Latest Motorbike News

New BMW R1200GS ridden!

22 January 2013 by Adam Child

BMW’s all-new and eagerly-awaited R1200GS is currently being put through its paces in South Africa by MCN Senior Tester Adam Child. Here are his first impressions: “We’re in 40 degree heat heading...

Motorcycle theft: Don't become a statistic

22 January 2013 by MCN

Have you ever looked at the bike theft statistics for your area? Do you know what bike and manufacturer is most likely to be stolen? MCNcompare.com have produced an infographic to share that has all...

OSSA release lightweight new trials bikes

21 January 2013 by Simon Patterson

Spanish trials bike manufacturer OSSA have unveiled two new two-stroke models for 2013, the TR280 and TR125. The TR125, which the Spanish manufacturer claims is an ideal beginner bike, is supposedly...

Taking the Bonneville to Bonneville in memory of MikeyMan

21 January 2013 by Anonymous

Our friend, Mike Page, tragically died in 2010 and at his funeral, a group of his close friends decided to rebuild his old Triumph Bonneville in his honour and memory. Mike had owned the Bonneville...

A small tribute...

19 January 2013 by Andy Westlake

After a lifetime working as a precision engineer West Countryman Tony Haines has developed the sort of skills that most of us can only dream about; and if you’re the sort of person who struggles to...

A2 licence holders wanted

18 January 2013 by Steve Farrell

MCN is looking for holders of the new ‘A2’ motorcycle licence, created under rules coming into force on Saturday. The new category, which carries a 47bhp limit, is part of sweeping changes to the...

Video: African adventure

17 January 2013 by Michael Neeves

Remember the old days when we used our sports bikes for everything? They brightened up our weekends, took us to work, and off on holiday, but now there’s a bike built for every occasion. Still, who...

Schwantz on Schwantz

17 January 2013 by Steve Farrell

When former GP world champion Kevin Schwantz dropped into the MCN office, we threw a net over him and dragged him into the cavernous vault of our picture archives. There he was forced to earn his...

Used KTM buying guide

16 January 2013 by MCN

Ten years ago, if you asked someone what they knew of KTM the answer would almost certainly involve the company’s off-road bikes. Despite the Austrian firm building a formidable reputation in the dirt...

Honda CB1100 Launch – First Impressions

16 January 2013 by Phil West

Honda’s new CB1100 Retro Roadster is currently being put through its paces in the countryside around Valencia, Spain, by MCN’s Executive Editor, Phil West. These are his first impressions, ahead of a...

New BMW R1200GS Test - What Do you Want To Know?

15 January 2013 by MCN

This week our intrepid road tester Chad jets off to South Africa for the launch of BMW’s all-new R1200GS super-traillie. With stiff competition from KTM this year, BMW have strove to out-do themselves...

New MCN January 16: Exclusive - New Triumph Tiger Sport

15 January 2013 by MCN

In this week’s MCN, out January 16, we have exclusive photos of Triumph’s new Tiger Sport, the replacement for the venerable Tiger 1050. We have an exclusive interview with Casey Stoner on Valentino...

You Ask/You Answer: New Licences

15 January 2013 by MCN

“I turn 17 next month, and want to get my bike licence, but is it really worth doing the A1 motorcycle test for a 125, or should I just stay as a learner until I can take the A2 test at 19? I would...

True or false? Electrically heated clothing is for wimps

15 January 2013 by MCN

There’s a long standing debate in the MCN office about heated clothing. While heated grips are seen by most as acceptable, if not a necessity, for winter riding, plug-in clothing brings a different...

If you could only do one track day this year, it would be at...

15 January 2013 by MCN

It’s almost summer, and with it, a return to on-track action, both racing and trackdays, with most of the UK circuits now offering at least some trackdays. Will you be taking on a track this year? And...

MCN's Michael Neeves rode to Africa on a sportsbike, and to Ibiza on a naked bike - but what would you have ridden?

15 January 2013 by MCN

Our senior road tester Michael Neeves has done a lot of miles this year – he’s ridden to Ibiza for a summer holiday, and even to Africa, just to prove he could! But Neevesy’s choice of bike wasn’t always conventional. He rode his long term test Ducati 848 Streetfighter to Ibiza, while the Africa trip was done on a Ducati Panigale and a BMW S1000RR; hardly touring bikes! Is he mad, taking bikes so...

Jan 16: Bikes on the Box

15 January 2013 by Alison Silcox

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...

The ultimate BMW HP2 Sport

15 January 2013 by Tim Thompson

You either love the idea of trying to make a twin-cylinder air-cooled engine that’s based on an old 1923 knocker go like the clappers, or you don’t. If you don’t, life is simple: you buy a Fireblade...

Colin Armes – 02/09/1931 to 20/12/2012

14 January 2013 by Richard Newlands

Colin Armes, who sadly passed away on December 20th 2012, was one of the country’s leading road race organisers. After an initial taste of marshalling at the Manx GP in 1958 (when on honeymoon!), he...

Britten V1000 in New Zealand

12 January 2013 by Keith Richardson

In 2008 my wife and I were on a cruise around New Zealand and Australia and one of the ports of call was Christchurch. We visited the Canterbury Museum and I was thrilled to see the gold plated Jawa...

Ten minutes with Andy McNab

12 January 2013 by Steve Farrell

We thought and thought but couldn’t remember the last time we’d met an SAS hero biker. So before he left us, we bombarded McNab with questions for a further 10 minutes. MCN: Are motorcycles popular...

DSA video explains new licence rules

11 January 2013 by Steve Farrell

The Driving Standards Agency has released a video on new motorcycle licence rules coming into force on January 19. The three-minute video explains the minimum age limits for different types of...

Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport unveiled

10 January 2013 by Liam Marsden

Triumph has unveiled its new Tiger Sport 1050, which was first spotted by MCN in March 2012, and again in a more finished form in November. Power is improved by 10bhp over the outgoing model (now up...

Video: Britten V1000 ridden

09 January 2013 by MCN

The ultimate nonconformist race bike, the Britten V1000 was hand-built by a dedicated team led by maverick engineer John Britten in New Zealand in the early ’90s. Only 10 bikes remain, and after a...

The rules: Riding for the SAS

09 January 2013 by Steve Farrell

Enduro riding over rocky savannah and scrub requires stamina, bravery and skill. Dodging bullets from guerrilla soldiers takes some cajolies too. Luckily, most of us have never had to do both at...

New MCN Jan 9: World Exclusive KTM 1190 Ridden

08 January 2013 by MCN

In this week’s MCN, out January 9, we ride KTM’s new big bore trailie, the 1190 Adventure R, the venerable 990’s replacement. MCN becomes one of an exceptionally exclusive club as we travel to New...

You Ask/You Answer: Which exhaust?

07 January 2013 by MCN

I’ve just got my first ‘big’ bike – a 2002 Honda CBR900RR-2 – which is currently completely standard, and I really want to pull some power out of the motor. I’ve got a Power Commander for it, and am...

Jan 9: Bikes on the Box

07 January 2013 by Alison Silcox

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...

Should Suzi Perry be doing MotoGP instead of F1 in 2013?

07 January 2013 by MCN

Suzi Perry will be presenting the BBC’S F1 coverage in 2013. Suzi has previously presented the BBC’s MotoGP coverage, before stepping down in 2010. pollcomment

MCN quiz of the year – the answers

07 January 2013 by MCN

Have you been wracking your brains since the fiendishly tough MCN Quiz of the Year got your grey matter churning, while you simultaneously tried to pickle it with Christmas cheer? Well, the pain is...

Nominations released for Irish Motorcyclist of the Year

07 January 2013 by Simon Patterson

Seven racers have been shortlisted for the Enkalon Irish Motorcyclist of the Year, in association with Adelaide; Ireland’s most prestigious motorcycle racing awards. The seven have been nominated by...

Rossi Fan RIP

03 January 2013 by Andy Dodd

On the 2 December 2012 my son Connor, 21 was killed in an RTA. He was a passenger in a car. He owned a blue and white Yamaha R125 and his passion was bikes, Valantino Rossi, Moto GP, Xbox, a game of...

You Ask/You Answer: What armour do I need?

03 January 2013

“I’ve been riding for 8 years, and all my kit has some form (or in some case, foam) of armour in the arms, legs, shoulders, back areas. I find some of it uncomfortable, and am surprised that the one...

Are off-road skills really transferable to road riding?

03 January 2013

More and more of you are taking to the mud, with enduro and motorcross training days full to capacity across the country and new schools launching all the time. Many riders swear by the skills they...

Should there be just one UK rider federation/action group?

03 January 2013

News this week has emerged that the BMF has lost their vital European lobby after falling into arrears with their fees to the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations, the central body which...

If helmets weren’t compulsory would you still wear one?

03 January 2013 by MCN

Despite studies showing time and time again that helmets save lives, there is still a strong lobby, especially in the USA, who argue that the decision to wear one should be left to the rider and not imposed by law. Indeed, some states have repealed their mandatory helmet laws as recently as this year, with Michigan making helmets optional in April, to considerable public outcry. In the UK, we’ve...

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