British motorcycle racer Guy Martin will make his debut at this year’s Footman James Classic Motorbike Show held at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November. Guy, who is best known for his road racing career as well as his obsession with engineering, will meet motorcycle fans and sign autographs on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th.

Guy started his career at Team Racing and made a successful debut in the Isle of Man TT. He later moved to AIM Yamaha where he competed in the British Supersport Championship before moving to Hydrex Honda. After four years at Hydrex Honda and a year with Wilson Craig Honda, Guy switched to Relentless Suzuki before joining Tyco Suzuki for the 2012 season. He also starred in the motorcycling documentary film TT3D: Closer to the Edge following the leading riders in the 2010 Isle of Man TT races.

Outside of motorcycle racing, having started messing withmotors at the age of five – albeit a lawnmower, Guy has a passion for all things mechanical. He became a household name with the BBC1 Series ‘The Boat That Guy Built’ reaching nine million viewers a week. Guy’s new Channel 4 series ‘Building Britain’ is also set to be a huge success. Each week Guy will help a team of volunteers restore an iconic machine or buildingfrom Britain's industrial past, and through each structure he will tell thestory of a landmark in making the Britain we recognise today: the railways, the factories, the docks, the mines, the garden and the holiday.

Guy still works on the trucks, now for Moody International, likes a good cup of tea, driving his Transit van and wearing shorts all year. However as Guy has gotolder, his interests have also widened– in his words he has ‘evolved.’ Alongside the motorbike racing he is now also serious about racing mountainbikes, competing in 24-hour endurance races and downhill international races.

Visitors can find Guy on the Live Motorbike Stage where host Steve Berry will interview him about his career and the bikes he has in his own collection – and those he wants to add. There will also be a chance for visitors to ask their own questions in a Q&A session. Steve will also be interviewing motorcycle legends such as Mick Grant and Eric Boocock.

Ticket prices range from £10 when purchased in advance. For more information on the Footman James Classic Motorbike Show, visit www.classicmotorbikeshow.com

Over 6 thousand of you, well 6,007 of you to be exact, turned up at the Farmyard gates and demanded to get down in the mud and party!

If you talk to any event supplier, trader or caterer, 2012 has been a washout. Events have been cancelled all over the UK, but not us and not you, we opened our gates and you rode from all points of the UK, Ireland and even Europe to come to a sodden North Yorkshire. Hats off to you, it has to be said, well done! And you didn't moan or complain, you just got on with it and got slaughtered... Nutters the lot of you!

If in your panic to get pissed you missed your chance to visit the product tent, we have a bit left, T-shirts, vests, strappy tops, badges, ect.

Just ring Neil on the Free phone Number 0800 988 3199 and he will take your order and post it to you.

So moving on. The Yorkshire Pudding Rally www.yorkshirepuddingrally.com 3 to the 5/8/12 is full, sold out, no tickets left, none on the gate as its pre-book.

It was ‘A close-run thing’ to quote the Duke of Wellington, but hard work and determination enabled 1000 Bikes to ‘happen’ and to be another triumph.

There was much last-minute activity to overcome the effects of the week’s almost continuous rain prior to the event and this was justified by more than 1, 300 bikes and riders on the track over the weekend.  Everything was represented, from the Single-speed Triumph of Jacqueline Bickerstaff which was celebrating its 100th birthday to the up-to-the-minute cutting edge Ducati-engined “Vyrus” of Alto Engineering.

Apart from a couple of brief showers on both Saturday & Sunday afternoon the track remained dry – which is more than could be said for nearly everywhere else! Copious application of lorry-loads of tree bark chippings saved the day but it has to be admitted that the grass areas outfield remained damp.

In spite of Friday’s adversity during set-up the Avenue of (over 50) Clubs was a vibrant hive of enthusiasm and activity and the “jumblers” overcame unavoidable changes in locations with stoic resolve (after Banbury & most other outdoor events this year they will be getting used to it)!

Both the road paddock & race paddock’s had many interesting machines on display. One of the highlights must have been the trio of “Irvine Vincents” from Australia- which went just as impressively as they looked. Courtesy of event partner Michelin many people had come to witness the return to Mallory Park of GP legend Kevin Schwantz who showed that he had lost none of his speed when he put in some extremely quick laps on an ex-works Suzuki RGV500 during Sunday afternoons Past Masters feature.

Prior to this Kevin was a last minute entrant in Saturday’s Pre-65 Trial when he put in a great “mud plugging” performance on a borrowed 197cc Francis Barnett.

Events like 1000 Bikes do not just ‘happen’ apart from the months of planning and preparation the “day” of the event relies on the dedication and professionalism of many volunteers & enthusiasts without whom these things are not possible!

The VMCC Festival of 1000 Bikes gives 4 awards every year and this becomes more and more difficult as the standards achieved are higher and higher.

This year, the award for the Classic Motorcycle Magazine Best Pre-War machine went to Bryn Morley for his immaculate 1928 New Hudson Power Plus.

The Old Bike Mart best Post-War machine award (and this is the most difficult category to judge!) went to Stuart Elkes with his 1963 Francis-Barnett “Fulmar Sports”.

Chuck Jackson’s stunning 1954 Vincent ‘Egli’ took the Ace Cafe award for the Best Cafe racer and the closely contested prize for the Classic Racer Magazine best club stand went to the Yamaha LC Club.

The VMCC Festival of 1000 Bikes is supported by some of the biggest names in the old bike movement including Footman James Insurance Brokers, Bonhams Auctioneers, Mortons Motorcycle Media, the National Motorcycle Museum, Norton Motorcycles, Michelin Tyre PLC, Ducati UK as well as corporate partner Eriks UK.

www.vmcc.net/1000bikes

Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy announced at the start of July 2012, the opening of two new bus lanes in Belfast city centre, on Oxford Street and East Bridge Street, both of which will allow access for motorcycles.
 
The Minister said: “The new bus lanes are part of the Belfast on the Move Transport Masterplan and will give priority to buses. The lanes will also be available to motorcycles, bicycles and Belfast public hire taxis. Drivers should take extra care when travelling in the city centre area until they are familiar with the new traffic management arrangements.”
 
The new bus lanes opened on Thursday 5th July 2012.

The Oxford Street bus lanes will give priority to buses between Queen’s Bridge and May Street from 7.00am - 7.00pm, Monday to Saturday.
 
The East Bridge Street bus lane will be in operation Monday - Friday 7.30-9.30am and 3.30-6.30pm and will assist buses approaching from the east from incurring delays at the signalised junctions.
 
Both bus lanes will be clearly delineated with solid white lines and associated signs.
 
The Minister also said: “Associated works are now underway in May Street, Donegall Square South and Howard Street, to provide further bus priority measures over the summer months.”
 
These works include;
 
·         the reconfiguration of the pedestrian facilities at the junction of Bedford Street

·         the provision of new traffic signals at Donegall Square South / Linenhall Street, including a bus gate

·         one way traffic northbound on Linenhall Street between James Street South and Donegall Square South and

·         one way traffic northbound on Alfred Street between Sussex Place and May Street.

The Minister added: “Further traffic management works are planned across the city centre until Summer 2013 for the full implementation of the ‘Sustainable Transport Enabling Measures’ (STEM).
 
“Ongoing works at Grosvenor Road / Durham Street and Sandy Row / Hope Street will provide an alternative south-north bypass of the city centre via Hope Street, Sandy Row and Durham Street. These works are due to be completed later in the summer.”

The STEM proposals include:
 
The re-routing of northbound through traffic from Great Victoria Street onto Hope Street and Durham Street with south bound traffic continuing to use Great Victoria Street. Grosvenor Road will become one-way westbound and College Square North one-way eastbound.
 
The redistribution of existing road space in city centre streets to provide extensive bus priority measures for use by public transport, taxis and cyclists.
 
The delivery of 20 new controlled pedestrian crossing points; about 2.6km of new bus lanes which will also accommodate cyclists and taxis; 340m of new dedicated service bays; 1km of new dedicated cycle lanes; and over 40 additional dedicated disabled parking bays.

At Right To Ride we have been assured that motorcycles (Powered Two Wheelers – Motorcycles – Scooters – mopeds) will have the necessary access within these proposals.
 
Original Source

Information
 
Further details are available on the ‘Belfast on the Move’ website 
 
Right To Ride - Bikes In Bus Lanes

Read this article leave comments on Right To Ride

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