December | Page 3

Win a signed Hodgson book for your best biking moments

09 December 2001

Your most magical motorcycling moments of the year have already started coming in. This one from Richard Halford is a great example. ” First track day, first time knee down, wore out a set of sliders...

Original owners take back some of Bikes-uk stores

09 December 2001

Four of the stricken Bikes-uk dealerships are being brought back under the control of their original owners… and that means those who paid for service plans at those stores will now get what they paid...

The Harley rider

09 December 2001

YAMAHA is pitching the Bulldog at people exactly like Smith. She steers away from sports bikes and likes a more relaxed ride. But can this pooch tempt her away from her beloved Hog? She says the...

More diesel spills loom

09 December 2001

Do drivers of diesel-engined vehicles pay more insurance to cover themselves against randomly wrecking our machines? We don’t think so. As if the problem of diesel spills wasn’t bad enough for us, the...

The year’s maddest trackday?

09 December 2001

Is this the maddest trackday of the year? On December 28, just three days after stuffing yourself silly on Christmas pudding and turkey sandwiches, Donington Park is holding a trackday. Donington has...

Forget fireworks… let’s ban bikes!

09 December 2001

A local newspaper which is campaigning to ban fireworks has been asked to switch its focus to fighting for a ban on bikes. The Nottingham Evening Post printed the following letter from a reader on Tuesday night. " With regard to your campaign to ban fireworks, while I can understand the distress they must cause people for about six weeks of the year, I think a greater scourge are motorbikes. They...

Video: Track action at Estoril

02 December 2001

Click the links in the download videos box, right, titled RM (if you use Real Player) or MOV (for Quicktime users) to see a clip of MCN’s Keith Farr lapping Estoril at the FireBlade launch.

We ride Rossi’s NSR500, Edwards’ SP-2 and Foret’s CBR600

02 December 2001

IF nervousness is just a state of mind, why hasn’t my brain told my legs and hands? Every inch of every limb is shaking in anticipation as the countdown to my ride begins. I’ve ridden hundreds of the...

And now it’s flashing helmets, too

02 December 2001

WE’VE had ABS brakes, traction control and variable valve timing, now a British inventor reckons we should follow the lead of four wheels one more time by having car-style high-level brake lights… on the back of our helmets. Grant Belben from Poole, Dorset, has patented a new wireless brake light system. It works like this: A battery/LED unit attaches to the back of the rider’s helmet with tape,...

Video taster of US stunt stars coming to Scottish Show

02 December 2001

THE world famous Starboyz stunt riders are coming to the MCN-backed Scottish Motorcycle Show early next year – but you can get a taste of their extraordinary skills right now by clicking the video...

Riding Foret’s WSS CBR600

02 December 2001

HONDA’S CBR600 may be as common as muck, but this is no common CBR600. This is Fabian Foret’s CBR racer which nudged a staggering 180mph at the Monza World Supersport round. The CBR is the fastest...

Is this numberplate big enough for you then?

02 December 2001

ANGRY biker Martin Hillier has fitted a numberplate that’s four times the legal size to his 1200 Bandit in protest at being fined for using a too-small illegal plate. And the 33-year-old from...

Try a new Hornet 900, VFR or Fazer 1000 this weekend

02 December 2001

Get yourself down to Carnell/Motorcycle City in Box Hill, Surrey this Sunday and you can enjoy free rides on the latest Honda models including the exciting Hornet 900 and VFR V-TEC. You can also grab...

Strange… but true

02 December 2001

AMERICA: DIET Dr. Pepper is rolling out new spoof ads featuring ” CHimPs, ” a parody of the hit ‘70s TV show about the California Highway Patrol. In the ad, two ” police monkeys ” pull over a...

Mission Impossible Triumph for sale

02 December 2001

HOW much would you pay for a Triumph Speed Triple with bullet holes in the tail, a broken mirror and a smashed tail unit? Well, the best bid so far is £5612, although the bike in question is also a...

Don’t be afraid

02 December 2001

Try as they might, they couldn’t get the Kawasaki to bow in the presence of the Angel Gabriel.

High speed second-hand bargains

02 December 2001

EVEN the rich like to get more for their money. Let’s talk cars, just for a moment. Your average millionaire feels he’s bagged a bargain if he forks out for a £45,000 TVR rather than a £100,000...

Guzzi enters new world

02 December 2001

MOTO GUZZI will be releasing an all-new sports bike at the end of 2002 – using water cooling for the first time in the firm’s history. In one of the most radical steps forward for a manufacturer since...

Three fast men

02 December 2001

Coming from the East?

Answer the MCN survey and win a prize

02 December 2001

Something is changing in the hearts and minds of British riders. Our obsession with sports bikes is giving way to interest in other machines. So we want to know what you’re buying instead and why. If...

"Hunk of the Year" Ben Bostrom comments on his victory

02 December 2001

THE racing season might have ended a month ago, but the competition has been fast and furious for the title ” Hunk of the Year ” with over 200 votes from (mostly) female visitors to the MCN...

Split lid could save lives

02 December 2001

A NEW design of helmet has been developed that can be safely removed from a rider who’s been in an accident with less danger of aggravating possible neck injuries – and allowing more rapid fitting of...

2002 FireBlade first test – now with video and audio

02 December 2001

MCN had the first test of the heavily-revised 2002 Honda FireBlade in Estoril, Portugal earlier this week. Read Keith Farr’s first impression of the bike below or click the video and audio links in...

Two new Aprilias unveiled

02 December 2001

APRILIA has revealed a brand new contender in the naked bike market for 2002 – the Tuono – as well as a close-to-production prototype for a hybrid multipurpose machine, called the Mana. The Tuono,...

If you like GSX-Rs and men in blue jackets

02 December 2001

Then you’ll love this video. Part two of MCN’s new video magazine is out on December 14 and features everything GSX-R. Don’t miss it

This is going to hurt…

02 December 2001

ACTUALLY it isn’t. This is stuntman Lutz Schleiser and he does this sort of thing for a living. He’s just hit a barrier at speed, but while his bike is knackered, he’s about to plop safely into a...

Audio: Blade designer Tadao Baba speaks

02 December 2001

Click the links in the download videos box, right, titled RM (if you use Real Player) or MOV (for Quicktime users) to hear FireBlade project Chief Engineer Tadao Baba answering questions about future...

Road tax reform – have your say before they say it for you

02 December 2001

ROAD tax for smaller bikes could be cut, but tax on larger superbikes could be increased to make up the shortfall, according to government proposals revealed earlier this week. It’s part of a planned...

Blessed, and I know you hate me…

02 December 2001

Call me filthy lucky if you like, but somehow I’ve managed to blag rides on all kinds of Honda 500 GP bikes since the company first started racing two-strokes in the early 1980s. I’ve bought my own...

Cross-country, supersport-style

02 December 2001

Supersport meets grasstrack

Asking for directions

02 December 2001

Excuse me. Do you know the way the Bethlehem?

Following a star

02 December 2001

Follow the star, they said…

Oi mate, this way!

02 December 2001

And it came to pass, that supermoto was invented

Main changes to the 2002 FireBlade

02 December 2001

HONDA has opted to update the Blade rather than reinvent it. Its move into 2002 is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. On paper, at least. It isn’t until you ride it that you realise the changes are actually very significant ones, each with a dramatic effect on the bike’s overall character and capabilities. This is the sixth generation of FireBlade and the changes are as follows: * 1mm...

Tip-toe round the crashed bike

01 December 2001

And then everything was a blur…