tug august 2012

JJJ O U R N A LO U R N A LO U R N A L O FO FO F T H ET H ET H E E E E S S E XS S E XS S E X AAA D V A N C E DD V A N C E DD V A N C E D

MMM O T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T S G G G R O U PR O U PR O U P Registered Charity Number 1107703

August 2012August 2012August 2012August 2012

The Committee

Chairman &

Group Contact

Nigel Barton

[email protected]

or 0845 2261237

Vice Chairman John Tipper [email protected]

Secretary Roger Wardley [email protected]

Website Graham Simpkins [email protected]

Observer

Co-ordinator John Tullett [email protected]

Membership

Secretary &

Associate

Co-ordinator

Lyn Childs

[email protected]

Associate Rep TBE

Promotions Graham Childs [email protected]

Treasurer Teri Olley [email protected]

Full Members Rep Geoff Preston [email protected]

TUG (Newsletter)

Editor Laura Windram

[email protected]

[email protected]

Events Co-ordinator Paul Scott [email protected]

BMF/MAG Liason Bill Peck [email protected]

Committee Member Keith Boyles [email protected]

Committee Member Jill Winn [email protected]

Committee Member Paul McKelvey [email protected]

www.allenbymotorcycles.co.uk

Tel: 01245 348100 Fax: 01245 348101

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Unit 2, Court Industrial Estate, Navigation Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6DN

Accessories, Spares + Clothing

USED BIKE SPECIALIST

Chairman’s Piece 2

Membership Secretary

Report 4

Mick Hewitt 9

Geoff Preston 14

Brit Butt 20

John Tullett 25

Diary (Pull Out) 28

Membership Form

(Pull Out) 30

This and That 37

Spiders ride 40

Chris Johnson 46

Over taking 50

Associate Social Ride 52

Photos 54

Welcome!

Dear Members

Its been a busy time with plenty of riding activities since

the last edition of tug.

Slow riding day was well attended with the swerve test

proving quite popular. Bike safe was also well attended

and had great support from EAMG members which was

really nice to see.

My first trip to Bikers Retreat was excellent, Nigel and

Tiv made everyone extremely welcome and were great

hosts so a big thank you to them for that. Of course the

roads and scenery were stunning as well as the food and

hospitality so I can’t wait to go again.

Spiders charity ride had a great turn out, see page 40 for

the write up. A big thanks to everyone for supporting the

ride and to Richard and Geoff for leading the two

groups, hopefully you all enjoyed it.

There is a social ride for associates, this is in place of

August AGT so please check out page 52 and the forum

for more details on this.

I am really pleased with the amount of articles that

turned up for this edition so please keep up the good

work in the future, thanks everyone.

Laura

Editor

Front cover photo supplied by Sean Holland from his Brit

Butt Rally.

What’s happening next?

Log into www.eamg.org.uk, then Runs and Rides Forum

2

Chairman’s

Report

August 2012

I am sure you are glad as I am that the weather at last seems to resemble summer lets

hope it last’s until the end of October! I for one want to ride as much as I can in 2012 with

all of my friends at the group.

Bike Safe 2012 renamed Essex Motorcycle Show went off quite well and I am pleased to

say that the EAMG stand was well attended by members and potential members. We

signed up two new members on the day and had a lot of interest in our group. I must say

though that in my humble opinion the venue was not as good as Burnham, as people

seemed to turn up walk around and leave. I am not sure if this was because there was only

one food vendor, an ice cream van and nowhere for people to sit and enjoy their lunch. It

created an atmosphere that was rather lacking as the location was a tarmac car park as

opposed to a grass field. I also thought the day was poorly supported by dealerships so

there wasn’t quite enough to keep people engaged and stay for longer. All that said raising

awareness for road safety amongst motorcyclists and raising funds for the Essex Air Am-

bulance must be a good thing.

That brings me to welcoming Blake and Steve both of whom signed up at the show and

are under twenty one, so let’s make sure we all make them welcome when they attend any

EAMG activity and I sincerely hope they enjoy being members of our group and most

importantly they achieve an advanced test pass with our help.

3

A group of us were in Wales in July staying at the Bikers Retreat and what a great time we

all had, the weather forecast had looked very poor but we were very lucky and only really

had rain on the trip there and back, I will not say any more hopefully Paul will send in a

report for TUG.

It appears that our government is looking at our precious national speed limits on country

lanes with a view to giving local authorities the option to reduce speed limits dramatically

perhaps even by zoning as they can around schools etc. It is really important that we all

support MAG as they looking after our interests as motorcyclists can you imagine a ride

on lovely twisty lanes at 20 or 30 mph?

The BBQ tickets are now on sale so make sure you buy yours at group night or if you can-

not come along contact Lynn Childs to buy them, it will be a great afternoon and evening

ending in a fantastic professional firework display.................

Keep the shinny side up!

Nigel

4

Membership Secretary Report

Membership Number

Full 138

Associate 31

Social 3

Total 184

Life 12

Dear Members,

Please remember that your membership needs renewing for 2012. Membership Forms are down load able from the EAMG website or I will have copies on group night.

Fees for 2012

New Associates Members £55.00

Associates member’s Renewal is £45.00

Full member’s Renewal is £25.00

Socials Member’s are £25.00

FMT £20.00

If you want to take of Extra full member training (FMT) with you own regular observer there is an extra payment of £20.00. Please tick box on membership form and enclose the Fee.

Ride well, ride safe

Lynn Childs

5

Test Passes

Congratulations to you all

and warm welcome to all the new members

Peter Richbell Suzy

Maguire

07/07/2012 Rospa

Silver

Mick Jones

Member Test Date Test Passed Examiner Observer

Mick

Hewitt

27/07/2012 Rospa

Gold

Mick Jones Richard

Parker

Guy Jones 28/07/2012 Rospa

Gold

Mick Jones

6

Have you experienced any

problems accessing the

EAMG forum? If so please

contact Graham Simpkins

[email protected] or

Nigel Barton

[email protected]

so that we can help every-

body keep in touch and up to

date with events and rides.

Do you find yourself at a lose end at the weekends? Or

maybe you would like to give something back to the

group?

If so why not help out at the various promotional

events that Graham and Lynn Childs attend

throughout the year.

Contact them at [email protected] for more details

Associates

There is a social ride just

for you on the

12th August instead of

the usual AGT

Full details on page 52

7

Don’t forget to pencil the slow

riding days into your diaries

The next one is at Ford Dunton on

the 30th of September

These days provide

an excellent opportunity to

practice slow riding skills that

many of us don’t take the

time to perfect.

Its great fun and you never

know Spider might even provide

sandwiches and jelly!

More content please

This is your newsletter so

please share your

thoughts/ideas/ ride re-

ports/ photos / tips etc etc

Responses to

[email protected] or

get in to the forum at

www.eamg.org.uk

Please ask for my address

if you’d rather post me

your article

The next deadline

for TUG is the

18th Sept

A couple of dates to

remember

19th August is the Boys

& Girls ride to the

Cotswolds

16th Sept is the Essex

Air Ambulance run to

Harwich

8

Tickets on- sale at

group nights

Romans Farm,

South Hanningfield Road,

Rettendon Common,

Chelmsford CM3 8HQ

BBQ

Games

Fireworks

Members guests

welcome

Adults £5

Children £1

Please bring your own

drinks, seating and torch

for after dark.

S A T 2 9t h

S E P T 2 0 12

3 p m o n w ar d s

9

For a few years now a group of us, over 10 year period, have used the Ardenne region in Belguim as our main base to ride from. The reason for this is that we discovered Neil and Ann’s Motorsport lodg-ings (6 guest bedrooms) in the Roanne valley.

Neil has all the local knowledge of this largely undiscovered corner of Belgium, which is free from heavy tourism, yet in a beautiful backdrop of picturesque towns. The roads offer great vision and few traffic jams. The great benefit of the region is the ‘love’ of cycling. As many of you are aware, it is this respect of two wheels which also includes motorbikes, that means a great consideration is shown to all on two wheels.

The area is steeped in history from the second world war - the ‘Battle of the Bulge’, where many tank battles were fought in this area.

We left early on Friday 22nd June to stay 3 nights with Neil and Ann. Friday was a good fast dry run down using motorway (mainly E40). Total distance about 260 miles (door to door). Great thing is that his large double garage houses all the bikes and he has the beer ready for you – the garage has it’s own beer cooler so you help yourself and also a cooler in the lounge. Neil and Ann are passionate about motorcy-cling which is evident in the memorabilia from signed pictures of Steve McQueen to many of the great racers through many decades. At the top of the stairs are Agostini’s signed leathers, also Barry Sheen’s helmet - It’s like a mini-motorsport museum. Many of the motorsport guys appearing at Spa etc… stay at his place – you’ll never know who you’ll bump into!

Neil is also an instructor for Motorrad – we attended the launch of the S1000RR in 2009 as guests of Neil at the Nurburgring for a 2 hour session only open to those with Motorrad tickets. We did about 6 laps in the pouring rain but enjoyed it. He also instructs at other tracks – Spa Francorchamps is 10 mins from the lodgings.

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Neil leads groups and rides about 80-85% to their ability (about 60% of his) – his mandate is that his priority is to keep you safe.

Having said that the ride is fast but safe. When you ride open sweeping roads at 85% you’re travelling so much faster than you can in Essex and surrounding areas for long periods with minimal traffic.

The route Neil led on the Saturday; Trois Ponts – Les Tillettes – Biernaux – La

Roche (coffee) – Houfalize (lunch in the shadow of a castle) – Limerle (stopped at

the biggest bike dealer I’ve ever been to called Moto Kaiser. I’ve never seen so many

helmets in my life) - then back to base via Gouvy. There’s something really nice

about pulling up and breaking the beer out of the cooler and standing in the garage

talking about bikes and the ride. The accommodation is to a high standard, food is

excellent with free wine also included.

The other amusement we had was the company of some riders from Suffolk who had been there since Tuesday and were going home Sunday. There were 6 sports riders, 4 of which were ok and the other two ‘prima donnas’ – these two were riding a S1000RR and a Blade in Repsol colours.

The S1000RR had a £2500 Yoshi full system plus other touches and the Blade had lots of extras, one of which was a quick shifter which the owner was boasting saved him over a second for every gear change!

Any way, the day before we arrived they were out with Neil and arrived at a ‘T’ junc-tion. The BMW followed him out promptly, looked round at his mates, then rode over the bank at the other side of the road. He came off, the bike was spinning round on the deck (not on the Yoshi side luckily) Damage was minor in the circumstances, broken gear lever and some cosmetic (costly). Apparently he was standing over the bike screaming ‘NO’, ‘NO’, ‘NO’. He was upset…..

Neil rode, plus said rider, for an hour to a BMW dealer and purchased a replacement gear lever and returned. His mate (worked for Lotus) fitted this he then rode it back to Neil’s, he then had another tantrum because he thought the newly fitted lever marked his swing-arm so threw his gloves at the Lotus man - not sure why he didn’t belt him!

Neil told us that he’d had quite a few tantrums in the 5 days they were there. One of which was that the 2 ‘special ones’ were upset at not getting on the ‘ring’ – they went there for the day but an accident closed it to bikes for the rest of the day. To try and get them on a track day he phoned round some contacts and arranged it locally. When he proudly announced this to them the reply from the ‘special ones’ was “they wanted to ‘chill out’ so didn’t want to go out the next day”!!!

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We had a Saturday ride with them (their last day). This was fast but not mad – the S1000RR was following me but getting behind on the bends and then blasting up to me on the straights. When we talked to them later it seems they haven’t been out on their bikes much in the UK because of the rain - this was their first big trip!

They left the next day – one of them had the highest tailpack I’ve ever seen – can see that flying off on the motorway…

Sunday – the 4 of us went for a ride to Nurburgring. We should’ve checked out be-fore we left as cyclists had hired it for the day! Had lunch there and decided to go to Cochem for coffee, which is a lovely town by the river. As we left it was raining lightly, by the time we hit the motorway it was belting down and hadn’t put our wets on! From Cochem to Neil’s is about 100 miles so we were soaked time we got back - straight in the garage for a beer! We had a great meal and watched the England game…..enough said.

Had a dry ride back to the UK on Monday. On the train we met up with 2 guys from ‘Fast Bike’ mag who had been on a test weekend on a French track (forgot which). They were riding a S1000RR and a White Hayabusa. Their assessment was the S1000RR was faster than the Busa and the best package – the Busa was grounded on pegs and bottom of fairing!

Mick Hewitt

P.S. Neil is in the August bike mag (page 58/59) – good quote from him regarding adventure bikes: “An adventure bike is whatever you have in your garage”.

Check out Neil’s website at:

E-mail : [email protected]

12

My bike by Phil Reader

I had been thinking of changing my Versys for over a year and as the mileage was creeping

nearer to 40 thousand, I decided to take a test ride on a Triumph 1050. This decision was well

thought out; I had sat on the big Tiger a couple of times at different bikes shows and al-

though I had thought that it was a little too tall for someone like me who is vertically chal-

lenged, I still had the urge to give it a go on the road.

I had sampled the lovely 800cc Tiger (road) a few months previously and felt that this was a

great bike but not the one I was looking for. Riding the 800 Tiger was really enjoyable but for

me the turbulence & wind noise was just too much to bear. Also, the luggage that Triumph

supply for the 800 looked like cheap aluminium boxes that had no style at all - you know the

type - the ones that are found on them God damned ugly BMW GS bikes… I wanted a bike

whose luggage exhibited a little more style and was possibly colour matched. The Tiger 1050

stepped forward and it would have been rude not to try it.

Having looked through MCN, Auto Trader and Ebay on the internet for a used 1050, I found

a mint bike with only 900 miles on the clock, but without luggage, for a reasonable £7500. A

new 1050 was £1 short of £9000 (ouch!!!) so, I called a couple of Triumph dealers to get the

price of the 2 Box (colour matched) luggage set to add to the used 1050. This is when I

found out that Triumph were offering almost £1200 worth of free (you do pay for this free)

extras when you order a new Tiger 1050. Well - all of a sudden the idea of buying new be-

came more appealing. I asked a few questions then asked a few more; it became clear

that the extras were exactly what I would have purchased anyway so without hesitation I

asked for a part exchange price on my Versys. The dealer asked me the condition and I am

not one to B***S*** so I gave the best description of my beloved Versys. The deal was almost

done over the phone until I asked for the test ride! „Sorry, we have not got a demo bike at

the moment‟ the salesman says… „Oh‟, I replied and promptly put the phone down quietly.

My friend Dave Izard who had purchased his Tiger from „Lings‟ of Ipswich gave a glowing

recommendation of this dealer so I gave them a call and guess what? They had a demo

(yippee) - Mark the salesman made it clear that I was very welcome to a test ride. All I

needed was a little sunshine and a day off work.

Well - two days later the sun was out, the sky was blue, there was nothing at work for me to

do, so I took the day off. I called Mark and booked the test ride for 2 hours later that day.

When I arrived I asked for Mark but was told that he was out putting petrol in the Tiger 1050

demo bike. Now; I am not sure about you, but I have never had a dealer ride out and put

£20 worth of petrol in any bike I have test ridden and to say I was impressed was an under-

statement. Driving license handed over and insurance papers duly signed, I was shown the

controls, was informed that this Tiger had only covered 100 miles and was asked to treat it

with a little respect. Keys in my hand I was left to get on and ride the thing. As I lifted my leg

over the seat I remembered just how tall the Tiger 1050 is, sitting there almost on tip toes

thinking “am I too short for this bike, or what?” I put the key in the ignition and fired it up. I

13

pulled in the clutch, snicked it into 1st gear, released the clutch and off I rode. The burbling

sound of the triple engine was very sweet and as I rode down the twisty Foxhall road to-

wards the Ipswich bypass this sound soon became addictive. I chose to ride on the bypass

road in the direction of Woodbridge to get a feel for the bike before encountering the won-

derfully twisty B1079 and B1078 roads to Needham Market. After about 6 or 7 miles I turned

off the A12 and onto the B1079. Blimey, this is more like it, I thought as I started to enjoy the

power delivery and sweet handling of what is basically a large heavy(ish) bike. Turn after

turn I was beginning to push a little more just to get a good idea of what the bike can do; I

came to an almost 90 degree left hander and thought to myself that I would „really chuck it

into this one‟, this, I did, and……………. OH NO!!!! The front let go... SHhhhhii** - the bike was

going down - I quickly gave a massive push on the left hand bar and, instead of the bike

sliding down into the tarmac, it quickly picked itself up and carried on as if nothing had

happened. With my heart beating a little quicker than usual I reflected on what had just

happened. It was time for a break. I pulled into a lay-by and took a look around the Tiger,

the edge of the front tyre was marked in exactly the same way as on a few other bikes that

I have had the pleasure of losing the front. It was then I remembered Mark saying that the

bike had only done 100 miles etc. I suppose the previous people whom had ridden this bike

had not taken it to the extremes of lean angle that I had just wanted to, or had experi-

enced. Deep sigh of relief….. that I am standing looking at an undamaged bike. I got back

on the bike and took a small back road into Ipswich, following my nose to get to the Foxhall

area. As I rode along this small lane I started to think is this the bike for me? It ticked all my

boxes; scratching, touring and tutoring - it will be an all-round bike. Back at the dealer's,

Mark came out to greet me; he had his salesman hat on and asked me what I thought of

the bike. I like to play with my cards close to my chest so said I was 50/50 undecided… it

was good but, was it good enough for me? Mark did his best to give me a „Great Deal‟, but

was it good enough? I was getting close to thinking that it was.

I rode home on my trusty old Versys with my bank account intact and I resisted giving Mark

a deposit for what was going to be my next new bike.

I slept on it. The rest is history….

14

Paul and Geoff’s Eastern European Jaunt.

Day 1. Home to Bitburg. Germany.

An early start to get the 7.20am Shuttle to Calais. Some interesting chat with some guys

off to Route Napoleon in Southern France. My preferred method of routes avoids Motor-

ways at all costs but, sadly I have learned over the years that the Pas de Calais is a con-

gested area and one needs to travel on the Autoroute for around a hundred miles before

the alternative local roads become preferable to ride. So it was that Paul and I rode on

through Belgium, Luxembourg and into Germany and the town of Bitburg, home of the

well known lager maker Bitburger. We arrived at the Hotel which was the only booked

accommodation of the trip, we planned to camp where we could find a Campground and

Hotel where we couldn’t. Dinner was taken at a Restaurant I had used before and the day

concluded on a pleasant note.

Day 2 started with the usual continental breakfast and we were soon on the road to Bad

Konigshaven, well, that was the plan. The route I had planned headed East and by-passed

Frankfurt by a big chunk of miles to the North but, somehow, and I blame the GPS (don’t

I always?) we managed to get South of the city and then having to negotiate the outer en-

virons to get back to where we wanted to be. The detour cost us a heap of time so our des-

tination became Bad Kissingen and not Bad Konigshaven, what the heck, one Bad’s much

the same as another. The saving grace was that we found a cracking Campground with an

equally cracking good Restaurant nearby.

Day 3. Today we continue to ride across Germany and into the Czech Republic. We have

developed a riding plan that sees us ride from breakfast until lunch and then on until

reaching our destination for the day, each day covers around 230 miles, this allows us to

make further stops if we so wish. We arrive in Prague early as planned, this is to allow us

to visit the old City which is archi-

tecturally beautiful. We had al-

ready identified a Campground

beforehand which is situated on an

island on the river Vitava. Having

set up camp we made our way

across to the city via a small ferry

boat and had an interesting chat

with the ferryman who informed

us that he had visited London and

wasn’t too impressed, due to the

lack of historic buildings. I was

tempted to comment that we were

equally disenchanted with the state

of the Czech roads but I bit my tongue and played the diplomatic card, International rela-

15

tions and all that you know! We enjoyed the sights of Prague and took dinner in the old

part of town. We studied the map over dinner and decided we would walk back to the

Campground rather than get a Cab, the Ferry stopped at 8pm and it was now around

9pm. We had a magnificent view of part of the old city from the campground and were

treated to a spectacular firework display to round off an extremely pleasant day. In con-

trast to the weather we left behind in the Uk we’re now enjoying sunshine with tempera-

tures in the high 20s.

Today, day 4 we are heading for the town

of Gsttartboden, (try saying that when

you’ve had a few) which is in eastern Aus-

tria. The scenery for the last two days has

been spectacular positively Alpine in

character and today continues to impress.

We are immediately aware that we are

crossing into Austria due to the dramatic

change in the road conditions. We are

heading South now and the temperature

is rising noticeably, I’m pleased I chose to

wear the mesh suit. We are again heading for a Campground identified before we left, this

time it is situated in a beautiful Pine forest. There is no restaurant on site so we pitch the

tents and then ride back down the road a couple of miles to an Inn we identified on the

ride in. Suitably fed and watered we ride back and discuss the day and the plans for the

coming day before settling in for the night. Ten minutes after getting back the heavens

opened and treated us to a classic alpine downpour, how lucky was that?

Day 5. Bliss! Eyes open and from the sleeping bag I’m looking straight at mountains all

around, what an inspiration! It’s a fine morning and after completing our ablutions and

enjoying our alfresco breakfast in the company of the mountains now bathed in bright

sunlight, Paul and I are packing our gear and are soon manoeuvring the bikes onto the

road for the run down to Primostek in Slovenia. Slovenia is another beautiful country with

lots of mountains and rivers, it’s a pity the same can’t be said about the drivers, they all

drive as though they are being chased by the Devil and God help you if you get in the way,

this proved to be the same in the Czech Republic and in Croatia. For those who have

driven/ridden in Germany, you will know they drive fast, the difference being that the

Germans are disciplined, the other guys are not. We spent a good part of the day riding

along the river Sava towards our destination, a campground on the edge of Primostek on

the banks of the river Kupa which forms the Border between Slovenia and Croatia, the

river is about thirty metres wide so you could swim from Slovenia to Croatia. Again we

were fortunate , the site had a Bar/Restaurant attached. Camping in this part of the world

is terrific, there are so few people using the sites, here in Primostek there are just two

16

other campers sharing the site with us, in Prague it was the same and that was close to the

City.

So, into our sixth day and having packed our gear we take breakfast alongside the gently

flowing Kupa whilst observing the various water fowl in the early morning sun, floating

serenely on the surface, Shangri La! Off into the town and soon we are approaching the

Border with Croatia, we are required to stop at the control post, something I haven’t had

to do for many years in Europe and for Paul it’s a new experience. Once through we con-

tinue riding on the great roads embraced by wonderful mountains all around, our desti-

nation today is the town of Split on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Sometime in

the late morning we pass through the town of Kosovo and I become increasingly aware of

individual houses among the others which are derelict and abandoned. At first I didn’t

give it much thought but, as we progressed through the town I came to realise that this

wasn’t a case of people simply abandoning their properties for economic reasons, but due

to the nature of the damage, shell holes etc, I realised I was witnessing first hand, the

results of ethnic cleansing as a result of the Bosnian conflict, rather more chilling than

watching it from the comfort of your easy chair in front of the telly.

We arrive in Split and make our way, via a torturous route, that damned GPS again, to our

17

Campground about 4K south of the town. The site is literally on the beach on the edge of

the most delightful and picturesque bay, straight out of a film set, having set up, which

took all of 10 minutes we are basking in the waters of the Adriatic, given that the air tem-

perature is now up to 35 deg and we’ve been riding all day this really is Heaven on Earth.

The setting for the evening meal equalled anything I can remember experiencing, a first

rate Restaurant perched above the beach with expansive views around this beautiful bay

as thousands of twinkling lights bade the Sun farewell. Whilst we were on our jaunt the

Euro 2012 football finals were running and given that we are both keen football followers,

we were fortunate to find somewhere to watch the match on a number of evenings. This

night was no exception, like many places at this time the restaurant had a massive TV

sited where everyone could watch the match, yea I know it kinda drags the image down,

but hey! give the Phillistines a chance. We retired well content with life.

On the morning of the seventh day whilst striking camp Paul mentioned that my rear tyre

was looking a little the worse for wear, wear being the key word here, can you imagine

that, Geoff Preston with a worn rear tyre, whatever next. When I looked I have to say, I

was surprised, now, I have been known, on the odd occasion, to push the envelope, inten-

tionally I have to say but this was quite unintentional, I won’t bore you with the reasons.

So straight up to Split for a new boot. Found a Michelin tyre depot and although they had

the right tyre, it couldn’t be fitted that day but they gave us a location of another of their

depot’s about eighty miles up the coast on our route, result! We left Split on the D8 coast

road which runs for about five

hundred miles, I’ll say nothing

more than, if you find yourself

in this part of the world, RIDE

IT! We duly arrived at the desig-

nated tyre depot and enquired

about a tyre for the VFR, whilst

we were waiting for the answer a

scooter pulled in and the rider

was an Englishman, he had no-

ticed our UK registrations and

offered any help if needed. It

transpired he was an ex-

squaddie who was there during

the conflict and had stayed on after his time was served. The shop didn’t have an appro-

priate tyre but I was told there was another depot about a hundred miles up the coast,

again on our route but it would, being Saturday close at one o’clock, it was now eleven

fifteen, the Scouser (ex-squaddie) told us if we took the Motorway we’d do it comfortably.

No, I didn’t miss the road to the Motorway. I just wanted to enjoy the D8, honest! And

so.....................yea, I arrived half an hour after they closed. So, it’s Saturday, all the tyre

18

places are closed until Monday,

ho hum! We continued up the

coast and although it was still

around thirty five degrees we

enjoyed the benefit of cooling

air off the sea. We arrived at our

destination for the day, a place

named Clikvenica, still in Croa-

tia, and once again found a good

Campground and went into our

well drilled procedure, park the

bikes, unload, set up, shower,

wash some clothes today and off

to find an eating house. Once

again, being still close to the sea the restaurant had a veranda overlooking the sea, the

dear old Adriatic don’t ya’know. Some good food, a few beers followed by a leisurely walk

back to the site, and so to bed

Day 8. It’s Sunday so tyres are gonna be thin on the ground to-day. We leave having had

no breakfast as the site had no facility for such, we both agree we’re happy to ride to lunch

unless we decide otherwise when on the road. In about fifty miles we cross from Croatia

into the North-East corner of Italy and it isn’t long before we see a roadside Cafe’ and pull

over. Whata we gonna have? This is Italia, gotta av a da pasta, momma, si, molto buona,

Lasagna for breakfast, don’t ya just love it. All I need now is Dean Martin on the Juke

Box and I’ll be rockin. Dreaming over it’s onward and upward towards Austria, it’s good

to be riding in the Alps again, our destination today is the town of Kotshach.

Monday on the 9th day and my mission today is to locate a tyre supplier and get the Viffer

shod, it doesn’t take long and after getting directions to a tyre fitter it isn’t long before a

very helpful young lady and her colleague are replacing the worn out Dunlop with a pris-

tine new Michelin, the price made my eyes water but it felt good to have a bit more rubber

between me and the road. The riding today is once again a delight, riding the well main-

tained twisties of the Austrian Alps, my spiritual home. We are both feeling the need for

refreshment and so pull over for a quick bite and drink, we get talking to a German guy

and during the course of the conversation we mention that tomorrow we shall be heading

for the Black Forest and the not to be missed B500. He tells us that he lives there and he

gives us advice on roads that are even better than the 500. We make note and bid him Auf

Wiedersehen. We cross the Border into Germany and are soon booking into our Camp-

ground and performing the established rituals. As Paul oils his chain I take quiet satisfac-

tion in having a machine with shaft drive.

19

It’s Guden Tag at the beginning of the 10th day and we’re keen to get to the Black Forest

and we are soon wending our way through Freudenstadt en route to the roads recom-

mended by our German friend and very soon we are having great fun on these made for

bikes roads. An hour or so later we come on to the 500, it is 9.45am and there is little traf-

fic, there is no weather, a dry surface and I’ve got a new grippy back tyre, let it rip! We

travel 24 miles up to Baden Baden and in that distance make only five overtakes, what

more could one ask for, one of the best biking roads, little traffic, and ideal weather condi-

tions, alleluia!!! We continued on to the Rhine and took the ferry to the West bank and

headed for Chalon en Champagne in France. We weren’t able to locate a Campground in

the area so were forced to resort to the decadence of a Hotel, it’s awkward pitching a tent

in a Hotel room but the grub was good and there’s footy on the box so all’s right with the

world.

The final day finds us heading North to Calais along familiar roads and countryside and

so to the Eurotunnel terminal and on to the train and Folkestone. The end of an enjoy-

able, interesting and adventurous road trip. Time to start planning the next one!

Geoff Preston

20

Britbutt Rally and Iron Butt Rides.

Years ago I’d heard about a group of bikers in the states that relished the idea of long distance

rides and actively developed new ones to push each other to new lengths, I forgot about them

until I did a big ride in one day and had proof of this with receipts and start/finish points . The

ride in question was off the ferry from Igoumenitsa ( Greek Mainland ) to Venice being the start-

ing point and the destination was south of Malaga (Spain ) I’d set off and decided to stop when I

needed to as I had three days to get there. To cut to the point I left Venice at 07.30am and even-

tually booked into a nice hotel in Barcelona at 9.30pm the same day. This was fine and I went out

on the bike after a shower and had a meal and walked along La Rambla as though I’d done no

mileage at all.

This is what made me think I could do this type of riding with the Iron Butt when I read about

an event called The Britbutt Rally, I duly entered and got a start number in the draw held tradi-

tionally at Christmas ( a very odd but exciting present ) .This was the end of 2008 and the Rally

was set for the end of May , 35 hrs in total, from 6am Saturday until 6pm Sunday with a sleep

bonus to encourage riders to stop in one place for 4hrs proof with two receipts from the same

location time shown.

21

The start location is usually central in

mainland Britain, recently Castleford has

been used as a Rally HQ and start / finish.

On Friday you arrive to have your bike

scrutineered , documents checked,

Odometer calibrated by riding a set 20 mile

course to check for percentage difference,

you sign on and have a picture taken with

your own camera to make sure you use the

same SD card. Then have a beer with the

other riders in the hotel bar. After a meal

at HQ we are assembled in the conference room about 8pm where safety rules are explained and

Rally do’s and don’ts, then the exciting bit, one by one ,rider are called to get their Rally flag and

roadbook, This consists of 70 locations around the UK and further afield , the object is to sort out

the locations which all have a points value and some have time restrictions ( night, day between

9am and 5pm etc ). All riders go off to their rooms to work out a route gaining as many points as

possible while covering approximately 12-1300 miles.

5.15am sees the early birds up checking and loading their bikes, setting their sat nav or navs

( many riders use 2 to offset next bonus location) getting a good place in the queue as riders set

off at one minute intervals. Then it’s your turn and it has begun, now to first location, as you get

to fifth or sixth location you begin to be at locations on your own and apart from brief meetings,

you are on your own.

22

June 2009 was my first attempt and I’ll admit the whole idea was big miles and points as an

aside, Wrong, the judges at the return HQ pulled my paperwork apart because the log was

wrong, I’ll explain what I mean, part of the bonus book contains a fuel log to record when, where

and how much. The photo log is for pictures of each location with flag, bike you or as described in

the book, all worth points when filled in correctly ( after being awake for 40+ hrs and having rid-

den 1200+ miles ) this is why it’s mental as well as physical. 2009 was disappointing for me and i

thought I’d give it a miss next time.

2010 I’m riding to Squires Cafe for the start of The RBLR Saddlesore ride to Wick, Just south of

John O Groats, and back to cover 1000+ miles in less than 24hrs for the Royal British Legion Rid-

ers charity ride. Route anti or clockwise North or South, i decide to go North clockwise and arrive

back in 21.5 hrs, Hmm that was good.

2010 Christmas and I’m waiting for an email, it arrives, here we go again. After leaving and head-

ing Northwest to Cumbria I get some bonus locations together and head for Scotland, Galloway

to be precise. I get to a place called Clatteringshaws Dam and take a photo , log the odo, location

and picture. I ride down the hill and meet another rider I met at my first Rally, we chat and he

say’s “watch out for gravel , it’s all over the road in 2 inch ridges”, “ okay thanks for the heads

up”. Next time we meet, I’m standing by the road waving him down,” where’s your bike” he asks,

“can’t you see it, it’s in the ditch, help me drag it out”. We straightened the bars and pulled off

any bits that were loose. “What now “says Martin, “I’ll try a couple more bonuses and see how I

do”. I was thrown over the bars and luckily missed the trees, I was thirty odd feet from the ditch

and could’nt see my old GSA, it was a generous sized ditch. Glasgow, St Georges Sq, 5pm, peeing

down hard and I’m getting a piccie taken by some Japanese tourists and feel the old concussion

arrive, call in to HQ, I’m out, one of 15 that year, it was really tough.

23

2012 Castleford and I’m at it again, this time we have Bike Magazine journo Tony Hoare taking

part, it’s in the previous last copy. The routine is the same and the excitement is there in bucket-

fuls, route goes Baildon ( Dave Jefferies grave ) a sobering start, Dibbles bridge, Todmorden,

Gawthorpe, Blackpool, Blackpool pleasure beach, Puddle House Lane, Liverpool Airport,

Aberffraw( Anglesey), Aberystwyth, Cilgerran, Mynachlog ddu, Pembroke, Eppynt ranges,

Mainland TT monument other side of Eppynt, Abergavenny, RAF High Wycombe, Abbey Road

Studios, Vauxhall Bridge, Sheerness, Whitstable, Dunkirk ( Kent), Scampton ( dambusters Pub)

then back to Castleford with 37 mins to spare, after 5pm you are penalised 100 points per minute

so good timekeeping and planning are essential 6pm you are a DNF. While riding, you are con-

stantly working out your route, avoiding traffic, trying to hydrate, eat ,fuel the bike, stick to your

routine every time you stop, alter your route for an extra bonus etc. You don’t have time to be

bored or tired, you do sleep well on Sunday night though.

So to sum up, 26/27 MAY 2012 I rode my GSA 1150 a total of 1252.3 miles through the UK in 34

hrs 23mins accumulated 39900 points and finished 13th

place. Tony got 19th

, the story lets you

know how it was for him, nice guy too.

The point of this is to let everyone know

about the Britbut Rally and The Iron Butt

UK, the men that do these events are great

riders and good friends too, and they want

more people have a go. If you are inter-

ested then Laura will give you my number,

I do go to club nights too so you can al-

ways have a chat.

25

OBSERVER

COORDINATOR

It would be fair to say that attendance levels at

recent training events have been somewhat mixed

at times, although I would like to thank all Observ-

ers who have continued to provide unwavering

support for all scheduled events.

Slow Riding Days – The SRD at Dunton on 17th

June proved popular, particularly considering the

date clash with Father’s Day and Moto GP at

Silverstone. Nigel set up the DSA Swerve Test and

then went on to maintain the Group tradition for

the Chairman to win the ‘Slowest Rider Race’ (in 41.57 seconds). Many thanks to Graham

Simpkins for his continuing help in making the excellent Ford ‘test track’ facilities avail-

able to us. Please remember to pencil Sunday, 30th September in your diaries to make

sure you are free to attend our next SRD.

Associate Group Training - At June’s AGT we had a good turnout of Observers and Full

Members but only 2 Associates. Nigel and Lynn subsequently contacted all Associates, to

establish whether we needed to consider modifying the format of these monthly events

to ensure they appeal to the widest possible audience. From feedback received, individ-

ual Associates confirmed their endorsement of AGTs but just happened to have too many

other commitments on that particular day!

Thinking back to the days when I was an Associate - and no, I did not have someone

with a red flag walking in front of my Fireblade - I would certainly encourage other Asso-

ciates to attend as many AGTs as possible because you almost inevitably pick up some

useful information during the roadcraft talks; get the opportunity to discover some great

new roads & tea rooms during the rides; and broaden your training experience by riding

with different Observers (which comes in very handy when you eventually ride with an

examiner who you will not know).

The weather was not at all kind for July’s AGT, which started off very wet with some impressive pavement to pavement puddles. Nevertheless, 5 rather damp Associates

made it. At one stage we seriously considered not running any observed rides but atten-

dees managed to keep Chris talking about emergency braking until the worst of the

downpour had passed. Never wishing to miss an opportunity for a ride, unallocated Ob-

servers even managed to fit in a mini peer-to-peer run, via a 50 mile loop back to a diner

in Chelmsford.

26

Motorcycle Courier

• Rapid collection and delivery of urgent packages

and documents to anywhere in the UK

• Professional, bespoke service available 24/7

• Immediate, no obligation quote

If you can’t afford a helicopter 2b Transport is the next best thing!!

www.2btransport.com

ALL MAJOR CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED

Please be aware that due to maintenance work we will not be able to gain ac-

cess to Moulsham School for the next AGT on Sunday, 12thAugust. This has pro-

vided us with an opportunity to organise something a little different. Accordingly, an As-

sociate Social Ride is being planned over a route of around 120 miles devised by Richard

Parker. To cater for all experience levels, including those who have not previously at-

tended a social ride, we intend to have good numbers of Observers on hand to provide

Associates with 1-to-1 assistance if required.

Observer News - Congratulations to Michel Couque who recently passed his initial assess-

ment to become a Trainee Observer.

Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me

via on e-mail [email protected] or send me a PM via the Message Board.

John Tullett

27

C J BARDWELL Contractors

Flagstaff Farm, Green Lane, Althorne,

Essex, CM3 6BQ

Telephone: Office 01621 828276; Mobile 07836 277223;

Fax 01621 828113

BUILDING, CIVIL ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE

EXTENSIONS - GARAGES - LOFT CONVERSIONS

BLOCKPAVING DRIVEWAYS - PATIOS

ROOFING (ALL TYPES)

CARPENTRY - BRICKWORK

WATER MAIN AND SEWER REPAIRS AND RENEWAL

FENCING - REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

(upvc, hardwood, aluminium)

UPVC CLADDING, FASCIAS, SOFFITS

UNDERPINNING - LANDSCAPING

PAINTING AND DECORATING

FULLY INSURED (BUT NOT YET NEEDED)

For free no-obligation quote, phone Clint on

01621 828276 (office)

07836 277223 (mobile)

DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL WORK UNDERTAKEN

INSURANCE WORK WELCOME

Member of

The Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors

28

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2012 March 18 Peer to Peer

25 Full Member Training 1

April 1 Eamg Full Member Ride

3 Group Night with Michelin and custom ear plugs

8 Associate Group Training

22 Annual day tour to France. Eurotunnel 7.20 departure from Folkestone. Return 17.50 from Calais. Currently £28 return. Watch the Forum for further details.

21-25 Reveiller Ride 1: 4 Day Scenic ‘D’ Tour

29 Peer to Peer

29 Essex Motorcycle Show (Bike Safe) Cancelled

May 1 Group Night with Tony Gabb (Herts Examiner)

5-9 Reveiller Ride 2: 4Day Cote d’Or


13 Eamg Full Member Ride


June 3 Eamg Full Member Ride

5 Group Night *at Regiment Way*


17 Slow Riding day at Ford Dunton

23-02 Reveiller Ride 3: Schwarzwald & Bavaria

July 1 Eamg Full Member Ride

3 Group Night *at Regiment Way*

With Bridgestone

7-11 Reveiller Ride 4: 5 Day Scenic Cote d’Or


15 Peer to Peer

32

Here is a great opportunity to help promote

the group with our bumper regalia sale. For

upcoming group nights I will set up our regalia

table for you to see what we have. Make me an

offer (sensible of course) and it could be yours.

We need to turn this stock into cash for the

group.

Gents Hoodies, Ladies Polo shirts, various

colours and sizes, Gents Fleeces, Beanie Hats,

Baseball caps, Gents Polo shirts new and old

styles, Gents Short sleeve shirts, Ladies short

sleeve shirts, Gents and Ladies Tee shirts,

Ladies V neck Tee Shirts, Key Rings and

stickers.

LOOK FOR US AT GROUP NIGHTS

Regalia

Grand

Sale

Roger Wardley,

Group Secretary

33

August 5 Full Member Training 3

5 Museum of Power, bike meet at Langford near Maldon 10am - 5pm

7 Group Night with Pan American Adventures

12 Associate Social Ride

19 Boys & Girls Ride, Cotswolds


September 4 Group Night

8-19 Reveiller Ride 5: 11 Day Austrian Alps


16 Sunday 16th September. Beachy Head run. Watch Forum for further details.

16 Essex Air Ambulance run


29 EAMG BBQ (watch out for further details)

30 Slow Riding day at Ford Dunton

October 2 Group Night

5-10 Reveiller Ride 6: 5 day Massif Central


14 Peer to Peer



November 4 Eamg Full Member Ride

6 Group Night


December 2 Eamg Full Member Ride

4 Group Night


Gro

up

Nig

hts @

19

:30

, AG

Ts @ 9

:15

am

D

iary

20

12

34

“If you have a crash and it wasn’t your fault we can manage your claim free of charge. That means we will represent you and communicate with your insurance company, the at-fault insurance company, your repairer and, most importantly, YOU to resolve liability in your favour and manage

your claim until your bike is back with you, fully repaired.

In the unfortunate event that a bike is damaged, bikers may not be aware that once their insurer is notified, the insurer will arrange for their ap-proved repairer to collect their bike. This may not be ideal for a number of reasons, that’s why Ridemaster will work with your chosen local repairer

where they know you and know your bikes’ history.

Call Ridemaster first and we’ll take the pain out of a bad day.”

RIDEMASTER PO BOX 859 Aylesbury

Bucks.

HP22 9FJ

T: 0844 888 0999 F: 0844 888 4190

www.ridemaster.co.uk

35

Bucks.

Sunday 16th September 2012 Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run

The Motorcycle Run is the biggest and longest running event in the Charity’s fundraising

calendar and is now in its 13th year. Over 5,000 bikers take part every year and more than

2,000 visitors descend on Harwich. This ever popular event raises vital funds to keep the

emergency helicopter flying and saving lives.

The 60 mile run starts at Ford Dunton Technical Centre in Laindon where bikers will be

entertained by motorcycle stunt shows and more! They then follow a police-approved route

finishing in Harwich for the fantastic Family Festival on Harwich Green with live entertain-

ment hosted by Martin Day from Heart Breakfast.

All bikers that pre-register to take part in the event, are automatically entered into a Prize

Draw to win a £1,500 Biker Spending Spree courtesy of Jim Aim Motorcycles!

36

[email protected]

www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk

Open 9am-6pm Mon to Sat

37

IT’S A CLASSIC ( mistake) Back in March I had a dabble on eBay and won a Triumph Speedtwin of 1960 vintage. All very nice to look at, it went down hill from there. It was soon MOT’d and taxed (free) and we were on the road. The first event for it was a run out with the Vintage MCC from Writtle green a trip of 52miles. It didn’t run very well but it struggled around. Whilst waiting at a set of lights a fellow run participant pointed out that I was losing a fair bit of oil, most of it was on Nicki’s boots. Arriving at the lunch stop I discovered a split oil pipe. With a botched repair we limped home.

With a repair effected the next weekend we went out, me on the Speedtwin Nicki on her 1967 Yamaha YCS1. About five miles from home the Triumph went on to one cylinder, a quick look over and plug change made no difference so I tried to limp home on ‘one’ but it cried enough and stopped altogether. I left Nicki at the road side with the Triumph and rode her bike home to get the van. Returning home with the bike in the van there was a crash as I rounded a cor-ner, the Triumph had fallen over in the van. I was rather annoyed when I had loaded the bike and didn’t strap it in properly. There was a bit of paint damaged but notably one exhaust tail pipe was bent seriously upwards. I straightened it and felt that it was hanging in there by a thread, never mind it was facing in the right direction.

38 Dave Iszard

Bike once again fixed the next weekend we went of to the Suffolk Classic Bike Show, a small affair at Long Melford. Going through Sudbury it all of a sudden started running very rough. I pulled in to have a look when a lady shouted through her car window that something had fallen off one of the bikes. I look around Nicki’s Yam and nothing was missing but then I noticed my tail pipe was gone. We arrived at the show and as with every where that I parked up it will leave a pool of oil even though the pipes were fixed.

With replacement silencers fitted by the next weekend. It was out with the Vintage club for an evening run from Maldon. Hey presto ! I got around the 32 mile lap without an incident, that’s not to say it didn’t leave some oil here and there. So far it has cost more to keep running than any other bike I’ve had lately. So much for the notion that classic bikes appreciate, When I sell this one I possibly will make a loss due to the need to feed it spare parts.

On the VMCC runs the same marker system is used as do the EAMG but there is a differ-ence. On the EAMG rides rarely does anyone suffer with mechanical brake down. On the VMCC runs it is excepted that if anyone brakes down they are left to their own devices, abandoned at the side of the road. If we stop to help one and other the ride would never be completed as brake downs seem common place. I noticed on one ride out a good number of participants never made it to the finish and I wondered what had happened to them, no one seemed overly concerned that half the membership had disappeared.

What of the little Yam. Well being Japanese it has behaved itself better than the Brit but that hasn’t stopped it misbehaving at times. I guess an old machine is an old machine. Good fun? I don’t always think so, by the time you read this someone else will own the Triumph and I hope he benefits from all the work I had to do to keep it running. I never learn, I’m bidding on something else.

Ian and Bernie Taylor were at Chichester when they came upon a statue of Saint Rich-ard. Smurf got to hear of it and remarked that it was ‘Richard patron saint of ride outs’ Well we have no doubt that it is our Richard of course. He’s finally reached Saintdom. As well as being a ‘babe magnet’ what more can a man want in life.

Speaking of Richard I’m deeply disappointed. Nicki returned home on her Suzuki to find a scruffy looking nail in her back tyre. We are accustomed to Richard picking up all the nails in the area but he missed this one.

39

EAMG Members are you looking to renew your bike, car or

household insurance? If so why not try Carole Nash, you maybe

able to earn the group a donation. Please use the number below

and quote the reference number

0800 083 4422 Quote Ref 1460

INSURANCE DUE FOR RENEWAL?INSURANCE DUE FOR RENEWAL?INSURANCE DUE FOR RENEWAL?INSURANCE DUE FOR RENEWAL?

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Bikesure and Adrian Flux are pleased to have the opportunity to respond positively to the request from EAMG

to offer members competitive and discounted policies.

EAMG members develop their driving skills to an advanced level, and so add a whole new dimension to their

road driving experience. They also become significantly safer drivers. Adrian Flux has organised a scheme

that recognises this by giving a 20% discount against the cost of their members car or motorbike insurance.

In doing so they have found an insurance intermediary who were prepared to significantly reward drivers and

bikers who voluntarily develop their motoring skills by offering them a substantial discount. Adrian Flux

Insurance Services are delighted to announce they've now achieved this with their ongoing partnership with

road safety partnerships such as ROSPA, IAM etc. Whether you drive a car or a ride a motorcycle, you can

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To view the details of the arrangement further please visit our dedicated landing ROSPA landing page:

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Craig Darwin of Adrian Flux Insurance says, "Motorists who complete a ROSPA / IAM programme have

demonstrated a healthy attitude towards road safety and responsible driving. They've raised their skill levels

and reduced their risk of accidents and we feel they should be rewarded.

It's an innovative approach to offer such a large discount. The public tend to think of the insurance industry as

taking rather than giving - hopefully this will improve that perception."

There are no strings and no hidden charges: "We want this to be totally transparent," says Darwin. "If the

scheme is successful then we're be building up a pool of customers who are making fewer claims which means

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To learn more about the scheme visit http://www.adrianflux.co.uk/ridedrive/rospa-insurance.php or call

Adrian Flux Insurance Services on Freephone:

0800 089 0035

40

Oh lordy

where do i begin. wel as old maxi by graves wud

say. lemmee tell u a story. once upon a time there

was a handsome young prince who was a sex ad-

dict. hang on spider. wrong story.

ok attempt number two. i have 2 fings in life i love.

one involves rubber. so duz the other one. on this occasion i am talkin 2 wheels

large or small wif various bodies wrapped around em. you see i use 2 ride old

lambrettas. now its big wheel stuff. so how did this get around to pie and mash.

well wen me dad was alive. he use 2 say. oi why dont we do that advanced test.

yeah ok sez me. but we neva did. so to cut a long story short. he said wen i pop it

poppet.( i never wrote that twice. he use to call me poppet). do ur advanced test.

so i did. i was out one day havin a spin. 60mph on the straight. 15mph on a slight

bend. i'm barry bloody sheen. then a rider went past me then anufer one. mor an

mor. so as i am lettin these bikes go by. ( yeah right) i followed em to harwich. oh

blow me over its biker planet init. some band was on so had a shuffle. would be

rude not to. then went 4a goosy gander. that's wen i found the lord. my saviour.

oh praise the lord. the buggers was disguised as a club called eamg. hmmm wots

this lot all about sez me. lo and behold its an advanced bike group and there's a

nice looking bird in it with doctor martins. dam it i'll join. in the scooter scene.

the normal girls wore doctor martins and the boring ones wore pointy fings.

lets go forward. there i am. sittin in club HQ. all quite and shy as a mouse. so was

this other geezer called gary. new member as well. mor of him later. goes home

after paying club fee and waits 4a call. hello richard parker ere. lets meet up for

The following text has not been edited, I have been

advised that too much time spent looking at spider

speak could have a detrimental effect to my vocabulary

so read at your own risk

41

observed ride. er yep. arrange a date. oh er mrs.. and it snows. finally we meet

up. off we go and tells me how to ride beta than i am riding. this bloke is nuts.

i'm perfecyt opps. no 1s riding is perfect. long and the short of it. i understand

what he wants from me. and all the other observers. all with slightly various

ways that u have 2 figure out. just like a woman's brain. oh that will start a fight.

my wife shows me 2 colours but really wants the 3rd one. judgement day comes

and i gets me rospa test. i go 4 gold and gets it. very pleased. not interested in

being the fast-

est, that's down

to andy or crash

bar jim but i

love trying to be

the safest by

having the per-

fect ride. i al-

ways think

about it wen i go

home or chilling

out. i remember

most thing. al-

though i always

look like i

don't pay at-

tention. drop

those gears

down geoff

preston. look

round the cor-

ner more

steve shorties.

that's my tea

your drinkin

dave izzard.

balls of feet on

pegs george

42

brown. 10% better each time sez andy herms. and still jill winn tells me this and

that while i sink in her eyes and float off. how hypotonic can one be. my rospa

examiners words was. now you have passed. don't think you can suddenly ride

faster or better keep at it and progress. with respect that's wot i dun. i joined in

richards monthly ride outs. then you learn more because of faster riders. not

talking straight line speed here. i am talking bends, twisty roads. reading the

road better. its all a learning curve, and still i ask questions and improve and get

safe and smooth. oh spider ur so smooth lol.

now whilst talking to a lady friend of mine. she was talking about the ladies that

get abused and end up in the shelter. a sort of half way house. women that have

been beaten and abused. no where to go. so while we was rolling about in the

field one night. havin a chat. i thort i wud cover 2 birds with one stone. that is. do

a charity fun run and raise some dosh for the battered birds wif bruises. also do a

fun run for the club for what it has taught me. that's my way of saying a big thank

you 2 all concerned.

so while out having a ride with sir geoff of preston. i tells im me plan and goes for

43

i done a raffle at the club. raised a bit of dosh. sorted out some prizes. then we all

met up for the ride out. there was about 40 of us. so thanks geoff presto and rich-

ard parker for leading the 2 groups there. me being at the back. i enjoyed

watchin various riders. suzy was in front for 15 minutes and i enjoyed watchin

her progress. a quick shuffle and she was back again. great lines and on the ball

with the road changes, but who am i to say that. just my opinion of a good rider

thats all. i arranged with the local council a private place to park for free. thank

you mick simpson. we went in had our food and as colin ate 3 pies he won a

travel razor. speedo dave and the lovely solveig both done fake black eyes. so we

decided a fiver each for taking part. after singing happy birthday to solveig we

departed to make room for the next group. on the way back the rain was trying to

make a dent in the day. but it was nothing to worry about. we got back to mac

donald's and waited and waited and waited 4 other group so long. i gave every-

body a raffle ticket wrote names on them and sed go home. wen the others

turned up. there was a problem with a rear wheel coming loose. argh that ex-

plains it and no harm done thank goodness. after dishing out the rest of the raf-

fle tickets. i put all the other bits in an old crash hat and before we pulled out the

winning ticket. i said the prize was a 3 bed house in bath for one week. to which a

certain young lady who i will call hilda replied F***K off which amused us all.

winning ticket pulled out and it was gary the 1st person i spoke to on the night i

joined. a very likeable fella. always happy and another dam good rider. i hope

you all had a good day.i really want to thank you for turning up and making it

possible to help the ladies in question we raised just under £200 today plus £32

on the raffle. thanks everybody for making this charitable event happen. your all

mega stars

spider

44

hello reader

ru sitting comfortable. good cos i isn't. i will moan later. in the club we have vari-

ous riders . wif different tastes. oh yeah baby. now sum like to go off 4a day trip.

sum jus do holiday's wif john and audrey tipper. which by the way are x a lant i

believe that's spelt excellent. some just do the social side and don't ride. so we

have a real bunch of lickerish all sorts. now thats wot i call a club. well today it

was time 2 join the brands hatch bunch. a few days b4 that i goes out for my day

ride on my new bike. pulled into a car park. put me foot down on uneven ground

and ova i go. nice and slow and the floor vanished. my knee went pop. i moaned

like a goodun. then ends up in a ambulance for some tlc. a few day later there i

am at brands hatch in pain. ( now i am moaning) breakfast was a few pain killers

and it was really hard to get my knee down. i have not even gone on track yet. i'm

talking about just sitting on the dam bike. mri scan is this week. so soon find out

wots wrong. moan over.

we get tested for noize. not us. the bikes do tho. u get a recording device put on

bike for your lap times. i let 4 pounds of air out my rear tyre for more grip as ad-

vised. after a chin wag by the bloke doing it. we go into 3 groups and i am in the

beginners block. finally we are on the starting line. the man waves the flag goes

down and i leave em standing. well that was 1st gear over. how hard can it be.

you do 3 warm up laps. then its balls out.

going round the track was great. your looking as far as you can and following the

rider in front or trying to. i had our very own andy herms in front of me. now

that bloke is like a rat up a drain pipe. he is still warming up and there is me

thinking bend, lean. look at furthest point. ignor behind me. will i ever make love

again. then as soon as you go round that bit. there is another one to negotiate.

andy decided to stop thinking hmmm doughnuts. opened the throttle and van-

ished. it was all going brill and i was watchin the bloke in front that looked really

funny leaning right over. then relised i was doing the same thing. at that point he

slid away from his bike and into the gravel. my brain sed panic. we are going to

fast, but you just have to instantly 4get wot u saw or it might happen to you.

after a break we goes out again. the pace was getting faster. i was feeling tired.

was it the pain killers. i dont know for sure. on the straights i worked out the revs

and just went to about 95mph and letting any traffic have a easy time passing

me. we can all drive fast in a straight line. its the bends i want to work on. one

guy took the straight line speed. goes round the bend and never made it. he got

45

smashed up so did the rental bike. its quite off putting but accidents will happen.

duz make you think. but. its better to come off on track than the road. you might

hit a person or child. then ya gotta live with that. after a bit more on the tin tack

it was time to get sum grub. while we was sittin there it had been arranged with

brands hatch for some bloke to be taken round in a coffin side car. well its obvi-

ous he cant ride cos his dead. now let me be honest as i always am. after a while

it sunk in and it really did make me think... however in life you have to decide

what you want and go 4 it. or it will neva happen. i am not trying to put anybody

off of a track day. i would say the opposite. try it and see. it really is an enjoyable

day. there is no showing off among the guys in our club. just good banter and

very good riders. after lunch and another 20min track time. we got called in and

thats wen i decided to call it a day. it duz get tiring and what with the pills in me

that kept making me yawn i decided for safety sake i had enough.

later that day. i went out to the garage. had a potter about. sat down and thort

about my ride like you do. i could have gone faster on the bends, hairpin, straight

bits for sure. but was quite happy wif what i had learnt. 2 things was on my mind

that day by far better riders than me. andy herms saying dont worry about top

speed on the straight get a feel for what the bike can do when leaning right over.

also john tipper saying let the speed come to you. them tips have saved my bacon

twice now. its like going from associate ride outs to full member ride out. one

thinks they have to go faster. dont do it. ride your own speed and let it cum 2u.

thats 2 times i have sed it twice i hope its sunk in. all that info from track goes

wif you to take on the road. in speeds that are normally much lower than a track.

in turn that gives you more confidence at legal speeds wen looking at the next

hazard. only thing i don't like is me being such a tight wad. the tyres wear out

very quick. still it was fun and when fully recovered i will probably do it again.

spider

46

My Friend John

By Chris Johnson. When I moved to Sweden in 1976, on a six-month contract which eventually stretched itself over the best part of two decades, I was fortunate to find a kindred spirit amongst the American workers on the project, a lad from Pittsburgh who was always eager for diversion. We quickly became 'best mates'. John's only weakness in this capacity was that he was not invariably prepared to attempt to pull anything which didn't have a beard on the strength of a few minutes acquaintance. I charitably decided to ascribe this to the effects of a traditional American upbringing, rather than the serious character defect which it otherwise would have been. Incidentally, be warned that some parts of this story depart from the standards of probity and responsibility which we all try to maintain, but remember that it was all a long time ago in a country far away. By the Spring of 1977 (in Sweden you reckon Spring to be the time when you can apply the brakes in your car without ending up in a ditch or worse, and it occurs in May if you are lucky) I had, for the first time in my life, more than a pittance in the bank. I thus be-came subject to Newton's Fourth Law of Motion (subsequently confirmed by Einstein), which states "Money in Bank = New Motorbike". I duly started reading bike magazines to decide what I was going to buy. John followed the proceedings with interest, and soon declared that he too would like to get a motorbike. I was delighted, but enquired if he had a licence to ride one? He didn't, and seemed slightly surprised at this sudden interest in bureaucratic niceties from some-one who normally shared his cavalier attitude to them. Had he ever ridden one? A friend had once let him ride a Honda twin along the alley behind his house. He had fallen off, of course, but not until near the end of the alley. We were both entirely satisfied that this was a sufficient demonstration of competence to justify buying a powerful motorbike. Market investigations were extended in scope, and I decided on a Kawasaki Z650 for myself and a Honda CB400/4 for John. Both would be bought on a visit to the UK, and the logistics became incredibly complicated since John would have to learn to ride on the CB400 before I could pick up my Z650. We decided to buy the Honda in London, ride it up to Manchester, pick up the Kawasaki there, and then take in a very serious party at the infamous house where I had lived as a student. We duly arrived in the UK, delighted the bike shop by buying two complete sets of bike gear, kitted ourselves up in these and were then faced with the problem of fitting two large men and two enormous holdalls which, since we were going to a party, were stuffed with duty-free booze and beer, onto a fairly small bike. We did it, but the handling became distinctly interesting. If I tell you that, when stationary at traffic lights, if I leaned back to say something to John then the front wheel would lift into the air, you can probably imagine what it was like to ride. I wobbled and weaved over to some friends in Putney, where John was given his first riding lesson. This was based on the "Emergency Stop Approach". You start by learning how to brake when stationary, graduate to stopping when pushed along, start the engine and then learn to let in the clutch and brake immediately, gradually go longer distances before the emergency stop is signalled, and then are allowed to progress through the gears until you have to stop suddenly. I am sure that those in the Group involved with training will be having palpita-tions when they read this, but it seemed to work. After a convivial afternoon and evening I took John back to my parents' house in Croydon. My parents were away, but we dumped the bags and set off immediately into the night for further riding practice on some less

47

urban roads. This went well. Fortunately, since I knew the way I was the one driving when we arrived back at the house, because there was a massive police presence there. The neighbours, aware that my parents were away and startled by our sudden arrival and departure, had called in the Law. Possession of a key to the house, and a driving licence giving it as a home address, convinced them that, even if we did look like a couple of terrorists, we were not breaking and entering. The next morning we set off for Manchester. The plan was simple. John was pillion up to the M6, and then we swapped places and he rode into Manchester. The assumption was that he would accumulate enough experience on the ride to proceed alone thereafter. It worked. Since, to my intense chagrin, I stalled the Z650 when starting out on it, John probably looked more competent than I was. We rode over to Heaton Moor, near Stockport, for the party. It was, as expected, a great party. The police duly arrived about midnight because of the complaints about noise. They were fobbed off with promises. Pretty much on schedule they were back within an hour because of noncompliance with the noise abatement request. This was dealt with by sending in a team of highly skilled negotiators. The qualifications for a highly skilled nego-tiator are simple. She is fair of face, has generous physical endowment and a flirtatious nature, and wears a dress which does little to conceal her charms. The girls were so suc-cessful in their 'negotiations' that it wasn't until 02:30 that the third group of policemen arrived to find out what the **** had happened to the previous ones. There were no re-criminations; it being quickly recognised that they had encountered a situation beyond the normal call of duty. By 05:00 things were getting a little quieter and John, some of my old flatmates, and I went out to admire the bikes and discuss the meaning of life, as one does. The police were back again by mid-afternoon - this time to investigate reports of a dead body in the hedge. We helped them search and did find what was apparently a dead body in the hedge, but after we had prodded it with a stick for a while it experienced a miraculous resurrection and became quite vocal about what we could do with ourselves. It was dear old friend Bob, who had left the party in the morning in a relaxed and exalted state of mind, but had apparently suffered immediate navigational problems and, finding himself trapped, had sensibly passed out where he lay. By 16:00 it was time for breakfast and, since John had never tasted a curry before, I took him to the Plaza café, which served a cheap and particularly lethal Chicken Biryani. John's reaction was classic, and extremely gratifying. He turned bright red, sweated pro-fusely, and drank five large glasses of water. After a day or two visiting old friends in ex-clusive residential areas like Moss Side, we rode back to London and got the CB400 ser-viced. The Z650 proved more difficult. No one would service it before our return to Swe-den. I ended up riding back up to Manchester to have it serviced at the shop where I had bought it, and then riding straight back again. It was a long day. We then had the ride to Felixstowe, the boat back to Gothenburg, and the 300-mile ride back to Nykoping or, as Ryanair now choose to call it, 'Stockholm South'. We spent all our free time that summer touring Sweden and Norway on the bikes. A cou-ple of incidents stick in my mind from that time. Soon after we arrived back in Sweden John unaccountably disappeared for a day. He eventually turned up to explain that he had been biking out on the gravel tracks in the middle of nowhere when he had come off. The bike, whilst showing no apparent signs of damage, had then refused absolutely to start. John had been unhurt by the spill, but the eleven mile trek in sandals to a place civilised enough to have real roads where he stood a chance of hitching a ride had left him very footsore. We threw rope, tools and useful bits of wire, wood and metal into the back of my estate car and set off on a rescue mission. The poor little CB400 was found

48

propped up against a rock and, whilst the lights worked fine and the fuses were unblown, it couldn't be started. We had pretty much given up and were preparing to slot the bike into the back of the car when, looking for convenient places to tie ropes, a feature of Japanese bikes which was conspicuously absent from the British ones I had known caught my eye. A kill switch. A kill switch set to 'Off'. John must have knocked it when he was picking the bike up. The CB400 then started and ran sweetly without any trouble and we, feeling slightly foolish, headed back home. Not long after that John appeared one afternoon to complain that the bike had stopped working. It had just progressively lost power until it refused to run at all. I went to have a look at it. The electrics seemed fine, it sparked at top dead centre, but there was little smell of petrol from the exhaust when it was turned over. It was beginning to look like a fuel blockage. I checked the tank, which was completely full, and was just about to start fiddling with the carbs when I realised that the tank, whilst it smelled of petrol, smelled less strongly of petrol than I would have expected. A quick dip of a finger into the tank revealed that John had filled up with diesel oil. "So that's why it was so cheap", said John (diesel is untaxed in Sweden; the cars have a mileage tax instead). Did we dispose of the unwanted diesel in an environmentally responsible manner? I am ashamed to say that we did not. We went to the nearest drain and, after a quick glance up and down the street to make sure nobody was watching, emptied the tank down it. John was sent off with it to get petrol ("Make sure it IS petrol this time") whilst I drained the carbs, cleaned the plugs, and tried to get residual traces of diesel out of the system. When John returned we put the tank back on, let some petrol flow down through the carbs, and then tightened everything up and tried to start it. It did, eventually and reluc-tantly, fire up; producing an enormous cloud of white smoke. John rode it around until the exhaust was clear again, and reduced the visibility in that section of town to near zero in the process. People still remembered the incident years later, but it was the sort of town where nothing ever happens so I guess they would. I managed to avoid any interesting escapades like these. The most exciting moment came one night when riding back home at about 01:00, at a realistic speed, when an elk suddenly bounded into the road and stopped to have a look at me. I did a textbook emer-gency stop, but was aware that on my old Triumph I would have been a goner. The Z650's single disk may not have been much by modern standards, but compared to a single leading- shoe drum it was spectacularly effective. An elk is probably the worst ani-mal you can hit. It seems to have been specially designed to take out Volvos. A massive body on four very long spindly legs means that, in the event of a collision, the crumple zones and protective bars are bypassed and the top of the passenger compartment is stripped off. This immediately transforms your car into an interesting cabriolet model, but is very bad news for anyone inside at the time. The centre stand on the CB400 was not very effective away from asphalt. On many trips we would emerge from our tent to find the Z650 upright, and the CB400 lying on its side. John grumbled a lot about this, and eventually I welded a couple of bolts onto each of the stand's feet. This cured the stability problem on soft ground but, as John's confidence increased and his cornering became more daring, they started to ground and generate showers of sparks. Following him became a free firework display. I had to work hard to keep up with him sometimes. Although the Z650 was a more powerful bike, the CB400 was far more agile round corners. Cornering in Sweden is rather different to the UK. Be-cause for half of the year cars have studded tyres, every road has two channels cut into each side, which means you have a choice of two lines round a bend. Providing you stay in the chosen rut then you effectively have considerable positive camber, and can corner at astonishing speeds. Obviously, if you take advantage of this but fail to keep in the

49

channel, you have some serious problems and end up in the roadside ditch intended to take ploughed snow. This may be one of the reasons why motorbike insurance premiums in Sweden were astronomically high. It is also probably one of the reasons why I have had so much difficulty learning to 'raise my gaze'; spotting a hazard 200 yards ahead is of little value if it means that you fall off within the next 50. We covered about 6,000 miles during that brief summer. By mid-September it was start-ing to get cold and the risk of an icy microclimate became significant. We decided to ga-rage the bikes in the UK for the winter, and rode down through Sweden, Denmark, Ger-many and Holland to get there. It was a pleasant end to the season, and included one particularly hilarious escapade by John. Unfortunately this was on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, so until they come out with a top-shelf edition of TUG it will have to remain a tale untold. We picked the bikes up again the following spring, but by then the project had moved into overdrive and we never got a chance to do any touring. John was then re-located back to the US, and took the CB400 with him. In 1980 I went over to Pittsburgh to visit him. He was living in an old farmhouse and, whilst he still had the CB400, he had also acquired a Suzuki 1000, which at that time was THE hot bike. He kept it on the first floor of a barn built out from the side of a hill on the property. We climbed up the hill to get into the barn. The bikes were parked at the far end and, whilst there was planking where they were parked, and planking at the en-trance, there was a twenty foot stretch with only the bare joists and a fifteen foot drop to the floor below, The beams were stout, but only about eight inches wide. John walked along one without hesitation, started up the Suzuki, casually lined it up, and then drove along a beam as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He had come on a long way from the lad who fell off a Honda in an alley.

Thanks to Guy Jones for forwarding this piece by Chris Johnson who is missed

by all

50

Overtaking

By Gary Baldwin, Rapid Training

Overtaking should be a simple procedure on a bike - after all we take up so little space and we have the performance and acceleration of a sur-face to air missile. So why does it cause so many problems? Overtakes don't just happen, they are planned for, and that planning starts the mo-ment a vehicle appears in front of you.

Make sure that your attention does not become focused on the back of the vehicle. Ideally you should reach the vehicle and pass it with the minimum disruption to your progress as possible. Normally the danger for motorcyclists is not hitting something coming the other way, but hit-ting the vehicle you are overtaking, usually as it does a sudden right turn. Check for offside dangers, especially any form of junction or entrance. Be suspicious of vehicles travelling less than the normal pace for the road; are they looking for a picnic spot or a convenient U turn location? Being able to blitz past them at five times their speed may be (and is) fun when it goes right, but the sight of the driver's door blocking your path is a simple and effective cure for constipation.

Watch out for hazard lines; why are they there? This much-misunderstood white line is the simplest and most effective warning in the book. Remember that a single long line with a short gap means haz-ard, which is usually a junction, hillcrest or a bend. Whichever it is, you must check it out before you commit yourself to crossing the line.

We must put ourselves in a position where we can see, so don't get too close to large vehicles. You end up closing off your view and all you can see is "TESCO" in 12-foot high letters! Don't be afraid to look up the in-side of vehicles. If the road is going even slightly to the left, then that's where the view is. Trying to look down the offside won't work. You simply wont see far enough ahead. Once you can see, pick your time; don't be rushed into taking an overtake. You must know where you are going be-fore you commit yourself. If there isn't a space don't presume that one will appear.

51

If you are overtaking lots of vehicles in a line you usually end up having to take a few at a time. When you come back to the nearside lane, make sure it's under smooth deceleration. Whacking the brakes on, and diving into a gap looks naff, and is naff! As you go out, accelerate, but come off the gas alongside the last vehicle so you can lose your speed and mould back into the line of traffic. Don't get too cosy because you are not stay-ing. Just stay out by the centre line and don't go making yourself at home. When the next gap appears, off we go. Try not to swoop in and out with loads of gusto! It just looks tatty, and like you don't know what you are doing.

The one thing riders do loads of, which is usually a total waste of time, is indicating. The last student I followed who did this a lot, was riding a ZX9R. I counted one flash of the indicator and the overtake had been completed. Who was supposed to see that? Most people don't indicate their intention to overtake; they state the bleeding obvious! If no one will benefit, don't bother. If you need to indicate it's usually for the benefit of oncoming traffic or anyone following who may be looking to overtake you.

The other thing to watch is rear observation. Don't look over your shoul-der, use your mirrors. You should have been checking them regularly enough to know what's there, but we don't want you looking over your shoulder when you are "too" close to the car in front. If it does anything unexpected you have lost some reaction time by looking somewhere else.

Keep it smooth and controlled. Remember overtakes are not a percent-age game, they are either 100% on or don't go. When in doubt bottle out!

Finally, on a licence/self preservation note. However safe you may con-sider it is to slip across a solid white line, our advice will always be don't! You will almost never get cautioned for this offence. What the copper sees is a rider saying "I know this is a dangerous area, but I don't care". From an accident reconstruction point of view it makes life very simple. It turns a Careless Driving charge into a Dangerous Driving one. One in-volves points and a fine, the other crap food, and dubious sexual prac-tices for a few months. Can't you just wait, till that line ends?

Summing up, you'll never get good at something unless you practise. Practise makes perfect, so if there's a vehicle in front of you get practis-ing!

52

Associate Social Ride

Sunday the 12th August

Augusts' AGT was always going to be difficult due to the closure of

Moulsham school, so following feedback from the associates a

social ride has been planned.

Please meet in the car park of Sainsburys at Springfield,

Chelmsford at 9.00am for a 9.30am departure.

As with any rides please make sure you are fuelled up ready for the

off before meeting in the car park.

I know some of you have possibly felt reluctant to join in with any social rides or maybe it

hasn’t been very clear as to what rides you can take part in.

A general rule of thumb is that as long as the ride isn’t described as a full member one

then as an associate you can still come along.

Ah now to the other worries, I remember when I had just joined the group thinking to

myself what happens if I don’t know the route or what if I can’t keep up with the others.

Well there is a very simple answer to this - the marker system.

The marker system when used correctly makes sure that no one has to worry about being

able to keep up or about what the route is. Obviously it does help if you know your way

around a bit but if you really do have no sense of direction then there really is no need to

worry.

So how does a marker system work for a social ride I hear you ask.

Well the ride will work like this, firstly there will be a ride leader, this person will usually

have planned the route and will know exactly where they are going (if any u turns take

place this is purely a test of your slow riding skills ! hehe) The ride leader must always

remain in front so if you do catch them up you must remain behind them at all times.

The next important person is the backmarker, they will usually know the route too and

they are there to sweep up all the people on the ride, this includes all the markers that

have been left.

53

Now for the markers, well they are everybody else on the ride. When you are following

right behind the ride leader and you come to a junction the person leading will point out

that he or she wants you to mark that junction so that everyone following will know ex-

actly where to go when they arrive at the junction. You will not be told exactly where to

stop, this is where common sense comes in. You must stay marking until the backmarker

arrives, then you may move off.

If the route is going straight on, then the junction will not be marked. It is very important

that when you are marking you make yourself very visible to the following riders, if you

don’t then it could be very easy for someone to go straight on and become quite lost. If

you imagine a route with lots of roundabouts, you could end up going straight on for

rather along time if you hadn’t seen the markers (couldn’t you Dave!)

In simplified terms, if the ride is going left stop just before the turning with your left-hand

indicator on and keep an eye on what’s happening behind you, when other riders ap-

proach stick out your arm and point left. The same sort of thing applies to a right turn,

stop just before it, maybe in this case put your hazard lights on if you have them, and

point right. Sometimes it is easier to turn into a right turning and sit at the end of it mak-

ing sure your position is clearly visible to the approaching riders.

Its impossible to explain how and where you should stop for every given situation because

every junction and roundabout is quite different, you just need to keep in mind that with-

out your signal the other riders may not have a clue which way to go, so it needs to be

extremely clear to others and without the possibility of being misread. It is of course very

important that you are not putting your self in danger from other road users and that you

are not obstructing other road users in the process.

Sometimes long gaps can appear between riders especially if there are a lot of people on

the ride, so when you are marking you may occasionally end up with a bit of a wait. It is

very important if this happens to make sure you stay put and pay attention to what is go-

ing on until the back marker arrives. If you leave your post to quickly or aren’t ready to

point out the direction when someone comes along because you are too busy day dream-

ing or pulling on your waterproof over trousers or something then people will get lost.

Once you have done a ride like this you will realise what a doddle it is.

Keep it safe and sensible and you’ll have a fantastic time : )

56

Hi, we thought you’d like to know that The Rider’s Digest is back as an

online magazine and that it’s free to download at

www.theridersdigest.co.uk

Following the demise of the printed version last September the com-

pany was wound up in the courts and that appeared to be that. How-

ever, the readership was still there and, having edited the magazine

from January ’06 to July ’09, I and some other die-hard Digest types

decided that through a combination of love, effort and goodwill, TRD

could be restored to its former glory - albeit online. And that's precisely

what we've done. We have produced three issues so far and are already reaching over 10,000 read-

ers a month. Most of your favourite contributors and features are back (Six in the City, In the Saddle,

Boy Biker, Rod Young etc.), plus we have a whole load of new writers from around the world.

I want to stress that the new version of TRD has nothing whatsoever to do with the company that

went bust, or any of the individuals who owned it at that time. It is an entirely new initiative starting

from scratch with nothing but the name (which was free to pick up) and the great reputation that goes

with it.

We sincerely hope you’ll start reading the Digest again as it really is as good, if not better, than it

ever was.

If you click the ‘Subscribe for Free’ button on our website, we’ll simply send you a reminder email every

time we publish a new edition.

You can also follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheRidersDigest

Best regards, Dave Gurman Editor, The Rider's Digest

57

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58

Have you ever wondered if your riding skill is still as good as it was when you passed your IAM or RoSPA Test?

Is your RoSPA Retest fast approaching and you feel you’d like a refresher to check that bad habits have not crept into your riding?

We are all only as good as the day we are actually riding our bikes. How good our riding was last year or even last month may not be as good as we think it is; com-placency can be fatal.

EAMG provide two Further Training Schemes for Full Members:

Full Member Training (FMT) – One-day training courses available four times a

year

Further Training for Full Members (FTFM) – Assignment to an Observer for 1

to 1 training

These courses are provided to check riding skills haven’t deteriorated, for those wishing to take a higher grade of test such as RoSPA or for those preparing for qualification as an EAMG Observer.

Full Member Training

Four FMT Courses take place during ‘summer time’ between March and October. Participation is entirely voluntary and those taking part do not have to join each ride. Training is for your benefit and enjoyment; it is not a mandatory requirement that you go on to take a RoSPA test. To ensure the highest possible standard, Ob-servers undertaking this training will hold a current RoSPA Gold certificate.

You will not be riding in one large group. Where possible you will be riding with an Observer and one other Full Member giving you the opportunity to have a 'rest' while your partner is being observed. Every effort will be made to match your riding experience, ability and aspirations with your partner, any miss matching being ad-dressed at the first refreshment stop. The routes, approx. 200 miles, will cover a variety of roads and include several debriefing stops and two refreshment stops. Joining details will be sent by email or post a few days before the event. Events this year:

Further Training Opportunities for Full Members

Joining

Fee Sunday 25th March 2012 Sunday 20th May 2012

£45.00 Sunday 5th August 2012 Sunday 21st October 2012

Contact John Tipper Email: [email protected]

59

Further Training for Full Members

You will be assigned to an Observer and rides will be arranged on a one to one basis when mutually convenient. Although not mandatory, unlike FMT, the training will be structured as preparation for a further test such as RoSPA.

To apply to join this scheme:

Apply to the Membership Secretary either at membership renewal or during the season. You will be asked to pay an additional Membership Fee (details below).

Your Application will be passed to the Observer Co-ordinator who will assign you to the first available Observer. Where feasible, geographical location will be considered.

You will be expected to pay the Observer a contribution (details below) towards fuel costs.

Participation must be renewed annually.

FTFM - 2012

Membership Secretary Observer Co-ordinator

Additional Membership

Fee

Contribution to Observer

Lynn Childs John Tullett

[email protected] [email protected] £20 pa £10 per ride

Name:

Address:

Post Code: Tel:

Email:

Riding Experience:

Aspirations:

Typical annual mileage: Machine:

60

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MMM O T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T S G G G R O U PR O U PR O U P

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Affiliated to the

British Motorcyclists Federation

Registered Charity Number 1107703 Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd, Registered

Office, St Laurence House, 2 Gridiron Place, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2BE

Registered in England & Wales, Registration No.

5258261

Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: The articles pub-lished herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are pub-lished with a view that free expression promotes dis-cussion and interest. Any spelling or grammatical

errors are the responsibility of the editor and a society that pays footballers more than teachers. Inclusion of adverts is not to be construed as EAMG endorsement, although most advertisers are excellent, but seek

personal recommendations.Text © EAMG 2011. Illus-trations © EAMG 2010, except where indicated other-wise. Group material may be reproduced provided acknowledgement is given to EAMG and the original

author.

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tug august 2012

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