March

Three-wheeled wonder

25 March 2003

This three-wheeled vehicle is not an April Fool’s Day joke, but the new Italjet Scooop. Not only does it have two front wheels, but you can even turn it into a snowmobile. The front wheels can be...

Capirossi gets first Monster S4R

25 March 2003

The first Ducati Monster S4R has been completed and it’s been presented to Ducati MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi. The new S4R is the highest spec bike in the Monster range, with a 113bhp 996 motor, and...

Sheene Norton to lead Phillip Island tribute

25 March 2003

This weekend’s World Superbike round at Phillip Island will see tributes to the late Barry Sheene from both the organisers of the event and the riders. Sheene was a regular at the circuit racing every...

New dates for BMW off-road course

25 March 2003

New dates have been added for the 2003 BMW Introduction to Off-Road Skills course. The dates are July 18-19, July 20-21, August 8-9, August 10-11. August 12-13, and the course costs £325 for World of...

American Norton not happening

25 March 2003

A firm calling itself the Norton Motor Company has given up its attempts to resurrect the famous Norton brand in the US. Facing legal problems, the firm has been persuaded to change its name by out of...

200 new bikes ridden & rated

25 March 2003

This week’s MCN, out March 26, comes with a free a 32-page supplement brimming with every new bike for 2003, an eight-page British Superbikes preview, and your chance to win a brand new Ducati 749. No...

Sheene memorial poster raises £8000 already

25 March 2003

The Barry Sheene memorial poster has raised over £8000 for Sheene’s nominated charity. This total could triple as thousands of cheques continue to be counted, with the money going to CLIC (Cancer and...

Get a free riding assessment

18 March 2003

Fancy finding out how safe your riding is by going on a rideout with the police? Warwickshire police are hosting their annual National Bikesafe Weekend on April 5-6, and there’ll be over 30 police...

Goodwood renames race in Sheene’s memory

18 March 2003

The organisers of the Goodwood Revival meeting intend to rename the Lennox Cup classic motorcycle race in memory of Barry Sheene. The race will be known as the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy and...

Hidden cameras to return

18 March 2003

Speed cameras won’t all have to be high-visibility, despite government guidelines to that effect issued last month. Anti-speed campaigners Transport 2000 and the Slower Speed Initiative challenged the...

Police donate ground anchors to hotels

18 March 2003

Touring bikers visiting Whitley Bay and Tynemouth will be able to sleep a little easier this summer, thanks to Northumbrian Police donating bike locks to local hotels. The locks are being given free...

Dingle Dell replacement to be called Sheene Curve

18 March 2003

Brands Hatch is replacing Dingle Dell with a new corner, named in honour of Barry Sheene. The new corner will replace the legendary Dingle Dell chicane with a new sweeping right-hander to be called ”...

Chat about your new bike

18 March 2003

We’ve added 15 new discussion boards in the Bikes section of Discussion & Chat covering 15 new 2003 added including the Ducati 999 and 749, Honda CBR600RR and CB1300, Suzuki SV1000S, and the Kawasaki...

No 7 to be dropped from British Superbikes

18 March 2003

As a tribute to the late Barry Sheene, the number 7 will be dropped from British Superbikes, and its support classes, from this season. The decision was made by the promoters and organisers of the...

Mike Hailwood memorial run on Sunday

18 March 2003

The annual Mike Hailwood Memorial Run takes place this Sunday, March 23. Hailwood died in 1981, after a career spanning 20 years, which included nine World Championships, 76 GP wins and 14 TT...

New MCN helps you get a better deal

18 March 2003

MCN has a new Insider section from today, March 19. It will help you get the best deals on bikes and gear, and is packed full of riding tips and technical information. It’s just one of the changes...

Tyres prices down, but how much did your tyres cost?

18 March 2003

Major tyre manufacturers are cutting prices in the UK, responding to cheaper parallel imports from abroad. There are huge savings to be had, so if you’ve fitted new rubber recently, we want to know...

Tell us about your best rides

18 March 2003

We want you to tell us about the best places you’ve ever ridden for a forthcoming supplement in MCN. We want to know your ultimate ride-outs, where you ride to, what roads you use and what you get up...

Club racing round-up every Monday

18 March 2003

Every Monday throughout the new season we’ll be publishing a club racing round-up to keep you in touch with the grass roots of bike sport. The round-up will be made up of YOUR reports. So if you’re a...

Meet John Reynolds this weekend

11 March 2003

John Reynolds will be at Cheltenham Motorcycles annual show this weekend. He’ll bring his 2003 Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 with him when he visits for an autograph signing session on Sunday. The...

Sheene’s funeral takes place

11 March 2003

The funeral of Barry Sheene took place yesterday, Wednesday March 12, in a private ceremony in Queensland, Australia. Only immediate family members and close friends attended. Sheene died on Monday...

Woman driver ploughs into bike cop

11 March 2003

A police bike rider has been involved in an accident, despite being stationary, in full uniform, and having his lights on. Officer Duke Hettick, 47, was preparing to slow traffic for a funeral...

Barry Sheene tribute

11 March 2003

Barry Sheene. 24-page tribute with MCN, Wednesday, March 12.

Paris-Dakar racers at Hein Gericke off-road night

11 March 2003

British off-road racers Simon Pavey and Nick Plumb will be at an enduro-themed night at the Cardiff branch of Hein Gericke on March 26. The pair competed in the Paris-Dakar rally in 2002 for Team Dome...

WSB stars prepare tribute to Sheene

11 March 2003

The world is already drawing up plans for memorials and tributes to Barry Sheene – who died on Monday. British WSB riders Neil Hodgson, Chris Walker, James Toseland, and James Haydon have decided to...

Watch out for mums on the school run

11 March 2003

It’s worth taking extra care if you notice kids in the back of a car, but for your own safety, according to a study by car glass firm Autoglass Four in five mothers (79%) regularly take their eyes off...

Your memories of Barry Sheene

11 March 2003

Tributes to the late Barry Sheene have been flooding on to our message boards since his death was announced yesterday (March 10). The thing that stands out above all others when reading through them...

Ducati gives Monster 996 engine

11 March 2003

Ducati will unleash a new Monster, with more power than any before. The Monster S4R will be the highest spec bike in the Monster range, with its power coming from the 113bhp 996 motor. Major changes...

Ronnie Smith tribute night: Sheene print for auction

11 March 2003

A fundraising evening in honour of Simon ” Ronnie ” Smith will take place at Club Amadeus, Northallerton, on Tuesday March 18. Included in the fundraising auction is a signed Barry Sheene...

First ride on the Aprilia Tuono Racing

11 March 2003

Aprilia has launched a tweaked ‘Racing’ version of its RSV1000 Tuono, with a factory race kit included with the bike. In its road legal version, the Tuono Racing makes 130bhp at the crank, utilising...

Remembering Sheene

11 March 2003

Barry Sheene’s death is inspiring acts of remembrance around the world. There will be a one minute silence at the MotoGP IRTA test in Catalunya on Sunday March 11. Many Australian fans have taken to...

Sheene loses battle with cancer

04 March 2003

Barry Sheene died peacefully in hospital yesterday, March 10, after an eight-month battle against cancer of the oesophagus and upper stomach. The 52-year-old 1976 and 1977 world 500 champion leaves...

Ronnie remembered

04 March 2003

North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club is holding a charity night on March 18 in memory of racer and road testerRonnie Smith, who died in January this year. The main focus of the evening will be...

Tributes roll in for Barry Sheene

04 March 2003

Friends and colleagues of Barry Sheene have been quick to offer their condolences to his family and to praise the man and the life he led. Sheene’s greatest rival, Kenny Roberts was told of Sheene’s...

First test on production Benelli Tornado

04 March 2003

MCN has tested the bike that’s almost too beautiful to ride. The Benelli Tornado Novecento costs £11,500, rivals the Ducati 999, and we’ve ridden it in a test so exclusive, the bike’s designer was...

Paris Tuning Show specials

04 March 2003

Some of the best specials in Europe were brought together for the Paris Tuning Show, the biggest of it’s kind in Europe. MCN this week (March 5) has six-pages dedicated to the show, including amazing...