RoadHOG March 2013

March 2013 Official Newsletter of the Great Western Chapter INSIDE

Features

10 - 10th Anniversary

Party at Riders

12 - Bike Courses

13 - Blackadder

16 - Rake and Trail

17 - Western Slope

Regulars

2 - Director’s Cut

3 - Between the Covers

3 - Committee Round-up

4 - Secretary’s Update

6 -10th Anniversary

Events

7 - From the Front

8 - Cangen Cymraeg

9 - Cockers Bits

14 - Pete & Duncan’s

Pump Stop

15 - Ladies of Harley

17 - Member’s Notice-

board

18 - Orchard Trust

19 - At a Glance

H.O.G.® Chapter 6655

“And so it begins….”

Page 2

Hi All,

Not so much to reflect on this time of year, so I’ll waffle on about my bike progress for a bit.

Basically the engine is back together with no spare bits on the garage floor, touch wood! and it’s just cosmetic stuff to

complete. But it hasn’t been plain sailing. Picture the scene, me and Mrs Too Talls trying to undo the 1 ⅞ inch nut holding on the main rear belt drive sprock-et. Queenie pressing down as hard as she can on the rear brake pedal to stop the rear wheel turning and me jumping up and down on the end of a two foot breaker bar (LH thread for the mechanically minded). Suddenly something starts to give - yes it’s coming undone. NO, it’s the ¾” to ½ “ drive adapter yielding and snapping in half! Not a happy bunny and yes I also tried warming the nut and shock load-ing with a chisel but finally a mate came to my aid with an electric impact wrench. Bingo, off in a flash which just goes to show it’s all about the right tool for the job!

Anyway, I’m probably starting to lose some of the readers by now, so back to Chapter stuff.

To start with it’s sad news, as I have to inform you that one of our GWC members, Dave Ashbolt, has passed away and also Sam MacDonald’s Mother. Our thoughts are with their families at this difficult time.

After 5 years plus on the Committee, as Charity Co-ordinator, Bill MacDonald has decided to step down. Bill has built up great relations with the Orchard Trust and before that Radio Lollipop and we will miss his smiling face and banter as he winkled loose change out of our pockets! I’m sure you join me in saying a big thank you to Bill for giving up his time to bring joy to others. Thanks a lot Bill.

As someone steps down we look for a replacement, so the position is now open to any of our Full and Associate members who would like to pick up the reins. This year will be our last with the Orchard Trust, so the first task for the successor will be to search for a new charity to support in 2014. If you are interested, or want to know more, please let me know.

The weather is still not very enticing and, after the success of the 13

th January rideout, it’s been down

hill as we’ve had to call off the next two, due to poor weather. It’s not something we do lightly, after all the preparations, but we have to put safety first.

Our 10th Anniversary celebration events are gather-

ing momentum. The party at Riders in late January was a huge success; great to see so many people chilling out, listening to the live band, watching the slideshow of past and present members and racking their brains for the quiz. The white wine appeared to be the big hit of the night with Duncan popping out for more supplies. I’m sure there were a few sore heads in the morning and I believe a few were un-certain how they got to bed!

The next two events are in April, starting with the Night Ride where currently 17 are signed up and then the IOW where 34 will be let loose with a week-end pass! Just like Wild Hogs, leave the mobile at home!

The first draw for a free Hogs in the Hayfields ticket took place at the Ship Inn, with the lucky January winner being Andy Jeary. As they say, you gotta be in it to win it, so get your tickets now.

For full details of the 10th Anniversary events please

visit the website as this is being frequently updated as events firm up and be careful you don’t miss out as many of these events have a deadline to allow us to make bookings with money from your pockets!

The Spring edition of HOG magazine includes a GWC article on our 10

th Anniversary celebrations

(page 8) so keep an eye open.

And finally our RoadHOG mag has received some praise from outside our Chapter so I hope you enjoy another great read.

Take care and ride safe.

Barry “Bazzzzer” Aggett

Director

Email: [email protected]

Home: 01291 620371

Mobile: 07907 351650

Director’s Cut By Barry “Bazzzzer” Aggett

mailto:[email protected]

Page 3

Between the Covers

Hi all and welcome to

the March edition of

RoadHOG.

The recent bad weath-

er and subsequent

cancellation of the last

two rideouts has

meant we have no

rideout write-ups in this

issue. However don’t

despair, we still have our usual articles from the

Committee plus coverage of our first 10th Anniver-

sary event, the 10th Anniversary Party at Riders. If

you couldn’t attend, or like a number of us found the

end of the evening became a bit blurry, then this is a

great way to catch up on what you missed.

For those of you with a more technical bent there’s

also an article on rake and trail and, if you don’t

know what this is, now’s a good time to find out. It

may even help you understand why supermarket

trolleys like to go sideways.

Last month I asked for the following for future arti-

cles and am still looking for submissions.

‘The Early Years’

Anything from the early years of the Chapter.

‘Back Chat’

I’m looking to put together a compilation of views

and comments from the pillions - why you became a

pillion, what you like and don’t like about being on

the back, how you communicate with your rider, etc.

Just email me a paragraph, sentence or even just a

witty comment and I’ll do the rest. Again, you can

opt to remain anonymous if you want to maintain

harmony with him/her in front.

If you have any other ideas for an article then check

out the RoadHOG Mag page on our GWC website.

There you’ll find submission guidelines and a useful

template so all you have to do is start typing.

Mark

Editor

Email: [email protected] Mobile: 07900 496711

(Note: Views expressed in the articles are not necessarily

the views of the Editor)

Matters arising from our last meeting included: that

4 GWC members are going to attend the Coleford

Transport Show, which is a “Go Your Own Way”

event, and confirmation that Vicky, the lady who has

offered a patch-sewing service at previous rallies,

will be at our 2013 Rally.

Peter had sent out his Treasurer’s Report for the

period December 1st 2012 to January 31

st, in ad-

vance of our meeting.

Bazzer gave us an update on the highs and lows of

the Director’s meeting which was held in January in

Stratford-on-Avon. He came away with the impres-

sion that our Chapter is extremely well run. There

was a presentation on Eurocamp which may be of

interest to some GWC members for 2014. Anita will

try to arrange for a presentation to be given at a

Club night.

We agreed that our Christmas Party should be held

again at St Mary’s, Pencoed, and that Bazzer

should check on the availability with the staff at St

Mary’s. (This was subsequently booked for Satur-

day December 7th).

We were updated on the progress of our remaining

events planned to mark the 10th Anniversary of

GWC by receiving a written summary from the Plan-

ning Group. The latest updates will be published in

RoadHOG, on our website, and sent out by Mail-

Chimp.

We are looking into the best ways of securely back-

ing up Committee documents.

Tony James joined us to give the Committee an up-

date on our 2013 Rally. Arrangements are progress-

ing well, and Tony intends asking for volunteers to

help at the Rally, with the first meeting being held on

March 9th at 9.30 am at Riders.

The date of our next GWC Committee meeting is

March 9th at 10.30 am at Riders.

A full copy of the Minutes is available on request to

me.

Yvonne

Secretary

Secretary’s Round-up of February’s Committee Meeting


Page 4

Well snow, ice, frost,

rain, and fog.....where’s

the sun been hiding?

There’s a carpet of

snowdrops and crocus in

our garden, so spring

must be around the cor-

ner!

It was good to see so

many of you at our February Club nights. Every seat

was taken for our meeting at the Ship and, despite

the weather making it a bit of a challenge getting to

St Mary’s for the Cangen Club night, we had a good

showing there too. A total of £130 was raised in our

raffles for the Orchard Trust, thank you.

Our newest Road Captains, RKK, (Andy Kendall),

Jane Scott, and Martin James, were presented with

their certificates by Big Al.

Bazzer was presented with the banner which Kevin

Coombs and Jennie Hunt brought back from the

Euro Festival in St Tropez last year. You’ll see it on

display with all our other banners, upstairs at Rid-

ers.

Andy Jeary was the lucky winner of the monthly

draw for a free ‘Hogs in The Hayfields’ rally ticket.

Anita took the lead on giving an update on our 10th

Anniversary events, calling on Tony Yendle to give

the details of the Night Ride, Peter Roberts to ex-

plain more about the Go East Tour, and me to give

an update on the Rhayader Riding Weekend, in-

cluding details of all the fantastic evening entertain-

ment being planned especially for us there.

If you were unable to get to our February Club

nights, turn to the 10th Anniversary Update page in

this issue of RoadHOG or, for fuller details of all the

events, click on the 10th Anniversary title on our

website. A plea from me – please let me know if you

intend joining us for the Rhayader weekend, as we

need to know numbers for the rides and the evening

entertainment. We have been overwhelmed at the

terrific response from GWC members for all our

events so far!

At the time of writing this I am anticipating that our

10th Anniversary Commemorative Tee Shirts will be

ready for me to hand out at our March Club nights.

For those members who are unable to come to our

Club nights to collect their t-shirts, details of alterna-

tive arrangements, including either collection from

Riders, or the cost of p&p, will be sent out on a Mail-

Chimp.

I would like to add my thanks to Bill, who is stepping

down as our Charity Coordinator, for all his efforts in

promoting our charities over the last 5 years.

I’m sure too that we are all wishing LBD, (Dave

Roberts), a speedy recovery from his broken wrist,

arm and shoulder which he recently sustained tak-

ing a tumble on the ice. I sent him a card and a bik-

er bear from the Chapter to cheer him up!

New Merchandise is now available: men’s Regatta

thermal balance plus, full-zip micro fleece, at £25. It

is the same quality as the popular men’s ¼ zip mi-

cro fleece, and is in sizes: S – 3XL, colours: black

and dark navy.

For information on all GWC Merchandise, please

look at the Merchandise page on our Chapter web-

site, where you will find the details of prices and

how to order our range of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and

fleeces, which all have our GWC logo embroidered

on the front, as well as all of our patches and pins. (Continued on page 5)

Secretary’s Update By Yvonne Roberts

Page 5

Welcome to our new members: Steve and Cathe-

rine Fletcher from Chepstow, Mike and Julia Snel-

ling from Stroud, Caroline Oswald from Bristol, and

Andrew and Sandra Preston from Bristol,

Karl and Allison Ward from Cwmbran,

Martin Potter from Bridgend,

Dee Walker from Bristol,

and also Alan Evans from Portishead.

It’s always good to put a face to a name, so if you

see them around please say “hello”, and make them

welcome to our Chapter.

I am available at Club nights, and you can also con-

tact me by phone on: 01225 751017 or by e-mail:

[email protected]

Ride safe and keep warm,

Yvonne

Secretary


Home: 01225 751017

For the latest information on our GWC Merchandise, please look at the Merchandise page on our Chap-

ter website, where you will find the details of prices and how to order our range of t-shirts, sweatshirts,

and fleeces, which all have our GWC logo embroidered on the front, as well as all of our patches and

pins.



Page 6

Our Remaining 9 Events in 2013

Event 2 – Night Ride, April 19th & 20th

Tony Yendle and Andy Kendall have devised a ride of approxi-

mately 300 miles, covering 10 counties: Glos, Wilts, Oxon,

Bucks, Greater London, Surrey, West Sussex, Hants, Dorset,

and Somerset, starting in Bristol around 8.30pm on the Friday

and ending at Riders for breakfast on the Saturday morning.

This is a challenging ride, definitely not for the inexperienced

rider. The date may change, depending on the weather!

Please contact Tony Yendle if you are interested a.s.a.p. to-

[email protected]

Event 3 – Boys Only Weekend Away, April 12th —14th

Starting from Riders, the tour route is through the New Forest

to Lymington to catch the I.O.W. ferry to Yarmouth, riding via

Alum Bay and the Needles to stay overnight in Shanklin . Sat-

urday morning ride on scenic roads to Fishbourne and catch

the ferry to Gun Wharf, Portsmouth. Stay overnight and spend

the evening at the Comedy Club. Ride home by a scenic route

on Sunday. The deadline for booking has closed .

Event 4 – 12th Benelux Rally, Silverlake Beach, Mol, Bel-

gium. Flemish Kempen H.O.G. Chapter, 20th Anniversary,

June 7th—9th

Chris is planning to lead a GWC ride, with Greg sweeping,

leaving Bristol on Thursday June 6th crossing to Calais on the

Eurotunnel Shuttle, and leaving Silverlakes on Monday morn-

ing, June 10th returning on the Eurotunnel Shuttle. You will be

most welcome to join him. See our 10th Anniversary page on

our Chapter website or contact Chris for full details.

Event 5 – 10th Anniversary Rally at the Hayfields, June 21st

–23rd

This will be held at Cleve Rugby Club, with loads of great en-

tertainment, and a special rideout encompassing our bridges.

See the special Rally page on our website for a booking form.

Tickets - £25 for weekend, £18 for Saturday, now on sale from

Tony James, who is also looking for volunteers to help.

Event 6 - Rhayader Riding Weekend, July 11th–14th

Bazzer will lead a ride to Rhayader on Thursday July 11th,

and Nige will lead a ride there on Friday July 12th. There will

be a planned ride for both Friday and Saturday, in the spectac-

ular scenery through the Elan Valley, as well as evening enter-

tainment centred round the many pubs in Rhayader. We ad-

vise you to book your accommodation a.s.a.p. Details for

camping at the Wayside Camp ground and the Rugby Club

can be found on our website on our 10th Anniversary page.

Please inform Yvonne Roberts if you intend joining us:

[email protected] as we need to know numbers for

planning the rides and the entertainment. The numbers are

growing!

Event 7 – Treasure Hunt, June 30th

This will be a fun event, organized by Jeff Gleed and Julie

Quick, riding to venues around Bristol, including lunch at a

suitable watering hole. More details to follow.

Event 8 – Charity Canoe Trip on the River Wye,and BBQ/

camping at the Orchard Trust, Saturday August 24th

Nige is planning this event. The cost of ½ day canoe hire per

person for a 2 person canoe is £15 over a 9 mile stretch of the

river. We also plan to run a competition to raise money for the

Orchard Trust, and end up at the Trust for a BBQ and camp-

ing. If you are interested in participating, Nige Garnett needs

to know a.s.a.p. [email protected]

Event 9 – UK Tour Go East, the Road Less Travelled, Sep-

tember 5th–8th

We will be riding approximately 100 - 190 miles per day, on

country roads, spending the first night in Lincoln, via Melton

Mowbray and Grantham. Day 2 will take in the local H-D deal-

ership, the Lincolnshire Wolds, a lunch stop at the Petwood

Hotel, WW2 base of the Dambusters, and a visit to the Battle

of Britain Flight, spending the night in Skegness. Day 3 we’ll

head towards Rutland Water, and the Sycamore H-D dealer-

ship, spending the night in Market Harborough, before riding

back home. The deadline was February 28th for this event, but

any late enquiries contact Peter [email protected]

Event 10 – GWC 10th Anniversary Dinner at the Hilton Ho-

tel, Aztec West, October 26th

This will be a black tie/smart dress key event. The cost of a

ticket for 4 course dinner and disco will be £30 per person,

with hotel accommodation at £50 per room for B&B, including

use of all the hotel facilities. Afterwards, there is an all-night

bar for residents. Rooms can be booked now by calling Lucy

Robinson on 01454 893436. The deadline for Anita to receive

payment for tickets is June 30th.

Ladies Only Weekend Away, November 23rd

Jane has arranged for a trip to London on November 23rd &

24th and booking is now closed .

Bazzer, Anita, Nige Garnett, Dave Norton, Chris, Tony Yendle,

Martin Rich, Peter and Yvonne Roberts, the Planning Group.

Page 7

Hi Everyone,

Firstly this month I would like to apologise for hav-ing to cancel rides in January and February. Unfortunately the weath-er gods have been against us and, as al-ways, your safety is par-amount when deciding on whether to ride or not.

Still, as I am writing, the weather seems to have broken with another day of glorious sunshine. Let us hope it continues well into the Spring.

Last month also saw Dale Jenkins return to the UK for a break. For those of you who don’t know, Dale was one of my team’s Road Marshals. Work oppor-tunities saw him leave for Boston, Massachusetts and he is currently our most distant member. It was good to spend some time with him and catch up. Still not bought a Harley out there yet but I suspect that won’t be too far away once the call of summer takes hold. Keep in touch mate.

Finally I would like to take the opportunity to wish the best of luck to Ian Mead, Greg Payne, Si Grif-fiths, Mike Sage and Mike (Badger) Brake for their forthcoming Road Captains course in April. All the best guys.

By the time you are reading this article, hopefully a number of you were able to get out and enjoy the “Gower Gander”, led by Si Griffiths, with beautiful Spring weather to order.

Anyway onto the forthcoming rides:

Sunday 24th

March – Big Al & Team

“Soaring in Somerset”

The plan is to meet 09.00 a.m. at MacDonald’s, Brislington (opposite Riders). Please be fuelled up ready to leave at 09.30 a.m. This ride will be led by Mike Sage and will take us on a scenic trip through the Somerset countryside.

The ride will head out towards Chew Magna and the lake. From here we will cross country through Bur-rington Combe and Priddy. The route will then take us past the Gliding Club which affords great views across Somerset from its high vantage point. From there we travel towards Wedmore, Podimore and end up at our lunch time location of Yeovilton.

The plan will be to stop here for 2 hours to allow individuals to visit the Air Museum if they wish. The car parking is free and there is the Swordfish Res-taurant and picnic area to eat if you do not wish to

see inside. Alternatively you can make your own way back home if you do not fancy stopping over.

Following the break we will take a fairly direct route back to Bristol via A and B roads which will take in Glastonbury and Wells. The ride will finish at the Tesco, Brislington to allow those that need to, an opportunity to fuel up before heading home.

This is classed as a Level B ride of circa 105/110 miles on A and B roads.

Sunday 14th

April 2013

Due to the Road Captains’ course, the previous weekend, which affects the Road Marshals, no Welsh ride is planned for April.

For last minute updates please call the “Hotline” on 08444 994508 and please keep a check on the website 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

Assistant Director & Head Road Captain

From The Front By Alan “Big Al” Stokes

Page 8

Well it’s RoadHOG time

and an occasion to en-

lighten any person, who

cares to read this article,

about Cangen Cymraeg.

Don’t be put off by the

non-inclusion of any

juicy gossip, that’s for

bar talk at the St Mary’s

Golf Club; this is an arti-

cle for serious folk. It must be said, though, there is

not a lot of subject matter for inclusion, mainly be-

cause of the diabolical weather (mind you it is still

winter).

I was due to lead a ride out on February 10th so,

with that in mind, myself and Ian Johnson did a final

recce on the preceding Wednesday and it was a

perfect riding day. We spent a couple of hours in the

saddle with my innermost thoughts saying “Greg not

a bad ride should keep most people happy, apart for

a certain lady who likes to visit handbag shops”.

However he upstairs had other ideas and, listening

to the forecast for Sunday which was heavy rain and

the possibility of snow, myself and Bazzer decided

to cancel. On the ride out day I drove to the starting

point and was relieved to see that no one had

turned up. The communications had worked and the

forecast was correct, visibility on the M4 was very

poor.

The following Wednesday our meeting at St Marys

was well attended despite the bad weather. Bazzer,

as ever, was his eloquent self and was ably assisted

by several Cangen members to generally make the

proceedings flow along in good humour. A run-

through of the 10th Anniversary events took place

with nearly all having been advertised by the Mail

Chimp system, so please regularly check emails

and the GWC website. The meeting was informed of

the resignation of Bill MacDonald our Charity Coor-

dinator. I have known Bill for several years and

know how much work in his own time he spends in

this capacity. Bill’s expertise will be sorely missed

and he’ll be a hard act to follow. I would like to say

thanks Bill, on behalf of Cangen Cymraeg, for your

endeavours.

Having attended a GWC Committee meeting it

seems our Hayfields Rally is on track, with Tony

James Rally Coordinator on top of everything. Vol-

unteers will be needed to man various aspects of

the Rally so lets not be shy, when the call comes

and it will, take one step forward and say bollocks-

no no say yes I will help, you know it makes sense

lubberly jubberly.

On another note, this year’s Xmas Party will be held

on 7th December 2013 at St Marys. Some of us

have reserved a room, CC details required but no

payment is necessary as yet.

Some of us were enquiring about the non attend-

ance at meetings of Lank (Richard). It seems his

Dyna tried to mate with a cars exhaust causing lots

of damage, which Riders are trying to sort out. Lank

was not injured except his pride; the cause being

diesel spillage. Lank - it is permissible to attend in a

car (some of us do).

Enough of me, hope to see you on the next rideout

which can’t come soon enough.

P.S. Word on the street, could be a green CVO for

sale.

P.P.S. Nobody has moaned to me over the past 2

months. I can only think that the GWC Committee

are doing things right.

Greg

Cangen Cymraeg Rep.

Cangen Cymraeg By Greg Payne

For Sale As New Multi Purpose Motorbike Trailer

I am selling my trailer suitable for any large bike on

eBay. It is custom built to highest specifications e.g. all

fixings stainless steel, flooring aluminium checker plate

and LED lighting with wiring through the chassis. The

trailer also tips, has a full width extra height tailgate and

comes with removable sides so can be used for non-

bike related purposes. Rather than say anything more

here, full details are against eBay Item Num-

ber 261168398260.

I’m happy to do a private sale.

It was put on eBay on 10th Feb and so may have been

sold by the time you read this, if so then apologies.

Jos Oswald

Home: 01179 656404

Mobile: 07747607752

Page 9

Well 2013 is well and

truly here and we’ve

already held our first

10th Anniversary event.

Hopefully you all had a

great time and enjoyed

yourselves? For any-

one out there who forgot

or couldn’t get there,

you missed a very good

evening, so make sure you check out the What’s On

calendar in the mag (or website) for our next up and

coming events. There is something for everyone’s

tastes and pockets!

But, if you couldn’t make it (or did and can’t remem-

ber) then hopefully, this write up will fill you in!

Before I go any further I’d like to take this opportuni-

ty to thank Martin Rich and his team at Riders for

working so long and hard to give us a splendid

evening of food, drink, memories and merriment!

Oh, and I forgot the late night shopping! Yes I saw

you, you know who you are, surreptiously giving the

bikes the once over whilst wives and partners

seized the opportunity of checking out the H-D

clothing bargains. Well you have to, don’t you.

The evening started at 7.00pm when Riders show-

room and café area were opened with a real party

atmosphere about it. Streamers and balloons fes-

tooned the large round tables where later we would

all sit and try our hand at winning the HOG/GWC

quiz. Thankfully, this was just for fun and no prize

for highest score; probably best, as self-marking

your own answers is always open to some ‘leniency’

or post interpretation of answers after a few bevvies.

So, whichever table/team won (sorry at that time I

was thinking about whether I should have another

plate of food or some profiteroles)....Well Done!

There was a fantastic buffet spread (see the photos

over the page) which was heavily guarded until such

time as the marauding guests couldn’t be contained

any longer. Martin make a note for next time – a

bigger barricade is needed! However, you couldn’t

fault the generosity of Riders when it came to the

drinks, as many of us will own up to sampling, time

and time again….

There was even an opportunity for an impromptu

Gurzels meeting (can’t tell you anything about this

as it’s secret and I’d have to kill you).

I must give thanks and praise to Helen at Riders for

her fantastic work putting together and printing a

variety of montages of GWC members placed on

each table. All you could hear was “who’s that” or

“Blimey that’s so and so, I haven’t seen them in ag-

es” and other assorted comments, but a great

source of entertainment throughout the evening.

The evening couldn’t go without a short speech from

Martin, after which he then handed over to Bazz for

another short speech. Thanks guys for keeping it

short!!. On the following pages there’s a photo of

Bazz doing his speech on a stool. Does anyone else

think he looks like Val Doonican or perhaps Ken

Dodd, as shown in another photo where he’s pro-

jected on the large screen?

Live music was also provided by a duo of guys on

guitar and um guitar but they were very, very good.

I hope they realised that we did appreciate them as,

with all these types of event, so many of us were

catching up with people we hadn’t seen for ages

that we may have forgotten to clap in appreciation

but, if its not too late, thanks guys!!

Lastly, but not least……… there was a photo slide

show projected onto a large screen. Like kids we all

shouted if a photo of ourselves was shown for a

time/place/event we had forgotten or when, sadly, a

photo of someone who was no longer with us ap-

peared, but such a brilliant idea and one that

evoked strong memories in all.

The one thing I regret about the evening and one I

know many share with me is that there wasn’t

enough time to get round and speak to all the peo-

ple we hadn’t seen or spoken to in ages. However

there’s only one thing to rectify this and that’s to at-

tend the next GWC 10th Anniversary event!!

“Mrs Cockers”

Activities Officer


Mobile: 07702 073361

Cockers Bits By Anita Cockwell


10

th A

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iv

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sa

ry

Pa

rty

at R

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er

s

10

"Fab night xx"

Kay "Great night, big thanks to

Riders and the team"

Neil

“… a bigger barricade is needed!”

1

0th A

nn

iv

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sa

ry

Pa

rty

at R

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11

"Great to catch up with everyone that

made it, thanks to the Chapter and

shop staff for a superb night"

Darren

“… or maybe Ken Dodd?

“… does anyone else think he looks like Val

Doonican?”

Page 12

There are two organisa-tions in the local area that offer courses to mo-torcyclists who wish to improve their riding skills. These courses will benefit both new riders and riders who took their bike test in the dark distant past and now wish to brush up on their riding techniques.

BikeSafe & Ride to Arrive

BikeSafe is a police- led motorcycle pro-ject that is run by most forces throughout the UK. The main aim is to reduce the number of bikers being hurt on the roads. They think that riding should be fun and, by improving skills, knowledge and hazard awareness it will hopefully make riding safer and more enjoyable.

Avon and Somerset BikeSafe run two types of course. A one-day course and a weekend residen-tial course.

The BikeSafe Workshop explores the main issues facing today's bikers. It also explores the principles of advanced riding through an on-road element. A BikeSafe observer will give assessment and feed-back which will highlight areas where the rider needs to develop (cost £25).

Ride to Arrive is an Avon & Somerset Constabulary initiative providing a whole weekend’s input, aimed at rider safety and casualty reduction (cost £140).

Available dates 2013

10/05/2013 - Ride to Arrive, HQ Portishead 26/05/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Radstock 09/06/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Bristol 14/07/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Yeovil 18/08/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Frome 13/09/2013 - Ride to Arrive, HQ Portishead 29/09/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Bath 13/10/2013 - BikeSafe Workshop, Yate

More information and booking details are available on the BikeSafe website: http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/Police-Forces/Avon-and-Somerset.aspx

Bristol Advanced Motorcyclists

This organisation offers a one-day assessment course called a Super Sunday, held on the first Sunday of each month at the Kingsfield School, Brook Road, (off Tenniscourt Road), King-swood, Bristol BS15 4JT.

This course is free, no need to book, just arrive at the school for 09.00hrs. The course is run from 09.00hrs to 12.30hrs. During this time you will receive instruction from a BAMO in-structor and go out on a one-to-one assessment ride. After the ride you will be given a review of your riding skills and a written feedback report.

As I have said, this course is free (well nearly, all you pay is a small fee to cover the instructor’s petrol cost).

At the conclusion of the day you will be given the opportunity to sign up for a Skill for Life Course that covers improved bike handling skills, hazard recog-nition and avoidance, open Country and City/Town Riding. This course will not be free but at a reasona-ble cost. There is no obligation to sign up for this course but I understand if you enjoyed your free assessment day you will definitely go on to book the Skill for Life Course.

If you wish to find out more about who they are and what they do, go to their website: www.bamo.org.uk

If you would like to meet members of BAM and find out more, they hold monthly club nights at Coalpit Heath Village Hall from 07.30pm on the second Wednesday of every month.

Ride safe and ride to arrive.

Andy

Safety Officer


Mobile: 07905 397474

Bike Courses By Andy Kendall

http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/Police-Forces/Avon-and-Somerset.aspx




http://www.bamo.org.uk



http://www.bam-members.org.uk/index.php

Page 13

This is ‘Blackadder’ a 2005 Streetbob, an ex-

demonstrator purchased from Riders of Bristol in

spring 2006 (early spec without the exhaust sensors

and management system). The engine is still stock

with a few subtle modifications: it has been fitted

with a Kytech fuel injection module, Screaming Ea-

gle high flow intake, and one-off 2 into 1 stainless

steel exhaust headers wrapped in black high tem-

perature bandage exiting via a 15” tailgunner ex-

haust silencer! A lower heat shield was made from

perforated stainless steel made from a 2nd hand

dishwasher strainer basket.

The spec back to front - The rear fender has a 2”

extension with a smoked LED tail-light and a mini

rack and a tool roll has been added. I removed the

chrome seat rail covers and fitted sideplates with an

s/s sissybar made from the handle of the aforemen-

tioned dishwasher. I added Hagon shock absorbers,

leather badlander seat, de- badged the tank,

sprayed the battery trim black, hand made highway

brackets and second-hand footpegs, XR750 flat

tracker bars, nostalgia grips with handle bar mirrors

with integral running lights and indicators. Indicator

lenses have been replaced with smoked items, 6”

headlamp, QD windshield, Typhoon matt black

wheels, matching floating rotor disc and perfor-

mance machine 4 pot caliper, with braided brake

lines front and rear.

The front fender was recovered from a skip after a

neighbour cleared his garage (possibly from an old

British bike). The support stays were removed then

it was cut down through the centre and a 1” strip

from a MG sill welded in to widen it to fit, also used

for the rear fender extension.

Since the original photograph, I have

sprayed the lower fork yoke and slid-

ers black, replaced the springs with

progressive suspension and added

S.E. Fork oil. 80% of the work has

been carried out by myself, but credit

must go to Zane of Zannetec Motor-

sports for the stainless steel welding

and my neighbour Al for some weld-

ing and spraying of tinwork.

Footnote: Why ‘Blackadder’? Simple

I only add black. What next? Per-

haps install the S.E. 110” unit fitted

with S.E. fuel injection and possibly

electronic de-compression or, perhaps I should be

nailing my “sporty” back together, then there is the

workshop extension to finish as well as the hall and

kitchen, finish the cupboard to cover the new water

main and fix the outside lighting, complete installing

the burglar alarm system etc, etc, etc. When will I

get time to ride? (forgot to mention work or going

fishing).

Scene of the crime & grime

‘Sparky’

‘Blackadder’ By Steve ‘Sparky’ Proud

Page 14

The severe withdrawal symptoms from not riding the

desert highways of USA until our next trip in July

(joining up with our Western Slope friends in Grand

Junction and heading off via the Grand Teton, Yellow-

stone, over the amazing Bear Tooth Pass to the Little

Bighorn Battlefield, and onwards to Sturgis and the

Badlands) are slowly receding. This could be because

the sun has occasionally been shining and the skies

appearing blue, both of which lift the spirits. However,

as I’m writing this, it’s still late February, definitely Win-

ter and not Spring, despite the Spring flowers in the

garden and new lambs in the adjacent field. So, best

not to get too carried away though, and stay wrapped

up in multi-layered thermals on the bikes, unless you

have one of those wired-in outfits and heated boots (a

bit like wearing an electric blanket, I guess). RKK was

telling me the wiring to one of his boots had snapped,

thus providing heating in mono- rather than stereo. I,

(and I mean I, not we, as Yvonne + Glide + cold don’t

equate) firmly believe in multi-laying, and stripping off

as need be. A lesson learned from years of scrambling

up in the mountains amongst snow and icy winds. My

one real luxury on both bikes is heated hand grips.

Actually, not really a luxury as anyone in the Chapter,

who suffers from Raynaud’s phenomenon, will tell

you. Not too great if you can feel neither the clutch nor

handbrake with white fingers!

Last weekend, another aspect of the USA reared its

head: there was I tinkering around outside with the

Superlow, newly out of hibernation - checking the tyre

pressures and oil, giving it a quick polish, and fitting a

new quick-release smoked screen. That’s one of those

riding arguments - screen or no screen. The logic for

buying this was simply to stay a bit warmer; it’s no fun

freezing up wearing an open-face helmet. I do have a

full-face one in the cupboard - I hate it; just like wear-

ing a semi blacked-out goldfish bowl!

Anyway, I was all ready to get out on the road, when

there was the sound of footfalls on our dead-end lane,

followed by the appearance of a smartly be-suited cou-

ple, with that “air-brushed” appearance, carrying atta-

ché cases. ‘Hiya, how ya doing? We’ve come to meet

everyone on the Lane and share with you some of the

words of Jesus Christ. We are over here with the

Church of JC and Latter Day Saints’.

Now, if I had nothing better to do I would, as a card-

carrying atheist scientist, have entered into a discus-

sion. However, my repast on Saturday was ‘Sorry, not

interested, I’m off riding’. Undeterred, the guy was now

looking intently at my bikes ‘Cool – Harleys, and so

clean. I guess you just ride them in nice dry weather’.

Unintentional, maybe, but the implication of being a fair

-weather rider (like being a Sunday Driver) made me

bristle. ‘Sorry, you can see I’m getting ready now, to

ride in the fog and wet, to meet up with some of our

Club. ‘Oh, you belong to an MC?’ – I could see where

this was leading, so I pre-empted any further com-

ments by saying that we are all members of the Great

Western Chapter, which was part of H.O.G®.

End of story, almost, but that little encounter did get

me thinking about our Chapter and H.O.G

Why did that get me thinking? Well one my roles and

responsibilities as an Assistant Director is as follows:

(Continued on page 15)

Pete & Duncan’s Pump Stop

Page 15

‘The Assistant Director shall also be responsible for

promoting membership, membership orientation, mem-

bership retention, and keeping the Chapter members

informed of H.O.G® programs’.

Yvonne and I often get asked about membership of

H.O.G® and hear comments such as ‘all you get for a

hefty membership fee to H.O.G® is a quarterly maga-

zine’. Sadly, the greatest rate of attrition of our Chap-

ter members comes from those who joined after re-

ceiving their 1-year free H.O.G® membership, when

they bought their Harley, and then fail to renew.

And now, “Tip of the Month”

Now that the season is up and running and you’re out

riding, let’s think about tyres. Firstly, your bike may

have been sat for some time over winter with the

wheels not turning or checking the tyre pressures and

you may be planning your first long trip away. So, here

are some simple checks to avoid expensive repairs or

a ticket from the local authorities.

1. Tyre pressures should be checked at least once a

week and, if you’re going on a long trip, a day or two

before setting off, taking account of any rider pillion

and luggage you’re taking. This will not only avoid any

uneven tyre wear which, once started, will carry on

wearing in the same way and reduce the life of the tyre

and also decrease fuel economy.

2. If you have access to a bike lift check both tyres for

any cuts or nails that may cause the tyre to go down at

a later stage. Nails do not always deflate a tyre straight

away. If you don’t have a lift, walk the bike along with

somebody watching the tyre as it turns.

3. When going on a long trip try to work out the dis-

tance you will be doing and check the tyre tread depth.

As an example, if you are doing 1000 miles and your

tyre is on 3mm you will probably be illegal by the end

of the trip or maybe sooner if you are carrying luggage

and pillion. The best advice is to know the mileage you

are going to be doing and get the tyres checked. Our

advice and putting your mind at rest is free.

Here’s to a long dry and hot season.

Safe riding.

Peter & Duncan@riders

Hello Ladies,

What’s to report on this month? Of course we started our 10th Year An-niversary with the party at Riders. Firstly, let’s say a big thank you to all the staff that made this event possible, I do believe a good time was had by all. Alas, I have no photos but I’m sure Tony would

have been busy with his camera. I was told by Duncan, on the Saturday morning, that us Ladies drank them dry and they had to go and buy more stock. I’m not sure how true this is, but it was a celebration and boy did we celebrate lol .

Our 2nd Gurzels meeting went well, and we will have already started our rehearsals, (thanks to Les Hors-man for letting us use Long Fox Manor) I’m sure Arleen will have us fit and ready for the rally…. Well that’s the plan anyway.

It’s great to see that we have several new lady mem-bers that ride their own bikes. We have all been new members and I’m sure can remember what it feels like to join the Chapter. We all get on well, so just join in the fun; do as little, or as much, as you want.

I’ve just had my saddle re-covered on my bike, sadly the “touch of pink” did not survive, so its back to black. Also, I’ve just taxed my bike and am waiting for the insurance renewal to come through the letter box. Let’s hope we will get a few more riding days in this year. I

hope you found time to read through Andy Kendall’s riding tips - what an excellent article.

Our Ladies of Harley Anniversary overnight theatre trip to London is all planned. We have a total of 29 Ladies for this event and it’s going to be a great weekend. If I haven’t done so already, I will be sending you all a copy of who you will be sharing with. Obviously some ladies had already made their own arrangements.

I had a call from Jackie/Queenie wanting to know if I would be interested in doing the charity canoe trip down the River Wye with her. Well I must be mad be-cause I said yes as long as she saves me if we cap-size (OMG). I can’t believe I’ve signed up for this I didn’t even have a drink, so ladies we need your sup-port for this event.

Of course there are plenty of events to look forward to this year, and whatever you plan to do it will be great to see you. If you are planning on buying a rally ticket you will have a chance to win back the cost of the ticket in our monthly draw where one name is pulled out and your money is refunded - it’s worth buying early.

That’s all to report on this month. I know LBD is not a LOH but I would like to wish him well and a speedy recovery. Were you practicing you’re dance moves Dave?

Take Care All.

Jane x

Ladies of Harley

Ladies of Harley By Jane Scott

Page 16

This article should be of interest to those who

picked up a ‘Slide Glide’ patch on the recent Califor-

nia ‘Dominoes Tour’.

If you examine the specification of your Harley you’ll

notice a measurement given for the rake of your

steering head specified as an angle in degrees.

I suspect a reasonable percentage of motorcyclists

understand that the degree of rake has an impact

on the stability and manoeuvrability of a motorcycle.

Typically that a cruiser, with a greater angle of rake,

would be more stable at higher speeds but be less

manoeuvrable; while a sports bike, with a lesser

angle of rake, would exhibit the opposite character-

istics.

Rake however is not the whole story. What deter-

mines this stability to manoeuvrability trade-off is the

measurement of a bike’s ‘trail’. If you examine Fig-

ure 1 you can see that a bike’s trail is defined by the

horizontal distance between its pivot axis (PA),

where the projected rake meets the ground, and the

centre of its front tyre’s contact patch (CP).

Figure 1

Typically cruisers have a larger trail than a sports

bike and it is this that provides their greater straight-

line stability at the expense of manoeuvrability.

There is much you can read elsewhere on the im-

pact that trail has on a moving motorcycle; however,

I’m going to look at how trail affects the stationary

motorcycle.

When moving, the contact patch of the front tyre

trails behind the pivot axis and it is this that provides

the straight-line stability. However, when a bike is

stationary the contact patch will try and rotate about

the pivot axis until it is in its most stable position.

What’s he on about I hear you say?

When stationary on a sloping surface the point of

contact will always tend to try and rotate about the

pivot axis, due to the weight of the bike trying to

push downhill, until it is above the pivot axis.

The key point to remember here is to hold the han-

dlebars firmly when facing either across a slope or

up a slope as they will try and turn downhill with a

force equivalent to the steepness of the incline.

Mark “Mr Cockers” Cockwell

About Bikes - Rake and Trail By Mark Cockwell

If you’re still having trouble visualise the above then

consider the humble supermarket trolley which alt-

hough it has a different physical geometry still has a

pivot axis, contact point and trail (see Figure 2).

Consider the behaviour of its wheels when on a

slope.

Figure 2

Page 17

February - Our Annual Frozen Bun Run to Green

River Utah for a Burger and Fixin's was on Sunday

17th, and the weather was rather favourable, high

30's (F) on the way there and high 40's into low 50's

coming back.

March - We have a Progressive Ride on the 3rd

where we ride to one host’s home for a plate of food

and some beverages. Then it's off to another host's

home for another round etc.

On the 17th we ride south to Ouray for lunch and a

dip in their Hot Springs Pool.

The weekend of the 23rd

we have an Over-Nighter

to Mexican Hat, Utah. This is just north of the Fa-

mous "Monument Valley" where so many Western

Movies were filmed.

April - There is a day ride to Dead Horse Point in

Canyonlands on the 13th. Our Annual Weenie Roast

Ride is on the 21st. We ride over Dallas Divide and

roast hot dogs along the San Miguel River. Then, on

the 27th, we have a "Tour the valley" ride where we

ride around our valley here stopping at interesting

spots.

Also coming up ....we have The Colorado State Ral-

ly in Greeley Colorado June 13th

through the

15th. There is a 5 in 1 Ride leaving Colorado

Springs and ending in Glenwood Springs on July

20th. You ride over 5 Passes in one day of beautiful

Colorado Mountain Riding. Gordon Weaver is head-

ing this one up for our Chapter.

We have our "UK GWC Invasion" at the end of July

and then up to Sturgis! Later we have a Fall Color

Ride towards the end of September, a scavenger

hunt, Halloween Party, Bell Ringing after Thanksgiv-

ing and then our Annual Toy Run in December. This

year is the 34th running! In 2012 we had more than

750 motorcycles participate.

Western Slope HOG Activities Officers, Jo & Neil

2013 News from Western Slope, our Twinned H.O.G® Chapter in

Grand Junction, Colorado, USA.

Business Card Renewal

To ensure your business card continues to appear in

RoadHOG email the editor with either an updated

business card image (JPG or PNG) or confirmation

to continue using the existing image.

Page 18

Hi Everyone,

The first signs of Spring are showing here now - bulbs are coming up in the Sensory Garden and our first ewe is due to lamb around 16th March. Eight of our South-down ewes should lamb this year and we'll be setting up a ‘Lambing Live’ webcam again so people can tune in and watch the live action from the Sheep Shed! You can view the camera feed by going to the Smallholding website at www.orchardtrustsmallholding.co.uk and clicking the 'Farm Cam' tab. The camera will be on between 3.45pm and 9.00am and the website also has the latest news and photos from the Smallholding too.

Tenants from

Kimberley Drive

and Morelands

have been

busy, as usual,

this past month.

Business at

their Chit Chat

Cafe in Lydney,

is building up

and they’ve had

a successful month, with more customers each week.

Some people went to the Valentine’s evening at Trian-

gle Club in Lydney, which enables adults with learning

disabilities to take part in a range of social events such

as discos, games/bingo, BBQ'S, bowling and trips out

and meet with their friends from across the area. Ser-

vice Users from all Orchard Trust homes go to the

Club, which now has a membership of over 150 peo-

ple. Kimberley Drive residents also enjoyed making

and eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!

At Hilltop, there are signs of Spring coming, with the flowers now peeping through. All ser-vice users, with the help of their key workers, are now in the pro-cess of planning their summer holidays and trips out, so plenty to look forward to. They’re all glad that the snow has gone, although they did have fun making snowmen, having snowball fights and seeing everyone wear their fashion wellies!

They’re now in the midst of having their dining room decorated and the residents have been involved in

choosing the decor.

Truly Scrumptious Cafe at The Learning Centre has started a new enterprise, to deliver fresh sandwiches and muffins to their customers. They're launching the project on Friday 22 February, when there’ll be a range of delicious sandwiches on the menu plus a choice of freshly baked chocolate or toffee muffins. They’re hop-ing to make the project mobile in the coming weeks and use their minibus to deliver sandwiches to businesses at Vantage Point Business Park in Mitchel-dean.

Service Users from Sevenoaks also had a good time when they attended the Valentine’s evening at Triangle Club and they enjoyed pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Two members of staff from Sevenoaks, Kim and Char, are going out in all winds and weathers training for the 10K Forest Trail Run taking place on 12th May to raise funds for Sevenoaks (some of you will know exactly how that feels!)

We’re just setting up a Service User Group, with the aim of enabling Service Users to become more in-volved, by having an input to the way things are done in The Trust and generally knowing what’s going and having an input into other groups that meet within the organisation. The group has held its first monthly meet-ing and will be voting at the next one to form a board of 7-8 members, which will also include an independent external person too.

Well, we’re looking forward to seeing GWC members again later this year. We’ve put the dates for your 10

th

Anniversary Hogs in the Hayfields in our diary here. We’re about to start planning for our Summer Fayre, which will be on Sunday 29th July – so hope that many of you will be able to join us again this year. We’re also just spreading the word about the Canoe Paddle on 24th August and already have some people who have said they’d like to join in!

With very best wishes to you all from everyone at The Orchard Trust.

Kathryn

The Orchard Trust

Orchard Trust By Kathryn

http://www.orchardtrustsmallholding.co.uk/

Committee Contacts

Sponsoring Dealer

Duncan White 0117 9588777

Director

Barry Aggett 07907 351650

Asst Director/Treasurer

Peter Roberts 07540 164157

Asst Director/ Head Road

Captain

Alan Stokes 07766 237242

Secretary

Yvonne Roberts 01225

751017

Webmaster

Chris Harding 07801 562011

Activities Officer

Anita Cockwell 01761

471385

Safety Officer

Andy Kendall 07905 397474

Editor

Mark Cockwell 07900

496711

Photographer/Historian

Tony Yendle 07787 551612

Ladies of Harley

Jane Scott 07894 086626

Charity Co-ordinator

vacant

Cangen Cymraeg Rep

Greg Payne 07976 410016

Rally Co-ordinator

Tony James 07940 895921

Road Captains Barry Aggett, Paul

Bromhead, Nigel Garnett,

Paul Groom, Chris Harding,

Martin James, Ian Johnson,

Andy Kendall, Andy Kendall,

(RKK), Dave Pocock,

Stephanie Pocock, Dave

Roberts, Darren Sharp,

Jane & Stuart Scott, Alan

Stokes, Tony Yendle.

Road Marshals Mike Brake, Tony Cole,

Steve Crook, Simon Griffiths,

Ian Mead, Greg Payne, Mike

Sage.

RoadHOG is printed

by the Woodside Press

All details on GWC web site

www.greatwesternhog.co.uk

At a Glance - 2013 GWC Activities Calendar

Contact Anita Cockwell if you have any other events you would like to see listed.

Tel: 01761 471385 or mobile: 07702 073361 or e-mail: [email protected]

For further details on any event listed visit “What’s On” on the GWC website.

Date Chapter Events Organiser Details

March

12th Club Night Bazz Aggett The Ship Inn, Alveston

13th Club Night Bazz Aggett St Mary’s Hotel, Pencoed

24th Ride Out Mike Sage Soaring in Somerset

26th Natter Night Bazz Aggett Ferry Inn, Beachley

April

9th Club Night Bazz Aggett Cross Hands Hotel, Old Sodbury


12th – 14th 10th Anniversary Nige Garnett Gentlemen’s Club IOW Weekend

14th Ride Out ‘Big Al’ Stokes TBA

19th /20th 10th Anniversary Tony Yendle 10 Counties Night Ride

23rd Natter Night Bazz Aggett Ferry Inn, Beachley


May





June

7/8/9th/10th 10th Anniversary Chris Harding 12th Benelux Rally, Belgium



21/22/23rd 10th Anniversary Tony James Hogs in the Hayfields Rally

22nd Ride Out ‘Big Al’ Stokes The 4 Bridges Rally Ride

30th 10th Anniversary Jeff & Julie Treasure Hunt

July



11/12/13/14th 10th Anniversary Yvonne Roberts Rhayader Riding Weekend

21st Ride Out ‘Big Al’ Stokes TBA


August





24th 10th Anniversary Nige Garnett Canoe Race/BBQ @ Orchard Trust

September

5/6/7/8th 10th Anniversary Peter Roberts Go East Tour






Documents

RoadHOG March 2013