Bike news

Year: ALL

Piaggio 500cc scooter arrives late… 1000cc to follow?

11 March 2002

Piaggio’s X9 500 scooter has finally made it into showrooms – almost a year late. Originally launched last Spring, it was sent back to the drawing board after test riders reported an unnerving...

World’s first test: 2002 R1, Blade, 9R and GSX-R1000

11 March 2002

It’s the 2002 test we’ve all been waiting for. Uprated R1 and 9R versus bigger-bore and sharpened Blade… all taking on the benchmark GSX-R1000. Over eight pages of the new MCN, out on Wednesday, March...

Try it for yourself

11 March 2002

Riding in the Sahara by yourself is obviously not an option, but luckily firms like Moto Aventures have plenty of experience of the region and can guide you through one of the most beautiful – and...

The shape of motorcycling to come

11 March 2002

There’s a very good chance that if you’re reading this you are over 30 and less than 40 years old. No, don’t fear, you’re not being watched by the great MCN eye in the sky. It’s just that the average...

See stunt tribute to Eddie Kidd

11 March 2002

Stunt riders are paying tribute to a legend in the Eddie Kidd Stunt Spectacular at the Bike Live Show this weekend. And Eddie will be there too. Kidd may use a wheelchair to get around these days...

Ducati recalls 2001 bikes

11 March 2002

Ducati is recalling almost its entire 2001 range for attention to a clutch cylinder problem. The only bike it doesn’t affect is the 748R, which uses a slipper clutch. The cylinders on the rest of the...

Bikes stolen while WSB squad is away

11 March 2002

Bike thieves escaped with three race-prepped Ducati Monsters from WSB team GSE’s Coventry workshop over the weekend. The squad was in Spain for the opening WSB races, but technicians working on...

Get the right deal on insurance

11 March 2002

We’re making it easier than ever to meet all your motorcycling needs at the right price and with as little effort as possible. Take a look at INSURANCE in the top navigation bar. Click it and you’ll be offered a selection of some of the UK’s leading bike insurers. In many cases you can even get online quotes to compare. It makes shopping for the best deal easier than ever. And if the best deal is...

Vote for a pro-bike Budget

11 March 2002

We’re asking which one thing you’d like Chancellor Gordon Brown to do in his next budget (due on April 17) which would most help motorcycling. So far your votes make reducing road tax for all bikes...

On-bike video lands rider 12 month sentence

11 March 2002

As reports reveal the extent of over-crowding in our jails, the courts have decided to squeeze one more into the shared cells in the form a 32-year-old ZX-9R rider who filmed his own " dangerous riding " . The resulting video, used as evidence in court, showed 165mph on the clock on occasion, but also showed he slowed to the correct limits through towns and villages. The judge even praised the...

Soon we’ll all ride bikes like this… apparently

11 March 2002

You own a litre sports bike and you love it. But will you still be riding an R1 or GSX-R1000 in ten years? Manufacturers don’t think so. And they’re working flat-out to come up with exactly what...

Easter Egg runs so far…

11 March 2002

Know of an Easter Egg run? E-mail the details to david.cushman@emap.com with EGG RUN in the subject line and we’ll add them below. Saturday March 23 Bromsgrove, Worcs: In aid of Dr Barnado’s. Start from the Merlin, noon. Details: 01527-575843. Swinderby, Lincs: For Hartsholme Children’s Centre. Meet Halfway House (between Lincoln and Newark) 11am. Details: 01522-881736. Walkern, Herts: For...

Everybody’s talking about it

11 March 2002

Kawasaki’s ZX-6R is the single most talked about bike in our dedicated bulletin boards. While both the Talk News and Talk General boards have higher overall postings, the ZX-6R is way ahead on the...

First test: Gilera’s 850cc twin

11 March 2002

Updated March 14, 2002: We’ve had a first ride on a bike using Gilera’s new 850cc 90 degree V-twin engine and it could prove the basis of a genuine rival for Ducati. The full story is in the March 13...

Guzzi revises Nevada 750

11 March 2002

Moto Guzzi has revealed a revised version of its bottom-of-the-range Nevada cruiser – the final bike in the line-up to get a series of updates influenced by Guzzi’s new owner, Aprilia. The 750cc...

They won with MCN2U. Now it’s your chance

11 March 2002

They entered one of our text message MCN2U competitions and won. A year’s breakdown cover, courtesy of NCI Rescue Service, goes to: M Walker from Narberth; H Waters, Warminster; D Flooks, Liverpool, K...

Name the best bike in the world

11 March 2002

We want to know which your favourite bike in the world, ever, is. Is it your own? Is it a race bike? Is it the first bike you owned, or a one-off special you saw from a distance at a show. Jason Schofield offers: " RC45, Honda’s V4, cause it makes me go silly whenever I see one. I mumble and babble like a spotty teenager talking to Pamela Anderson. " Anyone who’s within ear-shot is subjected to...

Not your average weekend blast

11 March 2002

This just isn’t good enough, you can almost hear the other guests thinking. There’s sand in the pool of the supposedly swanky four-star Hotel Salam. And blokes fully-dressed in enduro gear. Next to a...

Worst bike you ever bought

11 March 2002

Ever made a really bad buying decision and ended up with a bike that really didn’t match up to your requirements, was a right dog, or was simply sub-standard by nature? We want to hear from you with all the dirt on the nightmare bike you landed yourself with. See end of the story for details on sending your contributions in. Here’s some examples we’ve already received: From Tim Saunders: My worst...

Search for Britain’s most bike-friendly company

11 March 2002

The hunt is on for the bike-friendliest firm in Britain, and the least. Make your nominations now. The MCIA is offering a free bike park to the firm which gets the highest number of employees to...

ZX-6R tops sales charts for 2002 so far

04 March 2002

Latest sales figures show Kawasaki’s ZX-6R is top of the charts for a second month running. Much of that is down to heavy discounting as dealers clear the way for the new 636cc version. Here’s the top...

Bike week: Two lidless riders die

04 March 2002

Two riders have died following bike accidents at Daytona Bike Week. Neither had been wearing a helmet. Both are American. Florida allows those over 21 to ride without lids. Ambulance staff say they...

Bike week: Cops try to close nudist camp

04 March 2002

Daytona cops are trying to close down a nudist camp opened up for Daytona Bike Week. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office have ordered the visitors off the private property, not because of the (large...

World’s biggest bike festival happening now

04 March 2002

Bikini-clad babes on FireBlades, extreme racing, stunning supercross and more Harleys in one place than you’ll ever want to see again… it’s all happening in the Florida sunshine of Daytona Bike...

New reg lands DVLA in the PO0

04 March 2002

DVLA bosses have had to recall over 100 new registrations because they spell out: ” PO0 ” . All plates issued since Saturday March 1 this year, feature the figures 02. The Fylde area of Blackpool was to be identified with PO. The DVLA didn’t spot the potential for embarrassment until the plates arrived at a car dealership. It happens to be opposite Fylde Superbikes. Fylde boss Dave Patterson...

First test: Buell Firebolt

04 March 2002

We’ve been riding Buell’s radical new Firebolt. It’s an R1-light, quick-steering beam-framed thriller aimed at European sports bike nuts, but does it hit its target? For our full report, make sure you...

One in ten bikes bought from Carnell-City

04 March 2002

Almost one in ten new bikes in Britain were bought from Carnell-City last year. The company has published its annual figures which show massive rises all round, but those rises are mostly down to Carnell’s acquisition of Motorcycle City. The combination of the two saw Carnells 17-shop chain expand to 30 branches and meant 9.3 per cent of new bikes in this country were bought from the combined...

Big Daddy Rat dies, aged 74

04 March 2002

The man behind some of the most famous custom bike shows of Daytona Bike Week, Karl " Big Daddy Rat " Smith, died at the age of 74 on Monday. He is thought to have suffered a heart attack. He had been in poor health for the past two years but had continued to stage his custom bike shows in Daytona Beach during Bike Week and Biketoberfest. He had also staged shows throughout Europe and at...