2001Harley-Davidson V-Rod Pasadena, CaliforniaIn 24 years of attending launches I've only ever been on one at which the world's press gathered with no clue to what the bike looked like. And when Bill Davidson revealed the V-Rod two dozen jaws hit

it was finally launched in 2002. The Hornet looked quite good, even in grey paint. But instead of being a mental naked sportster powered by the latest 150bhp Blade motor, it was a dreary affair whose detuned, 108bhp unit was barely more powerful than the 599cc

Brash BeemerBMW launched the K1200RS in 1997 by flying a bunch of hacks to Barcelona, putting us up in the stunning Arts Hotel on the harbour and giving us each a new 1171cc four-pot sports-tourer to thrash back home. The bike was worth the effort

, but still making a naked Lightning model.Blackbird WoesFor a bike making 162bhp and 180mph Honda's Super Blackbird was a teeny bit disappointing when launched in 1996. The 1137cc motor lacked low-down grunt, and the venue, Circuit Paul Ricard on a blustery

, I had to buy another…Dogs of the YearWhile the Japanese factories were all busily building and designing brilliant new bikes, the Italians were in deep poo. Moto Guzzi launched the Le Mans 1000, complete with larger, 949cc V-twin engine, but it had

's key feature, its 143bhp V4 engine, was initially detuned to 105bhp for Euro-consumption. So when a friend bought a US-spec Max I cadged a spin, and took it speed-testing where it tried to dislocate my shoulders on the strip. Despite handling like a

Real ClassicThe most memorable road-testing moment of 25 years in this job wasn't riding the Desmosedici or Rossi's M1, but heading through the gates of Norton's dilapidated Shenstone factory to start a scoop test of the rotary-engined Classic. In those depressing, pre-Triumph da...

APRILIA RAISES THE BARAprilia had a problem with the launch of the RSV Mille. Not with the 998cc V-twin itself, which was brilliant by any standards and utterly breathtaking as the Italian firm’s first ever large-capacity superbike. The problem

wheel on its launch at Misano there was no doubt that it was the bike of the year — if not the century. Massimo Tamburini’s masterpiece took an enlarged, 916cc V-twin engine, squeezed it into an ultra sweet-handling chassis and wrapped the result

new, all-red 851 that was launched just a year later.The original 851’s failings would be inexcusable now, and would quite likely kill a bike’s chances of success with no opportunity for a second try. But the world — and especially Ducati’s small