Expert Reviews

What is a scooter? It needs to epitomise comfort, ease of riding, and a stress-free commute. After having ridden the Burgman Street in the city for a month and nearly 700km, we think it comes pretty close to that.

SWM is an Italian brand that inherited Husqvarna’s plant and also the powertrain of the Superdual. In fact, the Superdual is a Husqvarna TE610 but with a different body style, more modern bits and an engine that now meets Euro-IV emission norms.

A little over Rs 50,000 separate the two. But beyond that – take engine capacity, number of cylinders, output figures, or even the genre of motorcycles these represent – and you’d find these are more closely related than you thought. These are both twin cylinder 650cc motorcycles with a sit-up-and-ride and go-anywhere attitude.

The V-Strom can do it all. It might do some things really well, and some things without finesse, but it isn’t going to stop unless you hit a wall or drop off a cliff. And in that sense, this bike has got its purpose bit well sorted. 

Suzuki India had the bigger nakeds, the GSX-S1000 and the GSX-S1000F on sale since the last two years. But there was always room for a smaller streetfighter as there was a need for a more affordable, less aggressive and stunning looking motorcycle. That’s where the GSX-S750 comes into the picture.

It is the same package - a trellis frame mated to the downsized litre block that powers the Z1000. And now it gets a few refreshing touches – especially this paint scheme that particularly stands out.

We needed long hours in the INT saddle. We needed to ride it on changing terrain. We needed to see how it handled slow corners and fast; smooth tarmac and undulating one; and, of course, we wanted some cheap beer. We also had to subject the bike to long traffic jams, and show it a wide-open road to get it to scream its lungs out. We wanted to find out what speeds it is comfortable cruising at, and how far can it go on a tankful. A Mumbai-Goa road trip promised all that.

11 months and 7000kms later, it’s time to bid adieu to one of the most favourite long-terms I ever had, the Yamaha FZ 25. The last one year has been great fun with this quarter-litre Yamaha. We did a 3500kms long-distance ride down south, spent a full gruelling day at the track and it was also my preferred companion for every day commute. 

We take a ride on the sportiest Royal Enfield yet. 

We swing a leg over Royal Enfield's latest product - this time in India!