August | Page 3

First test on Metzeler’s replacement for MEZ3

12 August 2001

Metzeler’s Sportec M1 will replace the firm’s MEZ3 tyres and they work wonderfully. The German company has adhered to a rigid brief to make the tyre work well in the real world. Bosses insisted on a...

Hislop slams "greedy" race promoters

12 August 2001

British superbike championship leader Steve Hislop has called race promoters ” greedy ” during a live web chat session on motorcyclenews.com. Hislop was responding to questions about the facilities...

Riding with the California Highway Patrol

12 August 2001

In the fast lane of Los Angeles’ hyper-busy 605 freeway, my car’s pushing 85mph and struggling to keep up with a gang of 30 or so motorbikes that are blasting over the sun-scorched surface in a sharp...

Rider Power survey’s top bikes and dealers revealed

12 August 2001

Three Hondas, a BMW and a Yamaha fill the top five spots in this year’s RiDER Power survey, published in RiDE magazine this Friday (August 17). At number five it’s Yamaha’s XJR1300, fourth is Honda’s...

How would you like your R1?

12 August 2001

Yamaha has been asking for opinions on a whole host of new colour schemes for its R1. The bike is due a revamp and insiders now believe the 2002 bike will be offered in plain blue, plain red or in a...

Don’t be conned by bike theft team

12 August 2001

Police are warning anyone selling a bike to beware of con men who have been bagging three bikes a week in Bedfordshire. One of their number poses as an interested buyer, sits on the bike and asks you...

1000cc V8 to power new Aussie neck-snapper

12 August 2001

What’s got eight cylinders, up to 175bhp and will be ready for sale within six weeks? Our artist’s impression shows the answer, the latest 1000cc derivation of the Drysdale V8 concept, a naked bike...

Competitors pull out of rally as mark of respect for Deacon

12 August 2001

Competitors in the Master Rallye have decided not to complete the event after the death of John Deacon on Wednesday. Deacon was running in second on the seventh day of the rally on when he was...

See the Hodgson rep in video action

12 August 2001

Neil Hodgson has been testing the replica of his WSB 996 on the Isle of Man… and getting incredibly high…. Now we’ve added video clips showing his high-flying riding frame-by-frame. Follow the link,...

The Blast is on this weekend

12 August 2001

Rockingham hosts a motorcycling festival this weekend, with everything from 200mph speed runs to off-road displays. The event, called The Blast, has been set up by the Motorcycle Industry Association...

Now it’s Mr Ice guy

12 August 2001

A man in a violent orange suit is jumping up and down, waving his arms about. He’s got ants in his pants. It’s 8am and Neil Hodgson is more than ready to head out for a few laps of the Island on the...

SV650 goes enduro

12 August 2001

You’ve seen the half-faired version, you’ve seen the naked version, now here’s the enduro version of the Suzuki SV650. This one isn’t straight from the factory, it’s straight f;rom the imagination of...

Revealed! Secrets of brake discs

12 August 2001

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about your brake discs. They look pretty shiny… and that’s about it. But they’re one of the most important parts of your bike when you reach that panic...

Biggest twin is full of surprises

12 August 2001

Honda’s VTX1800 may be the biggest twin in production but the huge weight doesn’t overwhelm even at low speeds. It actually handles surprisingly well. The majority of the 320kg (and that’s dry) is...

The ChiPs Legend

12 August 2001

In late 1977, the TV-watching nation was treated to its first taste of CHiPs, which followed the glamourous lives of two Los Angeles motorcycle cops; officers Francis Poncherello (Ponch) and Jon Baker...

Steve Hislop in his own words

12 August 2001

Steve Hislop talked to fans in the VIP Lounge of our Talk Bikes section of the site on Thursday, August 16. Here’s a full transcript of the conversation. " MCN " is used to indicated a question from an MCN user. MCN: I’ve started doing some track days and done all the four levels of the California Superbike School, but what i feel is holding me up is my confidence on really fast turns, i.e. over...

The equipment

12 August 2001

Each officer carries both a pager and a cellphone along with a radio headset which can switch between different frequencies. You can speak bike-to-bike or to dispatch back at headquarters. This radio...

Is council Cat & Fiddling speed limits?

12 August 2001

The rules about UK speed limits in the Highway Code are clear. A table tells us that on single carriageway roads, in non-built-up areas, the limit is 60mph. That rule isn’t just there for the benefit...

First test on Cagiva Xtra Raptor

12 August 2001

The Cagiva Xtra Raptor is exactly that, a Raptor with a little bit more: a bit more adjustment for the suspension, a bit better handling, a bit more carbon-fibre, a bit less weight, a bit more...

More Gatsos, but in sensible places and easier to spot

12 August 2001

More Gatsos are coming with predictions of three times as many speeding fines being issued. But the Government is insisting that from now on cameras are painted bright to make them easy to spot and...

Your bike can star at Malvern Big Bikes Show

12 August 2001

There’s a show with a difference this weekend. Offer your bike as an exhibit and you’ll save on the entry price. The Big Bikes at Malvern Show runs from Friday, August 17 to Sunday, August 19 in Wye...

Learning at the California Superbike School

05 August 2001

If you’ve ever entered a corner in mild panic or found yourself drifting wide uncontrollably, and let’s face it we all have, you’re a prime candidate for the famous California Superbike School. In one...

New MCN Sport magazine goes on sale

05 August 2001

A new glossy magazine for bikesport fans hit the shops on Friday: MCN Sport. The 148-page quarterly publication includes exclusive new articles featuring Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Chris Walker,...

MAG founder Howard dies

05 August 2001

DENNIS HOWARD, the founder of biking rights organisation the Motorcycle Action Group, has died following an accident on a pushbike last week. He was 80. Howard launched the group to campaign for...

The best of the best

05 August 2001

More than 50 crack pilots apply to join the Red Arrows every year. Only three of them are successful. Those who do succeed become part of a flying legend which has been wowing crowds all over the...

Video of Kevin Schwantz at Brands

05 August 2001

Kevin Schwantz rode a Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch and our cameraman was on hand to catch the moment. Schwantz, seen in the video leading World Rally Championship star Colin McRae round the short...

BMW R1150R long term test: Smooth gear-changes and more noise

05 August 2001

SOMETHING has been niggling me ever since I took delivery of my R1150R back in April. It’s the small matter of getting a slick, judder-free gearchange – the kind of clean shift that sends barely a...

The Brands track ride out

05 August 2001

Were you among those riding the circuit at the GSX-R Festival. Do you know someone who was? Take a look at the video and see if you can spot anyone you know.

"Coals to Newcastle" as BSA ready all-new twin for Japanese buyers

05 August 2001

ALTHOUGH BSA was once as powerful a force in biking as Honda is today, it may come as a surprise to some that the legendary British firm is still producing bikes at all, let alone readying an all-new...

New Suzuki technology will make bikes accelerate faster

05 August 2001

Motorcyclenews.com has discovered Suzuki is planning to start using an electro-magnetically-operated clutch which will work even better than the quickshifters of today. It is likely to debut on a...

Video action from the festival

05 August 2001

Follow the links, right, to see video of stunt star Kevin Carmichael doing his thing at the Suzuki GSX-R festival or to watch some of the many riders who took to the track. There’s also a link to watch Kevin Schwantz riding at Brands.

Swindon Speedway meet off

05 August 2001

The torrential rain the Swindon area has seen in the last 24 hours means Friday night’s home Knockout Cup meeting with Exeter has had to be called off. The semi-final tie will now be staged on Sunday, August 12 at 6.30pm.

Big guns in favour of painting Gatso cameras bright

05 August 2001

Speed cameras look certain to be painted in eye-catching colours now that top cops and the Home Secretary agree it’s the right thing to do. Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) traffic...

First ride on the Hodgson Replica 996S

05 August 2001

Marc Potter has been riding the Hodgson Replica 996S and you can read his first test verdict here. Next week you’ll be able to see video of Hodgson himself on the bike on the Isle of Man. And the WSB...

Round-the-world duo reach southern Spain

05 August 2001

Dave Marsden and Ian Wright had got as far as southern Spain when we spoke to them on Friday morning. They plan to cross the border into Portugal and return to stay in Gibraltar tonight. Then it’s across by ferry to Morocco on Saturday morning to head for Fes and the dunes of the Sahara. " And it’s unbearably hot by 6 in the morning here!, " joked Dave. The pair stayed on a campsite last night...

First test of new BMW R1150RS

05 August 2001

New images added at 5pm, Wednesday The R1150RS is beyond competent. It is genuinely, spirit-lifting fun… whatever the weather. The changes over the old R1100RS are few and far between. Essentially,...