Advantages: Looks gorgeous
Disadvantages: Reliability

...is smart, just doesn’t make sexy. The wheels are three spoked and rising up from the front one are upside down forks (USDs). Everything about the styling of the Monster is rounded. Even the headlight and mirrors are round and the front end is kept uncluttered. It omits unnecessary items such as a rev counter and sticks to having just a speedometer and a small bank of warning lights. The rider’s seat is quite low and from there the bike swoops gently up finishing in a short rounded tail piece. On most Monsters you can’t carry a passenger, but on some of them (like ours) the tail piece is a pillion seat; which to be honest gives a rather precarious seating position for any passenger. It’s not something I’d fancy trying out; I’d rather stick to the riding seat! There are lots of nice finishing touches like the way the twin exhausts sweep upwards... Read review

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Advantages: Raucous, rebellious, reliable....brings out the rascal in you
Disadvantages: It aint 'alf hot mum

...was a heavily worked on ZZR1100 and I thought I’d got good at handling that…. mastering the art, having reached 150mph in two nano-seconds, of how to get a 500lbs bedstead round the approaching corner, but it all pales into insignificance compared to the Duc’s glue like adhesion to the tarmac at angles that would make most things at Alton Towers feel like a go on a restricted moped. Performance - I haven’t really tried to max it out but certainly 130mph + anyday (on the autobahn, of course), overall probably not absolutely the fastest thing on two legs, but still plenty fast enough to win a seat in front of the local magistrate. The acceleration coupled with the heart warming induction roar from the motor and that legendary Ducati window shaking exhaust reverb more than compensate for any lack of top speed in the total fun and grin factor stakes... Read review

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Advantages: stunning looks, feel, brakes and grunt
Disadvantages: Its crashed and I need a new one

...transport to work 5 days a week and to play on at weekends. Given the reliability questions over Ducati's a risky buy perhaps? As it turned out it wasn't. Putting 10,000 miles on it without another problem. The bike did the commute to work everyday through town rain or shine fine. The under-seat exhausts kept me warm in the winter too, maybe to much in the summer traffic. The brakes are another strong point not just when your out playing, but in traffic I was saved more than once from a driver door at 30mph by the sharp front end. The back it must be said is not the best. As for the handling this is wasted if confined to towns. Out in the country side clean and twisty flowing roads are were it belongs. When my major servicing was carried out this was the only real issue I had. The comfort wasn't that bad, the reliability with mine wasn't to bad... Read review

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Advantages: Super cool and sexy
Disadvantages: How Much!!

...says its like sitting on a bath sponge, but this bike isn’t about nice cups of tea and chocolate biscuits. The power curve on this bike is great, it drops off a tiny bit about 8000 rpm but its not really noticeable. And it’s more than fast enough for any rider with those 140 horses between your legs and its good for 165+ where permitted of course ;). Ducati really have plastered this bike with carbon fibre as well with the lower fairing, tail piece, bellypan, airbox, chain guard, front and rear mudguards, exhaust heat guards, underseat heat shield all made from it. That means this bike is much lighter than previous versions, combined with the tubular steel chassis it makes for a very exhilarating ride, lean it as far as you dare. But unfortunately all this Italian mastery doesn’t come cheap retailing at around £18000 and second hand ones... Read review

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Advantages: Fast, Comfortable
Disadvantages: Uglier than a box of frogs

...First off, I'm a Ducati rider. But that doesn't mean that I'm blind to all other bikes - although the Hayabusa design is definitely an offense to the optical nerve. It's an enormous blob, and no mistake; parked next to my Duke it's like Roseanne Barr meeting Naomi Campbell. I circle the beast warily before throwing a leg over it (the 'Busa, not Roseanne). The seat is plush, but my little legs have a hard time reaching the ground. No big surprise, there then. I comfort myself with the thought that low speed paddling is probably going to amuse any onlookers, so at least I'm doing my bit to keep people smiling. I turn the key and thumb the start button, and the monster 1300 fires up with about as much fuss as a CD-ROM drive. Same sound too. I fasten my helmet strap, snick the whale into first, and pull out of the driveway. The plan... Read review

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Advantages: A change of direction for R.E.M.
Disadvantages: May be a disappointment to die-hard R.E.M. fans

...... Read review

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Advantages: Thrilling viewing
Disadvantages: None

...included a fifth world Championship. Five major motorbike manufacturers compete in the series but sadly there isn’t a British one. Aprilla, Ducati, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki are all familiar names with either twin cylinder bikes up to 1,000 cc or four cylinder monsters up to 750 cc. Racing a superbike is no mean feat as the onboard cameras showed the viewing public how the bikes are leaned over to impossible angles to get around the bends. It is my estimate that the bikes must be leaned over to around 35 degrees to the horizontal and it must some kind of minor miracle that they don’t just fall over. You can’t help but admire the skill and daring of all the riders as they hurtle around the track at speeds reaching 180 mph. They are not encased in a “crash proof” cockpit like their Formula One cousins... Read review

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Advantages: look, feeling,handling
Disadvantages: noise, vibrations...if you can call it disadvantages

...My first monster was a M900Dark , all black ,dated 1998.It was replaced almost one year ago with the new (for the time) model S4R .I won't bother you will all technichal details ( 117BHP,front Showa upside-down 43mm,2x230 mm disks in front, 1x245 mm disk in the back, 180/55 tyre in the back, 120/70 in the front, tubular frame.. enough said.)I will try to explain how it handles and why, when you see/own one, there are only 2 option for you: You hate it, or you love it.As probably you guessed already, i love it. **Introduction** i am a lightweight person ( 69kg dressed), 174 tall. I ride this bike all year around collecting around 3000 miles per year. I ride this bike on track around 2ice per year, In Misano Adriatico and Mugello usually. ***looking at the bike***** The bike, in my opinion look gorgeous. The huge-looking tank fits... Read review

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Advantages: POWER, pick up, alot cheaper than a car
Disadvantages: takes concentration to ride, doesn't ride itself like the Honda's

...I am 26 years old and I have never owned a car. I’m quite proud of that. Instead. I am a motorbike man through and through. And one of those bikes was a GSXR 600 I bought the GSXR 600 second hand for only $1500 (NZ, about $700 US) – which was a very good price. Even though the bike was 10 years old when I got it and had done a few kilometers (or miles, for American readers) already, it still rates as the fastest bike I have ever owned (0-100 in under 5 seconds!). Originally I got the bike because I was moving to Gisborne to study sport and I was looking for something a little bigger than what I currently had, in order to make return trips a little faster. Well, it certainly did that. It’s 16 valve double overhead cam added up to monster pick up (great for riding the Gisborne gorge), while it’s big 600cc engine... Read review

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Advantages: Very fast bike.
Disadvantages: Riders struggling compared to Ducati and Honda riders.

...Last year, Aprilia and Troy Corser provided a surprise for everyone. Wins, and bettering that very good wins indeed. The bike is the result of 3 years work, from Antonello, Goddard and Corser to eventually provide the fastest twin of the year. Many people thought that the Aprilia was a poor bike, with very little chance of being a world beater. But 1999 was a bit of a false start. Goddard was not on the best form of his life, and had still to tame the big twin (a massive highside at Donington proved this). 2001 brings much promise for the bike and the team. Regis Laconi, the young Frenchman has joined the team for a new challenge after 3 years in 500's. Corser is still with the team, and seems to be over the disappointment of being dumped by Ducati. Having said that, Corser is on such good form, that Tardozzi wants him back. No chance... Read review

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