new bikes.
I ploughed into the article but after a few pages I started
to become a little unsettled and to wonder exactly what
kind of “adventure” these bikes were designed to have. It
wasn't just that the bikes were all huge and hugely expen-
sive or that they were stacked with the most sophisticated
technology, it was more the way they were being tested.
The testers were keen on horsepower comparisons and
how the massive output of these machines could be trans-
lated into speed on the bitumen, gravel roads and trails.
Fine young riders with no, or empty luggage and no pil-
lions, tested the handling limits on every surface, report-
ed back on mid-range acceleration and marvelled at the
limitless adjustability of the electronic suspension.
I ended my read in a grumpy mood. It wasn't that these
were not wonderful machines. Everyone was a marvel of
engineering so good that the testers had to magnify mi-
nor flaws and unimportant differences, so some compari-
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