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.
Advanced Riding
13/08/24
If you’ve wanted to ride some of the many rural green lanes that criss-cross the UK, there are a few things you should know before you get muddy
Road Racing
09/08/24
He’s previously won the Manx GP, shared a podium with Joey Dunlop, and been a former teammate to John McGuinness
General
09/08/24
Harley-Davidson’s bash, at Fak Am See in September, will be celebrating what Harley calls “the immeasurable contributions of designer, artist and legend Willie G. Davidson”.
Industry
08/08/24
It’s the result of a journey that began way back in 2016, but Honda and Yamaha are now to begin working together to get more small-capacity electric bikes on the road
Viral
08/08/24
It’s not clear what happened in the run-up to the video, although it’s safe to say that the bike will likely never be ridden again
Motorbike
08/08/24
The updated KTM 1390 Super Duke R Evo is the Austrian firm’s headline-grabbing naked bike - but with even more power than its predecessor, is it excessive?
Industry
07/08/24
New motorcycle registrations have taken a bit slide in July, and the year-to-date number is also down on last year
New Bikes
07/08/24
The images show a hydrogen-powered Burgman maxi-scooter which is not a new idea, although there have been some changes
Viral
05/08/24
The Andorran made history last week, by taking his Tenere 700 across the finish line in the gruelling Red Bull Romaniacs event
Product News
02/08/24
The classic-looking Freeride X is available in either fibre-glass or carbon fibre versions and comes in three shell sizes
General
01/08/24
Ferrari never officially made its own two-wheeler, but this custom bike builder is about to fix that
General
30/07/24
Riding his claimed stock Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250, Pedrero managed to finish just outside of the top 20 riders overall
Viral
30/07/24
It happened during an open-to-all Touristenfahrten session and shows just how close to disaster the rider came
General
30/07/24
With more than 94,000 attendees to the event at Misano, the 12th edition of World Ducati Week was the biggest yet
Viral
30/07/24
The wire traps have been set up on a popular riding trail in the USA and seem to have been done deliberately to catch motorcyclists
Motorbike
30/07/24
The Himalayan has morphed into a sporty roadster that won’t break the bank, but it might change your expectations.
General
26/07/24
Suzuki UK has notified us of a recall affecting 304 UK-registered V-Strom 800DE adventure bikes
Industry
26/07/24
News reports have recently stated that Norton will be taking manufacturing out of the UK, and while that may be true, it’s not quite the full picture
New Bikes
25/07/24
Can-Am’s incoming adventure motorcycle looks like a proper ‘Frankenbike’ as it undergoes stress testing
Commercial
25/07/24
The range of SHARK on-road sports and touring helmets offers something for all, from new riders to MotoGP stars
New Bikes
24/07/24
The designer of the Confederate Hellcat has penned a new motorcycle, although it looks like something straight from the 1920s
MotoGP
24/07/24
Crafar’s insight and knowledge are to be put to use elsewhere on a MotoGP weekend, as he takes over the role held by another Grand Prix legend
General
24/07/24
The bike is the second in its Forged series of custom Scouts and follows the Roland Sands Design-built machine released earlier this year
General
19/07/24
Germany’s Autobahn network has long stood as the last bastion of legal speed on the public road, but could it now be under threat?