OUR 2014 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!

• To bring you a free and easy to use website packed full of information for the Biker Community
• Include an extensive What's on guide for rallies, shows and events in the UK
• Expand the sections for Genuine Biker Friendly Accommodation, including Hotels, B&B’s, Campsites, Hostels and Pubs
• Give you lots of free to enter competitions for holidays, tickets to events, clothing, books, etc…
• Encourage audience participation, for recommendations, events, jokes, news and photos
• Have the most extensive motorcycle directory, which includes clothing, equipment, parts, touring and more…
• To regularly update, check and include news and information for our visitors
• Constantly grow the sections for Biker Cafes, pubs and meeting places
• We will continue to grow the website organically, opening new sections and pages with exciting content, rather than have annoying blank pages
• Never presume that we know more than our visitors or that we can guaranteed sun

What are yours?

Pata Honda’s World Superbike pairing of Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea ended their riding year this week with a play on Honda’s new-for-2014 Fireblade SP at the Losail circuit in Qatar.

The lastest and sharpest version of the bike that Haslam and Rea race for the Pata Honda team in the World Superbike championship was being presented by Honda Motor Europe to motorcycle journalists from all over the world.

Boasting front and rear adjustable Öhlins suspension and Brembo monoblock brakes, the new Fireblade SP also features a blueprinted engine and a single seat unit to offer owners even greater focus on trackday action.

For Haslam and Rea the launch also offered an opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with the Losail circuit which returns to the World Superbike championship calendar in 2014 for the first time since 2009.

“What a week!”, said Haslam after returning from Qatar. “It was the best fun ever to ride around Losail with all the journalists on the Fireblade SP. It’s an awesome machine and the circuit lets you have a lot of fun, so I ended up doing about 300 laps, I think!”

Rea, who flew in from Australia, where he is spending the winter, also enjoyed himself, saying: “It was like ‘a-smile-a-mile’ and I had great fun with Leon, his dad Ron and my TT legend mate, John McGuinness. Sometimes I just think to myself: ‘I have the best job in the world!’”

Full list of 2014 DRE dates now released
• Brand new Ducati 899 Panigale and Monster 1200 models introduced to the program
• DRE 2014 enrolment to open online 16 December, 2013

The Ducati Riding Experience is set to continue in 2014, with the 11th edition of the Italian manufacturer’s highly successful riding school opening its enrolment online at Ducati.com on 16 December 2013.

Participants can look forward to using some of Ducati’s latest models, including the brand new, 148hp 899 Panigale Superbike for Racing 1 & 2 courses or the new Monster 1200 for the Intermediate course, Ducati’s latest generation Monster awarded “Most Beautiful Motorcycle of the Show” when unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan in November.

As usual, DRE has been carefully structured to cover all riding levels of motorcycle experience, from absolute beginners taking their very first steps on two-wheels in the Basic course, to the Master Racing and Troy Bayliss Academy courses for regular track-day experts wishing to further perfect their talent.

For DRE 2014, the Racing 1 and Master Racing courses take on a new format intended to provide participants with enhanced instruction for fast and safe riding with a dedicated classroom session prior to the track experience. To achieve this new format, the courses will spread over two days, during which Racing 1 participants will start the first afternoon with a briefing and theoretical exercises designed to lay a firm foundation of knowledge before practical tuition on the track. For the more advanced Master Racing course, participants will have a highly informative classroom session with Ducati’s official test-rider, Alessandro Valia, and Chief Instructor, Dario Marchetti, before taking to the track aboard Ducati’s impressive 1199 Panigale S Superbikes.

Participants of the highly prestigious Troy Bayliss Academy courses will be instructed in groups of five by none other than the triple World Superbike Champion himself. Academy students will ride the Ducati 1199 Panigale S further equipped with a Termignoni exhaust system.

Racing 2 courses, which remain unchanged, are intended for riders who already have track experience and wish to develop it further. In addition to many other details, they will work on areas such as increasing corner turn-in and mid-corner speeds and on how fully capitalising on every last hp of acceleration can achieve a smoother, more fluid and confidence-inspiring riding style.

Enrolment for Racing 1 and 2 courses is limited to 50 students, divided into efficient learning groups of just five, whereas the Master Racing course is open to just 12 participants, divided into groups of three. While all groups are guided by an expert instructor, all track-riding participants must be holders of Class A driving licenses without engine size limitation.

For non-track riders, DRE 2014 also offers a fully comprehensive range of courses from Basic to Intermediate. While learners in the Basic course will use the Ducati Monster 796, participants of the Intermediate course can improve their existing road skills to enhance their overall safety using Ducati’s own versatile Multistrada 1200 S, Hypermotard and Hyperstrada models and, new for 2014, the Monster 1200 with excellent user-friendliness and the enhanced ergonomics of an innovative adjustable seat height.

Within the cost of the courses, all DRE participants will be provided with a motorcycle and instructor as well as a welcome kit and lunch, while those who need to rent riding gear can do so during the online enrolment.

The team of highly qualified instructors is coordinated by DRE Technical Director and Chief Instructor, Dario Marchetti, and Alessandro Valia (Factory Test Rider and Chief Instructor of the Master Racing course). In addition to many more successful and celebrated riders, the list of DRE instructors include top names such as Troy Bayliss (2001, 2006 & 2008 World Superbike Champion and MotoGP race winner), Paolo Casoli (1997 World Supersport Champion), Manuel Poggiali (2001 125cc World Champion & 2003 250cc World Champion), Andrew Pitt (2001 & 2008 World Supersport Champion & World Superbike & MotoGP competitor) and Niccolò Canepa (2007 Superstock FIM Cup Champion & World Superbike & MotoGP competitor).

With DRE, Ducati will continue its close collaboration with FMI, ensuring constant improvement of teaching protocols and standards of excellence on all courses. Additional support will also be provided by official Ducati supplier Bosch, further establishing the successful technical partnership between Ducati and this premier German brand.

Ducati Riding Experience 2014 calendar

28-29 Apr Adria Racing 1 course

29 Apr Adria Intermediate course

29-30 Apr Adria Racing 1 course

30 Apr Adria Base & Intermediate courses

13-14 May Mugello Master Racing course

14 May Mugello Intermediate, Racing 2 & Troy Bayliss Academy courses

14-15 May Mugello Master Racing course

15 May Mugello Base, Intermediate, Racing 2 & Troy Bayliss Academy courses

09 Sep Mugello Intermediate & Racing 2 courses

09-10 Sep Mugello Master Racing course

10 Sep Mugello Base, Intermediate & Racing 2 courses

With more dates expected to be added, visit Ducati.com to remain updated on DRE 2014.

Ducati Riding Experience 2014 motorcycles

Base course: Monster 796

Intermediate course:

Monster 1200

Multistrada 1200 S

Hypermotard

Hyperstrada

Racing 1 & 2 course: 899 Panigale

Master Racing & Academy courses: 1199 Panigale S

Was it Stormin the Castle, You've been NABBED, Motorcycle Live, The Isle of Man TT, Rally in a Chalet, Ace Café Reunion, a charity run or your clubs Rally?

Cast your vote on our facebook group here

The best events of 2013 voted by the member of the facebook group are...

RTTW - 20 votes
Motorcycle Live - 12 votes
Ride of Respect - 11 votes
Rock and Blues 10
You've been NABBED - 8 votes

We also have the following with worthy votes!

Isle of Man TT, Stormin the Castle, Farmyard, Bum in the Mud, Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show and Rally in a Chalet

Many thanks for your votes... see you in a muddy field in 2014

It would appear ahead of schedule that negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Council on the Road Worthiness Test (RWT) Package, have been finalised.

The Lithuanian Presidency of The Council have announced that heavy motorcycles will be subject to periodic roadworthiness tests from 2022.

However giving breathing space to those motorcyclists in European Member States (11 – member states) who do not have mandatory RWT (MoT) for motorcycles and whose rider organisations who have been fighting hard against mandatory RWT, the compromise news is that those Member States may:

“Exclude these vehicles from testing if they have put in place alternative effective road safety measures, taking into account in particular road safety statistics of the 5 years.

If heavy motorcycles are included in the scope of periodic roadworthiness testing, specific testing methods, inspection areas and frequency are decided at the Member State level.”

Of course the devil is in the detail, for example what is meant by heavy motorcycles, what this means for low-performance and medium powered motorcycles and whether the compromise will be accepted by those riders and their organistions who will be affected by this compromise.

“Final Compromise”

With this “final compromise” text agreed the final vote is down to the elected body of MEPs at the European Parliament.

For the UK with our own RWT through our MoT it looks like there is no major change or shake up to our system of testing.

At Right To Ride EU in the cold darkness of this evening, having just learnt of this outcome, it looks like a compromise that can be lived with.

As we have said all along our view is simply that, different countries with different situations require a different solution and that this must always be a national decision based on the needs and requirements of each country and their citizens.

We will be off to study some of the finer details.

Read the article leave comments on Right To Ride EU