Don’t Hibernate the Bike

What’s the project all about?

Devon County Council has embarked in a new initiative where we want to encourage bikers to continue riding through the winter months when appropriate. The aim is to keep riding skills fresh and ready for the better weather. There is real concern that putting the motorcycle in the garage for the winter months will mean vital riding skills will go rusty and get downgraded, leaving riders vulnerable when the biking season begins again when the better weather returns.

We appreciate that it is not always possible to ride in the winter on days when there’s ice, heavy rain, high winds or fog. However, there are days during the winter where riding is possible and we encourage riders to keep the bike on the road and make good use of them.

Are Devon County Council leading by example?

You may be aware that Devon County Council has a fleet of motorcycles that allow Highway Officers to assess roads from the point of view of bikers. We have provided motorcycle training to over 20 members of staff who are able to use bikes for this purpose. We will be encouraging these riders to continue this work during the winter months.

Devon & Cornwall Police have a dedicated motorcycle wing. They will also continue to work on bikes over the winter period.

What help are Devon County Council giving me to ride in the winter?

We are helping riders in a number of ways and you can benefit from these (note: you will have to live in Devon County Council area to claim these benefits apart from Bikesafe):

• To help riders cope with winter riding, we are providing discount for up to £20 of winter riding gear.
• Advanced riding membership with Devon Advanced Motorcyclists (DAM) is being reduced by £24 for riders who have a DCC postcode. Click here to go to the DAM website for more details of their course. Remember to ask them about the discount available when you speak to them.
• Devon & Cornwall Police are running winter Bikesafe events, this has a fee £25. Click here for more details.
• Those who attend a Bikesafe course will be able to have a £25 cash back offer for further DCC run motorcycle training. Click here for further details of our motorcycle training. If you’re taking up this training option, remember to ask about the discount once you have completed the Bikesafe course.
• We will also be running a number of promotional campaigns to highlight winter riding and looking to make car drivers more aware of riders. We are also looking to promote motorcycling as a safe and sensible mode of transport.
• Are you already a winter rider? Share your experiences with us and if we print your story you could be in line for an extra £25 gift voucher for biking gear.

Who’s supporting the Winter Riding campaign?

The Winter Riding campaign has got the support of a number of national riding groups. See why they ride in winter (108KB - pdf help).

Biker discount on wet weather riding gear

Amongst the assistance we’re giving bikers is to help prepare for riding in winter conditions. As a winter rider, you can claim up to £20 of free biking gear. This includes 10% discount off any winter weather riding gear you buy (up to a maximum of £15) plus a reflective riding jacket (up to a maximum of £5). These can be claimed from one of the shops on the attached form.

To qualify for this offer you will need:

• A postcode in the Devon County Council area (this excludes Plymouth and Torbay).
• A copy (photo-copy or scan depending whether you post or email this form) of your winter tax disc and proof of ownership (V5).
• One of the first 50 successful bikers to respond to this offer (can only be used once per person).

Once you have downloaded and returned this form (36KB - pdf help), you will be advised within approximately a week that your discount has been cleared, this will either be by post or email, depending on your preference. We will also advise the store you have selected that you are eligible for this discount. Details of who to return this form, either by email or by post, can be found at the bottom of the form.