Table of contents for 18 January 2023 in MCN

IN SPORT McGuinness and Harrison in Honda 2023 dream team There has been a great deal of debate over whether John McGuinness would be back on a race bike in 2023, but the waiting is over. We joined the Honda team on the Isle of Man last week to get the answers we've been waiting for over John's future, and who would replace Glenn Irwin in the squad. The answers both look great – with John back on the Blade and young talent, Nathan Harrison, joining the master. Has team boss, Havier Beltran, built a roads dream team? PAGE 40 + 62 ‘I never thought about hanging up my boots’ McGUINNESS IS READY TO RACE IN THE NEWS Why biennial MoTs could be risky Our safety on the road is…

Bristol dealership Fowlers will begin selling BSA models in 2023, having first begun working with the company back in 1954. The now Mahindra-owned brand returns to the Fowlers stabLe alongside their fifteen other manufacturer offerings after a gap of 50 years since BSA first closed their doors back in 1973. They also join a roster of other showrooms across England and McCrum's Motorcycles in Northern Ireland, with Scotland, Ireland, and Wales yet to be served franchises. BSA returned this year with their 652cc, 45bhp Gold Star retro range, which made its debut at the end of 2021 at Birmingham's NEC. At the time it was said that the £6800 bikes would arrive in dealers by March 2022, however the press Launch didn't take place until mid-summer and the first production…

Fuell, an electric bike brand from the mind of Erik Buell, have launched their first bike, the Fllow, on ‘pre-order’ website PreLaunch. The premise is simple: If you really fancy the bike, they ask you to place a deposit (in this case $200) and in return you get a $2000 discount on the RRP while the manufacturers get to find out if enough people want to buy the thing before they spend any more time/money building it. The Fllow is an electric motorbike with a 47bhp motor in the rear hub that Fuell are billing as an ‘urban e-commuter‣. Like most electric bikes, it has a bonkers torque figure (553lb.ft) and is quite heavy (180kg) despite not really going that far (150 miles round town) or particularly fast (85mph top…

Richa Toulon 2 Black Edition £329.99 New for ‘23 is this ultra-stealth version of Richa's best-selling AA rated Leather jacket. The exterior is finished in black, with three zipped pockets and a detachable hood. Inside there's a cotton Lining, more pockets and a neoprene collar for comfort. www.nevis.uk.com Ducati Corse 2022 Official Yearbook £52.99 This top-class tome is a tribute to a hugely successful year in the history of Ducati Corse, documenting the triple crown season wins in MotoGP and superbikes with over 250 images on large format glossy pages. Available now to pre-order. www.ducatistore.co.uk Oxford Products Magnimate Fluo £8.99 Flicking down your sidestand on anything but tarmac can leave your bike feeling Less than secure. This device eliminates that issue by spreading the load to provide support on soft…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews ‘You just can't beat the VFR750’ In times of tight budgets the best bang-per-buck in a used bike has to be a late model Honda VFR750. Just £2000 still gets you what MCN rated as one of the best bikes ever. For whatever reason they're not yet fetching big money. But they will. Singlesided swingarm and gear-driven cams are just two of the more eye-catching items fitted. Looks that partly resembled an NR750 help, too. These engines do 150,000+ miles when looked after. If you fancy a top quality bike for 2023, the 750 is my suggestion with 100bhp and fantastic mid-range. Plus the V4 sounds awesome. I've got two. Ian Neal, email STAR LETTER Write something that spikes our interest, and you could get selected…

Alongside the obvious, winter riding can bring with it a few unexpected challenges, which although seemingly small, can really affect your ride. Here's a few essentials you should always carry with you… Even waterproof gloves will eventually get overwhelmed in persistent heavy rain; so pop a spare pair in your backpack or luggage for emergencies. Visor cleaner is a must-have, as it doesn't take long for road salt and grime to start clouding your vision. It's also handy for keeping screens, lights and mirrors clear. Speaking of vision, low sun can be a real problem in winter, so it's well worth carrying a tinted visor or sunglasses if your helmet doesn't have a drop-down sun shield. Wet roads increase the risk of punctures – the water acts as a lubricant,…

When you are talking budgetfriendly scrambler you have to first consider one of the UK's best-selling bikes-the Royal Enfield Himalayan. The Himalayan costs £4949 but is quite adventure-targeted with the recently-released £4849 Scram, basically are-worked Himalayan, taking more of the urban scrambler roLe. If you want to stick with a Fantic, the company sell a range of Caballero 500 models which are all based around the same platform but with variations to the styling and components. There is the Scrambler, Deluxe, Anniversary, Rally, Explorer and Flat Track costing from £6749 to £7649. Mash sell the X-Ride 650 in Dirt Track for £4999, X-Ride with matching 17in wheeLs for £5599 and X-Ride Trail formats and Benelli (who are Chinese-owned) have the Leoncino 500 Trail for £5999 while Chinese firm CFMoto have…

BIKING LEGENDS People who have shaped our world Having effectively given birth to the modern, ‘full-dresser’ motorcycle, created one of the most influential bikes of the 1970s, and for his pioneering work in streamlining, Craig Vetter is possibly the most influential American motorcycle designer of modern times. As the designer of the Triumph X-75 Hurricane he created one of the most beautiful motorcycles of the 1970s and arguably the first ‘factory custom‣. And, after winning the AMA Superbike title at Daytona in 1976, he designed the Kawasaki ‘Mystery Ship’ and became a pioneer in streamlining and fuel efficiency. Following his induction into the AMA Hall of Fame in 1999, Bill Stermer of American Motorcyclist wrote: “His legacy reached into nearly every area of motorcycling.” After graduating in Industrial Design from…

NINA WHITE, 5FT 6IN, 9 STONE All those long miles are effortless, smooth, fun and enjoyable thanks to the Tiger's all-round comfort and roomy seat, but there's quite a big gap between me and the rider, especially with me being so slim. That makes me very susceptible to the windblast on motorways. Sometimes I need to duck down to shelter. It's quite a feat to get on and swing my leg up and over the big panniers, too. But overall Triumph clearly designed the Tiger 1200 with the pillion in mind and I always look forward to getting back on.…

The relatively humble requirements for a motorcycle battery mean that the two basic variants of lead acid batteries – wet lead plate and AGM type -have been very well suited for the application, so they'll be around for a while yet, not least because they're relatively cheap. However, the cost of lithium based batteries is coming down, meaning more of us can consider them. The specific type of lithium battery that is suitable for motorcycles is the LiFeP04, which is lithium-iron phosphate, a non-toxic solution that meets most re-cycling criteria. This is not to be confused with what is commonly fitted to most handheld devices, which is lithium-ion, LiCo02 or LiMn204, which use lithium cobalt dioxide and manganese oxide, both of which have specific end-of-life requirements. The Noco LiFeP04 battery…

SPORT NEWS | MOTOGP MCN Sport reporter brings you the latest team news The countdown to the 2023 MotoGP season is officially underway with the unveiling of the updated Monster Energy Yamaha livery. The factory squad are the first team to unveil this season's colours following a special presentation in Indonesia. New-look colours This year's bike will look slightly different. Dashes of grey can be seen alongside the traditional blue and black design, with the pinstripes being replaced by bigger splashes of blue. The blue and grey continues onto the front fairing, replacing some of the black from 2022. The inclusion of orange can also be found either side of the windscreen thanks to Beta sponsorship. Fabio ready to fight Quartararo gave everything he could to retain his crown but lost…

PBM had plans to race at the Isle of Man TT with Michael Dunlop in 2020 before Covid-19 struck, and then again last year before the duo parted company. Given Irwin's success in his maiden TT outing, it was assumed PBM would be back in 2023, but this isn't the case. “We're done now, we're not ever going back there. I don't think so, it's like Russian Roulette, the bikes are too fast and powerful. We'll do the North West, but I even worry about that. Hopefully we'll do Macau, I want to see my son race there and have my bikes there at the same time. That's always been an ambition.”…

Sidi are celebrating Alvaro Bautista's 2022 WSB title with a limited run of £389 gold Mag-1 race boots, which mimic the ones worn by the Spanish star. They feature double-stitched impact zones, a shock absorbing heel cup, replaceable bolt-on parts, and more. They are perforated for cooling and feature fibreglass reinforced toe sliders, More info: sidi.com Classic Wheels roll into Rutland Hundreds of classic cars and bikes will head to Rutland Showground in May for the third Classic Wheels show. Taking place on Sunday, May 21, the event will host two-wheelers alongside classic sportscars, hotrods, single-seaters and more. Day tickets are £10 and under 12s can go free. If you fancy a ride, you can park your bike and enter for just a fiver. Make a date with Steph Jeavons…

THIS WEEK Twelve-time world champion Dougie Lampkin is celebrating a successful first-ever DL12 indoor trials event in Sheffield, with tickets due to go on sale for next year's show soon. The DL12 Indoor Trial took place at Sheffield's Utilita Arena on Saturday, January 7, with star riders from across the globe competing for the win. They included 32-time champion Toni Bou scaling an array of challenging obstacles on his Repsol Honda machinery. The event was eventually won by six-time world champion Adam Raga, who completed a hattrick of victories at the Steel City venue – the first of which came back in 2005, and the second in 2016. “I am super-happy-this is amazing,” Raga commented. “I had back surgery one month and one week ago and I have worked very…

Q ‘Can injured driver claim?’ I was following a Mercedes on my Suzuki GSX and as I went to overtake, the driver accelerated hard. This meant that the gap between me and the oncoming car was not as great as I thought. I just managed to get back onto my side of the road but the oncoming car swerved to avoid me and went into a lamp post. I stopped but the Mercedes driver did not. Now I have received a letter from solicitors claiming compensation for their client's injuries in his car accident and telling me to send the letter to my insurer. They claim their client had injuries from his airbags going off/whiplash. Am I liable? Scott, Pontypridd ‘CCTV might help trace the other driver’ A You need…

Where you went and why it was amazing Send your trips to yourpics@motorcyclenews.com Readers Stuart and Fraser Mcgeachy and friends The Ride Motorbike safari from South Africa into Botswana When to do it May to September. 18 and 25°C, very slim chance of rain, and better game viewing. How long do you need? Seven days How many miles? 775 Tell us about the trip… Six of us recently returned from a bike trip travelling from South Africa into Botswana for a motorbike Safari. We watched giraffes cross in front of us and herds of elephants metres away crossing our paths whilst on the bikes. Our guide even hit a warthog at 70kmh and the creature ended up worse off. There were five Aussie riders and myself on the trip, including…

January 20 5.50pm, ITV4, The Motorbike Show January 22 5pm, EUR2, Rally Raid Dakar Saudi Arabia – Review January 23 12.30am, EUR2, Bennetts British Superbikes-2022 Season Review January 24 1am, EUR2, World Superbikes – 2022 Season Review KEY TO CHANNELS: DRT - DISCOVERY REAL TIME DSC - DISCOVERY CHANNEL DHD - DISCOVERY CHANNEL HD EXS - EXTREME SPORTS CHANNEL EUR1 (2, HD) - EUROSPORT 1 (2, HD) MOT - MOTORSPORT.TV CH4 - CHANNEL 4 CH5 CHANNEL FIVE BBC BBCI – BBC INTERACTIVE ESPN – ESPN CLASSIC CHANNEL ITV DST – DISCOVERY TURBO SHED – DISCOVERY SHED INST – INSIGHT SS1 (2,3 OR X) - SKY SPORTS 1 (2, 3 OR EXTRA) QUEST BTS1 BT SPORT 1 BTS2 BT SPORT 2 TVL – TRAVEL UK…

UK'S TOUGHEST TEST THE MCN TEST ● THE HOTTEST BIKES ● EVERY WEEK £5599 Mash X-Ride 650 Trail • 644cc air-cooled single SOHC 4v • 38.7bhp @ GOOOrpm • 178kg (kerb) £6749 Fantic Caballero Scrambler 500 • 449cc Liquid-cooled single SOHC 4v • 39.4bhp@7500rpm • 162kg (kerb) Multi-level traction control, variable power modes, angle-responsive safety systems, connectivity… Modem bikes are bristling with technology and sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say ‘enough is enough‣. Which is the irony of the modern scrambler. Despite their retro styling, many are loaded with gizmos, a fact that pushes their prices up and goes against the whole ethos. Surely the point of a scrambler is that it is stripped back and basic, easy to work on and lacking fussy electronics.…

£5599 Mash X-Ride 650 Trail Bash plate adds to the Mash's rugged Scrambler charm. The engine is based heavily on Honda's 1980s 650 Dominator and lacks an overdrive sixth gear Mash's OE Cordial tyres are a poor choice and lack grip in the wet The 650's Fast Ace telescopic forks have adjustability for preload £6749 Fantic Caballero Scrambler 500 The Caballero's 41mm upside-down forks are non-adjustable but that's no bad thing and they look suitably chunky. The rear shock has adjustable preload Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres work well. 19in front offers easy handling Twin-exit Arrow exhausts add to the Caballero's high-quality ethos…

‘Brilliant and more to come’ These two new, but quite distinct variants of Enfield's 650cc twin range are well put-together, mid-capacity cruisers that are enjoyable to ride thanks to a great engine and super handling. And when you take the affordable price point into consideration, it looks like Royal Enfield will have yet another global hit on their hands (especially with the cost of living right now). And the firm's upper management have openly stated they have a whole series of newtwin-cylinder models nearing production to join this range-topping new Super Meteor duo so it's a case of watch this space. THE FACTS £6799 Royal Enfield Super Meteor (£7299 Tourer)…

TRIED & TESTED MCN STAFF RATE THEIR RIDING KIT TESTED FOR 2500 miles I'm a firm believer that nothing can do everything well. Any multi-function suit I've tried in the past has been an infuriating faff of Velcro, zips and press-studs to get into, meaning I set off already hot and bothered. With all the layers in, the All Road is not much different, yet it's far from the worst. But since my leisure riding has split between tarmac and dirt, a multifunction suit seemed like a great idea. The outer layer is very well designed. The polyamide tenax fabric feels tough but supple, and reassuringly reinforced in the right places. Torso, forearm and biceps adjusters mean I can get the fit just right, and there are plenty of pockets.…

Wiz knee sliders £30 You can't beat a pair of Wiz knee sliders for adding some personalisation to your leathers. Every year I treat myself to a new design and 2022 was no exception, as I went for a set of these black and white ‘Pussy Cat Troll’ sliders (who doesn't love cats?) with glitter backing for added pizzaz. TESTED FOR 1000 miles Over the course of the year, I did multiple trackdays and endurance racing – covering around 1000 miles on circuits. Despite this, the striking sliders still have plenty of meat left on the bones, wearing evenly, and retaining that distinctive cat shape. Quality Value www.wizkneesliders.com…

There are two main reasons many are put off by accessories on a used bike. The first is that, while factory extras can be desirable, they aren't always what you want. The second says that, if you're after a bargain, basic is best. I think the opposite. More is always more. Take the GS. BMW are ace at up-selling and most of their kit, from heated grips to ESA, is brilliant. A ‘loaded’ GS is always more desirable than a basic one when you come to sell. For years Honda only brought in the SE version of its Gold Wing as it was the only one punters wanted. Triumph dropped the standard 1200 Trophy as sales of the higherspec SE soared and flashier Ducatis far outsell the more basic versions.…

When a recently-bought 2002 Aprilia Mille was ridden up to AP Workshops in Tamworth by a customer for checking over, it didn't take technician Amber Victoria, 31, long to see what needed urgent attention. “It was a 20-year-old bike that was still rocking the OEM dogbone and bearings and it had obviously never been serviced. The corrosion was horrible, the bearings were seized and the pins had seen better days. It took us a while to get the assembly off the bike, and in the end it needed a new dog bone, bearings, pins and seals, which came to £500 all in. “Some might say a £500 cost over 20 years is good value, but it's a false economy because could easily have gone down the road if it snapped.…

Having won the Dakar in both 2020 and 2021, HRC missed the podium in 2023 with their factory riders Pablo QuintaniLLa, Adrien Van Beveren (above) and Jose Cornejo finishing in fourth, fifth and eighth respectively. Their cause was hampered by 2020 winner Ricky Brabec crashing out of the race on stage two. While the battle for top honours was between Honda and KTM once again, there were some notable performances from other manufacturers with the top ten made up of two KTM, two Husqvarna, three Honda, a GasGas, Sherco and Hero. Perhaps the most notable performance was from Hero rider Ross Branch with two stage wins. Following Yamaha's withdrawal from the event in 2022, two new manufacturers made their debut with Fantic and new Chinese manufacturer Kove whose three riders…

Seeing Yamaha launch their 2023 MotoGP team means it's an exciting time again because January and February are both shitty months and all we want to see is the boys on bikes and the start of testing – the unveiling of teams is the start of all that. I always find the team launches overly corporate. It would be great to see the riders distinguish themselves a bit maybe run a pink wheel in the front because it's difficult to tell if it's Morbidelli or Quartararo on track. Even helmet designs aren't as distinctive as they used to be – back in the day you could name most of the riders lining up just from their helmets – Sheene, Agostini, Read, John Cooper, Grant. Everybody loved Valentino with his dayglo…

Votes are rolling in for the 2022 MCN Rider of the Year Award – so don't miss out and make sure you have your say. After another fantastic year of racing, we've narrowed it down to five nominees: Pecco Bagnaia, Alvaro Bautista, Bradley Ray, Peter Hickman and Jake Dixon. Bagnaia made Ducati's dreams come true by delivering the Bologna factory its first MotoGP title in 15 years. He did it against the odds after fighting back from a massive 91-point deficit after the opening nine rounds. Pecco scored 177 points from a possible 225 in the next nine races, and ended 2022 with more wins, podiums and poles than anybody else. Bautista added to Ducati's success by winning the Italian manufacturer's first WSB crown since Carlos Checa's title in 2011.…

Zero Motorcycles are extending their free accessory package deal until the end of the month. The offer covers the Zero FXE, SR, SR/f and SR/S models with the accessory packs differing per model. For the premium SR and SR/F the kits on offer include a front and rear carbon fibre mudguard, bar ends, an LED indicator kit and mirrors. The deal runs until January 31 at all dealerships. Visit zeromotorcycles.com for more. Combative moves Niche US cruiser firm Combat Motorcycles – formerly Confederate Motorcycles – have moved to a purpose built, 8000 sq/ft facility in Utah. The facility will focus on motorcycle design, manufacturing of the new Hellcat and apparel production, while sales and support will continue to be delivered from their Birmingham, Alabama base. Combat are set to release…

SAVE £2800 £10,499 KTM 890 Adventure The 890 Adventure is an accomplished softroader and offers a more real-world alternative to the big, powerful and sometimes unwieldy, full-blown adventure alternatives. This bike comes with a Tech Pack, Remus slip-on can and Power Parts seat. The twin mixes serious guts with refinement, making it easy to get on with. www.cssbikes.com SAVE £251 £4749 Yamaha YZF-R125 Yamaha's smallest sportsbike can be ridden on a car licence with a CBT and its sporty looks are hard to beat. onthewheel.co.uk • Engine 125cc • Power 15bhp • Weight 142kg • Seat height 825mm SAVE £765 £11,995 Triumph Speedmaster 1200 The Speedmaster's steering is fluid, and it rolls into corners with relative ease for a laid-back cruiser. Footpegs eventually scrape road when you really dial things…

‘Be sure to check out the spec first’ Ever since it was launched in 2016, dealers have seemed keen to chop the price of new Africa Twins. Admittedly this decision is often forced upon them by Honda's keenness to upgrade the bike (it's now in its third generation in six years and there is yet another small tweak for 2023) With this trend in mind, I thought I'd check out the January sales. Some dealers are offering a free ‘Africa Twin service package’, which is worth about £500, but better value and more plentiful are the free luggage deals. Aluminium panniers and a topbox cost £2310 (plastic is fractionally less) but you can easily get these included for free on the range-topping Adventure Sports with semi-active suspension. The lower spec…

Pharao Cedar £129.99 Warm, waterproof and affordable too Textile kit offers the versatility for adapting to the changeable conditions we get this time of year, so this week we've dug deep to score the best offers on budget jackets. Pharao may not be a name that many UK riders are familiar with, but they're a big deal in Germany where the AA rated Cedar is designed. The outer shell is Cordura, with rip-stop reinforcement and a breathable weatherproof membrane. There's a removable two-layer thermal lining and an integrated hood, while zipped ports for chest, biceps and back provide ventilation when needed. Elbow and shoulders get CE level 2 armour. Matching trousers with protection to the same spec are available for £139, meaning you can pick up a full AA rated…

KEY TO THE AREA ■ SOUTHWEST ■ CENTRAL ■ NORTH & SCOTLAND ■ SOUTH EAST Wednesday January 18 BIKE MEETS ■ The Old Stores, Pontblyddyn, Mold, Flints. 6pm-9pm 07548224866 or Facebook: The Old Stores Motorbike cafe ■ Squires Cafe, Newthorpe, near Sherburn in Elmet West Yorks. 01977-684618 or www.squires-cafe.co.uk ■ Loomies Mato Cafe, West Meon Hants Open till 9pm www.loomiescafe.co.uk Thursday January 19 BIKE MEETS ■ Iron Horse Ranch, Iron Horse Ranch House, Market Deeping, Lines 5pm-9pm 01778-346952 or www.ironhorseranchhouse.co.uk ■ Vic Bikers Pub, Coalville, Leicestershire, www.vicbikerspub.co.uk ■ Down and Out Motorcycles, The Boiler House, Rotherham, S Yorks 5.30pm onwards, www.facebook.com/downandoutmotorcycles or www.downandoutcustoms.co.uk ■ Zoom Zoom Tearoom, Sand Lane, South Cave, East Yorks. 6pm 01430-424242 ■ The Flotterstonelnn, Penicuik, A702, nr Edinburgh City Bypass, Edinburgh 7pm 01968-673717 ■ MAG Bike…

‘Call me a Caballero!’ How Fantic have managed to produce the Caballero almost entirely in Italy while keeping such a reasonable price is impressive. Better still, they have achieved this feat while retaining a huge amount of spirit and style, all wrapped up in a thoroughly modern-feeling scrambler. Which is where Mash have gone wrong. Hampered from the start by dreadful, tyres, the issue with the Trail, is the fact that while looking like a 1980s dual purpose bike is all very well and good, you do need to up the game in terms of tech, performance and handling, which the Mash simply doesn't do and as a resuLt it feels old and tired. It may be £1150 cheaper than the Fantic but the Chinese bike feels built down to…

Since Royal Enfield pulled the wraps off the Interceptor and Continental GT 650 twins back in 2018, it's no surprise that they have finally added two new models to the 650 stable. Introducing the range-topping Super Meteor 650 duo – a standard Cruiser model (£6799) and a Tourer (£7299) which use the same air/oil-cooled eight-valve 648cc parallel-twin and 270° crank. Riding both new versions in Rajasthan, India's largest, emptiest province with miles of open desert roads – think Arizona, with a curry for supper – confirmed their appeal. “One of the key things we did for the Interceptor that we wanted to carry through, is that it's inclusive,” Vehicle Dynamics Lead, Owen Gilbert told MCN in an exclusive visit to the firm's UK Technology Centre (UKTC). “It's for everyone, so…

TESTED FOR 7000 miles Rukka R-Star GoreTex Gloves £274.99 I have had these Rukka R-Star gloves now for six years and they have hardly aged in that time. The moment cold weather arrives, these are my go-to winter gloves as they are just so warm and comfortable. They are also very nicely made with a supple full leather exterior, a breathable Gore-Tex membrane that keeps the wet out, and a soft warm fleece interior to retain warmth. There are even two ways to put them on. One method allows your hand to be nearer to the palm with more of the insulation on the back of the hand, perfect for winter riding on bikes with heated grips, as the heat can permeate through the glove much more easily, while the…

Shark Spartan RS £299.99 The Spartan RS is the first Shark helmet made to the new ECE22.06 safety standard. It's a high-quality sports-touring helmet that's well-made and comfortable enough for full-day rides. The variable-thickness, Optical class 1 visor gives a great view ahead and works best on sporty bikes that have you canted slightly forwards. On adventure bikes I find I'm tipping my chin down slightly to see the clocks and not the breath guard. The pinlock is perfectly mist-free, and the drop-down visor is exactly what you want; easy to operate with gloves on using the top-mounted switch, gives full coverage and the neutral tint works very well. You'll need the vents open to avoid steaming up the drop-down visor, though. TESTED FOR 3000 miles My 56.5cm head is…

BRUCE DUNN MCN's expert technician The lighter choice A lithium battery will help you stay charged and save weight too 1  Know your battery types… This is what a traditional lead-acid battery looks like. The opaque construction allows you to see the minimum and maximum electrolyte levels, which should be checked at regular service intervals and topped up with deionised water as required. The battery is vented to allow hydrogen, which is a byproduct of electrolysis, to escape. 2 The sealed solution Sealed batteries are what most bikes are fitted with as stock. Chemically, they work the same as old-school lead-acid batteries, but are more durable with a robust construction and an increased resistance to vibration and shock, making them perfect for motorcycles. The electrolyte is suspended in absorbent glass matt (AGM)…

SPORT DAKAR | OFF-ROAD MCN Sports Editor brings you the latest news DAKAR RALLY After 14 stages, nearly 5000 kilometres and over 44 hours of racing, just 43 seconds separated factory Red Bull KTM men Kevin Benavides and Toby Price at the Dakar finish line. Heading into the final stage it looked like Australian, Price had timed his run to the front of the race to perfection. Price, a two-time winner of the race, had clearly played the long game from the start, showing incredible consistency throughout the event, but ultimately lost out. “We've come away from the Dakar Rally with second outright,” said Price. “To be honest I'm disappointed, we've come so damn far and to fall short by such a small margin is a tough one to swallow. However,…

We are sad to report that motorcycle racing journalist David Miller passed away on Thursday, January 12. Miller had been battling cancer for a few years and died due to unforeseen complications. He was surrounded by his loved ones and leaves behind his wife, Danielle and three children, LLeyton, Lawson and Arya. The owner of online publication Bike Sport News, Miller began his journalistic career at the Stamford Mercury having qualified with Emap, training in Peterborough. A lifelong lover of motorbikes, he worked with multiple publications throughout his career including Bike, What Bike and MCN Sport, before purchasing Bike Sport News in 2008. He was a much-liked character within the racing paddock, with many riders, colleagues, and fans posting tributes online. All at MCN extend our sincere condolences to his…

SPORT INTERVIEW BSB Reporting from the heart of the superbike paddock MCN interview Last year was tough for Paul Bird's PBM Ducati team. The line-up had been promising but despite having Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes on board, PBM failed to make the Showdown for the first time since its 2010 introduction. Neither rider finished inside the top 10, whilst Sykes took the team's only wins, and podiums at Donington. MCN visited the team's base near Penrith to chat with Bird about his fightback plans. The end of the line? The team's future was uncertain during last winter, following a tough year for Brookes and sponsorship issues. Rumours suggested a one-rider setup, or even withdrawal from BSB. “I was questioning whether we'd come to the end of the line,” Bird admitted.…