New MCN May 8th: Norton TT plans revealed

BMW F800GS gets the adventure treatement
BMW has launched a new Adventure version of the F800GS to sit under the huge R1200GS Adventure and hopefully steal some sales from Triumph, which launched the Tiger 800 with both standard and XC models from the start. Will it be enough?

Norton’s TT bike revealed
Norton was brought back into British hands in 2009. After two previous attempts, Norton is back at the TT in just a few weeks with two almost completely new 1000cc V4 bikes, two riders, and a bundle of determination to make this the start of a new racing era for the firm. 

Comfortably Mad
The paint’s barely dry on the new 821cc Hypermotard, but Ducati has already created a touring version. With its panniers, centrestand and tall screen, has the Italian firm created the ultimate fun sports tourer? Can the Hyperstrada really give supermoto thrills and proper mile-munching practicality? Senior road tester Michael Neeves takes to the English countryside to find out.

The top ten spots to live in the UK (for bikers)
MCN has asked its army of online readers to nominate the best places in the UK to live, and they duly responded. We’ve chosen the best of hundreds of nominations to bring you this definitive guide to the country’s most desirable addresses for a biker.

Sporty Leather Jackets
Breathe in deeply… can you smell that new leather? But there’s also protection, comfort and style here too, as MCN brings you a guide to the sixteen best sporty leather jackets available at the minute.

Rivals scent blood as Byrne suffers
If Shane Byrne needed any extra evidence that winning his fourth BSB crown will be the toughest challenge of his career, he got it at Oulton Park when he was outscored by three other riders despite winning a race. An uncharacteristic crash showed just how hard he is having to push to stay in front of the chasing pack.

Bulldog Brits show their mettle
After a painful qualifying crash de-railed his podium aspirations, Cal Crutchlow dug deep to secure a third consecutive top five finish, proving he has the speed to run at the very front of MotoGP. Scott Redding couldn’t live with Moto2 winner Rabat, but second in the race left him just one point behind the championship leader.

Young Pretender forces the issue
Eight years ago Valentino Rossi won the Jerez MotoGP race from Sete Gibernau with a hard final corner overtake that put the Spainiard in the gravel. Sunday’s Jerez race saw a near-repeat of the incident, with Marquez forcing Lorenzo wide at the same corner. With Lorenzo fuming the move will almsot certainly have consequences…