Latest Motorbike News

Honda’s 134mpg scooter

20 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

Honda’s latest 125 scooter will do a claimed 133.9mpg – around 50% more than the most fuel efficient petrol cars. The new SH125i has 16-inch wheels and space under the seat for a full-face helmet.

Hands-free phones ‘just as distracting’

20 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

Drivers making hands-free calls are just as distracted as those on handheld phones, a Which? study has shown. Meanwhile texting is far more distracting than making a call – and more so than drinking...

Destination dealer: Doble Motorcycles

20 September 2012 by MCN

ADVERTISING PROMOTION 2012 has been a big year for Honda and their leading UK dealer, Doble Motorcycles. The introduction of several key models such as the NC700 range and the new Crosstourer have...

Banned for 103mph wheelie past camera van

20 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

A motorcyclist was banned from the roads for 12 months for wheelying past a speed camera van at 103mph. Lukasz Wisniewski, 26, of Leeds, did the stunt on a Honda Fireblade on the A63 near Selby on...

2013 KTM 1190 Adventure – official pictures released

20 September 2012 by Phil West

Following yesterday’s leak of the first brochure shots of KTM’s eagerly awaited new 1190 Adventure, the Austrian factory has now decided to officially unveil the bike in advance of the forthcoming...

UK third world roads

20 September 2012 by Marmalade2

On Saturday August 11 I collected my new GSX-R750 and on the way home got a new rear tyre fitted. On August 14 I went to collect a seat pad from someone in Westbury and on my way back along the A36...

MCN Awards 2012

19 September 2012 by Richard Newland

The Imperial War Museum, Duxford, provided the stunning backdrop for last night’s 2012 MCN Awards, as dignitaries from the motorcycle industry joined senior MCN staff under the wings of Concorde in...

New KTM 1190 Adventure breaks cover

19 September 2012 by Phil West

This official brochure pic of KTM’s all-new 1190 Adventure has leaked out of the factory ahead of its scheduled unveiling at the Cologne Show on October 2. Apparently, KTM themselves mistakenly posted...

Bikes on TV: September 19-25

19 September 2012 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...

Poll: Do you use your riding modes switch?

18 September 2012 by MCN

If your bike has riding modes (where a switch can change the power characteristics), we’d like to know if you still use them. Or did you try the modes out when you first got the bike, but then leave...

You ask/you answer: Should I force pillion to wear proper gear?

18 September 2012 by MCN

I recently passed my test and took a pillion for the first time last weekend. It went well, she liked it, but I was in a dilemma about her gear. She had ordinary jeans, a fashion leather jacket,...

Poll: Who do you want to cull?

18 September 2012 by MCN

Legislation has been agreed today that will lead to badgers being culled. Who should be next? pollcomment

Poll: Should every motorcyclist own a Ducati at some point?

18 September 2012

Next week’s MCN (out September 26) features the world first test of Ducati’s semi-active suspension Multistrada 1200. This wildly advanced motorcycle provoked an office discussion about Ducatis in...

2013 ‘Skyhook’ Ducati Multistradas unveiled

18 September 2012 by Phil West

Ducati’s updated 2013 Multistrada line-up has just broken cover – with the top-of-the-range models now featuring the firm’s innovative new semi-active suspension system, ‘Skyhook’, as predicted by MCN...

New MCN September 19: Rossi dedicates podium to Simoncelli

18 September 2012 by Liam Marsden

In this week’s MCN, out September 19, we reveal the all-new Honda CBR500 and CB500. Honda hopes to attract new, young riders with the basic, parallel-twin machines. Also in this week’s issue we ride...

MCN IAM Better Riding Guide: Motorways

17 September 2012 by Stefan Bartlett

Over the next few weeks, the IAM will be providing you with advice to be a better rider. Whether you’ve just started riding or you’ve been away from your bike for a few years, you might be under the...

MCN in demand

15 September 2012 by robertswarbrick

Waiting to board the boat to Norway with my copy of MCN. It was the only copy on the ship and was in great demand!

New sporty 125 for £2399

14 September 2012 by MCN

Learners looking for sports bike styling on a budget can now get the 125RR from WK Bikes for £2399. Chinese-made it has adjustable shocks and USD forks with twin front discs. It’s available in red or...

Across Vietnam on a Motorbike

14 September 2012 by Ben Loombe-Temple

Like many people in the UK I’m a massive fan of Top Gear. One of my favourite episodes of the show has got to be the Vietnam special, where the three chaps all bought a motorbike in Saigon and rode...

Government boost for bike scheme

14 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

A scheme helping young people get to work or college by providing them with scooters has won a £50,000 government grant. The scheme subsidises hire of scooters to young people in rural areas where...

Husqvarna Strada and Terra on sale next month

14 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

Husqvarna’s latest road bike is due to arrive in UK dealers early in October. The supermoto-style TR650 Strada uses the single-cylinder engine from BMW’s G650GS but tuned for 57bhp, up from 47. It...

New Yamaha Race Blu paintjob

14 September 2012 by Andy Downes

This new Race Blu paintjob seen here on the Yamaha YZF-R1 is the highlight of a series of colour changes for many of the 2013 Yamahas with no mechanical changes at all. Race Blu, which comprises blue...

Destination dealer: Stratstone Harley-Davidson

14 September 2012 by MCN

ADVERTISING PROMOTION Stratstone Harley-Davidson Stoke first opened its doors on 4 November 2011, marked by a glittering firework-fuelled celebration. The opening of the dealership in Stoke has...

New Kawasaki ZX-6R officially unveiled

13 September 2012 by Liam Marsden

As revealed by MCN last month, the 2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R will return to a displacement of 636cc, with strong low to mid range power for a more tractable engine. Kawasaki has officially unveiled the...

Video: Ducati Streetfighter 848 longterm trip report

13 September 2012 by MCN

Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves recently took some time off to ride his longterm Ducati Streetfighter 848 on the beautiful roads of France and Italy. Here he shares his trip.

You ask/you answer: Why don't we nod anymore?

12 September 2012 by MCN

Last Sunday I rode from my home near Exeter to my in-laws’ house in Birmingham. I must have passed over 100 bikes but, despite my cheery waves, only received half a dozen or so nods in return. What’s...

Poll: Will the new motorcycling licence laws be good for motorcycling?

12 September 2012 by MCN

Motorcycling licence laws are due to be changed yet again in January 2013 and motorcyclists starting at the age of 17 could potentially have to take three separate motorcycle tests before they’re...

New MCN September 12: Triumph Trophy world first ride

11 September 2012 by Liam Marsden

In this week’s MCN, out September 12, we put the all-new Triumph Trophy 1200 through its paces, riding it from Sctoland to the Triumph factory in Hickley, Leicester. The original Trophy 1200 was the...

Exmoor Classic Car Museum contents sold

10 September 2012 by Andy Davidson

This 1898 Phébus 2¾ bhp motor tricycle sold at the Bonhams Beaulieu sale last weekend for £28,750. The extremely rare machine belonged to the Exmoor Classic Car Museum, the entire contents of which...

Uni students go for TT

10 September 2012 by Andy Davidson

Four engineering students plan to design, build and race a Moto2 specification GP bike in the Senior class at the 2013 Isle of Man TT. Nick Castledine, Niall Shimmin, Aden Shawfrost and Jonny Elliott...

Failed Ducati robbery

10 September 2012 by Andy Davidson

In Moto, Croydon was targeted by hammer wielding thieves on Tuesday September 4 at 5:30pm. A gang of six youths equipped with three scooters attempted to steal two Ducati 1199’s by trying to walk the...

MCN IAM Better Riding Guide: Braking

10 September 2012 by Stefan Bartlett

Over the next six weeks, the IAM will offer tips and advice on all things biking related. So if you’ve been away for a while or just want to become a better rider, you’ve come to the right place.

Goodwood Revival sells out

10 September 2012 by Liam Marsden

The 2012 Goodwood Revival gets underway on Friday September 14 and tickets for Saturday and Sunday have both sold out. A few tickets are still available for Friday, however, but are selling fast and...

100-year-old Premier with the same owner for 60 years

07 September 2012 by MCN

When it comes to relationships with bikes they don’t come much stronger – or longer – than Desmond Brown and his vintage 1912 Premier. For the West Country octogenarian – 83 to you and me – is not...

Theft gang jailed

07 September 2012 by Steve Farrell

A gang who stole high-value motorcycles in a string of burglaries has been jailed for a total of over 20 years. Seven men who targeted bike owners in affluent residential areas of Berkshire,...

Optional extras

07 September 2012 by Anonymous

Perusing the pages of one of Britain’s more respectable newspapers (if there is such a thing nowadays), I came across an interesting article on the subject of added extras on modern cars. Apparently the average car driver is fed up with the countless and often useless options available on their car, with nearly 90% saying they wished manufacturers would just go back to basics. Drivers’ biggest...

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