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…
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Ducati has just unveiled the Multistrada V4 Rally and with it, a solution to its thirst for gasoline. While much of the base Multi’ remains in place (the bike that topped our 2022 Adventure Test), the main headlines involve the addition of a 30-litre fuel capacity and a clever... Read more
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
Welcome to Budget Bike Battle Bavaria. That’s right, the greatest thing ever to grac the internet is back, and we’re taking two of the 90’s finest superbikes to German for a sausage fest Oktoberfest. We may be missing the vital ingredient that is Boothy, but the rest of the... Read more
We’ve got a few questions for you. The first is, what’s better than spending a day at Silverstone for MotoGP? The answer is, of course, spending THREE days in front of MotoGP. Next question; what’s better than spending three days at MotoGP? Easy one this; three days of KTM’s FINEST... Read more
Bored of two clicks, old Caddy jokes, ARN leathers and general trackday shit? Have you got a pre-2000 track bike or a retro ride? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then we have the solution for you. Up until a few weeks ago, I had no... Read more
As most of you know, Boothy crashed at Joey’s during a qualifying session at the 2022 Isle of Man TT races and suffered significant leg injuries, as well as a few other complications. He was conscious and airlifted by helicopter to Noble’s before being transferred by plane to Liverpool... Read more
More suspension changes, more laps and more tablets. TT 2022 is going pretty well, all things considered. I was hoping I’d wake up this morning feeling as fresh as a daisy but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. The penicillin that I’ve been on since yesterday lunchtime obviously needs a... Read more
Another red-flagged session, this time, meant I got stranded half-way around the TT course, but I still got a couple of decent laps in on the big bike, and half a lap on the 600. Yesterday we made some changes to the suspension which improved the FlyaSpitfire.com Kawasaki, and... Read more
Tuesday nights TT practice session was a little bit frustrating, but we got two laps in on the big bike and two on the little one, so I’m a very happy little boy. Yesterday’s practice session highlighted some slight issues with the setup on the FlyaSpitfire.com Kawasaki; in a... Read more
Monday, and the second day of practice at the 2022 Isle of Man TT. After a few mini showers during the day, the weather cleared up and tonight’s practice went ahead. Another three laps on the big bike. We had a bit of a ball-ach before the session with... Read more
Well that was a baptism of fire. I thought we’d have enough time for a couple of laps on both bikes, but I ended up getting four laps on the FlyaSpitfire.com Kawasaki and two on the Surf Bar Triumph. Today was a good day. We’ve well and truly blown... Read more
After a bit of last minute rushing around between the North West 200 and the TT, as alluded to yesterday, both bikes are sporting some super sexy new graphics; I don’t know about you, but I think they both look mega smart. And now the cat’s out the bag... Read more
