Fast Bikes

If there's one thing we can all relate to, it's bad weather and motorcycling. The two things go together like a toe and a hammer: never a good combo. I say this having had the maddest and wettest month of launches I can probably remember. Considering I'm writing this virtually at the start of spring, the weather's been unprecedently terrible in southern Europe – and the experiences unimaginable. You might have seen the washout that greeted us on Yamaha's R9 test at Jerez. The whole track was under water, the bikes were too, and if it hadn't been for massive amounts of graft and even biggersized cheques, the review in this issue simply wouldn't have happened. We ended up moving circuit in the end, but even then we couldn't fully…

DUCATI XDIAVEL We thought we'd seen all of Ducati's fresh new wares for 2025, but the Bologna bad boys had kept one more trick piece of kit up their sleeves – the 2025 Ducati XDiavel V4. It's a bit of an oddity. First launched back in 2016, it was an attempt at a more ‘American’ Diavel, with foot-forward controls, tweaked styling, lower seat and a belt final drive on the superbike-derived Testastretta V-twin engine. Those changes also helped it accelerate offthe line – the long, low chassis and grunty motor actually made it Ducati's fastest-accelerating bike at the time. Aimed mostly at the US, it's nevertheless carved out a niche in markets in Europe and Asia too, and Ducati also built a few special-edition XDiavels – the Dark, Black Star…

While 2025 will forever be the year we lost the R1 from the brand's road-going line-up, it will also be remembered for the deliverance of the R9, which was what prompted a flight to Spain for a spin around Jerez on the supersport sensation that had only weeks earlier won on its World Supersport debut in Australia. The new head of Yamaha's road-going sporty range has undoubtedly got big shoes to fill, slotting into this new-found middle ground of larger-capacity twins and triples that are decimating the confines of the traditional supersport sector in a way few of us saw coming – and perhaps even less fully understand. For the likes of you and I, possibly all we need to know is that this addition to the R family is…

ENGINE: The R9's CP3 motor is a proven and much-loved performer, hopping over without any fettling from the MT-09. Claiming 117bhp from its 890cc output, the 93Nm-rich triple is a cracking option for this next-generation supersport sensation. To make the most of the output, both the ignition timing and throttle have been changed. Throw in some taller gearing and a third-generation shifter/blipper, and that's about all you need to know. BRAKES A welcome addition to the mix is the R9's Brembo Stylema calipers, and they're backed up by a Brembo MCS adjustable master cylinder. Cornering ABS is very much committed up front but can be disengaged at the rear if you like to leave the odd skid mark. SUSPENSION In a big step up from any of its sibling CP3-powered…

It's hard not to get hung up by the hype of new metal, such as the R9 and Ducati V2, but if your bank balance is anything like mine, it pays to get a little nostalgic every now and again, and remember all the awesome, pre-loved and massively more affordable supersport options kicking around. Having grown up in an era brimmed to the rafters with 600cc sensations, the likes of Kawasaki's ZX-6R, Honda's CBR600, Yamaha's R6 and Suzuki's GSX-R600 need no introduction. And then there are the triples, such as MV's F3 675, and perhaps my favourite of them all, Triumph's Daytona 675. It's fair to say that without these high-revving headbangers, the world would be a much duller place, and while they might not sport a 25-plate registration or…

I'm kicking things off with the CBR600RR quite simply because it's probably the most rounded of all used supersport bikes. If you've owned one, you'll know just how cracking a road bike this is, backed up by a relatively torquey motor that makes day-to-day riding easy-going. This bike right here is a second-generation model, which could be said was probably the best balanced 600 of its time. This generation ran until 2012 with only minor updates, before Honda quietly backed out of the middleweight arms race – before getting back into again last year with the heavily revised RR, which is a great option to be looked at, assuming you've got £10k kicking around. If you haven't, here are a few things to note about this much cheaper option… Handling:…