It’s been a little while since I test-rode any new motorcycles as part of my search for a comfortable, relaxing, low-speed, two-up touring bike. I wanted something with a feet-forward riding position, that could carry two in relative comfort while being sufficiently engaging that I wouldn’t mind the slower, more relaxed sort of riding that…
It’s safe to say that Triumph and I have had our differences over the years. My 2013 Street Triple R is the only motorcycle I’ve ever bought brand new, and the brand’s response to my textiles scuffing the paint on the tank within a few hundred miles was that it was my own fault for…
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, November 2018. Remember when the Dacia Sandero first launched in the UK? It made a big splash in the automotive press and even beyond; an actual, proper car for just £6,000 brand new. With the competition priced close to three times that amount, it was no surprise that a lot of people…
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, October 2018. Since returning from my most recent European motorcycling adventure I’ve been trying to figure out how to turn my experiences into an interesting article for the magazine. A straight-up ride report, “…and then we carved through yet another dozen hairpins…” does not, in my opinion, make for terribly engaging…
Those of you who have been following this mini-series will have discovered that while mid-capacity scooters tick a lot of practical boxes, they don’t provide a visceral low-speed experience to augment a sight-seeing tour through Scandinavia. Given that a feet-forward riding position is on my checklist this time around my next area of exploration was…
Feet-forward riding position? Low-speed comfort, lockable luggage and epic fuel range? Surely there can be but one solution – a mid-capacity scooter!
It may come as no surprise to many of you that not everyone wants to ride everywhere as fast as possible. It certainly puzzled me for quite some time.
Triumph‘s motorcycle range has crystallised into just three paths in recent years. When you walk into a dealership, you must first choose if you want practicality (‘Adventure‘), performance (‘Roadsters‘) or style (the ‘Modern Classics‘). Having funnelled their customers into ever-narrower pigeon-holes, there’s lately been little recourse for someone who would like to combine elements from…
Judging by the site traffic on the previous articles, my lowly V-Strom is a surprisingly popular motorcycle. I was impressed when I reviewed it, so much that I bought one with my own money. I delivered an update after a year and 23,000 miles, then detailed the extensive suspension, brake and electrical upgrades I’d made…
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, July 2018. I think I can safely assume that all of us have ridden our bikes in the UK, and many have pushed beyond our borders to explore the untamed wilds of Europe. Out there await wide, open stretches of dusty French countryside, verdant German forests and snowy alpine mountain hairpins.…
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, May 2018. Motorcycle travel can mean different things to different people. It’s not just our choice of bike and destination; the very reason we travel and what we hope to get out of the experience can vary dramatically from person to person.
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, April 2017. Welcome to the third and final part of our series examining the state and future of the motorcycle industry. Congratulations if you’ve made it this far, and hopefully some of the facts, figures and arguments put forward in the first two-part have resonated somewhat, or at last made you…
