Touring Bikes
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Kawasaki Z1000SX long term review | Can you be too practical
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I’m worried that I’m too practical. I don’t know why it hit me when it did, but I suddenly feel bad for spoiling the Zed’s stunning lines with a top box. The bike came with a set of panniers, which followed the machine’s lines beautifully. The trouble was, besides making filtering a bit more hairy,…
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2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 review
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2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 review | £9749| 120bhp@9000rpm | 88lb-ft@7500rpm | 1043cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke inline-four Tested by: John Milbank The Versys 1000 is more than just a facelift. It’s also more than just a bigger version of the 650. And, according to Kawasaki, it’s not an ‘Adventure bike’. While many similar machines are sold…
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2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer review
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2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer review | £8149 | 115bhp @10,000rpm | 65lb-ft@8500rpm | 847cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Tested by: Tony Carter Photos: Yamaha The MT-09 Tracer is the latest addition to the 10-model range of the MT family. A simple way to put it might be that it’s basically an MT-09 with a different top…
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2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 review
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2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 review | £6749 | 69bhp@8500rpm | 47lb-ft@7000rpm | 649cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin four-stroke Tested by: John Milbank Designed to be more sporty, whilst offering even greater touring potential, 2015’s Versys 650 loses the ‘functional’ styling with a healthy injection of Kawasaki DNA. “All roads. One bike” is the new machine’s tagline, yet…
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Kawasaki Z1000SX long term review | That new bike feeling
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Rider: John Milbank | Bike: 2014 Kawasaki Z1000SX | Current fuel economy: 46.5mpg | Cost when new: £9699 + £215.95 for a top box My time in the saddle has been but a blip compared to the experience of many of you, but even after 18 years, I’m still amazed at how a bike can be transformed by a…
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2015 Triumph Tiger 800 review
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2015 Triumph Tiger 800 | From £8499 | 94bhp@9,250rpm |58lb-ft@7,850rpm | 800cc liquid-cooled, line 3-cylinder Tested by: Tony Carter Photos by: Alessio Barbanti, Paul Barshon, Matteo Cavadini, Freddie Kirn Despite what Triumph and anyone else will try to tell you, the Tiger 800 isn’t an adventure bike. It’s much more than that. It’s also…
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Kawasaki Z1000SX long-term review | The lads’ holiday
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John Milbank takes the Kawasaki Z1000SX on a biking holiday he’ll never forget… We’ve just ridden for an hour through the most stunning scenery, round beautiful corners, and on the best surfaces. It’s baking hot, and we’re stood in a service station forecourt eating ice creams. “What was that road we just did?” I ask.…
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2015 Honda Crossrunner VFR800X review
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Honda Crossrunner VFR800X | £10,229 | 105bhp@10,500rpm | 55lb-ft@8500rpm | liquid-cooled 90° V-4 Tested by Simon Hargreaves Photography by Honda The Honda Crossrunner, launched in 2011, was a recycled VFR800 engine and chassis with bland supermoto/adventure Euro-styling. Dynamically a good bike, it never caught on. The 2015 Crossrunner uses the revamped VFR800F engine and chassis, but…
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Reader Review: 2012 Kawasaki Z1000SX | Reader review
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Name: Suneil Raval From: Hayling Island, Hampshire Occupation: Further Education Tutor Owned bike for: 18 months Tell us about it: Previously I had a Yamaha Fazer S2 600, and did around 30,000 miles working towards my IAM Advanced riding test, and touring Europe. I had great fun but wanted a bit more grunt for less revs over…
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2014 Aprilia Caponord Travel Pack review
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£12,934 | 125bhp@8250rpm | 85lb-ft@6800rpm | liquid-cooled 90° V-twin Tested by Simon Hargreaves Photography by Aprilia Launched last year, Aprilia’s high-tech Caponord is one of adventure biking’s best-kept secrets, and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as BMW’s GS and Ducati’s Multistrada. So to remind us what we’re missing, Aprilia invited Motor Cycle…
