On Throttle New Zealand

Photos by Ted Baghurst  Saying BMW’s R1200GS has a big reputation to live up to is like saying the universe is enormous. The globe trotting boxer which recently underwent a big update in terms of the engine technology has been on my list of ‘must ride’ bikes for years. It certainly hasn’t disappointed. The BMW R1200GS can trace its lineage back to the R80GS of 1980 and while technologies have come along in leaps and bounds the basic premise of the bike remains the same. GS is short for Gelände/Strasse which basically translates to offroad/road, a go anywhere premise that the R1200GS here is more than capable of covering thanks to its robust design and oodles of technology. The seat sits at a reasonably tall 850mm high with comfortable wide and high-set bars making the GS is an imposing bike to approach. With a big 20L fuel tank or a massive 33L if you go for the up specced Adventure model the tank makes up a large portion of the bikes presence. I initially ...

Well with this bike the name says it all. This thing is Brutal. Absolutely beautiful, but essentially like using a hammer on a thumb tack which makes the MV Agausta Brutale Dragster 800 a bike for those who love ride a wave of adrenalin through life and feel most other bikes on the roads these days are just a little bit vanilla. The Brutale Dragster 800 as the name suggests is derived from the MV Agusta Brutale 800 and shares most of its components with that bike. The main differences between the two is the shortened subframe and rear section on the 800 which gives it a futuristic, if slightly alien look in line with the streetfighter movement. The engine is MV's 800 triple with 125hp on tap via 4 different rider modes. You have Normal, Sport, Custom and of course Rain. For street use on the daily commute I actually found rain mode to be the most suitable option as it really smooths out throttle response and fueling so the bike doesn't shoot you into the stratosphere if...

Sometimes, when a manufacturer tries to go for a certain look, they miss the mark by quite a margin. Luckily for me, I found when jumping aboard the new Yamaha Bolt XVS950 that the nail was well and truly hit on the head when it came to the factory bobber. For those not in the know, a bobber is a motorcycle with a 'bobbed' rear fender, extra-low slung seat and minimalistic styling. The Bolt R-Spec, as tested, nails that description. The minimalistic nature of the Bolt R-Spec means that when you look down between the firm but comfortable saddle and the 12L fuel tank you see the backbone of the bike and the huge DOHC cylinder head of the 942cc engine. Riding the bike I wasn't quite sure where to position my knees. With a seat height of only 690mm and comparatively high bars the result is a menacing, slightly hunched riding position which made me feel like I was riding straight out of "Sons of Anarchy". The footpegs are typical of Japanese ...