Matt Wildee

Find out how #ride5000miles members are continuing to rack up miles into the autumn and beyond in the UK and Europe.

Popular biker haunt, the Cat & Fiddle pub could re-open after plans of re-development have emerged.

Read about Sarolea's new electric Manx7 which is brimming with carbon-fibre and sets a new benchmark for electric bikes.

If you’re planning a road-trip to clock up the miles this year, getting out of the UK has never been cheaper – thanks to competition between the ferry and Eurotunnel providers. The result is that you can cross from Dover to Calais for just £30. Ride5000miles member Jonathan Tatton went on holiday on his BMW GS having booked a five-day return ticket using the booking comparison website www.aferry.com. “There are some very cheap deals going on cross-channel ferries at the moment,” he said. “I wanted a break and booked a crossing for Monday returning on Friday, Dover to Dunkirk. It was just £35 return. I’m went riding in the Black Forest, riding the B500 – it would be rude not to at that price.” For northern bikers there are other options – reader Chris Hood travels from Hull to Zeebrugge for his trips. “At £100 each way with a cabin it’s great value, especially when you consider how much it costs from coming from up north.” Travelling off-peak will mean a cheaper fare, and there can b

‘The ultimate L-plate racer’ Matt Wildee, MCN Senior Editor “With 23 years of continuous production (well, as continuous as Cagiva get), the Mito is the planet’s longest-running stroker and for the first decade of its existence was desirable as any superbike. “Penned by Massimo Tamburini, the first generation had bodywork virtually identical to Cagiva’s 500GP bike, the second generation aped a Ducati 916.But there was more to the bike than looks – a searing powerband, a seven-speed gearbox and a chassis capable of containing a much bigger engine made it fodder for teenage racers (Rossi’s first track foray was on a Mito) and specials builders who bolted in anything from RD350 motors to CR500s. “My yearning for one was sated when I was involved in the build of a CR-engined Mito. It was magnificent and crap, all at the same time.” Have a browse for your next bike on MCN Bikes ForSale website or use the MCN’s Bikes For Sale App.

It’s been an interesting month getting to know the Racer and its off-beat, retro charm. I’ve had my eye on the Racer ever since I first saw it at the Intermot show in Germany at the end of last year. With the simplicity that goes hand-in-glove with that air-cooled Boxer engine and that smooth, almost organic styling, I reckon it is the best-looking bike of 2017. It also promised to be the bike that I’d secretly desired for years – a cool-looking retro machine with near-sportsbike abilities. MORE FROM MCN’S FLEET Service time again for the Ninja 650 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S Electric Dream Quick! Clock the miles before the 125 Duke’s first service Keeping the V-Strom clean – a dirty task!  GSX-R1000R Brands Hatch on-board lap A couple of months later the first Racer in the country – and it was a great experience. The punchy engine combined with a nimble chassis and an easy-going nature to find loads of grip in less-than-perfect conditions. It exuded real class. So, when MCN’s

Dunlop’s new Sportmart2 Max looks like a great choice for rapid road riding and occasional trackday use. We tested the new tyre in the mountain roads overlooking Montpellier in the South of France, plus rode it at Dunlop’s Mireval test track and found the Max to be friendly, confidence-inspiring and with a playful side that could make your riding more fun. Revised for this year – and replacing the standard Sportsmart2, it features a completely new front with a revised and stiffer construction, plus new compounds. The rear tyre’s construction carries on from before, but Dunlop say they’ve taken advantage of new chemical technology, allowing the compound be more durable in the middle and grippier on the edges. In all, Dunlop claim the tyre lasts 10% longer than the old one, has sweeter steering and is faster around their test track. We performed a back-to-back test with the old and new tyres on a Suzuki GSX-S1000 on super-challenging French roads and found that the new tyre feels more

MCN Senior Editor Matt Wildee is in Spain, testing BMW’s new S1000R Sport. The German supernaked has received a host of changes for 2017, including a new, lighter chassis, revised electronics which include lean-angle-sensitive ABS and traction control, plus a bi-directional quickshifter which allows clutch-less downshifts. There is also a new exhaust system with a titanium Akrapovic can to help pass Euro4 noise and emissions regulations. TOP STORIES Save time and money #ride5000miles Bikes for sale: Super nakeds Bike of the day: KTM 990 Adventure Super-rare Limited Edition Jack Daniel’s Chieftain revealed Looking for that perfect bike picture? The changes amount to a 2kg weight loss, plus a gain of 5bhp in top-end power, meaning the bike now has a claimed 165bhp. BMW have also made efforts to reduce vibration to the bars and offer their lightweight cast ally HP wheels as an option, too. We get to ride the bike tomorrow (Monday) in the mountain roads around Almeria, so check out

We get the first taste of BMW’s new beautiful café racer. BMW’S £10,755 R nineT Racer has arrived in the UK and judging by our sneaky first ride, this is a motorcycle that goes as well as it looks. The rest of the UK press are due to ride the bike next week in Spain, but UK bikes have started filtering into dealers, so we took one out to see what it’s about. We weren’t disappointed… The Racer is one of three new R nineTs this year (the others are the cut-price Pure and the retro Urban G/S) and compared to the full-fat £12,220 original R nineT, it has a slightly different frame, conventional forks and brakes, clip-ons, different footrests and that lovely fairing. It feels long and low, like a proper 1970s café racer and the reach to the clip-ons puts you into a continuous racing tuck. At the same time your feet are further back than usual – at times you feel almost horizontal. But once you get going it feels much like a traditional R nineT, the bike dominated by that