown up without the brand presence over the last 20 odd years

It didn’t stop all and sundry admiring the revival though , in fact whilst at a rather large auto jumble that weekend it drew a sizeable audience, attracted no doubt by the purposeful profile but probably more by the exhaust note produced by the under seat mufflers.
3X motorcycles who had supplied the bike thoughtfully equipped their demonstrator with un baffled Termignoni’s and the accompanying dedicated ECU produced a ‘well proper’ motorcycle noise.
This played a large part in my affection for the machine over the weekend, popping and blarting sound across the Romney Marsh area of the Kent countryside.
It wasn’t intrusive (to me anyway), and it really enhanced the delivery from the 1200cc V-twin motor.
If I was looking for a street fighter with bags of character I could easily be cajoled into purchasing this black devil of a motorcycle.

The standard items on the standard Corsaro are fat organ pipes of quiet harmony conforming to the usual euro nonsense and aesthetically in the eye of this beholder detracted from the overall profile.
The Veloce at £9,900 new would have to be worth digging a little deeper into the bank managers pocket to gain these performance pipes, not to mention a fine Ohlins rear suspension unit, which replaces the standard Sachs unit, slipper clutch, and Brembo brakes allied to a radial clutch master cylinder .

Obviously all this branded stuff is not worth a jot if you’ve got a flat and lifeless motor farting away beneath you. Returning from 3X motorcycles down the A27 is not much of a test either. Other than keeping a steady pace all the while from Bournemouth to Chichester weaving in and out of bloody traffic jams it was no test at all, any bike labelled 1200cc could do it No, the true test was through the twisties and some unpopulated A roads

Weaving an artful web of semi lies and thin deceit, ’It’s work dear’ I exited the house Saturday afternoon leaving miserable DIY duties to sink a few brown beers and watch a local rock outfit power chord their senses away across the border in East Kent at the invite of a very good friend who was helping to organize the Ham Street Auto jumble on Sunday, he thought I might like to ‘network’ which was the perfect excuse to spank the Morini to Rye via the landgate in Winchelsea, (loosened a bit of mouldering mortar in a momentary down shift blip frenzy).

I was starting to enjoy the feel of Franco Lambertini’s Bialbera Corsacorta engine, not sure what the hell it exactly means other than ex-Ferrari man Franco Lambertini who has been responsible for most of the lumps for Morini. Apparently he took his inspiration from a ‘famous’ serial race winning 250cc machine way back before I were a lad. (Please address all letters decrying my ignorance to the esteemed Mr. Gurman for the next issue, whereupon I can weakly protestate my innocence due to an inevitably breached word count and a computer that’s absolutely feckin’ rubbish when it comes to connecting to the net, attention spans and all that, or possibly to quote Rodney Stewart, I could ‘blame it on the wine.’

Any way, Pill Box corner despatched, liking it a lot by now, loosened a few window panes ‘blarting’ through Rye and then onto the Camber rode, seven o clock and mercifully empty roads, completely uncalled for wheelie over the little Rother Bridge, Nice! Liking it even more, the chassis and front Marzocchi’s took the ham fisted landing in their stride with hardly a murmur or gut wrenching twist of the bars to speak of, same for the unkempt surface and railway crossing at East Guldeford, God be praised this was fast becoming the largest grin in Christendom.

I barely noticed the new wind farm being built out on the marsh road between East Guldeford and Brenzett, concentrating on the almost laser sharp pin point accuracy of the steering, the wide bars should have a crosshair sight mounted on them, seriously I found it that good, to be honest everything else other than the pummelling sound of the Termi’s and the fixed concentration on the next bend, scrutinizing the surface ahead was extraneous’
Anybody who knows that road will know about the corner just outside the Woolpack Inn just before the Phillipino village (in fact not even sure if the Phillipino village still exists, concentrating on stringing the two corners together before the long nearly mile straight).

I have to confess I approached Woolpack corner about Forty miles an hour quicker than I should, It was an ‘Oh shit’ moment, this is where the labelling and nomenclature comes into its own and you realise why such a bike has such a price, because I stamped through the firm and precise gearbox rapidly but methodically whilst applying the brakes, It’s moments like this when you realise what an idiot you’ve been and the apex is mere picoseconds away. (Images of myself vainly trying to the explain hideous and engraven facts of destruction and reckless hooliganism ran past my head like a dying person’s broadcast to themselves), but no, luck and superb engineering once more saved my face, I had to let the clutch out (sixth to second very rapidly) or spear myself and the black devil across the road into an unforgiving looking five bar gate. (I know its unforgiving because a pal on a 2 day old Fireblade did exactly that years before. It was a bloody mess I can tell you), let the brakes off and tipped it in, stuck my knee out like |I knew what I was doing and Witham style put as much weight over the front as possible.
The slipper clutch shrugged off the manic stamping and frenzied clutch action with almost a nonchalant shrug, ‘It is my job you see, you stupid Engleesh pig’ The Brembos and massive 320mm discs did all the work before I had to let go and hope for the best.
Next thing I know I’m short shifting into third and rolling round the Phillipino village corner and out home free onto the Brenzett straight.

Oh yes my friends Marabese be praised! Franco you are the man!!

My mate wasn’t at the auto jumble, there was no sign of beer or rock band, so on the old blower to be greeted with ‘be there in half an hour.’
Well, to be honest after the ride I’d just had, I wasn’t going to wait half an hour smoking roll ups and wishing I was still on the road, so I buggered off for an hour out through the back lanes of Ham Street, Warehorne and Kingsnorth to a mate in nearby Woodchurch, said hi, gulped a cup of tea, felt guilty for not really hanging around and jumped back on the bike, (apparently waking the baby up), then back again to the Auto Jumble to greet Mr. Polnud.

Yes. I’m weak, I was following the buzz, I couldn’t hang around. I felt like a teenage alcoholic who hadn’t had their cider fix for ten minutes Half an hour later I was back in the saddle doing it all over again, the only difference being the darkness (the lights are rubbish by the way Franco) the silence of the night acting like an echo chamber to the bombastic Termignoni’s and the spattering of multitudinous bodies on my visor.

Nipped out again on Sunday with riding pal and fellow UKBike member ‘The Coghurst Boy’ who remarked on the lack of illumination from the sculpted rear lens, querying an intermittent fault. (He should have seen me yesterday, spattering desperate red light all over the Woolpack).

Following on his beautiful KTM Supermotard it was noticeable how little I used the brakes apparently. We swapped bikes in order to gain a comparison, when we stopped roughly twenty miles down the route, he knew why.
His KTM felt soft and almost sports toury compared with the taut and sharp ride of the devil black Nastilini.
I pointed out the 320mm double discs, not your almost de rigueur mono block sports bike oriented calipers but standard four pot Brembo units, (mustn’t grumble) The skinny brake lines (probably Kevlar reinforced- couldn’t find the actual spec) probably helped.

The KTM had measured up on paper other than the capacity, Coggy boy had Akrapovics, WP up front and at the rear adjusted to take into account lightweight Dymags (to combat the triple clamped Marzocchi’s and rear Ohlins unit on the |Morini), slipper clutch, admittedly less acute rake and longer wheelbase, but what an amazing difference between the two bikes.

I could descend into an abyss of technical details now but suffice to say the trellis frame, (hard to find as a production preference outside of Italy, almost a mechanized two wheel national signature piece, the nation as a whole must have the worldwide patents for this design style).was brilliant, other than a bit of Sveedish the rest was pretty much home produced gear the combination of the parts totalling an absolutely brilliant motorcycle that was a scream to ride, Oh, other than the dash which I barely looked at all weekend, but it had a rev counter dial and an adjacent digi construct telling me everything I didn’t really need to know other than How fast I was actually going (best to behave in town unless really late at night), but it wasn’t easy to see

To recap the most important bits to concentrate on our yummy big bore 1200cc V-twin motor, |Termignoni’s, Brembo stuff everywhere, slipper clutch, wide bars and sorted suspension settings from the factory .I personally think suspension is a bit of a black art, so fiddling with factory settings at one end usually affects the ride at the other, unless you are a guru in this department my view it to leave well alone and rate the factory settings. The factory settings are bloody good, firm but pliant at speed, I had no desire to feck about and fiddle with either the front or rear Ohlins suspension. It delivered most excellent performance right out of the crate.

Hone your neck muscles, wear out the stock tyres immediately and bung some very sticky numbers onboard. You can’t go wrong!!!

MPG? Hmm, errm, urrr, I spent about 60 quid for which I received close to 500miles Frankly though my dears I don’t give a damn about the mpg, the bike was a blast to ride and because I’m restricted to a word count, I merely implore you to consider this bike in your next purchasing process, don’t be put off by the relatively obscure name, it comes with a wealth of heritage a three year warranty, bristles with top kit that you’d only have to shell out for extra generally on a cheaper bike, and has the added kudos of exclusivity. And that absolutely perfect Termignoni aural signature…. The Cagiva group/ Texas venture capitalists must be gutted.

Wanna try one? 3X Motorcycles Italian centre, is where they’re at. They can supply in black, the red (looks well flash) and |I believe they do a yellow, very similar to the |Triumph gold sort of livery.
If your recession proof pound can stretch to a non Japanese street fighter - Ducati Monster (which I believe are in very short supply at present), KTM Duke, Triumph Speed Triple, Buell etc do yourself a favour, don’t buy until you’ve spread your wings on a Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce 1200

Doby Trutcenden 30..7.08

Moto Morni 1200 Corsaro Veloce

2008 Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro Veloce



Predatory and purposeful in its look and build the new Moto Morini 1200 Corsaro veloce (in effect the SP version of the existing Corsaro) is a street fighter to be reckoned with. Equipped with all the attributes and necessary equipment to make it a bike you don’t really want to get off.


The newly revived, now wholly family owned factory at Marabese in Italy (which after investment returned into the original family ownership from the Cagiva group in 1999), has drawn on its heritage and produced a thoroughly modern V- twin motorcycle that is such a grin to ride it’s almost painful.

The Corsaro is the 5th new Model in the small but perfectly formed factory line up that once again started production three years ago.

A quick straw poll of bikers I came into contact with over the ‘Corsaro weekend’ either hadn’t heard of Moto Morini at all or only remembered the seemingly legendary 3-Half sport and that was the extent of their knowledge. A case of out of sight out of mind.
Unlike Triumph for instance that is enjoying a remarkable renaissance, Moto Morini only ever made its mark in the minds of the few and though still lovingly remembered by the cognoscenti, their numbers are dwindling and the modern motorcycle audience has grown up without the brand presence over the last 20 years.

It didn’t stop all and sundry admiring the revival though, in fact whilst at a rather large auto jumble that weekend it drew a sizeable audience, attracted no doubt by the purposeful profile but probably more by the exhaust note produced by the under seat mufflers.
3X motorcycles who had supplied the bike thoughtfully equipped their demonstrator with un-baffled Termignoni’s and the accompanying dedicated ECU produced a ‘well proper’ motorcycle noise. This played a large part in my affection for the machine over the weekend, popping and blarting sound across the Romney Marsh area of the Kent countryside.
It wasn’t intrusive (to me anyway), and it really enhanced the delivery from the 1200cc V-twin motor.

The standard items on the standard Corsaro are fat organ pipes of quiet harmony conforming to the usual Euro nonsense and aesthetically in the eye of this beholder detracted from the overall profile.

The Veloce at £9,900 new would have to be worth digging a little deeper into the bank manager’s pocket to gain these performance pipes, not to mention a fine Ohlins rear suspension unit, which replaces the standard Sachs unit, slipper clutch, and Brembo equipment.
If I was looking for a street fighter with bags of character I could easily be cajoled into purchasing this black devil of a motorcycle.



The motor is not just an 1187cc 87 degree V-twin motor it is a Franco Lambertini designed Bialberto Corsacorta motor - Oh Yes!
The POS shamelessly tells us that since Franco left Ferrari in 1970, all the Morini engines are his by design. Well Franco, you are to be congratulated.

The motor is smooth, not at all lumpy in its power delivery, I couldn’t find much vibration to speak of, the power rolled in a steady and increasingly steep wave of pure fun with no glitches in the fuelling, (apparently a common gripe on earlier models).
Peak power is reached at 9,000 revs by which time the chassis suspension and tyres have to cope with 140hp of absolute wanton and hedonistic drive.

What else marks this bike as special? Well, the frame is a steel trellis, hard to find as a production preference outside of Italy, it’s almost a mechanized two wheel national signature piece, the nation as a whole must have the worldwide patents for this design style.
Using the motor as a stressed member and allied to the one piece cast aluminum no frills swing arm the mean black chassis delivers razor sharp handling with a wheelbase and rake that allows pin point aim and sure footedness.

The front forks are Marzocchi units, black, gripped by a muscular triple clamp bottom yoke, fully adjustable for rebound compression and spring rate at 50mm diameter.
I personally think suspension is a bit of a black art, so fiddling with factory settings at one end usually affects the ride at the other, unless you are a guru in this department my view it to leave well alone and rate the factory settings. The factory set up is bloody good, firm but pliant at speed, I had no desire to feck about and fiddle with either the front, or rear Ohlins suspension. It delivered most excellent performance right out of the crate - Its amazing how did they know my weight and the way I was going to ride it?

Naturally the faster you go, the quicker you need to stop.
I have to say I didn’t really test the brakes to a maximum, the engine braking and slipper clutch took care of most of the deceleration, In fact riding pal and fellow UKBike member ‘The Coghurst Boy’ remarked on the lack of illumination from the sculpted rear lens, querying an intermittent fault.
Following on his beautiful KTM Supermotard it was noticeable how little I used the brakes apparently.
We swapped bikes in order to gain a comparison, when we stopped roughly twenty miles down the route, he knew why.
His KTM felt soft and almost sports toury compared with the taut and sharp ride of the Morini.
If called into play though re-assurance was supplied by a pair of 320mm double discs, not equipped with almost de rigeur mono block sports bike oriented calipers but standard four pot Brembo units, (mustn’t grumble)! The skinny brake lines (probably Kevlar re-enforced- couldn’t find the actual spec) probably helped also

Comfortable? The wide bars and upright riding position only became uncomfortable on one part of my body and this was only at speed.
My neck muscles took a bit of a battering but only at speeds I’m not prepared to state in writing.
At average ‘hoon’ velocity it wasn’t an issue. No arse ache, no shoulder ache, no leg ache, in fact nothing but an ergonomically comfortable ride. The engineers must have far-sighted my physique and build and tailored it exactly to what I found comfortable, again uncanny - how do they do it?
I managed to cover just over 650miles in four days and it was a wrench handing the keys back.

View from the cockpit was of the open road, I had to consciously make an effort to check the information displayed on the digi dash and rev counter dial, to be honest on the open road I paid very little attention to any of it.
I don’t need this sort of information when on a mission, I’m usually too wrapped up in the ride to worry about random numbers, preferring feel and the soulful experience over harsh and unerring information that modern technology delivers these days.

Call me vain and over confident but after twenty plus years of virtually continual riding I think I can judge when I’m going too quick for the conditions I’m in without having to refer too much to the plethora of information that is available.
Riding a bike to me is about the visceral experience not about the data!

In town naturally it makes sense to behave revs and speed critical, but the bike behaved perfectly.
I do have a criticism though, the angle of the dash was such that in strong sunlight (much like the Ducati 1098 I rode a few weeks prior) rendered the information hard to see.
My personal view is that all concentration should be focussed on the way ahead, if it takes me a few extra seconds to focus on the wealth of information supplied which is even greater if I want to stab the miniscule mode switch repeatedly, I’ve taken my eye off the road.

Again call me vain, but I was conscious of the brand spanking new tyres fitted before my arrival and the light drizzle I rode away in.
Chicken strips were not an option, I had two days to scrub them in and have the confidence to hold my amateur head up high amongst the vanguard of proper paid up motorcycle journalists who had borrowed and no doubt ridden the wheels off the bike as I had tried to do.
I’m pleased (I suppose you could say smug) that the bike was returned spattered with decimated swarms of Kentish fly and a respectable non shiny surface over the radius of the rear tyre at least.
The Pirelli Diablos were adequate but for the next level, or, an impromptu track day, stickier tyres should be the order of the day. (Quite how much longevity you’d get however is another matter, but power and control and all that memorable marketing stuff, would be realised as a truism on this bike I reckon).

My wallet is empty and the planet is no doubt a few degrees warmer, it’s a thirsty big bore 1200cc motor fed by Magneti Marelli fuel injection and a relatively meagre (for any lengthy journey) tank capacity of 3.9 UK gallons which is just under 18 litres, average tank range about 110 miles for very nearly twenty English pounds.

Frankly though my dears I don’t give a damn about the mpg. The bike was a blast to ride and because I’m restricted to a word count (inevitably breached), I merely implore you to consider this bike in your next purchasing process. Don’t be put off by the relatively obscure name, it comes with a wealth of heritage a three year warranty, bristles with top kit that you’d only have to shell out for extra on a cheaper bike, and has the added kudos of exclusivity. And that absolutely perfect Termignoni aural signature….


Wanna try one? Talk to the top geezers at 3X Motorcycles Italian centre, they can supply in black, red (looks well flash) and |I believe they do a yellow, very similar to the Triumph gold sort of livery.
If you are considering a Ducati Monster (which I believe are in very short supply at present), KTM Duke, Triumph Speed Triple, Buell etc do yourself a favour, don’t buy until you’ve spread your wings on a Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce 1200


Doby Trutcenden 24.7.2008

What a blast. Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce

This week I have mainly been bombing about on a Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce, kindly supplied by those nice people at 3X Motorcycles.



My full write up on here soon, but as a preliminary.... Fucking hell what a fantastic bike, quite exclusive, V-twin 1200cc, motor really smooth, gear change short and firm, handling absolutely spot on, predatory and purposeful styling and Termignoni silencers sans baffling allied with dedicated ecu which just made the most awesome racket you've ever heard.
Not sure abot the price tag especially as the Termi's aren't standard, but streetfighter,fast cruiser, wide barred naked stylee only from Marabese Italy, you've just got to give one a quick burn if you are ever near 3X motorcycles near Wimborne in Dorset.
Its a bit juicy but grin factor levels climb rapidly from the moment you are onboard and stay in a fixed maximum state until your jaw aches.

Its fair to say I loved every minute of the 800 miles covered. Wallet.s smoky and ruined but what the fuck, it's not often I get the chance.

Well done Morini, a far cry from the days of the 3 half, which actually was a good little number and a sought after bike these days. Wonder if Benjy Straw is still about?

Ducati 1098R

Something for the weekend Sir? Ooh,Ducati 19098 Sir? Ooh suits you Sir!

Q. What has been named the international bike of 2008?
Here’s a few clues…
It has the highest torque to weight ratio in the super bike class
180bhp from a 90 degree V-twin motor
Sand cast engine cases
A frame that weighs just 9KGS
Fully adjustable Ohlins TTXR rear shock
Fully adjustable gold nitrided front Ohlins 43 mm forks with mono block radial caliper mountings
Brembo Mono block calipers gripping 330mm discs
165 kilos
52 57mm (fat) diameter exhaust system
Traction control allied with twin |Termignoni mufflers and dedicated ECU
Elliptical throttle bodies
Titanium valves which are chrome nitrided and titanium con rods.
All valves operated by a Desmodromic actuation not conventional springs.

The spec list would take up at least two pages, and in fact the official PR release almost does
It’s the most powerful twin cylinder production motorcycle yet produced.

It is of course a Ducati, but no ordinary Ducati, Its still red, got a dry clutch and looks like it was sculpted by Michaelangelo and powered by Vulcan, exercise wonderment and rapture all ye who worship at the feet of the sports bike altar, Gentlemen genuflect for the awesome new Ducati 1098. The R version.

Ducati engineers have taken the already stunning 1098S and expertly fettled it with a few extra rip snorting goodies that take your breath away when you ride one. In fact make that if you ever are lucky enough to ride one. I feel like one of the chosen few, I was lucky enough to benefit from a very good friend’s kindness the other weekend. Almost brand new, only just run in and with the Termignoni’s fitted, he rang me up and offered me the keys.

I alluded to some gentle Schadenfrude in the ZX-10R review I wrote recently and this mischievous remark was aimed at this man, because when I first called round to salivate over the blood red machine, it was away at the menders. Apparently the onboard computer had said ‘No‘, when he was preparing to go to work one morning soon after taking delivery. Ho ho thought I, the usual achingly gorgeous Italian machine let down by a ‘character’ temperament that has been the bane of most people‘s Ducati ownership at one time or another.
I feel guilty now, it was a little callous, because the second time I called round this time to liberate the bike for the weekend there was no hint of reticence from the bike.

The multi functional digital, MotoGP derived clocks, gave access to more info than I could concentrate or to be honest even want when hurtling through the leafy lanes of Kent and Sussex.
The most important thing he said was ‘if it rains you might want to dial the traction control in‘, which is accessible by a rocker switch on the left switchgear, mode selected and then he showed me how to adjust the TC, up or down.
He had it set on one, and having followed him home with the Nine gasping for more breath just to keep him in sight, I thought that this level of performance looked perfectly acceptable to me so it could stay set at one.
He did point out that because the ‘Y shaped’ Magnesium alloy Marchesini’s were shod with what can only be described as barely cut slicks. (Standard rubber for this machine were Pirelli Diablo Super Corsas, and they were smooth as well as having no visible chicken strips on them - already) it might get a bit hairy, I was convinced that I would be tiptoeing around conscious of the fact that this was a privately owned machine with a value of £24K, so valued the tip.

He just grinned and clapped me on the back. He knew me better than I know myself.
It was obvious to him that after a few miles of getting comfortable I would be riding it to close to the edge of my ability and enjoy every moment of it. That’s why he offered me the ride. A truly selfless act of generosity.
I guess if I had really thought about it logically I should have come up with the same conclusion. He’s a biker, he’s worked his bollox off for years to get himself in the position to own a bike of this ilk, I’m a biker and we’re friends that was it. There was no sign of fear or concern in his demeanour, it was genuine altruism, a very rare thing to find these days.

The sound of the bike as I thumbed the starter was truly the equivalent of a dawn barrage by a battery of big guns before the armoured assault in any war. I could I swear feel the concussions of the contained explosions through the soles of my feet as the sound echoed around the drive, bouncing of wall, hedge and garage door, the Sound of the Dry clutch spinning was almost as invasive as the exhaust note, the clutch was open, you could see the anodised red pressure plate through the vents in the carbon clutch cover and make out a smear of white which was the Ducati Corse branding.




He had to put his children to bed so he bid me good evening and waved goodbye grinning.

I was expecting a hideous crouched posture akin to a gorilla on a BMX bike but other than having to high kick over the beautifully sculpted rear end of the solo seat (finished in revealed carbon fibre, deep red and sharp white paint separated by gold pin striping) it was comfortable, my size tens shuffled to find the lissom foot controls, clutch in (change of clutch note) Stiff clutch action despite the Brembo hydraulic master cylinder and lever assembly, - I was off.

The Clutch was pretty much in or out with little room for slipping the clutch that you might do on a four cylinder bike, the sledgehammer thudding of the engine pushed me into the evening, The Sussex Downs starting to take on the first glow of evening light,.
The sound bounced off the walls of the small village, I grinned to myself as I blipped rather more than necessary, (It just had to be done). A few miles further down the line slowly getting the motor up to temperature and allowing time for heat to permeate the tyres and I was into late commuter traffic.
I figured that I should get the feel of the bike on a straight wide road before I started thinking about pushing. I had a meeting with the local MCC when I got home but I had an hour and a half to get there, usual journey time was only 45 minutes so, easy does it and then the long way home via my favourite stretch of road about twenty miles away.

Suffice to say I got a few looks as I surged smoothly (but if its not an anathema) - lumpily, through the traffic glorifying in the sheer bubble of noise, the assault and battery, the forge of Vulcan!

It was noticeably narrow especially at the rear of the fuel tank, at first it felt a bit odd not having to splay ones legs so much, but it was immediately comfortable and there was plenty of grip still afforded to the knees when called into play. The reach to the foot controls and clip ons were very good, my wrists ached a little at first but I think that was because they were used to a different bike, they just needed to adjust, it wasn’t painful, just different.

One thing that I did notice which seemed odd at first was whilst braking normally (increasing gentle pressure), the brake lever seemed to oscillate slightly under my grip, it took me a a few minutes to suss it, it was a new bike, the discs wouldn’t be warped.
It was the vibration of the engine causing my grip to shake ever so slightly as I decelerated and trailed a little too much throttle, it may be a big twin with a shit load of torque, but trying to pull away or increase speed in a high gear after reasonably rapid decceleration did induce a judder. (Don’t get me wrong I know when to change gear and when not, but the sheer brutishness off the power delivery almost negated the torque on offer which I tried to ride, it was smoother just knocking down a gear rather than using the torque - I guess it’s just technique, the best I could admit to in V-twin ownership was a TLR Suzuki, which is a far cry from the Duke.

The next morning I had arranged to thrapp out to Dymchurch in Kent to Visit a friend and to show him the bike. I actually got up at 8am on a Saturday, (very important day). I wondered if my close mate with a KTM950 Supermotard fancied a ride. He answered The phone promptly and was well up for it, having heard that I had a very special bike. (His was no slouch, and was equipped with light weight wheels and Akrapovic mufflers, and in an ideal world, thus far this was exactly the bike I wanted).
A chap called Alan was coming along on his bright orange 2007 Kawasaki Z1000.

We were going to stop at a café just outside Brenzett in order for Steve to munch some pig, egg and beans, the Rye Road was clogged, so we effectively had to just growl along, I could tell the Duke was just bursting to stretch its legs, the whole vibe of the bike is of power and perrformance, it hammered through the clogged roads until Steve took advantage of a half mile stretch of straight road, His Ktm took off and with a deft look over my shoulder, The mirrors are perfectly fitting to the overall aerodynamics of the front end, but only the outside sliver of mirror edge reflected anything worth seeing, the rest was blocked by my leather arm. Its forgivable, this is primarily a race bike, so a quick glance should be expected and de rigueur any way. I just built the revs momentarily in fifth and twisted the throttle, Steve came and went in a moment of thunderous acceleration and increased noise like I imagine an air bomb exploding and I was braking for Pill box corner.
I braked to early, the front Brake set up efficiently reined in the sudden momentum’
I trailed the throttle to the corner and then applied a sniff of drive to push me through, the bike returning to its steady beat.

The Marsh road to Brenzett is a twisty number and Steve pushed the KTM round them no doubt with a big grin on his face, (he travels this route to work every day). I’m not sure where Alan on the Zed was, Steve wasn’t slowing so naturally I shadowed him, eventually relaxing into the straight that brought us to the main Folkestone Road. Alan soon caught up so onto the café just down the road, for brekkie a fag, bike banter and machine appreciation.



Steve helped me shoot a bit of video and then I was off to Dymchurch whilst him and Alan headed for Ashford.. There’s a few small villages on the way and the Duke caused several shoulders to turn , backward glances and an absolute classic gawp from some nipper holding his dad’s hand. By this time I had covered about 120 miles (a tank of juice), the only discomfort that immediately occurred to me was the back of the knees (which we all know there is no proper name for) which were getting hot, bathing in the halo of heat produced by the Duke’s steady trickling through the streets, shaking windows and attracting attention. I felt like a million dollars.

I did my best to wilt Tim’s new hanging baskets with the fiery stench and temperature of the Termi’s, but he came out the door before I could manoeuvre the bike into the optimum parking spot. This Duke even feels safe on the side stand, other Dukes I’ve ridden in the past have had decidedly dodgy numbers on board.

A usual hearty welcome from Tim, weeding out the acerbic bits for the wit and charm that is his nature. He was in good spirits and going Kayaking later so I glugged a cup of tea and turned round to go home, looking forward to the ride home. A fresh tank of gas and back into it, the Duke was very taut at low speed, you could feel most of the surface that passed under it, but it didn’t matter, this is an exotic race derived focussed motorcycle from Italy.

I couldn’t really see the dash clearly, the default view set was a sectored square of slim digital readouts, speed was the most important, just a few nths extra here and there on the throttle resulted in the 1098 clearing its throat expecting more fuel to burn, there was a lot of traffic about.

I finally blip frightened some woefully dawdling drivers out of the way and headed back to Rye through the twisties that Steve had expertly negotiated on the way out, you/ve really got to keep the Duke revving to an extent and then blip it down a gear to push it through a corner, I unconsciously traiked round a couple and the bike felt like it was running wide and about to fall over, must remember to keep the power constant for optimum effect, different technique to a Jap multi!

The Corsas gripped faultlessly. It was a lovely hot day and I had neither the ability or enough open road to test them (alas), didn’t notice wrist ache any more, knees were getting hotter though, exacerbated by a sprawling stream of scooters teeming out of Camber and heading for Hastings.

There were hundreds and hundreds of them. Now I was on a bike that could smear them all instantly but they were on two wheels and thoroughly enjoying their wheels in the same way as I was, so I tried to nip past pockets of them as quickly and carefully as possible. A few of them may have had their eyebrows blasted off the ir face by the murderous barrage of sound they may have suddenly encounterd, the rest of there was a lot of raised ones and quite a few almost jumped (it was not intentional) as I blipped down a gear behind them, a few of them wobbled at my sudden appearance, but they kept station and the sheer amount of them was good to see, there were a lot of restored classics amongst them and quite aptly the majority of them were of Italian birth.


I didn’t have a chance to really test the slipper clutch, but The owner reckons you can bang it down two or three gears under rapid deccelleration and the bike doesn’t skip or throw a fit, I know this is what they are built for but I was happy with my ride I had witnessed the hype, carefully examined the components, the swing arm………………………….. The fat diameter thin wallled frame tubes, the huge hollow spindles supporting the Marchesini’s, the quality of carbon fibre on offer, the neat little Italian tricolour between the narrow of the eyes of the headlights, the Swedishly efficient and purposeful Ohlins equipment.
Oh to be a track day God with one of these to use.
It’s a lot of money, it’s almost three standard ZX-10R’s, but there is a certain je no sais quoi about owning a bike like this especially a Ducati, you know it’s only really value for money when you pore over the bike without realising it, you find yourself unconsciously running a tentative hand along its lines, when you bask in the thunder burst of its voice and velocity, its thunder burst of sheer power, when realise this is the basis of World Superbikes you see the like of Bayliss Riding, it’s very special, rare to see but hard to miss when you do. It is a supermodel amongst the common folk of the ordinary mainstream.




The last real shock and awe tactic was just prior to a nights drinking with another buddy who isn’t into bikes, but appreciates a piece of machinery when he sees it, he‘s more of an F1 fan. I unpadlocked it from the garage and wheeled it out and started her up, Gavin’s face was one of surprise not really believing that a motorcycle could be worth so much and the power it had, he took a video clip of the bike ticking over and as he came in closer to the rear end I blipped the throttle (it’s addictive behaviour with this bike). Over a sherbet later he replayed the clip, it sounded like the phone had exploded.

Thanx Nick this ones filed in the top drawer of motorcycling memories. Sorry about the large amount of dead fly meat over it.

This is the shortened version of the road test, I’m sure you’ve read more edifying accounts about the more technical ability of the bike from those more able and with more time, but once again you can read the spec on the right when placed on the www.ukbike site and visit you tube etc, video should be done shortly. Hope you enjoy(ed) the ride

Doby Trutcenden 4.7.08

The Latest on Motorcycle training

Just read an article by Tim Luckhurst writing for The Guardian about the chaos and rubbish implementation of a European directive for the implementation of a new Motorcycle test scenario.

I could summarise but Tim's article says it all.

There are a number of uppity comments by righteous car drivers saying, that us two wheeled 'do as you likers' are a menace, so, if you'd like to redress the balance somewhat with any cogent, logical and sensible statements, leave him a comment.
(I don't know the bloke and I've not read anything by him before, but what he points out is obvious to me and I for one don't want to see the start of a process that appears to be the beginning of an erosion of motorcycling).
I once again quote Robin Trower .. 'Where are the roads to freedom?'

Here's the comment I left for what it's worth.

Like Tim, I ride a motorcycle most days, and I have to say it is a most puissant one at that.
On an average round trip of 100 miles on my daily commute, I see the same cars with single occupants (generally) sitting in the same traffic jam, sweating and white knuckled hunched over the steering wheel.
I constantly wonder as I sail past watching them watching me why the bloody hell do they still do it.?

The only conclusion I can come to is that they are scared to leave the assumed cossetted confines of their cars, choosing to waste time and energy by remaining stationary for long periods.

On the occasional stretches of open road I then generally encounter rubbish driving, outside lane hogging and similar 4 wheeled stupidity.

The answer (in my opinion) make car tests harder, encourage more people (by offering easier and better training) onto motorcycles.

Motorcycles are quicker, more fun, generally cheaper, keep your reactions sharp and easier to park. There are several niches, you don't have to buy into sports bike hooligan scene you can buy big cc scooters, commuter machines or grand tourers.

Sure some bikers tear around like their arse is on fire, but the amount of 'Foo boys' in souped up almost certainly highly illegal crap cars adorned with all manner of stupid frippery popping exhausts and terrible pop polution is just as rife. When was the last time you saw one of these Herberts sticking to the legal speed limit?

P.s I'm a middle aged git, with a few busted bones in the past to other road users credit, a car owner and can't get enough of fast motorcycles, the more car drivers encouraged to be biker friendly the better and probably the lower the accident rate.

Tims article can be found here http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/02/motoring.travelandtransport?commentpage=1&commentposted=1

Ducati 1098R

It's been a bit of a V-twin month for me.
First the Harley and over the last weekend, the very kind offer of a ride on Ducati's stunning new 1098R, Termignoni's fitted, Traction control on board, rakes of carbon fibre, dry clutch Ohlins everything and very nearly slick Diablo Supercorsas.
All told an impressive package, a blinding design, and a sound to suck the breath out of your lungs and make the ground tremble.
I haven't had a chance to fully digest the experience so haven't wrote it up properly yet, but thought I'd post this luvverly arse shot.

Harley Davidson Fatboy

Harley-Davidson FLSTF 'Fatboy'

Well here it is, two weeks with a Harley-Davidson Fatboy, now returned to the fold.

I welcomed the opportunity to ride it, I'm thankful for the opportunity to ride it and I hope that despite my misgivings as to the 'value' of the bike, i've given it a fair summation.

I urge you lot to find the book in question, it's a history of the American motorcycling dream carved out of pre and post war dissacociation and alienation, of the beginnings of the outlaw motorcycle clubs (gangs if you prefer) All those who buy into the H-D lifestyle should read it for a thourough grounding in the iconic bike's rise to prominence on it's home turf and it's spread wings throughout the world today.

I would value comments at the end or even better on the forum (it'll get noticed more) so here you go.....


It’s not often that I refer directly to pieces of work by other much more acclaimed writers or, commentaries on articles that I’m trying to originate, but in this instance somehow it seemed to strike a chord with the way I was thinking about the latest UKBiker Road test review.
The Harley-Davidson FLSTF ‘Fatboy‘ - 94 cubic inches of motor wrapped in heavy metal, burnished chrome and denim paint.

I was struggling to find the reasoning behind the bike.
Pound for pound it’s worth it’s weight, but as for the overall ethos of a relatively old design in the modern milieu I just couldn’t make up my mind why.
Its an expensive machine, the sum of its parts are hardly contemporary and the only real item of modernity I could find onboard was the electronic fuel injection, which I’m sure if the H-D engineers weren’t forced to use through ever increasing legislation they wouldn’t.

In an anthology of stories, newspaper articles and columns cropped from the last fifty years of American bike culture ‘The Mammoth Book of Bikers’ starts with the Hollister ‘riots’ and ends with modern RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) investigations into alleged outlaw biker activity, it’s a rattling, startling and sometimes brutal book to read if all the accounts are true.

The last piece by Bernard E. Rollin (doesn’t say when it was published) sums up the reason for the Fatboy and you could argue the majority of the archetypal Harley-Davidson range. The raked low, chromed look that is recognizable by young boys and grandma’s alike and so long as the company is still breathing will probably continue to produce it’s signature product, adapting only to the vagaries of global pollution laws, (that’s sound as well as emissions).

I will summarise the lengthy article with excerpts here and there but unlike a politician’s sound bite I hope they will be relevant and related. it’s a piece about Motorcycles being art and why they are featured as such, what they stand for and what they mean to people, in this instance essentially Harley-Davidsons.

‘The motorcycle is an immortal cultural icon that changes with the times. More than speed it embodies the abstract themes of rebellion, progress, freedom, sex and danger. The limits imposed by its possible forms and functions and the breadth of variation that has been expressed within these limitations, provide a framework in which to examine the motorcycle both as object and as emblem of our century‘.

After all the motorcycle pre-dated cars by twenty odd years and aeroplanes by even longer, Harley Davidson were one of the first to build these means of ‘rapid singular transportation’ in America, and you can still see that heritage in their bikes today.

‘…on a motorcycle you are part of the world through which you speed, the wind in your face and hair, the bugs in your mouth and beard remind you constantly that you are speeding through the world, rather than as in an equally fast car a machine with you in it.’

Okay this is all a little romantic, I haven’t got much hair left personally and I’m sure a fair number of current and future owners are probably in the same boat, bearded or no, I wear a full face lid because I don’t like the taste of bugs, but you get the general idea.
This was illustrated to me by the man who offered his services to test the relative comfort as a pillion rider one day.

In all the rides on other people’s bikes that I have been fortunate enough to ride whilst in this ‘Lofty’ position as helmsman at UKBike I have never really had a bike that would almost certainly be used to take a pillion when bought by it’s new owner. This bike was a sure candidate , so to be thorough, I considered that this option had to be tested.
Step forward ‘The Bison’ (yes that’s one of his nicknames and quite apt I feel for this piece).

Unfortunately because of many reasons causing lack of freedoms to really chase the western sun across the skies of the USA we tested it on a hundred mile round trip commute to work.
One of the first things the Bison said when we dismounted at our destination was words to the effect ‘when we were riding past that long row of traffic I really felt like I wanted to touch the cars we were passing, they seemed so real, it’s amazing what you can hear as well, it’s stuff that driving a car shields you from.
So here is the word from the Bison as to his 100, mile round trip straddling a fat boys rear end (Joke, JOKE, OK)!


…………………….word from the bison – coming soon......................
....................................………………………………..............................................................

In essence I think he summed up what Rollin is saying, and was the fillip for me to dig out the book and have another read, knowing that I would find the answer to writing the road test within it’s pages.

Ok I hear you say skip the bloody history lesson and all that romanticism, did you like the bike, how did it ride and would you buy one?

I’m a biker, I like bikes and I’m open minded enough to realise that they come in all shapes and guises to suit the individual. Of course |I liked it.

I liked the overall look of the thing, as I mentioned at the beginning, its long, its low, it’s chunky.
I loved the wide sweep of the fat bars that hides the switchgear wiring and the enormous headlight shell fixed firmly in the chunky chrome sheeting of the yoke covers.
The wheels themselves are discus from titanic Olympic games, huge turned aluminum hubs fixing them to the girt forks.


The twin filler fuel tank, one a dummy holding the fuel gauge with speedo centrally inset in a chrome raised panel, the tank finished in ’Denim’ paint, the simple chrome oil tank under the seat and the simplicity of the chromed coil cover.
Hardtail looking back end with overstated fender and humungous rear tyre, the sumptuous riders seat and the lumpy thump of the 1584cc motor.

As for how it rode, I will be honest. The front forks ‘kerlunged’ over all but the minor bumps in the road , by all means be traditional but damn it Willie G who’s your export manager?
Here in the UK we have lumps and bumps in the road, how about some proper front suspension, you can always wrap them up in a different coat to give them that authentic slightly old school look, it’s a 13K+ motorcycle, surely that’s not too much to ask.

I know this is not America and we don’t have long open roads and simple grid systems to navigate. We have flowing bends and very short stretches of straight (and flat) road, none the less at what seemed like anything more than 15 degree of lean the rider’s footboards were trailing lumps of aluminum down the road.

Stop riding it like a sports bike’ I hear you say. - I wasn’t!

The ground clearance is frankly atrocious in my opinion, to the point of embarrassment, it got to the point that when I saw a nice sweeper approaching, I lifted up the footboard with my toe to prevent the inevitable scraping of metal against tarmac. The first evening I rode home I followed a police rider at about 60mph at a safe distance thankfully, I was impressed at the balance of the bike, it may be heavy but it wasn’t as cumbersome as I thought it would be when it was rolling. Following the copper’s lines and matching his medium pace The footboards decked at least four times, catching me out each time.
Lift the footboards or put some pegs on it, If I owned the bike I just couldn’t tolerate it I don’t think.

The gear change is clunky and |I mean Clunky with a capital ‘C’, this however was not a disappointment, it’s to be expected, but the heel toe rocker gear change set up was horrible and would after the removal of the footboards for something more suitable be the second thing I would junk.

The performance of the motor was I have to say a bit of a let down, I was nearly caught out on a couple of occasions when overtaking. I wasn’t savagely trying to rip the throttle off the bars but I was being quite spirited and trying to stay smooth. The motor just didn’t have the brawlers punch I was expecting, It wasn’t comfortable at anything over 80mph in my opinion the bars started to weave ever so slightly, my legs were whipped by my boot cut jeans by the through draft, the hardtail softail underslung suspension started to let go, especially over bumpy surfaces 60 -70 being optimum levels of velocity solo, and with the massive bulk of the bison and I onboard the best speed was approximately fifty miles an hour, The bike was happy to go quicker but it wasn’t comfortable.
It just didn’t seem to deliver moving what it promised sitting still, with the sunlight winking off its chrome.

The 96 inch cubic motor is equipped with six gears and once notched a little green light will appear on the speedo face. Also in the centre console is the ignition, which is a chunky chrome switch with a flip up lid for the key to fit.
Once more though functional the key looked no different to a Halfords hollow barrel cheap bicycle lock, £13K bike remember, it’s a bit like a prize fighter forsaking his spiky expanse of keeper ring for a slender band of Chinese silver which you know will snap as soon as he tries to force a chunky sausage finger through it. I expected a little better I must admit.

Braking wasn’t too bad a tall, considering the bulk, (but I suppose bearing in mind the relatively low speeds), the belt drive is a great idea I reckon, virtually noiseless, clean and doesn’t need constant adjustment, so that’s a major plus.
The Zorst noise is a common complaint with me. Yes the law says they have to be quiet and the law enforces the valve on the upper muffler to get it through emissions no doubt,the specs say that this valve is to enhance 'the sound quality and street rumble'. Sorry don't agree, I thought it was very sanitised. I like bikes to sound like bikes, so head to the nearest Vance & Hines stockist my friends.

I’m not sure there is a great deal of innovative technology that I could waffle on about. The Fatboy is what it is, it was born that way, it’s ‘big boned’ bulk is in it’s metallic blueprinted DNA. It has it’s place in the world of motorcycling, thanks partly to superb product placement/sponsorship in Terminator and the desire of a buyer to live the celluloid bad boy lifestyle, of the American dream.

It’s a great bike for some people just not for me, nonetheless it was still a pleasure to be offered the opportunity of riding a kingpin in their 2008 range, like all things it’s in the eye of the beholder and the personal experience gained. Well done Harley for sticking to your guns, and producing a product that people desire and want to own (they may be Winchesters but they still fire bullets).

As Rollin says.. ‘cars have become increasingly automated, replete with cruise control, navigator computers that talk to the driver and electronic parts that take the ‘I’ out of driving. There are those who project a future automobile that do not require a driver, where the machine is centrally controlled, the would be driver thence becomes a passenger. Such changes are not seriously projected for motorcycles, for motorcyclists do not largely ride for practical reasons, despite those who extol their mileage per gallon,… motorcyclists ride largely for the aesthetic experiences riding provides , from being nearly out of control, or extending total concentration not to get killed, from getting soaked in warm summer rain to being totally dry an hour later. In a deepest sense, riding takes skill that driving a car does not, skill that one can take pride in‘. (whatever you ride)

Bernard E Rollin. (Sometime in the late eighties/early nineties)
‘The Bison’ June ‘08
Doby Trutcenden June ‘08

Harley Davidson Fatboy 2008

Next Road test will be on the Harley Davidson Fatboy. (you know the one, Arnie rode one in Terminator 2 I think it was.



Had it for two days and burnt a tank of fuel just pottering (or should that be surging about)Unlike the Nightster I rode earlier in the year which is probably the smallest in the line up, other than the ultraglides this is one of the biggest. Too early to write too much about it, but if anyone is reading this I'd like to hear your views on the bike. You can do it by placing a review on the main UKBike site.

For instance how atrocious do you find the ground clearance. I'm conscious of the fact that it is a cruiser and am desperately trying to ride it like one, but despite this i'm shedding metal every time I hit a bend. This is not heroics on my part its just terrible ground clearance, how the hell are you supposed to ride it properly at speed?

Other than that its comfy and feels like a proper hog, gonna get 'The Bison' on the back to report on the pillion ride. 100 miles of cramped stomach muscles, queasy stomach and white knuckles, (no cissy bar you see - chortle) or a comfy ride he'd volunteer for again, it's also a big bike so a combined thirty stone should put it through its paces, can't see why it wouldn't cope, though at about eighty the hardtail looking softail underslung shocker set up was a bit weavy and squirrelly) we'll see.

Kawasaki ZX-10R

ZX-10R 2008 I’ve changed my mind about 1000cc sports bikes. Of late my view has been jaded, musing about the virtues of having a machine that is effectively too powerful to use anywhere near the limit, concluding that whilst they are not exactly pointless (there are still homologation issues for racing) they are not at all practical for the average punter seeking day to day usage.

They can get you into trouble if you are not totally focussed and they leave you wishing you could have got more out of them. However having ridden the latest ZX10R, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate my views; it’s a mad and bad piece of kit, a very naughty pleasure.

I thought the Fireblade was quick (and it is), but the Ten seems to up the ante, it feels devastatingly quick. It’s not that it is much quicker, it’s just the way that you get there I think is the difference. Whereas the Honda will do anything you wish it to, it doesn’t stroke your misplaced ego into pushing and pushing. If you wanna go slowly, the Honda will go slow and remain tight lipped, it doesn’t goad you into a rev hungry wanderlust. It has manners and subtlety. The Kawasaki ZX-10R however though a similar machine on paper is a relentless and urgent device of exotic metals and sleek plastic with a harsh voice and mischievous throttle.
I read somewhere that a road tester in one of the mainstream mags likened it to a 500GP bike he had ridden from a few short years ago. He reckoned the ZX10R was very close to the 500 mark. Having never ridden a 500GP stroker (I do not move in such esteemed circles), I can’t say if I agree or not, but what I do know is that this bike could very easily become habit forming, riding it was addictive, and I only covered 170 miles in 24 hours, but what a 170 miles.

Apparently, this bike is a meld of it’s direct predecessors best traits. The first ‘C’ model was a bloody handful, it was the new loony toons for the early 21st century motorcyclist, those who wanted thrills and didn’t mind the odd heart stopping moment punctuating the aggressive style you tended to adopt whilst onboard this little number.
I can’t lie despite my fondness for the marque the twin piper ‘D’ model, looked in my opinion rubbish, with the wheelbarrow-esque mufflers and the odd looking front end, it was however apparently a much easier bike to ride at hoon levels than the ‘C’ models. I’m not sure that it sold at all well in comparison to it’s peers, so Kawasaki as it appears is the way with the Japanese factories, refreshed the Ten for 2008 once again.
They got the power right, and the handling right and the looks pretty bang on to my mind; it was just the power delivery that they had to work on to feed the lascivious habits of the Kawasakisti. And that they got that bang on also.

It’s hard to describe the way this bike makes you feel when riding. Like you know you are on a proper 'f*ck off', take no prisoners sports bike. The bike though conforming to Euro emissions crazy law whatever it is growls with intent. All you see is time and speed melting otherwise perfect roadside detail into smears of history. Look down for a brief second, just to check I’m within the speed limits



The top yoke is chiselled, the fork tops are fat, the numbers just build in their floating digi inset panel, as the needle winds up the tricolour rev counter, the neck muscles take a battering, ensconced firmly in a positive crouch, more of the same drug. Wind it up, lean it in like you’re riding on the shoulders of a giant with seven league boots on.
It’s not the light hearted grin of a ride on a street fighter that you’ve thrashed senseless around the lanes this is more a tight lipped race track last lap in the lead smile, 'I’ll save the grinning broadly for when I pass the finish line'.
The job at hand is 'more revs, more urgency, more, more, give me more'.

I honestly think this is the fastest sports bike I have ever ridden. It’s addictive, and, naturally I want one. A green and black one. Wonder what can I sell to junkie fix getting one?
I’m no expert however and thankfully the little voice in the back of my head keeps the worst excess’s of wanton hedonism at bay.
Surely this is just enthusiastic purple prose? Well the salesman did listen patiently for at least five minutes whilst I raved about the grip, the handling the urgency etc, but finally I had to gasp for air which is when he interjected and told me to stop shouting and give him the keys back, grinning broadly and reminding me that he had told me so.
Whilst filling up on both separate occasions, I was approached by the curious, one of whom professed to own a ‘C’ model, but was tempted to purchase the new model, firing questions at me showing an unconscious commitment to go and purchase one. I also told a pal who owns two ‘C’ models who I believe was genuinely interested to hear of my experiences, (he’d drunk a quantity of wine so was feeling laid back). His bikes were getting a little tired after repeated track day abuse including a large rebuild bill after one particular episode at Silverstone and lengthy road riding of his other one which by his own admission needed a bit of a ‘lamb up’ so he thought he might check the new one out, apparently he rung the salesman later that afternoon.

Good boy Turps, you know it makes absolute sense. Errm… Oh yes I was trying to be constructive and not witter on.
Well it’s not just a ravenous lime road eating giant veloceraptor of a motorcycle; it has all the technical stuff to back up the purple words.
Up front very cool 43mm black nitrided upside downers (or the new nomenclature DLC –diamond like carbon) with incredible amounts of adjustment that I didn’t have the time to absorb, but the standard set up was certainly firm (remarkably so more than the Blade I thought) for a middle aged git approaching 14 stone. Black mono bloc calipers gripped now standard fare petal discs containing dual opposed pads (as opposed to individual ones) set on slender spoked, fat rimmed gloss black wheels factory trimmed with green coach lines. None of your pony aftermarket stuff for a fiver and put on cackhandedly with a chisel, the wheels are definitely a visible feature and a focal point.



The chassis is matt black and as muscular and purposeful looking as previous models, fat at the points where your knees grip and augmented by some hard wearing grip pads tapering to the swing arm pivot which then draws your eyes to the girt swing arm itself in matching matt black, its subtle in colour only, the actual unit is large and purposeful. The engineers have even managed to build some flex into the whole construction apparentley I had no issue with the chassis or the suspension, it felt firm and I’m sure would have really come into its own had I ripped up the envelope as opposed to merely pushing it.
The standard Ohlins damper tells its own story, without one it would no doubt have been an even wilder animal. The rear shocker is adjustable for low and high speed, which I’m told is a first for a road bike. Combine all these high spec bitz with Pirelli Diablo Corsa tyres and if you’re not having fun, then you definitely have no soul, passion or trying remotely hard enough. This bike isn’t for you. Don’t buy one until you’ve passed your hooligan exams!
The grip was phenomenal for road riding and like the Honda it went where you thought it. Leaving more time to twist the throttle.
Unlike the Fireblade, the front profile of the ten is positively aquiline and hawk like, the shape is sculpted, the whole of the bodywork is much more defined than the smooth lined Honda which was most pleasing to the eye and I have to say made the bike look more diminutive and sleeker than the Ten, just different.
Whereas the Honda I rode was almost executive in its rich metallic Ruby livery, the Ten was bright neon green and black, it was not subtle.



There are a few bits I don’t like on the ZX-10, the mirrors and front indicators are pig ugly and something needs to be said. Why can they design some much svelter units as an aftermarket accessory when the mere adoption of these units would hugely enhance the face of the bike? The upside is that you can actually see out of them. It may be fancy, but have the manufacturers been addressing this 'can’t see Jack behind me except my shoulders' issue?
I don’t know why they bother with pillion seats on these bikes; I can’t remember the last time I saw a passenger being carried on a bike of this extreme nature, other than a popular video clip viral of fat bottomed girls with nothing but a short skirt around their ribs to hide any modesty they thought they had. Only in Americ!
I mean would you choose to travel any length of time three and a half feet off the ground with a poor excuse for a seat pad stuck up your rear cleft and kneecaps scraping the wax from your ears, what do you cling onto for gods sake other than dear life as the pilot momentarily forgets he’s got a passenger and violently attacks his favourite corner? Anyway it is the rider’s duty to dissuade everybody and anybody to accompany him on his solo voyages. And his first purchase should be a colour matched solo seat cowl.



The exhaust muffler is also pretty standard, generally on any bike of this ilk, it’s pretty much all you see of the exhaust system, the manifold hides behind a huge radiator and the mid section sits behind the belly pan, so why not make it attractive? The Ten’s muffler doesn’t quite look part of the design, it has a cheap looking shield and really is the only thing other than the mirrors that I don’t like, unlike the Fireblade’s exquisitely engineered outlet which melds with the overall lines of the bike.
I could fill the article with serious commentary on the flat type fuel pump which has allowed fuel tank capacity to remain unchanged, an increased litrage for the airbox, a straighter path for the rammed air either side of the headstock, new two piece frame construction, new shock mounting linkage, Titanium valves and reshaped intake ports for high revving ability. The Back-torque slipper clutch for harder downshifts through the revised gearbox, tweaked electronics for even sharper throttle control, it even features apparently a rib under the throttle grip for enhanced feel, but all the tech spec would take ages to repeat and to explain and the salient features are available elsewhere.
The main objective was rider feedback and enhanced performance that would be agreeable to further tune if taken on track. That objective I would say has been achieved.
Word of warning, small objects may oscillate on mantelpieces as you pass, small birds and young chillun may get sucked into the ram air mouthpiece passing through the frame to be torn apart in the maelstrom of the airbox before being vaporised and spat out as carbon particulate several miles behind. You may have to buy several pairs of tyres and brake pads every other month, the local garage community will undoubtedly thrive on your petroleum buying habits, you may wish to consider a more pleasing muffler adorned with well known monikers from WSB, you will undoubtedly be a mass murderer of insect life, so renounce Buddhism immediately, there is no room onboard for frippery and luxury, buy your lunch at your destination, there’s no room for a pack of sarnies. You may find yourself talking uncontrollably down the pub, your friends may leave you as the habit takes hold, however to indulge in some light hearted shadenfreude it’s probably cheaper to run than an Italian bike….!

Huge thanx to Mickman and Alfred for the opportunity Check ‘em out here www.alfsmotorcycles.co.uk Doby Trutcenden 12.5.08

Team Alf's Endurance. Le Mans 2008

Team Alf’s Endurance Racing - 2008

Team Alf’s Endurance Racing recently competed in the 2008 24 hour motorcycle endurance race at The circuit De Bugatti Le Mans. 19th - 20th April 2008.

Returning to the race event two weeks after testing at the same circuit, the team were hoping a top ten finish would reward all the hard work and investment by Alf and his small but dedicated team.


The Kawasaki ZX-10R Was retained after 2008 after it’s debut at the same circuit last year. There were many reasons for not campaigning the all new ZX-10R which boiled down to an already mainly prepped set of matching 2007 models.
The spec is endless with many bespoke parts and to source the similar kit to fit the new bike would have been nigh on impossible without factory or race support which The team don’t currently receive, being as it is entirely funded by Alf and some very important sponsors without whom the team could not exist.

Why after so many years the team have not received the credit they deserve after so much faith in the product, time, development, investment and sheer determination I am not a party to, but it does show commitment to the product and the belief that there is no better bike than a Kawasaki and to prove it they are prepared to enter it into (to my mind) probably one of the sternest races out there. Le Mans and most other 24 hour races are such gruelling events. a true test of any machine’s prowess.

Here now follows a spec sheet of the machine, just in case you were wondering how close to standard it might be.

Superbike Ohlins forks. That’s the pukka piggy back gold nitrided jobbies
Superbike TTX Rear shock. That’s right it might just as well be made of gold!
Harris off set yokes
Complete QD assembly for both wheels. No messin’
Twin 4-pot endurance monoblock calipers
Hideously expensive ultra special endurance compound pads for aforementioned calipers, (at least two pairs of fronts throughout the race).
QD Staubli assisted brake line fittings
Goodridge Hose. Thanks to the guys in Exeter!!
AP 2 pot rear caliper
4 sets of 16.5 inch Marchesini mag wheels
305mm Brembo front discs
24 litre fuel tank incorporating seat unit filled with anti explosive spongy stuff
Twin fuel fillers to fit dump tank. Large!
Adjustable ratio Brembo front brake master cylinder
Fairings and bodywork all light weight race use only.
Skidmarx screens. Top screens lads, Road or race these guys probably do one for your bike

GPR radial steering damper. Like what the latest Blades are kitted with.
Harris QD clip on handlebars
Huge radiator and bespoke ‘swell pot’
Full Akrapovic exhaust system
Power commander mapped on own dyno plus quick shifter
Switchable mapping
Standard engine except blueprinted and modified gearbox
Uprated clutch
Quick action throttle
AIM Dash. That’s one of those expensive set of digi clocks that store data and allow downloading of all the info collected whilst the bike is circulating.
Suspension potentiometers
Lighting system modified to suit regulations
Luminescent number board Alf was really chuffed with that little bit of trickery
Carbon/Kevlar engine and frame protectors
Swing arm mods to aid QD of wheels
Bespoke sub frame, battery tray and brackets
Rodamoto rear sets.
Cross over linkage for gear shift Road or race.
That’s about it without going into too much detail, naturally there are two similar bikes pretty much kitted the same. It’s fair to say the bike took its fair share of race incidents, but the bike pushed through it all to record another finish for the Worthing based team.
Race finish 31st out of 56 original entrants. Fastest lap 1min 42.5

It did however increase the carbon footprint somewhat…
Consumption consisted of
674 litres of special petrol, only sold at the circuit and mandatory usage
3.5 litres of oil
16 front tyres Dunlop by name with differing compounds to suit race conditions (plus three wets)
19 rear tyres, as above (plus five wets)
3 sets of bodywork
1 footpeg
1 gear change lever
2 handlebars
Pair of twist grips
Various engine guards.

Getting the show on the road for the one race is like a Pink Floyd album cover, the equipment is endless, and it’s all gotta fit pretty much in a 7.5 tonne truck. Including fully equipped mobile kitchen and food, tents and marquees, timing box and equipment, miles of cable and racks of tools, lighting gantry, chairs benches, bedding, the list of minutei goes on, but enough impermanent infrastructure if that’s not a contradiction of terms to feed, clothe, cook, house, and support twenty people for well over a week for most of the team.

The race day alone usually involves a typical red eye of 40 hours, not counting the travelling, organization, night practice qualifying and practise sessions, when you hear about mechanics ‘working through the night on the telly,’ it’s true, if there is a problem, a tweak or an adjustment it has to be done regardless of the time of day it is.

Oh and by the way t all costs a barrel load of wedge, so please don’t be shy if you think you can help the team, they are a friendly bunch and welcome any assistance you can. If you can’t, grab a team shirt from the shop in Dominion Road Worthing, all the proceeds get pumped back into the team effort.
Just one more list to go…
The sponsors so far

Dave Evans Marks Bloom Accountancy
WEMoto West Sussex, parts and accessories guru’s
The indomitable ‘Turps’ Hi Vac Engineering - Hastings
Silkolene oils
Goodridge Brake lines
Chris at Skidmarx screens
Dynojet UK
Paint by Laurence at ARC
Nick at VA signs

There’s a bit of video footage accompanying this blog Soon) after all the words, the pics you see are from ‘Yeah him again JB‘ with a link to his total album of pix covering the event, so you can see for yourself.
The bike has not been cleaned or prepped after passing the finishing line and getting clearance from park ferme.

For more information on prepping your bike or just needing race parts ordered fitted etc, just nip in and say hi to Alf,and or call the shop number. They do have a dyno at their disposal and know how to use it for any set up or engine mapping you may require.
Enjoy the pix and the video clip.!!

DT6.5.08