We’ve had some gloomy news recently, what with KTM’s well publicised restructuring, CCM going into administration and the end of the MCN London Motorcycle Show. However, there are some hopeful glimmers as well. One side effect of the financial collapse of KTM is independent ownership for MV Agusta, which is being bought by Art of Mobility, owned by the Russian Sardarov family. An official statement read: “The official transfer of full ownership from Pierer Mobility AG to Art of Mobility is approaching its final stages. This makes a pivotal step in the company’s strategy to reaffirm its independence.” MV Executive Director Luca Martin also told British Dealer News that MV will be coming back to the UK with a wholly-owned subsidiary,

All MOT testers will soon be required to take photos of every vehicle they put through the test, after a successful pilot scheme. As reported by the BMF in March 2025, the move is aimed at reducing MOT fraud, and for testers to turn a blind eye to items such as illegally small number plates. Chris Price, head of the DVSA’s head of MOT policy, said at the time: “We want to create a level playing field where high quality testing is the standard. Capturing images at the time of the test will help prevent fraud while ensuring MOTs are conducted correctly.” A six-week trial involving 62 testing stations and around 170 testers saw over 13,000 photos uploaded to the MOT

Metisse, one of the best known badges in scrambling of the 1960s and ‘70s, is up for sale. Gerry Lisi, who has owned the brand for 26 years, is planning to retire – the package includes the right to produce 150 McQueen Desert Racers. Metisse was the brainchild of brothers Derek and Don Rickman, who in the early ‘60s combined a Triumph twin engine with their own chassis to create a bike which would achieve worldwide success in scrambles. The name – derived from the French for ‘Mongrel’ – reflected the bike’s varied parts origins. Steve McQueen was a Metisse fan, and in 2007 Gerry Lisi was asked to build a replica of his desert racer. With the McQueen estate’s approval,

Remember Boon, the hit TV series of the 1980s? The BSA Lightning 650 which took a starring role is up for auction, and it could be yours for less than £3000. In the series, which was very successful and ran for seven series, actor Michael Elphick play retired fireman Ken Boon, a biker who runs a motorcycle despatch business but gets drawn into becoming a private investigator. Set in the Midlands, it attracted an audience peak of 11 million, making stars of both Elphick and the BSA, with every episode featuring him on the bike (or appearing to be). Ironically, although he looked every inch the seasoned biker, Michael Elphick wasn’t a fan and admitted in one interview that the BSA

Avon motorcycle tyres are being relaunched, eighteen months after the historic factory in Melksham, Wiltshire was closed. The closure was significant, as the Melksham plant was the UK’s last production facility for motorcycle tyres. Unfortunately, it was in serious need of modernisation and investment, and was closed by parent group Goodyear in December 2023. Goodyear inherited the Avon brand when it took over previous owner Cooper Tires (also owner of the Dunlop name) and moved production to a factory in the EU. The company is now relaunching EU-made Avon motorcycle tyres, positioning them just below its more premium Dunlop-badged rubber. The relaunched range consists of four models to start with: the Cobra Chrome for cruisers (with optional whitewalls); Spirit ST sports-touring

The Ace Cafe is to close at 6pm on Fridays for the foreseeable future, due to anti-social behaviour on the road in front. Previously the iconic venue has been open until 10.30pm on Fridays, making it a mecca for petrolheads on both two and four wheels. Café management referred to episodes of “illegal and unacceptable behaviour on the road,” adding that it will not tolerate wheelies, burnouts or excessive revving, and that anyone caught indulging will be permanently barred from the site. It also emphasised that illegal substances such as cannabis are banned at the venue, and that anyone turning up with an illegal numberplate will be turned away. CCTV with numberplate recognition technology is being used to enforce the rules. The

Less that 1% of the licenced bikes in the UK are able to park in a designated space in a council car park. Research by motorcycle insurance broker Bikesure has revealed that out of just over a million parking spaces across the UK, only 4241 are motorcycle-specific, able to accommodate just over 11,000 bikes. Of course, not all of us want to park at the same time, but motorcycles are clearly under-provided for compared to cars – seven bike spaces for every 1000 machines, against 30 for every 1000 cars. Bikesure also looked at how individual authorities were catering for bikes, by counting the number of motorcycle spaces compared to the number of bikes registered in each area. Stratford upon Avon