Dear Wakefield MAG Member,
Welcome to the September 2021 Wakefield MAG e-newsletter. If you can't attend our Tuesday meetings regularly, it's the next best thing to keep you up to date with what we are up to.
CONTENTS
1) 18th Yorkshire Pudding Rally
2) Wakefield MAG Memorial Rideout - Sunday 22nd August 2021
3) Voting arrangements for MAG Chair
4) National Youth Bike
5) Olivers Mount 2021
6) September Rideout - Sunday 26th September
7) Weekly Meetings
8) APPG Report on the New ICE ban in 2030
9) E10
10) Forthcoming Events (for September and beyond)
1) 18th Yorkshire Pudding Rally Report
Read the event report here: 18th Yorkshire Pudding Rally
2)Wakefield MAG Memorial Rideout - Sunday 22nd August 2021
Read the event report here: Wakefield MAG Memorial Rideout - Sunday 22nd August 2021
3) Voting arrangements for MAG Chair
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has arranged for a live debate to take place between the candidates for a new Chair (see previous newsletters for the respective manifesto's, which are also printed in the latest edition of the MAG members magazine, The Road).
There are two candidates for the position of Chair, and a debate and Q&A has been arranged so that the candidates can showcase their Manifestos and answer any questions submitted by the membership.
Members can submit questions in advance using MAG's 'self-serve' database at: https://membership.mag-uk.org/selfservice/login.php. Any member unable to access this should contact Central Office, who will provide a passkey to their self-serve account.
Alternatively, they can contact Central Office via email, by post or with a phone call (see below for full contact details). Any questions must be submitted no later than noon on Wednesday 1st September 2021.
There is provision for up to 150 delegates to physically attend the debate and members must reserve their place by no later than noon on Wednesday 1st September 2021. If the limit is reached prior to this date, reservations will close early. Members should note that entry will be strictly by prior arrangement only and there will be no entry to anyone simply turning up on the day. Number restrictions are in line with the venue's fire and safety policies.
Current Chair of MAG, Selina Lavender, said "I'm very pleased that, despite having to cancel our Annual Group Conference for a second time, we will be able to conduct a debate between the candidates for a new Chair, thereby providing our members with the opportunity to give them both due consideration prior to voting."
Voting will be strictly limited to one vote per eligible member, and all votes will be registered against membership numbers. Votes can be registered by one of several options:
N.B. For joint memberships, use two voting forms, one per each member.
Voting opens at 00:01 on Wednesday 1st September 2021 and closes at 23:59 on Monday 20th September 2021. The outcome will be released on Saturday 25th September 2021, which is the date that the 2021 Annual Group Conference would have taken place.
Central Office Address: The Motorcycle Action Group, Unit C13, Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, Warwickshire. CV8 1NP
Central Office email: central-office@mag-uk.org
Central Office Telephone (09:00 - 15:00): 01926 844064
Please use your Chair vote. Arguably, the chair vote is available to far more members this year as normally it would only be the physical attendees at the AGC who would be able to vote. The threats to motorcycling and your chosen lifestyle are very real and not too far away - Although subject to consultation, we may not be allowed to buy new petrol powered motorcycles/scooters in just 14 years time .... electric motorbikes may be great for commuting and short journeys, but we couldn't have done the Sutton-on-Sea rideout that we enjoyed on Sunday 22nd August in the same timescale on an electric bike. Battery technology may well develop over the next 14 years but bikes are not as big as cars and don't have the space for huge heavy battery packs. Swapable battery packs may be available for bikes by then, but are these realistically going to be as readily available as petrol is currently, especially out in the sticks where most of us enjoy our leisure riding, and especially if it is only bikes that will have the swapable battery packs (bikes represent 1% of all road traffic - see below). MAG has to successfully campaign for the on-going use of Internal Combustion Engines to preserve the lifestyle we all love (even if ultimately they don't run on fossil fuel), and we need someone in the Chair of MAG who will truly champion this and not bow to the pressure of the green lobby - let's face facts, if all petrol powered bikes were outlawed right now, it would not make a jot of difference to the UK's contribution to global pollution, which is a mere 1.1%. The entire UK transport sector accounts for 21% of total emissions, and road transport accounts for three-quarters of all transport emissions - 15% of total CO2 emissions. Out of that 15% caused by road traffic, Motorcyclists represent just 1% of that traffic. Do the maths as they say. Banning petrol powered bikes will only achieve one thing, and that's to severely curtail your chosen lifestyle. Use your vote wisely folks !!!
Sad news that the National Youth Bike charity is winding up:
Dear bikers and friends alike,
It is with sadness that I have to inform you that the National Youthbike Charity is going to close as soon as we can conclude our business. This includes selling our display trailer and some smaller items. Once all the bills have been paid, we will start to distribute the residual finances to groups that are working with young people especially those that are involved with motorcycling.
National Youthbike was started twenty five years ago, and its name then was the National Youth Custom Bike Building Competition. This name was too cumbersome, so it was changed to National Youthbike and at this stage it was registered with the Charity Commission and had a constitution formally accepted. Thank you Wendy Coy for the hard work that you did for the charity.
Over the twenty five years we estimated that we have worked with at least five thousand young people from all over England, Wales, and Scotland. At one time we were approached by a group in Iceland who wanted permission to start up a group there based on our model. One event that we were very proud of and that was a full programme on television was dedicated to a National Youthbike Finals Weekend. This is still available on YouTube for all to watch.
Over the past few years, we have seen the numbers of groups wanting to take part in our scheme dwindle to a few per year. This has been due to pressure being put onto schools to concentrate on academic subjects and at the same time, being squeezed financially. Also, at this time government cuts to local authorities have meant that they have cut the funding for Youth services, which was never a statutory provision. All over the UK, youth clubs have been closed and professionally qualified youth workers were made redundant.
We would not have lasted for twenty five years if it was not for the support of a number of motorcycling organisations. These include MAG, BMF, The Christian Motorcycling Association. Too many motorcycle clubs to mention here. However, a couple do come to mind. West London Harley-Davidson Riders Club, The Shim Whittlers motorcycle club. Our thanks go out to all these Groups. One company that has helped the charity is the Fat Skeleton biker gear company. Thanks, Paul and your staff. Like so many other motorcycling based organisations National Youthbike organised it's own Rally. This was both a fund raiser and a way of getting publicity for the charities work. Peter and Jane and the team at Cabourne Parva allowed us to take advantage of their superb event site to host the Fat Skeleton Blues and Bikes Weekends. For this we are most grateful.
One thing that we ought to mention is that a group that was an offspring of the National Youthbike charity was Warrington Wheels which was very successful in that area.
Over the twenty five years, not one of the trustees and volunteers have been paid and in the majority of cases have paid their own expenses to get to events to bring publicity to the charity. My thanks go out to all our trustees, both present and past, for their hard work and dedication.
I would like to thank all the group leaders who spent thousands of hours helping young people to create some wonderful motorcycle creations. In this section I would like to give my gratitude to all trustees both past and present for the many hours that they have given over the years. Lastly, I would like to pay my respects to the young people who took part in Youthbike projects and stayed the course to complete their creations. Thank you to our web-master Spen for helping us techno-phobes keep the website going.
Yours Sincerely,
A.E.Nightingale
Chairman of the National Youthbike Charity.
www.youthbike.com
E-mail: nationalyouthbike@yahoo.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 1114724
A statement from the organisers regarding scheduled road racing at the Olivers Mount Circuit in Scarborough:
With much regret, we have to admit defeat and cancel the Hill Climb scheduled for 11/12 September and The Michelin Steve Henshaw Gold Cup planned to take place on 18/19 September.
Much negotiation has taken place with Oliver's Mount Racing, Scarborough Borough Council and the ACU, the sports governing body, but the health and safety issues that remain extant will not be completed before the events are due to take place. Apart from Health and Safety concerns, insurance implications also need to be taken into consideration pending removal of some of the defective paddock infrastructure.
We are totally committed to the future of Olivers Mount, but we now need to take stock of where this leaves Oliver's Mount due to the financial hardship the last 2 seasons many cancellations have created.
The venue needs significant investment for events such as the Spring Cup, the Barry Sheene festival and the Gold Cup to take place. Further updates will be given through the Winter period and we look forward to working with our landlord, Scarborough Borough Council to help us to resolve the issues so we can have a full programme of events for 2022.
We have had great support from Scarborough Borough Council and The ACU and both remain fully committed to see Oliver's Mount continue into the future.
Tickets for events being held next year will not be released until we have a high level of confidence that the Olivers Mount venue will be in a position to safely host those events as the continued cancellation of events is not something anyone wants to see going forward, particularly after the Covid pandemic we have all had to endure.
Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.
To all ticket holders for 2021 events, please contact Customer Services on 01723 333322 to request a full refund for your tickets, if you haven't already.
6) September Rideout - Sunday 26th September
Our next planned Sunday Rideout is on Sunday 26th September. Not sure of the destination at the moment but if Mick's past record is anything to go by, it will involve lots of quiet and interesting country lanes with beautiful scenery.
Meet 8:30 (leaving at 09:00) at Redbeck Cafe, 339 Doncaster Road, Crofton, Wakefield, WF4 1RT on Sunday 26th September.
If any learners are planning to join the ride (and you are most welcome), simply let us know beforehand on our Facebook Group (www.facebook.com/groups/wakefieldmag), then we can plan accordingly.
We recommend that before you set off, check our Facebook Group as in the event of forecast prolonged and heavy rain, we may cancel the rideout and this will be advised on the Facebook page (but hopefully it will be cracking the flags !!!)
All welcome and hope to see you there.
We have been able to meet in person again since Tuesday 18th May and now all the previous restrictions as applied to indoor hospitality venues have been lifted, things are pretty much back to normal. However, in common with other MAG branches, our weekly attendance is less than what they were pre-Covid, and that's something we want to get back to. Therefore, if you were a previous attendee and have dropped off due to the pandemic, or if you have never been to a MAG meeting before, we would absolutely love to welcome you back/along. And with the potential threat to new petrol powered motorcycle sales in just 14 years time, it's never been more important to be an active MAG member, in order to protect your chosen and much beloved lifestyle.
The meetings are not all political or business either, we do talk a lot of b******s about motorbikes (and who doesn't like doing that !!!). We also have a lot of social activities planned (See Below).
Wakefield MAG meet at the Thatched House, Stanley, Wakefield at 8:30pm every Tuesday. We are always recruiting members and New (and Old) faces are always very welcome. Hope to see you at a weekly meeting soon.
8) APPG Report on the New ICE ban in 2030
As you are all no doubt aware, the Government has recently decreed an absolute ban (subject to consultation) on the sale of new petrol motorcycles from 2035 with cars and vans already targeted from 2030. However, the ban is not necessarily a 'done deal'. MAG is against this move and there is considerable, growing opposition from MP's and Ministers, many of whom are now prepared to speak out over the sensibility of a ban that at best offers only marginal environmental benefit. The All Party Parlimentary Group (APPG) for Fair Fuel for UK motorists and hauliers has commissioned a ground-breaking report which seeks to bring to the attention of decision makers that UK's 37m drivers also want clean air to breathe. But at the same time to show that current Government policies for road users, whilst on the surface seem laudable, are instead set to be damaging for the economy and the Nation's role in 'helping out' with global climate change.
The report also offers constructive solutions to protect consumers and lower emissions without taking the drastic step of an outright ban.
Read the report here.
As hopefully you are already aware, the UK is switching to E10 petrol from 1st September 2021. E10 refers to premium or standard petrol that contains up to 10% renewable ethanol, which is added to reduce overall carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Prior to 1st September, the maximum volume of ethanol allowed in petrol in the UK was 5% by law. This percentage is rising to a maximum of 10% in a further effort to combat the climate impact of fossil fuels. E10 has been widely available in Europe for a few years now, and in the US for a good number of years. Most petrol cars, motorcycles and mopeds used on UK roads are fully compatible with the fuel. However there are a number of vehicles that the fuel shouldn't be used in. Most of these are older or 'classic' models, but there are some contemporary models affected. The DVLA has created a vehicle compatibility checker to help you determine if your vehicle is affected by this change. Not all vehicles are listed so the recommendation is to consult the handbook (if you have one for a classic), the manufacturer or in the case of defunct manufacturers, the owners club. If in any doubt, the recommendation is to use super unleaded E5 fuel which is still widely available, albeit, more expensive.
Why might my vehicle not be compatible with E10?
Even if your bike is not compatible with E10, the odd tankful if it is used quickly, generally wont produce any issues. The problem is greater with older bikes as generally these are laid up in the winter, usually with a full tank as that used to stop the tank rusting. This is the scenario that is likely to cause most damage with E10 petrol.
There are lots of additives widely available also so it's best to do some research beforehand so you know what steps to take to avoid potential damage to your pride and joy. There are also numerous videos on YouTube about removing ethanol from petrol and it doesn't look too difficult - this action reduces the octane rating of the petrol however so you may need to use an octane booster additive if you go down this route for your classic. Again, best recommendation is do some research to protect your pride and joy.
10) Forthcoming Events (for September and beyond)
Wednesday 1st September - Monday 20th September 2021 - Voting Window for MAG Chair
See Above
Saturday 25th September - New MAG Chair announced
Sunday 26th September - Branch Rideout
See Above
TBC - Belated Wakefield MAG 19th Birthday Do
Exact date and 'activity' to be confirmed
Tuesday 26th October - Bingo
Eyes down for another session of Bingo - how Rock and Roll are we ;-) 20:00 in the Thatched House.
Sunday 14th November - Remembrance Sunday
Attending the City of Wakefield Remembrance Sunday service, followed by the Mirfield Remembrance Sunday Parade, alongside the Royal British Legion Riders (RBLR) where bikes head up the parade.
Tuesday 30th November - Biker Quiz Nite
60 questions, 30 of which will be motorcycle related and 30 will be general knowledge (but there will be a bike related link / theme somewhere, however tenuous). The quiz is hotly contested throughout Yorkshire (although Leeds MAG invariably win). Open to All. £1 entry fee p.p. Team (Max. 5) or individual entry. Great prizes for the winners (1st, 2nd & 3rd), plus booby prize for the least number of correct answers. All proceeds to the MAG Fighting Fund. 20:00 in the Thatched House
Saturday 11th December - Christmas Do
A Christmas Meal, proceeded and followed by several goblets of foaming ale, at the Thatched House
Tuesday 15th December - Christmas Hamper Draw
Tuesday 11th January 2022 - Wakefield Branch 20th AGM - The branch will be 20 years old !!!!
Tuesday 25th January 2022 - Post Christmas Auction
Got lots of unwanted Christmas presents ? Got items that are of use/value but you don't have the space for them any more ? Prepared to donate them for a good cause ? Bring them along to the Wakefield MAG 'Post Christmas Auction' where they will be raffled off to the highest bidder, with all the proceeds being donated to MAG and other worthy causes. 20:00 in the Thatched House.
See the events page for further details and more !!!
That's all for this month, hope to see you all soon.
Ride Safe .. Ride Free
Steve Travis
Chairman
Wakefield MAG
0772 078 4734
Wakefield MAG meet at the Thatched House, Stanley, Wakefield at 8:30pm every Tuesday. New (and Old) faces are always welcome.