Bike news

117,000 hit Motorcycle Live

117,000 hit Motorcycle Live

This year’s Motorcycle Live closed its doors last night with organisers confirming a 10% rise in attendance compared with 2013, and visitors and exhibitors alike widely declaring the show one of the...

Yamaha announce 2015 YZF-R1 prices

Yamaha announce 2015 YZF-R1 prices

Yamaha have just released the prices of their all-new YZF-R1 and YZF-R1M, with the stock YZF-R1 setting you back £14,999, while the higher spec M version will cost £18,499. The stock bike is available...

Honda VFR800F: long-term test report

Honda VFR800F: long-term test report

A quick recap: I’m (mostly) a VFR man. I’ve ridden or tested all of ‘em over the past 25 years or so; had a lovely Mk II VFR750FL for a year back in the early ‘90s; owned the last of the 750s, a...

£315K Brough smashes world auction record

£315K Brough smashes world auction record

An ultra-rare Brough Superior became the world’s most expensive motorcycle when it sold at auction in London yesterday (Sunday) for a world record £315,100. The machine, a 1929 Brough Superior 986cc...

“Please save Foggy” says Michaela Fogarty

“Please save Foggy” says Michaela Fogarty

Carl Fogarty is one of four contestants facing the public vote in the jungle in I’m a Celebrity Get me out of here, with wife Michaela asking for help to save Foggy from being sent home. The telephone...

Husqvarna explained (sort of)

Husqvarna explained (sort of)

If you’re anything like us, Husqvarna’s recent journey from Cagiva (off-roaders only) to BMW (with some new roadsters) to KTM ownership (back to off-roaders until, hang on, they’ve changed their...

MINI target two wheelers

MINI target two wheelers

BMW-owned MINI have unveiled a two-wheeled electric scooter concept. The Citysurfer Concept combines the riding properties of a kick scooter with electric drive. The compact scoot is also foldable, so...

World Exclusive: Lotus C-01 superbikes ready to roll

World Exclusive: Lotus C-01 superbikes ready to roll

This is the world’s first look at the finished production version of the Lotus C-01 superbike, which was first revealed by MCN at the start of this year. When computer images of the C-01 were revealed...

MCN Pothole Campaign: Save our roads!

MCN Pothole Campaign: Save our roads!

David Cameron’s recent promise to spend £15bn building new roads in marginal constituencies got plenty of publicity. But it didn’t tackle the problem most of us face: the roads we’ve already got are...

Our Bikes: BMW K1

Our Bikes: BMW K1

MCN’s Andy Downes and his BMW K1 “I sense my wife is warming to it” His partner isn’t happy, his friends think he’s mad – but 25 years after falling for BMW’s futuristic  sports-tourer, a massive red...

Ducati 899 Panigale: long term test report

Ducati 899 Panigale: long term test report

Ducati 899 Panigale, £12,495 Weight 193kg • Seat height: 830mm • Servicing: £215 (625miles) Miles to date 6473 • Average MPG 44.8mpg Value of mods to date: £5573.31 The highlights from my year to...

Sign our petition and help MCN save our roads!

Sign our petition and help MCN save our roads!

The road network is Britain’s most valuable asset (Action For Roads report, DfT), yet we currently spend less that 1% of the asset value maintaining it. Britain’s roads are in a woeful condition, and...

KTM plan new V-twins

KTM plan new V-twins

KTM are developing a new range of middleweight V-twin engines to plug the gap between the small capacity singles, and large-capacity V-twins already in production. The decision to build a new range of...

Bridgestone’s motocross activity reaches an Apex

Bridgestone’s motocross activity reaches an Apex

Bridgestone is so confident about the performance enhancing abilities of its X30 and X40 motocross tyres that it has organised a free day of testing, for riders of all abilities, at Apex Motocross in...

Busy day ahead on MCN stand at Motorcycle Live!

Busy day ahead on MCN stand at Motorcycle Live!

It’s a very busy day on the MCN stand at Motorcycle Live! First up on the autograph sessions is five time Sidecar World Champion Tim Reeves at 1400, followed by former BSB champion and Voltcom...

Yamaha ‘Yard Built XV950 Boltage

Yamaha ‘Yard Built XV950 Boltage

This is Yamaha’s own new video chronicling the creation of its latest ‘Yard Built’ custom, an XV950 Bolt converted by the rather bizarrely-named ‘Benders’ custom house in The Netherlands. And yes,...

My Life in Bikes: Dave Myers

My Life in Bikes: Dave Myers

One half of television’s Hairy Bikers, Myers is a lifelong motorcycle nut, with a seriously eclectic bike history. How did you get into biking, and what was your first bike? I first rode a bike when I...

Honda CB650F: long-term bike review

Honda CB650F: long-term bike review

It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a summer and looking back I’ve had a fabulous time, clocking up the best part of 6000 miles on the Honda CB650F and with a plan to continue to ride through the...

BMW small bikes ‘will arrive in 2015’

BMW small bikes ‘will arrive in 2015’

BMW’s head of the motorcycles, Stephan Schaller, has confirmed to MCN that the rumoured range of sub-500cc bikes, built in conjunction with Indian firm TVS, is set to be unveiled in 2015. MCN has...

MCN Festival of Motorcycling 2015

MCN Festival of Motorcycling 2015

To celebrate 60 years of MCN in 2015, we have created an all new event – the MCN Festival of Motorcycling. The festival will take place over the weekend of May 16-17 at the Peterborough Arena and will...

‘Rossi’s helmets are made here’

‘Rossi’s helmets are made here’

MCN recently jumped on a charabanc over to Italy to visit the AGV helmet manufacturing plant at Mavet, near Padua in the north of the country. Having met with Luca Bertolo, project leader for AGV’s...

Under the skin of Rossi’s Dainese leathers

Under the skin of Rossi’s Dainese leathers

“You love your suit because it must protect you those times – better if just a few – when you fall,” says Dainese’s most high-profile suit wearer, Valentino Rossi. “To have a Dainese suit was a dream,...

Spied: KTM Dukes get overhaul

Spied: KTM Dukes get overhaul

Spy shots have emerged that suggest KTM’s excellent naked Duke range is under further development, presumably to refresh the 2016 model range. The 125, 200 and 390 Dukes have been tricking into the...

Riders for Health raise £6400 at Motorcycle Live

Riders for Health raise £6400 at Motorcycle Live

Riders for Health have raised £3200 in just thirty minutes at Motorcycle Live, with the UK government’s commitment to matching funding meaning that £6400 will be donated towards the charity’s work...

Pope’s Harley-Davidson heading for auction

Pope’s Harley-Davidson heading for auction

A Harley-Davidson Softail Classic which was signed by former Pope Benedict and then later received by the current Pope Francis will be sold for charity by auction house Bonhams in Paris on February...

Dryer idea isn’t a load of hot air

Dryer idea isn’t a load of hot air

A British company is seeking funding for its newly developed helmet dryer, which it hopes will hit the market in early 2015. MotoGroom, which has a range of biker-specific helmet lining shampoos and...

Hipster bike scene: love it or loathe it?

Hipster bike scene: love it or loathe it?

So – all these retro, bobber, café racer, scrambler, street-tracker, and board-trackers, being ridden by hipsters, and any other label you wish to apply to stereotypically well-dressed beard and tweed...

Did Motorcycle Live get you reaching for your wallet or vowing never to return?

Did Motorcycle Live get you reaching for your wallet or vowing never to return?

Have you been to this year’s Motorcycle Live? Did it get you reaching for your wallet, or vowing never to return?   Have you been to this year’s Motorcycle Live? Did it get you reaching for your...

BMW R1200GS ridden around abandoned holiday camp

BMW R1200GS ridden around abandoned holiday camp

Those who scoff at the off-road ability of the BMW R1200GS might want to watch Russian rider Vadim Shpilevsky in action as he rides around an abandoned children’s holiday camp near Moscow. The only...

Spied: New KTM 1290 sports tourer

Spied: New KTM 1290 sports tourer

KTM are riding an accelerating tide of new model development, popularity and innovation. At the same time the Austrian firm are pursuing their long-followed model for platform engineering around...

Ryder’s Riders’ Rider of the Year

Ryder’s Riders’ Rider of the Year

Since the very first edition of the Official MotoGP Season Review in 2004, this poll has been conducted every year, and each year every eligible voter has contributed. The rules are simple: name your...

VIDEO: 2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer

VIDEO: 2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer

This is Yamaha’s own new video extolling the virtues of their tasty-looking new half-faired version of the MT-09 triple, dubbed the Tracer. Weird ‘Discover Your Dark Side’ tosh aside it’s looking...

Welcome to the all-new motorcyclenews.com

Welcome to the all-new motorcyclenews.com

As I’m sure you’ll already have noticed, motorcyclenews.com looks very different today. Your favourite motorcycling website has been given a much needed overhaul and the result is a site that is not...

New 'Yard Built' Yamaha XV950

New 'Yard Built' Yamaha XV950

German custom bike builder Marcus Walz has collaborated with Yamaha to deliver the latest bike in their Yard Built series of customized specials. Based on the firm’s XV950, the bike – dubbed ‘El Ratón...

Motorcycle Live 2014 is go!

Motorcycle Live 2014 is go!

A round-up of the highlights of Motorcycle Live 2014, presented by former MotoGP racer and commentator Steve Parrish. The UK’s biggest bike show has 35 manufacturers and over 150 other exhibitors...

Rock out with Motörhead at Motorcycle Live

Rock out with Motörhead at Motorcycle Live

Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell will be on the Victory Motorcycles stand at Motorcycle Live at midday this Saturday, 22 November. Celebrating the unveiling and handover of a unique hand-built custom...