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.
Try an electric trials bike at Inch Perfect Trials
22 October 2021 by
Sweat is pouring down my face as I focus every ounce of concentration onto negotiating the rocky river bed, desperate to keep my feet up and avoid a 'dab' whilst my fingers tickle the throttle just...
Britain's best bikes: these are the 2021 MCN Award winners
20 October 2021 by
The MCN Awards celebrate what we think are the very best motorbikes by category available in the UK right now. Some truly wonderful bikes have hit the roads this year, while others remain at the top...
Test your riding endurance in an Iron Butt Rally
12 October 2021 by
The Iron Butt Association is dedicated to the pursuit of safe, long-distance motorcycling. Sure, most of us have done extended days on the bike, but to class yourself as a genuine 'Iron Butter' you...
Experience riding as fast as you want on a German autobahn
13 September 2021 by
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
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...
Learn the art of bike control: California Superbike School will teach you the secrets to speed
25 August 2021 by
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...
Yamaha mark 60 years of GP racing as the second most successful manufacturer of all time
21 June 2021 by
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
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
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 2021
26 May 2021 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 has followed suit, bringing its ban on the sales of new...
Avoid buying a nicked track bike: How to make sure a new toy doesn’t belong to someone else
20 May 2021 by
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 2021
17 May 2021 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...
Michael Laverty’s all-new riding academy is all about developing the British stars of tomorrow
14 May 2021 by
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
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
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...
Make 2021 the year when you take control of your own touring destiny
15 April 2021 by
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Coronavirus pandemic may have delayed the start of the riding season for many of us, but there’s nothing stopping you from making sure your bike’s ready to roll as soon as restrictions are...
From Wimbledon to F1 and the Olympics... Suzi Perry has done it all
08 March 2021 by
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
The latest Government announcement on Coronavirus restrictions says bike dealerships in England can open on April 12. From then on we expect a thriving used motorcycle market, and with that in mind,...
The Great Malle Rally offers two-wheeled escapism without a passport
04 March 2021 by
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
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
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...