Martin Lampkin Trials Icon Passes away.

Posted on April 4, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

04 Apr

When I was a kid I loved many Motorcycles, Obviously the TT bikes, any Road Racing, Drag bikes, but what we called Dirt bikes were a huge impact on my life, I loved trials riding but only has a little SL125 but could do unreal things on that only because I had the passion, will and determination to accomplish anything if it was up a hill, through some tree’s or through some rocks.

Sad to hear that Martin has passed away, my brother informed me this morning, only seems like yesterday i was using Blu-Tak to stick a poster of him up on my bedroom wall, much to my mum and dad”s annoyance.

My Heros of the Trials back then in the 1970’s and had poster taken from either motorcycle News or trials and Motorcross news were:

Mick Andrews ( TY250) Martin Lampkin (Bultaco), Sammy Miller ( CZ), Rob Edwards ( Montesa), Jim Sandiford (Montesa).

God Bless you mate, plenty of wide area’s to ride now ya upstairs Martin.

All great guys with skills I would never come close to ever even if I practiced 24 hours a day.

Martin and later on his Son Dougie really did dominate the trials world and as a teenager, I had Posters of these at home.

His family has stated via Trials Central:”It is with deep regret that we inform you of the sad passing of Harold Martin Lampkin, better known as Martin Lampkin, who lost his cruel year-long plus battle with cancer earlier today at the age of sixty-five.

“As the first ever FIM Trial World Champion back in 1975, Martin who continued right through to the present day to be a recognised and much loved figure within the motorcycle community the World over, passed away peacefully surrounded by his immediate family near to his hometown of Silsden, Yorkshire.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Isobel, his sons Dougie and Harry and other members of the Lampkin family, plus all his many friends motorcycling and otherwise at this sad time.

“Funeral details will be confirmed in due course.

“In the meantime, we politely request that the family’s privacy is respected during this difficult period.”

His son Dougie, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become a 12-times world champion motorcycle trialist, stated on his Facebook page:” Devastated to announce the news – my dad Martin Lampkin passed away this afternoon after year plus battle with cancer aged 65.”

Martin Lampkin was born 28 December 1950.

He competed in a variety of off-road motorcycle events, but specialized in observed trials competitions, winning the inaugural FIM Trial World Championship held in 1975.

My heroes of the trials era were a Family named Lampkin.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife Isobel, his sons Dougie and Harry and other members of the Lampkin family, plus all his many friends motorcycling and otherwise at this sad time.

“Funeral details will be confirmed in due course.

“In the meantime, we politely request that the family’s privacy is respected during this difficult period.”

Martin Lampkin was born 28 December 1950.

He competed in a variety of off-road motorcycle events, but specialized in observed trials competitions, winning the inaugural FIM Trial World Championship held in 1975.

He was the third son in a Silsden motorcycling dynasty and began riding motorcycles at an early age.

His older brothers Arthur and Alan Lampkin were successful motorcycle racers and became members of the BSA factory racing team in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Lampkin established himself as one of the top competitors in motorcycle trials, gaining the attention of Francisco Bultó, the owner of the Bultaco motorcycle company. Bultó offered him a job as a member of the Bultaco factory trials team and, in 1973 he won the European trials championship as well as the British trials national championship. The European championship was considered to be the world championship at the time, as the sport of trials had yet to develop outside of Europe.

In 1975, the European championship was upgraded to world championship status and Lampkin claimed the title to become the first-ever trials world champion. He continued to experience success in the world championships until 1980, when the Bultaco factory began to experience financial troubles.

Lampkin then joined the SWM factory team until he retired from professional competition in 1982. Besides his European and World Championship titles, Lampkin was also a four-time winner of the Scott Trial (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982), a three-time winner of the British trials national championship (1973, 1978, 1980) and won the grueling Scottish Six Days Trial three consecutive times (1976, 1977, 1978).

After retiring from competition he supported his son Dougie in his successful career.

New Visor with in Built Turn Signals

Posted on July 2, 2015January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

02 Jul

A firm has just entered the final stages of the Dyson Awards thanks to this visor with lights and inbuilt indicators.

Blink hopes to increase rider safety by making the indicators more visible than usual, and by ‘humanising’ the rider thanks to a small light which illuminates the rider’s face.

The helmet visor looks to solve two problems; firstly, it helps make the rider and their intentions more visible. Some times with bikes the leaning angle obscures the indicators which makes it hard for other motorists to see you at a glance. The visor indicators are less likely to be obscured and they add another set to the bike. Secondly, it helps to humanise the rider, bikers don’t always have the best reputation with car drivers, which makes it easy for them to be seen as a faceless group, particularly since all the safety gear obscures the person. This visor slightly illuminates the riders face helping to remind drivers that it is a real person riding the bike.

The helmet visor gives the motorcyclists a third more visible set of indicators which wirelessly connect and integrate with the existing motorcycle indicator electronics. The indicator controller sends a signal that sensors in the visor pick up telling it when to indicate. It allows more light to shine from the motorcycle improving the visibility of the rider and making them more eye catching. The design is aimed at sports bike riders so will easily fit into that market. This product is compatible with many helmets.

Lane Splitting in California .

Posted on May 29, 2015January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

Motorcycle lane-splitting — the rush-hour time saver for bikers that enrages many drivers — may be poised for formal legalization.

California would be the first state to sanction the traffic-evading tactic, already widespread on traffic-choked freeways of Los Angeles.

The state Assembly is expected to approve the legislation as soon as Thursday, and supporters believe it will clear the Senate as well.

The measure would allow motorcycles to travel between cars at speeds up to 15 mph faster than the flow of traffic, up to a speed of 50 mph.
Motorcycle sales up, motorcycle fatalities high
Motorcycle sales up, motorcycle fatalities high

The bill’s legislative backers cite studies showing the practice is safer than trapping bikers behind cars, which leaves them vulnerable to more serious rear-end collisions. But their proposal has riled both detractors and supporters.

“Lane-splitting is inherently dangerous,” said Thomas Freeman, a passionate opponent of the practice who said his opposition movement, hosted online at stoplanesplitting.com, has more than 1,000 members.

While some motorcyclists applauded the action, the American Motorcyclist Assn. called for even less restrictive rules.

“We don’t like this bill,” said Nicolas Haris, the association’s western states representative. “It goes a long way in the right direction, but it falls short.”
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Lane-splitting — a common practice in European nations — has been a fuzzy topic in California. The state has never expressly forbidden or allowed it.

Technically neither legal nor illegal, the practice has had the tacit approval of the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Motorcycle industry veteran Bruce Steever — who commutes on the 405 Freeway and invariably lane-splits during rush hour — applauded the proposed legislation, restrictions and all.

“Those numbers make me happy,” he said of the speed limits. “There needs to be a codified law.”
On two wheels, it’s all open road
On two wheels, it’s all open road

The AMA’s Haris, despite his organization’s complaints with the bill’s specific language and speed limits, said he hoped a new California law would inspire legislators in other states to adopt similar laws.

Legislative bodies in Washington, Oregon, Texas, Nevada and Tennessee have already considered, proposed or voted on lane-splitting laws. To date, none of the proposed legislation has passed.

The California bill, which has broad support, is being spearheaded by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). He coauthored the measure with Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), a former California Highway Patrol officer, and Kansen Chu (D-San Jose), who became interested in the topic after a staffer’s nephew was killed while lane-splitting at high speed.

The speed limits were determined with the help of the CHP and a safety study by UC Berkeley professor Tom Rice.
cComments

@WhatareyoudoingDave? My fastest speed is 72 mph and I get annoyed by drivers speed to my rear end and flash lights for me to get out of the way. I know this is a tangent but I am interested in drivers thoughts.
MICHAEL REACH
at 10:41 AM May 28, 2015

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That study, scheduled for public release soon, investigated 6,000 California motorcycle accidents — 1,000 of them involving lane-splitting — and concluded that legalizing the practice was safer than outlawing it, Quirk said.

“The study found that lane-splitting was safer, compared to being stopped in the traffic,” Quirk said. “Oftentimes motorcyclists would get rear-ended. Motorists just don’t see them.”

The bill appears to have momentum. It passed the Assembly Transportation Committee with a vote of 13 to 1 and the Assembly Appropriations Committee by 16 to 1. It now faces a vote in the 80-member Assembly.

If it passes there, it would face a similar review and vote in the Senate.

Until recently, both the Highway Patrol and the DMV published guidelines for safe lane-splitting. But they removed the guidelines from their publications last year after opponents complained that the agencies appeared to endorse a practice that critics argued was not legal.

“The ambiguity gave riders the idea that they had a free ticket,” Lackey said. “These parameters will alert all motorists to the safe practice of lane-splitting.”

It has also been a hot-button topic. Motorcyclists view it as a special California legal loophole. But some drivers view it as a dangerous or unfair way to get ahead in traffic.

“Motorcyclists know it’s not safe. They just want to get from point A to point B faster than the cars,” Freeman contended. “We have drivers who are talking on their cellphones, who are texting, who are daydreaming. And this other distraction makes it a virtual circus.”

Former Los Angeles City Council member Dennis Zine had 33 years’ experience in the Los Angeles Police Department, 18 of them as a motorcycle officer. He said he himself splits lanes, at safe speeds, but thinks the principal issue with the proposed new law is ticketing a motorcyclist who is breaking it.

“Unless the pursuing officer is on a motorcycle, the officer in a patrol car cannot possibly apprehend the vehicle that is splitting lanes,” Zine said. “The bottom line is there is no law if there’s no law enforcement.”

Lane Splitting is Legal in California

Lane splitting by motorcycles is not illegal in California when done in a safe and prudent manner.
Motorists should not take it upon themselves to discourage motorcyclists from lane splitting.
Intentionally blocking or impeding a motorcyclist in a way that could cause harm to the rider is illegal (CVC 22400).
Opening a vehicle door to impede a motorcycle is illegal (CVC 22517).
Never drive while distracted.
You can help keep motorcyclists and all road users safe by:
1. Checking mirrors and blind spots, especially before changing lanes or turning
2. Signaling your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic.
3. Allowing more following distance, three or four seconds, when behind a motorcycle so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency.

In simple terms – pay attention while you’re driving, don’t be a jerk and keep an eye out for motorcyclists and other vehicles. Oh, and please stop texting while driving before you kill someone.

Check out our lane splitting resources & links page and the latest lane splitting news.

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Lane Splitting is Legal in California

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