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Dry roads? Blue sky? Time to get yer bike out… This issue is packed with compelling road trips from all over the planet. The latest Honda NT1100 and BMW S1000XR battle it out on finest Welsh tarmac, the new Triumph Speed Twin 1200 takes on the UK’s longest B-road, and we tackle the Balkan Rally on a Yamaha Ténéré. There’s epic riding and amazing images from China and Australia too.

Henry Cole, that chap of the telly, invites us into his shed to ogle his collection, talk bikes and drink tea, while elsewhere Mat Oxley natters with MotoGP hotshot Pedro Acosta. There’s also a special feature celebrating 20 years of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5, along with plenty of new-bike action too including Honda’s adorable GB350S and the fabulous Ducati Panigale V2 S. Plus, all the insight, humour and opinion you can only find in Bike…

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#### The **Honda NT1100** and **BMW S1000XR** tackle sports touring at different speeds – but which is best for a dash round north Wales?

By **Martin Fitz-Gibbons** Photography **Jason Critchell**

**J**agged shards of rock burst free from towering mountains, trying to pierce the sky. Vast lakes, carved into the landscape by epic glaciers tens of thousands of years ago, sparkle and shimmer under the low afternoon sun. Dizzying drops, bucolic vistas and sinuous strips of empty road delicately thread these patchwork worlds together.

Snowdonia has the lot. In fact, north Wales is such a breathtaking place to ride that it self-selects as our destination now that spring has sprung. We’re heading west for three days and two nights of sports-touring idyll. In the ‘hare’ corner is BMW’s S1000XR, a jacked-up superbike with more high-tech tricks than Penn & Teller, prodigious power and a flashy race-rep paint job. And in the ‘tortoise’ corner is Honda’s NT1100, an approachable everyday all-rounder carved from pure modesty, complete with mutated maxi-scoot styling and a mature palette of beige, blue or black.

The two bikes sit at opposite ends of the sports-tourer spectrum, though both share a smidge of adventure-bike influence, and both promise to be the ideal platform from which to enjoy a midweek, cross-country getaway.

Before romping round Wales comes the small matter of getting there. The first few hours of multi-lane mile munching pass with effortless ease aboard the NT1100. Well, effortless once I’ve sorted out the screen. It’s one of the parts that’s been ‘upgraded’ for 2025, Honda claiming its height-adjustment system ‘can now be operated one handed by the rider from a seated position’. Leaving _Bike_’s palatial Peterborough nerve centre, I have the screen set to its tallest height, expecting to be cosseted in a cocoon of calm. Instead, I get blurred eyeballs and battered eardrums courtesy of brutal buffeting. By the first roundabout – less than a mile from home – my left hand reaches for this new-fangled height adjuster. No joy. In the end I have to set the cruise control, stand up, lean forward and reach over with both hands just to drop the screen down to the middle of its range. Shall we start over again?

Now the NT begins to welcome me like a roaring fire in an old pub. Its enlarged seat is deep, wide and comfortable. Ergonomics are nicely balanced, causing no stresses or strains in knees, wrists or back. And the 1084cc parallel twin grumbles away softly, pulsing politely from relaxed revs. Shared with the Africa Twin, it’s a long-stroke design so isn’t meant to be worked hard. The redline’s at just 8000rpm, peak torque comes down at 5500rpm, but in practice you find yourself riding around at even lower revs.

In part that’s down to this bike’s Dual Clutch Transmission. Honda have been updating and improving their beloved self-shifting auto gearbox for 15 years, and on the latest NT it now listens to a new lean-sensing IMU. This means it shouldn’t try to do anything daft such as change gear while you’re cranked over. In default ‘Drive’ mode it’s still keen to shift gears early – you can find yourself in fifth at just 30mph. But switching to ‘S3’, the sportiest of three sports settings, revs are held for longer, making it feel less like a two-wheeled fuel-saving algorithm and more like a normal bike.

Now we’re cooking. Which reminds me – let’s fire up the standard-fit heated grips. Sixteen buttons on the left cluster, another half-dozen on the right… but none marked ‘heated grips’. Turns out you need to press ‘Fn’ (right forefinger), then a different up/down toggle (left forefinger) to turn them on. Of course you do. Silly me.

Right then. With screen height set, DCT sorted and feeling regained in my fingers, now we’re golden. The NT flows like warm Horlicks through congested Cambridgeshire A-roads, devours the M6 in a single gulp, and spits me out at the end of the M54 within sight of the Welsh border. More than a hundred miles of ease and efficiency, once those few early-morning wrinkles have been ironed out.

We stop for coffee, but road-testing new-boy Lewis Bishop looks to be in no need of caffeine after his first taste of the S1000XR. ‘What a bike,’ he gasps. ‘I think I may need to sell my R1300GS and get one of these instead.’ Blimey. I think we’ve had quite different starts to our day.

The stark difference between the two bikes is evident from the first press of their starters. Where the Honda respectfully rumbles into life, the BMW shatters the silence with a fast-paced, feral, impatient howl through its Akrapovic. This, I suspect, is the S1000XR’s idea of a warning call.

We’ve seen superbike engines slotted into versatile machines before, from R1s in Fazers, to Fireblades in CBFs, to GSX-Rs in GSX-Ss. But few, if any, have retained so much sharp-edged sports character. Alright, in pure technical terms this isn’t quite a full-fat S1000RR lump – there’s no ShiftCam variable valve system, and peak power has been trimmed from over 200bhp to ‘just’ 168bhp. But the S1000XR feels focused, like it means business.

After the Honda’s plush perch, the BMW’s seat seems thin, tall and firm. Brakes bite with intensity and immediacy. Even letting out the clutch lever commands attention – partly because the Honda doesn’t have one, but mostly because the BMW’s tall first gear and light feeling flywheel mean it’s actually quite easy to stall.

Picking up Shropshire B-roads we pass through Knockin (complete with perfectly named ‘The Knockin Shop’), slip seamlessly over the border, and pick up signs for beautiful Bala. Each mile is prettier than the last, hedgerow-lined countryside expanding out into wide-open views of mist-topped hills, brief dives through tree-lined tunnels, before eventually, the rest of the world falls away completely. It’s just two bikes, one road, romping along rolling, rugged, middle-of-nowhere splendour.

The S1000XR relishes this empty space. It feels like releasing a tiger from a zoo cage. Above 7000rpm the inline four really comes alive – not in a peaky, powerbandy sense; it’s just part of the motor’s sporty DNA. Peak torque is uncovered way up at 9250rpm (higher than the Honda even revs), meaning every extra rpm brings the motor closer towards its happy place, simultaneously becoming stronger as it travels faster.

Once you get the S1000XR shifting, the rest of the bike loves it, too. Swapping from ‘Road’ to ‘Dynamic’ mode takes one push of one button and makes a noticeable difference. The engine feels more crisp. The semi-active suspension firms up, making it tight and taut without being harsh. The two-way quickshifter is a joy too, slicing through gears far more smoothly than any of BMW’s boxer-engined bikes, and feeling barely any slower or slicker than Honda’s DCT set-up.

As we drop into Bala after a fantastic, brain-clearing yomp, the price to be paid for the XR’s firepower is evident. The BMW is down to its final few litres of fuel, with a message on the TFT instructing me to fill up immediately. Despite having almost exactly the same-sized tank, the NT hasn’t even started to sweat. At the pumps, the BMW costs 20 per cent more to fill up, despite covering the same distance as the Honda at (roughly) the same speeds. Yeouch.

In the morning we head out through the Tryweryn Valley. It’s a beautiful ride, the quiet A-road snaking slowly around the shore of a huge reservoir, while distant peaks nuzzle gently up through a thin layer of low cloud. Sadly, it’s also the spot where the village of Capel Celyn once stood, before it was intentionally flooded in the 1960s to create said reservoir.

Back on the NT1100, it’s safe to say the Honda doesn’t have much of a concealed dark side. The pace naturally picks up as we slip onto the majestic B4391, which twists and turns spectacularly out through blonde-tufted wilderness, crossing stone bridges and cattle grids along the way. It’s easily the best riding we’ve come across so far, and the NT1100 proves pretty up for the challenge, steering steadily but confidently on its excellent Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres.

The Honda sits you lower than the BMW, which exaggerates the perception that it’s a long bike – although on paper the NT’s wheelbase is actually shorter than the XR’s. You can sense that the Honda’s carrying more weight (a measured 264kg fuelled up versus the XR’s 237kg) while the slightly jiggly suspension movement makes it clear this isn’t a bike that wants to be chucked about too aggressively.

Ah – I’ve left it in ‘Tour’ mode, whereas this kind of riding surely demands a gnarlier ‘Sport’ setting. Only there isn’t one. Still, I’m sure I can firm up the NT’s fancy new semi-active suspension at the push of a button, to try to bring it closer to the BMW’s sublime roadholding and precision. Nope again: I can’t change the Honda’s damping on the move; and it’s already in the hardest setting anyway.

Still, even if it doesn’t match the BMW’s high-speed control and composure, the semi-active system is still pretty capable. Lewis is impressed, reckoning it gives a substantial handling improvement over the previous NT1100. ‘It feels a lot tighter,’ he declares. ‘It’s more composed, more balanced. The old bike didn’t feel as stable, and it seemed like the front wanted to run wide. This semi-active suspension has transformed the handling.’

The NT’s motor hasn’t experienced a similar a transformation, however. For 2025 it gets larger airbox intakes, longer trumpets, plus a new crank, con rods and pistons, all of which Honda say adds a hefty seven per cent midrange boost. From onboard, it still feels like the same Africa Twin motor to me. I find the faux-V-twin firing intervals quite charming though, and the low-revving character means all the performance is served up generously and easily. It’s not like the power’s all tucked away on a high shelf; it’s there, right in front of you, staring you in the face.

There’s plenty of it to charge along at a fair old lick, too. On paper the NT makes a shade over 100bhp, which likely means more than 90bhp at the rear tyre. Switching DCT to manual mode improves the sense of connection. Changing gears with finger triggers isn’t any less ‘involving’ than knocking a two-way quickshifter lever up and down with your toes. But it’s fair to say the NT’s delivery is all very measured, very considered. It hustles with humility, rather than leaping about luridly.

We carry on north up through beautiful Betws-y-Coed, then out west again to begin climbing along the incredible Llanberis Pass, a tight and twisty tourist hotspot slicing sweetly between the Glyder mountain range and Snowdon itself – today looking suitably resplendent with its snow-capped peak. The area’s popular with walkers and rock climbers, but it’s hard to imagine anyone round here getting more of a rush today than from riding an S1000XR.

It’s not the XR’s outright power or speed that delivers such a thrilling ride – self-preservation and common decency cuts in long before you even approach the foothills of trying to go properly tonto. Instead, the BMW feels so lively thanks to its delivery. It’s snappy and zappy, an engine that picks up and gathers speed with a rabid appetite. Open the throttle with intent and the XR gives you a glimpse of the implausible potency it’s packing. You roll off the throttle feeling in awe of it all.

The other side is the S1000XR’s supremely composed chassis. After a few hours of chucking the Honda around, I climb back on the BMW and let muscle memory push the handlebars. At the first bend, the XR snaps onto its side so hard and fast I have to pick it back up to avoid running into the inside verge. It feels like I’m aboard a four-cylinder supermoto. Note to self: less effort needed. And there’s no apparent trade-off in stability – the XR’s not just more animated and accurate, it’s solid at speed, too. ‘The S1000XR feels so light and so agile,’ enthuses Lewis. ‘I love the way it steers so effortlessly and drops into corners with such composure and incredible ease. Its sporty side totally outshines the Honda.’

For sure. But I wouldn’t say the same for its touring side. With the sun starting to sink and the temperature dropping starkly, I’m reminded how the XR’s wind protection is less generous than expected. With slim bodywork and a short screen to tuck in behind, it feels noticeably colder from onboard than the wide, well-shielded NT.

The BMW feels tingly too, especially when you’re holding it at a steady speed, where it revs far higher than the Honda. On the steady ride back to the hotel my fingers notice high-frequency vibrations through the ’bars, while the small mirrors quite often get blurry. I’m definitely fidgeting around in the BMW’s skinny seat more, too. Thinking ahead to the 200-mile ride home tomorrow, and with temperatures forecast to be a tad nippy in the morning, I surprise myself by quietly longing for the easy life offered by the Honda.

After brushing a bit of frost off the bikes in the morning, we wave a fond farewell to Wales and reluctantly retrace our way home. Lewis remains besotted by the BMW. ‘I much prefer the XR,’ he grins, as if it needed to be said out loud. ‘And not just because of its fiery engine. I think it’s more rounded, too. It can do miles in reasonable comfort and still give massive thrills. The Honda makes a great tourer, and it’s one of the comfiest bikes I’ve ever ridden, but that’s all it does. It feels a bit soul-less.’

He has a point. We already knew the BMW is more ‘sports’ and the Honda more ‘tourer’ – that’s obvious. What we wanted to answer is which bike is better at bringing the two worlds together. And it’s a fair conclusion to say the BMW is better at being a tourer than the Honda is at feeling sporty. So S1000XR wins, right?

Not yet: there’s still the slightly vulgar topic of money. The NT, in this flagship spec with electronic suspension and DCT, is £14,099. That’s for everything you see here: panniers, heated grips, centrestand, the lot. That’s less than the S1000XR, which starts at £16,790 in bare-bones spec. Step up to the TE with most of the goodies and you’re at £18,340. Add the M Package and the other extras on our test bike and the bill hits a towering £21,770, or well over 50 per cent more than the NT. ‘Even with the huge price difference, I’d still choose the XR,’ says Lewis, confidently.

Well, I wouldn’t. It might be the 20-year age difference between us, but I’m not sure I could bring myself to stump up that much cash for faster steering, a noisier exhaust and a glut of horsepower I’d rarely use. The NT isn’t perfect – it is a bit lacking aesthetically and dynamically next to the action-packed XR, and some aspects of the Honda’s controls and interface are frustrating, sure. But it feels a lot more grounded in reality, it’s much easier-going than the ever-frenetic XR, and it’s so much cheaper both to buy and to run. It’s the bike I’d rather take sports touring.

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#### Bloke off the telly, director, record holder and proper dyed-in-the-wool biker. **Henry Cole** invites us round for a cuppa and to gawp at his collection

By **Mike Armitage** Photography **Jason Critchell**

**Y**ou know him from _The Motorbike Show_ and _Shed and Buried_ on the telly. Away from the camera, Henry Cole is found among the gloriously eclectic mix of sportsbikes, classics, customs, outfits, retros filling his sheds… We pop in for a natter.

‘Uncle Dick “Red Beard” Gladstone had a big house up in Liverpool. When I was eight he said: “Do you want to see in my shed?” We go in and there’s all these old British bikes. The smell, the look. I’m in – and I hadn’t even heard one run. From that moment I bought _MCN_, then started buying _Bike_ from the village shop. I wore cashmere jerseys, but the people in _Bike_ had long hair and beards – and I wanted to be them. I’m 61 now and must have owned 200 bikes. Maybe more, as some I’ve owned for 20 minutes before selling on. Actual proper long-term ownership, I’ve probably had 70 or 80.’

‘For me, the ’70s and ’80s are my biking era. We used to go to Mocheck on Clapham High Street, put our noses against the window and stare at the Moto Martins. I’ve got this red one, which is my “rider” and has a Honda CB1100R engine, and I’ve got a blue and white one with a Suzuki 1100 engine. But I’m still in search of the ultimate Moto Martin – I just have to have one with a six-cylinder Honda CBX1000 engine. I keep looking but haven’t found the right one. I will find it, and just when I do, I’ll be skint.

‘I think Georges Martin \[the French chap who founded the Moto Martin engineering company in the early 1970s\] got some of his bike’s styling cues slightly wrong – some of the rear ends have a sort of fin thing – but when you see this bike’s monocoque styling it’s quintessential late ’70s/early ’80s. And it rides beautifully. I’ve had this one for three or four years; it’s great on a summer evening, although unfortunately I don’t get to ride it as often as I should.’

‘This was for _Shed and Buried_. It was built by a guy who was in the army in the Sixties – and so it’s the “quarter master” in every sense. It’s a twin-cylinder Triumph 500 engine with “gorilla clamps” to stop the cylinder head flying off because it’s supercharged and runs on methanol. When we found it there was a very large hole in the engine’s bottom end – it’d had a very large lunch at some point. We got new crankcases and rebuilt it.

‘Back in the day it did 10.2sec quarter miles on the drag strip, and I’ve got an eighth mile record on it at Elvington. It’s loud, mean, but lovely to ride. Really. It’s terrifying to anyone watching, and at a standstill as you look down the strip, but as soon as you’re off and away it’s so stable. Something flew off on my last ride and hit my leg, but it’s due a good run out.

‘But also a big part of motorcycle ownership is having a cup of tea and sitting looking at it, isn’t it?’

‘One of my great loves are Harley-Davidson sportsters – the older air-cooled ones, not the latest liquid-cooled bikes. Sportsters are rather like a motorcycle, just smaller. They’re eminently flickable, extremely comfy, and the power delivery is smooth.

‘I bought this one off a good mate of mine, Chopper Roy, for six grand. I love the way that the filler caps are like old two-gallon cans. It’s really reliable, doesn’t leak oil – it’s my hack and it looks like shit, but it’s fantastic.

‘Whoever built it – and I have no idea who it was – really had attention to detail. It has an Electra Glide Ultra Classic front fender used for the rear mudguard, which is the sort of idea you have in the bath but that you never proceed with – but it’s worked out really nicely.’

‘For _The Motorbike Show_, we wanted to take a bike and change the look to the vibe that we love. The challenge was not messing with Euro compliance, which meant we couldn’t cut the frame at all. We looked at the Norton 961 and thought we could give it a different look – the Kawasaki Z1 is iconic to me, so we wanted that vibe and had a vision for a new tank, seat and pipe to make the 961 Street. Stuart Garner saw it and asked if he could put it into production. I said alright, but I want a grand per bike for the intellectual property. He rang me two weeks before the launch to say there was no launch as they’d sold them all. I invoiced him but that was it… The whole Garner Norton saga leaves a bitter taste. It was deeply upsetting. Luckily, I think the majority of these reached customers.’

‘Everyone thinks sidecars are humorous – and they are, in a brilliant way. I’ve had a lot of Urals and Dneprs. They used to be great value – this one was four grand. Stalin saw BMWs in theatre during the war, got his spies to nick some, and sent them to the Ural so they were out of bombing range – hence the name. They’re exact copies of the BMWs. Everything’s interchangeable – this one has a BMW speedo in it. The Russians then sold the blueprints to a company in China. New Urals are expensive now, though.’

‘It’s the 80th anniversary of the Bell 47 – it first flew in December 1945. In spring ’46 it was the first helicopter to get a civilian ticket to go into production. It was also the first helicopter to fly over the Alps and is in all the old Bond films. It changed the world.

‘I sold my soul – well, quite a few bikes – to buy a Bell 47. There are only 12 flying in the UK, of which this is one – but there’ll be 13 as we’re restoring another that I found in north Wales and bought for £18,000. It’s dark blue under the camo – there was an army Blue Eagles display team and it’s one of them, so will be restored like that.

‘They’re so expensive: I’ve had the six-cylinder engine refurbished for £55k and rotor blades are £20k each. But if I can afford it, why don’t I preserve two? It’s about heritage, history, iconic design. I’ll make them available – I want people at schools, fetes and events to see them. When you fly one, as I’m learning to do, it’s like 3D motorcycling.’

‘When the GSX-R slabbies came out they changed the world. The 750 won everything – it was a revelation and, in my view, the first modern superbike. I had five GSX-R1100s back in the 1980s. They all got nicked. The last one I decided to run into the ground – I never washed it, and it was filthy. You could hardly see the blue. Guy Willison borrowed it one weekend and brought it back looking mint – he’d spent all Sunday washing it, polishing it. That night it got nicked. If only he’d left it…

‘On this 1100 you sit in it – the tank comes out past you, and when you’ve got your arms wrapped around it, bum up against the single seat, looking through the screen, Vance and Hines four-into-one… come on.’

‘To me, Uncle Bunt was a legend. John Reid was the man behind the British chopper \[as seen frequently in _Bike_ back in the day\], and when I found this one in a shed I couldn’t believe it. I got hold of John in California and he confirmed it was one of his Uncle Bunt ‘mass production’ frames.

‘I spent £20,000 on the bike. It was awful when I got it – it’s had a new front end, seat, wheels, conical rear hub, re-prepped frame, everything. It’s the original engine, which we’ve refurbed. Any bike with rabbit-ear ’bars is an acquired taste, and your first corner is interesting… Some old rocker in town told me the trick is to pin it – just go into the corner and power on. So, I did… and it flies round corners. It’s fantastic to ride once you work it out and get with the programme.’

‘There’s a bit of space at the minute, as I sold my rat Kawasaki Z400 outfit, with a Steib body on a Watsonian frame. I also sold a BMW R90 with a kneeler sidecar. The one that got away? My Brough 11.50 – I had to sell it for stamp duty on the farm, but if I get the opportunity to buy an 11.50 or SS80 at the right price, I’m there. There’s a couple of Triumph bobbers and choppers that I’d like back too, though I’ve just reignited my passion for slab-sided GSX-Rs…’

‘Though we used to look at Moto Martins, we also used to read about bikes using Harris frames – and to me a Harris the most iconic of British superbikes.

‘British engineering, with brilliant frame geometry and styling, and a Japanese lump – what’s not to like? You get heritage and culture with handling, reliability and performance. The four-cylinder Kawasaki GPz1100 engine is a perfect marriage with the Harris frame, and it flies.

‘I found this Harris Magnum in a florist in London, and bought it from a very nice guy selling daffodils. It had been there a while but I think he used to ride it. I’ve done nothing but fit a bar-end mirror – just the one, but I need to see what’s behind. I paid £12,000, and it’s the best twelve grand I’ve ever spent… apart from all the other bikes.’

‘This is a Triumph 350, and I hold a record for a Triumph 3HW engine at Elvington – 88mph or 98mph, I think. The bike has more to go. I found this dustbin fairing in a hedge doing _Find It, Fix It, Flog it._ The guy had sold a Vincent Black Shadow to a bloke who didn’t want the dustbin fairing – so before he put the bike in a van he threw the fairing in a hedge. Forty years later, I find it and pay £100. I haven’t run the bike with the dustbin fairing – Allen Millyard and I reckon it’ll go slower. I want to take it to Bonneville and try for a record. Bonneville is the “big white dyno” as the altitude robs speed. The atmosphere changes all day too, so you’re constantly rejetting the carburettors. I think dustbin fairings are banned at Bonneville, though – something to do with fuel vapour getting trapped, or crosswinds...’

This year Henry Cole has a theatre tour with Steve Parrish, with 16 dates already confirmed across the UK between March and November. Check the dates and locations and book your tickets by clicking your way to :a[henrycole.tv]{href='https://henrycole.tv' }

#### **James Butler** buys, sells and maintains performance bikes from the 1990s and 2000s. Here’s why he’s smitten with the 2005 GSX-R1000

Words **John Westlake** Pics **Bauer, Ben Lindley**

**‘I** think the K5 is the best bike Suzuki ever made. The K3 and K4 were great, but they were big and felt a generation behind. I had a 954 FireBlade at the time and the K5 was another world – it made my Blade feel 20 years old. It moved the game on.

‘As a performance bike, it was the benchmark for years. The K7 was a lot heavier and seemed to be a worse example of a K5. That helped keep K5 prices strong. These days if a K5 or K6 (identical but with new colour schemes) comes into our showroom, they’re straight out the door. They command a good premium over a Fireblade or R1 of the same era too – the 04-05 ZX-10Rs have a similar following, but don’t fetch the same money.

‘Nice low-mileage K5s in blue and white are often advertised at £6000-7000. But even with 35,000 miles they still make £4000 easily. I’m not into bikes as investments – they should be ridden – but a tidy K5 is as strong as it gets on that front.’

‘Not much. We look after one that’s done 70,000 miles and it’s never had a problem. They’re typical Suzukis – corrosion is the main issue. There’s a big block connector in the main wiring harness down the left side of the fairing by the frame – that corrodes and does funny things to the electrics. The odd cam chain tensioner needs attention but I’ve never seen one break. Ultimately, they’re very solid.

‘The brakes were never up to much – they weren’t as formidable as the rest of it. R1 radial calipers go on with some spacers, so a lot of the guys racing them fit them, along with a Brembo master cylinder. Then just freshen the suspension and you’re away.

‘Because of the owners they attracted, K5s probably had harder lives than, say, a Fireblade of the same era. This can cause problems because they are not built like Hondas – the finish certainly isn’t as good and the paint comes off the wheels and engine cases.

That makes it simple to spot a bike that’s been looked after – if it’s not tatty, then an owner has been on top of things.’

‘A mixture. There are people going back to older sportsbikes as they’re good value – you can do trackdays, go on holidays and ride every day, yet it’s not sitting there owing you £20,000. Then you have guys who come in and ask for the fastest thing they can get for £5000.

‘Also, a lot of racers are buying them because several clubs are setting up series devoted to older bikes. A couple of friends are racing them in Bemsee’s Thunderbike Ultra class \[for pre-2007 bikes under 170bhp and over 170kg\] and one of them – Jamie Thomas – won it on a K5 he’d raced for four seasons.

‘The K5 and K6 are perfect because you don’t have to do much to get to that power and weight – Jamie has done very little beyond normal maintenance and it’s been completely solid. He loves it. The grid is full of GSX-R1000 K5s and K6s.’

‘When the economic crisis happened in 2008, the exchange rate was in the favour of the Dutch and Belgians and loads of used K5s and K6s went over there. The headlight has quite a flat beam pattern so that was easy to sort, and you could push a button on the dash to change to kilometres. It was their dream bike, and they cleared the UK of a lot. These days, the supply still doesn’t match the demand.

‘Plus, of course, they’re such a brilliant road bike compared to the modern stuff, so demand stays strong. They’re 600 size but roomy enough for me at 6ft 3in, and if you’re used to riding something like a new Fireblade there’s so much grunt. The K5’s spread makes a lot of sense for the road: great engine; nice gearbox; easy chassis; not stupidly uncomfortable. Suzuki got the formula right.’

James at :a[jbmotorcycles.co.uk]{href='https://jbmotorcycles.co.uk' } always has a stock of ’90s bikes and will happily service them, too. Tell him _Bike_ sent you.

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###### **5 BIKES THAT REALLY MATTER THIS MONTH**

#### _Bike_ reader sells his zero-miles Yamaha RD500LC on eBay for £36,100

**W**hen _Bike_ reader Steve Brankston nearly bankrupted himself to buy this RD500LC in 1985, his plan was to store it until he could afford the insurance, then get out and enjoy what was then one of the hottest race reps on the roads.

But things didn’t turn out quite as planned. He never registered it, never rode it, never even started it. And he’s just sold it for £36,100.

‘I bought it from Webbs in Lincoln when I was 22,’ Steve tells _Bike_. ‘I’d got a 350LC that I was using as everyday transport and when I saw the RD500 I knew I had to have one. It was £3250 and took me two loans to buy – I got one from the Yorkshire Bank and another one through Webbs. A bit naughty, I know, but I was desperate to have it.

‘I hired a van and brought it home myself. It had the plastic wrapping on from the factory to protect the bodywork so I left that on. I was living with my parents at the time and I tried to get it in the house (they were out), but it wouldn’t go through the hall. So I had to keep it in the garage.

‘Obviously with two loans to pay I was skint for quite a long time and didn’t do anything – I hardly went out and I certainly couldn’t afford to insure it. But I loved the fact that I had it in the garage and that it was mine.’

After a few years Steve could afford to use the RD, but by then Yamaha had stopped making them – and he realised it was too good to ride. ‘So it went from my parents’ house to where I am now,’ he says. ‘It’s only been out of my garage once, when it was on display in Webbs for a year.

‘I’m feeling okay about it going because I’ve been thinking about selling it for a while. Me and my wife were quite poorly last year, so that spurred me on. I’ve got an R1M, VMAX and a Honda Monkey, so I’m not short of bikes…’

Steve’s had a few over the years. Legendary dealer Clive Padgett made an offer at the NEC bike show but dropped his price when he got back to Yorkshire!

Twin crank V4 499cc two-stroke with YPVS exhaust powervalves. Steve has regularly turned it over on the kick-start to stop it seizing but it’s never been started.

Signed by Yamaha greats Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Steve Baker and Alan Carter – Steve took the pillion cowl round a lot of bike shows…

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#### In the mood for some **second-hand excellence**? Us too. Here’s this year’s expert pick of fabulous pre-loved metal

By **Jon Urry** Photography **Bauer Archive**

**S**tate of constant choosing. We’re all familiar with it, helplessly drawn to small ads and online listings, musing over what else we could slip into the garage – and what we could stretch to.

And temptation is greater than ever. The used market is awash with staggeringly capable and desirable motorcycles for prices that make you check it’s not 1 April. In the bad old days, buying pre-loved involved crossed fingers and sweaty palms, but modern machines – by which we mean those of the past 15 years or so – have reliability, durability and lasting appeal. Can you remember the last time a manufacturer wheeled out a clunker? Us neither.

To help navigate the temptation, we’ve assembled this year’s top used buys – and picked the 2025 Used Bike of the Year. Bring your wallet this way – much joy awaits…

**Unbreakable, well-priced, incredibly practical – it has to be a Honda NC750X**

Unsung hero? Not really – the NC750X has always sold well for Honda, just like the 700 version before it. Part of Britain’s biking backbone, the 750X is incredibly hard to fault; with lashings of well-considered and useful features, it just cracks on without fuss, drama or niggle. If practicality, quality, reliability and the ability to make a good fist in any situation are high on your shopping list, it’s head, shoulders and much of its torso above rivals. Consistently a bestseller throughout Europe, the NC750X combines adventure bike comfort levels and control with assured 17in-wheel handling and big-scooter practicality. And if this isn’t attractive enough, there’s the option of Honda’s slick DCT gearbox – which more than half of NC buyers choose in the showroom.

The 745cc parallel-twin motor won’t win races with 53bhp (58bhp on later models), but it’s tuned for super-easy thrust. It’s nigh-on apocalypse-proof, will run fault-free for tens of thousands of miles, and happily record 70mpg. At service time, its single overhead cam design and ‘nut and screw’ valve clearance adjustment makes even major services far from wallet-busting. The X has use-it-daily practicality, too. It has a very handy lockable 22-litre stashing space where you’d normally expect to pour fuel, with storage for a full-face helmet. Most used examples have a top box and/or panniers as well, plus accessory heated grips and maybe a taller screen.

Yet despite being so sensible, the NC750X is still a ‘proper’ bike. It’s still fun to ride. Faults are few and far between, prices reasonable due to them being so plentiful, running costs minimal, and it never fails to accomplish what you ask of it.

Do-it-all, ride-all-the-time second-hand buys don’t get any safer.

**1** If the bike stutters in hot weather, the fuel pump and lines may need replacing.  
**2** Check for wobbly rear wheel bearings. The fit is poor, leading to premature wear.  
**3** Service intervals are 8000 miles, with the valve clearance check at 16,000 miles.  
**4** Ensure the storage lock operates smoothly and hasn’t been forced open by a toerag.  
**5** DCT adds about £500 to a used NC’s value.

2012’s NC700X was replaced by the NC750X in 2014. Two years later it gained a more ‘adventurous’ look, new clocks and DCT upgrades. In 2018, two-level traction control arrived alongside an A2-legal version, while 2021 brought ride-by-wire, a touch more torque, power modes, a higher redline, 30mm lower seat height and a 6kg weight loss thanks to a new chassis. So yes, later is better – but they’re all ace.

**Yamaha TDM900 (2002-2010):** **£2500-£5000**  
The old 850 version was the first to do the upright-sports-tourer/adventure-sports thing. The later 900 is better. It’s spirited, funky, reliable and comfy. Coils can be weak, causing starting issues, but otherwise it’s very solid.

**Honda Crossrunner (2015-2021):** **£5000-£9000**  
Effectively a VFR800 on stilts, the X-model ‘crossover’ (awful term) is desperately overlooked and a great all-rounder. There’s only one thing to really watch out for: the valve clearance major service. It can be a bit salty.

**Suzuki GSX1250FA (2010-2016):** **£2000-£6000**  
A cheap mile muncher, the GSX is what the legendary Bandit morphed into. Finish isn’t too hot, and you’ll probably find corrosion. But the motor is stonkingly dependable. Find a good ’un and it’ll run and run and run…

**Hyperbike performance with a bargain price tag? Snap up aBMW K1300S**

Early examples of Suzuki’s Hayabusa are affordable, the venerable Honda Blackbird still attracts, however it’s BMW’s Autobahn-swallowing rocket ship that offers the most value for money. Not only does the K1300S have a far better spec than any rivals and just as much speed, it’s also generally cheaper to boot and has some always welcome exclusivity.

Replacing the K1200S, the 1300 ironed out many of the original model’s faults (there were quite a few…) and is a much safer used buy. Along with boasting a bigger capacity inline four, the K1300S upped the equipment levels and brought far more creature comforts. Naturally, most were optional extras, but luckily for used buyers most people ticked all the boxes.

As well as ABS and the option of second-generation electronic suspension (ESA II), the K1300S can be found with heated grips, quickshifter, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring and more. Add to this a centrestand and shaft drive and the K1300S is a blisteringly fast device even your sensible head will approve of.

And it handles, too. Few front ends have the rock-solid reassurance of BMW’s load separating Duolever system – the 1300’s roadholding is exemplary. The potent engine is gargly, raspy, with a unique feel, and delivers scorching performance.

Fancy smashing out miles with minimal effort and maximum velocity? This is the choice. With prices starting at just £3000, it’s an unmatched package.

**1** Low-speed weaving? The Duolever may need a rebuild.  
**2** Check the radiator for corrosion, damage and holes. New units are more than £600…  
**3** Ensure the ESA system works (if fitted) as technically it’s not rebuildable.  
**4** Inspect the wheel rims for dings – they can be a bit weak due to their light weight.  
**5** Walk away from bikes with ABS fault codes – a new unit costs more than £1500.

Replacing the K1200S in 2009, the 1300 ran until 2016 alongside a naked R and a touring GT. All were based around the same four-pot K-Series platform. Although the S was never updated, some extra options and a few special models – such as the Motorsport Edition and HP – were released later in its model life. We’d find a regular bike with all the official accessories.

**Kawasaki ZZR1200 (2002–2004):** **£1000-£3000**  
Tremendously good value for money, the ZZR1200 looks a bit dated but it is fast, cheap, secure in corners, and very comfortable for you and yours. The fuel pumps (there are two) are a bit weak, otherwise thrash and grin.

**Kawasaki 1400GTR (2008-2017):** **£4000-£9000**  
Powered by a ZZR1400 motor with variable valve timing, the overlooked GTR is as fast as a ZZR but brings extra practicality alongside traction control and ABS (on post-2010 models). Think tourist with warp-speed potential.

**Honda Super Blackbird (1996-2007):** **£1500-£7000**  
Fast, classy and reliable, the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a fabulous sports tourer. While not as speedy as the K1300S or a Hayabusa, the quality is top notch – and prices are starting to do that modern classic thing.

**Nothing gives as many widgets and gizmos for your quids as Kawasaki’s H2 SX SE**

How does owning a supercharged inline four with lean-aware traction control and ABS, power modes, two-way quickshifter, heated grips, cruise, cornering lights, launch control, anti-wheelie, fully adjustable suspension and panniers for less than £9000 sound? And not something dated, but a motorcycle you can still buy box-fresh?

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