Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists – Weekly Newsletter 12 September 2025

The July optimism for increased motorcycle sales has not materialised with a drop in August 2025 sales compared to those in 2024 (-11.5%). Also the year-to-date sales are down -17.2%. It’s easy to be gloomy about such figures, but they simply signal that we have to increase our effort in showing the economic, social and eco-friendly value of 2-wheel-powered bikes.

Try Ride, a new initiative from Phoenix Motorcycle Training, aimed at 16-24 year olds, has two new online modules. Whilst this is a very welcome development, it creates as many barriers as it tries to resolve. Read about the suggestions on how to make this initiative more effective. Perhaps, after Phoenix Motorcycle Training and the New Riders Forum, it could be evaluated to see what lessons can be learnt and how it might be made more widely available. The UK Government could include the initiative into the ‘Integrated Transport Strategy’. This would give the depressed motorcycle market a welcome boost. Such a scheme may also help to reduce the scaremongering, finger-pointing, labelling and stigmatising that motorcyclists currently have to endure. It would also need to be included in a specific ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ module for drivers. Now that could REALLY bring the motorcycle casualty figures down. Of course, there would have to be more innovators driving transport policy than we see at present.

Meanwhile, as the motorcycling demographic gets older, we have some great tips on how to keep the wheels rolling.

Understanding the SMIDSY. We all know it happens. You can find the latest updates by reading Kevin Williams evolving information on his webpage. He keeps it kept updated with the latest scientific research and very practical advice. It beats the knee-jerk reaction of instantly blaming others for the event. Altering a biker’s mindset may be more helpful than any other responses. It’s what advanced riders do – analyse, review and act.

You can follow this up by watching the latest in the Bennetts YouTube series: ‘Understand how drivers put motorcyclists at risk’. If you are a driver remember: say to yourself ‘Look and See’ twice. Ensure that your path is clear before you move. You could save a life each time you do it. That would leave any driver feeling good about being a safer motorist.

There has been a massive amount of news about the dangers of scooters and eBikes. Whilst the DfT asserts ‘Safety is our top priority and private e-scooters remain illegal on public roads’. Many members of the public clearly disagree. The ballooning costs to UK Police forces finding and removing illegal scooters and ebikes cannot be justified. It’s time to ban the importing, purchasing, ownership and use of these machines. Further, requiring any ebike rider to have a full L-category licence and insurance, BEFORE they are allowed to fully own one. It’s now an urgent problem causing distress to all sections of UK society.

Motorcycling public information campaigns seem to be more focussed on promoting the dangers of riding, with a constant drip-feed of highlighting statistics on the KSIs. We have to ask whether this is really a good use of the scarce funds. There is so much more economic, environmental and social value in motorcycling than the latest casualty figures alone will ever show. Road safety charities, manufacturers, component suppliers and representatives may be more helpful if they focussed on the promotion of positive driver/rider behaviour, public education, affordable continuous training initiatives and graduated licensing. Just a thought.

At the Saturday morning meet-up, there was a discussion about old rides. The SAM Committee, feeling a bit nostalgic, were sharing their first rides. Long-time SAM member Gerry shared the machine he used to ride around in the 1970s. You can learn more about it in the ‘History and Custom’ section. That seemed the most appropriate place to put the information! Also of interest, is the story of a police cell attached to a Harley Davison motorcycle. Now there is an idea for dealing with illegal ebikes! Ride safe and happy reading.

Advanced riders are safer road users, ride longer, rider further, meet more people and enjoy a healthier, happier life!

Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists -Road Skills Track Day

WhatsOn

Darley Moor Track Day

4th February 2025

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

General

Electric bikes and scooters are causing fear and anxiety for blind and partially sighted people, according to a new report.

The growing use of e-bikes and e-scooters is making streets a “nightmare” for blind and partially sighted people when they are either ridden or parked on pavements.

Only one in 10 (9 per cent) blind people confident walking in their own neighbourhood, charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said, thanks to the use of micromobility transport. Read more

Why riders love the open road – Hundreds of AMCN readers responded to a very simple question, and revealed just how profound motorcycling can be

There’s something about a motorcycle that stirs the soul in a way few other machines can. As part of a recent BMW Motorrad competition, for the chance to win two passes to a Level 1 California Superbike School training day of your choice, we asked our readers a simple question: “What do you love most about riding motorcycles?” The responses we received were raw, heartfelt and inspiring.

For some, like reader Matt Fernandez, riding is “the most freeing thing I’ve ever done”, a personal escape hatch from the pressure cooker of everyday life. “A few hours in the saddle makes it all manageable,” he wrote. Read more

Suzuki GB has pulled the covers off its spruced-up Address 125, and while it still looks like a regular scooter for nipping to the shops, under the skin it’s been on quite the engineering diet and workout.

Let’s start with the engine. Suzuki has fiddled with the camshaft profile, beefed up the airbox by 10%, and ditched one of the exhaust catalysts. The result? A touch more torque – now 10.2Nm at a friendlier 5,000rpm – and peak power that arrives earlier, giving punchier getaways from the lights. It also meets the latest Euro 5+ standards, claims 148.6mpg, and emits less CO₂ than a startled hedgehog (45g/km, if you’re counting). Read more

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

On Wednesday September 3, actor Charlie Dale finalised the Shaun’s TT100 charity ride with a get together at the Bike Shed in London along with some celebrity pals.Charlie embarked on a mission to visit 100 biker cafés within a month to raise money and awareness for the Brain Tumour Research Charity and Headway, in honour of his friend who passed away after a catastrophic brain injury.He completed the mission with a total of 103 cafés and has currently raised almost £7000 for the charities. Read more

The Imps Motorcycle Display Team will close permanently after more than half a century of inspiring young riders, following a decision by trustees this week.

A statement confirmed the move, saying: “The Trustees of The Imps announce, with deep sadness, that following a full review and formal vote, the charity will now close permanently.”

They continued to say they: “remain immensely grateful for the loyalty, passion, and support shown by the children, parents, volunteers, and wider community who made The Imps such a remarkable part of so many lives. Roy’s legacy will endure in every life touched by his work.” Read more

Following the recent launch of their new Bantam and Scrambler models, Indian-owned BSA have confirmed they’ll stick with a three-bike range for the foreseeable future – even though an electric prototype is already built and waiting in the wings

The reborn Bantam is the latest in the revitalised firm’s line-up, having been resurrected back in 2016 by Classic Legends Pvt Ltd – a subsidiary of Indian industrial giants, the Mahindra Group.

Powered by a 334cc liquid-cooled single, the Bantam churns out a leisurely 28.7bhp and 21.8lb.ft of torque. At £3499, it undercuts Honda’s hugely popular, but less powerful, GB350 by £500, and goes toe-to-toe with Royal Enfield’s popular J series 350 family – currently consisting of the Classic, HNTR, Bullet, and Meteor. Read more

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame proclaimed the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally the most successful to date. The City of Sturgis reported a 14.1% increase in vehicle traffic, while the Museum claimed a 15% increase in attendence and a 20% rise in merchandise sales.The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame announced today that the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was its most successful to date, with record-breaking attendance, sales, and community support. The museum’s success mirrors the overall rally’s impressive turnout, which saw a significant increase in visitors over previous years. Read more

A pair of riders who treated the Burghley Horse Trials like a private playground have been banned from driving after a chaotic display of dangerous riding that left a dog injured and spectators terrified.

On September 7 last year, 27-year-old Reece Murray and 20-year-old Alfi Lleshi blasted their way through the prestigious event near Stamford, pulling wheelies, dodging crowds and showing zero concern for anyone else. Their antics came to an end thanks to event security and a traffic officer, who was already dealing with the huge crowds and congestion the trials bring each year. Read more

Here was editor Toad’s response when I told him about this biodiesel-powered motorcycle, built around a 1999 Harley-Davidson Softail: “WTAF? How? And why?”

Those are questions that a lot of people probably have for university student Alex Jennison, 22, who is currently travelling some 1,200 miles down the western coast of the United States astride his creation.Exactly what that creation is, is a little bit of a Wittgensteinian dilemma. Many people would say that Jennison is riding a Harley. Indeed, that’s what Jennison says it is, and certainly that’s what it looks like from a distance. But is a Harley-Davidson without its engine actually a Harley-Davidson? 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...

Tolstoy said, “The biggest surprise in a man’s life is old age.” I believe it.

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

In Episode 15 of Better Riding, Michael Mann and professional riding coach Mark McVeigh break down the most dangerous driver behaviours motorcyclists face on the road—and the strategies you can use to protect yourself.

From SMIDSY incidents (“Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You”) to distracted driving, tailgating, lane drifting, and more, this episode dives into why drivers often fail to notice riders—and how to stay safer by enhancing your risk awareness, positioning, and mindset.

You’ll also hear from Sam, a veteran rider who shares his training experience and explains why investing in rider education is one of the best ways to stay sharp on the road. Watch here…

Between the ages of 19 to 25, you are legally limited to bikes compliant with the restrictions of the A2 licence until you are at least 21 and have held an A2 licence for two years.

This means a bike with engine power between 24.6 and 35kW – but this doesn’t mean you need to compromise on fun. Here are some of the best motorbikes to buy in your early 20s. Read more

As motorcyclists, we wear our heads on swivels, as at every twist and bend, there’s a new danger that could put us in harm’s way. There’s gravel midway through a corner that’s just out of eyesight, a Tesla on autopilot with its owner staring directly at their phone without their hands on the wheel, truck drivers who’ve been on a long-haul trek and haven’t pulled over to sleep, and countless other potentialities that could soon end our riding careers. Or even our lives.

So as riders, we scan not just two or three cars ahead, as is drilled into car drivers going through driver’s education, but rather 15 to 20 cars up. We watch like hawks, we turn our entire heads through corners, and we try and guess what the chaos up ahead will be like as we move through traffic. It becomes instinctual, almost second nature, and this behavior moves with us even while we’re driving cars. Read more

Adventure & Touring

I high-sided while off-roading along the last stretch of the 4×4 road up to Ushguli, in the country of Georgia. I was going too slowly and the back end swung around in mud I’d been happily wallowing in all day.

I went down hard, shattering some plastic pieces under the windscreen on my fully loaded R1150GSA. The bike was rideable with some Gorilla Tape sutures to get me back down out of the Caucus Mountains. Maybe I could find a quiet place to clean the bike and JB Weld this stuff together before I had to stretch her legs in sixth gear.At the hotel, I intended to pull the dashboard apart to see what could be salvaged. I always try to clean the bike before a project, it’s a lot easier to work on a clean bike. I tried the hose, no dice, not a drop of water. Next door there was a pressure washer at a garage that’s also a body shop. Read more

The ancient Silk Road is synonymous with legendary stories and characters. The trade route between Europe and Asia initially brought Chinese silk and other exotic goods to the Roman Empire. The most famous traveler was Marco Polo, who reached China via the Pamir Mountains. But it’s the southern “road” through Iran’s deserts and Pakistan’s mountains where you can still experience adventures like no other.

• Anatolia Mon Amour

Istanbul’s mosques along the Bosporus were the first indicator we were entering another world. As the road wound deeper into Turkey through sunburst planes, climbing conifer-covered mountains to Göreme, Cappadocia, every merchant we encountered was a further reminder we were following in the footsteps of long-ago commerce. Caravansaries are massive, unassailable buildings with central courtyards where caravans to and from the Far East rested. Their hosts offered us trade goods and weren’t discouraged when we explained we didn’t have room on our motorcycle. Instead, they’d persist by inviting us to buy smaller objects or, if we preferred, to have them shipped to our home—and if that won’t work, what about our friend’s home? From Cappadocia onwards, we were offered deals on everything, including carpets, tea, coffee, and tobacco. Read more

Don’t be too disappointed when you encounter the surprisingly low speed limits as you ride up the Horseshoe Pass to the Ponderosa Café from Llangollen. Even at a sedate pace, I managed to inadvertently remove material from the underside of my right foot peg as I pushed my V7 into the wide sweep of the horseshoe itself. You can ponder the views from the café as you munch your breakfast of choice and admire the array of bikes that are normally in the car park. There is a long ride ahead of you so make the best of it.

Our ride starts here. Descend the other side of the pass, through a set of twisty bends and then turn left on to the A5104 which becomes the A494 to Bala. When you arrive in Bala, you have a choice here: stay on the 494 and circumnavigate the lake, turning off towards Llanuchllyn and hugging the shore the other side (like I did), or turn left across the northern part of the lake on the B4391 and then turn right on to a track towards Rhos y Gwaliau. Follow this narrow track through the woods and it will take you up through the hills, hugging and occasionally crossing over a stream. Read more

History & Custom

The 1980s served up more than big hair and synthesized pop music, it was a rad time for motorcycles, too. Before digital dashboards and traction control, motorcycles were raw and mechanical with a personality all their own. They were a poster on your wall right in between Madonna and Pat Benetar. Pop in a Prince cassette tape, and let’s take a trip back to the bikes that defined the 1980s.

‘Velocette Venom 500cc, Monza sidecar. Purchased when I was seventeen from Wilf Green, Abbeydale Road for £225. Another ‘if only’.

A Velocette Venom 500cc with a Monza sidecar was a combination of a high-performance single-cylinder British motorcycle and a specific type of racing sidecar, likely representing a rare and specialized configuration of a classic machine. The Venom was a popular 500cc motorcycle known for its quality and handling, while the Monza sidecar was designed for speed and competitive racing.

Velocette Venom (1955-1971)

Engine:
A single-cylinder, 499cc engine with a light alloy cylinder head and cast-iron liner, noted for its reliable performance.
Development:
Evolved from the Velocette MSS motorcycle, it was developed to compete with the emerging twin-cylinder motorcycles of the era.
Specifications:
The engine featured a high cam, short pushrods, and hairpin valve springs.

Clubman Variant:

A specific racing version, the Velocette Venom Clubman, was known for features like rear-set footrests, a reversed gear lever, and a close-ratio gearbox.

Monza Sidecar

Purpose:
A Monza sidecar was a type of racing sidecar, suggesting it was built for speed and maneuverability rather than everyday comfort.
Likely Use:
The combination of a performance motorcycle like the Venom and a racing sidecar like a Monza would have been unusual but potentially effective for specialized events or even challenging long-distance records.

Overall Context

Vintage Appeal:
A Velocette Venom with a Monza sidecar would be a collector’s item, combining two classic components into a powerful and unique outfit.
Riding Experience:
Riding such an outfit would demand a different skill set from that of a solo motorcycle, with particular attention needed to the extremities and the lack of a reverse gear.

They call me “LandSpeed Louise”—a gal with a Ph.D. from the University of Concrete, Salt, and Speed. People love me, hate me, but they rarely forget me.

When I tell people what I do for a living, I get two reactions: the blank stare—like I just fell off Saturn—or the horrified look, as if I admitted to snacking on manure. Why? Because I live for speed. I’ve chased it across drag strips, race tracks, and now the wide-open salt. Read more

A police officer on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle transporting a prisoner in a mobile booking cage, likely around the 1920s.
This “mobile booking cage” or “portable holding cell” was designed as a sidecar attached to the police motorcycle, allowing officers to transport detainees to the police station.
It was a practical solution for law enforcement, especially in rapidly growing cities like Los Angeles, where it streamlined the process of securing suspects.
The cage provided immediate containment of suspects, offering a secure and controlled method of transport before they could be taken to a more permanent facility.
This innovation addressed the challenges of urban policing by providing a mobile solution for managing detainees right on the streets. Read more

‘Try Ride’ – a fresh initiative to encourage young riders

If you saw Elevenses on Sunday August 24, you may recall I was talking about how both the age of motorcycles and their riders is rising steadily, but also mentioned that the number of riders who pass the bike test is too low to replace the older riders who come to the end of their own riding career.

Right on cue, Phoenix Motorcycle Training working with National Young Rider Forum (NYRF) have launched a new Try Ride initiative – an inclusive, stress-free motorcycle experience that young people can enjoy before committing to do a CBT.

Said to be designed for 16-24 year-olds just about to get into motorcycling, Try Rides aims to give budding riders their first experience of motorcycling, making it less scary and stressful to move onto CBTs and beyond. Read more

Review of Science Of Being Seen from 2013

As you probably know by now, for many years I worked alongside Kent Fire & Rescue Service on the award-winning ‘Biker Down’ accident scene management and first aid course. I was brought in to deliver the final module, which was all about helping riders understand why – even after decades of tougher driver training and dozens of road safety campaigns – drivers still fail to see motorcycle at junctions.

Although SOBS has made definite inroads – I got blank looks when I first talked about issues such as ‘motion camouflage’ and ‘saccadic masking’ – it remains a tough topic to cover because we still here all too often that the ‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ SMIDSY collision happens because “the driver didn’t look properly” – it’s one of the tick-boxes on the police STATS19 form and almost always gets a tick if the driver admits to the SMIDSY error. Read more

Fifth Gear: Mastery through Adaptability

In this series we’re looking at the learning process itself, and how steady improvement is more easily achievable when successive levels build on the solid foundation of previous levels. We’ve been using a metaphor; the motorcycle gearbox, where successively higher gear is selected by accelerating in the gear below. First Gear looked at the core ‘building block’ skills, in Second Gear our aim was to achieve consistency. Third Gear weaves each skills into real-world riding scenarios, and Fourth Gear blended different techniques together to achieve ‘flow’ through complex riding tasks.

Today, as we reach Fifth Gear, we’ll look at mastery in motorcycling.

Here’s a thought – is mastery the ability to perform repetitively and flawlessly? A good example would be those US police riders who perform amazing ‘motorcycle rodeos’ with their Harleys around tight cone circuits. Are they demonstrating mastery of their motorcycles? Read more

Degrees of Freedom, choices & CanGo? WillGo!

This mini-series of articles on collision avoidance started by looking at an article with some advice on avoiding the SMIDSY collision. It was fine as far as it went but unfortunately it didn’t go very far. Telling vehicles to look out for vehicles emerging from the left, the writer completely ignored the killer crash – where it’s an oncoming driver who turns across the rider’s path and INTO a side turning that apologises after the event. “Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You”.

And that wasn’t the only omission – the possibility that the vehicle ahead might slow down and turn didn’t get a mention either. It’s not that these collisions don’t happen. They do. The crash with the oncoming vehicle turning into the side road is much rarer, but it’s usually a bigger collision because from the rider’s perspective it tends to come out of nowhere, and without any warning the rider struggles to lose any speed at all. Meanwhile, running into the back of a decelerating car is a worryingly-common collision. Read more

Whiteknights are today publishing their operational statistics for September 2024.

Another high mileage month where our fleet of Blood Bikes travelled almost 8000 miles. We calculate the work of Yorkshire Blood Bikes saved the NHS over £12000 in transportation costs during that time.

Thank you to all our Advanced-Qualified Volunteer Riders for making such a difference to the care of patients in hospitals and hospices in our region.

#bloodbikes

Today Whiteknights are at the Mark Masons Hall in London for the National Blood Bike presentations from Mark Mason Freemasons. Whiteknights’ Chairman Andrew is proudly representing Whiteknights with his deputy Matthew Beynon-Tullett.

Proud times. We’re very honoured to have had two new Honda NT1100 Blood Bikes bikes donated from The National Mark Benevolent Fund

The fund has donated over half a million pounds worth of Blood Bikes and response cars all across the country.

Andrew is pictured alongside Asst Provincial Grand Master for Mark Masons West Yorkshire, Phillip Oldfield

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.

#electricscooter #escooter #scooter #electricvehicle #electricbike #ebike #electric #electricscooters #electricmobility #electricvehicles #ev #scooterlife #barnsley #rotherham #doncaster #sheffield

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?

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!

Explore more about the courses

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.* Read more

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

#MotorcycleSafety #OAP #Rider #Safety

ACEM

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.

This unbalanced framework creates an economically unsustainable situation for European manufacturers, as steel represents a fundamental component in motorcycle construction. The persistence of punitive tariffs threatens the competitiveness of ACEM’s member companies and jeopardises jobs they support throughout Europe and in the US. The current arrangement effectively introduces discriminatory treatment that undermines decades of successful transatlantic business relationships. Read more

Motorcycle Industries Association

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% Read more

National Motorcycle Dealers Association

“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. Read more

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…

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

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. Read more

British Motorcyclists Federation

BMF submits response to Gov consultation on Autonomous Vehicles
BMF News 5 September 2025

The BMF has this week submitted its response to the Government’s Consultation on the Statement of Safety Principles For Autonomous Vehicle (AVs).

You can read the full response here

The original Automated Vehicles Act 2024 received Royal Assent on 20 May 2024 and provides a framework for the safe integration of AVs into UK society over the next few years. The Act introduces an authorisation process for self-driving vehicles with AVs required to undergo a self-driving test to ensure agreed safety benchmarks are met. These are outlined in the Secretary of State’s Statement on Safety Principles which will inform the regulatory framework around the introduction of AVs on UK roads, provide guidance on safety assessments and ensure AV deployment doesn’t negatively impact vulnerable road users. The principles will cover both pre- and post-deployment stages, including assessing AV safety impact and ensuring cybersecurity resilience . The safety principles will be centred around authorised AVs achieving “a level of safety equivalent to, or higher than, that of a careful and competent human driver.” Read more

Motorcycle Action Group

Why the government’s new consultation on “self-driving” cars matters more to riders than you might think

Tesla’s “Autopilot” has killed motorcyclists. That stark fact sits at the heart of a government consultation that could reshape how automated vehicles are marketed in the UK – and whether riders survive the transition to our automated future. 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.