30599 Used 2004 Suzuki V Strom 1000 Dl1000 on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Goodbye RM85 Suzuki

An old friend dropped in this weekend, on his way back from an arse-killing 4,500 mile ride to Estoril and back to watch the MotoGP race. He has only ever ridden Harley chops and old stuff with the exception of his vague nod at practicality and modernity - an ancient, very, very high mileage R1100GS BMW. I made him a brew and some pasta arrabiatta then made him ride my 2011 Fireblade.

Stuck for a gift? Solution No3: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Kawasaki merchandise

After the excesses of KTM and Harley's gifts ranges, Hondas seems tame. But even the sober Japanese firm has a handful of oddities in its line-up. The Japanese have been accused of imitating in the past, and Honda's incorporation of a baby's dummy in its official accessories catalogue mimics KTM's 'Silencer-System Mini Pro'.

Behind the scenes in Qatar

Just because you have the name Jorge Lorenzo on your screen and you've won a world championship doesn't mean you'll get an easy time at scrutineering. In Qatar the technical inspection staff made the factory Yamaha mechanics remove bodywork and unbolt some electrical components in order to get a better look at the guts of the 2011 M1. Everything was in order of course but what a great opportunity for the scrutineers to exercise their power and have a poke around the most high tech Yamaha on the planet.