Fast Bikes September 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**
THEKNOWLEDGE
TEST S
Naked Sportsbike of the Year .............14
We’ve scooped together sixofthe finest supernakeds in the world andgiven them a thorough workout to determine whichone is most deserving of your garage space.
BMW R12G/S ......................................66
Remember the original R80G/S? Well, BMW’skind of reincarnated it, albeit with contemporary tech and ahell of alot more horsepower
COLUMNISTS
FEATURES
Ducati Monster 950 Buyer’sGuide ..... 58
If you’re not fussed about winglets andrider aids, the 2013 600RR is acracking, much cheaper alternative to the latest and greatest version.
Addiction: Suzuki’s Carbon Neutral Gixer 74
Who says motorcycles can’t save the planet? If Suzuki’ssuper-fast, plant-fuelled GSX-R is anything to go by,there’sagood chance they will.
Christian Iddon 96
We’re into the second half of the season, but here’s why Iddon’ssure he can turn his seasonaround
Kawasaki Ninja1100: Long-termer 80 Andy’sbeen clocking the miles and plotting what’snext.
Project Corner:Speed Triple ............... 86
If you’re aloverof‘90s sports bikes,you won’t want to miss this cracking YZF750 build.
Tried Out ........................................ 92 Alpinestars Racing Absolute V2 suit rated
Alternatively,scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today.Wewill send it directly to you!
Wayback when…
It’sfunny how asimple smell can provoke such strong memories.Just the otherday Iwas behind the barsof avery special bike,a Honda VFR750RC30 It was my first ever ride on one,and though Iwas too young to appreciatethis bike in its heyday,its significance was not lost as I thumbed the starter and heardthe V4 whir into life
Thefunny thing is, in an instant,the bike feltoverly familiar,akin to aspot of déjà vu Thereason beingthat when Iwas 16, I bought and raced aVFR400, which is essentially asmaller,less powerful,but no less genius an example of Honda’slate 1980s V4 movement.From the single-sided swingarm to the same style of gear-driven cams, the little 400 was afeat of engineering and in its own right it would make ahuge impact on motorcycling the world over
Moretothe point, it made an enormous impact on me for the year or so that I owned it. As weirdasitsounds, the smell it producedwas acarbon copy of the fumes kicking out of RC30, and Iloved that. Bikes thesedaysjustdon’t smell like they used to,which some would argue is agood thing, but not me.I get why the world is having to make everything kitten-friendly, but Ipity future generations who’ll be left with copy-and-paste whines from electricpowered offerings, the smell of nothing but burning motors.It’sprobably for reasons like this that most of my own bikesare quite old-school, being either carb’dor first-generation fuel injection. Without a doubt, from aperformance point of view,
the cards we’ve got on the table these days arelight and day better than machines made adecade ago,let alone 20 or 30 years back, but do they fuel the soul and burn your lungs like motorcycles used to? No.And beforelong, we’ll probablystart talking nostalgically about the bikes of now, which have been superseded by planetsaving, box-ticking eco-offerings
Ihope I’m wrong and that motorcycles will continue to be innovative,but also a little renegade.We’dlove to know where
you stand on this, so drop us aline if you have the time.But for now,I hope you enjoy this high-octane issue which is largely focused around the latest and greatest supernakeds on themarket. Needless to say,wehad an absolute blast putting 2025’sNaked Sportsbike of theYear together.
Enjoy the mag,
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RETRORELISHSUZUKIS
Of course,back in the early 1970s,they didn’t call naked bikes ‘naked bikes’ –because virtuallyevery bike was naked, in thatthey hadnothing at allin the wayofafairing.Pedantry aside though, Suzuki has just releasedacouple of new naked machines with1970sstyle,builtonits current GSX-8S roadster platform. The GSX-8T is a‘full’ nakedretro which has been modelled on the T500 from the early 1970s,while the GSX-8TT has asmall headlamp fairing and aneat bellypan, aping mid-1970s superbikes like the firm’sGS1000.
The foundationsreally are straight off the GSX-8S/R models,which isn’t abad thing at all. So, theengine is the exact same 776cc,270-degree, parallel-twin, 8v,DOHC,liquid-cooled unit, making about 82bhp and 78Nm, with ride-by-wire throttle The chassis is almostastraight copy-over as well: steel twin-spar frame and aluminium swingarm, unadjustable USD forks and preload-adjust rear monoshock from KYB.Four-piston radial Nissin brake calipers and dual 310mm front discs rounds off thecapable if unexceptional chassis spec
Thestyling is acut above,though. Both bikes look reallygood, we reckon, and Suzuki said the project was the work of adesign team based in Milan and Japan, with cues from those 1960s and 1970s models like the two-stroketwin ‘T’ models and the later GS superbikes.Both bikes share the basics: ashapely 16.5-litre fuel tank, smart radiator shrouds with acheeky new ‘8-ball’ logo,neat front
mudguard andaminimalistrear seat unit. The round LED headlamp, 5in TFT colour dash and bar-end mirrors are also common across the two models.The obvious change forthe TT is theneat headlamp fairing –more anacelle,arguably,with little in the way of real wind protection –and the slabby slotted belly pan that looks properly period. The seats are also slightly different(though neither has much in theway of pillionprovision if that’s important to you), and theTThas blackfork tubes compared with gold on the T.
We don’t normally dwell muchonpaintand colour schemes –you folks haveeyes in your head and know what youlike.But we love thesubtle look of the TT,while the TT colours and graphics
are really smart. There’sahintofHusqvarna’s high-end feel to thestyling, though with less of the Nordic po-face implicit there.Small details like different wheel colours also underline the thought put into theappearanceofthese newbikes. We’ll beriding them both soon– though it seems there will be few surprises for anyone who’sridden theGSX-8S.The newmodels are in shopsany time now, priced at £9599 for the Tand £9999 forthe TT
Suzuki releases sweet neo-retro roadsters based on GSX-8 platform
Keep an eye on ouronlinechannels –Facebook,Twitter,and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) –for news as it happens
SUPERSPORT SENSATION FORASNIP, ANYONE?
Missing the Suzuki GSX-R750? Aren’t we all. It really wasanamazing thing to ride on trackoron the road, with the agility of a600 plus aheapmore grunt. We mourn its passing every day.
check out theSRK900, with its 95bhp,270-degree,8v, DOHC parallel-twin engine, steel trellis frame,Brembo brakes and a £6699 price tag
BUT! What if we told you someone was launching anew 750-classinline-four 120bhp sportsbike which is currently competing in the World Superbike paddock, and it’ll be on saleinthe UK for alittle under £7k?
in the on sale in the
No, we’ve TWOC’d the there is a beastie, being released now It’s the QJMotor SRK800 an inline-four supersports machine, with full and a 2025-spec has a unique QJMotor778cc, four-cylinder, DOHC, 16v engine putting out 120bhp and 74Nm of a 67x55mm stroke
That’s maybe not stuff – even the had and 82Nm of grunt. is a bit too, at 214kg wet, so there are some to be made there
No,we’ve not TWOC’dthe TARDIS and time-travelled back to 1999 –there really is such abeastie,being released right now.It’sthe QJMotor SRK800 RR, an inline-four supersports machine,with full fairing and a2025-spe level. The SRK800 has aunique QJMotor designed 778cc,four-cylinder,DOHC,16v engineputting out120bhpand 74Nm torque, from a67x55mm bore and That’smaybe not earth-shattering 1999 GSX-R750 had 128bhp and 82Nm And the SRK800 is abit chunky too so there are some improvements
Power and weight aside, the chassis spec is
Power and weight aside,the chassis spec is pretty sporty,with Brembo radial four-piston front brake calipers and 320mm discs,plus fully adjustable Marzocchi suspension front and rear.A full fairing with aerodynamic winglets,colour LCD dash,LED lights and a16-litre tank rounds off the spec.It’sactually the homologation model for the firm’sWorld Supersport race bike,which has been duking it out in the WSSP series this year
importer, MotoGB, is launching a full range, includes full-on all-rounders, and even a V-four cruiser. The machine SRT900 SX a 95bhp, 904cc, parallel twin-cylinder engine, 19in rear tubeless wheels,
height And a real SRV600 V has a 561cc, 90-degree, V-four 67bhp@10,500rpm with 54Nm of torque and features belt final Marzocchi forks, a seat and a 16.5-litre fuel for just £5699.
QJMotor isn’t justbringinginsportsbikes,though. The British importer,MotoGB,islaunching afullrange, which includesfull-on adventure tourers, middleweight all-rounders,and even aV-four 600cc cruiser.The flagship machine is the £7699 SRT900 SX parallel twin adventure tourer, which boasts a95bhp,904cc,parallel twin-cylinderengine,19in front/17in rear tubeless spoked wheels, 24-litre tank and an 835mm seat height.And the cruiser is areal wild card: the SRV600 Vhas a561cc,90-degree, four engine making 67bhp@10,500rpm with torque and features beltfinal drive, rzocchi USD front forks,a low 720mm seat height 6.5-litrefuel tank, all for just £5699.
All of this ignores the main headline,though–theprice.The QJMotor SRK800 RR is listed from just £6999. Not enough for you? Well, the firm is also bringing in abigger brother for the SRK8 –the SRK921, which uses the old MV Agusta 921cc inline-four engine.Ithas 160bhp and asingle-sided swingarmfor just £8999. And super-naked fans can
QJMotor is a brand produced the massive Qianjiang Motorcycle Group, which has bikes in Province, China, part-owned by the car the Volvo, Polestar, Proton, Lotus and Smart well as part-owning Aston Martin, so it’s a pretty outfit, albeit one starting out making bikes for the looking to ride some new
QJMotorisabrand produced by themassive otorcycle Group,whichhas been making Zhejiang Province,China, since 1985. It’s the Geely car firm, and Geely also owns olestar,Proton, Lotus andSmart brands, as rt-owning Aston Martin,soit’sapretty serious startingout with makingbikes forthe European market. We’ll be looking to ridesome of its new machines as soon as we can,tosee just how they liveupto the solid valuespec
ENFIELDFLYINGGOAT
It’snot often that youfind yourself drooling at the chassis tech on an electric motorbike.But that’s just what we were doing at the ABR Festival last month when we clapped eyes on this piece of work. It’sthe Royal Enfield Flying Goat –a prototype EV bike,hand-built by the firm’sR&D engineers at Bruntingthorpe,and is festoonedwith sweet chassis kit, wrapped around apowertrain borrowed from the Stark Varg MX racer.
The swingarm is pure sauce –ahand-made aluminium braced unit that wouldn’t look out of place in the MotoGP paddock, made by Harris Engineering (Enfieldowns Harris as part of its British R&D department, of course). Ditto the main frame sections: acouple of chunky aluminium arms which link the swingarm pivot to the other part of the ‘frame’ –apair of Stark Varg battery packs,with their finned magnesium outer casings Fitting two of the beefy powerpacks givesdecent range and performance and also looks the business.Tucked in behind is the 80bhp Stark electric motor,making this the most powerful bike from Royal Enfield by afair margin. Thespecis roundedoff by afullset of semi-activeelectronic Öhlins suspension:USD forks and shock, plus a neat Nissin radial front brake caliper
Speaking to the test ride r s, they say the Himalayan lookalike machine is an absolute hoot to ride,w ith su p erb p e rf o rm a n c e. Th e firm has been running afl eet of these bikes on at est programme,i ncluding tests hig hu pi n
the H imalayas,w here petrol-powere d ma chine ss truggle through lack of oxyge ni n the high-altitude air,a sp art of its res earch on EV two-wheelers.I t’su nlikely we’ll be abl et o buy any thing like this so on, though (the tes t mules cost ove r£ 60k each to
make,a ppare ntly). Rather,t he fir mi sl ear ni ng lessons on what works and how it might apply el ectric power to bike s, be that in mi ld/full hybrid form with pe trol pow er or in full battery-powere df ormats
mules cos t ove r £60k each to
APRILIARS125 GP APRILI S125 DUCATI HAILSHAM
Aprilia’shad acouple of decent results in MotoGP this year and is celebrating with this special edition of the RS125 learner-legal supersports bike.The 2025 RS125 GP comes in theblack/purple graphics of thefactoryteam of Jorge Martin andMarco Bezzecchi andwithaquickshifterand single-seal cover.The days of derestricted30bhp two-stroke
RS125s are long gone,ofcourse –this ‘un has athoroughlyvanilla four-stroke single motor,albeit making the full stableof 15 horses allowed to the denizens of theA1 licence.Pricey at £5380, but you do get aproper aluminium swingarm for that, as wellas dual-channel ABS,USD forks,radial front brake caliper and 144kg wet weight.
Ducati UK has opened another majornew dealership,thistime in East Sussex. Ducati Hailsham is part of theSykes Motorcycles group,alongside Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson outlets,and has taken on abrand-new unitin Hailsham, nearEastbourne.The store had agrand opening event last month,with Ducati legend Carl Fogarty as special star guest anda massive display of Foggy’s WSBK-winning bikes
Hailsham is ah igh-e nd outle t, like all the rece nt Ducati sto res,
and has ab ra nd-new worksho p and loads of sp ace.T he showroom is also cramm ed with sweet metal, including one of Va lentino Ros si’sM otoGP bikes, WSBK 999s and 1098s.T he sales flo or was also festooned with amazing road bikes.Wes aw a Multistrada RS,t wo Desm osedici RRs,a Pa nigale V4 Tr icolore and a Fo ggy Replica Pa nigale V4 all on show,t ogether with aB entley Diavel. We ll worth ar ide-out if you’re in the south east! www ducatihailsham.com
Keep an eye on ouronlinechannels –Facebook,Twitter,and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) –for news as it happens
PRAGMASIS–LOCKEDAND LOADED
There was some sad news last year when the British Pragmasis security chain maker went out of business.But the firmisback, under new ownershipafter it was taken over by exjournalist Ben Cope (who launched the original Visordown website). Renamed Pragmasis Engineering Ltd, it’sset to restart work producing, designing and testing some of the beefiest anti-theft locks we’veeverseen. And founders Steve and David WBriggs arestaying withthe firm to keep their knowledgein-house – good news there
“Our customers can rest assured. Our existing product range, including the best-selling Protector Chains,RoundLock and Torc ground anchors are back in production,”said Cope.“Steve andDavid are staying closely involved, and weare working hard to build on our reputation for innovation, quality and
reliability,including introducing some exciting new products.”
More info on the firm’sproductsathttps:// securityforbikes.com
2026 KTM690 R
KTM’shad afew other things on its mind of late,of course –but its immediate future seemedtobe securedbyamassive £670 million cashinvestment from Indian partner Bajaj last month.It’sstill comingup withnew machinery,though, and gave the world a sneak preview of thenew 2026 690 Enduro Ratthe
ABR Festival. The firmsaid it’s enhanced the engine to give increased torque and matched it to an updated chassiswithbetter feel and rigidity, together with new bodywork. There’salsoanew compact ‘letterbox’ format colour LCD dash and adedicated ABS ‘off’ button on the bars.More info later in the summer
ARAI 25TH ANNIVERSARYFINAL EDITION
JOEY DUNLOP REPLICA
Last month marked 25 years since the greatest road racer of all, Joey Dunlop,died in acrash while competing in Estonia on July 2, 2000. Joey was an Arai manthroughand through, and the Japanesefirm has honoured his memory regularly with replica designs,and this is the latest, to mark the 25th anniversaryofhis passing.It’satop-end Arai RX-7V Evo
lid,with theoriginal graphics,plusa special Shell Oil stickerpack to match his 1980s helmet and unique badge andcertificate.Each sale also includes aroyalty to Joey’swife Linda. Available exclusively at www thevisorshop.com,the lid costs £869.99 and is limited to 600 helmets worldwide.
NAKED SPORTSBIKE OF THEYEAR 2025
Let’sfaceit,mostofus grapplewithearthshatteringdecisions every day, such as whethertorisktakingthebinsoutin your underpants,oriftoday’sthedaytotellyour neighboursthat youdon’t wantanymoreof their‘delicious’homecookedrhubarb crumble.Butperhapsthemostpressing conundrumofalliswhether youshouldtreat yourselfto anew,arm-pulling, face-warping supernaked? Well, we’llsaveyouthebrain acheonthatonebecausetheanswer’san unapologeticYES.The realhead-scratcheris whichonedo yougofor?
At aglance,it’ssimple…justgoforthe one withthewildestpowerfgures, thesharpest looks, themaddestelectronics suiteandit’s jobdone,right?If we’velearnednothingelse overthe years, itisthis:theonly wayyoucan makeadecisionofthatmagnitudeistoclock
themiles,exploretheidiosyncrasies, and drainenoughfueltankstobankrupt asmall country. Inother words, togoallinwithour tried-and-testedNakedSportsbikeofthe Year formula. Forthosewhoknowit, welcome back.Forthosewhodon’t,here’show it works. We gatherthemaddestandbaddest supernakedsonthemarket,livewiththem for aweek,andputthemthrough arigorous motorcycling assault course in abidto make orbreakthem,learningtheirgoodbits,bad bits,andthe stuffinthemiddlethatoften leavesyouconfused.It’sanunrivalled shootout,splitintotwoparts,coveringtheir credentialsonthe roadinthisissue,while parttwoinnextmonth’smagwillfocus solelyontheirabilitiesfat-outontrack. Throughoutitall, we’ve beenmore judgmentalthananin-law, rankingthebikes on amultitudeoffacets,fromcomfortto
Speakingofwhich,it’sprobablytimeto introduceourchosenensembleofscantily cladmetal. We’vegotBMW’s monstrous M1000R, a200bhp-plusinline-fourmissile dressedupinnakedchic,withcarbonwheels, MCompetitionbitsandan attitudetomatch. Thenthere’sTriumph’sSpeed Triple1200RX, aclip-oncladBritishbruiserthat’smuscled its way intothetoptierof hypernakedswith somehelpfromtrickÖhlinsEC3.0suspension and athoroughly reworkedelectronicssuite. Aprilia?Stepforward the TuonoV4 Factory–partsuperbike, part streetfghter,fullgenius, andnowsporting alargermotor and wings forgoodmeasure. And then we’ve got KTM’s bigorangehammer,the1390SuperDukeR,a V-twinriotoftorqueandgrins, designed by peoplewho clearlybelieve restraint isfor
Honda HornetSP
KTM1390Super DukeR
Aprilia TuonoV4 Factory
WO RD S: DA NG ER OUS PI CS :C HAPP O/ JA MI EM OR RIS
other brands.OveratYamaha, theMT-10 remainsthe hooligan’schoice,blendingthe sublimeCP4 crossplane motorwith relaxed ergosand asurprising amount of tech, while Honda threw in the Hornet SP,a wildcard by all accounts,punching well aboveits price point and reminding us all whysimplicity still hasaplace at the dinner table.
But thiswasn’t just about throwing specs on aspreadsheet and crowning the biggest number. Hell, no! We wanted to knowwhich bike deliversonthe road, whereitmatters. Which one gets under your skin, makes you laugh in your helmet, or hasyou shakingyour headindisbelief when youopen the taps? Which one gives youthat special tinglewhen youswing aleg over it,knowingfull well you’reabout to do somethingunholy? Youget the gist.
To keep things fair, we raneach bikeonthe
same setofrubber,arming them with Michelin’sbrilliant Power6 hoopstoensuregrip and confdence just wasn’tanissue.And,tocover every angle,webrought together an eclectic mix of testers, ranging in age height, size and madness.Big Mac needs introduction, having spent the past two decadespushing bikes to their limits…and sometimes beyond. Then there’sGrace Webb, who’sroughly halfhis size, half his age,but no less of abikenut. Hot off the heelsof covering the TT on TV,wemanaged to drag her down to our leveltobring abit of class into the mix. And to round things off, Igot stuck in too, bringing unrivalled levels of inability and cynicism to the jury.
Everybikewas ridden back-to-back, every detail wasdebated (repeatedly), and every scorecounted towardsthe fnal average.This
wasn’t a dictatorship –it was a democracy, albeit one fuelled caffeine,petrol sand late-night WhatsApp rows.What we discoveredisthat this class of motorcycle is wilder,morediverse,and moreentertaining than ever.Some brands chase laptimesand spec-sheet bragging rights.Othersfocus on fun, usability and raw character.Some give youthe kind of cutting-edge electronicsyou’d need aPhD to understand, while others keep it gloriously simple.And that’swhatmakes this class so special, and whychoosing a winner wassohard… but moreonthat later Fornow,grabyourselfabrew, fnda comfy seat and settle in for the ride…
Honda’s newkid inthe supernaked sector,which packsa punch for far less pennies…
This is the only bikeinthis year’s test which is 100% brand-newfromthe ground up and which didn’t exist last year in anyform whatsoever. Irode the bikeatits launch and was blown away by justhow good amodel it is,with a great balance of playfulness and performance.Not only that, but I, likemanyothers, wasleftunable to explain howsomuch bikeintermsofspec could be delivered for apricetag of less than £10,000.
It was for this reason that Irated it as agenuine game changer in the class when it comestobang for buck. Sure, thereare bikes with higher specand greater levels of performance,but not so much greater that the price difference is easy to justify The Hornet is/was aproper head-scratcher for me and aproper headache for the competition. And hereitis. Honda’scurve ball fnally goestoe to toe with the bikes, some of whose salesitistrying to steal.
To recap, there’sa2017Fireblade engine in there, which in the SP makes 154bhp, about 30bhp down on its state of tune in the Fireblade thanksinpart to some different internals,but also to having 2000rpm clipped from its peak revs.This approach by Honda makes alot of sense for anumber of reasons, not least because anything north of 150bhp is plenty for anaked bike, but also it would have been the easiest and most cost-effectiveway to get from grotty Euro4 levels of emissionstosqueaky clean Euto 5+ emissionsand still hit that all important price point.
Elsewhere, it’spretty straightforward in termsof the chassis with an all-newtwin beam steel frame, but the cleverbit is howit’sall packaged. The Hornets rake and trail is the same as aTriumph Street Triple 765RSand its wheelbase is 21mm shorter than the KTM990 Duke, plus it hasa 180-section rear tyre–the same as aYamaha MT-09 –and at 212kgitweighsexactly the same as the MT-10, so youcan see that Honda hasset out to makeabikethat’seasy to ride and given it just enough punch to be naughty too
The SP gets an Öhlins rear shock and Brembo Stylema brakecallipersfor abit of bling, plus it’s got an extra6bhp overthe base model courtesy of a fapinthe exhaustwhich allows for more adventurous mapping in the ECU –there’sno mechanical difference between both engines.
Both bikes also sharethe same electronicssuite, which is very basic compared to the others, not just because it’snot got the same quantityoffunctions, but also becausethe functionsitdoeshave –traction control,ABS,quickshifter andnot much else –are pretty crude thankstothe lack of an IMU This is probably the only area of the bikewhich gives aclue to the price tag, and since that tag is so much less than pretty much everybikeinthe class by some margin, and that you’remorethan likely to just switch it all off anyway, it’seasytoforgive the Hornet.
It could justifably be said that the Hornetdoesn’t belong in this test, but we felt it deserveda crack, so hereitis…
