At the time of writing, and to the very best of my knowledge, the world has yet to come to an end and doesn’t seem likely to over the next few days either. So the prophets of doom will soon have to cease their bleating and start picking on next year. Neither have we succumbed to ...

enough for road use in a bike that only weighs 165kg.It does have its bad points, however. The brakes aren't as sharp as the Japanese competition's and can fade during hard track use (not a huge drama for road-riders, mind), the gearbox is pretty horrible

Japanese road bike it’s incredibly reliable. Problems are extremely rare and there’s little pattern to them. We’d recommend checking the EXUP valve is operating smoothly and correctly as these can still give the occasional problem. Also bodywork is pretty

’s packs much more torque than its rivals, sounds fit and snorty and it’s incredibly involving and satisfying to use.On the road the 675cc triple makes a much better power plant than the revvy fours. If that sounds like we’re about to say it’s not so good

, the bike buying public weren’t that impressed and didn’t splash out on them in huge numbers. Other manufacturers didn’t copy the concept although it was actually a very useful combination of an upright riding position from a big trailie allied to road

bike leapt to the top of the 600cc sports class when it appeared in 1995. The 13 years since has been a roller coaster for this rorty CBR600 rival. It started as a hard hitting but usefully versatile sports 600 in ‘F’ form, become more polished

sexier as the piggy-back twin-shocks are so 'on show.' The shocks leaked after adjustment on some models (notably the K2) so if you're buying used question the owner to see if he has found any problems. If the bike's got red springs, it's a Jap import

of the Hinckley firm’s total sales. Nearly two and a half years later, it remains a strong seller and has a loyal fan following.The 800 is the more road-oriented model with a 19-inch front tyre on a cast alloy wheel, while the XC has an off-road bias and sports a

miles.TyresStreet Triples roll off the assembly lines wearing Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas, which are retained on 42% of respondents’ bikes, along with the odd Strada or Supercorsa. The most common aftermarket tyres fitted are Michelin (Pilot Road 2

to the opposition, the FireBlade cannot be accused of being down on real-world power. What it does have it uses well for the road. One negative point here is the fact that some machines – both feel at low rpm, while others have a strange ‘buzziness’ at 5-7000rpm