We’ve lost

Dayglo Pink Kit:

Like shell suits and mullets, some of the worst fashion atrocities of the eighties still hadn’t had the decency to die gracefully by the time 1991 rolled around. We all have painful recollections of the splashes of pink, purple and other equally lurid colours on leathers, gloves, boots, helmets and – most heinous of all – even bikes. Thankfully, it’s something our children won’t have to endure.

Black Visors:

Despite their obvious safety benefits, black visors had always been illegal to use. But up until recently, riders were relatively free to do it anyway, without fear of harassment by the police. Now, thanks to an ambitious lawyer, importers have been forced to clear them from their shelves on pain of prosecution. And if you’re lucky enough to get one anyway, you risk having it confiscated by police in certain areas, leaving you to ride home with no eye-protection at all. It’s just as well we have the law to protect us.

Traffic Cops:

Every cloud has a silver lining. And the silver lining on the cloud of dark visors being illegal is that there are hardly any traffic cops left to do anything about it. An MCN investigation revealed earlier this year that many forces had cut traffic divisions to a fraction of their former sizes, and many others had scrapped them altogether.

Two-Strokes:

In 1991, the roads were still populated by an army of screaming, smelly two-strokes, from Yamaha RD350 LCs and Suzuki RG250 Gammas, to ” Yama Gammas, ” consisting of the engine of one bolted into the frame of the other. Now, Aprilia’s RS250 is all that’s left to remind us of the original hooligan bikes we grew up on.

Greasy Image:

Maybe it was all the maintenance two-strokes needed which created the oily-jeans, grime-under-the-fingernails image that was synonymous with bikers for so long. But now, most riders are immaculately presented in kit worth hundreds of pounds, riding even more immaculate bikes. In London, you’re more likely to find people riding sports bikes – or scooters – in suits than greasy Levis.

Cheap Insurance:

Insurance premiums haven’t just gone up in the last 10 years. Sadly, they’ve rocketed into outer space. In 1999, many premiums suddenly doubled in price. Then, just as we were recovering from that, they went up again. And again. Now, leading insurance firms are at last claiming the market has stabilised, and no more big price-hikes are on the way.

Turbo Bikes:

Kawasaki’s GPZ750 Turbo and Honda’s CX500 Turbo were among the last big selling production bikes to feature turbine powered induction. But with bikes that weigh around 160kg and make around 150bhp to replace them, who’s crying?

Bimota:

This Italian marque has made some breathtaking machines in its time, and even achieved racing glory with wins in World Superbikes. It was perhaps the tiny scale of the firm which enabled it to focus on making the unique bikes it was famous for – and which sadly also secured its fate.

Joey Dunlop:

Talking of great losses, without doubt the greatest of the past decade to motorcycling has to be that of Joey Dunlop. Legend is an over-used word – very few people can truly be said to have been one in their own lifetime. But this man was different. It’s impossible to overstate the esteem in which he was held by race fans and other racers alike – and the loss the sport felt when he died.

John Deacon:

The Dakar rally is one of the toughest sporting events in the world, and John Deacon was the toughest competitor Britain ever had. Millions of British fans were captivated by his heroic efforts in the gruelling race. He is and will continue to be sorely missed by them all.