Articles by Kevin Ash
Dailies
What’s the deal with Yamaha’s new three-cylinder?
We do know that Yamaha has a new three-cylinder engine on the way which it's very excited about. We don't know why...The engine is very important to Yamaha as it's symbolic of a return to its old values of innovation and risk taking, areas it was stronger in than any of the other Japanese factories. Yamaha has tried hibernating through the recession but this isn't working, the world's economic wo...
Oct 08, 2012
How Ducati Skyhook semi-active suspension works
There are two main technical advances on the 2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200. One is a package of upgrades to the engine, but the second is the real headline: "Skyhook" suspension, semi-active electronics have arrived in motorcycles. The engine is the same basic Testastretta 11° which made its debut in the first Multistrada, so I'll concentrate on the changes. The fuel injectors on the new bike a...
Oct 04, 2012
Dailies
Motorcycle racing is money wasted
It’s time for the motorcycle industry to have a serious think about its priorities, because they're looking bizarrely skewed right now. The classic mantra tells us that winning on Sunday sells on Monday, but is this really true, or indeed relevant? If ever there was the perfect time to drive up the decimated sales figures of bikes and scooters, this is the time. Fuel is gaspingly expensive and ...
Aug 02, 2012
How the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC spins
Chris Harris has been spilling some beans on Ferrari’s treatment of the cars it supplies – or refuses – to journalists for reviews, and it makes my mild reservations about the Aprilia Tuono V4R we were given to ride around the Valencia MotoGP circuit look desperately over-sensitive. Test cars with blatantly tuned engines, different set-up cars supplied depending on the tests being done, Ferr...
Apr 14, 2011
Reviews
Nov 11, 2010
2012 Yamaha Super Tenere: first ride
The 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere is being launched to the US press today, but we figured we’d get a jump on them by asking Kevin Ash, England’s most respected motorcycle reviewer, what he thought about the GS-rival. His opinion after riding it on and off-road? Well, he compares it to a Japanese cruiser. — Ed. Photos: Friedemann Kirn, Alessio Barbanti, Paul Barshon There’s no doubting which...
Nov 03, 2010
2011 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE: can electronics = performance?
The 2011 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE isn’t the first superbike with traction control, but it is the first production superbike with the full complement of SBK electronics: traction control, sure, but also wheelie control, launch control and quickshift. Kevin Ash went to Jerez to find out if a mouthful of acronyms can really translate to improved performance and to see if a tiny European motorcy...
Oct 31, 2010
