Where to go
November 1-4, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warks
The International Dirt Bike Show is the off-road equivalent of Motorcycle Live, with added knobblies and mud — and as we all end up riding off-road in the end, the Dirt Bike Show is the ideal place to begin your journey to the brown side. Spend the day trawling the latest in new bikes and kit, feast your beadies on freestyle motocross stunt shows and mini-bike supercross and, for the first time, the show features a specially built flat-track oval and racing. Plus there’s a trials-riding stunt display – and you can also go give trials a go. Fans of British Superbike and the TT will also note many of Britain’s roadrace stars can be found wandering around, off-duty, checking out the latest off-road tackle.
Tickets are £16 on the door, £13 in advance for adults £10 and £8 for 11-15 year-olds and over 60s, and free for under tens. www.dirtbikeshow.co.uk
Straightliners Championship, Santa Pod
October 21, Santa Pod Raceway, Podington, Bedfordshire
Fancy spending all day riding as fast as you can? For high-speed shenanigans you can join in with — whatever you’re riding — visit the final round of the 2018 Straightliners Championship at Santa Pod. To get involved, all you need is your driving licence, £10 entry on the gate, then it’s £40 for unlimited all-day runs on the drag strip. Run-what-ya-brungstyle racing starts at 9.30am, weather permitting. straightlinersonline.co.uk www.santapod.co.uk
National Motorcycle Museum LIVE
October 27, Solihull, West Midlands
The fifth annual open day at the National Motorcycle Museum sees a star-studded roster of celebs opening their mouths and speaking for your delight and entertainment. Guests include racing legends such as John Mcguinness, Mick Grant, Trevor Nation and Steve Plater, plus displays, trade stands, food, live music and lots more. Not to mention Britain’s premier collection of motorbikes. Oh, and did we mention it’s completely free?
The National Motorcycle Museum is just off junction six of the M42. www.thenmm.co.uk
Ring Of Red
November 11, Manchester and London
Join thousands of riders dressed in red on Remembrance Sunday, meeting up to commemorate 100 years since the 1918 armistice, and to help raise money for various veterans’ charities. The plan is to form a ring of red riders clockwise around the M60 in Manchester and the M25 around London. Meeting points and times are available on the Ride Of Respect website for this poignant and moving tribute. www.therideofrespect.co.uk
Motorcycle Live November 17-25, NEC, Birmingham
Motorcycle Live is the place to get your 2019 biking juices flowing: come and check out next year’s new models, including a first prod of BMW’S R1250GS and Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 — plus the usual deals on cheap kit. www.motorcyclelive.co.uk
Mud Plugger’s Day November 25, Ace Café, London
Get down and dirty at the Ace with their celebration of all things knobbly and off-road. Expect to find an eclectic mix of GSS and Tigers alongside stripped back CX500S with lagged pipes and TCX80S on reversed Comstars. https://london.acecafe.com/
Various Toy Runs December 2-17, various locations
Too many charitable toy runs to mention, so get involved and do something helpful in December and make someone’s Christmas worth remembering. www.thebikerguide.co.uk
Carol Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic January 5-6, Newark Showground, Notts
First bike show of 2019 is a mix of traders, dealers and autojumble; just the place to find a fork seal holder wrench for a BSA Bantam D7. www.classicbikeshows.com
2019 Dakar Rally January 6-17, Peru
Thank god for the Dakar; racing motorcycles in some of the world’s harshest terrain, beamed into your living room by satellite on Eurosport. This year, the event takes place entirely in Peru, over ten stages. www.dakar.com
Springfields Motorbike Show January 27-28, Spalding, Lincs
The finest January bike show in Spalding returns for 2019. Previous special guests include Steve Plater, Maria Costello and Ian Hutchinson. www.springfieldsevents.co.uk