‘Water splashes, suicidal dogs, rocky descents and paella…’

This slimy goat track in the Sierra Nevada mountains is not the route through Spain that Philip Weston would have chosen, but I thought it was brilliant. Philip’s (long) weekend on the new Kawasaki H2 SX was a blur of green on European autoroutes. But 5000 miles and 33 fuel stops gave us the definitive verdict on range, comfort and tyre life. And a cracking story. Philip’s gone home for a snooze. The supercharged sports tourer test is on page 30. Staff writer Ben Lindley did an endurance challenge this month too. Launches of the Ducati 1100 Scrambler, Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 and Honda CB1000R, all in a week. Testing the new BMW F850GS was less hasty. Beautiful Andalusian scenery, blossom in the almond trees, water splashes, suicidal dogs, slippery ascents, rocky descents and a paella at a beachside café. And it’s a great bike, worthy of the GS logo. Test on page 58. There are astonishing new bikes this year, and astonishing deals too. Some of them are in our PCP section. But Bike isn’t just about new bikes. The racing season has kicked off. Julian Ryder went to BSB at Donington, Rupert Paul rode with his hero Freddie Spencer. Guy Martin and Bike’s Peter Boast chatted in a workshop in Lincolnshire. Enjoy the issue, and maybe see you at our Rockingham trackday on 10 May.