Charged with responsibility

Being responsible for the contents of a monthly magazine is no easy task

Aside from filling all of the pages, there’s a requirement to deliver interesting and varied content 12 times a year, without deviation, repetition or hesitation. Fortunately, the world of motorcycling is a diverse and eclectic one, and there is always plenty to write about – whether that be new motorcycles that are yet to reach the dealers; how bikes compare to each other; where to ride, how to ride, how to maintain; and how to ensure that we continue riding with the same level of excitement, passion and commitment that we enjoyed when first taking to two wheels. And I’m very keen to ensure that MSL brings you all of that each and every month.

I, too, am influenced by the things that we see in MSL each month – it’s not all about what the editor and his colleagues have been doing over the last month. As an example, while reading the contributors’ copy for this issue, at the same time as sitting in a freezing cold home office and wondering how on earth I was going to keep warm on my forthcoming trip over to the Dragon Rally in Wales, I was influenced by what Maynard Hershon had to say in his column (page 30). I immediately got Googling and bought myself the very things that he talks about with such enthusiasm. I’ll be reporting on how I coped on a February night in Snowdonia next month.

Of course, being a consumer-led publication we also have to talk about the more serious (and occasionally dull) elements of powered two-wheelers, and that also includes the political aspect. As you’ll see from Alan Dowds’ piece in the News pages this month (page

8), there is talk amongst the industry about how we approach the impending reduction of bikes powered by internal combustion engines, and whether this will affect the type of riding that we do outside of the daily commute. While bikes are a very efficient way of transporting us to our place of work, the simple fact is that motorcycles are often used for leisure, for holidays, for random travelling around beautiful (and, occasionally, not-so-beautiful) parts of the world. The sort of travelling that, as of now, electrically-powered bikes really aren’t very good at...

While most car manufacturers have jumped in with the electrical lobby (despite the issues that come with batteries, their lifespan and the network required to charge them), there are several motorcycle factories that are developing alternatives to the electrical drivetrains that so many governments around the globe are convinced are ‘the answer’. Simply put, the situation is that while electrically-powered independent transport is not ‘the answer’, it is part of the answer.

But while many of us are being distracted by what can be seen as the potential threat of electrification, there are many other issues that are affecting motorcycling in the 21st Century. Take, for example, the current issue that has seemingly put road-racing in Ireland on hold – the massive increase in public liability insurance costs. Even though many folk, with no interest in racing, will feel that this won’t affect us as road riders, you cannot ignore the underlying fact that it will affect motorcycling as a whole, in Ireland and across the world.

On a lighter note, the evenings are stretching out, the temperatures are rising, and plans are being made for summer activities on two wheels. Let us know what you plan, and what (and where) you’d like to hear more about. Enjoy the issue.