In a sign that the UK motorcycle market – especially for big 1000cc+ machines – is struggling, comes news that at least three major dealership chains went into receivership in September and October. Pidcock Motorcycles fell on 21st October, closing its Triumph and Ducati sites, and leaving its remaining BMW outlet in doubt, though there was interest for that part of the business from a potential buyer. Nathan Jones, a partner at FRP Advisory which is administering the business, told MCN: “Pidcock is not the first retailer to struggle in challenging market conditions over the past year...While it’s unfortunate that a viable route forward for all three sites hasn’t been possible, we’re hopeful of a positive outcome for the BMW outlet.” Pidcock’s

Matt Bishop and Reece Gilkes – better known as the Sidecar Guys – have set a new Guinness World Record...for reversing a sidecar outfit. They rode a Ural outfit 107 miles (backwards), without stopping, at Tranwell Airfield, near Morpeth in Northumberland. One of them was in control of the bike while the other sat backwards in the sidecar to direct operations. It took them 13 hours and 54 minutes, and an average of less than 10mph. “It was great fun,” Matt Bishop told the BMF. “We refuelled as we went along and made a bacon roll on the sidecar, but we didn’t stop, even for toilet breaks. We’re putting a film together which will be out soon.” The Sidecar Guys are no

Road pricing – paying per mile rather than road tax – is back in the news, with the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) urging government to introduce such a scheme straightaway. Cars and bikes would pay an annual rate, based on a mileage check at MOT time. TBI made the call in the run up to the October Budget, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves was expected to end a temporary 5p cut in fuel duty and possibly increase duty in line with inflation – fuel duty has been frozen for 14 years, falling well behind inflation in real terms. The Government’s quandary is the fuel duty brings in around £25 billion a year, and VED around £8 billion, but as the UK’s transport fleet

Electric motorcycle pioneer Energica, which was founded in 2014, has announced that it is going into liquidation. Despite a prominent position in the electric motorcycle market, and acting as sole supplier to the MotoE race series for four seasons, the Italian company was unable to survive, citing increased costs and faltering supply lines. Energica pioneered the electric sports bike market, offering big batteries and fast charging, and the Experia adventure tourer was added to the range in 2022. A press released from Energica stated: “Despite the efforts from the management in actively and extensively pursuing a search of new investors – always with the aim of preserving a going concern in the best interests of creditors – it has become clear

Snake Pass, one of the best known biking roads in the UK, is under threat of closure due to landslips. The famously twisty A57, which runs from Glossop to the Ladybower Reservoir, has suffered from several landslips in recent years that have undermined the integrity of the road’s structure. More than 30,000 vehicles currently use the route, which is one of the highest in the UK, every week. Although Derbyshire County Council has put roadworks in place, these are costly and are becoming less effective as the road deteriorates further, apparently as a result of heavy rain caused by climate change. The Council has warned that the route is in a constant state of slipping and a future major landslip could

A crucial part of Harley-Davidson’s heritage – in Scotland – is in danger of being demolished unless funds can be urgently raised to save it. It’s well known that the Davidson family originally hailed from Scotland – Sandy and Margaret Davidson, along with thousands of others, emigrated to America in 1857, and it was their grandson William A. Davidson who would co-found the iconic brand with Bill Harley in 1903 – Harley’s parents were English, having emigrated from Littleport, Cambridgeshire. But now the Davidson’s cottage in Netherton, Angus is facing demolition, and a campaign to save it has been set up by the Davidson Legacy Preservation Group (DLC), which is seeking to buy the cottage and preserve it as part of

Rider aids are coming which will automatically slow the bike (to a stop if need be), pull away in traffic and warn if other vehicles are getting too close. These are just few features of Bosch’s new Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS), which we will see on production bikes in 2025, starting with KTM. ARAS uses input from front and rear-mounted radars. These send out electromagnetic waves, which when they hit something, bounce back to the bike with information on distance, relative speed and direction. “All of that,” explained ARAS Project Manager Thomas Maurer to MCN, “when you combine it with very complicated algorithms, you can understand where the objects are, where they are moving and to a certain extent what

The BMF has welcomed news that Keir Starmer’s Government is to launch an independent investigation into glare from ultra-bright modern headlights. The issue, which was already being looked at by the previous administration, appears to be one of increasing concern. Research by the RAC suggests that 91% of drivers get dazzled while driving – nearly three-quarters said this was a regular occurrence. There’s no suggestion that illegal headlights are to blame, but modern LED lights are brighter and more piercing which can lead to problems for oncoming road users. It can be a particularly serious issue for motorcyclists, especially in the wet when peering through a rain spattered visor. Lilian Greenwood, the new Minister for the Future of Roads at the

Drink-driving fatalities are on the increase in the UK, according to latest figures from the Department for Transport. It seems surprising, given the long-term change in attitudes to drink-driving, but fatalities in 2022 were at their highest levels since 2009, with alcohol involved in 17% – nearly 1 in 5 – of all road deaths. Overall, the DfT estimates that in 2022 6800 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit, up 1% from 6740 the previous year. Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF called for more vigorous prosecution of drivers who are over the limit. “There’s no excuse, this isn’t the 1960s, its generally accepted that no-one rides after drinking alcohol, bikers drink

The ULEZ scrappage scheme, which offered cash grants to owners of non-compliant motorcycles, cars and vans if they scrapped their vehicle, ended on 8th September. Intended to enable owners to upgrade to a newer car or bike, it had handed out £186 million to nearly 54,000 successful applicants, who received up to £2000 for a car and £1000 for a scooter or motorcycle. Nearly half of all car/bike owners who applied (around 75,000, according to Transport for London(TfL)) were successful, though had been criticisms of bureaucracy surrounding the scheme, which was launched in August 2023 when ULEZ was expanded to include outer London. In a statement, TfL said: “The vast majority of people with older, more polluting vehicles have already taken

A British manufacturer has unveiled an electric motorcycle which claims a 100-mile range, 100mph performance and a 15-minute rapid recharge. The WMC300E+, produced by White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC) is aimed, not at private buyers, but at fleets and the emergency services. It follows on from WMC’s similar three-wheeler petrol/electric hybrid, shown last year. Like that one, the WMC300E+ is based on Yamaha’s Tricity 300 tilting trike, but in this case with an electric motor and 11.9kwh lithium-ion battery in place of the 300cc single. The chassis also incorporates WMC’s patented V-Duct system, which improves aerodynamics by guiding some air through the middle of the chassis rather than forcing it up, over and round the bike and rider. The battery, developed by

Sammy Miller MBE, the veteran museum owner and ex-trials World Champion, has been awarded Freedom of New Milton, Hampshire, where he has lived for 60 years. Now in his 91st year, Sammy moved to the small town on the edge of the New Forest back in 1964, when he left Ariel to join Bultaco as a works rider and designer. “Senor Bulto requested that I move close to the Rickman Brothers, the UK importer of Bultaco,” he recalled, “so that I could help with the design and development of a Bultaco trials bike, which turned out to be the most successful trials bike of all time, changing the world trials scene and helping establish Spain’s dominance of the sport.” The