The End of an Era?

As we reach the end of the decade and another season packed with motorcycle shows has wrapped up it’s worth reflecting once more on where the last ten years have brought us, and where we might be going. The age of the superbike is over, and the age of the hyperbike has begun. But so,…

One Bike to Rule them all?

Motorcyclists, on average, own more than one motorcycle. Only truly hardcore automotive enthusiasts own more than one car, the financial and logistical constraints of the format conspiring to ensure that even most performance-oriented cars need to be able to function as someone’s only mode of practical transport. Motorcycles don’t have that problem.

Review: 2019 Yamaha T-Max

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…

Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

Review: 2019 Triumph Tiger 800 XRT

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…

Royal Enfield Himalayan

Review: 2018 Royal Enfield Himalayan

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…

Europe for Beginners

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…

Review: 2018 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide

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…