Bike news

Year: ALL

MCN investigates insurance costs

08 July 2001

INSURANCE has become a bit of a dirty word to many motorcyclists in recent years. From riders who find they can’t get insurance on their bikes, to those who get a renewal notice asking for £2000,...

You vote for Honda to turn concept into reality

08 July 2001

Your reactions to Honda’s new concept sports bike suggest Honda should go ahead and put it into production. While there are dissenting voices, the majority think it’s a work of art and one they’d be...

On board TV to replace mirrors

08 July 2001

Look in the mirrors on most sports bikes and all you’ll see is your elbows. Now an engineering design student has come up with a system to use a video camera and small display screen to give you more...

EDDIE LAWSON’S 1989 NSR500

08 July 2001

When Eddie Lawson left Yamaha after six years and three 500 GP titles to join the Rothmans Honda team for the 1989 season, many people felt it was a mistake. He exchanged the sweet-handling YZR500...

MICK DOOHAN’S 1995 NSR500

08 July 2001

The second time Doohan won the world 500 championship was on this NSR500. Doohan instantly became attached to the bike and continued his dominance with seven wins, three seconds, two non-finishes and...

A little careless…

08 July 2001

And right on the racing line as well

Will he make it?

08 July 2001

Two-up, too steep, too risky by half…

How good are your boots?

08 July 2001

Write a review for motorcyclenews.com and you could help fellow users make the right choice when they come to buy. Last week we asked how good your gloves are and your response was fantastic. As a...

Donington: Your complaints

08 July 2001

Donington race goers are warning they won’t be going back to the circuit after bad experiences at last weekend’s GP. While many made the best of it by having as good a time as possible (and you’ll see...

Yamaha offers free insurance

08 July 2001

Yamaha is offering free third party fire and theft insurance on all 50, 100 and 125cc Yamaha scooters until September 17. The deal covers up to four members of the same family. And you can upgrade it...

Calling FJR owners

08 July 2001

We’re planning a gathering for owners of Yamaha’s FJR1300 this Saturday July 14. If you’ve got one and want to meet fellow owners, and become part of a forthcoming feature about the bike in MCN,...

FREDDIE SPENCER’S 1984 NS500

08 July 2001

Freddie Spencer had won the 1983 500cc world title riding the NS500 triple, but lined up for the following season on a brand new V4 NSR500. At the Nurburgring round, he demanded the NS500 back after a...

Police crack down on tax disc dodgers

08 July 2001

Riders in North Yorkshire face checkpoints throughout the county aimed at catching riders with out-of-date tax discs. If you can’t pay the fine by the roadside, your bike will be impounded. The...

Posthumous honour for Joey

08 July 2001

Joey Dunlop is to be posthumously awarded the prestigious Segrave Trophy, an award for speed exploits on land, water or in the air. It is named in memory of Sir Henry Segrave, the first man to break...

No congestion charge for bikes

08 July 2001

Ken Livingstone has confirmed there will be no congestion charging for bikes when the £5-a-day levy for cars is introduced. Details of the scheme were announced on Tuesday, with fines of £80 for those...

First pictures of Buell’s fast-turning ‘Sport Fighter’

08 July 2001

Buell’s all new Firebolt has a wheelbase 75mm shorter than an R1’s and a steering head angle so steep that it’s likely to become known as the world’s fastest turning production bike. To prevent it...

Strange but true

01 July 2001

Here’s our latest round-up of bike related madness from around the world. THAILAND: Residents of Nonthanburi are flocking to see a five-foot monitor lizard. Grieving mum Chamlong Taengniem believes...

How to uprate your fork internals

01 July 2001

IT’S ironic that the only company today to use an alternative to telescopic forks is the same one which introduced them first on production bikes. BMW’s R12 and R17 had the first telescopics in 1935,...

Strange but true…

01 July 2001

THAILAND Police riders are being trained as midwives because ambulances are getting stuck in traffic. The 150 Bangkok officers are expected to make a thouasand deliveries a year. GERMANY: A raffle winner dropped dead when he went to collect the keys to his two-wheeled prize. Hans Hitzig, 47, suffered a fatal heart attack as he received a Harley-Davidson in Schleiz, eastern Germany. BULGARIA...

Sheene blasts Walker's team in run up to British GP

01 July 2001

WE spoke to Barry Sheene before this weekend’s Donington Park British GP, and amongst his as-usual colourful comments he made no secret of his disappointment that Chris Walker’s team hasn’t tested...

Whitham, Haydon and Co set up shop

01 July 2001

Britain’s newest Yamaha dealership is being officially opened this weekend and it’s a partnership between World Supersport star James Whitham, British Superbike rider James Haydon and Virgin Yamaha...

Manx GP cancelled

01 July 2001

The organisers of the Manx GP have announced that it must go the same way as the TT. The Manx Motorcycle Club said today (July 3) that the event, due to be held on August 18-31, had to be cancelled in...

Is your bike on our list?

01 July 2001

Ever owned one of the bikes on the following list? Do you know someone who has one now? We want to hear from you for a feature we’re currently putting together. Here’s the list: Bimota Mantra, Aprilia...

Unhappy landing…

01 July 2001

And just to prove it doesn’t always go right…

Ducati marks 75th anniversay by resurrecting a classic road race

01 July 2001

Carl Fogarty has a big head. It’s so big that it covers nearly a quarter of the side of the Ducati factory wall. He’s staring out over the car park where about 60 bikes are lined up ready to race each...

Where are my GP tickets?

01 July 2001

A batch of advance tickets for the British GP at Donington this weekend have been delayed in the post. If yours haven’t turned up, this is what organisers are asking you to do: When you arrive at Donington, go to the ticket collection point. This is clearly signed from all around the site. Bring with you the credit/debit card you used to book your tickets with. If you don’t want to bring the card...

215bhp Yamaha R1 (190bhp if you’re feeling sensible)

01 July 2001

The R1 is a machine of extremes… and this is one of the most extreme examples yet. Canadian built, it’ll churn out 215bhp with its turbo boost set to ” brain-bust ” and a more sedate (ah, hem)...

Dig in and make the turn

01 July 2001

That’s really going to work those thigh muscles…

Say goodbye to pistons

01 July 2001

An amateur inventor with a background in designing bus engines reckons he’s come up with a way to blow traditional pistons away – by using a wedge-shaped version which moves sideways. Mervyn Davies,...

Designed and built outside Japan

01 July 2001

THE Bulldog, or BT1100, claims to address a change in the market. The bike is the first Yamaha to be both designed and built outside of Japan. In true V-twin tradition this is an Italian bike, created by Yamaha’s Italian importer Belgarda. Unlike the UK importer, Belgarda is now a full construction company and key staff have been taken from Japan to oversee quality control in Italy. The engine of...

Sort your forks, learn to wheelie… and much more

01 July 2001

Check our News Features section for some great new additions. Read how to sort your forks for not a lot of cash or watch our video guide to pulling a wheelie in relative safety. We’ve also included a huge report on the revival of a classic race to mark Ducati’s 75th anniversary. To find the New Features section simply click on NEWS in the navigation bar. Once in NEWS you’ll see NEWS FEATURES...

Voxan files for bankruptcy… but it isn’t the end

01 July 2001

Voxan has filed for bankruptcy – despite a full order-book and waiting lists for its bikes. The French firm, which builds a range of 1000cc V-twin machines using its own fuel-injected motor, has...

Winners ride Rockingham

01 July 2001

Five motorcyclenews.com winners spent a day thrashing around Britain’s newest circuit on Wednesday – Rockingham Speedway. And it wasn’t just the usual infield circuit – our winners got to try the...

How you can do it

01 July 2001

You don’t need to ride an old knacker to take part in the Motogiro d’Italia. As wella s the old racers, there is a touring section for road bikes, new or old, which joins up with the main event in each town the race stops off at. This year’s tour group included bikes ranging from a 1929 Panther to a 996. If you want to do the trip on a classic bike there are alternatives to travelling down to the...

Another big air day

01 July 2001

Stars in flight at the Motocross Des Nations

Chris Walker in his own words

01 July 2001

The following is a full transcript of the conversation between Chris Walker and motorcyclenews.com users in the VIP Lounge in Talk Bikes on July 5, 2001. Where " MCN " precedes the questions, it means this is a question which was put by a motorcyclenews.com user. MCN: Hi, Hope your feeling well and hope that you can race on Sunday. I read that you had hoped Ron Haslam would team mate you while...