March

Enfield Clubman takes you back

25 March 2001

” What year is it mate? ” ” Err, 2000 actually. ” This innocent question, asked by a passer-by just seconds after I parked the Clubman, demonstrates exactly what this bike is about. A 1950’s bike,...

Falling like nine pins

25 March 2001

It was tempting fate to invite a load of bike journalists to a go-kart track in Kent to ride a scooter that Yamaha said was designed to handle. Rain, on top of a track laced with oil and rubber,...

Raptor special is a big noise in the city

25 March 2001

FROM their bike emporium in North London Moto-Casoli are used to adding extra special touches to their customers’ already special bikes. Their’s is an Aladdin’s cave of Italian exotica; MV Agustas...

YOU’LL have to wait the best part of a year before this will be in our showrooms, but if the ultimate in sports performance is what you’re after, you might find it’s worth the wait. The current R1 is...

Hailwood memorial run this Sunday

18 March 2001

JOIN a ride-out to mark the 20th anniversary of Mike Hailwood’s death on Sunday, March 25. The run goes from Fort Dunlop, Birmingham to Portway Motor Centre, to the spot where Mike and his daughter...

Pierre Terblanche in his own words

18 March 2001

Pierre Terblanche is Ducati’s top designer. He is in charge of the project to create a bike to replace the 996. He joined us in the VIP Lounge in the TALK BIKES area of the site on Friday, March 23 and answered your questions for an hour-and-a-half. In a frank interview he talked about the pressures he’s under, how the " new 996 " is shaping up and how he hasn’t taken a break from work in a...

New 996 will be lighter, faster… and redder

18 March 2001

Pierre Terblanche, the man who is working on a replacement for the Ducati 996, gave a few hints about how it will look when he joined in a live chat session on motorcyclenews.com on...

Yamaha updates its XJR400R

11 March 2001

SPY shots direct from Japan show Yamaha has given its XJR400R its first major update since its launch in 1994. While the styling has been left untouched, there are plenty of mechanical changes. The...

MV Agusta ready to unveil 1000cc superbike

11 March 2001

THE new MV Agusta F5 promises to be the most desirable bike in the world. With a 150bhp 1000cc four-cylinder engine and the design genius of Massimo Tamburini (the man responsible for the F4 and, of...

2001 CBR600 recalled

11 March 2001

Following on the heels of a worldwide recall of FireBlades to correct faulty clutches, Honda’s reputation as the world’s most reliable motorcycle manufacturer has taken another knock. The firm has...

First ride on the ZRX1200

11 March 2001

THE new ZRX has stonking six-piston Tokico calipers and a new 1164cc engine which pulls out of tight turns like a Japanese bullet train from 2000rpm all the way up to the 10,500rpm red line. But...

Triumph tests new Daytona

11 March 2001

TRIUMPH’S new Daytona is undergoing extensive last-minute testing to prepare for its release to the public in May. MCN spotted this all-black pre-production machine testing at Bruntingthorpe proving...

ZR-7S takes more of the strain

11 March 2001

THE ZR-7 is a great value fuss-free bike which gives you 750cc for very little money. And now it gives you just a little bit more. Thanks to the addition of a cowling on the new ZR-7S, windblast is a...

First pictures of new Mondial WSB racer

11 March 2001

THESE are the first pictures of the long-awaited superbike which will carry the legendary Mondial name back on to the race track later this year. The 999cc V-twin Piega, which has only been seen in...

Is the Bonnie best?

11 March 2001

WE’RE taking the new Triumph Bonneville to Brighton together with the Kawasaki W650 and a Royal Enfield. You can also look forward to a meeting with the man with Britain’s biggest collection of Monkey...

Bimota shutdown confirmed

11 March 2001

AN ITALIAN court has finally brought an end to Bimota’s drawn-out death, closing the struggling company for good. After more than 25 years of producing some of the most desirable bikes on the planet,...

GP bike reveals clues to new R1

04 March 2001

YAMAHA’S new four-stroke GP bike has been spotted in tests in Australia. And that gives a tantalising glimpse of some of the technology that could feature on next year’s expected replacement for the...

Bultaco ready to return to the road

04 March 2001

THE Bultaco badge hasn’t been seen on a road bike since the 1980s – but that’s will change if this prototype makes it into production. Power for the retro-styled machine comes from a single-cylinder...

World first test on the Ducati 996R

04 March 2001

AFTER his first ride on Ducati’s 996R, MCN’s Marc Potter believes it is the firm’s finest sports bike yet. Potter rode the bike at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Wednesday, March 7, and said: ”...

Watch video of the 996R in action

04 March 2001

Join MCN’s Marc Potter on board the 996R in Valencia, Spain today.

MZ reveals how its muscle bike will look

04 March 2001

THIS is how MZ wants its planned 1000cc muscle bike to look. The image shown here is an official factory sketch. It is due to go into production next year and cost under £7800. The 1000N will use a...

CapoNord looks ready for anything

04 March 2001

THE CapoNord is going to be a genuine rival for bikes like BMW’s R1150GS and Honda’s Varadero. It even coped with a little bit of off-road riding in Sardinia. ” I tried it on a bit of green laning...

Supermoto-style F650 due

04 March 2001

BMW is ready to use its popular F650 single as a basis for an exciting new supermoto-style road bike. The new bike will combine high-rise suspension with sticky sports tyres on 17-inch rims. According...