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Discuss: Chinese bikes will take over from Japanese
By Bertie Simmonds on 15/10/2008 17:17:00
Oriental, non-Japanese bikes are set to become the new Rice Rockets?
models in our range so we have many more we could introduce into the UK. In China we sell between 700,000-800,000 units a year."That compares to total UK sales of two-wheelers in 2005 of 132,803.The Guangzhou Motors Group got off the ground in 1986
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Used Review: Ducati Monster S4 & S4R
By Bertie Simmonds on 08/04/2008 21:11:47
Like the original but on steroids, the Monster S4 grasped bare-biking from Bologna by the bars and took it into the new millennium. But are there any bugs? Used-bike fact hound Bertie Simmonds finds out.
Ducati's evergreen favourite, the Monster had been around for seven years when - in Y2K - the S4 was launched.This was a much-needed shot in the arm for the Monster family, which by this time had been overtaken by the opposition, such as the TL1000S
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Motorcycle Theft - There for the taking
By Bertie Simmonds on 06/05/2007 13:44:55
"Brand new R1, one stupid owner, free to anyone with bolt croppers and a van..." Bike theft isn't going away, but things are changing - and you can at least do something about it
than cars are stolen too. In 2003, 1 in 100 registered cars were stolen; the figure for bikes is four times that.According to Government records, only four per cent of bikes stolen are recovered compared to 79 per cent of cars, while small bikes (under
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First Ride: 2007 Buell 1125R
By Bertie Simmonds on 02/04/2008 17:59:37
25 years in the making and Erik Buell finally makes the bike he always dreamed of: a liquid-cooled V-twin with plenty of poke and handling to die for. So has junking the Harley engines given Buell a new edge?
motor and around an unfamiliar track like Laguna it cossets you, as your gear selection needn't be spot-on.Buell claims 146bhp @ 10,000rpm at the crank, but I reckon the 1125R will be pushing out more like 115 on the dyno. The bike is so tractable
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First Ride: 2007 Buell 1125R
By Bertie Simmonds on 29/03/2008 09:55:29
25 years in the making and Erik Buell finally makes the bike he always dreamed of: a liquid-cooled V-twin with plenty of poke and handling to die for. So has junking the Harley engines given Buell a new edge?
cast aluminium items.SPECS TYPE - SUPERSPORTSPRODUCTION DATE - 2007PRICE NEW - £8495ENGINE CAPACITY - 1125ccPOWER - 146bhp@9800rpmTORQUE - 82lb.ft@8000rpmWEIGHT - 179kgSEAT HEIGHT - 775mmFUEL CAPACITY - 21.2LTOP SPEED - 150mph0-60 - n/aTANK RANGE - N/A
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First Ride: 2002 Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod review
By Bertie Simmonds on 27/03/2008 21:03:21
Harley-Davidson unleash their most important model for 50 years. With a watercooled, 115bhp, 60¡ V-twin motor straight out of their VR1000 racebike, it marks the start of a new direction for the Milwaukee firm. This is big.
Massive, in fact, as Harley-Davidson hope this motorcycle will open up new markets and new owners to the legendary marque. They say this bike combines the heart of a superbike, the style of a custom and the soul of a drag bike. In the words of Bill
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Fit for purpose: Police BMW K1200RS
By Bertie Simmonds on 20/10/2010 10:50:45
The average road bike does a bit of everything. But there are machines in the biking world designed to do one job only. Pure specialists if you will. These are the bikes...
're not on the bike."BIKEBMW K1200RS"Generally we're very happy with these bikes. We keep them for a few years from new, normally selling them on when it's MoT time. Average mileages vary from bike-to-bike, but you see respectable mileages on them in that time
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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.
DAYLIGHT ROBBERY was not part of the deal when this Bandit stopped us in our tracks 10 years ago.Instead, you were the one on the take. For just £3999 new back in 1995 you'd get a smart-looking budget bike with well proven chassis parts and motor
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Used Review: Triumph TT600-Daytona 600-650
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 22:01:14
Yep, it's true. Back in 1996, when Triumph first mooted a middleweight sportsbike - codenamed T806 - they looked at making a triple.
-cylinder layout should be used. From this we can gather that listening to focus groups can be a bad idea, for 10 years down the line we're full circle with the new Daytona 675 triple...So, in 1999 we got a four-cylinder motorcycle that scarcely deviated from
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Used Review: Yamaha YZF-R1
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 17:50:05
A quantum leap in performance over the mighty FireBlade, the Yamaha YZF-R1 set new standards for power and performance at its launch back in 1998. New and old models alike still sizzle today.
, further upgrades softened the R1's character. In 2000 the bike had the rough edges of the motor and suspension smoothed off, giving a linear, stepless power delivery and making the suspension a little more compliant.2002 saw a major engine upgrade
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