Category: Other

1. Who are Blood Bikers?

   Posted on 11:00am Tuesday 27th Apr 2021

   Blood Bikers might sound like a less than friendly motorcycle gang, but in reality, this is actually an organization that saves lives and makes a huge difference to healthcare. Essentially, blood bikers provide a professional rapid response medi-cal transport service to the NHS transporting things like blood, surgical instru-ments, human donor milk, medication and more recently COVID-19 serial testing.  

   A Noble Charity
   
   Run by unpaid volunteers, Blood Bikers have roots going back over 50 years with the rapid response motorcycle charity providing a highly valuable service to the NHS and public as a whole through delivering key medical products in the quick-est possible way. The group is constantly growing too, which means that they can provide a nationwide service and make a big difference to public health

   Life as a Blood Biker

   Motorbike insurance specialist Carole Nash supports Manchester Blood Bikes and looked into what a day in the life of this important role is like with Malcolm - a Blood Biker from Sunderland. Malcolm decided to join the cause after his sister was involved in a serious accident with her life being saved by the air ambulance. This led Malcolm to seek out ways to support them, which took him to the North-umbria Blood Bikes website. Malcolm described his best experience as a blood biker:

   “One time I got an urgent job for some blood to be taken to a hospital about 15 miles away. Because I was on a blood bike, I could cut through the traffic and ar-rived there very quickly before delivering the blood on time. The next day some-one posted a story about the lady we’d saved on Facebook. Apparently, this lady had cancer, and wouldn’t have survived without the blood transfusion she was able to have as a result of our work as Blood Bikers. That is one of the things that stands out for me. You never know who you are helping from one night to the next.”

   Blood Bikes Leinster

   Blood Bikes Leinster, which was established in 2013 and supports hospitals throughout Ireland. Fergus Lennon, Director of Blood Bikes Leinster, commented on the support offering by the Dublin-based motorbike insurance specialist:

   Blood Bikers do fantastic and noble work helping to transport vital medical supplies in times of need to save lives and make the work of NHS staff much easier. This is also a growing organization and one that deserves as much support and praise as possible.

   “We are truly grateful to Carole Nash who have sponsored us and provided our bike insurance for the fourth year running. Every penny adds up for our small charity and we are so appreciative of their support.”

   “We also take the Carole Nash Blood Bike teddy bear with us on our Blood Bike travels which has brought a smile on the face of many a poorly child.”

    

    

    

    

   Article supplied

2. Fausto Gresini Tribute

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 20th Apr 2021

   FORMULA1 AND MOTOGP TOGETHER FOR A TRIBUTE TO FAUSTO GRESINI

   Imola, Portimao - 18 April 2021. The last farewell from the motorsport world to Fausto Gresini was a commemorative event done together by Formula1 and MotoGP.  
   
   For the first time in history – and live worldwide – The Formula1 and MotoGP World Championship have joined together in the memory of Fausto Gresini by linking together the Portimao and Imola grids in what was a heartfelt goodbye to the Gresini Racing team principal.
   
   A big thank you goes to Stefano Domenicali (Formula1 CEO) and Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna Sports CEO) who advocated for this initiative that linked the two biggest worldwide motorsport series in the memory of Fausto.

   STEFANO DOMENICALI – CEO FORMULA1
   “To remember Fausto Gresini means to scroll through some of the most beautiful sporting pages of our hometown Imola. The passion for motors and motorsports has tied us together from an early age. Fausto not only has been a World Champion, but also an incredible scout of extraordinary talents, who left their mark into two-wheeled motorsport. He will never be forgot.”
   
   CARMELO EZPELETA – CEO DORNA SPORTS
   “Fausto has been, without a doubt, among those who most contributed in bringing MotoGP to the level it is now. He was first of all a good friend and one of those key figures of our paddock. With his charisma and smile, he built one of nicest and best equipped teams of the paddock, and my goal is to keep his memory alive. He left a great family both outside and inside the paddock and we will miss him a lot. We celebrated him in Qatar with a heartfelt minute of silence, and I think this shared event with Formula1 is the ultimate proof of how important his figure has been in the whole motorsport world.”

   NADIA PADOVANI – GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER
   “On behalf of myself, my kids and the whole Gresini Racing, I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, Stefano Domenicali and Carmelo Ezpeleta for having united the motorsport world to commemorate Fausto, a great man both in life and in the sport. We are immensely grateful and moved for this wonderful and unexpected tribute.”

   

3. Motorcycle Man Documentary

   Posted on 10:00am Friday 16th Apr 2021

   6th May - 9th May 2021  - Motorcycle Man Documentary

   The British Motorcyclists Federation is delighted to announce that an exclusive virtual screening of the documentary Motorcycle Man will be available from May 6-9 2021.
   Following the story of Dave Roper, the legend in his own lifetime who won the Isle of Man TT in 1984, Motorcycle Man looks at his life, times, career and thoughts on a life spent on two wheels.
   
   The 32-minute documentary has won a string of awards on the festival circuit and this will be the first time it has ever been screened in the UK. Better yet, the screening will also include a live Q&A session on the evening of May 9 with Roper himself and director Daniel Lovering.

   venue: Virtual Event
   price: $10 (approx £7.50ish) includes film screening and live Q&A with Dave Roper and the film maker.
   tel: 0116 279 5112
   website to watch
   facebook
   facebook event
   e-mail: [email protected]

   

4. We can all help to reduce motorcycle casualties, says GEM

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 7th Apr 2021

   ROAD SAFETY and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist is keen to reduce motorcycle casualties as the new riding season gains momentum. Central to this, according to GEM, should be a focus for riders on boosting their skill and knowing their limits.

5. Motorbikes to Own if You Won the Jackpot

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 7th Apr 2021

   Everybody has a list, usually mental but sometimes physical which details everything they would buy should they come into a position where they have a significant amount of money. It’ll be holidays, cars, boats, houses, investments, businesses, clothes, watches, a piece of memorabilia. and on and on and on. It’s kept as a source of inspiration, as a reminder to keep working, or as a fun exercise. Anything and everything can be on a list. For those reading this, there will no doubt be motorbikes on it.  

   Two bikes that could make that list.

   Curtiss Motorcycle the One

   This is a radical motorcycle. The company who designed and produced it are the same company who made the Confederate FA-13 Combat Bomber – they’ve just had a name-change. The Combat Bomber was an unconventional and uncompromising bike. It’s pride was its cruising brute force, booming and to-the-point. With the new name came a new approach. The One is electric. It’s battery-powered. Notably, it streamlines the riding experience with no shifting and no clutch, reacting to less stimulation. There is no compromising on power, though, as it gets moving quickly. Weighing in at 139kg, it’s on the lighter end of the cruiser class. Handling and manoeuvring are made easier by its lower centre of gravity.

   The One’s engine has tuning potential. Curtiss seem to be keeping it reigned in, currently. However, performance upgrades can be made via cloud-based software, meaning that it can be adjusted without having to be brought into a dealership. It’s the future.

   This future-ness extends to its design. This is where the bulk of the talk will be focused. It is thin, bare, and has the sleek design of a Tron bike. It’s a £60,000 bike which makes currency and the road it's coasting on look archaic.

   Harley-Davidson CVO Limited

   This satisfies a retro need. The Harley-Davidson CVO Limited is based on the classic dresser tourer bikes of the 1960s. This design is a staple of luxury. The Limited version is worth £35,000 and comes with a bigger engine than the standard. Riders could have road trips on this bike, those longer rides on motorways and dual carriageways, but it looks like a bike better suited for cruising between villages, the rural and open roads going steady until the rider wants to turn on the power. Maybe it’s the image of this Harley next to Cotswold stone that feels right and any Harley in general next to Cotswold stone which feels wrong that makes this prospect so exciting. 

    

    

   article supplied