Congratulations Training Welcome Final Reminder

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The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Editor, Group or of the I.A.M.
Remember, at no time do you relinquish responsibility of your Bike to anyone.
You are always deemed to be in control of your Bike at all times.
Congratulations
October 2009 has been a great month for Associates with Mark Lyons, John Wilkinson, Robin
Alexander and Michael Cousins passing their tests and highest congratulations to them. This will also be
good news for those on the waiting list to join as Observers can move to new members and the number
of Observers increases even though we are into less favourable weather.
Further congratulations to Guy McCullough for getting a new BMW in
these economically restrictive times - many safe and happy miles on it
Guy.
Training
Carrying on from above the Observer Training starts in November with classroom stuff.
Gerry has a list of 10 waiting to be assessed and Robert Ashcroft should be getting in touch with them
shortly for initial training. When assessed please let Gerry know so he can place you with an Associate
for roadwork close to your postal address hopefully in early spring. Good luck to all the new Observers
and Trainee Observers.
The 5 Trainee Observers already assessed are ready for the written examination and Bill Hanley will be
organising this.
Welcome
Let‟s give a big welcome to Paul Riley who is joining us as a Trainee Observer. Paul will be bringing a
wealth of practical motorcycle experience to the group.
Final Reminder
Don‟t forget to bring your helmet on Thursday 5th November for First Aid training and those who have
passed their test or recently completed their Observer training should comb their hair (or polish their
craniums) for the photo shoot. Photos will brighten the Christmas LAMent!
Looking Back Over the Recent Months
Remember the fun day when we called in on Phillip McCallens and Bikesafe – here are some photos to
help the fading cells:-
“I heard about you guys in Scotland!”
“I could get another 20 mph if
I could mount this spinnaker on the
Fazer.”
“I know anybody can get into the Police
but how the heck do I get into Lisburn
Advanced Motorcyclists group?”
“Well you could start by buying the
Chairman a couple of pies!”
“C‟mon inside, Davey. We‟ve stacks of Rockets, Bonneville‟s,
Tigers, Street Triples and even some good bikes like Kawasaki‟s
and KTM‟s!!”
(Only kidding Andrew – I know you take Triumph ownership
way too seriously!)
Fall or autumn? – Depends where you are I suppose!
As Elvin has promised (though he might not yet know it) to tell us of his summer excursion to the
Continent next month to warm us over Christmas and inspire some to travel further next year I will fill
the pages with Autumn or Fall shots of Ohio. Yes – I know – but you do have my email address if you
want your story told!!
I went on the RideOhio motorcycle forums Fall run – basically their last of the year as the severe winter
fast approaches. The run was organized by Jeff and took in some great bike roads in northeast Ohio. As
the weather had taken a turn for the worse only 5 stalwarts turned up. Amazingly the bikes were all
Japanese – 2 Yamahas, a Fireblade, a Suzuki Boulevard and a Kawasaki Concours. No Harleys and
certainly no BMWs. The dodgy weather was already improving with mostly blue skies and warming sun.
Starting in Millersburg in the heart of Amish country we went south on tightish country roads via
Mohawk Dam to Zanesville where lunch was had at „Steak and Shakes‟. The portions were indicative as to
why some Americans may have a weight problem. Zanesville was the birth place of novelist Zane Grey –
a bit of information for the older members who may have grown up reading his accounts of the Wild
West.
From there the ride went further south and along the Muskingum River with a stop at lock gates where
we witnessed the final opening of the locks of the season to allow 2 small craft through. Back on the
bikes and through more breathtaking scenery to the drag bucket of Big Muskie – the only remaining
part of an amazing piece of engineering that scraped coal at a strip mine. The bucket was HUGE and
begged the question “What horsepower was needed to drag that?” Wikipedia gave the answer – see
below! Whilst attempts to preserve the monster that was Big Muskie failed the bucket was kept as part
of a memorial park to remind visitors of man‟s ingenuity in things mechanical. The strip mine was
replanted and to my untrained eye the area looked like natural countryside and was indeed beautiful in
its autumnal coat. Judge for yourself though in the photos below.
At this point the group broke into 2 smaller groups to return home. I went with davecbr for the more
direct return north on I77 breaking off to go through Zoar, a historical German village. From there to
Dellroy and a stop for a small ice-cream cone. The cone itself was an adventure in engineering. How
they can pile soft ice-cream so high without scaffolding I‟ll never know. After the half hour taken to eat
the cone we went our separate ways. As I got home to Alliance the trip meter showed I had done nearly
400 miles and this was only in a small part of Ohio. It reminded me that Northern Ireland fits into
Ohio 7 times in size – the whole of Ireland fits into Ohio with 30% of Ohio left over. As Ohio is the
28th State in size I realised I haven‟t enough years left to discover America. Bummer! A week later I
went out on the V Strom to get more pictures of the Fall so I include some of them as well.
The gathering at Millersburg in Amish country
The bikes at Muskingum River
Mohawk Dam
Explaining the workings of the lock gates
Big Muskie‟s big, big bucket
The right age for the IAM? I think so!
On the inside looking out
“That‟s one big motherbucket!”
From Wikipedia – a little something about that very big bucket.
Big Muskie was a coal mining
Bucyrus-Erie dragline owned by the Central
Ohio Coal Company (a division of American
Electric Power), weighing nearly 13,000 metric
tons and standing nearly 22 stories tall. It
operated in the U.S. state of Ohio from 1969 to
1991. Big Muskie was the world's largest dragline
and one of the world's largest mobile earthmoving machines.
Big Muskie was powered by electricity
supplied at 13,800 volts via a trailing cable,
which had its own transporter/coiling units to
move it. The electricity powered the main
drives, eighteen 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and ten 625 horsepower (466 kW) DC electric motors.
And now for something Autumnal –
Or a photographic tale of unrequited love for a country, a season and roads to live for -apart
from the sky it reminds me of Ireland. Does that make me a bigamist?