November

Lose more than your pint in this hole in the road

Lose more than your pint in this hole in the road

The picture was taken with a camera phone, but don`t worry, if you want a better picture, it’s still there…. London. Wandsworth Road, Nine Elms near Sainsburys – deep enough to stand a pint glass in.

New road started falling apart from the start

The A289 Wainscott northern bypass is in a dreadful condition to try and take photos would be dangerous. To give you an insight the road was opened about 5 years ago. When open the surface was breaking up, and although part was resurfaced a couple of years ago, the main part as you exit the M2 is terrible. Large areas have pulled out, there are tram lines, and temp tar patches. The local authority...

London Council create a hazard

London Council create a hazard

I thought you might like to see these pictures taken at Garratt Lane in Wandsworth. South London. What you can see is a sheet of metal 4ft x 2ft and raised 2 inches above the tarmac. I have no idea...

Council denies gravel risk

Council denies gravel risk

Yet again i’ve had to ring my local council (South Derbyshire Council) about the state of the roads in my area. I brought my new Fireblade home from the dealers a few weeks ago, and on the last turn...

No parking measures create danger

Shipbourne  is  a  pretty  little  village  near  Tonbridge  in  Kent,  and  the  village  Green  has  a  road  passing  alongside  it,  and  has  just  had  about  half  a  mile  of  4″  diameter  2  feet  high  post  fitted  BOTH  sides  of  the  road,  we’re  told  it’s  to  stop  people  parking  on  the  green  ( mainly  only  weekends  to  use  the  large  local  pub / weekend  walkers ...

Mind the gap in Perivale

Mind the gap in Perivale

The picture doesn’t really do it justice, but this exposed cover is about 2 ft square and you can see the base of it. A bike wheel WILL fit in the gap. It’ss in Bideford Ave in Perivale, W London...

Northampton Council are "speed obsessed"

I have the pleasure of living in the Northampton area – a council more obsessed with speed I challenge you to find; where renegade stickers welcoming people to the “Home of the Stealth Tax” can be found on camera signs and cameras, stickers deployed by reasonable, rational people who are completely tired of this obsession. This council is that fixated with the fact that supposedly “speed kills”,...

Local council dismiss safety concerns

My local paper, the Tameside Advertiser, has carried regarding potholes and in which the local council is stated as considering that they act as “a cheap traffic calming measure”. Villagers in Mottram who are reported as having complained, were told to (as reported) “like it or lump it”. Council Leader, Councillor Roy Oldham, is reported as believing that, “the deep craters are worth keeping as...

Roadside posts create danger in Milton Keynes

Roadside posts create danger in Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes council have installed some square posts in Sherwood Drive, Bletchley. Just looking at them makes me feel sick,they look like killers to me!

Danger roads on the Isle of Arran

Danger roads on the Isle of Arran

I would propose North Ayrshire Council as having the most inept Road Department in Western Europe, never mind the UK. I have ridden thousands of miles in Europe and the UK, including the Western...

The worst road surface in Carlisle?

The worst road surface in Carlisle?

Take a look at this picture, of a section of road I have to negotiate most everyday, with much of the rest as bad if not worse. It is not ‘The Road Of Bones’ but part of Etterby Road. An inner city...

A road to avoid near Bicester

A road to avoid near Bicester

The pictures are from a road near Bicester, Oxon.  They do not illustrate just how bad this road is!!! I drive it on a regular basis in my car, it is a national speed limit road with a reasonable...

Traffic calming self-destructing

Traffic calming self-destructing

As if cobbled traffic calming devices weren’t bad enough on a bike, they have now started to fall apart. These two pictures of the same hole is of the A131 between Braintree and Chelmsford. I have...

Watch out on the old A130 Southend Road

You might want to take careon the old A130 Southend Road at Howe Green, just off the A12 in Essex (nr Chelmsford). Heading towards Southend. Loads of wooden posts. Admittedly it’s only a 30 limit, but I still would not fancy hitting one. I wouldn’t mind betting even in a car there is a good chance one could end up through the windscreen.

Dangerous roadside furniture on the A6

I recently rode down the A6 between Walkden and Westhoughton  ( near Bolton ), it runs along the M61, Anyway I was shocked to see some LARGE boulders placed at the side of the road. Does anyone else think this isn’t good?

A review of my 2004 Yamaha R1

A review of my 2004 Yamaha R1

I purchased my 2004 YZF-R1 in May of 2006 after going through a 2005 R1 that I was riding when the motor decided to detonate on the track in February of 2006.  So as I frantically found an escape...

My review of my Kawasaki ZRX1200

My review of my Kawasaki ZRX1200

Kawasaki claim 122PS and 112Nm of torque for the ZRX. In English that’s 120BHP and 82½ ft/lb, almost certainly measured at the crank. Dry weight is 223kg (plus 4kg for the half-faired S version).

Seven European countries in nine days

Seven European countries in nine days

A ride through Europe lasting 9 days and taking in 7 countries (some twice!) with a two stop in Antibes and covering 2700 miles. (England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium.) I...

My pilgrimage to Poland

My pilgrimage to Poland

I started on my pilgrimage on my BMW K1200S with a 200 mile run from the Midlands to the euro-tunnel. My first time under the drink, which has to be the most efficient and convenient way to cross the...

The Synder family tour Europe

The Synder family tour Europe

We decided that this year’s grand tour was going to be to the Tyrol with Mick on his R1200ST, son Jeff on his soon-to-be-delivered F800ST and Brian on the R1150GS. Sons William and Graham would be...

Our trip around the Alps

Our trip around the Alps

During those winter months, there’s a lot of talking about “Next year we should go there…” Some ideas were ridiculous, but the idea of a 10 day trip to the Alps, with a stop off at Monaco sounded like...

A tour of Ireland

A tour of Ireland

My friends David Thrussell,Kevin Howsen and Mathieu Booth, and myself, Graham Pugh, decided to take our two 2005 R1s, a Triumph 955i and a Ducati Monster on a five day trip to Ireland covering 1,442...

A tour of France

A tour of France

My friend Jeff Cheeseman and I had originally planned to head to the French Alps on our Kawasaki ZX9R and Honda CBR1000RR, but on the day before departure huge rain storms were forecast for the days...

A review of my RVF400

A review of my RVF400

I thought I’d submit my experiences of owning a Honda RVF400 for the last six months, having read a message on the 400greybike forum. It all started last May, having previously owned many big bore...

My biking confession

My confessions is that I was riding to work one morning, filtering past endless cars and looking out for drivers about to open their doors or throw a Un-turn…   The last thing I was expecting was some bloke in a tracksuit to run out from between the cars with his arms stretched out. He hit me so hard I fell to the ground with the bike landing on top of me. The bloke just said “Sorry, mate”, as he...

My biking confession

A ‘mate’ of mine, when I, er, he, was 16 and the proud owner of a Honda MB-5, wanted to see what a burn out was like so thought it best to start the bike on the centre stand, put the bike in 3rd, rev it then push down on the rear end of the bike to get the spinning tyre in contact with the concrete carport ‘road’ surface. My, I mean his, bike subsequently shot 10 feet forward into my, er, his,...

My rideout on May 13, 2006

My rideout on May 13, 2006

Out on the bikes again today with ‘makendes’ who was visiting from Blackpool. The plan was to ride up to Inveraray then on to Tyndrum and back home down the A84 via Callander. Things didn’t quite go...

It's show time...

It's show time...

It’s just me and my bike…

Crash couple's joy

A couple who survived a near fatal motorcycle accident six years ago have been awarded six figure compensation packages and becoming parents – all on the same day. Stuart and Nina Smart from Claregate, Wolverhampton, were seriously injured when their motorbike and sidecar collided with a car on the A41, on July 23, 2000. Nina, now 32, broke her pelvis in four places, had a broken collarbone, and...

Your biking confessions

Your biking confessions

If you’ve got an an embarrassing moment or a biking secret to share, then we’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories of mechanical ineptitude, learner mishaps, or just forgetting to put...

Sent to Coventry

Sent to Coventry

Sixty thousand pounds worth of minimotos have been seized and crushed by West Midlands Police since the crackdown last summer. Hundreds of local residents have phoned in nuisance reports to police...

Vote for our babe

Vote for our babe

This year’s hopefuls are now flocking in to the office so we now need your help to vote which girls we should choose. This year we will be crowning one winner at the MCN London Motorcycle Show at...

Cagiva's bargain

Cagiva's bargain

You might think this is just a white version of Cagivas proven Mito 125, but look closer: the two-stroke’s expansion chamber exhaust is gone, and the stickers read 500. Cagiva replaced the tiny...

Speeders identified

Speeders identified

Riders who’ve made false claims about who was riding their bike at the time of a speeding offence could be in for a nasty surprise. Police have refused to rule out checking their riding kit against...

Anti-bike petrol stations

Anti-bike petrol stations

Anti-bike petrol stations in the South West of England Morrisons, Leominster Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Esso, Dorcan Way, Swindon, Wiltshire Morrisons, Tavistock, Devon Somerfield, Amesbury,...

Charity bale sponsor

Charity bale sponsor

Plans are well underway for the Aberdare Park Races, Premier Road Racing event in Wales, which raises money for charity. The weekend is held at Aberdare Park, 30 miles North West of Cardiff. Races...