The leisure and tourism industry is missing out on the biker pound from European travellers as a new MCI analysis of official statistics shows that almost four times as many British bikers cross the Channel for their holidays as come the other way.

100,000 independent bikers travel abroad by ferry or the channel tunnel for their holidays in Europe, whereas only 23,000 European riders visit the UK.

According to the MCI's analysis, if UK tourist businesses could attract the same number of bikers to the UK as leave the UK for holidays, over £30 million pounds per week could be generated.

There are many British icons that will appeal to European bikers from enjoying the best of British food, local delicacies and the full English breakfast , to the fantastic scenery and the many historical heritage sites including the legendary biker venue the Ace Café.

Research carried out by the Motor Cycle Industry Association reveals that UK bikers are already a lucrative market as they contribute nearly £400 million to UK tourism.

In its survey of more than 2,000 riders and non-riders from across the UK, the MCI found that 84% of the UK's 1.5 million riders prefer to holiday by motorcycle for holidays, short breaks and days out - even though the majority have access to a car.

One-quarter of riders use motorcycles as their preferred mode of transport to enjoy days-out in the UK. One-in-six take weekend short-breaks by bike and one-in-fifteen holiday on two-wheels . The average spend by motorcyclists is £68 per day on accommodation, food and entertainment.

In the current economic climate, where the tourism industry is encouraging British people to enjoy a 'staycation', it would seem wise to capitalise on the potential European bike market too.

MCI Spokesperson, Sheila Rainger said "We are currently attracting a very low percentage of European riders. If we could attract the same number of bikers to the UK as leave the UK for holidays the industry could potentially generate over £30 million in income for every week they spent on holiday in the UK.

"Holidaying by bike is an excellent way of seeing more of the UK's tourist attractions and stunning scenery at your own convenience.  It contributes a significant amount to local and national tourism and now is a good time for the UK to try and open this up to markets further afield."   Mark Wilsmore of Ace Cafe London said "As a destination venue, motorcycle tourism is increasingly important.  At the cafe we ensure that we give riders a reason to get out and enjoy riding their bikes and visit us".

For information about the Get On campaign visit: www.geton.co.uk

Motorcyclists are at a much greater risk of death or serious injury than other road users. 

Despite forming only 1% of road traffic in the UK, motorcyclists account for 18% of road deaths and serious injuries. It is a sad yet true fact that 1 in 4 Motorcyclists will be involved in an accident and of those only 1 in 5 will be at fault.*

It will be of no surprise that the most common reason for a motorcycle accident, is the failure of a motorist to see the motorcyclist, with 66% of all motorcycles involved in accidents being reported as 'at a junction' ** .   When there was no other involvement the rate was at 23%. The main reasons being  f ailing to look properly, loss of control, carelessness or in a hurry and even peer pressure when riding in a group.

Motorcycle riders and passengers have the right to complain for a large amount of these accidents.

Leading and Following Accident Scenarios include:

* Two motorcyclists are travelling one behind the other. The first motorcyclist failed to take a left-hand bend and collided with an oncoming car sustaining fatal injuries.  The first motorcyclist was found to be negligent. 
The second motorcyclist was travelling close behind the first and reacted to the collision in front of him.  As a result, he slid across the road.  It was held that if the second motorcyclist had allowed a few more yards space, he may have had time to react to the emergency situation and avoid the necessity of an instinctive reaction of slamming on his brakes and losing control. 

The first motorcyclist was found at fault for the accident, but the second motorcyclist’s award was reduced by 20% as he was travelling so close as to the first motorcyclist to be found partly to blame.

* Two motorcyclists agreed between them that as one knew the road he would “lead”.  The other followed at a distance of approximately 8 yards.  The lead motorcyclist mistook the road and ended up on waste ground.  The second bike followed colliding with the first. 

 It was held that the first motorcyclist was negligent and there was a duty on him not to mislead the following rider.

Other areas for following up a claim include:

• Spillage of diesel

• Debris and mud

• Missing grid covers

• Potholes

* Taken from the DfT Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics: 2008 Edition

One of the original Mums who helped launch Afghan Heroes is destined to ride on Route 66. Carol Blackpool's pledge is to raise as much money as she possibly can, having never really been into motorbikes or ridden one, this will be an epic journey for her.

Carol says "Together with some lovely people I will be riding along Route 66 also known as ' The Mother Road '. We are raising money for AFGHAN HEROES. As we are doing this I will be thinking of my son John Brackpool who sadly died in Afghanistan last year and who I miss terribly. We will also be thinking of all the fallen, all the injured and all the soldiers still serving. If you would like to sponsor us please follow the link. Thank you. To all the soldiers in the sand STAY SAFE xx"

To sponsor Carol visit www.bmycharity.com/Route66HarleyTour

Motorbike superstar Carl Fogarty was a huge hit with fans who travelled from far and wide to see him in Llangollen over the weekend.

The four times World Superbike Champion and multiple TT winner was the star attraction at the popular Motorbike Show.

Thousands of bike fans descended on the Royal International Pavilion with some coming from Germany, France and Holland.

Winning the title was a “dream come true” for Lianne Roberts, 18, who lives in Treuddyn.

She said: “I am very much into bikes and I’ve got a Yamaha FS1E or a Fizzy which is a really old style bike. I love new bikes but I’ve got a soft spot for old bikes. My dad’s been into bikes since he was young and I started riding pillion when I was quite young and I really got into them. It is a real-life passion, I really do love bikes. Before I was going to be a beautician, I was going to be a mechanic. It was a real pleasure to meet Carl Fogarty. Being such a huge star, you’d think he’d be big headed – but he’s not. He’s lovely.”

For much of the time, the bike racing legend was swarmed by adoring fans wanting a chat and to get his autograph – and he loved every second.

Carl said: “It’s always nice to come to Wales and I’ve always had a good following here so it’s good to be back here again. There’s a really big crowd here and it’s a very, very good show. I know Llangollen pretty well and have done some trial riding around the area in the past. I have also got a place on Anglesey.”

During the show he took part in a question and answer session with local rider Paul Owen who was awarded the inaugural Spirit of the TT Award at this year’s races.

Paul was following his close friend, New Zealander Paul Dobbs, during the Supersport race at this year’s June TT when Dobbs crashed.

Paul said: “It was good to spend a bit of time with Carl. I’m now where he started off and he is an inspiration to me. He knows what it means to go to the Isle of Man, spend thousands of pounds and then sacrifice a race to try and save somebody. I’d like to think that somebody would stop for me if I had an accident like that.”

There was a special award for the Best Bike in Show given in memory of well-known and popular Llangollen motorcyclist Victor Jones, who died recently, aged just 59. 

Victor, of Pengwern, who used to ride a classic 1964 Matchless 650cc and was a huge fan of classic bikes, gave up his job in the building industry to care for his brother Frank when he started to suffer from impaired vision

Appropriately, the award was one by somebody who knew Victor very well. Keith Owen, who hails from Llangollen but now lives in Wrexham, took the prize for his beautifully restored Triumph Bonneville American Export which was made in 1969.

Keith said:  “It means an awful lot to me to win this award with me being a Llangollen boy. What made it even more special was that I won the Victor Jones Memorial Trophy because he was great Llangollen character. I knew him very well and he is sadly missed.”

It was also the perfect opportunity for Nick Critchley, the Heather and Hillforts Project’s Moorland Field Officer, to speak to members of the biking fraternity.

He was there with representatives of the countryside charity, Tread Lightly, to meet bikers and encourage them to sign up to the campaign to promote responsible off-roading on two wheels and four.

He said: “People have been coming up and chatting and I think they are supportive of what we are doing. Our message is very positive and people are very keen to hear that motorbikes aren’t all bad. There are lots of places where they can go and we encourage them to use the legal rights of way network.”

Organiser David Green, the managing director of Xuberance Events, was thrilled that the weekend had been such a huge success.

He said: “We’ve had a fantastic turn-out. “We’ve got bikers who’ve travelled from all across the UK and beyond, including some from Germany, France and Holland. At the same time, we’ve had huge support from the local biking fraternity who’ve brought their bikes here as well. Carl Fogarty has been an absolute pleasure, he’s been walking around signing autographs, meeting people and sharing his stories. He’s an absolute legend and it shows the progression that the Motorbike Show has made over the past three years.”