EAMG Tug August 2014

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Welcome to TUG

August 2014

Chairman’s Ramblings 2

Test Passes 4

Membership Info 7

Observer Coordinator 8

North West 200 12

Quiz & Humour 19

Run to Hills & Valleys 20

First Aid for Bikers 21

Dates for the Diary 25

Picture Gallery 28

One Year On 30

Le PouJols 31

Events Report 37

New Members 41

Further Training 42

Destination Rated 44

Dear Members, I’d like to say a BIG thank you to all those sending in pictures and writing articles - It really does make for a better TUG! Without your contributions it would be

impossible to edit & produce a TUG as it relies on content from as many members as possible. So remember if you have something to say, have an experience you want to share or maybe a head full of technical stuff (A how to guide would be great for our members) then please, please put it into words & pictures. Remember please email any articles , pictures to [email protected]. Enjoy the Summer I know I am... Colin Editor

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

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Page 4

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I’ve just got in from a great days riding at the July AGT followed by a

160 mile Observer Peer to Peer ride. The route, set by Richard Parker took us on absolutely fabulous roads across Essex and Suffolk to Snape Maltings near Orford and back. It gives the Observers an informal opportunity to cri-tique each others riding and thereby maintain the observer teams very high riding standards. We had a strange mix of road conditions as we rode east with perfectly dry roads one minute and then onto damp roads then dry again, before finally running into the aftermath of a torrential downpour near the village of Tunstall and having to ride through some deep floodwater! The return journey was on dry roads and a more progressive ride was possible. It was extremely pleasing to see the quality of riding displayed on the ride. Strangely though, whilst the Observer’s remain enthused, I do find it peculiar that the mem-bership is somewhat lethargic when it comes to taking advantage of the training opportuni-ties afforded by the Group. John Tipper’s Full Member Training days are a fabulous way, post test, to maintain your riding standards and have a huge amount of FUN to boot. It is there-fore extremely disheartening that there were no takers for June’s FMT and, to date, no interest in the August event. There is a huge amount of organizing and riding routes that goes into these days so if you want them to continue then sign up and get involved. If you don’t use it, you will lose it! I’m also amazed to see so little interest shown by Associates in attending AGT’s. These are an opportunity to have another Observer look at your riding – no single Observer has all the answers so you can benefit from having another set of eyes cast over your skills. It also gets you used to being followed by different people so you won’t be so nervous when you have an examiner in tow. So, get on your bikes and come along! Thankfully the slow riding day in June was a great success with good attendance and great weather! The slow riding race and therefore, the coveted Snail T-shirt, was won by Ian Cransden. Everyone who turned up went away a better rider, whether it was slow control, emergency braking or learning to ‘blip and click’ when downchanging. Slow control skills are the strong foundations that underpin confident riders. If you lack that confidence then the slow ridng days are the place to start. The next one is at the end of September. Put it in your diary. August’s Group Night will be one of Chris Johnson’s funny Bingo quiz’s and September will be a ‘Bring and Buy’ Sale so get your redundant kit out of storage and sell it on the night!

Chairman’s Ramblings

August 2014

Page 5



Lastly, and sadly, due to lack of interest in the Christmas Dinner, the event has been can-celled and the date returned to Channels. Still, there’s always next year………………… Ride Safe Chris Remember, it’s not how fast you ride, it’s how you ride fast!

www.eamg.org.uk

Congratulations!

Page 6

What is RoSPA?

RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders aim is to reduce road accidents by en-couraging an interest in road safety, by improving driving standards, knowl-

edge and skill. In order to do this RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders have over 60 local groups that will provide free training to help you improve your driving skills and prepare you to take the ultimate Advanced Test.

It is a deliberate, skilful and responsible riding technique admired by others. As an advanced rider, you are able to anticipate and control situations to

reduce your accident risk. An Advanced rider is equipped with the knowl-edge and skill to ride safely and effectively in all conditions.

Paul Dawson 21st June 2014

RoSPA Test (Gold)

Examiner Paul |Roberts Observer Phil Jones

Andy Lee 27th July 2014

RoSPA Re Test (Gold)

Examiner Mick Jones

Nigel Barton 5th July 2014

RoSPA Re Test (Gold)

Examiner Mick Jones

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Page 9

Membership Information

Membership Number

Full 127

Associate 39

Social 1

Total 167

Dear Members & Propective Members,

The form is on the website if you wish to join or if you are a late renewal!

If you have paid up and haven’t received your membership card please let a committee member know.

Please also note the feedback form on page 18 it will be most helpful if as many

members as possible can fill one in and get them to John Tullett.

Also please remember to spread the word about EAMG, recommendation is such a valuable tool and current members are always the best advocates for what a good group this is.

Membership Fees for 2014

New Associate Members ...£55.00 (Includes AGT Training)

Associate Member Renewal ...£40.00 (Includes AGT Training)

Full Member Renewal ...£25.00

Social Member ...£25.00

Full Member Training ...£20.00 (For more information on Full

Member Training see page 42)

www.eamg.org.uk

Page 10

Associate Group Training (AGT) I suppose it was inevitable that after my comments in June's TUG about the low number of Associates attend-ing the May AGT we would eventually get an AGT where we had too many Associates for the number of available Observers. I just didn't expect it to be quite so quickly as June (although things were always likely to be a little tight with 5 Observers away on holiday in France). With 9 Associates and 2 Guests attending we would have been OK with 5 Observ-ers, as one (clearly desperate) Associate had just come along for my talk. Sadly, we ended up with only 4, including Peter who had to abandon any thoughts of a ride, as he had experienced a rear puncture en-route to Moulsham School. Still, in the end we were all able to gatecrash Chris Johnson's Full Member social ride to High Beech - which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Incidentally, were you aware that the High Beech Tea Hut is under threat - despite our Chairman's best efforts to keep them in business (for more in-formation see http://www.morebikes.co.uk/help-save-high-beech-tea-hut-epping-forest/).

My apologies to anyone who really wanted an Ob-served ride - we will endeavour to ensure that nor-

mal service resumes in July (even though a number of Group members will be at The Bikers Retreat that week-end)!

Slow Riding Day Our Slow Riding Day on Sunday, 22nd June proved to be very successful with 18

Observer

Coordinator

http://www.morebikes.co.uk/help-save-high-beech-tea-hut-epping-forest/

http://www.morebikes.co.uk/help-save-high-beech-tea-hut-epping-forest/



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participants; 8 observers and 1 guest trainer this was the best turnout we have had for some time. Even the weather conditions were just right - sunny & warm but with a breeze.

Hopefully there will also be some good pictures from Stuart in this issue of TUG. The 'Slowest Rider Race' proved to be a very competi-tive event. Ian Cranston and Chris Reed won the heats in identical times of 36.7 secs. In the final Ian seemed to just about have things under control, when Chris showed his tactical skills by stopping completely just before the finish line - to win in 41.55 secs. As an Observer Chris is ineligible for the "snail" t-shirt, so Ian will be presented with this in due course. Everyone seemed to gain something from the day, some of the comments received were: “Great day! Thanks all. Learnt some new bits. Enjoyed the race! Looking forward to seeing the pictures! Adele” “Thanks for a great day guys. Good weather, good company and I learnt some things about my braking on a new bike with ABS which I've never had before. I'm looking forward to meeting you again and showing off my new t-shirt! I'm going to join up as a full member and will hopefully see you on the 1st July. Ian”

“Just a quick email to register thanks for a brilliant morning on Sunday. It has made a big difference to me already. Nick also thoroughly enjoyed himself and we look forward to seeing you next week at Channels if you are there. Thanks to all the observers who were all splendid - and so patient. I felt really encouraged

as a result. Sarah”

www.eamg.org.uk

Page 12

If you want to attend our next Slow Riding Day, remember to pencil Sunday, 28th September into your diaries. Hopp Rider Training

I was very sorry to hear that 2014 will be the last year of Hopp Rider Training, after 13 years of being in business. It sounds like there are a number of fac-tors involved in this decision including the difficult financial climate over the last 4-5 years. If you have been fortu-nate enough to have attended a Bet-ter Riding Day at Cadwell Park or an Advanced Machine Skills Day you

will understand that Hopp will be a very hard act to follow. Full Member Training (FMT) The first FMT of 2014, held on 13th April, was well attended with six full members participating and enjoying their ride out to the Cotswolds. Sadly, the second planned ride to Norfolk on 25th May was somewhat less successful, with no book-ings at all! This was very disappointing given the effort that John Tipper puts into organising and running these events. Hopefully, things will pick up again for the remaining dates (as published elsewhere in TUG). FMTs cater for all levels of Full member from the most experienced Group mem-bers, through to individuals who have just passed an advanced test, with training being specifically tailored to meet individual aspirations and requirements. Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me on 01277 623860 (before 21:30 please), text 07570 992801, e-mail [email protected] or send me a PM via the Message Board. John Tullett


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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 approved 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’ his-tory.

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

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www.eamg.org.uk

Page 14

Getting up at 4am to collect friends at 5am for the short trip to Stansted was the start of a great weekend! Going through the new security at Stansted airport, a friend’s wife getting her lug-gage searched and exiting a little red faced (too much makeup remover?!) we headed for sanctuary that is the Wetherspoons pub for a full English with a pint of Guinness, well I was going to Ireland……! After, a relaxing snooze on the Easyjet flight we landed and collected our Nissan Juke. A tight squeeze for 5 adults and off to the track to drive it…. I’d been here 2 years ago with Toni my girlfriend, last year we went to Killerlaine

road races in Dublin with friends (we sat in Ditches, I know how to treat a girl) and I went to the TT as well, well got to do these things, my bucket list is expanding…..! This time round I felt like a veteran, knowing the roads and giving a good commentary to friends and viewing a short show from a stunt rider. We then left for a quick pint or two at Joey Dunlops bar. The Guinness there is the best in the world and standing outside with friends and

motorcyclists, street entertainers playing the bagpipes and chatting, what could be better? The lads and I went to the Ducati shop to strut our stuff leaving Toni and my friend’s wife to chat and drink Magners and wine before we visited Joey’s memorial to pay our respects and look around his memorial garden. A lovely, peaceful place and I realized he was very small! Walking back to our car we passed a church who was selling hogroast so feeling a little peckish we stopped there and paid for some of the church roof

whilst feeling cleansed. Heading off to central Belfast and our town centre Premier Inn we checked in and had the obligatory snooze before heading out on the town. Spying a lovely al

North West 200 - 2014



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fresco pub that was clearly the ‘in’ place we headed there. A lot of Friday night city folk in posh frocks and suits swarmed around the patio tables whilst we tried their Guinness (not as good) and some Irish whiskey which was good before trying to track down a restaurant to suit everyone. After walking the town we decided on a Tapas and sat down to a wonderful table of goodies to soak up the alcohol. Finish-ing there and heading to the Cathedral quarter we tried some more watering holes before collapsing into a very comfy bed. Thank you Lenny Henry, very nice! An early start and a quick all you can eat breakfast we left with layers on to Port Rush, Coleraine & parking in a road within the circuit in Port Stew-art we walked down towards the start/finish line. A lot of security this year, no walking around the pits or the manufacturers trailers unless you had a lanyard and pass, there seemed to be a lot of hangers on and a reminder for myself to get a Media pass for next year, lots of men trying to outdo each other with the length of their camera lenses…… We walked some of the circuit before the rain started. Huddling under a shop canopy by a static cara-van site we watched some of the racing as the chicane was there and captured a couple of pictures in between showers. Some yellow and unfortunately red flags later we found ourselves in what would normally be a posh restaurant buying a beverage or two plus a wonderful burger. The chefs, clearly used to cooking some state of the art cuisine were cooking lowly burgers, sausages and chips. I’m sure their profit margin went up significantly, maybe next year it will be a McDonalds francise??! The only pub on the circuit was ticket only and empty, very odd?! A walk along the cliffs back along to the start finish line, Toni was trying to find a steward who she affectionately called ‘Scary Mary’ that was there 2 years ago. The lady was a legend, every time someone stepped on her tarmac she shouted “Get out of the ‘kin road”, red faced and angry. She was major entertainment as people started to walk in the road just to get told off by her! Sadly, this year she wasn’t there. Toni was gutted. After watching racing and seeing how ridiculously fast the circuit is (you can tell where the bikes are from the helicopter above), twists and turns, hairpins and hills in the wet, the riders choosing a variety of tyres from wet to dry and intermediate

www.eamg.org.uk

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the racing ended early due to the weather I then sprinted towards the pits to see Guy Martin. Toni had bought me his autobiogra-phy for our 4th anniversary of being together so I obviously had to get him to sign it. Wait-ing in a queue and trying to tune my ear to his very fast speaking to someone who was a techie person for the TT, I got my turn. Guy, ever the gentleman looked shocked someone had purchased his book and signed it for me. A swarm of girls who wanted selfies with Guy to put on ‘Twitface’ descended upon him and watching him making a sharp exit to avoid them was comical. He’s so polite but doesn’t seem comfortable with his fame he excused himself and ran back in the direction of his trailer. We made our way to the podium where Michael Dunlop who had won the last race, the Vauxhall Superbike race on the

BMW was spraying Champagne over the second placed Josh Brookes on the Mil-waukee Yamaha and the third placed Alastair Seeley riding the Kawasaki. Michael then posed for the camera standing on the edge of a precarious looking podium trophy held high. A fine finish to a great days racing. Heading back to Belfast there was quiet in the car, everyone was asleep except me, driving again…… arriving and a quick spruce up we left to find some nightlife. A lovely restaurant and a few bottles of wine later we staggered back to the Premier Inn and to bed. The morning brought a tour of Belfast, along the docks, across to Shankhill Road and then dropping the Nissan Duke back we boarded the plane home. Stepping off the plane it was hot and sunny a far cry from the cold and wet of Belfast but what a fabulous weekend. The future brings the TT next year for me and the lads, Toni might actually get her

bike licence and my friend’s wife will join us again at the NW200. A weekend that I cannot recommend highly enough. David Brewster

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Page 21



Answer on page 41!

Quiz Guess Who?

Warning Pay at Pump in France

If you drive or ride in France, do be aware that if you pay at pump your credit / debit card will be pre-authorised with the maximum fill amount of €125 around £105 each time. The retailer will at a later date (up to 10 days) confirm the actual amount to your Bank / card issuer, but in the meantime you could reach your card limit or deplete your account balance. This happened to most of our group in June and was only identified when a card was refused. So for example if you fill up ten times with €20 a time, you initial charges would be €1,250.00 or around £1,050.00 Make sure you have sufficient credit / balance when travelling in France

Quote of the Month!

“Sometimes it takes a whole tank of fuel before you can thing straight”

A Little Humour!

A guy is riding along a country lane, when a sparrow flies up in front of him. The biker

can’t do anything and hits the sparrow. As he looks in his rear view mirror, he sees the sparrow lying in the road. Being the kind of

guy he is, he stops, picks up the sparrow and takes it home and puts it in a cage, still in a coma. When the sparrow wakes up the

following morning, he looks through the bars of the cage and says, “Shit, I must have killed the biker”.

www.eamg.org.uk

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A Big thanks to all who went to the Bikers Retreat in July. I had a really

great time on some very challenging roads. The ride there was about 5 hours with stops for fuel and food, when we ar-

rived there was a warm welcome from Tiv and Nigel and the others who had rode there earlier.

The next day there was a ride out which was led by Nigel with tiv as tail ender, as we left the usual happened - the rain started, we got fuelled up ready for the ride, Nigel then led us on some very challenging but superb

roads of about 130 or so miles. When we got back to the retreat Tiv was starting to cook up a treat for the nights meal which, after a shower and a visit to the bar, was then served.

The next day 6 of us went for a ride out, the rest of the group did their own thing. On our ride of about 200 miles we rode some more brilliant roads, when we stopped for a break my fellow riders gave me some very good ad-

vice on my riding so a big thanks for that. Also a special thanks to Graham Childs for his help with my chain he was

there with his sleeves rolled up to adjust my chain in a seconds - thanks mate.

Thanks also to Jill and Andy for their great advice on the way home , I think it will be a big help to me.

To anyone who has thought about going to the bikers retreat Go !!!! there aren't the roads or weather like it in ESSEX.

Ian

Run to The Hills & Valleys Ian Brady

Page 23



In all honesty would you be-able to cope or know what to do if one of your mates had an off? Some might say dial 999. Yeh always a good idea, but what if the biker was unconscious and not breathing? You could be waiting for up to an hour for emergency services to arrive, and by this time your mate may have had it. That was one of the main reasons for finding and going on a recognized Motorcycle First Aid course to be qualified to under-take emergency first aid and may be help someone in need. The course I attended was run by a very experienced first aider and qualified tutor Kelvin Jones from K J training in Staf-fordshire. Kelvin has extensive training and experience from his army days as a medic for 22 years service in the parachute

regiment followed by joining the Police. Kelvin is also a biker and his pride and joy is his 1500 Honda Goldwing. The course I attended was for Motorcyclists. EFAM. The course was for one day but time flew by with Kelvin giving talks on legal matters. Should I help or just keep riding as If I haven't seen anything seanrio, or do the right thing and become a good Samaritan. Good Samaritan act come into play here. Crash scene management, safety for you and people around you, triage, helmet removal if required, and of course first aid with demonstrations with course attendees taking part with hands on and roll play to gain experience which may turn out to become real life scenario. The day ended with an 10 question exam paper. Overall a very worth while course, and worth every penny of the £50 fee which I have to add included printed material, tea coffee and lunch, which gave us bikers a chance to have a natter. You also receive a certificate showing your new found skills, which is valid for 3 years. I almost had to use these new skills while riding home from North Wales the next day. I had just come across a group of scooter riders as one had the misfortune to be hit by a motorist while exiting a roundabout. Luckily the emergency services had just arrived. Just goes to show, you don't know whats round the corner. Ride safe Mark. Photo: Mark (left) with Kelvin Jones EFAM Course Tutor

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Page 27

August 3rd Full Member Ride 3rd Museum of Power Bikemeet 5th Group Night 10th AGT 17th Peer 2 Peer Ride 17th John & Audrey Tipper’s Boys and Girls Ride to the Cotswolds 24th Full Member Training (FMT) Charlbury Loop & Chipping Norton September 2nd Group Night 7th AGT 7th Air Ambulance Run (Dunton - Harwich) 14th Full Member Ride 14th Geoff Preston’s Beachy Head run 20 - 28th Reveiller Ride, Dam Busters, Harz & Colditz 28th Slow Riding Day at Ford Dunton October 5th Peer 2 Peer Ride 7th Group Night 12th AGT 19th Full Member Training (FMT) Suffolk (Wortham & Diss) 26th Full Member Ride November 4th Group Night 9th AGT 23rd Full Member Ride December 2nd Group Night 7th AGT 14th Full Member Ride

Gro

up

Nig

hts @

19:30

, AG

Ts @ 9

:15 am

D

iary 2014

www.eamg.org.uk

Page 30

June Group Night - Ice

Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery

June AGT

July AGT

July Group Night - Rospa

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Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery

Slow Riding Day

www.eamg.org.uk

Page 32

You may recall my article in August edition of TUG last year. A potted history which concluded with the fact we wanted to downsize and had just got planning permis-sion to build a new property. Well a year is up which feels like 5! I've lost a stone on the consistent weight I have been for 30 years and the stress of trying to get subbies to stay on site until the job is finished is unbelievable. The end is neigh. We can move in within a month - well once we sell our present house - it's not sold until the money is in the bank. So it's out of this with 20 acres.

And into this with one acre:

Note the 'little' bike store! Why do we need to move - I'm a hoarder of anything useful and I've been told by Mags that I will be going first and she doesn't want the job of clearing all my outbuild-ings!

One Year On Richard Parker



Page 33

My first biking holiday outside the UK was to Southern France, indeed this was my first riding experience on the wrong side of the road. So for this epic journey I decided to join nine likeminded hardened veterans on their annual pilgrimage to Salviac in Southern France. The advance party comprising Graham (Spider) Corbett, Richard (this steaks tough) Parker and Geoff (I get a better view from out here) Preston set off on Saturday the 7th June, shortly after a heavy shower and thus avoiding the early start that awaited the remainder of our party. The balance of our group comprised Phil (Grumpy) Jones, Mike (Ten Bellies) Ham-ilton, Jim (I’m In) Moore, Stu (Sponge Bob Orange Pants) Gray, Andy (97bhp) Hems, Ron (Lost in France) Hawkes and of course, myself. Our scheduled off for Sunday the 8th was for a 5:45 departure from Thurrock Services. The excitement within the team was clear, with Sponge Bob sending Face book messages at 3:00AM!! Our party set off and made our way to Le Shuttle arriving in good time to fuel up and grab a coffee before boarding the outbound train. Being the newest member of the team, I had been voted in (6:1 in favour!) to provide breakfast on the outward journey and the copious top box of my Sprint GT provided ham Panini’s, cheese segments and a selection of yogurts (with spoons). Next years’ new boy, please note the ever increasing expectations. On exiting the train in Calais we enjoyed a short sightseeing tour while Mike’s Sat-Nav worked out where we were. A few loops and double backs, and then with an air of confi-dence we were off, heading South to the Campanile Orleans Nord in Saran. We jumped on the A26 toll road for the first 70 miles until the A1, which was a great idea to get a few miles behind us before we moved onto more scenic and sometimes challenging roads. We were heading for Gournay-En-Bray for our lunch stop, but due to the hearty breakfast enjoyed on route, ended up just stopping for coffee. At that point and for some completely unknown reason, Jim (I’m In) put himself forward as the French speaker within our group. Thus seven large coffees became seven espresso’s and this continued therein for the remainder of the week. After some 330 miles we arrived at our overnight stop at around 16:30 and found our hotel by about 17:30. (Note to self; hotels near junctions sometimes choose the road name that sounds best for their address and not where they really are). That hour was clearly the hottest part of the day, but on arrival it was comforting to see Richard, Geoff and Spider sipping cool beers #@$$$. Bikes secure, checked in, cold shower and it was time for a beer and then dinner. The very non-French sounding Buffalo Grill

Le Poujols 2014 Ian Saunders

www.eamg.org.uk

Page 34

was the venue for the night. Not sure exactly why but Ron (Lost in France) was singled out by a very friendly waiter and awarded a very fetching hat. After dinner our group were unable to find anywhere open to sell us more beers and so a reasonably early night followed. Day 2 – Monday 9th June. We left the hotel at 8:45 and were fuelled and back on route for 9AM. This was a much more challenging ride from fast sweep-ing roads, long straights, steep country roads and a few farm-ers’ tracks to keep us sharp. My favourite was the D940; the long sweeping bends are what my Sprint was made for, very very enjoyable.

Towards the latter part of the day, an impromptus stop for wa-ter while some searched on for a fuel stop, suggested some riders were suffering the effects of fatigue. Between our group we had more than sufficient water to share but you can proba-bly never have too much. Day two was a long days riding on excellent roads with likeminded people and at times I believe we

fractionally exceeded the posted limits. Not as many miles as on day one, but much more challenging roads. We arrived at Le Poujols early evening after covering around 280 miles and were greeted with fantastic views, friendly welcomes from Teresa and Steve, along with a fridge full of ice cold beers.

A great two days riding was followed with an evening of fine food, wine and beer. For some of our group, day three was scheduled as a day of rest and so the beer and wine flowed freely, some would say too freely as the neighbouring shrubbery would testify. The following morning, Spider’s memory loss and a damaged bush were reunited. Day 3 – Tuesday 10th June. Richard, Geoff and Jim went for a ride out, while Phil caught up with Teresa. The remainder of us popped into Salviac for a coffee / beer.



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In the afternoon we relaxed by the pool and the Sprint GT’s on-board library provided a selection of reading material. Late afternoon we received a call from the Richard advising that Geoff’s VFR was stuck in first gear and was heading back to Salviac - slowly. Whilst no further mechanical failures occurred the inevitable happened and the VFR run out of fuel. Sadly despite the many attempts to resolve the problem, the VFR had to be repatriated to the UK and Geoff was pro-vided with a hire car.

Shit happens and following a subsequent burst tyre in his hire car, Geoff was given a replacement hire car and renamed by the group at Geoff (Lucky) Preston. In these small rustic town jobs are evenly distributed between the populous, hence the only recovery driver was also the only local taxi. Day 4 – Wednesday 11th June. Designed as a small ride out, we again traversed some lovely roads along the River Lot. A minor mishap when Richard missed the back marker (Sponge Bob) who was bent over his fuel tank trying to remove a large insect from his eye socket. Despite Sponge Bob giving chase Richard was gone and travelled some 20 miles before pulling over and mut-tering those immortal words “where is everybody...”. The ride regrouped and stopped for lunch. Jim (I’m In) recognising his French skills were under close scrutiny, ordered everyone a diet coke while Spider chatted up the rather attractive French Waitress. Day 4 had provided a really relaxed ride on quality roads, complimented by the speed, prox-imity and positioning of riders. Everyone was in a relaxed and flowing mode. The discussion between riders over beer on the evening of day two had sunk in, no one in your blind spots or up you chuff every time you slow a little. Great riding. On returning to our accommodation we planned our Day 5 excursion of cannoning the rapids of the Dordogne. Spider and Richard wanted to ride on day 5 so that left 7 for the white wa-ter rapids. Day 5 – Thursday 12th June. Teresa and Steve provided transport down to the river and we divided ourselves into three double and one single canoe; and a finer body of men were probably not seen on that river in a long time.....

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Lost in France and Sponge Bob Orange Paints head down stream.

Pirates set foot on land in search of young maidens and beer.

About an hour into our river escapades and a shout came from the rear of the flotilla “I’m In” as Jim capsized. The remaining shipmates managed to grab his boat and paddle, which were floating rather quickly downstream. Jim grabbed a lift from the passing Lost in France and Sponge Bob and subsequently also capsized their boat. Once everything had been recovered (minus Ron’s glasses and Jim’s sun glasses) and everyone was back in their own boats, we continued downstream for a spot of lunch and then onto our journeys end. A very fun day had by all. After the river, we headed back to our accommodation and the pool for gentle relaxation – and just a few beers as we readied for the homeward journey. But, as expected, the low levels of testosterone found in men of a certain age (Spider excluded) hailed a diving compe-tition. Spider Flop Ten bellies leaping



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Mr Grumpy tomb stoning Sponge Bob no paints As our stay drew to an end at Le Poujols we enjoyed a final evening meal, a few beers and an early night.

Day 6 – Friday the 13th June. After bidding our fond farewells to our hosts we de-parted Salviac around 9:15 and headed back along the 920 to join the 940 at a pace. At our second fuel stop, which was particularly well hidden Ron (Lost in France) missed the marker but had the good sense to keep to the planned route and was soon back with the group. One particularly challenging part of the journey was on the D940 between Treignic Passed Lac des Bariousses

up to Eymoutiers through the woods. After covering some 1,000 miles in the previous 5 days the shocking surface conditions had an instant impact on my riding. Longitudinal ridges, loose gravel and the melting road sur-face were horrendous. While my front tyre proba-bly only slipped 10 or 20mm sideways it felt more like 100 – 150mm. reassuringly it affected all the riders in much the same way. It probably took a couple of miles once the road conditions returned to normal to settle us all down again. We arrived at the overnight stop late afternoon having covered 280 very engaging miles and enjoyed our last supper and a few more beers. Day 7 - Saturday 14th June. The final day and after breakfast everyone’s mind

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is set on getting home. It was a much colder start after Salviac, probably around half the previous day’s temperature. We did stop for a final if simple (but very good) French stick lunch, where Spider had one last attempt at chatting up a very attractive bakery owner – alas it just wasn’t to be. We kept to the main routes back to le shuttle and were put on an earlier train along with about 50 Harley riders of all shapes and sizes. From a personal perspective this was a fan-tastic trip with good roads and fluid riding, which were at times very challenging for a novice rider like me; in terms of both com-plexity and duration. Also a great group of riders to experience my first bike trip to France. Over a week you receive a great deal of welcomed feedback and also get the opportunity to tell others when their riding makes you feel uncomfortable. During that week, the quality and consistency of riding was exceptional and naturally improved.

A big thanks to all involved on making this trip so enjoyable especially;

Ron, who did a great job as back marker for the 7 days.

Mike and Stu who planned the routes.

Mike, Phil and Spider who lead the rides.

Phil for arranging the accommodation.

Geoff for arranging the overnight hotels both ways.

Teresa and Steve for the great food, beer and wine.

Finally from a lesson learnt point of view, when riding long journeys, always be on the look-out for and recognise fatigue in yourself and your other riders. Ian (Sting) Saunders – June 2014.

This has been a short period to report on, since TUG editor Colin has inexplicably placed pleasure before duty and wants copy before he goes off on holiday. This should in theory be a good thing, since it means less time to forget what has happened. Unfortunately in practice it doesn't work that way. The first ride was Richard Parker's trip to Rushden on 1st June. Unfortunately this was announced too late for me to attend, since I had already committed myself, in the absence of any plausible excuse, to accompany my wife to the British Museum to see her favourite film ...

yet again. At Group Night I quizzed Richard about what had happened. He was la-conic; and it seemed that the impressive size of the portions at the lunch restaurant was the most memorable feature of the run. However aforesaid TUG editor Colin had attended and, after a few gentle reminders (merciless bullying would describe it more accurately), sent me a brief account of the ride. Eleven full members en-joyed a gloriously sunny day, with a stop at 'the usual place on the A507' (I would guess this was Days Inn by the A1 'knee-down' roundabout). Owing to a slight marking irregularity Colin lost the group before Bedford but managed to catch up with them again in time to enjoy the culinary delights of the Blue Ocean restaurant at Rushden. Richard may have been impressed by the portion size but Colin was a little more critical; feeling that rapid over-grilling of a piece of frozen fish to a char-coal exterior was not an effective method of thawing it. Andy seemed to suspect that the good people of Rushden were any-thing but that, and spent the lunchtime outside the restaurant guarding his bike, attracting a group of youths in the proc-ess. The ride distance was about 160 miles. I wish I had been there. 'Wings of Desire' may be praiseworthy cult art film but it doesn't stand up to repeated viewing in the way some of those teenage exploi-tation movies, in which nubile young



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EAMG Events Report! Chris Johnson

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women are unaccountably deprived of their outer garments, do. I had researched a roundabout route to Bishops Stortford as a ride after the AGT a week later on 8th June. Pessimists had suggested that it would be poorly at-tended since a number of members were off on a jolly in France. The French jaunt definitely affected the attendance, but in the opposite way. Because of a shortage of observers the normal AGT training was

cancelled, and everyone went on the run. We had over 15 attending on a fine, sunny day. First stop was for coffee at High Beach. After a warning by Chris Reed about the gravel surface there before we set out, someone dutifully managed to fall off on it. No hurt or damage, except possibly for dented pride. I had a happy time chatting to a guy on an Ariel Leader. For those of you who have the misfortune to be below pension age, this was a wholly enclosed 250cc two-stroke twin with a no-toriously smoky exhaust and a performance about the same as a modern sports moped, which was pretty good for the time. He proudly related that someone had once asked him if it was a FireBlade! In contrast Chris Reed found a pretty girl he once knew to talk to. Eventually we set off again towards Epping, and followed the convoluted B181/B182 to take us up through Stansted Abbots to Bishops Stortford. and the Costa Cafe at Tesco there. There was a certain amount of planned attrition on the way, and five of us finally arrived at the ride end in Dunmow. There were no U-turns as such, although I made one just short of our destination after waiting an appar-ent eternity for the group to catch up. Sod's law dictated that they appeared in good order immediately afterwards.

Stephen Green acted as back marker. Stephen has been back marker on many of the rides I have led over the years. Un-failingly pleasant and efficient, dressed with distinctive reflective clothing, and riding one of a series of equally distinctive BMWs equipped with magic panniers from

which, like the Devil's Hat, he has always managed to produce the remedy for a wide range of minor mishaps, he must be the ideal back marker. I would like to thank him for many services rendered. There were a couple of rides for Associates. Richard led one to Red Lodge and Bar-ton Mills on 29th June. About 100 miles, some rain, four observers, three associ-ates. Chris Reed held a 'quickie' before Group Night on 1st July. A bimble around local roads. Once again there were four observers and three associates! We also had a Slow Riding day at Fords, Dunton on 22nd June which was well attended. Traditionally these have not been included in the Events Report, possibly because it is many years since I attended one, but I suspect they could be a good source of anecdotes and so coverage may start in the October TUG. The Jane Wilson Memorial Ride, in which all three Essex advanced biking groups participate, was held on 6th July. I did not attend because I had rashly announced a post-AGT ride on the same day before realising that there would be a conflict. There has been no chance to get any details about it but I shall try to include them in the next Events Report. Because of the clash the number of takers for the post-AGT ride was precisely one, a guy who had recently got a good RoSPA pass and was attending his first Full Member ride. I am not good with names. By the time I had asked him his name for the third time I decided that a little clue-phrase might help, since I use these to remember passwords reasonably successfully. "Electric guitar inventor; much-loved Mancunian comedian". Now what the blazes does that mean? Les Les? That can't be right. Ah, yes, Paul Dawson. Paul and I set off in the rain towards Milton, just outside Cambridge, to a Tesco store which has now unfor-tunately followed the trend and transformed its restaurant, which used to serve a cheap all-day breakfast, to a Costa, which doesn't, at twice the price. Having spent a lifetime laboriously clawing my way down the social scale I disapprove of this modern creeping gentrification. Anyway, we took the B184 (no surprises there) to

Saffron Walden and then on to Linton and the B1062 up towards Newmarket, but cut off through the Wilbrahams (great little un-classified for a blast, except that we never exceed the NSL, do we?) to join the A14 briefly to take us to Milton. We came back

by the same route, except possibly through Linton, which is a topological irregularity I have never fully mastered, and ended the ride at Dunmow, where I left Paul window shopping at the Triumph dealer.

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First I would like to wish Colin Snow a speedy recovery, following a ‘SMIDSY’ incident where someone pulled out in front of him on his way to the Biker’s Retreat, leading to a broken leg and skin grafts. Hope to see you back on two wheels soon! For the benefit of new Associ-ates I would like to clarify that we offer two main train-

[email protected]

www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk

Open 9am-6pm Mon to Sat

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First I would like to wish Colin Snow a speedy recovery, following a ‘SMIDSY’ incident where someone pulled out in front of him on his way to the Biker’s Retreat, leading to a broken leg and skin grafts. Hope to see you back on two wheels soon! For the benefit of new Associ-ates I would like to clarify that we offer two main train-

Mike Morgan Tony Seaman Sarah Jackson

Nicholas Jackson Ian Cranston

Rebecca Chilton Steve Marler Jason Wright

Who Joined us in May, June or July

Welcome New Members

Quiz Answer

Angry Mike (Ten Bellies) Hamilton.

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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; complacency 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 Ob-

server.

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 bene-

fit and enjoyment; it is not a mandatory requirement that you go on to take a RoSPA test. To

ensure the highest possible standard, Observers 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 be-

ing observed. Every effort will be made to match your riding experience, ability and aspirations with your partner, any miss matching being addressed 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

13th April 2014 Cotswolds

25th May 2014 Suffolk

£45.00

24th Aug 2014 Cotswolds

19th Oct 2014 Suffolk

Contact John Tipper, 8 Carlton Ave, London N14 4UA. Email: [email protected] Tel : 0208 360 8590



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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 avail-able 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.

Name:

Address:

Post Code: Tel:

Email:

Riding Experience:

Aspirations:

Typical annual mileage: Machine:

FTFM - 2014

Membership Secretary Observer Co-ordinator Additional Mem-

bership Fee

Contribution to

Observer

Teri Olley John Tullett

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

EEE 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 GGG R O U PR O U PR O U P

Colin Childs, Editor

University of Essex Printing Services, contact

Hannah 01206 872822 for more information.

Please mention EAMG when replying to

advertisers - it identifies you!

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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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Destination Rated

Andrewsfield Airfield

Andrewsfield Airfield is a great location to enjoy on a warm weekend day. A Clubhouse and seat-

ing is available for all. Here you can enjoy good food and a drink whilst watching the planes take-

off and land. We especially liked watching the stunt plane but to be honest it’s just a fabulous

location for lazing around. Remember the planes have right of way!

Open Monday to Sunday from 9am.

Food ?/5 Good old pub grub looked fab but we didn’t eat this time. Service 4/5 Service was fast and friendly.

Price 3/5 Very Reasonable if you want to eat a meal.

Capacity 5/5 It parks planes so no worries here.

Parking 3/5 Solid near the clubhouse & uneven parking in the car park.

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EAMG Tug August 2014