on in places that get hot such as exhaust systems (headers, link pipes and cans) and engines, and may need extra elbow grease - but be careful not to damage the finish.When all looks clean, rinse again. Dried water marks are the bane of fastidious cleaners, so

you’re piling on the power, but even more disconcerting when you roll off and the revs and speed continue to rise for a little while before the engine catches up with your commands. Oh, and the exhaust chucks out heat like, well, a jet engine… Jay Leno

has the best features of any bike site out there.We've been through an extensive beta-testing stage and my sincere thanks goes out to everyone who helped out with that. If you're interested, you can read the exhaustive list of the bugs, tweaks

perfectly that the rear mudguard is folded round the seat, the exhaust is bent skyward and my fender bag is spewed over the road. At which point the CRF topples onto my boot, smashing two toes. I pick the bike up and perform a wailing, John Cleese

in the paint or ding in the exhaust can, I was more concerned that the major mechanical parts were up to the job. I looked at the head bearings, the swing-arm and rear linkage bushes, wheel bearings, chain and sprocket condition, brakes and suspension at both

knew most of that already, but it was fun making sure.January 2005The R6's standard exhaust does the best it can but strangles the motor above 12,500rpm. Power drops off sharply after that, and there's little to be gained revving beyond 13,000 - that

's the motor. Nothing annoys me more than a naked bike with no low-down grunt. The Z is as flat as Holland until 7000rpm or so, and that's not goood enough. The funky exhausts sap some power, but Kawasaki simply hasn't worked the motor correctly. It feels less

of the bike's weighty bits. The exhaust now sits beneath the engine, rather than under the seat, which Honda claim makes changing direction at speed easier on the new Blade (they said the same thing about the underseat model, too). Honda also claim the new

power. Titanium valves replace the previous model's steel ones, reducing each intake valve's weight by 14.1 grams and exhaust valve's by 11.7 grams. Valve lift has been increased. And the cooling system is improved with a new radiator. The net result

-R-style features like SCEM coated cylinders, direct ignition spark plugs, PVD ion-plated piston rings and an automatic hydraulic cam chain adjuster. The exhaust is a 4-2-1 type with catalyzer and Lambda sensor, ensuring emissions comply with Euro 3 Tier 2