Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i BIKE

Finally free of its short-lived association with KTM, a refreshed MV Agusta is promising much new-model excitement for 2026. Not least is this: a new Brutale powered by the 931cc inline triple from the Enduro Veloce. If it blends that motor’s gutsy, useable feel with the Brutale 800RR’s looks and adds in some compliant suspension, it could be a genuinely brilliant naked. Bike contributor Adam Child recently spent a day riding a pair of Brutale 950 prototypes, and while he was kept at arm’s length from anything as useful as a spec sheet – or indeed a definite name for the bike – his ride revealed MV are indeed taking their naked range in a more relaxed, road-focused direction. ‘Rider aids weren’t finalised on the development mules I rode, so…

If your Ducati Panigale V4 R feels a little too understated for the Snetterton collecting area, here is the solution: Aprilia’s new RSV4 X-GP, complete with the latest MotoGP aero and a 235bhp motor. The track-only machine’s rear end in particular looks remarkably like Marco Bezzecchi’s factory Aprilia RS-GP25, with two ‘tail wings’ poking upwards and ‘leg wings’ (the downward protrusions sticking out of the tail that look perfect for hoicking it sideways so you can get to the lawnmower). Both were introduced to Bez’s GP25 earlier this year. ‘The X-GP generates five times the downforce in a straight line as the standard RSV4’ The rest of the fairing is equally wind-induced. The main fairing has ground effect bulges that suck the bike to the track at high lean angles,…

Hopping from the Suzuki to the Triumph highlights the Tiger Sport 660’s smaller stature. For a start, its all-up 207kg kerb weight is easily the lightest here. It’s noticeable when you wheel the Tiger about and continues to be apparent when we get rolling, too. For me, it seems a tad more petite on every level, from the tiny TFT dash, slimmer bars and neater seat. But rather than feeling less substantial, it translates into a playful personality that’s rich in vigour. At 660cc, the Tiger Sport packs the smallest motor here, too. However, it does have the benefit of an extra cylinder, plus the ability to spin up to 10,250rpm where it develops 81bhp – 10bhp more than the Tracer and just a couple shy of the V-Strom. Although…

Forget everything you think you know about electric bikes. In fact, forget this menacing-looking enduro machine is even powered by electricity rather than internal combustion. I want you to read on with zero preconceptions, as I’m going to explain why the Stark Varg EX isn’t just an incredible bit of kit but is an equivalent to, and in some ways better than, its petrol alternatives. Yes, seriously. It’s not just us who think this way. Spanish brand Stark are making waves across the globe, with incredible racing and sales success with their Varg crosser. It’s kicking arse on the track, and they’re selling as many as they can make. And now there’s this road-legal EX enduro too, with an insane amount of power (80bhp, whereas a 450cc sits under the…

It’s my first time visiting the legendary Imola circuit. Ducati, Bimota, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini are all based round this way. As are Italjet. A boutique bike maker with plenty of two-wheeled heritage, it was set up in the 1960s by Leopoldo Tartarini and built a range of unique machinery powered by diverse powerplants; from CZ two-stroke singles to Triumph Bonneville twins. It’s another unique bike I’m here to wrestle around Imola – their new Dragster 700 Twin. Its steel trellis space frame has a scooter-style riding position and semi-step-through chassis, but is connected to a 692cc parallel twin, conventional manual gearbox and chain final drive. Running gear is top-end stuff too: fully adjustable Marzocchi 50mm USD forks, Öhlins shock, Brembo radial calipers and Pirelli Diablo Rosso rubber. It even…

S100 Waterless Cleaner £14.99 Bit of an indulgence, but a decent waterless wash is worth having on your shelves. Too expensive for a full nose-to-tail clean, it doesn’t replace a bucket, sponge or Kärcher but sits alongside them. It’s ideal for clearing patches of greb without the hassle of getting all the kit out. Spray, wipe with a microfibre, done. This S100 stuff is incredible, cutting through road film, clearing flies and even dissolving chain lube, then leaving a pleasing shine. Plus it doesn’t feel greasy or creamy, unlike some rivals. MFG thekeycollection.co.uk…

Anyone who’s tried Yamaha’s CP3 triple will tell you the engine is fantastic. In the MT-09 it takes centre stage – it’s raw, incredibly direct and so much fun. It makes a wonderful racket when you’re on the gas too, egging you on. I had a Yamaha FJR1300 before this, bought for doing cross-country schleps for work. I’d only had it a month when Covid hit and suddenly working from home became the norm. Increasingly the FJR just sat in the garage; a tool shorn of its purpose. I wanted a bike that would inspire me to ride just for the sake of it. Five minutes into a test ride on the MT-09, I knew I’d found it. I think my 2022 model hits the MT-09 sweet spot. Yamaha had…

» Having run heavy, fragile and expensive aluminium panniers on my Yamaha Ténéré 700, I knew I wanted soft panniers (plus a lockable aluminium top box) on the GS. The full set-up, which I bought from Sportsbikeshop, requires two OS-Platforms which bolt to the factory pannier frames (£189), an adapter (£35) to get around the exhaust, and the bags themselves (OS-32 panniers in my case, 32 litres and £279 each; 22s and 38s are also available). Expensive, then. But the system’s easy to fit (the frames took perhaps an hour) and highly recommended. The way the bags secure to the frames each morning is fiendishly clever. Buckles pass into the frames and then support their own weight, so you can complete the securing process without holding them up as you…

It’s tempting to scoff at Honda’s first big electric bike because there are no breakthroughs with range (81 miles), price (£12,999) or peak power (67bhp). But consider this: one of Honda’s best-selling models is the NC750X DCT, a sensible twist-and-go commuter that weighs more than the WN7, makes less power, has a lot less torque and costs far more to maintain and run. Okay, so the NC750 is £4600 less to buy and has more than twice the range, but if the WN7 lands with a tasty PCP finance deal, that could swing a few buyers. After all, the WN7’s CCS fast charging system takes it from 20 to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes, which means occasional longer trips are not out of the question if you take…

If you don’t recognise this 255cc engine, that’s because it’s the only one in existence: Austrian car mechanic Florian Hauser built it from three single-cylinder motors he bought online. And though he’s been tuning mopeds since he was a kid, this is his first he’s built from scratch. ‘Ever since I saw a three-cylinder Mobylette on YouTube I wanted to build a triple myself,’ he tells Bike from his Austrian workshop. ‘I found the base engines – Chinese-made Avenger 85s – on Amazon. Then I designed the crank and worked out the balancing factor [the amount the crank is out of balance, which will be evened out by the pistons and con rods – Ed].’ As you do. ‘I built the first crankshaft myself, but it didn’t work out very…

High up on the North York Moors, a single sinuous sliver of asphalt slices through an otherwise spectacularly undisturbed natural landscape. Sprawling out in every direction, the emptiness is so vast and so deep you could drown in it. No buildings or bus stops. No pylons or phone masts. No road signs or roundabouts. Whichever way you look, the only thing from here to the horizon is a 360° blur of constantly evolving colour. A vivid patchwork of golden straws, smoky browns and bucolic greens, flecked with the blazing purple of flowering heather, and the occasional off-white blob of a befuddled sheep. The scene’s stark simplicity and soft focus means it doesn’t feel entirely real, like riding through an unfinished oil painting, a hazy recollection or a delirious fever dream.…

Indulgent. Profligate. Gratuitous. Excessive. Not once in the 13.8 billion years of our universe has any of these adjectives ever been directed towards a keenly priced, high-rise, mid-capacity motorcycle. These are machines that shun the extreme to embrace the middle ground, sitting at the heart of a Venn diagram of practicality, accessibility and affordability. They’re lightweight yet substantial; spacious without being unwieldy; high-spec minus the daunting price tag. They’re bikes that do everything – except put you in debt. Our trio is separated by little more than £1000. Suzuki’s V-Strom 800RE has already established itself as a Bike favourite, but a recent £800 price cut to £8899 strengthens its appeal. Triumph have added a bucketload of class-leading gadgets to its stupendously talented Tiger Sport 660, yet kept its price a…

I n case you hadn’t noticed, sport is big business these days. Huge business. So it was only a matter of time before big business came for MotoGP. In fact, top-level sport has always been about business. Here’s Aussie MotoGP star ‘Happy’ Jack Ahearn (nicknamed for his grumpy demeanour) remembering negotiating his pay with race promoters in the 1950s. ‘Always, if you didn’t watch them, they’d try and dud you,’ he said. ‘They used to divide us into first-class and second-class riders. I was always classed with the top blokes, but at this meeting the bloody secretary wouldn’t give me the £100 first-class money, he wanted to give me bloody half that for second class. I said no bloody way, but he wouldn’t pay, so I hung him out of…

There are worse fates than to be lost in Italy on a new Benelli, I suppose. That’s what I keep telling myself as I wander the roads outside Verucchio, slightly panicking that I haven’t seen another rider for a while and have probably veered off course. A meandering tree-lined road eventually guides me towards the ancient hilltop village. More than a hundred vintage motorcycles are parked on its cobblestoned main square, riders sharing tales from the road while enjoying treats presented to them by locals. Yes, there are definitely worse fates. Welcome to the 2025 Motogiro d’Italia, a six-day celebration of vintage motorcycles set in a succession of stunning Adriatic landscapes. Understandably, it attracts riders from all over the globe. This year almost 200 enthusiasts are taking part, some from…

The first sign that something extraordinary is about to happen at the Spa-Francorchamps six-hour endurance occurs on the Saturday before the race. Reigning British Superbike champion Kyle Ryde is out on Team Bike’s 1989 RC30 – the only classic bike in the event – and clocks a lap at 2min 33sec having never raced at Spa nor ridden an RC30 (or indeed anything that old). The rest of the paddock gulps: that is a seriously fast lap. In fact, it turns out to be faster than 37 teams manage on their modern 1000cc superbikes after days of practice and six hours of racing. And then, inevitably, Kyle goes faster. Much faster. But how did a British Superbike star end up dicing with M1000RRs on a 36-year-old Honda V4 run by…

Fearful that a Diavel V4 owner might get tonked by a Hayabusa or V-Max in a traffic-light duel, Ducati have released an RS version fitted with a 180bhp Panigale V4 engine complete with desmodromic valve actuation (whereas the standard 166bhp bike uses humble poppet valves). Ducati have done far more than just bolt in a Panigale engine, though. The gearing is lowered for even hairier acceleration, there’s a high-flow air filter and dry clutch, plus lashings of carbon fibre that help drop the overall weight by 3kg to 220kg. Ducati say the combination of those changes is enough for a certain Mr Marc Márquez to post a best 0-62mph time of 2.52sec on the RS. Brisk, then… Ducati have also installed all the latest Panigale V4 electronics, so everything from…

Bike: The voice of motorcycling since 1971 Somewhere at Suzuki’s Hamamatsu factory is a shed full of dusty, abandoned concept bikes. Over there, a 1985 hub-centre-steered Falcorustyco. In the corner, a 2005 inline-six Stratosphere. By the door, 2013’s turbocharged Recursion parallel twin. None went into production because most concepts are design and engineering exercises – even those that run are only feasibility studies. Motorcycles aren’t born from a start point of fantasy styling and spec wish lists, but boring practicalities. Like, can we build it using existing production methods? What will it cost for a hologram instead of clocks? How do we get foot-long axle scythes past construction-and-use regs? Nevertheless, in October 2001 Suzuki tried the fantasy method when a naked muscle bike concept called the B-King appeared at the…

1976 BMW R100RS Performance meets protection »980cc flat twin »70bhp @ 7000rpm »56lb·ft @ 6000rpm »230kg »24-litre tank BMW’s 1976 R100RS claims two world firsts: first sports-tourer, and first fully faired production bike. We’ll give it the former, but the mid-1950s Vincent Black Prince and Ariel Leader both had large windscreens and integrated leg protectors that looked a lot like a full fairing. However, the RS was the first production bike to benefit from wind tunnel development, ‘specifically tailored to the physical properties of the motorcycle itself’, said BMW. Unlike the Vincent’s and Ariel’s plastics, the RS’s fairing wasn’t a barn door to beat wind into submission but shaped to cut through it and enhance high-speed stability. It was an evolution of 1973’s handlebar-mounted, bikini-faired R90S – the first BMW…

‘You wouldn’t feel hard done by if you were downsizing to the V-Strom,’ reckons Jon Urry, briefly putting himself in the boots of someone moving on from a physical and financial whopper to something more manageable and cost-effective. ‘It’s substantial enough to have the air of a full-fat tourer, without ever feeling that it’s too much for day-to-day riding.’ He has a point, because Suzuki designed the 800RE in such a way that it deliberately carries presence from the rider’s seat. Joining their range in 2024, the RE (‘Road Explorer’) is a more street-focused sibling to the full-on adventure DE (‘Dual Explorer’). And as far as a tarmac-munching tall-rounder goes, it’s all the better for it. Shorter-travel suspension and a smaller 19in (cast) front wheel together bring the seat height…

Before we can properly consider value, we need to level up the equipment across the three bikes. The Yamaha Tracer 7 GT is loaded with way more kit than the other two, so let’s add a quickshifter and set the resulting £10,292 as our baseline. Adding comparable official accessories to the Triumph Tiger Sport 660 brings its price to £10,174 – though you still can’t get a centrestand or a taller touring screen for it. On the Suzuki V-Strom 800RE, you’re looking at £10,745 – and you still have to live without cruise control. All in all, you’d have to say the Tracer offers both the most complete range of features, as well as the best value for money given how much you get. Bringing it back to the bikes…

» The Motogiro d’Italia was Italy’s most prestigious and famous road race. First run in 1914, it was born out of the crazed love affair the public was enjoying with the nascent motorised excitement of automobiles and motorcycles. These road races were genuine spectacles, routing through remote villages and winding mountain roads, allowing locals the opportunity to cheer on the riders and drivers as they raced through the normally peaceful enclaves. However, as vehicles evolved over the years, so did the speeds. The danger became obvious. Crashes and injuries, as well as fatalities, began to accrue, resulting in public outcry. The concerns of the public, and the government’s efforts to curb the events, were given sobering evidence in 1957. A horrific crash at the Mille Miglia car race resulted in…

Having done my A2 licence on a Honda CB500 Hornet then spent a few months with one, I expected to be a little underwhelmed by the GB350S. I loved the style, finish and full-size proportions – and the £3999 price tag – but thought 21bhp might feel flat. But I immediately fell for it. Coming from the Hornet, the GB350S felt so much more comfortable. The ride quality felt superior, and it came into its own when arcing through corners and rolling down tight lanes. ‘Bend swinging’, as my dad calls it. The low centre of gravity gave confidence and stability regardless of speed, and the 348cc single-cylinder motor ticked along beautifully – there’s a sense of torque even just tickling the throttle, a deep bom-bom-bom chasing me down country…

The year 1993 was huge for BMW. The new ‘Oilhead’ four-valves-per-cylinder R259 boxer engine was an affirmation that a flat twin could still cut it with the faithful – while also luring the reluctant into the realm of Bayerische Motoren Werke. And it worked. Boy did it work. It wasn’t merely the R1100RS’s powerplant that departed from staid long-pushrod Munich norms. The chassis, the ergo, the styling were many notches up from the visual clunkiness of the previous big leap – the 1983 K-series. Where the Ks were blunt and hard to love, the new R was fully formed and lively, vivacious yet reassuringly solid. Much of that was down to the new Telelever front end, engine employed as a stressed member of the chassis, and the proven single-sided Paralever…