Biker News - Regularly updated

Welcome to our News section, where articles are listed below and if relevant within the categories on the right, just to make it easier for you to find what you wish to read...

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  1. Michelin to become MotoGP tyre supplier from 2016

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    Dorna Sports, promoter and organiser of the MotoGP World Championship, which is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), has announced that Michelin will be the sole supplier of tyres to teams participating in the series from 2016.

    “Our policy of carrying over our technologies from track to street fits perfectly with the new technical regulations which are due to be introduced in 2016 and which will dictate the use of 17-inch wheels. That is why Michelin decided to submit a bid following the tender process instigated by Dorna Sports. We take this opportunity to thank the governing bodies for the confidence they have placed in us today. Their confidence recognises Michelin’s expertise and the 26 Riders’ world titles it has secured”, says MICHELIN Motorsport’s Director Pascal COUASNON.

    The MotoGP World Championship features the discipline’s most technologically sophisticated bikes, the power output of which exceeds 250hp. The level of performance they deliver both mechanically and dynamically is very high. The series also stars the world’s best riders and their efficiency is notably due to the confidence they have in their machines, particularly their tyres. The discipline consequently serves as an exceptional proving ground for the technological innovations of tomorrow.

    Thanks to the MICHELIN Total Performance concept, which consists of constantly and simultaneously pushing the envelope in all the areas that influence tyre performance, Michelin is geared to providing the riders with increasingly higher levels of grip in dry and wet conditions alike.

  3. Motorcyclists can provide the tourist industry with a lucrative summer... whatever the weather!

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    A survey carried out for the Motorcycle industry* researched the impact of bikers on the tourist industry and found that Motorcycle-related tourism spending in the UK is over £565 million each year, supporting over 13, 000 tourism jobs.

    In recent years the most significant growth in motorcyclists has been in female riders and with this the rise in longer stays under bricks & mortar such as B&B's, hotels, cottages, etc, rather than just for one night... Many riders know there is nothing worse than arriving somewhere after a long ride, unpacking, showering, eating, drinking, sleeping and then up the next day to pack up and move on. With this there is a significant rise in finding a great Biker Friendly place to stay as a base for a few days and then to go out each day to tour and explore the area.

    Hoteliers, cafes, pubs, event organisers and other tourist related organisations could be getting more money from the biker pound, by choosing the correct medium to promote themselves within, especially as many Bikers travel in the UK for their holidays, along with overseas motorcycling tourists spending over £17 million on trips here.

    The traditional stereotype of bikers being free-spirited, leather clad hooligan is thing of the past, according to research** the profile of the ‘average biker’ in 21st Century Britain, a seemingly upstanding, 40+-something middle-class citizen who is a married, professional, family man, who almost certainly owns a car. Challenging the old perceptions of bikers even further, only 7% sport either long hair or a pony tail. This is probably because nearly 60% of those surveyed hold down a professional senior/management job, taking home an average wage 25% higher than the national average.

    By simply advertising your business as 'Biker friendly' here on THE BIKER GUIDE is letting this niche audience know that you welcome them, which many times is enough in itself... by also offering drying facilities, garaged and/or secure parking is a bonus and not a necessary, for you to capitalise on this growing market.

    Other interesting facts:

    More than half of all motorcyclists are over 40, with the vast majority of motorcycle tourists being in this age category.

    “The lack of interest in the motorcycle tourism sector may be due to a perceived image of rebellious youthful bikers which is at odds with their current demographic," (Dr Cater, lecturer at Aberystwyth University).

    * by GHK on behalf of the MCI ** by Bennetts

  4. Honda’s elite riders visit English Institute of Sport

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    The Honda Racing family was out in force yesterday as a selection of its elite riders from various disciplines took part in an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.

    The roll call included: Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam and World Supersport riders Lorenzo Zanetti and Michael van der Mark; Honda’s 2014 road racing squad of 20-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and his new team-mate Conor Cummins; the new World Endurance Championship line-up of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sebastien Gimbert; Honda Motocross World Championship riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Max Nagl; Gariboldi Honda MX2 star Tim Gajser and last-but-not-least, 2013 Enduro World Champion Alex Salvini. 

    The riders – who have eight world championship titles between them – took part in physio and isometric testing, strength and conditioning assessments and a fitness analysis, as well as a seminar on sleep patterns and jet lag in relation to sporting performance. The data collected from each rider will be collated and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2014 racing season.

    “It’s great for us to welcome the Honda riders to the English Institute of Sport,” said EIS Director of Operations Richard Parker. “Everything we do here is about maximising the performance of athletes and today provides an opportunity for us to assess the riders and see how we can give them some programmes to improve their performance on the bike in the coming year.”

    As the riders departed at the end of the day, they were in high spirits. “It has been great today as it’s always a pleasure to work with riders from other disciplines,” explains Honda’s new World Endurance signing Freddy Foray. “I am really looking forward to getting the results because I think it’s going to be really useful in training and racing next year. I know I have a few problems with my shoulder for example, and this will help me find out some more information about that and how I can deal with it going forward.”

    “To be honest I lost a bit of sleep about coming here as it’s to be fair it’s not my kind of thing, but it’s actually been good fun,” said road racer John McGuinness. “I’ve learned quite a lot and in the end I’m happy that I’ve done it. I’m buzzing to have spent the day with all these top riders from MX, Enduro and SBK and to do a bit of bonding with my new team-mate Conor. I’ve got some areas that I can tidy up, as I’m sure we all have, and hopefully next time I’ll be a bit stronger and we can put it all to the test.”

    For more information on the English Institute of Sport visit www.eis2win.co.uk

  5. New world record set for pre war car driving non stop across USA

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    Vintage Adventurer Rod Wade and co-driver Michael Flanders have created a new World record for driving a pre-war car across the USA, from New York to Los Angeles in 50 hours, 20 minutes and 6 seconds.

    Australians Rod and Michael began the 3,000 miles journey in their 1930 Ford Model A at Staten Island at 00:01am on Friday November 22nd with the aim of reaching Venice Fishing Pier in around 60 hours, giving an estimated arrival time of the morning of Sunday November 24th.

    Despite horrendous weather conditions including rain storms, extreme winds and snow through New Mexico, the driving duo arrived much sooner than expected, reaching Venice Fishing Pier, Venice Beach, just after 11.15pm on Saturday evening (23rd Nov).

    The team experienced the worst of the turbulent weather in Amarillo, the place where the Model A suffered a broken crankshaft after 38 hours of driving in an earlier attempt in October of this year. The freezing rain, fog and snow forced Rod and Michael to stop every two miles to clear the windscreen of ice as there is no heated windscreen in the classic car.

    On arriving at Venice Fishing Pier, Rod said: “I can’t believe we got here in such a good time. It got scary through Amarillo again but we battled on. If it wasn’t for the weather conditions, we would have done it on 40’odd hours. Maybe next time!”

    Next time will in fact see the Vintage Adventurer team take on the Ocean to Ocean Australia, driving from Queensland to Freemantle but also making the return journey. This is scheduled for June 2014.

    The whole reason for setting the World record is to raise awareness and funds to support kidney disease suffers all over the world. With kidney disease affecting Rod’s wife and daughter, he has raised thousands of dollars for kidney charities and the Wade family has just commissioned the first ‘Kidney Kamper’ to get the ball rolling.

    Rod added: “The money we raise will allow us to outfit RVs and campervans with dialysis machines so people requiring dialysis can have a little personal freedom to travel and enjoy life, instead of needing to be constantly within reach of a machine at their home, clinic, or hospital.”

    Rod and Michael were accompanied by the team’s support vehicle – a 1988 Plymouth retired police car that also made the journey with them. The support crew was made up of engine builder Ora Landis of Schwalms, Ricardo Da Cruz as lead mechanic/photographer, both from the USA. Arron Hage from Australia’s Network 7 and UK media manager Andrea Seed.

    For more information on the Ocean to Ocean Challenge, the Vintage Adventurer and the latest updates, visit www.vintageadventurer.com