Letters
Your thoughts, opinions & adventures
Seen the light
I am one of the silent majority and have been on and around motorbikes since I was 9 years old but in 1997 I had a crash, my only spill in over 40 years of riding, when I was hit from behind by a driver as a result of which I was off the road for seven years. I finally got back in 2004 and joined NABD and MAG.
I say I'm one of the silent majority because up till my spill I simply enjoyed my riding and like many, I had a touch of 'head in a bucket' syndrome.
Being deprived of my freedom for so long made me do some long and hard thinking and the thought of not being able to ride again made me wonder if life was really worth living. In that seven years, biking moved on leaving behind it Martin Bangamann, leg protectors etc. I now read with dismay that the enemy is still out there. When I listen to Alistair Darling piously spouting figures massaged by a researcher to try to prove his point, then I think....who the hell cuts his hair f'r gawd's sake? and, is he breaking in those eyebrows for a pit pony or wot?
I am proud to be a member of MAG, wear my badges with pride and support my local MAG group (West Oxon) when I can.
Rather like Saul of Tarsus my conversion came late but there are many of our biking brothers and sisters who are ignorant of the fact that if we allow men like Darling a free hand and an uncriticised voice we will become an endangered species.
Fred Hill may be thought of as a dinosaur these days but his spirit of peaceful non compliance lives on.
Ghandi changed the human face of India and achieved self-determination for the people. I am certain in my bones that MAG marches to the beat of that same drum.
I want my granddaughters to be able to enjoy the feeling of freedom which is unique to the great brother and sisterhood of motorcycling. I want my grandson to feel the buzz of getting out on the road on his first machine.
If you are not a MAG member already then ask yourself if you can continue fiddling whilst the clock is ticking. Should legislation sound our death-knell then it will be too late to look startled and say "shee-it....what happened??".
Ride on.......it ain't over till its over.
Jimmy the Gramp
Caldarium MCC
Congratulations
Just wanted to congratulate you and the team on the new look magazine - excellent! An extremely interesting and useful publication, only much easier to read and, as always, addresses the real-world of motorcycling and great people involved in it. Don't know how you guys find the time for all this but please keep it up.
All the best
Richard Lawson
MAG Member and Thames Valley HOG member
More praise
Hello, just finished the first "THE ROAD" and I like it a lot, much better format and just as well put together as "STREETBIKER". Not sure about "Stez sez." I was involved in the bike biz, the now defunct Celtic Customs with Neil D, and it is not nearly as grim as Stez makes out but hopefully he will lighten up in future, very pleased to see the helmet issue getting more inches lately. I recently got pinched, on a fizzy of all things.
Dave
What all mags should be
I'd like to congratulate you on the new magazine 'The Road'; it's what all 'bike magazines should be like. I'm totally fed up of reading about high cost Harleys in one monthly, I'm not much of a sports fan so that rules out another and others have become just so many more 'lads' mags that I just don't bother with them.
It's good to read about people and their 'real' bikes and the issues that affect us all.
Thanks for the good work, both with the Magazine and Riders' Rights.
Chris Shipley
Sports bikers
I've been a really committed member of MAG in the past. I was a local rep for a number of years, the first NotAvon rep - and have had posts on Bristol's and the South West Region's committees. However I left MAG a few years ago basically due to disillusionment with a future for MAG focussed on customs and cruisers and with a lack of innovation in broadening MAG's appeal to non-"lifestyle" bikers.
I still meet up with Not Avon and Bristol from time to time and thoroughly enjoyed the Bristol Bike Show, so much so that I re-joined at the MAG stand and thought I'd see what changes had been made. I was quite excited to receive the new look magazine today, enjoyed the change and I must say congratulations on putting together a quality publication. The problem I have is that as a sports bike enthusiast the message that MAG portrays seems to positively discourage me. Now I know that you're into freedom of expression, but is it really appropriate not to edit such utter crap as Monty's letter? "I suspect we have the power rangers on their pretend-racers with shitting-frog riding positions and 'race cans' to thank for riding about in the manner which such a machine is bound to encourage."
This is one person's opinion maybe but it's your choice what message your magazine wants to portray as the public face of MAG.
As an organisation that purports to represent the whole breadth of motorcycling I really think that a change of format is a futile gesture as the problem is endemic in the entire culture of the organisation. It strikes me that there needs to be a serious consideration of who MAG wants as its members and only once it has done that can it start to address the matter of reaching them. At present the message is clear that the chosen market is blokes in black T-shirts with goatees and tattoos.
To end on a positive note, I hope that this is not misconstrued as just a whinge, but rather an attempt to get MAG, an organisation still dear to my heart, to take a fresh look at itself. If I can be of any assistance in explaining further then I'm more than happy to continue with some kind of constructive dialogue towards a positive outcome.
Pete Adams
R1 Rider
Ed:The short answer is that we want all bikers to be members. We particularly want riders who care about the future of motorcycling and are prepared to defend it. The fact is that about half our membership ride sports or sport/tourer bikes. The realistic target audience for maximum returns on effort invested is not sports however as we've learned at great cost through taking stands at race meetings where huge numbers of fans have attended and we have failed to sign a single member. This suggests that the sport/sport tourer MAG members are not typical of the race-going sport crowd. That said, your point about the reader's letter is fair, possibly a mistake on my part for not editing it. The fact that you are a MAG member and write such a balanced letter marks you as the kind of member we want.
In targeting markets for recruitment we have a responsibility to spend member's money wisely so we are bound to go for 'low hanging fruit.' The fact that we retain the MAGsport element and run some sports bike reviews reflects the fact that we do not want to come across as totally polarised at the other end of the market though the touring market is probably the next 'lowest fruit' after the lifestyle one. It's a balancing act in short. There is a review of the new R1 in this issue so I do seek balance but I agree there is a slant and it reflects realism based on hard experience. I'm glad you feel that as a sports bike rider, MAG is still worth supporting, we did after all defeat the 100bhp limit which should have driven every sports bike rider in the country into our membership data base. Please stick with us Pete.
Guardian Reader
I'm a Guardian-reader, and I like its new Berliner format, so having Streetbiker sawn down is a natural win. The colour everywhere is fantastic. I do like the back cover MAG advert. I plan to actually give the new ones away to people instead of re-cycling them, so the subtle hint is a good one.
Are there any compromises we're not hearing about, like it costing a small fortune to print, or it being produced less often?
Anyways, thanks for all the work on the magazine.
Tom Yates (Cambridge)
MAG life member
Ed: The cost is about the same as the tabloid newspaper format, it didn't used to be that way but it is now, frequency remains bi-monthly.
Hats Off
Hats off, literally, to Dave Elrick and the others who don't make it into print for having the bottle to ride without a lid. Does the heart good!
Message for the state tax collectors otherwise known as the police: Go and catch some criminals!
Pat Jameson
Spurious arguments
Excellent job with the magazine, I see no reason why this shouldn't sell well at newsagents. Except maybe the price, but who knows?
One gripe - who wrote the crap on page 5, Chairman of Friends of the Earth? Road traffic accounts for a mere 0.5% of CO2 emissions, and I'm tired of telling people that there is doubt about man's contribution to global warming. We'll do ourselves no favours at all by repeating spurious inflammatory arguments even as (tenuous) justification for increased motorcycle usage.
Richard Huddleston
Ed: I think you're swimming against the tide here Richard. We may be on a climatic cycle independent of man's activities but if the increment that our contribution makes is the critical bit on top that turns tolerable change into catastrophe then we have a responsibility to do something. If you can explain how we can have infinitely growing consumption in a world of finite resources then I will be interested to hear it. Global warming aside, the world is going to run out of oil and it makes no sense to burn it all before exploring ways of conserving what's left. The fact that modal shift to motorcycles can make some contribution toward providing a breathing space sustains the legitimacy of the article you criticise. By the way what's wrong with the price?
Same as porn
I just wanted to drop by and say how great the new format is. It's easier to handle and is the same shape as my porn mags!
Sharpy
Well done
Well done on the new magazine - it seems to have kept the "feel" of Streetbiker whilst bringing the format up-to-date.
Ian Cook, Vice Rep
D'ton & District MAG
Shock and awe
Talk about shock and awe! I was well chuffed to see the new look MAG mag. I even rang head office to tell them how great it was. This really is a major step forward - please keep it as it is. As an ageing Sportster rider I always had difficulty reading the old Street Biker while squatting on the loo, but the new format is much more user- friendly. Joking aside, thanks for doing this - it can only add to MAG's professional image.
I was very interested in your Sturgis article - I have been there 3 times and each time seems like the first, a totally brilliant place. Next time you go, check out the Crazy Horse monument it's well worth it.
Adrian Walker
Not too raunchy
Firstly just like to say well done an' all that. The first issue of The Road is certainly a step up from Streetbiker (which I always thoroughly enjoyed anyway). Particularly thought the wire barriers article excellent - all the info you need at a glance to make it easy to make some noise about them. It's spot on. Don't let anybody tell you the pictures are too raunchy, or that your turn of phrase is derogatory to ugly women, Orange County Choppers or deformed pygmies. Keep on as you are only check the typos if you get a chance. Gotta go, got a crackin' magazine to finish reading.
John Watson
Ed: With the smaller more numerous pages my chances of getting proofing done in time is improved, I'll do my best.
More Shredded Wheat
Excellent magazine, delighted to have something easy to hold onto whilst nodding in my chair. Keep up the good work and eat more Shredded Wheat so that you can pick up your own bike when you drop it on the A3!
Alec
Freedom of information
As the Freedom of Information Act 2000 has allowed information to be available that previously has been carefully cloaked, would there be some mileage in seeking the statistics for deaths to motorcyclists prior to the helmet law being enforced in comparison to deaths after for a similar period of time? Would there be some embarrassment in that there may be no comparable statistics? It just seems that as the case for speed cameras is wilting steadily there might be information available to prepare a case against helmet compulsion. I guess in the end it's down to manpower and time available.
Derek
Ed: Those figures have always been available and they fail to show that helmet compulsion made any difference to fatality rates. The problem is that perceived reality and political propriety are more powerful factors than the truth.
We did back Robert Quane's court case that sought to challenge the legitimacy of the law last year though it's stalled right now. Be assured we will never abandon this issue and I am endeavouring to get a heavyweight newspaper to look at it within the context of diminishing civil liberties. Laws which do not justify themselves or which represent disproportionate burdens should be reviewed and reformed.
Cars are killing us
In reply to the star letter (on environmental concerns) I'd like to add a couple of points.
Firstly we need to encourage more disabled and ethnic minorities to take up biking, with them on board the government and the EU would not dare to sign up to new legislation for fear of being branded racists or unsympathetic to disabled people. Everybody needs to view politicians for what they are, greedy, self -centred, out for themselves people who smile to your face and then stab you in the back. MAG should distance itself from motoring organizations and ally itself with environmental groups; after all we are always being attacked from all sides so we should do something positive. Motorcycling is the way of the future, not the past. Cars and planes are killing us and they are not the answer, bikes whether engine driven or peddle driven are the way forward.
Steve Chatterley
Ed: I think your view of politicians is a little jaundiced Steve. By and large the people get the politicians they deserve in my view, and most voters don't want unpalatable facts forced down their throats. So if the politicians want to stay in power they have to play a ludicrously polite game of evasiveness. If for example the Government had faced its environmental responsibilities and drafted taxes and policies that reflected the harsh realities we face then they would have lost the last election. It's a little bit of a 'Catch 22' and they are the victims of it.
British Superbikes
Just back from the BSB, rewards? A great weekend's racing, free camping and free packed lunches. Yes, I'm a marshal.
Now a real niggle.
Vivaldi has offered marshals a free spud each day- no great shakes, but a really nice gesture that's much appreciated. On race day, we were told they were no longer allowed to give food to anyone but their team as the franchisee for catering at Donington had apparently objected to free food because it might damage his extortionate profits.
The marshals were understandably upset at such meanness, and some were even talking of a walkout.
Vivaldi was great, and eventually the matter was resolved, and they were allowed to give the free spuds.
The caterer, who I doubt is interested in biking beyond the profits it generates, should remember- no marshals, no racing, no catering, no profits.
How mean can people be?
A Marshal
Ed: Never mind all that, what about telling me how great the mag is?
Compulsory re-testing
Since taking my bike test after twenty years of car driving I found I had a new sense of awareness for other road users especially vulnerable ones (i.e. bikers, cyclists, horse riders etc). Since then I have become a strong advocate for compulsory re-testing as I feel that driving/riding is not so much a right as a privilege which should not be abused. I have tried contacting my local MP, but my e-mail from three years ago still remains unacknowledged. I feel the general standard of drivers is appalling nowadays and considering two recent 'near misses' I feel more passionate about the subject than ever before.
Occasion 1: A driver (female in her fifties) assumed that, whilst I was in the left hand lane of a busy roundabout and with my left indicator on, I was actually turning right! I know this because I stopped to query her lack of observational skills in a calm manner.
Occasion 2: A driver (same gender/age as before, but different person) was moving from the right lane of a dual carriage way indicating left and suddenly moved back in front of me, without any regard to the use of her mirrors of other road users.
Rest assured, I didn't succumb to any road rage on either occasion, but I did feel more than a little pissed off!
It is not bikers who cause accidents (in my opinion), but those drivers who drift off whilst in their 'little boxes' and assume that they are the only one on the road.
I fully understand that compulsory re-testing would incur a cost to the punter, but if it helps to reinforce the perceptions of some road users, then the accident rate must eventually go down.
All I can say is that the outcome of both occasions was collision free thanks to that good old 'sixth sense' you develop whilst riding. In the words of Trevor, my old instructor "If you see a vehicle that may or may not pull out on you, ALWAYS assume that it will!" Thanks Trev, sage advice indeed.
Mark Burley
Darlington & District MAG
ED: Have you thought about the logisitcs of re-testing everyone Mark ? What of all the good riders and drivers who need their vehicles and mess up on some test protocol on the day and are then immobilised ? THE ROAD welcomes responses.
Ferg's school report
Having known Fergus for a number of years I can assure you that he can find his way out of a black bag in the dark. As for giving him 20% in Geography I cannot believe it and must take issue with you sir. His home brewing is legendary, his historical perception beyond reality and I must add that the chap is a bloody madman!
P.J.
Those were the days
I can remember the days when all motorcyclists were bikers. Okay, even in those days there were the odd exceptions. Back in, 'the good old days', almost everybody I knew took the same line around a bend, decelerated and accelerated at roughly the same time when cornering and were to a large extent, predictable. Unfortunately those days are long gone. The born again and the new to motorcycling in their forties are with us in abundance. They are everywhere in mind boggling numbers. You can't have a crack with them because they know sod all about what they are riding. Sorry, that isn't strictly true. They can tell you, how much it cost, what its top speed is and how much a set of tyres cost them. You can't go out for a ride with them because they ride like twats. A bend in the road seems to be a major problem for them and any straight piece of road is treated like a drag strip. They all seem to believe that they must wear the most expensive helmet they can find, as it will save their lives when they come off. I cannot believe the amount of clownsI am now bumping into who ride motorcycles and who seem to think that just because I ride a motorcycle I will want to speak to them. They do not seem to realise that I do not give a cuss how much their new helmet cost, or their new bike, or even how much they have to pay to have a back tyre fitted.
My name is Glinch. I wear a cut down jockey's skull cap and dress like I'm going to work on a building site. If you see me and you are a born again or new to biking. Please, DO NOT speak to me. I am not interested in anything you have to say.
You can call me a miserable old scroat, an antisocial bastard, or even someone who isn't doing his best to promote motorcycling. I don't really care. I just want to be left alone by the clowns to socialise with people of my own kind.
Yours Mr Grumpy old thing {Glinch}
Cumbria MAG
Lack-District HDRCGB
Ed: A slightly rain damaged copy of the highly acclaimed picture book 'Motorcycles Forever' goes to the first member who can tell me how many expletives in this letter have been replaced by slightly more moderate terms.
Air's too clean
May I take issue with Pete Roberts' point about Clean Air. I was brought up in Swansea in the 1950's and at that time coal was being burnt by people's house fires, the power stations, steam locomotives, factory boilers, and other industrial complexes. The Steel Company of Wales (for whom I worked for five years) had a VLN plant which discharged straight into the air. Swansea valley was full of metal refining industries and near Kilvey Hill there was a carbon black factory. People in Port Tenant could not even put their clothes out to dry because of the air pollution. There was not even grass on the Hill, there is now and trees! A constant cloud hung over Port Talbot. There was a standing joke that people from there, would not recognise the sun if they saw it. The buildings of Swansea where dirty with soot and grime. No one ever spoke out against the pollution because it was all that we ever knew and it kept us in employment.
I have read that the smog caused by the coal fired Battersea Power Station in central London killed 12,000 over a six week period in 1954. Animals died in pens underneath Smithfield market at that time.
How can he say that air pollution is worse now?
I believe that there is global warming because the air is cleaner now and the sun can get through.
Richard Howells
London SW20
Road hazard cards work!
I have been moaning to myself for a while now about the state of some local roads in and around Leeds. I am sure everyone says similar things from time to time, especially when they have just hit the mother of all chasms and are still recovering from aching wrists, and a jarred spine, whilst wondering when the next tank slapping boneshaker will come.
"Why doesn't the council mend them !" "someone should report that before someone has an accident" etc.
Well one day I decided to report an offending hole but who to contact? A quick search on Google came up with the answer, and before I knew what had happened I was filling in the yellow MAG road hazard report card to the council about the dangerous craters that needed their urgent attention. I didn't have to wait very long, and the response from the council arrived:
Dear Mr Naylor Thank you for your e-mail regarding the condition of Wigton Lane. A report has been made to the depot for this area. Your enquiry reference number is 2-39767612. A highways inspector will attend and make the area safe within 14 days. The inspector will assess the area to see if further works are necessary. If you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Kind regards, Tina Tuohey Administration Assistant
That was about three months ago and I have lost count of the number of deep trenches, sunken grates, and potholed stretches of road I have reported, both on the MAG report postcards and by email.
Leeds Council have been absolutely superb on every count. Both by responding promptly to every reported hazard, and repairing every one within two weeks, some even a couple of day's later. Three stretches of road have even been completely resurfaced over thirty / forty yards as the potholes were everywhere, and I only reported the worst ones. I even felt that the council were appreciative of my reports as time went on.
I do make sure the locations of said holes are exact, by checking road names and giving distances from landmarks, other road junctions, number of house etc. OK my new found interest does take a little bit of time, and I have to pull the bike over to make notes, (thinks perhaps a dictaphone would be a good idea) but as I am out riding anyway, and all the reporting can be done online by email it's virtually free not even a stamp needed.
So come on chaps, keep your local road gangs employed, report rotten roads to your local highways department, and see if they are as good as Leeds City Council at repairing them.
It's got to be worth a go.
John Naylor
Missing tributes?
It's nice to see you going on about EMAP's lack of coverage of Simon Milward's death and I support you. I must point out however that a much more famous man, a member of parliament and member of the government for many years stood and spoke for us for a long time. I was there from 3am until 4am in the House of Commons when he spoke on our behalf against the helmet law. For all his fame and support for us we did not have one word in Streetbiker. Sorry about that but I had to say something. The man's name was Enoch Powell. The only MP to stand up for me and you.
Cyril Ayling
London
Ed, I wasn't in the House that night Cyril, though I heard about Mr Powell's efforts at the time and they have been mentioned in past issues of MAG's journal. At the risk of sounding commercial, I also made mention of Mr Powell's contribution in my book 'Motorcycles Forever' in which I provide a thumbnail sketch of MAG's history.
A number of other MPs have voiced support for MAG's position on helmets over the years, the latest of whom is Lembit Opik who emphatically endorsed our stance in the interview with him which I ran in Streetbiker (The forerunner to THE ROAD) a little while ago. Rest assured I would not deliberately try and write a politician out of history if his efforts were relevant to MAG, simply because he held contentious views I did not sympathise with. Credit where it's due is pretty much the rule of thumb here.
Too much
I have to say it's a mutch improvement on the old rag. You've kept mutch of the principles and refineries that were established through mutch effort, working tirelessly for bikers. I mutch hope you continue on your learning curve along this important Road, leading to mutch new territory for you to explore and discover. I am mutch happier on the road today than I was mutch further back down the road of my experiences. Having just bought a Harley Road King, it's not mutch of an improvement on my mutch loved old bike, a Yamaha Drag Star, which incidentally I did mutch miles on over the last four years, 36,000 miles to be precise. I have been very mutch blessed in being able to travel abroad on my bike and I'm sure my continuing biking experiences will be mutch enhanced by this new rag, which is a fine representation of our wonderful high profile MAG.
Cheers, well done.
Peter Crocker
PS Please feel free to bin this if you think it's naff...
Ed: It's terrible Peter, it's absolutely awful but I've got one last space to fill. You really should have made it a line longer though, in fact to tell you the truth you should have made it three lines longer, nope eight lines longer, but thanks a a...
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