I've been promising this for a couple of months, but finally the results are in, so let's talk about fuel economy.

Motorcycle engines are performance machinery. In theory, they should benefit from running higher-octane fuel no matter what the riding environment. So is it a false economy to put cheaper,...

This month's column is going to be a bit of a mixed bag. Kicking off, as you know 2012 is the centenary of the sinking of The Titanic. This has meant a lot to my wife and I (I'm not sure why, but we've always been fascinated and attended countless...

While writing my last column on the revamped Gadget Show, it got me thinking about available tech and how it could improve motoring.

Obviously, I want to avoid invasive tech, such as external speed control (all Transport Planners, please note: If you cut the speed on a...

The Gadget Show. Hosted by former MotoGP anchor Suzi Perry - it ran successfully for a number of years. At the core of the show were tests of consumer gadgetry - the sort of thing you and I pop down to the shops to buy on a regular basis (well...

So what did you do this weekend? Mow the lawn? Maybe take a trip to the pub? Why not try something out of the ordinary? Two ideas for Something Very Different are Indoor Skydiving and Segway Off-Road Rallying.

Indoor Skydiving

For the Indoor Skydive, I travelled to Airkix in...

As the snow hits the ground and forces me into more desk-time than usual (the GSX650F is a fine bike, but it is no snow bunny!), I find the time to ruminate on some of the major news in the world of biking to hit us recently.

First, the sad:...

The first column of 2012 sees two bundles of good news from Those Who Sit In Power Over Us, ongoing bewilderment on How Insurance Works and asks the question "Could Honda have saved a bundle on R&D and just brought back the original CBR600F?"

Good news item one: Transport for...

Towards the end of Red Dwarf's lifespan, I met my wife, Laura. She was another big Red Dwarf fan (she once kissed Craig Charles at a 'meet and greet' following his one-man show - a photo of the two of them together takes pride of place in the Motobke.co.uk office)....

This will be my last chance to get a column in place before the holidays, so here are my 12 Biking Wishes that I'd like Santa to bring/give for 2011:

Wish 1: A tip for all bikers: if you go over a big bump and lift out of the saddle,...

My longer-than-expected disappearance from the Huffington Post has been due to a matter very much beyond my control. Sadly, time and illness caught up with my mother and she sadly passed away in October.

My main memories of her are of a devoted mother. But in her younger days, she...

Following my little adventure with Her Majesty's Finest, I thought I would try an experiment. So for the last two weeks I have been sticking religiously to speed limits.

Obeying the limit is Truly, Madly, Terrifying.

If you've read the last couple of...

This week, I was pulled over by a police officer for, ahem, travelling down a road rather more briskly than I should. In other words, speeding. Annoying, as I'd come onto the road to find myself behind two vehicles that were dawdling. My intention was to pull out, overtake, then...

I feel the need to vent my spleen on the subject of tailgating. For those of you not in the know, tailgating is the 'practice' of sitting right up the backside of the vehicle in front of you.

According to a study for Direct Line by the Transport Research...

Sod's Law, otherwise known as Murphy's Law, clearly states that "If something can go wrong, it will". Nothing proves this like motorcycling. The possibilities are endless for something to go wrong, usually just when you need it least.

You know you've been hit by Sod's Law when:

1) You are...

This week, I've come up with a couple of dates for your September biking diary, the first of which might just ensure the future of motorcycling. To balance the bad and good news, I found a rare example of the introduction of positive biking legislation and got to road test...

MV Agusta chief Claudio Castiglioni has died aged 64.

Mr Castiglioni was originally an executive with Cagiva, then his family's metalworking company. But he took the chance to combine business with his fascination with motorcycles, and set up a separate operating arm to purchase iconic, but struggling brands Ducati,...

With all that has gone wrong in the world this week, I thought I'd dedicate this week's column to covering something a little more cheery. So here are some genuine news items from the world of motorcycling, showing the weird, wonderful and funny side of life:

1) A fetishist,...

The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) has been thrown into turmoil, with the announcement that the official Yamaha team will be withdrawn at the end of the 2011 season. Ducati pulled the factory plug last year, both cite the same reason: cost-cutting.

MotoGP is the premier class, and owners Dorna bring...

Motorcycle sales throughout Europe continue to worsen, down by 3.2% against the same period in 2010. In the UK, it is "only" a 1.7% drop on last year. But that is 1.7% down on a similar fall in 2010 against 2009, which was another drop on the year before that....

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Kara Rann, the young woman driving the 'Campaign for an Isle of Wight TT' for Motor Cycle Monthly.

Kara's vision is simple; the Isle of Man runs a tremendously successful road race that pulls in millions of Pounds for the Island's economy....