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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
Back in 1996 Kunihiko Miwa was attending the launch of the Yamaha Thunderace. A worthy bike, if a bit porky and uninspiring. At the time Miwa decided he wanted to build a bike with a philosophy of 'no compromise.' This he did, by coming up with the YZF-R1, a bike which was to do ...
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Used Review: Triumph Daytona T595-955i
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 17:59:57
A revelation when it first appeared: here was a proper British effort at a big sportsbike. Over the years while the competition has got wilder, the Daytona has stayed milder which makes the mature Daytona a very solid road bike
The impact of the first Triumph T595 should not be under estimated. Here was the first proper big British sports bike for many years and one which - on paper at least - promised to give the legendary FireBlade a run for its money. Cue 'Land of Hope and Glory' and much jingoistic ...
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Living with a 2003 Suzuki GSX-R1000
By Bertie Simmonds on 10/11/2003 13:54:39
It's big, it's old and a bit of a relic. But enough about Bertie, see how he got on with the monster GSX-R1000
the race team and Crescent's Suzuki performance centre. And let me tell you, this is a biking nirvana set on 15,000 square feet of flooring. As well as the whole range of Suzuki machines (including various Crescent racing replicas and low seat height
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Living with a 2001 Honda CBR929RR Fireblade
By Bertie Simmonds on 26/04/2002 10:59:44
Former TWO magazine editor, Bertie Simmonds, talks about his experience of owning a Honda CBR929RR Fireblade
of Man for this month's big road test.The first 2,000 miles has certainly shown the Blade's practical side. Underseat storage hides my huge Oxford locks and the seating position and Honda-supplied bubble screen keeps me comfy - shame there's no integral
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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-engined Cagiva Raptor.Out went...
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Used Review: Honda CBR600F 1999-2002
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 14:01:56
Year-on-year since its introduction in 1987, Honda's venerable CBR600F has been the undisputed king in the white-hot battle royal of the middleweight 600cc sports category. Bertie Simmonds checks out the last of the line
300,000 bikers can't be wrong. That's how many people who, the world over, have purchased Honda's evergreen favourite - the CBR600F - in the last 18 years.Back in 1987 Honda saw Kawasaki and Yamaha having a laugh in the middleweight sportsbike class with the GPZ600R and FZ600 and...
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Used Review: Ducati 916, 996 & 998
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 14:08:20
An aesthetic and performance revolution in its day, the 916 series has guaranteed iconic status for Bologna's blood-red bullets for time immemorial. But are those stories of Desmodromic histrionics all true?
Carl Fogarty. The Aprilia RSV Mille. Neil Hodgson. The Honda VTR1000 Firestorm. James Toseland. Suzuki's TL1000. Troy Bayliss and, finally, Ducati themselves.None of the above would either be here today or where they are today without the beautiful, seminal 916.Developed in 1993 ...
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Used Review: Triumph Sprint RS
By Bertie Simmonds on 05/04/2008 21:38:34
Quiet, unassuming and unpopular the Sprint RS may have been as a new buy, it now has a loyal following and makes a bargain sports tourer.
I was at the launch of the Sprint RS in southern Spain in 1999. Some muppet in the office thought it would be a good idea to ride back from there to the Midlands, in late December.But thanks to decent winter kit and the Sprint RS's solid attributes, I got back in one piece and no...
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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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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.
Yep, it's true. Back in 1996, when Triumph first mooted a middleweight sportsbike - codenamed T806 - they looked at making a triple.But, after listening to a number of 'focus groups' in the USA and the UK, it was felt that a tried-and-trusted four-cylinder layout should be used. ...
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