Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Table of contents

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

37 pictures

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

1/37
The favorite motorcycles of the PS editors.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

2/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

3/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

4/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

5/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

6/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

7/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

8/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

9/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

10/37
PS editor and stunt driver Volkmar Jacob would privately buy the Triumph Street Triple R..

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

11/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

12/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

13/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

14/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

15/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

16/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

17/37
PS editor Robert Gluck would consider the KTM 1190 Adventure as “All-rounder” gain.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

18/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

19/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

20/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

21/37
The favorite motorcycles of the PS editors.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

22/37
The favorite motorcycles of the PS editors.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

23/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

24/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

25/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

26/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

27/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

28/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

29/37
PS boss Uwe Seitz decides – quite rationally – in favor of the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

30/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

31/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

32/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

33/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

34/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

35/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

36/37
PS test driver Jo Bauer opts for the Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
jkuenstle.de

37/37
The favorite motorcycles of the PS editors.

Sports & scene

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
Which bike would they buy?

Content of

The PS test editors get their hands on pretty much every new sporty motorcycle. They reel off several test kilometers on machines that do not even belong to them. What if everyone bought one? We show which ones and why.

Jo Bauer, Robert Gluck, Volkmar Jacob, Uwe Seitz

08/20/2013

That’s how it is with the testers

Of course, every horsepower editor has his own motorcycle, some of them even more than one. After all, the subject is not just a job, it is a calling. However, none of the horsepower testers have a very up-to-date motorcycle in the garage at the moment, so a discussion ensued among colleagues as to which motorcycle of the current year they would bring home. In a nutshell, the brain teaser was: Let’s assume that Aunt Irma gives us her closely guarded, crocheted bag with the savings. And she says: “Boy, buy yourself something nice.”

Buy complete article

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors
Which bike would they buy?

19 pages) as PDF

€ 2.00

Buy now

It quickly became apparent that, although we ride a lot of motorcycles and know a lot about them, we get really puzzled when we make an acute purchase decision. Then in addition to emotion and functionality, performance and drivability, it is also important to consider very rational things such as your own expectations, price-performance ratio, practicality, everyday life, etc..

Spontaneous favorites? No, think about it first…

And so this somewhat different PS test was born. The task: Pick a current motorcycle that you would actually buy. Ride it. Write down your thoughts on what you like about the motorcycle, what you don’t like, what could be done better and how you would make it your own bike.

Remarkable: none of the test editors immediately blurted out a clear favorite. It was weighed up, a cross-off list was drawn up, compared, the possible purpose was discussed and prices checked. Only one thing was unanimous: With every motorcycle, everyone could think of a whole lot about performance data, driving behavior, weaknesses and advantages – experiences from day-to-day testing.

But finally the time had come. Each had a list of three candidates. The designated top favorite had to be among them. When the motorcycles were in the editorial office, it was: “Let’s go!” But this time everyone for himself – no comparison test, no catalog of points, no superimposed performance curves.

Instead of sober data and value-neutral driving impressions, this time the focus was specifically on your own world of thought: What does a motorcycle have to be able to do for us, how does it have to drive, what moves us, what repels us? Questions that every motorcycle buyer is ultimately faced with – you, me, all of us. Curious? Come on guys!

Honda Fireblade for Uwe Seitz

It has a reputation among super sports enthusiasts like the VW Golf has among cars: it can do everything well, inconspicuously. Not a bad prerequisite in the tough battle for customers.

The decision was almost 100 percent rational. You can tell immediately. The pulse rate hardly increases. Instead, the reason center in the brain comes in and knocks out all these clever arguments that are reassuring and always true, but somehow damn unsexy. If I had driven completely on the emotional track, I would have chosen a totally awesome motorcycle – the Honda Fireblade would not have been high on the list. Ducati Panigale – of course, Aprilia RSV4 Factory – absolutely, KTM Super Duke 990 R – yep, BMW HP2 Sport – crap, it doesn’t exist anymore, MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR – it was so cool in the last naked test…

Instead, the Fireblade. Well-engineered, no real problems known, not over-the-top when it comes to electronics, blessed with a high level of everyday practicality among all super athletes, can race track, but doesn’t have to, spares
Aunt Irma’s budget includes tires, fuel and racing training…

Finally I stand in front of my “dream object”. Repsol special equipment – aha! I think neither Pedrosa nor Marquez is great. But Mick Doohan was already one of my heroes, just the motorcycle shouldn’t have been that conspicuous. The unpainted swing arm, on the other hand, looks really cool. As expected, everything feels terribly sensible in the saddle. The seating position is typical for Honda: it fits. Only after 30 kilometers is it clear that a race training course has to believe in a couple of good, adjustable footrests. With a body length of more than 1.80 meters, which is particularly distributed over the legs, the standard footrests are clearly too far forward.

Accurate, true to the line and appropriately handy

By the time I noticed that, I was out of Stuttgart’s bacon belt and sweeping the open country road. In city traffic
the Honda Fireblade was inconspicuous. She takes on the gas a little abruptly and changes the load, but without direct comparison and assuming that she and I are an inseparable couple, we can live with it.

The beautiful winding road on the Sonnenbuhl behind Tubingen reveals a real performance gap between 3500 and 4500 rpm. In order to be able to really pull out of one corner or the other, it is therefore inevitable to engage second or even first gear. “With a 1000?”, It shoots through my head, waiting for performance, and I think a little wistfully about the KTM Super Duke option. But the Honda four-cylinder runs smoothly like a lamb. Well, at 6000 rpm it sends fine, annoying vibrations over the handlebars and rests, but the spook is over quickly.

The great roads with slow and fast corners, uphill and downhill, expose the Honda Fireblade as a fine athlete and country road runabout: accurate, true to the line and appropriately handy. A 55 mm cross-section on the rear tire could increase the fun even more. But everything is actually easy, regardless of whether it is sporty-aggressive or in surfing mode. After a few courageous braking attacks I park the Honda at the next bus stop and work on the soft fork. The compression and rebound stages are turned down a little (D: 6.75 U open / Z: 5.75 U open), then the blade doesn’t sag so suddenly to its knees when braking.

Speaking of brakes: This example had a strongly shifting pressure point. As a buyer, I would not have put up with that and would have gone straight back to the dealer in the yard. We do not know this phenomenon from PS experience. Nevertheless, I would have paid Aunt Irma a few more bills for other discs and pads from the cross, because the ABS of the Blade regulates sportily and accurately and would not grace you with a more toxic brake, as I like it, with the control range. Another brake pump? Perhaps. At least I would use other levers for a better feeling.

Up on the Alb, the streets are less winding, it often goes straight for kilometers. Sorry, dear aunt, but a few rags are fluttering into the accessories. The blade’s wind protection has to be better, which is why a slightly higher racing windshield would definitely be used.

Otherwise peace, joy, pancakes. The Honda Fireblade is not a bad choice and, given a few small adjustments, it’s a lot of fun. I stand by my decision and even defend the Honda in front of my colleagues. So emotions after all? No one turns to look at her on the side of the road – who does that
in a golf? But once you sit on it, the only thing that counts is the driving pleasure, and that’s really great, even after almost six years in which this motorcycle has hardly been changed.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Super athlete


Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade in the test


Production model against Wellbrock conversion “Power edition”


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Super athlete


Technology 20 years of progress in motorcycle construction


20 years of Fireblade: Part 1


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Super athlete


Comparison test: Superbikes 2012


The super athletes on the high-speed track


read more

Aprilia Tuono for Jo Bauer

There is no substitute for power but more power. When power and emotion are so fiery and beautifully packaged, my dream bike is born. The Tuono underpins its special position on top of that with a beguiling sound.

The sweet little fairy appears with a loud bang. Points to me with her glittering wand and says: “You are so nice on the road by riding on the rear wheel. I grant you a wish for this. Pick a motorcycle – no matter the price. ”Ingenious, I wish for the“ Beast ”, more precisely the KTM 1290 Super Duke. The fairy turns red and restricts: “You bald cross driver, I can do magic, but not witchcraft. The motorcycle must already be on the market. ”It whistles and … Of course it wasn’t like that. However, the story was similarly fairytale. The PS boss takes on the role of the sweet little fairy and babbles something about Aunt Irma. In order not to strain your patience unduly, here is the most ardent Italian I know: she Aprilia Tuono V4 R APRC.

The name says it all. No compromises, racing for the road and no wimp on the racetrack. This bike will make you all feel dizzy. Whether on narrow passes in the mountains, on the home track or during a hot fight on the racetrack. The Aprilia Tuono does not shy away from any challenge. It has the handiness of a supermoto, the engine of a power bike, the brakes of a full-blown race bike, chassis and geometry of a superbike and, as the icing on the cake, an outrageously sharp V4 sound. A sound that gets under your skin. With the broad sound portfolio, he turns the kilometers traveled into a work of art for the senses. Uh … sorry, I’m just in love.

Crystal clear feedback on the front and rear wheels

We’d better turn to the facts. 167 HP and 112 Nm torque with a weight of 206 kg are a clear message. Refined by the perfectly coordinated gearshift, there is no break in the gearshift in the way. That is by no means all, because the aluminum frame and the swing arm are very stiff and bring the enormous power to the asphalt perfectly via a sophisticated progressive APS deflection system on the shock absorber. The tight and harmoniously coordinated chassis fits seamlessly into the overall package and underpins the well-being with crystal-clear feedback on the front and rear wheels.

The engineers have also given the Aprilia Tuono the complete APRC electronics package. Features such as easily adjustable traction control and ABS underline the determination of the developers. Nothing is missing, even wheelie and launch controls are on board. These little helpers let you find the last tenths on the racetrack.

But in my opinion, the driving pleasure without electronics is even more beautiful and untroubled. If the lap times may then no longer be the fastest, the high performance of the overall package ensures that pure adrenaline rushes through your veins. Set in this way, you can indulge in modern street painting by drifting at the entrance to the curve as well as out of the curve. If your good piece is too expensive for that, the helpers push back in – why not?

This grace can only be improved in detail, because the standard trim is extremely high quality. For pure racetrack fun, the Saarland tuner Dominik Klein has a successful expansion stage with an elegantly refined chassis and more engine power. The driving feeling and lean angles come up almost like in MotoGP. No other bike can do this dance at the limit. And it gets even better – Fee or not – because the Aprilia Tuono is new for 2014, with probably even more series power. But then the 1290 Super Duke is already at the dealer, and I’m spoiled for choice.

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Naked bike


Six motorcycles in the handling test


The best motorcycles for cornering fun


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Naked bike


Aprilia Tuono V4 R versus Triumph Speed ​​Triple R


Naked bikes on the racetrack


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Naked bike


Comparison test of power naked bikes 2012


Streetfighter from KTM, Aprilia, MV Agusta and Triumph


read more

Triumph Street Triple R for Volkmar Jacob

Some sports enthusiasts may be surprised at the choice of the scribbler who lists a mid-range naked as his favorite bike. But they are definitely never a triumph Street Triple R driven.

Just let yourself drift. Take a rough direction and go. No order, no compulsion, no pressure, nothing. Just drive. Anywhere. There are moments like this in testing life, but they are rare. Usually you go out and provide facts, feel the peculiarities of the bikes, crawl deep inside, run a program. But today everything is different, today freedom is the order of the day, pure life. Alleluia!

I don’t need 200 hp, a screeching engine, or a high-end rocket with all the pipapo. Nothing against fine racing technique on the roundabout, but for fun surfing outside of the time chase, I prefer something else: a relaxed, active sitting position, wind, feeling. Triumph’s Street Triple has it all. As a fan of fully adjustable, sporty suspensions, it has to be the R version. In contrast to the standard version, the brake calipers, which are attached radially, give it an exclusive flair, as does the red rear frame and the red painted mini side panels. The icing on the cake are the fine decorative stripes on the wheels, which also shimmer in bright red. All in all, the extras of the Triumph Street Triple R offer not only technical advantages but also the appeal of something special.

Targeted, reliable and stable

The clothes are also special today: casual jeans, fabric jackets and mid-high shoes instead of one-piece leather armor and boots. There are protectors in trousers and jackets, but you shouldn’t fly with them. This is another reason why the last bit of sporting ambition stays at home on this trip. Instead, it is better to open the zipper of the jacket a little – wonderful when a cool breeze refreshes the upper body with an outside temperature of 30 degrees. Here we go!

The asphalt strips of the traffic-intensive Greater Stuttgart area are finally behind me and the first free streets in the Swabian-Franconian Forest are in front of me. Grandiose, how unerringly, reliably and stably the Streety arrows through the maze of curves. The close relationship to the Daytona 675 super sports car, from which it stole some chassis components such as the main and rear frame, swing arm or wheels, can be recognized by its lush roadholding. The description “super sports car without fairing with high handlebars” fits the Triumph Street Triple R most aptly. It exudes an unbelievable likeability, you just have to like the little robber. Only the handling could be a bit more nimble. The next time I change tires, I would try replacing the extremely stable, but somewhat clumsy Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa with a set of the super-handy Conti Sport Attack.

There is absolutely nothing to replace, add or leave out on the engine. Yes, 106 HP are more than enough for the smooth country road swing! Especially when the power is presented like the little Triumph. Already at lower speeds, the British rushes off happily, serving increased punch from 6000 / min and from 8000 tours she puts on the grand finale, which culminates at 11,500 / min and ends almost 1000 revs later. The more the throttle valves are open, the more refreshing the triple growls and hisses. A sound experience that absolutely nobody can escape and that you can never get enough of! Spurred on by the greedy sound, the pilot gets into a kind of intoxication in which the pace quickly rises above the permitted level. This is why the same applies to Streety drivers: Open your eyes, switch on your brain, and stay focused!

With all due euphoria, the Street Triple also has weaknesses. The largest: very tight, only moderately responsive spring elements. In addition, the ABS regulates reliably, but intervenes quite early. In addition, the seat cover is quite soft and only thinly padded, which means that the rear part starts to hurt after an hour. The comfort seat from the Triumph accessories could provide a remedy, but unfortunately we weren’t able to try it out due to lack of time. True fans don’t mind that. Neither do me today. Long live the pure life! Alleluia!

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Enduro


Alpenmasters 2013 part 1


Travel enduros, athletes and all-rounders put to the test in the Alps


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Naked bike


The Triumph Street Triple R


The sheer madness


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Naked bike


Comparison test: Triumph Street Triple R, Honda Hornet 600 and Ducati Monster 1100 Evo


A comparison of mid-range naked bikes


read more

KTM 1190 Adventure for Robert Gluck

Motorcycles are like women. You can never have enough of it because there isn’t one that always gets everything right. But at some point you will find one that may not last for life, but will stay for a long time…

“No cock is as hard as life”, says Gotz George alias Commissioner Horst Schimanski in one of his “Tatort” appearances. And yes, he’s right. Especially when you have to choose a single motorcycle. How should it work? Just a bike? A look into my garage reveals it brutally: I can’t make up my mind. There are ten motorcycles and a scooter standing around. Five of them registered and in regular use. But what can you do? When it comes to the racetrack, the Fireblade is the weapon of choice. If you want to go high in the air, the Crosser goes into the transporter. If it has to be cool, the Cafe Racer has a turn; if you only want to get from A to B in a town, the scooter has to serve. Shoot lightly through the Black Forest – then please with the super mono racer. Fast kilometers eat up on the track, the old Honda VFR 750 is in its element.

And then SHE came! Even the first few meters at their press presentation in Tenerife were a wow experience. First of all, the start of the 150 hp was enthusiastic – powerful thrust in all situations. Then the cultivated twin caught the eye, which, thanks to ride-by-wire, implements the throttle commands so wonderfully smoothly and precisely. At the end of a long day in the saddle of the KTM 1190 Adventure was and is still clear today: The new Adventure comes very close to my idea of ​​a dream motorcycle. It can do so much, only leaves something to be desired in small areas. Especially in everyday life it makes me happy in an unconventional way.

Not adventure, but freedom!

Would you like an example? During the test drive with the KTM 1190 Adventure I ran out of time because of an evening appointment. And then that – a blocked town passage in Schonbuch near Stuttgart. In the center of the village, shortly before the bridge over the Aich, it looks like Baghdad, deep holes reveal the renovation work on the sewage system. The official diversion promises eight kilometers of detour. Who wants to do it, especially when time is of the essence? So we had a quick look around, spotted a small pedestrian bridge with three steps and circled over it. I don’t call that adventure, but freedom. Namely, the freedom of choice to be able to go wherever I want most of the time. If my colleagues had been there, I would have laughed. Aprilia Tuono, Honda Fireblade or Triumph Street Triple R – as cool as the mopeds are, but here at the pedestrian bridge they would all have failed because of their low ground clearance. Just the thought of this scene makes me smile now. And yes, I was on time that evening too.

Of course, you can also criticize the KTM 1190 Adventure when the distillery is heavy, even with very good reasons. There’s this bench that makes my butt ache after three hours. Or the fork that is too soft and feels like you’ve forgotten about the compression damping. On the other hand, my neck and wrists don’t hurt even after six hours in the saddle. And those six hours in the saddle in general: With the ABS set to “Offroad” and the traction control switched off, the KTM 1190 Adventure has become the most powerful fun bike for me today. You can exit every tight bend after a slight use of the clutch on the rear wheel, corners are braked transversely in Supermoto style. That
is driving fun for me!

Just like the sovereignty of the KTM 1190 Adventure at 150 km / h: If you need thrust, simply open it, the twin adopted from the Superbike RC8 tears in a Hulk-Hogan-like manner as long as the needle on the rev counter is above 3000 revs. Has to be braked, just drop anchor and decelerate really well, risk-free. In road mode with ABS-controlled rear wheel, in off-road mode without ABS control at the rear, but with fat, easily controllable drifts. And how potent the KTM 1190 Adventure really is compared to a KTM RC8 was objectively proven in PS 7/2013.

So if a KTM 1190 Adventure moved in with me, a lot would change. The old VFR should go, maybe the supermono too. Because quickly from A to B or light-footedly through the pampas – the 1190 can do both. Would she stay forever? who knows…

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Enduro


Ducati Panigale and Multistrada against KTM RC8 and 1190 Adventure


All against all!


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Enduro


KTM 1190 Adventure in the PS driving report


When sports motorcyclists want to sit upright


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Enduro


Travel enduro comparison – grand finale


BMW R 1200 GS in comparison test


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

Enduro


Travel enduros in comparison test part 1


Travel enduros with 19-inch front wheels put to the test


read more

Favorite motorcycles of the HP test editors

motorcycles


Top test: KTM 1190 Adventure


Rally Express


read more

The editors’ conclusion

We actually never seriously asked ourselves the question of a current purchase wish. Even if every colleague came back from a vehicle presentation with a glow in their eyes: “So cool, I’ll buy this.” Perhaps it is because this decision was made again during the next test, because these motorcycles too were pure sport, agile, technically flawless and full of character. Never before – and this is exactly what our extensive test experience teaches us – there have been so many possible ideal candidates for the garage and private jaunts as there are today. And that in all forms, because in the past the super athletes were the technical spearhead and all other motorcycles were sometimes real crutches, today the fascinating and powerful supersport engines can be found in wild naked bikes, aggressive fun enduros or power cruisers.

More options for sports motorcycle fans

Sporty motorcycling – and this is the only thing we feel connected to – has become more diverse. Whether stubby or tubular handlebars, crouched low and knees out or active driving with bent arms and raised head – those who want to let it go properly are no longer as restricted as they were a few years ago. What made the decision for THE dream bike no easier and gave us a real task: Four out of hundreds – the choice is more difficult than on the lottery ticket.

In addition, almost every serious motorcycle has an electronics package that makes more possible than most riders suspect in their heads and on the throttle. Of course, this has its price and the customer and tester are sensitive here. It will be exciting to see how the manufacturers react to this or how they can implement the considerations that they have all been making about it for a long time. Japan was once very good and cheap. The Far East is currently far from that. Europe and Japan have moved closer together in this regard. But the new monetary policy in Japan and the price pressure in the old markets should cause movement here. This autumn of novelties and the trade fair in Milan will have a signal effect. The new motorcycles that are in store for us – whether Super Duke, Monster, Tuono or Fireblade, Honda V4-Racer, Suzuki GSX-R 1000 and others – will only make the choice for us sports motorcycle fans even greater.

Let’s be happy about it. Just a few years ago, we were struggling in tests with motorcycles that were guaranteed not to spark any desire to buy, rather an incredulous shake of the head. So the here and now is actually a land of milk and honey, at least in the segment of sporty, emotionally charged motorcycles. But even there you have to decide – first the chicken leg or the chocolate pudding, wonderful red wine or cold beer? What agony – how great
is that then?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *