May

Year: 2002

Month: May

Perfect for pushing your weight around

20 May 2002

One of the most exciting things I recall from my first year at MCN was getting a chance to ride Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1100. In those days (I’m in my eighth year here now) the Kawasaki was the fastest bike in...

Dainese stockist hit by huge fire

20 May 2002

Half-a-million pounds worth of Dainese gear went up in smoke last week, as the UK’s largest stockist of the exclusive Italian brand was hit by fire. Bikestop, in Stevenage, Herts, was struck around 8pm on Thursday. The blaze started on the ground floor and preliminary investigations have pointed the finger at faulty wiring. John Alleman, Bikestop’s manager, said, " Obviously we’re gutted. We’d...

South Wales protest ride

20 May 2002

Riders in south Wales are organising a protest ride against what they claim is heavy-handed policing. The zero-tolerance policy of Gwent and Dyfed-Powys police forces towards undersized numberplates...

Around the world in ninety days

20 May 2002

In early August, eight teams of three riders each will tackle one of the most gruelling events in motorcycling – the Round the World Challenge. Meet ours. Jane Holmyard, Claire Janssenswillen and Nina...

UK Roads need £1.2 billion repair job

20 May 2002

Britain’s roads need more than a billion quid to be repaired to an acceptable state. That’s the claim of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), which has surveyed local authorities responsible for...

Can you help…?

20 May 2002

We’d like to broadcast an appeal from Cambridgeshire police… One of their pandas is missing. The patrol car went missing this morning and the force has issued this plea: " The car was stolen from Fengate in Peterborough during the early hours of Tuesday, May 21. " It was taken around 4.25am. Officers had stopped to help a young woman and were then called to another incident. " While they were...

Tell us about your BMF weekend

20 May 2002

A record-breaking 88,500 of you made the trek to the East of England Showground over the weekend, and judging by the smiles it seems to have been another roaring success. So why not tell us about...

Build a mint track bike for £3000

20 May 2002

This bike was an £800 write-off. But in the latest issue of MCN, out Wednesday May 22, we’ll show you how it was turned into a mint track missile for just three grand. It’s a DIY project anyone can...

City pulls its corrupt bike cops

20 May 2002

In a city of corrupt police officers, Mexico City’s motorcycle cops are considered the most corrupt. So, in a desperate attempt at restoring a little of the lost faith in its boys in blue, city...

The end for sneaky speed traps

20 May 2002

The Government has banned cops from using covert cameras and hidden officers to catch speeding motorists. Transport minister John Spellar has told chief police officers that from next week that Gatsos...

Hells Angel sues government

20 May 2002

Hells Angels have a reputation for avoiding the law, but Canadian Angel Donny Petersen is using it to sue the Canadian province of Ontario. Petersen was appointed to a committee to assess...

Kawasaki offer extended

20 May 2002

Kawasaki has extended its interest free offer on new bikes. Its Fastlane Finance deal was due to run out at the end of May, but the firm has now decided to keep it running until the end of June. The...

Beckham strikes oil

20 May 2002

David Beckham has just struck a huge sponsorship deal with Castrol. According to the England captain, the oil giant, which also sponsors Honda’s World Superbike squad, embodies: ” Performance,...

Aprilia unveils Haga rep RSV-R

20 May 2002

Park up an Aprilia Mille R at any bike meet and you’re bound to attract attention. But these special Nori Haga-replicas would even turn heads in the WSB paddock. For the full story on the Haga replica...

Carnell-City sell off OK’d

13 May 2002

The thumbs-up has been given to the sale of Dixon Motors, the parent compay of Carnell/Motorcycle City. The deal was approved last week, and an announcement giving more details is expected Wednesday,...

Latest news on the dark visor debate

13 May 2002

The doors have just closed on the latest meeting of the BSI visor committee, the body charged with examining the relaxation of the laws on dark visors. Alan Goodman, a rider, and member of the...

V&M plans Max power for your R1

13 May 2002

Plans for replica British superbikes have been unveiled by most of the top teams representing Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. But you might just want to hold on until V&M releases its exclusive MotoGP Max...

Ride to work challenge

13 May 2002

Place your bets, ladies and gentleman, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) is launching a journey-time challenge for national Ride To Work Day on June 14. The MCI wants people taking part and...

Seventy new jobs in motorcycling

13 May 2002

Would you love the idea of working with bikes all day? Well your dreams could be about to come true. Britain’s biggest chain of dealers, Carnell/Motorcycle City, has more than 70 jobs waiting for the...

Voice support for dark visors now!

13 May 2002

You’ll have to get a move on if you want to have your say on whether dark visors should be made legal. The period for public consultation closes in just four weeks time. The Government has made it...

The roads you voted for

13 May 2002

These are just the first of dozens of the roads you have voted. We’ll continue to add to the list and improve it with links to map sites to help you pinpoint them. There’s no clear winner yet, so keep...

Bid now for final Dunlop SP-1

13 May 2002

There’s just a couple of weeks left to get your bid in for the final Joey Dunlop replica Honda SP-1. The deadline is May 31 and the highest bid so far is £20,000. Just 26 bikes were made to mark...

Wanted: Sidecar experience (no fear pref)

13 May 2002

TT racer Peter Allibone has had his passenger pull out of the TT and needs a replacement. If you’ve got experience racing sidecars and like the idea of hurtling round the TT circuit, then you can...

Knievel to jump again?

13 May 2002

There are rumours from the US that legendary daredevil Evel Knievel could be making a dramatic comeback. For the full story on Knievel’s comeback don’t miss the latest issue of MCN, out May 15. The...

Desire has a new name - Mondial

13 May 2002

We’ve grabbed the world’s first test of Mondial’s stunning Piega. This is the first machine from the reborn company and with the Piega the firm has hit the ground running. You can read full details of...

Have you seen "Out a mate"?

13 May 2002

Named and shamed, the list is long and distinguished. On our News board we invited you to ” out ” a mate (or even yourself), who’s committed a gross act of biking stupidity. Here’s just a few choice...

Piaggio plans Big B-rother to X9

13 May 2002

This summer scooter giant Piaggio will unveil another big scoot based on its 460cc X9. Called the Big B or B500, it will use the same single-cylinder four-stroke motor and boast similar performance at...

Don’t miss this special Superbike School offer

13 May 2002

Learn how to ride better AND save money! That’s the exclusive offer from MCN and the California Superbike School this week. The MCN-backed California Superbike School has lessons aimed at giving...

Crosser powers new supermono

13 May 2002

If you’re looking to raising a few eyebrows on your next trackday then the latest bike form the Tigcraft stable might be just what you’re looking for. It’s powered by a four-stroke single from a...

ZX-6R board tops 10,000 postings

13 May 2002

THE most popular of our dedicated bike discussion boards has gone through the 10,000 postings barrier. Take a look in Discussion & Chat (see top navigation bar), select BIKES and then go to...

British biking’s big weekend

13 May 2002

It’s the unmissable event of the biking year this weekend. The BMF Show throws open its doors on Saturday May 18 at the East of England Showground, Peterborough and by the time they close on Sunday...

Arai tops the US helmet charts

13 May 2002

For the fourth year running Arai has taken the top slot in a survey of America’s favourite brand of lid. The respected pollsters JD Power surveyed 9,000 US riders and Arai came top in overall fit and...

Lilley promises Daytona Streetfighter

13 May 2002

If you thought the factory’s official streetfighter Speed Triple wasn’t wild enough, then the latest brainchild of Triumph specialist Jack Lilley might just do it for you. For the full story on the...

Your favourite roads

13 May 2002

There are thousands of miles of sweeping roads, glorious views and challenging corners out there – but don’t need to travel the world to find them. It’s all right outside your front door. We asked you...

Ducati squeeze 110bhp from 570cc single!

13 May 2002

Ducati have unveiled plans for an outrageous update to its Supermono programme – a new supercharged single-cylinder 570cc motor that punches out 110bhp. You can read the full story on the Compressore in the latest issue of MCN, out May 8, but here’s the outlines of the project. Called the Compressore it will combine light weight with big power and reliability. That’s what Russell Savory reckons,...

Make a date for the world’s best stunts

13 May 2002

Kevin Carmichael is officially the world’s best stunt rider, and you can find out why this weekend, when he performs as part of the MCN Stunt Roadshow in the Irish Masters Stunt Challenge at Nutts...