147mph driver escapes jail... No surprises there then

By Doug Hyem -

General news

 12 January 2012 07:29

A police sergeant who caught a pensioner driving a luxury car at 147mph on a bypass has described the incident as "the worst case of excessive speed I have ever seen in 26 years of policing".
Company director Owen Swift, 68, was clocked travelling at more than twice the speed limit in his Jaguar XKR on the Malton bypass, in North Yorkshire, on the evening of June 11 last year. He was caught by Traffic Sergeant John Clayton using a laser speed gun.
North Yorkshire Police confirmed Swift was found guilty of speeding at Scarborough Magistrates' Court after his claim that he was not the driver of the car was rejected.
A force spokeswoman said he was fined £700, ordered to pay £650 costs and an admin fee of £15. He received six penalty points which were added to six points already on his licence and he was therefore disqualified from driving for nine months under the "totting" rules.
Speaking after the case, Mr Clayton said: "This is the worst case of excessive speed I have ever seen in 26 years of policing. Swift's disregard for his own safety and the safety of other road users beggars belief.
"The potential consequences of such shocking driving do not bear thinking about.-
"I have seen first-hand the destruction caused by excessive speed. Swift should consider himself extremely lucky to be here to face the court and walk aw

Yamaha V-Max stars in new Ghost Rider movie

By Sam Loveridge -

General news

 17 January 2012 16:28

Yamaha’s 200bhp V-Max is the two-wheeled star of the new Ghost Rider movie due out shortly, replacing the custom Harley-Davidson that featured in the original film.
The sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, stars Nicolas Cage as the motorcycle-riding, spontaneously combusting anti-hero, Johnny Blaze who is still struggling with the curse of being the Devil’s bounty hunter.
This time he’s aboard a V-Max and is recruited by a secret sect to save a young boy from the devil, which could be Blaze’s chance to rid himself of the curse forever.
Blaze’s V-Max is customised to look charred and burnt as if newly emerged from hell. The prop bike, seen here, was recently displayed at the 2011 Comic Con exhibition in San Diego, with the caption ‘He rides again’.
The nature of some of the stunts, however, means that in some scenes disguised Kawasaki KX motocross bikes are used.
Directed by Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine (of CRANK fame), some of the shots required cameramen on rollerskates being towed behind bikes with hand held cameras.
It opens in cinemas in 3D on February 17.
For more information, go

The amazing Hayabusa dirt trike

By Dan Aspel -

Custom & modified bikes

 03 June 2011 15:54

How do you go faster when you’re off-roading? Just add more BHP, right?
This twisted logic is the basis for one of the oddest custom builds to surface on the internet yet: a GSX1300R Hayabusa dirt trike.
The custom-built axle assembly is attached to a custom made drag-bike styled swingarm. To push the limits of sense and taste, it has since had a nitrous system added, pushing the power output way beyond the standard 175bhp managed by the big Suzuki.
Details of builder "Mothug Doug" are scarce, though his cameraman happily describes him as a "redneck". That’s what you get for showeri

Every driving test should include a bike question’

By Steve Farrell -

General news

 24 January 2012 12:03

An insurance firm is petitioning the Government to make a motorcycle-related question part of every driving test.
Bennetts Insurance thinks it could help reduce casualties.
At the moment a bike-related question may or may not come up in the driving theory test. The petition says the matter should not be left to chance.
It says: ‘With questions currently selected at random, there is no guarantee that a question relating to the awareness of motorcyclists will arise in the current test format and this petition is set to challenge that.’
Hannah Squirrell, Bennetts’ Director of Marketing, said: “The petition has been approved by the government and we need to get at least 100,000 signatures in order to have this raised in the House of Commons.”
Find the petition here epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26272