Bike news

The evolution of the Ducati 996 engine

15 July 2001

If ever an engine proved worthy of evolutionary development instead of replacing it with a new design it has to be the Ducati 996 motor. The eight-valve, liquid-cooled V-twin which has dominated World...

Save £100 more than ever on new bikes

15 July 2001

If you thought Carnell-City’s Real Prices were good, you ain’t seen nothing yet! From today, on selected new bikes you’ll want to own, we’ve been able to take even more off the already cut-to-the-bone...

Place your bets…now!

15 July 2001

He’s an ultra fit athlete who trains hard and is in peak physical condition. BUT how long can British Supersport rider John McGuinness hold his breath? 18 seconds, 28 seconds or 58 seconds?...

Engine block

15 July 2001

IF you live in rented accommodation, then a secure garage or a ground anchor might not be an option. Short of taking your bike to bed with you, what you need is something heavy to attach it to. After a bit of lateral thinking, Nigel O’Sullivan came up with the ideal solution – a stripped-down engine block. He said: " They’re bloody heavy and a bit of a bugger to get home, but once they’re in...

You CAN beat the bike thieves

15 July 2001

Bike thieves. Got any sympathy for them? Thought not. You’re going to enjoy this then. Follow the link ” How far would you go to protect your bike ” and you’ll enter a world of great ideas to...

Sensor connected to pager

15 July 2001

Watch this video… and see if you can do better

15 July 2001

Kungfoobob and SuperRetard can often be found at the centre of some serious daftness on our Talk Bikes bulletin boards. Now they’ve decided to step up the efforts they make to entertain us with this...

First test on Suzuki’s new Volusia

15 July 2001

Look closely at this bike and you’ll see Suzuki has kept the familiar Intruder name, and bolted on the ” Volusia ” tag to mark this new but even more traditional style. It’s named after Volusia...

Shotgun cartridges

15 July 2001

Two years ago, Robert E, from South Shields, had his garage broken into. Strangely, the thieves didn’t touch his bike. In fact, they made away with nothing more than a frozen turkey. But it was enough...

Swingarm lock

15 July 2001

If you can’t buy the security device you want – make your own. That’s exactly what John Smith of Wallasey, in Liverpool, did when he developed a bespoke security lock welded to the swingarm of his...

Thanks for making this the place to be

15 July 2001

More riders are coming to motorcyclenews.com than ever before. More than 100,000 of you came to the site last week and looked at over 1,000,000 pages. And that’s the first time our page impressions count has gone over the million mark. Page impressions shouldn’t be confused with " hits " . There are usually around 10 hits on any given web page, sometimes more. A site claiming one million hits a...

High-voltage shed

15 July 2001

Ken D gave his local bike thief the shock of his life with his very effective but highly illegal invention – the electric shed. Angry at having his previous bike nicked, Ken vowed never to let it...

John O’Groats to Land’s End… by classic scooter

15 July 2001

The idea of travelling from John O’Groats to Land’s End isn’t enough of a challenge for some people. These guys, among them a 28-year-old diagnosed with terminal cancer, decided to make it hard for...

Why congestion charging will put thousands more people on bikes

15 July 2001

We already know the best way to get through a busy city is on two wheels – and the latest plan for the English capital means thousands of London car drivers could see the light as well. From 2003 a...

The loop and lock

15 July 2001

The simplest ideas are often the best – and you can’t get much simpler than the loop and lock. Chains and padlocks are only really effective if there’s something to lock your bike to. However, if...

How far would you go to protect your bike?

15 July 2001

This week, around 600 motorcycles will be stolen in the UK. Only 84 will be recovered and returned to their owners. With organised criminals developing ever more sophisticated methods, keeping our...

Desperate and dodgy

15 July 2001

Bike thieves are the scum of the earth, right? So who cares if they get a bit hurt while they’ve got their filthy paws on your property, as long as they go back to their hovels empty-handed and your bike stays in the garage? Well, the law, for one. Don’t use any of these methods lightly…

Fort Knox

15 July 2001

Fireblade owner Dave Manchester, from Bradford, had his bike stolen in March last year. In the 16 months since, he’s been a man on a mission, installing every security device imaginable to make sure...

CCTV, steel door and ground anchors

15 July 2001

In the past two years, Iain and Lynne Hall have had over 1500 bikes pass through their B&B in the North Yorkshire resort of Scarborough and they haven’t lost one yet. The Donnington Hotel is a...

Survival tips

15 July 2001

THIS is Duncan Goose’s essential advice for travellers: Travel light, travel light and travel light. Give a trusted friend power of attorney over your bank account, so they can send you your own...

Shop a bike thief and grab a grand

15 July 2001

If you have information that could convict a bike thief, dial 0870-444-8448 and you could get a reward of up to £1000. If you’ve got the gen on an organised gang, that amount could rise to £10,000...

The man who invented the Desmo dies

15 July 2001

Fabio Taglioni, the man who invented Ducati’s famous Desmodromic engine, has died at his home in Bologna at the age of 80. Born on September 10, 1920 in Lugo di Romagna, Italy, Taglioni graduated as...

Hydraulic lift

15 July 2001

According to Barry Hood, from Birmingham, his hydraulic lift is a far more effective means of securing a bike than a conventional ground anchor. He said: ” Once a thief has got into your garage the...

Have you had a tyre nightmare?

15 July 2001

Your tyres are often the only thing between you and disaster. Reliable high quality rubber is a matter of life or death for us. But tyres aren’t always perfect. We’re conducting a survey to find out...

New details of 2002 R1 revealed

15 July 2001

Next year’s Yamaha R1 will be radically revised to challenge the competition from Suzuki’s class-leading GSX-R1000. It will also have to deal with new machines in the form of Honda’s 2002 FireBlade –...

Ingenious but legal

15 July 2001

If shotgun cartridges, guard dogs and electric shocks seem a bit extreme, there are plenty of equally creative methods to secure your bike which can be just as effective – and they won’t land you in a court of law

FJR long term test (2): The owners’ gathering

15 July 2001

Going for a ride-out and then chewing the cud with fellow riders is always a pretty good way to spend a day. While a football fan will (season permitting) relish the idea of a few pints in the boozer...

996 successor shown to Ducati top brass

15 July 2001

A prototype just shown to high-ranking Ducati employees is thought to be the closest anyone has yet seen to the actual successor to the legendary 996. Ducati presented its plans for the next three...

Guard dog

15 July 2001

Jon F of Northampton reckons his two Mastiff bitches are the ultimate in bike security. He said: ” They’re completely loyal and very protective. As soon as the dogs hear something they go absolutely...

The repairs

15 July 2001

FOR a man who confesses to having no mechanical aptitude whatever, Duncan Goose was very, very lucky. He learnt as he went along, ran into the right people at the right time and picked a bomb-proof bike that hardly lost its reliability over 42,000 miles. But the ability to improvise is essential. Friendly dealers are not an option in Peru, and if you lack imagination with old Fairy Liquid bottles...

Trading Standards order clothing off the shelves

15 July 2001

Trading Standards officers ordered Buffalo to replace the armour in one of their jackets because it didn’t meet the CE standard it had claimed to. Importer Bifax moved swiftly and all examples of the...

Just when you thought they’d finally eased off…

15 July 2001

The Home Secretary has been telling police forces to down-grade their focus on speeding, the Met Police have called a halt to any additional Gatsos, to spend more cash on catching real criminals. You...

New range of Italian lids from Devel

15 July 2001

The lids featured here are Italian firm Devel’s latest offerings. The full-face Vaga and the flip-up Razor are both available in British dealers for the first time this week, for £149.99. They use...

Pepper spray

15 July 2001

Ray M, from Tyne and Wear, has installed a pepper gas sprayer in his garage. Such devices are illegal in this country, so Ray has declined to comment. He got hold of his from an American company via...

Baby monitor

15 July 2001

AFTER having the entire contents of his garage stolen, including his Kawasaki ZX-7R, Kirk Walker, from Sheffield, wasn’t too happy. He said: ” I felt like crying. The police weren’t interested, the...

Rate your dealer

15 July 2001

We want to know your experience at your dealer. How good is the level of service? Would you recommend them to a friend? We all know how good it is to find a place you’re happy with to do your...