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

How to ride a motorcycle: a beginner's guide

Yesterday 12:44 by Gareth Evans

Learning to ride a motorcycle safely is one of the most exciting things you can ever do. Offering freedom like no other mode of transport and delivering a sense of speed and exhilaration unmatched on...

19 September 2023 by Gareth Evans

Welcome to MCN’s guide to passing the A1 motorbike licence, where we explain what it is, who it’s for and crucially, how to pass it. For a younger person learning to ride a motorbike, this is the...

How to pass your motorcycle theory test

18 September 2023 by Gareth Evans

When you’re learning to ride a motorbike, you’ll need to pass the motorcycle theory test. This is the second element of passing your full motorbike licence, occurring before the two practical modules...

Fun in the sun: Tips for riding your motorbike in hot weather

15 September 2023 by MCN

Right from when we learn to ride a motorbike, it’s long days of cruising in the sunshine or hot, sticky trackdays or quick blasts to the coast in the hot weather that we imagine and look forward...

Ice 'n easy: How to ride a motorbike in winter

14 September 2023

Learning to ride a motorbike involves getting a handle on dealing with various conditions. Biking all year round is one of the most life-enriching things you can do, and that includes riding a...

Ready to Ride: Fix a roadside flat

13 September 2023 by Bruce Dunn

READY TO RIDE WITH AMAZON In this week’s how-to, we show you how to get going again after a puncture while on the move. These types of repairs can really get you out of a spot. The Gryp kit that we deployed here is really...

Beginner tips: Your first month motorcycling after learning to ride

01 September 2023 by Gareth Evans

In your first month motorbiking, you’ll make some mistakes, but you’ll also make some incredible memories. That’s because when you learn to ride a motorbike, the lessons don’t stop when you pass...

Ready to Ride: Fit soft luggage safely

30 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

READY TO RIDE WITH AMAZON Don’t take for granted that when you have fitted soft luggage to your bike that it will stay secure. You should check that it is still safely fitted when you stop for fuel or park up. A pal of...

MCN’s guide to learning to ride a motorcycle

15 August 2023 by Gareth Evans

Want to learn to ride a motorbike? Then you’ve landed on the right article. MCN is the leading authority in the UK motorbike industry, and our expert testers have ridden all the bikes, tried all the...

Ready to Ride: How to fit heated grips

09 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

READY TO RIDE WITH AMAZON When it comes to choosing a set of heated grips, having the ability to vary the amount of heat with a controller is top of my agenda, but more importantly than that, is some sort of battery-saving...

Ready to Ride: Service your brakes and change pads

02 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

READY TO RIDE WITH AMAZON When it comes to changing the brake pads on your bike it’s worth checking out what type of brake pad is available, as there will be a dizzying array on offer, each one claiming different benefits.

Fixing Up: How to refresh your oil

25 July 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Ready to Ride with Amazon In part two of our Amazon Fixing Up: Ready to Ride series we get the 2019 Kawasaki Z1000SX back in the workshop. This week’s job is to replace the engine oil and fit a new filter. An oil and...

Suzuki Hayabusa in detail: One of the best hyper bikes of all time

14 July 2023 by MCN

The hyper bike motorcycle category was born out of an arms race between manufacturers to claim the accolade of highest top speed through the nineties. Bikes like the Suzuki Hayabusa, Honda Super...

Fixing up: Your 10-point checklist for looking after your bike

11 July 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Ready to Ride with Amazon One of the joys of motorcycle ownership for me is being in the workshop and getting the tools out. It’s a way of unwinding and learning the detail of maintaining and looking after your bike. This...

How to protect your bike from damage in a crash

01 June 2023 by Bruce Dunn

The thought of ever damaging your bike can be enough to turn your stomach, which is why plenty of us choose to lavish them with crash protection. Made from tough nylon, crash protection is designed to...

Stay connected: Wire in a motorcycle USB port and phone cradle for navigation and more

09 May 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Plenty of bikers enjoy time on two wheels precisely because it’s time that we can’t be reached, distracted or hassled by our phones. The time spent ‘off-grid’ in the saddle can be a sacred break from...

The true cost of biking: MCN investigates whether motorbikes really are getting more expensive

21 April 2023 by Ben Clarke

It’s a common complaint in the motorcycle industry that motorbikes have got too expensive. And it’s easy to see why, with prices for flagship models regularly topping £20,000 and limited editions or...

Adventure-ready: Dunlop Trailmax Raid 50/50 tyre review

10 April 2023 by Michael Guy

In-line with the exponential growth of the adventure bike class, tyre manufacturers are working overtime to develop their products to meet the ever increasing demands of riders. It’s a competitive...

Staying out of trouble on your bike: The perils of the video camera

21 March 2023 by Michael Neeves

In this video, Michael Neeves explores the increased number of cameras in the UK and how it can affect bikers. Aside from traditional speed cameras, there are now evidence-gathering devices on car...

Race back to the 70s: Italian tour takes in MotoGP round on modern classics

10 March 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

As the world championship race season gets underway, many of us dream of blasting across to the continent to soak up the action at historic European circuits. But why not do it in style? An Italian...

'We do not want to silence bikes' - FIM President Jorge Viegas

03 March 2023 by Michael Guy

In December 2022, Jorge Viegas was re-elected as the president of the FIM (Federation of International Motorcycling). Having made sweeping changes during his first four-year term to improve...

Speedy and supple: It's MCN's best sports tourer motorcycles of 2023

21 February 2023 by Michael Neeves

Kawasaki have been left to fly the sports tourer flag alone in recent times, as adventure-style bikes have become the new allrounders and the £12,349 Ninja 1000SX has been the only choice for those...

James 'Bubba' Stewart: The motocross megastar who pushed boundaries

03 February 2023 by Emma Franklin

A motocross force of nature, James ‘Bubba’ Stewart has left a lasting imprint on the sport, not only for his sheer dominance, being one of only two riders in history to win perfect championships, but...

Bridgestone Battlax AT41 review: Are these new tyres too off-roady for Neevesy?

02 February 2023 by Michael Neeves

With their deep, chunky tread blocks Bridgestone’s new AT41s have been designed to give your adventure bike a rugged look and a modicum of off-road performance. They suggest around an 80/20,...

A Tiger's best friend: Mezteler Tourance Next suit Triumph’s new adventurer down to the ground

31 January 2023 by Michael Neeves

One of the things that really blew me away when I first rode my Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer long termer was its handling. For such a tall, heavy beast it can be stuffed into a corner like a...

BSA Gold Star vs Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 video review | Which is the best retro?

27 January 2023 by Michael Neeves

On paper, BSA’s new Gold Star is a worthy adversary for the class-leading Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. They have similar stats for weight, power, price, capacity and both borrow heavily from a claim...

Cross the Alps by motorcycle with the Great Malle Mountain Rally

27 January 2023 by Saffron Wilson

Imagine riding across the rooftop of Europe, ticking off all of the highest passes in the Alps as you do so. Cruising along the serene tarmac of a carefully planned pre-set route, triumphing over...

WWII despatch rider Lewis Banham has died

20 December 2022 by Dan Sutherland

MCN is saddened to learn of the loss of Lewis Banham, an incredibly brave Second World War despatch rider that inspired a Veterans Living History Museum (VLHM) project to ride a 1944 BSA M20 from...

Building perfection: Michael Guy sets about buying and modifying his ideal adventure bike

10 November 2022 by Michael Guy

MCN Sport Editor Michael Guy has a new video series exploring the middleweight adventure bike market. But unlike most bike reviews, once he decides on the best one he buys it with his own money and...

Going extreme for charity: Pol Tarrés helps boost the work of Riders for Health

14 October 2022 by Richard Newland

This page is a free example of the amazing content MCN Members get every single week. Becoming an MCN Member gives you full access to all of the bikes, the behind-the-scenes stories, news exclusives,...

Ducati’s master plan: CEO talks electric, alternative fuels and the brand’s future direction