Simon Hancocks
Editor
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
Prior to Visordown, Toad worked in the motorcycle insurance industry, before creating a role at a small motorcycle website and starting his journey as a journalist and road tester.
Since then Toad has launched bikes on all of the world's continents that aren't permanently frozen, covered hundreds of thousands of road test miles and always maintains that a bad day on a bike is better than a good day in a car!
Toad is happiest when touring through Europe, hammering a big adventure motorcycle up a trail, or riding around a race track, his favourite is Jerez, accompanied by a Panigale V4! He had a go at trials once, but it'd didn't go terribly well - his ambition definitely outweighed talent!
Now Toad is working through the restoration of a classic Ducati sports bike, and yes, it's taking much longer than he planned.
MotoGP
08/10/24
Enea Bastianini is to take a weekend off from racing bikes this autumn, as he enters Rallylegend in a Group B Audi
Industry
08/10/24
New bike registrations continued to slide in August, although sports bikes and competition machines are both showing signs of growth
New Bikes
07/10/24
Both machines boast a stealthy black colour scheme although the Full Throttle gains evocative bronze graphics
General
07/10/24
It is one of the highest roads in the Peak District but unless work is carried out, Snake Pass could close
General
07/10/24
The six-bike haul includes factory race replicas and a gorgeous 888 SP5 which is No.153 out of 500
New Bikes
07/10/24
The Kirin 750 is a straightlaced tourer, that is powered by a 730cc parallel twin-cylinder engine and it has a very low seat
General
05/10/24
The example is one of just 20 factory-built Honda NSR500VFs, and it’s up for sale at an eye-watering price
General
04/10/24
The RTTW memorial ride is to commemorate the fallen service personnel and it ends at the National Memorial Arboretum near Burton on Trent
Industry
04/10/24
The Iwata brand will be working together with Caterham as it plans to use Yamaha-developed powertrains
Industry
04/10/24
Suzuki’s iconic Hayabusa will be taking centre stage at Motorcycle Live 2024, as it celebrates 25 years since its introduction
Industry
04/10/24
Some positive news for owners, insurers and the wider industry, as thefts continue to decline and are now at their lowest point since 2017
New Bikes
04/10/24
The TF 450-RC Edition joins the existing Triumph TF 250-X and has been developed extensively by Ricky Carmichael
Industry
03/10/24
The move is to try and prevent the Chinese government from using data from connected vehicles sold in the USA
General
03/10/24
Iconic British racing motorcycles don’t get more important than the Norton F1R, and the first one to roll out of the factory is up for sale
General
03/10/24
A patent from Porsche shows it is working on an innovative yet complex new engine based on a six-stroke principle
General
02/10/24
While filtering hasn’t been directly outlawed, the inability to do so has come about thanks to a reduction in the speed limit
General
02/10/24
Darren Kay was angry at a biker for filtering past him, and used his car as a weapon causing life-changing injuries to the rider
General
02/10/24
Voxan’s record-breaking runs took place at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats with the bike competing in the sub-150kg class
New Bikes
02/10/24
The Elektrode range of kids' bikes were US-only, although a new 2025 model has just landed on the Kawasaki UK website
New Bikes
01/10/24
The 110th edition of the Milan Bike Show is set to be headlined by the return of KTM and it’s bringing new models and technology
New Bikes
01/10/24
Following the Vesys 1100 announcement, the Ninja 1100SX has debuted with a revised engine and a new SE variant
New Bikes
01/10/24
Suzuki is making adding a new bike to your garage a little easier this autumn, with zero per cent finance on its most popular models
New Bikes
01/10/24
Finally, Yamaha has given us our first glimpse of the much-talked-about and VERY long-awaited R9 sports bike
New Bikes
01/10/24
The range swells to three variants with a new NT1100 DCT Electonic Suspension model sitting at the top of the range