February 2009
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ello all and welcome to the first news letter of 2009, and its already shaping up to be a busy one already the club nights are getting busy, and everything is on the up and up.
The AGM was very good lots of close votes and three new committee members (well one not so new) firstly one some of you may not recognise, that's Steve Ford, Steve has just retired as the RNLIs first aid trainer, so he has spent lots of time away, however he has continually supported the club, by training all of the marshals in first aid, welcome aboard Steve. Next is a man that needs no introduction what so ever, John Macgregor, John has come on as a general committee member, its good to see new faces on the committee. And last but by no means least Pete Batten, for those of you who are new to the club Pete was the chairman when I joined the club about six years ago, he is also a life vice president of the club, and is also one of the founding club members, Pete has taken on role of social secretary this year, and has already started getting things going, so look forward to a great year. Well that's about all folks, the closing date for the march news letter is 15th March so please get anything you want to be inserted, before that date, have a good month and hope to see you all on the club nights! Mark Hull Editor P.M.C.C
Chairman’s Corner
Plymouth Motorcycle Club
Editor: Mark Hull Tel: 01752 784025 Mob: 07590498480 Email: markhull@blueyonder.co.uk 1
Hi all Welcome to the club for 2009 This year the Social Secretary has been working hard by organising talks from local traders on our Monday club nights, There is a positive feeling within the club, and we seem to have a fairly balanced committee to work with. The whip has been cracked and we are working on things like club nights, charity rides, the Mega-ride, the rally in France and even (yes I know its February ) the Christmas do. There are new additions to the world of bikes within Plymouth with G.T now having the franchise for Ducati and a new Harley Davidson dealer opening up in Plympton very soon. At the time of writing this we have 101 members which is up on this time last year by about twenty. This year’s Mega-ride. We have been asked to suggest a Charity of the clubs choice, which will be added to the final six names that are selected at G.T.s, and the organisers choice (Making 8 ) for the public, and yourselves to vote on the Mega Ride website over the next few months. So come on guys and girls get your thinking heads on and lets us know what charity you want the club to nominate, either by emailing me, or on Monday club nights there will be a sheet of paper for you to write down your suggestion.. Please read further on in the news letter the minutes of the outstanding Annual General Meeting Any other business. R Bounds Chairman
Sunday Rideout Report The Sunday Rideout gang have been busy over the off season, and have managed to meet and ride to somewhere most if not every weekend. Destinations and routes are not set in stone, so they’re normally finalised out when we meet at GT Motorcycles Café on Sunday mornings - someone may want to go somewhere special, and if all are in agreement - we play it by ear and all join in.. As long as we’re riding - that’s what matters! The ride is less formal than the Monday evening ride - outs - riders can join the group for as long as they like - some are out for lunch, cont
Fag and comfort break at Slapton - Sunday 25th - en route to Dawlish - cold , but enjoyable.
and others may just want to join in for an hour or so - as long as we know what they’re doing - that’s fine. Also - I think I can safely say that all riders are taken into consideration - and if some want to go a bit quicker than others - so be it - they’ll normally wait for the others up the road a bit once they’ve got the adrenalin rush over with, and we all seem to get there together. The rides are normally arranged so as to end up at a café somewhere so that the hungry can satiate their appetites. So- where do we go? St Austell - the Atlantic Highway, Exeter, Oakhampton and Dawlish are all places we have visited recently - and despite the weather forecasts - we have not been disappointed or soaked so far - (says he with fingers crossed - touch wood etc etc). However - there seem to be more sets of heated grips being fitted lately! During the warmer months, when there are no club events on, we Weston Supermare - Races? - Wot races? voyage further afield - all over Devon and Cornwall or and of course to anything or place that someone may suggest to be worthwhile. Mind you, not all trips are successful - the picture above right was taken at Weston Super Mare. - We went up to watch the sand races - and then found it was twenty quid to get in!- so a sit in the sun with chips and ice cream was the order of the day for some - while the rich b@”!*ds among us went in to watch the racing . - it still turned out a brilliant day out. Anyway - the ride numbers are increasing gradually - so if you’re fed up with riding alone and fancy a trip out on a Sunday with the guys from the club - you’re welcome to join us - see you at GT’s! Dennis Callicott, Membership Secretary
MONDAY NIGHT RIDEOUTS Monday night Rideouts will start on 30th March 2009 with a short ride back to Citybus. We hope to run a full and varied programme this year. To that end if anyone has a particular route or final venue they would like to ride/visit please get in touch with any of the Committee. If it is considered viable we will include it in our Rideout programme.
MARSHALS’ MEETING There will be a Marshal’s Meeting at 1930hrs on Monday 9th March 2009 at Citybus. All existing Marshals and anyone who would like to help out are invited to attend. This will enable us to plan the Rideout programme and discuss Marshalling duties etc.
GUIDELINES FOR RIDERS ON CLUB RIDEOUTS Below are the Guidelines for Riders as published on the Club Forum last year and continue to be pertinent this year: Whilst we take every precaution to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable Rideout there are some requirements that you need to address yourselves.
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Please arrive in plenty of time with a full tank of fuel. Your bike should have a valid vehicle excise licence. Your bike should be roadworthy and have a valid MOT certificate. Your bike should be insured.
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Please arrive before the ride via Marsh Mills roundabout and Plymouth Road, not via the back en trance to Novotel. Please ensure you park your bike on the right hand side of the road and line up with the other riders. Do not use the Novotel’s car park Check the route so that you know where you are going When the ride forms up at the exit from Novotel keep well to the left, 2 abreast, so we do not block the road Ride in staggered file whenever possible Try to keep pace with the rider in front and where possible do not create gaps. If you are uncomfortable with the speed of the ride allow the other riders to pass you and drop back to the back of the ride where a marshal will pick you up and guide you at a speed more comfortable to you. Where a marshal is present at a change of direction follow his directions. Marshals are not allowed to stop traffic so he/she will signal the direction you are to go but you are responsible for the safe manoeuvre to comply with this At all times when riding in a group have due regard for other riders in that group and all other road users Your safety is at all times your own responsibility. Plymouth Motorcycle Club takes no responsibility for any damage or loss suffered during Club Rideouts.
Finally if you see a Marshal trying to move through the group please give him room. There will probably be a good reason for this. (Marshals can be identified as they wear orange or yellow vests and or have yellow headlight covers).
Ken Bush Rideout Cordinator FROM THE CHAIR part 2 Hi guys and girls that’s another A.G.M out the way for another year not the quickest but very lively. As a recap on the night we held an EGM first to change part of the constitution so we could split the treasurer and products officer’s job into two posts making it easier to deal with. The AGM followed with most of the committee staying the same, apart from Pete Batten who came on as Social Secretary (Pete was chairman before myself and has been the membership Secretary, Rideout coordinator in the past and is life vice president of our club as well as our webmaster). Steve Ford is one of our committee members ( Steve may not have not been seen at the club much due to his R.N.L.I. commitments but he has been the marshals First Aid trainer for 4yrs) along with John MacGregor who has been a long standing club member and supporter of our ride outs and charity runs. As part of the AGM in the any other business questions and observations were brought up regarding the ride outs which although were answered at the time it is felt still needs more clarity on how and why we run the ride outs at this present time. Query 1: The speed of the run. I can assure you that 90% of the time the lead marshal rides within the speed limit and he is in constant contact with the other marshals checking the progress of the ride. Query 2: The general safety of the ride out. To reduce the risk of riders becoming lost we have been displaying the route of the ride on 2 of the marshal’s bikes at the start of the ride so that all riders can have prior knowledge of where they are going. It is also published on the club website and club forum. With regard to any incidences involving the riders, if a rider comes off their bike the safety bike or nearest marshal to the incident stops and checks the safety and wellbeing of the rider, checks if another rider is staying with that person, that they have a mobile phone and that they have means to any services needed (ambulance etc) and that they are able to organise transport to get their bike and themselves home safely. He is then has to rejoin the main group so as to be available to continue the ride out and respond to any other incidences that may occur. The main marshal’s are first aid trained and carry a basic first aid kit. Query 3: Gaps and staggered formation riding. This has been a long standing area of discussion within the marshal’s meetings as well as within the club itself. It goes without saying that most club members try to avoid causing gaps within the group and keep to the staggered formation, however we do not have any control or influence on those who choose to ignore these recommendations. Our advice is that if a gap occurs and you do not feel happy to go faster than your capabilities allow others to overtake and remember that there is always a pick up marshal who will stay with you and any other riders who find the pace too quick. In my experience I have observed that some riders deliberately cause gaps so that they can play catch up and although I do not feel this is good practise it is very hard to prevent. We are only a group of riders who enjoy riding our bikes NOT A PROFFESSIONAL ORGANISATION. We therefore have to rely on the riders to be sensible and safe when riding with us, it’s not for us to dictate to the riders how to ride we can only advise. In the past one or two bikers have been known to let cars out of junctions and have slowed down to let a car cross there path, by doing this gaps are then formed in the group. Our advice is please don’t do this. Another area that can cause gaps is traffic lights (Asda & Robourgh) if there are two lanes that go straight ahead please filter into them, this helps get the bikes through the lights in one go. Query 4: With regard to the Monday ride out donations. This money does go towards the marshal’s high visibility jackets, radio equipment,( some marshal do purchase their own equipment but at £200 for a basic kit not everyone has that sort of3 money) first aid training, but as with the membership money raised the rest of the money goes towards the last Monday club ride out buffet, the Xmas buffet & disco, star prizes and trophies (£4:00 a ticket does not cover the £2,000 cost) also there is yearly hire cost for the use of city bus. BMF insurance at £350 per annum which we have to have, the hire of the Mermaid Pub and the purchase of club products has to be paid up front.
All the money raised on our charity ride outs goes to the nominated charity we will on some occasions if we have had a bad turn out top up this money with club funds. Query 5: A member mentioned the shambles of marshalling the Mega Ride. Perhaps it’s my fault, when I ask for Mega Ride marshal’s I should explain we don’t actually marshal the ride, which is down to Devon and Cornwall Police. Our job is to get the bikers up to Lee Mill and to park their bikes on the Hoe Promenade. Why do we help with the Mega Ride.? It promotes our club and we have a free stall which helps advertise our club and gain new members. The organisers and owners of the Mega Ride are Surpass and Mike Grainger (G.Ts). Mike originally helped fund the start of the Plymouth Motorcycle Club which we are indebted to. John Duke’s recommendation in assisting marshals with their petrol costs will be discussed at the next marshals meeting and then on to the committee. I have 2 Questions for to the club members. 1. Do we put up the annual club membership fee? My recommendation is NO. 2. Instead of doing No 1. Would people prefer to increase there ride out donations to £1:00. I would emphasise that this is a Donation and therefore if people cannot afford this they don’t have to pay it, this goes for those who do not donate any money now. If you would like to respond to these questions you can either speak with the committee members or email me or use the club forum to let us know you views. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those members who expressed their appreciation for all the work done by the marshals and committee, and the friendliness of the club members. Ritch Bounds Chairperson Subject: Outstanding issues from the 2009 PMCC AGM – PMCC Marshals Meeting venue: Ritchard Bounds’ house. PMCC marshal attendees: Ritch Bounds, Brendan Bailey, Steve Romanel, Roy Pike, Rob Walls, Rob Hartland, Pete Tibbins, Ken Bush, Mark Hull , Trevor Pridham, Paul Pridham, Pete Batten , Denis Callicott. Meeting chair: Ritchard Bounds Meeting scribe: Pete Batten Meeting open: 20:33 Chairman’s opening statement: This meeting has been called to discuss two outstanding AOB issues raised at the recent 2009 AGM held on Monday 05.01.09 and membership feedback from the chairman’s AGM AOB report circulated to the membership. Point 1 - The club ride-out’s voluntary donations to be raised to £1.00. This point was also supported by a recent e-mail from a club member to the club chairman from the chairman’s AGM AOB report circulated to the membership. After lengthy discussions and with lengthy verbal contributions from all the individual marshals, it was unanimously carried that the “voluntary ride-out donations would not be increased to £1.00 A recommendation from the meeting was that as a matter of reference to ride-out donations a footnote would be added to all ride-out routes every Monday during B.S.T stating that: “The voluntary donation collected at club ride-outs would be £0.50 pence” Point 2 - Fuel expenses for the club marshals. This point was discussed in depth with a healthy input from all marshals as to why they supported the club with their personal time and expenses for fuel. When the chair of the meeting asked everyone in the room separately for their opinion, every marshal said that they did it voluntarily for the club’s sake and it was unanimously carried that the marshals did not wish to be paid for their fuel when they assist with the club ride-outs, or recce the routes. FOOTNOTE A number of Marshals expressed their appreciation for this suggestion made by the club members (See point 2) Meeting closed: 21:10 c.c. Outcome of this meeting will be fed back and minuted at the next committee meeting on 3rd March. Prior to this, it has been 4agreed by the committee members that club members will be informed / told of the above before this meeting date, to avoid further delay.
FORTHCOMING CLUB EVENTS …. next 3 months
March ‘09 Sunday 1st Monday 2nd Sunday 8th Sunday 15th Monday 16th Sunday 22nd Sunday 29th Monday 30th
10.30am Sunday Run, GT Motorcycles, Plymouth 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club, JD Racing - KTM 10.30am Sunday Run, GT Motorcycles, Plymouth 10.30am Sunday Run, GT Motorcycles, Plymouth 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club, GT Motorcycles - Ducati 10.30am Sunday Run, GT Motorcycles, Plymouth 10.30am Sunday Run, GT Motorcycles, Plymouth 7pm Plymouth Novotel, 1st Monday evening Short Ride out 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club, Touring America, Roger Yetton
April ‘09 Monday 6th Sunday 12th Monday 13th Monday 20th Monday 27th
7pm Long Ride out from the Plymouth Novotel 12noon Lee Mill Ind. Est. British Heart Foundation Charity Ride-out BHF Charity Ride-out info from Ritch Bounds on: 0784 359 0968 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Short Ride out, Bank Holiday 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Long Ride-out 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Short Ride-out 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club
May ‘09 Monday 4th Sunday 10th Monday 11th Sunday 17th Monday 18th Monday 25th
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7pm Plymouth Novotel, Long Ride out, Bank Holiday 12noon Lee Mill Ind. Est. Beckley Center Charity Ride-out Beckly Center Ride-out info from Sandy Jones on: 0773 313 21599 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Short Ride out 8pm Club Meeting, City Bus Social Club Welsh Triangle Run, 9am Lee Mill Ind. Est. Info on: 0781 320 8347 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Long Ride out 7pm Plymouth Novotel, Short Ride out, Bank Holiday
LEASE NOTE: The above is always subject to change or cancellation. Before making any travel arrangements please do check the above details on the club website on: 5 www.plymouthmcc.org.uk
OTHER FORTHCOMING EVENTS …next 3 months March ‘09 Sunday 1st Sunday 14th Sunday 29th
WSBK Australia, Phillip Island, British Eurosport coverage WSBK Qatar, Doha, British Eurosport coverage British summer starts, clocks go forward +1hr
April ‘09 Sunday 5th Sunday 5th Friday 10th Sunday 12th Monday 13th Monday 13th Saturday 18th Sunday 19th Saturday 25th Sunday 26th I
Hartland Quay, Motorcycle Hill Climb, North Devon WSBK Valencia, Spain, British Eurosport coverage Good Friday, Bank Holiday MotoGP Doha, Qatar, BBC coverage Easter Monday, Bank Holiday British Superbike, Brands Hatch, opening round Festival of Classic Motorcycles, St. Ive, Nr. Pensilva, Cornwall Festival of Classic Motorcycles, St. Ive, Nr. Pensilva, Cornwall International Classic Bike Show, Stafford County Show Ground international Classic Bike Show, Stafford County Show Ground MotoGP Motegi, Japan, BBC coverage WSBK Assen, Holland, British Eurosport coverage
May ‘09 Friday 1st
Celtic Rally Festival, Maker, Cornwall BMAD Bike Festival, Paignton Saturday 2nd Celtic Rally Festival, Maker, Cornwall BMAD Bike Festival, Paignton Sunday 3rd MotoGP Jerez , Spain, BBC coverage (wave to the PMCC Pirates) Celtic Rally Festival, Maker, Cornwall Monday 4th British Superbike, Oulton Park, Bank Holiday Saturday 9th Thunder Sprint, Northwich Town Center, Cheshire Sunday 10th WSBK Monza, Italy, British Eurosport coverage Thunder Sprint, Northwich Town Center, Cheshire Saturday 16th BMF Show, East of England Showground Sunday 17th MotoGP Le Mans, France, BBC coverage WSBK Kyalami, South Africa, British Eurosport coverage BMF Show, East of England Showground Monday 25th British Superbike, Donington Park, Bank Holiday Wednesday 27th Paignton Bike Night Saturday 30th Garden of England Motorcycle Show, Kent County Show Ground Sunday 31st MotoGP Mugello, Italy BBC coverage Garden of England Motorcycle Show, Kent County Show Ground WSBK Salt Lake City, USA, British Eurosport coverage
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LEASE NOTE: The above is always subject to change or cancellation. Before making any travel arrangements or bookings please check the above details are correct by visiting the organiser website.