First rides & tests

Year: ALL

Gallery: Rocking retros

24 May 2017 by MCN News

If you want to have a chilled ride, one or two up, a modern classic should do the trick. MCN contributor Jon Urry put the theory to the test with Honda’s CB1100 EX, BMW’s R nineT Pure and Triumph...

Kawasaki Versys-X 300 first ride incoming

23 May 2017 by Jon Urry

Not every adventure has to be to the furthest flung corners of the world and this year we are starting to see the rise of the mini adventure bike – small capacity machines that offer all of the...

Ducati 1299 Superleggera: The most savage superbike ever

22 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Ducati’s new £72,000 1299 Superleggera is the world’s most powerful production twin-cylinder. Related: 2020 Ducati V4 Superleggera revealed The 215bhp carbon fibre beast weighs just 156kg dry,...

First ride: Egli Fritz W.1300

17 May 2017 by Jordan Gibbons

Swiss chassis builder Egli have been crafting frames for over 100 years, but the Fritz W.1300– named after founding father Fritz Egli – is their first new bike for nearly 30 years. It features a...

Gallery: Extreme bikes on extreme roads

17 May 2017 by MCN News

Aprilia’s new Tuono 1100 V4 Factory, the BMW S1000R Sport, KTM 1290 Super Duke R and the Yamaha MT-10SP are the hardest, most extreme super-nakeds money can buy. The new machines rival sportsbikes...

Entering a BMW showroom can be a confusing affair. These are bikes sold with myriad options and each has its own bamboozling acronym. But there is a way to simplify the whole process – just tick the...

Gallery: Electric boogaloo

17 May 2017 by Jon Urry

The future is electric. It’s a statement often trotted out as we search for evergreener solutions to our increasingly finite resources of black gold and rapidly multiplying transport woes – especially...

First ride: Harley-Davidson Freewheeler

10 May 2017 by Phil West

Harley-Davidson are no newcomers to trikes. In fact, with their utility Servicar in production between 1932 and 1975, followed by the luxurious Tri Glide Ultra Classic from 2009 (basically an Electra...

Cheap scoots: Honda SH125 vs Kymco Agility City

08 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Sticking two fingers up to the daily grind…We all know 125cc scooters are practical, cheap to run and a cinch to ride, but let’s not forget they’re fun, too. Here’s how we got on when put Honda’s...

New tyre review: Avon Spirit ST

08 May 2017 by Michael Neeves

Avon’s new range-topping sports touring tyre comes with improved all-weather performance, durability…and a new name. The Spirit ST is an evolution of the current Storm 3D X-M, which will stay in the...

Gallery: Yamaha MT-10SP vs KTM 1290 Super Duke R

04 May 2017 by MCN News

The Yamaha MT-10SP uses the latest semi-active electronic suspension from Ohlins to adjust itself to your ride, giving you maximum grip, stability, comfort and support, no matter what the road...

Harley-Davidson Street Rod: To V-twin or not to V-twin?

20 April 2017 by Liam Marsden

We’ve spent the day riding Harley’s 2017 Street Rod around the roads of southern Spain and the new bike, which is based on the Street 750 has surprised us a little. The Street Rod is much more like a...

Harley-Davidson Street Rod 750 first ride incoming

19 April 2017 by Liam Marsden & Adam Child

We’re on the south coast of Spain for the launch of the new Harley-Davidson Street Rod 750, first unveiled in March. The new Street Rod XG750A, to give it its full name, uses a new High Output...

Video: We ride Honda's CB1100 RS and EX

13 April 2017 by Jon Urry

At the moment we are spoilt for choice in the UK when it comes to retro bikes. From the large capacity machines such as the Triumph Thruxtons and Bonnevilles to the smaller capacity Ducati Scrambler...

Yamaha X-MAX 300 first ride incoming

11 April 2017 by Jon Urry

MCN is in Italy, the heart of scooter country, to test Yamaha’s new X-MAX 300 around the streets of Florence. The X-MAX 300 replaces the older X-MAX 250 in Yamaha’s maxi-scooter range and sits...

Video: Why the Ducati Scrambler Café Racer's beauty is more than skin deep

11 April 2017 by Michael Neeves

Ducati’s new £9305 Café Racer is more than just a generic Scrambler with clips-ons and a black and gold, 70s-inspired 900SS Darmah paintjob. While the rest of the six-strong Scrambler range (Desert...

Video: 2017 superbike shootout

09 April 2017 by Liam Marsden

2017 sees the return of two huge names in the superbike class in the guise of Honda’s Fireblade SP and Suzuki’s GSX-R1000R. Both Honda and Suzuki were left behind when the BMW S1000RR moved the goal...

Superbike shootout: The tale of the tape

05 April 2017 by Liam Marsden

It’s that time of year again, when we take the best superbikes on the planet and put them through their paces, and this year our superbike shootout is more thorough than ever before. Over seven days...

First ride of new Ducati Scrambler Café Racer incoming.

05 April 2017 by Michael Neeves

We’ll be riding Ducati’s new Scrambler Café Racer at its world launch in Italy on Friday The £9305, 803cc air-cooled, 50bhp L-twin Café Racer is the latest addition to the hugely popular Scrambler...

First Ride: New range-topping Indian Chieftain Elite

04 April 2017 by Richard Newland

Factory custom specials have long been the preserve of Harley-Davidson’s Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) department, but this is new territory for Indian. Yes, there have been specials (the two Jack...

BMW R1200GS Rallye: A trail blazer

03 April 2017 by Adam Child

At the end of 2016 BMW updated its R1200GS to make it Euro 4 compliant. While the GS was in the workshop they made some cosmetic changes and revised and smoothed the drivetrain. For 2017 BMW have...

Yamaha XSR900 Abarth: 'A retro streetbike success story'

28 March 2017 by Simon Hargreaves

Yamaha’s 2016 XSR900 is a retro streetbike success story. And deservedly so, because it takes the MT-09’s stunningly charismatic, wheelie-tastic 847cc, 115bhp inline triple motor, its die-cast ally...

2017 Yamaha SCR950 launch: Scrambling, cruiser-style

27 March 2017 by Simon Hargreaves

Scrrrrsh! The sound of footrest-on-tarmac contact makes me jump; it’s only the first corner, and the Yamaha SCR950’s Bridgestone Trail Wings aren’t even warm yet. But we’re already grinding dusty...

Yamaha XSR900 Abarth: First ride coming soon

27 March 2017 by Simon Hargreaves

MCN will be grabbing a full first ride on Yamaha’s rather foxy, new, limited edition XSR900 café racer today. With an identical chassis set-up as the hugely popular standard XSR900 streetbike, Yamaha...

Not long till we get off-road with Yamaha's SCR950

27 March 2017 by Simon Hargreaves

MCN will be slipping and sliding, and rolling and riding Yamaha’s new SCR950 today, both on the road and off it. As its name suggests, SCR is short for Scrambler – this is Yamaha’s Faster Sons retro...

Suzuki V-Strom 650XT: Easy rider

22 March 2017 by Liam Marsden

If your adventure bike doesn’t have more electronics than the space shuttle and gadgetry coming out of its ears it often gets forgotten, but Suzuki’s updated baby adventure bike, the V-Strom 650XT,...

New Dunlop Sportsmart2 Max tested

22 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

Dunlop’s new Sportmart2 Max looks like a great choice for rapid road riding and occasional trackday use. We tested the new tyre in the mountain roads overlooking Montpellier in the South of France,...

Incoming: Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT first ride

21 March 2017 by Liam Marsden

We’re currently on our way to Spain to ride the new Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT on Thursday March 23. The XT is the slightly more off-road focused version, fitted with gold wire-spoked wheels instead of the...

Suzuki V-Strom 650XT first ride incoming

20 March 2017 by Liam Marsden

We’re heading to Spain this week to ride the new Suzuki V-Strom 650XT, which features new styling more like its big brother, the V-Strom 1000, and updates to the 645cc V-twin engine. The new engine is...

Is the Peugeot Metropolis RX-R 400i better than a bike?

17 March 2017 by Peter Henshaw

Tilting three-wheel scooters like the Peugeot Metropolis have been around for a decade or more – stroll through Paris or along the French Riviera, and you’ll see loads of them, plus a few in London.

BMW R nineT Pure: 'A charming motorcycle'

16 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

BMW’s budget R nineT Pure delivers largely the same as its more-expensive big brother. Pared-to-the-bone when it comes to equipment, but boasting great dynamics and a characterful engine, BMW’s R...

We ride the new BMW S1000R Sport

14 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

Fast, frenetic, friendly and flexible, BMW’s new S1000R Sport is much like the old one – and that’s no bad thing. Now in its fourth year of production, BMW’s top-spec super naked has been treated to a...

2017 BMW S1000R Sport launched

12 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

MCN Senior Editor Matt Wildee is in Spain, testing BMW’s new S1000R Sport. The German supernaked has received a host of changes for 2017, including a new, lighter chassis, revised electronics which...

UK exclusive! BMW R NineT Racer first ride

08 March 2017 by Matt Wildee

We get the first taste of BMW’s new beautiful café racer. BMW’S £10,755 R nineT Racer has arrived in the UK and judging by our sneaky first ride, this is a motorcycle that goes as well as it looks.

Gallery: KTM 1290 Super Adventure R first ride

08 March 2017 by MCN News

KTM’s latest and – according to the Austrian firm – most extreme adventure bike, the 1290 Super Adventure R has landed, with the company launching the bike in Peru last week. Unlike most high-tech...

KTM 1290 Super Adventure R lives up to the promise

06 March 2017 by Adam Child

KTM are claiming their new 1290 Super Adventure R is the most extreme adventure bike ever made – and after a full day’s riding in the blistering heat of Peru – I’m inclined to agree. But you don’t...