Shiny and new

W hen the glut of new models appear, ahead of the big unveils at the big shows, it’s time for a bit of wishlist shopping. If money was no object, what 2020 bike would you really go for?

That Streetfighter looks amazing. So does the Z H2 from Kawasaki. But what about the W800? Or the Superblade? Then there’s the Indian Charger – cool.

Consider the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, too. Now that’s a bike I loved riding on the world launch a couple of months ago. Then there’s the Triumph Street Triple RS. All of these motorcycles (and more) are fabulous in their own right; spectacular as a range of future metal that we’re going to have in dealerships about now, or very soon indeed.

Don’t forget to get along to the NEC in Birmingham for Motorcycle Live (November 16-24), where you’ll be able to get up close and personal with these bikes. Have a sit on them, poke and prod them and talk to the factory people who will be in attendence to answer any questions you may have.

It might be muggy and miserable outside weather-wise, but when you’re not making the most of that with a winter hack or doing a bit of enduro-muddy fun, the NEC is a fine place for a bit of future planning or just wishful thinking.

Either way, it’s spot on.

Have you seen the story on these pages about the loophole in the law about mobile phone use whilst behind the wheel being clamped down? I was shocked when I learned that drivers can currently dodge any form of penalty if they’re scrolling through the internet, looking for music, taking photos or even filming whilst driving. Basically, as long as they’re not making a phone call with a hand-held phone then they’re fine.

You’ve got to be kidding me. From the back of a motorcycle we can all see how generally poor the standard of driving is in the UK, so why on earth has this loophole been allowed to even exist?

This ridiculous state of affairs needs to be stopped now. As in today. Not ‘next spring’ as the current (at time of writing) Government and Grant Schapps are planning.

I wonder if anyone in the corridors of power will have anything to say to the families of people killed by some idiot filming or scrolling through the internet whilst they’re driving along in two tonnes of killer car?

After all, it’s not like they’re breaking the law by paying so much attention to their phone instead of what’s happening on the road in front of them, is it?

A pathetic bit of law nonsense by people who should damn well know better.