ROAD NEWS
him move up to WorldSBK for the 2009 season, again with Honda, his collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer continuing until the end of 2014. During that time, he amassed 42 podiums, 15 of which were race wins. These achievements put him third on the all-time list of most successful Honda WorldSBK riders. Rea said,“ From the moment HRC shared their plans and the new role they envision for me, I was immediately excited to understand how I could contribute. It feels like a real full-circle moment to return to Honda, the manufacturer with which I gained my initial WorldSBK experience and my very first race win in the category. Although my
role will be quite different from what I’ ve been used to as a full-time racer, I’ m highly motivated to embrace this new chapter. My aim is to bring all the experience and knowledge I’ ve gained throughout my career and use it to support the development of the CBR1000RR-R and the Honda HRC factory team in the best possible way. I’ m also very happy to be working again with Chris Pike, the Honda HRC test team project manager and my former crew chief, with whom I share great memories and mutual respect. Working together as a team, I’ m confident we can build something truly positive for the future. I can’ t wait to get started.”
LONG LIVE THE SV...
For those bemoaning the demise of the legendary SV650 engine and all the variants that it bore, you can stop crying into your soup. It lives! Often referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of their range, it looked as though it was passing into legend but lookie here, an SV650-powered tall tourer with all the mod cons. And it looks great in its new suit.
Not only does the SV live, all be it in SV-7GX guise, it now boasts three modes, traction control, ride-by-wire throttle and a bunch of Euro5 + mods to ensure that engine stays in the Suzuki stable for years to come. Suzuki’ s GSX-S based 1000cc‘ GX’ has proven to be a winner here and the SV-7GX will undoubtedly follow suit. LED lighting, TFT dash, connectivity, USB-C port and the upright riding position that has taken the motorcycle market by storm are all there, propelled by one of the reliable engines of the era.
KIWI RIDER 79