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Used Review: Aprilia Tuono
By Bertie Simmonds on 08/04/2008 22:00:52
For sheer naked fun, nothing short of a frolic with Lucy Pinder can beat the Aprilia Tuono. Launched in 2003, it immediately won an army of fans
As a naked sportsbike the Tuono was the real deal. With other nakeds, such as the Hornet 900 and Fazer Thou', you were getting watered-down engines, chassis and cycle parts, but here were all the benefits of a sportsbike but with higher, comfy bars
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First Ride: Buell XB9S
By Bertie Simmonds on 13/09/2010 11:49:56
Buell's naked, promises big kicks from its punchy motor but with a wheelbase smaller than a gnat's wheelbarrow, sharp handling too
Click to read: Buell XB9S owners reviews, Buell XB9S specs and to see the Buell XB9S image gallery."So, gentlemen, as you can see, the new XB9S Lightning is the latest generation in the street-inspired Buell family and a different take on the Buell XB series."The speaker is rewar...
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Used Review: Suzuki Bandit 600
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 17:25:36
In 1995 Suzuki built the naked middleweight Bandit. Compared to Yamaha's Diversion it was a revelation: sure it was cheap, cheerful and built to a price, but it was also a hell of a lot of fun to ride.
-wobbly and super-soft you could still wind up the wick and really enjoy twisty roads. It seemed as if all these budget parts seemed to add up to so much more. The name was cool and the look was classical. Here was a nice-looking, modern and cheap naked bike
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Used Review: Honda CB600F Hornet
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 21:49:32
Born in 1998's naked middleweight boom, the Honda Hornet has evolved into a more capable, practical machine than the tiny-tanked original model.
Honda's Hornet has always been a handsome machine, but despite being up against some tough competition it's attracted a cult following.It began in 1998, when Honda (and Yamaha with the Fazer) decided they'd had enough of Suzuki topping the sales charts with their Bandit 600, and ...
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First Ride: 2002 Triumph Speed Four
By Bertie Simmonds on 29/03/2008 19:11:57
Picture the scene if you will. It's 2006, we're in the middle of a recession and another Government still ignores the benefits of motorcycles to the detriment of UK road users everywhere.
Meanwhile, insurance premiums have soared for sportsbikes and Cliff Richard hits number one with a cover of Smack My Bitch Up. Scary. But it could happen and at the morning roll call of motorcycling in this apocalyptic horror, naked middleweights
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Used Review: Suzuki GSX1400
By Bertie Simmonds on 10/04/2008 19:10:37
It looked like a pit-bull, even if it was more of a lap-dog to ride. Blessed with good looks and mucho torque, Susuki's GSX1400 has proved to be a popular retro bruiser bike in used circles.
Back in the days when wearing Brut 33 was considered foreplay, real men rode bikes like these. Retro bikes from the 1990s cashed in on naked nostalgia with a raft of machines from all the Japanese manufacturers.Suzuki's plunge into the full
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Used Test: Suzuki GSX1400
By Bertie Simmonds on 13/09/2010 14:19:12
It looked like a pit-bull, even if it was more of a lap-dog to ride. Blessed with good looks and mucho torque, Suzuki's GSX1400 has proved to be a popular retro bruiser bike in used circles
in on naked nostalgia with a raft of machines from all the Japanese manufacturers.Suzuki's plunge into the full-on retro market finally came in 2001, about five years after the Bandit 1200. Here was a pukka GS1000 replica with twin-shocks, fully adjustable
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The rise of the 2002 Yamaha YZF-R1
By Bertie Simmonds on 22/04/2002 15:24:57
After the original 1998 R1, this version had a tough act to follow. So how did they go about developing and improving the previous model
.The bodywork now has huge cutaways, exposing the naked muscle of the motor, but it still hugs the engine and frame, before disappearing into a thin, wasp-like tail, which now has super-trick LED rear lights and an undertray which neatens up the rear end. Yes
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Living with a 2003 Kawasaki Z1000
By Bertie Simmonds on 12/07/2003 15:18:14
Uncertainty soon turns to attraction as the big Zed wins over Bert
's a shame as it had all started so well. Finally seeing the thing in all its orange fleshy wonderfulness confirmed what I'd first thought about the big Zed - it's simply the best-looking naked bike to come out of Japan since the Katana. Also, I have a
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Living with a 2004 Honda CB1300
By Bertie Simmonds on 12/09/2004 15:56:49
Finally a bike that doesn't look like a Bertie's riding a mini moto. Yes it's the mighty CB1300 review
In a bid to bond with his new Honda CB1300 longtermer, Bertie books up on a Brettour and heads for the Ardennes. These postcards turned up a few days laterDear TWO,Things haven't started well. I bent the key to the CB in the helmet lock when I
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