Conclusion

If this group test proved one thing, it was that middleweight naked bikes are a lot more capable and fun than they get credit for.

With many litre+ machines getting so large and heavy, these mid-range nakeds seemed like a breath of fresh air (which you get plenty of, thanks to no screens). They are easy to manoeuvre, ride and maintain. And they tend to be cheaper to run, too. You might think you will miss the superior power levels of bigger bikes, but riding in the real world where potholes, speed cameras and erratic drivers line the roads, we found these machines quite powerful enough. You can only go so fast on public roads… And there’s a lovely feeling when you ride a bike and get it close to its limits. That’s something that rarely happens with bigger bikes – unless you’re on track and your name is Rossi, of course.

It was also interesting to see and feel the different engine configurations these bikes have. The V-twin of the SV had the most character, while the inline four of the CB was easily the most powerful. The Yamaha was somewhere in between the other two.

To include the Benelli in the picture as a bit of a wildcard was eye-opening, too. It can’t quite compete with the Japanese bikes, but it did show that Chinese bikes are taking great strides towards staging a real challenge across the industry. It won’t be long until the thoughts of them being budget bikes will be forgotten.

Even though these are all predominantly bikes for riding just for fun, they could easily be used to commute and even tour. Finding the right luggage would be a bit of an issue with all the bikes, but it could be done. After all, people have circumnavigated the globe with much lesser machinery.

If all this talk of middleweights being powerful enough and versatile enough for most types of riding sounds alien to you, have a go on one. You may need to alter your riding style a little to suit the machine, but you might be pleasantly surprised by the high level of performance, low running costs, and the sheer abundance of smiles per miles. We rate them highly!