New Research into Motorcycle Usage in the UK BMF News 8 August 20228 August 2022 We have been asked by a bmf member to help with his research into motorcycle usage in the UK..... Have you ever commuted by motorcycle or scooter? Have you ever thought about commuting by motorcycle or scooter? Is it something you do every day, or a few days a month? Or are you thinking no way, I’m not doing that! What stops you, what spurs you on? What are the pros and cons, the barriers that prevent more people from doing it? This is the subject of my latest research. There is lots of evidence to suggest that there are many benefits to a wider use of motorcycles and other forms of powered two-wheeler for commuting to work. From environmental benefits, to reduced road congestion, to improved
Motorcycle Trailer – Vehicle Towing Guide BMF News 23 July 202221 July 2022 The Auto Cycle Union (ACU) has launched a guide to towing a motorcycle trailer – that’s a trailer towed behind a car or van, carrying a motorcycle, not a trailer towed by a motorcycle! The guide covers the law surrounding trailer use, safety checks, and hints. It’s all good common sense information, the sorts of things we probably assume we know, but maybe don’t in practice. For example, the licencing laws changed in December 2019 and you can now tow a trailer without a towing licence. For driving licences received before 1st January 1997 the maximum authorised mass (MAM) is 8250kg – for post-1st January 1997 licences, it’s 3500kg. Other legal restrictions cover size and weight of the trailer and its
Petrol mopeds & 125s could be banned by 2030 BMF News 21 July 2022 The UK Government has proposed banning new sales of petrol-powered mopeds and 125cc machines by 2030, with all bigger-engined motorcycles and scooters following suit by 2035. The ban could come sooner “if a faster transition seems feasible,” according to the long-awaited consultation document, which was launched on 14th July. It covers all L-category vehicles, from L1 to L7, including mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles. “We have already committed to phasing out fossil fuel use across road transport,” said Trudy Harrison MP, Minister of State for Transport, “with sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans ending as early as 2030…It is therefore important that L-category vehicles do not remain fossil-fuelled as the rest of the transport fleet cleans up.” The UK
Parking fines! Don’t get caught out.. BMF News 13 July 202228 March 2024 We have recently had a couple of issues around parking restrictions and fines brought to our attention. Some fuel stations, BP & Shell have been mentioned, have started restricting parking time, to half an hour. One of our region 7 reps found this out at a BP station which has a little rest area. These parking charges are usually put in place by a separate parking companies and signage can be very hard to spot, especially at night. It is worth checking when parking up on any restrictions, even if the place is well known to you, as sometimes changes are not well publicised and you could end up with a hefty fine. Also, in motorway services you are generally not supposed
BMF working for you BMF News 1 July 20224 October 2022 The PACTS working party event held on Wednesday 29th June was the first held in-person since 2019. It was great to attend and meet the other members of PACTS, after only ever meeting them virtually. The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport (PACTS) promotes safe transport for all and these working groups provide an insight into research on different areas of road safety, so it is important that the BMF are involved to ensure that the views of motorcyclists are heard. Others in attendance included representatives from the Department for Transport (DfT), Transport for London (TfL) and the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) among many others. The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) gave a presentation about updating the Manual for
Electric bike grant lives on BMF News 23 June 202220 June 2022 The Plug-In Grant for electric scooters and motorcycles is still available, despite the UK Government deciding to axe the grant for electric cars with immediate effect. There was even a hint that the money saved from the e-car grant would be used to encourage users of other vehicles (including bikes) to go electric. Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said, “Having successfully kickstarted the electric car market, we now want to use plug-in grants to match that success across other vehicle types, from taxis to delivery vans and everything in between, to help make the switch to zero emission travel cheaper and easier.” She added that successive cuts in the electric car grant had not harmed sales – battery cars now make up
Issues with transporting bikes to the EU not yet solved BMF News 21 June 202220 June 2022 The BMF has warned motorcyclists that the issue of taking bikes into the EU by van or trailer is not yet resolved. “I’m sure this will be addressed, the question is; when? In the meantime, the best solution, with a road registered bike, is to ride it into Europe. If you must transport it by van or trailer, an ATA carnet will be the best option.” said BMF Chair Jim Freeman. In May, the EU Commissioner appeared to draw a line under the question, stating in a letter that ‘means of transport’ being taken across the border temporarily would not be regarded as liable for import duties, a carnet or the associated red tape. End of story? Not quite. According to the
BMF Annual Regional Meetings BMF News 16 June 20227 July 2022 All BMF members are invited to attend the 2022 Annual Regional Meetings held either in person or online by Zoom. The purpose of these meetings shall be to: 1. Receive written or verbal progress reports from the Management Team, the BMF Council and from the Regional Chairman; 2. Present to the Management Team and BMF Council advice and assistance from members, and enable those members to raise questions about the work and progress of the Federation; 3. Elect, from those nominated, the Regional Chairman and BMF Councillors. 4. Discuss nominations and motions to the AGM of the Federation. 5. Discuss matters of interest to the region. Voting at the meeting is only eligible for members, on production of a valid card, who reside in that region or
The BMF at the FEMA Committee Meeting BMF News 16 June 2022 The FEMA Committee meeting, confusingly referred to as the ‘Spring’ meeting, took place at the Motor Cycle Touring Club [MCTC] campsite in Kolind, Denmark, on Saturday 11th June 2022. The meeting was attended by 14 delegates, 10 in person and 4 online, from 12 organisations, with proxies held for a further 4 organisations, and a number of guests. The BMF were privileged to hold the proxy for Norsk Motorcykkel Union [NMCU]. The meeting was chaired by Anna Zee, FEMA President and BMF Political and Technical Services [PTS] Director. The BMF delegate [online] was Jim Freeman, FEMA Treasurer and BMF Chair. Following the Treasurer’s report, that all was well financially, particularly after a two-year pandemic was taken into account, the meeting settled into
Renewed hopes that hydrogen could replace petrol power in the future. BMF News 14 June 2022 Bosch has thrown its weight behind the use of hydrogen in place of fossil fuels, renewing hopes that hydrogen could replace petrol power in the future. However, getting to the hydrogen economy isn’t quite as simple as it seems. On paper, it looks beguiling, and several motorcycle manufacturers have been working on hydrogen power. Yamaha is helping Toyota develop a hydrogen car engine while Kawasaki is working on a hydrogen version of its existing H2 piston engine. Hydrogen can also power fuel cells, which produce electricity to supply an electric motor, just as a battery would – fuel cells are lighter than a conventional lithium-ion battery and promise a potentially longer range. A hydrogen-powered bike would also have zero emissions at
Honda developing rider assist technology BMF News 5 June 20221 June 2022 Honda has patented a system which moves the autonomous motorcycle a big step closer – but motorcycles are still way behind cars in the development of self-driving/riding. The trend towards autonomous cars seems unstoppable – Germany and Japan have approved ‘Level 3’ autonomy (the official SAE classification, highly automated driving on motorways) with the UK and other EU countries expected to follow suit, while Germany is also anticipating being the first country to approve SAE Level 4 (highly automated in ‘most driving situations.’) Motorcycle manufacturers are certainly working on this. BMW showed a riderless GS to journalists in 2018, Yamaha has developed a steering-assist system for motocross bikes and many production bikes already have radar-based systems to warn riders of nearby vehicles,
BMW goes back to basics BMF News 23 May 202220 May 2022 BMW has filed a patent for 'adjustable air deflectors' to improve comfort at low speed and aerodynamic efficiency when tanking along. The surprise, given the German company's love of complex high tech, is that the new system doesn't use electronics or clever speed sensors – just good old-fashioned springs. Moto Guzzi's new V100 Mandello has adaptive bodywork with the same end in mind – moveable flaps in the fairing are flush at high speed, but move outwards into the air stream to reduce turbulence when cruising more slowly. Servo motors move the flaps, controlled by electronics. BMW's system is much simpler. The flaps are hinged at their forward end and held open by springs. The faster you go, the air pressure increases,