2003

The MCN latest on new bikes archive is open

23 December 2003

There are hundreds of Latest on New Bike stories currently in our archives for you to browse. We’re adding less additional content than usual to this section while we focus on improving the overall...

Find out what GP bikes are really like to ride

04 November 2003

MCN’s Trevor Franklin has just finished testing the cream of the MotoGP crop in Spain. He’s ridden Rossi’s Honda RC211V, the Yamaha M1 and the Ducati Desmosedici, just days after the season...

Triumph cans Hayabusa rival

07 October 2003

MCN has learnt that Triumph has scrapped its project to build the first genuine 200mph production motorcycle. For last three years the British factory has been developing a 1300cc hypersport bike to...

175mph BMW superbike

01 October 2003

In this week’s MCN, you can see the 175mph, 165bhp Hayabusa-style BMW that is set to shatter the German firm’s staid image. The bike will be powered by a completely new, in-line transverse...

New GSX-Rs for 2004

16 September 2003

Suzuki has launched the latest version of its GSX-R600 at the Milan motorcycle show and surprised many by launching an all-new GSX-R750. The company is now the only Japanese manufacturer to continue...

Triumph unveils new café racer

16 September 2003

Triumph has officially unveiled the new Triumph Thruxton 900 café racer at the Milan motorcycle show. The bike was first seen in MCN’s spy shots (see link on the right), but now the details have been...

Firms reveal new ranges in Milan

16 September 2003

The international motorcycle show in Milan kicked off on Tuesday with almost every motorcycle manufacturer turning up to show their latest bikes. Ducati turned out with a multitude of new and special...

KTM unveils Duke 990

16 September 2003

KTM has unveiled the finished pre-production version of its all-new V-twin powered Duke 990. The bike has been seen before in a prototype form but the version unveiled at the International Motorcycle...

New bikes dominate Milan show

16 September 2003

The international motorcycle show in Milan continues today with more manufacturers unveiling their new line-ups for 2004. Yamaha’s new R1, Honda’s Fireblade and the Kawasaki ZX-10R, as revealed in MCN...

Tiger roars on for another year

09 September 2003

TRIUMPH was rumoured to be ditching the Tiger from its line-up – but this prototype shows there’s life in the big trailie yet. Insiders claim an all-new replacement Tiger has been put on hold but that hasn’t stopped Triumph giving the current model a revamp. The biggest change is clearly the wheels. Triumph has chosen an all-new alloy design, that appears to extremely lightweight, in place of the...

New Harleys on show at birthday bash

09 September 2003

HARLEY revealed its full 2004 model range at the weekend’s 100th anniversary celebrations in Milwaukee – but there were no great birthday surprises. The biggest change was to the Sportsters, which get...

Cafe racer Bonnie spied

09 September 2003

TRIUMPH’S new line-up doesn’t end with the Daytona 1300 revealed on page two – as this spy shot of the new cafe racer version of the Bonneville proves. MCN’s snappers caught it in action at...

200mph secret is out

09 September 2003

THESE are the exclusive first pictures of the 200mph bike Triumph is building to rival the Hayabusa and the ZX-12R. Triumph has continually denied the existence of a new 1300cc, four-cylinder...

ZX-12R updated for ’04

09 September 2003

Kawasaki’S high velocity ZX-12R has been updated with upside down forks and radially-mounted brakes for 2004. The changes bring the bike into line with the ZX-6R and ZX-10R (revealed in MCN last...

Reborn in the USA

09 September 2003

NORTON has promised it’ll be back more times than Arnie – but this latest attempt to revive the name looks like it might actually stand a chance of success. Kenny Dreer, who owns Norton America and...

Tough single takes XT into the future

02 September 2003

YAMAHA has replaced its air-cooled XT600E with a rugged new liquid-cooled machine with more power, up-to-the-minute styling and sharpened handling. The XT660-R becomes the latest in a long line of...

VN2000 is biggest twin yet

02 September 2003

THE new Kawasaki VN2000 cruiser will be the largest capacity V-twin to roll off a bike production line. The giant chrome-laden Kawasaki makes 120ftlb of torque and 95bhp. It doesn’t quite match the...

Kawasaki creates its ultimate superbike

02 September 2003

KAWASAKI has finally delivered the bike so many have waited so long for – a genuine top-drawer, no-compromise, balls-out machine to top anyone’s superbike wish-list. With 160bhp and weighing just...

Z750 is no poor relation

02 September 2003

THESE are the first official pictures of Kawasaki’s new Z750, the long-predicted, smaller capacity version of its Z1000 roadster. And despite an expected price of around £5000, it is much more than a...

2004 ZX-6RR gets major updates

02 September 2003

KAWASAKI has answered the prayers of racers around the world by updating the engine, fuel injection and chassis of its track-biased ZX-6RR. The RR was launched into the ultra-competitive supersport...

Streak is meaner for 2004

02 September 2003

Kawasaki’s custom-style Mean Streak cruiser gets the bigger 1552cc engine from the VN1600 in its update for 2004. But despite the extra 72cc over the outgoing 1470cc motor, its power stays unchanged...

First pictures of new Fazer 600s

15 July 2003

These are the first pictures of Yamaha’s new Fazer 600s. The spy pictures were taken close to Yamaha Europe’s Amsterdam base and show both faired and unfaired versions. Both bikes have new frames and...

World first tests: Two new Ducatis

15 April 2003

MCN has exclusively tested two of the most important new Ducatis to emerge in years. The 999R is the Italian firm’s most powerful production bike yet. And, after riding it on British roads, MCN’s Marc...

Testing the Triumph Bonneville Ace Replica

21 January 2003

There is, of course, only one place to take a Triumph Bonneville Ace Café Replica – the reborn Ace itself. London’s legendary biker caff of the ’50s and ’60s was rebuilt and reopened five years ago...

Two Schwantz Specials

21 January 2003

Ten years after GP legend Kevin Schwantz won the 500cc world championship, Crescent Suzuki are celebrating with two unbelievably quick specials. The Crescent/Hyside Hayabusa is a one-off, £20,500...

Daimler Chrysler unveils concept ‘bike’

07 January 2003

Car firm Daimler Chrysler has unveiled a 500hp concept ‘bike’ with a claimed top speed of 300mph. The four-wheeled, V-10 Dodge Tomahawk is ” about pure performance, in-the-face excitement and not...

Honda release Dream 50R

01 January 2003

Honda has released a racing version of its classic styled 50cc street racer, the Dream 50. The new race-spec Dream 50R echoes Honda racers of the 1960s but uses a modern twin-cam 49cc engine and ’60s...