The twin cylinder machine has been listed as `Cruiser of The Year’ 2009 by Cycle World magazine, the best-selling motorcycle magazine in the world. The Thunderbird impressed the CW panel with its styling and ease of riding at the Barcleona launch of the new model recently.

“We hope this is the first many awards,” commented Paul Stroud from Triumph UK, “this model has been eagerly anticipated since our global dealer conference last year. We hope that the Thunderbird sets new standards in the Cruiser class, and to receive an award from the biggest magazine in motorcycling, published in the land of the Harley-Davidson, is a fantastic boost.”

UK bikers will have a chance to judge for themselves, as Triumph dealers are holding Thunderbird launch weekends on the 11th/12th July 2009. There are demo rides available on the new machine, so get in touch to find out more; www.triumph.co.uk

The Speedfight is one of the most successful scooters in modern times, and has been in production for 14 years. At one stage, the Speedfight 50 and 100 scooters were outselling every other two-wheeler in the UK.

The latest version of the Speedfight has a range of engines, in 50cc and 100cc sizes, both air and water-cooled, a fuel tank located under the footboard section and a 12 volt accessory charging socket.

Practical touches like the new 2-gallon fuel capacity, and the charging point for laptops, MP3, i-pods and other gadgets, are what sets the Speedfight apart. It also comes with upside-down forks, a 32mm front disc brake and a new colour schemes. The 50c model features a two-stroke engine, which is sure to keep the Speedfight popular with younger riders, who prefer the instant acceleration of the two-stroke motor.

Prices start at £1899, rising to £2049 for the liquid-cooled 100cc version, featuring water-cooling and a gas-reservoir rear monoshock.

There’s more info at; www.peugeotmoto.co.uk

One of the nasty side effects of that process has been the rise in privately sold motorcycles which are stolen, or have a false identity, hidden crash history, or outstanding finance owed. Vehicle checking company HPI are warning that an estimated 1 in 5 used motorcycles may have a hidden history.

When HPI looked at their data for 2008 they saw that 1 in 10 bikes checked by them had outstanding finance owed, so a new buyer may be pursued by the finance company and lose the machine, as well as the money they paid.

As many experienced motorcyclists know, machines can be `cosmetic’ insurance write-offs, which again, is a common fact hidden by private sellers. It may have been repaired by experts, or not - but can you be sure that a potentially life-threatening mechanical fault isn’t part of the `bargain bike buy’ you’ve located online, or through a classified ad?

A HPI check will find out if outstanding finance is recorded against the vehicle, if the Police or DVLA have the bike listed as stolen or written-off, and it can offer a mileage check against infomation held by the DVLA.

If you’re buying privately this summer, insidebikes top tips are simple; ask lots of questions on the phone before viewing, never buy a bike which isn’t taxed, MoT’d, insured and DVLA registered in the seller’s name and take a mate who knows one end of a toolkit from the other along.

More at; www.hpicheck.com

The study, commissioned by the Motorcycle Industry Assocation (MCIA) found that riders who took to two wheels saved time and money. Practicality was rated as an advantage by 28% of those surveyed, whilst 24% felt they were saving on fuel costs. The survey is being published as National Motorcycle Week 2009 approaches, and the MCIA highlight that out of 4 million motorcycle licence holders, only 1.5 million actually own a bike.

The difference can be great in terms of commuter costs; some 60% of motorcyclists spent less than £10 per week on fuel, whilst 61% of car drivers spent £10 and above. A typical small capacity motorcycle can return around 65mpg in busy traffic, much better than the typical 40mpg a small engined car can manage in the same conditions.

In some towns and cities motorbikes can use bus lanes, and have reserved free parking bays. Making progress through traffic jams is also much easier on two wheels than in a car, which means the chances of regularly making it to work on time are higher.

With more employers offering changing facilities, and secure lockers for riding kit, the time to start saving money on your fuel bill is now. Many employers, like Carole Nash Insurance, offer free parking for motorcycles and scooters too.

The Fiat Yamaha rider was rarely troubled as he romped home to victory at the so-called Cathedral of motorcycling to become only the second rider in history to take 100 career chequered flags.

In a somewhat processional race in Holland, Rossi finished more than five seconds ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo to break the deadlock at the top of the championship, with Ducati’s Casey Stoner completing a familiar looking podium line-up.

After taking the victory Rossi celebrated in typically flamboyant style, unfurling a giant montage of his previous 99 victories in front of his supporters, and set his sights on closing the gap between him and Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record of 122.

“This is a very emotional moment and for sure I will remember this 100th victory for the rest of my life,” said Rossi. “When I reached 70, 100 seemed a long way away but here I am and it has been great, great fun getting here.

“It is down to so many people, like Jeremy and my guys who have been with me for ten years and all of the team who always give 100% and always give me the best bike possible. Especially however I have to thank the friends who have been with me my whole life and my father Graziano, who won here in Assen 30 years ago when I was a baby, and my mother Stefania, because they have always supported me.

“It’s great to reach this moment here at Assen because it’s the ‘Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing and the most historic track we go to. Today was a perfect race - I got a great start and my bike was incredible which meant that my pace was very strong. In fact I think it was better for everyone’s hearts not to have another last-lap battle like in Barcelona! I had a good advantage from Lorenzo in some parts of the track and it was a great ride for me.

“Now I have 100 wins and I’m only the second rider to arrive at this number, but Agostini still has 22 more and for me he is still the greatest. 100 is a great result but the atmosphere in our team is wonderful and the motivation is still as high as ever - we want to win a few more races together yet!”

Elsewhere, it was a strong weekend for Tech3 Yamaha as Colin Edwards finished fourth and Britain’s James Toseland equalled his previous best MotoGP finish, capitalising on last-lap errors from Mika Kallio, Toni Elias and Loris Capirossi to take sixth.

It was a less positive weekend for the Repsol Honda team, with first Dani Pedrosa and later Andrea Dovizioso both crashing out at the same corner.

In the 125cc championship, Bradley Smith moved back up to second in the rider’s standings after a third place finish behind Sergio Gadea and Julian Simon.

No less than four riders will be flying the flag for Great Britain at Donington in the ninth round of the WSB championship this weekend whilst a fifth, Cal Crutchlow, will be representing the nation in the Supersport category.

Expectations will be high on the home contingent, with Jonathan Rea, Tom Sykes, Shane Byrne, Leon Haslam and Crutchlow all expected to make the most of home advantage and a wealth of experience on the East Midland’s circuit.

For Rea, expectation would have heightened following his impressive win at Misano last week although the Ten Kate Honda rider has been playing down his previous record at the circuit.

Of course, it felt amazing to get that first win under my belt and I think it all bodes well for the remainder of the season,” said the 22-year-old. “To be honest, I’ve never set the world on fire at Donington, but it was that same at Misano before I went there last week so I hope it’ll be good.

“We need to keep making progress to have a good Friday and Saturday to set us up for the race on Sunday. I hope it’s good racing, too, because the British fans will only get one World Superbike meeting this year.

“We’ll just try to make more progress with the new suspension. The wet setting in race one at Misano wasn’t spot on, so we’ll need to find something there if the forecast is anything to go by.”

For Leon Haslam, home advantage should be an even factor at Donington with the Stiggy Honda rider having a bigger connection than most with the venue.

Haslam lives just a stone’s throw from the circuit where his father Ron operates a race school and the 26-year-old is looking to make up for the harsh disappointment of last season.

The then BSB rider, running as a wildcard at Donington last season, Haslam was caught out by a difference in signals between BSB and WSB, costing him second place in race one before being taken out of fourth place in a crash three laps from the end in race two.

“I know Donington well and I was running second there last year as a wild card before being taken out, so we know our pace is good there,” he said. “The last four rounds have been tough for me because they have been held on some circuits that I have never been to before, and that just added to us not having been on top of a few issues as well. I’ve had three no finishes in those four rounds.

“There should be a big crowd at Donington and it will be their only chance to see us at a British race this year as well.”

Yamaha rider Tom Sykes is also calling on experience from last season when he secured a second place finish as a wildcard for the Rizla Suzuki BSB team in race one.

The Yamaha factory rider is the only Brit in the paddock yet to secure a podium finish but the Yorkshireman is nevertheless determined to go one better than last year.

“After Misano I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction towards getting the right balance on the bike for me,” said Sykes. “I should know what I need from the R1 for Donington from previous track experience.

“I had a good run last year as a wildcard so if I can improve on race one where I finished second I’ll be happy.

“There are a couple of set up options to try, I already understand the circuit so I should really get to grips with the changes we make quite easily and hopefully we can do well. I want to come away with a perfect base setting for the remainder of the season and a podium or two and some decent points.”

In the Supersport class, championship leader Cal Crutchlow is fully confident of extending his lead in the standings.

“It’ll be good to go to my home race,” said Cal Crutchlow. “I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to be getting in front of British fans and doing my best for them.

” I’m not treating this round any different from any other race though as we want to win them all with no exceptions. Having said that, to win at home would be nice!”

The London Borough is planning to end free parking for motorcycles and scooters in the centre of London, in a blatant attempt at extracting more revenue from those who have to live or work in Westminster. The deadline for objections to the scheme is July 1st next week, and the BMF are calling for riders to turn up in person at Golden Square W1, at 5.45pm, to join a demo ride to the Town Hall.

The BMF’s Jeff Stone commented that; “This is a moment to make a stand, if we allow Westminster to abolish free parking for bikes then get ready for similar charging right across the UK.”

The UK government’s own transport policy makes it clear that two-wheelers have a part to play in easing congestion. Lightweight bikes and scooters take up less road space, traffic flows better and they use less parking space, plus sub-200cc machines are more economical than most cars. Despite this, Westminster Council recently introduced an `experimental’ parking charge in the borough’s bike bays.

You can register an objection online at; www.notobikeparkingfees.com/object-online if you cannot make the demo ride.

The number of motorcycle accident fatalities in Great Britain during 2008 fell to 493 when compared to 588 deaths in 2007, a 16% reduction although still higher that the official government target to cut motorcycle related deaths to 467 by 2010.

The total number of motorcyclists either killed or seriously injured also saw a significant reduction, falling 10% from 6,737 in 2007 to 6,084 last year although the figure remains higher than the 5,885 deaths or serious injuries in 2006. The number of motorcycle related casualties overall in 2008 fell by 8% to 221,549.

The drop in motorcycle related deaths and injuries was in line with a general reduction in casualties, with 14% fewer road deaths.  A total of 2,538 were killed on Britain’s roads in 2008 compared with 2,946 in 2007

A total of 28,567 people were killed or seriously injured in 2008, 7% fewer than in 2007 and there were just under 231,000 road casualties in Great Britain in 2008, also representing a 7% drop.

The figure of 124 child fatalities represented an increase of three on 2007 although that figure represented a record low.

The figures were welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who highlighted the improvements in the safety of more vulnerable road users.

“Last year saw the lowest number of road deaths since records began,” said RoSPA Head of Safety Kevin Clinton. “This new record low shows that the fall in road deaths is a trend, not a statistical blip.

“Every reduction in these numbers represents a person who has not been killed or injured and a family which has not suffered the devastation caused by a road accident.

“It is particularly pleasing to see improvements in the safety of vulnerable road users.

“However, it is unacceptable that more children died on the road in 2008 than in 2007. Even though the numbers have fallen significantly over the last 10 years, we need to understand why the latest figures are so bad for child deaths and get back on track to reducing them again.

“Each and every one of us should think about the safety of children and how our personal actions, especially when driving, affect the wellbeing of our most vulnerable road users. We must all play our part in making sure that the number of children killed and injured on the roads this year is much lower than the figures revealed today.”

Figures at a glance:

The Honda satellite team have fended off reported interest from Suzuki and Yamaha for the highly sought after Italian, who will ride with the Gresini team in his rookie season in premier class racing.

Gresini are generally regarded to have a close relationship with HRC and, with rookies now banned from signing with factory teams, the move is largely considered to be preparation for Simoncelli switch to the Repsol factory Honda team in 2011.

“Marco has that determination and character that we want from a rider as part of his DNA and we are sure we can look ahead to exciting times with him,” said team principal Fausto Gresini.

“Marco has shown over the past couple of years that he has the ability to be a major force in the premier class, as well as being a great communicator. We have established a good feeling with him already and that facilitated negotiations over a contract that we have signed for 2010. Also, Honda rates Simoncelli highly and believes he is a rider with great potential for the future, so Honda is very pleased that we are welcoming Simoncelli next season.”

As well as signing the 22-year-old, Gresini received an additional boost ahead of this weekend’s round in Assen, announcing an extension to their sponsorship with Italian food manufacturer San Carlo.

“Having Marco with us creates new and important objectives for the team, which San Carlo want to reach together with us. The determination on the part of San Carlo to be an active part of “sport that makes life taste better” has given our project another push.

” Today is an important day for San Carlo and ourselves, and as we wait in expectation of great things together in the future, we wish Marco all the best in his bid to fight until the end and successfully defend his 250 title.”

The 450 enduro’s engine and suspension have been worked on by Suzuki to make the bike more useful for longer distance off-road riding, and it has features like fuel injection, electric and kick-starting. There’s a lighting kit available to make the 450 road legal too.

The new 450 also has an 18 inch rear wheel, digital instruments and a sump-guard as standard.

Suzuki GB’s David Taylor commented; “The RMX450Z is a bike that customers have been asking for, and we are delighted to announce its arrival this Autumn, as part of our 2010 range.”

If you own an off-road machine then why not check out Carole Nash insurance for a quote on insuring your bike when garaged, or stored at an off-road event. See www.carolenash.com for more.