Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i BIKE

SUSPENSION All new Öhlins semi-active reacts faster and has a greater range, allowing more comfort when required. Interface is apparently idiot-proof – we'll see about that. Frame and geometry are unchanged, as are brakes. RIDING POSITION Bars are slightly wider and higher for more comfort, with new yokes to accommodate the steering damper. WHEELS New wheels are 0.2kg lighter at the front, 0.3kg at the rear. Total wet weight is 199kg (1kg more than the old RS) WTF is a spool valve? Öhlins' latest gizmo isn't new. A spool is a tiny piston in a cylinder with ports in its walls (as per a two-stroke). When the piston is actuated, it uncovers the ports, and hydraulic fluid can pass through the chamber. It can react faster and has a wider…

It is the end of November and, therefore, entirely grim outside. Cold to the point of freezing, mizzle to complete visor-fogging duties and, being after 4.30pm, now quite dark. Getting ready has been a layering caper balancing cold against bulk. I'm trying to pack as lightly as possible to make the most of an upside that is currently inconceivable. Allegedly anything worn now will be peeled off in three days, packed somewhere aboard the bike and transported across hundreds of kilometres of Moroccan desert. What could be more ideal? As the most quirky, sort-of accessible and definitely most-likely-to-be-warm spot you can ride a bike in winter, Morocco's appeal has been heightened by the Trans Morocco Trail. This multi-thousand-kilometre romp over mountain range, through gorge and along dusty piste has been…

With the four bikes sitting outside Bike's luxury storage facility (okay, a hut by a skip), it takes 0.2 seconds to decide I'm riding the Versys first. Low cloud is swirling around indecisively in an attempt to convince us it might not lash down, but I'm wise to that. I've seen the forecast: wet, with spells of heavier wet. The Versys is patently the tool for this job. We have a couple of hundred miles to rack up before the roads get interesting and its screen is at least 50 per cent larger than any of the other three, while the fairing's frontal area looks huge compared to the Suzuki GSX-S1000GX+ and Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX parked either side. I clamber on, raise the screen to its middle setting using the…

'This is awful,' rants Langy, angrily prodding the GSX-S1000GX's tank with a stubby finger. 'It's twitchy, it moves about going in and coming out of corners, and it feels like there's slime on the tyres. Really horrible. Take it away.' He's been following me down a typical Lincolnshire Wold B-road – all swoops, dips and swirling corners – and I was expecting the opposite reaction from the usually exuberant Mr Lang. Now the roads are dry I'm having a ball on the Versys, which is far less suited to this sort of caper than the 27kg-lighter GX+, with its bulging K5 engine and fancy semi-active suspension. Oh, hang on… I peer at the Suzuki's dash – and sure enough, the adaptive damping is on S. 'Yes, for Sport,' snaps Langy.…

No one does the whole 'modern classic' thing better than Triumph. They've got the heritage, the looks, the badge, and all-importantly the bikes are crackin' to ride. And while the Bobber and the Speed Twin are great bikes, there's one name that stands out: Bonneville. When Triumph overhauled their retro line-up in 2016, the Bonneville T120 models did the best job of nailing the brief. If you're after a bike that pulls on the heart strings and makes you feel cuddly inside yet also has thoroughly modern quality, an engaging character and proper capability – including taking a pillion – then a pre-loved T120 is hard to fault. Looks, legacy, long-legged performance, it's the throw-back charmer that has it all. Oh, and you can pick up a minter for a…

Michelin Road 6 £270 pair (approx) michelin.co.uk First bimble after winter. The sun's out but there's still salt around, the road temperature is low, and my new Michelin Road 6 tyres aren't scrubbed in. But my confidence is high. The previous Road 4 and Road 5 were the Swiss army knife of tyres; ready for any situation, they always deliver confidence and feedback, and plough water like a dolphin. Stickier than Spider-Man's fingers… And the new Road 6s are brilliant. Up to temperature quickly, they talk to me during braking, don't twitch in overenthusiastic cornering, and laugh at wet tarmac. Michelin say they last longer, too. I've toured, ridden in storms and done trackdays on the Road range, and I can't fault them. We can't predict UK weather – but…

Going into the first Australian World Superbike race at Phillip Island in 2000, one thing was certain: the Bimota SB8K you see here wasn't going to win. Not only was it powered by the unfancied Suzuki TL1000 V-twin, but the bike had barely been tested. The mercurial Anthony Gobert had worked his magic to qualify it 11th, but it wasn't expected to finish. And then, with the bikes on the grid, it started raining. Mayhem erupted as teams changed from slicks to intermediates to wets and back again as weather predictions swirled. Gobert's team wanted to fit intermediates, but the Aussie was adamant: fit full wets. It was an inspired call. By the end of the first lap, Gobert, who died at the beginning of 2024 aged just 48, had…

We're making progress. The 2025 Multistrada V2 S forages for grip on drying tarmac like a mountain goat skipping down a rock face, vaulting between corners with an enthusiastic, long-legged power delivery. But I'm thinking of a different kind of progress. On paper this is a smaller, revvier engine in a shorter, sharper chassis, which doesn't sound like a step forward for an all-rounder. Why a smaller engine? 'With new technology we've reduced capacity with similar performance,' says Ducati's Andrea Rossi. 'And there's greater differentiation with the V4,' referencing how the outgoing 937cc V-twin is only 166cc smaller than the 1103cc V4. Also, a smaller engine can be repackaged efficiently and, in the forthcoming Panigale V2, is better suited for World Supersport than the existing, heavily restricted 959cc V2. So,…

When the latest Panigale V4 S was wheeled out, it wasn't the 216bhp engine or sticking-out wings that grabbed attention – it was the phenomenal quantity of electronic trinkets and baubles. With the longest-ever list of rider aids and mysterious deep-learning digital cunning, the V4 is the most electronically advanced road bike ever seen. How smart exactly? 'If we are talking about the optional DAVC Race Pro software suite [traction, wheelie and slide control], then the V4 S is at a level much higher than in MotoGP 10 years ago,' says Ducati's highly regarded lead development rider, Alessandro Valia. But what does it all mean? How useful is all this advancement to normal beings like us? And how do you test and evaluate such sophisticated technology? The answer is to…

As the sun sags lower in the sky, we decide to take in one final Wolds tarmac masterpiece before the mindless slog across turnip country back to Bike's HQ. I'm enjoying my time on the GSX-S1000GT – the riding position is a fraction more comfy than that on the Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX thanks to more legroom, the big TFT dash is logical and easy to read, and the non-adjustable screen directs most of the late-afternoon chill around and over my shoulders. Plus, you feel connected to the road in a way you don't on the longer-forked GX and Versys. Partly that's down to feedback not getting lost in yards of suspension travel, but it's also due to having some weight on your wrists. With the GT, there's just enough to…

Three fundamental approaches to sports touring are happening here. Kawasaki's Versys 1100 aims squarely at the touring end of the spectrum and scores a direct hit. It is fabulously comfortable, with by far the best saddle for rider and pillion – if you're stuck for accommodation, you could shelter under the one-piece seat unit, it's that big. And the screen is the only one that renders your visor unnecessary. But although the engine is a powerful peach and the handling is good for a 259kg motorcycle, the Versys is too much tour and not enough sport for us. Plus, in the SE Grand Tourer spec we tested, it costs £17,349. Blimey. The remaining three bikes are far harder to split. The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT takes the classic sports tourer route, with…

MERLIN SOLITUDE D3O £379.99 Competitively priced for a laminated jacket, it's never let me down – even riding for hours in heavy downpours. Comfortable, more pockets than I have stuff to put in them, detachable storm collar, thermal liner and D3O level 1 armour in the elbows, shoulders and back. Cuffs could open further, and the hook and loop fastener could be longer. But these are small niggles. merlinbikegear.shop RST RANGER £299.99 I tried the whole suit but the jacket's long body and sleeves don't work for me. The trousers are brilliant, though. Great vents, loads of pockets, and being adventure trousers they have plenty of adjustability, so work whether I'm touring or riding off-road. They come with waterproof overtrousers (they leak like a sieve without), and are super-wearable with…

'Their pass rate is through the roof' I did compulsory basic training (CBT) when I was 16. Bobbing around on my WK Scrambler 50 unlocked a deep sense of freedom, so when I turned 17 and could ride 125s, I bought myself a Sinnis Outlaw. Loved it. Thing is, I also started driving, and when a new job meant a 100-mile round-trip daily commute I used the car – being on L-plates, I couldn't use the motorway on the Sinnis. With a lack of free time (12-hour shifts, weekend work, the tedious commute) I gradually stopped riding… and sold the bike. I've regretted it since, and now 19 it's time to get back on two wheels – and do it properly. I'm doing my A2 licence with Approved Honda Training.…

OFFERS Steve's had a few over the years. Legendary dealer Clive Padgett made an offer at the NEC bike show but dropped his price when he got back to Yorkshire! ENGINE Twin crank V4 499cc two-stroke with YPVS exhaust powervalves. Steve has regularly turned it over on the kick-start to stop it seizing but it's never been started. PILLION COWL Signed by Yamaha greats Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Steve Baker and Alan Carter – Steve took the pillion cowl round a lot of bike shows… When Bike reader Steve Brankston nearly bankrupted himself to buy this RD500LC in 1985, his plan was to store it until he could afford the insurance, then get out and enjoy what was then one of the hottest race reps on the roads.…

SHINY AND LIGHT Intake valves are hollow to reduce the valvetrain weight by 5%. Valves are chrome plated; finger followers have a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating. CHOICES, CHOICES Two tunes: one with 118bhp, one with 113bhp (plus a 47bhp A2-legal version). They have different gear ratios, with the latter also getting a larger alternator. As a lifelong Ducati fan I confess I am massively conflicted by this new engine, primarily because it has slain what may be, for many people, the final and most revered of all Ducati sacred cows by deleting desmodromic valve gear from a V-twin. Readers of my stuff will know I am a huge fan of this technology, possibly the engine obsessive's ultimate mechanical complication (a term I deliberately borrow from the watch world); as an…

With most of us riders now in our fifth, sixth and seventh decades, where is the fresh biking blood coming from? Well, grandson number four loves to peruse my latest copy of Bike – and the word 'bike' is currently his most used vocal tone. Maybe with some subtle encouragement from myself over the years, and fingers crossed for no draconian changes in future legislation, then Ralph and his like may be the future. Let's hope so. Des McDonald, Wirral EACH MONTH WE GIVE AWAY A CABERG DUKE II HELMET AND A YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION TO BIKE FOR THE MONTH'S STAR LETTER. ON YOUR MARKS Breath of fresh air How refreshing to read a sportsbike review that actually picked up on why some of us are still sportsbike fans (Beyond expectation,…

Anyone wanting to tour in a sporting fashion has a zillion choices these days – from the giant-slaying Triumph Tiger Sport 660 and practical semi-nakeds like Aprilia's Tuono V4 1100, to BMW's amazingly fruity K1600GT. But there's still the trad' sports-tourer sweet spot, where power, price, handling prowess and seat height converge on perfection. And guess what? All Suzuki and Kawasaki's efforts pepper the bullseye. The new Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX is the returning hero. The former sports touring king is now smoother and – in the SE form you see here – better equipped than ever. Surely the pre-test favourite. Its partner in green is the new Versys 1100, which shares the SX's engine but adds longer forks, a massive screen and semi-active suspension to give it more tour at…

I started on Kawasakis, worked my way through a few 600s and got to the ZX-10R in 2009. When the new Gen 4 came out in 2011 I was really excited, so I placed an order and took delivery on the launch day. It looked amazing and felt so much smaller than all the other 1000cc sportsbikes. It really did feel like a 600. The usability was amazing. There was lots of power, but it wasn't too overwhelming, and I loved the fact there was traction control to look after me, just in case. And it wasn't too complicated – there weren't loads of modes and settings you had to adjust. It was raw, but with enough technology to keep you safe. Plus, I could service it myself. I kept…

I don't want to say 'lucky', because it has taken me decades to achieve. But I still have those moments when the garage door creeks open and it hits me that I actually own a Ducati. Seeing that name on the tank does something to my soul; it's a statement, a love letter to speed, design and heritage, and it makes me tingle. The fact this isn't the model that kick-started my desire doesn't matter one iota – I'm in the club, part of the Ducatisti, and feel proud. My lust for the brand started 30 years ago. It's 1994, I'm working for Motor Cycle News and there's an unfamiliar rumble from the car park. The next hour changes my biking life forever. With jaw to floor and goosebumps tingling,…

It's almost hard to find a modern motorcycle with no pretences to yesteryear. There's hardly a manufacturer without a roster representing the good ol' days when bikes were largely atrocious. With brands having comprehensively done the 1950s and 1960s thing, they've stopped looking so far back. The 1970s and 1980s are now Where It's At in the throwback world – look at the Kawasaki Z650 and Z900RS, the Suzuki Katana, the new BMW R12S. Even the couldn't-be-more-classic Enfield Interceptor now has cast wheels. We've been here before. At the tail end of the last century plenty of machines spilled out of Japanese factories with that muscular '70s superbike look. But one machine can plausibly lay claim to planting the first '70s-tastic seed in the unstoppable retro boom. Kawasaki looked at…