Harley-Davidson Ends Factory King of the Baggers Programme After 2026 Harley-Davidson is ending its factory racing programme in the American King of the Baggers series after the 2026 season, choosing to focus its racing efforts on the new Bagger World Cup for 2027. The decision marks a significant change for a series built around large touring motorcycles, with Harley-Davidson and…
UK Motorcycle MOT Fees Could Rise After 16 Years Without an Increase Motorcycle MOT fees in the UK could come under pressure as the motor industry calls for higher testing charges for the first time in more than 16 years. The current maximum fee for a standard motorcycle MOT is £29.65. The cap has remained unchanged since 2010, despite increases in operating costs for garages. The latest debate follows a proposal from independent garages to raise the maximum fee for a car MOT to at least £95. The campaign highlights the financial pressure facing testing centres, including higher labour costs, rent, equipment and training expenses. However, the £95 figure relates to car MOTs. It is not an announced new fee for motorcycles, and there is no confirmed increase to the motorcycle MOT cap at present. The Department for Transport says it has no current plans to raise MOT fees, although it continues to review the issue with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and industry representatives. For motorcyclists, the debate matters because an MOT is a legal requirement for most bikes once they reach three years old. The inspection checks whether a motorcycle meets minimum roadworthiness and environmental standards. It is not a full mechanical service, but it can identify problems with components such as brakes, tyres, lights, steering and suspension. Garage representatives argue that testing must remain financially viable if qualified staff and suitable equipment are to be maintained. Industry figures have also warned that making inspections too expensive could discourage some owners from maintaining compliance. For riders, the concern is different. Motorcycling is often promoted as an economical form of transport, and higher testing fees would add to the cost of ownership alongside insurance, fuel, servicing and repairs. Any increase would require a decision by the government. Until then, riders should not assume that the £29.65 maximum has changed. The key question is how to keep testing centres viable without making routine roadworthiness checks less affordable for motorcyclists.
The injury to Marc Marquez at Le Mans has done more than just sideline a championship contender; it has pulled back the curtain on a brewing technical crisis at Borgo Panigale. While the Desmosedici GP26 was initially hailed as a step forward, internal data and rider feedback now suggest a machine with a narrow performance window that only one man…
Ai Ogura’s third place at the French Grand Prix was the first MotoGP podium for a Japanese rider since 2012. The result finally ended the longest barren run for the country since Hideo Kanaya opened its rostrum account at the 1973 French Grand Prix.That deserves a moment. Not a quick number buried in a race report. A genuine pause to…
Marc Marquez fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and will miss at least the French Grand Prix and the Catalan Grand Prix while he undergoes surgery in Madrid.What nobody outside the Ducati garage knew was that surgery had already been planned. Marquez was already booked in for a shoulder operation after Barcelona, a loose screw from his 2025…
Tragic news has reached the paddock as the 2026 North West 200 is hit with heartbreak. A rider has passed away following an incident at Station Corner during Thursday morning's Superbike qualifying session. Event Update & Schedule Changes Despite the devastating loss, the event will continue with the full approval of the rider's family. However, at their request, the identity…
Carmelo Ezpeleta, the man who has run MotoGP since 1992, who survived the transition from two strokes to four, who guided the championship through a global pandemic, who sold Dorna to Liberty Media without blinking, stood in Barcelona this week and delivered his verdict on the biggest commercial crisis in the sport’s recent history.We discuss contracts to fulfil them. We…
The dinner tables were set. The wine was poured. Liberty Media had flown in its most senior executives from the United States specifically to sit down with MotoGP’s manufacturers and build bridges at a lavish event in Jerez.Nobody from Aprilia turned up. Nobody from KTM. Nobody from Yamaha.The empty chairs said everything that months of careful diplomatic language had been…
MotoGP is getting louder inside the helmet. Not from the engine. From Race Direction.The Jerez test on April 28 marked another milestone in one of the sport’s longest running and most quietly significant development projects. Fabio Quartararo tested the latest version of MotoGP’s in-helmet radio system and described it as having made a big step, though he warned that sound…
There is a question Marc Marquez gets asked constantly. Journalists ask it at every press conference. Fans ask it on social media. Even his own team wants to know the answer. Are you at 100 percent?His answer is honest and unsettling in equal measure. He no longer knows what his 100 percent is.For a man who has built his entire…