Category: Other

1. British Bikers Association, BBA Gets Ready For Launch

   Posted on 9:02am Friday 26th Apr 2013

   It's being described as being 'worth waiting for' and this May sees the long awaited arrival of Britain's newest and most radically vibrant motorcycle association to hit the high street and net for many years.

   The aptly named British Bikers Association (BBA) will launch their action and information packed website on the 1st of May 2013 where visitors will be able to browse exclusive content and get involved in the latest debates from the very moment they log on.

   The BBA team is headed up by Chairman Colin Mahoney, who emphasises that Great Britain needs to more than meet the needs of the modern rider. Colin who is a multi brand biker of many years is confident that the BBA will mark a sea-change in the way that campaigning groups interact with their most important stakeholders - the people that make up the numbers, the members themselves.

   Colin, who feels slightly embarrassed by the term 'Chairman', speaks his mind with regard to the lifestyle that has become dedicated to. "We all know that the world of motorcycling moves at an ever increasing pace, whether it's new bikes, safety equipment, technology, British bike conservation or unfair and ill prepared legislation that we have to abide by.

   "The British Bikers Association has been specifically designed and built to reflect that rapid pace of change by providing up to the minute news, advice and for a refreshing change real 'sledge hammer' campaigning clout to its members. We want to set a rigid but fair agenda when it comes to securing better deals for all bikers in all aspects of our lives. I see bikers as individual amongst other motorists and that's something only another biker will understand. I've been out there campaigning and gathering opinions for some time now and I think that listening to our members and responding quickly to what they are saying to us is an important first step if this new organisation is to stand any chance of competing and living up to our reputation."

   Colin has been actively involved with motorcycling activities for over 30 years. His attitude is that there are far too many shortcuts being taken with peoples' lives in today's Britain and it's only those that shout the loudest and gather the most support that survive; and he sees himself as a survivor.

   He believes that it is nothing other than crass hypocrisy where local councils are effectively giving themselves their own permission to leave life threatening pot holes for unsuspecting riders under the petty excuse of 'having no money' whilst cluttering the landscape beyond recognition with unnecessary road and information signage. He feels some outrage as he watches 'broke and cash strapped' Councils painting our rural roads to look like urban puzzles by more expensive and even more unnecessary road markings that creep forever further and require expensive and extensive maintenance. This seems to serve no other purpose other than to give Council employees employment that offers no advantage to the road user. Signs increase whilst roads crumble; and that isn't justifiable no matter what your politics.

   He speaks out about directives handed down from Europe that often have unintended consequences. He feels that the Association must realistically represent the biking community by using the best in modern technology that will offer its members the service that will keep them informed about the current issues that affect them every time they get on their bikes- wherever they are.

   "As bikers ourselves we know what sort of action we want when we have a justifiable gripe against the unjustified, and that the BBA will be the organisation that precisely reflects the mood of our members. That's why our Biker's Voice app puts the power to build cohesive networks of riders right in the palm of their hands. Having a voice is being heard and being heard is persuasive power.

   "They might be out and see one of the many yawning potholes in the road, or there may be a major road traffic incident or a 'cool - must go to' event they'd like to publicise by providing times and venue locations. Biker's Voice makes all this possible with just a few swipes of a Smartphone and means that wherever they are, our members feel like they are part of a responsive organisation that is there to campaign rigorously in their best interests."

   Innovations for new and very welcome recruits do not end there.  With many publishers prepared to continue trying to exploit old publishing models, much of their content remains 'Advertisement driven', repetitive and static for months on end as you will all well know. The BBA's purely electronic mode of delivery means that the latest news from the world of motorcycling is sent straight to members' Smartphones and email inboxes as soon as it breaks to us.

   It's an approach that Colin and the team believe is vital to maintaining the BBA as a progressive and developing organisation equipped to give its members the best deals possible: "£15 (or 4 pence a day) gets you a year's subscription, and that includes a free bi-monthly e-zine, full access to the Biker's Voice app and the fast-track to some of the most exciting motorcycling features around. It also means you'll become part of a genuine democratic and meaningful campaigning voice for bikers throughout the British Isles."

   Colin concludes, "Like the United Kingdom that we are all proud to be a part of, it is made up from many fragmented communities. Sometimes when we exist apart we're just isolated single-interest groups; but together we're a force that can safeguard and promote motorcycling for the enjoyment of future generations. I want to be able to say 'I was there at the beginning'."

   For more information on the BBA - including how to join and the benefits of membership.

   Colin Mahoney  
   British Bikers Association  
   01772 452135  
   www.BritishBikersAssociation.Org
   [email protected]

2. THE CS CLANCY CENTENARY RIDE

   Posted on 12:01am Monday 22nd Apr 2013

   Recreating the first around the world ride 100 years on.

   In Glasgow, Clancy declared the people individuals to a man and the accent almost unintelligible from the red-nosed, bare-kneed women who gathered around them at every stop, rolling their r’s and sounding like Harry Lauder.

   Storey was still too nervous to ride through the heavy city traffic, so Clancy gave him a lift to the city limits then went back for his Henderson.

   By this time it was almost dark, and before long they were lost in the gathering gloom, made almost infernal by the lurid glare of countless iron foundries, and were forced to stop for the night in the unprepossessing Black Bull in “the dreary town of Stonehouse”.

   Still, at least it only cost them $1.15 each for a hearty supper, a big feather bed and breakfast the next morning, during which a clergymen, as Clancy puts it, “told us that although he had been a weekly visitor at The Black Bull for several years, we were the first guests he had met; the bar being the inn’s principal mainstay and pure whiskey its principal staple”.

   Naturally, it could only go downhill from there: a peeling monochrome pile on a windy corner, it’s finally been closed because of the inability of its customers to pop in for a small glass of sherry without finishing the bottle then breaking it over their neighbour’s head.

   Warmed, fed and watered, we found a hotel and fell gratefully into bed. Gary and I took turns at keeping each other awake by snoring in shifts, and we rose at seven and were on the road at eight, heading for the balmy south.

   Indeed, the snow looked ever so slightly warmer as we rode into Northwich in Cheshire, where Clancy and Storey had stayed at the Crown and Anchor, which had closed in 1960 and was now Madison’s Bar and Restaurant, the forthcoming attractions of which included the Playboy Bunny Party on Friday, with free bunny ears and a prize for the best costume.

   “I can just see Clancy and Storey rolling up the street on their Hendersons and saying: ‘Playboy Bunny Party? That’ll do us’,” said fellow biker and journalist Peter Murtagh, who was riding with us as far as Spain, and whose hands had gone a funny shade of blue which matched my nose.

   It was time to find somewhere warm to stay the night, and after riding around for a bit, we found the Blue Barrel, a pub with rooms and a sign outside advertising a Psychic Evening. Funny, I had a feeling we were going to stay there.

   The next morning, we rode between the frozen fields the next morning to stand in the exact spot where Clancy had a century before when he took a photograph looking up St Werburgh Street towards the cathedral. It hadn’t changed in all that time, apart from the large Chrysler parked on the double yellow lines. And the double yellow lines, come to that. Still, at least Clancy would have been pleased that it was an American car.

   In Birmingham, we took shelter from a blizzard in the Witton Arms, which turned out to be the worst Irish pub in the world, a cavernous hall occupied by a gloomy Mexican and an inexplicably cheery Jamaican watching the horse racing on a giant screen.

   Things got much better in London, where two mornings later we pulled up at the stroke of nine outside the Ace Café, which Clancy didn’t visit for the simple reason that it only opened in 1938, to accommodate traffic on the new North Circular Road. Because it was open 24 hours a day, it started to attract motorcyclists. It then became popular with the Ton Up Boys and girls in the 1950s and the Rockers in the 1960s and many bands and motorcycle enthusiast groups such as the 59 Club formed there.

   It was, you’ll be glad to hear, exactly as it should be: down one end was with three Triumphs, a Royal Enfield, a BSA and a Brough Superior; the first time I had seen in the flash the machine favoured by Lawrence of Arabia up to the point where he met his death on one. Down the other was a jukebox on which Mick Jagger was complaining yet again that he couldn’t get no satisfaction, and in the middle, a bunch of grizzled chaps with faraway looks in their eyes were sitting at scrubbed wooden tables, tucking into bacon butties washed down with mugs of tea. In the circumstances, it seemed impolite not to join them, then buy an Ace Café sticker as a memento and a Castrol one because it reminded me of the metal one that once turned in the wind outside my dear old dad’s motorcycle garage. All stickered up, we rode into London, where Clancy and Storey spent several happy days at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall planning their route east.

   Clancy had joined the RAC associate organisation the Auto-Cycle Union of England before leaving the States, and called into the RAC, which had only been built the year before, to enlist the help of the RAC's resident experts in getting maps, GB numberplates and international passes, although only after having his riding skills approved by an examiner in the street outside.

   He was deeply impressed by the magnificent building and interior, and he had every right to be, for it is a soaring hymn to tasteful opulence, from the richly carpeted reception room in which someone had carelessly parked a Bentley Continental, through the swimming pool, saunas, steam room and gym to the St James’s Room in which we were expected for a press conference; an appropriate venue, since it was named after the saint whose bones had inspired centuries of pilgrims to set off on their own adventures to Santiago de Compostela.

   In deep armchairs all around, the descendants of the same chaps who had sat in the same chairs when Clancy was here were busily unscrewing their fountain pens, just as their grandfathers had, to write letters of withering erudition to the Daily Telegraph about the state of the nation’s roads.

   Supported by Adelaide Insurance Services and BMW Motorrad

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3. Hayes International Motor Museum Opens Phase One...

   Posted on 8:39am Thursday 4th Apr 2013

   Of Their £4.2 Million Upgrade - Grey Power Helps Move Over 1000 Tons Of Motor Vehicles In 14 Hours

   The Haynes International Motor Museum opened Phase One of its multi million pound upgrade in time for the Good Friday crowds.

   Seventeen volunteers with an average age of 72 years old moved exhibition material, 187 cars and motorcycles with a combined weight of over 1000 tons in a little over 14 hours.  The oldest volunteer was 84 years old Derek Ayres and the youngest 54 year old Alan Goddard.

   The exhibition organisation was effectively a giant tile puzzle, which had to be completed on time to avoid disappointing the Easter crowds.  Museum volunteers, despite their advancing years proved to be more than equal to the job.

   The new Black Box exhibition, with the Vroom Room – a high performance car exhibition from all ages and countries forms the heart of phase one of the development.  Other areas including the American collection, micro cars and custom cars are amongst other new interpretations waiting to be enjoyed.

   Phase two and three of the museum redevelopment will be completed over the coming nine months and will completely transform this iconic museum bringing its exhibition into the 21st century, much enhancing its appeal as one of the world’s premier motor museums.

   Next on the schedule for completion is Haynes Hatch the children’s electric go-kart race track which forms the final part of the new Haynes Motorland a £250,000 play area where children can experience all types of vehicle related fun.

   www.haynesmotormuseum.co.uk

4. BRITAIN’S BADLY BEHAVED COMMUTERS

   Posted on 5:11pm Sunday 31st Mar 2013

   ...A THIRD DON’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT DANGEROUS DRIVING  

   UK commuters are behaving badly behind the wheel, with 65% admitting to their own bad driving behaviours over the last year, dispelling the patient and polite British persona.  

   Rushed and stressed commuters don’t feel guilty about driving dangerously or being distracted on the road as they race to get to the office on time, according to new research from car insurance provider Allianz Your Cover. In fact a fifth (21%) blame their poor habits on other commuters.  

   The top five bad commuter behaviours are:   1. Speeding (30%) 2. Careless driving (14%) 3. Travelling too fast for the conditions (14%) 4. Tailgating (13%) 5. Not looking when changing lanes (13%)  

   Commuters may however have been twisting the truth about their bad habits, as although nearly a third (30%) admitted to speeding, more than half (55%) have seen other drivers exceed the speed limit. And the bad habit bluffing doesn’t stop there:   • 5% admit they have jumped a red light – 38% have seen other commuters do this • 4% have applied make-up – 22% have seen other commuters do this • 2% say they failed to stop at a give way sign – 22% have seen other commuters do this  

   More than half of British commuters (52%) are in too much of a hurry to drive safely and are blaming their bad driving on a lack of concentration (30%) and being tired (27%). The commuting environment impacts the workplace as almost half of drivers (43%) believe that their commute affects their mood and can negatively impact their work.  

   Natalie Woods, of Allianz Your Cover Insurance said: “Our research found that British commuters feel they drive carelessly during their journeys due to rushing and tiredness. This is supported by police road accident statistics which show that 46%* of accidents can be attributed to careless driving. We urge drivers to take a careful and considerate approach to their driving in order to reduce accident rates and improve the experience of all their fellow commuters and drivers. One in ten (13%) have witnessed an accident on their way to work – not the kind of start to the day anybody would want.”  

   Despite witnessing the bad habits of their fellow commuters, one in four (27%) hope that a driver would stop to help them if they were in need, a lot less (15%) have actually pulled over to help. The main reason for continuing their commute instead of helping a fellow commuter is to avoid being put in danger (43%). With safety being top priority breakdown services can help out those in need enabling other drivers to continue their journey. Other reasons given for not stopping to help fellow commuters are not knowing how to help (27%), followed by being in a rush (27%).

5. Recreating the first around the world ride 100 years on

   Posted on 12:01am Tuesday 26th Mar 2013

   From March 25 to June 24, 2013, author, adventurer and Sunday Times motorcycle columnist Geoff Hill and former road racer Gary Walker will recreate the journey of American writer Carl Stearns Clancy, the first person to take a motorbike around the world 100 years ago.

   Since Clancy’s father was Irish, he started the ride in Dublin with colleague Walter Storey and rode through Ireland and the UK, then on through Holland and Belgium to Paris.  Storey, who had never ridden a motorbike before the trip and had been badly shaken after being hit by a Dublin tram on the very first day, then returned home, and with incredible courage, 22-year-old Clancy continued alone, riding down through Europe and across Algeria and Tunisia.

   When he found he couldn’t get petrol in India, he shipped the bike to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, rode around there and part of Malaysia, then hopped up through Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Nagasaki, rode around Japan, shipped to San Francisco and rode home to New York.

   The main sponsor is motorcycle insurance broker, Adelaide Insurance Services, supported by BMW Motorrad, which will be providing the motorbikes for the trip: R1200GS Adventures which would probably seem like spaceships to Clancy compared to the 1912 Henderson he used – a 934cc inline four with one gear and no front brake which made 7bhp and was advertised at the time as the fastest motorcycle in the world.

   Dr Gregory W Frazier, the American author and bike adventurer who wrote Motorcycle Adventurer after 16 years of research into Clancy’s original articles and pictures in the American magazine The Bicycling World and Motorcycle Review, is organising a major series of PR events across the United States in June 2013 which Geoff and Gary will be joining and which will add to the critical mass of publicity.

   Rather wonderfully, Geoff and Gary will be taking Clancy’s original boots on their second journey around the world 100 years after they did it the first time.

   When Clancy died in Virginia in 1971, his housekeeper gave the boots to 16-year-old neighbour Liam O’Connor. Now a Professor in Western Australia, Liam has donated them to Geoff and Gary to pass on to Dr Frazier for donation to a museum, along with some of Clancy’s original notebooks and other travel documents from the trip.

   During our journey, as well as producing stories and pictures for several newspapers, Geoff and Gary will be blogging on www.adelaideadventures.com, linked to other websites such as BMW Motorrad, Horizons Unlimited and facebook, along with blogging weekly to the Times Online motoring site.

   The book on the adventure has already been commissioned by Blackstaff Press, which has published all of Geoff’s best-selling books, including several on previous motorbike adventures such as Delhi to Belfast, Route 66, Chile to Alaska and around Australia.

   Gary, a former actor as well as top road racer, starred with Joey and Robert Dunlop in the iconic 1992 documentary Between the Hedges.

   His career highlights so far include being chatted up by Lena Zavaroni, minding Julie Christie and riding his race bike sideways along a dry stone wall at 140mph, although not all in the same weekend.

   See Amazon for the book