Editorial
Table of Contents
We need to buy more bikes and get more people onto powered-two-wheel personal transport. Sales of motorcycles are flat. As a form of personal transport, motorcycles offer great value for money. Cheaper to buy, one-third less tailpipe emissions than other vehicles, faster, more reliable journeys, one-quarter the weight means less highway damage, easier parking and up to 90% of resources can be recycled. Its a cost-effective, planet friendly form of personal transport that can be used for commuting, trips to the coast and will even take you around the world. It’s time to ride!
What is the purpose of repeatedly telling everyone motorcyclists are 35 times more likely to get killed and 50 times more likely to get seriously injured, than other road users? Such alarmist and fear-inducing messages seem only to serve one purpose, to stop people riding motorcycles. Does the ordinary reader really understand what the 35 times and 50 times more likely risks, actually mean in real life. When put in the context that road users make 33 billion journeys every day in the UK. Most motorcyclists make their outward and return journeys safely. This may put in context the authors of these ‘statistics’. It’s time to shine a light on the scaremongering. Motorcycling has a rightful social role in providing affordable personal transport, with an emphasis on the mitigating effect of training. Just a thought.
Is the arms race for bigger bikes over? Ducati announced this week that it would be sticking with twin cylinder power trains, with their current displacement, in their mid-range sports bikes. It begs the question does the biker on a 1200+cc bike have more fun than the rider of a 500cc, or even 125cc machines. Probably not. The roads are the same for all riders and we can be thankful there is a bike to suit every rider. Even a 4-year- old on their 50cc bike has a smile from ear to ear. Just ride happy.
The state of UK roads is causing increasing dissatisfaction amongst road users. A damning report from the National Audit Office saying that minor roads are in an appalling state. 98% of journeys start and end on minor roads. The issue is competing with UK national debt, poor housing stock and NHS services deteriorating too. This issue of repairing roads won’t be resolve any time soon. At least bikes have greater manoeuvrability than other powered vehicles. Happy reading.
SAM's Autumn Celebration
Online Motorcycling News
General
The best retro scooters on the market right now. When it comes to retro scooters, to the purists, nothing will ever topple the mighty Vespa and Lambretta – the original and enduring scooters of choice for style-conscious mods. While that’s unlikely to change any time soon, there are a plethora of options out there to enjoy. Read more.
Hydrogen Power for Motorcycles?
It’s more complicated than you might think. Hydrogen power for bikes seems like a great idea. The only product of reacting hydrogen with oxygen is water, so regulated emissions are zero. If you like the sound of internal combustion engines, they make the same sound on hydrogen as on gasoline. If you prefer the hum of electric motors, run high-purity hydrogen through a fuel cell to produce electricity and go that way. Read more.
THE BIKERIDERS . It’s not very often you get to see motorcycles in the mainstream, but a new film with some seriously big names is out in cinemas right now. The Bikeriders tells the story of The Vandals, a fictional 60s motorcycle club which descends into chaos as its members become involved in gambling, drugs, murder, and gang warfare. Sounds like fun, right? Read more.
Rider Safety
Roads in crisis | National Audit Office release report highlighting the failing state of UK’s roads.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has released a damning report on the state of minor road networks, suggesting a worsening situation for the nation’s local lanes and an insufficient level of investment from the Department for Transport. Read more.
Bouncy ride? Harsh hits? Does your suspension feel off? It might be time to service or replace your motorcycle’s suspension. Pop quiz, hotshot: How do you know if your motorcycle’s suspension needs replacement or service? Well, the answer to those two related questions isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Servicing your motorcycle’s suspension is critical because those components are essential to your bike’s handling, comfort, and control. Read more.
Adventure & Touring
“They” were the European explorers, from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries, pursued a dream that slowly became a reality with the development of geographical tools. A dream that lasted until Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Storms in 1488, opening the African route to the East Indies.
The same route that, ten years later, Basque de Gama would travel. When the Portuguese explored the east coast of Africa they discovered the empire of the Negus, who ruled a Christian nation surrounded by Muslims: Ethiopia. Read more
What comes to mind when you think of Scotland? Spectacular mountains covered in yellow gorse and purple heather? Beautiful lochs embracing small islands and reflecting lofty summits? Or perhaps lush valleys dotted with ruined castles and free-roaming wildlife?
Those images are what came to my mind when my friend Fiona Cheng and I decided to ride to the Scottish Highlands. Exploring remote islands on two wheels and wild camping next to towering mountains, vast lochs and quiet beaches sounded like the kind of motorcycle adventure we were ready for. So, we packed our down sleeping bags, a number of Merino wool T-shirts and leggings to layer up, and some serious GORE-TEX motorbike gear to keep us dry, then headed north. Read more
History & Custom
Tweener: Vagabund Moto tackles the electric BMW CE 02
Despite what the futurists say, an all-electric motorcycle future is still far off. For motorcyclists to adopt electric mobility en masse, battery-powered bikes must strike the same balance between price, performance, and range that petrol-powered bikes nail so effortlessly—and that’ll take time. Until then, the uptake from dyed-in-the-wool motorcyclists will remain slow. This is why…
Guy Builds Two-Stroke Engine From Hardware Store Parts, But There’s More
Patience and good problem-solving skills go hand in hand.
Humans have been showing and telling each other stories since the beginning.
The methods may have changed, but the basic drive to communicate what we’ve learned to our fellow humans remains. Hence, YouTube. Sure, there’s an entertainment component to it as well, but that’s all part of the storytelling. Read more.
A Hayabusa-Swapped Banned EV Is a Thing, and It’s Wild
This should be the only way you’re allowed to repurpose a banned electric vehicle. Two words will get my click faster than any others, and they’re “Hayabusa-swapped“. Now, when the vehicle in question is a banned, three-wheeled, solo-cockpit EV, you have my attention locked in for as long as it takes to see how this contraption gets built and how it runs. Read more.
Whiteknights Blood Bikes
Time to reveal our very special guest for Blood Bike Day 2024 on the Yorkshire Blood Bikes Facebook Page.
Welcome back to #bloodbikeday 2024. The High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Prof. Adeeba Malik has become a Yorkshire Blood Biker for the day.
For Blood Bike Day 2024 Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes are taking the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Prof. Malik to see two of the hospital departments at Calderdale Royal Hospital, which we are proud to support with an urgent delivery service on a nightly basis.
Her time as a, Blood Biker For A Day, is now coming to a close.
We’re just taking this opportunity on #bloodbikeday to recognise the, “above and beyond” contribution of Steve Harker.South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership
Every ride should end with a smile. Great advice from Biker Down UK.
Take the SurveyKevin Williams
The ‘Constant Bearing’ issue
In Elevenses yesterday, I talked about Neil Greig, safety officer with IAM RoadSmart, saying that two thirds of the crashes involving motorcyclists also involve another vehicle and many of these happen at junctions where the car driver who ‘fails to look properly’. Read more
Ten years ago I wrote:
“The Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE) has launched a revised version of its motorcycling guidelines in a new multi-platform website. If you’re wondering why they are important, they set out practical guidance for transportation professionals on providing a safer environment for motorcycles, mopeds and scooters – in other words, they can directly influence the way that roads are designed to keep PTW operators safe in a shared environment. Read more
It’s summer – staying awake on long runs
With the holiday season now in full swing, the chances are that some of us have already taken a bike trip to another part of the UK or off abroad somewhere, and that creates a number of different psychological challenges that can cut our ‘grand tour’ rather shorter than we’d planned. Today I’m going to talk about one of the most obvious, but one that’s all-too-frequently overlooked – tiredness. Read more
Motorcycling Organsiations
IAM RoadSmart
There are still a few spaces available for our Car Skills Day morning session at Thruxton on 10th September! 
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At IAM RoadSmart, we want to ensure that all motorcyclists can enjoy every ride safely and confidently. 
Check it out here #Motorcycle #Rider #Safety #Biker #OAP
Have you read our latest Road Safety Culture Report? 
We’re excited to be supporting the Hills Ford Stages event on the 14-15th September, by encouraging a focus on public safety and driving standards. 
The weather has been quite unpredictable this summer, but it is always good practice to prepare for hotter temperatures as this can mean extra demands from you and your car. 
Read moreNational Motorcyclists Council
Today’s King’s Speech has set out the Government’s priorities for the new parliamentary session. Although nearly 40 new Bills point to a busy session for both MPs and Ministers, there is so far little in the way of announcements in areas of direct relevance to motorcycling. Although measures are planned in a new Crime and Policing Bill to create new powers to tackle the dangerous and anti social use of off-road bikes and another Bill on product safety will aim to address battery safety for eBikes, there is no specific Transport Bill. Rail and Bus privatisation are to be dealt with via specifically targeted Bills. Read more
FEMA
British Motorcyclists Federation
June was another disappointing month for motorcycle sales in Britain, according to trade magazine British Dealer News. Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) figures revealed that registrations fell by 5.8% compared to June 2023 – motorcycles were down by 2.4% and scooters by a whopping 18.9%. Read more
New Rider Hub
It can be hard when you are buying your first bike to make sure you get it right. This page gives you lots of advice so your first bike can be a great one. Read more
Next SAM Club Night
2nd September 2024
SAM Chair’s Annual Ride Out
It’s a mystery ride
6.30pm start at
Meadowhall Retail Park
Attercliffe Road
Sheffield S9 2YZ
Next SAM Committee Meeting
28th August 2024
Details to be arranged