Best bikes, kit and rides
Your guide to the best of everything motorcycling in one place. Top bikes, product picks, epic rides and more!
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Bricking it! Lifesize Lego Ducati Panigale V4 R revealed
19 June 2020 by
Hot on the heels of the launch of Lego’s £54.99 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R kit, artist Riccardo Zangelmi has now created a lifesize model of the bike using Technic bricks. Unveiled today at the...
The lids are alright: Best sports-touring motorcycle helmets for under £300
12 May 2020 by
In the market for a new sports touring motorcycle helmet? Got a budget of up to £300? We're here to help. As well as being in direct contact with manufacturers and distributors of the latest lids, our...
Busting the boredom: Your guide to the best video games for bikers
30 April 2020 by
Have you ever dreamed of sitting on a packed MotoGP grid - surrounded by the greatest motorcycle racers in history? Or lusted over the thought of pushing the latest bikes on road and short circuits...
Beat the isolation blues with MCN's top YouTube videos of the last 12 months!
23 March 2020 by
It’s tough being locked up indoors desperate for your biking fix, and there’s only so much cleaning and prep you can do. MCN is here for you with a list of our top ten most popular YouTube videos from...
Putting the style in textile: MCN's guide to the best waterproof gear you can buy right now!
11 March 2020 by
Aside from being unpleasant and sucking the fun out of your riding, being uncomfortable or cold on a motorbike can lead to distraction or slow down your reactions. One of the best ways to avoid this...
Lock it or lose it: MCN's guide to the best locks, chains and disc locks on the market right now
06 March 2020 by
Lock your bike. It’s one of the most crucial lessons you learn, when you get your first push-bike; lock it up wherever you leave it because if you don’t, it might not be there when you get back.
It's all in the jeans: MCN's guide to the best motorbike denim
24 February 2020 by
There are loads of options on the market these days for riding jeans that look casual and keep you cool in summer, without having to sacrifice rider safety. And with so much choice at a range of price...
Keep those fingers flexing, not frozen! MCN's guide to the best heated motorbike gloves
28 January 2020 by
Heated motorbike gloves haven’t been around all that long, but many riders nowadays consider them an absolute essential for riding when the weather’s sub optimal. Picking the best heated gloves for...
From 50-650cc, MCN's round-up of the best new Chinese bikes
03 January 2020 by
Chinese-built bikes have had a chequered history over the past decade or so due partly to a reputation for being cheap or poor quality copies of old Japanese designs – but that’s certainly changing...
Changing the game: Neevesy's top 12 bikes of the last decade
25 December 2019 by
With 2020 just days away, we wave farewell to another year and another decade of motorcycling excellence. The past 10 years have seen some dramatic changes to the two-wheeled landscape; with the...
Cruise controlled: Top Gun movie delayed
16 December 2019 by
Sister publication Empire magazine is reporting the US release of the new Top Gun film has been put back to December 23, 2020, due to Coronavirus. Since the UK launch was slated for after the US one...
The golden ratio? It's MCN's best automatic motorcycles of 2020
16 December 2019 by
Automatic motorbikes are very rare. Or rather, they used to be. But now the swathe of 'twist 'n go' scooters have equivilents in the larger, more powerful classes of bikes too. With changing biker...
Modified mayhem! Find the best base bike for your custom motorbike with MCN
12 December 2019 by
Custom bikes are more fashionable than ever – and we don’t mean old school, V-twin cruisers. Today a personalised 'Bobber', individual 'scrambler', uniquely accessorised 'retro roadster' or even a...
Get down and dirty today with MCN's best off-road bikes
06 December 2019 by
While winter may put a chill and a dampener on road and track motorcycling it remains a great time of year for those who enjoy riding in the dirt. After all, colder temperatures and slippery surfaces...
Best naked 125s of 2020
19 November 2019 by
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...
The best motorcycling boots to keep your feet warm this winter
18 November 2019 by
We probably don't need to tell you that winter riding is a bit rubbish sometimes - cold toes and wet socks here we come! There are, however, some ways to eliminate such discomfort with a decent...
MCN's most wanted: our best bikes of 2020
15 November 2019 by
After the unveiling of several beautiful machines at Eicma earlier this month, the feeling here at MCN Towers is that 2020 will be a great year for new metal, with the hyper naked class undoubtedly...
Embrace the street scrambling scene with MCN's best ‘soft-roaders’ and enduro motorbikes
18 October 2019 by
No type of motorcycle is currently more fashionable than that of retro-styled street scrambler. Inspired by the trail bikes of the 1960s and ‘70s these largely middleweight twins and singles are...
State style? It's the best cruiser motorbikes of 2020
10 October 2019 by
Take the easy rider route with MCN's best cruiser motorcycles. American-style cruisers and customs may not be for everyone, as they emphasise States-style rumbling and leather-clad posing over sporty...
Best adventure motorbikes of 2020
23 September 2019 by
Although adventure bikes such as BMW’s definitive R1250GS were conceived to be capable of conquering continents, as famously portrayed in Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s TV series 'Long Way...
Peter Fonda, 1940-2019
19 August 2019 by
Peter Fonda, the star of the iconic motorcycle film Easy Rider, has died aged 79. Fonda had a long and varied career, however it was his depiction of Wyatt in the cult 1969 road movie that he was...
The UK's best biker cafés of 2019
15 August 2019 by
The best motorbike cafés in the UK are places to meet, eat and socialise with likeminded people who love motorcycles. Related: vote for the UK's best biker cafe 2020 here! Latest biker café news:...
Just passed your test? Check out MCN's 2020 best first big motorbikes!
25 July 2019 by
The route to big bike ownership is complicated. Once you’ve passed your full, unrestricted A licence, either at the age of 21 or older via the progressive route through the lesser licence categories,...
Twist-and-go today with MCN's best cheap 50cc scooters and mopeds for 2020
16 July 2019 by
Though not in the spotlight as much as their bigger alternatives, there is a thriving 50cc scooter market that will get you on two wheels and honing your road craft so that, come the right age, you...
2019 MCN Sicilian Superbike Shootout
22 June 2019 by
Three very special 200bhp-plus superbikes require an equally special stage, so we’ve brought them to Sicily. Related: 2020 Yamaha R1 review It’s a chance to let these incredible machines off their...