Bike news

Year: ALL

Moments of Mamola magic

18 March 2001

The Clown Prince of GPs, Randy Mamola, in the days before he was ‘that American on Eurosport’

MV Agusta ready to unveil 1000cc superbike

11 March 2001

THE new MV Agusta F5 promises to be the most desirable bike in the world. With a 150bhp 1000cc four-cylinder engine and the design genius of Massimo Tamburini (the man responsible for the F4 and, of...

2001 CBR600 recalled

11 March 2001

Following on the heels of a worldwide recall of FireBlades to correct faulty clutches, Honda’s reputation as the world’s most reliable motorcycle manufacturer has taken another knock. The firm has...

Tony, John: Our safety isn’t a game

11 March 2001

Tony Blair and John Prescott have drawn up a host of unpleasant plans for riders during their time in power – and now they’re looking at another one. There has been the sudden saturation of our...

First pictures of new Mondial WSB racer

11 March 2001

THESE are the first pictures of the long-awaited superbike which will carry the legendary Mondial name back on to the race track later this year. The 999cc V-twin Piega, which has only been seen in...

First ride on the ZRX1200

11 March 2001

THE new ZRX has stonking six-piston Tokico calipers and a new 1164cc engine which pulls out of tight turns like a Japanese bullet train from 2000rpm all the way up to the 10,500rpm red line. But...

ZR-7S takes more of the strain

11 March 2001

THE ZR-7 is a great value fuss-free bike which gives you 750cc for very little money. And now it gives you just a little bit more. Thanks to the addition of a cowling on the new ZR-7S, windblast is a...

Schwantz’s first win

11 March 2001

Well, wouldn’t your favourite GP be the first one you won? It is for Kevin Schwantz

Dad’s the way to do it

11 March 2001

Just in case you forgot Kenny Roberts’ dad was the first American GP legend… here’s a few reasons why

Don’t judge this Duke by its cover

11 March 2001

YOU can hardly see the Valencia pit wall because there are people in red Ducati shirts swarming all over it. But these aren’t fans. These are people who actually work for Ducati. And they’re all...

Is the Bonnie best?

11 March 2001

WE’RE taking the new Triumph Bonneville to Brighton together with the Kawasaki W650 and a Royal Enfield. You can also look forward to a meeting with the man with Britain’s biggest collection of Monkey...

Triumph tests new Daytona

11 March 2001

TRIUMPH’S new Daytona is undergoing extensive last-minute testing to prepare for its release to the public in May. MCN spotted this all-black pre-production machine testing at Bruntingthorpe proving...

Yamaha updates its XJR400R

11 March 2001

SPY shots direct from Japan show Yamaha has given its XJR400R its first major update since its launch in 1994. While the styling has been left untouched, there are plenty of mechanical changes. The...

Bimota shutdown confirmed

11 March 2001

AN ITALIAN court has finally brought an end to Bimota’s drawn-out death, closing the struggling company for good. After more than 25 years of producing some of the most desirable bikes on the planet,...

Agostini in action

11 March 2001

A clip from Duke’s homage to arguably the greatest of them all, Giacomo Agostini

GP bike reveals clues to new R1

04 March 2001

YAMAHA’S new four-stroke GP bike has been spotted in tests in Australia. And that gives a tantalising glimpse of some of the technology that could feature on next year’s expected replacement for the...

World first test on the Ducati 996R

04 March 2001

AFTER his first ride on Ducati’s 996R, MCN’s Marc Potter believes it is the firm’s finest sports bike yet. Potter rode the bike at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Wednesday, March 7, and said: ”...

In memory of Joey Dunlop

04 March 2001

Scenes from Duke Video’s moving tribute to the greatest road racer ever, the late, great Joey Dunlop

Catch up on the TT

04 March 2001

The 2000 TT was one of the best ever. Didn’t go? Have a look at some of these memories and then make up your mind

MZ reveals how its muscle bike will look

04 March 2001

THIS is how MZ wants its planned 1000cc muscle bike to look. The image shown here is an official factory sketch. It is due to go into production next year and cost under £7800. The 1000N will use a...

Daytona by night

04 March 2001

Daytona Bike Week is now in full swing in Florida, attracting close to 300,000 bike fans. Based around the Daytona 200 race, the Bike Week action is actually more about babes in their underwear and...

Brits take the classic cake at Daytona

04 March 2001

British classic racers continued their annual pillage of the AHRMA (America Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) vintage road races at Daytona this week. In the first day of racing at the famous...

Woman airlifted to hospital from coleslaw wrestling

04 March 2001

COLESLAW wrestling often reveals some of the finer points of Daytona Bike Week. But the crowd gathered at the Cabbage Patch for the annual bikini-clad bouts got more than their usual eyeful. A skydiver, hired to impress the crowd, misjudged his landing and came down heavily on a woman serving beer. She was knocked out and had to be taken to hospital by helicopter and last reports indicate she was...

GSX-R shows V-twins the way at the Speedbowl

04 March 2001

LITRE-SIZED twins may be the bikes to beat in World Superbikes at present, but it’s a four-cylinder bike which is leading practice for the prestigious Daytona 200 race in America so far. Reigning U.S. superbike champion Mat Mladin is leading the field by a clear 0.38s on his Suzuki GSX-R750 after final practice before tomorrow’s qualifying session. He’s well ahead of the bike in second, a Ducati...

Rainey remembers…

04 March 2001

Racing legend Wayne Rainey talks of his most memorable 500 GP win, the epic 1989 German GP at Hockenheim

More scenes from Daytona

04 March 2001

Our man in Florida has been busy with the camera again and sent us his latest batch of images for you to enjoy. The Daytona Bike Week is warming up and the streets are getting more and more lairy, so...

Mladin sets pole for Daytona 200

04 March 2001

SUZKI’S Mat Mladin started his U.S superbike championship title defence in perfect style today when he set pole for the first round of the American series at Daytona in Florida. The Australian finished front row qualifying well ahead of countryman Anthony Gobert in second on a Yamaha R7 and Honda’s Nicky Hayden in third. Mladin’s team-mate Aaron Yates completed the front row for Sunday’s...

CapoNord looks ready for anything

04 March 2001

THE CapoNord is going to be a genuine rival for bikes like BMW’s R1150GS and Honda’s Varadero. It even coped with a little bit of off-road riding in Sardinia. ” I tried it on a bit of green laning...

Bultaco ready to return to the road

04 March 2001

THE Bultaco badge hasn’t been seen on a road bike since the 1980s – but that’s will change if this prototype makes it into production. Power for the retro-styled machine comes from a single-cylinder...

Supermoto-style F650 due

04 March 2001

BMW is ready to use its popular F650 single as a basis for an exciting new supermoto-style road bike. The new bike will combine high-rise suspension with sticky sports tyres on 17-inch rims. According...

Watch video of the 996R in action

04 March 2001

Join MCN’s Marc Potter on board the 996R in Valencia, Spain today.

If only all decisions were as enjoyable

01 March 2001

HERE in Britain, our roads are titchy and crammed with traffic, our speed limits are archaic and proliferating speed cameras mean our chance of making the most of our bikes’ performance seem to...

Piaggio reveals 250… and promises a 500 to follow

25 February 2001

PIAGGIO is launching a 250cc scooter next month called the Jupiter. Powered by a Yamaha YP250 Majesty engine it will be in UK showrooms by April. A 180cc version and a 500cc one will follow later this...

All these first tests coming soon

25 February 2001

MCN’S Marc Potter will ride Ducati’s new 996R on Wednesday March 7, becoming one of the first people outside the factory to do so. And we’ll be bringing you his first reactions on that very day. In the next fortnight you can also look forward to the world’s first tests of the Aprilia CapoNord, Kawasaki RZX1200S and ZR7S and Piaggio’s new 500cc super-scooter, the X9. Keep checking back with...

Ducati plans Foggy rep Monster

25 February 2001

DUCATI bosses in Italy have confirmed they are working on a Monster tribute to four-times WSB champion Carl Fogarty based on the latest S4 version of the bike. It uses a 916cc water-cooled motor...

Honed to perfection

25 February 2001

HAVING honed and refined the FireBlade over the eight years since its introduction in 1992, Honda entered the new millennium with perhaps its most radical incarnation of the model yet. Although always...