Deals on wheels
The Bike of the Year is a great time to look back on past entrants, especially the wallet-twitchingly good deals currently available on previous runners...
£1900 saving Kawasaki Z H2
» Mental yet mannered, crazy but calm, Kawasaki’s supercharged Zed is our pick of the supernakeds for normal folk on normal roads. Nothing else is as smooth, civilised and bonkers, which is why it made it to our head-to-head final (with the Tiger 900) in the 2020 Bike of the Year shootout. Kawasaki would currently be very happy if you gave them £15,899. However, over at Millenium (01744 413138) they have spanking unregistered 2020MY Z H2s for £13,998. Sounds like quite a deal, does that.
£900 saving Triumph Tiger 900 Rally
» Last year there were very many hangovers in Hinckley after the all-new T-plane-crank Tiger won our Bike of the Year. Purposeful and capable yet plush and friendly, the 900 reset the datum for ‘middleweight’ adventurists. Current new price is £12,100, and as cut-price Triumphs are rare this is exactly what Premier Bikes (01235 426585) are asking. However, they’re throwing in a top-box, centrestand, crash bars and front spindle bobbins worth over £900 for nowt. Most kind.
£1850 saving Honda CB1000R
» Honda’s CB1000R missed the podium in 2018 by the skin of its teeth. Though classy, refined and oh-so-usable, in the ‘+’ form tested it didn’t quite feel like £12,229. The regular CB at eleven-and-a-half was nearer the mark, but a superkeen £10,500 tag would really have pushed the Honda up the results. Which means the box-fresh 2019 example for £9799 at Kestrel (02476 703900) is a flippin’ steal. There’s one only, in silver, and the deal relies on you taking out Honda finance. Get in ruddy quick.
£1200 saving Yamaha Ténéré 700
» Yamaha’s chirpy, high-quality, adaptable Ténéré was a late arrival in 2019, and though initial impressions were good they were just that – and so it came second. Had we been able to conduct a proper test in time then there’s every chance the Yam would have won. It’s that good. List price is £9502, which is entirely fair. But Tamworth Yamaha (01827 254994) have a pre-reg bike for £8299. It’s a 2020 model, though this of course makes absolutely bugger-all difference to anything.