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You’ve seen the bikes of 2002… here’s some for 2003

01 October 2001

You’ve seen the bikes of 2002… here’s some for 2003

Honda showed off its new bikes for 2002 at a private launch in Paris last month, now the firm is revealing some of its bikes for 2003. The huge VTX1800 is being joined by two more machines carrying...

Send us your daft snaps

01 October 2001

Send us your daft snaps

IT’S supposed to be the highlight of your season – the moment you meet your hero. You’ve queued for the pit lane walkabout, jostled for position in the crowd, blagged a pen and poster and primed your...

World’s first ride on new Ducati 998

01 October 2001

World’s first ride on new Ducati 998

Marc Potter has stepped off the new Ducati 998 to report his first impressions of the Italian firm’s new flagship sports bike. Potter said on Tuesday he had enjoyed two sessions so far on the bike but...

Blue Marlin voted Best-Looking bike of 2002

01 October 2001

Blue Marlin voted Best-Looking bike of 2002

Aprilia’s Blue Marlin has come out way ahead in your vote for the best-looking bike of 2002. The firm revealed it’s ” close-to-production ” prototype at the Milan show last month looking for public...

Racers and ex-racers

01 October 2001

Chris Walker: Ex BSB and GP rider: Cast your mind back a quarter of a century when Chris Walker wasn’t so much the wild riding Stalker as the barely out of nappies Toddler. Not that that was enough to stop him wanting to get in the seat – the problem was he just wasn’t big enough. The man himself draws an entertaining picture of the event. There he is, out in front of the house on a bright day,...

Yamaha R6

01 October 2001

Yamaha R6

Year: 1999 (T). Mileage: 5457. Price £4599. The R6 is aimed at the sportier end of the 600 market, but the previous owner of this example obviously had different ideas – the high-rise pillion grabrail...

Kawasaki ZZ-R1100

01 October 2001

Kawasaki ZZ-R1100

Year: 1999(V) Mileage: 5619. Price £4699. Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1100 was the first bike to be designed as a very, very fast sports-tourer, equally at home on sweeping mountain roads in the Alps as it is...

Strange but true

01 October 2001

Here’s out latest collection of weird worldwide tales with a motorcycling bent. If you have anything worthy of adding to our next round-up send an e-mail to jon.urry@emap.com Croatia: Despite being a national hero, Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanisevic can’t flog his Piaggio scooter. No-one put in a serious offer for it in a recent charity auction. Giant Ivanisevic, who is 6ft 5in tall, was told to get...

Coming soon on this site

01 October 2001

On Monday, October 8, 2001, we’ll bring you video action from our world’s first test of Ducati’s flagship 998 superbike. We expect to bring you another first test on another important performance bike early next week, too. Keep checking back to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Chat live with Shane Byrne on Thursday lunchtime

01 October 2001

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will be online on Thursday October 4, from 1pm, to answer questions from anyone registered with motorcyclenews.com. Whether you want to know what he thought of Rockingham, or whether it got boring winning every round he finished, you’ll have your chance on Thursday. He won this season’s privateer championship within the the British Superbike championship. To join the live chat...

2000cc outfit should top 160mph

01 October 2001

2000cc outfit should top 160mph

This is the Sidebike, a mad bike-and-sidecar-in-one outfit with its own two litre engine. The French manufacturers claim the engine as their own work and say it makes 133bhp. The sidecar part has room...

MCN staffers

01 October 2001

MCN staffers

Andy Downes: Deputy Editor: I had no money, about the same amount of common sense, but I wanted that bike. Even the “killer kettle” label couldn’t put me off. In fact, as a spotty 18-year-old, it...

Lib-Dem transport policy focuses on bikes

01 October 2001

Lib-Dem transport policy focuses on bikes

The Liberal Democrats have devoted a whole section of their latest transport policy to ” Two Wheeled Motor Vehicles ” . Do they mean us? We think so. ” Two-wheeled motor vehicles, ” the policy...

Suzuki to bring in Roberts rep GSX-R600

01 October 2001

Suzuki to bring in Roberts rep GSX-R600

Suzuki says it is ” 99 per cent sure ” it will import a GSX-R600 with the MoviStar colours of defending World 500GP champion Kenny Roberts. And the good news for those who like the look is that it...

What it was like to crack the ton

01 October 2001

What it was like to crack the ton

Ring ting, ting. We all know the sound from our learner days. Little 125cc two-stroke engines blowing clouds of delicious-smelling blue smoke into the atmosphere. This isn’t pollution, it’s a joy. But...

Win a riding holiday and track school with Chili

01 October 2001

Win a riding holiday and track school with Chili

Get ready for some sun-drenched roads, grippy track school Tarmac and lessons from Frankie Chili… you could be the lucky winner of a fantastic riding holiday to Nogaro in the south of France with the...

Designer explains MultiStrada in video exclusive

01 October 2001

Designer explains MultiStrada in video exclusive

Ducati designer Pierre Terblanche has come in for some serious criticism since his new MultiStrada was shown for the first time in Milan. Now, in our exclusive video download, he explains why his bike...

Boxer aims for the mainstream with B2

30 September 2001

Boxer aims for the mainstream with B2

French firm Boxer is about to move into the mainstream with a new model unveiled at the Paris bike show – a naked roadster called the B2. Like the firm’s previous VB1, it uses the 60-degree, 995cc...

Hislop injured in race one at Rockingham

30 September 2001

Hislop injured in race one at Rockingham

Steve Hislop’s championship could be in serious doubt after a crash in the first race at Rockingham Motor Speedway. It’s left him with a compound fracture of the right ankle, a dislocated ankle, and a...

Firebird

23 September 2001

Firebird

Things are starting to make sense now to MCN road tester Kev Smith. He’s just noticed the bright yellow, stripped-to-the-bone special he’s just been riding has a 150bhp Blackbird engine in place of...

Some very unusual FireBlades

23 September 2001

Some very unusual FireBlades

Here’s a paradox of human nature: You want the same thing as everyone else, only you’d like it to be slightly different. Marketing types latched on to this years ago – the Re-mix, the Special Edition,...

Bulldog makeover could go into production

23 September 2001

Bulldog makeover could go into production

The Bulldog makeover Yamaha has shown at the Milan and Paris bike shows could go into production as a new model. And if the firm isn’t prepared to go that far, it’s almost certain that the parts are...

Ghezzi gives us Guzzi in another guise

23 September 2001

Ghezzi gives us Guzzi in another guise

Ghezzi & Brian’s latest Guzzi-based creation has been put on show in Italy. The Furia combines the proven Guzzi V11 Sport engine with Ghezzi’s own Supertwin 1100 frame – a steel box-section design...

NitroBlade

23 September 2001

NitroBlade

Joe Pleterski was one of the very first British FireBlade disciples – but that doesn’t mean he just sat back and worshipped the bike he has owned since August 1992. No, he reckoned he could improve on...

Kawasaki launches ZZ-R1200

23 September 2001

Kawasaki launches ZZ-R1200

Kawasaki has given its new ZZ-R1200 an official unveiling in Paris, giving us the chance to bring you more details and pictures of the new super-tourer. The 1164cc engine is expected to make around...

The trike young mums will like

23 September 2001

The trike young mums will like

A scooter with room for the kids could tap into a new market for motorcycling: young mums. Nick Graveley’s final-year project in his transport design course at Coventry University is the...

More pictures of V-Strom from its official launch

23 September 2001

More pictures of V-Strom from its official launch

We’ve already revealed spyshots and first detail pictures of Suzuki’s V-Strom, now we’re adding more shots direct from the official launch in Paris. While Suzuki is making no power claim for the bike,...

How much does it cost, and can you build a bike from scratch?

23 September 2001

How much does it cost, and can you build a bike from scratch?

Building a race bike from scratch Building an MZ race bike is so easy, even I managed it. When a mate told me he was interested in racing, I decided to try building a bike for him out of my spares.

Always on top

23 September 2001

Bikes always seem to come out on top.

See our CBR600 screaming on the dyno

23 September 2001

See our CBR600 screaming on the dyno

As part of our long term testing of a 2001 CBR600, we’ve had it on the dyno, and filmed the run for you to share. Follow the link, right, to be taken to Jon Urry’s latest long term test report,...

Robots ready to deal with accidents

23 September 2001

There is a 21st century equivalent for little old ladies with tea and sympathy, it’s a new droid from the University of (where else?) California. They will be stationed alongside major roads and despatched the moment a roadside camera spots anything approaching an accident (your bike nestling in a hedge, for example). While it is not known whether the droid will carry a flask of hot, sweet tea, it...

CBR916RR

23 September 2001

CBR916RR

Alan Wills’ 1994 FireBlade is loaded with some of the finest aftermarket components and tune-up goodies you’ll find, from the digital SPA rev counter with integrated speedo to the hand-crafted...

Name an unsung riding hero

23 September 2001

Name an unsung riding hero

We already honour the greatest rider of the year with our annual MCN Man of the Year accolade. And we recognise the best in motorcycling products, services and models with a series of other important...

Italian importer restyles Voxan Roadster

23 September 2001

Italian importer restyles Voxan Roadster

Voxan’s Italian importer has decided to give customers something different with the Ciclope special. The bike combines the stock chassis and 100bhp V-twin engine of the French-made Roadster with...

Touring on a Deauville, F650 and Tmax

23 September 2001

Touring on a Deauville, F650 and Tmax

There’s something strangely satisfying about sitting in a field with just a thin piece of canvas, a few poles, a bike, some beers and a throwaway barbecue for company. Related: Full Honda Deauville...

How to go MZ racing

23 September 2001

How to go MZ racing

How to turn an MZ into a race bike: They’re clunky, low-tech and have been objects of ridicule for years – but turning an old MZ ETZ251 into a race bike is remarkably easy. First, get yourself a...