2016

Year: 2016

Month: ALL

2017 cruiser of the year: Triumph Bonneville Bobber

26 October 2017 by Michael Neeves & Adam Child

With so many bikes wowing us in 2017 it’s easy to forget the new Bonneville Bobber was one of the most-eagerly anticipated. The Triumph is styled to mimic those pared-to-the-bone 1940s-style bobbers,...

The bikes that leave us shaking with adrenalin

02 January 2017 by Michael Neeves

These are three of the most exciting bikes on planet Earth. The growling RSV4 RF, screaming GSX-R600 and bonkers Hypermotard 939 SP all leave you shaking with adrenalin and breathless with lust after...

25 years of Akrapovic exhausts

31 December 2016 by MCN News

If you’re in the market for an exhaust, chances are the name at the top of your wish list is Akrapovic. The company started out in a tiny workshop in Slovenia in 1991, the brainchild of racer Igor...

Battle of the Boxer twins

31 December 2016 by Jon Urry

BMW’s flat-twin boxer engine has to be one of the most versatile motorcycle powerplants in production. The German firm has used it to power everything from tourers to sportsbikes, nakeds to retros,...

Video: Kawasaki Z1000SX launch

20 December 2016 by MCN News

We were in the South of France recently enjoying some very English weather aboard Kawasaki’s Z1000SX that has been updated for 2017. Kawasaki got the mixture right with the original Z1000SX back in...

A week with the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak: Part four

11 December 2016 by Simon Hargreaves

Built to commemorate Ducati’s dominance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Simon Hargreaves takes the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak on the longest hill climb of them all… Part three:...

Triumph Bonneville Bobber Madrid launch incoming

09 December 2016 by Michael Neeves

We’ll be riding the new Triumph Bonneville Bobber at its world launch in Madrid on Monday. The Hinckley firm unveiled the latest addition to the Bonneville family at the trendy Printworks venue in...

A week with the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak: Part three

04 December 2016 by Michael Neeves

The busy week for the Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak continues with a trip upto Cheshire and Oulton Park. Can the big touring bike hang with sportsbikes? Part two: Peterborough to the Peak...

What’s it like to ride a championship winning British Supersport Kawasaki ZX-6RR?

03 December 2016 by Adam Child

The British championship winning ZX-6RR as ridden by Tarran Mackenzie shows a glimpse of how good a 600 could be. 16,000rpm, fast-handling, 145bhp… if only you could buy a 600 like this for the...

2017 Yamaha MT-09 launch - we're leaving on a jet plane

02 December 2016 by Emma Franklin

Today we’re flying out to the Spanish island of Mallorca for the world press launch of the 2017 Yamaha MT-09. Now three years old, Yamaha have decided to give the popular 850cc triple-cylinder naked a...

We ride Dan Linfoot’s BSB Honda Fireblade

01 December 2016 by Adam Child

The Honda BSB bike we’re riding is the last of the line for this model Fireblade, and the best it’s ever been. Despite being one of the oldest bikes on the grid, riders Dan Linfoot and Jason...

First ride of KTM’s new 1290 Super Duke R next week

01 December 2016 by MCN News

MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves will be riding the new, second-generation KTM 1290 Super Duke R at its world launch in Qatar on Monday. It’s hard to believe, but the current model has been...

First ride: Kawasaki ZX-10RR

30 November 2016 by Michael Neeves

Next year will feel like the early 1990s all over again because the Japanese are back in force with limited-edition Rs, double Rs and SPs. All hail the return of the homologation special. Yamaha...

A week with the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak: Part two

27 November 2016 by Liam Marsden

Part one of our week with the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak saw Andy Davidson late for work as he spiced his Monday morning commute up with a bit of off-road action. For the second installment the...

Hutchy's Superstock S1000RR ridden

24 November 2016 by Michael Neeves and Adam Child

We are in a very privileged position; after weeks of begging phone calls to race teams and manufacturers, they finally gave in and allowed us to ride the hottest race bikes this side of...

First ride: Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki ZX-10R

23 November 2016 by Michael Neeves

There are three very distinct differences between a full-factory, WSB-winning machine and any bike with lights and indicators you’ve tried before, no matter how good. Jonathan Rea’s Kawasaki...

A week with the Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak: Part one

20 November 2016 by Andy Davidson

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is America’s version of our Isle of Man TT. It’s a race to the clouds, 14,115 feet above sea level to be exact, where a bunch of lunatics with motorcycles,...

Old Empire Motorcycles ‘Triumph’

18 November 2016 by Phil West

Customs don’t come much more exclusive than this one-off commissioned by Triumph from UK-based Old Empire Motorcycles and built around the T120 Bonneville. Called, simply, ‘Triumph’, it’s based on a...

First ride: Motoinno TS3

06 November 2016 by Jeff Ware

Bikes have worn telescopic forks for more than 100 years, and although they have evolved to the point that they work pretty well, they remain theoretically inferior to alternative front-end designs...

World first test: Motus MST

30 October 2016 by John Westlake

Tucked away in an industrial unit in Birmingham, Alabama is America’s most intriguing motorcycle manufacturer. Instead of building their new bike around a V-twin like Harley, Indian, Buell, Victory...

First Ride: Kawasaki Z1000SX - day one gallery & impressions

25 October 2016 by Adam Child

Day 1 We’ve had very English weather in the south of France today, with a healthy mix of rain, rain, and more rain following us at all times. But while this might not sound ideal, it’s actually been...

First Ride: 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX

24 October 2016 by Adam Child

MCN Senior Road Tester Adam ‘Chad’ Child will be riding Kawasaki’s 2017 upgraded Z1000SX in the south of France tomorrow, and will be sharing live updates throughout the day. The new bike was unveiled...

Spot the difference: Harley-Davidson Street Glide old vs new

21 October 2016 by MCN News

For 2017 Harley-Davidson have introduced a new engine, dubbed the ‘Milwaukee-Eight’, which increases torque by 11%, while at the same time improving economy and smoothness. A single small oil-cooler...

Throwback Thursday: Aprilia SXV550 first ride

20 October 2016 by MCN News

If you’re a rival manufacturer to Italian bike makers Aprilia you’d have noticed their annoying but enviable knack of getting things right first time round. During the ’90s the Noale factory’s 125 and...

Mash TT40 first ride

20 October 2016 by Peter Henshaw

Mash have been selling their 400cc retro roadster in the UK for just 18 months, and have now launched a whole string of new bikes, including this 400 café racer, an unashamedly Brit-style 125 and even...

First ride: Suzuki GSX-S1000FA Tour Edition

16 October 2016 by Andy Davidson

GSX-S1000FA Tour Edition Specification Price £10,299 Engine 999cc (73.4 x 59.0mm) 16v inline four Power 145bhp @ 10,000rpm Torque 78ftlb @ 9500rpm Weight 214kg Wheelbase 1460mm ...

Gallery: Street crawlers

06 October 2016 by MCN News

The factory-fresh custom scene is growing rapidly, and Harley-Davidson reckon their new Roadster has it all, with decent handling and style. TOP STORIES Intermot: Ducati SuperSport revealed ...

Gallery: Sports tourer shootout

30 September 2016 by MCN News

There’s a myriad of choice when it comes to choosing a bike that will whisk you away on a long adventure. Historically, touring bikes were big and expensive, but is this always best? We took three...

Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide first ride

29 September 2016 by Phil West

Harley’s CVO bikes have always been the very best-accessorised and tuned offerings the historic American firm can muster – but its latest for 2017 takes even all that a stage further. CVO stands for...

F1 pundit Martin Brundle talks sports tourers

22 September 2016 by MCN News

We recently took five sports tourers to the famous Nurburgring – the Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally, BMW K1600GTL, KTM 1290 Super Duke GT, Kawasaki ZZR1400 and Yamaha’s new MT-10 with every official...

First ride: Moto Guzzi MGX-21 Flying Fortress

10 September 2016 by Andy Davidson

First ride: Moto Guzzi MGX-21 Flying Fortress We’re on the launch of Moto Guzzi’s MGX-21 in Italy, two years after the initial concept art was first released at EICMA. The MGX is caked in aluminium...

First ride: 2017 Harley-Davidson tourers

09 September 2016 by Phil West

New Harley-Davidson engines don’t come around very often so the American legend’s headline news for 2017 – that its touring family all receive significantly updated motors featuring not just...

BMW G310R first ride today

08 September 2016 by Michael Neeves

MCN Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves will be riding the eagerly-anticipated new BMW G310R today. It’s the first time the German firm has produced a small-capacity motorcycle, aimed squarely at...

2017 Harley-Davidson test incoming

07 September 2016 by Phil West

MCN is getting ready for the launch of Harley-Davidson’s massively-updated for-2017 touring family of bikes which we’ll be testing near Tacoma, Washington State, USA, later this week. The biggest news...

First Ride: Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber

07 September 2016 by Andy Davidson

Moto Guzzi are enjoying a resurgence in sales thanks to the ever expanding retro scene. Having recently celebrated their 95th anniversary, the Italian manufacturer pack genuine heritage, as proven by...

First ride: Bultaco Brinco

04 September 2016 by MCN News

Tech spec Price £4495 Motor brushless electric, AC Power 2Kw (2.6bhp) Weight 42kg Seat height 1011mm+ On sale Now Contact www.bultaco.com ‘It certainly gets the endorphins going’ “Forget the...