Troy Bayliss’s success in the World Superbike Championship has been commemorated with this limited edition Panigale V2. Featuring special Öhlins suspension and a bespoke paint job, it’s lighter than a standard Panigale V2 and, remarkably, makes more power from its 955cc engine than the race 996R he won his first championship on back in 2001! It costs $4,500 more than a standard Panigale V2.

Last week, we gave you news of the new track-only KTM RC 8C limited-edition bike that was due to go on sale. With only 100 examples of the Moto2-inspired machine on offer, it was likely that you would have to be quick off the mark to get your hands on one. We didn’t realise how quick you would have to be, however.

What does the man who has built a V12 Kawasaki, a V8 Kawasaki and a Dodge Viper-engined motorcycle choose for his next project? How about a replica of a six-cylinder Honda race bike from the 1960s? And when we say ’build’, we really mean that; he makes his own six cylinder engine out of two four-cylinder engines, including building up his own crankshaft and making his own clutch, along with everything else. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, carried out in a shed in his garden. The man is Allen Millyard and you really need to watch his videos if you think you know about engineering!

So, you think your supercar really is super? Don’t care what you are driving - McLaren, Ferrari, Nissan GTR, BMW, Tesla - can it beat a stock BMW S1000RR? The good people at Bike World spent a productive Monday morning pitting the BMW S1000RR against all comers. The results might surprise you.

Last year, spy shots of a ’baby’ Harley Davidson, called the 338R, were all over the internet. The bike was based on the Benelli 302, produced by Chinese manufacturer Qiangjiang, or QJMotor. Since then, all has been silent in Milwaukee. However, a new tie-in with Hero Motor Corp in India, as well as ongoing links with QJMotor, could see a small-displacement Harley Davidson suitable for the lucrative Indian and Asian markets.

Manufacturers around the world are posting impressive sales gains in 2021 over the same period in 2020. These can be slightly misleading, however, due to the enormous differences in trading conditions from last year to this but the increases could be seen as a return of consumer confidence and a desire to just get on with life once again.

The KTM 450 Rally is a legend in its long lifetime, taking 18 consecutive victories in the Dakar Rally up to 2019. Now, KTM has released a limited-production version for sale to the public, with development carried out in-race by the team’s riders. It’s the ultimate Enduro bike but you have to have deep pockets and even deeper talent to do it justice. Only 85 available worldwide.

The original Honda Monkey Bike of 1961 was an astonishing deviation from the company’s serious business of making giant-killing motorcycles of ever-increasing capacity, culminating with the CB750, the first Japanese superbike in 1969. Introduced into Europe in 1967, it remained in production up to 2017 in its original 50cc version. With the release of the Honda Grom, it wasn’t long before a Monkey bike version was released. Now 125cc, it has been further updated for 2022.

There are many KTM fans out there who lament the disappearance of the RC8 superbike from KTM’s catalogue. Now, KTM has revealed the track-only RC 8C model, using a chassis based on the Moto2 chassis from 2019 and the LC8 parallel twin engine from the 890 Duke R. 140bhp and 308lbs, suspended by WP APEX PRO suspension will give sparkling performance and razor-sharp handling, reigned in by race-spec brembo brake calipers. Does it signal a return to road-legal superbikes for the Austrian firm?

Triumph’s recently launched Trident 660 has set the cat amongst the pigeons in the middleweight naked sports category. Its main rival could be said to be the Yamaha MT-07 and, while they are similar in what they do, they go about it in completely different ways. But which is better? Is it even possible to choose?

The Isle of Man TT is the most famous motorcycle race in the world. Over the past 104 years, man and machine have thrown themselves into battle against the 37.75 mile circuit in the pursuit of glory. There have been many on-board laps filmed, but this one showing Guy Martin chasing Michael Dunlop for a full lap is mesmerising and hypnotic, not to mention terrifying. They make MotoGP riders look like risk-averse fairies!

Steve McQueen played a big part in establishing the Husqvarna brand in the U.S. His first Husky was bought after seeing Swedish World Champion Bengt Åberg racing his Viking 360. McQueen bought it there and then and it remained in his collection until his death in 1980. Now, it’s up for auction in August.

Triumph has a long history of off-road competition success but that was a very long time ago. Since the company was resurrected by John Bloor 30 years ago, it has succeeded in every category of road and adventure bike it has entered. The only avenue left open to Triumph was true off-road Motocross and Enduro bikes and, while rumours have been swirling for a while, today it became official; Triumph will build proper off-road bikes. There are few details but Triumph has said that the bikes will be new from the ground up, which could be taken to mean there will be no outsourced engineering other than suspension, brakes and electronics.

It might not be a fair comparison, given the difficult trading conditions at the beginning of 2020, but a better indication is that sales are up 9% against the same six months in 2019, the last ’normal’ year of trading.

Often called the most famous motorcycle in the world, no-one really knows where the original Captain America, from the Easy Rider movie, is. But that doesn’t matter when you can have one built for yourself and re-create the American Dream.

In what looks like an ingenious solution to a problem that never existed, Honda has filed a patent application for electronic actuation of the clutch, obviating the need for a clutch cable. Is it needed?

Harley Davidson is busy reinventing itself, helped by the Revolution Max liquid-cooled engine. But where does the company go next? Could we see a sports bike some time in the future?

Often, motorcycle designers go under the radar. There are a select few whose impact on motorcycling has been such that they become household names among enthusiasts. With the Ducati 900SS, 999 and MH900e in his CV, Pierre Terblanche is one of those designers who is firmly in the spotlight, not least for his outspoken opinions that fly in the face of accepted wisdom.

A new exhibition at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles celebrating the spirit of adventure, from 1903 to the present day and beyond. Two- and four-wheeled vehicles, both earthbound and on other planets are on display, which celebrate not only the vehicles but the adventurers who rode and drove them.

After three years of being teased, the new Harley Davidson Sportster S has been officially launched. Looking exactly like the concept, it is powered by a detuned 1250 Revolution Max engine, which now acts as a stressed member of the chassis. Strong Harley Davidson DNA in the looks but a huge advance in electronic sophistication over the old Sportster. Available from Fall 2021

BMW has toyed with electricity as a motive force for its bikes before, with the C-Evolution maxi scooter which ended production in 2020. Now BMW Motorrad is renewing its commitment to electric motive power with what promises to be the first in an extensive line of electric bikes. The CE.04 picks up where the C-Evolution left off and takes the company in a new and striking visual design direction.

There are many motorcycles that could be called the most significant for a number of reasons. What if I told you, however, that the most significant is also one of the most humble?

With the release of the Trident 660, Triumph has hit the jackpot right out of the box and matched, if not beaten, all the competition in in one fell swoop. With a brilliant engine and chassis, stunning build quality and great looks, it may be small and compact and carry a competitive price tag, but has so much character and ability that you have to wonder how Triumph has done it.

Technology is advancing at a dizzy pace, allowing all sorts of new systems to be fitted to motorcycles. But are they always a good thing? Often, it feels as if technology is being adopted for adoption’s sake without the bigger issues being evaluated. Adaptive cruise control using radar might work well in cars, but on a motorcycle, it could potentially encourage the rider to take less notice of the road ahead, which we can ill-afford to do.

Kawasaki’s 2022 MX and Enduro bikes offer something for everyone, be they young or old, beginner or experienced

The future of personal transport is approaching at an ever-increasing rate and, with it, new problems and issues that hadn’t been considered but which need to be if armageddon on the roads is to be avoided. With radar becoming more and more prevalent on cars, the main problem is that, sometimes, bikes are too ’small’ a target to be detected by it. BMW has looked to shipping for inspiration in developing passive technology that could help to solve this.

The Vespa was born out of a need to get a nation mobile after the Second World War. No-one could foresee how successful and iconic it would become over the years, helped by a starring role in a movie early in its life. Mods adopted it as their transport of choice in the 1960s but it has remained, at its core, transport for the masses. In spring 2022, Vespa turns 75 and it going as strong as ever.

While electricity is, for the time being, the ’fuel’ of the future, a lot of work has still to be done to make it viable and to accommodate the surge in numbers expected. The charging infrastructure is massively insufficient at present and charging times and range are two barriers to common acceptance. Four motorcycle manufacturers are coming together to develop replaceable battery technology, making charging times a thing of the past.

Harley Davidson shocked the motorcycling world when it announced the Livewire electric bike, a stunning departure for one of the most conservative and tradition-bound manufacturers in the world. Now, it seems as if the parent company is sending its child out to fend for itself by making it a stand-alone brand, even though it will still be firmly kept within the H-D fold, helping with future projects and being sold through the existing H-D dealer network.

There’s a raft of changes afoot for the famous TT races, making them more accessible for more people through a new online portal, set to launch before the races in 2022. More races will also be added, bringing the total to 10, with races on every day of race week as opposed to every second day. Not everyone is happy about this latest development.

BMW has extended the XR range with the new F900XR joining the S1000XR in the adventure-sports category. It’s an impressive bike but is there a problem lurking underneath the bodywork? The engine, built by Loncin in China, has no glaring flaws but BMW might have a problem on its hands due to buyer’s perceptions of the engine. Will it harm sales? Will the engine prove to be as bulletproof as previous BMW engine designs? Only time will tell and, if sales are harmed, that will be a pity as the F900XR has a lot going for it.

The Honda Motorcycle Company’s history is one of huge success - including staggering single-model sales - impeccable engineering provenance and, dare it be said, a distinct lack of character. Which makes it all the more surprising when Honda engineers let their hair down and brought us something as wacky as the Monkey Bike. Into the second decade of the 2000s, they seemingly had another fit of giggles and resurrected the Monkey Bike, this time called the Grom. It’s still as mad as ever and, for that, we have to be thankful.

The 1250cc version of BMW’s venerable boxer-twin is not new, but the two adventure machines to which it has been fitted - the R1250GS and R1250 GS Adventure - have had a mid-life makeover, with small but important improvements affecting the overall package. It remains one of the most convincing adventure bikes, a fact borne out by global sales figures. It still loses out to KTM on power and the Austrian brand scores on its hardcore adventure image, but few bikes are as well-rounded as the BMW GS. Ignore it at your peril.

Since the dawn of time, mankind has tried to go as fast as possible. In terms of the Land Speed Record, outright motorcycle speeds might lag far behind those of four- and three-wheeled vehicles, but the bravery of the pioneers of motorcycle speed is no less than that of their four-wheeled counterparts. From the beaches of Florida, to Europe and back to the Bonneville Salt Flats, the story of the pursuit of speed on two wheels might be relatively unknown but it’s still a story of ingenious engineering solutions and some pretty wild characters.

Type-approval documents have revealed that a new Suzuki GSX-S1000F is on the way, with a name change to GSX-S1000T.

It’s a safety device that, so far, has only been available on the Honda Goldwing, but new patent applications indicate that Honda might be extending the technology to other models in the range.

Simpler and, therefore, cheaper than the outgoing C-Evolution, expect it to be released in summer.

What do you do when qualifying has been red-flagged with only 2 minutes left and you still need to set a time? If you’re Mick Doohan, you go for it, of course.

Long and low cruiser with a four-cylinder engine from Chinese manufacturer.

Recent reports tell of a new BMW GS model being tested, featuring full liquid cooling and revised styling. A new name has also been registered, suggesting increased engine capacity. Don’t expect it before 2023.

Sometimes, manufacturers don’t realise how much ability they’ve built into the motorcycles they produce. This guy set out to prove that just because a bike is big and unwieldy, it can’t be fun!

It has been rumoured for a couple of years now but, finally, the Harley Davidson Custom model is set to be officially launched. Using the new Revolution Max engine as seen in the Pan America adventure bike, it’s hard to see from the video if the bike will resemble closely the prototype but we won’t have long to wait to find out for sure.

Not content with producing a bike powered by electricity, White Motorcycle Concepts is redefining motorcycle aerodynamics as well. The radical new design channels air through the bike, rather than trying to push it aside and, in the process, increases downforce without increasing drag. Electric motors in the front wheel mean it’s two-wheel drive and can recharge the batteries through regenerative braking.

BMW’s tradition of large, beautifully-built and brilliant touring bikes continues with the 2021 R1250RT. More power from the 1254cc engine, more comfort, more electronics and more ability add up to a motorcycle that is possibly the best touring bike on the market today.