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
16/07/21
Ten dealer-built Honda CB650R custom motorbikes are being displayed on a dedicated website after Wheels and Waves gets cancelled
New Bikes
14/07/21
Triumph and high-end Swiss watchmaker Breitling have joined forces, with a limited edition watch and custom motorcycle arriving in early 2022
General
13/07/21
A historic French motorsport venue may have to close its doors, after 44 residents complained of excessive noise
New Bikes
13/07/21
The new Zero FXE electric motorcycle has 46bhp, 78lb-ft of torque, weighs 135kg, and is priced in the UK at £10,800
New Bikes
13/07/21
The Goodwood Festival of Speed saw the stunning Langen Two Stroke take to the hill, with Jenny Tinmouth at the helm
General
13/07/21
The Aprilia RS 660 has again confirmed it is a bike to reckoned with on track, after locking out the podium at Laguna Seca
General
13/07/21
The new Honda CMX 1100 Rebel has already been given the custom motorcycle treatment, with the French outfit FCR creating the Bobber and Sport customs
New Bikes
09/07/21
Yamaha has revamped its off-road racing range, with the all-new YZ125 and YZ125 Monster Energy Yamaha Racing Edition
General
08/07/21
We look at the Honda CB1000R against one of its closest competitors, the newly updated Suzuki GSX-S1000
New Bikes
08/07/21
The Thornton Hundred supercharged and nitrous-injected Triumph Bobber is a custom bike like no other
General
08/07/21
Seamless shift gearboxes have been around in MotoGP for over a decade now, and it could be about to hit production motorcycles
Road Test
07/07/21
After some chunky trips around mainland UK (thanks Covid!), we feel we are now in a position to talk about the Yamaha MT-09 and its comfort
New Bikes
07/07/21
The small-capacity sports bike onslaught continues this week, as the Aprilia GPR250R is launched in China
Industry
06/07/21
German motorcyclists took to the streets in their thousands at the weekend, as they battle riding bans, motorcycle-only speed limits and more!
General
06/07/21
The official MotoGP charity Two Wheels For Life has just a few days left to enter the Ultimate Adventure Bike charity prize draw
New Bikes
06/07/21
The Suzuki GSX-S750 is now available in white and fluro yellow option plus £500 off test ride incentive and low-rate finance
New Bikes
06/07/21
BMW is reported to be working on an A2 variant of its goliath cruiser tourer the R18
First Ride
05/07/21
THE Speed Twin has been a good seller for Triumph – they’ve shifted over 11,000 of them in the past three years, and they’re hoping to sell just as many of this new version.
New Bikes
05/07/21
Images have been published purporting to show what the incoming Aprilia Tuareg 660 adventure bike will look like
Industry
05/07/21
The EU Commissions has confirmed that vehicles intended specifically for motorsport will be excluded from mandatory insurance – VNUK
New Bikes
05/07/21
Triumph has launched a raft of deals across some of its most popular bikes, all just in time for summer
Top 10s
03/07/21
With MotoGP testing showing us some pre-season liveries, it got us thinking about the best non-MotoGP liveries of all time...
New Bikes
02/07/21
The production-ready Benda LFC700 inline four-cylinder cruiser has been officially released in China
New Bikes
02/07/21
Zero has released a teaser image for its next all-electric motorcycle and it’s a sporty looking thing called the FXE