February

Year: 2004

Month: February

Benelli TNT could be a blast

25 February 2004

This first picture of Benelli’s Tornado-based TNT naked bike reveals a bored-out beast making 135bhp, weighing under 200kg and priced at a less-than-exotic £8650. There are more pictures and full...

Honda sorry as insurance customers queue

25 February 2004

Since we announced the launch of Honda Insurance on Monday, the firm has been struggling to cope with interest. A spokesman said: ” The initial response to Honda Insurance has been staggering, with...

motorcyclenews.com is No1 (official)

25 February 2004

motorcyclenews.com has been ranked the No1 most visited motorcycle site in the UK by international web-watchers Hitwise. Hitwise keeps tabs on more than 450,000 websites worldwide and hands out its...

MCN offline late Friday night

25 February 2004

We’re taking the site down to perform essential maintenance on Friday, February 27 from 8.30pm. The site will be down for a maximum of 12 hours, so expect everything to be back to normal for 8.30am on Saturday, February 28 – all set for this weekend’s WSB action.

Honda launches cut-price cover

25 February 2004

Honda is claiming it can cut the cost of your insurance after launching its own insurance company. Honda Insurance goes live this morning (Monday, February 23) and is available to all owners of Honda...

World’s first 2004 superbike shootout

25 February 2004

MCN’s road test crew is back from the test you’ve all been waiting – the 2004 superbike shootout. We’ve been riding the ZX-10R, R1, Fireblade and GSX-R1000 across hundreds of miles of roads in France...

Have you spotted a diesel spill today?

18 February 2004

If you have spotted a diesel spill on the road today, Thursday February 19, or know of a regular diesel problem, then we’d like you to tell us about it. Whether it’s a roundabout, junction, or outside...

Congestion charging – the untold story

18 February 2004

A year after the congestion charge came in for central London one story you won’t have heard is how much safer it has made the streets for motorcycles. Despite a 20 per cent increase in bike traffic...

£1000 off your next bike

18 February 2004

Those visiting the MCN London Motorcycle Show had the opportunity to win £1000 off the price of their next bike in a motorcyclenews.com competition. And now we have a winner… And she is Mrs Karen...

2004 Babe Squad debut at Scottish Show

18 February 2004

The first official outing for the new MCN Babe Squad is just weeks away. Our ten new honeys will be appearing at the two-day MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show on March 13-14. As well as gorgeous girls, the show also features the Bridgestone Action Zone, an MCN stage with a full range of activities, the Carole Nash Classics Pavillion, a host of celebrities and brilliant bikes galore. And you’ll have the...

Tell us about your AGV Ti-Tech?

18 February 2004

We’re looking for owners of the AGV Ti-Tech to tell us how they rate their lids. So if you own an AGV Ti-Tech, email Dan.Caspersz@emap.com with a short 50 word review of it, your name and full contact...

Crunch time for the 04 superbikes

18 February 2004

We’re heading to the south of France this weekend for the test the motorcycling world is waiting for… the world’s first group test of the new R1 versus the 04 Fireblade, ZX-10R and latest...

GSX-R750: Our first impressions

18 February 2004

Suzuki’s GSX-R750 could be the perfect sports compromise – it handles as sweetly as the firm’s 600 yet offers huge bhp for performance that won’t see it lagging too far behind a GSX-R1000 on the...

Fastest, longest, biggest biking record breakers

18 February 2004

Which bike can cover a standing quarter in 5.89 seconds? Which weighs just 1.1kg? Which has the biggest capacity in production? Our record breakers feature in this week’s MCN is a veritable Top Trumps...

Sharpen your riding this Spring

18 February 2004

Coming into the Spring feeling your riding’s a little rusty? The assessment ride-outs being organised as part of National Motorcycle Safety Week could be just the thing to sharpen you up. National...

Make your GSX-R750 the star

11 February 2004

As part of our coverage of the 2004 Suzuki GSX-R750 launch, we’re featuring the previous incarnation of the bike in MCN, February 25, 2004. If you’re got a UK-spec bike in as mint and standard...

Have you won our £20k Garage competition?

11 February 2004

Hundreds of people have entered our MCN Fantasy Garage competition to win a Hein Gericke HGR Racing one-piece suit, and it’s taken our judges until now to sift through all of the entries. You were...

First ride: '04 Yamaha R1

11 February 2004

Yamaha has launched the 2004 YZF-R1 in Australia and MCN road tester Michael Neeves was there to get the first ride. But while riding the bike in the perfect Australian weather is one thing, we wanted...

Carole Nash buy out AA bike insurance

11 February 2004

If you are insured with the AA, you will be with Carole Nash instead from March. The AA has sold its bike business of 17,000 riders to the specialist bike broker. The purchase boosts Carole Nash’s...

Devil launches ’04 R1 exhausts

11 February 2004

Exhaust firm devil has just released its Magnum underseat exhaust for the new 2004 Yamaha R1. The Magnum is the latest design from the firm, with a slimline 95mm shape and large oval tailpipe. It’s...

Akrapovic launches ZX-10R range

11 February 2004

If 150+bhp isn’t enough for you, Akrapovic has launched a range of new systems for the 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R, which offer increases of up to 11.2Bhp over the stock figure. You can choose between the...

Ride the latest 125 sports bikes with MCN

11 February 2004

If you own a Honda NS125/NSR125, Yamaha TZR125 or a Suzuki RG125, then you could be taking part in an MCN group test on Thursday, February 19. We’re looking for the owner of one of the ‘old school’...

Inform on diesel spillages

11 February 2004

If you regularly encounter a patch of road which always seems to be covered in diesel, then we’d like to know about it. Whether it’s a roundabout or junction that seems to always resemble an ice rink,...

Celebs back biking

04 February 2004

Celebrities from the hit TV shows I’m a Celebrity… and Pop Idol have come out in favour of motorcycling. Former-jungle inhabitant Lord Brocket revealed he wouldn’t dream of travelling around central...

Blade tops world first group test

04 February 2004

MCN’s world’s first group test of three of the most exciting bikes of all time has a clear winner – Honda’s new CBR1000RR FireBlade has taken the crown as king of the latest litre-class...

Ridiculously fast made ridiculously easy

04 February 2004

THE new Honda CBR1000RR has been developed by the same team that was behind the unstoppable GP-winning RC211V. And boy does it show. After the first track session at the new Blade’s world launch in...

Rossi: Biaggi must win MotoGP title

04 February 2004

Defending world MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is tipping bitter rival Max Biaggi for the title this year. The London-based rider speaks out in a world exclusive interview in the Wednesday, February...

Toseland and Walker at MCN London Show

04 February 2004

Meet World Superbike stars James Toseland and Chris Walker at the MCN London Show on Wednesday February 4. Toseland is one of the favourites to land the WSB championship in 2004 on the factory Fila...

Cheaper insurance for convicted bikers

04 February 2004

Insurance firm Quoteline Direct is offering a new service to give low quotes to bikers with minor motoring convictions, those who have had accidents, and those under 25. Quotelines Graham Higgins...

Put KTM boss on the spot

04 February 2004

We’re putting KTM UK’s boss Kevin Burk under the spotlight to answer YOUR questions. The interview is part of a new series in MCN, which puts your questions directly to the people at the top. If you...

Save £££s on Suzukis

04 February 2004

Suzuki has cut a massive £1000 off the price of the DL1000 V-Strom big trailie and an equally impressive £700 off the half-faired SV1000S. The revised 2004 price list sees the V-Strom drop from the...

Costs cut for new riders

04 February 2004

Kymco is offering a range of new deals to make it easier to start out on two wheels. Those aged 16-24 can get insurance for no more than £99 (subject to status) and if you’re 25 and over insurance is...

Akrapovic launches exhausts for ‘04 GSX-R600

04 February 2004

Akrapovic has launched its new range of end cans and full exhaust systems for the 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600. The Bolt-On system is the simpler to fit and promises smoother power delivery up to 5000rpm,...

MCN London show video highlights

04 February 2004

Click the link on the right to see the finals of the MCN Babe Squad competition and highlights from the MCN London Show.

Kawasaki launches V-Strom rival

04 February 2004

Kawasaki is launching a rival for Honda’s Varadero and Suzuki’s V-Strom. The KLV1000 uses a 90-degree V-twin 996cc fuel-injected engine making close to 100bhp in a twin-spar aluminium frame. Outside...

Met police choose Ventura kit for FireBlade

04 February 2004

The Metropolitan Police have chosen Ventura luggage to kit out a stolen-and-recovered FireBlade that it uses as a mobile display. The bike is being used to promote safety and security in the London...