January

Year: 2015

Month: January

Bike of the Day: Yamaha XVZ1300 Venture Royale

21 January 2015 by Phil West

Here’s a helluva lot of bike for the money. Short-lived full-dresser was based on V4 Vmax mechanicals (but restyled) in a full-monty, retro-styled, ‘ElectraGlide-esque’ touring package. The result is...

Where do you stand on high-vis rider kit?

21 January 2015 by MCN

With the days still being short and murky it raises the annual question of visibility when riding. Where do you stand on high-vis rider kit? Where do you stand on high-vis rider kit?

Secrets of the new Africa Twin

21 January 2015 by Andy Downes & Ben Purvis

Still a year away from production, we unearth Honda’s technical plans for the new Africa Twin. Honda’s all-new Africa Twin adventure bike will be shown in finished form in under a year and will be on...

Michael Dunlop or Guy Martin for 2015 TT glory?

21 January 2015 by MCN

Michael Dunlop will campaign the untested YZF-R1 on the roads this year, while Guy Martin will be aboard the new BMW S1000RR – it’s going to be a fascinating battle, so who’s your money on? Michael...

TT stars head for London

21 January 2015 by MCN

The Classic TT represents the opportunity to see – and hear – some of the greatest machines in history as they are raced around the Mountain Course by some of the world’s most talented riders. At this...

Bike of the Day: 1994 Kawasaki ZXR750

20 January 2015 by Phil West

One of the first mass-market ‘racer replicas’ the original 1989 ZXR is now considered a true ‘modern classic’. It had it all: great looks, sublime handling, a howling GPX750-derived motor and racing...

Huge funds for Welsh motorcycle safety

20 January 2015 by Andy Downes

More than £500,000 has been made available for the development of new technology to help reduce motorcycle casualties in Wales. The funding is being provided by the Welsh government, Innovate UK and...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 3

20 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Well, the trip certainly didn’t end the way I was planning on it. Instead of riding the final 284 miles home from Abington Services on the M74, I instead did the journey in the passenger seat of a...

New MCN January 21: Dunlop signs for Yamaha

20 January 2015 by Liam Marsden

In this week’s MCN, available in newsagents, on iPad and Android from January 21: – Michael Dunlop signs for Milwaukee Yamaha for 2015 – Sports tourer supertest: Kawasaki Versys 1000 takes on rivals –...

Jaguar Land Rover working on motorcycle safety

20 January 2015 by Andy Downes

British firm Jaguar Land Rover is working on new safety technology which it hopes will work to improve safety for motorcycles and cyclists by creating coloured warnings inside the car along with...

Peugeot Django scooter gets power boost

19 January 2015 by Andy Downes

Peugeot has added the option of a larger 150cc engine variant to the retro-modern Django scooter range which will run alongside the existing 125cc version. The new 150cc engine produces 10% more power...

My Life in Bikes Carl Cox

19 January 2015 by Michael Neeves

The bike-mad superstar DJ talks Fizzies, his 60-strong bike collection and running his own team at the TT AGE: 51 OCCUPATION: INTERNATIONAL DJ NATIONALITY: BRITISH How did it all start? My first bike...

First ride: RSD BMW RnineT

19 January 2015 by MCN

BMW’s retro, boxer-powered roadster, the RnineT was one of the hits of 2014 and now Roland Sands Design (RSD), who worked with the German marque to come up with the original concept, have come up with...

Vincent HRD saved from scrap up for auction

19 January 2015 by Andy Downes

A 1939 Vincent HRD Series-A Rapide rescued from being scrapped has been restored and is now up for auction for an estimated value of between £220,000 and £260,000 at the Bonhams Stafford sale in...

Record sales for BMW in 2014

19 January 2015 by Andy Downes

BMW sold more than 123,000 motorcycles around the world in 2014 to beat the all-time record for the German company and it represents a 7.2% overall increase. The company sold 123,495 bikes in 2014; it...

Win a trip for your bike......

19 January 2015 by MCN News Team

New concept Bikeshuttle take the slog out of getting to the Alps, as you fly and meet your bike, saving time, boredom and money! And MCN have a return place to give away to two lucky...

Moto2 bikes for sale

19 January 2015 by MCN News

Fancy owning a Moto2 bike with some pedigree? Here’s your chance – as AGT REA Racing have acquired the Marc VDS Kalex & Caterham Suter Moto2 race bikes – including Johan Zarcos full bike that finished...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 2

18 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Ok, I’ll put m hands up and admit defeat – I didn’t make it to Inverness on the mighty little Yamaha MT 125! The weather finally beat me, just after leaving my overnight stop in Perth, only 90 miles...

Warning: new scam technique in operation

16 January 2015 by Tony Hoare

Watch out for a new type of attempted scam by tricksters posing as sellers of used motorcycles. This one follows many of the traditional tricks of conmen by requesting payment details without the...

RIDE Videogame Release Date Announced

16 January 2015 by Steve Hunt

The RIDE videogame, from the developers of the recent MotoGP and SBK titles, has been set for a worldwide release on March 20th this year. The game which features over 100 bikes from the majority of...

Two Way Street: MV Brutale 800 RR vs Ducati Monster 1200S

16 January 2015 by Adam Child

If you’re after an expensive, exotic, naked Italian superbike it has to look good – whether you’re parading up and down the Kings Road or, in our case, the streets of Bologna. Which is where MV...

Polaris buy Brammo

16 January 2015 by Phil West

Electric motorcycles have taken another step closer to the mainstream with the news that electric motorcycles pioneer, Brammo, have been taken over by the huge Polaris Industries – the corporation...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 1

16 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Yesterday, I rode 405 miles through some of the worst weather of this winter, on a 125! I don’t think I’m mad, but I admit that there were points yesterday where even I doubted my sanity! I’ve had...

Bike of the Day: 1984 Kawasaki KL250

16 January 2015 by Phil West

You don’t see many of these around these days. Good-looking single from the golden age of trail bikes was Kawasaki’s thumper rival to the likes of Honda’s popular XL250 and Yam’s XT. Oddly this class...

See May and Hammond’s classic bike collections

15 January 2015

Richard Hammond and James May are absolute bike nuts with extensive collections of some fascinating machines and, for the first time ever, we’re bringing their cherished machines together in a...

Bike of the Day: 2006 Aprilia Tuono 1000R

15 January 2015 by Phil West

Second generation V-twin Tuono is basically a naked version of the revamped RSV1000R superbike which blended man-size, hairy-chested performance with classy componentry (though not quite as classy as...

Ducati corner more of the market

15 January 2015 by MCN News

Ducati achieved a new sales record in 2014, having put 45,100 bikes into the hands of new customers – 2% more than in 2013. It’s the fifth year of growth for the Italian icon, which is now under the...

Video: New vs old BMW S1000RR dyno and top speed

15 January 2015 by MCN

It’s the S1000RR’s biggest revamp since it was introduced five years ago. BMW say their new weapon is lighter, more powerful, and more refined than ever, so we put it head-to-head with the outgoing...

Long-term test: Triumph Bonneville T100

15 January 2015 by Simon Relph

During my time with the Triumph Bonneville T100, MCN readers with Bonnies have strongly recommended uprating the rear suspension. The original shocks weren’t bad, but there is always room for...

First ride: Mash Roadstar 400

14 January 2015 by MCN

Mash is the newest motorcycle brand to hit the UK. Dreamt up and styled in France, made in China and now trickling into UK dealers its first offering is a retro single that reminds of Yamaha’s revived...

Long-term test: BMW S1000R

14 January 2015 by Michael Neeves

‘Super nakeds’ are the perfect kind of road bike for me. They have superbike-levels of acceleration, handling and braking, but they’re comfy and will wheelie, stoppie and skid for England. Their lack...

Record-breaking 2014 sales for BMW

13 January 2015 by Andy Downes

BMW is celebrating a record-breaking year for new motorcycle registrations in the UK with the R1200GS the best-selling motorcycle over 125cc for the fifth consecutive year. Total sales of BMWs in the...

New Kawasaki finance offers revealed

13 January 2015 by Andy Downes

Kawasaki has launched a new finance scheme called “Black and White Promotion which will run until the end of March and includes offers for 0% finance and deposits of just £99. Models covered include...

New MCN January 14: New vs old BMW S1000RR

13 January 2015 by Liam Marsden

In this week’s MCN, available in newsagents, on iPad and Android from January 14: – S1000RR head-to-head: Most powerful road bike ever raises the bar again – Adventure special: Make 2015 the year of...

Indian Scout in dealers this weekend

12 January 2015 by MCN Staff

Indian Motorcycles have announced a series of dealer launch events this coming Saturday January 17 to herald the arrival of the excellent new Scout – a middleweight cruiser with handling and pricing...

Suzuki launches modern classics website

12 January 2015 by Andy Downes

Suzuki have launched a new modern classics parts scheme which follows a success of a similar scheme for vintage parts and older bikes. Older bikes like the RGV250 race replica two-stroke are already...