Britain's biggest FREE bike newspaper

How does the best-selling Triumph Tiger 800 measure up?

It's new bike launch season again and two different nakeds are on offer - the incredibly popular and updated Kawasaki ER6-n, along with a smaller, more rider friendly 848 version of Ducati's Streetfighter - check out pages 10 and 14 for the verdicts.

At the other end of the scale, we took advantage of the brief Indian summer to cruise around on three half faired tourers, or 'baggers' as our American cousins call them. Find out how the Harley Electra Glide, Kawasaki VN1700 Custom Voyager and the Victory Cross Country got on on page 24.

We also got a chance to put the latest sports touring rubber from Dunlop (RoadSmart IIs) through its paces in hot, dry, cold and wet road and track conditions - see how they performed on page 13.

Now, nobody wants to think about the possibility of getting their pride and joy stolen, but bike crime is on the rise. Our bike security feature on page 20 tells you how you can protect your bike from the baddies.

Long distance motorcycle travel is a dream for many, but for 22 riders this year, they rode a trip of a lifetime from the southern most tip of the Americas all the way up to the States. But it wasn't all plain sailing. Read their story on page 28.

Plus we've got nine new products, an interview with BSB star Glen Richards and all the best events happening this month.

We've also got a new Really Useful Section, packed full of everything you need to know when buying a used bike, starting on page 35. Used bikes include the excellent Suzuki DL1000 GT V-Strom, Yamaha FJR1300 and the Honda 650 Transalp.

And of course, there's loads more in the issue: don't forget to check out all the latest news, and have a look at the rest of our action-packed features and get commenting on them. Visit our letters page and add your own: one star letter each month wins a V2MAL Essentials Touring Pack worth over £40. On the subject of free stuff, there is a fantastic competition for two lucky readers to win a set of the new RoadSmart tyres on page 44, plus a chance to bag a pair of new Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs on page 32. Also, if you're looking for a new bike or want to sell your own, take a look at a selection of our free bike classified adverts.

And don't forget, if you've got any news, events or ideas you think we might like to feature in MCM, just drop us a line here. We want to hear from you!

Melanie Falconer
Editor, MCM