Magazineof ofthe the Thames Thames Valley HOG Chapter Magazine Valley HOG Chapter
NOVEMBER 2014
With 2014 marking 100 years since the start of the First World War, there have been many opportunities to share in Remembrance Ceremonies to celebrate and commemorate the lives of those lost in The Great War and all national conflicts since. Reported in last month’s mag, a group of thirteen members from Thames Valley took part in Ride to the Wall. This month, ten members met at SportsAble to ride to Box Hill and meet with Hogsback Chapter. They rode to Shamley Green to lay a wreath on behalf of our Chapter. (Pictures and more on page 16) On the same day, 9th November, 14 members met at Cobham Services to be part of the Ring of Red; the Ride of Respect. (Pictures and more on page 17) In other news, the Miles of Fun cards have been checked, the mileage program has finished - if you haven’t given your mileage to Don, DO IT NOW! The Poker Runs have finished for the season and the Saturday Socials have started again for the winter months. The Ladies of Harley weekend, in Bath, is nearly upon us, the Christmas weekend has sold out, and the Winter Bash tickets are in production as we speak. Put that date in your diary 14th February 2015. Now is the time to reflect on the great riding season you’ve had and to write about it for the magazine. Choose the highlight of the year and write just a few words, with a photo or two, and share it with your club! I look forward to your contributions
Sue
Inside this issue… Front cover:
Don and CJ paying respect.
Page 2
Editor’s thoughts
Page 4, 7
Director’s Update
Page 8, 9
LoH - Sue’s Scribbles
Page 10
Reading Update - Mike Wilson
Page 11
Shirley’s page - Merchandise
Page 12, 13
Meet the Members
Page 14, 15
Calendar
Page 16
Remembrance Day
Page 17
Ring of Red
Page 18
News - Reading Toy Run
Page 19
Poker Run
Page 20
Lee - The Webmaster
Page 21, 22
News - Winter Bash, Adverts
Page 23
Saturday Social
Page 24, 25
Photo Gallery
Page 26, 27
Chill-Out Weekend
Back cover:
Nov / December Birthdays
Lisa Lovelock
4th Dec
Don Lawrence
10th Dec
Linda Robson
12th Dec
Happy birthday to you all!
Meet the committee
WOW! Thank You ALL who have sent copy for this month magazine:
Nick, CJ, Lee, Mike, Chris and Janet, Shirley, Pat, Don, Sue B & Linda
Hi Everybody ,
and welcome to November’s edition of Tales from the Riverbank. Although the weather has been pretty rough over the last few weeks, we are still managing to get out and do a few miles. Back in October a very small group of us joined Oxford Chapter for the ride down to Hoggin the Bridge. The day started a bit overcast and not looking very good, but after an hour or so it brightened up and turned out be a great day for the ride. After looking around the trade stalls and grabbing a bite to eat at Chepstow Racecourse, it was decided to start making our way back on the A4 through Bath and the Wiltshire countryside. A great day out riding. As to Hoggin the Bridge as an event, I think it’s lost a lot of character moving away from the streets of Chepstow and into the Racecourse. The last Poker Run of 2014 was held at The Cunning Man in Reading, another well supported evening with members collecting their last cards to make a hand of poker. 2014 has been our best year for Poker Runs with attendance being the highest over the last five years, which means the prize pot is the best so far! Last weekend ten members of Thames Valley Joined around 60 riders from Hogback Chapter for their Remembrance Day Ride and wreath laying at a small church in Shamley Green. 4
Just before the wreaths from both Chapters were laid at the memorial, Andy England from Hogsback Chapter read a short poem to the crowd gathered in the church grounds. Then it was the laying of the wreaths, followed by 2 minutes silence. The group from Thames Valley made our way home calling in at Worplesdon Manor for a light lunch, a very nice ending to a great day. Directors News. After many weeks looking at many different colours for a new bike, Hazel & I collected our new Ultra Classic Limited from Guildford Harley Davidson. As you can see it’s Pearle Silver & Vivid Black with a red pin strip and is fitted with all the Rushmore goodies which should make a real great ride for both of us in the future. Our Blue and Black Glide is now, sadly, on its way to Europe to a new home.
2015 Committee We still have a few committee positions available which we need some help filling. Membership Officer, Poker Run Organiser, Photographers, Historian and Road Crew. If you can offer some time towards the running of your club and would like to be a part of it, come and have a chat with myself or Pat, we really do need your help. 5
News about Members Don P has been back in hospital recently for a few days, more trouble with blood clots. It’s good to hear he is now home and taking it easy. Nij is now back home recovering from an operation to replace one of his knees, and glad to hear the operation went well. He is now at home recovering for the next few weeks. We wish them both well, and a speedy recovery. Christmas This year’s Christmas Hamper is on display this evening. Tickets are available from Pat & Shirley tonight and at December’s club night when the draw will take place. The Thames Valley Christmas merchandise sale will be held over the next two months. Shirley will be selling some of our stock at knock down prices to make way for some new items for 2015. These sale items are ex-display and will only be available until December club night. Suggestion Box We still need ideas from you for rides, rallies and events that you would like to attend during 2015. The ride-out calendar is being put together at the moment and some input from the membership would be appreciated. We have some events all pencilled in for 2015, including The Winter Bash, The Cider Rally, Chapter Chill-Out weekend (Bridge North), SOFER (Hickstead) and there may be a rally in Europe. Christmas Toy Runs The Broom Farm Toy Run this year has changed its starting point from Legoland to the Windsor Coach Park, which is off Alma Road, Windsor. We have an organised ride for our members, meeting at Sportsable. The Reading Toy run will be leaving the Foster Wheeler building in Reading as usual with an organised ride leaving Sportsable. 6
The organisers of both Toy Runs would like unwrapped gifts for children of all ages. Fancy dress is always a bit of fun and decorating your bikes with Christmas decorations just adds to the fun of the event. Both events have always been well supported by Thames Valley, so let’s have a great turnout of members this year.
Dealership News The ‘For Sale’ board is down and work has now started on setting up the site for our new dealership in Reading, at last. Mike & Russ visited the site 3 weeks ago to supervise the site set up, and to meet the builders on their first day.
As you can see from the photos it’s early days and the demolition work has not yet started. I will keep you up-to-date in the magazine as the months go by.
Ride Safe and carry on having fun. 7
Don Director
Sue says... Hello, Well, I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I am taking reservations for the ladies New Year dinner at The Stafferton Lodge Carvery (next door to Sportsable). I am not sure yet what the cost is going to be but when we have visited before it has always been good value. They will also offer a vegetarian option for those who aren’t meat eaters. If you would like to join us, please put your name up on the board if you are at club night, or email me. Talking of Christmas, the next 2 official ride outs are ‘toy runs’. For those who have not been on one before it means joining the ride and donating a gift for a child. It’s always good fun and an opportunity to dress up in your Santa gear and to wave at all the people who line the route. I promise that you won’t be the only one dressed up There are 18 of us taking the weekend trip to Bath for the Christmas Market at the end of the month and the preparations are shaping up nicely. If anyone has any queries about the trip, or hasn’t yet received the info I emailed, then please let me know asap. It’s great to see so many ladies getting involved with our LoH activities. If you haven’t yet come along on one of these events then the dinner in January would be a great place to start to get to know everyone.
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As many of you know, I will be standing down from the committee as your LoH representative next year. I have had great support from everyone over the last four years and think it’s the right time for me to hand over to a new lady. There are lots of exciting things happening over the next 12 months which will give the ladies a lot more opportunities to be involved. One of which is the new Reading dealership opening, and another is the rising profile of ladies within HOG. As you know, our very own Elaine Shepherd has taken on a new National Chapter LOH Officer role supported by Marjorie Rae, UK and Europe Customer Experience Manager. HOG appreciate the growing role that ladies are playing within Chapters, both as riders and as pillions, and want to encourage us further. To this end I was invited to HOG HQ in Oxford, along with LoH reps from across the country, to share stories and learn from each other. It was lovely meeting the other ladies and as a result a number of ideas are being explored which will benefit us all in the future. Bye for now,
Sue x
THE NEW Ladies of Harley BADGE. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Reading Harley-Davidson Update After much anticipation and very little fanfare the builders finally arrived at the site of the new Reading Harley-Davidson on 3rd November 2014. The first week was spent primarily clearing the rubbish and undergrowth that has covered the site for the past nine years and making the area around the site safe for the public and contractors.
No previously undiscovered pygmy tribes or new species of wildlife were discovered once all the Buddleia bushes were cleared, and this allowed the team to get to work. The majority of the work, so far, has involved marking out the site and getting the internal structure of the old Showroom ready for demolition. Although some good progress has been made in prepping the layout of the Workshop, I have yet to see where they are installing the Staff Jacuzzi.
I am very keen on seeing the Showroom take its last bow and am doing everything in my power to try to see it first hand, although for Health and Safety reasons I may need to watch the action from the cosy environment of the Pub over the road. Once this historical structure has been removed it will be down to getting the foundations in place for our new state-of-the-art Showroom. Obviously there will be very little visual progress but I will try to make a nuisance of myself and keep the photo diary up to date with some interesting shots. Lind US Ltd are really excited to add Reading Harley-Davidson to their group and are as keen as I am to invite you all to visit and be part of what will be a fantastic, fun and inclusive Dealership. Let me know should you need any further updates or you have any awesome suggestions, mike@readingharley.co.uk. Looking forward to seeing you all soon. 10
Mike
There is going to be a pre-Christmas sale on all merchandise! All old stock needs to be cleared before the New Year so grab yourself a bargain or get a Christmas present for someone special. Anything wanted from the catalogue needs to be ordered at November club night to be ready in time for Christmas.
SPECIAL OFFER:
Thames Valley 15 year PATCH AND PIN Only ÂŁ3.50
SHIRLEY SAYS:
E
Raffle tickets for this amazing Christmas Hamper will be on sale at Club Nights, November and December.
C FLEE
ERS
M WAR Y D BO
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Chris and Janet Smith How did you two meet? I met my lovely wife in Berlin, in 1982, I was in the Grenadier Guards at the time and she came to see her sister who was my mates wife, she had just had a baby (Jan’s sister, that is). We met over a game of darts in the Corporal’s Mess, she needed a hand getting her darts out of the board because she couldn't reach. .
Any children, pets...? We have one daughter, Jessica she's 22 and lives in Crewe and works for a computer maintenance/ sales company. We've had pets in the past, rabbits and a cat, but currently enjoying the freedom of not having any pets. We would both love a nice dog, perhaps a Cocker Spaniel, but we are out at work all day. 12
How long have you been riding motorcycles? I got my first bike when I was 16 yrs, it was a Yamaha RD 125 DT like this one, my pride and joy. I sold that a couple of years later and didn't get a bike again until I was about 38. Since then, I've had various bikes including a lovely black Honda Goldwing that I was very proud of. I am currently riding a Road King Classic which I love. We've been a member at Thames Valley now for just over a year and it's been mad; we're out and about more now than ever and everyone has made us feel so welcome.
Any hobbies apart from motorbikes? I'm sport mad, particularly football and West Ham United & Reading but I'll watch anything - American Football, Rugby Formula one anything really. Jan used to come with me to see West Ham. I used to have to take an orange box for her to stand on so she could see. Jan loves her aerobics and retail therapy. We both love our music which has mellowed over Garden Party, Buckingham Palace the years. Looking forward to next season, got lots of trips lined up already including Andrea Rieu in Maastricht, his home town I believe. Aviemore 2014
Thanks for the chat, it’s been good getting to know you both. 13
November
Dec.
Cont.
Christmas Party Sat 13th 7:00 Calcot Hotel
Ace Café Harley Night Thurs 27th, 6:00 Black Horse Riders Invite TV members to their club night Fleet, Hants. GU51 5SJ Thurs 27th 7:30
Club Night Thurs 18th 7:30
January
Broome Farm Sunday 30th S’Able 10:30 for 11:15 Windsor Coach Park SL4 3HU Depart 12:00
Committee Night Tues 6th, 8:00 Saturday Social Sat. 10th Venue TBA
December
Club Night Thurs 15th, 7:30
Committee Night Tues 2nd, 8:00
Road Captains’ Meeting Saturday 17th 9:00 Stafferton Lodge
Reading Toy Run Sunday, 7th Starting at Foster Wheeler
Ladies of Harley New Year Meal Saturday17th, 6:00 pm Stafferton Lodge
See website for further details and updates
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Dates, events, ride-outs and activities Details correct at time of going to print. Check the website for updates and amendments www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Club Nights
Entries for your Diary 2015 2015 Cider Rally - 1st -4th May (Club event) Harley-Davidson Euro Festival Grimaud, St-Tropez 7th - 10th May Chill-Out Weekend 22nd - 25th May
December
18th
January
15th
February
19th
March
19th
April
16th
Mag contribution Deadlines
Ireland Bike Fest 29th May - 1st June
December
Blazin’ Twenties New Forest Rally 25th - 28th Sept
January
Check website for Changes / further details on all events
8th
February
12th
March
12th
April 15
11th
9th
Remembrance day
A group of Thames Valley riders have met up at Sportable and are making their way to Rykers cafÊ near Box Hill to meet up with the Hogsback chapter. After coffee and doughnuts plus some bacon rolls, we are waiting to observe the 2 minutes’ silence due at 11.00. We have all set off in glorious sunshine to make our way to Shamley Green church for a wreath laying ceremony. Our wreath, this year, is being laid by Don Wibberley. A call for lunch has been made and we have made our way to Worplesdon.
Linda Friend 16
It was estimated that ten thousand bikes were likely to turn up for the Ride of Respect around the M25. Hoping to make the largest Poppy in the world by forming a complete circle around the orbital road, everyone left the services at 1:15 to be on the motorway by 1:30. The lead man of one meeting point then tried to catch up with the tail of the group in front. There were more than 1,000 bikes at Cobham, where 14 TV members met up.
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Each month, from April to October, the club organises a social meeting with a twist! It is called the ‘Poker Run’ and is usually held at a pub in the Thames Valley area. We always try to pick a pub that offers food for about a tenner. This means that people can come straight from work and get something to eat. During the better months we can get dozens of bikes which is a real attraction for the locals.
Of course, there is a cheeky element thrown in for a bit of zing! Each person that attends is eligible to draw a single card from a single deck of cards for the princely sum of £1. The drawn card is recorded each month so that at the end of the year each person has a hand of up to 7 cards. There are only a few rules: Players MUST attend at least 4 events out of the 7 throughout the year. If a player misses a month they can buy 1 extra card only on their next attendance (or they can buy an extra card in advance if they have a planned absence). Players must redraw any card which they have previously drawn (so, you cannot have any 2 cards exactly the same).
The only other rule is that you MUST have fun, but we never need to enforce this one We will be announcing the winners of the 2014 Poker Run at November club night. As always there will be first, second and third prizes. The prize money will total all of the money collected this year (like a sweepstake). This year was one of the most successful years since we started, with 187 cards sold (last year was 154). So, look out for information about the 2015 Poker Run in the spring next year and book the dates in your calendar. The 4 new players this year have all said that they wish they had started coming sooner... It’s great fun! Nick
From your Webmaster
Just an update to let you all know what I have been up to as your Webmaster over the last four years. I have been busy bringing our club up to speed with all the latest social media and, during my time as the Webmaster, I have brought the club two new websites. You will not see the webmaster on many rides as I have a young family and a large part of my role is backroom stuff. You might not know what goes on, so I thought I would use this opportunity to give you a quick insight into some of the duties I bring to my role as Webmaster. One the things I need to do is to keep all the members’ data, and that of the club in general, safe from unwanted guests or sites, and to maintain our server to keep the website running. I also spend a lot of time working on other club issues, such as designing flyers for events and designing tickets for sales, which I submit to the committee for approval. Another part of my role is to produce all emails sent out to members and to maintain the email list. Over the last four years I have joined many social media sites on behalf of the club such as Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and PayPal. These all need regular maintenance and constant monitoring to keep to the strict HOG guidelines. Another part of my role is to train other committee members to use their area of the website effectively. I also produce monthly statistics on website usage and send these out to the committee. It is the responsibility off the Webmaster to update the site pages and to keep things looking fresh, so a strong knowledge of html and other web based programmes is desirable for this maintenance. I have spent a lot of time on the new website which has now been recognised by HOG as a leading site amongst other HOG chapters. I was lucky enough to attend the first HOT, (HOG Officer Training) held at Oxford Harley Davidson HQ last month. The meeting was about websites and social media, along with chapter magazines. In this meeting there were other webmasters and editors with their directors from HOG chapters all over the UK. I was very pleased to see that our website was up-to-date and had set the bar for the other chapters. These are just a few of the tasks that I carry out as the Webmaster for Thames Valley, and I hope to carry on bringing better things to the club’s website in the future. A quick look ahead: Next year you will have the opportunity to renew your club membership online using our secure payment system, PayPal. I will link our site to the new dealership so you will get the latest news and offers before anyone else. I look forward to giving you an update soon - watch this space!
Lee
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WHEN?
February 14th (yes, Valentines Day!) 2015 WHERE? Sportsable, Club Night Venue DRESS? Posh frocks and Black Tie FOOD? Fabulous Buffet! Put this date in your diary!
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nickwest@chilternelectrical.com
SPECIAL OFFER YOUR LOGO
ADVERTISE YOUR COMPANY HERE An advertisement for your business in this magazine AND on the website will cost ONLY £25 for a year. Thousands reached on the web and hundreds more in 12 issues. See Don, Lee or Sue for more info. YOUR ORG ANIZATION
Fred’s a rm/hand !
Just for fun… How observant are you? Do you recognise this bike? 22
Did you work it out last month? Cool picture, the way Fred’s arm was hidden amongst the black of Nick’s shirt, looked like the hand appeared from nowhere!
Iver Heath Eighteen people turned up to the Saturday lunch meeting, two on bikes! A great choice of food at reasonable prices and good company in this Fayre and Square pub kept the group chatting for almost 4 hours! Our very own vandal can be seen writing on the table - she didn’t think the number was clear enough and might delay the arrival of her food. A fine for the fine-mistress, I think!
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Friday 22nd May to Monday 25th May (May Bank Holiday weekend) We are putting together another Chill-Out weekend, offering a great opportunity for you to relax with good food, good beer and some great company - with an extra night, too! The Unicorn Inn, (Hampton Loade, Chelmarsh, Nr Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 6BN) is situated in the heart of the Shropshire countryside and just a short walk from the Great Western / Severn Valley steam railway station in Hampton Loade. The trains run between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth and for £18 you can purchase a ‘Freedom of the Line’ ticket for unlimited day travel and entry to The Engine House Visitor Centre at Highley. On Saturday night there will be an optional Evening Scenic Train Ride with fish and chip supper.
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The Unicorn Inn offers some great accommodation options: Double and Twin rooms Singles Family Room
£45.00, £25.00 £65.00
There are also two holiday flats available with a king sized bed and kitchenette. (Price on application) A Camping package will also be available which will include breakfast. There are also electrical hook-ups available, if you want to bring a caravan or camper van. Please note the weekend runs from Friday until Monday so you will need 3 nights’ accommodation. All prices quoted are for B & B per room per night and all rooms have ensuite bathrooms. There will be some great pub grub favourites on the menu offering terrific value for money. We are putting together some great ride-outs, too, so watch this space... We have already had quite a bit of interest in the trip so early booking is recommended. To reserve your accommodation please speak to Pat or Barry Adams at club night, or telephone 07710224387, or email adamspat24@gmail.com The Severn Valley Railway is a full-size standard-gauge railway line running regular, mainly steam-hauled, passenger trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of approximately sixteen miles.
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Don Don Wibberley Wibberley Chapter Chapter Director Director Email: director Email: director@ director @thamesvallyhog.org.uk thamesvalleyhog.org.uk @thamesvallyhog.org. uk
Pat Adams Pat Adams Assistant Director Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@ Email: assistantdirector@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Colin Wilkins Colin Wilkins Treasurer Treasurer Email: treasurer@ Email: treasurer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Moyler Sue Moyler Secretary Secretary Email: secretary@ Email: secretary@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Fred Cotsford Fred Fred Cotsford Cotsford Membership Officer Membership Officer Membership Officer Email: membership@ Email: Email: membership@ membership@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Nij Jones Nij Jones Head Road Captain Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@ Email: headroadcaptain@ Thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Nick West Nick West Safety Officer & Safety Officer & historian Historian Email: Historian @thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Email: historian@
Barry Adams Barry Adams Activities Officer Activities Officer Email: activities@ Email: activities@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Lee White Lee White Webmaster Webmaster Email: webmaster@ Email: webmaster@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Knight Sue Knight Editor Editor Email: editor@ Email: editor@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Bernie Meason Bernie Meason Photographer Photographer Email: photographer@ Email: photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue Brown Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Ladies Harley Email: of ladiesofharley@ Email: ladiesofharley@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
facebook.com/groups/facebook.com/groups thamesvalleyhog thamesvalleyhog
youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1 Linda Friend Friend Linda Photographer Photographer Email: photographer@ photographer@ Email: thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Shirley Shirley Churchill Churchill Merchandise Merchandise Email: Email: merchandise@ merchandise@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1
Toni Charles Club Venue: Club Venue: Activities Officer SportsAble, SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Email: activities@SL6 1BN Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Maidenhead, SL6 1BN