Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group
February 2022
Welcome to T.U.G. Dear Members, An apology for the current picture shortage,. With no December Group Night, and my bike problems stopping me from attending rides, there was little to choose from. I am sorry that the Training Team News jumps about a bit to page 34; there were pressing technical reasons for this which I promise you are happier not knowing about. We have managed to get enough content for this T.U.G. but the bottom of the copy barrel has been very thoroughly scraped and I dread to think what the April issue is going to look like Unless you are a lover of white space please contribute something, anything.. Copy date for the next issue is 25th March 2022. Please don’t assume that someone else will do it, they won’t. This means you!
Chairman’s Piece
2
No Comment Needed
4
Test Passes
5
Membership Info
7
New Members
8
Training Team News
10
Fighter Pilot |Guide
13
Membership Form
22
Dates for the Diary
24
Picture Gallery
26
Events Report
35
Observer Profile
38
Further Training
42
Chris Editor (TUG@eamg.org.uk)
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Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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CHAIRMAN’S PIECE February 2022
By the time of reading this you should be welcoming in your new Chairman, I wish whoever takes on the role an enjoyable and fulfilling time. The committee, all unpaid volunteers, work hard to keep the group running smoothly and effectively. Andy hems is also standing down after years of organising the group night speakers. Chris Johnson our T.U.G. editor also wishes to stand down during the next few months. I know you will all agree with me that he has excelled in this position and will be a hard act to follow, but family commitments leave him less time to dedicate to the task. I thank both of them for their hard work. Boris has just revoked plan B and it’s looking increasing hopeful that life is returning to normality. I am painfully aware that although most of us will be happy to mingle freely there will still be a number of members keeping a safe distance to protect themselves or a loved one and we must respect their wishes. I enjoyed the full member ride last month with a good turnout of
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bikes, the weather kind to us but the roads still wet and filthy. As my final words I want to say how proud I have been holding the position of Chair. My thanks go to all the committee for their support and contribution. We are also lucky to have such a strong training team and I am grateful for all they do. I’m looking forward to sitting amongst you at the group nights and sharing some banter. Jill
Editor: Membership renewal was due at the beginning of this year. If you want to renew your membership by paying directly into the bank, or even better by setting up a direct debit, the relevant details are: . Account name: Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd Sort Code: 30-96-94 Account Number: 00791646 Reference: YOUR POSTCODE and YOUR SURNAME
Payable on 1st January each year!
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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No Comment Needed!
r
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CONGRATULATIONS Recent Test Passes
Kevin Byford-Abbott 4th December 2021 EAMG Trainee Observer Assessor: John Tullett
Not a good time of year for tests!
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Membership Information Dear Members & Prospective Members, The membership form is on the website or page 22 if you wish to join or if you are renewing. Also please remember to spread the word about EAMG, recommendation is such a valuable tool and current members are always the best advocates for what a good group this is. The membership appears to dip in the first quarter because renewals have not all been made promptly! Note: Figures not updated this issue for that reason.
Membership Fees for 2022
New Associate Members
...£55.00
Associate Member Renewal
...£40.00
Full Member Renewal
...£25.00
Social Member
...£25.00
Full Member Training
...£20.00
(For more information on Full Member Training see page 42) This is in addition to the Full Member Fee
Membership
Number
Full
97
Associate
53
Social
1
Observer
20?
Life
5
Total
176
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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New Members
No new members in this period
Associate: Full:
Welcome to EAMG, and we hope your membership proves both productive and highly enjoyable!
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Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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TRAINING TEAM NEWS John Tullett .With daylight hours lengthening and, hopefully by the time you are reading this, spring in the air I thought it might be helpful for new members if I outlined the range of training options that we offer and clarified the meaning of some of the three and four letter acronyms that EAMG use. 1-to-1 Observed Rides (for Associate members - who have yet to pass an advanced test) For most Associates 1-to-1 rides will form the core of your training within EAMG. You will have a dedicated Observer who will focus on addressing your personal needs and aspirations. You will be trained to a level where you are able to pass a RoSPA or IAM advanced test. There is no obligation to take a test but most trainees do, as this provides an opportunity to have your riding independently assessed against a nationally recognised standard. You will also then qualify as a Full member of EAMG. Associates are requested to make a £10 contribution towards Observer expenses for each 1-to-1 training ride. All EAMG Observers are required to hold a minimum qualification of RoSPA Gold and are subject to EAMG Observer retesting every 2 years, by Senior Observer Assessors who are themselves subject to external retesting every 2 years by Police Class 1 Riders. Associate Group Training (AGT) AGTs provide Associates with a monthly opportunity to attend a short Roadcraft presentation followed by an observed ride. You will usually be allocated to different Observers, which will give you a chance to ride with someone you may not know on routes you are unfamiliar with. The AGT is held on the Sunday after the Group Night meeting, which is always held on the first Tuesday of the month. Our venue is: Beryl Platt Centre (formerly Longmeads House), 12-14 Redwood Drive, Writtle,
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Chelmsford, CM1 3LY. The next AGT is scheduled for Sunday, 6th February and further details may be found on the EAMG Forum at: www.eamg.org.uk/ forum/ A £10.00 charge is payable by Associate & Full members wishing to participate in an observed ride at AGTs to help cover the costs of running these training sessions. Associates are welcome to attend as many AGTs as they wish, regardless of whether or not they are also allocated to a 1-to-1 Observer. Please arrive at 09: 00 for a 09: 30 start and ensure your motorcycle has a full tank of fuel, is fully legal for insurance, tax and MOT (if applicable). You will not need to produce your documents if you have signed the disclaimer on the membership form. It is equally important that your machine has been ‘POWER’ checked beforehand. Pre-ride checks will be carried out by the Observer on the day and if any safety issues are identified then the observed ride could be cancelled. If you are considering joining EAMG for additional training you are welcome to attend as a Guest, at no charge, to check us out. You will be asked to sign a disclaimer to confirm that you have a valid driving license and relevant insurance. If you have any questions you would like answered beforehand please email: training@eamg.org.uk Trainee attendances at December 2021’s AGT were lower than expected and this declined further in January with just one Associate! This event was hastily reconfigured to become a social ride to the Silver Ball Café in Hertfordshire, attended by 5 Observers and one Associate. Flexible Observed Rides Flexible Observed Rides offer Associates wishing to expedite their 1-to-1 training with an opportunity to arrange additional observed rides with an Observer who has spare capacity. Flexible Observed Rides are intended to complement rides with your 1-to-1 Observer and not replace them.
If you are interested in Flexible Observed Rides please let Observer Coordinator
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Colin Digby know when you are available (e.g. weekends, weekdays or anytime) and he will endeavour to match you with a suitable Observer. Associates participating in Flexible Observed Rides will be requested to make the standard £10 contribution towards Observer expenses for each ride. Further Training for Full Members (FTFM) FTFM provides Full members who have already passed an advanced test with an opportunity to attend training with a personal 1-to-1 Observer, in a similar fashion to that provided to Associates. We request Full members to make a £10 contribution for each ride to help offset observer expenses. The majority of Full members sign up for FTFM to help prepare to take a RoSPA retest or an additional advanced test but the training can also be tailored to address specific issues or to further develop your riding skills. For example, to help you prepare for a Trainee Observer assessment ride. FTFM is designed to be flexible and you can sign up when completing your annual membership form or pay your additional £20 (on top of the standard £25 Full member fee) at any time during the year, whenever it is most convenient for you. You just need to ensure that Michel Couque, our Membership Secretary, is made aware - via membership@eamg.org.uk - that you have made your additional payment and he will liaise with Colin Digby who will allocate you to an Observer. If there is sufficient Observer capacity at AGTs Full members signed up for FTFM will be able to attend an observed ride, but priority will be given to Associate members in the event of exceptionally high attendance levels. Full Member Training (FMT) John Tipper has been successfully running FMT days for many years and these offer an excellent opportunity to allow Full members to identify and address any bad habits whilst developing their riding skills. You will be typically be riding with one other Full member over a predefined route of around 200 miles. This will give you an opportunity to ride on some unfamiliar roads and periodically 'take a break' while the second rider is being observed. You will be debriefed during the ride and given a comprehensive ride report. Several refreshment stops are incorporated into (Continued on page 36)
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A Fighter Pilot’s Guide to Surviving on the Roads… John Sullivan John Sullivan is a Royal Air Force pilot with over 4000 flight hours, and a keen cyclist. He regards himself as ‘a simple fighter-pilot’ and in this article he describes why collisions can occur and, in layman’s terms, how some of the techniques of flying fighters can be used to increase your chances of survival on the roads. What’s wrong with you - are you blind?!! Who hasn’t formed these thoughts, or similar, at some point while cycling or driving? Probably in response to a vehicle that had just moved directly into your path—and you might congratulate yourself that only your alertness and superior reactions saved the day. If you were cycling then I expect that you may have even shared your thoughts, loudly, with the offending driver, and if you were driving then I imagine that there would have been some accompaniment from the horn section. Hopefully you were able to prevent the collision. Now, before we go on, who can say that, at some point in their own driving history, they have not been about to manoeuvre - pull out from a Tjunction, etc - when a car or bike seemed to come out of nowhere? Hopefully, it was just a close shave, and no doubt quite frightening. You may have wondered how you failed to see it, and probably concluded that they must have been driving ‘far too fast’ or you would have seen them. Perhaps, on such an occasion, you were the recipient of that loud and urgent query, ‘Are you blind?!!’ Well, here’s the bad news - yes, you are. For small but significant periods of time you are completely incapable of seeing anything at all. Most of the time, as I shall explain, this is not a problem. But if it means that you fail to see a vehicle that is just about to occupy the same point in space and time as you are - then this is a big problem! The good news is that understanding why we sometimes do not see things allows us to adopt some defensive strategies that tip the odds back in our favour. This article then, is a fighter pilot’s survival guide to avoiding collisions...
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First some background. We all inhabit bodies that have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to our environment. We are highly adaptable, omnivorous creatures, which is why we have prevailed when other species, those suited to specific environments, habitats or diets, have not. We learned how to grow crops but we started off as hunter/gatherers - we have eyes in the front of our heads which gives us binocular vision for judging distance to prey, or threats. Our eyes, and the way that our brain processes the images that they receive, are very well suited to creeping up on unsuspecting antelopes. We are even pretty good at spotting sabretoothed tigers creeping up on us! We are, however, rubbish at spotting vehicles that hurtle towards us at high speed. Let me explain why... Light enters our eyes and falls upon the retina, whereupon it is converted into electrical impulses that the brain perceives as images. Clever stuff. Only a small part of the retina, in the centre and called the fovea, can generate a high-resolution image. This is why we need to look directly at something, by moving our eyes, to see detail. The rest of the retina contributes to our visual experience by adding the peripheral detail - hence peripheral vision. Peripheral vision cannot resolve detail, which prevents the brain from being overloaded with too much information, but it is very good at detecting movement. Any movement, such as the twitch of an antelope’s ears or the swish of a tiger’s tail, immediately alerts us to something of interest which we can then bring our high-resolution fovea to bear upon. And our eyes move fast, really fast—no doubt spurred on by the motivation to see the slavering chops of our sabre-toothed friend in glorious techni-colour detail with enough time to do something about it. So what? Well, first, it is an unfortunate fact that if you are going to collide with another moving object, and assuming that you are both traveling in a straight line, then there is no apparent movement between the occupant of either vehicle. That is, to the driver of each vehicle, the other will remain in exactly the same position in the windscreen up to the point of impact. There is no relative movement - so our peripheral vision is not suited to detecting it. For completeness, this does not mean that you cannot hit a vehicle that is turning, but as the other vehicle adopts a path that will lead to collision then it will cease to move relative to you - it will become stationary in your windscreen.
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Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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Whether they are on the road or in the air, vehicles traveling at a constant speed will stay in the same position relative to each other as they approach a point of collision. In the illustration right, a car is approaching a cross-roads but it is on a collision course with a motorcycle approaching from the right. The car is going faster, and so at any one point in time it is further from the collision point - but they will get there at the same time! To the driver of the car, the motorcycle is about 30º right, or in his 1 o’clock, and the motorbike will stay in exactly that same relative position in the windscreen until impact. To the motorcyclist, the car is 90º left, or in her 9 o’clock, and it will also remain in exactly that relative position until impact. Remember, our peripheral vision is not good with detail - in fact, just 20º away from your sightline your visual acuity is about one tenth of what it is at the centre. Not convinced? Well, the standard eyesight requirement for driving in the UK is to read a car number plate at 20m. Go outside, now, and stand just 10m from a car, look just one car’s width to one side, and try and read the number plate - without moving where your eyes are looking! Try again from 5m. Clinically, you are blind in your peripheral vision. That’s not to say that we cannot see something in our peripheral vision of course we can. As you approach a roundabout you would be hard pressed not to see a dirty great articulated lorry bearing down upon you, even out of the corner of your eye - obviously, the bigger the object, the more likely we are to see it. But would you see a motorbike, or a cyclist? To have a good chance of seeing an object on a collision course, we need to move our eyes, and probably head, to bring the object into the centre of our vision - so that we can use our highresolution foveal vision to resolve the detail. Now for the really interesting part. When we move our head and eyes to scan a scene, our eyes are incapable of moving smoothly across that scene and seeing everything. This makes perfect sense, just like trying to take a picture without holding the camera still, the image would be blurred. So, our clever brain overcomes this by moving our eyes
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(really fast, remember) in a series of jumps (called saccades) with very short pauses (called fixations), and it is only during the pauses that an image is processed. Our brains fill in the gaps with a combination of peripheral vision and an assumption that what is in the gaps must be the same as what you see during the pauses. This might sound crazy, but your
brain actually blocks the image that is being received while your eyes are moving, which is why you do not see the sort of blurred image that you see when you look sideways out of a train window. Unless you are tracking a moving object, such as an antelope, then the human eyes are incapable of moving smoothly across a scene; they jump and pause occasionally to take a ‘snapshot’ of the scene. Definitely not convinced? Okay, go to a mirror, now, and look repeatedly from your right eye to your left eye. Can you see your eyes moving? You cannot. Now have a friend or partner do the same thing while you watch them. You will see their eyes moving quite markedly. You couldn’t see your own eyes move because your brain shuts down the image for the instant that your eyes are moving. Experiments have shown that it is impossible to see even a flash of light if it occurs within a saccade. 5
The saccade/fixation mechanism has always served us rather well, and means that we can creep up on antelopes without being overloaded by unnecessary detail and a lot of useless, blurred images. But it does present us with some shortcomings now that we routinely climb into metal boxes and hurtle towards each other. Our eyes and brains are just not designed for this - our world has changed far faster than our bodies can adapt. So what? If you get to a junction and move your head right and left to look for oncoming traffic, you need to understand that you cannot guarantee that you have seen approaching traffic. It is entirely possible for our eyes to ‘jump over’ an oncoming vehicle during one of the saccades. The smaller (and specifically, the narrower) the vehicle, the greater the chance that it could fall within
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a saccade. You are not being inattentive, you are physically incapable of seeing anything during a saccade. Remember the ‘Think Bike!’ adverts, where a driver pulls out into the path of a motorcycle? I am convinced that it is the phenomena of saccades and fixations that is most likely to lead to this sort of accident. It gets worse. The faster you move your head, the larger the jumps, or saccades, and the shorter the pauses, or fixations. So you are more likely to jump over an oncoming vehicle and less likely to detect any movement in your peripheral vision (because there is even less time available for slight, relative movement to become apparent). It gets even worse. Not only can we not see though solid objects (well, opaque objects, to be more accurate) but research has shown that we tend not to look near to the edges of a framed scene. In plain language, we tend not to look at the edges of a windscreen. So not only do the door pillars of a car represent a physical blindspot, but our eyes tend not to fixate near to it, leading to an even bigger jump, or saccade, past a door pillar. This is called windscreen zoning. One further point of interest, our ears usually contribute to the process of building up a picture of our surroundings too - the snap of a twig from an unwary paw is another prompt for us to direct our vision towards something of interest. But in our metal cocoons, with the radio or mp3 playing, this is yet another cue that we are denied. Motorbikes and cycles, being narrow, are more likely to fall within a saccade. This image represents a driver looking quickly left, and the approaching motorcyclist falls within a saccade and is never seen in high resolution—simulated by the toning down in this image. So, consider this scenario - you approach a big roundabout or junction, looking ahead at the junction of course, and the road seems to be empty. As you get closer, you look right and left as a prudent, final check. You see
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no other vehicles and proceed through the junction. Suddenly, and it’s your lucky day, there is an indignant blast of horn and a car flashes across in front of you, missing you by inches and leaving you thoroughly shocked, and confused. Sound familiar? So what happened? On the approach you did not see that another car was on a perfect collision course, with no relative movement for your peripheral vision to detect - possibly compounded by being behind the door pillar. Lulled into a false sense of security you looked quickly right and left, to avoid holding up the traffic behind you, and your eyes jumped cleanly over the approaching vehicle, especially as it was still close to the door pillar in the windscreen. The rest of the road was empty, and this was the scene that your brain used to fill in the gaps! Scary, huh? You were not being inattentive - but you were being ineffective. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, there is also the phenomenon of ‘expectation’ and your brain is less likely to recognise something that you are not expecting to see. This now enters territory that pilots prefer to leave to a scary breed of creature called the aviation psychologist but suffice it to say that if you think the road is empty, you are less likely to register that a vehicle is actually present. So what can we do about it? Well, quite a lot actually, as forewarned is forearmed. Drivers: Always slow down as you approach a roundabout or junction, even if only by 20 mph or so, and even if the road seems empty. Changing your speed will immediately generate relative movement against a vehicle that was otherwise on a collision course - not only are you then more likely to see it, but you are no longer on a collision course! Never just glance right and left - this leaves it entirely to chance whether you see an approaching vehicle or not - and if you glance quickly, the odds decrease markedly. Always look right and left methodically, deliberately focusing on at least 3 different spots along the road to the right and 3 to the left - search close, middledistance and far. With practice, this can still be accomplished quickly, and each pause is only for a fraction of a second, but this means that you are now overriding the natural limitations of the eye and brain. Fighter pilots call this a ‘lookout scan’ and it is vital to their survival. Always look right and left at least twice. Not only does this immediately double your chance of seeing a vehicle, but if you repeat the same scan as you did the first time (which, when it becomes a well-practiced habit, you almost certainly (Continued on page 30)
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2022 January Associate Group Training (AGT) Group Night - Natter Night Colin's Full Member Ride Mick & Alan’s Associate/Member Ride
Tuesday, 1st Sunday, 6th Sunday, 13th Sunday, 20th Sunday, 27th
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Diary 20 22
Sunday, 9th Tuesday, 11th Sunday, 16th Sunday 23rd
July
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Colin's Full Member Ride Mick & Alan's Associate/Member Ride Observer Peer to Peer Ride (2203)
August Tuesday, 2nd Sunday, 7th Sunday, 14th Sunday, 21st Sunday, 21st Sunday, 28th September Sunday, 4th Sunday, 4th Tuesday, 6th Sunday, 11th Sunday, 18th Sunday, 18th Sunday, 18th Sunday, 25th October Tuesday, 4th Sunday, 9th Sunday, 16th Sunday, 23rd Sunday, 30th November Tuesday, 1st Sunday, 6th Sunday, 13th Sunday, 20th December Sunday, 4th Tuesday, 6th Sunday, 11th Sunday, 18th
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Group Night Associate Group Training (AGT) Mick & Alan's Associate/Member Ride Associate/Full Member Training (AMT/FMT 2204) Colin's Full Member Ride
Group Nigh ts @ 19 : 30 , AGTs @ 9 : 15 am
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Diary 2O22
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Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Not So
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o Many ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery
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(Continued from page 22)
will) then an approaching vehicle will have moved to a different part of the windscreen by the time you look the second time and is less likely to be masked by a saccade. Just note that this will not work if you charge into a junction at a constant speed because any vehicle on a collision course will stay in the same position in the windscreen - if you miss it the first time, you will probably miss it the second time too! Make a point of looking next to the windscreen pillars. Better still, lean forward slightly as you look right and left so that you are looking around the door pillars. Be aware that the pillar nearest to you blocks more of your vision. Fighter pilots say ‘Move your head - or you’re dead’. Clear your flight path! When you change lanes, especially into a slower lane, you should, of course, check your mirrors, and will have undoubtedly been watching the road ahead of you, naturally. Your last check must be to look directly at the spot into which you are going to manoeuvre, otherwise you could easily have missed a slower motorbike or cyclist in that lane, one that was only in your peripheral vision as you looked ahead, and over which you ‘jumped’ as you looked over your shoulder or checked your wing mirror. Drive with your lights on. Aviation research shows that contrast is the single most important factor in determining the likelihood of acquiring an object visually - this is why military aircraft camouflage is designed to tone down their contrast. On the ground, dark coloured vehicles or clothing will result in reduced contrast against most usual backgrounds, and this is why highvisibility clothing (for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) and/or bright lights are so important, in the daytime as well as at night. While it is generally understood that a low sun can make it difficult to see, it is probably not generally understood why: driving into sun reduces contrast, especially when vehicles and pedestrians fall into the shadow of larger, up-sun objects. You must beware that even large vehicles, and especially motorbikes, cyclists and pedestrians, can become completely impossible to see under these circumstances, and you must moderate your driving accordingly. This is why fighter pilots attack from out of the sun!
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This image is taken on an overcast day – what photographers might call a ‘lowcontrast day’. However, the vehicles in this scene can all be seen easily, and the light coloured top of the scooter rider provides reasonable contrast against the generally darker background. Note that the headlight is especially effective.
The next image captures almost the exact same scene, but on a clear day with a low sun. Note how the contrast is much poorer, making it difficult to see the details of anything into sun. Vehicle lights provide the best defence, so turn them on - remember that the additional load on the engine, in running the alternator as it powers the headlamps, is completely insignificant as compared to the cost of an accident repair! When objects fall into the shadow of ‘upsun’ objects they are especially hard to see – did you see the moped coming towards you in the preceding picture, even with its light on?
Keep your windscreen clean! Seeing other vehicles can be difficult enough, without tipping the odds against you by having to look through a dirty wind-
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screen. You never see a fighter jet with a dirty canopy. And finally, don’t be a clown - if you are looking at your mobile telephone then you are incapable of seeing much else. Not only are you probably looking down into your lap, but your eyes are focused at less then one metre and every object at distance will be out of focus. Even when you look up and out, it takes a fraction of a second for your eyes to adjust - this is time you may not have. Motorcyclists and cyclists: Recognise that you are especially at risk - not only are you more vulnerable but the narrow profile of a motorbike or cycle makes it far more likely that you can fall into a saccade. So tip the odds in your favour - always wear high-contrast clothing and use lights. Flashing LEDs (front and rear) are especially effective for cyclists as they create contrast and the
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on-off flashing attracts the peripheral vision in the same manner that movement does In this scene the sun is partly covered by cloud but contrast is still poor and high visibility clothing, in bright colours that are not generally encountered in the
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background scene, will increase contrast and be detected more easily. Give yourself a chance! Compare the visibility of the cyclists wearing bright coloured tops, as compared to the cyclist in the centre. Did you see the moped rider in the preceding picture? Give yourself a chance! The relatively slower speed of bicycles means that they will be closer to a point of collision if a vehicle begins to pull into their path. Turn this to advantage - when passing junctions, look at the head of the driver that is approaching or has stopped. The head of the driver will naturally stop and centre upon you if you have been seen. If the driver’s head sweeps through you without pausing, then the chances are that you are in a saccade - you must assume that you have not been seen and expect the driver to pull out! Die-hard cyclists are unwilling to compromise their training for such inconveniences as poor weather - I know. But be aware of when the odds are really stacking up against you. If you are cycling into a low sun, have a think about how difficult it is to see the vehicles in front of you. Now imagine that you are also looking through a dirty windscreen, or one with rain beating against it! Are you content that drivers approaching from behind have a realistic chance of seeing you. Maybe today is the day to take a different route - or time your journey to avoid the sun being straight into the eyes of drivers on that particularly busy stretch of road. Or take the bus. Having a really low heart rate at the point at which you go under the wheels of a truck is rather pointless. This is risk management. So is wearing a helmet - every fighter pilot wears a helmet, even though it won’t make much difference if they hit the ground at 700 miles an hour! It’s about reducing the chances of less dramatic incidents causing fatal cranial injuries, unnecessarily. Go figure. Fighter pilots have to cope with closing speeds of over 1000 mph, and they don’t always get it right! But crashes are always analysed carefully to learn the lessons that might prevent future accidents. This article revealed the hard-won techniques that fighter pilots are trained to use might prevent future accidents.
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(Continued from page 14)
each route. The cost to attend a FMT day is £45. Great care is taken to ensure that each 'pair' of riders is matched in terms of their experience levels, ability and aspirations. Many Full members have attended FMTs prior to taking a RoSPA test or re-test; to check their riding skills; or to prepare for Observer training. The first FMT/ AMT date for 2022 is Sunday, 13th March and further details, including how to contact John Tipper to book your place, can be found elsewhere in this issue of TUG.
Associate Member Training (AMT) AMT days are run in parallel with and adopt a similar format to FMTs - but for Associate members. AMTs will typically cover 100-120 miles and are being targeted at Associates who may be approaching test standard; have been recommended to apply by their 1-to-1 Observers; or individuals who are comfortable with riding greater distances than covered on a typical Observed ride. The cost to attend a AMT day is £35. Slow Riding Days
Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions our regular venue was unavailable to run slow riding days in 2021. We hope to reinstate this training in 2022 and will provide further details as soon as details are confirmed. Training Team Test Passes Congratulations to K evin Byford-Abbott who passed his Trainee Observer Assessment on 4th December 2021. If any other Full members holding RoSPA Gold are potentially interested in becoming an Observer then please contact me via training@eamg.org.uk and I will send you further details of what is involved. ---ooo0ooo--Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me via e-mail to training@eamg.org.uk , or on 07570 992801 or speak to the most relevant member of the Training Team.
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Events Report Chris Johnson
There were four major runs in this period. I distinguished myself by attending none of them! For the first I was just feeling a bit seedy. I am not a morning person but that day was worse than usual. For the remainder I had no bike. The KTM's MOT was due on 18th December, and I had it booked in for service and MOT on the 14th. The day before InMoto rang me to say that Covid had struck and they were closed for ten days. The earliest slot they could offer was 11th January which, beggars not being choosers, I booked. They are the only KTM shop in the area and experience has shown that if you take in the bike for test by anyone else then when they find something wrong, which on an 8 year old bike is almost inevitable, they cannot fix it because KTMs are so odd.. When InMoto got the bike they soon phoned back to say the horn didn't work (that was the new horn they fitted last year!), the steering bearings were rough (can't say that I had noticed anything) , there was a gasket leaking oil onto the rear shock (OK, I knew about that), and the front tire was legal but marginal. I resigned myself to a heavy financial hit and told them to fix everything. I like to get the tires changed by InMoto because of the stupid spoke sealing bands, which are easily damaged. They are no better than anyone else at keeping the bands intact but at least they can order and fit replacements, and when they have messed up the replacement (it has happened) they can keep trying until they get it right. Two days after that they phoned to say that, when changing the tire the front wheel bearings had seized. I thought I had a lively imagination but confess that the scenario in which that could happen completely eludes me.. They
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still have the bike at time of writing. I anticipate an interesting conversation when it is finally ready.
The first run of the period was Colin's ride to the Local Cafe at St. Ives on the 5th December. This was the run originally planned for Remembrance Sunday. I must have been feeling bad that day because I love the liver and onions at the Local Cafe. The ride distance was to be 156 miles. The only feedback from the run was that it was cold and wet, so I presume it went well. The second was Mick and Alan's to the Robin Hood at Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. By then I was bikeless, since I do not have the casual bravado needed to ride with an expired MOT. It was a 100 mile run. Again little feedback on this, but it was Mark Williams first Group ride, and he contrasted the warmth of his welcome with the cold, wet and foggy condi-
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tions. He even posted some pictures on Facebook which I have shamelessly plundered. Colin's first Full Member Ride of the New Year on 16th January was to The Hungry Stag Café, a distance of about 120 miles. Colin (Barry?) sent me a brief account of it. At the start it was a misty 6 degrees, although the sun came out after lunch. The roads were messy. The accompanying pictures indicate that this was a massive understatement; the bikes were absolutely filthy. It appears that Neil had to retire with a failing clutch cable, but made the 64 miles back home with only 3 uses of the clutch. That is impressive; if I were travelling back home across London it would be more like 300! The fourth ride tomorrow, 23rd January, will be Mick and Alan's social ride to the Hungry Stag Cafe Bury St. Edmunds. For technical reasons I need to put this report into TUG today, so I shall ‘not-report’ it in the next issue rather than in this one!
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Observer Profile Phil Reader
Current Bike(s) Triumph 675 Street Triple and KTM Superduke GT Previous Bikes FS1E, GS125,GS550,GS700 (Import), CBR1000, CBR600FP, Z XR750H1, Z XR750H2, Z XR750L2, Z X7R (yes I loved the Z XR’s) Honda SP1, 954 Fireblade, 2004 Fireblade, 2006 Fireblade, BMW S1000RR, Triumph Tiger 1050.
Preferred Road/Area to ride in the UK and Overseas Essex and Suffolk are just fine with some great roads although I do love to ride in North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany are favourites especially the Eifel Mountain Range. Age you first rode a bike I was 13, it was an old C90 that was used and abused in our local woods. When and why did you develop an Interest in riding a Bike From an early age I loved riding pushbikes, always liked the idea of travel and couldn’t wait to get my first Motor Bike
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(Fs1e) to take me on my first biking holiday with friends at the age of 16. Aside family members who would you like as a riding companion Anyone that shares the Love of Bikes, rides to a reasonable standard and doesn’t moan at tea stops! Reasons behind becoming an EAMG Observer I was fortunate enough to have had Advanced training at the young age of 32 and when I passed my IAM test in 1992 the Examiner (Clive Fry) invited me to join EAMG, I joined the group in 1993 or 94? One group night the Chairman Paul Roberts asked if any members would like to become an Observer, I thought I would give it a go as I really enjoyed the Observed rides and the whole learning experience (it made me safer and quicker). Having been an observer on and off since 1995 I have enjoyed passing onto others the skill set that probably helped save my Life! Scariest or most embarrassing moment on a Bike On track in Germany, I was at a Motorrad Perfection Training event held at the Nurburgring. Bikes only on track with open Pit lane and full laps without having to go in at the car park and go through the barrier to re join the circuit. Anyhow, I was out on track lapping at a quick pace and had completed 3 continuous laps without a stop, this was plenty and very tiring but I thought I would carry on for a 4th lap (not a good idea). At one of the fastest parts of the track I was heading out to the right hand edge of the track (as usual) at probably 150 mph plus, not a problem on lap 1, 2 or 3 but now on my 4th I was tired but didn’t realise how tired I was until I tried to turn the bike away from the edge and the Grass!! I just managed to keep myself on track by about 6 inches! That was a very scary moment that would have been a big nasty off and one which would have had seriously Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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unhealthy consequences. I never did another 4 laps without a break and never will.
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Further Training Opportunities for Full Members EAMG FMT & AMT - 2020 1st January 2020 celebrated EAMG’s fifteen years of independence enabling the Group to draw upon the most appropriate riding techniques to meet the training needs of our members, without having to accommodate restrictions imposed by a governing body. With independence, came the responsibility to ensure our training standards progressed and maintained at the highest level. EAMG Observers fulfill a crucial role within the Group. All are required to hold a current RoSPA Gold qualification before they can be considered for observer training. Once qualified, Observers are re-tested internally every two years by one of four Senior Observer Assessors (SOA’s) who, in turn, are re-tested externally every two years by Police Class: 1 riders. Full Members and Associates can therefore be assured that EAMG’s training is of the highest standard. EAMG; ‘Promoting Motorcycling Excellence’.
Full Member Training (FMT) FMT format allows greater focus on many aspects of advanced motorcycling over longer distances on less familiar roads. Make no mistake, passing an advanced motorcycle test is an excellent achievement but it’s only a measure of your riding standard on test day. Riding skills require continued practice to be retained or they will sadly be lost. Associate Member Training (AMT) Similar training courses are now available for Associate Members who may be approaching test standard, have been recommended to apply by their 1 to 1 Observers or those familiar with riding greater distances than covered on a typical Observed ride. Associates will be encouraged to make their most recent Ride Report Forms available to ensure the Observer on the day has the necessary information to identify needs and address any issues that may be apparent.. Ride Format Duration of rides will be circa 200 mls for Full Members and 100-120 mls for Associates. Regular stops, most including refreshments, will include debriefs so that issues identified can be addressed during subsequent legs. We will NOT be riding in one large group. Allocation will usually be on a 2 to 1 basis to avoid continuous Observation. Every effort will be
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made to match riding ability and/or aspirations. Routes will be pre-planned and forwarded to all participants beforehand. Initial briefing will be comprehensive and a full Ride Report Form will be provided.
2022 Events Joining Fees
FMT—(£45)
AMT— (£35)
Sunday, March 13th
Sunday, May 29th
Sunday, August 14th
Sunday, October 23rd
Register by completing and returning this form to: John Tipper Email: john@reveillerrides.co.uk Tel: 0208 360 8590 or Mbl: 07860 773711
Pay direct to Sort Code: 30-96-94 a/c no: 00791646 Ref: FMT or AMT + your name Cash or Cheques payable to Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd on the day Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Tel:
Email:
Riding Experience Aspirations: Annual Mileage:
Machine:
FTFM - 2022 Membership Secretary
Observer Co-ordinator
Paula Hockey
John Tullett
membership@eamg.org.uk
training@eamg.org.uk
Additional Membership Fee
Contribution to Observer
£20 pa
£10 per ride
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
Chris Johnson, Editor Printed by Colchester Press. Please mention EAMG when replying to advertisers - it identifies you!
http://www.eamg.org.uk Affiliated to the British Motorcyclists Federation Registered Charity Number 1107703
Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with a view that free expression promotes discussion and interest. Any spelling or grammatical errors are the responsibility of the editor .. Inclusion of adverts is not to be construed as EAMG endorsement, although most advertisers are excellent, but seek personal recommendations.Text © EAMG 2020 Illustrations © EAMG 2020, except where indicated otherwise. Group material may be reproduced provided acknowledgement is given to EAMG and the original author.
@EssexAdvMCgroup @EAMG.ORG.UK Pictures: www.edmxtech.co.uk/eamg.htm TUG email: TUG@eamg.org.uk Twitter:
Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd, Registered Office, St Laurence House, 2 Gridiron Place, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2BE Registered in England & Wales, Registration No. 5258261
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Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
