The lubrication of internal combustion engines began with the need to prevent moving parts from damaging each other. As one surface slides or rolls against another, extreme temperatures are generated in the very small regions in which the high points of one surface contact those of the other. Metals melt and fuse, forming micro-welds. These welds are broken by the further motion of the parts, generating surface damage and liberating wear particles.

Even a tiny amount of lubricant can prevent most of this by forming a film which separates the parts very slightly. This greatly extends parts life. One example is wheel bearings, which because they turn slowly and generate little heat can be lubricated by grease. Grease is a mixture of a soap, which provides structure, and oil, which is the lubricant. The gearboxes of many motorcycles through about 1935 were likewise lubricated by grease. As friction and parts motion generated heat, oil melted out of the grease to form lubricating films.

As machine parts move faster, the ability of grease to adhere to them disappears and oil must be conveyed to where it is needed in some other way. The earliest engines were lubricated by 'splash' - pouring a liter or less oil into the crankcase and allowing the motion of the rotating crank to throw it everywhere. Small guides were often cast into the inner surfaces of the crankcase to channel oil to holes that led to the main bearings. As oil made its way past piston rings and thence out of the engine, more had to be provided from a small tank by a hand pump. This was operated by a vigilant rider who looked back often. If there were no smoky trail, the engine needed a shot of oil.

According to Honda, the Honda NC700X is the answer to all our prayers. Research commissioned by Honda motorcycles found that most people rode below 140km/h using precious few revs, so have built the NC700X to fulfill that remit. Parallels to the car world are easily drawn – after all the new NC700X engine is effectively half an Honda Jazz engine. So all the launch presentation highlighting the R&D of the engine, advanced techniques and developing unique solutions sounds a little far-fetched.

The Honda NC 'platform' in Thailand comprises this, the NC700X, and the Honda Integra. They both use the 670cc engine, share chassis and components and only differ in form and perceived function.

If we look at the technology used by Honda you can't find anything wrong. One of the biggest positive sales point would probably be the fuel economy, and given it burns 2.94 liter fuel for every 100km this is almost uncharted territory for motorcycles – or rather a lack of it. It's fine for a commute or as gentle tourer, but if you're looking for excitement then you might want to look for some other motorcycle.

Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies continued to show promising form today in the second day of the Sepang test, the first official 1000cc MotoGP test of 2012. Having spent yesterday getting back into the rhythm of riding, today was spent focusing on comparative testing in a number of areas.

The team worked to gather data to optimise the balance of the 2012 YZR-M1 chassis whilst also working to refine the power delivery of the increased engine capacity through electronics and power delivery. Spies led the field for the majority of the day with team mate Lorenzo just behind, the Texan eventually knocked from the top spot by just 0.157 seconds by Casey Stoner. Tomorrow’s final day of testing will see a further shakedown by the Yamaha riders before they return in one month’s time for the second test of the season.

MotoGP 2012 finally got underway today with the first of three days of testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies took their first ride on the 1000cc YZR-M1 since last year. Both riders blew the cobwebs off quickly and settled down to an impressive pace, Lorenzo proving to be the fastest man on track with his team mate always close behind him.

The focus for the first day was to get back into the swing of riding and also to establish a good base set up. Tomorrow and the day after Lorenzo and Spies will compare various new settings to provide valuable data for the second Sepang test in one month’s time.

From the early '80s the motorcycle industry has been telling us that the future of the internal combustion engine lay in ceramics rather than metal, and that the result of the switch would be a revolution in massive power-to-weight ratios, frugal economy and ultra-clean emissions.

Time has past and we're still waiting for ceramic engines. On the face of it, once you'd come to terms with the idea of your engine being made from the stuff of chinaware, the idea seemed to be genius. Ceramics are far lighter than even aluminum, can be made with endless different properties, including immense strength, the ability to withstand – and insulate – incredible temperatures, and be close to frictionless without the need for messy oil-based lubrication.

When it cam to using ceramics in engines, the big bonus was their ability to cope with heat without expanding or melting, and several motorcycle manufacturers built prototypes to prove it.

After some bumps in the road, Harley-Davidson is back in the saddle and riding high – or in the case of the Harley-Davidson FXS Blackline, riding low. This bad boy cruiser, which is essentially a Softail 'pared to the bone', has the lowest saddle height of any Harley-Davidson ever, at just over 600mm. It's so much of a low rider that even the pillion can touch down to help balance the motorcycle when stopped at a set of lights. Not that any self-respecting Harley-Davidson owner needs assistance keeping the ride upright.

The Harley-Davidson FXS Blackline is finished in Dark Custom style and theoretically appeals to a younger demographic. Cue plenty of matte- and gloss- black'dark as tar at midnight' highlighting, representing a 'rebellious celebration of the open road'.

The Softail silhouette is meant to convey the illusion of a person riding an engine and, to that end, all superfluous flim-flam has gone. For example, the fuel gauge that used to resemble a filler on the left side of the tank has disappeared, replaced by a low-fuel warning light in the tiny analogue speedo. A conspicuously minute headlight in a black shell finishes the back-to-basics look up front, while the rear sports a new bobbed fender. Being a Softail, the motorcycle looks as if it has no rear suspension, as the swingarm section replicates the lines of a vintage hardtail, but it actually does, in the form of hidden, horizontal coil-over shocks.

You can bolt on as many go-faster aftermarket goodies as you like to your motorcycle, but the most effective way of making your motorcycle go faster is simply sorting your set-up. When your motorcycle leaves the factory gates the manufacturer has no idea who will be riding the motorcycle. So a motorcycle's suspension has to be set to a average level that can accommodate any weight of rider.

But fear not, the array of anodized adjusters that festoon your fork and shock are there to help you tailor your motorcycle to your individual weight and riding style. That's the good news. The bad news is that as well as improving your motorcycle, fiddling with these adjusters can also bugger up the handling.

But with some assistance, you should be armed with the basics to give you the confidence to approach your suspension and start fiddling as we describe what each adjuster does and what its effect feels like on a motorcycle. When riding your motorcycle, see if it has any of the symptoms we diagnose, this may point you in the right direction when it comes to adjustment. Read what suspension experts say as they explain what's happening inside your suspension – and why – to give you a greater understanding of how your motorcycle's bouncy bits work.

Crescent Suzuki has received its first shipment of performance parts from tuning partner Yoshimura as the World Superbike Championship team continues its preparations for the official tests and first race at Phillip Island in Australia at the end of next month.

The team's first two Yoshimura developed engines and prototype 'Yoshimura R-11' exhaust systems that will be used by John Hopkins and Leon Camier arrived from Japan and the team has lost no time building the bikes and getting them ready for shipment early next month.

Said Team Manager Jack Valentine: "The boys were really excited when the Yoshimura stuff arrived and since then they've been busy completing the GSX-R1000's. The new Yoshimura R-11 exhausts look very trick and I think we're well advanced in getting the bikes built and ready, everything is coming together nicely now and we're really looking forward to getting on the track again.

Ducati have had a string of hits recently with the new – generation Monster, the Multistrada and Diavel. But the original Streetfighter didn't match those models popularity despite the rave reviews that followed its unveiling at the Milan Motorshow three years ago. Its style and performance were unquestioned, but the 1099cc 157 horsepower eight-valve engine was too extreme and expensive for many potential buyers.

Enter the Ducati Streetfighter 848, designed to give the Italian boutique motorcycle manufacturer's naked eight-valve family a model that is more friendly to both rider and wallet. As the name suggests, this motorcycle essentially comprises the eight-valve engine from the Ducati 848 EVO in a Streetfighter chassis. It has the same style and level of technology as the original 'Fighter, but comes with a softer engine and suspension, more comfortable ergonomics and a lower price.

Easy to overlook perhaps but a good battery charger can be worth their weight in gold, or knackered old flat batteries at least.

What can be easier than buying a battery charger, charging up a dead battery and heading off into the sunset of a bright new riding adventure? Well, quite a lot really. A good battery charger isn't just about throwing volts into your motorcycle's battery of charge and forgetting about it, the least versions of battery chargers keep things topped up but do it in a very clever way.

There's reverse polarity protection, pulse cycles and even automatic monitoring of individual battery cells to ensure that the right amount of charge goes where it's needed, when it's needed.

So it's best to keep these key points in mind when buying a battery charger for your motorcycle. You don't want to spend your hard earned money on something that doesn't fit the bill, after all. Especially when a good battery charger can last for years – far outweighing the cost of a motorcycle battery or two.