Table of Contents
1. Weekly News
2. For your diary
3. Your success is our success
4. Meetings
5. Kevin Williams
6. Whiteknights Blood Bikes
7. Our Sponsors
Editorial
This is the last day to let the SAM Chair know that you will be joining the Summer Ride (see below).
_________________
The SAM Committee has been working hard to bring members a variety of events in the coming weeks. See all the details on the SAM Website Calendar.
Catch up on the week's biggest motorcycle news in under a minute!
- Honda E-Clutch: Honda’s stall-free electronic clutch tech is officially coming to five 2026 bikes, including the CB750 Hornet and their popular 500cc twin range.
Kawasaki Deals: Kawasaki UK is offering 0% finance on its popular middleweights, including the A2-friendly Ninja 650 and Z650, making it cheaper to get on the road.
Fresh Tech: Alpinestars dropped the featherlight Supertech R7 helmet with a customizable fit. On the security front, LITELOK launched "Live Theft Intelligence" to track and prevent motorcycle theft in real-time.
Record Ride: The massive, Triumph-backed
Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR) broke records worldwide, raising millions for men’s mental health.
See the full week's news below. Keep your eyes up and ride safe!
Start YOUR Advanced Rider Journey NOW!
Congratulations to John Whitham on passing his IAM Advanced Rider Test with a F1rst. Thank you to volunteer Observer Andy Braithwaite for providing guidance and training.
Advanced riders are safer road users, ride longer, rider further, meet more people and enjoy a healthier, happier life!
Fill it in, keep it updated, when needed just hand it over to health care staff.
No delay, no sharing of data with private health companies, it’s YOURS, keep it safe!
Welcome to your weekly briefing on the fast-moving world of motorcycling. Whether you are prepping for your A2 licence or are already out tearing up the tarmac, the last seven days have delivered a massive mix of high-tech gear releases, major retail shifts, and community milestones. Here is the breakdown of everything you need to know.
If you have been following the massive buzz around semi-automatic riding, this week confirms that managing a physical clutch lever is quickly becoming optional. Honda’s innovative E-Clutch technology has officially landed across five of its key models for the 2026 line-up, including the highly anticipated CB750 Hornet E-Clutch and the A2-licence-friendly 500cc twin series. The system allows you to shift gears seamlessly without pulling the clutch lever, using a “Throttle by Wire” system to automatically blip the throttle for perfectly smooth downshifts. It is a game-changer for reducing urban riding fatigue while keeping full manual gear control at your toes.
Meanwhile, if you are looking to get on the road affordably this season, Kawasaki UK just shook up the middleweight market by rolling out its “Your Ride, Your Choice” campaign. They are offering 0% finance incentives on the Ninja ZX-6R and their highly dependable 650cc parallel-twin range (including the Ninja 650 and Z650). It is a smart strategic move targeting younger and budget-conscious riders who want accessible, usable machinery that sidesteps the massive insurance premiums of 200bhp superbikes.
On the riding apparel front, premium safety gear just got lighter. Alpinestars officially launched its new Supertech R7 helmet. Engineered for both track days and everyday road use, the lid features a high-tech multi-composite shell blending carbon, aramid fibre, and fiberglass. Crucially, it integrates their “A-Head” adjustment system, allowing you to micro-adjust the exact height and angle the helmet sits on your head for a tailored fit.
Security tech also took a massive leap forward. Security specialist LITELOK officially rolled out its “Live Theft Intelligence” system. For anyone parking a bike on public UK streets, this live data network provides riders with real-time tracking and localized risk insights to combat the ongoing headache of motorcycle theft.
The broader motorcycle industry is experiencing a fascinating post-pandemic stabilization. While massive, expensive American cruisers over £25,000 are seeing slower sales, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reported a robust 4.2% increase in overall first-quarter sales for 2026, heavily driven by dual-purpose adventure bikes, sports-tourers, and nimble middleweights. Interestingly, surveyed riders indicated they are commuting much more on two wheels to beat inflation and high fuel costs.
Behind the scenes, legendary American brand Indian Motorcycle has officially completed its transition to independent ownership after a private equity firm acquired a majority stake from its former parent company, Polaris. Don’t worry—production is entirely safe, but the brand is shifting toward sharper efficiency to challenge its rivals.
Finally, the global biking community showed its immense strength. The 2026 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR), supported officially by Triumph Motorcycles for its 13th year, just broke major fundraising and attendance records. Bringing together thousands of classic and modern-retro riders globally to raise money for men’s mental health and prostate cancer research, the fundraising remains open until May 31st.
Ride safe, keep it shiny side up, and we will see you next week.
Before you take the next big trip, become an Advanced Rider.
SAM Chair’s Summer Ride*Those wishing to attend must notify Fran here, no later than Friday 29th May. If you wish to order food, the main menu can be found here. Please include your order in your attendance email.
You must pay for your own food!
6.30pm Meadowhall Retail Park
6.00pm start for riding out at 6.30pm. Gives you time to get organised!
25th June 2026
Online Zoom Meeting
Details to be circulated
You may recall that last month, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander had to have her Mini Cooper recovered after suffering tyre damage thanks to a what she called ‘crater-sized’ pothole example in Oxfordshire last month.
The incident left her with a £150 bill for a new tyre after hitting the pothole on the B4437 outside Burford, covered by a Liberal Democrat-run council. She said the incident demonstrated why Labour was determined to make local authorities put in the effort to fix roads. Read more
Is ‘car dooring’ a “common cause of injury” to motorcyclists?
The other day I came across an article on the Devitt site entitled “Keeping Riders Safe: A Motorcycle Safety Report”. It’s a few years old, because it says:
“We’ve teamed up with leading road safety charity Brake to raise awareness ahead of the organisation’s annual Road Safety week, which begins on the Monday 19 November 2018.”
So what were they up to eight years ago? Read more
Fresh Start: Roundabout
It’s Week Six in the ‘Core Skills’ series, where I return to the essential riding foundations and rebuild them from the ground up in a fresh way, using a brand-new structure too. Today we look at the second type of junction where motorcycles interact with other road users. It’s time for a Fresh Start look at roundabouts.
#freshstart, #coreskills Read more
“Potholes just need money to fix” — if only it were that simple!
As motorcyclists, I think it’s fair to say that along with our cycling cousins, we’re more vulnerable to the deterioration of road surfaces than four or more wheeled vehicles. I was scanning the MoreBikes website the other day and came across a post entitled: “Britain’s pothole crisis: what it means for motorcyclists”, posted 21 April 2026 and written by Mark Lancaster. Mark says:
“New data highlights the scale of Britain’s pothole problem, with billions spent on repairs while road conditions continue to deteriorate. For motorcyclists, the issue is more than inconvenience — it’s a serious safety concern. Roads still breaking despite billions spent Britain’s pothole crisis continues to worsen, with significant investment failing to deliver long-term improvements to road surfaces. Read more
“Believing the evidence of our own eyes”
Something I hear all too often when talking about the science of visual perception and how our visual limitations genuinely fool us regularly, is the claim that “to see, all we have to do is look properly”.
This explanation is rolled out time and again by police accident investigations to explain ‘looked but failed to see’ LBFTS collisions, it’s listed among the official causes of collisions, and it is repeated by road safety bodies aiming to reduce collisions. And not too surprisingly, it’s become the ‘folk explanation’ believed by a significant proportion of riders as the explanation for the ‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ collision; the driver simply “didn’t look properly”. Read more
Semantics? Or Pendantry? What’s the difference?
I’m sure you’ve been told by someone to “drop it, it’s just semantics” or “now you’re just being pedantic”. I doubt you’ll be surprised those are both comments I’ve heard quite frequently in comments to some of my in-depth articles. But what actually is semantics? What is pedantry? And are the terms being used correctly?
At its core, semantics is the branch of linguistics concerned with meaning — how words, phrases and statements convey concepts and describe reality, and how distinctions in wording can change understanding. Read more
Prediction Fail? Or Effort Fail? A Biker Boobytrap
A trainee once told me rather testily, as we had a bit of a roadside chat about how and why he had ended up in a situation where only the driver’s alertness saved him from a collision:
“I can’t possibly know what’s going to happen next.”
He was right. None of us can KNOW. We’re not clairvoyants. We cannot predict the future with 100% certainty. Read more
Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists – What you should know!Turn Your Brand Into a Lifesaver:
Put your advert here.
Every rider knows that the difference between a close call and a tragedy often comes down to knowledge, skill and awareness. By securing this advertising space, your business isn’t just reaching a dedicated audience—it’s actively helping to fund the Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists (SAM).
Every penny of the proceeds goes directly toward advanced rider training and safety initiatives. You’ll be helping motorcyclists learn advanced riding skills, stay upright and return home safely. It’s a rare opportunity to boost your brand’s visibility while championing a life-saving cause. Let’s make the roads safer, one mile at a time.
Partner with us today.
The SAM charity is an Associate Group of IAM RoadSmart. This means that our highly skilled and experienced volunteer Observers, are trained to deliver the nationally recognised, quality assured, advanced rider training curriculum.
IAM RoadSmart is the UK’s leading road safety charity. We are recognised and trusted by the UK Government, insurance companies and other road safety organisations. We enable and monitor IAM Groups to deliver our quality assured, nationally recognised, advanced rider and driver training. Our role is simple, yet vital – to make journeys safer for everyone who uses the road.
34SP.com supports our charity with FREE web hosting. Over many years they have consistently provided WordPress updating, advice on hosting management and technical advice. The company makes ongoing efforts to reduce the digital carbon footprint, noting that high web traffic significantly impacts emissions. To combat this, their Manchester data centre utilizes renewable energy and follows circular IT practices through hardware recycling.Beyond infrastructure, they invest in ancient woodland restoration and global climate projects via Ecologi. These efforts are independently verified by The Green Web Foundation, aiding clients’ ESG reporting. Furthermore, the company integrates social sustainability as a Living Wage employer, blending environmental conservation with ethical local business practices to provide greener hosting solutions.
YOUR registered charity can benefit from FREE web hosting too!
“Great bunch of people. Improved my riding skills to another level. Their training is very much based on keeping the rider safe” Stephen
Added to our training work we train NHS Blood Bikers, support other charities, promote motorcycling as a cost-effective, eco-friendly urban transport solution. We also provide public education on the role of motorcycling in our community. Meet us, 9am any Saturday at Meadowhall Retail Park, Attercliffe Road, Sheffield S9 2YZ. You can help us by advertising your services in our newsletter, sponsoring young riders and sharing this newsletter. Sponsors/advertisers should email: sam-editor@iam-sheffield.bike with ‘Sponsorship’ or ‘Advertiser’ in the subject line. Thank you for your support.
© 2026 Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists. All rights reserved. All content in this newsletter, including text, graphics, and images, is protected by UK copyright law. We gratefully acknowledge the copyright of original publishers and creators for any third-party materials featured. All such materials are used with implied permission, from online publicly shareable URLs, or under fair dealing rules on information, education and public interest. Any such content is used solely for our purposes to educate and inform our readers. Material from other providers is not not used for any commercial purpose. All URLs link directly to copyright holders. The correctness and truthfulness of all such content is the sole responsibility of those providers No part of this publication may be reproduced or shared without prior written consent from the respective copyright holders.Sheffield Advanced Motorcyclists is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1089671).
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!
