July

Staff Blog: Top Box Woes

Staff Blog: Top Box Woes

You might have read in my recent long term report, featured in July 24 issue of MCN, about fitting the top box to the Yamaha Fazer8. I’m testing different types of luggage to see which is the easiest...

Video: 800-class shootout

Video: 800-class shootout

MV Agusta’s new F3 800 got us excited after its recent track launch at Misano. It’s rapid, handles like a racer and fuels better than any MV we’ve ever ridden. But is an MV good enough to really...

Video: Yamaha XV950 first ride

Video: Yamaha XV950 first ride

The new XV950 is the first example of what Yamaha calls its ‘Sports Heritage’ range. As well as retro styling aimed at attracting artistic custom builders the world over, these bikes are viewed by...

Staff Blog: Thundersport Rockingham

Staff Blog: Thundersport Rockingham

I haven’t had much of a chance to do anything of note with my Hyperstrada over the past week. But it did treat me to a glorious ride cross-country to Donington last Wednesday, where I instruct at the...

Staff Blog: To Flash or Not to Flash?

Staff Blog: To Flash or Not to Flash?

My hubby and I were riding through the rolling Leicestershire countryside towards Rutland Water on a recent Sunday morning ride when we were flashed twice by oncoming cars but not at all by the...

Staff Blog: Solving the Ducati Multistrada luggage conundrum

Staff Blog: Solving the Ducati Multistrada luggage conundrum

A little while ago I rode to Italy and back on the Ducati Mulitstrada 1200 S Touring and as part of the preparation I wanted to take a tankbag because of the extra practicality they offer. I am a big...

Staff Blog: Dirty Ducati

Staff Blog: Dirty Ducati

I’ve been away for over a week testing, but for all that time I’ve been thinking of my filthy Hyperstrada. Covered in thick dust, it looks like it’s spent months abandoned in the Sahara, but all that...

New Yamaha XV950 first ride

New Yamaha XV950 first ride

Yamaha’s new XV950 ‘performance bobber’ – or Harley Sportster rival to you and us – has just been put through its paces in Los Angeles, California, by MCN’s Andy Davidson. These are his first...

Staff Blog: Bolt from the blue proves electrifying

Staff Blog: Bolt from the blue proves electrifying

I’ve been thinking recently that I might be the worst sort of motorcyclist there is. A hypocritical one. One who is nervous of letting his kids ride motorbikes. When I was growing up the desire to...

Staff Blog: I Love Wednesdays.....

Staff Blog: I Love Wednesdays.....

The lads in the office are bored stiff of hearing me say it but I’m going to say it again, I don’t work Wednesdays and what better way to spend the day than riding the Yamaha Fazer8. Along with a...

Staff Blog: The Mirror Cracked!!

Staff Blog: The Mirror Cracked!!

Riding out of the work car park the other night I glanced at my mirrors, as I always do, before heading out on the main road to make sure they are in the right position. How gutting to see the left...

Staff Blog: Back from Bavaria

Staff Blog: Back from Bavaria

That’s it. My Garmisch trip is all over. It was a fantastic few days, made all the better by a glorious, bookend of rides through France, Germany and a little bit of Austria. I’ve written a longer...

Video: CCM GP450 Adventure

Video: CCM GP450 Adventure

Bolton’s CCM is on its way back with a vision for an all-new, mid-size adventure bike. But can a 450 single really compete with world-beating giants?

Video: BMW F800GS vs R1200GS and Triumph 800XC vs 1200 Tiger Explorer

Video: BMW F800GS vs R1200GS and Triumph 800XC vs 1200 Tiger Explorer

Do you really need anything bigger than the new F800GS from BMW? Is there any need for the larger R1200GS? And by the same token, why would you go for Triumph’s larger 1200 Tiger Explorer when its 800...

Hypersport owners needed!

Hypersport owners needed!

MCN are looking for owners of hypersports bikes for an upcoming test. Specifically we’re looking for owners of the Kawasaki ZX-12R  (2000-2006), Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird (1997-2003), and Suzuki...

Staff blog: Back to the CBR

Staff blog: Back to the CBR

It was a huge relief to return from the States and get back on the Honda CBR500R. I’d had a fantastic time riding a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide down Route 66 and up the Pacific Coast Highway. But...

Staff Blog: Sorting our my saggy-ness

Staff Blog: Sorting our my saggy-ness

You might have seen my latest long term review published in July 3 issue of MCN. I’ve been having a few issues with my suspension and Senior Road Tester, Michael Neeves, gave me a few tips on how to...

Staff Blog: Hyperstrada – 3588-miles in eight days.

Staff Blog: Hyperstrada – 3588-miles in eight days.

I’ve just got back from my 3588-mile riding holiday to France, Spain and Portugal. It seems weird just riding to work today and not grinding out hundreds of miles in the sunshine, on the wrong side of...

Staff Blog: First long ride (and in the sun, too!)

Staff Blog: First long ride (and in the sun, too!)

It seems I couldn’t have picked a better time to finally get out on two wheels! The sun’s beaming down, I’m sitting in the press office at Snetterton, and the little Yamaha R125 is parked...

Staff blog: Roman Holiday

Staff blog: Roman Holiday

My ride to Rome is now a distant memory (see MCN July 3) but I’ll always have a load of holiday snaps to remind me. Here are some that didn’t make it into the paper and also the links to the Google...

BMW S1000RR and Kawasaki ZX-10R owners needed!

BMW S1000RR and Kawasaki ZX-10R owners needed!

MCN are looking for owners of 2010/11 BMW S1000RRs and 2004/05 Kawasaki ZX-10Rs for an upcoming feature. We’ll be using the information to help with our article and there may be a chance you get...

Staff blog: Hyperstrada on tour

Staff blog: Hyperstrada on tour

I’m half way through a riding holiday with a couple of my mates. We’ve ridden down the west coast of France, along the top of Spain and now stopped half way down the Portuguese coast, in the resort of...

Video: BMW F800GT vs rivals

Video: BMW F800GT vs rivals

BMW’s new F800GT is branded as a do-everything entry level tourer. We took it out againstsome of it’s class rivals – the Honda Deauville and Yamaha’s Fazer 8 – to see what it faired like in the real...

Staff Blog: Multistrada 1200 tyre review

Staff Blog: Multistrada 1200 tyre review

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring is now on the third set of tyres in 6500 miles with a set of new-to-the-market Michelin Pilot Power 3s the latest fitted. I’m going to do a run through of how...

Kymco K-Pipe 50cc

I’m 16 and just got my first motorcycle – The K-Pipe 50cc. This bike is great! It looks and sounds very nice, but since I have owned it I’ve noticed a major flaw in the bike. Hills are it’s worst enemies! If you run into an incline in 3rd or 4th gear (the gears you need in fast moving traffic) the bike will lose all power and you will be riding up the hill at about 3 or 4 mph or just stall...