24th of June 2012, MAG
action day.
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| Disney never made a film about these two! |
If you are reading this, but are
not a biker then you may be wondering why Bikers are making so much fuss at the
moment about proposed legislation coming direct from Unelected Bureaucrats
working in the offices of power with in the EU. More directly, you may be
wondering why a load of bikers held up the traffic today in the middle of the
day while wearing very large yellow t-shirts shouting about the EU?
Well, there is a very good
reason, or to be brutally honest a whole pile of reason, but here is a brief
synopsis taken from MAG themselves on why
they are very concerned about this new legislation.
o
It aims to restrict the possibility of carrying out modifications
to motorcycle power-trains (from the airbox down to and including the radius of
the rear tyre) - your campaigning efforts so far have helped to roll-back some
aspects of this threat but we are still faced with proposals to make it far
more difficult to work on future bikes and to add cost and complexity to bike ownership.
o
It aims to prevent engine re-mapping
o
It admits that there is no evidence to say there is a problem
caused by modifications, or what size that 'problem' may be.
o
It aims to make 'Advanced Braking Systems' compulsory on every
machine from 125cc up, adding hugely to the purchase price of cheap commuters.
o
It aims to limit the availability of aftermarket parts that may
alter performance
o
Much of the technical substance of exactly what is included may
not be written until after the regulation has become law, instead the
Commission will use 'Delegated Acts' to make changes and it is unclear how effectively
these will be scrutinised.
o
The European Ombudsman has found the Commission has a case to
answer that the legislation has been drafted in breach of European Treaties
(which requires evidence to justify a new law)
o
Other procedures seem to be at odds with democratic accountability
Taken directly from the MAG
Website,
Strong stuff, but what does any
of it mean? Basically if you buy a bike and then intend to modify it in anyway.
Tough, you wont be able to. No funky tyres, no race exhausts and no way you are
going to be allowed to take out that wimpy cam shaft and put a nice race one in
that de-tuned GSXR engine you bunged in your heavily chopped Streetfighter
frame. Add to that they want you to fit ABS
to every bike on the market, even if it is a super cheap training bike. Let’s
be honest, ABS is an option and not every
one likes it. Personally, I had ABS on the
Honda I rode a while back and to be frank the brakes on that lacked feel
because they were just horrible. The brakes on my SV are simple “twin piston in
a floating calliper” units and they are both strong and effective. In use they
have loads of feel and can stop very well. ABS
would be an option, but would it be nice? Also how much would it cost?
So in protests against this
draconian “thou shalt do as thou is told” laws, we all got together and had a
bit of a shout on the motorway. Those present in the Van were Biker Rock Radio
Boss, Steve and his Biker Rock crew of DJ Ghost and Prof Plums. On the bikes
were a rather broken Jayne (still suffering with a poorly shoulder) riding a
shiny and clean Sylvie and Carol with Alex on Noreen.
On our arrival at Taunton Dean
services, our immediate priority was to get the music blasting and get some
good biker tunes rousing the crowd of gathering bikers. I am pretty sure that
no one expected a PA to turn up or for great music to be present and the guys
from MAG quickly came over and said hello. A
quick exchange of T-shirts and we were ready to roll.
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| The Biker Rock Radio Roadshow in action. |
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| The Rozzers come for Jayne and Alex. |
At exactly one PM , the convoy started and three hundred bikes rolled
out onto the north bound and hit forty miles per hour. It was a magnificent sight
and once again I was able to ride with Carol on a huge mass protest ride. On
the south bound side of the motorway, another large group of bikers were
heading the other direction and nationwide, bikers everywhere had gathered into
groups to do exactly the same thing. This truly was an epic protest.
Best parts of the day had to be
the smiles and waves of support we got from car drivers, crowds who gathered on
bridges and kids watching. But then there is something impressive about three
hundred bikes thundering by.
Other sights worthy of note were
the birds of prey we saw hunting in the verges between carriage ways or on the
sides. I counted several buzzards and had one fly right past me, as we cruised along,
clutching it's lunch of a vole in it’s beak.
The ride was a lot of fun, but it
had a serious point. That point was this, to those unelected people making
decisions for “my benefit”, when you know nothing about me, get your filthy
hands off my hobby!
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| A party at Gordano Services after the protest ride. |
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| It is not just two wheels being threatened. |
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| Prof Plums showing off his Woofers |
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