Oct TUG

PROMOTING MOTORCYCLING EXCELLANCE SINCE 1982

October 2012

JJJO 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

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MMMO 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 GR O U PR O U PR O U P

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Chairman & Nigel Barton [email protected]

Group Contact 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]

The Committee

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Chairman’s Piece 2

Membership Secretary

Report 4

John Tullett 10

Paul Scott 12

Jaq-Ass 19

Phil Reader 24

Diary (Pull Out) 28

Membership Form

(Pull Out) 30

Tales of the

unexpected 36

Riding tips 42

Photos 50

Puzzle 55

Welcome!

What’s happening next?

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

Hi All

I hope you have all enjoyed the last few months

riding, it is getting a little chilly in the mornings

now, I will however stubbornly stay in my leathers

and lighter gloves for as long as possible. After all I

didn’t stop using my heated gloves until some time

in May !

The Essex Air Ambulance run was quite good fun,

we didn’t do the run with the other bikes as we

were helping Graham and Lynn on the EAMG

stand, but we had a lovely little ride out to

Harwich and I found the atmosphere there to be

really good. It was a nice way to chat to new faces

and hopefully get people interested in what we do.

Thanks to Ian and Spider for helping out its

always nice to get extra support.

Laura

Editor

Cover photo stolen from facebook

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Chairman’s

Report

October 2012

It is that time of year again when the sun is low

in the sky and casts long shadows, the temperature is dropping the harvest is

finished and the leaves on the trees are turning colour, time to dust of the

warmer gloves and the thermal linings.

I for one have had great seasons riding covering 13,000 miles since March and

two trips to the Bikers Retreat and the fantastic roads in Wales; let us hope the

weather holds for a while so as we can all enjoy the rest of the season.

Septembers AGT had a very poor attendance by associate members I hope this

trend does not continue, the training team put in a lot of time and effort to keep

their observer status and to attend the monthly AGT’s. Associates please remem-

ber AGT’s are run for you and the costs associated with running them are a waste

of the group’s resources if they are not attended.

I suspect most of you have heard that teenagers Bradley Cooper, 18, and Abbey

Parker, 17 tragically died when their motorcycle was in a collision with a farm

vehicle on the lower Burnham road near North Fambridge on the weekend of the

Essex air ambulance charity run. On behalf of the whole of EAMG we extend our

condolences to both of their families and friends, our thoughts and prayers are

with you.

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This tragic accident reinforces the need for ongoing training for everyone using

our roads it is such a pity that we cannot convince more people to take up ad-

vanced training.

The Essex air ambulance run was well attended and we had some interest on

the EAMG stand at Harwich, my thanks to Graham and Lynn Childs for their

efforts promoting the group once again.

Graham and Lynn have been running our promotions at events for some years

now and are thinking of retiring from this post at the end of the year so if any

members would be interested in taking over please contact Graham, Lynn or

myself. Please remember without members helping out with running the group

we have no group we are all volunteers that just give up a little of our time for a

very worthwhile cause.

Nigel

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Membership Secretary Report

Membership Number

Full 139

Associate 34

Social 3

Total 188

Life 12

Dear Members,

Thanks to all members who came along and

supported the EAMG at Harwich and for

those members that help on the stand for

the day , we had a good day with quite a bit

of interest.

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 train-

ing (FMT) with you own regular observer

there is an extra payment of £20.00. Please tick

box on your membership form and enclose the

fee.

Ride well, ride safe

Lynn Childs

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Test Passes

Congratulations also to Richard Parker and John

Tullet who were promoted to senior observer

assessors on the 11th May and to Steve Shortis

who was reinstated as SOA also on the 11th May.

Andy Hems

(FTFM)

John

Dennis

Rospa

(retest)

Gold

Mick Jones

Member Test Date Test Passed Examiner Observer

Ian Morton 15/04/2012 Rospa

(retest)

Silver

Mark

Anderson

Richard

Parker

Eddy

Brazier

18/09/2012 Rospa

(retest)

Gold

Mick Jones

On the 25th August Simon Enticknap, Phil Jones and Peter Richbell

were promoted to senior observers so a big congratulations to them.

Mick

Hewitt

23/09/2012 Richard

Parker

John Tullett EAMG

Observer

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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.

If you have any

ideas for group night

speakers don’t forget

to pass on you ideas

to a committee mem-

ber, we would also

appreciate feedback

on other events , so

don’t be shy.

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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 vari-

ous promotional events that Gra-

ham and Lynn Childs attend

throughout the year.

Contact them at [email protected]

for more details

More content

please

This is your newsletter

so please share your

thoughts/ideas/ ride

reports/ 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 21st Nov

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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

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20% Discount on your Motorbike and Car Insurance with Bikesure and Adrian Flux Insurance Services.

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

now earn an impressive 20% discount from your normal annual renewal by calling Adrian Flux Insurance

Services.

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

http://www.adrianflux.co.uk/ridedrive/rospa-insurance.php

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

we may be able to reduce their premiums even more."

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

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Being conscious of Disraeli’s quotation relating to ‘lies, damned lies and statis-

tics’, along with the fact that the above responses total 103.01%(!) if you add

them together, I will leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.

The UK’s current economic situation may well have contributed to a slow down

in new memberships this year. On the plus side for anyone joining us now we

do not presently have a waiting list for allocation to a 1-to-1 Observer. So if you

know of any riders who could potentially benefit from EAMG membership – re-

gardless of whether or not they have already had some advanced training - then

please invite them along to a Group Night or AGT to check us out.

Percentage Response

26.89 Nothing. I’ve already done some

25.7 I can’t afford it

22.38 Not much. I just need to get round to it

9.09 I have no desire to be patronised by a slow beardie

6.89 Other

4.9 I ride for fun, not to go back to school

4.64 My skills are OK. I don’t think I need advanced training

2.52 They’ll just tell me to slow down and I don’t want to

Advanced Training

I found the results of a recent Motor Cycle News

reader poll to the question ‘What’s stopping you

doing advanced training?’ interesting:

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Observer News – After a demanding year long Senior Observer Assessor In-

duction Process devised by John Tipper and a rigorous SOA Peer-To-Peer ride,

held on 11th May, Richard Parker & I were promoted to become SOAs and Steve

Shortis was reinstated to this position. I would personally like to thank the other

SOAs for their assistance in helping me to attain this level.

A successful Senior Observer Induction Day was also recently held, on 25thAu-

gust, overseen by all five SOAs, and I am pleased to confirm that Simon Entick-

nap, Phil Jones and Peter Richbell were subsequently promoted to become SOs.

Congratulations are also due to Mick Hewitt who has just passed his EAMG Ob-

server test.

Sadly several Observers have recently had to stand down, due primarily to hav-

ing too many other work/family commitments. While I hope they will be able to

resume observing duties in the near future this has left Observer numbers

slightly down. If you are a Full member and have ever considered giving some-

thing back to the Group by training to become an Observer, then please get in

touch with me and I will let you know more about what is involved and, if you

wish to proceed, arrange for you to attend an initial assessment ride with a

SOA.

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

on 01277 623860 (before 21:30 please), e-mail [email protected] or send

me a PM via the Message Board.

John Tullett

nbarton

Highlight

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Paul Scott in the Alps……..on a KTM !

An early flight to Munich and then to the South West of town to

get my hire bike. It's a KTM dealer and I'd booked a Supermoto

Touring (SMT)

..... however a guy who'd flown

in on Thursday night to get his

Superduke found it had been

smashed and ended up with my SMT

and I ended up with a Supermoto

Race (SMR).

As you'd expect it's set up

fairly differently. I had them

stick a screen on for a tiny bit

of wind protection but, as I was

to find, the suspension and seat

were a whole lot more race fo-

cussed than the SMT.

We rode down to the Berchtegsgarten area of Germany (which is the

very far South Eastern corner) and the home of Hitler's Kehlstein-

haus (i.e. the Eagles Nest). We didn't visit (I've been up to it

before) as there were better things to do like bendy roads! One of

these was the Rossfeldstrasse.

Some great views and a good introduction to the mountains and

hairpins. We wound our way over to our hotel which was about 5Km

from Kitzbuhel arriving in just in time to neck our first weis-

beer, meet the 30odd others and tuck into a meal .... before more

weissbeers.

Saturday morning and the weather was as perfect as possible. It

was clear and sunny and around 24C. Not too hot for riding and

plenty warm enough not to worry about wrapping up.

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The car park had a variety of bikes and with 36 of us there, we

were divided into groups depending on our preference for distance.

Of course the Brit contingent opted for the "Long and Fast" group.

After riding through the flat valley floors with their flowing

bends but also various small towns we suddenly turned off to head

up a narrow winding road where the tight hairpins were almost ver-

tical and some involved crossing small wooden bridges which looked

like they would have been

"interesting" had it been

raining.

The top rewarded us with

our first real photo oppor-

tunity.

The day was going to be a

long one - approx 350Km

which on normal roads is

quite easy but on roads

like this it was gonna take

a while. The roads varied from tree lined tight twisties to glori-

ous flowing high-speed bends with some straights to have a play

with the performance on offer.

The scenery combined with

the weather on top of the

superb roads and great sur-

faces made for grins inside

our lids.

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We went through various tunnels as is the way in the Alps and then

in one I noticed it was still going and still going. 5.5Km's after

entering we appeared at the toll booth.

When paying we found we could also buy a ticket for the Gross-

glockner Pass which saved a few Euros.

After the tunnel it was time for lunch in a scenic and typically

Austrian road side stop. Liver dumplings, potatoes and veg and

some rehydration and then we were ready for more fun.

After 30 mins or so we got to the Grossglockner National Park and

headed up top. It's a lovely ride and being possibly the last good

weather of the season there was plenty of bikes but none that got

in the way of anyone's fun. I was surprised to find a multi-storey

car park next to the glacier and even more surprised that it was

still 14C. Five days later and it was covered in snow so we were

really fortunate.

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There were even some custom Harley's up

there with huge forks and handle bars. An

astounding effort to get them up there!

I was quite surprised to

find a multi-storey car

park at the top :

On the decent we dispatched the custom Harleys (they rode at

about 10mph and used every inch of tarmac) and we carried on

through the National Park and along this fab road. Probably my

fave of the trip. It took us to the Bikers Nest which is perched

up high and surrounded by nothing but great views. Access is fun

as it's via 6 cobbled tight hairpins.

and it provides some great views

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The day continued as we dropped down from the highlands in to the

valleys and then up and down and left and right (repeat 50 times)

until we arrived back at our hotel at 19:15 .... which strangely

was just in time for a weissbeer and a shower. The evening fol-

lowed the previous nights

Sunday morning and I had the same view out of my window as Satur-

day morning.

It was time for good bye. Some people were local (only 4 hours to

ride), some had 8 hours! We only had to ensure we were back in

Munich by 17:00 so we set off on a route which included more

passes and interesting roads. We all swapped bikes and hence all

had time to experience the differences between the bikes in the

group : SMT, SMR, RC8 and Adventure that us Brits had.

Summary of bikes :

SMT - superb for the trip and an excellent all round road bike

SMR - everyone had enough after 30-40 mins due to the seat but

all enjoyed the more responsive engine, brakes and handling. A lot

of fun but not that comfy.

Adventure - way to soft for my liking. I don't like bikes where

when you accelerate the front rides up on the suspension. It was

comfy and having a big screen make a change but it was my least

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favourite.

RC8 - I couldn't have completed the trip on it like my colleague

did ... and he did with a ruck sack on. Way too sporty for me for

any distance. The 40 mins I had on it were epic though. That en-

gine is truly a peach.

A couple of drink breaks enroute

treated us to more great spots. In

this pic the building on the right

is the fire station!

Over a late lunch in a very scenic

spot about an hour or so from Mu-

nich we started to chill. We had to as everything was slow. The

food service and the roads due to everyone being out on a Sunday.

We'd had our miles of fun so it was wind down time. We settled

back on our own bikes and af-

ter a few twisties we then

settled in for the last 20mins

on a motorway (hiss and boo).

We settled up for the bikes

which was 300Euro for 800km

although they then allowed us

off the nearly 200 extra we

did on top of the 800.

I've been to the Tirol region

before in a car but on a bike

it's just so much better. If

you get a chance go grab it...oh and the Stelvio is now nowhere

near the top of my list any more!

Paul Scott

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To infinity and Beyond (well maybe not, but the Alps at least!!!)

“Aah but for a Mountain Pass or Hairpin Bend” I did say and as we all bolted off the train in Calais, I was assured that once we reached Austria, many a twist and many a turn would fill our eyes!

At less than two months old at the end of May, I thrust poor Kermit (my wee ZZR) in at the deep-end and we two headed off for a play in the Austrian, Swiss and Italian Alps, a bikers heaven!

To get there, we first had three days of progressively more progressive riding to put un-der our belts and in this Kermit certainly did enjoy, France was a little boring but great swathes of back roads with little traffic we found and we all had the roads to ourselves for some top end fun.

On crossing into Luxemburg on day two and then Germany, we ventured and rode the entire length of the famous B500 in the legendary Black forest Schwarzwald, mile upon mile of twisty, turny, sweepy, curvy roads got all our egos flowing for the delights to come.

Ahhh the Black Forest and it's seemingly endless number of sweeping trails and deserted roads, (not on our visit) it was a public holiday and full of traffic, from coach to car to motorcyclist. Kermit and I still found the ride a dream. Every opportunity to over-take taken, every bend enjoyed, I thoroughly enjoyed the glass smooth sweeping sections ele-vated above the forest with a dramatic switchback run back through the forest to Baden Ba-den.

By the time we crossed into Aus-tria on day three, Kermit had be-gun to enjoy just a little too much,

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his teasing the K12 and K1300s’s, as well as the VFR1200s and 2 new Multistradas on tour, on the flowing curves Kermit thoroughly reveled in chasing and on occasions pass-ing his German, Italian and Japanese biking friends.

Bikes they do like to play, like meer-kats they all did zip, zag and zoom around one another, trying to prove who was the leader of the gang, only the restrained riders such as “Moi” did keep the two wheeled hooligans to reasonable antics, Kermit was not happy at my control, but at our lunch stop, I had a stern word or two with him, as did the other riders with their steeds “Think and ride, never just ride” we told them!

After lunch, the roads started to turn into some of the most twisti-est roads this side of the Alps, Kermit chose to heed my words of riding with thought and con-trolled his progressive nature keeping to less than light speed.

By the time we reached our hotel in Platz, Kermit and all his biking buddies were lost for words, they and all the riders, were worn out from the ever increasing turns, twists, hairpin bends and altitude changes experienced in the af-ternoon.

And if the bikes were speechless due to the roads, the riders “well not me of course” were speechless at the location, the excellent Hotel Weisseespitz, our first main hotel for the trip, a superb 4 star hotel situated in a most beautiful area south of Innsbruck and just a few throttle twists away from some jaw dropping Austrian and Swiss scenery and breath-taking roads.

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Our second main hotel on the tour, was to be the Hotel Gran Paradis at Campitello di Fassa, a mere 155 mile hop over 3 flowing and undulating mountain passes over the Alps

to the Dolomites.

From here on in and for the remain-der of the tour, the roads became rather challenging for Kermit and each dawn as I wheeled him out for the stunning variety of European mountain pass roads, he would dim his lights and reduce his idling growl to a whimper, in terror of what roads and passes I was to lead him down and anticipation of what I was going to put him through.

So what can be said

about the Alps?

Well here is my syn-opsis of just a few of the passes travelled on Kermit’s trip, 2 from Austria, 2 from Switzerland annnnnnnnnnnnd YES, you’ve guessed it, 2 in Italy and I hope I am able to give you all a flavour of the variety of roads and scenery for you all to enjoy if, or rather WHEN you choose to venture to the Alps:-

The Kaunertal Glacier Austria: Is the highest glacier in Tyrol, though not flowing, at a reasonable pace even Kermit could enjoy it, a GTR or grand tourer would thoroughly en-joy it. The glacier road runs from the village of Feichten in the valley of Kauner at 1273 meters above sea level up the brink of the “perennial ice” at a level of 2750 meters. 29 hairpin bends and an altitude difference of almost 1500 meters stretched over approxi-mately 19miles, a joy for the eyes rather than the ride, but you’ll love it all the more for at less pace, the stunning glacier deserves respect.

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The Grossglockner Austria: I’ve done this pass 4 times previously and its 38 miles never cease to excite me. And for Kermit, this is the perfect flowing road, panoramic with wide hairpin bends enabling Kermit to easily keep with the sports-bike brigade, the road is a toll road and concludes at the Pasterze Glacier, which you can walk on, absolutely amazing. This is the highest mountain and the largest glacier in Austria, at 3798meters.

The Fluelapass Switzerland: Top gears Jeremy Clarkson voted this “probably the best road in the Woooooorld” Well I can agree for sheer opportunity to open Kermit up, this is mind-blowingly fantastic, pinpoint accuracy is required for the road changes round every bend and drops and falls without much notice, if not 100% on the day or the weather is less than perfect, I’d leave this pass for another time!!!

Be warned, the Swiss police are extremely strict and if caught progressing, Kermit and I may be writing this from a Swiss cell. So scan the environment and ask the locals if they’ve seen police before taking a free spirited run up this great road. The pass also takes you within a few hundred meters of the Rhone Glacier, source of the Rhone River. Here you can park up and walk up to and actually see inside the glacier itself. ...

The Julier Pass Route Switzerland: This pass is 64 miles of Kermit heaven and comes equal with either the Grossglochner and Fluelapass. It peaks at 2284meters and I’ve been told, is a classic “Swiss motorcycling route”.

The scenery is rather barren, but in this there too is beauty, just of a diffening type, the tundra-like landscape impressed me and the summit had two leaning columns placed here by the Romans!!

The Pordoi Pass Italy: What a revelation for scenic value and a mere 10 miles from our hotel, the Pordoi pass marks the border between the Province of Trento and the Province of Belluno, with 28 hairpin bends and flowing roads, it caters more than any other pass I have ridden, for the biker, from naked to sportsbike, to Grand or hyper tourer, this is a route that can be enjoyed at pace, or for the view and to top it off, there is a cable car to take you to the summit at over 2900 meters. The pass road itself rises to 2239 meters and is the highest surfaced road traversing the Dolomites. The ride can be extended to take in a number of other passes for a rounded run too, what more can one want.

The Stelvio Pass Italy: This pass I found second only to the Passo Pardoi in scenic value. It is great to say I have now ridden it, though I feel it is best suited to the GS, Multistrada, KTM 990 and the like brigade, rather than Kermit or any form of sports-bike. The 48 hairpin bends climbing from less than 700meters to 2501, it was the toughest and most rewarding mountain pass I have thus far ridden, climbing over 1800 metres, but the

25


road is uneven and unless on a differ-ing bike, I feel there are greater biking mountain passes to enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------

So there you have it, though I must admit Kermit may not have been the best choice of bike for the roads trav-elled on this tour, we two still did our best to show those bikes best suited to the environment (the short and upright bikes) our taillights, oh and exhausts as we past. Kermit found it damned hard

work, squirming under hard braking and progressive acceleration, being flicked about over many a hundred of hairpins and having to severely curtail his wish to zip and zoom off.

I found the roads, passes, scenery and countries vis-ited truly enjoyable, though tiring. With the ZZRs power and length, like any hyper-tourer, extra thought and care must be taken espe-cially at speed before the wrist is turned, as unlike the short light machines, accu-racy and positive action is essential in order to be safe and come home safe.

The many mountain pass twists and turns experienced in the differing European coun-tries, the rare straights, numerous hairpin bends and stunning scenery, had me grinning from ear to ear & shouting in my helmet full of cheer.

It really, honestly couldn’t have been much better,

not legally anyway!

Jaques

Aka Jaq-Ass

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A bit on the high side

June 1999: I remember it well, a few of my friends and I had arranged a trip to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire for a bit of track day fun. We owned an assortment of bikes ranging from VFR750's to sports bikes - like my very own 6 month old Kawasaki ZX7R. We all had overnight bags strapped to the rear seat units of our bikes, as we had decided to ride up to Cadwell a day early so that we would be fresh and ready for the track the next morning.

The weather was cloudy; the type of cloudy where it looked like it was going to rain at any moment and, sure as eggs are eggs, after about an hour in the saddle it started to rain. Not a problem really - just a slight inconvenience on what was a lovely ride through the winding country roads of Suffolk on our way towards Wisbech and our lunch stop at Hol-beach.

As we sat in the cafe drinking tea and having a bite to eat, the conversation soon swayed towards track riding. I could tell that there was an air of nervousness surrounding my friends; after all - I was the only one of us that had any track experience and to me, riding on a track was err - just like riding on a track: easy. I thought I would try to make them feel at ease by telling them that they should ride the track as though it was a road for the first couple of sessions and not to go too fast into any of the corners and get all of the braking over and done with before you turn, as most crashes on track are where riders go too fast into corners, panic, grab a big handful of front brake and Bob’s your UncleM Crash. The atmosphere seemed to be a little more relaxed after the questions had been asked and answered. How did that BT ad. go? It’s good to talk! Back on the bikes, the weather had picked up, the sun was out and we were on our last leg of the route to our accommodation - the Kings Head in Louth, which is just north of Cadwell Park.

On arrival, we removed our bags from our bikes and were shown our rooms by the land-lord. He assured us that our bikes would be secure for the night as he would lock the car park gate before closing time; this came as a big relief to us all as the car park was at the rear of the inn and hidden from view.

After a refreshing shower and a beer in the bar we headed out for dinner. Indian was the choice and a hearty wind inducing meal was had by all - nice! We walked back to the Kings Head and had a nightcap, we didn't over indulge in beer as we all wanted to have clear heads in the morning and that morning was getting closer; and so: to bed.

Wakey wakey hands off snakey! It was 7 am and there was a smell of bacon and eggs wafting down the corridor that led to the breakfast room. Now - I am not the breakfast type, so I skipped breakfast and a couple of my friends did the same; forget Slimfast - just get yourself booked on a track day! 7:45 am we strapped our bags back onto our bikes and said goodbye to the Kings Head. After a quick fuel stop we headed straight onto the A153 to Cadwell Park. Once there, the bags were again removed from the bikes and each bike was scrutinised by the track day organizers. We were asked to sign a dis-claimer and go to the cafeteria for a briefing before the first session could start.

Now; I know that a briefing is an essential part of any track day but at this point, all any-one wants to do is get on their bike and get out on the track 'Come on - get on with it' I heard myself saying, as the Chief Marshall was trying to slip in the odd joke here and there amongst the serious stuff of flag waving.

27


9 am, the Marshalls were in position at their posts and the words that I wanted to hear came over the p.a. system in the paddock ' Red group (that’s us) to the gate please'. All of a sudden the sound of bike engines being fired into life, riders talking loud to each other over the top of the noise of their bikes and it’s fun time: yippee! Session 1, the gate opened and we ventured out on track - the sun was shining and the track was barely warm so there were a few damp patches under some of the trees up on the mountain section. We had to ride behind a track instructor at a set pace for 3 sightseeing laps - this also was a help to warm our tyres – then the instructor waved us past and we were off.

Taking it relatively steady was an easy thing to do as about half of the group that I was in had never been to such a place as Cadwell before and there were bikes all over the place trying to figure out the best line around the track; still, great fun though, and I love every minute of it. Then the red flag came out to signal the end of our session. Wow those 20 minutes didn’t last long, they flew past and so the waiting for the next session began.

Session 2: the gate opened and again we had to follow an instructor for a couple of laps, but this session, the pace was upped by almost everyone and I enjoyed the increased speed. Red flags came out again: blimey - another 20 minutes gone; I must have been enjoying myself. We ride back into the paddock area needing a drink. I wandered over to the cafe for a bottle of water and chatted to a friend that was in the same group. We started to compare our pace to some of the other guys in our group and - let’s just say that we were pleased with our pace but thought that it could be increased.

Session 3, and once again the gate opened but the instructor left us to it; we simply did what we wanted straight out of the gate so, this time, my friend and I again upped our pace and we soon found ourselves being held up by almost everyone else in the group; then, without warning, a bike flew past the pair of us! How did he manage to do that I asked myself? The rider gradually pulled away from us as we lapped the full circuit with me still trying to figure out how a rider could be that fast, I mean, I thought we were on ‘the limit’.

Red flags came out again - how the sessions ended so very soon after they had started sure was a sign of wanting more. We rode into the paddock area to be met by the guy that flew past us, he was an instructor and an ex 600cc British champion riding a track prepped Fireblade. He said that he had followed us for a couple of laps and he was im-pressed with our pace but thought that we could improve. He offered to follow us for the entirety our next session and then give us some feedback and advice. Happy with this idea, we both agreed and went for another drink (thirsty work this track day stuff). While we were drinking we got chatting about our last session - we both thought about how our rear tyres seemed to be squirming around almost all of the session, this was the reason for thinking that we were on 'the limit'.

Session 4 and I was sitting on my bike with the instructor guy behind me and my friend behind him. The gate opened once again, we rode out on track, we completed a couple of laps to put some heat in our tyres and then I upped the pace, but, I was not just upping the pace to the same level as before - we were going to go even faster to see if we were really on 'the limit’.

One lap, two laps, three laps, we were now on our 4th lap and the rear tyre was once again moving around, it was o.k. - I was still in control and I was on it. We went up through Coppice and around Charlie’s then hard on the gas out of Charlie’s and onto

28


Park straight; into the dip and up to Park corner, down a couple of gears while braking very hard, flipped it in to Park corner and accelerated around Chris curve then hard on the gas towards the Gooseneck. The rear of the bike was squirming and protesting about the amount of throttle it was having to deal with: into the Gooseneck I flipped it right and left, then down to Mansfield. I chucked it in and I got hard on the gas again, slipped it into 4th gear and the rear of the bike slid to the right and I instinctively closed the throttle then - a nightmare, the high side! There was silence; the handle bars were ripped out of my hands, I was flying through the air for what seemed to be an eternity and then, I hit the ground - head first, then shoulder, then right arm and then with the rest of my body, slammed into the tarmac with such a force while still travelling. While all this was happen-ing, I thought “I hope I don’t hit anything and, more to the point, that nothing hits me”. I stopped rolling. I was motionless. I thought to myself “that’s o.k. - I have not been hit and I have not hit anything - I would be o.k. but then - oh no! I was not breathing! I thought to myself “you had better start breathing or you will be dead”. Breathe I thought, breathe! I had no vision, I could not hear a thing nor I could not feel anything; it was as though my body had shut down and I still wasn’t breathing (bugger)! Then I heard some noise - it was the Paramedics asking me if I could move; I was breathing again; YES - I was breathing, “Phil can you move your legs?” “Yes I can” I replied, “oh good” says the medic, we need to cut your leathers! “No don’t, please don’t cut my leathers” (they cost me £900), O.k.; the medics agreed to remove my jacket without cutting it (now that really hurt). They thought that I had broken my collar bone and possibly my shoulder. I was asked if I could take my shirt off and I replied (very quickly) with “cut it, just cut it” - it only cost £20.

I got to take a nice ride in the back of an ambulance to Louth Hospital, loads of X-rays and a sling for my right arm to sit in, a sandwich and a cup of tea in bed served by a lovely hard working nurse. A doctor arrived and told me that I had indeed broken my col-lar bone and my shoulder blade. What he did not mention was that I had an enormous amount of soft tissue damage down the right hand side of my body; also, a trapped nerve in my back that would (now and then) without warning give me the worst pain imaginable - and it did! Along with all this I was told not to sleep lying down, but to sleep in a chair, upright, for 6 weeks. That was bloody awful.

Back at home, my bike got repaired by one of my friends, my collar bone, shoulder blade and the soft tissue damage were repaired by Nature (thanks Nature), and my aggressive ham fisted track riding technique was fixed all by myself.

Now, after years of practice I have learnt how to be smooth and progressive with the throttle, even when fully cranked over it is never a problem and when I get that feeling of the rear of the bike moving around beneath me, I can tell that I am on ‘the limit’.

Anyone fancy a track day?

Phil .

Article taken from Eram Rospariders Mag 2009

29


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

30

PROMOTING MOTORCYCLING EXCELLANCE SINCE 1982 PROMOTING MOTORCYCLING EXCELLANCE SINCE 1982

Dia

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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

31

PROMOTING MOTORCYCLING EXCELLANCE SINCE 1982 PROMOTING MOTORCYCLING EXCELLANCE SINCE 1982

32


33


34


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

35


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

36


“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

37


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

38


How Unexpected?

An experienced rider will be able to identify and grade each hazard in terms of risk and decide what action, if any, should be taken. ‘Expect the Unexpected’ is a phrase commonly used but I’ve yet to meet a rider who is prepared for every eventuality.

No matter how much training you’ve had, what qualifications you’ve earned or how ex-perienced you are, you can never guarantee that you have covered all eventualities.

Training minimises the risk but doesn’t eliminate it. We learn from publications such as Roadcraft, from our Observers and by discussing our riding experiences with our friends. We can all tell a story and here are three of mine that I hope make you think.

The first, which happened a few years ago, is an incident of which I’m not particularly proud. Audrey and I were riding to Hereford for a weekend break along the A44 west of Worcester. Picture the scene. The hedgerow lining the road could be seen winding its way through the Malvern Hills and I could see the roofs of a queue of cars at least half a mile ahead making slow progress behind a horse box. It was a bright clear day, the sun was behind me and the ride was flowing. Horse box with entourage way ahead but still in sight led me to believe the road directly ahead was clear. So it was, until I exited a left bend to be confronted with a line of stationary cars waiting for the lead car to execute a right turn. I stopped, only just, coming to rest along side the rather startled driver of the last car in the queue. Was I able to stop in the distance that I could see to be clear? I’d misjudged by two meters! How did I miss the car? I was on the correct line when exiting the bend. Could the incident have been avoided? Of course, less speed and more concentration on what was immediately ahead.

The second occurred closer to home. While returning from a social ride with some other Group members on the A507 towards Buntingford, I was leading and planning to over-take some cars ahead. I had a good forward view of the road although a low hedgerow was obscuring a clear view of actual tarmac. I was ‘reasonably’ sure the road was clear but showed restraint as something didn’t feel right. Then it appeared, a Caterham 7, travelling fast, so low it was concealed behind the hedgerow!

My third story is, in my opinion, quite scary! While at The Biker’s Retreat with the Group last year, four of us went for a Sunday run on the glorious roads of North Wales. We rode up to Snowdonia having lunch at the foot of Snowdon. We made our way back to Dolgel-lau on the A6 turning right on the A494 to Bala then right on the near deserted A4212 for twenty miles of riding bliss. We then turned south on the A470. In contrast to the A4212, the A470 is a wide and fairly straight trunk road. We could see three cars approaching in the distance and, to increase our safety margin, we moved to the nearside. As the cars approached, without warning, a motorcycle racing chair outfit travelling fast swung out from behind the cars, bright yellow, carrying a passenger and going for it! We’d covered the hazard by compromising our position in favour of safety as the cars approached but

39


think about it! We are taught to read the road by looking for signs like hedgerows and walls etc. but such a machine would be concealed behind the merest of grass verges let alone low stone walls or hedgerows. Any rider would be forgiven for overtaking when a low verge, hedgerow or wall concealed a clear view of the tarmac but the consequences of hitting such a vehicle at speed don’t bear thinking about. We’ve all witnessed the unneces-sary extension to 30 mph speed limits approaching and leaving some villages but what insanity permits such a vehicle to be used legally on the roads?

John Tipper

Expect the Unexpected – 2

Due to an aborted weekend break in Brugge, Audrey and I booked two nights in a Travelodge at Oswestry and spent most of the time riding in North Wales reminding our selves what we have to look forward to in July when we stay at the Biker’s Re-treat with some other members of the Group. We were extremely lucky with the weather as contrary to the forecast, it remained dry - most of the time.

The roads in this area are something else. Not only are they near deserted but in the main, the surfaces are unworn and in excellent condition. The A4212 Bala to Traws-fynydd in Snowdonia is awesome and has to be ridden to be believed, a far cry from the overcrowded and worn out examples we have to ride in Essex and the South East. String six good bends together and we think we’re doing well. The A4212 is 18 miles of sweeping bends that test your levels of concentration.

Riding in Wales reminded me of my article in the last issue of TUG when I gave three examples where an advanced motorcyclist could be forgiven for not anticipat-ing a situation that may develop. The third involved a ‘racing’ motorcycle chair outfit that we encountered last year while in Wales. Well, Richard Nash found what we think is the very outfit posted on the MCN web site and, here it is.

40


The MCN article, entitled ‘Road-legal R1 sidecar makes perfect sense’ was published in May 2002. The outfit was built Geraint Roberts with the help of the police who, it is said, gave him ‘loads of advice’ on how to make it road legal and the DVLA even sent an inspector to show what he needed to do. Geraint is quoted as saying “the police loved it”!

The photograph on the right demonstrates that with rider crouched the outfit is lower than waist height, probably less than 30 inches high. Much lower than a Cater-ham Seven or any other sports car. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for freedom of ex-pression and I’ll bet it’s great fun to ride but I hope I’m not the motorcyclist who meets it head-on on a near deserted road in North Wales because it’s height means it will be concealed by the merest of low stone walls, grass banks or hedgerows. Hit it at any speed and you’re airborne and probably history.

John Tipper

41


[email protected]

www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk

Open 9am-6pm Mon to Sat

42


Weise Montana Element Gloves £159.99

Available in sizes S to 3XL, these heated gloves are very nicely put together,

they have rechargeable batteries which should last six hours, they have two

heat settings, thinsulate linings and of course are waterproof. A great option

if you don’t want the wired versions of heated gloves that are available.

I first saw them at the trade expo earlier this year and was very impressed

with the fit and feel of the glove, the suppliers have also hinted that there

maybe a wired version made available for this winter, so they would be well

worth considering if you are looking at some new winter kit.

I currently use Gerbing heated gloves which have been great, unfortunately

though they do tend to cook the knuckles of my right hand when the heat is

turned right up (which you do need when commuting in Jan/Feb) and they

are starting to leak ……….so watch this space.

A couple of products to consider……………..

43


Icon Alliance Helmet (around £150)

I had never really considered Icon helmets before, probably because they are an

American brand and you don’t see them about very often. I recently had a visit

from a rep that deals with Icon and he had a few samples to show me. I was

pleasantly surprised with the build quality of the helmet for the price, there is

quite a range available from poly/carb to carbon fibre, the linings feel very nice

and they are type approved in America and Europe, I think in total they had five

different type approvals.

The graphic versions are probably not everyone's cup of tea as some of them are

quite far out, however they do have plain colours and hi viz versions in some

shells. I really liked the one pictured above as it is a great girly alternative for

those that are sick to death of pink being on nearly every bit of women's bike

gear.

If your budget won’t stretch to a Shoei or Arai helmet or you just want some-

thing a little different then Icon is well worth a look.

44


Riding Tips

Taken from Rapid Rider Trainings website

Bend Lines I have always kept training stuff out of the website, mainly because of the prob-lems involved in learning a practical skill from the written word, but as a result of feedback asking for some, here we go. Most of us, even without advanced training, know that for a right hand bend we get over to the left and move to the right for a left hand bend. Sounds simple enough but if only it was. Lets take a right hand bend. The key to getting the bend spot on is assessing it as early as possible. As soon as you can see it's there, you need to be on the correct line. This is where most go wrong. If you are still trying to get on line as you go into the bend, its already gone wrong. Get your machine on the most accurate line that you can, and once there focus on looking through the corner. What most newcomers say after a demo ride is "I can't get the bike that close to the side of the road" Like most things its practice that makes it slot into place. The reason you feel uncomfortable is obvious: It's the thought of hitting the kerb. Done correctly I promise it won't happen! Firstly, we need to do all of this on the straight approaching the corner. Get the bike as close to the verge/kerb as you feel comfortable. Once there you must look where you want the bike to go, i.e. to the right; the bike will always follow your eyes; look at the exit of the bend and it will come off line to the right. Simple! Well no, don't expect all this to slot into place after two corners. The thing that makes me laugh about new riders now, is that they want to be so good so quickly. Give yourself time to become fluent. Once you have this accurate line, make sure that you are always riding at the view, it easy to stay on line too long and find yourself riding all the way round the outer edge of the curve. Not the right way at all. Bends should link together with a flow from one line to the next. If you find your-self wrestling the bike to get it on line early enough then you have done it wrong. People have fewer problems with the line for left-handers. Riding in the middle of the road is easy. There's not much around you so you feel safer. We often get asked how far to the right can I go? Well yes if you rode in the offside gutter you could see further round the corner. But the drag is in this country is not all the roads are one way! . You may know why you are on the wrong side of the road but what about the guy coming the other way? You are putting a lot of trust into a guy you have never met! Yes he may do nothing but he could swerve to your side of the road. It can at least look tacky, at worst be dangerous. Rapid's policy is; go as far as

45


the hazard line but don't cross it simply to increase the view. This doesn't mean you can't straighten out bends where appropriate, because there you already have the view. Remember bend lines are meant to be flexible. Compromise your line and your speed for situations that you see. Don't ride through potholes in the gutter or close to oncoming traffic. There is more to bends that I could ever hope to cover here but remember, the more you practice the better you get!

White Lines. When we are trying to introduce students to the principles of Hazard Perception one of the thrusts that we use is the, "more paint more danger" principle. For those of you who haven't done any training, in short: Where there are no haz-ards you normally just get a lane line in the centre of the road. Where things get worse (junction etc) the line lengthens. When things get even worse (no visibil-ity) the lines become solid. A simple principle which even if you don't know the theory will actually prick the sub conscious. That was then and this, as they say, is now. Bucks, where I live, are now em-ploying something known as "ladder hatching." This is the metre wide hatching in the centre of the road that goes for miles. They are putting this everywhere. In fact the A413 from Aylesbury to Buckingham (a great biking road) is now com-pletely covered in this stuff, or solid white lines for its entire length. Its aim is to put people off overtaking. Its not illegal to cross these lines. The Highway Code says, "If the area is bor-dered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is neces-sary and you can see that it is safe to do so." Necessary - well if it's necessary to overtake then its ok to enter them. The problem is the miles and miles of these things just bring the whole system into disrepute. They are on long straights, where even cars can overtake in safety. There is now less paint at junctions as the nearside line disappears to make a turning right slot. There is no extra warn-ing of bends or hill crests. This is pitching traffic signs at Plankton level. As time goes by and people see cars regularly overtaking on these lines (and we do in marked police cars and bikes) they too will have a go, probably choosing the wrong place; a junction or hill crest to perform this manoeuvre. You can't teach people how to safely overtake simply by trying to put them off doing it. Yes, before anyone writes in I know they make a handy bike-overtaking lane! I'll

46


just get down from this soap box now.

Overtaking 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 surface 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 moment a vehicle appears in front of you. Make sure that your attention does not become focused on the back of the vehi-cle. 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 hitting the vehicle you are overtaking, usu-ally 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 hazard, which is usually a junction, hill-crest or a bend. Whichever it is, you must check it out before you commit your-self 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 inside 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 before you commit yourself. If there isn't a space don't pre-sume that one will appear. 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 staying. Just stay out by the centre line and don't go making yourself at home. When the next gap appears, off we go. Try

47


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 indicat-ing. 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 sup-posed 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 indi-cate it's usually for the benefit of oncoming traffic or any one following who may be looking to overtake you. The other thing to watch is rear observation. Don't look over your shoulder, 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 percentage 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 consider 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 involves points and a fine, the other crap food, and dubious sexual practices 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 practising!

48


What these figures show (not very well, it wouldn’t fit on the page) is that the bike

market year to date is up by 0.6% . The reason I have included this is all the talk

about attracting new members and the decline in the current membership. It got me

thinking about the general decline in the bike market. Registrations of new Japanese

bikes in 2007 totalled something like 75000 units, in 2011 this figure was just over

44000 ! There are obviously various reasons for this decline, the main one being the

economic climate. The motorcycle market is considered a leisure industry after all.

A few years back at work we were receiving something like three to five calls a day

from people wanting to sell their bikes and this went on for months, unfortunately

when times are hard the bike is often the first thing to go.

Some interesting data regarding motorcycle sales

Taken from Dealer News.

2012 / 2011 Registrations by Style Year To date

Mopeds Jul-12 Jul-11 %

Change Jul-12 Jul-11 %

Change

Moped Scooters 1349 1361 -0.90% 7383 7821 -5.60%

Moped Others 101 102 -1.00% 522 642 -18.70%

Total Mopeds 1450 1463 -0.90% 7905 8463 -6.60%

Motor Cycles

Adventure Sport 1103 968 13.90% 8990 6918 30.00%

Custom 591 617 -4.20% 4464 5195 -14.10%

Naked 1739 1716 1.30% 10652 11297 -5.70%

Scooter 2033 1829 11.20% 12807 11177 14.60%

Sport/Tourer 431 465 -7.30% 3050 3457 -11.80%

Supersport 1270 1119 13.50% 8548 8918 -4.10%

Touring 160 246 -35.00% 1476 1948 -24.20%

Trail/Enduro 356 322 10.60% 2443 2576 -5.20%

Unspecified 37 33 12.10% 230 225 2.20%

Total Motorcycles 7720 7315 5.50% 52660 51711 1.80%

Total Registrations 9170 8778 4.50% 60565 60174 0.60%

49


I have commuted in towards London on a bike since about 1999 and quite clearly

remember being caught up with groups of 15– 25 bikes every morning on the way to

work, mainly because I was on a small bike and wished I could keep up with them.

The thing is you just don’t see that anymore, I can regularly go all the way into work

without seeing another bike, that’s 28 miles on a main commuter route into London!

Changes to the bike test next year are sure to make things difficult and with a not

very bike friendly government and not so great weather getting people into bikes is

and always will be an uphill struggle in this country. Road surfaces keep getting

worse, traffic keeps getting heavier and insurance is increasingly more expensive.

In fact it’s a wonder anyone at all has a bike, but we all know why we do, the freedom

and fun they offer is second to none.

So do we not think that the fact we have any members at all is great and that we

should be doing our best to keep the current membership well trained and happy

and safe in their social riding activities?

Yes we need to recruit more members and it is extremely important to keep trying so

that more riders can be safe and enjoy their bikes more, but obsessing about current

numbers doesn’t help as when you look at the facts it all makes perfect sense…..

Squiz.

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I was trundling back from work one evening on my Speed Triple recently and happened to

glance down at my dash just as the odometer clicked over to 43300 miles, this brought a

real smile to my face as this meant I had done 40000 miles on this bike since I got it in

2007. When I bought it back then and announced that I was going to use it to commute

on the general consensus seemed to be that I was completely mad, but why shouldn’t I ?

So now after all those miles I feel really quite proud of my little Triumph. Yes it has let me

down a couple of times, once due to a dodgy clutch switch which the twiddling of a few

wires soon sorted, another time due to the fuel hose popping of and spraying fuel over the

back wheel which was rather exciting. It has had the generator rewound twice which is

easy to sort out and with a trade contact not very expensive just slightly inconvenient. I

have tweaked a few things, the suspension has had the MCT treatment and it has a differ-

ent map on the ecu, k&n filter, noisy exhausts that sort of thing but all that along with the

mileage (I’ve never done that many on one bike alone) make it feel like it is totally mine

and overall it has proved to be a fantastic bike. Although I also have the Kawasaki now I

still love the Triumph and I think is a great testament to the brand.

Our second trip to Wales this year was great, we had a dry run there, beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies whilst there and a slightly damp ride home. The usual mix of super riding, excellent company and hospitality ensued as did the laughs and mickey taking.

A trip up to the Ponderosa café was really cool as I remember reading an article about it years ago.

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On my first visit to Bikers retreat in July I found it was quite a learning curve for me as the roads are so much better then in Essex you can progress a lot more and find out what you and your bike can do. That time around I felt like I was the only one that was experiencing that as I think nearly everyone else had been before. However on the sec-ond visit there were a few different faces and having spoken to various people over the weekend it was nice to find that we were all still learning, that's what I like about this group, most people are open to suggestion and new things and always happy to help others with riding tips etc.

On reflection there were two things that made me think about the learning side of the weekends ride. These were a very nearly messed up bend and a rather hairy overtake.

The bend in question was a tight right hander that you approached at a fair speed down-hill, the view was good and open so you had plenty of time to loose your speed and posi-tion yourself to get round the bend smoothly. So all set up, into the bend I went and then something strange happened, for some unknown reason like a moth drawn to a light my brain said have a look at that hedge while your here and my eyes turned to the green stuff, and yes you've guessed it the next thing I know I'm creeping ever closer to the hedge, it was only a split second look but that’s all it takes. A shove on the bars and turn-ing my vision sorted it out but it just makes you appreciate that the slightly higher speeds you are travelling at on the roads in Wales require that bit more concentration especially as your brain adjusts.

When in Essex I am usually much slower on the bends because the road surfaces are much more bumpy or full of holes so I don't experience too many iffy bends, as I can plan better, it usually happens when I am tired. So its nice to know that when pushed slightly you can, with the training we have had, get yourself out of trouble.

The overtake was on a nice stretch of national, I’d been following a group of cars for a bit and ended up behind a car and a campervan. Now I’m not sure if it was due to tiredness or just getting a bit carried away and frustrated, but I decided to move over to the left have a look up the inside, all seemed clear, moved back one more check then out ready to pull the throttle and take both vehicles. Just in the split second that I moved out I spotted the car, it was unfortunately dark grey pretty much the same colour as the road and moving really blooming fast. I flipped back into my side of the road but it was far too close for my liking and made me feel absolutely awful especially when I thought about the messy consequences that could have been. I am always so careful when over-taking, usually a little too careful but its always safe so I was really gutted about doing something so silly and certainly not proud of it.

I only mention these mistakes, not because I want everyone to think I’m a rubbish rider, but because without the training I have had through EAMG I probably wouldn’t be writ-ing this now, its not just those two incidents, they just highlighted the fact that since I joined my riding and attitude to riding has changed and I owe everyone a huge thanks for that.

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Wales 2012

July was my 2nd trip to riders retreat in Wales.

For those who have never been I can highly recommend it.

Nigel and Tiv make everyone welcome.

The rides over 2 days are spectacular with hardly any traffic and

loads of fast sweeping roads with plenty of vision.

We had a most enjoyable weekend with great food and a few jars in

the bar before bed.

Nigel normally leads a ride out on the Saturday with Tiv as tail ender

as he knows the best roads.

Some get up early & go off on a ride on their own (don't they Pete )

This year some had cameras fitted (no names) and it was great to get

back in the evening with a beer and review the days ride with discus-

sions on each others riding.

The whole weekend was most enjoyable and Nigel & Tiv as always

make everybody feel at home.

Please don't ask me where we went as my memory and knowledge of

the welsh language and therefore place names is non existent all I can

recall is Barmouth (because I like ice cream)

Dog gel u or something like that and Snowdonia.

If you are thinking of going then Keith Boyles is the best person to

talk to as I think he has been more times than anyone else.

PAUL SMITH

ps the weather was great for the two days while back home surprise

surprise it rained.

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58


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

59


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60


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

nbarton

Highlight

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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 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:

62


EEE S S E XS S E XS S E X A A A 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

Laura Windram, Editor

University of Essex Printing Services, contact Hannah 01206 872822 for more information.

Please mention EAMG when replying to advertisers - it identifies you!

http://www.eamg.org.uk

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.

63


www.allenbymotorcycles.co.uk

Tel: 01245 348100

Fax: 01245 348101

Buying or Selling? phone ...

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