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

Government Consults on Default Access to Bus Lanes by Motorcycles

Consultation issued after work by NMC and its member organisations to bring clarity to the current patchwork of access The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has strongly welcomed a new consultation by the Department for Transport (DfT) which seeks views on making motorcycle access to bus lanes a default position in regulations in England. In his introduction to the consultation, Transport Minister Guy Opperman MP said “Motorcycles are an important but sometimes overlooked mode of transport, not just by drivers who fail to spot bikers, but occasionally by government too. Their size and nature make them a dynamic and affordable option for road users, and with that it’s only right that our roads become as dynamic as those using them.” Mr Opperman’s remarks

Motorcycles in Bus Lanes

Government launches consultation on allowing motorcycles to access bus lanes by default. Responses required by 9 June 2024. The Government has launched its much anticipated consultation on whether motorcycles should be allowed access to bus lanes by default, as part of its commitment set out in the Plan For Drivers published on 2 October 2023. The BMF has pushed for many years for motorcyclists to be allowed default access to bus lanes, predominantly on safety grounds by removing potential conflicts with other road traffic. There are also wider benefits in terms of reducing traffic congestion and journey times for motorcyclists. Although some local authorities have allowed motorcyclists to use some bus lanes, current access is neither universal nor consistent across local authorities. The

ULEZ Failures Can be Donated to Ukraine

Motorcycles which do not meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) emissions standards can now be donated to Ukraine instead of being scrapped. The scheme, being run by charity British Ukrainian Aid, has been set up with the agreement of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL). The ULEZ scrappage scheme currently pays London-resident owners of non-compliant motorcycles and scooters £1000 if the bike is scrapped. If their application for the scrappage scheme is successful, owners can now apply to British Ukrainian Aid to donate their bike to Ukraine – they will still receive their scrappage allowance from  Transport for London. “To confirm, all vehicles which successfully apply to the scrappage scheme, including motorbikes, are included,” said TfL spokesperson

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