Bike news

Year: ALL

After sixty years son fulfils dream of riding his father’s restored 1926 HRD

07 August 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

An 82-year-old biker has fulfilled a long-held dream of riding his father’s 350cc 1926 HRD motorcycle, having stored the bike in boxes of bits for 40 years, before undertaking a 15-year restoration...

Kawasaki’s cleaner screamer: How the new ZX-4RR meets emissions regulations

07 August 2023 by Ben Purvis

The biking world was surprised by the unveiling of the new Kawasaki ZX-4RR for the 2024 model range. Since the introduction of Euro5 emissions limits in 2020, we’ve seen an exodus of much-loved...

Expert guide to... middleweight naked Triumphs

04 August 2023 by Jon Urry

In late 2007 a bike arrived that changed the whole middleweight naked bike class for good – Triumph’s outstanding Street Triple. Borrowing heavily from their amazing inline triple Daytona 675...

Workshop: How to set your bike up for a pillion

04 August 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Adding a passenger and luggage will cause the bike to sag on its suspension. This means it will be soaking up more of the available travel on both the forks and rear shock before you have even...

Big Read: ‘Magically surreal Spain’

04 August 2023 by Eglė Gerulaitytė

Pondering a fork in a narrow dirt trail snaking across the badlands of Gorafe, I tried to reason with Google Maps. There weren’t supposed to be any splits in the track here; in fact, for the last two...

MCN250: These Guzzi and Kawasaki retros look spot-on but which REALLY delivers?

04 August 2023 by Jon Urry

The V7 harks back to the late 1960s when its ancestor shot Guzzi to global fame. Debuting the firm’s now trademark air-cooled 90-degree V-twin, the V7 formed the cornerstone of future success.

Cyril Despres: How the chance loan of a Honda XR400 led to five Dakar wins

03 August 2023 by Greg Moss

Finishing the Dakar is an achievement in itself, winning it is career defining but taking the top spot five times is monumental. Enter Cyril Despres, without doubt one of the Dakar’s greatest-ever...

John McGuinness MBE: ‘Jake could set the place wild’

03 August 2023 by John McGuinness

I’ve booked my campsite, I’m taking my family and we’ll be there all weekend. It’s great they have opened up the grandstands for the fans. As an event it has to do well, we need it to do well and...

An extra eye on the road: BMW’s collision warning system alerts you to hazards ahead

03 August 2023 by Martin Fitz-Gibbons

BMW have developed a front collision warning system that’s due to debut on a production bike “in the near future”. No prizes for guessing that’s the incoming BMW R1300GS, then. The system is...

Short circuit stunner: Krämer reveal their GP2-890RR

02 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Krämer Motorcycles have their sights set on racing glory with their new GP2-890RR: a limited run, £35,990 twin cylinder track specialist sportsbike model said to be their fastest and most capable...

GlobeBusters returns with Trans American adventure

01 August 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Epic motorcycle adventure tour company, GlobeBusters are getting back into the swing of things after years of Covid difficulty, with a sell-out 22,000-mile adventure from Alaska to...

Surron announce Devon based experience days

31 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Electric motorcycle maker Surron have partnered with Wheeldon Farm Off Road Centre, in Devon, to introduce the new Surron Experience Days that will take place throughout the year. The experience...

Hard as a diamond: Abus Granit 68 Xplus scores highest Sold Secure Diamond level rating

31 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Abus are taking the fight to bike thieves with an updated range of Sold Secure approved locks and chains – including a Diamond rated cylindrical disc lock which meets the highest level of protection...

Dorset's DocBike Run now open for registrations

31 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Dorset’s DocBike run, which raises money for the injury prevention charity that places a trauma doctors and critical care paramedics on two wheels, is now accepting registrations for their annual...

Spy shots: Aprilia RS440 sportsbike spotted in testing

28 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Spyshots intercepted by MCN appear to show a new small-capacity A2 sportsbike thought to be an Aprilia RS440, which could bridge the gap between the 14.8bhp Aprilia RS125 and the 99bhp Aprilia...

The Heritage Sprint returns bigger than ever

27 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

The Heritage Sprint at Betteshanger Park in East Kent returns next month with almost double the number of racers competing in the classic bike sprints and more exhibition motorcycles than last...

Ducati honour 30 years of the Monster family with limited run special

27 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Ducati are kicking off a roster of 2024 new model reveals by celebrating 30 years of the iconic Monster name – unveiling a 30° Anniversario special edition limited to 500 units, said to be the...

The 400hp supercharged Triumph Speed Triple 1200RR wows at Goodwood

27 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

A stretched-out, supercharged Triumph Speed Triple 1200RR drift bike captivated crowds at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed – boasting 400bhp, adaptive aerodynamics, and even artificial...

MCE placed into administration

27 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

MCE Insurance have been placed into administration by directors due to the company’s financial position, but existing customer’s policies will remain in place. Related: Find cheap bike insurance...

Expert guide: The GSX-R range defined Suzuki for generations. So which to buy?

27 July 2023 by Jon Urry

It’s a rather sorry state of affairs that now, in 2023, Suzuki only have a single GSX-R model in the range – and it is a GSX-R125! But fear not – as the GSX-R name has been around since 1985 (yes,...

Tech watch: Kawasaki's greener screamer

27 July 2023 by Ben Purvis

Since the introduction of Euro5 emissions limits in 2020, we’ve seen an exodus of much-loved bikes from the market as their makers struggle to justify the investment needed to develop and comply with...

Big read: Remembering Steve Hislop

27 July 2023 by Stuart Barker

Twenty years ago this week, the Robinson R44 helicopter being piloted by Steve Hislop came down on a remote hillside in the Scottish Borders. Hislop’s death shocked the racing world, and he is...

Happy birthday, sweet Sixteener: It's 50 years of the Fizzy!

27 July 2023 by Phil West

Fifty years ago this year one of the most inspirational, significant – and smallest – bikes Britain has ever known was born: the Yamaha FS1-E. The ‘Fizzy’ is the most famous example of the 50cc...

Product showcase: riding jeans

27 July 2023 by MCN

Oxford Original Approved Denim AAA Jeans – £169.99 Tested by Gareth Evans for three months, 1000 miles On Oxford Products’ website it states these AAA-rated single layer items are ‘jeans you...

To M or not to M? Which BMW super-naked should you pick?

27 July 2023 by Jon Urry

BMW’s M model range has firmly established itself in the car world as something special. First introduced in the late 1970s, the ‘M’ stands for motorsport and if this letter and its accompanying light...

Smells like teen spirit: Kawasaki revive Superteen youth racing championship for incoming four-cylinder ZX-4RR

26 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

The racing talent of tomorrow can compete in the resurrected British Superteen series for 2024, with riders aged between 15 and 20 competing on specially modified Kawasaki ZX-4RR four-cylinder...

‘Tests need to change – now!’: Government under pressure to deliver motorbike training reforms agreed SIX years ago

25 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Key changes to streamline motorbike tests and licence laws that were agreed by the Government a full six years ago must be implemented without further delay, major players in the British industry are...

Ducati sales rise again: Firm bucks the market trend to grow in first half of 2023

24 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Ducati have announced sales are up 5% for the first six months of 2023 compared with last year – with the Italian brand delivering 34,976 bikes. Last year, the firm enjoyed its best year ever,...

Post-war Harley-Davidson WLC to be auctioned for charity

21 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

A 1949 Harley-Davidson WLC will go under the hammer with no reserve at the Silverstone Auctions Shuttleworth Sale on 30 July to raise much needed money for a cancer charity. The 750cc air-cooled,...

Introducing Engineered by Zicam

21 July 2023 by MCN

Advertorial West Midlands-based security experts Zicam Industries Group Ltd have been designing and engineering high-tech security products to keep vehicles safe and secure for over 25 years, but a recent...

Get out and do stuff: Adventure grant set up in memory of popular two-wheeled explorer

21 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

Organisers of the upcoming Armchair Adventure Festival have set up a grant in memory of long-time supporter David Martin, helping riders who want to pursue an adventure outside of their comfort zone,...

Spanish special editions: Triumph celebrate Baja Aragón success with limited-run Tiger 900 range

20 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Triumph have launched a new special edition of their Tiger 900 adventure bike range to mark Iván Cervantes’ 2022 victory at the gruelling Baja Aragón race. Competing on a modified Triumph Tiger 900...

Bike won't start? Don't panic. Here's how to coax a reluctant engine back to life

20 July 2023 by Bruce Dunn

If a bike’s not been started for a long time (and, crucially not been stored properly), the combination of stale fuel and partially discharged battery will conspire to prevent the engine from...

An extra eye on the road: BMW's collision warning system is coming soon

20 July 2023 by Martin Fitz-Gibbons

BMW has developed a front collision warning system that’s due to debut on a production bike “in the near future”. No prizes for guessing that’s the R1300GS, then. The system is designed to prevent...

eMCN: Where next for motorcycling?

20 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Biking is undergoing a revolution. Where it was once all about petrol and noise, environmental pressures have forced manufacturers to venture into new, uncharted territories. Some, such as Norton,...

The MCN Test: BMW’s benchmark R1250RS faces serious competition

20 July 2023 by Jim Moore

Freedom is motorcycling’s greatest gift, the most rewarding expression of which is heading off on long-distance adventures to far-flung destinations where epic roads and stunning scenery are there for...