Hopefully, you have fond memories of your first 'real' bike, the step up from your 125 of FS1-E. For those of us north of 40 years old, this was usually a sporty lightweight with demon handling (at the time, that is) and styling that mirrored its bigger siblings or even race bikes of the era. Depending on your exact age, it may have been Yamaha's legendary RD250LC or 350LC, or Kawasaki's KH250 and 350. For my generation, it was Suzuki's RGV250 or Kawasaki's KR-1S, and later, Aprilia's GPlookalike RS250. I bought a KR-1S, and loved it.
For young riders of my generation there was also an abundance of small-capacity grey imports such as Honda's VFR400 and CBR400. Kawasaki officially imported the ZXR400 to the UK, as did Yamaha, briefly, the delectable FZR400. Even Suzuki had the GSX-R400. And if you wanted to really stand out, there were specialist, high-revving 250 four-stroke machines, as well as exotic and very trick Japanese-market 250cc two-stokes like Honda's NSR250. We were truly spoilt for choice.
These beautiful, jewel-like rockets were all affordable, fun to ride, looked great, and mirrored bigger or race bikes. Then the market fell out of love with small-capacity sportsbikes, and we moved on. That is, until now.
Thankfully, several manufacturers have spotted a gap in the market and introduced a new wave of small-capacity, aspirational, sporty and affordable bikes. Aprilia has the sexy RS660, KTM the RC390, and Yamaha the twin-cylinder 700cc R7. Suddenly, it's like the 1990s all over again, but with electronic rider aids! We thought it was time to take a closer look.
APRILIA RS660
Light, trick and lots of fun
Denne historien er fra July 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra July 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
