Bike news

168mph… on skates!

22 July 2001

WHILE you’d expect a FireBlade to hit 168mph, you’d have to look twice if a bloke on Rollerblades came past at that speed. But that’s exactly what German Dirk Auer managed – with a little help from...

More help to beat thieving scum

22 July 2001

IF your bike ever gets nicked, the first reaction is often to tell as many people as possible, so they can keep an eye out for you. And now the ACU, British bikesport’s governing body, is providing a...

Twisting through town

22 July 2001

Where in the world could you expect to ride like this through town and get away with it? Yup, it’s the Isle of Man during the TT.

18 seconds

22 July 2001

WRONG! Try again shameful loser!

58 seconds

22 July 2001

WRONG! Try again shameful loser!

Send us your Brands snaps and win a WSB video

22 July 2001

We’ve got 10 copies of The History of the Word Superbike Championship video to give away. All you have to do is send us your pictures from Brands Hatch World Superbikes, and the ones voted the best,...

Want some advice? Take your own drinks to Brands!

22 July 2001

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s may have come up trumps with a temporary marquee-cum-store on-site at Brands Hatch, but that doesn’t mean there will be unlimited supplies of drink and food tomorrow – so...

British bike land speed record goes… and we've got video

22 July 2001

THE British motorcycle land speed record has been shattered after Jarrod ” Jack ” Frost ran his turbo Suzuki Hayabusa through the timing lights at an average of 222.19 mph. The record was broken at...

Spare a thought for the fans who CAN'T watch the racing

22 July 2001

WHILE the excitement of Superpole engulfs the circuit, there are some people who just can’t afford to stop and watch the stars in action… like the police making sure thieves don’t take advantage of...

Ducati Monster M620ie first test

22 July 2001

HAS there ever been a bike that deserves its name less than the middleweight of the Monster family? Far from being ” grotesque ” or ” gigantic ” , which is how the dictionary defines the word, the...

Donington loses out to Silverstone in 2002 WSB

22 July 2001

DONINGTON PARK, the venue for the inaugural World Superbike event back in 1988 and host to a yearly round of the series ever since, has lost its place on the series’ calendar to rival track...

The fans and what they love – and hate – about Brands

22 July 2001

THE sun is shining and the crowds are sweating and with the second qualifying session over, we follow the crowds back to the campsite, for all the world a mass Spanish siesta as every man, woman and...

28 seconds

22 July 2001

WELL DONE! You’ve correctly guessed that wheezy John-san had only enough puff for 28 seconds! You win! Click on the link on the right to see his shameful effort.

First test of CCM’s R30

22 July 2001

The new CCM R30 draws more head-turning glances than Jordan in a moist T-shirt. To the clean-slated mind of your average non-biking man on the street, the new CCM appears to be a great-looking...

Too sexy for my scooter

22 July 2001

WITH their classic design and distinctive looks no one could ever accuse Vespas of being visually boring. But just in case they fail to catch the eye of the beautiful people in the West End, you will...

Trench and fishing wire trap

15 July 2001

When a thief visits in the small hours, the last thing he expects is a 7ft-deep trench. But that’s exactly what he’ll find if he tries getting his hands on Mark D’s bike. After losing two bikes in as...

You CAN beat the bike thieves

15 July 2001

Bike thieves. Got any sympathy for them? Thought not. You’re going to enjoy this then. Follow the link ” How far would you go to protect your bike ” and you’ll enter a world of great ideas to...

Round the world by Africa Twin

15 July 2001

THERE are two essential items for anyone thinking of travelling the world on a bike. Not Swiss Army knives or malaria pills, not a compass or a 32-piece socket set, not even a get out of jail free...

What to take

15 July 2001

SO what exactly is involved in riding around the world? We asked Duncan Goose to give us the survivor’s guide to global motorcycle travel. ” Rule number one is travel light. Taking things you think...

CCM’s new road-focused single

15 July 2001

CCM’s R30 comes with the kind of creature comforts that the British firm hopes will attract a wider audience. It’s got a rev-counter, cush-drive, alloy wheels and even a fully-painted pearlescent...

250 turn out for RiDER Power

15 July 2001

Is this the moment when 250 people wished they’d brought their waterproofs with them? The assembled crowd of 250 riders and their bikes came together to help out with the latest RiDER Power survey,...

Coates and wife set new speed record

15 July 2001

Dave Coates and his missus, the very brave Sandra, have just set a new two-up speed record of 146mph…while facing backwards. The rear-facing duo were riding a Yamaha R1. Coates said he was a bit...

Engine block

15 July 2001

IF you live in rented accommodation, then a secure garage or a ground anchor might not be an option. Short of taking your bike to bed with you, what you need is something heavy to attach it to. After a bit of lateral thinking, Nigel O’Sullivan came up with the ideal solution – a stripped-down engine block. He said: " They’re bloody heavy and a bit of a bugger to get home, but once they’re in...

Cool Britannia… but only in Japan

15 July 2001

THE JAPANESE infatuation with old British bikes will lead to the introduction of the new Honda GB400RS next year. Our artist’s impression shows the bike is based on the current CL400 – a low-cost...

Desperate and dodgy

15 July 2001

Bike thieves are the scum of the earth, right? So who cares if they get a bit hurt while they’ve got their filthy paws on your property, as long as they go back to their hovels empty-handed and your bike stays in the garage? Well, the law, for one. Don’t use any of these methods lightly…

First test on Suzuki’s new Volusia

15 July 2001

Look closely at this bike and you’ll see Suzuki has kept the familiar Intruder name, and bolted on the ” Volusia ” tag to mark this new but even more traditional style. It’s named after Volusia...

Watch this video… and see if you can do better

15 July 2001

Kungfoobob and SuperRetard can often be found at the centre of some serious daftness on our Talk Bikes bulletin boards. Now they’ve decided to step up the efforts they make to entertain us with this...

Why congestion charging will put thousands more people on bikes

15 July 2001

We already know the best way to get through a busy city is on two wheels – and the latest plan for the English capital means thousands of London car drivers could see the light as well. From 2003 a...

The loop and lock

15 July 2001

The simplest ideas are often the best – and you can’t get much simpler than the loop and lock. Chains and padlocks are only really effective if there’s something to lock your bike to. However, if...

Survival tips

15 July 2001

THIS is Duncan Goose’s essential advice for travellers: Travel light, travel light and travel light. Give a trusted friend power of attorney over your bank account, so they can send you your own...

CCTV, steel door and ground anchors

15 July 2001

In the past two years, Iain and Lynne Hall have had over 1500 bikes pass through their B&B in the North Yorkshire resort of Scarborough and they haven’t lost one yet. The Donnington Hotel is a...

Thanks for making this the place to be

15 July 2001

More riders are coming to motorcyclenews.com than ever before. More than 100,000 of you came to the site last week and looked at over 1,000,000 pages. And that’s the first time our page impressions count has gone over the million mark. Page impressions shouldn’t be confused with " hits " . There are usually around 10 hits on any given web page, sometimes more. A site claiming one million hits a...

Sensor connected to pager

15 July 2001

Ingenious but legal

15 July 2001

If shotgun cartridges, guard dogs and electric shocks seem a bit extreme, there are plenty of equally creative methods to secure your bike which can be just as effective – and they won’t land you in a court of law

Swingarm lock

15 July 2001

If you can’t buy the security device you want – make your own. That’s exactly what John Smith of Wallasey, in Liverpool, did when he developed a bespoke security lock welded to the swingarm of his...

The man who invented the Desmo dies

15 July 2001

Fabio Taglioni, the man who invented Ducati’s famous Desmodromic engine, has died at his home in Bologna at the age of 80. Born on September 10, 1920 in Lugo di Romagna, Italy, Taglioni graduated as...