Motorcyclists have been told they can legally wear a high-visibility vest that resembles police uniform. The yellow bibs have the word ‘polite’ printed on the back in large capital letters, along with a strip of blue-and-white crosshatching similar to designs traditionally worn by police. Cyclists in London already wear them to get drivers to give them more space, after Met ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 14 June 2013
I’m experiencing mild frustration at some of the preconceptions I’ve encountered about the Burgman. If you’ve read my replies to reader comments under my previous blog entries, you may have detected a hint of defensiveness. Although I’m really enjoying using the Burgman, for example, people keep telling me to get rid of it. So far five reader comments have ...
- Motorcycle News
- First rides & tests
- 13 June 2013
I got a shock when I saw the price of new standard rear tyre for the Burgman 650 ABS Executive from a Suzuki dealer: £184 plus £30 for fitting. The first one has just been replaced during the 4000 mile service, which costs £135. So that’s a total of £349. I do 800 miles a week commuting to ...
- Motorcycle News
- 04 June 2013
The Manx government has said there are no plans for a national speed limit after a coroner accused it of “putting innocent lives at unacceptable risk”. Coroner of Inquests John Needham said the government had a duty “to protect all people sometimes from risks that they wish to impose upon themselves”.He was speaking at the inquest of a motorcyclist who ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 17 May 2013
Tucano Urbano Nano Shoe Covers, £33.99 Tester: Steve Farrell Time/miles: 2000 miles/18 months What’s good? These really do make old boots waterproof again. They fold up into a zip bag not much bigger than a fat wallet, which is why they have ‘Nano’ in the name. They’re no less waterproof for it. I’ve never known them to let in a ...
- Motorcycle Products
- Parts & accessories
- 13 May 2013
Plans to increase fines for using a phone while driving need to be backed up by tougher enforcement, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Fixed penalty fines for a variety of motoring offences will rise from £60 to £90, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has indicated. The new fine will apply to using a phone while driving, whether to make ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 10 May 2013
Six years ago, this British design was going to be the future of superbikes. So where is it? The trouble with bold claims is they can come back to haunt you. If you say you’re making the fastest, lightest and best-ever handling motorcycle, for example, people might be forgiven for asking, six years later (five after an auspicious London show ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 04 May 2013
In 1999, Ian Coates left his home in Yorkshire and flew to South Africa to collect a Land Rover for a friend and bring it back to England. The mission was scuppered by visa problems, and he got his wife to ship his Honda Africa Twin to Johannesburg so he could ride back by a different route. Fourteen years later, ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 28 March 2013
A policewoman who caused a crash that killed a motorcyclist while talking on her phone has resigned. Collette Carpenter stepped down after the Crown Prosecution Services’ decision not to charge her was reported in the national press. Carpenter was talking on her phone when she pulled into the path of motorcyclist David Bartholomew, 54, an inquest heard. But the CPS ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 01 March 2013
A policewoman who caused a crash that killed a motorcyclist while talking on her phone has escaped prosecution after saying the device was in her lap. The Crown Prosecution Service says there is not enough evidence that Collette Carpenter, 23, committed an offence. Carpenter, a special constable who has handed out at least six fines for using a phone while ...
- Motorcycle News
- General news
- 19 February 2013
