Bike Devil’s Week on Two-Wheels: 14 April 2020
That’s the Easter Bank Holiday weekend complete.
With lockdown still in place, for many of us the weekend may have consisted of tinkering with our bikes, making the most of our daily exercise allowance, doing jobs in the garden and house and eating… and jet-washing, which seems like a very popular activity at the moment!
So, what’s been happening over the last few weeks?
The unfortunate announcement came over the weekend that all-round legend Sir Stirling Moss had passed away on Sunday, aged 90, following a long illness. The first British driver to win a home Grand Prix (1955 at Aintree), he was known not just for his fine F1 career, but for his ability in various categories. He’d retired from public life in January 2018 due to health problems, but held a special place in many people’s hearts. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and associates.
It was announced that BMW would not be attending either the EICMA or Intermot show this year. A key place where motorcycle brands unveil their new models for the upcoming year, could this mean we see even more unveiling via live stream?
Talking of shows, but on a more positive note, there was a statement released by organisers of Motorcycle Live last week too saying – in short – that: ‘rightly or wrongly, we remain positive that Motorcycle Live will go ahead as planned in November.’ The annual show usually takes place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, a venue currently set up as ‘NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham’ with the aim of dealing with the increased number of patients at the peak of coronavirus.
A Facebook group with the view of organising an ‘NHS ride of thanks’ has currently got over 14,000 likes with numerous regional groups popping up with the aim of a planned rideout in April 2021. A great example of motorcyclists pulling together to show their appreciation…
Electric motorcycle brand, Super Soco, is also showing their appreciation by offering key workers a 10% discount ‘until further notice’. There’s a section on their website called ‘key workers’ explaining what to do if you’re interested, so head on over there if you’re interested. What’s pretty cool too is that all their models can be ridden on a car licence – if you passed your test before 2001, so even for those who are non-motorcyclists, it makes riding a bike even easier.
It’s good news too for UK Blood Bike Charities who can now get free fuel at BP forecourts – of which there are 1200 – during the coronavirus chaos and who are now benefiting from Vehicle Excise Duty on service vehicles being scrapped. Both changes are helping the charities to continue their amazing – and extremely vital – work across the country.
You will have seen that various motorcycling brands have been posting their own colouring in/spot the difference activities – they’re not just designed for kids so be sure to get involved – many of them are offering prizes so it’s worth printing it off and nabbing some colouring pencils or felt tips from the children’s school supplies…
It was the second #StayAtHomeGP this weekend – as many of us have got time on our hands, we won’t ruin the result as you may want to watch it for yourself. What we still say, is that it was definitely a drama packed race – head over to the MotoGP.com website to check it out!
That’s all for now folks!
#StaySafe, #StayAlert, #StayPositive and keep washing those hands (yes, it’s still important!).
