2006

Year: 2006

Month: ALL

A review of my 2004 Yamaha R1

23 November 2006 by Steve Comancho

I purchased my 2004 YZF-R1 in May of 2006 after going through a 2005 R1 that I was riding when the motor decided to detonate on the track in February of 2006. So as I frantically found an escape...

My review of my Kawasaki ZRX1200

23 November 2006 by Richard Morris

Kawasaki claim 122PS and 112Nm of torque for the ZRX. In English that’s 120BHP and 82½ ft/lb, almost certainly measured at the crank. Dry weight is 223kg (plus 4kg for the half-faired S version).

Seven European countries in nine days

23 November 2006 by Simon Housecraft

A ride through Europe lasting 9 days and taking in 7 countries (some twice!) with a two stop in Antibes and covering 2700 miles. (England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium.) I...

My pilgrimage to Poland

23 November 2006 by Shane Kennedy

I started on my pilgrimage on my BMW K1200S with a 200 mile run from the Midlands to the euro-tunnel. My first time under the drink, which has to be the most efficient and convenient way to cross the...

The Synder family tour Europe

23 November 2006 by Mick Snyder

We decided that this year’s grand tour was going to be to the Tyrol with Mick on his R1200ST, son Jeff on his soon-to-be-delivered F800ST and Brian on the R1150GS. Sons William and Graham would be...

Our trip around the Alps

23 November 2006 by Ian Holland

During those winter months, there’s a lot of talking about “Next year we should go there…” Some ideas were ridiculous, but the idea of a 10 day trip to the Alps, with a stop off at Monaco sounded like...

A tour of Ireland

23 November 2006 by Graham Pugh

My friends David Thrussell,Kevin Howsen and Mathieu Booth, and myself, Graham Pugh, decided to take our two 2005 R1s, a Triumph 955i and a Ducati Monster on a five day trip to Ireland covering 1,442...

A tour of France

23 November 2006 by Graham Bell

My friend Jeff Cheeseman and I had originally planned to head to the French Alps on our Kawasaki ZX9R and Honda CBR1000RR, but on the day before departure huge rain storms were forecast for the days...

A review of my RVF400

23 November 2006 by Eddie Rogers

I thought I’d submit my experiences of owning a Honda RVF400 for the last six months, having read a message on the 400greybike forum. It all started last May, having previously owned many big bore...

My biking confession

23 November 2006 by Malc

My confessions is that I was riding to work one morning, filtering past endless cars and looking out for drivers about to open their doors or throw a Un-turn… The last thing I was expecting was some bloke in a tracksuit to run out from between the cars with his arms stretched out. He hit me so hard I fell to the ground with the bike landing on top of me. The bloke just said “Sorry, mate”, as he...

My biking confession

23 November 2006 by Dave Haines

A ‘mate’ of mine, when I, er, he, was 16 and the proud owner of a Honda MB-5, wanted to see what a burn out was like so thought it best to start the bike on the centre stand, put the bike in 3rd, rev it then push down on the rear end of the bike to get the spinning tyre in contact with the concrete carport ‘road’ surface. My, I mean his, bike subsequently shot 10 feet forward into my, er, his,...

My rideout on May 13, 2006

23 November 2006 by Kamchat

Out on the bikes again today with ‘makendes’ who was visiting from Blackpool. The plan was to ride up to Inveraray then on to Tyndrum and back home down the A84 via Callander. Things didn’t quite go...

It's show time...

23 November 2006 by MCN

It’s just me and my bike…

Anti-bike petrol stations

18 November 2006

Anti-bike petrol stations in the South West of England Morrisons, Leominster Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Esso, Dorcan Way, Swindon, Wiltshire Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Somerfield, Amesbury,...

Your biking confessions

18 November 2006

If you’ve got an an embarrassing moment or a biking secret to share, then we’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories of mechanical ineptitude, learner mishaps, or just forgetting to put...

Speeders identified

18 November 2006

Riders who’ve made false claims about who was riding their bike at the time of a speeding offence could be in for a nasty surprise. Police have refused to rule out checking their riding kit against...

Sent to Coventry

18 November 2006

Sixty thousand pounds worth of minimotos have been seized and crushed by West Midlands Police since the crackdown last summer. Hundreds of local residents have phoned in nuisance reports to police...

Crash couple's joy

18 November 2006

A couple who survived a near fatal motorcycle accident six years ago have been awarded six figure compensation packages and becoming parents – all on the same day. Stuart and Nina Smart from Claregate, Wolverhampton, were seriously injured when their motorbike and sidecar collided with a car on the A41, on July 23, 2000. Nina, now 32, broke her pelvis in four places, had a broken collarbone, and...

Charity bale sponsor

18 November 2006

Plans are well underway for the Aberdare Park Races, Premier Road Racing event in Wales, which raises money for charity. The weekend is held at Aberdare Park, 30 miles North West of Cardiff. Races...

Vote for our babe

18 November 2006

This year’s hopefuls are now flocking in to the office so we now need your help to vote which girls we should choose. This year we will be crowning one winner at the MCN London Motorcycle Show at...

Dirt Bike Show success

18 November 2006

The seventh Dirt Bike Show has been a success despite a drop in attendance figures, according to organisers. Attendance figures are yet to be finalised, but initial figures show around 19,000 people...

Anti-skid surface breaks

18 November 2006

A ROAD surface commonly used around the country can create a skid-pan effect for bikes, MCN has found. The supposedly anti-skid surface is laid on roundabouts, at junction and in all the places...

Vyrus unleashed

18 November 2006

Italian hub-centre steering specialists Vyrus have unveiled special editions of the 984 C3. Vyrus originally worked alongside Bimota on the development of the Tesi and its hub-centre steering...

Cagiva's bargain

18 November 2006

You might think this is just a white version of Cagivas proven Mito 125, but look closer: the two-stroke’s expansion chamber exhaust is gone, and the stickers read 500. Cagiva replaced the tiny...

Video: Versys first test

18 November 2006

Some of MCN’s team headed out for the first European test on the Kawasaki Versys last week. The boys have compared this bike to the Yamaha FZ600s, the Ducati 620 Multistrada and the Suzuki 650...

Roadtest your bike

18 November 2006

Ever wanted to be an MCN road tester? Here’s your chance to have your name published alongside those of the MCN team… We want you to roadtest your current bike, and send us the results. Sadly we...

Pillion dream Morini

18 November 2006

This is Morini’s first crack at entering the lucrative adventure bike market. The MM3 is officially called a concept, but a production version would be easy to do as most of the major components are...

2007 CBR600 launch

18 November 2006

Honda’s world launch of the 2007 CBR 600 is happening next week, and MCN’s road tester Adam Child will be one of the first riders to experience this new machine. If you have a question on how the CBR...

BMW at dirt bike show

18 November 2006

BMW made its first ever appearance at the Dirt Bike Show on Thursday, MCN caught up with BMW Marketing Manager Tony Jakeman to find out why. He said: “We’ve come to launch our new G-series range of...

Sweden's Harley rival

18 November 2006

This new flat-track style road bike is Swedish firm Highland’s answer to the Harley Davidson XR1200 concept. The Dirt-Track is powered by a detuned 950cc 60° v-twin from the firm’s supermoto and off...

New MCN: November 22

18 November 2006

Experts warn road users about anti-skid surface which brakes up under heavy braking in this week’s MCN. One rider has told MCN how he crashed when he lost control on such a surface, which is on...

Scorpa's road prototype

18 November 2006

French off-road manufacturer Scorpa has unveiled this new road-going prototype. This latest design is designed purely for the road, with a flat-track style based around a 660cc Yamaha single...

MBE for MCI boss

11 November 2006

Geoff Sherley, MCI’s Chief Executive, has been honoured with a MBE for the groundbreaking “Skidz” motor project in High Wycombe. Geoff is a trustee of the project which helps young people learn...

No to Camera Boss

11 November 2006

The boss of the firm that makes laser speed detectors used in vans has been told by a Crown Court judge he cannot be used as an independent expert. For too long Frank Garratt, MD of Tele-Traffic UK,...

KTM range on show

11 November 2006

KTM are showing their entire range of 2007 bikes at the EICMA Trade Fair in Milan with the sporty street fighters leading the pack. The Super Duke and new Super Duke R are being shown to the biking...

Charity plea

11 November 2006

Bikers are being asked to dig deep to help raise cash for London’s Air Ambulance teams next month. On Friday, December 1 a massive charity event is being held to raise funds for the organisation,...