For many riders 2018 has been a year to remember, with plenty of exciting new motorcycle models arriving in showrooms. While many would have you believe that motorcycling is dying out, the plethora of new machines hitting the road really does seem to point in the opposite direction. Motorcycling is not dying out, it is just evolving. With that in mind, we have put on our thinking helmet to count down our Top 10 motorcycles of 2018 (NB: which we have personally ridden) to come

Has KTM cracked the code for a class topping naked bike? We grab the keys to the new KTM 790 Duke to try and find out. Words: Mathieu Day-Gillett Photos: KTM The middleweight naked class is undergoing a phenomenon of big increases in engine size, but nobody has quite pulled off what KTM have with their new 790 Duke. The 790 Duke joined a family with plenty of heritage, with the Duke "duking it out" with the reigning King of the naked streetfighter class since its inception –

New for 2018, the Triumph Speed Triple RS has gone further than any Speed Triple before it in terms of technology and power. So how does it handle New Zealand roads? Words: Mathieu Day-Gillett Photos: Triumph Motorcycles When first launched in 1994, the Triumph Speed Triple opened up a whole new segment to the motorcycling market, that of the factory street fighter – a bike with a superbike sized heart, but the riding ergonomics and lack of fairing of a standard motorcycle. F

With a 114cu Milwaukee-Eight engine and the dynamic chassis of the revised Softail family, there's a lot to like about the new Harley-Davidson FXDR. So, what are our top 5 favourite bits (along with some bits we're still not sold on) of the newest member of team Harley-Davidson? Words and Photos: Mathieu Day-Gillett 5 Things to LOVE about the new Harley-Davidson FXDR LED Lighting | We make no secret of our love of LED lighting. The benefits are huge compared to traditional bu

Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com It may be only in its second season after a successful debut during the 2017/2018 race season, but the fledgeling GIXXER Cup competition is gathering pace and increasing momentum, with several claims now that it is already achieving more than it did during its inaugural season last year. The second of three rounds in this year's Suzuki Series was held at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, in Feilding, on Sunday and again it was the

No-one said it was going to be easy to defend his Suzuki Series title in the premier Formula One category, but Taupo's Scotty Moir is proving he's up for the fight. Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com The Suzuki ace won the F1 trophy for the first time last season and now, after the Sunday's second of three rounds in this year's edition at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, on the outskirts of Feilding, he knows he's in with a good chance of repeating the feat. Howeve

With a whole lot more engine, for not a lot more dollar, have Harley-Davidson done themselves and their much-loved 883 Iron a disservice with the introduction of the Iron 1200 to the Sportster range? Words: Mathieu Day-Gillett Photos: Mathieu Day-Gillett, Supplied In 2015, Harley-Davidson relaunched their urban focussed Sportster and Street line under the Dark Custom umbrella in Tokyo. Under appalling weather – courtesy of a typhoon which managed to roll through at the same t

Kawasaki unveiled a stunning new W800 motorcycle at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan this year, however, it is unlikely to be imported into New Zealand Kawasaki NZ Says. Despite being a genuine modern classic, the Kawasaki W800 and the older W650 never seemed to really hit it off with Kiwi motorcyclists. With fierce competition from the likes of Triumph's Bonneville range, riders wrongly thought the Kawasaki's bikes were knock offs trying to cash in on the success of the Tr

Husqvarna Motorcycles New Zealand has announced a recall of 2019 TC 50 minicycles due to a fault in the assembly of the motorcycle's carburettor. This week Husqvarna Motorcycles announced a recall for 2019 TC 50 kids bikes. The reason behind the recall is to have an authorised Husqvarna mechanic inspect the bike's carburettor for a potential fault which may have occurred during assembly. Husqvarna's official press release stated that during the carburettor assembly process fo

Jessie Meek attends her first Mike Pero Southern Classic to experience first hand the nostalgia and adrenalin of some of the best classic motorcycle racing New Zealand has to offer. Words by Jessie Meek | Photos by Jessie Meek and Shot by Skinny This was my first Southern Classic. It was the first time I’d seen machines from Pre-WWII to the mid-nineties all in one place – and many about to go racing. It was a petri-dish for classic motorcycle racing: from beautiful 2 Stroke G

Unlike many motorcycle brands, Kawasaki appeared to be hesitant to cash in on the thriving modern classic market, but that – like the bikes the segment is based on – is now a thing of the past with the arrival of the Z900RS. Words: Mathieu Day-Gillett Photos: Kawasaki Based upon the Z900 which was launched last year, the Z900RS is the first Kawasaki to fill the modern classic niche for the brand since the W800 which was discontinued in 2016. Readers of a certain age will imme

Triumph Motorcycles New Zealand has confirmed the new Speed Twin will be heading to New Zealand very soon. So what are we likely to pay, and more importantly, what makes this new modern classic so special? The Speed Twin is a hallowed nameplate in the Triumph Motorcycles stable. First introduced in 1938, the Speed Twin was what Triumph themselves describe as the first successful parallel twin engine packaged into a game changing chassis. The Speed Twin set the template for ma

Royal Enfield Australia and New Zealand has confirmed the price for the new Continental GT and Interceptor 650 models for the Kiwi marketplace with the bikes confirmed to be available to the NZ public in February 2019. The pricing of the two new models is split between three variants each – a Classic as the base model, the mid-level Custom and the top-spec Chrome trim level. The bikes enter at $10,290 with the Interceptor 650 in Classic trim. The Interceptor being the more tr

For three weeks each December, the speed of life quickens as the annual Suzuki Series weaves its magic. Bike racers, engineers and mechanics, team managers, sponsors and the many fans all become engrossed in this special 'mini' season of pre-nationals racing. This year's annual three-round Suzuki Series kicks off at Taupo's Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park on Sunday, December 9, and there's no let-up with the series heading to the Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon, on the outskirts of

Suzuki's Chad Reed is a three-time champion in the United States and now he's the FIM Oceania Supercross Champion as well. For the likeable Australian rider it was a welcome return to his "home away from home" ... a hat-trick of wins on Saturday night, in front of a large and appreciative Auckland audience, earning him the inaugural Monster Energy S-X Open International Supercross FIM Oceania Championship title. Chad Reed rode his Suzuki RM-Z450 to score an impressive unbeate

You can only get so much nope in one video, yet somehow Japanese MX rider Taka Higashino managed to tick most of the 'no thanks' boxes. Higashino, riding a Yamaha YZ250F, completed two laps of the sky bridge outside of the Southern Hemisphere's tallest structure. While he initially planned to pop a wheelie during the ride this morning (21st November) strong winds reportedly put paid to that plan and he had to settle for being the first person to ever ride the outside of the S

After the Svartpilen 401 debuted with its sportier looking Vitpilen 401 and 701 counterparts last year, 2019 will finally see a production version of the Svartpilen. Albeit with a slightly different inspiration... While the smaller 401 Svartpilen is undeniably a scrambler inspired machine, the new Svartpilen 701 draws its design inspiration from a different part of the dirt sector - that of the flat trackers of America. Husqvarna states in their release on the new Svartpilen,

While there is currently no word on whether KTM and sister-company Husqvarna Motorcycles have full-sized electric motorcycles about to break cover - both brands have debuted electric motocross machines for junior riders. The potential of the new machines is electrifying! Before we dig into these little e-bikes, it is important to lay the background out. Just in case you didn't already know - Husqvarna is owned by KTM, hence the two bikes before you looking almost identical. K

It was one of the first purpose-built LAMS bikes in the New Zealand market, with a sleeved engine to bring the bike's cubic capacity to within the LAMS rulebook, but how has the model fared nearly half a decade on from its initial release? More importantly, is this still the #1 LAMS bike you want to buy to get into motorcycling? Words and Photos: Mathieu Day-Gillett Back in 2014 I was lucky enough to be part of the press contingent who got to test the MT07LA in Sydney before

Yamaha Motor New Zealand today announced that the YZ65 Cup, which has successfully run in Australia this season, will be heading to New Zealand in 2019. The first Kiwi round of the Yamaha YZ65 cup will be coming to Harrisville, Pukekohe for the third round of the NZ MX nationals on the 24th February 2019. The YZ65 Cup will provide a money-can’t-buy racing experience in front of a national crowd, Yamaha New Zealand says. Plus, in a sorta-money-CAN-buy sort of way - Yamaha will