Bike Reviews
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Ridden: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650
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Royal Enfield has added a cruiser to its wildly successful 650 twins range – and Alan Cathcart has been out to India to ride it. The Super Meteor 650 is available in two versions targeting different slices of the middleweight cruiser market – and they’re both powered by the same proven 648cc parallel-twin engine, which…
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First Ride: Ducati Diavel V4
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Big, heavy, and unapologetically quirky, the Diavel has divided opinions since it bounded into our lives 13 years ago. But there’s a box-fresh offering for 2023 and maybe, just maybe, Ducati has mastered a sportier formula that’ll appeal to the masses. Bruce Wilson dances with the devil… There are those born desperate to fit in,…
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Tested! The Zontes ZT350-GK
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Make no bones about it, Chinese bikes are getting better. A lot better. A vast array of firms have been manufacturing bikes, engines, parts and accessories that are being lapped up by western customers in great numbers. One such factory is Zontes. Simon Meyer tells us of his time with the ZT350-GK It’s been selling…
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Longtermers: 16 weeks on a Suzuki GSX-S 1000
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16 weeks on the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 and Andy Bell’s best laid plans have gone awry.
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QUICK SPIN! Honda CBR300R
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Bob Pickett takes a look at a 2017 pocket rocket… Honda introduced the CBR300R in 2014, replacing the CBR250R (comprehensively outgunned by Kawasaki’s Ninja 300). It got a 35cc capacity hike, cosmetically altered to resemble the rest of the CBR range and ABS as standard. We tested a 2017 model with Scorpion end-can, aftermarket levers…
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Golden Oldie – BSA Gold Star 650 Test Ride
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After a nearly 40-year hiatus, one of the most important names in British motorcycling kickstarted its revival with a new version of its most celebrated model: the Gold Star. To put it through its paces properly, we took the chance to ride it at the top-secret Millbrook Proving Ground across its extensive cross-section of test…
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Honda’s Big Buzz – Our thoughts on the Hornet
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The Hornet is back. But Honda’s completely reinvented it for the 21st century. Dave Manning explains what you need to know about the hotly anticipated middleweight. When Honda first launched the Hornet way back in 1996 – as a four-cylinder machine of just 250cc capacity – it was a departure from the normal Japanese domestic…
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Battle of the Middleweights: 4). Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT
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read… A lot of people love the V-Strom 650. First launched in 2004, the venerable ‘wee-strom’ has had plenty of time to garner the affections of adventure-loving bikers who value accessibility, affordability and reliability over sharp styling, loads of power and the latest gadgets. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it Powered by the same…
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Battle of the Middleweights- 3): Yamaha Tenere 700
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We’ve pitched Aprilia’s Tuareg 650, Suzuki’s V-Strom 650 XT, Yamaha’s Tuareg 660 and Moto Morini’s X-Cape against each other. We’ve already covered two of these (have a look through the website for the others), now it’s Gary Hartshome’s turn to run the rule over the Yamaha… Up until recent years the adventure bike market has…
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Battle of the Middleweights: 2). Moto Morini X-Cape
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The second in our four-bike test! Aprilia Tuareg Vs Moto Morini X-Cape Vs Suzuki V-Strom 650 Vs Yamaha Tenere 700. Dave Manning takes a look at the X-Cape: While fashion is constantly changing, style remains and – from the eyes of this jaded hack – the X-Cape has style in bucket-loads. While it may not…
