The British Motorcyclists Federation have welcomed the Department for Transport’s announcement that it is to cut the requirement for annual renewal of Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

In its submission on the DfT’s consultation, ‘Road Transport Red Tape Challenge’, the BMF had pointed out that for many motorcyclists with either classic bikes or other motorcycles undergoing renovation, they have had to renew their SORN every year even though the machine in question may not even be roadworthy. Now, once owners have notified the DVLA that their vehicle is covered by a SORN, they will no longer have to renew it.

Other cuts to red tape announced by Transport Secretary Justine Greening cover scrapping the regulation (by 2015) requiring motorists and motorcyclists to hold a paper counterpart to their driving licence and more controversially, the removal of the need for an insurance certificate.

In a previous consultation the BMF said it was concerned that under the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement Rules there would be sole dependence on the Motor Insurance Database (MID), a database that had proved less than reliable in cases of multi-vehicle insurance policies. However the Department for Transport says it will now work with the insurance industry on removing the need for insurance certificates.

By using the MID system the DfT say this will also remove the need for owners to prove they have insurance when taxing on-line because this will be checked against the registered keeper details held by the DVLA.

Commenting, BMF spokesman Jeff Stone said: “It makes a pleasant change these days to have less red tape and we know from our members that the removal of the annual SORN requirement will be particularly welcome.”

In the light of pending EU regulations, the BMF also welcomes the fact that the Motor Cycles (Single Vehicle Approval) Regulations 2003 are to be retained. These are regulations that provide motorcycle special builders and personal importers with a cost effective way to obtain type approval for one-off machines.

See full details.

Ace Cafe London's annual Elvis "Jailhouse Rock" Birthday Party Night, with Paul Ansell's No.9, from 9pm - 2am on Saturday 7th January, includes opportunity to win prizes to include from the range of the authentic USA made items by Prison Blues, as well as a CD set of three volumes that showcase the music from the "King's" personal Jukebox, courtesy of the UK label Vee-Tone Records - The Memphis Jukebox, Volumes 1, 2 and the recently released Volume 3, which contains 22 singles plus 2 special bonus tracks that have been carefully selected by Vee-Tone Records to demonstrate the young Elvis Presely's wide musical tastes including Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Rockabilly and Rock n' Roll.

David Gillespie of Vee-Tone Records said: "This is a truly unique and historic collection. Whilst many of the records individually will have been heard before, together they give a remarkable insight into Elvis' life and musical influences.  Every time you press 'play' to listen to this collection, you are recreating a moment in time; a moment in Elvis' life when he would press 'play' on his personal jukebox in Graceland." 

www.veetonerecords.com

www.prisonblues.co.uk

www.ace-cafe-london.com

Join us for a rockin' New Years Eve with Bill Fadden & The Rhythm Busters + DJ Jimmy Guntrip.

£15 advance booking - £20 on the door . Sorry No Under 18s.

The evening includes a hot supper, party poppers, and the chance to win some great prizes!

A copy of the new magazine Vintage Rock

Tickets to attend Zippos Cirque Extreme at the Winter Wonderland event in London's Hyde Park

Tickets to the annual Auto Sport International Show at Birmingham's NEC (12th-15th January)

A pair of tickets to Ace Cafe London's annual Elvis Birthday Party Night with Paul Ansell's No.9

(Saturday 7th January)

A pair of tickets to Ace Cafe London's annual Gene Vincent Night with Graham Fenton & The Allstar Band (Saturday 18th February)

www.vintagerockmag.com

www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

www.autosportinternational.com

www.ace-cafe-london.com

When Jeremy Harrison admired an 883 Sportster Harley-Davidson motorcycle during a visit to MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester) earlier this year, he never imagined that he might actually get to ride it. The doctor from Lancashire is celebrating Christmas early this year as he is the lucky winner of the motorcycle in a raffle organised by exhibition organiser Claridon and MOSI.

The bike was the star prize for a raffle associated with the Customising, Culture & Harley-Davidson exhibition, which ended on 30 October 2011. The raffle sold 1989 tickets and closed on 30 November. The motorcycle, which was provided by Claridon, comes with a full tank of petrol and 12 months warranty. Emergency Medicine Consultant Jeremy Harrison, (age 51 years), who is married with four children and lives in Carnforth, won the bike after buying six raffle tickets during a visit to MOSI with his children.

Jeremy said: “I saw the Harley-Davidson bike when I came to MOSI and stood there admiring it for ages before I bought the tickets. Afterwards I forgot all about it and was completely blown away when I heard I’d won it. I thought the kids were winding me up as I never win things! I had a motorcycle when I was at university and have been on the verge of getting my full licence for years, so I guess this will be the thing that finally makes me do it!”

Chris Scott from Claridon said: “I’m delighted to present this fantastic Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a prize in association with our recent exhibition. This is a great bike to get Jeremy back into motorcycling and I wish him many happy years of adventures on it. Jeremy is always more than welcome to come riding with the Claridon team. ”

Customising, Culture & Harley-Davidson exhibition was at MOSI from 15 April – 30 October. For more information about MOSI please look up www.mosi.org.uk 

As you may be aware or not, a European Directive (3rd European Driving Licence Directive) is to  be implemented across Europe by 19th January 2013 which includes a raft of changes to the motorcycle licence and testing requirements.
 
The directive was adopted in the European Parliament in 2006 and aims to harmonise licences across Europe and will see:
 
introducing enhanced security features on driving licences;
harmonising definitions of vehicle sub-categories and rules on the duration of the validity of a licence;
formal testing or training for younger motorcyclists wishing to progress to larger and more powerful machines;
introducing minimum standards for driving examiners; and aiming to ensure that no one can, at any one time, possess more than one licence issued by an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) state.

 
Northern Ireland will see the introduction of this directive.  A public consultation was undertaken by the DOE (Department of the Environment), which Right To Ride responded to in April 2010.
 
In January of this year the DOE published a Summary of Consultation Responses, the Department’s Response, and Next Steps including the drafting of the necessary legislation.
 
The DOE also stated that a communication plan would be put in place to keep stakeholders and interested parties informed of the changes being made and the implementation of the directive here in Northern Ireland.
 
At Right To Ride we can report that we attended on Tuesday 6th December, the first meeting of a stakeholder’s group which will not only advise members of the group of the implementation aspects of the Directive prior to 19th January 2013, but will be a two way communication on the issues.
 
The Stakeholder Group will:
 
help identify and resolve problems and issues arising from the introduction of the Directive;
help to quality assure the accuracy of information gathered by DVA in relation to the implementation of the Directive;
feed views to the policy making process;

Right To Ride’s Trevor Baird says, “Although we are a bit between a rock and a hard place as regards what the directive says must be implemented, there is some flexibility to get the best out of the directive for Northern Ireland riders. We welcome the opportunity to be part of this stakeholders group to put our views and those of the motorcycle community across.”
 
You can view our information on the directive at http://www.righttoride.co.uk/?page_id=964

 
You can also leave comments to this article on the website at http://www.righttoride.co.uk/?p=8410