2017 Long Term Fleet
Welcome to MCN's 120,000-mile test of 2017's key new machines. From Suzuki’s new GSX-R1000R and the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to the BMW R nineT Racer and the KTM 125 Duke, 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's 2016 Longterm Fleet - we present the most important collection of bikes in 2016.
MCN Fleet: The Suzuki GSX250R hits 5000 miles
24 November 2017 by
After four and a half months of daily commuting, weekend rides, pillion passengers and long-distance motorway stints, the Suzuki GSX250R has finally surpassed the #ride5000miles goal. In that time,...
MCN Fleet: Festive fairy looking for fun on the X-Adv
22 November 2017 by
I don’t want to upset anyone but I’m going to drop the ‘C’ bomb, not that ‘C’ bomb, the Christmas one! I was rooting through my dressing up box the other day and found my fairy outfit. I realised...
MCN Fleet: The Triumph Bobber has some competition
20 November 2017 by
When Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves rode the Triumph Bobber for the first time at the end of 2016, he was incredibly impressed. Fast forward to the back end of 2017 and the Triumph Bobber was...
MCN Fleet: Has my Suzuki GSX-R1000R got better with age?
17 November 2017 by
With over 11,000-hard miles under its belt it’s fair to say my Suzuki is well and truly run-in. To see if it’s any faster with age and if the extra 7bhp from the race can makes a difference, I took it...
MCN Fleet: New rubber for the X-ADV & new gear for me!
15 November 2017 by
I’d ridden 6000 miles on the OE Bridgestone tyres and there were signs of wear and tear. There was still plenty of rubber but the blocky tread pattern had squared off. With the front wheel from a...
MCN Fleet: New tail tidy for the RS
13 November 2017 by
The time has finally arrived to start swapping a few bits and adding accessories on the Street Triple RS. I’ve gone for the common mods most will do when they purchase a new bike including the Arrow...
MCN Fleet video: How am I finding the Suzuki GSX250R?
08 November 2017 by
Between weekend blasts, long trips and rides to and from the office, I find myself using my long-term Suzuki GSX250R almost every day. In the four months we have spent together, I have come to know...
MCN Fleet: First winter morning ride for the V-Strom
06 November 2017 by
So, we’ve been saying that winter is coming for a while but I was definitely a little surprised to peel back the curtains to the first frost of the year this morning! I know it’s November, but the...
MCN Fleet: Getting in the zone on the Bobber
03 November 2017 by
I had one of those rides last night. You know, the kind where everything is just right. Yes, it’s November, and it was dark, but that didn’t matter. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve struggled...
MCN Fleet: V-Strom 650XT the ideal workhorse
31 October 2017 by
Working as MCN’s British Superbike reporter takes me here, there and everywhere. Not only do I get to head out to 12 rural destinations in far-flung corners of the UK (and the Netherlands), I’m often...
MCN Fleet: BMW R1200GS Rallye hits 5500miles
30 October 2017 by
Five months have passed pretty rapidly with the Rallye, all to the sonorous soundtrack of a hard-working boxer twin exercising with the sort of aerobic exertion that any triathlete would be happy...
MCN Fleet: Arrow exhaust for the RS
29 October 2017 by
Just recently I’ve taken the plunge and gone for an aftermarket exhaust on the Street Triple RS. The £615 price tag makes it a hard move but the design is perfect as you’d expect from Arrow. Not only...
MCN Fleet: Time our R6 got a full Akrapovic system
24 October 2017 by
The craftsmanship in the Akrapovic headers is stunning. They’re feather-light and beautifully made. I fitted the slip-on Akrapovic end can (£323) a few months back. Now it’s time to add the ‘optional...
MCN Fleet: BMW R1200GS Rallye gets protected
23 October 2017 by
Buying bike accessories that you can’t see somewhat smacks of the emperor’s new clothes – but I can assure you there a) are actually products in these photos, and that b) they work really rather...
MCN Fleet: Is the GSX250R any good on track?
23 October 2017 by
I’ve spent the majority of my time with Suzuki’s GSX250R exploring its surprising ability to cover big miles. However, although the A1 is mighty fun, when an opportunity came to take the 250 on track,...
MCN Fleet: What's Suzuki's GSX-R1000R like on tour?
22 October 2017 by
My GSX-R1000R is an unashamed track bike, but despite its appetite for tarmac-demolishing speed and full-lean lunacy, most superbikes like this are ridden on the road, with the odd of...
MCN Fleet: Winter is coming for the V-Strom!
19 October 2017 by
Winter is coming! There’s no doubt about it, the nights are drawing in, the clocks go back next week, the temperature is plunging, the grey murky days arriving and this morning we had our first fog of...
MCN Fleet: Be safe, be seen on the X-ADV
19 October 2017 by
Today is the first day I’ve felt fully justified for having the fog lights fitted to the Honda X-ADV. With the trees rapidly going from summery green to autumnal brown the change of the season is...
MCN Fleet: More standard boots for the 250
16 October 2017 by
With the clocks nudging 3500 miles on my Suzuki GSX250R, it was time for some new rubber. After months of commuting, leisure rides and even an afternoon on track, the rear OE IRC RX-01 Road Winner had...
MCN Fleet video: BMW R nineT Racer - the story so far
16 October 2017 by
MCN’s Senior Editor, Matt Wildee has been living with BMW’s new-for-2017 R nineT Racer this year. With all the style of a Savile Row suit, Matt describes what it’s like to live with the boxer twin...
MCN Fleet: Am I a Marquez Fan?
05 October 2017 by
I’ve been interested to find that there’s a thriving community of Honda X-Adv riders out in the wider world. The bike seems to be very well received on the continent and one particularly active group,...
MCN Fleet: Time to tweak the Bobber
29 September 2017 by
It seems to have been a hectic time for myself and the Triumph Bobber recently, with plenty of longer trips putting more miles on the bike and seeing it blast through the #ride5000miles goal with...
MCN Fleet: Suzuki GSX-R1000R summer trackday heaven
29 September 2017 by
Welcome to the Ring There’s nothing quite like the soul-shaking rush of the Nurburing’s play-an-play Nordschleife, to kick off a summer of trackday fun. I’ve been addicted to the Nurburgring since I...
MCN Fleet: Bargain suspension tweak transforms R nineT Racer
28 September 2017 by
I’ve enjoyed my time with the beautiful, characterful R nineT Racer. When I took possession of the bike I wanted to accentuate the ‘Racer’ part of its character. My idea of heaven on a motorcycle is...
The tyre man cometh
27 September 2017 by
Ever since I first rode the long term Street Glide in the rain, I’ve been pretty keen to get rid of the stock tyres. In the dry, they’re fine, but in the wet they’re pretty poor – quickly spinning up,...
MCN Fleet: What’s my R6 like in the wet?
26 September 2017 by
My R6 is the only 600cc Supersport machine on the market with traction control and ABS as standard. In theory it should be able to cut it in the wet, but can it? I’d recently fitted brand new Metzeler...
MCN Fleet: Christmas comes early for our Street Triple RS
25 September 2017 by
Almost 6000 miles covered and I’m still loving the RS, but it’s time to start giving her some bling. I’ve gone with all Triumph genuine accessories which include frame and swing arm crash protection,...
MCN Fleet: Amazing alpine adventure on the Street Triple
22 September 2017 by
Last month I took the opportunity to ship my bike out to Switzerland with Bike Shuttle and tour the Alps. I’d never ridden abroad alone so this was a new venture for me. Once I collected my bike in...
MCN Fleet: V-Strom 650XT - Beauty or a beast?
21 September 2017 by
I’m five months and almost 6000 miles in to my year with the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT and ever since I took delivery of it, perhaps even before, I’ve had this one little niggle about the bike that won’t...
MCN Fleet: Ducati SuperSport S goes the distance
21 September 2017 by
You don’t really know a bike until you’ve spent some time with it. A lot of time. My first four or five months with Ducati’s ‘sportsbike for the road’ had certainly been a blast. Work commutes and a...
MCN Fleet: 1290 Super Adventure S Aragon MotoGP bound
20 September 2017 by
The road trip to Aragon MotoGP has begun. From home we’ve ridden to Portsmouth and I’m now sat on the Brittany Ferries crossing making our way across the Bay of Biscay on route to Santander in...
MCN Fleet:Which mode's best for the X-ADV?
20 September 2017 by
I feel that I should be wearing a white lab coat and not a leather jacket with all the testing I’ve been doing! I’m trying to work out which of the Honda X-Adv’s gear modes is right for me. Unlike...
MCN Fleet: Hot under the collar
19 September 2017 by
When it comes to cold weather, I don’t really mind admitting that I’m a bit of a softy. As soon as the mercury sinks, I’m straight into the box of winter gloves and thermal baselayers, so it was a bit...
MCN Fleet: KTM 1290 Super Adventure S goes offroad
15 September 2017 by
While I’ve had a couple of excursions off-road on the KTM Super Adventure S they’ve been short and fairly inconclusive. But I’m glad to say that changed this week with a day in the dirt – make that...
MCN Fleet: Our R6 feels a little deflated
15 September 2017 by
My R6’s rear tyre has just deflated in record time. We had a few 90mph wobbles but nothing that was too alarming, so I made my way to the littered grass verge on the A1 northbound and began the wait...
MCN Fleet: How far will the GSX250R go on empty?
15 September 2017 by
Although I’ve only had my Suzuki GSX250R for little over a month, I have already clocked up just shy of half of my #ride5000miles total. In this time together, one of the things I have come to like...