Sports Tourer

Since the dawn of time - well, since the dawn of modern sports 600s - the CBR600 has sat there on or near the top of the pile, like a very old and wise stegosaurus that's beaten off the velociraptors and sits there, gently chewing the cud

Make it bigger and better is the order of pedigree. In 2001 Kawasaki, despite the fact that their bike was probably the oldest on the grid, won the World Supersport Championship - as vindications go, it doesn't get much better than that really!

It’s a bit of a one-trick pony – go a very long way, very fast and it’ll be ideal. Deal with day-to-day practicalities and the competition will run rings around it

The deposed King of Speed. Once the fastest sports tourer around

Good bike, but could do with a style revamp and re-positioning in BMW’s range

So here I am, after all these years, astride a Moto Guzzi for the first time. I'm a Guzzi virgin, so I hope she'll treat me gently...

Fantastic use of the R1 engine that manages to be generally faster from A to B on everyday roads, thanks to the upright riding position and softer suspension.

Worth a look if you want something different to the VFR800

Worth a look if you want something different to the VFR800

Competent and comfortable sports tourer

Not exactly cutting edge, but who cares when it sounds as good as this

The ‘busa isn’t finished yet but it is starting to soften around the edges. Still a quality act packing an awesome punch, but refined and classy rather than one of the rat pack

A capable bike that was worthy of its bad-boy image, back in the day.

A sports-tourer that handles well, but is too slow to be taken seriously

Forget the pipe-and-slippers image, Honda's VFR has taken the term 'all-rounder' to a new level. It does absolutely everything, and does it well.

Try a Boxer engined bike first, especially the new R1200RT

It was an attempt to cash in on the success of European-style sports twins; introduced to Europe in 1996 the TRX850 sold steadily.

If you can stomach the Mr Blobby looks, this is the affordable way to buy 750 power in a fairing.

Mighty strong engine not matched by the lack of brakes, suspension, technology..

The Honda ST1100 Pan European was one of those bikes that quietly got on with doing the job it was designed to do. And that was to provide something just short of a full-dress touring bike in a slightly more manageable (and cheaper) form, at the behest of the European, not US, market.

Big Divvie is like a labrador on the road. Friendly and likeable. Excellent shaft drive