February 2015

Greetings!

It's been a busy time for MAG Ireland lately with preparations for the upcoming Irish Motorcycle & Scooter Show in the RDS (see below) as well as recent trips to Brussels by MAG Ireland reps for the FEMA meeting and The European Motorcyclists' Forum.

Elsewhere, we report on the news of a new insurance broker in the Irish market with the recent announcement by Principal Insurance that they would be extending cover to riders here. You'll find full details of all the above elsewhere in this issue.

If you’re planning a motorcycle related event in Ireland in 2015, let us know by sending details to events@magireland.org and we'll add it to the Irish Motorcycle Events Calendar for free.

Please add this email address to your safe sender/whitelist to ensure you don't miss an issue of RoadRunner.

Your feedback (email to roadrunner@magireland.org) is always welcome.

Editor

Irish Motorcycle & Scooter Show

Come and meet the MAG Ireland team on Stand A1 at the Irish Motorcycle and Scooter Show in the RDS, Dublin.

We'll have the full team at the show over the course of the weekend and we're there to answer your questions on the issues that affect you including the latest on current and pending EU regulations.

Not only that but we'll be accepting renewals and new memberships on the stand at the recently reduced rate of just €20 for the year. 

The volunteers of MAG Ireland work diligently on your behalf throughout the year and we like to talk, so if you have any questions, queries, comments or simply want to chat about bikes then why not come along and meet the team?

New motorcycle sales increased in 2014

MAG Ireland Researcher Garret Maher has been digging into the sales figures for Irish motorcycles in 2014.

The good news is that the trends are finally beginning to look up although the market overall remains well below its potential with second hand sales falling behind expectations.

Meanwhile in Europe a modest increase in sales has been recorded which reflects a fragile recovery in the motorcycle market generally.

Here at home, it seems the impact of the sterling exchange rate may be having an effect on the used motorcycle market. So where does the market go from here?

UK broker Principal Insurance to enter Irish motorcycle insurance market

UK based specialist insurance broker Principal insurance will shortly begin offering policies to riders in the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking to MAG Ireland, Aly Dixon of Principal said the firm will initially focus on modern and classic motorcycle insurance but that there are plans to expand the portfolio to cover other specialist niches.

MAG Ireland welcomes the addition of another broker in the Irish market, a move which is sure to widen the choice available to Irish riders.

Commenting on the launch, MAG Ireland P.R.O. Victor Donnelly said:

Coming as it does at a time when the motorcycle sector in Ireland is recovering from the worst effects of the recession, this is a hugely positive development and a vote of confidence in the Irish market.

Explaining Principal’s decision to enter Ireland now, Aly Dixon said:

It’s time for change, particularly in the bike market which has become staid, lacking in any real competitive edge. We’ll naturally be competing on price but placing a real emphasis on delivering a genuinely personal service because we feel that’s what the market is sorely lacking.

MAG Ireland was responsible for opening up the Irish motorcycle insurance market when, back in 2002, we asked the Competition Authority to investigate after repeated failures by the Government to address the monopoly which then existed.

As a direct result of our actions the market was opened up in 2004 and today Irish riders have a greater choice than ever before. With the arrival of Principal insurance, that choice will soon be wider still.

MAG Ireland in Bike Buyers Guide

The March issue of Bike Buyers Guide is in shops from Thursday 26th February and this month we explore the relationship between activism, journalism and the all pervasive influence of social media.

Elsewhere in the magazine you'll find the latest news from track side as well as the usual range of features and regular contributors, gear reviews, classic bikes, readers questions and a whole lot more besides.

Bike Buyers Guide will be at stand M6 in the main hall of the RDS bike show where you can meet the team and talk bikes & biking.

Charity ride: Clifden to Mongolia

One man, one motorcycle, 24,000km 

A journey from Galway to Ulaan Baatar in Mongolia. Starting May 2015, I will travel to the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Belarus, Russia and then Mongolia. This is all being done for charity.

Return journey is back into Russia, head back as far as Ufa in central Russia before turning south to Volgogard, then into Georgia, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Austria, Germany, France and return home

Help to protect motorcycling - Join Us

MAG Ireland represents Irish riders and is funded by Irish riders but we can only do that with the financial support of members subscriptions.

It now costs just €20 for a years membership, that’s less than 6 cent per day.

Not only that but we aim to save you the cost of your membership many times over via our exclusive vouchers and our group discount scheme. To get your member-only discounts follow the link on the top right hand side of the site: www.magireland.groupscheme.com.

You can potentially save the cost of your membership many times over with great discounts like 10% off at all Halfords stores. 

If you can’t stretch to a membership subscription but you’d still like to help, just click the donate link on the menu at www.magireland.org and give whatever you can.