Treat yourself...
love a good bargain. Who doesn’t, especially when it’s got two wheels and a throttle? As far as used bikes are concerned there are loads of great steals to be had. The bikes on the cover of this issue were bought for a grand apiece. Now that’s pretty jammy by anyone’s standards, but even on the net you’ll be able to pick up a base model Mille from under £2k, and the same goes for a ZX-7R.
Some of us are pretty fickle when it comes to the age of our bikes, but some of the best times and best rides I’ve ever had have been on older models (I never did catch their names). I used to own a pre-injection R6. It was worth naff-all back then, and probably even less now, but it meant the world to me and I’d have another in a heartbeat.
Bikes have moved on dramatically in the 20 years since that R6 left the production line, but as the Mille and Kwacker test demonstrated, a great bike remains a great bike no matter how old it is. Me and Boothy had a right laugh on both machines, which you can read about inside. And once you’ve finished indulging in that, and you’ve written a massive wish list of used gold, make sure to check out the second half of our big naked group test. The European posse went down well last issue, but there have been plenty of calls for the Japanese offerings to show their face and strut their stuff… so here they are, wheelies an’ all.
That said, if you’re prepared to go naked in a bid to save the planet, Pretty Boy’s test on a battery powered motard is also well worthy of a read, but if you prefer sun loungers, mojitos and tales from foreign tracksides, have a good gander at my Euro trackday piece. Heading out to Spain and banging in some hot laps under a scorching sun proved a perfect tonic to the winter blues, which have hit us all hard in the Fast Bikes office.
It’s not that long until the New Year and the good times that’ll come with it, but in the meantime we’re stuck on pause, sheltering indoors and listening to Wham’s Last Christmas on repeat with sprinklings of mince pie crumbs littering up our leathers. No, it’s not a good look, but if you can’t let your hair down and indulge in excessive calories at this time of year, when can you? Get stuck in! All that’s left is to say a massive thank you for your continued support and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let’s make 2019 a corker!