After the best 10 motorcycles driven by Giorgio – all very valid and with a propensity for the piece – it’s my turn: I too will take you to discover the top 10 motorcycles ridden in the course of a 2021 which, despite Covid, has proved to be rich of memorable experiences.
I give you a little clue, you will find best sellers, something with a retro taste but above all many bikes with a high adrenaline rate. And now, as usual … Come on!
Benelli TRK 502X 2021
I start immediately with the best-selling bike in Italy, which in my ranking stops “only” in 10th place, but I think Benelli is happier to be at the top of the sales ranking for over a year rather than in my personal ranking . And anyway, having ridden about forty bikes this year, it’s certainly not a result to throw in the bin. Either way, you may be wondering why she and not others. I got the answer by using it for about a month for the home / office, errands, some trips out of town and light stretches of dirt road and she has always proved to be up to it. Obviously, you will not have impressive technology and performance, or a first-rate chassis equipment, but in the end, for the price of a scooter 300 you take home a real bike; which has room for passenger and luggage,
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2021
I love high-performance sports cars, but the charm of the classics is by no means indifferent to me. This year the new Moto Guzzi V7 850 arrived, but Giorgio tried it for me and I didn’t have the chance to appreciate the changes. In the past, however, we have compared the V7 with the Interceptor and, although the Italian is better refined and unique in its technical solutions, the Anglo-Indian has nevertheless defended itself very well. The quality / price ratio is excellent and the engine has adequate character and performance. It is one of the best of this year because I link it to a particularly happy sporting memory: the final of the European football teams won against the English … light blue. Sometimes fate does wonderful things.
Triumph Street Twin 2021
As I told you, the charm of modern classics has a strong hold on me. The pleasure of the bend with the knee on the ground, the speed often over 200 km / h are addictive, but there are many potential bikes that are able to convey these sensations, but none of them made me rediscover the pleasure of “going for a walk” like the Triumph Street Twin. His Cool Factor was the pleasure of driving, of course, but as I said in that test, the pleasure of driving also lies in hearing the hum of his “Twin”, of the air in his face, without however retreating when time is running out and you have to go a little faster. On the other hand, excluding Speed ​​Twin and Trhuxton, she is the one in the Bonneville range with a more dynamic attitude. And then it is absolutely finished and beautiful to see parked. The ego wants the part of her too, doesn’t it?
BMW R 1250 GS 40th Anniversary
And here after the TRK it’s up to another bike that in terms of sales is second to none … well yes, only to the TRK. The Bavarian endurona was a welcome confirmation and deserves a place in this ranking for its celebratory coloring of the 40th Anniversary that catches the eye in motion and standing still, a perfectly successful re-enactment operation in my opinion. I got to try it a bit by taking it away from Michele when he was testing it, then when we compared it with all the other competitors, and I must say that driving it is always surprising. She lets herself be led with a mental effort equal to zero, puts in difficulty only for the size (but the others are not joking too) and has the plus of an engine that is unrivaled in terms of fluidity and driving pleasure.
KTM 1290 Super Duke R & GT
I put them together because, even if the two actually (for now pending the arrival of the new ones) differ on a technical level – in the saddle they transmit almost the same sensations, with two similar but different end users. The R is increasingly a refined object, the latest to carry forward the twin-cylinder architecture in the maxi-naked segment, and it does so successfully as it has placed itself on the podium of our comparison with full merit; more precise than in the past, even sportier but still fun to drive. The other, the GT, is the bike that I probably would have bought if I had never done this job. Before, with my 2004 CBR600F I was looking for the most beautiful curving roads in Italy, today I would have done it with a bike that has incredible performance, excellent driving dynamics,
Moto Guzzi V7 III Fast Endurance
After years spent on the tatami mats all over Italy with Karate it was almost taken for granted that a place in my top 10 would go to the bike with which I raced my first race on a motorcycle: the Moto Guzzi V7 III set up with the kit created by the Guareschi brothers for the Moto Guzzi Fast Endurance European Cup 2021. Who would have expected that a quiet classic could turn into such a fun object to ride through the curbs. The bike is perfect for approaching the world of competitions in a “light” way, the competitiveness rate is high but in the end the taste of sharing the fun with a dear friend prevails – in my case the Tuscan “Happy Doc” Paolo Allegra – and to live a memorable experience. It would be nice to do the whole championship, but motorsport is an expensive reality… I’ll be happy to be able to repeat it maybe this year with the new V7 850, which promises to be even more fun to drive. I carry on renewing the license then we’ll see!
BMW R 1250 RT
Yes, dear Giorgio, I copy the BMW R 1250 RT for you and even put it at the foot of the podium. Many prefer it to the adventurous aspect of its cousin R 1250 GS, but I’m sure that if they managed to go beyond mere appearance – the RT is certainly not a bike that oozes youth from all pores – they would find that to do so many kilometers on asphalt between the two it is undoubtedly the best. The comfort is royal, the technology worthy of a luxury sedan and when you have to tackle some beautiful road full of curves it certainly does not let itself be left behind. Of course, the weight is important – especially with the trio of suitcases or the passenger in tow – and the price even higher than that of the GS, but if tomorrow they ask me to leave for North Cape or one of those legendary destinations among motorbike tourists I would have no doubt,
Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory 2021
My love relationship with the Tuono V4 and the track was born in unsuspecting times … 3 years ago, as soon as I put my back on the saddle. On the road I prefer the other Hypernaked, but when it comes to getting a healthy bucking between the curbs there is no rival that takes, in some ways I even prefer it to the sporty RSV4. On the other hand, the sensations of stability and precision are almost the same, no other high-performance naked manages to approach it in this, and in addition I can also be comfortable, not bad. When the straights arrive, the windshield of the sporty sister would be useful for improving aerodynamics, but I would think about compromising it with my Cx (drag coefficient) from Iveco. A ride on the Thunder X would be my dream,
Ducati Monster 2021
With all due respect to those who do not consider this worthy of the Monster dynasty, I liked the new one from the first moment. I appreciate it because it best sums up the new course taken by Ducati: bikes with character – woe to deprive a Ducati of that – but at the same time usable by everyone and in all conditions. Unpopular choices have been made (no trellis, design that does not resemble the old Monsters) but if these lead to the improvements that I felt during the press presentation test ride, but above all in our comparison, then they are welcome. I can say without a doubt that it is the bike that has improved the most in the passage from one generation to the next. Usually we talk about evolution, here it was revolution: egalité, fraternité… Monster 950 Alé!
Ducati Panigale V4S 2022
At the end of the year a Ducati … blows the primacy to another Ducati. The Panigale V4 is the sports car that makes everyone’s heart beat faster, a bit like only Ferrari can do among four-wheel enthusiasts. Attention, it is not just blazon, patriotism or the red of its hulls, that of 2022 is the best Panigale ever. She too is the daughter of the new Ducati course, she was born as a motorcycle all “blood and adrenaline”, almost a runaway bull, now the bull (if you want) can also be made to go to a trot. The electronics are superfine in one hand, the chassis has been made more friendly and the ergonomics are spot on like few others in the segment manage to be. Then there is the engine… but this is nothing new. Seeing it run at the same time in the hands of Zarco and Martin made me realize that maybe there is a reason if I did my first race at the dawn of 30 and they are MotoGP riders, but also that the potential of this bike it is very high. But then you want to get those two paint stripped in the curved entrance… we’re not kidding!
