First rides & tests

Year: ALL

Introducing our superbike shootout contenders

19 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...

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...

Long-term test: Yamaha XV950 - Building The Bullet

28 January 2015 by Steve Hunt

Building The Bullet. The plan was simple. I thought it would be an interesting assignment to see what a relative novice like myself could do to Yamaha’s XV950 with some bolt-on, third-party parts and...

Long-term test: Supercar performance, bargain price

27 January 2015 by Emma Franklin

Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R Forget your ultra-exotic, ultra-expensive supercars, Suzuki Hayabusa reaches 200mph from as little as £4000. So Top Gear’s back for yet another series, and as I was caught in...

Long-term test: Kawasaki ER-6f

23 January 2015 by Simon Brown

Owners of previous generations of Kawasaki’s ER-6f often complain of buzzing from the bodywork at specific points in the rev-range – nothing dramatic, just an irritation. It doesn’t happen with the...

First ride: Quadro ‘S’

21 January 2015 by MCN

Three-wheeled, ‘leaning’ scooters arguably make the perfect winter commuters and the latest join the fray is from Swiss/Italian firm Quadro (who, ironically, has set its stall out mostly as a...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 3

20 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Well, the trip certainly didn’t end the way I was planning on it. Instead of riding the final 284 miles home from Abington Services on the M74, I instead did the journey in the passenger seat of a...

First ride: RSD BMW RnineT

19 January 2015 by MCN

BMW’s retro, boxer-powered roadster, the RnineT was one of the hits of 2014 and now Roland Sands Design (RSD), who worked with the German marque to come up with the original concept, have come up with...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 2

18 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Ok, I’ll put m hands up and admit defeat – I didn’t make it to Inverness on the mighty little Yamaha MT 125! The weather finally beat me, just after leaving my overnight stop in Perth, only 90 miles...

Two Way Street: MV Brutale 800 RR vs Ducati Monster 1200S

16 January 2015 by Adam Child

If you’re after an expensive, exotic, naked Italian superbike it has to look good – whether you’re parading up and down the Kings Road or, in our case, the streets of Bologna. Which is where MV...

Peterborough to Inverness on a 125: Part 1

16 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Yesterday, I rode 405 miles through some of the worst weather of this winter, on a 125! I don’t think I’m mad, but I admit that there were points yesterday where even I doubted my sanity! I’ve had...

Video: New vs old BMW S1000RR dyno and top speed

15 January 2015 by MCN

It’s the S1000RR’s biggest revamp since it was introduced five years ago. BMW say their new weapon is lighter, more powerful, and more refined than ever, so we put it head-to-head with the outgoing...

Long-term test: Triumph Bonneville T100

15 January 2015 by Simon Relph

During my time with the Triumph Bonneville T100, MCN readers with Bonnies have strongly recommended uprating the rear suspension. The original shocks weren’t bad, but there is always room for...

First ride: Mash Roadstar 400

14 January 2015 by MCN

Mash is the newest motorcycle brand to hit the UK. Dreamt up and styled in France, made in China and now trickling into UK dealers its first offering is a retro single that reminds of Yamaha’s revived...

Long-term test: BMW S1000R

14 January 2015 by Michael Neeves

‘Super nakeds’ are the perfect kind of road bike for me. They have superbike-levels of acceleration, handling and braking, but they’re comfy and will wheelie, stoppie and skid for England. Their lack...

Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa: Long-Term Test Report

08 January 2015 by Emma Franklin

It’s long, it’s fast and it’s designed to go very fast in a straight line, you can see why Suzuki’s Hayabusa earned itself the nickname of The Eurostar in my garage. The 1340cc inline four is a...

Long-term test: KTM 1290 Super Duke R

08 January 2015 by Tim Thompson

My long-term test KTM 1290R Super Duke was returned to its rightful owner (KTM) last week, leaving me to reflect on a year of ups and downs. I wrote in the paper edition of MCN that its mechanical...

2014 v 2015 BMW S1000RR

07 January 2015 by Michael Neeves

BMW claims their new, third-generation S1000RR is lighter and more powerful than ever. We’re putting that to the test by pitching the new machine against the out-going model. We’ll speed test both...

First ride: 2015 MV Agusta Stradale 800

06 January 2015 by MCN

MV Agusta’s new Stradale 800 has recently been put through its paces in Spain in the hands of MCN Executive Editor Phil West. Here’s what he has to say: “The new Stradale is a first on many levels –...

Video: Kawasaki Versys 650 and 1000 first ride

31 December 2014 by MCN

Both the Kawasaki Versys 650 and Versys 1000 get an update for 2015, stylistically and mechanically. MCN put the new bikes through their paces at the recent launch.