Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists – Weekly Newsletter 05 December 2025
Table of Contents
UK motorcycling has had a busy week, with fresh political tension over the Autumn Budget, new initiatives aimed at bringing more young and female riders into the sport, and growing industry efforts to make that first taste of two wheels easier and more inclusive. The founders and developers of motorcycles didn’t wait for governments to make policy, they went to the travelling public and provided an easier, more efficient, cost-effective and greener way to travel – although early bikes were a bit dirty and smelly!
Politics and money
The National Motorcyclists Council branded the UK Government’s 2025 Autumn Budget a “lost opportunity”, arguing that ministers again failed to recognise how motorcycling could help cut congestion and emissions and provide affordable transport for young people. The Council had wanted clear support for bikes in future tax and transport plans, but instead saw only limited positives, such as a continued focus on electric vehicles without a joined‑up strategy for everyday riders.
Away from Westminster, local debates around affordable transport are sharpening, with regional leaders calling for cheaper travel for young people and warning against new taxes that might push up costs of getting to work or college. For 18‑year‑olds looking at a first 125 as an escape from packed buses and unreliable trains, the lack of a clear national motorcycle strategy keeps the long‑running uncertainty over licensing, access to bus lanes and future petrol bike bans firmly on the radar.
New riders and inclusive programmes
On the other side of the Atlantic, one of the most interesting developments for young riders came from the Comoto Family of Brands, which wrapped up its 2025 “Moto Intro” programme in the US. Across three cities, 360 complete beginners got a controlled first ride with training, loaned gear and coaching, and the average age was just 31 with almost half of participants women, showing how structured taster sessions can attract a younger, more diverse crowd.
In the UK, the Auto‑Cycle Union announced “KICKSTART!”, a new trials‑focused scheme designed specifically to bring more women and girls into motorcycling from 2026. The programme promises a friendly training day followed by a low‑pressure skills event, aiming to build confidence, community and a clear pathway into off‑road sport for riders who might otherwise never try it.
Industry trends and young rider focus
Recent industry commentary highlights how major brands are rolling out more beginner‑friendly and part‑automatic bikes to tempt new riders who find traditional gear‑shifting intimidating. This sits alongside more aggressive social‑media‑driven promotions, with dealers pushing “new year, new ride”‑style events, bundle deals on kit and finance offers that speak directly to cash‑strapped younger riders.
At the same time, European campaigns such as ACEM and FIM’s “Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat” have been showcasing the value of voluntary post‑test training, with demo rides and skills sessions aimed squarely at 16‑ to 24‑year‑olds. The National Young Rider Forum continues to amplify how younger riders use gear, training and social media, reminding policymakers and manufacturers that under‑25s are the future core of the market, not just a niche marketing segment.
Electric and off‑road youth appeal
For teenagers looking off‑road rather than on‑road, electric youth bikes continue to gather momentum, with brands like Triumph already having launched TXP off‑road electric models built around age‑specific frames and controls. These machines are pitched as a way to build skills, confidence and a long‑term love of motorcycling from childhood, without the noise and maintenance overhead of small petrol dirt bikes.
Overall, the last seven days underline a split personality in motorcycling: national politics still drags its feet on recognising bikes in transport planning, while clubs, brands and training bodies push hard to make riding more accessible, inclusive and future‑proof for the next generation. Whatever you are doing this week, the SAM Group will meet at Meadowhall Retail Park every Saturday morning. Ride safe and happy reading.
The next SAM Committee Meeting will be on the 29th January 2026. The next SAM Club Night will be on the 22nd February 2026. Weekly Saturday meetings, at Meadowhall Retail Park, will continue to take place, but watch the SAM website Calendar (it’s on the front page!) for any changes. Your SAM Weekly Newsletter will drop into your inbox each week as usual. Ride safe and happy reading.
Advanced riders are safer road users, ride longer, rider further, meet more people and enjoy a healthier, happier life!
Next SAM Club Night
2nd February 2026
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
29th January 2026
Details to be arranged
General
Aprilia has what is considered by many as the best bike on the grid, yet they still brought lots of parts to Valencia. The majority of the testing came down on the shoulders of Marco Bezzecchi. Martin is still in the process of learning how to ride the RS-GP fast without falling off. His physical condition is still not good enough yet; he misses strength and with that, the confidence to push and feel the limit. He started the test on the latest chassis, the one that Bezzecchi was already using at the last rounds, and he immediately liked it. “More natural, better fitting to my riding style.” Being quite small, he still hasn’t found the position on the bike that he needs and so he tested footrest positions and different tank supports. Riders have to be able to withstand the higher forces during braking, because of the aero and devices. But at the same time they need to dangle a leg, modulate the front braking (that keeps locking up) and make quick steering corrections while the bike slides. Read more
Way back in 1963, a 16-year-old Denis Bell became an accidental scooterist.
Working seven days a week at a Lincolnshire poultry farm about 15 miles from home, he was looking for some cheap transport to get about.
“We were selling eggs door to door, and an RAF chap was selling a Lambretta LD125,” he says, chatting at his home in Horncastle.
‘No great desire for a scooter’
“It just happened to be for sale, so I bought it for £24 or something. At the time I had no great desire for a scooter.” Read more
The UK bike market is set to welcome another new player in the form of Chinese brand Yadea, having recently unveiled a four-strong line-up at this year’s Motorcycle Live show.
The move comes via distributor True Enterprises, who will handle sales and support when the bikes land in December.
Yadea profess to be the world’s largest electric bike builder by volume, selling to over 100 million customers – although the name will be new for many UK riders.
The entry point to the range is the GFX, which can muster just 30 miles of range with 28mph available at full whack, costing £2200.Sitting above it is the £2700 Owin, which keeps the same top speed but stretches range to 50 miles and adds more comfort and storage. The Velax comes next, upping the limit to 50mph and 68 miles between charges, coming in at £3900 Read more
South Yorkshire Police have launched a borough-wide crackdown on motorcycle theft in Doncaster, with a new intelligence-led unit already recovering 15 stolen machines and making eight arrests.Dubbed Operation Spoke Alpha, the dedicated team was created in response to increasing rates of bike thefts and related antisocial riding in the area.
Officers say offending has spread across the entire area, making it difficult to track suspects without a focused force of investigators.
The operation has now executed warrants at four properties, with a three people interviewed under caution as enquiries continue. Read more
The United Kingdom is set to play host to the 6Days FIM Enduro of Nations for the first time in over 40 years.Hundreds of riders and thousands of spectators from near and far will be heading to Wales for the event, bringing with them an expected £3 million economic boost for both the sport and local area.Britain’s motorcycle competition governing body, the ACU (Auto-Cycle Union), will work with regional enduro clubs to host the event in 2027, marking the first time the competition has been held on home turf since 1983. Read more
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has announced a further freeze to fuel duty until September 2026, at which point the five pence reduction first introduced in 2022 will start to be undone.Announced in the House of Commons as part of today’s autumn budget statement, it has also been confirmed that from April 2027 fuel duty rates will be updated annually in line with the Retail Price Index – a tool used to measure the average change to the prices of goods and services.“Drivers will be relieved the Chancellor has decided to keep the 5p duty cut in place for now as it saves them more than £3 a tank. But this relief will be very short-lived given the staggered increase from next September,” RAC Head of Policy, Simon Williams said in response to the announcement. Read more
VOGE Motorcycles has confirmed the upcoming launch of the SR450X, a new mid-size adventure scooter designed to bridge the gap between everyday urban commuting and light off-road exploration. First shown at EICMA 2025, the SR450X introduces a rare blend of practicality, power and adventure styling to the scooter market.
At the core of the SR450X is a 398 cc liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine, producing approximately 41.85 hp and 44 Nm of torque. This level of performance is unusual in the scooter class and positions the SR450X as a capable long-distance and motorway-friendly option, while still delivering smooth, manageable power for city use. VOGE’s goal appears to be offering a machine with the easy-to-ride nature of a scooter combined with the versatility of an entry-level adventure bike. Read more
What type of scooter do you ride – Vintage? Classic? Street Racer? Custom? Standard? Cutdown? Maybe even something else that might be unusual or quirky?
Whether it’s any of these (or even something else), why not register it for display at Scooter World, the first major scooter gathering of 2026, where scooter halls will form part of the annual Winter Classic Bike Show. The event takes place at Newark Showground over the weekend of 10-11 January, 2026, with well-known TV personality, Henry Cole, presiding over the proceedings. Read more
Earlier this year, I had the extremely interesting experience of spending time with the Ural Neo Prototype in person. While it’s true that I regularly check out motorbikes and other powersports vehicle launches as part of my job, I can count on one finger the number of times that I’ve gotten to ride a pre-production prototype.
Suffice it to say, since I’m not now and have not previously been anyone’s factory test rider, it’s a pretty rare occurrence.
But given my experiences thus far, there were a great many things that intrigued me about what Ural was trying to do. Neo is a major step in a different direction for the company, and while it’s easy for naysayers who don’t understand the truly unique challenges the company was facing to criticize, it’s a lot harder to do when you begin to wrap your mind around the broader picture. 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...
Riding with a pillion – often referred to as two-up riding – is one of the most rewarding experiences in motorcycling. It’s a chance to share how awesome motorcycling is to those on the periphery or complete outskirts, but it also comes with added responsibility. Carrying a passenger changes the dynamics of the bike from handling and braking to acceleration and balance. Done well, it’s smooth, safe, and enjoyable for both rider and passenger. Done poorly, it can be stressful and even dangerous.
This guide brings together expert advice from professional coach Mark McVeigh (www.motorbikecoach.com) and years of rider experience to help you master the art of riding with a pillion, mixed with advice you as the rider can pass on to your passenger. Read more
Adventure & Touring
Almost three years in the making, this trip started after seeing a photograph of a Royal Enfield Himalayan high in the Himalayas, whereupon my friends, Nash and Ladd, and I went to work planning the trip and making contacts. Royal Enfield recommended Vintage Rides (Vintagerides.travel) touring company as the best in the business. Not long after we paid our deposits and began packing our bags. That was in February of 2020, a month before COVID hit. As a result, we rescheduled and rescheduled again until June 2022. And so, it began…
Day One and Two: In Dharmsala, India, we picked up the Royal Enfield Himalayans. From there we rode into the mountains near the home of the Dalai Lama where we walked among the Tibetan monks in the land of an exiled people. At 5,280 feet, we were a mile above sea level. Although we quickly acclimated to the rules of the road, our first impression was that we’d meet our doom in the horrific traffic. Yet by the end of the trip, we miraculously never saw a single traffic accident other than witnessing a bus slide off the side of a mountain! Read more
History & Custom
Ma ‘Max’ Yicheng is known for building custom motorcycles that shine in their subtlety—making his workshop’s name, 2LOUD Custom, a playful misnomer. But when he was asked to build a chopper for the mercurial Taiwanese pop star Yellow黃宣, ‘subtle’ wasn’t part of the plan.
The donor bike was a 2013-model Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200, and the brief had one unusual specification: Yellow黃宣 wanted a faux fur seat that could accommodate a passenger. With this in mind, Max set out to create a Sportster chopper as eclectic as his client’s music. Read more
Spend long enough around motorcycles — and rather depressingly, I’ve now been riding for fifty years (yes, I’m ancient) — and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: “We’re all one big supportive family out there.” Like all the best myths, it’s partly true — true enough that we all keep repeating it, and true enough that newcomers often believe it, at least until they discover the reality is a bit… well, mixed.
Yes, there are riders who will stop to help at the roadside. Riders who’ll share tools. Riders who spend half an hour helping someone adjust their levers after a spill. I’ve been the person offering help, and I’ve been the person receiving help too. Read more
Positioning on multi-lane roads
From time to time I get questions about riding, and I do my best to answer them. This one popped up from Nathan, and I admit it’s been sitting in my to-do tray for a while, so apologies for taking so long to get round to it. Here’s the question:
“It’s regarding positioning on multi lane roads, such as but not limited to motorways, and dual carriageways with and without a central reservation… I’m particularly interested in where in lane. I have the ‘Motorcycle Roadcraft’ book but even in section 11 I can’t find it.”
I actually went straight to my copy of ‘Essential Skills’ which is the DVSA’s guide to motorcycling, which often covers questions like this rather better than ‘Roadcraft’, and there’s quite a long section on riding on motorways in the DVSA book, which happens to be in Section 11 of that manual too. But having looked through both books, there’s nothing about where to position. Read more
In today’s show… Premier Insurance goes into administration, cover ends Dec 1… Bajaj Auto deal to take control of KTM approved… Triumph’s Visitor Experience gets gold award in attractions ratings… NEW SECTION – World News in Brief… wild card rider says data used in Yamaha’s V4 development, factory disagrees… Oxford Products clip-on wind deflector is under £40… augmented reality helmets just won’t go away… Kawasaki’s KLE500 launches at under £6k… Leki Motorcycles aim to exploit Australian market… in-depth today – multiple overtakes are fine, so long as you remember to treat each vehicle as a separate manoeuvre. Watch here…
“Round and round and round we go”
The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) used the 2025 National Road Safety Conference to outline a new approach to motorcycle safety policy. Craig Carey-Clinch (NMC) and Saul Jeavons (Transafe Network) argued that Government thinking often creates a “disvirtuous circle” where motorcycles are excluded from transport policy on safety grounds, which in turn blocks measures that would improve safety via measures such as access to bus lanes, improved infrastructure, even recognition of PTWs as a legitimate mode of transport.
They presented international examples where treating motorcycles as an accepted, sustainable part of the transport mix has led to safer outcomes, citing benefits including congestion reduction and mobility support. They also highlighted major UK evidence gaps: poor statistical detail, a lack of journey-purpose data, and no modern in-depth crash study since MAIDS, now 25 years old. They called for better investigation methods, the long-awaited Road Safety Investigation Branch, and a motorcycle-specific Safe System approach, including updated licensing, improved infrastructure, post-test training, and action on counterfeit protective gear.
The NMC argues that UK motorcycle safety performance has stagnated since 2019 and fatalities now exceed those in 2013, demonstrating that current policy is not working. And the council wants motorcycling fully recognised in the forthcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy and Road Safety Strategy, and ultimately for Government to deliver a new Motorcycling Strategy. Read more
Fight the Fear; Using Visualisation
I can’t remember exactly when I learned about the technique of visualisation, but it was at least 25 years ago, since I was using it to help riders overcome their fear of performing the U-turn on the motorcycle test when I was an active Direct Access instructor — back then it was performed on the road, and fear of running into the kerb on the far side of the term was a huge mental obstacle for many candidates. Learners who had happily navigated everything from busy town centre traffic to complex roundabouts connecting dual carriageways suddenly froze when asked to turn their bike around so that it faced the other way in the width of the road.
Rather unusually, the U-turn exercise is one of those moments in riding that comes down to the performance of a single task. Although it is possible to pick up a minor ‘riding’ fault — for example, a nervous dab of the foot falls into this category — any significant loss of control is marked with a major fault, and is a test fail. Switching from taking a test on a 125 to the taller, longer, and heavier 500 twins that were our DAS bikes at the time made the exercise significantly more difficult. Read more
Introducing a new series
Welcome, dear reader, to a brand-new feature that absolutely nobody asked for, yet is here anyway – a bit like that friend of someone else’s friend who always turned up at your party with an acoustic guitar and an endless repertoire of campfire singalongs when all you wanted to do was dance.
“Help – Call an Influencer!” will be an opportunity to peer at some of the murkier motorcycling advice from social media like it’s a slightly suspicious and sticky-looking leftover in the back of the fridge.
Influencers, bless them, are brilliant at enthusiasm. They find novel ways of bolting selfie sticks to bikes to catch riding shots as they repeat “it’s really responsive to the throttle” for the umpteenth time mid-test ride and find novel angles to photograph themselves against flattering backdrops.
What many are less-than-brilliant at doing is dispensing reliably-accurate information — particularly when it comes to anything involving the physics of motion (which, inconveniently, always apply, no matter how big a following an influencer has) or explaining the rationale for the actions we take to manage the risks we encounter as we negotiate the hazards of the road.
The internet is overflowing with confident-sounding explanations that are, shall we say, mechanically imaginative and invent previously unknown laws of physics and motion. And when we mix shaky science with actual road riding, the consequences can be more serious than a dodgy recipe hack involving fish sauce and an apple pie. Read more
Misunderstanding what the other is doing
Back when I was a DAS trainer, one of the riskier manoeuvres that occasionally cropped up on the bike test was to make a right turn onto a dual carriageway with a 70 mph limit. Here’s a short video clip of a similar turn, showing just how easily it can go wrong.
I’d hazard a guess that motorcyclists watching this will blame the truck driver for hitting the bike, with car drivers saying that the rider shouldn’t have pulled out when they did. Read more
Systems impose order on thinking…
…but can’t bring order to chaos
We talk a lot about ‘systems’ in motorcycling. We’re probably all familiar with ‘mirror signal manoeuvre’ from the four-wheeled world, and you may recall ‘Observation Signal Manoeuvre [into] Position Speed Look’ from CBT. Then there’s Information Position Speed Gear Acceleration from the police system of Roadcraft, and the Americans have used Scan Identify Predict Decide Execute, which has recently been compacted to the bare essentials of any system: Search Evaluate Execute.
But whatever system we choose to follow, and even when we don’t CONSCIOUSLY follow a system, we’re actually following a sequence of steps. Read more
Whiteknights would very much like to thank the team at Northallerton Tyre & Battery Co Ltd in Thirsk.
To prepare one of our response cars for winter they very generously mounted and balanced our new all season tyres without charge.
Brilliant service and very helpful – thank you!!
— with Northallerton Tyre & Ba
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
IAM RoadSmart
Has it been a while since you passed your Advanced test? 
IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said: “Drivers and operators of conventional vehicles will breathe a sigh of relief that the Chancellor has kept the fuel duty freeze in place until at least September 2026. Owners of electric vehicles may feel more hard done by that a per mile charge is being introduced and much of the devil will be in the detail. It’s a tough balancing act for the Government to both ensure our roads are well funded and encourage people into zero emission alternatives. However, arguably the Chancellor has taken the first step to future-proof the network by ensuring we have viable funding for high-quality and safer road infrastructure in the years ahead.” Read more
· The awards paid tribute to a network of more than 5,000 volunteers and 160 local groups driving road safety forward
Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has celebrated the outstanding efforts of its volunteer network at this year’s awards ceremony, paying tribute to individuals and groups who have gone the extra mile to champion road safety across the UK.
The charity is supported by over 5,000 volunteers and 160 local groups across the UK. These dedicated individuals take on roles such as Observers and Examiners, mentoring drivers and riders to help them prepare for and successfully complete IAM RoadSmart courses.
This year’s awards were held at IAM RoadSmart’s headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, on Wednesday, November 19. In total, nine individuals were given awards for their outstanding contribution to road safety.
The ceremony also introduced the new Rising Star Award, created to recognise newer volunteers who have made a big impact in a short time. Its first recipient was Jamie David Sindall, a National Observer for North East London and Essex Advanced Motorists. In his role, Jamie meets with drivers to observe their technique and provide structured, constructive feedback to help drivers develop advanced skills.
The Chair Award, presented by current Chair Shona Johnstone, recognised volunteers who have demonstrated exceptional service and commitment over the past year. This year’s recipients were Russell Wenman (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Advanced Motorists), Mike Annesley (Training Officer, Oxford Advanced Motorcyclists), and James Sinstadt (Group Secretary, Chester and Nantwich Advanced Drivers). Read more
Are you aware of the OAP framework when out riding? 
ACEM
The campaign concluded with an immersive experience where riders and journalists put post-license training into practice on two wheels.
Milan (Italy) | 6 November 2025
Riders and journalists shared the ride and tested their skills at EICMA during the closing of Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat, the European campaign by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), aimed at encouraging both novice and experienced riders to pursue high-quality, voluntary motorcycle training.
In Milan, the final event turned that message into an experience. Under the guidance of certified Federazione Motociclistica Italiana trainers, participants took part in demo rides and advanced exercises, including alternating slaloms, controlled acceleration and braking, and smooth wide turns, all designed to underline the benefits of post-license training. The highlight of the event was sharing the ride with James Toseland, two-time World Superbike champion, offering a unique, hands-on experience of how refined techniques elevate every ride. Read more
ACU (Autocycle Union)
MISSED ACU WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY? WE’VE GOT YOU! 
Donna Fox — ACU Trials Section Advisor — chatting about her first year in the role and what she’s learned so far. Matt Galway — ACU TrialGB Youth Series Manager — talking about the challenges and wins of integrating the Youth Girls into the championship, plus the exciting changes planned for next year to make the series even stronger. Mike Tizzard — ACU Trials Commission Member — sharing big upcoming projects like Kickstart and news on the ACU S3 National Series, which now includes a brand-new Women’s category.
Motorcycle Industries Association
Budget backs electric cars but leaves low and zero emission motorcycles behind, warns MCIA
• Low and zero emission motorcycles received no fiscal incentives, despite multiple new measures for cars.
• The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant (PiMG) is still set to end in April 2026, while the Electric Car Grant has been extended to 2029-30 with an additional £1.3bn in funding.
• The Government raised the Expensive Car Supplement threshold to £50,000 for electric cars but has not reformed the outdated £10,000 threshold applied to electric motorcycles, which no longer reflects real-world EV pricing.
• Motorcycles are excluded from the new EV mileage tax (eVED) – a positive acknowledgement of the sector’s different transition timeline – but this alone does not constitute meaningful support. Read more
National Motorcycle Dealers Association
“It is positive that the market is steadily improving year to date, however, ahead of the Budget on 26 November, the motorcycle industry has received little clarity or support,” said Symon Cook, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), in response to the latest figures released by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA).
Motorcycle registrations for October saw a -12.1% decrease albeit better than the year-to-date performance of -14.6%. For the total month, registrations were down -9%. Despite ongoing challenges, MCIA sentiment remains cautiously optimistic, with expectations of stronger performance heading into 2026.
Symon Cook added: “More needs to be done by the Government to help the sector, lest we risk being forgotten. With the Budget approaching at the end of this month, there has been little to no discussion surrounding motorcycles, despite the fact that targeted measures could prove pivotal in securing much-needed support for the industry. With talks of tax increases, they could seriously affect the new motorcycle market. Read more
National Motorcyclists Council
The UK Government budget, delivered yesterday by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, was an opportunity to move fiscal levers to recognise the role of motorcycling in the future of transport and to also bring to life the Government’s stated aim to encourage the use of zero emission motorcycles. In the end what was delivered was mixed bag for motorcycling, which does neither.
On the one hand electric motorcycles will be exempt from proposals for ‘eVED’ planned for 2028, which the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) welcomes. But on the other hand, there was no announcement to extend the current electric motorcycle ‘plug in grant’. With the current grant due to expire in April 2026, this will deliver a hammer blow to an electric motorcycle market which has already seen further falls in new registrations over the last year. The gradual whittling away of grant support since 2022 has directly impacted what was once a promising marketplace, with the ‘ePTW’ market going into decline from the point that the original grant support was reduced. Read more
FEMA
Despite a number of crashes with motorcycles, Tesla wants to introduce Full Self-Driving (previously called ‘autopilot’) in Europe.
Tesla has requested early access, pilot release programs or exemptions where possible. In a statement on X, Tesla now claims that the Dutch approval authority RDW will grant them an exemption for the feature. Current UN and EU regulations make Full Self-Driving illegal in its current form. A Tesla statement says: “Currently, RDW has committed to granting Netherlands National approval in February 2026. Upon NL National approval, other EU countries can immediately recognize the exemption and also allow rollout within their country.” Read more
British Motorcyclists Federation
Mental Health Motorbike (MHMB) Advocates for the mental health benefits of motorcycling at historic Men’s Health Strategy unveiling with Prime Minister and Health Secretary
10 DOWNING STREET, LONDON, UK – November 20, 2025 Mental Health Motorbike (MHMB) is the country’s first dedicated national free mental health support service for the motorcycling community. They are proud to announce their participation in the official unveiling of the government’s first-ever national Men’s Health Strategy.
Founder Paul Oxborough and MP Natalie Fleet (Bolsover) met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting at 10 Downing Street on November 19, 2025, to discuss the critical role MHMB plays in addressing mental health challenges within the UK’s 1.5+ million strong motorcycling community. Read more
Motorcycle Action Group
Missed Motorcycle Live 2025? Don’t worry – Colin scored a press pass and walked every hall to bring the experience straight to you!
The show’s 2025 tagline 𝙁𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 signalled a shift away from the recent electric-heavy messaging of previous years. So… did the halls really feel petrol-powered again- watch the video and judge for yourself!
Did you attend MCL 25? We want to hear from you, did it fuel your passion? Drop a comment below and let us know what you thought.
Watch to the end for teasers of the upcoming episodes coming over the next few weeks. Make sure you’re subscribed and have notifications turned on so you don’t miss the exclusive chats with exhibitors and corporate members, along with an in-depth interview with MCIA CEO Tony Campbell.
Find the MAG YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MotorcycleActionGroupMAG
#MotorcycleLive2025 #MAGUK #FuelYourPassion #MCL25
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.
Are you ready for the winter weather? 
Give yourself more time and space on wintry roads 
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…