Touring Bikes
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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…
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Kawasaki Z1000SX Long-term review | Free days out in London
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Rider: John Milbank Bike: 2014 Kawasaki Z1000SX Miles this month: 347 Miles in total: 2523 Current fuel economy: 47.9mpg Cost when new: £9699 +£461.95 for panniers or £215.95 for a top box Highlights this month: Enjoying a free night out Lowlights this month: Not having enough time Why does anybody drive a car in London? Queue-busting, free…
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Kawasaki Z1000SX Long term review | Traffic busting
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Rider: John Milbank Bike: 2014 Kawasaki Z1000SX Miles this month: 896 Miles in total: 2176 Current fuel economy: 47.9mpg Cost when new: £9699 +£461.95 for panniers or £215.95 for a top box Highlights this month: Busting the M1 and M25 traffic Lowlights this month: Busting myself What is it with the best-laid plans? On my long-suffering wife’s…
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Reader Review: 2002 Honda Blackbird CBR1100XX | Reader review
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Name: Roger Beedham From: Nottinghamshire Riding for: 50 Years Price paid for the bike: £6000 in 2002 from Germany What type of riding do you do: Fast touring Tell us about the engine: It’s very, very quick and reliable, yet still manages to be really smooth. What’s the chassis like? The Honda Blackbird chassis gives very good del, though it’s heavy compared to today’s…
