New National Partnership to fight POTHOLES #nationalpotholeday

BMF joins new National Partnership between Road User organisations, including the National Motorcyclists Council, and the road repair industry to press Government and Local Authorities to deliver effective and permanent road repairs through a comprehensive 5-Point Plan launched today on "National Pothole Day."     Paul Morgan CBE, Government Relations Executive, British Motorcyclists Federation said: “Potholes and other road surface related defects are extremely dangerous for motorcyclists and the top concern for BMF members. Action is needed now to urgently clear the backlog of repairs and address the appalling state of UK roads. We call on Government to front-load the £8.3billion funding that has recently been announced for road repairs and to prioritise the necessary work to make the UK road network safe

NMC in New National Partnership to Tackle Pothole Epidemic

Shock figures on National Pothole Date (15th January) show pothole damage at record high   New Pothole Partnership formed with 5-point plan   AA Pothole Index shows 2023 worst for 5 years for car damage   Damage to vehicles estimated at almost half a billion pounds   Motorcyclists and Cyclists most at risk of injury A new partnership has been launched today (15 January) between road user organisations and the road repairs industry to help tackle the scourge of potholes, as shock new figures from the AA show pothole damage to vehicles has hit a five year high. The Pothole Partnership has been formed by the AA, the National Motorcyclists Council, British Cycling, IAM RoadSmart, the British Motorcyclists Federation and manufacturer

Verge Claims New 360-Vision Radar Tech

A motorcycle that can alert the rider potholes is the claim of Finnish manufacturer Verge, whose TS Ultra is a state of the art electric bike. There’s nothing new about using radar technology on bikes – Yamaha, BMW and Ducati, amongst others, already fit radar systems to warn the rider of nearby traffic which could be out of view. Verge’s ‘Starmatter Vision’ tech claims to be a major advance on all of these, with a promised 360-degree view around the bike. Front and rear radars plus six cameras feed data to a central computer on the bike, which is combined with data from sensors, processed and then fed to the rider as visual information on the TFT screen, or as an

Help STOP Camden bike charges!

Help STOP Camden bike charges!   Camden Council have brought forward new proposals for motorcycle parking charges. We need YOU to help stop the charges!   This might not directly affect you, but if we don't fight parking charges wherever they appear they will spread, including to your local area.   Please sign and share the petition from our friends at Save London Motorcycling against the charges. It should only take 30 seconds of your time!   Find out more and sign the petition against the plans at... savelondonmc.com/camden/petition    Camden tried to bring in motorcycle parking charges 2020. It was a petition just like this that stopped them, with your help we can stop them again!   A quick reminder of Camden’s plans: parking permits for residents', businesses' and doctors' motorcycles the same

Yamaha Boss Downplays Hydrogen

Eric de Seynes, Yamaha’s European President and Chairman of its supervisory board, has downplayed the potential role of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for bikes, highlighting the many practical difficulties. “Hydrogen is obviously a next-generation technology, but it requires a lot of energy (to produce),” he said when interviewed by Motorcycle News. “So until the world is producing more energy, cleaner energy, green energy, hydrogen is a dream. We know how to make a scooter run with hydrogen, how it works and how we can manage it. But to make it real for our customers is another story.” He added that hydrogen needs three times the space of petrol for storage and if kept in liquid form needs to be cryogenically

Fibre Optic Lasers coming for bikes

Bright, long-lasting LED lights may now be standard issue on modern motorcycles, but the next generation of illumination is already under development – lasers. Some cars have already have laser headlights, which offer a brighter light even than the latest LEDs, illuminating the road up to 600 metres ahead. So far they haven’t made it onto bikes, thanks to bulky packaging and a high price, though BMW showed a K1600GT with prototype laser headlight in 2016. However, we could see laser lights on motorcycles before too long, with two major manufacturers having submitted patent applications which look like serious production options. Both Honda and Yamaha are developing systems which place the bulky laser unit under the seat, rather than try and

Motorcycles for work journeys – help needed!

As part of our continuing campaign looking into reports of motorcycles being banned for work journeys and issues with insurance, we need your help. If you work for a company, or an organisation based in the UK, whether you ride a motorcycle for work or not, please help us collect vital information by completing this short online survey HERE. It’s totally anonymous and only takes 2 minutes to complete. Please get your responses in by Monday the 22nd of January. Top images courtesy of Alex Parsons-Hulse

BMF to attend annual MCIA Conference

The BMF’s new government relations executive, Paul Morgan is set to attend the Motorcycle Industry Association's (MCIA) conference for the first time this year. The annual event is an important one for the BMF and is set to be attended by over 150 MCIA members, including major manufacturers, as well as government stakeholders and representatives from local authorities. The outline agenda for the event splits the day into morning and afternoon sessions with presentations form keynote speakers, followed by panel discussions and Q&A. Amongst the speakers, Alfie Brierley, the MCIA’s Director of Policy and Public Affairs will give an update on current MCIA Campaigns and the MCIA’s CEO Tony Campbell will provide a UK market review and a look at what to expect

African Motorcycle Taxis Hit Trouble

Poor quality helmets and lack of infrastructure have been blamed for a sharp rise in motorcycle casualties in some African countries. Road deaths across Africa have risen by 17% in the past decade, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, compared to a 5% average drop across the whole world. The WHO puts this partly down to a general rise in motorised traffic in Africa, but particularly to the increase in small motorcycles used as taxis, the famous ‘boda boda,’ of East Africa. “About 10 years ago we saw a big increase in motorcycles in Kenya,” said Gladys Nyachieo of the Multimedia University of Kenya. “Very quickly we saw an increase in motorcycle-related accidents.” Helmets are compulsory in both Kenya and Rwanda,

New Year Message from the chair

Looking good for 2024? We certainly are, this is an exciting time for motorcyclists, with technical development streaking into the future. The redefining of what a motorcycle is and the expectations of what a motorbike actually means are happening all around us. Only this week Honda, synonymous with ‘motorcycle’ for many people, have announced a wide range of electric bikes and a significant plan for Internal Combustion Engine bikes, with investment to match. The BMF are expanding in membership, still the Number One in representing riders of all types of bikes , without exception. The BMF has always been a big umbrella to protect riders of mopeds, off roaders, and big road bikes, without distinction. If you ride a bike, we don’t

Pretend Gearchange for Electrics

What puts you off electric motorcycles? If it’s the lack of gearchanging and involvement with rising and falling engine revs, then Toyota may have something for you. The company has been working on a simulated manual transmission for electric cars since early 2022 and there’s no reason why e-motorcycles won’t be able to use the same kit. Drivers get a ‘manual’ gear-lever and clutch, but the actual changes are simulated by onboard electronics. In late 2022 the company installed the system in a Lexus UX300e, and Takashi Watanabe, Chief Engineer of Lexus’ electric vehicle department at the time, described how it felt. “From the outside, this vehicle is as quiet as any other BEV. But the driver is able to experience

Yamaha Booster – New Class of Two-Wheeler?

Yamaha has unveiled the battery-powered Booster, which could be the basis of a new class of powered two-wheeler. It’s not an electric moped – it’s got pedals which you have to use to get power. Nor is it an electric bicycle – top speed is 30mph rather than the 15.5mph ‘pedelecs’ are restricted to. In fact, it’s not a fast e-bicycle (S-pedelec) either – these can reach nearly 30mph but are clearly developed from pedal bikes. Instead, Yamaha is hoping that the Booster will help pioneer a new class of PTW which blurs the lines between all of these camps, perhaps giving the best of all worlds. With the latticework alloy frame, pedals and saddle, it could not be mistaken for

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