Yamaha Majesty 2009

We’ve had the opportunity to test ride the 2012 Suzuki V-Strom in Croatia with our guys from Motoblog.it, and here are our riding impressions of the new Suzuki adventure bike. Since it was first leaked, our Italian colleagues have been friendlier towards the new bike than the views expressed on other English websites about the new V-Strom. They view it in an overall context of what the first V-Strom meant when it was first released and that is our caveat to our test ride should it sound overly positive compared with what else you might read on the net.

The Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS first appeared on the market in 2003, following the footsteps of the bigger 1000cc which had appeared about a year earlier. Over the years the V-Strom has emerged as bike appreciated by all sorts of different riders for its riding dyanmics, the right balance between comfort and a sporty ride, and because it struck the right chord between practicality, fun riding, versatility and a reasonable price.

Here are the first couple of pics of our test of the 2011 Aprilia RSV4 R with APRC traction control from Aprilia. As we get ourselves organised, we’ll be bringing you more pics in the future and our riding impressions, but for the moment a word on the APRC. It’s currently the trend to borrow technology from Superbike and spec-up a bike, and the Aprilia Performance Ride Control has eight different traction settings that can be adjusted in relation to the riding conditions, tyres being used, acceleration control and electronic transmission.

After Max Biaggi’s Superbike championship win last year, Aprilia has lost no time in taking advantage of the marketing boost and providing some extra technology on its top-end bike. While many purists would be happy riding the RSV4 Factory APRC on the road, it is designed as a track motorcycle for high performance, although Aprilia says that it’s also designed to be a communicative bike for riders of different levels of experience.

It’s definitely at the height of the superbike game right now, and for those on the market for a new motorcycle, the Aprilia RSV4 R APRC is probably the best choice out there at the moment. The 2011 model gets some other goodies as well, like Ohlins suspension and dedicated livery. We’ll be bringing you our riding impressions in the next couple of days where we find out whether the APRC system lives up to the hype.




Yamaha believes that every journey, no matter how routine, has the potential to become special. All you need is a vehicle which will enrich your life by revealing the sometimes hidden pleasures of travel.

The Majesty 400 is just such a vehicle. Designed, engineered and built with one purpose in mind – to deliver the ultimate two-wheeled combination of luxury, style and effectiveness – Majesty 400 turns every commute or pleasure trip into a special occasion.

Making life comfortable and easy is a key element in the Majesty 400’s mission statement. To achieve that goal, the designers of the 2009 model Majesty 400 have concentrated totally on refining the complete package of scootering ‘must-haves’: handling dynamics, performance, comfort, ergonomics, aerodynamics, weather protection and rider response.

The story starts with fresh new ‘twin-eye’ bodywork that’s styled for action as well as visual appeal. The streamlined bodywork, consisting of new headlight and rear light assemblies, integrated indicators and new front, side and rear cowlings, combines fuel-saving aerodynamics with remarkable weather protection. Hands in particular benefit from better protection thanks to critical detail changes that have been made to the bodywork shape. Ergonomics in general have been optimised for a totally relaxed and yet totally connected riding position.

The 2009 Majesty 400 is densely packed with clever design features. Its luxurious seat combines a very effective back support pad for the rider with a comfortably low 760mm seat height and the ability to store two helmets in the space underneath. There’s a lockable glovebox ahead of the rider’s knees and, for extra peace of mind, a parking brake and automatic engine immobilisation when the ignition key is removed. New switchgear and a high-specification instrumentation panel featuring a speedometer and rev counter rounds off the top quality style and feel that Majesty owners know and appreciate.