MPG

In this molly-coddled, nappy-wearing world Kawasaki stick out like a sore thumb. The Kawasaki marque has always been about power and speed and despite ever-increasing legislation they stick to their guns. Big Kawasaki guns. For this, they are to be saluted.

The bigger version of the 450, more power, bigger balls. Nutters need only apply

IF YOU WERE as surprised as we were that Aprilia could not only get their V4 project right first time, but then offer it to us fully laden with GP technology and exotic cycle parts for a penny shy of fifteen grand, then the launch of the more affordable ‘R’ version can only be good news.

BMW know that the market for this bike in the UK is limited.

This is the Suzuki GSX 1250 FA – a fully-faired, wallet-friendly, four-cylinder sports tourer aimed at capturing a sizeable chunk of the UK’s 40-something market.

Benelli describes its Tre-K 899 as an entry-level sports-tourer, and by the Italian firm’s standards that’s exactly what it is. Along with the 899 TNT, the Tre-K has the smallest engine and lowest price in Benelli’s range of triples. And, like its big brother, the 1130 Tre-K, the new 899 is a relaxed alternative to the naked TNT.

A race circuit seemed like a strange place to launch a 265kg bike with a 1545mm wheelbase but the spec sometimes only tells part of the story.

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MV Agusta have been quiet of late and it’s 11 years since they made any kind of notable impact with the launch of the F4 750. The F4 was a superbike originally intended to propel Cagiva’s comeback, a bike that Ducati would have loved to have in their range but instead it put MV back on the map. Then came the Brutale and things looked good.

It’s not often these days that a major manufacturer makes a complete balls-up of an updated bike, but that’s what Kawasaki did in 2007 with the Z1000. Four years before that, they relaunched the Z1000 name with a fiery naked four whose dramatic looks and lively performance made it a well-deserved hit.

Much more in keeping with an original V7 Sport from 1969, the Café Classic sports the bump-stop seat for one, clip on bars and tank, and panels as faithful as modern construction techniques allow. The metallic greeny gold paint is supposed to be reminiscent of the original paint on the original bikes.

MV Agusta also launched the £11,950 990R, aiming at café culture. The R features a 998cc engine with the same bore as the 1090RR, just a shorter stroke. The fuelling doesn’t feel as smooth as the 1090RR and coupled with the wholly road-orientated Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres, the feedback from the front-end wasn’t what I expected.

Since the original model was launched in 1998 the Fazer family has been a mainstay of Yamaha’s range, a model that many (actually 250,000 to date) took their first steps into ‘big’ bikes on and one whose popularity over the years has soared.