2015

Year: 2015

Month: ALL

7 bikes with Africa twin cred on the cheap

07 December 2015 by MCN

Want Dakar styling without breaking the bank? Try one of these rugged beauties Honda XRV650 (RD03) Africa Twin (1988-1989) The original 650 Africa Twin was never officially imported to the UK and is...

The best race weekend you’ve never heard of

07 December 2015 by MCN Sport

Four hours from Calais is a jewel of a road circuit with three beer stations, and a mouth-watering range of old bikes e’re up in the woods, high above the start line. It’s so quiet you can hear a...

Triumph Street Twin launch

07 December 2015 by Michael Neeves

Triumph has announced more facts and figures for the Street Twin today: The 900cc ‘high torque’ motor makes a claimed 54bhp@5900rpm. It has 22% more power and 18% more torque than the old air-cooled...

Tory Bayliss: flat-out, even in retirement

06 December 2015 by MCN Sport

Troy Bayliss is retired. Trouble is, he still loves racing. So, after dabbling with a WSB return, he decides to try US flat track. It doesn’t go to plan… blur of yellow flashes, like a comet,...

ROAD TEST: Yamaha’s classic TZR street racer

05 December 2015 by Performance Bikes

A pair of classic road tests from the Performance Bikes vaults, as Yamaha’s classic TZR street racer is joined by a street mutant. ach day the Yuppie Hordes descend from boroughs such as Dulwich...

Triumph Street Twin launch incoming

04 December 2015 by Michael Neeves

MCN will be riding Triumph’s new Street Twin at its world launch in Valencia on Monday. The Street Twin was unveiled at the end of October, as part of Triumph’s new five-bike modern classic range,...

Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin launch

04 December 2015 by Michael Guy

Africa Twin: Day two roundup – Off-road Following a day of road riding yesterday (scroll down), today saw us taking the new Africa Twin onto the rough stuff to really put its off-road credentials to...

Picture story: When Ducati built Triumphs

03 December 2015 by MCN

Not a lot of people know that Ducati once built Triumph cars. In the early sixties then managing director Giuseppe Montano signed a deal with British Leyland to build, adapt and market Triumph...

Ariel reveal ‘base’ model Ace

03 December 2015 by Andy Downes

Reborn British firm Ariel also bought a new basic version of their Ace roadster to show what the most affordable of the bikes available looks like when no options are added. Previously Ariel have been...

8 ways to spot a bike’s hidden history

03 December 2015 by MCN

Buyer beware is the rule with used bike deal, so here’s how to avoid blowing your hard-earned on a lemon 1. Numbers One of the first things you should look at on a used bike is the frame and engine...

Legendary BSB heroes and their bikes to be reunited at MCN’s London Show

03 December 2015 by MCN News

See the biggest names in BSB history along with standout bikes including the Cadbury’s Boost Yamahas at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show on February 12-14. Next year is the 20th anniversary...

Have Suzuki done enough?

03 December 2015 by Andy Downes

Suzuki revealed what they are calling a ‘Concept’ GSX-R1000 at the Milan motorcycle show two weeks ago, with the firm revealing that the bike is completely new from the ground up. But for all the new...

CBR600FN restoration

02 December 2015 by Practical Sportsbikes

A bad accident left Phillip Harrison with a broken leg, yet over the past two years he’s rehabilitated not only that but this CBR600FN – the latter with some ingenious techniques… hillip Harrison was...

Carole Nash reveal track App-iness

02 December 2015 by MCN News

Motorcycle insurance people Carole Nash have released a new mobile app – called insidebikes – which features a full-throttle, 360-degree track experience, with fans able to tail bike racing...

Obituary: Arturo Magni, 1925-2015

02 December 2015 by MCN News

MCN is sad to report the passing of Arturo Magni (24.09.1925 – 02.12.2015). Born in Usmate Velate (Milan), the legendary engineer and race manager started his motorcycle career in the 1947, when the...

How using a lower gear can make your bike feel better

02 December 2015 by RiDE magazine

There’s an easy way to make most bikes feel better. It’s not a secret – in fact, it’s so simple that many people don’t even give it a second thought. For those already in the know, it’s a mystery that...

Motorcycle Live gets off to a roaring start as new bikes make UK debut

02 December 2015 by Andy Downes

Huge crowds flocked to the opening weekend of Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham as a gaggle of new 2016 bikes arrive in the UK for the first time. The show opened on Saturday with a surge of...

Öhlins target small bikes

02 December 2015 by Richard Newland

Swedish firm Öhlins have launched a new range of suspension upgrade kits for the Yamaha MT-07, XSR700 and YZF-R3, as well as Honda’s CBR250R, and the Kawasaki Ninja 300. Further kits will also be...

Poll: How will Josh Brookes fare in World Superbikes?

02 December 2015 by MCN News

Josh Brookes will trade our domestic BSB championship for a crack at the World Superbike crown in 2016 – how do you rate his chances?

Poll: Are you bothered by brand when buying a new bike?

02 December 2015 by MCN News

Are you bothered by brand when buying a new bike?

7 Bikes that share their name with Aircraft

02 December 2015 by MCN

Great plane names helped this mixed bag of bikes get off the ground. Suzuki Hayabusa (1999-present) Billed as the fastest motorcycle ever to come from Japan, and actually, it probably was. It’s all...

New MCN December 2: Hot 2016 bikes on test!

01 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

In this week’s edition of MCN, available in newsagents, on iPad and Android from December 2: Kawasaki ZX-10R first test! Ducati 959 Panigale first test! KTM 690 Duke first test! Major upgrades for...

My life in bikes: Martin Brundle

01 December 2015 by MCN

‘I went from a moped to a 500 GP missile’ eteran of 158 Formula 1 races and Le Mans 24-hour winner now F1 commentator for Sky, Martin Brundle reveals his unconventional biking background When did...

MRS unveil stunning Vulcan 'Spirit Charger'

30 November 2015 by Richard Newland

While many of us Brits are charging headlong to the NEC for our annual dose of Motorcycle Live, our cousins across the Channel have their own two-wheeled soiree to enjoy this week, the Paris...

Yamaha reveal updated FJR1300

30 November 2015 by Richard Newland

Yamaha pulled the covers off their new-for-2016 FJR1300 at Motorcycle Live today, and while it might not look very different from the outside, the firm has made some key upgrades beneath the...

Honda announce prices for 2016 Africa Twin

28 November 2015 by Richard Newland

Honda UK have announced pricing and final specification for the eagerly-awaited CRF1000L Africa Twin, which will be launched in early December (see the full first ride report in the December 9 issue...

Kawasaki announce 2016 prices

27 November 2015 by Richard Newland

Kawasaki UK have announced prices for their full 2016 range – including the brand new Ninja ZX-10R, J125, ZZR1400 and ZZR1400 Performance Sport models. Developed directly with the Kawasaki Racing...

Honda CB400F Restoration

27 November 2015 by Practical Sportsbikes

In 1998, Graham Hugill bought a CB400F that had been lying in bits in a mate’s garden. He spent 30 months restoring the bike, then the next 10 years and 21,500 miles developing the Honda into the bike...

My life in bikes: Steve Parrish

27 November 2015 by MCN

till dodging getting a proper job, British champion bike (and truck) racer, team manager and now TV commentator, Steve Parrish talks bikes and Barry Sheene. When did you first get into bikes? I had...

Honda go wild with crazy concepts

26 November 2015 by Liam Marsden

Honda have a big year ahead of them with two range-defining models finding their way to our roads in the shape of the super-exclusive RC213V-S MotoGP replica, and the much awaited return of the far...

Guy Martin’s Vulcan grip

26 November 2015 by MCN News

You’ll have to have been living in a very small box, with no windows, internet or TV to have not noticed the crescendo of final flights of the much-loved Vulcan bomber XH558 this year – which flew for...

First Ride: Ducati 959 Panigale

26 November 2015 by Michael Neeves

There are lots of questions to answer about the new £13,250 Ducati 959 Panigale. Does it now go like a superbike with its bigger engine? Why has Ducati replaced the 899, anyway? And the biggest...

Race metal special: Class of 2015 (Part 2)

26 November 2015 by MCN

These are the 10 bikes that took our breath away in a memorable year of hot race action MotoGP ‘Never have straights been so short’ HRC’s 2016 Honda RC213V-S By Michael Neeves Senior Road Tester and...

Moto Guzzi’s mad bagger

25 November 2015 by Andy Downes

A year ago Moto Guzzi revealed the crazy MGX-21 Concept bagger and very few believed that the production bike would bear anything more than a passing resemblance to it. But fast forward 12 months and...

CB77: Honda's Brit-slayer

25 November 2015 by Classic Bike

The CB77 started to swing the balance of biking power from Britain to Japan. We ride a recently-built example and its brother, the CL77 off-roader. hasing Dennis Murfin along some near-deserted...

The Buyer: ‘Only a geek would know it had the wrong wheels’

25 November 2015 by MCN

‘Only a geek would know it had the wrong wheels’ hat’s more enticing than a nice old bike? An airhead BMW, for example. A Honda SOHC four? An air-cooled Kawasaki four? All mechanically basic bikes...