How many powered two-wheelers would you say Honda has built since 1949, when Soichiro put the first Dream into production? A few million? It’s actually 500 million – half a billion – an astonishing figure which underlines Honda’s continuing dominance of the world motorcycle market – it grabbed a 40% share of global sales in 2024. But the real story here isn’t that Honda is big (we all knew that) but that its 500 millionth machine was a Activa 125 scooter, which rolled off the production line in Gujarat, India. It was no coincidence that Honda chose to celebrate its 500 millionth bike in India rather than Japan. The company has four factories on the sub-continent, with a combined capacity of over

Italian charity No Barriers ODV is causing a stir by offering motorcycle rides as therapy for children and adults with a disability. Set up in 2020, the non-profit organisation states that the low-speed rides stimulate trust, body orientation and connection. No Barriers was defending its work against criticism that motor therapy is merely a recreational or fun activity, with no therapeutic value at all. “This is a superficial judgement,” states No Barriers, “overlooking years of documented experience and, above all, field-based evidence gathered by educators, therapists, physiotherapists, neurologist and clinical psychologists who witness its effects on patients every day.” Motor therapy has also been recognised by the Italian government, with a new law in 2024 making provision for the “recognition and

At a time when motorcycle manufacturers are facing mixed fortunes – record sales at Honda and Royal Enfield, while beleaguered Harley-Davidson has seen its Chairman Jochen Zeiz resign – comes good news from KTM and Buell. KTM, which was facing bankruptcy, has been saved by a 600 million euro investment from its manufacturing partner Bajaj Auto, which holds a 49.9% stake in the company. This comes on top of 200 million euro the Indian giant had invested in KTM in March 2025. The Austrian firm had a 23rd May deadline to fulfil its legal obligations and pay 30% of what it owes to creditors – failure to do so would have put its three subsidiaries into liquidation. But Bajaj’s intervention came in

Which car brand would you least associate with motorcycles? If you answered ‘Skoda’ then think again, because Laurin & Clement, which eventually became Skoda, was building bikes back in 1899. Its Slavia B which, typically of the time, came with pedals and looked like a big pushbike with an engine bolted in, took part in the Paris-Berlin long distance race of 1901. Skoda has decided to celebrate its motorcycling roots with a new Slavia B, but rather than some retro throwback, it’s a futuristic café racer with electric power, styled in what Skoda calls a ‘Modern Solid’ style – think rounded, chunky shapes with bold lines, and you’ve got it about right. Just to emphasise the lack of an engine, there’s

Is this the oldest continuously running bike club in the UK? BMF- affiliated Doncaster & District Motorcycle Club has just celebrated 115 years since its inaugural meeting on 25th March 1910 at the Woolpack pub in Doncaster. To mark the event, it restaged a photo taken at the time. Doncaster Council cordoned off the road for a 2025 photo, which saw over 40 bikes and riders gathered in front of the pub. Originally named the Doncaster Motorcycle Club, the club added ‘& District’ in 1921 during its first open speed trials at Sandall Beat Road, where competitors raced down a straight mile. Today, the club remains very active, with 30-40 members with ages ranging from 20 to 80. “The club thrives on

Bikers spent £47,000 on MOT retests in the 2023/24 financial year, according to research by insurance company Go.Compare. Why is this remarkable? Well, it turns out that many retests after failures were for relatively minor problems, such as headlights, indicators, brake lights, reflectors and tyres. In fact, lights accounted for the lion’s share of more than 15,000 MOT failures, accounting for 11,440 – tyres caused 2500 failures and vehicle identification another 1114. To arrive at the £47,000 figure, Go.Compare combined survey data with official DVSA testing figures to estimate how much was being spent on retests for fairly minor faults. Whatever the exact cause, it’s clear that a simple check of lights and tyres before heading off for the MOT could

A ride around the legendary Nürburgring race circuit in Germany is the ultimate ambition for many bikers, akin to a lap of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course, but not anymore. The 12.9-mile circuit, a mix of race track and public roads, has been open to all traffic (for a fee) on ‘Touristenfahrten’ (‘tourist days’), which would see bikes and cars circulating with no speed limits. Inevitably, there have been crashes, some of them fatal. The organisers have now banned bikes from these open days on safety grounds, citing the mixing of cars, bikes and even buses, with some local experts in fast cars coming up behind tourists on a sightseeing meander. In a statement, the circuit said: “The differing driving

The EU has responded to Donald Trump’s unilateral imposition of tariffs with an extra 50% import duty on American-made motorcycles over 500cc. In an announcement made before Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ global tariff barrier was unveiled, the EU was responding to his earlier imposition of 25% tariffs on EU and UK steel, aluminium and derivatives. A rate of up to 50% will be applied to a wide range of imports from the US, with the top rate hitting Harley-Davidson and Indian, but not electric bike maker Zero. A second phase of tariffs, to include smaller bikes and electrics, may follow, but it’s highly likely that the Trump administration will retaliate in turn, imposing tariffs on European bikes, leading to just the sort

TrailVidz is a new online platform aiming to make Britain’s network of green lanes easier to access legally. Using videos and still pictures it should give riders a good idea of what to expect, especially if they are newcomers to trail riding. It’s the brainchild of Dan Maurice, who was inspired to set the platform up after looking for legal green lanes himself. “Really, there wasn’t anything out there to answer the questions,” he told MCN. “Where are the trails, what do they look like and can I ride them...I thought I should come up with a solution, and it’s since become a passion project that’s gone out of control.” He added that TrailVidz is intended to be complementary to membership

Two Wheels for Life, the charity which provides motorcycles for health workers in sub-Saharan Africa, is now offering a free will writing service. Applicants can write their will online, by phone and there’s even a limited number of face-to-face solicitor appointments available, all for free. All are provided by Farewill, the UK’s biggest will writing service. Now you might expect that Two Wheels for Life is expecting any successful applicant to leave them a healthy legacy, but apparently not. “It is not essential to leave us a gift in your will when using our free wills service,” reads a statement on the charity’s website, “but we’d love you to consider giving to Two Wheels after taking care of those important to

Extreme sports event X Games, which features BMX, skateboarding and rally cross, has banned electric motorcycles from the freestyle motocross parts of its competition. The MX events aren’t races, but a series of artistic jumps and tricks performed indoors, with medals up for grabs. Three riders competed on Stark electric motocross bikes in the X Games last year, and two of them won medals. X Games letter to this year’s entrants stated: “Our current competition formats are designed around the performance and characteristics of traditional gas-powered bikes, which remain the global standard for elite competition.” It’s thought that riders of battery bikes have an unfair advantage, with better acceleration on the short approach ramps to jumps. But the organisers have not

Mutt, the Birmingham-based manufacturer which made its name with retro-cool 125 and 250cc machines, has entered administration after a fall in demand caused it to make most of its 18 staff redundant. Administrators RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed on 3rd March. Speaking to MCN, RSM said: “The company experienced a period of difficult trading due to a decline in market demand. As a result, the business faced significant financial pressures and was unable to secure the necessary funding to continue operating.” They are reportedly talking to a number of firms interested in buying the bikes and parts stock, plus the Mutt brand. Mutt, set up by Benny Thomas and Will Rigg in 2013, had been something of a success story,