Snake Pass Safety Planning Update — What Riders Need to Know Snake Pass (A57) - the scenic but challenging road linking Sheffield and Manchester, remains the focus of new safety planning work following recent government investment aimed at reducing collisions on this high-risk route. New Planning and Design Work Begins Local authorities have now started formal planning and design work on potential safety improvements along Snake Pass, using funding made available through the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Scheme. This work follows earlier confirmation of national investment to tackle collision rates and improve safety on some of the UK’s riskiest routes. Sheffield City Council has approved the use of £267,700 for feasibility and preliminary design work on improvements between Coldwell Lane and the Derbyshire

In October 2025, the UK’s leading police-led motorcycle safety initiative, BikeSafe, celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter of a century dedicated to reducing collisions and improving rider skills nationwide. Since launching in 2000, BikeSafe has played a significant role in rider education, providing practical workshops aimed at improving road awareness, hazard perception and on-bike decision-making. The programme has supported thousands of riders during its 25-year history and remains an essential part of the UK’s rider safety framework. A National Partnership Built on Safety BikeSafe is delivered by trained police motorcyclists across over 30 police forces in the UK and is supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). The initiative was developed in response to concern over motorcyclist casualty rates and has

🏍️ Star Bikers 47th Charity Toy Run: Stoke-on-Trent Rides for Christmas Cheer On Sunday 30th November 2025, Stoke-on-Trent witnessed one of its most cherished traditions - the Star Bikers 47th Annual Charity Toy Run. With around 2,000 motorcycles taking part, the streets came alive with the roar of engines, festive spirit and the generosity of bikers determined to make Christmas brighter for children who might otherwise go without. The Route and Atmosphere The run set off from the bet365 Stadium at 11am, winding its way through Trentham, Blurton, Weston Coyney, Bentilee, Baddeley Green, Milton, Sneyd Green and Northwood. Along the route hundreds of local residents lined the streets, many holding out carrier bags filled with toys for bikers to collect. The atmosphere was

British motorcyclists – we’re always being told – are getting older every year. Our average age is now between 54 and 57, a huge difference from the 1960s and ‘70s when most motorcyclists were under 30. Writing recently in British Dealer News, marketing consultant Dan Sager points out that that the youngsters of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), “are less interested in riding bikes than any previous generation,” and that the number of teenagers taking their Mod 1 bike test has plummeted, presumably put off by the high cost of getting a licence and rocketing insurance premiums. The current situation is not helped by the Government's official position of having "no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles"; an approach

If you thought Chinese bike manufacturers still restricted themselves to cheap ‘n cheerful scooters and 125s, think again. There’s now a whole raft of Chinese-made mid-range machines, and one of them – the Voge DS800X Rally – was the top selling adventure bike in October 2025, even out-numbering BMW’s evergreen R1300 GS. Of course, October is a quieter time of year for bike sales, but there’s no denying the upward swing of Voge sales in particular. In a market down 14.7% in the year to October, sales of the Chinese brand were up by 165% (from a low base). The DS800X also topped the 750-1000cc segment overall. Alongside Voge, CF Moto (one of the first Chinese mid-size bikes to come to Britain)