2010

Year: 2010

Month: ALL

The £800,000 speed camera cock-up

25 April 2010 by Steve Farrell

High-tech new speed cameras on one of the country’s most popular bike routes are useless due to an apparent oversight. The new cameras are aimed at catching motorcyclists on the A537 Cat and Fiddle...

‘Bikers are orphan-makers’ MP in ‘cynical U-turn’

25 April 2010 by Steve Farrell

A Labour MP who called motorcyclists “widow-makers and orphan-makers” has been accused of a “cynical” bid to diffuse the scandal to protect votes. Four weeks ago Barry Sheerman said 650 people died a...

Perfect tents for motorcycling touring

25 April 2010

Here at MCN we’re planning a feature on the best tents for touring, from £50 to £610! Here’s a video showing just how easy it is to erect (quiet at the back!) the more pricy option, the Hilliberg Nallo. Keep a look-out for a large range of biker-friendly camping kit in a future issue of MCN

Potholes in Plymouth

24 April 2010 by morandave

The state of the roads is terrible, pot holes and badly laid topcoats stripping off by the mile. What’s worse is the local council in Plymouth see fit to send one person round with a can of paint to mark up the ones for repair, followed by another single bloke with a pot of hot tar to carry out the so called temporary repairs. Why the hell can’t the same bloke do it, saving both time and...

Staff bikes: BMW R1200GS - MCN Live! priorities

23 April 2010 by Ian Jubb

Getting the priorities right for MCN Live at Butlins, Skegness. The GS is really a do anything bike and it carries beers and snacks pretty well too! Now on with the disk lock and away with the key...

Finding proof I have a motorcycle licence

23 April 2010 by peter halford

I’m 57 years old, and at the age of 16 became a telegram boy. I passed my motorcycle test with the GPO Newport Gwent. At the time our licences were put in the Civic Centre Newport and some years later went to Swansea, but unknown to me when I moved my motorbike licence was not put on with my full car licence. I really have tried hard to find out why it was not added to my licence way back in 1969,...

Save £2800 on a new Yamaha R6

23 April 2010 by John Westlake

Brand new 2008 Yamaha R6s are for sale at £7199 – £1800 less than the 2010 model’s £8999 – despite rumours that Yamaha had stopped dealers discounting the bikes. Find a Yamaha R6 for sale Dave...

AJS surprises with super-cool custom 125s

23 April 2010 by Phil West

These two, super-cool looking customs aren’t one-off hogs from California or Orange County Choppers – they’re the latest production bikes from Britain’s AJS and are a learner-friendly 125cc! The black...

Staff bikes blog – Victory Hammer S: 48mpg!

23 April 2010 by Chris Newbigging

When you don’t have a fuel gauge, you get tuned in to how many miles you can do on a tank. My Hammer S usually gets around 125 miles before I fill up, returning 38mpg on a country roads blat – fairly...

New Hypermotard tank almost doubles fuel capacity!

23 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

Ducati’s Hypermotard 1100 carries just one problem – its paltry fuel range when caned as its makers intended. But Sandbar Composites have the alternative to investing in a petrol station loyalty card,...

BMW gears up for liquid-cooled GS

23 April 2010 by Chris Newbigging

BMW is in the early stages of making an all-new, super-efficient, Euro4 compliant water-cooled replacement for its iconic Boxer engine. The new engine is being developed because of tough Euro4...

Me dicing with Tommy Hill!

23 April 2010 by Anonymous

Me being chased by Tommy Hill around Druids, Brands Hatch!

Video: 2010 Kawasaki Versys longterm review

23 April 2010 by MCN

MCN’s longterm test fleet for 2010 includes the Kawasaki Versys. MCN web producer Liam Marsden has had the bike for a week and covered 500 miles so far. Find a Kawasaki Versys for sale Read the 2010...

FIM approval for GB Racing crash protection

23 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

British firm GB Racing has just received FIM approval – to our knowledge they’re the first crash protectors available to the public to attain this level of recognition. The firm’s nylon-based...

Best of bikemart: Modern classics up for grabs this week

22 April 2010 by Phil West

We’ve been browsing MCN bikes for sale every day to bring you some of our top picks from over 10,000 motorcycles for sale. Read more modern classics news and features Here’s just a...

Bimota MMB-2 Fightermotard

21 April 2010 by Oberdan Bezzi

This could be the second model of a future co-operation between Bimota and Moto Morini. A new genre of bike – the MMB-2 Fightermotard.

Add a third wheel to your bike!

21 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

The British-made Motopodd might well set you back £3250 but it will transform your biking from a solo pursuit to something the whole family can enjoy! Compare cash on motorcycle products With the...

New Weise Matrix textile suit

21 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

Weise’s new Matrix two-piece suit is a multi-use, all-weather affair that won’t break the bank. Save £££s on motorcycle clothing Both the jacket and trousers feature an extra strong outer shell and...

Ducati Monster 796: latest update

21 April 2010 by MCN

MCN Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin is now riding back from Italy on the final leg of his 2500 mile marathon to attend the launch of the new Ducati 796. Here are his latest views of the new...

Can't wait for an FZ8? Top used alternatives for under 4k

21 April 2010 by James Keen

Is 800 the new 600 in the world of middleweight all-rounders? BMW has the F800R, Aprilia has the Mana and now Ducati and Yamaha are both joining the fray with the Monster 796 and FZ8. Yamaha...

New KBC 'Tarmac' will get you noticed

20 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

KBC have released this new Tarmac helmet for 2010, an all-new lid with a thermoplastic shell, chin and brow vents, plus a Pinlock-ready, quick-release visor. The lining is removable and washable, and...

CE-approved jeans get a name

20 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

Draggin Jeans’ newly CE-approved jeans have been given a name. When MCN first reported the news, the protective denims were so new they hadn’t even been named, but they’ll now be known as the C-Evo...

R&G protection for new Multistrada

20 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

British firm R&G Racing has announced a full range of products for the new Ducati Multistrada 1200, topped off by these subtle, £89.99 aero crash protectors. Save cash on motorcycle products For the...

Linley’s look-alike Bonnies star at Stafford sale

20 April 2010 by Phil West

Biking royal Viscount Linley is offering his two matching old/new Triumph Bonnevilles for sale this weekend. The two black machines appear virtually identical but are actually completely different and...

Monster 796 colours: did no-one tell the designers the red frame was staying?

20 April 2010 by Guy Procter

Ducati has rightly got highly excited by the near-instant colour-changing capabilities of its new Monsters, and the new 796 heralds the launch of a new set of tasty ‘logomania’ panels. Except, nobody...

New Stinger sports gloves from arc-on

20 April 2010 by Marc Abbott

These new race-spec gloves from arc-on pack a lot of features in for their £75 asking price. They’re made from cowhide with a carbon/plastic mix, vented knuckles, hard moulded protection on the...

“We’re the fastest” claim ZEV

20 April 2010 by John Westlake

Electric scooter manufacturer ZEV has windmilled into competitors over the performance of their new machine, the ZEV7000. Here’s what they say on their website: “Zev has had it with all of the claims...

New MCN April 21: New Yamaha FZ8 tested

20 April 2010 by Liam Marsden

In this week’s issue of MCN, on sale April 21, we ride the all new Yamaha FZ8 and FZ8 Fazer. The £800,000 speed camera cock-up on the Cat and Fiddle road as camera bosses fail to spot shortcut which...

Ducati reveals rider friendly Monster 796

19 April 2010 by Chris Newbigging

Ducati has launched a new Monster 796 with the 803cc engine from the Hypermotard 796 and other improvements based on owner feedback. Broadly, the new bike is similar to the 696 and 1100 version of the...

Help MCN test cool new biking iphone app!

19 April 2010 by Samuel Pinney

Motorcycle News is looking for bike riding iphone owners to help us test our new app before it goes on sale. All you have to do is use the app while riding your bike anywhere in the UK this week –...

New Ducati Monster 796 launch this Wednesday

19 April 2010 by John Westlake

MCN will be first to ride Ducati’s new middleweight Monster 796 this Wednesday on the roads surrounding Ducati’s Bologna HQ in Italy. The V-twin sits between the beginner-friendly Monster 696 and the...

Bimota-Moto Morini 1 (MMB-1)

19 April 2010 by Oberdan Bezzi

This is my idea of what a collaboration between Bimota and Moto Morini could look like.

World first ride - Yamaha FZ8 and FZ8 Fazer: 'Plenty of mid-range grunt'

19 April 2010 by MCN

MCN’s chief road tester Trevor Franklin has just finished riding the new Yamaha FZ8 and FZ8 Fazer at the launch in Marseille, France. So far Trevor has this to say about the two machines. “On...

Pothole, Northumberland

17 April 2010 by Kev Fowles

Here’s one for your pot holes feature. This happened today when we were out on a run up to Keilder via the A696 between Kowlesgate and Otterburn. Both wheels on my FJR are buckled and my wife and I...

MCN puts Harley-Davidson XR1200 racing bike to the test

16 April 2010 by MCN

MCN Senior Road Tester, Adam Child has just finished riding at Oulton Park putting one of the Harley-Davidson XR1200 race bikes through its paces in preparation for the first round being held as a...

116 MPs back MCN’s bike test call

16 April 2010 by Steve Farrell

Over 100 MPs have backed MCN’s call to shake-up a controversial new riding test. We’re demanding more test centres and changes to a new exercise which has led to dozens of crashes – and 116 MPs have...