Hustler 233

w w w . s u z u k i o w n e r s c l u b . c o . u k

Hustler H 2 3 3

W i n t e r 2 0 1 3

Suzuki Owners Club Suite 240 Divo House 29 Belmont Road Uxbridge UB8 1QS

Cover Photo supplied by AlanH Amy Green from Suzuki GB helping out on our NEC stand

Editor’s Report I am encouraged that with the gradually lengthening days and a slight let up in the rain that the signs of spring are soon to be with us. Hopefully followed by a good summer filled with great times with close friends. I for one will make the most of every opportunity. I am so grateful for the help and support of the members that have taken the time to put pen to paper and submit articles for The Hustler. Without their hard work what you hold in your hand would not be possible. Hopefully you will enjoy what follows and maybe feel inspired to put fingers to keyboard and send me something, as this is still the toughest part of my job. I will take submissions at any time the sooner the better please, pictures as jpegs and word type documents. Be great to see as many of you as possible throughout the coming year at meets, ride outs, camping weekends and one of my favourites, Belgium for Easter.

Keep Dry Ed Alan H Editorsoc@rocketmail.com

Membership Renewals Online

By Post

Last submission date is Issue 234 30th May

Credit or Debit card via the clubs Secure Server at www.suzukiownersclub.co.uk Or Paypal to suzukiownersclub@rocketmail.com

Cheque or postal order with your membership Number to Suzuki owners Club,Suite 240,Divo house, 29 Belmont road, Uxbridge, UB8 1QS

Please help us keep in contact with you. If your details change contact either by post, online pm or email to membershipsecretary@rocketmail.com including your membership number

Neither the Suzuki Owners Club nor its National Committee are necessarily in agreement with the opinions, views or suggestions expressed in this magazine. Any such opinions, views or suggestions are entirely the author’s and publishing them does not imply the endorsement of the Suzuki Owners Club Copyright Suzuki Owners Club 2007.

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission of the Suzuki Owners Club.

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Laverty Wins WSBK Opener Eugene Laverty stormed to victory in the opening World Superbike Race of the season on the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000, showing that the goal this season is to win the championship.

Laverty, who qualified fourth fastest with his quickest time set on a race tyre as the team hadn’t had chance to find a good set up on a qualifying tyre, fought back to close down the gap on the leaders in first race, before making his way to the front of the field.

From there he showed his class and pulled out a gap on the chasing group, and took the win by three seconds.

He said, “The first race was incredible! To be so far back on the first lap and come through to win; it was the perfect race for us and a nice way to pay back the whole team for the belief they’ve shown in me.

“Paul Denning worked hard to get me on board and he delivered everything I needed. He brought in my Crew Chief Phil Marron, Davide Gentile to work on the electronics and Stan, who I’ve worked with before.

“All the rest of the boys have welcomed me, so it was nice to be able to reward them with the win right away, and it’s a win that means more to me than any so far in my WSBK career.”

Race two sadly showed the other side of racing, with a mechanical problem forcing Laverty’s retirement from a podium position.

He added, “The second race was a disappointment for everyone. We didn’t deserve that, that’s for sure, but that’s racing and unfortunately that’s how it goes sometimes.”

Alex Lowes, who dislocated his ankle on Saturday, pushed on and raced through the pain, but ultimately the injury meant he was unable to ride to his fullest, and also resulted in a few mistakes, which unfortunately saw him crash at turn one in the opening race.

He regrouped for race two, but ran on twice and lost time, despite putting in lap times on a similar pace to the front runners. He eventually finished 13th.

Text and picture copied from Suzuki Bulletin

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From The Chair Hi Folks.

As I am sitting here writing this & looking out of the window at the howling wind and non stop rain, fencing is down and I am thinking this is definitely not bike weather. Even ducks take shelter in this. Seriously, I do hope that if any of you living in area's of flood water, or have suffered because of the weather, that you are ok, safe and you are getting the necessary help that is required. Roll on biking weather.

NEC Bike show Last November we had our stand again at the show but only because of being sponsored by AEPCS LTD. This was a very kind gesture from one of our members Pete Dibble. Our stand was sited by the Suzuki GB hospitality stands so we had a great position and a lot of new and ex members visited, enquired, signed up and talked about old and new times ahead for the club.

Pete's one off built brilliant small chopper bike was a big hit, drawing the crowds in and also boosted ticket sales for our chosen charity, Blood Bikes, all because people wanted to sit on it and have their picture taken. Everyone involved in the show agreed that it was a great success for us as a club. A massive thank you to all the members that gave up their time to help man the stand over the nine days.

Many thanks must go to Gordon and Lois Thompson for providing great hospitality and a place to stay at their home to those members who required it when manning the stand.

Don't forget, let Alan the editor have your articles on anything for inclusion in the mag, be it funny or serious, so we can all have a good read.

BanditAnt

Laura, Pete and Cupcake Nec 2014

Suzuki Owners Club Suite 240 Divo House 29 Belmont Road Uxbridge UB8 1QS

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Local Centres Cumbria Sec: Ron Crawford soccumbria@rocketmail.com st Centre meet: 1 Sunday of the month, 12.00 1 Yeathouse Road Frizington CA26 3PX Yorkshire Sec: Dave Hebblethwaite socyorkshire@rocketmail.com nd Centre meet: 2 Wednesday of every month from 8.30pm New Inn 419 Denby Dale Road East Durkar Wakefield West Yorkshire WF4 3AX

East Midlands (Nott’s, Derby, Leic’s, Rutland) Sec: Alby White soceastmidlands@rocketmail.com th Centre meet: 4 Thursday of the month The Crown Croft Crescent Awsworth NG16 2QY

North East (EG. Durham, Northumberland) Sec: George Frater/Kevin Close socnortheast@rocketmail.com www.northeast.suzukiownersclub.co.uk st Centre meet: 1 Sunday from 7:30pm The Heather Lad Quarrington Hill South Coast Sec: Laura Dyer socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com Centre meet: Loomies Cafe A272 (West Meon Hut) Hampshire GU32 1JX First Sunday of every month Meeting time - 10-12 Staffordshire Sec: Gordon Thompson socstafford@rocketmail.com Centre meet: 3rd Sunday of the month from 12 midday excluding bank holiday weekends then 2nd Sunday.

The George Inn Castle St Eccleshall Staffordshire ST21 6DF

Peaks, Pennine & Northwest Sec: Martin Bennett socppnw@rocketmail.com Eastern (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex) Sec: Philip Jackman philip-jackman@hotmail.co.uk Centre meet: 2nd Sunday of the month at approx 10:00 at D's Diner just off the Southbound A12 on the Hatfield Peveral North exit.

London Sec: John Carr soclondon@rocketmail.com Centre Meet: 2nd Sunday of every month at 11.30 The Botwell Inn 25-29 Coldharbour Lane Hayes Middlesex UB3 3EB

Czech Republic Mr. Ivo Lauer, Havlíčkova 505 679 32 SVITÁVKA, Česká Republika E-mail gsivo@seznam.cz www.suzukiownersclub.cz

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Kent Sec : Paul Deval sockent@rocketmail.com Centre meet: 2nd Sunday of the month at 10am The Blue & White Cafe Hythe Road (A20) Smeeth

Western Scotland Sec: Joyce Stewart Socwscotland@rocketmail.com

Tech Officer I have not been so busy doing the dating certificates as I was in the summer, but still have done quite a few. Up to now I've done 50 certificates. It’s about an even split between members and non members. So things are ticking over with them coming in. Most of these I would say are summer projects. Let’s hope it starts to pick up again. There have been quite a few inquiries last month.

I've replied to all, but most of them said they would get back to me later in the year. The DVLA has sent out a letter stating that they have changed the V765 form as of November last year. So please be aware that the V765 must be stamped by the Suzuki Owners Club to make it valid.

Till the next time Please All Ride Safe.

John Carr

10 11

Public Relations Well we have stumbled our way through Christmas and into 2014, which hopefully will see a massive improvement in the weather which so far this year has been nothing more than a washout, however it does give you a chance to test your waterproofs.

As we are fast approaching what could laughably be called the riding season, I have started publishing our events and ride outs to the various motorcycling papers and magazines.

Again if you have Motor Bike publications unique to your area please forward to me the details so I can promote your club and your events.

I am pleased to announce the winners of the Grand Prize Draw, they are as follows.

Simon Lee wins a year’s Bike insurance provided by Bike Sure.

Sarah Cove wins a Pair of Pirelli Angel GT Tyres Alan Pollock wins the Tyco Suzuki GB Merchandise.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all that supported the draw, a new Prize draw will be announced shortly.

Finally I wish you all Safe Riding and hope to meet up with you soon at one of the many Shows organised by our shows Coordinator, Alby, who would appreciate any offers of help or assistance.

Bugman

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Membership As this is the first hustler of 2014 I would like to wish you all a great year on your bikes and let the sun shine down on us.

Below are the stats for November and December 2013 the n.e.c. is included.

New Members = 55 11 were joint and 2 were three year memberships Renewals = 37 7 were joint and 3 were three year memberships Ten year badges were awarded to Geoffrey & Eileen Harrison Bernard Castle. well done wear with pride As you know in early 2014 membership subs are due to rise.

If you are due to renew why not take advantage of the three year deal and save a few quid before it goes up Still working with Sue on the new membership data base. We will get done promise.

I will be doing a few shows this year with Alby and Peter so hope to meet some of you .Keith Membership Secretary

London Centre London Centre Report.

Hi to all who read our great mag, The Hustler. I hope you all had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. We had our Xmas lunch on the 8th and what a great day we had. Plenty of food and drinks were had by all and the younger members of our club had a great time - more I think with the puddings than the main meal. I've been busy trying to get my bike sorted out as it broke down 2 weeks ago and 1 of our club members has kindly lent me his bike to get around. A Great Big Thanks to him.

Till we all meet up have a safe ride.

John Carr.

Centre Sec.

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Treasurer As of the 12th of February.

As you can see the club is not in a good financial condition. We are just keeping our heads above the water. We've been lucky with payments for things like the Hustler, as the money used was what came in through PayPal for my doing the Dating Certificates and new member joining. If this money had not come in we would have had to use some of our savings. The extra money we paid out was for the Invader badges that we gave to our members for celebrating our 40th year. We need to keep a tight rein on how we spend the money we have left, things like the shows, I am not going to give out a budget yet for this year’s Invader, not until I can see how things are going.

The next couple of months is going to be the big test as to see what we have coming in and what we have to pay out. Then I can make a decision as to what I can allocate for the Invader rally. We all know we've got to tighten our belts so if any one can think of how we can make some savings, please let us all know or how to bring extra money into the club coffers. I cannot give you the quarterly updates as I don't have the current information till it is all gathered.

We have been fortunate in having a member who is highly experienced in accounts and bank reconciling and all aspects of accounting to offer us assistance in sorting out the documentation that was handed over to me. I will be working to ensure all our accounts are reconciled. I'm having to go through all paper work and place it in date order and into years as well, As for the bank account the mandate was completed at the end of November so now we have full control of the club’s finances.

Monies in PayPal is £474.79 and in the bank account there's £1247.07 Money will be moved around to accommodate the payments. All affiliations have now been paid, account is static around £5603.09.

The club is starting to improve but it’s very slow at the moment. Let’s all hope we all can have a good year and all of us getting out there to ride our bikes.

John Carr

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National Secretary Hello Everyone, I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year, it seems so long ago now so we should all be recovered! With the topsy turvy weather I would imagine everyone’s thought’s are turning to Spring, good biking weather and………………….nominations! Yes it is that time of year, time to think about the club and getting involved with the running of it, so…………I would ask that members think about what they could offer to the club, come and help us make this great club even greater. We never thought that when we joined in 2006 that we would both be playing such an active role in the club but here we are, learning new things all the time, getting to grips with insurance, affiliations and much, much more. We are looking for enthusiastic members with a few skills to come and join us on the roller coaster that is the SOC National Committee! I remember being told: 'This is a members club, run by the members for the members' We now need the members to come forward and show their support for 'their' club.

As a member of the club and the NC I would love to see more members involved in decision making, events, creating small centres and participating in any way they can writing an article for the Hustler, contributing to the website and/or forum. Over the years we have met many members, interesting people with tales to tell, experiences to share and knowledge to pass on, so, come on members, lets make a pact that each member does one thing for 'their club' and lets move things forward, how about it??

Role profiles for the posts coming up for nomination start on page 22, if you want further information then please drop me a line at: ncsuzukiownersclub@rocketmail.com Looking forward to being inundated with requests for profiles, jump on board and let’s make a difference!

Don't forget to Register on our web site

Till next time, ride safe.

Sue Carr National Secretary

www.suzukiownersclub.co.uk

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Events Officer Firstly, can I wish a belated Happy New Year to everyone in SOC. What is 2014 going to bring for the club in the way of events ? So far there seems to be the regular centre meeting booked for some areas, a few ride outs are planned and the club stand is also booked into some shows. All we need now is for the weather to start to improve. I hope that all members living in areas affected by the recent floods have escaped any serious damage.

I am looking forward to getting out on my bike and plan going to some different events and places I have not tried before. For me part of the fun of being in the club is the time spent away with friends from up and down the country and getting to meet new members who become friends.

Plans are getting underway for the Invader Rally at the end of July. Last year we had a well attended event where the sun shone and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Let's hope we can get the same weather this year. More details of the event will be in the next issue of Hustler once things have been arranged. There will be entertainment on both Friday and Saturday evenings and a ride out on Saturday for those who want to explore the surrounding area.

Finally, can I once again make a request to all Centre Secretaries to let me have details of the location and times of your monthly meetings and any ride outs you are planning so they can be printed in Hustler and put on to the website. The wider we can publicise this information, the more chance we have of getting people along to meetings and events.

CZ Invader 2014. The Czech Centre are planning to celebrate their 30th Anniversary at their Invader Rally in Zbýťov near Brno at the end of May. Anyone who wants information about this please send contact me.

Best wishes for 2014,

Events Secretary 07703-272295

Ride Safe

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Membership Fees It is regrettable but it was agreed and voted for by members present at the AGM last August that all club membership plans would increase after many years of being at their current prices. Facts are that the club has been steadily losing money for a long time while affiliation costs have steadily risen. Unnecessary expenditure has ceased. Savings where possible have been made but as a club we have to make sure that we have sufficient funds to meet all obligations to us as members like our affiliations and our magazines that are delivered through our doo's quarterly. With the price increases becoming effective, we will more than endeavour to hold the membership prices for the foreseeable future. Membership increases take effect on April 1st 2014 but if your membership expires after that date (up to one year) then if you renew and fully pay before midnight April 30th 2014 then you will pay at the pre-increase rate and your membership time will be added onto existing time you already have left on your membership.

Fees until April 30th 2014 Single membership - £20 Joint membership - £25 International Member - £25 3 year single membership - £50 3 year Joint membership - £65 Forum member - £10

Fees from April 1st 2014.

Single membership - £25 Joint membership - £30 International member - £30 3 year single membership - £65 3 year joint membership - £80 Forum member - £12.

BanditAnt

Keep your wheels turning Renew before April 30th and get 2015 at 2014 prices

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Here at Redcar motorcycles we passionately believe that giving the best possible service to you - Our customer service is at the core of our business and is what drives us forward.

In light of this we are very proud to announce that we have been awarded the coveted DEALER OF THE YEAR 2013 FOR ALL ROUND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION award by Suzuki GB. Suzuki gave the award to us in recognition of the consistently high levels of positive customer feedback we received during the past year. Nigel - our Dealer principle - was presented with the award by Moto GP legend Kevin Schwantz during the annual Suzuki Dealer Conference which was held recently in the Spanish town of Almeria The conference was a great success - reflecting on the successes of the past year and looking forward to an exciting 2014 for Suzuki .

Also at Almeria we got a chance to ride the new DL1000A VSTROM on the open road, We are very excited about this new bike and are looking forward to getting our first deliveries later this month and will be adding an example to our demonstrator fleet for you to try for yourself.

Another step forward has been the upgrade to our showroom dĂŠcor. The new look is fresh and modern and also compliments the bikes on display perfectly.

You can phone us on 0116 2661637( 9-5 Mon to Fri, 9-3 Sat ) Suzuki Dealer Of The Year for customer service 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011 & 2013 Text supplied from RedCar Motorcycles

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A happy South Coast New Year to you all- that would be wet and windy as I am sure it has been for most of the country. As the organiser of south coast events with Alan we like to try to do a centre meet and a ride out/event each month.

In November we had a brunch meet at Nelsons Diner. With the weather still good we were at the meet point on our bikes ready to ride the small back roads to Newbury for an American diner lunch. Following a suggestion from a member that the new Vstrom was on display at Bordon in the dealership and well we were off again. A nip up the back roads for an hour and there we were.

This was another well supported event.

December saw us braving the chill to do the Reading Toy Run. Surprisingly though, the sun was shining and unseasonably warmer than expected. Arriving at 'CHEZ BLUE' for a lunch time bacon butty and then donning the Santa suits, toys in top boxes. bikes started and we were off to the meet point. When we arrived the overflow parking was well in use, with nearly 2000 bikers meeting for the ride from Reading to Wokingham. What can I say. Wow, what a day!

Waiting for the date for next years.

For those looking for an excuse to get out on Boxing day, we were at Wickham square, meeting for a cup of coffee at the King’s Head. Some of you braving the fog and chill to ride your bikes - hi five to you for that. To those of you that started out and had to turn back, we are sorry we missed you. A variety of vehicles were at the square showing themselves off. Steam engines, cars and bikes.

Our new year Saturday carvery dinner, with AT awards, presentations and raffle was well attended. A new list of events compiled for the year. We look forward to seeing you whenever you can make it.

Thank you to the south coast members for your continued support.

Upcoming events . MARCH 16th ride out to the Departure Lounge, Alton.

APRIL 13th Pioneer Run APRIL 18/19/20/21 Belgium weekend in Kortrijk.

APRIL 27th Gurston Down hill climb. MAY 3/4/5/6 North East camping weekend - come join in MAY 18th Hayne’s motorcycle museum. JUNE 6/7/8 South Coast camping weekend All details are on the events pages.

Laura d

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Kent Centre I have picked up the hot coal that is the chance to write the Kent Centre report for 2013. That’s maybe because I have taken on the Secretary’s role again. Since 1999, I have done the job a few times.

We have been disconnected from the happenings at the National SOC for a while. Our committee had issues with a previous regime, that were ignored and as a Centre we drifted away to do our own thing. We came very close to giving up a few times, but a few members have carried the flame on.

At successive Centre AGM’s we have elected a committee, and we pledge to be good SOCers, and open all our events to the SOC at large. Moreover, we have. We have been rewarded, even the Pet Food Run, with zero interest from anyone without a Kent address.

At this point, it would be easy to throw your hands up and spit the dummy.

However, we plod on. So in our “splendid isolation” what have we been up to?

The 2013 Pet-Run was in June. Not a great turnout from the SOC it has to be said but thankfully, a couple of local clubs including Kent Riders and the GS Club (from Facebook) made the effort to organise it worthwhile.

As well as the 2nd Sunday monthly breakfast meet and ride-out we have had runs out to various ice-cream parlours and cafes across the South, to Sammy Miller’s, to Beaulieu and across to Belgium for a weekend in the Bikers Loft.

The Loft has become a traditional September weekend trip. We also had our traditional “war” themed day trip across the Channel to Eperlecques.

The last two events weren’t that well supported. The St Nicks Rally in Ostend, where I was Jean Sans-Amis and the Whitstable Toy Run, where only Claire and I, and Graeme Bartlett made it to the Blue & White for a snack and a scenic if cold ride across the county from south to north.

In the planning stages for 2014 are: A long weekend trip to Scotland. The date is still to be decided, but the plan is to overnight on the way up around Carlisle, then three nights at the Portsonachan Hotel. They have a deal that costs £99 for three nights B&B. It is still in the melting pot but details will be in the Events Diary.

Paul Devall

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Did I mention the Pet Food Run? The date of which will be in the diary in the New Year. However, expected to be June 15th. I have sent a separate article to the Ed for this edition…..

We also have the AMRR Ride, June 28th, to Cambridge and the US Cemetery at Madingley. This Remembrance Run has been going longer than both the Ride of Respect and Ride to the Wall. The Kent Centre will meet at Nell’s Café on the A2 near Gravesend at 0930 to ride up to the meeting point at the A14 services at Cambridge.

In addition, there is another trip to the Bikers Loft in September.

Paul Devall

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“But the person you’ve most to do with in the long run is your solicitor, and good ones like the one I was lucky to find (John Measures;jminjurylaw@gmail.com) are going to be increasingly hard to find.”

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Solicitor of the Higher Court Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyer Member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel

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March

Events 2014

9 Eastern Centre Monthly Meeting : D's Diner, Just off

Southbound A12 on the Hatfield Peverel North Exit at approx 10:00 Phil Jackman 07725 329062

9 London Centre Monthly Meeting: The monthly London Massive Centre meeting takes place at: The Botwell Inn, 25-29 Coldharbour Lane, Hayes, Middlesex, UB3 3EB at 11:30am Everyone is welcome to come and chat, participate, drink lots of tea and coffee and have fun!! Additional information: Ride out to be confirmed John Carr 07768 797125 geordiecarpenter@yahoo.co.uk

9 Staffs Ride Out to Matlock Bath: Meet @ The George Inn, Eccleshall, 10am Gordon Thompson 07704 512869 socstafford@rocketmail.com

12 Yorkshire Centre Meeting: New Inn, 419 Denby Dale Road East, Durkar, Wakefield WF4 3AX. Meet at 20:30. Dave Hebblethwaite socyorkshire@rocketmail.com or davidhebblethwaite@sccuk.f9.co.uk

16 Kent Centre Monthly Meeting: Blue & White Cafe, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford TN25 6SP. Near Jn 10 M20 Ashford. Meet @ 10:00 (NOTE: 3rd Sunday in the month from March onwards). Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

16 1st North East ride out for 2014: Ride out to Kirkby Stephen, Hawes & Leyburn.

Meet at Durham Services from 9:30 for 10:00 start. For more information contact Kev Close (07949 035419)

16 Staffs. Centre Meeting: 3rd Sunday of the month from midday at The George Inn, Castle St, Eccleshall, Staffordshire ST21 6DF Gordon Thompson 07704 512869 socstafford@rocketmail.com

16 South Coast ride out to Departure Lounge Café, Alton, Hampshire: Meet at

McDonalds, Hedge End 10:00 to leave at 10:15. Arrive around 11:30 for members going straight there. (Postcode GU34 4BH) Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com

23 London Centre ride out to Rykas Café, Dorking RH5 6BY: Meet at The Crane Pub, Hayes UB3 4QS at 10:00 leave around 10:30 John Carr 07768 797125 geordiecarpenter@yahoo.co.uk

23 Staffs Ride Out to J&S Bike Shop & Café, Oakmere, Cheshire: Meet @ The George Inn, Eccleshall, 10am Gordon Thompson 07704 512869 socstafford@rocketmail.com

27 East Mids Centre Meeting: Meeting from 20:00 at The Crown Inn, 8 Croft Crescent, Awsworth NG16 2QY (off Jn 26 M1 & A610) Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com

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April

Events 2014

4 Fat Skeleton Blues & Bike Weekend. Cabourne Parva, Lincs.: The club stand / will be at this rally supporting Youth Bike. For more info check out 5 www.bluesandbikeweekend.co.uk Support our next generation of motorcycle enthusiasts. We have a few passes for anyone interested in helping out on the club stand over the weekend. Contact Shows Co-ordinator Ably White for more information 07762-242309

21 6 North East Centre Monthly Meeting: At The Heather Lad, Quarrington Hill Durham 7-30pm. Pre-meeting ride out will leave Heather Lad at 16:00 for anyone who wants to come along. More information from: Kevin Close 07949 035419

6 South Coast Centre Monthly Meeting:

6

A warm welcome awaits all at Loomies which is located on the A272, A32 crossroads. There is ample parking and a good menu of well cooked fare, available all day. Of course the terrific A272 and A32 running past the front door. We will be sat with a cuppa from 10 till 12 noon.

Then take the long way home.

Alan Hancock southcoastevents@rocketmail.com Staffs Ride Out to National Mororcycle Museum, Birmingham: Meet @ The George Inn, Eccleshall, 10am Gordon Thompson 07704 512869 socstafford@rocketmail.com

9 Yorkshire Centre Meeting: 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Details as March.

13 24th Bottesford Easter Egg Run: Meet at the Red Lion, Bottesford from 9:30 to depart at 11:00. Ride to Mere's Leisure Centre, Grantham and then on to Melton Mowbray to regroup at Tescos on the Grantham Rd before going to Grove Primary School, Asfordby Rd. Alby White 07762-242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com 13 Eastern Centre Monthly Meeting: 2nd Sunday of the month.

See March for full details 13 London Centre Monthly Meeting: 2nd Sunday of the month.

See March for full details

18 Easter in Belgium: Kortrijk (Courtray): Staying in the Ibis Kortrijk Centrum. Kortrijk / is located in the Flemish province of West Flanders on the River Leie 26 miles South 20 West of Ghent and 16 miles North East of Lille in France. Rideouts will be on both Saturday & Sunday.

Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com

20 Kent Centre Monthly Meeting: 3rd Sunday in the month from March onwards Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

20 Staffs. Centre Meeting: 3rd Sunday of the month from midday.

See March for full details.

24 East Mids Centre Meeting: 4th Thursday of the month. See March for full details.

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Events 2014 27 London Centre ride out to Ogri’s Café, Horham, East Sussex TN21 0ER: Meet at The Crane Pub, Hayes UB3 4QS at 10:00 leave around 10:30 John Carr 07768 797125 geordiecarpenter@yahoo.co.uk

27 South Coast ride out to 300th Gurston Down Hill Climb, Salisbury: Meet at

McDonalds, Hedge End 10:00 to leave at 10:15 to ride to Sailsbury. £10 per person race meet entry. Racing starts 13:00. Restaurant & burger vans on site but BYO if you want to Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com

May 2 North East Centre Camping Weekend: The famous North East Centre camping / weekend at the Heather Lad Quarrington Hill, Durham. suzukioke courtesy of Steve 5 Goth on the Fri and Sun night with other entertainment throughout the weekend.

FREE camping with hot showers all weekend, hot food available on site over the weekend from the chuck wagon. More details from Kevin Close 07949 035419

4 South Coast Centre Monthly Meeting: 1st Sunday of the month.

See march for full details.

North East Centre Camping Weekend Ride Out: A chance to experience some of 4 the wonderful roads and scenery with a ride out to Kielder & Jedburgh Kevin Close 07949 035419 10 Thundersprint 2014, Darley Moor Motor Sport Centre, Ashbourne DE6 2ET: / The club stand will be on the start/finish straight all weekend (from Friday evening).

A number of passes are available for people who are prepared to put their bike on 11 the stand and spend a few hours helping to promote the club. Contact Alby White, Shows Co-ordinator. Additional tickets for camping are pre-book £15 or £5 non camping for the whole weekend. For more details see: www.thundersprint.com Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com

11 Eastern Centre Monthly Meeting: 2nd Sunday of the month.

See March for full details.

11London Centre Monthly Meeting: 2nd Sunday of the month.

See March for full details.

11 North East Centre Monthly Meeting: At The Heather Lad, Quarrington Hill Durham 7-30pm. Pre-meeting ride out will leave Heather Lad at 16:00 for anyone who wants to come along. More information from: Kevin Close 07949 035419

14 Yorkshire Centre Meeting: 2nd Wednesday of the month.

See march for full details

17 BMF Show - Peterborough : Club stand will be attending the / show. Anyone who wants to put their bike on the stand & help out

18 for a few hours contact Alby White 07762-242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com 19

Events 2014

18 Kent Centre Monthly Meeting: Blue & White Café, Hythe Road, Smeeth, Ashford TN25 6SP. Near Jn 10 M20 Ashford. Meet @ 10:00 (3rd Sunday in the month from March onwards) Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

18 North East Centre ride out to Lakeland Motor Museum: Meet at Durham Services from 9:30 for 10:00 start. For more information contact Kev Close (07949 035419)

18 South Coast ride out to Haynes Motorcycle Museum, Yeovil: Meet at McDonalds, Hedge End 08:45 to leave at 09:00. Those wanting to leave a little later can meet us there in the restaurant around 12:30 – 13:00 for sign in. £10.95 entry to museum (Free with BMCT card). All day event Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com

18 Staffs. Centre Meeting: 3rd Sunday of the month from midday.

See February for full details

22 East Mids Centre Meeting: Meeting from 20:00 at The Crown Inn, 8 Croft Crescent, Awsworth NG16 2QY (off Jn 26 M1 & A610) Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com

25 London Centre ride out to Pirbright Bends & Birdworld, Surrey:

Meet at The Crane Pub, Hayes UB3 4QS at 10:00 leave around 10:30 John Carr 07768 797125 geordiecarpenter@yahoo.co.uk

24th May to 6th June Isle of Man TT Races.

For those that have never been. It is among the ultimate biking trips. If anyone is planning on going to the IoM for either the TT or the Manx Races and wants to meet up with other SOC members for either a ride or a social, please contact Alex Maniurka who is going offering to organise something. Call before you travel in order to avoid paying excessive roaming phone charges once you are on the Island and to allow time for planning.

Alex: 07964049522 35th MTC Zedelgem Rally, Loppem: Small friendly international club rally just a

29 few Km outside Bruges. There's always a good turn out from SOC. If you have never / been abroad on your bike before this is a great way to start as it's only a short ride 1 once across the channel. Rally is pre-book only so if you want to attend with SOC please let us know so we can register you as part of your club Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com

June 6 South Coast Camping Weekend: More details of venue & ride out to be confirmed / once arranged 8 Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com 15 National Committee Meeting (TBC): The Drum Inn, Stanford North, Kent close to M20/A20 Jn 11 Contact Sue Carr ncsuzukiownersclub@rocketmail.com

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Events 2014 15 Kent Pet Food Run: Leaving Maidstone Services (M20/A20 Jn 8) at 11:30 to ride to The Last Chance Animal Rescue.

Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

15 Possible camping weekend for anyone interested in joining the Kent Centre on their Pet Food Run: The Drum Inn, Stanford North, Kent close to M20/A20 Jn 11 Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

15 North East Centre ride out to Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 6RT: Meet at Durham Services from 9:30 for 10:00 start. For more information contact Kev Close (07949 035419)

21 Barry Sheene Festival, Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough: The club may have a few / camping passes available for members willing to put their bike on the club stand 22 and spend a few hours over the weekend helping out Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com

22 Suzuki Sunday at The Ace Café: The club stand will be at the Ace all day, come along and say hello.

22 South Coast ride out to Suzuki Sunday at the Ace Café: Meet at Eastern Road Services, Portsmouth (off end of M27) at 8:45 to leave at 9:00. Ride up to the Ace Café for lunch. Free all day event Laura Dyer 07792 733961 socsouthcoast@rocketmail.com

22 Staffs Ride Out to Ponderosa Café, Horseshoe Pass, Langollen: Meet @ The George Inn, Eccleshall, 10am Gordon Thompson 07704 512869 socstafford@rocketmail.com

28 Kent Centre Run to Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride (AMRR): Meet at Nell's Café, Gravesend at 9:30 for the ride up to Cambridge to meet the main Remembrance Ride. Paul Devall 07092 263119 sockent@rocketmail.com

July 4 BMF Show - Kelso: There may be some weekend camping passes for anyone who / wants to put their bike on the stand & help out for a few hours helping out on the 6 stand. Contact Alby White 07762 242309 alby.white@ntlworld.com 6 Staffs Ride Out to Streetbike & Café, Halesowen: Meet @ The George Inn, Eccleshall, 10am

11 Possible Cumbria Camping Weekend: TBC in next issue of Hustler once details / can be finalised. Check diary of events or club forums on the website for updates 13 13 North East Centre ride out to Edinburgh (EARLY START): Meet at Durham Servicesfrom 8:30 for 9:00 start. For more information contact Kev Close (07949 035419)

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National Committee Role Profiles All roles are two year positions except events which is until the 2015 AGM. All roles shall report back to the National Committee as and when the need arises and shall submit, as deemed necessary articles for inclusion in the club magazine. In addition to the previously mentioned communiquĂŠ, the post holder shall also submit a report for the Annual General Meeting each year.

Chairperson

Objective

The objective of the Chairperson is to be a figurehead and focal point for the club

Responsibility The Chairperson is responsible for: Overseeing the running of the National Committee and therefore the whole club.

Chairing official committee meetings.

Dealing with matters that cannot be dealt with by the Vice Chairperson.

Delegating tasks to members of the National Committee to whom he thinks most suitable, these being outside the boundaries of particular role descriptions

Editor

Objective

The objective of the Editor is to provide the membership with a good quality magazine, whose content matches the aims of the Suzuki Owners Club, to cost and to time.

Responsibility

Editing and selecting all articles, and content, for inclusion in the club magazine.

Ensuring that the magazine material is presented to the printer in a timely and suitable manner to allow preparation, printing and distribution to the membership within time scales agreed with the NC. Selecting the size and layout of the magazine, within the financial constraints set by the treasurer.

Editing the content of the magazine to remove all content that could offend members or expose the SOC to mitigation.

Inserting such advertising as advised by the PR Officer.

Membership Sec Objective The objective of the Membership Secretary is to ensure that the N C is informed of any details relating to the membership levels of the Club

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Responsibility The Memberships Secretary is responsible for: Issuing of all new membership numbers Issuing of membership renewal reminders Ensuring that the club membership database is kept up to date Forwarding regular database updates to those National Committee members who it is deemed, by the NC, necessary to have them, these are currently the Events Secretary, National Secretary, Show Co-ordinators, and Webmaster.

Ensuring that information is available for sending to recognised discount dealers as required, this shall at all times be through the National Secretary.

Public Relations Officer Objective The objective of the PRO is to actively seek to promote the club through whatever channels they see fit and to seek out discounts for the club membership on any goods or services that they think could be of use and to promote income to the Club through various advertising channels.

Responsibility The Public relations Officer is responsible for: Seeking discounts on goods and/or services to the benefit of club members Acquiring advertisers for inclusion in the club magazine Ensuring that the Editor and Treasurer are appraised of which advertisers are current so as to allow the correct advertisements to be included in the current magazine and to allow bills to be sent for these advertisements.

To inform the club webmaster and relevant person in charge of the magazine discount list of new or invalid discounts, so that both listings can be kept up to date. Ensuring that no unnecessary expenditure is incurred in the execution of their duties, without clearance from the club treasurer or National Committee first

Riders Rights

Objective

The objective for the Riders Rights Officer is to liaise between the British Motorcyclists Federation, the Motorcycle Action Group, the National Association for Bikers with a Disability and FEMA. Also to ensure that healthy links between the Suzuki Owners Club and these organisations are maintained.

Responsibility The Riders Rights Officer is responsible for: The organisation of representatives to attend the AGC or AGM of the above organisations. Ensuring that the club sends a representative(s) to all National One Make Club forums and meetings.

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Disseminating all and any information from these organisations and passing what is relevant on to the membership. Ensuring that all political lobbying is done in an active fashion ensuring that the club voice can be heard.

Attendance at road safety and or motorcycle safety meetings deemed to be beneficial to the club or its members. Ensuring that no unnecessary expenditure shall be incurred in the execution of their or their appointed deputies duties, without clearance from the club treasurer first

Welfare Officer

Objective

The objective of the Welfare Officer is to represent to the club to its members who in the opinion of the NC might be in need of some help from the club

Responsibility The Welfare Officer is responsible for; Checking on members who have been reported as being unwell or involved in serious RTC’s Visiting or sending cards/flowers etc. to said members or there family as felt necessary Attending funerals if felt it is required by the NC Keeping the NC updated on the status of any members he has contacted in line with his role. Ensuring that no unnecessary expenditure shall be incurred in the execution of their duties, without clearance from the club treasurer or National Committee first

Events

Objective

The objective of the Events secretary is to provide the members with a focal point for co-ordinating and advertising of all events.

Responsibility Producing an events guide and attendance competition tables Collating all event information into the events Guide Collating all event signing in sheets and adding results to the attendance competition tables. Ensuring that the events guide is ready and sent to the printer in ample time to allow it to be included with the next magazine Ensuring that the rules of the attendance trophy competition are adhered to.

The purchasing of trophies for the winners of the various attendance competition categories for presentation at the club AGM. Organisation the club main rally (the Invader), to include booking the location, entertainment, organisation of rally games, purchase of trophies etc. and to book the venue for the club Annual General Meeting on the date and at the venue agreed by the National Committee. Ensuring that no unnecessary expenditure shall be incurred in the execution of their duties, without clearance from the club treasurer or National Committee first.

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2014 Nomination Form All sections must be completed for this form to be officially accepted.

Applicants must be a full member at the time of election and must remain a member whilst in office.

Signature of the candidate together with the details of the proposer and seconder must be completed in all cases.

I(Print name) ...........................................................................................

Of (address)............................................................................................ ............................................................................................................

Membership number.......................................

Hereby confirm That I agree to be nominated for election to the following position as a full member of the National Committee of the Suzuki Owners Club. (please tick to indicate the position for which you wish to be nominated).

I am aware that if I am elected as a member of the National Committee I must remain a fully paid up member of the SOC and that if I fail to keep up my membership I automatically remove myself from the position that I hold.

Chairman Membership Public Relations

Welfare Editor Riders Rights Events Officer (until 2015 Agm) Signature of candidate.............................................Date...............

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2014 Nomination Form Candidate Name............................................................................

Proposer Print............................................Membership No................

Proposer Signature...........................................Date...............

Seconder Print............................................Membership No................

Seconder Signature...........................................Date...............

All nominations for National Committee positions must be submitted on this official form and reach the national secretary at the address below no later than 20th May 2014.

All Nominees must attend the SOC AGM in person so that successful candidates can take their official roles immediately and to allow the members present to see whom they are voting for.

Would all nominees prepare a statement to why they are suited to and what skills they can bring to the role that they are applying for to be printed in Hustler 234.

Return to:-

Suzuki Owners Club Suite 240 Divo house 29 Belmont Road Uxbridge UB8 1QS

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Shows 2014 April 4th -6th Fat Skeletons Blues and Bikes Weekend Cabourne Parva Lincolns the club has 4 passes £15 pre book only, if anyone wants to go please lets have names and we all share the costs on the entry fee only if willing to help on the stand for a few hours and there is camping. Members going. Alby, Denise and Lainy. Contact Alby April 6th Prescott Bike Festival, Gotherington Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Adults £12 a ticket in advance under 16's free. Gate £15 under 16's as we only have 6 passes and members want to go please let us have names and we can share the cost on the entry fee only if they are willing to help on the stand for a few hours. Contact Pete Dibble May 10th-11th Thundersprint, Darley Moor. Pre-book tickets £5. Camping £15 the club will get 6 to 8 passes anyone interested contact Alby May 17th - 18th BMF Show Peterborough the club has 10 passes, must be willing to help on the club stand for a few hours, one day or each day free camping. Contact Alby June 21st -22nd. The Barry Sheene Festival, Olivers Mount, Scarborough we have 10 passes and free camping for members willing to help on the stand after the passes are used up it will cost £10 a night camping plus entry fee.

More details Alby July 5th - 6th B.M.F Kelso, We have 10 passes, and free camping, for members willing to help on the stand for a few hours on one or both days.

More details Alby.

July 18th - 20th Billing Biker Bash, Billing Aquadrome NN3 9DA Not sure how many passes we get for this one. Please contact Alby Sept 13th - 14th B.M.F Tail end Peterborough. Anyone willing to help to help on the stand please contact Alby.

Anyone who has a bike that they would like to display on the club stand at shows and would be willing to spend a few Public Relations:hours each day talking to people about Pete Dibble (Bugman) socpublicrelations@rocketmail.com the benefits of joining the club would be made very welcome. In return we will arrange for you to have entry passes if Shows:- Alby White available. If you could be available from alby.white@ntlworld.com around lunch time of Fridays to help set 07762242309 up the stand, or stay until Sunday evening to help pack up, it would be particularly good to hear from you. Alby.

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The adventures of Carpetbagger and Cookie (Paul and Allayne Roper) part deux If you are after an adrenaline rush when on holiday, which I did have, as I have a fear of heights and sometimes I find the easiest of things hard to tackle. For example, lifts that are all glass, I have to be turned in the wheel-chair so I look at the door, I am lucky as Paul is very understanding.

My adrenaline rush came when we had to venture across the Pyrenees. I, along with Paul, drove along as part of our journey into Spain for business. For bikers, it would be a dream, the windy undulating roads, would give any biker a buzz as you go around the corners. Not knowing what you may see.

Even in a car, you can have the same buzz. The roads were narrow and on many occasions there was just a drop down which made my heart race. The temperature before we started going up into the hills of the Pyrenees was in the early 30's and started to slowly drop down as we got higher and higher.

You could spend ages travelling the roads, stopping to admire the views and walking the paths.

There are many stunning views, too many to mention. You need to see them for yourself to understand. Even the best of camera men or women, could not capture the beauty and texture you see with the naked eye. We had a pleasant surprise after journeying around one corner to be met by two cows. All cows seem to have cow bells around their necks. We could hear them tinkling away but were not sure where they were coming from.

One just looked at us to say, yeah, cool day man. Then as we turned, we saw one standing in the road as to say what you going to do. A western stand off!

We drove slowly up to it and it walked by us, stopped and looked us in the eye as to say you were lucky, I let you off today and slowly walked on tinkling her/ his bell.

When we reached the top, it was colder and the mountain tops were shrouded in cloud - so different from lower down. You felt as though you were in a different world. There was a hotel at the top too. We soon were on the way down and the roads wound around each other and we went through small villages. I noted the temperature started to rise again. I was glad to back on terra firma but would not have missed this journey into Spain for the world, it was awesome. You don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

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Huesca As we had not booked any hotels on any part of our journey, where we stopped over night was always a bit of a surprise for us. Huesca proved to be no exception. On the road to Huesca we saw a sign for a hotel and had some difficulty in trying to find it. When we found it, it turned out to have closed down with just the café and bar open. Paul asked a couple of locals if there were any hotels nearby and they gave us the name and address of a hotel in Huesca by the name of ABBA (which is part of a larger group of hotels and very good). When we tried to put the information in the Tom Tom, it did not want to find it, mainly because we could not read their writing. However, we decided to risk it and just head for the town and take it from there.

As it happened, we passed the local police station and Paul pulled up and went in to try and get directions to the hotel. Being the illiterate sod that he is, he couldn't speak Spanish and they could only speak Spanish or French!

I then saw Paul come out with 4 policemen in tow. I thought “Oh no, what has he done?” But to my surprise he said, we are to follow them and they were going to guide us to the hotel. First time we had had a police escort. The hotel turned out to be a four star hotel, gulp! But at a three star price! We had dinner in the restaurant in the evening and breakfast in the morning, both of which were good value for money.

Alicante As we approached Alicante, Paul pointed out a lady wearing pink hot pants and top standing by the side of the road. We both thought that this seemed a strange place to be waiting for a bus, taxi or friends. Further along the road, we saw a similarly dressed "lady" dressed in white, sitting on a white garden chair with a phone stuck in her bra! As we travelled further along and saw more of these "ladies" we realised that they were "ladies" of the night! Plying for business in broad daylight at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

The temperature when we arrived in Alicante was up in the 30s. But it was a clean heat. We were able to stop outside the hotel which was the only hotel we had booked on the trip as we had stayed for six nights. Again, being disabled and with a blue badge, we were able to park the whole time in front of the hotel which was great.

Trying to park by the beach is hard, every space is taken. You would have been luckier on a bike as there are many dedicated bike parking areas. Our hotel was five minutes from the beach, white sands, blue seas and a beach stretching endlessly.

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North East Centre Let me first of all wish everyone a very happy New Year and hope you all had a great Christmas. I hope you all got the new Suzuki you wanted. I didn’t but there is always next year.

Sadly I didn’t get a report to Alan ( editor) for the last Hustler due to the pressure of lazing around on a sunbed in Tunisia, but I would like to thank Alan for putting together a super read every couple of months. A very hard job but one that he is doing incredibly well.

2013 saw the North East centre going to some great places on ride outs. The Craven Motorcycle museum near York, Castlerigg Stone Circle and Honister pass in Cumbria, Wakefield mining museum and Olivers Mount in Scarbrough for the " Barry Sheene memorial Races " were just some of the places we visited.

2014 will see the centre venturing out again to many destinations including Edinburgh, The Lakeland Motor museum near Windermere, Eden Camp historic military camp near Pickering and back to Olivers Mount for their "flagship" event. The Gold Cup which will have all the major road racing stars doing their best to climb to the top of the winner’s rostrum. As you can see from the ride out list all the information that you need is there for your diaries but if you need or want more please contact me.

The ride outs go to other centre areas so if anyone wants to meet up at the destinations or better still meet up on the way, let me know and it would be great to get together.

This year’s camping weekend at the Heather Lad, Quarrington Hill, Durham is Friday 2nd to Monday 5th of May ( May Bank Holiday weekend ) . We will have our centre member Steve Goth doing his " Suzukioake" on the Friday and Sunday evenings with a live act on the Saturday evening.

Sundays ride out will be a run up to Kielder Water and the Scottish Borders.

So if you are free that weekend come along for a great club event.

There will be a few more dates to add to the list in due course when dates are finalised which will then be posted on the website and in the next edition of the Hustler.

So until then ride safe and enjoy.

Kev Close ( North East centre co/sec )

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Born Again Suzuki Biker After a 35-year break from motorcycle riding it was with some trepidation last November that I swung my leg over the seat of my GSXR1000. On my last outing near the end of the 1978 season I high sided my RD400 during a round of the Avon Tyres production bike championships. The bike was a mess and I spent a week in hospital, which ended my 5-year road racing ambitions. Just married and a new house to pay for it’s a story that many bikers will relate to.

On the whole it had been a successful year with several wins. I ended up 5th in the 500cc class of the Avon Championship and winner of the 500cc class of the 1000km series.

I started motorcycling in 1969 on a CB125 Honda and had my first Suzuki in 1970. A 250cc super six T20. I still remember the first ride on it and how fast it accelerated. Much faster than my mate’s 650 Triumph that was the fastest thing I had ridden. From then on I was sold on Japanese bikes.

Being an engineer I completed all my own maintenance and I also had a spell working at a Suzuki dealers. I went to Suzuki GB in Croydon on some mechanics training courses and even met Barry Sheene down there. During my early years I rode all the then current Suzuki bikes and owned a good few GT550, GT750 and RE5.

Now back to the present, the GSXR I had been told, was not an easy bike to ride. That’s not what I have found.It can easily be ridden at low speeds, short shifting tames it right down. I have completed about 900 miles on it so far and am just beginning to get back into the groove (but not at all fast). The longest non-stop ride I have completed is 80 miles. For a sports bike as long as you have kept yourself in good condition it’s quite a comfortable ride over that distance. No need to say that up the rev range it goes faster and stops quicker than anything I have ever sat on. Probably a Z1 or TZ350 race bike is the nearest comparison in my dim and distant memory.

Thirty-five years have made a big difference to the motorcycling scene. There are a lot less motorcycle shops around and it’s far more difficult to get a full bike licence today. That said riding a big motorcycle is one of the best feelings in the world. I can now say that with some authority having been doing the rounds: car track days, scuba diving, water and snow skiing, gliding, shooting, mountaineering, coast to coast walking, intercontinental travel, etc etc.

Rob an “old” new member

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Staffordshire Centre I am Gordon aka Barmy Burger on the boards, I have just taken over running the centre and hope that I can with the help of other club members, build it back up as a popular centre.

The venue and date have changed.

We are now meeting on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 12.00 midday.

The only proviso on this is where we have a Bank Holiday we will need to bring the meet forward a week, but can always check on the SOC Staff’s web site for verification.

Meeting place (watering hole) The George Inn (on the corner of main crossroad in town) Castle Street Eccleshall Staffordshire ST21 6DF Parking at rear of pub.

This is the home of Slaters Brewery, so good real ale and food available.

The day for the meeting was changed from a Wednesday evening to Sunday so as to give more chance for members to meet up and the possibility of an impromptu ride out if the weather permits. As this is Sunday midday we can do this, as we couldn’t when the evenings are dark and cold.

We are hoping to arrange ride outs over the year, whether it be to meet up with other centres or for them to meet up with us for a combined ride, all welcome.

Looking at the possibility of maybe organising a camp weekend if a suitable venue can be found.

So come and join us and give us your ideas as to how you would like the centre to be run.

Any queries give me a call on 07704 512869

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LEGALITIES WITH JOHN MEASURES Can I change my solicitor ?

I have been asked this question many times and thought that it would make an interesting topic to write about. The answer is YES and NO, a typical lawyer’s answer!

Why do clients want to change their solicitor? There are a number of reasons, but the main one is because they have lost confidence in the person representing them. This can come about because their case is moved from person to person; or the person dealing with the case is never available to speak to them; they leave messages but no-one ever calls back; the case doesn’t seem to be moving; or the person dealing with the case doesn’t seem to know what they are doing. It is very difficult to know when your case is not being dealt with properly as quite possibly it is the first time that you have made a claim. Also, because you have appointed a solicitor, you believe they have the qualification and experience to deal with the case professionally. I have said many times that because a firm of solicitors are appointed to act for you, it doesn’t mean that a qualified solicitor is actually representing you.

Not Happy? I get many calls from people who have reached the end of their tether and don’t know which way to turn. I take the time to go through the case with them and discuss the procedure that I would adopt. In some cases, it is merely a breakdown in communication but in the majority, the instinct of the client was correct and the claim was not being dealt with properly. For example, I recently spoke to a person who was seriously injured two years before and the insurers had accepted liability. He was surviving on benefits being behind in his mortgage and household bills. His solicitor said the insurers had refused to give him an interim payment. There were other “Red Flags” that concerned me. I had the case transferred and advised the insurers that I wanted a sizeable interim payment or the next time I would ask would be before a judge. The payment was made within 2 weeks.

Can I transfer my case? This is the difficult question yet simple to answer. In claims under £25,000 the solicitor will receive Fixed Costs, that is, a set amount for dealing with the case. Once you sign the Client Retainer, you are essentially stuck with them. Solicitors are very quick to sign you up and can even do this by return of e-mail. Although the case can be transferred, the previous solicitor will say that the majority of the fixed costs have been spent and there are little or no costs left for the new solicitor.

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This would then result in the client having to stay with the old solicitor or pay the new solicitor’s costs out of his compensation. You will find that in most, if not all large solicitor firms will have their non-qualified staff dealing with claims under £25,000 due to the limited costs available. Those claims handlers will use computer case management systems and have upwards of 200 cases each to deal with. I take on cases under £25,000 and there are some other excellent qualified solicitors out there that do so as well.

In claims above £25,000 solicitor costs are on a meter type system. That is, they get paid for the work they actually do and the costs they claim have to be justified. Similar to a taxi meter that clock up the amount of money spent depending how far you travel in the taxi. Transferring a claim is very simple and straightforward. The new solicitor requests the file giving an undertaking to seek recovery of the previous solicitor’s costs when the case is settled.

However, a word of warning. If your accident is after 1st April 2013, solicitor’s can ask you to agree to them taking up to 25% of your compensation payment towards their costs. If you agree to this, that deduction remains enforceable.

The new solicitor may also have the same agreement and you will end up losing a big chunk of your award.

Considerations.

Choose your legal representative yourself and do not accept the solicitor recommended by your insurers.

Make sure that the person handling your claim is in fact a qualified solicitor.

Make sure that your solicitor is not taking anything from your compensation payment. I have warned about the “You don’t pay us anything if you lose”. This means that you will pay if you win!

Don’t hesitate to question your solicitor if you are not happy and don’t hesitate to seek a second opinion if you are concerned about your present solicitors. You can always give me a call.

John Measures 01162882227 or 07442011690

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Club Officers Chairman:- Anthony Averns (Bandit Ant) socchairman@rocketmail.com

Editor:- Alan Hancock (Alan H) editorsoc@rocketmail.com

National Secretary:-Sue Carr (Queen Witch) ncsuzukiownersclub@rocketmail.com Technical:- John Carr (JLCarr) Techofficer@rocketmail.com

Public Relations:- Pete Dibble (Bugman) socpublicrelations@rocketmail.com

Membership:- Keith Ferris (Keithf) Treasurer:- John Carr ( JLCarr) membershipsecretary@rocketmail.com soctreasurer@rocketmail.com Shows:- Alby White Events / Welfare Riders Rights:alby.white@ntlworld.com Events:- socevents@rocketmail.com Welfare / Rights:- Socridersrights@rocketmail.com

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Bikesure's tips on cutting the cost of bike insurance Times are tough. Bikers, along with everyone else, are looking for ways they can make savings. And that even includes the essentials, such as insurance.

But how can you reduce the cost without reducing the cover?

Bikesure has just released some money-saving tips for lowering motorcycle insurance costs. The company, one of the UK's biggest specialist bike insurance brokers, says that it still finds occasions where bikers are forgetting to tell them about potential money-saving factors that could slash premiums.

Get a qualification The biggest saving bikers can make on their insurance is by proving that they have real riding skills and experience, with a qualification such as the Ride Drive scheme. In many cases Bikesure can give an immediate discount of as much as 25%, and for younger bike riders the total saving in the first year alone can often cover the cost of a Ride Drive course.

Not only does a discount continue year after year (provided there's no claim), but it can also be applied to the biker's car insurance.

Join an owners club Join a club and this could provide an immediate saving. For example, Bikesure gives up to 15% discount to bikers who are current members of a recognised motorcycle or riders club.

And the discount doesn't stop at bikes. Club members can get further discounts on other insurance, such as car, motorhome or home insurance.

Going far?

Bikers can get another immediate discount with a Limited Mileage policy, and the lower the mileage, the bigger the savings. However, keep a watch on the milometer - the broker needs to know if the bike is likely to exceed the agreed mileage limit.

Multi bike?

Bikers with two or more bikes can often get a further discount by insuring both or all under a multi-bike policy.

Extra savings Meanwhile there are a variety of bonus options that can come free. For example, Bikesure offers legal cover at no extra cost, and can often cover European touring jaunts at no extra cost as well - sometimes for as much as 90 days at a time.

Taken from Bikesure’s web site

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Emergency - What Emergency?

It was a mid November Saturday morning just before 9 a.m. when a group of 20 people descended on Rhyl Fire and Rescue Station in North Wales. What for, what were they doing there? Well the 20people had come to attend a First Bike on Scene (FBoS) course organised

by SAPAR in conjunction with North Wales Police and delivered by Medic Skills. SAPAR are “Shropshire and Powys Advanced Riders” a very fast growing RoSPA group who also attract members from adjoining areas, which is why several riders from the Wrexham and other areas are members. You may have heard of FBoS as it brings initial aid to injured bikers by bikers and others that may need their assistance. In the North Wales police area a half day version is offered as part of the Bikesafe scheme, which is also delivered by Medic Skills. We were doing the longer full day course.

The day started with an introduction by Andy and Simon from Medic Skills. The first thing they asked us was whether we all knew each other and as mentioned earlier that as SAPAR is a fast growing group the answer to this was no. We were therefore asked to introduce ourselves, give a bit of background and an indication of how many times we had come off our bikes. This turned ourt to be very good and amusing and broke the ice and any reservations people may have had, which continued for the rest of the day and brought a sense of friendship to it. We were presented with a series of photographs, some involving serious, but non-lethal accidents, and were then asked what we had observed. After trying as a group to extract the relevant information, we were asked to elaborate and decide what action we would take on being the first person coming across a biking accident or a mate having an accident whilst on a ride. The whole point of this was to get us thinking about how we would handle things.

Then we moved onto checking the person to ascertain what condition they were in, securing the area, with the help of others if available. We all had a try, and succeeded, in moving a supposedly unconscious rider off the road and out of harm’s way when necessary for the safety of the injured rider.

Andy then asked us what about moving a heavy weight of say 18 stone by a rider of say 7 or 8 stone. This was proved possible by getting one of the ladies to move one of the heaviest men which they did with ease. This was done on carpet and we were advised that it was in fact easier on a road and grass. Hopefully we will never have to prove this, although we were told by Andy that Medic Skills had been contacted by many riders that had previously

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been on an FBoS course to say that they had been at an incident where they had used the skills they had been taught. There was also an ongoing discussion regarding not only how you ascertain and provide information about where you are the severity of the accident and injured person and space for an air ambulance to land if it is required. Simon was particularly helpful here and throughout the day regarding anything concerning ambulances and paramedics.

During the course of the day it was mentioned on more than one occasion that in many rural areas it may take some time for the ambulance to get to the scene of the incident and how important it is that immediate help is provided to the injured, particularly where it may be the difference between life and death.

There was laughter all around when we tried log rolling. No, it’s not literally log rolling but the procedure of using four people to move the injured onto their side to enable the expelling of liquids, vomit, etc. should this be blocking their airways. One person has to hold the head in a particular way to keep it in line with the body and not moving to either side as the body is moved, with the others synchronously moving the person on their side in a specific way. Later on in the day it was demonstrated how to move a person on their side when you are on your own. We all had to have a go at that as well. It was a bit mind boggling as you appeared to have the injured person’s arms and legs in all directions, but once you got the hang of it you found it surprisingly easy.

We covered helmet removal which was the area that most people shy away from when you mention it, but there is a reason for it. If a person is wearing a full face helmet and they have a blocked airway, or some foreign matter in their throat which could be sucked down, then this needs to be cleared quickly or the person is likely to die. There is also the fact that if the person is breathing and then vomits they could end up with a similar effect. It was emphasised to us how important it was in those first few minutes to undertake the necessary tasks to keep the person alive. We all had to demonstrate the removal of a helmet from another person in the prescribed “Royal College of Surgeons“ manner which is a two person operation.

Did I enjoy it? You bet. Did I find it good? Yes. Did I feel competent to handle an accident of an injured rider? Competent maybe not, but more competent certainly. I do feel that it is probably one of those things that kick in when you need to use the skills. Andy of Medic Skills recommended that you refresh your skills every 2 years. Some of those on the course mentioned that they had undertaken a similar course several years before and were surprised at how much they had forgotten which more or less confirms what Andy had said.

The way the course was delivered made sure that it was interesting and you never missed anything. The FBoS courses are held throughout the UK and after having successfully completing it you will receive a certificate about 6 weeks later from the “Royal College of Surgeons” confirming this.

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Medic Skills are only allowed to deliver the course in the North Wales Police area though they have another similar course that they can undertake outside of North Wales. North West Ambulance Service can deliver the course through out England and Wales, and may also undertake this in Scotland. There may be others with a contract to deliver FBoS so it may be worth checking. You can often find out if courses are being run in your area from Bikesafe or similar provider, or better still why not get several other like minded bikers together and organise a date especially of your own in conjunction with an FBoS provider.

Useful Contacts: Shropshire and Powys Advanced Riders http://www.saparweb.com Medic Skills http://www.medicskills.co.uk 0330 999 0101 Madcockney

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Aepcs ltd Ealing: 0208 848 3300 Slough 01753 439 242 High Wycombe: 01494 611 116 Staines 01784 849 077

About Aepcs Ltd We are specialists in general pest control (rats, mice, cockroaches, wasp nests, ants, etc.) and all types of bird control and proofing.

We can carry out work on a job work basis or on regular routine treatment / inspection basis. Our experienced surveyors will carry out free inspection, survey and estimating service. Very competitively priced.

Pest control surveys and treatments. Our technicians are trained to eradicate problems by identifying the source of the problem, any necessary proofing and change of management of good housekeeping and best practice of treatments. We do not just throw pesticides at the problem.

Full range of bird control and proofing, including netting, sprung wires, point system and flying a bird of prey. High level roof inspections, surveys and repairs. High level working from hydraulic platforms. Staff are IPAF certificated.

Rope access (abseiling) specialists. Trained and work to IRATA standards.

http://www.pestserviceslondon.co.uk/ Aepcs Ltd is the sole sponsor of The SOC NEC show stand 41

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A Winter Task Just an idea for a Sunday morning during the early Winter. Most will have used their bikes well during the better Summer this last year. So how about a bit of routine maintenance to keep the bike in good fettle. With mine I took the tank off and lubricated the throttle linkage as well as the choke mechanism.

The choke cable was removed and "filled with oil".

All electrical connections taken apart and dosed with WD40.

Plugs cleaned and checked and a new fuel filter fitted. I think the filter is one of the most neglected parts on a bike.

A good clean was given to the underside of the tank and the inside of the fairing sides. (GSX 750 FK3 ) Next to do was the brakes. All three callipers removed, cleaned and lubricated with the appropriate grease. Pads had a brushing with a stiff brush. The secret of making this job easy is not to take the callipers off the brake hoses and use wooden blocks to stop the pistons from travelling to far out. While the callipers were off the fittings and insides were cleaned. For stubborn marks it is surprising what a soak in coke will do. No wonder it upsets stomachs !!!!

For the penultimate job I cleaned the sprockets and chain. Taking a few minutes to gently apply some gear oil to the chain. I find using a small paint brush ideal for this task. Using the "kiddies" paint brush.

Lastly some gunk to clean the crud from round the stands and lower frame.

Wash and dry and you're ready for winter. Some time for the jobs done ...less than three hours and the knowledge the bike is ready to go on the next nice day. Some will use the words of, boring - old fogie and get a life, in the same sentence. But if you think about it , it makes sense as we all like to have the bike in peak condition at all times. For the observant of you , it is noticeable that the clutch and choke cables have been fouled, where they sit under the tank. They have now been re-routed under the bar.

The Rusty Mechanic

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Ode to the Toy run

by Boy Blue

So Christmas is a coming And bikers are a meeting In Tadley, yet again this year To spread their Christmas greeting After filling up their tanks On bacon, rolls and coffee And dressing up in costume A ready for the off(ee) (I never pretended I was the poet laureate!!!)

A short ride into Reading To meet up at the start Where bikers wearing guises Looked like a work of art We set off down to Wokingham Along the crowd lined roads To star in many photos And videos in loads Nearing our destination The bigger crowds that came To watch gift laden bikers Applauded all the same The queue to drop off presents With toys and games galore And gifts were all donated With more than ever before All 1600 bikes And 2000 bikers know The fun it is to ride along And be part of the show So thank you one and all Within the SOC I hope you all enjoyed the ride As much as Steve and Al and me Let’s make a diary date To meet again next year Merry Christmas and stay safe Wishing you all a Happy New Year

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Kent Pet Food Run – June 15th 2014 (Paul Devall) An upcoming event for the diaries.

I have been running a pet food run under the SOC banner for just about 23 years. Firstly in Bedfordshire when I was a founder member of the Chiltern Hills Centre based at the Cross Keys in Pulloxhill and then in Kent when I moved down here in 1999.

I only missed a couple of years when I was working in Czech for a year and once when I was a mature student and didn’t have a bike running.

We have supported several charities form local animal rescue centres, to the Blue Cross, the RSPCA and Sittingbourne Greyhound Rehoming. This year we will make a return to Last Chance Animal Rescue near Edenbridge in Kent.

The run will be from Maidstone Services on the A20/M20 junction near Leeds Castle and is organised by the Kent Centre SOC in conjunction with Kent Riders.

The plan is to meet at the services and then take a scenic run of about an hour (using the drop off system please!!!), start time 1100 (departure 1130) to hand over the pet food and donations. Please bring dog or cat food if you can, or simply a thick wallet…..

The main thing is that we get to the Last Chance, donate and have a look at the animals that need rehoming.

I have sorted out camping the night before at the Drum Inn in Stanford North, near M20 J11, for the Saturday night. The Drum is an old pub with a small camp site at the back. I have had a drink in the bar a few times but haven’t camped or eaten, but anecdotal evidence is that both are very good. You can book direct with the pub via their own website , http://www.thedruminn.com/. There is a booking form. I might even buy a tent, err, and a sleeping bag…..

With over 100 members with Kent postcodes, it would be nice to see a bunch of you coming along to make the event a success.

Rear Photo Guy Martin signing autographs on the Suzuki stand NEC 2013

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