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Front end:
THE FIVE BIKES THAT MATTER THIS MONTH - Triumph Speed Triple RR, Guzzi V100 Mandello plus three more.
BRAKING NEWS - Motorcycling on the endangered list.
DEALS ON WHEELS - The best deals from our ex-friends over the Channel.
TECH - Why BMW's flat twin is amazing.
THE ROAD - Bleep-bloop in the co-ordinates and go there.
BEEN THERE, GOT THE T-SHIRT - How to solve beyond-bad toilets by deploying a simple T-shirt.
LETTERS - In appreciation of the recent 50th anniversary of Bike issue.
SUBSCRIBE - If you're 'in' you might as well save some dough.
Features and Tests:
GROUP TEST: SUPERNAKEDS - The most thrilling class in motorcycling gets a good going over.
FIRST RIDE: HARLEY SPORTSTER S - Harley burst into the 21st century, 21 years late.
100 YEARS OF MOTO GUZZI - Owning/riding a Guzzi is something special.
FIRST RIDE: VOGE 500DS - Who are Voge and how can their 500DS be this good for £5k?
FIRST RIDE: ROYAL ENFIELD METEOR - RE continue their meteoric rise, at a meander.
ADVENTURE - Hitting the trails of the Southwest USA.
FIRST RIDE: HONDA NC750X - 'Flawless'is a big claim to make. But if the helmet fits...
FAREWELL VALE: THE FANS HAVE THEIR SAY - The moment we've been dreading is almost upon us.
OXLEY INTERVIEW: LIN JARVIS - In conversation with Rossi's boss.
INSIDE: SIDECAR SPEEDWAY - 220bhp, two-up, no brakes.
BOASTIE & BOURNE: KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY - Franco Bourne's support crew (his gran) talks hopes and fears.
Know How:
BUYING: TRIUMPH TIGER 1050 - Triumph's high riding triple, from £2500.
OVERLOOKED: HARLEY XR1200 - For once Harley were ahead of the game.
LIVING WITH: DUCATIMULTISTRADA V4 S - Nit-picking the brilliant 170bhp V4.
TEMPTATION: IMPORTS - Standing out from the pack need not be difficult, or expensive.
PROJECT - Founding editor Mark Williams finishes his flight of fantasy.
GLORIOUS RIDE - Head for the Yorkshire Dales, where riding's done proper.
TRY THIS: FILTERING - Not the most fun you will ever have. But...
OUR FAVOURITES: CHAIN LUBES - Our guide to lubrication - stop sniggering at the back.
BLAST FROM THE PAST - Please be upstanding for the Aerostich suit.
EVENTS - There's still time to go and do something good in 2021.
SKILLS - Son starts his motorcycling journey, father is proud.
WEIRD AND WONDERFUL - 1987 Quantum 2: biking's brave future.
Thrills don’t get much bigger, or bolder, and certainly not louder. A week living with this year’s latest, greatest supernakeds and my adrenaline gland has been given a thorough workout. Just peeking at the Triumph Speed Triple RS perched outside the kitchen window has my pulse racing.
Normally I’d question the point of such wild bikes, but their magic is the way they bring the extraordinary into daily life. Genuine superbike performance and handling, but with happy wrists and shoulders. Edgy looks and addictive sound, yet delivered with civility. Supernakeds aren’t just for going fast (well, not all the time), they’re for injecting a shot of excitement into your commute, flooding your system with sensations, pulling you to the garage to just start them up and go ‘ooh’. Our celebratory test of biking’s most exciting class starts on page 36.
We’re celebrating oodles of other amazing things, too. Moto Guzzi have reached 100 not out and we honour the remarkable achievement of the Italian brand. Throbbing twins, owner relationships and chips in Scarborough start on page 50. And, of course, there’s Valentino Rossi who’s announced that he’s retiring at the end of a recordbreaking career. 1 spent the British GP at Silverstone on the grass bank between Farm Curve and Village, and it was bright yellow T-shirts, flags, hats and curly wigs as far as the eye could see. Fans salute their hero from page 68, while Rossi’s gaffer Lin Jarvis exclusively gives Bike the inside story on his epic career on page 74.
There’s something personal and even more thrilling that I’m celebrating, though. My eldest son Edward has turned sixteen and had his first taste of life on two wheels. Emotional new rider joy is on page 120.
Enjoy the issue.
