Motorbike Advice: make the most of motorcycling

Your one-stop shop for all motorbike advice, including how-tos, getting a motorcycle licence, servicing, maintenance and more.

Find out which bikes you should be choosing in our expertly curated Best section.

For those looking to learn how to ride a motorbike, head to our Learning to Ride hub, where we cover all you need to know about getting into this wonderful lifestyle.

If you've already got going, check out our Riding Tips section for the best guides and top techniques.

Looking for somewhere to go? Don't miss our Places to Visit area for some ideas for your next rideout.

And when you get home, learn how to look after your bike in our Bike Maintenance hub.

Grab a slice of Noale naughtiness with my pick of the best used Aprilias you can buy right now!

Grab a slice of Noale naughtiness with my pick of the best used Aprilias you can buy right now!

About 25 years ago a mate bought a used Aprilia. It was great… or it was until bothersome niggles and dire parts supply kept it off the road for 12 months. Such tales still affect the firm’s...

Honda's latest CBR is brilliant, but earlier ones are fantastic too! Here are my top used buys

Honda's latest CBR is brilliant, but earlier ones are fantastic too! Here are my top used buys

Honda have revived the CBR600RR for Europe, but do you need to pay something like £11,000 to own a CBR? Of course not… The CBR has been around since 1987 when the CBR600F-H ‘jelly mould’ first...

Modern adventure bikes regularly top £20k brand new, but these used bargains for £3k get my vote

Modern adventure bikes regularly top £20k brand new, but these used bargains for £3k get my vote

Tall, upright and comfortable, adventure bikes make for great tourers – and that’s the secret of their enduring success. If you are after a bike to carry you and a pillion on a tarmac trip away,...

These discarded delights are victims of Euro5+ regs, but I reckon that makes them epic used buys!

These discarded delights are victims of Euro5+ regs, but I reckon that makes them epic used buys!

With the introduction of Euro5+ emission regs, manufacturers are cutting the dead wood from their ranges. Amid a tough new bike market, models that aren’t selling well simply don’t warrant the...

Spring is in the air! Time to buy something special for the sunny season? Here are my top tips...

Spring is in the air! Time to buy something special for the sunny season? Here are my top tips...

What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than by buying your next used bike? It certainly beats winter’s darkness. Related: Great riding gear for sportsbikes There is nothing...

My list of mega middleweight mile-munchers prove you can go touring on a tight budget!

My list of mega middleweight mile-munchers prove you can go touring on a tight budget!

Traditionally, touring bikes tend to be big and heavy but there is no set rule that says you need a big capacity model to rack up the miles, especially if you plan on doing it solo. Middleweights make...

These oddballs are proof that bike firms don't always get it right... I think they're fascinating

These oddballs are proof that bike firms don't always get it right... I think they're fascinating

Sometimes a manufacturer releases a bike that is, well, just a bit bizarre! It doesn’t happen all that often but when it does you have to stand back and admire the willingness to push boundaries and...

These used middleweight adventure roadsters offer marvellous value and do-it-all ability

These used middleweight adventure roadsters offer marvellous value and do-it-all ability

Middleweight adventure bikes make for brilliant do-it-alls. With tall, upright, riding positions ensuring the rider is placed in a comfortable stance, plus long tank ranges, these bikes are more than...

Secondhand starters: Here are five feel-good first bikes I reckon a learner will love, for only £2k!

Secondhand starters: Here are five feel-good first bikes I reckon a learner will love, for only £2k!

Buying your first big bike can be a daunting experience. These five machines make for handy ‘first big bikes’ that have enough power to ensure you won’t be left lacking should you wish to embark on a...

Upright aggression: MCN's guide to the best stripped-back super nakeds on the market in 2025

Upright aggression: MCN's guide to the best stripped-back super nakeds on the market in 2025

For years now, super nakeds have overtaken superbikes as the ultimate thrill machines for the road. Similar power, more real world usability. In 2025 this trend shows no sign of slowing down,...

My pick of five sizzling secondhand supermotos that will make you grin from ear to ear!

My pick of five sizzling secondhand supermotos that will make you grin from ear to ear!

If you’re after raw, adrenalin-packed wheelies and skids, no road-legal bike is better at delivering than a supermoto. Originally mongrel race bikes created by fitting MX bikes with street wheels,...

Want to go anywhere for a £3k budget? These adventure legends would be my pick!

Want to go anywhere for a £3k budget? These adventure legends would be my pick!

Once you have sampled an adventure bike, it is hard to resist sticking with this genre of motorcycle. Practical, easy-going, rugged and great for pillions, adventure bikes really can offer the best of...

Forget parallel-twins, these are the proper headbanging supersports I'd buy for less than £4k!

Forget parallel-twins, these are the proper headbanging supersports I'd buy for less than £4k!

Some say the days of the midrange sportsbike (or traditional supersport) are numbered as sales of new models slide down the charts and race championships start to question the capacity’s relevance...

Nearly new bikes are a total bargain right now. Here are five middleweights I'd take a good look at

Nearly new bikes are a total bargain right now. Here are five middleweights I'd take a good look at

Next year sees the introduction of Euro5+ regs, a move that has forced manufacturers to update their ranges. This has resulted in a huge array of ‘new for 2025’ models that are all cleaner-running,...

MCN's pick of the fastest hyperbikes money can buy in 2025 - are they the last of a mad bunch?

MCN's pick of the fastest hyperbikes money can buy in 2025 - are they the last of a mad bunch?

It’s time to look at some of the most bonkers hyperbikes available, where the design brief slipped its way past rationality and into production. We’re grateful these bikes exist, they are few in...

Fancy a bike to pop to the pub on? Look no further than my five favourite Sunday superstars!

Fancy a bike to pop to the pub on? Look no further than my five favourite Sunday superstars!

In the modern high-speed world, it is all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to take a step back and relax. And what better way to do this than on a retro bike,...

Chasing cheap speed: Let me show you how to get mega mph motorbikes for Mondeo money!

Chasing cheap speed: Let me show you how to get mega mph motorbikes for Mondeo money!

A major draw of motorcycles is the fact that when it comes to cheap speed, they simply can’t be beaten. If you buy a modern sportsbike it will merrily top 170mph (on closed roads or German Autobahns)...

Our list of the best superbikes of 2025 so far will have you searching for your piggybank

Our list of the best superbikes of 2025 so far will have you searching for your piggybank

Superbikes have always been the ultimate expression of two-wheeled nirvana, with speed, technology, and adrenaline-pumping excitement in equal measures. Every year we look ahead at the release of...

Get down and dirty with these five mega mud-pluggers! I know you'll agree they're used bargains

Get down and dirty with these five mega mud-pluggers! I know you'll agree they're used bargains

Winter is a time when you can’t help but question the logic in taking a bike out of your garage. The roads are so full of grime that you spend as much time cleaning your bike as you do enjoying it! So...

Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500

Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500

A pair of Northumberland residents have created the Northumberland 250 – a route set to rival the North Coast 500. Related articles on MCN The best UK roads to explore by motorbike this...

Ride Mongolia! Visit this unspoilt paradise

Ride Mongolia! Visit this unspoilt paradise

Paid partnership with Ride Mongolia There are few accessible countries remaining in the world today where you can truly experience a lifestyle that has remained mostly unchanged for hundreds of years. Although Mongolia is changing...

Reasons to visit the National Motorcycle Museum

Reasons to visit the National Motorcycle Museum

The National Motorcycle Museum houses the world’s largest collection of British motorbikes with over 1000 models from 170 manufacturers, spanning three centuries. But there’s more to do than just look...

Triumph Daytona exhibition opened at Hinckley Visitor Experience

Triumph Daytona exhibition opened at Hinckley Visitor Experience

The Triumph Factory Visitor Experience in Hinckley has assembled a collection of 14 Triumph Daytona models that display the chronology of the firm’s sportsbike over a 50-year period. The...

A glimpse at "motorcycling mecca" - the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

A glimpse at "motorcycling mecca" - the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

When it comes to biking bucket lists there are a handful of undisputable destinations that’ll take your breath away. A visit to the TT will fry your mind and the barely-controlled chaos of the...

Why you should visit Silverstone's Experience Centre, celebrating the venue's rich racing heritage

Why you should visit Silverstone's Experience Centre, celebrating the venue's rich racing heritage

After a seven-year-project to restore a WW2 RAF hangar into an interactive museum, the all-new Silverstone Experience centre will opened its doors to the public on Friday, October 25,...

Welcome to Wallonia | Explore one of biking’s best kept secrets with 1300km of great riding routes

Welcome to Wallonia | Explore one of biking’s best kept secrets with 1300km of great riding routes

Paid partnership with VISITWallonia Ever heard of Wallonia? It’s the southern half of Belgium, and as far as motorcyclists are concerned, the more exciting half. It’s home to the Spa-Francorchamps race circuit, classic racing at...

If Carlsberg made motorcycle museums... Here's why you should visit Top Mountain in 2025

If Carlsberg made motorcycle museums... Here's why you should visit Top Mountain in 2025

A motorcycle museum that was completely destroyed by fire in January 2021 – along with 330 rare bikes – is preparing for its busiest summer season ever. Astonishingly, the Top Mountain museum in...

Race back to the 70s: Italian tour takes in MotoGP round on modern classics

Race back to the 70s: Italian tour takes in MotoGP round on modern classics

As the world championship race season gets underway, many of us dream of blasting across to the continent to soak up the action at historic European circuits. But why not do it in style? An Italian...

Riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan over the Himalayas is motorcycling's ultimate high!

Riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan over the Himalayas is motorcycling's ultimate high!

Mountains are earth’s giants. They’re behemoths, slowly pushing their way through the clouds over millions of years to scratch at heaven’s belly. Related: Royal Enfield Himalayan review on...

Dragon Rally at 60 - "You could see tents flying past all night!”

Dragon Rally at 60 - "You could see tents flying past all night!”

2022 marked the 60th anniversary of the Dragon Rally, one of the UK’s most enduring meets. Traditionally taking place on the second weekend in February, this extreme event sees up to 2000 hardcore...

Ton Up, tea and toast! This iconic biker hangout has a history stretching back to 1938

Ton Up, tea and toast! This iconic biker hangout has a history stretching back to 1938

The Ace Café on London’s North Circular has been a home from home for motorcyclists for over 80 years, so we at MCN thought we’d put together a gallery of pictures to show how it has changed in that...

If you haven't ridden your motorbike for a while then use this guide to getting it back on the road

If you haven't ridden your motorbike for a while then use this guide to getting it back on the road

Plenty of riders lay a bike up over winter. Whether you’ve got a minter you wouldn’t dream of exposing to gritted roads, you don’t enjoy riding in the cold or even if you’ve been injured, ill or...

They say there's no replacement for displacement, and I agree! These used brutes prove it

They say there's no replacement for displacement, and I agree! These used brutes prove it

To some riders, big is most certainly better when it comes to engine size. And you can’t get much bigger than this week’s selection. Powered by monster motors, these five used bikes prove the old...

Shrink the globe, not your bank balance with these do-it-all tourers for under £5k!

Shrink the globe, not your bank balance with these do-it-all tourers for under £5k!

Guess what are the top three most popular used touring motorcycles, according to a recent insurance survey? (Hint: they’re relatively cheap, to keep down insurance.) So no, not the latest BMW R1250RT,...

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a globetrotter, these are the best adventure motorbikes in 2025

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a globetrotter, these are the best adventure motorbikes in 2025

Let’s clear the air before we start; any motorbike can be used to go on an adventure. This page, however, will concentrate on the adventure bike market sector that covers mostly middle and heavyweight...

I reckon these big-bore bruisers won't break the bank or let you down. They're do-it-all heroes

I reckon these big-bore bruisers won't break the bank or let you down. They're do-it-all heroes

Can you imagine hammering a Panigale V4 through driving rain? No, neither can we! How about a good old‑fashioned big-bore workhorse of a bike, such as the five we have picked to feature in this week’s...