SAM Weekly Newsletter – 21st March 2025
Table of Contents
Editorial
Great news for the SAM charity. Our FREE charity online web hosting account has been renews by 34SP.com. They have supported SAM with free web hosting, readily helped with resolving technical issues and provided a staging area from which we can develop and deploy a replacement website. We are extremely grateful to 34SP.com for their continued support and would recommend any charity consider this provider for their web hosting services.
The SAM Committee, in addition to organising a slew of events for members has been looking at better ways to use the training budget. To ensure that we make the best use of every penny we have in our accounts, a number of new initiatives have been agreed. These will help to develop our unpaid, volunteer Observers and ensure that we invest in our training provision. Talking about SAM events, we are happy to report that the Spring Ride to North Yorkshire is now fully subscribed. Bookings are coming in for the Spring Breakfast and a new track day offer has been added to the events list in this week’s newsletter. Now we need a few more photos for the SAM Annual Photo Competition. Send entries to sam-editor@iam-sheffield.bike.
Mornings have remained frosty, so rides are starting a little later and finishing earlier. When the sun is out, it’s a glorious trip on two wheels. The petition to allow motorcycles in bus lanes by default is reported to have reached 10,000 in its first week. At the time of writing there are 14,420 signatures. We need 100,000 to trigger a parliamentary debate on the proposal. The petition is due to end on the 28th August 2025, so we should encourage every motorcyclist, their family and friends to sign up for safer riding for all motorcyclists.
In this week’s newsletter there is a warning about clinging to dogma in meeting the challenges of riding. It is argued that repeated practice does not make a skillful rider, understanding and responding to the challenges that each ride will bring. Setting measurable objectives, focussing on practice and reflective learning will help riders improve their riding skills faster. This will ensure they become safer riders and a highly skilled coach will help to set out a roadmap to becoming a better biker. Until next week, happy reading.
Your success is our success!
Advanced riders are safer road users, ride longer, rider further, meet more people and enjoy a healthier, happier life!
SAM Members Events
Northumberland Trip | Darley Moor Track Day | SAM Spring Breakfast
British Superbikes School
Discounted Track Day Offer
£199!
Date: 17th April 2025
Phone: 01777 818013
Kirton Rd, Blyton, Gainsborough DN21 3PE
IAM Members ONLY
Annual Photograph Competition
“Foggy” by Fran Thompson
It’s the SAM Annual Photo Competition 2025
Email ALL entries to sam-editor@iam-sheffield.bike
Closing date 12mn Sunday 23rd March 2025
Meetings
Next SAM Club Night
3rd March 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
27th March 2025
Details to be arranged
Online Motorcycling News
General
As motorcycle overlanders and backcountry riders, one thing we need to master is the “art” of tire changing. Whether it’s fixing a flat, replacing a worn tire, or swapping it with another type, this is one skill you don’t want to leave home without.
Our two-part series focuses on in-the-field tips and tricks for getting non-motorcycle-specific tires off and on their rims—as quickly, and effortlessly as possible. Over the last three years, we’ve gathered and tested virtually everything out there. This series is an attempt to distill it all down into what we consider the most practical and workable system. Part One details tire removal, while Part Two (next issue) will discuss getting it back on the rim. We hope you’ll find this useful. Read more…
Popular motorcycle social media personality Harvey Rides Bikes appears on Full Chat to discuss his rapid rise to internet fame and biking journey.
The Instagram sensation, whose real name is Harvey King, has 1.2million followers and is best known for his videos of riding through the streets of London, meeting up with fellow bikers and handing out sweets and free food to the public and his followers Read more…
The Oxford Beast disc lock on review here is a solidly designed device that’s been certified to Sold Secure’s Powered Cycle Diamond rating, and is also recognised by Secured by Design, which requires the Sold Secure testing to allow paid access to a police-acknowledged database.
While it has the same vulnerability as any other disc lock in that the brake disc itself can be cut if the thief is willing, it’s a solid device that’s unfortunately limited in its ability to work on a large proportion of motorcycles… Read more…
Wigan-based Langen Motorcycles have this week gone live with a new crowd funding scheme, hoping to raise £600,000 of additional investment to create tooling and meet homologation standards on their incoming Lightspeed muscle cruiser.Accessible online through europe.republic.com, the investment program will allow people to become shareholders in Langen. A £300,000 minimum target has been outlined on the website, although it’s hoped that this figure will be doubled. Read more...
Junctions are the number one location for motorcycle accidents (corners are a close second), so it makes sense they’ve covered in MCN’s new video series on better riding, made in conjunction with BikerTek and Rapid Training.
The video takes you through the main mistakes we make at junctions, how to avoid them, and how to increase the chances that car drivers will see us.“The start point is realising that, as motorcyclists, we generally over-estimate how conspicuous we are, underestimate our speed, and overestimate our ability to do anything about it if it all goes wrong,” says Giles Lamb, the Rapid Training coach presenting the videos. 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...
TyreSafe, the UK’s tyre safety charity, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with BikeSafe, the UK’s number one police-led motorcycle safety initiative. This collaboration is set to raise awareness among motorcyclists about the critical role that regular tyre maintenance plays in road safety.
BikeSafe, facilitated by highly skilled Advanced Police Motorcyclists, is a nationwide road safety initiative designed to improve motorcycle rider skills through eLearning, theory workshops, and observed rides.
By joining forces with BikeSafe, TyreSafe aims to drive home its message that the condition of a motorbike’s tyres is just as important as a rider’s skills on the road.
The partnership focuses on encouraging all motorcyclists to regularly check their tyres for correct pressure, adequate tread depth, and signs of wear or damage. As part of BikeSafe’s workshops, attendees will now also be guided through the importance of tyre maintenance in improving motorcycle control, grip, and safety. Read more…
A petition urging the government to reverse its decision to not allow motorcycles to access bus lanes by default has gained over 10,000 signatures within just one week of going live. Launched by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the appeal takes aim at the Labour government, which, on 21 November 2024, rejected a motion to open bus lane usage to all two-wheeled traffic automatically, following a Department for Transport (DfT) online consultation that ran from 17 March to 16 July.
Riding a motorcycle is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have. The wind on your face and the freedom of the open road are hard to top. But with the thrill comes responsibility. For new riders, getting started can be exciting, but also a little daunting. This is where motorcycle courses come in. Whether you’ve just taken your first ride or are still waiting to hop on a bike, enrolling in a motorcycle course can significantly improve your skills, safety, and enjoyment. Below, we’ll explore how motorcycle courses make you a more skilled, confident, and safer rider. Read more…
Safety continues to improve on England’s motorways and major A-roads (the Strategic Road Network (SRN)) but National Highways is unlikely to meet an ambitious safety target set by government, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said today (Thursday March 13) in its third annual assessment of safety on the SRN.
Excluding 2020 and 2021, when there was significantly less traffic due to the pandemic, these latest figures show the fewest number of people killed or seriously injured on the strategic road network (motorways and main A-roads) ever recorded, despite traffic increasing by 2.2% between 2022 and 2023. Read more…
I’ve spent a lot of the last seven months watching my 16-month-old granddaughter learning to walk. It’s been fascinating to see the transition between rolling over, sitting up, shuffling, standing while holding-on, tottering around and lurching into a stumble and fall. The ‘arms-out, Frankenstein shuffle’ was getting close to a walk and now, finally, something resembling a proper stroll. Read more…
Adventure & Touring
I’d just quit my job to travel the world. It was surreal—l had waited many years to make this move, yet here I finally was, without a clue where I was even going to start….
Somehow, I was instantly drawn to the U.S.; I had seen some of the country on previous visits, but there were countless more places and National Parks I was itching to explore. What better way to do it than on two wheels? But there was a problem. I had a motorcycle license, but limited riding experience. Living in London at the time, I had a small naked bike to get around, but it was mainly for commuting. I rarely rode it for longer than an hour. I also didn’t have the slightest idea of what it would be like to travel on a motorbike; I had never even made a proper day trip on one. Despite all that, I somehow managed to connect with someone in Oregon who was willing to sell me a BMW F800 GS, fully set up for off-roading. Read more…
History & Custom
Wildwood: A modern Harley-Davidson beach racer
Every year, over the first weekend of October, scores of vintage motorcycles and hot rods descend on Wildwood, New Jersey, USA for The Race of Gentlemen. The event is dripping with nostalgia and adrenaline, as contenders go head-to-head across the sands of Wildwood’s sprawling beach. This beguiling Harley-Davidson beach racer looks exactly like the type…Read more
Kevin Williams
Rediscover the Ride Part 1 – going back to basics
At its core, motorcycle riding is about making appropriate control inputs and coordinating our inputs so as to make changes to our speed and direction which allow us to negotiate the hazards around us. And whether we’re experienced riders with years of riding time under our collective belts, or relative newcomers to the joys of motorcycling, it’s never a bad idea to revisit the fundamentals from time to time to ensure we are capable of making those inputs whenever we need them.
Going back to basics can remind us of sound practices that have slipped to the backs of our minds over time, and nudge us to do something to correct any bad habits we’ve slipped into. Read more…
I was recently alerted to a video about observation, which said: “we need to be actively scanning for everything without ever fixating on a single thing”. By coincidence, I’d just used my ‘Skills on Saturday’ written posts to discuss human visual perception in some depth, explaining how we build up our mental image of the world around us – what we call situational awareness. Some comments made it pretty clear there was confusion over the term ‘fixation’.
As far as I can tell, the term fixation came into motorcycling thanks to Keith Code. He realised that in emergencies, riders fail to react according to their training, and blamed what he called ‘Survival Reactions’. Read more…
The role of ‘deliberate’ practice
Last time out, I tackled the Malcolm Gladwell myth that he first promoted back in 2008, suggesting that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery in any skill. Gladwell based his claim on the work of psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, professor of psychology at Florida State University, who explained later that a ‘10,000 hour rule’ was not what his research showed, that there was no ‘tipping point’ to greatness at 10,000 hours. It was actually an average of the time elite performers had spent practicing, some much less and some many more.
Another writer to say that it’s practice that matters is former table tennis champion Matthew Syed who says in his book ‘Bounce’: Read more…
Watch out, dogma ahead!
SCENARIO ONE – Imagine you’re on a long, winding road on your motorcycle. You are applying the ‘slow in, fast(er) out’ rule, making sure to get your braking finished before the bend, ensuring you’re in the right gear with speed set so that you can negotiate each bend smoothly with just a little positive power to keep the bike driving through the corner, delaying harder acceleration until you are upright and pointed where you want to go next. You know this is the right technique because you learned it on an on-road training course. Then you discover a corner is unexpectedly tightening up on you and you’re running wide. Your careful plan for the corner is in tatters. Read more…
Whiteknights Blood Bikes
Here are our February 2025 stats.
Again the fleet has travelled in excess of 5000 miles within the month.
Thank you to all our supporters and people who have donated to our charity during February.
Thank you to North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue service for delivering the BikerDown course to Yorkshire Blood Bikers today.
South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership
Good morning South Yorkshire travellers. How are you today?
We’re starting to see more & more motorcyclists back out on our roads so when you’re driving, please take extra time to look out for riders.
We all deserve safe roads.
#barnsley #doncaster #sheffield #rotherham
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
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
Has it been a while since you passed your Advanced test? 
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said, “After the many billions of pounds that have been spent on smart motorways, the metrics do not show a safer network compared to what it replaced. It also reveals that on those stretches of all-lane running smart motorways without a hard shoulder, the rate of fatal and serious collisions involving stopped vehicles is almost double that of both a conventional motorway and those with a dynamic hard shoulder. Given the public’s hostility towards all-lane running smart motorways, they will be relieved to know there are no plans to construct any more. However, question marks remain over what to do with existing stretches and how the government proceeds with future capacity expansion.” Read more…
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said, “We were disappointed by the government’s response to its last consultation and remain of the view that allowing motorcyclists default access to bus lanes will improve safety for some of the roads’ most vulnerable users. This strength of feeling is shown by the volume of signatures on this petition, and we encourage our members and groups to also make their voices heard too.” Read more…
Are you aware of the OAP framework when out riding? 
National Motorcyclists Council
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…
SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE POTHOLE
POTHOLE PARTNERSHIP REVEALS IMPROVING PICTURE ON NATIONAL POTHOLE DAY
- The AA attended 643,318 pothole related incidents in 2024, down compared to previous year
- Partnership urges councils to make permanent repairs a priority over temporary fixes
- Drop in pothole incidents coincides with rise in repair costs
- Pothole damage costs drivers whopping £579m
The Pothole Partnership is calling for more permanent repairs and greater use of innovation and technology on National Pothole Day (15 January) to reduce vehicle damage and injuries to cyclists and motorcycle riders. 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…
Filtering through a traffic jam on a motorcycle has finally become legal in France. After 26 years of fierce fighting this already well-established practice is recognized.
French motorcyclists’ organisation FFMC – a member of FEMA – calls it ‘A major step forward that marks a decisive step in road sharing and user safety’.
A step forward for road sharing and mobility
Filtering, although generally practiced by many bikers, was in a legal grey area until now, often tolerated, rarely sanctioned. And since 2016 the authorities experimented with it. After almost ten long years of experimentation, this legalization brings official recognition to a practice that helps to smooth traffic flow and reduce traffic jams. Read more…
British Motorcyclists Federation
Paul Varnsverry, the highly respected motorcycling clothing expert, is launching a campaign aimed at eliminating uncertified and potentially unsafe bike kit, currently being imported into the UK and offered for sale online. Varnsverry, Technical Director of clothing consultant at PVA-PPE, is started a petition aimed at alerting Government to the dangers of untested kit. In conversation with MCN, he praised the efforts of Trading Standards in the last three years, in checking bike shows and high street shops for sub-standard kit. But he added that clothing offered online is attempting to circumvent these checks. Read more… 
Initially it looked like the EU tariffs would only concern motorcycles under the 500cc limit, but the reality is a lot worse.
As reported earlier, the European Commission is responding to the United States’ decision to impose tariffs by implementing countermeasures designed to match the economic impact of those tariffs. After the U.S. decided to impose a 25% tariff on up to €26 billion worth of European Union (EU) steel, aluminium, and related products, the EU plans to reinstate tariffs that were previously introduced in 2018 and 2020 on certain U.S. imports, effective from 1 April 2025. Additionally, the EU is planning to introduce further measures by mid-April to maintain ‘economic balance’. Read more…
In response to the imposition of new US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports, the European Commission has launched countermeasures on US imports into the EU.
In response to new US tariffs affecting more than €18 billion of EU exports, the Commission is putting forward a package of new countermeasures on US exports. They will come into force by mid-April, following consultation of Member States and stakeholders. In total, the EU countermeasures could therefore apply to US goods exports worth up to €26 billion, matching the economic scope of the US tariffs. 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.
