How about this for a 'party trick'....

How about this for a 'party trick' ......

What is happening in the BikeWise 'world' over the next couple of weeks which covers the Easter holidays.....

What is happening in the BikeWise 'world' over the next couple of weeks which covers the Easter holidays.....

Firstly... Easter is traditionally the 'start' of the riding season, so remember to check over your bike and equipment before going out onto the road.

Hein Gericke at Darlington are open everyday, have a shop full of clothing and accessories and you will get 10% off any non sale items in the store if you have attended a BikeWise Training day and produce your card (or ACU license for Mini Bike Club members.)
The team of Alison, Sue, Tim & Craig will look forward to seeing you.
www.hein-gericke.co.uk

Adelaide Insurance - register on their site and you could win a prize (like Mick Alder did...), you might also get a pleasant surprise when it comes to renewing your insurance. You will be able to select BikeWise Training from the drop down boxes and will get a discount as a result of your BikeWise Training.. They are a specialist Motorcycle Insurer and support motorcycle Road Racing events in Ireland - www.adelaideinsurance.com

BikeWise Easter Egg Run, this Sunday, 4th April from Carrville Park & Ride.
Registration from 0915hrs..

Click HERE for further details and location map

After the event there will be tea /coffee at Police HQ and a chance for everybody to catch up on what is happening this year in the BikeWise 'World' - Hope to see you all there...

BikeWise Training - Bob & Mick will be at the Police HQ on Sunday, after the Easter Egg Run if anyone wants to discuss (or book) a Training day for the coming year....

BikeWise Mini Bike Club is being held on Sunday 11th April at Carrville Park & Ride, Durham.
1000hrs for a 1030hrs start.
Visit the website for more details of the venue / club : www.bikewise-minibikeclub.co.uk

Durham Advanced Motorcyclists are hosting a Slow Riding skills session at the Police HQ, Aykley Heads, Durham on Sunday 11th April.
Visit their website for further details : http://www.durhamadvancedmotorcyclists.org.uk/

North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club
Tue, April 20th, 19:30hrs
The Golden Lion Hotel, High Street, Northallerton, DL7 8PP - map
AGM and Club sponsored riders night at the Mowbray Suite at the Golden Lion Hotel, Northallerton.

Click HERE to download a poster

Wetlands BikeMeet - Wednesday's & Sundays
WWT Washington Wetland Centre, Pattinson, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8LE - map
Wednesday & Sunday evenings
For further details of times contact the forum below
The centre is east of Washington town centre in Pattinson (formerly District 15) four miles from the A1(M), and two minutes from the A19, off the A1231 Washington Highway. You can follow the brown tourist signs to the centre from the A195, A19, A182 and A1231.
http://wetlandsbikers.freeforums.org/index.php

MCN Fantasy Road Race 'BikeWise' League. Enter your team, then join the BikeWise League : PIN 944 - The season started with World Superbikes and now we have BSB (with local firm HM Plant sponsoring Honda' racing team) & Moto GP starting.....
It's not too late to join the league, just go to the website : http://mcn.fantasyleague.com/
Register your team and then join the BikeWise League and see if one of us can win the Yamaha R6....

Ride Safely and be BikeWise.....

New 'THINK' Video for motorcyclists....

New  'THINK' video in relation to motorcyclists for 2010.....

BikeWise Easter Egg Run - Sunday 4th April.... +++ New Start Location +++

Full details of the 7th Annual BikeWise Easter Egg Run are now available......
+++  PLEASE NOTE THE EVENT HAS A NEW STARTING LOCATION +++

The ride will start from Carrville Park and Ride at the junction of the A690 and A1(M) -  (click on this link for to see location in Google Maps. ) on Sunday 4th April. Registration starts at 0915hrs.....

Double click on the image below to print off the event poster - share it with your friends and let them know about the event :

View Carrville Park & Ride, Durham in a larger map

Next Meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club

The next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be on Sunday 11th April 2010 at the Carrville Park and Ride (Junction of thA1(M) and A690Rd's) - signing on from 1000hrs for a 1030hrs safety brief/start.
Photo's are now online from the previous two indoor meetings at Black & Deckers.....
Visit the website at : www.bikewise-minibikeclub.co.uk   to view these

Motorcycle 'Tow Truck'.....

Motorcycle 'Tow Truck'
Can you believe it !!

And if you still don't believe it click on this link below to view a video of the Goldwing Retriever......

Whats Happening (in the 'BikeWise'World) - this week 15th March 2010

What is happening in the BikeWise 'world',  this week......

North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club

Tuesaday, March 16th at 1930hrs

The Golden Lion Hotel, High Street, Northallerton, DL7 8PP - map

Road Racing Favourite Guy Martin to attend along with his sponsor Red Torpedo on March 16th at the Mowbray Suite at the Golden Lion Hotel, Northallerton.

 Click HERE to download poster

Wetlands BikeMeet - Wednesday's & Sundays

WWT Washington Wetland Centre, Pattinson, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8LE - map

Wednesday & Sunday evenings
For further details of times contact the forum below

The centre is east of Washington town centre in Pattinson (formerly District 15) four miles from the A1(M), and two minutes from the A19, off the A1231 Washington Highway. You can follow the brown tourist signs to the centre from the A195, A19, A182 and A1231.


http://wetlandsbikers.freeforums.org/index.php

 

The Carole Nash MCN Scottish Bike Show 

Saturday & Sunday - Mar 20th & 21st

Royal Highland Centre Ingliston Edinburgh EH28 8NB - map

 http://www.scottishmotorcycleshow.com/


Meet the Durham Police BikeWise 'team' over at the BikeSafe Scotland stand  (Go over and introduce yourself to PC's Ian Nelson & Gary Ward)

BikeWise Mini Bike Club is being held on Sunday 21st March at Black & Deckers, Green Lane Spennymoor. 1000hrs for a 1030hrs start.
Visit the website for more details of the venue / club : www.bikewise-minibikeclub.co.uk

MCN Fantasy Road Race 'BikeWise' League.  Enter your team, then join the BikeWise League : PIN 944 - The season started with World Superbikes at Phillip Island, Australia and Leon Haslam flew the British flag with a first in Race 1 and second in Race 2.
It's not too late to join the league, just go to the website : http://mcn.fantasyleague.com/   register your team and then join the BikeWise League and see if one of us can win the Yamaha R6....

Ride Safely and be BikeWise.....

Whats Happening This Week ? (In the BikeWise 'world')

Durham Advanced Motorcyclists are holding their Club Night on Tuesday 23rd February.
Meet at 1900hrs for a 1930hrs start. Winter months - Guest speakers Summer months - ride outs..... Contact the secretary : Bill McCready on 01325 311 426 for further details



Hein  Gericke, Darlington are having their Open Day / 40th Anniversary Catalogue Launch on Saturday 27th February.
Alison, Tim, Sue & Craig will be 'on hand' to help you out and Mick Alder will be down their all day if you want to talk about BikeWise Training or the Mini Bike Club.
Remember to take your BikeWise Training card with you to qualify for discount at the store....
Please click on this link to read the BikeWise News article about the event : http://durhambikewise.blogspot.com/2010/02/hein-gericke-catalogue-launch-event.html



BikeWise Mini Bike Club is being held on Sunday 28th February at Black & Deckers, Green Lane Spennymoor. 1000hrs for a 1030hrs start.
Visit the website for more details of the venue / club : www.bikewise-minibikeclub.co.uk


MCN Fantasy Road Race 'BikeWise League.  Enter your team, then join the BikeWise League : PIN : 944 - The season starts with World Superbikes at Phillip Island, Australia on Sunday so make sure you get your team 'in' before then.......  it's FREE and it will be fun as the season goes on to see how successful (or not) you are as a team manager..... Click on the link below to start....

http://mcn.fantasyleague.com/

Ride Safely and be BikeWise.....

MCN Fantasy Road Race - BikeWise League

It's that time of year again to 'dust off' your email address, think of a password and then register for the 2010 Road Racing season with the MCN Fantasy Road Race .
You pick your 'team' of six riders, two each from BSB, WSB & Moto GP from the riders available and then once you've got your team selected, then, enter the BikeWise League. 
You will need to use the Pin Number 944 to enter the league...

It's FREE to do this and we can have a lot of 'fun' as the racing season runs it's course......

So, don't be shy....  click on this link to start : http://mcn.fantasyleague.com/User.aspx

Please forward this onto your friends (or family) - the more teams the more interesting the league....  Keep checking the BikeWise Latest News for updates...
Now the best bit.....
Its FREE to enter and the top prize is once again an amazing Yamaha R6 worth over £8,000, courtesy of MCE Insurance. There are also seven 'Game Round' prizes to play for during the year, too. For more information on prizes, just click here.
Don't worry if you're short on time as you can use the Lucky Dip option which automatically selects a valid team for you in seconds. (just like putting a Lottery ticket on !!)

Don't delay  -  Do it......  Today

Average Speed Camera's to be installed on the A537 (Cat & Fiddle run)

Bike-catching average-speed cameras are to be installed on the A537 Cat and Fiddle run from Macclesfield to Buxton from next week.
The popular biking road will be one of the first in the country to get a new generation of average-speed cameras which are rear-facing so they can read motorcycle number plates.
Work will begin installing seven of the devices from Tuesday. They will also be put on a stretch of the A54 which joins the A537. Both roads have a 50mph limit.
All of the cameras will be linked together and vehicles constantly monitored within the speed control zone. Riders who progress between any two of the devices too quickly will be issued with a prosecution notice.
In the past average-speed cameras have only been linked in pairs, measuring speeds from one to the next along a single lane of traffic. The new cameras are expected to be operational before motorcycle traffic increases in April. 
Lee Murphy, Manager of the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership, said:
“We want all road users to come and enjoy this scenic route responsibly and lawfully. Unfortunately, a minority of riders treat the road with a race track mentality — we have recorded bikers riding at speeds of 130 mph.
"This is not a knee-jerk reaction because we have tried all other measures. Short of closing the road, we couldn’t see any viable alternatives to the average-speed cameras to reduce the number of casualties along the Cat and Fiddle.”

MCN Award Winners in full

(Picture shows Bob Brown recieving his award from Marc Potter, editor of MCN)

Here is the full list of winners of the prestigious MCN Awards announced at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show held at the Excel Arena - London.
Check out Wednesday’s Motorcycle News for the full story behind the winners.

Award: Biking Hero
Winner: Bob Brown – former Police motorcyclist who was instrumental in setting up the phenomenally successful Durham Bike Wise motorcycle event which attracts thousands of riders every summer.
He spent many years serving as a police motorcyclist in Britain’s most bike-friendly Police force teaching riders to ride better and safer, and now helps young kids get a taste of motorcycling legally in Durham with a mini-moto experience
Award: The Dave Taylor Lifetime achievement
Winner:  Sammy Miller MBE.

Award: MCN Man of the Year Award (sponsored by National Accident Helpline)
Winner: Valentino Rossi
Award: MCN Machine of the Year.
Winner: Yamaha YZF-R1

Award: Best dealer with only one outlet
Winner: Lloyd Cooper of Watford

Award: Dealer of the Year specialising in one area
Winner: Get Geared of Leatherhead

Award: Wholesaler of the Year
Winner: Motohaus Powersports

Award: Dealer of the Year with more than one outlet
Winner: George White Superbike Centre

Award: Product of the Year (clothing)
Winner: Forcefield Pro Sub 4 back protector

Barry: Product of the Year (accessories or services)
Winner: Scottoiler E-system

Award: Product of the Year (tyre)
Winner: Michelin Power One

(Picture shows Bob Brown recieving his award from Marc Potter, editor of MCN)

North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club - Thundersport GB Night

Thundersport GB Night along with
The Battle of Britan F1 Sidecar Championship
The force behind the Sidecar Championship
Steve Webster MBE
Moto 450 Race Winner - Steve Tomes
Other Guests from this Paddock in the pipeline

Doors open 7:30pm, show starts at 8:00pm. Entry, £2.00 for members and £3.00 for non-members. Also Bar, Raffle and Television with highlights from recent race meetings.
Any queries contact: - Norman on 01423780624
Click on the image to view/download a poster

Hein Gericke Catalogue Launch Event - Darlington - 27th February

Saturday 27th February sees the launch of the 40th Anniversary catalogue and to mark the occasion the team at Hein Gericke Darlington have some special events in the planning.

Not only will the catalogue be the twice the size of previous years but many products will be showcased for the first time.
See the 2010 selection from Alpinestar and Arlen Ness, this year’s collection promises some breath taking items, and to cap it all Hein Gericke Darlington has been appointed County Durham’s newest and only authorised Dainese stockist. Of course Hein Gericke’s unsurpassed reputation for quality and affordability remains, and our 2010 range will not disappoint.

To mark the occasion and ensure it is an event to remember we have arranged for the 'xtreme wheelie machine' to be on site all day. This is a specially designed platform with a real motorcycle, normally a Kawasaki ZX6R strapped to it on which you can have a go at the black art of pulling a huge stonker of a wheelie, in total safety with no threat of flipping it! You will need a full bike licence and be over 18 to ride. Free to ride with all purchases over £10. (But we need photo's of you on it for our Gallery !!)

In addition to this we have organised various other displays (TBA), along with the chance to find a 'Golden Ticket' in your 2010 catalogue which may see you being the benefactor of a prize ranging from £5 through MotoGP tickets to a full kit out!

The day promises to be excellent fun so why not call in grab a coffee and doughnut.

Visit at 171/179 Northgate, Darlington DL1 1UB or call for more details on 01325 464 664.

View Hein Gericke Darlington in a larger map

BikeWise Easter Egg Run - Print a Poster

Full details of the 7th Annual BikeWise Easter Egg Run are now available......
The ride will start from Carrville Park and Ride at the junction of the A690 and A1(M) -  (click on this link for to see location in Google Maps. ) on Sunday 4th April. Registration starts at 0915hrs.....
Double click on the image below to print off the event poster - share it with your friends and let them know about the event :

View Carrville Park & Ride, Durham in a larger map

A total of 303 motorcycles have been stolen within County Durham and Darlington in 2009.

A total of 303 motorcycles have been stolen within County Durham and Darlington in 2009.

A break down of which parts of the force area are suffering the most thefts can be seen below:

Darlington 81
Chester le street 32
Crook / Dales 31
Peterlee / Seaham 31
Durham City 27
Stanley 24
Newton Aycliffe 20
Spennymoor / Ferryhill 20
Consett 18
Bishop Auckland 13
Barnard Castle 6

Of the bikes stolen they can be broken down into the following categories:

38.9% Small capacity bikes <125cc i.e. mopeds, scooter and Learner legal bikes.
34.1% off road bikes (child's bikes, mini motos, motocross, quads etc).
26.9% Larger capacity bikes > 125cc.
0.1% Trikes.

So exactly where were they stolen from?

62.6% were stolen from outside houses or in public areas.
34.6% were stolen in burglaries of sheds and garages (Non dwellings).
2.8% were stolen in dwelling burglaries (Which includdes garages incorporated into a dwelling).

Out of the total of bikes thefts (not including burglaries) 66% were parked up with no form of security at all!

It's easy to see that the vast majority of stolen bikes in the force area continue to be small scooter/learner legal bikes left unattended and insecure.

Keeping these bikes out of view from opportunistic thieves and locking them with some additional security device could have a dramatic effect on the numbers stolen and prevent you from becoming a victim of crime.

An added problem  often encountered, is that many off road machines from motocross bikes, kid's pit bikes to quad bikes are owned by people who frequently have no idea of the frame and / or engine numbers.

As a consequence, if the police come across a stolen bike without the numbers having been given to them at the time it was stolen then they have little chance of identifying it as stolen or of linking it to the original owner.

They can't keep it, so have no option to give it back to the very person that may have been the thief !!

Please make sure that you have a record of all the frame/engine numbers of your machine and keep them safe, by doing so you'll increase the chances of getting your bike returned in the event of it being stolen and the offender(s),  more likely to be brought before the courts.

To reduce your chances of becoming a victim invest in a security product that will stop your machine from simply being pushed or lifted away.

There are a whole host of security products on sale both in dealers and on websites; have a look at them and read the reviews before you decide what to buy but whatever you buy use it!!
Anybody who has been on a BikeWise Training day can obtain further discounts from Roy Collins Motorcycle Security & Heine Gericke at Darlington....

If you have any information on stolen motorcycles or parts and you don't want to provide your details don't forget that you can use Crimestoppers anonymously by telephoning 0800 555 111.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CRIMESTOPPERS

Turbo Sprint - Fantastic Mouse driven motorcycle game....

Turbo Spirit

Race your motorcycle and tear it up through multiple cities and countrysides in Turbo Spirit! Compete to enter different leagues and place well to unlock new tracks. Go for the fastest time and score first in Turbo Spirit!

Fantastic mouse-driven motorcycle racing game !

Mini Bike Club - Photo's online & Thank You....

Many Thanks to all who attended the meeting today (Sunday 17th)... Great to see some old face's popping in to see how the meeting was going.
Katie and her dad Stuart 'dropping in' with her new Aprillia racebike and a big welcome to our four new starters - hope to see you all at the next meeting.
Photo's are online - on the website - Photo Gallery/Meetings 2010.......
Many Thanks to all who helped signing on / marshal, at the event... we couldn't do it without your help & support and also to Stephen for spending most of the day on his knees repairing broken down bikes !!

Mini Bike Club - Black & Deckers - 17th January 2010

BikeWise Easter Egg Run - Date for your diary....

Yes.... mark the date in your diary - Sunday 4th April - Easter Sunday, because it will have stopped snowing by then (we hope)........
Further details will follow soon - the starting location could be changing so keep checking the news for up to date info...
Some really good looking 'rabbit's' on display last year so looking forward to seeing what 2010 brings out of the burrows....
For those of you on Facebook, look up the event and tell us if you're coming.

Relentless named as the title sponsor of the 2010 NW 200 race's, which takes place on Saturday, May 15

Relentless Energy Drink was named today as the title sponsor of the 2010 International North West 200 road race, which takes place on Saturday, May 15 on the famed 8.9-mile course that links to the towns of Portrush, Portstewart, Coleraine.
The announcement was made at a lavish launch at the Waterfront Centre, Belfast this morning and was attended by leading NW200 riders including John McGuinness, Steve Plater, Michael Rutter, Alastair Seeley, Bruce Anstey and the Dunlop brothers Michael and William.
Race Director Mervyn Whyte said: “Each year the North West 200 team works hard to ensure an even bigger and better event for riders and spectators alike.
Whyte also announced a revised race programme which features two races for superbikes, two for supersport, one superstock and one for GP125.
It means no race for the declining GP250 class, but the slimmed-down schedule will be more workable – especially in inclement weather conditions such as those that dogged last year’s event.
The NW200 draws over 150,000 spectators on race day and a massive TV audience.
BBC Northern Ireland will continue to cover the event - this is the first year of an extended five year contract to cover the event across TV, online and radio so mark it in your diary or book your ferry tickets....now

Mini Bike Club - Next Meeting - Sunday 17th January 2010

The next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be held at Black & Deckers, Green Lane, Spennymoor on Sunday 17th January 2010.
Signing on at 1000hrs for a 1030hrs safety brief / start.

All club members please check your email or the club website for confirmation of the event running.....