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,

London’s air has become significantly cleaner since ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) was expanded to cover the whole capital in 2023, according to a study produced by the Greater London Authority – the study was reviewed by an independent panel of experts, chaired by Dr Gary Fuller of Imperial College London. The report found that London’s air quality was improving at a faster rate than that of the rest of England, with outer London boroughs and more deprived areas of the capital seeing significant falls in pollution. Small particle emissions (PM2.5) from vehicle exhausts were 31% lower in outer London compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ expansion – this takes into account the much smaller improvement which would

Giacomo Agostini, one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, is the subject of ‘Ago’, a new Netflix documentary which focuses on a career which saw him win world championship titles an astonishing 15 times. The film was previewed, with Ago himself in attendance, at Varese, Italy on 6th March, an event organised by MV Agusta. The MV connection is a significant one, since the legendary racer won countless events on the Italian multi-cylinder racers, against the likes of Mike Hailwood and Paul Smart. Across his career, Agostini took 123 victories including ten TTs. MV is keen to celebrate its link with Ago, as it nears its own 80th anniversary. It’s a piece of positive news for the company, whose move

MOT testers could be required to upload a digital image of every vehicle they put through the test, in the latest attempt to fight MOT fraud. There have been cases of ‘ghost’ MOTs, where the bike, car or truck is given a test pass without even visiting the test centre. From March 2025 the agency is trialling a new digital image capture system, which should prove that the vehicle in question really was undergoing the test. “We want to create a level playing field where high quality testing is the standard,” said Chris Price, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency’s head of MOT policy. “Capturing images at the time of the test will help prevent fraud while ensuring MOTs are conducted

The New Rider Hub has launched a new Highway Code film series, designed specifically for young and new riders aged 16- 20 riding in an urban environment! Our goal is to highlight the most important signs, rules, and regulations from the Highway Code that are crucial for your safety. Each short film will highlight the importance of specific Highway Code signs and show you how to follow them in real urban environments. By understanding and following these rules, you'll not only protect yourself but also contribute to the safety of everyone on the road. Most importantly for you, by staying on top of these rules, you'll not get fines and points on your licence, keeping you on the road without any legal

The Government has extended the £500 grant for buyers of new electric scooters and motorcycles for another year, as part of a package which saw support for electric vans and taxis also continued. The grant’s future was in the balance, having been cut from a maximum of £1500 in 2021 and ended for 50cc-equivalent two-wheelers in April last year. But buyers of electric A1 (125cc-equivalent) and bigger electric bikes up to £10,000 will continue to receive £500 off the retail price into 2026. The move is a recognition that the electric motorcycle and scooter market needs encouragement to expand. Sales of electric off-road bikes and moped equivalents are developing, but remain tiny for larger road machines. Another factor could be that

A new world record was set at the Mecum auction in Las Vegas recently, when a bid for just over £1 million was accepted for a 1915 Cyclone V-twin. It’s said to be the highest amount ever paid for a motorcycle in a public auction - £1,062,070, if you want to be exact. The Cyclone, a sought-after American vintage bike, helped make the Mecum auction set a new gross world record for a motorcycle auction as well, at £21.2 million. Other top-dollar bikes sold on the day were a 1938 Crocker V-twin (£710,000) and an 1898 De Dion (three-wheeler) at a ‘mere’ £133,000. Proving that older bikes still command top prices, all but one of the top ten sales were pre-war