In a House of Commons Transport Committee meeting today, a group of MP's proposed a limit on all superbikes including R1's, Fireblades and GSXR's to be capped to 65mph. Their view is that bike accident rates are too high and by enforcing this limit the number of accidents will radically drop.
Transport author Stephen Plowden said he could not see why anyone on a bike needs to travel over 65 mph given that in 2005, 569 riders were killed and a further 6,000 were seriously injured.
Our figures at The Bike Insurer suggest that over 70% of bike accidents are non-fault and so our view is that more should be done to punish the people responsible for killing bikers. Its not enough to see a driver get a suspended sentence which is nothing more than a wrist slap. If people knew that if they caused a crash in which another road user was killed or seriously injured then they would go to jail, we believe the figures would come down.
Whats your view - tell us now, we want to hear from you.
Andy Shaw - www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk
Update to this - I've just been done twice in the last week. Hmm 9 points now for the next 20 months till my first conviction comes off. Anyone got a spare restrictor kit for an R1 that limits me to 30mph!!!!
Right then, we all know that speed cameras are a waste of space and do nothing except line Gordon Stalin's fat greasy pocket. But you have got to read this, its enough to make you go mental.... We carried out a piece of research across nearly 24,000 riders to find out what percentage have at least one conviction on their licence as we suspected there was a small increase. Now If you grew up in the era where your mum + dad never got a single speeding conviction on their licence, then you will understand how flabbergasted we were to find out that a rider today is 11% more likely to have conviction on their licence compared to just 6 months ago. Now for the big news.....If you're 25 or under, you're close to being a worse risk to society than Bin Laden himself. Get this - you are 26% more likely to have a conviction on your licence than you were 6 months rainsodden, windswept months ago. If you're as amazed as we are to find this out then tell us, we want to hear your thoughts. Lets discuss..... Andy Shaw - www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk
Now then, for anyone thats got a home this is good news. We found out that Tesco have got 50% off all online rates for home insurance. Ok, this isnt technically about bike insurance, but hell, you probably live somewhere you call home so get saving and click on the Tesco Home Insurance banner that you can find on loads of pages of The Bike Insurer site. Oh yes, one more thing, hurry up 'cos it doesnt last long!
By Andy Shaw - www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk
"No of course I wont do it again officer, it really was a one off" I said, trying to hold back a fit of laughter. Does he really believe me I wonder...
So ten minutes before I had been on my way to the office this morning on my current ride.
At the moment I'm lucky enough to be on board an 07 model Yamaha R1 which is guaranteed to give anyone a smile. You know the feeling you get on that rare, wonderful occasion when you wake up early 'cos the sun is streaming through the curtains. A quick peak behind them confirms your suspicions.
Right then, quick shower and change, and lets get up and at em. Just a few miles across the moss roads heading for Southport and Im in love. This R1 is one beast of a bike, but strangely I feel in tune with it, like Im part of it. Can't say I said that about my old 04 model.
So here we go, along my favourite stretch of road. I swear, I am Rossi, I'm like a riding god this morning, nobody could beat me. And then the first reminder that actually this bike could really hurt me. Coming down from 1 something to a 30 mph right hander I brake through the gears and there comes a little lock up of the back, whoa there boy.
Anyway, thats been and gone, lets nail it, 80, 90, 120, 145, this is sooo quick.Oops whats that ahead...
"So how fast is the speed limit here son?" "Er, 60 officer" praying it is. "And how fast were you going" "Ooh I'd say about 50 or so" And so it goes on.
Anyway, turns out this guy rides too and really just wants to take a look at the bike and have a chat.
And this got me thinking, what I want to know is this; whats your favourite road at the moment, and what gives you that raw sensation of being so totally alive that when you stop you can't help but shake and just laugh yourself silly. Everyones got one, whats yours?????
By Andy Shaw - www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk
