Bike news

'Brunstrom has torn my family apart'

'Brunstrom has torn my family apart'

In an exclusive interview with MCN, the brother of Mark Gibney said: “Richard Brunstrom has torn my family apart – he must be removed from power”. Paul Gibney told MCN how he is desperately trying to...

Brunstrom: "The man is not human" says widow

Brunstrom: "The man is not human" says widow

The widow and father of the decapitated biker paraded by Chief Constable Richard Brunstom have both called for his immediate dismissal. Images of Mark Gibney’s horrific injuries were shown to...

Friendly warning about Sandbach roads

A friendly warning for other bikers who have the mis-fortune of having to pass through Sandbach, Cheshire. If you come in to the area on the ‘by-pass’ you will first come throught the lights. The road here is now 22 years old and starting to wear. However, take care at the first roundabout you come to – there are several areas on this where chunks of tarmac are missing, other areas are polished...

Councillor who criticised looters is investigated over £15K BMW

Councillor who criticised looters is investigated over £15K BMW

Tory councillor Stuart Hughes appeared on TV condemning looters, passed out receiver of wreck forms for people who removed items from the stranded MSC Napoli and later called for the area to be closed...

Looking for Honda FMX 650s

Looking for Honda FMX 650s

Are there many Honda FMX 650’s out there? I live in Belfast and this bike has become an interest to all who see it. No other has been seen. One fault with this bike is that there has been this...

Masterbike Video: Day 4 - Italian superbikes

Masterbike Video: Day 4 - Italian superbikes

Day four of the massive Masterbike test in Jerez sees the guys take to the track on Italian superbikes. The Masterbike test is held every year and sees every road going sports bike ridden around Jerez...

A very enjoyable time

A very enjoyable time

This is the first time we have been to the MCN Butlins bash and it was brilliant! We had a good time, laughed a lot, drank a lot and noshed far too much. The stunt show was awesome with very...

Honda launch ABS commuter scooter

Honda launch ABS commuter scooter

HONDA is looking to put a firm grasp on the urban commuter scooter market with the release of the new S-Wing 125 – the first scooter to feature the firm’s Dual Combined ABS system. The combined-ABS...

X-Bow numbers to increase

X-Bow numbers to increase

With such positive reaction coming for KTM’s first four-wheeled sports car, the X-Bow, the Austrian firm has decided to forget it’s cautious 100-model initial production run and try to whack out 1,000...

Don't sell it: where is it now?

Don’t ever sell your bike. It was back in the 1960’s when I had the same rush of blood and I sold my Bonnie. The girlfriend became my wife and we became grandparents. I collected the models and prints and dreamed, on and on. Then before I knew it 40years had slipped by so after a visit to my local Triumph dealer left me shaking and queasy. I swear blind that if I squinted, there in the showroom...

Roadside clutter still causing problems

Roadside clutter still causing problems

The campaign to Protect Rural England has hit out at the amount of roadside ‘clutter’ on Britain’s rural roundabouts and how it could cost lives. The CPRE say the hoardings and signs – designed...

Scrubs star scared mum will say no to Harley

Scrubs star scared mum will say no to Harley

Zach Braff, 32, star of US comedy Scrubs has fulfilled his longterm ambition to own a Harley, but has admitted if his mother says she doesn’t want him to ride it, he’ll take it back; “My parents are...

Honour for Robert Dunlop

Honour for Robert Dunlop

TT hero and Ulster legend Robert Dunlop is following in the footsteps of his late brother Joey by receiving the freedom of his hometown, Ballymoney. “I am privileged and honoured,” said Dunlop. “My...

Racing for fifty quid

Racing for fifty quid

There isn’t much opportunity to do a day’s racing for £50, but that’s exactly what Daytona Motorsport are offering. At Daytona’s karting circuits at Sandown Park in Surrey and in Milton Keynes you can...

Toseland on a Blade vs Fifth Gear's Needell in a Civic Type R

Toseland on a Blade vs Fifth Gear's Needell in a Civic Type R

Watch James Toseland and a Honda FireBlade take on Tiff Needell in Honda’s new Civic Type R. Motoring show Fifth Gear wanted to see if the new Civic was worthy of the ‘R’ badge, so what better test...

"Now if I can just reach the throttle Dad,I can go to the TT too this year!"

"Now if I can just reach the throttle Dad,I can go to the TT too this year!"

Our two month old daughter Johanna, (who incidentally was conceived at the Isle of man TT last year whilst on our honeymoon), gets into the biking spirit early on my Suzuki.

Masterbike Video: Day 3 - Japanese superbikes

Day three of the Masterbike supertest sees the riders out on the big four Japanese superbikes. The Masterbike test is held every year and sees every road going sports bike ridden around Jerez circuit by some of the worlds top test riders to find out which is the ultimate track machine. MCN man Michael Neeves is sending back a daily video blog to so you can see what goes on behind the scenes at...

Highway to heaven for bikers

Those wanting to cut a dash en route to their final resting place can now do so thanks to a motortrike hearse service being launched by a businesswoman. Mother-of-three Julie Gibbings’ glittering 12-foot-long motortrike will tow a £10,000 custom made black two-wheeled hearse, which can be hooked up for funerals. The 44-year-old, whose working outfit is black leathers, black crash helmet and...

Video: Derbi Mulhacen v BMW X-Country

Video: Derbi Mulhacen v BMW X-Country

BMW’s newly launched X-Country sits in the middle of the new G650 range and is the bike BMW think will sell the best in the UK so we took it out for a spin against it’s closest rivals. The test...

Speed Ferries cancellation fiasco

Speed Ferries cancellation fiasco

MCN readers have contacted us to say the first they knew about their cross channel ferries tickets being cancelled is when they read it in MCN. Stuart Mathews had a crossing booked from Dover to...

Sick Brunstrom parades headless biker

Sick Brunstrom parades headless biker

North Wales Police have unveiled photographs of a decapitated biker in its latest anti-speeding campaign. The image showed the man’s head with his eyes still open lying on a grass verge. In another...

Video: Aprilia Shiver 750 first ride

Video: Aprilia Shiver 750 first ride

MCN got an invite to test one of only Two of the new Aprilia Shiver 750s in existence so, of course, we videoed the whole thing. Watch the clip below to see Michael Neeves’ opinion of the bike and...

Fix punctures with a quick kick

Fix punctures with a quick kick

Motorcycle mechanic Dashrathi Parichha has invented a new instrument which will allow a tyre to be re-inflated at the roadside. The device, small enough to store in bike toolkit, uses the air forced...

MCN victory over 'killer' mirrors

MCN victory over 'killer' mirrors

Volvo has redesigned its truck fleet to fix a blind spot exposed by an MCN investigation. From June all large Volvo trucks will feature modified wing mirrors after we revealed existing ones could...

Forefather of North-East racing dies

Steve Binns – the man credited with bringing organised motorcycle racing to the North-East – has died at the age of 87. A founding member of the North-East Motorcycle Racing Club, which he helped organise after his return from the Second World War, Steve dedicated himself to race and rider safety. A Tyneside railway worker by profession, Steve devoted his spare time over three decades to acting...

Masterbike Video: Day two at the supertest

Masterbike Video: Day two at the supertest

Once again MCN has been asked to help find the fastest sports bike on track at the exclusive Masterbike test in Spain and day two sees lots of posing for cameras. The test is held every year and sees...

Compensation victory in landmark case

Compensation victory in landmark case

Thousands of bikers could now be awarded compensation in accidents caused by reckless pedestrians. A landmark legal case has set a precedent for all bikers injured when a pedestrian’s recklessness is...

Safety speed camera liability

Safety speed camera liability

In December 2006 I was en route to work that morning when it was dark and the roads were wet. It was that kind of morning when most of the trees dropped there leaves, and a speed safety camera was...

New MCN: April 25

New MCN: April 25

In this week’s MCN we ask, will your boss ban you from riding bikes? Tomorrow’s issue (April 25, 2007) looks in to thousands of companies banning their employees from riding under new health and...

BT bans bikes

BT bans bikes

BT staff are banned from riding bikes, it emerged today, April 24, 2007 A spokesman for the telecoms giant told MCN: “We don’t allow motorcycling at all.” “The ban applies during work hours. The...

Soak my nuts in petrol

Just had a lovely, fast ride out in the April sunshine, the bike working really well despite needing a service.  On the road in dry and warm weather any shortcomings in the suspension say, can be ridden around.  It’s in the cold and wet that you need that finesse of control.  That’s why the sunny Sunday jockeys will never quite understand what it’s all about. Anyway, full of the joys of Spring,...

Masterbike video: Introducing the world's biggest bike test

Masterbike video: Introducing the world's biggest bike test

Once again MCN has been asked to help find the fastest sports bike on track at the exclusive Masterbike test in Spain. The test is held every year and sees every road going sports bike ridden around...

Twins get the biking bug

Twins get the biking bug

Here are my two-year-old twins, Lucy and Freya, getting into the biking way of life.

See the Hypermotard 1100 and 1100S on video

See the Hypermotard 1100 and 1100S on video

See the new Ducati Hypermotard 1100 and 1100S in this video, shot by the Italian firm. The two bikes were taken from a studio photo shoot to various locations around Milan, ridden by professional...

Speed cameras: "More harm than good"

Speed cameras: "More harm than good"

Speed cameras may have done more harm than good by replacing real traffic police, according to the organisation that does transport research for the Government. Jeremy Broughton of the Transport...

Detour outrage

Detour outrage

Thousands of motorists were left fuming last week when a 20-mile diversion brought them right back round to where they started. The detour was set up by contractor Amey as part of a £25million...