First rides & tests

Year: ALL

2017 electric bike of the year: Energica Ego

24 October 2017 by Adam Child

Times are a changing and for the first time we’ve had to create a new Bike of the Year category for electric machines. It’s a class that’s set to grow in the future, but for 2017 the Energica Ego has...

2017 bike of the year: Triumph Street Triple RS

24 October 2017 by Michael Neeves

Triumph’s mighty Street Triple has come a long way from the decade-old 675cc original. That 2007 machine was a succes from the moment it hit showrooms and it got better through every revision and...

Yamaha XMAX 400: 'A maxi scooter without a maxi price tag'

20 October 2017 by Alison Silcox

We recently took part in the UK launch of Yamaha’s updated £5999 XMAX 400 which has the performance and quality finish of the TMAX, at almost half the price. We rode on a 500 mile trip from the UK to...

Gallery: A trio of Street Triples

11 October 2017 by Jon Urry

The Street Triple has always hit the nail on the head, astounding riders with its sporty chassis and storming motor – not to mention its affordable price. But the problem when you build a bike this...

Video: Riding the Suter MMX500

11 October 2017 by MCN News

So, a mega-money, low-volume track machine is the greatest two-stroke ever? Too right it is. This the best stinkwheel the world has ever seen – and it’s currently in production. Anyone can rock up to...

Gallery: Two-stroke heaven - the Suter MMX500

11 October 2017 by MCN News

The Suter MX500 is the fastest, most-advanced production two-stroke the world has ever seen, and MCN Senior Editor Matt Wildee was lucky enough to get a spin on one at Rockingham recently. The MMX is...

Yamaha X-MAX 400: First Ride Incoming

07 October 2017 by Alison Silcox

We’re riding Yamaha’s updated X-MAX 400 at its launch on Monday. We will be taking a trip into Northern France via the Eurotunnel. Priced at £5999, Yamaha’s 395 cc, 33 bhp single cylinder scooter is...

Gallery: Ducati Panigale R Final Edition vs Honda Fireblade SP2

07 October 2017 by MCN News

Ducati’s glorious Panigale R Final Edition is the last hurrah of the the big v-twin superbike before its place is taken by the new Ducati V4 in 2018. The Final Edition is the culmination of years of...

Yamaha YS125 first ride: "A basic, dependable commuter"

04 October 2017 by Jon Urry

While it could certainly never be described as sexy, Yamaha’s YBR125 has always fulfilled an important role. Consistently a best seller with over 150,000 taking to Europe’s streets, the YBR offered...

Gallery: Retro rockets

28 September 2017 by MCN News

Honda have entered the sports retro sector with their new CB1100RS, a slightly sportier version of the CB1100EX. The RS comes with cast wheels, a slightly steeper head angle and a lush red and black...

Super Soco first ride: "Cheap and cheerful"

27 September 2017 by Liam Marsden

Old, dirty, polluting petrol bikes still rule the roost, but let’s face it, they won’t be around for much longer. Electric bikes are great, but they’re heavy, take ages to charge, and only have a...

Honda Fireblade SP2: "RCV DNA coursing through its veins"

17 September 2017 by Michael Neeves

Honda’s Fireblade has been the lifeblood of Ron Haslam’s race school since it started in 1996. During those 21years the school has used every Blade evolution but here we are on the latest addition to...

Gallery: MCN 2017 adventure bike of the year

06 September 2017 by Michael Neeves and Adam Child

Over the last decade, the adventure market has been flooded with bikes ranging in size, cost and their true off-road capabilities. The sheer number and range of options has created a nice problem: how...

2018 Harley Softails ridden

04 September 2017 by Phil West

Harley-Davidson ‘big twin’ cruisers, which include twin-shocked ‘Dyna’s such as the Street Bob and hardtail-looking ‘Softails’ such as the Fat Boy are being replaced by an all-new eight-bike Harley...

Does Suzuki’s DL250 V-Strom cut it for adventure?

01 September 2017 by Dan Sutherland

The DL250 V-Strom joins Suzuki as the baby of their adventure bike range. Sitting below the 650 and 1000 variants, the bike is Suzuki’s first offering to the ever-more-popular mini adventure bike...

Suzuki GSX-S125: "It's more than just a commuter"

01 September 2017 by Dan Sutherland

An afternoon’s riding around the swooping Silverstone countryside has revealed Suzuki’s GSX-S125 to be something of a revelation. Offering genuine riding thrills, it’s the perfect companion for some...

First ride of the Suzuki DL250 V-Strom incoming

28 August 2017 by Dan Sutherland

We’ll be riding the new Suzuki DL250 V-Strom later this week on the roads around Silverstone race circuit, at its European launch. The £4599 (launch price) mini adventure bike is Suzuki’s latest...

First ride of the Suzuki GSX-S125 incoming

27 August 2017 by Dan Sutherland

MCN’s Acting Consumer Editor, Dan Sutherland, will be riding the new Suzuki GSX-S125 this coming Thursday at its European launch. Part of Suzuki’s latest venture into the low capacity market, the...

The Zero S packs 30.6bhp and 79.7ftlb of torque, yet is still A1-legal…

24 August 2017 by Jon Urry

Despite making peak figures of 30.6bhp and 79.7ftlb of torque, the new Zero S ZF6.5 is A1-legal and therefore classed alongside 125cc petrol-powered bikes – which means it can be ridden with L-plates...

Gallery: Old v new adventure bike special

23 August 2017 by Jon Urry

Harry Metcalfe joined me for an MCN road test this week on some old and new adventure bikes. FYI, Harry is a Dakar expert. “Everyone thinks Dakar is about small trail bikes, but this isn’t accurate,”...

First ride: Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition

02 August 2017 by Michael Neeves

WHY DUCATI’S 1299 PANIGALE R FINAL EDITION IS THE ULTIMATE R It’s a Panigale ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation The £34,995 1299 Final Edition R isn’t an ‘R’ in the WSB homologation special sense of the...

Gallery: Superbike showdown

28 July 2017 by MCN News

Superbikes are the very pinnacle of a manufacturer’s talents, a showcase for their genius ability to force power and control to co-exist in some of the smallest and tightest packages ever to have...

Are the changes to the Suzuki GSX-S1000 enough?

27 July 2017 by Adam Child

Suzuki’s GSX-S1000 should have set the world on fire when launched back in 2015. An aggressive naked, powered by a revised GSX-R1000 K5 engine – and all for under £9k. What’s not to like?...

Suzuki GSX250R: First ride incoming

26 July 2017 by Dan Sutherland

We’ll be testing Suzuki’s new GSX250R tomorrow. Costing £4299 for the base model (the GP version is £100 more and includes MotoGP inspired paint scheme), the A2-friendly, 24.7bhp, 248cc parallel twin...

Kymco X-Town 300i first ride

19 July 2017 by Alison Silcox

The Kymco X-Town 300 takes the good-around-town scooter concept to a whole new level with an ability to leave the urban sprawl behind and head for the hills. The A2 licence-friendly scoot is an...

Gallery: KTM v Honda v Ducati v BMW adventure bikes

07 July 2017 by MCN News

Our trusty road testers are out and about again. This week they’ve been comparing, KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure, Honda’s Africa Twin DCT, Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 Enduro and BMW’s R1200GS Adventure...

The 5 best V4s you can actually own

30 June 2017 by Jordan Gibbons

Forget the triple, the V4 is the best combination of a twin and a four. With photos emerging of the new Ducati V4, everyone is getting excited about V4 bikes again. V4s have scored countless race wins...

Gallery: Adventure bikes that don't break the bank

21 June 2017 by Michael Neeves

Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves travelled far and wide (the Shropshire Hills) to test four affordable adventure bikes: Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000, Ducati’s Multistrada 950, KTM’s 1090 Adventure and...

MCN tests Norton’s TT missile

20 June 2017 by Adam Child

Norton had a stunning TT 2017, silencing many critics who thought their Isle of Man challenge would never amount to anything. And although the firm has suffered more than its fair share of lows over...

Aprilia Shiver 900: "An SV650 with balls"

14 June 2017 by Jon Urry

Despite not appearing that much of a change compared to the outgoing Shiver 750, the new Shiver 900 proved a pleasant surprise delivering the kind of refined and smooth ride that is certainly not what...

Gallery: Cafe racer group test

14 June 2017 by MCN News

With more bikes being unveiled each year, it looks like the café racer and retro craze is here to stay, and with bikes as attractive as these it is easy to see why. At a time when sportsbikes are...

Aprilia Shiver 900 first ride incoming

13 June 2017 by Jon Urry

There has been a fair bit of debate on the subject, but Aprilia UK have now confirmed that they will be bringing the new Shiver 900 into the UK and it will cost a slightly odd sounding £8002 OTR due...

Gallery: Triumph Speed Triple vs Street Triple 765 RS

10 June 2017 by MCN News

You’d think there’s only room in the world for one ultimate super-naked Triumph triple, and that last year’s revamped Speed Triple would comfortably continue to fill the role in much the same way it...

SWM Superdual first ride

07 June 2017 by Michael Neeves

SWM’s new Superdual might not be big on bhp, cylinders or electronics, but it’s a proper little do-anything, go-anywhere machine. Big adventure bikes are now caught up in the same power and...

First ride incoming: BMW R nineT Urban G/S

30 May 2017 by Jon Urry

If you are into your G/S models, or GS models depending on the vintage of your bike, then you will probably have been as excited as us when BMW pulled the covers off their latest R nineT model – the...

2017 Kawasaki Versys X 300 first ride

25 May 2017 by Jon Urry

Before I rode the Versys-X 300 there were a few potential issues that I was concerned about – namely the tall 845mm seat height and the screen’s lack of adjustability. I know these may seem small...