Motorcycle Ratings and Reviews
BMW’s best-selling model, the highly versatile R1200GS, has undergone a general revision for 2008 that goes a lot deeper than slightly refreshed styling. The GS looks as neat and sharp as ever, but on the road it feels a million bucks stronger and much more fun. The revised front-end geometry and the general upgrading of [...]
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If you read my review of the new Gilera GP 800 super-scooter, you know I liked the power of its 838cc engine and convenience of the continuously variable transmission (CVT), but wasn’t thrilled about its heavy weight and vague handling. But I also got to test that powerplant in the Mana 850, a sporting standard [...]
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Is there any logic in building a scooter that goes almost 120 mph, tips the scale at no less than 600 pounds and spans a 63-inch wheelbase? I strongly doubt it, but someone at Piaggio’s headquarters in Pontedera, near Pisa, has been nurturing this concept for almost two decades. Through the years the idea has [...]
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Chinese-owned Benelli still bases its presence on the tried-and-true 1130cc Triple that was conceived in 900cc form during the mid-1990s, but the Pesaro factory has some tricks in the works. Sadly, the 750cc parallel-Twin that was to be a two-cylinder slice of the 1130 is still a long way from becoming reality. In fact, the [...]
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How to take on Ducati’s Hypermotard? Aprilia began with its Shiver standard-style roadster, not a bad starting point. Engine is a dohc, liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-Twin in the same state of tune as the Shiver’s, producing 95 peak horsepower and 59.7 foot-pounds of torque. The new bike is dubbed “Dorsoduro” (Hardback) and is a very neat-looking [...]
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First the Griso 8V roadster was announced, and now comes another machine powered by Guzzi’s new 1200cc eight-valve V-Twin: the Stelvio. There had been speculation that the Stelvio might be re-tuned from a maxi-enduro as shown previously into a mega-supermoto, but that’s not the case. It is aimed directly at the same market segment now [...]
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In Europe, BMW’s best-selling model—and by no small margin—is the R1200GS maxi-enduro, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that a new stablemate, the F800GS, was shown in Milan. This is no simple re-skinning of the F800S roadster. In fact, the GS completely parts company from the F in having a tubular trellis-type frame instead of [...]
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“The major issue when we design a new Ducati is ‘lightness’. Any excess of weight gives us headache, anxiety, claustrophobia,” says product-planning boss Claudio Domenicali adamantly. “I believe that all three new models for 2008—the 848 and 1098R Superbikes and the 696 Monster—will confirm that they were worth the effort and the dedication we put [...]
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Junior member in the exclusive club of Ducati Superbikes is now the 848, replacing the not-so-successful 749. The new bike is a duplicate of the 1098, albeit 11 pounds lighter at 370 pounds dry. With a 94mm bore and 61.2mm stroke, the new 848 unit is a stroked 749 producing a claimed 134 hp at [...]
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Finally, it’s here, the totally revised Monster. The frame structure uses a steel trellis front section teamed to a cast-aluminum rear subframe. The engine is a largely revised sohc 696, i.e. a 695cc fitted with redesigned heads that sport straighter intake runners and a more solid structure that dissipates heat more efficiently—to the point that [...]
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