August 2011 - Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists
Transcription
August 2011 - Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists
Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Magazine Issue 14 August 2011 www.rospariders.co.uk In this issue: Classifieds I 2 Editorial 3 Meetings etc. 4 Group activities 4 Committee 4 Membership Report 5 Anti-corrosion 6 Rise of the Robots 6 Biking weather 7 Memorial ride 8 Long weekend 9 European tour 13 Lifesavers – again 22 Who is it? 23 What is it? 23 Member Profile 25 Testing & Training 28 Intrepid Rospariders 9 Members’ small ads 29 Dates for your diary 30 Classifieds II 31 Inside: Jaques shares his view on weather, but it’s probably best that we don’t ask about this… Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists Page 2 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 August 2011 Classifieds I Total Advanced Training Advanced motorcycle training email: [email protected] Phone: 07813 167749 Based in Essex, we provide professional advanced motorcycle training for London and the South East. We offer a range of post-test courses from ‘back to biking,’ which is aimed at confidence building, through to riders wishing to undertake the highest advanced qualification; namely, the RoSPA Gold. The Chief Instructor, Mick Jones, is a highly respected and qualified retired police motorcyclist holding advanced IAM and RoSPA Gold qualifications. He is a Driving Standards Agency qualified instructor and a member of the Driving Instructors Association. He holds a Diploma in advanced tuition and is currently a Regional RoSPA Examiner and a Bike Safe Assessor. Training will be conducted by Mick in person or other suitably qualified instructors. We provide excellent tuition and use state of the art technology with a camera bike filming the training. For a small fee, a personalised DVD can be produced for riders to view their achievement. Total Advanced is the only training company recognised by Equity Red Star Insurance who will discount riders who achieve our advanced accreditation qualification. Prices range from £50 - £160 for a full days training. Page 3 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Editorial Hello again, and welcome to the 14th edition of RoSPA Riders magazine. Someone once said that a day without sunshine is like a day in Manchester. It seems like we‟ve been living in Manchester a lot recently. What happened to the summer? An early spring and bone dry for months, then one long dull day after another. I got a long weekend in that entailed a dry run to our destination, a dry(ish) day for a rideout, a thoroughly wet day when we were confined to barracks and then a bright but cold day in which to ride home via a ferry. Where‟s the fun in that? Smurf reports some good membership figures this issue. That is encouraging, but the Committee is well aware that there are several associates on the waiting list and that this can get frustrating for them. If I can add my two pen‟orth here, all we would ask is that those potential Gold standard riders be a little patient with the club. We try to ensure that there are enough tutors to go round but also to ensure that those you are allocated to are providing the quality that we all expect and deserve. In the meantime, we don‟t want those tutors the club does have available to become too stretched by taking on too many associates. They are all volunteers, after all, and we all know how much it would cost if you obtained the training commercially! If there are any club members who feel they would like to attend Tutor training (even if it is just to see if it suits them) please make yourselves known to any committee member and we will take it from there. I have received some feedback regarding the magazine and it is welcome, but I still don‟t know what you think of the styling – that includes graphics, typeface, colour (for the downloaders amongst you) and editorial. Does the grammar work? A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with, I‟m told. And never start a sentence with a conjunction is also good advice. In the absence of criticism, I shall just keep calm and carry on. I am getting some nice pieces for publication now. Thank you to all those contributors. I have had to hold over a couple of pieces for next time as I wanted to do justice to them, but it doesn‟t constitute a full magazine yet! Next magazine will be in October, so sharpen your quills and let me have some articles based on the last of the summer rides. … Ed Disclaimer Notice: The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclist Group. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with a view that free expression promotes discussion and interest. Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists Page 4 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 August 2011 Meetings etc. Group activities Group social night 19:30 on the 3rd Thursday of the month, February December. Essex Police Sports Pavilion, St Margaret's Road, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6DN. Group annual dinner Christmas dinner? Bah – humbug. Join us on the 3rd Thursday in January for an evening of variety: chicken chunder, posh nosh or bargain burgers? You choose. Propose a venue and we‟ll vote on it! Group social rides 09:30 on the 3rd Sunday of the month, 9:30 a.m. at Boreham (BP) Services, CM2 5PY If there are any changes or additions, meeting places and/or times will be announced at Group Night. For most up to date information, please see our website and/or our newsletter. Newsletter Advertising Please contact the Editor to change contents. Personal small ads are free to members. Please send them to the Editor. Committee Chairperson Ashley John [email protected] Secretary Sandra Murphy [email protected] Treasurer Solveig Hart [email protected] Membership Sandra Murphy [email protected] Training Paul Collins [email protected] Publicity Kevin Stranks Webmaster Steve Webb [email protected] Ride co-ordinator Richard Parker [email protected] Newsletter editor Steve Webb [email protected] Members Gary Carter Raffles Peter Layley Phil Reader Deputy training officer Page 5 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Membership Report Our membership figures are at an all-time high - mainly because we had a massive 89% of last year's membership re-join, but also because we've welcomed 20 new members already this year. No doubt these figures will rise as we have the Ford of Britain event on 3rd September and will be manning a stand at Harwich for the Essex Air Ambulance run on 11th September. Unfortunately all this means we currently have a long waiting list of Associates who can't commence their training. If you are an associate who has an allocated Tutor but you are unable to get out for training at the moment, please let me or your Tutor know so that I can put you on hold. We can then free up that Tutor to take out people who are keen to get started. For those of you on the waiting list - plans are underway to increase the number of Tutors within the group, so bear with us a little longer please. Membership figures as at 8th August are: Associates: 35 Full: 47 Total: 82 Welcome to the following new members: Graham Childs, Lynn Childs, Mike Collier, Peter Dines, David Robertshaw, Andrew Lee, Ian Humphries Congratulations for the following test pass: Richard Whitford – Silver Tutor: Smurf Examiner: Mark Anderson Don't forget to let me know if you have recently passed your test (this includes retests). Smurf Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 6 August 2011 Anti-corrosion In the last magazine I asked „what do you use to prevent corrosion?‟ Jacqes DeKlerk answered: For the general protection of anything metal, I frequently use WD40 (5 litre with spray gun costs £14:99). For the full Monty anti corrosive treatment of all metal parts, I have found ACF50 to be king. I treat my bike to a 3 times yearly strip down and spray. A 5 litre container costs £98; however, for the average user, a 500ml bottle will more than suffice. Developed by the aircraft industry, specifically to protect Aluminium sub-frames, it is an active thin fluid film, which penetrates corrosion deposits where it chemically emulsifies and displaces the electrolyte. This isolation process keeps the corrosion cell deactivated for up to a year. I came across it many a year ago working as a mechanic, and found that on the 60-80 tonne tractor trailer combinations sent to the docks at Durban and in DaarE Salaam, it vastly reduced the decay of the expensive rigs. It reduced the maintenance costs over 2 years on 22 rigs by over 40% (according to the accounts department) Thanks for that Jacques. I do have some ACF50 and I do use it on some of the metal parts but the bits of the Mana that suffer badly are those where the paint has been applied badly or inadequately primed. The corrosion has begun in places that are inaccessible to be cleaned without dismantling the bike and then, once gaining a foothold, there is no stopping it. – Ed Rise of the Robots Kevin Warwick is a leading thinker on how the future will look and his areas are artificial intelligence, cybernetics and robotics. His most famous piece of research – Project Cyborg – projected him into the limelight in the late 1990s, when he implanted a computer chip into his nervous system that could record and read his emotions and experiences. He has been working on using intelligent computer methods to predict the onset of Parkinson‟s disease, so that it can be prevented by means of a deep-brain implant. His rat-brain robot – using artificially grown rat-brain tissue – drives a robot round a laboratory which helps us understand more about how our Page 7 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists August 2011 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 brains work, and even to develop treatments for diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson‟s and Alzheimer‟s disease. In his teens Kevin Warwick owned several motorcycles that he used to race around at „ridiculous speeds‟. For the young Warwick, this was the universe in one machine: “When you think about it, there are the electrical and hydraulic systems, pneumatics, fuel and the whole mechanical side of it. If you can understand how a motorcycle works you probably know 80 per cent of all you need to know in science, quite possibly life.” Extract from the IET magazine Engineering & Technology … Ed Biking weather …and choices! There is no such thing as bad weather; only bad choices, We make choices every second we ride our metal horses, ensuring we reach our journeys ends safely, But what about before we climb aboard? When the sun shines and dry roads do call, choose when to twist the throttle. When the roads are damp and there‟s a gentle breeze, let it refresh your mind and exercise restraint. When the sky is gloomy, the rain does start to fall and the wind braces us up, account for the change. When the silver liquid drops bounce off the road, our fingers become numb and rivers start to flow, caution will do us well. If we struggle to see and the wind and rain blows through our bodies, it will chill our minds, so why chance the journey? Our choices can lessen our problems, as they will lessen if we think before, during and after our rides. No problem can withstand our continual assaults of sustained thinking! Jaques deKlerk Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 8 August 2011 Memorial ride The Jane Wilson Memorial Run by Geoff Preston. (ROSPA/EAMG) Here I am at 9.00 o-clock on a Sunday morning 3rd July at the Boreham BP Service Station filling up with what is now a better investment than Gold Krugerrands. This completed, I roll on round to the Maccy Ds parking area to meet up with lots of fellow riders from all three of the Chelmsford advanced rider groups who are assembling for the Jane Wilson Memorial ride. Before the off at 9.30 there‟s time for meeting up and chatting with friends, some of whom I haven‟t seen in a long time. It‟s getting time to go and John Warren calls everyone together for a briefing, there‟s a reminder of why we are gathered and the significance of the day and of the many and varied ways we all will have of remembering Jane whilst enjoying the experience of this group ride. I join a group of some ten to twelve riders led, on a progressive ride, by Tye on his beautiful Red ST 1300, don‟t ya just luv „em? We are the first group to leave. We enjoy a well led ride with just one small detour into a small housing estate (those goddamn satnavs) in good riding conditions across Essex, Herts and Bedfordshire to the Super Sausage Cafe at Potterspury on the A5 North-West of Milton Keynes. Here, a great array of bikes are formed up with riders glad to be able to de-robe and cool down and get stuck into some seriously unhealthy grub. I am lucky some good friends, Doug and Maz, very kindly share their packed lunch with me and I am the grateful recipient of a delicious salmon roll. From here it was individual‟s choice of how to proceed back, I and three others from EAMG decided to ride across to a Trout farm for lunch in a little place by the name of Bibury, down by Cirencester, in Gloucestershire in the Cotswold Hills. We enjoyed a tasty lunch of baked fresh trout (yes, more fish, the gills will soon be forming) whilst basking in the heat of the afternoon sunshine. We eventually extracted ourselves from this decadent indulgence and headed back to the joys of Essex and London. When I reached home I had covered the best part of 300 miles. It was a great day out and the number of folks who turned out was a fitting tribute to the memory of Jane; she would have loved it. I joined this ride, too, but on one of the intermediate sections. I was surprised how slowly it progressed, although the route was interesting and varied. We met up with one of the faster groups who were waiting for their back marker who had got lost (apparently couldn’t keep up, and had gone home) - Ed Page 9 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Intrepid Rospariders Social ride - 17th July 2100 – by John Parker John stepped in at the last minute to help out Richard, who had other commitments – Ed. We met at Boreham and everyone was early. The weather promised to deteriorate but, fingers crossed, it would happen more towards the afternoon. The ride was to be a short one so hopefully we would escape the afternoon‟s precipitations. We did a roll call and decided who the sweeper would be. I was the leader for the day and had my „ology‟ with me. I mumbled the service of the morning - you know - always ride within your comfort zone and exceed the speed limits (I think it goes). We three then set off full of expectations. John P, K1200s Andy, Blackbird and Ian, GS. We proceeded along the A414 to Ongar; a bit more traffic than I expected, then north through Dunmow to Haverhill. From Haverhill we took the A143 and our caffeine in Tubby T‟s café and watched the young people walking past on their way to visit their partners at Highpoint prison nearby. Last week Paul [not our Paul] told me that this was called the conjugal rights visit. I don‟t know how he knew. Hmmm……. Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 10 August 2011 Refreshed, we travelled to Horringer and turned south down the B1066 [that date should mean something to me; I am old enough]. We then tried to drive through Long Melford, only that day someone had decided to close the road for their local summer fete [only no one had asked me] but, no worries, we took the detour and headed south to Bures. The Swan at Bures provided us with victuals and mead [Suffolk you know]. We ordered our food in the lounge bar but, as the tables there were laid out for lunch, we asked if we should sit in the public bar. Once settled, some bright spark asked if our food would be cheaper in there, however, we only received a quizzled look. Might not be able to return to the Swan. From Bures to White Colne we passed fields where beautiful vibrant purple crops (Phacelia tanecetifolia) were growing, a delight to view. We had decided that if the rain became any more persistent we would cut short the ride at Kelvedon and take the A12 to our respective homes. Guess what. My thanks to my fellow travellers who are too many to mention and to Andy of EAMG who kindly showed me the route, and later went through its idiosyncrasies over the phone. John Parker Horringer has never crossed my consciousness before (like a lot of things, I s’pose) but I shall have to go there now – Ed. Long weekend By Steve Webb We have been going to Holland on and off for decades to stay with friends and I have always baulked against taking the bike owing to the inordinately large number of kitchen sinks that we always seemed to take with us – that and the fact that we often took in two or more countries/hotels on the same trips and the constant packing and repacking might be tedious. This year though, we headed out there on the Breva with the intention of taking in some scenic rides around the Münster/Osnabruck area. It occurred to me that I was not sure about the Dutch rules for filtering in traffic and asked our host for guidance. He referred me to a Dutch website that laid out the rules in a plain and simple way (the Google translation left Page 11 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 a lot to be desired, but I sorted out the translation quirks). Basically, it says don‟t go more than 10 kph past traffic and keep an eye out for bored drivers opening doors. Similarly, it implores drivers to make room for bikes, don‟t go walkabout in stationary traffic & keep an eye on the mirrors. Interestingly, it makes a case for bikes being allowed through as it eases tension and reduces congestion. Good for the Dutch authorities! Most recently, our trips to the area have consisted of shortest distance between two points (motorway) and then, whenever possible, to take cycle routes if and when we went out. It has been a long time since I experienced the side/back roads and I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the general uptight nature of the road markings. You could drive for miles on a stretch of road with a view to infinity and there would be a continuous stretch of widely spaced double white lines the whole way. Where the lines were broken, it seemed that it would allow one to overtake a milk float but precious little else. I don‟t remember it being like this when we travelled across country more frequently some years ago. I was also unfamiliar with a green strip between the double lines that signified an increase in speed from the blanket speed limit of 80 kph, to 100 kph. Call me a cynic, but if you have a narrow road with double lines the whole way restricting width further and a lane full of slow moving traffic, what‟s the point? Maybe that IS the point… Our host, Johan, pumped up the tyres on his elderly Transalp, adjusted and lubricated the chain, Wilma squeezed into bike gear she hadn‟t worn for decades and off we went. We visited a couple of decent biker‟s haunts that were some way better than yer average biker caff over here. Much as I like a bacon sarnie, it is nice to be offered the chance of brockwusrt and kartoffelsalat. The Biker‟s Farm at Bulden was great. Plenty of space in nice surroundings. The weather prevented us from doing any long rides but the foray we did make over the border to Germany also disappointed as the mandatory (decreasing) countdown speed limits on the approach to any bends that were halfway interesting rather took the fun away. Never mind. I‟ll have to go further south next time and do it properly! As an aside, there is no need for the equivalent of MoT testing for bikes in Holland (which is presumably why Johan has more than his share of maintenance problems) and I was horrified to realise that Johan‟s Subaru Forester costs about €55 per month to „tax‟. Diesels are even more expensive. Hmm… Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 12 August 2011 The venue at Felsenmuhle (below) was a little unusual, and a nice welcome stop. The only problem was the apple tart with whipped cream spoiled my dinner – it also added insult to injury by putting inches on my waistline! Page 13 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 European tour Recollections of a trip by Pete Layley 2009 saw one of our sons attaining the ripe old age of forty! He doesn‟t set great store by getting legless, so instead of a party to celebrate he wanted to repeat his first European tour on his bike. He had done one a year earlier accompanied by one of his mates. This time however he wanted to take his wife along, and “hey Mum and Dad, you‟ll come too won‟t you?” His elder and younger brothers (sans more sensible spouses) were enticed along as well and just for good measure, the same mate from last year, as well as the one he went through school and rode 50‟s with. The company was to be as follows…… Pam and I on our ST1100, No.1 Son on a Thunderace, No.2 Son and his wife on a BMW 1150 GS, No.3 Son on a Guzzi 750 Breva and No.2‟s two mates, Pete and Doug, both on BMW 1200 GS‟s. On the date selected, 7th June, a very gloomy and wet morning we all met up at Chez Layley and set off for the Tunnel. Not a pleasant ride down to Folkestone, but better weather greeted us when we emerged from the Tunnel in France. So; eight people, six bikes and needing four hotel rooms for each overnight stop. Having done a bit of this over the years, I was a bit uneasy about having to find four rooms every night. Four vacant rooms normally means bigger hotels, means bigger money, unless you pre-book. Pre-booking means knowing where you‟re going to be each night, not easy when you only have a rough idea of where you are headed! So as not to have too early a start, Nancy, an easily doable first night destination had been chosen. For our first night I had pre-booked, on that there „tinternet, a Campanile. I did it through ViaMichelin, which I tend to use on the PC for general route planning. It uses „booking.com‟ for hotels and we got the rooms for a very reasonable €54 (for two persons including breakfast). Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 14 August 2011 Our route then took us on down through the Black Forest; been there twice now and don‟t find it particularly attractive – gloomy damp twisty roads under an umbrella of (leaky) pine trees. For our second night we ended up in Switzerland in a town called Winterthur; not a lot that I recall to recommend it, apart from a passable Ibis Hotel. I think my opinion of the town might have been coloured by the fact we arrived after too long a day at about 18:00hrs in the tail-end of the rush hour. This was our downfall – eight tired edgy people and a hotel to find, but we coped; after a beer we were all talking again and it all seemed OK. So much so, that we decided to have a look at the Stelvio Pass the next day. Now I have been over the Stelvio a couple of times before, but perhaps not quite this early in the year, or perhaps spring was a little late in 2009! All seemed to go well at first on our route through Klosters and on toward Sluderno at the north end of the pass. However, in Switzerland one has to buy a Vignette to use the motorways. Their motorway signs are green, whereas ours are blue and other road signs blue instead of our green. We didn‟t want to use any motorways, so had bought no vignettes. Unfortunately the vignette is not only needed for motorways, as most other useful roads seemed to carry the green signage as well! So a very tortuous route evolved. We got there eventually and took off up towards the top of the pass. Initially the road winds up through forest, with longish (100m?) straights between the hairpins. Gradually one emerges from the trees to bare rock and eventually snow and then as the gradient increases, the straights get shorter. They have very thoughtfully numbered all of the hairpins on the way up – forty in total as I recall! All went well until eight from the top, and then coming around a bend we were confronted by a snow-slip across the road. It had obviously recently happened as there were just a couple of locals stood there scratching their heads and wondering what to do, fortunately we had Pete and Doug with us, a couple of steadfast ex-squaddies. Soon a party was detailed to scuff and stamp a passage through the snow, enabling us the go on our way leaving the locals still scratching their heads. In hindsight though, one can‟t help wondering the outcome would have been if that slip had occurred a few minutes later as we were passing. Page 15 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 As we carried on toward the summit, we suddenly encountered a blizzard; snowflakes 20mm across fell, almost obscuring our vision. As we went over the top and started our descent, the snow stopped to be replaced by thick fog/cloud, I was going to say low cloud, but I suppose at over 3000 metres that really doesn‟t apply. Visibility was down to about 10 metres and we were descending through the many tight hairpins. The Garmin came in useful at times to show which way the road was going! We all had PMR radios and it was quite entertaining listening to the lads (all around 40) giggling like schoolgirls as they worked their way down, all completely invisible to us and each other. As well as this I was getting a certain amount of „feedback‟ through the intercom from the back seat. „Mother Hen‟ becoming increasingly more concerned over the wellbeing of her three little „chicks‟ in front of us! Eventually we arrived absolutely worn out, after again, much too long a day, at the little town of Bormio. Bormio is, basically, a centre for skiing in the winter and, I suppose, in the summer, for walking. We arrived mid-way between the two, when all the hoteliers were on their holidays. Eventually, however, we found the four star Hotel Sant Anton and, with no one wanting to go any further, we thought it doesn‟t matter what it costs, this is it! It was more of an appartel really; the rooms were huge with a little kitchenette and in a similar way to a caravan, a built in table and chairs that would convert to either another double bed, or two bunks. Pete and Doug managed to negotiate a great deal, it cost only just over €110 for two people, dinner, bed and breakfast. The dinner actually cost €10 each and was a classic Italian five-course! Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 16 August 2011 The little town of Bormio is worth a visit, as well as the Stelvio. There are quite a few other passes within easy reach so, if Alpine passes and hairpins are your thing………. The end of May, beginning of June is prime time for this really, most of the passes are open and the hotels quiet, so good rates are available. The little lass who was wearing a blouse working behind the bar when we got there, was our dinner waitress in a white jacket, and then in the morning in a black waistcoat, she over-saw breakfast. Over dinner she told us that “My lover, he too rides the moto” (I do wish I could type in an Italian accent) and told us about the passes nearby. So instead of heading straight down to Sondrio and on to Lake Como, we took in the Passo di Foscagno and the Passo del Bernino and St Moritz on the way. No.2 Son remembered that the previous year, somewhere along the road that borders the west side of Lake Como, they had stopped for lunch. Well; he said he remembered! The road is built up and heavily trafficked all the way down the side of the lake and as you can imagine it made a delightful run on a very hot afternoon and we never did find the place! We were eventually heading round the bottom of the lake to Lecco to pay homage at the Guzzi factory and hopefully visit their museum, but ran out of time that day. Shame really, if we had cut down the east side of the lake on the dual-carriageway through the tunnels then we would have been there by mid-afternoon! Now there is a common theme developing here, we ended up (again) late, hot and bothered looking for a hotel. We finally found one at Monguzzo, Page 17 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 between the feet of Lake Como. It was clean but a bit basic and unfortunately couldn‟t do dinner. So, armed with the trusty Garmin, set off on foot, down to the little village in search of food. The first place had some do on, so couldn‟t take us. Then following Daniel (called after the male voice of Garmin I use, a man‟s voice telling me where to ride, so as not to get confused with the woman‟s voice thru‟ the intercom telling how to ride!) we set off up out the other side of the village and down this little track to another restaurant. No.3 Son, by this time ravenous, had a good lead on us and by the time we arrived had negotiated a table despite the fact that this place had a private party on too. We had a great meal and then set off back to the hotel. Now I don‟t know if you are familiar with parts of rural Europe, but there can be very little ambient light. At night it is dark, very dark, literally can‟t see a hand in front of your face dark. Finding our way back to the village down the track was very tough. The only light came from hundreds of Fireflies in the bushes on either side. I have seen fireflies before, but never anything like the number there. Next day we set off again heading for the Moto Guzzi works. The place is just sort of tucked in at the side of the road in the town. Occasionally the big steel gate would open to let a bike or a van in or out, but that was about it. The museum is only open in the afternoon. “Oh, if only we‟d taken the direct route!” No.3 Son posed for the obligatory photo (Guzzi Works.jpg) and then we continued on our way. We cut across country, up the side of Lake Maggiore heading for the Simplon Pass back into Switzerland. Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Lunch was taken at a truck stop – forget your UK transport huge. Massive loose surfaced (deep joy!) parking area full vans. The place was heaving. Once seated the waiter perturbed that unlike the truckers, we only wanted ONE courses on offer and NO BEER or WINE? Page 18 August 2011 café, this was of trucks and seemed very of the many Having traversed the Simplon both ways a couple of times I think it‟s probably my least favourite of the alpine passes. The surface on the Italian side is generally poor and of course populated with Italian drivers and then once over the top into Switzerland, the descent is through a series of narrow, wet and dark galleries. It‟s a way of getting from one side to the other, but personally I think that the Grand St. Bernard or even the Mont Blanc Tunnel are more scenic. We eventually (oh no, another late one) arrived in Sion and found another Ibis hotel. This one we liked. Actually the Ibis chain are generally of a good standard, not too expensive and the food reasonable, as long as if you‟re in Switzerland, you like Rösti! We set off in the morning secure in the knowledge that we didn‟t have to find a hotel that night. Pete has some American friends, Ken and Barby (no – really, although she doesn‟t wear pink) who had invited us for a BBQ and booked a hotel for us nearby. They live in a suburb of Geneva called Prevessin, should have been nice and easy, but more later….. Page 19 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 As we hadn‟t covered many alpine passes so far on this trip, it was felt that a couple more would be in order! So, from Sion, over the Grand St. Bernard down into Aosta and then over the Petite St. Bernard down into Bourg St. Maurice. On the way down from the top of the Col we passed through La Rosiere. In the winter, when the pass is closed La Rosiere is a ski resort. No.3 Son and spouse go there every year. Pam and I have been backwards and forwards over the Petite St. Bernard several times and discussions have been held between us and No. 3 and his spouse to the effect of “no that can‟t be a road, there‟s a ski run there”. So it was quite interesting for No. 3 to see it without snow and have lunch on the terrace of their favourite café. We also got to see some of the locals: real St. Bernards. From Bourg St. Maurice we cut up over yet another pass, the Col de Roselend, across through Ugine and up to Annecy. A few years earlier, at the end of another very long day, Pam and I were held up for some 30 minutes up on this Col, waiting for a farmer to move his cows across the road into a mobile milking parlour! Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 20 August 2011 There was nothing to be done; you can‟t take on a herd of 50 cows, even on a Pan. By the time we eventually got away there was a little queue of 3 or 4 of us all waiting patiently (or not, in our case) for the road to be cleared. However, on this occasion we had a clear run up over this narrow little road. On the latter stages, descending down towards Ugine were very fortunate not to meet any oncoming traffic, because getting past them would have been very difficult without taking to the grass. After a short break alongside the very picturesque Lake Annecy, we attempted to set off when No.1 Son‟s Thunderace decided that its immobiliser would play up. I think in the end we had to move the bike up the road a little, (probably away from some source of radio transmission?), but eventually we got on our way. Arriving in Prevessin, the Première Classe hotel was entered into the Garmin and away we went, secure in knowledge the Ken and Barby‟s was just round the corner. Now came the Page 21 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 rub, apparently there were two of those hotels in the town, and guess what, we had the wrong one! Eventually this was sorted out and we finally checked in around 20:00hrs that night, then of course it was a quick wash and back into bike kit to ride over to K and B‟s for the BBQ. Next day, as we still hadn‟t really had enough mountain riding, accompanied by groans from the back seats, we set off up through the Jura mountains and on toward Dole on the N5. There we picked up the A31 Autoroute to Chaumont where we took the N67 to St. Dizier. By this time Pete had found that he had lost his wallet, apparently on the Autoroute it came out of his pocket and nearly removed Doug‟s head, exploding all over the road! Recovery being 21mpractical/impossible, and in order to make sure all his cards and stuff were cancelled, Pete decided he would make all speed for home and not stop over in France for the last night. With Doug as back up they left us mid-afternoon heading directly for Calais and the Tunnel. I love that stretch of the N67, it runs parallel and sometimes next to the River Marne, offering some nice scenery and beautiful sweeping bends. When travelling south, I always look forward to getting to Reims, leaving the Autoroute, getting onto the N44 and thence onto the N67. Passing through Châlons-en –Champagne, Vitry-le-François and St. Dizier. Apart from the relief from the boredom of following the Autoroute via Troyes, I can always kid myself that it is a short cut! Yet another Ibis hotel was home to the Layleys (but this time with French food) for the last night. Although sad at not having our two compadres with us, it was quite pleasant to be just the family group and to reminisce over dinner about the events of our trip. A brisk run back to Calais the next day, through the Tunnel and home. Eight days away and 2,250 miles covered. Any downsides? How could there be? Eight days spent with my wife, on my bike, with my sons, and mountains thrown in as well. Any discoveries? Yes. Although they were at the time, 42, 40 and 37 years old, they are still mum‟s boys and there were constant comments through the intercom about were they OK?, look out for this one, or don‟t go too fast – I can‟t see ……… Any Useful Tips? Yes. Start looking for hotels at 16:30 (ish). Carry a torch for eating out at night. Peter Layley Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 22 August 2011 Lifesavers – again A view; by Chris Gardiner Dear Steve Colin makes some interesting points about lifesavers and I certainly sympathise with him over the increasing stiffness in the joints with old age. It‟s not only the neck that gets stiff, climbing off the bike after riding for an hour or so now requires a certain amount of planning to preserve back and knees. I think the answer to Colin‟s implied question of ”Do we really need lifesavers?” depends on the bike you are riding. Last year at the Bikesafe event I had a ride on a bike (I think it was a Ducati) whose mirrors were so useless that the blind spot behind the bike was nearly 100%. Fitting blind spot mirrors would have made hardly any improvement to the view so regular head turns were essential; it was almost like riding the bikes of sixty years ago, they generally didn‟t have any mirrors so one got used to turning the head before any manoeuvre. My old Yamaha has very good mirrors and no blind spots when stationary but, being a parallel twin, vibrates badly at certain speeds at which points the mirrors are fairly ineffective. So on this bike the lifesaver may or may not be needed depending on the speed. The CB500 has good mirrors with minimal blind spots and these can largely be overcome with a small movement of the head while continuing to look forward. However, I still use life savers, partly out of habit because Observers over the years have complained if I did not use them and partly because there are some circumstances, for example when joining a motorway, where it can be difficult to judge the speed of traffic using the mirrors alone. I fear that lifesavers may be a carry-over from decades ago when bikes generally did not have mirrors and today the lifesaver may be optional, although from what I have seen of the mirrors on some bikes lifesavers cannot be abandoned entirely. Chris Gardiner Thanks for the feedback Chris - Ed Page 23 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists August 2011 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Who is it? Well? Any idea? Answers to [email protected] And, would you know? No-one guessed at last week‟s picture of Gary Carter. Am I making it too hard? What is it? Here‟s this edition‟s puzzle pic: Answers to [email protected]. Please let me have your submissions The answer to last edition‟s puzzle pic: A dual purpose Presta-Schraeder tyre pump adaptor head. No-one guessed correctly. Perhaps this month‟s will be easier… And Whose bike is this? Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists Page 24 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 August 2011 ERAM REGALIA If you would like to buy a polo shirt or sweatshirt embroidered with our group logo please speak to Steve or Elke at group night, or post a message on the forum of www.rospariders.co.uk Polo shirts at a reduced price of £9.50 – sizes M, L, XL and XXL Sweat shirts are £12.50 – sizes M and XL Other sizes can be ordered. All colours available as long as it’s black! Buying and wearing the Regalia is for a good cause as it supports Advanced Motorcycling which we all love. Thank you for your support! Page 25 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists August 2011 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Member Profile Name? Jaques.DeKlerk Age? A mere born again teenager of 37. Nickname? Jaq-Ass the bumbler. Occupation? Clerk of Works. How many bikes do you have? Alas, only the one. How many bikes have you owned? Five, including the current machine. At what age did you first ride a bike? Around 5-7; a 70‟s monkey bike. What was your first bike? Suzuki 600S Bandit K3. Did you own a bike you wished you had kept? GSF 600 teapot - ugly but underrated and easy for a novice to master. When did you obtain your licence? June 15th 2005. Does your partner ride pillion? Well my son and partner in crime, Zane, does from time to time. Best bit of Kit? There are many, but the most useful must be the pinlock visor inserts. Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 26 August 2011 Do you have any biking ambitions? To continuously learn and improve and then pass this onto others. What is your favourite road? There are many and many more to find. One of the notable roads is the A272 between Winchester and Petersfield. Favourite biking destination? Hotel Simonhof Grossglockner Austria. Page 27 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists August 2011 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Favourite holiday destination? Currently Cape Town and the surrounding regions, but there are always new places to discover. When did you join ERAM? December 2009. How did you hear about ERAM; Via Smurf the Navigator. What made you join? I wished to progress to RoSPA. Had you previously taken any advanced training? Yes, the IAM. If so, who was your tutor? IAM was Chris Reed, RoSPA was Smurf. What is the best advice you have received? If in doubt don‟t!! Treat each road you know as if you‟ve never ridden it before. Do you have any other interests or hobbies? There are many; some of the current interests I have are: die cast 1:50 scale model collecting. I also enjoy listening to a variety of music and walking in the country etc. If there were dreams to sell, what would you buy? Happiness and stability for my son and fewer bumps on life‟s journeys for friends and family. Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 28 August 2011 Are you happy with your current choice of bike and why? 50/50 - It fits me like a glove, but on tight twists and turns, with the power and weight, it can be a handful. It may be my heavy wrist though. If you had the chance, what question would you ask the next victim of this column? What is it that drives you on in life? Testing & Training RoSPA Advanced Tutor Training Tutor training will be provided by the Groups Advanced Tutors on a structured three day programme. Interested Gold and Silver RoSPA Riders can train to become approved tutors and share their skills and experience by helping to train associates. This is a worthwhile exercise and has many benefits other than the obvious ones. It may be that you haven‟t ever considered tutoring others and, possibly, you don‟t think you are suitable for the task. Please don‟t let that put you off give it some consideration. You may well find that you have hidden talents and that you find you enjoy helping others to become as good as you are after all, you will have obtained a Silver or Gold in the first place! Talk to Ashley John, Paul Collins or Phil Reader at a group night or contact Paul on his public email address: [email protected] Test ready? Has your tutor advised you are test ready? If so, Smurf has a supply of test application forms. You can also obtain these from RoSPA HQ or download from the website. The full link address is: http://www.roadar.org/info/application_form_2010v3.doc. If you are not reading this on a PC, go to www.roadar.org and follow the link. If you submit your application through the Group, ERAM can claim £3 from HQ towards Group funds. Please make a cheque out to Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists for £54. Page 29 August 2011 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Members’ small ads That page heading is not a euphemism! It is an opportunity for you to sell those unwanted items, or plead for where you might be able to buy those hard to find items (or hope someone will take pity on you and offer them for free, á la Freecycle…) Wanted Small motorised bike – anything considered (even a moped). Contact Steve: [email protected] For sale Anything you think you might get rid of. Go on. Make some room in the garage/workshop. You know you want to. Interlude: Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists Page 30 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 August 2011 Dates for your diary Date Event information Aug Sep Date Event information 6-7: British Superbikes Brands Hatch 7: Bikemeet 2011, Museum of Power, Langford, CM9 6QA 13-14: MotoGP Brno, Czech Rep. 20-21: Donington Park 8 Hours Endurance 27-29: MotoGP Indianapolis, USA 27-29: British Superbikes Cadwell Park 3-4: MotoGP San Marino 10-11: British Superbikes Donington Park 11: Essex Air Ambulance run to Harwich 17-18 : Goodwood Revival. www.goodwood.co.uk 24-25: World Superbikes Imola, 24-25: British Superbikes Silverstone 24-25: Le Mans 24 Hours. Got any dates you want to add, remind or tell me about? [email protected] of course… Don’t forget! Sunday 11th September The Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run 2010 raised a record... £36,000 ...for the life-saving helicopter in 2010! Page 31 Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists August 2011 RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Classifieds II 01702 338843, or [email protected] Keys cut for bikes, cars and domestic Motor cycle physical security products Locks and safes supplied and fitted Advice freely given Also: Baglux 20% off products: Tank bags, tank covers and accessories Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists RoSPA Riders Issue 14 Page 32 August 2011 Paul Collins is Chief Instructor and owner of his own advanced rider training school Perfect Control. The school specialises in advanced riding skill tuition and all post-test motorcycle rider training. Using radio communications, Perfect Control give on-road, real time tuition, with advice and correction given at breaks in road sessions, skills check sessions, briefings and session critiques. Structured training courses are: Back-2-Bikes, skills improvement training, DSA enhanced rider scheme, advanced riding techniques and training to RoSPA, IAM & DIA standards. Perfect Control offers great opportunities for riders of all abilities to improve their skills and continue their development. CONTACT DETAILS: www.perfectcontrol.co.uk Mob: 07941 803043 Email: [email protected]
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