The Breacon Becons

- Carlton Ailey 

The MK Bike Show returns to Milton Keynes this year for a celebration of all things motorcycling. With exhibitors including local bike dealers, training organisations, bike clubs and bike tour organisers, whatever your interest in bikes there’s something for everyone.

And best of all, the event, which takes place 10am – 4pm on Sunday 8th July at the MK Dons Stadium, is free to enter with free parking!

The event is run by Milton Keynes Advanced Motorists (MKAM) bike section in conjunction with Milton Keynes Council and Bucks Fire Brigade. The show aims to represent the interests of the motorcycling community of Milton Keynes and the surrounding area while bringing all those involved together for a day of talking, sharing and fun. “Our first event two years ago was so successful that we knew we had to do it again,” said Ian Souter, MKAM Chair. “This year is even bigger and better than before with more exhibitors, clubs and show bikes.”

The Inner Concourse, sponsored by Green-Mopeds.com, will house the specialist trades, clubs and the show bikes. The classic bike show will cover the last 50 years of motorcycling, coincidentally, the same age as Milton Keynes. All proceeds from the show will be donated to the Blood Bikes charity SERV.

MK Bike Show chairman, Dave Macey said, “We’re delighted to be able to hold the event at StadiumMK, the home of the MK Dons without whose support we could not have staged this event.” In line with the club ethos this will be a family event so bring everyone down to say hello. The 2016 show attracted an estimated 5,000 people and this year, with an additional indoor show area, we will be able to cater for even more.

Up to date information will be available on the website and social media.

www.mkbikeshow.co.uk

www.facebook.com/MKBikeShow

Myself, a 1970 BMW R75 - 5 and the Namib desert in background!
- Annerien Scholz 

Two friends who work for the UK’s biggest road safety charity IAM RoadSmart have just completed the project of a lifetime, passing on their motorbike training skills to other bikers in Nepal recently.

Scott Tulip and Pete Doherty, both area managers for the charity – who as it turned out both trained together in their previous lives in the Motorcycle Wing at the Metropolitan Police Driving School, were contracted to deliver the training as part of a two-week project by The Ghurkha Welfare Trust.

The Trust offers financial, medical and community aid to Gurkha veterans, their widows and communities in Nepal - many of whom live in the most remote and hazardous parts of the country - hence the need to provide safe riding skills training … enter Pete and Scott!

Many of the roads are tracks not wide enough for a four-wheeled vehicle, and others are metalled tracks.

The pair had the brief of ‘teaching on and off road training’ to the group of 12 students, starting with the basics of road safety training, called IPSGA – information, position, speed, gear, acceleration. It forms the basis of advanced driving and riding here, and has no less importance in Nepal.

Scott rightly said: “The idea is to ensure they are getting it right by skill rather than luck so we will have a theory session then it’s a case of putting into practice which is the key to any effective training. They are, rightfully, a proud nation and proud of their country. We need to engage with care and not be condescending or disrespectful to them or their nation.”

The GWT has over 20 offices and over 400 staff spread throughout the country. Their staff work tirelessly to ensure that their beneficiaries are well looked after, and able to live with dignity. The abiity of the Trust's staff to be mobile in times of need is critical - hence the importance of its motorbike riders being able to get around safely.

After starting in Kathmandhu, the pair moved down to Pokhara for training in earnest, a distance of 200km – with its own fair share of dramas, including unpredictable cattle grazing where they choose and sharing the road with brakeless buses!

The trainees were given a comprehensive session on repair and maintenance techniques – which unlike the UK involves not only getting hold of the right tools, but having them made especially!

The team took part in comprehensive on and off road training; some of the off road training involved riding through riverbeds, gravel and mud tracks.

The end of the trip saw Pete and Scott assessing how much their students had learned and progressed – and thankfully all passed. The next stage would involve them training each other and then passing this training down amongst the ranks.

On the 1st - 2nd September 2018, the third Isabena Rallye will take place, around the beautiful Isabena Valley.
It doesn’t matter if you drive a Enduro motorcycle, a sport motorcycle or a touring motorcycle or how much experience you have. The slogan of the rallye is: 2 Days of Fun!

The rallye is for motorcycles only and the participant will ride mostly on paved roads.

Further more we will organize some special tests as well as some off-road sections which will require your skills, but also require a pinch of luck. Perfect are motorcycles with which you can easily ride a 200km day trip through this unique part of the Pyrenees, as well as a few kilometers on simple off-road tracks.

The rallye will be organized in a way so that you can finish in a good position even if you don’t like to ride the off-road sections or the special test.
For the final we will set up another tricky challenge with our own off-road motorcycle for the top riders.

Isabena Rallye Trailer

www.isabena.eu

Article supplied by Camping & Bungalowpark Isábena