Bike news

Year: ALL

Vincent's life explored: New documentary narrated by Ewan McGregor to appear in September

21 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

A new documentary exploring the history of Vincent Motorcycles and narrated by A-list film star Ewan McGregor will be available to stream from September 2023. Speed is Expensive will appear on...

No hope for fast fixes on potholed UK roads

18 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

No wonder our potholed roads aren’t getting any better… a new report published by the RAC has found a 29% reduction in the number of miles resurfaced in England in the last year, when compared with...

Speed demon Jack Frost beats Guy Martin’s speed record on his boosted 'Busa

18 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Jarrod ‘Jack’ Frost has smashed through the 270mph standing-mile barrier on his turbo-charged Suzuki Hayabusa, beating ex-TT racer and TV star Guy Martin’s course record in the process. The...

'We just love to go racing' - BSB and roads stalwarts Hawk Racing mark 25 years in motorsport

17 August 2023 by Josh Close

Few family-run teams have contributed more to British bikesport than Hawk Racing. As the Mallory Park-based squad celebrates its 25th season, we look back at the highs, lows and characters –...

Biking legends: Paolo Ciabatti

17 August 2023 by Josh Close

Paolo Ciabatti is part of Ducati Corse’s ‘Management Dream Team’ alongside Davide Tardozzi and Gigi Dall’lgna – and he’s a man who describes himself as a motorsport nut. “My generation liked 50cc...

Expert guide: V4s rule the world

17 August 2023 by Jon Urry

If you look at the current crop of MotoGP bikes and dive under the weird aero fins, there is a common theme. Honda, Aprilia, KTM and Ducati all run a V4. And in WSB it is a similar story with...

The MCN Test: The great electronics debate - Panigale V4S vs S1000RR

17 August 2023 by Michael Neeves

We first tested BMW’s updated S1000RR at its Almeria track launch at the end of last year and it felt like a computer game. It was so safe on the throttle and gave such a delicious feeling of front...

MotoGP preview: The 'Ring cycle...

17 August 2023 by Josh Close

Five key questions as the MotoGP rolls into Austria for the dramatic Red Bull Ring: Ducati to rule again? Ducati have dominated at the Red Bull Ring since it returned to the calendar in Andrea...

MotoGP insight: ‘My GP bike changes gear like a scooter…'

17 August 2023 by Mat Oxley

Ducati dominate the World Superbike championship – taking last year’s riders and constructors titles and leading this year’s championship – so we can safely assume that the company’s Panigale V4 R is...

Speed camera warning: New two-way design catches thousands in Devon and Cornwall

17 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

More than 3200 speeders were captured in a couple of days in Devon and Cornwall, following the installation of four new bi-directional cameras across the region. Related: Two speed cameras targeted...

Ultimate Ural arrives: Rugged top-spec three-wheeler is designed to go anywhere

16 August 2023 by Phil West

Quirky Kazakhstan-built sidecar brand Ural have just launched what they claim to be the ultimate motorcycle adventure machine, the top spec Gear Up Expedition. Based on the marque’s standard,...

The very best of Secrets of a Road Tester - episode 6

16 August 2023 by Gareth Evans

This year we’re celebrating the very best of our Secrets of a Road Tester series, which has been produced in partnership with Bikertek. The idea is to help you have a safe and exciting experience...

Help heroes keep airborne - Air Ambulance UK fundraiser kicks off

15 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Air Ambulance UK are gearing up for their annual fundraising week to raise awareness of the work of the 21 air ambulance charities across the UK – with many callouts assisting stricken motorcyclists.

Yamaha celebrates 50 years of YZ racing success with range of special editions

15 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

This year marks half a century since Yamaha YZ was the firm’s first foray into motocross, launching their original YZ production model and winning a first world title in the same year with the factory...

Last call for donations to the Joan Seeley Memorial Trust

11 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Eva Seeley, widow of motorcycle manufacturer and British sidecar road race champion Colin Seeley, is seeking final donations before winding up the Joan Seeley Pain Relief Memorial Trust. Colin, who...

The need for speed! Thruxton BSB preview

10 August 2023 by Josh Close

Here’s what to look out for as BSB heads to the fastest circuit on the calendar… Thruxton! Ducati are flying high Ducati haven’t won at Thruxton since 2019 but given how PBM riders Tommy...

How-to: Keep your chain looking like new

10 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Getting intimate with your drive chain may seem like a bit of a geeky exercise, but I promise you, you’ll reap the benefits in terms of cost. Keeping on top of cleaning, lubing and adjusting will...

The Ural Sidecar Experience is open for business. MCN’s Saffron went along to, er, give it a ‘tri’

10 August 2023 by Saffron Wilson

Northumberland is an area of England that seems to be overlooked by bikers, with many motoring through it en route to Scotland or dashing west along the A69 to get to the Lake District. I...

The MCN Test: Find out which affordable adventure bike REALLY handles the rough stuff

10 August 2023 by Carl Stevens

We’ve been spoilt with adventure bikes of all sizes, and indeed prices, for 2023. Yet it’s not all about big, expensive beasts, as two of the most exciting new releases come in at the cheaper end of...

Biking Legends: Freddie Spencer

10 August 2023 by Josh Close

Freddie Spencer took the Grand Prix paddock by storm in the 1980s, rocking up as a fresh-faced 20-year-old ready and able to beat the man himself, King Kenny Roberts. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana,...

Insight: Jake Dixon's down, but not out!

10 August 2023 by Neil Morrison

Jake Dixon’s British Grand Prix ended in heartache as a first lap crash dashed his hopes of repeating the home podium from a year ago. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in the Englishman’s camp at...

Heated vision: New heated visor claims to provide a day’s riding without the fear of fog

10 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Space technology and British engineering have combined to make fogged visors a thing of the past with the invention of the Visin heated visor insert that promises to keep your vision crystal clear for...

Hey, hey we’re on Monkeys... eleven-day minibike adventure in the name of men’s health

09 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Most normal folk choose something like a BMW GS for 2500-mile tours of the UK spread across the best part of two weeks… but not Dean Lambert and his merry band of Honda Monkey enthusiasts. Dean,...

New bangers from Mash: Affordable Belena 125 and 300 machines start at just £3399

09 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Mash Motorcycles have launched their new range of Belena scooter models, which will be available in a choice of 125 or 300cc guises and arrive in dealers from this month. “The Mash Belena embodies...

The Sammy Miller Museum gets fruity

08 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum has added two rare bikes to its collection with one counting towards your five-a-day. The first is a 1963 Victoria 155 49cc, otherwise known as the ‘Tin...

Springs can only get better: BMW’s latest suspension is the most adaptable yet seen on a road bike

08 August 2023 by Martin Fitz-Gibbons

BMW have led the way when it comes to electronic suspension – and their next-generation system will offer even more versatility. For the first time a production bike will soon be able to change its...

Two Wheels for Life smash fundraising total at British MotoGP

07 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

British charity Two Wheels for Life had one of its most successful Day of Champions events during last weekend’s British MotoGP race weekend at Silverstone, raising £275,000. The figure is...

After sixty years son fulfils dream of riding his father’s restored 1926 HRD

07 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

An 82-year-old biker has fulfilled a long-held dream of riding his father’s 350cc 1926 HRD motorcycle, having stored the bike in boxes of bits for 40 years, before undertaking a 15-year restoration...

Kawasaki’s cleaner screamer: How the new ZX-4RR meets emissions regulations

07 August 2023 by Ben Purvis

The biking world was surprised by the unveiling of the new Kawasaki ZX-4RR for the 2024 model range. Since the introduction of Euro5 emissions limits in 2020, we’ve seen an exodus of much-loved...

Expert guide to... middleweight naked Triumphs

04 August 2023 by Jon Urry

In late 2007 a bike arrived that changed the whole middleweight naked bike class for good – Triumph’s outstanding Street Triple. Borrowing heavily from their amazing inline triple Daytona 675...

Workshop: How to set your bike up for a pillion

04 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Adding a passenger and luggage will cause the bike to sag on its suspension. This means it will be soaking up more of the available travel on both the forks and rear shock before you have even...

Big Read: ‘Magically surreal Spain’

04 August 2023 by Eglė Gerulaitytė

Pondering a fork in a narrow dirt trail snaking across the badlands of Gorafe, I tried to reason with Google Maps. There weren’t supposed to be any splits in the track here; in fact, for the last two...

MCN250: These Guzzi and Kawasaki retros look spot-on but which REALLY delivers?

04 August 2023 by Jon Urry

The V7 harks back to the late 1960s when its ancestor shot Guzzi to global fame. Debuting the firm’s now trademark air-cooled 90-degree V-twin, the V7 formed the cornerstone of future success.

Cyril Despres: How the chance loan of a Honda XR400 led to five Dakar wins

03 August 2023 by Greg Moss

Finishing the Dakar is an achievement in itself, winning it is career defining but taking the top spot five times is monumental. Enter Cyril Despres, without doubt one of the Dakar’s greatest-ever...

John McGuinness MBE: ‘Jake could set the place wild’

03 August 2023 by John McGuinness

I’ve booked my campsite, I’m taking my family and we’ll be there all weekend. It’s great they have opened up the grandstands for the fans. As an event it has to do well, we need it to do well and...

An extra eye on the road: BMW’s collision warning system alerts you to hazards ahead

03 August 2023 by Martin Fitz-Gibbons

BMW have developed a front collision warning system that’s due to debut on a production bike “in the near future”. No prizes for guessing that’s the incoming BMW R1300GS, then. The system is...