MCN 19 January 2022

NEW BIKE SPECIAL The hottest 22 new bikes (and 8 more) It’s like Christmas all over again. As 2022’s new models start to arrive in dealers, we take a look at the very hottest of what’s new and waiting to tempt you. From Ducati’s bold new DesertX to everyday gems like the Tiger Sport 660 and GSX-S1000GT, to the return of BSA, to futuristic new electric scooters – we’ve picked MCN’s favourite 22 – plus eight more you can’t ignore. TEMPTATION AWAITS, PAGE 26 + WIN A NEW R7! PLUS EXTRAS, WORTH £9900! SEE P20 FOR DETAILS TOP STORY Biking’s return to rude health The pandemic may have been interfering with our biking lives, but it appears that it might also have inspired a whole wave of new bikers to get their licence – and the knock-on…

I’ve not bought a brand-new bike since 1997. That’s not some sort of inverse brag, but a simple matter of fact. It does rather beg the question: Why not? And the answers aren’t in the least bit controversial. For many years, it’s been a simple lack of financial possibility, mixed with my aversion to taking out credit (my 1997 extravagance locked me into a 5-year HP deal – I swore ‘never again’). But it occurred to me this year while we were compiling our pick of the hottest new bikes of 2022 (see page 26), that I could finally afford a brand-new dream bike. Not because I’ve won the lottery, climbed sufficiently high on the greasy pole of capitalism, or sold any kidneys – but simply because I’ve been carefully buying…

The Isle of Wight Road Races have been postponed due to issues surrounding the closure of the roads. The event was scheduled to go ahead this April, however the Motor Race Order (MRO), which is essential to road closures, has not been issued. The ACU – racing’s governing body – has confirmed all the relevant paperwork, including the event permit, was submitted in plenty of time, however the Isle of Wight Council says it “is not yet satisfied that the application has been duly made in accordance with the relevant legislation”. The team behind the races say they will now work to understand and solve the issues the council has highlighted before negotiating new dates for the event to be hosted. “We have reluctantly accepted that the Isle of Wight Road Races…

NEWS EDITOR A midst the doom and gloom of both winter weather and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it might be hard to fathom but 2021 was one of the strongest years for biking in well over a decade, with new bike sales on the increase and more people joining the twowheeled fold. Anecdotal evidence from training schools up and down the country was of a huge surge of people wanting to get into motorcycling and now the latest stats confirm it. June to September of 2021 were standout months for bike tests, with nearly 28,000 examinations taken during the summer alone. The last time the numbers of bike tests even came close was in November and December 2012, with a huge rush of young riders getting tests completed ahead…

The expected court appearance of Anne Sacoolas, the woman charged with causing the death of teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn, has been postponed. Dunn, 19, died following a collision with a car on August 27, 2019. Anne Sacoolas was subsequently charged with causing death by dangerous driving, however the case has been unable to progress much further after Sacoolas returned to the US having had diplomatic immunity asserted by the American government. An extradition request was rejected by the US authorities. A hearing was scheduled to take place at Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday, January 18, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) say this date has now been cancelled. The CPS has always been insistent that Sacoolas would appear in one form or another, however Sacoolas’ lawyers have always maintained that no…

NEWS EDITOR Alpinestars have used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to demonstrate their latest generation of airbag technology. With kit that brings together almost all aspects of motorcycling, Alpinestars now have a system to protect you whether you want to do 200mph on a superbike at Jerez or 20mph on a scooter down London’s Old Kent Road. Arguably the most innovative is the Tech-Air Off-Road V2, which is the first commercial off-road focused airbag product. Klim have been selling their Ai-1 adventure vest for a while, but the Off-Road V2 is the first that’s built into a baselayer with armour on the shoulders and elbows. As the name suggests the V2 is a development of a previous model that was only available to racers, and has been trialled at the…