Bike news

Year: ALL

Threat of congestion charge grows for bikes

18 February 2003

Road safety campaigners are calling on Ken Livinstone to add bikes to London’s congestion charging They fear that the fact that bikes go free will add to the number of new and inexperienced riders on...

Win a Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 with Fantasy Road Race

18 February 2003

MCN’s Fantasy Road Racing competition has prizes worth £15500 up for grabs, and a top prize of a Rizla replica Suzuki worth around £12000. If you’ve ever claimed to know more about racing than your...

Cambridge

11 February 2003

On-street parking: Trumpington Street – Near Fitzwilliam Street junction Free School Lane – Near Bene’t Street Botolph Lane – Near Free School Lane junction Silver Street – Near Queens Road junction Regent Street – Outside Mandela House King Street – Near Hobson Street junction Off-street parking: Lion Yard car park – entry to the car park must be made via St Tibb’s Row rather than the main...

BMW expands north of the border

11 February 2003

A new BMW dealership is opening in Bishop Briggs, near Glasgow on March 1. Motorrad Central will stock the entire range of BMW bikes alongside accessories and a full service department. It aims to...

Changes to motorcycle test from 2005

11 February 2003

The motorcycle test will change in 2005 to bring it in line with European legislation. Member states have until October 11, 2005 to implement the changes, which focus on ‘special manoeuvres’ which...

Royal race fan to visit Scarborough Bike Week

11 February 2003

It might be a bit early for you to be planning a trip to Scarborough Bike Week in September, but the Duke of Edinburgh has already announced he’ll be attending for the final day on September 21. He...

Congestion charging begins in London

11 February 2003

Today (February 17) marks the start of congestion charging in London. With car drivers now required to pay £5 daily to drive through central London, the number of bikes in the capital is expected to...

City of London

11 February 2003

On-street parking: Motorcycles should be parked wholly within the bay (or you will get a ticket), they should not be left for more than 24 hours in a bay, and if a bay is suspended overnight and a motorcycle is parked there, it is liable to be removed in the morning. Alderman’s Walk Basinghall St Billiter Street Blomfield Street Broad Street Avenue Bush Lane Carmelite Street Circus Place...

Safety cameras save lives

11 February 2003

The Department of Transport has released the results of a two year long study in to the effectiveness of road Safety Cameras, which concludes that they both reduce speeding and reduce the number of...

Italy raises speed limits for safer motorways

04 February 2003

Speed limits are being raised in Italy to improve road safety. Italian transport minister Pietro Lunardi believes higher speeds will improve the traffic flow, and encourage motorists to pay attention.

Small prang erupts into a riot

04 February 2003

A riot between rival villages erupted near Hanoi in Vietnam, after two bike riders argued over responsibility for a minor crash. The two men were uninjured, but their argument led to a three-hour...

Police just wont let go

04 February 2003

A police motorcycle officer in Temecula, USA, was lucky to escape without injury recently when a car driver that he pulled over tried to escape while the officer’s hand was still inside the...

Make finding parking a lot easier

04 February 2003

With the introduction of congestion charging in London on February 17, the likelihood is that the number of two wheelers on the road in London is going to increase. Inevitably the already limited...

Yamaha slashes prices by up to £500

04 February 2003

Yamaha has cut back on the prices of some of its biggest selling bikes. The firm’s decision means there are big savings to be had on new R1s, Fazer 1000s and TDM900s. The decision comes just weeks...

600 new parking bays for London

04 February 2003

The Corporation of London has announced plans to deal with the expected increase in motorcycles looking to find parking spaces after congestion charging starts. The Corporation’s Unitary Development...

Palace pulls out all the stops

01 February 2003

Snow caused chaos last week and hit attendance at MCN’s Road Racing and Superbike Show at London’s Alexandra Palace. The show had started strongly with record crowds on the opening weekend but on...

Tell us your insurance nightmares

28 January 2003

Are you having an insurance nightmare? Has your insurance doubled for no apparent reason even though in your eyes you’re getting older and safer? Or are you an 18-year-old paying out what most people...

Your snow woes

28 January 2003

Have you been struggling through snow on two wheels? Or did you see someone else in trouble and give them a hand? Here’s some of the experiences of other motorcyclenews.com users; Steve: Despite the...

Rossi’s new V5 and Foggy rides again

28 January 2003

MCN has all the news from the pre-season MotoGP tests at Sepang in Malaysia. We’ve got all the technical details of Rossi’s 2003 RCV, including the new slipper clutch, engine braking, and even details...

Ducati slash prices

28 January 2003

Ducati has cut up to £1000 from the price of its discontinued 2002 bikes to make room for new models. The 900SS, replaced by the new 1000SS for 2003, drops from £7000 to £6000, while the 750SS goes...

Production resumes for Cagiva, MV Agusta and Husqvarna

28 January 2003

Production will resume in February for the Cagiva, MV Agusta and Husqvarna brands. The news was revealed in a statement by MV Agusta president Claudio Castiglioni, which revealed plans for the three...

The 2004 Honda Fireblade

21 January 2003

The latest image of the replacement for the Honda Fireblade is in Motor Cycle News, out now. The RCB1000 will use a completely new engine and chassis, with hybrid RCV-CBR600RR styling. The bike will...

Testing the Triumph Bonneville Ace Replica

21 January 2003

There is, of course, only one place to take a Triumph Bonneville Ace Café Replica – the reborn Ace itself. London’s legendary biker caff of the ’50s and ’60s was rebuilt and reopened five years ago...

Mayor accused of scaring London bikers

21 January 2003

The British Motorcyclists Federation has accused London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s safety team of scaring people away from using motorbikes to beat congestion charging. The BMF are concerned by shock...

World’s greatest stoppie

21 January 2003

MCN reader Matt Goodall must have wondered what was happening when these roadworks loomed out of the darkness. Fortunately, Matt was thrown onto a pile of earth beside the hole, but his Suzuki SV650...

Two Schwantz Specials

21 January 2003

Ten years after GP legend Kevin Schwantz won the 500cc world championship, Crescent Suzuki are celebrating with two unbelievably quick specials. The Crescent/Hyside Hayabusa is a one-off, £20,500...

The MCN Race of Champions Supermoto

21 January 2003

MCN is backing the inaugral Race of Champions Supermoto race at Donington Park on February 22-23. The event takes place over three 20 lap races, with 24 riders invited to compete for a £10,000 prize...

Piaggio targets commuters with sheep

21 January 2003

Piaggio will launch an ad campaign comparing commuters to sheep, and encouraging them to take to two wheels to avoid the London Congestion Charge. Timed to coincide with the charge coming into force,...

Record revenue for Harley-Davidson

21 January 2003

Harley-Davidson have announced record revenue of $4.1 billion for last year, a 20% increase from 2001. Last year was the 17th consecutive year of record revenue and net income for the American...

The MCN Road Racing and Superbike Show

21 January 2003

The best way to start you motorcycling year has to be at Alexandra Palace for the MCN Road Racing and Superbike Show. It takes place from January 25 to February 2, and features plenty of attractions,...

Recall for ZX-12R

21 January 2003

Kawasaki has issued a worldwide recall on all 2000-2003 ZX-12R Ninjas due to a technical fault which can cause oil to leak onto the rear tyre. According to Kawasaki, there is only a small possibility...

Kawasaki Z1 1972-1976

14 January 2003

At the age of ten, motorcycles were noisy but impressive things that drove me to distraction every time I heard one. And the first time I saw Kawasaki’s Z1 parked no more than 10-feet from the other...

Find that elusive spare part

14 January 2003

A new website aims to end all your spare parts nightmares. Bike Parts claim to have microfiches for all Honda bikes since 1980. It also promises to add Yamaha and Suzuki soon, as well as Honda cars,...

Honda in shock price cuts

14 January 2003

Honda has slashed the prices of its entire 2003 range. The move, which is not a temporary offer but a complete restructuring of their prices, will see the price of almost every new Honda drop...

Charlie’s Angels go Full Throttle off road

14 January 2003

Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu will be getting dirty this summer when Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle arrives in cinemas. The sequel to Charlie’s Angels features the trio fighting villains...