2013

Year: 2013

Month: ALL

MCN exclusive on new Norton V4 TT racer

03 May 2013 by Andy Downes

Norton is putting the finishing touches to the latest V4 race it will contest the 2013 Isle of Man TT in just three weeks with virtually every part of the bike new for this year. The team hope the...

Staff Blog: Seriously versatile

03 May 2013 by Andy Davidson

Times are changing. A once bland and boring middle-weight class has morphed into one of the most exciting and competitive bike genres today, breeding a new wave of superior machinery. Enter the...

Staff blog: The toughest test ever!

03 May 2013 by Adam Child

This year is going to epic, one I’m going to look back on for years to come and it’s mainly going to be down to my lovely ZX-6R. Just last week I took delivery of my new Kawasaki and unusually for me,...

Staff blog: I'm back

03 May 2013 by Tony Hoare

Do not swear. I know I can’t, but I’m bursting to. The Triumph Street Triple R I’m running for the year is absolutely [insert your swear word of choice here] brilliant. I was in love with it within a...

Techwatch: Cars v bikes: let’s be grown up about this

03 May 2013 by Damian Harty

For acceleration it’s two wheels, but what about braking? Down the pub, we all like to imagine ours is the best. But in a no-holds-barred shoot-out, who gets there? Let’s start at the start. Bikes...

Beta Tools release Milwaukee rep toolbox

02 May 2013 by Tony Hoare

Italian tool company Beta Tools is sponsoring the Milwaukee Yamaha British Superbike team and has released a limited edition toolbox kit. It’s a replica of the set-up the team wheel onto the grid at...

Arai 2013 TT replica revealed

02 May 2013 by Tony Hoare

The fourth Arai official TT replica helmet has been unveiled, and it echoes the famous yellow and black colourscheme of TT legend Joey Dunlop. The design is part of Arai’s backing of the TT races and...

BMW unveil full Adventure-spec middleweight F800GS

02 May 2013

BMW has given the middleweight F800GS the full Adventure-spec going over for the first time so the manufacturer for the first time has a bike to tackle the Triumph Tiger 800 XC. The new F800GS...

“I can’t believe I only won one”

02 May 2013 by Mat Oxley

Alan Carter was hailed as the next Barry Sheene in the early 1980s. But the young Brit never got the factory bikes he deserved and his career was a tale of unfulfilled promise. He recently returned to...

Which race series will you see live this year?

01 May 2013 by MCN

After a bit of a false start, racing season is properly upon us! With MotoGP, WSB and BSB in full swing and the road races just around the corner, we want to know – what are you going to see live this...

Would you use a helmet / bike camera to record your road riding?

01 May 2013 by MCN

There’s been a huge surge recently in the number of people recording their daily rides, using bike and helmet cameras to allow them to record what other road users (and themselves) are up to. But it’s...

Video: KTM 300EXC at Enduroland

01 May 2013 by Michael Guy

Michael recently took his KTM 300EXC long termer out for some off road practice at Enduroland. here what he has to say about the bike’s performance now he’s had a chance to fettle and re-jet...

Have you found your Holy Grail bike?

01 May 2013

“I’ve owned dozens of bikes and I’ve enjoyed most of them, but I’m yet to find ‘the one’. My brother has gone back to the original R1 4XV saying it’s the only bike he’s ever had a ‘special connection’...

Do you run a new bike in according to the manufacturer's guidelines?

01 May 2013 by MCN

Whether or not a bike should be run in is one of the perennial questions of biking, with advice from different people telling you different things. Everything from following the guidelines to the...

Staff Blog: The magic carpet

01 May 2013 by Andy Downes

According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (no, me neither) there are 2.2million potholes on the UKs roads, it’s going to cost £113million to fix them all and there has been £32million of damage to...

Industry reaches out to off-roaders

30 April 2013 by Andy Davidson

The Motorcycle Industry Association and leading manufacturers are again joining forces to offer a ‘try-out’ day for off-road novices next month. The Motorcycle Off-Road Experience takes place near...

Triumph Bonneville owners needed!

30 April 2013 by Phil West

MCN is looking for Triumph Bonneville owners for an upcoming feature! We need 2008-2009 Triumph Bonneville T100 or SE models. Just fill out the questionnaire below and email it with a head and...

Video: Dougie Lampkin visits Red Bull Racing

30 April 2013 by MCN

12-time world trials champion Dougie Lampkin recently visited Red Bull Racing headquarters in Milton Keynes, because when someone gives you the opportunity to use a multi-million pound F1 winning car...

New MCN May 1: The Ultimate Superbike Test

30 April 2013 by MCN

In this week’s MCN, out May 1st, we have the ultimate superbike test, heading to Italy to pit The Ducati Panigale R against its rivals. We have a free 48-page Adventure Bike Yearbook, with all you...

Suzuki C1500T first ride

30 April 2013 by Adam Child

They may be about as relevant in the UK as a 50ft Winnebago or eight-litre SUV but, if you hadn’t cottoned on already, ‘baggers’ – or be-bagged or panniered cruisers designed for comfort and custom...

Bennetts make statement around modifications policy

29 April 2013 by MCN

Our online article posted 25th April, titled: Insurance Tips, Making Modifications to your Bike, gave incorrect details relating to Bennetts’ modifications policy. Bennetts have issued the following statement in clarification. In order to meet the needs of even more UK bikers, Bennetts has updated its modifications policy which now permits more modifications as standard than any other bike...

Staff Blog: Running-in, in France

29 April 2013 by Alison Silcox

What better way to run in the new Yamaha Fazer 8 than to pop over to Normandy for a three day rider training work shop with Nigel, nicknamed Red Leader, from Advanced Motorcycle Training! I took...

Smaller injury pay-outs for riders

29 April 2013 by MCN

Motorcyclists will get smaller pay-outs for injury claims because of new  legislation introduced last week,  according to a solicitor. Personal injury solicitor Ed Fletcher says compensation will be...

Dakar World tour hits the UK

27 April 2013 by Michael Guy

Aspiring Dakar competitors rubbed shoulders with race veterans and event organisers at the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire on Friday at the UK tour of 2014 Dakar. ASO, the organisation that runs...

Still time to get your free t-shirt with MCN Compare!

26 April 2013 by MCN

There’s still time to claim your free retro MCN t-shirt and entry to win £1000 worth of Oxford goodies when you purchase motorcycle insurance from MCN Compare before April 30. Quickly compare prices...

Staff Blog: Today is a good day…

26 April 2013 by Michael Guy

The last couple of months haven’t been easy. I’ve seen my colleagues at MCN come bouncing into the office having received their long term test bikes for the year. I however have been forced to do my...

10 worst and five best promo videos

26 April 2013 by Steve Farrell

1. Kawasaki Z800 Bystanders gawp at the new Z800 and take photographs in this preposterous video from Kawasaki Australia. It’s as though they’ve found a portal to another universe and not a mass...

Staff Blog: A glimpse of Spring…at last

25 April 2013 by Andy Downes

There are now more than 2000 miles on the clock of the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring and until last week it felt like every single one of them had been done with teeth gritted against the harsh...

Staff Blog: The long way home

25 April 2013 by Tony Hoare

“The ride to work is going to be a blast on the nimble triple – and the ride home again is going to be even better. Dear A1, you’ll not be seeing much of me.” The grey and red Triumph Street Triple R...

Focused Events unveil 'uncrashable' BMW F800

25 April 2013 by MCN

Trackday specialists Focused Events have unveiled a very special trackday instruction BMW F800, complete with outriggers! The new ‘Cornering Techniques System’ bike will be used as part of their...

Picture gallery: 250cc trailies to Slovakia and back

25 April 2013 by Andy Davidson

The trusty 250cc trailie obediently sat at motorcycling’s side for years. Ready, resilient, hard-wearing and undemanding, willing to shepherd new riders into the fold or accompany the experienced on...

Adventurers unite at HUBB UK

25 April 2013 by Andy Davidson

Overlanders website Horizons Unlimited are once again hosting the UK’s premier travel event, the HUBB UK. In its 13th year the popular gathering will take place from May 30 to June 2 at the Donington...

Donington Park WSB deal for MCN readers!

25 April 2013 by MCN

Donington Park is offering MCN readers a red hot deal on 2013 WSB tickets. Order your weekend or Sunday, May 26 tickets online using the offer code MCNDP13 and you’ll get £10 off each ticket...

Warning of motorcycle insurance creeping clauses

24 April 2013 by Gareth Nightingale

This is a warning to all motorcycle riders to check their insurance terms carefully. I have been riding and insuring motorcycles for some 35 years now and have always been able to declare the bike as garaged. In the beginning this meant a simple decrease in premium, they trusted you to be sensible and put it in the garage most of the time. A few years ago a clause was introduced that this...

Video: Ducati Panigale 1199R First Ride

24 April 2013 by MCN

Last month MCN travelled to Austin, Texas, for our first ride of Ducati’s new 1199R, their ultimate superbike. Check out what road tester Michael Neeves thought of the bike around MotoGP’s newest...

Staff Blog: Are Harley's cool?

24 April 2013 by Ped Baker

A couple of years ago I asked an MCN work experience girl what she thought of motorcyclists. I was hoping she’d use words like ‘cool’, ‘exciting’, perhaps even ‘sexy’ but instead she said, “They’re...