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Staff Blog: First long ride (and in the sun, too!)

07 July 2013 by Simon Patterson

Staff Blog: First long ride (and in the sun, too!)

It seems I couldn’t have picked a better time to finally get out on two wheels! The sun’s beaming down, I’m sitting in the press office at Snetterton, and the little Yamaha R125 is parked...

BMW K1600GT Sport revealed

05 July 2013 by Andy Downes

BMW K1600GT Sport revealed

BMW has unveiled a new version of the the six cylinder K1600 which the firm is calling the ‘GT Sport’. The GT Sport has just been unveiled at the ‘BMW Motorrad Days 2013’ event in Garmisch. The GT...

Staff blog: Roman Holiday

05 July 2013

Staff blog: Roman Holiday

My ride to Rome is now a distant memory (see MCN July 3) but I’ll always have a load of holiday snaps to remind me. Here are some that didn’t make it into the paper and also the links to the Google...

Celebrating the Victory way

05 July 2013 by Kirsten Ash

Celebrating the Victory way

Victory Motorcycles celebrate their 15th Anniversary on July 4 and as part of the celebration, the American firm released its latest bike, the Cross Country Tour Limited. Victory fans will celebrate...

The TT that became a Nazi propaganda coup

05 July 2013 by Steve Farrell

The TT that became a Nazi propaganda coup

It’s been described as motorcycle sport in its purest form. But the Isle of Man TT hasn’t always been just about sport. In 1939, the world’s most spectacular motorsports event became a propaganda...

Bike Chooser: Naked bikes for under £2000

04 July 2013 by MCN

Bike Chooser: Naked bikes for under £2000

This week’s bike chooser brings you the best naked bikes for under £2000. 1997 Suzuki TL1000S Suzuki’s infamous TL1000S entered onto the scene (as well a few hedges) in 1997 and instantly gained a...

Rossi Desmosedici at Goodwood

04 July 2013 by MCN

Rossi Desmosedici at Goodwood

The world-famous Goodwood  Festival of Speed – the largest motoring garden party in the world – takes place once again on July 11-14 this year, and one of the big stars of the show will be an ex-Rossi...

Tour the Honda Collection Hall

04 July 2013 by Robin Goodwin

Tour the Honda Collection Hall

At the opening of the Honda Collection Hall, founder Soichiro Honda proudly said that the museum would allow them to show the world what they’ve done and that visitors can ‘see the real Honda’. The...

KTM 250 EXC-F first ride

04 July 2013 by Jon Bentman

KTM 250 EXC-F first ride

KTM dominate off-road sport with over 200 world championships under their belt. And they dominate because every year, without fail, the Austrian manufacturer makes its bikes better, sometimes...

New Yamaha XV950s set for UK

03 July 2013 by Phil West

New Yamaha XV950s set for UK

This new bobber-style Yamaha custom, the XV950, is coming to the UK this September priced from £7199 to £7499.   The new V-twin debuted earlier this year in the US where it’s called the ‘Star Bolt’...

Built in Britain 2013 - enter your bike

03 July 2013 by MCN

Built in Britain 2013 - enter your bike

Today sees the launch of the 2013 Built in Britain competition, an anuual event launched by Carole Nash and MCN to find the nation’s most talented bike builder. Every year this massive competition...

BMW S1000RR and Kawasaki ZX-10R owners needed!

03 July 2013 by MCN

BMW S1000RR and Kawasaki ZX-10R owners needed!

MCN are looking for owners of 2010/11 BMW S1000RRs and 2004/05 Kawasaki ZX-10Rs for an upcoming feature. We’ll be using the information to help with our article and there may be a chance you get...

Staff blog: Hyperstrada on tour

03 July 2013 by Michael Neeves

Staff blog: Hyperstrada on tour

I’m half way through a riding holiday with a couple of my mates. We’ve ridden down the west coast of France, along the top of Spain and now stopped half way down the Portuguese coast, in the resort of...

Who had the most impressive race at Assen?

03 July 2013 by MCN

Who had the most impressive race at Assen?

This weekend’s Assen GP saw a lot of heroic rides, with Rossi breaking his bad spell, Lorenzo breaking his shoulder, and Crutchlow breaking the factory Hondas! But who do you think had the ride of the...

Video: BMW F800GT vs rivals

03 July 2013 by MCN

Video: BMW F800GT vs rivals

BMW’s new F800GT is branded as a do-everything entry level tourer. We took it out againstsome of it’s class rivals – the Honda Deauville and Yamaha’s Fazer 8 – to see what it faired like in the real...

Used buying guide: Yamaha R1

03 July 2013 by Jon Urry

Used buying guide: Yamaha R1

If you have to pick out a year that marked the revival of the litre bike category then look no further than 2004. With World Superbikes turning to 1000cc inline fours rather than 750cc homologation...

Lexmoto ZSX125 first ride

03 July 2013 by Phil West

Lexmoto ZSX125 first ride

Lexmoto’s new ZSX125 is a good indicator of how far – and fast – the much-maligned Chinese motorcycle industry has come in recent years, being not just as keenly priced as ever but also now being...

New Rossi rep arriving in dealers

02 July 2013 by Tony Hoare

New Rossi rep arriving in dealers

AGV has released the replica of Valentino Rossi’s current MotoGP helmet a year earlier than usual. The Italian firm normally waits until the following season to give the public the same design as its...

Staff blog: Burgman v Tmax: the jury's out

02 July 2013 by Steve Farrell

Staff blog: Burgman v Tmax: the jury's out

One or two readers have commented that they doubt the Burgman 650 is as good as some other big scooters out there, like Yamaha’s Tmax or BMW’s C600 Sport. This week I’ll be finding out.   I’m doing a...

Suzuki launches new V-Strom 1000 website

02 July 2013 by Kirsten Ash

Suzuki launches new V-Strom 1000 website

Suzuki has launched a new website dedicated to the eagerly anticipated V-Strom 1000 adventure bike first revealed at the Cologne Show in late 2012, and expected to be shown in production-ready form...

Win a pair of VIP tickets to BSB

02 July 2013 by Andy Davidson

Win a pair of VIP tickets to BSB

MCN and Team WD-40 have teamed up to offer one lucky reader a VIP ticket for round six of the BSB at Brands Hatch on July 21. The exclusive ticket includes a plus one and gives the winners full...

New MCN July 3: Rossi Rules!

02 July 2013 by MCN

New MCN July 3: Rossi Rules!

Rossi Rules – 12 page MotoGP special! PLUS: World Exclusive – New GS Adventure GSX-R600 Used Guide NEW! Small bikes extra – Buying & Riding advice! BMW F800GT v Fazer8 v Deauville And much, much...

Banned from parking in business park

02 July 2013 by Anonymous

I work on a business park which is running short of parking spaces and has no bike spaces at all so I use a car parking space. I am being told that they are going to ban motorbikes from parking in the business parks with a £100 fine. Is this legal? As a relatively new biker do we really have to deal with such discrimination? I pay my road tax and only expect the same rights as a car. If I went to...

Staff Blog: Multistrada 1200 tyre review

02 July 2013

Staff Blog: Multistrada 1200 tyre review

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring is now on the third set of tyres in 6500 miles with a set of new-to-the-market Michelin Pilot Power 3s the latest fitted. I’m going to do a run through of how...

Waddington Air Show

02 July 2013 by szr660

I called RAF Waddington to see if there is a helmet/leather park for this weekend’s Air Show. Apparantly it is not something they have thought about. If you are going and need this facility then call the Air Show office on 01522 727011 and let them know how important these things are to an enjoyable day out for motorcyclists. They didn’t have one at Santa Pod last September but just by asking on...

‘Grave concerns’ about graphic safety ad

02 July 2013 by Steve Farrell

‘Grave concerns’ about graphic safety ad

A leading riders’ group has said it has “grave concerns” about a graphic new safety ad.  The cinema ad by Transport for London shows a motorcyclist lying on his back in the road. While paramedics...

NCR's titanium-framed Ducati

02 July 2013 by Michael Neeves

NCR's titanium-framed Ducati

NCR has been tuning Ducatis since the late 60s. During the 90s and early 2000s, you’ll probably remember the black NCR Ducatis competing in World Superbike, ridden by the likes of Borja, Bontempi,...

Kymco K-Pipe 50cc

01 July 2013 by Tobias Milliken

I’m 16 and just got my first motorcycle – The K-Pipe 50cc. This bike is great! It looks and sounds very nice, but since I have owned it I’ve noticed a major flaw in the bike. Hills are it’s worst enemies! If you run into an incline in 3rd or 4th gear (the gears you need in fast moving traffic) the bike will lose all power and you will be riding up the hill at about 3 or 4 mph or just stall...

MCN on the P31

01 July 2013 by dogsballx

MCN on the P31

Here I am diving on the P31 off Comino Island, Malta at 20m, wearing my flat cap and reading MCN! I’ve been an avid reader for years and I’m currently riding an ’03 Yamaha R1, and a ’90 Yamaha EXUP...

Touring on a sportsbike

01 July 2013 by Chris Taylor

Touring on a sportsbike

I’m sure you’ll agree this is proof you can tour on a sports bike. On my Honda CBR600RR I clocked over 3,500 miles in eight days. Starting in Matlock I visited Monte carlo, Rimini, Valentino Rossi’s...

Staff Blog: How’s that for the ultimate in accessories?

01 July 2013 by Alison Silcox

Staff Blog: How’s that for the ultimate in accessories?

I’m not a slave to fashion and wouldn’t normally be classed as a girlie-girl but as a bit of fun I thought I’d add a little colour coded accessory to my Fazer8, well not exactly to the bike but more...

BMW S1000RR gets mid-life refresh

01 July 2013 by MCN

BMW S1000RR gets mid-life refresh

BMW is months away from launching a revised S1000RR which insiders say will get semi-active suspension from the HP4, a host of minor revisions along with an even more sophisticated ABS system which...

Four out of five bikes unlocked

28 June 2013 by Steve Farrell

Four out of five bikes unlocked

Fewer than one-in-five owners of new bikes use any physical theft deterrent such as a chain, according to a survey in London. As machines got older, higher proportions were found to be secured with a...

True bulldog spirit

27 June 2013 by Gary Read

On a recent biking trip to Portugal, as we were heading towards the coastal city of Figueira Do Foz, one of my friends unfortunately came off his bike. The bike was still rideable and although he said he was in pain with his shoulder and ribs, he said he would carry on to the hotel. Despite resting for a day in Figueira he was still in a lot of pain, and insisted he would go to A&E when he...

Bikes on the Box - 26 June to 16 July

27 June 2013 by Alison Silcox

Bikes on the Box - 26 June to 16 July

KEY TO CHANNELS.   DRT – Discovery Real Time   DSC – Discovery Channel   DHD – Discovery Channel HD   EXS – Extreme Sports Channel  EUR1 (2, HD) – Eurosport 1 (2, HD)  MOT – Motors TV   CH4 – Channel...

Yamaha 600 owners wanted

27 June 2013 by MCN

Yamaha 600 owners wanted

MCN is looking for owners of some of Yamaha’s 600cc bikes. We’re specifically looking for owners of the Yamaha FZS600 Fazer, FZ6 Fazer/FZ6 and Diversion – any year or model. We’ll be using the...