With the Norton Atlas and Atlas GT now fully revealed ahead of their expected launch later this year, we finally have a clear picture of what the brand's first new motorcycles for our market  will offer. While they share the same 585cc parallel-twin engine and electronics package, the Atlas and Atlas GT have been engineered for very different purposes. Here's a closer look at what sets them apart.

Norton Atlas vs Atlas GT: What stays the same?

The engine, electronics and braking hardware are identical on both bikes

Both the Atlas and Atlas GT are powered by the same 585cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine producing 70hp at 9,300rpm and 57.5Nm at 7,300rpm, paired with a six-speed gearbox, slipper clutch and bidirectional quickshifter as standard. The electronics package is also shared – a Bosch six-axis IMU underpins lean-sensitive ABS, cornering traction control, cornering cruise control, wheelie control, rear lift control and rear slide control, with five riding modes (Urban, Rain, Sport, Tour and Enduro) on both. An 8-inch touchscreen TFT display with turn-by-turn navigation, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and over-the-air update capability are also standard across both models.

Braking hardware is identical too, with dual 310mm front discs paired and a 270mm rear disc. The bikes also share the same 15.4-litre fuel tank. 

Both the Atlas and Atlas GT are also available in a higher-spec Apex variant, which adds electronic combined braking, hill-hold assist, heated grips, TPMS, LED cornering lights, and an easy-adjust windscreen as standard.

Norton Atlas vs Atlas GT: Suspension and wheels

The Atlas gets longer-travel suspension and a 19-inch front wheel; the GT gets 17-inch wheels at both ends

This is the most fundamental difference between the two bikes and the one that most defines their respective characters. The Atlas gets a fully adjustable KYB 43mm USD fork and monoshock combo with 180mm of travel front and rear, a 19-inch front/17-inch rear wheel setup (available in cast alloy or spoked steel), 220mm of ground clearance and an 845mm seat height. The larger front wheel and longer suspension travel should give it a more traditional adventure motorcycle character.

The Atlas GT takes a road-focused approach with 140mm of suspension travel at both ends and 17-inch wheels front and rear, which should translate to sharper steering and a more committed road-riding character. Seat height drops to 815mm, making it the more accessible of the two for shorter riders. 

Lewis Hamilton returned to the top step of the F1 podium after 686 days, winning the Barcelona GP in commanding fashion. This marks the 7-time world champion’s first Grand Prix win since he joined Ferrari last year. 

George Russell and Lando Norris finished second and third, respectively, making this the first all-British F1 podium since 1968.

1. Hamilton wins, 19.561 sec ahead of Russell
2. Antonelli, Leclerc suffer late retirements

Hamilton wins Barcelona GP

Ferrari’s decision to put Hamilton on soft tyres for the race start didn’t quite pay off, as polesitter Russell held on to the lead initially. However, the team’s decision to opt for a three-stop strategy ended up being the race-winning one. 

As Russell and Antonelli pitted for the second time, Hamilton finally moved into the lead, but he still had one more pit-stop to go. However, Fernando Alonso’s retirement handed Hamilton the golden opportunity to pit under the Virtual Safety Car, and he re-joined the track still in the lead with 24 laps to go.

Hamilton pulled away from there on, crossing the chequered flag with a commanding 19.561 sec lead. "I started out a dream last year which seemed almost impossible during my time last year, but we never gave up hope and the team just continued to lift me up,” said Hamilton.

“We made so many changes and we made so many improvements, and on top of that I’ve got the greatest fanbase a sportsman could ever ask for. Thank you, thank you to everybody."

Russell, Norris on podium as Antonelli retires

While Hamilton had the win locked in with a rather comfortable margin, the battle for the podium was far from over. With five laps to go, championship leader Kimi Antonelli passed his Mercedes teammate Russell to snatch second place. However, Antonelli stopped on track just moments later due to a late mechanical issue, ending his five-race victory streak. Soon after, Leclerc was also forced to retire after reporting that his power steering was broken. 

Russell ended up crossing the line in second place, followed by Norris. Red Bull collected some strong points with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finishing P4 and P6, respectively. The Red Bull duo was separated by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in P5. Alpine and Racing Bulls rounded out the top 10 with Pierre Gasly P7, Liam Lawson P8, Arvid Lindblad P9 and Franco Colapinto P10. Colapinto finished eighth on track, but was later handed a 10-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement.

2026 F1 championship standings

As a result of his retirement, Antonelli’s championship lead has now been slashed to 41 points from Hamilton. Russell holds on to third place overall, but he’s now nine points behind Hamilton and 50 points behind Antonelli.

F1 will now head to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian GP on June 26-28.

2026 F1 Barcelona GP results

First revealed in November 2025, the Genesis Magma GT Concept has now been showcased with its interior for the first time. The two-seat cabin combines quilted leather upholstery with a twin-cockpit layout and a high centre console that separates the driver and passenger. Behind the flat-bottom steering wheel is an analogue-style instrument cluster, while three circular displays are positioned on the dashboard. The interior also incorporates a gated-style gear selector and tactile controls. Sculpted sports seats and extensive leather trim paired with Alcantara further emphasize the Magma GT concept's grand touring character.

Genesis – a luxury sub-brand of Hyundai– has unveiled the Magma GT3 Concept, a race car study that previews the brand's future GT3 racing programme. The concept features a dramatically widened body, extensive aerodynamic modifications, a large rear wing, prominent diffuser and racing slick tyres. Genesis' signature twin-line lighting elements have been adapted for track use, while large cooling openings and functional aero components dominate the design. The Magma GT3 Concept was revealed alongside the road-going Magma GT Concept and signals Genesis' intent to expand its presence in high-performance motorsport.

The Suzuki Fronx Sport Edition has been launched in Malaysia as a styling-focused version of the crossover. Based on the standard Fronx, it features a sportier exterior with a front lip extension, side skirts, a larger rear diffuser, a tailgate-mounted spoiler and new 17-inch alloy wheels. Other distinguishing elements include a blacked-out grille, dark Suzuki badging and exclusive 'Fronx Sport' graphics along the sides. The cabin is largely unchanged, although the Sport Edition adds front and rear dashcams as standard. Power comes from Suzuki's 1.5-litre K15C naturally aspirated petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance, producing 105hp and 138Nm and paired with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Among the three, one-off models that Porsche unveiled at the premier of Toy Story 5 was the 911 Targa 4 GTS inspired by Jessie. Like the other two bespoke 911s, it was the German brand’s Sonderwunsch division that was behind this creation too. This particular Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS is part of as a charitable initiative by the automaker to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the American Red Cross and Starlight Children’s Foundation. A 3.6-litre turbocharged flat-six engine with a T-Hybrid system develops 532hp, while transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed dual-clutch (PDK) automatic.

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Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that he has signed regulations permitting the use of E100 fuel for vehicles in India. The move creates a legal framework for automakers to introduce flex-fuel vehicles designed to run on high ethanol blends.

The announcement comes weeks after E85 fuel was introduced in Delhi and signals the government's intent to expand the use of ethanol beyond the current E20 programme.

1. More ethanol-compatible vehicles expected in the coming months
2. Dedicated fuel infrastructure will be needed before wider rollout
3. Higher ethanol blends generally result in higher fuel consumption than petrol

E100 fuel gets legal backing

Speaking at the Sugar, Ethanol & Bio-Energy India Conference in Nagpur, Gadkari said he had signed the file authorizing the use of E100 fuel. "Last night at 8 PM, I signed the file, finalizing the regulations to legally authorize the use of 100 percent ethanol," Gadkari said.

The approval marks a significant step beyond India's E20 programme, which focuses on blending ethanol with petrol. By creating a framework for E100, the government has opened the door for vehicles designed to run on ethanol as a primary fuel, alongside electric, CNG and hybrid alternatives.

More flex-fuel vehicles on the way

The announcement follows the unveiling of Maruti Suzuki's flex-fuel WagonR and Hero MotoCorp's ethanol-compatible motorcycles, both designed to run on higher ethanol blends. Gadkari added that Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai and MG are expected to introduce E100-compatible vehicles within the next month and a half.

The approval is expected to encourage further investment in flex-fuel engines and ethanol-compatible fuel systems. Vehicles designed to run on high ethanol blends require specialized engine calibration and fuel-system components compared to conventional petrol-powered models.

Challenges remain

While the regulations remove a key hurdle, widespread adoption of E100 is likely to take time. Despite its name, E100 is not pure ethanol. The fuel typically contains around 93-95 percent ethanol, with the remainder comprising petrol and other additives that aid cold starts and fuel handling.

Existing E20-compatible vehicles cannot simply switch to E100. The significantly higher ethanol content requires major changes to engine calibration, fuel-system components and materials, which is why dedicated flex-fuel vehicles are required.

Fuel availability will also be a challenge. Oil marketing companies will need to develop dedicated E100 dispensing infrastructure, while storage and distribution systems may require upgrades to handle ethanol's different properties.

Higher ethanol blends also contain less energy than petrol, which means vehicles running on E100 generally consume more fuel for the same distance travelled.

The move is expected to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and increase the use of domestically produced biofuels. However, large-scale adoption will ultimately depend on vehicle availability, fuel infrastructure and consumer acceptance.

A car that’s not been cleaned is not only a visual deterrence, it also increases drag and thus reduces overall efficiency. This happens because the air flowing over (or around) the vehicle’s body gets disrupted by small particles and becomes turbulent. An unkempt interior, too, looks bad and can cause distractions while driving. Cleaning your car might be one of the most obvious aspects of vehicle ownership, but doing so without adequate preparation and the right gear can cause more harm than good.

Do not use unsuitable cleaning tools

Fabrics used for human clothing can leave behind swirl marks and lint quite easily if used to wipe a car clean. They can also drag particles across the surface, leading to micro scratches on the paint and the glass. Steer clear of rags or dirty clothes for similar reasons. Similarly, a microfiber cloth used to clean the wheels shouldn’t be reused on painted body panels, as this can introduce more abrasive particles from lower down in the vehicle and cause scratches and swirl marks. Using the wrong type of brush can prematurely wear soft-touch materials, leading to scuffs, scratches and micro-tears.

Use dedicated tools for different areas

Whether it be cloths, brushes or any other cleaning tools, ensure they’re separated based on the spot they cleaned. This will keep the risk of cross-contamination at bay, thereby avoiding dirtying the surfaces that have already been cleaned – be it metal body panels, glass, exterior plastic trim, and interior plastic & soft-touch trim.

Avoid unsuitable cleaning products

Using household detergents to clean the exterior of your car can erode the protective coating applied over the paint. Furthermore, repeated exposure to such harsh detergents can degrade the plastic trim and tyres over time. Using kitchen or bathroom cleaners can damage cabin areas made out of or covered in soft-touch plastics, leatherette or leather upholsteries, and metallic or chrome garnishes, as these cleaners often contain harsh chemicals.

Pick the right cleaner for the job

Always pick a dedicated car shampoo, which is formulated to get rid of grime and muck without damaging your car’s paintwork, protective coating, or other exterior features that may include chrome or metallic trim. Moving inside, choose solutions that are specifically meant to be used on your car’s interior. It’s also recommended to use different cleaners for the seats, dashboard, digital displays and glass surfaces.

Improper washing techniques

Exposure to direct sunlight can quickly evaporate water droplets and residual foam from the surface after a thorough wash. This can leave behind tell-tale signs like streaks and blotches, requiring another round of cleaning. Deploying a pressure washer in close proximity to a car can damage its exterior finish, rubber seals and plastic body panels. Modern cars are also fitted with various sensors and electronic equipment, and forcing water into these sensitive areas under high pressure can lead to malfunctions in one or more of the vehicle’s systems.

Using excessive amounts of water to clean the seats and floor mats can soak the foam padding underneath, resulting in moisture accumulation, mould formation and unpleasant odours. It can also damage electrical wiring, potentially causing powered-seat mechanisms and seat ventilation, heating and massage functions to malfunction.

Wash the car correctly

Rinsing your car thoroughly before washing it with shampoo gets rid of dust and other small contaminants. However, avoid hard water (borewell water, for example) as it often contains salts and minerals, which can leave behind residue once the water dries. This is where the ‘two-bucket method’ comes in, wherein one bucket contains clean water and the other contains the shampoo solution. Following this method will help prevent dirt and grime from being reintroduced onto the vehicle during the washing process.

Regardless, start washing from the roof and work your way down to prevent transferring grime from lower sections onto cleaner surfaces. If you must use a pressure washer, avoid hitting sensors and other sensitive components. Upon completion, dry your car with clean microfiber cloths.

Do not ignore contaminants

It’s common to find cars splattered with dead bugs or covered in bird droppings. Seemingly harmless at first, these contain organic matter and enzymes that can damage the paint or clear coat if left unattended. In the case of bird droppings, concentrated levels of uric acid can leave permanent marks if they’re not removed soon.

Remove contaminants quickly

Bird droppings, splattered bugs, stray vegetation and other foreign contaminants should be removed as soon as possible. Being prompt with this will help you keep your car’s paint and clear coat from staining or etching, keeping them in good form for a longer period.

Avoid damaging sensitive cabin trim

Most modern cars come with multiple screens, with digital multi-information displays (MIDs) or a digital instrument clusters and infotainment touchscreens being common. Spraying cleaning products directly onto them can wear down the touch-sensitive areas and damage the electronic components behind the screens if excess liquid makes it past the small gaps around them. Soft-touch cabin trim can also experience premature wear if subjected to the wrong tool or cleaning solution.

Use the correct cleaning method

Depending on the interior surface in question, you may have to use different types of cleaning tools. For example, certain plastic cabin trim will require the use of a soft brush to get rid of stuck dirt. On the other hand, keep microfiber cloths on hand to wipe clean the touchscreen and the panel for the gauge cluster. However, apply cleaning products to a microfiber cloth rather than directly onto displays.

Do not ignore hidden areas

While visible body panels and interior surfaces receive most of the attention, dirt, moisture and debris often accumulate in less obvious locations such as in and around the doors, bumpers, wheel arches, floor mats and carpets. Neglecting these areas can lead to grime build-up, along with unpleasant odours and premature material deterioration.

Clean hidden areas regularly

Once you’re done cleaning the major portions of your car, move on to some of the nooks and crannies. Areas like the door hinges, door sills and door handles can accumulate dirt quite easily. Similarly, recesses for the fuel-filler or charging port door, rear spoiler (if equipped) and rain gutters (if visible) become dirty over time. Stray vegetation and debris can also make their way under the bonnet. Then there are nooks and crannies around the tyres, mudflaps and bumpers – these need to be cleaned regularly too.

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Honda India is rolling out enticing benefits on models like the Elevate, City (pre-facelift), and Amaze, throughout this month. These benefits comprise cash discounts, exchange offers, loyalty bonuses, corporate offers, extended warranty discounts, and more.

Note: Offers may vary by city and stock availability. Please check with your nearest Honda dealership for the exact figures.

Honda Elevate discounts in June 2026

Benefits up to Rs 2.15 lakh

At up to Rs 2.15 lakh, the top-spec ZX trim of the Elevate features the highest benefits of any Honda car this month. Next up is the one-above-base Elevate V trim, which gets benefits of up to Rs 1.61 lakh, followed by the one-below-top VX trim at Rs 1.53 lakh, and then the mid-spec V at Rs 1.47 lakh.

Benefits on the base Elevate SV petrol-manual variant, meanwhile, extend up to just Rs 43,000. The Elevate price starts at Rs 11.60 lakh and extends to Rs 16.16 lakh, excluding premiums for cosmetic packages.

Honda Amaze discounts in June 2026

Benefits up to Rs 67,000

Honda still sells the second-gen Amaze alongside the newer third-gen model in India. For the second-gen Amaze, its sole S trim gets discounts of up to Rs 58,000. Benefits are higher for the third-gen model, totalling Rs 67,000 for the top-spec ZX petrol-manual variant, while buyers of the Amaze ZX CVT can save up to Rs 38,000.

The mid-spec Amaze VX trim is available with up to Rs 48,000 in benefits, whereas the base V trim gets up to Rs 28,000 for the same. Prices for the second-gen Amaze start at Rs 6.98 lakh and top off at Rs 7.80 lakh, while the third-gen model ranges from Rs 7.51 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Honda City discounts in June 2026

Benefits up to Rs 1.97 lakh

With the 2026 City facelift now in showrooms, Honda is offering benefits of up to Rs 1.97 lakh on the pre-facelift hybrid model to clear inventory. Benefits on petrol variants of the pre-facelift City extend up to Rs 1.56 lakh for the top-spec ZX trim, while buyers of the CVT versions of the VX and V trims can avail up to Rs 1.33 lakh and Rs 96,000 in savings, respectively. Lastly, the City SV, V, and VX petrol-manual variants get benefits of up to Rs 1.15 lakh.

All prices are ex-showroom, India.

The Surrey Hills on a sunny May morning are unfairly beautiful. The lanes unspool through tunnels of budding beech, the tarmac still faintly damp from the night before, and the air carries that particular English countryside smell – wet earth, cut grass, possibility. I am on a Royal Enfield Classic 650, idling in the shadow of a Victorian water tower.

The tower behind me was already three years old when Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. Both are relics of the Victorian age, both still in use, and neither appears ready to retire. 

Elspeth rolls up on a Royal Enfield Himalayan with the easy confidence of someone who has ridden across five continents. She stops beside me, visor up, eyes bright.

“Shall we?” she says.

Yes, we shall.

Forty-three years ago, Elspeth Beard was 23, freshly heartbroken, and fed up with being condescended to. When a British motorcycle magazine laughed at her plan to ride solo around the world, that laughter became rocket fuel. In October 1982, she pointed her 1974 BMW R60/6 toward the horizon and simply rode.

No sponsors. No GPS. No mobile phone. With just enough money to get across the Atlantic, a Haynes manual, and a stubbornness that would prove almost geological. Thirty-five thousand miles later, in 1984, she had crossed America, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan and Europe, surviving crashes, illness, robbery in Singapore, brake failure on Zoji La, and the danger of riding through Punjab during a period of terrorism. She became the first British woman to circumnavigate the globe by motorcycle, then went home, qualified as an architect, and said almost nothing about it for thirty years.

She is 67 now, and she rides like someone completely at home on a motorcycle.

We pull away from the tower. In 1988, she bought the derelict 130-foot Munstead Water Tower at auction without planning permission or listed building consent – a huge gamble everyone said she couldn’t win. The council insisted it was impossible to convert into a home, citing rigid restrictions on fire escapes and historic preservation. But her world ride had taught her that nothing was truly impossible; difficulties could always be surmounted. She fought for 18 months, winning an appeal to the Department of the Environment that relaxed the key rules. Over the next seven years of blood, sweat and ingenuity, she transformed it into her six-floor home, complete with 142 steps to the roof – an award-winning design that preserved its industrial soul.

The Classic 650 settles into its twin-cylinder thump beneath me, a sound that feels both contemporary and ancestral. The Surrey Hills open around us, light breaking through the trees in long slanted shafts.

I first met Elspeth in June 2024, at this very tower. I had stumbled upon her book – Lone Rider – and had reached out to her with regards to a series of overlanding stories I was writing. I arrived expecting someone formidable. What I found was someone warm, funny, precise and entirely without affectation. We had 45 minutes and ended up talking for two hours – about the ride, the BMW, what it felt like to be a young woman alone in Baluchistan in 1983, and the repairs she improvised along the way.

I asked whether she had studied the Haynes manual in detail before setting off or simply learned as she went.

“Both,” she said. “You read the manual, and then the road teaches you things the manual never thought to mention.”

That meeting led to her being invited to speak at a motorcycle festival in Goa. Characteristically, she did not land in Goa. 

She flew into Mumbai, and a small group of us rode along the Maharashtra coast to Goa over three days. It was the third time Elspeth rode in India. The second was in 2002, when she returned as back-up driver and support for adventurer Nick Sanders, shepherding 23 riders across the globe in three months. She often drove a truck for 18 hours and 900 miles a day, and when riders fell off, she took their bikes. 

“On that trip”, she said, “I led a part of that ride from Madras – it is still Madras to me – to Bangalore, then Goa and Bombay, riding on a Royal Enfield Bullet.”

Riding with her in India, I got to see her off the page and in the saddle. She was unfussy and unpretentious. When asked what she wanted from a menu, she would say, “I’ll just dig into whatever is on the table.” If offered a choice of rooms, she would say, “Any room is fine by me.” She rode through the sweltering coastal humidity and rural Indian cacophony without complaint and moved through each day with the settled ease of someone who sorted out her relationship with discomfort a long time ago.

The lanes narrow as we drop into a valley, the hedgerows closing in, the tarmac damp in the shade. The Classic 650 feels planted and eager, steering with the directness these roads reward. I think about Royal Enfield’s 125 years not as a heritage story, but as a geological fact. Brands come and go; Royal Enfield has just kept making motorcycles. The company is Indian-owned now, and the Classic 650 is manufactured in Chennai. Yet the silhouette and character still carry something recognisably continuous with the motorcycles Royal Enfield was making when the English throne was still warm with Victoria’s presence.

I catch up with Elspeth at a junction and we pause.

“Does a brand that refuses to let go of its analogue soul resonate with you more than the high-tech superbikes of today?” I ask.

“There is something in a Royal Enfield that speaks to the idea of motorcycling as an experience rather than a performance,” she says. “You’re not being managed by the motorcycle. You’re riding it. There are no chapters and chapters of menus and settings. It feels refreshingly analogue, and I like that.”

I ask about Britishness – whether she feels anything specific in riding the oldest British motorcycle brand still in production through these Surrey lanes.

“The old Enfields had a very particular feel,” she says. “A thump, and a fussiness– they were quite fastidious machines, actually. These new ones, the engines are smooth, that fussiness and the mood swings are gone. But the form has remained. And that form is a hark back to the glorious days of British motorcycling. Royal Enfield has stayed true to that silhouette. You see this bike on a Surrey lane and something in you remembers what vintage British motorcycling used to feel like.”

We stop mid-morning at the Little Barn Café in Elstead. We order coffee, quiche and Greek salad. The Himalayan and the Classic 650 sit outside in the sunshine like patient dogs, and over the table, the ride momentarily slows down.

I ask whether, as an architect, she sees something of enduring architecture in Royal Enfield’s century-old design language.

“It is a masterclass in form following function,” she says. “They haven’t added things for the sake of adding them. What you see is what it does. That’s honest design. In a world of plastic-clad adventure bikes that look like they’re going to the moon, there is something very grounding about that.”

“And the metal, the chrome, the heft?” I ask.

“Planted,” she says immediately. “Solid. I like the simplicity of it. You know exactly where you stand.” 

“That is, unless of course, it falls on you,” she says with a wry smile – she once took a tumble as a pillion on a Classic 650 and broke her leg in three places.

I ask about self-sufficiency with motorcycles today, recalling her ability to keep the BMW running on her RTW trip through conditions that would defeat most mechanics.

“To a certain extent, yes,” she says. “You could change the oil, the filter, grease the chain, deal with a puncture. The basics. But I wouldn’t think you could strip the engine completely and rebuild it the way I did with my BMW. Which is fine – you’re not going to need to, most of the time. But the spirit of accessibility is still there.”

Then I ask the question I have been building toward all morning: if she were doing that 35,000-mile ride today, would it be possible to recapture the magic?

“You can’t do what I did,” she says without hesitation. “Not really. There is always an invisible buffer now. There is an eye in the sky even in the middle of nowhere. You can’t truly getaway.  Your last credit card transaction puts an approximate fix on your recent location, and your phone can be triangulated to pinpoint your precise location. And you can’t opt out of the digital space, either. Travel today is built on the phone and the credit card. Try to go without them, and you’ll find the infrastructure simply doesn’t work for you. The world has been wired in a way that makes disconnected analogue travel almost impossible.”

She pauses and then adds, “which is extraordinary, when you think about it. And a little sad.”

We finish our meal, pull on helmets and gloves, and head back into the hills. I ride alongside her on a long straight, the two engines in an easy rhythm, and the morning opens out around us.

After 20 minutes we stop at a view point, and I ask whether it is hard to find adventure in these lanes after the excitement and uncertainty of say the Karakoram Highway.

“The riding is beautiful here,” she says. “But the feeling is completely different. Out there – really out there, far from home in a strange country – everything sharpens. You are acutely aware of every sound the motorcycle makes, every change in the road, every person you pass, because that motorcycle is all you have. That awareness is its own kind of high. Here, you know home is around the corner. You relax, you breathe, you enjoy it. It’s the difference between edge and ease. Both are real. But they are not the same thing. And honestly, sometimes you miss the edge.”

We roll back to the tower as the morning tips toward afternoon. She dismounts, pulls off her helmet, and tucks it under her arm. She opens the garage door and wheels the Himalayan inside, and I catch myself standing still.

The garage is less a storage space than a testament. There is the 1998 R80 GS Basic, bought in 2001 and still her everyday motorcycle. There is an immaculate 1973 R75/5. There is a lightweight Yamaha Serow for trail riding. There is a Porsche in there too. And there, standing modestly in a corner, is the BMW R60/6 – her R60/6 – the motorcycle she rode around the world in 1982 and later restored with painstaking care.

It sits not on a pedestal, but among the other machines, as it should: a working part of a collection still very much in use.

Looking at the garage and then at the woman who filled it, I am struck by the fact that this love affair with machines, motion and the freedom of two wheels did not begin in 1982. It began earlier, in a teenager who looked at a motorcycle and saw possibility rather than danger. That teenager became the woman who circled the globe, turned a Victorian water tower into a home, and is nowhere near done.

Back outside, she looks at the Himalayan one last time before closing the door.

“You know what’s nice about this?” she says. “It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to impress you. It just feels like a motorcycle.”

From Elspeth Beard, that is just about the highest praise a motorcycle can receive.