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S A M S O L E N T A DVA N C E D M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
April 2008
The IAM Aims
CAPTION COMPETITION:
SAM Polo-shirts Black long or short sleeve shirts embroidered with the Club name - always available to buy at Club Nights. Sizes XXL to Small. Long Sleeves £18.50 Short Sleeves £15.00
To improve the standard of driving (and riding) on the UK roads. The Advancement of Road Safety.
sam
SOLENT ADVANCED M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
The Administration of an Advanced Test.
MAKING
Books and Videos
progress
The Assessment of Advanced Motorcycling £4.50 Know your Traffic Signs
£3.00
How to be an Advanced Motorcyclist
£7.99
Motorcycle Roadcraft (Blue Book)
£11.99
Mike Waites Video
£14.99
Top Rider Video
£14.99
Contact Kate Davies
01962 840954
Answers via email to:
sam.newsletter@btinternet.com JANUARYCAPTION COMPETITION WINNER:
April 08
INSIDE p3 All change at SAM
“Here comes breakfast”.
Sheila Gooch
p5
Merchandiser -
Bends
Committee Vacancy This position will become vacant at the AGM in May.
The only requirement is to be comparitively numerate and able to attend most Club Nights. Please give me a call for more information. Kate Davies 01962 840954.
DISCLAIMER Most of the views expressed in this SAM Newsletter are personal to the author and publication does not imply endorsement of any article, any author or any organisation. Views expressed are those of the authors, and are not necessarily in accordance with the policies or the views of the IAM or SAM. Where articles are reproduced from other publications or authors, unreserved acknowledgement is given to the source. No responsibility is accepted by the Editor or SAM for any damage to intelligence or riding abilities, howsoever caused, which might result from reading this publication.
P A G E 12
Help us make progress with a contribution towards the next issue. Pics in jpeg format please.
Newsletter email address is sam.newsletter@btinternet.com
p7 Design & artwork by KF:D LTD Fordingbridge, 01425 654557
The job involves ordering stock - poloshirts, publications etc and handling cash on Club Nights and keeping records of the transactions, All merchandise is kept at Sarisbury Green so no home storage is necessary.
Sam Manicom
p 10 Born again Bantam
p 11 Just need £11,000 and the bike is mine!!!
Wendy & Lilian go to Florida Registered Charity No. 1097558
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tes Useful Web Si www.bikersyard.co.uk
Bikers Yard Bike Safe Edge 44 44.html www.hants.gov.uk/roadsafety/driverider/edge co.uk .bmf. www BMF www.boxerbikes.co.uk BMWs www.cwmotorcycles.co.uk BMW Dealers www.ascycles.com BMW Parts Catalogue www.girlsbike2.com Girls Bike 2 www.iam.org.uk IAM www.ronnies.com/micro.htm JAP Bike Parts www.loisontheloose.com Lois on the Loose www.marmionmotorcycles.net Marmion Motorcycles www.hoodjeans.co.uk Motorcycling Jeans www.beaulieumotorcycleworld.co.uk ld Motorcycle Wor www.motorcycleshow.co.uk NEC Motorcycle Show www.rapidtraining.com Rapid Training www.telferizer.co.uk RAM Mounts www.solentadvanced.photosite.com SAM Photo-site www.solent-advanced-motorcylists.co.uk SAM Web Site www.highwaycode.gov.uk The Highway Code www.stageposthotel.co.uk The Stage Post www.threecrossretail.co.uk/ 3X Motorcycles www.ultraseal-soton.co.uk Ultraseal Southampton www.urban-glow.com Urban-Glow www.unity2.unityride.co.uk/ Unity Run London
April 2008
S A M S O L E N T A DVA N C E D M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
Hendon Bike Safe Day 11 SAM members and 10 riders remembered that the clocks went forward and met in Winchester to go to the Hendon Bike Safe Day organised by the Metropolitan Police. Given the recent bad weather, we had lovely blue skies, although it still wasn't warm enough to wear the leathers, but at least the heated jacket wasn't needed like it was over Easter.
Fresh from their touring adventures last year when Wendy and Lilian went to Wales and twice to Belgium. They thought they would start 2008 with a trip to Florida as both needed to go somewhere warm for the winter after we all missed summer last year. lthough Lilian had organised lots of independent trips to the US they had always been by car and so motorbiking presented a bit of a challenge, especially when we didn’t want to rent tractors (sorry our Harley friends).
A
Many of the motorbike manufacturers were present and Nigel was busy trying out his new bike (don't tell his wife!) and demos were available to take out. The Police were offering free assessed rides and we wandered around the many trade stands which were undercover, although the ground was rather muddy after Saturday. In the display area we saw the stunt bikes, the police dogs catch the bad guys, including the man with the sawn off shotgun and watch the dogs find the drugs. There was also an excellent display from the Royal Signals' White Helmets team who showed us how to ride backwards, doing exercises and jumping through a ring of fire - all on a grass field. Well done Met Police for a great day out. I would definitely go again.
Lilian Hobbs
After numerous Google searches Lilian found Triumph of Fort Lauderdale, who were happy to rent us two Bonneville’s. It turned out that one of the owners actually use to live in Chandlers Ford where Lilian lives today. We flew into Miami and rented a car to get us to Fort Lauderdale and booked a hotel around the corner so we could walk and collect the bikes. They were all ready for us and Wendy had a brand new Bonneville and mine had just been serviced and given new tyres, they must have known we were planning on covering some 1400 miles over 10 days. We took all our gear in suitcases and the plan was to leave them at the hotel but they refused due to security. Lilian used her new wifi mobile to book a room at the Hilton who were very happy to store our luggage so we were glad we kept the car and Wendy got to practise carrying a pillion as she brought Lilian back from Hertz.
5% discount for SAM members
Lilian not known for travelling light now needed to carry 10 days gear plus camera equipment all on her Bonneville. She used a Kriega R35 rucksack which worked really well, although several hotels asked if she was ‘going parachuting’! and we both had Oxford Tailbags which fixed easily to the bike. Wendy was using two Lidl Ski boot bags as panniers which worked very well, although there was the odd ‘melting’ incident!
The dealer made us show our skills by riding down the road. Lilian did it with the fuel tap off! and then we were okay to go. So our first day we headed down to the Keys. It was a very hot day and of course we were very easy to spot in full protective gear and hi-viz jackets. Unlike our Florida counterparts who usually only wore tee-shirt and jeans and of course, no helmet. The Keys are now very commercial but the ride down is stunning across the bridges, apart from the tolls, yes bikes do have to pay, so needless-to-say we made them wait while we got the money out. En route we met some German bikers in Key Largo and practised our illegal filtering (its considered dangerous) through the road works on the Keys. This was the only time we encountered any rain and it was welcome as we were very hot. When we returned from the Keys, Lilian decided to film Wendy with her video camera, but she will not be offering her a major part in her next production. We then went into the Everglades where we saw birds and alligators and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was now 2 days and bends were extremely rare. At one point we actually encountered a double bend going through some road works and yippes were heard over the Autocoms. The next day was cold so we put on our rain gear and headed across the Everglades. It was lovely scenery (still straight roads) and eventually we pulled in for lunch to discover that it was a major bike hangout. Lilian navigated using Tom Tom Navigator which was on her Eten Glofiish (one of those do everything mobile phones) and it worked very
well, although the GPS did drain the battery. We stopped for the night in Bonita Springs where we did visit the local outlet mall, but being on the bikes we couldn’t buy much. We found everyone very friendly and quite intrigued by these ladies touring Florida on Triumphs. People would pull alongside us and ask what year they were and would often say that they use to ride a Triumph. In Tampa the battery on the phone almost run out but we got to the hotel before it expired and just before the sun set. All the hotels were very helpful with the bikes and frequently let us park them by reception so they could keep an eye on them. In Tampa we found a side road where we could ride along (straight of course) but take in the scenery. It was then onto Orlando which we used as a base to go to Daytona Bike Week. It is estimated that around half a million people go to Daytona Bike Week. As we entered the city we pulled over at the race stadium and found free admission to all the bike stands and dealers. We wanted to go out on the four wheeled motorcycles but the wait was too long. They had all the bikes available for demo. We then headed down to the beach, where there were lots of people cruising along on
PA G E 2
April 2008
their bikes. Most were Harleys, but there were custom cruisers, trikes and the odd ‘real’ bike, like ours.We stood out in our hi-viz gear and got a few odd looks, but we didn’t care. We were Brits on Triumphs and proud of it. There was so much traffic and no one filtering that going anywhere took ages. When we did decide to filter we were told by the other riders that it was illegal. But when you consider that in Florida you don’t even have to pass a test to ride a bike, the standard of some of the riding left a lot to be desired. After introducing Wendy to Baskin Robbins (ice-cream store) we watched all the bikes going very slowly past and decided to head back to Orlando. The next day we headed off to Cocoa Beach which is close to Cape Kennedy and again met many interesting bikers. There seemed to be quite a few Europeans around. Then it was back to Fort Lauderdale, more tolls, and Lilian convinced that the only way to tour is on her new Honda Deauville and not on a naked bike, carrying a rucksack, fighting heavy crosswinds. We had a great time in Florida and everyone was very friendly. Its not a place to go for bends, but the scenery is good and the roads are wide, but it can be a bit hot.
Where to next..... Mosel with SAM. P A G E 11
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April 2008
All change at SAM CHAIRMAN’S
chat
Hi each, and welcome to the April Edition of Making Progress
y 3 years as Chairman is just about up and I will soon be putting my feet up. No, not on the foot stool, but on the footrests of my bike getting a few more miles on the clock, whilst someone else takes over the role of Chairman of SAM.
M
By the time you read this we will be just 5 short weeks away from the SAM Annual General Meeting (please don’t sigh like that). On top of encouraging you all to attend, I would like to point out how important this particular AGM will be. As you will see from the AGM paperwork issued with this newsletter a few of the Committee will be standing down and we will be looking to elect replacements. As you will know, there is always something happening within SAM whether it be a Group Ride, SAM Sunday, Slow Riding Course, presentation at Club Night, MDU at Beaulieu etc - well these things don’t just happen - they need to be organised/arranged/managed; call it what you like but it is the Committee, in the main that do it. So if we don’t have a Committee it isn’t going happen. The major change to the Committee will be that we will be looking for a new Chairman as Gerry Gooch has served 3 years and will not be seeking re-election as the Group’s Chairman but will be staying on the Committee. On behalf of the Committee I would like to thank Gerry for all his hard work and enthusiasm as Chairman over the last 3 years. Last years turn out by members was pathetic by any standards, as there were only just more in the audience than sitting on the front table !! It’s your club, it’s your committee please support both. We need volunteers for various roles on the Committee - please think about it and help us to help you and the Club.
Nigel Grace
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The last 3 years have certainly seen some `Ups & Downs’, but most of the time it has been the `Ups` I am pleased to say. I am sorry for the somewhat clumsy way that I have handled some situations within SAM at times during my term, but it has all been with SAM’s best interest at heart and I do feel that SAM is now so very well placed to continue to improve the riding skills of motorcyclists in Hampshire and to be a great Club for bikers of all types. During my time as Chairman we have moved from the Fleming Arms in Swaythling to SGCC to far more pleasant surroundings, provided the MDU with new biker graphics, set up a new SAM website thanks to Simon Marsden and Lilian Hobbs has just embarked upon an exciting programme of Classroom and more of the Alec Gore Slow Riding sessions. The Club Nights organised by Sam Davis have been an outstanding success and of course the Newsletter `Making Progress`, has continued to set the standard for all other SAM activities. The SAM Sundays, with bacon sandwiches thanks to Anne and Lucy Spicer, continue to be a great success and the provision of `Pot Luck Observed Rides` is a new idea for 2008. The excellent Membership database and systems set up by Paul Nol have been one of those behind the scenes activities that most members are unaware of. Dr Wendy Peters our new membership secretary is now very busy operating and updating the system further. Our treasurer John Parvin is doing his best to squeeze some £2500 from the Chancellor via the `Gift Aid` tax system so we will have some more money to spend very soon we hope. Dave Spicer our Chief Observer has been busy spending the £1000 `Group Achievement Award` that SAM received from the IAM. Consequently some of our SAM Observers will soon be equipped with radios to help them with their Observed runs. I am sure that many of you do not fully appreciate all the effort that the committee put into SAM activities like, Group Rides - Ian Cooper, SAM Social finances - Kate Davies, Special Events - Dave Barrett, Public Relations - Dave Forster. Of course Colin Backhouse our Secretary has been looking after the minutes, the never ending IAM correspondence and everything else official.
Chairman
Gerry Gooch
01329 832 416
Vice Chairman
Colin Backhouse
02380 871 642
Treasurer
John Parvin
01329 284 640
Chief Observer
David Spicer
01794 341 087
Membership Secretary
Dr Wendy Peters
07843 006 172
Special Events Co-ord
Dave Barrett
07771 62 6772
Club Night Organiser
Sam Davis
07961 534 802
Public Relations
David Forster
01962 761 026
Group Rides Co-ordinator
Gerry Gooch
01329 832 416
Skills Co-ord
Dr Lilian Hobbs
02380 263319
Regalia
Kate Davies
01962 840 954
Newsletter
Nigel Grace
01425 472021
Sadly this is my last `Chairman’s Chat`, but do not fear, you haven’t seen the last of me yet, for I hope to be out on my bike even more this year. And for a few more years too!
Committee Member
Godwin Calafato
0208 543 3442
Safe and happy riding to you all.
MDU Manager
Ian Cooper
02380 410 690
Gerry Gooch
All this means that the next chairman with such a capable committee, will have a very easy job! By the way, may I ask if all those of you who have benefited by the efforts of the committee and Observers, to just say `Thank you` now and again for the effort that they have put into the club for your benefit. It does help to make them feel that their efforts are appreciated. There we are, I will start by saying, “Thank you to all the Officers, the Committee and the Observers past and present who have helped in getting SAM where it is today”.
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April 2008
M ANNOUNCEMENT AG200 7 8.00pm
y 13th May Sarisbury Green Community Centre Tuesda Hello SAM Members as Please be aware of the above AGM, when you, select and nate members, have the opportunity to nomi members to serve on the Committee. ess the The current Committee have continued to progr ip bersh Mem year. past the interests of the group over of rtion propo a with , numbers have remained level not members, once they have passed their IAM test, ip. renewing their SAM membersh amme The monthly Tuesday evening Club Night Progr first of Activities run by Sam Davis has brought some good ted attrac have and SAM class speakers to attendance. the There is to be a full list of activities scheduled for them t abou coming year and you are sure to hear more at the AGM.
help There is, it seems, always a constant need to enlist izing organ from the membership to plan and assist in the various activities that have made the club the ent in success it is. This AGM is not proving any differ stand to that we are seeking volunteers to be nominated make can on the committee and then you, as members, you. your own choice of who you want to represent to This year a new chairman has to be nominated is who h, replace our outgoing chairman, Gerry Gooc not standing for that position again. the Each committee member, past and present, has ular, partic in and, mind interests of the club foremost in a SAM make to ip the increase in active membersh thriving club. to The AGM is the opportunity for the membership ns natio nomi and year next the for elect the committee are sought...........
CHIEF OBSERVER’S REPORT M a rc h 0 8 It’s just dawned on me that I’ve been Chief Observer for almost a year now. It’s been hard work and I acknowledge I haven’t achieved many of the ambitions I harboured when I came into the job. Simply doing the day-to-day tasks seems to take up so much of my free time. But now I can see some new and exciting things happening within our Club. Mainly thanks to my many hard working colleagues, we now have a very robust programme of Slow Riding Skills Days and we will soon be starting a series of classroom sessions aimed primarily at Associates. These classroom sessions will deal mainly with the theory side of Advanced PA G E 4
Riding, which until now has always been conducted by Observers in Cafes and at the side of the road. The Observer’s input is still absolutely vital but we are hoping to relieve some of their time to do more of the actual road riding where these theories are put into practice. And it was while I was putting together some tuition notes for these Classroom talks that I began to write the heading, “The definition of an Advanced Rider”. The ‘text book’ definition is along the lines of - An Advanced Rider is someone who always aims to be in the right position, and travelling at the right speed for the conditions. Which is fair enough, but then I thought, “Hang on a minute, that’s a bit of a cop-out”. Basically, there are only two things we can change on a bike. Position and Speed. To define an Advanced Rider as someone who always aims to get these two things right is stating the obvious and not much use to students. Anyone can say that to be an Advanced Rider
you simply need to get everything right. It’s describing the desired ‘output’ of an Advanced Rider but it’s not defining the qualities necessary to be an Advanced Rider. Surely there’s much more to it than that. But what? So I started to consider what is the essence of an Advanced Rider. What qualities do we have. What qualities do we need to nurture? What makes a good Advanced Rider? And I came up with this: “An Advanced Rider is someone who cares enough to make it a craft” I have used the word ‘Craft’ because it describes an activity that requires a special skill and careful attention to detail. And that won’t just happen by trying to follow a set of simple rules. We also have to ‘want’ to make it happen. To me, that definition sums up the beauty of Advanced Motorcycling. It’s a craft which can verge on being an art form. But we need to care enough to make it so.
David Spicer
A brief but very honest Thank You. I would like to thank all those members of SAM that have put their hands in their pockets and so generously sponsored me for the Enduro Africa 2008 “Ride for Life”. Following collections, Emails and the Auction and Bring and Buy sale, the members of the Club has sponsored me to the tune of just over £1000. I am still not sure which is going to be the hardest - raising the money or learning to ride “Off Road”, but I do know which is going to hurt the most. I am now looking forward to my first attempt at riding a 200cc AJP bike on Salisbury Plain in May photos will be available through the web site.... Ouuch and many thanks for all your support from one mad BMW rider and three very worthy Charities.
Nigel Grace http://nigelsenduro2008.blogspot.com/
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BENDS (Positioning)
April 2008
Mike Waite Ex-police instructor.
Positioning for all occasions is varied to say the least. I think you would all agree with the following statement. THERE IS ONLY ONE POSITION TO BE IN AT ANY TIME FOR EVERY OCCASSION, AND THAT IS THE CORRECT POSITION FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CONFRONTS THE RIDER.
I shall recommend the following positions for the principles of right and left-hand bends and why. But the main beneficiaries about positioning, is we have an advantage. This relates to view, stability and safety. Principles of positioning for right-hand bends. The principle of position for righthand bends is towards the nearside, which is close to the left-hand edge of the road. We gain three advantages. 1. We create view. The better the view the more time we have to react as features are seen that much earlier. The other advantage is that the other driver or pedestrian will see us earlier and can also react to us. 2. Being close in to the nearside creates stability, as it is a wider turning circle. 3. And last but not least, in the main, we are in a safety line position, as it takes us away from anticipated other road users that may be encroaching on our side of the road. Bear in mind these are principles. Many things may change, that would not hold us to the near side. For example, debris, drain covers, unstable road surfaces, junctions, and severity of the bend. etc. Principles of positioning for left-hand bends. The principles of positioning for a left-hand bend is out towards left of centre or just left of the centre of the road. We gain two advantages.
1. Positioning out toward left of centre creates view, as the farther out we are the better view. 2. Being out towards the centre of the road creates stability, as it is a wider turning circle. The one thing we do not have is a safety line position. We should always consider that just out of our view are vehicles, which are travelling towards us at high speed and also encroaching on our side of the road. I would suggest that you look at this situation and judge whether you could move away from the position to a safety position. If the answer is no then you are not in the correct position, and you have no advantage by being there. As one would surmise position will vary depending upon the severity of the bend. For example. If I were approaching a tight blind left-hand bend, I would always consider a large vehicle just out of my sight coming towards me and encroaching on my side of the road. I would consider a safe option and move well away from the centre of the road. Left-hand bends are in my opinion the more dangerous of the two. If you are not concentrating and anticipating you will more than likely be at a disadvantage. Positioning for an overtake from a right-hand bend. For all overtakes there are three main positions on the approach to set your selves up, for the perfect overtake every time. 1. An extended following position. This is a position where either you are approaching from some distance and arriving at the start of your overtake. Or a position which you hold because an overtake is not an option due to situations ahead. This
In all cases it will be dependant on the view and distance we have allowed our selves to complete the overtake safely. maybe that traffic is very heavy and no overtake would be possible. It maybe that you and other vehicles are approaching a speed limit and vehicles ahead are braking and bunching up. Following them into that scenario would eliminate your advantage and cause you to brake. There are many other situations that would call for an extended position. The main advantage would be that if the correct gear is selected for the right speed you would be able to control the position very accurately with throttle control in a relaxed state. 2. The next phase is a following position. This position would be taken when
an opportunity has or is developing which is developing in to an overtake. This is useful as one can move into an overtaking position or drop back to an extended following position. This of course entirely depends upon the developing road situation ahead. 3. The final phase is the overtaking position. This is a position taken from a righthand bend with the rider close into the nearside just as the right-hand edge of the road beyond the bend is in view. (Which eliminates dead ground) Distances behind the vehicle will vary depending on speed and aspects of the road in all the above positions. All these positions depend on distances from you to the vehicle or vehicles you are about to overtake. Distance will be subject to many factors. For example, speed of the vehicle or vehicles you are about to overtake. Weather conditions. The road is an incline or decline or a flat surface; to mention a couple. One thing always to remember is, no overtake is that important to cause you or other vehicles danger or inconvenience.
â–ź
We can lay down principles for position for bends, overtakes and general riding. Saying that we must take in to account many different situations. For example light traffic, heavy traffic, town and city riding, country roads, main or minor roads, weather conditions, road surfaces. One could go on and make a very long list of such variations.
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April 2008
If you have to think shall I or not. DON’T As the next bend you have the perfect overtake.
mirror, indicate and overtake as fast as possible. My advice is always know where to overtake to, if you reach that point then plan your next point to overtake to.
Positioning for an overtake from a left-hand bend. Overtaking from a left-hand bend is an option when there is a view, which has been cleared on both sides of the road. There is, like all situations many different types of left-hand bends, some with extended views and others with restricted views. We also have to consider the type of vehicle to be overtaken, i.e. a large and high sided vehicle or a relative small vehicle, which can be seen over. In all cases it will be dependant on the view and distance we have allowed our selves to complete the overtake safely. Following a small vehicle, which can be seen over, position will be towards left of centre, which creates view and stability.The three positions as described for a righthand bend would be considered. The timing of each of the three positions is the skill that will perfect this feature. Too early and the rider decreases his safety margin and smoothness. Too late and the overtake is lost. The one feature that must be cleared is dead ground. Dead ground on the approach to a left-hand bend is the near side edge of the road beyond the bend and out of your sight If this edge is out of sight there could be some obstruction or junction, which is of potential danger to the rider. The perfect timing for an overtake is to arrive in an overtaking position just as the left hand edge of the road beyond the bend comes into sight. It is at this point when an overtake is on or not. Just like any overtake there are so many features to assess. For example, speed of the vehicle you are about to overtake, the length of the vehicle, distance in view taking into consideration vehicles in view coming towards you, vehicles out of your view that may be travelling at high speed towards you, your own gear selected, your speed to complete your overtake, weather conditions, road surface, view to the rear, signal for your overtake. All of these would be desirable and essential, and the decision made instantly. If you cannot make that instant decision then the overtake
PA G E 6
should not be taken. It should be Yes or No and no in-betweens. The inbetweens are the thought process asking ones self is it okay to go. But in that short time the situation has changed quite dramatically. If in doubt do not proceed. I would suggest that all these features could be finally honed under the instruction of a top class trainer. All can be practiced without an overtake taking place. Overtake high-sided vehicles from a left-hand bend. Overtake of a high-sided vehicle from a left-hand bend requires the utmost skill. There is no question that this movement should be studied very carefully and not acted upon until the technique is completely understood. Following a large vehicle around a left-hand bend the view ahead must be maintained to the vehicles nearside. If the view is lost, even momentarily, the manoeuvre must be started all again. Once you have the visual point ahead of the highsided vehicle you are following, pick a point to the offside ahead of him and mark it in your mind. With the vehicle continuing around the bend the previously marked point comes into view to the rear offside of the vehicle. At this point you will know that there are no vehicles along the offside of the vehicle you are following. (This is why it is most important not to lose the view ahead at any time on the nearside of the vehicle for fear that a vehicle out of your view has moved inside dead ground on the large vehicle’s offside). Developing a view on a left-hand bend when behind a vehicle means enhancing the view by moving out to the right, still keeping the view on the visual point from the lefthand edge of the vehicle. The next phase is to wait until you clear the road ahead of all obstructions, any junctions or moving vehicles. The view and distance must be extensive to have time to overtake the length of the vehicle you are following, taking into consideration his speed, your speed, speed of vehicles in view and possible speed of vehicles out of your view. Consider the time it will take to pass, taking into account the length of his vehicle, the road and weather conditions. If they are favourable the overtake could be executed; check the rear view
Keep well away from the vehicle you are overtaking, this is to eliminate the possibility of him deviating from his own course. Caution: This manoeuvre is for skilled riders only and no attempt should be taken without being fully familiar with the technique. This feature can be seen on an every day journey. I recommend that you look for situation for observation. Even on courses there are very few times this feature comes together to be put into operation. Saying that one course I was conducting, my student and I did three such overtakes all in a row. Wonderful feeling when you do it right. There is no margin for error with this feature. One final word about overtaking. The best overtakes is where you overtake a vehicle, return to your side of the road and still moving away from the overtaken vehicle with no brakes needed. This of course requires you to have the correct gear engaged with accurate use of throttle. The vehicle driver being overtaken will not be forced to apply his breaks. Positions to take in potentially dangerous situations If you are travelling on a road around a bend and you are confronted by stationary vehicles ahead you must consider vehicles behind you, which are travelling towards you out of your view. Potentially you are in a very vulnerable and dangerous position.
Brake and hold back as far as you can away from the stationary vehicles. Stop, go into first gear, eyes to your rear view mirror and look for an alterative course or an escape position. By staying as far away from them as possible, should a vehicle come from behind you will be able to move forward, giving the driver time to react for his own braking and for you to work out where to go to if he cannot stop in time. If possible try and stay in sight of vehicles travelling towards you from behind. Escape position An escape position is a position you occupy behind a vehicle, which is stationary, and from which you can move forward ahead of him so as not to be in danger from vehicles behind that may not stop and are likely to collide with you. If you stop behind a stationary vehicle ask you self “Could I drive forward to his nearside or offside” If you cannot you cannot control this situation and are vulnerable. General positioning Positioning in towns or city with a high concentration of vehicular traffic will entail loosing position for right-hand bends in the main.To hold an advantage one would hold position for view and safety. You would be wise to give any position up for safety. I would ask riders to consider every situation you ride in. Be flexible and adapt to the ever changing environment you ride in. Ask your selves, can I get into a better position and take advantage of the situation. Concentration anticipation and planning all go hand in hand why not take advantage of it.
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SAM MANICOM, Motorcycle Traveller
April 2008
Have the bean counters really taken over the asylum? I was trying to figure out whether a shift in the time space continuum means that I am living in a parallel universe or whether the bean counters really have taken over the asylum. When you look around there are plenty of examples to support this worrying possibility. Just recently, according to the Times, we see that 14 Town Hall bosses are paying themselves more than the Prime Minister’s annual salary of £188,000 (I am resisting the temptation here to go off on one about Gordon as this might muddy the message). Just how can it be right for a petit fonctionnaire to be paid more than the Prime Minister, you might ask? We are regularly reminded that the Government’s inflation target is 2% (on the CPI measure), yet the average council tax rise will be about 4% (Hampshire looks set to be 4.5%). For the last eleven years council tax rises have beaten inflation.
The February Club Night saw a presentation by Sam Manicom, Motorcycle Traveller and author of two excellent books “Into Africa” and “Under Asian Skies”. ith is trusty BMW R80GS named “Lilly” at his side in the hall Sam told of his wanting to do something completely different so he learned to ride a motorcycle, sold his house and 3 months later set off to ride the length of Africa. This one-year trip turned into an eight-year epic across 55 countries around the world.
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Sam met his partner Birgit in New Zealand in year two of the trip, and she joined him for the latter four years across Africa (again), South, Central and Northern America. She was travelling by bicycle when they met but transferred steeds to ride her own motorcycle, a 1971 BMW R60/5. Since 1996 Sam has been writing for Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, Motorcycle Voyager and various other motorcycle magazines and
newspapers around the world. He is a keen advocate of motorcycle travel. “The travel bug bites hard, but motorcycle travel bites deep and doing a long trip by bike is the stuff of dreams. I started to write because I wanted to share the fun”. He spoke of some of his early mistakes and of his horrendous crash in Namibia, and about being arrested for a simple act of taking a photo of children... The bike was bought new and by the time he visited SAM it had 240,000 miles on the clock. Mind you, Sam only spoke to us about his trip to Africa; if you want to know more about his adventures in Asia then you will have to read his second book or wait until he returns to give another presentation... Many thanks to Sam for his visit and I am sure we will meet again, and if I go out for a pint of milk and don’t come back - I just may well be doing a bit of adventure motorcycling myself.... www.sam-manicom.com - visit the site to read about Sam, order his books and see the photos used during the presentation.
Nigel Grace
One of the first lessons for economics students is price elasticity of demand – a pretentious description of a straightforward concept. Put simply, price elasticity of demand is the response of consumers to changes in price. It’s a measure of how much demand decreases or increases when prices go up or down. So while my earlier examples clearly demonstrate outrageous price increases, they are in a sense insulated from commercial reality because the consumer (that’s you and me) has no choice other than to cough up. Well that’s not quite true as Beryl Pearce, an 85 year-old former RAF nurse, discovered when she challenged such increases and nearly ended up in prison. In the real world, prices are generally inelastic for essentials and elastic for non-essentials. So if the price of jewellery increases substantially less will be bought as demand is inelastic. On the other hand gas and electricity price rises have had little effect on demand. Enough economics and back to the asylum. Most of us are familiar with the IAM’s Skill for Life package. You can buy it online and it does just what it says on the tin. It covers IAM membership, group membership, some books and the advanced test. Well, it’s going up in price by a whopping 28.2% - yes, 28.2% - from £85 to £109 for bikers from 1st April 2008. And while this is folly, it’s no April fool. If your preference is 4 wheels, then the package will cost £99 – that a 16.4% increase and, significantly, it’s below the £100 price point. Just what is going on here? Has someone forgotten to take their medication? Regrettably, I reckon that the demand for advanced training is inelastic. This means that some people will be put off advanced training because of the 28.2% price hike. The consequence of this is so obvious it does not need to be stated. It really does look as if the bean counters have taken over the asylum.
The Grumpy Old Biker. Disclaimer: Grumpy Old Biker is a periodic column written for the SAM newsletter. It is highly unlikely that the views expressed here are in any way representative of the IAM or SAM.
PA G E 7
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April 2008
The Forward SLASH
The masochists among us were probably quite disappointed at the cancellation of the 2007 National Rally. But it gave me an excellent reason to participate for the first time in the Scottish National Rally which is organised by the Scottish Ariel Owners Club and takes place on the second weekend in September. he Scottish Rally is similar to the National in that the object is to ride a certain number of miles, visit control points and finish by a set time at a final control point. The Scottish differs in that not all the controls are manned, some are “receipt” points where riders must obtain a dated, timed receipt to prove they were there. Although the National awards depend on miles ridden/checkpoints visited
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with a nod to day/night/whole rally riding, the Scottish presents challenges within the distance award for which you are aiming. For example you could ride your miles around the Highlands visiting designated controls, or around the Islands, Skye, Arran and Mull or take a Touring Challenge over four days and riding a minimum of 1000miles before finishing at the final control.
And the there is the Mystery Challenge, which in 2007 was the “Forward Slash” This seemed to be a very good way to see Scotland without having to plan an intricate and cunning route between controls for a maxi-award. Simply, the object was to ride from the most south-westerly mainland town, Drummore in Galloway, starting at 9am on Saturday after collecting a receipt at the post office, and riding in a forward slash direction to Castleton in Caithness. This is not quite but almost John-o-Groats and few miles to the east of Thurso. In Castleton the shop did not give dated receipts but the bank cash point did. The final control at Crainlarich had to be reached by noon on Sunday, so after a brief bed and even shorter breakfast at
Helmsdale on the east coast we made it with 15 minutes spare. The whole outing was enormous fun. The weather was fine, the roads frequently empty and mostly very well surfaced and the scenery quite beautiful. It was the first time I had ridden so far north and I am looking forward already to the 2008 event. At the final control the organisers were very welcoming and hospitable - (this event is on a very much smaller scale to the National) and after a lunch break we were off back to the soft south. Downside: you have to set aside 4 to 5 days and probably 4 nights to properly appreciate everything and not to begin the rally spaced out, but the upside - everything else, even Scottish pies.
Kate Davies
SAM DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2008 Sun Sun Tue Sat
6 6 8 12
Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue
13 13 15 20 22
Tue Sun Sun Sun Tue
22 27 27 27 29
MAY Sat Sun Sun Sun Sat
3 4 4 4 10
APR
Sun Sun Tue Thu Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue
Wing Ding Event with MDU Winchester RFC SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am MotoGP China Shanghai Wing Ding Event with MDU Winchester RFC Slow Riding Course (Associates) HMS Collingwood 0930 - 1300 11 SAM Group Ride Wickham Leisurley run 11 World Superbikes Italy Monza 13 SAM AGM Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start 15-19 SAM Riders travel to the Mosel in Germany Non-SAM Sponsored event 18 SAM Group Ride Ower Nigel Grace - Dorset 18 MotoGP France Le Mans 20 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm 25 SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Reading 27 Evening Ride Winchester and Fareham 19.30
JUNE Sun 1 Sun 1
Sun 1 Sat 7
SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am World Superbikes Spain Valencia SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start Slow Riding Course (Observers only) HMS Collingwood 0930 - 1300 SAM Group Ride Ower Chris Palmer MotorGP Portugal Estoril SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Colin Hitchcock - Wessons Café SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm 24Hr Moto France Le Mans SAM Group Ride Winchester Alec Gore - Thames Valley World Superbikes Netherlands Assen SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm
SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am World Superbikes USA Salt Lake City
PA G E 8
Sun 8 Sun 8 Tue 10 Sun 15 Sun 15 Tue 17 Wed 18 Sun 22 Sun 22 Tue 24 Wed 25 Sat 28 Sun 29 Sun 29 JULY Sat 5 Sat 5 Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun
13 13 Tue Sun Sun Sun Tue Sun
MotorGP Italy Mugello Slow Riding Course (Members Only) Forton Road Med Centre Gosport 0930 - 1300 SAM Group Ride Wickham Chris Palmer MotoGP Catalunya Montmelo SAM Club Night (Hampshire Air Ambulance) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Ower John Lucas - Woolacombe World Superbikes TBA SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Lilian Hobbs - Bodmin Castle MotoGP GB Donnington Evening Ride Winchester and Fareham 19.30 SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm MotoGP Netherlands Assen SAM Group Ride Winchester Gerry Gooch - Cotswolds World Superbikes San Marino Misano
Motorcycle World Beaulieu Slow Riding Course (Associates) HMS Collingwood 0930 - 1300 6 SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am 6 Motorcycle World Beaulieu 8 SAM Club Night (Lois Pryce and Austin Vince) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester Lulworth Cove - Colin Hitchcock MotoGP Germany Sachsenring 15 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm 20 SAM Group Ride Wickham 20 World Superbikes Czech Republic Brno 20 MotoGP USA Laguna Seca 22 Evening Ride Winchester and Fareham 19.30 27 SAM Group Ride Ower Nigel Grace - Avebury Rings
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April 2008
Funeral of Dean Cornwall - The Slowest SAM Ride Ever Dean was a devoted biker with a classic Kawasaki GT 750 and was also a great fan of Ducatis. Carol, an equally enthusiastic pillion rider, had organised a motorcycle and sidecar hearse and wanted an escort of bikes to accompany it from Winchester to the Basingstoke Crematorium at North Waltham. She herself was going to ride behind the driver on the hearse. After the service she was keen for the bikes to be ridden away as noisily as possible as a final salute to Dean.
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t is not every day that you get asked to provide a motorcyle escort for someone’s funeral but that is what happened to me at the end of January just before I was about to set off for the south of France with my wife on holiday. Carol Cornwall, a very long term friend of mine, better known to many people as Carol Darby the jeweller from Little Minster Street in Winchester (she made Princess Anne’s engagement ring), telephoned with the very sad news that her husband, Dean, had just died. She said that she wanted to give him a real “biker’s send off” and asked if I would mind going to the funeral on my motorbike together with any other biking friends that I could persuade to go.
This request put me in some difficulty as I was not going to be in the UK for the funeral but, knowing what a great bunch of members SAM has, I asked Gerry Gooch to put a notice out on ‘the system’. This lead to four members including Gerry himself, turning up on the day to escort the hearse on what Gerry descibed as the slowest SAM rideout ever! One Ducati, two Pan Europeans and a Yamaha FJR 1300 together with a family friend on his
BMW made the ride and duly gave as noisy a salute as was possible from a group of properly silenced bikes at the end of the proceedings. It was estimated that the service was attended by about 150 people and Carol was enormously grateful for the support from SAM and content that she had given Dean just the sort of send-off he would have really appreciated.
David Hughes
SAM DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2008 AUG Sun Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun
3 3 10 12 17 17 19 24 24 26 31 31
SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am World Superbikes GB Brands Hatch SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester MotoGP Czech Republic Brno SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Wickham World Superbikes TBA Evening Ride Winchester and Fareham 19.30 SAM Group Ride Ower MotoGP San Marino Masino
SEPT Sun 7 Sun 7 Tue 9 Wed 10
SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am World Superbikes GB Donnington SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm Slow Riding Course (All welcome) HMS Collingwood 0930 - 1300 SAM Group Ride Meon Hut MotoGP USA Indianapolics SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Evening Course (See Web Site) Sarisbury Green 7.30pm - 9.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester Evening Ride Winchester and Fareham 19.30 SAM Group Ride Wickham World Superbikes Italy Vallelunga MotoGP Japan Motegi
Sat 13 Sun 14 Sun 14 Tue 16 Wed 17 Sun Tue Sun Sun Sun
21 23 28 28 28
OCT Sun Sun Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Sun
5 5 5 12 14 19 19 21 26 26 26
NOV Sun 2 Sun 9
SAM Free Assessment Rides Sarisbury Green 9.30am World Superbikes France Magny Cours MotoGP Australia Phillip Island SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut MotoGP Malaysia Sepang SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester World Superbikes Portugal Portimao MotoGP Valencia Ricardo Tormo
Tue Sun Tue Sun Fri Sun
11 16 18 23 28 30
SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Group Ride -Royal British Legion Remembrance Service at the Ace Café Wickham John Hardman SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester NEC Bike Show ( 28 Nov - 7 Dec) Birmingham SAM Group Ride Wickham
DEC
Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun Sun
7 9 14 16 21 28
SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Committee Meeting TBC 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Group Ride Winchester
JAN
Sun 4
SAM Group Ride Wickham PA G E 9
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Born again Bantam!
James Grazebrook
1965 The 15 year old boy swore. The fifth set of new contact breakers on his 1953 BSA Bantam 125 had again moved so the gap was incorrect! Each time he set it carefully with feeler gauges at BSA’s recommended .015”. The bike would run perfectly for a few hours and then splutter to a halt. Nothing would make the gap stay still, and the five spare sets of breakers added up to half the £5 he’d saved over six months to buy the machine in the first place. He loved the bike to bits and rode it round and around the farm on which he was working during the school holidays. The year was 1965 and he was determined to learn to control the Bantam and pass his bike test on it immediately he was 16. A week later the farm manager looked at the Bantam’s contact breakers and spotted that the pin mounting the breaker rocker was loose in its casting. He showed the boy how to fix it more firmly into place, and the problem became history. Over the next few months the boy rode the bike non-stop, its smelly two stroke fuel mixed by hand trailing a stream of blue smoke wherever he went - wearing “L” plates which required no training whatsoever, but forbade him a “bird on the back”! Finally he rode to Chertsey Test Centre, where a brave tester walked a town route of a mile or so observing the Bantam Boy each time he passed - even stepping out in front of him to test his Emergency Stop!! 20 minutes later the fully qualified Biker stripped off the L plates and rode home touching the bike’s maximum 55 mph. 10 minutes after that he set of with a Bird on the Back!
1966 Bantams were Bantams, but real rockers needed real bikes and the boy put his life savings into a Tiger Cub. A fortune at £15 and already ten years old, but a real four stroke which sounded like a bike and came, like every Triumph of that era, with a free oil leak! A top speed of 75mph. A noise which was legendary. A brand which was the base machine for every police force in Britain. A gleaming mass of paint and chrome, this was surely a machine which would pull the Birds and cost him his virginity! For a year he rode it at every chance and took numerous Birds on the Back, but sadly failed to achieve his ultimate goal! Frustrated conversations with mates suggested that cars were better than bikes. Safer. More comfortable. Warmer. And with a back seat! P A G E 10
April 2008
1967 The young man passed his car test two weeks after his 17th birthday and immediately paid the £30 he’d saved for his first car - a 1953 Ford Anglia with a 10hp side valve engine and vacuum wipers which went slower and slower as he went faster and faster! Never mind. It was safer. More comfortable. Warmer. And had a back seat! No time to lose, and it didn’t take long. But it removed him from biking!!
2006 The 56 year old man walked into Triumph in Three Legged Cross and admired a brand new Bonneville T100. A dream machine to follow his Tiger Cub. Had that Examiner in Chertsey in 1966 realised that his 20 minute test would qualify the pupil for the Direct Access test. To ride an 860cc machine at 100mph - with no training and a gap of 40 years? The Triumph salesman suggested an instructor, so the man set off for Dave at Ace Motorcycles in Ringwood, to book five days of one-to-one training over a two month period. The first day, stuck on a Honda 125, he trained with Maisie - a 26 year old beauty with a 24” waist who looked stunning as she rode along on front of him on a 500cc Honda. Distraction which almost proved disastrous and infuriated Dave the instructor! Three more days followed. The man by now on a 500cc Honda, with Maisie already through her Direct Access test and gone! On the fourth day Dave told the man that he would now pass a Direct Access test, even though he didn’t have to take it! This was the moment, Dave suggested, for the man to buy his Triumph and have two more days on the actual machine. What a decision! The man had set aside a significant sum to buy his new bike and wavered from Triumph to Honda to BMW and back again. Finally he heeded a comment from a biker at work “whatever you choose, you’ll change in a year” - and followed his heart to the Triumph. It cost £6000 more than his old Tiger Cub!! Three Cross delivered. Tangerine and cream with chrome wire wheels and every imaginable chromium add-on. Dave delivered, and spent two days trailing the man around Bournemouth as he got to know his new machine. Finally Dave said “you’re done”, but your interest in motorcycling is such that you’d better join SAM and continue to improve your riding with the IAM test.
2007 An immaculate BMW Tourer sped past the man’s stationary Triumph and uturned in the narrow road. Not a foot went down. Not a wobble in sight. The bike pulled to a stop in front of the Triumph and Nigel Grace began the man’s programme of observed rides. To be continued. Training. Observed rides. Slow riding. Group rides. The Mock test. The actual test. And finally a replacement for the Triumph!
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tes Useful Web Si www.bikersyard.co.uk
Bikers Yard Bike Safe Edge 44 44.html www.hants.gov.uk/roadsafety/driverider/edge co.uk .bmf. www BMF www.boxerbikes.co.uk BMWs www.cwmotorcycles.co.uk BMW Dealers www.ascycles.com BMW Parts Catalogue www.girlsbike2.com Girls Bike 2 www.iam.org.uk IAM www.ronnies.com/micro.htm JAP Bike Parts www.loisontheloose.com Lois on the Loose www.marmionmotorcycles.net Marmion Motorcycles www.hoodjeans.co.uk Motorcycling Jeans www.beaulieumotorcycleworld.co.uk ld Motorcycle Wor www.motorcycleshow.co.uk NEC Motorcycle Show www.rapidtraining.com Rapid Training www.telferizer.co.uk RAM Mounts www.solentadvanced.photosite.com SAM Photo-site www.solent-advanced-motorcylists.co.uk SAM Web Site www.highwaycode.gov.uk The Highway Code www.stageposthotel.co.uk The Stage Post www.threecrossretail.co.uk/ 3X Motorcycles www.ultraseal-soton.co.uk Ultraseal Southampton www.urban-glow.com Urban-Glow www.unity2.unityride.co.uk/ Unity Run London
April 2008
S A M S O L E N T A DVA N C E D M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
Hendon Bike Safe Day 11 SAM members and 10 riders remembered that the clocks went forward and met in Winchester to go to the Hendon Bike Safe Day organised by the Metropolitan Police. Given the recent bad weather, we had lovely blue skies, although it still wasn't warm enough to wear the leathers, but at least the heated jacket wasn't needed like it was over Easter.
Fresh from their touring adventures last year when Wendy and Lilian went to Wales and twice to Belgium. They thought they would start 2008 with a trip to Florida as both needed to go somewhere warm for the winter after we all missed summer last year. lthough Lilian had organised lots of independent trips to the US they had always been by car and so motorbiking presented a bit of a challenge, especially when we didn’t want to rent tractors (sorry our Harley friends).
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Many of the motorbike manufacturers were present and Nigel was busy trying out his new bike (don't tell his wife!) and demos were available to take out. The Police were offering free assessed rides and we wandered around the many trade stands which were undercover, although the ground was rather muddy after Saturday. In the display area we saw the stunt bikes, the police dogs catch the bad guys, including the man with the sawn off shotgun and watch the dogs find the drugs. There was also an excellent display from the Royal Signals' White Helmets team who showed us how to ride backwards, doing exercises and jumping through a ring of fire - all on a grass field. Well done Met Police for a great day out. I would definitely go again.
Lilian Hobbs
After numerous Google searches Lilian found Triumph of Fort Lauderdale, who were happy to rent us two Bonneville’s. It turned out that one of the owners actually use to live in Chandlers Ford where Lilian lives today. We flew into Miami and rented a car to get us to Fort Lauderdale and booked a hotel around the corner so we could walk and collect the bikes. They were all ready for us and Wendy had a brand new Bonneville and mine had just been serviced and given new tyres, they must have known we were planning on covering some 1400 miles over 10 days. We took all our gear in suitcases and the plan was to leave them at the hotel but they refused due to security. Lilian used her new wifi mobile to book a room at the Hilton who were very happy to store our luggage so we were glad we kept the car and Wendy got to practise carrying a pillion as she brought Lilian back from Hertz.
5% discount for SAM members
Lilian not known for travelling light now needed to carry 10 days gear plus camera equipment all on her Bonneville. She used a Kriega R35 rucksack which worked really well, although several hotels asked if she was ‘going parachuting’! and we both had Oxford Tailbags which fixed easily to the bike. Wendy was using two Lidl Ski boot bags as panniers which worked very well, although there was the odd ‘melting’ incident!
The dealer made us show our skills by riding down the road. Lilian did it with the fuel tap off! and then we were okay to go. So our first day we headed down to the Keys. It was a very hot day and of course we were very easy to spot in full protective gear and hi-viz jackets. Unlike our Florida counterparts who usually only wore tee-shirt and jeans and of course, no helmet. The Keys are now very commercial but the ride down is stunning across the bridges, apart from the tolls, yes bikes do have to pay, so needless-to-say we made them wait while we got the money out. En route we met some German bikers in Key Largo and practised our illegal filtering (its considered dangerous) through the road works on the Keys. This was the only time we encountered any rain and it was welcome as we were very hot. When we returned from the Keys, Lilian decided to film Wendy with her video camera, but she will not be offering her a major part in her next production. We then went into the Everglades where we saw birds and alligators and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was now 2 days and bends were extremely rare. At one point we actually encountered a double bend going through some road works and yippes were heard over the Autocoms. The next day was cold so we put on our rain gear and headed across the Everglades. It was lovely scenery (still straight roads) and eventually we pulled in for lunch to discover that it was a major bike hangout. Lilian navigated using Tom Tom Navigator which was on her Eten Glofiish (one of those do everything mobile phones) and it worked very
well, although the GPS did drain the battery. We stopped for the night in Bonita Springs where we did visit the local outlet mall, but being on the bikes we couldn’t buy much. We found everyone very friendly and quite intrigued by these ladies touring Florida on Triumphs. People would pull alongside us and ask what year they were and would often say that they use to ride a Triumph. In Tampa the battery on the phone almost run out but we got to the hotel before it expired and just before the sun set. All the hotels were very helpful with the bikes and frequently let us park them by reception so they could keep an eye on them. In Tampa we found a side road where we could ride along (straight of course) but take in the scenery. It was then onto Orlando which we used as a base to go to Daytona Bike Week. It is estimated that around half a million people go to Daytona Bike Week. As we entered the city we pulled over at the race stadium and found free admission to all the bike stands and dealers. We wanted to go out on the four wheeled motorcycles but the wait was too long. They had all the bikes available for demo. We then headed down to the beach, where there were lots of people cruising along on
PA G E 2
April 2008
their bikes. Most were Harleys, but there were custom cruisers, trikes and the odd ‘real’ bike, like ours.We stood out in our hi-viz gear and got a few odd looks, but we didn’t care. We were Brits on Triumphs and proud of it. There was so much traffic and no one filtering that going anywhere took ages. When we did decide to filter we were told by the other riders that it was illegal. But when you consider that in Florida you don’t even have to pass a test to ride a bike, the standard of some of the riding left a lot to be desired. After introducing Wendy to Baskin Robbins (ice-cream store) we watched all the bikes going very slowly past and decided to head back to Orlando. The next day we headed off to Cocoa Beach which is close to Cape Kennedy and again met many interesting bikers. There seemed to be quite a few Europeans around. Then it was back to Fort Lauderdale, more tolls, and Lilian convinced that the only way to tour is on her new Honda Deauville and not on a naked bike, carrying a rucksack, fighting heavy crosswinds. We had a great time in Florida and everyone was very friendly. Its not a place to go for bends, but the scenery is good and the roads are wide, but it can be a bit hot.
Where to next..... Mosel with SAM. P A G E 11
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S A M S O L E N T A DVA N C E D M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
April 2008
The IAM Aims
CAPTION COMPETITION:
SAM Polo-shirts Black long or short sleeve shirts embroidered with the Club name - always available to buy at Club Nights. Sizes XXL to Small. Long Sleeves £18.50 Short Sleeves £15.00
To improve the standard of driving (and riding) on the UK roads. The Advancement of Road Safety.
sam
SOLENT ADVANCED M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
The Administration of an Advanced Test.
MAKING
Books and Videos
progress
The Assessment of Advanced Motorcycling £4.50 Know your Traffic Signs
£3.00
How to be an Advanced Motorcyclist
£7.99
Motorcycle Roadcraft (Blue Book)
£11.99
Mike Waites Video
£14.99
Top Rider Video
£14.99
Contact Kate Davies
01962 840954
Answers via email to:
sam.newsletter@btinternet.com JANUARYCAPTION COMPETITION WINNER:
April 08
INSIDE p3 All change at SAM
“Here comes breakfast”.
Sheila Gooch
p5
Merchandiser -
Bends
Committee Vacancy This position will become vacant at the AGM in May.
The only requirement is to be comparitively numerate and able to attend most Club Nights. Please give me a call for more information. Kate Davies 01962 840954.
DISCLAIMER Most of the views expressed in this SAM Newsletter are personal to the author and publication does not imply endorsement of any article, any author or any organisation. Views expressed are those of the authors, and are not necessarily in accordance with the policies or the views of the IAM or SAM. Where articles are reproduced from other publications or authors, unreserved acknowledgement is given to the source. No responsibility is accepted by the Editor or SAM for any damage to intelligence or riding abilities, howsoever caused, which might result from reading this publication.
P A G E 12
Help us make progress with a contribution towards the next issue. Pics in jpeg format please.
Newsletter email address is sam.newsletter@btinternet.com
p7 Design & artwork by KF:D LTD Fordingbridge, 01425 654557
The job involves ordering stock - poloshirts, publications etc and handling cash on Club Nights and keeping records of the transactions, All merchandise is kept at Sarisbury Green so no home storage is necessary.
Sam Manicom
p 10 Born again Bantam
p 11 Just need £11,000 and the bike is mine!!!
Wendy & Lilian go to Florida Registered Charity No. 1097558