RiDEOctober 2024的目錄

'This issue is a celebration of great-value motorcycling' There is a huge amount to be said for showroom-fresh motorcycles – they have amazing ability, are packed with superb technology and can propel to you your destination with more performance and control than ever before. The accepted wisdom is that we've never had it so good. And while that's true, they're certainly not cheap – especially once you start ticking off the extensive options lists that now prevail. In this issue we profile a group of riders who aren't chasing the latest, greatest bikes, but have instead chosen a more value-packed way to pursue biking. They show that with a little bit of savvy and mechanical know-how you can have a superb, effective – and dare I say it, sexy –…

THE FACTS The route This is a straightforward route, leaving Aberystwyth and travelling south-west, never far from the coast. It's one road – the A487 – except for a brief stretch of the A40 bypassing Fishguard. Why it's great The first of its two parts may be busy but it is great fun with stunning views as you swing between bends. The second part, from Fishguard onwards, is quieter and a more engaging ride. When to go We'd suggest doing the first section early, and trying to avoid school holidays if possible – there are loads of campsites near St Davids. Where to visit Dr Beynon's Bug Farm, outside St Davids, is a great spot to learn about the importance of insects in conservation. 'This is a beautiful romp through…

DOWNLOAD THE ROUTE www.ride.co.uk Best for A dual-nature ride; fast and flowing to start, then more point and squirt. Length 83 miles Route Aberystwyth, Aberaeron, Cardigan, Fishguard, St David's. Roads A487, A40, A487. Love it because It's a great combination of roads, stunning scenery and coastline. Use Fishguard as a jumping-off point to Ireland if you want to explore further. Take a picture at Just north of Aberarth, where you can see the coastline stretching away from you in both directions. Glorious… Stop for a cuppa at The Shack, Fishguard Harbour. It may be the wrong side of the A40 into the ferry port but it has snacks, coffee, parking, and a great view of the harbour and sea wall. TOP TIP The section from Fishguard to St Davids is…

THE BEST NAKED BIKES Watching someone else cavort with Yamaha's MT-10 is almost as gratifying as riding it yourself. Almost. Taking in tester Chris grapple with the bike while it shimmers in the heat haze is like watching a young proto-hooligan (me) getting giddy on an EXUP in the '90s. Nothing's changed. A few rival hypernakeds make bigger numbers; their escalating power outputs and price tags reaching a distant, slightly pointless realm. But it also means where once the MT's 164bhp signified a naked, post-apocalyptic watershed, today its on-paper performance isn't headline news. Yet as I take my turn on it, short-shifting and fighting to keep the front under control like beating down a fire in my underpants, the suggestion this is a lesser experience among hypernakeds is absurd. Its…

THE BEST NAKED BIKES Light, fun and remarkably cheap, Triumph's all new A2-legal naked bike is the success story of 2024 NEED TO KNOW > £5195 > 40bhp > 28lb·ft > 170kg > 790mm seat • High level of equipment and spec yet still great value • Fantastic sounding and performing motor • Agile chassis and user-friendly nature The Triumph Speed 400 has topped the modern classic sales charts since its release in January, only beaten to the top step in a single month by its sibling, the Scrambler 400 X. It was the UK's best-selling motorcycle overall in January and May – incredible when you consider there's an all-new GS in the market, which usually dominates the sales charts. What's the secret to its success? Nothing that revolutionary –…

MEGA SUB-£2K BIKES PCP HAS ENABLED plenty of riders who wouldn't be able to afford a new bike out of pocket to get on a box-fresh machine: it's made plenty of people happy. But it's easy to forget that price and value are different things: for less than the typical deposit on a big bike, there are plenty of brilliant bikes that will do everything, including put a smile on your face… We spoke to three RiDE readers whose bargain rides show that cheap motorcycling is far more than keeping tired old nails on the road: there are brilliant bikes to be had for less than the deposit on a budget middleweight, and the liberation that only comes with a bike whose value can scarcely be affected by wear, tear and age…

GARAGE USED BIKES USED BUYING GUIDE DUCATI'S MULTISTRADA RANGE is broad – from 620 to 1200cc, V-twins and V4s, tourers to dual-purpose adventure tools. The 950 sits in the middle of the range – and in many ways it's the perfect distillation of the model's potential. Introduced in 2017, then updated in 2019, the 950 is a reinvention of Ducati's original premise for the Multistrada; a fast, fun, comfortable all-rounder with more than a hint of character. From the eagerness and punch of its V-twin Testastretta engine to the easily exploitable balance of its chassis and handling, the 950 is a Multi that wins praise from owners stepping up from smaller models and those easing down from the full-fat performance of the V4. The 950 is now also an affordable adventure…

GARAGE LONG-TERM TEST BIKES 2024 HUSQVARNA NORDEN 901 EXPEDITION HUSQVARNA'S NORDEN 901 Expedition is billed as one of the most travel-ready adventure bikes on the market – and when you look at the spec it is easy to see why. You have 20 litres of fuel capacity, high-quality, long-travel suspension, cruise control, huge wind protection and even soft luggage as standard. No other bike has the same tick list. So, we thought we would test it in every situation. It's been to Scotland and Wales as a heavily laden beast of burden, been ridden at pace on some of the best roads in the country, and has seen off-roading in Thetford, the Peak District and the French TET. It's excelled at most activities, but there are things you need to know……

STAR PICTURE Col du Tourmalet, France After trawling through old copies of RiDE, noting recommended roads and stops, my wife Linda and I set off from Belfast via the Rosslare/Bilbao ferry earlier this year. The first week we zigzagged across the Pyrenees to Barcelona, where we stopped for a week before returning to Bilbao and the ferry home. Highlights were the D918 Col du Tourmalet, N-260a from Broto to Argelès-Gazost, N-260 via Castejón de Sos, and the C-13 from Balaguer to La Pobla de Segur. The roads were awesome and the scenery jaw-dropping. This is me and the BMW R1200GS on Col du Tourmalet. Mark Andrews Get your bike in RiDE & win a BikeTrac system Each month the Star Picture will win a BikeTrac security tracker with a year's…

FRONT END MONTH IN BIKES 86% THINK POTHOLES ARE BIGGEST ROAD RISK PUBLIC ANGER OVER the dire state of UK roads has hit an all-time high, according to new research from breakdown recovery specialists, the RAC. According to data published in mid-August, 56% of people surveyed said the level of road maintenance carried out was among their top motoring concerns. The RAC also said that 86% of motorists surveyed perceive potholes to be the road defect that possesses the greatest risk. “For motorcyclists in particular, it's not just a pothole, it could be a matter of life or death,” said IAM RoadSmart policy adviser Neil Greig. “All sorts of problems can arise out of poor road conditions, and they're not just limited to vehicle damage. “What we would like to…

Ducati has introduced a new Panigale V4 range for 2025 - the seventh generation of sportsbike to use the Panigale name – complete with new looks, a dual-sided swingarm, and advanced electronics. The new styling is said to combine the modern aero ethos we've come to expect from top-end superbikes (reducing drag by a claimed 4%) with looks said to be inspired by the 916 and 1098 V-twins. Gone is the single-sided swingarm, which has been a staple of the 1103cc Panigale V4 since its inception in 2018. It's been replaced with a shell-cast aluminium double-sided option, which might not look as pretty but is said to reduce lateral stiffness by a whopping 37% to improve traction and rider feel when getting on the gas out of a turn. This…

NEW BIKES YAMAHA XSR900 GP BIG QUESTIONS ANSWERED WHEN YAMAHA PULLED the covers off the XSR900 GP last year, it made bikers of a certain age very excited. In fact, if you were a fan of Grand Prix racing in the golden, smokey 500cc two-stroke era and dreamed about being Wayne Rainey, it might well be one of the sexiest, most sought after and damn right exciting machines to grace our showrooms for years. Where so many retros follow a similar café racer or scrambler style, the XSR900 GP looks like it was crafted from our wildest motorcycling fantasies, combining elements of so many legendary machines into one, well-tied-together bundle of pure nostalgia. It's a motorcycle that actually looks like it has been designed by real motorcyclists - but a bike's…

THE BEST NAKED BIKES With an engine and chassis that seems per fectly attuned to UK roads, the Monster is everything you need A deep moan emanates from the Monster's airbox as it drives hard through the midrange, revs building with urgency. Sucking hard through a pair of 53mm throttle bodies, it quickly despatches with the tractor, wobbly trailer of bales and two dithering drivers following in its wake. I snick a gear with the slick quickshifter, keeping the motor in the rump of its torque, revelling in the drive and a sound that to riders of a certain age can only mean good times. The Desmo V-twin is the sound of the golden era of World Superbikes, beery Sundays in front of the telly, and even beerier weekends at…

MEGA SUB-£2K BIKES “Ask any ex-sportsbike-owning friend why they no longer have a race-rep in the garage, and four times out of five it'll be the riding position that no longer agrees with ageing joints, rather than any desire to give up on fun and excitement. John Embury is such a rider, with a history of sports tools to look back on (he's still got a cherished RD350LC for sunny day nostalgic kicks, and a GSX-R750 SRAD exclusively for trackdays). But for the bulk of his road miles he's shifted towards something that won't require a chiropractor after an hour… If you wanted vindication of the Fazer as a brilliant budget buy, this is his second example. “I paid £1100 for the first one – it had 80,000 miles on…

RATED LATEST KIT RATED Metzeler Roadtec 02 £142 (120/70 front), £182 (180/55 rear) www.twotyres.co.uk THE CLAIM “Adaptive tread pattern adapts to riding style and modifies tyre behaviour. Riding softly, the long grooves give optimal water evacuation and tread mobility that contributes to a quick warm-up and better grip. At a higher pace, the walls of the narrow portions of the grooves join together, increasing tread stability. This lets the compound deliver all the grip potential, improves trajectory precision and gives supersport tyre behaviour.” THE REALITY After 4800 miles, the rear Bridgestone T32 on the Tracer 9 GT+ is squared-off – it has a few more miles left, but bombing across Bumpy Fen's ruptured tarmac has the agile Yamaha squirming over camber changes. Time for new boots; enter Metzeler's new-for-2024 Roadtec 02s,…

RATED THE RiDE PRODUCT TEST THE RiDE PRODUCT TEST FOR MANY, A leather jacket is a staple of their motorcycling wardrobe. Notwithstanding ultra-modern or sporty styles, a classic-styled leather jacket looks great on any bike and superb off, whether at a bike meet or strolling along the seafront or high street. A leather jacket also offers practical benefits. Cowhide's abrasion resistance is among the best available – that's why racing suits are made from it. It can also keep you warm when the conditions are a bit chilly, but conversely – with vents disguised as pockets, for example – it can also offer cooling air when the weather improves. This is typically when many riders would choose to wear a leather jacket. We decided to look at six leather jackets that…

UPDATE 04 MILEAGE IS RELATIVELY low this month, purely because I was loath to use the Hornet while it waited for its first service. And this was a troubling time; I knew from the ride home last month that it was going to be a fun machine but it wasn't fair to rack up the miles before my local dealer, Bridge Motorcycles in Exeter, was able to get it in and service it. However, full of fresh fluid and fully checked, the Hornet and I were ready to go. And our first proper ride took us to Dartmoor to meet RiDE office manager Ali so we could have some fun and pop along to the Jolly Roger Bike Night in Bovey Tracey on the edge of the moor. While Dartmoor…

TECHNOLOGY MOVES FAST. Today's mobile phones have more computing power than the Apollo moon landings, all of mankind's knowledge is a few keyboard strokes away, and artificial intelligence may make many of us redundant. In motorcycling, technology from the car world is being increasingly adopted; adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and even hybrid powerplants. But what about our riding kit? Little has changed to the basics for years, so what can we expect as technology advances? Standards the same Independent bike kit expert Paul Varnsverry says little is expected to change in the world of legislation and standards in the immediate future. The biggest change in recent years was the adoption of EN 17092:2020, which gave rise to easily recognisable certification for jackets and trousers. And while all CE…

Victims who invested in three failed Norton pension schemes back in 2012-13 have now gained access to their share of £9.8million in compensation. An estimated £11M was invested into the schemes, of which then Norton Motorcycles owner Stuart Garner was the sole trustee. This was split across 227 investors, who pledged their money in return for preference shares in the business. No more than 5% of the total value of the schemes should have been used. Most of the money in each scheme was invested in the company, however. In 2022, Garner was handed an eight-month sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to illegal pension investments. The money was secured by Dalriada Trustees, previously appointed by The Pensions Regulator.…

Email ride@ride.co.uk Write to us RiDE Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA LETTER OF THE MONTH On the HNTR I was very pleased to find a comparison test between the Royal Enfield HNTR 350 and the Triumph Speed 400 in your August issue, since I was looking for a weekend fun bike to complement my BMW R1250RT. Having taken both bikes for a test ride, it was clear that there could be only one winner; the Triumph beats the HNTR on almost every comparison. So I went straight out and bought… a HNTR. Why? The Triumph may be the technically superior bike but it left me a little cold. The HNTR, on the other hand, makes me feel alive. It took me back to my teenage years of hustling around…

NEW BIKES CHINESE BIKES HAVE been in the UK market for a couple of decades, but they've broadly been cut from the same tawdry cloth: low-quality knock-offs of Japanese designs with nothing to offer but a low cost for the undiscerning rider. But it seems the tide is turning: CFMoto's range, developed with a certain amount of cooperation from KTM, gets more competitive with every model. And now Kove – started in 2007 by a former enduro racer – is wading in with an £8499, 80bhp, 196kg adventure bike that will surely make Yamaha, KTM and all the major players in middleweight adventure bikes sweat. There's no innovation here and it's fairly typical among rivals on a technical level, but no imitation either; no clear pilfering of design from other…

THE BEST NAKED BIKES NEED TO KNOW > £11,995 > 99bhp > 83lb·ft > 216kg > 809mm seat • Soulful parallel twin with strong midrange • Sporty chassis incorporating modern handling • Classy styling has plenty of kerb appeal The Speed Twin 1200 is one of Triumph's best modern classics – and a bike we've loved since its launch in 2019. And when you consider the line-up includes the Bonneville, Speedmaster, Scrambler, Thruxton RS and Bobber, that's high praise. Yet the Speed Twin 1200 tends to get a bit lost within Triumph's retro and naked range, which is a shame – if more riders discovered it, there is no doubting they would fall for its charms. What makes it so special? A beautiful balance of styling, handling and performance with…

THE BEST NAKED BIKES NEED TO KNOW > £8299 > 82bhp > 58lb·ft > 202kg > 810mm seat • Thumping, torquey midrange • Solidly built – like a proper motorcycle • Typically stable, neutral handling It had been so long since Suzuki's engineers were asked to design a new bike from the ground up – something like 20 years – a few folk wondered if they'd remember how to do it. And when news broke of the GSX-8S's spec – a naked 776cc parallel twin making 82bhp – compared to the rival Honda Hornet, things looked bleak. Then we rode it and everything was good again. So good that I pestered editor Matt to let me have one as a long termer last year. The 8S does the basic stuff…

50 YEARS OF THE WING CRUISE CONTROL ON and stereo blaring, watching the dawn of a perfect summer's day from the saddle of a Gold Wing fills you with joy. Golden fingers of light stretch out as sun rises from behind a faraway treeline, providing comfort from the cool of a 6am morning. It casts long shadows and a strobing silhouette of the Honda against the soon-to-be-warmed tarmac. The Honda's barrelling along, relaxed, refined, spinning the world beneath its wheels. Deserted, aside from a few early starting truckers, the M42 is suddenly so palatable that I can't think of a place I'd rather be (apart from possibly, in bed, asleep). I'm heading south, making the most of the empty roads on a 2024 Gold Wing, trying to pay tribute to…

RATED THE RiDE PRODUCT TEST 'The six jackets split clearly into two groups – and the scores are close in both' The six jackets here split clearly into two groups – and the scores are close in each. RST's Roadster 3 is very nice but is hampered by an odd fit – it's more sporty than casual – and confidence could be better, with just Level 1 armour in the shoulders and elbows and no back protector. The Weise Cabot also has a slightly odd fit, mainly due to the liner, and old-school armour knocks confidence. Oxford's Holton is quite stiff at times but is great value; even with a Level 2 back protector added (making it on par with the most protective here), it is still the cheapest. The…

NEW BIKES THE SMART-MONEY TEST MONEY MATTERS ■ ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN 450 ■ CFMOTO 450MT Comprehensive quotes based on a 52-year-old male engineer, married, licence held 25 years, nine years' NCD, no claims or convictions, for social, domestic and pleasure use. Bike is garaged at postcode WA14 1NU. Quotes supplied by MCNcompare.com in July 2024. Based on fuel, tyres, depreciation, servicing and insurance over three years and 15,000 miles VERDICT Assuming insurance is the same, CFMoto costs more to run thanks to worse MPG and more services needed. More comfortable over distance. More characterful on the throttle. More compelling finance. It's an unexpected upset for a relative unknown, but our winner is the CFMoto 450MT. Longevity and durability remain question marks, of course. Nothing went wrong with our 450MT, nor…

UPDATE 05 WHEN PRODUCTS EDITOR Jim said there's a bike night local to him, I thought it chance for a trip on the GX. Jim's 250 miles away in Devon, and the bike night's at The Jolly Roger Lifesize Models in Bovey Tracey. In my quest to find some decent luggage I'm testing a tail bag from SW-Motech. It clips on the pillion seat and expands to hold up to 34 litres of kit. I've overloaded it – not with clothes but about 50 copies of RiDE to give out at the bike night. Taking the direct route, I'm on the M5 filtering through traffic, and the GX's upright riding position gives me great visibility. The dash shows a heady 33°C air temp but the engine's over 100°C – my…

Name John Ireland, 62 Bike 2004 Honda ST1300 Total Miles 100,287 Miles per year 5000 “SHE – HER NAME'S Fay – is currently my only bike, and she's my main mode of transport. Until I retired a few months back we did a daily 40-mile round trip through country lanes to work and back, the weekly food shop, holidays in the UK and Europe, rides out, IAM parties and visiting friends. “I average about 10,000 miles a year and she's been the most reliable girl I've ever had in my life! The only roadside breakdown was a broken clutch lever – the pivot mount hole had completely worn away. I fixed it by the roadside.” What's it like to work on? “That's the great thing about this bike – you don't have to…