the bmw club journal - bmw touring club of new south...

£2.50August 2012

The BMW Club Journal

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DISCLAIMERThe BMW Club Journal accepts for publication articles and letters written in good faith; however, the views expressed in articles and letters which are published are not necessarily those of the Editor of The Journal or those of The BMW Club or its officers or members.The information, including advice and suggested modifications published in the The BMW Club Journal has not been approved, tested or otherwise checked by The BMW Club Journal or The BMW Club. Before acting on information, advice or suggested modifications published in The BMW Club Journal you should always obtain technical advice, and if appropriate have a professional motorcycle engineer carry out the work for you.The BMW Club Journal and The BMW Club cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or claims occurring as a result of any modifications or work or other action carried out on the advice or based on the suggestions given in any article or letter published in The BMW Club Journal and (save for death or personal injury arising from The BMW Club Journal’s negligence) all such liability is hereby excluded.The BMW Club Journal is published for and on behalf of The B.M.W. Motorcycle Club Ltd.The BMW Motorcycle Club Ltd, The BMW Club Journal, it’s Editor and Officers accept no liability in respect of loss or damage occasioned directly or indirectly as a result of the publication of any advertisement in The BMW Club Journal or Website.

The JournalAugust 2012

The Official BMW Club within the UK and Republic of Ireland

www.thebmwclub.org.uk General Enquiries: 0800 0854045

FREEPOST: THE BMW CLUBThe BMW Club is the Trading name of The B.M.W. Motorcycle Club Ltd; Registered in England; Registration Number 4261129 whose Registered Office: c/o Veitch Penny LLP 1, Manor Court Dix’s Field Exeter Devon England EX1 1UP

ALL RiGHTS RESERvEd

This month’s cover photo shows John Albone’s K1200S during the Southern Section trip to italy and Austria at the

flooded valley at Rreschen.

EdiTORiAL TEAMCorrespondence on any Journa l mat ter not covered by the officers listed below should be sent to the Editor who will forward it as appropriate. For general Club administration and membership matters

please see the list of Club officers on Page 6.

Editor: Stewart Lowthian, 29 Wagg Street, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4BA. 01260 279 126 [email protected]

Features/Articles: Peter Wright. [email protected]

Torque Reaction: Paul Nadin, 49 Berkshire Drive, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1SB. 01260 279 443 [email protected]

Mutual Aid: Maurice Weldon, 21 Lawnwood Drive, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S63 9GD 07752 904 334 [email protected]

Commercial display Advertisements: Jim Bruce, The Firs, Bayview Crescent, Broadford, Isle of Skye IV49 9DB 01471 820 408 [email protected]

Small Business Advertisements: Charles Knight, 4 Homelands, New Road, Porchfield, Isle of Wight, PO30 4LS ,01983 520 847 07521 695 992 [email protected]

Section News: Steve Foreman 01536 722 048 [email protected]

diary of Events: Bob Barker. [email protected]

Around The Compass: Bob Barker (see above).

Club/Section display Ads: Piers Kurrein. [email protected]

CONTENTSRegular/Occasional items

From The Editor’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Club Officers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

President’s Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Torque Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Star Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Mutual Aid (Club member ads) . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Small Business Advertisments . . . . . . . . . . . 79

The BMW Club - Out and About. .47

Articles/Features

The National Committee Meeting. . . . . . . . . 21

The 2012 Mileage Trophy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Northern Section 50th Anniversary . . . . 25

Revitalising an Old Boxer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Euro-Hopping in 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

For problems regarding distribution of The Journal, please contact your Section Secretary. Should there still be a problem then contact the National Membership Secretary whose contact details are on page 6.

The Editor reserves the right to alter/amend any item or image submitted to The Journal. Such amendments will usually only be to make an item more readable or easier to understand. Submission of items/images will

be taken as acceptance of this condition.


From

The Editor’s DeskDouble-booked again

I’ve missed my section’s June meeting every year for longer than I can remember. It’s not that I’m avoiding them: the Northern Section is as fine a bunch as any. It just seems to clash every year with the boat back from France. Whilst they were enjoying their 50th Anniversary meeting and luncheon (a fundamental aspect of their Sunday meetings) Gillian and I were testing a water-cooled GS between Le Mans and Le Havre. BMW didn’t actually build the R1200GS with water-cooling but that morning it was. It took everything the elements threw at it in its stride, never missing a beat and returning 58 miles to each gallon. Also praiseworthy, as I said last month, were my Santiago and Gillian’s Belice suits. The waterproof boots that weren’t have been replaced but haven’t yet been tried out in serious rain, although no doubt that will happen sooner rather than later. Our next trip to France, booked before what passes for summer showed its true mediocrity, will be in September when the weather is likely to be even less clement than now so waterproofing will again be tested severely.

In the course of replacing the boots I found out that several of the premium brands of clothing (including my offending items) have to be returned to the manufacturer for examination before being replaced. Quite how

this leaves the buyer of a clearly faulty item is open to debate: - frustrated is a word I can

use in a family-friendly publication but there are many more emphatic adjectives unsuitable for these pages.

Planning ahead

Gillian and I generally arrange things well in advance. This summer’s holiday property was

rather more remote than we were led to believe, and the one restaurant in the hamlet, which wasn’t quite in walking distance, charged the earth for nothing much. As mentioned above, we’re back in France in a couple of months, this time in a property in a small town. The magic of Google Streets means that we’ve already had a virtual look at a couple of restaurants and the local supermarket and all looks encouraging. The Euro was yesterday reported to be worth only 78.5p, which is the best exchange rate for four years. This bodes well for dining out, which is something we haven’t done much of in recent years. We seem to have ended up renting gites so rural that commerce hasn’t been discovered near them, whereas for us a reasonable restaurant in walking distance of home is essential for a good dinner. We enjoyed several pleasant, if abstinent, lunches out in June, but trying to ride home after a few glasses is a form of attempted suicide neither of us fancy. Having seen the French (and quite a few English) drinking at lunchtime I’m clearly in the minority but keeping Gillian and I


alive is of more consequence than following fashion.

We’ve also booked a property for next year. A desirable location overlooking a stylish marina with a reserved parking space and a short walk to the beach. The resort (we’re going seriously upmarket here) is big enough to have everything we’re likely to need close at hand so as long as the pound maintains its upward trend we should be happy.

A request to all contributors

Could I please ask everyone who sends me photographs to do something to save my addled faculties from embarrassing me. Instead of sending photographs with the filename that the camera decided, would you please rename it to something more descriptive. Where an article includes lots of photographs, as the latter parts of Martin Ellis’s epic currently being serialised does, it saves me lots of time. Martin’s time spent naming the photos saved me no end of work. This would be particularly helpful for contributions to Section News where pictures of people I don’t know at events I wasn’t at leave me scratching my head wondering where to put them.

For those attending Ellesmere

Mark Dutton has asked me to insert the paragraph below, which is also in this month’s Social Scene as it is of considerable importance. Ellesmere College was selected for the Summer National for a variety of reasons, one of which was their experience of hosting events. There is an event finishing as ours starts, hence the restriction on arrival time for those on more than two wheels.

Important Information for those that will be arriving on Friday 24th. Only two wheels will be welcomed on site at 15.00. All other

vehicles will be allowed on site after 16.00. This is due to a rugby match tournament still being played and we have been asked to keep vehicular activity to a minimum because children will be about. Please do not turn up and queue. Thank you in advance for your full assistance and cooperation for complying with these times.

In addition to the above, the morning before I typed this (five weeks before the event) Gillian and I rode from Shrewsbury up to Ellesmere along the A528, a road that’s well worth riding purely for the fun of it, only to have my enjoyment curtailed by enough loose gravel on the road to build an Alpine garden. By the time the event takes place the detritus from resurfacing works will probably have reached the verges but it raises the question of why such an unsafe malpractice is tolerated. If you’re coming that way watch out for it.


National Officers & Section SecretariesNational and other officers

PRESidENT: Dick Boyd, Stewart Place, South Road, Garmouth, Morayshire IV32 7LX 01343 870 389 [email protected]

SECRETARy: Dave Cooper, Greensleeves, Exmouth Road, Exton, Exeter. Devon EX3 0PQ 01392 876 991 [email protected]

TREASURER: Jim Lepley, 7 Landale Gardens, Burntisland, Fife KY3 9HN 01592 874 592 [email protected]

NATiONAL SOCiAL SECRETARy: Mark Dutton, 13 Greenfield Drive, Great Tey, Colchester, Essex CO6 1AA 01206 212 232 or 07703 179 062 [email protected]

NATiONAL MEMBERSHiP SECRETARy: FREEPOST, The BMW Club, Glenthorne, Yeoford Road, Cheriton Bishop, EX6 6JA 0800 085 4045 [email protected]

STANdiNG ORdERS: [email protected]/5 TOOL HiRE SECRETARy: Mike Delacoe,

4 Charwelton Road, Preston Capes, Daventry NN11 3TA 01327 360 945 [email protected]

PRE/5 TOOL HiRE SECRETARy: Peter Dunn, 101Station Road, Thatcham, Berks RG19 4QH 07941 075 165 [email protected]

MERCHANdiSE SECRETARy: Cath Broughton, 17 Strawberry Hill, Northampton NN3 5HL 01604 416 896 [email protected] See Merchandise advertisment for contact times.

ViNtage & CLaSSiC RegiSteR SeCRetaRy: Robin Walker, 37 Heron Drive, Bracken Park, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 1GJ 01427 610 329 [email protected]

SPORTiNG REGiSTER SECRETARy: Robert Bensley, Oak Tree Farm, Heath Road, Banham NR16 2HS 01953 888 415 [email protected]

SAFETy OFFiCER: Colin Bembridge. 02089 538 807 [email protected]

EvENTS LOGiSTiCS: Brian Johnston, 10 Saffron Road, Tickhill, Doncaster DN11 9PW. 01302 743 032 or 07950 319 197 [email protected]

MARKETiNG/COMMERCiAL SALES: Position VacantSidECAR REGiSTER SECRETARy: Position vacant.GS REGiSTER SECRETARy: Position vacant.ASSiSTANT SECRETARy FOR AMERiCA:

Position vacant.100,000 MiLE AWARd: Jason Goodwill 01847 893 935

[email protected]: Nick Fearn

[email protected] OFFiCER: Mike Fishwick Sirgon, 24250

Daglan, France. [email protected] AdMiNiSTRATOR: John King.

[email protected] AddRESS: http://forum.bmw-club.org.ukviCE-PRESidENTS:

Cliff Batley [email protected] 01787 373 919 Graham Walker 21 Whitehouse Ave, Burnhope, Durham DH70AJ 07931710991 [email protected] Peter Dunn [email protected]

Section SecretariesEAST ANGLiA: Secretary Cliff Batley, 46 Newmans

Road, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 1UA 07966 015 607 [email protected] Membership-Dik Langan 0845 003 6880 [email protected]

iRiSH: Jim Sweeney, Fearna, Straleek, Celbridge, Co Kildare. Tel: 087 2300736 [email protected]

LONdON: John Lynch, 166 Chaulden Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 2BT 01442 267694/ 07860 663092 [email protected]

MERCiA: Ruth Jackson, 213 Morley Road, Oakwood, Derby. DE21 4TB. 01332 668 159 [email protected]

MidLANd: John Winn,16 Ardington Road, Northampton, NN1 5LJ. 01604 631 043 [email protected]

NORTH EAST: Philip Oughtred, Ponteland Cottage, Pipe Bridge, Rowland Gill, Tyne & Wear NE39 1PQ 01207 544 851 [email protected]

NORTHERN: Lynn Tagg, 63 Ambrose Court, Moss Lane, Leyland, Preston. PR25.4XA. 01772 431 324 [email protected]

OxFORd: Tim Read, 15 The Limes, South Cerney, Cirencester, Glos GL7 5RF 01285 869 320 [email protected]

SCOTTiSH: Marjorie Burnett, Crawick Lea, Glasgow Road, Sanquahar, Dumfrieshire. DG4 6BZ 01659 50091 [email protected]

SOUTH EAST: Shaun Mulligan 47, High Street Halling, Rochester, Kent. ME2 1BP 01634 241 215 [email protected]

SOUTHERN: Richard Tavener, 34 Nursery Close, Frimley Green, Camberley, Surrey GU16 6JZ 01252 838 384 [email protected]

SOUTH WEST: Debbie Sampson ‘Trevilla’, 18, Ropehaven Road St. Austell Cornwall PL25 4DU. 01726 61642 [email protected]

ULSTER: Charlie McConnell, 6 Cameron Park, Ballymena, Co Antrim BT42 1QJ. 028 2564 7730 [email protected]

WESTERN: Sue Ross 7 Pintail Grove Kidderminster Worcs. DY10 4RT. 01562 820 458 [email protected]

yORKSHiRE: Simon Crossley. C/o 2 Birstwith Grange, Birstwith, Harrogate. North Yorkshire, HG3 3AH. 07742 951 610 [email protected]

HQ REGiSTER: Lisa Parker Tre Agan, 6 Becket Close, Ocean View Estate, Redruth, Cornwall, TR15 2HJ 01209 204623 [email protected]

delegates to other organisationsBMF: Primary contact: Tony Cartmell

Other delegates; Jeff Dymond, John Lewis, Mark Dutton

FBHvC: M McNairdvLA: Steve Perry [email protected]

Please restrict any calls or enquiries to these Club officials to between the hours of 10am and 9pm, and let the Editor know if any of these details need amendment


President’s Platform June the 13th found myself and Jim Lepley who had ridden down from Scotland, meeting Steve Moxey and Noel Robertson at Bracknell, for a three hour talk with BMW’s Tony Jakeman. A number of ideas were talked about and we have another meeting scheduled for September. Hopefully these get togethers with BMW will help us all for the future growth and sales of the club and that surely can do nothing but good for the both of us. June the 18th saw the first of the BMW Club track days (Better Riding Days) held at Snetterton, this year, the second one being again at Snetterton on the 6th August. A large number of the participants 122 plus supporters, gathered at Robert Bensley’s farm, 5 miles from the track the night before the event, for a B-B-Q and get together. Monday morning dawned wet but warm as we trundled off to the track at 06:30 hours and by about 09:00hrs all those participating had signed up and were having their bikes scrutinized and tested for sound level compliance. The paperwork in the club for events like this are very slick, thanks to those backroom members that cover this task, so you don’t have to stand around too much. Anyway it wasn’t long before the three groups, Cautious, Intermediate and Expert were circulating on the track with their instructors, for their first 20 minute sessions. Just before the lunch break came, the sun started to dry the track out and after the break the track was dry and the circulating speeds increased. BMW Motorrad support this event and if you are a participant you get to ride a number of different bikes that BMW bring to the track.

The S100RR was circulating all afternoon with numerous riders and the K1300se with the slick shift gear change (My favourite)

was out all day as well. On 6th August we have a further track day at Snetterton and if you fancy participating why not contact :- [email protected] or 01953888415. Riders can learn a lot on these track days whilst riding in a safe environment and can see just how fast that bike will go. Cornering speed and technique can be improved and

advice can be sought if wanted. So see you on the 6th August, mark this day on your calendar and come along and enjoy the event and camaraderie of the BMW Club. One member mentioned to me that he hadn’t had so much fun since dirt biking as a kid and also that he had the S1000RR up to an indicated 160MPH, in the safest place i.e. on the track.

August will also bring along the National at Ellesmere 24th to the 27th now advertised in the centrefold of The Journal, so get your booking in quick before all of the places are sold. This really looks like an interesting weekend. The forum has managed to have a fairly lively debate on the whys and wherefores of the cost of such a venue. However the members that go to these events are still enjoying them and paying out the large, to me, cost of attending these events. If the attendance figures drop below the break even figure that the club has to pay, I suspect that these events will cease to be. I am afraid that the days of subsidizing events from National Coffers are over and National Events need to break even. Section events on the other hand can well have more spent on them from the


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Looking for a used part for a Boxer or K series ? For spares you can always rely on, take a look at www.bmboxer.com

Section coffers. The Scottish Section (Yes the one I am in) does more weekend events than any other section I believe. We spend all the annual income on events/Socializing and everyone puts into the pot in one way or the other. We haggle with the campsite owners and normally get the Marquee in FOC and the members in for back pack rates. We do however have our doors wide open to club members, from other sections as you all do and hope that you will accept the Scottish Section hospitality. Last weekend we had our longest Day Rally at Ullapool and our local Motorrad Dealer, Calterdon, invited us all along to a free Bar-B-Q.

Well I’ve gone on a bit this month and the club is what you make it, the winter is well over now so get out and enjoy those wheels however old they are.

Take care,Your President,Dick Boyd


TorqueReaction

Please send all submissions for September’s Torque Reaction to

Paul Nadin (details on page 3) before August 5th please.

ABS Anyone?

Gus Williams’ experience (June issue) with ABS failure is not an isolated one. I have previously recounted in this magazine a conversation with a former BMW rider who told me that his FG’s ABS had failed just before a traffic-free roundabout on a dry and oil free road. There was no obvious fault and neither the dealer nor BMW would concede that it was possible for his brakes not to work at all. His confidence had gone but fortunately his franchised dealer, who was in an awkward position, took the bike back and sold him a Honda. The only good thing about the roundabout incident was that he said he’d discovered just how far you can lean a modern bike on scrubbed-in new tyres!

My local bike fixer, who specialises in out of warranty BMWs told me recently that removing the ABS from BMW bikes is a regular source of work.

Motorcycles have few passive safety features but some contributors to this magazine - and some journalists - say that they ‘prefer the response’ of non-ABS or don’t ride fast enough to need it. In my opinion, for any vehicle that can travel faster than walking pace, other than a tank, it is a false economy not to have it when it is available. ABS is now standard on almost all cars and I don’t know of any driver who would even consider having it removed from their car were it to fail - which they mostly don’t.

The ABS didn’t fail on the Japanese bike on which I did several times the typical sunny weekend annual mileage of many riders and it twice saved me from falls.

This should be a wake-up call for BMW.

Their sales are up and second-hand values hold up well but that won’t last if the stories of unreliable electrics, which are there to read every month in this magazine or the £1,500 sting in the tail for duff ABS, continue. Maybe the design is flawed or they are trying to cut costs with a low specification for their pumps as a consequence of their hurry to reach new increased production volumes.

Whatever the reason, they’ll need to sort it ASAP because if the rumour gains momentum that ABS pump replacement is a profitable sideline to add to the fragile S1000RR which, according to this magazine (April issue), needs costly repairs to engine and gearbox after just 35,000 non-track miles, then motorcycle buyers will punish them in the salerooms.

It is fortunate for motorcycle manufacturers that Jeremy Clarkson, unlike his Top Gear colleagues, isn’t a rider.

Ian Gaynor. Nottingham.

An Interesting Offer?

BMW have been out testing and there’s some interesting variables on their way apparently, to tempt you to ‘open’ your pocket! Not likely to do much in Yorkshire then!

There’s a new naked S1000RR under development, all new water cooled R1250GS, a retro boxer twin and an electric scooter!

The GS model accounts for 33% of all BMW bike sales worldwide, but before ‘we’ get it it will be around 2 years before full development is concluded. So keep your eyes of the M/C press and who knows I might be tempted to get my hand down! Now where’s that ‘itch’?

It has been reported that BMW are offering


goodies to the value of £1,765, if you buy a new R1200GS this year. So what’s the deal? Akraprovic end can, Vario panniers, large tank bag and a tinted screen. All very nice. No such deal when I was shopping so grab this deal before it’s too late.

Andy Stork. Bradford.

The Rights and Wrongs

While a lot of what is written by folk in letters to ‘Torque Reaction’ can be either agreed with or disagreed with there are times when some just get it plain wrong. Two letters in the July issue of The Journal from “T’Upsidedown Tyke” (who-ever that is) come into the ‘just plain wrong’ category.

In the first it is stated that ‘headlights of course are now mandatory for us’. No They Are Not.

There is no law, either British or European, that mandates day time headlights for bikes. A number of EU countries have this on the statute books and as the manufacturers treat Europe as a single unit we get hard wired headlights whether we want them or not. If I could switch off the lights on my F800GS I would.

This letter goes on to say that ‘HID bulbs

help but...I’m not sure of their ‘legality’ status. If they weren’t legal then BMW, among others, would not be fitting them as standard to bikes like the K1600 or offering them as an option on other models.

The suggestion that main beam be used is against all reason from a safety point of view. By sticking a great big light on the front of a moving vehicle on a bright day it makes the vehicle less obvious, by breaking up the silhouette of the vehicle, and much harder to judge speed and distance. Research by, among others, the Canadian air force, has lead them to paint all their training aircraft matt black because it makes them easier to see. At a distance over 50 metres the brain is looking for shapes, not colours. The best and clearest colour for shape recognition is – Black. Within 50 metres colour does start to make a difference, but when you know that at 60 mph you are doing 88 feet per second 50 metres doesn’t take very long.

In the second letter “Some Info on the S1000RR” one heading says: Kerb weights – presumably dry. Um, No. That is a Kerb Weight. With BMW this is measured with about ¾ of a tank of petrol and means that you can get on, turn the key, and ride away. That’s why it’s a kerb weight and not a dry weight,


which frequently means no fuel, oil, brake fluid or battery.

If T’Upsidedown Tyke would like to make himself known to me at the Ellesmere Rally I will be with the Fellowship of Christian Motorcyclists helping to run the Sunday service and will be happy to discuss this (or anything else) with him.

Stephen Thomson, East Anglia Section. (A.k.a. SuperTed)

PS. I like the idea that as you get older and think that your bike, in my case an R1150GS, is too big’n’heavy that lots of problems go away by fitting a sidecar to it. Sounds like a great idea.

One question though: how does it help with my daily commute into central London?

More on Morrisons

I read Chris Carr’s letter about refusing to be served petrol in the July issue with interest. Last year whilst popping into Morrison’s in Blandford to pick up a couple of bits I was accosted by a member of staff and asked to remove my open ‘flip front’ helmet. I subsequently had a word with the duty manager and pointed out that I specifically wore a flip front so that people could see my

face and not feel intimidated. I was told that this was company policy.

During the conversation I also ascertained that had I walked in wearing a hat and sun glasses then I wouldn’t have been stopped.

That being the case I can only assume that security isn’t the issue and as such I minimise the amount I spend in a shop that discriminates against me, preferring to use other shops that value my custom.

Pete Constant. Dorset.

Bike Parking

Re the recent Journal article re non-motorcycle parking in public car parks, I have enquired here in Gloucester, and apparently the ‘problem’ relates to displaying the paid for ticket.

However, they have a system here where you ring up, register your registration number and pay the fee over the phone. What was not clarified was can we park 4 bikes in 1 car space!

Whether this applies to all local council car parks I do not know so would suggest a little note in The Journal advising those wishing to ‘bike’ park to check it out with their local councils.

Andy Stork. Bradford.


ABS Problems

I read with interest the letter in the March edition of The Journal from Steve Wates regarding ABS problems on an 1150 GS as I am encountering the same problems myself.

When starting up I turn on the ignition key, enable the alarm and press the starter button. Sometimes I get it right and when the engine starts the two ABS lights flash on and off together, but mostly they flash alternately and I have to switch off and try again.

I usually have to repeat this about three or four times before I get the correct sequence. Imagine what this will be doing to my starter motor.

My question is, will my problem be the same as Steve’s and, if so, can it be cured by re-setting the fault code? If this is the case where would be the nearest place to Stranraer that I could get it done?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Apart from this problem, what else can I say about my GS? It is just sublime.

Alan Shaw. Stranraer.

Battery Problems Sorted.There’s a letter headed Bikes and Batteries in July’s Journal, usual story about a healthy battery that won’t turn over the bike so they buy a new one and it only lasts three years at most.

The problem is not the battery, it’s the starter motor. It needs stripping, cleaning out with contact cleaner (you wouldn’t believe how much crap comes out of them) then putting back together and bolting back on the bike. Clean the electric connectors to the solenoid and the battery lead and don’t forget the earth lead at both ends, as even if they look clean they won’t be so clean them anyway.

Never done this before? No problem. Go to the UKgser site .....850/1100/1150 and there is

a thread to take you through it all. From start to finish takes about an hour, then enjoy the same battery for another couple years at least.

If you can put this in August’s Journal it may stop a few from buying batteries that they really don’t need.

Ady Strowger. Cambridgeshire.

Flexi Sidecars Anyone

Has anyone tried out (or have) one of the mono wheeled ‘flexit’ sidecar thingy? Apparently they’re not currently in production, so I’m just asking if anyone knows of the whereabouts of a second hand one? It attaches in the usual way but has the ability to lean with the bike!

I was passed by one of these recently but ‘lost it’ so unable to find anything out so any info will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Andy Stork. Bradford.PS. Similarly, has any one tried out the

‘Heeler’ sidecar?

Puncturesafe – An Expensive Mistake.Unfortunately I too have suffered from an expensive TPM failure in my 1200 GS which BMW said was caused by using tyre sealant. Although I have used Puncturesafe for many years in non-TPM tyres I shall not be using it again on the GS.

Two failed TPM sensors and labour to replace them totalled over £235.00 to get the bike back to specification.

I asked BMW to cover the replacements under warranty but they said that the fault was caused by using the sealant. I asked Puncturesafe to help out with the cost and to add a note to their website advising TPM BMW owners about the potential problems. They said it was not their responsibility.

That left me stuck in the middle and with Puncturesafe saying that if I took legal action to reclaim my expenses they would apply to


transfer the case to Exeter (900 miles return from the Yorkshire coast requiring probably two hotel nights) any compensation award would be negated.

I know that there are two schools of thought out there about using puncture prevention solutions but one thing is clear. If your TPM fails when using them you will be left out on a costly limb with neither BMW nor the supplier (Puncturesafe in this case) willing to take responsibility.

Harry Gleghorn. North Yorks

Fuelling Problems

There was a lot of talk on the subject of being refused fuel service some time ago ( Journal and the MAG Magazine) so let’s open the can of worms again.

I have been refused twice that I can remember, once locally (Esso in Milford, Surrey) on the (spurious?) grounds that there was not a camera to cover the rear of my motorcycle number plate. This was apparently my fault despite the fact that the filling station had just had a huge and no doubt expensive refit, a rear seeing camera could have been fitted at little extra cost.

More recently more of the same up on the A686 on the third day after the AGM. The cashier refused to turn on the pump in a Texaco garage up in the hills near Guilderdale/Hartside despite there being quite a few people about and I had lifted the helmet front. I put the nozzle back in and went down to Penrith where I was served most courteously - I was obeying instructions at the AGM and going home south via Shap Fell.

I can understand the staff being nervous but I think there is a lack of logic/joined up thinking in all of this. If the staff are fearful of a raid on the till, take our money via the night window, no offence taken and we do not have to half disrobe just to fill the tank.

If they are fearful of a “drive off”, the odd

tankfull motorcycle size would be small beer compared with alleged filling of large drums with fuel coupled with a “supermarket sweep” and driving off without paying that I am told the filling stations suffer from time to time.

If it is a young scally raid the staff would not have time to blink before it was all over, not the rheumaticy half falling of the ‘bike unless they were good actors.

From “our” point of view one needs at least three hands to cope with gloves / wallet / helmet etc. It is not unknown for gear to be stolen / damaged by falling if left on the ‘bike. You may have just settled down and helmet / earplugs are comfortable, you do not want to have to do it all again especially if the whole lot is wet.

The whole thing does seem a bit discriminatory as against car drivers in hoodies or other head coverings?

Typing is painfully slow for me so I have not yet written to Texaco. I will, now that the issue has arisen again.

Dave Wright. Southern Section.

Servicing Co-operatives Anyone?

Would it be an idea for some club members to get together and pay for a BM bike mechanic worth his salt to service their bikes?

With a group of (let’s say) 10 club members (or even more) the cost would be split between them and so not that expensive for each individual. Also using one of the ten or so members bikes that required servicing at that time, a draw as an incentive to do it could be taken so that the lucky winner got a free service?

This could be arranged so that all service intervals are explained and demonstrated so that the guys could then (if they felt capable) service their own bike. This could save money in the long run and also spread the knowledge of HOW, not “ouch that cost”!!!! and each


‘Biker Down’ Course in KentA month or so, along with members of my local club, I attended the “Biker Down” course run by Jim Sanderson and Kent Fire Brigade.

The course is free and covers what to do if you are first on the scene at a bike accident. The first aid techniques are aimed at common motorcycle related injuries and include safe helmet removal.

I found it extremely useful and came away more confident that I could help save

a life. Another of the modules is on survival skills.

Currently the scheme is funded by the council tax payers of Kent for residents but according to Jim other Brigades have been attending to see the course and take it back to their own areas. There is funding until March 2013 and if you want to go, send an email to [email protected]

Paul Devall. Mileage Competition Co-

ordinator. Hythe. Kent.

The Star Letter is sponsored by Nippy Norman, whose Throttle Rocker as pictured here is awarded for the Editor’s choice of letter. See www.nippynormans.com for their full product range.

Star LetterAs chosen by The Editor

section leader could set this up amongst his many followers.

Steve Lines. Hampsthwaite. North Yorkshire.

The Editor’s Mudguard ExtenderI much appreciated Editor Stewart’s article on his experience with the MachineArtMoto Mudguard Extender.

The photos were good and the writing was very clear and helpful, without falling into the technical-article trap of over-complexity. But rattling around my head as I read it was a very basic question: why should such a mudguard accessory be necessary, as it undoubtedly is these days?

The photos on page 62 in Section and Register News intensified my annoyance with today’s cost-economising manufacturers. The pretty front ‘mudguards’ on today’s BM’s –


and many other motorcycles – are no longer worthy of that name. They should simply be referred to as ‘wheel decorators’, yes?

Stan Walinets. North East Section.

Re: Industry-Leading Customer ExperienceI read the article ‘Wheeling and Dealing - BMW Style’ in the March edition of The Journal (p35-39).

The sentiments of the article seem to me that BMW have decided what is good for us mere customers by reducing the dealership numbers and making a significant number of us have to travel some quite considerable distance to a dealership. As a result many of us use an ‘independent’ for servicing and repairs. The article has a statement on p36 made by Conrad Parker, National After-Sales Manager which says that the first corporate goal is to “to provide an Industry-leading customer experience”.

This was not my experience recently when attempting to replace a rear shock absorber for my 2005 R1200 RT (non ESA). I asked an independent technician to replace the unit using a genuine new BMW part which he had to order from a dealership.

His first problem was that the part number had been changed but BMW had failed to inform the dealerships. The request for the new part number was sent by e-mail on the 18th May but took 5 days (3 working days plus a weekend) for BMW to supply the new part number, thus delaying the placement of the order. The order was placed with BMW by the dealership on the 23rd May. I was informed on at least 3 separate occasions that the part had been dispatched but it failed to arrive. It eventually arrived on Saturday 23rd June but only after the dealership had ordered the part 3 times! The reasons given by BMW were bank holidays in Germany and then UK and that BMW Bracknell are relocating. So what!? It

still shouldn’t take over 5 weeks to get the part delivered to the dealership. Just to rub salt into the wound I now learn that at the third time of ordering, on Friday 22nd June, it arrived with the dealership on Saturday 23rd!!!

I first ‘ordered’ the part on 18th May but due to the incompetence of BMW (not the dealership or the’ independent’, please note, both of whom did their very best to speed things up) I waited over 5 weeks to get the part. Some “....leading customer experience!” I think not!!

I have been riding bikes for over 50 years with the last 22yrs on BMWs and feel very let down by this extremely poor service.

Arthur Jones. Northern Section.

GS ABS Problems and Gearbox Leaks.This is my first time to write or make any contribution to The Journal although I have been a member for longer than I care to remember.

In your June ‘12 article in the journal you suggested / encouraged members who service their own motorcycles to share their secrets, so it is in this regard I am writing to you today.

This is my story.I purchased my GS1200 (2006 model) a

little over two years age and I have to say that I was very near to selling it on a couple of occasions, largely due to the ABS light coming on on the dash and having practically no brakes. It is a shocking experience and I will never understand how Corporate BMW can get away with these flaws in their bikes and the level of adverse criticism on the Forum and elsewhere.

I have read the article submitted by Gus Williams (Reliability?) in which he states that he had the ABS removed from his R1150RT. I would suggest to Gus and others who have removed their ABS units that they inform their insurance of this change. I believe that in


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the event of an accident you would be held to blame for interfering with the integrity on the bike and BMW engineers would have to agree with them. I am no expert but I would check it out and advise all others who have made this change.

On my 2006 GS, this is not possible as there is a servo on it and the servo stops working when the red light comes on. It is extremely dangerous and had I known about this particular problem at the time of purchase, I would never have bought the bike.

Anyhow it turns out that my problem was a simple one. I brought it to my BMW dealer and for a charge of 50 Euros he had the problem fixed in the space of 10 to 15 minutes. As it turned out the problem was in the hand brake switch. It has to be set up using a computer to set and make the minute setting. Have you ever heard anything so stupid in your life? If the servo comes on before the tail light, the red light will show on the dash. This is not something you can put right in the quietness of your own garage, oh no; this is a case of the bike owning the man rather than the other way round; it has to be set on a computer.

While the bike ABS was being put right my friendly dealer put it up on the hoist and examined underneath for leaks etc. ‘Did you know that you have an oil leak at the gearbox’ sez he. I could feel a touch of depression setting in and began to look for ways to kick my own ass for buying this junk!!

How much will it cost me to put it right I asked? ‘It takes a trained mechanic four to four and a half hours to do the job, around 500 euro plus the parts, will we go ahead now that we have it on the jack ? ‘. I didn’t have to think for too long and decided to leave it for now and I would keep an eye on it. Yes it was leaking considerably over 1000 miles. You would notice it most when you look under the bike. However it would not leave oil marks on the ground, it was more of a weep rather than a leak.

Back home and wondering what next step to take, where else but the Internet. Here I read about AT-205 re-seal and the wonders of it. Apparently it has the affect of softening the seal and allowing the coil spring in the seal to tighten and thereby form a new seal. The cost of this 9oz bottle was $9.99 plus shipment, from America this could be considerable, so I decided to go to my local Car Parts dealer who didn’t have AT-205 but had a similar product called Transmission Stop Leak.

This product is made by Bardahl Mfg. Corp. in Seattle and cost me 10 euros for a 16fl. oz. bottle (473 ml). I read and re-read the instructions and changed the gearbox oil and added the bottle of Re-Seal oil. It is roughly 1000 ml.in all, so half and half. It states on the bottle that it will reseal the leak over 400 miles and guess what, it has done!!

I leaned my bike right over onto the crash bars and washed the bottom of the engine with petrol and a small paint brush when I changed the oil and it has not leaked a drop. So I would like to share this secret with fellow bikers and save you hundreds of pounds/euros on costly maintenance.

Terry Carolan. Irish Section.

A long Shot?

In the late 70’s my father in law bought a BMW twin for his run to work. I guess it would have been an R 600, black and white with a long range touring tank.

How long he kept it I cannot remember, but it developed a starting/ignition fault and he sold it on and bought a low mileage T120 Bonneville which I now own and will eventually rebuild.

My father in law’s name was Ronald Maddocks and he lived at Vulcan Village near Warrington, Lancs. As I say, this is a long shot, but if anyone out there knows anything about this bike, perhaps they will get in touch?

Also, and in reply to Chris Carr at Newark


(July Journal), I had a similar response when fuelling my bike at Sainsbury’s in Leigh, Lancs, my home town. The lady attendant did activate the pump, but asked me to remove my helmet when I went to pay. Underneath my helmet I wear a balaclava, so this would not have revealed my face.

My debit card, with all my details, was presented, and my bike registration was clearly visible for anyone to check, so I do not follow this logic. To me, this smacks of discrimination, and indeed, one could argue the point that if a person appeared at the payment desk wearing a religious garment covering the face, would they also be asked to show their face?

Paul W Cull. Northern Section.

Gear Changing Problems

I have just returned from a very enjoyable World of BMW trip to Norway on my

R1200RT. My post contained the July edition of The Journal and a review of a book about the GS that mentions ‘slow and clunky gear change’ - apparently a failure of the rider’s technique.

Clearly (to me anyway) I have that same failure on the RT (current model) and have had on all the previous RT’s I have owned, although not on the Pan European (STX1300), Varadero, VFR nor on the K1300GT.

Perhaps the author would be so kind as to expound upon the proper, obviously unique and possibly secret procedure for effecting clean and clunk-free gear changes. Up until now I have simply pulled in the clutch lever and moved the gear-shift - same as for all the other bikes I’ve ridden and, for that matter, all of the ‘manual’ cars. No-one has mentioned any other method.

Neville Dalton. Oxford Section.


The National Committee Meeting

David Cooper summarises the meeting of 16th June 2012

President’s opening comments: The Wednesday before the NCM Steve

Moxey, Neal Robertson, Jim Lepley and myself met with Tony Jakeman, the UK Sales Manager for BMW at Bracknell. We had three hours meaningfull dialogue with Tony to put our collective heads together over joint efforts on many projects. BMW will help us on designing posters and Journal information. They will also converse with the Editor on technical matters giving the definitive answer to some of the problems and fixes that BMW come up with, new product info. updates. Their design shop people will help us with corporate image as they will then accept posters in their establishment for BMW Club events and they were prepared to help our design team, website included.

Tony Jakeman also reiterated that the offer for financial help with the cost of going to MOTORCYCLELIVE is still on the table for the club. We need to go there and promote couples on bikes and touring as this is one slot that has been identified that we fill. They will continue to support Track Days and were very interested in the Safety Jackets that Steve Moxey presented.They couldn’t lend us a new S1000RR for the NEC so we can either get a used one or promote couples and show a 1200RT We have provisionally booked sometime in September for another meeting at Bracknell. Let’s hope that this closer relationship with BMW continues to grow.

Administration and financialPresident reported that the National

Officers had refused membership in relation

to one applicant since the last meeting on the grounds of behaviour using the Club’s Forum facility. This was supported unanimously. Cash reserves are approx. £25,000 down on last year, but this includes the £32,000 cost of the 60th celebration rally. The financial position is stable and reserves comfortably in excess of the level demanded by the Club financial policy. Some concern at the low level of bookings for the 2012 National Rally as 400 bookings are required for break-even

Management structure of the ClubSecretary introduced the matter in relation

to fitness for purpose and cost effectiveness. The possibility both of no section representation and of regional representation on the NC was considered, but it was generally felt necessary for all sections to be represented on the NC to ensure democracy. A motion to reduce the number of meetings from 3 to 2 per annum was defeated. It was felt that it would be worthwhile to attempt conference calls between the complete NC and this will be tried in due course. It was noted that cost of NCMs had risen significantly and these will be analysed in advance of the next NCM, at which ways of cutting costs will be examined.

MarketingA meeting has been held with BMW UK

to explore the possibility of closer liaison and assistance with the promotion of the Club. It was decided to run a stand again at the NEC show if favourable rates could be obtained for stand space.


Policy mattersAn amendment to the Club’s Privacy

Policy was approved and suitable wording will be incorporated into membership application forms, the forum and website.

Social mattersThe various charges for the National Rally

were explained and it was hoped that bookings would pick up in the weeks to come. There was

The NEC Motorcycle ShowThe BMW Club used to go to the above show to bring our club to the motorcycling public’s attention. Time and again at shows I have heard the remark “Oh! I didn’t know that BMW made motorcycles” We also went to the show to increase our membership, one year obtaining 300 new members and then the last show we attended just 90 new members, for a consolidated effort over 10 days.

Members that volunteer to man the club stand are given free entry and car parking for the day, while volunteers that stay for two days can have free B&B and a free evening meal. All volunteers get a free T shirt so that they look the part. So as you can see the expenditure for the club adds up over ten days.

Recently we had a meeting with BMW and Tony Jakeman told me that the offer BMW gave us last year is still on the table, the offer being that they would help with the costs for the show and provide us with a bike for the stand. This got me thinking and looking at the MOTORCYCLE LIVE website and costs.

MCI Exhibitions Ltd, who are running the show are offering a free 3x3 metre stand if a club purchases 100 £16 tickets ( £1600 ) and a free 6x3 metre club stand if the club purchases 200 £16 tickets (£3200) I would prefer the larger as we can display a BMW motorcycle provided on loan from BMW.

If we get the members support by selling the tickets to them for £14, we then get the Club Stand for an outlay of £400.

So here is my proposal, send me (Dick Boyd) a cheque made out to The BMW Club for £14 and the club will send you a one day entrance ticket to MOTORCYCLELIVE.

We need 200 people, 5% of the membership to participate in this scheme for it to work for the club. It will be on a first come first served basis and if we don’t achieve the 200 participants we will not go with the scheme and the cheques will be returned.

My address is on page 6 of The Journal and I do hope that you will support this scheme as otherwise it won’t get off the ground. The club in my opinion needs this exposure, the publicity will help to make us ever stronger. Finally purchasing the ticket from the club will cost you no more than buying the ticket elsewhere on line and it will be a direct help to the club.

Thanks for reading the above and I hope that you will support this scheme. We need your support with cheques NOW as I cannot put the club in a position where we commit to a £3200 expenditure and then get no money in. The idea is sound and I hope that you agree, see you at the NEC fingers crossed.

Dick Boyd

a suggestion of a simple and inexpensive rally provision for the future.

Website and ForumThe Webmaster and the East Anglia

representative will assist section webmasters to comply with the law in relation to ‘cookies’ on the various Club websites. It was decided to introduce a charge of £5 for ‘forum only’ membership.

Next meeting: October 20th 2012.


And so we are, four months along the line and a few high mileage riders are beginning to rise to the top of the table. For my own part in the story, I have been commuting a little despite news recently that June was the wettest month on record in the UK. It was certainly raining on a long weekend that my brother and I did to Le Mans for the MotoGP. Plus I did the AMRR at the end of June to top up another 300 miles.Here are a few of the stories that go with the miles.

Nina Plumbe: Have clocked up a few miles since the drama of having the bike stolen from outside Premier Inn near Heathrow on the eve of my departure to a trip round Morocco. The whole thing cost me a huge amount of time and effort filling in three claim forms for insurance. The police were completely and absolutely useless finally sending me a letter three and a half weeks later to ask if I had anything to add! I got paid out in full on the bike insurance and contents of panniers were covered by another insurance that also paid out well.

Still waiting for my claim for delayed departure on travel insurance. In theory they say they will only pay on accident or breakdown but not stolen. It is not excluded either so they are “reconsidering”. I took the holiday by flying out to Marrakech, hiring a 650 BMW and riding 500miles north to join the group who were just entering from Spain. 12 hours on the internet organized that. Had a good 7 days and then had to come back pillion in the

BMW Club Mileage Trophy 2012

Paul Devall continues the story

snow in Spain in April! Took a while buying vital bits for new second hand replacement but now back on the road.

Been to France and the Pyrenees and now exploring the UK for once. I replaced the bike with the same as no time to think of an alternative. It’s another F650GS. It is relatively easy to find a bike but it is the extras that take time. I had a Zumo with no electric lead (stolen), I had a tank bag with no straps (on stolen bike), I had one pannier with no pannier frame etc. With three weeks to go before the French trip it was a bit hectic.

Erica Body: I have been away on the Southern section’s ‘Italian Job’ trip to Lake Garda, which was fantastic. Rosanna did a great job organising the hotels, etc. We stayed in Charleville Mezieres, Bussang and Davos on the way down, and Livigno (where it snowed - photo below!), Schluchsee (Black Forest) and Etoges (Champagne region), on the way back.

I then left my fellow travellers to make their


way back to the UK and work, and continued to visit friends and family in Germany (having been made redundant the day after I left for Italy). I returned to the UK on 20th June in time to re-pack and leave for a long weekend in Le Touquet with about 50 other bikes, in aid of the Aspire Charity. All of this was done on the F800ST, as my F650GS was still poorly after the accident and therefore off the road, hence the low mileage.

Stephen Willkinson-Carr: How does anyone ride 3799 miles in a single month? I’ve ridden more miles this month, June 2012, than ever before. Quite respectable for a non commuter. Even I wondered how I’d managed it...

I had a day off at the start of June so took a quick jaunt from Bristol to the Food Stop cafe at Quatford for a cuppa (197 miles). After all, the roads between Ledbury and Tenbury Wells just HAVE to be ridden regularly. Followed that with a recce of a group ride I’m leading in July (187 miles - http://tinyurl.com/6taz7rt). I’m currently a RoSPA Approved Tutor and have three associates, all of whom had training sessions in June (290 miles). Sometimes I go for a quick ride to Cheddar Gorge, nice twisties, for an ice cream but in June only managed it once (61 miles).

Took my bike in for a service at BMW Gloucester and they lent me a K1300S for the day (fools). It’s such a superb bike that I just HAD to go for a decent ride and, all of a sudden, found myself back in Quatford for another cuppa (203 miles). What I didn’t know was that BMW limits the miles you’re supposed to do in one day on a loan bike – oooops! All these short rides were topped up by a 3-day contract near Salisbury (360 miles).

The majority of my June mileage was done in Austria when I went for a 12 day tour with SWMBO on the back. We rode from Bristol to Düsseldorf; put the bike on the Motorail to Innsbruck (Seat61.com) and next morning started a riding holiday around the Austrian

Alps (Tyrol, south Tyrol and Voralberg regions). We rode about 212 miles per day, with two days off for shopping, taking in such glorious roads as the Nockalmstrasse, Grossglocknerstrasse, Jaufenpass, Gerlosstrasse and Timmelsjoch fabulous route). Final total for the holiday = 2501 miles. I’ll be publishing a trip report soon. Grand total for the month = 3799 glorious, fun-filled and enjoyable miles. Here’s hoping July’s as good.

So there we have a few tales of the mileages being done. Lastly, I’d like to see everyone send in a mileage before the end so that the table will have everyone on it.

Name Section Mileage1 Stephen Wilkinson-Carr 95412 Erica Body Southern 92453 Andy Whiting Midland 76264 John Albone London 75125 Nina Plumbe 74106 Jason Goodwill Scottish 64277 Mike Davies East Anglia 52648 Michael Griffiths 49149 Andrew Dyson Yorkshire 468110 Julie Wallis 446011 Soji Ojelade 439212 Andrew Cox London 428513 Clint Smith Scottish 423214 Paul Devall South East 414815 Brian Fearnley 408616 Bill Smithson Northern 348417 Chris Wallis 332218 Graeme Ferguson Ulster 306119 Shane Noble Ulster 279620 Steve Smith 247021 Nick Fearn Midland 202722 John Kidman East Anglia 202323 John Newitt Mercia 166824 Mark Taylor 139925 Eon Matthews 1292


Well, I’m not sure just where to begin this article but here goes. I guess it really started when I put myself up for election as our section Social Secretary back in October 2011. My first month or two was taken up with sorting out the diary for 2012 and, as I was doing that, I realised we didn’t have an organised event planned to mark our 50th Anniversary so I asked my fellow committee members for any ideas. After a bit of brainstorming (polite for banging heads together ) we agreed to make it a full afternoon event to take place at Chipping in June mostly with the idea of ‘if we build it, they will come’ attitude .

So now at least we had a plan (I’m a man who likes a plan). Question now was how were we going to make it a special event?? Well,

after some more head banging, Graham Fell came up with the idea of asking Southport Superbikes if they would like to have a presence at our event, to which he got a positive response. Ok, we now had something to draw our members to come and look and ride some shiney new toys. All the time I’m thinking ‘if we build it they will come.’ We now had a date and got a bike dealer involved, our thoughts then turned to laying on some kind of meal. Should it be a hot or cold buffet and for how many? With the help of our secretary, Lynn Tagg, we decided to arrange free food for up to eighty covers, split half and half between hot and cold food. Thanks go out to Kate Bailey, the caretaker of Chipping Village Hall, and Tim of Country Kitchens for providing and

The Northern Section 50th Anniversary Event

Peter McCombie breaths a sigh of relief

Leading the Southport Superbikes test fleet


serving the food. I then decided with the aid of our treasurer,

Alan Davies, that we should have a raffle on the day with the takings going to charity, in this case the North West and Caernarfon Air Ambulances. I strongly felt we should make the first prize worth winning and, after some research among our members, it was decided to put up a first prize of £75 cash. Southport Superbikes kindly donated a second prize of a £50 voucher and then 3rd prize was £25 cash, followed by numerous lesser value prizes that we had managed to get from various other sources and a couple of others donated by Southport Superbikes which we greatly appreciated.

So that was it. I got our esteemed editor to put a couple of ads in the journal and crossed everything. Lol.

It was then decided that we’d order some commemorative mugs to be sold to mark the occasion and also give members the opportunity to order 50th Anniversary T.shirts or sweatshirts.

Soon the fateful day came upon us and

I must admit I was feeling a bit anxious, as were the rest of the committee. To be honest I was worried it would all go pear-shaped so to speak, ‘if you build it they might not come ….....’.

The day dawned with dark grey clouds in the sky, not a great omen, but I headed off nice and early to get to Chipping with time to spare.

Got there about 11am to find Lynn Tagg and Rhys Jones had beaten me to it. Thanks to Rhys for travelling up from Wales. They were getting stuck in to organising things. Not long after my arrival the chaps from Southport Superbikes arrived with four or five bikes available for test rides. I’m glad to say there was much interest in the bikes and they were soon booked up for the afternoon with runs going out every 45 minutes or so. Even before lunch was announced there had been the first of several test rides on a range of BMW models. All the feedback I got from the members was very positive. Not long after their arrival the weather started to change for the better. The sun was sneaking out and

Refreshment: fundamental to the Section


people were walking about in t.shirts. Slowly but surely more and more bikes appeared. I was starting to believe ‘if you build it they will come’. By the time one o’clock came we had over 50 bikes in the car park and the kitchen then opened to serve the food. The food was wonderful and, as more and more bikes arrived - in excess of a hundred at peak – there must have been nearly 200 visitors. I’m sure I even noticed several of our friends from the Yorkshire section who came along to swell our numbers.

I was wondering would there be enough food to go around. I needn’t have worried, you guys had found the cake we were trying to save for after the raffle, (dratt )! We owe a big thank you to the catering staff at Chipping for looking after us so well.

Soon afterwards the raffle was called. But, first of all, Lynn Tagg made a presentation to Rhys Jones in recognition of his work over the last few years as the section’s social secretary. The raffle tickets were selling like hot cakes, e v e r y o n e chasing the cash prizes I guess but in vain! It so happened that the first number pulled out of the bag for the £75

Motorcycles: lots of them.

And more: a magnificent turnout


cash prize belonged to our treasurer, Alan Davies. I’m still trying to figure out how he managed to wangle that....... So, many prizes later, most people moved outside to take advantage of the beautiful weather and wander round the car park admiring the many bikes and having a good old chinwag about all sorts of things.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of you guys that turned up (‘if you build it they will come’) to make this event a great success. I don’t think it could have gone much better than it did, so much so that we are considering making it an annual event!!! ‘Lang may yer lum reek’ as they say up north over the border. Here’s to many more successful events.

Peter McCombie the Biking Viking

Rhys receiving his long-service award from Lynn


Drum brakes problems and adjustmentOwners of modern motorcycles equipped with massive front disc brakes may find it hard to believe that thirty years ago BMW’s comparatively puny twin leading shoe drum brake was regarded as being one of the very best front brakes available. Most large motorcycles of the day were still equipped with single leading shoe brakes, which although they provided plenty of stopping power, were not in the same league as the BMW unit found on the /5 Series. This brake had in fact been originally fitted on the Earles-fork models of the mid ‘fifties, and was one of the few such units available on a standard production motorcycle.

Although some Italian manufacturers provided twin (and for specialised applications even four) leading shoes, these brakes had a reputation of being fierce to use at low speeds. The BMW brake, however, featured sensitive and progressive operation, producing gentle retardation at low speeds and powerful braking at higher speeds.

As time has gone by these brakes have acquired an undeserved reputation for providing either poor or fierce operation, this being accepted as ‘character’ or an unfortunate failing of older machinery. This reputation is, as usual, undeserved, and is generally the product of being in poor condition and badly adjusted.

The main areas of concern in terms of condition are easy enough to ascertain, such as worn linings, defective cables, and oval (or

even cracked) brake drum liners. After thirty years it would be unusual to find a drum which has not been distorted by spoke tension, but it is surprising how many owners simply assume that their drums are running true, and do not manufacture (or obtain) a suitable tool to check them.

Sometimes a cure is claimed to have been found by adding (or removing!) a chamfer from the ‘leading’ end of the lining, but such remedies never provide the real answer.

This is usually to be found in the adjustment procedure, for the instructions offered in most books are simply repeats of those contained in the genuine BMW manuals. As the BMW manuals provide a very poor translation from the original German, it is little wonder that the subsequent copying by Haynes and Clymer fail to provide an authoritative adjustment procedure; it is obvious that the authors never

Five Alive! Revitalising an Old Boxer

Mike Fishwick shares his experience


attempted to apply their own instructions, or failed to understand why they did not work!

The answer, as always, is to examine the mechanism, understand how it operates, and so devise a suitable adjustment method. This is not difficult, once it is realised that the BMW brake has a fundamental difference in its operation from most other twin leading shoe units. In almost every other case the brake cable is connected to only one of the arms of the cam spindles, which in turn is rigidly coupled to the other by an adjustable linkage, set to ensure simultaneous operation of both shoes.

The BMW brake, however, uses the cable inner to pull on the front cam spindle lever, while the cable outer pushes against the rear arm. This basic difference provides the progressive operating characteristic of the BMW brake, for the cable must first take up any ‘slack’ before pulling on its inner. This ‘slack’ takes the form of movement between the rear brake shoe and the drum, so applying that shoe. Further movement of the handlebar lever will then draw the cable inner against the front spindle arm, so applying the other shoe. When both shoes are firmly pressed against the drum, pressure on the handlebar lever increases the braking effort of both shoes. The BMW brake therefore provides the rider with light, sensitive operation of one shoe for light braking, followed by the application of the second shoe when more powerful braking is required.

Simple, isn’t it? The adjustment procedure is equally simple, and begins by slacking off the cable adjusters at both the handlebar and front brake arm. This is followed by removal of the cable from both brake arms. Ideally, disconnect the cable from the handlebar. The cable operates on each arm via a slotted trunnion block, so permitting easy removal over the cable inner. Check that the brake arms and trunnion blocks are not badly worn – they are still readily available through your

dealer, from BMW Mobile Tradition. Also check that the arms are correctly aligned to their shafts, this being indicated by a line on the arm, which should align with a dot on the end of the spindle.

The front shoe is adjusted by slacking off the locknut of the adjuster on the brake plate, and turning (with a 3 mm hexagon key) in the anti-clockwise direction until resistance is felt. Turn further, until front brake arm rotates to its limit. The front shoe is now pressed firmly against the drum. Now carefully turn clockwise until the arm has moved back 4 mm, using a ruler to check the available movement, and secure the locknut. The use of a long hexagon key, which can be easily turned – and held in position – is most important, and a key which fits a socket set is recommended.

Now fit the cable into both brake arms and the handlebar lever, and set the handlebar adjuster to remove any free play in the cable outer. Turn the cable inner’s adjuster (on the front brake arm) until total movement of rear brake arm is 4 mm when the handlebar lever is fully operated.

Set the cable adjuster on the handlebar to give a suitable lever travel.

As you will see – unlike most twin leading shoe brakes – the brake arms do not move in unison – the rear arm will rotate first, followed by the front arm. This prevents both shoes from operating simultaneously, so providing the progressive braking effect. As most braking will be provided by the rear shoe (i.e. under light braking effort) it will require to be adjusted (and replaced) more frequently than the front shoe.

The BMW twin leading shoe front brake – if in good condition and properly adjusted – remains completely capable of stopping a 450 lb motorcycle from any sensible speed. It is another example of forty year old technology being completely adequate for today’s motorcycling.


Bing CV Carburettors

When the ‘Five’ series was introduced during late 1969, very few parts were carried over from the preceding Earles Fork range, such as the handlebar switchgear and – in the case of the two smaller models – the Bing slide carburettors. Perhaps these, too, should have been consigned to the dustbin of technical history, but they were to linger on until 1978 in R60/7 of the ‘Seven’ series.

Mike Sherlock’s R60/5 had all the usual problems associated with old slide carburettors, with wear of the slide and body making the throttle action very heavy and the idle speed variable. Mixture adjustment at idle was erratic, and retention of accurate throttle synchronism all but impossible. When cold, the absence of a choke made pulling away a rather problematic procedure.

It was obvious that new carburettors were required, and rather than use the popular option of new Mikuni slide carburettors, we decided to fit a pair of used Bing 32 mm CV items.

At first glance this choice may appear strange, for the original carburettors were of 26 mm bore, and a smaller type such as the 28 mm size found on the R45 would seem more appropriate. A CV carburettor will, however, work well on a wide range of engine sizes, and the 32 mm type is more readily available.

I was also aware that such a modification worked well, for it had been fitted by BMW to several hundred R60 models owned by the Greek Police, which usually refused to start on hot days! This was due to the carburettors absorbing heat from the cylinder heads, and boiling the fuel in the float chambers. This filled the carburettor’s jet systems with vapour, so causing pinking while running, and preventing hot starting.

We had first-hand experience of this problem during a ride to Budapest for the 1986 FIM Rallie. Neither John Coleman’s

R60/7 nor Roger Pascoe’s R90S would start after lunch, until we realised the cause, and first poured half a bucket of cold water over each carburettor! In Budapest we learnt of the Greek police problem from BMW engineer Harald Schenk, John carrying out the modification on our return and being very satisfied with the result.

The basic cause is that Bing (and Dell’Orto) slide carburettors fit tightly onto the cylinder head inlet stub, their only protection from heat transfer being a thin plastic sleeve which makes only a token attempt to stem the flow of heat. By contrast, the CV carburettors are joined to the cylinder heads only by a rubber coupling, with no heat-conducting medium between them. This, and the ability of a CV carburettor to provide optimum fuel atomisation at any throttle opening meant that their use had great appeal, being (compared to the Mikuni) made of better quality alloy and also preserving the Teutonic appearance. Other factors were their freedom from mechanical wear, and my familiarity with their settings and adjustment, not to mention a substantial saving in financial terms!

The first requirement was to design some new inlet stubs to match the 32 mm carburettors to the R60 cylinder heads. These were beautifully manufactured by SW Section member Don Rolling. The carburettors were cleaned and rebuilt, using new needles, needle jets, and float needles etc. to the settings used by the R65. This means 45 pilot jets, 145 main jets, and 2.64 needle jets, with the needle fitted in its number 4 (highest and therefore richest) position.

At this point we found that the ‘pattern’ diaphragms Mike had purchased were made of a rather stiff plastic compound, rather than the very flexible nitrile rubber items originally fitted. In this case they were sufficiently stiff to hold the pistons at full travel, and so were replaced by genuine BMW items – at a


price! We were once able to buy diaphragms identical to the originals at about 50 pence each, as spares for the Stromberg 150 and 175 CD carburettor used by Rootes, Triumph, Jaguar and SAAB cars, but these have now been consigned to history.

Removal of the old inlet stubs gave no problems, a Stilson wrench being applied to them while the heads were still hot. The new stubs were given a coating of Loctite 245 to seal the threads and prevent them becoming loose.

The only problem encountered in fitting the CV carburettors concerned connecting their inlet elbows to the air filter, as the 1980 model R80 elbows we had obtained were the usual tight fit. The problem was easily resolved by simply cutting away the enlarged section intended to fit over the air filter intake ferrules. The elbows were then joined to the air filter by rubber couplings, in the same manner as is found on a post-1981 model. They are therefore easier to fit, and also have the advantage that the carburettor is mounted on rubber at both ends.

We had decided to use the 1981-84 type of throttle cable assembly, in which the twistgrip operates a single cable, joined to

separate cables from each carburettor by a junction box. On both my 1981 twins I found that while the cable running around the steering head stretched appreciably, the individual carburettor cables did not, so enabling excellent throttle synchronism to be maintained for thousands of miles. Why BMW reverted to twin cables in 1984 has always been a mystery to me. The single cable was connected to the original twistgrip in place of the usual lower cable, and the upper cable entry sealed with silicone rubber.

The R60 carburettors are not fitted with chokes, cold starting enrichment being provided by the time-honoured means of ‘tickler’ buttons to depress the floats and so increase the float chamber levels. We therefore obtained a pre-1981 choke lever, which mounted to the side of the air filter housing, as was used on the larger models. This control is typical of BMW and Magura at their best, moving each solid inner cable in a straight line by means of individual rack and pinion gear drives.

After fitting new fuel pipes and setting the float chamber levels – using the point at which fuel just begins to drip as the datum – we were ready to go. The engine started at

Original slide carbs CV carbs in position


the first prod of the starter button, then the carburettors were adjusted to give a slow and reliable idle, with an even pickup. As with the rest of this conversion, it was so easy that we began to wonder if we had missed something!

On his first ride Mike was amazed by the ease with which the engine now pulled at low speeds, the increased power at higher speeds, and the ‘feel’ that somehow he was riding a newer, bigger, and generally better machine.

These – and other less obvious benefits – are due to the maintenance of a high air velocity beneath the carburettor pistons, providing optimum fuel atomisation and also imparting the incoming charge with a high degree of turbulence as it enters the combustion chambers. Unlike slide carburettors, in the CV type this velocity is unaffected by excessive throttle opening or falling engine speed.

This results in improved fuel consumption and virtual freedom from pinking, not to mention the destructive high-speed detonation to which the R60 engine is so susceptible. This problem is due to a combination of poor atomisation, low turbulence, and the high compression ratio (9.25:1) of these engines. In extreme cases it can cause severe erosion damage to both pistons and cylinder heads, particularly in the lower areas of the combustion spaces.

The R65 settings also contribute, as the original carburettors provided a mixture which was excessively rich at the best of times, even without considering the effect of worn needles, needle jets, and carburettor bodies. The R65 settings, incidentally, are also shared by the early R80G/S and R80/7 models, being the basis for their fabled blend of performance, economy, and smooth running.

These settings will provide similar advantages to the R45, and the later R80 variants, including the Paralever R80GS. My friend Dave Pearce, for example, found that his Paralever GS improved its fuel consumption from 38 mpg to 50 mpg, had

improved throttle response, and also pulled better throughout the range.

The R50/5 would also benefit from this modification, and it is highly probable that the ‘self adjusting’ nature of CV carburettors will permit this smaller engine to also operate on 32 mm carburettors. The R45, for example, runs very well on R65 carburettors, although this is due more to their leaner settings than the larger 32 mm bore. The R45 28 mm carburettors would also suit the R50/5, and in either case the R65 settings would again be suitable, but with a reduction in main jet size to 123, or perhaps even 105.

This modification is certainly worth adopting, and although some enthusiasts may feel that it degrades the neo-classic nature of these machines, we thought that the appearance had been enhanced by the CV carburettors, due to their peculiarly BMW appearance. For those who are more concerned with originality I would suggest use of the older CV carburettors, on which the vacuum dome has a square flange and is retained by four screws, so following the appearance of the R75/5.

Regardless of personal views, one thing is definite – Mike’s ‘Five’ is now alive!

Detonation damage over lower portion of R60/5 combustion chamber.


Shade at the rear of the Villa Castiglioni


Euro-Hopping in 2009Martin Ellis describes the penultimate leg of a grand tour

Last month we had breakfast in Belgium, Lunch in Luxembourg, tea in France and supper in Germany. This part of the journey takes us into the Italian Lakes and on to Macon in the Burgundy wine region of Southern France.

Arriving in Italy the satnav did a good job of guiding us to our hotel, and we were soon unpacking at Villa Castiglioni, near Varese. It really was an old villa, but old in the architectural style sense, rather than in its ambience. Solid stone walls with gardens and grounds to spend all day in, and a superb air of elegance. I couldn’t believe that I’d found this place and at a cost of only €110.00 per night inc breakfast. Italy doesn’t have an official star rating mechanism for its hotels, so I was taking a gamble on its self-rated score of four stars, but overall, I have to say that it lived up to its own opinions of itself.

The hotel seemed to be geared towards large parties (weddings etc.) rather that small groups, but as it was the end of the season I figured that they were happy to get any bookings at all. The restaurant was very good (if closed on two nights) and the bedrooms were superb with typical Roman style fittings and decorations. There was a private courtyard to the side of the building where we could park at least some of the bikes under cover, but always with a great feeling of security. It was a great place to use as a base, being only a few Km from Switzerland and a medium sized Italian city. There were no tea and coffee facilities in the rooms, so Diane and I ventured into Varese and bought a cheap kettle from an electrical store (we always carry loads of teabags and sachets of popular sauces etc when abroad – you never know when

you’re going to want some brown sauce – and vinegar is like gold dust!). This was my first real experience of suburban/urban Italian traffic. As I mentioned earlier, I actually quite like city traffic – I get some kind of perverse buzz from riding/driving in amongst the throngs, but this was not quite so enjoyable. Many of the roads in the shopping areas were cobbled and required extra care at really slow speeds, and the Italian drivers seem to have no patience, morals, scruples or fear! On more than one occasion, while stuck in a queue of vehicles, a car would inch closer and closer to my rear or front wheel, sometimes preventing me from moving when my turn came, and when confronted with a stare or a STOP gesture, they’d just spread their arms as if to say “What? What am I doing wrong?”

I also felt that all of the road markings had been painted on fifty years ago and then completely ignored, and that some were merely a suggestion of what lane you might like to go in if you have the time. I was similarly struck by the 50kph road signs – basically saying that you should travel at 50kph unless you are in a hurry or don’t have time to slow down, which of course seemed to apply to virtually everyone. I’ve ridden in many European cities but Italy is the only country where I’ve felt that every other vehicle on the road was trying to kill me! Nevertheless, cities and major conurbations excepted, an overall extremely enjoyable experience.

Once we’d settled into the Villa I decided to transfer some of my photos and video recordings from the various SD cards onto the netbook, for safekeeping and future viewing. That’s when I realised that for the ride over the St Gotthard pass, I must have had the


bike-cam on a different setting, and it had not simply filled up the remaining space on the card, but had completely erased everything which had been on it. This was all photos taken on the way down to the Chunnel at stopovers, all Chunnel pics, all of the pictures taken at the Menen Gate and worse – all of my pictures of the trip to the Atomium, including a couple of superb Journal cover shots. I still had some video recordings of riding onto the Chunnel train, and the trips across Belgium en route to Bruges and Wavre Nord, but apart from those and a few taken with the phone in Colmar, all my photos now started in Italy. Some of those already used in this article were donated by Chris Bullock or there’d be a lot of pages with no photos.

Planning the holiday in January, I’d already found it difficult to source a hotel of suitable standard, capacity and price ‘lakeside’, so Villa Castiglioni was really a compromise, being roughly equidistant from lakes Como and

Maggiore. We managed however, to visit both of them on separate days, viewing lake Lugano en route to Maggiore. Once again there aren’t enough superlatives to describe the lakeside views, and while Maggiore offered the chance to go island-hopping by ferry, Como was my favourite.

While sitting on the quay enjoying a snack, I espied what looked like a pipeline disappearing up into the nearest mountain-top. Out came the mini-binoculars and it turned out to be a funicular railway. Having a strong interest in such things I dragged Diane through numerous side streets, enquiring in various hotel foyers as to the location of the railway ‘station’. Eventually I found it. Not particularly hidden, but not especially well advertised either. We hopped on (quite cheap, too) and took the nine minute ride to the top. Anyone who has ridden on similar railways (Scarborough, Bridgnorth, Lynton) and had to wait only a minute or so while

Lake Como


it ascends, will realise how far we went up for it to take nine minutes! We emerged in the small community of Brunate, high up in the mountains. There were houses with extraordinarily steep drives, a church, a community centre and of course, a plethora of cafes and gift shops. It was a very friendly place and very reasonably priced and we were really pleased with having ‘discovered’ it. It also allowed some spectacular photographs of the lake from such a great height.

We weren’t plagued by much rain at all during the entire trip, and enjoyed hot, sunny days for most of the holiday. It did rain in the late afternoons a few times while we were in Italy, but by then we were generally back in the hotel, and could watch the lightning from the comfort of our surroundings. The rain only tended to last for a short time though, and we were able (on the couple of nights when the restaurant was closed) to walk the short distance to the trattoria in the nearest town

for some authentic Italian spaghetti Bolognese and pizza. Wonderful! Be warned though – the waiters will try and slip all sorts of stuff by you without your explicit knowledge, and its easier for them if you’re in a group. Watch out for plates of focaccia, herb bread and bottles of water appearing without being asked for. These will all appear on the bill at the end of the meal, and aren’t usually cheap. Be wary of the waiter recommending wine too, as this can also be a ploy to increase the bill. And talk about being sticklers for protocol. There are glasses for everything. Glasses for red wine, white wine, water, spirits and soft drinks. I’ve never sat at a table where there were more glasses per person than items of cutlery. Here you are at the waiter’s mercy and we got a glimpse of how seriously they take this stuff when a lovely young woman accidentally poured red wine into a water glass (who knew?) and she was immediately bawled out in a string of Italian vitriol for being a stupid

Brunate


woman who wasn’t watching what she was doing. Then it was straight back to being our happy, jovial host, just as if a switch had been flicked. A measure of just how seriously wine waiters take things was that we discovered the next night that the young woman was in fact his wife of only two years! Having said that, we had a fantastic time with some wonderful food and extremely good company – what more can you want while on holiday?

We hadn’t realised just how close we were to Switzerland at some stages during our various rides out, and sometimes we’d dip in and out two or three times on a trip, but the border crossings were generally painless with the guards waving the bikes straight through at the expense of queuing cars.

All too soon it was time to leave this idyllic setting, so prior to leaving Italy for France I decided to fill up with fuel. I headed for the nearest petrol station only to find it to be an unmanned type which didn’t accept a VISA card. Three-quarters of an hour and SEVEN unmanned petrol stations later, I found one

with real people at the helm and filled up in readiness for the next day’s ride.

In the morning we set off in good spirits toward Macon in France for another two night stopover. It was a dull day and the weather forecast was not good for the next forty eight hours. Sure enough, soon after leaving, the drizzle started and continued on and off for most of the trip to the Premiere Classe hotel at Chaintre on the outskirts of Macon. These were probably the worst two days of the trip, but only from a weather point of view. We all remained in good spirits and made the best of it.

The highlight of the ride to Macon was the Mont Blanc tunnel. A truly magnificent piece of engineering cutting right through the Alps for a distance of seven and a quarter miles. It’s also a border crossing, so you enter it in Italy and leave it in France. Following a horrendous fire in 1999, safety was stepped up exponentially, and now speed is heavily regulated and swingeing fines are imposed for exceeding the limit. It’s only a single

The Lake Maggiore Ferry


gallery with no central road division but I felt quite safe maintaining our distance from the vehicles in front by use of blue marker lights positioned either side of the tunnel, indicating a safe following-distance.

What surprised me (but shouldn’t have done) was that you have to leave the motorway to climb to the tunnel and then descend back to the motorway (and a conveniently placed services giving stunning views of the mountains of Chamonix) after exiting it. The climb to the tunnel can be quite slow as traffic entry to the tunnel is regulated, and you can feel the air getting noticeably colder as you climb. With the border crossing being on the Italian side, nothing happens in a hurry, but the descent after leaving the tunnel is superb. Fast, sweeping bends with little traffic and a great feeling of the warmth returning as you descend lower and lower. Quite a bit of the motorway journey from here to Macon was unmemorable apart from following The Rhone very closely at some points, but we eventually arrived in the dry with some of our

party having eschewed the tunnel, and taken the longer way via lake Geneva.

The hotel was basically in an industrial/retail estate/park (as many are) and offered little or no opportunity for sightseeing without putting wet bike gear back on so we entertained ourselves with good old chinwagging and putting the world to rights. The restaurant (as usual) was very good with a decent variety of food, having options for those of us with a more eclectic palate as well as those who wanted something more basic and down to earth. I cannot recommend Premiere Classe enough for those wanting a good, clean hotel at a very reasonable price. At the time of our trip (Sept 2009), prices were generally €39.00 - €50.00 (per couple) plus a few Euros for an eat-all-you-want continental breakfast. I did my best to request ground floor accommodation (rez de chaussée) when booking, and this makes loading and unloading much easier. You pay (as usual) when you leave. They may not be ideal for long stays but for couple of nights at a time, they

The Alps between Varese and Macon


Premiere Classe, Macon

are more than adequate with many having air conditioning in the warmer locales. The one at Macon was air conditioned but we didn’t have much opportunity to test it.

It’s difficult to imagine that a disparate group of travellers could pass the time so well on a damp, uninviting day, but we did. Some of us passed a couple of hours repairing/modifying the catch assembly on my Givi topbox, which had been becoming difficult to operate over the last few months, and we discovered that it had been assembled incorrectly for God knows how long. This may seem boring but we had a whale of a time, and in all honesty, a break from going here there and everywhere was probably what some of us wanted, anyway. Suffice it to say that I remember the Macon stopover with as much fondness as I do almost any other part of the holiday.

Next month – Paris.

THE BMW CLUB 61st NATIONAL RALLY 2012Announcing!

Friday 24th to Monday 27th AugustEllesmere College, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 9AB

Exclusive use ofall the great college facilities

throughout the weekend

FREE LEISURE ACTIVITIESSwimming Pool, Tennis,

Golf Course, Squash Courts,

FOOD AND DRINKTerrace Cafe

Award Winning RestaurantReal Ale Bar

RIDE-OUTSNEW BMW TEST RIDES

TRADE STANDS

ACCOMMODATIONBook your room(s) on theform in the Journal ASAP.

They’re going fast!

CAMPINGA good level camping field

with excellent showerfacilities etc.

FRIDAY NIGHT DISCO“A whole lot of Rock”

A top class disco presented byTim and Tony (Club members

from Hull) They’re brilliant!

SUNDAY MORNINGChapel Service conducted by

the Fellowship of ChristianBikers

SATURDAY NIGHTDANCING TO SOUL BAND

“THE A TEAM”WITH A GALA DINNER

SUNDAY AFTERNOONPresentation talk by

Lois Pryce.World Biking AdventurerSUNDAY EVENING

RALLY AWARDSand

QUIZ NIGHT For more information contactMark Dutton: [email protected] Phone 01206 212 232

Jim Lepley: [email protected] Phone 01592 874 592Or email: [email protected]

All Club members welcome at this event


The BMW Club National/International Rally booking form

Location: Ellesmere College, Ellesmere, Shropshire. SY12 9AB

Friday Aug 24th to Monday Aug 27th 2012 Please complete the application details which apply to you, then after photocopying this sheet for your reference, send it with your payment (no staples please) to: “Escape to Ellesmere” c/o 7 Landale Gardens, Burntisland, Fife, KY3 9HN First Name(s)…………………………………………………………….Membership number…………… Last name………….……………………………………. Address………..................................................... …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………… Post Code………………………….. Tel (home)…………………………………………….(Mobile)….………………………………………………

If you wish a reply please add in your email address. No postal replies will be sent. E-mail address…………………………………………………….………….……………………………………….

Totals Mandatory Weekend Pass per person(£20) _______________ Cost camping / Motor home (£15 per person for the weekend) _______________ Please indicate if bringing a Tent or Caravan or Campervan _______________ Accommodation Single en suite room £30 pppn _______________ Accommodation Twin en suite room £30 pppn _______________ Accommodation Single with shared facilities £25 pppn _______________ I wish to purchase tickets (number) to the Dinner Gala on Saturday Evening. 3 courses. £20 per dinner ticket. _______________ I wish to confirm my booking & enclose my total payment in full £_______________ Please make cheques payable to The BMW Club. Please write your surname and membership number on the back of your cheque. Extra booking forms are available on line For further information, please contact either Jim Lepley or Mark Dutton

Email; [email protected]

Please order Tee shirts or polo shirts and other event regalia from the on line shop. Visit: http://www.thebmwclub.org.uk/nationalrally/

If you require a receipt please include a Stamped Addressed Envelope.


Joining the BMW Club.If you’ve been given this copy of

The Journal by a friend or someone you’ve met at a show or a dealer

launch day, then if you’ve enjoyed reading it, why not join us by visit-ing www.thebmwclub.org.uk then

clicking on the Membership tab, or by contacting the Secretary for the section nearest to where you live, who will be happy to post you an

application form.

Joining the Club qtr page.indd 1 12/05/2012 15:51:42


DARTMOOR WEEKENDSouth West Section

Friday 14th to Sunday 16th September

A warm welcome awaits you at Harford Bridge Holiday Park,Peter Tavy, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9LS. www.harfordbridge.co.uk.

Choose either camping or a self catering holiday home. (See website for more details). Good facilities in a great scenic location.

Tea and cake on arrival in thehospitality caravan and gazebo.

Pasty and puddin supper onFriday evening (optional).

Dartmoor rideout on Saturdaywith optional fish & chip

supper on Saturday evening.Plenty of pubs & restaurants innearby Tavistock market town.

For bookings and information contact:Debbie & Phil Sampson.

01726 6164207850 983 144

[email protected] Club members welcome


The BMW Club...Out and About

On the following pages, you’ll find details of the Club’s ‘social’ side, including information about past and future events, and where you can get together with friends old and new. Why not try something for yourself this month?

49 Where We Meet 4951 diary of Events - August and September 51

Find out what’s on in the next few days/weeks A complete list of regular section events,with adresses, dates and contact details

56 Around the Compass 56Events coming up which may need booking, including UK and European Trips/weekends

58 The Social Scene 58The National Social Secretary invites us to be sociable

60 Section & Register News 60Keep in touch with what’s happening in the Club’s regional Sections.

includes reports of past (and upcoming) events, and general news about your own area. Contact details are provided at the end of each Section’s entry

2012 BMF Discount Code - BMW12C196

Pre-Booking Essential! (Due to a change in the campsite field) Musical Entertainment on Friday & Saturday Ride-Out with local member Graham Roberts (Includes a visit to a “Secret Location”) Join the annual Yorkshire meet. Pub with restaurant serving delicious food. Large-Breakfast’s are back on the menu. Static caravans available.


Where We MeetPlease send Where We Meet changes to the Editor

EAST ANGLiA: The Shoulder of Mutton, Halstead Road, Ford Street, Aldham, Essex CO6 3LL, 12:00, 1st Sunday. The Shoulder of Mutton, Halstead Road, Ford Street, Aldham, Essex, CO6 3LL, 12:00, 3rd Sunday. The Three Tunns, Wethersfield Road, Finchingfield, Essex, CM7 4NR, 12:00, 1st Wednesday. The Lamb and Flag, Main Street, Welney, Cambs, PE14 9RB, 12:00, 3rd Wednesday. Also various meets through the year, so please see the Diary Of EventsiRiSH: Cork meet at 6.30pm TexOil Petrol Station, Glounthaune, every Tuesday night – April-Sept, Group 1 (Advanced): Conor O’Leary 0872594784 [email protected] and Group 2: Liam Quinlan 086 8252774 [email protected] Dublin Meeting – Last Thursday 8.00 pm, West County Hotel, Chapelizod; Jim Sweeney [email protected] 0872300736. North West Meeting – 2nd Sunday, Coffey’s Café, Carrick-on-Shannon, 12.00 noon; Patrick Munnelly 086 3383499 email: [email protected]. Limerick meeting, 1st Thursday, 8.00pm. Woodfield House Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick Pat Mulcahy 087 2377312.LONdON: Section meets are as rideouts and are irregular, please see their website and the Journal Diary for meets. Peter Jones 07710887958, Nick Fry 01438749913 for advice.MERCiA: Repton Village Hall, Askew Grove, Repton, Derbys DE65 6GR, see diary for dates and times. The Clock Warehouse, London Road, Shardlow, Derby. DE72 2GL, 2nd Wednesday, 1900hrs. The Dog, Henley Road, Mappleborough Green, Studley, B80 7DR, 2nd Thursday, 1930hrs. New Inn. Wolvey Road, Bulkington CV12 9JF , 1st Tuesday, 19.30hrs. Brunch/ Breakfast at Windy Ridge Cafe, Winkhill Leek ST13 7PN, 1st Sunday from May to October, 1030hrs. Hoar Park, The Craft Village, Nuneaton Road, Church End, CV10 0QU, every Wednesday at 0930 hrs for breakfast MidLANd: All year round gatherings The Three Kings, Saltersway, Threekingham, Lincs NG34 0AU, 01529 240249, 1st Tuesday 7.30pm; The Old Reindeer, Main St., Edingley Notts, NG22 8DE, 2nd Thursday 7.30pm; The Griffins Head, 28 Wilby Rd, Mears Ashby, Northants, NN6 0DX 3rd Tuesday 7.30pm; The King’s Head, Kingsway, Tealby, Lincs LN8 3YA, 01673 838347 3rd Thursday 7.30pm. Winter gatherings The Community Centre, Great Lane, Greetham, Rutland and The Rangers Cycle Clubhouse, off Islington Road, Towcester, Northants occasional Sundays, October to March. Alternating Breakfast meets see Diary or Forum for details.NORTH EAST: The Durham Amateur Rowing Club, Green Lane, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3JU at 19.30hrs 1st Wednesday. The Wagon Inn, 3 miles NW of Ponteland on A696, NE20 0DH, 19.30hrs 3rd Wednesday. Unless otherwise noted all runs start from Durham Services, Bowburn J61 A1(M).NORTHERN: The Briars Hall Hotel, Burscough, 1st Friday, 8.00pm. Skipton Market Place, Skipton, 2nd Tuesday, 1.00pm. Rixton Community Hall, Manchester Rd, Rixton, Warrington, 2nd Sunday November to March, 1.00pm. Chipping Village Hall, Chipping, 2nd Sunday April to October, 1.00pm. The White House, Peel, Isle of Man, 3rd Tuesday, 7.30pm. The Border Rose, Rochdale Rd, Walsden,

Todmorden, 3rd Friday, 7.30pm. The Harraby Inn, London Rd, Carlisle, last Monday, 7.30pm.OxFORd: The Harcourt Arms at Stanton Harcourt, 2nd Tuesday, 19:30. The Fox and Hounds at Sunnyside, Theale, Nr Reading, RG7 4BE, 4th Tuesday, 20.00. Uffington Village Hall, Oxfordshire, winter Sundays,14:00. The Churchill Arms at West Lavington (A360) Hight Street West Lavington SN10 4JB, first Thursday of the month at 7.00SCOTTiSH: 1st Sunday @ Spittal of Glenshee Hotel, Glenshee, Perthshire PH10 7QF at 12.30pm. 1st Monday @ Meldrums Hotel, Ceres, Fife KY15 5NA at 7.30pm. 2nd Sunday @ The Bankfoot Inn, Bankfoot, Perthshire PH1 4AB at 12.00 noon. 2nd Monday @ The Wheelhouse, Millennium Wheel Drive, Falkirk FK1 4AD @ 7.30pm. 3rd Sunday @ Buccleuch Arms Hotel, High Street, Moffat DG10 9ET at 12.30pm. 4th Sunday @ Hopeville Social Club, Harlaw Road, Inverurie at 12.30pm.SOUTHERN: The Phoenix Inn, Twyford, Hants SO21 1RF, on the B3335 1 mile south of M3, J11, 20.00 second Tuesday. The Seven Stars, Newark Lane, Ripley, Surrey, GU23 6DL 20.00, alt Tuesdays. The Half Moon, 32 London Road, Petersfield, GU31 4BE, just North of Petersfield on the old A3, alt Thursdays. Fox and Hounds, Fox Lane, Wimborne, Dorset. BH21 2EQ. Tel 01202 872881, 20.00 3rd Thursday. “Old Gits” Loomies Diner on A32 at West Meon Hut cross roads A272 & A32, Hampshire first Wednesday, 12 noon.SOUTH EAST: ‘The Bull’, Lower Road, East Farleigh, nr Maidstone, ME15 0HD, 1st/3rd Wednesdays, 20.00. ‘The Roebuck’, on the B2124 at Laughton, 2nd Friday, 20.00. Borders meet, last Friday, 20.00. Lunchtime meet,noon last Sunday. See Diary for details.SOUTH WEST: Jamaica Inn: PL15 7TS. At Bolventor, off A30 east of Bodmin (signed from A30). The Weary Traveller, Station Rd., Cullompton, EX15 1BQ. 100 yards from M5 J28 on the A318.The Canal Inn, Wrantage, Taunton, TA3 6DF All meets 12:00 as per calendar of events.ULSTER: Corr’s Corner, Glengormley, Co. Antrim, 8.00pm on first Tuesday (except January & July). Wednesday evening runs Corr’s Corner, 7.00pm from beginning of April to end of August. Sunday/Wednesday morning runs 11am Corr’s Corner throughout the year, weather dependant.WESTERN: The Hood Memorial Hall, Devauden, Chepstow. NP16 6PL, 13.30hrs, 2nd Sunday. New Inn, Claines, Worcester, 2000hrs, 1st Tuesday. The Lamb Inn, Iron Acton, 19.30hrs, 1st Wednesday. 99 Neath Road, Rhos, Pontardawe, Swansea SA8 3EH, 19.30hrs, 4th Wednesday.yORKSHiRE: Cracoe Village Hall BD23 6LQ on B6265 north of Skipton through Rylstone, 1st Sunday, 12 noon. The Cubley Hall Inn, Mortimer Road, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 9DF, off A629, 2nd Sunday 12 noon. The Bear Inn, South Cave, HU15 2AS on the A1034 off the A63, Brough, 2nd Monday, 8pm. Squires Cafe Bar, Sherburn in Elmet LS25 5LQ, on the B1222 from the A1 or the A162, 3rd Tuesday, 7pm. How Stean Gorge Cafe HG3 5SF north of Pateley Bridge near Lofthouse, 3rd Sunday, 12 noon. The Bikers Café Fimbar Road Fridaythorpe Driffield YO25 9RX last Saturday, 12 noon


diary Of Events:august & September

Diary of Events closing date is the 5th of each monthThese activities have been arranged as agent for and on behalf of The BMW Club.

All organisers are covered by our insurance, provided the event guidelines are followed.

August = September = Weekends = Red Text

August1 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Three Tunns,

Wethersfield Road, Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex CM7 4NR 12 noon

N. East Durham Amateur Rowing Club. Evening ‘Circular’ ride-out if good weather, otherwise a social evening. 7.30 pm.

Northern Northern Section southern Mid Week Run 9.30am. Frank Hambleton. [email protected]. 01298 70194

S. East C lubn igh t a t The Bu l l , Eas t Farleigh.8pm.

Southern Old Gits, Loomies Cafe, West Meon Hut, A32/A279

Western Evening Meeting – The Lamb Inn, Iron Acton.1930 hrs Denis Bradbeer – 01454 775786

2 Irish Limerick meeting Woodfield House Hotel, Ennis Road 8:00 PM Pat Mulcahy 087 2377312

Oxford Natter night, George & Dragon, Erlestoke, Wilts 7.00pm

Southern The Half Moon, 32 London Road, Peterfield, GU31 4BE

Yorkshire Lunchtime ride & meet the Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw.North Yorks. Contact Peter 01904 672883

3 Northern Evening natter meeting at The Briars Hall 7:00pm. Vera Hunt. 01257464429

3-5 S. West Slimbridge Camping. Tudor Caravan Park. Slimbridge GL1 7BP. Keith Hackett 01743 356756

3-5 Yorkshire Yorkshire Day, camping weekend at Grassington. See Around the compass for details.

4 Mercia Run to Horseshoe Pass and lunch in Bala? Meeting at approx 8.30am and leaving the Burger King in Rugeley WS15 2AS at 9am sharp. Martin Lunn: 013332 736931

Oxford WSB Silverstone for cheap tickets Bob Mack 07831211373 [email protected]

Western Saturday Pub Lunch 12.00 at Ye Olde Hobnails Inn, Little Washbourne, GL20

8NQ B4077 Tewksbury to Stow on the Wold. Carvery available, booking essential. Mike Warrilow - 01793 782428

5 E. Anglia Museum of Power Bike Meet - Museum of Power. Hatfield Road, Langford, Maldon, Essex CM9 6QA. 10am Bring your bike along and show it off on the club stand. Classics & modern

E. Anglia Pub meet - The Shoulder of Mutton. Halstead Road, Ford Street, Aldham, Essex CO6 3LL

Mercia Brunch Meeting Windy Ridge Café. Winkhill, Leek, Staffs. ST13 7PN. Meet from 10.30hrs Breakfast or Lunch available

N. East Tyne Valley Classic Bike Meet. Our Stand on the Village Green at Stamfordham. Free entry. All day event. Further details, Phil O. 01207 544851

Northern Breakfast run from Tesco’s car park, off J43 of M6, Carlisle 7.00am. John Bell. 01228 535173

S. East WK.VMCC.Int.Ral ly The Fr iers Aylesford(display you bike,John Smith.01322 342320)

Scottish Monthly Meet: Spittal of Glenshee Hotel, on the A93, Blairgowrie, PH10 7QF. Tel: 01250 885215. http://www.spittalofglenshee.co.uk 12:30 PM

Southern Goodwood Breakfast Club, Goodwood Circuit, West Sussex, PO18 0PX

Ulster Hurst’s Run. 9-30am Hurst’s Motorrad Mallusk.

Western Pub Lunch 12.00 at the Castle of Comfort, East Harptree, on B3134 BS40 6DD Janet Wilson - 01225 858876

6 Scottish Natter nite: Meldrums Hotel, Main St, Ceres By Cupar Fife, KY15 5NA. 01334 828 286. www.meldrums-hotel.co.uk. 07:30 PM

Sporting Trackday - Snetterton - Snetterton Race Track. Norfolk. Booking is essential. Organiser Robert Bensley [email protected] 01953 888415

7 Irish Cork Leisurely & Livel ier Ride


Out. 6.30pm TexOil Petrol Station, Glounthaune. Liam Quinlan: 086 8252774, [email protected]. Con O’Leary: 0872594784, [email protected]

Mercia Natter Night 7.30pm New Inn. Wolvey Road, Bulkington. CV12 9JF

Midland The Three k ings ,Sal tersway, Threekingham, Lincs.NG34 0AU Pub meet 7:30pm

Southern The Seven Stars, Newark Lane, Ripley, Surrey, GU23 6DL

Ulster Club Meeting. Corr’s Corner. Western Evening Meeting – New Inn, Claines,

Worcs 20.00 hrs Bob Dunn – 01384 390344

8 Mercia Natter Night 1900hrs The Clock W a r e h o u s e L o n d o n R o a d , Shardlow,Derby’s DE72 2GL

N. East Lucky Few ride-out to The Lakes from Scotch Corner Services. 10.am. Tony Seed 01642 785880.

S. East Midweek run from Coopers Tun.Wells.10.30am

9 Mercia Natter Night 19.30hrs The Dog Henley Road, Mappleborough Rd. Studley. B80 7DR

Midland The Reindeer,Main St, Edingley. NG22 8DE Pub meet 7:30pm

10 N. East Fish and Chip Run. Durham Services, Bowburn. Meet at 7.00 pm. Graham Walker. Tel.07931 710991

S. East The Roebuck at Laughton.7.30pm11 E. Anglia Getting to know Felixstowe. A guided

walking trip around Felixstowe given by resident Ken Mullet. Numbers are limited, so please call Ken on 01394 670632 or email [email protected].

12 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Old White Horse. 1 Station Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire SG7 5BS 12 noon

Irish Leinster Ride-out Spa Hotel (near Lucan) 10.00 am Jim Sweeney 087 2300736 email: [email protected]

Irish N.W Area Meeting Coffee’s Cafe Carrick on Shannon, 12.00 noon. Patrick Munnelly 086 3383499 email: [email protected]

London Ride-out for lunch at Amesbury, Wiltshire leaving Beaconsf ie ld 9:30am.

Mercia Section Run. Meet at the OK Diner. Watling Street, Cannock. WS11 0BN. Café opens from 8am. Run leaves at 9am. Additional pick up at Little Chef Shrewsbury, approx 10am. Brian Cooper: 01785 713565 or 07743 559525

N. East Sunday Lunch ride- in at the Dales Centre, Stanhope 12noon.

Northern Section Meeting at Chipping village hall. Free food or cakes or both will be available 1.00pm. Peter McCombie.

01228 594792 Oxford Ride out; Oxford section BBQ, Steve

Moxey 07771 663915 meet Newbury Wharf 11.0 Leave at 11.30

S. East Shuttleworth Collection with Ron R. Depart 9.30am Thurrock Services. (01689 600273)

S. West Ride out starting at Whiddon Down Services EX20 2QT at 10 am, then ride to North Devon for a ride on scenic railway. Geoff Brown: 01840 212913

Scottish Monthly meet: Bankfoot Inn, Main St. Bankfoot (on the A9 nr Perth), PH1 4AB. 01738 787 243. bankfootinn.co.uk? 12:00 Noon

Southern Trish’s Mystery Cream Tea Run - Meet @ Newlads Corner for 10AM, A25 Nrth of Guildford

Ulster Donegal Run. 11am Foyle Bridge. (packed lunch).

Western Monthly Meeting Devauden 13.30 hrs. Delicious Cream Tea with Jean Cox. Come and indulge, its naughty but nice, you can always diet afterwards.

13 Scottish Nat ter n i te : The Wheelhouse, Millennium Wheel Drive, Falkirk FK1 4AD. Tel no. 01324 673490

Yorkshire Natter night Bear Inn, South Cave Market Place. 8pm

14 Irish Cork Leisurely & Livel ier Ride Out. 6.30pm TexOil Petrol Station, Glounthaune. Liam Quinlan: 086 8252774, [email protected]. Con O’Leary: 0872594784, [email protected]

Oxford Natter night, Harcourt Arms, Stanton Harcourt 7.30pm

Southern Poole Quay Fish & Chip Run Details on the Website Calendar Richard Downer on : 07918666532

Southern The Phoenix Inn, Twyford, SO21 1RF15 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Lamb & Flag. Main

Street, Welney, Cambs PE14 9RB N. East Social Evening and tyre kicking session

at The Waggon Inn. 7.30pm Northern Midweek run from Kirkby Lonsdale

10am. Mike Gibson. [email protected]. 01229 582787

S. East C lubn igh t a t The Bu l l , Eas t Farleigh.8pm. Best Bike Competition.

S. West Mid week Meet at the Log cabin at Knowstone nr South Molton EX36 4RZ at 12.30. John Robinson: 01395 597725

Western Wednesday Lunch meet for those who can 12.00 at The Golden Heart Inn, Down Road, Winterbourne Down, Bristol. BS36 1AU and a chat followed by Archery Richard Jones - 01179 372803

16 Midland The Kings Head, Kingsway, Tealby Lincs. LN8 3YA pub meet 7:30pm

Southern Fox & Hound, Dorset, BH21 3EQ on


the B3073 7:30 PM Southern The Half Moon, 32 London Road,

Peterfield, GU31 4BE 17 Northern Natter night, meals available, at The

Border Rose, Rochdale Rd, Walsden, Todmorden 7.00pm. Alan Stretton. 01706 656606

17-19 Scottish Dalraddy Park - 30 year Camping anniversary

17-19 Southern Popham Mega Meet & Auto Jumble Popham Airfield, Winchester, SO21 3BD Check website for details

18 Mercia Visit to East Midlands Air Ambulance. Meet at Donington Services M1 junction 23a leave at 9.30am for a ride to EM Airport.

Ulster Ulster Grand Prix. Dundrod. Western West Wales Motorcyc le show

Carmarthen Showground, Nantyci, Carmarthen, SA33 5DR

19 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Chequers. 7 Church Road, Wimbotsham, Norfolk PE34 3QG 12 noon

London An informal, unplanned Ride-out from Beaconsfield. Just turn up. 10:30 AM

Midland John and Freda’s ride to LLangollen and the horseshoe pass, with breakfast stop . Meet at Tamworth services, M42 junction 10. Meet at 8:30, for 9am departure. Approx 200miles round trip

N. East Club Treasure Hunt. Start at Durham Services, Bowburn, 10am and finish at the Ravensworth Arms, Team Valley, approx 3pm and with a prize for the winner.

Oxford Brackley Bike Festival, 10.00 am Contact Rosemary Dave Hicks [email protected]

S. West Lunch Time Meet 12.00 at the Haldon Grill Exeter Transport cafe on A380 EX6 7XW. Don Rabson: 01840 212913

Scottish Monthly meet: Buccleuch Arms Hotel, High Street, MOFFAT, Dumfriesshire, DG10 9ET. Tel: 01683 220003. www.buccleucharmshotel.com. 1:00 PM

Western Elan Visitor Centre LD6 5HP meet then a mountain ride via Devils Bridge to Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forestry Centre and Red Kite feeding centre on the A44 East of Aberystwyth for lunch. Colin Ross – 01562 820458

Yorkshire Lunchtime meet How Stean Cafe, Lofthouse. 12 noon


Midland The Griffins Head, Mears Ashby, Northants.Pub Meet. 7:30pm

Northern Evening meeting, The White House, Peel, Isle of Man 7.30pm. Andy Brown. 01624819088


Yorkshire Natter night Squires Cafe Bar, Sherburn-in-Elmet. 8pm

22 Western Evening Meeting – 99 Neath Road Rhos, Pontardawe, Nr Swansea 19.30 hrs Brian Price – 01792 862152

25 Yorkshire Lunchtime meet The Bikers Cafe, Fimber Rd. Fridaythorpe YO25 9RX 12 noon

26 Scottish Monthly meet: Inverurie Hopeville Social Club, 34 Harlaw Road, Inverurie AB51 4SR. Tel: 01467 621478 12:30 PM

27 Northern Evening meeting at the Harraby Inn Carlisle 7.30pm. John Bell. 01228 535173


Oxford Natter night, The Fox & Hounds, Theale, Nr Reading, 8.00pm

Yorkshire Natter night Gildersome Conservative Club, Street Lane. Gildersome 8pm

29 S. West Midweek ride to Symonds Yat, meeting Woodleigh Hall cafe 10.00 EX6 6JL or Taunton Deane Services by 11.15. Peanut on 01626 335621

30 Irish Dublin Meeting. West County Hotel, Chapelizod. 8:00 PM Jim Sweeney 087 2300736 email: [email protected]


31 S. East Borders.7.30pm.The Chestfield Barn CT53LU

31-2 Sep Southern Isle of Wight Hotel & Camping Weekend Details on the Website Calendar Erica Body on: 07528873056

31-2 Sep Yorkshire Camping at Coniston Hall Farm, Coniston, Lake District Contact Stuart & Elaine 01274 832309

September1 Mercia Section Run to Ellesmere. Meet OK

Diner. Watling Streewt, Cannock WS11 0BN Café open for refreshments from 0800hrs. Starting at 0930hrs and calling at The Raven Café around 1030hrs finally arriving Ellesmere around mid-day. Organiser John Humpherson tel 07866 155633

S. East Harvest Supper at Matties.Book via Rosemary/Social Sec.

Western BBQ at Riders of South Wales, Cardiff. CF11 8AB at 13.00. Meet there or ride from Abergavenny Bus Station Café 10.00am. Numbers required for BBQ. Graham Wiltshire - 01453 899046


2 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Shoulder of Mutton. Halstead Road, Ford Street, Aldham, Essex CO6 3LL

Mercia Brunch Meeting Windy Ridge Café. Winkhill, Leek, Staffs. ST13 7PN. Meet from 10.30hrs Breakfast or Lunch available

Northern Breakfast run from Tesco’s car park ,off J43 of M6, Carlisle 7.00am. John Bell. 01228 535173

Scottish Monthly Meet: Spittal of Glenshee Hotel, on the A93, Blairgowrie, PH10 7QF. Tel: 01250 885215. http://www.spittalofglenshee.co.uk 12:30 PM

Southern Goodwood Breakfast Club, Goodwood Circuit, West Sussex, PO18 0PX

Yorkshire Mariglds Hot Snacks, Village Hall Cracoe. 12 noon

3 Scottish Natter nite: Meldrums Hotel, Main St, Ceres By Cupar Fife, KY15 5NA. 01334 828 286. www.meldrums-hotel.co.uk. 07:30 PM


Mercia Natter Night 7.30pm New Inn. Wolvey Road, Bulkington. CV12 9JF

Midland The Three k ings ,Sal tersway, Threekingham, Lincs.NG34 0AU Pub meet 7:30pm


Ulster Club Meeting. 8pm Corr’s Corner. Western Evening Meeting – New Inn, Claines,

Worcs 20.00 hrs Bob Dunn – 01384 390344

5 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Three Tunns, Wethersfield Road, Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex CM7 4NR 12 noon

N. East Durham Amateur Rowing Club. Social Evening. 7.30 pm.

Northern Northern Section southern Mid Week Run 9.30am. Frank Hambleton. [email protected]. 01298 70194

S. East C l u b n i g h t a t T h e B u l l , E a s t Farleigh.8pm.

Southern Old Gits, Loomies Cafe, West Meon Hut, A32/A280

Western Evening Meeting – The Lamb Inn, Iron Acton.1930 hrs Denis Bradbeer – 01454 775786

6 Irish Limerick meeting Woodfield House Hotel, Ennis Road 8:00 PM Pat Mulcahy 087 2377312

Oxford Natter night, The Churchill Arms West Lavington (a360) High St West Lavington SN104JB 7.00pm

Yorkshire Lunchtime ride in and meet The Inn on the Green,Ingham. Lincs LN1 2XT.

Con.Peter 01904 6728837 Northern Evening natter meeting at The Briars

Hall 7:00pm. Vera Hunt. 012574644297-9 London Short Hotel Weekend. Details as before

by June(ish )7-9 Midland Camping weekend Derbyshire Peak

district. Marquee,BBQ etc. all welcome Site to be confirmed

8 Midland Sleaford Show. new venue last year; Vintage & Classic BMW’s welcome Contact Bill Rodgers on 01526-834480

8-14 E. Anglia East Anglian European Adventure to the Pyrenees. Join us for a trip to The Pyrenees. Great roads to ride with the help of a local resident and club member. Booking is essential. Contact Tim Robinson 01353 776279 or [email protected]

9 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Compasses Inn. Littley Green, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 1BU 12 noon

Irish Leinster Ride-out Spa Hotel (near Lucan) 10.00 am Jim Sweeney 087 2300736 email: [email protected]

Irish N.W Area Meeting Coffee’s Cafe Carrick on Shannon, 12.00 noon. Patrick Munnelly 086 3383499 email: [email protected]

Mercia Section Run. Meet McDonalds car park junction of A52 / A38 Derby. Meet 0930hrs and leave at 1000hrs sharp. Run organiser Ian McNaughton

N. East Sunday Lunch ride-in at The Railway Inn, Acklington. 12 noon.

Northern Section Meeting at Chipping village hall. Free food or cakes or both will be available 1.00pm. Peter McCombie. 01228 594792

Oxford Ride out; Swindon Steam Railway through Cotswolds/Pub Lunch, Meet at Buckland Services on A420 9.30 to Leave at 10.00 Tim Read 01285 869320

S. East John Smiths Coastal Run,Depart 10am Godstone Duckpond (01322 342320)

Scottish Monthly meet: Bankfoot Inn, Main St. Bankfoot (on the A9 nr Perth), PH1 4AB. 01738 787 243. bankfootinn.co.uk? 12:00 Noon

Southern Tucker’s Mystery Tour - details on the website

Western Monthly Meeting Devauden 13.30 hrs. Celebration BBQ. Bring your own meat / veg and we bring the rest

10 Scottish Nat ter n i te : The Wheelhouse, Millennium Wheel Drive, Falkirk FK1 4AD. Tel no. 01324 673490

Yorkshire Natter night Bear Inn, South Cave Market Place. 8pm

11 Irish Cork Leisurely & Livel ier Ride Out. 6.30pm TexOil Petrol Station, Glounthaune. Liam Quinlan: 086 8252774, [email protected]. Con O’Leary: 0872594784, conor@


olearystone.com Oxford Natter night, Harcourt Arms, Stanton

Harcourt 7.30pm Southern The Phoenix Inn, Twyford, SO21 1RF12 Mercia Natter Night 1900hrs The Clock

W a r e h o u s e L o n d o n R o a d , Shardlow,Derby’s DE72 2GL

S. East Midweek run from Coopers Tun.Wells.10.30am

S. West Bike Meet evening 7pm. The Clay Pigeon. Dorchester, DT2 9PW. Peter Tarreut 07770 922534

13 Mercia Natter Night 19.30hrs The Dog Henley Road, Mappleborough Rd. Studley. B80 7DR

Midland The Reindeer,Main St, Edingley. NG22 8DE Pub meet 7:30pm


14 S. East The Roebuck at Laughton.7.30pm14-15 Southern Netley Marsh Auto Jumble Details on

the Website Calendar 14-16 Mercia Hotel weekend Saltburn. See Around

the Compass for details.14-16 S. West Tavistock Camping, Harford Bridge

Holiday Park, Peter Tavy Tavistock PL19 9LS. See Around the Compass for details.

15-22 Southern Fully Booked - Tim & Sarah’s French Trip Dave and Myfanwy Williamson on 01428 751756

16 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Chequers. 7 Church Road, Wimbotsham, Norfolk PE34 3QG 12 noon

London An informal, unplanned Ride-out from Beaconsfield. Just turn up. 10:30 AM

Midland Jim’s ride to Turville, the home of the Vicar of Dibley! Cross country ride, approx 60miles. Meet at jack Hills cafe, A5 just North of Towcester at 09:30, for 10:15 departure.

N. East Sunday r ide-out. The Wilds of Northumbria, Scotch Corner Services. 10.am and The Waggon at 11 am. John King. Tel. 07833 705652

Northern Leaving f rom Burton Serv ices (northbound) ,between jtn 35 & jtn 36 9.00am. Bill Smithson. 1539736454

S. East Rural Life Ctr.( Classic Vehicles.)Depart 9.30am Godstone Duckpond.Ron Rugman (01689 600273)

Scottish Monthly meet: Buccleuch Arms Hotel, High Street, MOFFAT, Dumfriesshire, DG10 9ET. Tel: 01683 220003. www.buccleucharmshotel.com. 1:00 PM

Southern New Forest Ride - Contact Greg & Eve Smith Details on website

Western Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, NP4 9XP. Free entry meet in Canteen at 12.00 or at Severn Valley Services Aust at 10.00 for Ride to venue. Denis Bradbeer - 01454 775786

Yorkshire Lunchtime meet How Stean Cafe, Lofthouse. 12 noon


Midland The Griffins Head, Mears Ashby, Northants.Pub Meet. 7:30pm

Northern Evening meeting, The White House, Peel, Isle of Man 7.30pm. Andy Brown. 01624819088


Yorkshire Natter night Squires Cafe Bar, Sherburn-in-Elmet. 8pm

19 E. Anglia Pub meet - The Lamb & Flag. Main Street, Welney, Cambs PE14 9RB

N. East Social Evening and tyre kicking session at The Waggon Inn, nr. Ponteland.

Northern Midweek run from Kirkby Lonsdale 10am. Mike Gibson. [email protected]. 01229 582787

S. East C l u b n i g h t a t T h e B u l l , E a s t Farleigh.8pm. “Bring your GS”

S. West Meal’n’Natter Night 7.30 pm. Liskeard Tavern next door to Premier Inn PL14 3FG. Don Rabson 01840 212913

Western Ride to Booths Café opp Sea Bank Hotel sea front Porthcawl then via coast road to Barry for lunch at a Cafe at The Knapp. Meet at Severnside Services 0930am. Denis Bradbeer - 01454 775786

20 Midland The Kings Head, Kingsway, Tealby Lincs. LN8 3YA pub meet 7:30pm

Southern Fox & Hound, Dorset, BH21 3EQ on the B3073 7:30 PM

20-24 S. East Rother Valley Camping.Book with Section Sec.(0775 2622 890)

21 Northern Natter night, meals available, at The Border Rose ,Rochdale Rd, Walsden, Todmorden 7.00pm. Alan Stretton. 01706 656606

21-23 N. East Second Camping Weekend at Waren nr. Bamburgh. Watch Journal or contact Graham Walker for details. Tel.07931 710991.

22 Western Visit to AKAMBA Garden Centre B90 1PH www.akamba.co.uk. Meet Severn Valley Services 09.00 or join at Café for lunch at 13.00. 230 miles (approx) going the pretty way. Denis Bradbeer - 01454 775786

23 E. Anglia The Hartford Mill, The Hartford Marina, Hartford, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 2AA. 11am.

S. West Pub Meet 12-noon. The Weary Traveller, Cullompton, EX15 1BQ.

S. West Murder Mystery Dartmoor starting at Woolacombe Tourist Infomation Centre EX34 7DL at 12.00 am. Also you can meet up at 10.00 at Woody’s Cafe


Sourton EX20 4LY. Bryan Boothby: 01726 833554

Scottish Monthly meet: Inverurie Hopeville Social Club, 34 Harlaw Road, Inverurie AB51 4SR. Tel: 01467 621478 12:30 PM

Ulster Meet and Eat. 1pm Pedlars Rest. Gortin.

24 Northern Evening meeting at the Harraby Inn Carlisle 7.30pm. John Bell. 01228 535173


Oxford Natter night, The Fox & Hounds, Theale, Nr Reading, 8.00pm

Yorkshire Natter night Gildersome Conservative Club, Street Lane. Gildersome 8pm

26 N. East Lucky Few Run, Honey for Lunch, Kippers for tea. Northumberland top to bottom. Washington / Birtley North. 10 am. Phil Oughtred. Tel.01207 544851

Western Evening Meeting – 99 Neath Road Rhos, Pontardawe, Nr Swansea 19.30 hrs Brian Price – 01792 862152

27 Irish Dublin Meeting. West County Hotel, Chapelizod. 8:00 PM Jim Sweeney 087 2300736 email: [email protected]


28 Oxford BSB Silverstone Cheap Tickets

Around The CompassPlease send Around The Compass changes to [email protected]

with “Compass” as the subject

Contact Bob Mack 07831211373 [email protected]

S. East Borders.7.30pm. 7Diner London Rd Halstead. TN147AA

28-29 Mercia 20th Anniversary Roman Way Hotel Weekend at Cannock. See Around the Compass for details.

28-30 E. Anglia Black Bull Rally. End-of-the-summer camping weekend. Static caravans and rooms also available. Booking essential. Black Bull Caravan Park. Molton Road, Pickering, North Yorks YO18 8EA.

28-30 Irish Thatch Rally. See Around the Compass for details.

28-30 Scottish Glencoe Gathering 29 Western Saturday Ride - ‘Worcestershire’ Start

at the New Inn, Claines, Worcs WR3 7DH Bob Dunn – 01384 390344

Yorkshire Lunchtime meet The Bikers Cafe, Fimber Rd. Fridaythorpe YO25 9RX 12 noon

30 N. East Sunday Ride-out. Last of the season. Wolviston Services on A19 / A689. 10 am. Tim Gorman. 01429 232291

Oxford Slot Car Racing (joint with the Southern section) Meet Newbury Wharf 9.15 to Leave 9.30 John Hillier 01189332152 would be helpful if you rang before to give an idea of numbers

S. East Lunchtime at Highgrove,Staplehurst.TN129BT.Run 2pm

Western Ride - Lost in Wales. Ride out from Sarn Services M4 J36 Brian Morgan - 01792 850809

3rd - 5th Aug. S. West Section. Slimbridge Camping weekend. Tudor Caravan Park. Slimbridge GL2 7BP. Contact Keith Hackett: 07940531980

3rd - 5th Aug. Yorkshire Section. Yorkshire Day Weekend at Grassington, Grass Woods Lane. BD23 5. North Yorkshire. 54.079137/2.012176. The heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Our own camping field with facilities on site. Section Gazebo with hot water available for your tea and coffee, plus extra cooking facilities. Friday night take it easy look round the village eat out enjoy a drink at one of the many pubs/hotels. Saturday explore the wonderful Dales scenery on your bike or join me on a walk over the Pennine Way. Saturday night is Party night with Marigolds catering, all locally sourced fresh meat etc, BBQ available for

cooking, hand pulled local Ale and the Glee club for entertainment. There will be no camping fee as such for the weekend, as we did last year, we just ask that a donation be made to the Village funds. A small, non refundable, deposit of £5.p.p. (OW MUCH) to help with catering nos would be appreciated, sent to Graham Roberts, 17 Acorn Close, Barlby, South Yorkshire. YO8 6UT. Tele: 01757 701275. cheques payable to Yorkshire section BMW club, name and membership no. on back please. B&B and Hotel accommodation in Grassington Village via website, book early. For more information phone Elaine 01274 832309. All sections welcome, and we can guarantee you a reet Yorkshire welcome

4th - 5th August. Scottish Section: BMW Mottorad eXtreme Event, Knockhill Racing Circuit


KY12 9TF. Including: * Simon Peavey (off road riding) * Stunt Rider. * BMW GB with a fleet of test road bikes. * Race track open for all plus BMW race bikes to play on. * Classic bike show. * Tented village, trade stands/exhibitors. Scottish Section marquee will be there with the usual free tea and coffee all day. Contact: Judy Lepley on Tel.no. 01592 874592 email: [email protected]

17th - 19th August. Scottish Section. Dalraddy Park - 30 year Camping anniversary. Dalraddy Holiday Park, Aviemore, Inverness-Shire PH22 1QB. Dalraddy Holiday Park is a quiet park in the heart of the Highlands overlooking the Cairngorms, within walking distance of the river Spey. An excellent location for walking and cycling. Licensed shop, laundrette & washing up area, shower & toilet facilities. Tents price tba. Static caravans and chalets available tel. 01479 810330 or email [email protected]. Plenty of B&B, hotels etc in the area. Contact Judy Lepley email: [email protected] Tel no. 01592 874592

31st Aug - 2nd Sept. Yorkshire section. Camping at Coniston Hall Farm, Coniston. Lake district. Large lake side camping area, basic but clean, shop on site. Only 20mins walk into Coniston, plenty of shops, pubs, restaurants, garage etc. Fabulous scenery and twisty roads – why not try a walk on the wild side. Stuart & Elaine 01274832309

3rd - 18th Sept. Yorkshire Section. Euro Hotel Trip. Amsterdam-Hamburg-Berlin-Prague-Cochem/Koblenz-Luxembourg-Bruges. Mostly two-night stopovers to allow sightseeing, and four nights in Prague. Maximum ten rooms available - four already gone. Restaurants at all hotels, breakfast included at most and available for small extra charge at others. Plan your own ferry crossings, routes and excursions, perhaps solo or with others, but all stay in same hotels each night. Detailed info on Yorkshire Section area of BMW Club Forum or from organiser - Martin Ellis 01623 401405 [email protected]

14th - 16th September. Dartmoor Camping, Harford Bridge Holiday Park, Peter Tavy Tavistock PL19 9LS Debbie Sampson 01726 61642 Optional Pasty supper on Friday. Dartmoor ride out on Saturday. Hospitality caravan and gazebo on site.

14th – 16th Sept. Mercia Section. Hotel Weekend at Saltburn. £40 per person per night, half board. Deposit of £40 by the end of March with the balance due by end of August. Contact Keith

Jackson for further details and booking Tel 01332 668159

28th - 29th Sept. Mercia Section. 20th Anniversary Roman Way Hotel Cannock. £70 per couple per night Dinner, Bed & Breakfast.Live music Saturday night with a 60’s band. Ride out Saturday for those staying Friday night. Booking essential, all 54 room reserved and a deposit of £50 per couple asap. Cheques payable to The BMW Club send to Colin Ainsworth 22 Marlborough Road, Breaston, Derby. DE72 3DD

28th - 30th September. Scottish Section. Glencoe Gathering: Area set aside for our club. There are also Hobbit Houses available for hire. For details of site facilities call Invercoe Campsite 01855 811210 or www.invercoe.co.uk Mention you will be attending the BMW Event when enquiring. Camping price tba. The marquee will not be there so please take your own cooking stoves to use in the brick gazebo. The Glencoe Hotel is also in easy walking distance for good bar meals. B&B available across from the site exit. Contact Judy [email protected]

28th - 30th Sep. Irish Section. Thatch Rally. Tralee Bay Holiday cottages, Co Kerry, Euro 115 per person - includes: s/c accommodation, 2 breakfasts, 3 course dinner Sat night & live music, enquiries/bookings to: Brendan Lang [email protected] Tel: 0862555214

12 -14th October: Scottish Section Social & AGM weekend. See Calendar on Scottish Section website for details.

19th - 21st Oct. Irish Section. N W Hotel Weekend. Hotel Leenane, Euro 99.00 per person 2 nights B&B & 2 evening meals, enquiries/bookings to: Brendan Lang [email protected] Tel: 0862555214

2nd - 4th Nov. S. West Section. Hippo Rally. Colliford Tavern Bodmin Moor, This is always a exciting weekend with a good a crowd, rideouts and evening meals with entertainment. More details on website or contact Sally on 01395 597725

16th - 18th Nov. Western Section Hotel Weekend at the Cavendish Hotel, Exmouth, Devon. Two nights bed, breakfast and evening meal, Standard twin or double rooms at £128.00 singles £78.00. Sea View on twin or double add £28.00 For further info and booking form contact Denis Bradbeer, Western Social Secretary, Tel 01454 775786 Email [email protected] £10 pp deposit by April 30th and final payment by 31st August.


The Social SceneWhat’�s�happening�out�and�about,�brought�to�you�by�the�National�Social�Secretary

I have just returned home from the BMF rally in Kelso to support the Scottish section r e c r u i t m e n t drive. By the time you read this, I am sure you will be all Olympic-Gamed out.

As I write its 45 days to go to “Escape to Ellesmere” for the weekend 24th-27th August. Bookings have speeded up. All the en-suite twin rooms have been booked. Due to circumstances beyond my control this year we will not have any official ride-outs. However we will have a do it yourself ride-out notice board for members to recruit their own mates to get involved to participate in lots of little ride-outs rather than a small number of “big snake” types which are quite a drag to keep together. Being centrally positioned the College is a good starting point to explore some of the great roads winding between England and Wales. If you would like to arrange and host a mini ride-out please research it and bring along the information and we will supply the paper and art equipment for you to produce a poster to entice a small number of members to follow your lead. You might just fancy the “follow the rest” approach or arrange a meet at a select venue for lunch and get to see

some amazing scenery and locations. Some may choose to walk into Ellesmere town or take a trip to the canals or maybe discover you have a hidden talent for punting on the mere. The town will be in carnival mood so you don’t

have to travel too far to join the party. The school bus will be running back and to all day. Enclosed in The Journal is the advert and booking sheet so please come along and join in.

Please contact either Jim Lepley or myself if you have any questions about the weekend. (Contact details on page 6.). If you do not wish to book accommodation at the college please come along and simply join us for the day: you will be welcome. A day ticket cost is just £10 per person and you can just turn up on the day and pay on the gate.

Important Information for those that will be arriving on Friday 24th. Only two wheels will be welcomed on site at 15.00. All other vehicles will be allowed on site after 16.00. This is due to a rugby match tournament still being played and we have been asked to keep vehicular activity to a

Kelso, where the Club welcomes everyone a with an interest in BMW motorcycles.


minimum because children will be about. Please do not turn up and queue. Thank you in advance for your full assistance and cooperation for complying with these times.

I was so pleased that Robert Bensley managed to get the support for his track day in June and to remind you that the next one is on 6th August. Have a go.

Local knowledge is always the best. I must remind anyone who is thinking about organising an event in another sections area

to please try to involve the other section at the planning stage. It always amazes me that some organisers do not and then forget to contact the local social secretary who might be very pleased to be asked to join in.

I would like to thank all sections that have volunteered to host some

future National events. Does any section fancy hosting the 2013 Spring National?

Safe Riding until next timeMark Dutton.


Section and Register NewsPlease send all Section News entries and contact detail changes to Section News (see page 3 for details) - not to the Editor please.

East Anglia SectionThis morning started with bright summer sunshine and a light breeze drying off the roads from last nights showers. The signs were promising a great day out joining the hundreds of other riders and pillions at the Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride.

We’d arranged via the forum to meet a couple of other members at nearby services and ride to the event together. By ten o’clock the skies had opened and it felt that we were riding on the edge of a small tornado. I’m sure that when we get these periods of what the weather people like to call “mixed” or “unsettled” my time is split almost equally between riding and cleaning my bike (my wife would argue that cleaning probably wins it!).

We sheltered beneath the canopy of Tesco Petrol station as the rain lashed down whilst the car drivers looked on, realising this was one of their few chances to look smug about their choice of transport. Luckily the rain was short lived and the wind began to die down.

Despite the weather the event was well attended and the best part of 600 bikes rode with police escort within a rolling road block along the A14, into Cambridge and off to the Madingley American Cemetery and Memorial which is situated in the Cambridgeshire countryside 3 miles outside of the city of Cambridge. It is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Madingley American Cemetery is Britain’s only World War Two American Military Cemetery.

The weather behaved itself for the ride and for the ceremony later on and many of the bridges, junctions and streets were full of people waving and watching the parade of bikes passing through. It was great to see the dozen or so motorcycle police obviously having a good time “buzzing” the

parade as they raced from the back to the front keeping everything moving smoothly. They really are impressive riders. I think events like this help to promote bikers as normal people and not some kind of speed crazed alien creatures and it’s interesting to see the number of families watching from the streets that seemed to see bikes in a totally different light for that time that we were passing.

I have a handful of gate passes for free entry into the Museum of Power’s annual bike meet on the 5th of August. This is a great “traditional” bike show held at Maldon in Essex. The club is hosting a stand

at the event and we need as many of you as possible to come along and display your pride and joy. Please let me know if you’d like to come along and support the stand and also whether you’d be interested in camping the night before. Camping facilities are fairly basic but the company’s ok and the organizers are hoping to have the bar open. Don’t forget to add your address so that I can post out the Passes.

I have informed the committee that I am

not intending to hold a position on the committee after the AGM in October, so your section is looking for someone who is willing to step forward and take on the role of Social Secretary. We could also do with more volunteers to take up places as general committee members. Please have a think about whether you could give up some time to help your club move forward through 2013.

Safe riding.

dave Massey East Anglia Social Assistant

[email protected]

Tim Robinson East Anglia Social Secretary

[email protected]


irish SectionFirst weekend in June (bank holiday) we had our annual Boreen Run, this made a break from tradition,(normally August weekend) and as a result the numbers were smaller, However those that attended were in for an amazing weekend of real off main road, riding. This year it was held in hills and mountains of Co. Mayo and Sligo . The route .. all 500 km approx ,was planned and organised with amazing skill, by local club members TJ McHale, Pat Munnelly, and assisted by George Kavanagh on his new GS. How on earth they found some of the boreens, and managed to keep us off the main roads defies description. Local knowledge is the key! We were joined this year be some riders from the Ulster section ,and a few new members , one all the way from the USA, Pascal Healy, who arrived on a rented 650 GS. Another (brave) new club member, Paul Laffin, from Celbridge came on his 1300 K, and showed some of us how a big bike can be ridden with verve and bravery over roads that were mainly grass up the middle. We were blessed with warm sunny weather for nearly all the weekend, just a little rain on the Saturday afternoon. At our lunch stop on the Saturday a wedding party came to the same pub, and nothing would please the groom to be, but to have an official photo taken on one of our bikes, needless to say that was easily achieved .I think this made the day for the groom, all you had to do was look a the broad grin on his face when he was having his photo taken on the BMW. A great weekend and many thanks to the lads for all their hard work in the organisation, and also to our hon, Treasurer Brendan lang, for all his input at the events.Con O’Leary is at time of writing (mid June) leading a group of riders to Austria on a charity run

for the Cope charity.Foundation.Remember, our monthly runs from Spa Hotel,

second Sunday of the month and the lads and their Cork ride outs.Speak to Liam Quinlan.

Jim

Jim Sweeney 08723-00736

[email protected]

London SectionYet another Club outing put into disarray as a result of BMW bike (un) reliability; Having already rescheduled the Continental Hotel Weekend due to lack of interest with only three members signing up (John Lynch, Gary Gurney & Moir) such that the trip was reduced from five days to four days, the Brittany Hotel was cancelled and the destination revised to Normandy, we were only able to manage Hesdin which is approximately seventy miles south of Calais!

All went well for the first fifteen minutes of the trip as we three assembled at the arranged meeting place at 0700 hrs on the Friday. At the moment of departure though, Garys` GS refused to start due to a completely “dead” Battery. After successfully bump starting the `bike we proceeded to Folkstone were we expected the Battery to have become recharged.

No such luck and so Jump Leads were purchased allowing us to continue. The remainder of Friday and most of Saturday was spent trying to source a replacement Battery which we managed by about 1400hrs by which time it was too late to head for Normandy – it started raining heavily seeing us arrive at Hesdin ready for a comfortable Hotel Room of which there were none available !

Three hours later found us at Berk Plage were we did eventually find rooms for the night. Apparently the whole of Par de Calais gets booked up at weekends during the season.

The moral of this storey is to ride a Japanese Motorcycle and book rooms ahead !

The first Ride-out of July to Blockley was attended by a grand total of two(Peter Ball & Moir) but we were joined at the Crown Inn for lunch by Mick & Janice Miles on their way back from a weekend away with another Motorcycle Club where they had an attendance of thirty-ish.

Returning on the Channel Tunnel, from Par de Calais, we met up with London Section Member John Lilly who was returning from a C1200 ( Chromeheads) Rally were their attendance was in the region of three hundred.

For the September English Country Hotel weekend I have two Hotels near Ludlow in mind but I will cancel any provisional booking by 6th. August if no interest is received by then. Keep an eye on the Section Website for details.


Finally the Clubs` June Snetterton Track Day was a success with only two available places unfilled. The morning session was conducted in the rain but the Track dried out very quickly and we had sunshine for the afternoon. I understand that the August day is proving much more popular and so , hopefully, we will see a few more London Section Members in attendance; as usual, I will travel up on the Sunday before, staying overnight – anyone wishing to join me is welcome.

Go carefully

Peter Jones 07710-887958

[email protected]

Mercia SectionThe June visit to Windy Ridge on Jubilee weekend was a very wet one! That’s a nice change? We had a few new faces here again, including members from the Northern Section. The first of the month here is growing in popularity come and join us but remember cash only or cheque? Sample how bacon butties should be!

What weather we’ve had so far this year! John Humpherson decided to abandon his run before it got started due to torrential downpours. The weather prospects for the Skegness run looked fairly grim, but I turned up in plenty of time for the start, expecting few to be there! What a nice surprise to see enough riders there to make it a pleasurable run. Welcome to new members out for a ride for the first time, Paul Johnson and Gordon Neighbour. Hope to see you out more chaps. The run took us through all the back roads to Skegness barely touching a main road. A comfort stop at Tattershall Picnic area took a little longer than anticipated arriving here about 2 hours after leaving Donington Services. The run resumed after enjoying tea provided by the Section, again following minor roads and negotiating what can best be described as a lake across the road but at least, it was less than a foot deep so easy crossing! Skegness was enjoyed by all basking in the unexpected sunshine. Why is it, Fish & Chips always taste better by the sea? The return trip was by a different route pulling in some great biking roads with the pace moving along a little more for the return. My thanks to Ian McNaughton for an admirable job as my tailender!

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get information on the organised Cornwall holiday to Trickies! Arranged as always by David and Imir I understand everyone had a great time as usual.

How quickly time is passing we’ll be into AGM time again very soon so I may as well give you plenty of advanced notification of the event. We’ll be holding the Mercia Section AGM at Repton Village Hall, address detail in ‘where we meet’ Meeting will start 10.30am. Please send any applications for office

to Ruth Jackson, Section Secretary before the end of September. Date for AGM will be October 14th. All positions have to be re-elected so if you fancy volunteering to help out with any office, please let us know, we’re always looking for new faces and new ideas. There will be a free buffet again and of course as much tea & coffee as you can drink.

Just a gentle reminder for anyone wishing to take part in a Section Run, on the 4th of this month Committee member Martin Lunn will be leading a run round Horseshoe Pass – on the 12th. Aug Committee member Brian Cooper will be leading a run and there’s an additional pick up point for anyone else to join in, The Little Chef in Shrewsbury will be the coffee stop at approx. 10am. Contact Brian on 07743 559525, and finally the visit to the Air Ambulance at East Midlands Airport on the 18th. Let me know if you’ll be attending there’s limited time and spaces.

Colin Ainsworth 07799 653789

[email protected]

Midland Section20 of us ventured down to Beddgelert in the end, for a weekend of supposedly riding the North Welsh roads in the dry, as opposed to when we are normally there in Feb. Oh well, the best laid plans and all that. It was one of the wettest June weekends since records began (OK, slight exaggeration, but you get the gist) so in all there were only 4 bikes, the rest of us in cars. We may be “bikers” but some of us still have our faculties!. Still a great weekend, with some of us going down the tin or copper mines, and the highlight for me was the tour of electric mountain, the underground hydro-electric plant in Llanberis. If you have never been, make sure you do and prepare to be amazed!. The Saracens head catered for us all weekend, and the beers flowed smoothly. All in all a good time with good company, this is what the club should be about. The River across the road had swelled to such an extent that it was almost


up to the inner arch of the bridge, but subsided just before it burst the banks. Seeing the sandbags being delivered in the middle of the night was quite off putting, but not needed in the end. A really good weekend that I hope to repeat in the future.

Nice to see some new members at out pub meet at the Griffin, if I knew their names I would give them a mention, but hopefully they will be there this month, and I will write their names down. I find I am having to do that more and more!

On the 24th, “where’s me luggage” Gordon met us at Markfield services, and led us on a really picturesque route thro’ the countryside down to the Nene railway at Peterborough. It’s amazing how you can be 10 mins off the A1 and be riding on such little backroads. We all went to the café just by the entrance, and then onto the platform, where some went on the train, and some of us just chilled out (Literally!) and dispersed from there. Another really good, well planned day out and thanks go to Gordon for that.

Gordon’s report:-Sunday 24th June saw 7 bikes 11 members meet

at M1 Markfield Services Leicester for a run to the Nene Valley Railway Peterborough, where we were met by a further 4 members. In view of the recent atrocious weather this was a good turnout and as if being sympathetic the weather was indeed kind to us. There was some sunshine at times and no rain all day on the route. The arrival at the Nene Valley was delayed a little as Gordon the runs leader decided he liked the look of the A1 and took the party of bikes on a little tour of it before deciding it was perhaps best to visit the railway after all. After lunch some members took the train into Peterborough pulled buy a steam engine, unfortunately not Thomas the Tank engine, as this was scheduled for a children’s party later in the day.

On our return from the trip Jim and Sue took us to an old haunt of theirs, the village hall at Kings Cliff where the lady’s committee there laid on tea and cakes for us. A good day was had for all who attended.

July saw Georges Norfolk camping weekend,

Norm’s ride to Foxton and the usual pub meets as in the Journal. I haven’t had the report in from the camping weekend yet, hopefully next month.

August is very quiet this year, as I am not doing a club tour, and a lot of people are away. John Taylor is leading a ride to Langollen and the Horseshoe pass on the 19th August, should be a good day out with lots of “comfort” stops. Meet at the M42 services junction 10 at 08:30 for a 09:00 departure.

I will be touring in France, but it really looks a good day out. Wish I could do both!

Friday September the 7th is the start of our camping weekend in the Peak district, at Hardhurst Farm, Hope Valley, Derbyshire.S33 6RB. At £5.00p.p.p.n. andn £16:00 for vans and motorhomes inc. electric, it should be a good weekend with some great roads to ride. Please book with the site, and also let me know, as we may have some Midland hospitality catering, and need to know numbers. The details are in the journal.

Finally, Jim’s ride to Turville, the home of the Vicar of Dibley! Cross country ride, approx 60miles. Meet at Jack Hills cafe, A5 just North of Towcester at 09:30, for 10:15 departure. Jim’s first official lead, as he is normally our back marker, so let’s give the ride our support.

Remember the evening club meets are still proceeding nicely, and you will find details in the journal.

Until next time,Bodger

Steve Foreman 01536 722048 07770 827574

[email protected]

Northern SectionHello Lads and Lassies, I hope your all managing to have fun with your bikes, despite the weather. I’m just waiting for the pestilence and the swarms of locusts , then I think we’ll have to start building an ark, if its not to late .

Anyway back to the here and now, I’d like to thank everybody that turned up at Chipping for our June meeting and helped to make our 50th anniversary celebrations such a great success ,well beyond my expectations. There will be a more detailed article within this months journal .

Most of you seem to be managing to keep your run outs going despite the adverse weather conditions, my salutations go out to you brave and intrepid few. My apologies for not getting out and about as much as I had hoped to.

Been getting wonderful feedback from Frank about his monthly runs more of which I believe can be found within our northern section web site.

I was able to attend John Bell’s first breakfast run


of the year, First Sunday of each month there ended up just being the two of us, and we employed the drop off system a bit of a challenge , I hear you say, with only two bikes, well I can assure you it worked a treat After about an hour of riding various back roads thru the borders John did indeed manage to drop me off so well, that we never saw each other for the rest of our run. Lol

Looking forward now, the section agm will be held at the Chipping meeting on the second Sunday of October. A couple of our committee will be stepping down, either thru illness or other commitments so we are looking for nominations for any body that feels they could contribute a bit of time and effort to the club.

As part of our September Chipping meeting Vera Hunt will be putting on a master class in card crafting , to which you are all cordially invited , there may have to be a small charge of £1.00 to go towards the cost of materials. I’m looking forward to see how this goes, if successfull we will try to put on more craft days.

The last weekend in August see’s the National rally taking place at Ellesmere, ( booking form ,in the journal) , I’m looking for a couple of helpers to help with the erection of our marquee from which I’m hoping to dispense tea and biscuits as well as a warm and hearty northern welcome.

That’s about all for now. Anybody who has not yet received their 50th anniversary items , could you please call me on 01228 594792 and I’ll arrange to get them to you asap.

Take care , keep well and keep on riding Peter ( the real Biking Viking)

Peter McCombie [email protected]

North East SectionThis year is not getting off to a very good riding season with a lot of rain bringing on floods and the cancelation of a couple of events. We are at the mercy of the weather and some of it has been pretty atrocious this past month. A small group of us were intending to get up to Ullapool for the Scottish Sections longest day week-end. Whilst they had reasonable weather we in the North east had possibly the wettest period this year. There were floods and road closures en route so we decided to call it a day.

The 1st ride of the month was lead by Tom Fish starting at the Waggon Inn and leading off over the borders. There were 3 other bikes, 2 solo and one couple on an 1150Rt. They passed through Hawick where they stopped for a meal and fuel at Sainsbury’s . Then pressing on via Selkirk and past the Megget reservoir onto Moffat and then made their way back to the respective homes.

On Wednesday the 6th June, the much missed

curry evening put on for us by Philip and Helen grey had to be cancelled because of Philip’s move to a different parish, but this was replaced by and evening ride lead by Graham Walker. Only 3 bikes went, Graham on one, Phil Knight and John Alderson on the other two. The weather was again very threatening but their ride took them over some of the lesser known parts of County Durham. (Graham’s words) There was a stop at the Duke of York pub for a break before riding back to the rowing club.

On Sunday 10th there was a second lunchtime visit to the Old Parkhead station café on the windswept moors above Stanhope. 6 folk attended and by all accounts they were well served with Lunch.

Wednesday 13th June Rob Powell took a group of 7 or 8 bikes on a route leading to Whitby where they feasted on the local fish and chips before riding back home.

The Reivers Boreen took place over the weekend of 16th – 18th June, lead of course by Peter Cullen. Bikes numbering up to 22 give or take set out on a cross country route from Hexham into the wilds of the North East. The 1st day was dampish but did improved as time went by. I asked Phil where they went and he just said “Everywhere” so we will leave it at that. Well done Peter for organising a cracking weekend once again. Next year – perhaps again?

Wednesday the 20th June we had the usual meeting at the Waggon Inn and it was a good turn out with 18 bikes, some with pillion too. A lovely warm and dry night gets people out from in front of their televisions.

Lastly in what has been quite a busy month there was a fish and chip ride on Friday22nd but the weather took it’s toll on this one too. After debating what to do about the high wind, branches coming off trees and the prospect of rain it was decided to save the petrol for a better day.

Anyway thank you all those who turned up and to those who lead the various rides.

Now to more serious business. Phil Oughtred our Section Secretary/membership Secretary gave notice at the last Section AGM that this was to be his last year in office having been the ‘boss’ over four of them and wants to stand aside. We really need a volunteer to come forward and take up the reins. If you think you would like to have a go but don’t know fully what this entails give Phil a call at home and discuss it with him. I am assured that it is not as onerous as it sounds. His telephone number and E Mail address is in the Journal on page 6. Remember no Secretary – means literally we will not have a section.

John King 07833 705652

[email protected]


Oxford SectionWe’ve been very busy this month, even though the weather has been so wet. At the beginning of June there was the Camping weekend at Lechlade. This is the report from Dave Hawkins who kindly organised the event:

The wet and windy weather which had stayed around for the rest of the week after washing out the Diamond Jubilee celebrations meant that most of the people who had booked to camp at Lechlade decided to stay at home rather than risk another soaking. Thank You to the ones that took the time to phone the camp site and let them know, this is always appreciated as it ensures we continue to be welcome there in future.

I took my van to Lechlade on Thursday evening to use as base camp for the weekend and was woken up several times during the night by the sound of rain and the wind rocking the van. On Friday morning it was still raining and there were ducks paddling around the camp site. Fortunately for the few who did brave the elements the rain finally stopped on Friday afternoon and the weather improved considerably, I even got sunburnt sitting outside on Saturday afternoon.

The ride out on Saturday went ahead as planned and it stayed dry all day. Having only 4 bikes allowed us to be flexible with the route and a detour to Folly Tower at Faringdon was added to the itinerary, before going on to Cogges Museum. The return route went via My house so I was able to leave the bike at home and get a lift back to Lechlade (Thanks Chris), so I did not have to load the bike back in to the van to take it home on Sunday morning.

On returning to the camp site it was a quick

shower and shave before heading in to Lechlade for dinner and another late night in the pub. On Sunday morning there was still no rain so the few tents on site were packed away dry before going for a late breakfast in town and then heading for home.

I’ve already booked myself in at the camp site for next year Friday 31st of May and Saturday 1st of June The weekend after the second May bank holiday again.

On the Sunday of the same weekend we also had a ride out with Rob and Marion and their report follows:

Not a National Trust destination this year but an Elizabethan manor house owned by the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham. We had a good number of bikes and pillions plus a couple of visitors from Midland Section and one from Southern Section. We had an excellent lunch at Pershore before continuing to the hall. Despite a rather twisty route we didn’t lose anyone, more by luck than judgement as we ran out of bikes using the drop off system. At one point we had 15 cars behind instead! The guided tour was excellent and extremely informative about life in the Civil war period in particular. Steve has put some photos on the section website for anyone who is interested.

The section trip this year was to Austria and Geoff reports:

Thirty-two members and guests from the Oxford Section travelled to Austria for a truly memorable week. We stayed at Gasthof Hochalmspitze in Malta which is run by Jon and Ros Gowers, a British couple, who are themselves bikers. If you visited the motorcycle show at the NEC you may have come across them. Many thanks to David and Rosemary who did meet them two years ago and suggested


this destination! (more details including photo album of our trip on http://www.hochalmspitze.com)

The accommodation and food were great and Jon and Ros were supplemented by various volunteers from Blighty such as Rosilee, Jane, Leigh and Earl as well as a number of local ladies. We travelled out in small groups using various different routes and all managed to arrive safely. The weather on both outward and return legs was a bit of a lottery. It rained in Belgium and Germany both ways and at the start of our departure from Austria, but the week in between made it all worthwhile.

The sun shone from almost cloudless skies. (Our hostess had promised Mediterranean weather as we were south of the Alps but I’m not sure we had believed her!). There was a general expectation of thunderstorms late in the week and boy we were we not disappointed! The storms came on Thursday and Friday nights so as not to interfere with daytime activities which was extremely considerate. Thursday evening produced not only thunder and lightening and appropriate quantities of the wet stuff, but also an impromptu cabaret with acts including a quartet of ladies “Singing in the rain” complete with brollies; Geoff doing a weather girls “its raining men” and a guest appearance by the Stig. All great fun. To follow this we tried a walk in the dark (someone had switched off the street lighting) until the rain returned. On the dash back to the hotel uphill, wet and in complete darkness, we passed a speed display unit, and the fastest recorded person notched up 17kph.

We were all provided with Karnten Cards which allowed us free access to most of the local attractions including the Grossglockner Pass and the Nockalmstrasse. Most of us went up the Grossglockner on the Tuesday for an impromptu photoshoot at the bikers point. The Nockalmstrasse was built for no other purpose than for the enjoyment of driving or riding. Visibility along the road and especially at the hairpins encouraged safe but brisk riding. Other activities free with the card included the Porche Museum in Gmund, A steamer trip on Millstatsee and a ride up the funicular Reisseck railway. Another very good local trip was up the valley to the Maltahochalmstrasse and the dam. This toll road winds up the valley using both hairpins and tunnels. The tunnels are unlit, much cooler than outside and usually have running water under wheel. In the middle of one of the tunnels there is a hairpin bend! Fortunately this section is covered by a single alternate traffic flow system controlled by traffic lights. The dam is spectacular and has a glass floored viewing platform part way along. Dramatic views are all one can say! Once a year a special bike blessing service is held, with hundreds of bikes lining the top of the dam.

Jon is a keen biker and has over 40 local routes available to download into most varieties of satnav. He also leads rideouts so we booked his services

for a three country ride to/from Austria via Slovenia and Italy. We had a great ride but experienced a wide variety of road surfaces including a section of road where all the metalled surface had just been scraped off and one section where fresh tar had been sprayed but no stones added on top. Ok for GS riders – not so good for the fleet of K1600s though. There was a good variety of passes and tremendous views available. There was much relief from high temperatures when we reached an Italian lake and stopped for a paddle/swim. Generally the roads around Malta were traffic free and well surfaced. The Grossglockner and Nockalmestrasse were well maintained but with some road works in part. One must remember there is a short snow free season for the road menders so to prepare for high season they had to mend them when we were there!

On the Friday evening Ros had arranged a concert by the local band. There was a rain break for a while but the evening was a great success. The repertoire was mostly marching brass band music, but there were also versions of songs by Whitney Houston and Lady Ga Ga. The band was very talented and apparently loved Guinness! A slow riding race (for pedal not motor cycles) was run. This provided much amusement and demonstrated amazing talents for poise and balance from the Van Zyl trio.

Although everyone on the trip knew someone else, most people did not know each other. We had number of new members and guests, but everyone mixed very well and it made for a great holiday. Mostly the evening entertainment was informal nattering over a few beers. We also had a real mix of bikes apart from the usual range of BMWs including a Harley, two Ducatis, a Kawasaki and a Suzuki Bergman. It will be very difficult in future years to beat this trip for all round enjoyment. Various ideas for next year include northern Spain, Champagne region of France, Northern Germany and Outer Mongolia (All right I made up the last one!)

Events coming up in August include the usual natter nights. Please note the George and Dragon has closed so the group now meet at the Churchill Arms, West Lavington, SN10 4JB.

3 – 5 August is the World Superbikes at Silverstone. See advert in July Journal for more details re half price offer. Join the section with special parking (if we get sufficient bookings).

12 August ride out to the section BBQ at Savernake Forest near Marlborough. Meet at Newbury Wharf for 11.00 am departure. Please contact Steve Moxey on 07771 663915 for more details.

On 19 August we are having a stand at the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling. Please contact Rosemary Hicks on 01869 240529 for more details.

24 – 27 August National Rally at Ellesmere School.

It has been great to meet lots of new members


recently. If you haven’t joined us for any of the section events yet, don’t be shy! Come along and enjoy the fun.

Wendy

Wendy Ottaway [email protected]

Scottish SectionLongest day weekend in Ullapool:Approximately 30 section members welcomed folk from the Midland, Northern and Irish sections. 7 Ulster section members made a very welcome day visit. Norman “new boots” Robertson and Peter Smith of Inverurie Gang fame also graced the gathering with a day visit. Very good to see so many people.

The weather forecast for the weekend was not good but Ullapool seems to live in it’s own little micro climate and the weather was reasonable. A good time was had by all. Ian Roulston of the Midland section was awarded the furthest travelled prize. Many thanks to Calterdons of Inverness who sponsored the barbecue on Saturday evening.

Fort Augustus weekend – 30 year celebration:Bill Inglis the first section treasurer, Jim Wright

and other original members were amongst 40 old,

not so old and new members who gathered for the weekend to celebrate 30 years of the Scottish section. Friday evening found most folk gathered in the marquee for an “orgy” of reminiscing, story telling and laughter. Saturday evening everyone enjoyed the best barbecue yet cooked by Eric and Andy. Marjorie, our roving reporter, now has the new title of “salad queen”. Dick Boyd gave a potted history of the section and Bill Inglis made a short speech saying that the section had always been very good and he was very pleased to see that it was getting even better. Bill was then asked to cut the “special section cake”. The cake was absolutely excellent and the baker deserves a mention, Miss Attie’s Cakes, Burntisland (www.missattiescakes.co.uk). Nick Fearn was awarded the furthest travelled prize. Even the damp weather and voracious midgies failed to spoil an excellent weekend. There were definitely no slippers to be seen and the only pipe belonged to Tom Campbell who spent the weekend midgie free. Many, many thanks to all those who joined us and made it a very special weekend. Photographs: Jim Wright with motorbike. Bill Gault doing his superman act. Thanks to Liz for sending me the Group photo of some of the “Originals” copyright E.A.Sandland. More photos will follow in next months Journal.

The Inverurie Gang’s Austrian trip was apparently a great success but they are keeping the details of goings on to themselves!! The date for next year has been decided on but so far no destination.

Lunch meet at Hopeville Social Club, Inverurie. Since the first meeting at this venue on 27 September 2002 Kelvin, who has held the catering contract at this establishment for 17 years, has been making Club members very welcome and providing first class food, tea and coffee. Regrettably Kelvin now has health problems and is no longer in a position to look after the Inverurie Gang. Kelvin is an absolute gem always helpful and friendly and we wish him a speedy recovery and all the very best for the future.

Reminders:4th & 5th August – BMW Mottorad eXtreme Event

at Knockhill. The section will be there to promote the


Club. Marquee with free tea and coffee all weekend. Come along and support the section. Entry is free.

17th – 19th August - Dalraddy Park – 30 year camping anniversary: The second celebration cake will be there so if you want another piece join us.

28th – 30th September - Glen Coe Gathering.Last months Journal: The photographs were of

Derek Ramsey at the Caterhuns and Jim Clerken and Ray Kearns on the Glen Ogle viaduct.

Judy Lepley 01592 874592

[email protected]

Southern Section I understand ‘The Italian Job’ went very well, with all participants having a good time. I have not been given a write up for the news, but I hope the full story will appear in the journal in the future.

In June, we had an invitation to join Oxford section for The Lechlade camping, but as the weekend dawned there were gales forecast, definitely not good weather for erecting tents. I have talked to Dave, and he said that most people did cancel, but a few braved the weather and had a good weekend, with sun on the Saturday, a good ride out, and it was still dry to take down the tents on the Sunday morning.

No other events to report for June, so onto the future calendar. This month, we have got lots of things lined up for you. Dave Wright has organised a ‘try your hand at archery’ day on 11th August. This is near Normandy and all details are on the website. He has to give final numbers by the last week in July, so hopefully, if you have not heard about this already, and the journal arrives early, you may just be able to get your name on the list. Contact Dave on [email protected]

It will be a busy weekend, as on 12th you must join Trish on her ‘round the back roads’ trip to a cream tea stop. This is a regular and usually very well attended event. Meet at Newlands Corner at 10.30hrs to leave by 11.00hrs (slightly different time to the website, but this is definitely right). It will be a nice gentle ride round the countryside, as Trish always manages to find some interesting, less frequently travelled roads, culminating in an unusual food stop.

On 14th, Rick is again doing his Poole Quay fish and chip run. Give him a ring on 07918 666532. Although not a BMW event, we have the Popham Mega Meet Autojumble on the weekend of 17th to 19th August. There is camping on site, and we have a stand to promote the club. Contact John Mann on [email protected] if you want to take a bike over thirty years old, and contact Noel on [email protected] for more details and if you are willing to help out on the stand. The National is being held at Ellesmere College in

Shropshire over the Bank Holiday weekend, all details for this are in a separate article in the journal.

On the weekend of 31st August to 2nd September we have the Isle of Wight Hotel and Camping weekend. I do not have any details to put in this news, but if you are interested in joining us, contact Erica on [email protected]

Nick will be running his ‘Tucker’s Mystery Tour’ on 9th September. No details yet, well, it is a mystery, so contact Nick on 07775 702265. As far as I know, Tim and Sarah’s week in France 15th to 22nd is fully booked. I am not surprised, as this is always a very popular event. At the end of the month, on the 30th, we have slot car racing. Contact Noel for booking details.

Now, I know it is only August, but I have all the details for our Christmas dinner on the 1st December. We are going back to The Gatwick Manor, mainly because we have not been able to find a suitable alternative which has sensibly priced accommodation available. We have booked 30 places, and the cost is the same as 2 years ago at £34.95. The club will subsidise this so the cost to members will be £25.00 which must be paid at the AGM at the latest. We have booked 30 places, so names will be taken on a first come first served basis. If you want to get your name on the list, please contact Trish on 07779 242186.

Well, that is all for now folks. I know that since we were told we were experiencing a drought, it seems to have been permanently raining, but I am sure that with all the events organised for August and September there must be something that will tempt you out, even if it means digging out the waterproofs. Happy riding. Gerri

Noel Robertson [email protected]

Gerri [email protected]

01895-446896 (not after 20:00hrs please)

South East SectionAlthough Lou and I were not able to go to the Red Kite Week end in Llandovery I understand that it was a very good weekend despite the rain and wind and I must say a big thank you to Paula and Kelvin for organising the event. The weekend provided excellent B&B and camping for those hardy enough to brave the rain and the food was enjoyed by all 50 plus members there. The landlord, Andy organised a run for Saturday which many enjoyed although the lovely scenery was viewed through the rain.

The June club night pannier sale nearly sold Dave Deacon’s helmet and jacket carelessly left on the table with articles for sale. Not many takers for this event this year apart from some very old BMW


Journals which made interesting reading.(Shaun has many available from 1988 )

Club night saw the old bike theme and Kevin Goldfinch on a Norton Commando ! walk off with prize for “Oldest”. ( Doh.We forgot to specify, BMW only)

The June BBQ at Matty’s Field and we must have chosen one of the only dry Saturdays this summer so far. 54 Members attended the BBQ and chatted the afternoon and evening away, the BBQ chef was Graham who cooked a mountain of foods followed up by various puddings. I must so thank you first to Matty for allowing us to use his home and his field, thank you for Dave Deacon for arranging the putting up and taking down of the marquee, collecting the meat and strawberries and raspberries. Also I would like to say a big thank you to the ladies of the club, who baked, washed salads, served the food, cleared away and washed up I could not have done it with out you all. ( And a big Thank You to Rosemary for organising everything.)

On the 2nd a small group again fought the early wind and rain to join Paul Ashby`s run to the B&W Railway, we enjoyed a little run on the steam train and plenty of tea and tasty cakes at his Mum in Laws, so thank you there.

Our BSB trip was called off as no interest was shown.

Coming up on the 5th we have the WKVMCC Rally at Aylesford,always a good weekend. Then on the 12th, Ron is taking us to The Shuttleworth Collection. The 15th we have The Best Bike competition ( only open to BMW`s and Section Members )

The National Rally from 24th has a few members booked in. Run to details will be discussed at clubnight.

A reminder for the Harvest Supper, names to Rosemary please.

Please consider nominations for Secretarial positions as these need to be proposed by mid September, Rosemary has made it clear with family commitments she is not able to continue and this post needs to be filled by somebody with energy and enthusiasm and the ability to organise their team.

Shaun.X

Shaun Mulligan 01634-241215

[email protected]

Section Social secretary Lou Warner

01622-678997 [email protected]

South West SectionJune should have started with Bryan’s Murder Mystery ride on Dartmoor but because of Royal intervention it has been put off until Sunday September the 23rd, . Then the Compton Abbas ride had to be cancelled due to ill health, I haven’t rearranged this as I don’t know when I be will fit enough? Pete Fletcher did do his Mendip ride, his report follows;

“After welcoming a new face, Paul, from my home town of Bridgwater stalwarts John, Charles and I set off for our three stop tour of the Mendip Hills in what was bright and sunny weather with the odd threatening cloud. Although we used the same three stops as before, the routes were entirely different taking in the southern edge of the Cheddar valley villages through Wedmore to Wells, then up over the hills to Frome and our first stop taking in again, as before, the castle at the pretty village of Nunney.

Suitably refreshed with a variety of tea, coffee, cake, scone and scotch egg (between the four of us) we set off for our next stop at Chew Valley Lake this time venturing to the outskirts of Trowbridge, through Bradford on Avon, past Limpley Stoke and up to Combe Down after which skirting the southern edge of Bath from high up giving a panoramic view of the city. On the way we met some horrendous traffic queues but fortunately all in the opposite direction.

After more light refreshments at Chew Valley Lake the midges started to make us unwelcome so we left for our final stop at Weston Super Mare and the Victorian tea house. Cutting across country through more picturesque villages we crossed the M5 into Portishead and Clevedon taking in the coastal route overlooking the Severn Estuary, with a clear view of Wales and the Welsh Hills. Crossing back and forth over the M5 through Yatton and Congresbury we again took the coastal route via Sandy Bay into Weston Super Mare itself, where those of us without a meal waiting for them at home, enjoyed a nice meal whilst on the promenade watching the world go by and putting the world to rights. With Paul leaving first and then John and Charles about to leave I said I would stay on a bit and have an ice cream, to which comment Charles did a quick 180 degree turn and joined me at the ice cream parlour.

Officially the tour was now finished and the weather had been fine however by the time Charles and I had got dressed and ready to go the heavens opened up. With a fill up for Charles on route to the M5 we both headed south saying our good byes at 70mph at junction 23 where I turned off for home. My thanks to those who attended in making this overall a very pleasant day out. Regards Pete.

I don’t want to talk about the weather, but it is not helping the camping weekends, but hoping that


July will see much more inviting sunshine to make the Tiverton Rugby Club Camping weekend into it’s usual success. An extra meet has been added on the 18th of July, a mid week evening get together at Captain Jaspers in the Barbican Plymouth for 7.30, this is an ever popular get together as there is always lots of activity!

The 22nd we have our BBQ and Concours, still time to polish that chrome.

End of the month is the Aberdare races camping, followed by Slimbridge camping weekends, the ones who are able could stretch the two together and make a week of it.

August the 12th we have something different with a ride starting at Whidden Down Services going North to catch a scenic Train ride, near to the Devon Somerset border.

The 15th we have a midweek lunch time meet at the log cabin Knowstone between South Molton and Tiverton , well known for its Wednesday mid day meets.

The 19th we have extra Sunday Lunch Meet at the Haldon Grill Exeter on the A380 road to Torquay. The 29th we have a mid week ride with Mark leading a ride up to Symonds Yat from Woodleigh Hall Café meeting at 10.00, should be a great day out. Lets hope for better riding weather as there some great outings to look foreword to.

don Rabson 01840 212913

[email protected]

Ulster Section.With no July meeting and no speaker scheduled for August my monthly task has been made a little bit easier this entry, the arrival of a Journal means I have to start and piece together Section News, usually a late submission covering the current club night running me up to, or over, submission deadline of 23: 59 on the fifth day of the month. Steve Foreman has always given me some latitude as I try and keep up to date with Section activities and not miss a Journal entry, some hurried late night work has ensured that so far this has been the case.

The Round Ulster Run, 10/6/12, had 15 starters who contributed £70 to our charity; NABD. This year the run was in a clockwise direction, after I worked out which way Mickey’s arms were moving on my watch, and the entire episode, Drop Off System and all went like clockwork. Except Paul’s G650GSPD, it ticked but wouldn’t toch until bump started, ( thinly disguised wind-up ), it was running a bit rough so he headed home swopped it for his F800GS and rejoined us at the tea stop in Newcastle. We enjoyed a dry day for which we are always thankful, covering 340 miles, some more depending on your homeward miles, Derren Brown would have been impressed with our tail-ender, Alan Stewart, he had

no Hi-Viz vest; infact neither had I, spooky!! Next up was the Treasure Hunt and Bar-be-que, 17/6/12, once again organised by Charlie Carruthers, starting at Corr’s and finishing at Coleraine Rugby Club. 15 entered the treasure hunt with a total of 35 at Coleraine, slightly down in numbers from last year but a good day out and well organised, once again your generosity on the day saw NABD benefit by £175, an excellent effort by all. Colin Graham took first place, remarkable in that he used neither GPS or maps, he put it down to skill and the fact it was daylight, other prize winners where; Oliver Hyndman, Wilson Lynn, Noel Irwin and Paul Gregg.

Our Scottish Camping Weekend, 22-25/6/12, was the next event, six members enjoying a great time based at Dornie. Sometime titles can be a bit misleading, but in an effort to keep things authentic Alan Cameron camped while the others opted for the Loch Duich Hotel, I would have too had I been there. This was the time of the floods at home and across the UK, but this did not stop our team, soaked on leaving home by the time they reached Inverary it was dry and remained so for the entire trip. Jackie Hunter lead the runs, meeting up with members of the Scottish Section who were staying in Ullapool; being jammy with the weather, they had 20 degrees while we got 20mm, shortly after they left for home a handful of midges arrived on their annual migration south; how lucky can you get. Out of this group only Alan who camped suffered the effects of the midges, his arms looking quite sore from bites, but he’s tough and survived, Len claims to have recognised a couple of the midges from last year, particularly vicious ones, the Police have been informed and are having a cup of tea. Wednesday night runs are also being hit by the weather with numbers down as a result, 27/6/12 being one in particular; as I left home 2 inches of rain fell on south and east Belfast in two hours, yes you’ve guessed right, that’s what I had to slosh through to get to Corr’s, the water was running out of me, but no rain at Corr’s. As it was Peter Surgeoner’s ‘World tour of Ahoghill’ I’m glad I made the effort through the floods to attend, as did eight others, Peter does a splendid job with an excellent route and finishing at the Yew Tree restaurant. However…. as I was low on fuel I went ahead to fill up, so far so good, struggling to get my sodden gloves back on I saw the run arrive at the junction behind me, no problem.. except when I turned out of the garage they had all gone!!! I guessed right that they had took a left at the crossroads, but was lost as they were gone from the next roundabout and the village of Doagh, D.O.S; Doagh off System!! I love you. What irony, I now didn’t need the top-up, and took the short route to Ahoghill straight through a thunderstorm exactly like the one earlier; by-passed of course by Peter and the run. All’s well that ends well, we reunited at the Yew Tree, Peter treated us all to Tea ,Coffee,Pavlova and biscuits, in return we made


a donation to N.A.B.D. of £60, again thank you Peter for the run and the generosity of our section members. The weather that night was exceptional, and on the way home six of us rode through the absolute worst rain I have ever seen, and I’ve seen some rain, at one stage on a carriageway the road surface just disappeared and the sky was pitch black; didn’t stop some cars passing other traffic at silly speeds though.

Great to see our favourite brand doing so well in WSB, at a recent round the works team and supported team finishing in third to sixth places, there were quite a number of the S1000RR’s at the North West 200 and a good showing in BSB. I wonder how long before Triumph decide to copy it? Also good coverage of le Tour de France sees BMW’s well represented, there’s even a K75 in there being used by a photography crew. Hot of the Press… Ulster Section members should have received notification of 2013 Scottish Weekend, Nethy Bridge, please read and act upon accordingly to ensure your place. Finally, finally as if we hadn’t got the message by now, the Meteoroiogical Office has confirmed April, May and June as the wettest second quarter on record, and June as the wettest ever, Bob Diamond has turned down the offer to be their new CEO..

Norman Shearer [email protected]

Western SectionOur meeting at Devauden on 10th June was

possibly the best yet. A very professional barbeque provided courtesy of ‘The Bradbeer Catering Co,.’ Led by Chief Denis the “D word” Bradbeer grinning from below his green canopy. I am reminded of an ancient rhyme - ‘Beneath the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands. Indeed a mighty man is he - with sausages in his hands’ A seriously good effort on a surprisingly good day in these marvellous surroundings. What more could one ask? Why endless supplies of hot and cold drinks from the boys (and girls) of The Hood (Memorial Hall that is) How nice to see long time members David and Margaret Pidcock again too ( and Margaret’s Mum). Thanks goes to all who participated in any way to make the meeting such a great success.

I am devoid of any more reports on which to comment, and I refuse to mention the weather, Oh I just did!!!

There is a further report however from Colin Ross regarding his camping weekend.

Red Kite Camping Weekend 15th to 17th June from Colin Ross

With the “summer” we have been having to-date I was very much keeping an eye on the weather forecast. For some days prior to the event it was predicted that the weekend would be very wet and

windy and for once it was correct. Initially there were 21 campers booked in and of these 13 turned up and braved the inclement weather and very soggy ground. However this did not detract from everyone having an enjoyable time with a couple going off on their bikes only to find some of the local roads flooded. An organised walk had been planned but had to be cancelled otherwise everyone would have been up to their knees in mud!

Once again the section shelter was put to good use with some South East Section members saying “why haven’t we got one”. With the addition of the new side panels it made a cosy retreat to meet and chat. A local “chippy” delivered our order to the camp site and for short while all was quiet as the fish & chips went down along with the odd glass or two. This was followed by a couple of games of Bingo. In the first game Marion won a box of chocolates for a line, and promptly handed them round. The full house was won by Jan who was given a choice of a bottle of Rioja or a mystery prize, which was the cause of some deliberation in the Hibbard family. After going for the mystery prize Jan was more than happy with a section T Shirt. In the second game Keith won the line and the box of chocolates while Jan (yes the same one) won the Rioja. After that it was down to the pub to meet up with the South East Section who had arranged a meal at one of the hotels where they were staying.

Fortunately Sunday dawned relatively dry with only the odd shower so everyone was able to pack up in reasonable conditions although there would be a lot of drying out to come. Roger and Sandy got away with this by dumping their tent in the skip after it broke (another) pole.

The South East Section indicated that they would run the same event next year however this was our second year at Llandovery and may look for an alternative for next year in the hope of getting some decent weather.

If anyone has any reports on events that have taken place in June contact Chris Bates , even if it’s via Denis Bradbeer ( who is currently in Germany) and it can go in the next months write up.

Chris Bates

denis Bradbeer [email protected]

yorkshire SectionFirst sorry but we had to cancel Hinderwell weekend, following advice from the site owners, but to the two bikers who did make it hope you enjoyed yourselves.

Cracoe is proving to be a popular venue with a very good mix of sections joining us for Sunday brunch and a good natter. We were made very welcome at Chipping the last sunny Sunday!! To help celebrate their 50th anniversary. It was our


section 40th anniversary last year Oops!! Thanks to the two Sues’ for remembering (can’t believe you two girls are old enough to have been riding so long).

I have no feedback from rides out or bike meetings so cannot report on anything. Did you go? Do you want to tell other club members how it went? Whilst we do have a section website, not all our members have access to it or even want it, so this journal entry is their only contact with section events. Don’t be shy; share your biking events/trips abroad with the rest of us!

On a more upbeat note we are looking forward to our Yorkshire Day weekend at Grassington. So far 33 folks have booked to join us it promises to be a good do. We will have loos on site and if you can’t manage without a shower over 2 nights there are plenty of Bs and 5* Hotels in the village. Providing you have booked we will issue a ticket for the BBQ and free beer you can join us just for the day if you just want a ride out we will be pleased to see you.

Peter 01904 672883; will lead a Ride for lunch on Thursday 2nd August to The Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw, North Yorkshire. DL8 3LZ. There will not a meeting at Cracoe on Sunday 5th August. Stuart and I will be in the Lake District at Coniston Hall Farm, camping at the end of the month if you would like to join us. No need to book just turn up. Due to popular request, I rescind my wish to stand down this year unless of course I am swamped with replacements.

Suns out we off biking

Elaine 01274 832309

[email protected]

Sporting RegisterThe first track day of the year went very well with a wet start, then brightening up later in the day, after all the hard work in organising the day I am hoping that someone else will write a full description. It is however my duty to thank all of my helpers, Dave Ensor has spent literally hours of his time rewriting my notes, writing risk assessments, filling the missing bits from my safety briefing, helping me with the participants book let, riding up to see me to try and sort out problems with my computer and meeting the staff at Snetterton circuit and quite a lot more!!!

Liz Sandland came along to my establishment with her son John who was riding the next day, only to be given the job of filling in spread sheets, then the next day being in charge of booking in 120 riders, giving them bike stickers with their numbers, checking them on the list etc. assisted by Lynn and Ann. Liz cannot be there next time in August so I am in need of some help, preferably someone who is used to organising motorcyclists, I did have an offer

of help but in the process of renewing my computer their email got lost, if that person is reading this please contact me again if you are still willing to be involved.

The August date is well over half full at the time of writing, there may be places left if anyone would like to attend, I believe this year we have the optimum format, with a session of training for the cautious and intermediate riders, then as much or as little help from my team of instructors and coaches, in June some chose to ride all morning with their assigned instructor. We had representatives from MCN, ‘Bike’ and ‘Ride’ magazines attending, from what was said I believe they all approved of how we do things, one stating that it was not quite what he expected being the BMW club, later in the day he described me as “mad as a box of frogs”, I took it as a compliment!!!

Whilst trying to promote the day I put notice on 2 Bikers forums, I described how the day was to be run, stated that it is open to non club members etc. etc. on one of them I had 120 views, would you believe I did not get one single application, however on the same site they are piggy-backing a day with another commercial organiser and they have 15 or more going already.We are however supported by the Oakley motorcycle club based around the Bedford area, who have over 10 attending on each day.

In future I would like to put events on at different circuits, until I have a big enough contact list I am not prepared to outlay club money hoping to fill a day, I live close to Snetterton and can draw in lots of local support, after Cadwell park last year I now realise how important this is.

vintage RegisterVery sorry to have missed the 11th Register Rally in Wales I was still incapacitated in hospital on the start day but although the weather was atrocious as ever it is always a social function and all reports have been very favourable and I am grateful to John Lawes stepping in to act on my behalf. Sadly there was only one ‘black and white’, the R68 of Johns, and even that travelled down in the back of his van. The success of the rally is due in large part to the welcome we have always been given by ‘mine Hosts’ Marilyn and Roger Ennis and all their staff, they really do bend over backwards to make us comfortable, thank you to all of them. Numbers were not as low as I had expected with such a dreadfull weather forecast, some 40 sat down for the Saturday dinner down by about 20, however there were 13 missing that I already knew about with changes of plan and illness so the total was hardly down at all.

I am very pleased to report Terry Bradshaw has now completed the restoration of ‘The Enigma (Puzzle)’ and not only is it sitting in my garage but I


have managed a few miles on it and hope to have more by the time of Founders day.

Don’t forget the Verwood open day the Amateur Mechanic is giving on 18th August, as ever it will be a great day giving us all a chance to inspect his large collection of BMW ‘Black and Whites’ and the many more the turn up, there will of course be his ever generous hospitality; the only thing we need is for this the weather to actually be as it should be Summer

I have included a report from Jerry Wakeham who always makes a large contribution to the runouts although he is not a member of the BMW Club being local he introduces us to the best places to visit he, you will gather is a member of the Sunbeam Club ( we will all now sing ‘I’m a little sunbeam’ to make him feel at home).

There are three photos submitted by Bruce Preston and one from John Lawes showing tables of happy smiling faces; also I believe it to be Bruces’ first visit to our rally, hope to see you both again.

Hi. Well, for the first time in 12 years of Sunbeam Fellowship and Classic BM weekends at the Llwyngwair Manor,Newport, Wales we had a ‘washout’. The Friday was so bad that we all jumped into cars and went to the lunch stop. Nice little country pub with a roaring fire going, nice people and good grub a reasonable price (so all was not entirely lost) and some good real ale. As I say we have been very, very lucky with the weather since we, (the local gang), started the idea in 2000 with a weekend for the Sunbeam Fellowship. The manor is an ideal location in that it has facilities to suite all comers. i.e. static accommodation, camping, caravan and camper van facilities with ‘hook up’ and of course rooms in the manor itself, including family suites sleeping 4-6. In addition, Roger Ennis, the boss, is motorcycle friendly with a small collection of classic motorcycles himself. I think we have been lucky with the weather because we seem to get a little micro climate along the coast here from Cardigan down to Fishguard, so that we sometimes get the edge of a weather pattern. One can go a mile or so inland and experience totally different weather to that in the Newport area.

Riding around here is a real pleasure with little or no traffic even on the A and B roads. If daring enough to go off on the many minor and unclassified roads as we do on weekends one hardly sees another vehicle except possibly a tractor.

Since moving here from Kent I think I have possible done more mileage than all my previous riding inc using the Sunbeam (S7) to get to and from work around London and down to Italy in l960. I think the real bonus as well as the great countryside is the relative lack of traffic.

From here mid Wales with all that has got to offer is about an hour. So there we are. If you haven’t been before come next year for the Classic weekend but could I remind you, we (the local gang)


out, but everyone was on four wheels, motorcyclists teaming up with car and van attendees. There was one bike, but that was in the back of a van. None the less, we had an interesting “ride”, and a pleasant lunch where there was a welcome log fire. In the evening, we met up in the bar of the Manor, some for a meal, then a drink and a short chat. Then there was the traditional quiz. I had brought along a set of questions, but a package arrived at the manor, for the “organiser”, which was a quiz! So that was the one we used. I don’t know who sent it, there was no covering letter, or even a post mark that could give a clue. I must, though, convey our thanks for the thoughtful action of one of our members.

No change in the weather on Saturday. We did, though, have a ride out to an interesting historic cottage, where I think we all learned some history. Then on to another pleasant lunch stop. After that a run back to the Manor. Thanks to Jerry for putting on a couple of good runs in not very good weather. In the afternoon, there was to be a concourse, but all the riders disappeared, no doubt wanting to get into fresh, dry, clothes. As the event did not happen, and in any case there was only one black and white, there seemed to be little point in trying to make awards. So, for the first time, the Ray Hall Memorial Trophy was not awarded. In the evening forty of us sat down to our traditional buffet dinner, for which we thank the Manor staff for the usual high quality meal. This was followed by the awarding of raffle prizes. We must thank those who donated prizes; it enabled us to raise £105 for the air ambulance, a charity none of us voluntarily want to take advantage of. Then it was retreating to the lounge, and another cheery log fire, for more socialising.

Sunday was a day to do your own thing. Most were to make their way home, a few stayed on to Monday, and then home. Sods Law, the weather changed for the better.

Despite the weather, we all had a good weekend. Good weather has been booked for next year, as has the Manor. Make a note of the dates. Friday 12th. - Sunday 14th. July.

John and Pat Lawes

suggested the idea because there was little or nothing going on at the time for the vintage & classic riders. The whole idea was a weekend specifically for the vintage and Classic bikes. One year we had, I think, 30 Classic and Vintage in the line-up. What a lovely sight. So please come on your elderly pile of Bavarian scrap. If it’s too far to ride it, bring it on a trailer and do your riding here. Bring the family. We will organise the runs but there is no obligation to do them. Go to the coast with the kids of whatever, but come and bring the bike.

Keep the wheels turning,Jerry (R60 1958)Keep the black stuff on the road

Robin Walker [email protected]

A Wet Weekend in Wales.Robin asked me if I would take over our Welsh

Weekend, as he was under the weather. No problem, except that the weather played havoc with our weekend. Friday saw many arriving in somewhat clement weather - not to last! There were some cancellations, but we still had people from all over, including Ireland. We had a pleasant social evening catching up with friends, some not seen since last year. For our ride out on Friday, the weather was most definitely inclement. Well, we did have a ride


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Business Advertisement (Disclosure) Order 1977Any advertiser who places an advertisement concerning the sale of goods being sold in the course of business shall clearly indicate this fact. This applies whether the advertiser is acting on their own behalf or for another party. If you have reason to believe that you have been misled as to the status of any advertiser, please inform your local Trading Standards Department and the Editor immediately. The fine for breaches of this order is up to £1,000.

Mutual Aid Adverts are to enable BMW Club Members to buy or sellmotorcycles or related items that they own. The service is free butsubject to the rules below, and is not normally available to trade

advertisers.

Note: Mutual Aid closing date is the 1st of each monthMotorcycles For Sale

“K” SeriesK1 - 1989 - 53,126 miles. Blue/yellow. Taxed and Tested. Very good original condition. Matching Baglux tank cover and tank bag. Spare tall screen, bar risers and lower footrests. Pictures available on request. Could deliver to UK, Ireland or near Continent. £3,600. Graeme 07984 469077 or e-mail [email protected] (Belfast).K100RT - 1985 - 59,402 miles, Red. Corbin seat, engine bars, voltage and temperature gauges, BMW panniers and top box (with all keys), tool roll and handbook. Spare front wheel discs, tyre and axle. Plus original seat and spare screen. In very good condition. MoT May 2013, currently on SORN. £1,000 o.n.o. Gordon 01539 552208 (South Cumbria).K1100LT SE - 1996 - 46,300 miles. Aspen silver. Fantastic example with Wilburs shock/fork springs, refurbished K1100RS wheels, ABS 2, s/s braided hoses, £500 plus electronic motorcycle cruise control, Datatool S4 alarm, Hella FF75, HIDs, heated mirrors, heated grips, four speaker stereo,

GPS mount, full luggage, engine bars. Handles sensationally, rides beautifully. Exceptionally clean, well cared for, great reliability. Photographs available. FSH, receipts, MoT April 2013, Tax August. £2,400. Phil 01173 730105 or 07793 236541 or e-mail [email protected] – [email protected] (North Somerset).K1200LT LUx - 2003 -5,500 miles. Usual LT goodies plus six track stereo, Autocom, Sat Nav, two screens, pannier bags, footboards, Immaculate. £6,000. Norman 01189 833507 or 07939145555 (Reading).K1200R - 2006 - Yellow. 10,500 miles. ABS, ESA, heated grips, centre stand, belly pan, Schnitzer handlebar conversion and Schnitzer titanium end can (plus original), FBMWSH with last service at 10,250 and new Michelins. MoT March 2013 and six months Tax on sale. £5,250 o.n.o. David 01361 884222 or 07549 861061 or e-mail [email protected] (Scottish Borders).

“R” SeriesR45 - 1979 - In need of some TLC. Twin front disks and stainless steel exhausts with manuals,


some tools and parts. Currently SORN with no MoT. £1,250. Tom 01883 348158 or e-mail [email protected] (Surrey).R80RT - 1984 - 41,000 miles. Panniers, pop out spotlights. On SORN. MoT March 2013. £1,500. Graham 01902 374707 or 07946 611203 (Wolverhampton).R850R OiLHEAd - 1995 - 53,000 miles. Excellent condition. Taxed until end December, MoT expires 25 July. Heated grips, clock and rev counter pods, panniers, inner bags, trickle charger, seat and helmet locks. One key fits all. New starter motor last November and new tyres this summer. Thoroughly reliable and smooth runner. Space needed for another bike. £1,500. John 01622 744665 or e-mail [email protected] (Maidstone).R1100RT - 2000 - 70,000 miles. Graphite grey. Bagster tank cover, new tyres, Tax and MoT. Spare front and rear callipers, starter motor, alternator, choice of tank bags, colour coded panniers, pannier inner bags, Givi top box. Original top box. ABS does not reset never had problem with it. Only selling because it is getting a bit heavy two up. £2,750 including personal plate valued at £500. Stef 01539 441311 (any time) (Cumbria).R1150GS - 2002- 22,000 miles. Black/black engine. BMW panniers, MRA screen, Odyssey battery, K&N, superb condition. Currently on SORN, will MoT and Tax. £4,000. Norman 01189 833507 or 07939 145555 (Reading).R1150GS - 2002 January ‘51’ - Graphite grey, 78,700 miles. Remus exhaust, Sergeant two piece seat, Ohlins suspension front and rear. Meta alarm/immobiliser, fog lights, twin rear lights, HID headlight, Adventure screen, heated grips, hand guards, BMW side cases. Plus many other extras contact me for a full list. Taxed until November 2012, MoT to July 2013. Very good condition. All standard parts included. £3,995 o.n.o. Stephen 01708 768263 or e-mail [email protected] (Romford, Essex).R1200C - 2003 - Independent blue. 10,500 miles. Excellent condition. Full BMW service history. Heated grips, luggage, additional panniers seat. Tax 12 months, MoT nine months. £4,750. Fash 01892 549046 (evenings) or 07967 173165 or e-mail [email protected] (Kent).R1200GS - 2007 ‘07’ - Red/silver/grey. One owner, very good condition. BMW serviced and extended warranty until March 2013. Taxed and Tested. ABS, heated grips, computer, panniers and top box. Alarm immobiliser, crash bars, additional touring screen, adjustable handlebar risers, clear indicator lenses. Nearly new tyres and battery. £6,200 o.n.o. John 01484 860432 or 07899 794191 (West Yorkshire).R1200RT SE - 2006 - Light graphite. 21,000 miles. Full service history. Radio CD, BMW alarm, tank bag, Givi top box. Taxed and Tested. Nice condition.

£6,750. Jack 01914 105369 or 07896 761779 (Durham).R1200 SPORT - April 2009 [YH09 CTX] - Boxer Cup white, blue and red. Excellent condition, 3,080 miles. Only used in the dry. MoT April 2013. Tax September. Heated grips on Heli bar risers, 190 new rear tyre, hump and pillion seat. Horning engine spoiler blue and red and carbon hugger. Sport panniers, tank bag all BMW. On ‘Forum’ with photographs. £7,000. Paul 01827 818175 or 07976 246040 or e-mail [email protected] (Tamworth, Staffordshire).

OthersHONDa XL650 tRaNSaLP - 2000 ‘X’ - 71,000 miles. Three owners, full service history, all MoT's invoices etc. Original toolkit, owners manual and service book. MoT June 2013. Recent tyres, good chain and sprockets. Large top box, heated grips. Used as second bike. £950. John 01323 895572 or 07752 128527 (East Sussex).

Bits & BobsALTBERG CONTiNENTAL TOURER BOOTS - Size 9, brand new, used. Altbergh price £164.99, my price £100. Carl 01709 872602 (Rotherham).AUTOCOM iNTERCOM - Logic Activ Plus, full kit for rider/passenger, plus hardwire adaptor to ignition, £50. Stephen 07515 963622 (Central London).BRANd NEW - F800S/ST Wunderlich Ergo Endurance Comfort Screen, 445mm tall, £75. Brand new Givi E360 Monokey top box (40 litre capacity), £75. F800S/ST rear rack with Givi Monokey plate fitted, in good condition, £50. All plus P&P. Photographs available. Richard 07771 916231 or e-mail [email protected] (Loughborough).BMW MOTORAd ZUMO 550 GARMiN SAT NAv - Excellent condition with tank mount kit for K series included. Route history will show used for two trips only. Original packaging. Carrying case. Screen fix car kit with speaker and in-car charger. Maps software. Accessories and full manual. £350 including postage UK mainland. Brian 01925 811996 or 07837 915703 or e-mail [email protected] (Cheshire).CAST 17 iNCH WHEELS - From R1150RT to fit R1150GS (I believe will fit 1100GS as well). Black powder coated, used only for one long trip. Come with correct rear wheel bolts and speedo drive, all you need to do is put your own discs on. £250. These are currently in northern France, but can be delivered to south of England. Photographs available on e-mail. Martin 0033 322 865672 or e-mail [email protected] (Ireland).CLEAR OUT - K75 front fork inserts, new, 40mm, part number 31.42.1.450.534, £60. Two air filters, part number 13.72.1.460.337, £12. Two fuel filters, part number 16.14.2.325.859, £12. One set brake pins, part number 34.11.1.454.005, £2. Two set


Ferodo brake pads, part number FDB736P, £15. Oil filter removal tool, £4. K series pannier inner bags, very good condition, £50. All plus P&P. Alan 01389 753208 or e-mail [email protected] (Dunbartonshire).F800GS PARTS - 21 inch front wheel rim (21×2·15), Bridgestone Battlewing front tyre 90/90×21, 21 inch inner tube with tape, £120. Will separate. Vario top case, mechanism stuck in expanded position, £100. Luggage rest to fit top case to F800/650GS, £35. Both together, £120. All o.n.o. plus postage or collect. Stephen 01708 768263 or e-mail [email protected] (Romford, Essex).FOR TWiN SHOCK BOxER MOdELS - Powder coated battery box, £10. Top yoke, £10. Ultimate source ride off centre stand, £50. All or very near offer. Chris 01225 722247 or e-mail [email protected] (Bath).HePCO & BeCKeR tOP BOX tC455 - 45 litre, off my R1150GS, two sets of keys, cost new £130, two years old, £50 plus postage. Steve 01512 608612 (Merseyside).R80GS - Pair of hand guards (white), £20. Front mudguard (white), £50. N/S pannier frame (chrome), £60. New 19 inch spoked front wheel, £250. Buyer to collect. Derek 01962 854709 (Hampshire).R1150GS SHOCKS - Front and rear, less than 10,000 miles covered, £80. Wunderlich tank bag, expandable, perfect, £70. R1100GS screen, new, unused, £50. Air Hawk seat cushion, perfect condition, £50. Martin 07771 820765 (Nottinghamshire).R1150RT 2001 STANdARd SCREEN - Clear, 375mm central height measurement. Excellent condition. £35 plus P&P. Tony 01488 608260 or 07775 681821 (Berkshire).R1200GS 2004-2008 - BMW rider’s low seat, new September 2010, used but in as new condition, with original wrapping. £95 plus P&P. Alan 07769 936256 (Essex).R1200 GSA - Full standard exhaust zero miles, £300; Standard front and rear suspension units, 30

miles, £490; Centre stand, £50; Side stand, £30; Sump guard, £40. R1200RT pannier lids, left and right in grey and left in silver, £100 each; Heated low seat, £60. All items are open to offers and plus P&P. Paul 07719 930312 (Northern Ireland).

R1200GS BMW TANK TOP BAG - As new, £60 plus P&P. Mike 01235 835481 (Oxford).

R1200RT - BMW Comfort seat (heated), as new, £225. Helmet System 6, size 58/59, Titanium silver, BMW Bluetooth communication system fitted, never dropped or scratched, £280. BMW tank bag, used 10 days, £75. BMW top case, large, with backrest, used 10 days, lock could be changed to match your ignition key, £225. Bike now sold. All plus P&P or fitted if collected. Keith 07724 041287 or e-mail [email protected] (Harrow).

R1200RT - Large touring screen (Nippy Norman) 550mm wide by 675mm high, good condition. £70. Pair of pannier inner bags (Main Event) as new, used once, £50. Collect or P&P as cost. Charles 01353 721324 (Ely, Cambridgeshire).

STANdARd CHROME ENdCAN - To fit R1200RT 2005 to 2009. 200 miles use only. £175. Bryn 01332 881039 (Derbyshire).

TANK BAG FOR F800ST - Used on one two day trip. Cost £180 new, accept £110 plus P&P. Also Autocom rider to passenger. Recently refurbished by Autocom plus extra mikes, £50 plus P&P. Arthur 01524 37396 or e-mail [email protected] (Lancashire).

WantedBMW - R65, R80 and R100 Basic, GS, RT and RS models, any condition, cash waiting, can collect. Ian 01694 723546 (Trader).

BMW TOP BOx FOR R1200RT - Large size and in good condition preferably. Stephen 07515 963622 or e-mail [email protected] (Central London).

R80/GS, R100/GS, /5 OR RS MONO - Steve 01512 608612 (Merseyside).

UK Importer for TripTeq Sidecars

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e: [email protected]: scotiasidecars.com

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For rates and terms please contact Charles Knight (details on Page 3)

Accommodation & TouringUk & Eire

B&B gLaiSDaLe. Near Whitby. 3 x twin rooms, en-suite. Garage for motorcycles. www.lanesidebedandbreakfast.co.uk Tel: 01947 897 272 B&B iN tHe BORDeRS. A68 Jedburgh. Quality 4 Star accommodation. All rooms en suite/private facilities. Fabulous views over the town and only a 5 minute walk to the centre. Secure off road bike parking. Friendly hosts Chris & Amanda, Club Members. £29.50 - £45 pppn. Tel: 01835 862216 Email [email protected] www.airenlea.co.uk BEd ANd BREAKFAST MOFFAT SOUTHERN SCOTLANd. B & B, garage parking, wonderful biking area. One mile from M74 J15 on Edinburgh scenic route. Why not break your long journey here or spend a few days riding the local roads, enjoying the hills and bends. Club member. Chris 01683 220378 see www.buchanguesthouse.co.uk)GLENCOE – HiGHLANdS. Ghlasdruim B&B.All ensuite rooms, secure off road parking. Maureen 01855 811593 [email protected] iSLe OF MaN B&B. Available for Manx GP. Near Ramsey. Spacious double / twin with private bathroom. Secure parking. Tel: 01726 61642 (05/13)KeSWiCK LaKe DiStRiCt B&B. Elegant Victorian town house with a contemporary feel. Run by Robin & Clare (GS & R1100R riders). Situated in a quiet cul-de-sac in the town centre, with off-street parking and superb biking roads. Tel: 01768 773347. www.ellergill.co.ukLaKe DiStRiCt B&B iN BOWNeSS-ON-WiNdERMERE. Panoramic views of Bowness and lake. En-suite. Covered/lock-up parking. Leisure facilities. 015394 88658 Web: http://www.abovethebay.co.uk LAKE diSTRiCT. holiday bungalow – comfort for four plus garage. Ideal touring location & available April to November. Member owned. Tel: 01695 422210 MANx MOTORCyCLE HiRE. Ride classic BMW Twins in the Isle of Man. Based in Jurby, you can enjoy the beautiful Manx roads riding classic BMW Boxer Twins on the most famous circuit in the world. Collection from the Airport or Ferry Terminal can be arranged. Please contact us : [email protected] Tel:

01621 868930 or 07835 653199 Visit us @ www.manxmotorcyclehire.co.ukNORTH WALES. - Conwy Valley, detached bungalow in Llanbedr y Cennin village, beautifully refurbished, sleeps 4. Idyllic position, secure garage, private garden, conservatory, central heating, woodburner. Tel: 01492 650764, Web: www.conwyvalleyholidaycottage.co.uk , E-mail: [email protected]

EuropeAE AvENTURES BASEd NEAR TO SPA. in a quiet village providing B&B and half board, secure garaging, recommended touring in the Ardennes & Eiffel and escorted Nurburgring experience. Motorcycling adventure only 3½ hours from Calais that’s a bit special. See www.aeaventures.com Phone/Fax Neil or Ann on 0032 80398788 email [email protected] AUSTRiA. S/C fully equipped Chalet & Apartment (Sleeps 2-6). Superb touring roads & mountain passes. Excellent amenities. Secure parking. Close Italy/Slovenia Discounts for bikers - phone/mail for details. Liz Cannard. Tel/Fax 0043 4769 26415 www.alpine-dollshouse.com B&B geRMaNy - tHe BeautiFuL WESTERWALd. Tudor Home. All facilities for Bikers, Drying room ,secure parking, Bar ,evening meals, all rooms on suite .Fantastic roads great rides Mosel ,Rhein Valleys The Dambuster Run, Nurburgring and much more... Special for BMW owners 5 nights for the cost of 4. www.vinecottage.de email [email protected] 00492742911728 B & B iN FRaNCe. Stay with Mike and Heather Fishwick in Daglan, a beautiful village close to the Dordogne river, surrounded by castles, fortified villages, ancient towns and more! Canoe on the river, enjoy long lunches by the river, explore traffic-free roads, or just laze around. We offer safe parking with a double ensuite room at 45 Euros and a twin or double ensuite room at 40 Euros per night. Breakfast 8 Euros, 3-course dinner with aperitifs and wine 18 Euros. We are more than just a B&B – we regard our guests as friends. Email for full information on [email protected]&B NORMaNDy-FRaNCe. 3 en-suite bedrooms, great roads, lovely region, perfect for weekend escape, 10% discount on B&B rates for club members, call 0033233640023 www.maisonlaudiere.com BRiTTANy - TOP QUALiTy MOBiLE HOMES. on coastal 4 star site in this tranquil region. ideal


for family holidays or Section rallies. Great biking area with masses to do and see. Big savings on ferry costs. www.benodetbreaks.com or call Steve Jackson on 01543 473089 DORDOgNe – SeLF CateRiNg aND B&B ACCOMMOdATiON WiTH POOL ANd SECURE GARAGE. 40 miles south of Limoges. From €25 Euro per night. Tours and Trail Riding. www.dordognemotorcycleholidays.com or phone Charles on +33 (0)553 501 239 FRANCE - LOiRE vALLEy. B & B plus ideal gite for two - north of Saumur. Tranquil location - Use of pool/hot tub. Evening meals available. Covered parking. tel: (0033) 241821184. www.theloireaffair.co.uk FRENCH PyRENEES. Self contained apartment in 200yr old farmhouse near Lourdes. Secure parking. Old Gascony, high mountains and Spain on your doorstep see www.flyride-pyrenees.com Tel: 0033(0)562354526 GERMANy SPECTACULAR HARZ MOUNTAiNS TOURS. Biker only B&B established 15 years. Let Greg and his R1200S be your guide to some of the best Biking roads in Europe. 200 year old beamed, newly renovated 10 bedroom B and B. All rooms ensuite. Courtyard garden for drinks and food. BBQ evening Saturdays in the season. Local beers and wine. Come and meet bikers from Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Germany and UK. Large locked garage for 20 bikes. Trained mechanic on call. 2 mins walk from lively local town with bars and restaurants. Run by bikers for bikers. Special rate for BMW club members. Email [email protected] www.harzbiker.co.uk Tel 0049 5524 3749 MOTORCyCLE HOLidAyS iN BRiTTANy FRANCE . A choice of accommodation , 2 bed cabin, 5 bed wood house or 6 bed cottage. Situated in Central Brittany in 20 acres of our own land including valley, woods and stream. An ideal base from which to explore mystical Brittany along uncongested roads. Prices from £30 per night. We have garages and extensive workshop facilities Discounts on Brittany Ferry Crossings. Email: [email protected] www.countrysideholidaysinfrance.co.uk Tel: 0033 296 365480NORMANdy / BRiTTANy BORdER - GOURMET BeD & BReaKFaSt. Close to Mont St- Michel large elegant 200 year old town house restored and renovated to a very high standard. Individually designed en-suite bedrooms, guests dining room, drawing room, lounge and conservatory for the comfort and hospitality of our guests. With landscaped walled garden and secure garage parking. Gourmet dinners are our speciality let us pamper you and tantalise your palate for a truly memorable dining experience. In the town of Saint-James just off the A84 auto route, twenty minutes from Mont-St Michel and the beautiful coastline with scenic routes and great biking roads. Tel: 0033

(0)233-589025,Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.petit-illyria.eu.com NORTH PORTUGAL- MiNHO vALLEy. Penedes Nation Park and Galicia. Interested? We offer farmhouse self catering and luxury B&B both with pools. Come and sample the real Portugal see our Website. www.portugal-holidayvilla.co.uk. Tel Maggie on 00351-251648107 or Mobile 00351 911595902 SOMMe B&B aND BattLeFieLD tOuRS. Our comfortable B&B in a secluded farmhouse just 100 miles from Calais offers beds for 8, plus secure, covered bike parking, trailer and workshop. Evening meals come highly recommended! NEW: fully equipped, self-catering apartment sleeps 6. Take a battlefield tour of Somme or Ypres with GS riding author and military historian www.martinpegler.com or Phone: 0033 (0)3 2286 5672SOUTHERN BRiTTANy. Close Redon 3 spacious, comfortable gites, set in 3 acres of tranquil grounds which may be rented separately or altogether for a larger group: Sleep 2 – 16. Secure garage parking for bikes. Contact: Anne & Dave Chapman Tel: 01732-456459 e-mail: [email protected] SPAiN – TORREviEJA. Luxury 2 bedroom apartment. Enclosed terrace. Satellite TV. Landscaped garden. Communal pool. Restaurants, bars, shops. www.villamartin-apartment.com

ServicesLyNBROOK iNSURANCE. for Special Member’s terms including Classic & Modern Motorcycle Insurance (all makes) Tel 0845 130 4662 or 01277 206285. Also Travel and Europewide Breakdown/Recovery Tel 0151 336 5881 (quote Lynbrook)

Accessories & SparesSTAiNLESS STEEL FASTENERS. Part or full kits available, most models covered. SAE or e mail [email protected] for list. Chris Shaw Engineering 24 Station Road, Halton Holegate, Spilsby, Lincs, PE23 5PB Tel: 01790 755515 Mobile: 07702 862508 www.shawstainless.co.uk

ServicingANdREW SExTON. NORTH OXFORDSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE BORDER. BMW Quality service, repairs, restoration and special tuning work, on all models. Collection and delivery arranged. Tel 01608 730111 B.E.M.W. For competitive prices on: Restorations, repairs & spares. Spares for vintage/classic BMW’s from 1935. CJ750, copies of 1938 BMW R71, from £3,455. Some new 1957 models in stock, LH/RH sidecars plus OHV machines available. Machine tools for the small/home workshop, including Chester Multi Function lathe/mill/drill. Parts made


to pattern or drawing. S.A.E. for specification and services or visit our website. 2 Forman Street, Derby DE1 1JQ. Phone/fax 01332 298523. Eves & w/ends 01332 824334, www.bemw.co.uk)BEdFORdSHiRE, HERTFORdSHiRE. and surrounding counties BMW motorcycle servicing , repairs & restoration Steve Grover t/a Motoscot senior BMW Technician (ex service manager at Slocombes of Neasden for over 20 years) BMW diagnostic equipment and special tools on site Loan bike available collection/delivery service arranged. Will also service/repair all makes, models Phone 01582 419812 or Mobile 07843 056201 Email [email protected] www.motoscot.co.uk BERKSHiRE. & Surrounding Counties. BMW Motorcycle services. K, R & F Series. Independent BMW Specialist Servicing, Repairs & Spares. Collection & delivery. Weekend work & loan bike available. For all enquiries please contact Garry Webb Tel: 01344 860580/07770 444794. Email [email protected])CARdiFF MOTORRAd. Wales’ Number One Independent BMW Motorbike Specialists BMW Factory Trained Technician Services - Repairs - Diagnostics - Tyres - MOT’s All Makes Welcome 10% off labour to all club members Please call Mike on 07843528377 or 02920 565666 E-mail: [email protected] CENTRAL LONdON BMW SPECiALiSTS. All models to date 2v, 4v, BMW Diagnostic equipment, ex dealer Tech, 30 years exp. Servicing, repairs, insurance work.Tyres, spares FROM stock. 5 star workshop - full facilities.BMW authorised supplier.Bikes bought/sold - see Biketrader web page. Jap & German 102 Druid St, London SE1 2HQ Tel:0207 237 2299, www.japandgerman.co.uk CRAy ENGiNEERiNG. BMW Twins road & race performance specialist. Fully equipped workshop for servicing, repairs, rebuilds & engineering. Tuning packages to suit your requirements. New & used spares. Tyres fitted & balanced while you wait. (Callers by appointment only) Phone/Fax 01795 538282 Faversham, Kent

FERALWORKS CLASSiCS (BRiSTOL) BMW SPECiALiST. Independent qualified engineer with over 30 years BMW experience for all your servicing & repair requirements. Specialist in ‘Airhead’ BMW twins but all models catered for. See the January ‘12 Journal star letter! 10% Labour discount to fellow BMW Club members! Collection available. Large stocks of BMW used spares available & BMW’s bought for cash. Contact Dave on: 0794 1950 266 or 01454 851 461 email: [email protected]

FiNd ME ON EBAy: BUZZ_LiGHTyEARS_SPACE_dEBRiS. iNdEPENdENT BMW SPECiALiST dORSET. Servicing and repair centre. Qualified technician with 20+yrs experience. Diagnostic testing and after service date resets. Studley’s Motorcycles in Dorchester, Dorset. Tel: 07884 180968 www.studleysmotorcycles.co.uk

MOBiLE MOTORBiKE SERviCES. Professional repairs and servicing for all BMW models at realistic prices. We offer a mobile service within a 40 mile radius of Nottingham. Call Jim Hill on 0797 123 6087 or 0115 9727153. www.ifixyourbike.com

NORTH EAST. Independent BMW Specialist. Full service & repair for all models up to present day. Factory trained senior technician. Mobile service within 60 miles of Sunderland. Now breaking bikes. Call Mike Kendrick 0191 510 0265 or 07828 281003

SCOTLANd NEAR GLASGOW. Mostly Bricks & Boxers. Independent BMW specialist. Professional motorcycle servicing and repairs at realistic rates. Agreed labour cost restorations. Phone Jim Downie 01505 850341 or 07973 326928. [email protected]

THE BOxER MAN – THE iNdEPENdENT BMW SPECiALiST. Full Service, Repair & Restoration facilities for R and K Series machines. Mobile service available within an 80 mile radius of LEICESTER. Call Phil on 0116 2668913 or 07860 588076, www.boxerman.co.uk


GET BMW PARTS FAST!• Comprehensive stock of new and used parts• Unrivalled knowledge and expertise • Same-day despatch from stock • Enthusiastic and friendly staff

01769574350 www.james-sherlock.co.uk


Establ ished 1989

• Established 1989• 14 day satisfaction guarantee• Used parts carry a 6 month warranty• 10,000 new part lines on the shelf• 1,000s of BMWs broken• UK’s largest supplier of BMW parts• 12,000 sq ft of pure BMW

VOTED no.1 MAIL ORDER SUPPLIER

BY THE READERS OF ‘RIDE’ MAGAZINE

That’s not just BMW but ALL mail order suppliers. Enough said!

• NEW, SECONDHAND AND RECONDITIONED BMW PARTS •• FAST MAIL ORDER •

• SALVAGE COLLECTED NATIONWIDE •We cover all BMW motorcycles from 1970 to the present day 1200GS etc.

Remember-all our sales sta� are riders themselves. Between them there is not much they don’t know about your bike! We are quite happy to give you the bene�t of this experience and to recommend the best manuals and guides for your needs. There is usually no need to pay somebody else to do your servicing,

upgrades or repairs when we can give you a wealth of experience and the choice of new, secondhand and reconditioned parts. Many of our new parts o�er a huge saving on dealer prices. We can provide you with service items, replacement parts, accesso-ries and performance parts. We have the largest range of parts available anywhere in

the UK - in fact we are not aware of anybody, anywhere in the world, who can o�er our range and depth of stock. Planning a trip - ring us for advice on spares etc. to

carry. Remember, we distribute world wide so we can deliver emergency parts to you anywhere. If you want it we’ve probably got it! If not and BMW make it we can get it for

you. Try us!

International: 00 44 1484 353600 Fax: 00 44 1484 353604

UTAG datatag • Odyssey Batteries • Remus • Ohlins • CarbtuneTyres • Ultraseal • Keihan • Ilmburger • Rugged Roads • etc. etc.

0845 458 0077www.m

otorworks.c

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Visit our n

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opping basket site at

the only thing missing is you.

Loaded and waiting, the rugged go-anywhere R 1200 GS now comes with an amazing £1,765 worth of complimentary must-have accessories, including an Akrapovic Sport Silencer, Tinted Windshield, Large Tank Bag and a set of expandable Vario Panniers with inner cases.

so why not head down to your local dealership, visit www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk or call 0800 777 155 and we’ll gladly put you in the picture.

£1,765 worth oF ComPlimentAry ACCessories with the bmw r 1200 gs*.

r 1200 gs Accessories offer

bmw motorrad

the ultimate riding machine

*Offer available at participating BMW Motorrad dealers in the UK only. Offer applies to the three versions of the 2012 model R 1200 GS (Standard, Triple Black and Rallye) that are new and first registered to retail customers between 01 June and 31 December 2012 inclusive, subject to availability or until stocks last. The offer is not available on any version of the R 1200 GS Adventure. BMW Motorrad reserves the right to substitute alternative accessories of an equivalent value. The £1,765 value of BMW Accessories is the 2012 recommended retail price including VAT. The standard exhaust and windshield are also supplied to the customer with the motorcycle upon delivery. Accessory fitting costs may apply at the discretion of the supplying BMW Motorrad dealer. This offer is not to be used in conjunction with any other sales promotion.

026308-08 R1200_Added Value_Club_J_148x210.indd 1 11/06/2012 16:41

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