Some of the greatest names in The Isle of Man TT Races history will feature in a new exhibition, organised by Manx National Heritage, at the House of Manannan in Peel in the West of the Isle of Man.

The exhibition, entitled 'Ulster's TT Heroes', acknowledges and celebrates the TT race wins of Northern Ireland's best riders throughout the event's illustrious history.

Central to the exhibition is a retrospective look at the contribution of the Dunlop family; from 'Joey', who recorded 26 TT race victories in a 25 year career of racing on the Mountain Course, and his brother Robert, himself a five time race winner, in the '70s, '80s and '90s, through to the modern legend Michael, who now has 11 TT Race wins.

Two of Joey's bikes and his iconic 1988 yellow Arai helmet will be on display together with memorabilia highlighting the successful careers of the other Dunlop family members.

Other riders featured include 1980s luminaries Norman Brown and Brian Reid; Brown famously finished on the podium in every race he completed on the Isle of Man including race wins in the '81 MGP Newcomers race and the Senior TT in 1982, his debut TT year. Reid's notable TT career included five race victories spanning the '80s and '90s.

Recent riders whose careers also feature include Adrian Archibald and Ryan Farquhar.

Phillip McCallen's historic four wins in a week in 1996 are covered in the exhibition, with McCallen's total of 11 TT race wins placing him fifth on the all-time list of TT race winners alongside Michael Dunlop, but it is his distressed leathers from the following year's TT, when he crashed at Quarry Bends in the Lightweight TT race, that are expected to generate particular interest.

The exhibition includes narrative and display boards from Northern Ireland's Ballymoney Museum which have been complemented by memorabilia provided by riders, teams, manufactures and motorcycling brands associated with the event.

Manx National Heritage has also utilised items from its own archive including personal telegrams and letters from the papers of David Wood, Joey's manager for many years, which are expected to provide further insight into the TT career and history of Northern Ireland's greatest rider.

The free to enter exhibition will run from Saturday 28th March to Sunday 6th September 2015, coinciding with this year's TT Races, Southern 100 and Festival of Motorcycling. It will be open every day between 10am and 5pm.

Suzanne Walker, the curator of the exhibition and site manager of the House of Manannan commented:

"Some of the Northern Ireland's best riders are inextricably linked to some of the greatest TT races and indeed the event's history and we wanted to celebrate and acknowledge the country's contribution through the achievements of individual riders."

She continued:

"It has been great working with Ballymoney Museum to bring this popular exhibition over to the Island. The exhibition has been timed to run during the Isle of Man's road racing season so that the visiting race fans, as well as residents are able to see it. I hope that some of the TT riders past and present will also get the chance to experience it."

Joey Dunlop riding the SP1 Honda to victory in the F1 TT Race in 2000 on the Isle of Man

Electric motorcycles and scooters will now qualify for Government subsidy, under plans announced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

A pot of up to £7.5 million will be made available from summer 2015 until 2020, capped at £1500 per vehicle.This will make qualifying vehicles up to 20% cheaper, establishing powered two wheelers as the most affordable electric vehicles on the market and therefore within the reach of people on lower incomes.

You can read the full article here

Bikers from Shropshire and the wider Midlands area are invited to start the season off in style on Sunday 26th April 2015 at the Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival.

Bike4Life Festival is being held at the RAF Museum Cosford in support of the Midlands Air Ambulance charity. The event is being run in collaboration with the Safer Roads Partnership and West Mercia Police and this year is being supported by radio station Planet Rock and is set to be the biggest organised biker gathering in the Midlands this year.

Biker Safety is one of the main focuses of the day and there will be the opportunity to speak to The Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists (IAM), Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and other trainers to find out more about further training and additional courses that are out there to brush up on your biking skills. There is also the opportunity to sign up on the day for a special offer of a Take Control training course – book with a mate and get the course for half price.

The importance of biker safety is paramount for all partners involved with Bike4Life and the Air Ambulance in particular are fully aware of the role they play in assisting bikers at the most crucial of times.

Mum of three Charlotte Lloyd suffered serious injuries in a road traffic collision while on a motorbike just under a year ago and, as she continues her recovery, she’s praised the “vital” contribution Midlands Air Ambulance made to ensuring she received urgent medical attention.

39-year-old Charlotte suffered a broken leg and elbow when she, as a pillion, and her partner, Marc, were involved in the accident in the Midlands in June 2014. She had been preparing to start a new job the following day when the pair set out on their motorbike on a sunny afternoon and travelled down the Pennine Way, B5080 in Tamworth to meet her younger brother. Suddenly, after missing its turning the car travelling in front performed an emergency stop. As the road surface was very badly broken, the wheels of the bike weren’t able to grip. As the bike started to snake badly, Charlotte was thrown into the air before landing in the road.

The Midlands Air Ambulance helicopter from Tatenhill was dispatched to the scene, with paramedic, Ian Walley, among the aircrew.

Charlotte recalled, “There was a lot going on at the scene and as well as being in a lot of pain I felt very sick. I remember Ian introducing himself to me. He and the rest of the aircrew played a vital part on the day as they got me to hospital so quickly. They worked really well with the land ambulance and explained everything to me and were really comforting and patient, and warned me it might be a little noisy. I was in so much pain and, up to that point; I wasn’t responding to anything I’d been given to try and make that better.”

As Charlotte was experiencing such extreme pain, the aircrew were able to administer advance relief at the roadside before she stabilised and airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Now back home, she is slowly recovering from her injuries but admits the incident had a massive impact on her life. She added, “I had never been to hospital before and had to stay for a week, undergoing scans and a session in theatre. I’m still attending physiotherapy appointments there and am awaiting a date for more surgery. Even now I still cannot walk properly or do certain things, and I do find it quite frustrating sometimes.”

However, she was still determined to meet the aircrew who helped her when she needed it most to offer her appreciation and, after travelling to Tatenhill and spending time with the team.

Charlotte continued, "I met up with Ian just because I wanted to thank him and what he did and all of the emergency services did for me that day. I had already known that a lot of bikers are airlifted by Midlands Air Ambulance but I can now truly say that they do fantastic work and help save a lot of lives.”

With hundreds of bikers already signed up, organisers are expecting thousands will show their support on the day and join in the fun, so, if you’re a biker and you’re not already registered for the Ride Out or just want to find out more visit www.bike4lifefest.com or call the Bike4Life Festival team on 01902 376 252. Find us on Facebook by searching for Bike4Life Fest and follow us on Twitter @Bike4LifeFest.

The festival will run from 10:00am to 4:00pm and visitors of all ages, not just bikers are encouraged to come along. Bikers wishing to participate in the ride out MUST have a full licence as the route to the Museum will travel along the M54 motorway.

Bikers can find out more information on the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by visiting www.midlandsairambulance.com or for more information on the RAF Museum Cosford visit www.rafmuseum.org. Further details about the Safer Roads Partnership can be found at www.srpwestmercia.org.uk

Whether you’re determined to get your moped licence or love nothing more than whizzing down the road on a strong, powerful and exhilarating £2,750 Kawasaki ER6, you’re not alone. The motorcycle industry is hugely popular across the globe with both men and women alike slipping into their leathers and riding off into the sunset – and those with a need for a speed are always looking for new and exciting models to take for a spin.

The good news is, the world of motorcycles is ever evolving with vehicle manufacturers constantly looking to develop new and exciting products. As the world becomes more environmentally aware, they’re not only trying to clean up their act by introducing energy-efficient alternatives they’re also trying to attract biking fanatics with exquisite designs and detailing.

Electric bikes, for instance, have been in the pipeline for numerous years with designers attempting to come up with two-wheel sensations that are powerful fun and thrilling to ride while not emitting a range of harsh or non-sustainable chemicals into the atmosphere. And they’ve really made headway. There are already a wide range of ready-to-ride electric motorcycles out there including the LS-218 which is the fastest production motorcycle in the world - gas or electric.

That said, many top models from well-known brands are not yet out on the roads, but are instead being tweaked to perfection meaning that when they are up for sale in their masses they won’t disappoint. Take Harley-Davidson’s Project LiveWire, for instance. It looks great and is virtually silent to ride but if President and COO Matt Levatich’s comments at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council's 2014 confab are anything to go by it seems the bike will not be ready for the roads until next-generation battery technologies are ready.

According to reports, the bike currently would only travel half the distance buyers want and cost $50,000, about 50 per cent more than customers would want to pay. This, of course, makes the bike less attractive to motorcycle fanatics which is why Harley-Davidson are prepared to wait for new technology and produce something that’s nothing but spectacular.

As the electric motorbike trend grows, other well-known companies such as Bultaco are rebranding themselves as electric motorbike manufacturers to ensure they have a more modern and up-to-date appeal. It’s been almost 13 years since a bike came out with the famous Bultaco logo on it, but that’s all about to change as two prototypes have already been revealed which point the way forward for the Spanish company – the Rapitan and Rapitan Sport. Both feature 53 horsepower, 92 lb.ft electric motors, Hossack-style front end suspension and enough battery storage to get over 200 km (125 miles) in town.

So, as you can see electric motorbikes are already on the roads. They’re making their mark within the motorcycle industry but with some manufacturers prepared to hold out for bigger and better things it looks like this is just the beginning of this exciting new craze.

Visitors of THE BIKER GUIDE have previously helped a research study (relating to motorcyclist stress) by TRL, with a good number of participants. They are recruiting for another study and are hoping that our visitors can help the research once again.

The purpose of the research is to assess the suitability of temporary portable rumble strips as part of temporary traffic management at road works, especially with regard to motorcyclist safety. 

They are looking to undertake trials (as a track session) and expert panel consultations with motorcycle examiners, trainers and riders in order to gain a better understanding of their experiences and opinions regarding the possible level of risk posed by Temporary Rumble Strips.

The trials will take about 3.5 hours and will take place on Membury Test Track (Hungerford, Berkshire) on April 1st 2015.

They are looking for a total of 40 motorcyclists across the following categories:

*Approved learner motorcyclist trainers

*Novice riders of any motorcycle type (less than 1 year experience since passing test)

*Experienced riders of a range of motorcycle types (at least 5 years’ experience since passing test):

- Small mopeds / scooters (of up to 125cc)

- ‘Standard’ motorcycles (between 125 - 600cc)

- ‘Sport’ motorcycles (between 600 – 1000cc)

- ‘Tourer/cruiser’ motorcycles (over 1000cc)

Participants will be provided with £35 to go toward travel expenses.

Motorcyclists who are interested in taking part can register by following the link below and answering a few short questions regarding their current riding experience and availability. TRL staff will be in contact with selected participants directly to provide further information about the trial.

Take the survey to register your interest

How the data will be used - Information from TRL

This study was commissioned by the Highways Agency and is being led by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). The work we are undertaking is to assess the suitability of temporary portable rumble strips as part of temporary traffic management at road works, especially with regard to motorcyclist safety. This work is part of an ongoing HA programme to significantly reduce risk to road workers across the whole of the HA network.

As we are looking for a good representation across bike types/ level of experience, the data we collect through the online form will be used to ensure this representation is achieved in the final sample. It also gives respondents the opportunity to provide us with details about their availability, etc.

Data collected (i.e. contact details) is required in order to allow us to contact respondents. The details provided will only be used for the purpose of this research, and will not be viewed or shared with anyone outside of this specific TRL project team, this includes not sharing with any third parties.

Data protection

Any data provided by respondents for this research will be fully protected under TRL’s Data Protection and Information Security Policies which covers our obligations under the Data Protection Act, and Environmental Information Regulations. Data will be retained during the research phase and any personal details held will be deleted after approximately 1 year.