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Used Test: Aprilia RSV-R
By Bertie Simmonds on 10/04/2008 19:28:42
The original Ducati spoiler is more practical and arguably more exotic too. Plus the spec'd up 'R' version can be had on the used market for as little as £3,000. But beware, she has a few issues up her skirt.
on in 1999, but they got it right first time. The RSV-R appeared a year later. It was capable of giving anything a run for its money on a race track but it's comfy on the road and doesn't have any major reliability issues either. The 1,000cc RSV-R is the mid
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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
over that stable, yet wicked set of geometry figures. As a reminder, they are 21-degrees of rake and 83mm of trail - the kind of figures normally only seen on Marco Melandri's Aprilia 250 GP bike.Wheelbase is also identical to the Bolt at 1,320mm and 45
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Used Review: Honda VTR Firestorm
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 13:42:06
In the mid-90s, V-twins were red, temperamental and raced by Carl Fogarty. Until Honda brought out the Firestorm, that is. We examine Honda's first big-twin sportsbike
-pivotless connection between the swingarm, motor and mainframe. Suspension was 'normal', so where the Suzuki TL1000S used a separate spring and a rotary damper, the Honda had a tried-and-tested rising-rate Showa shock at the rear with Showa forks at the front
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First Ride: Buell XB9S (2002-03)
By Bertie Simmonds on 29/03/2008 23:55:41
"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."
DATE - 2002PRICE NEW - £7345ENGINE CAPACITY - 894ccPOWER - 84.2bhp@7400rpmTORQUE - 68lb.ft@5500WEIGHT - 175kgSEAT HEIGHT - n/a FUEL CAPACITY - 14L TOP SPEED - 130mph 0-60 - n/aTANK RANGE - N/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
2002 R1. The centre of the Durbuy village is full of bikes. Magic. Heading back to the hotel, we ride with fellow tourers Julian Manuel and Sonja Linnegar on their BMW and R6.Love BertieBRETTOURSWhen you've been organising anything between 10-15 tours a
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Used Review: Yamaha TDM 850-900
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 22:28:24
Always a massive seller in Europe but an underrated under-achiever in the UK. Nevertheless, the TDM in all its forms is a secret waiting to be discovered by the second-hand buyer.
leak on the Mk 2 850s, but not all suffer from it. Engine service intervals are generally every 4000 miles. In the meantime use a normal semi-synthetic oil for topping up and the like.TRX CRANKS Mk 1 TDM850s (pre-1996) had 180-degree cranks. Some owners
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Used Review: Honda VTR1000 SP-1 & SP-2
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/08/2008 22:16:35
Designed to take on and beat the Ducatis in WSB, the SP-1 and SP-2 did just that. But how does it fare in the more cut-throat world of used sales? Bertie Simmonds finds out.
change from SP-1 to SP-2 (see 'Second-Hand Values') was the bigger throttle bodies and smoother low-down delivery. Servicing should take place generally every 4000 miles. The big one is the 16,000-miler which demands a good look at the valve clearances. 2
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Used Test: Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
By Bertie Simmonds on 10/04/2008 19:17:39
Half elephant, half cyclops, but all-conquering when it came to the title of King of Speed in the late 1990s, the Hayabusa is still the yardstick for sheer velocity and a fantastic cult motorcycle.
and the ugliest bodywork ever made.Engine: Still impressive. The 1,299cc fuel-injected, liquid-cooled motor produces 157bhp at the rear tyre. Torque is available from any revs - 3,000rpm and up. If you're brave enough, then hang on to the 11,000rpm redline
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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.
, nothing could prepare me for the bike I saw. This is the boldest move for Harley-Davidson in recent history and this is the VRSCA V-Rod.V is for V-twin, R is for racing, S is for street, C is for custom and A means this is the first of a new breed
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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
. Gearing Tuonos have 17-tooth front sprockets with 42 teeth at the rear. Many owners go the route of lowering the gearing, with 16- or even 15-tooth front sprockets popular, or 44-tooth rears. A new front sprocket costs around £20 and takes just over
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