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APRIL 2012 Official newsletter of The Great Western Chapter

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Hi All, Well what fantastic weather we’ve been having. Just hope it doesn’t turn out like last year brilliant spring, rubbish summer weather! Good to see all the positive reports from the change of venue for the Bristol club nights, Mike Ludwell worked hard to find this excellent pub! Thanks to all who have submitted articles, please keep them coming . Please send them to me at :- brakemj@blueyonder.co.uk

. Badger & Lyn

Article Guidelines for all members to be aware of:- Any article submitted for the RoadHOG cannot be longer than 2 A4 pages in length using Arial and size 10 font and in two column format please, this should take into account any photos being used.

Jokes and stories direct from the internet are not to be submitted unless specific to our Chapter, Harley- Davidson or HOG.

NOTE FROM THE EDITORS Mike & Lyn Brake

SMALL PRINT This magazine represents the views of our club and its members which may not always represent those of HOG,

Harley-Davidson or the Dealerships.

All articles are published in good faith. The Editors reserve

the right to modify or refuse all submissions.

Bristol Club Nights are the 2nd TUESDAY of the month at the CROSS HANDS, OLD SODBURY SOUTH GLOS.

BS37 6RJ

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DIRECTOR’S CUT By Andy Ball

Hi Everyone, What a great turnout by members to our new club night venue the Cross Hands Hotel, I believe we had over 80 people there, it was great to see some old and new faces, I hope it met with your approval ? The staff at the Cross Hands enjoyed the evening too, I heard they were a little apprehensive beforehand ...I don’t know what they were expecting I’m sure..Lol. Sad news about the passing of Chapter member Peter O’Leary, a regular at Cangen Cymraeg club nights, Pe-ter was looking forward to the Chapters visit to California in the Autumn , our condolences go out to Peter’s family & friends. A couple of months back I mentioned Eurocamp H.O.G® discounted holidays , well it has now gone live, go to hogeuropegallery.co.uk ,click on the Eurocamp link (in the Gallery) to see your dedicated landing page, from here you can get a discounted holiday price (after enter-ing the discount code). There is a mention of this on page 31 of the spring issue of H.O.G® magazine. We have an information flyer on our web page. Don’t forget that the discount code also applies to group bookings of four or more units of accommodation. So, if you’re plan-ning a European ride out in 2012, or, already preparing for 2013, don’t forgot to get in touch with them for a price. Eurocamp’s dedicated team have booked a few large H.O.G® groups now and are waiting for your call - 0844 406 0506 You can still register for the H.O.G® mileage Chapter challenge, there are forms on the notice board at Riders, or from myself at club nights, just get them dated and stamped by a Riders member of staff and then hand over to Chris Harding or myself. A Refresher Ride is being organized on Saturday 21

st

April, meet at Riders at 2pm but keep an eye on the web and Chapter Emails for any changes. These rides are great for any new members or seasoned riders, all done in a friendly manner, contact Al Stokes. There’s around 20 days to the opening rally of the sea-son ‘Cider Rally’… I guess I’m excited and in need of a

beverage and a party. Our rally tickets are on sale and are selling steadily…have you got yours?. We’ve sold 10 to some members of the Lorraine Chapter France, I suppose I’d better remind them about the Welsh Grand slam! For your information, some Bridgwater members are putting on a ‘Firkin Rally’ on Friday 14

th September to the 17

th , held down in Cornwall

on a holiday camp, costs are around the £25-£28 per person…bargain !!That’s sharing in a caravan, entertain-ment included and the pool n stuff, I’ll be attending so let me know as soon as possible if you’re interested. Special thanks to Tony Oliver who came to the Cross Hands and gave us a chat about the I.A.M, if you think this is something you’d like to do please let me know and I’ll put you in touch, or contact your nearest I.A.M centre. My bikes going through another bit of a revamp at the moment just had the front end, forks etc powder coated black…. it’s the new Chrome! Apparently Hoping to get the tins sprayed shortly...Red...it’s the new black! Natter nights will continue to be held at the Ferry Inn, Chepstow, next one 24

th April

That’s all for now...I’m off to bleed my brakes! Ride safe

AndyAndyAndyAndy

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SECRETARY’S UPDATE By Yvonne Roberts

GWC Secretary’s Update Hi Everyone, Our thoughts are with Peter O’Leary’s family as I write this, after hearing the sad news of his death following a short illness. Peter was one of our Welsh members. It looks as if Spring is finally here, bringing good riding weather, (hopefully)!

We had a full house for our first Bristol Club night at the “Cross Hands”, with well over 80 members attending, and many of those en-joying a meal in the pub beforehand. Whether it was down to curiosity, or just an easier location to get to, only time will tell! We were also pleased to welcome

more members than usual from the other side of the Sev-ern Bridge! Most people I spoke to confirmed that the “Cross Hands” was easier for them to reach. We were made very welcome by the staff who told me afterwards that they thought we were a really great group and had enjoyed having us! It was good to get some positive feed-back! Andy thanked Mike Ludwell again for his success-ful crusade in finding such a good venue! We welcomed a representative from I.A.M. to promote the training they offer to motorcyclists. We also had an excellent presenta-tion from Bill, (aided and abetted by Baz and Peter), ex-plaining how GWC members could support the Orchard Trust by sponsoring 9 GWC runners in the Forest of Dean Half Marathon. He also outlined some of the items which the Chapter has already funded. We had over 40 members at the Cangen Cymraeg meet-ing the following evening, where Bill put on a repeat per-formance of his presentation. We did very well at both Club nights by collecting £162 for the Orchard Trust in our raffles. Thanks to all those who gave so generously. Everyone who had ordered them, was pleased with their OTRA Tee Shirts. Thanks to Chris for this year’s design. Of course it was the first of the quarterly draws of our GWC “100 Club”, where for the donation of £12 per year, subscribers get the opportunity of winning first prize of £60, or second prize of £30. After we have taken out the

annual prize money, the rest of the money raised is do-nated to the Orchard Trust. Two of our Welsh members were the lucky winners, Colin Cutts won first prize and Barrie Avery won second prize. I was really surprised to win the free Rally ticket in the monthly draw! We are pleased to welcome 6 new members to our Chapter: Gerald Jones from Hengoed, Tony Watts from Bristol, Simon Evans from Pontardawe, Phillip Lee from Hengoed, and Richard and Vanessa Golding from Cardiff

This is Darlow Lloyd, a new member from Bridgend. Merchandise Please see the Merchandise page on our website for de-tails of our stock. I do have a selection of micro fleeces in black which are proving very popular. I am always available at Club nights, and you can also contact me by phone on: 01225 751017 or by e-mail: yvonne.s.roberts@gmail.com Ride safe, Yvonne

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COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES ROUND-UP

CANGEN CYMRAEG By Graham Roach

Secretary’s Round-up of March’s Committee Meeting Your Committee held its monthly meeting on March 10

th

We were pleased to hear that our Chapter funds remain healthy, with membership rising steadily as the riding season gets underway. We agreed that it was a good time to send out a reminder via MailChimp of our mem-bership categories – Full, Associate and Guest, and our rules for attending Club nights and rideouts. We discussed the proposals made by the 10

th Anniver-

sary Planning Group, for a programme of events to cele-brate our 10

th Anniversary in 2013. We agreed that these

proposals would appeal to a lot of our members, but some of the events still required a person willing to or-ganise them, if they are to go ahead. This will be dis-cussed further at our next meeting, and after the Plan-ning Group have met to firm up some of the events. We hope to advertise our plans for celebrating our 10

th Anni-

versary in 2013 by the middle of this year.

We agreed that, due to the new location of the Bristol Club night, there was no need for a Natter Night in the Bristol area, and that all Natter Nights should be held at the “Old Ferry Inn”, Beachley, on the fourth Tuesday of the month. We confirmed the date (April 21

st) for the refresher ride,

which is being offered to both new (and not so new) members who want to take up this opportunity of check-ing their group riding skills. The date of our next meeting will be April 14th at 10.30am at Riders. A copy of the full minutes is available on request. Yvonne Roberts, Secretary

Hi All, Well Easter is nearly upon us and the cider rally just around the corner (roll on), I had intended to only do a couple of rallies this year along with the Portugal trip, but all of a sudden I'm up to about six rallies oh well mustn't grumble. We also have the anniversary party at the Ship to look forward to, which should be a good night out and an excuse for a get together. On the rideout front the March Cangen Cymraeg rideout was very well attended with 31 bikes parked in McDonalds car park in Pencoed, the manager was get-ting slightly jittery by the look on her face, we were taking up most of the car park. It was nice to see members from both sides of the bridge well represented, we were even graced with the presence of Graham and Jan from Somerset (nice to see you both). The rideout led by Flamesy to Thunder Road (keep it quiet a Honda dealer) with a really good caf was short about 35m but none the worse for that, after leaving Thunder road I think most of us ended up on the sea front at Porthcawl for refreshments and a natter. Oh I forgot to mention I nearly rear ended a broken down tank transporter with no lights near Carmarthen in nearly zero visibility fog, what you would call a real backside clenching moment, it was the same bit of road that I ran into an otter hound some years ago, come to think of it I was on my way to Thunder Road that day too, just goes to show bad luck to visit a Honda dealer on a Harley. Please don’t forget the April rideout on the 22nd to Pres-cott bike festival, nice and early start 7am from Cardiff Gate services M4 and 8am from Michael Woods

services M5 northbound, well that sums it up for this month, keep the bikes rubber side down. P.s Have finally cleaned the V-rod for the first time since No-vember, I can safely say the ACF-50 does what it says on the tin, I have to say she is looking rather splendid (and orange). Iachydd da, Graham.

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PETE and DUNCANS PUMP STOP

Well, here we are, a quarter of the way through 2012 and it’s starting to warm up at last.

I learned to my cost, in mid-March, that warm sunshine alone doesn’t replicate January in Arizona. I always ride with an open-face helmet and doing so, minus my “skull” mask, gave me a fetching sand-blasted look for a couple of days!

Finally, I have got around to following what was Dun-can’s slightly premature advice, in the mag, about getting all the ACF cleaned off our bikes. It’s rather nice to see a the SuperLow shining again, as opposed to being a matt grey! On the other hand, the new Street Glide has been pure gleam since its arrival.

What a great riding season we have ahead of us. Aside from our usual excellent rideout programme and Hogs in the Hayfields 5 in July, we are going to have a big Chap-ter presence in Cascais for the European H.O.G.

â rally in

June. Then for a select few (actually a rather big few – 47 of us to be precise) it is off to California in early Sep-tember for 2-weeks riding through stupendous scenery. By April Club Nights, we will have held our first pre-trip meeting for the group, courtesy of the hospitality of Les and Bev Horsman, at Long Fox Manor and, it will be just 128 days remaining until “chocks away” for San Diego.

Something else that caught my eye (and if you are one of the approx. 60% that do read our Chapter messages via MailChimp, you will already know this) is the new New Forest Chapter rally in late September. The theme is the Wild West - “Blazin’ Saddles”. Looks great – a perfect antidote to US withdrawal symptoms for when we get back from the trip. We’re definitely going!

Talking about the USA, some of you will remember that our 2010 trip came about when our then Director de-cided that the year’s programme would include a H.O.G.

â

-organised tour of South West USA. Yvonne and I pro-tested that we could do it for half the cost – and we did! To our thinking, it was going to be a one-off. . . But then, by popular demand, there was Colorado and now Cali-fornia! For 2013, we are having a rest from mega-organising and are going to Sturgis with a few friends (via our sister chapter in Grand Junction, the Grand Te-ton, Yellowstone and the Badlands). I guess by 2014 we might be back in business putting something together again for the Chapter – maybe in the deep south next time. Any thoughts?

Meanwhile, I caught Duncan in the nick of time for his “tip of the month” as he was just about to fly off to Florida and Texas for a couple of weeks R&R:

The sun is out and the evening is perfect for a ride out on the open roads. You decide to stop off and grab a drink in a peaceful pub tucked away in a small village and enjoy the sun setting over the horizon. The birds are making the only sound for miles around – ‘This is the life’, I hear you say as you’re walking back to your pride and joy. You take one last admiring glance at your bike and switch the ignition on. At that point your world falls apart with the ear-piercing screech of your bike’s alarm. Panicking, you reach for the fob but still it continues - what do you do now you ask yourself?

How many of us know our over-ride codes and how to input them into our bike to switch off the alarm if our fob fails?

Every bike has an over-ride code from new and this can be set to whatever five digit code you want. By using the ignition and indicator switches it can be entered into the bike to turn the alarm off. Each alarm fob contains a watch battery which, like all batteries, can go flat without any warning. When was the last time you changed yours? The best advice is to change them once a year, have your code written down, plus the sequence in which to enter it. The info is easy to find in your handbook or just call in and we can show you. Don't let a little £3 battery spoil your ride!

Safe Riding

Peter Peter Peter Peter and Duncan@Riders

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SAFETY OFFICER’S UPDATE By Andy Kendall Snr Dear Members The riding season is upon us and to this end the Chapter are running a number of Re-fresher Rides for new mem-bers and those who just want to brush up on their skills when out and about group riding. Chris Harding and Nige Garnett will be the in-structors on the day and will be using the same format as previous years which has been tried and tested. I will be giving a small presentation on advanced observation skills that are taught to police driver/riders. This will en-able members to use these skills to read the road they are travelling along and not to be suddenly confronted by events and potential hazards that exist ahead. The Refresher Rides will give the new and old rider con-fidence in Group Riding and hopefully make our rideouts pleasurable and safe. Don't be apprehensive about these sessions. You will have a great time and have the opportunity to ask all those questions you may have that you may want to discuss away from the environment of a rideout briefing on the day of an official ride. Remem-ber, we all had to start sometime, many of us in the dark distant past. I can assure you with these almost 'one to one' sessions you will be in the best of hands and more importantly enjoy yourselves. We look forward to seeing you on the day. For those who have not seen the Chapter website. Be-low are the details given on the web page.

Refresher Rides Concerned about riding in groups? Then these rides are for you! If you've not ridden in a large group before (or even if you have), you may feel concerned over whether you're 'doing it right'. Join Chris Harding & Nige Garnett for a refresher ride that'll prepare you and build confidence for joining Chap-ter rideouts. Starting with an indoor briefing, we'll explain 'Second-man Drop', the 'Buddy System' and 'Staggered Riding'. You can ask questions, discuss 'What If' scenarios and generally get comfortable with what's expected from you and what you can expect of other riders. After the briefing, we'll have a rideout starting and end-ing at Riders of Bristol, ensuring that we ride A-roads, B-roads and motorways so that we can put all the theory into practice. The next of these Refresher Rides is on Saturday 21st April, 2:00 pm at Riders of Bristol, meet in the cafe. The briefing will be in Riders' Boardroom. Arrive fuelled up ready for the rideout which will be no more than 50 miles. If you're joining us, please email Chris :- c.r.harding@btinternet.com Andy Kendall Chapter Safety Officer

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AT A GLANCE YEARLY CALENDAR by Barry Aggett

At a Glance 2012/2013 Yearly Calendar

Contact Barry Aggett if you have any other event you would like to see listed. Tel/Text 07802 217770, e-mail baznjac11@o2.co.uk

For further details on any event listed visit GWC website “What’s On” Date Chapter Events Organiser Details April

1st Charity Bill MacDonald Forest of Dean Half Marathon 10th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 11th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 14th Activity Tony James 9

th Birthday Party Casino Royale

22nd Ride out Graham Roach Prescott Bike Festival 24th Natter Night Andy Ball Ferry Inn, Beachley 29th Ride out Nigel Garnett The Winchcombe Whistler 29th Dealership Martin Rich Riders of Bristol at Abergavenny bus de-

pot car park, circa 9.00 am to 4.00 pm May

8th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 9th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 13th Ride out Graham Roach The Cardiff Cruiser 20th Ride out Steph Pocock The Salisbury Spectacular 22nd Natter Night Andy Ball Ferry Inn, Beachley

25th to 27th OTRA Chris Harding Big Brum Bash June

2nd Activity Barry Aggett Brian Johnson Curry Weekend 3rd Ride out Graham Roach 6th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 12th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury

14th to 17th OTRA Chris Harding European Hog Rally Cascais, Portugal 24th Ride out Barry Aggett Rambling in Radnor Forest 26th Natter Night Andy Ball

July 5th Activity Barry Aggett W-S-M Bike Night American Power

6/7&8th Hogs in the Hayfields Tony James Cleve Rugby Club, Bristol 7th Ride out Alan Stokes Hogs in the Hayfields – Tetbury Trekker 10th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 11th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 15th Activity Barry Aggett Treasure Hunt 24th Natter Night Andy Ball 29th Charity Bill MacDonald Orchard Trust Summer Fete

August 3/4&5th OTRA Chris Harding South of England Rally SOFER 3/4&5th OTRA Chris Harding Somme, Northern France.

8th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 12th Ride out Graham Roach 14th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 19th Ride out Nigel Garnett The Woolacombe Wanderer

23/24/25/26&27 OTRA Chris Harding Cornish Cream Rally 24/25/26&27th OTRA Chris Harding Thunder in the Glens Rally

28th Natter Night Andy Ball September

4th to 19th OTRA Peter Roberts USA California 9th Ride out Graham Roach 11th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 12th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed

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AT A GLANCE Continued By Barry Aggett

CANGEN CYMRAEG BRANCH MEETING

St Mary’s Hotel Golf & Country

Club

Pencoed (Within 2 minutes from M4)

Home of the Cangen Cymraeg Branch of the Great

Western Chapter

get together on the 2nd

Wednesday of the month.

7:00pm — 8:00pm start

See you there!!

September 23rd Ride out Steph Pocock White Horses of Wiltshire 25th Natter Night Andy Ball

October 9th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 10th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 14th Ride out Graham Roach 23rd Natter Night Andy Ball 28th Ride out Alan Stokes The Shaftesbury Scrambler November 13th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 14th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed 11th Ride out Graham Roach 25th Ride out Barry Aggett Evo's to Evesham 27th Natter Night Andy Ball December 2nd Ride out Nigel Garnett The Christmas Spectacular 11th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 12th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed

January 8th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 9th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed February

12th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 13th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed

March 12th Club Night Andy Ball Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury 13th Club Night Andy Ball St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed

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FROM THE FRONT By Alan “Big Al” Stokes-

Hi All Welcome to springtime and the thought of riding on warm, light nights. The daffodils have been in full bloom and that is always a sure sign of longer evenings ahead. April has arrived and my Harley has had its M.O.T. It has also been serviced ready for the new riding season. The usual love and affection has been administered to the trusty steed by yours truly. Hopefully you have all had a good look at your own bike(s) and are also ready to lay down some rubber on the road. Bring it on! So, what is there to look forward to? There are plenty of ride related events planned for the forthcoming months, so I hope as a Chapter member, you’ll get involved. As usual, we have the monthly rides on both sides of the River Severn. There is plenty of ride variety and choice of destinations on offer. Where possible, we are also trying to link in activities with the rides. Already this year we have had a successful trip to Blenheim Palace and the Prescott Bike festival is to come. Looking forward further, there is also our own rally ride-out planned for July. The destination and planning is well under way for that one. For those of you that are in a fit enough state to attend on the Saturday morning, log it in your diary. If you haven’t bought your rally tickets, then now would be a good time to dip into the pocket and get that task sorted. You will probably have noticed that this month, the two April rides are a week apart. Apologies if that proves dif-ficult to some members. The reasoning behind it was to allow the Prescott Bike festival to be included in what is already a busy programme of activities. Graham Roach kindly offered to adopt this ride and hence the change of date. Once again this year, I am trying to give the rides teams a high level of flexibility to include events of inter-est. The objective is give you, the members, memorable days out as well as a good ride. I have also made a con-scious effort to avoid ride-outs on bank holiday week-ends. Those weekends caused a number of issues and frustrations last year. I really do not want a repeat of those sorts of problems e.g. parking and traffic chaos. On my part, it was bit of a learning curve and something to put down to experience. And so to the forthcoming rides:

Sunday 22nd April 2012 – Graham Roach and Team

“Prescott Bike Festival” The ride will head for the Pres-

cott Bike festival. The first departure will leaves at 07.00

a.m. from Cardiff Gate Services M4/J30. The ride will

then go to Michael Wood Services (Northbound) M5/J13-

J14 to up any additional members at 08.00 a.m. An early

start but it should be a

great day out. Why not

join us for a great ride.

This is classed a Level B/C ride. Not complex but a bit longer (for some) involving mostly Motorway in order to maximise time at the event. For more information and how to book tickets see the Activities section. Sunday 29th April 2012 – Sharp, Hard & Wide ….. at the Rear “ The Winchcombe Whistler” The ride will pick up first at Severn View (Aust) Services M48 at 09.15 a.m. and then head for Michael Wood Ser-vices (Northbound) M5/J13-J14 to pick up at 10.00 a.m. Please be fuelled up ready to depart at 10.30 a.m. The first stop will be at Winchcombe and then the ride will proceed onto the Detroit American diner in Worcester for lunch. The return trip will be via a cross country route finishing at Chepstow. The ride will be approximately 140 and is classed as Level B. Sunday 13

th May 2012 – Graham Roach & Team

“The Cardiff Cruiser” Join us for a ride that will take a scenic ride around South Wales, taking in the Bike Show at Whitchurch High School. The route will take the A48 to Chepstow, then the A466 to Monmouth. Then onto the B4233 to Abergavenny where there will be a comfort break for cof-fees, tea and a fag at the Bus Station car park. Always popular with bikers. Leaving will be onto the heads of the valley road towards Merthyr Tydfil before turning towards the A469 Rhymney and Caerphilly. Then the B4600 into Cardiff and onto the B4562 for the bike show. This ride will end in Cardiff. Meet at McDonalds Car Park M4/J24 for 09.00 a.m. - 09.30 a.m. be fuelled up and ready to depart at 10.00 a.m. This is classed as a Level B ride.

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REMEMBER The deadline for the next issue of ROADHOG is: 20th APRIL 2012

Articles to brakemj@blueyonder.co.uk

FROM THE FRONT By Alan “Big Al” Stokes:- Continued...

Sunday 20th May 2012 – Steph Pocock & Team

“The Salisbury Spectacular” This ride will explore the countryside in the Salisbury area taking in Salisbury Plain and the spectacular Zig Zag hill. Lunch will be catered for en-route. Meet at The Little Chef (A350 roundabout in Chippen-ham) for 09.30 a.m. Be fuelled up ready to depart at 10.00 a.m. There is a fuel station adjacent to the Little Chef. The ride is approximately 160/180 miles and is classed as Level B

For last minute updates please call the “Hotline” on 08444 994508 and please keep a check on the web-site for changes. Please see below some guidance details of the rides: Level A - Short and easy below 100 miles round trip. Level B - Fine for average riders but may be a bit longer. Level C – Can include some complex sections but mainly a longer duration. Until the next time, have fun and ride hard. Alan “Big Al” Stokes

Peter O’Leary

On Saturday 16th March 2012 Peter, age 67 years, passed away suddenly, having been diagnosed with liver cancer 3 months earlier. He leaves a wife Joan, sons Michael and Anthony, their respective partners, grandsons and grand-daughters.

Peter joined the Great Western Chapter in 2010, having had a love of motorcycles for several years. He at-tended Cangen Cymraeg meetings and came on several rideouts, if it didn’t interfere with his other passion, golf. Peter was a well-known and respected licensee, having owned The Glenbrook Inn, Barry; the Green Dragon Inn, Llancadle and, latterly, The Victoria Inn, Siginstone, Cowbridge. His previous career was that of a joiner/ carpenter and

his home and Michael’s bear testimony to his great

skills.

OBITUARY

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LADIES OF HARLEY by Jane Scott

Roll Up Roll Up

Yes Ladies its time to dust off those dancing shoes and get yourselves fit and ready for the all singing and dancing Gurzels rehearsals…. YES WE NEED YOU! When and where? That’s easy…… Saturday 14

th

April Riders – 12:30pm – then on to our new re-hearsals venue compliments of Les Horseman. We will leave Riders at 12:45; yes it’s the day of the Casino Royale Party which makes it easier for any of the welsh ladies that will be joining us…I’m sure the men can have a chat and a coffee for a couple of hours whilst we rehearse, it would be great if you can join us .. So what’s been happening since the last article it seems strange writing about an event that hasn’t happened, yet its something that has taken a lot of time and effort -yes -the Half Marathon, I’m hoping I’m going to be able to say I enjoyed the experi-ence along with all the other runners and of course a lot of money raised for the Orchard Trust. Well Done All The Casino Royale evening this was for the 9

th

Birthday Party something a little different I hope you enjoy the evening, as I’m writing this I’m think-ing what can I wear ????????????

Well the evenings are getting lighter I have now picked up my mileage form from riders so its time to put some Mileage on the clock so watch out Mr Chinnock !! Rally season is nearly here first of course is the Cider Rally but the tent is staying behind this year as we are up- grading by having a chalet so that must mean more room for the all important “essentials” and of course it will be great to see faces old and new always a good start

to the year, don’t forget if you fancy dressing up there is a Burlesque theme.

Of course we have our Great Western Rally July 6th – 8

th we will be needing volunteers for the hos-

pitality tent and there is still a month left to enter your rally ticket into the draw for chance of a free ticket but hurry as the last one will be drawn on the May club night. I think that’s about all for this month, take care all

Jane x Contact details janescott61@hotmail.co.uk Tel 07894086626

If you need more details on the Gurzels please contact me I can email you the words or talk you through what we are going to do for the preformance… and hon-estly YOU CAN DO IT

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BAZZER’S PAGE By Barry “Bazzer” Aggett

Hi All, By the time you read this the GWC runners in the Forest of Dean Trails Half Marathon will hopefully be back on their feet, recov-ered from their blisters! And for some lucky person they can look forward to a free bike service very kindly donated by Riders of Bristol, as the prize for our “guess the aver-age finishing time” competition. Hopefully we have been very successful in raising loads of money for the Orchard Trust, more to follow on this when we know the final amount. I know the thought of running 13 miles was not appealing to many so to correct the bal-ance what about a nice leisurely evening at the GWC 9

th Birthday Party. At time of writ-

ing tickets sales were over 50, so I’m sure it will be a great night playing with the funny money. If you’ve not yet decided to attend or not please see details below:-

14

th April: Great Western Chap-

ter presents a Night at the Casino Royale to celebrate our 9th Birthday. The event will be held at The Ship Inn, Thornbury Road Alveston Bristol BS35 3LL, 7-30pm till late. A great chance to wear your tux’s and gowns or dress up as a fa-vourite Bond character, (Dress Optional).

There will be professional Blackjack and Roulette Tables, raffle prizes, private late bar, hot and cold buffet and music. Prizes for the most winning chips, male & female. No monies can be lost or won at this event! Guests are issued with Fun Money or Chips which can then be exchanged for play at the tables. The Dealers are happy to assist all those unfamiliar with the games in order that everyone over the age of 18 may par-ticipate and enjoy this unique experience. Open to Great Western Chapter members and guests. Ticket Price per person £25.00, Cheques made payable to Great Western Chapter, please send Payment to:- Tony James, 51 Siston Common, Warmley, Bristol, BS15 4PA Option of on site rooms from £39.00-£44.00 visit http://www.premierinn.com/en/ Alveston Thornbury Road, Alveston, Nr. Bristol, Avon BS35 3LLor try inns.com. and mention Harley event April 14th. Next up will be the Prescott Bike Festival as part of Graham Roach’s rideout on the 22

nd

April. If you are planning to attend it’s slightly cheaper to buy your tickets in ad-vance on line. Again more details are be-low. 22

nd April: Prescott Bike Festival, nr

Cheltenham.

The 22nd April rideout will take in the Pres-cott Bike Festival.

Extract from website below;-

The Prescott Bike Festival was born out of the need to raise funds for the registered charities, Severn Freewheelers and NABB. The Festival will celebrate all things two and three wheeled and our key attraction is your opportunity to ‘Run the Hill’.

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BAZZER’S BITS Continued………………………... Your chance to be the star of the Show. The Prescott Hill Climb track, owned by the Bugatti Owners Club, is one of the UK’s most prestigious Hill Climbs and rarely does the public get the chance to ‘Run the Hill’. Limited tickets are available so please book now! Hill climb fully booked But there’s lots more to the Festival, this year we’ll have a special Fancy Dress entry for Run the Hill. There’s a Race Bikes Thru’ the Ages display area, featuring rare exot-ica from early, pioneer machinery to mod-ern MotoGP race bikes and so much more. If you are interested in more details or wish to book a ticket please visit the website at http://www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk/ The adult advanced ticket price is £10 per person or £12 on the day but tickets are limited to 8000 so you could be taking a chance! Note, as a charity event there is no group discount.

Graham Roach will be leading this rideout. The first departure will be 07.00 a.m. from Cardiff Gate Services M4/J30 with a pick up at Michael Wood Services (Northbound) M5/J13-J14 at 08.00 a.m. An early start but it sounds like there is a lot to see. And finally to mention Riders of Bristol will be doing their road show at Abergavenny bus depot car part on the 29

th April, circa

9.00 am to 4.00pm, so if you’re not doing the GWC organised rideout and just want a chill out ride pop in for a chat. As always if you have any ideas for an ac-tivity please contact me to discuss.

Mob 07802 217770 Email baznjac11@o2.co.uk GWC Blog Bazzer

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FOR SALE CHAPTER COMMITTEE

Sponsoring Dealer - Duncan White - 0117 9588777 Director - Andy Ball - 07970 271 151 Assistant Director - Peter Roberts - 07540 164 157 Assistant Director & Webmaster - Chris Harding - 07801 562 011 Treasurer - Peter Roberts - 07540 164157 Secretary & Merchandise - Yvonne Roberts - 01225 751 017 Head Road Captain - Alan Stokes - 07766 237 242 Activities Officer - Barry Aggett - 07802 217 770 Safety Officer - Andy Kendall Snr- 07905 397474 Editor - Mike Brake - 07806 558 069 Photographer / Historian - Tony Yendle - 07787 551 612 Ladies of Harley - Jane Scott - 07894 086626 Charity Coordinator - Bill Macdonald - 07989 987189 Cangen Cymraeg Rep - Graham Roach - 07973 459036

Road Captains - Nigel Garnett - Andrew Ball - Paul Bromhead - Dave Pocock - Chris Harding - Andy Kendall - Stephanie Pocock - Barry Aggett - Alan Stokes - Graham Roach - Dave Roberts - Stuart Scott - Paul Groom - Tony Yendle - Sean Gully - Mark Chivers

Road Marshals - Steve Crook - Dave Bennett - Darren Sharp - Ian Johnson - Mike Brake - Dale Jenkins - Andy Kendall (RKK) - Jane Scott - Ian Mead - Martin James - Greg Payne - Tony Cole - Simon Griffiths

Rally Co-ordinator - Tony James - 07940895921 Email syston@btinternet.com Editorial Assistance - Jan Stanworth & - Neil Lewis

PRINTED BY WOODSIDE PRESS

CHAPTER NUMBER - 6655

REMEMBER

The deadline for the next issue of ROADHOG is:

20th APRIL 2012 Articles, Suggestions /Articles to

brakemj@blueyonder.co.uk

Hi All Do you fancy a break in Pembrokeshire, West Wales? But don’t want to leave your bike at home! We may have the answer, we have re-cently opened a Bed and Breakfast Guest house and are able to offer garaged park-ing for your Harley. We are registered with Pembrokeshire Tourism and Visit Wales. We are only 20 minutes from the Irish Ferries Terminal at Pembroke Dock. For more information please visit our web-site www.lynden-lea-bandb.co.uk or phone us on01834-810293. We look forward to seeing you soon. Len and Sue Daly GWC members.

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WHAT’S AT RIDERS