2012

Video: Triumph Daytona 675R first ride

20 December 2012 by MCN

Triumph took the biking world by storm in 2006 with the Daytona 675, which stuck two fingers up to the Japanese. It was a winner on the road, and the track with one of the best-loved motorcycle...

Triumph Daytona 675R first ride!

14 December 2012 by MCN News Team

Triumph’s all-new Daytona 675R supersports is being put through its paces in a world first test by MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves. These are his first impressions: “We’re at the Cartagena...

MV Agusta Brutale 800 first ride: "Instant grunt in any gear"

29 November 2012 by MCN

MV Agusta’s new Brutale 800 is currently being put through its paces by MCN’s Andy Downes in the south of France. These are his first riding impressions: “I’ve been riding it for about an hour and...

MV Agusta Brutale 800 launch

29 November 2012 by MCN

MCN is at the press launch of the new MV Agusta Brutale 800 in Cannes this morning. MCN’s Andy Downes is just about to set off on a three hour test ride on the roads of the South of France and will...

Needed: Yamaha XJR1300 and Kawasaki ZRX1200 owners!

12 November 2012 by MCN

We’re putting a feature together on used naked big bikes, and need some reader help! We’d love to hear from you if you’ve owned a Yamaha XJR1300 or a Kawasaki ZRX1200. We’d like to know what you like...

Video: 2013 Triumph Street Triple R first ride

08 November 2012 by MCN

The current Triumph Street Triple, the British firm’s best selling machine in the past five years (they’ve sold 50,000), weighs just 189kg, full of fuel and ready-to-go, which is bugger-all. This new...

Picture gallery: Kawasaki W800 Spirit

08 November 2012 by MCN

Specialist bike builders Spirit of the Seventies were commissioned by Kawasaki UK to build a one-off W800, with styling and key spec details chosen by Facebook fans. Spirit then created designs and...

MV Brutale 800 announced

02 November 2012 by Phil West, Executive Editor

This is the brand new MV Agusta Brutale 800 – a new three-cylinder roadster based on the Brutale 675, fitting between it and the bigger, four-cylinder 1090 Brutales and set to challenge the likes of...

New Triumph Street Triple R ridden

01 November 2012 by MCN News Team

Triumph’s new 2013 Street Triple R is currently being put through its paces in southern Spain by MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves. Here are his first impressions.: “The big news is Triumph have...

2013 Aprilia RSV4 ridden

25 October 2012 by Michael Neeves

This is what motorcycling dreams are made of: a sunny day, a dry track and one of the world’s best superbikes to play on. I’m talking about the lightly-revised new 2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC. It’s...

Video: BMW F700GS vs Rivals

23 October 2012 by MCN

The new BMW F700GS replaces the old F650GS for 2013, although capacity remains at 800cc. We tested it against the Kawasaki Versys, Suzuki V-Strom 650 and Triumph Tiger 800 to see which is the best mid...

Aprilia Tuono and Mille owners: Tell us your experiences

22 October 2012 by Michael Neeves

We’re putting a feature together on these used Aprilias: • RSV Mille ’98-‘03 • RSV 1000R ’04-‘09 • Tuono ’02-‘05 • Tuono R ’06-‘09 We’d love to hear from you if you’ve owned any of these bikes. We’d...

2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R on the road: "Softer and much more compliant"

17 October 2012 by MCN

MCN Senior Road tester Adam Child is currently putting Kawasaki’s new ZX-6R 636 through its paces in California. Yesterday he was on track, today he’s in the mountains of northern California. Here are...

2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R first ride: "More torque, but still plenty of top end"

16 October 2012 by MCN

MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child is currently in Chico, California, at Thunderhill Race Park putting Kawasaki’s new 636cc ZX-6R through its paces around the demanding track. For 2013 Kawasaki has...

Video: 2013 Ducati Multistrada first ride

04 October 2012 by MCN

It might look barely changed but the 2013 Multistrada gets revised fuel injection, improved torque, cosmetic tweaks, new lights, advanced ABS and DTC and the new ‘Skyhook’ semi-active suspension...

Triumph unveil limited edition Super III Daytona 675

01 October 2012 by Liam Marsden

Triumph has revealed a limited edition Daytona 675 based on the yellow and black paintscheme of the iconic Daytona Super III which was launched in 1994. Only 75 of the limited edition bikes will be...

2013 Ducati Multistrada ridden

27 September 2012 by Adam Child

Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 revolutionised the adventure bike class when it was introduced in 2010. Its sporty mix of 150bhp (derived from its 1199-derived V-twin), combined with high tech gizmos and...

2013 Ducati Multistrada first ride: "The suspension reacts instantly"

21 September 2012 by MCN

Ducati’s new 2013 Multistrada with its semi-active suspension, ‘Skyhook’, created in partnership with Sachs, is currently being tested by MCN senior road tester Adam Child on the North Western coast...

Across Vietnam on a Motorbike

14 September 2012 by Ben Loombe-Temple

Like many people in the UK I’m a massive fan of Top Gear. One of my favourite episodes of the show has got to be the Vietnam special, where the three chaps all bought a motorbike in Saigon and rode...

Video: Ducati Streetfighter 848 longterm trip report

13 September 2012 by MCN

Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves recently took some time off to ride his longterm Ducati Streetfighter 848 on the beautiful roads of France and Italy. Here he shares his trip.

2013 KTM Adventure 1190 ridden

06 September 2012 by MCN

KTM’s all-new 1190 Adventure is one of the most eagerly-awaited bikes of 2013 – and one of the most guarded secrets. Until now. Over the last two years MCN has gleaned details of the class-leading...

Video: Ducati Diavel Cromo first ride

06 September 2012 by MCN

Ducati have thrown the parts catalogue at their new Diavel Cromo. At £15000 new for a standard Ducati Diavel, the Cromo has had over £7000 of Ducati Performance Parts and £3000 worth of Ohlins...

Video: 100 years of supersports

04 September 2012 by MCN

Middleweight sports bikes – usually of 600cc – have a history that goes back well beyond the first of the modern era, the Kawasaki GPz600R of 1985. In fact, the first sporty middleweight was built 100...

Video: Yamaha Super Tenere World Crosser first ride

27 August 2012 by Michael Guy

Yamaha launched its take on the big adventure bike market in 2010 when they unveiled the XT1200Z Super Tenere. Aimed at getting a slice of the most lucrative sector in biking, the Yamaha’s had success...

Video: What is the new 600?

20 August 2012 by MCN

Ten years ago, speedfreaks were buying 600s in their thousands, runed on by their wallet-friendly mix of precision handling, insane engines and cutting-edge technology. But many have fallen out of...

Video: Ducati 848 Streetfighter longterm update

14 August 2012 by MCN

Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves has spent what little summer we’ve had in the UK enjoying his longterm Ducati 848 Streetfighter and here he gives his thoughts on life with the Italian V-twin so...

Supersport 600s: the alternatives

10 August 2012 by MCN

Ten years ago, speedfreaks were buying 600s in their thousands, runed on by their wallet-friendly mix of precision handling, insane engines and cutting-edge technology. But many have fallen out of...

Horex VR6 first ride: "It feels slick and classy"

10 August 2012 by MCN

Two long years have passed since the ambitious Horex project was first publically unveiled and now, at long last, we can tell you what it’s like to ride. The all-new, Augsburg-based factory has so...

Video: MV Agusta Brutale 675 onboard

01 August 2012 by MCN

The Triumph Street Triple is the UK’s favourite middleweight naked and increasingly the choice of bike for riders looking for performance and handling without the discomfort and commitment of a pure...

WK 650i: the first big bike from China

27 July 2012 by Phil West

The Chinese motorcycle industry has been churning out big, big numbers for a long time – over 50% of the world’s motorcycles are built there after all. Until now, however, they’ve often been small...

Middleweight super twins tested

26 July 2012 by Adam Child

Going by the sales figures, new supersport 600s today are about as appealing as an ‘internal inspection’ at Terminal 5 – a far, far cry from the sales topping stats of bikes like the CBR600F in the...

Ron Haslam Race School review

25 July 2012 by Angus Parker

I can’t believe I’m riding in the footsteps of legends. Just last week, Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo all rode here. As I turn out of Club Corner and head down the start-finish straight after my...

Video: Mickey Rourke's custom ridden

23 July 2012 by MCN

American custom builder Roland Sands is a curious mix of top level racer and world class fabricator, and his bikes follow that route – they’re often beautiful to behold, yet outrageously fast. Sands...

Suzuki Inazuma first ride: "A doddle to ride"

19 July 2012 by MCN

Suzuki UK has just announced that its new roadster won’t arrive in the UK until September, but MCN managed to secure an exclusive first taster at the factory’s top secret Motorcycle Technical Centre...

Video: Schwantz's post-sports bike picks

19 July 2012 by MCN

Growing out of extreme sports road bikes, but unwilling to give up your mojo at the same time as your GSX-R? Ex-GP world champion Kevin Schwantz is your personal shopper. The 1993 500cc world champ...

Poll: How soon will China make a market-leading bike?

17 July 2012 by MCN

Next week’s MCN features a road test of a Chinese designed and built 650cc parallel twin naked bike called the WK650. It’s at the forefront of a new breed of Chinese bikes with ever-increasing build...