2016 Long Term Fleet
The ultimate road test
Welcome to MCN's 120,000-mile test of 2016's key new machines. From Triumph Thruxton R to Kawasaki J125, it's the UK's most comprehensive bike fleet.
MCN's 2015 Longterm Fleet - we present the most important collection of bikes in 2015.
MCN Fleet: Swapping ZX-10R for ZZR1400
05 September 2016 by
My ZX-10R has clocked up over 8000 miles now, so it’s been back to Kawasaki for another service. While the ZX-10R has been away I’ve hung on to a ZZR1400 we’ve been testing for a ‘fun tourers’...
MCN Fleet: Street 750 becomes one of the girls
03 September 2016 by
I’ve just spent a great afternoon combining two of my favourite things: riding my Street 750 and eating cake. I wasn’t alone as I was taking part in the Ladies of Harley Afternoon Tea ride, one of the...
MCN Fleet: XDiavel's badge causes blushes
31 August 2016 by
The XDiavel always attracts plenty of attention wherever it goes. Park up anywhere and appreciative eyes admire its muscular flanks and sawn-off tail. The XDiavel entices hands too – they stroke its...
MCN Fleet: Stickers come loose on Husqvarna 701
26 August 2016 by
Before the Husqvarna 701 arrived I admit I had some reservations about the build quality and finish. The new KTM-owned Husqvarna was an unknown, although from my time living with a KTM 690 Duke in...
MCN Fleet: Bonding with the NC750X
24 August 2016 by
I’m now 900 miles in to life with Honda’s NC750X and over the last week or so I’ve had a bit of a revelation. I actually quite like it. It couldn’t be more different to the CB500F I had while waiting...
MCN Fleet: The GS takes a trip home
24 August 2016 by
I arrived back to the familiarity of my small cul-de-sac at 1:30am after having ridden solidly for nearly 16 hours; tackling the 820-miles from Berlin on my trusty F800GS after attending the...
MCN Fleet: Kawasaki ZX-10R lands back from Space
22 August 2016 by
A couple of weeks ago I posted an update from Ibiza where I’d just arrived on my ZX-10R. Now, 2358 miles later, I’m back. To be honest the Ibiza part of my nine-day riding holiday is a bit of a blur,...
MCN Fleet: 5000 miles and counting for Street 750
21 August 2016 by
I’ve just taken the Harley-Davidson Street 750 to Sycamore Harley-Davidson where Trev, the technician, performed the 5000-mile regular service. With a 31-point tick sheet to work through it was a...
MCN Fleet: Spanish Scrambling adventure gallery
20 August 2016 by
As you may have seen from my previous posts, I took the Street Twin over to Spain a few weeks ago to take part in Austin Vince’s Twinshock Trail Finder event. With the stunning backdrop of the...
MCN Fleet: Ducati Multistrada Enduro gets the rough treatment
19 August 2016 by
The day I had been waiting for since grabbing the Ducati Multistrada Enduro’s keys finally came – off-road training! But I was still a little apprehensive, due to the Multi’s bulky size… and the fact...
MCN Fleet: BMW S1000XR tyre update
19 August 2016 by
The XR has been treated to a new set of tyres as I wanted to try something new after being forced to remove the Dunlop RoadSmart IIIs because the rear got covered in oil when an inspection bolt worked...
MCN Fleet: Can Triumph Thruxton R soak up distance?
17 August 2016 by
I’m someone who hates getting up early – especially on a Sunday morning, the temple of the sacred lie-in. This one was different. When I opened the blinds at 6.45am I was greeted by bright sunshine,...
MCN Fleet: Bye bye CB500F, hello NC750X
15 August 2016 by
So, as I told you in my last update – the CB500F has gone back to Honda and, as I predicted, I’m definitely having withdrawal symptoms. Related: 2019 Honda CB500F review In place of the sensible but...
MCN Fleet: Street Twin trip out to Brackley Festival
15 August 2016 by
At the weekend I took the Street Twin on a short 120 mile round trip into Northamptonshire for the annual Brackley Festival of Motorcycling. If you’ve never been to the Brackley Festival you’re...
MCN Fleet: Husqvarna 701 goes the distance
14 August 2016 by
I’ve made some far-from-sensible decisions throughout my life, but choosing to ride home to Yorkshire, then to Swansea the next day and back to Peterborough the day after that on the 701 has to be up...
MCN Fleet: A long day done for the BMW F800GS
12 August 2016 by
Yesterday was a long one aboard my BMW F800GS fleet bike. I’m headed to this weekend’s BMW-sponsored Pure & Crafted festival in Berlin and decided it would be a good time for me to ride on mainland...
MCN Fleet: KTM Super Duke GT finds its way home
11 August 2016 by
This weekend should hopefully see me pointing the angular nose of the Super Duke GT south, making the short hop across the Channel (well, under it) before embarking on the schlep back to the country...
MCN Fleet: A hard weekend leads the ZX-10R to Ibiza
10 August 2016 by
I’m nearing the end of my week in Ibiza after riding here on my Kawasaki ZX-10R. It took the weekend to get here, topped off with an overnight ferry from Barcelona – and bloody good fun it was,...
MCN Fleet: Upgraded Africa Twin is a real treat
10 August 2016 by
It may be a new bike but there is no shortage of aftermarket parts available for the Honda Africa Twin. From performance-enhancing components to crash protection and panniers, a plethora of...
MCN Fleet: Time for the GS to get a refresh
10 August 2016 by
So the GS is booked in for its 12,000-mile service at Balderstons BMW in Peterborough. It’s a big milestone for the bike, and will see its valve clearances checked, air filter replaced along with the...
MCN Fleet: XSR900 gets the cafe racer treatment
07 August 2016 by
There’s not a lot wrong with the XSR900, especially in performance terms. Related: Full Yamaha XSR900 review The 900cc triple motor is a beauty and provides punchy power right through the rev range.
MCN Fleet: It's been a bumpy ride!
06 August 2016 by
I’ve been having ongoing issues with the seating position on the Harley-Davidson Street 750. My preconceived notion that a cruiser would be more comfortable than bikes with a more conventional riding...
MCN Fleet: Multistrada Enduro prepares for Black Desert Training
05 August 2016 by
I’m heading to the Black Desert Training off-road centre in Wales next week for some one-to-one training from Dakar racers Craig Bounds and Tamsin Jones, and I can’t wait! The Ducati Multistrada...
MCN Fleet: Five things we'll miss about the CB500F
03 August 2016 by
This week I said goodbye to the CB500F we’d had on loan from Honda after 1400 miles in the last month. The CBF was only ever going to be a stop gap until our NC750X was ready for collection, but I was...
MCN Fleet: Street Twin goes scrambling
03 August 2016 by
With Triumph’s official Scrambler Inspiration kit mounted to our Street Twin (exhaust, bash plate, seat, grips and indicators), and the excellent Continental TKC80 off-road tyres fitted we took the...
MCN Fleet: KTM Super Duke GT springs a leak
01 August 2016 by
That’s weird, I thought. My left boot looks a lot dirtier than my right boot. And it’s oily, too. Bugger. After a few moments on my knees staring up at the engine, the source of the problem was clear...
Ducati XDiavel S: total recall
30 July 2016 by
Last month, Ducati issued a recall notice to owners of the S-model XDiavel, the one with the fancy, curved-spoke wheels. And it’s those lovely rims that are the source of the issue. Ducati discovered...
MCN Fleet: Why a Suzuki SV650 is better than a 207bhp Kawasaki H2 (no, really!)
28 July 2016 by
Sometimes you need to ride other bikes to learn more about your own. It’s at the opposite end of motorcycling’s vivid spectrum from my Suzuki SV650, but a couple of days with Kawasaki’s insane H2 have...
MCN Fleet: F800GS is back on stable ground
27 July 2016 by
The Continental TKC70s that have been on the GS have been replaced after 7000 miles of cautious road riding with Michelin’s more tarmac-focused Anake III tyres. The difference between the two was...
MCN Fleet: Kawasaki ZX-10R - free parking
25 July 2016 by
You might have seen my ‘Facebook live’ video on our Facebook page recently where I talked about leaving my ZX-10R at Gatwick, while I flew away to top up my tan. I just rode down with a rucksack, so...
MCN Fleet: Husqvarna 701 gets new boots
25 July 2016 by
After covering 2500 miles on the standard fit Continental ContiAttack SM tyres, the rear was starting to square off and looking ready for replacement. 2015 Husqvarna 701 Supermoto review The Contis...
MCN Fleet: KTM Super Duke GT gets a bum-bag
25 July 2016 by
My arse looks big in everything, so there’s never any point asking. And the 1290 GT with its panniers fitted also has a fairly volumous back end, but with a few trips away planned over the next couple...
MCN Fleet: Triumph Street Twin battles Spanish trails
24 July 2016 by
For the next two days, and without GPS just our brains to navigate, we’ll be riding our two scramblerised Street Twins on the countless miles of farm tracks and trails in the Pyrenees as we take on...
MCN Fleet: Queue-busting Harley-Davidson Street 750
23 July 2016 by
How smug do I feel? I’m sat with a cake and cuppa waiting for my hubby, Mark, to arrive and I’ve already been here for about 40 minutes! Related: Full Harley-Davidson Street 750 review We were going...
MCN Fleet: The perfect luggage set-up for the Multistrada Enduro
21 July 2016 by
The type of luggage set-up you choose completely depends on what you’ll be using your machine for. If you’ll be taking on big, long trips then you’ll want panniers, but if you’re only going to be...
MCN Fleet: Ducati XDiavel, pillion seat reloaded
17 July 2016 by
Let’s try that again, shall we? Last month I made the mistake of taking a back seat view of my XDiavel S long-term test bike. It was only a brief journey, a couple of miles if that, but it was right...