Bike news

Year: ALL

New MCN out on Wednesday

15 April 2002

The BSB Blade you can buy for the road is revealed in full in Wednesday’s MCN. Road-legal and built by Russell Savory’s Motopower MCN BSB team, there’s a basic £13,400 version and a full drama £18,000...

New motor for new Guzzis

15 April 2002

MOTO GUZZI is working on a new 744cc engine to power two new bikes in 2003. The ageing motor used in the current Nevada needs updating to meet emissions regulations introduced in Europe this year. So...

More pictures added from MCN Butlins party

15 April 2002

Hundreds of like-minded riders made Butlins at Skegness the place to be at the weekend when they joined in the wild times that are the MCN Spring Spectacular. On top of the stunt shows, live bands...

MAG boss unseated

15 April 2002

Motorcycle Action Group Chair Neil Liversidge has been voted from his post at the Group’s annual conference in Weston-Super-Mare Just 288 members voted in the election and Liversidge lost by a narrow...

Your reaction to bike tax cut

15 April 2002

UPDATED APRIL 18: Gordon Brown has cut the cost of bike road tax in the budget. Fuel duty has also been frozen the next 12 months. There is a new scale for VED (road tax), and the idea is that the ”...

Latest update: mass protest planned for May 4

15 April 2002

On Saturday, May 4, over 1000 bikes will descend on London for a go-slow protest ride against the threat of legislation against motocyclists, and as organiser Chris Coleman puts it: ” Show the...

May 4 protest details

15 April 2002

Details of the May 4 protest rides have been released, complete with meeting points and times for people travelling from across Britain. Up to 4000 bikers are expected to join the ride, which is...

Fancy a Classic?

15 April 2002

If you have ever contemplated joining the ranks of classic bike owners then don’t miss the May 2002 issue of our sister publication Classic Bike, the world’s best selling classic title. The May issue includes a free 24-page Buying and Selling supplement. The supplement comprehensively takes you through buying and selling steps and includes a A-Z valuation guide to post-war classics. The magazine...

Do the funky moped

15 April 2002

DRAG racing is all about high speed and danger, right? Not at the ” Funky Moped Grass Track Drag Racing ” event at the Chinnor Bike Day on June 29. And, as luck would have it, you can still enter.

Last chance to book for TT

15 April 2002

This year’s TT has broken a record – six weeks before it even begins! Organisers say that every race is over-subscribed and only the most determined fans will now find anywhere to stay on the Isle of...

Got a ZX-7R? Want to star in MCN?

15 April 2002

Attention ZX-7R owners. Have you tweaked your bike, fitted aftermarket parts, had it tuned, or generally spent piles trying to perfect it? If you can answer yes to any of the above and have a quality...

Yamaha to cut cost of insuring all its bikes

15 April 2002

Yamaha is in the process of removing the biggest barrier to motorcycling in the UK with an across-the-range insurance deal. Its scheme earlier this year, to make premiums on 2001-model R1s affordable,...

Big bike boom looms

15 April 2002

Motorcycle sales figures have gone up for the first time in more than a year. With new bike prices more competitive than ever, dealers say that not only are they selling more bikes, they are also...

More pics from MCN Butlins party

15 April 2002

More of the crazy antics from the MCN Butlins party

Cop a load of this…

15 April 2002

U.S. bike cop Wilson Contreras from Santiago, Chile, was shot when he disturbed two bank robbers. Amazingly the bullet hit his metal cop badge and deflected harmlessly away leaving Contreras with bruising. His life saving badge is now on display at Santiago police headquarters.

How Triumph is functioning in the meantime

15 April 2002

Here’s how Triumph is planning to carry on while rebuilding. It’s a statement in full from the factory. Internal Arrangements: While they are rebuilding the Jacknell Road factory, Triumph are making internal arrangements to enable motorbike production to come back on stream at the earliest possible date. Machinery which was affected by smoke and soot in the Jacknell Road factory – known as T1 – is...

More dedicated discussion boards

15 April 2002

We’ve added new and dedicated discussion boards for the following bikes: The 2002 Blade, BMW R1150GS Adventure, Harley-Davidson V-Rod, Kawasaki ZZ-R1200, Honda STX1300 Pan European and Suzuki V-Strom. All those bikes are on our long-term test fleet for 2002 and the new boards should prove a great place for MCN’s team of riders to share their experiences with new owners as well as for owners to...

Hybrid Kawasaki

15 April 2002

An electric bike with the power of a 600 supersport machine? Sounds shocking, but that’s what designers Phil Hallahan and Robert O’Brien have come up with. For the full story on this, don’t miss the...

Triumph begins rebuilding process

15 April 2002

TRIUMPH started rebuilding its fire-damaged factory today (Tuesday) and reckons it will have completed the work in just 14 weeks. And in the meantime, the firm has confirmed it will be able to...

Piaggio tests 750cc…scooter

08 April 2002

Piaggio is testing a superbike-sized 750cc V-twin scooter which it hopes to launch later this year. Disguised as an X9 500 at this stage, the new bike runs a smaller version of the four-valve...

Rideout diary…

08 April 2002

Know of MCN Spring Spectacular ride-out to Butlins Skegness? E-mail the details to dave.batchelor@emap.com with Butlins Rideout in the subject line and we’ll add them below. Friday April 12: We are Burton upon Trent Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) and there are about 16 of us riding over to Skegness on Friday morning, we are meeting at Castle Donnington services on the M1 at 11.00am and riding...

Bike sales are warming up

08 April 2002

BRITAIN’S bike dealers are reporting booming sales as the weather prompts potential buyers into the showrooms. The UK’s biggest bike chain Carnell/City reported sales figures of 1500 over the weekend...

Long live the revolution!

08 April 2002

The new issue of MCN is out now. It celebrates the new era of GP racing with an eight-page Suzuka special, plus an unmissable guide to this year’s essential new bikes, FREE, in this week’s MCN, out on...

Spectacular day tickets available

08 April 2002

You don’t get much for £7.50 these days. Maybe a round for three mates, a seat at a Vauxhall Conference footy game or Steve Berry’s latest video in the supermarket bargain bin. But MCN is bucking the trend, by offering day tickets for just £7.50 to one of the best days out in Britain – our legendary Spring Spectacular. This weekend’s Butlins bash is among the most popular parties of the year, and...

Ex-officers on The Edge

08 April 2002

The Edge training programme is on the look out for any retired police officers who have ridden bikes as part of their job and would be able to assess riders. There are shortfalls in Scotland,...

The war on speed gets nasty

08 April 2002

A special team of scientists has been told by the Government to think the unthinkable in a bid to make British roads safer and less congested. For the full story on the war on speeding get the new...

Aprilia reveals plans for GP road bike

08 April 2002

Joining the likes of Honda, Ducati and Suzuki, Aprilia has confirmed there will be a road bike based on its all-new GP machine. But Aprilia insiders say the road version of the high-tech 220bhp...

Carmichael wins World Stunt Riding Championship

08 April 2002

Kevin Carmichael outrode the Starboyz on their home turf yesterday, Sunday April 7, to take the World Stunt Riding Championship in Tulsa, USA. The Scot, 2001 European Stunt Champion, was also...

What would you consign to Room 101?

08 April 2002

Room 101, the imaginary dumping ground for the objects of our deepest fear, hatred and loathing, is coming to MCN. We want to hear what you would consign to it. Perhaps it’s politicians, perhaps it’s...

Spanish flavour bikes bound for Britain

08 April 2002

The Spanish firm behind the sexy Kart 125 race bike shown below will bring us a 450cc four-stroke single-cylinder enduro bike for early next year. Sherco is better know for its trials bikes and 50cc...

MZ sports-tourer this autumn

08 April 2002

MZ’S sports-tourer will go on sale in the UK by the end of this year. The factory says the long-awaited 1000S, first revealed in September 2000, should be released just after the Munich Show this...

Ducati’s destiny revealed by V4

08 April 2002

These are the world first pictures of the stunning new Ducati V4 GP bike. This is the bike that could change the face of Ducati for ever. MCN has managed to get hold of two exclusive pictures of the...

Munich debut for new Ducati superbike

08 April 2002

Few bikes have been subject to as much rumour and speculation as Ducati’s 998 replacement – it could all end at the Munich bike show this September. For the full story on Ducati’s new superbike check out the new MCN, out April 10. Although Ducati is keen to keep the 998 in production as its mainstay road bike, for several years it has been working on another machine to replace it as the front-line...

Butlins rideout details

08 April 2002

If you are organising a rideout, or know someone who is, for MCN’s Spring Spectacular (starting Friday, April 12) send in the details and we’ll add them to our Spectacular round-up. See the link, right, for the latest additions, and ones you can join in. If you’d like yours added to the list, simply e-mail the relevant facts (start time, meeting place, who is organising it and their daytime...

Leaner, meaner CBR600 unleashed in 2003

08 April 2002

HONDA will unleash an all-new CBR600 next year. In the new MCN, out on Wednesday April 10, we’ll reveal the details on how Honda will use this much more advanced basic bike to grab World Supersport in...

Want a Drysdale? Prepare for a long wait

08 April 2002

THE new 140bhp V8 Drysdale has finally hit the streets. But anyone prepeared to meet the £25,000 asking price will have to wait up to six months before they see their bike. For the full story, and a...