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Mistletoe Run
by Paul Nol
Twas a bright and cold Sunday morning when 11 (I think) intrepid soles met at Ower, on their way to see Father Christmas on the famed Mistletoe charity run from Swanage seafront to Sandford.
March 2007
The IAM Aims
CAPTION COMPETITION:
To improve the standard of driving (and riding) on the UK roads.
How do you turn this...............
The Advancement of Road Safety.
MAKING
progress
Answers via email to:
sam.newsletter@btinternet.com
With a bit of help from Nigel we eventually arrived at the sea to
which as usual was absolutely heaving, we found places to park where we could easily escape and then queued for refreshments with the hordes. After lunch and a look around, the majority of us elected to go on to Stockbridge for tea and cakes and had a very pleasant trip across the hills through Salisbury in the winter sunshine. Much to the disgust of several of the group, Lily Langtree’s will not serve toasted tea cakes until after 15:30 so we had to make do with other things! We ended the run there, after searching for Chris’ glasses and everybody went their separate ways home to put their feet up.
DECEMBER CAPTION COMPETITION WINNER:
INSIDE p6
p8 Welsh weekend part II
OK, but why the •••• did you have to bring y’mother...!
Dave Tilbury
p10
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
Books and Videos 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
Contact Kate Davies
Mike Waites Video
£14.99
Top Rider Video
£14.99
Tel 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
March 07
Altamura Alert
Help us make progress with a contribution towards the next issue. Pics in jpeg format please.
Newsletter email address is sam.newsletter@btinternet.com
Design & artwork by KF:D LTD Fordingbridge, 01425 654557
S
join the merry throng of assorted motorcycling Santas and other festive folks and parked up to take in the air and observe the fun whilst we awaited the start. I haven’t heard the exact count of numbers but there was well over 100 bikes taking part. We duly set off in convoy with Police and Marshalls controlling the junctions to let us glide through, waving to the locals and children as we past. There was only one casualty from SAM when one of our group’s bike’s broke down and eventually had to be assisted by the RAC. Arriving at the pub,
SOLENT ADVANCED M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
The Administration of an Advanced Test.
in to this!!!!
etting off at a brisk pace we picked up Nigel who had been amusing himself frightening other motorists by sitting in his black gear and white helmet on the bridge over the main road at Ringwood. Sad to say, despite promising a sea crossing, our intrepid leader (me) had forgotten to make the Sandbanks Ferry a Way Point on the dreaded Garmin and the damn thing decided to take us off on the scenic route to Swanage as it calculated that to be the fastest way there.
sam
Melle in France
p11 Kilspills Rally
Annual KILSPILLS RALLY started from the Ace Cafe
p12 Mistletoe Run
more pics p11 Registered Charity No. 1097558
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March 2007
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
SAM DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2007 MAR
Tue Sun Sat APR
MAY
Sun 11 SAM Group Ride (Pirbright Twisties) Meon Hut Alec Gore Tue 13 SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start with Andy Ibbot from the California Superbike School Sun 18 SAM Group Ride Winchester TBC 20 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm 25 SAM Group Ride Wickham Mark Sabin 31 New Joiners Ride Ower Ian Cooper Sun Sun Tue Sat Sun Tue Sun Sun
1 8 10 14 15 17 22 29
Sat Sun Tue Sun Tue Sat Sun
5 6 8 13 15 19 20
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Mark Nicholls SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Group Ride Winchester Paul Nol SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Wickham Colin Hitchcock SAM Group Ride (Dorset) Ower Nigel Grace
SAM Ladies Only Group Ride Wickham Square Hayley Miller SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM AGM Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride to the Cotswolds Winchester Paul Nol SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm BMF Show Peterborough SAM Group Ride Wickham Gerry Gooch BMF Show Peterborough Tue 22 Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm Sun 27 SAM Group Ride Ower Ian Cooper
JUNE Sun Sat Sat Sun
3 9 9 10
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am Sarisbury Green Community Centre Fete Sarisbury Green BMF Garden of England Show Kent SAM Group Ride Winchester Chris Palmer BMF Garden of England Show Kent
Tue 12 SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start with Lois Pryce Talk and slide show about her recent ride across Africa Sun 17 SAM Group Ride to the Ogri Café Horam Wickham Paul Nol Tue 19 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm Thu 21 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Fri 22 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Sat 23 Motorcycle World Beaulieu Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Sun 24 SAM Group Ride Ower Motorcycle World Beaulieu Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Mon 25 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Tue 26 Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm JULY Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun
1 8 10 15 15 17 22 24 29
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Winchester Colin Hitchcock SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Ower Big Wheel Charity Event Basingstoke SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride (Arundal) Meon Hut Petra Willoughby Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm SAM Group Ride to Castle Coombe Winchester Nigel Grace
AUG Sat Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun Tue
4 5 12 14 19 21 26 28
SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Gerry Gooch SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm
SEPT Sun 2 Sat 8 Sun 9 Tue 11 Sat 15 Sun 16 Tue 18 Sun 23 Sun 30 OCT Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun Sun
7 9 14 16 21 28
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Dave Charlton SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester Nigel Grace SAM Group Ride Wickham
NOV Thu Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun
1 4 11 13 18 20 25
1 - 11 Nov - Motorcycle and Scooter Show NEC Birmingham SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Wickham
DEC
1 2 9 11 16 23 30
SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Group Ride Wickham SAM Group Ride Ower
5% discount to SAM members, on production of membership card. JAN PA G E 2
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am International AutoJumble Beaulieu SAM Group Ride Ower International AutoJumble Beaulieu SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start BMF Tail End Show Peterborough SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Mark Sabin BMF Tail End Show Peterborough SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Group Ride Wickham
Sat Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Sun
Sun 6
March 2007
KILSPILLS RALLY The annual KILSPILLS rally started from the Ace Cafe on 9 September 2006. It finished at the Houses of Parliament and we all double parked on the Embankment. The Weather was glorious throughout. There were about 4000 bikes in the rally and it was escorted by the Police throughout. To cut through London over red lights and along bus lanes was quite an experience. The rally seems to be achieving something as 2 supermarket chains have fitted spill prevention fillers to their truck fleets. The lesson of the day for me was that going at 5 mph with all lights on for one hour will flatten your battery! The biking community got me going again. Thanks fellas. Mike
A No-Brainer for tyres by Dave Irving We had a very good bimble to The Swan on New Year’s day. A very sociable lunch followed and everything was fine until Mark & Alison departed. Alison ‘poured water into my wine’ by telling us that ‘the old black blade’ had got a puncture... Going into denial didn’t help but I tried it anyway even though I knew mine was the only old blade on the ride. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? The rest of my lunchtime was spent in the hotel car park with a Reema puncture outfit. I think that these are seriously good bits of kit, the best £20 you’ll ever spend. I had assumed that everybody else was aware of these outfits but me having the ability to get out of my predicament seemed to be a pleasant surprise to a lot of the party. Sure, there are a couple of little ‘knacks’ that you need to acquire but the resulting repair is long lastingly sound. The toughest hurdle to overcome is that you have to shove a rat’s tail file into the puncture to clean up, roughen and enlarge the hole.Your subconscious screams at you that you are supposed to be sealing a small hole, not making
it bigger and, at first, it overrides any attempts you may make to tell your hand to ‘stick’ the tyre with the rat tail file. The three CO2 bottles put in somewhere between 25 to 30psi which is designed to be enough to get you to a filling station with an air line to top it up. Luckily Howard King was on hand with a magic 12v electric air pump and in went another 10psi.Thanks again Howard. The decision to buy another repair kit is a no-brainer for me. £20 for a kit versus £100 plus recovery charge and one or two hour wait for the truck.Twenty minutes and you’re on your way. I guess I’ve repaired about a dozen punctures and am getting to be a dab hand at their repair. But why is it that Mr Sod wrote the law stating that I’ll only get a puncture when I fit a new tyre; a shabby old threadbare carcass never picks up a nail. Perhaps the moral is that I should only use shabby old tyres. So before you throw away your old worn tyres; think of me.
SAM Group Ride Meon Hut P A G E 11
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Stay Clever in Bad CHAIRMAN’S chat Weather S by David Granger MCN 7 Feb 07
ord love climate change. It’s turned the seasons upside down. We get sunshine and winter rideouts at the beginning of January, then cold and snow three weeks later, and then...... who knows. But on two wheels, we have to be more prepared for any change. In terms of riding, the cold and wet is going to affect you, how your bike reacts and it’s not going to be as much of a laugh.
L
In wet weather allow double the distance to brake and avoid pools of water on the road. When a tyre can’t displace water quickly enough, you lose grip on the road and can aquaplane. So slow down and remember manholes, drain covers and white lines get especially slippery when wet. In the cold, your concentration can suffer and riding in snow and ice (yep, it could all reappear in February) can again seriously affect your tyres’ grip which in turn messes up your accelerating,
cornering and braking. Avoid riding when the temperature’s below freezing whenever possible, and especially if there is ice or black ice on the roads.
In the fog, keep your distance from vehicles ahead and behind, check your lights are in good working order and.... Slow down.
In windy conditions keep an eye out for places where gusts could throw you off course: if you pass lorries or high-sided vehicles, gaps in hedges or buildings and on open, exposed roads. So when you’re out in poor weather remember to keep your head, keep warm and dry and ensure your bike is in the best working order it can be. And allow for the fact that everything, from riding to braking to getting your kit on, is going to take a little more time.
Distribution of new SAM leaflets
o what’s been going on at SAM since my last column you might be wondering?
Some riders think of the winter as being a quiet time for bikers, but they should see the numbers of riders who turn up for the SAM Group Rides each Sunday throughout the winter. Normally between 12 and 18 turn out to the well organised runs led by a selection of our members, some leading a run for the first time. Many new members have joined in these runs and have been given a warm welcome by us all. TV programmes on the 2nd Tuesday of each month must be pretty bad, or is it that the attraction of the SAM Club Night is just too good to miss? The December Club Night saw 80 members enjoying a truly excellent evening and even the Nov and Jan nights saw 70 or so members arrive. All this has been due to the efforts of our Club Night Organiser Sam Davis. Our MDU is receiving some TLC from new member Richard Ferguson at his works at New Milton. Richard has offered to do the work in his own time with SAM paying only for the parts that will be required. Free tea & biscuits for a year must be in order here I would have thought. The refurbished MDU will be up on Portsdown Hill attracting new members on the 25th March; so do drop in for a chat if you are that way. The following Sunday is our first SAM Sunday of the year at Sarisbury Green Community Centre and a really good day is being planned, so put it in your diary and join us for a full English Breakfast and much more as well.
Volunteers are required to help distribute the new SAM Information leaflets to Bike Dealers, Shops etc Please get in touch with Claire Jenrick on 02392 615 964 or at clairejenrick@hotmail.com
We are planning some annual changes around the committee with John Parvin taking over the Treasurers job from Godwin Calafato, David Spicer being handed the Chief Observers job by John Goodson and Rex, who is so busy with other things has said,
COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND OTHER CONTACTS Chairman:
Gerry Gooch
01329 832 416
Vice Chairman
Colin Backhouse
02380 871 642
Secretary:
Rex Brittian
01489 784 398
Treasurer:
Godwin Calafato
Chief Observer:
John Goodson
02380 692 959
Membership Secretary:
Paul Nol
02392 710 929
Club Night Organiser:
Sam Davis
Public Relations:
Claire Jenrick
02392 615 964
Group Rides Co-ordinator:
Ian Cooper
02380 410 690
Skills Development:
Colin Backhouse
02380 871 642
Regalia:
Kate Davies
01962 840 954
Newsletter:
Nigel Grace
01425 472 021
MDU Manager
John Parvin
01329 284 640
Special Events Co-ord
Dave Barrett
02380 253109
07961 534802
02393 552200
“Having served over three years in the position of Group Secretary and having to take on additional responsibilities for another group, I feel that it is necessary to ask to be released from my post. I intend to continue as a member of SAM and take part in the club activities; however, for the next couple of months at least, for health reasons, I will not be riding my bike nor doing anything too strenuous. All minutes etc for the past three years are electronically stored and the 2007 AGM paperwork is set to go, just needs a few tweaks. I will always be available to help with advice on the Secretary front”. You will all be pleased to hear that Colin Backhouse our Vice Chairman has offered to take on the Secretary’s role and to hand over his Skills Coordinators’ job to someone else. We have a new SAM Information leaflet under way and we will need you all to help to distribute these around the Dealers and your places of work etc.We need to keep our membership numbers up as they have started to fall over the winter months. So please do your bit by spreading the word about the advantages of improving riding skills by joining SAM. Happy and safe riding to you all.
Gerry Gooch PA G E 3
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STOP PRESS...STOP PRESS April 1st - SAM raises over £500 for BBC Daisy Appeal (and has fun doing it) This need not be an April fool but SAM desperately needs your help to make it a reality. Sunday April 1 marks the first of our training days to be held at Sarisbury Green Community Centre. We plan to get as many people as possible to come along and take a free assessed ride. The MDU will be at Portsdown Hill on Sunday 25th March to help generate interest but we need you. The plan is to invite all members and budding members to come along to the Community Centre from 9.30 where you will be able to purchase, at very reasonable cost a breakfast and in doing so support the BBC Daisy appeal which is commited to raising money for the Wessex Cancer Trust. We hope to get as many people as we can to take advantage of a free assessed ride and the training session at 12.00. But this event is not just aimed at new people, it’s for you and if we can get 200 people to drop in and have breakfast we will hit our target. As of today 22/01 the details are being sorted and by the time you read this I hope you’re already down to be there. There will be healthy
March 2007 options for those that prefer. It is a good cause so make a date in you diary. Let SAM do the cooking, you sit back read the paper and enjoy a good breakfast and chat. Bring a friend, ok I know that makes it difficult for some people, and stay for the training session at 12.00. We hope to have Phil Pentlow, a class 1 rider and examiner to educate and entertain. It will be good so make a date for 1st April and do your bit to raise half a grand.
Dave Barrett PS we also need you on 25th March to help man the MDU from 9am at Portsdown Hill. Please contact John Pavin on 01329 284 640.
Know your signs....!
C H I E F O B S E RV E R ’ S R E P O R T F e b 0 7 Well we are well into 2007 now and hopefully not long before we have some warmer weather to be riding in. I am glad to report that there are some associates who are still undergoing observed rides in this colder climate, but alas still a lot that are not. So if you are placed with an observer and not active then please make contact with your observer, to let him or her know what your intentions are. We currently have 81 associates who are undergoing observed rides or at least placed with an observer, but approximately half of you do PA G E 4
not keep in touch with your observer. So I am pleading with those of you who are not active to make contact and get out there with your observer, it is very frustrating as an observer to have people that just don’t bother, as it is preventing some other person from being observed as most observers have a maximum number they wish to have at any one time. If there are any of you who are not sure who your observer is or have lost their details, please let me know and I will sort it out for you. I would also like to inform you all that I shall be standing down as Chief Observer at the AGM in May, I will be replaced by David Spicer who is another Senior Observer with the group. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the observers who I have had the pleasure of working with during my time as Chief Observer, it has been very rewarding to have such a good team working in the same way to
further our cause in road safety and riding skills. I joined SAM in the spring of 1997 and passed my test in October of that year and joined the committee soon after and been there ever since, I have had numerous roles such as Treasurer, Chairman and Chief Observer for five years. So I feel that it is time that I take a step back and let some one else have their ideas how SAM can progress, I wish Dave all the very best in his role as Chief Observer I would also like to let you know that as reported in the last newsletter Mark Nicholls had completed his hours, he has since completed his check ride and is now a qualified Observer. We have also lost Peter Emmins as an Observer as he is moving to Scotland at Easter, so Peter, thanks very much for all your hard work whilst an Observer and I am sure I speak for every body in wishing you all the best in your new venture.
We have had another six passes since the last newsletter, they are Millard Patton, Matt Page, Steve Davies, Gary Whiteside, David Cole and Robert Ranson well done to you all. This brings our tally of passes since the last AGM to 32, but we have a good few awaiting their tests so hopefully the figure will rise before this years’ AGM. One point I would like to bring across to all the Associates who are test ready now or indeed in the future, that when you do take your test to let your Observer or the Chief Observer know the result (good or bad) as we have to report to the IAM every year on passes and indeed failures. Well that’s about it for me in this newsletter, next time you will be able to read your new Chief Observers’ report. Take care and safe riding.
John Goodson Chief Observer
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MARCH 2007
SP2 Suspension Need a tow? Set Up Have you ever exited a bend with your face on the front mudguard? You’re not the owner of an SP2 then. Having thrown the SP2 at a pothole on the way down to the apex it decided to fight back and punted me over the windscreen. Well the experience made me decide to do something to sort my suspension. I’d read somewhere that bike suspension works best in the middle third of its’ range. Without ‘preloading’ the spring correctly the damping will not work at its best either; always suffering from the badly set spring. So, what to do? How do you get to the ‘middle third’, or is that ‘middle earth’? Problem is, you’ll be needing a friend to do the measuring... Loaded Suspension Sag This is how far the bike settles on its’ springs, or ‘sags’ when you sit on it. You’ll almost always need to adjust the springs. Rear Gently ease the bike over on its side stand until the back wheel is off the floor. Mark the tailpiece directly above the spindle and measure the distance to the rear wheel spindle. Write the distance down and call this measurement A. Sit on the bike with your feet on the pegs; put your elbow against the wall to stay upright. Bounce on the bike and then assume your normal riding position. Measure the rear of the bike again and call this measurement B. Subtracting B from A gives you your rear loaded sag. By adjusting the rear preload try to get a difference of between 30-40mm. Front Now ease the front of the bike off the floor using the same side stand method. Measure the distance from the bottom of the stanchion, or clamp, to the top of the brake calliper. Call this measurement C. Sit and bounce on the bike again, using your elbow to stay vertical, and measure the calliper distance, calling this measurement D. Subtract D from C to give your front loaded sag. Either compress or loosen the spring to try to obtain 35-50mm difference.The adjuster is the nut that pokes out of the top of the forks. If you can’t get into these ranges then you will need to speak to Paul to find out how best to change to a harder or softer spring.
The settings I used. Minimum preload on the rear, setting 0, gave me 30mm sag. Standard preload on the front, 12 turns from max, gave me 42mm sag, the middle of the range. At 14 stone I’m above average, perhaps, in weight and with zero preload I can just get the minimum, 30mm, sag; suggesting that the SP2 rear spring is too hard for most people that weigh less. With the standard preload on the front I get into the middle of the sag range; perhaps suggesting that the SP2 front spring may be a tad too hard for those that are ‘Mass Challenged’...
Police refuse to chase bike thieves with helmets
Traffic police have admitted refusing to chase two motorbike thieves because they were riding without helmets. Inspector
Martin O’Connor, from Greater Mancheste r Police, said:‘In situations like this, officers need to consider the safety of all road users before deciding whether or not it would be appropriate to begin a pursuit.’ MCN Jan 2007 I bet the safety of “all road users” was in the mind of the toe rags that stole the bikes too. The moral to the story is - if you’re going to steal a bike; leave your helmet at home. Ed
Backing off a couple of clicks on compression damping, both front and rear, makes the suspension feel less harsh and gives an estimated 1015mm of unused travel at the front, under braking. Perhaps the correct way to measure maximum fork travel is to undo the fork caps, release the springs and allow the forks to rest on the bump stops. My ‘effort to avoid effort’ method was to put a zip strap around the fork slider, unwind fork preload and compression to zero, find a quiet bit of road and as savagely as I dare, nail the front brake to try to bottom out the forks. Not feeling any mechanical clunk, and measuring the final position of the zip strap indicated that I had failed; a good try but no cigar. Hence the word estimated in the unused travel figure. From the ‘standard’ setting I took a ‘click’ off of rebound damping both at front and rear mainly because I’d reduced every other setting and, in subsequent test rides, I managed to convince myself that the suspension felt more compliant that way.
Dave Irving
GADGET CORNER MP3 ON THE MOVE If, like me, you like to listen to music on the bike and by whatever means Autocom, Starcom or even direct connection, you have the music into the helmet, but once you get up speed you just can’t hear it properly - then this is the item for you. It’s called the Bosteroo. It is a 3-way headphone or speaker splitter designed to boost the volume of your music by up to 12dB, with a less than 1% loss in sound quality. The clever Boostaroo uses amplifiers usually found in CD players to increase the volume produced by your mp3 player, computer or mini speakers, or lets you plug in 3 sets of speakers or headphones for triple the music! Ideal for motorbike users and musicians as well as traveling, computers, gaming and much more! 12” line-in cable, powered by 2 x AA Batteries , size 4,5” x 1.5” x 1.1” and weighs in at just 6oz with batteries fitted. PA G E 5
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Beware Stone Mastic Asphalt! We all know the pitfalls of riding a bike over spilt diesel but have you ever heard of Stone Mastic Asphalt? ow can a rider on a perfectly straight, dry road doing 45 mph apply the brakes gently and find himself in a ditch? Well the road had been resurfaced 6 weeks earlier with the aforementioned stuff which can be so slippery that contractors are supposed to leave out warning signs for some weeks after! There have been various BBC TV and radio programmes about the dangers of using SMA and some countries now ban its use.
H
SMA is deep black in appearance and white lines show up on it vividly. It looks like the perfect road surface but is a classic example of appearances being deceptive. Its use is becoming widespread in this country . It is thought that the problem stems from it being porous so water soaks through it instead of remaining on the surface. The downside is that this makes the oil content of the asphalt rise to the top. It appears that the Highways Authority is well aware of the problems and dangers that SMA poses to the motorcyclist. It is one of the ingredients, a binder material, which gives SMA its low skid resistance. 3 ways of dealing with it are suggested; the first is to spread a type of grit on the road surface but this apparently creates it’s own problems. Secondly, warning signs can be put out,
although these are possibly of limited affect. The third most popular solution amongst Highway Authorities is simply to wait for the binder to be worn away by the passage of traffic! How long this takes will depend on the amount of traffic using the road. It can take weeks, months or even years. Needless to say the strip between the wheels which is least travelled will take the longest to wear. There is a petition on the government website: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SMAspha lt/ where you can register your disgust at the use of this material. More info can be found at: http://wwwhaucuk.org/newspages/a nnouncements/stone_mastic asphalt.htm. You have been warned!
ALTAMURA ALERT When I decided to closely inspect the tarmac back in October. The tiger was entrusted to Altamura a repair outfit who took 14 weeks to repair and return my soulmate. So if you are unlucky enough to have a leisurely lunch with Nigel and this lot turn up to repair your pride and joy, be warned you are in for a long wait! On a lighter note I was stood at the cashpoint the other day when a little old lady came up to me and asked if I would be kind enough to check her balance, so being the kind hearted person that I am, I pushed her and she fell over.
WOT! NO TASSELS. I have always wanted a winter hack, something to ride in all weathers and then park up and not feel guilty about cleaning it. Not something you would equate with a Harley Davidson! Those who know me realise I do like a clean machine with a bit of spit and polish. I found trying to get a cheap bike below £1000 very difficult. Good old ebay PA G E 6
came to my rescue and for £891 I reckon I got a good deal as they go for £2500 from the main dealer. I have ridden the MT350 during the course of my duties and whilst not the fastest bike around it is a solid dependable workhorse. It has electric and kick start, ohlins and marzocchi suspension and is generally over engineered and the carb is a closed unit requiring practically no maintenance. All
Dear Editor, I’ve never written to you bef ore, but I really need your advice on what cou ld be a crucial decision. I’ve suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usu al signs ... phone rings, but if I answer, the caller han gs up. My wife has been going out with the girls a lot recently although when I ask their names she always says, “Just some friends from work, you don’t know them.” I always stay awake to look out for her taxi coming home, but she always walks down the drive. Although I can hear a car driving off, as if she has got out of the car round the corner. Why ? Maybe she wasn’t in a taxi? I once picked her mob ile phone up just to see what time it was. She went berserk and screamed that I should never touch her phone again and why was I checking up on her. Anyway, I have never approac hed the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just didn’t want to know the truth, but last night she wen t out again and I decided to really check on her. I deci ded I was going to park my 2006 Yamaha R1 motorcy cle next to the garage and then hide behind it so I could get a good view of the whole street when she cam e home. It was at that moment, crou ching behind my Yamaha R1, that I noticed that the valv e covers on my engine seemed to be leaking a little oil. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the dealer?
the service items are very easy to get to with the minimum of tools. Some nice touches are the brakes are interchangeable front and rear should say the front get damaged. The oil is held in the frame and can be drained via a screw at the front. The indicators are huge as is the rear light - perfect for commuting. As are the brush guards!
For those of you after a 2nd bike that does not need to go on motorways I can heartily recommend it, plus the green lanes of Hampshire beckon. An added bonus is I can now go down dock gate 20 and wind up my fellow harley owners - Result.
Colin Hitchcock
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Bend Lines by Rapid Training I have always kept training stuff out of the website, mainly because of the problems involved in learning a practical skill from the written word, but as a result of feedback asking for some, here we go. Most of us, even without advanced training, know that for a right hand bend we get over to the left and move to the right for a left hand bend. Sounds simple enough but if only it was.
Lets take a right hand bend.The key to getting the bend spot on is assessing it as early as possible. As soon as you can see it’s there, you need to be on the correct line.This is where most go wrong. If you are still trying to get on line as you go into the bend, its already gone wrong. Get your machine on the most accurate line that you can, and once there focus on looking through the corner. What most newcomers say after a demo ride is “I can’t get the bike that close to the side of the road” Like most things its practice that makes it slot into place.The reason you feel uncomfortable is obvious: it’s the thought of hitting the kerb. Done correctly I promise it won’t happen! Firstly, we need to do all of this on the straight approaching the corner. Get the bike as close to the verge/kerb as you feel comfortable. Once there you must look where you want the bike to go, i.e. to the right; the bike will always follow your eyes; look at the exit of the bend and it will come off line to the right. Simple! Well no, don’t expect all this to slot into place after two corners. The thing that makes me laugh about new riders now, is that they want to be so good so quickly. Give yourself time to become fluent. Once you have this accurate line, make sure that you are always
riding at the view, it easy to stay on line too long and find yourself riding all the way round the outer edge of the curve. Not the right way at all. Bends should link together with a flow from one line to the next. If you find yourself wrestling the bike to get it on line early enough then you have done it wrong. People have fewer problems with the line for left-handers. Riding in the middle of the road is easy. There’s not much around you so you feel safer.We often get asked how far to the right can I go? Well yes if you rode in the offside gutter you could see further round the corner. But the drag is in this country is not all the roads are one way! You may know why you are on the wrong side of the road but what about the guy coming the other way? You are putting a lot of trust into a guy you have never met! Yes he may do nothing but he could swerve to your side of the road. It can at least look tacky, at worst be dangerous. Rapid’s policy is; go as far as the hazard line but don’t cross it simply to increase the view. This doesn’t mean you can’t straighten out bends where appropriate, because there you already have the view. Remember bend lines are meant to be flexible. Compromise your line and your speed for situations that you see. Don’t ride through potholes in the gutter or close to oncoming traffic.
March 2007
Sometimes you can’t please some of the people any of the time ou know how the saying goes you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Well we risk taking this to the next level by ensuring that we don’t please some of the people any of the time. My point relates to social rides, group rides or whatever the latest politically correct, hazard and risk assessed, safety manager-approved term is.
Y
I am told that the best games of squash are had when players are evenly matched. This analogy kindof works for biking too - although no inference of competition is intended. Back to the point - social rides - or whatever. We welcome “all of the people” to all rides, which at face value seems like a good thing, but actually it’s not. Let’s go off on a membership tangent now. As a club committed to furthering road safety, we need a balance of enthusiastic membership. Without enthusiastic members the club dies and there is at least one example of a local club with similar aims to ours where exactly that happened. So what does having “a balance of enthusiastic members” imply? I reckon it means meeting the needs of Associates and Green Badge holders. For Associates, we have our excellent team of Observers and a selection of runs designed to meet their needs. These are referred to as first timer runs or leisurely/moderate paced runs. It should be said that a number of Green Badge holders enjoy these runs too.
However there are a number of long-standing members who want to exercise their advanced skills by riding at an advanced pace with bikers they know and trust. Returning to the squash analogy, they want to ride with people of similar ability so that they can make the overtakes and enjoy the corners without being startled, when committed to a pace and line, by a brake light coming on midcorner from the bike in front. There’s another problem with some of the advanced pace rides of late; it’s not always made clear what advanced pace actually means. The consequence of not being explicit about the riding standard required is a big mix of riding abilities. In the blink of an eye an advanced pace ride ends up being leisurely and frustrating since the least skilled rider tends to dictate the pace. So this is the message SAM, keep up the excellent work with new members but please plan more advanced pace rides and make it clear that the ride is for Green Badge holders only. No exceptions!
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.
There is more to bends that I could ever hope to cover here but remember, the more you practice the better you get! Rapid Training 2002 www.rapidtraining.co.uk PA G E 7
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The locals were happy to charge 20p for the pleasure of using their toilets in this particular town. “My wife and I usually go into those together.” said Nige. A quick look at each other and we decided that was not an option.
Bike Park in Aberystwyth
WELSH WEEKEND BIKES and TERRY PART TWO THE WELSH BIT Leaving our “Guest House” in Abergavenny, we found the A465 and started heading west. It was not the most inspiring road by Welsh terms, but still an improvement on what we were used to. It is called “The Head of the Valleys Road” which might give you some idea, and as we neared Merthyr Tydfil, it did become quite industrial. I started to have some sympathy with Terry’s opinion. We passed the town to the north and picked up the A470 to Brecon. Now, this is where Terry was spot on. We immediately entered the Brecon Beacons National Park and this road was mind-blowing, stunning and every other superlative you can conjure up. It took your breath away and you almost had to pinch yourself to believe it. Talk about scanning the area ahead, your eyes worked overtime just trying not to miss some new bit of scenery. Half way along this road we stopped in a layby. We had a coffee, stood there, and savoured the moment. It was a “things to do before you die” event. Understandably, it was a busy stopping place and in a vain attempt to shatter our euphoria, some woman parked her car on the grass verge, walked back to us and enquired. “ Are you going soon? I want to park my car.” “Yes, of course. So sorry! Give us a minute and we’ll get out of your way.” PA G E 8
We didn’t mind, but would she have asked anyone in a car to move? I think not. The second half of this road was no disappointment. The area became more mountainous which offered wonderful hairpin bends and it was national limit all the way. Too soon, we reached Brecon and then took the A40 west bound, which skirts along the northern edge of the National Park.We were riding with such excitement at the experience, that we almost had our toes scrunched up. As some of you may know, last year I bought myself a new Honda Fireblade. An act brought about by the Male Menopause is a distinct possibility. I have still kept my aging VFR 800 and before “The Trip”, my dilemma was which bike to take. Nige was all up for the VFR because he felt the ‘Blade would shame his still perfectly capable, but slightly passé, ZZR600. I chose the Fireblade! And boy, was that ever the right decision? Anyway, it’s impossible to shame Nige. He is a totally brilliant rider, great company and there is no one I’d rather do a bike trip with, except, maybe, Ewan McGregor or perhaps Charley Boorman, or both. The Fireblade is an awesome bike but I feel slightly guilty riding it. I
The beach at Aberystwyth
could never, ever ride it to anywhere near its capability, but what’s so nice about the bike is, it just doesn’t mind. She’s there, always happy to let me push a bit further but never getting upset if I don’t get it quite right. And we bonded on this trip. We became as one. We gelled. I fell in love all over again. The way to really get to know your bike is to ride bend after bend after bend all day long, constantly fine-tuning. It’s a rapid learning curve. For me, one of the highlights of the day was towards the end, when Nige, who was following at the time, came through my headset. “Dave, you look really good on that bike”. What greater compliment can a fellow biker make? And so there we were, eating up the miles in a blissful state until a fairly urgent call of nature became apparent. We had just entered a small town, and so I spoke up. “I’m stopping here Nige. I need a wee.” I pulled into the car park and Nige obediently followed.
40p later we were fully refreshed but slowly realising we didn’t have a clue where we were. Trying to be resourceful, I spotted a woman who looked like a resident, but my question to her was not my most considered. “Excuse me. Do you know where we are?” The look in her eyes said it all, but very slowly she offered “Llandovery” It was time to get out the map, consult the pre-planned route, and decide what changes to it, if any, were necessary. Time was getting on and so, by mutual agreement, we knocked our visit to Carmarthen on the head.We had always planned to have our lunch in Aberystwyth and this was looking like being a very late lunch if we stuck to our route. So we decided to turn onto the A482, which was about four miles further up the road, and belt straight across to Aberaeron on The Irish Sea and from there, follow the coast road up to Aberystwyth. Again, superb biking road across country to the seaside and neither of us regretted the change of plan. It was by pure chance that, halfway along the A482 we entered a town and, in unison, we shouted to each other “This is Lampeter!” Eager to spot our “friends”, we scanned everywhere for signs of them but sadly, no signs of a hippy encampment or a “Wellies R us” retail outlet. We hoped they had made it but, on reflection, it looked like an ambitious destination for some of them. As soon as we hit the coast we stopped for a breather and gazed across the water towards Ireland. Then it was up the A487 coast road
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for Aberystwyth and lunch.This was the busiest stretch of road we encountered on our Welsh visit, but the sun was shinning and the view was great, so who cares? When we came up to the sea front in Aberystwyth, it was a simple choice. Do we turn left or do we turn right? We elected to go left, whereas, every other bike goes right. This place is a biking Mecca and all the bikes, (except us) park in the middle of the promenade surrounding a wooden diner - café. Great place for lunch! Fully sated, we left Aberystwyth heading east on the A44, and found another glorious road. It was mountainous, with hairpin bend following hairpin bend, wonderful scenery and empty. Sometimes it felt like we had the whole of Wales to ourselves. For those of you who, like me until recently, have never travelled Welsh roads on your bike, let me try and explain. Imagine that, for every road you ride, the day before, a team of highly skilled engineers had been there and resurfaced the road to an amazing standard. No potholes, no tar banding, no debris and smooth. No one had then come along and stuck up plated limits just because the road could be dangerous for un-skilled drivers. In Wales, if you get it wrong, you can plummet hundreds of feet down a mountainside. THAT keeps drivers on their toes! Imagine also that the roads were put there not just to get from A to B, but to always get the best vantage point for the wonderful landscape. Imagine that a message goes out to all other road users to get off the road because you want to use it. The occasional overtake becomes a novelty, not the norm.
March 2007
cream. It had a garden on the side built like an oasis in the side of a hill. Perfect. We were sitting there in the sunshine, supping on our cappuccinos and trying not to dribble ice cream down our leathers, when what must have been the entire membership of the Yamaha V-Max Owners Club rode by. The deep throated roar of masses of bikes, reverberating off the village walls. Fellow patrons asked if we were part of the group, to which we hastily denied any involvement. It was as if we felt guilty to be part of anything disturbing such peace and tranquillity. It was time to consult the map again.Time was on our side and we had no desire to rush back to Terry so we looked for a detour.The map promised a scenic route if we went up the A483 to Garth and then took the B4519, which eventually joins up with the Brecon road. As soon as we turned onto the B road at Garth, the narrow road started a rate of assent not dissimilar to a Jumbo jet leaving Gatwick. The road twisted and turned and climbed and climbed, again through the most stunning scenery. Signs advised us that this whole area was given over to the military, and anyone daft enough to leave the road would be immediately blown up. Why does the army always acquire the most beautiful areas to play their stupid war games? Continuing the assent, we passed a couple of cyclists (admittedly all in lycra gear) riding up the road making us feel guilty to be on motorised transport. At the summit was a stopping place guaranteed to be free from mortar fire.
That’s Welsh roads.
We stopped to drink in the view.
From the A44, we turned onto the A470 and eventually came to a quaint little village called Builth Wells, with narrow streets and old houses.As we approached, we both felt that an ice cream and a cup of coffee would not go amiss. Riding down the High Street, I pulled into the first available parking place that we could squeeze two bikes into. We dismounted, removed our helmets, looked up and saw we were parked opposite a café selling any-flavour-you-can-think-of ice
Strategically placed benches and a panoramic map of the whole area carved into a granite slab were available for the convenience of the weary tourist. We had almost convinced ourselves we were the only people left alive in the word, when a chirpy little voice from behind acknowledged our presence with a friendly “Hello”. It was one of the cyclists who, despite high altitude and extreme exercise, was no more out of breath than us.
Lay-by on the A470
These cyclists then turned around and proceeded to ride back down the hill.They were clearly doing the ride just for fun! The descent on the other side was much more gradual, and we picked our way along through the wandering sheep. How the sheep survived in this war-torn utopian area, when humans could so obviously perish if they did so much as step on the grass verge, I shall never know. Finally, we joined up with the B4520, which took us into Brecon, and then it was the A40 to bring us safely home to base camp in Abergavenny. We were riding as if on autopilot on this last stretch. Not that we
weren’t concentrating, it was that the roads were still so blissful and our riding skills felt like they were honed to perfection after a day in the saddle. Man and machine in perfect harmony! Sad to report, but a relief for us at the time,Terry was conspicuous by his absence when we arrived back. We guessed it wasn’t because he had been out receiving any awards from the Welsh Tourist Board. That evening we found a pub just round the corner where we had a few beers, a good meal and sat chatting with one of our fellow guests, where, strangely, the subject of Terry never came up. Final installment next issue.
Useful Web Sites
Bikers Yard www.bikersyard.co.uk Bike Safe Edge 44 www.hants.gov.uk/roadsafety/driv erider/edge44.html BMF www.bmf.co.uk BMWs www.boxerbikes.co.uk BMW Dealers www.cwmotorcycles.co.uk BMW Parts Catalogue www.ascycles.com Girls Bike 2 www.girlsbike2.com IAM www.iam.org.uk JAP Bike Parts www.ronnies.com/micro.htm Lois on the Loose www.loisontheloose.com Marmion Motorcycles www.marmionmotorcycles.net Motorcycle World www.beaulieumotorcycleworld.co.u k NEC Motorcycle Show www.motorcycleshow.co.uk Rapid Training www.rapidtraining.com RAM Mounts www.telferizer.co.uk SAM Photo-site www.solentadvanced.photosite. com SAM Web Site www.solent-advanced-motorcylists .co.uk The Highway Code www.highwaycode.gov.uk The Stage Post www.stageposthotel.co.uk 3X Motorcycles www.threecrossretail.co.uk/ Ultraseal Southampton www.ultraseal-soton.co.uk Urban-Glow www.urban-glow.com
Pubs Fleming Arms, Swaything, Southam pton 02380 584358 Rose and Crown, Longburton Sher borne Dorset 01963 210202 Stage Post, High Street,West Lavi ngton, Devizes 01380 813392 Barley Mow,Walderton, Nr Chic hester 023 9263 1321 Let me know of any that you think could be included sam.newsletter@btinternet.c om PA G E 9
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TRIP TO MELLE IN FRANCE run by Flash Tours Arriving at the Chateau
he brief history of this trip is that a group of riders who had attended a Rapid Training trip to a track day at Folembray in France and then carried on to the Nurburgring decided that they enjoyed the experience so much that they organised the ‘Flash Tours’ as a fun get together for the following year and it has now become an annual event.
T
There were twelve attending this year and we met at Portsmouth to catch the 2230 ferry to Le Havre. The idea was that we would have cabins and so get some rest before our 320 mile D road ride to Melle, which is just southwest of Poitier. However this was the MotoGP weekend at Le Mans so the boat was heaving with bikes and we had been too late to book cabins, however we did have luxury couchettes!!!! The ferry operator was LD Ferries who had only just taken over the line from P & O. There were over 150 bikes on a ferry that was apparently designed to carry 40 motorcycles max. and I am sure there were only enough tie downs for half that -worse still it was blowing a gale with Force 9 forecast for the crossing.The crew, who of course didn’t speak English, tried hard but then gave up and cleared off leaving us to sort it out ourselves. I had been lucky to get a place against the hull and managed to secure my ZX9 reasonably well. The crossing was rough and inevitably on returning to the cardecks in the morning some 25 bikes had fallen over including 4 of our 12. Tempers were frayed, exacerbated by lack of sleep and the inability to communicate with the non-English speaking crew. There were a lot of dents and scratches but the worst our group suffered was a broken offside mirror (well it becomes a n/s mirror on the continent - so not too bad) on an R1. The form filling etc took nearly 2 hours, which put us a long way behind schedule and to add to that it was still blowing a gale accompanied with heavy rain. All this, and only a couple of hours
P A G E 10
My name is Dave Bruguier and I cover 30,000 miles plus each year. Most of my riding is training, track days or organising UK or Continental trips, so this year I decided, with a little persuasion from a friend, to go on his trip to Melle in France and experience Flash Tours where I could relax and let someone else do all the organising and route planning.
Rush hour in France!!
sleep - not the start we were looking for! Setting off through Le Havre was uneventful though it was difficult to keep 12 bikes together, in pouring rain in rush hour traffic. However coming out of town I was suddenly confronted with the magnificent view of the Pont du Normandy in the distance.This is the bridge over the river Seine which from the distance looked awesome, even a little intimidating and all the tired, negative thoughts disappeared. It is a toll bridge but there is a free cycle and motorcycle lane to the nearside which saved the bother of getting money out in the monsoon conditions. Riding over was difficult with excessive surface water and a right to left cross gale however battling with the elements always gives a certain satisfaction and it was a great experience. I would say the sight is almost as impressive as the Millau bridge - a stunning design. Our journey to Melle was relatively uneventful, with improving weather and, mostly riding on excellent D roads, with the occasional N road thrown in, we made up quite a lot of time. Also by reducing the stopping time for food and petrol and we were able to make good progress and eventually arrived almost on schedule with time for a beer and bath before dinner heaven. I had been told that dinner was ‘an event’ and was certainly not disappointed. Done in the French tradition we all sat down at a baronial size table in the farmhouse style kitchen and ate our way through five, or was it six, courses with as much wine or beer as you wanted (all included in the price). The main course was salmon but unlike any salmon dish I have had before, but more about the food later. Next morning we awoke to heavy rain that dampened spirits around the breakfast table, particularly as it looked like it was in for the day. Breakfast was French style with
delicious croissant and French bread, a homemade selection of jams and as much fruit and cereal as you want. Luck was with us, as we were getting ready for a run around the Loire valley the rain stopped. Tony, our host, gave us a pre-ride briefing and clarified the ‘marker’ system (which had been fully explained in the booking documentation). A morning coffee stop, an excellent lunch venue followed by more stunning roads, afternoon tea and back to base where tea, beer and snacks were taken in the large garden and our days exploits, the roads, cockups etc were discussed with the usual micky taking. A distance of about 220 miles had been covered with Tony leading and controlling his placement of markers and although at times the group was spread out with not another rider insight nobody got lost - the beauty of this system is that it allows everyone to ride at their own pace.We took the morning to settle with no overtaking being carried out but Tony egged us on into riding our own ride and encouraging ‘progress’ which kept everyone happy and does prevent frustration creeping in if there is a slow rider or it allows you time to unwind and look at the scenery without the thought of slowing others down if that is your thing. Day 2 was to Cognac. Pleasant weather, glorious quiet roads, lunch outside at a super café/restaurant near the town centre and return to base for usual beer, tea and snacks prior to evening dinner - beef bourguignon - wonderful. Day 3 (the road to doom). We were given a choice of going to Oradour or La Rochelle. As the forecast was for heavy showers we opted for (democratically of course) Oradour, probably better known as the Martyr Village. Our host had been talking about ‘the road to doom’ over previous evenings ramblings on this route but no warnings or location was given. The story is that a previous
group had two quick riders on R1’s (what else) misread an uphill bend which disappeared over a crest and both ended up in the middle of a field with some cattle where one rider speared his thigh on a cows horn killing the cow. We all successfully negotiated this bend. This was my first visit to Oradour and although not as emotive as Auschwitz it was a sobering spectacle - the village being left exactly as it was after the massacre by the SS in June 1944 - well worth a visit if you are in this area. This days run was fairly short but there is a section of road that previous visitors in our group had called ‘mini-Cadwell’ for obvious reasons, so 7 of the group stayed and played on this section with much swapping of bikes and having a good thrash before returning to base for usual relaxation on the lawn and duck as the main course for dinner.The last evenings reminiscing over a super meal was a grand finish to a brilliant weekend. The ride back to Le Havre was pleasant and uneventful with us arriving in good time for the 1630 ferry which got us back to Portsmouth around 11pm. No problems with bikes this time and surprise, surprise loads of new ratchet straps. This is an excellent long weekend, with hosts Tony and his French wife, Violette, providing gourmet evening meals, sparkling conversation and Tony leading the tours over some fantastic roads. He has delightful, sometimes wicked, sense of humour, make a mistake and it will comeback to haunt you. I shall be going back again in 2007 and thoroughly recommend it. Have a look at the website on www.flashtours.co.uk and give it a go, you won’t regret it.
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SAM DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2007 MAR
Tue Sun Sat APR
MAY
Sun 11 SAM Group Ride (Pirbright Twisties) Meon Hut Alec Gore Tue 13 SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start with Andy Ibbot from the California Superbike School Sun 18 SAM Group Ride Winchester TBC 20 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm 25 SAM Group Ride Wickham Mark Sabin 31 New Joiners Ride Ower Ian Cooper Sun Sun Tue Sat Sun Tue Sun Sun
1 8 10 14 15 17 22 29
Sat Sun Tue Sun Tue Sat Sun
5 6 8 13 15 19 20
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Mark Nicholls SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Group Ride Winchester Paul Nol SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Wickham Colin Hitchcock SAM Group Ride (Dorset) Ower Nigel Grace
SAM Ladies Only Group Ride Wickham Square Hayley Miller SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM AGM Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride to the Cotswolds Winchester Paul Nol SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm BMF Show Peterborough SAM Group Ride Wickham Gerry Gooch BMF Show Peterborough Tue 22 Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm Sun 27 SAM Group Ride Ower Ian Cooper
JUNE Sun Sat Sat Sun
3 9 9 10
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am Sarisbury Green Community Centre Fete Sarisbury Green BMF Garden of England Show Kent SAM Group Ride Winchester Chris Palmer BMF Garden of England Show Kent
Tue 12 SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start with Lois Pryce Talk and slide show about her recent ride across Africa Sun 17 SAM Group Ride to the Ogri Café Horam Wickham Paul Nol Tue 19 SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm Thu 21 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Fri 22 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Sat 23 Motorcycle World Beaulieu Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Sun 24 SAM Group Ride Ower Motorcycle World Beaulieu Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Mon 25 Continental Trip to Bouillon in the Belgian Ardennes Tue 26 Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm JULY Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun
1 8 10 15 15 17 22 24 29
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Winchester Colin Hitchcock SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Ower Big Wheel Charity Event Basingstoke SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride (Arundal) Meon Hut Petra Willoughby Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm SAM Group Ride to Castle Coombe Winchester Nigel Grace
AUG Sat Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun Tue
4 5 12 14 19 21 26 28
SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Gerry Gooch SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester Tuesday Evening Group Ride - Winchester & Fareham 7.30pm
SEPT Sun 2 Sat 8 Sun 9 Tue 11 Sat 15 Sun 16 Tue 18 Sun 23 Sun 30 OCT Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun Sun
7 9 14 16 21 28
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Dave Charlton SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester Nigel Grace SAM Group Ride Wickham
NOV Thu Sun Sun Tue Sun Tue Sun
1 4 11 13 18 20 25
1 - 11 Nov - Motorcycle and Scooter Show NEC Birmingham SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Wickham
DEC
1 2 9 11 16 23 30
SAM Observers Meeting Sarisbury Green 10.00 am SAM Group Ride Ower SAM Group Ride Meon Hut SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Group Ride Wickham SAM Group Ride Ower
5% discount to SAM members, on production of membership card. JAN PA G E 2
SAM Free Assessment Rides/Training Day Sarisbury Green 9.30am International AutoJumble Beaulieu SAM Group Ride Ower International AutoJumble Beaulieu SAM Club Night Sarisbury Green 7.30pm for 8pm start BMF Tail End Show Peterborough SAM Group Ride Meon Hut Mark Sabin BMF Tail End Show Peterborough SAM Committee Meeting Sarisbury Green 7.30pm SAM Group Ride Winchester SAM Group Ride Wickham
Sat Sun Sun Tue Sun Sun Sun
Sun 6
March 2007
KILSPILLS RALLY The annual KILSPILLS rally started from the Ace Cafe on 9 September 2006. It finished at the Houses of Parliament and we all double parked on the Embankment. The Weather was glorious throughout. There were about 4000 bikes in the rally and it was escorted by the Police throughout. To cut through London over red lights and along bus lanes was quite an experience. The rally seems to be achieving something as 2 supermarket chains have fitted spill prevention fillers to their truck fleets. The lesson of the day for me was that going at 5 mph with all lights on for one hour will flatten your battery! The biking community got me going again. Thanks fellas. Mike
A No-Brainer for tyres by Dave Irving We had a very good bimble to The Swan on New Year’s day. A very sociable lunch followed and everything was fine until Mark & Alison departed. Alison ‘poured water into my wine’ by telling us that ‘the old black blade’ had got a puncture... Going into denial didn’t help but I tried it anyway even though I knew mine was the only old blade on the ride. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? The rest of my lunchtime was spent in the hotel car park with a Reema puncture outfit. I think that these are seriously good bits of kit, the best £20 you’ll ever spend. I had assumed that everybody else was aware of these outfits but me having the ability to get out of my predicament seemed to be a pleasant surprise to a lot of the party. Sure, there are a couple of little ‘knacks’ that you need to acquire but the resulting repair is long lastingly sound. The toughest hurdle to overcome is that you have to shove a rat’s tail file into the puncture to clean up, roughen and enlarge the hole.Your subconscious screams at you that you are supposed to be sealing a small hole, not making
it bigger and, at first, it overrides any attempts you may make to tell your hand to ‘stick’ the tyre with the rat tail file. The three CO2 bottles put in somewhere between 25 to 30psi which is designed to be enough to get you to a filling station with an air line to top it up. Luckily Howard King was on hand with a magic 12v electric air pump and in went another 10psi.Thanks again Howard. The decision to buy another repair kit is a no-brainer for me. £20 for a kit versus £100 plus recovery charge and one or two hour wait for the truck.Twenty minutes and you’re on your way. I guess I’ve repaired about a dozen punctures and am getting to be a dab hand at their repair. But why is it that Mr Sod wrote the law stating that I’ll only get a puncture when I fit a new tyre; a shabby old threadbare carcass never picks up a nail. Perhaps the moral is that I should only use shabby old tyres. So before you throw away your old worn tyres; think of me.
SAM Group Ride Meon Hut P A G E 11
bike mar cov 07
8/3/07
11:41 pm
Page 1
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
Mistletoe Run
by Paul Nol
Twas a bright and cold Sunday morning when 11 (I think) intrepid soles met at Ower, on their way to see Father Christmas on the famed Mistletoe charity run from Swanage seafront to Sandford.
March 2007
The IAM Aims
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The Advancement of Road Safety.
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With a bit of help from Nigel we eventually arrived at the sea to
which as usual was absolutely heaving, we found places to park where we could easily escape and then queued for refreshments with the hordes. After lunch and a look around, the majority of us elected to go on to Stockbridge for tea and cakes and had a very pleasant trip across the hills through Salisbury in the winter sunshine. Much to the disgust of several of the group, Lily Langtree’s will not serve toasted tea cakes until after 15:30 so we had to make do with other things! We ended the run there, after searching for Chris’ glasses and everybody went their separate ways home to put their feet up.
DECEMBER CAPTION COMPETITION WINNER:
INSIDE p6
p8 Welsh weekend part II
OK, but why the •••• did you have to bring y’mother...!
Dave Tilbury
p10
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P A G E 12
March 07
Altamura Alert
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S
join the merry throng of assorted motorcycling Santas and other festive folks and parked up to take in the air and observe the fun whilst we awaited the start. I haven’t heard the exact count of numbers but there was well over 100 bikes taking part. We duly set off in convoy with Police and Marshalls controlling the junctions to let us glide through, waving to the locals and children as we past. There was only one casualty from SAM when one of our group’s bike’s broke down and eventually had to be assisted by the RAC. Arriving at the pub,
SOLENT ADVANCED M OTO R C Y C L I S T S
The Administration of an Advanced Test.
in to this!!!!
etting off at a brisk pace we picked up Nigel who had been amusing himself frightening other motorists by sitting in his black gear and white helmet on the bridge over the main road at Ringwood. Sad to say, despite promising a sea crossing, our intrepid leader (me) had forgotten to make the Sandbanks Ferry a Way Point on the dreaded Garmin and the damn thing decided to take us off on the scenic route to Swanage as it calculated that to be the fastest way there.
sam
Melle in France
p11 Kilspills Rally
Annual KILSPILLS RALLY started from the Ace Cafe
p12 Mistletoe Run
more pics p11 Registered Charity No. 1097558