With just under a month to go until Motorcycle Live 2014 open its doors, motorcyclists across Great Britain are gearing up for the country’s biggest bike show and nine days of new metal, non-stop entertainment and retail therapy.

As a one-stop shop for motorcycle parts, riding kit and accessories, Motorcycle Live is traditionally the place for many bike fans to indulge in an end-of-season shopping spree. This year’s retail offering will be stronger than ever with some of the UK’s leading motorcycle stores, brands and dealerships selling everything from helmets to hoodies, leathers to luggage and padlocks and paddock stands.

There will also be a wide range of stands dedicated to motorcycle-related services, so visitors can organise insurance, book the two-wheel trip of a lifetime, subscribe to a magazine, buy tickets to a must-see racing event in 2015 and more. For a full list of exhibitors click here.

Motorcycle Live takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 22-30 November 2014. Advance tickets are just £17 per adult, £11 for Seniors and £7 for children aged 11-16* (kids ten and under accompanied by a paying adult go free). There is also a £20 advance ticket, which includes entry to the show and a three-pack of Oxford Comfy neck warmers worth £15.

To book, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

APRILIA READY TO DEFEND ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP, SYLVIAN GIUNTOLI IN THE HUNT FOR THE RIDER TITLE.

BOTH TITLES STILL UP FOR GRABS IN THE FINAL ROUND AT LOSAIL IN QATAR.

Qatar, 29 October 2014 - The Superbike season which is coming to an end could be the inspiration for an excellent screenplay: great entertainment, continuous upsets and a wide open grand finale which is the stuff of a great action film.

The key players will most certainly include Aprilia and Sylvain Guintoli, respectively the Manufacturer Championship leader and the second place contender in the rider competition. At Losail, a track that is back on the calendar after a four year absence, the races will be held at night with the aid of a sophisticated artificial lighting system. Another "theatrical stroke" worthy of the best Hollywood director.

While Aprilia is leading the Brand World Championship with a 23 point advantage, spoils that must be defended in Qatar, a 12 point gap stands between Sylvain and his first Rider World Championship. The Aprilia Frenchman has made a sensational comeback to close a 44 point gap since the Laguna Seca round. Guintoli has a good record on the Losail track and for his assault he will be able to count on an RSV4 which has demonstrated brilliant performance in the last four rounds, taking as many "one-two" wins with two riders consistently on the top two steps of the podium.

Sylvain Guintoli: “Last visit to Qatar I won the race ("8h of Doha") and the Team I raced for was World Champion (Endurance), back in 2010. I love the track and it will suit the RSV4 like a glove. I am very excited about this weekend and very focused on our target. I have worked very hard for this and since Laguna we have closed the gap from 44 to 12 points. Sykes is defending well but we are now very close”.   

Marco Melandri, who has shown great progress, has great expectations for the Losail race. Coming off of 4 wins in the last six races, the rider from Ravenna is now lying third in the rider standings with a wide margin from the nearest contender. Marco also has an excellent change of finishing the season with honours.

Marco Melandri: “I'm very happy to race at night in Qatar. I really like both this place and this track and I'm sure that my RSV4 will adapt very well. I really want to continue my position streak and help Aprilia take the Manufacturer World Championship”.

Happy Birthday Cal!

A professional motorcycle road racer and former British Supersport champion and British Superbike race winner.

Since 2011 he has been competing in the MotoGP class, with the Yamaha Tech 3 team between 2011 and 2013, and in 2014, Crutchlow moved to Ducati.

From Wikipedia

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has chartered additional P&O Express sailings to assist with demand for TT 2015.

The charter has allowed the Steam Packet Company to revise its schedule and increase the number of sailings. An extra four return sailings have been added to the schedule from the Northern Irish port of Larne while Manannan will operate an additional five Liverpool returns during the TT.

Bookings for the additional sailings open at 8.30am on Monday, 3rd November, and demand is expected to be high.

The Steam Packet Company had already increased capacity for motorcycles to travel to the Island for the annual road racing festival with the announcement earlier this year that a specially-built mezzanine deck will be in place on the Manannan during the TT. These extra spaces have proved very popular, with many peak days already sold out.

Chartered freight vessel MV Arrow will also once again be in service during the TT, freeing up Ben-my-Chree to accommodate additional vehicles.

Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: 'We are constantly looking at ways we can help the TT grow as an event by working round the clock during the event and ensuring we do everything possible to meet as much demand as we can.

'There was a marked increase in demand when bookings for the 2015 TT opened in May, with first day bookings up 41% on the previous year and many sailings for the period virtually sold out within just days.

'One of the biggest areas of demand is from people wanting to bring their motorcycles, and we have responded to that by making a substantial investment in a mezzanine deck which will increase motorcycle capacity on Manannan by 30%.

'We have been in discussions with P&O for several months awaiting the finalisation of their schedules before confirming the charter of Express and completing our TT timetable.

'We are delighted that the charter of P&O Express has allowed us to add additional sailings from Northern Ireland and on the popular Liverpool route.'

He added: 'The extra sailings will be available to book on Monday 3rd November and we will have as many staff as possible available to deal with inquiries to assist passengers secure their travel so they can come and experience the unique action and atmosphere of the TT.'

To book visit www.steam-packet.com or call 661661 (Isle of Man), 08722 992 992* (UK) or 0044 8722 992 992* (ROI & Outside UK). *Calls to these numbers are charged at 10 pence per minute including VAT from a BT landline, calls from other networks and mobile operators may vary.

Halloween events on next weekend include the Unwanted MCC's Spooktacular Weekend, Halloween Special Bike night @ the Ace and Havoc MCC Halloween Rock Night...

Also the Original Cruisers Halloween Extravaganza, 6th - 9th November held at Pontins, Southport (The lovely ladies pictured were there)

See the Whats On section for ghoulish events