Latest Motorbike News

Whatever happened to British-built helmets?

14 March 2016 by MCN

Kangol were once the most illustrious lid brand around. Then… nothing nce, there was a world before Arai, Shoei and Shark. A different world where the preferred helmets for British motorcyclists were...

Jumping sand dunes in virtual reality

14 March 2016 by Liam Marsden

Ever wanted to hop on an off-road bike with a huge paddle tyre on the back wheel and get some air over some gnarly dunes? Well thanks to virtual reality and action camera company GoPro you can do it...

'Just chop my finger off – I want to race' - WSB crew chiefs reveal all

14 March 2016 by Michael Guy

If you’ve ever watched a WSB race and thought, ‘I could do that,’ these crew chiefs’ stories, from 2012, should put you straight. Troy Bayliss Bayliss is a man who doesn’t know when to say no. His...

Mike Hailwood - in his own words

13 March 2016 by Classic Bike magazine

In 1980, after retiring from racing, and only months before his death, Mike Hailwood published Racing And All That, in which he talked about everything from racing drunk to the rider he considered his...

Yonny’s rear suspension goes to hell

12 March 2016 by MCN Sport

he Argentine MotoGP is famous for the Rossi/Marquez incident where the Spaniard came off worse and, “Learned some things which I will keep to myself.” But there was drama lower down the field too when...

Bolting together this Ducati is so easy a 10-year-old can do it

11 March 2016 by Tony Hoare

Ducati have signed a licensing deal with the people behind Meccano to create a series of bolt-up bike models. First Ducati in the Meccano Build and Play series is this Monster 1200S model, which in...

Go different – Alternative travel guide (Part 3/3)

11 March 2016 by MCN

Biking trips are what you make them. So make yours awesome by trying something new this summer orget about the same old clichéd Route 66 and Harleys. Here are our three top ideas for the Golden...

Make a date with Krazy Horse this weekend

11 March 2016 by MCN News

Krazy Horse in Bury St Edmunds is offering American motorcycle enthusiasts the chance to swing a leg over the 2016 ranges from Indian and Victory at their annual demo day this weekend (March 12).

Clubs galore at this year's MCN Festival

10 March 2016 by MCN News

Owners clubs from far and wide will be flocking to this year’s MCN Festival of Motorcycling and all are planning to have some very special bikes on display. We’ve increased the number of clubs at the...

The home-built TT bike

10 March 2016 by MCN Sport

his is the kind of bike the Classic TT was invented for. Built by Manx Grand Prix front runner Gary Gittins, the 1990 GSX-R750L started as a way of getting extra practice time for his goal of a...

Remembering Sheene

10 March 2016 by James Archibald

Thirteen years ago today, motorcycling lost one of its most enigmatic and colourful characters. Barry Sheene at the age of only 52 when he sadly lost his battle to cancer, he would have been 65...

Classic Bikes take centre stage at the Scottish show

10 March 2016 by MCN News

A staggering 465 classic bikes will be on display at this year’s Carole Nash MCN Scottish Show in Edinburgh on March 12-13. Situated in the Classic Bike magazine hall, Scotland’s biggest ever...

Guy Martin to star in F1 TV show

10 March 2016 by MCN News

To launch this season’s F1 coverage Channel 4 will broadcast a one-off programme with Guy Martin and ex F1 driver David Coulthard going head-to-head, pitting Guy’s Tyco BMW S1000RR superbike against...

Go different – Alternative travel guide (Part 2/3)

10 March 2016 by MCN

Biking trips are what you make them. So make yours awesome by trying something new this summer forest adventure. Discovering the hidden beauty and solitude of southern Sweden via off-road...

World launch of the 2016 MT-07 Moto Cage at the Scottish Motorcycle Show

09 March 2016 by MCN News

If you prefer your bikes a little more up-to-date it doesn’t come any more current than the new Yamaha MT-07 Moto Cage. Making its official public debut at the Scottish Show, the MT-07 Moto Cage is a...

540bhp, 209mph… one wheel

09 March 2016 by Performance Bikes

Clearing the double ton on both wheels is a serious achievement, but Gary Rothwell’s Hayabusa manages it on just the back one ary Rothwell has a fair claim to being one of the godfathers of the stunt...

Rule the roads with Tyco replica

09 March 2016 by MCN News

BMW have created a limited-edition Tyco BMW Race Replica which will be the highest-specification S1000RR available from your local dealer. The bike is painted in an exact replica of the 2016 Tyco race...

Go different – Alternative travel guide (Part 1/3)

09 March 2016 by MCN

Biking trips are what you make them. So make yours awesome by trying something new this summer here’s no finer way to bond with your offspring than taking a trip to the cradle of Rossi fanaticism in...

More supercharged bikes from Kawasaki

09 March 2016 by Andy Downes & Ben Purvis

Given the exotic nature and high prices of the two supercharged Kawasaki models currently available, it’s easy to believe that forced induction is just a vanity project. But that would be a...

Kawasaki Ninja R2 planned

09 March 2016 by Andy Downes & Ben Purvis

This image, crafted using insider information from Kawasaki, is the best interpretation yet of the supercharged superbike the Japanese firm could use to rip up the class rules next year. Rumours and...

Poll: Who's going to be top Brit in MotoGP this year?

08 March 2016 by MCN News

The season is about to start, so who’s going to finish top Brit in the MotoGP class?

New MCN March 09: Triumph Thruxton R first test

08 March 2016 by James Archibald

In this week’s edition of MCN, available in newsagents, on iPad and Android from March 9: Kawasaki’s secret supercharged Ninja R2 MotoGP showdown – Final Qatar test shock 20-page new bike special New...

7 great Euro Retros

08 March 2016 by Phil West

Triumph’s Bonnie isn’t the only master of its own history. Ducati Sport 1000 (2005-2008) Now widely considered a bike before its time. Ducati’s short-lived Sport Classics were killed off before...

41% of UK motorcyclists wearing helmets that should be replaced

07 March 2016 by MCN News

Around 400,000 UK motorcyclists are currently wearing helmets that ‘need to be replaced’, according to industry experts and new figures from insurance broker Carole Nash. Carole Nash surveyed over...

The Secret Ninjas

07 March 2016 by MCN

hese rare factory styling sketches show the options Kawasaki were weighing up for the ZX-12R Ninja in 1998, two years before the launch. It’s easy to spot one they chose, although its fairing fins...

Triumph Thruxton R launch report

07 March 2016 by Jon Urry

Live from the launch of the Triumph T120 Black and Thruxton R. After a gentle morning on the T120 Black, the pace certainly picked up with the arrival of the Thruxton R this afternoon. Compared to the...

Whatever happened to Pat Hennen?

07 March 2016 by Phil West

America’s first GP winner and Sheene’s team-mate at Hennen became the first American rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix when he took the Finnish round at Imatra in 1976. As team-mate to Barry Sheene in...

Team UK clinches joint second in BMW GS Trophy!

05 March 2016 by Michael Guy

After seven days of competition, 18 special stages and nearly 900 miles of off-road riding, Team UK have clinched joint second position in the 2016 BMW GS Trophy. The UK team, which was made up of...

Whatever happened to Frank Thomas kit?

05 March 2016 by Phil West

The British brand dominated for over 30 years but vanished overnight Frank Thomas? Didn’t he used to be a TV comedian? No, you’re thinking of Frank Skinner. Or maybe Frank Sidebottom, Or Frank Carson...

Six arrested over Padgett’s bike thefts

04 March 2016 by Andy Downes

Six men have been arrested in connection with the theft at Christmas of new and classic motorcycles worth £100,000 from the famous Padgett’s Motorcycles in Batley, Yorkshire. The Padgett’s showrooms...

MCN's BMW GS Trophy diary: Day Nine

03 March 2016 by Michael Guy

Team UK deliver the goods once again to retain place on the podium The fifth stage of the BMW GS Trophy was arguably the toughest yet. While the riding itself was not hugely technical it was a long...

Too Tall Tel's tall tales

03 March 2016 by MCN Sport

Abusing Lawson, riling Foggy, chasing Doohan. Terry Rymer has lived a full and fruity racing life… he 90s were a heady time for British race fans. They not only got to marvel at the sights of Rainey,...

Christmas Quiz: The results

03 March 2016 by Ped Baker

Better late than never eh? If you’re still trying to nail the last few questions in our quiz published in our Christmas bumper print edition we can finally put you out of your misery. The correct...

MCN's GS Trophy diary: Day 8

02 March 2016 by Michael Guy

Today’s win puts Team UK back in the top three Stunning riding, river crossings, puncture repairs, dust and no less than three special stages defined day four of the BMW GS Trophy in Thailand...

Learn from John Hopkins’ data engineer

02 March 2016 by MCN News

Reactive Suspension is holding a two-day data logging course on March 21-22 under the intruction of Bob Gray, John Hopkins’ crew chief for 2016. The course is aimed at club or national racers and...

New 1190’s big screen test

02 March 2016 by Andy Downes

Despite the strategic smattering of disguise tape, we can see the windscreen – built on this bike from rapid prototyping material – is taller, adjustable and also offers a wider area for improved...

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