Bike news

Year: ALL

Marco Bezzecchi takes us on a pictorial trip of his premier class career

20 July 2023

If there’s one rider that is adding colour to the 2023 MotoGP championship, it’s Marco Bezzecchi. The 24-year-old Italian surprised everybody with a dominant first MotoGP victory in a rainy...

Middleweight twins that are big on fun but won’t obliterate your budget

20 July 2023 by Jon Urry

Cheap to produce, light, narrow and with friendly power characteristics, twin-cylinder engines are perfectly suited to the budget-conscious middleweight class where affordability and an easygoing...

Rocket Ron Haslam awarded Honorary Degree

19 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Former Grand Prix star Ron Haslam has received an honorary degree from the University of Derby in recognition of his racing career, as well as the thousands he has helped with on-track...

Yamaha’s triple treat: Firm’s XSR900 DB40 Prototype hints that new retro sportsbike is incoming

19 July 2023 by Chris Newbigging

Yamaha’s XSR900 DB40 Prototype revealed at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed is the firm’s strongest hint yet that they’ll produce a 900cc middleweight sportsbike to sit between the 72bhp R7 and...

Milwaukee rocks for Harley-Davidson homecoming

18 July 2023 by Richard Newland

Harley-Davidson’s hometown of Milwaukee was cloaked beneath a relentless tide of bikes, people, noise and action over the weekend to mark the firm’s 120th Homecoming. In the city that’s globally...

Suzuki Live returns to Cadwell Park for bumper weekend of fun

17 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Hundreds of bikers from across Europe descended on Lincolnshire’s Cadwell Park race circuit for a weekend of on- and off-track action at Suzuki Live. The two-day event took place between 15-16...

Bricking it! Yamaha team up with Lego for new MT-10SP build

14 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Yamaha have teamed up with Lego to launch a new MT-10SP Technic kit, set to arrive in shops next month. The £199.99 build will be available on Tuesday, 1 August 2023 and consists of 1478 pieces. It...

Punching above its weight: Prototype ride reveals Triumph’s Speed 400 is a little bike with big potential

14 July 2023 by Emma Franklin

MCN was the first UK publication to experience Triumph’s all-new 2024 Speed 400 retro motorcycle after we got the chance to ride a pre-production version around the Cotswolds. The test on a...

Biking Legends: Thierry Sabine - Rally visionary who founded the Le Touquet beach race and Paris-Dakar Rally

13 July 2023 by Phil West

Without Thierry Sabine one of the world’s biggest and most challenging events, the Dakar Rally, would never have existed. Sabine created the first Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979 and through PR skill...

MotoGP 2023: Why Ducati is winning big

13 July 2023 by Mat Oxley

MotoGP hasn’t known this kind of domination since the final days of the 500cc two-strokes and the earliest days of the 990cc fourstrokes, with Honda’s NSR500 and RC211V. As factories prepare for...

Get better brakes: How-to guide to fitting new lines

13 July 2023 by Bruce Dunn

If you’re serious about performance, you’ll be serious about braking too. In our latest how-to article, Bruce guides us through how to change old brake lines, and replace them with braided items.

Riding with giants: Experiencing Ducati's new DRE in the UK

13 July 2023 by Emma Franklin

A splinter of scarlet splits the greyscale of the Silverstone scenery, the ‘Lenovo’ logo across the back of his kangaroo-skin leathers my only focal point. “Do not look through the corner, for now...

The MCN Test: Suzuki’s Katana gets another life, but can it beat its Japanese retro rivals?

13 July 2023 by Michael Neeves

Japanese retros have a different flavour from their European rivals. While brands like BMW and Triumph tip a twin-cylinder nod to machines from a black and white yesteryear, the halcyon days of...

Big miles, small money: best high-speed cruisers from just £2.5k

13 July 2023 by Jon Urry

Blisteringly fast when requested, these high-speed tourers are also sporty enough to enjoy on twisty mountain roads while delivering comfort, luggage-carrying capacity and relaxed riding positions to...

Honda Racing hosts special handover event for 100th TT start McGuinness Fireblade

13 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Customers who purchased one of the 30 John McGuinness 100th TT Start Replica Fireblades late last year have been treated to a special handover day at the Honda Racing headquarters in...

Harley-Davidson CEO discusses the complexities of switching to electric

12 July 2023 by Saffron Wilson

Harley-Davidson boss Jochen Zeitz says the firm aren’t ruling anything out as the motorcycle industry moves towards more sustainable practices to tackle climate change. Speaking at an exclusive Q&A...

'It’s got to be done': Millyard and Cole set sights on 200mph pillion record after previous run recognised by Guinness

12 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Stars of ITV’s The Motorbike Show Allen Millyard and Henry Cole are celebrating following their recent two-up top speed success being officially recognised by Guinness as a new world record. The...

Charity run for former MCN editor

11 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

A close family friend of former MCN Editor Bob Berry, who died from throat cancer on April 13 aged 73, is gearing up to run a half marathon in his name, to raise money for charity. Andy Godfrey,...

High Court ULEZ challenge fails

11 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

The High Court challenge to prevent London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone) extension has failed. The legal challenge to the extension, due to be implemented at the end of August,...

Two-wheel drive for under £5000: New UBCO electric adventurer packs a range of 75 miles

11 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Created by two kiwi inventors in a shed in New Zealand, a new range of two-wheel drive electric motorbikes have been built by a firm called UBCO to tackle tough terrains without the noise of...

The jewel in the crown: Radical BMW R18 custom unveiled in Berlin

10 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

In the hundred years that BMW has been producing motorcycles, nothing has yet been made that comes close to replicating the latest creation from custom builder Dirk Oehlerking – the BMW R18 The...

Scottish Ducati Week promises celebs, test rides, and plenty of track time

10 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

The second ever Scottish Ducati Week will kick off on Friday 14 July 2023 – promising demo rides of the latest models, track sessions at Knockhill, and plenty of famous faces. “Ducati UK is...

BMW see into the future with new head-up display ConnectedRide Smartglasses

07 July 2023 by Tim Pollard

BMW are taking integrated rider technology to the next level, launching a new pair of head-up display (HUD) glasses to beam important journey data straight into a rider’s line of sight. The...

BMW’s generation gain: Future-looking CE 02 aims to attract new riders

07 July 2023 by Ben Clarke

More than 37,000 riders from 60 countries piled into Berlin in July for BMW Motorrad Days with a further 5000 attending the Pure&Crafted Festival – but it wasn’t all about big old boxers with the...

KTM get tough with 300 EXC Hardenduro model

07 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

KTM have introduced a new £11,499 Hardenduro model to their 300 EXC line-up, designed to conquer the toughest of enduro competitions. Based around the 2024 EXC, which is powered by a 48.3bhp 300cc...

CFMoto expand their road-biased adventure bike range with new 700MT twin

07 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

CFMoto have released details of their latest 700MT adventure tourer, which will line up between the 650MT and 800MT models later this month as a road-biased adventure tourer. At the heart of the...

Triumph and Bajaj Auto combine to bring Triumph to the masses

07 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Triumph bosses have hinted at more small capacity models to come following the launch of their A2-friendly Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X – produced in collaboration with Indian manufacturing giants,...

Yamaha head to Mugello to celebrate 25 years of the R1 superbike

06 July 2023 by Dan Sutherland

Yamaha are marking 25 years of the iconic R1 superbike in 2023 with a weekend of high-octane action at Mugello Circuit in Italy. Taking place on July 21-22 at the Tuscany venue, the celebrations...

Biking Legends: Kenny Roberts

06 July 2023 by Stuart Barker

It shouldn’t have been possible. Nobody had ever won the 500cc Grand Prix world championship – the forerunner of today’s MotoGP – in their rookie year. At least not until Kenny Roberts arrived in...

How to: Fit a wired tracker to your motorbike

06 July 2023 by Bruce Dunn

Most of the press bikes that MCN uses for tests are fitted with trackers. And in my experience I’ve found them to be a bit of a pain as it’s fairly common for them to drain the battery after a week or...

The genius of Britten & Munro: Exploring the extraordinary bike museum that pays homage to New Zealand’s fastest sons

06 July 2023 by Andy Davidson

When you think of New Zealand, that little island tucked away in the corner of the Pacific Ocean, motorcycles might not immediately spring to mind. Perhaps that’s why nobody looked twice when Burt...

Go for V-twin glory: MCN's best of the bunch

06 July 2023 by Jon Urry

Nothing speaks more of the glory years of WSB than the sound of a booming V-twin. That flat drone alone is enough to place you, mentally at least, on the grass banks at Brands Hatch cheering Foggy...

'I just need to be patient' - MCN catches up with Rory Skinner to discuss his maiden Moto2 year so far

06 July 2023 by Josh Close

It’s been a tough start to life in Moto2 for Rory Skinner. After two years in BSB, the Scot returned to the GP paddock, one he feels he should never have left following his Red Bull Rookies and Talent...

Little on large: testing two big bikes for shorter riders

06 July 2023 by Carl Stevens

It’s clear to see that bikes are getting bigger, in more ways than one. To some, 700cc machines are considered novice machinery, and the term ‘middleweight’ is applied to bikes not far short of...

Living his dream at DK Motorcycles

06 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

A motorcycle enthusiast with a learning disability has secured his dream job, working voluntarily for DK Motorcycles in Newcastle Under-Lyme, Staffordshire after help from his supported living...

Overland Event chooses Air Ambulance as 2023 charity

06 July 2023 by Stuart Prestidge

This year’s Overland Event at Hill End activity centre near Oxford is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for Air Ambulances UK, having raised more than £3000 for African motorcycle charity Pikilily...