John Milbank

Job Title

BikeSocial Consumer Editor

Who is he?

I started riding relatively late in life, after a pillion ride on a Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP in 1996, but since then I've owned an ever-growing list of bikes with '90s sports 600s seeming to be particularly prominent – I've currently got a 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R that I bought without testing, then stripped and rebuilt (it feels like new now), and a 2019 BMW R1250GS. I've just sold the Honda MSX125 that I customised to look like an Africa Twin – the Africa Grom – and only recently traded in my BMW S1000XR for the GS.

Here's the current list in roughly the order I bought them:

Honda CBR600FM
SYM Jet 100
Honda Dominator
Honda CBR600FT
Honda MTX125
Yamaha DT80
Honda CRM250
Yamaha SR125
Ducati Monster S4
Honda CBR600FX
Honda Vision 50
Yamaha WR250
FunBikes supermoto pit bike
Ducati Monster S4R
KTM 1050 Adventure
Yamaha XSR700 that I customised then rode to Spain. It was on the Yamaha Stand at the NEC a while back, called Cada Dia.
Honda MSX125
Yamaha MT-10
BMW S1000XR
Kawasaki ZX-6R
BMW R1250GS

They're the ones I've actually owned; Ive ridden hundreds of bikes over the years and loved them all (except one – ask me about it sometime). I've worked in media since 1995, the majority of which has been in motorcycling and a self-confessed geek, I’ll find things to tinker with in the garage just as an excuse to get the spanners out. I'm also more than a little obsessed with product testing, firmly believing that whether kit costs £1 or £1,000, bikers should be able to read the most thorough and honest reviews possible.

I ride every day, unless I absolutely have to take the car (our dog doesn't sit well on the back of the bike) as I hate being stuck in traffic. I enjoy track time but lack the competitive spirit to want to race – it's just a chance to enjoy getting my knee down.

Twitter: @BikingMilbank

Email: john.milbank@bennetts.co.uk