Motorbike

Decent looking, decent performing, decent all-round, without ever really being much more than that

Honda out-retros Harley, but irons out character in the process

Excellent price and good ride quality mostly out-weighed by cheap finish and lack of any real character. Bikes like this are as much about how they look and make you feel as how they are to ride

The first Harley for years which is actually very different, while still being a Harley. Confused? Don't be, it's a great-looking, superb bike

Delivers a mixed message – looks like a streetfighter, is in fact a boulevard cruiser. Soft core motorcycle for those that want heavy metal with manners

It’s a good bike, but Honda’s own Valkyrie is a better looker and performer, so is Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod

It really looks the part, but ultimately it fails to stir the soul as standard. Shame, ’cos those looks are ‘the real thang...’

Kawasaki has finally outdone Harley by going back to the cruiser roots and producing a gorgeous eye-catching machine with bags of torque, top build quality, performance and handling on a par with any rival

Yamaha has always made the best Japanese cruisers, and the XV1700 Road Star shows it’s still out in front

If you really want a BMW cruiser, try the Montauk

From its massive 49mm forks to its 200mm rear tire, the Vulcan 2000 represents a flagship for Kawasaki and it’s a lot of motorcycle in every sense

The Rocket handles, cruises and flies like shit off a shovel! Owners won’t be disappointed – the next time you get blasted on the quarter mile from the lights, it may well be the big beast from Hinckley

Another example of slick handling, high performance Cruiser chic from the house of Harley

Niall, Gus, Jon and Daryll get back to nature and dabble in a bit of group nakedness

When it comes to style few can match the Italians. But is Ducati's 999, Benelli's Tornado and Aprilia's RSV-R's beauty only skin deep?

The big boss takes the CBR954RR FireBlade for a spin

No-one in the Visordown office knows who Johnny Daukes is, but presumably he's a relation of Simon Daukes from Haymarket days. Nepotism?

It's big, it's old and a bit of a relic. But enough about Bertie, see how he got on with the monster 2003 GSX-R1000.

The sorry tale of taking three express tourers to the land of eternal rain and mist in an attempt to find a ray of sunshine

We took the four road-going versions from 2003's TT winning bikes together with two TT specialists, back to the home of road racing

The Harley-Davidson Sportster range, consisting of entry-level bikes, has been revamped for 2004 - the first serious update since 1986. There are so many changes, yet they still look the same.

Named after a town in New York State, the new R1200 C Montauk boasts more chrome and retro styling than a fifties diner. But it's also BMW's most successful foray into the cruiser market to date

Our Niall has a bit of history with off-road specialists CCM - they gave him a break into racing, and he's owned one of their bikes. Before they knew it he was riding their new 404DS

Having resisted the urge to tear down the hotel curtains and make them into a set of lederhosen, Jon Urry braves rain and ice-rink-like Austrian roads to put Yamaha's new emissions-friendly Fazer to the test