Golden Wing - 2007 Summer

Golden Wing Summer 2007.qxp 06/07/2007 21:09

Summer 2007, Volume 45 No. 2

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

Autumn IssueCopy Date 1st September 2007

Published by end of September 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Editor Says . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Kicking Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The View Over the Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Membership Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Classic Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Down Your Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Reports from: Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Eastern,

East Midlands, Manchester, NESS, Northants & MK,

North London, Oxford, Solent, South Wales, Three

Shires, Wilts, West Coast Riders, Varadero.

Racing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Out of Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Soapbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

New Forest Classic Rideout . . . . . . . . . .70

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

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

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

PLACES TO GO & THINGS TO DO

HOC Honda Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Devon & Somerset Camping Weekend .14

Birmingham Branch Camping Weekend 22

East Midlands Poker Run . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Northants Charity Bike Show . . . . . . . . .37

Diary Dates centre pages

HOC Roast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Oxford Rally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

HOC National Rally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

FRONT COVER

The front cover of this issue shows Nigel Taylor from

Oxford Branch putting the Pan through its paces.

Golden Wing Summer 2007.qxp 06/07/2007 21:09

SUMMER 2007 1

BEEN IN TOUCH YET? I have now got an increased email

circulation list for members, which is goodnews. If you want to be a part of this justsend me an email to the address at the top.I will let you know the news as it comes tous regardless of whether you are at abranch or not.

THE GOOD NEWSDebbie Millard is back at home and she

is walking and able to climb the stairs, soDarren is not able to get quiet spaceanywhere. She will be visiting the SolentRally and be staying at the National Rallyand that is just what she has booked so far

MORE GOOD NEWSHonda UK and Honda Insurance are

backing the HOC on their show day at theHeritage Motor Centre on the 5th of August.Another good show of club support from thebig H. Have you booked your tickets yet?With test rides available, auto jumble, shortseminars in the museum, bike safe andcommercial stalls it’s going to be a brilliantday out for all.

EVEN MORE GOOD NEWSWe now have two new branches setting

up and a third being discussed for launchthis summer. The South Bristol and NorthSomerset group are meeting at Highbridge,The Kent branch are starting at Farninghamjust off the M25 so all you Kent and SouthEast London bods have no excuses now.The third hopefully will fulfil my wishes fromlast summer and that is to get aNorfolk/Suffolk branch up and running andwith the backing of Lings motorcycles andsome of their customers we aim to do just

that. Keep an eye on the website for furthernews on that branch.

BETTER NEWS ON THE

FINANCIAL FRONT TOOThanks to even more of you renewing

your membership and the generousdonations from some of our long termmembers we have a balance at the bank,which allows us to support events for themembers. To that end we had another goodshowing at the BMF in May achieving 3rdplace in the club show and making lots ofmembers very welcome with a superbhospitality feature. Well done Cambridge.

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 at the recent managementmeeting it was announced we have justabout covered the stand for the ten days.Anyone wishing to visit and volunteer toassist is still welcome to pop along.

IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TOHEAR

I mentioned above the generousdonations from members. It was especiallygood to hear from Dave Furness at theCambridge branch that he wanted torecognise the excellent times he hadenjoyed through the Cambridge branch bysupporting the HOC with a donation; thankyou Dave. Whenever someone is kindenough to acknowledge the efforts ofothers, we would like to hear about it andnot necessarily because it is wrapped upwith a healthy cheque as in this instance.Once again, our sincere thanks Dave.

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

Golden Wing Summer 2007.qxp 06/07/2007 21:09 Page 1

2 SUMMER 2007

NOW THE NOT SO GOODNEWS

After many years the Teeside branchhas finally folded and this has been apersonal blow for Dave Linden who hasbeen a member for 30 something years andstaffed the branch for many of those years.However due to lack of support frommembers in the area attending the branchand the health of his wife Dave has finallyhad to call it a day. We say thank you toDave and wish him and his wife well.

As for you other Teesiders ‘You didn’tuse it so you lost it’! So do you want tochange that and be active and getyourselves back on the map?

A GENTLE PLEA FROM THEMANAGEMENT

We have spotted and discussed an areaof the club rules and guidelines that couldlead to friction at some branches. The rulesof the club are quite clear and that ismembers will be allowed to take part in anybranches activities and where they areactive members that includes themanagement of that branch. Some of youare lucky enough to have more than onebranch servicing your general area and youhave a choice of where to be most active.We ask that you in the spirit of how theguidelines were meant that you considerusing your influence at the branch you aremost involved with. This so as not to be ofdetriment to those who perhaps do not havesuch benefit of a second nearby branch.

YOUR HELP NEEDEDWe are putting together a calendar for

2008 and the format would be photos fromclub activities and personnel alongside orabove boxes for the dates. Also on thecalendar would be dates of the HOCprimary events and Rallies. So guess whatwe need? Yes we need your photos andmore important the dates of your events for2008.

We need these soon as the idea is to

have the calendar ready for the NEC at thelatest where it will be on sale generally andif anyone wants their own they will beavailable to the members. In the firstinstance Graham Seymour at Bedfordbranch is coordinating this on behalf of themanagement committee. Anything you wishto include can be sent to him forconsideration.

I am going to be at the Honda Festival,the National Rally, hopefully at the ThreeShires and Birmingham CampingWeekends and the HOC Sunday Roast inCambridge. That’s just for starters. Whatare you doing? Will I see you I do hope so

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

�� 07968 810435 � [email protected]

Display Materials Co-ordinatorChris Wright

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

Regalia Co-ordinatorJustin Goddard,

19 Linkfield Avenue,Mountsorrel, Leicester, LE12 7DH

�� 0116 230 3277 � [email protected]

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

SUMMER 2007 3

In the last edition of Golden Wing, I

mentioned that the Caption Competition

would be rested for a while, as the

enthusiasm for it seems to have

diminished.

Since then, it has come to my attention

that a large number of winners did not

receive their prizes, in the main due to the

Regalia Secretary having severe

problems with his email which he has only

recently discovered.

As you will have read in the last issue,

we are currently re-appraising the amount

and type of regalia the club offers, and

how it is made available to members. We

envisage that the range of products will be

reduced, but that their availability will be

enhanced by being able to order via the

club website.

What is evident, is that those who are

waiting for prizes could potentially be

waiting a while longer yet, and we do not

feel this is acceptable. As a result, it was

decided at the recent Management

Committee meeting that winners will be

offered our sincere apologies, and a years

free membership.

If you have won a prize which you

have not received, please email me on

[email protected] or write to me at the

Golden Wing office, and I will compile alist

of names for the Membership Secretary.

To conclude, both myself and the

members of the Executive Committee

would like to offer our sincere apologies

for the delay and disappointment that has

been caused.

TimEditor

CAPTIONCAPTIONCOMPETITIONCOMPETITION


4 SUMMER 2007

EEEEDDIITTOORRDDIITTOORR SSSSAAYYSSAAYYSS ........I thought that by way of a change this

issue, I would take a break from the ongoingsaga with my house, and by way of thanks,which will become evident later, tell youabout the saga of my bike.

As is evident from the picture, which Icontinue to use because it reminds me of“thinner days”, I ride a 2000 Fireblade; ornot, as the case may be. As I reported in aprevious issue, my family grew by theaddition of another son just beforeChristmas, and as a result the bike hasstayed tucked up in the garage, taunting mewith its presence. The taunts would havewon at Easter, with the Solent Branch Eggrun had it not been for the fact that the onlyavailable jacket had shrunk in the cupboard(how does that happen?). However, thebeginning of June heralded the approach ofthe Solent Rally, and there was nothing forit but to make sure the bike was back on theroad in time.

The first stage was to acquire a newjacket; not too expensive of course,because as every fat person knows, theweight gain is only temporary! Looking onthe web, it appeared that J&S might be thepeople and therefore a trip to their localretailer ensued. I was most heartened, as Ihad to come down from the original 6XLoffered by the assistant to a 4XL before Icould find one that wasn’t too big!

Next on the list was the replacement oftyres, to be followed by an MOT and presto,I would be up and rolling again. On theMonday before the rally, I opened up thegarage, with the aim of taking the bike theshort distance to get the tyres changed. Theexisting MOT was still valid, just, and I hadjust renewed the tax so all was good.However, my heart sank, as in dismay Ilooked at the plug from the Optimate lyingforlornly some way from the socket. A turnof the key confirmed the worst, the batterywas very flat. Those who have families willbe very aware of the antics of Mr Nobody,and indeed it would appear that on thisoccasion it was Mr Nobody again who hadunplugged the Optimate (although myyoungest, Ben, did mention that he had

seen the cat inthe garageunattended).

T h ebattery wasput oncharge, andthe plan torenew thet y r e sd e l a y e du n t i lT u e s d a y.By Tuesdaymorning, the batteryhad taken some charge, but nowherenear enough to start and I therefore decideda new battery was needed. I called MalcolmCox in Eastleigh who were due to changethe tyres, and asked it they had batteries instock. “Yes, we’ve got loads, Fireblade2000, no problem…but bring the old onejust in case because there are two types,and we had better make sure it’s the rightone”. Five minutes later I walked throughthe shop door and put the battery on thecounter, to be met immediately with “That’sthe one we haven’t got…we’ll have to orderit for first thing tomorrow.

By this time, time was getting tight. I wasgoing to have to obtain and fit the battery,get the tyres fitted and get in somewhere fora while you wait MOT all before 11 a.m.when I had to be in the office for anappointment I couldn’t avoid. Wednesdayevening I had the Solent Branch meetingand by 6 p.m. on Thursday I was supposedto be in the New Forest helping Barbaraand Alan set up for the rally

On Wednesday, the battery wasobtained and fitted and I had the bike backwith Malcolm Cox by 9.45 a.m. We haddecided earlier that to save having to orderin Pilot Sports, I would try the newBridgestone 014’s, and at £170 for a full setfitted, I wasn’t going to complain; MalcolmCox always have been able to undercut thelocal competition, and with fitting thrown in,they are well worth keeping in mind (call02380 618823).


SUMMER 2007 5

With new tyres fitted, I started ringingaround for an MOT and it seemed thatnobody was going to be able to fit me in.Despondently, I went in to the office in timefor my appointment.

On the way from the car park, I bumpedinto Rob, one of the directors of a companywhose premises are adjacent to ours. Rob,and almost his whole staff are very muchinto bikes, and I therefore recounted my taleof woe. Rob suggested a called DoubleTake Motorcycles, which I had not heard of,but which were located very close to ouroffices. I called, and on learning that it wasRob who had recommended them, theymoved heaven and earth to get me in thatafternoon at 3 p.m.

I arrived at their workshop at the allottedhour, and with new tyres was confident thatthere would be any problems. That was untilthey started checking the head-bearings,when those ominous words “Here mate,you ought to come and look at this” wereuttered. To say that the movement was“notchy” would be an understatement, and itwas evident that there would be no passcertificate issued that afternoon.

Nick and his brother, who run DoubleTake, explained that the earliest they couldfit me in would be the following Tuesday. Iexplained about our rally, and how I really,

really needed the bike for 3 p.m. the nextday, and after a brief conversation, andsome poring over the work book, theyagreed they would get it done for the nextday for me. To say I was relieved andgrateful would be an understatement.

The next day arrived, and I picked thebike up complete with a nice crisp new MOTcertificate, having had the head bearingreplaced. It was at this point that Idiscovered that Nick and his brother hadworked on well into the night to get it done,and for this I will be eternally thankful. Iwould also like to offer my sincere apologiesto their wives who had to shelve whateverplans they had made for the evening. Onething I do know is that apart from recall workand tyres, my bike will be going to DoubleTake Motorcycles whenever it needs someTLC.

Incidentally, the new head bearing andthe 014’s make it feel a completely different(better) bike.

Well that’s it from me for this issue, keepthe articles coming, and please, please,more pictures of members actually ridingtheir bikes for the front cover.

Keep it tidy

Tim

Thanks to all those who entered the Dan Medica competition. I would have

loved to have given a prize to everyone, especially those in medical need,

but there can only be one winner.

Congratulations to Dave Phillips Member No.

23035 from Northampton Branch with:

“ The Gel Store Bike Pad should be mine

because....

I want to pile on the miles rather than

ride miles on the piles”


6 SUMMER 2007

NEW KENT BRANCH

Hi All,

Just a short note to inform you that the

1st meeting of the new Kent branch will be

on Wednesday, 20th June at the Pied Bull,

High Street, Farningham, Kent. The start

time will be approx. 8pm. Meetings will be

on the 3rd Wednesday of the month

thereafter.

Regards

Bill BrownIt is great news that you are trying to get

a Kent branch up and running Bill, if anyonecan do it, you can. Kent has always been adifficult county as there is a huge distancebetween what is effectively South London,and places such as Ramsgate and Dover.We all wish you the best of luck. Ed

CBR600

Hi Tim,

Not sure if you are the right person to

ask, but I was thinking of having a 1987

CBR600 as the display bike for the HOC

stand this year.

We are well into planning the stand this

year, which we hope will feature a number of

improvements and enhancements over

previous years, making it well worth a visit

for members and potential members.

As this is the 20th anniversay of the

CBR600, we thought it would be only fitting

to have one of those original bikes on the

stand.

Do you think you could put the word out

for us and if anyone is interested, get them

to contact me by calling 01244 811244 or

07973 462848, or by email to;

[email protected]

Many thanks

Rona Bell

Hi Rona, from hearing about your plansat the last Management Committee meeting,it does sound as if the stand this year willreally do us proud.

If any member does have one of theoriginal 1987 CBR600’s we would be morethan happy to hear from them. If you areunable to get hold of Rona or Phil, pleasecontact the Golden Wing office and we willbe happy to pass on your details. Ed

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

Kicking BackKicking BackLetters for the next issue need to

arrive by

1st September 2007

E-mail to [email protected]

or post to:

Golden Wing,

Units 1B & 5B

Kemps Quay Industrial Park

Southampton.

SO18 1AD


General Secretary - Mark Clargo

TTTTHHEEHHEE VVVVIIEEWWIIEEWW OOOOVVEERRVVEERR TTHHEETTHHEE BBBBAARRSSAARRSS !!........!!........

Hope you

all got your

dates set in

your diaries

for Sunday

5th August.

The sun

has been

ordered for

the day, the

rain will be

down in

Kent - so

you won't

want to

go to the World

Superbike races at Brands Hatch will you?

No! You, and all your friends, will want to

come to sunny Warwickshire, to the Honda

Festival at the Motor Heritage Centre,

Gaydon, to be precise.

There will be plenty to see and do,

Honda UK will be there with their 2007

demonstration fleet for you to try out (don't

forget your license and a utility bill), there

will be a chance to win a Honda CBR600RR

courtesy of Honda Insurance and

competitions on the De Walt Power Tools

stand.

On display will be a host of Classic

Hondas as well as a celebratory display of

CBRs marking its' 20th anniversary. A mini

auto-jumble will give you the opportunity to

find that elusive Honda part you've spent

years searching for!

Club stands on the day will be displaying

their particular (or is that peculiar!) models

for your perusual, and if you feel the need to

back riders rights you will have the

opportunity to sign up and help the BMF

fighting fund. If you're new to biking, or

maybe feel that your skills need brushing

up, then join the Institute of Advanced

Motorcyclists who will have a stand.

During the day, when you feel a little

peckish, there will be a hog roast and drinks

available outside, or visit the cafe inside the

museum.

If, heaven forebid!, it did decide to

precipitate upon our proceedings, then no

need to worry as there will be seminars

throughout the day under cover in the

conference room discussing Accidents (how

to have them - opps, no, I mean avoiding

them!!), tyres and visibility (I see you - you

see me!).

The Heritage Centre itself reopened in

May after a refurbishment, with the inclusion

of more exciting exhibitions. Over 100 years

of motoring industry heritage will be

celebrated in the brand new exhibition

Making British Cars, using pictures, film and

objects from the Trust collections, many

never seen in public before, the new

displays will trace the history of an industry

that began in the 1890's, reaching a peak in

the years after the Second half of the 20th

century. The exhibition will also show the

change in an industry dominated by

household names such as Austin, Morris,

Rootes and Wolseley to one now dominated

by brands like BMW, Honda, Nissan and

Toyota. No bikes though, oh hum!

Anyway, for £8 a ticket (which will not

only let you have admission to the show, but

have access to the museum as well) a

grand day out is guaranteed!

In the meantime, if I don't see you at the

rallies.

Smooth and safe riding.

Mark

8 SPRING 2007


10 SUMMER 2007

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

Welcome to all our new members

who have joined us recently including

at various shows, such as the BMF 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 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’.

Graham Gull

Membership SecretaryGraham Gull

61 Vicarage RoadWare SG12 7BE

� [email protected]

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MMMMeeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrrsssshhhhiiiippppSSSSeeeeccccrrrreeeettttaaaarrrryyyy,,,,

nnnnooootttt ttttoooo GGGGoooollllddddeeeennnn WWWWiiiinnnngggg....

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CCCCOOOONNNNGGGGRRRRAAAATTTTUUUULLLLAAAATTTTIIIIOOOONNNNSSSS22225555 YYYYEEEEAAAARRRRSSSS

NNNNEEEEWWWW LLLL IIII FFFFEEEE MMMMEEEEMMMMBBBBEEEERRRR

GGGGRRRRAAAAHHHHAAAAMMMM SSSSPPPPIIII LLLLLLLLEEEERRRR

Congratulations to GrahamSpiller of Portsmouth, and

sometime Secretary of SolentBranch, who achieves 25 yearsmembership and qualifies for

honorary membership.


Hunts Motorcycles are racing to the top in

the UK Dealer list;

We are getting stronger every season by

offering a complete range of packages for the

beginner through to the professional rider.

As well as offering a huge range of new

and pre-owned bikes, we offer excellent

servicing with a collection and delivery option.

Our parts and accessories are available in

store or via mail order.

We offer the whole range of 2007 Hondas,

with most models now in stock for a quick and

immediate delivery. We welcome part

exchange, and the best part exchange bikes

are fully serviced and checked and then

made available to those looking for a pre-

owned bargain.

Visit our web site at:-

www.huntsmotorcycles.co.uk

for a taster of what we have available.

In addition to the above, we are able to

offer rider training, and include CBT training

with the purchase of every new 125.

At Hunts our aim is to always be here to

offer you the best deals throughout your

biking years.

Let’s look forward to a great biking year.

A big thank you to all our existing

customers for their support, log on or call in

for all our latest news.

Best regards,

John BrownDirector - Hunts Motorcycles

HUNTS MOTORCYCLES


Devon and Somerset H.O.C. Weekend

SOUTH BAY HOLIDAY PARK,

BRIXHAM, TORBAY, DEVON

12th, 13th, 14th 15th, October 2007

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 August 31st 2007

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU


16 SUMMER 2007

The last machines covered in classiccorner were the CB500F/CB550 rangethat some of us had a lot of fun with inthe 70’s. These machines really weremotorcycles for all occasions, as happytouring as they work on the mad dash towork when late. The last new CB550 wasreleased during 1978, with the next nineyears seeing little change, as Hondamoved their priorities from themiddleweight motorcycle arena toproducing new car models.

However when Honda decided toreclaim the title of innovators, they didso with conviction. Honda decided thatthe time had come to produce a range ofmiddleweight and larger motorcycleswhich could carry a punch with ease,and the CBR600F was going to be themachine to break all the rules.

With an integrated blend ofperformance and rideability unheard ofbefore, the pocket rocket providedsuperbike style balance and lightness.The theme of integration was seenmostly in the fully enclosed full fairingwhich aimed to integrate the rider withthe bike. The super smooth mirror finishbeing rumoured to cut down on drag andwind resistance.

CBR600F

1987


SUMMER 2007 17

The Honda engine remains one ofthe narrowest in-line fours on themarket, where performance isenhanced by slimming, trimming andreducing the frictional moving mass.This gives the engine lightening quickresponse, with an increased rev rangeand increased torque. For example, theCB550F weighed in at 191Kg andproduced 48 bhp @ 9,000 rpm whereasthe first CBR600F was 9Kg lighter butproduced 85 bhp @ 11,000 rpm. Withthe CBR600F, Honda really were givingnotice that they were serious about thepocket rocket market.

The construction of the bike was asrevolutionary as the engine and fairing.With the engine fitting into a box sectionwrap-around frame, Honda were able toensure torsional rigidity and strengthwhilst keeping the whole package aslight as possible.

The suspension was handled by37mm front forks with Honda TRAC anti-dive system, with the rear suspensionbeing progressive pro-link. This was aset up which gave increased stabilityregardless of the roads which werebeing ridden.

The braking system was disc allround, with lightweight dual pistoncallipers. The front units were fitted withsintered metal pads, suitable forhandling the 85 bhp on tap.

Since its initial launch in 1987, theCBR600 has changed much, and thecurrent top of the range CBR600 RRoffers truly breath-taking performance,and is to many the ultimate track daybike. However, the original design remitis as relevant today as it was in 1987,and the CBR600 is and was amiddleweight machine with superbikeperformance, as happy carrying a riderand passenger and their campingequipment across Europe, as it isscratching down the back lanes on aSunday ride out or dealing with he dailytrek to and from work. cont........


18 SUMMER 2007

As mentioned by Rona in the letters

page, we would love to be able to

have one of the first 1987, or

possibly 1988 models on our stand

at the NEC this Autumn.

So, if you have a machine

available, or know somebody

who might, please contact Rona

of Phil Bell by calling

01244 811244 or

07973 462848

or by email to

[email protected]

Let the Good Times Roll

Dave BartonClassic Secretary


20 SUMMER 2007

DDDDOOWWNNOOWWNN YYYYOOUURROOUURR WWWWAAYYAAYYReports from the Branches

Firstly my apologies for completely

forgetting the copy date for the spring issue

of the Golden Wing and not submitting a

report from Beds branch. Unfortunately

there are times when work has to come first

(much as I resent it)!

Considering the appalling weather our

rally did quite well over the 2nd May bank

holiday. Thanks mainly to the stalwarts on

the rally scene who refuse to let torrential

rain, flooding etc, etc, spoil a good weekend.

Luckily the rain held off for the Saturday run

(20+ bikes) and the BBQ, and started in the

evening whilst the band was on. All probably

luckily for me as the shower unit delivered

for the weekend did not work, so if it had

been hot and sticky………….. (I shudder to

think!) Sunday we gave up on doing a bike

run and went to the local motor museum at

Lower Stondon by car. Worth a look if you

are in the area.

This followed a damp end to the Wilts

rally when we had to put away a wet tent in

torrential rain having got sunburn on the

Sunday playing crochet! (A vicious and

aggressive game I can tell you! As a crochet

virgin I thought this was a game for

gentlefolk. Suffice to say I will be bringing a

pickaxe handle to the next match!)

Hopefully June will bring us sunshine for

the Solent rally weekend. Must find my

shorts!

Back at home, branch domestics have

been pre-occupied with discussion on

changing the venue for our Wednesday

evening meets. Voting takes place in June,

so by July we will know if we are to remain

at The Chequers in Streatley, or moving to

The Griffin at Toddington. As the vote will not

be known until after the publication of this

issue of the Golden Wing, I would

recommend that any potential visitors ring

me first, although the two pubs are only 3 or

4 miles apart, so it’s easy enough to put your

head around the door to see what’s what!

We have several runs planned, are

intending to visit as many of the other

branch rallies as possible, and are looking

forward to the Sunday lunch run with

Northants and Cambs, and, of course, the

national rally in September in Yorkshire.

For those of you that ride in

Bedfordshire, a new website has been

launched by the local joint venture

motorcycling forum, (consisting of Local

authority, highways dept, camera safety

partnership, police, local training

organisations and clubs, HOC, BMF etc) at

www.motorcyclingmatters.org . It’s a good

site and well worth a look. You can join the

forum and have your say on parking, use of

bus lanes and local road conditions

amongst other things.

If you are in the area, pop in and see us,

new blood always welcome!

Graham

BEDFORDSHIRESecretary: Graham Seymour - 01438 357398


SUMMER 2007 21

BIRMINGHAMBranch Contact: Nick Parton - 0121 603 8983

At the time of going to press we had

completed two rideouts with the third only a

few days away.

We got this year off to a flying start with

our first run. 12 bikes assembled for the off

from McDonalds Car park at Bassetts Pole

for our half day ride out to Tittesford

Reservoir in Derbyshire. The weather was

great and we set off up the A38 towards

Lichfield where we picked up another 3

bikes before making our way up through

Derbyshire. It was a great day out, well lead

by Geoff and Jean and I think I can say

enjoyed by all that attended. There are

some cracking roads up that way and the

weather held out to give us a very pleasant

ride.

Our 2nd rideout fell during the greatly

changed weather that we are currently

experiencing as I write this. Obviously a lot

of the membership watched/listened to the

weather forecast the night before the ride

because only 4 of us arrived at the White

Horse in Balsall Common for the ride

through the Cotswolds. A bit disappointing

however the weather never let us down. It

was drizzling as we started out, brightened

a bit in Stratford giving us false hopes

encouraging us to carry on down to The

Broadway where we had a cuppa and a bite

to eat, then as we were mounting up to

come back it hit us with vengeance. Solid

rain all the way back and by the time I

arrived home my clothes were more wet

through than if they had spent all that time in

the washing machine. Never mind, in a

perverse sort of way I still enjoyed being out

on the bike. That’s what its all about.

We’ve been having a reasonable turnout

to our meetings at Sutton Motorcycles as

well although there is always room for

improvement. The attendance on the 2nd

meeting of the

month at The

Gate Pub in

N e t h e r

Whitacre isn’t

as good as it

could be but

hopefully that

will change as

the better

weather and

lighter night

arrive.

cont.......


Last year we had our Christmas Dinner

this year (bit late!) This year Roy has got in

early and we have already provisionally

booked it for the 8th December at the Horse

and Jockey in Bentley, Warwickshire. Roy is

also hoping to organise a skittles evening

shortly at the same venue so that is another

social event well worth looking out for.

By the time you are reading this we will

have had our Youth Hostel Weekend away

in Salisbury. Youth Hostel Weekends have

become a yearly tradition for us and this

years is our 5th. Nick is the organiser and

the success of all the weekends to date

illustrates the hard work and commitment

that he puts in to ensure we have a great

time. So far we have done Lake

Windermere, York, Chester and Cheddar

Gorge.

Well we have some nice runs coming up

so lets have a good turn out and we also

have our camping weekend in July so

hopefully see a lot of none branch members

as well as a good turn out from our own

membership.

Here’s hoping for a change in the

weather to more biker friendly.

It only leaves me to say…

Mount it..Ride it..Enjoy it

Dave Langdon


24 SUMMER 2007

Eastern Branch members have been

enjoying the good biking weather we have

had this year, with runs to the Stafford

Classic Bike Show in April and the BMF

Show in May.

On a personal note, the BMF Show run

was the first time I had been out on a run

with the Eastern branch in 7 years due to

injuries received in an accident in April 2000.

It was so good to be back on two wheels

again and riding along with Martin, Lorrie,

Graham and Sue.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the Honda

Owners Club Tent at the BMF Show and we

appreciate the efforts put in by all those

running the stand for the weekend. The

stand looked very impressive and I was

disappointed to learn it hadn’t won first prize

again this year.

The Lincolnshire Bike Nights are proving

more popular than ever with hundreds of

riders enjoying the Lincolnshire roads and

meeting up at different locations every

Wednesday evening. Phantom Motorcycles

brought along two motorcycles from the

French manufacture Voxan to the Winterton

bike night.

I hope we get more Eastern members

attending the club nights. Any branch is only

as active as its members. If you want to

have your voice heard and make

suggestions for activities please attend the

meetings. If you have difficulty attending

meetings contact me via email from the

Eastern Branch website or on the above

telephone number.

The most important thing is to get out

and ride no matter on what and who ever

you choose to do it with.

Regards

John

Secretary: John Hewson - 01469 560306EASTERN

Voxan ‘Black Magic’


SUMMER 2007 25

BMF HOC Club stand

BMF HOC Club stand

Starting from the Black Bull Inn on

the BMF run

BMF HOC Club stand

Graham at the CBX Owners

stand, Stafford


26 SUMMER 2007

While putting this article together I have

been reviewing our last few newsletters

together with our last Golden Wing

submission. A few things stood out to me,

one is the amount of change that has taken

place; New faces have been appearing at

club nights, joining in club events and

contributing to the club. The weather has

changed from snow & ice to summer sun &

then on to torrential rain. Even the club

venue of ten years has changed (previously

The Royal it is now The Beeches pub on the

Burton road out of Ashby).

Another thing, and one constant for the

club, seems to be the level of club activity; it

seems that however much the weather has

conspired to keep bikes locked away in

garages & sheds our club members’

preference for riding and not polishing has

ensured that there has been plenty to write

about.

If you stay interested long enough you

will read, & see, that for one of our members

this activity included a trip to Africa. If our

branch had a prize for most miles ridden in

one trip I suspect that it would usually be

won by one of our Pan or Blackbird riders,

this quarter’s prize would go to John on his

Varadero though.

One other thing that stood out is how

difficult it is to keep track of our ride outs.

We do have a calendar, and for things like

the Poker run (September) and Rally (July)

this is quite useful. However, many of the

ride outs are arranged at club nights and

never make it into the calendar or the date

has to be re-arranged at short notice, again

often at a club night.

I think the following gives a good flavour

for what our branch has been like over the

last few months.

From our March letter…..

February bought its share of surprises at

EM HOC with a hastily organised trip to

Donnington and a cancelled club night. In

addition the weather provided a surprise for

at least one of our number who somehow

managed to miss all weather forecasts for a

couple of days and so was caught out by

the snow fall early on in the month. He

emerged from work on the evening of

Friday 9th February to be met by a layer of

snow that had blanketed Coventry,

surrounding areas and much of the country

during the afternoon.

The weather wasn’t his only surprise

that evening; so was the reception he

received on arriving home. Given his wife’s

interest in the TV show dancing on ice he

had anticipated a bit of interest and

appreciation of the skills required to

complete his journey home from work on

two wheels. However the judge’s marking

was harsh and the resulting score (which

was accompanied by the advice try harder

next year or else) very low.

To be fair arriving home three and a half

hours late with a limp, a scuffed motorcycle

and no flowers is not the best way to

celebrate your wedding anniversary.

Anyway by the following morning a thaw

had set in and by Saturday evening

conditions had returned to normal (the snow

had melted as well).

From the recent ride outs it seems this is

not an isolated incident as there are a

growing number of our members

developing an unhealthy interest in winter

sports and also heated grips.

Classic Japanese Bikes @

Donnington

Taking up the challenge set by Paul and

followers with their New Year ride out back

in January a group comprising Andy, Martin,

Micky, Paul and Mark arranged a ride over

to Donnington

Secretary: Tim Reardon – 01827 280200EAST MIDLANDS


SUMMER 2007 27

A frosty start which included glistening

road surfaces did not deter this motley crew

from donning thermals, switching on heated

kit and riding over to meet up at the Royal.

A few freezing minutes hanging around

at the Royal provided just enough time to

complete the gathering. Bladders were

emptied and cigarettes stubbed out before

they fired up the motors and braced

themselves for the long(?) Hard(?) ride over

to Donnington (their words not mine).

Arrival at Donnington was almost

immediately followed by either the thawing

of frozen digits around mugs of scalding hot

tea or by the smug grins of those using

heated grips.

Everyone I’ve spoken to enjoyed the

event and is looking forward to doing the

same thing next year. Being a local event

they were not the only EMHOC members

there and Ken and Margaret were spotted

taking in the sights.

The extreme conditions and numbing

cold gradually took effect with the first of the

group to succumb exhibiting very strange

symptoms. He forgot he was on a bike and

proceeded to negotiate the purchase of a

very handy but unwieldy work mat. Having

closed the deal he was then reminded of the

limitations of his chosen mode of transport.

He spent a small amount of time working

out how to secure a 6 ft wide work mat to

the back of a Pan European before

bumping into a neighbour who was easily

persuaded to take it back in their van.

Not to be out done by this worrying

example of impending senility another

member mistook the classic bike show for a

porn show. This lead to the acquisition of a

prop (it grows in water apparently) and

anyone attending the last February club

night will be familiar with the offending

member and how his stage name became

Randy Andy.

Cotswolds

The bright start on the 4th March and

the fine weather of the preceding couple of

days didn’t deter our winter sports club from

organising another event. In fact it also

tempted out an extra couple of bikes

including a BMW. This time the gathering at

the Royal resulted in Martin, Andy, John and

Steve heading out ready to enjoy a pleasant

spring ride down to Oxfordshire.

Twenty minutes later and it was pissing

down all over the group. It got so bad at one

point that one of the bikes not fitted with

floats turned around and headed home. The

gap was soon plugged though because, as

if tempted out by the promise of some wet

riding, Captain turned up and took his place.

Down around Brinklow the group hit

what would have been a problem for a less

resourceful team. A flooded road blocked

their path and, not being certain of the

depth, the winter sports club used their

initiative. Since the water only came half

way up the ducks they reasoned they could

ride through so long as they took it steady. I

think God must favour the stupid because

all the bikes made the crossing and the

riders lived to enjoy the breakfast they

ordered on arrival at their destination.

The journey back was less eventful and

included a stop at Bikers World near

Coleshill. I’m told that arrival back home

that evening was followed by the removal of

skis, floats and other winter riding gear from

the bikes.

From our April Letter….

As most of you will know by now Paul

and Karen had a nasty accident in the week

before the Egg run. Some prat, not content

with using his phone while driving, decided

to carry out a turn in the road. As a result of

this Paul & Karen ended up in Leicester

Royal Infirmary with several broken bones

between them. While they are both out of

hospital now, they are far from fully

recovered. Obviously everyone at the club

was keen to wish them well and a collection

was made at the Egg run with a card,

flowers and a basket of fruit being taken to

them on behalf of the club. We hope to see

them at The Beeches very soon.

Times are changing at East Midlands

HOC; ten years at The Royal ended with a

move to The Beeches.

cont.......


28 SUMMER 2007

Our first club night at this new venue

(Sunday the 8th April) was marked by

exceptionally good weather and it was

probably this which contributed to the

relaxed atmosphere of the evening. The

room we had the use of also helped, while

maybe smaller than at the Royal, it has an

outside side door which smokers were able

to take advantage of.

By overlooking the car park the room

also provided a good view of the bikes

parked up and also of any new arrivals; a

CB400/4 ridden by one Janice. It also

provided advance warning of the not so new

arrivals who had taken advantage of the

bank holiday weather with a hastily

organised ride out over to Wales. Uncurling

himself from the compact and bijoux riding

position of his SP2 one of this number spent

the evening trying to return the circulation to

his wrists and legs.

Leicester Area Egg Collection

by Dave Sansome

Asda Store, Fosse Park, on a chilly but

bright Saturday morning. Geof, Captain and

myself arrive at 9am. We get set up with a

nice steady trade during the morning.

Unfortunately Geoff had to leave earlier

than expected, as his daughter was injured

playing netball. By 1pm we had about 65

Easter eggs and a reasonable amount of

money in the donation bucket. The

afternoon was very different, with fewer

eggs and less money being donated.

Sunday morning saw sleet coming down

as Micky and I were leaving home. This set

the tone for the day, which just got steadily

worse. Fortunately reinforcements arrived

at 1pm in the form of Bev, Paul & Karen

which helped to maintain morale. This

allowed me to give in to my backache and

so when the reinforcements accepted my

sick note I went home to a hot bath and a

rest in a nice warm bed for three hours. Phyl

joined the ranks about 2pm and with the

others stuck out the rain, sleet and bitterly

cold wind.

Over the weekend at Asda, Fosse Park

we had a collection of both cash and eggs

for the Radio Leicester Ruby Rainbows

appeal.

Thank you to all who helped, including

Tim and his wife (new members) who joined

us on Sunday morning and Rambo who

also joined us on both days.

Tomcat (Dave)

1st April Egg Run

Ashby to Coalville

The Beeches car park between 10am &

11am on the 1st April was once again the

start point for East Midlands club’s egg run.

In common with the toy run this event

seems to be a growing success due in no

small part to our in house marketing

department and in particular it’s tireless

director; Martin Hartshorne. These efforts

were particularly impressive because of the

fact that the 1st April was also the date for

the Bottesford egg run. There were

concerns that numbers for our run would be

down, instead numbers actually exceeded

the December toy run.

OK now everyone who was there will

know that this paragraph about growing

numbers needs to be explained. Though

numbers of vehicles with two wheels were

indeed up there were less motorcycles than

at the toy run. Once again responsibility

(blame) for this can be laid at Martin’s door.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the club, and in

anticipation of the day he can no longer

cope with his Pan, Martin has been

cultivating a friendship with the local

Lambretta owners club and many of the

“bikes” on the run were in fact scooters.

I’m not sure if this is a recent interest or

if he has always been a closet scooter boy

and is just coming to terms with it. Either

way I am now anticipating a for sale advert

in the sale and wants section for an Eddie

Cochrane and Gene Vincent record

collection and a want advert for anything by

The Who or The Jam.

Anyway back on the run and things went

reasonably well......


SUMMER 2007 29

One wrong turn by a small group was

spotted by Captain and quickly corrected

and two scooters failed to finish the run.

As usual the run was rounded off for

most of us with a cup of tea and a thank you

from the Marlene Reid representatives. The

collection that was held for Paul & Karen

afterwards received a lot of support from all

including the scooter club.

From our May Letter….

15th April – Crich Tramway

Paul Murray led this ride out up into the

peak district on his CBR 600. I was unable

to attend this ride and so was looking

forward to hearing how it went; was it well

attended, was it a good route and

destination and anything else of interest that

may have happened. All I managed to get

from a slightly sheepish Paul is that he was

taking it steady, that he is still running in his

ten year old CBR, he’s not sure about the

tyres and brakes etc. I understand that a

thirty year old CB400/4 which over took him

while being well ridden by a girl may have

prompted this stream of unsolicited

excuses?

Anyway, I understand that the

weather held out for the group and that it

was a successful day. Richard and Cathy

confirmed that they enjoyed the day,

being only slightly marred as it was by a

blackbird riding lunatic who developed an

unnatural attachment to the Tram’s bell

and was nearly kicked off.

20th to 23rd April-Butlins Skegness

Thanks to Rita for the write up

As it was slightly later in the year than

usual the weather was not it’s normal wet

and windy self, as three bikes set off from

Mickleover to meet up with the others and

form the Motley Crew.

Friday night kicked off with the very

talented Zee Zee Stop in Reds Bar followed

by the ever versatile Steve Forengo.

Saturday night saw us singing along to

James Toseland and his band Crash

followed by a surprising good Alvin Stardust.

Fancy dress as usual was the order of the

day and the standard was as high as ever

with just about every kind of fancy dress you

could think of.

Here’s Borat at the bar (not one of ours)

and below James Towsland centre stage

Yes the photo is the right way up!

Here’s a

compilation of the

motlry crew.

The weekend was finished off on

Sunday night with Mercury (a Queen tribute

band) and MudII (with most of the original

members of Mud) playing, amongst others,

the old favourite Tiger Feet.

A good weekend was had by all and we

will all be going again next year.


30 SUMMER 2007

29th April – Stafford Show

This is a twice yearly event and is

becoming a regular feature in the club’s

calendar thanks to Micky Maw, who usually

organises and leads it. For this show

however Micky and Phyl were off in the

Dominican Republic and so Micky passed

the baton to me, asking if I would lead the

run.

As befits someone with a Military and

logistics background Micky’s runs are well

planned, everybody is briefed on the route

and clear instructions are provided should

people get lost during the day. It will come

as no surprise to anyone who attended the

ride out that I possess neither a military

background nor any logistical experience

whatsoever.

As I left the house (late) that morning to

find a petrol station that was open and find

a cash point that worked I reflected, & not

for the last time that day, on our different

backgrounds and experience. Apparently I

had arranged that we meet up at the

Beeches at 9am with a view to leaving at

9.30am. My arrival at about 9.20am meant I

was the last person to turn up for the ride

out that I was to lead.

The potential for disaster arising out of

this tardiness and disorganisation was

partially offset by a discreet prompt from

Captain who suggested that it might be

good if he, as back marker, knew the route

I planned to take. This meant that as we

fired up our bikes for the ride from Ashby to

Stafford I was fairly confident that at least

two of the eight bikes (and nine people)

would arrive at Stafford.

All bikes did make it to Stafford

uneventfully, although it did take us two

attempts to rendezvous in the same car

park. Fortunately no one seemed to notice,

especially not Andy, & we were soon off

exploring the show.

The variety of makes and models,

coupled with the quality of some of the bikes

on display prompted much nostalgia and a

few fond memories for first bikes. However,

these weren’t the emotions experienced as

we passed the stand for Enfield Bullets and

sidecars so despite the comfortable riding

position Mark thought he’d stick with his

SP2.

We visited the Hesketh stand and were

rewarded with cups of tea and biscuits by

Les and Diane. This was the third

refreshment stop of the day for some of the

party, each one resulting in a game of hide

and seek as the previously mentioned

disorganisation manifest itself.

Once again Captain had quietly and

discreetly salvaged the situation by

suggesting a time to rendezvous back at the

bikes and so all but one of us met up for the

ride home.

Tim

A small comfortable Gite in rural south westFrance. Easy 5 hour run from Caen, Le Havre

or Dieppe ferry ports, less from St Malo.

Secure undercover bike parking. 10% discount high season 15% at other times

for H.O.C. members

For full details see;www.holiday-rentals.co.uk property 16575 or

Email [email protected]

or call 0033 5 49 57 03 11mobile 0033 6 76 19 84 32.

GITE - SW FRANCE


32 SUMMER 2007

Hi to all,

Half way through the year and half way

through our rides calendar, we have had

some brilliant rides so far this year and to

some new and interesting places, such as

Moreton Corbett Castle, South Lakes Wild

Animal Park and Hawkstone Follies.

The latter was an excellent and very

interesting place, full of caves, narrow

gorges and bridges with quaint nooks and

crannies hidden around the place. Not

somewhere for the infirm though as you

have to allow three hours for the full walk

and can it be quite strenuous in parts,

although that might just be me, but more

than worth the visit.

The eight day Easter trip to Normandy

and on to Lorient went very well although it

ended up as being just me and my wife

Susan as due to other commitments the

members who had been keen could not

make it. This was a real shame as the

weather could not have been better, 24

degrees plus with long sunny days bar one

wet morning. Subsequently it made

exploring the area’s and battle sites easy

and interesting. It was not all WWII we did

get to see places such as Bayeux, with it’s

famous Tapestry, Cerisy-le-Foret and le

Mont-St-Michel, built on an outcrop in the

bay with fabulous rolling mist’s that come off

the sea and roll over it’s wall’s and buildings.

The accommodation in each of the

places we stayed was excellent and

welcomed bikes. One place we stayed

which I must mention as it was such a

fabulous place to stay in a wonderfull area

was a B & B called La Tringale.

This is run by an English couple called

Ron & Bunty and the web site address is,

www.normandyvacations.com If anyone out

there is looking for somewhere to stay in

France in that area I strongly recommend

that you give them a try and it’s very biker

friendly.

We still have another weekend trip to

Aberystwith on the 23rd and 24th of June,

Judy has organised this run and it’s a sell

out. We also have the trip to the Algarve in

September coming up and at the time of this

report a place has become available as

Mark has had to drop out as he has a

wedding to pay for.

One of our members, Peter (Pan) has

become the official test ride organiser and

chaperone for our main Honda dealer Hunts

and as a result has the arduous task of

having to have a new Pan European

every six months, it’s a dirty job but

someone has to do it.

A few other members have got new

machines, John has got himself a very

nice Repsol Fireblade and replaced his

VFR with an FJR. Phil on the other

hand is contemplating selling his K1

(BMW) and possibly his new KTM

Adventurer and looking at a Blackbird.

MANCHESTERSecretary: Stephen Davenport - 07970 729384


Well that’s our first six months of 2007

covered and the sun is back and strong as

I write this so it’s looking good for the

summer for all on two wheels. We have had

regularly in excess of twenty attendees on

our ride out’s, mostly riders, but we do have

pillions who come along repeatedly to join

in the fun and our meetings are well

attended. So it pleases me to say that we

must be doing something right, either that

or it’s something in the water up here. We

hope all the other branches are doing well

and wish you all the best.

Till our next report, keep it rubber side

down.

Steve Davenport


34 SUMMER 2007

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

What a gorgeous April we have had and

the amount of bikes on the road due to the

good weather is encouraging.

At last we have had our late Christmas

dinner at the George in Hintlesham and

thirteen members attended. The food and

service was excellent and I would like to

thank Stud and Pam for organising

everything.

We recently had a ride out to

Sandringham for lunch and then some of

the group went on to Hunstanton which was

swamped with bikes even in the coach park

as the weather was great and we all had a

good day out.

We have had two new members join the

group recently so welcome to the group and

any ideas concerning the club are welcome.

Any lady bikers out there in our area

please come along as we now have one

Lady Rider but would like more to support

her and balance the numbers .Contact me if

you want to know more about our group.

The popular choice of Honda within our

group is the CBF1000 as Stud and John

have swapped their Pans for these bikes. I

recently test rode the NTV700 Deauville to

compare with my old one I had before the

Pan and I liked it as I always rated the old

one but went up to the Pan for more power

at the time so I would not rule this bike out

as a possible for the future.

Last Saturday was the BMF show and it

did not get washed out for a change.

Compliments to all involved in the Honda

Owners Club tent for a relaxed cuppa and

the usual friendly camaraderie as always

within the club.

The highlight of the show for my wife

was James Toseland as he is always a very

likeable young man who makes time for his

fans despite the huge pressure he must

have on his shoulders at present as they

head for the Silverstone round of world

superbikes.My wife got her picture taken

with him and he signed her JT cap so she

was made up for the rest of the day and

would like him for a toy boy but I think she

will have to join the queue with the rest of

the ladies.

Regards

Pete

Branch Secretaries:

The deadline for the next Golden Wing is;

1s1st Sept Septtember 200ember 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


36 SUMMER 2007

Well here goes for my first report as thenew branch secretary.

Things have been less than quiet in thebranch. Brian Dunn suffered a heart attackin March but we are pleased to report he isnow fully recovered and back on the road.

My man Dan finally got the go aheadfrom the docs to ride again following hisaccident last August. He's much easier tolive with now he can go out and play.

On the 11th April we held the first of ourEveryotheruns, as usual to StibbingtonDiner. Over twenty bikes turned up for anenjoyable and somewhat mystery tour ledby Stritchy.

A month later and twenty three of usheaded off over the water for a weeksholiday in Lavacherie, Southern Belguim.Although the weather was less than kind tous (yep, it rained every day) we still had agreat time. The Chateau, Le BlancheVignerie situated in this small village boastsan indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna, andprovided us with a comfortable base toreturn to after a day exploring the area.

Some of the gang ventured over to Trierin Germany for the day and ended up in ashop selling interesting toys, enough said onthat one.

Another day, and the girls headed off toa chocolatefactory, yum yum.A n y o n eholidaying in thisarea must visit aquaint restaurantcalled L'Enclosde Frenes inSainte Ode. Aswell as servingdelicious BelgianFood it boasts aninteresting organ!

Unfortunate ofthe week must be

Jeff (GB) who dropped his bike at DoverDocks before we had even left England,unpacked his gear at the Chateau and foundhe had not packed any underwear, then onthe way home all his luggage partedcompany with his bike whilst on a BelgianMotorway. Safely recovered we returnedhome.

We welcome several new members tothe fold, seems like we have more turn upevery week now.

A reminder that we are holding our nowannual charity event on Bank HolidayMonday August 27th at The 10 O'Clock pubin Little Harrowden. We are in need ofanything we can auction off or use as raffleprizes to raise money for The Air AmbulanceService.

The day promises to great fun with abike show (best and worse bikes) FREEBBQ and homemade cakes plus other sideentertainment. This promises to be a day forthe whole family. The day kicks off at 1pm soplease support us.

Well that's all for now.

Ride safe

Sue Beck

NORTHANTS & M.KSecretary: Sue Beck - 077917 42880


SUMMER 2007 43


44 SUMMER 2007

Since the last missive from the North

London group we have increased our

membership base and are regularly getting

at least 10-12 regular attendees at our

weekly meetings in the heart of Epping

Forest.

Since the weather started to improve

back in April we set off mob handed to the

famous “Ace Café“ (North London venue in

case you didn’t know) for a breakfast meet-

up before trundling off to Cheltenham for a

Bikesafe Day organised by the

Gloucestershire Police Force.

Apart from losing the

secretary on the way (don’t

worry we found him later) the

journey down there went

without incident. A very bright

but blustery day was had by

all - and some of the braver

members had their riding

style assessed by the Police

experts. Nobody received

any endorsements and

positive feedback was

returned.

As a result, one of our newer members

decided after a fair number of years riding,

to enrol on an advanced riding course with

the local (to Epping Forest that is) RoSPA

groups to enhance his skills.

As we mentioned before we already

have three of our group under IAM courses

with one already in the frame for his test in

the next few weeks. We wish him the very

best of luck.

Our journey home from Cheltenham was

almost as entertaining as our time there with

some good, clear, open roads

and plenty of opportunities for

losing various crew members

too. Our new group T-Shirts

were unfolded “en-masse” for

the first time as you can see

from our attached photo. The

“Monkeys of High Beach” (as

named by our resident

webmaster) are well and truly

on the fashion map!

Contact, John Saffer 020 8505 3664 NORTH LONDON


SUMMER 2007 45

A group of us had planned to participate

in the ACU National rally in June but

disappointingly have just heard that the

event is now cancelled due to general lack

of participants. This is going to cause a lot of

grief here to those that wanted to see the

Underwater exploits of the famous “Mick

Cousteau” and his amazing (literally) “Go

anywhere BMW GS 1500”. It’s a real shame

– the water wings were ready to be

presented to him in advance of the 2007

rally. Such a pity for us and many hundreds

of other would-be entrants. But we got our

cheques back and a nice shiny yellow

badge so it’s not all bad news….

On the last day of May a beautiful early

Summer evening was ideal for being stuck

in the Club Meeting room at the “King’s Oak”

(not!) for a talk by PC Ian Burchell of the Met

Motorbike Police “Bikesafe” and “Bike

Tasking Force.

The talk was both very entertaining and

informative with a lively discussion from the

floor creating a great atmosphere which we

all enjoyed.

Demonstrations of Police Equipment

including Laser Speed Guns, Handcuffs,

Modern Telescopic Truncheons, Whips,

Rubber Hoses, hammers, nails and surface-

to-air missile, convinced us that the

motorbike cops are a force to be reckoned

with. By the way - if “You Know Who” could

return the whip and handcuffs and the

batteries from the laser gun the nice

Policeman will promise not to come round

next week with his mates as we leave the

Pub.

So successful was our Bikesafe evening

that we are going to arrange a group day on

the course. You can never stop learning

now can you?”

On the 1st of July we are all booked up

for our annual “Day Trip to wake up the

Frogs of North France”. This is our “Group

Highlight of the Year” and is keenly waited

for by all the participants.

About 20 of us are already polishing our

helmets and pipes for the occasion and

getting in supplies for our “Channel

Crossing and International Tour”. The

French phrase books are out and being

read avidly, even as I write, to make sure

that the French for our most common social

intercourse with the locals, trips readily off

the tongue.

P h r a s e s

expected to be used

and translated into

French again this

year are: - : “Where

is the nearest OPEN

petrol station

situated my dear

man”. “Ham, double

sausage, egg and

chips for 20 s’il vous

plait with beaucoup

de Ketchup”. “How

much do you charge

m a d e m o i s e l l e ? ”

“What? No discount

on a Sunday! What

Horror – Holy Blue”

and of course not

forgetting: “Is that Camembert that I can

smell, Garcon or have you not had time to

wash today?” A full tour report will follow in

the next issue.


46 SUMMER 2007

As the weather is now warming up and

the evenings lighter for longer, more of our

meetings are held outside the Pub.

Rides are planned for other summer

days and the joint HOC Roast will be taking

place on the 15th July in partnership with

the Cambridge Branch.

We take this opportunity to congratulate

a few of our members on recent

achievements:

1) Roy M for displaying his Bravery by

getting married (for the second time) He

must have kept those ear plugs in when we

warned him off the idea.

2) Yiggy and Mrs. Yiggy for becoming

proud parents of baby Jake who was born

on the back of a yellow Fireblade at 145

mph on the inside lane of the Harlow

Roundabout at the junction with the M25

whilst overtaking everyone in the group.

Yiggy deserves a special mention as he is

64 years old and may have to give up his job

as a National Hunt Jockey.

3) The Branch Secretary (aka Head Boy)

who took his test again (and passed thank

heavens) so he could legally get his

restrictor kit

removed from

his bike before

another year

was up. The

extra speed now

available to him

has pushed his

hairline back at

least 4 inches

and caused a

stupid grin to

remain on his

face after each

ride. Wait until

we tell him that

the National

speed limit is not

really 40 mph.

and there’s no

need to keep

that man with the

red flag walking

in front of him any more.

Have a great summer everyone and

make sure you keep away from those that

are out to get you when you’re on your bike.

Regards.

John

North London Branch at ExCel earlier in the year

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]


SUMMER 2007 47

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:


48 SUMMER 2007


50 SUMMER 2007

Ride out’s, weekends

away, trips to the bike racing,

test ride morning at our

Honda dealer, skittles night

and some very entertaining

presentations at our

meetings……not quite sure

where to start this report!

With forthcoming events like

our Summer Poker

Run/BBQ/Disco and Rally –

still lots going on.

Terry and Mary Anne, our

ride out leaders, have worked

very hard on getting an

interesting list of ride outs for

the club, ably supported by

willing volunteers from the membership to

lead the rides to various destinations

We had a great ride to Melton Mowbray

on some very interesting roads led by Nigel,

only to find that the pie shop was closed so

we had to raid Morrison’s!

Don and Cynth organised an excellent

weekend in the Lake District – even the

weather, with sunshine the whole time!

Peter and Mike from the Lakes

Branch ensured we enjoyed

wonderful ride outs and

beautiful scenery – thanks for a

brilliant weekend

Secretary: Erica Gassor - 07799 49 2235

OXFORD


SUMMER 2007 51

Our Test Ride morning at Abingdon

Honda was well supported with lots of our

members and friends clamouring to ride

different bikes – the Pan being perhaps the

most popular of the bikes. Many thanks to

Abingdon and the local boys in Blue who led

the test rides for a fun morning.

The guys are now back from our trip to

the Le Mans GP racing. It is a wonderful,

very economically priced week in a beautiful

farmhouse in the French countryside, with

plenty of time at the Le Mans track to enjoy

the racing – all efficiently organised by Bob.

Well done Bob for taking us all on and again

for the trip in August to the Czech Republic

to see the GP racing at Bruno.

Our Tuesday night meetings average

between 20 and 28

attendees and the

presentations from

various different

providers such as

Haynes Motorcycle

Manuals, Micheldever

Tyres (for a joint

presentation with the

Micheline rep), Hein

Gerricke, Stallion

Leathers and a very

entertaining MIS

I n s p e c t i o n

maintenance and MOT

presentation – that guy

should really be in

entertainment!

Lots more photos

of our fun and frolicks

on our web site www.oxfordhoc.co.uk so

have a quick look to see what we get up to

Cheers all

Erica


54 SUMMER 2007

Looking back over previous “summer

issue” reports, I always seem to start by

saying that I have just returned from another

excellent Solent Rally. Well, this year is no

different, and as I sit down to write this I’m

debating whether to open one of the “spare”

bottles of Newcastle Brown I acquired from

Barbara at cost price just before we left; I

need it, after having to explain to my two

lads that we can’t live in the forest all the

time, and their new “best friends” have to

home as well.

Once again, the rally can be hailed as a

success, and I hope all our visitors had an

enjoyable time. Unfortunately the weather

wasn’t quite as kind as it has been in

previous years, but nobody seemed to suffer

too much, and we had our fair share of sun.

In terms of numbers we were a chunk down

on previous years, but as those who came

from north of Watford testified, you would

have had to be very keen indeed to have set

off in the midst of the torrential downpours

being experienced on the Friday.

As always, thanks are due to Barbara

and Alan and their team, and all who help,

especially those from other branches. It

really does show what camaraderie there is

in the club when guests from other branches

take it upon themselves to lend a hand.

Thank you, you know who you are.

As a change this year, we decided that

the ride out wouldn’t be to anywhere in

particular, simply a jaunt down some nice

roads with a stop at a pub for a bite to eat.

As it was, the ride out was most enjoyable,

especially since it had been some time since

I had been on a run, and my thanks to Alan

& Sue Stamp and Dave Irvine for their

efforts. We even managed to avoid most of

the rain in the morning and had well and

truly caught up with the sun when we

stopped for an ice cream at Stonehenge.

Which brings me to a little grumble; for a

few years now, we have not had the

numbers on our rally ride out we had hoped

for, and we have been stumped as to why. It

transpires, that a not insignificant number of

people have been given the impression that

a run out with Solent branch is somewhat

akin to taking part in a Fast Bikes track day

whilst wearing a blindfold. Whilst we did

have to “have words” with one young man a

few years ago, the reality couldn’t be further

from the truth. There have been ongoing

disagreements within Solent branch for as

long as I have been a member concerning

how we mark junctions, and like topsy, these

things grow and spread. However, it is now

time to dispel the myth, and much as some

may disagree, there is no causual

relationship between the system used to

mark junctions and the incidence of

inconsiderate riding. But don’t take my word

for it, ask one or two of the ladies who have

come on our runs, and maybe next year,

come and see for yourself.

Anyway, talking of runs, our mid-week

alternate Wednesday evening runs to

“somewhere nice” continue to be well

supported, and we have even been joined

on one occasion by the local Triumph group!

By the time you read this, our next outing will

be a run up to Warwickshire on the 5th

August for the Honda Festival being

organised by out good friends at

Oxford…..See you there.

Keep it tidy

Tim

SOLENTSecretary -Tim Lee 023 8025 2113


56 SUMMER 2007

Since my last

report, the club has

been on the long

weekend trip to Ireland.

We had a fantastic

time. We traveled

across from Pembroke

to Rosslare then toured

across to Kilarney,

stopping overnight at

Graiguenamanagh

on the way. The

weather was brilliant. It

was warm and sunny

for the full five days.

I’ve included a picture

of the River Barrow at

Graiguenamanagh. As you can see, it’s

absolutely beautiful. The trip was also

memorable for Terry’s first introduction to

Guiness as drunk in Ireland. The second

picture shows that he firmly agrees that it

does taste better in Ireland!

Just before Easter, the club made a

donation of Easter Eggs to the children’s

ward of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.

Unfortunately, on the day we arrived, the

children had

been sent

home for

Easter, so we

had to leave

the eggs in

the care of

the nurses to

give to the

children at a

later date. We

still went on

to have a very

enjoyable ride

and a good

S u n d a y

Lunch.

SOUTH WALESSecretary: Donna Richards - 01639 766406


SUMMER 2007 57

We have had several rideouts since the

last report. One of them was to Llyn Briane,

a beautiful reservoir up in the Welsh

mountains. There are wonderful views and

excellent biking roads; well worth a visit if

you are in the area. I’ve included a

photograph of the club, taken at the top.

Another rideout was to Weobley, a small

village, near Hereford. Again, the weather

was favourable and a good time was had by

all.

One of our members, Paul Evans, who

was secretary of the club up to January of

this year, is undertaking a charity bicycle

ride in France this year. You may have read

about it in the last edition of the Golden

Wing. The charity he is supporting is, “Get

Kids Going”, who help disabled children

take part in sport. The South Wales branch

has donated £100 to the charity and many

members have also made individual

donations. If you wish to donate, you can do

so online at

www.justgiving.com/LeeandPaul

We have a couple of causes for

celebration this month. One of our

members, Huw

Phillips has

become a

Grandpa. The

club would like

to send

congratulations.

A n o t h e r

member, Sonya

S a l i s b u r y

reaches an

i m p o r t a n t

birthday on the

30th May. I am

not at liberty to

say how old she

is but bus

passes have

been mentioned.

Congratulations

to Sonya! (Alun

wouldn’t keep it

a secret, would he?)

Events coming up are: a weekend

rideout to North Wales in June, staying for

two nights. Members are looking forward to

that. Also, we have a rideout planned to

Pembrey race track, to a motorcycle race

day. We hope the weather is fine as we have

planned a picnic on the day.

Well, that’s about it for now. Let’s hope

the weather stays fine!

Bye for now

Donna Richards


58 SUMMER 2007

Secretary: Keven Ludlam - 0114 281 7193

Hi all,

Our annual charity Egg run for the

Sheffield Children’s Hospital was another

resounding success. Organised by the

Three Shires in conjunction with the South

Yorkshire Police motorcycle branch – the

Blue Knights, we handed over a cheque on

the day for £2000, in addition to this other

Motor Cycle clubs handed over their

donations personally so the final total won’t

be known for a while, so a sincere thank you

goes out to all those who were involved and

to those who took part in the run.

There were approximately 200

motorcycles on the day but by far the best

bike was a Honda CBR1000 Fireblade

ridden by our very own James Toesland.

After the cavalcade James was invited to

tour the Children’s Hospital (along with the

Three Shires and South Yorkshire Police

representatives) by Simon Athey, the

Fundraiser for the Hospital. Many thanks go

to Simon for making us most welcome, any

visit to a kids Hospital seams to put thing

into perspective... The amazing thing about

this is how much time James spent with as

many of the kids as possible, signing

autographs, having photo’s taken with the

kids and their families and having the

nurses swooning all over him (anyone

would think he’s a handsome devil !!!). JT

has promised his services again next year.

The AGM was only attended by 9

members however, a new Chairman was

elected, so a warm welcome to the new

chairman and one of our founder members,

Mr Derek Lightfoot. Derek led our first

breakfast run of the year to Scarborough,

with 6 bikes turning up.

A diary of events will soon be published

but for the near future we have our Summer

Rally and the Sheffield Festival of transport

to look forward to.

That’s all for now....Keep smillin’

Keven

THREE SHIRES


SUMMER 2007 59

It was my 1st day back to work today,

after my 1st HOC rally – my own branches!

Within an hour I missed the ‘bikers

breakfast’ and the excitement of joining a

line of bikes without the foggiest idea where

we were going – but not caring one bit.

On the Saturday I was in an impressive

line of 28 bikes and on Sunday a more

modest but thoroughly respectable line of

14.

Only the enjoyment of riding mattered

however and the extra enjoyment you get

within a pack using the ‘drop off’ system –

each rider contributing to the pack by

making the route easier to follow and fully

enjoy.

Many thanks to Ian O’Neil for leading

those ride-outs and his wife Tracey who

originally devised them when she was

Branch Secretary some years ago. As a

North Wiltshire man myself, this opened up

parts of Wiltshire, which I had never seen

before – and we had good weather to enjoy

it with!

My thanks must also go to Mick Talty,

this year’s Rally Co-ordinator, for meeting

the ‘Ralliers’, collecting campsite fees,

running a raffle, running the skittles and

doing a host of other tasks to make things

run smoothly.

Thanks also to Jeff Eatwell and his wife

for coming along each morning to cook

those biker breakfasts, which kept us going

– delicious!

The ‘contemporary’ music on Friday

night was enjoyed by many ‘Ralliers’ – but

we had an opportunity to both pick and sing

our own music at the Saturday karaoke.

Having no singing voice at all, unlike my

predecessor Chris Cook (who proved his

skills on Sunday night) I avoided the

Karaoke like the plague – but I still carry

great images of Mark Clargo doing at least 2

‘head banger’ numbers, whilst fully fuelled

up on Wadworths 6x!

On the ‘facilities’ front, we tried for a

shower this year but were unfortunately

advised by the Bruce Landlord that the

septic tank couldn’t cope with the extra

drainage burden.

We did have plenty of hot water

however, albeit on the wrong side of the

B3087, but I soon discovered that for the

sake of a plastic 1 pint measuring jug and a

death defying sprint across the road, that I

could enjoy a hot water wash & shave,

rather than ‘rough it’ like true hardened

campers.

So you can’t say our Rally lacks the

‘spirit of adventure’ can you?

Theo

WILTSHIRESecretary: John Theobald 01793 853701


60 SUMMER 2007

WEST COAST RIDERSSecretary: Phil Bell - 01244 811244

This issue, by

way of a change

from a normal

branch report, I

thought I would tell

about what

happened when we

went to Le Mans for

the MotoGP.

We went down to

Canterbury to stay

overnight on the

Thursday, before a

very early start on

the Friday morning

(3.30am should be

banned) as we were

on the 5.40am ferry from Dover to Calais.

We got into Dover to be confronted by

thick fog that followed us all the way down

the other side of the channel to nearly

Rouen. Luckily it cleared and by the time

we hit Le Mans at around 3pm, it was very

sunny and very hot. We stopped off at a

supermarket to pick up supplies (as you

do!!) and then made our way in to find

ourselves a spot to pitch the tent. Went for a

wander round the track to get our bearings,

before retiring to our tent to chill for the

evening (chance would be a fine thing!!!).

Anyway, we got chatting to some fellow

Brits, who very kindly invited us to pitch up

in their camp for the weekend, so we had

some company all weekend, which was brill,

great bunch of lads. So we moved home

lock stock and barrel

and had a good laugh

all weekend.

So onto Saturday,

the weather was

stunning, Phil and I

both got a tan that

day, took some great

shots of practice and

of the pits, met a few

of the riders, and then

retired back to base

camp for jacket

potatoes cooked on

the bonfire, courtesy

of Ken, thanks Ken,

they were cooked to

perfection.


SUMMER 2007 61

Well as anyone who watched the

race will know, Sunday was a total wash

out for the race, made it interesting to

say the least. But a huge well done to

Bradley Smith, we were right opposite

the podium to see his moment of glory.

Got a bit wet, but got a nice big bonfire

going when we got back to camp to get

dried off. It cleared up about 5pm anyway

and it was a pleasant evening for our last

night.

Unfortunately it didn’t last and we woke

up to more heavy rain on the Monday, so

were packing up a wet tent and gear (not

good!!!) and then we had really

bad rain and hail stones all the

way back to Calais. It did stop

before we got there and stayed

off all the way home then, so

wasn’t too bad, we’d dried off

by the time we got home at

around 10.30pm.

Brilliant weekend, but a

serious lack of sleep, due to the

French finding great

entertainment in revving their

bike engines to nearly breaking

point, how none of them blew

up their bikes we have no idea.

Would we do it again….

definitely.

Sorry to the Oxford guys…we

were supposed to be meeting up

with them at the track, but Phil text

them and we never got a

reply…hope you enjoyed

yourselves as much as we did.

Ride safe and have fun,

Love

Rona & Phil


62 SUMMER 2007

VARADEROSecretary: Martyn Smith

Firstly my thanks to Phil, the outgoing

branch secretary, for keeping us entertained

with his regular and diverse reports. You will

be a hard act to follow.

The Varadero branch continues to

attract new forum members and the website

has been busy with posts from old and new

members throughout the past dark winter

months. Once a biker, always a biker, and if

you aren’t riding then talking about bikes is

a second favourite pastime.

Members have kept the flag flying and

are out and about when the weather

permits. The only formal meet to have taken

place was the Le Tourquet tearaway on the

9th of February. That’s right, the week it

snowed and stopped the country dead in its

tracks.

Despite this a number of members and

friends all managed to arrive at Folkestone

for Le Chunnel and a short hop to France.

27 miles later and we were at Boulogne for

a stop over before wandering down to Le

Tourquet for the beach races on Saturday

and Sunday. Words cannot describe the

atmosphere! What is basically an upmarket

seaside resort gives itself up to a half a

million visitors all bike mad. Look up the

youtube films of Enduropal Le Tourquet.

Just imagine, Sunday’s race for three hours

saw 1,004 starting entries!!

I learnt two things. 1) A bottled beer

called Desparado is very dangerous being

beer and Tequila in the same bottle. 2)

Croque Monsieur is French for cheese and

ham toastie. This is definitely a must do for

next year. The meeting not the sandwich.

After a lot of planning our Northern

Ireland team successfully put on VIM 9. This

is the international meeting of the worldwide

Varadero club. It took place in Ballycastle

over the 1st to the 4th of June. Check out

www.vim9.com for more details. 130

Varaderos and about 150 visitors met up

from all over the world. Such is the devotion

to this annual meet, two Belgian ex-pats

travelled from Venezuela to Utrecht, hired a

bike and crossed Europe to be with us in

Northern Ireland. An even more inventive

American flew into Heathrow, bought a Vara

and travelled up to Ireland. Afterwards he

wandered off to Europe for a couple of

weeks and then shipped the bike back to the

good old US of A. This was a top weekend

with all the sites of interest taken in. They

even arranged a Mayoral reception in

Londonderry. Words cannot describe how

wonderful the weekend was, all due to the

heroic efforts of our NI members.

Visit the Varadero international website

to review all the piccies and videos.

Next year it will be in Hungary and the

year after in Turkey!!

There was also a session offroading in

April with the Geraint Jones off road

experience. Pity the bikes were all

Yamahas!!

Minkeyhead is putting a plan together for

North Wales around August time. Our own

VUK meeting is scheduled for early

September taking place in the Scottish

Lowlands.

Finally a big apology to the Speeding

Stag who arrived slightly wet in Northern

Ireland. We chucked all his gear in our room

whilst we tasted the Guinness only to find

electric fires and thermoplastic helmets

don’t mix!!

The Prodded Dog


“RACING IN THE RAIN,

JUST RACING IN THE RAIN”!!

The spring has been a real mixture

weather wise and not only has this been

reflected in our own rides but it has been an

interesting time watching the racing with the

different levels of confidence in the adverse

weather conditions.

All the riders show amazing courage in

the awful conditions at races such as Le

Mans and Silverstone but even so, how they

vary!

Watching Silverstone, no one can doubt

Haga is still Haga whatever the weather but

you see the likes of Biaggi change totally in

his riding style!

As far as the winner was concerned,

Bayliss was still his usual cheery, smiling

self at the end of the race but even he did

admit it was hard work

It was an incredible race with Toseland

finishing an amazing 8th after a huge high

side – courage never in doubt, sanity

sometimes!

In the GP’s even Rossi, who is

undoubtedly a rider with amazing skills,

does not proceed with his usual flair and

consistency. At Le Mans, Vermuelen

showed the way, with Stoner getting a very

credible third to increase his lead in the

Championship.

Of course you cannot mention Le Mans

without highlighting our own Bradley Smith

who re-wrote the history books when he

finished third in the 125’s. This was

Bradley’s first Grand Prix podium finish and

he is the youngest British rider to finish on

the podium in any class in the 58 year

history of Grand Prix racing and is the first

British rider to finish on a 125 cc podium for

18 years! What a record to achieve in those

conditions!

We all know to avoid the white lines

when it is wet but to race at 150 plus miles

per hour certainly takes skill and

confidence, particularly with the amount of

spray and the way the racers ride so closely

to each other. Not only do they have to

have confidence in their selves but also in

their fellow racer’s abilities.

I have often read that a rider’s mental

attitude and confidence are key factors in

performance, and watching the

professionals in the rain certainly bears this

out!

.

The Stiggette

SUMMER 2007 63


64 SUMMER 2007

I enjoyed biking in Europe but wanted

something different so booked a 17 day trip

to Morocco leaving from Plymouth on 8 April

2007. Five other bikers and myself met up

with John and Brigitte of Wildcat Adventures

at Brittany ferries and caught the overnight

ferry to Santander northern Spain.

We docked midday and had three great

days of riding and two overnights stops to

reach the ferry to Morocco. Once free of

Santander we headed south through the

remarkable Cantabrian mountains to our

first overnight stop. Next day we continued

south over the High Plains and Sierras with

snow capped mountains and hovering birds

of prey. That night we stayed in an attractive

mountain village in the High Sierras. The

following day we rode south through

Andalucia to the port of Tarifa and our ferry

to Tangier. On clearing customs we rode to

our Hotel in a picturesque village on the

Atlantic coast and our first taste of Moroccan

food.

Travelling east we crossed the foothills

of the Rif Mountains and visited the Roman

site of Volubilis on the fertile plains. We then

continued to the cedar forests of the Middle

Atlas mountains for our

overnight stop. Next

day we rode part of the

ancient trade route from

Timbuktu to Fez

traversing the High Atlas

mountains passing

through a spectacular

gorge. Our journey led

us to the High Plains of

the south and provided

us with the first glimpse

of the Sahara Desert. At

the edge of the desert

we enjoyed local Berber

a c c o m m o d a t i o n

hospitality and

wonderful food.

Group Riding High Atlas Plateau

Ait BenHaddou


SUMMER 2007 65

We left the desert and rode east

across the High Desert Plains with the

desert Hamada to the south and

volcanic mountains of Jbel Sarhro to the

north. This classic peaceful desert route

had an incredible landscape with miles

of enjoyable riding. We saw the Berber

way of life unchanged for centuries, in

some areas still in biblical times - with

patchwork fields orchards and Berber

Forts. We left the valley and crossed

the Jbel Sarhro Mountains to our

overnight stop.

Next morning we visited the UNESCO

World Heritage site of Ait BenHaddou - a

900 year old hill town with

Kasbahs made out of sun dried

bricks - where families still live

much as

t h e y ’ v e

a l w a y s

done. The

f i l m

G l a d i a t o r

was made

there. We

then kitted

up for an

u n f o r -

g e t t a b l e

ride through

t h e

spectacular mountain scenery of

the High Atlas

mountains over a 7400ft

pass to Marrakech

where we stayed two

nights.

During the morning a

guide took to see the

wonderful sights of

Marrakech. In the

evening we visited the

city’s unforgettable and

fascinating Djemma el Fna square with its

stalls, jugglers, story tellers and snake

charmers. cont......

Group at Erg Chebbi

Anti Atlas Mountains

John Riding High Atlas Plateau


66 SUMMER 2007

Next day we rode into the foothills of

Western Atlas through cedar forests

following the winding river. Then over the

High Atlas crossing a 7300ft pass - a great

experience as it is the most scenic and

quietest route across the High Atlas. After

lunch we started with a winding 22 mile

decent down ridges through gorges with

views of terraced fields and villages 5000ft

below. Here we stay in the heart of the Anti

Atlas Mountains for two nights for a rest day.

The area has spectacular rock spires and

Berber villages.

The following day starts with an

unforgettable ride through the Anti Atlas

Mountains over a high ridge and plateau to

the end of a magnificent canyon. We then

travelled a scenic route

north along the Atlantic

coast to our hotel in a

wonderful old fishing

port. Next morning was

an early start for the long

ride up the west coast of

Morocco bypassing

Casablanca and Rabat

to our hotel and last

night in Morocco where

we caught the ferry to Spain the following

day. Over the next three days we had good

weather and excellent riding to Santander

and disembarked in Plymouth on 24 April.

Thanks to John & Brigitte of Wildcat

Adventures for the most enjoyable

motorcycling trip I’ve had.

www.wildcat-adventures.co.uk

John Holtam Membership No. 25338

John at Kasbah in Anti Atlas Mountains

Headed towards Jbel Sarhro

Kasbah on the Draa River


68 SUMMER 2007

SBK DONINGTON

Good news, an email announces I have

won two tickets to the SBK at Donington.

First check diary. Bike Safe Show at

Cheltenham on Saturday, Grandson Craig

taking CBT on Monday, so OK.

Although a Pan 1300 owner, I go by car

as carrying Wind protector, seats, cool box,

etc. Meet up with Number Two Son (a

Triumph Daytona owner up to a month ago)

for breakfast at Junction 23a Services and

then off to the circuit.

Haven’t been to Donington before so

after sorting out our bearings we aim for the

Infield opposite Starkeys Bridge, so we have

a view from Hollywood through to McLeans.

Although a good location, we cannot see

the Big Screen. So for all the happenings

on the rest of the track we rely on the

commentary provided by the “Son of Murray

Walker”.

Round One:

The cheers and hollering starts as soon

as JT comes into view and it looked like

there was going to be a battle

royal between him and Bayliss,

until Troy comes off.

JT goes onto to win, but should

slow down a bit more on the Lap of

Honour, as the fans want to show

their appreciation.

Round Two:

Started off well with JT taking a

very aggressive attitude with

Haga, but then gasps and sighs

from the crowd announces JT has

pulled over. This seems to spur

Haga, Corser & Biagga into action

and a wonderfully exciting race

continues until we hear over the

tannoy that Biaggi is pipped on the line.

Then a bit more excitement on the Lap of

Honour as smoke from tyre burn outs

obscures the track invaders who nearly get

wiped out by following riders.

So pack up and make our way through

the tunnel to the car park and then sit and

admire the countryside while waiting in the

queues.

Highlights:

Incredible crowd support for James

Toseland.

Being told there are urinals behind the

Portaloos and not having to wait in a

queue.

Excellent racing.

Lowlights:

Troy Bayliss getting injured.

Toilet facilities.

Exiting the circuit.

John Vincent


SUMMER 2007 69

CLASSIC JAPANESE

MOTORCYCLE GUIDE

Author – Rod Ker

I’m not quite sure how this book landed

on my desk, but land on my desk it did.

On opening the envelope the first thing I

noticed was that Haynes were the publisher,

and because their products are usually of

such a high standard, I decided to delay

having a read until I had more time to

become engrossed.

This is a fascinating guide to Japanesebikes from the 1960’s to the early 1990’s,concentrating on mainstream, affordablemodels from the “big four”: Honda,Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha.

Motorcycling journalist and enthusiastRod Ker provides a brief history of theJananese motorcycle industry, charting itspost-war rise and displacement of traditionalBritish European and American marques.Specific chapters on each of the big fourmanufacturers give a detailed model historyin which the bikes are grouped anddiscussed in detail. Further chapters cover“sixteener” sports mopeds, the “new era”from 1984 onwards and classics of thefuture.

With more than 200 colour photographs,many taken when the bikes were new, thisbook is an essential reference for buyersand enthusiasts alike.

………or so says the back cover.

On opening the book, it is clear that

there is a lot of information, and at least as

much text as pictures. Rod Ker has very

obviously conducted a great deal of detailed

research and this adds to the authority of his

comments.

The book is interested in the rationale of

each model, what it was designed to

achieve and how it was received. Technical

specifications are only mentioned to

evidence an opinion, and in that way the

book nicely avoids falling into the trap of

becoming a back catalogue of product

brochures from back when.

So did I like it? Well, to be honest, I think

the fairest assessment is “nice try but no

cigar”.

Whilst I do not wish to detract from the

meticulous research carried out by the

author, it remains just his idea of what a

classic Japanese motorcycle is.

I for one dissagree on more than one

occasion, and whilst I am bound to be a little

biased, I find it incredulous that in the year

we celebrate its 20th anniversary, there is

not a single mention anywhere of the

CBR600!

In addition, I disliked the layout of the

book, and whilst the single column is

acceptable, left aligned rather than justified

just looks messy. The photographs are

good, but the white space between them is

not always constant and there seems to be

no default layout style. It reminds me of a

GCSE student using Publisher for their

coursework project.

Will I continue to read it? Yes. Do I think

it is interesting? Yes. Do I think it’s worth

£19.99 RRP? I’m afraid not.

TimClassic Japanese Motorcycle Guide is

published by Haynes at RRP: £19.99 inHardback. ISBN: 978 184425 335 7


70 SUMMER 2007

NEW FOREST CLASSIC RIDE 2007

I had planned to hold a classic rideout

for Honda machines manufactured up to

and including1980on Sunday the 27th May.

However, due to the inclement British

weather, not a single rider managed to

make it to the meeting point, which was

quite fortunate, as it poured down all day!

As a result, I rescheduled the event for

Sunday 10th June and this time it was an

almost dry day, with ten machines taking

part.

Considering the change of date, I

breathed a sigh of relief to see them arrive

on the day, having travelled from Milton

Keynes, Trowbridge and North East

London.

When you consider that each machine is

over twenty seven years old, it is lovelt to

see that they are lovingly cared for but still

used for the purpose they were made;

riding. That is what I call pride of ownership.

Three CB750’s have won “best at show”

awards, with Dave Jupp, Terry Warder and

Allan Rutterford all showing better than new

machines. Alan Eastes and Graham Gull

both showed clean examples so five CB750

SOHC machines out together made a

classic event.

Tony Hugo on a 1966 CB450 added to

the fun, but I think the star of the day had to

be Stephen Benson who travelled all the

way from Milton Keynes on a CD175 to take

part. Now that is what I call motorcycling!

Turn the clock back forty two years and

the largest motorcycle to be expoted from

Japan was the Honda CB77 (305cc). So

Honda owners with 125,175,200 & 250

machines all covered the length and

breadth of England to take part in events

and see race meetings. In am sure they

were imagining chasing Mike Hailwood &

Jim Redman all the way home. So Stephen,

you have proved that it is perfectly possible

to enjoy motorcycling on a small machine.

The “Classic” New Forest rideout will be

held annually and I look forward to seeing

everyone again next year, and maybe a few

more.

Dave BartonClassic Secretary.


SUMMER 2007 71

CCCCAAAARRRROOOOLLLLEEEE NNNNAAAASSSSHHHH

CAROLE NASH LAUNCHES NEW “MODERN CLASSICS” POLICY

Carole Nash has introduced a new motorcycle insurance category – the ‘modern

classic – which means owners of bikes that are just ten years old or more can now claim

discounts of up to 26 per cent on their premium.

Typically, to qualify for lower cost classic insurance brokers demand that bikes must

be anything between 15-25 years old. But the move by the UK and Ireland’s biggest

motorcycle insurance specialist means that owners of modern classics like the Honda

Fireblade can also now slash the cost of their annual cover.

For example a 40 year-old riding a 1997 BMW K1200 RS could cut his premium by

up to 26% - £62 – by switching from a modern to the new modern classic policy*. But

despite costs being cut, cover isn’t. Every modern classic policy includes, as do all

Carole Nash motorcycle policies, extensive UK and European breakdown cover, up to

£50,000 in legal protection cover and a ‘Green Card’ for travel in the EU. In addition

owners can secure “agreed value” cover which is particularly if you have a rare machine

whose value can’t be easily established with a quick glance through a bike magazine.

This means you can agree a value up front then, if the worst comes to the worst, you’ll

know you will receive a settlement that reflects the true rather than notional worth of your

bike.

Excesses, which are set at £125 are also much lower than most demanded

elsewhere and bikers can cut their premium cost further by specifying a limited mileage.

For further details visit

www.carolenash.com or

call free on 0800 298 5500.

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 SUMMER 2007

100 GREATEST TT MOMENTS

“A century of heroes, legends and emotions”

If you could choose the greatest moment from the world’s greatest motorcycle race

what would it be? There are probably as many answers as there are memorable

moments from the Isle of Man TT.

For the first time the events that created a legend, as chosen by the fans, are

counted down in 100 Greatest TT Moments, new on DVD from Duke. As tens of

thousands of road racing fans prepare to descend on the Isle of Man for the TT’s

Centenary celebrations, this fascinating countdown charts the highs and lows and the

triumphs and tragedies which have shaped this unique racing event. It is all here – the

best, the worst, the fastest, the closest, the controversial and numerous ‘firsts’.

Vintage and modern racing footage, archive interviews and brand new, exclusive,

contributions from many TT icons make this an extraordinary trip through almost 100

years of road racing legend. Joey Dunlop, David Jefferies, Geoff Duke, Steve Hislop

and many more feature as incredible high-speed laps, unforgettable clashes and down-

to-the-wire battles are recalled – and there’s also plenty of sidecar action for three-wheel

fans.

And it isn’t just racing – keep an eye out for a rally legend putting four wheels around

the 37¾ mile lap at more than 100mph, the drama of a trawler sinking and motorcycle

acrobatics from some men in purple

helmets! The list of people who contribute

to 100 Greatest TT Moments reads like a

who’s who of TT and motorsport greats –

including Carl Fogarty, Giacomo Agostini,

Michael Rutter, Mick Grant, Phillip

McCallen, Ian Lougher and John

McGuinness.

100 Greatest TT Moments gives

exclusive insights into the moments that

captured the imaginations of generations

of TT fans from the men at the heart of the

action – hear the story behind the drama

from the people who really know!

100 Greatest TT Moments is out now,

priced at £16.99 on DVD (90mins), from

leading video outlets or direct from

Duke Video:

Tel: 01624 640000

Fax: 01624 640001

email: [email protected].

Web: www.dukevideo.com

DDDDUUUUKKKKEEEE VVVVIIIIDDDDEEEEOOOO


SUMMER 2007 73

LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE

Documentary DVD on a Sporting Icon from EMI

A hero and inspiration to millions, Barry Sheene has a particularly unique place in the

hearts of bike and sports fans the world over. Born in London in 1950, Sheene rose to

fame in the 1970s for his sporting prowess, and blessed with good looks and buckets of

charisma he became an inspiration to many. Breaking numerous bones and winning

countless hearts along the way, he reached the pinnacle of the motor biking world,

becoming a celebrity in his own right and endearing himself to the wider public. These

achievements together with his personality have left an unrivalled legacy for future

sporting generations. Double Jab Productions & EMI Music have produced the definitive

documentary of his life and his legacy, which encompasses his childhood, to the heights

of his success in the 70s, through to his untimely death in 2003 and looks at what

enchanted so many people including the media. Narrated by actor and bike fan Ewan

McGregor, LEGACY - A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY SHEENE is a two disc DVD

that features unseen footage and extras. Made with the full cooperation of his widow

Stephanie Sheene, the DVD features contributions and interviews from family , friends

and fellow motorsport legends such as Murray Walker, Sir Henry Cooper, Damon Hill,

Valentino Rossi, Carl Fogarty, Mick

Doohan and many more. LEGACY - A

PERSONAL HISTORY OF BARRY

SHEENE will be released in March

For more information, contact;

Kash Javaid

Public Eye Communications Ltd

Plaza

535 Kings Road

London SW10 OSZ

T 0207 351 1555

F 0207 351 1010

DDDDOOOOUUUUBBBBLLLLEEEE JJJJAAAABBBB PPPPRRRROOOODDDDUUUUCCCCTTTTIIIIOOOONNNNSSSS


74 SUMMER 2007

250 197144,000 miles

good condition

Offers Over£300

01271 344377North Devon

MMMMEEMMBBEERRSSEEMMBBEERRSS FFFFRREEEERREEEE AAAADDSSDDSSAdverts must be received by the 1st September for inclusion in the Autumn IssueWrite 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

CB750 F2

1995 N Reg21,000 miles

Same owner last 6 yearsRegularly servicedOnly ridden in dry!

Full 3 box luggage (Givi)Engine protection bars

ScreenScottoiler (touring kit)

Recent batteryTax March 08MOT Oct 07

Excellent conditionGenuine reason for sale

£2100 ono

0117 956 4435

Chris (18400)Bristol

DEAUVILLE 6502005 Red

Mint conditionvery low mileage

£4500 onoPlease contact Anne

Nicholson on:

[email protected]

Anne NicholsonBedfordshire


SUMMER 2007 75

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free all sections

must state

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WANTED

CX500 1978King & Queen Seat

£Waiting

0113 242 4895

KevinLeeds

FIRESTORM

Bright Honda Red51 plate

13000 milesClean genuine machine

being sold for widow ofmember recently passed

away from cancer

£2750 or offers

01453 519202

07889 955314

[email protected]

c/o Ian NieGloucester area

BMFAFFILIATION

CODE

Would all membersplease note that theBMF affiliation code

for the HOC is

HOC07Y600

REMINDERREMINDERREMINDERHONDA FESTIVAL

Sunday 5th August2007

Heritage MotorCentre

Gaydon, Warks

See you there


Golden Wing - 2007 Summer

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