BIKE

BIKE is packed with road tests of new bikes and inspirational riding stories, with fantastic places, amazing races and extraordinary people. Created by a passionate and expert team of motorcycle riders, Bike makes you feel part of the amazing motorcycling world. Our three main areas of content are... Road tests: We ride and test all the latest bikes, from tourers to retros. Riding: We take motorcycles to the four corners of the UK, and the four corners of the world Extraordinary travel stories: amazing races, extraordinary events and astonishing bike people.

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Team Bike • This magazine is made by the most talented team of bike journalists, writers and photographers in the universe. Here's what they've been doing this month.

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Triples all round! • Yamaha finally reveal the new R9 – a road-focused three-cylinder sportsbike with R1 genes

Unrecognisable • Go on, guess. No idea? It's a Suzuki GSX1400 – and it's just set a new British record…

Better value Trident • With more equipment as standard, the new Triumph Trident 660 aims to challenge Honda's big-value Hornet

Undercover BM killer • Honda's unassuming NT1100 has quietly been demolishing its sports touring rivals. And now it's even better

Blingy Ninja • New Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE comes with Brembos, Öhlins and an extra 56cc. But less power…

Kove 800X V Yam Ténéré • Newcomers Kove are making old hands sweat with their mid-sized adventure tool. It's ace value, but does its performance really match the much-loved Yam?

Can two wrongs make a right? • Today's bikes are capable of mileages our forefathers would have deemed impossible – and we have two rather unexpected things to thank…

GET IN GEAR • The latest word in swanky riding gear, desirable bolt-ons and must-have goodies for your pride and joy

‘Wonderful event and close-up racing’

‘Humpback jumps of joy’

MULTI STORY • Ducati's Multistrada V4 S Grand Tour goes tyre-to-tarmac against the UK's longest road

The Godfather of traction control • Engineer Tom O'Kane's career in MotoGP and World Superbikes covers the whole arc of racing electronics – from building the first effective datalogging and traction control systems to computer-modelling racing motorcycles

Jiggy in the middle • Fast, comfy middleweight sportsbikes are back, channelling the spirit of the venerable CBR600F. We thrust this year's newcomers – the Daytona 660 and GSX-8R – up against the benchmark RS660

‘It's just a number’ • High miles means unreliable, right? Not necessarily. Looked after right, any bike can shrug off 100,000 miles – as these owners prove…

‘I've done 163,000 laps of Cadwell Park…’ • Racing legend and Bike road tester Pete Boast has been riding at the Lincolnshire circuit since 1980 – and no one has done more miles around the famous track than our Boastie…

Who needs a gear lever anyway? • The latest MT-09 doesn't have a clutch or a gear lever, and swaps ratios on its own. We give Yamaha's new Y-AMT gearbox a good prod

BIG WORLD SMALL BIKES • Obviously, the perfect bike for lots of European miles is a 125cc Fantic. Sean Astley and daughter Bridget take the twisty route to Italy…

£27,270 for a weekend's racing • That's how much a midfield team spends per round competing in British Superbikes – or £124 per racing mile. Bike exclusively lifts the lid on the eye-watering cost of elite British racing

Thing of the month

EXPERTS IN THIS ISSUE

CFMoto 800NK Advanced • KTM-lite or the real deal? Paul Lang delivers his initial impressions on our Chinese twin

‘It's a naughty all-rounder’ • After 3000 miles doing a bit of, well, everything, it seems Suzuki's GSX-S1000GX may be the best all-rounder...