August

Year: 2002

Month: August

Live paddock at NEC show

05 August 2002

TOP race teams are being invited to November’s NEC Show to form a huge new paddock area. Organisers hope the likes of Ducati, Honda and Yamaha will bring their bikes, riders, transporters and even...

2000- Yamaha XVS 1100 Dragstar Custom

05 August 2002

This is the sort of bike that is scorned by the ” true ” biker, he of the full leathers and full-face helmet. I used to be one of those, and always swore I’d never be caught dead on a cruiser, but...

1993 Fireblade CBR900R

05 August 2002

Well I never thought it would happen to me, but it has, I’ve fallen in love. It’s been a whole year of contented togetherness. I can’t get enough of her after market exhaust and her peculiar sized...

" Er…what is it mate? " is a reaction I’ve had more than once. Honda’s water-cooled V-twin ‘dual sport’ machine has a large following on the continent and has been around for nearly 15 years, but still sells fairly slowly over here. So why buy a machine that looks like a dirt bike, but has a lazy engine and a half-fairing? I wanted a bike I could ride to work all year, and that could cope with...

1992- 1997 Honda NTV650

05 August 2002

Heroic riders: A ghost like race that move in and out of peoples lives unseen, unwanted and some would say unclean, but necessary; rather like a colostomy bag……… They do this so that all of you are...

1984 - Honda VF1000

05 August 2002

It must be something to do with Physics. How is it that a bike as large as this can be so skittish around bends? Surely the mere bulk and tonnage would pin the beast to the ground – not so, get the line wrong, even at modest speed (no knee scraping here), and you’re assured of a heart in mouth, clenched buttocks moment as this leviathan defies every attempt I make to turn at the apex and hold the...

1999-2000 Yamaha R6

05 August 2002

Having chucked a ZX-6R down the road on a track day, it was clear that the cost of repair made the bike uneconomic. It was time cut losses and run. It was an emotional moment as I watched the remains...

2000-2001 Kawasaki ZX9RE-1

05 August 2002

There is something about Kawasakis. I can’t put my finger on it, maybe it all stems from the Z900 days of the late 70`s . Kawasaki have always turned out bloody good engines, real screamers, that’s...

2001 Triumph Sprint RS

05 August 2002

I don’t normally like to brag, well no more than the next man. But I’ll make an exception in this case. I’m a Lucky b**tard!! I know you don’t want to hear it and you’re likely to dismiss it...

Your bike reviews updated

05 August 2002

We’re adding more of your bike reviews today. The sheer volume of entries means that we can’t post them as fast as we’d like, but keep clicking back to check for new ones. Hit the link on the right...

Husqvarna unveils 2003 models

05 August 2002

Swedish firm Husqvarna has just released details of its 2003 range of off-roaders, which includes all new four-stroke 250 and 450cc production models. The range, which marks Husqvarna’s 100th year of...

2001 CBR600-F

05 August 2002

Having ridden a VFR 400 NC 30 for my first two years of motorcycling, I felt ready for the move to the 600 class. I’d done the crash, the track day, the mercilessly ringing the neck of the 400 to keep...

1982 Yamaha XJ750 Seca

05 August 2002

It was 1994, I was looking for a cheap lightweight tourer. I liked the Yamaha XJ900F, but not the riding position. Then I came across a Yamaha XJ750 Seca. An American import, 1982, with 10,000 miles on the clock. The slightly pulled back bars, the big shapely petrol tank, the ‘funky’ instrument panel and the shaft drive and the glistening red paint work, all at a price I could afford. The dealer...

2002 Suzuki SV650

05 August 2002

Brands Hatch WSB, what better journey to test out the SV’s capabilities. Used normally for commuting 40 miles daily and the odd jaunt down to the coast, the SV has returned an average of 52 mpg and...

1998 Yamaha FZS600

05 August 2002

It’s black, loud as sin and looks as mean as cat’s piss. It runs like there is sand in the fuel tank, water in the gearbox and sponge in the brake lines. It is rusted pretty much from the front forks all the way back to the tip of the exhaust pipe (there might even be rust actually on the tyre!). There are two repaired punctures in the rear tyre (a Bridgestone barely scrubbed in), and some road...

1989-1991 Honda CBR 600FL

05 August 2002

This model became the bench mark for sports tourers, and gave Honda the edge on the opposition. With its 599cc engine and modest 130+mph for the early speed freaks it was destined to do well in the...

Kawasaki ZRX1200R

05 August 2002

If it’s a muscle bike your after then you don’t have to look too far as there are a growing number out there. Kawasaki’s ZRX1200R being a good choice, what with 6 pot callipers to help bring the REX...

Malaguti to launch big scoot

01 August 2002

Malaguti is the latest manufacturer to build a big scooter. It will be pitched against Aprilia’s Atlantic and Piaggio’s X9. It has been in development for two years and will feature the same 460cc...

2001 Triumph Sprint ST

01 August 2002

To really appreciate the qualities of any motorcycle, just ask the owner where he’s been on it, and what was it like, and you’ll immediately get his favourite moment. With me and the Triumph ST it...

2001 Kawasaki ZX-6R

01 August 2002

No wonder this bike is so popular. It really is a pocket rocket, with plenty of power to the pound. With a reasonably modern look, and an excellent front brake, what more do you need? Well, many want...

1998 Triumph Speed Triple

01 August 2002

Sixteen years, a marriage, two kids, mortgage and a string of four wheeled contraptions later, here I am in my white van sat in a jam on the M42. 150 miles from my alleged location with two giggling...

First clues to the new CBR600

01 August 2002

In the latest issue of MCN, out Wednesday July 31, we’ve got an exclusive look at what Honda have planned for its 2003 super-middleweight CBR600. Using information provided by factory insiders we’ve...

First pictures from the new Triumph factory

01 August 2002

This is the first picture to be released by Triumph from inside its rebuilt Hinckley plant following the devastating fire that swept it in March earlier this year. It shows the new engine assembly...

1999 Triumph Daytona

01 August 2002

It’s often a fine balancing act being in a relationship. I’dhad a big crash and written off my GSX-R600 and had to convince the saner half of my marriage that the next bike would be a less likely to...

2002 Triumph Tiger

01 August 2002

My pride and joy lays on its side the local football team looks on at 2mph get off oh Christ. Triumph Tiger and gravely car parks defiantly do not mix and a bright green 2002 Hinckley beast lays on...

2001 Aprilia Mille

01 August 2002

I waited impatiently for eight months to engage that clutch for the first time. Eight bloody months of saving cash and waiting on another year’s no claims bonus. When I pulled away I just knew it had...

2003 Foggy Petronas FP1

01 August 2002

I bought my 2003 Foggy Petronas FP1 last year from Drogzorvo’s Sportsbikes in Croatia. You may recall that it was they who bought up the entire stock of twelve road bikes when the FP team collapsed...

Win a special Arashi lid worth £230

01 August 2002

You can grab yourself a new limited edition Arashi Tsunami lid worth £230 in our new competition. At just 1290g the carbon composite Tsunami is the lightest helmet of its kind in the world. It comes...

Join our monster set-up feature

01 August 2002

How do you fancy having your bike’s suspension sorted for an MCN feature? Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? Well, we’re planning the ultimate suspension tuning guide – and we need your...

2001 Kawasaki ZX-6R (II)

01 August 2002

After passing my bike test at age 18 and giving it up age 24, marriage kids bills etc I am sure you know the story, and not having had a bike for 10 years it was time to take to two wheels. The bike...

2000 Honda FireBlade

01 August 2002

I have owned my 2000 Fireblade for nearly two years now and must confess that during this period I have few complaints. This is the third Honda I have owned and have been largely satisfied with all...

2001 Honda FireBlade

01 August 2002

When the cold, damp days of late winter give way to the crisp bright mornings of spring, many of us turn our thoughts to dusting off and prepping the road bike ready for early season forays on salt...

Updated: Review your bike and join an MCN road test

01 August 2002

How do you fancy a day road testing with the MCN features desk? Think you’re up to it? If the answer’s ” Yes ” all you have to do is write a brief review of your bike – and now you can read a load...

2001 BMW R1150GS

01 August 2002

I am probably the world’s worst bike buyer because I simply can’t make up my mind of what bike to have. In the past I have owned several bikes from R1s to Harleys but still haven’t found the Holy...