Motorbike Advice: make the most of motorcycling
Your one-stop shop for all motorbike advice, including how-tos, getting a motorcycle licence, servicing, maintenance and more.
Find out which bikes you should be choosing in our expertly curated Best section.
For those looking to learn how to ride a motorbike, head to our Learning to Ride hub, where we cover all you need to know about getting into this wonderful lifestyle.
If you've already got going, check out our Riding Tips section for the best guides and top techniques.
Looking for somewhere to go? Don't miss our Places to Visit area for some ideas for your next rideout.
And when you get home, learn how to look after your bike in our Bike Maintenance hub.
Secondhand starters: Here are five feel-good first bikes I reckon a learner will love, for only £2k!
Yesterday 15:57 by
![Secondhand starters: Here are five feel-good first bikes I reckon a learner will love, for only £2k!](/wp-images/308646/480x320/rey9820.jpg)
Buying your first big bike can be a daunting experience. These five machines make for handy ‘first big bikes’ that have enough power to ensure you won’t be left lacking should you wish to embark on a...
Upright aggression: MCN's guide to the best stripped-back super nakeds on the market in 2025
11 February 2025 by
![Upright aggression: MCN's guide to the best stripped-back super nakeds on the market in 2025](/wp-images/59698/480x320/cover_revised.jpg)
For years now, super nakeds have overtaken superbikes as the ultimate thrill machines for the road. Similar power, more real world usability. In 2025 this trend shows no sign of slowing down,...
My pick of five sizzling secondhand supermotos that will make you grin from ear to ear!
10 February 2025 by
![My pick of five sizzling secondhand supermotos that will make you grin from ear to ear!](/wp-images/309683/480x320/acj0h762-1.jpg)
If you’re after raw, adrenalin-packed wheelies and skids, no road-legal bike is better at delivering than a supermoto. Originally mongrel race bikes created by fitting MX bikes with street wheels,...
Want to go anywhere for a £3k budget? These adventure legends would be my pick!
07 February 2025 by
![Want to go anywhere for a £3k budget? These adventure legends would be my pick!](/wp-images/307430/480x320/bmw_r1200gs.jpg)
Once you have sampled an adventure bike, it is hard to resist sticking with this genre of motorcycle. Practical, easy-going, rugged and great for pillions, adventure bikes really can offer the best of...
Forget parallel-twins, these are the proper headbanging supersports I'd buy for less than £4k!
04 February 2025 by
![Forget parallel-twins, these are the proper headbanging supersports I'd buy for less than £4k!](/wp-images/301557/480x320/expert_guide_22nd_may_2019.4.jpg)
Some say the days of the midrange sportsbike (or traditional supersport) are numbered as sales of new models slide down the charts and race championships start to question the capacity’s relevance...
Nearly new bikes are a total bargain right now. Here are five middleweights I'd take a good look at
31 January 2025 by
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Next year sees the introduction of Euro5+ regs, a move that has forced manufacturers to update their ranges. This has resulted in a huge array of ‘new for 2025’ models that are all cleaner-running,...
MCN's pick of the fastest hyperbikes money can buy in 2025 - are they the last of a mad bunch?
30 January 2025 by
![MCN's pick of the fastest hyperbikes money can buy in 2025 - are they the last of a mad bunch?](/wp-images/200043/480x320/mtt_420-rr_resize.jpg)
It’s time to look at some of the most bonkers hyperbikes available, where the design brief slipped its way past rationality and into production. We’re grateful these bikes exist, they are few in...
Fancy a bike to pop to the pub on? Look no further than my five favourite Sunday superstars!
28 January 2025 by
![Fancy a bike to pop to the pub on? Look no further than my five favourite Sunday superstars!](/wp-images/307336/480x320/triumph_bonneville_t120.jpg)
In the modern high-speed world, it is all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to take a step back and relax. And what better way to do this than on a retro bike,...
Chasing cheap speed: Let me show you how to get mega mph motorbikes for Mondeo money!
23 January 2025 by
![Chasing cheap speed: Let me show you how to get mega mph motorbikes for Mondeo money!](/wp-images/307418/480x320/bmw_k1200s.jpg)
A major draw of motorcycles is the fact that when it comes to cheap speed, they simply can’t be beaten. If you buy a modern sportsbike it will merrily top 170mph (on closed roads or German Autobahns)...
Our list of the best superbikes of 2025 so far will have you searching for your piggybank
23 January 2025 by
![Our list of the best superbikes of 2025 so far will have you searching for your piggybank](/wp-images/59100/480x320/ducati_panigale_v4s_01.jpg)
Superbikes have always been the ultimate expression of two-wheeled nirvana, with speed, technology, and adrenaline-pumping excitement in equal measures. Every year we look ahead at the release of...
Get down and dirty with these five mega mud-pluggers! I know you'll agree they're used bargains
20 January 2025 by
![Get down and dirty with these five mega mud-pluggers! I know you'll agree they're used bargains](/wp-images/311448/480x320/2019_yam_xtz700_eu_mbl2_sta_007.jpg)
Winter is a time when you can’t help but question the logic in taking a bike out of your garage. The roads are so full of grime that you spend as much time cleaning your bike as you do enjoying it! So...
Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500
20 January 2025 by
![Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500](/wp-images/313877/480x320/northumberland-250.jpg)
A pair of Northumberland residents have created the Northumberland 250 – a route set to rival the North Coast 500. Related articles on MCN The best UK roads to explore by motorbike this...
Ride Mongolia! Visit this unspoilt paradise
20 January 2025 by
![Ride Mongolia! Visit this unspoilt paradise](/wp-images/313867/480x320/ride-mongolia.jpg)
Paid partnership with Ride Mongolia There are few accessible countries remaining in the world today where you can truly experience a lifestyle that has remained mostly unchanged for hundreds of years. Although Mongolia is changing...
Reasons to visit the National Motorcycle Museum
20 January 2025 by
![Reasons to visit the National Motorcycle Museum](/wp-images/313856/480x320/black-shadow-1.jpg)
The National Motorcycle Museum houses the world’s largest collection of British motorbikes with over 1000 models from 170 manufacturers, spanning three centuries. But there’s more to do than just look...
Triumph Daytona exhibition opened at Hinckley Visitor Experience
20 January 2025 by
![Triumph Daytona exhibition opened at Hinckley Visitor Experience](/wp-images/313846/480x320/1-triumph-daytona-01.jpg)
The Triumph Factory Visitor Experience in Hinckley has assembled a collection of 14 Triumph Daytona models that display the chronology of the firm’s sportsbike over a 50-year period. The...
A glimpse at "motorcycling mecca" - the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
20 January 2025 by
![A glimpse at "motorcycling mecca" - the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum](/wp-images/313836/480x320/des_rr.jpg)
When it comes to biking bucket lists there are a handful of undisputable destinations that’ll take your breath away. A visit to the TT will fry your mind and the barely-controlled chaos of the...
Why you should visit Silverstone's Experience Centre, celebrating the venue's rich racing heritage
20 January 2025 by
![Why you should visit Silverstone's Experience Centre, celebrating the venue's rich racing heritage](/wp-images/313825/480x320/silverstone-experience-2.jpg)
After a seven-year-project to restore a WW2 RAF hangar into an interactive museum, the all-new Silverstone Experience centre will opened its doors to the public on Friday, October 25,...
Welcome to Wallonia | Explore one of biking’s best kept secrets with 1300km of great riding routes
20 January 2025 by
![Welcome to Wallonia | Explore one of biking’s best kept secrets with 1300km of great riding routes](/wp-images/313815/480x320/visitwallonia-lead.jpg)
Paid partnership with VISITWallonia Ever heard of Wallonia? It’s the southern half of Belgium, and as far as motorcyclists are concerned, the more exciting half. It’s home to the Spa-Francorchamps race circuit, classic racing at...
If Carlsberg made motorcycle museums... Here's why you should visit Top Mountain in 2025
20 January 2025 by
![If Carlsberg made motorcycle museums... Here's why you should visit Top Mountain in 2025](/wp-images/313796/480x320/top-mountain-2022.jpg)
A motorcycle museum that was completely destroyed by fire in January 2021 – along with 330 rare bikes – is preparing for its busiest summer season ever. Astonishingly, the Top Mountain museum in...
Race back to the 70s: Italian tour takes in MotoGP round on modern classics
20 January 2025 by
![Race back to the 70s: Italian tour takes in MotoGP round on modern classics](/wp-images/313787/480x320/ride-70s-01.jpg)
As the world championship race season gets underway, many of us dream of blasting across to the continent to soak up the action at historic European circuits. But why not do it in style? An Italian...
Riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan over the Himalayas is motorcycling's ultimate high!
20 January 2025 by
![Riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan over the Himalayas is motorcycling's ultimate high!](/wp-images/313779/480x320/1.jpg)
Mountains are earth’s giants. They’re behemoths, slowly pushing their way through the clouds over millions of years to scratch at heaven’s belly. Related: Royal Enfield Himalayan review on...
Dragon Rally at 60 - "You could see tents flying past all night!”
20 January 2025 by
![Dragon Rally at 60 - "You could see tents flying past all night!”](/wp-images/313769/480x320/dragon_rally_7.jpg)
2022 marked the 60th anniversary of the Dragon Rally, one of the UK’s most enduring meets. Traditionally taking place on the second weekend in February, this extreme event sees up to 2000 hardcore...
Ton Up, tea and toast! This iconic biker hangout has a history stretching back to 1938
20 January 2025 by
![Ton Up, tea and toast! This iconic biker hangout has a history stretching back to 1938](/wp-images/313760/480x320/ace-cafe-1955_2_.jpg)
The Ace Café on London’s North Circular has been a home from home for motorcyclists for over 80 years, so we at MCN thought we’d put together a gallery of pictures to show how it has changed in that...
If you haven't ridden your motorbike for a while then use this guide to getting it back on the road
17 January 2025 by
![If you haven't ridden your motorbike for a while then use this guide to getting it back on the road](/wp-images/313158/480x320/how-to-recommission-motorbike.jpg)
Plenty of riders lay a bike up over winter. Whether you’ve got a minter you wouldn’t dream of exposing to gritted roads, you don’t enjoy riding in the cold or even if you’ve been injured, ill or...
They say there's no replacement for displacement, and I agree! These used brutes prove it
17 January 2025 by
![They say there's no replacement for displacement, and I agree! These used brutes prove it](/wp-images/307374/480x320/triumph_rocket_iii.jpg)
To some riders, big is most certainly better when it comes to engine size. And you can’t get much bigger than this week’s selection. Powered by monster motors, these five used bikes prove the old...
Shrink the globe, not your bank balance with these do-it-all tourers for under £5k!
16 January 2025 by
![Shrink the globe, not your bank balance with these do-it-all tourers for under £5k!](/wp-images/298348/480x320/honda_pan_european.jpg)
Guess what are the top three most popular used touring motorcycles, according to a recent insurance survey? (Hint: they’re relatively cheap, to keep down insurance.) So no, not the latest BMW R1250RT,...
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a globetrotter, these are the best adventure motorbikes in 2025
15 January 2025 by
![Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a globetrotter, these are the best adventure motorbikes in 2025](/wp-images/59233/480x320/t7-11-2.jpg)
Let’s clear the air before we start; any motorbike can be used to go on an adventure. This page, however, will concentrate on the adventure bike market sector that covers mostly middle and heavyweight...
I reckon these big-bore bruisers won't break the bank or let you down. They're do-it-all heroes
10 January 2025 by
![I reckon these big-bore bruisers won't break the bank or let you down. They're do-it-all heroes](/wp-images/307100/480x320/suzuki_gsf1250s_bandit.jpg)
Can you imagine hammering a Panigale V4 through driving rain? No, neither can we! How about a good old‑fashioned big-bore workhorse of a bike, such as the five we have picked to feature in this week’s...
A used supersport 600 could be your route to a summer of fun. I'd pick these with a budget of £4k...
07 January 2025 by
![A used supersport 600 could be your route to a summer of fun. I'd pick these with a budget of £4k...](/wp-images/307494/480x320/kawasaki_ninja_zx-6r.jpg)
When it comes to used supersport bikes, there is a definite sweet spot in the market and a budget of £4000 puts you right in it with some fantastic models falling within your scope. Related: Best...
In search of pillion perfection? I reckon these used bikes have everything you need for two to tango
02 January 2025 by
![In search of pillion perfection? I reckon these used bikes have everything you need for two to tango](/wp-images/307527/480x320/bmw_k1600gtl.jpg)
If you are looking at a spot of two-up touring, the comfort of the pillion should be your number one priority. Why? There is nothing worse than a grumpy pillion and if you arrive at your destination...
I think the Suzuki GSX-R750 is a legendary bike. Here are some of my favourite iterations
20 December 2024 by
![I think the Suzuki GSX-R750 is a legendary bike. Here are some of my favourite iterations](/wp-images/296922/480x320/suzuki_gsx-r750_k6.jpg)
The Suzuki GSX-R750 was the original road-going race rep and pretty much dominated racing until the late 90s. But when WSB rule changes ushered in the modern 1000cc era in 2000, the GSX-R750 became...
I remember watching these bikes win World Superbike titles, and now you can buy one from just £3800!
18 December 2024 by
![I remember watching these bikes win World Superbike titles, and now you can buy one from just £3800!](/wp-images/276664/480x320/5th_june_2024_aprilia_rsv4_factory_hero_image.jpg)
Rather than exotic prototypes, the ethos behind World Superbikes was the fact that you could ride to the circuit to watch bikes very much like the one you arrived on. During the 1990s the series’...
This list of my favourite used middleweight sportsbikes prove you don't need to be rich to have fun!
18 December 2024 by
![This list of my favourite used middleweight sportsbikes prove you don't need to be rich to have fun!](/wp-images/276418/480x320/8th_may_2024_kawasaki_ninja_650_hero_image.jpg)
This year has seen the launch of the Suzuki GSX-8R as well as the Triumph Daytona 660, two brand-new easy-going middleweight sportsbikes that join the Yamaha R7, Aprilia RS660, Honda CBR650R and...
I reckon these bikes really changed the game. Here's my pick of the pioneers of motorcycling
18 December 2024 by
![I reckon these bikes really changed the game. Here's my pick of the pioneers of motorcycling](/wp-images/277104/480x320/expert_guide_-_28th_june_2024.2.jpg)
This week we are celebrating pioneers of the two-wheeled world, bikes that pushed boundaries and introduced some future tech first. Angle-responsive ABS arrived on the KTM 1190 Super Adventure in 2017...
All superbikes should offer blistering performance but I think the great ones have something more...
18 December 2024 by
![All superbikes should offer blistering performance but I think the great ones have something more...](/wp-images/277026/480x320/kawasaki_zx_10r_018.jpg)
Riding a bike shouldn’t just be about headline power figures, it needs to be about how the machine feels, what it responds like and even how it sounds. And on this front, these five used bikes are...
As a road tester I love the legendary RD350LC, but for £12k how about these ace used retros instead?
18 December 2024 by
![As a road tester I love the legendary RD350LC, but for £12k how about these ace used retros instead?](/wp-images/277097/480x320/expert_guide-29th_may_2024.jpg)
Nostalgia sells. But there is a problem with nostalgia – in fact there are several. For starters older classic machines are now becoming very expensive. You are looking at over £12k for a mint Yamaha...