Bike news

Now we’ve ridden the new 955i on both road and track

Now we’ve ridden the new 955i on both road and track

After Thursday morning’s track session, we’ve now been able to ride the new Triumph 955i Daytona on the road, too. MCN’s Marc Potter, said: ” The roads in the immediate area of the Estoril circuit...

New bike sections added to 200-plus already on site

New bike sections added to 200-plus already on site

Ducati’s ST4S and the latest incarnation of the legendary 916, the 996R, are our latest additions to the 200-plus bike sections on this site. By following the ‘BIKES’ link at the top of the page...

What’s new on the 2001 955i

What’s new on the 2001 955i

ENGINE: Essentially the new Daytona’s three-cylinder is the same basic lump as the old engine but there’s quite a lot of detail changes. It breathes better and is more efficient than the old engine...

Can’t you just find a roundabout like everyone else?

Can’t you just find a roundabout like everyone else?

An unusual way to scrub your tyres in, that’s for sure

Something big in the city

Something big in the city

THE slack-jawed man can’t take his eyes off the biggest commuter bike he’s ever seen. He approaches and asks: ” How big is it? ” ” 8.2 litres, ” is the reply. ” Wow, two litres! ” he responds. ...

Brakes a bit grabby, AC?

Brakes a bit grabby, AC?

Saving on rear tyre wear, Farias style

Army goes diesel

Army goes diesel

THE army has spent a quarter of a million pounds developing a diesel-fuelled bike which goes 120mph on one gallon, but makes just 24bhp. Based on a Kawasaki KLR650, the 580cc Combat Military...

Don’t try this at home!

Don’t try this at home!

Clutch control AC Farias style…

Ex-demo covered 5000 miles more than the clock showed

Ex-demo covered 5000 miles more than the clock showed

A Triumph customer is threatening legal action after buying a TT600 which had done 5000 more miles than shown on the clock. In January, Michael Hastings travelled from his home town of Dumfries to buy...

First test on production MV Agusta Brutale

First test on production MV Agusta Brutale

Park a bike as stunning as the new MV Agusta Brutale outside a bar in the town of Varese, northern Italy and out they swarm for a look and a fondle. Italians love motorcycles and style in equal...

Renault launch two-wheelers

Renault launch two-wheelers

Renault has launched a new range of bikes developed with Benelli. Rival French car maker Peugeot is already a big player in the scooter marker and it seems Renault wants to grab a bit of the same...

Race tyres for the road, in a roundabout way

Race tyres for the road, in a roundabout way

‘WHAT we are selling to the public is a racing tyre. What the racers are using is a standard tyre. So the tyres are the same.’ Those are the words of Helmut Dahne, PR man at Metzeler and the fastest...

Just like Dougie

Just like Dougie

Excuse us while he kisses the sky.

It’s in front…for now

It’s in front…for now

Adam Morrissey: So what sort of challenge is this? Honda GoldWing, the ultimate touring bike, against a Yamaha R1, which until the arrival of Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 was the ultimate sports bike and is not...

Honda recalls 2001 Wing

Honda recalls 2001 Wing

The all-new 2001 Honda GoldWing has been recalled just weeks after going on sale. There are two faults which can cause the engine to cut at speed, although they are not serious enough to lead to any...

Any time you want to let us off, Michael, it’s fine by us

Any time you want to let us off, Michael, it’s fine by us

Rutter just isn’t going to stop is he?

And he says he still doesn’t really know the course…

And he says he still doesn’t really know the course…

That hasn’t stopped Michael Rutter being one of the fastest men ever round the Island.

Is this the next step for the TT… pillion racing?

Is this the next step for the TT… pillion racing?

Michael Rutter shows why we should be glad passenger footrests are one of the first things junked from a race bike.

Bikemart arrives online

Bikemart arrives online

WE’RE adding Bikemart TM to the range of services on offer here at motorcyclenews.com. In phase one we’ve added a whole load more dealers in new and used bikes to browse alongside the offers from...

Bonnie gets the cafe treatment

Bonnie gets the cafe treatment

German tuner LSL has taken a new Triumph Bonneville and created a real café racer called the LSL Bonneville Clubman. LSL has changed as few parts as possible to keep the price down. The most obvious...

Can’t tour on an on-the-edge 600? Think again

Can’t tour on an on-the-edge 600? Think again

THERE were some decent enough reasons for making this voyage of intense pleasure and crippling pain. My new 2001 GSX-R600, in its glorious black and yellow, needed a good thousand miles of running in...

First ride on bigger-bore C1

First ride on bigger-bore C1

Riding a 175cc bike from Bracknell, around the M25 then up the M1 to Kettering may not sound like a lot of fun to most people. But then, you probably haven’t tried it on one of the oddest looking ”...

Now you know why they call him "Big" Dave Jefferies

Now you know why they call him "Big" Dave Jefferies

Somehow, eight-stone Daijiro Katoh might not have the right physique for the rigours of The Island

KTM reveals official sketches of LC8 Rallye

KTM reveals official sketches of LC8 Rallye

KTM is planning a Rallye version of its new monster trailie, the LC8 Adventure. The bike, which will make its racing debut at Dakar 2002, will form the basis of a production race replica version which...

Four new bike sections now open

Four new bike sections now open

Follow the ‘BIKES’ link at the top of the page and you’ll immerse yourself in a world of facts and figures, tests and tips on the motorcycles you own, admire and lust after. The latest additions to...

Why you can rely on a buy from New Bikes Direct

Why you can rely on a buy from New Bikes Direct

COLIN KAY is a Scot. He is also a senior bank manager for a major High Street concern. In short, he knows a thing or two about the value of money. Perhaps that’s why he is the first person to have a...

Making a break from the norm with the BMW R1150R

Making a break from the norm with the BMW R1150R

WHEN I mentioned to someone that I was about to take delivery of a new BMW, the first question they asked was: ” Which one? A three-series? ” The reaction is understandable. BMW cars have a strong,...

No lightweights, these

No lightweights, these

They might call the 250 race the Lightweight, but it’s a race for the real heavyweights of The Island.

Mugello test reveals Tornado almost ready

Mugello test reveals Tornado almost ready

TESTS earlier this week in Mugello reveal Benelli’s WSB hopeful, the Tornado, is almost ready for action. The Italian firm first presented their three cylindered hopeful to a receptive audience at...

First test of the best sports twins

First test of the best sports twins

It’s twice the price of an SP-1. It’s six grand dearer than the RSV-R… It can’t be that much better, can it? I mean, how can you need more than the Honda or Aprilia? On the road, or anywhere? The fact...

Police are blind to the cause of crashes

Police are blind to the cause of crashes

Research into the cause of bike accidents has consistently suggested that more of them are caused by car drivers than by us. So why are police forces suddenly claiming the vast majority are the result...

Moriwaki offers 150bhp SP-1

Moriwaki offers 150bhp SP-1

Japanese tuner Moriwaki is launching a 150bhp version of the Honda SP-1. Called the MP101, they are hand built to order, with a range of specifications for use either on the road or track. The firm...

Take one Monster and add £6000 of Gallic flair

Take one Monster and add £6000 of Gallic flair

DUCATI specialist Desmo Shop has employed all its engineering skill and used thousands of pounds-worth of carbon-fibre to create this year 2000 Monster 900-based special. The anodised blue frame,...

Go Johnny, go!

Go Johnny, go!

McGuinness winds it on through Kirkmichael

2001 BMW R1150R, K1200RS and R1150RT ridden through France

2001 BMW R1150R, K1200RS and R1150RT ridden through France

SPLATT! A direct hit, smack bang in the middle of my visor. Here comes another. Splatt! This one’s even bigger. It looks like the daddy. Splatt! Again, it’s a bull’s eye and the front of my lid is...

First test of Ducati’s ST4S

First test of Ducati’s ST4S

Ducati’s choice of venue for the launch of its new ST4S sports tourer seemed rather odd at first. Rather than present us with maps and a demanding long distance road route, we were instead taken to a...