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 and kit you should be choosing in our expertly curated Best section.
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.
Evel Knievel Laverda leaps back into the limelight
25 November 2020 by
A bike used by Evel Knievel has been discovered, restored and put on public display. Knievel, who died in 2007, is best remembered for using Harley-Davidson XR750s in the 1970s, most notably for his...
How to prepare your motorbike for winter
20 November 2020 by
Make sure your bike can cope with colder condition with these 10 steps. 1. The right rubber Cold conditions affect how tyres work and dedicated sports rubber isn’t suited to winter. Temperatures...
So long supersport: A history of the Yamaha R6
19 November 2020 by
The supersport class has been struggling in recent years and now the Yamaha R6 has become the latest model to fall foul of dwindling sales and ever-tightening emissions regulations. Hard to believe...
Boxer goodies: Polish custom house create stunning café racer BMW R100RT
18 November 2020 by
A Polish motorcycle custom house have transformed a 1982 BMW R100RT into a modern café racer. Warsaw-based Eighty Six Gear Motorcycles spent a year-and-a-half turning the 49,700-mile classic into the...
The Tesi H2 marks Bimota's return – but where did it all begin?
13 November 2020 by
With orders now being taken for the supercharged, hub-centre-steered Bimota Tesi H2, it’s worth revisiting the Italian brand’s glittering, yet chequered, history. Related articles on MCN Bimota KB4...
MTB to motorbike: The Mod 1 test
06 November 2020 by
Given how everyone I know with a motorbike says the first practical test is harder than the second, I was surprised to discover it usually takes about 15 minutes and mostly involves riding around...
Our bikes: Richard Newland's Ducati 996
05 November 2020 by
There’s something exceptionally pleasing about big V-twins. The flatness of their delivery, their deceptive speed and gluttonous dollops of torque. The way they build power with a surging tide...
Dream Ducatis: Michael Neeves tangos with a trio of Superleggeras
04 November 2020 by
Ducati’s Superleggera is a rare, exotic beast. Only 1500 have ever been built: 500 magnesium-framed 1199s in 2014, 500 carbon-framed 1299s in 2017 and new for this year 500 carbon-framed V4s. They’re...
Thanks for the memories: Honda Ron Haslam Race School calls time after 24 years of expert tuition
03 November 2020 by
After 24 years and an estimated 87,000 customers, the chequered flag has fallen on the Honda Ron Haslam Race School. Having announced that 2020 would be their final year of operation back on...
Celebrating Black History Month: As one of the few mixed race riders in bikesport, Asher Durham hopes he can inspire others
30 October 2020 by
Asher Durham is a BSB Junior Superstock 600 racer who started in motocross and then became the youngest ever rider to compete in the 125cc British championship at the age of 13. He went on to be a...
Celebrating Black History Month: Ex-bike journalist Jane Omorogbe is one motorcycling's rare high-profile black riders
30 October 2020 by
Most people first became aware of Jane Omorogbe as 'Rio' in the late-90s TV phenomenon that was Gladiators (she was also in the film epic, Gladiator). She went on to present a wide array of TV...
Put a spring in your step: Why you should get a pro suspension set up
30 October 2020 by
Feel like making a dramatic change to your bike’s performance, something that’ll affect every aspect of your riding? Forget fancy carbon-clad exhausts – pound for pound suspension upgrades make the...
Plans announced to ban all mobile use at the wheel
29 October 2020 by
A consultation has been opened to toughen up the laws around using a mobile phone while in charge of a vehicle on the road. You might think that the rules stop you from doing it already, but...
Britain's best bikes: these are the 2020 MCN Award winners
27 October 2020 by
The MCN Awards celebrate what we think are the very best motorbikes by category available in the UK right now. It may not feel like there’s been much to celebrate in 2020, but some truly wonderful...
Learner-friendly fun: it's the best 125cc motorbikes in 2020
26 October 2020 by
If you’re learning to ride and aged 17 or older, after passing your CBT certificate (Compulsory Basic Training) you can gain your provisional A1 bike licence, which allows you to ride up to 125cc...
Supersport screamers: It's the best 600cc sports bikes
26 October 2020 by
The 600cc sportsbike market has taken a fairly big hiding in recent years, with almost all major manufacturers slowing development of their middleweight three- and four-cylinder screamers in favour of...
The Ace Café London through the ages
19 October 2020 by
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The Ace Café on London's North Circular has been a home from home for motorcyclists for over 80 years, so we at MCN thought we'd put together a gallery of pictures to show how it has changed in that...
If Bond did bike museums: Why you should head up an Austrian summit to the amazing Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum
14 October 2020 by
Austria’s highest border crossing is also one of its greatest motorcycle roads. The mighty Timmelsjoch pass climbs from the Ötztal valley in the Austrian Tyrol and crosses the border at 2474m before...
Zef Eisenberg, 1973-2020
08 October 2020 by
Multiple world and British speed record holder Zef Eisenberg tragically lost his life in an accident during a record attempt at Elvington airfield on Thursday, October 1. Zef, 47, was a businessman,...
Smile for miles! It's the best touring motorbikes
07 October 2020 by
Touring by motorbike is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things you can do on two wheels. While it’s true that you can tour on anything from a superbike to a 125, this list will concentrate on...
Boxing clever: BMW R18's engine was 100 years in the making
05 October 2020 by
The 1802cc air-cooled unit inside the new BMW R18 is the largest and torquiest boxer they've ever built. It sets a whole new standard in modern, air-cooled engine design but the basic layout stretches...
30 years on: The story behind Triumph's rebirth
23 September 2020 by
Thirty years ago this month, in September 1990, Triumph Motorcycles were reborn when, not one, not two, but SIX all-new Hinckley-built bikes were unveiled on the opening day of the Cologne Show in...
Top A2 licence-friendly bikes for 2020
10 September 2020 by
If you're 19 or older, after a CBT, theory test and two-part practical assessment you can gain an A2 licence, which allows you to ride a bike of up to 35kW (roughly 47bhp) without displaying L-plates.
Cow herding…on a bike! Ex-Great Escape Triumph TR6 is a firm farm favourite
09 September 2020 by
Nearly 60 years ago Steve McQueen wowed motorcyclists with his riding in the classic movie The Great Escape. Following completion of filming, the Triumph TR6 that was used in the famous jump over the...
Best electric motorbikes of 2020
04 September 2020 by
It’s time to take electric motorbikes seriously. In 2016, Germany voted to ban the internal combustion engine by 2030, and the UK Government is under pressure to bring its ban on the sales of new...
How to pass your full UK motorbike licence
27 August 2020 by
Getting a motorcycle licence in the UK - known as a category A licence - opens the door to one of the most exciting and liberating experiences going, but doing so can seem offputtingly complicated.
Upright aggression: MCN's guide to the best stripped-back super nakeds on the market right now
26 August 2020 by
A new generation of super nakeds hit the streets in 2020 with more power, fancier tech and higher price tags than ever before. The headline grabbers were Ducati and Kawasaki whose new bikes – the...
MCN's August Bank Holiday events guide
24 August 2020 by
The August Bank Holiday weekend is almost upon us and is offering bikers a chance to get out and about at some great events, as well as enjoy some cracking world championship motorcycle racing...
All-rounder rubber! It's the best sports-touring tyres
14 August 2020 by
Welcome to MCN’s 2020 sports-touring tyre test. This is the rubber that promises the best of everything; handling performance, allweather grip and thousands of miles of life. In fact, apart from...
'I'm a motorcycle fanatic' - Captain Sir Tom Moore
13 August 2020 by
Captain Sir Tom Moore burst into the public consciousness in April, when over the course of three weeks he walked 100 lengths of his garden and raised more than £40m for the NHS. But a documentary to...
Go-anywhere Garmins: Montana 700 series launched complete with SOS feature
10 August 2020 by
Riding a motorcycle along a rugged trail just got a little safer, thanks to a new all-terrain sat-nav system from Garmin, complete with emergency SOS functionality. Consisting of three navigation...
Strip lightning! The best naked motorbikes of 2020
05 August 2020 by
Before sports bikes gained racer-replica bodywork, touring machines required weather-beating full fairings and even adventure machines donned screens, beaks and all manner of plastic add-ons, all...
Jam busters! How to filter on a motorbike
03 August 2020 by
As cars and 4x4s get ever fatter, the lanes we use for filtering are becoming narrower, the margins for error tighter. So more than ever the slickest and safest way to slip through traffic is to slow...
Biking on the big screen: On Any Sunday turns 49
28 July 2020 by
Not only was it nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for best documentary, but On Any Sunday was also backed by Steve McQueen - the coolest man ever to have graced Planet Earth. Related articles on...
Continental concerns? It's MCN's guide to riding your motorbike in Europe
27 July 2020 by
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...
Been window-shopping? Check out our advice on how to buy a used motorbike
30 June 2020 by
Buying a pre-loved motorbike is one of the most exciting experiences there is, but with so much money changing hands it can also be stressful. Buying a lemon can be costly, inconvenient or even...