MCN's main tests deliver expert verdicts on the bikes that matter

Year: ALL

The MCN test | best supersport motorbikes of 2024

27 June 2024 by Michael Neeves

We’ve never really thought of Triumph’s Street Triple as a supersport bike before. From its 2006 inception it was always the tamer, more real world take on the Daytona 675 race rep, but not anymore.

We take three hardcore adventure offerings both on and off-road, to see which machine reigns supreme

20 June 2024 by Carl Stevens

Nowadays, adventure bikes come in all shapes and sizes, for every different style of rider. For some, the perfect adventure bike is a light, low-capacity machine that’s capable of being ridden...

The new middleweight sportsbike class is rammed with epic machinery but which one reigns supreme?

13 June 2024 by Carl Stevens

The notion of a thrilling middleweight sportsbike has changed drastically over the past 20 years. In the 2000s, sportiness and lap times trumped everything – meaning that engine capacity and design...

This pair of supermotos are built for skids and wheelies... but which one's best? Let's find out!

05 June 2024 by Carl Stevens

Look up the word ‘fun’ in a dictionary and (depending on what school you went to) there really should be a big fat picture of a supermoto staring back at you. Built to be raw, aggressive and minimal...

2024 BMW R12 vs Harley-Davidson Nightster Special | Can BMW's new cruiser out-perform the H-D on UK roads?

30 May 2024 by Phil West

BMW can’t stop shooting at the US cruiser heavyweights, Harley and Indian… first with the R18 and now with the new R12. But this time it’s different. Where the R18 was an all-new, air-cooled, boxer...

Group testing the Triumph Speed 400 vs Royal Enfield HNTR 350 Vs Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 | Little beauties

23 May 2024 by Jon Urry

Who needs a big bike when these A2-legal offerings are so good? In the UK there is a huge number of what are referred to as ‘dormant bikers.’ While this may sound like someone who sticks their...

BMW F900GS Adventure vs Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro | The best of both worlds

16 May 2024 by Jon Urry

Looking at the current crop of big-capacity adventure bikes, I have a concern about history repeating itself. Let me explain, in the early 2000s sportsbikes suddenly experienced a huge hike in...

Indian Challenger Dark Horse vs Harley-Davidson Road Glide | Battle for bagging rights!

02 May 2024 by Jon Urry

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d be writing – today we are testing two race reps from Harley-Davidson and Indian. No, seriously we are. Believe it or not, the Indian Challenger and Harley Road...

Group testing the Kawasaki Eliminator 500 vs Honda's CMX500 Rebel SE vs Royal Enfield's Shotgun 650 | Cruising for a mild bruising

26 April 2024 by Jon Urry

Whenever cruiser motorcycles are discussed, thoughts naturally turn towards the established and often pricey offerings from America. Harley-Davidson and Indian dominate this segment and for good...

BMW R12 nineT vs Triumph Speed Twin 1200 | Roaring Roadsters - Old-school looks meet modern performance... but which is best?

22 April 2024 by Jon Urry

There is an argument that super-nakeds are getting a bit too, well, super. In a reflection of what happened to their litre sportsbike siblings, the fact that the current crop of full-on naked bikes...

Think the KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo is the cream of the super-naked crop? It's time to find out...

11 April 2024 by Michael Neeves

Last month we got the chance to ride KTM’s new 1390 Super Duke R at its world launch. In an intense, testosterone-fuelled track frenzy at the Almeria circuit in southern Spain, we squeezed five...

(Under) a ton of fun! PCP heroes for under £100 a month

28 March 2024 by Jon Urry

Imagine having a pot by your desk and every day you try to drop in three quid. Yep, just three. Wouldn’t be that hard, would it? On the way into work you could skip that posh coffee and instead get an...

Honda and Suzuki’s rugged adventure bikes take on the MCN250

14 March 2024 by Jon Urry

Entering the world of adventure bikes can be daunting as this rapidly expanding segment is filled to bursting point with a huge variety of bikes all falling under the ‘adventure’ umbrella. And they...

Can Chinese-built Voge DS525X rival the updated Honda NX500?

14 March 2024 by Jon Urry

When it comes to the light/middleweight adventure motorcycle market, one machine has been dominating the show – Honda’s CB500X. Launched in 2013 alongside its naked CB500F and fully-faired CBR500R...

Can BMW’s blacked-out R18 Roctane steal a slice of the Indian Springfield Dark Horse’s American pie?

29 February 2024 by Phil West

You can’t help but admire BMW’s determination to take on classic US cruiser motorcycle brands Harley-Davidson and Indian with their all-new R18 Roctane bagger. First, in 2020, they came up with...

Why mid-size scooters offer the best of everything around town

22 February 2024 by Jon Urry

There is a tendency to assume mid-size scooters are an unpopular choice of two-wheeled transport in the UK. While European cities seem packed full of scoots, with everyone from teenagers to glamorous...

Middleweight road-going adventure mega-test! We pit V-Strom 800RE vs Transalp vs Tiger 850 Sport

02 February 2024 by Jim Moore

Of all the myriad motorbike sub-classes, the middleweight adventure sector is perhaps the most important. With machines ranging from 700 to 900cc in capacity, and prices starting at less than...