I was a big fan of the (now) old F650 Funduro. In ’98. I toured around New Zealand on one, two up with luggage, and the 650 never missed a beat, coped well in all situations and allowed us to explore a lot of the more interesting dirt roads which would have been otherwise left undiscovered.
One of our staffers came across some information on the new BMW F650GS from the UK. Although the official launch is not until February, some information and official pictures have leaked out and into the sordid world of CMG.
Anyone who’s ever had an independent dog for a pet, one that’s big and likes to play but occasionally decides to ignore you and do its own thing to the furniture, will probably have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to live with a Buell X1 Lightning.
Ahhh, spring has finally sprung and what better way to celebrate the dawn of summer than what is most likely the first Canadian motorcycle test ride of the year – we’re there for you Canada, albeit bloody cold!
In a market place full of motorcycles at all imaginable extremes of the spectrum, Suzuki’s Katana 600 and 750 duo stick out as a minority: they are simply designed to be practical, versatile, and inexpensive. That’s okay, but are they fun?! Read on…
It’s on the dirt that the differences between the two bikes really became apparent. Both bikes perform very well on the asphalt. Similar performance, handling and general usability. The GS only really distinguishing itself at slower speeds where the C of G becomes a big factor.
Words: Rob Harris/Nick Smirniw Photos: Wilfrid Gaube When the Bandit 600 came out back in ’96 I thought at last, a real bike! Never one to compromise for speed but no comfort or vice versa, always left me restoring old 70’s ‘sports’ bikes. Back then, a bike were a bike (imagine in crackly old fogie … Continue reading Comparo: Kawasaki ZRX1100 vs Suzuki Bandit 1200
The setting was perfect for one of those bad ’80’s horror films. An empty summer camp, a violent thunderstorm, and three unsuspecting motorcyclists. We were just outside Parry Sound, racing against the storm, trying to find the damn camp that I could have sworn I once saw the sign for and Editor ‘arris could have sworn he’d once been to.
Ideally we should have got them all and done a “Boxer Blowout Super Comparo Battle of the Titans Bollocks” type of test. But that would involve actual organisation and planning – two attributes that we simply haven’t yet perfected … or more accurately, even understood. For now, enough of the rambling intros, let’s get down to the R1100S versus the R1100R.
Words: Barb Piatkowski/Rob Harris Photos: Wilfrid Gaube So, what’s the reward for not crashing your first test ride bike? Why, it’s another test ride bike in the form of a 1999 Yamaha R6, no less! No one was more surprised than I was when the call came in from Editor ‘arris, that my second test … Continue reading Test Ride: Yamaha R6