About Us
About Mid Bike Crisis
Mid Bike Crisis was started by James — a lifelong bike nut, serial tinkerer and firm believer that owning one motorcycle is never quite enough.
What started as a YouTube channel documenting rides, reviews, projects and the occasional questionable purchasing decision has grown into a proper motorcycle community built around one simple idea: bikes should be enjoyed, talked about, worked on and, whenever possible, ridden properly.
James has a particular weakness for sports bikes, especially the machines many of us grew up lusting after in the 1990s and early 2000s. FireBlades, GSX-Rs, R1s, R6s and anything else that once appeared on a bedroom wall poster are very much his thing.
That obsession eventually led to the launch of MBC Motorcycles, focused on finding, preparing and selling interesting modern and future-classic motorcycles that James would genuinely be happy to own himself.
Away from the showroom, you’ll usually find him filming for YouTube, rebuilding something in the garage, learning to ride faster on track or planning the next completely unnecessary bike purchase.
Mid Bike Crisis isn’t about pretending to be the fastest rider, the greatest mechanic or the bloke who knows everything.
It’s about enjoying motorcycles, learning as you go and taking everyone along for the ride.
Welcome to Mid Bike Crisis.
The crisis is real.
The cure appears to be more motorcycles.
My Bikes
My Bike Collection
Like most bike collections, this one was never really planned.
It started with buying the bikes I loved, then buying the bikes I’d always wanted, and eventually buying the bikes I absolutely did not need but somehow managed to justify anyway.
My collection is a mix of modern superbikes, old-school sports bikes, track bikes and a few machines that simply have too much character to ignore.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the golden era of sports bikes — the late 1990s and early 2000s, when FireBlades, GSX-Rs and R1s were constantly battling for top spot and every new model seemed completely bonkers compared with the one before it.
Alongside the classics, I also love experiencing what the latest bikes can do, whether that’s riding something like the Honda FireBlade SP on the road, taking the R6 on track or heading off on a completely different kind of adventure.
Some bikes stay. Some get sold. Some arrive with absolutely no intention of staying and somehow become permanent residents.
That’s half the fun.
This page is where you’ll find the bikes currently in my garage, the stories behind them, the work I’ve done to them and, occasionally, the reason I convinced myself I needed another one.
Welcome to the collection.
Warning: contents may increase without notice. 😎
2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1
The original big-bore GSX-R and one of the bikes that helped define the superbike arms race of the early 2000s.
My K1 is exactly the sort of bike I love — raw, fast, mechanical and from an era before electronics started doing half the riding for you.
I’ve been steadily working through the bike and bringing it back up to the standard it deserves, including a complete overhaul of the braking system and plenty of those little jobs that come with owning a 20-plus-year-old superbike.
Even today, the performance is seriously impressive. It’s light, brutally quick and has that unmistakable old-school GSX-R character.
Proper analogue superbike. No rider modes required. 😎
2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP
A seriously special machine and one of the most outrageous road bikes I’ve owned.
The V4 SP combines superbike performance with upright comfort, carbon wheels, premium suspension and that unmistakable Ducati V4 soundtrack.
Ridiculously fast, beautifully built and completely unnecessary — which is exactly why I loved it.
2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille
One of the most characterful bikes in the collection and completely different to the Japanese superbikes sitting alongside it.
The RSV Mille’s 998cc V-twin gives it loads of torque, a fantastic soundtrack and that unmistakable old-school Italian personality.
Mine spent around nine years off the road before joining the collection, which made bringing it back to life part of the fun.
Italian, slightly eccentric and absolutely full of character.
2004 Yamaha R6 Track Bike
My dedicated track bike and probably the machine in the collection that gets ridden hardest.
Lightweight, sharp and absolutely at home on a circuit, the R6 has K-Tech fork springs, an Öhlins rear shock, quickshifter and a number of other track-focused upgrades.
It may not have litre-bike horsepower, but around a circuit it proves that outright power isn’t everything.
2002 Honda CBR954RR FireBlade
For me, one of the sweetest FireBlades Honda ever made.
The 954 is light, beautifully balanced and still fast enough to feel properly exciting today, while retaining that raw analogue feel that makes early-2000s sports bikes so special.
It sits right in that sweet spot between old-school simplicity and genuinely serious performance.
2000 Yamaha R1
One of the defining superbikes of its generation and a motorcycle that helped completely rewrite the sports-bike rulebook.
The early R1 combined low weight, huge power and aggressive styling in a package that seemed outrageous when it arrived.
More than 25 years later, it still feels special — and it still looks fantastic.
2004 Honda CBR1000RR FireBlade Repsol
The first-generation litre FireBlade in one of Honda’s most iconic colour schemes.
The Repsol paintwork makes it instantly recognisable, while the SC57 still delivers that brilliant combination of speed, stability and old-school superbike character.
It’s one of those bikes that looks just as good parked in the garage as it does being ridden.
2025 Honda CBR1000RR-R FireBlade SP
The modern weapon in the collection and a very different experience to the older superbikes.
With serious power, electronic suspension, Brembo brakes and a full suite of rider electronics, the FireBlade SP shows just how far superbikes have come.
It’s incredibly capable on the road, but get it onto a circuit and you really start to understand what Honda built it for.
Very, very fast — and considerably more talented than its owner. 😬
2026 iScooter
Yes, technically it’s not a motorcycle… but it lives in the garage, so it makes the list.
Perfect for getting around the paddock, nipping around locally and proving that not everything with two wheels needs 215 horsepower.
Although given half a chance, I’d probably modify this as well. 😂