Golden Wing - 2007 Autumn

Golden Wing Autumn 2007.qxp 28/10/2007 13:11

Tim

Note

Golden Wing Autumn 2007.qxp 28/10/2007 13:11

AUTUMN 2007 1

When Blade Group was first created by

owner Mike Flanagan with the launch of an

Audi/Volkswagen business in Gloucester

some fifteen years ago, little was it realised

that today there would be more motorcycle

dealerships in the Group than there are car

dealerships.

The motorcycle element of the business

first came to fruition around five years ago

when Mike, who is a lifelong motorcycle

enthusiast, had the opportunity to acquire

Abingdon Honda. Since then the motorcycle

‘stable’ has been joined by Triumph, Suzuki,

Harley-Davidson and Buell. The philosophy

of the Group is one of excellent products

associated to excellent customer service

from bike enthusiasts who care about and

understand their customer’s needs and

wants.

Earlier this year a second Honda

dealership was added to the Group in

Bennett Road, Reading. The town had cried

out for a Honda Motorcycle dealership and

after many months of planning Honda

Reading Motorcycles was born. Something

of a wolf in a lamb’s clothing the inside of

this 21st century showroom has to be seen

to be believed.

The two teams at Abingdon and Reading

work closely together under the stewardship

of Darren Neal (who himself races a Honda

CBR1000RR Fireblade) and Stuart Yardley.

Both carry the entire range of Honda

Motorcycles and if the exact model that you

want to test ride isn’t available at one, they’ll

arrange to get it from the other for you. Both

also have state of the art workshops, MOT

facilities and extensive parts and

accessories shops.

Reading Honda Motorcycles and

Abingdon Honda – probably the best Honda

showrooms in the country!

PROBABLY THE BEST HONDA SHOWROOMS IN THE COUNTRY!

Honda Owners ClubANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

I hereby give notice that the 2007 Annual General Meeting of the Honda

Owners Club (GB) will be held on Sunday 4th November 2007 at

DDoonnnniinnggttoonn PPaarrkk RRaaccee CCiirrccuuiitt

CCaassttllee DDoonniinnggttoonn

DDeerrbbyy

DDEE7744 22RRPP

Commencing at 11.00 a.m.

WWiitthh SSppeecciiaall GGuueesstt RRoonn HHaassllaamm

All nominations for the Committee posts or Resolutions to be considered

must be made in writing to the General Secretary

Nominations for Committee positions must include a proposer and seconder.

Andy “Dibble” YoungHonda Owners Club (GB) Chairman

Golden Wing Autumn 2007.qxp 28/10/2007 13:11 Page 1

2 AUTUMN 2007

Autumn 2007, Volume 45 No. 3

Editor / DesignerTim Lee

[email protected]

HOConsumer EditorMark Clargo

[email protected]

Diary Co-ordinatorAndy Stryczko

[email protected]

Advertising Co-ordinatorErica Gassor

[email protected]

Thanks to all contributors

All feedback regarding the content and delivery of Golden Wing should be addressed to The Editor at the

address below or e-mailed to: [email protected].

Golden WingHonda Owners Club (GB)

Units 1B & 5BKemps Quay Industrial Park

Quayside RoadSouthampton

SO18 1ADTel: 023 8022 6045

Web Page: www.hoc.org.uk

Winter IssueCopy Date 1st December 2007

Published by end of December 2007

Printing & Distribution by:LPC Printing Ltd

Hardley Industrial EstateHythe,Southampton

Tel: 023 8084 6334

© Honda Owners Club (GB) 2007

We believe the contents of Golden Wing to

be correct at the time of publication. The

Honda Owners Club (GB) cannot be held

responsible for any errors, omissions, or

for subsequent changes to details given in

this publication or for the consequence of

any reliance on the information.

The views expressed in this publication

are not necessarily those of the Honda

Owners Club (GB) or the Executive

Committee

ARTICLES

Dibble Rattle’s On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Editor Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Membership Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Kicking Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Classic Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Down Your Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Reports from: Bedfordshire, Eastern, East

Midlands, Gloucestershire, Lakes & Coast,

Manx Offshore, NESS, North London,

Northants & MK, Northumbria, Oxford, Solent,

South Wales, Three Shires, West London,

West Yorks, Wilts,

Soapbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Lure of France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Honda Festival Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Racing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

HOConsumer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Members Free Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Members Discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

PLACES TO GO & THINGS TO DO

Devon & Somerset Camping Weekend .14

Diary Dates centre pages

FRONT COVER

Phil Bell on John Jeffery's original 1987

CBR600 F at Colwyn Bay.

The CBR 600 is 20 this year.


AUTUMN 2007 3

BEEN IN TOUCH YET? If you want to be a part of this just send

me an email to the address at the top. I willlet you know the news as it comes to usregardless of whether you are at a branch ornot

IMPORTANT NEWS

AGM DATE CHANGENOW THE 4TH NOVEMBERThe reason is we have again got the

support of Honda UK for our meeting whichthis year will be at Donnington Park. We willhave the business meeting followed byrefreshments and a chance to visit themuseum followed by a chat by Ron Haslamwith a chance for you to ask him questionsand share some memories no doubt.

A polite request; if you are coming to theAGM that you drop me a line SOON so wecan gauge the catering front appropriately.

THE GOOD NEWSWe now have a new set of T shirts

available and some of you will have seenthese going about at recent events. To getyours just drop me a line and we can sortthem out for you.

My missus; Di; has volunteered to assistwith getting the regalia stuff moving againand we will be introducing a limited range atreasonable prices over the next few months.I also have another volunteer at theNorthants branch to help on this so weshould be able to get along to at least themain events with stock.

I will at this point express thanks toJustin who has been doing the regalia nowfor the past few years.

MORE VERY GOOD NEWSThe 5th of August.saw our first Honda

Festival at Gaydon. The show wassupported by over 500 attendees whoenjoyed the scorching weather. Due to erroron the part of the museum we were a littlecramped into the rear of the venue but stillmanaged to run the test rides people askedfor (sorry about no Pan). We had a limitedclassic show of bikes but some very fineexamples they were. The day was roundedoff with a series of short seminars by safetyand Honda related groups.

As a result of Erica and Marks efforts,this year’s show was the first ever to show abig plus to club funds, as well as provide anevent to still be developed. Welcome tothose who came, saw, and have now joinedthe club.

I would ask however, that in future, if youare attending or want to attend such anevent and have a bike that might be worthyof others seeing, then please contact theorganisers beforehand so we can get you tothe arena. This years display of machineswas sadly mostly in the bike park as you didnot contact Erica or Mark beforehand.

EVEN MORE GOOD NEWSThanks to the efforts of many of you we

are now supporting Air Ambulances all overthe country and in the past few weeks alonewe have managed to raise and donate wellover £12,000 to these fantastic people. Ihope sincerely to never have to use thembut really support what they do and the livesthey affect. That is in effect 12 flying hoursfully supported! Which does not sound a lotbut it is really worth much to many

cont.........

CCCCHHAAIIRRMMAANNHHAAIIRRMMAANN DDDDIIBBBBLLEEIIBBBBLLEE RRRRAATTTTLLEEAATTTTLLEE ’’’’SSSS OOOONNNN!!!!from Andy “Dibble” Young - Club Chairman

News as it happens? Join News as it happens? Join Andy’Andy’s email list by sending an email tos email list by sending an email to

[email protected]@hoc.org.uk


4

NEC

We have agreed to be at the NEC againthis year in its new set up arrangement ofhalls. In the past we have struggled forstaffing, but this year we have just aboutcovered the stand for the ten days. Howeveranyone else will be welcome and we have arare opportunity to assist on the mainHonda stand as they would like a couple ofpeople each day to be there to speak withpeople about the machines they ride andthe pros and cons of them. Obviously,Honda want really enthusiastic experiencedriders, with a loyalty to the brand. Pleasecontact Rona Bell of the West Coast Ridersbranch who is organising the event staffing.

Ride on but most of all ride safe

Dibble

COMMUNICACOMMUNICATETEDo you need to get something in Golden

Wing, and on the website, and in theMonthly Mail Out all at once. Do it with one e-mail sent to;

[email protected]@hoc.org.uk

Your message will automatically go to;

TIM (Golden WTIM (Golden Wing Editor)ing Editor)STRITCHYSTRITCHY (Big Ed, W(Big Ed, Webmaster)ebmaster)

MARK (General Secretary)MARK (General Secretary)

PresidentTrevor Thompson

Vice PresidentsDave Barton,Tony Eldridge,Graham Gull

ChairmanAndy ‘Dibble’ Young

1 Severn Way, Kettering,Northants. NN16 9H

�� 01536 412086 � [email protected]

General SecretaryMark Clargo

9 Hendred Way, Abingdon Oxon OX14 2AN�� 01235 523483 � [email protected]

Membership SecretaryGraham Gull

61 Vicarage Road, Ware SG12 7BE� [email protected]

Saddle Sore Shield Co-ordinatorStephen Davenport


Display Materials Co-ordinatorChris Wright

16 Auckland Road, Mexborough S64 0AN�� 01709 582740 � [email protected]

Regalia Co-ordinatorDi Young

1 Severn Way, Kettering,Northants. NN16 9H


Acting TreasurerRuth Wingrove,

38 Bower Street, Bedford MK40 3RE.� [email protected]

Advertising Co-ordinatorErica Gassor,

�� 07799 49 2235 � [email protected]

WebmasterAndy (Stritchy) Stryczko

38 Bower Street, Bedford MK40 3RE� [email protected]

BMF Liaison OfficerJim Peel-Cross

11 The Green, Wilcot, Pewsey, Wilts. SN9 5NN�� 01672 563450

Classic SecretaryDave Barton

53 Northlands Road, TottonSouthampton. S040 3HA

AUTUMN 2007


AUTUMN 2007 5

EEEEDDIITTOORRDDIITTOORR SSSSAAYYSSAAYYSS ........I hope you enjoy this issue, as it very

nearly didn’t make it. Having previouslynarrated the ongoing saga with my house(we wont go there), and last issue havingtold everyone about the troubles with mybike, I though that this issue I would tell youabout the problems with mycomputer………On second thoughts, thatwould be way too boring, so I will just say Inow have a new printer, a replacementgraphics card and a monitor which works!

However, what I don’t have is very muchin the way of content. I mean I have enoughfor this issue, but that’s it then.

Over the years, I have been luckyenough to have enjoyed enthusiasticcontributions from many of you, but of latethis seems to have dried up, along withphotos for the front cover. In this issue wewere down to a single letter for KickingBack. This wouldn’t be too bad if there werehoards or you joining in the website forum,but whilst it is growing, the number ofregular members is tiny in comparison withthe membership as a whole.

So please, do send in letters, and if youfancy putting pen to paper and writing anarticle I would be very happy to receive it.Please don’t think you have to be a buddingauthor or journalist either, just have a go;we can ammend if necessary.

Now for the technical bit: Please take pictures for the front cover

with the highest quality setting you have onyour camera. When you come to email thepicture it should be at least 250kb in size,

preferably over1mb. If you endup with a hugefile, such as6mb or more,don’t worry,you have justmade my joba whole loteasier.

W h e nyou take thep i c t u r e ,turn thecamera on its side soyou take an up and down portrait photorather than a side to side landscape. This isessential as I need room at the top for theGolden Wing title, and room at the bottomfor the Issue number. You would not believehow many good front cover pictures I havebeen unable to use because there is nospace top and bottom.

When sending articles, using Word orWorks makes life easier, andWord willcorrect most mistakes as you go. Butplease, please, please, send photos for thearticle or report as separate attachments,not pasted into the document itself.

To finish, I hope to see you all at theAGM for what I am sure will be anothersuperb meeting courtesy of Honda UK.

Keep it tidy,

Tim

HOC CALENDERS AVAILABLE SOON

Full colour A3 sized calendar with pictures of members and events from the HOC year.

An ideal Christmas present for those members who seem to already have everything

Buy at the NEC for £5.99 (excl p&p)

Mail order for £7.99 (incl p&p)

Buy from the website for £8.50

For mail order enquiries please contact [email protected]

or telephone 01438 357398


6 AUTUMN 2007

MMMMEEMMBBEERRSSHHIIPPEEMMBBEERRSSHHIIPP MMMMAATTTTEERRSSAATTTTEERRSS ............WELCOME

Welcome to all our new members who

have joined us recently including at various

shows we have attended. I hope that you

join in with club activities to get the most out

of your membership. I know that some of

you have already been along to your local

branch, and have received a warm

welcome.

MOVING?Don’t forget if you move, let me know,

and no other club official, as I keep the

address files up to date, (You can write or

send an email). We get several copies of

each magazine returned by Royal Mail each

issue so don’t let it be YOU who we lose

contact with.

DIRECT DEBITWe have now had the system set up and

in use for over a year now and a lot of

members are signing up. When you receive

a renewal form, all you need to do is let me

have your bank details and we will do the

rest. You won’t have to worry then about

missing a copy of your ‘Golden Wing’.

ANOTHER LIFERCongratulations to Geoff Moore of

Southend on Sea, whose trusty CX500 has

now over 100,000 miles on the clock, for

achieving 25 years membership and so

receiving Life Membership. Many of you

who organize events will know that when

you are beginning to pack up, Geoff will

arrive!

Graham Gull

Membership SecretaryGraham Gull

61 Vicarage RoadWare SG12 7BE

� [email protected]

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MMMMeeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrrsssshhhhiiiippppSSSSeeeeccccrrrreeeettttaaaarrrryyyy,,,,

nnnnooootttt ttttoooo GGGGoooollllddddeeeennnn WWWWiiiinnnngggg....

TTTThhhhaaaannnnkkkkssss .... .... .... ....EEEEDDDD

CCCCOOOONNNNGGGGRRRRAAAATTTTUUUULLLLAAAATTTTIIIIOOOONNNNSSSS22225555 YYYYEEEEAAAARRRRSSSS

NNNNEEEEWWWW LLLL IIII FFFFEEEE MMMMEEEEMMMMBBBBEEEERRRR

GGGGRRRRAAAAHHHHAAAAMMMM SSSSPPPPIIII LLLLLLLLEEEERRRR

Congratulations to Geoff Mooreof Southend on Sea, who

achieves 25 years membershipand qualifies for honorary

membership.


AUTUMN 2007 7

OXFORD RALLY

Rain rain rain! floods; well what a start

for the rally. Don't think anybody will come in

this weather, better go just in case

somebody turns up!!! I do not think so.

Got there at 12.30pm sat in the bar, nice

and dry. Hang on what is that? it sounds like

a motorbike. Yes two riders, what heroes

they have made it through the rains. Mick

and Keith from Wilts paddled in through the

door like two drowned rats.

Still torrential rain! an hour later in came

Barbara and Alan from Solent, from then on

more riders arrived and they kept coming.

Later Graham arrived looking slightly shell

shocked.

By now roads were being closed off

making it harder to get through because of

serious flooding. Graham had to venture out

again to find Jax who was caught in a long

queue and could not get through. He found

her and was able to guide her through side

roads.What a hero.

Well now we have some campers we

had to erect the hospitality tent so out went

our brave souls in the teeming rain,

Mark,Jimmy,Julie,Alan and Dave. Our

visitors also were out doing the same.

7pm now in the pub for the evening

feeling a lot drier,so let's have some beer.!

Okay let's order some food say we, but oh

no a power cut. That put paid to that, and

there weren’t even any sandwiches as we

couldn't get the bread defrosted!!!!!!

Some one has to go out in the rain, who

will do it? hooray for Jimmy who is going to

brave the storm to get fish and chips; don't

all shout at once.! So there we all were

sitting in the candle light for the evening, the

power returned about 11.30pm. That put

paid to our quiz nite.

During the evening, many people who

were stranded came in looking for B&B.

Saturday morning and it’s still raining so

no ride out today. Some braved the

elements, but did not stay out too long. But

what's this still more campers arriving telling

their tales of how bad the conditions were.

Lunch time the SUN showed it's face but

not for long though. At least the rain kept off

for our BBQ.

In the evening we were entertained by

Chris Odey who kept us all dancing so we

forgot about the weather. Lucky he got

through the floods.

Sunday morning the sun is out drying the

tents what luck. To all you brave souls who

made it through and those who got so far

and had to turn back we say thank you for

your efforts. We think those of you here

enjoyed the week end at least we hope you

did.We thank you all for coming, shows what

a great spirit there is in the HOC. Love you

all. Got to go now and start planning for next

year.

Ride safe and upright.

Jimmy & Betty

KKKKIICCKKIINNGGIICCKKIINNGG BBBBAACCKKAACCKK ................Something to Say - Say it here

Kicking BackKicking BackLetters for the next issue need to

arrive by

1st December 2007

E-mail to [email protected]

or post to:

Golden Wing,

Units 1B & 5BKemps Quay Industrial Park

Southampton. SO18 1AD


8 AUTUMN 2007

"SWEET DREAMS"

That's what you'll be having once you

know all about the fantastic Honda

Supercentre that's recently opened in the

heart of Derbyshire!

It really has been a long time coming,

but the Motorcycle world has at long last

caught up with the car world... Gone are the

days of the tiny oily showrooms that you can

hardly walk in - let alone try a bike for size

for fear of knocking another one over!

B & M Honda opened it's doors to the

public earlier this year. Since then, the word

has rapidly spread amongst the biking

community about this all new experience -

particularly the sheer size of the place and

indeed the superb quality of the showroom.

Honda UK has played a major role in the

development of the site, which benefits from

the brand new Honda branding and

corporate image. Basically, Honda wanted

everybody who walked through the doors of

the new B & M Honda Supercentre to

experience the 'wow factor'.

"The reaction has been astounding" said

dealer principal and founder director Dave

Munt, who has worked in the motor industry

all his life. "We're absolutely delighted with

the response - exactly as we'd hoped and

people genuinely seem to appreciate what

we've achieved here" Dave concluded.

OPEN WEEKEND :

29 TH AND 30TH SEPTEMBER.

MEET JOHNNY REA!!

If you're interested to find out more

about the all new B & M Honda

Supercentre, then this open weekend

presents you with the prefect opportunity do

exactly that! Go along and find out what they

have on offer.

Everything you'd expect from an open

weekend – amazing deals on bikes,

clothing, accessories etc… and of course an

extended demonstrator range so you can try

as many models as you like, as many times

as you like! All you need is your motorcycle

license and another form of ID. Oh, and

you'll get to meet the talented Factory

Honda rider Johnny Rea!

MOTORCYCLE TOURS

If you've ever fancied a tour on your

motorcycle, either around the UK of further

a field to the Alps , for example, then B & M

Honda is the place to contact. Earlier this

year, they ran two tours - the Alps on 26th

May and Scotland on 21st July. Everyone

had a superb time and there are now more

tours in the pipeline for next year. Find out

more on their website at

www.bmhonda.co.uk

or pop down and enquire in store.

TO CONCLUDE

When all's said and done, the whole

ethos at B & M Honda is to provide the best

possible service in the industry. Only used

bikes of the highest quality are on offer –

you'll find no lemons - and the clothing

brands are top notch. The staff are

enthusiastic and willing, and the whole

buying experience is one that leaves you

with a smile. Once you've bought from B &

M, you'll find yourself magnetised to the

place, and very likely to keep popping back

for no real reason whatsoever! Or as one

happy customer said, " just for a chat and a

burger…"

If you're local to B & M Honda in

Derbyshire and haven't yet been down, it

really is worth a look! If you're from further a

field, Derbyshire has some incredible roads

and amazing viewpoints, so why not make B

& M your destination one weekend as they

will be able to give you an itinerary to make

the best of a weekend in the peaks!

B & M HONDA


Devon and Somerset H.O.C. Weekend

SANDY GLADE HOLIDAY PARK

BURNHAM ON SEA, SOMERSET

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, May 2008

BOOKING FORM

Name: ____________________

Address: ____________________

____________________

Phone: ____________________

Price £100 for a caravan that sleeps up to 6

Please make cheques payable to:John Fowler Holidays

Send to : Pat Jennings, John Fowler Holidays

Marlborough Road, Ilfracombe, Devon EX34 8PF

No later than February 29th 2008

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU


Whether you are looking for a relaxing

holiday in a beautiful area of Germany, a stop

over on the way to other areas of Germany or

Eastern Europe, try Vine Cottage.

Nestled in wooded countryside just three

miles from Wissen, this pretty cottage hotel

offers bikers a warm and friendly welcome in

lovely surroundings.

Whether you fancy riding some lovely

roads on the bike, taking a gentle walk around

the area or catching a train from Wissen to

one of the major Germany’s historic cities,

there is lots to do and see.

Vine Cottage is only 54 miles from the

Nurburgring. The ride is beautiful - through

Linz (a medieval walled town), over the Rhein

by ferry and then up the picturesque Ahr

Valley, one of the Red wine producing areas

of Germany. A great ride that takes approx 1

1/4 hours and then the fun of riding

Nurburgring when you get there!

With the Saxonring only a day’s ride away,

Vine Cottage is an ideal stopover whether

you are going into Europe to see the bike

racing or just looking for a relaxing holiday

The house has four bedrooms, all with

ensuite shower and toilet. The Family room

consists of two rooms: a large double bedded

room and a separate childrens room with

bunkbeds.

The old "family" room, where once the

whole family would have slept, now has a

kingsized handcarved bed and probably

looks as it was 200 years ago, with the

original oakfloor and it's beamed walls and

ceilings, ideal for that romantic break.

We look forward to welcoming you, and

for those with GPS the co-ordinates for Vine

Cottage are N 50 46765 E 07 42349.

VINE COTTAGE


12 AUTUMN 2007

In the last magazine I talked aboutthe release of the “New Generation”Honda water cooled in line fours. TheCBR600F in June 1987 and then theCBR1000F in November at the NECshow. The CBR1000F replaced theCB900F that had been in production forsix years.

The CBR1000F and its smallerbrother the CBR600F were the firstproduction machines to be fitted withthe unique wrap around body designs togive the rider total isolation from the

distractions of wind, noise anddiscomfort. This allowed you toconcentrate on the sheer enjoyment ofthe ride and speed. The CBR1000F hadthe most powerful engine in its class andfrom 4,000 rpm gave you loads oftorque. All this meant that this SportsTouring machine provided sufficientstaying power for those long all dayrides, and would go on and on

Honda gave the CBR1000F 132ps, anincrease in 37ps over the CB900F. Thisincredible (sorry officer Dibble)increase in power has been produced byrefining the engine with improvementsto the intake, combustion and exhaustefficiency; taking the shortest,straightest and least restrictive pathpossible.

CBR1000F

1987


AUTUMN 2007 13

The engine size, weight anddistribution played an important part inthe advances made. The width of theengine in particular was kept to aminimum by slimming the distancebetween the cylinder sleeves and watercooling, and the alternator was mountedbehind the cylinder block. Trimming andweight saving in the engine meant that abalancer shaft was fitted to eliminatethe secondary vibration, giving thesmoothest possible power delivery at allengine speeds. The engine also carriedaluminium water and oil radiators toensure that the engine stays cool whenthe going gets hot! Carburetion wasprovided by four 38.5mm CV carbs,giving a clean instant response fromanywhere in the rev range.

As we know, power is only a part ofthe performance picture. The balanceand handling also have a large part toplay in the overall feel of the machine,and with Sports Tourers and SuperSports this is even more so.. To ensurethat the CBR1000F achieved the elusivebalance of handling and performance,the frame was a lightweight box sectiondiamond configuration that surrounded

the engineand providedextra rigidityand strengthin handling.

The Pro –Link rears u s p e n s i o nhad beenredesigned togive evenbetter feel tothe road, andthe 41mmfront forkswere fittedwith theHonda TRACanti – divesystem to

ensure the best handling for a SuperSport. Braking was provided by twindouble piston callipers for the front withsintered metal pads and single disc rear.

Dry weight was 222kg (489.4 lbs)compared with the naked CB900F 242kg (533.5 lbs)

Which meant that Honda haveproduced a full fairing machine withover 30% more power that weighed 40lbs less than the machine that itreplaced. Anyone who owned a CB900Fwill tell you that it was an amazing streetfighter. So Honda have gone back to the“Think Tank” and produced a perfectSuper Sport touring motorcycle.


14 AUTUMN 2007

The CBR1000F will average

40 to 50 mpg with a fuel

capacity of 21 litres (4.6 gal),

it gave you a range of 200

miles without stopping.

This enabled you to cover

500 or 600 miles a day

with ease, making the

CBR1000F a true “Super

Bike”. We know that the

CBR1000F has been

replaced by the “Blackbird”.

So now we can all learn to fly

Let the Good Times Roll

Dave BartonClassic Secretary


16 AUTUMN 2007

DDDDOOWWNNOOWWNN YYYYOOUURROOUURR WWWWAAYYAAYYReports from the Branches

What a summer that was eh! Not that it

felt like it, wading through 12+ inches of

water outside Chipping Norton on the way to

the Oxford rally!

Despite all that, members from Beds

branch have attended several of the other

branch rallies this year, and I think I can say,

have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Our

thanks to all the various organisers for their

efforts. We will also be at the National Rally

in Foley next week (at the time of writing).

Judging by Stritchy’s premonitions of

attendance for this years rally, we’d best

contact shell and BP to draft additional fuel

supplies into the area, and we’ll be needing

an artic to deliver the rally shirts! Can’t wait

to see the write-up!

Since the last “Wing” we have voted to

stay at The Chequers for the immediate

future on Wednesday’s so I can safely say

that any visitors can find us there from 8pm

if they feel so inclined to “check us out”. I’m

pleased to say that there has been an

increase in the number of new members

coming to our meetings over the last few

weeks, and hey, some of them even come

back!

Strangely, the last few runs of the year

have been the better attended after a slow

start in the spring & early summer, despite

most of the early runs having missed the

worst of the weather. We had over 20 bikes

for the run to the Honda day at Gaydon

motor museum on what turned out to be a

cracking day, both weather and

entertainment wise. If we can start next year

the way this year seems to be closing, it’s

looking good.

This will be my last piece as Beds

branch secretary as I’m stepping down at

our AGM in November.

It’s way past time for

someone else to have a

go in any case! I’d like

to thanks all those who

have given me their

support over the last

seven or so years and

helped make Beds the

branch it is.

See you around

Graham

BEDFORDSHIRESecretary: Graham Seymour - 01438 357398

Gathering for the Gaydon run at The Chequers


18 AUTUMN 2007

The few active Eastern Branch members

have been getting out and about on their

bikes, despite the wettest summer on

record.

In June Graham, Sue, Lorrie and Martin

enjoyed good weather on a run to Whitby.

Martin and

myself endured

wind and driving

rain on the Tan

Hill run, finishing

off in bright

sunshine on the

r i d e

home.Graham had an acute attack of

tightness on a run with Martin and Lorrie to

Skipton Castle. The attack was so bad he

found himself unable to pay the entry fee

into the Castle. They had to make do with a

visit to the Skipton Castle public house

instead!

I attended the Lincoln Bike Fest

organised by Wolds Bikers. Luckily the

weather for this one-day event was

excellent this year and the turn out very

good. This event deserves to go from

strength to strength, held

as it is at the excellent

location of Brayford Pool

in the heart of the city.

On the 8th of July

Martin had a ride down

to the Vintage

Japanese Owners

show at Uttoxeter.

The same day

Graham and I met

up with the East

Midland branch of

the IMTC

( I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Motorcyclist Tour

Club) at Caenby

Corner on the

A15, for a run to

the Great

Central Railway

near Loughborough. This

proved an excellent destination for a run,

even for a non-train buff like me. Graham

particularly enjoyed the guided tour of the

engineering workshops.

Graham discovered Lincolnshire does

have hills on a very wet ride with Martin and

me to the Aviation Heritage Centre at East

Kirkby. cont........

Secretary: John Hewson - 01469 560306EASTERN

Graham & Martin at Whitby

Tan Hill

Lorrie, Sue & Graham at Whitby


AUTUMN 2007 19

Graham & Lorrie at the ‘Castle’

Graham & Martin at the ‘Castle’

Great Central Railway

Custom bike at Lincoln bike fest


20 AUTUMN 2007

It is a most thought provoking

destination, you can’t help but reflect on the

bravery of the thousands of young men who

went out night after night on bombing

missions, when they new their chance of

survival was very slim. It is worth the £5

entry fee to hear and feel the roar of the

Lancaster’s four Merlin engines.

The Eastern Branch share our third

Thursday of the month meeting place, the

Black Bull Inn at Brigg, with WIMA

(Women’s International Motorcycle

Association). On a number of occasions

they have took pity on our small turnout and

invited us to accompany them on runs. So I

took them up on their kind offer and enjoyed

a spirited run out to Rutland Water. They

had a good turn out for the run and it was

one of the few times I had been on a run out

when the drop off system worked faultlessly.

Barton Bike Night enjoyed good weather

this year and this ever-popular

event attracted over 8000 visitors.

Martin and I enjoyed a good

ride down to the Honda Festival at

the Heritage Motor museum at

Gaydon, travelling down some of

the Roman Fosse Way on route.

This event was blessed with the

hottest day of the year.

Unfortunately the helmet park was

a good half-mile walk from the

bike park and for someone like me

who doesn’t walk that well it was a

long hike before I could leave my

gear and walk around. Life riders

is a charity I support, however I feel £4 for

leaving one

bag is getting

a bit on the

e x p e n s i v e

side.

On a

personal note,

after an

e n f o r c e d

seven years of

not riding

bikes it is

great to be

back riding

again, even if

it’s not on a

Honda. As I

finish writing this I am looking forward to

riding down to the FIM Motocamp in

Slovenia, which starts on

26th August.

Cheers

John

Graham on the IMTC run

Honda Fest at Gaydon

WIMA run to Rutland Water


22 AUTUMN 2007

I’m writing this having only recently

returned from my summer holiday and

already looking forward to our ride from

John O’Groats to Lands end, which we start

tomorrow morning.

In the next couple of weeks we also

have our annual poker run planned while

another group is heading over to Germany

for a break. Following September some of

our members also have a weekend break in

October to look forward to.

For this edition of Golden Wing I only

have a couple of newsletters to plagiarise;

my holiday meant I didn’t produce one for

August. However this doesn’t reflect a dip in

activity and in this period there has been a

bit of activity in the form of a couple of ride

outs which I’ll include in our next submission

to Golden Wing.

In the meantime the following excerpts

will give you an idea of what we’ve been up

to including our rally in July.

From our June letter…..

Having been spoilt by an exceptionally

warm April the couple of very wet weekends

we had in May seemed so much more of a

hardship than usual. As you’ll see from the

write ups below the club runs that took

place during May coincided with the worst

of the weather.

In addition to the activity described

below there was also Alan’s pub ride out on

the 20th May and the piloting of the EM

HOC’s stunt school. Bikes were supplied by

planet bikes, training by Micky with the first

pupils being Paul and Andy. Award for best

(unplanned) wheelie on a Pan goes to Andy

while Paul simply receives a certificate of

attendance. Paul now has his sights set on

a CB1300 while Andy is looking for

something with less of a hooligan streak

than a Pan.

13th May - Thundersprint

Given the weather reports this event

was well attended by the club with three

different groups heading over (one by car)

to Cheshire. I think at least part of the

reason for this was a lack of contact details

(an updated list is included with this

newsletter, albeit in a pretty basic format).

The official group, the one that started with

tea and biscuits from The Beeches,

included a couple of new faces courtesy of

Dave.

Before we set off we lost one of our

number –muttering something about gravel

and grit Martin disappeared off to spend the

rest of the day close to a toilet.

Consequently only about six or seven bikes

set off from The Beeches.

An incident on the A50 where a BMW

driver tried to share a lane with one of our

group saw John saving the day by

employing a riding style usually reserved for

Moroccan lorry drivers. Apart from this the

journey out was uneventful and we arrived

in a dry Northwich intent on finding

somewhere to eat.

The café we descended on met and

then exceeded our requirements when the

waitress took a liking to one of our group.

We left the café refreshed but wary of next

years run by which time the waitress will

probably have left school.

After refreshments we had a wander

around the stands and displays;

manufacturers, clubs, custom bike builders,

tools and all sorts of kit. John was sizing up

his next bike at the BMW stand, quizzing

them on the new 800GS. We also had a

look around the “paddock” area and saw the

start of the procession of new and old

machines. Some of the older bikes

struggled with the stop/start nature of the

procession and this resulted in Micky

helping push start of the bikes.

Secretary: Tim Reardon – 01827 280200EAST MIDLANDS


AUTUMN 2007 23

After the procession we had some lunch

and then bumped into one of the other

groups; Terry, Steve & Rita before heading

over to the sprint itself. The apparently

straightforward task of walking over to the

race was blighted by the clubs traditional

game of hide and seek as our group got

split up in the crowd. Eventually most of us

met up again to see an FJR1300 wheelie

down the track and a 250cc riding Spaniard

dominate the races. A 250cc Suzuki looked

like it would do well with a very fast start but

after nearly dropping the bike at the first

corner as a result the rider then delivered

some of the slowest lap times.

The end of the races marked the start of

our return journey and it was to be a wet

one. Throughout the day the weather had

deteriorated and we arrived back at the

bikes wet, having to pull damp helmets over

wet hair.

My memory of the return journey is

water, the M6 was more like a sea than a

road and I found my thoughts alternating

between (a) worrying about not having put a

new front tyre on the day before and (b)

wondering whether or not you could get an

electric shock off heated grips with this

much rain.

Anyway by 6.20pm (sorry Sue, I know I

said 5pm) two of us had descended on a

house recently cleaned by my better half

and were eating a Sunday dinner.

27th May - Welsh National Motorcycle

Show

It’s 1.38pm on a Sunday afternoon in

late May and I’m aware of the rhythmic

lapping of water at my feet. Unfortunately

I’m not relaxing on a beach somewhere but

instead am being reminded of the limitations

of Frank Thomas’ Aqua Pro riding boots on

a very wet A5. I glance in my mirror and can

see from his hunched posture that Andy is

probably experiencing similar limitations in

his kit.

I had left the house that morning shortly

before 7.30am to head over to Ashby intent

on riding over to Builth Wells for a bike

show. Good intentions were as far as my

planning had got, so once again I was a little

behind schedule and didn’t notice the dark

clouds as I raced for a rendezvous at Ashby.

By the time I arrived at Ashby my leathers

were damp with rain & I belatedly dragged

on my water proofs.

From the empty car park it was clear

that almost everyone else had checked the

weather forecasts the previous evening. I

say almost because when I met up with

Andy “It’s only a light shower” Bailey we

agreed to carry on with the ride over to

Wales (I suspect that his uncharacteristic

optimism was due to the alternative being a

day spent gardening).

On the M42 it became clear that the light

shower was going to be a heavy torrent and

I can only think this water was the cause of

my pressing need to call in at the first

services we came to on the M42. Andy

waited patiently as I dashed in to the

services, struggled in and out of water

proofs before returning to my bike. I climbed

back on the bike pressed the button and

nothing happened – f**king Honda, this

shouldn’t happen, ok it has a few miles on

the clock but it’s a Honda and should be

able to cope with a bit of water; build

quality’s obviously going down the pan. I re-

tried it and still nothing – by now Andy’s on

his bike with the engine going and is waiting

for me to stop messing about.

Pressing the starter button for a second

time has exhausted my initiative and I’m

now getting warm, my visor has steamed up

and I’m thinking of calling the AA – then I

notice the position of the kill switch, I flick it

back to on, press the starter button and the

bike fires up – good old Honda, quality

machines. I look over; Andy hasn’t noticed

anything, I think I’ve got away with it.

We press on, picking up the A44 after a

short stretch of the M5 and don’t stop until

we get to the A49. Andy’s body clock takes

the lead and we have to pull in for breakfast

at this point – thanks Andy. An American

style diner staffed by eastern Europeans

benefits from our custom and keeps Andy’s

appetite in check for a little while longer.

cont.........


24 AUTUMN 2007

Having warmed the water in our boots

we are just about to leave when a group of

bikes roll in, apparently they have been

camping but the weather is even worse in

Builth and so they have cut short their

weekend.

On hearing this we revise our plans and

change course, heading up the A49 to

Shrewsbury in the hope it will be dryer a

little further north. Shropshire turns out to be

just as wet as every other county we’ve

ridden through and so we decide to head

back home and for the second time in as

many weeks my wife is faced with two club

members dripping on her carpets.

From our July Letter….

Having compared notes I know my

experience of June was shared by at least

one other member of the club because, with

the exception of a lot of very wet commutes

and nearly having my house flooded, my

June was marked by essential bike

maintenance. This means the milestone of

my CBF’s 32,000 mile service. While I took

on the less intimidating service jobs in my

own garage the task of checking the valve

clearances took place under the watchful

eye of Micky’s brother Dennis.

Clearances were all fine & no shims

needed replacing but I was interested at his

comment that the timing cover didn’t look

like it had been touched before. The

implication being that the dealer who had

charged me £220.00 for a 16,000 mile

service had omitted to check the valves!

Dealer name available on request.

My wife, who, at Martin’s request (see

rally write up), is writing this with me this

month, has just reminded me of the other

milestones in June; my eldest Daughter’s

16th Birthday and completion of her GCSE

exams.

As you can see from the recent ride outs

not all weekends have been blighted by bad

weather but one ride out has prompted a bit

of envy in me. In May I tried & failed to get

over to Builth Wells for a bike show that

featured custom bikes and stunt displays. I

was therefore a little jealous to see that not

only had Captain made it into Wales but he

had also managed to include a custom bike

on the run and to persuade one of the group

to lay on an impromptu stunt display. For the

benefit of those not on the run the stunt

display took place in a car park and was the

result of a forgotten disc lock. The custom

bike was the result of the unplanned stunt

display.

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep

people informed and not to embarrass

anybody. It would be unfair to mention any

names and the stunt rider will therefore

remain nameless.

For anyone that is concerned or

offended I’d just like to say I checked with

my informant that Terry was ok before

mentioning the episode with the disc lock.

My informant also told me that our clubs

ability to turn a ride out into a game of hide

and seek, though absent from the outward

journey, once again manifest itself towards

the end of the day on the homeward leg:

two groups returned to England.

9th June – Poker run preparation

Whoever said you can’t teach old dogs

new tricks had obviously never met Martin

or Captain. Last year the planning for the

poker run had seen them lost around Stoke

and riding around the peak district late into

the evening looking for pubs with landlords

or landladies willing to take on the

responsibility of being a dealer for the poker

run.

This planning is hard work apparently -

well that’s what they told me.

In contrast this year’s planning run was

a breeze. Martin had been busy, in the

preceding week, ringing around pubs and

checking whether they were willing to be

dealer while Captain had come prepared

with pre-set sat-nav equipment.

This meant that my duties that day as

secretary were no more onerous than

hooning around the peak district and

stopping off at the odd pub.

Having set off from my house a little

later than planned Paul & I arrived at

Rosliston to find Martin & Captain were half

way down cups of tea, with the second

cigarette of the day nearly down to the filter.


AUTUMN 2007 25

With no time to waste before setting off

Paul & I ordered drinks, breakfast and

nipped to the loo.

This delay allowed for one more

cigarette each before finally donning kit to

the tune of revving engines.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed

the ride that day, the weather was beautiful

and our main problem seemed to be the

number flies attracted to our visors.

Captain led the way as we set off and

thanks to the “off road” setting on his sat-

nav we were soon exploring the back lanes,

farm tracks, fields and unspoilt landscape

that make the peak district such a tourist

attraction. Having travelled exactly as the

crow flies we reached the first pub in no

time at all. The landlady was under a bit of

pressure that day and in order not to outstay

our welcome it was just a quick stop to

provide a briefing and say thanks before we

were back on the road.

The approach to the second pub was

marked by some great biking roads that

really tested our cornering skills – at least

one of our number was a little surprised by

how tight one or two of the corners were

(nothing that Sue couldn’t get out in the

wash though). If anyone at HRC had seen

us though I’m sure they’d be after us to

advise them on the setup of their 800cc

Moto GP bike – maybe.

This second pub must have the steepest

car park I’ve ever used, so all bikes were left

in gear and our walk over to the pub was

punctuated by the occasional concerned

backward glance to check on the bikes. The

landlady here was very pleasant and having

provided instructions and our thanks for her

support we found a table and enjoyed a

relaxing drink.

Once refreshed we returned to the bikes

for the third leg of our ride. Once again

brilliant Derbyshire biking roads led us to

the next pub, pub number three which

provided spectacular views over the peak

district. It looks like a good place for lunch

but it was very popular with most tables

taken.

Preferring open roads to crowded pubs

we didn’t stay long and were soon on our

way to the last pub. This was the only one

that was on last year’s run and provided us

with a good welcome. Having ordered

drinks we weren’t allowed to pay for them –

they were on the landlord, so we ordered

crisps as well. He seemed very happy to be

involved and keen to support the club.

This was a nice way to finish the day

and it was from here that we set off for

home – I think all of us having had our

appetites whetted for the poker run in

September.

1st July - Pontcysylite Aqueduct –

Thanks to Captain for the write up (Story

with accompanying pictures is available on

our club’s website)

5.45am Sunday 1st July 2007 and it was

hammering down. “Why does it always rain

on my parade” was being played from some

obscure radio station as I turned the set on

to get a weather forecast. Bl- - -y good start

to the day thought I as I put the bread in the

toaster. I was going to do this ride out last

year and it hammered it down all day them.

Still John Holtham told me that he would be

there come rain or shine.

Breakfast over, time for a wash and

brush up. Into the bathroom – Hold on – that

looks like blue sky I see through the frosted

glass, No it can’t be. B - - - dy Hell, it is blue

sky.

7 am bike out on road, dressed up in the

gear. Started to sweat, some power in that

sun even at 7 am. Roads a little wet but not

too bad. Off to the Breeches. Arrived and

found Steve Bancroft sitting on his BMW (1),

then John Holtham rode up and parked his

BMW (2) next to Steve. The landlord stuck

his head out and told us that

the bar was open for us to use. 2 G & T’s

pleasae – no sorry – is the coffee on – Yes.

Still the rain held off albeit a few spots but us

hardened bikers could stand it !!!! Just about

to go into the bar when Andy Bailey pulled

up on his Yamaha, Ah well 4 bikes – one

Honda – OK!! Just got the coffee poured

when Adrian from Coventry turned up on his

new Blade, Ah well 2 Hondas.

cont......


26 AUTUMN 2007

Just about to leave when I had a text

messages from Terry Magee and Jan to say

that they would meet us at the breakfast

stop along with a phone call from Paul Aust

who stated he would also see us at the

breakfast stop. So with the prospect of 3

more joining us, the four of us set off.

Few spots of rain enroute to the

breakfast stop but nothing bad. 9.50 am

pulled into the Café at Peers Heath to a

large Full English, I won’t say who had the

gut busters but one BMW & one Yamaha

rider did not have much more to eat during

the day.

Just sat down when Terry pulled in on

his VFR (3 Hondas) then Jan arrived on her

new aquisision – A Yellow BMW (3) shortly

to be followed by Paul Aust on his new bike

– Yes you guest – A BMW (4).

So at 10.55 am The East Midlands

Branch of the HONDA OWNERS CLUB

pulled out of the breakfast stop for the last

30 miles to the Pontcysylite Aqueduct.

6th-8th July – EM HOC Rally, Belvoir

– Sue Reardon

On the 2nd July Tim seemed unusually

cheerful for a Monday as he headed off for

work. The usual moans about a too short

weekend and work coming around too fast

were absent as he was looking forward to a

short working week followed by a relaxing

weekend away on his bike.

With June being one of the wettest on

record and July shaping up to be the same

I found this foolhardy optimism incredible,

even for Tim. I certainly could not share it

and was not looking forward to a weekend

in a wet field, on a thin foam mattress in a

damp tent.

I kept my options open all week – Tim

was going but I thought I’d stay at home

with the kids. As Thursday dawned there

were news reports of fields that were so wet

crops were rotting, I knew Martin was

already at the site so I got Tim to give him a

call to find out about conditions before

committing myself to going.

As we headed up the M42 and I saw the

clouds and felt the rain I was sure Tim had

lied to get me on the bike. Less than 20

minutes on the road & we had to stop –

once for petrol and once for a cash point.

For goodness sake couldn’t he have done

this last night?

We hadn’t got much further when an

uncharacteristic emotion over came Tim – I

think he may have felt guilty - so he pulled

over and bought me lunch. From the way he

devoured his meal, I think hunger and not

guilt was his real motive. Anyway the lunch

was nice and it was a lovely little canal side

pub. When we emerged we were greeted

by sunshine & blue skies. It was this fine

weather that was the backdrop to the

weekend.

We arrived at the campsite to see one or

two tents already up, Tim seemed not to

need my help & instead Martin helped him

get it up. This meant I soon had somewhere

to change. However, I did point out to Tim

that, once again, his was the smallest and

he was the most ill equipped of all the men

there.

I think it was this that prompted the next

event; we rode over to Grantham and I was

finally able to persuade Tim to part with £10

to buy an air bed. Maybe he’s not a scrooge

after all.

I shared a space in Micky & Phil’s tent

while we waited for the lads to fetch us Fish

and Chips from a chippy over at Bottesford.

The night was rounded off for me by seeing

Tim caught filling up a fluffy blue hot water

bottle in the marquee – he claims it’s not

his, well it’s definitely not mine.

Saturday began with breakfast in the

Pub before getting ready for the ride over to

Foxton locks. Dave led the ride which was

punctuated by a stop off for someone who

had taken a wrong turning I think. Our time

at the locks was pretty relaxed – Tim was

happy - I think he may have avoided paying

for car parking but am not sure.

Our group soon dissipated allowing Tim

& me to enjoy the scenery while having a

hot drink and a bite to eat from the café at

the top of the locks. We then found time for

a walk around before enjoying some more

drinks, this time from the free house at the

bottom of the locks.


The journey back was much quicker but

included a stop at Tesco to pick up stuff for

the BBQ. I managed to steer Tim past the

burgers and sausages and managed to find

some salmon, pasta salad and couscous for

our tea.

Back at the site Tim didn’t do a bad job

with the cooking but he did over do it a bit

with the drink and was well already acting

silly by the time we walked over for the

evening’s entertainment.

Martin had arranged a good singer and

she did put on an excellent show for us; she

didn’t seem to take a break all night and

seemed more than capable of keeping any

unruly men in their place.

It was an interesting night as well as an

entertaining one; Martin won a competition

dancing to “so macho” very enthusiastically

– he should be careful at his age. Micky

came a close second. I think he might have

won but for the fact that the singer had

already christened him Penfold.

I’m not sure what was going on between

them but next morning I was told that Martin

had been seen in the night shining a

spotlight on Penfold. At the time Penfold

was only wearing his boxer shorts – I think

that’s really sweet you two!

Sunday morning dawned to the sound

of Tim purging his system of the previous

night’s indulgences. By 8am he was ready

for breakfast and we made our way over to

the pub. The rest of Sunday morning was

spent packing up, chatting and saying

goodbye to everyone.

Cheers

Tim Reardon


28 AUTUMN 2007

HOC Gloucester - Autumn. 2007Due to the wonders of the Internet etc.

The Gloucestershire contribution for the last

edition got lost in cyberspace or someone’s

computer. Therefore this one is going to be

a double edition. I hope you can all stay

awake and find it of interest. Both

contributions contain celebrations. Sadly the

first is a celebration of a life lost. The

second, a celebration of a future life

together.

HOC Gloucester Branch Summer. 2007*************************************************

Andy Parsons. Andy sadly lost his fight

against Cancer on the 1st of May 2007. He

only joined the branch earlier this year, but

had already attended meetings and our

February ride out before he was taken ill in

March. We wish his wife Becky well for the

future.*************************************************

After the sad news above, I have some

great news. I haven’t got anything to moan

about!!! Yes, Things have really turned

around. I even have members fighting to get

their names down for special ride outs. As

ever I would always welcome any non-

participating members to contact me with

their e-mail details so that I can keep them

updated on a local basis on what is going on

in the branch in the hope that they might see

or hear of something that might

interest them. I’m sure the address

will be given later but my personal

e-mail address is

[email protected]

We are having our meetings on

a regular basis and have had a

couple of guest speakers after the

formal part of the meetings. Colin

Bailey the service manager of

Bransons the local Honda dealer

gave us a presentation around basic

maintenance, and Mark Godsland from

Bikesafe gave a security presentation

explaining the multiple considerations that

you need to consider preventing bike theft. A

fascination statistic is that a bike worth a few

thousand on the re sale market has a value

of £1500 in bits if it is dismantled and sold

on for used spares. Tagging is the simplest

way to address this area of security. I was

pleased to be first to answer the test

questions at the end. Although there were

some other members close on my heels.

This led to my XL 1000 having Data Tag

fitted. It really is good value

A regular seven to nine people turn up to

the meetings as well as others when work

permits etc. The formal section allows us to

catch up on what needs to be chatted over

and ensure we don’t miss anything. The ride

outs so far this year started with our ‘Cold

Bitz 1’ run to Fowlers in Bristol. Most of the

eight of us that attended had never ventured

there before and were delighted with the

Café menu and retail therapy opportunities.

The management made us very welcome

and showed us around the then to be

opened Honda Hub. There was the launch

on that day of the Suzuki GSR 1000 R and

as you can see from the photo, we were all

very impressed. (I don’t think so).

Secretary: Ian Nie - 01453 752098GLOUCESTER


AUTUMN 2007 29

Andy Palmer can be seen at the far right

of the group. We found that there was a free

draw being run over the weekend. One of

our group established that there were no

participants at that time. We all duly gave

our details and as far as I know three of us

have already received a prize. ‘Cold Bitz 2’ saw eleven riders’ head for

the wilds of Kidderminster. Four of the riderswere not from the club and had seen thedetails in the MCN. We took a scenic B roadroute with Chris Hearn acting as sweeper inour ‘Drop Off System’ Sadly he took the titleto seriously and picked up a two inch shardof metal that caused him a very long slowride home which had to be abandoned northof Tewkesbury, to be collected by a recoveryvehicle. Thanks to Les for keeping himcompany on the ride back to Gloucester.Grub at the Steam Museum is fair tomiddling and the activity of the station withworking steam trans running to Bridgenorthis worth the ride.

The following weekend saw us manningthe stand at the ‘Bikesafe Event’ atCheltenham Race Course. Well not justmanning. Vicky Parker was there as shownin the photo. Photo DSC01134.

Andy Young (Chairmen) came along onthe Saturday and gave a hand. Others in thephoto are yours truly in the bright jacket, andChris Hearn ‘the sweeper’. Thanks also toLes Jevins who helped out on the standover the weekend. A few new memberswere signed up and many prospectivemembers spoken to. Even Graham Gullslogged over from the east to see what will

have to be done next year when the eventgoes to Hendon Police College. Mostexciting moment of the weekend was whenthe whole tent arrangement lifted three footoff the ground with people holding on fordear life. Now recorded as the biggesthanglider in Gloucestershire. A very windyweekend.

Finally, the Cotswold ride saw eightriders’ head for the hills on another B roadride that took us up onto the Cotswold tovisit Stow, Chipping Norton, Burford, Bibury& Cirencester. A good dry run with sunshineand roller coaster roads. Even I wasimpressed at what we found, and I wasleading the ride. Ended up at the fine eatingestablishment of ‘Greasy Joes’ atCirencester for the obligatory fry up and amug of tea.

So, as stated. No moaning. I feel quiterefreshed writing positive news, but wecould still do better!!!! SORRY, slipped intoMr Grumpy mode there.

HOC Gloucester Branch Autumn. 2007************************************************

Congratulations to Karen & Rob whomarried on September the 3rd at Stroud

registry office. We wish youboth much happiness for thefuture and your ongoing lifetogether.***********************************

Well, Mr Grumpy isdefinitely a thing of the past (Ihope). We have had someinteresting unusual ride outs aswell as guest speakers atmeetings. We are also makingplans for things to do in 2008 aswell new members getting intouch. Most encouragingcompared to this time last year.

The May run was toAbergavenny. It saw a turn out of around 4with Dave & Gill meeting us at the busStation on their Gold Wing with unusual hubsteering. The run there was along mainly Broads with coffee and a snack at the café.The ride home saw a scenic diversion toTintern Abbey.

cont.......


30 AUTUMN 2007

At the following meeting I gave a

presentation of the local branch of

FreeWheelers that has been set up to

cover North Wiltshire, Gloucestershire,

Hereford & Worcestershire. For those

that have never heard of the

organisation please visit.

www.severnfreewheelers,co.uk . At

other meetings the members have

seen the bikes they use. Initially a Pan

but sadly now BMW rt1150’s. I will not

comment!! Visit the website and see

what you can do to help. There are

local EVS groups in other areas of the

country including London, Bristol & Oxford

In June, 8 of us braved a damp day to

ride to the depths of Oxfordshire to visit the

Renault F1 factory. Some on four wheels

most on two. The factory is built in a disused

quarry, it was like going down into a scene

from Thunderbirds or at least Dr Evils HQ.

One of our members Mike Adams is an

engineer that builds, calibrates and

maintains the shock Absorbers on these

cars. They are tiny, no longer than the

cardboard centre of a tissue kitchen roll but

only 2cm thick. We were allowed full access

to the factory except the development area,

wind tunnel etc. We were allowed to

photograph, except the engine. To see the

craftsmanship in the exhaust manifold and

carbon fibre pieces that make up the car,

you wonder where all the money comes

from.

The trophies are pretty

impressive to. I would be happy

with an exhaust manifold on one of

my walls! I think everyone that went

will remember the trip for a long

while. Thanks go out to Mike.

National HOC Roast Day for us

grew from a get together for lunch

into a full blown HOG Roast with a

bike show, raffle and auction and

live music. That was the plan, but

the bad weather we had in July was

just starting and the day stayed

dampish. The Landlord actually

closed his restaurant and put on

the Hog Roast at his cost as well as

paying for the music. It really was at his

cost. Financially for him the day was a

disaster. However thanks to the efforts of

Bikers Nite www.bikers-nite.co.uk we were

able to raise £435.00 that was donated to

the previously mentioned Severn

Freewheelers. Members of Oxford and

Wiltshire turned up and I hope they enjoyed

the day. Although it was a dis-appointment

to us all, we all mucked in and helped on the

day and we are considering a repeat for

2008. Even the pub landlord is up for it at

the moment. So maybe South Wales, East

Midlands and Bristol could have an event for

next year’s calendar.

The following weekend was the

weekend of the rain and floods. On the

Friday I was in Warwick having Autocom

fitted to a bike. It took me three and a half

hours to do 90 miles on the M42 / M5.


AUTUMN 2007 31

However, Les got the best trip home

from work leaving Cheltenham and getting

home to Gloucester 26 hours later. From

that day we had Vicky getting washed out of

her home and having to live with relatives

with no water for just over a week. I and a

few others lost water on the following

Tuesday for seven days. It really is a

grounding experience not having water

when you turn the tap on. I’m sure you will

all wish Vicky well for her eventual return to

her home sometime in the next six months.

She really has put on a really brave face

The afore mentioned storms in the

Gloucester area, some what washed all

thoughts of the ride out to meet up with the

Oxford Branch Rally near Moreton in Marsh.

Sorry about that, but I know they had a good

time without our presence. Early August saw

about eight of us trip up to Warwick for the

Honda Festival. Great ride out day with a

good cross country trip there and back.

Finally in mid August another wet days ride

saw 4 of us abandon a ride to Lynbrianne in

Wales and settled for our swimming badge

qualifier ride to Ludlow somewhere over in

the Wales direction. I as an ex Boy Scout

even lost all sense of direction. Amazing

view till the cloud came in and rain started to

pour. Thanks to Rob for leading the ride and

I hope he will have a happy and lasting

relationship with his new Ninga Turtle

waterproof riding gloves that he bought on

E-bay that Saturday evening. Sorry about

the lack of ongoing photos but no one has

an underwater camera.

Things to come, a ride out to the seaside

led by Vicky, A trip to the Motor Museum,

possibly attend Weston Beach Race

weekend. Visit to the NEC Show in Nov /

Dec. Most exiting of all is the 2008 plan to

visit the Lemans Moto GP. Thanks go out to

Eric, who is researching and organising the

weekend. It looks as though up to six of the

regular attending members are up for it as

well as a good few people from outside.

Those members that do not attend regular

meetings might now consider the value of

attending.

We were also successful in the sale of

the late Andy Parsons Firestorm. Widow

and purchaser seemed happy and I have

not heard any complaints so far. I myself

have been able to meet the requirements of

the afore mentioned Karen & Rob (Tied the

knot recently) by passing on some hard

luggage for their future touring exploits (it

also lifted the subsidence risk in my garage

and partly financed my winter spanner

project, more of that next time). Who says a

club doesn’t work.

Ian Nie (Alias Ex Mr Grumpy) (for now!)

VVACANCYACANCY - GENERAL- GENERAL SECRETSECRETARARYY

After many years of sterling service, Mark Clargo is unable to continue in the post

of General Secretary and will not be standing for re-election at the AGM this year.

The role of General Secretary is one of the key roles on the Executive Committee,

and I would be very pleased to hear from any member who feels they may be able

to take on this role.

Please call me on 01536 412086 or email me on [email protected]

Andy “Dibble” YoungHonda Owners Club (GB) Chairman


32 AUTUMN 2007

LAKES & COASTSecretary: Mike Bell - 07952 777941

According to the dictionary summer is

“the season after spring and before autumn,

when the weather is warmest.” So this year

has lived up to its own definition as warm it

may have been, wet it certainly was, the

wettest since records began in 1911, so we

are told!

We are lucky here in the Lake District, as

we have very good natural drainage, which

no one has played around with building on a

flood plain. Windermere is the longest

natural waterway, but is linked to the coast

by the country’s shortest river, the Leven. So

even when it has rained, we have sent it all

out to sea within an hour!

If we did a 4 points run to the branch’s

boundary, it would entail a ride out of 265

miles, that is Carlisle to Waberthwaite, down

to Preston, then up the east side to Appleby,

before arriving back in Carlisle. So most

meetings have been right in the middle,

since Windermere is appox 45 miles to all

four of those points!

We held a very good BBQ on the last

weekend in May, before it started raining,

and held another at the end of July, when it

stopped for a few hours. Had a great run up

to Hawick via the A6 and A7, then back

along the side roads to Brampton, Alston,

Hartside, Ullswater, and returning to

Windermere for a Saturday evening BBQ,

when we had a fun fair on the far front lawn.

Dodgem Cars where popular, so was the

Waltzer and Merry Go Round, and some

even went on the bungee ball! Sunday

lunchtime saw another BBQ, this time the

Red Arrows did a fly past right over us, and

then we had the new Eurofighter doing its

stuff, both slow and quick, but it was very

loud. Paula through I had also organised the

Chippendales – 4 very fit, young men in

Police uniforms arrived, started to strip off,

and sat down for lunch. 1st time I heard her

quiet for more than 5 minutes! Actually it was

my son and the rest of the duty shift stopping

for lunch, as the village was gridlocked

because of the Red Arrows display.

Also had an afternoon tea party, but Mike

and I forget to tell the rest of the branch,

even if we now 50% on email – Sorry, you

missed a great afternoon of Tea and Cakes.

Mike also did a trip up to Scotland for a

few days, but forgot to tell me until he got

back, so we must schedule it for next year.

Tried to meet the Manchester branch at

South Lakes Animal Park, but we seemed to

have missed them. Hope to meet them in

October at Rabys Castle.

Apart from that, we haven’t done much,

because it just won’t stop raining. Not that

we object to riding in the wet stuff, but all the

views disappear behind the clouds, so if you

can’t see the magnificent countryside that is

“The Most Corner of England,” what’s the

point of going out anyway! That’s my

excuse, I’m sticking to it!!

Hope to see you soon

Peter & Mike


AUTUMN 2007 33

Secretary: Karen Angela - 01624 629299MANX OFFSHORE

Hi M.O.B. reporting in, sorry we missed

the last edition, I know we had twelve

months warning but T.T. still hit before we

were ready. I have to say it was a once in a

lifetime experience and I would not have

missed it for the world, although by

Thursday of race week we were flagging

somewhat.

It was like T.T. and M.G.P. all rolled into

one this year, all over the Island there were

vintage bikes rallying as only they know

how, criss crossing all the modern biking

events. As John is in the vintage lot, we

tagged onto a couple of their runs, even

taking homemade lemonade and nibbles on

the Lieutenant Governors lawn where he

gave a very nice speech on behalf of Her

Majesty and we all had our picture taken

with him (very cheesy). The other non race

event we attended was the all makes Bike

show at Laxey organised by our local club,

The Moddy-Dhoo. This was very well

organised and attended with every

conceivable type of bike, trike and sidecar

on show to the public.

The whole week truly was an autograph

hunters paradise with countless racing stars

past and present easily accessible in the

pits and paddock. From current fastest man

John McGuinness (Honda mounted of

course) right back to Geoff Duke and John

Surtees. Those of you who were here know

how great it was, those who weren’t missed

a fabulous, never to be repeated historical

occasion.

July was quieter as we enjoyed what

passed for summer this year and all too

soon August brought the Manx Grand Prix.

This nearly didn’t happen at all as an acute

shortage of marshals threatened to force it

to be abandoned. This was caused largely

by new ACU ruling meaning marshals have

to retire at 70. Several top TT riders

including John McGuinness volunteered,

and coupled with desperate recruiting calls

for help on local Radio, saved the day, only

the weather caused some delays. Next year

we are considering offering reduced rates

for guests who do marshalling, more details

in the next Golden Wing. We did all the

practice sessions and race days this year

and had a great time, well worth the effort

as you become part of the event, not just a

spectator.

The M.G.P. is very different from the TT,

much more Johns forte, as his youngest

bike was 30 this year, (yes the BMW) The

different classes including classics attract

many more visitors on old bikes and this

year the Vincent Owners Club were very

prominent and managed to get a parade lap

on closed roads all to themselves. Over two

hundred Vincent twins and singles all

together being used as the makers

intended, ie hard, makes an impressive

sight (and sound). The Norton Owners also

held their International rally here so Nortons

were everywhere you looked, how about a

Honda International rally next year.

Speaking of Hondas, my CB250N was 15

years old on the glorious twelfth, a classic at

last! (John says its just old! He’ll be sorry,

very very sorry).

By the time you read this the National

rally will have come and gone, sorry we

can’t make it this year, but as you can see

things have been rather hectic and we

wouldn’t have had it any other way, don’t

forget, the kettle’s always on.

This is M.O.B. signing off, be safe, be

happy.

Karen & John.


34 AUTUMN 2007

N.E.S.SSecretary: Pete Farnham 07931 906394

As I write this article, the sun is out for

the bank holiday Sunday. NESS are on a

ride out and I am stuck at work but at least I

had the empty roads of the early morning

ride-in, except for the pigeons that seem to

wait until till the very last second before

taking off, causing me to duck down to avoid

being hit in the face with one.

Since the last Golden Wing, one lady

biker has contacted me and hopefully we

can get her and friends to come along for a

ride out sometime as the group is ticking

over, just.

The group meetings have had a poor

turn out of late with only five attending in

July and four in August so it is difficult to

organize future rides and I feel that unless

the situation changes, I do not see the

group surviving much longer.

Of the ride outs I have been able to

attend this year, we have had extreme

weather variations. I led a ride from Suffolk

via Essex and in to Cambridgeshire during

the early part of the year. It was a lovely

sunny day but the winds were very strong

which made for some interesting cornering

in Essex. As we got to the Fens, I felt like a

teenager again as I had to tuck my arms

right in and lay over the tank as we did back

then to squeeze a few more mph out of our

mopeds, but this time it was trying to keep

the bike upright in a straight line.

Colin led a ride out but due to the

torrential down pours, we ended up in a cafe

in Felixstowe and after the hundred and

twenty mile round trip, my bike gear seemed

damp for ages after that. John led the ride to

High Beech in Epping recently and the

national news stated that it had been the

hottest day of the year, so the point being

that in this country you need to get

experience in all weather conditions on a

bike as you can never be sure if or when it

may change. So for any new riders that

might read this, it is always nice to ride on

warm sunny days but it is important to see

how your bike feels in different weather

trends.

As someone who does most of my riding

on my own commuting to work and such, it

was a little strange when I went for my first

group ride with NESS as some of them had

been riding together for years and as the

new boy (so to speak) I felt that I had to ride

a bit harder than I perhaps would have done

had I been on my own, so as not to let the

group down. This way of riding was ok on

the whole until one day I was following the

lead rider on an identical bike to my own,

and as we went into a left hand bend I got it

wrong so had to stand the bike up and

brake, which then caused the rider behind

me to have to react to my mistake. Because

of that one mistake which scared me, I did

not enjoy the rest of the ride and nearly

packed in my group membership but

because of the friendship within the group

and an email from that lead rider showing

concern, I am happy to say that I stayed.

The important lesson I learned from that

near miss was that there are riders of

varying abilities even if riding the same

machinery so only ride to your own level of

confidence and don’t try to keep up if it

means riding outside of your comfort zone.

The rider in front will be checking their

mirrors and if you get too far back they will

be aware and will slow up at some point

before any turn offs. So just enjoy the ride at

the pace that is safe for your ability as the

whole point of the group ride is for the fun

with a group of friends.

Regards

Pete


36 AUTUMN 2007

The highlight of our social calendar (after

the weekly meetings), has to be our annual

group ride to France and back. A one day

jaunt to see Johnny Foreigner in his natural

surroundings and marvel at how such

dreadful people can have such nice roads

attracts a good response from the North

London group members

Our mid-summer excursion was more

like mid-winter when we set off from

North(ish) London and because of this, and

the previous two weeks’ weather, seriously

cut into our numbers - but in the end we had

close to 20 people invading Calais; and then

on to Boulogne (for café) and Le Touqet (Le

Toupee as one kept calling it) for lunch.

What was particularly irksome was that

soon as our train pulled in to Calais we had

wonderful weather and great riding

conditions we hadn’t experienced since

April.

Le Touquet provided a lovely break –

good food at reasonable cost which was

subsidised by our weekly meeting

subscriptions. After those that wanted to

stretch their legs had had enough, and

those that wanted to make sandcastles had

finished, we headed off for more country

roads and “grown up” fun...

Using a combination of maps and Sat

Navs (that all disagreed with the maps) we

successfully reached our afternoon

destinations but sometimes our group

became 2, 3 or even 4 groups where we’d

only started as one. This is part of the day’s

entertainment and led to extensive

arguments about whose Sat Nav was right

and who wanted to stick with Graham and

his maps – always right but turning up

everywhere as we were ready to leave (only

kidding Graham). One group on the way to

Arras led by Steve K and his Sat Nav, found

themselves stuck in a forest with the route

barred by a substantial “gate” and we had to

wait half an hour before moving off. It would

have been quicker but being so close to

nature, one of our party felt the urge to go

for a wander and look for a “rest room”. If

he’d been a little less embarrassed about

these things he could have gone behind a

bush like everyone else rather than go on a

2 kilometre trek to find some privacy and we

could have got to our tea a bit quicker. Arras

was a pleasant stop-off for an early meal

and (very French) pizzas were devoured

with relish by those that knew good Haute

Cuisine (!).

The final leg of our tour – very well

organised in the main by Mike T –

assisted by Dave (The Plum) and

Steve K (and a big “Thank You” to

them) was hampered by a sudden

downpour resulting in a mad rush for

shelter and our waterproofs. The race

up the motorway to Calais for the train

was difficult; as we were effectively

heading more or less Westwards and

straight into the sun with a wet road

underneath us. Much concentration

was required.

Contact, John Saffer 020 8505 3664 NORTH LONDON

A summers day in North London


AUTUMN 2007 37

Suffice to say that our group did get split

up again just at the train because the

Channel tunnel authorities were more

concerned with their schedule than letting

us go as one group - so we had a forced

split. Anyhow, we all got home safely -

about 18 hours and 375 miles or so after we

set out. Roll on next Summer.

A number of our group undertook a ride

out to the HOC Roast with the Cambridge

and Beds branch by way of some lovely

country lanes in Essex and Herts. where the

Head Boy had been on training sorties with

his Advanced Riders groupYiggy

demonstrated his skill at using the Drop Off

system of route marking - and by the time

we realised we’d lost Graham; we found him

waiting at the end of our first section!

The next stage section

was to the (in) famous

Silver Ball transport

caff on the A10.

(Incidentally don’t ask

for Branston with your

cheese sarnie! If looks

could kill…). From the

caff most of the group

went on to the lunch and

had an entertaining ride all

of which was written about

in great detail and humour

by Steve K on our own

website.

A number of our

group also entered the

East Coast Challenge

in June where they

had to visit a number

of towns in Suffolk in

one day, but despite

having good weather

ran out of daylight and

decided to do it again

later in the year. It was

highly recommended

and we hope a better

attendance next time

will be achieved.

Our regular weekly

meetings are still well attended and new

members continue to come along and we

get on average 10-12 people each week -

sometimes more.

Steve Y. and his wife recently hosted a

barbecue at his house in Historic Waltham

Abbey Town and put on a great display of

food for those that were able to attend mid-

week in poor weather. Well done that man.

We have a small spotlight this issue on

one of our not so junior members: Pete

Berris. Pete is a very keen member and has

been in the group since 1906 when he was

a mere 13 year old. He still rides regularly

and we have a lovely picture of him from the

early 1960’s negotiating a bend whilst

making Good Progress. We

also show a lovely picture of

Pete as he is now. He

recently completed a

Bikesafe course and proves

that you can never know it

all and we all have

something to learn. Pete

also had the unnerving

experience of having his

garage broken into and

two of his bikes nicked

by some local yobbos.

It’s OK though

everyone, one of the

bikes was an MZ and the

other a BMW. THE Honda was safe...

Pete Berris circa 1961

Pete Now


38 AUTUMN 2007

By the time this edition of Golden Wing

is out we will have had about 10 members

participate in a Rider Skills Day run by the

Met. Police, as part of Bikesafe. We will be

heading off early to “The Warren” near

Bromley in Kent for observations and

guidance on how to ride like the coppers

and enjoy it at the same time. Should be

good.

Finally, congratulations go to:

*John for persuading his wife to go

pillion on a bike trip for a few days in the

USA, and for passing his Advance

Motorcycle Test.

*Nikolay for finding his

way from “Somewhere in

France” all the way up to

Helsinki and back to London

before we even got to the

Dartford River Crossing.

(Nikolay has run up about

25,000 miles in the last 18

months since passing his

test)

*Pete for paying for eye

tests for the kids that nicked

his MZ.

*Graham for safely

returning from visiting every

country between here and

Transylvania (to visit his

family) losing only his wallet

containing his bus pass Nectar

card and a second class stamp

with Queen Victoria’s head on it.

*Steve K. for surviving two

“spills” this year - one on a high

powered bike in Docklands with a

big audience of his mates, and one

in the pub when his pint of Stella

nearly landed in his lap...

*Paul W. for completing the day

trip to France and then a trip to

Germany to ride the famous

Nurburgring track which he’d been

looking forward to for some time.

Our diary currently has the

following events coming up – so if

you are in the North/East London

area or affiliated to our group – don’t be a

Stop-at-home “Get on Yer Bike!

Sunday 7th October

Run to Copdock Show, Ipswich

Thursday 18th October

Branch AGM at The Kings Oak

John

Some of the Crew

A selection from display day at Walthamstow


AUTUMN 2007 43


44 AUTUMN 2007

With more and more new members

joining us every week the Northants and

Milton Keynes Branch is growing rapidly. At

this rate we will soon be needing an

extension building on the pub.

Bank Holiday Monday 27th August saw

us run our now annual Charity Auction and

Bike Show.

Although I managed to get free

advertising on BBC Radio Northampton,

Connect FM and Northants 96, I for one

never expected such a huge turnout. There

must have been about 500 bikes turn up as

we filled the car park, the garden and the

road. We had over 120 lots to auction off

including a signed helmet from James

Toseland and signed photo's from Casey

Stoner and Nicky Hayden. Other signed

photo's were of Colin Edwards, Pere Riba,

Shinya Takeishi, Johnny Herbert and an

exclusive one of Nobby Stiles from the

winning world cup team of 1966.

We raised £2700 from the auction and

bucket collection, a third up on last year, and

then, when we thought things could not get

any better, we received an anonymous

donation of £8000 bringing the total to a

massive £10.700 for The Warwickshire and

Northamptonshire Air Ambulance Service.

The Best bike at show went to Mark

Reeves with his beautiful NS400R while

Alan Knight won the worst bike with a

CX500!!! aptly named basket case.

Skipper proved that although he can't

make potatoe salad he's does a mean

burger.

Thanks to all the ladies who baked some

lovely home made cakes and everyone who

kindly donated items and time to make this

a spectacular day.

Now for next year we'll ................

With the good weather of late our

everyotherruns have been very popular with

between 20 and 26 bikes turning for an

evening's bimble about the country roads.

Over a dozen of our members enjoyed

the Sunday dinner run hosted this year by

the Cambridge branch.

Bedford and Cambridge branches have

been invited to our watering hole on 10th

October for an evening of quiz and fish &

chips, the last one was a great success.

November 31st see's us embarking on a

Halloween ride out everyone is most

welcome to join us ride

round some spooky

places each with a

chilling tale behind it.

Ride safe

Sue Beck

NORTHANTS & M.KSecretary: Sue Beck - 07828 200466


AUTUMN 2007 45


46 AUTUMN 2007

NORTHUMBRIASecretary: Graeme Burrough - 07050 158 381

The Northumbria Branch has had a very

active summer this year. As well as the

regular ride outs the branch was in

attendance at two of the regions major

motorcycle events.

The first event we attended was

Bikewise which is an annual event that is

organised by the Durham Police Force. As

always the organisation of Bikewise was

first class and there were between 12,000 ~

14,000 biking enthusiasts in attendance

(official estimates). Considering the event

coincided with the Sunderland Air Show this

was a remarkable success. Our stand was

pitched in the same position as the last two

years; this made our own preparation much

easier as we made improvements on the

previous attendance's (we do strive for

perfection you know!!) The objective for our

attendance were twofold, firstly to promote

HOC (GB) and secondly to recruit new

members for the Northumbria branch. The

interest we received was excellent and

surpassed the interest shown in 2005 and

2006.

The second event that the Northumbria

branch was in attendance was the Whitley

Bay Motorcycle Festival that was held on

the seafront between Whitley Bay and

Tynemouth. This event is new so we have

been in discussions with the organisers

since Feb 2007.

We set up stall on the Thursday evening

in readiness for the Friday, Saturday and up

until 12:00 noon on the Sunday. The main

interest in the club was at a peak on the

Saturday and as with Bikewise we had a lot

of interest and some firm commitments from

motorcyclists wishing to join the

Northumbria branch.

Have a look at the photo of stunt riders

from Whitley Bay Show of (pic 1002) the

only folk in Europe that can ride in a sphere

and at any angle including upside down -

also our stand at the show (pic 0956 &

0957)

Our thanks go out to the members who

gave up their valuable time to support both

of these major events and the club is quietly

confident that our presence at Bikewise and

at the Whitley Bay Motorcycle Festival will

prove positive.

Ride safely,

Mick Brennan. (Treasurer HOC Northumbria)


48 AUTUMN 2007

NORTHUMBRIA RIDE OUT THROUGH

THE BORDERS - SUNDAY 9 SEPT

Arriving as usual at MacDonald's our

regular meeting place, I found a number of

bikes already waiting at 9:30am.. after some

chat, 12 bikes left for a tour through the

Scottish Borders along the stunning

Northumbrian coastal route on way. The

run leader was Keith Madder who

seemingly was pressed into leading at the

last club night meeting. Keith has lead

before and we all knew his ride would be

one of character. At 10 am we all left to

head north and Seahouses would be the

first "pleasure" break for a coffee. The sun

even shone for all of us. If you've never

been to Northumbria and fancy a visit, then

you must ride the Coastal Route - its

perfection from end to end!!

After Seahouses, we headed north past

the infamous and perfectly preserved

Bamburgh Castle (see pic) and on through

Buddle Bay with stunning views over to Holy

Island and Lindisfarne Priory - magic!

Joining the A1 for a short while, heading

over the border in Scotland, we arrived for

lunch at St. Abbs head, a place that's filled

with divers in search of exploring the many

wrecks off the coastal shores. Pulling into

the small car park, it was short on space for

all 12 bikes and Keith Heslop decided to

ride around the corner in search of a space.

His wife Karen returned shouting Keith's fell

off!! We all ran to see what's up, a found

Keith on his bum with one red Blackbird

virtually upside down as the camber was so

severe. Keith emerged a little battered and

bent, the bike righted, damage inspected

and we all reassured him that it was fixable

and crossed over to the cafe for some

lunch.

The road out of the car park is steep and

can catch folk out but we all escaped

without any further issues and set off

towards Coldstream right on the border. A

quick blast down the A697 and another

coffee stop at Millfield's cafe saw the day

almost completed. Good-byes said and it

was off on the last 40 odd miles back home.

A perfect ride on a perfect day meant

everyone enjoyed themselves (Keith is

excluded of course) and thanks to Keith

Madder for another "interesting" day out -

well done

Graham Burrough(Secretary HOC Northumbria)


50 AUTUMN 2007

Well it has

definitely been an

eventful summer

with the major player

in 'events' being the

weather. Just have a

look at the letters

page for an honest

resume of our rally

from our stalwarts

Betty & Jim.

At Oxford we

have enjoyed lots of

excellent ride out's

and activities, some

of which have been

affected by the lack

of summer, but all of

which have been

participated in with great gusto - the saying

that biker's are a hardy bunch is very true of

our members!

We have been lucky with the weather for

our trip to The Shambles olde worlde

village, the evening ride to see the Poole

Harbour display

of bikes and the

trip to Slimbridge

WWT and the

Durlston Castle

Biker Cafe.

Our Summer

Poker Run and

BBQ/Disco was

however rather

blighted by the

weather but

s e v e r a l

bedraggled folk

still did the ride

and then turned

up for the indoor

BBQ and disco

in the evening|

cont.......

Secretary: Erica Gassor - 07799 49 2235

OXFORD


52 AUTUMN 2007

And then there was our Oxford Rally -

which took place amidst the notorious floods

which resulted from the infamous freak

downpour.

Several of those coming to the Rally

where thwarted by the weather and had to

turn back but amazingly some folk got

through with tales of daring (if scary) riding

through flooded roads and various long

winding detours. Wet and cold but

undeterred the Saturday evening BBQ took

place - in sunshine - and the evening

entertainer played the night away whilst

everyone danced with much enthusiasm, if

not talent!!

With the

continuing good

attendance at our

meetings and

several new

faces to welcome

to the throng,

p r e s e n ta t i o n s

from organisations

such as eBike

Insurance and

Nik Wax have

been much

enjoyed.

Those who

went on the

second Oxford

overseas trip, to

the Czech

Republic Motor

GP at Brno, have just returned with tales to

tell of good racing and cheap beer!

With plans afoot for some joint events

with our near neighbouring Branches and

further ride outs etc, our bike year is dashing

by with great haste and lots of fun.

Cheers all

Erica


AUTUMN 2007 53

DOES YOUR BRANCH KNOW YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?

This is so that Branch Secretaries can organise events and rides at the last minute and

inform as many members as possible. These are private lists, and will only be used by the

club. Contacts are below:


54 AUTUMN 2007

It has been business as usual over the

late summer period, if a little more slowly

than usual. Many of our members have

been off rallying with other branches with

Alan and Barbara Peace braving the floods

to be one of the first to turn up at the Oxford

Rally; it would take weather of biblical

proportions to keep Barbara from a rally!

As a branch we had a ride out to the

Honda Festival at Gaydon back in August,

and a good time was had by all. We were

blessed with one of the best days of the

summer, and Dave Irving led us on a very

enjoyable jaunt through the countryside

taking in many little villages and the twisty

roads in between with a half way stop at

Wantage. In fact the day was so pleasant

that on the return journey a majority decided

that as the sun was still up and it was still

nice and warm, they would postpone the

arrival home and detour to take in the

A272….it’s funny how many club runs either

include, or detour to include the A272!

It was at one of our rest stops that we

started discussing the various merits of our

different machines, especially in regards to

longer runs. Fuel tank capacity in particular

was seen as a potential problem on bikes

such as my Fireblade which I have to fill up

every 110 miles or so. It was then that Dave

uttered one of those truisms which beats all

other arguments into submission; “it is

irrelevant what the tank range is, I’ve only

got a fifty mile bladder”.

As far as future events are concerned,

keep an eye on our website or come down

to our bi-weekly meetings at the Rowing

Club in Woolston. At the time of writing we

still have our alternate mid-week

Wednesday night runs to “somewhere nice”,

and we will soon be putting dates in the

diary for our Halloween and Bonfire night

festivities and our Christmas dinner and

party.

If you live in our area and have yet to

come and meet us, please don’t hesitate, we

would love to see you.

Keep it tidy

Tim

SOLENTSecretary -Tim Lee 023 8025 2113

Solent Branch member “Metal Mickey” with his very nice Hornet


56 AUTUMN 2007

Well, what a poor summer it has been,

weather-wise. Luckily, in recent days it has

picked up tremendously and meant we’ve

had more chance to get out and about.

Not that the club has let the weather put

a dampener on the events of the summer.

We’ve still managed several excellent

rideouts, weekends away and a summer

holiday.

There was a very successful weekend

away to North Wales in June, organised by

Wayne Williams. A great time was had by all

and the hotel was superb, by all accounts.

The summer holiday to France had to be

cancelled unfortunately, but as an

alternative, some members went to

Churston, near Brixham for a long weekend.

It was a very enjoyable weekend and an

account of the weekend, written by one of

our members, Karen Vaughan-Jones,

appears later in this issue.

Another cancellation this summer was

our annual barbecue – nothing to do with the

weather this time! Alun and Sonya had

graciously offered to host the barbecue.

Unfortunately, poor Sonya went down with

shingles. Happily, she is well recovered

now and we are hoping to rearrange the

date for some time soon.

Heartfelt congratulations are sent this

summer to Wayne and Carole Williams on

the birth of their new granddaughter,

Sophie. We wish them all the best.

On a different note, I am sad to report

that our chairman, Wayne Williams has

resigned from the post. Wayne has done a

lot of good work for the club since he

became a member and has been a major

force in the organisation of events, rideouts

and parties. The club would like him to

know that they have appreciated the good

things he has done during his time in office

and are saddened by his decision. We all

hope that he and Carole will continue to give

the club their valuable support as members

and would like them to know that they are

still valued as friends.

Until the next time…

Donna Richards

SOUTH WALESSecretary: Donna Richards - 01639 766406

Branch Secretaries:

The deadline for the next Golden Wing is;

1s1st December 200t December 20077

These pages are your advertising space, to let

members who are local to you know the real

benefits of active membership. Tell them what is

happening in your area


58 AUTUMN 2007

Secretary: Keven Ludlam - 0114 281 7193

Honda Festival(Richard, Keven, Carl, Martin,

John and Paul)With the sun shining we had six riders

for the trip down to Honda Festival, even

Carl got his bike out for this one. Richard's

knowledge of twisty roads meant an

entertaining ride down was had by all. Even

with the odd mistake in the buddy system

leading to a little confusion and a bus

driver's lack of judgment forcing a second

lap of a roundabout we all arrived with large

smiles on our faces. With Martin winning 3rd

prize in guess the mileage of the six

Blackbirds, a great day was had by all. So

special thanks to all the organizers of the

festival I’m sure it was a resounding

success.

Skegness (Richard, Ian, Paul and Lisa)

Lisa's 1st 'Ride Out' with the Three

Shires. Due to heavy rain in Leeds the

planned ride out with West Yorkshire was

cancelled so the four of us decided to hit

Skegness for some Fish and Chips...(Lisa

expecting to eat on the 'Sea Front') and to

see the damage caused by the recent fire.

With a little rain on the way down, and a

stop at Lisa's parents caravan for a cup of

tea we headed for Skegness for our dinner.

Once there Paul's CBR overheated spitting

out coolant onto the floor later found a blown

fan fuse (Bit to heavy on the Jet Wash). And

to Lisa's dismay the Fish & chips were in

Flippers cafe on Chip Alley and not the sea

front (Sorry Girl!)

Northants & MK Charity Day(Richard, Brian, Derek, Paul and Lisa)

Another Sunny Day and with 5

Members, Richard again provided the route

which gave everyone a happy smile on our

faces when we arrived at the Ten O'Clock

pub......even with the little old granny

causing an issue on the same roundabout

which caught Richard out only weeks

before. The turn out on arrival was better

than last years with over £10,500 raised by

members of the HOC for The Air

Ambulance....., some of this could have

been helped by Paul's constant bidding on

Items..........

Great Yorkshire Bike Show, (Paul and Lisa)

We went to support West Yorkshire

HOC at the show to find out that they had

decided not to attend due to some issues,

never the less Paul and Lisa had an

enjoyable day, Lisa even got serenaded by

Titan-x (a 6'+ walking Robot).

Classic Japanese Bike ShowTrip down to Lotherton Hall for this

event, mainly because Matin was showing

his CB900 Custom – Richard led the way

again, his knowledge of roads never fails to

amaze us, avoiding motorways to get to a

place 15 miles north of Leeds is an

accomplishment in it’s self. A good event

enjoyed by all who attended.

Along with all these our members have

been busy on Bikesafe Courses and

meeting other branches. Taking into

account the poor weather of late the Three

Shires have had a busy last few months with

great prospects ahead.

On a personal noted I would like to thank

everyone who has shown understanding,

care and concern towards both my wife and

I in our recent “set back”. Jill is doing OK at

present and is hopeful of a full recovery, the

next few months will tell.

That’s all for now....Keep smillin’

Keven

THREE SHIRES


AUTUMN 2007 59

WEST LONDONSecretary: Steve Hill - 020 8291 5263

Well, what a summer it was with all the

rain! We only managed to get out on a few

weekends, but those we did manage were

very enjoyable for all.

On Sunday the 15thy July we took a trip

to the Army display at Aldershot. There was

plenty to do and take part in, and lots of

stands. The Army displays and music in

particular caught our attention, and although

the weather was overcast we did manage to

stay dry.

On the 5th August we decided to take a

trip to the Honda Festival at Gaydon, just off

the M40. It was a change for us; having

been responsible for organizing the HOC

Open day for the last five years, with the

help of Jude and the branch of course, it

was nice to be able to pass the reins to

Mark, Erica and the crowd from Oxford.

I was asked to look after the CBR 20th

anniversary competition, and I have to say I

had a great day with some great weather to

boot. Here’s looking forward to next year

Mark!

On August the 11th & 12th, we had a

long weekend away at Cheddar Gorge, and

ended up just the other side of Minehead.

All this was due to the lack of Bed and

Breakfast available because of a weekend

beer festival. We actually ended up in a little

place called Polock, but there were plenty of

pubs and other places to visit.

The weather had changed for the better,

and we had an excellent ride down on the

Friday. On the Saturday, we stayed at a

place called “The Cottage” and spent the

day taking a veteran train journey on twenty

miles section of restored track between

Minehead & Taunton.

On the Sunday we went to Wookey Hole

and caves, which for me was overdue. I had

previously visited some fifteen years ago,

and we enjoyed a stay of around five hours

before wending our way homewards. With

luck, the good weather might be here to stay

awhile.

Steve & Maureen

Do you provide products

or services for bikers?

Have you thought about an

advert in Golden Wing?

For details of all

advertising options and

costs, please contact

Erica Gassor

[email protected]


60 AUTUMN 2007

WEST YORKSHIRESecretary: Big Steve 01274 772970

The West Yorks have a new Home; It's

the Wellington in Bradford and Nigel and

Christine are our hosts. And do they look

after us? Well Nigel is a biker himself and

has Rock nights and Moto GP days; check

out there web site in the links on our site.

Anyway the meetings are going great with

loads turning up for the monthly meeting

(first Monday of the month). We managed to

get four new members at the Pyeratz Open

Day and had a lot of people coming to the

stand and chatting.

The runs are well supported when it’s

dry and we have had some very good ones

this year, again all

details are on the web

site.

By the time you read

this we will have been to

the National Rally and if

previous years are

anything to go by we will

have had a great time; I

hope our run on the

Sunday goes well.

Our day at Gaydon

was great and our thanks go to Erica and all

the organizers at the event. Me and Maria

got to ride a

Goldwing as well

and boy did we

like it.

Check out

the photos of us

at the Pyeratz

Open day and

the September

meeting on our

web site. That's

it, if you haven't

been to a

meeting get

down to one for a

chat and a pint,

we don't bite

(well most of us don't) we now have our own

branch T-shirts and you can get them

through the site.

Big Steve


AUTUMN 2007 61

Down here in deepest Wiltshire, there

have been some major changes to our

branch, since our July AGM.

As a group we have been torn between

continuing to meet at the Bruce Arms, Near

Pewsey or relocating to another pub which

was more central to where members live -

giving more people a chance to come along

to an evening meeting after work, without a

long journey.

Finding a pub with a ‘separate’ room is

also not easy these days, but we have

compromised by relocating to the Red Lion

at Avebury, which is already an established

‘biker pub’, which is ‘knee deep’ in bikers

from miles around every Wednesday &

Saturday nights throughout the summer. We

have been lucky in getting our own ‘alcove’,

which they reserve for us on the 2nd

Tuesday of each month.

Our August meeting was well attended

and the change of night from a Thursday to

a Tuesday has also allowed some new

members to attend, so ‘mission

accomplished’ so far.

Like most modern pubs, the Red Lion

does bar food, so another advantage is that

members can come straight from work if

they wish and treat themselves to a bar

meal instead of needing to cook that night.

Another Major change we made at our

AGM was to decide to use a different venue

for our May Rally 2008 – the 3 Magpies at

Sells Green, Near Devizes. This pub has

better facilities than the Bruce Arms, namely

hot showers, bar meals available each

lunchtimes and evenings, plus live music on

both the Friday and Saturday nights over the

Bank Holiday – so stick it in your diary right

NOW and we will guarantee you a great

Bank Holiday Biking weekend!

The 3 Magpies is also situated within

spitting distance of the Kennett & Avon

Canal and allows you take a walk along the

towpath to the historic town of Devizes,

passing up the famous Caen Hill flight of 29

Locks, where you can watch the ‘Bargees’

beavering away, working their narrow boats

up through the locks to travel east through

Devizes and onward towards Hungerford

and Newbury.

Needless to say, we will also be doing

our best to show you some of the best

examples of Wiltshire’s glorious ‘rolling

downs’, on the Saturday and Sunday ride

outs – so if you have not come along to the

Wilts Rally before, (or for some time), next

year will be ‘different’ and will provide a

great ‘kick start’ to the 2008 HOC Rally

season!

Theo

WILTSHIRESecretary: John Theobald 01793 853701


62 AUTUMN 2007

On Friday 3rd August eight individuals

and four bikes set off for Churston in South

Devon, via the scenic route. Two wheels

were certainly an advantage as we carved

through the extended road works outside

Cardiff. After an overcast start the sun

broke through for our arrival in Cheddar, and

we enjoyed the first “Cream Tea” of the

weekend. (Sorry you didn’t have any

strawberries with yours Terry and Lynne,

they were lovely!)

Back on the road we passed numerous

scenic villages. Unlike Vinnie Jones we

sailed through Crapstone, and DID NOT

have to call out the RAC. (Get a Honda

Vinnie!) Our next stop was at a Pub in

Bickleigh where we all enjoyed the views of

the river. This is where Lynne Jacob was

able to alleviate her discomfort. She had

been perched on the back of Paul’s

“Fireblade” with very restrictive knee pads.

A quick visit to the Ladies Loo saw said

knee pads assigned to the bin and Lynne

walking normally again

We then headed for Exeter on A roads.

After Exeter a blast down the M5/A380 saw

us arrive, in the sunshine, at Churston Court

Hotel. This is a 12th Century Grade 1 listed

Manor House, full of character with great

food. After depositing our belongings

we headed to the bar for an ice cold

“Magners” or two!

On Saturday we ventured to

Morwellham Quay on the river Tamar in

Cornwell. This is a Victorian copper

mining museum and visitor centre. On

arrival Deryl had to be restrained from

trail riding in a rather “rural” parking

area.

We had a number of interesting

experiences including a train journey

into a copper mine during which Wayne

waxed all nostalgic recalling his day’s

underground.

SOUTH WALES HOCCHURSTON WEEKEND 3RD – 5TH AUGUST, 2007

Pub at Bickleigh

Views of the river


AUTUMN 2007 63

We discovered the art of Coopering and

learned how the Victorians prevented rats

chewing their boots and cockroaches eating

their food. We all swapped our biker gear

for Victorian dress, and as you can see

some of us looked better than others. Of

course, it was Cornish pasties for lunch

which had run out by the time Karen and

Deryl were served. (Thanks to Terry and

Lynne Lloyd for sharing theirs.)

At lunchtime the sun

came out. We left

Morwellham late

afternoon, and ended

the day with the

obligatory fish and chips

in Paignton, followed by

an ice cream and a stroll

along the seafront.

After the full English

on Sunday we made a

futile attempt to burn off

the calories by going for

a walk through the

environs of Churston.

The coastal route home

took us through Torquay

and Dawlish. Another

blast on the M5 found us

back in Cheddar in

scorching sunshine.

Paul’s bladder capacity

was tested to the limit and another “Cream

Tea” was consumed with relish. Lynne

Jacob bought a fetching white T-Shirt to

replace her thermals and Carole “Posh

Spice” Williams secured a Radley handbag.

We had a clear journey home from Cheddar

in what is a rare experience this summer,

sunshine.

An excellent weekend was had by all,

and when I get off this diet I can’t wait to do

it again. I big thank you to Wayne

Williams for the time and effort in

planning and executing another

thoroughly enjoyable weekend

break.

Karen Vaughan-Jones

Terry, Wayne, Paul and Deryl

Lynne L, Lynne J, Carole and Karen


64 AUTUMN 2007

OXFORD TRIP TO LE MANS 2007: HOW SIX BECAME THREE

Tuesday the 15th of May, 19.30, and I’m

at Chievely Services waiting for Richard

Lack. One cigar becomes two, there are no

messages on the mobile and I’m meeting

Richard Slater at Portsmouth at 21.00 to

catch a ferry to Le Havre. At 20.00 I give up

and set off, meeting Richard, as arranged,

at the pub outside the terminal. The mobiles

become red hot as we attempt to track the

missing Lack down. He’s at work, got the

days wrong, missed everything, we leave

tickets and instructions, but he’s given up.

Young Matt Peevor from Scotland had also

booked to come but his bike blew up a few

weeks before and he couldn’t come.

It was a grey morning at Le Havre as we

wobble down to Couterne through the

Normandy countryside. The gendarmes

stop us near Argentan because Richard is

doing 116 kms in a 90 limit. He gets a

wigging and we are allowed to continue,

though I was granted a look through the

radar which confirmed the speed. I was not

clockable because I’d passed

the car Richard was overtaking

and was not a clear target. The

lady gendarme was very

attractive but refused to smile.

We pause for coffee at one of

the cheese towns and arrived

just after midday. The cottage

was opened up, the water and

electricity turned on and we had

a coffee while we waited for

Andy Reynolds and Chris

Tempest – Roe to arrive, they

came on an early ferry via

Dover, and text messages

advised us they were en route, though Z750

riding Reynolds can only manage legal

speeds before wind blast affects him. A new

supermarket had sprung up outside

Bagnoles and Richard and I found the less

than 10 item checkout manned by an

attractive English girl, whose boyfriend was

a biker, and who let us through with about

30 items. Andy Reynolds has a cookbook,

’99 Things to do with Mince,’ needless to

say I tried to keep him away from the

cooker, and we had chicken and chorizo.

Thursday was damp so we set off on the

back roads to Fougeres where we had

coffee but found the castle closed. We had

travelled away from the Le Mans direction

but it was early so we found a route and

rode to the circuit. Charlie, a friend from

Team Roberts, sourced some passes for us

so we visited the pits and saw the bikes

which had just been built. Pedrossa’s bikes

next door were being warmed up which was

noisy but we enjoyed it.


AUTUMN 2007 65

On Friday we rode down and watched

practice from the stand above the pits, then

went down the road for an early entrecote

before visiting the Team Roberts hotel for a

beer.

The hotel was in a new

development unknown to Garmin so

we did more laps than Junior did on

the track before I spotted a TR tee shirt

on the pavement and got directions.

We set off for the cottage when it

started raining and I led us into Le

Mans and got hopelessly lost. I

stopped by a couple of rather

attractive girls, out clubbing, to get

directions, they didn’t stop and we

kangarooed along for some way

before they agreed to talk. One spoke

excellent English and the other knew

the way, but we managed to get sorted

and leaving town even found a

petrol station open that took cash.

English credit cards now work in

French pumps which is progress.

Strange things happened on

Saturday morning, I woke to the

sound of a Sprint ST going down

the lane, and not wanting to miss

the breakfast croissants dived

towards the shower. Breakfast

didn’t arrive; the sound was Chris

T-R going home! His son has an

accident a few days after passing

his test and he was away. The

original party of six was now three;

it was getting like Russian roulette,

who was next? Incidentally I only visited the

bakery once, I explained the girl in the shop

was both friendly and attractive, and was

trampled in the rush. Andy Reynolds spoilt

the illusion by pointing out that she had false

teeth. We rode up through the Suisse

Normande to Avranche where we visited the

D Day museum. Coming back via St Lo a

Suzuki overtook us on the by pass making

116 kms look like very small beer, but the

helicopter seemed not too bothered. We

had a table booked in Lassay for supper and

just made it. We were the only diners, when

a couple of cyclists looked at the menu the

door was shut, they were far too thin,

wouldn’t have got past the starters, practical

people the French, one look at Reynolds

and Slater and they could hear the cash

register tinkling.


66 AUTUMN 2007

At last, race day. The

morning was warm and misty

and apart from a small blemish

where I came out of a T junction

and reverted to driving on the left

all went well. A lorry came over

the brow and as I cursed him for

being on my side it all became

clear, my life flashed in front of

me, and normal service was resumed. At

the circuit I decided to demolish my jacket

and removed both the

waterproof and thermal

liners. We joined the

throng sat on the bank by

the campsite opposite the

giant screen, and were

abused when we stood up

to watch the racing, the

locals think that bringing a

seat and watching the

screen is enough. Not for

us, we could have stayed

at home and done that,

anyway Bradley Smith

was doing well and

needed a wave. When he

caught the leading group I

thought he might go further, but he clearly

settled for third and his first podium. One of

my ambitions is to be at a GP where the

national anthem is played, I know the Italian

and Spanish ones too well. The 250’s were

hairy, nothing like a couple of Spaniards

who don’t get on, and then we got to the

Moto GP. The clouds rolled in, Team

Roberts even started Junior on wets. The

race was great, mad Frogs ignoring the lack

of adhesion and zooming into the lead then

the gravel. Valentino being Captain

Cautious and going backwards, Vermulen

winning and Stoner came third. All the time

I was getting wetter and wetter until I was

soaked. We had to give up on the post race

meeting with TR and limp to the bike park.

With waterproofs on in the

jam it was like sitting in a

hot bath, but the rain had

stopped, speeds increased

and hypothermia set in as

we rode back to the

cottage. I lit a cigar and sat

by the log fire after my

shower and warmed up.

We had no mince so Andy

Reynolds cooked his other

signature dish, black

pudding omelette, which

was a triumph. Only then

did he advise us that

Tempest – Roe had been a

chef in a previous

incarnation, he kept that quiet.


AUTUMN 2007 67

Monday was naturally sunny as the GP

had ended, so we went to Sees where

Reynolds wanted to visit a cathedral. It was

locked, most things are in France on

Mondays, so we went for a coffee and then

to the French National Stud where huge

draught horses called

Percherons were bred.

One of the stallions

liked the look of Slater

and was getting a little

excited. The thought

crossed my mind that

locked in a stable with

four hooves, and the

mares in the field, was

only going to lead to

rampant frustration, he

had my sympathy. That

night we rode into

Bagnoles for supper

and were joined by a

party of Brummie bikers, they

were the worst advertisement for

a) bikers, and b) Birmingham, you

could imagine. They even abused

us for having top boxes, we paid

up and left. They behaved like

something you would have seen in

Monty Python 20 years ago, and

which with cheap air travel you

can’t believe still happens, still

they will never get to Brno. Unless

they go to a stag weekend in

Prague and get lost. You would

think with all the technology about

today that something would be

tripped by their tags and ASBO’s

as they try and leave the country.

Tuesday was departure for

Andy Reynolds and after he set off

Richard and I decided to catch the

17.00 home and so we packed

and left. The forecast was poor

but at Le Havre the sun shone and

the crossing was flat, home by

10.30. We had a good trip,

heavily subsidised by the non

arrivals, the lesson to be learned

is take out travel insurance, LD

Lines tickets are non refundable.

Bob Deane


68 AUTUMN 2007

HONDA FESTIVALHONDA FESTIVALThis year the “Focus Machine” for our

Classic Gathering was the CBR600F

introduced in July 1987. It seems hard to

believe that Honda released the first of the

“Pocket Rockets” twenty years ago! So

it was felt that this year we would mark the

arrival of a modern machine for our classic

event.

Erica Gassor had commandeered Mark

Clargo and the Oxford Branch team to

organize and run the event with a little help

from their friends, including the Gold Wing

Owners Club, Pan European Club,

CBR110R Owners Club, Vintage Japanese

Owners Club, Historic Honda Collection,

British Motorcyclist Federation and Institute

of Advanced Motorists

This year we used the “Historic Motor

Museum” at Gaydon just south of Warwick

for this event and it proved to be an ideal

location which we hope to use again. We

also managed to try and keep all the visitors

busy with machine test rides using eight

press fleet machines supplied by Honda. In

the main

c o n f e r e n c e

centre we held

t h r e e

seminars on

Rider Safety,

Visibility and

Honda History

covering the

beginnings of

H o n d a

in t roduc t ion

and the Honda

Owners Club. I

will admit that I

felt my age

when I was

talking about

life with Honda

almost fifty

years ago. So when you think about classic

models you should include some of us older

members as well?

Five hundred Honda owners attended

the event with over three hundred

motorcycles and car owners. This is a good

increase over last year’s event and it was

held, as it was on a perfect summer’s day;

let’s hope that we can have the same for

next year.

We held two separate concours

competitions covering the “CBR Range” and

“Classic” machines. Once again the

standard on the machines entered was very

good. I also found that if you talked to the

owners, you found that their enthusiasm

shone through for the machines that they

had restored and entered, which is all part of

motorcycling. Well done everybody. It was a

great day and I now look forward to next

year’s event.

Dave BartonClassic Secretary

Rob & Joy Monschau with their winning CBR110R on the right


AUTUMN 2007 69

Alan Rutterford with two winning machines

1st CB750 K2 1972 2nd CB550F 1972NSR400 (above)

A 1987 CBR600F which took 3rd

place in the CBR concourse

The RCB1000RR (HRC Engine) that

Ron Haslam won the 1981 British

Superbike Championship on

and a 3 cylinder NS500

CBX 6 (below)


70 AUTUMN 2007

KEEPING IT RUBBER

SIDE DOWN!!

With the racing season coming to a

close once again (doesn't the year go

quickly!) winners and losers are emerging.

Despite valiant efforts, several of last

year's hero's are struggling this year and no

longer in top place with young new comer's

emerging to take the titles.

In BSB it does look as though Honda are

in a win/win situation with either Kiyonari

retaining his title or Rea taking the crown on

his Honda. If Toseland wins the WSB and

with the World Supersport title being held by

Kenan Sofuoglu, a rider with the Hannspree

Ten Kate Honda team, the Honda bikes

have not had a bad year, although they

have been less fortunate in the GP's.

I have to admit to having a lot of

sympathy for Haydon and Pedrosa as they

have fought their way through the year but

then with even the once seemingly

invincible Rossi having problems, no one is

immune from the changing fortunes of bike

racing.

'So near, yet so far' is a thought which

often springs to mind as you watch

championship leaders have technical or tyre

problems or a 'racing incident' as they strive

to win the title and whether you particularly

like a rider or not you cannot help but have

sympathy for those who's efforts have been

thwarted during the year.

Tyre choices and performances have

played a major part in the success or failure

of several riders this year and I am sure the

manufacturers will be working hard during

the closed season to try and overcome the

problems of the year.

Tyre performance and development for

the track are an important part of any

manufacturers development for their

general road tyres and they cannot afford to

be seen to have poor performances

From the rider's point of view also, I am

sure that the 'lottery' of who will ride which

bike during 2008 will also include a lot of

discussion around tyre choices and

compounds.

The Stiggette


AUTUMN 2007 71

CCCCIIIISSSSTTTTRRRRAAAAKKKK

DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?Christmas is here again and so begins the annual search for the perfect present for

your nearest and dearest. As there’s always someone who’s impossible to buy for, this

Christmas there’s a solution that will not only satisfy their inner ‘gadget geek’, but will

provide them with protection for their most prized possession.

CISTRAK is a great interactive vehicle tracking device which allows motorists to

locate their car or bike anywhere in the world using only a mobile phone and without

having to call a monitoring station first. All you need to do is call the device and less than

10 seconds later you’ll receive a text message telling you exactly where your car is!

You can also track your vehicle online - simply log onto www.CISTRAK.co.uk to see

a real time satellite view of your vehicle within moments.

CISTRAK is suitable for all vehicles, including motorbikes and works using a GPS

system which locks onto satellites orbiting the earth to obtain a pinpoint position

worldwide. The GSM system in the CISTRAK then reports the information to a mapping

platform via the internet or to a mobile phone.

So whether you know a dedicated petrol head, someone who’s overly protective of

their bike or someone who’s been known to lose their bike in an unfamiliar town, the

CISTRAK is an ideal present and, unlike other trackers, the device is transferable so

CISTRAK really is for life, not just for Christmas!

CISTRAK is available at £399 fitted plus VAT (SRP) from www.CISTRAK.co.uk and

authorised resellers. Stockists are listed at www.CISTRAK.co.uk.

For further information on CISTRAK or CIS contact;

Ceri-Jane Hackling Helen Lumby

Cerub PR Cerub PR

01494 461784 01494 463992

[email protected] [email protected]

NNNNEEEEWWWW PPPPRRRROOOODDDDUUUUCCCCTTTT NNNNEEEEWWWW SSSSEEEERRRRVVVVIIIICCCCEEEE????

IItt ccoossttss nnootthhiinngg ttoo pprroommoottee yyoouurr nneeww pprroodduucctt ooff

sseerrvviiccee tthhrroouugghh HHOOCCoonnssuummeerr..

PPlleeaassee sseenndd yyoouurr pprreessss rreelleeaassee aanndd pphhoottoo ttoo::

MMaarrkk CCllaarrggoo,, HHOOCCoonnssuummeerr -- GGoollddeenn WWiinngg,,

99 HHeennddrreedd WWaayy,, AAbbiinnggddoonn,, OOxxoonn OOXX1144 22RRNN

or e-mail it to [email protected]

HHOOCCHHOOCCOONNSSUUMMEERROONNSSUUMMEERRCompiled by Mark Clargo - HOConsumer Editor


72 AUTUMN 2007

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF DREMEL®

This Autumn sees Dremel celebrate its Diamond Jubilee with the release of a Limited

Edition Tool Kit set to hit the shelves in September. For 75 years, Dremel has produced

ingenious, award winning tools used in hobby and craft work across the world.

Albert J. Dremel founded Dremel Manufacturing Co. in the US in 1932 – his premier

product being the first electric razor blade sharpener. Over the last 75 years, Dremel

has continued to produce ingenious tools that meet customers’ evolving needs

Albert Dremel held a wide

range of patents: 55 in all. They

included everything from electric

erasers to the first design of the

now standard rotary lawn mower.

Perhaps his greatest invention

ever was a high-speed rotary tool

dubbed the Dremel Moto-Tool.

Compact, lightweight and

incredibly versatile, it was an

instant success with hobby and

craft people who gave it various

nicknames including the "pocket

machine shop" and the "electric

Swiss Army knife."

An alternative to larger, bulky

products, the Dremel Moto-Tool was the ultimate problem solving tool and it put Dremel

Manufacturing Co. on the map. The tool proved so popular and useful that it was

adopted by the army and used during World War II.

Some of Albert’s other inventions included the electric shoe polisher, an electric

screwdriver, a whole line of power sanders and scroll saws, and even an electric fish

scaler. A few of these inventions have survived the test of time, for example, there are

still shoe polishers around everywhere.

As inventive as Albert was, it was nothing compared to the amazing ways people

found to use their rotary tools. Military doctors pioneered techniques to reduce scar

tissue from battle wounds. The Dremel rotary tool was also enlisted as an electric tattoo

remover. Podiatrists have since adopted the tool for use on shoe inserts. Dentists use

it for crafting dentures. It even had a bit part in the movie "Jurassic Park," appearing at

the dig site of actors Sam Neill and Laura Dern !

DDDDRRRREEEEMMMMEEEELLLL


AUTUMN 2007 73

Albert passed away in 1968 and in 1973 Dremel Manufacturing Co. was acquired by

Emerson Electric, which brought additional depth to its management, engineering and

manufacturing. The acquisition allowed the Dremel brand to modernise its

manufacturing process and expand the product portfolio to include a compact table saw

and a multi-use disc/belt sander.

1n 1993 Dremel was purchased by Robert Bosch Tool Corporation joining the ranks

of other industry leading names such as Bosch and Skil. The acquisition was a key

milestone for Dremel as it allowed the brand to spread into Europe for the first time.

Today Dremel products are designed by a dedicated engineering and design team

located in Illinois, USA who continue to add to its rotary tool line with speciality tools.

The success of the Dremel brand comes from a desire to serve professionals,

homeowners, craftspeople and artists alike who use Dremel tools every day around the

world to craft, create, refurbish and so much more.

To that end the Limited Edition Tool Kit launched by Dremel this September

comprises the Dremel 300 Series Multi Tool, the new Multi-Vise, Flex Shaft, getting

started DVD and two accessory cases containing 75 high quality accessories.

Enthusiasts who purchase the Anniversary Kits will be able to take part in a diamond

hunt game with a variety of prizes up for grabs including Grand Prix tickets and Dremel

merchandise.

DDDDRRRREEEEMMMMEEEELLLL


74 AUTUMN 2007

CD 125 BENLY 1982200CC ENGINE

37,000 miles, much loved andused for nine years, largely

idle since I turned 67!Kept in garage, red, classiclines, new battery/tax/MOTTop box & Oxford panniers

(for trips to Scotland,Cornwall etc)

£25001452 527484

MargaretGloucester

MMMMEEMMBBEERRSSEEMMBBEERRSS FFFFRREEEERREEEE AAAADDSSDDSSAdverts must be received by the 1st December for inclusion in the Winter Issue. Email [email protected] to: Golden Wing, Unit 1B & 5B, Kemps Quay Industrial Park, Quayside Road, Southampton SO18 1BZ

FOR SALE

VFR-FV 750March 1997

GreenI am the second owner

since April 1998.12700 miles approx.

Taxed and MOTNew rectifier 2 years ago.

Recent new batteryKept in garage

Honda tool kit and manualDatataggedOld MOT's

Excellent condition.

Has been a second bike andreally is not being used like it

should!

£2000 ono

01489 799946

[email protected]

Hampshire

HONDA SS50 ZE1973, 100 miles on speedobut never used or registered

for the road.This was the training bike

used at Maulden College totrain Honda mechanics.

Owner has passed away, sogood home needed withenthusiast. Price open to

negotiation.

£800 - £1,00001323 485682

Mrs CuttsEastbourne

DEAUVILLE 6502005 Red

Mint conditionvery low mileage.

Owner passed away.In addition the following items;

Xspeed helmet in bagGivi Monokey

Leather boots, size 11.Hein Gericke Gortex Jacket & Trousers

Imara Gortex JacketAllseason Cordura Gortex

trouser.

£4500 ono01604 403091

[email protected]

Anne NicholsonNorthampton


AUTUMN 2007 75

ADS CAN BE POSTED FREE ON THE CLUB WEBSITE AT

www.hoc.org.uk/forum.html

ADVERTISING

IN MEMBERS

FREE ADS

MEMBERS

free all sections

must state

membership number

OTHERS

FOR SALE (BIKES):

£18 1st insertion-

subsequent free

(includes free

membership)

OTHER CATEGORIES:

£3 per insertion

WANTED

WANTED BYENTHUSIAST

CB72/77, CB92,CB175 K4

or Black BomberMust be in good standardorder - call David above

£Waiting01270 841032David Poole (30205)

Cheshire

HONDA MONKEY1974 Z50 J1

Excellent condition, runssvery well, collectors item.

£1,500

01270 841032

David Poole (30205)Cheshire

BMFAFFILIATION

CODE

Would all membersplease note that theBMF affiliation code

for the HOC is

HOC07Y600

REMINDERREMINDERREMINDER

4th November 2007HONDA OWNERS CLUB

AGMDONNINGTON PARK

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

RON HASLAMAND POSSIBLY

BSB CONTENDER

LEON!

CX500 W REGNo tax but loads of test, new

tyres, good condition, lowmiles.

£800

0113 242 489507972 371705

Kevin Hitchings (29837)


Golden Wing - 2007 Autumn

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