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Motorcycle Radar: 1993
By Roland Brown on 24/11/2010 15:59:25
Roland Brown gazes back to what happened in the motorcycling world in 1993
. Even better was Bimota’s DB2 sportster, which held the same 904cc V-twin engine in a stunningly agile chassis that was great fun on a thrash round Misano, it proved to be the hit Bimota needed.Classy ComebacksBMW’s new-generation R1100RS Boxer was so
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The Six Sexiest Bimotas
By Roland Brown on 20/12/2010 11:04:40
Their business history may be erratic and their electronics legendarily so, but the one thing Bimota have always been able to do is bolt together a damn fine-looking motorcycle. Here’s the six sexiest bikes they ever built.
success was the Formula One world championship won in 1987 by Virginio Ferrari aboard the FZ750-engined YB4. In 2000, Australian Anthony Gobert won a World Superbike round at Phillip Island on a TL1000-engined SB8K.But by then Bimota was deep in another
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First Ride: 2006 Triumph Rocket III Classic
By Roland Brown on 22/09/2010 15:00:00
The monster Trumpet gets a yankee makeover but it's still Brit beef at heart.
, Triumph.Triumph Rocket III Classic SpecsSPECS TYPE - CRUISER PRODUCTION DATE - 2006 PRICE NEW - £12,399 ENGINE CAPACITY - 2294cc POWER - 140bhp@6000rpm TORQUE - 147lb.ft@2500rpm WEIGHT - 320kg SEAT HEIGHT - n/a FUEL CAPACITY - 24L TOP SPEED
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First Ride: Yamaha YZF-R1 (2005-6)
By Roland Brown on 07/05/2008 20:18:31
Yamaha jumps the gun and launches the 2006 R1 before the competition. Over-confidence, or are the small changes enough to make a big difference?
to the 998cc, 20-valve motor are shorter intake valve guides and smoother ports, to boost intake air flow. That gives an extra 3bhp that raises claimed max power to 175bhp at an unchanged 12,500rpm. The motor also has a new camchain tensioner, a 5mm longer
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First ride: 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 review
By Roland Brown 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. Roland Brown gets down with the brand new Zed
to 1043cc. That boosts midrange and so do the larger-diameter downdraught throttle bodies and their long intake trumpets. Claimed max power is up from 123bhp to 136bhp, with the usual gift of more torque throughout the range.The chassis gets most work
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How Ninjas took over the world. From GPZ900 to ZX-10R
By Roland Brown on 10/05/2010 16:58:26
The original GPZ900R of 1984 sired a long and illustrious family of Ninjas that are a huge part of motorcycling today. From the mental ZX-10R to the blistering ZZ-R1400, none of them would have existed without the GPZ900 25 years ago
in Kawasaki’s own range. Its 908cc engine’s 113bhp max was five horses down on the 1,089cc unit of its aircooled, eight-valve sibling the GPZ1100. And the Ninja was far less complex than the 3bhp less powerful Z750 Turbo. But they were dinosaurs
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Yamaha XT660Z Tenere first ride review
By Roland Brown on 28/04/2010 16:34:47
Sick of your job? Boss giving you grief? Wife just won’t shut up? Why not sod it all and explore the world on a Tenere. Or just use it to commute
the original aircooled unit, but has gained just 5bhp in 25 years.Likewise the new bike’s chassis and bodywork are more refined – but at 183kg dry, the 660Z weighs 45kg more than its predecessor. This Tenere is intended for adventure touring, not desert racing
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2008 Yamaha YZF-R125 first ride review
By Roland Brown on 07/05/2010 11:57:01
After an ASBO and a concealed weapon could Yamaha’s new learner-legal 125 be the new must-have teenage accessory?
like its big brother the R6, and even like Valentino Rossi’s YZR-M1. If ever there was a bike on which to act out youthful fantasies of MotoGP stardom, this is it.The R125’s size keeps the illusion going. Dry weight is 126.5kg but its 1355mm wheelbase
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2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796 first ride road test
By Roland Brown on 01/06/2010 14:52:45
At a fiver under seven grand Roland Brown reckons Ducati’s revamped baby Hypermotard is worth a sniff
, higher compression, lighter flywheel, revised high-level exhaust, and a set of more compact crankcases.Styling’s familiar Hypermotard stuff in white, matt black or red, and none the worse for that, but there are a few chassis changes too. Frame and triple
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Motorcycle Radar: 1987
By Roland Brown on 06/12/2010 14:04:17
Roland Brown is a world class swordsman, entertainer, poet, scientist, boxer, ladies' man and motorcycle journalist. Only one of those is true.
would become the world's most popular bike, comprehensively justifying Honda's decision to end their love affair with V4 engines.18bhp excessMy scariest motorcycling moment of 1987 came while testing the humble Enfield Bullet 350. The 1950s
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