Latest Motorbike News

Professional thieves target Brands

29 July 2001

THE sneak thieves warned of by police yesterday struck again last night in the Brands Hatch campsites – and they are so good at their work that even the police are forced to admit how expert they...

Honda CX500 Custom

29 July 2001

WHEN a bike, within minutes of its 1978 launch, acquires the tag ” Plastic Maggot ” , it’s safe to assume the machine has been less than well received by the masses. But the original CX overcame this...

No end yet to our Saturday Brands scenes

22 July 2001

NO words are needed to explain the build up throughout today of the fans and atmosphere at Brands Hatch. But to remind you why the event is so special on the British biking calendar, here are some...

We road test the Suzuki GSX1400, Kawasaki ZRX1200R and Yamaha XJR1300

22 July 2001

ARNIE might well stand out in people’s minds as the most famous and successful bodybuilder ever, but things were almost very different. Over the core of his competitive years, throughout the 1970s and...

Insurance grief for 1900 Devitt customers

22 July 2001

HUNDREDS of riders insured through the brokerage firm Devitt DA have been asked to cough up for new insurance policies following the demise of underwriters Independent Insurance Company Limited. While...

Police warn Brands campers to be on their guard

22 July 2001

POLICE patrolling the Brands Hatch campsites have warned anyone who plans to camp there tonight to be on the look out for so-called “slash and grab” thieves. There have been four or five cases of...

Myth of speeding motorcyclists exposed

22 July 2001

WITH an apparently increasing number of residents in rural areas complaining about bikes speeding through their quiet villages, here’s some figures that should shut them up. After the Parish councils...

Want some advice? Take your own drinks to Brands!

22 July 2001

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s may have come up trumps with a temporary marquee-cum-store on-site at Brands Hatch, but that doesn’t mean there will be unlimited supplies of drink and food tomorrow – so...

More help to beat thieving scum

22 July 2001

IF your bike ever gets nicked, the first reaction is often to tell as many people as possible, so they can keep an eye out for you. And now the ACU, British bikesport’s governing body, is providing a...

British bike land speed record goes… and we've got video

22 July 2001

THE British motorcycle land speed record has been shattered after Jarrod ” Jack ” Frost ran his turbo Suzuki Hayabusa through the timing lights at an average of 222.19 mph. The record was broken at...

Sensational TT FireBlade tested

22 July 2001

This is the bike Honda hoped would reclaim their TT glory this year. Featuring internals engineered by the FireBlade’s progenitor Tadao Baba himself, this is a very, very special machine indeed. We...

Ducati Monster M620ie first test

22 July 2001

HAS there ever been a bike that deserves its name less than the middleweight of the Monster family? Far from being ” grotesque ” or ” gigantic ” , which is how the dictionary defines the word, the...

Keeping the R1 legend afloat

22 July 2001

YAMAHA’S R1 may be struggling to compete with Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 on the road, but there is somewhere it will give the new class leader a sound thrashing – on water. The new Yamaha WaveRunner FX140...

Send us your Brands snaps and win a WSB video

22 July 2001

We’ve got 10 copies of The History of the Word Superbike Championship video to give away. All you have to do is send us your pictures from Brands Hatch World Superbikes, and the ones voted the best,...

Bring on the bends

22 July 2001

Iain Duffus shows us the lines on the Isle of Man’s famous TT circuit

Video: The FireBlade to take on the TT

22 July 2001

This was the FireBlade Honda had built specially for the TT. Desperate to claw back ground against the Yamahas and hold off the threat from Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 this 180bhp stunner weighs as little as a...

168mph… on skates!

22 July 2001

WHILE you’d expect a FireBlade to hit 168mph, you’d have to look twice if a bloke on Rollerblades came past at that speed. But that’s exactly what German Dirk Auer managed – with a little help from...

Twisting through town

22 July 2001

Where in the world could you expect to ride like this through town and get away with it? Yup, it’s the Isle of Man during the TT.

Too sexy for my scooter

22 July 2001

WITH their classic design and distinctive looks no one could ever accuse Vespas of being visually boring. But just in case they fail to catch the eye of the beautiful people in the West End, you will...

Ducati to launch Hodgson rep 996

22 July 2001

WSB star Neil Hodgson is having a limited edition Ducati 996 made in his honour. Hodgson, a hot tip for success at the Brands Hatch WSB round on July29, rides a 996S in the championship. Unlike either...

Mighty Dot security markings to arrive in the UK

22 July 2001

PEOPLE have been marking their territory for millions of years. Fortunately, things have moved on a bit since the days of dried dung piles, and the latest marking techniques are much more advanced. Security systems such as Datatag, Alphadot and Smartwater have cut thefts and reduced the cost of insurance. And now there’s a new name entering the fray – that of Mighty Dot. It uses a spray to apply...

Spare a thought for the fans who CAN'T watch the racing

22 July 2001

WHILE the excitement of Superpole engulfs the circuit, there are some people who just can’t afford to stop and watch the stars in action… like the police making sure thieves don’t take advantage of...

58 seconds

22 July 2001

WRONG! Try again shameful loser!

The fans and what they love – and hate – about Brands

22 July 2001

THE sun is shining and the crowds are sweating and with the second qualifying session over, we follow the crowds back to the campsite, for all the world a mass Spanish siesta as every man, woman and...

28 seconds

22 July 2001

WELL DONE! You’ve correctly guessed that wheezy John-san had only enough puff for 28 seconds! You win! Click on the link on the right to see his shameful effort.

Donington loses out to Silverstone in 2002 WSB

22 July 2001

DONINGTON PARK, the venue for the inaugural World Superbike event back in 1988 and host to a yearly round of the series ever since, has lost its place on the series’ calendar to rival track...

First test of CCM’s R30

22 July 2001

The new CCM R30 draws more head-turning glances than Jordan in a moist T-shirt. To the clean-slated mind of your average non-biking man on the street, the new CCM appears to be a great-looking...

18 seconds

22 July 2001

WRONG! Try again shameful loser!

Round the world by Africa Twin

15 July 2001

THERE are two essential items for anyone thinking of travelling the world on a bike. Not Swiss Army knives or malaria pills, not a compass or a 32-piece socket set, not even a get out of jail free...

Infra-red movement sensor

15 July 2001

Despite living in an area of Norwich with low levels of crime, Peter Jenks’ insurance company insisted he garaged his Triumph Bonneville, installed immobilisers and secured it with a lock. Hoping it...

Trench and fishing wire trap

15 July 2001

When a thief visits in the small hours, the last thing he expects is a 7ft-deep trench. But that’s exactly what he’ll find if he tries getting his hands on Mark D’s bike. After losing two bikes in as...

Cool Britannia… but only in Japan

15 July 2001

THE JAPANESE infatuation with old British bikes will lead to the introduction of the new Honda GB400RS next year. Our artist’s impression shows the bike is based on the current CL400 – a low-cost...

250 turn out for RiDER Power

15 July 2001

Is this the moment when 250 people wished they’d brought their waterproofs with them? The assembled crowd of 250 riders and their bikes came together to help out with the latest RiDER Power survey,...

What to take

15 July 2001

SO what exactly is involved in riding around the world? We asked Duncan Goose to give us the survivor’s guide to global motorcycle travel. ” Rule number one is travel light. Taking things you think...

Coates and wife set new speed record

15 July 2001

Dave Coates and his missus, the very brave Sandra, have just set a new two-up speed record of 146mph…while facing backwards. The rear-facing duo were riding a Yamaha R1. Coates said he was a bit...

CCM’s new road-focused single

15 July 2001

CCM’s R30 comes with the kind of creature comforts that the British firm hopes will attract a wider audience. It’s got a rev-counter, cush-drive, alloy wheels and even a fully-painted pearlescent...

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