Newsletter - 1603 - Fenlanders Chapter

Bartys Bulletin
The Fenlanders Chapter Newsletter
March 2016 Edition
Fenlanders
Harley Owners Group
Chapter 9143
Disclaimer
IN THIS MONTH’S EDITION
FENLANDERS RALLY
EDITORIAL
FENLANDERS COMMITTEE
FROM THE DIRECTORS CHAIR
EACH CHEQUE PRESENTATION
NEWS FROM NEWMARKET HD
NEWMARKET HD ~ MEET THE TEAM
VEGAS WITH BENEFITS
BLAST FROM THE FENLANDERS PAST
HAVE HARLEY WILL TRAVEL - BLOG
2016 CHAPTER CALENDAR
COMING UP THIS YEAR
NEW MEMBERS
CHAPTER MERCHANDISE
THE LAST WORD
Whilst every care has been taken in the
compilation of this newsletter, errors or omissions
are not the responsibility of the publisher or the
editorial staff. Opinions expressed are not
necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial
staff, HOG UK, Harley-Davidson, their authorised
dealers or agents.
All rights reserved.
Products and services mentioned or advertised
within the Fenlanders Newsletter do not carry any
endorsement or recommendation by Fenlanders
© 2016, Fenlanders Harley Owners Group - Chapter 9143
No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express
permission from the author/publisher
24th East of England Rally
28th to 31st July 2016
Calling all Chapter members...
With just a few short weeks until our
main event of the year your Chapter
committee are now seeking your help
to assist with a number of roles before,
during and after the event.
Jobs entail everything from decorating the site, band
concierge, raffle ticket sales and keeping the Rally site clean,
tidy and above all welcoming, so that our many guests and
fellow Chapter members can enjoy a safe and happy event.
Interested in helping? Would you like to learn more about
how we organise an event of this scale? Then why not come
to the Rally volunteer day on 4th June 2016 at Newmarket
Harley Davidson meeting in the HOG Lounge at 11am!
Register your interest by emailing Ali or
Lindz or alternatively just turn up on the
day for free tea, coffee and do-nuts and
see how you can help your Chapter as
well as give Ali and Lindz some very
welcome assistance. Our friends at Iceni
Chapter are also very welcome to join us
should anyone be interested in helping
out.
Fenlanders Editors Preamble
There is so much information in the various write ups this month, that if I add much more here it is most likely to be repetition. One thing
that does not get a big mention is this years superbly successful Winter Ball. A really great night, so much so that your committee have
already set the date for next years - Saturday 18th February, and are starting the booking process. Next year it is the turn of the West area,
so we are initially looking at the Marriott Hotel, Huntington where we were two years ago. Watch this space.
In addition there have been a couple of changes to meeting dates, to accommodate the Chapter ride to St Tropez and the Copdock Bike
Show. Whilst there will still be a Chapter meeting at Mundford on Sunday 1st May, the committee will meet at Newmarket HD on Saturday
7th. In October the Chapter meeting will be on Sunday 9th, due to the Copdock Bike Show being on 2nd.
This years beach party will be on the weekend 5/6 September - venues being explored, and the Chapter celebrates its 25th birthday on 5th
December.
Lastly, as most of us are no getting or thinking about getting our bikes ready for the riding season, don’t forget the Brown
Bear stand at this years rally. If you are upgrading or replacing anything on the bike or any riding gear, remember you can
sell your loved and pre owned items via the Brown Bear stand. You get to keep most of the cash, and the club takes a
small percentage for its charity funds.
That’s all for now. I’ll leave you with some pictures from the ball - just in case you missed it [or can’t remember what
happened that evening !!!].
See you soon.
Mike
DIRECTOR &
EVENT COORDINATOR
Neil Billig
DEALER PRINCIPAL &
TREASURER
Garry Knowles
ROAD CAPTAIN &
SAFETY OFFICER
Kevin (Chewy) Hall
[email protected]
07434 700779
[email protected]
07585 172310 or 01206 861682
DEALER REP
Richard Stevens
EDITOR
Mike Gooch
WEBMASTER
Terry Hardy
[email protected]
01638 664455
[email protected]
07541 976437
[email protected]
07999 102304
PHOTOGRAPHER &
SAFETY OFFICER
John White
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER &
LADIES of HARLEY
Ali Crane
[email protected]
07974 423585
[email protected]
07899 700706 or 01353 699568
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Roger Neal
SECRETARY
Lindsay (Lindz) Warren
[email protected]
07747 302059 or 01362 684430
[email protected]
07454 953812 or 01954 230179
ROAD CAPTAIN
Andy (Woz) Warren
ROAD CAPTAIN
Neil Sturman
[email protected]
07454 953812
[email protected]
07770 820558
[email protected]
07768 755255 or 01603 746668
HISTORIAN
Alan Moss
ASSISTANT TREASURER
Dick Hayes
[email protected]
07867 316480
[email protected]
07860 259617 or 01842 828698
BARTY
Our Mascot
From the Directors chair
Hello to you all.
Well I've just returned from my second ski trip this season. I was invited to my
friends brand new luxury chalet in Chatel on the French Swiss border. I could not
resist the invitation because I love to ski and also because it was free. Sadly it
meant I had to miss my 6th monthly committee meeting in 25 years. That's 294 that
I have been to though out of a possible 300. Now hasn't that just put a quarter of a
century into some scary statistic ?
As I write this its only 3 more weeks until the clocks go forward and it's officially
British Summer Time and even if there is a foot of snow on the road the eternal
optimist in me will be out for
my first ride of summer.
Must say how much I
enjoyed the winter ball and
how welcome my guests
were made to feel. Port and
Brandy might sort out a
dicky tummy but it gives you
one heck of a hangover the next day.
So get those bikes gleaming and ready for some great club rides and a
great summer. So ; wax on wax off and one down
and rest up. If you haven't ridden for a while take
it easy and think that most car drivers haven't
seen many bikes lately either.
Did you know it takes over 15 miles to get your
motor up to operating temperature ?
Look after your bikes and each other until next time.
Evel K'Neil
th
On Saturday 27 February 2016
Fenlanders HOG Chapter donated a cheque to
EACH for the Treehouse Appeal for a
magnificent……
£3,300 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well done everyone for supporting such
a wonderful cause and thank you to all
who attended the presentation.
We are invited to come to the
Treehouse later in the year to see where
donations are spent, to meet some of
the children and their parents and to
meet with some of the Treehouse team.
More details to follow………
News from Newmarket HD
Hi All,
Well here we are, finally Spring is showing signs of life, even if the weather is a little
undecided of late. We are just around the corner from what promises to be a fantastic
season. This started on Saturday 27th when it was great to hear from Ricardo that we
had 50 Fenlanders enter the Mileage Challenge on the day (double the previous year’s
launch day) and don’t forget there is still time to join up. See Ricardo in the shop for
more info,. Finally on the Mileage Challenge, if you ride any other H-D (service loan,
rental, etc.) you can claim those miles too. You will need to submit a separate form,
again see Ricardo.
Accounts wise, Dick and I continue to update on a weekly basis. Currently we stand at £26,994 including rally ticket sales
of 177 which is well ahead of last year and some deposits for the upcoming St Tropez Rally. At the recent mileage launch
day we had a good rate of sale on Chapter Merchandise and going forward we will try and put a Merchandise Stall on at
each event at Newmarket (if you would like to volunteer to help cover the stall please speak to Ali). Finally, it was with
great pride that we handed the cheque over for £3,300 to EACH Charity.
Ride-Out’s start very soon. First up we have Del’s Easter Egg Run (joining Bury St Edmunds MAG). The ride will go from
Stradishall to Haverhill on Sunday 3rd April. There will be a ride leaving Mundford at 12.15 so we can get there for 1.00pm
(please bring an Easter Egg!). Dick will be RC for this ride. Then we have our Welcome Ride on Saturday 9 th April from
Newmarket (10.30 for an 11.00 leave). This ride is designed not just to show second man drop off, moreover it is a
welcome to the Chapter, so please old and new, all welcome on the day. Then on Sunday 10th we have our first Full Chapter
Ride which Neil S is sorting. On Sunday 17th there are Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Regional rides, and finally for April on
Sunday 24th a Suffolk Regional ride, then…. St Tropez! – Before all of that Woz and John will be on a Road Captains course
on 2nd and 3rd April, so a busy April.
For March, we have a very busy month for you at the dealership. By the time you read this you will have missed the
Thursday Evening Battle of the Kings Custom Build Bike Launch and “Being Evel” premier screening on March 10 th. On
Saturday March 12th we have our annual Open Day & Ride In Custom Show with prizes, another screening of Being Evel,
display of our BOTK custom bike entry, Live Band, Chapter charity Food Stand, and hopefully even a Pop Up Barbers! We
also have a Custom Show at Norwich on March 19th with Live Band, Barbers, Jeep, Custom Bike Display, Custom Painter
and more. Finally for March, with the success of the Ladies Night at Newmarket, we will be holding a repeat Ladies Night at
Norwich.
News from Newmarket HD
Remember all of the Rides and Events (Chapter & Dealership) are listed on the Google Calendar which can be accessed
from the events tab (there is a link to the HOG Euro website which contains all UK rallies and more) or scroll down on the
home page and you will see the next five upcoming events/rides.
As Ricardo has mentioned in his write up, Myles has managed to get a bulk buy of H-D Boots again, as last year. Prices
start at £60 which is a saving of at least £90, and same as last year. Be quick as we know these stocks won’t last for long!
We’ve also managed to get a few 15MY Bikes on bulk purchase, brand new and unregistered. We can offer some seriously
good deals on these, so give Ricardo a call. Once they’re gone….
Along with the 15MY Bikes we have managed to get some S Models for display, from Dyna to Softail. These are all 110cu
and are very rare. Plus we have some CVO’s available, including the newly announced Pro Street Breakout which is a very
different beast of a CVO! We have also stocked up on our display bikes as we ran very short last year so we hope to be able
to satisfy demand. Finally, look out for our custom/accessorised bikes. At present there are six on display that we hope will
inspire you.
When I bought my first Sportster from BB way back in 1996 I really wanted somewhere to hang around on Saturdays. Back
then there were just a couple of high stools looking into the old workshop (now merchandise/lounge area). Last year we
introduced a couple of benches outside and I’m very pleased to say we have just completed the HOG Lounge upgrade. We
now have a Large Screen TV, some Chesterfield Settees, a smaller TV for Photos, Shop Adverts, Customer Comments, a
new Coffee Machine (Free vend as always) and a Snack Machine, plus more space! – Let us know what you think the next
time you are in!
Finally, pleased to announce with the increase in sales, we have an addition to the Newmarket Team, James Slessor joined
us as Sales Associate alongside Chris and Ricardo. James is a long-time fan of Harley’s, lives locally and has already been
to his first Chapter meeting. Please join with us in welcoming him to the Lind H-D
Newmarket Family .
As always, if I can do anything to make your Chapter or Dealership experience better, don’t
hesitate to call or better still see me at the shop, on rides or at events.
Ride Safe, Garry
07434 700779 [email protected]
News from Newmarket HD
HOG LOUNGE
News from Newmarket HD
Well here is March, and events are coming up fast. By the time you’ll have read this we’ll have had our BOTK evening, but
may be just in time for you to enjoy, next weekend, the Dark custom show on the 12th March, so hope to see you there.
The chapter challenge day on Saturday 27th February was a great success with over 50 entrants, which from last year is about a 50%
increase. Don’t forget you can enter anytime. As well as HOG UK prizes, we will be putting up a free service for the highest mileage
individual in the chapter. Garry or I will present at the end of November. Remember the rules are a little different from last year as well
so you can extra points simply by going to a flag event and taking a photo with the chapter flag. Ask myself for details and let’s have
some fun!
Shop news and Myles has managed to get another one of his excellent scoop purchases, so, we have had a large influx of new Genuine
H-D Boots. We certainly have the largest stock in the UK. Please ask Yuliya or Lee next time you’re in the shop to see this great line in
footwear starting from just £60.
We have another ladies night on the 23rd of March at Norwich this time so if you missed the one at Newmarket here is the second
chance to look at the new lines of reflective clothing, a discussion and informative talk on pre riding checks on the bike and an
explanation of FXRG clothing as well. I will be hosting the evening, so please come along and bring the other half as well. The night is
open to all there will be refreshments and nibbles laid on.
We are on the look-out for used bikes. We have had a great start to the year but this has caused a shortage of some models, so if you
know someone or indeed you are thinking of trading up and part exchanging your ride, we can give you a great deal for the start of the
season. Ask for me when calling. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
There are some new models out on a limited run. There is the new Dyna Lowrider “S” and the Pro Street Breakout that have been
launched in addition to the Fatboy and Slim “S” models. Talking of which we have showroom stock right now for the first time to view,
so please give me a call.
As you are probably aware we now have the new chapter lounge complete, with leather chesterfield sofas and
a 50” TV along with a new coffee tea and vending machine. There is even a coffee table and rug, next time you
are in the shop try it out. It’s like home…
That’s about it for now except to mention on the staff front we have a new member of staff. oining the sales
team is James. Some of you have already met him at Sunday’s meeting. If you didn’t, next time you are in
Newmarket say hello when you see him.
Don’t forget any ideas you have or suggestions that we can approve upon our service to you, drop us a line
and we’ll see what we can do.
Shiny side up,
Ricardo
SATURDAY 12 MARCH 2016
Battle of the Kings Unveil & Events Day
Fenlanders are invited to Newmarket Harley-Davidson
Dealership for an action packed day and will include the Battle of the
Kings Build Bike Unveil, Custom Show, Chapter Charity BBQ and a Live
Band and a Chapter merchandise stall where you can buy your Rally
tickets. Any members wishing to volunteer for the BBQ cooking duty
welcomed, Please contact Ali or Lindz.
This year, the iconic Sportster® Iron 883™ is the donor bike for the epic contest that will run until June 2016 and see authorised dealerships
across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
competing to demonstrate their originality and creative
customisation skills. The contest is a two-stage process, with the first
stage being a national competition to establish the winning ‘Custom
King’ in each market, culminating in a head-to-head contest between
the national champions.
Last year’s Battle of the Kings contest was a huge success that garnered over 30,000 public votes and secured participation from more
than 150 dealers across Europe. Now the competition is established
we can look forward to even more inspiring custom bike entries this
year. The national stage will be a combination of public online voting
taking place in March and April 2016 and a jury round to decide national winners. These national winning bikes and their dealership creators will then go on to compete head-to-head at one of the most influential new-wave custom bike events in Europe, ‘Wheels & Waves’ in
Biarritz in June 2016. A jury of knowledgeable custom and bike peers
will then select the 2016 ‘Custom King’ and present the trophy to the
lucky winner at the award ceremony in June.
RICHARD STEVENS
Sales Executive
CHRIS MORRIS
Sales Manager
MITCH CALVER
Parts Advisor
YULIA PRYDOROZHKO
General Merchandise/Clothing
JONATHAN HUNT
Master Technician
STEVE CARPENTER
Technician
GARRY KNOWLES
Dealer Principal
DEREK “DEL” WING
Delivery Driver
MIKE BLOMFIELD
General Sales Manager
LEE PENDERGAST
Online Sales
ROB CLARKE
Technician
TRACEY MARTIN
Sales Administrator
SANDY FOTHERINGHAM
Parts Advisor
MYLES CONNING
Parts Manager
JOE HUBBARD
Apprentice Technician
DIANE CLARK
Dealership Accountant
Al JAMES
Parts Advisor
DAVE TAYLOR
Service Advisor
ANDY MORRIS
Service Manager
EMMA KNOWLES
Merchandise Assistant
A little old lady had always to join a local biker club, so one day she goes up and knocks on
the door. . A big hairy bearded biker with tattoos all over his arms answers.
She proclaims, “I want to join your club.
The guy was amused, but says she needs to meet certain biker requirements in order to join.
The biker asks, “Do you have a motorcycle?”
She replies, “Yep, ...my bike’s parked over there,” and points to a Harley chopper.
The biker asks, “Do you drink?”
She replies, “Yep… drink like a fish. I’ll drink any man in your club under the table.
The biker asks, “Do you smoke?”
She replied, “Yep… smoke like a chimney. A least 4 packs of cigarettes and three joints a day, and a couple of cigars in the evening
while I’m shooting pool.
The biker is very impressed and asks one last question. “Have you ever been picked up by the Fuzz?”
The little old lady thinks for a minute and then says, “Nope…but I’ve been swung around by my nipples a few times.”
VEGAS - with benefits
by Graham & Kerri Fielding
We have long dreamed of riding a hog in its native environment and finally the opportunity came!!!
We have friends who live in Vegas but are metal box dwellers, however letting bygones be bygones, we accepted their kind offer to come and
stay.
Little did we know how good a friend they were because no sooner had we accepted their offer then they said, and I quote " If you want to hire a
Harley for a few days and head off, WE WILL LOOK AFTER THE KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" We have never answered an email so fast in our lives.
Speculative emails were sent to all the local Harley stores and specialist hire agents. Due to the type of bike we wanted, when we wanted it and
cost we settled for Eagle Riders situated on Arville St.
We spent a great few days staying with our friends while slowly (and quietly) counting down the days to picking up our Street Glide with radio
and sat nav.
Our friends only asked that when we had the bike could we give their children a little ride round the block - Hell yeah!
The day arrived and we were ferried down to the agent by our friends in air conditioned splendour (will be referencing this later) and looked to
see if our noble steed awaited us; and sure enough there it was but alas with no sat-nav? I know, I know, its built in but having done my
research, the agents get heavily priced for the licenses so tend to put on external units, which is what Eagle do.
While looking round some very fine pieces
of two wheeled glory on display we were
approached by a member of staff who asked
for our paper work and we told her of their error. She was most apologetic and said that
this would be rectified immediately. The bike
disappeared and came back 15 minutes later
with sat-nav and it 'was' the same bike.
I had brought my own half helmet (piss pot),
but Kerri had to hire one, as they are
compulsory in Nevada. We signed a couple
of pieces of paperwork and low and behold,
we hit the highway for 3 days of 'easy' riding!
VEGAS - with benefits
Day One
Having picked up 'the beast’ we were eager to stretch our wings so headed to the Hoover dam, on the Nevada/Arizona border, to take care of
one of my bucket list. "Ride across the dam on a Harley". It was everything I wanted it to be, including radio tuned to local 24hr rock station,
but one of the things I didn't - 100°c plus heat!!! Only problem in Nevada in August....... apparently its a desert. We took pictures, cooled
down in the coffee shop, walked about a bit more and thoroughly recommend a visit here. Bucket list well and truly ticked.
Emboldened by our first trek and after going for lunch in Boulder city, which is a lovely place of bars, shops and 'alien memorabilia' (not far
from area 51 - oooooh spooky; and lucrative apparently), we decided to take a ride down i95 and head to the Colorado river for a paddle.
We decided to take 165 to the river but going down this desolate road through a Joshua Tree Forrest came across what looked like a wild west
ghost town just through Nelson. We had to stop and the 'beast' with all of her shiny chrome and black paint looked definitely in character.
These were the sights and emotions we had hoped this pilgrimage would bring.
The beaten down general store, the rocking chairs and drying out dead rattlers were what we wanted.
Venturing inside we found an Aladdin’s cave of wonders to
behold. All manner of reptiles, some frozen solid in the freezer
that had been caught the previous day. The wife of the owners
was just about to start a tour, and asked if we would like to join
them, this included a trip into the mine, which we were told, was
a constant 63deg.
The explanation of the items in the store museum and the mines
history was absolutely fascinating. The store and surrounding
buildings had been in several films and the previous day David
Blaine had been filming there for a new series. The actual trip down the mine was fantastic, and cool
in both senses of the word. Gold and amethyst in the walls and skeletons left where they met their
maker, tales of ghosts and evil deeds brought to life by the mountain above us. What a wonderful
time we had as well as seeing the owners collection of eccentrically modified VW campers, trucks and
planes. We eventually dragged ourselves away from this awesome place to continue down to the
Colorado river. It was nice to say we had visited the Colorado!
Heading back along 165 with nothing but desert in front, on both sides and behind. After 11 miles of seeing no other living creature or vehicle,
I achieved one of those Nirvana moments. I leant back against Kerri, who put her arms around me, warm wind in our faces, 'Beast' playing the
perfect backing track when on the radio came Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, I rolled back the throttle slightly to quieten the 'Beast', turned up
the volume and I have to say as I took my left hand off the bars and rested it on the tank, my heart skipped a beat and an overwhelming
feeling of absolute delight and calmness came over me that will stay with me until I take that final ride out.
As we coasted back along i95 we could see dust devils picking up their pace in the plains either side to ride as escort until we hit i93; still in
temperatures way north of 100°c. We then took the 215 around Vegas, intimidating as many tin cans as we could, until we were back at our
hosts and then seated in the pool with cool beer on tap. If I had to relive this day, every day in heaven, it would be heaven indeed!
VEGAS - with benefits
Day Two
Buoyed by our previous days experience we had decided to stretch our legs a bit and head over to Zion National Park, a 320 mile round trip.
We left early and in T-shirts and long sleeved shirts we headed out of state. Just as we hit i15 I looked at the sat nav, which stated turn left in
217 miles! We made good progress in the cool morning air, smiling from ear to ear. The scenery was like a drug and kept us entertained in a
state of wonderment. Even looking at the big, big, BIG, rigs was breathtaking. We stopped at Mesquite for breakfast and congratulated
ourselves on how lucky we were to be doing this. We left Nevada into Arizona through some beautiful mountains and a very welcome 30
second shower, something you wouldn't hear me say in 'sunny' Suffolk.
The i15 took us out of Arizona into Utah, through St George (the only really heavily populated
place we saw), up to that left turn that we had been promised by sat-nav so long ago. Leading up
to this point Kerri had commented that it would be nice to have seen some Harley dealers - well
lube my nipples with Castrol, guess what adorned the self same junction and off ramp - 'Zion
Harley Davidson'. In we went to a warm welcome, well-deserved refreshment and of course retail
therapy. Could this trip get any better?????
Suitably re-imbibed we headed along route 9 where we ploughed through Virgin (yep - that's what
its called) and then Rockville (how cool is that) and finally Springdale which must be the home to
some of the biggest 4x4's anywhere on the planet. The air was cooler here and fresh peaches for
sale by the roadside every 500 yards. We reached our destination and boarded the tour bus, which
takes you all the way through the canyon with disembarking points all along the way. We looked,
we walked, we ate, we photographed but being in this paradise we didn't realise how hot it was
getting until we set off for home at about 2pm.
Once we got out of the valley oasis, more into the plains, it got a bit hotter. When we hit i15 it got a bit hotter. It was like riding into a 1000 ft
hairdryer on full blast and on 'lava' setting. Kerri started shedding clothes (so not all bad) and I tried to ride in the shadow of any 18 wheeler I
could find (helped by the fact that Kerri was shedding clothes). Eventually Kerri said if we didn't
stop she would pass out, so obviously feeling the effects of heat exhaustion we headed to the only
sensible place we could go - "Popeye's Chicken". Forget 911, this is the place for recovery, and the
chicken is better than KFC. We rehydrated, fuelled up, girded our loins and hit the road; soon very,
very hot again. As we headed down hill towards the Colorado river and the dam, I looked in my
mirrors to see a white 18 wheel tanker catching us up. I gave 'Beast' her head and accelerated
away into obscurity and safety - or so I thought. I was doing 80mph with the tanker catching up at
an alarming rate; the signage said 'Sharp bend ahead - max speed 45mph', so I will be safe by
then, or so I thought. I took the bend at 70 and the tanker did the same with a wall of white and
chrome in my mirrors. I wiped the sweat from my brow and quietly muttered respect for the
trucker under my breath as we climbed the hill the other side.
We finally made it home to rides round the block for the kids, the pool and beer, more pool and a
lot more beer with a BBQ.
Day Three
VEGAS - with benefits
The final day of our 2 wheeled adventure. We decided to do a
tour of all of the Harley dealerships in Vegas, 4 in total, and of
course cruise down the strip. We visited the dealerships and
bought our souvenirs as requested by friends; talked to staff
about riding Harleys and then headed down the strip. Now
here is where I have a little complaint. It is not easy to ride
down the strip. You have to pose from light to light. This
sounds ideal (for anyone who knows me) but, big but,
no,,,,,hot butt! The bikes used are standard and at idle run as
hot as f.....k! I was hopping around worried that my eggs were
going to end up the hard boiled variety and that an ice bag and
calamine lotion would be my best friends for the rest of the
holiday. To make matters worse, so worried was I of the
intense burning of my inner thighs and jewels that I took a wrong turn and had to go round again,
Ouch!
We had been told that our friends had booked us into the Venetian that evening, after returning the
'Beast' (again without kids - I love our friends). We wanted to buy them a thank you present. We had had a wonderful evening stargazing on
top of mount Charleston in the cool night air, with deer and wild stallions roaming the mountainside, so brain of Britain here decides a telescope
would make the perfect gift. We go to a store and pick our gift of choice. They bring it out and Kerri says how big it is all boxed up. Well you
know women, they have no comprehension of comparative size, so I robustly state, "It'll be fine" - it wasn't! This thing perched on Kerris' lap
pushed me so far forward, my now broiled wedding tackle was uncomfortably lodged on the tank and Kerri was struggling to get a firm grip
with extensive 'poking out' either side. We left the car park after getting clearance from the flight tower and hit i215 with the thought of getting
to our friends as soon as possible. Now i215 is like the M25 but busier and crazier and you
should have seen the face of the rubber necked state trooper coming the other way - oops!
Throttle on and get home quick before said trooper can turn around or Kerri experiences
unpowered flight. We make it and there are no subsequent knocks on the door - job done. We
had had good weather, well a little too good if the truth be told, 116°c, but as we were taking
the bike back we encountered the most ferocious thunder storm I have ever witnessed.
Lightening everywhere, seemingly next to me on the road, but once again the heavens were
with us and I walked into the agent just as the torrential rain hit properly. The agent said "No
need to ask if you had a good time, it's written all over your face".
Well that was our mini adventure and it was brilliant. Riding the 'Beast' in its native habitat
was a privilege and an honour, but please Mr. Eagle get it stage 1'd.
Muttley & Freckles
CONFUCIUS DID NOT SAY …...
Man who wants pretty nurse must be patient.
Passionate kiss, like spider web, leads to undoing of fly.
Lady who goes camping with man must beware of evil intent.
Squirrel who runs up woman's leg will not find nuts.
Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
Man who runs in front of car gets tired, but man who runs behind car gets exhausted.
Man who eats many prunes get good run for money.
War does not determine who is right; it determines who is left.
Man who fights with wife all day gets no piece at night.
It takes many nails to build a crib, but only one screw to fill it.
Man who drives like hell is bound to get there.
Man who stands on toilet is high on pot.
Wise man does not keep sledge hammer and slow computer in same room.
Man who lives in glass house should change clothes in basement.
And, Confucius Did Not Say. . .
"A lion will not cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood!"
Blast from the
Fenlanders Past !
[from February 2007]
courtesy of our
Historian
Have Harley - Will Travel
An American Adventure Blog by Lindz & Woz
Aug
24
To the trees...
Jacuzzi bath (no photos…..you will be relieved we are sure) was followed by breakfast, bike load and departure
just after 9am. Woz was having a senior moment and managed to miss the on ramp to the 101, missed the
fuel station sign some miles later and later in the morning took the wrong off ramp! It all went well after that
and during our diverted route we enjoyed wineries with vines laden with grapes, beautiful wine estates with
ever more glamorous names and some sort of scene of crime with a police man blocking a road. Hey ho, all in
a mornings ride!
This morning was overcast and chilly, so much so that first Woz and
then Lindz had to change from summer mesh jackets to winter
warm ones. We turned off the 101 (after re-joining for a mile or
two after the third ‘alternative’ route) and joined the 128 west
heading for the coast. Add this road to a must do list all you riders
if you haven't done it before. What a ride - bends, twists, hairpins;
steeply wooded slopes, edge of the road turns, the road climbed
steadily until we were at 1000ft
and in glorious sunshine above
the cloud line. Beautiful views,
circling eagles and occasional
settlements, this was gorgeous
countryside. The trees changed
from deciduous to coniferous with
pockets of redwoods as we
ascended the hills giving way to
cedars and eucalyptus as we
descended. Everywhere the grass
a dusty brown colour; there has
been no rain for weeks.
We passed from Sonoma county
into Mendocino county where we
joined highway 1 and decided to
stop for lunch in the pretty clapper boarded town of Mendocino (if you’re
interested, the location for the filming of Murder she wrote….there was no
sign of Jessica though).
Have Harley - Will Travel
We parked in the Main Street and selected The Good Life bakery and cafe, it seemed busy which we took as a
good sign; we weren’t wrong. A fantastic selection of freshly made soups, sandwiches and yummy cakes. We
opted for chicken and veg soup and bacon and corn quiche, excellent choice. After eating we walked though
the town checking out the lovely shops full of can’t do with out lifestyle goodies; Woz grateful for a loaded bike
with no baggage space! Back on highway 1 we were back on the coast, the waves rolling in crashing against
the rocky outcrops and in between river mouths with sandy beaches and families enjoying their Sunday by the
sea.
Cloudy again we remained in our heavier jackets
and rode the twisting, hair pin loaded road almost
deserted except for the odd car and cyclists and
increasing numbers of stately redwoods. After
several miles the road turned inland and we lost
sight of the sea again. The road then climbed
steadily again, hairpins aplenty, Woz was loving
this ride today; the bendier the road the happier
the Woz! We stopped at Fort Bragg for fuel where
the wasp was treated to a screen clean and a little
TLC (pity the valeter that gets to clean this bike!). The sun returned and shone
through the trees, and as we approached the 101 we turned off for the town of
Leggett for our treat of the day….a drive through tree!
Lindz had always wanted to do this and it was with great excitement that we followed
the road down to the kiosk, paid our $3 and joined the queue of cars waiting their
turn. And then we drove through and a really kind man took our photo ( tree
approximately 2400 years old and taller than Woz!) We of course bought a fridge
magnet, had our photo taken at a different tree just as we were about to leave and then as it was already 4:50pm and with 88 miles still to do,
we joined the 101 again and headed north, the sun shining, the road quiet.
The redwoods were magnificent; everywhere we looked they covered the hills, the valleys and the roadsides; huge, heavily grooved trunks
supporting boughs of green with the sun filtering through. At one point and to the west we spotted the tell-tale signs of smoke rising above the
mountains, evidence of the wildfires still burning and which every so often left a slight tang of burning in the air. We have been lucky so far and
have managed to miss the fires, but they are not far away; the most vehicles we have seen are those of the Californian fire service as well as
army fire engines and out of state fire service vehicles.
As we approached Eureka the clouds rolled back in making the approach actually quite a dismal one considering the stunning scenery we had
been treated to all day. Our route to the hotel ran through heavily industrial areas with loitering homeless people holding signs begging for
help……or beer.
Have Harley - Will Travel
We arrived at our hotel, checked in, found that we were too late for the dinner buffet and by the time we had
unloaded and then spent time talking with HD riders from South Carolina, it was just easier to head out, buy
take out food and beers and head back to our room leaving our laundry to wash itself in the huge washing
machine provided in the utility area. We are now delightfully chilled, feet up, reviewing our day.
And the mileage so far? 4937 miles! And check out Woz’s happy beard!
Aug
25
From Redwood Highway
To Driftwood Shores
Awesome, that is the only word that can describe the redwood
forest; chilly was the word of the day however at 59 degrees
and foggy drizzle, we experienced our first shivers since
arriving in the USA but it wasn’t wet enough for waterproofs, we just needed to
wrap up warm. Our first port of call after leaving our hotel was the Redwood HD dealership in Eureka where we
met some riders from the Deep South with whom we shared tales of the road. We also placed a pin in the stores
world map (one of only four pins from the UK). Having bought our T-shirts it was time to depart when a very
lovely lady working in the store told us about a scenic loop road where we would get to experience some of the
tallest redwoods in the forest having not managed to ride through the avenue of the Giants the day before.
The recommendation was to turn off after Orick onto the Newton B Drury
scenic highway; we passed 5000 miles and duly took the road suggested
and what a great drive. Signs as we entered the road warning us of elk, we
drove slowly following other cars. Very soon we arrived in a deeply wooded
area, low cloud drifting in and out of the trees which served to somehow
make them seem even bigger and more brooding than those we had enjoyed
seeing in the sunlight the day before. We were speechless at the height and
girth of these monster trees, their huge trunks reaching to the sky. Where
trees had fallen glades of ferns, mosses and woodland plants thrived adding
to an almost Lord of the Rings scene with the fog swirling to complete the
‘other worldly’ effect.
We parked the bike and stood in the heart of a still living, fire damaged tree surrounded by the trunk; it was
huge. Our photos cannot convey the true enormity of the trees but perhaps the photos of the bike parked in
front gives a sense of scale? These trees have grown for hundreds if not thousands of years and grow to
between 250 and 350 feet in height; compare that with the 175 feet drop of Niagara Falls and perhaps you
get the picture? It was actually quite humbling in a way, just how small we are.
Have Harley - Will Travel
We continued our ride, pointing out numerous impossibly big trees and all too soon we had returned to highway 101, no elk spotted and our
last few miles of California. We stopped at Crescent City for coffee and a quick catch up with Lindz’s mum and dad who had just returned
themselves from a short break. As we sat drinking our coffee we watched a homeless man walk into the car park; he didn’t appear to be a
drunk nor a drug user, he just looked tired. He sat down near the bike and admired the corvette parked next to it. Another guy came out of
the McDonalds we had stopped at (cafe choices were not over abundant) and stopped by the homeless guy and gave him food; when we left
we took him hot coffee. We were right, he wasn’t you’re ‘normal’ vagrant; it turned out he was walking from Willits CA to Carnation WA (734
miles) to visit his father having lost everything in a business collapse; he had already walked 200 miles; he had no money to travel any other
way. He was grateful, but not grovelling, he didn’t ask for money and he didn’t have the normal cardboard begging list; made us feel very
lucky for the life we lead but if a reminder was needed, how fragile things can be!
We headed off and not long afterwards we arrived in Oregon and finally the sun decided to attempt an appearance. Lunch was needed and so
we pulled of the road at Gold Beach and found the Porthole Cafe next to a Fish market. Smashing lunch, good coffee and then a ring side pitch
to watch freshly caught fish being unloaded from a small fishing boat. Afterwards we crossed a magnificent bridge and headed back up into the
fog and as we descended again, occasional overlooks towards beaches with huge rocks and crashing waves; sea spray mingling with the low
cloud. Gone were the hotentot figs of the Southern Californian roadsides, replaced with everlasting sweet peas; eucalyptus now replaced with
pines trees and cactus with bright red crocosmia; the change in flora was as much an indication of our continued journey north as the crossing
of the state line. The day however had turned warmer and sunnier; blue skies with wispy clouds and every so often the smell of burning again.
We saw lots of fire trucks but again we have been very lucky with fires to our East and smoke kept from affecting us by the prevailing coastal
winds. We pulled off the road at Coos Bay and stopped at the 101 Harley dealership. A leg stretch and T-shirts bought, time was running and
we needed to make tracks. Our destination for tonight Florence on the Oregon coast and a hotel right on the beach overlooking the ocean
‘Driftwood Shores’ couldn’t have a better name with a wave battered beach, sand whipped up into small dunes and bleached tree trunks and
driftwood everywhere. We unpacked, opened a beer and walked the beach. We booked a table for dinner and watched the sun go down in a
cloudless sky over crashing waves.
Have Harley - Will Travel
Aug
26
Cracking coastline,
bumpy road,
brilliant beer
A lovely night listening to the sound of crashing waves thundering onto the shore had us sleeping
soundly. However by 7am Lindz was in flip-flops and on the beach for an early morning beachcomber
session leaving Woz in bed to drink coffee and enjoy the peace! We ate breakfast in the restaurant with
views over the sea watching fishing boats head out. We finally left (reluctantly) our hotel by 10.30 and
rode back into town to fuel up the bike heading north again shortly afterwards. Our route simple today,
highway 101 to Astoria. The road would hug the coastline for a few miles and then turn inland following
rivers with mountain views and valleys with wooden barns, farms and cattle and fabulous bridges but
it’s other feature were the bumps, uneven Tarmac and sudden dips making this a challenge for Woz
with a very heavy bike……all those fridge magnets!
A warmer day by ten degrees, the sun shone in an almost cloudless sky, we remained however in our
heavier jackets as in the shade of the roadside pines, the air was much cooler. We continued on the
road continuing its coastal and rural path. By now the verges were green with grasses, shrubs and
plants; pine trees and planes, sycamores and cedars but still, the fire warning signs were set at High.
We also passed (as we did yesterday) signs warning us that we were entering Tsunami zones with
further signs indicating escape routes. Having never been in tsunami regions before, this reminded us
that we had been travelling in some of the most geologically active areas with the San Andreas fault to
our East for most of our journey since crossing the temblor range and arriving in San Luis Obispo.
North of Lincoln City on the coast, we passed back north of the 45th parallel and shortly afterwards we stopped for lunch. Having ridden for over two hours it
was 1pm and time to stop. We pulled into Hawk Creek and selected a roadside cafe where we had a great lunch and tarried a while; with less than 180 miles to
our overnight stop we had time to relax. We stopped at the Port of Garibaldi for fuel and to take on water while watching an old steam train haul Wild West
carriages to the Oregon scenic railway. Just after Arch Cape we pulled off the road into a large viewpoint with good access to return to the road (some of the
view point parking areas were not north bound friendly and definitely not for bikes with gravel and blind bends) from where we could see a vast beach and
turquoise waters.
Have Harley - Will Travel
We met Chris and Lesley, another British couple two months into an 18month road trip what started in Nova Scotia and who were planning to
head for the southern most tip of South America. We had a lovely chat with them and swapped email addresses; we will keep in touch and follow
their journey. They recommended a stop off at Cannon City, just a short drive up the coast and we took their advice visiting a beautiful beach
with rocky pinnacles, sea birds and crashing waves.
Continuing on, the shadows were lengthening, the road became busier and with 25 miles to Astoria we noticed the landscape change from agricultural to semi industrial. We arrived at our hotel by 6.30, checked in, we checked out our dining options and headed for the Portway Tavern, a
five minute walk away. From the outside it appeared fairly uninviting but smartly dressed people were parking and heading in so we decide to follow. We were not disappointed; a Mariners paradise with lifebelts adorning the walls, ships ropes and sea memorabilia. We ordered beer and dinner, laughed at the antics of the men recently come ashore from extended trawler trips who ate and drank alongside couples (like us) in for a
meal and a drink. We had a cracking evening, everyone very friendly and some excellent beer as well….Alaskan Amber for Woz, Big Wave golden
ale for Lindz and some jolly good food.
Our hotel lies just a short drive from the 4 mile bridge to Washington state over the Columbia river and in the twilight it looked huge. Tomorrow
lets hope the wind isn’t blowing!
2016 Draft Fenlanders Chapter Calendar Month
Date
Day of week
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
12
17
19
25 BH
28 BH
Saturday
Thursday
Saturday
Friday
Monday
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
Apr
2
3
3
9
10
17
17
21
24
30
Saturday
Sunday
Sunday
Saturday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Thursday
Sunday
Saturday
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
Jun
Jun
Jun
1 Sunday
2 BH Monday
7
8
15
15
19
21
22
Saturday
Sunday
Sunday
Sunday
Thursday
Saturday
Sunday
O/C/M Event/Ride Title
O
C
M
O
O
M
C
C
O
M
M
M
C
C
O
O
M
30 BH Monday
4
5
12
Saturday
Sunday
Sunday
(v1.0 issued Nov15) N.B. PLEASE CHECK GOOGLE CALENDAR FOR FINAL DETAILS
C
M
C
Dark Custom Show - Newmarket
Central Social Night
Dark Custom Show - Norwich
BANK HOLIDAY
BANK HOLIDAY
Road Captain Course Oxford - Woz, Chewy,
John W
Club Meet
EASTER EGG RUN with MAG
Welcome Ride (all members)
Main Full Club Ride
Cam's Regional Ride
Norfolk Regional Ride
Central Social Night
Suffolk Regional Ride
St Tropez trip
Club Meet
BANK HOLIDAY
Committee Meeting Rally Prep
Joint Chapter Ride with Iceni
Cam's Regional Ride
Norfolk Regional Ride
Central Social Night
Poker Run One
Suffolk Regional Ride
Meet at
Time
Destination
Road Captain
Newmarket
The Crown, Mundford
Norwich
7.30pm
The Crown, Mundford
n/a
The Crown, Mundford
The Crown, Mundford
Newmarket
Various
TBC
TBC
The Crown, Mundford
TBC
12noon
12noon
10.30 for 11.00
TBC
TBC
TBC
7.30pm
TBC
n/a
Stradishall Café
Circular
TBC
TBC
TBC
The Crown, Mundford
TBC
n/a
Del Lawless
Woz, John, Mugsy, Neil
Neil S to lead, John,
Woz, Mugsy
Neil, John
n/a
Chewy
The Crown, Mundford
12noon
n/a
n/a
Cambridge Colleges?
TBC
TBC
The Crown, Mundford
Norwich
TBC
Woz, Neil, Chewy
Woz, Mugsy
Neil, John
n/a
Chewy, Woz, Neil, John
Chewy
RAF Bruntingthorpe Jet Run Day
Newmarket
Fenlanders to arrange
TBC
TBC
The Crown, Mundford
Newmarket
TBC
do not put on google calendar until confirmed
Rally Volunteers Day @ Newmarket
Club Meet
Joint Cam's/Suffolk Regional Ride
The Crown, Mundford
TBC
10-Apr
One Off Committee Meeting
(date changed
due to St Tropez)
TBC
TBC
7.30pm
10.00am
TBC
Woz
12noon
TBC
n/a
TBC
n/a
Woz, Mugsy
Note: this will be a FREE AND OPEN EVENT
28 APRIL - 1 MAY
COMING UP
THIS YEAR
Fenlanders HOG members
get your members only form
on the website or ask Ali for details
EUROPEAN BIKE WEEK
FAAK am SEE
6 - 11 SEPTEMBER 2016
Hickstead 12 - 14 August 2016
COMING UP
THIS YEAR
For tickets and full rally details visit
the sofer.uk.com website
COMING UP
THIS YEAR
Calling all Fenlanders Chapter
Cowboys and Cherokees
The Saturday night theme for the Sherwood Rally
this year is the
Wild West
Hilda (Bird with Red Hair) Bracket and Evadne (Giggling beer
Bird) Hinge invite fellow Cowboys and Indians to bring their
Stetsons and Tribal headdresses for a meeting of the Chapters.
We know it’s a few months
away but could anyone
intending going to the
Sherwood Rally let Ali or
Lindz know.
STANDING ON THE CHAIR
AT THE MARCH MEETING
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
PETER AND KERRY STURGESS
Ali Crane
[email protected]
07899 700706
Coming soon a range of new Chapter and HOG merchandise to complement our existing accessories and which
will be available to purchase from Ali.
HOG Motorhead Baseball cap
£15.00 each
HOG Motorhead keyring
£8.50 each
HOG Motorhead antique nickel pin
£7.50 each
Enamelled Chapter pins will also be
available featuring the new and the heritage
HOG logos.
Please contact Ali to place your order
[email protected] ready for the new stock
arriving or if you need new rockers or patches.
All merchandise items will be available to purchase at the Rally. For a full list of current merchandise see the
cabinet in the shop or email Ali.
THE LAST WORD
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