Bike_UK_July_2017

The Tests
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Bike Price Engine Top speed Power mpg Bike verdict Rating Tested
Iron 883 £8132 883cc V-twin 105mph 44bhp 56mpg Usual cruiser limitations, but good looks and details, and noticeably better ride for ’16. 7 / 10 Dec ’15
Street 750 £5995 749cc V-twin 105mph 55bhp** 55mpg* Indian-built, liquid-cooled entry bike. Decent, and cheap, but lacks real H-D character. 7 / 10 Jan ‘16
HONDA honda.co.uk/motorcycles, 0845 2008000 Bike’s choice: hyper-refined and classy, the Fireblade remains superb
GL1800 Gold Wing £24,999 1832cc flat-six 124mph 101 bhp 32mpg Morphed from sportsbike (ish) into opulent QE2 of biking over 40 years. Feels unique. 8/ 10 Sep ’12
Gold Wing F6C £18,899 1832cc flat-six 120mph* 101 bhp* 34mpg* Honda’s huge tourer stripped down to a ‘power cruiser’. All very nice... except the price. 7 / 10 Aug ’14
ST1300 Pan European £14,999 1260cc V4 141mph 111bhp 43mpg Big cash for what looks and feels old. Buy a VFR12 or Crosstourer with extras instead. 5 / 10 Jan ’08
CTX1300 £14,999 1260cc V4 135mph* 111bhp* 45mpg* Pan Euro’ V4 in a cut-down comfort-cruiser. Nice spec and style spoilt by poor details. 7 / 10 Aug ’14
VFR1200F £13,249 1237cc V4 157mph 152bhp 38mpg Great engine, chassis, refinement, finish. Traction too. Pillion-pleasing DCT is £600. 9 / 10 Mar ’14
Crosstourer £12,849 1237cc V4 130mph** 133bhp** 43mpg Noise and floaty ride are GS-like, finish is classy, V4 is strong. The BMW for Honda fans. 8/ 10 May ’12
CB1100RS £10,299 1140cc inline 4 130mph* 86bhp 43mpg Better-handling 70s superbike version of CB. Fine thing. 20bhp more would make it superb. 7 / 10 Jun ’17
CB1100EX £10,299 1140cc inline 4 130mph* 86bhp 43mpg Classy retro is smooth, usable, charming, if lacking a little soul. Not cheap, but top quality. 7 / 10 Jun ’17
RC213V-S £138,000 1000cc V4 180mph* 157bhp** 35mpg* HRC-built road-legal MotoGP bike. Needs race kit for full potential, but still truly exquisite. 9 / 10 Dec ’15
CBR1000RR Fireblade £15,225 1000cc inline 4 185mph* 189bhp** 49mpg** All the refinement we expect, now with full-on performance again. Ace. Sublime SP is £19k. 9 / 10 Jul ’17
Africa Twin £10,849 998cc twin 124mph 90bhp 47mpg Proper big dual-purpose bike is super-able and top quality. The GS beater. DCT option good. 1 0 / 10 Aug ’16
CBF1000F £9599 998cc inline 4 143mph 102bhp 45mpg Comfort, finish and chassis impress. However we all crave amazing, not merely nice. 7 / 10 Dec ’10
CB1000R £10,249 998cc inline 4 140mph 110bhp 40mpg Mint do-it-all sports naked. Naff colours, otherwise like a big 600 Hornet. Overlooked. 8/ 10 Nov ’10
VFR800F £10,699 782cc V4 141mph 98bhp 46mpg Classic VFR charm and ability with modern air. In class of one. Furs-up in winter, mind. 9 / 10 Jun ’14
Crossrunner £10,399 782cc V4 134mph 98bhp 46mpg Classy VFR for adventurers is smooth, brisk, comfy, well-made... pretty much faultless. 10/ 10 Dec ’15
NM4 Vultus £9999 745cc twin 105mph* 54bhp** 70mpg* Whacky future-cruiser based on NC/Integra. Unique looks, surprising ability, salty price. 8/ 10 Jun ’16
X-ADV £9599 745cc twin 105mph* 54bhp** 70mpg* Off-road scooter you’ll never take off-road. Pricey too. But it’s the finest giant scoot. Top fun. 8/ 10 Jun ’16
Integra £8149 745cc twin 105mph* 54bhp** 70mpg* Based on NC750. Half bike, half scoot is nice, but somehow lacks the benefits of either. 6 / 10 Apr ’14
NC750X DCT £7290 745cc twin 110mph* 54bhp** 62mpg Flexible twin, top mpg, clever gears, big storage, well made. Not flash, but oh-so-very useful. 10/ 10 Feb ’17
CBR600RR £8999 599cc inline 4 165mph* 116bhp** 45mpg* Sublime. But 600s don’t sell and Euro 4 has killed it. There’s stock but no more being made. 9 / 10 Aug ‘16
CBR650F £7199 649cc inline 4 140mph 86bhp 45mpg Tidy road tool is able and well priced. Naked CB (£6599) is overlooked Hornet replacement. 8/ 10 Oct ’16
CB500X £5799 471cc twin 110mph* 43bhp 68mpg* Well-made, able, A2 adventure bike. Naked F (£5299) and faired R (£5499) are even nicer. 7 / 10 Jul’13
CBR300R £3999 286cc single 95mph* 30bhp** 68mpg Previous 250 with more zip and Fireblade styling. Friendly, polite, but no mini blade. 6 / 10 Nov ’14
CRF250L £4649 249cc single 78mph* 23bhp** 70mpg* Easy, friendly, well-made, this fine weekend green-laner is a great urban commuter too. 7 / 10 Jul’13
CBR125R £3799 125cc single 70mph* 13bhp* 70mpg* Gears and suspension are not YZF-R125, but looks better than it used to and will last yonks. 6 / 10 Jul ’11
MSX125 £3293 125cc single 70mph* 11bhp* 105mpg Half Monkey bike, half proper bike. More giggles than a naked bouncy castle party. 8/ 10 Aug’13
CBF125 £2799 125cc single 70mph* 11bhp 122mpg Frugal, able, no real flaws and sells huge numbers, but lacks old CG’s charm. Ho-hum. 6 / 10 Nov ’12
HUSQVARNA husqvarnamotorcycles.com/gb Bike’s choice: Supermoto is as practical as jelly trousers, but we all desperately want one
701 Supermoto £8299 690cc single 115mph* 74bhp** 60mpg* Engaging, fun at semi-sensible speed, cheap to run, sexy. Single-minded, yes, but bearable. 8 / 10 Oct ‘16
INDIAN indianmotorcycle.co.uk Bike’s choice: classic character, modern quality, sensible price – Scout Sixty is a market leader
Roadmaster £23,699 1811cc V-twin 110mph* 90bhp* 40mpg* Fully-loaded, over-the-top celebration of touring opulence is actually very good. 7 / 10 May ‘15
Chief Classic £17,299 1811cc V-twin 120mph* 90bhp* 40mpg* Stupendous engine, superb ride, great finish, authentic style. Harley-beater? Oh yes. 8/ 10 Nov ’13
Chief Vintage £20,299 1811cc V-twin 120mph* 90bhp* 40mpg* The impressive Chief but with CHiPs-style screen, soft bags and far too many tassels. 7 / 10 Nov ’13
Chieftain £21,699 1811cc V-twin 120mph* 90bhp* 40mpg* Half-faired, long-haul version of Chief with luggage and quicker steering. Impressive. 8/ 10 Nov ’14
Scout £10,799 1133cc V-twin 120mph 100bhp** 45mpg* Cast frame, liquid-cooled 8v V-twin, light handling, trad’ Indian style. Distinct and classy. 8/ 10 Oct ‘15
Scout Sixty £9399 999cc V-twin 110mph* 78bhp** 45mpg* Style, quality and details of big ’un (above), but affordable. Finest ‘medium’ cruiser there is. 9 / 10 Oct’ 15
KAWASAKI kawasaki.co.uk, 01628 856750 Bike’s choice: has to be the Ninja H2. It’s simply like nothing else
Ninja H2R £41,137 998cc inline 4 240mph* 310bhp** 30mpg* Wildest, loudest, fastest ‘production’ bike ever. Track only, obviously. Just sensational. 9 / 10 May ’15
Ninja H2 £25,636 998cc inline 4 183mph 205bhp 25mpg Glorious excess in a hi-vis cotton-wool world. So fast, so powerful. Bike of the Year 2015. 10 / 10 Feb ’17
VN1700 Voyager £16,836 1700cc V-twin 120mph* 72bhp 40mpg* Elec Glide rip-off with light handling, tech and big saving. More basic Classic is £12.5k 5 / 10 Jul ’09
ZZR1400 £11,936 1441cc inline 4| 186mph 193bhp 38mpg Sportier than a Busa, yet still smooth and plush. The legendary ZZR name is deserved. 10 / 10 Dec ’15
1400GTR £13,836 1352cc inline 4 158mph 139bhp 40mpg Fast with endless toys. But gizmos can’t mask steering and ride quality that aren’t good. 5 / 10 Dec ’10
Versys 1000 £10,436 1043cc inline 4 144mph 114bhp 47mpg Jacked-up Z1000SX is comfy, well appointed, brisk, smooth. Not flash, just hugely capable. 9 / 10 Apr ’16
Z1000SX £10,136 1043cc inline 4 149mph 140bhp** 43mpg* Fast, sporty, comfy, popular do-it-all. Better detailing than ever. Not perfect, but very good. 8/ 10 Apr ’17
Z1000 £10,386 1043cc inline 4 147mph 131bhp 37mpg Eager chassis, fit motor, bold looks, firm ride. Very distinct... but why is faired SX cheaper? 7 / 10 Aug ‘15
Ninja ZX-10R £14,286 998cc inline 4 180mph 189bhp 44mpg Amazing race-derived engine, handling and electronics, yet still usable by normal people. 9 / 10 Jul ‘17
VN900 Classic £7636 903cc V-twin 110mph* 44bhp 45mpg* Stereotypical H-D clone is okay but nowt great. Accessory screen and bags look good. 5 / 10 Nov ’06
Z900 £8386 948cc inline 4 145mph* 123bhp** 52mpg** Bigger trellis-framed Z800 replacement. Not is agile (or cheap) as MT-09, but impressive. 8 / 10 May ’17
W800 £7036 773cc twin 105mph 45bhp 59mpg Well-executed, easy-going ’60s retro. Convincing styling but doesn’t ride like a Street Twin. 7 / 10 Feb ’13
Versys 650 £7236 649cc twin 115mph* 62bhp* 54mpg* ER-6-based tall-rounder is able, easy to use and no longer ugly. Superb mid-weight tool. 9 / 10 Oct ’15
Vulcan S £6436 649cc twin 115mph* 61bhp** 63mpg* Affordable, good-looking, modern cruiser with ER-6 power. Surprising ability, keen price. 8/ 10 Jan ’16
Ninja 650 £6486 649cc twin 130mph* 67bhp** 70mpg* Cheerio ER-6f, g’day Ninja. Comfy, easy-to-ride, cheerful twin wrapped in ZX-10R styling. 9 / 10 May ’17
116
ä JOEY ON A SIX
Joey Dunlop, winner of the most TTs ever, will always be linked with Honda.
Yer Maun did race other machinery, however, including Benelli’s 750 Sei – the
world’s first six-cylinder bike. He retired after one lap in the 1979 Formula One.
However, he finished in the F2 on their 500 – he was 5th in ’78 and 13th in ’79.