Bike news

Year: ALL

Green machines could do 170mph

06 May 2001

AMERICAN firm eCycle reckons it can build an environmentally friendly diesel-electric hybrid superbike which will hit 170mph. It’s making the claim after turning out a 125 hybrid which will wheelie as...

China: the new Japan

06 May 2001

Fireworks, egg-fried rice, kung-fu, intricate writing…Those are just a few of the things that spring to mind when we think of China. One thing that doesn’t feature on that list is high-performance...

Now we’ve ridden the new 955i on both road and track

06 May 2001

After Thursday morning’s track session, we’ve now been able to ride the new Triumph 955i Daytona on the road, too. MCN’s Marc Potter, said: ” The roads in the immediate area of the Estoril circuit...

The chase is on

06 May 2001

It’s a good job he has a dark visor on.

Army goes diesel

06 May 2001

THE army has spent a quarter of a million pounds developing a diesel-fuelled bike which goes 120mph on one gallon, but makes just 24bhp. Based on a Kawasaki KLR650, the 580cc Combat Military...

More cunning stunts from the Brazilian nut Farias

06 May 2001

He’s going to lose it… He’s going to lose it… Oh. Maybe not then.

Brakes a bit grabby, AC?

06 May 2001

Saving on rear tyre wear, Farias style

New Laverda coming soon

06 May 2001

Laverda is launching a scooter, it’s first addition to the range since the firm was taken over by Aprilia. The 150cc twist-and-go will arrive later this year to keep attention bubbling while an...

Something big in the city

06 May 2001

THE slack-jawed man can’t take his eyes off the biggest commuter bike he’s ever seen. He approaches and asks: ” How big is it? ” ” 8.2 litres, ” is the reply. ” Wow, two litres! ” he responds. ...

Don’t try this at home!

06 May 2001

Clutch control AC Farias style…

What’s new on the 2001 955i

06 May 2001

ENGINE: Essentially the new Daytona’s three-cylinder is the same basic lump as the old engine but there’s quite a lot of detail changes. It breathes better and is more efficient than the old engine...

First test on production MV Agusta Brutale

06 May 2001

Park a bike as stunning as the new MV Agusta Brutale outside a bar in the town of Varese, northern Italy and out they swarm for a look and a fondle. Italians love motorcycles and style in equal...

New bike sections added to 200-plus already on site

06 May 2001

Ducati’s ST4S and the latest incarnation of the legendary 916, the 996R, are our latest additions to the 200-plus bike sections on this site. By following the ‘BIKES’ link at the top of the page...

Long term Kawasaki ZRX1200

06 May 2001

There were a number of bikes on my private short-list that I was gagging to get a test ride on before I signed on the dotted line and bought one for myself. One of them was the ZRX1200S> But try as I...

You forgot your change!

06 May 2001

Petrol station attendants are keen on the Isle of Man

Can’t you just find a roundabout like everyone else?

06 May 2001

An unusual way to scrub your tyres in, that’s for sure

All the ladies love a biker

06 May 2001

So this is why he doesn’t get many girls on the back of his bike…

Ex-demo covered 5000 miles more than the clock showed

06 May 2001

A Triumph customer is threatening legal action after buying a TT600 which had done 5000 more miles than shown on the clock. In January, Michael Hastings travelled from his home town of Dumfries to buy...

Just like Dougie

01 May 2001

Excuse us while he kisses the sky.

Any time you want to let us off, Michael, it’s fine by us

01 May 2001

Rutter just isn’t going to stop is he?

Race tyres for the road, in a roundabout way

01 May 2001

‘WHAT we are selling to the public is a racing tyre. What the racers are using is a standard tyre. So the tyres are the same.’ Those are the words of Helmut Dahne, PR man at Metzeler and the fastest...

And he says he still doesn’t really know the course…

01 May 2001

That hasn’t stopped Michael Rutter being one of the fastest men ever round the Island.

Is this the next step for the TT… pillion racing?

01 May 2001

Michael Rutter shows why we should be glad passenger footrests are one of the first things junked from a race bike.

Bikemart arrives online

01 May 2001

WE’RE adding Bikemart TM to the range of services on offer here at motorcyclenews.com. In phase one we’ve added a whole load more dealers in new and used bikes to browse alongside the offers from...

It’s in front…for now

01 May 2001

Adam Morrissey: So what sort of challenge is this? Honda GoldWing, the ultimate touring bike, against a Yamaha R1, which until the arrival of Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 was the ultimate sports bike and is not...

Renault launch two-wheelers

01 May 2001

Renault has launched a new range of bikes developed with Benelli. Rival French car maker Peugeot is already a big player in the scooter marker and it seems Renault wants to grab a bit of the same...

Honda recalls 2001 Wing

01 May 2001

The all-new 2001 Honda GoldWing has been recalled just weeks after going on sale. There are two faults which can cause the engine to cut at speed, although they are not serious enough to lead to any...

First ride on bigger-bore C1

29 April 2001

Riding a 175cc bike from Bracknell, around the M25 then up the M1 to Kettering may not sound like a lot of fun to most people. But then, you probably haven’t tried it on one of the oddest looking ”...

Can’t tour on an on-the-edge 600? Think again

29 April 2001

THERE were some decent enough reasons for making this voyage of intense pleasure and crippling pain. My new 2001 GSX-R600, in its glorious black and yellow, needed a good thousand miles of running in...

Bonnie gets the cafe treatment

29 April 2001

German tuner LSL has taken a new Triumph Bonneville and created a real café racer called the LSL Bonneville Clubman. LSL has changed as few parts as possible to keep the price down. The most obvious...

Making a break from the norm with the BMW R1150R

22 April 2001

WHEN I mentioned to someone that I was about to take delivery of a new BMW, the first question they asked was: ” Which one? A three-series? ” The reaction is understandable. BMW cars have a strong,...

KTM reveals official sketches of LC8 Rallye

22 April 2001

KTM is planning a Rallye version of its new monster trailie, the LC8 Adventure. The bike, which will make its racing debut at Dakar 2002, will form the basis of a production race replica version which...

Why you can rely on a buy from New Bikes Direct

22 April 2001

COLIN KAY is a Scot. He is also a senior bank manager for a major High Street concern. In short, he knows a thing or two about the value of money. Perhaps that’s why he is the first person to have a...

First test of the best sports twins

22 April 2001

It’s twice the price of an SP-1. It’s six grand dearer than the RSV-R… It can’t be that much better, can it? I mean, how can you need more than the Honda or Aprilia? On the road, or anywhere? The fact...

Mugello test reveals Tornado almost ready

22 April 2001

TESTS earlier this week in Mugello reveal Benelli’s WSB hopeful, the Tornado, is almost ready for action. The Italian firm first presented their three cylindered hopeful to a receptive audience at...

Now you know why they call him "Big" Dave Jefferies

22 April 2001

Somehow, eight-stone Daijiro Katoh might not have the right physique for the rigours of The Island