Latest Motorbike News

Ultimate FireBlade sports tourer unveiled

03 June 2002

It could be the ultimate sports tourer. Renowned tuner Russell Savory has taken a 2002 FireBlade and tweaked into a luxury 180bhp transcontinental express, that’s equally at home on far-flung...

Tell us your breakdown horror stories

03 June 2002

The best holiday stories are always furnished by people who prefer travelling hopefully to actually arriving. And no-one has heard more horror stories than breakdown recovery men. And you couldn’t...

Warwickshire police refuse to help charity ride

03 June 2002

Warwickshire police have refused to provide any police outriders to help with the Great Summer Ride from Coventry to Stratford and back, which takes place on Saturday Organisers asked for police help...

Yamaha’s insurance-for-all scheme imminent

03 June 2002

Yamaha’s promise of affordable insurance cover for all owners of its new and secondhand officially imported machines is expected to come into effect in early July. For more details on Yamaha’s...

BSB beauties you can buy for the road

03 June 2002

In the new MCN, out Wednesday June5, you can read our exclusive report on two stunning machines – the ultimate sports tourer; a British Superbike-spec FireBlade with bespoke luggage and GPS, and the...

Win a Datatool TurnAlert

03 June 2002

You can win one of three Datatool TurnAlert kits, each worth £39.99 in our new competition. These devices prevent that all too common problem of leaving an indicator flashing for miles before it’s...

Send us a snap of our man and win £50

03 June 2002

The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted an MCN badge in yesterday’s Jubilee Parade, and, if you took a snap of him you could earn yourself £50. Our reporter Dale Lomas took a spot among 49 other Brit-bikes to commemorate 50 years of biking in the UK. If you were listening to the commentary, you may have heard the BBC’s Wayne Hemmingway exclaim " The scrambler’s just done a wheelie! " Well,...

Bike cops form crack sex patrol squad

03 June 2002

City officials in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur have formed a bike-mounted religious police squad to clamp down on courting couples. Officers from the Islamic Affairs Department will patrol the Shah Alam Lake Garden around the clock to stop " immoral activities " . Datuk Mansor Ramli, head of the Department, told reporters: " We set up the motorcycle squad to make it easier for our...

David Jefferies – how he cracked the Island

03 June 2002

David Jefferies and Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 secured themselves a special place in TT history when the Yorkshireman shattered the Formula One and 1000cc Production records. And in our special TT issue, out...

Zongshen could enter World Superbikes in 2003

03 June 2002

The Chinese Zonghsen firm has developed a 1000cc four-cylinder sportsbike which could debut in World Superbikes next year, before the road version arrives in 2004. The 1000 will join the firm’s 750cc...

Discover your outlaw alter-ego

03 June 2002

Fancy grabbing yourself a bad-ass biker handle, but don’t fancy the hardtail chopper or a lifetime of dressing like a Status Quo roadie? Help and hard man status is just a click away with this site:...

Help stop dark visor "fudge"

03 June 2002

The Department of Transport (DoT) is expected to make a compromise recommendation in its report on dark visors. But representatives of riders groups fear the decision will be a fudge: a visor which...

Revised big Burgman due

03 June 2002

These are the first pictures of the final version of Suzuki’s Burgman 650, due to weigh in shortly as the biggest scooter on the market. For the full story on the revised Burgman 650, don’t miss the...

NCI rescue cover special offer

03 June 2002

You can get rescue cover with NCI from £29.99. We only send out service agents who know about repairing bikes. And if they can’t help you at the side of the road, they’ll take you to a garage, home...

Final Joey-rep SP-1 raises £16K

03 June 2002

The last Joey Dunlop replica SP-1 has been auctioned. The final bid was £16,000 after four other potential buyers withdrew bids at the last minute. The owner who wishes to remain anonymous, was...

Is your RSV a Haga replica?

03 June 2002

Have you beaten Aprilia to building a Noriyuki Haga-replica RSV? Well, we’d like to hear from you for a forthcoming feature in MCN. Send your details, including a contact number and any pictures...

Get your TT news direct to your mobile

01 June 2002

After a long two-year wait, the Isle of Man TT races resume on Saturday, June 1. Wherever you are – on the Island or on the bus, you can get all the latest news and results sent direct your mobile...

More ‘limited edition’ Rossi reps launched

27 May 2002

Honda has launched a second version of its limited-edition CBR600 Sport Rossi replica to celebrate his 2001 GP championship victory. For the full story on the new Rossi-reps, don’t miss the new MCN,...

Corrie star cracks it second go

27 May 2002

Soap star Chris Bisson has passed his bike test at the second attempt. MCN reported earlier this month how Bisson, cabbie Vikram Desai in TV’s Coronation Street flunked his first attempt. But the...

Special Essex court hears fifty 100mph speeders

27 May 2002

Nearly fifty riders and drivers who notched up speeds of more than 100mph on the new A130 by pass will be dealt with at a special one-off hearing at Witham magistrates court in Essex today (Friday...

Shake hands with Hodgson this Saturday

27 May 2002

You can find out what it was like to aquaplane at 180mph in the pouring Silverstone rain when World Superbike stars Neil Hodgson and James Toseland meet their fans at four Carnell/Motorcycle City branches this Saturday. Between them the HM Plant Ducati teammates will visit the Liverpool, Manchester, Doncaster and Sheffield branches to sign autographs and shake hands. Hodgson will be at Carnell’s...

Are you buying a new bike?

27 May 2002

If you’re planning on buying a new bike over the next few weeks, we’d like to hear from you for an MCN feature. We’d like to follow you through the whole process of how you go about choosing, trying...

Her name is Rio…

27 May 2002

Easy on the eye and hard on the brain. That’s the charge leveled at some telly totty called in to commentate on motorsport. Not Sky’s speedway presenter Jane Omorogbe, though. Omorogbe, better known...

Suzuki festival lined up

27 May 2002

If you own a Suzuki you won’t want to miss this. The company is throwing another huge summer festival along the lines of its GSX-R bash at Brands Hatch last year. This time all types of Suzuki can...

Rider’s 155mph – "fastest ever" on camera

27 May 2002

A motorcyclist narrowly escaped a prison sentence after being caught on camera doing 155mph just outside Cardiff. Lee Beddis blasted past a parked patrol car on his bike so fast the officer inside...

The latest sportbikes: tuned and compared

27 May 2002

The performance and handling of this year’s superbikes has never been closer. When MCN tested Yamaha’s R1 against the Honda FireBlade and Suzuki GSX-R1000 in March, it took hundreds of laps of twisty...

Hampshire police fined for unidentified speeder

27 May 2002

A dishonest Hampshire copper whose patrol car tripped a speed camera at 48mph in a 30 limit, forced the appearance of his boss in court yesterday. The failure of the driver to come forward, and take...

Kriega competition result announced 5pm

27 May 2002

We’ll be announcing the results of our Kriega rucksack competition later today. And it’s not too late to enter. You’ve got until 5pm to get your entry in. Kriega is the new name for Krug,...

Which helmet design gets your vote?

27 May 2002

Six designs in our Arashi helmet design competition have been shortlisted by the judges. We want you to vote for your favourite. The winning artist will get their effort painted by MAS, the company...

Build a fully-sorted track tool...for three grand

27 May 2002

It all seemed so simple after five pints of Stella on a cold Friday night in October last year. Buy a mate’s destroyed 2001CBR600 Sport and then turn it into the track day bike I had been longing...

Speed cameras: the truth behind the hype

27 May 2002

Despite recent media speculation, next month won’t see the end of speed cameras. For the full story on the truth behind the media hype on speed cameras don’t miss the latest issue of MCN, out May...

The verdict

27 May 2002

Once each bike had been fitted with identical kit, it was time to see how the changes affected them and what difference it made to the superbike pecking order. We chose Donington Park to put them through their paces. We passed the time during the drive to the Leicestershire race track arguing about which bike would probably win. My fellow testers were Donington Park track day instructor Dave Hill...

What we fitted and why

27 May 2002

Bridgestone BT012SS £250 a pair Bridgestone’s BT56SS replacement is ideal for fast road or track day riding. It’s stickier than the BT56 and therefore won’t last quite as long, but Bridgestone still...

Man behind Yamaha dies

27 May 2002

Genichi Kawakami, the man credited with turning Yamaha into one of the biggest bike manufacturers in the world, died on Saturday at the age of 90. He joined Nippon Gakki Co – the firm that became Yamaha – in 1937 when it made musical intruments. But in 1955, when Kawakami was president, Yamaha Motor Co was born. He retired in 1976 but continued as an advisor until his death.

World exclusive shots of Triumph’s Daytona 600

27 May 2002

Don’t miss the world’s first pictures of the bike everyone will be talking about. In the new, biggest ever issue of MCN, out Wednesday, May29 we’ve got exclusive snaps of Triumph’s Daytona 600. The...

The bikes

27 May 2002

Honda Fireblade: Whew we tested the Blade in March, we had two concerns. It’s a quick turner – even quicker than the R1 and GSX-R – which can make it a bit of a headshaker. The Blade needs a steering...

Bike news