Ben Cope

If you want an R, make sure it's this one and not the underpowered smaller brother. Not a bad bike all things considered

A sexy little black number from the Austrian veterans, but performance is likely to be lower than the competition

The best of both worlds: power and handling combined with long distance comfort, but somehow it’s less than the sum of its parts

Not exactly cutting edge, but who cares when it sounds as good as this

De-tuned Blackbird engine in fine-handling muscle chassis. Weird looks

Serious track tackle for the 748 aficionado. For the committed only

A bike that is simply so capable it refuses to lie down and die, even when superceded by the 1200 variant. Awesome

Updated version of S1 Lightning, occasional fuel injection glitches

Anyone remember Kawasaki's ill-fated ZR-7, which got panned from day one and never really recovered? The half faired ZR-7S, which appeared a year later in 2001 also came in for some stick.

The SV650S is a blinding little bike that packs more punch for your pound than many other more expensive tools out there

The ‘busa isn’t finished yet but it is starting to soften around the edges. Still a quality act packing an awesome punch, but refined and classy rather than one of the rat pack

Considerably more expensive than the Marauder, the Intruder remains the better machine that may just serve you beyond passing your test

Taken with tongue firmly in cheek, the Shadow could be a fun way into the whole cruiser thang

A good retro if the name doesn’t bother you

Solid, well proven, reliable performer on or off-road.

Stunning performance from this supermoto. Electric start included

All singing and dancing version with better suspension, Marchensini wheels and gold frame

The 996 motor has put a new heart into perhaps the best-looking bike of all time

A Mito chassis with a more street based riding position that morphed into the Raptor in 2003.

We put the new and improved Hornet 600 through its paces. But will it still offer up the vibey ride and shonky tank range of its top-selling predecessor?

Introduced in late 1994, The RS250 was a real alternative to the dwindling base of race-inspired stroker 250s. Then in 1998 it had a cosmetic revamp to look more like the RS250 from GPs.

An excellent choice for a full-on tourer that still has the Harley street cred