National Young Rider Day

The 2025 National Young Rider Day will take place on Wednesday 11th June, with a focus on young motorcyclists. Founded by the National Young Rider Forum (NYRF) just two years ago, and aims to celebrate the access of young people to powered two-wheelers (PTWs), and help them to stay safe on the road. As a member of the NYRF, and as one of the leading motorcycle rider organisations in the UK, the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) strongly supports National Rider Day with its focus on the safety and development of young riders. The NYRF has set up the New Rider Hub website, which offers a whole raft of useful information for new riders, including guidance on training and safer riding, buying your

Government announces £1.6bn funded plans to fix “the pothole plague”.

Following extensive lobbying of government Ministers and officials by the motorcycling, motoring and cycling lobbies over the last 18 months, the Government has today announced a £1.6 bn investment to tackle the scourge of potholes and poor road surfaces, together with an extra £500 million "roads pot" - enough to fill 7 million potholes a year. The funding will start to be delivered to local councils from next month . In addition, an extra £4.8 bn will be made available to National Highways to deliver critical road schemes for 2025/6 and to maintain motorways and major A-roads. But the full funding to local authorities comes with clear stipulations to ensure that the money is spent where it is required -

X Games Bans Electric Bikes

Extreme sports event X Games, which features BMX, skateboarding and rally cross, has banned electric motorcycles from the freestyle motocross parts of its competition. The MX events aren’t races, but a series of artistic jumps and tricks performed indoors, with medals up for grabs. Three riders competed on Stark electric motocross bikes in the X Games last year, and two of them won medals. X Games letter to this year’s entrants stated: “Our current competition formats are designed around the performance and characteristics of traditional gas-powered bikes, which remain the global standard for elite competition.” It’s thought that riders of battery bikes have an unfair advantage, with better acceleration on the short approach ramps to jumps. But the organisers have not

Mutt Motorcycles Enters Administration

Mutt, the Birmingham-based manufacturer which made its name with retro-cool 125 and 250cc machines, has entered administration after a fall in demand caused it to make most of its 18 staff redundant. Administrators RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed on 3rd March. Speaking to MCN, RSM said: “The company experienced a period of difficult trading due to a decline in market demand. As a result, the business faced significant financial pressures and was unable to secure the necessary funding to continue operating.” They are reportedly talking to a number of firms interested in buying the bikes and parts stock, plus the Mutt brand. Mutt, set up by Benny Thomas and Will Rigg in 2013, had been something of a success story,

London Air Quality Improves

London’s air has become significantly cleaner since ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) was expanded to cover the whole capital in 2023, according to a study produced by the Greater London Authority – the study was reviewed by an independent panel of experts, chaired by Dr Gary Fuller of Imperial College London. The report found that London’s air quality was improving at a faster rate than that of the rest of England, with outer London boroughs and more deprived areas of the capital seeing significant falls in pollution. Small particle emissions (PM2.5) from vehicle exhausts were 31% lower in outer London compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ expansion – this takes into account the much smaller improvement which would

Agostini documentary hits the screen

Giacomo Agostini, one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, is the subject of ‘Ago’, a new Netflix documentary which focuses on a career which saw him win world championship titles an astonishing 15 times. The film was previewed, with Ago himself in attendance, at Varese, Italy on 6th March, an event organised by MV Agusta. The MV connection is a significant one, since the legendary racer won countless events on the Italian multi-cylinder racers, against the likes of Mike Hailwood and Paul Smart. Across his career, Agostini took 123 victories including ten TTs. MV is keen to celebrate its link with Ago, as it nears its own 80th anniversary. It’s a piece of positive news for the company, whose move

New anti-tampering rules for replacement motorcycle exhausts

The European association of motorcycle manufacturers ACEM welcomes the new anti-tampering provisions for the non-original replacement exhaust silencing systems for motorcycles. When an aftermarket silencer is fitted the sound may not exceed that of the bike with the original silencer. There are many silencers on the market that can be adjusted, for instance by a valve that can be opened or closed. Within the bandwidth and in the gears that are used with the type approval test, the valve is closed and the silencer does not exceed the sound limits. However, these silencers are programmed to have the valve opened outside this bandwidth and in other gears and then make much more sound. ACEM acknowledges the concerns of citizens, policymakers and regulators

MOT Cameras to combat fraud

MOT testers could be required to upload a digital image of every vehicle they put through the test, in the latest attempt to fight MOT fraud. There have been cases of ‘ghost’ MOTs, where the bike, car or truck is given a test pass without even visiting the test centre. From March 2025 the agency is trialling a new digital image capture system, which should prove that the vehicle in question really was undergoing the test. “We want to create a level playing field where high quality testing is the standard,” said Chris Price, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency’s head of MOT policy. “Capturing images at the time of the test will help prevent fraud while ensuring MOTs are conducted

EU-US trade war: 50% tariffs on motorcycles

Initially it looked like the EU tariffs would only concern motorcycles under the 500cc limit, but the reality is a lot worse. As reported earlier, the European Commission is responding to the United States' decision to impose tariffs by implementing countermeasures designed to match the economic impact of those tariffs. After the U.S. decided to impose a 25% tariff on up to €26 billion worth of European Union (EU) steel, aluminium, and related products, the EU plans to reinstate tariffs that were previously introduced in 2018 and 2020 on certain U.S. imports, effective from 1 April 2025. Additionally, the EU is planning to introduce further measures by mid-April to maintain 'economic balance'. One specific countermeasure confirmed by the European Commission is the

Tariffs will hurt the motorcycle community

In response to the imposition of new US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium imports, the European Commission has launched countermeasures on US imports into the EU. In response to new US tariffs affecting more than €18 billion of EU exports, the Commission is putting forward a package of new countermeasures on US exports. They will come into force by mid-April, following consultation of Member States and stakeholders. In total, the EU countermeasures could therefore apply to US goods exports worth up to €26 billion, matching the economic scope of the US tariffs. On the list of products which could be subject to possible measures are: Motorcycles, incl. mopeds, with reciprocating internal combustion piston engine of a cylinder capacity <= 50 cm³

New Rider Hub – Film Series

The New Rider Hub has launched a new Highway Code film series, designed specifically for young and new riders aged 16- 20 riding in an urban environment! Our goal is to highlight the most important signs, rules, and regulations from the Highway Code that are crucial for your safety. Each short film will highlight the importance of specific Highway Code signs and show you how to follow them in real urban environments. By understanding and following these rules, you'll not only protect yourself but also contribute to the safety of everyone on the road. Most importantly for you, by staying on top of these rules, you'll not get fines and points on your licence, keeping you on the road without any legal

The BMF has called on the Government to put motorcycling front and centre of its new National Integrated Transport Strategy

In responding to the Government's "Call For Ideas" on developing a future National Integrated Transport Strategy, the BMF has called on Ministers to fully realise and harness the benefits of motorcycling as an accessible, low cost, zero congesting and low-zero polluting transport option both now and as part of the UK’s future transport model. The BMF submitted its response via a detailed and comprehensive standalone paper, coordinated by our key partner the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), and also via the Department For Transport's (DfT) specific online questionnaire. You can access and read both responses below…… 1. National Motorcyclists Council response - click here 2. BMF's response - Click here Paul Morgan CBE, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive said: “ The BMF has submitted a comprehensive

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