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
He’s not even 30 and he’s already one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time. After a meteoric rise through the ranks of motorcycle grand prix racing, he made his debut in MotoGP in 2013, and with the exception of 2015 and 2020, has been pretty bloody... Read more
Most modern bikes are really good. In fact some are almost perfect… but none of them are. So it got me thinking. Could the perfect motorcycle be built? If you could take the very best motor ever produced and put it in a bike with the best suspension, best... Read more
It’s not often we feature anything other than two wheels on 44Teeth (my sidecar being the obvious recent exception) but there’s no reason why we can’t branch out and bring you sexy guys/gals some more diverse content. Yes, we’re all about that moto life, but if there’s one thing... Read more
Bike racing’s great isn’t it? Whether you’re the one helmeted up and sat on the grid or watching it from the comfort of your favourite arm chair, there aren’t many things that beat it. And whilst BSB, WSBK, MotoGP and the like all definitely put the lead in my... Read more
KTM graced us with details about the Super Adventure S a month or so ago, but now it’s time for this; the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. Like the S, there’s loads of saucy new parts that KTM say ‘will let adventurers discover the most hidden paths under the... Read more
Once upon a time, motorbikes were the things people bought when they couldn’t afford a car. Now, with the exception of young kids and a few moped riders, that’s not really the case. For most of us, a motorcycle is a luxury item. We use them as a toy... Read more
I can remember watching Steve McQueen flying round the German countryside escaping from the Nazis, and thinking “that’s cool”. And as much as I love throwing my leg over the latest and greatest sportsbike, nothing pulls on my heartstrings the way a classic British bike does. But I wouldn’t... Read more
Is the 2021 World Superbike season a forgone conclusion? Will Johnny Rea make it seven out of seven? Will the Ducati boys put a stop to him? Perhaps it’s the year of the Yamaha or maybe it’s high-time Honda pulled their finger out? All will be revealed in the... Read more
I think we can all agree that COVID-19 did a bit of a number on us in 2020. People were losing their jobs, their businesses and their lives, left, right and centre, so it was no surprise that sport, in general, took a bit of a hit. It was... Read more
Computers are taking over the world, aren’t they? Just last night, my smartwatch told me it was tea time so I ordered a pizza on my iPhone, took a tinny out of my thermostatically controlled fridge and told Alexa to play some banging tunes. But as much as I... Read more
It was 2018 when I first laid eyes on the SRAD in a ‘budget’ shop in Leeds. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight and, fast forward three years, I certainly didn’t expect to be wasting spending time overhauling the old girl and treating her to some fancy upgrades. It’s safe to say we’ve had... Read more
We’re already living in a Big Brother state. We’ve got the eyes of the establishment on us seemingly endlessly, and it’s been the case for some years now. Up until fairly recently though, unless you were being really naughty, or you were on MI5’s list of most wanted, you... Read more
