April

Yes, it really is made in China

08 April 2001

The machine pictured here is the first sign that China has what it takes to build bikes we in the west might actually desire. China is the biggest bike producer in the world, but it’s generally known...

Getting my 996 is a dream fulfilled

08 April 2001

THE sight of the bike in front of me stopped me in my tracks and caused a sharp intake of breath inside my helmet. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Almost trembling with...

The shape of forks to come

08 April 2001

Dutch designer Roel van der Heide reckons some day all bikes will be this way. Called the Chiqane 2, the bike that uses his system is the result of years of development. Van der Heide first developed...

Honda V5 GP bike breaks cover

08 April 2001

THESE are the world’s first action pictures of the all-new four-stroke Honda Grand Prix bike destined to start racing in 2002. The shots of the V5-engined bike were taken at Sugo in Japan today, where...

Aprilia Futura recalled

08 April 2001

APRILIA has recalled all of the first batch of Futuras in the UK because of a possible loose nut. A fault with a machine on the production line in Italy has meant that a retaining nut in the generator...

New Road safety campaign gets Foggy’s backing

08 April 2001

MOST of us look on road safety campaigns with some suspicion. We want the roads to be safe – it’s probably more in our interests than anyone else’s – but the true dangers, such as careless driving,...

Scottish Indian gears up for larger scale production

08 April 2001

The Scottish firm responsible for building just a few Indian Dakota-4s says it has been selling all of the £23,000 bikes it can make, so now is the time to go into bigger production. They plan to turn...

700 miles by scooter

08 April 2001

HONDA’s new Silver Wing is as happy touring two-up as it is dealing with the brake, swerve, squirt of urban riding in Europe’s busiest cities. The engine is new. It’s a four-stroke parallel twin with...

BMW’s updated bikes ridden 1800 miles on first test

08 April 2001

BMW’S latest bikes prove you can ride 600 miles a day without the aid of a chiropractor. Our 1800-mile round trip to the south of France included the chance to ride three updated models. And the flat...

Video action from Donington

01 April 2001

For a unique perspective of Donington, join us a foot from the ground as we bring you on-board video from a World Championship sidecar.190bhp, three wheels and plenty of rain.

New Bonnie spotted in Oz

01 April 2001

THE cruiser-style version of Triumph’s Bonneville has been spied on test in Australia. The bike, which was first reported in MCN last year, will use the same air-cooled, 790cc, four-stroke parallel...

The return of the Hesketh

01 April 2001

IT’S 22 years since Hesketh tried to bring us an all-British superbike with the benefit of breeding. Now it’s back, as a well-to-do classic. Now you can own a brand new version for £11,750. According...

Triumph is celebrating 10 years… without making profit

01 April 2001

IT’S exactly 10 years since the Triumph production line rolled out its first bike after its revival – the Trophy 1200, which was hailed as the first of a new breed of British superbikes. The firm was...

MV Agusta F5 spied on test

01 April 2001

IT’S the datalogging kit strapped to the pillion seat that gives the game away. This is no F4 1+1. It is, you can be assured, a well disguised F5, complete with that tempting 998cc engine. It’s a...

How the Cagiva Xtra Raptor could be

01 April 2001

THIS bike might be one of the only machines in the country that looks like a Cagiva Xtra-Raptor, but it’s the sound which makes it one in a million. Anything ridden through a tunnel as long as...

The most powerful BMW ever

01 April 2001

BMW is preparing to build a range-topping genuine superbike. It should be the bike that finally shrugs off any remnants of the pipe and slippers image the brand has accrued. The firm is thought to be...

Hold on tight…

01 April 2001

This is my second cigarette in ten minutes. It’s also only my second cigarette in five years. The reason for my nervousness is just a few feet away. It’s Steve Webster’s sidecar outfit. And he wants...

Now you see them

01 April 2001

THE council in Doncaster have started playing the game. They’ve joined Plymouth in starting to paint GATSO cameras eye-catching colours rather than melt-into-the-background grey. There’s been a 43 per cent reduction in accidents since one of Plymouth’s GATSOs was given dayglow yellow stripes – now all 26 cameras in the Devon city are to be given bright colourschemes. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough...