That's it, two months of living with the Ducati Supersport 848 is over and will I miss it? Yes and no! The Ducati 848 has proved a worthy companion over the period, having covered a good stretch of Thailand together. It's difficult to appraise the durability of the Ducati 848 over a relatively short period of time and really only a couple of things have come to light.

The biggest irritation is probably the ignition barrel. Unfortunately when you put the key and try to turn it, it's as if has the barrel is seized. A quick 'Kung Fu' chop to the top of the key and depressing the inner barrel and it releases. Only this morning has the barrel actually freed, but you just don't expect it from something this pricey.

It is now several months after AP-Honda launched its Honda Icon scooter, with as main target market the Thai teenage population.

A compact 4-stroke, 2-valve SOHC 108cc air-cooled engine, powers the Honda Icon. The cylinder displacement is build up by a 50mm bore and 55mm stroke, which generate a 9.5:1 compression ratio The air-cooling is based on forced air-cooling in which air is forced by a cooling fan to cool different parts of the engine, which makes the Honda Icon free from engine overheating.

Transmission for the Honda Icon is V-Matic belt-drive, with a gear ratio of 2.68 - 0.85, the belt transmission system delivers the power to the rear wheel efficient and produces less sound for comfortable and relaxed driving.

The Royal Enfield Bullet Electra-X, skeptics will point out that an Enfield Bullet has all the performance of a 125cc scooter, but they're missing the point. At 90km/h, a 125cc is screaming its heart out, the Enfield Bullet is thumping contentedly away, and would do so all day if you felt like it. The Enfield Bullet Electra X will inspire you with its 1970's styling.

And you could too, because riding at such modest speeds means you're not being battered by the wind or deafened by its roar. I've done a few 500 to 600 kilometer days on the Enfield, and they've worked out fine. On a faster bike I'd have got home a few hours earlier, but would I have enjoyed myself any more? I doubt it.

Of course, there have been times when I've wanted more go, usually on those longer days when I had an appointment to keep. Flat-out the Bullet will creep up to 130km/h, but it doesn't feel right. It's happier at 90 to 100km/h, which would be very dull if one stuck to motorways.

The Triumph 675 Daytona, it impresses everybody, torque engine, capable track chassis and smart, semi-exotic design. Finally, a European competitor that could take on the best from Japan and comprehensively stuff them at their own game!

I've ridden the Daytona 675 a few times, and it's never failed to impress. So, as I chase other motorcyclists around the Chiang Mai mountainous roads on the Triumph, I'm not surprised by how well things are going. The engine is brapping away like a small F1 race car below me, with that trademark torque power sling-shooting me out of every slow corner, and the neat dashboard is merrily conveying vital riding facts.

Sure, the riding position is hard on the wrists, and tippy-toe paddling about in gravelly precarious slow-speed feel.

Whenever you head away for a test, you have a sort of internal agenda of point of interest. It's only human to do so; my point of interest was the engine for a total different reason. It was of course also helpful that I needed to be in Malaysia this weekend.

The Honda CBR600RR was one of those bikes that I was possible most intrigued by. Partly because of the specifications - I mean you can't ignore a claimed dry weight of 155kg for a 600cc sportbike. The Honda CBR150 already has a weight of 115kg dry, this sort of mass comes closer to the likes of a Aprilia RS250, which was dry about 140kg, and, as has long since been proved, lighter bikes are generally better bikes in every way.

While the Honda CBR600RR felt very small and firm underneath, it was still definitely a CBR. The same semi-committed riding style, compact bars and firm suspension.

There may have been little logic in my decision to buy the 2005 Honda CRF450X, but living in rural Thailand, with the nearest shop about 5 or 7 kilometer following an unpaved road, has probably something to do with it.

The Honda enduro bike that now lives in my kitchen, I have a large kitchen and no garage, makes me happy every morning when I come down for my breakfast.

In theory a four-stroke 450cc - the dirt equivalent of a Honda Fireblade - too expensive, too powerful and too big to recommend itself to an inexperienced off-road rider like me. The lighter Honda 250X would have been the sensible choice.

I wonder if Yamaha isn't just a teeny bit disappointed with, its Yamaha YZF-R6, its middleweight entry introduced few years back. Sure, it looks great, and seems to be doing about 240km/h just sat on its side-stand. But after the public marketing spat over its inaccurate tachometer reading, a merely average showing in most last group tests, and even poor Kev Curtain's last-round flinging away of the world superbike 2006 title, the sparkle has rather faded a little from the heads days following its unveiling in late 2005. So would the new 2008 model of the Yamaha R6 be any better?

Whistling around tight turns on the tight compact Yamaha, everything seems right with the world. The super-revvy motor keeps you dancing through the gears eager to hold the tachometer over 9000rpm. The taut chassis package feels precise and accurate, and it's a pleasure to scrunch down and tuck in behind the tiny fairing, before wringing the twist-grip open down the track's fast back section again.

As a virgin biker it seems to me that Honda have got the learner machine marketplace well and truly stitched-up with their Honda CBR-150. As a 28-year-old newcomer to biking, I really would feel a little incongruous farting round town on an Honda Wave or other scooter like motorcycle, which to my idea are not much more then hair-dryers.

As for the iconic Honda Phantom, well, I'm not yet too old to dispense with taste - in that department; it just doesn't cut the mustard.

The choice of learner bikes is limited enough for acne-ridden teenagers getting their first set of wheels and when it comes to the 'mature' rider, there's something of a black hole in Thailand. Aren't the manufacturers missing this market?

Tweaked engine from the Yamaha FZR600R sportsbike in a legendary Deltabox chassis frame, designed to be the perfect combination of light weight and rigidity for super-precise handling and cornering. Really comfy, good fuel range, splendid brakes and bulging midrange. Four 36mm Keihin CV downdraft carburetors ensure crisp, seamless throttle response throughout the rev range.

The Yamaha FZR600R is powered by a liquid-cooled, DOHC four-cylinder in-line, ram-air-fed 16-valve with digital TCI ignition 599cc powerplant, the engine uses a high 12:1 compression ratio, to produce a strong, 33 horsepower, yet street-friendly. The close-ratio six-speed transmission with multi-plate clutch, provides optimal power, delivery power perfectly tuned for both aggressive sport riding and everyday commuting.

What should I look out for if you consider buying the bike secondhand?

On the first look the Suzuki Hayate 125 doesn't look that special. Matter of fact it looks more like the scooter my girlfriend drives to the supermarket then a bike with some performance.

So what is the Suzuki Hayate 125? The Suzuki Hayate 125 is what I would consider the Suzuki answer to the so successful Honda Wave 125, as with the Honda Wave the Suzuki Hayate is a all round motorcycle that does everything as long you feed him gasoline.

The Suzuki Hayate 125, or UW125C as its factory designation, is an motorcycle powered by a 4-Stroke, single cylinder, forced air-cooled, SOHC, 2-valve 124.1cc engine, with a bore 53.5mm and 55.2mm stroke, producing a compression ratio of 9.6:1. The engine lubrication is by Suzuki own invented lubrication system, Suzuki Advanced Lubrication & Cooling System, which forces lubrication to the most remote parts of the engine. Making the Suzuki Hayate engine one of the most effective lubricated 125cc engines I ever seen.