The business of bike ownership shouldn't be as emotional as it is really. After all, motorcycles are just collections of components, not actual living things. As we all know though, they have the ability to prompt passions well above and beyond that.
That mind-shifting ability was certainly on my mind when I rode up to Suzuki to collect my new V-Strom 800RE. I should have been excited at the prospect of getting hold of a new bike, a model I've been looking forward to riding ever since I'd sampled it for the first time at its press launch last year. And while that positivity was definitely in place, it was tainted by the fact the bike I was making my way to the firm's HQ in Milton Keynes on was something I wasn't too keen on giving up.
Out with the old in with the new
Yes, the happiness of the 75-mile run up north was a little restricted because I was effectively in the latter stages of saying goodbye to an old friend. The ride would be the last I'd make on my V-Strom 800DE, the model with the more off-road biased design that I was about to swap for the new RE (Road Explorer) version. The DE's a bike I've clocked just short of 12,000 miles on, a distance that's evoked a multitude of fond memories, and around 90 minutes after I'd pressed its starter button for the final time, my memorable relationship would be coming to an end. Right then, the old V-Strom felt far more valuable than just a 'collection of components. Mind you, as you'll soon discover, I did end up retaining some parts from my old friend.
Detailed changes make for a very different feel
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2024-Ausgabe von Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2024-Ausgabe von Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
