like big butts ... no , sorry , wrong song ... I love big bores , and I cannot lie . And I ’ ve always loved big bore four-strokes . They are probably more fun to ride than the big bore two-strokes too – largely because they are more manageable while still having huge amounts of grunt available at the twist of your wrist . The first I rode was a Honda XR500A , a 1979 model . Back then I was a teenage farm boy and the XR felt bloody quick and more than a little intimidating . It was quite the step up from my XR200 , which was the most powerful bike I had ridden until that point . Over the years plenty of big bores have crossed my path , the Husky 510 was memorable , a bitch to start – ask Tjebbe Bruin - but cutting edge in its day . TT and XR 600s were cool bikes and of late the 690 / 700 / 701 KTM based machines make awesome road / trail / adventure bikes . Then , of course , one must not forget the good old ‘ dog rooter ’, the Suzuki DR650 . It still has a huge following , with good reason , because it ’ s a simple , practical and bulletproof allrounder . Currently , in my own stable , I own a KTM 500EX

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