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Avid riders have probably noticed an explosion of women riders on the scene over the last decade. Everything around the industry has grown up – from an increase in bikes manufactured specifically for women, to motorcycle accessories and supplies. This trend is without a doubt shifting toward women becoming more active in the motorcycle scene, with several studies reporting increases in women riders over recent years.

A couple of weeks ago I witnessed a car rear-ending another car, all low speed and not too serious. However, the one driver just hurled abuse at the other in front then fled the scene. I had their registration number and was more than happy to help out with a witness statement. As such I’ve recently been filling in forms for insurance and the police. Out of curiosity, I just put in the reg plate into the Gov.uk vehicle enquiry page and got this:-

So, now I know why they fled the scene; untaxed, no MOT and undoubtedly no insurance. The poor lady run into was very distraught and the Police would not have been able to trace this driver had I not passed on the registration number. Having had a few incidents myself where no one has stopped, I know first hand how much extra hassle it is without an independent witness. So please, if you do see an incident, no matter how minor, do stop and offer your help. It may be a bit of form filling, possibly a court appearance, but it can help rid the roads of dodgy drivers. Ultimately, put yourself in their shoes, you never know when you may need a witness yourself.

Such hit and run offences ultimately impact premium prices across the industry, so it’s definitely in everyone’s interest to combat them. See our guide for other tips on lowering insurance premiums.

It’s a well known fact that most bikers are more familiar with the Highway Code and generally more clued up on the road that your average car driver. Often we’ve sat both car and motorcycle tests (theory & practical) and quite commonly we are keen to advance ourselves further still, be it with BikeSafe, IAM/ RoSPA qualifications or track/offroad days. However, for all the best intentions, our subconscious may not always read signs to the book…

Over the last couple of weekends we’ve been exploring the City of London, on the trail of Samuel Pepys. Prompted by my daughter’s school project, we grabbed ourselves some tours from this excellent website and had a stroll around the square mile, discovering all kinds of interesting places we never knew existed. It’s crazy how you can live in London for over a decade but follow the same route to work everyday, visit the same haunts and be completely oblivious to whole areas of the capital. You find landmarks you’ve passed countless times and have no clue of their significance or history. Or you just simply avoided the hustle of common tourist traps, for example this was the first time I had stepped foot inside St Paul’s Cathedral, been up the Monument or even seen Guildhall.

So, if you’re at a loose end in town, fancy something a little more cultured, want to learn some of the city’s history or just hunt out some hidden spots and photo opportunities; then I can highly recommend these walks.

With these chilly, wet and dark mornings, getting motivated to get out of bed and get on the bike and head into work is far from easy. Each morning I’m layering up (the Lidl thermals from last year still holding up well) and downing my muesli, but by far the most important item each morning is a nice coffee.

Cue the Rancilio Silvia espresso machine. With a perfect espresso, I’m ready to hit the road and deal with all the shit drivers out there. Highly recommended!

Not really had a great deal to update on the site lately. With the Xmas break, it was time to park up and relax with family. The weather has been pretty naff, wet, windy and not particularly enticing for a ride out.

I have enjoyed the quieter roads on my commute into work in the days prior to Xmas and last week. However I suspect tomorrow they will be back to their usual busy and congested state tomorrow. The end of December was also tax time, however the Fazer wasn’t too bad at just £58 for 12 months. Interestingly, this will be my last paper tax disc, as the Government plans to rely just on their electronic database from August this year.

In other news, I have tickets booked for the MCN Show down at Excel in February. Happened to coincide with a teacher training day at my kids school, so we’ll be making a family day out of it on the 14th. What better way to spend Valentines? 🙂

I’ve also blagged myself a place on a Biker Down course. Run by fire crew in Marlow (and down in Kent), they give training and advice on how to handle a downed biker incident, covering basic first aid and incident management. Definitely looking forward to this, have heard many good things about it and should be very useful stuff to know.