United States - While the “motorcycle community”, from riders organisation, riders, motorcycle industry, even ourselves at Motorcycle Minds, talk up the congestion busting qualities of motorcycles and the environmentally sustainable qualities of Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs), one motorcycle manufacturer has been caught up in an emissions scandal. Reminiscent of a recent scandal in which diesel engines exceeded official emissions, the group of companies known collectively as Harley-Davidson has been required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. … [Read more...]
Trikes & Helmets – To Wear or Not To Wear?
Northern Ireland – This article aims to clarify the situation regarding a proposed helmet law for trike riders in Northern Ireland, following a recent claim by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) that this proposal has been dropped thanks to their successful lobbying. In June 2015 the Road Safety and Vehicle Regulation Division of the then Department of the Environment (DOE) [1] issued a public consultation regarding a – “ Proposal for the Mandatory Wearing of Helmets on Motor Tricycles”, meaning that if the proposal came about the wearing of helmets for riders of and … [Read more...]
FEMA – Emissions Survey
Europe – The Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) is asking motorcyclists to fill out its survey on emissions! With growing pressure from city councils on older motorcycles with less than Euro 3 (built in 2006 and earlier) and threats or even concrete plans to ban them from cities, or toll them like in Paris, London and several Italian cities, we are experiencing a growing pressure to switch from older motorcycles to new, less fuel consumption and cleaner motorcycles. At Motorcycle Minds we ask what is this Euro 3 that is referred to? “Starting at the … [Read more...]
FIM Europe Road Safety Conference – Kavala (Greece)
Europe - In our transition of “retiring” from Right to Ride in Northern Ireland to the South West of France, to our gradual return through Motorcycle Minds, we recall all the conferences we attended with varying degrees of interest, though generally with the real conversations taking place over lunch or a couple of post conference aperitifs. As we kick off Motorcycle Minds, we can report on one that has just taken place - the 22nd FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Europe Congress which hosted the 10th edition of the Road Safety Conference at Kavala … [Read more...]
All Relevant Dynamic Parameters
Austria - The research groups “Vehicle Dynamics” at TU-Wien (Institute of Mechanics and Mechatronics - Vienna University of Technology) and “Transportation Infrastructure Technologies” at AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology) have advanced their research co-operation in the field of vehicle (motorcycle) accident research. Part of the previous research and experimental work focused on the interaction between motorcycle riders and their motorcycle with the use of an instrumented motorcycle. A Honda CB 500 was used, which was able to measure the dynamics of brake reaction … [Read more...]
A Question Of Identity
United Kingdom – A furious Welsh motorcycling colleague of mine has just telephoned me to say that thieves had stolen 4 rare motorcycles from his almost unique collection of 12 and carried them away would you believe in his recently restored classic Bedford van. It would appear they had simply lifted them through the roof of his garage using a JCB that had itself been stolen locally a few hours earlier. What he was really upset about was that some of his friends had spotted his bikes in pieces at a classic bike event some one hundred miles away and were according to their … [Read more...]
Identity Crisis
United Kingdom – With identity fraud on most peoples minds nowadays, we should take comfort in the fact that we are all, quite unique, but I expect we all know that anyway. If we chose to never communicate with anyone ever again, lose our memory or heaven forbid die, someone should be able to find out who we are or were. An amalgam of our age, gender, description, blood, marks and injuries are not definitive but coupled with our teeth, fingerprints and DNA, which are individual only to us, then we are quite simply unique. So to is our motorcycle, providing of course that … [Read more...]
