Category: Other

1. Brandon’s Harley Davidson wish fulfilled as 400 bikes ride out

   Posted on 7:36am Wednesday 15th Jan 2014

   It was a dream come true for Brandon Carter as he was whisked off for a ride on a Harley Davidson.

   Hundreds of bikers and pillion riders turned out in support of the 26-year-old. Mr Carter from Colley Gate has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but wanted to fulfil his wish of taking to the seat of his dream bike.

   Organisers had originally planned a small gathering but as word started to spread, more and more people wanted to join in and help raise money. And on Sunday 12th January 2014, around 400 bikes descended on Streetbike in Halesowen to set out on a ride to Quatt Cafe near Bridgnorth.

   The group which included several marshals set off at about 11am with police stopping the traffic to allow them to leave the site. They travelled to Stourbridge and then on to Enville and Six Ashes before arriving just outside Bridgnorth. Mr Carter, who was diagnosed with a melanoma in November, said he was ‘shocked’ by the huge turnout.

   “It was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting so many people. “I’m a big fan of Harleys from watching films” he added. 
   
   His uncle David Brenton said he was ‘bowled over’ by the turnout. “The number of bikes there was unbelievable. I am so grateful from the bottom of my heart. This is exactly what Brandon needs and hopefully will give him a bit of a lift.”

   One of the organisers, Stewart Boggild, 26, from Bridgnorth Bikers, said: “This is what bikers do. We are a family. We like to support each other. When word got out on Facebook about the event, we couldn’t believe the reaction. Before we knew it we had almost 280 people sign up. I’m the same age as Brandon and it was important for me to get involved because of what he’s going through,” he added.

   Streetbike director Gary Marshall said he was ‘delighted’ to support the event. “I don’t think bikers always get enough credit. It is a real community and an event like this shows how people pull together. I was very happy to be involved.”

   Collections were held at the event to raise money for Brandon and Macmillan Cancer Support.
   
   Article supplied by Express & Star

2. Motorcyclists can provide the tourist industry with a lucrative summer... whatever the weather!

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 1st Jan 2014

   A survey carried out for the Motorcycle industry* researched the impact of bikers on the tourist industry and found that Motorcycle-related tourism spending in the UK is over £565 million each year, supporting over 13, 000 tourism jobs.

   In recent years the most significant growth in motorcyclists has been in female riders and with this the rise in longer stays under bricks & mortar such as B&B's, hotels, cottages, etc, rather than just for one night... Many riders know there is nothing worse than arriving somewhere after a long ride, unpacking, showering, eating, drinking, sleeping and then up the next day to pack up and move on. With this there is a significant rise in finding a great Biker Friendly place to stay as a base for a few days and then to go out each day to tour and explore the area.

   Hoteliers, cafes, pubs, event organisers and other tourist related organisations could be getting more money from the biker pound, by choosing the correct medium to promote themselves within, especially as many Bikers travel in the UK for their holidays, along with overseas motorcycling tourists spending over £17 million on trips here.

   The traditional stereotype of bikers being free-spirited, leather clad hooligan is thing of the past, according to research** the profile of the ‘average biker’ in 21st Century Britain, a seemingly upstanding, 40+-something middle-class citizen who is a married, professional, family man, who almost certainly owns a car. Challenging the old perceptions of bikers even further, only 7% sport either long hair or a pony tail. This is probably because nearly 60% of those surveyed hold down a professional senior/management job, taking home an average wage 25% higher than the national average.

   By simply advertising your business as 'Biker friendly' here on THE BIKER GUIDE is letting this niche audience know that you welcome them, which many times is enough in itself... by also offering drying facilities, garaged and/or secure parking is a bonus and not a necessary, for you to capitalise on this growing market.

   Other interesting facts:

   More than half of all motorcyclists are over 40, with the vast majority of motorcycle tourists being in this age category.

   “The lack of interest in the motorcycle tourism sector may be due to a perceived image of rebellious youthful bikers which is at odds with their current demographic," (Dr Cater, lecturer at Aberystwyth University).

   * by GHK on behalf of the MCI ** by Bennetts

3. Honda’s elite riders visit English Institute of Sport

   Posted on 9:13am Monday 16th Dec 2013

   The Honda Racing family was out in force yesterday as a selection of its elite riders from various disciplines took part in an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.

   The roll call included: Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam and World Supersport riders Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark; Honda’s 2014 road racing squad of 20-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and his new team-mate Conor Cummins; the new World Endurance Championship line-up of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sebastien Gimbert; Honda Motocross World Championship riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl; Gariboldi Honda MX2 star Tim Gajser and last-but-not-least, 2013 Enduro World Champion Alex Salvini. 

   The riders – who have eight world championship titles between them – took part in physio and isometric testing, strength and conditioning assessments and a fitness analysis, as well as a seminar on sleep patterns and jet lag in relation to sporting performance. The data collected from each rider will be collated and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2014 racing season.

   “It’s great for us to welcome the Honda riders to the English Institute of Sport,” said EIS Director of Operations Richard Parker. “Everything we do here is about maximising the performance of athletes and today provides an opportunity for us to assess the riders and see how we can give them some programmes to improve their performance on the bike in the coming year.”

   As the riders departed at the end of the day, they were in high spirits. “It has been great today as it’s always a pleasure to work with riders from other disciplines,” explains Honda’s new World Endurance signing Freddy Foray. “I am really looking forward to getting the results because I think it’s going to be really useful in training and racing next year. I know I have a few problems with my shoulder for example, and this will help me find out some more information about that and how I can deal with it going forward.”

   “To be honest I lost a bit of sleep about coming here as it’s to be fair it’s not my kind of thing, but it’s actually been good fun,” said road racer John McGuinness. “I’ve learned quite a lot and in the end I’m happy that I’ve done it. I’m buzzing to have spent the day with all these top riders from MX, Enduro and SBK and to do a bit of bonding with my new team-mate Conor. I’ve got some areas that I can tidy up, as I’m sure we all have, and hopefully next time I’ll be a bit stronger and we can put it all to the test.”

   For more information on the English Institute of Sport visit www.eis2win.co.uk

4. SHARK - The helmet of champions

   Posted on 7:54am Saturday 2nd Nov 2013

   SHARK-supported Tom Sykes was crowned the 2013 World Superbike Champion at Jerez, Spain on 20 October. To celebrate this, and by popular demand, SHARK Helmets has launched a very special new design - the Speed-R Sykes Replica.

   The model is a replica of the Race-R Pro helmet worn by the SBK champion and is a welcome addition to the existing SHARK racing replicas. The helmet features Sykes's unique design with chrome detailing and inspirational words in Japanese script including 'power’, ‘success’, ‘courage’, 'belief' and 'karma'.

   The Speed-R helmet is constructed from the latest generation composite fibre and weighs just 1450g without compromising on any features. It has a new sunvisor mechanism for better feeling with gloves and is available with PinLock Maxvision. It also features SHARK’s Easy Fit system for glasses wearers and a double D-ring strap.

   The Speed-R Sykes replica will be available in UK dealers from early December, priced at £309.99. To find your local dealer visit Nevis Marketing or call 01425 478936.

5. Welcome to our new website‏ - Maldon Shotblasting Powder Coating

   Posted on 8:45am Tuesday 29th Oct 2013

   We have recently completed a re-vamp on our website. You can now easily view all projects by category, read reviews on our blog and see the many varied projects on the galleries throughout the website. We also have plans to introduce a product shopping section soon..

   Should you wish to include any of your projects within the website to include a mention of yourself and any appropriate links, please feel free to send us photo's and information and we will look into organising this for you..

   Meanwhile, should you have any questions regarding any future projects, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

   Best regards,

   Trevor Lodge.

   www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk