2016

My life in bikes: Fred MacSorley

My life in bikes: Fred MacSorley

‘I went over the bonnet of an off-duty policeman’s car’ NW200 ‘Flying Doctor’ on crashes, his modified Triumph and saving lives  How long have you been riding? I’ve been riding since I was a second...

BMW’s 160BHP K1600 bagger

BMW’s 160BHP K1600 bagger

MCN can reveal exactly how BMW’s new K1600 bagger will look after uncovering design images well in advance of the bike’s public debut. We first caught wind that BMW were building a bagger based on the...

Could this exploding motorcycle alarm be effective?

Could this exploding motorcycle alarm be effective?

Plenty of motorcyclists have contemplated what they’d do if they got their hands on the thief who nicked their bike. An idea posted on crowdfunding website Kickstarter is now promising riders the...

Suzuki GB is recruiting technicians of the future

Suzuki GB is recruiting technicians of the future

Suzuki GB is recruiting the motorcycle technicians of the future, with registration now open for its industry-leading Apprenticeship Programme. Targeting 16-19-year-olds, the programme provides...

How to change wheel bearings

How to change wheel bearings

This is a straightforward job for anyone with a basic grasp of mechanics, and can save you a few quid as well. Here’s how to do it… an you hear rumbling and grumbling coming from below? That could be...

MCN Festival 2016 gallery

MCN Festival 2016 gallery

Over 18,000 motorcyclists rolled into the Peterborough Arena at the weekend for the second MCN Festival. WSB champ and Grand Prix superstar Colin Edwards led the USA team into battle against Chris...

Poll: Have Honda done the right thing keeping Pedrosa in MotoGP?

Poll: Have Honda done the right thing keeping Pedrosa in MotoGP?

Have Honda done the right thing keeping Pedrosa in MotoGP?

New MCN May 18: Retro bike shootout

New MCN May 18: Retro bike shootout

In this week’s edition of MCN, available in newsagents, on iPad and Android from May 18: New 1290cc Husqvarna New BMW K1600 Bagger Electric bike vs supersport Free 20-page bike deals special Dunlop...

You can experience this year's TT in 360º virtual reality

You can experience this year's TT in 360º virtual reality

The Isle of Man government has teamed up with 360fly to offer 360º virtual reality laps of this years event as well as 360º live streaming. 360fly will use their single-lens camera to capture 360º 4k...

Suzuki RGV500 tears up Coventry ring road

Suzuki RGV500 tears up Coventry ring road

Coventry’s ring road was engulfed in blue smoke over the weekend as Nathan Columbi of Team Classic Suzuki let rip on Kenny Roberts Jr’s championship-winning Suzuki RGV500. It wasn’t an act of complete...

Whatever happened to the BMF Rally?

Whatever happened to the BMF Rally?

It was the biggest biking event in the UK so why did it suddenly finish? t was more than a show; it was an institution – a pilgrimage from all points on the UK compass to Peterborough, for a weekend...

Riding Ogri's bike

Riding Ogri's bike

It’s the most talked-about machine in biking. It pulls babes, it grows hairs on yer chest – it’s Ogri’s Norvin! And Olly Duke’s blagged an exclusive spin, in this vintage Bike road test from 1997. ’ve...

Are you rich enough to buy a jet? Racers answer our crazy questions

Are you rich enough to buy a jet? Racers answer our crazy questions

If you want to know about damper settings, look away now. We sit five of the world’s best racers down and ask about money, puking and testicle size… op flight racers are, on the whole, clever and...

Five of the best Zeds

Five of the best Zeds

Kawasaki Zeds were the biggest, fastest, baddest inline fours of their day. 40 years on they should all be cossetted classics, but Zed aficionados continue to make them faster still hen Kawasaki’s...

My Life in bikes; Ollie Brindley

My Life in bikes; Ollie Brindley

‘I was 15 and up against some of the best riders in the world’ Rising star of the flat track world talks about being a junior champion and racing against the MotoGP elite  You’re only 17 now but...

BMW launches emergency eCall system

BMW launches emergency eCall system

BMW has launched the world’s first motorcycle emergency call system which will send an emergency call to alert the rescue services and also help locate the accident. The ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’...

Honda adds CB1100 spice

Honda adds CB1100 spice

Honda’s CB1100 Type II concept looks set to hit dealers next year. Big H has been tip-toeing around the tulips with the 1100 for a while now, but has finally decided on doing something dramatic with a...

Grab a bargain at MCN Festival

Grab a bargain at MCN Festival

With 100 retailers at this year’s MCN Festival you can be sure to find whatever you need at a bargain price to make this year your best ever year of biking. Online shopping’s convenient, but you can’t...

Kawasaki’s supercharged retro

Kawasaki’s supercharged retro

One of the most exciting prospects on the rumour mill from Japanese sources is the return of the legendary Z900 name by Kawasaki, which may boast a supercharged 900cc engine. Kawasaki have made no...

When Bike Swaps Go Bad. No 1: Colin Edwards

When Bike Swaps Go Bad. No 1: Colin Edwards

2002 Honda VTR1000 SP1 SUPERBIKE TO 2003 Aprilia RS3 Cube MotoGP olin Edwards arrived in MotoGP in 2003 as reigning World Superbike Champion, his second title. He’d been riding the Honda SP1, still...

New super-sized Triumph Street Triple

New super-sized Triumph Street Triple

It’s something of an open secret that Triumph’s Street Triple is set to get a larger capacity engine for 2017, as reported by MCN several times over the last six months, but this is the first clear...

New Indian Chieftain Dark Horse revealed

New Indian Chieftain Dark Horse revealed

This is the new Indian Chieftain Dark Horse; a de-chromed and blacked out version of the massive bagger first launched in 2014. The formula for this new version of the 1811cc water-cooled V-twin...

Whatever happened to BSA motorcycles?

Whatever happened to BSA motorcycles?

From guns and Spitfires to the world’s biggest bike firm to… nowhereFact file BSA (Birmingham Small Arms company limited) Born: June 1861 Last original-era machine: 1973 Claim to fame: Was once the...

Kenny Roberts and the King of Spain

Kenny Roberts and the King of Spain

es, that is Kenny Roberts giving bunny ears to the King of Spain. Juan Carlos I was king for nearly 40 years before he abdicated this summer. Modest and popular, throughout his reign the now...

Yamaha Darkside party at MCN Festival

Yamaha Darkside party at MCN Festival

The Yamaha MT-10 gets its official UK launch this Friday night at the Darkside PArty – free to camping ticket holders at the MCN Festival. The event will mark the first time the new R1-powered naked...

Foggy: My five greatest moments

Foggy: My five greatest moments

We gave Foggy two days to come up with a list of pivotal moments from his incredible career. It was a tall order f all the hundreds of race wins, multiple World Superbike titles, money, fame and...

MotoGP 800s - Rot In Peace

MotoGP 800s - Rot In Peace

Back in late 2011, it was a case of going, going, gone to hell for MotoGP’s hated 800s, the rev-hungry appliances that ruined the world’s greatest motorcycle racing series. hen you think about it,...

MCN Festival: More bikes added to classic parade

MCN Festival: More bikes added to classic parade

More bikes have been added to the classic parade at this weekend’s MCN Festival, bringing the total to 50 classic and iconic race bikes which will be run several times over the course of the...

At Home With The Lampkins

At Home With The Lampkins

This off-road-riding dynasty has been winning since 1954. Chatting to them in their sheds brought back a few memories. Since this article was originally published Martin Lampkin has sadly passed away.

See something different at the MCN Festival

See something different at the MCN Festival

Steve Colley skills & thrills Steve ‘Mr Showtime’ Colley will display his incredible trials riding skills. His famous mono wheelie stunt (riding over obstacles without a front wheel or fork!) will...

MCN Festival final day!

MCN Festival final day!

Here’s a (not so) brief summary of what’s on:  Elbows out, it’s about to get messy The MCN Festival of Motorcycling is packed with some incredible action both on road and off. On the parade loop...

Alex Lowes - I'd really like to race with Sam

Alex Lowes - I'd really like to race with Sam

After two years in WSB fighting with an underdog Suzuki, Alex Lowes is a factory Yamaha rider. Don’t be fooled if the season starts slowly, he says. It’s going to be good Coming from the GSX-R1000,...

Take an Adventure bike for a spin

Take an Adventure bike for a spin

It’s good to have a look round some of the latest machinery but there’s nothing quite like actually slinging a leg over something and taking it for a spin. At the MCN Festival’s Tom Tom Adventure Zone...

Ron Haslam 20-year anniversary; It’s Rocket science (Part 2)

Ron Haslam 20-year anniversary; It’s Rocket science (Part 2)

Take one racing legend with a passion for bikes, add in a sprinkling of Derbyshire hospitality and you’ve got the formula for the world’s most successful race school he racers are the school’s more...

What made Mike Hailwood so good?

What made Mike Hailwood so good?

Only two riders are usually considered for the accolade ‘greatest bike racer ever’: Valentino Rossi and Mike Hailwood. Here, 55 years after Mike the Bike’s first TT win and first world title, friends,...

Why is there still nothing like this in Moto2?

Why is there still nothing like this in Moto2?

The total chassis freedom of the Moto2 class promised a field of weird and wacky machines. A look back at the Elf Honda makes us sad no team dared look for a killer advantage outside the...