Special bikes. I dare say we've all had a few in our time. I'm not necessarily on about the one's that cost a million quid and were made to the tune of singular figures, but bikes that changed ourrunning. But when they did, they delivered. My favourite road bike of all time would probably be my Aprilia RS50 that powered many a misguided moment in my younger years. It was the bike I learnt to ride on. The bike I first got my knee down on. The bike that taught me how to jump humpback bridges and pull half-arsed endos. About the only thing it couldn't do was get me a girlfriend… but I probably can't blame the bike for that. It meant everything to me, regardless of how many times I crashed it or how often it decided to heat seize or melt a plug's electrode. Fundamentally, it was the bike that put me on the path to many more motorcycles and all the memories that have since come about. To me, that's the true definition of special, but simultaneously, I must admit, having done this job for nearly two decades, I've been spoilt by the sheer volume of next-level, unobtanium machines I've had chance to test over the years. From superbikes to Superleggeras, I've been a truly lucky lad. You'll find a few of them in a couple of pages time, as that's the theme to this issue, and hopefully you'll agree that the pick we've come up with are well worthy of their celebration. If not, let us know. More to the point, we'd like to hear more about you and your bikes. Whether it's the one(s) you've got now or maybe one that got away, get in touch and tell your tale. But in the meantime, as we start out down the road of a new season, the team and I would like to wish you a fantastic and memorable year ahead.
