midrange punch, the extra cubes mean it has lost some of the 750's smoothness and high-revving charm. The slight high-frequency tingle through the bars wasn't a problem on my test but would combine with the exposed riding position to make motorway trips a

an old pair of cricket boots) in the boot of the scoot and bimbled off to the very elegant, classy and stylish East Sussex National course.In the car park, BMW's X5 was well represented - but it appeared I was the only X8. Too embarrassed to walk

-speed manoeuvring as we left the launch-base hotel, near Faro on Portugal's Algarve coast, out onto winding roads that headed up into the hills.The motor felt sharp and responsive, and also emitted a fruity rasp from the stubby, MotoGP-style silencer near my right

.The Hondamatic gearbox featured two gears, so progress was at best, sluggish even with a 750cc engine. There was no clutch lever, but there was a gear lever so you’d still select the gear with your left boot; the action was much like that of a Honda C90.Automatic

lose grip or run into any kind of ground clearance problems. At Druids Bend I had my knee on the ground all the way around the corner and at Clearways the side of my boot was also touching the tarmac. This is by no way an indication of my riding prowess

tiny 15-litre fuel tank. This puts the SMR’s range at a woefully short 70 miles.We were lucky enough to ride the SMR on the twisting Portuguese roads and the infamous Portimao circuit just 45 minutes from Faro. I have to admit to being pathetically out

’s Yamaha’s Tenere. The original XT600Z Ténéré, launched in 1983, was a direct descendent of the XT500 that had won the first two Paris-Dakar rallies a few years earlier.That first Ténéré might have had fancy French accents in its name but it was a down

at an even slower pace than before with the addition of any passengers.And it's this definite lack of speed that is the Van Van's big problem. On a road trip to Brands Hatch aboard a raft of 125cc capacity machines, I found myself wending my way down the M25

was full of excitement himself. After numerous operations to save his left lower leg after the disastrous accident at Silverstone last summer, Hutchy is at Cadwell to ride his right-shift R1 Superstocker for the very first time.‘No. I’m not,’ I replied

country lane with half an idea that it could be a good road were you not stuck behind a queue of cars that are pressed up behind a slow-moving tractor. And to top it all off, it's probably hammering it down with rain and your boots aren't quite