Cruiser engines are getting so huge these days that Yamaha's new Midnight Star is billed as a middleweight even though its V-twin motor displaces 1304cc, the traditional American 80 cubic inches.The liquid-cooled XVS1300A squeezes into Yamaha

. The fact is though, when you’re brand new to the biking world, even bikes with less than 15bhp and an inability to bust the national speed limit can be liberatingly riotus. Suzuki’s new sharply-styled DR125SM is one such thrill-finding tool for the newcomer

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

, it was clear that this was very much a ZX-10R. It zapped out of turns with an addictive blend of raw acceleration and high-revving smoothness, the unchanged max output of 173bhp - 182bhp with the ram air  - sending it tonking towards the 13,000rpm redline

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

-injection settings and new ignition timing increase peak power by 3bhp to a claimed 120bhp max at 13,000rpm, or 126bhp with ram-air effect included. Peak torque remains 49 lb.ft (51 lb.ft with ram-air) at 12,000rpm.Chassis mods are centred on the front end, which

.There are many changes to the new Adventure over the standard GS, the most notable being more power from the 1200cc twin motor. It puts out a claimed 100bhp, with a 17 per cent increase in torque helping to keep gear changes to a minimum whether you're on- or off-road

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

transmission gears are lighter despite being stronger. Claimed max output is 166bhp at 11,750rpm, within a few horsepower of its Japanese rivals.The new MV's chassis, like its bodywork, is essentially that of the 750. The frame combines chrome-molybdenum steel

bikes, an increase of 35 per cent, and is on target to raise that figure to 77,000 this year. Only about 3000 will be Adventures but that figure will double the following year, when the V-twin range will expand with the 115bhp Duke roadster, unveiled