New rider

Kryptonite New York disc lock, £56.99 Time used: Six months What’s good? This little disc lock travels with me whenever I make a journey that’s not garage-to-garage. It’s light enough to carry in a...

Oxford Bone Dry Sports Gloves, £47.49 Miles covered/time: 500/three weeks What’s good? They’re smooth and silky inside and immediately comfortable on the ends of your arms. The armour seems solid and...

Q. My front tyre has only done 1300 miles, but it keeps deflating. When I took it to a local tyre dealer they said it was porous – is this normal? PTMX1234, MCN forums A. The majority of problems with...

Q. I have just had a low speed coming off. The bike, a Ducati 749, dropped onto one side and slid into a kerb putting a small dent into my front Marchesini wheel rim. What is your opinion on getting a...

Q. I decided to sync the carbs on a 1999 Bandit 600 I just bought. I got her warmed up and tried to set the idle speed at 1750rpm for the sync (as per the Haynes manual). I turned the adjuster screw...

Q. I'm looking to replace the rear tyre on a Ducati GT1000 which has a spoked wheels and inner tubes. Can tubeless tyres be fitted, but with tubes, to broaden my choice or am I really limited to the...

Q. I was advised at my MoT that one fork seal on my '04 Fireblade was worn (there was slight misting of oil on the fork). The garage said they could replace just the one, but when I rang the main...

Q. I got on my Suzuki RF600R today to go home from work, and the first thing it did when I tried to start it was backfire and shoot flames. I thought what the hell, maybe these things happen. When I...

I thought i would drop you this email, to let you know if interested that I was 17 on the 2nd october, where i pre booked my theory and passed then got a cancelation for mod 1 then passed,...

I need some new tyres for my 2003 Kawasaki ZX-9R. It’s currently fitted with Bridgestone BT-014s, I'm mainly an easy road rider, but I like to get it over in the bends occasionally, so could do with...

I have a 1994 Suzuki Slingshot streetfighter which I love the look of, but getting the carbs balanced is costly. So I would like to fit a more modern fuel-injected engine, or can I get away with a new...

I have been letting my brother learn to ride on my Yamaha YBR125, since upgrading myself to a CB500 - which has worked out well, except the YBR has now seemed to developed some weird clutch issue,...

I am so proud, Suzanne McLean my partner passed her Direct Access Today, then rode straight to bike night at MCN Top bike spot the Pitstop diner, A dauting task infront of all those bikers, but she...

If you’ve kerbed a car wheel you’ll know what sort of mess it does to the rims, but you can keep driving most of the time. Damage an alloy wheel on a bike and it will ruin the bike’s handling and...

Tubeless tyres have several advantages over tubed tyres and are far more numerous on today's bikes. Among those advantages are that they run cooler, so can cope with higher performance and give longer...

Q. I have a 2008 ABS Honda Hornet which has an Akrapovic megaphone end can fitted. At the moment the bike doesn’t run smoothly at certain points. Would this need to be fixed by a Power Commander? Or...

Q. I just wondered if any other readers have had the same problem with Triumph paint as I have. I am the owner of an ’09 Sprint 1050 ABS in Phantom Black which I sadly managed to drop in a paddock...

Q. I have a problem with my 1995 Fireblade. When I brake heavily I get violent front end judder. I do track days and it is making it unrideable. Save £££s on motorcycle tyres The discs and pads are...

Falstaff jacket, $397 (£258) Miles covered/time: 4200/13 months What’s good? The closest you can come to putting on your favourite slippers, this jacket immediately feels that you have owned it for...

Getting your first big bike can be a daunting experience, especially if you are below average height. Once you’ve gained confidence on big bikes the need to get both feet flat on the floor is largely...

If you are looking for a bike to pass your test on, make sure that you purchase the right bike for the category of test you want to pass, or you could find yourself restricted to a 125 with only an A1...

Q. I was riding on the M54 tonight and the front tyre on my 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R went flat really quickly, I struggled over to the hard shoulder and got recovered back home. Find a used Kawasaki...

Q. I have a Triumph Speed Triple 955i on a 2000 plate. My back brake is virtually none existent. I have had it checked and have been told that everything is OK, and that it’s just a common thing with...

Q. I really need to make my 2007 Kawasaki Z750 louder as they hear my son’s GSX-R coming, but not me following. So I’m looking at a replacement can, but what’s to be done with the device fitted to the...

If you are thinking of changing your chain there are a few things you should consider. You can get more out of it, if you keep it scrupulously lubricated and adjusted through its life, ideally with...

The parallel twin cylinder engine has a long history of use in motorcycles, being the mainstay of the British motorcycle industry for 50 years until the smoother, more sophisticated four-cylinder...

When I start my Honda CBF500 up the headlight should come on automatically. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. However, after riding for a few minutes it comes on and stays on. Neither dip nor main...

philehidiot: There's seven quid oil and 14 quid oil. Same viscosity and same volume. For a bog standard road bike is there any point in treating your bike to the posh stuff or, for the average road...

I have a friend who has a 2008 Yamaha XJR1300. He has a problem with a code that keeps coming up on the warning panel – when you switch the ignition on, the code that shows up is “20”. If the engine...

The first ‘modern’ three-cylinder engine was an inline design built by the Triumph/BSA conglomerate back in the 1969 using their existing twin-cylinder motors, as a response to Honda’s revolutionary...

I have recently purchased a 2010 R1200GS which was fitted with Conti Trail Attacks from new. They are very grippy and confidence inspiring but the rear seems to be wearing out at an alarming rate...

The instrument panel lights have all gone on my 1994 Kawasaki GPZ500S and I need to know if I need capless or mini bayonet type bulbs to replace them? I know they need to be 12 volt/3.4 watt. ...

My 2007 MV Agusta F4 1000R has really suffered in the summer’s heat. It has always run hot at about 110 degrees, but it started to boil up and got to 125 degrees, which is when I switched it off in a...