HARLEY DAVIDSON AND SEXY GIRL

The Honda SP1 and Honda SP2 were built to prove a point; that the world's number one bike maker could beat Ducati on the track, using a V-twin. Sadly, that makes the Honda SP1/2 less satisfying, because it has an on/off fuelling set up, too much power for the chassis and a cramped riding position. On the upside, the Honda SP1/2 is beautifully made, sounds awesome and makes 90% of riders look faster than they really are.A truly great motor, ruined by a glitchy fuel injection system, especially on the Honda SP1 which is sometimes unpredictable at low rpm. With 133bhp at 10,000rpm the Honda SP2 is 4bhp up on the Honda SP1, but the later model feels easier to ride, thanks to bigger throttle bodies and a better 12 point injector system feeding it.
Like most V-twins, the Honda SP1/2 series need a bit more rider input than the average four when cornering hard. The ride is harsh on both motorcycles, with a massive twin spar frame as the backbone of the motorcycle and firm suspension. The Honda SP1/2 really needs a racetrack to appreciate the abilities of the chassis, as it just seems too hard and unforgiving on many normal roads.The Honda SP1/2 oozes class. There's little doubt that Honda lost money on each one of them, even at ten grand a pop. Beautiful machined alloy parts, an exquisite swingarm on the Honda SP2, top notch Showa suspension, stunning brakes - the Honda SP series bikes are a techie's delight to look at - and the dashboard looks like it came straight off a Suzuka endurance racer. Spartan but sexy.
The Honda SP1/2 feels like it was made in the HRC race shop, not an anonymous factory. Every detail fits together just right, the Honda SP1/2 has an aura of engineering excellence and durability than many other Honda machines sadly lack. Apart from chinning fuel at 30mpg, the Honda SP1/2 has no real faults and if you were some kind of sick masochist, you could probably despatch on it. The Honda SP1 enjoyed respectable UK sales, but was soon discounted as dealers realised people wouldn't pay vast sums for what was perceived (wrongly) as a jazzed up Firestorm. The Honda SP2 struggled to hold its 10K list price too, dropping to about 8K new in late 2002. All of which makes the Honda SP 1/2 series V-twins true bargains on the used market - you get a top class WSB race rep for very little money and undoubtedly the later Honda SP2 model, in its Castrol colours, is the one to have.

The Kawasaki Z750 is a rev-happy chap that also comes with a half decent amount of low-down pull – thanks to reworked fuel injection and engine internals. Moving the Kawasaki Z750's engine mounts has also put paid to most of the vibes that afflicted the previous model. When the tacho needle hits 6500rpm the Kawasaki Z750 comes alive. Use these revs and the Kawasaki Z750 instantly becomes a naked sports bike that begs to be abused. Except, in standard trim, it won’t allow…Part of the Kawasaki Z750 cost-cutting exercise involves simplifying the already budget suspension – only one fork leg controls front rebound damping and the forks and rear shock are particularly soft. This means the handling of the quick-ish steering Kawasaki Z750 soon starts to go south when the bike’s pushed hard. The Kawasaki Z750 can be so nearly righted with tweaks to put the fun back into riding what is otherwise a smile-inducing motorcycle
Wave-pattern discs all-round and decent brake pads are the Kawasaki Z750's braking saviour as it features decidedly old-hat two-piston sliding calipers at the front. And that’s about it. If the price was higher then the Kawasaki Z750's score rating would be considerably lower, but as it is a built-to-a-price motorcycle…The Kawasaki Z750 has a very proven motor as it’s a down-sized ZX-9R engine – and that has been around in various guises for donkeys years – so it is definitely understressed. Even though the Kawasaki Z750's swingarm (painted steel arm) and brakes are budget items, all of it’s a known quantity, so frequent cleaning should see everything on the Kawasaki Z750 stay shiny.The Kawasaki Z750 is a couple of hundred quid cheaper than the new Honda Hornet and cheaper than a Yamaha Fazer 600, which places the bike as a wallet friendly creature. Even the Kawasaki Z750's extra 150cc placing shouldn’t be too detrimental on the running costs.

The Triumph Daytona 955i is an extremely rapid, sweet handling superbike. Unfortunately it was about four years too late in a fiercely competitive class. The R1, GSX-R1000 and FireBlade are lighter and faster. The Triumph Daytona 955i’s saving grace is its character from its gruff three-cylinder engine, distinctive understated looks and the fact few riders can use anything like all the performance any of these motorcycles offer.Love the Triumph Daytona 955i's syncopated rumble at tickover – and there’s no shortage of low down drive. As it builds more power comes rushing and rushing until almost too soon it’s time to change up a gear. The Triumph Daytona's triple can never match the Japanese fours for top end power but it aces them on personality and sound. It's motorcycling aural poetry with a race can.
Ride the Triumph Daytona 955i on the road and you’ll be hard pushed to fault it. Likewise on a race track. But try it back to back with the lighter, more powerful Japanese competition and the Triumph Daytona 955i feels slightly crude by comparison. Still a thrilling, rapid motorcycle and plenty stable enough for uneven uk roads. Brakes superb if in good condition.With the Triumph Daytona 955i there are few luxuries but that’s par for the course. Comfort’s not bad – much better than some of the more extreme motorcycles like Honda’s CBR1000RR and the early ZX-10R. You can tour quite well one-up on the Triumph Daytona 955i too. The headlights are ace, mirrors are pants. Loads of official extras include alarm, luggage rack, grab rail and a high-level silencer.
Problems with the Triumph Daytona T595 and early T955s had been ironed out by the time the Daytona 955i was released. Triumph finish seems to be more durable than on Japanese motorcycles although when the crinkly black surfaces start to go, they deteriorate fast. Owners tend to be more mature than other big sports motorcycles too which is a plus.At the end of its life the Triumph Daytona 955i had a bargain new price. Used motorcycles hold their money pretty well but it’s often justified by excellent condition. The Triumph Daytona 955i is an insurance group lower than almost every other motorcycle in the class (two lower than some) which can make a huge difference. Triumph’s own insurance scheme can be reasonable too – reason alone to buy one if you’re deemed a high-risk.

Based on MV’s range-topping Brutale 1090RR, the Cannonball is fitted with an array of mouth-watering MV Agusta Corse goodies.
Starting with the standard £13,699 machine, which is smoother and far easier to live with than the angry Brutales of old, you can choose what parts of the Cannonball kit you want by going on to MV’s online ‘configurator’. Our test bike was fully-loaded with £3917-worth of cosmetics and chassis mods, which include MV Agusta Corse levers, rearsets and a dazzling array of carbon fibre parts. It’s topped off with a £4745 F4 superbike-inspired engine kit, which has a tuned top end and a full titanium Arrow exhaust system, which boosts power by 21bhp to 165bhp.
The Brutale 1090RR Cannonball manages to be insanely fast, unbelievable fun, stupidly loud, excessively expensive and easy to ride, all in one go. In our book, it makes this one of the most desirable motorcycles in the world.This isn’t a bike for shrinking violets. Hammer through the gears at full throttle and the tuned inline-four-cylinder 1078cc motor hesitates very slightly at low rpm, then takes off in violent style. It will loop-the-loop in first gear and wants to lift in the next two. The engine devours revs and gears and before you know it, if you’re on a big enough track, you’ll be flat in top, struggling to hang on while your ears are being assaulted by the angry roar of the titanium Arrow racing exhaust.
With its Cannonball kit fitted you still get the same friendly new-generation Brutale. On this test bike the standard fully-adjustable Sachs rear shock and 50mm Marzocchi forks are set to give a plush, quality ride and the stock Brembo brakes are powerful enough for anything you care to throw at them.
From the Cannonball chassis kit, you only notice the slightly chunkier feel of the MV Agusta Corse racing levers and the higher rearsets, the rest of the goodies are purely cosmetic.On top of all the goodies you get with the Cannonball kit, you get traction control, fully adjustable 50mm Marzocchi forks and Sachs rear shock, monobloc four-piston Brembo calipers, slipper clutch and gear position indicator. This is the ultimate super naked. It’s super-fast and handles like a superbike. It’s the most insane fun you can have on a bike if you’ve got a mischievous streak in you. Yes it’s hideously expensive and you can have almost as fun on any one of the leading super naked machines out there for a fraction of the price, but if you want the very best, the Cannonball is the one to have.

It may look largely the same as the outgoing model but the latest version of BMW’s naked K1300R has had a host of small changes that add up to a much better bike all-round. With a claimed 173bhp and some seriously clever optional electronically-adjustable suspension, traction control and a long list of options to choose from, BMW has built a bike that almost defies naked bike logic. And don’t forget the new K-series range now has proper indicators rather than the confusing triple switches of old.The motor is the biggest single area of improvement over the previous model. Engineering development was handed over to the spanner magicians at Ricardo – the same firm that designed the gearbox for the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron hypercar. This is the first time BMW has worked with Ricardo on one of its bikes. The result is a claimed 173bhp from an increased 1293cc four-cylinder motor that is much smoother with bundles of power and torque. It’s one of the best big-capacity motors onthe road today combining lovely refinement with a racing engine snarl when pushed. And yes, it’s very, very, very fast.The only question is how long you can hang on.
The BMW K13000R is actually a little easier to chuck around than the faired BMW K1300S model thanks to wider, taller handlebars which give loads of leverage over the fairly substantial weight of the bike. Use of aluminium rather than steel on the Duolever front suspension has taken 1kg off the unsprung weight and this has added a bit of feel to the slightly numb handling feedback on the outgoing model. The ESA II system and ASC traction control are brilliant and well worth the cash.Spec up a BMW K1300R with all of the options BMW has to offer and it’s going to be an expensive machine. There are some must-haves though and the ESA II at £617 is one of them as it offers a great deal of adjustment and takes the guesswork out of suspension adjustment. ABS is another one. After that there are some lovely choices. Heated grips, hard luggage, Akrapovic exhaust, onboard computer and a quickshifter. There are also carbon bits, mini-indicators and crash bungs as standard on the R. Most are worth a look although we would give the quickshifter a miss as although it works just fine, it seems out of place on a bike like this.
Few bikes shrug off winter better than a BMW motorcycle but it will still need regular attention to keep it looking shiny. The uprated shaft drive means less maintenance and expense than a chain. A few owners of the BMW K1200S previous model seemed to have suffered from vibration and quite high oil consumption but the new engine should stop that happening. At £9500 for the stock model without ABS there is no getting away from the fact that the BMW K1300R is not a cheap bike…add in the essential ABS and ESA II and the price goes to £10,675. From there on in adding options obviously just adds more and more to the costs. ESA II must be on the list as it transforms the bike. BMW do a Dynamic Pack which puts ABS and ASC traction control together with a Tyre Pressure Control system for £1175 and saves £143.

What you get with the Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000 is the awesome 2002 R1 engine in a more practical but still high-spec chassis. The Japanese firm class the Yamaha Fazer 1000 as a sports motorcycle and they’re right – but it has the ability of a sports tourer and a city motorcycle, too – with more than a splash of musclebike / posing tool chucked in for nothing. One of the best premium, sporty all round motorcycles you can buy.The Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000 is derived from the R1 which means the latest technology with proven reliability. Injection is quite sudden on the 2006 machines – it’s something you get used to or solve with a Power Commander and some dyno time - although it's much improved on 2007-on machines. A little more low and midrange power would be nice but the sensation of the top-end rush, amplified by the high bars, is astronomic.
The Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000's quality suspension plus wide bars equals big fun. The Fazer’s hard to fault, flicking easily into corners and handing well as long as it’s on reasonable tyres. The lack of ground clearance means well ridden sports motorcycles will pull away but the Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000's still incredibly rapid. Excellent brakes and smooth over the bumps too.The Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000 in this respect is arguably worse than the previous model. A less comfy seat and smaller tank range don’t help the Yamaha FZ1’s distance credentials. None the less it’s still a comfy, well equipped motorcycle. Loads of Yamaha official extras are available including hard panniers, crash protector bungs, immobiliser upgrade, fairing lowers and belly pan.A weak point of the old Yamaha Fazer 1000 and, while things are a little better on the new one, it’s a still a bit of a let down on a motorcycle that can handle so much year-round riding to see brackets and bolts furring up so soon. Reliability wise problems with the Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000 are very rare – accident or theft damage is more likely.The Yamaha FZ1/FZS1000 sits in between budget big motorcycles like Suzuki’s Bandit 1200 and Honda’s CBF1000 and the ‘fancy’ street motorcycles like the Benelli TNT. In the same price bracket Kawasaki’s Z1000 offers a more manic ride but less practicality, ditto Aprilia’s Tuono but with poor dealer back up too. Keenly priced, especially when discounted.

When the Honda CBR600F got fuel injection, it also had its personality split. From this point on, two Honda CBR600s would run concurrently: the Honda CBR600F and the Honda CBR600FS (now superseded by the Honda CBR600RR). One a sporty all-rounder, the other, a full-on sportsbike. The Honda CBR600F was, and remains, a brilliant motorcycle with real power and excitement but with the added practicalities to make it a contender for just about anyone’s garage.Some reckon the Honda CBR600F’s engine is very slightly lacking in midrange but, for the average rider, there’s a lot of very useable power. The fuel injection can make for juddery starts on cold mornings but, once up to temperature, it’s as smooth as a baby’s bum. To coin a massively-used but highly appropriate (in this instance) cliché: it’s bullet-proof.Fully adjustable suspension means customising the ride to your needs is a doddle. As it is, the Honda CBR600F handles beautifully. It lacks the razor sharp edginess of the Honda CBR600RR or other rivals but it’s still an absolute corker. Loads of power, plenty of torque but forgiving of the odd wrong gear or rider hiccup: it’s a ball to ride. The brakes are ok but may be a bit spongy on older models.Dual seat, grab rail, centre stand… It sounds like a roll call for a big, dull tourer but the Honda CBR600F has them all, running alongside its sportier credentials. The dash is clear and clean with a fuel gauge, clock and digital speedo. Mirrors are good and there’s enough room under the seat for some waterproofs. Extras available include luggage and heated grips.
Great finish and legendary reliability mean Honda CBR600F owners spend more time riding their motorcycles and less time covered in oil in their garages, trying to fix the bloody things. Even older models, well kept, look pretty spotless and the engines just keep on going.There’s no shortage of Honda CBR600Fs around, in all their guises, but they last and last well. They also hold their value fairly well, which is pretty unusual for a ubiquitous machine. The Honda CBR600F is a lot cheaper than rival 600s and, although it lacks their utterly balls-out performance, its everyday usability works in its favour for many buyers.