A Cyclone Bullet motorcycle turntable from British Turntable Co. is helping Devon and Cornwall Constabulary road casualty reduction officers to promote their “Bikesafe” message to motorbike riders in the area. Installed in a mobile exhibition unit, the Cyclone turns a crashed bike round so that the damage done to it can be seen from all angles.
The idea to use a turntable in the unit came from Will Hucker at OTM Promotions, who had been commissioned to construct the trailer. Having hired revolves from British Turntable in the past for exhibitions and events and seen the impact they make on the viewing public, he had no hesitation in putting forward the turntable proposal to the police.
PC Ian Tanner, road casualty reduction officer for Plymouth, explains: “One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when promoting bike safety is to engage with riders of larger motorcycles, who account for a disproportionately high number of killed and seriously injured riders within the Force area. The whole purpose of our “Bikesafe” campaign is to encourage these riders to take part in an observed ride scheme, consider their riding habits and risk-taking, and then go on to improve their motorcycling skills by taking further training. <
“The turntable has added another dimension to our display, enabling the bike to effectively “come out” of the trailer as the bike can rotate for all to see. Those with an eye for bikes, in particular, can see the damage on both sides of the machine, bringing the bike and its message to life. The fact that the turntable has a variable speed control and can be stopped in any location, means that it can rotate or be stopped depending on the audience. If people have particular questions regarding the bike these can be answered and demonstrated by stopping the turntable.
“The revolving bike and trailer also provide an attraction from a distance; combined with the backdrop of a road scene that OTM have included on the closed internal side, the video screen mounted to one side, and the height of the trailer, it should be a real crowd puller.
“The trailer is already well booked up for 2007 biking season major events including the BMAD Bike festival at Paignton, summer bike evenings at the same location, as well as the Plymouth Mega ride. These events alone will normally attract in excess of 30,000 people during the season.”
The versatile and fully portable Cyclone turntables, which include the Bullet and the smaller Surf model, were originally designed to help motorcycle showrooms display new, special or promotional bikes in a more eye-catching way than might otherwise be achieved. Because of their shape they take up very little space, and are particularly useful as window displays to attract passers-by.