Motorcycle
rider no. 94 summer 2021 £4.95
MUDLARK! | Tiffany Coates on riding the world | Saving lives with 125s | What’s on this Summer
PLUS
| Air vests tested | 50-year club racer | ABS for all
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Motorcycle
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2021 £4.95 no. 94 suMMer
! UDLonAridiRngK M the world s | Tiffany Coates h 125 | Saving lives wit Summer | What’s on this
CONTENTS
Plus
ted | 50-year
| Air vests tes
S for all
club racer | AB
Cover Picture: Tiffany Coates
MOTORCYCLE RIDER IS PUBLISHED BY THE BRITISH MOTORCYCLISTS FEDERATION (ENTERPRISES) LIMITED Motorcycle Rider Editor | Peter Henshaw - editor@bmf.co.uk Designer | Louise Hillier - design@bmf.co.uk Advertising | Sheonagh Ravensdale sheonagh.ravensdale@bmf.co.uk All BMF correspondence to: Helen Hancock, Administrator BMF, PO Box 9036, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 9BE Tel: 01162 795112 Mob: 07918 903 500 Email: admin@bmf.co.uk COPYRIGHT: All material published in motorcycle rider is the copyright of the BMF. Use may be freely made of it without permission on condition that any material used is credited “reproduced by permission of motorcycle rider, the BMF magazine”. The views of any contribution contained in motorcycle rider are not necessarily those of the editorial team or of the BMF. Chair | Jim Freeman Finance Director | Howard Anderson Member Services Director | Peter Laidlaw Political and Technical Services Director | Anna Zee Communications Director | Sheonagh Ravensdale National and One-Make Club Forum Chair | Stephen Davenport Administrator | Helen Hancock
NEWS 04 BMF News
Are electric bikes being short changed?
07 Events
National Road Rally is on!
FEATURES 12 Member Profile: Tiffany Coates
She passed her test and set off on an R80GS
30 Bikes for Good
How Médecins sans Frontières uses bikes to save lives
OPINION 11 Unreliable Sauce
4000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire...and the rest
RESOURCES 17 Airvests tested
Helite and In&Motion – which is the best bet?
18 Stronger Together
24 Thorneycrofts
20 India by Harley
32 Club Feature
How to push the cause of advanced riding
Across the sub-continent by Sportster & Street
27 Motorcycle Man
Dave Roper has been club racing for 50 years
28 Day Ride
This time – Leek and the edge of the Peaks
29 Affordable Classic
Why you might want a Hinckley Triumph
How to recoup post-crash losses The Blue Knights
33 BMF Benefits
10% off breakdown cover
34 Clubs List
Welcome to the latest BMF affiliates
35 AGM Time
Our AGM’s on the horizon – please be there
36 Down Your Way
BMF contacts for your area
www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk
27 Motorcycle R I D E R
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From the Chair
MAKING PROGRESS D
ear Fellow Rider reader, Welcome to the second edition of Motorcycle Rider, under new management, the first of which was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm by everybody. Long may it continue to bring a breath of fresh air to our members. We’re not really a ‘motorcycle’ magazine, more a ‘people’ magazine, in that we try to focus on our members, clubs or individuals, so if you’ve a story to share or tale to tell about your motorcycle life, we’re all ears. As I write, in the last week in May, we’re all waiting to be released from the restrictions of the last year, with no real idea of when that will be, or what that will mean. Today, the border with France has been shut, already UK travellers can’t go to Germany. I don’t think any touring holidays are very likely this year in Europe, so let’s leave it there. After last year, when lockdown coincided with glorious weather, this year hasn’t been exactly bike friendly, with the wettest spring in ages. Let’s hope that the rest of the summer makes up for that. To which end, we’re currently
planning to run the Dambuster Rally in August, details on page 7. This will be the first time since 2019, with suitable social distancing, naturally. We’ve recruited extra marshalls to help with the tent spacing and organisation, with a careful juggling of space to get the most out of what’s available. I know that the bands are raring to go, with Gazza Wilkes doing a great job setting that side up. I particularly want to thank the 117 people who bought tickets for last year’s event and opted to ‘roll them over’ instead of getting their money back. Please watch out for updates on Facebook and the website. Talking of events, we aim to run the AGM (details on page 35) at the regular date in October. Given that the AGM has to be run, we’ll be doing it like last year’s, on Zoom. That way we don’t have to worry about booking venues when things are still so uncertain. On the subject of Zoom, we are hoping to run a couple of meetings in September so that members can meet the BMF team, ask questions, bring up problems and have an open discussion. This follows on from the great success of the online meetings that we held in January this year, where we met new faces and old friends. If you’ve got an email address on our database, you’ll get an invite. While I’m thinking about invites, recently Anna Zee and myself have attended a couple of on-line club meets, where we’ve done a presentation with a Q&A afterwards. If your club would like us to do the same, contact myself or the office, we’d love to hear from you. I hope this issue hits the spot, I’m sure you’ll let us know! Personally, I can’t wait to read Mark Williams ‘Unreliable Sauce’, I wish I could come up with something as snappy. Stay safe, ride safe,
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blue Riband
Ride to a Standard
Improve your riding skills with the BMF’s Blue Riband Rider Award
I
n 90% of accidents, the main cause is human error. To maximise your chances of avoiding one, take the Blue Riband, which helps you improve your observation, planning and control. Good riders never stop learning – Blue Riband aims to help experienced riders improve their riding skills and get more out of their motorcycling. Blue Riband encourages you to think about why and what you are doing when riding. To be self-critical and able to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses.
How it Works
“All the training
staff I met were The Concentrated Blue Riband course is held over a day and a half. Day one very professional starts with a short classroom session and extremely on technique, followed by a full day of helpful, with assessment and demonstration rides. a wealth of Total distance is around 90 miles. The experience. day is broken down into sections with Well stops for roadside feedback. recommended.” If you have reached the required (Ian Paice) standard by the end of the day, you will undertake the Blue Riband assessment the following day or as soon as possible afterwards. The assesssment takes about an hour, after which you will receive a written report on your riding. The Standard course follows the same pattern, but the practical sections are broken down to be ridden on different days. • One-to-one tuition • Experienced BMF-certified instructors • Relaxed and friendly atmosphere • Pre-course reading list • Practical on-road tuition with stops for feedback • Choice of Standard or Concentrated courses • Written assessment with advice for further improvement • Locations throughout the UK • £250 all-in (Concentrated)
www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk Motorcycle R I D E R
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News NMC HITS THE GROUND RUNNING The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), which was launched on 5th March, has already started work. “The period since the launch has seen early impact and more political gains than expected,” said spokesman Craig Carey-Clinch. “Government officials themselves initiated early contact, which has had the effect of establishing the NMC as a consultative body.” The NMC is a joint venture between the BMF, MAG, the TRF, IAM and the ACU, to present a single voice for motorcycling to government. “Parliament has also offered support to the NMC,” added Craig Carey-Clinch. “MPs and Peers attended the launch and have been very positive since. We’ve also been well received by the All Party Parliamentary Motorcycle Group (APMG), which has agreed to support a number of activities in Parliament on behalf of the NMC.” Initial meetings have centred on the group’s call for a new Government Motorcycling Strategy, and government officials are said to have reacted positively to the idea. This would include: • Motorcycle access to bus lanes • Access to ULEZ/LEZ areas • Easing licence barriers for new riders • Driver education about PTWs • Protecting the use of older machines, on and off-road • Being part of the debate on future transport/ decarbonisation Outside Westminster, the NMC organised hustings for the London mayoral election, giving riders based in London and the south east the chance to quiz candidates or senior party figures. The Green Party and Animal Welfare Party were keen to engage ‘sustainable motorcycling’ within the transport policy debate, while both the Lib Dem and Conservative speakers spoke 4
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NMC wants to get more bums on seats
positively about motorcycling’s role in the capital. Meanwhile, the NMC responded to the DfT’s Future Transport Rural Strategy consultation, pointing out that motorcycles and scooters can play an important role in rural areas where walking and cycling is less of an option, but where lower wages make the lower running costs of a small machine more affordable than a car. The role of motorcycles as transport was not considered in the consultation and yet schemes such as Wheels 2 Work can address specific issues such as longer distances and lack of public transport.
Good Start “The NMC’s foundation has been welcomed,” said Craig CareyClinch, “sometimes strongly so, and it seems clear that key audiences also welcome the ‘combined voice’ approach on those shared issues we have identified. This is particularly apparent in dealings with Government and Parliament thus far. This is not the first time that motorcycling organisations have worked together, and the NMC has sent out a powerful message of unity on motorcycling issues.” www.uknmc.org
NEWS
Brexit could disrupt fly/ride holidays
HOLIDAY DISRUPTION? A loophole in the Brexit agreement between Britain and the EU could disrupt motorcycle holidays abroad. It could affect an increasingly popular form of biking holiday – shipping the bike to a sunny destination while the owner flies out to meet it. Several motorcycle travel and adventure businesses use this system and large numbers of bikes are shipped out in this way each year, before being shipped home again after the end of the holiday. There is nothing in the UK’s trade deal with the EU which covers this practice, leaving no option but to resort to international norms, which vary widely, with no established procedure for the channel ports as yet. The National Motorcyclists Council has been asked to look into this issue and has made contact with government and other interested parties to the problem. The NMC is reportedly working on a solution for when borders reopen for tourism. Bike shipping for competition, and events where the bike isn’t road registered, are unaffected, as these are already catered for under ATA Carnets, available via the ACU. Photo: Richard Barr
ULL LICENCE ELECTRICS REFUSED – PIC FULL LICENCE ELECTRICS REFUSED
Motorcyclists are being refused the opportunity to take their full A licence test on an electric motorcycle. The DVSA list of approved machines on which to take A1, A2 and A licence does include some Zero electrics which are approved for the A1 and A2 tests, but not the unrestricted A category. The full list is at www. gov.uk/motorcycle-test/motorcycles-mopeds-you-can-use BMF member Ryan Duffy discovered this when he decided to apply for his test. Twenty-eight-year-old Ryan, who lives in Redditch, has already passed his CBT on an electric bike and is keen to obtain a full licence. “I have no desire to ride a petrol bike,” he told the BMF, “and I can’t understand why I’m unable to take my test on an electric. I know that if I did I would only be eligible to ride an automatic bike, but that doesn’t bother me, because I only want to ride electric.”
You can take your test on a big petrol bike...... but not on a Zero SR/S
The DVSA criteria for A-class test machines specifies power of at least 50Kw and weight of at least 175kg. Several electric motorcycles meet both of these criteria, notably the Zero SR/F and SR/S, the Harley-Davidson Livewire and the Italian-made Energica. However, while petrol motorcycles are measured on peak power, electrics are measured on their continuous power rating, which is a lower figure – on that loophole, none of these bikes qualify, despite their real-world performance being similar to that of a 750cc petrol machine. We asked Mark Winn, Chief Driving Examiner at the DVSA to comment: MCR: Why are the Energica range and Zero SR/F and SR/S not eligible for an A licence test? Mark Winn: “All motorcycles used for test have to ride, perform and behave in the same way as most vehicles typically in that category. The electric motorcycles in the Energica range and Zero SR/F and SR/S models are classed as A2 vehicles due to the amount of useable power they produce and can sustain over a 30 minute period. If they were to produce more continuous power they could be used for the full category A test.” MCR: Why use peak power as the criteria for petrol motorcycles and continuous power for electrics? Mark Winn: “With electric motorcycles as the battery power drops, so does the power of the machine. Petrol engines do not suffer with this power depreciation on an average journey. This is why, for licensing and testing purposes, the power rating of electric motorcycles is decided by their continuous power and not their peak power. This means they have to be able to maintain their normal power performance over a 30 minute period, not just for a shorter time.” MCR: How does this fit in with the broader Government policy to encourage a transition to electric vehicles? Mark Winn: “The development of electric vehicles is something that DVSA has monitored and is keen to see grow. As such, we’ve made sure electric motorcycles can be used for the motorcycle Motorcycle R I D E R
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News test, providing they meet the same rules all vehicles in that category have to comply with.” Scott Edy, Business Development Manager of charging infrastructure company Virta has lobbied the Department for Transport on this issue. “It’s a crazy situation,” he told MCR, “and something that has generally been overlooked by everyone. I approached Grant Shapps and was referred to the DVLA, who passed me on to the office of Baroness Vere, which sent me back to the DVLA. They still didn’t get it.”
NEW APMG CHAIR Parliament’s All Party Motorcycle Group (APMG) has a new chair in Bill Wiggin MP, who is a strong advocate for motorcycling and in 2000 tabled an amendment to allow motorcycles into bus lanes. The APMG brings pro-motorcycling MPs and Peers from all political parties together to discuss and promote PTWs – it’s a well established part of the Westminster world, alongside other all-party groups. Former chair Chris Law MP becomes a vice chair, as does Fabian Hamilton MP, Ian Paisley MP and Lord Fairfax, representing the Conservatives, Labour, SNP and DUP.
MORE CLEAN AIR ZONES COMING At least 12 UK cities and large towns are planning to introduce Clean Air Zones (CAZ) either this year or in 2022. This follows the launch of a CAZ in Bath in March 2021, and in Birmingham on 1st June. Aimed at reducing urban pollution, CAZ areas charge petrol and diesel vehicles for entering the zone. Oxford launches its Zero Emission Zone trial in August, while the London ULEZ is expanding out to the North and South Circulars in October. Bristol is aiming to start its CAZ the same month, while Bradford, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside should follow later in the year. In 2022, we should see Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow open CAZs between February and May, followed by Greater Manchester and Liverpool. The precise rules vary – motorcycles are exempt in some zones, such as the Birmingham scheme, while in London exemption applies to classic bikes (more than 40 years old) or those meeting or bettering Euro 3 emissions limits. To check whether you need to pay, go to www.gov.uk/clean-air-zones for Bath and Birmingham, and tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle for London. The BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association) has a useful guide to CAZs - www.cleanairzones.co.uk 6
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ARE HELMET CAMS LEGAL? Vehicle mounted cameras – whether dash cams in cars or helmet/bodywork-mounted cams on bikes – are not legal in all EU countries. Ian Dobie, BMF member and President of The BMW Club, has done some research on their legality and came up with some surprising results. “The UK has a very relaxed view of in-vehicle recording equipment,” said Ian, “which has proved very worthwhile, providing vital evidence in some court cases. But things are different in the EU, where there is not a single common policy governing their use – some countries put stringent conditions on their use and some won’t allow it under any circumstances.” Ian’s research came up with the laws pertaining to dash cams in cars and vans, and it is highly likely they would apply to bike and helmet-mounted cameras as well. Legal In... Italy, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Malta, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina. Illegal In... Austria has a complete ban on ownership as well as use, as does Portugal. In Luxembourg you can own a cam, but can’t use it. Legal, with Conditions Belgium, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. “Whilst nothing is said about helmet-mounted cameras,” added Ian, “you need to consider taking precautions. Depending on the type of camera fitted it may simply be a case of removing it and putting it in your luggage. Discreetly mounted cameras such as the Innov K2 might be a lot more difficult to simply remove. Switching off the record mode is the next obvious solution, but may not be sufficient in countries where ownership and fitment is illegal. Whilst (cameras) have proved invaluable to many UK road users involved in road traffic collisions, unfortunately it appears that some European Countries don’t share the same rationality. The EU has no common policy, so frankly it is not worth the effort or risk.”
BMF New Website Live
Our new website – www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk – is now live. You’ll find all the same features as before – news, clubs section, consumer information and of course the BMF shop – but with a fresher look and snappier design.
NRR and Events
National Road Rally is On
3rd/4th July 2021 • • • •
(fingers crossed)
Ride solo or with a group 100 controls across the UK Open to any full-licence rider Full details at nationalroadrally.co.uk
A
s we went to press, the 2021 National Road Rally looked good to go. With uncertainty continuing over Covid restrictions, it will be a non-contact event with unattended controls and online entries and results system. If you haven’t registered yet – and you’re quick off the mark – there is still just time to sign up. Go to www.nationalroadrally. co.uk. But be quick – entries close midnight on 1st July. It costs £30 per rider and £10 pillion, no extra charge for team entries. If you’ve not ridden the National Road Rally before, try it. The list of controls is issued only 10 days before the start, leading to an online buzz of riders discussing routes. There’s an engaged community on Facebook and help is at always on hand for newbies… advice, road work news and of course banter.. For 2021 we have designed a fantastic snood available in two colourways charcoal and white logo https://py.pl/2KgKZM or pale grey and multi coloured logo https://py.pl/8Lx4vweqarD. Both available via NRR website and Facebook page. A further range of event merchandise is available on the BMF website https://www.totalclothingshop.co.uk/bmf www.nationalroadrally.co.uk All entries close midnight on Thursday 1st July.
OTHER EVENTS
Some events have a BMF stand* – come and say hello! Sent 2 Coventry 2021 16th-18th July https://www.facebook.com/events/570575543614052 Tortoise & Hare Run 18th July (pre-book) www.wellsclassicmotorcycleclub.weebly.com AONSC Little Rally 24th-25th July https://www.facebook.com/events/485487765906635 ACE Cafe Ladies Day 15th August website: https://london.acecafe.com/event/ladies-day-9am/ Adventure Travel Film Festival 13th-15th August https://www.adventuretravelfilmfestival.com/ *BMF Dambuster Rally 20th-22nd August https://www.facebook.com/events/256020332171916 *Women in Motorcycling exhibition 21st August https://www.facebook.com/events/286609978497919 Overland Event 2nd-5th September https://www.overlandevent.com 38th Loch Ness Rally 5th September https://www.facebook.com/events/863111674234837 *Manchester Show 11th-12th September https://www.manchesterbikeshow.com Copdock Bike Show 19th September https://www.facebook.com/events/1117120838685332 *Staffordshire Biker Breakfasts (various dates) https://www.facebook.com/StaffordshireBikersBreakfast Goldwing Light Parades (various dates) https://gwocgb.co.uk/ NB: Please check with organisers before setting out for an event. Motorcycle R I D E R
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Yamaha Nmax is an affordable scooter with ABS
ABS For All
Have scooter riders in south east Asia been short changed on safety? JOHN CHATTERTON-ROSS
Y
ou might not have heard of the FIM’s Road Safety Award. Established in 2010, and judged by independent experts, the first one went to the AIP Foundation in Vietnam for their work in providing motorcycle helmets for child passengers and affordable helmets for adults. Eight years later it went to the Safer Roads Foundation (SRF), a UK-based charity which I already knew spent vast sums of money fixing dangerous roads all over the world. SRF was recognised with the 2018 FIM award thanks to its successful campaign to get the law changed in India to make AHO (Automatic Headlights On) compulsory for all new motorcycles. You might think that this is no big deal, but you would be wrong. The idea of daytime lighting on motorcycles started in the 1970s in the USA. Thanks to the famous Hurt report it had become clear that perception errors by car drivers can lead to motorcycle casualties – daytime headlights help. 8
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The ACEM (Europe’s motorcycle industry association, which actually includes the Japanese big four) made AHO a voluntary commitment. Later the EU codified this into law, forcing the Chinese industry (not part of ACEM) to follow suit. Inexplicably, the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA), which includes ACEM members, decided not to bother with AHO for the rest of the world. This is where the SRF’s campaign came in, using evidence from ACEM to persuade the Indian authorities to force the domestic industry to make the change. AHO actually cuts manufacturing costs as it eliminates the on/off switch and a simple modification to the wiring loom ensures that the headlight bulb is not stressed every time the engine is started.
Why ABS Works
I met Michael Woodford, Executive Chairman of the SRF, a few years ago, and he explained how the charity spends money on safety related road improvements across the world. He gave an example from Phuket in Thailand, where one downhill bend had combined with a road surface in poor condition and inadequate signage to produce an accident black spot. The problem was the wall at the foot of the hill – riders would often end up hitting it,
a moped). In SE Asia many powered two-wheelers are of 70cc, 90cc, 110cc, 125cc (not so many of these), 150cc (very popular) and 160cc, all of which can reach speeds of well over 31mph. Honda’s Asian-built 110cc scooter has CBS only, not ABS, but can reach 62mph. Interestingly the Euro 4 regulations do allow for front wheel only fitment of ABS, and Honda has gone this route on the new retro look 125cc Cub and a budget 125cc scooter. For a small machine this set up works well. A graphic demonstration of just how well it works was provided at a demonstration in Malaysia using a Piaggio equipped with single channel front wheel ABS. A sheet of plastic was stretched across the test track and kept wet by the local fire service to make it super slippery. The Piaggio’s ABS could be turned off and a professional rider showed the difference of an emergency stop on a wet surface, with and without ABS. With anti-lock, the stop was safe. Without it, no rider could have kept control, and the stabiliser wheels were needed! Above: Scooters are ubiquitous in SE Asia Left: Mass production has cut the cost of ABS units – this is the Bosch single channel
often with fatal results. I saw some of the post-crash photos, and they were grim. The work instigated by the SRF was relatively straightforward. The road leading down to the bend was completely resurfaced, making it far less likely that a rider would lose control. Signage was improved and the wall protected. This example underlined the high casualty rate amongst twowheelers in South East Asia. One issue is the region’s climate. Heavy rain can arrive twice a day, or can last all day, washing away inadequate road surfaces, and these middle-income countries struggle to meet the cost of road maintenance. Anti-lock brakes on small motorcycles and scooters, which predominate in the region, would go a long way towards improving safety, and in my last two years working at FIM my colleagues on the Public Affairs Commission developed a policy of advocating the fitting of ABS to at least the front wheel of every powered two-wheeler capable of more than 31mph (ie, anything above
It’s Not Cost
So why is ABS not universal on small PTWs in SE Asia? The motorcycle industry argues that it costs too much, but this does not stand up to scrutiny. To buy a new 150cc Honda in Thailand costs about 60,000 Thai baht (about £1373 at the time of writing). The dealer gets a slender margin but even if you had the money, he would not be interested in selling the bike to you for cash. To make a living the dealer wants to sell all new stock on credit – most riders do not have the money upfront anyway, and cannot get a western style personal loan from a bank. Result? A credit agreement over 3-4 years backed by the manufacturer which costs another 60,000 baht in interest, effectively doubling the price! An FIM friend in the Philippines confirmed that financing is done in a similar way in his country, with the same high interest charges. Ironically, Thailand is a country with a skilled workforce of motorcycling technicians building all the main brands for domestic and export markets, the factories located in a special economic zone with tax breaks. That same workforce makes ABS-equipped bikes for the likes of you and me, but not for those workers (and other riders) who can only afford a 150cc scooter sold in a Thai dealership. Low-cost scooters with ABS are already in mass production. Take Yamaha’s N-Max, sourced from the Jianshe factory in Chongqing. It is built to the same quality as every other Yamaha – the company has had a co-operation with Jianshe for 35 years – and it can be had with ABS. Chongqing is in China so Yamaha is producing this scooter at even lower cost than the factories in Indonesia and Thailand where better wages are paid. SRF is campaigning for riders in south East Asia to get the safety benefits of ABS and AHO. Take a look at the SRF website and follow the links – and consider buying Michael Woodford’s book, which will help the charity. Continued on page 10
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As for SE Asia, if (once Covid is under control) if you ever get the chance to visit Thailand, then go. It’s a fascinating country.
Above: Bend in Phuket after modifications – grippier surface, warning sign and protection for the armco and solid wall beyond Left: The Piaggio demonstration – note plastic sheet and stabiliser
Safer Roads Foundation
Michael Woodford MBE, Executive Chairman of the SRF, is a remarkable man. He grew up in Liverpool and spent the next 30 years of his professional life working for Olympus, becoming President of the entire corporation, the first Western ‘salary-man’ to rise to the top of a Japanese giant, chronicled in his John Grisham-like best-selling book ‘Exposure’. After blowing the whistle on a $2 billion fraud at the company he had to flee Japan in fear of his life. Ever since, he has been actively involved in road safety, founding the SRF some 15 years ago. It is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the reduction of road casualties, not just in the UK and Europe but in numerous countries around the world. The Foundation’s work focuses on the implementation of engineering measures to improve safety at specific sites (accident black spots), and collaborating with governmental, NGOs and commercial organisations all over the world in the development of design standards affecting road safety. SRF also works to increase public awareness through education and promotion, working closely with government, road safety organisations and individuals with shared objectives. www.saferroadsfoundation.org
wheels!
John Chatterton-Ross
John joined the BMF aged 17 in 1969 and has been a member ever since. In the 1970s he served as local representative for NE London and Essex, later as a member of the BMF Board. He represented the BMF at the BSI dealing with helmet and visor standards, moving on to CEN (the European standards agency) when that became the focus. In the late 1980s the BMF was the first motorcycling organisation to conduct advocacy work in Brussels, and John was involved in work on the first Driving Licence Directive before going on to work in the FIM from 1990. After 17 years voluntary work at the FIM (and retiring from Thames Valley Police) he joined the staff, serving as Executive Secretary, International Affairs until 2020. Recently he was appointed as an honorary member of the FIM Commission for Public Affairs. John is now back in the voluntary sector as Head of Safety for Powered Two Wheelers at the SRF. “I still keep in touch with friends from the BMF of days long ago via Facebook,” he says. “There you will find me, Jeff Stone and many others. I hope to meet you online.”
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Casualty Rates Compared
SE Asia’s casualty rates are in stark contrast to those of Europe and the Americas, though there are big differences within the region. All these figures below refer to all road deaths, not just those on powered two-wheelers, but small motorcycles and scooters remain the dominant transport mode across the region, so they are a good indication. Country deaths per 100,000 of the population as a result of road traffic collisions in SE Asian countries compared to Europe:
Indonesia 36.1 Laos 67.5 Malaysia 29.8 South Korea 13 Thailand 60.2 Vietnam 55 Europe 9.3 Source: World Health Organisation 2015/2018
Unreliable Sauce / Mark Williams
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ROADS TO RUIN
ong, long ago in what now feels like a land far, far away I wrote a column for Bike magazine advocating trail bikes as the optimum urban transport. As were most of my oh-so wittily entitled Running Out Of Road columns back in the ‘70s, it was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek exhortation bemoaning that our city streets were pockmarked with potholes, puddles and sunken manholes that made progress on the sports bikes of the time a distinctly hazardous business. The point was of course that with their longer travel suspension and wire-spoked wheels, if you were riding a trailie through town at a decent clip you stood a better chance of not being spat off or cracking the base of your spine than on, say, a Honda CB750. But in those days trail bikes – and there weren’t too many of them – had little more progressive suspension movement than today’s run-of-the-mill middleweights and scooters which we supposedly regard as commuters. Fast forward five decades and at least judging by central London’s parking bays, trailies are positively commonplace amongst urban riders, underlining the sorry fact that the physical state of our roads hasn’t changed much since then. And what a sorry state of affairs it is that they’re still in such a sorry state. In fact I’d claim that if anything our roads are in a dangerous physical state, and not just in heavily-trafficked towns and cities where thanks to rogue utility companies and crumbling drainage systems, road works tend to be more frequent. Here in the Welsh Marches, for cash-strapped county councils road maintenance has become a lower priority just as education and healthcare have perforce become higher ones. I frequently have to make a round trip of just 16 miles to the next town along a B-road which would disgrace many developing countries thanks to literally hundreds of potholes, deep linear crevices and sunken or raised drain covers. Taking this up with the relevant council, I was referred to its Highway Maintenance Plan, which proved similar to those of other local councils, a dense, 70-page document full of reassuring intentions, e.g. to set out a ‘reasonable system of inspection and repair… to ensure that it meets its duty to maintain all publiclymaintainable highways for which the Council is the highway authority.’ However those undertakings plainly aren’t being executed in practice and when duly approached, the three councils that border our little town all refused to comment other than to re-direct me to the commercial companies they’ve charged with responsibility for maintenance and repair who so far have refused to comment. Anecdotally, and evidentially, these companies prefer to simply occasionally re-surface a few hundred yards of easily treatable, not necessarily badly pot-holed tarmac rather than individually
repair thousands of holes. Sometimes as a meaningless sop to outraged council tax payers a contractor will spray white paint around a particularly bad pothole that’s been reported to them by one means or another, but often no further action is taken and the damage worsens, or the hole will eventually be filled in but usually in a cheap, makeshift fashion that doesn’t stand the test of time. But equally infuriating is the fact that the repairer will ignore many other, equally damaging or dangerous holes in the immediate vicinity simply because they don’t have a ring of white paint around them! Suitably angered by such ravaged road surfaces and having had little joy from local councils, I’ve contacted FixMyStreet (www. fixmystreet.com) – often attaching photos of the worst offenders – who offer a simple reporting procedure which is communicated with the relevant council. And in association with FixMyStreet, the RAC (www.rac.co.uk) also provides such a service and offers help claiming against councils for vehicle damage – currently running at over £17 million nationwide! So I’m lucky not to’ve come a cropper nor damaged the road bikes I now ride along the Queen’s knackered highways. But both I and two of my immediate neighbours have suffered broken suspensions in the cars we drive hereabouts which at several hundred quid a pop to repair is pretty outrageous and potentially lethal. So I shall carry on reporting and complaining more and more vociferously, although I seriously fear that until people start getting killed or suing them for suspension repairs, local governments won’t take a blind bit of notice. And in the meantime, it’s probably time to get another trail bike. Check out Williams’ archived rantings at www.runningoutofroad.uk Motorcycle R I D E R
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MEMBER Profile
Two-Up with Thelma Cornish BMF rep Tiffany Coates is one of the world’s top overlanders – what makes her tick?
“I
’ve always been a traveller, since I was a teenager doing a lot of backpacking – my parents brought us up to be independent. The motorcycle thing started after I hitchhiked to Istanbul, which opened my eyes to how much ground you could travel with your own transport. My friend Becky and I had already decided to travel to India, and she suggested going by bike. Neither of us had a licence, and neither had even ridden a bike before. “We went out, did five days of training on 125s and both passed first time – it took me three attempts to pass my car test. To save money we decided to ride two-up, which would be simpler as well as cheaper. As we were both at the same skill level we were happy to share the riding, but it was a bit of a trust exercise as we both lacked experience! “As for a bike, we asked around and the consensus was that an Africa Twin would be too tall while a BMW R80 or R100 GS would be big and heavy, but would be great two-up, would take all our camping gear and be good on rough terrain. A mechanic friend of ours pointed us towards an R80GS he knew of – five years old, 23,000 miles on the clock and solid. We bought it, christened her Thelma, and I still have her. In fact she’s the only vehicle I’ve ever owned, as I’ve never had a car. “Two months later we set off, and it turned out we had bitten off more than we could chew. Thelma certainly was big and heavy, as well as tall, and we dropped her at low-speed several times in the early days. Low speed manoeuvring was the difficult thing, especially two-up with luggage. We never realised it was more
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Motorcycle R I D E R
Mongolia and my slightly stunned face after a dramatic off
difficult riding two-up than solo because that’s what we did from the start. Nor did we have much experience of bike mechanics, just a couple of days in the workshop with a friend before we set off. “Originally I planned to be away 8-9 months, and was a bit wary about taking a vehicle, because it meant more responsibility and the possibility of breakdowns, theft, all sorts of things. But in the event it was great and having Thelma enhanced the trip because she gave us complete independence to go wherever we wanted. To save money, we wild camped as much as possible, but again that was one of the advantages of a bike.”
Above: Giving rides to the locals as a thank you for giving me a bed for the night Below: Hitching a ride across the lake for me and my Royal Enfield Bullet - Kashmir, India
Avenue de Baobabs, Madagascar
Long Way Home
“Despite all the misgivings, we made it to India and it had been the best adventure ever, with lots of laughs on the way. There were some low points as well, including one serious breakdown, but it had been such good fun we decided to carry on to Australia. This was pre-internet, so to find a shipping agent meant going to the docks and asking around. We shipped Thelma to Thailand, rode down through south east Asia then shipped to Perth before riding across Australia to Sydney. “By this time we were almost broke, so we worked in Sydney for a while, saving up enough to go home. We also realised that usually people budget their trips properly so that the return fare is included! We were planning to ship Thelma all the way home, but it felt a bit like cheating... Then we looked at a map, saw Africa and decided to ride all the way back. Then Becky met the man of her dreams, a British guy who was about to go home, and decided to duck out. “So I was on my own, but it never occurred to me to give up and just ship Thelma home. One of the crucial points was that I now knew how to pick her up on my own. If things go wrong you have to be able to pick the bike up without any help. “Then I met Maggie, who was willing to ride back to the UK through Africa. That was great, except that she didn’t have much riding experience, so sometimes it was quite scary on the back, especially when facing two lorries coming towards us side by side, expecting the bike to just get out the way. But we survived, and Africa was great – it’s the friendliest continent, without a doubt.
“I wanted to get home before Christmas, and rode back through France on my own. By this time Thelma had a starting problem, but I made it to the ferry. When I tried starting her there was a horrendous engine noise, so I had to get towed onto the ferry by another bike, and towed off at Dover. I caught the train home and joined the RAC. I had been away two and a half years. “I’ve never found it hard to slot back into normal life after a trip, though I know some overlanders do, because it can be a difficult adjustment to make. It’s probably because I did a lot of backpacking before I started overland, so I’d done all that before, slotting back into the nine to five. It is weird though, because these amazing trips change you as a person, then you come back, and at home nothing has changed.”
Guided Tours
Back in England, Tiffany went back to her day job as a youth worker, but overlanding became part of her life, as did the sideline of leading tour groups. “I’ve been leading tours for over ten years, and it started out by accident. I was planning a ride to Timbuktu and various people said they wanted to come too. One by one they dropped out, but two guys, neither of whom had done a big bike trip before, set off with me. The bonus was that one was a qualified doctor, and without planning to, I had my first taste of guiding newbies. “Globebusters offered me the fantastic role of guiding their three-month London-Beijing expedition. A challenge I was more than ready for and an experience that once more changed my Motorcycle R I D E R
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Above: Dodging people on a bridge in India Above right: Ultimate fesh fesh (bull dust) in Tibet Below: The third fastest female dirt rider in India (Guy Martin won the men’s race the year before)
world. Introducing other riders to the thrill and adventure of overland travel on two wheels.. “Globebusters doesn’t insist that everyone rides together – they all get the route each day and it’s ‘see you at the hotel tonight,’ so they can ride solo or in small groups at their own pace. I found that some riders would want to ride with me in the early days of the trip, but as they gained confidence they’d start going off on their own. Once they’ve done that, I feel that I’m doing my job. For a lot of people doing a trip like this is way out of their comfort zone, so they need that reassurance. There’s a lot of job satisfaction at the end of a trip. “People say, ‘I just want to do this one trip to get it out of my system.’ (Laughs). There is no such thing! Overlanding is very addictive and once you’ve done a big trip, most people just want to get on with the next one.” 14
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Women Only
“I’ve always led mixed tours, in which 95% of the clientele were men, sometimes 100%, but all the men I’ve spoken to prefer it if there’s at least one woman in the mix because it changes the dynamic within a group for the better. Other tour leaders have found the same thing. “As for women-only tours, it’s all about confidence building. Men sometimes take stupid risks while women tend to be more risk averse, but sometimes in life you have to take that risk to gain an experience. I think stepping out of the comfort zone allows you to really grow as a person, and find that you can do things you thought you weren’t capable of. “Some women I know have had bad experiences riding with male groups, so it still goes on. Having said that, I did an womenonly off-road riding course where the instructors (who included Simon Pavey) were all men, and they were great, giving just the right level of support, very encouraging. The all-women trips I’ve led are very supportive, helping each other. “It is unusual to be a woman on a bike, even in this country, so you always get a double take. It’s quite funny whenever I visit Lands End, because I only live down the road but everyone assumes I’ve ridden a long way to get there, ‘Wow, you’re a woman – how far have you come?’ “There are downsides to travelling as a woman, like being propositioned at remote border crossings, or when just trying to get a hotel room. The answer is to project confidence, even if you are just walking down the street, and you are less likely to be targeted. Often it’s a fine line between being clear and not offending someone. “On the other hand it can be a real advantage, because once people realise you are a woman it reduces the chance of confrontation. Bikers riding into some remote village can seem like aliens – the villagers might never have seen a big machine
before, or someone wearing all the gear. But take your helmet off, and when they see you’re a woman, people often relax and you get a better welcome. For me there are more pluses than minuses.”
Breakdowns
“I’ve had plenty of breakdowns, but that’s the good thing about riding an older bike. If you can’t get the proper part, local mechanics can often make or adapt something. Thelma has run with spares from Toyotas, Mazdas, and some Russian car whose name I can’t pronounce. “One of the most challenging breakdowns was having a battery blow up in Mauritania. I was riding a borrowed 650cc BMW and had to replace the chain. A German guy we met said, ‘No problem, I can cut the old one off with my angle grinder!’ He was grinding away, sparks flying everywhere, and one of them happened to fly into the battery’s breather tube and ignited it, destroying the battery. “A battery bought at the local market was useless, wouldn’t take a charge, and I considered buying two six-volt batteries and wiring them in series, or somehow mounting a car battery. Then my friends (Louise Hillier, designer of Motorcycle Rider - Ed) and Gary turned up. Gary had some WonderWeld glue and we managed to glue the blown-up battery casing back together. I had to put a sanitary towel under the battery because it was leaking, but it worked. I’m always on the lookout for odd bits of wire and things, which come in useful for roadside repairs.”
Post Covid
“I think Covid has changed some things forever, because there will always be that increased fear of disease. Sadly I’ve also noticed more xenophobia since Covid – south east Asian friends in the UK and European friends travelling in South America have been
Top: Riding across the grasslands of Kansas Above: Thelma’s refurb is now complete – ready for the next big trip (Photo: Craig Carey-Clinch)
facing blame for Covid. Many places were more accessible than ever before Covid, which has all changed, though I think that’s a double-edged sword – the road on either side of the Sahara for example has been tarmac’d now, and I think that’s a mixed blessing. After Covid, we will be able to travel again, but we’ll have to go more cautiously. “There are lots of places I still want to go to. On Thelma’s topbox there’s a map of the world showing all the places I’ve been but there are still plenty more to fill in – I call it joining the dots. In Africa, that means joining the dots between Mali in the north west to Angola where they wouldn’t let us through last time. So there are plenty of unseen places I want to visit – every single country I’ve been to, I want to go back to.” Thelma the R80GS (recently refurbished by Craig Carey-Clinch and Max Jowett at Traveldri Prep) is still Tiffany’s sole transport, now with over 227,000 miles on the clock. “I can’t picture myself ever selling her – when I’m too old to hold her upright I’ll buy a sidecar.” Motorcycle R I D E R
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Motorcycle R I D E R
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Life Savers? Two alternative airbag vests Words and Pics: Pete and Janet Laidlaw
A
few years ago, airbag vests were almost unheard of. If you can remember the 1970s it’s the sort of thing that would come up in an Ogri cartoon, portrayed as the latest crazy idea from TRL. But these wearable airbags for bikers are now well established and there’s quite a bit of choice. They’re not cheap, with prices starting at around £400 plus servicing/updates, but what are they like to live with? We asked BMF life members Pete and Janet Laidlaw.
Helite Vest - Pete
I have used the Helite for several years and ridden thousands of miles with it. I tried one out at a Manchester show and was given a demonstration, with a sharp tug on the lanyard leaving me comfortably set rigid and supported fully from neck to pelvis. The vest does deflate slowly after a short time so normal movement is restored. It works via a lanyard on the bike, which you clip the vest to once on board. The system is simple and mechanical, so there’s very little to go wrong. The vest fits over the outside of your jacket and is comfortable although you are aware of the extra outer layer but also that there is an extra protection. People often ask what happens if you forget to unclip the lanyard when getting off the bike to park or fill up? Well, nothing really because there needs to be a strong pull of
around 15kg to set the vest off – I can vouch for that, having tried to dismount several times without unclipping first and just felt a small tug to remind me. On the other hand I have sometimes set off forgetting to clip on the lanyard, and then it is almost impossible to clip on without stopping. It’s useful to compare my Helite with Janet’s In&Motion (see below) but personally I prefer the simple mechanics of the Helite rather than electronics.
In&Motion Vest - Janet
I have used an In&Motion vest for two years. It is very light and flexible compared to the Helite, designed to be worn underneath a motorcycle jacket which must give at least 13cm when fully stretched. It is not waterproof but in normal use my jacket or waterproofs keep it dry. In cold weather it keeps me warm and I only need a thin Merino wool jumper underneath but it’s not too hot in warm weather either. It has also kept remarkably clean. The big plus is that it doesn’t need to be physically attached to the bike though it is more expensive to buy and operate via subscription to the app and regular updates. The battery life is exceptional and very quick to top up via a normal USB connector because the small inflator unit removes from the jacket for charging and clips back in securely with a green light showing that it is connected and ready to go. I’ve found the In&Motion to be a very accessible and user-friendly system which works for me. The French maker is also very easy to contact and has easy to follow product information and advice via the app, website, Facebook & Twitter. Motorcycle R I D E R
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Stronger Together In Derbyshire, the Police and the Fire Service are co-operating to deliver a vital message, with help from Pidcock Motorcycles and a Zero - James Dempsey explains
S
ince launching in 2019 the UpRight scheme has grown through the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. The brainchild of an active duty police officer, it was a direct response to the number of motorcycle fatalities and serious accidents in Derbyshire and the surrounding counties. The message wasn’t new, encouraging bikers to become better riders by focusing on their attitude to riding, having appropriate clothing and taking advanced rider training. The difference was an emphasis on education rather than penalising poor performance. It’s a fine line – get too preachy about road safety and some bikers switch off; take it too softly softly and we don’t listen. It has paid off, with the UpRight team getting out and about to motorcycle dealerships, biker destinations like Matlock Bath and spreading the “right attitude, right knowledge, right kit” message. It became clear that although subtly different from the established Biker Down (run by Derbyshire Fire Service), the Upright scheme is complementary to it. The two respective services decided to collaborate and deliver both schemes together. So far, Derbyshire is the only county where both the Fire Service and Police are working hand in hand to reduce motorcycle deaths and improve road safety.
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Ice Breaker
When Tom Rowland was getting UpRight off the ground, he approached Pidcock Motorcycles for a chat. We were happy to be asked because we wanted to support the scheme. Take wearing the correct kit – a badly fitting £1,000 carbon fibre helmet is no safer than a correctly fitted £200 helmet. Anything we could do to get that message across was definitely worth getting involved in. We are already fervent supporters of Derbyshire Blood Bikes, and this was another way in which we could give back to the community. Since the correct kit is a core message of UpRight, we donated a set of RST clothing plus AGV helmet to help illustrate the importance of the right kit – a dry, comfortable rider is a safe rider. Anyone who signed up to undergo training was in with a chance of winning the whole lot, and the competition created a great amount of interest in the scheme. We also decided to donate a motorcycle for the team to use, and have done so every year since. As bikes would be accompanying the UpRight team on events we provided unusual machines that would stand out and provide an opportunity for the team to break the ice with the public – a BMW café racer was followed by a GS urban and now a Zero DS,
all with eye catching graphics. Zero is the newest addition to Pidcock’s portfolio, so it was the natural choice. The 11Kw DS provides plenty of acceleration, and every member of the team who has ridden the DS has so far been pleasantly surprised, enjoying the experience immensely. With local authorities, emergency services and the general public becoming more interested in the viability of electric vehicles the plan was to put the bike out there by placing it with an unbiased user – the public could ask questions and receive genuine answers. As the UpRight team have all ridden the DS, they can quote from real experience. So far, public reaction has been positive and the DS has taken to its role as ice breaker with aplomb. The public appears to be becoming more positive towards electric vehicles and increased offerings from mainstream manufacturers have helped as well. Electric cars have almost become commonplace, and this will surely pass on to motorcycles. And as we’ve found, an electric motorcycle can be a good ambassador for better riding.
Tom Rowlands - UpRight Co-Ordinator
With 16 years of experience in policing, Tom started UpRight out of a passion for road safety and a burning desire to reduce road accidents and fatalities within Derbyshire and the surrounding counties. He is also part of the Biker Down training team, and his experience adds credibility to the training programme. Tom is a police biker, and currently rides a BMW S1000R.
Matt Bill – Biker Down Co-Ordinator
Matt has 27 years of experience in the Fire Service, recently took over Biker Down training, and under his leadership it has grown from strength to strength. Matt is responsible for arranging all aspects of Biker Down training, updating the current syllabus and arranging training venues. He also attends every UpRight event. Matt currently rides a Triumph Scrambler, and has passed his advanced motorcycle training with a F1RST from IAM.
The Dealer’s View
James Dempsey describes life as a Zero dealer
“Zero takes a refreshing and different approach to its dealers. The old prescriptive way of doing things has been replaced by a more dealer focused approach. “Getting riders to actually test ride the bikes is a good example, rather than just concentrate on sales figures – the idea is to get potential customers onto a bike, and the sales will follow. “Electric motorcycles really do need to be ridden to appreciate them fully, something underlined by the range of customers we’ve had. There are early adopters, now trading in their first electric motorcycle for a new model. Others are commuters who appreciate the money saving benefits of going electric. Then somewhere in the middle is the customer that wants to try an electric bike but is tied to a ‘safer’ (ie more familiar) conventional machine. “I really didn’t want to like it,” is the common response on returning from a test ride, “but it’s brilliant – I love it!” What the UK does need to do is improve the charging infrastructure to encourage more and more riders to make the switch.
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BIG RIDE
South India by Harley Aren’t Royal Enfields compulsory in India? Not when you’ve got a Harley Sportster and Street 750
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Words & Photography: Pat Thomson and Sheonagh Ravensdale
ever in our wildest dreams did we imagine we would be touring India on a couple of Harleys, a then-new Street 750 and an 883 Sportster. Nor, after Sheonagh’s last trip (Rajdoot 350 in 1987) did she envisage cruising easily and comfortably on excellent highways at 75mph and more. In Europe Sheonagh normally rides a Suzuki Bandit 600 and Pat a CBR600, so our rides are very different, but when HD India and BIKE INDIA magazine offered us two new bikes, we jumped at the chance.
Above: Shiny Harleys, ready to set out from Pune
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Indian traffic is somewhat challenging to say the least and we started out nervously in the late December morning rush through Pune onto Highway 4. We took the tunnel that carved through the first ghat, surprised by totally unlit vehicles in the tunnel and those that put their hazards on and honk their way through. The highway beyond was busy most of the way to Kolhapur and we soon learned to undertake the lorries hogging the outside lane, but had to watch out for bullying cars that squeezed into any available gap. Still, the surface was excellent and the V-twins lapped up the kilometres easily and very comfortably. The Street has negligible vibration and handles remarkably like the Japanese bikes we are used to, plus the ability to accelerate quickly to get out of trouble. After Kolhapur, traffic eased off and we could start to appreciate the changing countryside scenes. Women walked down the side of the road with bundles of firewood on their heads; cartload after cartload piled high with sugar cane slowly made their way, and we were surprised to see a couple of them coming towards us in the outside lane of our carriageway.... Speedbumps infest the villages and small towns along the way and however slowly we rode over them, the Harleys ground all too often. After an overnight stop in Belgaum (nice safe underground garage for the bikes at Sai Sangam Int’l Hotel), we pressed on to Hampi. Palm trees lined the approach road to town and after
Pat strikes a
Above left:
pose, sunset
Lotus Mahal,
at Hampi
Hampi Above: Hampi boulders are some of the oldest exposed rocks on earth Right: Chillis drying by the road to Hampi
some initial confusion we found our cozy hostel Ranjani in a quiet corner of the bazaar, and got a great welcome from the family which owns it. Bike parking was outside, but we put the Harry Potter invisibility cloaks on them and they disappeared from prying eyes – just simple bike covers! We spent New Year’s Day visiting the main temple sights with our rickshaw driver Jilan who was also a knowledgeable guide. Hundreds of children shouted Happy New Year, demanded to shake our hands and wanted their photos taken with us. We loved the festive saris worn by many of the women; the splashes of colour contrasted beautifully against the sandy-coloured buildings. A massive amount of archaeological restoration has been done since Sheonagh was here in 1987 and Hampi is deservedly a World Heritage Site. First mentioned in the Ramayana as Kishkinda, home of the monkey gods, in the 14th century Hampi became the Telegu capital Vijayanagar. Within 200 years it had a population of half a million and was one of the largest Hindu empires in Indian history. Its location in a boulder-strewn landscape is unique. With its large temples and intricate carvings in impressive courtyards, bath houses for queens, secret underground meeting
places, tiered water tanks, small temples perched on rocks or tucked into crevices and of course the famous Elephant Stables and Stone Chariot, you could spend days wandering round the 45 square km of the city.
Bikerni Women
We needed a chillout day after this and climbed onto a small, crammed ferryboat which wobbled precariously, engine stuttering, across the river before we settled down in the Ooh La La Cafe for lunch. Motorcycle R I D E R
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Left: Ever seen a temple with wheels? This represents Vishnu’s chariot Above: Chandikeshvar Temple, Hampi Below: left: Bengaluru Bikerni bike club got up at 5.30am for a ride out Below: Cool roadside chai stops were welcome
Suddenly we heard a Tiger roar... it was Junaid from local bike shop Art of Motorcycles on his new Triumph, come to visit his Nepalese biker friend who owns the cafe. We were staggered to hear the OTR cost of the Tiger – 17.5 lakhs (about £19,000), or double what you would pay in England. We spent a wonderful afternoon with him, swapping biking tales of adventures in different parts of the world. Amongst other things, Junaid has a fleet of 53 Enfields and organises group trips to the Himalayas. Finally we tore ourselves away and hopped into a woven coracle, back across the river. We were keen to meet up with the Bangalore Bikerni girls, an all-women bike club and on Junaid’s suggestion we rode to Tumkur to meet them there. The 30-mile stretch of main road south from Hospet, until we reached the highway, was slow, bumpy and very busy with extra wide loads (wind turbine parts) crawling towards us. We could see wind farms on all the hills, and more are obviously planned. When we hit the highway it was a good road and a fast ride down to Tumkur, where Junaid’s cousin Majid met us and led us to the hotel they had booked (and paid) for us. Early next morning we heard the sound of bikes and hurried downstairs to meet the Bikerni girls who had met up at 5.30am to ride up to meet us. We compared riding gear. The girls said it 22
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is impossible to find proper riding trousers in India – a business opportunity here for somebody? We had a great time chatting, and most of them were barely born when Sheonagh last rode round India! They are all passionate about bikes and were on Bullets, an Avenger (220cc custom bike) and a Yamaha R15 (like an R1, but 155cc). Reena had her 16-year old daughter on the back, while Viksha cannot wait to be allowed to ride a proper bike! After breakfast (Pat’s first idlis and wadas) the Bikerni rode with us, bypassing Bengaluru, and set us on the right road towards Chennai. It was great to meet such a feisty, enthusiastic group of female riders. Later that day there were long stretches with a good surface and not much traffic but we saw three accidents, one of them a rickshaw which had rolled right over. Few people take notice of such signs as ‘Traffic Violators are Accident Makers,’ and, ‘Safe Driving is like Breathing... Don’t Stop It!’ Into Vellore and the maelstrom of a major Muslim festival, Miladi Nabi. Throngs of women and excited children crowded the pavements and the park around the town’s ancient fort. Loud music from every direction filled the air and snarled-up traffic hooted madly. We sought refuge from the noise and the crowds with a walk along the ramparts of the massive 16th century Vijayanagar Fort, surrounded by a moat.
The Bikes: Harley 883 Iron & Street 750
Above: Navigation by iPad and committee Below: Some crops are left to dry on the road – And we complain about tractors...
Heading back through the crowds, we witnessed a tiny tragedy. Up on a hoarding above us monkeys ran back and forth gibbering and pointing. We looked at the road and there was a smashed up monkey lying in a pool of blood. One monkey looked straight at us and uttered a reproachful cry. I felt bad we didn’t have gloves to bring their dead companion out of the road, but we would have been run over ourselves if we had tried. Hotel Darling Residency in Vellore has safe, guarded parking at the back, but we disc-locked the bikes and put the covers on anyway. It also has an excellent restaurant on the roof which was so breezy no fans were needed. Perhaps we should also introduce ourselves at this point? Both of us have been riding for over 40 years and clocked up riding in over 45 countries on a variety of bikes. Even in hot countries we always wear protective clothing, in this case Shoei helmets, a mix of Hein Gericke and Gialli jackets/trousers and Altberg boots. Pat is a retired underwater acoustics research scientist, so she concentrates on the technical details, checks the bikes over and does the navigation. Sheonagh was a professional conference organiser, so she sorts the admin on the road, finds the hotels and chats to everybody! Sheonagh Ravensdale is Acting Communications Director for the BMF. She and Pat rode on through India to Kanyakumari at the southern tip then up through the Nilgiris to Goa to speak at India Bike Week. To read part 2 of this article, email Sheonagh at: sheonagh.ravensdale@bmf.co.uk
So what about the bikes? Of the two, the 883 Iron attracted most attention on Indian streets. People loved the blingy appearance, the bronze metallic colour and shiny chrome pipes. The more discreet and conventional black Street 750, with a less distinctively Harley exhaust note didn’t garner as much attention, but when people were told it was built in India, they got very excited! The next question (after ‘photo please’) was how much they cost, rapidly followed by the fuel consumption. Both bikes gave similar figures, with the 883 fractionally more economical (though this may be down to riding style) at 70mpg – the 750 gave 67mpg. On highways and clear roads, we were getting around 80mpg, down to as low as 55mpg in heavy slow traffic. The 883 has a relatively small tank at 12 litres, but this should stilll give you a range of 120 miles. Riding such large heavy machines as the Harleys after buzzing around on lightweight 150s makes you very conscious of how much you use counter steering to swing them around. The 883 had quite noticeable vibration at 3000rpm (about 60mph in 5th gear) making the hands go fuzzy and mirrors blurry. Riding through some very rough diversions with loose surfaces at roadworks, both bikes rode well and felt very stable. The gound clearance on both bikes necessitate great care when tackling speed bumps, and ladies, if you want to ride a Harley on Indian roads, we suggest you also invest in a good quality sports bra! We weren’t impressed by the maintenance regime, as it wasn’t easy to find basic information such as tyre pressures, what oil to use and how to do coolant level checks on the 750 – there was no owners’ manual on the bikes, or even a basic toolkit. We attempted to find the information from the HD website but all we could get were twiddling icons. Finally, luggage. We prefer soft luggage, and after a trip through South America acquired the nickname ‘dusty old bags’, because that’s what our luggage was carried in! We also like to travel with more than just a change of underwear and a credit card. For this trip, we had been intending to just strap a small soft bag onto the back of each bike, and this was the solution for the 883, though it wasn’t possible to fit a tank bag. It fitted well, even though there was no pillion seat. For the 750, we were loaned an excellent set of Vaterra panniers that fitted well over the pillion seat plus a good size tank bag. This article was originally published 2016 in BIKE INDIA magazine, which arranged the loan of the two Harleys.
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Making a Claim Thorneycroft – the BMF’s Legal Line Solicitors – explain losses, and how to recoup them after an accident
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Words: Mary Lomas Picture: Thorneycroft Supersport rider Chris Bradley (Essence Photography)
one of us like to think about it, but accidents can happen and when it’s not your fault, what happens next? You can pursue a claim against the other party, but remember you don’t have to use the solicitor put forward by your insurance company. A specialist motorcycle solicitor will be able to give specialist help. Your claim, which the solicitor will put together, will consist of your injury, immediate financial losses, and future financial losses. In basic terms, who is responsible will be considered, your injury will be investigated, and your financial losses will be quantified. First of all, whose fault was it? Statements will be obtained, the police report requested, CCTV and dash/helmet cam footage obtained if possible. It may be that the defendant admits liability, which makes everything more straightforward. Quite often the defendant’s insurers will investigate, especially if a motorcyclist is involved, to see if there is any scope to wriggle out of responsibility. In particular speed and dangerous manoeuvres will be considered, which is a topic for another article in itself. If you are injured, you may need additional treatment to that provided by the NHS, and sometimes this can be agreed while the liability investigations are ongoing. You need to continue with the NHS treatment in any event. A medical expert will be instructed to prepare a report on your injury, and this could involve more than one expert, but careful consideration should be
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given as to who is instructed – your claim will be valued on the basis of the injuries and the prognosis given by the expert. It can be several months before you are examined as most experts want to see how your recovery progresses before they comment. The expert is not there to treat you but to provide a report as to your condition, what your likely future outcome will be and whether any treatment can be recommended. They may want to examine you more than once. So what about financial losses? These include lost earnings, travelling expenses, damaged bike, clothing, treatment costs plus care and assistance at home, which includes chores done yourself. In the more serious cases you may have future losses which will be part of the claim. Your injury may prevent you from working again, or it might mean that you need physiotherapy long term. Reduced earning capacity and the future costs of care at home, vehicle adaptations, extra surgery and even the sort of accommodation you may need will all be taken into account. All losses have to be supported by evidence and in particular your medical evidence. The claim is a time to gather this together, so it is important that you retain documentation that will help to support your claim. If the evidence doesn’t support a loss then the claim for that loss is unlikely to be successful. This is a basic outline of what we need to think about in respect of building a claim. There are twists and turns, procedural issues, and other factors to be taken into account, but effectively the more documentation and evidence you can provide, the better your case will be. Thorneycroft Solicitors are proud to be the BMF Legal Line Solicitors. We enjoy being part of the biking community, and please check out our social media for details of the athletes, clubs and organisations that we support We offer a wide range of legal services, all of which can be accessed through our dedicated BMF Legal Line number 01625 506697. Check out www.thorneycroftsolicitors.co.uk for more details of our services.
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summer.
Advertising Feature
YOUTUBE INFLUENCER JOINS BIKESURE
AS BRAND AMBASSADOR The specialist motorcycle insurance company Bikesure, which administers the British Motorcyclists Federation insurance scheme, has teamed up with YouTube influencer Kate Ralph, AKA UsernameKate, to elevate the brand.
“There’s plenty of women riding now but we’re still under-represented and I’d love to help more get into riding.
Kate joins superbike legend Carl Fogarty in representing Bikesure and is the company’s first female ambassador.
“It’s surreal to be working with Bikesure and being an ambassador like Foggy. He’s an absolute legend and hopefully I can show things about riding from a different angle. Dad would be pretty impressed.”
Kate grew up around motorcycles because her dad was passionate about them. She explained: “I used to ride pillion on his bike and get dropped off at school. People were like ‘wow, a motorbike’. “I did my CBT at 16 but my first scooter was terrible. It was blue with an orange flame sticker. It started without a key and was dead cheap.”
Kate’s personality and fun videos have inspired a whole new generation of bikers, but whatever your experience, Bikesure will be more than happy to help BMF find you affordable, tailored motorcycle insurance. Call 0800 587 2955 for a quote.
Kate’s come a long way since then. She now owns a Triumph Street Triple 765 RS, Suzuki GSXR 750 K6 Trackheap and Beta Alp 200. And she gets to ride many other motorcycles in test rides and bike reviews on her YouTube channel. Of course, it’s not all about road testing bikes; Kate’s content follows her life working in the industry and also features adventures with her father. The Username clearly runs in the family, his handle is UsernameDad. UsernameKate’s channel has more than 15,000 subscribers and her videos have amassed almost 1.5 million views. Despite only vlogging for three years, she has also built up an army of fans on her Instagram account who enjoy following her biking journey. Kate, who works in Manchester for BMW motorcycle dealership Williams Motorrad, admits she’s still pinching herself about the Bikesure deal. She said: “I never expected something like this to happen with Bikesure. It’s a really good opportunity for me and if I can inspire more women to ride, or even short people as I always get told I’m so small to be riding these massive bikes - (she’s only 5ft 4in) - then that would be brilliant.
Get a quote today, call 0800 587 2955 BMF Insurance is administered by Bikesure Insurance Services who are a trading name of Adrian Flux Insurance Services. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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MoTORCYCLE Man Hosted by the BMF, with support from Bikesure – a 30-minute film on legendary US racer Dave Roper
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hy does the dog chase the car?” says Dave Roper, reflecting on his 50 years of racing all over the world. “I like to chase things, you know? I figure I’m lucky to have discovered what I like to do so early, and I still like to do it.” Dave is the central figure in this short film about his life as a racer, but it’s not a list of circuits and podium placings. Dave Roper is a quiet, thoughtful type who clearly has insight into just why he goes racing, and for so long. He’s articulate, but in a straightforward sort of way, and in talking about his motivation he probably voices what drives countless club and professional racers all over the world. He started racing in 1972, concentrating on classics and vintage bikes from 1983 and since the ‘70s has competed at 150 tracks, still packing in about 50 races a year. Not surprisingly, everybody in US club racing seems to know him, though he has competed on the Isle of Man, and the film includes quite a bit of TT footage. In fact, the Island became a regular fixture in the Roper calendar, after he first raced there in 1982 – he won one of the historic rounds in ‘84 on a Matchless G50 at 91.11mph, becoming the first American to do
so. “That,” he says, “was the highlight of my career.” The charm of Motorcycle Man is that, like its subject, it’s low key. Apart from talking head snippets by Team Obsolete boss Rob Iannucci and journalist/racer Kevin Cameron, much of the film consists of Dave going about his business on track, in the paddock or building bikes in a workshop, with a voiceover from the man himself. “I like racing for its combination of the physical and the cerebral,” he says. “I like situations in flux where you’ve got to make a lot of instantaneous decisions.” And after many crashes and broken bones he’s philsophical about danger. “If you approach the edge, at times you’re going to step over the edge, because sometimes you only find out where the edge is by exceeding it...I have no regrets – bones heal.” Filmed by Daniel Lovering, Motorcycle Man is a superb 32 minutes which gets to the heart not just of Dave Roper, or even racers in general, but why human beings choose to pursue apparently risky activities. https://www.motorcyclemanfilm.com/ Motorcycle R I D E R
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DAY RIDE
Leek & the Peaks Words & Photography: Joe Bailey
A54 – makes you want to be there...
75 miles around Leek and the edge of the Peak District
Above: Cold War relic or lighthouse? You decide
Above: Fine views almost wherever you look Below: No JCBs were harmed in the making of this sculpture
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his ride starts and finishes in the town of Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands, taking you south east to Uttoxeter then north to Ashbourne and the borders of the Peaks – there’s very little town riding but plenty of twisty A roads, which is good news. Start at the Esso filling station on the south eastern outskirts of Leek on the A523. Turn right for Ashbourne and after about 4½ miles turn right for Alton Towers and Alton. Now follow your nose to Ellastone, leaving all the Alton Towers traffic behind – it should have turned off right. At the T-junction in Ellastone, turn right for Uttoxeter on the B5032 then take the B5031 and B5030 past JCB’s World HQ at Rocester, complete with some nice landscaping and a digger sculpture. Soon you come to Uttoxeter and the A50 roundabout – take the first exit for M1 and after 4½ miles turn left off the A50 for Ashbourne (A515). Carry on to Ashbourne and find your way through town by following signs for Buxton, and sticking with the A515. Leaving Ashbourne’s 30 limit there’s a stretch of easy navigation because you’ll be following the A515 for another 17 miles. Be ready for the left-then-right turn for Harpur Hill, turning briefly onto the B5053 which runs parallel to the A515 for ¼ mile – if it does that, you’re on the right road, so turn right for Harpur Hill. In Harpur Hill take a left turn for Leek (A53) and after 1½
miles turn right at the triangular T junction for Congleton (A54) then left (still signed Congleton A54). After a mile and a half fork left (yes, still signed Congleton A54), which means leaving the famous A537 Cat and Fiddle road which sadly has seen many bikers killed and injured over the years. Average speed cameras, a recent introduction, have saved many from a similar fate. There are good views along the A54 and about 5½ miles on you see a tower on the horizon. It’s the Sutton Common BT tower, built during the Cold War and intended to withstand a nuclear blast, maintaining communications after the balloon had gone up. It always reminds me of a lighthouse, but see what you reckon. Carry on past the tower and after a couple of miles turn left at the light controlled crossroads onto the A523 for Leek. From this final stretch there are views to the right of Rudyard Lake – Mr and Mrs Kipling liked it so much they named their son after the place. And so to Leek, the A523 through town (signed Ashbourne) and the end of the ride. Hope you enjoyed it. What’s your favourite day ride? Tell us about it in 500 words with a few pictures (high resolution please) you could see it later in Motorcycle Rider and receive a BMF gift! Send to: editor@bmf.co.uk
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC
Hinckley Triumphs Fancy a classic bike, but within budget? Here’s the first of a series on affordable machines from the 1980s and ‘90s
B
ack in 1983, when the old Meriden factory closed, it seemed like the British bike industry had finally rolled over and died. Few people even noticed that the rights to the name had been bought by an unknown house builder by the name of John Bloor. Seven years later Triumph was back, with an all-new range of liquid-cooled threes and fours, powering the Trident roadster, Daytona sports bike and Trophy tourer. They weren’t radical bikes, more a conservative amalgam of then-current best practice; overengineered, some said, but that was meant as a compliment. What surprised everyone was just how well made and reliable they were. Sales began to gather speed, and new variants like the Thunderbird, Speed Triple and Tiger were added. By the late 1990s, when these first carburettorfed bikes, with their steel spine frames, were gradually replaced by a new generation of fuelinjected, alloy-framed machines, Triumph was a fully fledged manufacturer with a good reputation. Today, the Hinckley-built Triumphs make a good secondhand buy. Hinckley’s determination to distance itself from the bad old days meant that its bikes have usually been solidly made and well finished. Not only that but despite that name on the tank it’s still possible to pick up an early
Hinckley Triumph for less (sometimes a lot less) than £2000. Of course, they’re not perfect. Even when new, these were relatively tall, heavy bikes, thanks in part to the spine frame and solid engineering. They also slurped fuel at a fair old rate when ridden hard. Mechanically, there are few inherent weaknesses, though the starter sprag clutch can fail. If the starter motor just spins over without turning the engine, then you have a problem. Fortunately, there were and are plenty of pluses, not least of which is the characterful three-cylinder engine. Launched when fours were the norm, the Hinckley triple stood out with its gutsy power delivery, strong mid range and distinctive sound. The four-cylinder Triumphs (offered in 1000 and 1200cc form) were soon overshadowed and outsold by the 900cc three, which secured rave reviews from the motorcycle press across the world. That was backed up by decent period brakes and suspension. The early Hinckleys weren’t in the FireBlade class, but they handled very well with no nasty habits. Like many good sellers of the 1990s, these Triumphs are still available in reasonable numbers, often at good prices. You might or might not agree that it’s a true classic, but a Hinckley Triumph is certainly affordable.
Above: Bright yellow Daytona was the sports version Top: These bikes are solid and long-lived Above left: Retro Legend and Thunderbird followed
What’s your Affordable Classic?
Do you own a bike more than 25 years old and generally available used for less than £3000? Tell us about it in 500 words (with a few high resolution pictures) and send to: editor@bmf.co.uk
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Bikes for Good
Motorcycle Medecines Small motorcycles deliver urgent medical supplies for Médecins sans Frontières
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e’ve all got used to the sight of cheap Chinese-made 125s in recent years. Invariably based on older Japanese technology, they may not have always had the best quality (though they’ve improved in recent years) but their bargain basement prices have seen these scooters and geared bikes sell like hot cakes. Leading importer Lexmoto is usually in the UK’s top five selling brands – in December 2020 it outsold everyone else, even Honda. Not just in the UK either. China exports thousands of 125, 150 and 200cc bikes to Africa, where they are appreciated for their low prices, simple rugged design and fixability. As in India and South East Asia, it’s not unusual to see them out and about carrying huge loads to market, or whole families. Many are used as short distance taxis, most famously in Nigeria, where they are known as okada. In many African countries, small geared bikes have become an essential part of the transport network, and when their use was banned in Lagos, largest city in Nigeria, for a while, the result was transport chaos as the bus alternatives failed to cope with demand. Okada are not the safest means of transport – riders tend to be young men – but there’s no denying they are part of African urban life. They are even entering the internet age, and in the last few years taxi hailing apps have sprung up – Uber for motorcycles – to meet demand. In Uganda, SafeBoda has made a name for itself as a hassle-free alternative to informal hailing while in West Africa, Max.ng, a Nigerian company, is about to scale up operations. 30
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Above: Stopped for a breather – this is one of the better roads Below: 150s and 200cc trail bikes are cheap to run and good on fuel
Now there’s another vital job for these small geared bikes to do – transporting medical supplies, and not just in Africa. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), the international aid organisation, has found that small motorcycles are sometimes the best means of getting supplies to the most inaccessible parts of the world. “Very bad roads mean it is a very difficult passage for the bikes,” said Lucille Guenier of MSF, “but often there is no passage for cars at all – that is why we use the motorcycles. For our projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Myanmar we regularly
Above: Coolboxes ensure vaccines are still effective
Riders are trained and given decent kit
use them, often hiring riders and machines from a small pool as needed. The MSF riders have training and protective equipment, and there are standard maintenance protocols for the bikes.” Often small machines are the only means to get supplies through. Marc Wilkinson, a pharmacy manager for MSF in North Kivu, DRC, explained the challenges in delivering blood supplies to the remote settlement of Walikale. “The only way to get there is by plane, with a six-hour car journey on top. But because of the weather it can be too dusty to land or else too wet, so everything gets cancelled. Then, through somebody who knew somebody, we were able to organise a motorbike to travel 200km to collect a consignment of blood and take it to Walikale.”
Cold Chain
We all know about vaccines now, but not all need to be kept at sub-zero temperatures. Most of them need to be stored at 2-8 degrees C to remain effective, though this is still a challenge in areas with uncertain or non-existent power supplies. MSF’s solution is to fly vaccines into the country by cargo plane. For inaccessible and remote areas, the bikes, the final link in the essential ‘cold chain,’ are fitted with giant coolboxes to keep the vaccines at the right temperature. MSF has found that 125s are usually too light for this sort of work, but it does use Chinese 150s and also favours the Yamaha AG200. Conditions are tough for the riders. “On one trip through the Congo through equatorial forest they had to ride through mud, high heat and humidity, crossing rivers on tree trunks and putting the bikes into canoes to reach some villages,” said Lucille Guenier. “There are long-term physical impacts, such as backache,” added Senga Walila, one of MSF’s mechanics. “But for me the positives are that I have been able to strengthen my technical knowledge and work at delivering humanitarian aid.”
Sometimes there’s no road to speak of...
About MSF – how you can help
Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) is a humanitarian aid organisation dependent on donations to carry on its life saving work, so it needs your support. With Covid-19 still at large across the world, now more than ever. You can donate at: https://secure.msf.org.uk/Donate
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Blue Knights
LEMC
LEONIC TROMANS on the world’s biggest bike club for law enforcers
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Above: Charities benefit from Blue Knights, including the Chelsea Pensioners Above middle: En route to a rally near Rome – friendly policeman at Monte Carlo Above right: Touring is all part of it
Promote your Club!
Want your club to be profiled on these pages? Email us: editor@bmf.co.uk
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n 1974 a small group of motorcycle cops in Bangor USA formed a bike club, aiming to show that 99% of motorcyclists are law abiding ‘good guys’ – hence the name. By 2020, the Blue Kights would have 21,000 members in 31 countries across the world. There are 600 branches known as ‘chapters’, a term used for all sorts of clubs in the USA from swimming to chess – it’s not specific to bike clubs. Once a year we hold an International Convention, due to be in Ireland next year, when members from all over the world will join us in Killarney to celebrate their membership of the largest law enforcement motorcycle club in the world. The UK & Ireland branch (or ‘Conference’ as the regional branches are known) has 29 Chapters across England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Channel Islands, taking in nearly 900 members. There are Chapters in 22 different European countries and some members organise their annual touring holidays to take in as many Blue Knights rallies as possible – Austria this week, Black Forest next week, and squeeze in Belgium on the way home. Membership is not about what bike you ride, but it is about what you were, as all members are serving or retired law enforcement personnel, including police, prison officers, customs officers
and any other personnel with statutory powers of arrest. Because of the local and regional structure, meeting up with fellow members is easy, and most Chapters have monthly breakfast meetings and ride-outs. Summer rallies and social gatherings are featured on the website, on social media or the on-line club magazine and any member of the club can attend and join in. Among Blue Knights members there are no strangers, only friends you have not met. Chapters are as active as their members wish them to be, organising all the usual biker distractions like bike runs, BBQs and camping weekends. If you want to get involved or take advantage of someone else’s organisation and local knowledge, there is always an event going on somewhere. The rally weekends are great social events with partying, fund raising and ride-outs led by local members. Because most Blue Knights members are serving or retired police officers, there is a strong background of helping people and internationally the club has raised over $16.5 million to support a multitude of charities across the world. One in the UK is Care of Police Survivors (COPS) and we support the annual Survivors’ Weekend at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire in July each year. Easter Egg runs and Christmas Toy runs supporting children’s charities also feature and many other charities have benefited from Blue Knights support. If you enjoy motorcycling, exploring new places, socialising with like-minded people, raising money for worthy causes and you have or had a statutory power of arrest, the Blue Knights might be the club for you. Interested? Get in touch at: www.blueknightsukic.org or www.blueknights.org
Benefits 10% Off Breakdown Cover
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e’re delighted to announce a 10% discount off breakdown cover, exclusive to BMF members. All you need to do is quote the code BMF10 when signing up with Motoring Assistance. We’ve all been there...that sinking feeling by the roadside, faced with a flat, a dead engine or worse. Motoring Assistance can help. It’s a nationwide breakdown company using an expansive network of roadside assistance and recovery agents to ensure that no matter where you are in the UK, you won’t be left alone at the roadside. Their in-house dispatchers work 24/7 to ensure that all members are looked after. Four out of five vehicles are fixed at the roadside and average arrival time is just 45 minutes, which when you think how long some of us have waited on the verge, is pretty good.
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Now, for a limited time only, you can get 10% off Motoring Assistance membership when using the code BMF10. Get a quote today and see how much you can save... The sign up process is easy, and if you own a car as well as your bike you can have both vehicles covered under the same, simple policy. Each policy is built bespoke to the customer’s needs, so you needn’t be paying for any extras that you don’t need. We’ve teamed up with Motoring Assistance to ensure that all BMF members can have access to affordable and reliable breakdown cover. You can’t put a price on peace of mind, but you can knock 10% off if you quote BMF10 and sign up online. So what are you waiting for? You can get a quote in under 60 seconds today and be reassured that just in case the worst happens, Motoring Assistance will be there.
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THORNEYCROFTSOLICITORS.CO.UK Motorcycle R I D E R
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CLUB MEMBER LISTING Welcome to the following clubs who have affiliated to the BMF since February 2021. We’ve also included all those with new contact details. For contacts of all other BMF affiliated clubs, see Motorcycle Rider, Spring 2021. Please email admin@bmf.co.uk with any corrections.
Club Name
Club Website/Facebook
Region
Club Name
Club Website/Facebook
Region
Denbeath Rally MCC Forth Valley MCC Barnsley Bikers Club Hull & District MCC Pyeratz motorcycle club Tees Tornadoes MCC Tyne Cyclones MCC All or Nothing Scooter Club Leics & Rutland Light Blues Oddballs MCC Oxleathers MCC (Stafford) RAF Coningsby Motorcycle Club Rugby Rock Club Unwanted MCC Colchester Classic Motorcycle Colchester DVLC Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Royston & District MCC Suffolk Trail Riders The Dogs MCC London & SE Region MCC London Sidecar Club A32 Riders Burgess Hill & District Caldarium MCC Greenwich Motor & MCC Huntsman & Associates MCC Ryder Motorcycles Riders Solent MCC Surrey Hills MCC Tsunami Riders MCC
Email: winifredsutherland@hotmail.com forthvalley-mcc.webs.com barnsleybikersclub.co.uk hdmcc.com steviegtnt_sameday@hotmail.co.uk Email: jimmywaugh@talk21.com facebook.com/tynecyclones aonsc.co.uk Email: bvrtm@aol.com oddballsmcc.com Email: oxleathersmcc@hotmail.co.uk davidrichardson84@icloud.com nbgurney@hotmail.com unwantedmcc.co.uk CCMC.org.uk colchesterdvlc.co.uk eamg.org.uk roystonmotorcycleclub.co.uk facebook.com/groups/113266842487530 Email: tf.martin@ntlworld.com lasermc.co.uk londonsidecarclub.co.uk facebook.com/A32Riders burgesshillmc.com caldariummcc.co.uk Email: john.carnell@hotmail.co.uk huntsmanmcc.co.uk ryderauto.co.uk Email: muzpen@tiscali.co.uk surreyhillsmc.com tsunamiriders.org.uk
1 – Scotland 1 – Scotland 2 – North East 2 – North East 2 - North East 2 – North East 2 – North East 3 – Midlands 3 – Midlands 3 – Midlands 3 – Midlands 3 - Midlands 3 - Midlands 3 – Midlands 4 – East England 4 – East England 4 – East England 4 – East England 4 – East England 4 – East England 5 – London 5 – London 6 – South East 6 – South East 6 – South East 6 – South East 6 - South East 6 – South East 6 – South East 6 – South East 6 – South East
Riviera Charity Riders facebook.com/Rivierariders 7 – South West Boundless by CSMA Club boundless.co.uk 8 – Wales Llandovery Motorbike W/End llandoverymotorbikeweekend.co.uk 8 – Wales Pembrokeshire Vintage & Classic MCC pembrokeshiremotorcycleclub.co.uk 8 – Wales Welsh Coast MCC welshcoastmcc.com 8 – Wales Beartown Bikers beartownbikers@gmail.com 9 - North West Dragon Rider MCC dragonrider.club 9 – North West Exiles Cumbria MCC facebook.com/ExilesCumbria 9 – North West Furness British MCC fbmcc.co.uk 9 – North West Llandudno Light Parade Club dcrowley399@btinternet.com 9 - North West South Cheshire Motorcycle Club denisnewell@btinternet.com 9 - North West Street Specials MCC specialsrally.co.uk/5336/index 9 – North West Downriders MCC downriders.co.uk 10 – Northern Ireland Irish Wolfhounds MCC facebook.com/irishwolfhounds.mccbelfast 10 – Northern Ireland Mad Dog MCC facebook.com/maddogmcc 10 – Northern Ireland Strand Bikers Newcastle MCC facebook.com/Strand-Bikers-MCC-Newcastle-121401137879237 10 – Northern Ireland 4 Riders Club facebook.com/groups/4ridersclub National / One Make Blue Knights UK & Ireland blueknightsukic.org National / One Make BM Riders Club bmridersclub.com National / One Make Curvy Riders MCC curvyriders.co.uk National / One Make Ducati Owners Club GB docgb.net National / One Make Elite Wings elite-wings.co.uk National / One Make Fellowship of Christian Motorcyclists fcm-bikers.co.uk National / One Make GS Club United Kingdom gsclubuk.org National / One Make Harley Owners Group (HOG) hog.com National / One Make Moto Guzzi Club GB motoguzziclub.co.uk National / One Make Sikh MCC UK SikhMotorcycleClubuk.com National / One Make Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association widowssonssw.co.uk National / One Make Vincent HRD Owners Club voc.uk.com National / One Make
Above: Fosse Riders MCA has opened its refurbished club house and welcomes all bikers to drop in for coffee and cake. Easy to find just off Leicester ring road – 241 Glenfield Rd, LE3 6DL. Search online for Fosse Riders Left: Photo Sean Kelly
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AGM Notice
Make a date – 9th October 2021 – the BMF AGM online
N
otice is hereby given that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) will take place on Saturday 9th October 2021 at 11am. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is intended that the meeting will be held virtually using electronic meeting software. However, if circumstances permit there may be the possibility of a hybrid meeting. Please note that any and all updates will be via the BMF website. All full and affiliate members of the BMF are cordially invited to register their intention to take part in the AGM. Voting rights of those taking part are set out in Section 6 of the BMF Constitution. Registration of your intention to attend will be through BMF membership administration – contact admin@bmf.co.uk. Please take the opportunity to update your details as soon as possible. All future communications regarding the AGM (including the issuing of all papers and documents for the AGM) will be through the BMF membership database. It is important that we have the most up to date contact information for you. Business of the AGM shall include: (a) Consider the appointment of Patron, President, Vice Presidents and honorary members (b) Elect the Chairman (c) Elect members of the Management Team (MT) (d) Elect the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee (e) Receive a progress report from each member of the MT, including a report from the Chairman on the state of the BMF (f) Question members of the MT on the reports submitted in (e) above (g) Receive financial reports including the annual audited accounts of British Motorcyclists Federation (Enterprises) Ltd (h) Receive and approve the Action Plan (i) Consider motions placed before it (j) Alter, amend, rescind or add to the Constitution, Disciplinary Procedures and Standing Orders of the BMF (k) Hear final appeals under the disciplinary procedure (l) Ratify the election of BMF council members. The AGM shall be the sole authority as to the interpretation of the Constitution of the BMF. Full details of the procedure for making a nomination or motion to the BMF AGM are contained in the BMF Constitution and Standing Orders.
Go to www.britishmotorcyclists.co.uk and click on ‘ABOUT US" for our constitution. As the meeting will be a virtual meeting you will need to download and print copies of all papers required for the AGM. If you do not have internet access or access to printing facilities, please contact the BMF office who will be able to send you paper copies of the documentation that you need. You must be a current BMF or club member to take part in the AGM. If you are a voting representative of a club, please submit to the BMF office a letter from your Club Secretary showing that you have been appointed to represent the club. It would be helpful if that letter could be sent to the office at least two weeks before the AGM (ie by 25th September 2021) so that appropriate steps can be taken to deal with the letter. This notice is hereby given on the 8th day of June 2021. Jim Freeman, Chair, BMF Register to attend the AGM – admin@bmf.co.uk
BMF Annual Regional Meetings
Due to the ongoing pandemic, no Annual Regional Meetings will take place in 2021. As in 2020, all regional posts and elections will be carried over for another year, until 2022. This means that all Regional Chairs and all Councillors ratified at the 2020 AGM will stay in post, with a further ratification at the 2021 AGM, to be held on 9th October via Zoom. Anyone who wishes to put themselves forward, who is not already either a Regional Chair or Councillor, should apply for an official nomination form from admin@bmf.co.uk All nomination forms should be returned to admin@bmf. co.uk at least six weeks before the AGM ie by 28th August 2021.
Thank you John
The BMF would like to thank the late John Denny for his generous legacy of £1000. He had been a member since at least 1993, when current records go back to. “I’m sure I speak for all my fellow members when I say that I’m overwhelmed by John’s generosity in donating such a generous sum to the BMF,” said BMF Chairman Jim Freeman.
Motorcycle R I D E R
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ALL THE CONTACTS YOU NEED FOR THE BMF ACTIVITY IN YOUR AREA REGION 1 – SCOTLAND
Regional Chair - Tom Duncan, 01506 842131, 07887 835321, tom@tomduncan.co.uk DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY Frank Dickinson, 01556 612102, dickietriker@googlemail.com Neil Hunter, 01556 610524, linda-hunter@sky.com AYRSHIRE - Pauline Speirs, 01560 321791, fastrakscotland@aol.com GLASGOW - Nick Elliott, 01416 379305, drnickelliott@gmail.com PERTHSHIRE John Gauld, 07803 622317, jag1969@o2.co.uk REGION 2 – NORTH EAST
BINGLEY - John Lancaster, 01274 560174, john-lancaster@sky.com Tina Walker, 01377 217242 REGION 3 – MIDLANDS
REGION 4 – EAST ENGLAND
CAMBRIDGESHIRE Tim Flinders, 01223 212721 NORFOLK - Richard Pike, 07754 104377 REGION 5 – LONDON
Contact - Anna Zee, anna.zee@bmf.co.uk
Councillor - Jim Freeman, jim.freeman@bmf.co.uk REGION 6 – SOUTH EAST
BERKSHIRE - John Ward, 01344 428667, 07880 645970, john.c.ward@hotmail.co.uk HAMPSHIRE - Ian Hammond, 07989 531121 iphamonda@googlemail.com KENT - Mike Gallafent, 01322 400775, 07503 165035, michaelgallafent@yahoo.co.uk OXFORDSHIRE - Hugh Jaeger, 01865 554814, 07762 093310, hugh_jaeger@hotmail.com REGION 7 – SOUTH WEST
Numbered Regions REGION 8 – WALES
Central Wales Area Representative - Phil Harries, 07968 168486, dpharries1@aol.com REGION 9 – NORTH WEST
Regional Chair - Peter Laidlaw, 01282 776336, 07939 260524, peter.laidlaw@bmf.co.uk
COVENTRY AND WEST MIDLANDS - John Nelson, jsnlsn@btinternet.com
Regional Chair - Jim Peel-Cross, 01672 563450, 07470 899546, jimpcross@hotmail.co.uk
DERBYSHIRE - Rod Nuth, 01283 810166, rod@nuth.me.uk
BATH - Carenza Ellery, 01225 835599, 07962 076370 (text preferred) cbx550mini@gmail.com
Rep/Councillor - Dave Barton, 01772 455018, 07971 519004, bmf_r9@notrab.co.uk Councillor - Mick Gibbons, 07940 816492, mick.gibbonsindarwen@ googlemail.com
CORNWALL - Tiffany Coates, 07805 078062, tiffanycoates@hotmail.com
CENTRAL LANCASHIRE Derek Gustard, 07763 412859 derekgustardmagic@hotmail.co.uk
WEST SOMERSET - Brian Cox, 07498 300504, briancox1965@gmail.com
CHESHIRE - Jim Bradburn, 01606 836782 jimbradburn@hotmail.co.uk
LINCOLNSHIRE - Mitch Elliott, 07982 802588, elliott.mitch@gmail.com WARWICKSHIRE - Mark Lunt, 07767 870117, mark.a.lunt@gmail.com NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Jerry Hough, 07825 997969, jerry.hough@mail.com HEREFORD AND WORCESTER Frank Whittaker, 01531 635843, frankwhittaker62@gmail.com SHROPSHIRE -James Ellerby, jamesellerby@btinternet.com
WEST WILTSHIRE Les Simper, 07789 354371, les.simper@btinternet.com SOUTH WILTSHIRE Roger Stone, 01264 398134 07928 822671, r.stone703@ntlworld.com
MORE BMF REPS NEEDED! If your county is not listed and you would like to be a BMF rep, we would love to hear from you - please email admin@bmf.co.uk 36
Motorcycle R I D E R
EAST LANCASHIRE Mick Gibbons, 07940 816492, mick.gibbonsindarwen@ googlemail.com Simon Birchall, 01254 708893 Ste Bartley, 01254 278187 ste.bartley@googlemail.com
RIDER TRAINING ADVICE Are you looking for training at any level? Ring our membership office on 01162 795112
REGION 10 - NORTHERN IRELAND
Regional Chair Howard Anderson, 07918 903497, howand@hotmail.co.uk
CO. ANTRIM Davy Gillespie (club liaison) 02893 350495, 07882 525777 gwocni@hotmail.com CO. DERRY/LONDONDERRY Alex Selfridge, 07842 424422 gi1jhq@hotmail.com NATIONAL AND ONE-MAKE CLUBS FORUM (NAOMC)
Chair Stephen Davenport stephendavenport98@me.com Deputy Chair Jacqueline Bickerstaff, 01327 705258 jacqueline.bickerstaff@ btinternet.com Secretary - John Gardner, 01695 622792, john.gardner119@gmail.com
WRONG NUMBER? If these aren’t the right contact details, let us know at admin@bmf.co.uk and we’ll put it right.
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Motorcycle R I D E R