Summer Sun

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m in absolute heaven at the moment with the weather being so lovely…

Being able to ride about in this sun is what life is all about as far as I’m concerned, mind you I ride all year round but not getting cold or wet for a while makes the winter months almost bearable

Just a couple of things though..

Make sure you are drinking plenty and are fully hydrated, as even being slightly dehyrated can cause your concentration levels to drop quite considerably.

Make sure you are fully aware of your surroundings on the road, and the actions of other road users, as the heat may make make some a bit irritable..

Try to stay as cool as you possibly can, open up all and any vents on your jacket if it has them..

But above all ride safe……. And enjoy the sun while it lasts!

Bulldog Bash – Police STILL Trying To Halt Event

The saga continues…..

Police Chiefs in Warwickshire have stated they will do “all within it’s power” to stop the 2009 Bulldog Bash taking place because of the escalation of gang warfare between rival biker gangs.  Apparently the police are worried that the event will be plagued with violence, after jail terms were handed out to the seven gang members involved in the brawl at Birmingham Airport in January last year.  They also claim that the Hells Angels are using the event to raise money for ‘organised crime’.

Even though the event has been given the go ahead by Stratford-Upon-Avon Council for the next ten years, the police are still taking legal advice in order to close the Bash down.  Assistant Chief Constable, Bill Holland has told the Birmingham Mail

“The ingrained hatred between the gangs has continued and become more entrenched. A pattern can be seen to emerge between incidents at the Bulldog Bash and developments worldwide within the motorcycle club community.  When you have a major event it becomes a symbolic target and must be considered at risk of attack.  The Bulldog Bash is a Hells Angels’ event, run by the Hells Angels for the Hells Angels. It raises a significant sum of money for an organised crime group. In no way can the Bulldog Bash disassociate itself from the Hells Angels.”

and also

“We are still hopeful through the courts of getting the licence for the event removed.”

Here a few things about this whole situation which ‘get my goat’ as it were.. Historically there has been very little trouble at the Bulldog, the unfortunate death of Mr Tobin took place AWAY from the event and also this ‘legal advice’ is presumably costing the tax paying people of Warwickshire a few quid!

Motorcycle Parking Charges – Coming To A Town Near You!

I’ve been doing a bit of reading about the motorcycle parking charges in London and came across some rather interesting information this morning..

Apparently there are ‘murmurs’ going round a few other councils about the possibility of introducing parking charges for bikes.  These other councils are watching Westminster to see how well the scheme is introduced, and what the outcome is.

Considering that Westminster would have raked in approximately £4,000,000 (yep you did read that correctly £4 MILLION) this year, you can bet that other councils are gleefully rubbing their hands together at the thought of all that possible extra income they could get their grubby little mitts on!

I personally love the fact that I can park for free in my home town, and would be at the forefront of protestors if there was a possibility I would have to pay.  My bike puts out less emmissions, takes up so much less space than a car in a car park, and gets me about a damn sight easier than the poor buggers stuck in the traffic queues.  In an age where we are told to use less fuel, reduce Co2 emmissions etc, I think its outrageous that parking fees should be levied to those who are doing their bit.  The fact we ride bikes because we love them has bugger all to do with anything as far as I’m concerned, we are still contributing less as far as congestion, emissions, etc., than car drivers!

Here is a list of the councils and other organisations who are murmuring about bike parking charges:

City of York
Birmingham City
Salisbury
Cheltenham
Manchester
Harrow
Lincoln
Colchester
Oxford
Darlington BC
NCP car parks
Euro car parks
CP Plus
Apcoa UK

If you live in one of these towns, use the car parks, or commute to work in one of these towns everyday, make sure to keep an eye on what your local council is doing.  Otherwise you too may, one day, see a sign like this where you go to park your bike up.

To check out the latest on the No To The Bike Parking Tax campaign, follow the link

No To The Bike Parking Tax

First there was MONDAY MAYHEM…..

Then there was LOOPY TUESDAY

Next up will be OBJECTION WEDNESDAY!!!!

NEXT DEMO: WEDS, 1ST OF JULY! – “OBJECTION WEDNESDAY!”

Weds, 1st July 09 Meet GOLDEN SQUARE, W1 (ROUTE MAP) between 5.45pm and 6.20pm, leaving at 6:30pm for ride to Westminster City Hall to arrive at 7pm…

Next up is another round of objections against the motorcycle/scooter parking tax scheme in Westminster City Council. In their attempt to make the scheme permanent (however permanent does not mean permanent), WCC by law, have to apply for a new traffic order and then open this new traffic order to objections, the objection window is 3 weeks from 11th June 09 to 2nd July 09.

On the eve of the final day for objections we will be organising a MEGA OBJECTION HAND IN DEMO right out side Westminster City Hall, Victoria St, SW1, (taking it back to the source of the problem, we haven’t forgotten Danny “Boy” Chalkley either), do clear your diaries on the 1st July, WE NEED YOU THERE. This is one of the few occasions when anybody truly against this tax can have their say, and to have that opinion officially noted.

DOWNLOAD THE OBJECTION FORM (PDF).

Print it out fill it in, bring it along to the demo on the day when we will be handing them in to Westminster City Hall one by one. Let’s make them work! Get has many people as you know to fill this form in, we need thousands upon thousands to object. Remember, this is the thin end of the wedge, WESTMINSTER NOW YOUR COUNCIL NEXT!

Fliers for 1st July 09 “Objection Wednesday”

• 1st July 09 demo strips leaflets — x8 to a page. [PDF Download]
• 1st July 09 demo poster [PDF Download]

To stay informed, sign up to our email alerts using the small form on the right, we will send weekly campaign updates, WE WILL NEVER SPAM. Spread the word!

Source

Devon County Council Charges Biker £505 For Road Signs Used At The Scene Of His Accident

Almost TWO years after having an accident, a motorcyclist who spent two weeks in intensive care after suffering severe head injuries, has been sent a bill for £505.34….. for the use of 16 road cones, 4 road closure signs, 7 sandbags and 4 diversion signs!

The bill, received by Alex Hall, was sent by the council using ‘discretionary powers’ apparently granted under the Highways Act.  Mr Hall who pleaded guilty to careless driving after the accident had already paid a fine of £140, plus costs which INCLUDED £240 for clean up and recovery! He also received 5 points on his licence.

While the council claims it is standard practice to recover these costs, the Institute of Advanced Motorists says it has never come across it.

A Devon County Council spokesman said:

“It’s not the first time we’ve recovered costs of remedial work from a motorist. Councils are entitled to recover the costs of remedial works from any person responsible for damage, spillage or debris on the highway. This is in accordance with the Highways Act 1980.

Apparently the council notified Mr. Hall in September 2008 that there would be a charge for the use of the signs, etc., and the invoice was sent out in December.  Is it just me or is that an excessively long wait by the council?

Mr. Hall said of the unexpected bill:

“I can’t quite believe it. I thought all the expenses I’d already paid two years ago would mean an end to this horrid ordeal.

“It is a ridiculous saga and it’s causing me further trauma . . . £505 is a huge amount of money for me. I have just recently finished an apprenticeship in aircraft engineering and I’ve not been earning much money, so to me every penny counts.”

The cost of the use of the claim is not covered under Mr. Halls Insurance and he is reluctantly agreeing  to pay the bill off in instalments.

If anyone else has had this happen please add a comment, as it is not something I’ve heard of before..
Source

GirlsBike2 Trackday At Rockingham – 2nd August 2009

GirlsBike2, in conjunction with No Limits Trackdays,  have organised a charity trackday on the 2nd August 2009 at Rockingham.  All proceeds will go to Breast Cancer research.  It is open to girls and their partners and will have a Novice, Intermediate & Fast groups.

Priced at £129 the day includes free instruction, which is especialy good if it is your first time at a track

So if you fancy a trackday which won’t break the bank why not give them a ring..

Some Of The Funny Photos From Our Weekend

Ok.. So I got a bit camera happy at the weekend and once I got back home and was looking at the photos a few…. ermm.. comments came to mind

So here are a few more photos… ermm.. with captions!!!

I hope you enjoy

Bike Photos From Our Get Together!

Following on from yesterdays post about my weekend get together, I thought I’d show you some of the bike photos I took

Bucko’s 2003 954 Fireblade

H2olo’s 2008 Fireblade

Kiwiboys 2009 CBR1000RR

My CBR400RR And Kiwiboys 2009 CBR1000RR And The Duke

In The Background

The Bikes Chained Up In the Car Park!

Vex’s 1999 Fireblade

SunRiders 2009 Repsol

A Quick Smoke Break At Chipping Norton

In The Bike Park At Stratford-Upon Avon

An Excellent Weekend Was Had By All!

I’ve been a member of Fireblades.Org, a motorcycle forum which covers not just Fireblades but pretty much everything on two wheels, for over a year now and this weekend just gone we held the first meet up for some of the UK members!

Here are a few piccys of my weekend.. We all had a wonderful time!

Sideshow Bob And Jazzy

Kiwiboy and h2olo

Left to right

Sideshow Bob, SunRider, StrumminRonin, Vex and Bucko

Vex

Left to right

Sideshow Bob, SunRider, h2olo, Vex, Kiwiboy, StrumminRonin, Bucko

The next gathering is planned for Stormin’ The Castle in September!  I can’t wait!

My Birthday Pressie Arrived Today!

Yaaaayyyyy…

My birthday pressie arrived today, a pair of Draggin Jeans Camos in the Molten Red and I absolutely love them!

Fit wise (size 10/28″ waist) they are spot on for me, they are really comfortable when riding and I definitely felt a lot cooler in them on the way back from the bike shop after picking them up.

Ermm… Just in case you were wondering I did wear my leather trousers on my bike to the shop (tehehe!) but just had to wear the new trousers home! I couldn’t wait and kept them on after trying them on to make sure they fitted ok

Oh, by the way, that isn’t me in the photo, I’m more of a girl type shape Mind you, I wouldn’t mind having that bike though!

They cost £89.99 at one of my local bike shops, Brackley Yamaha

Here is a bit about them from Draggin Jeans’ website.

Features & Benefits

• Permanently lined with soft Kevlar® lining.
• Made from the best quality heavy weight drill fabric – very comfortable to wear.
• Designed from the most popular fitting styles for men and women.
• Cut long in the legs.
• Fully breathable.
• Fully machine washable.
• Extra strong zip used.
• Our own precision engineered button.
• Large Velcro fastened pockets at knees, 2 pockets at waist, 2 pockets on backside.

They come in a range of colours as well, so there is plenty to choose from and you will probably find a pair which will go with your bike, or at least not clash with it.  Maybe that’s a girl thing but you never know, it may be important to guys too!

• Flame Orange
• Arctic Blue
• Urban
• Desert
• Jungle Green
• Candy
• Stingers Yellow
• and of course my Molten Red!

I hope I never have to really ‘test’ how good they are, but if you want to check out how they stand up to tarmac check this out!

Product Testing

That’s a pretty fair product test, don’t you think!!!

I’m one very happy lady this evening..