Category: Motorcycle Industry Association

1. Survey Reveals That Bikes Are Good for Business

   Posted on 1:09pm Saturday 29th May 2010

   There has never been a better time for companies to add bikes and scooters onto their vehicle fleet or incorporate them into their business...

   An economic survey carried out for the MCI found that motorcycle support services, that includes leasing, publishing, insurance, couriers and training contributes £940 million in Gross Added Value to the UK economy. (1)

   The medical profession is a field that has seen the many financial and social benefits of using bikes. The 'blood runners' who offer their services free of charge to the National Health Service have carried out 16,000 runs since their inception , saving lives across the UK. Providing an all -year round service they typically respond to around 2,000 calls per year saving the Health Service on average £300,000.  

   The hire and leasing sector has an important role to play  as analysis suggests that this sub-sector has an annual turnover of around £38 million, just over half of which is estimated to be GVA (£20 million).

   The motorcycle hire sector comprises the hire and lease of motorcycles for business or recreational purposes.  The lease and contract hire sector provides motorcycle rentals for business use and fleet lease management services.  Motorcycle leases are popular with many businesses as the rental is tax deductible and provides employees with a mode of transport that is cheap to run, is less affected by congestion and can avoid congestion charges.

   The motorcycle courier industry has an annual turnover of  almost £800 million with added value of over half of that at £480 million providing employment for 20,000 people.  It is also estimated to provide a tax contribution of almost £200 million.

   Motorcycle couriers provide a valuable service transporting items that require urgent, safe or discreet delivery.  They typically provide a same-day delivery service, or even quicker for source and destination locations within the same city.

   There are currently around 100,000 people involved in courier work in the UK, 20,000 of which are estimated to be motorcycle couriers .  Motorcycle couriers are concentrated around heavily congested urban areas, where motorcycles offer customers a rapid and low cost courier solution relative to other modes of transport. 

   Steve Kenward, the MCI's CEO commented, " Economic and practical factors mean that including a bike into modern business is a sensible option. As businesses have an increasing need to move items and people around quickly and safely a bike or scooter makes sense. Services such as motorcycle taxis in cities have lots of potential and organizations dealing with emergencies would benefit from deploying motorcycles. People from plumbers to the emergency services are seeing the value of motorcycles and we expect this to grow in the coming years."

2. DSA Mismanagement of Motorcycle Training and Testing Needs to Stop - Say industry and Riders Are Voters

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 3rd May 2010

   The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) and its Riders Are Voters partners are today highlighting the urgent need for the next Government to sort out the Driving Standards Agency's (DSA) mismanagement of rider training and licensing issues.
   
   MCI and RAV say that there needs to be a proper partnership between the motorcycle community and the Government on the management of testing and licensing policy. Industry, trainers and riders groups need to be a full part of the policy making process, rather than simply ignored in stage managed consultation meetings. In addition, new Ministers will need to take a far more active involvement in motorcycle licensing matters.
   
   The motorcycling world's frustration with the DSA focuses around a litany of serious issues in relation to the Agency's management of testing and training. These include:
   
   . The Parliamentary Transport Select Committee said that the introduction of 2DLD had been bungled and £millions of public money wasted
   . Test candidates are facing difficulties in getting a motorcycle test due to the reduced number of test centres. (down from over 200 to just 45 sites for the 'module one' test)
   . There has been a fall in candidate numbers (over 60%), suggesting that a 'permanent learner' situation is arising
   . The financial cost of the over complexity of the DSA interpretation of simple EU regulations
   . A consultation on further European licensing regulations (3DLD) was complicated and even DSA's officials did not understand what they had written.
   . The DSA's refusal to include the option for progressive licence upgrades in the 3DLD, so that as training  standards and quality assurance regimes improve, a training, rather than testing, option could be implemented more easily
   . The Enhanced Rider Scheme, has a low rider take-up. The DSA do not even have a method of recording how many riders have taken and passed the scheme.
   . The DSA's recently proposed National Riding Standard includes bizarre and unnecessary provisions for carrying pets and towing trailers.
   
   In the last week of the General Election campaign, MCI calls on motorcyclists to support the Riders are Voters campaign, which is online at www.ridersarevoters.org, to ensure that motorcycling voices are heard by Parliamentary Candidates. This is so that Government policy can be improved for the 1.5 million active riders in the UK and that more people can choose to take up biking and enjoy the Co2 and congestion-busting benefits.
   
   Steve Kenward, MCI's CEO said;  "The seemingly unresolved issues of accessing and booking tests, is still causing massive problems for trainers and is ultimately reducing the number of riders coming forward for tests.  This is further damaging for the motorcycle industry and adding cost and inconvenience for riders and trainers. Parliament agreed and we now expect the DSA to sort the problems out.
   
   "To add insult to injury, we are now faced with the implementation of the Third European Driving Licence Directive.  We have reason to believe that once again the DSA is ready to create similar complications, problems and costs to consumers.
   
   "The DSA's attitude to the 3DLD consultation has been unsympathetic to the point where a complaint by industry to the Parliamentary Ombudsman has been lodged. The complain puts forward several reasons why the industry feels that the consultation was inappropriate and badly thought out."

3. New Motorcycle Sales Support Need for Greater Government Recognition within Automotive Sector

   Posted on 12:00am Thursday 11th Feb 2010

   January's weather and the acknowledged poor retail start to the new year took its toll on the motorcycle market. Statistics for all styles, being 42% lower than for January of 2009.
   
   Smaller capacity bikes are fairing better in the market. The top ten selling models reveals that there appears to be a greater demand for smaller capacity bikes, which are ideal for commuting and can offer a practical cost-effective form of personal transport. Seven of the top ten selling models are up to 125cc capacity. The top selling models include: Honda CBF 125 M and the Yamaha YBR 125.
   
   With this interest in smaller capacity bikes the top three selling manufacturers in January were Honda, Yamaha and Piaggio. In the larger capacity sectors, BMW is the top selling manufacturer with the BMW S 1000 RR and BMW R 1200 RT registering the highest number of sales.
   
   The touring sector has managed to retain some ground, experiencing a lower percentage (-22%) fall, but as it only has less than 5% market share this has had a limited effect on the overall market. The three sectors with the biggest market share at the start of 2010 are Scooters, Naked and Supersport.
   
   Steve Kenward. MCI's CEO said "Although the climate continues to present challenges in January the industry is confident that it's Get On campaign is showing results in the lightweight sectors.
   
   "The MCI is working hard to encourage new people to recognise the benefits of individual mobility that a powered two-wheeler offers." However, Kenward added, "The new sales figures demonstrate how critical it is for the Government to create a level playing field across the entire automotive sector a point discussed at the recent meeting with MP Ian Lucas from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills"

4. BEAT BLUE MONDAY BY GETTING ON A BIKE

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 18th Jan 2010

   Blue Monday has been established as the worst day of the year and this year it falls on the 18th January.
   
   So, with Christmas over and your initial New Year resolutions starting to fade why not make a new resolution something that you will find easy to stick to and get on to two wheels or doing something with your motorcycle that you have never done before. 
   You can over come the most depressing day of the year by planning your motorcycle adventures for 2010. 
   Training - Firstly, for people who don't ride, or have lapsed or maybe only ever completed a CBT, now's the time to reap the economic and social benefits of a powered two-wheeler.
   
   The Motor Cycle Industry is making it easier than ever before to help interested people take their first steps into the world of motorcycling by offering a free experience, with a local trainer, that will get the riding and ready to go further in one hour at no expense.
   
   A dedicated website has been set up to help you search for a local trainer, so go online and take those first steps at www.geton.co.uk
   
   Kit - Motorcycles and the all important kit have come along way in the last 25 years. Recently, some guinea pigs were subjected to climatic challenges at the Motor Industry Research Association's £5 million climatic chamber to compare the kit from the 80's to the most up to date products on offer. High tech fabrics and new designs resulted in warm and safe riders who were happy to ride in both cold and wet conditions with no detrimental effects to the experience.
   
   Experience - More and more people are enjoying off-road adventures and over land travel experiences on bikes. There is a growing number of companies that provide tours to anywhere any everywhere from Canada to Africa.
   
   MCI's Spokesperson Steve Kenward CEO  said " Don't be brought down by 'Blue Monday', you can do something positive to challenge it.
   
   "Motorcycles and scooters are the best way to beat the ongoing credit crunch and turn the daily commute into a joy.  Two wheels will let you move through traffic, with ease. Not only that, in London they are exempt from congestion charge and can also use bus lanes.
   
   "If you are looking for a fun and economical way to commute then start this new year differently and put on your leathers and join the 1.5million other converts. "
   
   For more information on passing your test and other useful information go to www.mcia.co.uk

5. RIDERS LESS LIKELY TO RISK DRINKING AND RIDING

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 23rd Nov 2009

   While one in six deaths on our roads are caused by drivers over the legal alcohol limit, motorcyclists are half as likely as other motorists to take the risk of drinking before riding, according to the MCI, marking the start of Road Safety Week 2009 (1).

   The latest analysis of drink-drive statistics show that in 2008, of the motorcycle riders tested following an accident, 1.4 per cent failed a breathalyser test compared to an average of 2.7 per cent for all road user casualties as a whole (2).

   The MCI is supporting Road Safety Week 2009's call to all road users to commit to not drink even a drop of alcohol before driving, nor consume any other illegal drug, to help reduce the number of accidents and casualties on British roads.

   For road users as a whole, the group most likely to drink and drive were those under 17, with 11.8 per cent of young people in this age band failing the test. Only 1.2 per cent of these positive tests were given by young motorcyclists.

   Motorcyclists aged between 20 and 24 were most likely to fail a breath test, with 2.4 per cent of tests taken by riders in this age band positive for alcohol. However, this figure is still less than half that of the average for all road users between 20 and 24, of whom 5 per cent gave a breath test positive for alcohol.

   In 2007, at least 15,935 people in the UK were killed or hurt by drink and drug-drivers. That's: 1,328 people every month, 306 people every week, 44 people every day, 2 people every hour.

   In 2007, 478 people were killed by drivers over the drink-drive limit in the UK. Women are much less likely than men to cause drink drive crashes. However, nearly a third of the casualties in drink drive crashes are women; often passengers in cars driven by young men.Nearly one in six convicted drink-drivers are caught the morning after.

   The MCI advises:

   * Never drink any amount of alcohol if you're riding. You don't have to be over the limit for your skills to be impaired.

   * Never drink late at night if you're riding early the next morning. If you get caught out later than you thought, take the bus or go pillion next morning.

   * Don't let mates drink and ride.

   * Don't hassle anyone into accepting a drink they don't want.

   Sheila Rainger, MCI Director of Communications, said, "The demands of riding a motorcycle are greater than those of driving a car and it is good to see the majority of motorcyclists recognizing this fact by refusing to mix drinking and riding.

   "However, there is no room for complacency. As vulnerable road users, motorcyclists need to stay sharp. The MCI is backing the Road Safety Week 2009 call to all riders to commit to 'not a drop, not a drag' before starting the engine, and as Christmas party season approaches, urging riders to be aware that alcohol can stay in your system well into the morning after."
   1) www.roadsafetyweek.org
   2) DfT; Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics 2009
   3) Other statistics supplied by Brake