Category: Other

1. Public Can Now Report a Street Problem in Under 2 Minutes

   Posted on 10:30am Wednesday 2nd Apr 2014

   Street Repairs is a brand new way of linking local people to local authorities, councils, and highway transport bodies on a nationwide scale.

   It empowers residents to improve their local environment while saving local authorities money on maintenance and administrative costs. The publicly accessible, free-to-use transparent reporting and monitoring system, hands power over to local residents by making it easy to report faults and track the council's progress in addressing them.

   The Street Repairs website is used to capture information about street maintenance issues such as broken pavements, rubbish, street lighting and potholes. Residents can reclaim local streets and work with their council to keep them clean, tidy and safely maintained.

   To submit a report the user simply completes a few simple fields, including the uploading of photos and a brief description of the defect. The built-in geo tracking automatically identifies the user's location and provides exact coordinates which are then overlaid onto a map. This process takes just a couple of minutes and there is no fee to the fault-reporter (normal data handling charges from their service provider apply). Confirmation of the report is sent immediately to both the reporter and the council in question. Regular updates are then made as the report is processed by the council.

   Another big advantage is that the system encourages early reporting of problems, when they are cheaper to fix, thus reducing higher costs to councils.

   Colin Mahoney, the IT Developer behind streetrepairs.co.uk, designed the reporting system to boost engagement between local people and local councils. Evolution of the system is continuing on a daily basis as his team of software developers fine-tune functionality. He stated: "By making the reporting and progress tracking system transparent and freely accessible to the public, residents are now empowered to improve their local environment by flagging faults as the system chases progress updates from the local authorities."

   www.streetrepairs.co.uk

2. Dainese champions present the new collection of jackets featuring GORE-TEX® membranes

   Posted on 10:25am Thursday 27th Mar 2014

   Discover the new Dainese GORE-TEX® jackets with Valentino Rossi, Guy Martin, Andrea Iannone and Nicky Hayden. With their claim of “I'm a racer..and I wanna be”, the four Dainese riders invite you to discover the features of the GORE-TEX® jackets from the 2014 collection.

   For the Touring market Dainese presents the CARVE MASTER GORE-TEX® and RIDDER GORE-TEX® jackets.

   The CARVE MASTER GORE-TEX® jacket has an aggressive look and was designed for those who use their bikes for sports and medium range touring, and for whom ergonomics, comfort and functionality are important. The sporting nature of the jacket is underlined by leather covered thermoplastic pads on the shoulders and by the design that resembles race suit tops.

   Made entirely from Mugello elasticised fabric and with plenty of scope for adjustment, the Carve Master jacket provides exceptional mobility. Reflective inserts are positioned in key locations to ensure high visibility and improved safety on the road.

   The RIDDER GORE-TEX® jacket was designed for motorcyclists looking for a technical garment to use on long trips, but that will also protect from the rain and cold temperatures. RIDDER has been designed to offer excellent comfort; it has a laminated GORE-TEX® membrane, is waterproof and breathable and has a removable thermal lining.

   At the same time it is among the lightest jackets in the category so it does not over strain the body and restrict movement. It also features a padded removable collar, ventilation on the chest and back, many fit adjustments, the possibility of including the Chest Protector and reflective inserts make this jacket an inseparable travelling companion.

   For the City market, Dainese has the CONCORDE GORE-TEX® jacket, which with its laminated GORE-TEX® membrane and soft outer fabric, facilitate quick drying and reduce wind-chill. Thanks to exceptional soft Pro-Shape guards made from an innovative material that adapts perfectly to the body and offers a ratio of impact energy absorption to weight, far in excess of our competitors.

   This hooded jacket offers a similar fit to non-technical garments, while maintaining contained volume near the protectors. Attention to detail includes the reflective inserts and the black metal opaque logo, which perfectly set off the look of this jacket.

   For more information, or to find your local dealer visit www.dainese.com

3. SHARK Vision-R Series 2 now available

   Posted on 10:04am Thursday 27th Mar 2014

   Now available in UK SHARK dealers is the new Vision-R Series 2 helmet. Designed with touring riders in mind, the helmet sits in the brands Discovery division. Taking features from the original Vision-R, the Series 2 has received some upgrades to make it even better.

   The helmet as the name suggests, still benefits from the largest panoramic vision field available on the market. The visor aperture is 25% larger from top to bottom and 10% wider horizontally, compared to that of a standard visor aperture. The extra 10% given to peripheral vision increases lifesaver visibility, which makes the helmet ideal for learners or those new to motorcycling.

   The Series 2 has an upgraded ventilation system with improved airflow and bigger vents and operating switches. Noise has also been reduced in the new version and its auto-seal system makes the visor adhere to the helmet, ensuring a better seal and insulation. The visor can also be opened and set into a de-mist position.

   For glasses wearers it has SHARK’s Easy Fit system where glasses can sit comfortably into a recessed partition of the helmets lining, which is fully removable and washable. There’s also a handy pocket to fit a SHARKTooth Bluetooth system.

   The Vision-R Series 2 is available in a variety of styles and colours, with an RRP of £219.99 for the Blank and Blank Matt versions. The RRP for the Syntic, Synctic Matt, Escapade, Inko, Diekel, Smoke and Smoke Matt is £249.99.

   The Vision-R Series 2 is now available in UK dealers, to find your nearest dealer visit www.nevis.uk.com or call 01425 478936.

4. Keep on riding – and get money back – with Michelin

   Posted on 8:26am Wednesday 26th Mar 2014

   Michelin is encouraging bikers to ‘Keep on Riding’ by offering a £25 gift card when they buy two Michelin tyres, and a £10 card when they buy one.

   The gift cards can be redeemed against a whole host of items, including fuel, from thousands of outlets across the UK.

   After buying their new tyres, customers simply register online at KeepOnRiding.michelin.com, click on “Take Advantage of the Offer” and follow the instructions.

   The Keep on Riding website also allows visitors to star in their own animated film, which will see them go head to head with friends in a fantastic biker adventure game.

   Users control the on-screen rider as he races away from the evil tarmac monster, using various bikes for the different terrains.

   Gaining points for every road obstacle avoided and for particular riding skills, this addictive game allows users to share their highest score online and is sure to be a lunch-break favourite when there isn’t time to get out on the road for real!

   The ‘Keep on Riding’ offer applies to any purchases from an authorised Michelin dealer, made between March 3 and April 30, from the Pilot Road 4, Pilot Power 3, Anakee III, Commander II and Power SuperSport ranges.

   James Dimmock, Motorcycle Marketing Manager for Michelin in the UK and Republic of Ireland, said: “Many motorcyclists know only too well that Michelin tyres deliver in terms of performance, longevity and safety – now they can get gift vouchers as well.

   “The game is great fun so we’re confident our customers will enjoy it.”

   For more information and terms and conditions, visit www.KeepOnRiding.michelin.com

5. OVER 100 PRE WAR CARS GET READY FOR A MIDLANDS SEND OFF ON NEW FLYING SCOTSMAN RALLY ROUTE

   Posted on 8:28am Tuesday 25th Mar 2014

   Over 100 pre-war cars will be on the starting line of the Endurance Rally Association’s sixth Flying Scotsman Rally on Friday 4th April 2014, following a new route that starts in the Midlands, allowing the drivers to experience more of the Scottish Borders and Scotland before finishing 600-miles later in Gleneagles, Perthshire.

   The ‘Great Northern’ edition starts at 8am on Friday 4th April from the Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club, ten miles south of Birmingham, where Bentleys, Lagondas, MGs and Jaguars will be followed by Ford Model As, Rileys and Rolls Royces as they motor towards the north.

   After an overnight stop near Blackburn, the journey takes in remote routes through Lancashire and Yorkshire. The second day will see the car cross the border into Scotland, reaching Gleneagles, north of Edinburgh, on Sunday 6th April at around 5pm. The rally is composed of timed sections, test and checkpoints and is the only long-distance rally purely for vintageants. To add to the atmosphere of the rally competitors are encouraged to dress in period, matching the Pre-war style of their cars, with a trophy to be awarded at the gala dinner at Gleneagles.

   Philip Young, Endurance Rally Association’s Rally Director, said: “We have entrants coming from all over the UK and Europe, with even Americans, Canadians and Australians taking part, making it a truly international celebration of pre-war motoring. 

   “But don’t let the vintage dress they will be wearing fool you. There are plenty of teams who are definitely in it to win it. Entrants will be judged on their performance and reliability and will have to maintain certain average speeds over set distances along the route. Once we hit the road, that's when the competitive spirit will be seen in all its glory.”

   Amongst those taking part is the winning team from the 2013 Peking to Paris Rally and the 2012 Trans-America Rally, Phil Garratt and Keiran Brown in their 1932 Alvis Speed 20 who will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of wins.

   The oldest car in the Flying Scotsman is the 1912 Chalmers 10 driven by last year’s ‘Pioneer’ division winners Robert Abrey and Brad Webb from the UK, while fellow British team Vincent and Victoria Fairclough claim the youngest motor in action with their 1948 MG TC.

   Scrutineering takes place between 12noon and 5pm on Thursday 3rd April where the vehicles are given a final inspection. However supporting the rally is a team of experienced rally mechanics that can cope with almost anything these special cars can throw at them.

   The Endurance Rally Association has a track-record of over 60 major international events behind them including the new Alpine Trial 2014, the Road to Mandalay 2015 and the Peking to Paris Motoring Challenge, next held in 2016.

   For more information on the Alpine Trial or any future Endurance Rally Association event – call +44 (0) 1235 831221 or visit www.endurorally.com