Motorcycle First Rides & Tests | Latest Bikes Road Tests

New BMW R1200GS Triple Black first ride

01 April 2011 by Trevore Franklin

Limited edition bikes are like truffles: you wonder what all the fuss is about, especially for the extra outlay involved in buying them. So, when BMW introduces a limited edition R1200GS, you feel...

Video: BMW S1000RR vs European rivals

31 March 2011 by MCN

In February we tested the BMW S1000RR against the Yamaha R1, Honda Fireblade, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and new Kawasaki ZX-10R and it dominated the test. This week we put the BMW up against the Europeans –...

Honda Crossrunner first ride: "Great fun on twisty roads"

31 March 2011 by MCN

Road Test Editor, Phil West, is in Majorca testing the all new Honda Crossrunner and here are his first impressions. “Some cynics have been dismissing the Honda Crossrunner as little more than the old...

Poll: BMW S1000RR vs European exotica

30 March 2011 by MCN

In February we tested the BMW S1000RR against the Yamaha R1, Honda Fireblade, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and new Kawasaki ZX-10R and it dominated the test. This week we put the BMW up against the Europeans –...

Ducati Diavel reviewed by Carlos Checa

30 March 2011 by Guy Procter

Resurgent WSB star Carlos Checa made use of some free time ahead of last weekend’s Donington round secretly testing the new Ducati Diavel in London. Somehow his coruscatingly frank review soon after...

Michael Neeves MRO Powerbike blog: The new Snetterton 300

29 March 2011 by Michael Neeves

Bemsee had the honour of running the first ever race meeting at the newly remodelled Snetterton circuit at the weekend. It was a superb event for riders and spectators alike, as we all got familiar...

Honda CBR250R - full review

25 March 2011 by MCN

The new Honda CBR250R has been ridden and rated by MCN’s Phil West – and you can now read the full web review in the bike reviews section. Read the Honda CBR250R review “This all-new machine is not...

Video: Suzuki GSX-R600 vs Triumph Daytona 675R

24 March 2011 by MCN

The Suzuki GSX-R600 dominated our supersport shootout in France earlier this year, but now it has a new rival – the Triumph Daytona 675R. MCN tested the bikes on the road, on track at Mallory Park and...

Video: Honda CBR600F first ride

23 March 2011 by MCN

Honda’s revived CBR600F has impressed beyond expectations in its first full test. Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin rode the bike at its world launch in southern Spain last week, and, despite damp...

Suzuki GSX-R600 vs Triumph Daytona 675R: Mallory Park stats

23 March 2011 by MCN

The new Suzuki GSX-R600 is MCN’s supersport class leader. It dominated our supersport shootout in France, but now it has a new rival – the Triumph Daytona 675R. We tested the bikes on the road, on...

Video: KTM Adventure 990 7000 mile report

21 March 2011 by Michael Guy

When I first got my KTM Adventure 990 I was on a mission to prove it was a bike that really could do anything. Now it’s 12 months on and I think I’ve been proved right – well almost. Over the last...

New Honda CBR250R: how fast?

18 March 2011 by John Westlake

At first glance, Honda’s new £3688 CBR250RR is a lot of bike for its price. Which might sound a little odd from the standpoint of being ‘just’ a single-cylinder bike with power output capped to just...

Honda CBR600F ABS - full review

18 March 2011 by MCN

The new Honda CBR600F ABS has been ridden and rated by MCN’s Trevor Franklin – and you can now read the full web review in the bike reviews section. Read the Honda CBR600F ABS review “Very balanced...

Video: Kawasaki W800 vs Triumph Bonneville vs Moto Guzzi V7 Classic

18 March 2011 by MCN

The Kawasaki W800 impressed during its first ride, but how does it compare against its two closest rivals, the Triumph Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7 Classic? Read this week’s MCN for the full test.

Triumph Daytona 675R - full review

17 March 2011 by MCN

The new Triumph Daytona 675R has been ridden and rated by MCN’s Trevor Franklin – and you can now read the full web review in the bike reviews section. Read the Triumph Daytona 675R review “Triumph...

Kawasaki W800 is top retro

16 March 2011 by Phil West

The new Kawasaki W800 has come out on top in MCN’s world first group test of the latest retro roadsters. The new Kawasaki is essentially a revival of the old W650 which was dropped from Kawasaki’s...

Video: Harley-Davidson Blackline first ride

16 March 2011 by MCN

The new Harley-Davidson Blackline has proved to be something of a ‘Marmite’, love/hate it machine in the MCN office. The new machine is indisputably one of the best-looking Harley in years – thanks to...

Preview: Honda CBR600F impresses in first test

11 March 2011 by MCN

Honda’s revived CBR600F has impressed beyond expectations in its first full test in next week’s Motorcycle News – out on Wednesday March 16th. Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin rode the bike at its...

Michael Neeves MRO Powerbike blog – Brands

10 March 2011 by Michael Neeves

Wednesday 2nd March I can’t believe the racing weekend starts as soon as Wednesday, but I have to clean the van and get it loaded up, so I can drive straight to Brands from work on Thursday...

Video: Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 vs Ducati Hypermotard 1100 Evo vs KTM 990 SMR

10 March 2011 by MCN

Until now the big supermoto roost has been ruled by the KTM 990 SMR and Ducati Hypermotard 1100 Evo, but now Aprilia have joined the party with the Dorsoduro 1200. A glance at the spec sheet shows the...

Video: BMW G650GS is a lot of bike for £5000

10 March 2011 by Steve Farrell

MCN’s world-first ride on the new BMW G650GS has shown it’s competent on and off road and novice-friendly too. The BMW has 47bhp, which from 2013 will be the new power limit for novice riders, up from...

Honda CBR600F ABS first ride: 'In a different league to the Yamaha Diversion'

08 March 2011 by MCN

Chief Road Tester, Trevor Franklin, is at last riding Honda’s eagerly awaited new middleweight, the CBR600F ABS, out in Spain. Here’s what he has to say so far: “We’ve just ridden 50km along the...

Honda CBR600F first ride preview

07 March 2011 by MCN

MCN’s Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin has just arrived in Seville, Spain for the launch of Honda’s eagerly-anticipated new CBR600F. The new Honda middleweight not only revives the legendary CBR600F...

Video: Kawasaki W800 first ride

04 March 2011 by MCN

Our first test of the new Kawasaki W800 suggests that Britain’s own Triumph, after five years having things all its own way in the ‘retro roadster’ class, has a serious new rival on its hands. Not...

Pierobon F042 Street tested

03 March 2011 by Andy Downes

This stunning Pierobon F042 Street is the new road-legal version of a machine previously only available as a track bike and MCN was lucky enough to grab a first ride near the Bologna factory. The bike...

BMW G650GS first ride

02 March 2011 by Steve Farrell

MCN’s Steve Farrell is currently at the launch of the new BMW G650GS in Portugal, on a Paris-Dakar style adventure being led by Simon Pavey, six times Dakar finisher. Here are his first impressions of...

BMW K1600GTL first ride preview

25 February 2011 by Marc Potter

The BMW K1600GTL is the bigger brother of the BMW K1600GT, but the feel of the bike suggests more changes than meets the eye. It comes with a massive top box capable of swallowing two full-size...

Video: BMW K1600GT first ride

24 February 2011 by MCN

BMW recently launched the new six-cylinder K1600GT and K1600GTL in South Africa and MCN was there to put the new bike through its paces. The new silky-smooth inline six-cylinder 1600cc engine is one...

Triumph Daytona 675R first ride: 'The most exciting middleweight'

23 February 2011 by MCN

The Triumph Daytona 675R is simply a Daytona 675 with lots of very desirable goodies to make it a track day weapon and, in the right hands, a formidable tool on the road. The 675R boasts three major...

BMW K1600GT first ride: 'One of the most intoxicating engines in motorcycling'

23 February 2011 by MCN

BMW has created a supersports touring bike that adds an extra level of sex appeal to big, fast touring bikes with the K1600GT. The new silky-smooth inline six-cylinder 1600cc engine is one of the most...

Video: 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 vs used 1000s

18 February 2011 by MCN

Suzuki’s latest 600 is so sharp we wondered how it would measure up against a superbike from just a few years ago – say, from 2003 when Neil Hodgson was WSB champion. So we asked Hodgson himself to...

Picture gallery: Triumph Daytona 675R

18 February 2011 by MCN

This week saw the launch of the new Triumph Daytona 675R at Portimao, Portugal. The 675R is updated from the standard 675 with Ohlins supension and Brembo brakes. Here’s some of Trev’s thoughts on the...

Neil Hodgson: MCN road tester!

18 February 2011 by MCN

MCN has new addition to the road test team – none other than ex WSB champion Neil Hodgson! Neil Hodgson won the BSB championship in 2000 onboard a GSE Ducati, before moving to WSB and winning the...

First ride preview: MV Agusta Brutale

18 February 2011 by Andy Downes

This is the new entry-level MV Agusta Brutale which, despite lashings of Italian flair and 130bhp performance, costs the same as a Yamaha FZ1 at £9999. The bike is a smaller, cheaper version of the...

BMW K1600GT - first ride impressions

18 February 2011 by MCN

MCN Editor Marc Potter is at the world launch of the new BMW K1600GT. The new six cylinder 160.5bhp engine certainly seems to have impressed Potter this morning following 100km of mixed riding.

Triumph Daytona 675R – first ride!

17 February 2011 by MCN

MCN’s Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin is currently at Portimao in Portugal getting a first taste of Triumph’s new uprated, Ohlins and Brembo-equipped Daytona 675R, here’s what he has to say: “I’ve...

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