New MCN Feb 18: 7 world first tests!

In this week’s issue of MCN the 2009 Yamaha beats the Honda Fireblade and is set to redefine how we ride sportsbikes. Read all about why the R1 is king in our road test, which takes place on the epic Route Napoleon in the South of France.

Ducati’s practical superbike is revealed in a computer-generated mock-up that one Ducati Dealer who has seen the bike called “an accurate representation of what the bike looks like”. 

The latest crop of 600s are also put to the test on UK roads. The Triumph 675 was the fastest on track, but does it have what it takes to beat the competition in the real world?

Plus the KTM 990 Supermoto SMT is put through through its paces. The standard 990SM is already a great bike, but with the SMT version KTM have created the first long-distance supermoto without losing the crucial fun factor.

All this and more in this week’s MCN:

– Euro-buyers are pushing up Brit bike prices

– the Powervalve is back

– Will the world go big bang? How long before the tech behind the 09 R1 becomes the norm.

– New Kawasaki ZRX1200 road test

– Electric bikes charge into the future