Bike news

Dealer (Clothing & Accessories)

With a growing network of stores Hein Gericke has taken the clothing retail experience to new heights, epitomised by its Belfast store. And despite some well-publicised problems with its holding company, Hein Gericke in the UK has continued to offer great products in a great environment. So congratulations to Hein Gericke. 1. Hein Gericke, Belfast 2. Biker’s Clearance 3. Harpers

Dealer of the Year (more than one outlet)

Congratulations to George White a dealership chain that proves that you can offer great personal service in a modern retail environment and offer a great range of products. 1. George White 2. Lloyd Cooper 3. Colin Appleyard Shortlisted: Bridge Motorcycles

Step two: Wheels and degreasing:

Step two: Wheels and degreasing:

Your wheels are usually the dirtiest part of your bike. They’re nearest the road so they get road grime, but they also get the worst of chain lube and brake dust. A good spray over with a motorcycle...

CCM R30 Supermoto

CCM R30 Supermoto

The CCM is like one of those deep sea fish that’s all head and teeth – only in this case it’s nearly all engine. The enormous, 20 year-old, aircooled Rotax 600 dominates the R30 from either side. Add...

Funeral procession draws riders from around the country

The funeral for Shire Training Service’s boss Colin Fenton was held on Thursday morning. More than 40 friends and former pupils travelled from around the country to ride in the funeral procession, which took in the Monks Wood stretch of Cambridgeshire B-roads he loved so much. Colin died following a stroke. His advanced riding tips and advice often featured in the motorcycling press and he...

Dealer of the Year (one outlet)

Congratulations to CW Motorcycles, a dealership which our readers tell us really knows how to combine service and excellence with an expert knowledge of the BMWs they sell. On top of that independent surveys consistently put this dealership at, or near, the top, which it is why it is a worthy winner of Bridgestone MCN Dealer of the Year single outlet category. 1. CW Motorcycles 2. Millennium...

Get your foot down

Get your foot down

Knee-sliders? No. Sole sliders? Quite possibly.

Place your bets…now!

Place your bets…now!

He’s an ultra fit athlete who trains hard and is in peak physical condition. BUT how long can British Supersport rider John McGuinness hold his breath? 18 seconds, 28 seconds or 58 seconds?...

Supermoto test

Supermoto test

There comes a time when every sportsbike rider finds him (or her)self in a hedge, or a court, or even a pawn shop, wondering where it all went wrong. Sound familiar? Of course it does. It’s called...

Step three: Bodywork

Step three: Bodywork

With the grease removed, you can now see where the dirt is. This may also include the wheels and brakes, despite your efforts with the degreaser. Cover the entire machine with a motorcycle cleaner,...

Step nine: Finishing

By this time, you’ve spent a couple of hours and you’re tired. But you should have a good sense of reward. This is a good time to lube the chain, because chances are you’re not going to ride straight away, and again overspray will come off easily with the polish. As always, there’s no need to drown the chain in lube. It’s best left overnight after lubing, to work into the chain – if you ride...

Accessories

HONDA has more or less grown a new department to keep up with the demands of the modern rider – Honda Accessory Corporation. The job of HAC staff will be to offer riders a complete range of totally integrated extras for their machines, instead of having to pick and choose among aftermarket parts. The new VFR and Hornet 900 will be the first bikes to benefit from the new accessories, with a range...

More bhp at a stroke

More bhp at a stroke

IMAGINE riding a 600cc sports bike that turns into a 750 at the twist of the throttle. No nitrous, no big-bore kit, just ready power. It sounds like fantasy, but this is the reality of a radical new...

Video: On board Hodgson’s WSB Ducati at Donington

Video: On board Hodgson’s WSB Ducati at Donington

CLICK the MOV link right (if you have Quicktime player installed on your PC) or the RM link (for Real player users) to download on-board video clips of MCN’s Marc Potter lapping Donington on Hodgson’s...

Victory reveals its vision of future cruising

Victory reveals its vision of future cruising

AMERICAN cruiser firm Victory has revealed a glimpse of what its future models could offer in the shape of the aptly named Vision concept bike. Pretty? well, we’ll leave you to form your own opinions...

Motorcycle Ambulance Technician

Motorcycle Ambulance Technician

Name: Paul Keating. Age: 37. Salary: £21,450. Hours: 39 a week (average). Special requirements: Need basic life support training plus the completion of a three-week police motorcycle response course.

Railway Incident response Manager

Railway Incident response Manager

Name: Robin Bennett. Age: 34. Salary: £15,000 plus. Special Requirements: Basic railway qualifications, advanced riding course, off-road training. Work Bike: Honda Transalp. Bike Extras: Tracking...

Walker signs for Kawasaki WSB – full story

Walker signs for Kawasaki WSB – full story

LAST UPDATED 11am MONDAY OCTOBER 15 CHRIS WALKER is back – just three months after he was dropped from the Shell Advance Honda 500GP team, he has signed a deal to ride a factory Kawasaki in WSB. It...

Launch of the 998R

Launch of the 998R

A new era for Ducati… another WSB winner revealed

Threesy rider

Threesy rider

IF Del and Rodney ever do become ” miwwionnaires ” , here’s what they’d rush out and buy. Like their trusty yellow Reliant van, The Corbin Merlin Roadster is a threewheeler, but there the similarity...

You asked Walker – here’s his answers

You asked Walker – here’s his answers

CHRIS WALKER took the stand this week to answer the questions you wanted the answers to just days after he signed to Kawasaki to race in WSB next season. The questions ranged from the serious to the...

Careers on bikes

Careers on bikes

To find out what each career entails, just follow the appropriate link to the right of this page.

Sauber GP bike run in public at Sepang

Sauber GP bike run in public at Sepang

NIALL MACKENZIE gave the new Sauber-Petronas four-stroke GP machine its first public outing on the eve of the Malaysia GP at Sepang. The Scot completed a couple of slow but impressively noisy laps on...

2002 WSB weight limits favour fours

FOUR cylinder WSB machines will be given a small extra helping hand next season against the dominant Ducati, Aprilia and Honda twins – in the shape of a 5kg (11lb) weight advantage. At the moment there are no differences in the weight limits for 1000cc V-twins and 750cc fours. The minimum limit is 162kg (356lb). However, from the start of next year the minimum limits will be 159kg (350lb) for 750...

Technical: V-TEC and ABS

Technical: V-TEC and ABS

THE V-TEC system fitted to the VFR has been knocking around in the same basic form in the car world for quite some time, making its first appearance on a Honda in the sporty CRX and the Prelude as...

Traffic Police Officer (Constable)

Traffic Police Officer (Constable)

Name: Chris Pulfrey. Age: 44. Salary: £20,000 plus overtime (£28,000 after 14 years service). Hours: 40 per week, plus one weekend in four. Special Requirements: You need to be a qualified police...

More details on radical g-racer concept

More details on radical g-racer concept

BRITISH engineering company AKA Design has revealed more details about the g-racer concept bike it will unveil at the NEC show next month. The radical new machine is intended to be capable of going...

Bridgestone’s latest sticky road-legal rubber

Bridgestone’s latest sticky road-legal rubber

AIMED at riders who want a high-grip track day tyre they can also use on the road, the new BT012SS is positioned between the race-bred 001 and the sports 010. Bridgestone claims it will have bags of...

Specifications

Specifications

Availability: If you’re Neil Hodgson Deals, offers and bonuses: None Colours: Orange/purple/silver Insurance Group: N/a Specification: Liquid-cooled 996cc (98x66mm) 8v four-stroke 90 degree...

Race School Instructor

Race School Instructor

Name: Steve King. Age: 32. Salary: £20,000 (est). Hours: 10 hours a day. Special Requirements: minimum of a national road racing licence. Work Bike: Honda Hornet or FireBlade. Bike Extras: None. Those...

Virgin Limo-Bike Chauffeur

Virgin Limo-Bike Chauffeur

Name: Damian Rowley. Age: 29. Salary: £20,00 plus perks. Hours: 50 hours a week. Special Requirements: IAM Advanced Motorcycling certificate. Work Bike: Honda Pan European. Bike Extras: Intercom,...

Two-stroke triples

Two-stroke triples

For everything that was mad, bad and dangerous about biking in the 1970s, you need look no further than the handful of two-stroke triples from Kawasaki and Suzuki. Especially the Kawasakis The cliché...

New DRZ125 for 2003

New DRZ125 for 2003

HERE’S the latest addition to Suzuki’s off-road family – the DRZ125 fun bike. But don’t rush to place your orders yet, as it won’t even be launched in the U.S. until 2003. Apart from the engine, which...

Carnell admit interest in M&P

Carnell admit interest in M&P

CARNELL-CITY has declared an interest in rival bike and mail-order retailers M&P, which went into administration last week. Carnell MD David Morrow said: ” Of course we have an interest, they were...

Urine as a cleaning solution

Diesel spills are no fun. You lose grip, end up on your butt and not only wreck your bike, you end up soaked in dirty derv. But things can get worse. A Dutch lab thinks it’s a good idea to incorporate the ingredients of pee in diesel. Charmed, we’re sure. TNO specialises in emission reduction technology and is experimenting with lorries powered by diesel mixed with uric acid, the main ingredient...

Parcel Force Courier

Parcel Force Courier

Name: Lee Webb. Age: 32. Salary: £13,000. Hours 41 per week. Special Requirements: You need to pass an advance motorcycle training course. Work Bike: Honda Deauville 600. Bike Extras: None. After 5...