When word got out about the RS 660, we were all pretty gosh darn excited. We rode the RS last year and, despite not being able to firmly place it in a particular motorcycle genre, were pretty impressed with its peachy little engine, the way it handled and its space-age tech. That said, the...
When you’ve sold as many Monsters as Ducati have – more than 350,000 – you know you’re onto a winner. But whilst the Monster 1200 always seemed to be exactly what it said on the tin (a Monster), its smaller sibling, the Monster 900 never seemed quite as monstrous as I’d have liked….
BMW has finally given the S 1000 R a long-overdue update; it’s 5.1kg lighter, it’s got a new chassis and yes, before you ask, it does include the newer spec S 1000 RR based engine… sort of. Ok, it’s not in the same 200bhp+ state of tune and you don’t get shifting cams, but essentially, it’s…
Famed for mentally fast, techno-packed cars, and creating the world’s best-selling motorcycle, BMW tore the industry a new botty when launching the original S 1000 RR. It was, and still is, the benchmark for 1000cc four-cylinder weaponry. The 2009 S Thou’ was akin to a CBR600RR injected with some severe... Read more
Today is not a normal day. Yesterday was not a normal day either after engaging in carry-on combat with Benidorm-bound tourists on an averagely mediocre flight from London Gatwick. Needless to say I persevered in my avoidance of the Spanish strain of Ebola, and my trusty EasyJet flying machine navigated... Read more
Just after landing in Milan’s Linate airport, we jumped straight into a taxi and fled to Ducati’s exquisite 2015 model launch, held at a theatre in central Milano. Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO, hosted the launch that was streamed live to millions worldwide. There was banging dubstep, some beautiful, scantily-clad... Read more
There’s not much that betters the soundtrack of a Desmosedici. Ducati’s road-legal version of its GP racer was launched in 2007 and the entire limited batch of 1500 sold out quicker than Baron’s Jizz Machine stickers. While the GP derivations can’t be denied, Desmo owners didn’t get the full... Read more
There were lots of lavish techno queens unveiled at the Milan show but this retrosexual café racer concept from Yamaha also caught grabbed our attention. This is the handy work of the (unfortunately-named) Bender brothers from Germany. Raphael and Christian transformed a bog-stock XV950 into the Boltage as part... Read more
Straight after Honda’s shindig, it was Kawasaki’s crack at releasing some more wiz-bang for public consumption. The ‘track-only’ H2R and its supercharged howitzer was unveiled at Cologne last month and the target power output was 300bhp. Kawasaki, apparently, has exceeded those expectations with 306bhp – its slogan, ‘Built Beyond... Read more
0 miles It’s 6am. Out of the window the morning sun is hidden by dense fog, which is not a welcome sight. We make our way out of the most bizarre hotel rooms in Eastern Europe and down to see the bikes – all packed, set up, cameras and... Read more
Fresh from clinching the World Superbike championship with Sylvain Guintoli and his RSV4, Aprilia unleashed a heavily revised road-going model in Milan – or, rather, two new RSV4s. The RR, for me, was the bike of the show: resplendent on the stand in its new guise, and packing some... Read more
Ex-racer turned TV pundit, James Haydon kicks off with the first of some excruciatingly funny hire car anecdotes… “We were in southern Spain at a pre-season test with Red Bull Ducati. Ben Atkins (team manager) didn’t like hire cars being damaged, and I’d had a few warnings not to... Read more
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be a full-time, factory motorcycle racer. And it’s something that I fantasise quite a lot about, at times like this; on the run up to a big race like the TT, where I’ll be competing against the pros on my... Read more
Put your hand up if you’ve been to the Isle of Man TT. Now put it down, you look like a tit. If you’ve been, you’ll probably have a decent idea of what it’s all about and a rough idea of the rules governing the different classes that race... Read more
I’ve been lucky enough to ride and race at quite a few race circuits in the UK and abroad, and because of that, I quite often get asked which my favourite one is. Now if I’m being totally honest, my favourite place to ride a motorcycle in the whole... Read more
2022 was always going to be a special year for Honda and the Fireblade brand. That’s because it’s 30 years since the first ones started appearing in showrooms. Since 1992 the Fireblade has seen umpteen iterations; some world-beating, others not quite, but they’ve all enjoyed their fair share of... Read more
They’ve got cameras to catch you speeding, running red lights and borrowing bus lanes… and now, they’re getting noise cameras to prosecute you for having a noisy bike (or car). Welcome to Big Brother Britain. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, reckons it’s about time the government put a stop... Read more
For the last five years, I’ve been desperate to compete in the International North West 200. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, it’s never happened… until this year, when I finally made it over to ‘The Triangle’. And I loved every second of it; well nearly every second. The... Read more
“The bolt of lightning is a traditional symbol of sudden illumination and the destruction of ignorance” Permission to Torque is a community-driven organisation within the automotive sector that has been created simply to show people it’s good to talk about mental health. Through our various communities we will display... Read more
Wouldn’t it be great if you had an electric motorbike that didn’t take an hour and a half to recharge? No? Ok not everyone wants an electric bike. In fact plenty of you absolutely detest the idea of it. But for those of you that are a little more... Read more
Not content with having one of the most comprehensive off-road motorcycle line-ups going, GASGAS, just last night, announced that they’re releasing a pair of actual road bikes… well, sort of. Say hello to the GASGAS SM 700 and ES 700. This is a pair of red-hot singles that’s definitely... Read more
It’s just been revealed that the two-time BSB champion Josh Brookes will ride the Ducati Panigale, originally earmarked for Michael Dunlop, at the North West 200 in a few weeks’ time. When Michael Dunlop dramatically announced that he wouldn’t be racing the Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati Panigale at the... Read more
After a ton of wet practice and iffy conditions in qualifying, the Portuguese Grand Prix got underway in reasonably good conditions; it wasn’t as sunny as it’s supposed to be in the Algarve, but it was dry. Thanks to Jack Miller wiping Joan Mir out in a over-ambitious out-braking... Read more
Last night, at the TT launch event in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, 19-time TT winner Michael Dunlop, sensationally revealed that he would not be racing the PMB Ducati at this year’s TT races. During an on-stage interview with Steve Plater, Dunlop who was notably not dressed in... Read more
