After an early morning briefing we set off from the hotel where the roads are already interesting. No miles of motorways or city traffic to reach the launch route. I already had the onboard kit strapped on the bike, but since it was a fairly chilly morning I didn't really find any rhythm in the riding until the tyres were warm enough up the mountain on our way to the first photo stop. I was riding with the French group today and as usual plenty of antics on the way to our first stop. The reason you don't get to see me doing a wheelie on this launch is because Ducati doesn't want to do wheelie shots on the roads on their launches and there wasn't any secluded enough area nor time to do them. A bit of a pity as the 1100 would have looked great on the pix. I had enough fun riding our test loop anyway and I did two and a half loops. I also did some work after lunch providing some first impressions to editors waiting for my test. Then some more riding. We all had a collective transfer back to Nice airport in the evening. My flight back to the UK was a late one, so I had several hours at Nice airport just looking through my pictures and videos until I didn't have any battery power left in my laptop. Due to awkward flight schedules today I had booked a flight back to Liverpool as there was nothing for Manchester. So I then caught the bus to Manchester and then taxi home from Manchester City Centre. I had planned to finish the article before going to bed, but it was already after midnight and had been a very long day so I had to sleep. TS

I arrived in Nice in the afternoon to a sunny day. After the transfer to the hotel in Cannes I checked out that all the technical equipment was in working order and thought I'd start filming a bit. After swapping tapes I got an error message on the screen of my video camera. So I tried to reset it and then to remove the tape which was impossible. My long serving video camera was in other words broken. It's a good job it has lasted for so long after being strapped to more bikes than I can remember, fallen off, stepped on etc. But it left me with a serious problem, no video from the Ducati Monster 1100 launch would have been a disaster for me! So I asked around explaining my problem. The cameraman that made the film below for Ducati was also present at the launch and he promised to help me. I must give my big thanks to Max Davoli, Bruno Mastroianni, Francesco Rapisarda and Aldo Gandolfo for sorting me out! Grazie mille! The hotel on the French Riviera was decorated in usual style even with Ducati Monster 1100 rugs! That's complete marketing dedication for you! Ride tomorrow.

20 minute stunt video where Kevin Carmichael thrashes a Speed Triple, a Street Triple and the new 2009 Street Triple R exclusively for us. All from the Grandstand in Douglas, Isle of Man. Enjoy!

10/09/2008 2009 Triumph Street Triple R launch Isle of Man!

First of all, congratulations to Kaeren as it's her birthday today! I am heading over to the Isle of Man today to ride the 2009 Triumph Street Triple R. Yesterday was Yamaha's day where many of the 2009 models was announced. R1 being the biggest news of course. I couldn't get even remotely excited about the "new" Honda's the other day so I just ignored them completely. Anyway, the next you'll hear from me will be a first impression of the new Triumph and a video. Hopefully the weather will permit me to have some fun on the TT course, but the Isle of Man pretty much gets the same shit weather as Manchester so I haven't got my hopes up. Been in touch with Ducati today as well regarding another new bike that I'll ride soon somewhere else in the world before the Intermot kicks off. Tor

Finished the first "teaser" from Africa today. Below you can see the result. Other than that I'll have some launch/first ride news for you soon and I'll ride a couple of all new bikes even before the Intermot show kicks off in Cologne early next month. Thanks to Frank for taking this picture of Conny and me in the Cederberg mountains. Watch this space! Tor

The Thruxton 900 has now been returned to its owner down in Hinckley. I had a great day riding it back down and as you'll see from the video below it's got some pipes on that shows the true parallel twin growl. TS

Did a shoot on my own in the city centre today before picking up Kaeren for a ride and a couple more piccies in the Peaks. Lucky me got a kiss on my cheek and all! Whilst doing that a cheeky chicken tried to lay eggs in our helmets, but Kaeren managed to chase that beast away before that happened. Tor

Collected the Thruxton 900 at the Hinckley factory today. Weird riding anything but a BMW R 1200 GS after so many miles on them in Africa during the last weeks. More on the Thruxton soon. I am also pleased to announce that I'll be attending the 2009 Triumph Street Triple R launch at the Isle of Man in September. That will be my first time around the TT circuit and the Street Triple R shouldn't be the worst for such an experience... Tor

Lots more pictures here!

Martin and I went out and did some photography of the 2008 Suzuki GSX-R750 yesterday. New is the addition of the power mode system from the GSX-R1000 and a whole lot more. It still is one of the best sportbikes in the world and I had a great run on the Cat & Fiddle road. The steering is a bit heavier than on the Yamaha R6, probably due to the steering damper. But oh so precise and great acceleration through the midrange compared to any 600. I keep the 750 for two weeks that will move very fast and then I swap for the 08 Hayabusa. I'll be on the new for UK white 'Busa and I had a look at it down in Milton Keynes when I picked up the GSX-R750. I can't wait to start doing the action shots of that bike! I still haven't decided whether I'll pop down to Donington next Saturday or not to watch the qualifying sessions when MotoGP hits town. If the weather is nice I guess it's the perfect rideout on the GSX-R750. We'll see when I get back from Varese and Mandello how big the workload is. TS

Returned the 2008 Yamaha R6 yesterday. A bit sad to see it go, but not too sad as there's a K8 Suzuki GSX-R750 waiting for me down in Milton Keynes. I have decided to stay away from the 600 as last time I tested both a Gixxer 600 and a 750 back to back I found it difficult to say enough about both on an individual level. After a couple of weeks on the GSX-R750 I'll swap for the new 'Busa. But first, I'm going to fly over to Milan and make my way to Varese to ride the MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR and F4 312 RR. Lots of in-line fours in June and July in other words. I am also still really enjoying dealing with the Bimota DB7 material. As no one from Yamaha or Star have approached me yet regarding any Vmax ride, I have plenty of time to make the Bimota DB7 stand out more. Suits me just fine that, and presumably Bimota too. I have learned a thing or two over the years and one of them are that confidence feeds your competence and visa versa. Some people often confuses confidence, or extreme confidence with arrogance. Particularly those that know they are competent in their job, but lack the confidence to combine the two together. I know what I am doing in this business of mine now. My job is to write and produce material about motorcycles. In that I am very confident and I have the experience to go with it too. At the same time, I am neither the fastest nor the sharpest journalist around a racetrack. But I am still confident and competent enough to be able to give you the low-down on the bikes there too. It amuses me each time various journalists, or more like pure road testers, races each other on track fucking up each others photos. For the most exclusive of the exclusive I have a partnership with Jeremy McWilliams. But he's a very decent writer too and will always get the good shots because he'll be faster than everyone else around a circuit. Jezza has got extreme confidence and an extreme ability on two wheels. It's been proven countless times what he can do. The problem with getting Jezza on the most exclusive Italian bikes now has been the fact that the factories are very small and simply can't afford bringing McWilliams over with me to the launches. The KTM RC8 launch cost me around £1000 and having contracts with most of the magazines that I work for I can't hope for any direct fruitions on that particular investment. KTM of course can go smiling all the way to the bank having received very good reviews from reputable people like ourselves. But the fact that that KTM PR cost me £1000 isn't going to go away from my mind very easily. I'm more likely to say no thank you to a launch with KTM than any other manufacturer as a direct cause. I am not in the business of forking out from my hard-earned cash to ride a new bike from a factory as big as KTM. Most other factories pay for all the hassle it is to travel and stay away from home. Some PR people seems to think that it's this enormous treat for journalists to get to ride their new bike in an exotic place. It is an enormous privilege I admit, as soon as you get to where you can do that... It truly isn't that exiting chatting to US customs after queuing for an hour, or being stuck at various airports, delays, Ryanair hassling you for overweight, and did I mention queuing, queuing, queuing to speak to some arse that wants you to take your shoes and belt off. But when you do arrive at that posh 5star hotel and can get your leathers on and actually ride, there's nothing better. Blimey, have I actually said something today? Maybe it's because I'm going out with this awesome woman, or maybe it's just because I'm a happy and a lucky guy. Summer is great! Tor

Arrived in Rimini at 2AM last night. KLM "The reliable airline" my arse! The KLM flight to Amsterdam was delayed for long enough for me to miss my Bologna flight and hence had to spend more than 5 hours at the airport before the later flight to Bologna. Because of the delay I had no driver waiting in Bologna and so got the train to Rimini in stead. But all that was forgotten when I finally got to ride the Bimota DB7 at Misano today! I got plenty of track time even though Bimota only had 6 bikes available to the press. I think we were 20 or so journalists from all over the world, but many gave up when it started raining in the afternoon. I used the opportunity to do some onboard filming. It wasn't that exciting in the wet as corner speed had to be slow as I was on Conti Attack road tyres. But it dried up and I was able to put together a couple of fairly decent laps. One of them in the vid below. The DB7 1098 sails up as one of the most exclusive of all Italian exotica. You can compare to Ferrari and Lamborghini in the car world. Meaning that no more than 300 of you will ever get your hands on a 08 Bimota DB7. More soon. TS

Great weather here in Paris, but there's a rain forecast for tomorrow which is the day I ride the Monster 696+ in and around Paris. Ducati treated us to a cool fashion show at our newly opened designer hotel in central Paris. Watch the video below! Tor

Tomorrow I head over to Paris to a rendezvous with the 2008 Ducati Monster 696. It should be fun thrashing the 696 in and around Paris. I hope it doesn't rain! My middle little sister Angelika have just got married in Thailand. Today I got the first pix. I was meant to be there, but was unfortunate with that accident and had to stay at home. Anyway, congratulations to Angelika and Haakon! TS

Last weekend I went over to friend Charlie's house with Adam Palma to record some guitar. Adam Palma is Poland's Joe Satriani! From the first time I saw him play live here in Chorlton to today I have been in awe of his virtuosos guitar playing both on acoustic and electric. Last weekend was actually the first time I had the chance to really observe Adam's skills on electric guitar. He blew me away, and if you know anything about the guitar he'll blow you away too. Just watch the video with a Metallica Battery/Master of Puppets intro medley and Van Halen medley. This is only a little tiny piece of the 30 minutes we recorded that are all guitar medley of the coolest riffs and solos done in Rock history. Why are we doing this? To add quality to the YouTube videos of course! And I am also more than happy to promote both Adam Palma and Charlie Allen in whichever way I can. Enjoy the bikes and enjoy the music! I'll give you an update about events soon. It involves riding Ducati's Monster 696 in Paris, MV Agusta's Brutale 1078RR and F4 R312 in the North of Italy and Bimota's new DB7 1098 at the Misano racing circuit. This is the only place to be for the best of the best in biking. TS

Done another photo shoot on the 2008 Yamaha R6 now. Got a few ok shots and luckily a bit of light in between the rain. It is spring now and as soon as the sun is out it's warmer and nicer than only a few weeks ago. Being out on the R6 now I'm not only testing the bike. I'm in all new Racing replica leathers from Alpinestars and also a brand new Spec1R lid from Suomy. The Spec1R I've used for many years already so know how good that helmet is. The new Racing Replica I'm going to use on all supersport tests and probably on a few naked sportsters too. The MX-1 Racing goes back to Alpinestars now for a refurb and refresh and to get my new logo on that too. Then that'll be my reserve suit and for supermoto. I am happy to tell you all that my arse (cracked sacrum) is getting better too! But I did try to not use any painkillers at all the other day and then do a short walk into Chorltonville. I did feel it and there's still some pain if I for instance should try to jump or run. Guess it needs a little more time before I'm 100% active again. I don't feel crippled in any way though and soon it's time to check if the mojo's still there too! Some K8 Suzuki's next. A couple of Irish saying in the end because they're good! "May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past." "May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up." Tor

I have waited for my new custom suit from Alpinestars a while now and today it arrived! The logo was designed for me by Luca at Pininfarina the famous Italian design house. He did a great job and the Tor Viking logo features a T shaped like Tor's hammer (or Thor in US English...) The suit is a 2008 Alpinestars Racing Replica with really thick leather and supreme MotoGP derived protection. Pretty much the same suit as they use in MotoGP. It's got a snug fit, but I haven't had a chance to ride with it yet. On the Yamaha R6 I will during the weekend when it stops raining! Tor

Have done a couple of runs up the Cat & Fiddle road already which was fun. The R6 is very small and fast after 12.000rpm. So fast that it doesn't feel like the best motorcycle up here as traction becomes a problem on the filthy and bumpy A54. The R6 is hard and gets airborne from nothing it feels like. Carlos joined me up the other day on his Kawasaki Z750 and we grabbed a hot chocolate at the Cat & Fiddle pub before returning to Manchester. I have also finished all the writing work from the previous weeks launches. Now it's pretty much pictures and videos that I work on. There's plenty of really cool stuff coming. TS

Picked up the 2008 Yamaha YZF R6 in London today at Yamaha UK HQ in Weybridge. You could say that it's not the ideal bike for someone with a cracked sacrum, but I'm healing quickly! After riding almost exclusively super torque biased motorcycles for a few weeks, the R6 doesn't impress much initially. I knew this would be the case, so will keep the R6 for longer than usual to really get under its skin. It looks great though as it always did and I've got the cool white, black and red one. More pix, videos etc coming... TS

Ciao from Rome. I was whisked off from the airport to the hotel in true style in a BMW 630i Cabriolet doing 240km/h on the motorway into Rome. Loved it after having had an absolutely awful Ryanair flight from Liverpool. I took my medication on a hangover 5 O'clock this morning whilst on the way to my stupid early flight in a taxi. All that had me cold sweating feeling very sick on the flight. I got through it off course and am now writing from the press area at the hotel in the Lazio area (I think) outside of Rome. Tomorrow morning I ride the new Aprilia SMV750 Dorsoduro on a varied route around Rome. The Milagro photo team that also did the Ducati Monster launch in Barcelona have now moved to do also this launch. The difference is that we are only 15 people in each group here and will have a lot more time to get some decent and unique shots here in Rome. Whilst in Rome do as the Romans I've been told so have just downed an Espresso with a shot of Sambucha. More tomorrow including pictures and riding impressions. Knackered Tor

Whilst riding the Triumph Speed Triple from Didsbury to Chorlton today I was unfortunate enough to hit a red-light jumping car. Landed very hard on my back and cracked my sacrum (tailbone). I was in agony and couldn't stand up or walk until at the hospital pumped up on Codeine and using crutches. Bloody driver panic braked when she saw what was about to happen after cars started using their horns on her. Thanks to all of you that have sent me your well wishes! Also, big thanks to Olivia Turley for picking me up and showing some love. Much appreciated! Tor 

From thunder and rain in Spain to glorious sunshine in the south of Morocco! Mornings like this is what makes all the hassle about flying worth it. Since I missed the presentation at the hotel last night I got a brief private presentation by Hans and Dave from Yamaha-Europe in the morning. Due to my early departure (yet again...) I had to ride out with the photographers before the others and start shooting straight away. We made good headway and arrived at the location where most of the pictures were taken early. We were only stopped once by the Moroccan security forces on the way. The landscape is just big, dry and beautiful! Got some shots done by Paul Barshon, Peter-Jan Willems and his crew  before I used Peter-Jan's dust cloud after his 4x4 as my GPS through the offroad route to the lunch stop. I didn't really have time for lunch on the original plan, but since I had 4 photographers just to myself out in the desert I got a lot done really quickly! I fitted my camera onto the back seat of the Ténéré and did the onboard filming that way as there would be no quick mounting of a camera on the front. Allowed good space between the car and me and did the long offroad stretch pretty much in one go. And that was good for me as now I had time for lunch Bedouin style in a tent near an oasis. After some traditional Moroccan food I had to make my own way back to the hotel for my transfer back to the airport. Morocco definitely gave me a taste for more, but then again I got stamped out on the same day that I technically arrived so who wouldn't want more! Annoyingly I had time to spare again at Agadir airport when it would have been better spent out in the desert on the Ténéré, but then it's better to be safe than sorry despite the fact that I wouldn't have minded being stranded in Morocco for a few more days. Flew back to Casablanca, asked Sam to play it again and then a small propeller aircraft from Royal Air Maroc took me directly to Valencia. Due to another time difference I arrived after midnight again, but this time in Valencia I would have a little bit more time to chill before my next assignment, the 2008 Harley-Davidson XR1200. Oh, and the launch gift from Yamaha I don't know as I didn't get any! TS Zzzzzz

Arrived in Barcelona yesterday evening just in time for the press conference. Loved the Desmorosso red wine with dinner! Looking at both the hotel and the press conference I could see that Ducati really have invested a lot in the new Monster 696. It's a bread and butter model for Ducati, but nothing about it seem budget at all! This morning we started the ride right here in Barcelona and most of the shots are taken next to strange beautiful buildings. Unfortunately the weather in Spain isn't at its best today and it's the pictures that suffer. I had a great ride in the hills surrounding Barcelona and all in all this is exactly how I want a launch to be! Quick into a major city, short transfer to the hotel, short riding route for the photography and then free time afterwards for special photography or just riding with the hotel as base. Unfortunately I had no time for any luxuries and after a late lunch I was in a taxi on my way to Barcelona airport again less than 24 hours after arrival. I flew to Madrid first where the heavens opened up in some really heavy rain and thunder. I then had about 4 hours to kill at the Barajas airport before my flight to Casablanca in Morocco. After another shorter wait in Casablanca I flew to Agadir where I was met by the Moroccan Yamaha rep and a driver. Time now was just past midnight and the drive to the hotel in Iznit took more than an hour. The rep checked in for me and I went to bed. Zzzzzzzz The Ducati Monster 696 launch gift was a Ducati leather belt by the way. TS

Olivia Turley and I headed into the Peak District today. It was freezing, but still did the Cat & Fiddle road and stopped at the pub for a hot chocolate. Whilst having that it started snowing outside. Luckily it didn't last for long and we rode to Castleton for a nice dinner at the Castle pub. We then decided to stay the night to do a bit of a walk and to have some drinks to warm us up. I was able to keep a decent pace up the Cat & Fiddle road on the Speed Triple, but after it started snowing here and there I had to take it easy to get us to Castleton safely. Despite the cold weather it was a great day out riding and some relaxation before a very hectic week that lies ahead of me. Thanks to Martin I got some great shots of the bike yesterday. Thank you Martin! TS

First of all today, happy birthday to Jeremy McWilliams! The man turns 44 today. It's all about the 4's for Jezza today. Secondly, goodbye to Dan Lynch at Triumph as it's his last day at Triumph today. Dan now heads down from Hinckley to Milton Keynes to work for Suzuki GB. Good luck and thanks for all your support Dan! Today have been all about organising flights for next week. It's all sorted now luckily. On Sunday I fly to Barcelona for the Ducati Monster 696 world launch, then after riding the 696 on Monday I fly from Barcelona to Madrid to catch an Iberia flight to Casablanca in Morocco. In Casablanca I change to a flight that will take me to Agadir where the 2008 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere is waiting for me. I arrive just before midnight in Agadir. Then it's a 80km transfer to the hotel. 9 O'clock in the morning we start the offroad riding in Morocco and then after lunch I'm off again to catch a flight from Agadir to Casablanca and then Casablanca to Valencia where Harley-Davidson is waiting to present the long awaited XR1200. Today I also received the invitation to ride the 2008 Aprilia SM750 Dorsoduro in Rome the following week. Triumph kindly extended my test on the Speed Triple and the Thruxton 900 is still not ready so it's all running smoothly so far. This afternoon I just couldn't stay in the office any longer and went to North Wales to do some action shots of the Speed Triple. You'll notice that I'm wearing my new Suomy Spec 1R Araldic and Suomy Racing boots for the first time here. The helmet I am very familiar with and it's as good (no, even better as the visor mechanism has been improved slightly!) as ever! The Racing boots I'm not entirely certain about yet. Remember that I'm used to several generations of Alpinestars Supertech and they are just miles better. The Suomy Racing boots feels a little bit under protected, a bit like an old pair of Sidi Vertebra's but not as comfortable. Not many people have tested these boots yet so I'll give Suomy some feedback on how to improve these boots. I would need some serious comfort improvements to the ankle area first of all. Anyway, next week I'll be on both sides of the Mediterranean all week. Massive updates coming. TS

My schedule for next week is insane! That's the only word that can describe the share logistics and travelling arrangements. Just listen to this: I am supposed to swap the 2008 Triumph Speed Triple for the 2008 Triumph Thruxton 900 tomorrow. Then on Sunday I fly to Barcelona for the 2008 Ducati Monster 696 launch. Then on Monday I leave Barcelona and fly to Agadir in Morocco for the 2008 Yamaha XT660Z Tenere launch. Then on Wednesday I fly from Agadir to Valencia for the Harley-Davidson XR1200 launch. Then next Friday I can finally go back home again and write about all this! Then you have the gear that I need as the Tenere in Morocco is offroad whilst Harley and Ducati road and track. Do you think I'll make it or not? Anyway, received my new Suomy Spec 1R Araldic and Racing boots today. The Araldic paint scheme is just fantastic! Pix soon. I really enjoy riding the new Speed Triple. It's so smooth and at the same time raw. I can't wait to ride it more in the Peak district now after all the gruelling motorway miles. Tor