February 2019 - Review of your 2018 motorcycling year
Welcome
The past year has had the lot for us bikers. There’s been the grip and endless sunshine of the best biking summer since 1976, amazing places to ride to and also, wonderful bikes to do it on. Things have never been better.
To celebrate, we’ve revisited the best machines, kit and gadgets of the year. I now want to put a deposit on a Kawasaki Z900RS, need a Venhill pressure gauge in my toolkit and know that a Lomo rucksack is the most waterproof money can buy — and it’s just £30.
You may also notice a bit of a change: I’ve taken over as editor from Simon Weir, who’s left to travel the world — though you will still see his large yellow helmet popping up here and there. Running RiDE is my dream job — I picked up my first copy over 20 years ago and loved its lack of bias, its usefulness and the most thorough testing in the business. That’s not going to change.
matt wildee
editor
Middleweight Champs
Yamaha’s MT-09 all-rounder faced a tough new rival in 2018 — KTM’s 790 Duke. How do they compare, faced with East Anglia’s finest bumps, burgers and biking B-roads?
R1250GS The Big Questions Answered
BMW’s R1200GS is the most successful bike of the last 14 years. Now, it has been replaced by a new, more powerful model. But is it worth upgrading? We deliver the answer...
First Ride: Triumph Street Twin
Triumph’s entry-level modern classic balances low stress with classy looks. Does more power spoil it?