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First Ride: 2006 Yamaha Midnight Star
By Visordown on 13/05/2008 23:21:25
Packing the biggest and most powerful Yamaha cruiser engine yet, plus a bag of styling cues lifted from the 1930s, the Midnight Star is bristling with modern technology. It's even got an EXUP valve.
When Yamaha's Californian design team set out to create a new cruiser, their first plan was to style it traditionally and to make it big. Real big.But they found the prototype too tall and heavy-handling, so took the bold decision to scrap it
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First Ride: 2003 Yamaha XV1700 Road Star
By Kev Ash on 04/07/2003 10:33:43
Welcome to the slightly different world of the great big cruiser with Yamaha's latest (and larger) incarnation of its 1600 Wild Star. Big and shiny it certainly is, but is it any good?
with its looks, it's a cruiser's feel that determines rider satisfaction. And as any FireBlade owner knows, a fine handling bike feels really good even when you're using it gently. The new XV1700 Road Star shows that Yamaha has taken this view on board
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Samurai Type 5 first ride road test
By John Hogan on 12/07/2010 10:09:11
It is arguably that you cannot put a price on coolness, but could the £27k Samurai Type 5 cruiser be the answer
beautiful vintage weapon. Trying to take in the Type 5 for the first time, swords are the last thing on my mind. Instead I blow smoke in my eyes and nearly trip over my own feet. Let’s be clear about this – whether you ‘get’ customs or not, the thigh
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First Ride: 2001 Yamaha BT1100 Bulldog review
By Alex Hearn on 27/03/2008 21:09:58
In some respects, Yamaha's new BT1100 Bulldog could be quite an important bike. Not, because of what it is (which we'll get to later) but for what it isn't.
around 1,063cc of old-school, air-cooled satin black V-twin engine, hoisted out of Yamaha's full stretch Drag Star, complete with a pair of Keihin carburettors, five-speed gearbox and shaft drive. It has a bigger, better breathing airbox
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First Ride: 2004 Ducati 999R
By Jon Urry on 30/03/2008 22:03:19
When the going gets tough, Ducati brings out a new model to beat the opposition. Cheating? No, just bending the rules...
.Fortunately, the lightweight (181kg dry) Ducati's radial Brembos were predictably sharp, as was the rest of its chassis. Set up racy with extra rear ride height, plus its steering at the steeper, 23.5° angle, the R was deliciously flickable, even through the gut
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First Ride: 2006 Aprilia RS125
By Jon Urry on 20/09/2010 23:05:20
They say: "Capable of demanding roles thanks to its spectacular stage presence" We say: "Acting the fool on one of these should be no problem, then"
still rules.VERDICTJust the tool for teens to mis-spend their youth on and learn how to be a GP star - as long as they can afford it.Aprilia RS125 SpecsSPECS TYPE - SUPERSPORTSPRODUCTION DATE - 2006PRICE NEW - £3616ENGINE CAPACITY - 124.5ccPOWER - 28bhp
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First ride: 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 review
By Visordown on 14/06/2010 09:28:32
Kawasaki’s naked beast is back, not with a whimper, but with a big styling bang and an engine to back up the new look.
that if they mess up this time the trickle of sales will surely dry up completely. At least they can’t be accused of a half-hearted effort. This is an all-new Z1000, with a larger capacity engine plus an aluminium frame for the first time.You can’t miss the styling
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First Ride: 2010 MV Agusta F4 1000R launch test review
By James Whitham on 04/08/2010 09:55:20
Visordown’s Chief road tester is former World Supersport star and all-round top chap James Whitham. MV Agusta generously allows him to sample the new F4. Is he a happy chappy? Or utterly disgusted with Agusta? Find out
, was a nightmare on the road. The riding position was uncomfortable, the suspension so hard it hurt, the clutch so grabby it was impossible to set off smoothly, and the motor had strong top-end but the fueling was all over the place making the throttle
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First Ride: 2008 Triumph Speed Triple
By Jon Urry on 10/04/2008 21:43:07
It’s Triumph best selling bike, a style icon, movie star and it’s still only 14 years old. Life is anything but dull with the Speed Triple as Jon Urry finds out on the roads of Lanzarote.
I was a little surprised when Triumph invited us out to Lanzarote to ride its 2008 Speed Triple. As far as I could tell the bike had only gained a set of flash new wheels and a slightly different rear end in its first update since it went all stubby
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First Ride: Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
By Jon Urry on 02/04/2008 18:24:39
With a tyre-shredding 194bhp on tap and a fully revised chassis the original Hypersports bike is refusing to grow old gracefully. Hold on tight, because the 'Busa is back and is meaner than ever...
was the star of many rap videos. He then proceeded to declare that the Hayabusa was designed to have the highest performance of any road bike with a whopping 194bhp and 114lb.ft of torque. In an age where speeding is about as socially acceptable as admitting
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