Biker News - Regularly updated

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  1. Let’s start it all with some statistics!

    Cars are usually driven for around 12,000 miles per year, whereas motorcycles ridden less than 2,000 miles. Moreover, there are only approximately 10 million motorcycles licensed in the U.S.A – with around 30 million licensed riders.

    In short, many people have the license to ride a motorcycle, yet few of them actually ride one daily, for example – not to mention the motorcycle rentals prices that are just not that appealing.

    Given the aforementioned statistics, let’s now talk about the best motorcycle rental option for those that are traveling to America. It goes without saying that you clearly have more than enough reasons to ride a motorcycle on one of the American roads – it’s no exaggeration when someone says that you’ll feel just like a movie star!

    Riders – Share!

    Let’s say that you plan on visiting Sin City and that you want to drive a motorcycle into the sunset – or at least in the evening, catching a glimpse of everything that’s surrounding you.

    However, you have no clue on which the best Last Vegas motorcycle rental option may be!

    What if we told you that, with our help, rental is now turning more into a sharing process? Exactly – why would you, as a traveler, scout the rental options within the city when you could find someone willing to share their bike with you? What Do I Need to Rent a Motorcycle in Las Vegas

    Our platform – Riders Share – gives you the opportunity to search for your favorite or preferred ride from actual motorcycle owners. By doing so, you won’t have to deal with any sort of rental agency or such.

    In short, you can enjoy a peer-to-peer motorcycle rental marketplace with us!

    The Benefits

    Naturally, there are benefits for both that list their bike for renting, as well as for those that rent it.

    First of all, if you want to rent out your motorcycle, we’ll provide you with our unique insurance policy, specially designed for this type of vehicles. As you may know, most personal or vehicle policies do not cover motorcycle rentals, meaning that you put your ride at risk whenever you rent it.

    However, that’s not something you should be worrying about if you’ve listed your bike on Riders Share!

    When it comes to travelers that rent a motorcycle, their safety is paramount! For this, we verify the criminal and driving track records and make sure that anything suspicious or bad stays out of our system. In short, both owner and renter are completely safe when using our platform.

    The Bottom Line

    Given the fact that motorcycle rental agencies/ companies are either too expensive or, in some cases, quite hard to find, it goes without saying why you should rely on Riders Share to find yourself a ride if you plan on visiting America!

    With just a 0.1% theft rate so far, a unique insurance policy, as well as a professional service, we are 100% certain that you’ll find the ride you need, successfully rent and ride it, while also having the best owner-customer experience when interacting with our bike sharers.

    Riders Share Makes Motorcycle Rental Insurance Simple

  2. It’s been a disruptive week on the Isle of Man for the 2019 TT races, with just two qualifying sessions going ahead in seven days. The Honda Racing team with Ian Hutchinson and David Johnson have been patiently waiting for the sun to shine and today there was action again around the Mountain course, where Johnson set the third fastest time in the Superbike class, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

    Since last Saturday (25 May) only three sessions have been held, one of them being the Supersport/Lightweight/Newcomer last Sunday. In Tuesday’s first scheduled session Johnson impressed with his pace and was amongst the quickest in the Superbike and Superstock class – a feat the Australian was able to repeat today with a third place in the Superbike qualifying, posting a time of 17:39.206 mins (128.236 mph). Johnson also was quick on the Honda CBR600RR, posting the ninth fastest time in the Supersport class.

    Teammate Hutchinson suffered a crash in Tuesday’s practice session at the 11th Milestone – the 16-time TT winner was left uninjured after the fall. This afternoon ‘Hutchy’ went straight out on the Fireblade in the Superbike class, and ended the qualifying session aboard the CBR600RR strong; setting the sixth fastest time.

    Tomorrow (Monday 3 June) will be the first race day of the 2019 TT races with the RST Superbike Race (4 laps) scheduled to go at 10:45, the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race (4 laps) will follow and is scheduled to go ahead at 18:30 (all times local).

    Click here for Monday’s full schedule.

    To keep up-to-date with all the latest team news follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter and Honda Pro Racing on Facebook and Instagram.

  3. Mitas, part of the Trelleborg Group, will reveal a new generation of Enduro and Extreme Enduro tyres at Erzbergrodeo, the motorsport event held from 30th May to 2nd June 2019 in Eisenerz, Austria.

    Compared to the previous generation, Mitas TERRA FORCE-EF and TERRA FORCE-EH feature improved performance on a wide range of off-road surfaces than its predecessors. A larger footprint allows better grip in various riding conditions, while spaced knobs are designed to provide great clean out ability in mud or sand.

    “Mitas TERRA FORCE-EF and TERRA FORCE-EH are successors to the popular and widely known Mitas Enduro and Extreme Enduro off-road tyre ranges. The new generation was developed and tested in cooperation with many professional riders. Knowing that many riders are happy with our current Enduro and Extreme Enduro tyres, these will remain part of the extended portfolio of Mitas off-road tyres,” explains Ksenija Bitenc, director of the Mitas Motorcycle Tyres division.

     

  4. The VMCC Banbury Run might be 71 years old but it still manages to attract the largest gathering of pre-1931 classic bikes in the world. Around 500 veteran and vintage motorcycles will ride out from the British Motor Museum on various routes as they make their way to Banbury on Sunday 16 June. The routes vary between 30 and 60 miles and many will hope to make them without breaking down! VMCC Banbury Run

    Viewing areas in the Museum grounds will give spectators the chance to see the motorcycles start up as they begin their nostalgic Run. Riders will depart at 5 per minute from 10am with the last leaving at 12noon. Riders will begin to return to the Museum from 12:30pm.The event is supported by the Banbury Town Mayor who will be starting all the competitors on their journeys including scaling Sun Rising Hill at Edgehill.

    There will also be Club and Trade Stands, over 100 Autojumble pitches and special interest displays. This year the event will take place on one site without the need for shuttle buses. There is now a newly extended car park and new road layout giving easier access to the M40.

    Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “The VMCC Banbury Run is aimed at those who enjoy the thrill of riding out with other Vintage, Veteran & Pioneer bikesIts amazing that the Run is now 71 years old and still going strong. With many of the vehicles over 100 years old it’s not surprising that some don’t make the journey to Banbury!”

    The Museum will be open from 9am – 5pm. Spectator tickets for the Run cost £9 in advance or £11 on the day for adults and concessions, children cost £7 advance or £9 on the day. All tickets include entry to the Museum and Collections Centre. Camping is also available on the Saturday and Sunday night for a discounted advance price of £26 per pitch for 1 night or £34 per pitch for 2 or 3 nights.

    To find out more about the Banbury Run visit www.banbury-run.co.uk, for more information on the British Motor Museum please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

  5. Metal merchants beware! Research by Auto Express magazine and road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has found that heavy-metal music could cause motorists to lose their cool behind the wheel and become almost as extreme as their guitar god heroes.

    And the calming tones of classical music might not be much better, encouraging too much relaxation and slowing drivers’ progress.

    But pop music could be just the ticket, creating the perfect atmosphere for smooth and controlled driving.

    In a study to discover the effects of different types of music on driving style and safety, Auto Express and IAM RoadSmart used the high-tech racing rig at simulator experts Base Performance Simulators near Banbury, where drivers from the world’s top racing series go to hone their skills. The findings from the research are published in Auto Express today (29 May).

    During the test, consumer reporter Tristan Shale-Hester was tasked with undertaking two simulated precision laps of the Grand Prix track Red Bull Ring in Austria while listening to songs at full volume from four different genres of music – thrash metal, hip-pop, classical and pop.

    The two-lap test involved fast acceleration, a series of technically challenging corners and a speed-limited zone, completed by a controlled stop on the finish line at the end of the second lap.

    After setting a control lap time with no music of four minutes 34 seconds, Tristan tried the same test again while listening to the fast and noisy song ‘(sic)’ by heavy-metal band Slipknot.

    Tristan was a staggering 14 seconds slower and his throttle movements were far more jagged while listening to the metal compared to the control lap, and admitted listening to Slipknot made it harder to concentrate on the circuit layout.  

    Tristan made his next attempt listening to classical music, with the dulcet tones of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on his headphones. But while Tristan’s driving was better with Bach than with Slipknot, he was 12 seconds slower than his control lap, dropping his speed to just 35mph in a 50mph zone without noticing.

    Then came ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift. Tristan’s time when listening to the bouncy pop classic was only two seconds slower than his control time, and IAM RoadSmart expert Tim Shallcross said that it was on this test that Tristan’s laps were “smoothest in terms of speed consistency.”

    Finally came the complex hip-hop song ‘Humble’ by Kendric Lamar; although driving to this helped Tristan to a time just one second slower than the control lap, it caused him to overshoot the finish line by four car lengths – a potentially dangerous 60-70ft.

    Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express said: “Much of the focus around distracted driving is on using a handheld mobile behind the wheel, and rightly so. But Auto Express’s joint research with IAM RoadSmart shows that as well as making a conscious decision to put their phone away when driving, motorists should also think carefully about what music they listen to.

    “While heavy metal was clearly linked to Tristan’s worst lap, classical music fans may be interested to learn that some pieces appear to promote too deep a state of relaxation to be listened to when behind the wheel.”

    Tim, IAM RoadSmart head of technical policy, added: “What is clear is that the ferocious thrash metal really reduced the ability of the driver to get around the track smoothly. That, and high-energy dance music, are designed to be felt as well as heard, and to be listened to at volume. It’s clear neither help when it comes to making exacting driving manoeuvres.

    “Volume is the major factor for concentration and has a big effect. I would certainly advise drivers to dial down the noise when making a manoeuvre – and save the thrash metal for later in the day, or night!”