Motorcycle Meme

Supermoto isn't dead. But unless you have a kart track in your back garden, or you happen to live in the Alps, extracting the best from the SMC R will be tricky.

There’s very little to moan about, except the gearbox, which is nothing new to these LC4s. We experienced plenty of false neutrals and not even the excellent Quickshifter+ system could mask this.

Triumph have developed an all-new Daytona using the 765 engine first debuted in their Street Triple, an evolution of which will be used in Moto2 from this season onwards. While speculation has been rife that the Moto2 project would pave the way for the return of the Daytona, these pictures are the first proof that Triumph does have a road bike waiting in the wings.

riumph have confirmed that the second model in the new TFC range will be based on a Rocket. With no such model in the current range, as it was killed off two years ago by Euro4 emissions regulations, this also confirms MCN’s recent speculation that a new Triumph Rocket launch is on the horizon.

Marc Marquez has silenced doubts about his fitness ahead of the 2019 MotoGP season by topping the first day of pre-season testing action at the Sepang circuit. The Repsol Honda rider has been battling to reach full fitness ahead of the start of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in December, but showed his fitness with a lunchtime lap time to end the day a quarter of a second ahead of Alex Rins.

It has been a while since KTM offered a supermoto motorcycle, so we are pleased to see the 2019 KTM 690 SMC R to go along with the all-new KTM 690 Enduro R dual-sport motorcycle. Let’s take a look at what KTM’s supermoto entry has to offer.

The addition of Monster Energy as title sponsor to the 2019 Yamaha M1 has given the bike a radical new look for the season ahead, with black joining the blue as the Monster claw takes over from the old Movistar logo. The bikes were unveiled today by Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales in a ceremony in Indonesian capital Jakarta, just days before they're set to take to track for the first time at Malaysia's Sepang circuit for the first pre-season test of the year.

New signing Jorge Lorenzo will face a difficult start to his Repsol Honda career after breaking a bone in his wrist while training at the weekend. While details remain unclear about exactly what happened the five-time world champion as Honda maintain secrecy, he will undergo surgery today to correct the break only days before Wednesday’s team launch in Madrid.

Ducati will launch their 2019 MotoGP effort this evening in Switzerland, with Andrea Dovizioso and new signing Danilo Petrucci travelling to sponsor Phillip Morris' research base on the shores of Lake Geneva for the event.

Find out more about MV Agusta's A2-licence versions of their naked Brutale 800 and supersport F3 675 models here.

Britain’s great Dakar hope Sam Sunderland says he’s ready and waiting for the start of the 2019 Dakar Rally which kicks off on 6th January.

Hutchy’s front wheel rises over the crest, he’s slightly crossed up, but perfectly in control. I spot his right foot tap another gear on his modified Honda Fireblade SP, and he’s gone. Two corners later he pulls over, nods, waits for me to catch up, and promptly hoons off into the distance again.

KTM have revealed the prices for their new 690 SMC R and 690 Enduro R, first shown at EICMA in Milan.

Josh Brookes has said Ducati’s V4 R ‘feels like a MotoGP bike’ after his first laps aboard the superbike-spec machine in Jerez.

Norton will unveil this all-new Atlas at Motorcycle Live this weekend – the most important bike in the firm’s modern history, and the first mass-market affordable Norton for generations.

Aprilia have whipped the covers off of a stunning new sporty concept at Eicma in Milan, marking the manufacturer's first real steps into the world of sporty middleweights since the iconic two-stroke RS250 of the 1990s and early 2000s.

The EICMA motorcycle show will take place in Milan between November 6-11 and is one of the biggest motorbike expos in the world with more than 1200 brands presenting their latest technology, concepts and new models. Alongside the exhibition space will be the MotoLive racing area, music and other entertainment.

Kawasaki have released details of the 2019 Z125 which will use a brand-new 14.75bhp liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine.

The Zed is released alongside a faired Ninja 125 and the pair represent a return to the A1 licence class for Kawasaki after a 25-year absence, after an 'extensive' market research program by the firm's R&D team revealed a hunger for bikes in this segment.

MCN columnist and 23-time TT winner John McGuinness will display the best bits of his bike collection in his very own pub next February as part of the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show.

First seen at the 2018 show, the McGuinness bar is half-pub, half-museum with bikes, trophies and family memorabilia on display, much of which has never been seen before.

Finding a motorcycle when you’re a particular size can be tasking. Since the majority of the market is built around the ‘average’ rider, finding a bike when you’re a bit bigger or smaller narrows your options. Seat height on modern motorcycles – sports bikes, ADV, and even some sport standard models — can range on the high-side, causing those of us with more modest inseams to tippy-toe when at a light or starting up. On conventional bikes, having too large of a frame will mean you’re cramped and hunched; those shorter in stature find reaching the bars is literally a stretch and, more importantly, that planting a foot dat a stop becomes a circus balancing act.

From us to you, have a happy Halloween!

25 races since their last win - taken by Valentino Rossi at the TT Circuit Assen last season - Yamaha were back on the top step at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix as Maverick Viñales brought an end to their losing streak in imperious style.

Not to be outdone by the Bar and Shield who released a slew of new models last month, Indian Motorcycle pulled the covers off a couple of their own new naked bikes prior to the Intermot International Motorcycle Fair which kicks off tomorrow.