Belgian motorcyclists go for safety

Belgian research identified eight types of motorcyclists; which type are you? To better profile the Belgian motorcyclist, a representative sample of 3,000 Belgians over the age of 16 were interviewed about their use of motorcycles and other powered two-wheelers. The Belgian road safety research organisation Vias studied powered two-wheeler use in Belgium. They identified eight kinds of motorcyclists, but more important, they analysed who the motorcyclists are, how they behave, what their experiences are, how well they are trained, and what their views are on subjects as road safety, intelligent transport systems, et cetera. First the types of motorcyclists. According to Vias there are eight profiles: The Time optimizer: uses the powered two-wheeler (scooter) to optimize travel time during the good season (11,6%).

Battery Swapping Goes Big

The Japanese big four – Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha – are setting up a new company, Gachaco, Inc, to offer standardised swappable batteries for electric motorcycles and scooters. For smaller machines it could address the biggest drawback of battery-powered bikes – lack of range, and slow charging. The Japanese manufacturers agreed standards for such a system back in 2019, but are now teaming up with Japanese energy company Eneos to offer a network of battery swap stations across Japan. The first stations will be in Tokyo, with other Japanese cities following in autumn 2022. The 'Gachaco' network will use Honda's existing Mobile Power Pack. Being small and light enough to be swapped by hand, the batteries clearly wouldn't suit a big

FIM Meritum 2022

The 2022 Meritum meeting will take place in Southern Jutland, Denmark, at the small town of Graasten. The event is being organised by the same team that put on the Motocamp at Bredbero in 2013, which was generally accepted to be an excellent event. The event has been timed to link with the FIM Rally in Ferropolis so that those who want to can take in both events in one holiday. For those who wish to arrive early the event facilities will open from midday on Thursday the 21st July with an optional excursion offered on Friday 22nd. The event will run from Friday 22nd July to Sunday 24th, with participants leaving after breakfast on Monday 25th Once again the BMF are handling the

New British Electric Bike Launched

Triumph, Royal Enfield, Brough-Superior, Norton...the roll call of revived British bike brands seems to grow by the day, but now there's a new kid on the block – Maeving. It's a new start-up put together by Will Stirrup, 29, and Seb Inglis-Jones, 31. And the most surprising fact about the Maeving? It's assembled in Coventry and at £4995 is almost price competitive with its Chinese-made rivals. The RM-1 is an A1 125cc-equivalent bike with retro 1920s board track styling and removeable batteries. Stirrup and Inglis-Jones started the project back in December 2017, initially intending to import a complete bike from China. After finding there was nothing which quite fitted the bill, they decided to make their own. Joined by a team of mostly

NMC and MCIA to work together

The Motor Cycle Industry Association and the National Motorcyclists Council have today agreed to work together as the joint action plan for government and industry on zero emission motorcycles and other L-Category machines develops. The NMC and its individual members will work with the MCIA as part of the ‘UK Motorcycling’ forum which has been set up by the MCIA as part of the industry’s commitment to create a formal L-Category community to engage government in relation to the action plan; ‘The Route to Net Zero’. NMC Executive Director Craig Carey-Clinch said: “The NMC’s members are delighted to be working with the MCIA as the Action Plan develops. Decarbonisation is the fundamental issue of our times and with the wide range

FIM Rally 2022 Ferropolis, Germany

The 2022 FIM Rally will be held at Ferropolis, an open air industrial museum close to Dessau, South West of Berlin. Details of the rally are rather late in coming out this year as the nation originally scheduled to run the event withdrew their offer due concern regarding the Covid pandemic. The German DMSB have stepped in to organise the rally and have been working hard to catch up with the necessary preparations. The Ferropolis site, sited on a peninsular in a large lake created in the past by open cast mining, displays some of the giant machines that were used in the open cast mine and is also a venue for pop concerts & festivals. The Rally runs from Wednesday 27th July

Green lane motorcycling is under threat – take action NOW!

" I urge all riders to support the continuing access to green roads, by responding to the consultation, as outlined in the ACU's excellent advice below. If we lose this access it will be very difficult to overturn. The time to respond is NOW!" Jim Freeman, BMF chair.  Advice on responding to DEFRA’s Consultation on the Landscapes Review What is the Landscapes Review? In May 2018 the government asked for an independent review into whether the protections for National Parks and AONBs are still fit for purpose. In particular, what might be done better, what changes will help and whether the definitions and systems in place are still valid. The review’s final report was published on 21 September 2019. It was led by

Motorcycle Industry Boycotts Russia

Russian Boycott Expands Following the BMF news story on a boycott of Russian motorcycle exports on 11th March, comes news that more manufacturers are lining up to repudiate business with the country, in response to its invasion of Ukraine on 24th February. Meanwhile the EU has announced a blanket ban on all motorcycle exports over EUR 5000 to Russia. The BMF reported that Harley-Davidson was the first manufacturer to pull out of Russia, swiftly followed by Polaris, owner of the Indian brand, and Honda, which has suspended shipments of cars as well as bikes. MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov, who is himself Russian, weighed in, publicly criticising the Russian invasion in an open letter distributed via MV. “My family is shocked, all the

Triumph to make many more bikes in the UK

Triumph is to make many more bikes in the UK this year, only two years after moving much of its production to Thailand. Booming demand across Europe and successful launches of the marque in new markets such as China are said to be behind the decision. Production had been progressively been moving to the company's three South East Asian plant since they were set up in 2002-2007 and 2020 saw Speed Triple and Tiger 1200 – the final mainstream models built at Hinckley – move there too, spelling the end of mainstream assembly in Britain. The Hinckley plant has since focused on R&D and limited production bikes, building around 4,500 machines a year. Soaring demand for new Triumphs, particularly the Trident 660

BMF welcomes the Vintage Motor Cycle Club to the NMC

The National Motorcyclists Council welcomes the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC) to the NMC’s growing partnership of motorcyclists and trade representative organisations. Backed by 13,500 members, the VMCC is the world’s largest Vintage & Classic motorcycle Clubs, with 81 regional sections and five specialist sections around the UK, organising over 1,200 events per year. With significant technical and regulatory expertise, the VMCC is at the forefront of the heritage motorcycle sector, drawing its membership from a wide range of riders of classic and heritage machines, ranging from the earliest days of motorcycling through to machines from more recent times. Classic motorcycling is an important part of the UK’s £18 billion historic sector, with nearly 675,000 motorcycles being part of this –

The BMF at Parliament!

The BMF lobbying team joined fellow members of the National Motorcyclists Council, in the Churchill Room reception, hosted by Sir Bill Wiggins MP. The event was a fantastic opportunity for the team to meet officials and MPs, in an informal session, over tea and sandwiches. The expected attendance was reduced under the impact of a Tube Strike, but the key people, including Minister Harrison were there. The BMF team were down one, Sheonagh Ravensdale, Communications director, having to pull out at the last moment, after testing positive for covid. However, Anna Zee, Political and Technical services director was ably supported by Emily Rochester, Government Relations Executive intern, in engaging with MPs, including Steve Baker and Minister Harrison. The Ministerial address demonstrated that

NMC presents its policy programme

Motorcycling and the Future of Transport Policy Presented to Transport Minister Trudy Harrison MP At a major event of the Parliamentary Motorcycle Group yesterday, the National Motorcyclists Council presented its programme for policies to support motorcycling in UK transport policy to MPs and the Government. Under Secretary of State for Transport, Trudy Harrison MP delivered a speech to welcome the NMC’s Motorcycling and the Future of Transport Policy. The chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Motorcycling, Sir Bill Wiggin MP, also spoke in support of the comprehensive approach set out by the NMC. At the well-attended reception, British Super Bikes and TT legend Steve Plater added a new dimension to a parliamentary event by delivering a well-received speech about UK

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