Britain’s classic vehicle clubs – for motorcycles, cars and commercial vehicles – are being urged to take on digital technology to combat falling memberships. Many clubs are faced with ageing demographics and a need to attract a new generation of younger members, but some are still relying on traditional methods such as printed magazines and local events. Writing in Historic, the magazine of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), digital expert Will Jefferies said: “In today’s digital world, a strong online presence is essential to attract new members. Without it, clubs may struggle to engage younger audiences who prefer digital platforms.” Will Jefferies went on to recommend automated software for admin tasks such as membership renewal, freeing up club volunteers

Japanese motorcycle makers had a good 2024, according to Roger Willis, Finance Editor of the trade paper British Dealer News. By contrast, the ‘legacy’ names such as BMW, Harley-Davidson and Ducati are suffering as sales fall in key markets. Honda looks set to sell more than 20 million bikes worldwide in the 12 months from March 2024, while Kawasaki (just chosen to provide camera bikes for 2025’s Tour de France) is also on the up. Suzuki is projecting two million sales while Yamaha’s profits have soared to over £650 million to the end of September 2024. Much of their growth comes from developing markets in Asia and India, where demand for smaller bikes continues to grow. “Studiously avoiding the market instability

King of the Baggers – Harley-Davidson’s race series for fully-equipped touring Harleys – could be coming to Europe after the company signed an agreement with Dorna, organiser of MotoGP. Bagger racing (somebody had to say it...) first appeared in 2020 and has been a huge success in the US as part of MotoAmerica series, with the touring bike rounds acting as support races. The sight of big twin Harleys, battling it out on track, complete with fairings and panniers, is certainly a spectacle. To publicise the agreement signed between Harley and Dorna, the Baggers made a guest appearance at Barcelona this year after the final MotoGP round of the season. It’s still not confirmed whether bagger racing will join the MotoGP schedule

Watsonian-Squire, the British sidecar manufacturer, unveiled a new outfit at Motorcycle Live with a very special feature – a low price of just £7,999. It’ll even be available for a limited offer at £7,499, a £500 saving. Watsonian sidecars normally cost £5-7,000, just for the chair, so this complete, ready-to-ride outfit looks like a bargain Ben Matthews, Watsonian Squire’s Managing Director, said that the new budget sidecar drew on the company’s heritage. “Back in the 1980s Squire produced hundreds of sidecars for the importers of budget Jawa and MZ motorcycles. This created fantastic economics of scale and made sidecars an affordable option for thousands of riders. We still get enquiries from customers looking to buy a complete outfit ‘off the shelf’

Riders for Health, sister charity of the long-established Two Wheels for Life, has come up with a novel way of supporting its life-saving work – asking us to buy a motorcycle. For over 30 years, Riders for Health has been supplying healthcare workers in Africa with motorcycle transport, plus training and protective gear. It’s a model that works well, as workers on tough, basic 100 or 125cc bikes can get to remote villages which are usually difficult to access, and at far lower cost than a 4x4. Now the charity, which operates in The Gambia, Nigeria, Malawi and Lesotho, needs to replace its ageing fleet of bikes and is appealing for individuals or businesses to donate £1,400 apiece. This buys a

Meet the Flying Flee. Royal Enfield unveiled its new electric bike brand at EICMA – like Harley-Davidson and its Livewire sub-brand, Royal Enfield has chosen to market a new range of electrics under a different name. Flying Flea, another badge plucked from the company’s bulging archive, this one evoking a lightweight 125cc two-stroke from the 1950s, originally developed as a parachute bike for airborne troops in World War II. Clearly aimed at the British-built Maeving, this 21st Century Flying Flea shouts ‘retro’, with a forged aluminium girder fork (recalling the original Flea’s ‘rubber band’ front suspension), solo seat and curved ‘fuel’ tank. The battery is hidden, Live Wire style, behind a mass of curvaceous fins. Technical details are few, but the Flying

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