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ASBO for a wheelie?

04 September 2007 by Anonymous

We live in a small Scottish country town and in May 2007 my boyfriend was issued with an “Antisocial Behaviour ETC.(SCOTLAND) Act 2004 Section 127” for alleged… “Riding motorcycle on road on one wheel” He had just come from an off-road on to a main road with some dirt on his tyres. As he pulled off on to the main road the front wheel lifted up. At that exact moment, a cop car came round the bend...

Checkpoint Charlie

04 September 2007 by b3bmcwi

Riding home from the swimming pool last night, came across a strange sight in Belfast – plod stopping everything with a pulse on the Holywood road. Natch, I got stopped. I got asked what my name was, where I was going, where I’d just come from, if it was my bike I was riding – and how long I’d owned it! The copper then walked to the back of the bike and shone his torch at the numberplate. It was...

Calls to ban powerful bikes

04 September 2007 by Steve Farrell

Calls to ban powerful bikes

MPs have been urged to ‘insist’ Government looks at ‘downsizing’ motorcycles in a letter signed by some of the UK’s most influential road safety groups.   The letter, dated August 1, 2007,  says...

The Nation’s favourite motorcyclists

04 September 2007 by Phil Dean

The Nation’s favourite motorcyclists

Past, present and even non- motorcycle riders were at the forefront of a test conducted by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI). In the recent survey, categories such as ‘Favourite biker of all...

Arlen Ness Smooftail pictures

04 September 2007 by Chris Newbigging

Arlen Ness Smooftail pictures

British chopper builder Battistini has completed only the second Arlen Ness Smooftail bike ever built – 14 years after the American bike legend fabricated the frame. The ‘Smooftail’ was designed in...

Ducati Desmosedici RR first ride hit by hurricane

04 September 2007 by Michael Neeves

Ducati Desmosedici RR first ride hit by hurricane

The world first test of the Ducati Desmosedici RR has been hit by a hurricance and torrential rain at the Misano circuit in Italy. MCN Road Tester Michael Neeves is at Misano was all ready to get on...

Hit and run

03 September 2007 by Dianne

Being a lover of bikes and having the greatest respect for bikers and their machines, I find myself at a loss. Myself, my partner and 2 young daughters (aged 7 & 9) were in Skipton, North Yorks back in july 2007. Having enjoyed an afternoon visiting the castle in town we decided to take the girls for tea. We found a safe place to cross the road and I had just let go of my eldest child’s hand for...

Four in Crown Court over Hells Angel murder

03 September 2007 by Steve Farrell

Four in Crown Court over Hells Angel murder

Four men appeared at Birmingham Crown Court via a video link on Monday over the murder of Hells Angel Gerard Tobin on the M40. Simon Turner, 40, Dane Garside, 41, and Sean Creighton, 43, are charged...

Speed limiting: a good thing?

03 September 2007 by J. Puttock

I am trying to urge the government to make motorcycles have a speed limiter fitted, say at 67mph. I am sick to the back teeth of watching these idiots going down the road at excess speeds and coming around the corner and finding them killed or injured. They seem to care little for themselves or thier families or other road users. These born again bikers seem to think it will not happen to them...

Video: Sheene tribute RG500

03 September 2007 by Howard Boylan

MCN’s senior roadtester Michael Neeves has ridden Pete Tantrum’s incredible Barry Sheene tribute RG500 at Brands Hatch. Check out the video below to see what it is like to ride such an iconic bike around the Kent circuit.

Outrage over 176mph speeding rider

03 September 2007 by Steve Farrell

Outrage over 176mph speeding rider

A motorcyclist has made national news by posting footage himself speeding at 176mph in the wet on the internet. The rider is one of two shown on an accident blackspot on the A628 in South Yorkshire...

Feel safer on your bike with the new theory test

03 September 2007 by Phil Dean

Feel safer on your bike with the new theory test

From today (September 3, 2007) learner riders and drivers will need to score 86 per cent or 43 out of 50 to pass their theory test, compared to 85.7 per cent current required. The Driving Standards...

Limited-run Bimota DB5 unveiled

03 September 2007 by Chris Newbigging

Limited-run Bimota DB5 unveiled

Bimota has revealed this limited edition DB5 Borsalino, built to celebrate the anniversary of an Italian hat company! Based on a mechanically stock Bimota DB5 , the DB5 Borsalino was built to...

Further delays to Brunstrom verdict

03 September 2007 by Steve Farrell

Further delays to Brunstrom verdict

The Independent Police Complaints Commission’s investigation into chief constable Richard Brunstrom showing pictures of a decapitated motorcyclist is now due to conclude in October.  The Commission...

One-wheel nut

02 September 2007 by Kevin Bull

Have you ever been riding along on a nice sunny day, behind a couple of cars, waiting for a safe place to pass? Yes of course you have. The other day I found myself in this position while going to the DIY shop for some screws etc. To make the trip a bit more interesting I decided to go the long way round on a lovely stretch of the A444, calling in for a pint on the way. It was one of the few days...

Knee down on a ped

01 September 2007 by joe

Knee down on a ped

just a picture of me with the knee down on my nrg (really pisses the big lads off on their GSX-R1000s when they see this). I can do it on left or right-handers which is more than a lot of the big boys...

MCN in Spain

01 September 2007 by Dave Stevenson

MCN in Spain

Somewhere in the middle of a 2800-mile tour around Pamplona and Valencia I stopped for a break and to read MCN… but it blew away, so I took a photo instead.

Pathetic plod's plate pull

31 August 2007 by alan dundon

The Welsh police are at it again! Me and my three mates where making our way through Mold when we passed a police biker doing speed checks. We were fine because we knew we weren’t speeding or riding dangerously. Anyway, half a mile later he screams passed us with lights and sirens flashing and pulls us in for… guess what? Carrying weapons? No. Drugs? No. HAVING 3D FONTS ON OUR NUMBERPLATES! I...

Check out my Blade

31 August 2007 by Bladerunnersteve

Check out my Blade

Yeah it’s another Blade but she’s mint, looked after, fast, (full system, K&N, gas-flowed head) goes round corners. Oh, and she’s paid for. I’ve had her 7 years and she’s given me ZERO bother. Now got...

Help us improve our site - and win £250 of Lewis motorcycle clothing

31 August 2007 by Dan Thornton

Help us improve our site - and win £250 of Lewis motorcycle clothing

You could win a Lewis Apex Sport leather jacket, and a matching pair of jeans, worth £250, by helping us improve this website. We want your feedback on the MCN Insurance Selector, which we’ve designed...

Video: Harley Nightster, Guzzi Belagio, Triumph Speedmaster

31 August 2007 by Angus Farquhar

Harley’s new Nightster is undoubtedly a great looking bike but how does it fair against its European rivals the Triumph Speedmaster and the Moto Guzzi Belagio. Check out the video below to see how the three bikes compare.

World champ Nicky Hayden’s dad dragged into drug scandal

31 August 2007 by Steve Farrell

World champ Nicky Hayden’s dad dragged into drug scandal

The father of MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden has been dragged into a crack cocaine scandal after the manager of his business was charged with money laundering.  James Payne, 39, has been arrested...

Ducati Desmosedici RR first ride countdown: What can we expect

31 August 2007 by Michael Neeves

Ducati Desmosedici RR first ride countdown: What can we expect

As you might have guessed, we’re pretty excited about riding the Ducati Desmosedici RR motorcycle at Misano next Tuesday, but just how close to a MotoGP motorcycle will it actually be? We know it...

Desmosedici first ride countdown: What makes it so special?

30 August 2007 by Michael Neeves

Desmosedici first ride countdown: What makes it so special?

Next Tuesday, as the dust is still settling from the weekend’s MotoGP race at Misano, we’ll be following the wheel tracks of the gods when we get to ride the ultimate MotoGP replica: the Ducati...

Feels a bit wooden...

30 August 2007 by paul craymer

Feels a bit wooden...

Poor man’s bike! Spotted this in Iceland on a recent trip.

MCN in the USA

29 August 2007 by Intruder_steve

MCN in the USA

I have read MCN for more years than I care to mention and I have always wanted to add something. So here is my picture taken at the four corners monument which celebrates the intersection of Utah,...

Tigcraft 450 Supermono - could they replace 250GPs?

29 August 2007 by Howard Boylan

The debate is still raging about what will replace 250cc bikes on the GP circuit last week we tested a 250GP bike against a 600cc fourstroke and this week we try the other option – a 450cc single cylinder prototype supermono machine. Watch the video below to see how it compares.

Video: Suzuki Stratosphere in action

29 August 2007 by Angus Farquhar

Japanese insiders have confirmed that Suzuki’s six-cylinder Stratosphere concept bike has followed in the B-King’s footsteps by getting the green light for Production in 2009. Check out the video below to see the bike in action in Suzuki’s own teaser for the bike.

Wedding Blade!

29 August 2007 by Christine Housley

Wedding Blade!

Keith and Julie Green leaving church on their wedding day. Julie insisted on leaving in style on the back of their Fireblade! Guests were asked to make a contribution to Riders for Health, rather than...

Ducati Desmosedici RR: Six days to the first ride

29 August 2007 by Michael Neeves

Ducati Desmosedici RR: Six days to the first ride

This is it, the big one. In just six day’s time at Misano, MCN will be exclusively riding one of the most awe-inspiring motorcycles ever built: the 989cc, V-four, Ducati Desmosedici RR MotoGP replica.

Lonely Planet guide to Australia

29 August 2007 by Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet guide to Australia

Australia’s biggest attraction is its natural beauty. The landscape varies from endless sunbaked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. Scattered along the coasts, its...

Daylight robbery

28 August 2007 by snp55

I am a security guard working within the Cambridge city centre. I travel just under thirty miles a day on my GSX-R750 to get to work for my night shift. The planned congestion charge in the area is going to escalate my traveling costs from £30pw to £48-£60pw; quite how i am supposed to afford this on the pittance of a wage I earn (the company I work for is unlikely to cover this cost) I am unsure.

Ride against road pricing

28 August 2007 by Steve Farrell

Ride against road pricing

MCN is calling on you to help challenge plans for road pricing for motorcycles by joining us in a mass ride-out in London in October. Together with riders’ rights group Rider Connect, we’re planning...

New MCN out Wednesday, August 29, 2007

28 August 2007 by Nicola Fox

New MCN out Wednesday, August 29, 2007

In this week’s MCN we have the world’s first Buell 1125R test. We also exclusively reveal theSuzuki six-cylinder Stratosphere has been given the nod for production. Also in this edition available...

Picture exclusive: BMW HP2 Sport is in production

28 August 2007 by Ben Purvis

Picture exclusive: BMW HP2 Sport is in production

Take a look at some images of BMW‘s upcoming HP2 Sport. The sportiest BMW ever made is set to be released within weeks and it has been confirmed by an internal dealership document that it will be...

AMD custom bike championship images

28 August 2007 by Nicola Fox

AMD custom bike championship images

Take a look at some of the entries from the AMD custom motorcycle championship. The annual AMD custom motorcycle championship held in Sturgis, South Dakota saw some of the world’s best and worst...