Welcome to the latest newsletter takes you to this week’s posts on Ko-Fi and enabling you to sidestep Facebook altogether. You’ll notice that I missed an issue or two over the Christmas break and I’m shifting the date to MONDAYS as that makes it easier for me to prepare, but it should be easy enough to find anything you missed via the Ko-Fi Content Index.
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WHAT’S ON IN THE SURVIVAL SKILLS UNIVERSE
NEXT LIVE PRESENTATION: SOBS In-Depth… the Science Of Being Seen looks at the reasons for the most common motorcycle crash of all – the ‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ or ‘SMIDSY’ collision at junctions. In this IN-DEPTH presentation, I’ll taking a look at how we identify objects within the field of vision – and it’s not nearly as simple as “if it’s visible, we should see it”. Even if you have seen the full SOBS presentation, I think you’ll get a lot of additional insight into just why drivers often fail to spot motorcycles, day-riding lights and hi-vis clothing notwithstanding.
Tickets cost £5 – get yours here: http://thq.fyi/se/24cc9fe29cf1
Put the date in your diary today – Wednesday 2 February 2022 AT 20:00
MARCH’S TALK: Group Riding tricks and tips… whether you’re new to riding with others, or want to set up your own ride. Some do’s and quite a few ‘avoids’.
Tickets cost £5 – get yours here: http://thq.fyi/se/0852f14d860f
Put the date in your diary today – Wednesday 2 February 2022 AT 20:00
CLUB & GROUP TALKS – I’ve delivered one more group talk and added another to the diary for some weeks ahead, and if you’d like me to arrange something for your own group or club, get in touch. As well as ‘Science Of Being Seen’, ‘Crash Course (in how not to…)’ and my latest ‘Fewer skills, more Insight’ presentations, I have a selection of others on various riding issues. Available weekday evenings and weekends. Drop me a line to sort something out.
*** TRAINING*** Monday 17 “How do you assess my riding?”
That was a question that came up a couple of years back. My potential client was trying to get a feel for whether or not I’d be delivering what my advertising promises – a rather different experience to the Roadcraft-based training he’d got from the national groups. As it happens, I do have some simple questions I ask myself when I’m following a trainee on a course.
*** ELEVENSES *** Elevenses 206 Sun 16 Jan
in today’s show… insolvent MCE Insurance cancels bike policies… MAG positive over roundtable meet with TfL… and nationally targets potholes as a priority… DfT pause roll-out of smart motorways for five years to collect data… Hollywood gives e-bike ludicous four cylinder engine noise… early contender for daftest new bike name is the Cyborg Bob-e… is a four cylinder ZX-4R set for launch… Carole Nash bike show returns to London… back protectors to be mandatory on track days… get a free enhanced rider course in Powys… today’s better biking tip – riding in fog…
SoS January 15 is Highway Code Rule H2 workable?
Picture the scene… it’s Saturday afternoon on a typical busy town centre road. There’s plenty of traffic, buses and cycles on the roads, and the pavements are full of people – some gazing into shop windows, some walking slowly carrying bags, others with children, and a few striding out purposefully. And you’re planning on turning right into a side road.
Read more…
*** FROM THE ARCHIVES*** January 14 Gone and forgotten – Honda CityFly
I’ve been digging through some of the old articles from archived versions of my website and came across some old road tests, which twenty years on make for interesting reading, so I thought I’d share them again. This review is on the Honda CLR125, which came with the catchy name of ‘City Fly’. I’d be interested to know just who in the marketing department thought that one up. In fact, I’d be interested to know who came up with the idea of dressing up the superannuated 125 with the vaguely off-road styling.
*** ELEVENSES *** Elevenses 205 Wed 12 Jan
in today’s show… Humberside Police seized 260 bikes in 2021… shift to EVs could cost the treasury £5bn in lost fuel duty… e-scooter rider seeks compensation after collision with bus… latest manufacturer to launch e-scooter is Bugatti… Arc Vector edges closer to release… North West 200 set for May date… the world’s first cyber-secure bike… SPOKE – connecting your bike to the ‘internet of things’… today’s talking point – is a bike that can only lean 30 degrees safe on the roads?
ToT January 11 a dash of colour and light – part 2
Did you know that modern bikes have standardised colours and symbols for warning lights? Last week, I took a look at the lights which are generally coloured red, and which warn of a critical fault. At least, that’s the theory, which holds good for nearly all modern bikes, but older machines are unlikely to conform. So do check your own bike’s manual as I cover the other colours this week.
ONLINE TRAINING – inexpensive courses available at most times seven days a week. Got a puzzle you want to understand? Need some suggestions for practical exercises you can work on when riding? Drop me a line at info@survivalskills.co.uk
ON-ROAD TRAINING – I’m still training and looking forward to MARCH when courses resume in full but for now bookings are:
- short notice only to take advantage of dry days (with a WET WEATHER GUARANTEE)
- based on my North London training routes
Visit www.survivalskills.co.uk for more info.
THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK – so finally SHARE THE NEWS!
Please Please PLEASE pass on the newsletter to biking family and friends. If everyone who reads it shares it to one other rider, that’s another hundred riders who have a chance to read something potentially useful to them. Let’s get everyone we know ‘better biking’.
See you all next week
Kevin Williams
Survival Skills Rider Training
