Latest Motorbike News

Oz bikers receive $1.7 million

16 December 2002

A television company has been ordered to pay almost $1.7 million to a group of Sydney bikers after it defamed them on it’s A Current Affair and Today programs. The bikers were filmed for a show on...

Biaggi swops Rome for Watford

16 December 2002

BIKE dealers in Watford tend to be quiet places on Tuesday afternoons – but an appearance from Max Biaggi should liven things up a bit. The MotoGP runner-up will be helping with an Alpinestars event...

Infamous speed camera moves

16 December 2002

A speed camera in Brighton has been moved after a deluge of complains from motorists. The camera had been dubbed as the sneakiest in Britain by Radio Five Live, as it was placed immediately behind a...

Bike sales plummet

09 December 2002

TERRIBLE weather hit bike sales in November. Only 5985 bikes were sold in the chilly climate, compared to 7069 in November 2001. Even a resurgence in the middle of the month failed to turn things round – sales between November 10 and 20 were up 43 per cent on the same 10 days last year. Some dealers started to feel the pinch so badly they were offering no-profit deals on new bikes simply to bring...

Needing inspiration?

09 December 2002

Adam Morrissey presents Kev Smith showing how to use a 2002 Blade

World first test: Kawasaki Z1000

09 December 2002

READ our exclusive world’s first test of the Kawasaki Z1000 in MCN, out on Wednesday. Our eight-page special report reveals how the designers went about their tasks, the technology used and what the...

No more day riding without lights

09 December 2002

You will soon have no choice about whether or not to use headlights when riding in daylight. Bike manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to fit bikes with lights that are automatically switched...

Aprilia cancels Blue Marlin

09 December 2002

WE all loved Aprilia’s café Racer Blue Marlin when it was shown last year… but the Italian firm has binned plans to put it into production. Aprilia’s engineers have been forced to give up their uphill...

Brand new American sportsbike on the way

09 December 2002

A new American sportsbike aims to compete with the biggest names in motorcycling. With Buell showing that cruisers are not the only bikes to be made in the US, former racer Dan Fischer has announced plans for the Fischer MR1000. The bike uses the Rotax V-997cc engine, the same engine used in the Aprilia Mille. Coincidentally Dan Fischer raced in an Aprilia series in the US, so he should know...

Talented? Come and work for us then…

02 December 2002

MCN’s multi-award-winning website, motorcyclenews.com, is on the hunt for two star performers to make a real impact on Britain’s biggest biking site. Both roles place you at the heart of the MCN team,...

BMW announces 2003 Skills dates

02 December 2002

BMW has announced the dates of its 2003 Road Skills programme, held at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. There are two types of course formats available – an Introduction to Road Skills course and a Road...

Updated: This week’s Unsung Heroes

02 December 2002

We’ve just added more of nominations for your this week’s Unsung Heroes – the forum for you to publicly thank the people who’ve bailed you out. We’ll be announcing the second winners of our free Knox...

Correction: Dean Ellison

02 December 2002

MCN last week reported on a case of speeding at 137mph, and mistakenly named the rider involved, Dean Elliot, 20, of St. Albans – as " Dean Ellison " . Superbike racer Ellison has no connection whatsoever with the case.

Who’s your BBC Sports Personality?

02 December 2002

This Sunday, December 8, sees the BBC’s annual Sports Personality of the Year Awards roll around, so don’t miss this chance to make your voice heard. Just click on the link:...

Send us your crash stories

02 December 2002

MCN is looking for your recent crash stories – and hopefully help you repair the damage. Plastex, manufacturers of top bodywork repair kits, is offering a kit, worth £10, for each of the five best...

Vandals nobble UK’s top Gatso

02 December 2002

Vandals have nobbled Britain’s most infamous speed camera – and police say it could be out of action for at least a week. The rear-facing Gatso is situated on the southbound carriageway of the M11 at...

Laverda’s stunning new SFC 1000

02 December 2002

These are the first pictures of Laverda’s new SFC 1000, a limited-edition, 133bhp stunner that looks set to restore the famous Italian marque to the high table of top sports bike manufacturing. You...

999R goes on sale December 5th

02 December 2002

If you’re lucky enough to have £19,000 lying around the house, you might want to make a note of this date in your diary. Ducati has just announced that from 9am, December 5 it will be taking...

Win a £299 Bike Guard alert system

25 November 2002

We’ve got a fantastic prize to give away in our Christmas competition, which starts today. Answer a simple question and you could have an MST Bike Guard alert system worth £299 fitted to your...

The 2002 Unsung Hero winner announced

25 November 2002 by MCN News

We have picked a winner in our 2002 Unsung Heroes competition. The prize was awarded on the grounds that the bloke in the story is exactly the person who deserves a little recognition and a big thank...

2002 Unsung Heroes

25 November 2002 by MCN News

We’ve just added more of nominations for the 2002 Unsung Heroes – the forum for you to publicly thank the people who’ve bailed you out. The winners will be announced on Friday, November 29, 2002. From...

Community relents over bikes

25 November 2002

If you think there’s an anti-bike prejudice in this country, spare a thought for riders in The Woods community, Jacksonville, Florida. Local law prevents them riding on private roads. Even if they...

Police alert over camera firebomb

25 November 2002

Police have launched a nationwide alert after a home made explosive was found strapped to a speed camera in Staffordshire. Officers were called by maintenance workers, who had removed the device from...

Put your questions to Z1000 designers

25 November 2002

Here’s your chance to grill the designers of 2003’s wildest bike. MCN’s Marc Potter is heading off to Japan this weekend for a chat with the brains behind Kawasaki’s Z1000. If you’ve got any...

It’s the Dirt Rider Expo this weekend

25 November 2002

If you’re into off-road then you won’t want to miss the 2002 Dirt Rider Expo. It from November 28 – December 1 at the Stoneleigh Park Exhibition Centre, Coventry. The Expo is the biggest event of its...

Design your dream Ducati

25 November 2002

Think you can improve on the 999? Well, Ducati is going to give you the chance to prove it. The Italian firm has just launched a competition inviting visions for its future designs. It is open to...

Tell us your bike test horrors

25 November 2002

Did you crash on your test? Or run over a dog, and then crash? Or perhaps you got off the bike at the end of a perfect test… and forgot to put the sidestand down. We’re putting together a feature that...

Don’t miss our sports tyre special

25 November 2002

Sports tyres. Just the thing for sunny trackdays when the Tarmac is sizzling – but they’re lousy in the wet, right? Wrong. In the latest issue of MCN, out November 27 we’ve got an examination of the...

Floods force MV to close

25 November 2002

Workers had just returned the MV Agusta factory after a lay-off of several months, when heavy rain in Italy has caused Lake Varese to burst its banks and forced them out again. The local fire...

Tell us about your NEC Show

25 November 2002

So that’s it – Show’s over for another year. Nearly 200,000 of us made the trip to the NEC in Birmingham to pour over the sex metal and pick up some tidy bargains. Was it worth it? We’d like to hear...

Have you ever beaten a race legend?

25 November 2002

Can you boast of beating a British champion? Or do any of your friends bore you with tales of old racing careers in which they mixed it with a rider who went on to become a legend? We’re looking for...

Make the most of the winter

25 November 2002

Winter? What winter? In the latest issue of MCN we’ve got a four-page special on how to make the most of the post-season. There’s top tips on how to get the very best from the roads, top winter kit to...

DanT’s little accident

18 November 2002

Oh dear. This is what’s left of our long-term Suzuki V-Strom after motorcyclenews.com editorial assistant Dan Thornton used it to pop home at lunchtime. Dan was taken to hospital but, apart from a few...

Updated Monday: Your Unsung Heroes

18 November 2002

We’ve just added more of nominations for your Unsung Heroes – the forum for you to publicly thank the people who’ve bailed you out. We’ll be announcing the first winners of our free Knox kit, worth...

Road tolls bear down on Londoners

18 November 2002

With congestion charging just weeks away, Londoners could be forgiven for thinking the government would take it easy on them. But a new report recommends imposing tolls on roads near the capital would...

The new Triumph Daytona 600

18 November 2002

Now the hype is made metal. The stunning Triumph Daytona 600, exclusively revealed by MCN in April, has just had its public unveiling at the NEC Show. In the latest issue of MCN, out November 20, we...

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