August 2014

Welcome,

August is peak holiday season, but we've been hard at work to bring you this issue of RoadRunner! 

This month we have news of an RSA review of road deaths, updates on some of the biggest charity events as well as various national and international news items.

If you’re planning a motorcycle related event in Ireland in 2014, let us know by sending details to events@magireland.org and we'll add it to the Irish Motorcycle Events Calendar and the MAG Ireland smartphone app for free.

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

Editor

RSA - Hide and Seek

The RSA recently launched two new TV advertisements aimed at raising awareness of motorcyclists among car drivers. The adverts are short at just 20 seconds each, and highlight the necessity for drivers to be vigilant. 

MAG Ireland fully supports the RSA's efforts. "Sorry mate I didn't see you" is no excuse for failing to look properly. 

Meeting the neighbours

On Friday 15th August last, a delegation from MAG Ireland met with representatives from MAG Northern Ireland and MAG UK. The meeting took place at Kirkistown racing circuit during the Woolsey Coulter Advanced Rider Training day.

The discussions covered a wide range of topics including recent casualty trends and EU legislation as well as domestic issues and current developments within our respective organisations.

MAG Ireland would like to extend our sincere thanks to our colleagues from MAG Northern Ireland for facilitating what proved to be a very useful and productive meeting for everyone involved.

Annual Across Ireland Run

Kudos to everyone who took part in this years Annual Across Ireland Run in aid of Teen Line Ireland. 

The organisation says that, like a lot of charities, Teen-Line has come under pressure in recent years due to HSE funding cuts. At the same time the call volume at Teen-Line has increased by 15% since the start of the year.

With the help of AAI the charity aims to update their call centre which in turn will improve the help line. This will hugely benefit the 13,000 plus callers they expect to have this year.

Without the help of organisations like AAI, Teen-Line say they would not be in a position to provide a vital service for teenagers in distress.

For more see: www.teenline.ie

Motorcyclist "bike jacked"

A MAG Ireland member in Dublin recently drew our attention to a story on the web site of The Herald newspaper.

On Wednesday 23rd July, 52 year old motorcyclist Michael Dalton was on his way to work at 7:15am when two masked assailants pushed him off his CBR 600RR while he was stopped at traffic lights in Finglas on Dublin's north side.

The thieves threatened to stab him before stealing his motorcycle and making off on it leaving the father of three deeply shocked but otherwise unharmed.

This is not the first so called "bike jacking" incident we've been made aware of. There has been a noticeable increase in thefts and attempted thefts in Dublin this summer. With riders becoming more aware of the problem and technical measures such as coded ignition keys making it harder for criminals, it would appear thieves are turning to violence in their efforts to steal motorcycles.

MAG Ireland understands the Gardai are aware of the issue and our sources indicate that efforts to trace those responsible for the recent surge in motorcycle theft are well underway

VFR750 Rescue

Stolen from Greek tourists in Cork, recovered from a river and now being overhauled with the assistance of Biker.ie members, Lee Motorcycles & University College Cork Motorcycle Club. This VFR750 restoration is a story of, and for, our times. 

Bubblegum Run 2014

The Bubblegum Club is a not for profit organisation that arranges special trips for critically ill children and children in crisis.

The 20th Anniversary Bubblegum Run took place on 17th August last. There was a great turnout for what is one of the biggest charity runs on the calendar and a firm favourite among riders.

This year's event combined bikes and supercars with the stunning surroundings of Slane Castle as the backdrop for an unforgettable day. Well done to all involved in the organising and running of this event.

For more pics see the Bubblegum Run Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bubblegum-Run

Read MAG Ireland in Bike Buyers Guide

The new issue of Bike Buyers Guide is out on August 28th.

Regular readers will be aware that MAG Ireland has been afforded the opportunity to explore some of the issues facing motorcycling through a page in the magazine.

This month we take a slightly skewed look at where motorcycling is today and where it might be going in the future. We're at a crossroads and regulations could make or break motorcycling, but which is it to be?

Read our take in the upcoming issue of Bike Buyers Guide, in shops from  August 28th.

New member discounts

Recent additions to the MAG Ireland members discount scheme include 10% off Dell consumer products, plus monthly exclusive VIP Deals which will not be found elsewhere.

This is in addition to the current offer of 10% off all Lenovo laptops which runs until 31st August.

These are just two of hundreds of discounts on offer to you as a MAG Ireland member. See what you can save today. Click the button & enter your membership number to get started.

Survey Result

Thanks to everyone who took part in last month's survey about adverts on the MAG Ireland web site. 

The results are overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the adverts.

A number of you pointed out that adverts should be motorcycle related. The ads themselves are placed by Google and we don't have direct control over their content, only the broad categories such as travel, leisure, and so on. In most cases, the ads should be relevant to the content of the page on which they appear.

Daniel, our web designer is currently working on a new look for the site and we expect to unveil it in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for that.

RSA to review road deaths

Amid growing concern over rising casualties the RSA is to review road deaths to determine pre-crash behaviour according to a recent story by Eoghan MacConnell in the Irish Times. 

According to Eoghan:
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) plans to review all fatal road traffic collisions in Ireland over a four year period to assess pre-crash behaviour. RSA’s Brian Farrell said the review would go beyond what the gardaí would fill out at the roadside. It will look at motorist’s toxicology reports and those of pedestrians, he explained.

“It’s a report that will be looking at pre-crash behaviour,” Mr Farrell remarked, “it would be very important in terms of planning our interventions and strategy.”

A similar review has been conducted by the RSA in the past between 2005 and 2007 and a comparison of the results will be made in order to assess any changes in behaviour, he added. “It’s specifically in relation to going in and looking at the pre-causal factors in collisions,” he said. 

In a recent column in Bike Buyers Guide, MAG Ireland highlighted the rising casualties and the fact that the authorities were seeking to identify and eliminate the causes. It appears the RSA has now kick started that process.

Given that 2013 was a bad year for motorcycle casualties with 27 fatalities, and with 2014 figures already at 13 as of the end of July, it's inevitable that motorcycling will once again come under the spotlight.

The major concern here is that draconian measures which were previously demonstrated to be disproportionate will now be firmly back on the table. They include the previously defeated proposal for a ban when riders accumulate six points rather than the normal twelve and the ongoing threat of mandatory high visibility clothing for both rider and pillion passenger.

MAG Ireland has sought a meeting with the RSA to discuss the issues arising from the announcement of the review.

FEMA adopts position on mandatory protective clothing

FEMA - The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations - has adopted a common position on Personal Protective Equipment.

The EU Commission has recently proposed a regulation on personal protective equipment. Whether and to what extent that might apply to motorcycle riders is still the subject of debate.

Nevertheless, having a common position to which all motorcyclist representative organisations can subscribe is an important step is clarifying our position with regard to what we wear while on the bike.

FEMA's position, supported by MAG Ireland, is that the choice of what to wear while riding should always be left to the rider.

Continuous Insurance - Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's Right to Ride have recently published a piece on the proposals for continuous insurance in the North.

Under the proposed Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme, it would be an offence to be the keeper of an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured. A similar scheme has been in place on the mainland UK since 2011.

The article goes into some depth on the proposals, and asks some very pertinent questions about the way in which motor insurance is structured and sold.

Read the full article on the Right to ride web site by clicking the button below.

Continental - Motorcycle Tyre Recall

Fort Mill, SC August 11, 2014.

Continental today announced a safety recall covering approximately 9,000 Continental 120/70 ZR 17 and 120/70 R 17 motorcycle tires sold in the US and Canada. Market feedback indicates that some of these tires have exhibited a condition in the tread and/or belt which may lead to separation and possible air loss. Continental has not received any reports of accidents or injuries in connection with this condition. The safety recall is being initiated to avoid any potential risk to road-users. The affected tires were sold to original equipment and replacement customers worldwide between 2007 and 2014. This safety recall is part of a worldwide program affecting 170,000 tires.

Replacement of Continental 120/70 ZR 17 and 120/70 R 17 motorcycle front wheel tires
Condition in the tread and/or belt may lead to separation and possible pressure loss
Program covers appproximately 9,000 tires sold in the Americas between 2007 and 2014

Off Road Declarations

If you declared that project bike as off the road under the new regulations introduced last year, you'll be due to renew the declaration soon if you haven't done so already.

The good news is it wont cost you a cent. The bad news is that not everyone has received a renewal notification.

Don't get caught out for back tax on a box of parts! See our web site for full details of the renewal process by clicking on the button below.

Motorcycle Events Calendar

September highlights

• September 6th - Hogs Head MCC Rally
• September 7th - Motorcycle treasure hunt, Co. Laois, in aid of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.
• September 14th - Highwaymen MCC Lisburn, Charity Rideout
• September 27th - Celtic Wolves MCC, Rally
• September 28th - Blood Bikes North West, Family fun day fundraiser

Full details of these and other events we've been notified of are on the Irish Motorcycle Events Calendar. Click the button for more.

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 costs just €25 for a years membership, that’s less than 7 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. All you need is your membership number to 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.