Freewheelers EVS

Devon County Council should be applauded for their excellent motorcycle safety video shown below (direct link). Bikers are very vulnerable when 2 tonnes of steel, glass and rubber suddenly emerge from a side road, so any message which reminds motorists of the need to look out is very welcome. If you don't know what "SMIDSY" means, watch the video!

Read more and download the video on Devon's bike safety website - www.devon.gov.uk/bikers

You may think that Freewheelers' main aim is to act as an emergency courier for hospitals. But read our constitution and you will see that objectives 2 and 3 read as follows:

• To encourage safe riding practices both within and without the Group.

• To promote a positive image of motorcycling to the general public.

The following cartoon probably explains why we put these points in our constitution. We are the good guys!

We think we have found out why the last ex-police Pan European we bought was so cheap.

Green laning on a Honda Pan-European is not big and not clever. You will notice that this isn't one of our bikes!

A BMW rider is broken down by the side of the road (as usual). A Pan European rider stops to help.

"You need any help?"

"Yeah, have you got a spanner?"

"Sure, what size?"

"A big one. I want to use it for a hammer."

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A man walks into a motorcycle store and says "I'd like to get new mirrors for my BMW." The salesman thinks a second, then replies "OK, I think that's a fair trade".

Webmaster's comment: If the BMW Owners Club wants to make a donation to Freewheelers we will change these to Harley jokes.

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We are all advanced riders at Freewheelers, but can only dream of being able to ride to this standard!

It seems that BMW will stop at nothing in their efforts to get us to buy BMW bikes instead of the Honda Pan European. Here they demonstrate how the BMWs can be used to save us money by only using one wheel during normal riding, thus reducing tyre wear.

We all love our bikes, but sometimes we can love them without consideration for others!

Riding manuals say that the average driver's reaction time is: 0.75 seconds, or 1 car length for every 10 mph. If you have slower reactions due to cold, drink or fatigue then you run the risk of a serious accident.

Freewheelers new reaction testing tool, specially designed for us West Country types as a sheep chasing game, allows you to check your reaction time and improve it with regular training.

So pour yourself a large coffee and test your reactions.

Have you ever wondered why Pan European riders wave even less than BMW riders?

• Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
• Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
• Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
• Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
• The espresso machine just finished.
• Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
• Was in a three-way conference call with stock broker and accessories dealer.
• Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
• Was simultaneously adjusting the suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.
• Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on the dashboard.

All Freewheelers EVS riders are qualified to an advanced standard. In addition, regardless of qualification, our riders are regularly tested to ensure that they meet our exacting standards.

With immediate effect our ride assessor Allan Roberts will be introducing a low speed handling test for all members. The following video demonstrates the skill level expected.