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August

Revealed! Secrets of brake discs

12 August 2001

Revealed! Secrets of brake discs

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your brake discs. They look pretty shiny… and that’s about it. But they’re one of the most important parts of your bike when you reach that panic...

Meet Whitham at dealer open evening

12 August 2001

Meet Whitham at dealer open evening

WANT to ask Jamie Whitham about his close World Supersport race finish at Brands? Or get his advice on what bike you should buy next? How about getting some riding tips off him? He’ll be there to quiz...

Biggest twin is full of surprises

12 August 2001

Biggest twin is full of surprises

Honda’s VTX1800 may be the biggest twin in production but the huge weight doesn’t overwhelm even at low speeds. It actually handles surprisingly well. The majority of the 320kg (and that’s dry) is...

The Blast is on this weekend

12 August 2001

The Blast is on this weekend

Rockingham hosts a motorcycling festival this weekend, with everything from 200mph speed runs to off-road displays. The event, called The Blast, has been set up by the Motorcycle Industry Association...

Don’t be conned by bike theft team

12 August 2001

Don’t be conned by bike theft team

Police are warning anyone selling a bike to beware of con men who have been bagging three bikes a week in Bedfordshire. One of their number poses as an interested buyer, sits on the bike and asks you...

See the Hodgson rep in video action

12 August 2001

See the Hodgson rep in video action

Neil Hodgson has been testing the replica of his WSB 996 on the Isle of Man… and getting incredibly high…. Now we’ve added video clips showing his high-flying riding frame-by-frame. Follow the link,...

Now it’s Mr Ice guy

12 August 2001

Now it’s Mr Ice guy

A man in a violent orange suit is jumping up and down, waving his arms about. He’s got ants in his pants. It’s 8am and Neil Hodgson is more than ready to head out for a few laps of the Island on the...

Steve Hislop in his own words

12 August 2001

Steve Hislop talked to fans in the VIP Lounge of our Talk Bikes section of the site on Thursday, August 16. Here’s a full transcript of the conversation. " MCN " is used to indicated a question from an MCN user. MCN: I’ve started doing some track days and done all the four levels of the California Superbike School, but what i feel is holding me up is my confidence on really fast turns, i.e. over...

More Gatsos, but in sensible places and easier to spot

12 August 2001

More Gatsos, but in sensible places and easier to spot

More Gatsos are coming with predictions of three times as many speeding fines being issued. But the Government is insisting that from now on cameras are painted bright to make them easy to spot and...

Is council Cat & Fiddling speed limits?

12 August 2001

Is council Cat & Fiddling speed limits?

The rules about UK speed limits in the Highway Code are clear. A table tells us that on single carriageway roads, in non-built-up areas, the limit is 60mph. That rule isn’t just there for the benefit...

First test on Cagiva Xtra Raptor

12 August 2001

First test on Cagiva Xtra Raptor

The Cagiva Xtra Raptor is exactly that, a Raptor with a little bit more: a bit more adjustment for the suspension, a bit better handling, a bit more carbon-fibre, a bit less weight, a bit more...

Your bike can star at Malvern Big Bikes Show

12 August 2001

Your bike can star at Malvern Big Bikes Show

There’s a show with a difference this weekend. Offer your bike as an exhibit and you’ll save on the entry price. The Big Bikes at Malvern Show runs from Friday, August 17 to Sunday, August 19 in Wye...

The equipment

12 August 2001

The equipment

Each officer carries both a pager and a cellphone along with a radio headset which can switch between different frequencies. You can speak bike-to-bike or to dispatch back at headquarters. This radio...

Learning at the California Superbike School

05 August 2001

Learning at the California Superbike School

If you’ve ever entered a corner in mild panic or found yourself drifting wide uncontrollably, and let’s face it we all have, you’re a prime candidate for the famous California Superbike School. In one...

"Coals to Newcastle" as BSA ready all-new twin for Japanese buyers

05 August 2001

"Coals to Newcastle" as BSA ready all-new twin for Japanese buyers

ALTHOUGH BSA was once as powerful a force in biking as Honda is today, it may come as a surprise to some that the legendary British firm is still producing bikes at all, let alone readying an all-new...

Swindon Speedway meet off

05 August 2001

The torrential rain the Swindon area has seen in the last 24 hours means Friday night’s home Knockout Cup meeting with Exeter has had to be called off. The semi-final tie will now be staged on Sunday, August 12 at 6.30pm.

The Brands track ride out

05 August 2001

The Brands track ride out

Were you among those riding the circuit at the GSX-R Festival. Do you know someone who was? Take a look at the video and see if you can spot anyone you know.

First ride on the Hodgson Replica 996S

05 August 2001

First ride on the Hodgson Replica 996S

Marc Potter has been riding the Hodgson Replica 996S and you can read his first test verdict here. Next week you’ll be able to see video of Hodgson himself on the bike on the Isle of Man. And the WSB...

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

05 August 2001

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

Motorcyclenews.com has discovered Suzuki is planning to start using an electro-magnetically-operated clutch which will work even better than the quickshifters of today. It is likely to debut on a...

The best of the best

05 August 2001

The best of the best

More than 50 crack pilots apply to join the Red Arrows every year. Only three of them are successful. Those who do succeed become part of a flying legend which has been wowing crowds all over the...

Watch Carmichael’s GSX-R festival stunts

05 August 2001

Watch Carmichael’s GSX-R festival stunts

Take a look in our NEWS FEATURES section and you’ll find updated and full coverage of the Brands Hatch GSX-R Festival, including exclusive video footage of stunt king Kevin Carmichael’s...

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

05 August 2001

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

Kevin Schwantz rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch and our cameraman was on hand to catch the moment. Schwantz, seen in the video leading World Rally Championship star Colin McRae round the short...

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

05 August 2001

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

SOMETHING has been niggling me ever since I took delivery of my R1150R back in April. It’s the small matter of getting a slick, judder-free gearchange – the kind of clean shift that sends barely a...

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

05 August 2001

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

A new glossy magazine for bikesport fans hit the shops on Friday: MCN Sport. The 148-page quarterly publication includes exclusive new articles featuring Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Chris Walker,...

MAG founder Howard dies

05 August 2001

MAG founder Howard dies

DENNIS HOWARD, the founder of biking rights organisation the Motorcycle Action Group, has died following an accident on a pushbike last week. He was 80. Howard launched the group to campaign for...

Video action from the festival

05 August 2001

Follow the links, right, to see video of stunt star Kevin Carmichael doing his thing at the Suzuki GSX-R festival or to watch some of the many riders who took to the track. There’s also a link to watch Kevin Schwantz riding at Brands.

Carmichael in stunt action

05 August 2001

Carmichael in stunt action

Watch Kevin Carmichael abuse a Suzuki at the GSX-R Festival.

Harley’s Evel past revived by new flat-tracker replica

05 August 2001

Harley’s Evel past revived by new flat-tracker replica

HARLEY Davidson are hoping to draw on memories of Evel Knievel and flat track racing with its new limited edition XL 883R. Modelled on the legendary XR750 twin which made the Harley name famous in...

Whitham considers a return to British superbikes

05 August 2001

Whitham considers a return to British superbikes

World Supersports rider Jamie Whitham was in our VIP Lounge on Thursday lunchtime answering your questions on everything from filling his pants on the grid to how he got a scar on his chest. He...

First test of new BMW R1150RS

05 August 2001

First test of new BMW R1150RS

New images added at 5pm, Wednesday The R1150RS is beyond competent. It is genuinely, spirit-lifting fun… whatever the weather. The changes over the old R1100RS are few and far between. Essentially,...

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

05 August 2001

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

Speed cameras look certain to be painted in eye-catching colours now that top cops and the Home Secretary agree it’s the right thing to do. Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) traffic...

Round-the-world duo reach southern Spain

05 August 2001

Dave Marsden and Ian Wright had got as far as southern Spain when we spoke to them on Friday morning. They plan to cross the border into Portugal and return to stay in Gibraltar tonight. Then it’s across by ferry to Morocco on Saturday morning to head for Fes and the dunes of the Sahara. " And it’s unbearably hot by 6 in the morning here!, " joked Dave. The pair stayed on a campsite last night...

Buell’s Firebolt radical? We’ve seen it all before

05 August 2001

Buell’s Firebolt radical? We’ve seen it all before

When Buell released its new Firebolt two weeks ago, it came with a host of unusual features. But how many of these are actually new? Is the bike a radical machine bristling with 21st Century concepts,...

Strange but true

05 August 2001

Strange but true

Here’s our latest round-up of motorcycle-related madness from an increasingly odd world. FRANCE: Inspired by the Starboyz and their fur-covered FireBlades, this French biker seems to have taken the...

Blackbird goes red

05 August 2001

Blackbird goes red

Honda’s 2002 Super Blackbird will only be changed in one respect from the current model, it will be available in Candy Blazing Red. The eye-catching colour will add to those currently available;...

John Robinson dies

05 August 2001

John Robinson dies

It’s with enormous sadness that we report the passing of John Robinson, Performance Bikes’ technical editor. He was 56. John died peacefully in the evening of August 6, in the BUPA Hospital,...