Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer test

Menus

• Cordial Agreement 2.0
• 100 hp @ 9800 rpm, 9.1 mkg at 7450 rpm, 196 kg
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• In the city
• Motorways and expressways
• Departmental
• Cycle part
• Braking
• Comfort / duo
• Conclusion

Cordial Agreement 2.0

100 hp @ 9800 rpm, 9.1 mkg at 7450 rpm, 196 kg

Four years ago, in 2015, a two-wheeled version of the Franco-English Entente Cordiale revived the legendary Brough Superior brand with the production in France of the first high-performance road bike with the iconic logo. British on his tank for 75 years. This came after the owner of the Brough Superior brand, Briton Mark Upham, based in Austria, entrusted French designer Thierry Henriette, owner of Boxer Design in Toulouse, with the mission of creating the new SS100 which made its official debut in Milan Motor Show 2013, then coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the launch of the original model.

Henriette and her partner Albert Castaigne then relaunched Brough Superior as a manufacturer of high performance, high quality and inevitably high price motorcycles which, despite their retro style, use cutting edge technology, premium materials and design. radical. Powered by a liquid-cooled 88 ° V-twin engine specially developed by Akiro Engineering in Bayonne, a company which notably deals with the design of the engines for Jonathan Rea’s Kawasaki ZX-10R in the World Superbike Championship, the production of the very new SS100 has progressed over the past three years in the state-of-the-art 2,000m Boxer plant² located in Toulouse and now renamed Brough Superior.

Brough Superior SS100 and Pendine Sand Racer

With its 14 employees, each Brough Superior machine is now fully produced in-house and no longer uses the motors supplied by Akira. With 62 motorcycles built in 2017 and 125 more in 2018, deliveries are expected to climb to 250 this year, which represents the annual ceiling envisaged by Henriette for the production of what will always remain a prestige brand. In 2001, he had already built a series of 36 superb Boxer VB1 Superbikes in the same factory until the use of Voxan V-Twins ceased after the liquidation of the French manufacturer. He therefore has expertise in marketing a motorcycle, but this time protected Brough Superior from an identical fate by building his own engine..

I had introduced Mark Upham to Thierry Henriette in 2010. So I was treated to a huge favor by being the first to test the new Pendine Sand Racer as a pre-production prototype painted in a shade of sand, but devoid of ABS and equipped with a single disc at the front against two on the production model.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer review

Discovery

So far, all new Broughs built have been SS100s whose retro styling inevitably harkens back to the first superbike in history with the same name. Second leg of Brough Superior’s comeback, unveiled at EICMA 2017, the Pendine Sand Racer is as different from the SS100 as brie is to camembert. By the 1920s, the name Pendine was used on all of Brough’s custom-built racing motorcycles for wealthy customers and were advertised as capable of reaching 110 mph versus 100 for the SS100. By naming his motorcycles after the 7 mile beach of Pendine Sands in South Wales, which at that time hosted the British equivalent of Daytona Beach and saw speed records follow one another, the astute George Brough had the ‘idea to link these exploits with his motorcycles, even if his own records were recorded at Brooklands or Arpajon.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

The new Pendine is a much different type of bike, as the exclusively designed Sand Racer is actually more of a "Monster" Brough when the SS100 is a Panigale. Using the same platform, Thierry Henriette designed a motorcycle totally different from the SS100 with a roadster whose fluid lines and double exhausts made enthusiasts salivate. On the Pendine, these have been placed on the left while they are found on the right of the SS100.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer muffler

However, although it is a subtly remapped version of the same engine, the Pendine costs 5% less than the SS100 and appears in France at 60,000 euros against 63,500. It’s almost a good deal !

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer tank

The other significant differences of the Pendine from the SS100 are the different diameter wheels compared to the retro styling of the sports car’s 18 "pair, but with a geometry that remains the same. On the Pendine, the forged rims at 16 CNC aluminum branches show a size of 19 inches at the front, fitted with a Continental ContiAttack 2 120 / 70R19 and 17 inches at the rear, in 170/60.

The Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

The brakes are also quite different although they are still made by local specialist Beringer. Instead of the two pairs of small 230mm diameters at the front of the SS100, the Pendine only has a 320mm double disc in which radial 4-piston calipers bite (single disc on the version tested ), coupled with a rear 230 mm disc. The ABS Continental MK100MAB completes the system.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer Lighthouse

In the saddle

Throwing your leg over the single-seater saddle – no Brough Superior has yet a passenger seat – immediately shows how significant the differences are compared to the SS100. The saddle is thus shown to be 25 mm lower than previously and here culminates at "only" 805 mm. You feel much closer to the Pendine, sitting lower and almost "in" the bike, rather than perched like on your sporty sister..

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer saddle

There is a small difference in shape in the one-piece handlebars with higher and receding grips on the Pendine, providing a more upright, more comfortable position and more space, making riding the bike in traffic easier and more attractive..

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer handle

If you can forget the price of the bike you’re riding (I tried, really!), You find yourself riding one of the most enjoyable streetfighters around. The large rubber grips provide a feel that conveys the bike’s personality well which further benefits from appreciable details like the classy brake and clutch master cylinders, further adding to the feeling of quality. Even the key is a work of art.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer Key

Part of this satisfaction comes from the modifications made by Henriette & Co. on the V2 88 ° which is much more refined and easier to ride than that of the SS100 prototype that I had driven three years ago at the start of His development.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer V-Twin

In the city

On the Pendine there is still plenty of power and enough to thrill, but it’s the way it is delivered that is even better than before (and it was already pretty good!). It is associated with a maximum torque of 89 Nm at 7,450 rpm on this Euro4 version of the engine and delivers up to 100 horsepower at 9,800 rpm. The throttle opening is smoother than before, but without being lazy.

City test of the Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

A good dose of torque is thus available from 2,000 rpm which can hardly be read on the small digital screen of the large meter which also allows the engine temperature and mileage to be displayed, but no gear indicator. engaged, which could have been useful on such a torquey machine where you can easily lose count of the gear you are on. If an entry-level like the KTM 125 Duke can get it, then a Brough Superior should too..

And as long as I’m complaining, the start and turn signal buttons are also too small and difficult to use with gloves on. In addition, the correct length side stand is almost impossible to find with the left foot when it comes to parking. Finally, there is no fuel gauge on the meter, just an indicator light.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer counter

On the other hand, the six-speed gearbox works perfectly and is above all incredibly light in action which makes it an excellent bike for the city, especially with the upright driving position which helps to see far ahead to trace yourself. a route.

The cylinder angle of 88 ° is not that far from that of the 90 ° V-Twin, like all Ducatis and the dimensions of the SS100 engine of 94 x 71.8 mm are almost identical to those of a Desmodue 1000DS of 94 x 71.5 mm. However, the Pendine does not sound like a Ducati, but more like an Aprilia RSV1000 with its V at 60 °. It has a more acute, more offset sound, emanating from these two exhausts at an idle speed of 1,400 rpm. But go up in the towers and you will benefit from a surplus of power from 6,000 to 10,000 rpm..

The Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer in town

Motorways and expressways

The engine relaunches perfectly and has a good extension while the upright position is shown to be restful. There is only the obvious lack of protection which is annoying on the expressways. But this is clearly not the preferred terrain for our Sand Racer, which is only equipped with a small 12-liter tank and will not allow carrying luggage or passengers. So forget about long-distance travel, that’s not what we’re here for.

Departmental

The front suspension of the Pendine is the most eye-catching of all the avant-garde features of this slim, but long (1,540mm wheelbase) Brough Superior combining a retro appearance and ultra modern design. Based on the triangular system created by Claude Fior, who used it in the late 1980s on the Grand Prix Fior 500, it was copied by BMW to create the K-series Duolever, because Fior had not patented it. Claude Fior in fact built several motorcycles for Boxer Design using the same front suspension and whose evolution can be found today on the Broughs..

Road test of the Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

This suspension brings several advantages, in particular with the separation of the damping and the steering, allowing the fork not to lock when one brakes on the angle. The suspension tuning is also better thanks to an adjustable shock absorber which notably reduces the weight transfer and makes it possible to maintain a constant geometry, the shock absorber only allowing to work on a really vertical axis, even during the heaviest braking. There is also a reduction in the suspended masses. The triangular suspension potentially offers immediate adjustment of the entire chassis geometry and allows for more precise adjustments than on the more sophisticated telescopic forks. Added to this is a stiffness / weight ratio much higher than that of a conventional fork..

You can quickly take advantage of these advantages on the Pendine as you quickly get into the habit of braking hard and late without being afraid to lock the steering. The upper triangle can be seen moving up and down when working on irregularities in the road, although this is less pronounced than on the SS100 because of the more upright position and the fact that you hardly feel physical effects.

The Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer in curve

In addition, Henriette has kept just the right amount of diving in this system to allow bikers not used to these alternative suspensions to retain the feeling that accompanies the bike on hard braking. Something that it already does very well with its simple Beringer disc which is sufficient to stop the 196 kg dry, especially when the rear is used suddenly on emergency braking..

Despite the installation of a 19-inch front wheel, one cannot criticize the direction of the Pendine which does not seem to be slowed down by this larger wheel and which even gains in precision in the trajectories, probably thanks to the more upright position and the greatest leverage of the handlebars.

The Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer in a corner

There is definitely more torque available at low revs, so it is not necessary to overwork the gearbox to keep the V-Twin in revs..

Although one always finds a cable control, the mapping of the Synerject ECU is really excellent with precise injection delivering progressive acceleration and linearity in the access to power. When you brake on a curve as the Fior fork allows, going around does not result in any jerky or overly aggressive reaction that could cause the rear tire to slip..

The Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer on the road

Cycle part

The same goes for the Fior type suspension which now uses a Kayaba shock absorber adjustable in preload and rebound. Going for the Japanese OEM instead of the Ohlins of the SS100 day probably had a lot in the lower price. The front Kayaba offers excellent damping and good stability on the often bumpy roads of the south of France.

The fully adjustable Kayaba shock absorber offset on the right replaces the SS100 model but retains the same 130 mm travel and is still quite dry. He would have deserved to be a little more flexible on this kind of bike.

Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer shock absorber

Braking

The simple front disc of the pre-production version that I was able to test already fulfills its role perfectly. There is no doubt that the second 320 mm disc and the addition of Continental ABS will only improve its performance in this area..

Front brake of the Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

Comfort / duo

For the duo it’s very simple, it’s not possible. So forget any possibility for a ride with a partner in the back. As for comfort and practicalities, this is not the strong point of the beautiful Franco-English either. If the natural driving position and the saddle provide what it takes to feel good on the bike, it does not really lend itself to long journeys, in particular by its total lack of practical aspects; no need to look for a safe or try to secure suitcases in it. In addition, you would spoil its sublime line.

Conclusion

If the SS100 is some sort of long, fast gentleman’s machine, equivalent on two wheels to an Aston Martin DB9 or a Bentley Continental with the same high level of workmanship and a strong sense of exclusivity, then the Pendine is a bit of a Range. Rover of the motorcycle, not being afraid to dirty his tires, but preferring not to venture on too offroad terrain and even less in mud.

Testing the Pendine Sand Racer

No doubt about it, Thierry Henriette and her team have won their bet with this new Pendine Sand Racer. It’s just a shame that owning such a fine motorcycle is inevitably reserved for the privileged few. As with the creation of the SS100 which relaunched the brand after 75 years of hibernation, they can be proud of their work which ensures that the legend still lives, thanks to a very successful Entente Cordiale which produces there a still very eye-catching variation of one of the most unique and satisfying modern motorcycles money can buy.

Strong points

• Engine character and availability
• Smooth transmission
• Granting of suspensions
• Attack behavior
• Quality of materials and finishes

Weak points

• Slightly firm rear suspension
• A very exclusive motorcycle

The technical sheet of the Brough Superior Pendine Sand Racer

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