Steve Webster – the most successful sidecar racer in the world – has rescued and restored the outfit in which he had a lucky escape at the start of his international career, when he crashed heavily at the 1985 Dutch TT.

It’s one of the most-viewed sidecar crashes in history and you can see the footage here [https://youtu.be/q0xClP_frok]. Webster and passenger Steve Hewitt clip the kerb at high speed and slide along the grass infield, before hitting a drainage ditch and cartwheeling out the other side. Both were lucky to avoid serious injury, although they missed most of that season.

Undaunted, ‘Webbo’ went on to win no fewer than ten FIM Sidecar World Championships, from 1987-1989, then 1991, 1997- 2000, 2003 and 2004. The only other British rider to win ten world championships is the late, great Mike Hailwood, so Steve is in good company.

By the 1990s Steve was firmly established as one of Britain’s most successful competitors across motorsport. He was awarded an MBE in 1991, and in the same year received the Segrave Trophy for “Outstanding Skill, Courage and Initiative on Land, Water and in the Air”, joining a roll of honour that includes Geoff Duke, Donald Campbell, Barry Sheene and Jackie Stewart.

The restored outfit is an LCR-Yamaha, originally built in 1982, resplendent in Fowlers/Silkolene livery, and powered by a Yamaha TZ500 2-stroke motor, as used by Kenny Roberts in the late 1970s. Steve found the outfit rusting in a Kent garage, minus its motor and exhausts. Fortunately, he’d kept the original engine himself, so it was reunited with the chassis, although the bodywork was beyond repair, and a replica fairing had to be produced in Switzerland.

Now restored to its former glory, Steve can be seen driving it at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Fowlers has a long association with sidecar racing, through Bristol-based team manager Dennis Trollope. Prior to sponsoring Steve Webster, Fowlers supported the late great Jock Taylor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Taylor], 1980 World Sidecar Champion, four-times TT winner [link: https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/competitors?ride_id=4896] and twice British champion.

Read more about Steve Webster’s incredible career at https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2016/february/mcn-plus—whatever-happened-to-steve-webster-mbe/

 

A Bristol Biker Cafe has scored top marks in its recent food hygiene rating from City Council inspectors, outclassing some of the city’s most stylish restaurants.

Situated on the mezzanine area of the top floor of Fowlers Motorcycles, close to Bristol Temple Meads station, Harry’s Café was given top marks under the city’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which is run in partnership with the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The 5-star rating awarded to Harry’s Café was judged in three categories, hygienic food handling, food safety management and the condition of the premises, all of which were assigned the highest grades available, exceeding those of the city’s fashionable eateries. Jane Waite, who has run the café for nearly 10 years, is delighted;

“I’m really pleased with the online published results from the recent inspection by Bristol City Council and it’s fantastic to have our efforts acknowledged by the authorities. Over the past 10 years, as word has spread and ever more customers enjoy visiting Harry’s, our seating has increased from 30 to 100, and our behind-the-counter team has responded brilliantly. My great passion is to supply top-quality food to our customers, and the staff in Harry’s receive a high standard of training and are given a thorough understanding of food safety/hygiene, meaning we have the best practices in place. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved at Harry’s and how such a wide variety of customers are attracted to visit us – some have never even ridden a motorcycle! Most of our customers simply say they enjoy coming for the tasty food we prepare here in our kitchen, as well as the relaxed atmosphere and some friendly conversation.” 

Harry’s Cafe (named after Harold Fowler, who built up the successful Bristol motorcycle dealership) serves freshly prepared hot and cold food in fully air-conditioned premises, with access for disabled persons. It is open from Monday – Saturday 8.30am to 4pm and 11am to 4pm on Sundays. Find out more at www.fowlers.co.uk.

Notes – Food hygiene ratings for Bristol businesses can be checked at https://www.bristol.gov.uk/pests-pollution-noise-food/food-hygiene-ratings

Picture left to right: Popie, Alf, Emma, Jane, Jack, Tia, Beth & Emily.

Are small capacity bikes more fun on today’s overcrowded roads?

Have you noticed that, while Wagon Wheels are getting smaller, bikes seem to be getting bigger?

Take the BMW GS adventure sport bike for example. It started out in 1980 with an 800cc motor, pumping out 50 hp and tipping the scales at 186 kg. By 2013, engine capacity had increased by 50%, to 1200cc, horsepower had more than doubled (to 123 hp) and weight had ballooned to 238 kg.

Something else has changed; between 1971-2007, car ownership in the UK rose from 19 million to 31 million. As motorcycles grew bigger and more powerful, our roads became significantly more crowded.

Some riders have decided that it’s time to downsize and it’s easy to see why smaller capacity bikes are attractive;

1. They ain’t heavy. Light and compact, they are less hassle to hustle through traffic or squeeze into tight parking spaces and are easier to throw a leg over too.
2. More bang for your buck. They’re less expensive to buy and generally cost less to run, so it’s much easier to justify your hobby, especially if you only get out for a ride occasionally.
3. Take it to the max. Apart from the track, there aren’t many places you can ride a powerful modern motorcycle at anything close to its limit, and certainly not legally. You’ll have plenty more opportunity to explore the limits of smaller bikes.

Whatever style of motorcycle appeals to you, the major manufacturers all offer their popular big cc models in a ‘fun size’. From Suzuki’s V-Strom 250 adventure sport bike to the Yamaha YZF R3 supersports machine and KTM’s 390 Duke street bike, you’ll find something small, but perfectly formed, to suit your tastes.

And for the minimalists among you, Honda recently reintroduced the Monkey Bike, inspired by the huge success of their MSX125 (AKA ‘Grom’). Originally conceived as a paddock bike, many fans will think nothing of riding serious distances on the modern versions, which are incredibly capable machines.

Could ‘pocket rockets’ be the future of motorcycling? Maybe it’s time to book a test ride and decide for yourself.

 

Christmas is just around the corner, so beat the shopping centre queues and pick up the perfect gift for the motorcycle lover in your life from Fowlers Online Shop. #Christmascracked

Great stocking fillers from the KTM range:

Keep track of your keys with this 1290 Super Adventure Rubber Keyring: £4.98

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/1290-super-adventure-rubber-keyholder-30395

Enjoy a brew in the Ready To Race Mug: £6.72

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/mug-orange-22074

Crack open a cold one with the cool twist-grip Bottle Opener: £12.54

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/bottle-opener-30590

Triumphant gifts:

Keep time with the Triumph Sports Chrono Watch: £299.00

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/triumph-sports-chrono-watch-16980

Fly the flag with these Triumph Mono Flag Gloves: £80.00

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/triumph-mono-flag-gloves-32620

For the tech fans:

Record your rides with the GoPro Hero7 Black: £379.99

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/gopro-hero-7-black-33922

Expand your horizons in the new year with the TomTom Rider 550: £399.98

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/tom-tom-rider-550-premium-32686

Stay connected while you ride with the Cardo Freecom 2: £159.95

http://www.fowlers.co.uk/shop/freecom-2-solo-intercom-28775

Hands up who remembers Carl Fogarty BEFORE he was King of the Jungle? Famous for his high corner speeds and aggressive attitude on the track, he won four World Superbike Championships between 1994 – 1999. And he attracted huge crowds wherever he went – 120,000 flocked to Brands Hatch in 1999. I was one of them. It was crazy. There was a bike-jam on the M25. It felt as if every biker in Britain had descended on the Kent circuit.

Fast forward 20 years. Would you recognise Jonathan Rea? You know, the triple World Superbike champion (2015-’17). Not only is he British, he was awarded an MBE for his sporting efforts and was even nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.. Yet only 37,000 came to see him race at Donington last year.

So why aren’t we more excited about a British rider dominating an international series?

A quick glance at the entry list for the late Nineties WSBK series gives you a clue; names like Colin Edwards (AKA ‘The Texas Tornado’), Italy’s Frankie Chili, ‘Nitro’ Nori Haga from Japan, Aussie Troy Corser and Kiwi Aaron Slight jump out at you. These guys were big stars with big personalities from around the world, which made for an exciting and colourful series.

Last year, the top three in the WSBK championship were all British, so you might as well be watching the domestic series.

Is there a quick fix? The obvious answer is to attract some big names from around the world, but where would you find them? MotoGP is dominated by Spanish and Italian riders and it’s hard to imagine VR46 switching to a ‘junior’ series, no matter how much cash he was offered.

Maybe Jonathan Rea should audition for a reality TV series to boost his profile next year.

 

Hipsters. They’re not proper bikers are they? They don’t ride normal motorcycles and they don’t wear practical riding kit either.

What exactly is a “brat style bobber” or “street tracker” and why did they build it out of a 1980s bike that was rubbish when it was new? They’re just posers and the whole scene is a fad, made to look more popular than it really is by advertising agencies trying to make boring brands look more fashionable!

Or that’s what I thought, until I went to The Bike Shed event at London’s Tobacco Dock in May. You’ll struggle to find a trendier venue ( it’s an early 19th century warehouse) and the crowd queuing outside ticked all the boxes for hipster hairstyles, clothing and accessories (why are you wearing a bobble hat on a sunny day and aren’t you a bit old for a skateboard?).

When I got inside, it became clear that I might need to rethink my position. Firstly, most of the crowd were much younger than the average age you’ll see at traditional bike shows. Secondly, they actually looked pretty cool and, thirdly, so did the bikes.

Most of them would be ghastly to ride – what have these people got against front mudguards, have they never ridden in the rain? – but they’d look fantastic parked outside the artisan coffee shack. And maybe that’s the point.

These guys are making motorcycling look like a cool thing to do and they’ve inspired some of the biggest names in the industry to create some really desirable bikes, like  the BMW R nineT, Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Bobber and Yamaha XSR – all of them strong sellers.

I might not be ready to grow a moustache and wax it or to fit some ape-hanger bars to my adventure sport bike, but I don’t mind saying “hooray for the hipsters” after all.