Touring bikes, you either love them or hate them. They are, predictably, huge monsters that devour open roads in unsurpassed (for a motorcycle) comfort levels. Heavy, expensive and normally aimed at the ‘older motorcyclists’, so what’s the attraction then?
The cold war battle lines have been drawn. The YZ250FX and KTM 250 XC-F are right at home pounding aggressive moto laps, as they battle bushes in the tight stuff. Honda, like the super-power it is, needed a weapon to do battle, so will the might of Honda’s off-road crossover destroy everyone in sight?
To improve on a product that is already splendid in many ways is always going to be a difficult exercise. Let’s take phones for example, the demon device of our planet, constantly updated to suit ‘human-drones’ that revel in the latest software, even though it tends to do exactly the same thing. TVs are another ‘mindless’ bit of paraphernalia that annually receive visual splendor for the couch-dweller’s pleasure. But does any of this modern intervention actually improve their quality of life, err, NO is the answer! However, Yamaha’s new MT-07, second version, most certainly did mine…
Did anyone know, or realise, that Suzuki stopped production of their super-famous GSX-R750 two years ago? Well neither did I, so don’t flay yourself. But yes, it is true and for reasons that had more to do with that Euro draconian emission crap than anything from the Suzuki factory, possibly? But two years have passed and for whatever reason the stunning GSX-R750 is back and for sale in South Africa once again- hurrah!
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