Too quiet? Too smooth? That’s the reason given by some motorcyclists who swear they would never forsake petrol power for electric. We’ve reported before on bike manufacturers whose answer is to produce fake engine noises or even a fake gearbox, but now Yamaha has gone one step further...with a fake petrol engine. In a patent filed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (an agency of the United Nations), Yamaha describes an electric bike which also has what appears to be an air-cooled four-stroke single, complete with crankshaft, piston and valves (but no fuel supply). Basically, the electric motor, as well as doing the real work of powering the bike forwards, turns the crank, which drives the piston. The sound waves of

The number of traffic police patrolling UK roads has fallen radically in the past ten years, according to figures revealed by the RAC. In 2015, 5237 traffic officers were employed by 43 forces across the country – in 2025, the equivalent figure was 4149, a cut of over 20%. The biggest drop was in traditional traffic units – 3889 now, compared to 5005 in 2015. Specialist officers working with casualty reduction partnerships have fallen from 186 to 144 over the same time period – these are often police involved in speed camera enforcement programmes. Although it’s true that the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads has also dropped over the same decade, RAC head of policy Simon Williams pointed to the

M&P, one of the Britain’s leading motorcycle dealerships, appears to have closed down. Although there has been no formal announcement of the company going into administration, there are signs online that M&P may have ceased trading. On 24th September, M&P’s online face, Mike Morgan, posted on the facebook page, “The last one from me. Thank you for everything – M,” plus a black graphic of the M&P logo with the words ‘1978-2025 Ride in Peace.’ Within 24 hours, there were over 500 responses posted by M&P customers, some expressing their sadness at the apparent closure. According to news website VisorDown, the M&P website was no longer accepting orders, with official messages putting this down to a store update or website maintenance.

Two years since it was introduced, the Welsh 20mph limit in urban areas appears to have resulted in fewer injuries and deaths. According to campaign group 20’s Plenty, there have been 882 fewer injuries, a 25% reduction, and 14 fewer deaths, since the limit was introduced in September 2023. That’s comparing the figures from 2022/23, to 2024/25. In North Wales, where 94% of 30 limits reduced to 20mph, casualties fell by 46%. Not everyone is a fan of course, which led to Welsh local authorities being given greater powers to revert to a 30 limit where this was thought more appropriate. “The data speaks for itself,” said Lee Waters, the Welsh government minister who introduced the new limits in 2023. “We

MotoE, the electric race series, has been put on hold until further notice. The announcement by the FIM and organisers Dorna Sports acknowledged that after seven seasons the series had not built up a sufficient following to continue with the 2026 season. In a joint statement, FIM and Dorna attributed the lack of a developing fanbase due to the still tiny market for electric sports bikes, currently dominated by specialists such as Zero, Energica and Verge – “the (electric) performance motorcycle market has not developed as expected.” Notably, they made it clear that Moto E is on hold, not necessarily permanently put to bed, perhaps with half an eye on the success of Formula E, the electric alternative to Formula One. Jorge

You’ve heard of HP, straight finance and PCP deals, but now it’s possible to get hold of a brand new motorcycle by leasing it. Leasing comparison site Leasing.com, which already offers lease deals on cars, vans and used electric vehicles, is now offering a similar service for bikes and scooters. Initially, it’s for business and fleet users only, but a personal leasing option for private buyers is on the way. It looks like there will be plenty of choice available, with bikes from all of the Japanese big four available, plus BMW, Aprilia, Harley-Davidson and Zero. Exact prices depend on the length of the lease (typically 36 or 48 months), the size of the initial payment and whether servicing is included,

A shortage of motorcycle instructors could be preventing new riders from taking their CBT, according to Phoenix Motorcycle Training, one of the largest training schools in the UK. Delaying a CBT could even be putting some potential riders off motorcycling altogether. Phoenix awards about 6000 CBT certificates each year, but according to the company’s owner and chief instructor Mark Jaffe, they could have issued more, if they had sufficient instructors. Speaking to Visor Down he said: “The lack of motorcycle instructors is a real hindrance in getting more people on two wheels. At the moment, we have more instructors wanting to sign up for courses than we can take on because we don’t have enough instructors to train them.” He expressed surprise that

Snake Pass, the legendary A57 running over the Pennines, and a bikers’ perennial favourite, is to get safety upgrades worth £7.6 million, with some of the improvements aimed at motorcyclists. We reported on this story back in October 2024, link here, when Derbyshire County Council announced that the iconic stretch of twisty tarmac might have to face closure. Several landslips had undermined the road’s structure, and the Council said it just didn’t have the cash to repair it. Now the Department for Transport has come up with the money, part of a near-£10 million package which focuses in two roads in northern England – the A583 Blackpool Road as well as Snake Pass. Part of the funding is going to new

Surrey Police have stopped 407 motorcyclists during Operation Downsway, an annual summer campaign across Surrey and Sussex to cut down on illegal riding and driving. Although it’s not just about noise, the bikers were said to have been stopped for issues including loud pipes and speeding. We don’t know whether they were prosecuted or just cautioned, but it’s still a pretty big number. Surrey Police Chief Inspector Karen Coyne told BBC South East: “We want to stop these riders and actually speak to them. Officers enjoy doing it because it’s a chance for them to be really proactive.” She added that 394 car drivers had also been stopped as part of Operation Downsway, which targets five main offences: excess speed, not

It all started with a message from Paul Sims and what began as a simple invitation has since turned into one of the most rewarding and exhilarating experiences of my life. When Paul asked me to become involved with MARK (Motorbikers Acts of Random Kindness) as one of his volunteers for the brand-new Bike & Brew Passport initiative, I could feel it straight away that something special was brewing. It wasn’t just about getting out on your motorcycle, it was getting out riding with a purpose, connection and for great mental health wellbeing. As someone who finds clarity, freedom and peace each time I release the clutch and take to the road on my trusty Suzuki, the event’s ethos “Release the Clutch,

A £1.5 million off-road riding centre in Powys has finally got the go ahead, after two planning permission refusals and a six-year battle which was finally settled by public enquiry. “This is a win not just for our business, but for Powys,” said Phil Wilding of Nightfly Limited, which is the developer behind the scheme. But one thing sets this off-road centre apart from the others – it is designed primarily around electric off-road bikes. It’ll also include a purpose-built motocross centre, seven holiday log cabins and upgraded site infrastructure. The site – Rhydblawd Farm, near Builth Wells – has been hosting motocross for over 30 years, but the new centre represents a significant change, and a shift to electric power. After

We all have dreams of finding an old bike with very few miles – or even zero miles – on the clock, but what about a 40-year-old Yamaha XT500, still in its crate with all the original wrapping and padding intact? That’s what RM Sotheby’s is offering at auction on 18th October in Munich, Germany – they’re expecting it to fetch around 25,000 euro (£21,500). The XT is a 1986 model originally built for the French market and was supplied to Leuridan Motos et Cycles, a dealer in Paris. It’s a late example of the 500cc single – the XT was first launched in 1975 and production ended only three years after the crated bike was made – but it’s become