BMF NEWS ROUND UP – April 2023
The monthly news round-up, brought to you by the BMF
Meetings and issues addressed by the BMF in April:
*Road Safety Education Forum: A group in the Department for Transport (DfT) is working on guidance about road safety interventions, what works and what doesn’t. The Road Safety Framework is awaiting approval from ministers.
*Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group: DVSA and DfT officials have discussed post-crash treatment with a couple of different groups. Updates on research should be provided to the Strategy Group.
Other agenda items included a discussion on setting objectives and another on the gig economy.
Some concern was expressed that the experts on motorcycles and road design are now both retired, leaving a skills gap which needs to be filled.
*Transport Focus Road User Panel: Transport Focus – the independent watchdog for transport users. Transport Focus will be carrying out a full program of surveys on user satisfaction this year.
A survey done by IAMRoadSmart shows the cost of motoring is the number one concern, displacing potholes to second place.
In other news:
Welcome back, BSA Bantam! There was good news for the nostalgic over-50s, with word that some classic names from the British motorcycle industry are likely to make a comeback. Mahindra, owner of the BSA brand, has trademarked the names ‘Bantam’ ‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ to use on modern (probably retro) bikes. Meanwhile, Triumph has also been resurrecting old names – we’re likely to see a new Hurricane and an Adventurer in the future.
If that doesn’t appeal, how about a faithful replica of Honda’s iconic RC174 six-cylinder racer? Classic bike restorer George Beale had a dream to recreate the priceless Honda six – in fact, he had a run of ten built from scratch, perfect in every detail, and tells the whole story in a beautiful coffee table book named ‘Honda Six.’ So old Hondas never die, but sadly the same can’t be said for Wolverhampton Speedway, which is facing closure after nearly 100 years of racing at the site. Wolverhampton Wolves’ lease on the track ends on 31st October.
Jumping from a long-established sport to new roads technology, the Government has backtracked on smart motorways, cancelling 14 new projects and promising to make safety improvements to existing stretches. But according to the RAC, 69% of drivers surveyed want the whole lot to be scrapped. They might feel the same about drones being trialled by Devon & Cornwall Police to spot speeding drivers – amazingly, the devices can allegedly film cars or bikes from up to four miles away... Meanwhile, Scottish Police are taking a more traditional line, welcoming bikers for the summer, but warning that marked and unmarked police cars and bikes will be on hand to keep an eye on us.
The latest in on-street security is the Bikers Guardian, using a length of stainless-steel high-pressure jet wash hose to thread through the bike’s wheels. What’s new is that the hose will contain Smartwater pressurised to 10 bar, which squirts out if a thief attempts to cut through, making them traceable for three weeks (the manufacturer says) – sales start in September. Online security is never easy, and there are suggestions that ChatGPT could be giving erroneous answers about bike kit – the AI app gets its information from other sources on the web, and you know what they say – rubbish in, rubbish out.
A possibly better idea comes from the Mental Health Motorbike charity, which is training instructors at Phoenix Motorcycle Training as Mental Health First Aiders, to ensure wellbeing of students and staff alike – a good move, by all accounts. And if you fancied an electric motorcycle but the long recharge times put you off, the US-made Super 73 C1X can charge from 10 to 80% in less than 15 minutes – the secret is a small 5-6kwh battery and DC fast charging. And finally, back to the future with the Amphi-scooter, a 1964 Lambretta 125 which can cruise waterways thanks to fold-down floats. A replica is being auctioned by H and H – it could fetch £16,000.
Written by Peter Henshaw – Editor BMF editor@bmf.co.uk