WELCOME TO THIS NEW ISSUE OF BSH, THE ONE THAT COMES OUT A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE COMMERCIAL SPENDING JAMBOREE THAT MASQUERADES AS A RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL THAT IS CHRISTMAS 2021.

Like most of us, if we’re honest, I can take Christmas these days or leave it – it’s for kids, really, isn’t it, not really for us jaded old farts. Me, I always seem to spend far more money on stuff for other people than I ever really intended to, and I rarely seem to get anything I really want from them mainly ‘cos I don’t really want much… except things that cost far more than most people’re willing to spend money on as a present, y’know? Oh well, at least, I s’pose, you do get a good dinner out of it, don’t you?

Anyway, Merry (early) Christmas to you!

As you may, or may not, know, there’s been a change of the top position at the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) as the tenure of the Chair for the last six years, and regular contributor to BSH, Selina Lavender, has come to an end, and her place, following a democratic election at the MAG AGC, has been taken by a name from the past that you may remember – Neil Liversedge.

Neil is, for a number of folk out there, a somewhat controversial figure, but he’s been dedicated to MAG for a long, long time, and perhaps in these apathetic days a firebrand’s what’s needed to put a rocket up the biking community, and get people off their behinds again. Anyway, whatever happens, this is just a brief note to welcome him back to the fold, and to say that you can read his first piece for BSH on page 89.

Selina, thanks for all your (and all the other MAG folk's too, o’course) efforts to keep us on the road – see you in a field somewhere soon, hopefully. First drink’s on me.

Speaking of keeping us on the road, I’m sure you can’t have failed to’ve noticed the latest threat to the biking way of life that’s raised its ugly head? The Government, back in October, voiced its intention to impose new ‘anti-tampering’ laws that’ll affect motorcycles, probably from 2024.

At a recent meeting called by various groups, including MAG and the BMF (British Motorcyclist Federation), the DfT (Department for Transport) agreed that their wording of the original document was misleading, even sensationalist, and they actually only intend to limit modifications that’ll increase a bike’s emissions and noise. This, basically, means that aftermarket exhausts're going to be affected, but most other forms of customisation’ll be okay. The slightly scary thing is that the proposed plans WILL be retrospective, so bikes fitted with noisy ‘pipes (which, because they’re freer-flowing, do emit higher levels of particulates an’ stuff) will be subject to the new laws when they’re passed.

A whole load more consultation’s needed before then, and MAG and the BMF have a seat at the table to put across people-who-actually-knowstuff’s views, so watch this space. In the meantime, if you want to be riding your bike as it is after 2024, then now’s the time to join MAG, or the BMF, and give them your support, y’know?

Anyway, that’s me for this year (as far as you’re concerned anyway, I still have to do the issue that comes out in January so…), see you in 2022!