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Motorbike Advice

Your one-stop shop for all motorbike advice, including how-tos, getting a motorcycle licence, servicing, maintenance and more.

Find out which bikes you should be choosing in our expertly curated Best section, or find the perfect kit and accessories at MCN Product Picks.

For those looking to learn how to ride a motorbike, head to our Learning to Ride hub, where we cover all you need to know about getting into this wonderful lifestyle.

If you've already got going, check out our Riding Tips section for the best guides and top techniques.

Looking for somewhere to go? Don't miss our Places to Visit area for some ideas for your next rideout.

And when you get home, learn how to look after your bike in our Bike Maintenance hub.

Year: ALL

Experience riding as fast as you want on a German autobahn

13 September 2021 by Bruce Dunn

Experience riding as fast as you want on a German autobahn

With sixth gear engaged and the throttle open to the stop, the three-lane-wide autobahn funnels ever narrower into a tiny apex in the distance. Accented orange by the rising sun on the horizon, every...

Motorcycle track day tips for beginners

26 August 2021 by MCN News

Motorcycle track day tips for beginners

Motorcycle track days in the UK are big business – particularly since international travel dwindled during the Covid-19 pandemic. And here’s why…  Related: Best motorbike trackday essentials Taking...

Learn the art of bike control: California Superbike School will teach you the secrets to speed

25 August 2021 by Ben Clarke

Learn the art of bike control: California Superbike School will teach you the secrets to speed

Riding in the company I keep at work can be a sobering experience. The wider MCN team have hundreds of years of experience of riding every type of bike on the roads, runways, trails and racetracks –...

Now is the time to design your own helmet

16 August 2021 by Richard Newland

Now is the time to design your own helmet

Hello. My name is Richard, and I’m a shameless hypocrite. OK, so this isn’t group therapy, but I felt it would be wrong not to share with the group that this rampant self-indulgence is spectacularly...

24hr party people: MCN join in the action at the first 24hr Freetech Endurance race

10 August 2021 by Dan Sutherland

24hr party people: MCN join in the action at the first 24hr Freetech Endurance race

It’s 4.30am. We’ve already been racing for 16.5 hours, and I’ve just woken from an exhausted hour’s slumber at the back of our race awning, a face mask over my eyes and earplugs rammed firmly home to...

You meet the nicest people on a Honda: 60 years of the HOC

23 July 2021 by Saffron Wilson

You meet the nicest people on a Honda: 60 years of the HOC

The carpark is abuzz with broad smiles, excited chatter, and gorgeous bikes. Despite the threat of rain, members of the Honda Owner’s Club (HOC) haven’t shied away from an opportunity to come together...

Bike airbag or lifejacket? Don’t get caught out by misleading web listings for cheap safety gear

21 July 2021 by Ben Clarke

Bike airbag or lifejacket? Don’t get caught out by misleading web listings for cheap safety gear

Motorbike airbag vests have been moving into the mainstream in recent years thanks to a wider range of manufacturers launching their own versions at more accessible prices. But not all of the items...

Seconds from glory: How close is Honda’s latest Fireblade to a full factory racer?

09 July 2021 by Bruce Dunn

Seconds from glory: How close is Honda’s latest Fireblade to a full factory racer?

In 1992 Tadao Baba created the Honda FireBlade with the sole intention of making the best possible sports motorcycle. Deliberately opting for a 893cc rather than a 750cc motor, as demanded by the...

Continental concerns? It's MCN's guide to riding your motorbike in Europe

02 July 2021 by MCN

Continental concerns? It's MCN's guide to riding your motorbike in Europe

A European motorbike trip can be a great way to get some miles racked up towards your #ride5000miles total at any time of year; whether it’s your summer holiday, a way to extend the riding season...

Yamaha mark 60 years of GP racing as the second most successful manufacturer of all time

21 June 2021 by Mat Oxley

Yamaha mark 60 years of GP racing as the second most successful manufacturer of all time

Yamaha may not have won as many grand prix races as Honda, but the Hamamatsu manufacturer is arguably still the greatest racing brand of them all. The company contested its first grand prix in May...

Viva Vespa! Celebrating 75 years of the scooter that changed two wheels forever

11 June 2021 by Phil West

Viva Vespa! Celebrating 75 years of the scooter that changed two wheels forever

Seventy-five years ago this spring, motorcycling – or, to be precise, powered two-wheelers – changed forever when the very first scooter was launched. Spawned from the rubble of post-WW2 Italy,...

Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500

10 June 2021 by Jordan Gibbons

Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500

A pair of Northumberland residents have created the Northumberland 250 – a route set to rival the North Coast 500. Related articles on MCN The best UK roads to explore by motorbike this...

Plug in, ride out: Best electric motorbikes of 2023

26 May 2021 by Ben Clarke

Plug in, ride out: Best electric motorbikes of 2023

It’s getting hard to ignore the number of electric vehicles you see on the roads these days. What used to be a novel rarity is now commonplace with models from most major manufacturers and electric...

Avoid buying a nicked track bike: How to make sure a new toy doesn’t belong to someone else

20 May 2021 by Ben Clarke

Avoid buying a nicked track bike: How to make sure a new toy doesn’t belong to someone else

With the world getting back to some kind of normal and summer fast approaching, a lot of riders will be spending their hard-earned cash on a dedicated bike to enjoy at a circuit in the UK. Related:...

Strip lightning! The best naked motorbikes of 2023

17 May 2021 by Phil West

Strip lightning! The best naked motorbikes of 2023

Before sportsbikes gained race-replica bodywork, touring machines required weather-beating full fairings and adventure bikes donned screens, beaks and all manner of plastic add-ons, all bikes were...

Michael Laverty’s all-new riding academy is all about developing the British stars of tomorrow

14 May 2021 by Michael Guy

Michael Laverty’s all-new riding academy is all about developing the British stars of tomorrow

For the first time since 2010 there are no British riders in MotoGP. Three-time race winner Cal Crutchlow’s departure at the end of 2020 has left a void, with no obvious candidates waiting in the...

Marvellous Motobirds: The story of the UK’s first all-female biking stunt team

16 April 2021 by Emma Franklin

Marvellous Motobirds: The story of the UK’s first all-female biking stunt team

In 1972, 17-year-old lab technician Mary Connors was idly flicking through a local newspaper when she spotted a small ad: Girls required to ride motorcycles, full training given. “I honestly thought...

Now's the time to try off-road riding

16 April 2021 by Emma Franklin

Now's the time to try off-road riding

I always thought that handling a bike at high speed on a circuit represented the very pinnacle of skill, not slithering around a field getting mud sprayed up my back. Oh how wrong can a person be? “I...

Take control of your own touring destiny | How to undertake a solo motorcycle tour

15 April 2021 by Alison Silcox

Take control of your own touring destiny | How to undertake a solo motorcycle tour

With destination set to ‘Home’ the satnav tells me there’s a little over 1000 miles ahead, and just before midnight I’ll be back in moonlit Peterborough. It’s at this point, a lightbulb flickers and a...

Ride your own adventure: It’s time to take your first steps off-road

12 April 2021 by Michael Guy

Ride your own adventure: It’s time to take your first steps off-road

Leaving the tarmac behind on a £20k fully loaded BMW R1250GSA is the elephant in the adventure bike showroom. Every manufacturer spends millions developing bikes capable of handling the rough stuff,...

Share your biking obsession: Get someone back on two wheels

09 April 2021 by Jon Urry

Share your biking obsession: Get someone back on two wheels

I’m sure we all know someone who, for one reason or another, holds a motorcycle licence but has given up riding. A dormant biker, just waiting to be gently awoken back to the world of two-wheels. In...

Creating a Monster: Has the 2021 Ducati Monster turned its back on tradition?

03 April 2021 by Phil West

Creating a Monster: Has the 2021 Ducati Monster turned its back on tradition?

We recently got the chance to ride the all-new 2021 Ducati Monster, almost three decades after the firm took the wraps off the original prototype at the 1992 Cologne Motor Show. Entering production...

Back to your biking best: How to shake off the lockdown riding rust

30 March 2021 by Emma Franklin

Back to your biking best: How to shake off the lockdown riding rust

We made it! Spring’s here, the days are getting longer, and Monday, March 29 saw England’s stay-at-home order lifted, meaning just a little more freedom to start enjoying biking for pleasure. Although...

MCN legends: Kawasaki Z1

19 March 2021 by Phil West

MCN legends: Kawasaki Z1

If the CB750 was Japan’s first large capacity four, the Z1 was the world’s first superbike; raising the performance bar to unforeseen heights; leading a new era of big Japanese multis and setting the...

Supersport screamers: It's the best 600cc sports bikes for 2021

17 March 2021 by Dan Sutherland

Supersport screamers: It's the best 600cc sports bikes for 2021

The 600cc sportsbike market has taken a hiding in recent years, with almost all major manufacturers slowing development of their middleweight three and four-cylinder screamers in favour of flagship...

What’s the deal with E10 fuel? We enlist an expert to answer your 'green petrol' questions

15 March 2021 by Ben Purvis

What’s the deal with E10 fuel? We enlist an expert to answer your 'green petrol' questions

From September 2021 ‘E10’ will become the new standard unleaded petrol in UK filling stations and the changeover has sparked concerns that it could cause poor running or even damage on some...

Why you need to own a two-stroke... or two

12 March 2021 by Emma Franklin

Why you need to own a two-stroke... or two

The world is changing. Fossil fuel powered vehicles now have just nine years left before manufacturers stop producing new petrol and diesel four-wheelers. Bikes will follow suit, and in time the...

How to get your motorbike back on the road after a long time

12 March 2021 by Bruce Dunn

How to get your motorbike back on the road after a long time

If you’ve had to lay your bike up for a long period of time, be it due to the seasons, an illness, a trip away with work or any other reason, your bike may need some attention before it’s ready to hit...

From Wimbledon to F1 and the Olympics... Suzi Perry has done it all

08 March 2021 by Michael Guy

From Wimbledon to F1 and the Olympics... Suzi Perry has done it all

In a career that has spanned more than 20 years, Suzi Perry has weaved her way into the fabric of motorcycle racing. Having interviewed riders from Carl Fogarty and Mick Doohan to Valentino Rossi,...

Used motorbike buying guide: don't buy a lemon

04 March 2021 by Neil Murray

Used motorbike buying guide: don't buy a lemon

It’s winter, and that means one thing: bikers buying and selling used motorcycles. With that in mind, how do you know what to look out for when you’re hunting for your next steed?  Buying a pre-loved...

The Great Malle Rally offers two-wheeled escapism without a passport

04 March 2021 by Jordan Gibbons

The Great Malle Rally offers two-wheeled escapism without a passport

Raindrops on hairpins and cold sandy beaches, bright chrome air cleaners and damp tyre screeches, hiding your smartphone so it never rings, these are a few of my favourite things. Cream-coloured...

Best supermoto motorbikes: skids and wheelies for all!

22 February 2021 by Ben Clarke

Best supermoto motorbikes: skids and wheelies for all!

What is a supermoto? Well, there was a time in the late nineties and early noughties where the pinnacle of two wheeled excitement was a supermoto. It’s a simple formula; choose a dirtbike, fit uprated...

Twin peaks: a history of Ducati's iconic V-twin engine

05 February 2021 by Phil West

Twin peaks: a history of Ducati's iconic V-twin engine

This year is a milestone for Ducati’s iconic, Desmodromic V-twin – or ‘L-twin’ as the Italian firm call their 90-degree engine layout. Related articles from MCN 75 years of MV Agusta Two tribes go to...

Captain Sir Tom Moore, 1920 – 2021

02 February 2021 by Jordan Gibbons

Captain Sir Tom Moore, 1920 – 2021

Former British Army despatch rider, motorcycle racer and charity fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore has died after contracting coronavirus. Capt. Moore burst into the public conscious in April 2020,...

The rise, fall and rise of Aprilia: 50 years of motorbikes from Noale

29 January 2021 by Phil West

The rise, fall and rise of Aprilia: 50 years of motorbikes from Noale

Just weeks after its world launch, the most eagerly anticipated bike of 2020, Aprilia’s RS660, is proving to be well worth the wait. The 100bhp twin, complete with mould-breaking, ultralight 169kg...

Best naked 125s of 2021

22 January 2021 by MCN

Best naked 125s of 2021

Looking at buying a new naked 125? Well, MCN has got you covered with this handy pick of the bunch. The sporty naked 125 market is currently saturated with both new and used examples from almost all...