2017

Honda CRF250 Rally review (2017-on): A great lightweight adventure bike

04 November 2020 by Michael Guy

Building on the growing appetite for adventure, Honda have launched the funky CRF 250 Rally. Capitalising on the overwhelming success of the Africa Twin and the kudos gained from becoming front...

2017 Super naked of the year: Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory

26 October 2017 by Adam Child

Aprilia didn’t need to do much to their fiery supernaked to impress us, but as well as tweaking it to meet Euro4 regs this year they’ve improved the ride, handling, brakes and electronics… not that...

2017 sportsbike of the year: Honda Fireblade SP

26 October 2017 by Michael Neeves

Where do you start with the new Honda Fireblade? Talk about contentious. It’s been hopeless in World Superbikes, disastrous at the TT and bombed in a handful of other magazine group tests. So how can...

2017 retro bike of the year: BMW R nineT Urban G/S

26 October 2017 by Jon Urry & Michael Neeves

Launched in June it arrived fashionably late, but the new BMW R nineT UrbanG/S has come straight into our number one top slot– immediately establishingitself as our favourite retro of 2017. Like the...

2017 scooter of the year: Yamaha TMAX DX

25 October 2017 by Adam Child

Yamaha have sold over a quarter of a million TMAX maxi scooters since its inception in 2001, making it their best selling bike to date. For 2017 the big scoot gets a new aluminium chassis with revised...

2017 bike of the year: Triumph Street Triple RS

24 October 2017 by Michael Neeves

Triumph’s mighty Street Triple has come a long way from the decade-old 675cc original. That 2007 machine was a succes from the moment it hit showrooms and it got better through every revision and...

2018 Harley Softails ridden

04 September 2017 by Phil West

Harley-Davidson ‘big twin’ cruisers, which include twin-shocked ‘Dyna’s such as the Street Bob and hardtail-looking ‘Softails’ such as the Fat Boy are being replaced by an all-new eight-bike Harley...

First ride of the Suzuki DL250 V-Strom incoming

28 August 2017 by Dan Sutherland

We’ll be riding the new Suzuki DL250 V-Strom later this week on the roads around Silverstone race circuit, at its European launch. The £4599 (launch price) mini adventure bike is Suzuki’s latest...

First ride of the Suzuki GSX-S125 incoming

27 August 2017 by Dan Sutherland

MCN’s Acting Consumer Editor, Dan Sutherland, will be riding the new Suzuki GSX-S125 this coming Thursday at its European launch. Part of Suzuki’s latest venture into the low capacity market, the...

First ride: Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition

02 August 2017 by Michael Neeves

WHY DUCATI’S 1299 PANIGALE R FINAL EDITION IS THE ULTIMATE R It’s a Panigale ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation The £34,995 1299 Final Edition R isn’t an ‘R’ in the WSB homologation special sense of the...

Gallery: Superbike showdown

28 July 2017 by MCN News

Superbikes are the very pinnacle of a manufacturer’s talents, a showcase for their genius ability to force power and control to co-exist in some of the smallest and tightest packages ever to have...

Are the changes to the Suzuki GSX-S1000 enough?

27 July 2017 by Adam Child

Suzuki’s GSX-S1000 should have set the world on fire when launched back in 2015. An aggressive naked, powered by a revised GSX-R1000 K5 engine – and all for under £9k. What’s not to like?...

Suzuki GSX250R: First ride incoming

26 July 2017 by Dan Sutherland

We’ll be testing Suzuki’s new GSX250R tomorrow. Costing £4299 for the base model (the GP version is £100 more and includes MotoGP inspired paint scheme), the A2-friendly, 24.7bhp, 248cc parallel twin...

Kymco X-Town 300i first ride

19 July 2017 by Alison Silcox

The Kymco X-Town 300 takes the good-around-town scooter concept to a whole new level with an ability to leave the urban sprawl behind and head for the hills. The A2 licence-friendly scoot is an...

Gallery: KTM v Honda v Ducati v BMW adventure bikes

07 July 2017 by MCN News

Our trusty road testers are out and about again. This week they’ve been comparing, KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure, Honda’s Africa Twin DCT, Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 Enduro and BMW’s R1200GS Adventure...

Gallery: Adventure bikes that don't break the bank

21 June 2017 by Michael Neeves

Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves travelled far and wide (the Shropshire Hills) to test four affordable adventure bikes: Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000, Ducati’s Multistrada 950, KTM’s 1090 Adventure and...

MCN tests Norton’s TT missile

20 June 2017 by Adam Child

Norton had a stunning TT 2017, silencing many critics who thought their Isle of Man challenge would never amount to anything. And although the firm has suffered more than its fair share of lows over...

Aprilia Shiver 900: "An SV650 with balls"

14 June 2017 by Jon Urry

Despite not appearing that much of a change compared to the outgoing Shiver 750, the new Shiver 900 proved a pleasant surprise delivering the kind of refined and smooth ride that is certainly not what...

Gallery: Cafe racer group test

14 June 2017 by MCN News

With more bikes being unveiled each year, it looks like the café racer and retro craze is here to stay, and with bikes as attractive as these it is easy to see why. At a time when sportsbikes are...

Aprilia Shiver 900 first ride incoming

13 June 2017 by Jon Urry

There has been a fair bit of debate on the subject, but Aprilia UK have now confirmed that they will be bringing the new Shiver 900 into the UK and it will cost a slightly odd sounding £8002 OTR due...

Gallery: Triumph Speed Triple vs Street Triple 765 RS

10 June 2017 by MCN News

You’d think there’s only room in the world for one ultimate super-naked Triumph triple, and that last year’s revamped Speed Triple would comfortably continue to fill the role in much the same way it...

SWM Superdual first ride

07 June 2017 by Michael Neeves

SWM’s new Superdual might not be big on bhp, cylinders or electronics, but it’s a proper little do-anything, go-anywhere machine. Big adventure bikes are now caught up in the same power and...

First ride incoming: BMW R nineT Urban G/S

30 May 2017 by Jon Urry

If you are into your G/S models, or GS models depending on the vintage of your bike, then you will probably have been as excited as us when BMW pulled the covers off their latest R nineT model – the...

2017 Kawasaki Versys X 300 first ride

25 May 2017 by Jon Urry

Before I rode the Versys-X 300 there were a few potential issues that I was concerned about – namely the tall 845mm seat height and the screen’s lack of adjustability. I know these may seem small...

Gallery: Rocking retros

24 May 2017 by MCN News

If you want to have a chilled ride, one or two up, a modern classic should do the trick. MCN contributor Jon Urry put the theory to the test with Honda’s CB1100 EX, BMW’s R nineT Pure and Triumph...

Kawasaki Versys-X 300 first ride incoming

23 May 2017 by Jon Urry

Not every adventure has to be to the furthest flung corners of the world and this year we are starting to see the rise of the mini adventure bike – small capacity machines that offer all of the...

Ducati 1299 Superleggera: The most savage superbike ever

22 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Ducati’s new £72,000 1299 Superleggera is the world’s most powerful production twin-cylinder. Related: 2020 Ducati V4 Superleggera revealed The 215bhp carbon fibre beast weighs just 156kg dry,...

First ride: Egli Fritz W.1300

17 May 2017 by Jordan Gibbons

Swiss chassis builder Egli have been crafting frames for over 100 years, but the Fritz W.1300– named after founding father Fritz Egli – is their first new bike for nearly 30 years. It features a...

Gallery: Extreme bikes on extreme roads

17 May 2017 by MCN News

Aprilia’s new Tuono 1100 V4 Factory, the BMW S1000R Sport, KTM 1290 Super Duke R and the Yamaha MT-10SP are the hardest, most extreme super-nakeds money can buy. The new machines rival sportsbikes...

Gallery: Might-TE machines

17 May 2017 by MCN News

Entering a BMW showroom can be a confusing affair. These are bikes sold with myriad options and each has its own bamboozling acronym. But there is a way to simplify the whole process – just tick the...

Gallery: Electric boogaloo

17 May 2017 by Jon Urry

The future is electric. It’s a statement often trotted out as we search for evergreener solutions to our increasingly finite resources of black gold and rapidly multiplying transport woes – especially...

First ride: Harley-Davidson Freewheeler

10 May 2017 by Phil West

Harley-Davidson are no newcomers to trikes. In fact, with their utility Servicar in production between 1932 and 1975, followed by the luxurious Tri Glide Ultra Classic from 2009 (basically an Electra...

Cheap scoots: Honda SH125 vs Kymco Agility City

08 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Sticking two fingers up to the daily grind…We all know 125cc scooters are practical, cheap to run and a cinch to ride, but let’s not forget they’re fun, too. Here’s how we got on when put Honda’s...

New tyre review: Avon Spirit ST

08 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Avon’s new range-topping sports touring tyre comes with improved all-weather performance, durability…and a new name. The Spirit ST is an evolution of the current Storm 3D X-M, which will stay in the...

Gallery: Yamaha MT-10SP vs KTM 1290 Super Duke R

04 May 2017 by MCN News

The Yamaha MT-10SP uses the latest semi-active electronic suspension from Ohlins to adjust itself to your ride, giving you maximum grip, stability, comfort and support, no matter what the road...

Harley-Davidson Street Rod: To V-twin or not to V-twin?

20 April 2017 by Liam Marsden

We’ve spent the day riding Harley’s 2017 Street Rod around the roads of southern Spain and the new bike, which is based on the Street 750 has surprised us a little. The Street Rod is much more like a...