APRILIA RSV1000RYou have to look closely to spot the differences between the latest 2006-model RSV1000R and its predecessor. But although the changes are subtle, there are plenty of them: new, more streamlined bodywork, more powerful 143bhp V-twin engine, and revised chassis featuring Öhlins front forks for the first time. As before, there’s also an upmarket RSV1000R Factory model with Öhlins suspension front and rear plus lightweight wheels, carbon-fibre parts and higher price. Photo: Milagro/Riders for Health |
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TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675Triumph looks to have a big hit on its hands with the Daytona 675, a sleek super-sports middleweight powered by the division’s first three-cylinder engine. The 123bhp Daytona was launched to the world’s press early in 2006 at the Sepang circuit near Kuala Lumpur, and on the surrounding roads. The triple’s speed, flexible power delivery and easy handling were hugely impressive on both road and track. Photo © Roland Brown |
BMW ROADRUNNER BIKESHOP V8When German dentist and motorcycle dealer Dr Harald Geiling was looking for a project, he hit upon the idea of building a bike around the four-litre V8 engine from a BMW 740i saloon car. Several years and many hundred hours’ work later, the crazy machine was ready: weighing almost 500kg, producing 286bhp, and developing enough acceleration to loosen its rider’s shoulder sockets. Photo: Phil Masters © Roland Brown |
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YAMAHA XV1900 MIDNIGHT STARYamaha’s Californian-based development team took a gamble when they abandoned their prototype cruiser to start again with a more imaginative design inspired by the Art Deco cars, trains and buildings of the early 20th century. The result is the Midnight Star, known as the Star Roadliner in the States. Whatever its name, the torquey, 101bhp V-twin is one of the most stylish and distinctive cruisers on the market. Photo: Kevin Wing/Riders for Health |
KAWASAKI ZX-10RKawasaki has an all-new version of its ZX-10R, featuring new styling, high-level exhaust system, a more sophisticated 173bhp four-cylinder engine and a chassis reworked for more responsive handling. Two days at the Kawasaki’s picturesque Autopolis circuit in southern Japan showed the new ZX to be more refined than the old model — and even faster. Photo: Kyoichi Ohtani/Riders for Health |
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DUCATI MONSTER S4RsThe latest addition to Ducati’s phenomenally successful Monster family is the S4Rs, introduced to the world's bike press at the amazing Ascari circuit in southern Spain. Powered by the 130bhp, liquid-cooled, eight-valve V-twin engine from the 999 sports bike, the S4Rs is the most powerful Monster yet. It’s also the best equipped, featuring Öhlins suspension, Brembo radial front brake calipers, and numerous carbon-fibre parts. The Monster has come a long way since the original, 73bhp M900 model of 13 years ago. Photo: Milagro/Riders for Health |
KTM 990 ADVENTURE SOne of the world’s best and most versatile bikes just got better still with the introduction of the 990 Adventure, successor to the 950 Adventure with which KTM arrived on the twin-cylinder market in 2003. The larger, 999cc V-twin engine is fuel-injected and produces an unchanged 99bhp with extra midrange torque. The bike pictured here is the more off-road oriented 990 Adventure S, which features longer-travel suspension than the standard 990, and also comes without the base model’s new anti-lock brake system. Photo: Gary Freeman/Riders for Health |
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SUZUKI GSX-R600 K6Suzuki has comprehensively redesigned its long-running GSX-R600 middleweight to take on the challenge of the hard-fought middleweight super-sports class. The new GSX-R has a more compact, 599cc four-cylinder engine that produces 123bhp. Its chassis is lighter and smaller, its styling is sleeker and more like that of Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 flagship, and its performance is even more exciting. It’s fast, frenetic, and best ridden either on a racetrack or, as pictured here, on the traffic-free and sun-warmed roads of the south of France. Photo: Jason Critchell/Riders for Health |
TRIUMPH SCRAMBLERTake a quick glance at Triumph’s new Scrambler, and you could be looking at a 650cc Trophy TR6 parallel twin from the 1960s. That is of course Triumph’s intention with the retro-styled Scrambler, which captures the old dual-purpose model’s style very well. With a peak output of only 53bhp, the new 865cc Triumph is barely more powerful than its forebear of four decades ago, but it makes a pleasant roadster provided you’re not in a hurry. Photo: Stevie Pearson © Roland Brown |
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YAMAHA MT-03Few modern motorbikes are as simple as Yamaha’s single-cylinder MT-03, or as entertaining on a twisty mountain road. The 659cc MT-03, second model in Yamaha’s family of roadsters that began with the MT-01 V-twin, produces a modest 45bhp but is very light and responsive. During its press launch on the spectacular and challenging “road of 320 bends” on the Costa Brava coast of northern Spain, the single made up in agility and cornering performance what it lacked in straight-line speed. Photo: Paul Barshon/Riders for Health |