Like the idea of a secure motorcycle park, complete with electric charge point and a hydrogen power source? It could be available next year. Bikers' Guardian is the brainchild of BMF supporter Jonathan Round, who had the idea after his Honda CBR600 was stolen in Matlock Bath – he had left it for just ten minutes. “I was distraught for days,” he said, “but the theft planted a seed in my head about motorcycle security in town centres.” The Bikers' Guardian, currently still under development, is a free standing unit which locks the motorcycle's front wheel and monitors the bike on a webcam, accessible by the machine's owner. An app would allow users to book a time slot for the point, which

NMC: 'Procedures are needed to allow individuals or businesses to transport road registered motorcycles across the EU border'. The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) - of which the BMF is a member - has opened talks with the UK Government after it emerged that the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) has a glaring gap in it when it comes to motorcycle tourism. The NMC started the talks after having been approached by individuals and businesses who are concerned about two specific issues. Firstly, the ability to send road registered motorcycles into the EU, via friends, or via a transportation businesses. The second issue is the ability for riders to transport their own road registered motorcycle by van or another vehicle. The NMC

US President Joe Biden is 'actively engaged' and 'extremely sympathetic' to the case of motorcyclist Harry Dunn, according to Boris Johnson. Nineteen-year-old Harry Dunn died when a car driven by US citizen Anne Sacoolas was in collision with his bike in August 2019. She flew back to the USA a few days later, and the Washington administration asserted that she had diplomatic immunity, having been working for a US intelligence agency. Since then, Harry Dunn's family have been campaigning for Anne Sacoolas to be brought back to the UK to face trial. The Crown Prosecution Service agreed, and issued an extradition notice, though in November 2020 the High Court upheld her claim to diplomatic immunity. That Boris Johnson raised the case with

Motorcyclists are being refused the opportunity to take their full A licence test on an electric motorcycle. The DVSA list of approved machines does not include any for the A licence. Several electric machines have the official stamp of approval for the A1 and A2 tests, but not the unlimited A test. “I can't understand why I'm unable to take my test on an electric,” says BMF member Ryan Duffy, who has already passed his CBT on an electric motorcycle and wishes to upgrade to a full licence. “I have no desire to ride a petrol bike,” he adds. “I know that if I did I would only be eligible to ride an automatic bike, but that doesn't bother me, because I

The National Motorcyclists Council responds to the lack of support by governments for motorcycling as an alternative transport mode alongside walking, cycling and public transport. The National Motorcyclists Council is participating in the International Transport Forum (ITF) Motorcyclists Safety Workshop (here). This is taking place virtually during June and builds on a similar event in 2008 in Lillehammer, which was the first international event to bring together all key stakeholders. Lillehammer has helped shape the agenda for developing government policy towards motorcycling across the world. The workshop is co-organised by the ITF, the Swedish Transport Administration, VTI, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), and the motorcycle manufacturers associations (IMMA and ACEM). It is a follow-up to the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road

At least 12 UK cities and large towns are planning to introduce Clean Air Zones. These new Clean Air Zones (CAZ) will be introduced either this year or in 2022. This follows the launch of a CAZ in Bath in March 2021, and in Birmingham on 1st June. Aimed at reducing urban pollution, CAZ areas charge petrol and diesel vehicle for entering the zone. Oxford launches its Zero Emission Zone trial in August, while the London ULEZ is expanding out to the North and South Circulars in October. Bristol is aiming to start its CAZ the same month, while Bradford, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside should follow later in the year. In 2022, we should see Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow

A loophole in the Brexit agreement between Britain and the EU could disrupt motorcycle holidays abroad. It could affect an increasingly popular form of biking holiday – to save a long ride down through Europe, bikes are shipped by a professional freight company, or just by a friend with a van, while the owner flies out to meet it. Several motorcycle travel and adventure businesses use this system and large numbers of bikes are shipped out in this way each year, before being shipped home again after the end of the holiday. There is nothing in the UK’s trade deal with the EU which covers this practice, leaving no option but to resort to international norms, which vary widely, with no established

The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), which was launched on 5th March, has started work straight away. “The period since the launch on has seen early impact and more political gains than expected,” said spokesman Craig Carey-Clinch. “Government officials themselves initiated early contact, which has had the effect of establishing the NMC as a consultative body.” The NMC is a joint venture between the BMF, MAG, the TRF, IAM and the ACU, to present a single voice for motorcycling to government. “Parliament has also offered support to the NMC,” added Craig Carey-Clinch. “MPs and Peers attended the launch and have been very positive since then about the formation of the NMC. The aims and objectives of the Council were presented at a recent meeting

London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is set to expand to cover an area 18 times larger than it currently does from October 25 this year. The newly re-elected Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has committed to the expansion, which will see the ULEZ grow beyond its present location in central London to as far as the North and South Circular Roads. Transport for London’s website confirmed that the existing ULEZ standards and charges will apply in the newly designated ULEZ area too. A guide to whether your motorcycle will be affected and if a location is within the new catchment area can be found here. Commenting, Mr Khan said: “Today I am reaffirming my commitment to speed up the cleaning of London’s toxic

A growing roster of manufacturers has publicly acknowledged that they are experiencing serious difficulties in constructing and delivering new machines to their dealer networks and customers. Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha have all highlighted disruption to their manufacturing processes, citing a shortage of essential components including semiconductors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, delivery of the machines that it has been possible to build has been affected by the accidental blockage of the Suez Canal when the Ever Given famously ran aground and prevented other ships from travelling through it earlier this year. In a public message to the dealer network and customers, President and CEO of Yamaha Motors Europe Eric de Seynes said: “We understand that the wait for products to be delivered

Sales and registrations of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) surged by 570% last month as consumer demand rocketed back along with the gradual lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown. New statistics released by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) revealed a vast increased in sales and registrations compared to the same period in 2020. Almost every category – with the sole exception of the ‘Unspecified’ category, which only accounted for eight machines - saw major growth of more than 100% year-on-year. In some categories, this growth reached spectacular four-digit percentages. There were particular success stories in the Adventure Sport category (1,357%) and the Touring category (2,671%), while scooters also saw noteworthy growth with a 384% increase year-on-year. Although April 2020’s sales were noticeably low, as the BMF