New partnership with Fletchers Solicitors

Fletchers Solicitors provide BMF members with dedicated legal line. We have entered into a partnership with Fletchers Solicitors and the firm will now be providing a legal line available to all of BMF members. Fletchers is a Top 100 law firm who are recognised as leaders in the field by the independent legal directories such as Legal 500 & Chambers and Partners. BMF members receive special rates from the firm. Having a specialist team on your side if you have had an accident can make all the difference. Fletchers Solicitors has a strong heritage of working with motorcyclists, motorcycle groups and organisations, and the new legal line will ensure more motorcyclists have access to the assistance they need when they need it most. If

New Pothole Repair Cash Allocated

Could “the scourge of potholes” (as described by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) be finally on its way out? Last November, the government announced that £8.3 billion would be handed out to local authorities over the next 11 years so that they could start fixing Britain’s battered roads. Funds for this pothole dividend were said to have resulted from the axing of part of the HS2 high speed rail project. Only £150 million has so far been transferred, but nearly all local authorities (102 out of 119 allocated funding) have now submitted plans of what they will do with the money. The West and East Midlands, which will be receiving £2.2 billion over the 11 years, say they will be repairing 600,000

BMF supports the AA’s “Think Bikes” Campaign

On the 10th anniversary of the original campaign, the AA's message remains as relevant as ever with 350 motorcyclists and 91 cyclists alone killed on UK roads in 2022. It is important that we continue to increase motorists' awareness of those on 2 wheels to reduce the continuing high number of collisions and fatalities caused by a failure to see them on time. Government road traffic statistics show that cycles and motorcycles make up just 2.75% of miles travelled compared to cars but account for more than one quarter of road deaths. This is completely unacceptable and highlights the importance for all drivers to look out for vulnerable road users and to always think bikes when out on the road. 10th

Electric Bike Completes Lands End Trial

An electric bike has entered the Lands End Trial for the first time – and finished. Engineer Fred Spaven, riding his home built Royal Enfield-based machine, made it to the finish without any problems. “I’ve been working on this project for two years,” said Fred, who has previously ridden an electric Enfield from Lands End to John o’ Groats and is currently studying for a PhD in electric motorcycle technology. “I chose the Lands End Trial because although it’s over 300 miles, the road sections are relatively low speed, so it suits an electric bike. I knew the electric Enfield would be controllable off-road, thanks to its low speed power delivery.” The Lands End Trial, one of the UK’s oldest

Motorcycle Parking Charges – BATH

Bath and North East Somerset Council Set Out Plans To Introduce Motorcycle Parking Fees Under The Guise of Congestion and Environmental Concerns Bikers in Bath may have to pay for parking in the future, as Bath and North East Somerset Council is considering charging bikes for the first time. Quoted in Motorcycle News, Councillor Manda Rigby, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for highways, said: “While it’s recognised that motorbikes may be less impactful on congestion, they continue to utilise road space and emit pollutants.” Speaking to a council scrutiny panel on 21st March, she added: “Increasingly motorbikes are of a size where they take up a full bay or a full space, so we are looking to charge them as well.” The proposed

Cadwell Top Trackday Venue, but Overall Bookings Down

Cadwell Park is the favourite venue for track day riders, according to a survey by Trackdays.co.uk. It’s the second year running Cadwell has topped the track list, accounting for one in five track day bookings in the last 12 months. It was closely followed by Snetterton (17% of bookings), Donington Park (14%) and Brands Hatch (13%). Silverstone, Lydden Hill and Croft were less popular, scoring 2% apiece. The survey analysed 1600 bookings from a number of leading trackday suppliers across the UK. So, good news for Cadwell, but the survey also found that track days in general are being hit by the cost of living, with spending down by a third as riders prioritise their spending. Dan Jones, operations manager of

Welsh Byway Plans Raise Hackles

Powys Council has raised a storm with plans to resurface a section of track over the Cambrian Mountains which would benefit trail riders and mountain bikers. Monks Trod is a BOAT (Byway Open to All Traffic), which makes it legal for motorised vehicles, unless the local authority puts a restriction in place. Because some of the five-mile byway is over boggy, easily damaged ground, the Council closed it to four-wheeled vehicles in 1990 via a TRO (Traffic Regulation Order), which was extended to bikes in 2002 – in 2021, it was reopened to two-wheelers only. Now Powys Council plans to resurface a section of Monks Trod, raising a storm of protest from Powys Local Access Forum, amongst others, which maintains that

New Ducati Option Aids Wheelies

Ducati has announced a wheelie-assist option on the Hypermotard 698 Mono which uses existing electronics to keep that front wheel in the air, rather than on the tarmac. Wheelie control systems aren’t new and the current generation make use of a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) which measures a bike’s roll, pitch and yaw, plus sensors for engine speed, wheel speeds and several other factors to detect when a wheelie is about to start, and limiting torque momentarily to keep the front wheel on the ground. The standard Hypermoto has four levels of wheelie control, with level 1 allowing the front wheel up before intervening and level 4 keeping it on tarmac at all times. Now there’s a new option which

Glow in the Dark Road Markings On the Way?

We’ve all been there, even on modern bikes with relatively good lights – a dark, wet road at night with oncoming headlights can be a nightmare of poor vision. But now an Australian engineering firm reckons it may have the answer – glow in the dark white lines. Tarmac Linemarking of Victoria has developed photoluminescent paint which absorbs UV light during the day, enabling it to emit light after dark. There’s nothing new about the idea, which has been used for watch hands and children's’ toys for years, but this is thought to be the first time it has been applied to road markings. Special phosphors in the paint absorb invisible UV light during the day, which cause it to glow,

The NMC Reinforces Calls for a Fundamental Review of the Motorcycle Licensing Regime

BMF SAYS... The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has today issued a second edition of its 2022 position on motorcycle licensing, testing and training which sets out updated proposals for a change to the current regime. The BMF has been a key contributor to the document, working closely with our partner NMC to set out the need for a regime that is easier to understand and access, with reduced cost, bureaucracy and repetition, whilst maintaining high training standards. In particular, the document calls for government to undertake a fundamental review of the current regime to create a training and testing regime that is fit for the 21st century; a regime which allows riders to progress more efficiently through relevant motorcycle licensing stages to

Motorcycle Advert

The BMF has called out the recent JD Sports advert depicting the inappropriate riding of motorcycles by young riders wearing casual shoes whilst performing stunts and wheelies against an urban backdrop. The advert is completely irresponsible and encourages behaviour that could result in serious injury, not only to riders but to other road users. Effective safety gear for motorcyclists, that provides adequate protection from impact and abrasion, is vital and can make the difference between riders suffering minor injuries or much more serious ones when involved in accidents. Casual shoes and trainers will always be entirely inappropriate for riding motorcycles as they are likely to shred or slip off in the event of an accident causing significant injury to the rider. You can read

Hackney Bike Parking Charges

Hackney Council To Go Ahead with The Introduction of New Motorcycle Parking Charges Despite Strong Opposition From The UK Motorcycling Lobby Despite sustained objections from the BMF, other motorcycling organisations, and thousands of individual riders against the proposal by Hackney Council to introduce new motorcycle charges within Hackney, we have been advised by the Council that they have decided to "overrule all objections received" and introduce new parking charges and restrictions regardless.   Hackney Council plan to charge motorcycle parking rates 10-20 times higher than anywhere else in the UK, anticipating that this will reduce motorcycle parking in the Borough by 70%. The Council claims its priority is to "reclaim the kerbside space" used by motorcycles, despite only 0.2% of parking space in

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