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.
General
13/04/23
Facial recognition systems are commonplace in the tech world, and it could be making a jump to the motorcycle world very soon
First Ride
03/04/23
The Harley-Davidson Breakout is back in the global line-up for 2023, and we flew to California to try out the eye-catching cruiser
First Ride
03/04/23
If nothing exceeds like excess, the Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary can only be classed as a winner
Road Racing
28/03/23
Road racer Michael Rutter has had a waxwork created by the organisers of the Macau GP in commemoration of his 9 wins
New Bikes
27/03/23
The Kawasaki Eliminator 400 uses the Z400/Ninja 400 engine, and a new frame and suspension set up
Product News
27/03/23
The bolt-on kit from Y’S Gear turns your Yamaha XSR900 into a cafe racer inspired by Yamaha’s 500cc Grand Prix race bikes
Industry
23/03/23
Greenwashing is the act of claiming a product to be carbon neutral when its production and manufacture may be anything but
Industry
23/03/23
A survey by the motorcycle organisation FEMA has found that motorcyclists are most considerate commuters
Road Racing
22/03/23
Johnston has snapped up Glenn Iwin’s Honda Firblades for TT 2023, and will campaign them in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races
General
22/03/23
Fourgeaud was the man behind Mash Motorcycles and also SIMA which imported Royal Enfield, Moto Morini and Hyosung into France
Road Racing
21/03/23
The Finnish racer will compete in the Superbike, Superstock, and Senior TT Races on the Penz13.com M 1000 RR
General
21/03/23
Born into a motorsport family, the artist Rachael Clegg stars in the images which depict iconic moments from the history of motorsport
MotoGP
21/03/23
RNF Racing has launched its new era, with new CryptoData part-ownership, new motorcycles from Aprilia, and new riders in Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez.
Industry
21/03/23
Just a month after the EU effectively rubber-stamped the petrol ban, six European member states are back peddling in opposition to banning internal combustion cars and vans
General
21/03/23
The speed camera app could soon be capturing speeding motorists, recording dangerous driving and then sending the evidence on to the police
Industry
21/03/23
Energica and its parent company Ideanomics have teamed up with Phenix Air Corp and Pure Flight to develop all-electric light aircraft
First Ride
20/03/23
For the press test of the 2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4 S we headed to Spain and the Andalucía circuit
Road Racing
17/03/23
Rennie Scaysbrook will join Matthew Rees in the Wilson Craig team for the 2023 Isle of Man TT races
General
14/03/23
Coventry University has named its new Faculty of Engineering, Environment & Computing building after the motorcycle racer and engineer
Viral
14/03/23
The riding launch of the new 2023 Honda XL750 Transalp is done, and our verdict on the new ADV bike is in
New Bikes
14/03/23
Back for 2023, the KTM 1290 Super Duke RR boasts the same jacked-up performance as before, with a meaner, darker aesthetic
Road Racing
13/03/23
16-time Isle of Man TT winner Ian Hutchinson has revealed that he suffered a stroke while cycling and has thanked a BSB racer for saving his life
First Ride
13/03/23
This is a slightly different review than normal for Visordown, as we took the Ducati MIG-S E-MTB for a spin along some local trails
Viral
13/03/23
A Brazilian YouTuber and engineer has created a Honda CBF125F that relies solely on propellor power!