There is a wide array of characters in MotoGP. I’m not just talking about the character of the riders here – there is obviously much to be said about that – but the motorcycles themselves can be said to have personalities that vary a lot across the paddock. We’ve heard riders talking about their motorcycles and the mounts of their opponents often, so let’s look into this.

The most convivial machine prize has to go to the Yamaha YZR-M1. Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales on the factory Yamaha motorcycles and Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger on the Yamaha satellite team Tech3 machines enjoy what is considered the best-balanced machine out there. The crossplane in-line four is easy to use and delivers smooth and predictable acceleration that makes good use of the grip available most of the time, at the price of maybe not being the most powerful.

The Yamaha chassis is stable yet nimble and the all-important front-end feel is among the best there is. The Yamaha YZR-M1 is a superb-handling machine that shines in fast sweepers and in high-speed direction changes. Just like the YZR500 of a bygone era, when Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson were the heroes of our racing weekend, the DNA shows through in the current Yamaha YZR-M1.

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Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lai was asked the question ‘will they produce a larger capacity Royal Enfield Himalayan adventure bike’ his answer was ‘Yes, we will’. ‘We have selected which models we will be making bigger and more powerful versions of than we have today, and they Royal Enfield Himalayan is one of those.’

Siddhartha explained that the move was a strategic one designed to help Indian-owned Royal Enfield achieve its goal of becoming number one in global sales in the middleweight segment by 2022.

‘That’s the playing field we’ve set ourselves for many different reasons,’ he said.

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Load as little as possible. Clothing is almost always the biggest overpacking culprit. Remember, you don’t need seven outfits on a seven-day trip – you’ll be in your motorcycle gear all day. Pack as if you’re hiking – how much would you take knowing you’d have to carry it on your back?

Some motorcycles already weigh more than 200 kilograms so you won’t notice the extra weight, right? Wrong. Every junction, every time you lift it off the sidestand and every time you push it into a parking space you’ll be feeling the load. Plus you’ll waste time packing and unpacking your bags when you should be drinking in the atmosphere.

On multiple – week trips, pack for a week and wash stuff. Don’t try to carry six weeks’ worth of underwear. Apart from anything else, imagine the smell of 42 pairs of sweaty socks…

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Cafe racers are as you probably know nothing new, but the principles and purpose remain the same: to make your motorcycle lighter, faster and uniquely yours.

Original cafe racers from the 1950s and 1960s were typically backyard-built creations combining the best engine with the best handling frame and suspension its creator could afford. Ariels, BSAs, Nortons and Triumphs and the best of Britain’s golden era of motorcycles were all stripped down, tuned up and ready to race for bragging rights between transport cafes around London’s outer fringes.

It paved a way for a counter-culture revolution, and is possibly best-known today for the infamous Rockers (cafe racers) versus Mods (scooterists) battle at Brighton beach, England.

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Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were back on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to continue the development of new items for their 2017 YZR-M1. The teammates finished second and tenth respectively in the 2017 MotoGP Catalunya Test times.

Today the Yamaha Factory riders were each able to test one of the two new frames available. Tomorrow they will switch to get a feel for the other option.

After a challenging outing yesterday, Viñales was a man on a mission: he was one of the first riders to venture out on track again this morning and the last to return to the pit box as the session closed. His goal for today was to try one of the new frames as well as improve his feeling with the bike in hot conditions. Whilst consistently featuring at the top of the charts for most of the day, the Spaniard wasn't shy to put in 81 laps in total and set a best time of 1'44.437s on his penultimate lap to finish in second position, 0.366s off the front.

Teammate Rossi also made strides in the blistering Catalan sunshine. He started the day by setting the provisional fastest time of the session on his fifth lap, before it was time to switch his focus to the fine-tuning of his bike. The Doctor spent the day testing various settings along with the second new frame option and came back with positive feedback. After completing 71 laps, he ended the day in tenth place with a fastest lap of 1'45.635s, 1.564s from the top.

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Andrea Dovizioso takes his second win in a row one week after Mugello, this time in the Catalan GP at Montmelò. The Italian is now just seven points away from the lead of the championship. Jorge Lorenzo crosses the line in fourth place.

Andrea Dovizioso scored his second GP win in seven days with another superb performance in the Catalan Grand Prix. Just one week after winning the Italian GP at Mugello, the Ducati Team rider powered to victory, for the fourth time in the premier class, in front of almost 100,000 spectators at the Montmelò circuit outside Barcelona.

Starting off well from row 3, Dovizioso crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in third, and he moved up to second on lap 8 after passing his team-mate Lorenzo and then Marquez. Andrea hounded Pedrosa until lap 17, when he attacked his Spanish rival to take the lead, which he maintained until the chequered flag and finishing with a gap of more than three and a half seconds over Marquez.

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The Thai MotoGP coming to Buriram, It’s a northeast province of Thailand not really know to much people outside Thailand. It’s not even a big or central located location in Thailand, bordering the Cambodian border it is one of the poorest provinces of Thailand.

A few days ago the Thai Sports Authority of Thailand announced that they reached an agreement with Dorma about staging the MotoGP for the next 3 years. Starting next year and it will happen likely in the weekend of 5 to 7 October at the new Buriram International Circuit.

While Thailand has nobody competing in the top MotoGP race, one rider is likely to be the next Thai hero Nakarin Atiratphuvapat, riding for Honda Asia in the Moto3 championship will be the growth pleasure for the spectators.

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Andrea Dovizioso has warned that a stunning home race win by Ducati at Mugello is not the platform for a twist for the 2017 MotoGP title. The Italian defied the late race surge of Yamaha star Maverick Vinales to win the race at Mugello, Ducati first victory this season.

But despite the clinical win – and now sitting second in the standing – Andrea Dovizioso reckons the Ducati GP17 is not yet the motorcycle for a championship challenge.

Mugello’s long front straight was a gift for the Ducati Desmosedici’s 353km/h top speed, while the fast, sweeping curves masked the motorcycle’s lingering weakness – mid-corner speed.

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Certain big, black, round, rubber things can make a real difference in life. In fact they can make a real difference to life itself.

Yes, our tires are what keep us going where we want to and prevent us from careening into a tree and certain death. Each contact patch is about a few square centimeter – not a lot considering how crucial it is to keeping us alive.

Here’s a fun trick: Have a look at the tires on the motorcycle of your friends and see how much tread they have. The old matchstick test is one of the most reliable – the head of the match is the minimum depth of tread you need for your tires to be effective – and it’s amazing how many motorcycles don’t pass.

I had a chat at a local motorcycle tire shop last week and just that morning a lady came in and asked what the furry stuff on her scooter tires was. The tire fitter went out and had a look, thinking it sounded a bit strange. But, upon inspecting the tire in question, he was incredulous. The furry patch was the canvas – yes, the tread had completely worn through. He explained the situation to her. Her question? ‘So, is that bad?’

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Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Maverick Viñales ended the Gran Premio d'Italia Oakley today with a strong performance. The Spaniard held firm at the front of the field to earn a second place, his fourth podium of the season over six races. His still recovering teammate Valentino Rossi had the passionate Italian crowds at the Autodromo del Mugello in a frenzy as he battled at the front of the field. He finished the race in fourth position.

Viñales had a good start from pole and slotted in behind his fellow Movistar Yamaha rider. After a few tussles with various rivals in the opening stages, he hit the front of the field on lap four and put his head down to get a bit of daylight between him and the chasing riders. Though he was unable to completely break away, he held on to the lead for ten laps, after which he had to let Andrea Dovizioso pass.

Small mistakes in turn 15 on lap 15 and in turn one on lap 17 caused the young contender to lose some time and he found himself in third place. However, Viñales refused to give up the fight and, with four laps to go, he took back second position and was on the hunt for Dovizioso, 1.215s ahead of him. He shaved off some time in the last few laps, but decided to abort his mission on the home stretch. He crossed the line in second place, 1.281s from first, scoring valuable points for the championship.

The Repsol Honda riders had quite a challenging time at the Italian Grand Prix today. Marc Marquez struggled to manage front-tyre life for the entire race and settled for bringing home 10 solid points, finishing in sixth place. Dani Pedrosa also struggled a lot with the front tyre and was trying to obtain the best result possible when he crashed out of 11th position on the last lap, unintentionally taking down fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow.

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