26 October 2024

Remembering the courage of 1944

This year marks the 80th anniversaries of momentous battles and turning points of the Second World War.

The D-Day landings of 6th June – the largest seaborne invasion in history – marked the beginning of the liberation of western Europe.

Elsewhere on the globe exceptionally hard-fought battles were also turning the tide of the war. The Battle of Monte Cassino was the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign and in India Outnumbered British and Indian forces withstood weeks of siege and brutal fighting at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal.

The Royal British Legion remembers the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth armed forces in these and other battles. The vital contribution of men and women from South Asia is also explored in our pages for South Asian Heritage Month.

Your Poppy shows you care. Your donation can do something no military equipment can - help those who have served to cope with trauma and live the full and rewarding lives they deserve. Please give generously.

www.britishlegion.org.uk


25 October 2024

Concerns mount as more major motorcycle dealership chains enter administration amid sales shortfall

Three major dealership chains across the UK have recently entered administration, with slow sales and rising costs cited as some of the reasons for decline.

New bike registration data released by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) for the first nine months of the year revealed a 3.8% decline across motorbikes of all engine capacities when compared with the same period in 2023.

Year-to-date figures also showed larger-capacity machinery to be in particular difficulty, with 751-1000cc two-wheelers down by 8.7% at 15,583 units, and the biggest 1000cc+ models dropping by 10.6% to 14,219 overall.

In fact, when looking at conventional petrol power, only the 126-500cc category showed YTD growth – raising by 20.4% across the year so far. This is likely due to the arrival of popular models including Triumph’s Scrambler 400 X and Speed 400.

Despite the concerns, MCIA CEO, Tony Campbell remains positive, telling MCN: “Even if you took out the distortions from this year, we’re still going to sell more bikes than we did in 2019.

“We lose sight of the fact that the market has been really quite robust,” he continued.

“This sector has been through this before, it’s seen it before, and it’s survived before, but there are lots of smaller things – such as insurance. I think there’s a real combination of things that are triggering these changes.”

Other factors to consider include the fluctuation of energy and fuel prices, the threat of conflict across nations, a change of Government, the perception of motorcycle theft (although currently on the decline across the UK), and more.

KTM parent group Pierer Mobility AG are also in financial difficulty, recently cutting their executive board from six to two members and announcing more than 500 redundancies across the year so far. Not only do these factors impact the dealers themselves but could also have an effect on buyer confidence.

One of the most recent dealership chains to fall into difficulty is Pidcock Motorcycles Limited, which was placed into administration on October 21.

A BMW retailer since 1977, both their Ducati and Triumph sites have now been permanently closed, with 18 employees made redundant. Interest from prospective buyers is currently being considered for their BMW premises in Nottingham.

“Pidcock is not the first retailer to struggle in challenging market conditions over the past year. The company is a reputable seller, partnered with some of the world’s best-known bike brands, and we’re not surprised that there has been interest from prospective buyers,” Nathan Jones, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory said. 

“While it’s unfortunate that a viable route forward for all three sites hasn’t been possible, we’re hopeful of a positive outcome for the company’s BMW outlet. Securing that, as well as supporting employees affected by the closures, is our focus now.” 

In Scotland, Saltire Motorcycles of Edinburgh entered administration in early September, leaving uncertainty for their seven franchises including KTM, BSA, Royal Enfield, and Indian Motorcycle.

Completely Motorbikes met a similar fate in mid-October, with administrators now urging interested parties to come forward and rescue the business which had collectively housed over 1500 bikes across 21 showrooms. “The group has encountered financial difficulties after a poor summer sales period,” Joint Administrator Jonathan Amor of Azets said at the time.

www.motorcyclenews.com


21 October 2024

C.S. Lewis: on love & loss

 

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

Dedicated to our beloved Calli x


19 October 2024

Our hearts are broken, we lost our precious Calli yesterday

 

We are deeply saddened to report that our beautiful Callista passed away yesterday after a short illness. Our hearts are broken. She was the most beautiful pup & truly lived up to her name.

Our home feels empty now. Even though Calli was a quiet little doggie, the house is just SO quiet now! Calli formed part of each segment of every day, Kim & I are literally at loss.

C.S. Lewis said: I will never laugh at anyone for grieving over a loved beast. I think God wants us to love Him more, not to love creatures (even animals) less. We love everything in one way too much (i.e., at the expense of our love for Him), but in another way we love everything too little. No person, animal, flower, or even pebble has ever been loved too much - i.e., more than every one of God’s works deserves.

Do feel free to enjoy some articles about our precious pup. Next time you are down the pub (Calli's favourite place), raise your glass & have some crisps or nuts & think of our dearest girl - she'll be smiling down on you from Heaven.

In tears & Love, Don & Kim x

16 October 2024

Electric Motorcycle Company Energica has filed for bankruptcy

According to reports in Italy earlier in the week, Energica Motors was reportedly in danger of going bust as the electric motorcycle company has already laid off employees and has narrowly avoided eviction.

Emergency meetings to try and find a solution were held on Monday and Tuesday, however, a press release has been made by the company announcing its plans to file a bankruptcy judicial liquidation pursuant.

An electric motorcycle supplier as well as a supplier of MotoE bikes for several seasons, Energica has held a strong position within the racing and motorcycle sales sectors. But that hasn’t been able to stop the company from reaching its sad end.

Given its previous success, sections of the Italian media allocated blame towards Energica’s American parent company, Ideanomics. READ MORE...

This is really sad news. I've had the pleasure of riding a couple of their bikes: the Ego - an amazing electric superbike & the Experia - an adventure tourer. Fantastic bikes, top notch build quality, truly premium products: electric exotica! Another example of why electric just isn't working out...

www.visordown.com


Support the people behind the pint: Long Live the Local!

Almost a million people make a pint possible - from scientists, farmers and draymen, to delivery drivers and the many thousands who work in our nation’s pubs. They have faced a tough few years, and they have worked hard to continue to serve our local communities. But Britain is still one of the most taxed places to have a pint.

Nearly 1 million people make a pint in a pub possible. The pub is the beating heart of communities across the whole of Britain. But outside its walls, there are nearly a million people behind your pint who take it from hop to glass, including delivery drivers, farmers, logistics workers, brewers, technicians, cleaners and of course the bar staff who hand you your pint.

Pubs and brewing supports nearly one million jobs across the UK, including farmers growing hops, brewers developing new recipes, scientists working on quality control and logistics teams managing deliveries.

Beyond the UK, millions across the globe enjoy a British beer with friends. The UK is one of the biggest beer exporters in Europe, with British brewers exporting the equivalent of 874 million pints in 2022.

The brewing and pub sector is a core part of the UK economy, supporting £14.3 billion in wages. We want to show the people who make up the large economic figures… to show the passion and skills of those in the sector who make a pint possible, not only to celebrate them and the work which they do to deliver the pint which Brits enjoy with their friends and family, but also to show politicians that support for the sector is support for their voters.

Sign up, join the campaign and enter the draw to win a free case of beer every month - good luck & CHEERS!

www.longlivethelocal.pub


15 October 2024

The new version of my bike: Honda CB1000 Hornet. What a bargain!

Honda's Hornet family is complete, and the boss of the hive is here packing a sting in its tail. The new CB1000 Hornet loads a four-cylinder engine built to shred tarmac with naked class-leading punch. Throttle By Wire delivers precise control while the chassis arms with adjustable Showa 41mm SFF-BP USD forks and Pro-Link rear shock. Pure, bare-knuckle street fighting aggression is led by sharp twin LED projectors; a full-colour 5-inch TFT screen and Honda RoadSync connectivity brings the smarts. Ready for full attack?

All out attack: Nothing just for show. This is the motorcycle in its rawest form, tautly defined. Stripped for action the CB1000 Hornet’s uncompromising, streetfighter style is led by the piercing stare of super-compact twin LED projector headlights, tightly wrapped in a discreet nose fairing. The subtly blacked out frame brings a strong element of lithe design, underpinning the lines as does the trellis-style rear subframe. Adding menace, the engine, wheels and swingarm are also finished in black. And the Hornet-signature, broad-shouldered fuel tank tapering radically to the rear outlines pure performance.

Packing a punch: Thoroughbred racing DNA courses through the CB1000 Hornet. Its 999cc, DOHC four-cylinder engine pumps out an adrenaline-charged 112kW power @ 11,000rpm and 104Nm torque @ 9,000rpm. Tuned for smooth yet punchy low- to mid-range delivery and precise throttle control, with 11.7 compression ratio and newly developed die-cast pistons optimised it’s a huge buzz to ride, streetfighter-style and free in the city. And the gearbox ratios – tuned for instant acceleration – ensure the CB1000 Hornet simply destroys any set of corners.

All-round agility: It’s got the incredible engine. The hardcore streetfighter looks. But the CB1000 Hornet is also built to handle. From urban jungle to winding back road. The one-piece steel twin-spar frame uses mass-forward geometry to weight the front wheel and ups torsional rigidity by 70%, for agile corner entry and razor-fast side-to-side performance. It also mounts a Showa rear shock operating through Pro-Link for perfect suspension control, matched by the steering precision of adjustable 41mm Showa SFF-BP USD front forks. You’ve also got the sharp stopping power of Nissin four-piston radial-mount front brake calipers gripping 310mm floating discs. And the wide handlebars and riding position that join you, as one, with the bike.

Never miss a beat: The CB1000 Hornet has you. Throttle By Wire (TBW) puts all the engine’s stunning performance fully in your right hand and at your control. And the 5-inch, full-colour TFT screen serves up intuitive mode management via simple 4-way switch on the handlebar. You can select the default riding modes – Rain, Standard and Sport – or use 2 User modes to go fully custom with 3 levels of Engine Power/Engine Brake and 4 levels of Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) plus Wheelie Control. The display also features Honda RoadSync connectivity, for on-screen turn-by-turn navigation and whatever else you need from your smartphone.

www.honda.co.uk