Bike news

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The Blast is on this weekend

12 August 2001

Rockingham hosts a motorcycling festival this weekend, with everything from 200mph speed runs to off-road displays. The event, called The Blast, has been set up by the Motorcycle Industry Association...

Biggest twin is full of surprises

12 August 2001

Honda’s VTX1800 may be the biggest twin in production but the huge weight doesn’t overwhelm even at low speeds. It actually handles surprisingly well. The majority of the 320kg (and that’s dry) is...

Hislop slams "greedy" race promoters

12 August 2001

British superbike championship leader Steve Hislop has called race promoters ” greedy ” during a live web chat session on motorcyclenews.com. Hislop was responding to questions about the facilities...

Competitors pull out of rally as mark of respect for Deacon

12 August 2001

Competitors in the Master Rallye have decided not to complete the event after the death of John Deacon on Wednesday. Deacon was running in second on the seventh day of the rally on when he was...

The ChiPs Legend

12 August 2001

In late 1977, the TV-watching nation was treated to its first taste of CHiPs, which followed the glamourous lives of two Los Angeles motorcycle cops; officers Francis Poncherello (Ponch) and Jon Baker...

Don’t be conned by bike theft team

12 August 2001

Police are warning anyone selling a bike to beware of con men who have been bagging three bikes a week in Bedfordshire. One of their number poses as an interested buyer, sits on the bike and asks you...

Now it’s Mr Ice guy

12 August 2001

A man in a violent orange suit is jumping up and down, waving his arms about. He’s got ants in his pants. It’s 8am and Neil Hodgson is more than ready to head out for a few laps of the Island on the...

Steve Hislop in his own words

12 August 2001

Steve Hislop talked to fans in the VIP Lounge of our Talk Bikes section of the site on Thursday, August 16. Here’s a full transcript of the conversation. " MCN " is used to indicated a question from an MCN user. MCN: I’ve started doing some track days and done all the four levels of the California Superbike School, but what i feel is holding me up is my confidence on really fast turns, i.e. over...

Revealed! Secrets of brake discs

12 August 2001

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your brake discs. They look pretty shiny… and that’s about it. But they’re one of the most important parts of your bike when you reach that panic...

First test on Cagiva Xtra Raptor

12 August 2001

The Cagiva Xtra Raptor is exactly that, a Raptor with a little bit more: a bit more adjustment for the suspension, a bit better handling, a bit more carbon-fibre, a bit less weight, a bit more...

Is council Cat & Fiddling speed limits?

12 August 2001

The rules about UK speed limits in the Highway Code are clear. A table tells us that on single carriageway roads, in non-built-up areas, the limit is 60mph. That rule isn’t just there for the benefit...

The equipment

12 August 2001

Each officer carries both a pager and a cellphone along with a radio headset which can switch between different frequencies. You can speak bike-to-bike or to dispatch back at headquarters. This radio...

Your bike can star at Malvern Big Bikes Show

12 August 2001

There’s a show with a difference this weekend. Offer your bike as an exhibit and you’ll save on the entry price. The Big Bikes at Malvern Show runs from Friday, August 17 to Sunday, August 19 in Wye...

More Gatsos, but in sensible places and easier to spot

12 August 2001

More Gatsos are coming with predictions of three times as many speeding fines being issued. But the Government is insisting that from now on cameras are painted bright to make them easy to spot and...

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

05 August 2001

Kevin Schwantz rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch and our cameraman was on hand to catch the moment. Schwantz, seen in the video leading World Rally Championship star Colin McRae round the short...

MAG founder Howard dies

05 August 2001

DENNIS HOWARD, the founder of biking rights organisation the Motorcycle Action Group, has died following an accident on a pushbike last week. He was 80. Howard launched the group to campaign for...

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

05 August 2001

A new glossy magazine for bikesport fans hit the shops on Friday: MCN Sport. The 148-page quarterly publication includes exclusive new articles featuring Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Chris Walker,...

Learning at the California Superbike School

05 August 2001

If you’ve ever entered a corner in mild panic or found yourself drifting wide uncontrollably, and let’s face it we all have, you’re a prime candidate for the famous California Superbike School. In one...

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

05 August 2001

SOMETHING has been niggling me ever since I took delivery of my R1150R back in April. It’s the small matter of getting a slick, judder-free gearchange – the kind of clean shift that sends barely a...

"Coals to Newcastle" as BSA ready all-new twin for Japanese buyers

05 August 2001

ALTHOUGH BSA was once as powerful a force in biking as Honda is today, it may come as a surprise to some that the legendary British firm is still producing bikes at all, let alone readying an all-new...

The Brands track ride out

05 August 2001

Were you among those riding the circuit at the GSX-R Festival. Do you know someone who was? Take a look at the video and see if you can spot anyone you know.

Round-the-world duo reach southern Spain

05 August 2001

Dave Marsden and Ian Wright had got as far as southern Spain when we spoke to them on Friday morning. They plan to cross the border into Portugal and return to stay in Gibraltar tonight. Then it’s across by ferry to Morocco on Saturday morning to head for Fes and the dunes of the Sahara. " And it’s unbearably hot by 6 in the morning here!, " joked Dave. The pair stayed on a campsite last night...

Video action from the festival

05 August 2001

Follow the links, right, to see video of stunt star Kevin Carmichael doing his thing at the Suzuki GSX-R festival or to watch some of the many riders who took to the track. There’s also a link to watch Kevin Schwantz riding at Brands.

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

05 August 2001

Speed cameras look certain to be painted in eye-catching colours now that top cops and the Home Secretary agree it’s the right thing to do. Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) traffic...

First test of new BMW R1150RS

05 August 2001

New images added at 5pm, Wednesday The R1150RS is beyond competent. It is genuinely, spirit-lifting fun… whatever the weather. The changes over the old R1100RS are few and far between. Essentially,...

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

05 August 2001

Motorcyclenews.com has discovered Suzuki is planning to start using an electro-magnetically-operated clutch which will work even better than the quickshifters of today. It is likely to debut on a...

Blackbird goes red

05 August 2001

Honda’s 2002 Super Blackbird will only be changed in one respect from the current model, it will be available in Candy Blazing Red. The eye-catching colour will add to those currently available;...

Watch Carmichael’s GSX-R festival stunts

05 August 2001

Take a look in our NEWS FEATURES section and you’ll find updated and full coverage of the Brands Hatch GSX-R Festival, including exclusive video footage of stunt king Kevin Carmichael’s...

Harley’s Evel past revived by new flat-tracker replica

05 August 2001

HARLEY Davidson are hoping to draw on memories of Evel Knievel and flat track racing with its new limited edition XL 883R. Modelled on the legendary XR750 twin which made the Harley name famous in...

Strange but true

05 August 2001

Here’s our latest round-up of motorcycle-related madness from an increasingly odd world. FRANCE: Inspired by the Starboyz and their fur-covered FireBlades, this French biker seems to have taken the...

John Robinson dies

05 August 2001

It’s with enormous sadness that we report the passing of John Robinson, Performance Bikes’ technical editor. He was 56. John died peacefully in the evening of August 6, in the BUPA Hospital,...

Cash for crashes on foot and mouth mats

05 August 2001

Riders who crashed on disinfected mats put down to curb the spread of foot and mouth could get compensation. Carole Nash is investigating a batch of 23 claims. If the claims are successful, it could...

Land’s End to John O’Groats without putting a foot down

05 August 2001

Wayne Booth has set a record for riding Land’s End to John O’Groats without a stop for so much as a pee… let alone to refuel. Careful planning meant his 854-mile journey was completed without even...

Bulldog Bash now on

05 August 2001

Picture a cross between Ibiza, Brands WSB, Reading Festival and a tattooists’ convention and you’ll get an inkling of what’s going on near Stratford-upon-Avon from Thursday to Sunday this week. From...

James Whitham in his own words

05 August 2001

MCN: In a recent VIP chat Chris Walker said that his ideal team-mate would be you. Who would your ideal team mate? JamesWhitham: Er, probably Chris. The thing is, I like to be in a team where I can get on with people. Somebody like Chris or Steve Plater, just somebody I get on with, and to be honest, most people in racing I get on with cos they’ve got a similar background but Chris would be a good...

Foggy, Perry, Corser fly with the Red Arrows

05 August 2001

For years, the eyes of Carl Fogarty glinted out from inside his crash helmet striking fear into his rivals. But not today. It’s like he’s caught a glimpse of his own reflection and the colour is...