Used bikes

Parallel-twin nakeds aren't new, and you don't have to spend big on a new bike! Just £4k will do it

Yesterday 09:55 by Jon Urry

Back in the ’90s and early Noughties, if a manufacturer wanted to build a competitive middleweight, the usual route was to take an older supersport inline four, retune it for extra midrange and then...

Need a second bike for the commute? I've picked these five used maxi-scooters you'll want to look at

18 November 2024 by Neil Murray

What makes a scooter a maxi-scooter? Basically, big engines (300cc+), lots of weather protection, big seats and somewhere to stash loads of luggage. The result is great commuters often bought by...

Fancy a Bonnie on a budget? Here are some of my favourite used options out there!

14 November 2024 by Neil Murray

There’s a story that a journalist went to Triumph’s Hinckley plant and somebody at the factory was careless enough to leave one of the pre-production 790 Bonneville prototypes parked outside.

Learners might love 'em, but I reckon there's more to the humble 125... check out my top used picks!

13 November 2024 by Neil Murray

It’s a mistake to dismiss all 125 motorbikes as mere learner fodder: A decent 125 makes a perfect urban commuter as let’s be honest: battling through stalled city traffic on an R1200GS or Panigale is...

There used adventure-sports heroes will do it all, and I've found five bargains for less than £4k!

08 November 2024 by Scott Bullett

Adventure-sport bikes are supposed to give you the best of several worlds; the ability to cope with our potholed roads like an adventure bike, handle the daily commute as practical workhorses and even...

Can you have more fun than riding a good middleweight naked bike? I really don't think so...

15 October 2024 by Jon Urry

Boasting quality chassis components, these sporty options seriously up the fun-factor in naked biking. Entertaining on a B-road if the mood takes you, these five are also more than happy to line up on...

The late '90s and early 2000s were a fantastic time to buy a sports tourer. Here are my favourites

11 October 2024 by Jon Urry

Want the perfect blend of fun and practicality? You’ll be needing a sports tourer. And in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that’s exactly what the buying public were seeking. During this period...

Thumping big V-twin nakeds are full of character and make a brilliant used buy. Here's my top five

09 October 2024 by Jon Urry

Nakeds are always popular but not everyone wants a full-on super-naked. So how about a cool-looking ride with a bit of soul thanks to a thumping V-twin engine? The good old V-twin is something of a...

Clutch levers are going out of fashion for some but the idea isn't new and these bikes prove it

07 October 2024 by Jon Urry

BMW have recently displayed systems that aim to remove that tiresome clutch lever from the bars and minimise the requirement of moving your left foot while Honda have also just released their new...

All superbikes should offer blistering performance but I think the great ones have something more...

03 October 2024 by Jon Urry

Riding a bike shouldn’t just be about headline power figures, it needs to be about how the machine feels, what it responds like and even how it sounds. And on this front, these five used bikes are...

If you want smiles over many, many miles, I can't recommend these new sports tourers enough!

27 September 2024 by Jon Urry

When you look at their design brief, it is hard to comprehend why everyone isn’t riding sports-tourers but despite a surge in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, adventure bikes have stolen their...

I reckon these bikes really changed the game. Here's my pick of the pioneers of motorcycling

26 September 2024 by Jon Urry

This week we are celebrating pioneers of the two-wheeled world, bikes that pushed boundaries and introduced some future tech first. Angle-responsive ABS arrived on the KTM 1190 Super Adventure in 2017...

Middleweight twins are among the most popular used bikes. Here's why I think that is...

18 September 2024 by Jon Urry

No group of bikes like to party more than the middleweight class, a segment that is dominated by twins. And not just parallel twins, there are a few V-twins thrown into the mix to spice things up a...

I remember watching these bikes win World Superbike titles, and now you can buy one from just £3800!

16 September 2024 by Jon Urry

Rather than exotic prototypes, the ethos behind World Superbikes was the fact that you could ride to the circuit to watch bikes very much like the one you arrived on. During the 1990s the series’...

These aren't just superbikes... they're my list of DREAM superbikes that you can buy used right now

13 September 2024 by Jon Urry

What would be parked in your dream garage? It’s a typical pub conversation and for some a dream ride might be an iconic Harley cruiser, a classic two-stroke or even a top-spec adventure bike but as so...

This list of my favourite used middleweight sportsbikes prove you don't need to be rich to have fun!

10 September 2024 by Jon Urry

This year has seen the launch of the Suzuki GSX-8R as well as the Triumph Daytona 660, two brand-new easy-going middleweight sportsbikes that join the Yamaha R7, Aprilia RS660, Honda CBR650R and...

As a road tester, used V-Stroms don't tug at my heart strings, but they always manage to impress

06 September 2024 by Jon Urry

Suzuki’s V-Strom adventure bike range has often been a case of function over form, and the very early versions quickly gained a reputation for challenging styling but excellent practicality. As...

As a road tester I love the legendary RD350LC, but for £12k how about these ace used retros instead?

05 September 2024 by Jon Urry

Nostalgia sells. But there is a problem with nostalgia – in fact there are several. For starters older classic machines are now becoming very expensive. You are looking at over £12k for a mint Yamaha...

Give me 150-ish bhp and fewer electronics any day of the week | Expert guide to analogue sportsbikes

28 August 2024 by Jon Urry

The 1990s and early 2000s were a golden era for sportsbikes. They were exciting, great-looking and had performance figures that were much more accessible for road riders than some of the power#2;laden...

Comfort and joy! Sports touring in style and effortless comfort needn't break the bank...

26 August 2024 by Jon Urry

Sports-tourers are the jacks-of-all-trades of the two-wheeled world. More than happy to load-up and take you and a pillion around Europe, they are equally pleased to just be rolled out at a weekend...

We can't all be MotoGP superstars - but you can buy one of these used V4 sportsbikes!

20 August 2024 by Jon Urry

If you look at the current crop of MotoGP bikes and dive under the weird aero fins, there is a common theme. Honda, Aprilia, KTM and Ducati all run a V4. And in WSBK it is a similar story with...

Trackday fun for less! Scratch that short circuit itch with a used speed-seeker from £800

14 August 2024 by Jon Urry

Of course you could pitch up at your very first trackday with a spanking new Panigale, tyre warmers and all… but you are putting a load of pressure on yourself to perform and what if it all ends up in...

Let's go retro - from £2500! Head old-school with one of Yamaha's big-value used naked beauties

06 August 2024 by Jon Urry

When it comes to spirited retro motorcycles, Yamaha have nailed the brief. OK there have been a few bumps along the way (did someone say SCR950?) but in general they seem to be able to hit the...

Sub-£5k superbikes: they might break the speed limit, but these sizzlers won't break the bank

30 July 2024 by Jon Urry

Sales of new sportsbikes may have dwindled but the used market is as hot as ever – and that’s no surprise given the range of quality machinery on offer. Look in any dealership and super sport 600...

Taking on the French TET with a purpose-built KTM 690 Enduro R | The ultimate adventure bike?

25 July 2024 by Michael Guy

Welcome to the fourth episode of MCN Sports Editor, Michael Guy’s video series on buying and adapting the perfect adventure bike. Watch the previous episodes: Michael chooses, buys and modifies...

Fancy an old-school four? These are the used buys our expert reckons should be on your shopping list

22 July 2024 by Jon Urry

There’s no more definitive genre of motorcycle than the naked, big-bore, twin shock, retro-style Japanese fours which proved hugely popular between the mid-1990s and mid-Noughties. Bikes like...

Let it all hang out! Prepare for high-octane thrills on five of the best big-cc naked bargains

17 July 2024 by Jon Urry

The popularity of naked bikes has been on the rise ever since our sports bike infatuation started to wane. And is it any wonder? On a naked the exposed and upright riding position not only puts...

True sporting icons: the GSX-R range defined Suzuki for generations. So which to buy?

15 July 2024 by Jon Urry

It’s a rather sorry state of affairs that now, in 2024, Suzuki only have two GSX-R models in the range – and one is a GSX-R125! There’s the new GSX-8R too, of course, which had won fans thanks to its...

Maximum fun on a minimum budget - MCN's expert guide to used bikes to enjoy year-round

29 April 2024 by Jon Urry

Shopping on a budget for a bike you are going to use 12 months a year, whatever the weather – rather than tucking it away in the garage for sunny use only – doesn’t mean that you have to put up with...

Weird yet wonderful: not every Bologna-built bike was an instant beauty...

05 April 2024 by Jon Urry

A company known for beautifully-styled bikes, Ducati’s models have often crossed the boundary between art and transport. But every now and then designers go a bit rogue and the results are bikes...

These three used do-it-all bargain bikes offer a two-wheeled solution to a lot of life's problems

04 April 2024 by Jon Urry

For some riders the decision to take to two-wheels is very much leisure-related. A sunny day will see them don their leathers and head out to enjoy the delights of a superbike or super-naked for the...

Expert guide to buying sub-£3k used adventure motorbikes

02 April 2024 by Jon Urry

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,...

Expert guide to buying used Yamaha YZF-R1 range

15 March 2024 by Jon Urry

This year marks 25 years since Yamaha released the first R1. Featuring technology that at the time was radical but is now commonplace, the R1 created the blueprint for the modern sportsbike...

Expert guide to used sports tourers on a budget

15 March 2024 by Jon Urry

Blisteringly fast when requested, these high-speed tourers are also sporty enough to enjoy on twisty mountain roads while delivering comfort, luggage-carrying capacity and relaxed riding positions to...

Expert guide to buying used old-school sportsbikes

07 March 2024 by Jon Urry

Yamaha’s beautiful and brilliant YZF750, Kawasaki’s gorgeous ZX-7R and their old-school superbike stablemates still deliver a more than-sufficient 120bhp+ yet do so with analogue technology, lack of...

Apex predators | Bag a used superbike bargain and enjoy genuine racing pedigree on the road

06 March 2024 by Jon Urry

World Superbike has quite literally defined and directed the course of litre-class sportsbikes for the last 20 years with the leading brands developing ever-more potent, extreme and sophisticated...