Bike news

What do you think to loud exhausts on bikes?

What do you think to loud exhausts on bikes?

There’s no doubting aftermarket exhausts makes bikes sound a lot better, but are they annoying or do they actually save lives? pollcomment

You ask/you answer: Small, and perfectly formed

You ask/you answer: Small, and perfectly formed

“I’ve just passed my test, and am looking to buy my first bike – but I need some advice. I’m only 5ft 3inches tall, and I have no desire for a ‘big’ bike. What I want is something that fits me...

Yamaha R1 owners wanted

Yamaha R1 owners wanted

MCN is looking for Yamaha R1 owners for an upcoming feature. We’re specifically looking for owners of the 2004-2006, 2007-2008 and 2009 onward models. We’ll be using the information to help with our...

May 29 - Jun 11 Bikes on the Box

May 29 - Jun 11 Bikes on the Box

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...

Cat and Fiddle camera makers withdraw casualty claims

Cat and Fiddle camera makers withdraw casualty claims

The makers of average-speed cameras on the Cat and Fiddle run are withdrawing a casualty reduction claim after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. Vysionics ITS had claimed its speed...

Staff Blog: I Can See Clearly Now.......

Staff Blog: I Can See Clearly Now.......

It’s a couple of weeks without riding for me I’m afraid. After 24 years of being a ‘specy-four-eyes’ I’ve taken  the plunge and had lazer eye surgery. You might wonder why I’m writing about this on...

BMW Concept Ninety revealed

BMW Concept Ninety revealed

BMW has just taken the wraps off the Concept Ninety – a collaboration between the German firm and Californian custom builder Roland Sands as the company celebrates 40 years since the original R90S and...

Staff Blog: Fair-weather rider? I wish

Staff Blog: Fair-weather rider? I wish

This year I’ve been trying to turn myself into a fair weather rider. Honestly, it’s not me, it’s the bike  – I don’t mind riding in the wet and have done thousands of miles in the rain over the...

Norton V4 tech analysis

Norton V4 tech analysis

Norton was brought back into British hands in 2009. After tqo previous attempts, Norton is back at the TT in just a few weeks with two almost completely new 1000cc V4 bikes, two riders and a bundle of...

Video: Bimota DBX first ride

Video: Bimota DBX first ride

Bimota has a reputation for taking engines from the likes of Ducati or one of the Japanese big four and building something rather special around it. It’s done the same here, but with a twist – taking...

Supersport bikes for under £2000

Supersport bikes for under £2000

We’ve looked around to find some of the best supersport deals you can get for less than £2000… Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat Yamaha’s Thundercat arrived in 1996 to replace the aging FZR600R as the firm’s...

Norton: 'What we learned last year created this bike'

Norton: 'What we learned last year created this bike'

Norton design boss Simon Skinner and his small team of engineers, designers and mechanics sat down the week after the 2012 TT and sifted through notes and reams of computer data to work out what a...

A new twist to training

A new twist to training

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Road Safety Partnership (CPRSP) is launching a new campaign to persuade powered two wheeler (P2W) riders to take additional training in order to enhance their skills...

Video: MCN ride Norton's TT challenger

Video: MCN ride Norton's TT challenger

With just days to go before the 2013 TT MCN gained exclusive, extended access over two days to the Norton team. They were preparing to test their new 200bhp V4, £100,000 Senior TT machine, which will...

Video: Ducati Hypermotard new vs old

Video: Ducati Hypermotard new vs old

Ducati’s new 821cc Hypermotard replaces two old Hypermotards: the little 796 and its bigger brother, the 1100 Evo. It has a similar-size engine to the small one, but more power than the big one, so...

Declare your bit on the side

Declare your bit on the side

The 101-year-old British sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire has released this tongue-in-cheek t-shirt. It features an image of a 1950s Monza outfit that was used in the original promotion at the...

Truly limited edition, Cal spec Sidi Vortice boots for just £299.95

Truly limited edition, Cal spec Sidi Vortice boots for just £299.95

A bang to the head, nose bleed, coughing up blood and a fractured tibia/plateau couldn’t stop Cal getting his feet on a Podium this weekend. We can’t promise that wearing these boots will make you as...

Staff blog: The myth of the Burgman's small tank

Staff blog: The myth of the Burgman's small tank

I’ve established the Suzuki Burgman 650 ABS Executive has a much longer tank range than it’s credited with.   Some reports have estimated it at 150 miles, probably because the fuel warning starts...

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R feedback

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R feedback

Four ZX-10R owners will get the chance to tell Japanese designers what future models should be like in an offer exclusive to MCN readers.  Owners of 2011 and 2012 versions of the Kawasaki Ninja model...

Staff Blog:Tyres changed after 2500 miles in five days

Staff Blog:Tyres changed after 2500 miles in five days

The mobile tyre fitter has just left having swopped the worn out tyres on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring which had been reduced to near illegal wear depth following my trip to the Ducati...

New MCN May 22: Brit Blitz!

New MCN May 22: Brit Blitz!

In this week’s MCN, out May 22, we celebrate the British Blitz at Le Mans, as Cal takes 2nd and Scott Redding wins his first Moto2. We also have our free 32-page TT Preview supplement ahead of...

BMF Show, Peterborough: Brilliant or bobbins?

BMF Show, Peterborough: Brilliant or bobbins?

DId you attend this weekend’s BMF show in Peterborough? Opinion is divided on how good it was, but 42,000 people still turned up for it over the two days. Let us know what you thought of it!

Would you support an instant driving ban for mobile phone use while driving?

Would you support an instant driving ban for mobile phone use while driving?

Talking on the phone while driving is responsible for an alarming number of biker injures and deaths. But does the law need toughening up on the subject? How would you feel about a one-strike...

Will Scott Redding be Moto2 champ this year?

Will Scott Redding be Moto2 champ this year?

Scott Redding set the world on fire this weekend, finally getting the Moto2 race victory he’s been chasing for so long. He’s shown consistency all year, and is now the title leader. But can he hold...

Should Cal Crutchlow get Valentino Rossi's M1 next year?

Should Cal Crutchlow get Valentino Rossi's M1 next year?

After his excellent showing last weekend at Le Mans, the entire world is talking about Cal Crutchlow. But at the minute he’s still stuck with no factory ride for 2014, especially if he wants to stay...

What's new on the Ducati Hyperstrada?

What's new on the Ducati Hyperstrada?

The paint’s barely dry on the new 821cc Hypermotard, but Ducati has already created a touring version. With its panniers, centrestand and tall screen, here’s what makes the Hyperstrada different to...

You ask/you answer: Getting my knee down

You ask/you answer: Getting my knee down

“I’ve been on a couple of trackdays now, one at Brands Hatch, one at Snetterton, and I really thought I’d lose my knee-down virginity – but didn’t. I’m 5’11”, and ride a bog-stock 2002 Honda Fireblade...

Win a Drift HD Ghost from Actioncameras.co.uk worth £299.99!

Win a Drift HD Ghost from Actioncameras.co.uk worth £299.99!

The Isle of Man TT, one of the most exciting events of the year, is nearly upon us. The legendary track, unforgiving to even the greatest of riders, means thousands attend every year to watch the...

John Surtees supports Fun Day

John Surtees supports Fun Day

Motorsport legend John Surtees OBE will be supporting the Edenbridge Fun Day this Bank holiday weekend. Surtees, the only person to have won world championships on both two and four wheels will join...

Win an incredible Festival of 1000 Bikes weekend

Win an incredible Festival of 1000 Bikes weekend

The Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s Festival of 1000 bikes is kicking of its return to Mallory Park on July 12-14 with a spectacular MCN competition. One lucky reader will get a chance to meet GP, WSB and...

Dirt Quake

Dirt Quake

Dirt Quake, the ultimate mix of high octane dirt track racing in a never before seen way will take place in Norfolk this June.   What is it? ‘Dirt Quake is Sideburn magazine’s Day at the Races,’ says...

Staff Blog: All the action from the recent trip

Staff Blog: All the action from the recent trip

This week’s issue, on sale 22 May, includes my full report from the recent trip to Normandy. I thought you might find it interesting to see the routes we took each day. Day...

The face of Honda's MotoGP road bike?

The face of Honda's MotoGP road bike?

Few bikes are as intriguing as Honda’s forthcoming MotoGP-derived ­superbike. Since its announcement last year, details of the machine have remained a mystery. But now a new patent filed by Honda...

In search of CX500 outfit rider

In search of CX500 outfit rider

I think it was in the late ’80s that a group of bikers paid a visit to a special needs school called Fountaindale, just outside Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Some of them had sidecars and they took...

Exceptional service from GT Motorcycles Plymouth

I bought a Ducati 2013 Multistrada Touring from GT in Plymouth in March. At a fuel stop on the way to the Portsmouth ferry to Spain on Friday 17th, I noticed that I had a significant oil leak from the left hand fork. I phoned GT at around 15:30 and spoke to Steve, explaining the situation. He arranged to stay late and I travelled back to Plymouth that night where he fitted another fork since no...

Longer reach for CTEK chargers

Longer reach for CTEK chargers

There’s not always enough cable on a battery charger to reach from the plug to your bike, which is why charging specialist CTEK has added an extension lead to its range. The 2.5-metre cable extends...