Has Europe banned the combustion engine?

Maximum confusion in Brussels whether the sale of cars and small vans with an internal combustion engine will be actually banned from 2035. And what about motorcycles? On Thursday 27 October 2022, the European Commission, European Parliament, and the member states, united in the Council of the European Union, reached an agreement in the so-called trilogue about the emission limits for cars and vans. After a few steps to lower the emission of the fleet, from 2035 the sale of new cars and motorcycles that have no zero CO2-emission will be banned in the European Union. Many parties, especially NGOs like Transport & Environment, who have lobbied for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for years and the Greens in the European Parliament celebrated

Greater Cambridge Partnership calls motorcycles a noisy safety risk

Cambridge justifies high charges for a Sustainable Travel Zone by calling motorcycling a noisy safety risk. BMF says these proposals are a poorly justified move against motorbikes. A new consultation from the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has suggested that motorcycles are a safety risk, are noisy and that they conflict with cyclists. They have therefore proposed a charge of £5 a day for motorcycles travelling in and around Cambridge (please see the map for the area affected). The GCP is formed of Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, South Cambridgeshire Council and the University of Cambridge, and aims to bring powers and investment from central government to improve Greater Cambridgeshire. Their new consultation, ‘Making Connections’, proposes to transform transport in and around

Motorcycling Challenges Face New Government Ministers

New ministers inherit a long stalled policy agenda for motorcycling, while in the meantime, Brussels ‘ups the ante’ on decarbonisation. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) welcomes new Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper to his new role. The Council urges him and his new ministerial team at the Department for transport (DfT)to finally break the paralysis that has existed in departmental policy-making since before the summer, so that urgent motorcycling related issues can now be tackled. The NMC highlighted the key issues that need tacking on September 7th, but recent political events have meant that little has occurred since then. Key issues include the future road safety strategy, decarbonisation and revision of the current training and testing regime for those seeking

Hero & Zero Link Up

Unlikely bedfellows or the sign of a new era in electric motorcycles? Zero, the Californian pioneer of electric bikes has teamed up the Indian giant Hero MotoCorp to develop the next generation of battery bikes. It’s a deal which could work well. Zero needs investment to develop the new bikes and Hero needs electric knowhow to engineer cheaper machines for its home market in India. That’s why Hero is investing $60 million in the Californian operation, which was founded in 2006 and is acknowledged as the market leader in electric motorcycles, having pioneered the sector and kept at it while other startups have fallen by the wayside. Meanwhile, mainstream manufacturers (Harley-Davidson apart) still haven’t launched rival e-bikes. Hero is already linked with

Massive Ride-out for DocBike

Dorset saw one of its biggest ever motorcycle ride-outs on 25th September, when the DocBike charity staged its annual fundraiser. Over 400 bikers from across the UK took part, either riding the 35-mile route from West Bay on the county’s famed Jurassic coast, or the Churchill Arms in East Dorset, meeting up at Henstridge Airfield on the Dorset/Somerset border. Over £8000 was raised for the charity. DocBike was set up by Dorset-based medical staff who are also motorcyclists, to support both the Air Ambulance and educate riders – DocBike’s Biker Down course, which covers first aid, what to do at an accident scene and advanced riding, has been replicated in many areas across the country. Dr Ian Mew, Co-Founder of DocBike, said:

FEMA Committee BMF report October 2022

The Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA) Committee, consisting of the delegates from all the member organisations, the FEMA staff, and invited guests, took place on 2nd October 2022. The meeting was generously hosted by IVM, the German industry Association, in their conference room at Koelncongress, Cologne, Germany. There were 16 delegates and 4 guests, plus the staff, attending physically, with a further 5 delegates joining virtually, via Teams. The meeting was opened by the FEMA President, Anna Zee, also the BMF’s Political Technical Services (PTS) director, welcoming everyone, and listing the apologies. Due to transport problems, a number of delegates registered could not attend; with the unluckiest being MCTC’s Soren Bendtsen who was delayed at the airport for 4 hours, flown

The BMF Annual General Meeting 2022

The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 10th October 2022, at 10.00. The event, held on Zoom, for the third time, was a great success with members taking part, from both Clubs and as individuals. Regular business was dealt with briskly, before moving on to wide ranging discussions on a number of topics. The meeting heard reports from the Chair, Jim Freeman, and fellow Directors: Howard Anderson, Finance Peter Laidlaw, Membership Services Sheonagh Ravensdale, Communications Anna Zee, Political & Technical Services The meeting was run by Jim Freeman, who managed the polls and voting, with help from Helen Hancock, the BMF’s Administrator, particularly monitoring the lively chat board. Jim Freeman was re-elected as Chair with 89% of the votes cast on a

Thousands to the Wall

On Saturday 1st October thousands of motorcyclists from across the UK and other countries rode the National Memorial Arboretum for ‘Ride to the Wall’ which commemorates members of the UK’s armed services. Now in its 15th year, Ride to the Wall sees riders arrive in convoy at the Arboretum before congregating at the Armed Forces Memorial. Martin Dickinson, Founder of Ride to the Wall, said: “Each year we gather at Ride to the Wall to remember those who can no longer ride by our side, ensuring that the names on the walls of the Armed Forces Memorial are never forgotten. We want to help make sure that the National Memorial Arboretum can continue to share the stories of those who have

Track Day rogues face ban

The BMF has welcomed a move by MSV Trackdays (MSVT) to penalise riders who act irresponsibly on track days. Lots of riders enjoy days out on race circuits, a chance to hone high speed riding skills in a relatively safe environment, but MSV Trackdays – the largest operator in the UK – is threatening some with bans of six, 12 months, or even permanently, for dangerous behaviour on track. MSV, which runs events at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton, Cadwell Park, Donnington Park and Bedford Autodrome, has introduced the measure to combat what it says is poor riding. Offences include, “close, aggressive or dangerous overtaking, rider contact, overtaking under a red or yellow flag and showing aggression towards other customers and

Autopilot still kills motorcyclists

Euro NCAP stars do not protect motorcyclists. FEMA considers this an unacceptable situation and sent a letter to Euro NCAP to alert them to this unsafe situation, caused by their own testing methods. In September 2022, Euro NCAP, a voluntary vehicle safety rating system, rated the Tesla model Y with 5 stars . This is not unusual for a modern car. These five stars are partially based on a very high rating for ‘Safety Assisi’, 98%, which is almost as high as you can get. We consider this very high rating remarkable at least. From the beginning that Tesla cars hit the roads with their ‘Autopilot’ system, there are reports of remarkable and unexplainable accidents with Tesla cars that can be linked

Vintage club offers classic rides

The Vintage Motorcycle Club (VMCC) has opened the doors of its extensive garage, offering free loans of a whole range of classic and vintage bikes, from a 1923 Matchless 350 to a 1989 Yamaha FJ1200. The scheme is only open to VMCC members, but anyone can join the club – 12 months individual membership currently costs £42. You don’t even have to currently own a bike to join, though members taking up the loan scheme will need a motorcycle licence. “We want as many people as possible to experience what it’s like to ride an older motorcycle,” said the VMCC’s Chair, Mario Costa-Sa, “and this is the way to do it. There are some restrictions on some of the older bikes,

Honda to offer 10 electric bikes by 2025

Honda is planning a rapid expansion of its electric motorcycle range, with at least 10 new battery bikes promised by 2025, three of which will be full-size motorcycles, not scooters or mopeds. We won’t see them all straightaway, as Honda is envisaging a phased launch, starting with what it calls ‘Honda e: Business bikes series’ which are likely to be electric mopeds aimed at fleet users for short urban deliveries. Honda already makes the electric Benley-e, which is used by the Japanese and Vietnamese postal services. Commuter motorcycles or scooters aimed at private customers will follow in 2023-24, but the real interest for motorcyclists lies with what it calls ‘Fun EV’ machines, which will be sold in Europe as well as

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