MCN
Reviews For sale News Insurance

Bike news

Thinking of buying or selling a bike?

11 November 2001

Thinking of buying or selling a bike?

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a bike you’ve come to the right site. If you are looking to buy you have access to an unrivalled archive of information combined with enviable contact with...

‘Maria’ looks set to be the oddest at the NEC

04 November 2001

‘Maria’ looks set to be the oddest at the NEC

No, this isn’t the latest toy delighting Japanese kids. This is a real, full-size motorcycle, and one that’s intended as a tribute to the Suzuka Eight-Hour. If you don’t believe us, you can see it for...

Meet Bayliss, Edwards, Xaus and Haydon in one go

04 November 2001

Meet Bayliss, Edwards, Xaus and Haydon in one go

Troy Bayliss, Colin Edwards, Ruben Xaus and James Haydon will ALL be at Knotts Motorcycles in Stratford on Wednesday night, and you’re invited. Make the effort and you’ll meet the current World...

Best, wackiest and newest products to see at the NEC

04 November 2001

Best, wackiest and newest products to see at the NEC

We’ve visited every stand to bring you the newest, best or even wackiest new products, and a round-up of some of Birmingham’s best buys, too. 1. Knox Aeropack £39.99 This rucksack has more features...

The testers

04 November 2001

The testers

When you’re testing top machinery you need top riders. Much as we’d all like to think we could ” give it good seeing to ” , it takes real talent to push a superbike to the limit. So we got a pair of...

Where to find NEC bargains

04 November 2001

Where to find NEC bargains

D H Autos at hall 17, stand R3B has Akito commuter gloves for £15, down from £19.99, and Sportstars for £15. Padgett’s at hall 17, stand R5 has Spada Apex jackets for £85 from £105 and R1-branded...

Virgin Yamaha R7

04 November 2001

Virgin Yamaha R7

£100,000 Power and torque Est 163bhp 75ftlb Weight, power to weight ratio 162kg (356lb), 1.0bhp/kg Acceleration (est) Standing 1/4 mile time, terminal speed 9.8s, 154mph Top speed 190mph Geometry...

Crashing on Tarmac

04 November 2001

Crashing on Tarmac

Evel Knievel explains the pain of an 80mph crash

The hardware and the details

04 November 2001

The hardware and the details

The school makes use of the Over The Top stunt team’s impressive collection of nutter tackle. The two-wheelers are a bog-standard Kawasaki KDX220 enduro machine and two motocrossers: A Yamaha YZ250...

News, as it happened, from Press Day at the NEC Show

04 November 2001

News, as it happened, from Press Day at the NEC Show

Eighth update: Thursday 5pm: German firm Sachs has revealed it is going to put its Beast into production. MCN’s Keith Farr reports the bike will be on sale by summer next year but no prices have yet...

Repossessed bikes under the hammer

04 November 2001

Around 50 nearly-new motorcycles are being put up for auction as repossessions. There could be bargains to strike at the British Car Auctions venue at Bell Vue, Manchester on December 7. The firm has already held one successful bike auction, in October, and is looking to make them regular events. The bikes range from cruisers to sports bikes. For details e-mail enquiries@bca-group.com Thinking of...

What did you say your name was?

04 November 2001

What did you say your name was?

There’s only one Evel Knievel.

Big crowds

04 November 2001

Big crowds

The Ulster GP attracts one of the biggest crowds in UK sport

First ride on Yamaha’s Road Star Warrior

04 November 2001

First ride on Yamaha’s Road Star Warrior

Yamaha’s new Road Star Warrior is no ordinary cruiser. With a mere 2000rpm displayed on the LCD tachometer (an arc of blocks which sweep around an analogue-style scale) the bike punches forward with a...

Another record

04 November 2001

Another record

Evel Knievel remembers the Astradome.

Listen to the sound of the Benelli WSB bike

04 November 2001

Click one of the options, right, to hear the glorious sound of Marc Potter on board the Benelli superbike. The MOV option plays in Quicktime and the RM option plays on Real Player.

What they thought

04 November 2001

What they thought

Jack Wolfendale, 50, from Bolton, Lancs. Rides a Honda FireBlade ” I came along because I’ve been riding since I was 16 and I want to try all aspects of motorcycling. Everyone’s been really friendly.

Kawasaki seeks out new niches

04 November 2001

Kawasaki seeks out new niches

Kawasaki has found a new niche – retro bikes that are only legal to ride on the road in the daytime (that’s about seven hours a day in the UK right now). One is a 1970s-style grasstracker. It looks...

Free test rides on ZX-6Rs… and you can win one

04 November 2001

Free test rides on ZX-6Rs… and you can win one

Carnell-City is offering free test rides on 2001 ZX-6Rs this weekend (November 10-11). Anyone who takes one will goes in a draw to win an example of the bike, too. And if you fall for its charms on...

How September 11 could affect your premium

04 November 2001

How September 11 could affect your premium

We only have to watch the news to see what impact the events of September 11 have had around the world but we could soon be feeling the effects closer to home in the form of much higher insurance...

How to keep your policy low

04 November 2001

Shop around: The oldest advice is still the best. Don’t wait until two days before your existing policy expires to start your search for the cheapest quote. Do it now. Get some advanced training: According to the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), more than 80 per cent of British motorcyclists are paying more for insurance than they need to because they don’t have advanced training. That...

He gets knocked down

04 November 2001

He gets knocked down

… but he gets up again.

TEAM KAWASAKI ZX-7RR

04 November 2001

TEAM KAWASAKI ZX-7RR

£100,000 Power and torque Est 165bhp 65ftlb Weight, power to weight ratio 165kg (361lb), 1.0bhp/kg Acceleration (est) Standing 1/4 mile time, terminal speed 9.8s, 154mph Top speed 190mph Geometry...

Cannondale coming to the UK

04 November 2001

Cannondale coming to the UK

U.S. manufacturer Cannondale is starting to bring its off-road bikes to the UK. The 2002 range continues to feature the hand-welded, twin-spar aluminium frames seen on the 2001 bikes rather than the...

Free NEC Show guide with MCN on Wednesday

04 November 2001

Free NEC Show guide with MCN on Wednesday

Buy Wednesday’s MCN and you’ll get a free 32-page supplement complete with a focus on the 17 essential new bikes not to miss, other attractions worth planning for and that vital floor plan to help you...

Honda considers offering tailor-made bikes

04 November 2001

Honda considers offering tailor-made bikes

Honda is considering a scheme to offer a choice of engines, bodywork and paintwork options to hang on a one-size-fits-all frame. The scheme could hit UK dealers as early as 2004. And while it’s...

How I learnt to perform stunts

04 November 2001

How I learnt to perform stunts

You’ve had the conversation a thousand times. You walk into work bleary-eyed on Monday morning, head straight to your desk, locker or bench on auto-pilot and almost by reflex you and your colleagues...

Bikes make women sexier

04 November 2001

Bikes make women sexier

A gorgeous girl is a gorgeous girl. But put her on a motorbike and we’re completely sold, according to a new survey from Kawasaki. The poll found half of us find women more attractive if they’re on...

He jumps and…

04 November 2001

He jumps and…

Knievel pulls off a couple of stunts… without breaking his body.

Winner of Reynolds’ sliders revealed

04 November 2001

Winner of Reynolds’ sliders revealed

We asked for your top biking tips to feature in our Tip of the Day and you responded big time. The promise of John Reynold’s one-off No1 sliders (as worn at the final Donington Park British superbike...

bikes-uk calls in the receivers

04 November 2001

bikes-uk, the country’s second biggest chain of dealers, has gone into receivership. The firm called in receivers Grant Thornton at 9pm last night and staff at the 16 dealerships were told the news this morning. Grant Thornton says the 14 shops around the country will continue trading as normal and that firms have already expressed an interest in buying Bikes-UK as a going concern. Carnell-City...

Sound added to world’s first test of Benelli superbike

04 November 2001

Sound added to world’s first test of Benelli superbike

Updated with soundfile at 2pm, November 9, 2001: MCN’s Marc Potter has been riding the Benelli Tornado WSB bike to bring us this world’s first report on what it’s like. He’s also gathered news of the...

Whitham and Plater ride British Superbikes

04 November 2001

Whitham and Plater ride British Superbikes

The season’s over. The flags are all packed away. We’ve had another thrilling season of British superbike action, with incredible battles everywhere from rostrum results to the final points, but now...

20 bikes stolen from dealer

04 November 2001

20 bikes stolen from dealer

A new bike at a price too good to be true? Beware, it could be one of those stolen from MCN Award-winning dealer Colin Appleyard. Twenty bikes were taken from the firm’s West Yorks warehouse on...

Harris and Rhencullen Special GSX-R1000s

04 November 2001

Harris and Rhencullen Special GSX-R1000s

Here’s are two specials you should make time to check out, an awesome GSX-R1000 special on the Harris display in hall 19, stand r34. Subtle paintwork mimics the Barry Sheene bikes of a past era, right...

NEC Show ticket winners named

04 November 2001

NEC Show ticket winners named

The competition was only open for a couple of hours on Friday, but over 300 of you entered, enticed by the chance to win one of 25 pairs of tickets to the NEC Show, which opens this week. Entrants had...