MCN
Reviews For sale News Insurance

Bike news

The Brands track ride out

05 August 2001

The Brands track ride out

Were you among those riding the circuit at the GSX-R Festival. Do you know someone who was? Take a look at the video and see if you can spot anyone you know.

First ride on the Hodgson Replica 996S

05 August 2001

First ride on the Hodgson Replica 996S

Marc Potter has been riding the Hodgson Replica 996S and you can read his first test verdict here. Next week you’ll be able to see video of Hodgson himself on the bike on the Isle of Man. And the WSB...

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

05 August 2001

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

Motorcyclenews.com has discovered Suzuki is planning to start using an electro-magnetically-operated clutch which will work even better than the quickshifters of today. It is likely to debut on a...

The best of the best

05 August 2001

The best of the best

More than 50 crack pilots apply to join the Red Arrows every year. Only three of them are successful. Those who do succeed become part of a flying legend which has been wowing crowds all over the...

Watch Carmichael’s GSX-R festival stunts

05 August 2001

Watch Carmichael’s GSX-R festival stunts

Take a look in our NEWS FEATURES section and you’ll find updated and full coverage of the Brands Hatch GSX-R Festival, including exclusive video footage of stunt king Kevin Carmichael’s...

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

05 August 2001

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

Kevin Schwantz rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch and our cameraman was on hand to catch the moment. Schwantz, seen in the video leading World Rally Championship star Colin McRae round the short...

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

05 August 2001

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

SOMETHING has been niggling me ever since I took delivery of my R1150R back in April. It’s the small matter of getting a slick, judder-free gearchange – the kind of clean shift that sends barely a...

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

05 August 2001

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

A new glossy magazine for bikesport fans hit the shops on Friday: MCN Sport. The 148-page quarterly publication includes exclusive new articles featuring Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Chris Walker,...

MAG founder Howard dies

05 August 2001

MAG founder Howard dies

DENNIS HOWARD, the founder of biking rights organisation the Motorcycle Action Group, has died following an accident on a pushbike last week. He was 80. Howard launched the group to campaign for...

Video action from the festival

05 August 2001

Follow the links, right, to see video of stunt star Kevin Carmichael doing his thing at the Suzuki GSX-R festival or to watch some of the many riders who took to the track. There’s also a link to watch Kevin Schwantz riding at Brands.

Carmichael in stunt action

05 August 2001

Carmichael in stunt action

Watch Kevin Carmichael abuse a Suzuki at the GSX-R Festival.

Harley’s Evel past revived by new flat-tracker replica

05 August 2001

Harley’s Evel past revived by new flat-tracker replica

HARLEY Davidson are hoping to draw on memories of Evel Knievel and flat track racing with its new limited edition XL 883R. Modelled on the legendary XR750 twin which made the Harley name famous in...

Whitham considers a return to British superbikes

05 August 2001

Whitham considers a return to British superbikes

World Supersports rider Jamie Whitham was in our VIP Lounge on Thursday lunchtime answering your questions on everything from filling his pants on the grid to how he got a scar on his chest. He...

First test of new BMW R1150RS

05 August 2001

First test of new BMW R1150RS

New images added at 5pm, Wednesday The R1150RS is beyond competent. It is genuinely, spirit-lifting fun… whatever the weather. The changes over the old R1100RS are few and far between. Essentially,...

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

05 August 2001

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

Speed cameras look certain to be painted in eye-catching colours now that top cops and the Home Secretary agree it’s the right thing to do. Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) traffic...

Round-the-world duo reach southern Spain

05 August 2001

Dave Marsden and Ian Wright had got as far as southern Spain when we spoke to them on Friday morning. They plan to cross the border into Portugal and return to stay in Gibraltar tonight. Then it’s across by ferry to Morocco on Saturday morning to head for Fes and the dunes of the Sahara. " And it’s unbearably hot by 6 in the morning here!, " joked Dave. The pair stayed on a campsite last night...

Buell’s Firebolt radical? We’ve seen it all before

05 August 2001

Buell’s Firebolt radical? We’ve seen it all before

When Buell released its new Firebolt two weeks ago, it came with a host of unusual features. But how many of these are actually new? Is the bike a radical machine bristling with 21st Century concepts,...

Strange but true

05 August 2001

Strange but true

Here’s our latest round-up of motorcycle-related madness from an increasingly odd world. FRANCE: Inspired by the Starboyz and their fur-covered FireBlades, this French biker seems to have taken the...

Blackbird goes red

05 August 2001

Blackbird goes red

Honda’s 2002 Super Blackbird will only be changed in one respect from the current model, it will be available in Candy Blazing Red. The eye-catching colour will add to those currently available;...

John Robinson dies

05 August 2001

John Robinson dies

It’s with enormous sadness that we report the passing of John Robinson, Performance Bikes’ technical editor. He was 56. John died peacefully in the evening of August 6, in the BUPA Hospital,...

Foggy, Perry, Corser fly with the Red Arrows

05 August 2001

Foggy, Perry, Corser fly with the Red Arrows

For years, the eyes of Carl Fogarty glinted out from inside his crash helmet striking fear into his rivals. But not today. It’s like he’s caught a glimpse of his own reflection and the colour is...

The CCM Roadster with 65% more power

05 August 2001

The CCM Roadster with 65% more power

Mick Keogh has managed to squeeze an extra 65 per cent more bhp from a CCM Roadster, giving it 78bhp. Makes you wonder what he’d do with a Hayabusa… Devon-based Mick, of tuning firm Sportax, is still...

James Whitham in his own words

05 August 2001

MCN: In a recent VIP chat Chris Walker said that his ideal team-mate would be you. Who would your ideal team mate? JamesWhitham: Er, probably Chris. The thing is, I like to be in a team where I can get on with people. Somebody like Chris or Steve Plater, just somebody I get on with, and to be honest, most people in racing I get on with cos they’ve got a similar background but Chris would be a good...

Bulldog Bash now on

05 August 2001

Bulldog Bash now on

Picture a cross between Ibiza, Brands WSB, Reading Festival and a tattooists’ convention and you’ll get an inkling of what’s going on near Stratford-upon-Avon from Thursday to Sunday this week. From...

Land’s End to John O’Groats without putting a foot down

05 August 2001

Land’s End to John O’Groats without putting a foot down

Wayne Booth has set a record for riding Land’s End to John O’Groats without a stop for so much as a pee… let alone to refuel. Careful planning meant his 854-mile journey was completed without even...

Cash for crashes on foot and mouth mats

05 August 2001

Cash for crashes on foot and mouth mats

Riders who crashed on disinfected mats put down to curb the spread of foot and mouth could get compensation. Carole Nash is investigating a batch of 23 claims. If the claims are successful, it could...

Revealed: Suzuki’s giant trailie

01 August 2001

Revealed: Suzuki’s giant trailie

We’ve been talking about it since 1999, now Suzuki has finally given it a name and a finished form, and here it is: the XF1000L. Our artist’s impression is just as you’ll see the bike when it is...

Feel the speed in a Hayabusa outfit

01 August 2001

Feel the speed in a Hayabusa outfit

A Hayabusa feels shatteringly fast from the relatively high position of the rider’s seat. Imagine what if feels like from that Tarmac-level outfit? Sidecar firm boss Phil Ball has been dreaming of...

The Sahara and back in six days

01 August 2001

The Sahara and back in six days

We rode to the Sahara and back on a BMW R1150GS, Aprilia CapoNord and Triumph Tiger 955i. Here’s the day-by-day story… This was originally updated daily, which is why you’ll find the final day at the...

Don’t believe everything you read about speeding

01 August 2001

The police and media seem all too willing to believe in the big, bad menace of speeding motorcyclists… so much so that they’ve really ended up with egg on their faces this time. Chelmsford newspaper the Essex Chronicle ran a story about a rider caught doing 137mph on a local road, and got so indignant about it that they ran a " comment " column about it, berating the rider and insisting he be...

First test of Foggy rep Monster S4

01 August 2001

First test of Foggy rep Monster S4

According to the crowds at Brands there is only one Carl Fogarty. Fortunately there is more than one Fogarty replica. First there was the 996SPS Foggy rep. Now there is the Monster S4 Foggy rep. So...

How good is your lid?

01 August 2001

How good is your lid?

Does your lid fit brilliantly or let too much wind noise in? Is it easy to change the visor? Do the vents work? Are the fasteners easy to use? Tell us and tell the world by writing a review.All you...

Win a WSB video signed by Foggy

01 August 2001

Since early Monday morning you’ve been e-mailing in your pictures of the racing, stars, babes and casualties of Brands Hatch WSB. Now’s your chance to win a copy of the History of the World Superbike Championship video simply by picking which submitted picture you like best. We have five copies signed by Carl Fogarty. Four will go to the people who sent in the pictures which get the four highest...

Brands WSB: the way you saw it

01 August 2001

Brands WSB: the way you saw it

Here are just some of your pictures from the experience that was Brands Hatch World Superbikes. If you’ve got some to add, send them by email to david.cushman@emap.com. We’ve got 10 copies of The...

Crescent GSX-R750 Parts List

01 August 2001

Crescent GSX-R750 Parts List

Forks: Factory Showa/Ohlins, £12,000/£1500; Shock: Factory Showa, £5000; Swingarm: Factory Suzuki, £3000; Magnesium yokes: Factory Suzuki, £1000; Handlebars: Factory Suzuki, £400; Front brakes: AP...

The new look of the R1

01 August 2001

The new look of the R1

This exclusive drawing is the most accurate impression yet of how the new Yamaha R1 will look for 2002. It’s based on detailed information from the factory. Only the colour-scheme is likely to change.