Going Kwakers: Why I’m in love with Kawasaki’s new ZZR1400

It has so much power you barely have to nudge the throttle to feel the back end squirming about

• 
• ByRichard Hammond

Sleek: Handling and safety functions are impressive

I’ve just taken delivery of the world’s fastest motorcycle.

It’s the Kawasaki ZZR1400 and I’m in love with it already.

It’s a fantastic bike with so much power that you barely have to nudge the throttle to feel the back end squirming about.

It’s not a superbike, more of a ­supertourer.

Like several European car makers (Audi, BMW and Merc) that voluntarily restrict their cars to a top speed of 155mph, the Japanese bike manufacturers limit the top speed of their machines.

Supertourer: Richard Hammond loves the new ZZR1400 already

But since that limit is 186mph, it’s pretty meaningless.

Quite how fast the ZZR1400 would go if uncorked I don’t know – not least because I obviously haven’t ridden it flat out because there isn’t a race track or piece of runway long enough in the UK to do so – but the four-cylinder motor kicks out a massive 207bhp, so 200mph is probably possible.

Until recently, I owned a Suzuki ­Hayabusa, to which I fitted a top box and panniers. It looked a bit odd but made it a brilliant bike for a quick commute between Gloucestershire and London – so I’ll do the same with the Kwacker.

The handling is really good, the seat is comfortable and you can get almost 200 miles from a tankful of petrol. The big difference between the two bikes is that the ZZR1400 is fitted with a very s­ophisticated traction control system that has two sport settings and a safety setting.

Full throttle: You just need a nudge to feel the roar

Call me a wimp if you like but when you’re riding in the rain, your hands are cold, you’re looking out for people in cars doing something stupid and you have more power in your right hand than Ford’s Sierra Cosworth had, a bit of electronic help is a pretty welcome thing.

The ZZR1400 isn’t the best-looking bike in the world and it’ll be even less pretty when I’ve stuck the luggage on it, but that’s not the end of the world because I’ve got some bikes in my ever-increasing collection that do look amazing.

I bought the Kawasaki to do a job and it does it brilliantly.

I might buy a set of Akrapovic exhausts for the bike because it’s a bit quiet in town and I worry about pedestrians ­stepping into the road.

Overhead view: It costs a lot of cash

Photos credit to > Kawasaki

Mind you, the pipes cost £1,800, which is a bit painful when you’ve just spent £11,499 on the bike itself.

It’s lots of money, but then the Bugatti Veyron, which is the fastest car in the world, costs rather more than that.

[mirror.co.uk]

Simply sizzling! Kim Kardashian heats up the Mexican beach in an eye-catching orange bikini

She is famous for her curvy figure, and Kim Kardashian ensured she showed it off to the maximum on a recent holiday to Mexico.

The 31-year-old star sported an eye-catching halterneck orange bikini as she hit the beach with older sister Kourtney and her two-year-old nephew Mason. 

But Kim was not content to just spend the day sunbathing – instead trying her hand at bodyboarding in the warm ocean. 

Tangerine dream: Kim Kardashian showed off her curves in an orange bikini on a Mexican beach last month

And she certainly seemed to be taking to the sport like a duck to water, laughing as she cruised in to shore on her bright yellow boogie board.

The star also let her hair down for a stroll down the beach, and looked pensive as she shielded her eyes from the sun. 

Kim was clearly enjoying spending time with nephew Mason, carrying the smiling little boy as she splashed around in the water.

Tangerine dream: Kim, sporting wet hair in this show, clearly seemed to enjoy her body boarding experience

At one point, she and Kourtney swung delighted little Mason up and down as they walked down the near-deserted beach, before heading back to their private villa. 

He was dressed in black swimming trunks and a black hat with orange detail which matched his auntie Kim’s swimming costume. 

Mother Kourtney meanwhile, dressed her growing baby bump in a black swimsuit and sheer patterned wrap.

Making a splash: Kim shrieked with delight as she hit the waves in Mexico with her bodyboard

No slip up: Kim’s orange two piece luckily stayed firmly in place as she hit the waves

Riding the waves: Kim looked in good spirits as she tried to master the art of bodyboarding

She kept herself protected from the sun in a straw coloured hat with black ribbon.

The sisters were in Mexico to celebrate Kourtney’s 33rd birthday, but were without Mason’s father Scott. 

However, the sisters were joined by Kim’s friends Robin Antin and Carla DiBello, who also tried their hands at bodyboarding.

Sun, sea and sand: A delighted Kim successfully manages to bodyboard her way into shore

Read More >>

[dailymail.co.uk]

Top 10 Music Festivals

No Glastonbury this year, but there are lots of other festivals to keep you rocking and rolling all summer

Headbangers unite - rock out to Metallica, The Prodigy and Black Sabbath at Download

Download (June 8-10)

Metallica roar into Download

More than 80,000 metalheads will descend on Donington Park in Leicestershire to mark ­Download Festival’s 10th anniversary. The highlight of the weekend will be Metallica, playing their iconic Black album in its entirety on the Saturday night. The boys from Black Sabbath have kissed and made up with Ozzy and they take to the main stage on Sunday night. Dance act The Prodigy headline the Friday night. Other bands to rock out to include Machinehead, Slash, Soundgarden and Megadeth

The deal: Day tickets from £82.50 ­ camping tickets from £190

Rock Ness (June 8-12)

Loch in - Mumford & Sons at Loch Ness

The shores of Loch Ness provide the perfect setting for Ed Sheeran, ­Mumford & Sons and Noah & the Whale. Sassenachs who want to join the party should book the RockNess Express. Leaving from Euston on June 7 ­(back on the 11th) it arrives in ­Inverness (via Birmingham, Derby, York and Newcastle). The train will have music, food and drink for £225 including a VIP ticket to Rock Ness.

The deal: Day tickets from £64, camping from £159

Hop Farm (June 29-July 1)

His Bobness - Dylan plays Hop Farm

No sponsorship, no branding, no VIP ­areas. It’s all about the music at this Kent festival, something that Bob Dylan ­appreciates… this year he’ll be making his only UK festival appearance here. Also appearing are Bruce Forsyth and his big band, Joan Armatrading, Peter Gabriel, Patti Smith, The Stranglers and Billy Ocean. Free entry for kids under 12.

The deal: Day tickets from £55, ­weekend tickets £162

Womad (July 5-8)

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[mirror.co.uk]

Wish you were there: The world’s top spas with spectacular views

Don’t look down – architects select spas with the most amazing views

Nightswimming: Hong Kong by night, as seen from the pool at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong

How about some of these spas for a relaxing break?

Not much good if you have vertigo – admittedly, but once the nausea subsides, you can chill by the pool in your robe, or get a massage as you watch the world go by beneath you.

The Top 10 spas with a spectacular views have been compiled by German building information specialists, Emporis, with the Ritz-Carlton Spa by ESPA in Hong Kong (above) topping the list.

Located inside the 465-meter tall International Commerce Centre, the spa is part of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and includes an indoor swimming pool with panoramic views over Victoria Harbour from 116 floors above the ground.

The Top 10 were chosen from over 400 spas in cities around the world, and were rated on factors such as the spa’s height, view, location, architectural features and interior design.

According to Emporis, the last decade has seen an increasing number of luxury hotel spas opening at spectacular heights, as they try to offer visitors a “contemporary and holistic oasis” in busy city centres.

Asian megacities dominate the Top 10 as their dramatic skylines and bustling business centres provide a steady stream of weary working travellers looking to relax with the backdrop of a breathtaking view.

Coming in second place on the list was the the Banyan Tree Spa in Singapore, set atop the 207-meter Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. It attracts visitors with its stunning infinity pool that overlooks Singapore’s skyscrapers.

Runner-up: The stunning rooftop pool at the Banyan Tree Spa, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

In third place, Spa at the Mandarin Oriental is located on the 37th and 38th floors of the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, with dizzying views of Tokyo’s financial district.

3rd: Spa at Mandarin Oriental in the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, Tokyo

“The latest trend in the tourism industry allows travellers to unwind and to enjoy an incredible view of the city; relaxation and sightseeing are perfectly combined,” commented Matthew Keutenius, architecture expert at Emporis.

Here are the rest of the top ten:

4th: The Traders Hotel’s spa in Kuala Lumpur offers views of the Petronas Towers

5th: Stunning views of the harbour at the Park Hyatt Sydney

6th: The rooftop pool at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza, Taipei

7th: The Grand Hotel Central in Barcelona, Spain

8th: the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC spa was established in 2004

9th: The Millenium Hilton Bangkok at sunrise

10th: The view from the roof terrace at The George in Hamburg

For more affordable spa breaks closer to home, visit the Teletext Holidays UK Spa Breaks page.

[mirror.co.uk]

Flying the Dream: aboard Boeing’s brand new ‘jet lag-busting’ 787 Dreamliner

Nigel Thompson joins a demo flight aboard the Boeing’s revolutionary aircraft, which can fly 9,400 miles in one go

Thomson and First Choice will be the first UK airlines to take delivery of the Dreamliner in May 2013

Manchester United’s iconic Old Trafford football stadium is called the Theatre of Dreams.

So it seemed highly appropriate that I got a glimpse of the Red Devils’ home from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on a 500ft wing-waggling flypast at the city’s airport this week.

This revolutionary new “greener”, “jet lag-busting” passenger plane is seen as the greatest advance in aviation since Concorde and this week was on the UK leg of a world tour, which took in Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick airports.

I joined the Boeing crew and a team from Thomson Airways – which will be the first in Britain to take delivery of a 787 – at Manchester for a plane tour and two-hour test flight.

It’s a very fine looking jet with elegant, sweeping lines and distinctive flexible wings which rise up to 10ft at the tips on take-off, though it’s perhaps not as awesome close up as the mighty Airbus A380 double decker superjumbo.

But it’s inside that’s going to impress Thomson and First Choice passengers from May 2013 – swiftly followed by fliers travelling with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Holidaymakers heading from Manchester, Gatwick, East Midlands and Glasgow to Cancun, Mexico, and Sanford, Florida, on Thomson Airways will have the first opportunity to fly on the new jets.

It will offer travellers noticeable improvements, including:

● Moister air for less chance of dehydration and headaches;
● Cleaner air that’s had irritants such as perfume and alcohol removed;
● Lower cabin pressure, which is less tiring;
● Bigger windows and dynamic LED lighting;
● Wider aisles and higher ceilings; and
● A smoother, quieter journey.

While you can hardly avoid your body being say five times zones adrift from UK time if you’re in Florida, these are all factors which should combine to help to alleviate the effects of jetlag when you get off the plane.

The Dreamliner is made largely of carbon/polymer resin and consequently is lighter than similar sized aircraft and uses 20% less fuel, hence its “green” tag.

It also offers a tremendous range, up to 9,400 miles, which brings the realistic and tantalising prospect of direct flights to destinations such as Bali, Hawaii and even Perth.

You read that right – Australia in one go. Amazing.

Stretch out: Legroom will be 33-34" in Thomson economy, more than on MOST leisure flights

Hi-tech: You can plug in your smartphone aboard the Dreamliner

Nigel in the cockpit: Luckily the Dreamliner was still stationary in Manchester Airport

Keep Reading >>

[mirror.co.uk]

Celebrity Hangout

K LOUNGE

Mahiki
1 Dover Street, London, W1S 4LD
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Le Vacherin
77 South Parade, Chiswick, London W4 5LF
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SUDA

BANANA TREE SOHO

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[star-magazine.co.uk]

Where to Stay, Eat, and Play in America’s Best Mountain Towns

Steamboat Springs is Colorado's most genuinely western mountain town. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

When the lifts shut down in America’s mountain towns, out come the flip-flops, microbrews, and inner tubes. For a real recharge this summer, spend some time at our favorite high-altitude hotels, restaurants, and outfitters.
by Robert Earle Howells

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Stay
Hotel Bristol
With its downtown setting and Old West flavor, the Hotel Bristol is like walking into a Zane Grey novel.

Eat
Sweetwater Grill
The owners of the Sweetwater Grill used lottery winnings to create their dream restaurant on the banks of the Yampa River. Fresh local fare with ethnic flourishes.

Outfitter
Steamboat Flyfisher
When a world-class river flows through town, you’ve got to toss it a fly. A half-day float trip will set you back $325.

For details on MJ-endorsed hotels, restaurants, and outfitters in Truckee, California, click here.

Keep Reading >>

[mensjournal.com]