Road Tests

Late in 1978, at the Cologne Show in Germany, Kawasaki unveiled its 1300, the most powerful bike yet built and prompted a debate that led to the (short-lived) voluntary manufacturers’ agreement to limit power outputs to 125 bhp. Bob Berry rides one of the last machines off the production line…

A gap in the chilly rains of late January made a test of this lovely 1950 Triumph Trophy trials bike practical. Never mind the cold, the Trophy sat there looking gorgeous, slim and minimalist in the way of machines born of competition use. I don’t mind getting cold to ride such a gem as this…

Yamaha’s original XJ900 was biggest of a line of slim shaft-drive fours produced in the 80s that acquired a reputation as a wobbler. But John Nutting, who tested the bike at MIRA, thinks it’s undeserved…

Kawasaki’s GPz600R was the first liquid-cooled 600cc four, a breed that has defined sports machines in the 21st century. But was it launched too early with flawed technology? asks John Nutting…

This bespoke Royal Enfield Bullet was built in 1966, when the model was obsolete, to tackle the International Six Days Trial…

The early 80s was a hot-bed of motorcycle development where two-strokes took on four. Suzuki built both. The GSX-R750 and RG500 were about as hot as it got. 25 years on CMM stages a re-match…

Velocette’s strangely futuristic glass-fibre clad Vogue was never the great success its makers hoped for and, in truth, it never stood a chance…

A luxury lightweight normally relies on an established brand name to trade on a reputation for quality, but Ambassador was confident from the very beginning of its ability to attract connoisseurs as its customers. Mike Lewis explains…

What is the ultimate classic motorcycle? The model that the whole movement is based on? That’s right, the Vincent V-twin. Jim Reynolds rides a brand new Vincent V-twin, a motorcycle assembled from Vincent spares and funded by the Vincent Owners Club

Building a bike from bits is an expensive way to do it these days, but it makes sense if half the bits are already in your possession – and if it’s done properly, the results can be very tasty indeed, as Jim Reynolds discovered…