Biker News - Regularly updated

Welcome to our News section, where articles are listed below and if relevant within the categories on the right, just to make it easier for you to find what you wish to read...

Please note that the content within our News section (text and images), follows the same copyright laws/notice as all other content on the website - ie not to be reproduced (including slightly amending) without prior consent. 

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  1. ACE HARLEY NIGHTS

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    Continuing with Ace Cafe London's successful Harley Nights "Bike of the Night" competition, with this year's grand final to choose "Bike of the Year" taking place on Thursday 29th October, we are pleased to announce that we have teamed up with www.farorun.com who have generously offered a prize of free entry to attend the July 2010 Faro Festival in Portugal.

    Starting from Thursday 24th September 2009, and running through to Thursday 24th June 2010, each "Bike of the Night" winner will win a ticket for entry to the festival and will be invited back to attend the grand final in June to compete for the grand prize of a full camping package.

    www.ace-cafe-london.com

  2. Get Greener on Two Wheels in European Mobility Week 16th - 22nd September

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    Riders can do their bit for greener travel and healthier cities by getting their leg over daily, according to the Motor Cycle Industry Association at the start of European Mobility Week. During the week, people across Europe come together to tackle the increase in pollution and related problems associated with transport in towns and cities. ' In Town Without My Car, ' taking place on the 22nd September, is the perfect opportunity for riders of bikes and scooters to demonstrate how powered two wheelers (PTWs) can help in the battle for less congested roads and reduced pollution.

    The green advantages of motorcycles, mopeds and scooters are clear. On CO2 emissions, the PTW fleet as a whole (at 110g/km) has already bettered the new EU targets for cars. (120g/km, to be met by 2012)(1). PTWs don't get stuck in queues, and so don't stand in traffic jams with their engines idling, which means that total Co2 emitted will always be lower for any given journey. PTWs also take on average only half as long as a car to do a similar journey in town, and take up less space when parked.

    The MCI is calling for actions and events which promote sustainable transport to recognise that in reality, walking and cycling are not always the most practical alternative to a car journey, particularly for everyday commuting and business travel. The MCI's analysis of the National Travel Survey has shown that:-

    · the average commute is 8.7 miles/27 minutes
    · the average business trip is 19.4 miles/38 minutes
    · the average bicycle trip is 2.6 miles/20.3 minutes
    · the average motorcycle trip is 9.75 miles in 23 minutes

    An average commute of almost 9 miles is over three times as long as the average bicycle ride - but the same trip would be a comfortable journey by P2W.
    This campaign that encourages sustainable travel modes must also take a realistic view of people's travel habits. The NTS analysis also revealed that one quarter of participants said they never walked for 20 minutes, and that seventy percent of people surveyed rode a bicycle less than once a year. For these people, the PTW can be the perfect halfway house between car travel and bicycling, offering personal, flexible travel at a lower environmental cost than the car, while being a more achievable alternative than walking or cycling.

    MCI Spokesperson, Sheila Rainger commented, "Events like European Mobility Week must not let the best be the enemy of the good. PTWs are cleaner than cars, take up less space on our congestion urban roads, and can comfortably handle journeys that would be a daunting distance for novice bicyclists.

    "60% of cars on the road have only one occupant. Around 80% of car commuters are travelling solo. If even a small proportion of these switched to P2Ws, rush hours would be less congested, and no additional burden would be placed on public transport systems already bursting at the seams.

    "Motorbikes, mopeds and scooters offer a practical, cost-effective alternative to the car for those who can't or won't cycle or walk. Choosing a PTW won't add to the pressures onto the public transport system, will help to reduce congestion and also offers clear environmental benefits. Now's the time for everyone who is serious about promoting sustainable travel to recognise the PTW as part of the solution."

    For more information about the event go to www.mobilityweek.eu
    or to find out more about getting on two wheels check out www.geton.co.uk

     

  4. THE BIKER CALENDAR 2010

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    THE BIKER GUIDE g

    It struck me a while ago that my first childhood memory, was riding pillion on my fathers cycle, where on a bright summers day, I was laughing, with my arms outstretched and from that moment I was hooked on the feeling I experienced... From then it was inevitable that I would end up on a Motorbike. I thoroughly enjoy the freedom of the road, being exposed to the elements with the sun on your face, the wind on your back and even the feeling of surviving another English rain storm on 2 wheels.
    It still holds the same thrill now as it did when I started and to be honest, it just gets better with the more people you meet and the camaraderie that exists between Bikers. For example, after suffering a puncture on a motorway last year, we managed to get to the hard shoulder and whilst we waited for the AA to rescue us, Bikers were stopping to see if they could help. This genuine concern for your fellow human being is hard to find in this day and age, but it is very prevalent within this community.
     
    I was hooked...
     
    With brief moments on motorcycles over the years, it was not until I lived in Greece, that I became hooked. In fact one day as I lay on the beach, I heard the rumble of approaching motorcycles and as I looked toward the road saw a group of Bikers passing by, on what I now know to be Harleys. I made a decision: That I needed to ride myself!
     
    For eight years I rode around the island of Rhodes for enjoyment and also work, which was selling advertising for an English tourist newspaper and magazine. I even took part in one of the first reality programmes, named 'Brits abroad', which involved a BBC film crew following my day-to-day living and work, which of course included shots of me on my beloved Motorcycle.

    After five years of working for various media groups in the UK on magazines, newspapers and web-sites and dealing with the burocracy the corporate world brings, I decided to answer that niggling idea I had thought about years previously, which was to design a web-site for the Biker community which would include information such as Rallies, Shows, Ride-outs, Clubs, News, Biker Pubs, Clothing, Biker Friendly Accommodation, Camping, Custom & Parts and much, much more, all on one user friendly site.  

    Born to be wild... and naked!

    Launched in January 2009, thebikerguide.co.uk, has quickly become a trusted source of information, mainly as we strive to include updated information and businesses which are of interest to the Biker Community and promote direct to Bikers at Rallies, Shows and have just produced THE BIKER CALENDAR, which features clubs and Bikers from around the UK, in various states of undress - all artfully taken to avoid envy or embarrassment for those which have took part.   The Clubs who have dared to bare are:

    NABD, Northern Harley Club, Jesters MCC, FELP, The Wreckin Crew, Unwanted MCC, Salutation MCC, Bristol & Avon Roadrunners MCC, The Royal British Legion Riders Branch, Royal Oak Rejects and a few other 'lone' Bikers.

    The Biker Calendar is available through the website.
     
    THE BIKER CALENDAR 2010, NABD, Northern Harley Club, NHC, Jesters MCC, FELP
     
    Story by:
    Sharon Rollisson-Slaughter
     
    THE BIKER GUIDE
    Bringing the Biker Community Together
     

  5. MOTORCYCLE MARKET SHRINKS IN AUGUST

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    7,020 new powered two wheelers (PTWs) were registered in August 2009, bringing the total for the first eight months of the year to 79,897. This is an 18.2 per cent fall on 2008 according to the latest figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI), and a fall of 30.5 per cent on August 2008.

    The Touring, Sport Tour and Naked styles recorded the strongest performances this month, suggesting continued demand for everyday, practical bikes.

    August Supersports registrations fell 37.8 per cent, to 990 registrations. However, the stronger year-to-date performance of a 14.3 per cent fall suggests that this month's change may be attributable to buyers waiting until 1 September for the most up-to-date registration plates.

    Larger capacity bikes are continuing to show more resilience than smaller machines. Registrations of mopeds fell by 39.8 per cent in August 2009 compared to August 2008, while registrations of bikes with engine sizes greater than 1000cc fell by only 13 per cent.

    The performance of learner-friendly machines remains strong. In five of the eight style categories - custom, naked, scooter, supersport and trail/enduro - the best-selling bike was a 125cc model. The best selling bike in August out of all styles was Yamaha's YZF R125.

    This evidence for the continued importance of practical motorcycling is also supported by the latest figures from the Department for Transport's National Travel Survey, which show that over half (52%) of all motorcycle trips in 2008 were made for the purpose of commuting, compared to just one-third (34%) of bicycle journeys and one-fifth (22 %) of car journeys. The National Travel Survey also found that the average motorcyclist uses their bike as their main mode of transport for over one-third of all trips, making 8 motorcycle trips a week, and travelling 80 miles.

    "While it's clear that people are being very cautious about their spending, interest in riding remains strong," commented MCIA's Sheila Rainger. "Demand for motorcycle tests is quietly rising, while five per cent of all visitors to the Get On website have booked themselves onto a taster session."