Motorbike Advice: make the most of motorcycling

Your one-stop shop for all motorbike advice, including how-tos, getting a motorcycle licence, servicing, maintenance and more.

Find out which bikes you should be choosing in our expertly curated Best section.

For those looking to learn how to ride a motorbike, head to our Learning to Ride hub, where we cover all you need to know about getting into this wonderful lifestyle.

If you've already got going, check out our Riding Tips section for the best guides and top techniques.

Looking for somewhere to go? Don't miss our Places to Visit area for some ideas for your next rideout.

And when you get home, learn how to look after your bike in our Bike Maintenance hub.

Year: ALL

The Triumph Tiger Sport 800 is MCN's Tall-Rounder of the Year for 2025

Yesterday 20:07 by Saffron Wilson

Having had the Triumph Tiger Sport 800 as my long-term test bike on this year’s MCN fleet, I’ve spent the most time in the saddle out of everyone on the team. Even now, after living with it since...

Here's why the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP is MCN's Bike of the Year for 2025

Yesterday 20:07 by Justin Hayzelden

There’s been some clever thinking in the hallowed halls of Honda of late. Not that their design and engineering teams aren’t renowned for building eminently rideable, technically advanced machines,...

The Ducati Panigale V4 is MCN's Superbike of the Year 2025

Yesterday 20:07 by Michael Neeves

Sportsbikes are too much for the road!’ Well, duh. That’s been the case since… what, the mid-1980s when 150mph potential became commonplace? And OK, in some regards, superbikes as a whole have perhaps...

The Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro’s still the benchmark for its category in 2025

Yesterday 20:06 by Carl Stevens

Not only have Triumph bagged the tall-rounder crown with their sublime new Tiger Sport 800, but they’ve scooped top honours in the sub-1000cc adventure segment too, taking the title for the second...

The Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE is MCN's Sports Tourer of the Year in 2025

Yesterday 20:06 by Emma Franklin

Today’s sports-tourer category is the spiritual home for all those thousands of British bikers who were sportsbike obsessed in the 90s and 2000s; those of us who still yearn for something with...

The BMW R12 G/S fought off stiff competition to claim the crown as our Best Retro Bike of 2025

Yesterday 20:06 by Michael Neeves

BMW have struck the perfect balance of style and substance with their new R12 G/S. Designed to mimic their 1980s R80 G/S, which went on to win four Dakars in race trim, it’s the latest in the R12...

The Ducati XDiavel V4 is the 2025 MCN Cruiser of the Year! Here's why

Yesterday 20:06 by Michael Neeves

When it comes to cruisers, there’s none that stand as impressively as Ducati’s new XDiavel V4. The Italian bruiser with attitude has a low and wide XL Bully stance, heavily armed quad Gatling gun...

Ducati Multistrada V4 S takes top honours in the 1000cc+ adventure class

Yesterday 20:05 by Michael Neeves

On the face of it, Ducati’s 2025 Multistrada V4 S hasn’t changed too much from the 2020 original. It’s visually identical, save for a slight nose job and its 167bhp V4 motor now makes one bhp less...

Here's why the Honda GB350S won MCN's 2025 A2 Bike of the Year

Yesterday 20:05 by Justin Hayzelden

It’s not just the Hornet that has impressed us this year. Honda’s GB350S thumped onto the scene with relatively little fanfare back in February, but this pint-sized retro roadster has already made...

Why Yamaha’s long-awaited supersport triple was MCN's favourite sportsbike in 2025

Yesterday 20:05 by Dan Sutherland

In just a couple of short years, the supersport class has risen from the dead to become a vibrant pool of cutting-edge performance middleweights, led by Yamaha’s three-cylinder R9. What else has...

Here's why the BMW R1300RT has taken MCN's Best Tourer award for 2025

Yesterday 20:05 by Jon Urry

The BMW RT range to which the latest R1300RT belongs has been so dominant in the full-dress touring class since its launch in 1978, it has come to define the whole segment. In fact it has done more...

Here are the urban and small capacity winners in the 2025 MCN Bike of the Year Awards

Yesterday 20:05 by Michael Neeves and Jon Urry

City riders, learners and commuters have more choices than ever when it comes to cost-effective machinery. In this page, we’ve selected our favourite 125, urban electric and urban petrol models of...

Café culture! Retro racer tickle your fancy? Look no further than these five used beauties...

Yesterday 11:14 by Jon Urry

Café racers have been a part of the British motorcycle scene since the ton-up boys of the 1950s and 1960s popularised this style of machine. Of course things have come a long way since then, and...

Wonderful V4s! Twins thump, fours are fast – but I think not much touches the exotic appeal of a V4

03 October 2025 by Mike Armitage

The most expensive parts of an engine to make are known as the ‘five Cs’ – crankshaft, cylinder head, cylinder block, camshaft and con-rods. And this is one on the main reasons why the V4 layout is...

How to swap tarmac for trails: your complete beginner’s guide to UK green lane riding

02 October 2025 by Nye Davis

Think of adventure riding and chances are your mind drifts to far-flung deserts, exotic outposts that demand weeks, or even months of slog to reach, several injections for diseases you haven’t heard...

Old-school bruisers! Who needs gadgets when these analogue naked options are such a blast?

26 September 2025 by Jon Urry

Modern super-nakeds are pushing the envelope so far that they need to come with a stack of power-taming electronics. Traction control, ABS, up/down shifters, semi-active suspension, the list goes on...

The Italian Yob! Five great used Aprilia Tuonos that guarantee grins

23 September 2025 by Jon Urry

Aprilia rarely do things by half and their game-changing naked is certainly no exception. The world’s first true super-naked, the Tuono (which means ‘thunder’ in Italian) has always been powered by a...

Tempting tourers! I think these used continent-crushers make covering miles a breeze

17 September 2025 by Jon Urry

With the summer in full swing it’s peak touring season. So why not factor a new bike into the equation and make the most of decent weather while it lasts? Related: Top touring riding gear...

Save money and learn how to do basic oil and filter servicing on your motorcycle with MCN

17 September 2025 by Bruce Dunn

The oil in your motorbike’s engine plays an incredibly important role. It acts as a cushion between moving parts, such as between camshaft and head, reducing friction and wear. Jump to: The right...

Forty – and still naughty! Five great GSX-R bikes I know will get your pulse racing

15 September 2025 by Jon Urry

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Suzuki launching the GSX-R (unless you live in Japan, in which case it was last year because the GSX-R400 appeared in 1984) and it’s great to see the brand...

Watch our Suzuki GSX-R750 twin test video here and find out how the 1985 model compares to the 2014

12 September 2025 by Michael Neeves

Join me to explore how the Suzuki GSX-R750 evolved over time as we celebrate the anniversary of the model family in true MCN style!

Here's your guide to preparing your bike for winter storage so it's good to go in spring

11 September 2025 by Bruce Dunn

Plenty of bikers in the UK prefer not to ride through the winter months – whether that’s because they don’t want to expose their pride and joy to road salt, they ride focused sportsbikes that wouldn’t...

Middleweight fun! Five great used bike options packing a proper a sporty flavour

09 September 2025 by Jon Urry

If you like a spirited B-road blast, there are few things as fun to do it on as a sporty middleweight naked motorbike. Light, agile and with the kind of performance that allows you to take them by the...

Something special? Start with my list of sensational secondhand superbikes for £10k

02 September 2025 by Jon Urry

Thanks to the UK’s love of sportsbikes, every bike meet’s car park is filled with this type of machine. While this is great to see, it is quite hard to stand out from the crowds. In fact, it is very...

Road adventurers! Five great do-it-all bikes that have their eyes set on tarmac fun

01 September 2025 by Jon Urry

Not everyone wants to take an adventure bike off-road and if that’s the case, why put up with a 19in or 21in front? Not only does a larger-diameter wheel compromise handling, it also reduces grip...

Watch our middleweight sports-tourer group test video and find out which bike does big miles best

29 August 2025 by Justin Hayzelden

Join me to find out which one of these middleweight sports-tourers is the best. Get our in-depth verdict on each bike below: Yamaha Tracer 7 GT review Triumph Tiger Sport 660 review Suzuki...

Seven tips for safer riding from IAM RoadSmart: How many of these are you already doing?

29 August 2025 by Stewart Mackie

Paid partnership with IAM Roadsmart As the UK’s largest road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart have been helping make roads safer since 1956 through expert coaching and lifelong learning. With a national network of over 68,000 members...

Call of the wild! Five great adventure choices beyond the usual suspects

27 August 2025 by Jon Urry

Adventure bikes are the current hot-product, but making a dent in this competitive class is far from easy. Related: Riding gear for adventure bike riders Every manufacturer hopes to replicate...

Summer scorchers! Five used bikes that will get your season really moving, for under £3k

26 August 2025 by Jon Urry

Now is, fairly obviously, the best time for riding a motorcycle. Aside from the need to continually remove the exploded corpses of insects from your visor, nothing beats a warm day, the open road and...

Miniature missiles! Five great A2-legal sportsbikes that are small in capacity but big on fun

20 August 2025 by Jon Urry

The UK has an ingrained love of sportsbikes and just because you are restricted to an A2 licence doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun. Related: Sportsbike riding gear guide There is a...

Roaring roadsters! I think these are five great sporty naked motorcycles don’t overstep the mark

19 August 2025 by Jon Urry

While super-nakeds tend to grab the headlines, for many riders they are simply too much of a good thing. With mind-bending performance, much like sportbikes, they are on the verge of becoming unusable...

If you want a standard-setting, great-value used bike, I think you need one with a tuning fork logo

15 August 2025 by Mike Armitage

Yamaha are innovators. They were first with ride-by-wire, played with hub-centre steering, brought us variable timing with YPVS and even stick two wheels on the front of some bikes. Yet this boldness...

High-mile heroes! Don't let big miles put you off... I think these beauties are built to last

11 August 2025 by Jon Urry

Buyers often get caught up worrying about what mileage is showing on the clocks rather than looking at the bigger picture. Anyone viewing a machine that’s covered over 40,000 miles will instantly...

I think these retro beauties blend classic style with modern motorcycling. What's not to like?

08 August 2025 by Phil West

For those looking to relive their biking youth, retro motorcycles tick a lot of boxes. Modern reliability, handling and performance bring peace of mind, but iconic curves, names, styling and even...

Keep your motor stunning! The engine is the heart and soul of any bike, so get one with a real cracker

31 July 2025 by Phil West

If you’re after a charismatic motorcycle, get one with a charismatic motor. Bikes like Yamaha’s monster cruiser V-twin MT-01, which is joyously more lumpy and grunty than any other, or, at the other...

Looking for an affordable naked? I think you should check out these middleweights for just £3500

30 July 2025 by Jon Urry

Naked middleweights make perfect sense. As well as being ideal for newer riders, they make brilliant commuters, fun back-road blasters and reliable second bikes for when the weather makes taking your...