Mike Cowton

Falling Flat: Honda FT500

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Mike Cowton

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19th September 2019

Scorned, derided and cold-shouldered at the time, but why? Steve Cooper samples Honda’s flat-track styled FT500 from the early 1980s. Honda’s brave attempt at getting on the big thumper bandwagon was, arguably, always doomed to failure… in the UK at least. Both it and Yamaha’s SR500 were always destined to be marginalised here in Blighty.…
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va-va-voom!

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Mike Cowton

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22nd July 2019

If there’s one engine layout machine you have to own at least once in your life, it’s a V-twin – but which one? Few engine layouts are as evocative as the V-twin and few twins stir the soul like a Ducati V-twin. Ok, so we should probably say ‘L-twin’ here, but you know what we…
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club focus: air cool!

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Mike Cowton

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20th June 2019

In the first of a series, we look at the best classic clubs in the country. First up, those cool cats with cool Kats (and other bikes) of Air Cooled Suzuki. I was in the Katana club and Old Skool Suzuki and they were great, but it was at a Katana event that I realised…
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Marketplace: import-ant

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Mike Cowton

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17th June 2019

With the July issue of CMM seeing a test of the rare RZV500R, Phil Jason asks about the relevance of imports and why two-strokes are going up in value. Is the Japanese-market RZV500R – and other imports – less valuable than the home-market models? The RZ with its ‘hand-crafted’ aluminium frame, restricted motor, gold wheels…
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coming classics: kawasaki z100 (2003-on)

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Mike Cowton

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10th June 2019

Ahhh! The Kawasaki Z1000… where should we start? Well, with the name of course! Now, we’re clearly not talking about the legendary Z1000 of old, we’re talking about the big Zed that came forth in the Noughties, which could have been called ‘Z1’ had BMW not stolen and claimed that name for their sports cars,…
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retro rides: Enigma v-ariations

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Mike Cowton

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7th June 2019

Bertie Simmonds enjoys three subtly different versions of the V7 modern retro Moto Guzzi theme and comes away impressed. A change is as good as a rest, goes the old adage, and today is a very pleasant change for me. I’ve got the whole day around the glorious Northamptonshire countryside on three pretty similar (but…
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Retro Ride: Blade Runner

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Mike Cowton

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11th May 2019

Four decades ago and the Katana concept was unveiled, spawning a family of Kats, with production finally ending in 2001. Suzuki has taken just 14 months to produce a retro homage of the original. Let’s cut (ahem) right to the chase: the new Katana is always going to be a bit of a Marmite bike…
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home brew!

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Mike Cowton

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25th April 2019

A last-minute purchase changes the fortunes of Project GSX-R10/11/12, shortly before its big test. Former stunt rider and tester Martin ‘Wild’ Child tells all. The more you see, the more you find. And then buy. That’s a pretty good adage for anyone building their own project bike. What starts out as a slight interest in…
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Retro ride: triumph twin

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Mike Cowton

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23rd April 2019

Triumph seems to be on a roll at the moment, combining the best qualities of existing models with the nostalgia of the past. We rode the latest: the Speed Twin. Triumph’s modern classic range seems to know no boundaries and when I last checked there were 12 models in the line-up, writes Mikko Nieminen. The…
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classic look: colour me bad

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Mike Cowton

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10th April 2019

What is our fascination with a good paint scheme or sponsor’s race replica? Scottie gets his brushes out Win on a Sunday and sell them on a Monday isn’t just a cheesy cliché that applies to selling motorcycles, it’s also true of those sponsor or race-inspired paint jobs that have adorned sportsbikes over the decades.…
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Mike Cowton

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