2002

Year: 2002

Month: ALL

ZX-6R tops sales charts for 2002 so far

04 March 2002

Latest sales figures show Kawasaki’s ZX-6R is top of the charts for a second month running. Much of that is down to heavy discounting as dealers clear the way for the new 636cc version. Here’s the top...

Bike week: Two lidless riders die

04 March 2002

Two riders have died following bike accidents at Daytona Bike Week. Neither had been wearing a helmet. Both are American. Florida allows those over 21 to ride without lids. Ambulance staff say they...

Bike week: Cops try to close nudist camp

04 March 2002

Daytona cops are trying to close down a nudist camp opened up for Daytona Bike Week. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office have ordered the visitors off the private property, not because of the (large...

World’s biggest bike festival happening now

04 March 2002

Bikini-clad babes on FireBlades, extreme racing, stunning supercross and more Harleys in one place than you’ll ever want to see again… it’s all happening in the Florida sunshine of Daytona Bike...

New reg lands DVLA in the PO0

04 March 2002

DVLA bosses have had to recall over 100 new registrations because they spell out: ” PO0 ” . All plates issued since Saturday March 1 this year, feature the figures 02. The Fylde area of Blackpool was to be identified with PO. The DVLA didn’t spot the potential for embarrassment until the plates arrived at a car dealership. It happens to be opposite Fylde Superbikes. Fylde boss Dave Patterson...

First test: Buell Firebolt

04 March 2002

We’ve been riding Buell’s radical new Firebolt. It’s an R1-light, quick-steering beam-framed thriller aimed at European sports bike nuts, but does it hit its target? For our full report, make sure you...

One in ten bikes bought from Carnell-City

04 March 2002

Almost one in ten new bikes in Britain were bought from Carnell-City last year. The company has published its annual figures which show massive rises all round, but those rises are mostly down to Carnell’s acquisition of Motorcycle City. The combination of the two saw Carnells 17-shop chain expand to 30 branches and meant 9.3 per cent of new bikes in this country were bought from the combined...

Big Daddy Rat dies, aged 74

04 March 2002

The man behind some of the most famous custom bike shows of Daytona Bike Week, Karl " Big Daddy Rat " Smith, died at the age of 74 on Monday. He is thought to have suffered a heart attack. He had been in poor health for the past two years but had continued to stage his custom bike shows in Daytona Beach during Bike Week and Biketoberfest. He had also staged shows throughout Europe and at...

1200cc Blackbird for 2003

04 March 2002

Honda insiders have confirmed the Super Blackbird is getting a mid-range boost and a restyle for 2003. Although the changes are expected to raise power by as much as 20bhp to around 155bhp, the real...

Kawasaki joins big-bore cruiser war

04 March 2002

Triumph’s Twenty Two cruiser may not have it all its own way when it comes to the battle of the big-bore cruisers. Kawasaki is ready to roll with a huge V-twin expected to come close to a two-litre...

Strange But True

04 March 2002

Oh no… here’s another line-up of motorcycling oddities from around the world. If you have anything worthy of inclusion in our next one, e-mail jon.urry@emap.com Holland: A Groningen graveyard now...

WSB deal ends Foggy track academy

04 March 2002

If you’re ready to take your place on a Carl Fogarty Academy, prepare to be disappointed. The academy, which offered a Ducati 748 to hammer round the track for a day, has been scrapped. Octagon, which...

Stunt stars’ bikes could be yours

04 March 2002

The internationally famous Starboyz stunt team are performing at the Scottish Show this weekend… in what will double up as one of the oddest bike ads you’ll ever see. The Starboyz, who are using...

Three head injuries as Bike Week starts

04 March 2002

The start of the world’s biggest bike festival, Daytona Bike Week, has been marred by three riders receiving head injuries in accidents. None were wearing helmets. Florida ruled that those over 21...

Fazer 1000: Long term report

04 March 2002

Over the last month, I’ve been covering 300 passenger-laden miles a week. That’s a good test for any bike, but the simple fact is that if I had bought any other bike it wouldn’t be happening. I’m...

Aprilia considers Haga rep

04 March 2002

Aprilia is looking into launching a Haga rep Mille R for the road… but the firm wants your input to help it decide whether or not to go ahead with the plan. ” Haga is a very popular rider with fans,...

2002 R1 winner revealed

04 March 2002

Alan Sapsard from Southampton was the lucky winner of the 2002 YZF-R1 competition drawn during the official dealer launch of the new bike on the evening of February 28. More than 10,000 people entered...

Bike Week: Erik Buell inducted into hall of fame

04 March 2002

Erik Buell, the man behind the Buell range of bikes, has been inducted into the National Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame in America. But who would you nominate for a UK Hall of Fame? Steve345 has...

Frame fix could cut insurance costs

04 March 2002

Carnell-City is claiming a new addition to its Sheffield-based Bike Clinic could reduce the number of bikes which have to be written off. And that could have a big impact on the price we all pay for...

Face-to-face with Meacher

04 March 2002

Minister Michael Meacher may have been able to avoid questions about his leaked anti-bike letter on the BBC’s Any Questions radio show, but he couldn’t avoid MCN. Meacher was in Peterborough on Friday night for the Radio Four show and we had hoped he would be forced to answer questions surrounding his infamous letter. It reads as if he seriously considered banning bikes from National Parks and...

Bike Week: Cops cancel leave

04 March 2002

Police have cancelled leave and called in 20 extra Highway Patrol state troopers to get tough on traffic enforcement in Daytona Beach during Bike Week, the world’s biggest bike gathering. They made...

10 Scottish show winners revealed

04 March 2002

The MCN-backed Scottish Motorcycle Show is on over the weekend of March 9-10 and 10 site users will now be there, with a pal or partner, free of charge.. We’ve given away 10 pairs of day tickets worth...

Bike Week: Stolen Harley spotted 30 years later

04 March 2002

If you thought it was just the Mounties who always got their man, it’s time to tip your lid to the persistence of the Volusia County cops. These are the boys who police Daytona Bike Week, the world’s...

One in four London drivers will swap four wheel for two

04 March 2002

Almost one in four drivers in central London say they’ll swop to bikes to avoid paying a £5 a day congestion charge next year, MCN can exclusively reveal. It’s the best way they can find to beat the...

Scottish Motorcycle Show this weekend

04 March 2002

Everything is in place for the doors opening on the MCN-backed Scottish Motorcycle Show at 9am, on Saturday. Highlights include: Kit and accessories at discount prices; the gorgeous MCN girls; the MCN...

World first test: The 2002 ZX-12R

04 March 2002

Kawasaki has raised the power of the ZX-12R AND given it an even more sporting focus. Our full report is published in MCN, out on Wednesday, March 6, 2002. But here are our first impressions. (i) The...

Meacher on Any Questions Friday night

01 March 2002

Minister Michael Meacher, the man whose leaked letter to police chiefs has caused an angry reaction throughout motorcycling, WILL now appear on BBC Radio Four tonight and you can put your questions...

Thanks for making us No1… by a mile

01 March 2002

Thanks to your increasing visits to motorcyclenews.com, we’ve just had yet another record month. Even though February is the shortest month of the year we clocked up 5,000,000 page impressions (that amounted to 30,000,000 hits, for anyone still counting that way) and 265,000 unique visitors in that month alone. February saw an average of 36,000 daily visits, the highest figure since the site was...

Quiz winner passes on prize

01 March 2002

The top-prize winner of MCN’s massive Christmas quiz picked up his Suzuki DR-Z400– and instantly gave it away again. Honda CBR600 rider Martin Houckham, 62, from Dartford, Kent, decided to hand the...

Kawasaki proves that bigger is best

25 February 2002

Chances are, the last time you talked big-bore kits you were 16 years old, munching a saveloy and slurping a can of Shandy Bass outside the chip shop while you wondered if it was worth splashing out...

£14,300 Joey Dunlop reps sell out

25 February 2002

The strictly limited run of 25 Joey Dunlop replica SP-1s has now been sold. The only way you now have of getting hold of one is to bid in the MCN auction for the exclusive no26. It has taken less than...

Your road tax letters to MPs made easy

25 February 2002

You’ve started sending letters to your MPs to follow up your massive response to the public consultation on bike road tax. Our tips, make it easy for anyone to join in. Read on for advice on what to...

Organising the protest

25 February 2002

Motorcyclenews.com user Revetts has set-up a micro-community so that people wishing to organise their protest against Meacher and other anti-bike Government policies can share ideas. Follow this link to be taken there: http://communities.msn.com/BikersProtest

Suggested text for a letter to your MP

25 February 2002

Here’s some suggested text you might want to include in your letter. You could just copy and paste it into a document to send (e-mail or letter). The Treasury issued a public consultation paper on reforming motorcycle VED last year – and I disagree with many of the points I am worried that this is a thinly-veiled excuse to raise more tax from bikes. The Treasury has proposed a new higher road tax...

Long term CBR600

25 February 2002

It’s an old cliché that Hondas are more reliable than Swiss watches. But it’s true. Over the last 12 months I’ve covered more than 20,000 miles – around three times the average annual UK mileage – on...

Gilera’s V-twin prototype revealed

25 February 2002

These are the first pictures of the V-twin prototype Gilera is building as a first step towards a new range of machines. It hosts the first full-size engine the Italian firm, currently best known for...