W
e've been lucky enough to live
through a golden era in naked
bike evolution. The past 12 years
or so, about the same time as the Aprilia
Tuono V4 has been around, has seen
more development and expertise put into
the naked bike segment than ever before.
Yes, the overall naked bike gains have
undoubtedly run parallel with the strides
made in the superbike category, but let's
not be too picky here and just thankful for
what we've got, shall we?
Oddly enough, this new-gen "hyper-
bike" naked category has not been the
domain of the traditional Japanese manu-
facturers. Not at all. It has come via a
concerted onslaught from Europe, with
BMW, Ducati, KTM, and the aforemen-
tioned Aprilia, taking center stage with
their stripped-back superbikes.
The Japanese have really taken their
time to get to grips with the new age,
but they are slowly getting there with the
Kawasaki Z H2, Suzuki GSX-S1000, and
W
e've been lucky enough to live
through a golden era in naked bike
evolution. The past 12 years or so,
about the same time as the Aprilia Tuono V4
has been around, has seen more development
and expertise put into the naked bike segment
than ever before. Yes, the overall naked bike
gains have undoubtedly run parallel with the
strides made in the superbike category, but
let's not be too picky here and just thankful for
what we've got, shall we?
Oddly enough, this new-gen "hyperbike"
naked bike category has not been the domain
of the traditional Japanese manufacturers. Not
at all. It has come via a concerted onslaught
from Europe, with BMW, Ducati, KTM, and the
aforementioned Aprilia, taking center stage
with their stripped-back superbikes.
The Japanese have really taken their time
to get to grips with the new age, but they are
slowly getting there with the Kawasaki Z H2,
Suzuki GSX-S1000, and Honda CB1000R, but
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