2013
Suzuki GSX-R600 owners wanted
10 June 2013 by
MCN is looking for Suzuki GSX-R600 owners for an upcoming feature. We’re specifically looking for owners of the Suzuki GSX-R600 and in particular the 2001-2005, 2006-2010 and 2011- current model. We’ll be using the information to help with our article and there may be a chance you get featured in the paper. Just fill out the information below and email it to mcn.news@motorcyclenews.com aqlong with...
Staff Blog: Barely a sign of 6000 miles ridden
10 June 2013 by

The odometer clicked through 6000 miles on the Multistrada 1200 S Touring on the way to work this morning and in light of this approaching milestone I spent three hours giving the bike a deep clean...
Staff Blog: Hyperstrada Tyre Testing
10 June 2013 by

I’m working my way through as many new-for-2013 tyres as I can for this year, so I can see what the tyre companies have been up to. With each new generation of tyre, we get more bang for our buck. The...
Staff Blog: Thanks for all your suggestions
10 June 2013 by

Further to my previous blog I’ve been really chuffed with the amount of reponses I’ve received so thank you. My route around North Norfolk is taking shape nicely with the addition of a particularly...
Competition: Win Tom Sykes' ACTUAL Winter Leathers
10 June 2013 by

A few weeks ago on our Facebook channel we gave away the chance to win a weekend at Donington with Kawasaki KRT rider Tom Sykes. Now, our new, best-friends at Motocard.com have given us another,...
Best bikes for under £5k: 2005-2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000
10 June 2013 by

What was it like then? This was the superbike to have in the mid-noughties. The K5/K6 was magnificent, but little did we know it would be the best GSX-R1000 ever. After a steady improvement through...
Staff Blog: Get your thinking caps on......I need your help!!!
08 June 2013 by

With the sun shining and hopefully continuing to shine for some weeks to come I’m planning to ride as much as I can and need your help. My next planned jaunt is to the North Norfolk coast in a couple...
Staff Blog: Passports at the ready
07 June 2013 by
There’s always a tingle that comes with the thought of riding abroad. And, now the working day is coming to a close, I’m feeling the tingle. The sun’s shining, the TT commentary is piping out of the computer and I’m headed for Belgium on the Street Triple R. It’s not designed for touring, but you can go anywhere on anything if you’re in the mood. Which I am. The ride is part of my girlfriend,...
TT Withdrawal?
07 June 2013 by
If you’re suffering from TT withdrawl already, we might have the perfect cure for you over on MCN-TV.com The David Jeffries Story – A portrait of ‘DJ’ as a much loved and much missed burly Yorkshireman. Often cited as the most naturally gifted rider ever to roll a wheel onto the mountain course, Jefferies cemented his legendary status with treble wins in three consecutive years and was the first...
California Superbike School aim to turn students into teachers
07 June 2013 by

California Superbike School are holding a special, ‘coach try-out’ day at Rockingham on Monday 24th June, in a bid to attract more coaching experience into their school. While out on...
Clampdown on un-roadworthy bikes catches 15 times as many cars
07 June 2013 by

A police clampdown on un-roadworthy motorcycles ended up catching up to 15 times more cars than bikes. Police had warned riders in advance: ‘Don’t risk it by taking to the roads without ensuring that...
Staff Blog: Neeves on the Hyperstrada launch, broken keys and trackdays.
07 June 2013 by
This is the second in the series of video reviews for my Ducati Hyperstrada long term test bike. Here I go along to the official launch of the Hyperstrada, get a puncture, bend my ignition key and do a trackday at Anglesey. BLOG13 | HYPER13
Staff Blog: Mud flinging
07 June 2013 by

Senior Editor Richard Newland’s BMW R1200GS isn’t the only longtermer with a mud-flinging problem, the Judge has one too. On damp, wet or just plain dirty roads the front wheel throws up a lot of...
Google Glass coming to motorcycle helmets?
07 June 2013 by

Next year’s defining new-tech moment is sure to be the public release of Google’s first ‘wearable’ technology, Google Glass. You’re probably already aware of the idea: a tiny heads-up display fitted...
First pictures: Biaggi testing Pramac Ducati MotoGP bike
06 June 2013 by

Six time world champion Max Biaggi returned to the track today at Mugello today testing the Pramac Ducati MotoGP bike. Following his retirement from WSB at the end of last season, the 41 year old...
Staff Blog: Finding time for the Hyperstrada
06 June 2013 by

I’ve never known it to be so busy in MCN Road Test land, so I find myself away travelling lots. It means that sometimes I’m riding my Hyperstrada every day and occasionally weeks will go by where it...
Cal leathers up charity auction
06 June 2013 by
Yamaha in the US are autioning off a set of road racing leathers as worn by Monster Energy/Tech 3 MotoGP star Cal Crutchlow. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Feed the Children Oklahoma Relief Fund. Feed the Children is Yamaha Motor Corporation’s official corporate charity. “We are so pleased that Cal has graciously donated his authentic Spidi custom-made leathers to help provide relief...
MV Agusta F3 800 ridden!
06 June 2013 by

MV Agusta’s brand new £11,499 F3 800 is currently being put through its paces at Misano in Italy by MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves. Here are his first impressions: “The new machine is...
Cycle lane cameras
06 June 2013 by

London’s Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan has announced plans to set up CCTV cameras at cycle boxes and lanes to catch motorists entering them illegally. It is illegal for motorists to enter the...
Smoggy Petronas F1
06 June 2013 by

A rare, zero-mile Petronas FP1 worth £33,000 has been destroyed by fire, just days before it was due to be delivered to a customer in the UK. The bike was being pdi’d in the Zurich workshop of FP1...
Staff Blog: Deflated at Donington
05 June 2013 by

Being responsible for the online aspect of Motorcyclenews, I don’t get much of a chance to leave the office and the phosphorous glow of the monitor screens. So, when I had the opportunity to spend...
£100 fines for speeding and driving on the phone
05 June 2013 by

Fines for speeding and using a hand-held mobile phone while driving will rise from £60 to £100 under Government plans. Drivers who hog the middle motorway lane or tailgate also face £100 fines with...
Staff Blog: Swings and roundabouts
05 June 2013 by

Every bike will delight and frustrate you to some extent – it’s an inevitable truth. While touches of pure and simple genius will provide fodder to evangelise to your friends, there will always be...
MCN Guide: How to fit soft luggage
05 June 2013 by

We get a lot of queries here at MCN about how best to secure and fit soft luggage to bikes. So we thought we’d answer as many questions as possible in this quick, instructional video. – How to fit a...
Race attendance are on the slide – why?
04 June 2013 by

Race attendance are on the slide – why? pollcomment
Triumph release new colours and a Sprint GT special edition
04 June 2013 by

Triumph has announced special editions of its Sprint GT, Thunderbird, Tiger Explorer and Street Triple Models. The mid-range tourer, the Sprint GT, sees a host of new features including heated grips,...
Foggy Petronas FP1 – ultimate exotica, or waste of time?
04 June 2013 by

After 10 years MCN has finally got hold of a Petronas FP1 to test it against its rivals of the time, the Ducati 999S and Honda CBR900RR Fireblade. But is the FP1 a pointless waste or true exotica? ...
How much should you get paid for winning the Senior TT?
04 June 2013 by

The Isle of Man TT is possibly the most dangerous motorcycle race on the planet, but do you think the race winners get enough prize money for their efforts? pollcomment
MV Agusta F3 800 details revealed
04 June 2013 by

MV Agusta has released details of its new £11,499 F3 800, which will hit dealers in July. Based on the current inline-three cylinder F3 675 supersports machine, MV says it tips the scales at the same...
You ask/you answer: How to get the best out of MotoGP
04 June 2013 by

“Having stopped riding after getting knocked off five years ago (injury, mortage, wife, kid etc), my wife had obviously noticed my yearning for all things bike hasn’t gone. So for my birthday this...
Staff blog: How much?
04 June 2013 by

I got a shock when I saw the price of new standard rear tyre for the Burgman 650 ABS Executive from a Suzuki dealer: £184 plus £30 for fitting. The first one has just been replaced during the 4000...
Staff blog: A question for readers
04 June 2013 by

I’ve been accused of being over-critical of bikes in the past. A spot of rust after a couple of months and I have a whinge about it in print. “What about the positives?” a manufacturer once...
New MCN June 5: Dunlop treble at the TT
04 June 2013 by

In this week’s MCN, out June 5, we have all the news from the beginning of race week at the TT. Michael Dunlop has so far taken three wins from three races, could this be the start of a new era? Also...
Staff Blog: Welcome back CBR500
03 June 2013 by

When the first Yamaha FZR600 came out back in the day (1990) I was all over it like a rash. The black and pink paintscheme may have been a little ‘let’s go disco’ naff but these were the days of the...
First middle age fumblings with a Ducati
03 June 2013 by
On a weekend where the sun sat high and my adrenaline ran free, it seemed appropriate in the infancy of middle age to throw my leg over my first ever Ducati and see what Hampshire’s bountiful roads had to offer. The bike in question was a 2013 Panigale, which, with its £5,000 insurance excess had the temperature up before the very obliging salesman even turned the key and fired up what can only be...