As recently as a year or two ago, who would have imagined that a German motorcycle - a BMW - would emerge as the hottest, fastest and most fashionable street-legal superbike in the world...!
We recently carried an interview with Leslie Porterfield, who’s now a Guinness record holder for being the fastest female motorcyclist in the world. There, we also featured some of Leslie’s pics with a BMW S1000RR, which were clicked by Markus Hofmann, one of Germany’s top photographers. Well, it seems Hofmann quite likes the S1000RR himself and has earlier taken more pics of the bike with various models, some of which we’ve featured here.
The BMW S1000RR is the hottest, sportiest motorcycle to ever emerge from Germany and combining the bike with haute couture can’t be a bad idea. With the S1000RR, Hofmann wanted to create a look that showed beautiful women wearing clothes that are desirable, yet still obtainable and entirely real world relevant.
‘There are so many motorcycle manufacturers that combine motorcycles and women in an artless and sleazy way, that I thought there just had to be a better way of doing it,’ says Hofmann. ‘I had no intention of putting a naked woman on a bike, and it was very clear to me that the bike had to be the S1000RR superbike in the same colour that people have seen on the racetrack in 2009. I didn’t want the bike to fade into the background either – showing the name of the manufacturer was also very important for me, because it made the feeling of a pit stop and racetrack environment much more authentic,’ he adds.
Hmm… yeah, well, we love the S1000RR anyway and we quite like Hofmann’s pics. Visit his blog to see more of his work.
Want to be able to ride faster? You could learn a thing or two from Andy Ibbot's book...
We wanted to be able to ride our 100cc Honda scooter a bit faster. So, of course, we got ourselves a copy of Performance Riding Techniques, written by Andy Ibbot. Billed as ‘the MotoGP manual of track riding skills,’ it’s definitely a useful book and an interesting read. We recommend you buy a copy now. In the meanwhile, here are some quick lessons from the book, as taught by the Gurus of MotoGP:
Keith Code says there are only five kinds of errors that you can make while riding a motorcycle. And this is probably what happens when you make some of those errors...
Learn
‘The simplicity of it all is astounding. On a motorcycle we do the same things as our heroes do: change speed and direction with the controls. That’s all there is, no more and no less. When it goes right, speed and direction changes are precisely placed on the road and correctly metered, just the right amount. It’s the same with errors. There are only five possible errors: changing speed or direction or both at the wrong time or in the wrong amount. No more and no less.’ – Keith Code
Thinking about what's for dinner tonight? Don't, says Rossi...
Focus
‘When you ride, you should try and forget everything else. Don’t think about the rest of your life or the rest of the world. Try to forget all that and think only of the road or the track and the bike. It's not always easy to stay focused on the bike. Sometimes you feel that one part of the brain rides the bike, thinks about the tyre, sees the road, but maybe the other part is thinking about a girl, a friend, a song...’ – Valentino Rossi
Run, cycle, jog, go to the gym and ride motocross. Yeah, well, nobody said it was going to be easy!
Train
‘Legs are the biggest part of training, for sure. I cycle maybe five days a week and do 30-40 miles per day, and two days of running 4-5 miles each week.’ – John Hopkins
‘You can only get bike-fit riding a bike. It doesn’t matter how much training you do over the winter – you end up knackered after the first test.’ – James Ellison
Think ahead, plan for the next corner...
Think
‘You need to stay 100% concentrated on what is going to happen next. You need to ride with your mind a little bit in front of the bike. On the track, I’m always thinking about the next corner.’ – Valentino Rossi
‘I try to spend at least an hour a day going through the track in my head. I try and think about all my lines throughout the whole circuit, going back and forth looking at braking markers and stuff like that, so when you show up, you are prepared and immediately you’re good on the bike.’ – John Hopkins
Control
‘For sure, throttle control is the most important part of riding a bike. It’s difficult with a big bike, like a MotoGP bike or big streetbike, because you can spin the rear tyre even in the dry. The only way to learn throttle control is experience, riding as many bikes as possible in as many conditions as possible. Basically you need to make many kilometres because you need to understand the power delivery of the bike. When you understand how and when the power arrives, it becomes more easy with the throttle.’ – Valentino Rossi
Stop. Hard. And make it go where you really want it to go...
Brake
‘You want to run the bike in with as much speed as possible and use the brake to control the bike’s speed. Obviously, the more lean angle you’re carrying the less brake you use. While I’m braking, I use pressure on both the footpegs to help take the braking forces and to get my weight into my thighs and the tank.’ – Chris Vermeulen
Steer
‘Your bike’s handlebars, of course, play the big part in steering, but your footpegs help you steer the bike too.’ – Chris Vermeulen
Get on with it…
‘When racing a motorcycle, there shouldn’t be anywhere on the track where you aren’t either braking or on the throttle – there shouldn’t be any period in between. From the moment I let the brake off, I have some throttle to keep the bike stable and then accelerate as hard and as soon as I can.’ – Chris Vermeulen
Some have sheer talent for riding a motorcycle very fast. And then there are MotoGP riders
…but remember, you’re not Loris Capirossi
‘Normally in the race you ride the bike at 95%. In the qualifying you ride the bike at 110%. You use everything, the whole track. You use the bike really over the limit. You lose the front, you lose the back, always you are over the limit. For me this is very good, because I like to ride the bike that way.’ – Loris Capirossi
These excerpts are taken from Andy Ibbot's excellent book, Performance Riding Techniques. Get your copy now, from Amazon, eBayor Barnes & Noble
Leslie Porterfield, the fastest female motorcyclist in the world...
‘The fastest speed on a conventional motorcycle by a female pilot is 374.208km/h (232.522mph), by Leslie Porterfield (USA) on a modified Suzuki Hayabusa at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, on 5th September 2008,’ says the recently issued Guinness World Records certificate. So, yes, while Leslie was already the fastest female motorcyclist in the world when we last spoke to her back in December 2008, her record setting feat now has Guinness’ official stamp of approval.
‘Bonneville is an amazing place. Its stark white expanse of salt makes it seem other-worldly. The competitors are welcoming. Everyone that goes to Bonneville has a passion for the sport and the camaraderie is unlike any other sport,’ says Leslie. ‘I had a great time taking my Hayabusa to a record speed of 232mph, and a production CBR1000 to 192mph. It was an amazing year for me,’ she adds.
‘I returned to the salt in 2009 and set a record at 234mph, with a first run at a spectacular 240mph average through the mile. The return run ended up being a little slower due to wheelspin,’ says Leslie. ‘I took the prestigious ‘Top Speed of the meet on a Motorcycle award’ that year and this was the first time in history that a woman took that award. I’m excited about returning to the salt this summer for more record-chasing,’ she says.
So how exactly does it feel to have that certificate from Guinness, we asked her. ‘I still haven’t found a permanent place for my Guinness Record certificate. I move it from place to place… In my shop, by the bike, home… I just need to make some good copies. Maybe it would make good wallpaper!’ says Leslie.
Leslie recently had the opportunity to do a fashion shoot with Markus Hofmann... Pics: Markus Hofmann
Now, while she’s ridden bikes faster than most of us ever will, there’s more to Leslie Porterfield than just speed. There’s also style. She’s shot with top fashion photographer, Markus Hofmann, at BMW’s Aerodynamics Test Centre in Munich, Germany.
‘We chose not to use any motorcycle outfits, as Leslie already has many pictures like this and I wanted to do this shoot with haute couture. I called Karl Lagerfeld’s agent and they were happy to send across some outfits. Marcel Ostertag and other fashion designers were also involved. In the end, we had a choice of about ten items, of which Leslie chose four to model,’ says Hofmann. ‘It was cold in the wind tunnel but she put up with that extremely well,’ adds Art Director Dirk Meycke, who, along with the rest of the crew, kept their winter coats on throughout the photo shoot…
After fast bikes, fashion shoots and a thriving business of her own, what’s next? ‘In the future, I am hoping to go faster and look forward to chasing more records. I think as technology improves, we will continue to see faster speeds – I hope we will all safely achieve higher speeds every year. The biggest change for me ahead will be piloting a new motorcycle – this new challenge makes the 2010 season a very exciting one for me,’ she adds.
Well, we’re sure Leslie will keep getting faster and… umm… faster! We wish her all the very best.
