Chrome Plating Faces Ban Other news 1 March 202429 February 2024 Traditional chrome plating for new vehicles could be banned in the EU this year if planned legislation goes ahead. The new law targets hexavalent chrome plating, the traditional method which is linked to lung and nose cancer as well as posing a risk to the liver and reproductive system. As well as the human health risks, waste water from the process can damage the environment if not treated beforehand. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is also planning to ban the process in 2027. However, it’s unlikely either of these bans will see the end of chrome bits on bikes. The EU proposal targets new bikes only, so the parts and accessory industry should not be affected. There are also alternatives
Hairy Biker Dave Myers Dies Other news 29 February 2024 Dave Myers, one of the Hairy Bikers, passed away on 28th February, aged 66. With his long-time friend Si King, Myers was part of the highly successful TV chef duo, whose programmes became prime time favourites. The pair would invariably ride their bikes to a location, cook up a feast, and everyone would have a good time. Dave Myers also reached a new audience in 2013 when he took part in Strictly Come Dancing. In a statement, Si King said: “All who knew Dave are devastated at his passing. His beloved wife brought him such happiness as did her children, Iza and Sergiu, who Dave loved like his own. Personally, I am not sure I can put into words how I
Call for Paris to Ban Bikes at Night Other news 29 February 202429 February 2024 A Parisian councillor is calling on the City Council to ban motorcycles and scooters from riding through the French capital between the hours of 10pm and 7am. According to French news source, The Connexion, Pierre-Yves Bournazel describes the late night/early morning noise of powered two-wheelers as a “scourge” for the city’s inhabitants. Not surprisingly, in a city in which thousands use a bike and or scooter as primary transport, the suggestion is a tad controversial, though even Msr Bournazel accepts that there would need to be exceptions for commuters and those required to ride on two wheels at night, such as the Gendarmerie. Jean-Marc Belotti of the FFMC (the French equivalent of the BMF) probably spoke for many motorcyclists when he pointed
Bonhams Sale to include 48-Cylinder Kawasaki Other news 27 February 202429 February 2024 Bonhams Auction at the Classic Motorcycle Show at Stafford 20-21 April 2024, is one of the landmark events in the classic bike calendar, and this year looks like a humdinger, featuring everything from a JMC Norvin (estimate £18-22,000) down to a Corgi folding moped (£1000-2000). Star of the show will undoubtedly be ‘Tinker Toy,’ the outrageous 48-cylinder Kawasaki built by Simon Whitelock in 2003. Designed specifically to capture a Guinness Record (you’ve guessed it, motorcycle with the greatest number of cylinders) the bike’s engine consists of 16 Kawasaki KH250 three-cylinder engines, linked together and arranged in six banks of eight cylinders. With a total capacity of 4.2 litres the biggest Kawasaki motorcycle ever runs, rides and is road legal. “It’s not
Yamaha R1 Reaches End of the Road Other news 26 February 202428 February 2024 The Yamaha R1 and R1M could be reaching the end of the road...as a road bike. Yamaha has announced that it won’t be updating the iconic one-litre sports bike to Euro5+ emissions regulations, which means that it can’t be legally registered for the road in Europe, or the UK once existing stocks have been sold. You might ask, why has Yamaha decided not to update such a milestone machine as the R1? The story behind all of this isn’t just ever-tightening emissions regulations – Euro5+ requires more sophisticated onboard diagnostics, durability, and noise tests – but that the sports bike market has changed hugely since the R1 was first launched back in 1998. Twenty-six years ago (yes, that’s how long ago
Two Wheel Drive Commuter Bike Other news 24 February 202429 February 2024 Two-wheel-drive motorcycles have been tried before, with cumbersome, complicated chains or hydraulics transmitting torque to the front wheel as well as the rear. Electric motors of course, make this a potentially simpler process, and the UBCO 2x2 utility bike has been offered for a few years, aimed at farmers, land managers and the like. Now French brothers Henri and Olivier Rabatel have entered the fray with a two-wheel-drive commuter motorcycle, the Motowatt W1X. The two motors – one in each wheel – offer a total of 34bhp, though Motowatt’s publicity refers to the bike as rideable on an A1 licence, for which it would need to be restricted to 11Kw, though that’s easy enough to do. It certainly looks practical for
Pavement Parking Ban on the Way? Other news 22 February 202429 February 2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for new powers to ban pavement parking, which is already illegal in London – Scotland passed new legislation to prevent it in December 2023. But in England, there’s no specific ban in place as yet – the actual rules vary from place to place, though you can be prosecuted for obstructing a path. The Government held a consultation on banning the practice in 2020, but this was never taken further. Now it’s back on the cards. Councillor Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Pavement parking is one of the biggest complaints for pedestrians but three years on (from the consultation) councils outside of London still do not have the powers they need
Caught on Camera Other news 20 February 202429 February 2024 Devon and Cornwall Police have reprimanded nearly 10,000 drivers and riders for offences on the road thanks to Operation Snap. Set up in 2019, the system invited members of the public who had spotted on-road misdemeanors to upload footage from dash cams and helmet cams to an online portal. It received more than 6000 videos in 2023 alone. “More people are using dash cams and helmet cameras than ever before,” said the force’s Head of Road Safety, Adrian Leisk. “But also more members of the public are now aware of Op Snap and understand that they have the power to do something about poor driving.” Bikes and cars overtaking on solid white lines, tractors passing cyclists dangerously close and drivers using phones
Adventure Bike Claims 600-Mile Range Other news 18 February 202429 February 2024 What’s a decent fuel range on a motorcycle? One hundred and eighty miles is pretty good and anything over 200 miles excellent. But how about 600 miles between refills? That’s the claim for Reiju’s new Aventura 500, which was first shown to the public at the EICMA show in November 2023. The Aventura’s USP is a twin-fuel tank set up with total capacity of 40 litres, which at an average 68 mpg really would give a theoretical range of 600 miles. Otherwise, there’s little remarkable about the Aventura, which is yet another entrant to the mid-size adventure bike market. The engine is made by Loncin of China, a copy of Honda’s very familiar 500cc parallel-twin as used the CB500 line up,
Veterans Ride to Cyprus Other news 16 February 202428 February 2024 Four 60-something ex-servicemen are all set to ride from the UK to Cyprus to raise money for the Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes. Trevor Burden (60), Alan Sands (61), Fred Ball (66) and Rupert Miller (63) – all from Hampshire and Dorset – will be making the 5000-mile road trip in June. All served in the Royal Hampshire Regiment and have been friends ever since. “This was about us having the experience of a lifetime,” said Alan Sands. “Sharing it would be a statement of our friendship and a reminder of the camaraderie of when we served as young men. But it has now become more than that. It’s about all the veterans who gave so much for this country. We
University Hydrogen Bike Project Other news 13 February 202428 February 2024 Hydrogen as an alternative fuel may have its detractors, but a German-Czech consortium is now developing a fuel cell motorcycle aimed at inner-city deliveries. If pictures of the prototype are any guide, then it really is more motorcycle than scooter. Two German companies based in Saxony are developing the fuel cell stack, which takes the place of a battery but supplies electricity to a motor in the same way. The Czech Technical University is involved in building up the complete bike, which the consortium aims to have up and running in 2025 as a demonstrator which meets European approval standards and certification. The participants say that fuel cells offer a longer range and shorter refuelling times than a battery-electric system. However, hydrogen’s
Retail Giant Expands Motorcycle Sales Other news 12 February 202428 February 2024 Trago Mills – the south west-based retail discounter – has expanded its motorcycle offshoot. Trago2Wheels, which launched nine years ago, initially concentrated on 50cc and 125cc bikes and scooters from Lexmoto, going on to add Sinnis, Sym and Keeway to its stable. Now, as well as mid-size bikes from Voge, the retail giant has become the UK distributor for Italian-made SWM. It could be a significant milestone for Trago2Wheels, which claims a different approach to traditional motorcycle dealers. Trago Mills, set up 55 years ago, has grown into a West Country institution, employing over 1000 staff across four giant stores in Devon and Cornwall, plus a more recent addition in Merthyr Tydfil. Discount prices and a massive range of goods (“diamonds