Bike news

Can you help Roy?

MCN is looking for a good Samaritan to help another reader get out on his bike. Disabled biker Roy Tyler from Fleetwood, Lancs is looking for a local rider to take him out in his Ural 750 sidecar. Roy was given the outfit for Christmas, but unfortunately his friend who previously took him out is unable to continue, and Roy is looking for someone to spare some time for trips. Roy told MCN: “I was...

Celebrity lawyer walks free after seven months

Celebrity lawyer walks free after seven months

Nick Freeman, also known as Mr Loophole for his ability to successfully defend celebrities such as David Beckham and Caprice in motoring cases, has been told he will not face charges after being...

I saved £2000 on Yamaha MT-01

Thanks to MCN for highlighting the latest Yamaha deals on bikes & interest free credit – it helped me make a £2000 saving on my dream bike! Early in the year a mate (CCW) and I went to the Ally Pally show and I got to have a sit on the awesome Yamaha MT-01. I said: “One day I”ll have one of them,” but at over £9000 new I thought I would have to dream on for a few years. Then last week after seeing...

Ducati announces new CEO

Ducati announces new CEO

Ducati’s board of directors has announced the company’s new Chief Executive Officer is to be Gabriele Del Torchio. Mr Del Torchio will be charged with managing Ducati’s general business and affairs,...

Police to shame driving phone users

Police to shame driving phone users

Merseyside Police are stepping up their fight against motorists who use mobile phones behind the wheel by naming and shaming them on their website and in local newspapers. Patrol officers will be...

Piggy back ride!

Piggy back ride!

An example of how to get fresh pork to the butchers (yes, they are alive), but without incurring the congestion charge or polluting the environment with refrigerated diesel polluting...

Kawabusa II

Kawabusa II

My first “Kawabusa” (MCN March 1 2006 ) was such a blast to ride, I decided to build another one! This one’s an 03 ZRX1200R, with a Busa motor, forks, swingarm, and brakes. Tail section is off an 05...

Video: Level crossing safety lesson

Health & Safety nightmare in India at this level crossing. “Sirens & barriers? WHAT sirens and barriers?”

Hayfever treatments worse than drink for drivers

A study by the University of Iowa has revealed that drivers under the influence of antihistamines can be more impaired than drink-drivers. The study put tested several drivers on a driving simulator, testing their ability to follow another car changing it’s speed at random. Some drivers were tested under the influence of drink, and hayfever sufferers were given the appropriate antihistamines to...

Video: Guzzi v LC8 in Peru

I’m six months into my second round the world trip, currently in Ecuador. Two weeks ago I met up with a Dutch biker, Paul, and he made a You Tube video of yours truly. I am limited to emailing out still photos of the trip to family and friends, due I guess to being a dumb ****, but this video stuff is fun, so maybe I’ll try do some more myself. Hope you enjoy, and let me know if you would like...

Video: 4000 miles to Moscow in six days

Moscow and back for charity in just six days – watch the best bits here…

Your favourite roads

Your favourite roads

What’s your favourite road in your county? We need to know what you rate as the best bit of road for riding your bike and why. All you need to do is list the road or roads you use for fun the most and...

Unlikely town names No43

Unlikely town names No43

Have been living out in the States for two years with the Army – and came across this quaint little town….

Save when buying a Craft helmet

If you are thinking of buying a Craft helmet, see if you can buy it via Europe rather than in the UK. For example, Craft’s European website charges EUR185 for an RX6 (approx £135) whereas all its British agents charge £199. Only one snag – the European website refuses to sell goods to customers in the UK, forcing British bikers to pay a 50% premium. They ship to all other EU countries (and many...

Scotland rules

Scotland rules

It was nice to seee that dougie399 had enjoyed himself (err, I think Dougie is a her not a him – Ed) in Scotland so much, although I notice that in his photos it had been raining. Only a few days...

Garage left my bike in dangerous condition

Just like to share a story with my fellow bikers and warn them from going to a garage that I used who left my bike in a potentially lethal condition. I took my bike to a garage in Harrogate (North Yorkshire) called Staiano Motor Cycles Ltd for a full service on Wed 9th May 2007. After about three miles or so of slow moving traffic after getting my bike back I was exiting a roundabout and opened...

Ducati set to launch new Monster

Ducati set to launch new Monster

Ducati insiders have revealed that the firm will launch a new generation of Monster at the Milan show this November. The bike, shown here as a computer-generated image, will feature evolutionary...

You can question BMF legal eagle

You can question BMF legal eagle

The British Motorcycle Federation has appointed a new Government Relations Executive. 27 year-old Chris Hodder will be part of a two-man team lobbying Government departments and MPs, as well as...

Biker posts injury shots as warning

Biker posts injury shots as warning

A motorcyclist who suffered facial injuries from crashing his bike without a helmet on has posted pictures to warn other bikers not to do the same. Bryan Cameron, 20, a butcher and part-time...

Tesi custom!

Tesi custom!

Was recently at Monza for the WSB race and saw this custom Bimota Tesi in Milan, at a place were all the trendies hang out. COOL!!

Video: Barnstormer

Video: Barnstormer

Check out our video of the Barnstormer – when bike building becomes art. Designed by Jon Quantrell, the Barnstormer took more than 600 hours to complete the aluminium parts alone and has already won...

Street triple seen at Triumph factory!

I took a tour of the Triumph factory today and saw the new 675 Street Triple! It was lined up with other finished models close to the final packing stage in the factory. I was stood to the rear of the bike, within a metre. The bike was bright green in colour and was marked up Street Triple on the rear bodywork. It had a small cockpit fairing, a swingarm that looked the same as the 675’s, gold USD...

Check your tyre pressure

Check your tyre pressure

An investigation by the Institute of Advanced Motorists has found we don’t check our tyre pressures regularly enough. The survey also found nearly a quarter of pressure guage readings at petrol...

£500 for taking biker's leg

A motorist who caused an accident with a motorcyclist resulting in the biker losing one of his legs has been fined £500. Barry Coatesworth, 34, admitted to driving without due care and attention when he ran through a ‘Stop’ sign in Haggate, Lancashire and knocked 66-year-old John Wilkinson off his bike. Wilkinson had to have his lower right leg amputated and also suffered from three fractures of...

£5m in fines for speeding through roadworks

UK motorists paid more than £5m in fines last year for speeding through motorway roadworks according to a recent survey. The M2 in Kent caught the most drivers, a total of 16,978. Paul Smith of Safe Speed said: “These figures are an outrage. The best science we have says that speed cameras increase crashes and crash severity in motorway roadworks.”

V-sign biker banned for a year

V-sign biker banned for a year

A biker who stuck two fingers up at a speed camera doing 105mph has been banned from driving for a year. 45-year-old bus driver, Phil Coffey, raced through the same three forward facing cameras on his...

My Reverse Vmax Trike

My Reverse Vmax Trike

I am amazed to see all the reverse Trikes popping up at the moment!! I started work on mine in september 2005 and before mine there was the Axis Vmax Trike, yet not so much fuss was made on that one...

Win a BMW R1200GS and one year's free insurance

Win a BMW R1200GS and one year's free insurance

You could be riding away on a brand new BMW R1200GS with a year’s free insurance thanks to Bennetts, the UK’s number one for motorcycle insurance, and MCN. The £9095 bike is the prize in a new...

My first big tour - Scotland

My first big tour - Scotland

Last week I headed to the bonny land for a week of touring around on the bike. Furthest I’ve ever been away from home on it and for the longest time. The day after we got there we met up with a few...

Poor Suzuki service

Having had my DRZ400SM fail to start from a flat battery after being away for a couple of weeks, and this the second time, I phoned my local dealer to have a look at it under warranty. They informed me they were no longer affiliated with Suzuki and gave me a number for a dealer in Glasgow which is 30 miles from me. I phoned the dealer who could not look at it for at least 2 weeks. Not happy with...

Video: Is the Tesi 3D as good as it looks?

Video: Is the Tesi 3D as good as it looks?

MCN road tester Michael Neeves flew to Italy to test the brand new Bimota Tesi 3D and see if the bike’s newly improved hub-centre steering system is as impressive as its looks. Check out the bike in...

Sample the new MCN, out Wednesday May 16, 2007

Sample the new MCN, out Wednesday May 16, 2007

The latest issue of MCN is out today, Wednesday, May 16, 2007, with the news that Ducati is gambling the future on a new Monster range, and the ASBO law that will be used against bikers. You’ve also...

Video: Britain's best underground stunt riders

Video: Britain's best underground stunt riders

We’ve captured a new breed of stunt riders on video, as the British 444 Riders prove it’s not just Americans who can stretch the boundaries of sports bikes for the most extreme stunts. MCN met up with...

Sheene fanatic buys GP bike

Sheene fanatic buys GP bike

MCN reader and huge Barry Sheene fan Andy Smith bought this 1976 Suzuki RG500 XR14 Heron works GP racer after seeing a story about Bonhams auctioning the bike in MCN. The 45-year-old Norfolk rider...

Video: 1973 Z1 Daytona top speed record run

Video: 1973 Z1 Daytona top speed record run

In MCN this week, we test the Kawasaki Z1 1000 and Honda 400/4 against their modern day equivalents, the Kawasaki Z1000 and Honda CB600F Hornet. And to honour the legendary Z1, we’ve found a clip of...

Win a custom paint course worth £1390

Win a custom paint course worth £1390

Ever wanted to be able to produce brilliant custom paint jobs? You could learn the tricks of the professionals with £1390-worth of tuition for the price of a stamp. Custom finishing firm Paint my Ride...