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Riding schools’ insurance hell Getting a bike licence already faces dramatically more hurdles than getting a car licence in the UK, but for learners and riding schools in Northern Ireland, the landscape just became almost impossible to navigate. All the major insurers capable of offering riding school insurance have pulled out of the region, leaving riding schools no option other than closure, with the potential loss of 500+ jobs. Join the Grand Tour this summer If you want to combine great handling, engaging engines, sporty performance and affordability, you should have Yamaha’s Tracer 9GT and Suzuki’s top-selling GSX-R1000 GT on your test ride list. These two GTs take the concept of travelling big miles in comfort without losing exhilarating performance from the equation. But which model is more deserving of your hard-earned money? FIRST RIDE: Street-fighting for the fun of it Ducati’s Streetfighter V4S is a proper Jekyll & Hyde super-naked, just as capable of the daily commute as it is carving up the fast group on a track day with monster power and incredible electronic rider aids. And Ducati have updated it for 2023 with a host of handling and electronics tweaks to make it even more effective. We tested it at Andalucia. BARGAIN HUNTER: Cracking bike kit for under £50! You can’t really buy a decent helmet for under £50, can you? Well, this week you can, with LS2’s flip-front ringing the till at just £49.99. Setting the tone for this week’s Bargain Hunter, there’s another six stonking kit deals for under £50 – including riding boots, a cleaning kit package, Oxford oversuit, riding gloves, an R&G bike cover and Dainese leg bag.