Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025

SAM Weekly Newsletter – 19 September 2025

Table of Contents

Editorial

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on last week’s SAM newsletter. It’s great to see respectful and thoughtful debate, especially around the growing concerns about the difficulties of getting onto a bike, e-bike and e-scooter safety. Mike Abbot from the British Superbike School highlighted the rising number of injuries linked to e-bikes and e-scooters. A point backed by recent government data and news reports.

The editorial rightly pointed out that while some machines are tricky to ride, the real issue is whether the rider knows how to handle them safely. The press has been full of worrying stories: a scooter illegally modified to hit 100mph, a six-year-old girl seriously injured by an e-bike in a park, disabled people struggling to navigate cluttered pavements, intoxicated riders with no licence or insurance and ordinary people taking advantage of ebike availability to ride powerful machines without protection, a licence, insurance, training or testing. These problems were made worse by the London Tube strikes, which led to a massive surge in e-bike and scooter use across the city. We’ll find out next year the added costs to the NHS and Metropolitan Police force.

Meanwhile, politicians seem totally focused on the scandal surrounding the UK’s former ambassador to the US.  It’s hard not to question their priorities when road safety is such a pressing issue needing an urgent Parliamentary response.

On a different note, last week we covered the story of an Indian travel blogger whose motorcycle was stolen in Nottingham. While the UK biking community rallied around him, one dealer very generously gave him a replacement bike. The travel blogger’s claim that the UK is worse than Mumbai for bike thefts doesn’t quite hold up. Kevin Williams, known for his detailed analysis, compared global theft rates and found the UK isn’t the worst. Leaving your bike and valuables unattended anywhere is risky, even foolhardy. Hopefully, the blogger will also talk about the kindness he received from the UK motorcycling community and maybe take a few tips from YouTuber Itchy Boots. Noraly and adventure motorcyclists have shared lots of sound advice advice on staying safe while travelling.

There’s also been a rise in clickbait posts online. These are stories that have no real value, but simply designed to get views and ad revenue for the publishers. These ‘articles’ can mislead riders and damage the community’s efforts to share real advice. Before you believe a post, check that the images are real, if the story has been recycled many times in different guises and whether the author is credible writer on the topic. Social media can be really helpful, but only if we think before we click.

Back to riding skills. Kevin Williams has reached “6th gear” in his training series, now focusing on cornering. Whether you’re new or experienced rider, his articles are packed with useful tips. You can also sponsor him at kofi.com.

The ‘Try Ride’ scheme, managed by Phoenix Motorcycle Training and the New Rider Forum (NRF), is aimed at helping young people get into motorcycling. It has hit a snag: not enough instructors to meet demand. Without proper training, many can’t even start their journey. The DfT and motorcycle charities could step up and support affordable training. Phoenix Motorcycle Training  and NRF is already doing great work, but more help is needed. Perhaps the National Motorcyclists Council, representing the motorcycling community, could lead a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to fix the shortfall in motorcycle instructors.

This week was World Suicide Prevention Day. Mental health really matters and bikers are no exception. We support the Mental Health Motorbike charity, which offers free helyp and affordable training. There’s also a helpful infographic from the Samaritans for anyone struggling to  know what to do when the find someone in distress.

Locally, we have some good news: the Snake Pass is finally getting a £7.6 million upgrade to improve safety. It’s been a long wait, but it’ll make the ride to Glossop much safer. For those who love custom bikes, BikerExif featured a stunning Moto Guzzi V-Twin this week. Built with the spirit of flight in mind, it reminds us that motorcycling is the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground.

As older riders face increasing physical challenges and younger ones struggle to get started, we have shared tips to help older riders stay riding longer. That way, you can pass on your knowledge and help future generations to ride safely in an increasingly challenging world. Lastly, the SAM Committee has printed new Observer Guides, which will be handed out by our Chief National Observer to support safer riding in our community. Ride safe, keep learning, share your wisdom and happy reading.


The information in this newsletter and elsewhere that we share it, is for discussion and scrutiny. Riders, riding and the riding environment are highly complex aspects of road safety. Thinking bikers welcome the challenge of reviewing information in these areas. Question everything about bikes, bikers and biking that is posted online, or written anywhere by anyone, including this newsletter. We are more mature than ‘spitting the dummy’ – but it may happen sometimes!!!!


To all those having a hard time: Sometimes, unexpected events will put a rider in hospital, or alter our lives in other ways. To anyone who is having a hard time, we are here to give support and wherever possible to make life a little easier – even if it is only to make you laugh until stitches threaten to pop, share the grapes and tell you what you are missing. Get well soon.

Your success is our success!

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 18th October 2024 Advanced riders are safer road users, ride longer, rider further, meet more people and enjoy a healthier, happier life!

For Your Diary

Meetings

Next SAM Club Night
6th October 2025

7.30pm start for meeting at 8pm. Gives you time to catch up on what you’ve missed!
Treeton Miners Welfare Club
Arundel Street
Treeton
Rotherham S60 5PW

Next SAM Committee Meeting
25th September 2025
Details to be arranged

Online Motorcycling News

General

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Carolyn Allum, who is blind and lives in Claydon, relies on her guide dog to navigate public spaces and said the increasing number of fast-moving vehicles in pedestrian areas is becoming a concern, particularly for elderly people and those using canes.

“I haven’t had too many bad experiences myself, but I am concerned about how many scooters and bikes are coming into the town centre,” she said.

“It’s not making me feel unsafe, but it does feel like walking down a road when they’re zipping in and out.”

She added: “It’s about sharing space responsibly and making sure everybody in that environment is safe.”

Ms Allum also highlighted feedback from other members of Suffolk Sight who feel increasingly anxious navigating local streets — an issue echoed in a new report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

According to the RNIB, 92% of blind or partially sighted people regularly encounter pavement obstructions, and more than a third have recently collided with obstacles like parked e-scooters or bikes.

The charity is urging the government to enforce inclusive pavement standards and improve regulation of dockless vehicle schemes, which often leave pavements cluttered. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 It’s 8.34am, Wednesday morning. I’ve heard the phrase “for FUCK’s sake” three times since I’ve left the house and it’s only been ten minutes, five of which were spent outside a nursery. My blood pressure, if checked, would put me in the “hypertensive crisis” bracket. I am cycling in London on day three of the Tube strike.

Most of my route to the New Statesman offices trickles along a “Cycle Superhighway” – TfL’s hyperbolic name for bike lanes painted teal that seem to come pre-cratered, like a distressed pair of jeans. On strike days, this lane acts like the reverse of a travelator, so busy that you end up backpedalling most of the journey to avoid slamming into the Santander tractor in front of you, or the lorry – forever, and always – stationary in the middle of the cycle lane attempting to turn left. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 We’re in the morning meeting on the orthopaedics trauma ward on the 10th floor at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Like every morning, the team are here to talk through the cases that will face them in the day ahead, and a familiar theme pops up.

From one side of the room a surgeon talks about his patient: “A 32-year-old, fit and well student… a couple of days ago he fell off an e-bike sustaining a closed left tibial plateau fracture.”

And a few moments later a voice next to us describes another case: “Six-year-old girl, she was hit by an electric bike, she has a closed tib/fib fracture.”

The little girl they are talking about is Frida.

She was out playing with friends in the park at the weekend when she was hit by someone on an electric bike.

It fell on her, breaking her tibia and fibula – bones in her lower leg. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 A judge has warned the public must realise they are subject to normal driving laws if they are using e-scooters.

The comments came as a man appeared at Derry Magistrates Court charged with driving with no license or insurance and driving with excess alcohol in his breath.

Tony McCleland (40), of Creggan Street in Derry, was charged with the offences that occurred on July 31 this year, after being spotted by police while they were out on patrol.

When tested, McCleland was almost three times the legal alcohol limit and was found to have no license and insurance for the vehicle. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 An e-scooter that had been illegally adapted with a motor to reach speeds of up to 90 mph (145 kph) has been seized by police.

It was one of two seized in the town of Rishton on Thursday, Lancashire Police said.

Insp Mo Lorgat said e-scooters modified to reach these speeds posed “an incredibly serious risk to the rider, other road users and pedestrians going about their daily business”.

He said the issue of illegally adapted e-bikes and e-scooters had been raised by the community as a “priority concern” and urged anyone who sees them to report them to the police.

The two scooters were seized as part of a wider Lancashire Police drive to crackdown on anti-social behaviour, including illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Derbyshire Police has seized 568 e-scooters that were being ridden illegally on the street in the space of 10 months.

The force started to confiscate privately owned e-scooters ridden in public places on the first offence from November 2024 after a rise in complaints from members of the public.

Insp Lee Welsby said the force was also taking an educational approach to make people aware privately owned e-scooters could only be used on private land.

He added: “We know this continues to be a concern for many people who have had near misses with e-scooters in pedestrian areas, but these numbers demonstrate that we are working to tackle this and keep pedestrians, and the e-scooter riders, safe.” Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 The UK seemingly has a motorcycle instructor shortage, as there’s not enough of them to meet the demand for new people wanting to learn to ride bikes, according to the Phoenix Motorcycle Training school.

You would think that for many riders the opportunity to turn their passion for two wheels into a full-time career could be an exciting prospect. However, there seems to be a lack of interest in doing so, and that is causing a ripple effect. In 2024, data from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) revealed that just under 40,000 people passed their motorcycle test. But it’s at the CBT level where the demand to complete the one-day training course, compared to how many instructors are available, is felt the most. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 This World Suicide Prevention Day, we’re sharing one important message: If you think someone might be suicidal, take action, interrupt their thoughts and show them you care.

Every 90 minutes, someone in the UK or Ireland dies by suicide* and 1 in 4 of us has had suicidal thoughts.**

Let’s prevent suicide today. Because tomorrow’s too late.

Suicidal thoughts can be interrupted
We surveyed people with lived experience of suicide and the majority told us that their suicidal thoughts have been interrupted.***

60% said their suicidal thoughts had been interrupted by someone close to them, like a friend or family member.
14% said their suicidal thoughts had been interrupted by a stranger or someone they didn’t know.
Our World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 campaign was co-created with people who have lived experience of suicidal thoughts. We’re sharing their experiences and insights to help you take action if you suspect someone may be suicidal. We’ve put together the following webpages: Read more

How to help

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 If you were to list the UK’s best roads for riding a motorcycle, a number would spring to mind. The Black Mountain Pass, Cat and Fiddle, and Pen-Y-Pass all spring to mind. Another road, though, is equally as revered, with the A57, better known as Snake Pass, being another go-to destination for bikers on a sunny day.Loved by many, it may be, but its future has hung in the balance for the last year or so, after landslides and damage to the route caused either full or partial closures. What led to the initial problems was the UK’s consecutive batterings from storms Eunice and Franklin, although the risk of further extreme weather events meant steps would have to be taken. Those ‘steps’ included stabilising the road against further landslips, and that kind of maintenance work doesn’t come cheap. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Seeing how criminal gangs move their operations around the UK can help motorcyclists realise the importance of locking their bikes, and be more prepared when thefts rise in their area.

This map shows the increases and decreases of motorcycle and scooter thefts by comparing the last full month’s data with the month before that. Remember – this is a MONTHLY overview. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) are the latest UK biking organisation to express safety concerns over the Government’s accelerated plans to introduce ‘driverless’ Autonomous Vehicles (AVs).Back in June plans were announced to ‘fast-track’ the trial of small-scale self-driving services such as buses and taxis to spring 2026, instead of 2027. At the same time, the Government launched a three-month consultation seeking views on safety standards.That process attracted lengthy responses from the likes of the National Motorcyclists’ Council (NMC) and Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), with a common concern being the vulnerability of motorcyclists. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Wheelies, they aren’t big, or clever, but for some reason they just make people happy. There is a time and place, though, and while we’d always advocate ‘popping a minger’ on the track, on occasion the front wheel does paw the air while riding on the road.

Should you have the misfortune, as this rider did, of popping a wheelie just as you are passing an unmarked police car, you could understandably find yourself in hot water. But it’s not the rider’s antics that have sparked a debate in this clip, it’s the actions of the police who chase down this fun-crazed lunatic in the name of the law. Read more

Rider Health & Safety

It's FREE! from Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Ride safe.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... 

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 One day I was a brash young buck who rode hundreds of miles per day and ground my footpegs down to nubs, and the next — surprise! — I was a limping wreck who kept Tylenol in his tank bag and memorized the precise location of every restroom along whatever route I was taking. Now, at 71, there are days when I ask myself if riding is more trouble than it’s worth.

It’s not just me. One cause of the hand-wringing and head-scratching about the lack of new, young riders coming into motorcycling is the steady exodus of older, experienced riders fighting a losing battle with chronic pain, diminishing reflexes and eyesight, and other age-related health issues. For a sport that legendarily involves “sitting here and twisting that,” riding is still a physical undertaking, one that exacts a toll on your body that only gets worse with age. Staying in the saddle well into your vintage years takes some adjustments and some compromises. Here are some of the challenges faced by older riders, and strategies for overcoming them. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Spanish startup Zyon are shaking up the world of helmet design, creating a new lid that promises not just crash protection, but a healthier ride, too.

Their debut modular helmet, now open for pre-orders, offers a number of smart features, including a brake light, electronic safety monitoring, and a filtration device, which (along with a near totally sealed fit) can prevent over 80% of exhaust fumes, toxic gases, and allergens from being inhaled.

The latter system a potential lifesaver with bikers reportedly 100 times more exposed to pollutants than car drivers and with the World Health Organisation (WHO) now marking air pollution as the second biggest killer worldwide. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 I’ve crossed a lot of water on the back of a motorcycle. It’s a fun thing to do when you’re out in the woods, as it tests your abilities to the max. There are slippery rocks, unseen ruts and holes, large fish, and sometimes even bears. But there’s also a time and, far more importantly, a place for crossing water. The backcountry is the place to test those skills and your machine.

What aren’t are floodwater-choked city streets, as they make the hazards of the woods look as if you were a full-on Bubble Boy, encased in an impenetrable protective layer.

Seriously, floodwaters are no joke within the city limits, as there’s countless unseen, and far more dangerous hazards than in the woods. One youth motorcycle rider recently found this out in Bangkok, Thailand, when he was attempting to get through the flooded street with his motorcycle, only to grab a concrete barrier with a live wire running through it, and electrocuted himself to death. Read more

Adventure & Touring

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 It was my son who planted the seed for doing something that would help overcome the horrors of 9/11. “You should ride your motorcycle around the world for peace, Dad!” he said.

From the mouth of a ten-year-old came the realization that change in the world had to begin with me. The weeks that followed were committed to turning his dream into reality. It would take intensive planning and training to get this solo feat underway. But whenever I shared this bold plan with others it was met with the same word, “Impossible.” No one from my homeland of Indonesia had ever attempted a ride like this.

 Then, in an instant, the dream came to a screeching halt. A car slammed into my bike, crushing and trapping me beneath it—I was so bashed up they almost left me for dead. I awoke in the hospital to hear the doctor’s five devastating words that still ring in my ears today, “You will never walk again.” Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Should you start a motorcycle adventure solo, or with others? That depends on your route, personality, budget, courage, willingness to take risks, and most importantly, your determination. The truth is there are both pros and cons to riding around the world alone or with another. Having done it solo, with mates, and as a couple, I’d like to share my experiences with you.

• My Solo journey from Europe to Mongolia
Let’s start with an anecdote: Back in June 2012, I was halfway through a motorcycle journey from Spain to Japan. At the time, I was alone in the middle of Russia, on my way to the Mongolian border. I knew that Mongolia was going to be challenging. It’s a country more than twice the size of Texas with less than 10 percent of its population… and barely any roads! Read more

History & Custom

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 With over two decades of experience, numerous awards, and a stacked skill set spanning traditional fabrication to 3D design, there’s very little that ShifCustom can’t do. If their wild three-wheeled BMW R18 didn’t convince you, perhaps this aviation-themed Moto Guzzi café racer will.

Founded by Yuri Shif and based in Minsk, Belarus, ShifCustom operates at the intersection of imaginative design and out-of-the-box engineering. That ethos is splashed all over this neo-futuristic–meets–art deco masterpiece. Powered by the V-twin from a Moto Guzzi Breva 750, everything beyond the powertrain is bespoke. Read more

Kevin Williams

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Would YOU leave your valuables on a parked bike?

[Based on the in-depth item in yesterday’s Elevenses live webcast]

The Indian overlander who had his bike stolen in Nottingham halfway through his trip to Africa has been busy on social media attacking the police for letting bike crime run out of control in the UK. It turns out Yogesh Alekari is a professional travel blogger, with an online audience of almost 200,000. And he’s certainly not been shy of using his social media presence to spread his tale of woe spread far and wide. The biking press, the BBC and ITV websites have all picked up on and retold the story, as has GB News, mainstream papers including the Independent, Daily Mail and the Telegraph, and local papers. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Sixth Gear: Sustain, Refine & add Resilience!

Before I carry on, a quick reminder of what this series is about. I’m looking at the learning process we use to develop riding skills, and how improvement is more easily achieved when we build on the solid foundation of previous levels. I’ve used a metaphor of going up through the gears on a motorcycle, starting in First with the core skills, gaining consistency in Second, weaving together individual skills to cope with real-world riding in Third, and achieving ‘flow’ through complex riding tasks in Fourth. Last week, Fifth gear was about reaching ‘mastery’, by developing the insight which enables us to flexibly transfer knowledge and / or skills we know works in one area to another unknown area. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 The Curious Crash of Mercedes Valentine

Earlier this year, an entirely weird story suddenly appeared online. And when I say online, I mean all over the internet. According to the reports, a 25 year old neuroscientist-turned-OnlyFans model from Brighton who goes by the name of ‘Mercedes Valentine’ suffered a life-changing crash after she hit a pigeon whilst riding her motorcycle. As well as traumatic facial injuries, she suffered memory loss.

The first odd thing I noticed was the that story appeared more or less simultaneously on dozens of news outlets from the Daily Mail in the UK to the New York Post in the US, from the Times of India to the Russian news outlet Pravda, from Lawyer Monthly to YouTube… Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Turn your ruddy indicators OFF

I nearly took out a biker yesterday morning. He wasn’t one of the kamikaze UberEats or Deliveroo riders, he was on a middleweight motorcycle, possibly a CB500X or whatever it’s called now. It was mid-morning and I was on the way back from dropping Judy off at the animal rescue centre where she volunteers. It’s a 12 min drive, the best part of an hour away by public transport, in case anyone’s wondering why I would be using the car.

The point where it happened is a busy and moderately complex section of road. I’ve attached a map so you can see what was going on. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 ‘In the turn you never pull on the clutch!’ Except when…

Back when I was busy teaching new riders the basics of slow turns, we used to try to get over the concept of slipping the clutch being a useful technique on a motorcycle. Car drivers in particular had a real fear – and still do – of slipping the clutch because they remember their car lessons and how slipping the clutch “wears it out”. That’s what I was taught and my instructor reinforced it by slapping my thigh every time I made the error.

But bikes are different to cars like the old Hillman I learned to drive in, and clutches are robust. My Hornet has demo’d untold slow turns and U-turns, all with the clutch being slipped, and at 85,000 miles it’s still on the original.

So a lot of time was spend on CBT, and again on the ‘big bike’ DAS courses, getting beginning riders comfortable with this alien technique of controlling the power delivery with the clutch. We used to say it was like having ‘half-a-gear’ for slow, tight turns. Read more

Whiteknights Blood Bikes

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025

Whiteknights are today releasing our activity statistics for August. Another busy month with over 500 hours of volunteering by our riders and drivers.

We covered 8400 miles and we believe we saved the NHS over £13000 in urgent transportation costs.

Thank you to everyone who has donated this month to support the work of our Yorkshire Charity.
#bloodbikes

 Yesterday we had an early morning wake up call from Birmingham Children’s Hospital to take an urgent sample to Newcastle. We managed to link up with Whiteknights Yorkshire Blood Bikes who then handed over to Northumbria Blood Bikes to complete the run into Newcastle. Thank you to everyone involved, particularly behind the scenes, for managing to pull this together at such short notice and make it happen. We all send our good wishes to the child this was for 💛 #itswhatwedo #teamworkmakesthedreamwork

South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Ahead of the new school year, we would like to remind drivers of their responsibilities when encountering School Crossing Patrols.

The rules and guidance within The Official Highway Code exist to protect all road users, and in this case especially children and their families, on their journey to school. Compliance is essential in preventing road casualties.

Every child and their adult in South Yorkshire should be safe when crossing the road to school. It is vital that all drivers and riders comply with the law to improve road safety around our schools.

Most motorists are law-abiding, courteous and will stop as instructed – thank you to all those drivers and riders.

Did you know:

• By law, as soon as a Patrol raises their sign, even if they have not stepped into the road, motorists must be prepared to stop.

• Once the Patrol is in the carriageway and displaying the sign in the upright position, traffic must stop and not proceed until pedestrians have finished crossing the road and the Patrol has returned to the pavement.

• Whether you are running late or didn’t realise you MUST stop, you have a responsibility, legally and morally, to avoid putting other road users at risk.

• If a driver fails to stop their vehicle at a safe distance from the School Crossing Patrol, or if they start to move off while the STOP sign is being displayed, they could receive a fine of up to £1,000 and 3 penalty points on their driving licence.

Thank you for helping us to keep our roads safe.

Sheffield City Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Barnsley Council
Doncaster Council
South Yorkshire Police
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 31st January 2025 Scooter safety:
As well as it being illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place, there are real concerns for the safety of e-scooter riders and other road users.
Additionally, it could affect a young person’s ability to apply for a driving licence when they reach the legal age.
This is because e-scooters are currently classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988, which opens riders up to a raft of offences as they need to have a driving licence and insurance to ride them.
This also means if e-scooter are to be made legal, the minimum age allowed to ride one would be 16 years old.

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

Motorcycling Organisations

IAM RoadSmart
Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 11th October 2024 Has it been a while since you passed your Advanced test? 
Our Advanced Refresher course allows drivers and riders to brush up on their skills with one of our dedicated Observers, so you can ensure you’re still driving or riding at an Advanced level!
 
 

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 100 motorists a day receive drink-drive endorsements as new research shows soaring cost for offenders


•108,000 drink-drive related endorsements added to individual licences over a three-year period

•Drink-driving could be costing offenders as much as £80,000, up 15 percent on five years ago

One hundred drivers a day have had drink-drive endorsements added to their licences in the past three years according to new research from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.*

Worryingly, young professionals aged 25 to 39 are the worst offenders, seemingly unaware of the consequences of drink-driving. Some 48,000 drivers in this age group have been rapped, closely followed by 40,000 midlifers aged 40 to 65.

100 motorists a day receive drink-drive endorsements as new research shows soaring cost for offenders


•108,000 drink-drive related endorsements added to individual licences over a three-year period

•Drink-driving could be costing offenders as much as £80,000, up 15 percent on five years ago

One hundred drivers a day have had drink-drive endorsements added to their licences in the past three years according to new research from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.*

Worryingly, young professionals aged 25 to 39 are the worst offenders, seemingly unaware of the consequences of drink-driving. Some 48,000 drivers in this age group have been rapped, closely followed by 40,000 midlifers aged 40 to 65. Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 6th September 2024

Are you aware of the OAP framework when out riding? 

Incorporating Observe, Anticipate, Plan, when on the roads, can help educate and upskill riders to ensure safer journeys. Learn more 
ACEM

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 Motorcycle industry calls for urgent action as prohibitive US tariffs on European motorcycles are introduced.

Brussels (Belgium) | 27 August 2025

The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) expresses serious concern that the EU-US Framework Agreement of 21 August falls significantly short of addressing the trade challenges facing European manufacturers.

While acknowledging diplomatic efforts on both sides of the Atlantic, the agreement’s partial scope leaves the European motorcycle industry facing the new general 15% tariff on products exported to the United States. Furthermore, European motorcycles, parts, and accessories are now also subject to 50% tariffs on their steel content. Read more

Motorcycle Industries Association

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 MCIA has today published the new vehicle registrations for the month of August 2025.

This includes Mopeds, Scooters, Motorcycles and some other specific sectors of the wider L-Category vehicle types.

New registrations for the month of August continue to show improvement above the overall year to date trend. Whilst not as strong an improvement as that witnessed in July, August continues to improve with a reduced decline in comparison to the same month in 2024. Total market volumes for the month closed at 6,846 units which resulted in a market decline of minus 11.5%

The Scooter segment continues to perform ahead of the 2024 ending the month with a positive 3.2% in the month where the Motorcycle segments remained negative albeit still vastly improved from the first 6 months. Read more

National Motorcycle Dealers Association

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 “The new motorcycle market has displayed signs of recovery, steadying after last month’s sharp decline. However, with registrations still in the negative, it suggests consumer confidence has not fully stabilised at the beginning of Q3” commented Symon Cook, Head of National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), according to the latest figures published by Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA).

New registrations in July saw improvement to -2.4% up 16% compared to last month’s -18.6% figure. Meanwhile, the “year-to-date” market slightly recovered to -17.8% compared to 2024.

Symon Cook concluded: “NMDA is pleased with the improvement when considering 2025’s decline and dealers can have a positive outlook for the remainder of Q3. However, we are concerned that the market has been largely ignored by the Government. Recently the Government introduced the new Electric Car Grant with a discount of £3,750, yet nothing of this ilk to incentivise consumers to buy motorcycles.

Looking ahead, the NMDA will be closely monitoring whether this boost can continue into the positive in the second half of the year and what impact the upcoming Autumn Budget may have on the industry.” Read more

National Motorcyclists Council

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 31st January 2025  The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has welcomed news that the Department for Transport (DfT) is considering options for reviewing the current training, testing and licensing regime. The NMC, along several motorcycling organisations and other road safety stakeholders were told the news by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Lilian Greenwood MP who attended a round table meeting of the Government’s Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group on January 20th to discuss licensing and other aspects of motorcycle safety and policy. Read more… 

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) has today (26th August) issued new guidance to some of its vehicle registration policies, making the rules around the notification of modifications to already registered motorcycles old and new more straightforward.

These changes follow a call for evidence which NMC member, the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) responded to with the support of the NMC. Organisations in the four-wheeled historic vehicle sector also responded. As a result, the DVLA is replacing its existing policies on rebuilt and radically altered vehicles with three new sets of guidance that will apply to all vehicles, regardless of age. Read more

FEMA

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 During a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, proposals were accepted on new EU circularity rules to cover the entire vehicle lifecycle, from design to final end-of-life treatment.

Some of the key points from the accepted text:

All L-class vehicles (motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles, and certain quads) will be included in the regulation. Only power-assisted bicycles (L1e-B) and small series powered two-wheelers are excluded.
Vehicles of historical interest, their parts, and spare parts are excluded.
A new category, “Vehicles of special cultural interest,” has been added to the exclusions.
The competent authority of the Member State where the fleet unit is registered may recognize the vehicle as culturally significant if all the following conditions are met:
Either the owner or the competent authority of the registration Member State has documented the vehicle’s unique historical or cultural value or status, or the vehicle is a single modified or custom-made vehicle; Read more

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 A new study is sounding the alarm on the hidden threat all motorcyclists are aware of: the steel safety barriers lining thousands of kilometres of roads.

Motorcyclists across Europe are familiar with the dangers of slippery curves and unexpected obstacles. Researchers confirm that these barriers, designed primarily to protect car occupants, are a serious risk to motorcyclists in a specific type of accident: upright crashes. When a rider hits a barrier in an upright position, their chest or abdomen often slams directly into the sharp upper edge of the guardrail. The research paper calls for better guardrails to protect motorcyclists in these upright crashes.

While ‘motorcycle-friendly’ barriers already exist to reduce injuries from sliding crashes, where riders slide into the barrier after falling off their bike, the upper edge of standard guardrails remains lethal in upright impacts. Published in the journal Infrastructures, the study reviews a wide range of patents and designs aimed at reducing the danger of upper-edge impacts. The research team, made up of safety engineers and infrastructure experts, assessed thirteen international designs for their potential to save lives, including both low-cost retrofits and high-tech barrier add-ons. Read more

British Motorcyclists Federation

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly Newsletter 19 September 2025 Snake Pass, the legendary A57 running over the Pennines, and a bikers’ perennial favourite, is to get safety upgrades worth £7.6 million, with some of the improvements aimed at motorcyclists. We reported on this story back in October 2024, link here, when Derbyshire County Council announced that the iconic stretch of twisty tarmac might have to face closure. Several landslips had undermined the road’s structure, and the Council said it just didn’t have the cash to repair it. Now the Department for Transport has come up with the money, part of a near-£10 million package which focuses in two roads in northern England – the A583 Blackpool Road as well as Snake Pass. Part of the funding is going to new Read more

Motorcycle Action Group

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists Newsletter - 19th September 2025 The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has submitted three major policy reports to the Department for Transport and Transport for London. The reports draw on motorcyclists’ unique road safety perspective to propose solutions for casualty reduction stagnation affecting all road users.

The reports present a complete framework for implementing MAG’s “Welcoming Roads” approach. This has been developed through four years of policy work. It draws on motorcyclists’ distinctive position as road users who experience both vulnerability and mobility.

As both vulnerable road users and motorised traffic participants, motorcyclists encounter the full spectrum of road safety challenges daily. This dual perspective has enabled MAG to identify systematic approaches that could break the casualty reduction plateau. This plateau has affected all road user groups since 2010. It moves beyond fragmented policies that address different user types separately. 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. 

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists - Weekly newsletter 24th January 2025  Look after your bike/moped and it will look after you.  Carrying out a few simple checks before each ride could save your life. Use POWDERS

Petrol

  • Do you have enough for your journey?
  • Is the reserve tap off?
  • Check there are no leaks Read more… 

Sheffield Advance Motorcyclists - 19 September 2025 Dress for success
You don’t enjoy the same level of protection as other motorists. When you crash, you’ve not got the luxury of airbags, side impact protection systems, seatbelts, or head restraints.

All you’ve got to protect you is your riding gear. Read more

Contact SAM Newsletter Editor

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Free Assessed Ride

Want to try before you buy? Fill in the form below and arrange the FREE ride assessment when it’s convenient for you.  Or just ride down to Meadowhall Retail Park, Sheffield S9 1EP, 9am any Saturday morning.

Be safe - ALWAYS carry your Biker I.C.E card!

Riding a motorcycle comes with risks. In an accident, motorcyclists’ injuries are likely to be more serious than those of other road users. To reduce these risks, the Biker I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) Card is a simple but essential tool for riders. It’s easy to use and convenient to carry. It can be folded to fit in your wallet and handed to anyone who needs it, not just accident responders.

The Biker I.C.E. Card contains all necessary information. It has contact information, important health, medical and doctor’s details, a list of medications and your doctor’s contact. If you’re in an accident, emergency services can use the card to quickly understand your health and medical needs t0 provide you with the best care possible.

Just fill in your email address below. We will keep you updated of any design changes. The card is given as FREE public service that you can use and share as many times as you like. You simply add details like your NHS or travel insurance numbers, as these can help emergency responders access your healthcare records or handle costs when travelling abroad.

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists, well known for our quality assured advanced rider training, support the use of this card. It can be a critical safety tool. While training improves road safety, the card ensures you get the right help should things go wrong.

Download your Biker I.C.E. Card NOW, for safer rides and peace of mind!