First rides & tests

Year: ALL

Staff bikes: Kawasaki GPz550 - Beware bike sellers who limp

26 May 2010 by Steve Farrell

When I bought my GPz550 for £300 in January, I triumphantly claimed I’d proved you could get a decent bike for next to nothing. I now admit I’ve proved only that you can get a bike for next to...

Video: Park Lane S1000RR ready-made racer

26 May 2010 by MCN

BMW took the 1000cc sports bike world by storm this year with it’s new S1000RR. But now dealers are pushing the envelope and BMW Park Lane is offering to build you a track version of the S1000RR out...

First ride: Triumph Thruxton 904 Ace Special

25 May 2010 by Michael Neeves

You may have seen this lovely, highly-modified Triumph Thruxton on our stand at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle show at Excel earlier in the year. Created by Tony Scott of T3 Racing (he also runs the...

Staff bikes: Enfield Clubman - Coppers can't touch me!

24 May 2010 by Marc Abbott

My previous entry, on the subject of top speed runs on the road, was met with a few comments on the logic of my admission to speeds well in excess of 85mph on the queen’s highway. Well, after taking...

2010 Triumph Sprint GT - first riding impressions from Skye

19 May 2010 by Trevor Franklin

Trevor Franklin reports after his first 50 miles and has this to say about the new Triumph Sprint GT1050. It’s obvious Triumph has taken the direction of the Sprint GT to a higher touring level from...

2010 Triumph Sprint GT launch

19 May 2010 by Trevor Franklin

MCN Chief Road Tester, Trevor Franklin, is currently in Scotland around the area of Inveraray riding Triumph’s latest 1050 Sprint model. The new Sprint GT is Triumph’s touring focussed version of...

Video: Mavizen electric sportsbike first ride

19 May 2010 by MCN

MCN’s exclusive road test of the first electric road-going sports bike proves the future of non-petrol motorcycles is exceptionally bright. The British-designed Mavizen TTX02 is so good it feels like...

Video speed test: S1000RR v RSV4 v Hayabusa v ZZ-R1400

19 May 2010 by MCN

20 years after the launch of the original hyperbike, Kawasaki’s ZZ-R1100, superbikes like BMW’s S1000RR are now so fast they’re rendering the Hayabusa and co. irrelevant… Or are they? Read the...

Racing blog: Vari-Trac BMW Park Lane S1000RR

17 May 2010 by Michael Neeves

After sampling BMW Park Lane’s MRO Stocksport S1000RR at Brands GP on Thursday I got the amazing opportunity to race it at the historic Kent track at the weekend. Team Vari-Trac BMW Park Lane looked...

BMW Park Lane will build you this superstock S1000RR

14 May 2010 by Michael Neeves

BMW Park Lane is the only dealer in the UK where you can buy a race-prepared S1000RR new out of the crate. Costing £17,500 (or £18,000, fully-painted) you get the full-spec superbike, complete with...

Staff bikes: Enfield Clubman - Top speed test for 28bhp missile

12 May 2010 by Marc Abbott

My Enfield Bullet Clubman has no rev counter and nothing but an ‘old-fashioned’ dial by way of speedometer. And once above a certain speed the needle can wander by as much as 10mph either way. A...

Video: Yamaha Super Tenere first ride

12 May 2010 by MCN

After our first ride of the new Yamaha Super Tenere, we can confirm that Yamaha’s new adventure bike has a brilliant engine and is a credible alternative to BMW’s popular R1200GS. Watch the video...

Video: 2010 BMW R1200RT longterm review

10 May 2010 by MCN

MCN’s longterm test fleet for 2010 includes the BMW R1200RT. Senior reporter Andy Downes has had the bike for 5 weeks and covered over 5,000 miles so far. Read the BMW R1200RT review Find...

Shaw Harley-Davidson Spyder first ride

07 May 2010 by Chris Newbigging

If you have enough money, you can have anything you want. If the object of your desires is a custom Harley styled like the Porsche Spyder that killed James Dean, star of iconic movie ‘Rebel Without a...

Yamaha Super Tenere - World first test ride

07 May 2010 by MCN

The new Yamaha XTZ1200Z Tenere is a great alternative to a BMW R1200GS or Ducati Multistrada says MCN’s Trevor Franklin. Adventure special issue of MCN, on sale this Wednesday Trevor has so far...

Staff bikes: Suzuki GSX-R600 - Silverstone, Sheene & snotty Dunlops

06 May 2010 by James Keen

The other day I had to film a bike test at Silverstone and since Dunlop were having a tyre launch at the same time, I ended up with a new set of Sportsmart‘s and some time on track. I was shooting...

Video: Mavizen TTX02 electric superbike - first ride preview

06 May 2010 by MCN

MCN is testing the world’s first production electric superbike – the Mavizen TTX02. Watch the video for a little preview showing just how different this bike is to ride. The Mavizen TTX02 uses a...

MCN rides the world's first production electric superbike

05 May 2010 by Michael Neeves

We’ve been granted an exclusive first ride on the Mavizen TTX02, the world’s first production superbike. Video: Mavizen TTX02 electric superbike – first ride preview Powered by twin 96V DC Agni...

First ride: Honda VFR1200F DCT

05 May 2010 by John Westlake

Phil West, Executive Editor, is near Frankfurt testing Honda’s new VFR1200F DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) which is Honda’s much vaunted and radical new auto gearbox. Phil – a confirmed...

Video: 2010 Aprilia Shiver 750 first ride

04 May 2010 by MCN

MCN’s first ride of the revamped Shiver 750 suggests its rivals should be worried – the new v-twin feels sportier than the outgoing model, but is also easier to live with and remains good value. ...

Video: 257bhp Icon Sheene - first ride

04 May 2010 by MCN

Icon Motorcycles’ £107,000 Barry Sheene tribute bike is an extraordinary machine, and it’s first shakedown test at Silverstone proved the potential of the GSX1400-powered special. Watch the video...

Staff bikes: Kawasaki GPz550 - Rear disc on front wheel

30 April 2010 by Steve Farrell

More surprises from my bought-unseen £300 GPz. When I removed the warped front brake discs to replace them, I found that in fact only one was a front disc. The other was a rear. They’re the same...

2010 Aprilia Shiver 750 - first ride

30 April 2010 by Adam Child

Aprilia’s updated 2010 Shiver is currently being tested by MCN’s Adam Child on the amazing Route Napoleon in the south of France. This is what he has to say… 2010 Aprilia Shiver 750 – tech specs...

257bhp Icon Sheene: it runs!

30 April 2010 by Michael Neeves

MCN tested the Icon Motorcycles’ £107,000 Barry Sheene tribute bike at Silverstone this week with the world exclusive first test in next week’s paper. The Sheene Icon is an extraordinary machine but...

MCN celebrates 20 years of Triumph

30 April 2010 by Phil West

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of the first new Hinckley Triumphs. At the Cologne Show way back in 1990, John Bloor’s all-new Triumph concern unveiled its first new bikes – the...

Video: Ducati Multistrada 1200 v KTM SMT v BMW GS v Tiger 1050

29 April 2010 by MCN

Ducati’s new top-of-the-range adventure bike has four different riding modes – but can it beat its three best rivals in each of those applications? Read the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200...

My first sportsbike

28 April 2010 by Neil Manning

Having taken my test at the ripe old age of 42, I played safe and rode a brand new Suzuki Bandit 650SA. Having mastered the basics of riding a bike I then wanted a bit more power and moved up to the...

Video: 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 longterm review

27 April 2010 by MCN

MCN’s longterm test fleet for 2010 includes the Kawasaki Z1000. MCN road tester Michael Neeves has had the bike for a month and covered 600 miles so far. Read the Kawasaki Z1000 review Find a...

Staff bikes: BMW R1200RT - Marseille, Bologna and Skegness and 2500 miles in five days

26 April 2010 by Andy Downes

It’s the words you learn to dread while working at MCN – “Can I borrow your bike please?” In this case there was no way out. MCN Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin needed to get to Marseille in the...

Staff bikes: Suzuki GSX-R600 - First impressions

26 April 2010 by James Keen

My gleaming new GSX-R600 turned up at the office at 2.50pm on Friday and by 3 I was on the way up to Skegness for the MCN Live! weekend. I’d volunteered to help marshall the MCN ride out on Saturday...

Staff bikes: BMW R1200GS - MCN Live! priorities

23 April 2010 by Ian Jubb

Getting the priorities right for MCN Live at Butlins, Skegness. The GS is really a do anything bike and it carries beers and snacks pretty well too! Now on with the disk lock and away with the key...

Staff bikes blog – Victory Hammer S: 48mpg!

23 April 2010 by Chris Newbigging

When you don’t have a fuel gauge, you get tuned in to how many miles you can do on a tank. My Hammer S usually gets around 125 miles before I fill up, returning 38mpg on a country roads blat – fairly...

Video: 2010 Kawasaki Versys longterm review

23 April 2010 by MCN

MCN’s longterm test fleet for 2010 includes the Kawasaki Versys. MCN web producer Liam Marsden has had the bike for a week and covered 500 miles so far. Find a Kawasaki Versys for sale Read the 2010...

Ducati Monster 796: latest update

21 April 2010 by MCN

MCN Chief Road Tester Trevor Franklin is now riding back from Italy on the final leg of his 2500 mile marathon to attend the launch of the new Ducati 796. Here are his latest views of the new...

World first ride - Yamaha FZ8 and FZ8 Fazer: 'Plenty of mid-range grunt'

19 April 2010 by MCN

MCN’s chief road tester Trevor Franklin has just finished riding the new Yamaha FZ8 and FZ8 Fazer at the launch in Marseille, France. So far Trevor has this to say about the two machines. “On...

MCN puts Harley-Davidson XR1200 racing bike to the test

16 April 2010 by MCN

MCN Senior Road Tester, Adam Child has just finished riding at Oulton Park putting one of the Harley-Davidson XR1200 race bikes through its paces in preparation for the first round being held as a...