Letters
Your thoughts, opinions & adventures
Big brother cometh
A point no one seems to highlight concerning all the surveillance systems now in existence is the staff which operate them. We'are living under the most authoritarian Government ever. The move towards greater control since 1997 has resulted in thousands of civilians being given law enforcement powers in what is now a "fixed penalty" environment.
In parking, speeding and other areas, our fellow Brits now pursue the rest of us with relish and messianic zeal. Incentive schemes have even been introduced for many of the enforcers. Unlike our police who are trained for months and serve probationary periods of years, these people develop a smug self-righteousness about what they do and take the law literally and will not exercise any kind of discretion.
They have the power to fleece you or force you to appear at court. There's now talk of giving the DVLA enforcement powers in addition to their selling of our personal data to third parties. I saw somewhere that in the former East Germany, one in 6 citizens was spying on he others. Technological advances make surveillance much easier. If we continue in this direction where will we will end up?"
Cyril Clark
Democracy?
It seems when the control fanatics cannot get their own way they move the goal posts. These new cameras that only take one picture have nothing to do with safety and I don't care what anyone says, it's about raising revenue full stop. I love my country and it angers me to see what these people are doing to it. Every year that passes sees our freedom disappear. They want more and more control over us and will not be satisfied until they control every aspect of our lives, why can't people see this?
We need a massive demonstration to point out to these people that they govern only with our permission. Just because we voted them in that vote wasn't giving them permission to take away my freedom or to do anything with my country that I have not given them permission to do. That vote is for them to be the people's voice to the rest of the world and to implement the laws that the people want not what they want.
When you force rules in against the people's wishes you cannot call that democracy that is dictatorship. Let's have a freedom ride as you suggested some time ago. Gaz
Opting out
Excellent format and content by the way. Really like the magazine format. Much easier to read on the plane. Once I've read and copied all the bits of info I need I'll leave them lying around in places like frequent flyer lounges and any B&B's I stay in. I work abroad you see.
Anyhoo, the issue that concerns me may have something to do with these blue poles you see everywhere. Apparently they are to monitor traffic. Well, I don't want to be monitored in the first place. Is there anything that I can do to "opt out" of the monitoring scheme? Secondly, I've heard that the introduction of number plates on the front of bikes is being forced through because the numpties who thought up this idea didn't take into account that monitoring vehicles from the front by their number plate would rule out bikes. Either that or they were a bunch of bikers who just kept quiet. In which case - nice one.
I don't want a number plate on the front of my bike and I don't want to be monitored. What's the plan of action apart from the obvious of writing to my MP - Ming Campbell.
Donald Miller
Ed: Opting out of monitoring - sorry you'll have to walk. Number plates - that's heresay.
Custom controls
I was watching American Thunder on TV. After the program I visited their website www.americanthundertv.com and followed the links to the MRF website and their article on the new EPA regulations. I'm conscious that the EPA has used California as a test bed for ideas that eventually influence regulations in other states and even worldwide.
I'm surprised that MAG have not bought this to the attention of its members, if only in passing. Perhaps I have missed this and any mention of the US Motorcycle Riders Federation. As someone who has a keen desire, if not currently the financial standing, to build my own custom bike; I would very much appreciate a pointer to the necessary regulatory hurdles I would have to overcome to get such a machine on the road. The DVLA and Home Office don't seem to have this information available in a simple booklet, but reference many publications that seem to contradict each other.
Perhaps you can advise on what the current state of play is in the USA and what it is in UK.
Tim Allen
Ed: Simpler to ask me the meaning of life Tim, I could be more concise. We'll have to run a piece on this, I'll have a word with Stez.
Hatrick
I notice that Mr O'Connell is now writing a large amount of the magazine, is he making a takeover bid?
Also, does his mother follow him to rallies in her car with his hat to stop it from getting crushed as it always looks immaculate and not like it has been squashed into a pannier or some such.
Yours sincerely
The Student
Ed: Ferg always carries a folding trouser press in his panniers though I am sworn to secrecy on this.
Farmyard thanks
I would like to express my thanks to everyone who donated to the FYP flood appeal, whether it was their time and fundraising efforts or actual cash donations.
The fact that people do actually care means as much to me as the donation I received even though that was gratefully accepted, everything is pretty much back to where it was pre-flood although life without my Hayabusa is not quite the same, sadly it did not survive its attempt as the worlds fastest submarine.
Louis's MZ did rise from its watery grave in the river Rye and is back on the road although to date it has needed a new crank, barrel, piston, ignition system, clocks, wheel bearings and the list goes on, pretty nasty stuff that flood water The flood itself doesn't seem to have curbed the enthusiasm of the FYP crew, the organisation of the 2006 FYP is well under way. In fact after years of hard work from East Yorkshire MAG, Magic Action Promotions Ltd the company that runs the FYP, has taken on the running of Into the Valley, as well as a new venture which will be based around providing secure camping near to Donnington Park for the British round of the Moto GP.
Ride Free and Party Hard
Keith Maven
Motorcycles Forever
I certainly enjoyed it. Nostalgic, inspiring and moving. It really hit the spot for me. It makes me proud to be a biker and proud to be a member of MAG. "Well done" seems staidly inadequate so I'll have to say "Nice One Mutchie!". That's accompanied by a slap on the back for you and huge big grin for me. If we ever meet again it'll be my pleasure.
Cheers - Ride Free
Donald Miller
Ed, Thanks Donald, Just 3,600 copies to go now. £12.95 plus p&p
Tel: 020 8556 6495 theroad@mag-uk.org
Helmets
Having read views on the helmet law, just wanted to add my thoughts on the subject. If helmets are legislated safety equipment why is VAT added as per luxury goods? Why does a BMW C1 rider in a safety cell require a helmet. Lastly if a helmet saves brain injury could it not be argued the added weight and chin bar (if fitted) significantly increase the risk of neck / spinal injury in the event of a spill. Live & let live, we should be able to make our own choice in the matter, let common sense prevail.
Andy
Ed, MAG argued that thelmets should be zero rated for VAT for years and now they are. As for Peter Parker, who took the C1 issue to the High Court, he is now riding without a helmet and is not being bothered by his local police in Befordshire where the court has discharged his case more than once. Neck injuries certainly are aggravated by the weight of helmets and this argument was used in a number of US states where repeal advocates used the fact to put the value of helmets into perspective. Most people would argue that helmets offer net benefits in most accident cases but the road safety benefits are not as clear cut as many people imagine.
Off road
Since the Nerc Bill, does this mean under section 59 my MOTd & Taxed trail bike can be confiscated on a RUPP (Road used as public footpath) simply because it hasn't been transferred to BOAT status (by way open to all traffic) why is the minority always maligned & marginalised!
Less than 5% of footpaths in the uk have recognised Boat status, can I legally ride on the beach (common ground between tidal marks?) run over a few toes that one I expect, might as well order the Jetski now & be done with it, sad to say.
Andy
Bands what bands?
Re Rick's letter 'Bands at Tsunami.' I can't remember seeing any bands at any rally since 1984ish. We old sweats have a saying "if you remember the sixties you wern't there". Same with rallys luv. So tune in, chill out. Go with the flow. Anyway who is this FERG?
Ron 'Oldtimer' Hall at The Elms home for the bewildered
Not of this world
I've read the article about total surveillance in the latest issue of The ROAD, then read Gilly's letter about untaxed cars in Tescos. Surely, as Gilly intimates, the easiest way to track untaxed and uninsured vehicles is simply to randomly check public car parks, clamp the offending vehicles then give the owners 28 days to produce the required documentation or the vehicle is crushed.
It all smacks of the politicians not being of this world. There seems to be a total lack of any common sense being applied to any of this, and not just in the motoring world. We've heard recently that there are plans a-foot to tax households on the amount of waste that they produce. Now correct me if I'm wrong but all that will happen is the less scrupulous amongst us will simply resort to midnight fly-tipping rather than pay the extra tax! Where will we be then? Up to our eyes in it I suggest.
I used to work with a young lad who drove an Astra without insurance for four years without being caught. His logic was that his premium for his £650 Astra was £1750 and the penalty for driving without insurance is three points and a £300 fine. This way he could afford to be caught and penalised three times and still end up paying less in fines than his insurance premium and the penalty points are of no consequence as he has no insurance anyway! Again, a lack of common sense on behalf of the insurance companies as hiking up the premiums results in more uninsured drivers. Raising the driving age is a non-starter as well I reckon because no political party will risk upsetting all those potential voters!
Sorry about the rant.......I feel a bit better now!
Anthony Holt
Courtroom
I've read about your upcoming court case for the appaling crime of parking on the hard shoulder and defrauding customs and excise of their hard earned road fund tax.
I received an NIP through the post about 18 months ago allegedly for exceeding a temporary speed limit on the M5. I was fairly sure I hadn't so I fought the case and won. I claimed there were no warning signs in place and they couldn't prove they had checked them that morning.
I didn't have any legal representation, I just read up as much as I could using the internet for information.
One site I found useful was www.pepipoo.com
Anyway just wanted to say 'good luck.' If more people stood up and fought they might decide their efforts would be better placed chasing real criminal, not the easy targets for a quick conviction.
Don't forget there's no point in pleading guilty and hoping get off with mitigating circumstances. Once you plead guilty it's a forgone conclusion, the only question then is how much will the fine be. You are not guilty of the tax disc offence because you did have one displayed and it had either fallen off or been stolen. Find the relevant traffic act and an exception you can quote from it.
Similar with the hard shoulder thing. There is bound to be an exception to the offence of stopping on the hard shoulder which you can claim you believe covered you for the reason you stopped.
Best of luck
Paul Myers
All our yesterdays
I was looking through my drawers and found this old MAG membership form. Just thought you might like to see it.
Tim West
CCTV
As a CCTV operator for the public areas in three towns, I was curious to read that data for the ANPR system could be kept for 2 or 5 years.
The use of CCTV in public places is regulated by the Data Protection Act which states that data can be kept for between 28 and 31 days only.
This time limit is for data that has not been viewed by the police for a specific investigation, or has not been requested by them to be retained pending further action on their part. Both these actions have to be backed up by written requests so that they are accountable and traceable.
For further information on CCTV operation - Codes of practice; Data Protection Act: and small user guidelines (garage forecourts, supermarkets etc) have a look at the web site informationcommissioner.gov.uk or type CCTV info into your web search programme.
Remember that the European 'Regulation?' on human rights came in after the Data Protection Act did, so there may be alterations as a result.
At least when I am on duty I can keep an eye on the bikes parked under my cameras, even if I can't be out there with them.
'Ishar2'
Ed, I suspect the capability of the latest kit is what is being cited rather than the legal authority to deploy its full capacity.
Care in the community
As an experienced carer/support worker for adults with learning disabilities I would be willing to act in such a role for Fergal, (he of Ferg's World') thus avoiding the need for an ASBO. I would only ask for all the beer I could drink.
Cecil, Lincoln
Ed, OK
Opinion poll politics
Is anyone else sick of opinion poll politics? 51% of a poll say we should ban this so we do. If 60% of the people in the UK really do want ID cards then that's fine. They can have them. I don't see why the other 40% have to. Same policy justified by opinion polls for fox hunting (I think fox hunting is daft but I never thought that was a reason to ban it). Smoking in public places, new terror laws etc.
The government usually soften up opinion by running a campaign against what they are trying to ban first. If the government ran a campaign telling everyone that bikes are dangerous and then ran a poll to see if they should be banned they might sneak the 51% for a ban.
Scary thought eh?
Del Parlour
NB The German people voted Hitler into power in the 30's by a majority. It didn't mean they were right.
Eco arguments
I am writing in support of Derek Reynolds, (whom I do not know), and your strange reply to his letter. Why do you feel it appropriate to seek advice on his letter by sending it to Greenpeace, who are not going to give an unbiased response, and are not scientists. Similarly if you had sent it to BP, ESSO, Texaco etc, you would not expect an unbiased reply. I also question the reply you gave condemning the Oregon Petition. Have you read it? Nowhere in the list of signers does Geri Haliwell's name appear, nor the cast of MASH, so why claim that it does.
Rob W. Bath
MAG Member.
Ed, I try to be fair. I gave Derek Reynolds his space. I gave Greenpeace, who certainly have plenty of scientists working for them, their space for balance, now you've got yours - fair?
Too old to insure!
I've been riding since 1949 and built a trike which I couldn't get insurance for. If I'd got in before age 75 I'd have been alright I was told. Finally one outfit said they'd take me on with a doctor's certificate at £500 fully comp. or £400 TPFT robbing b.....s! I'm happy to settle for a low mileage deal but it's no go. What do you make of that?
Larry Walsh
Ed Sounds grim Larry, can anyone out there recommend a company?
Bellowing
Fergus was not just bellowing he was trying to get into our tent, mistaking it for his own. He actually shouted "what are you doing in my tent you swines".
If it had not been for the fact that he was quite incapable of operating the zip, it might have been a worrying episode. He is a lovely chap but I don't think he should be allowed out on his own either.
Great magazine, keep it up.
Paula
Get in touch
Congratulations on the new style mag, must be the best on the market. I started biking on my 16th birthday in 1955 when at 8.30 am I was waiting outside the dealers down the old Kent road in London to open up so I could pick up my first bike, a 250 BSA C10.
Being dead green I'd bought a load of crap and after about 3 months of big problems and many breakdowns I took it back and left it outside, I never did hear anymore about it. Some 24 bikes later, big & small of all sorts, I now have a 250 Honda CBF which I tow behind our motorhome. It's nice & light to run up onto the trailer now I'm getting old & weak. I've often wondered whether any of my old buddys I hung around with are still around & riding today. So Eddy (Matchless), Billy & Hitchin (Triumph 110) from Dunston Rd Dalston or any of the others whose names I've forgotten are still about I'd love to hear from them.
Brian Phillips
Totnes, Devon
EU laws
To clarify my article on the EU in The ROAD3. A pull out line states "The EU has imposed over 2,000 new laws on us. This is almost one tenth the total number of laws passed by the Westminster Parliament since we began counting in the year 1497". You didn't pull out the whole line which explained that this many laws were passed in the six weeks when MPs were on holiday!
The ID cards will contain a GPS transponder so our movements can also be tracked. If this sounds fetched, consider that from March 06 all vehicles on British trunk routes will have their number plates logged on camera and stored on a central computer for two years. Fifty million number plates will be read every day, and before the scheme is even operational they are upgrading it to read 100 million plates each day and store them for five years. The RFID technology is so simple the government will not be able to resist it.
Hugo Miller
Ed Thanks for the clarification Hugo, you'll probably have something to say about this issue's rant.
Too much safety
Congratulations on your first few editions in magazine format - you and your staff are clearly working very hard to promote MAG as a bikers' rights organisation and providing some entertaining reading in the process.
What does concern me, however, is the image of MAG presented by our website.
When I joined in the early days, MAG's mission was clear - to boldly go and defend the right of motorcyclists to enjoy their chosen mode of transport. Sometimes this would mean the freedom to do things which, to the grey-suited section of the community, might seem a bit dangerous - like riding without a crash helmet.
When I look at the website, I wonder if the men in grey suits have quietly taken over. You could come away with the impression that MAG was some kind of road safety organisation with a cosy social scene on the side.
The only real mention of campaigning is a tribute to Fred Hill - as if fighting the helmet law was some quaint and eccentric part of our history.
Masses of effort seems to be taken up with issues that are nothing to do with bikers' rights.
Of course, it helps if drivers 'think bike' but we have RoSPA and the Government to take care of that kind of issue. Until it is Government policy to squirt diesel all over the roads to make us fall off, I can't see any point in a bikers' rights organisation taking it up.
I am most doubtful about the so-called Foundation. I understand there are some accounting advantages but the day it costs a penny more than it saves should be the day it closes.
And what's all this "where to park" stuff? I've suffered quite a few bizarre problems with bikes over the years - I once lost my sidecar when the passenger who was supposed to be holding it on lost his grip - but I've never had any trouble finding a place to park.
Why are we wasting time and money pretending to be the RAC - or, worse, RoSPA?
Pat Faulkner
Dorset
Ed, We do have to constantly reassess ourselves and the separation of the Foundation from MAG UK reflects the recognition that MAG does need to remain focussed on riders' rights. The Foundation's funding is sourced separately from places that MAG would not normally expect contributions. MAG groups are encouraged to pass profits from their activities directly to MAG UK. The parking booklet is a Foundation initiative that is part of the anti theft campaign that has been taken on board by it. I hope the political content in this issue reassures you. We've certainly got some heavyweight threats materialising and some great opportunities and we intend to meet and use them.
How much bhp!?
I have owned a Honda VTX 1800 for a couple of years now and although I think it is a fantastic bike in its own right, upside down forks, linked brakes (they work really well, don't believe what others say) and in stock form it should make 95 bhp, loads of torque as well. So it goes, stops and the handling isn't bad. But after 9 months of riding I thought I would like more. So over the next 6-7 months I added a host of power enhancing bolt on extras by which time it started to running a bit lumpy so Dyno testing and correct setting up was needed. Dutifully done the bike felt absolutely..... well, the same as standard. Where had I gone wrong? All bits were professionally fitted. Surely there should be a massive power hike, acceleration that tears your arms off? Not a bit of it, the bike now makes a massive 93 bhp. Two less than stock!
The sting in the tail however comes from insurance, or difficulty in getting hold of any. A modified bike (particularly with power increase) is an absolute nightmare to insure. On the yearly ring around, every broker I called turned it down. Each broker said they would have to check with the only insurance company they used that did modified bikes, Equity Red Star. All said, Equity Red Star turned it down with part of the performance package being the problem. Two brokers led me up the garden path saying "yes," initially, and sent me a proposal. When I rang to confirm the details, they withdrew it instantly, citing the above reason. I am currently left with a choice of one broker and they are my present insurer who use, you've guessed it: Equity Red Star.
So, before you splash out your hard earned cash and want to turn your cruiser into a fire breathing, tarmac shredder, think again!
Jeff Lloyd
Ed: I've cut the names as you can see Jeff, (see top of 'Letters'). My best advice is to anyone going down this road is to find someone who's been there and had the result verified and then go the same route. I think you will find that the world of performance enhancement is full of stories like yours. There are also lots of people who claim their bike is miles quicker but wont put it on a dyno because they can't live with the reality that they've wasted vast shed loads of cash.
NABD 5000th
The National Association of Bikers With a Disability conducted a presentation at the Manchester Motorcycle Show to celebrate gaining their 5000th member. A 53 year old mechanic from North Staffordshire who suffered a left leg amputation following a motorcycle accident in 1985 received his membership at the show.
John Lysons
NABD Public Relations Officer
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