2006
A review of my 2004 Yamaha R1
23 November 2006 by
I purchased my 2004 YZF-R1 in May of 2006 after going through a 2005 R1 that I was riding when the motor decided to detonate on the track in February of 2006. So as I frantically found an escape...
My review of my Kawasaki ZRX1200
23 November 2006 by
Kawasaki claim 122PS and 112Nm of torque for the ZRX. In English that’s 120BHP and 82½ ft/lb, almost certainly measured at the crank. Dry weight is 223kg (plus 4kg for the half-faired S version).
Seven European countries in nine days
23 November 2006 by
A ride through Europe lasting 9 days and taking in 7 countries (some twice!) with a two stop in Antibes and covering 2700 miles. (England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium.) I...
My pilgrimage to Poland
23 November 2006 by
I started on my pilgrimage on my BMW K1200S with a 200 mile run from the Midlands to the euro-tunnel. My first time under the drink, which has to be the most efficient and convenient way to cross the...
The Synder family tour Europe
23 November 2006 by
We decided that this year’s grand tour was going to be to the Tyrol with Mick on his R1200ST, son Jeff on his soon-to-be-delivered F800ST and Brian on the R1150GS. Sons William and Graham would be...
Our trip around the Alps
23 November 2006 by
During those winter months, there’s a lot of talking about “Next year we should go there…” Some ideas were ridiculous, but the idea of a 10 day trip to the Alps, with a stop off at Monaco sounded like...
A tour of Ireland
23 November 2006 by
My friends David Thrussell,Kevin Howsen and Mathieu Booth, and myself, Graham Pugh, decided to take our two 2005 R1s, a Triumph 955i and a Ducati Monster on a five day trip to Ireland covering 1,442...
A tour of France
23 November 2006 by
My friend Jeff Cheeseman and I had originally planned to head to the French Alps on our Kawasaki ZX9R and Honda CBR1000RR, but on the day before departure huge rain storms were forecast for the days...
A review of my RVF400
23 November 2006 by
I thought I’d submit my experiences of owning a Honda RVF400 for the last six months, having read a message on the 400greybike forum. It all started last May, having previously owned many big bore...
My biking confession
23 November 2006 by
My confessions is that I was riding to work one morning, filtering past endless cars and looking out for drivers about to open their doors or throw a Un-turn… The last thing I was expecting was some bloke in a tracksuit to run out from between the cars with his arms stretched out. He hit me so hard I fell to the ground with the bike landing on top of me. The bloke just said “Sorry, mate”, as he...
My biking confession
23 November 2006 by
A ‘mate’ of mine, when I, er, he, was 16 and the proud owner of a Honda MB-5, wanted to see what a burn out was like so thought it best to start the bike on the centre stand, put the bike in 3rd, rev it then push down on the rear end of the bike to get the spinning tyre in contact with the concrete carport ‘road’ surface. My, I mean his, bike subsequently shot 10 feet forward into my, er, his,...
My rideout on May 13, 2006
23 November 2006 by
Out on the bikes again today with ‘makendes’ who was visiting from Blackpool. The plan was to ride up to Inveraray then on to Tyndrum and back home down the A84 via Callander. Things didn’t quite go...
Anti-bike petrol stations
18 November 2006
Anti-bike petrol stations in the South West of England Morrisons, Leominster Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Esso, Dorcan Way, Swindon, Wiltshire Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Somerfield, Amesbury,...
Your biking confessions
18 November 2006
If you’ve got an an embarrassing moment or a biking secret to share, then we’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories of mechanical ineptitude, learner mishaps, or just forgetting to put...
Sent to Coventry
18 November 2006
Sixty thousand pounds worth of minimotos have been seized and crushed by West Midlands Police since the crackdown last summer. Hundreds of local residents have phoned in nuisance reports to police...
Crash couple's joy
18 November 2006
A couple who survived a near fatal motorcycle accident six years ago have been awarded six figure compensation packages and becoming parents – all on the same day. Stuart and Nina Smart from Claregate, Wolverhampton, were seriously injured when their motorbike and sidecar collided with a car on the A41, on July 23, 2000. Nina, now 32, broke her pelvis in four places, had a broken collarbone, and...
Vote for our babe
18 November 2006
This year’s hopefuls are now flocking in to the office so we now need your help to vote which girls we should choose. This year we will be crowning one winner at the MCN London Motorcycle Show at...
Charity bale sponsor
18 November 2006
Plans are well underway for the Aberdare Park Races, Premier Road Racing event in Wales, which raises money for charity. The weekend is held at Aberdare Park, 30 miles North West of Cardiff. Races...
Cagiva's bargain
18 November 2006
You might think this is just a white version of Cagivas proven Mito 125, but look closer: the two-stroke’s expansion chamber exhaust is gone, and the stickers read 500. Cagiva replaced the tiny...
Speeders identified
18 November 2006
Riders who’ve made false claims about who was riding their bike at the time of a speeding offence could be in for a nasty surprise. Police have refused to rule out checking their riding kit against...
Video: Versys first test
18 November 2006
Some of MCN’s team headed out for the first European test on the Kawasaki Versys last week. The boys have compared this bike to the Yamaha FZ600s, the Ducati 620 Multistrada and the Suzuki 650...
Dirt Bike Show success
18 November 2006
The seventh Dirt Bike Show has been a success despite a drop in attendance figures, according to organisers. Attendance figures are yet to be finalised, but initial figures show around 19,000 people...
Roadtest your bike
18 November 2006
Ever wanted to be an MCN road tester? Here’s your chance to have your name published alongside those of the MCN team… We want you to roadtest your current bike, and send us the results. Sadly we...
BMW at dirt bike show
18 November 2006
BMW made its first ever appearance at the Dirt Bike Show on Thursday, MCN caught up with BMW Marketing Manager Tony Jakeman to find out why. He said: “We’ve come to launch our new G-series range of...
Sweden's Harley rival
18 November 2006
This new flat-track style road bike is Swedish firm Highland’s answer to the Harley Davidson XR1200 concept. The Dirt-Track is powered by a detuned 950cc 60° v-twin from the firm’s supermoto and off...
Pillion dream Morini
18 November 2006
This is Morini’s first crack at entering the lucrative adventure bike market. The MM3 is officially called a concept, but a production version would be easy to do as most of the major components are...
New MCN: November 22
18 November 2006
Experts warn road users about anti-skid surface which brakes up under heavy braking in this week’s MCN. One rider has told MCN how he crashed when he lost control on such a surface, which is on...
Anti-skid surface breaks
18 November 2006
A ROAD surface commonly used around the country can create a skid-pan effect for bikes, MCN has found. The supposedly anti-skid surface is laid on roundabouts, at junction and in all the places...
Scorpa's road prototype
18 November 2006
French off-road manufacturer Scorpa has unveiled this new road-going prototype. This latest design is designed purely for the road, with a flat-track style based around a 660cc Yamaha single...
Vyrus unleashed
18 November 2006
Italian hub-centre steering specialists Vyrus have unveiled special editions of the 984 C3. Vyrus originally worked alongside Bimota on the development of the Tesi and its hub-centre steering...
2007 CBR600 launch
18 November 2006
Honda’s world launch of the 2007 CBR 600 is happening next week, and MCN’s road tester Adam Child will be one of the first riders to experience this new machine. If you have a question on how the CBR...
MBE for MCI boss
11 November 2006
Geoff Sherley, MCI’s Chief Executive, has been honoured with a MBE for the groundbreaking “Skidz” motor project in High Wycombe. Geoff is a trustee of the project which helps young people learn...
No to Camera Boss
11 November 2006
The boss of the firm that makes laser speed detectors used in vans has been told by a Crown Court judge he cannot be used as an independent expert. For too long Frank Garratt, MD of Tele-Traffic UK,...
US Forces train riders
11 November 2006
United States armed forces are looking at new rider training for serviceman following recently released figures showing there has been more than 100 soldiers killed in the past year on motorcycles. ...
Get the latest download
11 November 2006
MCN Mobile is offering you the chance to see one of the classic near misses in GP racing. This is the moment Max Biaggi came within inches of looping his YZR500 when he crossed the line at the 1998...