Motorcycle Artwork by Talana Gamah, featuring a different canvas for each month and a Sunbeam S7 cover. 

A clear plastic flip cover, spiral wire bound A4, high quality 250gsm card. 

Calendars: £16.50 inc UK P&P or £19.50 gift wrapped with a greetings card (RoW S&H at cost). PayPal, Bank transfer or UK cheque.

See facebook page for details

About Talana

I’m a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, who loves to ride and restore my ‘bikes, and to paint. Nowadays I work mainly in acrylics. All of my art is brushwork only, no airbrushing or digital techniques.

I love mechanicals of all types, shapes, ages and conditions and painting same, although my art is not just confined to machinery, as I paint anything that interests me!

I’ve always been interested in textures, and find mechanical rust and decay equally as fascinating as unblemished chrome and reflections. I enjoy painting a machine in context, rather than just as a clinical technical drawing. So, hopefully, the viewer can see a ‘story’ behind the artwork – hinted at by, for example, a pair of gloves left on a seat, a well used patinated saddlebag, or even the setting the ‘bike (or machine) sits in.

My brushwork style tends towards what is nowadays called 'hyper realistic', but I also paint fantasy images, and produce sketches, and inkwork, as well as rust or chrome reflecting surfaces!

Painting times. From commission to the 'tah dah' finish point depends upon the subject (obviously), but a rough guideline is around 3-6 weeks for a highly detailed image.

When I’m not painting, fettling or riding, I’m starting to set up a website for my art work, but in the meantime, you can find me here

Tachometer breaks, the mandatory rest stops commercial operators must take when driving, were the cause of nearly 1,700 road closures in one year alone, according to newly released figures from IAM Drive & Survive.

According to the Road Haulage Association 85% of everything sold in the UK is carried by truck at some stage of the supply chain (reference 1) with this number set to increase as more retail purchases are made online in the run up to Christmas.

The numbers come from a Freedom of Information request to Highways England into why motorways and major A roads were closed in 2014. Tachometer breaks are one of the top 25 reasons for lane closures, with 1,669 incidents last year.

IAM Drive & Survive says one of the main causes of this problem is road infrastructure – insufficient numbers of laybys, a lack of services for commercial drivers and the impact of long distances of road works.

It adds that drivers and their employers can play their part in ensuring their journeys are as smooth and safe as possible and that planning journeys in advance is key.

Researching routes with good facilities for drivers, looking up road closures and avoiding areas where traffic delays are common all help to avoid the need to stop in unsuitable locations.

Lesley Upham, IAM commercial director, said: “Designing the roads and facilities drivers need to operate safely is essential, but meeting this objective needs a long-term approach.

“Until then employers and drivers must remain aware of the challenges and plan their journeys accordingly. Radio road traffic reports and live traffic functions on satellite navigation systems have a role to play, but planning ahead and having an alternative route in mind is also essential. There is also a great responsibility on employers to limit the time-based pressure put on their drivers. Nothing will delay their operations as much as a serious incident and if an accident occurs procedures will be scrutinised.”

Other significant reasons for road closures include abnormal load (3,191) and vehicle shedding its load (6,648).

IAM Drive & Survive is a leading occupational driver risk management provider and helps companies reduce on-road incidents, minimise costs and look after their drivers. To download a copy of its Driver Risk management booklet click here

The Association which represents Wheels to Work transport schemes is urging the Chancellor to continue to help unemployed people with transport costs, in his November spending review.

Wheels to Work schemes (W2W) provide a temporary loan of a moped, scooter, bicycle or motorcycle to individuals who are unable to start work or take up training for work, due to a lack of public or private transport. Clients are usually young people, aged between 16 and 25, although in recent years older people have needed transport loans after periods of unemployment. Schemes generate income through charging for the loans but many need to access matched funding to meet costs.

Funding could soon become a problem for Wheels to Work schemes, as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) will not be available from next year. Many schemes have benefited from LSTF, which was a pot of money made available to local authorities by the Coalition Government, to support growth and cut carbon.

There are currently 45 W2W schemes across the UK, nearly double the number there were in 2013, with others in the pipeline. The Wheels to Work Association is concerned that these schemes will close or reduce numbers, if the Chancellor fails to earmark funding for transport to work and new schemes will not be able to access start-up funding.

The Association’s Chairman, Nigel Dotchin, has written directly to George Osbourne to highlight the practical value of W2W, which helps young people such as apprentices get to and from work, without which they would be unemployed. A loss of W2W would be particularly critical in rural areas, where public transport has been reduced or phased out.

The Association has also offered public backing to the Campaign for Better Transport, which is calling for government to create a new ‘transport into work’ programme. This would encourage targeted initiatives, including W2W, which would help people into work, where transport was a barrier.

In his letter to the Chancellor, Nigel Dotchin pointed out how W2W helps meet Government targets for growth:

“The schemes are helping to deliver not only the Government’s accessibility agenda, but also contribute to wider policy ambitions such as the apprenticeships initiative, and road safety for those on two wheels.

“It would be a great shame if the Government allowed these schemes to flounder, which would further compound the inequality in employment opportunities for those living in rural areas.”

www.wheels2workassociation.org 

2016 road racing campaign. The announcement was made on the main stage in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd on ‘TT Day’ at the Motorcycle Live exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham.

The ‘Morecambe Missile’ and the ‘Ramsey Rocket’ will contest the Superbike classes at the North West 200 and also the Superbike and Senior races at the Isle of Man TT aboard the proven Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP. Cummins will also take part in the 2016 Ulster GP and both riders are scheduled to race at Macau later in the year.

With 23 TT wins to his name, McGuinness proved he was still the man to beat in 2015, storming to victory in the blue riband Senior race and smashing the outright lap record around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course with a 132.701mph lap.

Isle of Man native Cummins, 29, took two podium places in tricky conditions at the 2015 Ulster GP aboard the Honda CBR, finishing second in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race and the final Superbike race of the day. Both riders competed in last month’s 12-lap Macau Grand Prix where they took fourth and seventh places respectively on their Honda machines.

In addition to their commitments with the official Honda Racing squad, McGuinness and Cummins will race with the private Jackson Racing team on Honda’s CBR600RR in the Supersport class at the NW200 and TT. The duo will also compete in the 2016 Endurance World Championship Superstock class aboard the Fireblade SP and Cummins will compete for Jackson Racing in the Superstock class on the roads.

Motorcycle Live has been a successful show for Honda who showcased its new range of 2016 motorcycles, including the all-new Africa Twin and the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, McGuinness and Cummins will hopefully ride to victory on in 2016.

For all the latest news from the Honda Racing team, follow @HondaRacingCBR.

Motorcycle Live closed its doors for 2015 on Sunday after nine action-packed days that saw modern motorcycling come to life. Over 35 of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers showcased their latest machinery, while visitors of all ages enjoyed 16 live and interactive features, including nine FREE opportunities to ride a bike.

We would like to thank every single person that attended the show and made it such a brilliant nine days – we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! If you did attend, you may receive an email asking you to complete a short survey about your experience. We would really appreciate your feedback so that we can make Motorcycle Live even better next year.

Make a date for your diary for Motorcycle Live 2016, at The NEC, Birmingham from 19-27 November.