Bike news

Year: ALL

Have you ever beaten a star?

12 August 2002

World-class racers like Chris Walker, Neil Hodgson, Troy Bayliss and Valentino Rossi weren’t always gods. All of them had to start somewhere, and all of them must have been beaten plenty of times...

MCN seeks sub-editor

12 August 2002

MCN is looking for an experienced sub-editor to join its production team. If you love bikes and have at least two years behind you working on a newspaper, magazine or quality consumer website in a...

Vote for your bike review winner

12 August 2002

Now’s your chance to vote for your winner in our MCN Road Tester for a day competition. All you have to do is read the users reviews we’ve published, by clicking on the link on the right. Then e-mail...

1986 Honda CB350

12 August 2002

The minute I saw this bike I wondered if I had read the advert wrong, 1986 D reg it said and my mate told me it was basically a Superdream. With its red Harris frame and modern Fazer like tank this was one sexy lookin bike but will this thing go after all its only a 350cc twin cylinder engine putting out 35 bhp . 3 months later and I can say with one mega grin that this machine rocks, In this...

1998 Kawasaki ZX-7R

12 August 2002

Overweight, outdated, underpowered? Not the words I would associate to Kawasaki’s finest Ninja, despite all the magazine articles I’ve read on this bike over the past couple of years, indicating that the model was ready for the skip. Aggressive, agile and stable more suit the character of the 750 kwakajack. I can only come to the conclusion that my bike must have undergone modifications at the...

@1999 Yamaha R1

12 August 2002

The R1 is not a difficult bike to review. Think of something a supersports bike should be good at and write down that the R1 excels at it. For MCN, introduce as many hackneyed clichés as you can come up with, plus a sprinkling of contradictory errors, and you’re away. Here goes nothing… The R1 is a very fast bike. I had a ’93 ‘Blade for a few years before buying my R1 new in September ’99, so its...

Getting the family look

12 August 2002

Suzuki has revamped its Burgman 250 and 400 maxi-scooters for 2003 – in line with the styling of the newer Burgman 650. They keep the same four-stroke motors, but will get fuel-injection as Suzuki...

Benelli v MV v 998 v RSV

12 August 2002

It’s the ultimate in silly money road tests: In the latest issue of MCN, out August 14, we pitch the new £22,500 Benelli Tornado Tre against its rivals for the title of: ” Best Road Bike Money Can...

GSX-R600 tops your bike reviews

12 August 2002

James Apps’ reviews of his 2001 GSX-R600 is your top of the bike review pops according to the latest information from our poll. If he stays at the top to the end of the week, August 16, he’ll win a...

New Momo lids for headcases

12 August 2002

When even fluffy bunny ears are commonplace, the best way to stand out could be a mad helmet from Italian firm Momo. It’s latest line-up is guaranteed to appeal to extroverts, but each helmet meets...

Japanese scooter stupidity

12 August 2002

FES250 TRIKE Liked to be looked at? Even if it’s for the wrong reasons? You might want to have a gander at this Honda FES250 scooter. It’s been triked with raked-out forks and 12in back wheels from a...

Evel Knievel in tax trouble

12 August 2002

Two things you can rely on in life are death and taxes, but having postponed one, Evel Knievel is now under fire from the taxman. The motorcycle daredevil has had two charges filed against him for...

2000 Aprilia RSV

05 August 2002

Two years have passed since with a heavy heart and hand I parted with the readies to secure my Blue Mille RSV. Would she live up to expectations or alternatively was I throwing more wedge into the...

2001 Suzuki GSXR600

05 August 2002

After moving to England from Australia all I wanted was a Suzuki GSXR600 to replace the one I had left behind. As a kid, all I would do is read all the English bike magazines and dream of riding...

KTM reveals its CRF beater

05 August 2002

Since the FIM announced that from 2003 four-stroke 450s would be able to compete with two-stroke 250s, companies have rushing to release hardcore 450s to rival Honda’s CRF450. And now it’s KTM’s...

1999 Yamaha Fazer

05 August 2002

Parts bin special, ugly, too common – just some of the accolades that have been heaped upon the Fazer! So, who is going to buy it? Me for one (and a few thousand others). So what do you get for your money? a detuned Thundercat engine producing 85-95 hp giving plenty of go. Brakes from the R1 giving plenty of stop. All held together by a capable chassis with a comfortable riding position and...

1999 Yamaha R6

05 August 2002

Radical…racy…gorgeous. All are great adjectives for one of the finest 600cc sportsbikes ever produced. The Yamaha R6 still is incredible even though the competition has finally caught up. Relatively...

Motorists get bike warning at tax time

05 August 2002

The BMF has persuaded the Department of Transport to include its own bike awareness leaflet with every road tax renewal notice over the next 12 months. The leaflet entitles ” Watch Out for...

McWilliams’ GP 500 for sale

05 August 2002

You could be just one click of a mouse away from owning the ultimate trackday weapon. Aprilia is auctioning off Jeremy McWilliams’ 500cc GP bike – the very one he took to an unforgettable podium at...

2001 Triumph Speed Triple 955i

05 August 2002

On leaving the Army several years ago I decided that, living in Greater London area, cars were no longer a practical solution to get around for a single man like myself. I lost count of the times I...

1990 Honda CBR400RR

05 August 2002

I am a girlie who just loves riding bikes. Started life on a C.G. 125 and thought I was God’s gift to biking. Then my husband made the mistake of introducing me to sportsbikes. I had died and gone...

Mini-moto

05 August 2002

The holiday so far had simply consisted of lazing by the pool recovering from a thorough skin full the night before. The other lads and myself fancied doing something different on this particular day, so we left the birds lying at the hotel and jumped in a taxi to the mini moto centre. The drinking activities from the night before having not completely worn off, chewing gum was purchased on the...

1998-2001 Suzuki TL1000S

05 August 2002

‘Shock, Suzuki TL1000s motorcycle ate my baby.’ Apart from perhaps raising a smile, if this sort of headline appeared in some of the more enthusiastic journalistic tripe inhabiting your local...

1999 Yamaha R1

05 August 2002

When Madonna said “I touch myself”, for many people that was the end of it. Of-course, what she actually meant was “I’d love to ride pillion on an R1 and, while that would be much better than sex, I’d...

Bikes needed for MCN suspension feature

05 August 2002

MCN is still looking for a handful of bikes for our forthcoming suspension set-up feature. We still need: A 2000-2002 Yamaha YZF-R6, a 2002 Kawasaki ZX-636, a Ducati 748, Suzuki TL1000R, Ducati 996...

1997-2001 Honda VFR800fi

05 August 2002

When is a sports tourer, not a sports tourer? When it’s a VFR800! Honda’s ubiquitous V4 can be a bike for anyone. Yeah, it’s a big heavy bike (206Kg) but it certainly can hustle when ridden hard. ...

2001 Honda CBR600F

05 August 2002

Another 60 limits. In 3rd, on a wide, opening right hander. Roll it on slowly, all the way to the stop; the noise grows quickly from a growl to a full blow wail as the lean angle increases – shortshift easily into 4th at 12000rpm then back onto the stop, the bars flap slightly as you crest a small rise on the exit – just enough to remind you’re using full throttle. Your head is in the tank looking...

1998 Suzuki TL1000S

05 August 2002

I like many other people had had money problems and had not been able to afford another motorcycle and it seemed I had waited an eternity. However circumstances changed and at last a newer bike was...

Get your kit and tyres covered

05 August 2002

It’s often not just damage to your bike you have to cover in the event of an accident. The cost of replacing your lid, boots leathers and gloves can easily run to hundreds of pounds. But for £99 a...

2002 Ducati Monster M620

05 August 2002

It started a couple of years ago as an idea, I think I will get a bike again, house OK, job OK and the car is bullet proof. The main problem is choice, what to buy, going back to motorcycling I didn’t want a fire breather, I just couldn’t justify it, so I decided on a 600cc machine and thought an unfaired retro type would do the trick. Honda, Yamaha Suzuki and Kawasaki all make something along...

2003 KTM SX model updates

05 August 2002

200 SX Engine As an ideal complement, a 200 SX model will be launched in the 2003 range: its weight and handling correspond to that of a 125 SX, its engine power almost reaches that of the 250cc...

1978 BMW R45

05 August 2002

A few moons ago I decided to take my dad’s offer of borrowing his somewhat tatty BMW R45. I did this not out of some perverse desire to be ridiculed by pizza delivery boys, or anybody else who has a...

Road Test Idol entry form

05 August 2002

So have you got what it takes? How to enter: Just fill in the form below (do NOT send it by e-mail) and send it with a photograph that demonstrates your enthusiasm for bikes to Road Test Idol, MCN, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Name…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…… Age…….…….……. Daytime phone number (or mobile)...

1995-1999 Honda CBR250RR

05 August 2002

Oh my God! When that rev limiter hits 20,000, you know you have really hit the limit! Not only on the rev limiter but also on the enjoyment factor! I have never had as much adrenaline pumping...

More of your bike reviews added

05 August 2002

The chance to win a day with our road testers has prompted a load more of your bike reviews and we’ll be adding these throughout the day. Simply click on the link on the right for details on how you...

1997 Kawasaki ER-5

05 August 2002

Well I wonder how many of you are going to read this, a review on a bike in a much maligned class, you will either say what is an ER-5 or oh no not that bike (the one you learnt to ride on). To the sounds of a well known Queen track I’M IN LOVE WITH MY “ER”, it started one Saturday in October 1997 (my old GN250 had just expired) and I was looking for something larger to survive my 18000 miles a...