Motorcyclists are an interesting breed. Give them a reason to get together for a ride and they’ll jump at it. Make it for a worthy cause and they’ll throw everything they can into it.

I had a chat to one such guy this week. His name is Glenn Martin, he lives in Canberra and has decided to join together with around 50 other riders to ride around Australia raising funds for the Steven Walter Foundation.

Steven Walter was nineteen when he died after an eight year battle with cancer. His whole life revolved around motorcycles, and he was a former NSW Junior Enduro Champion and an Australian Four Day Silver medalist.
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This year, for the first time, the Canungra Rider Survivor is a joint initiative of MATES and the Department of Transport and Main Roads (SEQ South) Road Safety Team.

The aim of Rider Survivor is, through education and awareness, to keep motorcyclists (and other road users) safe on our roads. It offers a chance for riders to discuss concerns with the Department of Transport and Main Roads and other government agencies in an informal and non-confronting environment.
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The Australian Motorcycle Expo will return to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 19th to the 21st of February, 2010.

This highly successful exhibition was embraced by visitors and exhibitors alike in its inaugural year, exceeding all expectations and cementing itself as Queensland’s premier motorcycle event.

The Australian Personal WaterCraft Show and Australian Scooter Festival will again run alongside the Gold Coast event, with a range of new features planned.

Event details can be found at http://australianmotorcycleexpo.com.au/gold-coast

The 6 Hour is back!

The iconic race that helped to shape the career of many of Australia’s motorcycle racing greats is set to run one more time in November as a final farewell to Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway. The event will be the last ever motorcycle meeting to be run at the historic circuit.
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Honda Australia Rider Training (HART) held a motorcycling event at their Pinkenba centre on Saturday 4th July to which interested parties were invited to “try out” their motorcycling skills with a view to perhaps becoming our future bikers.  A team of instructors introduced a number of brand new riders to the art of motorcycle riding.  Many of the “recruits” were riding for the very first time and were obviously a little apprehensive at first.  I am sure the introductory classroom session helped allay some of their nerves. (more…)

Merlo Coffee has joined with the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) to help encourage and facilitate much needed blood donations. The fourth annual Merlo Coffee Red Ride for Life event will be held on Saturday 18 July to unite motorcycle enthusiasts from across South East Queensland to help support this vital community service.

Motorcyclists will converge at the Merlo Coffee Torrefazione in Bowen Hills at 9.00am to enjoy free coffee and a sausage sizzle before travelling in convoy to the Springwood Blood Donor Centre to make blood donations which will help save lives. If you are ineligible to give blood, you are still welcome to come along and show your support! To check your eligibility, go to www.donateblood.com.au.

http://www.merlo.com.au/about/ride-for-life/

In a move to make Gold Coast Bike Week more family friendly the organisers have made some significant changes to the event format and activities. (more…)

Congratulations to the MATES group for keeping the profile of motorcycling up at Canungra on Sunday 26-4. The quality of the displays was great and free food to boot. It just shows you what a few keen people can do and get involvement from Transport, Main Roads, Police, The Fire Brigade and having a simulator and quality gear on display as well.

Keep the profile going.

For those of you who aren’t aware, a small group of us rode into Flowerdale, one of the hardest hit areas where over 200 of the town’s 320 homes were burnt to the ground. While there we were given a guided tour of the town and saw firsthand the devastation there. (more…)

It’s a bit hard to gather all the facts with so much happening in such a short time, but here’s the facts as we know them to date… (more…)