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It's the best looking bike of the year bar none. But is Triumph's new Speed Triple all show and no go? Urry heads south to find out

On sheer rideability the V-Strom is the leader of the pack, and, all things considered, the best all-round package in this class

With the old engine the KTM was a fairly bonkers machine, now it’s even sillier. It’s almost impossible not to wheeile the 990SM when you pull away in first gear, just open the throttle and the front comes up. Second requires almost as little effort and by the time you are in third you are giggling inside your lid like a child.

A revelation when it first appeared: here was a proper British effort at a big sportsbike. Over the years while the competition has got wilder, the Daytona has stayed milder which makes the mature Daytona a very solid road bike

Aprilia's first sportsbike impressed immediately and continues to do so to this day. Good looks and macho design make this a desirable chunk of everyday exotica

Japan's answer to the dominance of Ducati twins gave us the character-driven Firestorm that, while it never quite matched the Italian marque for desirability, makes an excellent alternative

Awesome brakes, really grunty motor and sharp handling make the Fazer fly

A surprisingly good baby cruiser offering gentle, if slow, fun

The grandfather of the retro scene is back (with a new hip replacement). It's sharper and stronger than before without losing any character

It's big and bold, but is Yamaha's design-leading naked bike any good or just the product of an overactive imagination? Jon Urry travels to South Africa in search of answers

It was the maddest 1,000cc superbike in the world, then they tamed it. TWO rides both incarnations of the Kawasaki ZX-10R back to back...

Flicking the ignition on the impossibly trick 2D digital display glows into life while an array of LED lights illuminate the inside of the cowling. This is race track kudos on a grand scale. “Which dash have you got?” “Oh this? It’s the 2008 World Superbike dash by 2D, only the top teams are using it.

ELLO VISORDOWN readers, well I've just got off the new Ducati 1198S, 20 minutes ago, after my second session here at the Portimao circuit. The first thing I've got to say is that this is an impressive track that brings the best out of this new Ducati.

Ducati’s baby superbike has always been an overlooked beauty. Visually identical to its bigger brother the supersport spec Duke was often perceived as the runt of the litter by riders blinded by the thought that bigger is better. Which wasn’t necessarily true.

We older more experienced types should envy those getting their first leg up onto the biking ladder. For them the buzz of it all has yet to be discovered. Every two-wheeled foray made is a new journey into the unknown - rich in equal levels of risk and reward.