Category: Random

1. Offroad Adventures in Thailand & Laos this Winter

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 12th Jul 2017

   For adventure riders Thailand and Laos provide superb, excellent value riding. In this naturally beautiful region with its wonderful cultural heritage, our offroad tours take you to some real hidden gems rarely seen by tourists and travellers.
   
   On our Dragon's Tail 7 day tour to the top of Thailand's highest mountain - Doi Inthanon - we ride through bamboo forest, elephant camps, the hot springs beauty spot of Pai, along the Ping river with its wooded banks and dramatic waterfalls, through tribal villages and visit the largest cave in SE Asia. As you'd expect the terrain is wonderful and varied - steep mountain mud trails, gentle stony tracks, river crossings, narrow tarmac roads... This is a weeks offroading like no other!  
   
   Golden Triangle tour extends Dragon's Tail  into the Golden triangle region on the Myanmar and Laos border for a 12 day adventure. Infamous for its historical opium production, this area provides a heady mix of lush jungle, hill-tribe villages, tranquil rice paddies, mist-shrouded mountains and mixed cultures.  We ride across the border into Myanmar, take a riverboat on the mighty Mekong into Laos and take in a little bit of China (in Thailand) in unique Santikharee village. 
   
   Laos: Gateway to China Adventure is more expedition than tour. We ride through Northern Thailand littered with its hilly national parks and village trails, continue through the Golden Triangle and then into Laos - one of the most unspoilt countries in the world and with many unpaved roads! The World Heritage City of Luang Prabang with its fabulous temples, palaces and museums is a cultural highlight and we visit an elephant camp and cross the Mekong River by boat. Whether you take our New Year tour, aimed at more experienced riders, or go in February you'll be in for a treat - a truly unique 14 day motorcycling experience! 
   
   Enduro training? Want to improve your offroad skills pre tour? No worries - we offer 1 and 3 day Enduro Training in Chiang Mai where you can get used to your bikes by practising on uphill sections, traversing log bridges, river crossings, sand, mud etc.
   
   And extra nights accommodation is available at very reasonable prices in Chiang Mai. Either relax by the pool or immerse yourself into the classic culture of elaborately ornamented temples - there's 30 'wats' to choose from. 

   For further details on all our other tours, locations and summer destinations too, please visit our website: www.hctravel.com

    

   

2. Billy’s on the Road brings hope and glory to local children’s charity

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 6th Jul 2017

   Destination diner Billy’s on the Road has long been a supporter of the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity – and now they are donating part of the income from one of their best-selling desserts. 

   Located just north of Billingshurst – halfway between the M25 and the coast, the independently-owned café will give 25p for every sale of their ‘Meringue of Hope & Glory’ puddings – inspired by the famous Dame Vera song.

   The delicious desserts are based on an ‘Eton Mess’ with a bed of mouth-watering meringue topped with fresh fruit, such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, and finished off with a drizzle of coulis and a mint leaf. 

   “The Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity is a cause that is very close to our hearts,” says chef/owner Vicky Willison (Billy). “We are always delighted to support their amazing work in any that we can.”

   Based in Cuckfield, the charity provides an early intervention service to families with young children who have cerebral palsy and other motor learning disabilities.

   “We would like to say a big thank you to Billy’s on the Road for supporting us with their generous donation,” says the charity’s marketing and appeals officer, Carole Whorwood. “We receive no statutory funding and rely entirely on the community to help raise our funds. We are extremely grateful for the continued support of the team at Billy’s.” 

   Opened in 2012, this thriving diner is a popular pit stop for bikers on route to the coast. They source many of their ingredients locally, including sausages, eggs, tomatoes and vegetables, and are renowned for the 12 varieties of ice cream and hearty breakfasts served all day.

   Open Monday to Friday, from 7am to 7pm, and 8am to 4pm at weekends, there is also ample free parking.

   Billy's on the Road, A29 Stane Street, Five Oaks, Billingshurst West Sussex RH14 9AE.

   www.billysontheroad.co.uk 

   

3. WINTER GRITTERS REPAIR SUMMER’S MELTING ROADS

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 22nd Jun 2017

   The current heatwave means that local highway authorities have one eye on the thermometer and the other one on their road surfaces as the current high temperatures are causing some to melt.
   
   With temperatures topping 30C, the bitumen in some road surfaces may soften and rise to the top. This makes the road surface sticky and more susceptible to pressure loads from heavy vehicles resulting in surface ridging and rutting.
   
   Most roads will not begin to soften until they hit a temperature of around 50C. However, even a sunny day in the 20Cs can be enough to generate 50C on the ground as the dark asphalt road surface absorbs a lot of heat and this builds up during the day. The response for local highway authorities is to send out the gritters to spread granite dust or sand to absorb the soft bitumen and so stabilise the road surface and make it less sticky.
   
   “Drivers may be bemused to see the gritters out in the summer when they are usually spreading grit and salt during the winter”, said Howard Robinson, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association. “However, this is effective standard practice for keeping a road surface safe during extreme hot temperatures.”
   
   He continued: "Asphalt is like chocolate - it melts and softens when it's hot, and goes hard and brittle when it's cold - it doesn't maintain the same strength all year round.”
   
   Following a heatwave in 1995, the road industry introduced a new asphalt specification introducing the use of polymer modified binders in hot rolled asphalt (HRA). These polymers raise the asphalt road surface softening point to around 80C which prevents it from softening under extreme got weather. Other asphalt products such as thin surface course systems also normally contain polymer modified binders. Modified asphalts tend to be more expensive and are generally only used on heavily-trafficked roads. Robinson estimates that less than 5% of all the UK’s road surfaces contain polymer modified asphalt.  Surface dressings which are sued to seal road surfaces and restore skid resistance also now predominantly contain polymer modified binders which will resist softening during periods of hot weather.
   
   “Melting of some roads is not surprising during this heatwave but they can be quickly treated and revert back to normal once temperatures decline,” said Robinson.

4. Ride to Work Week starts Monday 19th June

   Posted on 9:00am Monday 19th Jun 2017

   What would happen to congestion, parking problems and the stress levels of drivers if just 10% of people switched to a motorcycle or scooter?

   If just 10% of motorists swapped their car for a motorcycle or scooter, there could be huge benefits for all road users.  These include 20% more parking spaces, a 40% reduction in congestion for all road users and a reduction in the financial impact of congestion. 

   Wear and tear on roads would be less, rider safety would improve and importantly – 10% less car drivers would be miserable!

   40% reduction for all

   A Belgian study, which modelled the traffic for one of Europe’s most congested roads, found that if 10% of motorists swapped their car for a motorcycle, scooter or moped, then congestion was reduced for all road users by 40%. When 25% of drivers swapped, congestion was eliminated altogether. [Ref 1]

   More people could park

   Three motorcycles or scooters can fit into the same space one car takes.  This means if just 10% of car spaces were given over to riders, then 20% more people would be able to park.  The National Travel Survey shows that 87% of car commuters drive to work alone, so there is huge capacity to increase the number of spaces available to people who swap to a motorcycle or scooter. [Ref 2]

   10% less stressed commuters

   Motorcyclists generally report higher levels of happiness in surveys about commuting and this was confirmed in a one-off survey by the Office for National Statistics.  It found that riding a motorcycle, moped or scooter had no negative impact on journeys of up to half an hour and after that it was negligible.  This was in contrast to users of most other modes of private and public transport. [Ref 3]  

   Knock on cost benefits

   There are many calculations estimating the cost of congestion to the UK economy.   The INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard recently calculated this to be around £30 billion a year.  This would naturally reduce if congestion was cut by 40%. [Ref 4]   Road maintenance would reduce too, as motorcycles and scooters are lighter than cars and vans, so impact less on road surfaces.

   Gain four days holiday a year

   According to the most recent INRIX Scorecard, UK drivers spend an average of 32 hours a year in traffic jams. 

   Steve Kenward, CEO of the Motorcycle Industry Association, which organises Ride to Work Week, says a driver could gain the equivalent of an extra four days holiday a year, if they switched to a motorcycle or scooter:

   “Motorcyclists and scooter riders don’t waste 32 hours a year watching the bumper of the car in front, as they can filter.  This means they tend to move through congested traffic at the same rate you would expect to move through free-flowing traffic.  

   “32 hours is the equivalent of four working days, which equates to an extra four days holiday each year.  No wonder riders are the happiest commuters!”[Ref 5]

   Try for free

   Try a motorcycle or scooter for free with a qualified instructor at a Get On event. They are held throughout the year across the UK. 

   Find out if there is one near you.

   

5. Norton Wins Motul Team Award at 2017 Isle of Man TT Races

   Posted on 3:00pm Tuesday 13th Jun 2017

   British Motorcycle manufacturer Norton has won the prestigious Motul team award for technical excellence at the 2017 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.
   
   The award, which was created by TT Races Official Lubricant Partner Motul, is decided by the TT Race Management Team, which includes Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson, Rider Liaison Officers Richard Quayle and John Barton and TT Business Development Manager Paul Phillips from the Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development Motorsport team.
   
   The award was given in recognition of Norton Motorcycles being the only team to have achieved two top ten finishers in both the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT Races.
   
   David Johnson finished seventh, fourteen seconds and one place ahead of teammate Josh Brookes in the opening RST Superbike with the team order reversed in the PokerStars Senior with Brookes finishing 6^th, a place and less than three seconds ahead of Johnson.
   
   Brookes also lifted the fastest Mountain Course lap by a Norton to 130.883 with Johnson also adding another 130mph lap to his record during the PokerStars Senior TT.
   
   Leslie Raiwoit, Motorsport Co-ordinator, Motul, commented.
   “At Motul performance is everything and we understand that there are a number of factors to delivering great results which Norton has undoubtedly achieved this year.  The team is very deserving winners of this year’s award which recognises not only where they are today but the journey they have taken to get here.”
    
   Stuart Garner, MD, Norton Motorcycles:
    
   “I’m really pleased to win this award but it reflects exactly what we’ve strived to create at Norton – a team.  And that team is built not only from the two great riders that we have on our bikes and an excellent group of mechanics supporting them on event but is also for every one of the people who work for us including all of the hard working people back at the factory who have helped us to get where we are today.”

   
   
   Photocaption Pictured left to right are Josh Taylor (Norton), Dom Murfin (Norton), Sunni Wilson (Norton), Fabrizio D’Ottavi, Motul Associate Motorsport Manager, Johnny Cusack (Norton), Mick Grant (Norton), Ian Mackman (Norton).