2012

Triumph Speed Triple R: The harder you ride, the better it gets

Triumph Speed Triple R: The harder you ride, the better it gets

Triumph has added a dynamic new dimension to the hugely popular Speed Triple by giving it the ‘R’ treatment. For an extra £2500 over the standard version (£8799), which was released (and heavily...

New Harley-Davidson 72 and Softail Slim unveiled

New Harley-Davidson 72 and Softail Slim unveiled

Say hello to Harley-Davidson’s brand new ‘Seventy-Two’ and Softail Slim – its two major new model releases for 2012. The XL1200V Seventy Two is based on the 1200 Sportster and inspired by the...

Tribute tattoo

Tribute tattoo

This is my tribute to two supermen of MotoGP. One will sadly be missed – let’s hope 2012 will be a good season. Many thanks to the lads at Skin Deep, Bristol.

Mismatched tyres ‘could have caused fatal smash’

Mismatched tyres ‘could have caused fatal smash’

A motorist who span across the road killing a biker could not be tried for careless driving because her tyres were mismatched, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.  The CPS says there was no...

Get On at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show

Get On at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show

If you’re heading to the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show this weekend with a non-biking mate, then be sure to stop by the Get On stand and get your friend some free coaching. The aim of the Get On...

Ian Hutchinson feared to have broken leg again

Ian Hutchinson feared to have broken leg again

UPDATE 09:56am, 02/02/2012: It has been confirmed that Hutchinson has indeed broken his leg – both his tibia and fibula have been fractured and the damaged left leg has been externally fixated (ie put...

February 1 Bikes on the Box

February 1 Bikes on the Box

KEY TO CHANNELS.   DRT – Discovery Real Time  DSC – Discovery Channel   DHD – Discovery Channel HD   EXS – Extreme Sports Channel  EUR1 (2, HD) – Eurosport 1 (2, HD) MOT – Motors TV   CH4 – Channel...

Kawasaki Bristol step in to help

I have been riding a 2006 Kawasaki ZZR1400 for nearly 5 years and I am still in love with the bike, so when Kawasaki announced the new one was coming I knew I had to have one. I ordered a new bike from George White on October 14, 2011. I was on holiday when the news came through about the company and I was gutted. The new bike was not only a pat on my back for a successful year, but also a 50th...

MCN Golden Bike winner takes delivery of new bike

MCN Golden Bike winner takes delivery of new bike

Our congratulations go to MCN Golden Bike winner Joe Wright who recently used his £1000 prize against a used ZX-9R. Joe, pictured alongside Triumph Wolverhampton salesman David Price, won the £1000...

Hollyoaks star launches Bennetts babe search

Hollyoaks star launches Bennetts babe search

Hollyoaks star Jorgie Porter, who’s also fresh out of the BBC’s Dancing on Ice is the face of the 2012 search for the Bennetts Babes Squad The bike insurance specialists is looking for a new set of...

Speeding fines set to rise to £100

Speeding fines set to rise to £100

Fines for speeding could rise from £60 to £100 under plans announced by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke. The fixed penalty speeding fine could rise by nearly 70% to fund compensation for victims of...

Big bike trip - South Africa to China

We are riding KTM 990 Adventure motorcycles from South Africa to China and in the process raising funds for Autism Research Trust. Fanny, a former professional beach volleyball player, is the first Chinese woman to undertake such an adventure and has only 12 months riding experience under her belt. She has now successfully ridden 22,000km across Africa and has gained a local following in China of...

New MCN February 1: Triumph Speed Triple R tested

New MCN February 1: Triumph Speed Triple R tested

In this week’s issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday February 1, we test the new Triumph Speed Triple R at Jerez. The ‘R’ version costs £2500 more than the standard version, and for that you get Ohlins...

Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers out now on DVD

Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers out now on DVD

ADVERTISING PROMOTION He’s ridden through Africa in the award winning series ‘Long Way Down’. braved the wilds of the North on his 20,000 miles ‘Long Way Round’ adventure and now Charley Boorman,...

Legendary design chief leaves BMW

Legendary design chief leaves BMW

BMW design chief David Robb has left the company after a disagreement with a colleague. BMW sources confirmed today that the man credited with transforming the firm had gone. BMW design has gone from...

How thousands of motorcyclists could be unwittingly uninsured

How thousands of motorcyclists could be unwittingly uninsured

Thousands of motorcyclists could be unwittingly riding without insurance because of confusion over what constitutes a full licence. Many riders tell their insurance company they have had a full...

Petition to scrap new bike licence rules

Petition to scrap new bike licence rules

A petition is calling on the Government to scrap planned changes to the motorcycle licence regime. All under-19s are to be limited to 125s and the minimum age for Direct Access raised to 24 under new...

Video: MCN's Yamaha SR500 cafe racer project running

Video: MCN's Yamaha SR500 cafe racer project running

MCN designer Simon Relph bought this rust bucket 1979 Yamaha SR500 at the beginning of the year for just £50 with the aim of turning the bike in to a cool cafe racer. Now, after plenty of hard graft...

Lucky chap!

Lucky chap!

My gorgeous other half Susie on her old SV650, and me on my VFR800 Anniversary during last year’s Durham Bikewise Easter Egg Run. Looking forward to getting Susie’s new ER6-F out for this years run. I...

New KTM Adventure spied on test

New KTM Adventure spied on test

This is the all-new KTM Adventure with a 1290cc V-twin engine which is expected to produce around 130bhp – 25bhp more than its arch-rival, the BMW R1200GS. The bike was spotted while undergoing road...

Deposits on bikes in doubt after George White folds

Deposits on bikes in doubt after George White folds

Britain’s biggest motorcycle dealer could default on dozens of deposits placed on new bikes after going into administration. A source at a major bike manufacturer warned George White Motors was...

Destination dealer: Kawasaki launch at Wheels Motorcycles

Destination dealer: Kawasaki launch at Wheels Motorcycles

ADVERTISING PROMOTION Formerly known as Taz Motorcycles and based in Peterborough, Wheels is gearing up for the 2012 New Model Launch Night, which will see the opening of the firm’s new Kawasaki area.

Video: 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 first ride

Video: 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 first ride

Twenty-two years after the powerhouse ZZR1100 was launched, Kawasaki has released its all-new ZZR1400 complete with a bigger engine than ever, more power, and sophisticated traction control. To find...

Over 80% of death drivers avoid jail

Over 80% of death drivers avoid jail

More than four out of five careless drivers who kill walk free from courts, an MCN investigation can reveal. All but 48 of the first 313 people sentenced for the new offence of causing death by...

Ducati begins 1199 Panigale production

Ducati begins 1199 Panigale production

Ducati has finally started building the hotly-anticipated and all-new 1199 Panigale superbike at the Bologna factory this week. The Panigale is the all-new 200bhp 1200cc V-twin superbike the firm...

Huge Ducati auction at Monaco Grand Prix

Huge Ducati auction at Monaco Grand Prix

One of the world’s largest collections of classic Ducatis, comprising over 100 bikes, is to be sold at auction. The collection includes a 1970 Ducati 450 Desmo ‘Corsa’, which was on display in the...

My turbocharged trike

My turbocharged trike

Here’s my trike, powered by a turbocharged Rewaco 1.6 Z-tec motor, producing 185bhp at the minute. I’m a paraplegic and I use it for rallys thoughout the year. I usually cover about 12/13k a year...

Teams prepare for world’s daftest bike adventure

Teams prepare for world’s daftest bike adventure

In just a few weeks 15 teams will navigate 1000 miles across the frozen rivers of Siberia in a fleet of 1940s Russian Ural sidecar outfits with temperatures of as low as -40C. Competitors will have to...

‘Every driving test should include a bike question’

‘Every driving test should include a bike question’

An insurance firm is petitioning the Government to make a motorcycle-related question part of every driving test. Bennetts Insurance thinks it could help reduce casualties. At the moment a...

First ride: Triumph Speed Triple R

First ride: Triumph Speed Triple R

Triumph’s new-for-2012, uprated Speed Triple R is currently being tested by MCN in southern Spain. These are Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves’ first impressions: “I’m at the launch of the new Triumph...

New MCN January 25: Kawasaki ZZR1400 flat out!

New MCN January 25: Kawasaki ZZR1400 flat out!

In this week’s issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday January 25, we test the new Kawasaki ZZR1400 at the bikes launch at the Nardo test track in Italy. MCN tester Adam Child tested the bike on a 7.8 mile...

New Victory Judge unveiled

New Victory Judge unveiled

This is Victory’s new Judge – the latest bike to follow the trend for blacked-out, minimalist, hot rod-style cruisers. Unveiled this week at the New York Motorcycle Show, the Judge is a mean ‘n’...

2012 Triumphs at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show

2012 Triumphs at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show

The new Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 and Speed Triple R will head Triumph’s stand at this year’s Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show, on February 2-5. The Triumph Tiger Explorer – aimed squarely at the BMW...

Kymco to launch new Downtown 125i

Kymco to launch new Downtown 125i

Kymco are launching a new 125i version of the Downtown 300i, following its award-winning success last year. The 125i will offer the same technical specs as its predecessor, but with a 125cc capacity,...

Video: I, Superbiker 2 media screening

Video: I, Superbiker 2 media screening

I, Superbiker 2 is the sequel to last year’s I, Superbiker and follows the top six contenders of the 2011 BSB championship, Tommy Hill, Michael Laverty, Shane Byrne, Ryuichi Kiyonari, John Hopkins and...

Ducati wins UK trade award

Ducati wins UK trade award

Ducati has won a UK trade award in recognition of its achievements in 2011. The ‘Brand Recognition Award’ is part of the UK-Italy Business Awards, organised by the British Government to formally...