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
With 52 victories, 94 podiums and three World Superbike titles, Ducati golden-boy Troy Bayliss doesn’t need any introduction. Neither, to be fair, does the Panigale V2 (despite it not winning any world championships). But this does. It’s the epically named ‘Ducati Panigale V2 Bayliss 1st Championship 20th Anniversary’. Because... Read more
Shell, who are getting cosily tucked up in bed with Waitrose, have announced they are kitting 100 Waitrose shops out with Shell Recharge stations, capable of charging electric cars and bikes. Shell, who’s role in perpetuating global warming could be argued until the cows come home, are obviously trying... Read more
I love going fast. That’s one of the reasons I love riding motorbikes. But going fast is just so dangerous, isn’t it? Well, no not really. I don’t think it is, anyway. Because we all know that it’s not going really fast that hurts, it tends to be the... Read more
We all know how police are clamping down on us ‘generally’ law-abiding motorcyclists, with their speed cameras and their driver awareness causes and all that nonsense; so I don’t need to go into that. What I’m sure most of us want to know, is what they’re doing to tackle... Read more
Oh my goodness, look what we’ve got here. It’s the race bike we’ve been begging KTM to build for years. The the KTM RC 8C and it’s a real dreamboat. It’s been built ‘ready to race’ in partnership with Krämer Motorcycles, around the 890 Duke R engine, but with... Read more
Well it might not happen very often, but Fagan was absolutely right. He said, just last week, that he thought Triumph were about to announce their arrival into the MX and enduro world. And they just have. I’ll admit, it didn’t take the brains of an archdeacon to work... Read more
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing test rider and MotoGP leg-end Dani Pedrosa is coming back for more, three years after his last MotoGP appearance. The Grand Prix of Styria will be where the tiny Spaniard makes his MotoGP comeback aboard the KTM RC16; and it’s only fair really, since... Read more
If you’ve got a good memory, you’ll remember Kawasaki winning the 42nd Suzuka 8 Hours waaaaaaay back in 2019. They finished just 18 seconds in front of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team; who finished 48 seconds in front of Red Bull Honda. All after eight hours of racing. But... Read more
To the naked eye, and from a dozen or so paces away, a Superbike and a Superstock bike might look the same. But they’re not. If you’ve ever wondered what £30k will get you, compared to £100k+ in the BSB paddock, wonder no more as we ask, BSB Superbike... Read more
We hear plenty of industry gossip on a weekly, sometimes daily basis and it’s up to us to decipher the guff from the gold. But a few weeks ago, I heard something utterly preposterous: Triumph entering the off-road market and, in particular, motocross and enduro. Oh how I laughed... Read more
