I'VE just done my first 100 miles with Arai's new Rebel helmet, a 2013 model lid intended specifically for use on naked/streetfighter bikes. It's basically the Quantum with a new chin section, with an integrated spoiler which aims to better deflect wind blast, given the more upright and less protected riding position on a naked bike. The spoiler, created with MotoGP input, is said to reduce high-speed turbulence and thus wind noise. 

It's not the lightest helmet around at 1.56 kg +/- 50g, but it is very well balanced and fitted - it grips my whole head evenly, firmly yet comfortably, rather than sitting on top on it, so you don't feel the weight on the move. Arai attributes the Rebel's great fit to their Facial Contour System. The FCS has a 'spring' action in the cheek padding, and the padding sits on the jawbone and cheekbone rather than the flesh of the cheek. Fresh out of the box, the Rebel did not feel vice-tight as many helmets usually do, and felt like it was already 'bedded in' on day one. 

Build quality and finish is impeccable, with operation of vents and visors feeling solid and smooth, and easy enough with gloved fingers. Ventilation is generous and noticeably effective - there's a big two-position vent on the chin bar, two visor vents at the brow and two big sliding vents on the forehead. At the rear, an exhaust vent at the bottom edge and two side vents channel out hot air. The range of peripheral vision is good, though the wide chin bar reduces the direct line of sight to my clocks. 

The visor comes Pinlock-ready (there's an antifog insert in the box) but I have not felt the need to fit it yet, thanks to the (slightly) warmer May weather, and the well-designed breath guard. As someone who wears spectacles, fogging is generally a doubly annoying issue for me, but the Rebel cannot be fazed even with extra-heavy, phone-stalker-style breathing. 

The Rebel's Patriot colour scheme (other options are plain white/black, frost black, Base White and Base Orange) is bold and striking without being flashy or cheesy. The shape itself does not strike me as the sexiest, with doughy lines that seem more 1990s than 2010s. But Arai - which still makes its helmets by hand in Japan, firmly believes its own standards surpass those of standardised tests and believes so strongly in helmet shell integrity that it refuses to make flip-up models - can be trusted to put function ahead of form. 

It's that trust in the brand that they have earned over the years that has helped them not only earn a faithful following but also to charge premium prices for it: the Rebel is £440 in solid colours, and you pay another £50 for graphics. Is this too much money? Hard to say. The Rebel has not yet been rated by SHARP, and obviously the only way to truly compare the quality of a premium helmet in the real world is to have two absolutely identical high-speed crashes, which I'm not about to try to do, so I will go on the above mentioned faith for now. But if I was spending £7k-£10k for a premium naked bike, I wouldn't hesitate to fork over another few hundred on a highly functional lid from one of the best in the business.

I'll update you later in the summer on how the Rebel holds up after I use it in more varied conditions, for longer durations and at higher speeds.  

Model: Arai Rebel Patriot 

Price: £439.99-£489.99

Sizes: XS-XXL

www.whyarai.co.uk

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 Just watch it all the way through.

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Sykes fights old sparring partner Haslam at Donington

TOM Sykes reckons Donington suits his ZX-10R and the Englishman is confident ahead of this weekend's round.

Sykes currently sits third in the championship, behind Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. He's taken a win at Assen this season - a circuit not dissimilar to Donington with its fast and flowing corners - and been on the podium five times in eight races

"I am really looking forward to Donington" said Tom Sykes. "Monza for me was one of the hardest circuits we should have gone to, even though we won there last year, but we got on the podium twice. Donington is a flowing, twisting circuit so I am looking forward to riding my Ninja ZX-10R there.

"There are no real straights so it should be really good. It has always been a favourite of mine and I am very excited to go there with a fast and consistent package on the bike. I have led races at Donington in the past and we have been able to make good laps even at the end of races this year at a variety of different tracks, so I am really looking forward to Donington because it should be a nice one for me and the bike."

Last year, Sykes bagged a couple of third place finishes on the ZX-10R. Will another season's development be enough for Sykes to fight for a win?

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THE Effenbert Liberty Racing Team have quit World Superbikes.

The team, who were running rider Mark Aitchison on a Ducati 1098R, competed in the opening three rounds of the 2013 season but have withdrawn, citing difficulties in pursuing the target of promotion for their main sponsor.

The team have had a short, yet controversial time in WSBK. They made their debut in 2010, quickly establishing themselves as front-runners. In 2012 the team slammed WSBK organisers after the Monza round where Effenbert Liberty had a disasterous outing and blamed the organisers for only listening to select teams.

Also in 2012, Effenbert Liberty sacked rider Sylvain Guintoli, citing poor results, despite the fact he was the team's most successful rider, scoring a win at Assen.

Aitchison sits joint bottom of the WSBK standings on two points, while Guintoli leads with 137.

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Honda are still developing the next RC MotoGP machine

HRC Executive Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto has said that Honda's customer MotoGP machine, the Honda RC, is a month behind schedule.

Honda will offer the machine to private teams in 2014 but the machine is yet to be track tested as Honda are still putting the engine through its paces on the dyno. The RC won't be quite the same motorcycle as the factory RCV machines; they won't be fitted with pneumatic valves and gearboxes will be conventional as opposed to the ‘seamless’ systems of Repsol Honda Team. The bikes will come with Showa suspension as standard.

MotoGP riders Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista are testing new parts for the RC, including the new Nissin brakes and Showa suspension.

Perhaps a clue to the RC's delay is in Nakamoto's comment on Bradl's progress this season: "He has fallen a lot and perhaps too much. We will work with the LCR Honda MotoGP team to ensure a change in fortunes and help him finish races.”

Honda's RC road bike will be running to a different schedule and it's doubtful the delay in the MotoGP schedule will affect it. 

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The coolest sub half-litre bike on the market?

Not the 125 or 200...

Slim, low and light - inspires confidence

Agile little nipper

LET'S be honest: 180 bhp bikes are not for everyone. Not for me, anyway. Besides the fact that I couldn't possibly convince even one bank manager in the country to sign off on a loan for one, I doubt I would keep it rubber side down, or my licence clean, long enough to make it worthwhile.

Point is, nuclear weapons are all but obsolete. Yes, you still need to have them, but you're not really going to use them, are you? A few smart missiles, or heck, a bunch of rocket-propelled grenades, seem to do a pretty good job of blowing stuff up too. 

Back in 2011, when I first heard a KTM 350 Duke was on the cards, I loved the very idea of it. A 350cc street bike with maybe 35-40 bhp, light, agile, loud and fun (KTM don't do quiet or boring). I immediately bookmarked the Duke as one for the future shopping list, but was gutted to hear that they were then intended only for the Asian market. 

But in the post-recession era, one zillion horsepower at prices that few people can afford is not the winning formula anymore. As this realisation has dawned on manufacturers and punters alike, you now have something like eight or nine models in the 250cc-500cc segment, where just a few years ago you had none at all.

So when the boys in Austria confirmed that a 375cc Duke would be sold in Europe and the UK, evidently on the strength of expected demand, I immediately flicked my mental pages back to that bookmark. Oh yes - still very desirable.  

KTM is an increasingly major player, with sales last year at 107,000 units, exceeding that of BMW. Their 32% growth over the preceding year is largely down to the success of the 125 and 200cc Dukes, especially in India - where they are built - and other developing markets. 

Now filling the gap in their range between the 200 and the 690 comes the eagerly-awaited 390 (the moniker reflecting ease of nomenclature rather than the actual engine capacity) - the perfect size for an urban-oriented bike that's powerful and light enough to be fun on Sundays and Mondays, plus cheap enough to buy, insure and fill-up in the real world. 

The 390, like its smaller siblings, is built by Bajaj (which owns a 47% stake in KTM) over in India and - as KTM took pains to emphasise - then quality-checked in Austria before being despatched to dealers. The build quality of the 125/200 has not proved problematic, and there is no reason to imagine that the 390 will turn out any different. 

The 390 is also visually identical to the 125/200, with only different paint and stickers to separate the bikes in the parking lot. KTM couldn't control its urges to splash buckets of bright orange paint over everything, with the cool black wheels seen in the early pictures giving way to trademark orange hoops. Dunno about you, but I prefer the black ones; the orange trellis frame is enough colour for me. This much orange on one bike seems a bit look-at-me wannabe. But it's a KTM thing, eh… (insert shrug here).

When you swing a leg over the 390, it feels reassuringly narrow and low (the firm seat is actually 10mm lower than the 200's), yet substantial enough to excite. Wide bars push your elbows out, and between them is a simple, square instrument display offering up a lot of digital information, including fuel readings, trip, clock, fuel, even 'side stand down' warning text. So far, so 125-and-200. 

The major functional differences are revised suspension, better tyres and the bigger engine, and to experience all these you need to get going. Thumb the starter, take in the 'yep, definitely audible' engine note, pull the light clutch in, and snick into first. 

At just 12 kg heavier than the 125 (or 9.5 kg more than the 200), but with 44 bhp instead of 15 (or 25), this thing was bound to be a flier. And it is. The 390 feels at least as quick as Honda's new 500 twins (which do 0-60 in five-ish seconds), despite the difference in capacity, number of cylinders and horsepower, thanks to the fact that at just 139kg, or 150kg fully fuelled with 11 litres, it is some 20% lighter, and packs 293 bhp per ton to the Hondas' 242. 

The revvy single feels like it can go on and on, and indeed, urges you to see for yourself. The engine doesn't feel stressed or strained or too vibey, it just keeps making more power and speeds up the world, until the limiter kicks in at 10,500 rpm. The gearing is well spaced, not as short as the 200's, which feels constricted in comparison. While a tall sixth gear and the day's conditions did not permit hitting the stated top speed of 100 mph, top speed is of far less relevance than how you get there. The Duke just loves staying above 5-6,000 rpm and hustling in the 60-80 mph zone, which is where the best country road action is.

The rainy afternoon's riding in Northamptonshire included a lot of quick backroad riding and some fast A-road stints, but also some pottering in town and multiple passes for photos, and the bike had been presumably caned by other journos in the morning session. At the end of it all, the fuel consumption readout on the display was nine litres per 100 miles, which works out to 50.4 mpg.  This seems reasonable in the context of the 200cc Duke giving 63.9 mpg when Visordown thrashed, er, tested it. That said, the 390's tank seemed roughly about one-third full after a trip reading of 90 miles, which is more like 60-65 mpg. Anyway, I reckon owners will achieve figures closer to KTM's claimed 80 mpg. It's all in the wrist…

The 390's suspension (WP 43mm USD front forks and WP rear shock) has been beefed up and the damping revised, giving it the ability to smooth out patchy road surfaces and jump breakers without making you feel sorry for the bike, but is still stiff enough for sufficient feedback. 

The hard-wearing Indian MRF tyres on the 125/200 have been replaced by stickier Metzeler M5 Sportec rubber (110/70 front, 150/60 rear), which markedly increase the 390's handling performance envelope. It's a pleasingly agile bike, and though our session was wet, remained very planted throughout. In town, the 800 mm seat height, light clutch action, generous torque and compact turning radius make it a bike you can live with happily. 

With a 300mm disc up front clamped by four-piston ByBre (Brembo's budget brand) calipers, the new Duke's braking is strong and progressive enough for the class, though you may need to use an extra finger in a hurry. As with the 125 and 200, ABS comes as standard on the 390, and this is only a good thing, as I discovered when at one point on our route there was suddenly a load of mud all over the road. If you're the sort who likes to have a play, you can switch off the ABS via a not very prominent button to the lower left corner of the console. 

The stock 390 is not A2 licence compliant, but KTM says that a 1.5-bhp-reducing remap from your local dealer will make it nice and legal for A2 noobs. For those determined to have a bike like no other, KTM offers loads of cosmetic and performance accessories, from graphics and, uh, illumination kits, to a slip-on Akrapovic silencer and Z-ring chain and sprocket (in orange of course). And if you want a sports 390 clad in a full fairing, well, KTM has something for you later this year. 

On the whole, the KTM 390 Duke is a sweet little bike. Maybe not something you'd put a poster of up on your bedroom wall, but, more satisfyingly, something you could happily put in your garage. Practical, cheap, cool and fun, for an MRP of £4,500 - only £500 more than the 125 Duke and £300 more than the 200; and £700 less than the Ninja 300 ABS - it's one of the best bargains going right now. The CB500F is £150 more, near enough to consider and certainly worth a test ride, but the fun factor swings towards the Duke. I would cheerfully buy this bike with my own money.

250 units have been allocated to the UK, and I'd imagine they will sell like RPGs to insurgent rebels. Viva the revolution!

Add a KTM 390 Duke owner review or join the discussion.

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Crashing is never good but if someone pulls out on you, at least you can aim the blame in their direction. If you fall off because you ran out of talent, well you can take some humble learning from that too. But diesel? Diesel is a complete pain in the arse. If it's ever caught you out, you feel cheated because even though it never feels like it's your fault, there's no-one around to blame and deep down you feel like you could have avoided it.

This biker falls victim to a deadly diesel spill, but luckily he lives to tell the tale.

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Niall Mac on the HP4

Like most Superbike fans I have been reading with interest how technically clever the BMW HP4 is and how incredible it is to ride.  And when it was launched last year I had every reason to believe the hype because I’ve covered many miles on standard S1000RRs and they delivered everything BMW claimed they would on the box.

That said, I have learnt from past experience not always to take manufacturers claims as complete gospel.  One example for me was the 2009 Yamaha R1. It looked fantastic, sounded awesome but contrary to what I was told at the Eastern Creek launch presentation it didn’t deliver seamless, smooth power from its clever crossplane crank motor.  After a few warm up laps at this familiar circuit I found myself spinning up and sliding around as I tried to control the rush of torque and mid range power that was anything but linear. 

After the presentation I had been under the illusion that I could do anything at any time with the throttle and never get in trouble. 

The cross-plane model R1 is actually a brilliant bike and great fun to ride but effective round a race track in standard trim it is not.

In 2009 it had a round one spike of success in British Superstock racing but since that day they all but disappeared from the grid in a class that always favours the best standard bikes.   

So back to the HP4 and with the 2009 cynic in me still lurking I had no pre set expectations.  Embarrassingly, I got off to a bad start after sitting on the bike and commenting the suspension felt ‘a bit hard’. 

I soon found out this solid feeling immediately disappears when the ignition is turned on and the electronics are brought to life.  Straight away I noticed the engine has a nicer growly, burble than the standard S1000RR so first impressions were good.  

Heading out onto the Silverstone circuit in 'Slick Mode' the HP4 immediately felt light and nimble and this continued as I built up my pace particularly through the lower speed chicanes and hairpins.  Without logging over most of the lap it is difficult to tell what the fully active suspension is doing and when it is doing it but it certainly inspires seat of the pants confidence. 

The only time I could tell something was going on was during braking.  The initial feel when the brakes are applied is gentle weight transfer but when you begin to pull hard the front support increases rapidly to compensate.  This felt weird but I was loving how late I could brake at the end of the Hanger and Wellington straights without any fear of forks bottoming out. 

I was nowhere near race pace so although the braking part was good I’m not sure how the suspension would cope while turning in still hard on the brakes when the rider needs full control of what is going on.  The HP4 also felt super stable through the high speed Maggots/Becketts sections, however, the traction control might have needed some fine tuning as I was having some high speed rear end twitches over a damp patch heading out through the mega fast Chapel left hander. 

It comes a a price (£16700) but over a lap the HP4 felt more rapid, delivered better rider feedback and was physically less tiring than most bikes I’ve ridden on the Silverstone GP Arena circuit.  The old cynic in me didn’t expect the HP4 to sound better, feel more rapid or out handle the standard S1000RR.  It did and now I want to ride it more, lots more!

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