First rides & tests

Year: ALL

Video: Yamaha Super Tenere World Crosser first ride

27 August 2012 by Michael Guy

Yamaha launched its take on the big adventure bike market in 2010 when they unveiled the XT1200Z Super Tenere. Aimed at getting a slice of the most lucrative sector in biking, the Yamaha’s had success...

Video: What is the new 600?

20 August 2012 by MCN

Ten years ago, speedfreaks were buying 600s in their thousands, runed on by their wallet-friendly mix of precision handling, insane engines and cutting-edge technology. But many have fallen out of...

Video: Ducati 848 Streetfighter longterm update

14 August 2012 by MCN

Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves has spent what little summer we’ve had in the UK enjoying his longterm Ducati 848 Streetfighter and here he gives his thoughts on life with the Italian V-twin so...

Supersport 600s: the alternatives

10 August 2012 by MCN

Ten years ago, speedfreaks were buying 600s in their thousands, runed on by their wallet-friendly mix of precision handling, insane engines and cutting-edge technology. But many have fallen out of...

Horex VR6 first ride: "It feels slick and classy"

10 August 2012 by MCN

Two long years have passed since the ambitious Horex project was first publically unveiled and now, at long last, we can tell you what it’s like to ride. The all-new, Augsburg-based factory has so...

Video: MV Agusta Brutale 675 onboard

01 August 2012 by MCN

The Triumph Street Triple is the UK’s favourite middleweight naked and increasingly the choice of bike for riders looking for performance and handling without the discomfort and commitment of a pure...

WK 650i: the first big bike from China

27 July 2012 by Phil West

The Chinese motorcycle industry has been churning out big, big numbers for a long time – over 50% of the world’s motorcycles are built there after all. Until now, however, they’ve often been small...

Middleweight super twins tested

26 July 2012 by Adam Child

Going by the sales figures, new supersport 600s today are about as appealing as an ‘internal inspection’ at Terminal 5 – a far, far cry from the sales topping stats of bikes like the CBR600F in the...

Ron Haslam Race School review

25 July 2012 by Angus Parker

I can’t believe I’m riding in the footsteps of legends. Just last week, Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo all rode here. As I turn out of Club Corner and head down the start-finish straight after my...

Video: Mickey Rourke's custom ridden

23 July 2012 by MCN

American custom builder Roland Sands is a curious mix of top level racer and world class fabricator, and his bikes follow that route – they’re often beautiful to behold, yet outrageously fast. Sands...

Suzuki Inazuma first ride: "A doddle to ride"

19 July 2012 by MCN

Suzuki UK has just announced that its new roadster won’t arrive in the UK until September, but MCN managed to secure an exclusive first taster at the factory’s top secret Motorcycle Technical Centre...

Video: Schwantz's post-sports bike picks

19 July 2012 by MCN

Growing out of extreme sports road bikes, but unwilling to give up your mojo at the same time as your GSX-R? Ex-GP world champion Kevin Schwantz is your personal shopper. The 1993 500cc world champ...

Poll: How soon will China make a market-leading bike?

17 July 2012 by MCN

Next week’s MCN features a road test of a Chinese designed and built 650cc parallel twin naked bike called the WK650. It’s at the forefront of a new breed of Chinese bikes with ever-increasing build...

Honda CBR600F 12 month report

07 July 2012 by Anonymous

I bought my CBR exactly 12 months ago and have done nearly 20,000 miles on it in all weathers. It was a split choice between a the CBR or an ER6 – I think I made the right choice. You can ride around town at 15mph or go a bit crazy at the top end. At a regular 75-80mph I get 55 mpg and 180 miles to a tank. At 5’8 it’s a perfect fit. I have fitted a Power Bronze screen on it as the original was too...

Video: Extreme adventure test - part two

06 July 2012 by MCN

We took the BMW R1200GS, Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere, Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 and KTM 990 Adventure on an off-road adventure and to really test their abilities, we enlisted Stan Watt, who finished...

MV Agusta F3 fuelling problem fixed

04 July 2012 by MCN

The MV Agusta F3 was one of the most eagerly anticipated sports bikes in recent years, but when it was launched back in February it was a huge disappointment. Chronic fuelling problems and poor...

Kawasaki ER six month appraisal

02 July 2012 by DazLoczy

I’ve had the ER6n for over six months now and it’s just gone through its 4000 mile service with no issues. The only thing to note is I’d overfilled it with oil which seemed to have a slight affect on...

Tom Sykes' Kawasaki WSB bike ridden

28 June 2012 by MCN

Tom Sykes’ works Kawasaki ZX-10R broke the WSB record earlier this year by clocking an astonishing 211mph at the end of Monza’s long straight. But what does a 240bhp, 210mph-plus superbike feel like?...

New radial Continental tyres for your classic tested

22 June 2012 by MCN

German tyre firm Continental have spent the last year developing a radial tyre to fit common classic bike wheel sizes, with the aim of revolutionising the performance of older machines. On the basis...

Video: Smart money superbikes

20 June 2012 by MCN

The 1000cc sports bike class has ripped in two and there are now two distinct camps. In the ‘extreme’ corner there’s the super-powerful, electronically-enhanced superbikes, like the Aprilia RSV4, BMW...

Smart money superbikes - the best used examples

15 June 2012 by MCN

Adventure bikes for me please

14 June 2012 by james stewart

I’ll confess I’m a GS Adventure rider, but I have got my eyes on a shiny new 990 at the moment – awaiting test ride, then I’ll make the choice. My GS has been nothing but bullet proof. I know it has a few achilles heels, such as the sidestand switch but overall I have a big grin when I get home from a ride. I recently took it off-road at the Walters Arena during the Touratech Adventure Travel...