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First Ride: 2007 Aprilia Mana
By Roland Brown on 10/04/2008 21:51:31
Aprilia’s Mana puts a fully-automatic transmission into a conventional motorbike, creating the last word in practical biking. So is the Mana a fantastic scooter for grown-ups, or the worst of both worlds..?
-rev performance. Tweaking the light-action throttle sent the V-twin surging forward with a more urgent version of the typical constant-rev scooter rumble.Rain mode softens the throttle response slightly, useful given the conditions, but Aprilia has programmed
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First Ride: 2005 Yamaha YZF-R6
By Roland Brown on 31/03/2008 21:51:49
A number of performance-enhancing tweaks make this year's R6 a faster and more exciting proposition. Riding tips from Valentino Rossi not included...
the throttle, the bike tonks off up the next straight with what feels like a touch more of the high-rev acceleration for which the R6 has been known ever since its launch in 1999.That more aggressive feeling is not just in my imagination, because it's what
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First Ride: 2002 Aprilia Tuono Review
By Roland Brown on 03/04/2008 19:16:40
Aprilia's Tuono is one of the more curious of machines to come from Italy
-derived gear the Tuono feels totally different to the sportsters, thanks to its wide and slightly raised bars. At slow speed it's infinitely more comfortable, but it's hard to keep at slow speed for long because one tweak of the throttle has the Aprilia rearing
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First Ride: 2002 Aprilia Tuono
By Roland Brown on 15/09/2010 16:36:24
Aprilia's belated entry into the big-bore naked class. Is it too little too late, or should the Ducati Monster run scared?
's infinitely more comfortable, but it's hard to keep at slow speed for long because one tweak of the throttle has the Aprilia rearing up and heading for the horizon. Aprilia's only change to the powerplant is to improve low-rev throttle response slightly
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First Ride: Yamaha YZF-R1 (2005-6)
By Roland Brown on 07/05/2008 20:18:31
Yamaha jumps the gun and launches the 2006 R1 before the competition. Over-confidence, or are the small changes enough to make a big difference?
the throttle wide open as the bike accelerated over the finish line at a breathtaking rate.Nobody noticed, of course. The huge grandstands were completely empty on this dull midweek morning, and the photographer who'd been on one of the bends had moved. (Not
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First Ride: Kawasaki ZX-10R
By Roland Brown on 20/09/2010 14:06:19
Last year Kawasaki bought a race circuit to sharpen up its bikes on. The first to feel the benefit is the occasionally wayward ZX-10R.
everything has changed. The fairing is reshaped to hold smaller lights and a revised ram-air slot, the monocoque aluminium frame is redesigned to raise the centre of gravity and the 998cc,16-valve motor has been reworked to boost midrange, improve throttle
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First ride: 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 review
By Roland Brown on 14/06/2010 09:28:32
Kawasaki’s naked beast is back, not with a whimper, but with a big styling bang and an engine to back up the new look. Roland Brown gets down with the brand new Zed
-pan, and plastic fork shrouds that accentuate the low, pointy nose while protecting the stanchions.I’m not sure about the stubby, triangular silencers or the rock star colour option of dark brown with a mock snakeskin seat. But the Zed’s chunkiness up front
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Road Test: MV Agusta Brutale 910
By Roland Brown on 29/04/2008 21:57:58
MV's bonkers Brutale gets a big bore motor, a midrange boost and bags of added usefulness to boot. Roland Brown blags a ride and spills the beans.
's personality was clear the moment I rode out through the MV factory gates. The bigger motor's extra midrange meant that tweaking the throttle with five grand showing on the white-faced tacho sent the MV leaping forwards - and, when I was in first gear
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First Ride: Mondial Piega
By Roland Brown on 03/04/2008 19:09:16
It's hard not to be sceptical about the rebirth of another once great Italian manufacturer.
to confirm this were thwarted by rain at the launch near Venice. But those who'd ridden it in sunshine the day before had few complaints, and even on a damp track the Piega's acceleration, smooth throttle response and sharp yet stable handling were very
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First Ride: 2004 MV Agusta F4 1000S
By Roland Brown on 30/03/2008 20:30:04
With company finances back on track and production delays a thing of the past (for now...), the long awaited F4 1000S is finally, eventually, here. At last...
in the hills near MV Agusta's factory at Varese in northern Italy.The blue and silver bullet storms forwards with a gorgeous howl and a vicious burst of acceleration that no previous F4 could match. I'm a bit quick with the throttle exiting one steep hairpin
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