New distributor signs up to supply big-value bike range

Modern classics aficionado Jim Moore explains why a ’90s legend make sense as a second bike

[ Ahead of its time ]

1976 brought a swarm of impressive new bikes – and the tantalising prospect of clutch-free operation

Before Ducati’s race-ready winglets, Moto Guzzi’s adaptive flaps and even BMW’s wind-tunnel-tested RS, there was motorcycling’s original fully faired father figure

Bursting into Europe in 1976, the XT500 reinvented single-cylinder off-road thumpers and spawned a new wave of dirt four-strokes. Can the original still claim to be the best?