RoSPA Riders Magazine - Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists

Transcription

Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists
RoSPA Riders Magazine
Issue 19
June 2012
www.rospariders.co.uk
In this issue:
Classifieds I
2
Editorial
3
Meetings etc.
4
Group activities
4
Committee
4
Charity Track Day
5
Chair’s Corner
6
Holiday event
7
Membership Report
9
MAGPAS
10
A biking legacy
11
To infinity and Beyond16
Garden Party
25
Bunkered?
26
Testing & Training
26
Paul’s Clinic
27
Memorial Ride
27
Members’ small ads 28
Diary dates 2012
29
EAA Bike Show
29
RoADAR Rideout
30
Baltic rides?
31
Classifieds II
34
Inside - another mega-tour of some
excellent biking roads, described by
Jaques
Page 2
RoSPA Riders Issue 19
June 2012
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 day’s training.
Page 3
June 2012
Editorial
Hello again – and welcome to the 19th edition of the RoSPA Riders
magazine. As I write this, I’m not sure when you will receive it, as I will have
been on holiday at a time when I would normally be producing the bulk of
the magazine and June club night, when the magazine would normally be
distributed, is a ride out.
After the April club night, as I cycled toward home across the Police sports
club field as usual, it started to rain. As I passed the headquarters building I
reached into my pocket for my gloves and put them on before I reached
Sandford Road. Head down, against the rain, I pressed on and at some
point heard a ‘clunk’ from the rear of the bike. ‘Probably a stone’ I thought
as I carried on. When I got home I reached into my pocket for my keys and
there they were, gone; definitely not there, or in any of my other pockets. As
I keep my keys in the same pocket as my gloves, I supposed I must have
dropped the keys when I pulled the gloves out. Then I remembered the
‘clunk’ from my bike. Could that have been the keys dropping? No sign of
keys anywhere on the bike, so back I went to the clubhouse, in the rain, at
the double, keeping an eye out at the point where I had put my gloves on.
Try as I might, though, I couldn’t visualise the point at which I heard the
‘clunk’. Despite retracing my route to the clubhouse (partly on foot with a
torch in hand) I couldn’t see them. I was getting a bit concerned as I have
one of those Tesco mini key ring Clubcards and as I was passing Chelmsford
Prison, hearing the shouts of the inmates, I recalled a TV scam program I
once saw, wherein a researcher called Tesco saying they had ‘found’ a
keyring and thought they could return it to the rightful owner. Tesco actually
gave out the address!
It was starting to gnaw at me as I approached home but, when Mara let
me in, I remembered that after I got the bike out of the garage, I had gone
back into the house to replace the batteries in my front light. Yep – you
guessed; the keys were in the house all along.
There was an item on the radio shortly afterward, wherein a learned
academic recommended repeating out loud, the name of lost objects as
you search for them. Apparently this helps jog your memory. Some wag
emailed into the program saying that he had been walking around the
house saying ‘marbles, marbles, marbles…’
Perhaps I should give it a try – 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.
Page 4
June 2012
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
Sandra Murphy
[email protected]
Secretary + Regalia
Jaques DeKlerk
[email protected]
Treasurer
Solveig Hart
[email protected]
Membership
Sandra Murphy
[email protected]
Training
Paul Collins
[email protected]
Publicity
Kevin Stranks
Webmaster
Steve Bancroft
[email protected]
Ride co-ordinator
Richard Parker
[email protected]
Newsletter editor
Members
Steve Webb
Gary Carter
Peter Layley
Phil Reader
George Brown
Ashley John
[email protected]
Life Member
Raffles
Deputy training officer
Page 5
June 2012
Charity Track Day
At the time of writing, this event hadn’t been made available on the
website www.havenshospices.org.uk/trackday but by the time we go to
print, it should be there. The club has been invited to place a stand at the
Ford Supercar Trackday to promote our good works. So; please come
along, bring your bike for the display, promote the club, join in the fun and
have a go – you can even ride round the track. There is a lot to do during
the day, so the more people we have to help out, the more time you will
have to wander round and take it all in. Contact Kevin Stranks or Smurf to
offer help.
Page 6
June 2012
Chair’s Corner
Your new committee has met twice already since I last
wrote, and I’m pleased to report that there are lots of
new things planned. We are already starting to see the
benefits of fresh ideas, with many more events being
arranged for Group Nights – well done all of you who
participated in the slow riding skills evening at the May
Group Night. We hope to run more of these in the future,
so keep an eye out for the dates.
This Sunday (24th June) we have George Brown’s picnic ride. This is
something I’m really looking forward to, and have been thinking of all the
things I could take for the picnic since George announced it. Being a
regular attendee at the Bulldog Bash I’m getting quite good at packing the
bike, but not as good as some we’ve seen there!
I’m also looking forward to the Super Sausage Supper at Steve Webb’s on
the evening of Thursday 19th July. We held this for the first time last year, and
attendance was so good that Steve and Mara have kindly offered to run it
again. If you are able to attend, please let Steve know so that he can
ensure sufficient food and drinks are available. I’d like to say a special thank
you to Mara, who does all the cooking and arranging (with a little help from
Steve), and for welcoming us to your home. (Aw, shucks – Ed)
Sunday 1st July is the second Jane Wilson memorial ride. Full details can be
found in the magazine and on the website. A donation of £5 per bike is
requested, but all proceeds go to Essex Air Ambulance so a very worthy
cause, as well as joining together all three Essex advanced motorcycle
groups. Don’t forget Sunday 22nd July is the date for the rearranged Essex
Motorcycle Show at Colchester. I’ve had a lot of members confirm they will
be coming along to help man the stand – thank you to all of you, this is
greatly appreciated.
So have you been getting out on your bikes much? I know the weather
hasn’t been great, and you’ve probably all had enough wet weather riding
practice to last a lifetime, but if you have good kit and can find some
decent roads (not many of those in Essex) you can still have lots of fun. If
you haven’t been out much, try to book some time in your diary on the 3 rd
Sunday of the month to join one of Richard Parker’s monthly social rides –
they are great fun, and open to all members.
Ride safe, and have fun.
Smurf
Page 7
June 2012
Holiday event
If anyone is heading
to the southwest for a
holiday - it's worth a
visit to Poole Harbour
on a Tuesday for Bike
Night - we have been
a couple of times and
when the weather is
good, huge numbers
of bikes turn up!
Coles Miller Solicitors
sponsored
‘Dream
Machines’ is a fully
marshalled
event,
with
a
£1
entry
charge per night or £6
for a season armband
(on
sale
at
the
Welcome Centre on
Poole Quay). It is selffunding and once all
event
costs
have
been deducted the
surplus is donated to
charities selected by
the
volunteer
marshals. The entire
Quay is closed off to all traffic, except bikes. Numbers of motorbikes
regularly exceed 1000. The display features a wide range of models and
makes, many of which are custom bikes.
There is a weekly competition for the Bike of the Night, picked by a local
judge, and a season Best Bike at the end of September.
See the link:
http://www.pooletourism.com/go.php?structureID=pages&ref=N4D9C41C9
B7A94 and sample pictures below.
Most pubs do offers on food, soft drinks and shandy.
Sue Whitford
Page 8
June 2012
Page 9
June 2012
Membership Report
75% of 2011 members have renewed.
Whilst this seems quite high, it’s a lot lower
than usual – are we doing something
wrong and not offering enough for existing
members? If you have any suggestions on
how we can improve, please send me
your thoughts. On the positive front, we’ve
had 10 new members this year so are on
track, and the waiting list for Associates to
be assigned their one to one Tutor is
greatly reduced.
Membership figures as at 13th April are:
Associates Full
Total
29
82
53
Welcome to the following new members:
Peter Littlemore
Simon Wall
Congratulations to the following for their test passes:
Name
Grade Tutor
Babis Gakis
Gold
Ashley John
Steve Webb
Silver*
N/A
Examiner
Paul Roberts
*Denotes Retest
Active Tutors: Ashley John, Peter Layley, Sandra Murphy, Paul Osborne,
Richard Parker, Brad Pearman, Geoff Preston, Phil Reader, Peter Spindley,
Kevin Stranks, Jaques de Klerk & Anthony Greenwood
Smurf
MAGPAS
Page 10
June 2012
Page 11
June 2012
A biking legacy
By Sue Whitford
I guess most of you get asked at some point in a conversation – how did
you get into motorbikes? I certainly do. Although there are more of us now,
we female bikers are still in a minority and sometimes something of a
novelty. Although most wouldn’t admit it, we secretly like the attention!
Unlike most, it was my parents that got me onto two wheels. Normally they
are of the discouraging nature but when I started college, it was too far to
walk and I had to walk halfway for the bus – so when I was 17 my parents
bought me a little Yamaha Passola 50cc scooter. It was bright yellow with a
little basket on the front.
I know, I know........most of you wouldn’t dare admit to having something so
naff as your first bike but it got me from A to B and I even commuted into
the West End on it for nearly 2 years. I must have been mad!
I then got fed up with always being the last away from the traffic lights –
although that hasn’t changed! – so I got a little Honda 125, passed my test
Page 12
June 2012
and I was away. 30 years on (oops that gives the age away) and 13 bikes
later here I am still trying to figure out how to ride.
My Dad had bikes when he was younger and I only recently realised that I
still had no idea how he had got into bikes or what he had ridden. I only
knew of a weekend away in Wales with my mother on a bike – (more later)
so I asked him about his bike history and this is what I got.
My Dad is now 80 and my parents retired to northern France 12 years ago.
His first bike in the early 1950’s was a BSA Bantam 125cc. He couldn’t quite
stretch to a car at the time and a bike was in his budget for getting around
on. Apparently like an early Ford car you could have any colour as long as
it was green ! It had leg shields and a full windshield with two rear view
mirrors on the top edges. In those days there were no crash helmets and he
drove with a fur lined leather hat with a peak and a pair of gauntlets.
Although this is not his bike, it is a similar one.
In those days there were no flashing indicators and he had to use hand
signals; also, cars had little indicator arms, one on each side of the vehicle,
that came out and lit up to indicate which way they were turning – if you
could see them that is.
Page 13
June 2012
To get a licence there was just a single test – riding and highway code
together. He remembers that an emergency stop was when the tester
made you drive round a block and you had to apply the brakes when he
stepped off the curb and held his hand up – goodness knows what
happened if he picked on the wrong motorcycle!
Filling up with petrol on a 125cc bike was easy as petrol stations had pumps
for these with ready mixed petrol and oil and an attendant to deliver it to
you.
He remembers that some of the bikes had clutches with cork inlays and if
your clutch was slipping all you did was take it out and clean it with petrol
and let it dry. Talk about DIY maintenance!
He then had a BSA 250 – a rigid frame with no springs. This was the bike that
my parents toured North Wales on in 1954 - before they were married!
The picture shows my mother stood next to the bike and was taken not far
from Barmouth in the Snowdon National Park (and for those that don’t know
- it’s not far from Biker’s Retreat!) Apparently they had quite a good time
except for when it rained, when they had to cover their shoes with plastic
bags (who hasn’t?)
Page 14
June 2012
My father has assured me that the landlady of the B&B they stayed in made
sure that they were in separate bedrooms and at either end of the house.
How times have changed!
His last bike was a Francis
Barnett 125. Then my brother
and sisters and I started to
arrive, so that put an end to
his biking days for quite a
few years.
He then bought his first car,
a Morris 8, for which he paid
£12 ten shillings (£12/10/-)
and then found 10 shillings
(10/-) under the back seat!
I am not sure if my getting
into bikes inspired him again
but around the late 1980’s,
he bought a sorry looking
Kawasaki Z200 which he
proceed to do up (see the
before and after photos)
with the idea of using it to
commute to work on. It took him a couple of months to get it into a decent
condition.
He had only been riding it for a couple of weeks when he was knocked off
on a roundabout by a lorry that didn’t see him. He ended up in hospital.
Unfortunately he never rode a bike again.
I’m glad I got this history from my Dad as it puts him in a whole new light to
me – he always was adventurous and loves travelling but this gives his life a
bit more of ‘an edge’!
Sue
I remember replacing the worn clutch cork inserts. You had to boil them in
water to soften them before pressing them into place in the clutch disc.
They were ‘surfaced’ afterward by rubbing them on a sheet of sandpaper
that was placed on a flat surface (we used a sheet of glass). Then you had
to re-soak them in oil before you re-assembled the clutch - Ed
Page 15
June 2012
Page 16
June 2012
To infinity and Beyond
Well maybe not, but the Alps at least! – By Jaques
DeKlerk
“Aah but for a Mountain Pass or Hairpin Bend” I did say and as we all
bolted off the train in Calais, I was assured that once we reached Austria,
many a twist and many a turn would fill our eyes!
At less than two months old at the end of May, I thrust poor Kermit (my wee
ZZR) in at the deep-end and we two headed off for a play in the Austrian
Swiss and Italian Alps - a bikers heaven!
To get there, we first had three days of steadily more progressive riding to
put under our belts and this, Kermit certainly did enjoy, France can be a
little boring but we found great swathes of back roads with little traffic and
we all had the roads to ourselves for some top end fun.
On day two, crossing into Luxemberg and then Germany, we ventured and
rode the entire length of the famous B500 in the legendary Black forest
Schwarzwald; mile upon mile of twisty, turny, sweepy, curvy roads got all our
egos flowing for the delights to come.
Ahhh, the Black Forest and it's seemingly endless number of sweeping trails
and deserted roads. Not on our visit; it was a public holiday and full of
traffic, from coach to car to motorcyclist. Kermit and I still found the ride a
dream. Every opportunity to overtake taken, every bend enjoyed, I
thoroughly enjoyed the glass smooth sweeping sections elevated above
the forest with a dramatic switchback run back through the forest to Baden
Baden.
By the time we crossed into Austria on day three, Kermit had begun to enjoy
just a little too much, his teasing of the K12 and K1300s, as well as the
VFR1200s and 2 new Multistradas on tour. On the flowing curves Kermit
thoroughly revelled in chasing and on occasions passing, his German,
Italian and Japanese biking friends.
Bikes: they do like to play, like meerkats they all zipped, zagged and
zoomed around one another, trying to prove who was the leader of the
gang. Only the restrained riders such as “Moi” kept the two wheeled
hooligans to reasonable antics, Kermit was not happy at my control, but at
our lunch stop, I had a stern word or two with him, as did the other riders
with their steeds “Think and ride, never just ride” we told them!
Page 17
June 2012
After lunch, the roads started to turn into some of the most twisty roads this
side of the Alps. Kermit chose to heed my words of riding with thought and
controlled his progressive nature - keeping to less than light speed.
By the time we reached our hotel in Platz, Kermit and all his biking buddies
were lost for words, they, and all their riders, were worn out from the ever
increasing turns, twists, hairpin bends and altitude changes experienced in
the afternoon.
And if the bikes were speechless due to the roads, the riders (well not me of
course) were speechless at the location, the excellent Hotel Weisseespitz,
our first main hotel for the trip, a superb 4 star hotel situated in a most
beautiful area south of Innsbruck and just a few throttle twists away from
some jaw dropping Austrian and Swiss scenery and breathtaking roads.
Our second main hotel on the tour, was to be the Hotel Gran Paradis at
Campitello di Fassa, a mere 155 mile hop over 3 flowing and undulating
mountain passes over the Alps to the Dolomites.
From here on in and for the remainder of the tour, the roads became rather
challenging for Kermit and each dawn as I wheeled him out for the stunning
variety of European mountain pass roads, he would dim his lights and
reduce his idling growl to a whimper, in terror of what roads and passes I
was to lead him down and anticipation of what I was going to put him
through.
So, what can be said about the Alps?
Well - here is my synopsis of just a few of the passes travelled on Kermit’s trip;
2 from Austria, 2 from Switzerland annnnnnnnnnnnd YES, you’ve guessed it,
2 from Italy and I hope I am able to give you all a flavour of the variety of
roads and scenery for you all to enjoy if, or rather WHEN you choose to
venture to the Alps:The Kaunertal Glacier Austria: The highest glacier in Tyrol. Though not
flowing, at a reasonable pace even Kermit could enjoy it, a GTR or grand
tourer would thoroughly enjoy it. The glacier road runs from the village of
Feichten in the valley of Kauner at 1273m above sea level up the brink of
the “perennial ice” at a level of 2750m. 29 hairpin bends and an altitude
difference of almost 1500m stretched over aproximatly 19 miles, a joy for the
eyes rather than the ride, but you’ll love it all the more for at less pace, the
stunning glacier deserves respect.
Page 18
June 2012
Picture 1: Kaunertal Glacier
The Grossglockner Austria: I’ve done this pass 4 times previously and its 38
miles never cease to excite me. And for Kermit, this is the perfect flowing
road; panoramic, with wide hairpin bends enablling Kermit to easily keep
with the sports-bike brigade, the road is a toll road and concludes at the
Pasterze Glacier, which you can walk on; absolutely amazing. This is the
highest mountain and the largest glacier in Austria, at 3798m.
Picture 2: Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße
Page 19
June 2012
The Fluelapass Switzerland: Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson voted this
“probably the best road in the Woooooorld” Well I can agree for sheer
opportunity to open Kermit up, this is mind-blowingly fantastic, pinpoint
accuracy is required for the road changes round every bend and drops
and falls without much notice, if not 100% on the day or the weather is less
than perfect, I’d leave this pass for another time!
Be warned: the Swiss police are extremely strict and, if caught progressing,
Kermit and I may have been writing this from a Swiss cell. So; scan the
environment and ask the locals if they’ve seen police before taking a free
spirited run up this great road. The pass also takes you within a few hundred
meters of the Rhone Glacier, source of the Rhone river. Here you can park
up and walk up to and actually inside the glacier itself…
Ratings
The Julier Pass Route Switzerland: This pass is 64 miles of Kermit heaven and
comes equal with either the Grossglochner and Fluelapass. It peaks at
2284m and, I’ve been told, is a classic “Swiss motorcycling route”.
Page 20
June 2012
Picture 3: Julier Pass
The scenery is rather barren, but in this there too is beauty, just of a diffening
type, the tundra-like landscape impressed me and the summit had two
leaning columns placed here by the Romans!!
The Pordoi Pass Italy: What a revelation for scenic value and a mere 10
miles from our hotel, the Pordoi pass marks the border between the
Province of Trento and the Province of Belluno. With 28 hairpin bends and
flowing roads, it caters for the biker more than any other pass I have ridden;
from naked to sportsbike, to Grand or hyper tourer, this is a route that can
be enjoyed at pace, or for the view and, to top it off, there is a cable car to
take you to the summit at over 2900m. The pass road itself, rises to 2239m
and is the highest surfaced road traversing the Dolomites. The ride can be
extended to take in a number of other pases too, for a rounded run. What
more could one want?
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June 2012
Picture 4: Pardoi Pass
Picture 5: Pardoi Pass
Page 22
June 2012
The Stelvio Pass
Italy: This pass I
found second
only
to
the
Passo Pardoi in
scenic value. It
is great to say I
have
now
ridden
it,
though I feel it is
best suited to
the
GS,
Multistrada,
KTM 990 and
the
like
brigade, rather
than Kermit or
any form of
sports-bike. The 48 hairpin bends climbing from less than 700m to 2501m, it
was the toughest and most rewarding mountain pass I have thus far ridden,
climbing over 1800m, but the road is uneven and, unless on a different sort
of bike, I feel there are greater biking mountain passes to enjoy.
Page 23
June 2012
So there you have it, though I must admit Kermit may not have been the
best choice of bike for the roads travelled on this tour, we two still did our
Page 24
June 2012
best to show those bikes best suited to the environment (the short and
upright bikes) our taillights, oh and exhausts as we past. Kermit found it
damned hard work, squirming under hard braking and progressive
acceleration, being flicked about over many a hundred of hairpins and
having to severely curtail his wish to zip and zoom off.
I found the roads, passes, scenery and countries visited truly enjoyable,
though tiring. With the ZZRs power and length, like any hyper-tourer, extra
though and care must be taken especially at speed before the wrist is
turned, as unlike the short light machines, accuracy and positive action is
essential in order to be safe and come home safe.
The many mountain pass twists and turns experienced in the differing
European countries, the rare straights, numerous hairpin bends and stunning
scenery, had me grinning from ear to ear & shouting in my helmet full of
cheer.
It really, honestly couldn’t have been much better - not legally anyway!
Page 25
June 2012
Garden Party
ERAM REGALIA
If you would like to buy a polo shirt or sweatshirt embroidered with our
group logo please speak to Steve or Sandra 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 26
June 2012
Bunkered?
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 Paul Collins or Phil Reader at a group night or contact Paul on his
public email address: [email protected]
Page 27
June 2012
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/drivers/info/membershipapplication-form.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.
Paul’s Clinic
No, nothing to do with unmentionable diseases, but an offer from the club
(and Paul Collins) to assist with any matters of riding that can be addressed
by demonstration or examination at the club premises.
If you have any queries, or you would like some advice on aspects of slow
riding, U-turns or other topics, please let Paul know and it can be addressed
‘offline’ – either in a corner somewhere or possibly in the club car park. It is
sometimes better to have a one-to-one and, if practical demos are called
for on some subjects, it is better to be able to deal with the bike, rather than
verbally or on paper. Don’t be afraid to ask…
Memorial Ride
This year’s Jane Wilson Memorial Ride will be Sunday July 1st, meeting at
Boreham McDonald's 9am for 9.30 departure.
The ride will lead us to the Super Sausage as before and will end there to
allow a bit of choice for the remainder of the day. We may run a return
route to Finchingfield if there is sufficient interest.
We will, as before, provide ride leaders and tail enders for 3 or 4 groups.
A donation of £5 per bike will be requested with all the proceeds going to
Essex Air Ambulance.
Please mention this to any of your friends who may have not read this, as all
are welcome - including associates.
John Warren (CADAM)
Page 28
June 2012
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
4 cylinder vacuum balancing gauges & accessories. Any sensible offer.
Contact Steve: [email protected]
Interlude
Page 29
June 2012
Diary dates 2012
Date Event information
June 10th WSB Round 7: Misano
16th London BikeSafe
17th Custom Motorcycle Show,
Beaulieu
21st Club night group ride
22-24th BSB Knockhill
24th Pillion picnic ride
July 1st Jane Wilson Memorial Ride
1st WSB Round 8: Motorland
Aragon
6-8th BSB Oulton Park Intl.
19th Club ‘Garden Party’
20-22nd Brands Hatch GP
21st London BikeSafe
22nd WSB Round 9: Brno
Aug 5th WSB Round 10: Silverstone
25-27th BSB Cadwell Park
26th WSB Round 11: Moscow
International Raceway
Sep 7-9th BSB Donington Park
9th WSB Round 12:
Nurburgring
16th Essex Air Ambulance ride
to Harwich
21-23rd BSB Showdown TT Cct,
Assen
23rd WSB Round 13: Portimao
28-30th BSB Showdown,
Silverstone GP
29th London BikeSafe
Oct 7th WSB Round 14: MagnyCours
12-14th BSB Showdown,
Brands hatch GP
20-21st 19th Carole Nash
Classic Motorcycle Mechanics
Show, Stafford County show
Date Event information
ground
Got any dates you want to add,
remind or tell me about?
[email protected] of course…
EAA Bike Show
We’ve had this notification from
Wendy Marcon:
ESSEX MOTORCYCLE SHOW
(BikeSafe) - NEW DATE
I am delighted to confirm the new
date for the show is SUNDAY 22ND
JULY.
Wendy Marcon
Trust Events Manager
Page 30
June 2012
RoADAR Rideout
RoADAR Mega-Ride-Out
7th July 2012 at
The National Motorcycle Museum
Birmingham, B92 OEJ (off J6, M42)
Sponsored by
Arrive for 12 noon, Saturday 7th July
There is a dedicated car park set aside for RoSPA on arrival. Dining facilities
and toilets are available in the self-service restaurant.
Special entrance rates for the Museum:
£6.95 and £4.95 for concessions
There will be a raffle for all who attend, to enter for two Garmin satnavs
(supplied by Garmin).
Page 31
June 2012
Baltic rides?
Has anyone considered a ride, or already ridden through the Baltic? We
have just arrived back from a bus trip to the major cities and tourist spots of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania via Tallin, Palanga (Pärnu), Klaipeda, Kaunas,
Riga and Vilnius. I was pleased to find how good and how empty the main
roads were and the smaller ones we travelled along seemed to offer no real
problems, albeit a trifle bumpy in places. Although the ‘In your pocket’
guides issue dire warnings regarding local traffic behaviour and this seems
to be backed up by many internet travel experiences, no-one seemed in
any hurry to get anywhere soon. Maybe this extract from Riga In Your
Pocket will explain things?
“Latvia has some of the world’s worst drivers. It’s not that they can’t steer or press the
brake pedal, but for some reason Latvians can’t master the art of parallel parking. It’s
more likely a reckless streak that allows grown men and women to act like children
behind the wheel. Passing on blind curves is shockingly common, red lights are ignored
by most BMWs and pedestrians on crosswalks tend to become targets for wannabe F1
drivers in tricked out Mercedes jeeps. If, like many locals, you enjoy driving while
intoxicated, you should bear in mind that all perpetrators, including foreigners, face a
mandatory ten-day jail sentence and a 500Ls fine. The speed limit is 50km/h in towns,
90km/h on the open road and it is strictly enforced. Speed traps are prevalent and
bribes are not recommended. Parking meters are all over Riga. Traffic police will clamp
your car and demand a fine on the spot for running out of time, or will fine you for being
parked illegally. Old Riga is now accessible to nearly all motor vehicles, but the
authorities have made it impossible to drive from one end to the other having divided
the town into four different sections. Many streets have been changed to one-way
streets and certain areas, such as Doma and Līvu squares, have become pedestrian
and bicycles zones.
Naturally, the city has lost loads of revenue by opening up the old city, but now charges
equally exorbitant parking fees that can only be paid with an SMS text message sent
from a Latvian mobile phone number, so most tourists are prohibited from parking their
rented cars in Old Riga.”
This extract regarding Vilnius also seems somewhat threatening:
“The common or garden Lithuanian driver is notable for possessing certain eccentric
habits almost unheard of in the West. A typical, edge-of-the-seat adventure sat beside a
local Lewis Hamilton comes with lashings of tailgating, cutting lanes and dangerous
overtaking manoeuvres. It comes as no great surprise to non-Italian Westerners who’ve
been in the country for more than a couple of days to learn that Lithuania has the
highest rate of road fatalities in the European Union. If you’re unfortunate enough to be
involved in an accident in which any material or personal damage occurs, you must
leave your vehicle exactly where it is, call the police (tel. 112) and wait for them to
arrive. Even if your car is obstructing the flow of traffic, don’t move it until the police get
there and have danced about the wreckage with a tape measure and some lollipops,
drawn some little pictures, and given you the all-clear. Not only is leaving the scene of
an accident an offence, but the lack of an official police report will give insurance
Page 32
June 2012
companies the excuse they’re looking for not to pay. Seat belts must be worn and
headlights must be on at all times while driving. All vehicles must be fitted with a small fire
extinguisher and carry a first-aid kit, a reflective road-side warning triangle and a
reflective safety vest. You must have your vehicle registration papers and licence with
you at all times. During the winter, you’ll also want to make sure you have an ice scraper
and maybe a brush for getting all the weather off your car before you set off. Winter
tyres are mandatory between November 10 and April 10. In and around town the speed
limit is 50km/h unless indicated otherwise. Elsewhere you can drive at 90km/h on asphalt
roads and 70km/h on dirt roads, and on highways you can drive at 130km/h until
November 1, when you’ll have to stick to 110km/h.”
Granted, not all the foregoing is relevant to bikes and much of it is common
sense, but I guess it pays to swot up before you go. I found a clip on
YouTube where the Mayor of Vilnius used a 6-wheel armoured vehicle to
crush a car, illegally parked on a cycle track. I can sympathise with that…
There was a great contrast between the cities of the three countries and
vast amounts of open space and woodland where you travelled for mile
after mile with little apparent change of scenery and some good, long
straight roads. Any bends that deigned to make their presence felt were
smooth and flowing. The relevant authorities really seem to be pushing the
boat out to make the main resorts and cities into popular and pleasant
destinations – clean, tidy and modern. One word of advice that will
probably not be offered by tourist guides, regards the particularly vicious
and large mosquitoes. Prevention is a must, as a cure takes a lot longer to
effect than a good repellent spray takes to apply!
The food is excellent, on the whole, whilst prices range from very high in
Tallinn to very reasonable in Vilnius with comparable quality. If you are of a
mind, then beers of nations can be found and the local microbrewery
industry has a strong presence in all three countries.
We travelled with, amongst others, two Australian couples, one of whom,
Rocky, (now in his 70’s) had made a career of traversing Australia umpteen
times: up, down, left & right (and inside out, for all I know) on his Gold Wing
and/or BMW tourer. He must have travelled millions of miles doing runs like
the Black Dog ride (http://www.blackdogride.com.au/) to raise awareness
of depression. Strangely, he suffered a lot from the cold whilst riding across
the desert and, like me, found it difficult to keep his hands warm and was
trying to source a pair of neoprene over-mittens. I always think of Australia
as being overbearingly hot, but I suppose that is just one of the stereotype
impressions I have. It may also be the reason he can’t find the mittens in Oz!
One night we attended an open session at a festival in a market square in
Riga, joining locals who were dancing to traditional folk music. We got
talking to a bunch of motorcyclists who were on a ride from Germany to
Page 33
June 2012
Moscow. One guy (I didn’t remember his name) lived in Cologne so the
one way distance had to be at least 2,700 km if they were going via Latvia
and another 2,500 if they went straight back. It turned out he had bought
his first bike, a Norton Commando, at Gus Kuhn Motors. He subsequently
returned to buy a Triumph Trident. Had it not been late and getting cold by
the time we started the conversation, I might have taken a few notes but, in
any case, it was not until we were on our way back that I thought of writing
this up.
We also went to Turaida Castle (it seems mandatory for most tourists) where
there was a small ‘art’ piece in the grounds.
It depicted an
army of ‘warriors’
that were made
from
various
pieces of junk
metal and local
stone. It was only
on the way back,
that I noticed that
one
character,
named Talrits, was
endowed with an
unusual backpack
– an old bike
petrol tank.
I would say that
motorcycling
is
not unpopular in
the Baltic but the
majority of bikes
we
saw
were
cruisers or chops,
with only a few
sports bikes thrown
in. Anybody fancy
organising a trip?
Steve Webb
Classifieds II
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]
Page 35
June 2012
June 2012
01702 338843, or [email protected]
Keys cut for bikes, cars and domestic
Motorcycle physical security products
Locks and safes supplied and fitted
Advice freely given
Also:
Page 36
Baglux
20% off
products:
Tank bags, tank covers and accessories

RoSPA Riders Magazine - Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists

Transcription

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