I am 62yrs of age and a police pensioner i have riden bikes since i was 13 yrs of age and own 5 at the moment. so i am concerned due to the fact that 4 of my bikes range from 1959 to 1983 and some parts are no longer available so non patern or alternative parts have to replace them, so a new exhaust isnt one built for that machine..as are say the safety braided brake lines etc. etc.etc. if new legislation became law i whilst it would benifit BMW and some italian manufacturers by disallowing anything not made by them or suplied by them it would mean that the rest of the world would be able to buy such parts but we cannot. Surely a stupid situation. i think u would agree.

I have recently read an article in the MCN, yes i know what u are thinking , however 3/4 bikes with ABS were tested and of those 4, during braking with ABS on only one was better whilst 2 were roughly equal and one was particularly bad giving a difference of about 10 mtrs with the ABS on as opposed to not on. so the jury must still be out on that one.

On another tack. my concern is twv safety. in a town situation most accidents involve other vehicles in any accident adn at junctions and roundabouts. In the country its another matter with corners and overtaking claiming most victims.

In towns i have found that most junctions ruled with a stop sign and a complete white line are not adhered to any more and the give way ones also are so badly maintained that they might as well not be there, when a road is re lined they never do the junctions, why is that? surely they are just as important as the centre line if not more so.

I have also observed and maybe u can do the same, that on approaching a junction on my nearside i see another vehicle approach the junct and the driver, in about 30% of cases looks to the left first and not towards me as they should do. so on seeing the left is clear many continue over the stop or give way lines and end up causing me concern. fortunately i am aware of these circs and i ride accordingly.

Now i know that we have many europeans and other nationalities driving here and it would be that they normally look to the left first but many smidsys are caused by indigious population so why is that.

Finally roundabouts, mini ones, why oh why were they made to be 4 inch high and painted in white paint and have also traffic islands , also 4 inches high and painted similarly prior to such roundabouts. do they have them abroad? they are a danger to any twv by there design and construction. it would appear that they were built for cars without any consideration given to two wheeled traffic be it engined or not. 60% of accidents at such roundabouts involve a twv. I think that speaks for itself.

The other type of mini roundabout has a 1″ lip around its periphery, it is usually red gravel which is better than slippy when wet white paint but who puts a kerb on a mini roundabout, hitting it in wet weather or when covered in frost or snow. would be lethal to a twv. they are to my knowledge not manufactured anymore in pref, to the first white paint ones[ who nowadays when built are no more than 2 inch high or are level.]I know of at least 5 in the Blackpool area so they are still commonplace.

There is a paper drawn up by the Inst of Highway Engineers which is specific to the needs of the twv to be considered whenever there is a road developement. it would appear that their recomendations and considerations are not being adheared to.
There are my thoughts on some matters i hope u have not fallen asleep. regards Bob Craven Honda PC800.

please excuse any errors.