Signing on at 1000hrs for a 1030hrs safety brief/start
If there is any doubt about the weather on Sunday morning then please contact the motorcycle office on 0191-3752136 before travelling.
Karting North East at Warden Law will be running their Mini Bike session tonight at 5pm
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Photo’s are now online from the last meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club which was held at Carrville Park and Ride on Sunday 11th September where club member Matthew Ward celebrated his 7th birthday with other members, whilst riding his new Rossi replica Polini.
Some great riding by all riders and a warm welcome to our latest members
‘Many Thanks’ to all who helped build (and take down) the track, for signing riders on and marshalling throughout the day.
We couldn't run the events without your support.
No date has been set for our next meeting at Carrville (due to holiday commitments for Mick & Bob), so keep checking the website and your emails.
Warden Law will be running on Monday 26th September
To view the pictures of the Carrville event please CLICK HERE and then click on the relevant thumbnail image.
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|  |  Craig Lambton |
 Mark Hipkin |  Yvonne Golightly |  Keith Dunn |
Congratulations to John & Craig Lambton, Keith Dunn, Mark Hipkin ( Your local ‘biker’ lawyer) and Yvonne Golightly who have been out with Mick & Bob during the last couple of weeks and completed a days BikeWise Training.
For further details about BikeWise Training please Click Here & to read what the riders thought of their Training Day, please Click Here
From Monday 12th September 2011, motorcycles will be able to travel toll-free through the Tyne Tunnel.  |  |  |
Double World Superbike Champion, James Toseland is retiring from professional motorcycle racing with immediate effect following a visit to Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mike Hayton, yesterday. The visit confirmed Toseland’s worst fears that the damage sustained to his right wrist during a testing crash at Aragon earlier this year is irreparable and no amount of physiotherapy can repair the injury.
The crash which has turned out to be career-ending took place at the Spanish circuit in March this year and the 31-year-old’s resulting battle to return to full fitness has been well publicised. However, having struggled with the injury during recent races and following a further crash at the last race at Nurburgring in Germany, the Yorkshireman has been told that it is no longer safe for him to continue his career in professional motorcycle racing.
Damage caused by the first crash has left James with a severely restricted range of movement in his right wrist, making it difficult to operate a motorcycle throttle properly and almost impossible to navigate right hand turns. The unexpectedly premature end to what has been an outstanding career, has understandably been extremely upsetting for Toseland, who has tried every treatment and recovery option possible to return to racing.
Consultant Mike Hayton said: "JT has shown dedication and determination in our aim to recover the best possible function in his right wrist. We acted quickly to repair the damage with surgery and rehabilitation and, initially, believed that this had gone well, but we had also been clear from the outset that this was a potentially career-threatening and devastating injury.
"While his approach to recovery has been admirable and he has continued to make good progress, he has not recovered enough range of movement in the right wrist to continue as an elite motorcyclist. We had a difficult discussion on his future career, in which he showed a true sense of professionalism and an unselfish approach to making way for young, talented riders. To work with athletes like JT is a privilege and makes us do what we do."
James added: "2011 has been a tough year for me and this week has been one of the most difficult of my life, but advice from professionals has made it clear that my crash at Aragon has left me with a permanent disability, which means that I will never again be able to ride competently at this level.
"While that’s hard to hear, I have to place the emphasis on the safety of other riders in the paddock as well as myself and I realise that it’s not fair to occupy a World Superbike seat with a team as professional as BMW Motorrad Italia when there are fit and talented riders available who are desperate for this type of opportunity.
"I’ve been extremely fortunate to have enjoyed a long and successful career doing something I love and I’m really grateful for that. I’ve been lucky enough to bounce back from serious injuries in the past and I’ve had the support of a great family, brilliant friends and a fantastic fanbase to see me through the highs and lows.
James visited BikeWise show in 2005 as a result of his close friendship with HM Plant owner John Jones. James has continued to carry an HMP Plant logo on the front of his helmet visor throughout his career.
The BikeWise ‘team’ would like to thank James for all the pleasure he has given to fans throughout the years with his riding skills, and wish him a long and healthy retirement
Well it’s that time of year again to get out your map’s and compass !!
We are again running the motorcycle Mystery Ride Out in 2011, with all proceeds going to the Great North Air Ambulance.
This is our fifth year of running the event with the GNAA and it is getting bigger and more popular with bikers each year.
The event starts from Durham Police HQ at Aykley Heads, Durham, from 10am on Sunday 25th September 2011.
Departures will be staggered from between 10am and 11am.
Once you arrive and sign in, at the cost of £5 per person, you will be given a clue, solve the clue and it will give you a destination, choose your route to the location and once there you will find another……
There are two different sets of clues, so if there is a group of you participating in the ride together make sure you get the same colour clue.
Most the mystery locations have food and toilet facilities for you, so why not make a day of it and enjoy your ride out.
If you’ve managed to solve the clues and find your way around the north east it should lead you back to Police HQ, where hopefully (subject to being called out to an emergency) the Air Ambulance will be landing for you to have a look at and talk to the crew.
All you need to bring is a map, a sense of direction and your clue solving skills, if you haven’t got any of them make sure you team up with someone who has!!
If you need any further information about the event or helping raise funds for the Great North Air Ambulance please contact Mandy or Lynne at GNAA on 01325 487263.
Hope to see you there.
The BikeWise and GNAA teams
The next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be on Sunday 11th September 2011 at Carrville Park & Ride, Durham.
Signing on at 1000hrs for a 1030hrs safety brief/start
If there is any doubt about the weather on Sunday morning then please check the Mini bike club website or members check your emails before travelling.
Photo’s from our last meeting at Carrville can now be viewed in the Gallery on the website – www.bikewiseminibikeclub.org.uk
 Sean Byrne |  Richard Spensley |
 Mike Horner |  Richy Tough |
Congratulations to Sean Byrne, Richard Spensley, Mike Horner & Richy Tough, who have been out with Bob this week and completed a days BikeWise Training.
For further details about BikeWise Training please Click Here
An interesting website link – sent to us by one of our readers, Andy Irwin… (Thanks Andy)
If you're thinking of a new bike and wonder how it might suit you for size then visit the site and enter your height, inside leg length etc and you will see how you might look and feel on it.You can even put your feet on the ground to see if you will be able to touch the ground.
You can view multiple bikes at the same time and if the bike of your choice is not there, then you can notify the site and they will put it on for you.
To view the site please CLICK HERE
To take part in the run – Meet in DENHOLM GREEN for a 10.30am depart.
The Route will take in the following places :
Haughhead, Bonchester, Carter Bar, Bellingham, Whitfield, (stop 30 mins, Midday), Alston, Slaggyford, Milton, A689 towards Carlisle, A7 Longtown, Langholm, Hawick, Denholm and will finish approx. 3pm
(Approx. 165 miles)
to view the full route please CLICK HERE
We’ve put together a few of our favourite weather sites onto one page so that you can check the weather easily without having to search for three or four sites.
If you visit the What's On page of our website you will see that at the bottom of the page there is a line which says :
“ To check the weather in Durham, please CLICK HERE “
If you click on the ‘CLICK HERE’ link it will take you into a new page , Weather, where some of our favourite weather sites are shown -
The first three shown –
metcheck, XCWeather.co.uk & RainToday are clickable links which will take you into their respective web pages.
The other two are BBC weather and Met Office which show you local weather.
Remember to ‘bookmark’ the page and it will hopefully be able to better prepare yourself for that next ride out in the sunshine !!
To visit the page now, CLICK HERE
 Stuart Proctor |  Dawn Proctor |
 John Whittle |  Anita Craggs |
Next meeting of the BikeWise Mini Bike Club will be on Sunday 28th August 2011.
Signing on at 1000hrs for a 1030hrs start at Carrville Park and Ride.
If club members have any doubts about the weather please check your emails or the website before travelling.
MSG Bike Gear of Darlington who attend the BikeWise Show every year, are holding an open day, this Sunday from 10am till 5pm at their premises at :
Newsham Hall, Aislaby,Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, TS16 OQS
For further details please either ring : 01325 333 346 or visit their website at CLICK HERE to visit MSG website
 Bob presents Mike with his gift |  Bob Brown, Mike Cope, John Cudden, Mick Alder |
BikeWise 2011 was the venue for two long serving members of Durham Advanced Motorcyclists to receive a token of thanks from the club in recognition of their hard work in helping to form DAM and making it such a successful club that we know today.
It was fitting that retired motorcycle Sgt, Bob Brown (BikeWise Training) who as our local IAM examiner, was instrumental with Mike Cope in forming the group in 1995, was able to present Mike with a gift from the committee.
Mike has over the years performed allsorts of roles within the group both within Training and the Committee.
John Cudden was one of the first to take his test with the newly formed group in 95/96 and went on to become an observer, senior observer and group training officer. Retired PC, Mick Alder (BikeWise Training) was the motorcycle instructor for the police and together with Ali Bonar worked closely with John on the Training side of DAM so Mick made the presentation to John on behalf of the committee.
Both Mike & John have put vast amounts of their own time into making DAM the successful IAM group that it is today. They have made a huge contribution towards Road Safety in County Durham
The BikeWise ‘team’ feel proud and privileged to have been able to work closely with Mike & John and wish them all the best in their ‘retirement’
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Photo’s are now online from this years BikeWise Show which was held in glorious sunshine at the Police HQ on Sunday 24th July.
Many Thanks to the members of Durham Photographic Society who gave up their time to record the show for us in pictures.
For many of us on the ‘BikeWise Team’ seeing the photo’s is the only way we get to see what happened at the show as it’s normally just a ‘blur’
Click on this Link to go to the BikeWise photo gallery and from there you will need to click on the individual thumbnails to go into the individual albums.
Hope you enjoy looking back on BikeWise 2011 and thanks for your support.
Next years BikeWise 2012 show will be held earlier than normal due to the Olympics in London which will necessitate members of the team working down there for extended periods – so keep checking the website and we will publish the date as soon as we can.
Once again Thanks to the Durham Photographic Society and if you wish to find out more about them please click here
Great news from Teesside Bikers – the Honda CD 185 motorcycle that they renovated and raffled at BikeWise 2011 made the sum of £2000 which will be donated to Zoe’s Place, the children's hospice.
The bike was won by Syd Craggs from Newcastle who was attending BikeWise for the second time.
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Syd used to ride in the 70’s and was keen to win the bike, buying two lots of raffle tickets. He came back to biking about six years ago and passed his test and is currently riding a Honda Shadow.
Syd is shown, picking up the bike from Police HQ on Monday (No…. not the FJR Syd !!)
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HM Plant Honda Race Team Manager, Havier Beltran will be travelling up to BikeWise 2011 from Honda’s Race HQ at Louth.
‘Harvey’ will have with him in the HM Plant Honda Race truck – the two BSB Honda Fireblade superbikes of reigning 2010 BSB champion Riuchi Kiyonari (who is currently in Suzuka, Japan) and also present championship leader Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne.
Honda TT legends, John McGuinness TT winning Honda Fireblade will also be there as will the new Honda VFR 800X Crossrunner.
See bikes and talk to Harvey, Shakey and John at the HM Plant Racetruck throughout the day
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Further to our item of the 11th June : Click HERE to view news item – the road surface at Nenthead when you are travelling downhill towards the Miners Arms has still not been repaired. Please take care as you descend the bank and enter the left hand bend at the bottom of the bank.
For those of you not sure of where this is… It’s the main road through Weardale as you head west, towards Alston (Hartside Cafe).
It’s about two miles past the County Durham border as you descend down from the border at Killhope Cross into Cumbria
The photo’s above show the view back up the hill
