I am writing in response to the story headlined "widow's tragic warning" in last week's Gazette.

Although I feel deeply sorry for Angela Harris's loss I was incensed by another persecution of motorcyclists everywhere.

I find the display of a crashed motorbike insulting, annoying and ineffective. I ride 500 miles a week for fun and work. Do you think this would stop me or others buying?

In fact, I think the effect is more damaging than you would imagine. On a large, fast bike you need confidence as well as skill or you're in trouble.

The last thing you need is an image of a broken bike when you should be concentrating on the junction ahead.

The police and Angela, who has been sadly dragged along with this, are dealing with the effect and not the cause.

The effects are terrible incidents such as this and the cause is inadequate training, incompetence or just rotten luck, not the fact that you are riding a bike.

Don't stop people buying bikes, make people train and behave properly. I am referring to all road users, not just bikes. I am sure everyone witnesses more incompetent car drivers than bike riders.

Are you going to parade a smashed up car and ask people not to buy a car? Are you going to parade a drunken person in a cage to stop people drinking in pubs?

Are you going to drive around telling everyone not to buy chips because they clog up your arteries? More people die of these problems than on motorcycles.

Mr Harris bought one of the most powerful motorcycles available (170mph plus and 0 to 100 in five seconds.) This was a motorcycle that takes skill, concentration and training to use safely.

Like a pilot you need to obtain the skill then keep your hours logged up or you are in danger.

If Angela's point is, don't buy one of these as a Sunday toy then she is right get a smaller machine.

The message should not be "don't buy a bike" but "buy the right bike and here's where you train."

A better approach would be to increase the over-subscribed Bike Safe training run by the police and get to grips with making sure everyone knows what they are doing.

Have car and motorcycle drivers refresher trained every five years and make sure that standards are upheld. I know of many motorcycle riders, including me, who take additional and advanced training. Do you know car drivers who do that?

Start by removing incompetent drivers and riders, if you fail your test more than three times then you can't drive period.

Train everyone up to higher levels and maintain it through the driving career.

Insurance companies should be forced to refuse bikes such as this unless you are proficient, experienced and trained.

Motorcyclists don't need to be shown a crashed bike. I would rather see the encouragement of these marvellous machines with good training systems. The existing system lets too many through the net.

Fast bikes are not going to go away so let's get realistic.

Richard Hayes

Calne