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First Ride: 2002 Kawasaki ZZ-R1200
By Alex Hearn on 29/03/2008 18:59:37
I think it's fair to say the old ZZ-R1100 was more than a bit past its sell by date. I last rode one about three years ago, on a flat out European speed mission in the company of a Suzuki Hayabusa and Honda Blackbird.
Compared to both - especially the Busa - it felt gutless in the midrange, and was only just a match for the Blackbird up top. And when I say up top, I mean wire tight in sixth gear - irrelevant in the UK but very relevant when you're racing yer mates abroad (er, yeah...). Roll on...
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First Ride: 2002 BMW R1150GS Adventure
By Alex Hearn on 29/03/2008 17:09:26
Straight off the bleary early morning flight into a sodden Malaga and first sight of BMW's new R1150GS Adventure knocks me out with a hammer blow of sheer presence - it's big.
rivers, slid and slithered sideways at 70mph on some very unmade roads and generally had a spectacular laugh. And the GS? Coped with the lot. Yes, it's big but keep it balanced and its weight drives the tyres hard into the loose ground, finding the grip
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First Ride: 2006 Ducati GT1000
By Alex Hearn on 22/09/2010 11:10:10
Ducati's Sport Classics are retro cool but about as comfortable as an Indian bus ride. Now, with added comfort, comes the GT1000.
than 70mph with harsh suspension and aggressive clip-ons.So not a bike for a casual ride, then. Oh no. I know, because I was going to hoof mine 500 miles from where I was in France to the Ducati plant in Bologna on some sort of dewey-eyed romantic road
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Road Test: Honda ST1100 v. ST1300
By Alex Hearn on 18/05/2008 21:17:49
Beloved of the happily middle-aged (and the police), unobtrusive, but more than capable of letting fly on a twisty road, Honda's ST1100 was a marvelous thing. Can the same be said of the ST1300?
-5000rpm range, and packs an extra 5bhp up top. On the open road, side-by-side with the ST1100, the ST1300 picks up its skirts and fair marches away from 70mph. Faster by a long way. But relaxing? I'm not so sure. It'll pick its front wheel up in first
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Rough Raiders - BMW R1150GS, KTM 950 Adventure S and Honda Africa Twin
By Alex Hearn on 16/09/2010 16:49:50
Welcome to the jungle. Actually, Wales, where the tarmac's twisty and lumpy and BMW's meaty GS Adventure meets the old-staging Honda Africa Twin and KTM's brand-bouncing new 950 Adventure S
).Click here to read page two of the Rough Raiders test.KTM 950 Adventure S specsSPECS - KTM TYPE - ALL-ROUNDER PRODUCTION DATE - 2003 PRICE NEW - £7700 ENGINE CAPACITY - 942cc POWER - 88.3bhp@8500rpm TORQUE - 59.8lb.ft@7000rpm WEIGHT - 206kg SEAT HEIGHT
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