National Motorcycle Museum Live

from British Dealer News Oct 2022

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National Motorcycle Museum Live

There are two “Live” motorcycle events in Birmingham this autumn. Of course, there’s the usual Motorcycle Live motorcycle show at the NEC in November – but the nearby National Motorcycle Museum (NMM) is also hosting a Live event beforehand. Taking place over the weekend of the 29 and 30 October, NMM Live features a huge indoor trade area, live expert presentations on stage, and a series of top biking celebrities, hosted on stage by television’s Henry Cole. Ace specials builder Allen Millyard will join the likes of Steve Parrish, Peter Hickman, Steve Plater and loads of other stars. The museum’s enormous collection of bikes and memorabilia will be on show, of course, and there will be some very special machines fired up on the day – including Millyard’s incredible 500hp Dodge Viper V10 bike.

There’s even a raffle to win a unique classic bike: a 1958 BSA DBD34 Gold

Star.

The NMM has also acquired the latest piece of British motorcycle heritage: one of the new Anglo-Indian BSA Gold Star machines. The Legacy Edition of the new 650 single – currently selling as fast as the importer can bring them into the country – is on show in the inner foyer of the museum, where visitors can check it out, and register their interest in purchasing one.

For further event information visit www.nmm.co.uk.

BSA’s Gold Star Legacy Edition will be on display in the foyer for the event

Millyard’s 500bhp Dodge Viper V10 (Image: www.gunhillstudios.com)

Motul signs promotional partnership with Ace Cafe

French lubricants firm Motul has been confirming a slew of marketing tie-ups across the UK in recent months. And now it’s added the Ace Cafe on London’s North Circular to the line-up, with its distinctive red and white branding on show at the approaches to the popular biker meeting spot. The new partnership means that Motul will have a visible presence at many of the Ace Cafe’s events, with Motul staff regularly on hand to give advice.

“We are delighted to have joined forces with the Ace,” said Motul UK’s Callum Goodland. “It is such an emotive name and, like us, they share a deep passion for cars and bikes.”

“The new partnership marks the coming together of two great names in the motoring world,” remarked Ace Cafe owner Mark Wilsmore. “Like the Ace, Motul has a long and fascinating history.” 10 OCTOBER 2022 www.britishdealernews.co.uk

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BMW marks 50th anniversary of its famous Munich HQ

Next year will be BMW Motorrad’s 100th birthday: the firm produced its first bike, the R32 Boxer back in 1923. But 2022 is also an important landmark: it’s 50 years since the firm’s distinctive HQ building was opened in Munich. Its avant-garde style was right at the cutting edge when it was built in 1972, and it also used innovative construction methods and a ‘suspended’ engineering design. The floors were all built on the ground then jacked up a central tower shaft using hydraulics.

To mark the occasion BMW held a celebratory 50th birthday party with dancers, music and a host of architectural celebrities.

View from NMDA

THE MONTHS FLY PAST AND before you know it winter will be upon us. I’d say the motorcycle industry has fared pretty well in 2022. The price of fuel has probably helped the commuter market, although I am not hearing noises of people not going out on their bikes due to fuel costs. I’m not saying this isn’t happening in isolated cases, but it’s just not at the forefront of people’s minds.

I still hear people saying “I’m not bringing the bike for a service” or not collecting a new bike just because it’s raining. In Lancashire it rains a lot, but even here the reservoirs became beaches in August. We’ve had a really dry summer and good weather is probably the biggest driver for sales that exists – there is nothing like riding a motorbike on a hot, sunny day...

I really don’t envy Liz Truss. What a difficult job she has. From the outside, it seems as though politicians have little, honest, support from their inner circle. From the NMDA, we would like to wish her luck. We will of course, through the RMI, engage as much as possible with the government and influence policy on a whole host of issues from road pricing to vehicle testing and licensing legislation.

These are all issues that the incoming administration will have to deal with. The NMDA’s constant lobbying on the industry’s behalf provides a voice for dealers on these matters.

Our next committee meeting will be on 8 November. These meetings are informal, with a likeminded group of dealers, and they give a fantastic insight into the future and how different things are likely to affect our industry. Please come along. You are sure to be made most welcome.

For further detail see: www.rmif.co.uk/en/nmda Philip Youles, NMDA chairman