At this years show, Honda Owners Club, KCS Honda, North West Honda and vintage Honda Motorcycles on exhibit!

Manchester Bike Show | 24th - 25th March 2018

IAM RoadSmart brings you expert advice on driving in snow from its head of driving and riding advice Richard Gladman.

Best advice is to avoid travelling in extreme weather. If no one is moving, you just add to the problem - so listen to travel advice. 

If you do have to travel in bad weather, plan your journey thoroughly. Think about where you are going and what it will be like all the way along the journey. If you can, avoid travelling on less-used roads or country lanes as these are less likely to be gritted.

Before setting off, clear all your windows and mirrors fully. Clear off snow piled on the roof of your car and the bonnet too, as it can fall and blow on to the windscreen. Don’t leave anything obscured.

Start your car gently from stationary and avoid high revs. If road conditions are extremely icy and you drive a manual car, you should move off in a higher gear rather than first gear. You should stay in a higher gear to avoid wheel spin.

It’s important you get your speed right when travelling in snow. Never drive too fast that you risk losing control, and don’t drive so slowly that you risk losing momentum for getting up a slope.

Increase your following distance from the vehicle in front of you. It may take up to 10 times as long to stop on snow or ice build this into your following distance – this will give you more time to slow down using engine braking which is less likely to induce a skid.

Make sure you slow down sufficiently before reaching a bend so you have enough time to react to any hazards that appear as you go round it – and so you do not skid as well. You should have finished slowing down before you start to turn the steering wheel.

If you break down or have to pull over on a motorway or dual carriageway, you should leave your vehicle and stand to the safe side of it - ideally well over the armco to the nearside of the road, but not in front of it, when waiting for help.

Richard said: “Many of the problems associated with travel during snow could be avoided if people planned in advance. People routinely travel with only the minimum of safety equipment, without realising their journey could be a lot longer than expected.

“At the very least you should have a shovel, torch, blanket, jump-leads and tow rope. You should ensure your mobile phone is fully charged, and the number of your recovery organisation is saved into it. A bottle of water and a snack may also prove useful and don’t set out without knowing the locations of petrol stations on your way.

“This all might sound obvious, but too many of us forget to do any of this. Don’t be one of the ill-prepared, and listen to the weather forecast for the whole length of a winter journey to help you prepare for it.”

IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team rider Leon Camier took sixth place in Race 2 of the Australian WorldSBK round as the British rider completed an impressive competitive debut on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

For Race 2 Camier lined up on the second row in P4 and after a great opening lap, ran as high as second place in a lead group comprising eight riders for the first half of the race. Meanwhile Jake Gagne, starting from row four in P12 got up to speed and was in a fight for a top ten position before he had a small crash at turn 4. However, the American rider was able to re-join the race.

Following a mandatory pit stop for new tyres at the end of lap 11 – a ruling introduced for Race 2 due to some riders experiencing high tyre wear in Race 1 – Camier and Gagne resumed their push up the field and both riders were able to make up places in the second half of the race.

Camier was especially impressive as he made some bold passing moves to move into P5 towards the end of the 22-lap race, and fighting until the end he crossed the finish line in sixth place, just 2.745 seconds behind the race winner. Gagne recovered from his earlier spill to come home in P13 and wrap up a double-points finish on his first ever race weekend at Phillip Island.

With round 1 completed, Camier is sixth in the WorldSBK championship standings on 19 points, while Gagne is fifteenth overall with 7 points. The Red Bull World Superbike Team will next be in action at round 2 of the WorldSBK season at Chang International Circuit in Thailand from March 23-25.

APRILIA HONES THEIR WEAPONS IN THE WIND TUNNEL

The 2018 is by now just around the corner and preparations are underway in earnest in the Aprilia Racing Department to refine the new RS-GP before the Championship opener. One of the development steps, after the new prototype made its début in the Sepang tests, concerns aerodynamics. This is a topic that has gained notoriety thanks to the appearance of winglets, a visible and obvious part, but one that is the subject of constant research.

Aprilia's work was conducted on a day of tests in the Perugia University wind tunnel and it involved both riders. Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding tackled the aerodynamic tests upon their return from the tests in Thailand. The results of the tunnel findings are providing the base for the evolutions that will be applied to the 2018 RS-GP.


ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"Aerodynamic research has by now become an integral part of development on a modern MotoGP bike. Not only in terms of the winglets, which are the most visible expression of it, but because on an extremely level playing field, every little detail becomes a determining factor. Aleix and Scott have extremely different physical characteristics which therefore require diversified aerodynamic refinements in order to optimise efficiency. The tests in the wind tunnel are just a part of the aerodynamics study, which also consists in computer simulations and checks that are conducted directly on the track. We will bring a first version of the aerodynamics package for the 2018 RS-GP to Qatar, whereas a second evolution will be planned once the season is underway."

Great reasons to attend...
* 750+ motorcycles on show, including new 2018 models from the main manufacturers, 100+ trade exhibitors in the retail village, watch interviews and listen to music on the live stage and experience thrilling stunt shows... A biker's paradise not to be missed!

* The event has various zones starting with the 1st hall for leading motorbike manufacturers, premium exhibitors and traders.

* Over 50 Motorcycle clubs and lots of amazing private motorcycle entries on display.

* Leading motorbike manufacturers include BMW, CCM, Daelim, Ducati, Chester Harley-Davidson, Herald Motor Co., Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.

* Motorcycle clubs attending include BMF, Cheshire Grass Track Club, Ducati Owners Club, Gawsworth Jesters, Honda Owners Club Manchester, NABD, Rainy City HDC, Royal British Legion Riders, Triumph Owners Club and the Chunky Tread Motorcycle Adventure Club.

* Stunt Show

* FREE on site parking.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th March

venue: EventCity, Phoenix Way, off Barton Dock Road, Urmston, Manchester, M41 7TB. Free parking.

www.manchesterbikeshow.com

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