Motorbike

On sheer rideability the V-Strom is the leader of the pack, and, all things considered, the best all-round package in this class

If only bikes were available on prescription to combat the misery of the Great British Winter

Chris Walker's used to sliding bikes but this is out of control. As he flashes into view, out of the forest behind, there's a violent, rasping bark from his KTM's carbon can as the bike slews sideways.

It might be called progress by some. But in a world where more and more motorcycles are becoming increasingly refined and civilised, others might feel the traditional character of bikes is being lost.

Looking at buying either a 600 or 1000 Fazer but can't make your mind up? Do the running and retail costs of the 1000 put it in a different league to its little budget brother? All that and more inside. Lovely.

Are these the two best Sportsbikes in the world? KTM’s 950sm and BMW’s seminal R1200GS adventure are ripping up the rule book and re-inventing the way we should ride.

Once the preserve of the mega rich, these first-generation Italian superbikes can now be snapped up for less than the cost of a new sports 600. Here’s the deal.

We destroyed Australia in the rugby World Cup, and quite possibly that’s all that matters. To give our underdog team a bit of extra support, TWO took the backroad route to France on a Kawasaki Versys, a Yamaha MT-03 and a Suzuki 650 Bandit...

What would get you out of bed an hour early in winter just to play on deserted roads? try the new KTM 990SM or Ducati’s Hypermotard. It certainly worked for us...

With the old engine the KTM was a fairly bonkers machine, now it’s even sillier. It’s almost impossible not to wheeile the 990SM when you pull away in first gear, just open the throttle and the front comes up.

James Whitham used to be a bit tasty on an R6 in World Supersport, so he’s uniquely placed to give the ‘08 bike a proper seeing-to...

The Rocket III Touring is about as American as the English language; this Hinckley super-tourer is all set to give the US cruiser market a good old helping of British welly.

Older than the hills themselves, Honda’s original Adventure bike just got itself a total makeover for 2008. And a whole new lease of life...

Just a Bandit with a full fairing? TWO flies to France and discovers the new GSX650F is a bike that’s much greater than the sum of its parts.

Jim Bowen managed to completely spanner a ZX-10R the last time we put him on one. He has never been to the Qatar MotoGP circuit. So, who better to make a complete arse of himself...

An easy learner friendly machine, or a bike with about as much soul as a sandbag? Honda’s middleweight goes for function over style...

It’s just like the 1098 but smaller, right? Er no, actually it isn’t. Ducati has taken a completely new change of tack with its 848.

It’s Triumph best selling bike, a style icon, movie star and it’s still only 14 years old. Life is anything but dull with the Speed Triple as Jon Urry finds out on the roads of Lanzarote.

The Duke has been, and KTM intend it to continue, as the flagship of the smaller end of their range. And as such the engine and drive train is virtually the only thing that it has in common with the Enduro and the SMC. The rest is all different

If you can’t beat them, get the rules changed so you can then build a bike with all the bits you need to dominate the racetrack out of the box. Ducati’s 1098R is pure WSB homologation magic...

The original Ducati spoiler is more practical and arguably more exotic too. Plus the spec'd up 'R' version can be had on the used market for as little as £3,000. But beware, she has a few issues up her skirt.

Half elephant, half cyclops, but all-conquering when it came to the title of King of Speed in the late 1990s, the Hayabusa is still the yardstick for sheer velocity and a fantastic cult motorcycle.

These two bikes have a lot more in common than just the motor and are a much nearer to being able to live up to their name than any other street-moto or street-enduro machines currently on the market

Like Barbara Windsor, it hasn't been considered sexy for years. So what's kept the ZZ-R600 on Kawasaki's books all this time? It's the fastest, squashiest, flying sofa has ever seen, that's why...