008 News
A few Suzukis now have some tasty new clothes, and there's all manner of bike events happening both near and far over the coming months. How do you read all about it? Simple - just turn to MSL's info- packed news pages...

015 Ridden
Ural Wolf 750 Borile B500 Cafe Racer

024 Letters
Aha, the public forum that invites you to show your hand and tell the world - or all the other MSL readers at least - what is on your mind. If something's troubling you or you just want to say hello get writing, because you may find yourself the Smiley owner of a new set of Avon tyres.

029 Cathcart
Our Eurobike guru has been at it again, searching here, there and everywhere for the latest word on what's going down across the Channel. And speaking of Borile - as we were on pages 15 to 18 this issue - it seems Umberto Borile himself is taking a step up in the world, and has some big backers behind him.

030 Hershon
Bringing you the news from across the pond is MSL's loveable American, Maynard Hershon. He loves bikes does our Maynard, but he's none too keen on four-wheelers - especially ones of the three-ton, foot- crushing variety...

032 Cameron
If it wasn't for Kevin Cameron us humble hacks wouldn't know one end of a ring spanner from the other, let alone why the intricate parts of our motorcycles occasionally fail us. So we let Mr Cameron explain such things in his own special, intricate way.

034 Cover Story
We took off from MSL Towers and headed north to Edinburgh on Honda's CB600F Hornet and Yamaha's E6, to ' discover just how friendly the middle- weight naked street-fighters are in the real world. Who came out on top? Strip off and dive into page 34 to find out..

044 Aprilia SL1000 Falco
It's just all work, work, work as a magazine Editor, you know. Rod went to great pains to assure us it's tough riding a new Aprilia SL1000 Falco up and down Australia's east coast - especially when the constant sunshine brings with it risks of sunburn and - god forbid - a tan. Praise be he was willing to sacrifice two weeks of his time for this arduous task...

050 BMW F650 GS
Time stands still for no motorcycle, and thus BMW decided it was time to freshen up its acclaimed F650 GS and F650 GS Dakar enduro bikes. Has a great little bike just got even better? We sent Jonathan Bentman to deepest, darkest Wales to find out.

058 Yamaha XT660R/X
Alan Cathcart travelled to the opposite side of the planet to get the first ride on Yamaha's updated XT660R enduro - and its Supermoto XT660X sibling. Was the long- haul trans-global trek worth it? All is revealed on page 58.

062 Benelli TNT
Busy man that Cathcart fellow; if he's not testing enduros in Oz, he's burning up the streets of Italy on the world launch of the latest Benelli streetfighter, the TNT. He wrote this just before he collapsed under the weight of his own frequent flyer points...

068 Continental Tyres
Continental's top brass invited MSL to its extensive tyre testing facility in Germany to evaluate its all-new sports touring rubber, the ContiRoadAttack. Simon Swan gives us the low down on the latest hoops, and discovers the curious sensation of pulling 3G on a banked test circuit.

070 Tassie Touring
Tasmania is an often forgotten island situated beneath mainland Australia, but those who make the effort to get there are rewarded with fabulous roads and jaw- dropping natural beauty - just as Robert Smith discovered when he attended Australia's Bike Week.

077 Long termer
And now, the end is near. And so I face, the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full. I've travelled each and ev'ry highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way, sang Simon's Suzuki V-Strom, as its MSL tenure came to an end. Sniff.

078 Products
Four pages of motorcycling consumables that may tempt you to part with your hard earned pounds. Go on - unemployment's at an all time low, your house is worth more than double what you paid for it - splash out!

084 Curtiss V8
Back in 1907 the 4,400cc Curtiss V8 unofficially broke the world land speed record. Designed and ridden by clever trousers American Glenn H Curtiss, MSL looks back to the turn of the 20th century and this tale of oh so derring-do.

090 Yesteryear
Another veritable feast of motorcycling tales from industry insider and all-round good egg Alan Bodrick. In this month's instalment Alan leads us through the dark days of Hire Purchase, where shady and shameless was a way of '60s bike shop life..