2013

Year: 2013

Month: ALL

Staff Blog: I Love Sunny Saturday Rides!

03 June 2013 by Alison Silcox

Staff Blog: I Love Sunny Saturday Rides!

What glorious weather, waking up on Saturday morning with sun streaming through the window I had no excuse but to get out on the Yamaha Fazer8 and ride. My other half was helping mates at the Bemsee...

Bad roads

02 June 2013 by Brian Sketchley

I drove up the M1 today. Has anybody else seen the huge holes that are appearing along the joins between lanes? Where there should be cats eyes or over banding potholes are appearing and forming a void down to the previous surface level anywhere up to a foot wide and up to 10 or 15 feet long. Hitting one at speed while changing lanes could result in loss of bike control with disastrous...

Staff Blog: up close and personal with the Hog

31 May 2013 by Ped Baker

Staff Blog: up close and personal with the Hog

Now I’ve had the Street Bob for a couple of weeks I’ve had the chance to do something I suspect many other Harley owners do – park it on the drive, grab a beer and paw over the details that make the...

Yamaha’s ‘Dark Side’

31 May 2013 by Andy Davidson

Yamaha’s ‘Dark Side’

Last year’s Cologne Motorcycle Show saw Yamaha make bold claims about what we could expect from them in the near future. The firm unveiled a slightly bizarre wire and engine ‘sculpture’ centred around...

Staff Blog: Life with the Hyperstrada so far

30 May 2013 by Michael Neeves

Staff Blog: Life with the Hyperstrada so far

On paper, the new Ducati Hyperstrada is right up my street. It promises supermoto fun and the ability to cover long distances. I’m running one for the 2013 summer season and so far it hasn’t...

Video: Borile 450 Scrambler first ride

30 May 2013 by Michael Neeves

Video: Borile 450 Scrambler first ride

Artisan bike maker Borile is creating its first small-volume, full-production motorcycle, called the B450 which will cost £9650 when it goes on sale in September. We rode the bike in Italy.

Staff Blog: Hello Moto(rrad)

29 May 2013 by MCN

Staff Blog: Hello Moto(rrad)

If you’d told me ten years ago that I’d be ecstatic at the prospect of riding an R1200GS as a longterm test bike, I’d have been breathless with laughter before any sort of verbal response could form...

Staff Blog: Time for new shoes!

29 May 2013 by Ian Jubb

Staff Blog: Time for new shoes!

Having just clocked up 3000 miles on the RT the rear is starting to square off and with a trip to France looming I figured it’s best to get them switched from the OE Metzeler Roadtec Z8 to the all new...

Will Norton be competitive at the TT?

29 May 2013 by MCN

Will Norton be competitive at the TT?

Norton are back at the Isle of Man TT for a second year, this time with two much improved bikes. What do you reckon to their chances? pollcomment

Only one can survive – which would you choose?

29 May 2013 by MCN

Only one can survive – which would you choose?

The BMF or MAG, you decide… pollcomment

What do you think to loud exhausts on bikes?

29 May 2013 by MCN

What do you think to loud exhausts on bikes?

There’s no doubting aftermarket exhausts makes bikes sound a lot better, but are they annoying or do they actually save lives? pollcomment

You ask/you answer: Small, and perfectly formed

29 May 2013 by MCN

You ask/you answer: Small, and perfectly formed

“I’ve just passed my test, and am looking to buy my first bike – but I need some advice. I’m only 5ft 3inches tall, and I have no desire for a ‘big’ bike. What I want is something that fits me...

Yamaha R1 owners wanted

29 May 2013 by MCN

Yamaha R1 owners wanted

MCN is looking for Yamaha R1 owners for an upcoming feature. We’re specifically looking for owners of the 2004-2006, 2007-2008 and 2009 onward models. We’ll be using the information to help with our...

May 29 - Jun 11 Bikes on the Box

29 May 2013 by Alison Silcox

May 29 - Jun 11 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...

Cat and Fiddle camera makers withdraw casualty claims

28 May 2013 by Steve Farrell

Cat and Fiddle camera makers withdraw casualty claims

The makers of average-speed cameras on the Cat and Fiddle run are withdrawing a casualty reduction claim after a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. Vysionics ITS had claimed its speed...

Staff Blog: I Can See Clearly Now.......

26 May 2013 by Alison Silcox

Staff Blog: I Can See Clearly Now.......

It’s a couple of weeks without riding for me I’m afraid. After 24 years of being a ‘specy-four-eyes’ I’ve taken the plunge and had lazer eye surgery. You might wonder why I’m writing about this on...

BMW Concept Ninety revealed

24 May 2013 by Andy Downes

BMW Concept Ninety revealed

BMW has just taken the wraps off the Concept Ninety – a collaboration between the German firm and Californian custom builder Roland Sands as the company celebrates 40 years since the original R90S and...

Staff Blog: Fair-weather rider? I wish

24 May 2013 by Tony Hoare

Staff Blog: Fair-weather rider? I wish

This year I’ve been trying to turn myself into a fair weather rider. Honestly, it’s not me, it’s the bike – I don’t mind riding in the wet and have done thousands of miles in the rain over the...

Norton V4 tech analysis

24 May 2013 by MCN

Norton V4 tech analysis

Norton was brought back into British hands in 2009. After tqo previous attempts, Norton is back at the TT in just a few weeks with two almost completely new 1000cc V4 bikes, two riders and a bundle of...

Video: Bimota DBX first ride

24 May 2013 by MCN

Video: Bimota DBX first ride

Bimota has a reputation for taking engines from the likes of Ducati or one of the Japanese big four and building something rather special around it. It’s done the same here, but with a twist – taking...

Supersport bikes for under £2000

23 May 2013 by MCN Staff

Supersport bikes for under £2000

We’ve looked around to find some of the best supersport deals you can get for less than £2000… Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat Yamaha’s Thundercat arrived in 1996 to replace the aging FZR600R as the firm’s...

Norton: 'What we learned last year created this bike'

23 May 2013 by MCN

Norton: 'What we learned last year created this bike'

Norton design boss Simon Skinner and his small team of engineers, designers and mechanics sat down the week after the 2012 TT and sifted through notes and reams of computer data to work out what a...

A new twist to training

23 May 2013 by David Frost

A new twist to training

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Road Safety Partnership (CPRSP) is launching a new campaign to persuade powered two wheeler (P2W) riders to take additional training in order to enhance their skills...

Video: MCN ride Norton's TT challenger

23 May 2013 by MCN

Video: MCN ride Norton's TT challenger

With just days to go before the 2013 TT MCN gained exclusive, extended access over two days to the Norton team. They were preparing to test their new 200bhp V4, £100,000 Senior TT machine, which will...

Video: Ducati Hypermotard new vs old

22 May 2013 by Michael Neeves

Video: Ducati Hypermotard new vs old

Ducati’s new 821cc Hypermotard replaces two old Hypermotards: the little 796 and its bigger brother, the 1100 Evo. It has a similar-size engine to the small one, but more power than the big one, so...

Declare your bit on the side

22 May 2013 by Tony Hoare

Declare your bit on the side

The 101-year-old British sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire has released this tongue-in-cheek t-shirt. It features an image of a 1950s Monza outfit that was used in the original promotion at the...

Staff blog: The myth of the Burgman's small tank

22 May 2013 by Steve Farrell

Staff blog: The myth of the Burgman's small tank

I’ve established the Suzuki Burgman 650 ABS Executive has a much longer tank range than it’s credited with. Some reports have estimated it at 150 miles, probably because the fuel warning starts...

Truly limited edition, Cal spec Sidi Vortice boots for just £299.95

22 May 2013 by MCN Shop

Truly limited edition, Cal spec Sidi Vortice boots for just £299.95

A bang to the head, nose bleed, coughing up blood and a fractured tibia/plateau couldn’t stop Cal getting his feet on a Podium this weekend. We can’t promise that wearing these boots will make you as...

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R feedback

21 May 2013 by Andy Davidson

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R feedback

Four ZX-10R owners will get the chance to tell Japanese designers what future models should be like in an offer exclusive to MCN readers. Owners of 2011 and 2012 versions of the Kawasaki Ninja model...

Staff Blog:Tyres changed after 2500 miles in five days

21 May 2013 by Andy Downes

Staff Blog:Tyres changed after 2500 miles in five days

The mobile tyre fitter has just left having swopped the worn out tyres on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring which had been reduced to near illegal wear depth following my trip to the Ducati...

New MCN May 22: Brit Blitz!

21 May 2013 by MCN

New MCN May 22: Brit Blitz!

In this week’s MCN, out May 22, we celebrate the British Blitz at Le Mans, as Cal takes 2nd and Scott Redding wins his first Moto2. We also have our free 32-page TT Preview supplement ahead of...

BMF Show, Peterborough: Brilliant or bobbins?

21 May 2013 by MCN

BMF Show, Peterborough: Brilliant or bobbins?

DId you attend this weekend’s BMF show in Peterborough? Opinion is divided on how good it was, but 42,000 people still turned up for it over the two days. Let us know what you thought of it!

Would you support an instant driving ban for mobile phone use while driving?

21 May 2013 by MCN

Would you support an instant driving ban for mobile phone use while driving?

Talking on the phone while driving is responsible for an alarming number of biker injures and deaths. But does the law need toughening up on the subject? How would you feel about a one-strike...

Will Scott Redding be Moto2 champ this year?

21 May 2013 by MCN

Will Scott Redding be Moto2 champ this year?

Scott Redding set the world on fire this weekend, finally getting the Moto2 race victory he’s been chasing for so long. He’s shown consistency all year, and is now the title leader. But can he hold...

Should Cal Crutchlow get Valentino Rossi's M1 next year?

21 May 2013

Should Cal Crutchlow get Valentino Rossi's M1 next year?

After his excellent showing last weekend at Le Mans, the entire world is talking about Cal Crutchlow. But at the minute he’s still stuck with no factory ride for 2014, especially if he wants to stay...

What's new on the Ducati Hyperstrada?

21 May 2013 by Michael Neeves

What's new on the Ducati Hyperstrada?

The paint’s barely dry on the new 821cc Hypermotard, but Ducati has already created a touring version. With its panniers, centrestand and tall screen, here’s what makes the Hyperstrada different to...