Straight away I want to acknowledge that most of what of what you're about to read leaves me on extremely thin ice, and open to a lot of head shaking and tutting from people who probably know better than me on the subject of special bikes... or at least have a greater passion on the subject than me. The problem is that the whole topic is highly subjective, and therefore open to all sorts of interpretations. For starters, just how to define one bike more special than another is a problem. Is it the price tag? If so, that would rule out the humble Honda C90, a bike on which the entire Honda Motor company was built on, and without which we wouldn't have things like RC30s, Fireblades, NR750s or RCVS. Maybe the C90 and other humble bikes without which there would be no uber-bikes, are "just" a significant bike rather than a special bike and this is why the subject is so open to disagreement. A special bike to one person is just some stickers and plaque on the headstock to another person.
There are, however, some rules of thumb which can be considered safe ground when it comes to the subject, and one of them is that it doesn't actually have to be any good to ride. For example, I've been lucky enough to ride a couple of Ducati Desmosedicis on the road, a bike that was presented as a replica of their GP06 but in reality is more of a tribute to the MotoGP bike to raise money to fund the MotoGP program, sharing only it's bore and stroke and the cylinder head base bolts from the GP06. Ducati's own 1098 from the same year was a much better bike to ride, but the "Desmo" is the iconic, special, desirable one that today commands daft money. Also, you can add pretty much any Bimota from the 90s and 00s as examples of bike which are at best average to ride yet have that "thing" some call "X-Factor".
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2024-Ausgabe von Fast Bikes UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2024-Ausgabe von Fast Bikes UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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DAN LINFOOT THE WORLD AT HIS FEET...
The racing world is full of characters who generally like to keep themselves to themselves, and I respect that. However, some of these people have a great story to tell. I'm incredibly fortunate to be friends with a few, have access to many more, and through my role with the award-winning podcast Chasin' the Racing, I get to sit down and chew the fat with some amazing individuals, so I wanted to give you lovely bunch a peep through the keyhole and an opportunity to get to know a bit more about some of these 'people of interest'.
ROSSI'S RANCH - LA 100KM DEI CAMPIONI
It's not every day you get the invite to trade paint, drifts and stories with Rossi and a bunch of world champions, but that's how life played out for the Neave twins a few weeks back.
RATING RUBBER...
We love a tyre launch, and especially ones of a sporty disposition. So when Michelin dropped us a line about not one, but two additions to their range, we didn't need our arm twisting to get stuck in and see what they're all about...
2017-2021 SUZUKI GSX-S750
Is the understated Suzuki GSX-S750 worth considering in the used market?
YAMAHA MT-09 - If you like your bikes nutty, naked and packed full of punch, you'll love the fourth-generation Yamaha MT-09.
Ten years ago, I found myself a part of the maddest, baddest, and arguably most illegal motorcycling I've ever a put my name to.
BACK TO THE FUTURE - KTM DUKE 990
It's been a while since KTM last had a 990 Duke in its range, but the name is back - and this new addition is perhaps one of its most exciting offerings ever. Here's why...
A CUT ABOVE
Four years on from the revolutionary release of the RCV-inspired Fireblade, Honda's given its flagship sportsbike a masterpiece of a makeover.
Steve Parrish
I'm fresh back from the South African Classic TT races and Christ, it's still bloody raining over here.
Christian Iddon
Well, my last column was all about just how I'm going to be the most prepared I could ever be for the season ahead.
SHOEI X-SPR PRO
I'll cut to it... when it comes to my kit, I don't mess around - especially when it comes to helmets.