The 2012 Carole Nash MCN Motorcycles Show is underway at ExCel, London. As well as all the newest 2012 bikes on show and the bargains to be had on kit, there are also plenty of promo girls at the show....
The 2012 Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show is underway at ExCel, London and as well as some of the hottest new bikes on show, there's also the amazing Revolution stunt show. John McGuinness, Neil Hodgson and Dougie Lampkin return for...
The Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show has attracted a host of racing and biking celebrities on both of the first two days of the show at London’s Excel with many more scheduled for the rest of the weekend. The...
American firm Victory has unveiled two new models at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle show as they make a European first appearance. The bikes have been unveiled on the Victory stand at the show in London’s Excel in Docklands....
Built entirely from new parts, this bespoke Norton Commando is the product of a partnership between Northampton Norton specialist Mick Hemmings and deeply patriotic customer Nick Gosse. Hemmings spent nearly a year building the red and white tribute, the first...
ADVERTISING PROMOTION Motorcycles Direct, the group name for Lloyd Cooper Motorcycles and Lids Direct has now taken over ownership of Colchester Kawasaki. This makes the ever-expanding Motorcycles Direct group the number one Kawasaki dealer in the UK! Motorcycles Direct are...
KTM's all-new 1290cc V-twin Super Duke has been spotted strapped onto a trailer in Tenerife as the prototype machine undergoes endurance testing before its launch later this year. It is clear from the picture that the Austrian firm is using...
That’s it. Time to send my Multistrada 1200S back. And I’ve never been sadder to see a bike go. It fits into my life perfectly and that’s saying something as I’ve owned, run and tested just about every single bike...
It's been an amazing year with a bike that managed to combine a muscular engine with fantastic styling and almost daily use, including commuting and lovely trips on some amazing British roads. The huge 23-litre fuel tank gives an easy...
KTM is at it again - attempting to redefine the bikes we ride. The Freeride 350 is the latest example, featuring the Austrian off-road experts' latest 350EXC-F enduro engine set in a compact package. The result is not an enduro,...
Husqvarna has shown this Baja concept bike which is almost certainly tipped for production within the next year - much like the similar Moab concept bike shown last November. The Baja uses the 650cc single-cylinder engine from the BMW G650GS...
The Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show has kicked off in Excel, London this morning with thousands of visitors flocking to see the hottest new bikes of 2012, watch British racing legends go head-to-head in the action-packed Revolution stunt show, marvel...
Triumph has added a dynamic new dimension to the hugely popular Speed Triple by giving it the 'R' treatment. For an extra £2500 over the standard version (£8799), which was released (and heavily revamped) in 2011, you get Ohlins suspension,...
Say hello to Harley-Davidson’s brand new ‘Seventy-Two’ and Softail Slim – its two major new model releases for 2012. The XL1200V Seventy Two is based on the 1200 Sportster and inspired by the metalflake and ape-hangered customs of the early...
This is my tribute to two supermen of MotoGP. One will sadly be missed - let's hope 2012 will be a good season. Many thanks to the lads at Skin Deep, Bristol.
A motorist who span across the road killing a biker could not be tried for careless driving because her tyres were mismatched, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS says there was no point proceeding with the charge because...
If you're heading to the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show this weekend with a non-biking mate, then be sure to stop by the Get On stand and get your friend some free coaching. The aim of the Get On campaign,...
UPDATE 09:56am, 02/02/2012: It has been confirmed that Hutchinson has indeed broken his leg – both his tibia and fibula have been fractured and the damaged left leg has been externally fixated (ie put in a metal cage). It's not...
Our congratulations go to MCN Golden Bike winner Joe Wright who recently used his £1000 prize against a used ZX-9R. Joe, pictured alongside Triumph Wolverhampton salesman David Price, won the £1000 prize to use against any bike sold on MCN, back...
Hollyoaks star Jorgie Porter, who’s also fresh out of the BBC’s Dancing on Ice is the face of the 2012 search for the Bennetts Babes Squad The bike insurance specialists is looking for a new set of eight beauties to...
Fines for speeding could rise from £60 to £100 under plans announced by Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke. The fixed penalty speeding fine could rise by nearly 70% to fund compensation for victims of crime. Those who fight speeding cases in...
We are riding KTM 990 Adventure motorcycles from South Africa to China and in the process raising funds for Autism Research Trust. Fanny, a former professional beach volleyball player, is the first Chinese woman to undertake such an adventure and...
In this week's issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday February 1, we test the new Triumph Speed Triple R at Jerez. The 'R' version costs £2500 more than the standard version, and for that you get Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes...
Myself and five friends are riding from Ollerton to Land's end, up to John O' Groats and then back to Ollerton (Notts) in 6 days. We are doing this to raise money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Care. We are a...
BMW design chief David Robb has left the company after a disagreement with a colleague. BMW sources confirmed today that the man credited with transforming the firm had gone. BMW design has gone from staid and uninspiring to world-beating since...
Thousands of motorcyclists could be unwittingly riding without insurance because of confusion over what constitutes a full licence. Many riders tell their insurance company they have had a full licence since the date they passed their standard motorcycle test. But...
A petition is calling on the Government to scrap planned changes to the motorcycle licence regime. All under-19s are to be limited to 125s and the minimum age for Direct Access raised to 24 under new rules from Brussels. Riders...
MCN designer Simon Relph bought this rust bucket 1979 Yamaha SR500 at the beginning of the year for just £50 with the aim of turning the bike in to a cool cafe racer. Now, after plenty of hard graft the SR500 cafe...
My gorgeous other half Susie on her old SV650, and me on my VFR800 Anniversary during last year's Durham Bikewise Easter Egg Run. Looking forward to getting Susie's new ER6-F out for this years run. I met Susie through a well-known...
This is the all-new KTM Adventure with a 1290cc V-twin engine which is expected to produce around 130bhp - 25bhp more than its arch-rival, the BMW R1200GS. The bike was spotted while undergoing road development in the Canary Islands by...
Britain’s biggest motorcycle dealer could default on dozens of deposits placed on new bikes after going into administration. A source at a major bike manufacturer warned George White Motors was unlikely to complete outstanding orders after the chain’s six branches...
ADVERTISING PROMOTION Formerly known as Taz Motorcycles and based in Peterborough, Wheels is gearing up for the 2012 New Model Launch Night, which will see the opening of the firm’s new Kawasaki area. While you are there you’ll be able...
Twenty-two years after the powerhouse ZZR1100 was launched, Kawasaki has released its all-new ZZR1400 complete with a bigger engine than ever, more power, and sophisticated traction control. To find out how it stacks up, MCN rode it flat out around...
More than four out of five careless drivers who kill walk free from courts, an MCN investigation can reveal. All but 48 of the first 313 people sentenced for the new offence of causing death by careless driving avoided jail....
Ducati has finally started building the hotly-anticipated and all-new 1199 Panigale superbike at the Bologna factory this week. The Panigale is the all-new 200bhp 1200cc V-twin superbike the firm hopes will revolutionise the class when it’s launched in two weeks’...
One of the world’s largest collections of classic Ducatis, comprising over 100 bikes, is to be sold at auction. The collection includes a 1970 Ducati 450 Desmo 'Corsa', which was on display in the Ducati Museum until recently and an...
I dont know why you guys say the Tiger 1050 can't go off road or isn't a good tourer. Here is mine. It's the best darn bike I've ever had. I can tour, track and do canyon runs on it...
In just a few weeks 15 teams will navigate 1000 miles across the frozen rivers of Siberia in a fleet of 1940s Russian Ural sidecar outfits with temperatures of as low as -40C. Competitors will have to find their own route...
An insurance firm is petitioning the Government to make a motorcycle-related question part of every driving test. Bennetts Insurance thinks it could help reduce casualties. At the moment a bike-related question may or may not come up in the driving...
Triumph’s new-for-2012, uprated Speed Triple R is currently being tested by MCN in southern Spain. These are Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves’ first impressions: “I'm at the launch of the new Triumph Speed Triple R at the Jerez circuit in...
In this week's issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday January 25, we test the new Kawasaki ZZR1400 at the bikes launch at the Nardo test track in Italy. MCN tester Adam Child tested the bike on a 7.8 mile long speed...
This is Victory’s new Judge – the latest bike to follow the trend for blacked-out, minimalist, hot rod-style cruisers. Unveiled this week at the New York Motorcycle Show, the Judge is a mean ‘n’ moody, performance-orientated cruiser with minimalist styling....
The new Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 and Speed Triple R will head Triumph's stand at this year's Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show, on February 2-5. The Triumph Tiger Explorer - aimed squarely at the BMW R1200GS - features an all-new 1215cc three-cylinder...
Kymco are launching a new 125i version of the Downtown 300i, following its award-winning success last year. The 125i will offer the same technical specs as its predecessor, but with a 125cc capacity, achieving a claimed top speed of 70mph...
I, Superbiker 2 is the sequel to last year's I, Superbiker and follows the top six contenders of the 2011 BSB championship, Tommy Hill, Michael Laverty, Shane Byrne, Ryuichi Kiyonari, John Hopkins and Josh Brookes. The film will be released...
Ducati has won a UK trade award in recognition of its achievements in 2011. The ‘Brand Recognition Award’ is part of the UK-Italy Business Awards, organised by the British Government to formally recognise the excellence of Italian industries that have...
Want to know how fast Kawasaki’s new ZZR1400 is? Check out the on board video as MCN road tester Adam Child holds it flat out around Nardo’s test facility in southern Italy. Adam pushes the new ZZR to its limit...
ADVERTISING FEATURE Motorcyclesdirect.co.uk supply brand new Kawasaki and Sym motorcycles at the best UK prices. They check their competitors’ prices daily and keep their site up to date with the best deals on new motorcycles. They are now the biggest...
Kawasaki's controversial new Versys 1000 has set the cat amongst the adventure bike pigeons this week - as proven by MCN's world exclusive first test of the new monster trailie against its leading rivals. We pitted the new Versys against...
George White Motors, the UK’s leading motorcycle dealer group, has gone into administration this morning, MCN has learnt. Rumours of the closure began circulating early this morning with suggestions that staff at its dealerships in Swindon, Plymouth and Torbay had...
Kawasaki’s updated 2012 ZZR1400 is currently being put through its paces by MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child at the enormous Nardo speed testing facility in southern Italy. This is what he’s so far had to say: “So far I’ve...
You can rub shoulders with some of Britain's biggest biking celebs while raising money for biking charity Riders for Health on the way to the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show. TV comedian Ross Noble will join Red Dwarf's Danny John Jules...
On tuesday January 17 I was hit by a car on the A40 near Northolt by a lady in a black saloon. She decided to take advantage of a space in lane 2 which had just started moving about 5mph faster...
The reverberations from Marco Simoncelli’s tragic death last year are still being felt in his native Italy. At a Serie A match between Napoli and Bologna on Sunday night, the home side presented his father Paolo, and mother Rosella with...
Honda has revealed details of a host of new offers and finance deals on new motorcycles and scooters which will run until March 31. The deals even include the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade which is now available with lower rate...
Getting stuck upside-down in a ditch wearing your bike on top of you, watching it overheat as you get stuck between two tree trunks, or getting roosted in clods of mud by your mates. These have become my guilty pleasures...
UPDATE, 12:01MCN's senior road tester Adam Child has just got off the 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 after riding it for the first time at the world launch. He's at the Nardo test track in Italy and will later be let loose...
My husband and I have been big MotoGP fans for quite sometime now and had in recent years been following the career of an upcoming rising star. Marco Simoncelli was larger than life both on and off the track and...
Yamaha’s 200bhp V-Max is the two-wheeled star of the new Ghost Rider movie due out shortly, replacing the custom Harley-Davidson that featured in the original film. The sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, stars Nicolas Cage as the motorcycle-riding, spontaneously...
In this week's issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday January 18, we test the new Kawasaki Versys 100 against the BMW R1200GS and Triumph Tiger 1050. Can the inline-four cylinder Versys knock the R1200GS off the top spot? MCN's 2009...
The new Aprilia SRV850 superscooter will retail for £7799 when it goes on sale in February, Aprilia has revealed. Aprilia claims the SRV, which is essentially a facelifted Gilera GP800, combines the practicality of a scooter with the performance of...
17 wins may have cemented John McGuinness as the greatest TT superbike rider ever, but in just a few days he’ll be well and truly out of his comfort zone. On Feb 2-5 he’ll be competing against Chris Walker, Ian...
More than 70 Kawasaki dealers on the evening of February 2 will be launching four new-for-2012 motorcycles, with each event also including some free prizes in a countrywide free-to-enter draw. New models being shown include the Versys 1000 adventure bike,...
We have seen the new test regime for 2013 and have created an e-petition to stop the test. Please fill it in: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27455
By day he's the mild-mannered 12-times World Trials Champion, but by night Dougie Lampkin roams the streets in pursuit of an ASBO. This should do it – breaking and entering the ExCel arena where in just a few days he'll...
Details of a new motorcycle licence regime to be implemented next year have been confirmed by the Driving Standards Agency. The new rules will limit all riders under 19 to 125cc machines and under-21s to 47bhp. Those aged 17-19 will only...
One of the country’s last remaining police stolen vehicle squads has been saved from closure. The Met’s stolen vehicle unit, which has worked to jail organised bike thieves with undercover stings and long-running investigations, had been earmarked for closure in...
One of the country’s last remaining police stolen vehicle squads has been saved from closure. The Met’s stolen vehicle unit, which has worked to jail organised bike thieves with undercover stings and long-running investigations, had been earmarked for closure in...
BMW dealers across the country will be launching the new 2012 models in showrooms on February 4. All of the new 2012 models will be at most dealers including the new S1000RR superbike and four new GS models with customers...
We’re sorry to report that MCN’s Senior Web Producer, Tom Cambio, 24, was tragically killed on the way home from work on Wednesday. Tom was riding his Suzuki Bandit 650 and was in collision with four vehicles on the A605 near...
Sat navs and smart phones which warn of speed camera locations have been banned in France. Offenders face a fine of €1500 (£1237). Sat nav manufacturers are advising customers to switch off the speed camera warning function while in France....
ADVERTISING PROMOTION Doble Motorcycles have had a superb year, being crowned MCN's Dealer of the Year for 2011 - simply because they continue to lead the way in customer service and with fantastic offers on ALL new Hondas. New motorcycles...
Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 is MCN’s current king of the all-rounders. Like it says on the tin, it will do-anything and go-anywhere. Its superbike engine delivers a monstrous amount of power, it handles superbly and it’s an epic mile-muncher. It’ll even...
The new Suzuki GSR750 is now available with antilock brakes for the first time since the bike was launched last year. The GSR750 was well received when it was introduced last year and even won a prestigious MCN Award for...
VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED In what has been another brilliant year in the world of motorcycle racing there is once again an array of outstanding riders vying to secure your vote in MCN’s Man of the Year competition. While there...
A police sergeant who caught a pensioner driving a luxury car at 147mph on a bypass has described the incident as "the worst case of excessive speed I have ever seen in 26 years of policing". Company director Owen Swift,...
With less than 22 days to go, the Revolution live action show is shaping up to be THE motorcycle event of 2012. The latest recruit to join the already stunning line-up of riders is off-road guru David Knight. ‘Knighter’ is...
German firm LSL are becoming famous for creating achingly-cool retro custom bikes, but for owner Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler they’re merely a hobby – his real business is manufacturing accessories. When MCN visited LSL, we expected to find a small custom shop,...
The Tough One is billed as the UK’s “only proper Extreme Enduro” and with a boulder-strewn, tree and log littered track that incorporates “a huge scaffold erection with hanging tyres and human size and weight dummies, suspended from the sky”...
In this week's issue of MCN, on sale Wednesday January 11, we have a full 1000s superbike shootout where the new CBR1000RR Fireblade takes on the BMW S1000RR, Yamaha YZF-R1, Kawasaki ZX-10R and MV Agusta F4RR. We have exclusive spy...
The new Kawasaki Versys 1000 takes on the Triumph Tiger 1050 and BMW R1200GS in our exclusive group test. Senior Road Tester Adam Child is joined by Web Producer Liam Marsden and MCN's speed tester Bruce Dunn in putting the...
World Enduro champion and Manxman David Knight will be one of six biking stars taking part in the MCN Revolution live action show, held at the Excel centre London on 2-5 February. In the video below, Knight showcases his off-road...
The Antelope Motor Cycle Club celebrates sixty years as a limited company on the 17th January 2012. Formed in 1944 by members of the Signals Platoon of the local Home Guard who wanted to continue riding motor cycles after the...
Motorcyclists in France face compulsory high visibility clothing from next year. The French government is pushing ahead with plans for compulsory hi-vis riding gear despite protests. From January 1 2013, riders of bikes over 125cc will have to wear a...
Five motorcyclists controversially charged with causing the death by careless driving of a couple who collided with a car have been cleared. Paul Wheater, 29, Ian Townson, 31, Michael Paul Hannon, 26, David Hastings, 27, and Dax Lerman, 28, were...
This year's Dakar kicked off on New Year's day and has all the makings of a classic. Since switching from Africa to South America in 2009, the epic race has undergone another revision for 2012 with the route now stretching...
South of England MEP Peter Skinner will be at P&H Motorcycles in Sussex on Saturday January 14 to answer your questions about upcoming EU biking legislation. A statement from the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) stated: “With the raft of changes...
Suzuki has launched a combined cashback, cheap finance and £1 deposit offer. So if you want a new GSX-R1000, you can pop in to your Suzuki dealer, pay £1, get £1000 cash back and then pay £319.52 a month for...
A decade ago Yamaha led the four-stroke revolution in dirt bikes. By taking its high-revving, R1-style, five-valve technology and applying it, first in motocross with the YZ400F, then enduro with the WR400F and massively successful WR250F, the Japanese firm rode...
BMW has become the first manufacturer to security mark all new bikes in response to an MCN campaign. The firm will mark every bike it sells with a unique hidden code on dozens of individual parts linking them to the...
These two similar-looking machines are the latest tourers from Harley Davidson and Victory. Fresh in from the States, the 2012 £13,400 Harley Davidson Switchback and £14,995 Victory Cross Roads Tour have been crafted to transport you from A to B...
We are looking for a wide range of bikes for the MCN stand at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show being held at the ExCel in London on February 2 to 5; and yours could be one of them. We...
ADVERTISING PROMOTION At Blade Group’s dealerships in Stratford-upon-Avon, you’ll find one of the largest selections of new and used bikes anywhere in the country. Now occupying the former premises of Knott’s Motorcycles at 14 Western Road, it is most certainly...
Brilliantly talented German stunt rider Micha Threin has become the first in the world to take the 162bhp Ducati Diavel sports cruiser into the world of stunt riding. While the Diavel has bags of power and is reasonably lightweight when...
The heart of any superbike is the engine - but with the Ducati 1199 Panigale's Superquadro engine this is more true then ever. Ducati claim the 1200cc, super square V-twin engine makes 195bhp - 20bhp more than the outgoing 1198....
Custom British choppers and bobbers were the main feature at the Mooneyes Show in Yokohama, the world's most prestigious custom bike show of 2011, and it was a fitting tribute to the halcyon days of British motorcycle engineering. But Japanese...
12-time world trials champ Dougie Lampkin will once again star in the Revolution live action show, held at the Excel centre London on 2-5 February. The incredibly talented Lampkin is returning for his second stint at Revolution and couldn’t be more...
