Category: Random

1. Ed Hardy - Tattoos That Go To The Head!

   Posted on 12:00am Tuesday 24th Feb 2009

    

    

   

   Famed for their stylish graphics, KBCHelmets, one of the fastest growing helmet manufacturers in the world, has been chosen to produce a range of motorcycle helmets using the imagery of Ed Hardy, ‘the godfather of tattoo’, for top fashion designer Christian Audigier. 

   Christian Audigier’s Ed Hardy^®brand has become one of the hottest in America with the likes of Mickey Rourke, Sylvester Stallone, David Beckham, Vinnie Jones, Britney Spears and Madonna amongst the many stars and celebrities now wearing his designs.

   Marketed as Ed Hardy helmets and sold through KBC’s extensive distribution network as part of the Ed Hardy Helmet Collection, the designs are a must for those with an eye on fashion as well as on the road. 

   Featuring five different tattoo designs on three helmet styles, the full-face VR-2R race helmet features the ‘Pirates’ and ‘Tiger’ designs on black or white, while the OFS open-face helmet features the ‘Beautiful Ghost’ and ‘Love Kills Slowly’ designs on black, sky blue or pink. The all-new Pro-X motocross helmet takes the designs a stage further with the ‘Speed Kills’ design on a white or black background. 

   Specification wise, the VR-2R uses a Tri Comp shell construction, features a double curvature quick release visor and has a removable Ultralux interior liner. The VR-2R is ECE22.05 certified, meets with the ACU Gold racing standard and is available in sizes from XXS – XXL at£249.99 retail.

   The Ed Hardy OFS open face uses a PowerCore shell and features a double curvature quick release visor, a removable Duralex liner and quick release strap. It is ECE22.05 certified, available in XXS- XXL sizes and retails at £109.99. 

   The all-new Ed Hardy Pro-X race helmet uses KBC’s patented Ultra Comp lightweight shell, a dual intake vent system and fully adjustable peak. The liner is customisable and removable for washing. Approved to ECE22.05 and ACU gold standard, the Ed Hardy Pro-X is available in sizes XXS – XXL and retails at £249.99

   The Ed Hardy Helmet Collection will be sold in Europe through KBC’s extensive distribution network.

   Note:

   With 40 years of tattooing and legendary status among the tattoo community, Don Ed Hardy is known as ‘the godfather of modern tattoo’ for his sophistication, depth and sense of experimentation. California native Don Ed Hardy is recognized around the world for his technical brilliance and mesmerizing imagery.

    See www.kbchelmets.co.uk for the full Ed Hardy Helmet Collection

   by Christian Audigier.

   To contact KBC: Call on +44 (0)1283 763 120 or [email protected]

   KBC Europe Ltd., Units 1 & 2 Blakenhall Farm, Cauldwell, Swadlincote, DE12 6RU.

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   OFS Beautiful Ghost side 2.jpg

    
   OFS Love Kills Slowly pink.jpg

    
   ProX Speed Kills white.jpeg

    
   VR2R Pirates Black.jpeg

    

   Issued by KBC press office, Synergy PR:

   tel: 0121 709 1040  m: 07802 763094

   e: [email protected]

2. Bikers 'v' Cyclists - Who will win? Its up to you!

   Posted on 12:00am Thursday 29th Jan 2009

    

    

   URGENT ACTION NEEDED - by YOU!
   
   Apparently Transport for London are receiving very few comments from motorcyclists about the new London-wide TfL trial of motorcycles in red-route bus lanes.

   The latest news is that as part of the evaluation of the scheme 'users views' will be taken into account and 'numbers responding' will play a part in this.

   Clearly none of us want to see a situation where 5,000 cyclists have protested and 200 motorcyclists support. It's this kind of thing that would shift the political balance against us.

   However, cyclists campaign groups are steadily orchestrating a build up of resistance to the measure, being well organised at grass roots level in the capital and elsewhere. Tfl have already received large numbers of submissions from cyclists, opposing motorcycles in bus lanes.

   We risk losing the scheme at the end of the 18 month period unless the motorcycle world demonstrates widespread support for the measure.

   So I urge all of you who read this click on this link to visit the TfL 'user views' website and complete the response form, which will take only about two minutes.

   All, please send this to everyone you know and use whatever other avenues for publicity that you have (owners clubs, other social networks, word of mouth, forward this email, etc).

   The cycle lobby groups are motivated and determined. They see denying motorcycles access to bus lanes as a number one key goal. They have a strong and well motivated campaigning local network. They will do all they can to achieve their goal. Unless we respond to this, we risk seeing this hard won concession denied to us after the experimental period has finished.

   The TfL scheme is being keenly watched outside London. Failure of the scheme in London will be likely to cripple our chances of getting motorcycles into bus lanes elsewhere.

3. Marshal training

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 12th Jan 2009

   Marshals attend the biggest events on the motorcycling calendar. Without marshals these high level races cannot run and that is why they are essential within the racing world. If you take on a marshalling role you could very well find yourself trackside at world motocross, MotoGP, World Superbikes, British Superbike or some straight forward club racing. You are guaranteed the best vantage points, you will be close to the action and get to meet the riders although they may not be feeling very talkative!

   Being a marshal is a very responsible position and to make sure you know all you need to carry out your duties safely, the ACU Motorcycle Marshals Association is running a number of training days early this year.

   The training course, which is completely free, will take you through different aspects of the job from fire training, flag theory and practical, medical training, to incident theory and practical. By the end of the day you will be competent in the basic skills needed to be a marshal ready to get out and help make motorcycle sport happen.

   The ACU Motorcycle Marshals Association is delighted to announce the following dates and venues for marshal training days:

   Sunday 8th February 2009 – Donington Park

   Sunday 15th February 2009 – Lydden Hill
   
   To book the above courses and set yourself up as a marshal for 2009 please contact Michelle Haynes on 01788 566405 or email [email protected]

4. The Bikers' Guide to Derbyshire

   Posted on 12:00am Friday 9th Jan 2009

   Produced by The Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership, the pocket sized booklet offers advice on safer motorcycling and a guide to Derbyshire’s biker hotspots.

    

   Smash hits – your guide to Derbyshire’s Biker hotspots

   We keep a close eye on crash figures and we’ve discovered eight stretches of road in the Derbyshire countryside where bikers are regularly coming to grief:

   • A5012 Via Gellia Cromford to Ivonbrook Quarry
   • A621 Baslow to Owler Bar
   • A57Snake Pass Glossop to Nether North Grain
   • B5035 Wirksworth to Ashbourne
   • A515 Ashbourne to Alsop-en-le-Dale
   • A6 Matlock Bath Artist’s Corner to High peak junction
   • A54and A537 Buxton to Cat and Fiddle pub
   • A5004 Long Hill Buxton to Fernilee

   So why is this happening?

   It’s not down to dark and stormy nights – that’s for sure. Most of these crashes happened on fine, dry days.

   What did these crashes have in common?

   Well, many of them happened on bends and the most frequent factors were loss of control, high speeds and bikes overtaking other vehicles.

   To find out more:

    

   Why not try Derbyshire Bike Plus?

   For as little as £50 you can have a day’s training.  The ‘Bike Plus’ scheme is a specially designed one day rider development session to make you a safer, more confident rider. 

   There is no test to take, just practical training to improve your riding style.  You have passed your test.  Now ‘Bike plus’ will help you use that freedom safely!

   To find out more visit the Bike Plus page or get an application form from Call Derbyshire on 08 456 058 058 or email [email protected] 

    

5. Bikes in Bus Lanes victory for common sense

   Posted on 12:00am Monday 5th Jan 2009

   From today (5^th January) motorcycles have been granted access to main route bus lanes in London. 

    

   The adoption of this policy allows riders to see and be seen by other road users, as well as helping motorcycles to improve on their already excellent congestion-busting advantages.

    

   The initiative was an election promise by London Mayor Boris Johnson and comes more than ten years after bikes were first allowed to use bus lanes in the city of Bristol following a successful campaign by local MAG members.

    

   MAG General Secretary, Nich Brown said today “the adoption of this policy in the capital city has been a long time coming but its benefits should soon become apparent. The experience of other UK cities as well as previous experiments in London shows that where motorcycles are allowed to use clear road space in congested traffic there are fewer crashes.”

    

   Motorcycle riders are being urged to follow a simple code of practice designed to protect everyone in and around bus lanes.

   1. We share bus lanes with other vulnerable road users, take extra care around them.
   2. Be aware of pedestrians walking through traffic queues and at bus stops.
   3. Look out for pedal cycles and give them a wide berth, they may suddenly change direction or position.
   4. Pass cyclists on the offside only – never undertake.
   5. Always assume cyclists cannot hear or see you behind them.
   6. Do not use excessive speed when using bus lanes or overtaking cyclists.
   7. Do not overtake each other.
   8. Watch out for other vehicles at junctions and side roads.
   9. Take extra care when riding alongside congested pavement areas.
   10. We are ambassadors for motorcycling, riding in a bus lane is a privilege that needs to be respected.

    

   But MAG has highlighted the need for other road users to play their part in road safety. “Urban collisions involving motorcycles are generally not caused by the rider” said Nich Brown “typically a rider will be travelling with right of way when another driver crosses their path at a junction, or a cyclist rides off the pavement into the road or a pedestrian steps out in to the road”. In these circumstances, riders in bus lanes will be more likely to be seen and MAG believes this means collisions will decrease.

    

   The new rules allow access to those bus lanes on the main routes controlled by Transport for London. Some London Boroughs have also moved to open up bus lanes on local roads so that the benefits can be more widely enjoyed, other Boroughs’ failure to open access to their bus lanes may well cause unnecessary confusion as road users will have to check which bus lanes are still closed to bikes after today.