2001
I guess we have a winner…
16 December 2001
Playing conkers on bikes was best left until after the race
Administrators confirm M&P closures
16 December 2001
The administrators dealing with troubled chain M&P have confirmed that half its shops were closed in a sudden move on Friday.Branches in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Harrow, York, Welwyn Garden City, Stroud and Peterborough are now no longer trading.The administrators say they have been closed because no-one had shown an interest in buying them since the firm was put into administration.Shops in...
We wunt to be togevva
16 December 2001
Close racing… at a time of year when you didn’t have to huddle together to keep warm.
Learners will fail car test if they aren’t bike aware
16 December 2001
From October next year, learner drivers will be tested to see how good they are at scanning the road for bikes.Test candidates will be shown video clips filmed from the top of a car, and tested on how...
BMW introduces "challenging" R1150R paintscheme
16 December 2001
BMW won critical acclaim when it unveiled the R1150R – for making a bike that truly tempts the eye.But, as Prince Charles once said, " rather like a carbuncle on the face of a much-loved friend...
Ducati’s new 998 versus Aprilia’s RSV-R
16 December 2001
With the 998 not due to visit our fog-bound shores until January, we had to go to Italy and get one, factory-fresh. We took our own RSV-R with us to meet its rival under clear blue skies. At Ducati...
Carl Fogarty: In his own words
16 December 2001
Jonny: Carl how long do you think it will take to get a race win with the new bike?CarlFogarty: Oh, it's impossible to say really. It would be great to have one in the first year, although that's unrealistic. But certainly in 2003Dave: How difficult will it be to stop yourself jumping on the bike during testing to get the fastest lap times?CarlFogarty: Oh that won't be difficult at all. Especially...
Foggy picks Mick in dream team but still says he’d beat him
16 December 2001
If Carl Fogarty could choose from all the riders he’s ever known to ride in his new Petronas team he’d sign up Mick Doohan and Kenny Roberts (snr).And Foggy took the opportunity of a live web chat on...
Corser’s deal with Foggy delayed by fineprint
16 December 2001
The chances of Troy Corser confirming his deal to ride in the all-new Foggy Petronas WSB squad before Christmas are fading.But he is still expected to sign up within the next 10 days. The only hold-up...
Czech supermoto arrives in the New Year
16 December 2001
The 610cc Praga four-stroke off-roader has a hand-built engine and aluminium fuel tank, a choice of Paioli or Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes.And those features are just part of the appeal of the...
Haydon signs up with Foggy for WSB
16 December 2001
Yamaha British superbike star James Haydon has signed to ride with Carl Fogarty’s Petronas team in WSB for 2002.Haydon will be replaced in the Virgin Yamaha line-up by Simon Crafar, making a return to...
Malaguti shows shape of things to come
16 December 2001
Developed as a prototype, Malaguti’s Super Climber has been debuted in Bologna to gauge public reaction. " We want it to show people that Malaguti is thinking about motorcycles. We will see how...
Forget fireworks… let’s ban bikes!
09 December 2001
A local newspaper which is campaigning to ban fireworks has been asked to switch its focus to fighting for a ban on bikes.The Nottingham Evening Post printed the following letter from a reader on Tuesday night. " With regard to your campaign to ban fireworks, while I can understand the distress they must cause people for about six weeks of the year, I think a greater scourge are motorbikes.
More diesel spills loom
09 December 2001
Do drivers of diesel-engined vehicles pay more insurance to cover themselves against randomly wrecking our machines? We don’t think so.As if the problem of diesel spills wasn’t bad enough for us, the...
The year’s maddest trackday?
09 December 2001
Is this the maddest trackday of the year? On December 28, just three days after stuffing yourself silly on Christmas pudding and turkey sandwiches, Donington Park is holding a trackday.Donington has...
Win a signed Hodgson book for your best biking moments
09 December 2001
Your most magical motorcycling moments of the year have already started coming in. This one from Richard Halford is a great example. " First track day, first time knee down, wore out a set of...
Original owners take back some of Bikes-uk stores
09 December 2001
Four of the stricken Bikes-uk dealerships are being brought back under the control of their original owners… and that means those who paid for service plans at those stores will now get what they paid...
Full report from the first test of the new FireBlade
09 December 2001
IT’S impossible to be certain one bike can live with another without testing them back-to-back. But it’s been three hours since I stepped off Honda’s new FireBlade, which has just been launched at...
GPS links up with your mobile to nab bike thieves
09 December 2001
The new Scitrack will dial your mobile phone if someone tampers with your pride and joy, you can then inform the old bill and the crooks can be caught red-handed (provided they react swiftly...
If you thought it’s all praise for the GSX-R this week
09 December 2001
Then Steve Parrish might be about to prove you wrong. Part two of MCN’s new video magazine is out on December 14. Don’t miss it
He just couldn’t quite brush the MCN logo with his knee
09 December 2001
He got close though. Part two of MCN’s new video magazine is out on December 14. Don’t miss it.
MCN’s new GSX-R video mag on sale from December 14
09 December 2001
Watch some of the hot highlights of the latest MCN video magazine on line right now. It’s a celebration of the cult of the GSX-R.Get a taste of it by following the links, right, and downloading some...
BMW patents bike air bags
09 December 2001
BMW has patented a new airbag system and is planning to fit it to its bikes.It uses ultrasound (the guidance system dolphins excel at) to build up a picture of where and how the rider is sat on the...
Crash victim told he wouldn’t walk again… by TV
09 December 2001
A motorcyclist laying in his hospital bed was stunned when he was told he would never walk again… particularly because he was being told by a television show.The rider had heard nothing of the sort...
It’s wrong to assume the GSX-R is a hooligans machine
09 December 2001
Although this video probably won’t help that argument, it is entertaining. Part two of MCN’s new video magazine is out on December 14. Don’t miss it
Don’t sell your bike from home
09 December 2001
Police are warning owners not to meet potential used bike buyers at our own homes.Kate Wright of the Northants force said thieves are using ads to pick out the bikes they want, ringing to find out...
The best 600s you can buy for close to £4000
09 December 2001
1999 600s from the four Japanese manufacturers can now be bought in dealers advertising in MCN for £4500, give or take a few hundred. Shop privately and you can get a mint R6, CBR600, ZX-6R or...
New firm launches scooters into UK
09 December 2001
Taiwanese firm TGB is to launch both two and four stroke scooters of between 50 and 125cc into the UK in January.Prices have yet to be announced but are intended to be competitive with Italian and...
Three men to put him in his leathers
09 December 2001
When it takes three people to force him into his leathers, you’ve got to wonder what he’s going to be doing
Kawasaki boss suggests full merger with Suzuki
09 December 2001
Kawasaki and Suzuki are preparing to come together to launch a new bike within three years under a new and separate brand.Bloomberg reports Kawasaki Heavy Industries president Masamoto Tazaki as...
Schwarzenegger in bike accident
09 December 2001
Arnold Schwarzenegger might be famous for his bike chases in the films Terminator II and True Lies, but this time the action happened off-screen. The 54-year-old Harley rider has been injured in a...
The Superbike rider
09 December 2001
" LOOK at those nasty alloy fork seal protectors, they’re horrible! " Brown’s initial impression of the Bulldog isn’t favourable as he wanders over, doing up his race rep lid. Fortunately,...
The Harley rider
09 December 2001
YAMAHA is pitching the Bulldog at people exactly like Smith. She steers away from sports bikes and likes a more relaxed ride. But can this pooch tempt her away from her beloved Hog?She says the...
BMW launches slower bike for cops
09 December 2001
BMW has launched yet another new bike. It’s a smaller capacity, lighter but slower version of its R1150RT and it’s only available to the police.The R850RT has the addition of a sixth " cruising...