2015

Year: 2015

Month: ALL

Launch: Ducati Panigale R

12 May 2015 by Adam Child

Ducati’s £28,995 Panigale R is being launched today at Imola, just 48 hours after the World Superbike circus has left the demanding and historic race track. Senior MCN road tester Adam ‘Chad’ Child is...

Long-term test: Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle

06 May 2015 by Simon Brown

Dispatches from the Land of Joy #1. The land of what? Land of Joy… It might sound like a North Korean diktat but it’s Ducati marketing speak for Scrambler ownership and normally the sort of...

MCN gearing up for 2015 BMW S1000XR launch

06 May 2015 by Phil West

MCN is getting ready for the launch of BMW’s latest edition to its high performance S1000 range – the new S1000XR which we’ll be testing near Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday this week. The XR joins the...

Retro Racers: YAMAHA XJR1300 vs BMW R NINE T

30 April 2015 by Michael Neeves

The latest hipster-pleasing retros are out to prove there’s more to life than posing. A click of compression damping on the fully-adjustable forks and a shed-load of preload added to each Öhlins...

VIDEO: Kawasaki H2 2015 ridden at Rockingham by Neevesy

29 April 2015 by MCN Staff

At the beginning of the day (in this video) I didn¹t enjoy riding the H2 around the track, but during the afternoon it grows on me. It¹s actually fun to control something so out of shape, leaving huge...

Long-term test: What I love about the new Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT

22 April 2015 by Andy Davidson

I’ve always had a huge, gooey soft spot for trailies. And I’ve always loved the simplicity of an easy-going parallel or V-twin. That’s why I’m so stoked to be spending the year with the new Suzuki...

Video: 2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 First Review

16 April 2015 by Tony Hoare

Yamaha’s new YZF-R3 was designed to fill the daunting gap between their popular YZF-R125 and headbanging YZF-R6. If our first ride on the launch in southern Spain is an accurate guide then they have...

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Launch - Live!

16 April 2015 by Andy Downes

Another day, another new bike launch! We’re in France today riding the new MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 The Turismo Veloce is the latest bike to use the three-cylinder 798cc motor first seen in the...

MCN gearing up for MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 launch

14 April 2015 by Andy Downes

MCN is getting ready for the launch of the latest MV Agusta from the famous Italian firm with the launch of the new Turismo Veloce 800 in the South of France on Thursday this week. The Turismo Veloce...

Aprilia RSV4 RF: the rivals

10 April 2015 by Liam Marsden

The press launch of the Aprilia RSV4 RF takes place next week at the Misano circuit, Italy. 2015 is the year of the superbike, with bikes like the Ducati 1299 Panigale, updated BMW S1000RR and new...

Benelli BN302 first ride

10 April 2015 by Liam Marsden

The Benelli BN302 is the bike the Italian company hopes will kickstart their worldwide resurgence, 10 years after they were purhcased by the Qianjiang Group. From a distance you’d be forgiven for...

5 things I’ve learnt in my first week with a KTM 1050 Adventure

09 April 2015 by Tony Hoare

Getting to grips with new things is one of the best bits about riding a brand new bike (as long as you don’t ride into a hedge while trying to work out what ‘menu 2’ on the onboard computer is for).

Video: Yamaha R1 onboard at Jerez

08 April 2015 by MCN

Go onboard with MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves as he tests the new Yamaha R1 at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Find out how the new R1 compared to its rivals in our group test, here.

VIDEO REVIEW: Suzuki GSX-S1000

30 March 2015 by Michael Neeves

“It’s the naked GSX-R1000 K5 we all hoped it would be” The GSX-S1000 is fast, fun, agile and cheaper than its rivals. That iconic long-stroke engine has the K5’s distinctive growl and wide spread of...

VIDEO: 2015 Yamaha R1 back on top? Ultimate Superbike shootout

27 March 2015 by MCN

2015 Superbike Shootout! BMW’s all-conquering S1000RR has had things its own way for a while. Ducati and Yamaha are about to change all that. Two days of track testing at Jerez, a blast on the sunny...

RIDDEN: Suzuki GSX-S1000

25 March 2015 by Michael Neeves

It Really Is A Naked K5 For the best part of a decade many have dreamt about the day Suzuki would build a naked GSX-R1000. Well, now it’s here: the new GSX-S1000. Like the Japanese firm’s superbike,...

Suzuki GSX-S1000: the rivals

20 March 2015 by Liam Marsden

MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves will be riding the new Suzuki GSX-S1000 in Alicante next week. The bike, a new model for Suzuki, is powered by a modified 2005 GSX-R1000 engine, housed in an...

MCN superbike shootout – best on the road?

20 March 2015 by Michael Neeves

We’re just putting the finishing touches to our biggest ever superbike shootout, in time for next Wednesday’s MCN. We took the latest and greatest 2015 tackle to Jerez for an intensive two-day track...

Introducing our superbike shootout contenders

19 March 2015 by Michael Neeves

Long Term Report: Honda CB650F

11 March 2015 by Alison Silcox

With the early spring sun breaking through the clouds and the Honda CB650F due to be returned to Honda I knew I had to get out for one last ride. Wrapping up and heading out for just over an hour, I...

Long-term test: Kawasaki Z1000SX

06 March 2015 by Adam Child

The miles are stacking up on my Kawasaki Z1000SX, however I’m not the only one clocking up the miles. Everyone seems to be asking to borrow the green keys, especially now winter has settled in. It’s...

World First Test: Kawasaki Ninja H2

05 March 2015 by Adam Child

“The power and torque are immense – it’ll eat every other road bike for breakfast” It’s not just one of the most talked about bikes of 2015, it’s one of the most important bikes of our generation.

Long-term test: Kawasaki ER-6f

05 March 2015 by Simon Brown

Sad faces in the garage because my ER-6f has gone back to Kawasaki at the end of the long-term test period. So what have I learned during 4500-or-so miles on the 650cc parallel twin? Quite a lot...

Gallery: Kawasaki Ninja H2 launch

04 March 2015 by Adam Child

MCN’s Adam Child is riding the stunning the all-new Kawasaki Ninja H2 and H2R at Losail Circuit today – here are a few shots from his first session on the road-going H2. “It’s epic,” says Adam. “The...

Long-term test: Triumph Bonneville T100

25 February 2015 by Simon Relph

I am surprised by how attached I became to the Bonneville in the nine and a half months I spent riding it. It’s not particularly fast, it’s definitely not light and it’s not the best handling bike in...

Video: 2015 Yamaha R1 first ride

24 February 2015 by MCN

Yamaha hopes the new R1 and R1M will be the bikes to see off the high-tech competition from Europe that has ruled the superbike game over the last few years. MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves rode...

Norton DominatorSS First Ride

20 February 2015 by Andy Downes

Say hello to the new Norton Dominator SS, the latest creation from the revived historic British company and the culmination of six years of hard work. If it looks familiar it’s because the Dominator...

Long-term Test: Suzuki Hayabusa

20 February 2015 by Emma Franklin

Bye bye Busa, it’s been a blast. 2014 was a year of big numbers for the Hayabusa and me. In our eight months together we covered 4450 miles at an average 38mpg, burning through two sets of tyres, and...

Long Term Test: Yamaha MT-07

18 February 2015 by Andy Calton

Yamaha’s MT-07 has survived the worst of the winter largely unscathed. For a budget bike the finish has held up well. There are a few signs of wear and tear but probably nothing that could not have...

Long-term test: Suzuki V-Strom 1000

06 February 2015 by Liam Marsden

It’s been a busy yet enjoyable time with the V-Strom 1000 since I was handed the keys in March 2014. We’ve herded over 200 cyclists from London to Huddersfield, shown up sportsbikes round Silverstone...

Long-term test: Triumph Tiger 800XC

04 February 2015 by Andy Davidson

If pottering up and down green lanes isn’t enough to prove the Triumph Tiger’s off-road prowess then how about a gruelling, non-stop 24 hour rally through the Alps? Still not convinced? Well perhaps...

First ride: 2015 KTM 1050 Adventure

01 February 2015 by MCN Staff

KTM’s all-new 1050 Adventure, the Austrian firm’s smallest entry-level adventure bike is currently being put through its paces in Gran Canaria by MCN’s Senior Road Tester Adam Child. Here are his...

First ride: 2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure

31 January 2015 by MCN Staff

KTM’s all new big 160bhp 1290 Super Adventure is being launched today on the stunning roads of Gran Canaria. MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child is our lucky man enjoying the sunshine and the delights...

A Giant Leap: 2015 BMW S1000RR vs the 2014 model

30 January 2015 by Michael Neeves

The Mission It’s the S1000RR’s biggest revampsince it was introduced five years ago. BMW say their new weapon is lighter, more powerful, and more refined than ever. To find out just how much this...

Picture gallery: Indian Scout group test

30 January 2015 by MCN

You may have seen our group test this week starring Indian’s impressive new Scout 1200 versus Harley’s equivalent 48 and Ducati’s Monster 1200. What you won’t have seen, though, is this extra gallery...

AJP PR5 RR Rally first ride

30 January 2015 by Michael Guy

It’s regarded as the world’s ultimate race, but the cost of taking part in the Dakar runs to well in excess of £50,000 and that’s a lot of money in anyone’s book. A Dakar hopeful needs the best bike...