Table of Contents
Editorial
The cold weather continues with IAM RoadSmart relaying weather warnings. This hasn’t deterred the camaraderie of SAM members who recognise that its not wise to ride in these conditions. They preserve the Saturday meetups by taking to four wheels instead. Thursday riders decided a local fish and chip restaurant was a wise choice of venue. As we wrote last week, now is the time to give the bike some repair and care before the better weather comes.
It’s also a great time to reflect on our riding ability. An insightful article last week looked at the interface between basic and advanced riding skills. There are those writers, who should know better, that perpetuate the myths about the cause of accidents: ‘If only the driver had looked properly.’ and ‘advanced rider training just means that riders will crash faster.’ Both statement are simply a repetition of common motorcycling folklore that totally oversimplifies the highly complex events leading to accidents. Apart from the ignorance of those who perpetuate such myths, it does remind riders that there is a both a ‘Ladder of Learning’ and a ‘Continuing Learning Process’. The former ensures that each rider achieves the best level of roadcraft possible. The latter term reminds us of the need for an ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated pursuit of riding knowledge and roadcraft experience. When the weather is against us, we generally have more time to reflect on our riding experience and how we want to continue our riding journey. Nobody is a perfect motorcyclist, even those who do it professionally, but we can continually use our riding experiences to improve our roadcraft. What can you learn from riding last year that will make you a better rider in 2025? You may also want to share your thoughts with the Department for Transport and make the ‘Integrated Transport Strategy: a call for ideas‘ consultation, a process where the motorcycling voice is truly heard. Just a thought.
In the rest of your newsletter this week you will learn about climbing the ladder and the slippery slope. What have red squirrels got to do with single-sided swing arms? Blind-spot monitoring systems are becoming universal, but can we be confused by so many flashing warning signals? There are a lot more curated interesting articles for you to enjoy. Ride safe and happy reading.
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SAM Activities
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Online Motorcycling News
General
Swingarms: Ever seen a red squirrel? Unless you live in the right part of Scotland, it’s unlikely; the ginger rodents have been outcompeted by their dull sciuridaen relatives from North America, the eastern grey squirrel. And we all prefer the tufty-eared red variant over the grey, don’t we?
Why is that? My theory is that it’s mostly just because they’re less common. If the red squirrel discovered firearms, they would soon be in charge, the greys would be screwed, and we’d whine about that. Read more…
Have you ever been caught out by a car lurking in your blind spot? If so, the navigation experts at Garmin may have just the ticket with the introduction of a new universal-fit radar-based hazard warning system, said to fit almost any bike. After being introduced in the automotive sector by Volvo over two decades ago, blind spot monitoring eventually made the jump to the two-wheeled world back in 2015 with the advent of BMW’s Side View Assist. Read more…
MotoGP’s official charity, Two Wheels for Life have confirmed that the annual Day of Champions fund-raising event at the Silverstone British MotoGP round has come to an end – despite generating £246,000 in 2024 alone. In recent years, it has marked the beginning of the British GP, with fans arriving on the Thursday before racing for a range of circuit-based activity, as well as an interactive memorabilia auction attended by all of the MotoGP racing stars. Read more…
Honda Motorcycles working with Swedish start-up on swappable battery program for EM1 e electric scooter
Honda are looking into the viability of battery sharing on low-capacity electric motorcycles in Europe, with a one-year feasibility study in partnership with a Swedish start-up. The project will begin in February in the city of Malmö, Sweden and will see Honda working with electric motorcycle and swappable battery firm GoCimo. Read more…
Bike market sees end-of-year registrations spike and overall figures up despite dealer struggles
Despite market difficulty and dealership closures across 2024, data shared by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has revealed a slight increase in overall new bike registrations for last year when compared with 2023.
According to their data, the UK bike industry ended 2024 with a total of 112,649 new combustion bikes registered, compared with 109,528 across 2023.
When comparing December 2024 with the same month in the previous year, figures jump from 4980 to 10,987 – but much of that spike may well be down to dealers pre-registering machines ahead of the new Euro5+ regulations. Read more…
Rider Health & Safety
Do you ride a motorcycle or know someone who does? If so, you’ll know that riding a motorcycle has some risks. In fact, statistics show that motorcyclists are much more likely to be involved in a serious or fatal accident than car drivers. This is why it’s important to take steps to reduce the risks and the Biker I.C.E. Card is one of the most effective solutions available.
The Biker I.C.E. Card is a simple, yet vital tool. It contains your contact details and essential medical information. In the event of an accident, emergency services staff can quickly access this information to help them decide on the right treatment for you. By carrying a Biker I.C.E. Card, you can ensure that emergency services staff have the information they need to take account of any ongoing health problems you have and any current treatments that you are receiving. This can make their job easier and your emergency care safer. Read more...
Stay Strapped: How to Transport a Motorcycle the Right Way
After a string of cheap ’70s bikes, I bought my first decent motorcycle—a nearly-new Honda 250 dual sport. I learned a lot of lessons on that bike, and the toughest one cost me some plastics, a little pride and a fat ding in my pickup truck box. That poor Honda ended up on its side…Read more »
My Journey with ADHD: Transforming Challenges into Gifts
“Within every adversity lies the seed of equal or greater benefit.” – Napoleon Hill
For much of my life, I grappled with a persistent challenge: focusing on things that didn’t ignite my interest. As a child, this struggle was misunderstood and mismanaged, leaving lasting marks on my personal and professional journey.
When I was in elementary school, teachers labeled me as a problem student. My inability to sit still and listen to lessons led them to believe I was, in their words, “retarded”—a term they used back then. After undergoing tests, they discovered that I had a high IQ, but instead of moving me to a school better suited to my needs, they opted to medicate me. Starting in third grade, I was given Valium—first 5 milligrams, then 10 when the lower dose didn’t seem to “work.”
The medication didn’t resolve the frustration I felt. I vividly remember experiencing painful cramps in my legs, a physical manifestation of the emotional and mental strain of being confined in an environment where I didn’t belong. The irony was that when I discovered something I was passionate about, such as mechanics and motorcycles, I could devote my full attention to it without any effort.
Most adults with ADHD face a similar paradox: they struggle to connect the threads of their thoughts, Read more…
Adventure & Touring
Finally… I’m so stoked, I can’t suppress my glee any longer.
“Weeeeeheeee!”
As the group files in one by one, I direct the participants to park their Beemers and Harleys outside the Bay of Pigs Museum and line up beneath the wings of a British-made Sea Fury that saw action defending Cuba against the CIA-sponsored invasion, in April 1961, by a Cuban-American exile army.
Then I ride my F800GS into the midst of the group and have a museum guide shoot a photo for posterity beside a giant billboard that reads: “PLAYA GIRÓN [Cuba’s term for the Bay of Pigs]. THE FIRST ROUT OF U.S. IMPERIALISM IN LATIN AMERICA.” Read more…
Heading from Shropshire over to Cardigan Bay, this stunning 84-mile joyride is sure to put a smile on your face. Dave Manning reveals all…
The ride in brief: The route covers roads great and small. This is not a fast ride; the roads can be busy, and they are best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. There are plenty of places to stop along the way for coffee, culture, or a very cold dip in the sea. Give yourself a full day for this ride, that sits a little under 100 miles all in.…Read more…
History & Custom
Seeing Green: A Hi-Vis ’74 Rickman CR900 Selling at Mecum
An old saying in aviation says ‘If it looks right, it flies right,’ summarizing the idea that the most ideal mechanical designs are often the most visually pleasing. While beauty is decidedly in the eye of the beholder, there’s no debating the Rickman brothers’ performance chops, and not a single item out-of-place on this exceptional…Read more
For two summers as the ‘60s gave way to the ‘70s, Dave Andrew would strap a surfboard to his Vespa and make the 300-mile journey to Cornwall.
The now 74-year-old from Leytonstone discovered his love for the surf on a lads’ scooter holiday in Newquay in 1968.
He took to it like a duck to water, so the following summer he loaded up his Vespa SS180 with board and belongings and went to work as a porter and wine waiter in a family run hotel in the town. Read more…
A Scottish cottage, once belonging to the ancestors of a Harley-Davison founder, has been rescued from the threat of demolition by a local charity. The stone dwelling, found in Netherton, Angus, can now be purchased by the Davidson Legacy Preservation Group, after successfully raising the remaining £70,000 of their required budget – including a donation from Harley-Davidson themselves to secure the property. Read more…
Whiteknights Blood Bikes
South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership
Every death and serious injury on the road is a preventable tragedy. Yet, on average, five people die every day on the road in the UK and 82 are seriously injured (10-year average from 2013-2022). This has to change. Help us by sticking to the rules of the road. Brake, the road safety charity
Kevin Williams
A new year, but we’re treading water on motorcycle safety
[Based on the in-depth item in yesterday’s ‘Elevenses’ live webcast]
Ten years ago I delivered a talk at a motorcycle safety conference in Stevenage. It was organised by the fire services, to pull together their various ‘fire bike’ initiatives and to exchange thinking on the ‘Biker Down’ course created a couple of years earlier in Kent. I was – as you likely know – one of the team that created Biker Down. The original idea came from fire fighter James Sanderson. He was on a group ride with a local club when one of the riders crashed on a dual carriageway. He realised that there was no single course that offered advice on: Read more…
For years, motorcycle lobbying bodies have been pressing for automatic motorcycle access to bus lanes here in the UK, replacing the case-by-case situation we have here right now, which inevitably leads to confusion about whether we can use them or not. In my experience, a cautious ride down the adjoining bus lane is definitely quicker than sitting in a several miles of stop-start traffic and very much less stressful than filtering down the outside of that queue. Read more…
The risk of slowing in the middle of the road
The original poster of this video on LinkedIn said that “when making a right turn across flowing traffic, slowing down can expose us to potential danger. There’s a risk of being hit on both sides, especially for bikers navigating through busy roads.”
He’s not wrong there.
Since we’re very vulnerable to rear-end impacts we really do need to think what we’re doing. We can’t stop the driver from behind cutting the corner, but we can watch our mirrors – maybe this rider could have aborted his manoeuvre and accelerated clear. Read more…
‘I don’t agree but never mind’ Part 6
Last week I was talking about the risks of ‘groupthink’ which can happen when individuals in cohesive groups fail to consider alternative perspectives, and even ignore or dismiss information that is inconsistent with their chosen viewpoints. A good example is the persistent belief that it’s ‘drivers who don’t look properly’ who cause most fatal motorcycle crashes. Read more…
Climbing a ladder’s tough, slipping back’s easy
Last time out I was talking about the relationship between basic and advanced skills, and how it’s the basics that lay the foundations for the advanced. It’s been a few years since I talked about the ‘Ladder of Learning’.
The Ladder of Learning is a really helpful way to think about how we develop new skills, by breaking it down into two additional stages between beginner absolute beginner and competent rider. And it works regardless of whether we’re talking about practical riding skills, the knowledge we need about how the roads work, and the ‘insight’ which allows us to understand what’s happening, predict what’s going to happen, and then have a plan to deal with it. Here are the four steps up the ladder. Read more…
Motorcycling Organsiations
IAM RoadSmart
IAM RoadSmart issues warnings ahead of heavy snow and ice after Met Office amber alert for the South West
Significant snowfall expected to cause major disruption across the South West as amber alerts are announced by the Met Office
IAM RoadSmart Southern Regional Manager Shaun Cronin says, “I urge all drivers and riders in the Southwest to exercise extreme caution. With the forecasted snow and low temperatures, be well prepared before you set out. Ensure your vehicle is winter-ready, check your tyres, screen wash, and have sufficient fuel or charge for your journey. Drive smoothly, maintain a good, safe distance from other vehicles, and always use dipped headlights to improve visibility; don’t rely on automatic lights. Remember, stopping distances can be significantly extended in snow or icy conditions, so drive accordingly. Most importantly, avoid any unnecessary travel wherever possible. Your safety is paramount.”
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said: “This record funding settlement will bring some festive cheer for motorists and cyclists alike. The emphasis is often on the nuisance and cost implications of potholes, but for many, particularly motorcyclists and pedal cyclists, poorly maintained roads are huge safety risk. While this level of funding will need maintaining for several years, motorists will hope journeys go a little more smoothly from next year.” Read more...
National Motorcyclists Council
The Department for Transport has today announced further details of funding to fix potholes across England. Local authorities will be allocated a share of around £1.6billion funding to be used to repair the roads most need of repair, with amounts of up to £500million expected to be awarded. The Government is also requiring local authorities to collect the correct data on pothole related issues and to improve maintenance before potholes start to form. This is in line with calls from the Pothole Partnership which demanded more transparency, plus better reporting and standards as part of the solution to roads maintenance issues. The funding also has built-in incentives, with 25% of this uplift held back until authorities have shown that they are delivering. Read more…
FEMA
The European Council wants to make it mandatory to hand in motorcycles when the have come to ‘the end of their life’.
A majority of EU member states wants to include motorcycles in the new Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles (end-of-life vehicle means a vehicle which is waste or vehicles that are irreparable). Some members did ask for more data and for feasibility studies when it comes to inclusion of motorcycles and other powered two- and three-wheelers. This is the outcome of an environment meeting of the European Council on Tuesday 17 December 2024. The Hungarian presidency of the European Union was not able to complete the end-of-life dossier and reach a Council position, so it will now be handled by the Polish presidency, which will start from January 2025. Read more…
British Motorcyclists Federation
Has the death of the sports bike been exaggerated? Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has hinted that the EICMA show in November 2025 could see a significant sports bike launch for the company.
Speaking to Motorcycle News in late December 2024, he said: “We cannot tell you the detail, but we think it’s important to bring supersport motorcycles to the market, adapting to the new regulations…We think it’s important, because it’s Suzuki’s heritage.” The reference to ‘heritage’ is significant, because it could signal the return of a four-cylinder GSX-R – Suzuki’s current sports bike offerings are limited to the single-cylinder GSX-R 125 and GSX-8R parallel-twin. Read more…
New Rider Hub
What is Ridefree?
Ridefree is an award-winning enhancement to compulsory basic training (CBT), consisting of pre-course eLearning modules. Its aim is to help you prepare for your CBT and riding on the road.
How can it help me?
CBT should be an enjoyable experience. But there’s a lot to learn, and it’s normal to feel anxious about your first bike ride. The good news is that Ridefree will help you become a better and more confident rider…Read more.