April2014

8th April Club Night Rob Cooper Eastham Ferry Hotel Ferry Road Eastham CH62 0AU

Issue No 194

April 2014

W I R R A L A D VA N C E D M OTOR C Y C L I S T S Group Council 2014 Web Site

IAM Group 5115 http://www.w-a-m.co.uk

Chairman

Tim Brown

chairman@w-a-m.co.uk

Vice Chairman

Ken Smith

vicechairman@w-a-m.co.uk

Honorary Treasurer

Lindsay Boston

treasurer@w-a-m.co.uk

Membership

Nina Jeffries

membership@w-a-m.co.uk

Associate Coordinator

Derek Jeffries 07957341692

associatecoordinator@w-a-m.co.uk

Honorary Secretary

Rob Cooper 0151 648 4503

secretary@w-a-m.co.uk

Events Organiser

Dave Spotswood events@w-a-m.co.uk

Newsletter Editor & Minute Secretary

Peter Lovatt

newsletter@w-a-m.co.uk

Group Shop

Martin Titley 0151 632 3570

groupshop@w-a-m.co.uk

Gift Aid Coordinator

Rob D’Cruze

giftaid@w-a-m.co.uk

Ride Out Coordinator

Rob Tutchings

rideout@w-a-m.co.uk

Other Council members Ian Roberts Nicole Rigby Carl Mason Cliff Evans

CONTACT WAM

MAGAZINE TEAM:

Rob Cooper Coopers Upholstery The Old Bank Everton Valley Liverpool L5 0RH

Distribution: Magazine Dispatchers and the Post Office!

Editor: Peter Lovatt Duplication: Martin Titley

2

April already? Doesn’t time fly!!! So onward and upward…..

To kick off, a big ‘Thanks’ to Dave Rees for providing the talk at the March Club Night which was about road safety on Wirral. There were certainly a few facts and figures to conjure with as a full room listened on. A very informative evening.

Also on the night was a presentation made to Graham Thow for being Observer of the Year 2013, a presentation put back from February’s AGM. Giving the certificate is our new WAM Chairman, Tim. So to this month, and Aprils Club Night is a discussion/talk/argument about offsiding, All I’ll say is that there is an article inside, so read up, and discuss on the night! Should be good!! Also in this issue is an article from long standing member, Tim Dishman, who spends a lot of time in Bali (that’s BALI not BALA) the first instalment is within this tome.

And finally(?!?) for the official club run this month, is a return trip to RAF Cosford - the date is April 27th The ride will be lead by yours truly, and I will need to know approximate numbers intending to go - I’ll be posting up a reminder on both WAM forums. Again keep your eye on the WAM website.

Talking of which, it’s been revamped recently, so to see the revised look, go to ww.w-a-m.co.uk Happy Biking! Pete

3

Choosing a Cam for your engine (Suitable for Observing and WAM ride outs) The question "What cam should I buy for my bike?" is the one we often hear.

Indeed it is, especially on the WAM forums and at club nights.

While there are no hard and fast rules for picking a cam for a specific application, such as ‘pootle mode’, or ‘making progress mode’ some basic guidelines are worth considering first, before getting your spanners out and stripping your engine to the last nut and bolt. Keep in mind that camshafts are usually chosen for the basic purpose of producing more power from your engine. The three questions to answer before choosing a new cam are: 1. Primary application: Is the bike going to be used for normal street riding or is the goal to have an engine which is running at the maximum torque and horse power for WAM Observing and/or WAM ride outs?

2. Type of riding: Do you spend a lot of your time riding on highway trips or is it more important to have the most power you can get which is suitable for WAM Observing and/or WAM ride outs? In other words is your riding style conservative or worthy of ‘making progress’?

3. Engine/Bike combination: This question relates to displacement (engine cc), compression ratio, bike weight and what kind of cylinder head modifications have been done and whether a sidecar has been fitted or not. Have the intake and exhaust ports been changed to result in better flow efficiency? (for IAM insurance purposes = NO) Does the engine have higher than stock compression ratio to take advantage of a longer duration cam? (for IAM insurance purposes = NO) Is the bike lighter due to radical body modifications, and use of titanium alloys for brackets and fasteners? (for IAM insurance purposes = NO) To get the best cam for your bike all these factors have to be taken into account.

Almost every type of engine modification imaginable has been performed on bike 4

engines over the years by experts and by the bloke in the shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are quick and simple to perform, whilst others can be very complex. But for IAM insurance purposes, no modifications are done at all. Ever.

Not even the tyre valve caps. Here is a short summary of modifications listed in the order of increasing cost and installation complexity.

Free flow air filters Free flow exhaust system Performance camshafts Remapping of the bikes ECU and Higher output ignitions Modified fuel injectors or larger carburettors High compression pistons Big bore cylinders and pistons It is important to note that too much cam sometimes results in poor low RPM power. Indeed this is not good for ‘making progress’ on Observed rides or WAM ride outs. It would be frowned upon by those WAM Observers ‘in the know’.

Street bikes will often perform better with a mild cam than more radical cams.

While bigger cams may have a higher peak horsepower, more conservative cams may feel stronger to a street rider because the max torque occurs at lower RPM. This is vitally important for ‘making progress’ on Observed rides and WAM ride outs, especially on overtakes, or filtering on the M53 in rush hour, or doing some serous bend swinging through the Birkenhead Tunnel when no one is looking.

Changing cams is the easy way to more torque in the low to mid RPM range. A cam with a longer intake duration will reduce static compression pressure at low speed which in turn will tend to reduce low RPM torque. Not good, especially on those overtakes. But with a longer duration cam and a higher compression ratio, power at middle and high speeds will be increased which is what you wanted all along. This is the main benefit of a good performance camshaft and properly tuned engine. This sounds like what is required for ‘making progress’ on Observed rides and WAM ride outs or filtering on the M53 in rush hour, or doing some serous bend swinging through the Birkenhead Tunnel when no one is looking.

For an engine with a cam properly matched to the displacement and compression ratio, the net result will be more power at middle and higher engine speeds. As has been mentioned several times before, this sounds like what is required for ‘making progress’ on Observed rides and WAM ride outs etc, etc.

So the conclusion from all of this is not to touch your engine at all for IAM insurance purposes. And removing the sidecar may help.

5

Sunday 27th April 2014, 9:24 am There will be an Official IAM Wirral Group (5115) Organised Club Ride Out in accordance with IAM Policy starting at the Tudor Rose Car Park, Two Mills, Parkgate Rd, Wirral CH66 9PD.

The Briefing will be at 9.24a.m Please be prompt with a full tank of fuel.

RAF Cosford Route out: (Non Stop) A540 > TL > A41 > Chester TL A51 > TL A41 > TR Unclassified > Saighton > Aldford TL B5130 > Holt/Farndon > TR A534 Wrexham > TL B5130 > Crosslanes TL @ Lights A525 > TL unclassified > Bangor-is-y-coed

B5069 > Overton > A528 > Ellesmere After Ellesmere TL A495 > Welshhampton > TR B5063 > Wem In Wem > TR B5476 > TL B5063 > Moreton Corbet > Shawbury > High Ercall TL B5062 > Crudgington > Newport TR A41 > Albrighton > TR RAF Cosford (follow signs) Wander around the hangers marvelling at past British aeronautical engineering and invention, after lunch, of course‌..

Route Back: Options, depending on time:Direct route back: - Pick up A41 and follow all the way back‌. Simples!

Indirect route back:- A41 > A529 > Market Drayton > Nantwich > A51 > Home For I.A.M. Insurance reasons this Ride Out is for full members and Associates.

This is also a great opportunity for non members wishing to join WAM. They are permitted one Official Group Organised ride out per year following an initial assessment, provided they are considering joining the IAM group to complete the Skills For Life Course! Anyone requiring to be Observed please bring it to the attention of one of the ride out team on the day.

6

IMPORTANT WAM DATES *******************

Fixed Length Course 1 dates 2014 15th March Week 1

Introduction to the course, Objectives, Explain about Roadcraft, Demonstration ride.

22nd March Week 2

The 4S' Safety, System, Smoothness, Speed

29th March Week 3

Positioning, Observation, Corners and Bends, Over takes, Limit points

5th April

Week 4

Town work, Motorways

12thApril

Week 5

Corners, Bends, Revision period

Easter Weekend 26th April

Week 6

Assessment rides for test and de-brief *******************

Possible/Planned future Events:please contact events@w-a-m.co.uk for more info or to confirm interest Future Club nights:May – Geraint Hughes ‘reading the road’ talk June – NWAM talk July – Road Safety event (aka BBQ) September – Presentation night October – Quiz Also Rob Tutchings is going to see if we can get to some of the National Parks on the Official runs - Snowdonia, Lake District, Peak District, Brecon Beacons, and Yorkshire Dales.

7

WIRRAL ADVANCED MOTORCYCLISTS

Diary of Events www.w-a-m.co.uk *************************

April 8th Club Night - Rob Cooper talks about offsiding see article in this issue

27th Official Ride out to RAF Cosford *************************

This is the link for the WAM Official Forum, set up for Members of Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists ONLY. It is a forum for Associates, Observers, and members of WAM to discuss Official Group Rides out, riding techniques, FLC matters, and similar topics. To join you MUST give your name and Postcode when you Subscribe.

Group name: WAMOfficialForum Group home page: http:// uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/WAMOfficialForum Subscribe: to subscribe to the group send a BLANK email to WAMOfficialForum-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

Unsubscribe: to UNsubscribe to the group send a BLANK email to WAMOfficialForum-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk Once your submission has been approved, you can then post emails.

8

Spotted by Rob Cooper‌..

A nice endorsement for us from Charlie Williams.

MCN 19/2/14 Yes, Charlie did his Advanced Test through WAM a while back His Observer was Bruce McGeoghegan,

Club night Venue Eastham Ferry Hotel Ferry Road Eastham CH62 0AU 9

WIRRAL ADVANCED MOTORCYCLISTS MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

 FULL MEMBER* £20  GROUP FRIEND £20

E-Mail Address: ______________________________________________________

__________________ (Fax)

__________________ (Mobile)

Bike: __________________

Telephone Numbers: __________________(Home)

Post Code: __________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Surname: ___________________________

PERSONAL DETAILS: First Name: _________________________

*FULL MEMBERS - MUST be a current full member of Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists AND a current member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, if not, they are a Group Friend

TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP: (Please tick)  ASSOCIATE £20

I wish to apply to renew my membership of Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists for the year 2014 and enclose a cheque - number:_____________ made payable to Wirral Advanced Motorcyclists for £_______. My details are shown below and I agree to these being held, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, on computer file. I understand that my membership fee is renewable annually.

10

Please return this form together with your remittance to:

DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE A PAPER COPY OF THE WAM MAGAZINE? please indicate your preference YES / NO go to http://www.w-a-m.co.uk/newsletters.html for online version

Signature: ____________________________________ Date:__________________

I agree / do not agree to my details being held on a computer file.

Date of Expiry of IAM Membership: __________________

IAM Membership Number: __________________ Date of Test Pass:_________________________

REMINDER: Subscriptions are due at the AGM in February and MUST be paid by 30th April at the latest.

Nina Jeffries 2 Ikin Close Bidston Wirral Merseyside CH43 7XU

11

Offsiding – using the other side of the road An (abbreviated) article from the Kent Advanced Motorcycle Group This should put the cat amongst the pigeons!

The subject of offsiding is one of the most controversial on-road motorcycling techniques. It is a subject, which, from time to time, is brought up by associates and full members alike. Normally it is an associate that has heard of the technique and they start to enquire whether we encourage or support it, also can we explain exactly what it is!!

People tend to fall into three camps. Camp one is the ‘never never” camp, who absolutely, positively, 100% say it should never be done under any circumstances.

Camp two say that although they recognise offsiding as a technique, they personally would never normally practice it. This leaves the third bunch of maniacs who actually do it! (Or are they?)

Before I go any further, may I point out that this technique is NOT approved by the I.A.M. and as such, Observers will not teach it to associates, it is worth noting that certain examiners will fail you for demonstrating it and others may not. If you see other riders doing it, do not just try to copy them, it is a technique that needs a full understanding, precise execution and can be very dangerous if you haven’t grasped it 100%.

One of the examiners is reported to have a favourite saying on the subject; “Never go out looking for a view that you haven’t already got!” That makes a whole lot of sense to me and I don’t think you can fault that phrase. The phrase has been reinforced by comments like, “How do you explain to a magistrate that the incident occurred, whilst I was riding on the wrong side of the road, looking for a view!”

So what is Offsiding? As the name suggests, it is a practice of using the offside or opposing carriageway, normally over the white lines or arbitrary centre line. Its general purpose is to extend or maintain an advanced view ahead or to smooth out bends. Of course it should never be practiced where it would be illegal, i.e. crossing solid white lines or in areas marked by no overtaking signs and more importantly where anyone including yourself, could be put into a dangerous or compromising situation. (At this point, if you are an associate, please turn to the next article.)

However, it is generally accepted that one would use the other side of the road during a standard overtake on a single carriageway road. Not a single advanced motorcyclist would question the validity of crossing the centre line here. Provided 12

that the overtake is legal, does not cause any other road user to alter their course and you actually have somewhere to return your bike to safely once you pass the vehicle, (If you can’t put it in, don’t get it out rule.) this type of manoeuvre is acceptable.

Now, would you ever consider an overtake just as a right hand bend opens up? As an advanced rider, you might be looking for such an opportunity to overtake the vehicle in front. As long as you have sufficient vision through the overtaking path, its surrounding area and it is safe, to do so, and why not?

Lets run through the overtake on the diagram. You are travelling along some nice twisties in a national limit on a warm dry summers day. (Just setting the scene.)

You are gaining quite quickly on a solitary car in front. As an advanced rider, I know that as soon as you caught sight of the car, you would have had started to plan for an overtake.

You anticipate the overtake could be on and you prepare yourself by taking up an appropriate position, speed and gear. When you reach point [A] you would have already scanned the nearside of the road around the right hand bend and can now see fully along the road on the offside.

There are no turnings or entrances and your information stage has confirmed that the overtake is now definitely on! Gently, on comes the gas, smooth acceleration, the bike is really responsive and the overtake is completed by point [B] Mmmm.

Nice overtake. oops, I’m daydreaming again.

However, from point [B] on a straight piece of road, you would normally then come back into the left lane. But now you discover that from this position you have gained an advanced view around the next left hand bend. Question: Do you now return to the left lane at this point knowing that you can come back to your side of the road in a heartbeat, or do you maintain this advanced view around the corner until you reach point [C].

Lets study that famous quote; “Never go out looking for a view that you haven’t already got!” But we have now got the view haven’t we?. Should we just give it up? It’s very debatable, isn’t it... Or is it? You decide.

For those readers of the first group, I am surprised that you read this far and I am now wishing that I used a pen name when submitting this piece!

If you are an associate, what part of the phrase, “please turn to the next article” did you not understand then?

The readers of the third group already know the next bit so you can buzz off too.

13

But for the readers of the second group, how about removing the immediate hazard on the diagram. Place your thumb over the car... Now how does that look to you?

Deathwish. Huh?

Just remember.

“When in doubt, DON’T”.

Looks like a national limit, with hazard centre lines, and hedges either side limiting view across corners Pete

14

Dear Pete & friends @ WAM, Greetings from Bali.

You may be interested in the article which I prepared for the Club Mag. I have had to sell the BMW K75S recently, which I had since 1994. I still have the XL 185 trail I bought in PNG in 1990 though! Sorry I have not been able to make recent rides.

Best wishes to all Cheers Tim The Road to Bali-2014 I guess that things have changed quite a lot in Bali since the famous 1952 American comedy film-The Road to Bali. {See poster}. As it happens; I was born in 1952. In fact there is no Road to Bali, as it is a small island in the Indonesian archipelago, about 8 degrees South of the Equator & 115 degrees East of the Prime Meridian. The island is very roughly 90 miles long in the East - West direction and 55 miles long in the North - South direction. See Google Earth Image 1 below.

My “Road to Bali” did not take place by boat from Darwin-Australia, as in the Film, but by aeroplane from Manchester, England.

We left Manchester on Etihad Airways flight # EY0022, on Tuesday evening at 20.10GMT, February 4 2014, to fly the 3522 miles to Abu Dhabi. We arrived there early morning on Wednesday. We had a short time to wait before boarding flight # EY0416 to fly the 3473 miles to Kuala Lumpur - arriving late on Wednesday evening. We were hurried thru’ the impressive new terminal buildings-making use of a driverless train-to board the Malaysia Airlines operated flight to Denpasar, Bali-leaving at 23.35.

15

The flight of 1234 miles took around 3 hours on a Boeing 737800 jet plane. We entered Indonesia without problem, obtaining a visa on arrival. Bali also is constructing an impressive new airport terminal building.

We passed out of the arrivals building into the balmy, tropical air, around 03:00 local time, {GMT + 8 hours}, on Thursday morning, underneath a veritable spaghetti of steelwork holding up the vast roof. {See photograph 1}.

Photograph 1. Arrival Hall at Denpasar Airport My Wife & I had a short time to wait before we were picked up by her Sister and Brother in Law in their trusty, diesel, Izuzu Panther vehicle.

I had noticed, as we came in to land-from an easterly direction-an impressive new toll road link bridge-lit up with a ribbon of lites reflecting on the waters between the main island of Bali and the smaller area of Nusa Dua to the South. See Google Earth Image 2 below. The road forms one of the many impressive schemes to relieve the notorious traffic congestion on this tiny island, with its many roads unsuitable for today’s traffic conditions. {See photographs left & below}. An underpass, a first for Bali, has been constructed to take traffic from Jalan Sunset Road down to the airport and Nusa Dua; underneath the by pass traffic heading for Kuta. Out of town bridges are under con16

struction on the busy road from Denpasar Westwards to the island of Java. {See photograph right } After so many hours cooped up in the cabin of an aircraft I felt the call of the open road. As it was still fairly quiet at this early time of morning, well before sunrise, I took to the wheel to try out this new toll road over the water, where the cooling sea breezes were most welcome. We paid 10,000 Rupiah one way and another 10,000 Rupiah for the return trip, taking a different route past the harbour area. There are 19,859 Rupiah to the British Pound Sterling at the time of writing - {Feb 18 2014}. Most folk use the local, standard grade petrol which costs a very low 6,500 Rupiah per liter. Diesel is even cheaper at 5,500 Rupiah per liter. Higher octane Pertamax petrol is available at 13,000 Rupiah per liter. I did not, however, observe many people filling up with this costlier, but still cheap by World standards, fuel.

After a rest at the Family home North of Kuta, in a small village called Pegending, it was time to wheel out the Honda Tiger 200cc motorcycle, which I keep here. I had the battery filled with acid and charged up. Without too much difficulty the bike fired up after its long lay up since my trip to the island of Flores on it in 2012. The engine was not running smoothly though and it had no pulling power. I managed to limp to the local Honda shop on it, where I left it, without any pre booking needed, for a thorough check out. I waited about 4 hours at the shop whilst they did the work, which including dismantling and cleaning out the carburettor totally, paying 175,000 Rupiah-less than GBP10. This also included the cost of a new spark plug for the single cylinder engine.

My first long trip on the bike was on Sunday, February 16 2014 when I rode from Denpasar Northwards over the mountains to the coast at Singaraja. I filled up with Pertamax fuel to see if I could notice any improvement in performance. I must admit that I could not really feel any difference, although it may be cleaner for the carburettor. This road has improved a lot over the years I have been riding it. The surface has been upgraded and the carriageway widened. Whilst the step thru’ and scooter remains the most popular vehicle on the road here there are also a few bigger bikes seen, such as Harley Davidsons and Ducatis. By far the best

17

time to ride is the early morning when it is becoming lite-around 06:00. The roads are less busy and it is cooler and more comfortable riding. Also the silhouttes of the volcanic mountains look impressive against an orange backdrop as dawn breaks. During the day Tim with Honda Tiger by rice terraces in mountains time clouds often build up and the peaks are hidden in a haze.

There are many sights and sounds and smells to take in when riding in Bali. The rice terraces present a most beautiful sight as well as being very cleverly engineered features. {See photographs right and below} If one feels hungry or thirsty there are numerous stalls set up by the side of the road selling all man-

Rice terraces in mountains near Pupuan-Bali

ner of items from exotic fruits, {see photograph left}, to drinksboth bottled and fresh - such as coconut milk.

The mountain roads, on a decent bike, are good fun to ride. There are, however, a large number of accidents and many signs are appearing urging people to take more care. {See photographs }.

18

Edge protection and safety barriers are not provided and the open storm drains form an easy trap for careless riders.

Road safety sign in mountains South of Singaraja.

It took me around 3 hours to ride from Pegending up to Singaraja, on the North coast. In Singaraja I looked around a Chinese temple to Taoism, Buddhism and Confucius. There were many varied and interesting things to see ranging from a large bell-made in England-to turtle like animals crawling around an area sunken into the floor. {See photographs below } To be continued next issue‌‌...

19

DISCLAIMER:-

The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Advanced Motorists Ltd, or the Wirral Group of Advanced Motorcyclists. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with the view that free expression promotes discussion and interests. So you have been warned.

Interested in doing the Advanced Car Test? Wirral Advanced Motorists are the people to see. Go to www.wirraliam.co.uk