Yamaha XJR 1300: With so many machines looking as if they belong on a track, it's nice to come across one that looks pretty much like the sort of bike that was around in your youth, even something like the one your father had.
Yamaha's XJR 1300 is a bit like that. It looks orthodox, perhaps a bit dated. Nothing extreme about it, a notable absence of fibreglass panels and void of tiny apologies for a screen.
It would be easy enough to dismiss this as an out-of-date machine. Conventional it may be in looks, but in all other respects it's a thoroughly modern machine. Many would consider it to be a proper bike, one that looks good even standing still.
If you enjoy searing power and like the naked look, then this potentially naughty muscle bike has much to offer.
The engine is big enough to power a family car. The bike weighs just 224 kg. This works out at a power-weight ratio of 473hp per tonne, a recipe for decidedly impressive performance. Top speed is 138 mph, good for a naked machine, and with acceleration to match.
The engine, a derivative of Yamaha's renowned, bomb-proof FJ powerplant, is a 1,251 cc, 16-valve, four-cylinder parallel engine capable of producing a very satisfying 78.1kW (106.2 bhp) and 106Nm of torque at 6,500rpm.
It has a constant-mesh five-speed gearbox, chain drive and 21-litre tank.
It has a 4:2 exhaust system, Ohlins rear suspension - and twin-piston, dual-disk front brakes and single piston, single-disk rear brakes. Instruments are housed in twin chrome-finished nacelles.
The speedo has a digital trip and a small clock is positioned between the speedo and rev counter.
Handlebar height is just right for a relaxed, slightly faired riding position. The saddle is comfortable and, with the combination of a wide tank and knee grips, makes for a secure riding position.
The pillion seat slopes upwards but not to the extreme extent now all the vogue on sports machines. There is a sturdy grab rail behind the seat.
Well-positioned, rectangular mirrors give a good rearwards view. An engine immobiliser is standard.
We were impressed on our test by the brakes which proved really effective; if not in the cutting-edge race-bred category, they proved more than adequate for enthusiastic road use.
Steering was generally good, although somewhat uncertain on very slow, very bumpy corners of the sort that would unsettle any machine. It proved pleasantly free of vibration throughout the entire rev range. Slow speed stability was first-rate.
The clutch was light and easy and, coupled with a vice-free gear selector, made gear changing a pleasure. Ratios are on what some would find the low side - this is an engine that enjoys revving hard.
Acceleration was very good and, in that crucial 70-90 mph range, particularly impressive. It was as much as anyone could usefully use, so good in fact that there is an almost irresistible temptation to use it to the full.
This is a machine that could collect penalty points faster than a fly-paper could collect flies in a privy.
The 21-litre tank gives a range of 166 miles. On test consumption worked out at a fraction under 36mpg which is as much as you can expect if you avail of the exciting performance.
Overall, it's a machine with impeccable manners and a thoroughly enjoyable one to ride. It illustrates how good a rather conventional-looking bike can be.
It proved every bit as pleasant and enjoyable to use in the urban environment, where its vice-free manners and good balance were particularly noticeable.
We liked the comfortable seat and well-placed controls, as well as proper knee grips on the tank.
If this Yamaha has a downside, it's the somewhat dated looks and lack of any weather protection (We rode it on one of those all-too-rare brilliantly warm days of late-summer when the lack of any weather protection was almost an advantage).
Yet, with its timeless looks, it can withstand the changes of fleeting fashion. Its thoroughly well-proven engine should still be giving its best a decade or two into the future.
At €11,550, you get a lot of impressive performance for your money.