Through RAG (see current membership below) the VMCC continues to monitor legislative and other developments which might threaten the ability of riders to go on using and enjoying older machines, working together with other rider and heritage organisations to secure a safe and sustainable future for vintage and classic motorcycling.
The VMCC advocates that restoring, riding and maintaining vintage and classic motorcycles:
- provides a worthwhile hobby and enjoyment for tens of thousands of people;
- facilitates a thriving local social scene that promotes self-help and the development and maintenance of numerous practical skills;
- helps preserve an important element in Britain’s engineering heritage and supports the handing on of knowledge and enthusiasm to subsequent generations;
- supports a conservation industry worth millions of pounds to the economy;
- provides a source of interest and fascination for the wider public, through participation in events, helping to support museums and tourism as part of Britain’s rich heritage industry;
- has a good safety record (particularly when compared with other classes of vehicle);
- has a tiny environmental impact, particularly given the limited overall mileage ridden and when compared with the far greater contribution to emissions made by other classes of vehicle; and
- is ‘green’ by definition, in the preservation and recycling of machines and materials.
RAG continues to scan the horizon for any policy developments that could possibly concern our members; recent priorities include: levy charging of ‘classic' motorcycles for access to Low Emission Zones; licensing issues; access to unsurfaced roads; and fuel issues. Another new issue being explored is preventing mud being left on roads by agricultural vehicles. Over the last nine months the Group have been focused on how Club members can continue to function safely within Government COVID 19 guidelines and they are keeping this challenge under review as official rules and advice change. This includes thinking about how Sections might work within the regulations to enable the resumption of more major events like long distance trials and riding challenges so that riders either individually, or in small groups, can create their own routes between given locations and in effect participate safely in an ‘event’. News of such COVID safe innovations by Sections would be much appreciated for the benefit of all.
More volunteers to help with RAG's work are always welcome.
RAG members' areas of expertise:
- Roger Bibbings MBE (Convenor) - Safety and risk management, regulation, lobbying
- Graham Leake- Debris and highways issues
- Bernard Kuropka - Engineering
- Jacqueline Bickerstaff - Legislation Committee FBHVC
- Dennis Beale - Flat tankers, DVLA, C&U issues, licensing, testing
- David Giles - Minor Roads & Unsurfaced Byways
- Peter Henshaw (Records/documents keeper) - Motorcycling journalism and deep marque knowledge
Contact: RAG@vmcc.net
LARA
The next LARA Steering Committee Meeting will be held, via Zoom, at 11:00 on Tuesday 10 September.
Here is a copy of the draft agenda.
It would be particularly helpful if delegates could come to the meeting with a view about the questions set out in the LARA structure & funding paper (agenda item 5). In case it helps, here in the form of an editable questionnaire is a list of the questions posed by the paper.
If you have any suggestions for additional agenda items, could you please submit them, along with any related papers, no later than Friday 23 August, by replying to this email.
The finalised agenda, including joining details will be circulated no later than two weeks before the date of the meeting, i.e. 27 August
Members may wish to see the latest press release from the National Motorcyclists Council.
Election Manifestos: ‘Cut Through’ on Potholes, but More Commitment to Motorcycling Needed
In the context of minute 3.3 (proposed car cruise PSPO in South Gloucestershire) you might be interested to see this news item on the BBC website.
NMC
Graduated Licensing Introduced in Northern Ireland
https://www.uknmc.org/news/graduated-licensing-introduced-in-northern-ireland
Better Training Must Deliver Safer Riders, Not New Barriers.
Major changes to the way new drivers and motorcycle riders are trained and licensed in Northern Ireland come into force from 1 October, with National Motorcyclists Council member, the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) taking a close interest in whether the new approach can improve novice rider safety without creating unnecessary barriers to motorcycling. The introduction of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) represents one of the most significant reforms of driver and rider training and licensing there for decades.
The underlying principle is that learning to drive or ride should be about developing a safe and responsible road user, rather than simply acquiring sufficient technical competence to pass a test. The reforms are intended particularly to address the disproportionate involvement of younger and inexperienced road users in serious collisions.
Although much of the publicity surrounding GDL in Northern Ireland has concentrated on young car drivers, motorcycles are explicitly included in important elements of the new system. From 1 October, new Category A1, A2 and A motorcycle learners will enter a more structured learning regime. A new Programme of Training and Compulsory Logbook will record their development before they can take their practical test.
The motorcycle programme contains 10 mandatory modules plus an optional motorway-riding module, covering knowledge, practical riding skills and the development of safer attitudes and behaviours. Each mandatory module must be completed and recorded, with final sign-off required before the practical test.
Importantly, the six-month Mandatory Minimum Learning Period being introduced for car drivers does not apply to motorcyclists. Nor will the new restrictions on young newly qualified drivers carrying young passengers late at night apply to motorcycle riders. Other changes include extending Northern Ireland’s existing new-driver/rider restriction period from 12 months to two years, during which the appropriate R plate must be displayed. The existing 45mph restriction will also disappear under the new arrangements, allowing newly qualified riders to ride at the posted speed limit.
There are transitional arrangements. Riders whose Category A provisional entitlement began before 1 October can continue under the existing arrangements and take the current practical test until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027, learners will need to have completed the new Programme of Training and Logbook before booking their practical test.
The NMC and BMF supports the principle that effective, high-quality training can play an important part in reducing motorcycle casualties. However, graduated licensing should not automatically be regarded as synonymous with better road safety. Any changes need to be supported by evidence that they will produce measurable safety benefits.
They must also take account of the potential consequences of making motorcycle licensing more complicated, expensive or difficult to access. Creating additional hurdles could discourage riders from undertaking further training and progressing towards a full motorcycle licence – precisely the opposite of what good licensing policy should seek to achieve.
Motorcycle training and testing is devolved in Northern Ireland, so the new system is distinct from the proposals being considered by the UK Government for England, Scotland and Wales.
The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, includes a specific review of motorcycle training, testing and licensing. A accompanying DVSA consultation sought views on changes intended both to improve road safety and simplify access to motorcycling.
The Government has specifically identified the issue of riders continually remaining on provisional licences after taking the CBT and says it wants to encourage more riders to undertake further training and obtain a full motorcycle licence. It has highlighted riders using motorcycles for work, including delivery riders, as a particular priority.
The NMC believes the objective should be to create a clear, affordable and attractive pathway from novice rider through structured training to a full motorcycle licence. Northern Ireland could provide valuable evidence to inform wider Road Safety proposals across the UK.
Northern Ireland is not simply introducing the same reforms currently being considered in Great Britain. There are important differences between the two systems. However, there is a common theme: moving motorcycle training away from treating minimum competence as the end point and towards structured learning, improved hazard awareness, better rider behaviour and progression through further training.
The Northern Ireland reforms therefore provide an important opportunity to analyse how this will work in practice, providing valuable evidence for future motorcycle training and licensing policy across the rest of the UK.
Commenting on the changes, BMF Chair Jim Freeman said: “The BMF and NMC support structured, high-quality training which demonstrably helps develop safer riders and reduce casualties. We all share the objective of reducing the unacceptable number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“But we must also be careful not to assume that simply making motorcycle licensing more restrictive or complicated will automatically make riders safer. Any changes must be evidence-led, proportionate and affordable and should encourage, rather than discourage, riders to undertake further training and progress towards a full motorcycle licence.
“Northern Ireland is taking a distinctive approach and we will be watching closely to see what the evidence tells us. If structured training produces safer riders, better hazard awareness and increased progression towards full licences, there may be valuable lessons for the rest of the UK. Equally, we need to understand whether any elements create unintended barriers to people taking up motorcycling or continuing their training.
“The BMF and NMC will remain fully engaged with Government, the DVSA, and our other partners and key stakeholders as the Government develops and implements its new Road Safety Strategy. We want motorcycling to be at the heart of that work and riders themselves to have a strong voice in shaping the future of motorcycle training and road safety.
“Our shared objective is better-trained, safer riders, with an accessible and affordable route towards gaining a full motorcycle licence.”
New VMCC Policy Paper Sets Out Key Issues for the Sector
As part of the VMCC’s rapidly developing work to secure the future of legacy and historic motorcycling in public policy, the Club has been working with the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) to develop a new position paper which sets out key facts and issues relating to vintage and classic motorcycling.
This new paper will be used by the Club when dealing with a variety of audiences as we seek to protect legacy and historic motorcycling against a backdrop of evolving transport and road safety policy which does not always recognise motorcycling as part of the UK’s transport and social ‘tapestry’. With policies on roads access, the environment and safety which impacts not just modern motorcycling, but also the vintage and classic motorcycle world.
The paper comes in two versions – a summary which can be found here: (Summary (PDF)) and a more detailed paper which can be found here: (Detailed version (PDF))