▲ 2024 Ducati Monster 30° Anniversario. Thirty years of the Monster, huh? Seems like only yesterday that the original 904cc Italian V-twin legend first appeared. But yes, it really was 1993. Three full decades back. Almost half a lifetime. The bike was more formally called the M900, and it was an instant hit. With its (then) radical trellis frame and brutish looks, it set a new style and pace for Ducati. And now, 30 years on—and minus that trellis frame—the Monster is still in production. In hard numbers, the company has sold over 350,000 units. Impressive stuff. Well, the new contender has a 937cc V-twin motor. The production run will be limited to 500 motorcycles. Features include an Öhlins NIX30 front fork, Brembo Stylema front brake calipers, and various little doo-dahs etched/bolted here and there to remind you that you're riding a limited edition model. Power-wise, the 937cc 8v Testastretta V-twin is claimed to pump out around 103 horses with a maximum torque of 68.7lb.ft @ 6500rpm. The expected price will be a touch over £16,000; around £2,000 more than the standard SP model. But you'll have to wait until January 2024 to get astride one.

MOTORCYCLE NEWS

August 2023

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Biking news | Motor bike stories | New bikes | Motorcycle products

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2022 Kawa Z900RS-SE

Evidently, "retro" is still very much in vogue for most of the world's motorcycle manufacturers, not least Kawasaki. The firm has just announced the (fairly) imminent arrival of the Z900RE-SE which will be in UK dealer showrooms by January 2022.

That's the promise anyway.

So what makes this bike worthy of the "Special Edition" moniker? Well, nothing too profound actually. Instead, Kawasaki has basically warmed over what was already a fairly hot motorcycle with some very agreeable features, but has stopped well short of fooling around too much with a successful formula. [More...]

Speed Triple1200RR

It's not a Honda. That's for sure. But at first glance that's what we thought this was; a new Honda served up in the Triumph style. Probably mostly due to the cockpit fairing and the livery. But now, after sobering up a little, we can see immediately that it's pure Triumph, and it's evidently fundamentally a Speed Triple 1200RS.

It's got the same 1,160cc RS motor; an engine that generates an arm-wrenching 180 PS/177bhp (132.4 kW) @ 10,750 rpm. And if you want to talk the torque, you'll be wrestling with 92lb-ft @ 9,000rpm. [More...]

2022 Kawasaki Z650RS

Kawasaki has introduced a new model aimed squarely at latter day retroheads, and it's not exactly overwhelming. Badged as the Z650RS, this new 649cc liquid-cooled twin looks as if it could have been introduced at pretty much any time over the past decade [or two—Ed] and doesn't appear to boast any features that set it apart from the ever-grazing herd. In other words, it doesn't possess an obvious USP; a unique selling point. That wouldn't matter so much if the bike had a surplus of power, or possessed knife-edge handling, or simply came with supercool looks or a gimmicky device or two. But it doesn't have any of these attributes. It's just a run-of-the-mill, sit-up-and-beg, easy riding, everyday, one size fits all motorcycle dressed lightly in retro clothing. [More...]

Click the link for: August 2021 motorcycle news from Sump

Sump workshirt £26.99

All purpose street & garage wear

We spend much of our miserable lives in the garage. Usually we're fixing bikes and stuff, and all too often we're re-fixing the stuff we ought to have fixed properly the first time around.

So it goes.

Anyway, we wanted to increase our product range (that's partly how we fund Sump) and we've been thinking for some time about introducing workshirts and general shirts that we might want to wear when the weather closes in—which is most of the time in the UK. Anyway, this is the result; our first Sump branded garage/all purpose shirt.

The Sump logo is featured above the left-side pocket only (notice how we cunningly avoided saying "breast"?). The image quality is very good and will last the life of the shirt.

We think these are pretty good quality and worth the money. First come, first served, etc.

Hit the button below, baby...

BSA M20/M21

workshirt £26.99

All purpose street & garage wear

Seems that plenty of folk love our BSA M20/M21 T-shirt design which features the above roundel. So, to widen the appea we decided to reproduce it on a more formal shirt that you might want to wear in the garage or in the magistrate's court.

The shirts are 100% cotton twill, which means they're tougher than ordinary cotton. We wear these ourselves, and we're perfectly happy with them—and we're nothing if not hard to please. Follow the links and see if they're right for you (Hint: they probably are).

The BSA M20/M21 roundel is featured above the left-side pocket only. And when you wear this, other BSA folk will notice and might even become your friend and take you out for walks and stuff. It happens.

The image quality is very good and will last the life of the shirt. You know you want it, and you know we've got it.

New motorcycle launches and reviews

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