There was once a time when the MotoGP field would arrive in Mugello wondering who was going to finish second behind home favourite Valentino Rossi.The hugely popular Rossi was unbeatable on home soil at the spectacular Mugello track where he notched an incredible seven straight victories between 2002 and 2008Since that last win in ’08 on a podium shared with ...
- Motorcycle Sport
- MotoGP
- 24 May 2013
BMW has just taken the wraps off the Concept Ninety – a collaboration between the German firm and Californian custom builder Roland Sands as the company celebrates 40 years since the original R90S and 90 years of making motorcycles. The Concept Ninety has the 110bhp air/oil-cooled Boxer twin from the previous generation of BMW R1200GS but combines it with a ...
- Motorcycle News
- New bikes
- 24 May 2013
Few bikes are as intriguing as Honda’s forthcoming MotoGP-derived superbike. Since its announcement last year, details of the machine have remained a mystery. But now a new patent filed by Honda might give us a clue to the all-important ‘face’ of the bike. The patent shows LED (light emitting diode) headlights inside the bike’s twin air-intakes. At the moment, LED ...
- Motorcycle News
- New bikes
- 20 May 2013
We've looked around to find some of the best supersport deals you can get for less than £2000... Yamaha YZF600R ThundercatYamaha’s Thundercat arrived in 1996 to replace the aging FZR600R as the firm’s supersport bike and quickly gained a large army of fans. Although it was never the sportiest of 600s, especially when compared to the likes of the frantic ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 23 May 2013
The air is warm again, the tarmac shimmers and the sun strokes the back of every rider’s neck. Leathers hang patiently, helmets seem to buzz in anticipation and garage doors are poised on standby. At no point in this fantasy is it cool to walk outside in your finest attire and straddle a filthy, gunk-clad bike. Sometimes we tell ourselves ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 22 May 2013
Scott Redding finally broke his duck to take victory in his first Moto2 race at Le Mans today, 20 years to the day since Alan Carter's win in the same class at the French track. Takaai Nakagami took an early lead after a brilliant start from pole, but soon lost the lead to Pol Espagaro. However, he couldn't get away ...
- Motorcycle Sport
- MotoGP
- 19 May 2013
Andrea Dovizioso capitalised on Ducati’s preference for wet conditions to mount a podium challenge until the penultimate lap of a rain-hit French MotoGP race in Le Mans yesterday.The Italian led for eight out of the opening 13 laps after an intense battle with eventual winner Dani Pedrosa and he only lost second position to hard charging British rider Cal Crutchlow ...
- Motorcycle Sport
- MotoGP
- 20 May 2013
With just days to go before the 2013 TT MCN gained exclusive, extended access over two days to the Norton team. They were preparing to test their new 200bhp V4, £100,000 Senior TT machine, which will run active/semi active suspension from Ohlins. And while we were with them, MCN road tester and TT racer Adam Child was given a world-first ...
- Motorcycle News
- First rides & tests
- 23 May 2013
Ducati's new 821cc Hypermotard replaces two old Hypermotards: the little 796 and its bigger brother, the 1100 Evo. It has a similar-size engine to the small one, but more power than the big one, so what kind of buyer will be attracted to it? To find out, we got two MCN road testers and two less-experienced riders on the staff ...
- Motorcycle News
- First rides & tests
- 22 May 2013
Four ZX-10R owners will get the chance to tell Japanese designers what future models should be like in an offer exclusive to MCN readers. Owners of 2011 and 2012 versions of the Kawasaki Ninja model are being asked about their ownership experience and what they would like to see in future model developments at two evening seminars being held in ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 21 May 2013
