Today, their continued popularity means there is more choice and variety than ever. For some reason Suzuki are often latecomers to popular classes of bike; the reinvented V-Strom in being one example; the GSX-S super naked, first arriving only in an obvious second. And while it brings nothing new in either performance or technology, its tempting price, under-cutting all its Japanese rivals, makes it a welcome option. All it lacks are the very latest all-singing, all-dancing electronics, but at this price, few will be complaining. BMW has fully-updated its SR super naked for
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Tim Huber. Category: Rides. Modern sportbikes offer ultra-competent performance capabilities, rivaling that of six and seven-figure supercars in terms of acceleration, top-speeds, and cornering, while literally costing a small fraction of the price. These are unmistakably race-derived machines that have been engineered for the track, with full suites of aerodynamic bodywork, low-mounted clip-on handlebars, high-gearing, and powerbands that offer the majority of their oomph near redline. Often stripped down and modified versions of existing fully-faired sports models, naked motorcycles retain the high-performance nature of sport and superbikes , while being more practical for the road. Just like with scramblers , cafe racers, and a host of other moto genres that have come before it, the naked bike class was essentially the result of manufacturers mimicking a popular customization trend. Unsurprisingly, motorcycles capable of supercar performance metrics being piloted by teenagers resulted in a fair amount of wrecks. With thrashed bodywork, bent clip-ons, limited financial resources, and a continued desire to ride, a lot of the young owners of these bikes simply removed the damaged fairings entirely, mounted on a set of wide, MX-style bars, tacked on the cheapest available road-legal headlight, and got back on the road.
1. Suzuki GSX-S1000, £10,699
If you want a bike that looks modern, can go fast, is agile in the bends and which sacrifices some wind protection and luggage options to save weight then you probably want a naked bike. What is a naked motorbike? The Z H2 is new for and should tick a lot of boxes for a lot of people, mainly because it's derived from the excellent H2 SX SE sports tourer and makes use of the same supercharged engine. It's the clear choice for top end power, all day comfort and of course the supercharger soundtrack. For Kawasaki added the range topping Z H2 SE with fancy Showa Skyhook semi-active electronic suspension, the latest Brembo Stylema front calipers, Steel braided brake lines, green detailing on the engine panels, a gold finish to the fork and red detailing on the super charger.
Before sports bikes gained racer-replica bodywork, touring machines required weather-beating full fairings and even adventure machines donned screens, beaks and all manner of plastic add-ons, all bikes were naked. Today, though, naked is the term we apply to unfaired, upright, uncluttered but otherwise modern machines that appeal for their pure simplicity, light ease of use and reasonable versatility. Being unfettered and upright a naked is often both affordable and easy to ride; especially when it comes to smaller bikes for novices. A new benchmark in performance has brought with it a new benchmark in price, and with the older models in the category still packing serious punch it could be wise to go for a used machine instead.
