Bike news

Destination dealer - Ongar Motorcycles

Destination dealer - Ongar Motorcycles

ADVERTISING PROMOTION 2011 was a massive year for Triumph dealer Ongar Motorcycles with the arrival of  Triumph’s new Tiger 800 and next year is set to be even bigger thanks to the new Tiger...

Airbag suits? You ain't seen NOTHING yet: 'Safety Sphere'

Airbag suits? You ain't seen NOTHING yet: 'Safety Sphere'

A Canadian inventor has come up with the ultimate airbag, whose operation has to be seen to be believed. We don’t want to spoil the surprise, so please, watch the clip before reading any...

48 extra pages of biking extremes in this week's bumper MCN!

48 extra pages of biking extremes in this week's bumper MCN!

Don’t miss the 48-page McGuinness Biking Records 2011 supplement in this week’s triple-pack MCN! It’s 48 packed pages of amazing stories, pics and stats from the fastest, most powerful, winningest,...

John McGuinness & Neil Hodgson to perform at Revolution 2012!

John McGuinness & Neil Hodgson to perform at Revolution 2012!

TT legend John McGuinness and World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson are just two of the stars who’ll be battling it out at this year’s MCN Revolution show. The event, which is part of the Carole Nash...

Bikes on TV: December 14-20

Bikes on TV: December 14-20

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...

New delivery of KTM junior motocross bikes stolen

New delivery of KTM junior motocross bikes stolen

A delivery of 36 new KTM junior motocross motorcycles has been stolen from a lorry in Kent on the evening of Friday December 9. Thieves took 35 KTM 50 SXs and one 65 SX. The popular junior...

Adventure Map – motorcycle tours in Spain

Adventure Map – motorcycle tours in Spain

Whilst there is undoubtedly pleasure to be had in loading up your bike and leaving it all behind on an adventure unfettered by deadlines, most of us have to try to squeeze as much fun as we can into a...

You too can be Batman...

You too can be Batman...

This Batman suit is no fancy dress costume – it’s a proper, leather motorcycle suit, designed for bikers who want to look more superhero than Power Ranger. It’s the latest from US manufacturer UD...

Police recover nine stolen bikes after owner complains of inaction

Police recover nine stolen bikes after owner complains of inaction

Police followed a tracking device to a haul of nine stolen motorcycles – but only after a newspaper exposed their inaction over the case. When Sam Jackson’s Yamaha R6 was stolen, he knew what street...

New MCN December 14: Inside the MV Agusta F3

New MCN December 14: Inside the MV Agusta F3

In this week’s issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday December 14, we take a trip to the MV Agusta factory for an exclusive look at the development of the new MV Agusta F3. This week also features a 48-page...

No national police course?

Just read the story about police offering additional safety training – fantastic. I have noticed though that it seems to be Southern forces that are regularly in your paper offering courses etc. This is good, don’t get me wrong. Living in the North I never hear of Manchester Police offering this kind of course, they just seem hell bent on speed enforcement fines. Seeing as how law enforcement...

What’s your best winter survival tip?

What’s your best winter survival tip?

If you were to share with everyone else your best winter bike preparation tip that keeps your bike working smoothly and looking great despite the colder months which would it be? Perhaps it would be a...

Dirt bikes from their '70s heyday

Dirt bikes from their '70s heyday

The 1970s are often thought of as the heyday of British trials when names like Mick Andrews and Martin Lampkin (Dougie’s dad) led the world aboard Ossas and Bultacos and regularly made the front page...

Victory’s new ‘Hard-Ball’

Victory’s new ‘Hard-Ball’

This is Victory’s new 2012 Hard-Ball – created by blending the American  firm’s recent High-Ball cruiser and its Cross Country pannier-equipped tourers. Or, to put it another way, it’s a ‘bagger’...

Find anti-tampering proposals confusing? Don’t ask the Chair of the committee behind them

Find anti-tampering proposals confusing? Don’t ask the Chair of the committee behind them

The Chair of European Parliament’s lead committee on anti-tampering proposals did not know who they applied to when questioned by MCN. Malcolm Harbour, Chairman of European Parliament’s Internal...

MEPs push ahead with plans to make tuning impossible

MEPs push ahead with plans to make tuning impossible

MEPs have voted to make bikes impossible to tune despite a Brussels protest by motorcyclists against the measures. European Parliament’s lead committee on the proposals wants manufacturers to develop...

Bikers charged hundreds of pounds a year extra for life insurance

Bikers charged hundreds of pounds a year extra for life insurance

A major life insurer has started charging customers hundreds of pounds a year extra for riding a motorcycle. Ageas Insurance asks policy applicants whether they have ridden a motorcycle during the...

Harley-Davidson Electra/Ultra Glide 2012

Riding the new models from Harley-Davidson. The colours are new. Electra Glide Ultra Limited Midnight Black & Brilliant Silver Pearl. Ultra Classic Electra Glide White Hot Pearl

2013 Triumph Street Triple spotted!

2013 Triumph Street Triple spotted!

This exclusive shot is one of the best yet of Triumph’s 2013 Street Triple. Spotted in Spain, where Triumph has a testing base, the 2013 machine is a significant evolution of the existing Street...

Evan and JT

Evan and JT

My little boy Evan (5 yrs old) meeting his idol at the Staffs bike show earlier this year.

Yamaha FJ1100 rat bike

Yamaha FJ1100 rat bike

Here’s my ratted Yamaha FJ1100 from 1985. Using parts from Honda, Suzuki, Indian, Harley, Kawasaki and of course, Yamaha. The rear frame is built from a cabin bed and so are the exhausts. There is...

Video: Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Tenere long-term test review

Video: Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Tenere long-term test review

MCN’s WSB reporter Michael Guy has covered approximately 8000 miles on the Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Tenere riding across Europe to cover WSB races at the Nurburgring and Magny-Cours, along the length of...

Triumph Tiger Explorer spotted testing

Triumph Tiger Explorer spotted testing

Triumph’s all-new Tiger Explorer is currently undergoing final testing – as these pics taken in Cornwall this week prove. Snapped by MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child in a motorway services near...

Staff bikes: Yamaha Super Tenere - The continent-trotter

Staff bikes: Yamaha Super Tenere - The continent-trotter

The wheels of the big Yamaha Super Tenere have barely stopped turning. It’s been into France, Belgium and Germany for the Nurburgring WSB round followed by a jaunt down to Magny Cours for another WSB...

50 classics in time-warp village hall

50 classics in time-warp village hall

This amazing barn find collection of classic bikes has just been unearthed in the West Country and will now go up for auction early in the new year. Stored in a former village hall near Bristol, the...

Kawasaki Versys 1000 delivers more for your money

Kawasaki Versys 1000 delivers more for your money

So does a four-cylinder adventure bike make any sense? On the strength of our world first ride of Kawasaki’s pioneering, Z1000-based Versys 1000, the answer is ‘Yes’… and ‘No’… The Versys 1000 has a...

Video: New Joey Dunlop DVD

Video: New Joey Dunlop DVD

Duke Video’s new DVD ‘No Ordinary Joe’ looks to be a very decent telling of the Joey Dunlop story, featuring interviews, race action and stacks of previously unseen footage. Here’s a taster of what to...

World’s first titanium framed Monster

World’s first titanium framed Monster

American Randy Martin has built the world’s first titanium-framed Ducati Monster S4RS and says his custom-made frame is half the weight of the original – but it does cost around £4000! Martin said:...

Destination dealer: LidsDirect.co.uk

Destination dealer: LidsDirect.co.uk

ADVERTISING PROMOTION If you are looking for that perfect Christmas gift, or just feel like treating yourself, LidsDirect.co.uk should be your first destination. LidsDirect.co.uk is the fastest...

Free Oxford Comfy Pack

Free Oxford Comfy Pack

Exclusively in this week’s MCN you can take advantage of a special reader offer where you can claim a free Oxford Comfy Pack worth £14.99 by following these simple steps: Register at...

The Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show 2012, ExCel London

The Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show 2012, ExCel London

The greatest bike show on earth is back! From the 2nd -5th February, The Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show 2012 is coming back to ExCeL, London. Get up close and personal with the world’s hottest new...

2012 KTM Duke 690 world first test

2012 KTM Duke 690 world first test

MCN’s Michael Guy is in Gran Canaria testing KTM’s all new 2012 KTM Duke 690. “First impressions of the bike is how different it looks to its predecessor. It’s still an aggressive looking bike with...

Scott Redding to launch mini-moto academy

Scott Redding to launch mini-moto academy

British Grand Prix star Scott Redding is looking to help young talent kick start their racing career by opening a new mini-moto academy in 2012. The Scott Redding Young Riders Academy will hold an...

New MCN December 7: Kawasaki Versys 1000 tested

New MCN December 7: Kawasaki Versys 1000 tested

In this week’s issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday December 7, we test the 2012 Kawasaki Versys 1000 and find out if a four-cylinder adventure bike makes any sense? We chart the full development story of...

Shave Stritchy's 'tache, beard and... for the Air Ambulance

Shave Stritchy's 'tache, beard and... for the Air Ambulance

To raise money for the Honda Owners Club’s 2011 charity, all Air Ambulances in the UK, the HOC webmaster has agreed to shave his magnificently hairy features! At the HOC 50th Anniversary Year...

Video: Akrapovic Morsus - If Carlsberg built custom bikes…

Video: Akrapovic Morsus - If Carlsberg built custom bikes…

Factory customs don’t get any more ‘factory’ than this. Say hello to ‘Morsus’, a unique custom machine built for aftermarket exhaust giant Akrapovic. They commissioned specialists Dreamachine...