The latest new motorbike and rider technology

Read exclusive stories about the latest motorcycle and rider technology, paving the way for bikes of the future.

‘We are shipping product and it is real’: Forcite smart helmet boss explains how their high-tech helmet will succeed where others failed

‘We are shipping product and it is real’: Forcite smart helmet boss explains how their high-tech helmet will succeed where others failed

Smart motorcycle helmets are nothing new. Companies have been promising internal cameras, head-up displays and more for years, but very few have made it to market and fewer still have made any...

The plastic’s fantastic: Yamaha switch to sustainable bodywork for scooter range

The plastic’s fantastic: Yamaha switch to sustainable bodywork for scooter range

Yamaha have begun using a new greener recycled polypropylene plastic to manufacture bodywork for their 2023 commuter models in some Asian markets. The move is the next step in the firm’s bid to...

Textile gear that covers all bases: How Klim use the latest fabrics to create tough but breathable waterproof gear

Textile gear that covers all bases: How Klim use the latest fabrics to create tough but breathable waterproof gear

For adventure riders, there’s never been an answer to the age-old question: what gear is cool enough off-road but protective enough on-road and waterproof too?   A suit that saves you from a 70mph...

Petrol vs electric: MCN lifts the lid on the true cost of battery powered bikes

Petrol vs electric: MCN lifts the lid on the true cost of battery powered bikes

Love it or hate it, we’re seeing major developments in electric motorcycles. But the latest research shows that their environmental advantage over more traditional petrol-powered machines is far from...

Swedish e-bike firm Cake discuss progress towards zero carbon

Swedish e-bike firm Cake discuss progress towards zero carbon

Cake Motorcycles founder Stefan Ytterborn has updated MCN on plans to build the first truly fossil-free bike by 2025. The Swedish firm calculate that building one of their electric-enduro-style...

CFMoto point the way to the future with their modular chassis ethos

CFMoto point the way to the future with their modular chassis ethos

We’ve had our first look under the skin of a new CFMoto electric in the works that uses a modular plug-and-play design that could be adapted into a range of models. The Chinese firm has already...

Future-proof new Langens: Two Stroke brand work on batteries

Future-proof new Langens: Two Stroke brand work on batteries

Having successfully got their glorious Two Stroke roadster into production and confirmed a new four-stroke model, Langen are developing battery systems for the motorcycles of tomorrow. With the...

Bosch push ‘hydrogen economy’: Engineering firm backs plan for 4000 hydrogen filling stations by 2030

Bosch push ‘hydrogen economy’: Engineering firm backs plan for 4000 hydrogen filling stations by 2030

While battery-powered electric bikes have been at the forefront of efforts to create carbon-neutral machines, there’s long been support for hydrogen as an alternative green fuel – and now engineering...

Honda tech steers out of danger: Clever new tech brings the ability to take control and prevent accidents

Honda tech steers out of danger: Clever new tech brings the ability to take control and prevent accidents

When Honda unveiled the Riding Assist and Riding Assist-e concept bikes back in 2017 the self-balancing machines stunned with their autonomous abilities – and now Honda is developing the technology to...

BMW adaptive aero springs into action: How pop-out bodywork is the future of aerodynamics

BMW adaptive aero springs into action: How pop-out bodywork is the future of aerodynamics

The idea of moving bodywork is far from new, but BMW are looking to get in on the act without the use of electronics. We’ve had electrically adjustable screens for years and more recently Moto Guzzi’s...

Getting amped up: D3O develop new AMP helmet liner system absorb low-level impacts

Getting amped up: D3O develop new AMP helmet liner system absorb low-level impacts

Motorcycle helmet safety standards have been rightfully given a boost recently with the introduction of ECE 22.06 and a greater focus on rotational injuries. Now armour specialists D3O want to take...

Revolutionary Shoei ‘Opticson’ helmet is edging towards production

Revolutionary Shoei ‘Opticson’ helmet is edging towards production

The idea of having a head-up display (HUD) inside a motorcycle helmet is far from new, but despite dozens of false starts, it’s still not a technology that’s managed to break into mainstream...

Current affairs: Horwin planning fast-charging ‘niobium-battery’ bike by 2024

Current affairs: Horwin planning fast-charging ‘niobium-battery’ bike by 2024

The Brazilian arm of electric bike firm Horwin has inked a deal with niobium supplier CBMM to bring ultra-fast charging niobium batteries to the company’s bikes as soon as 2024. Niobium is an element...

Yamaha developing power steering for motorcycles

Yamaha developing power steering for motorcycles

The barrage of rider aids on today’s bikes would be unthinkable to riders even a decade or so ago but Yamaha’s latest addition could be a game-changer – not only adding an extra layer of safety but...

MotoGP tech to improve airflow is set to make its way onto road bikes

MotoGP tech to improve airflow is set to make its way onto road bikes

If you’ve had even a passing interest in MotoGP over the last few years you’ll have noticed there’s something of an aerodynamic revolution underway for motorcycles. And some of that work is trickling...

Bold new hybrid planned: Yamaha design has petrol motor to extend electric battery range

Bold new hybrid planned: Yamaha design has petrol motor to extend electric battery range

Hybrid cars are rapidly becoming the norm as a stepping stone to full electric power and there’s a growing suggestion that bikes might take the same route. In 2030 it will become illegal to sell new...

Yamaha’s latest hydrogen engine paves the way for new breed of bikes

Yamaha’s latest hydrogen engine paves the way for new breed of bikes

Yamaha have unveiled a V8 hydrogen powered car engine that sets the stage for a two-wheeled version. The prototype is based on the 5-litre engine from the Lexus RC F with Yamaha modifying the...

New material inside the latest Ruroc Atlas 4.0 helmet helps it exceed new standards

New material inside the latest Ruroc Atlas 4.0 helmet helps it exceed new standards

Helmets are getting safer and now a UK firm are pushing the boundaries. The new ECE 22.06 standard means they have to protect against oblique strikes which can cause rotational forces – a common...

New tech: Forward-facing camera for 2022 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX

New tech: Forward-facing camera for 2022 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX

Advanced rider-assistance systems are the latest high-tech battleground and with front and rear radars already standard on the 2022 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX, the firm’s next move may be the addition of a...

Sensor-based rider assistance systems are about to get serious

Sensor-based rider assistance systems are about to get serious

It’s only been a year since the first radar-equipped bikes started to reach customers but already there are new companies starting to supply the tech. Over the next couple of years radar is set to...

New tech from Exro promises E-bike performance boost

New tech from Exro promises E-bike performance boost

One of the exciting things about the introduction of electric motorcycles is that we’re still learning how to make the most of them – so there’s scope for giant leaps in performance instead of the...

Valeo step into battery power: Hopes for a low-cost route to electric bikes

Valeo step into battery power: Hopes for a low-cost route to electric bikes

Valeo might not be a household name but they’re among the world’s biggest automotive parts suppliers with 187 production facilities and 67 R&D bases across 33 countries – so their intention to start...

Mix and match Arrow platform to spawn new family for Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Mix and match Arrow platform to spawn new family for Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire is one of the best electrics out there – but it’s far from cheap. Now, however, things are changing fast with H-D’s decision to spin-off the e-bike operation and news of a...

Yamaha’s SpinForged wheels save weight, improve handling and don’t cost a packet

Yamaha’s SpinForged wheels save weight, improve handling and don’t cost a packet

Excess weight has always been a bike designer’s nemesis, but while overall reductions are welcome, there are disproportionate benefits from cutting the mass of a motorcycle’s wheels. That’s where...

LiteLok take lightweight motorbike security to the next level

LiteLok take lightweight motorbike security to the next level

Lightweight motorcycle security specialists LiteLok have unveiled their latest product, the Core Moto. Rather than aiming to be impervious to attack, the LiteLok is intended to be as secure as...

Fighter pilot kit ready to roll: Aegis Rider’s new head-up display could be a game-changer

Fighter pilot kit ready to roll: Aegis Rider’s new head-up display could be a game-changer

A new way to navigate while riding could soon be released onto the mass market as Swiss company Aegis Rider look set to release an augmented reality (AR) head-up display system to bolt into your...

Angle grinder eater: British designed Hiplok D1000 steps up the fight against bike thieves

Angle grinder eater: British designed Hiplok D1000 steps up the fight against bike thieves

There’s an ongoing war between the powers of good and evil as riders find new ways to combat the ever-evolving tactics of criminals. Now British lock firm Hiplok is stepping up with a new weapon in...

Kawasaki show off next generation of electric and hybrid bikes in Japan

Kawasaki show off next generation of electric and hybrid bikes in Japan

New images of Kawasaki’s two imminent, all-new, electric and hybrid bikes undergoing final testing suggest the firm are set to be the first of the Japanese Big Four to put next-generation EV road...

Charged in 90 seconds: Brand new battery type could be electric vehicle breakthrough

Charged in 90 seconds: Brand new battery type could be electric vehicle breakthrough

Powertain experts Mahle, together with Allotrope Energy, have created a new form of battery technology that promises to end concerns about charging times once and for all. Related articles on...

Bags for the masses: Inflatable airbag protection is no longer just for the rich and pro racers

Bags for the masses: Inflatable airbag protection is no longer just for the rich and pro racers

The sight of airbags inflating has become a common one in MotoGP since the tech became mandatory in 2018, but In&Motion – one of the companies supplying that gear – want to see more road riders...

Lifting the lid: A new £40 scan claims to reveal hidden helmet damage after an accidental drop

Lifting the lid: A new £40 scan claims to reveal hidden helmet damage after an accidental drop

For the first time ever, a company is offering a service that claims to be able to scan your helmet’s shell for hidden signs of damage or degradation. Before, if you accidently dropped your lid there...

Air today, gone tomorrow: One last hurrah for Honda CB1100 as air-cooled fours look ready for retirement

Air today, gone tomorrow: One last hurrah for Honda CB1100 as air-cooled fours look ready for retirement

Despite the fact that 1970s-styled bikes are in vogue at the moment with manufacturers scrambling to revive machines from their pasts, one of the most convincing of those retro models is on the way...

Kawasaki ramp up technology for three-wheeled superbike project

Kawasaki ramp up technology for three-wheeled superbike project

Anyone who’s ridden a tilting three-wheeler like the Yamaha Niken or Piaggio MP3 has probably idly wondered what might happen if similar chassis tech was applied to a full-blown superbike. Related...

Classic scooters quit smoking: Battery conversion for Vespas and Lambrettas

Classic scooters quit smoking: Battery conversion for Vespas and Lambrettas

No two-wheelers are better-suited to electric power than scooters and no scoots are cooler than classic Vespas and Lambrettas – and now you can get electric versions of both thanks to these British...

Variable-rigidity 'chain mail' that stiffens on command could be the future of motorcycle clothing

Variable-rigidity 'chain mail'  that stiffens on command could be the future of motorcycle clothing

Motorcycle clothing is a conundrum that’s proved tough to crack. Even ignoring the problems that weather conditions pile into the equation, there’s a stark contrast between the requirement to move...

Swedish super-single surprise: NCCR turn half a Buell V-twin into race engine

Swedish super-single surprise: NCCR turn half a Buell V-twin into race engine

Well before the 916, in 1992, Ducati created a racebike called the ‘Supermono’. Essentially an 888 with the rear cylinder removed the Supermono was an effective race bike that became the stuff of...