Latest Motorbike News

People stare. They point. They laugh. But you don’t care

25 March 2001

MOTORCYCLES attract attention. Few people can resist turning their head when a bike goes past, even if they’ve never been on two wheels in their life. So it’s not surprising that the sound of four...

Sensible? Only if you want it to be

18 March 2001

AS I straighten out of the left-hander, a VW Golf appears a few hundred yards ahead of me, going at a rate of knots. Just before the next bend, its brake lights flash, then its bodywork squats on one...

Haslam’s hairy tales

18 March 2001

The world’s fastest sideburns… Rocket Ron speaks and rides

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...

Be a video star and win £100

18 March 2001

If you’ve got star quality, we want to know about it. Be it funny, serious, or just plain daft, we want to see your homemade biking videos. And if fellow users of motorcyclenews.com reckon it’s good,...

And they say speeding is dangerous

18 March 2001

If certain so-called authorities on road safety are to be believed, the only thing we need to do to avoid accidents is slow down. Of course, anyone who has ever had some idiot driver pull out in front of him – in other words, all of us – will know that’s not true. Inconsiderate, careless, incompetent and downright dangerous driving is much more hazardous. Unfortunately, not everyone sees things...

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...

Get on board the world's fastest race bikes

18 March 2001

Wonder no more at what it’s like to ride everything from an NSR500 to a GSX-R600

A legend in his own road sign

18 March 2001

German 250 legend Anton Mang, so famous they still name streets after him back home

The baddest mothers in town. This week anyway

18 March 2001

Bubba was a big man, and after six days of dubious personal hygiene and with the stench of stale bourbon and vomit dancing on his breath he wasn’t getting any prettier. But more worrying than that –...

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...

Roberts’ favourite race

18 March 2001

Trust Roberts Snr to pick the day he beat the Brits on home soil as his favourite race…

Moments of Mamola magic

18 March 2001

The Clown Prince of GPs, Randy Mamola, in the days before he was ‘that American on Eurosport’

Pons on his favourite race

18 March 2001

Spanish 250 world champion – and now 500 team owner – Sito Pons reflects on his favourite race

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...

Tony, John: Our safety isn’t a game

11 March 2001

Tony Blair and John Prescott have drawn up a host of unpleasant plans for riders during their time in power – and now they’re looking at another one. There has been the sudden saturation of our...

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...

Dad’s the way to do it

11 March 2001

Just in case you forgot Kenny Roberts’ dad was the first American GP legend… here’s a few reasons why

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...

Schwantz’s first win

11 March 2001

Well, wouldn’t your favourite GP be the first one you won? It is for Kevin Schwantz

Don’t judge this Duke by its cover

11 March 2001

YOU can hardly see the Valencia pit wall because there are people in red Ducati shirts swarming all over it. But these aren’t fans. These are people who actually work for Ducati. And they’re all...

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,...

Agostini in action

11 March 2001

A clip from Duke’s homage to arguably the greatest of them all, Giacomo Agostini

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...

Woman airlifted to hospital from coleslaw wrestling

04 March 2001

COLESLAW wrestling often reveals some of the finer points of Daytona Bike Week. But the crowd gathered at the Cabbage Patch for the annual bikini-clad bouts got more than their usual eyeful. A skydiver, hired to impress the crowd, misjudged his landing and came down heavily on a woman serving beer. She was knocked out and had to be taken to hospital by helicopter and last reports indicate she was...

GSX-R shows V-twins the way at the Speedbowl

04 March 2001

LITRE-SIZED twins may be the bikes to beat in World Superbikes at present, but it’s a four-cylinder bike which is leading practice for the prestigious Daytona 200 race in America so far. Reigning U.S. superbike champion Mat Mladin is leading the field by a clear 0.38s on his Suzuki GSX-R750 after final practice before tomorrow’s qualifying session. He’s well ahead of the bike in second, a Ducati...

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...

Daytona by night

04 March 2001

Daytona Bike Week is now in full swing in Florida, attracting close to 300,000 bike fans. Based around the Daytona 200 race, the Bike Week action is actually more about babes in their underwear and...

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: ”...

Mladin sets pole for Daytona 200

04 March 2001

SUZKI’S Mat Mladin started his U.S superbike championship title defence in perfect style today when he set pole for the first round of the American series at Daytona in Florida. The Australian finished front row qualifying well ahead of countryman Anthony Gobert in second on a Yamaha R7 and Honda’s Nicky Hayden in third. Mladin’s team-mate Aaron Yates completed the front row for Sunday’s...

In memory of Joey Dunlop

04 March 2001

Scenes from Duke Video’s moving tribute to the greatest road racer ever, the late, great Joey Dunlop

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