Britain’s fastest bikes

In the latest issue of MCN, out Wednesday October 16, we ride and reveal the tech secrets behind the fastest bikes in Britain – the 2002 MCN British Superbikes.

There’s in depth analysis of what makes each team’s bikes tick, but here’s a sample of what Steve Hislop’s title-winning Ducati 998R is like:

*Hizzy’s MonsterMob squad (now ex-squad, click on the link on the right for details) fielded 2002 Testastretta 998R, revvier and harder to set up than the two year old ex-Neil Hodgson 998 they’s run previously.

*Engine-wise, the 2002 single-injector made the new machine peakier and the delivery harsher off the bottom end of the rev range.

*The chassis had the same basic set-up as the 2001 bike so it was just a case of getting it set-up to suit the power of the new engine.

What was it like to ride though? MCN’s Marc Potter took it (and the rest, the jammy git) around MCN Donington Park to find out…

He said: ” Hizzy’s bike feels like a pukka race bike straight away. You can carry bags of of corner speed and the power is so easy to feed in.

” But feed it in gently otherwise you’ll be saying ” hello ” to the marshalls! ”

Turn to page 16 of the new MCN to start this special 10-page feature.

PLUS, in the October 16 issue of MCN:

*Your FREE eight-page pull-out of the world’s craziest stunts, tricks and riders. Mad as cheese, the lot of ‘em.

*Affordable icons, how you can get your hands on a piece of biking history for just two grand.

*All the latest news from around the world: Kenny Roberts gets set to launch a road bike…How much beer? 3,500 punters at MCN’s Autumn Spectaular…Honda’s new Pan gets recalled…Carnell/Motorcycle City to undergo a namechange and revamp…and much more.

*New bikers – when you’ve just passed your test and your fancy a sports bike, you won’t find a better introduction than these 400s.

*Top columnist Kev Ash examines the ‘logic’ behind crime as a career move when the courts hand down such light sentences to bike thieves.

*Honda’s FireBlade and CCM’s R30 are our long-term test bikes.

*Can’t decide which sports bike to buy? Well hold on to your wallet until you’ve read our Buying and Owning this week as it takes you through the 1996-1999 Suzuki GSX-R750.

*Latest products – better start cutting these out, Christmas is just 69 days away. Toppin g your wish list from this week’s efforts might be the Breil Ducati watch or new Alpinestars leathers or clever Pressure Guard type pressure monitors.

*Fancy a new textile jacket for under £150? Best turn to page 38 then…

*What to do, what to do…? No worries, your seven day what to do, where to go and what’s on telly guides are all in What’s On, page 40.

*Hizzy sacked, Honda to quit WSB, Max makes a competition out of MotoGP finally, exclusive first news and pictures from the Ducati tests…quick, turn to page 48!

It’s all in the latest issue of MCN, along with your free copy of MCN BikeMart Weekly. Don’t miss it.