Bike Tests
STROKE OF GENIUS: YAMAHA RZ500
In 1984 Yamaha’s RZ500 was touted as a GP racer with lights. Its giant-killing performance in the 1984 Castrol Six Hour backed that up
LOST CAUSE: YAMAHA'S 1982 500CC GP SEASON
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Determined to win back the world 500cc title in 1982, Yamaha put its star rider onto a completely untried V4. Here’s what happened
AIR-FORCED ONE: KAWASAKI Z H2
It’s 10k cheaper than a H2 but apart from its clothes and its price the Z H2 loses little in the grin factor stakes over its expensive stablemate
TAGGED AND BAGGED: HARLEY-DAVIDSON ULTRA LIMITED
Big, long, and plush, the Ultra Limited has the comfort and equipment to take you almost anywhere
FACTORY OUTLET: HAILWOOD'S HONDA RC181
Imagine if Marc Marquez got jack of waiting for HRC to fix the handling on his RCV213V and hired a local frame guru to improve it. That was what Mike Hailwood did in the 1960s
HEAD TURNER: BMW R 1250 GS ADVENTURE
Variable valve technology can play an important role in road and track bikes, but in a hard-nosed all-roads adventure bike, is it genius or gimmicky?
WIN ON SUNDAY...1970-1987 CASTROL SIX HOUR
For 18 years it was an iconic Australian institution. This is the rise and fall of the Castrol Six Hour Production Race
ROCKET SCIENCE: 2020 TRIUMPH ROCKET 3
It’s 2020. Does the world really need a 2458cc musclebike with more torque than we’ve ever seen on a bike on a showroom floor? Good question
QUARTER PIPE: 2020 WR250F
The 2020 WR250F adds versatility to its armoury, with high-tech adjustability making it two bikes in one
DUCATI GIVES YOU WINGS: DUCATI V4 S
Ducati has added aerodynamic wings to its V4 S and tamed the power, does it work on track?
PARALLEL UNIVERSE: 2020 BMW F 900 R & F 900 XR
Remember BMW’s all-so-ran F 800 series? Well forget it
HAZARD OF DUKES: 2020 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R
As if the KTM 1290 Super Duke R actually needed improving, KTM does exactly that and lobs a lighter, sharper and more powerful weapon into the ring