February
More Gatso cameras looming
18 February 2001
EVERY police force in the country could soon be allowed to use money from speeding fines to pay for thousands more speed cameras. Following similar pilot schemes involving eight police forces around the country, the Association of Chief Police Officers has announced plans to spread the scheme nation-wide. Richard Brunstrom, chief constable of North Wales and ACPO co-ordinator of the scheme, said: ...
Can we take the politicians seriously this time?
18 February 2001
REMEMBER the promises the Labour Party made before it was elected? All that stuff along the ” Bike to Basics ” line. Well, unfortunately, the party itself doesn’t. After a landslide victory,...
Have your cake. And eat it
11 February 2001
THREE-and-a-half hours ago, this bike was sat in the palm-shaded car park of a Sicilian hotel. Its futuristic, angular lines and silver colourscheme couldn’t have been in starker contrast to the...
Gilera plans September unveiling for 600
11 February 2001
GILERA is expected to unveil a new 600cc sports bike at the Milan Show in September. Italian scooter giant Piaggio, Gilera’s parent company, has confirmed plans to reveal its first big bike since the...
Kawasaki’s big-bore response
04 February 2001
KAWASAKI is working on a tourer which is destined to rival Yamaha’s all-new FJR1300. A new bike, thought to be called the ZZ-R1200, will be 2002’s answer to Yamaha’s 145bhp tourer, which has...
Defy convention
04 February 2001
IT’S not every day you get the chance to ride two new British motorcycles for the first time. And when they’re bikes like this, it’s an even more novel experience. The latest models from...
Don’t call me boring
04 February 2001
THE sound of a race bike at full chat is pretty exciting when you’re stood behind one as it flies past in a race. It’s even better if you manage to wangle your way into the paddock and get behind one...
Just like you, it has grown up
25 February 2000
THE brutal lines of the GS12000SS hark back to the days when bikes were all about wobbling around corners and laying down horsepower on the straights. We’ve already had 1970s retros such as the Zephyr...
Just another R1? Er, no actually
18 February 2000
WHAT’S in a name? Plenty, actually. And in certain cases lots of cred, respect and prestige. Do a bit of serious name-dropping and your rank can be instantly elevated. Certain names are real status...
More than just a length of plumbing with a can on the end
18 February 2000
LOOK at any four-cylinder sports bike and you’ve got four lengths of pipe and a big can at the end to keep things quiet. There you go, one exhaust, job done… well, not quite. Bung any old set of tubes...
Tyres: Moulded around the way you ride
11 February 2000
FOR things which started life dripping out of a tree in some distant, tropical rainforest, tyres have achieved a pretty significant role in all our lives. We all moan when they burst, we all moan...
Why it’s worth shelling out on a shock
04 February 2000
IF you’re going to make any improvements to your bike, chances are the first things on your list are an aftermarket exhaust, Dynojet kit and K&N filter. These will sharpen the throttle response, fill...
So it’s back to the drawing board, then?
01 February 2000
FOR every brilliant new invention to reach bike showrooms, there are hundreds which never go into production and are destined instead to remain unfathomable drawings filed away at the patent office...
Come on Cavalier man, make my day!
01 February 2000
I’M sat at the side of the road with a radar gun in my hand, pointing it directly at anyone who dares to break the limit. At my side is Pc Chris Pulfrey, a police rider for the past 20 years and a...