Tales from the Riverbank May 2018

alexander devine

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s e d i r s r e d a re

clubnight

May 2018

Ed Quarters Welcome to May's issue of the magazine.

It’s the time of the year when summer is finally showing its face and the rides are coming thick and fast. I have just taken a short break away from putting this month’s edition together to enjoy John Green’s run down to Stockbridge.

Fantastic run down through some beautiful countryside, all in the glorious sunshine. Great to see so many people out riding today.

It is also the time of year that a lot of us have our memberships still up for renewal. With all the great things that we have got going on, make sure you renew and don’t miss out. For further information see our Membership Officer, Chris Smith. It’s also a good idea to check your HOG membership. You can do this at any time by visiting members.hog.com, signing in and then choosing Membership – Manage Membership. If you don’t have access to the site, please feel free to see me and I can log in and check the details for you.

With the Chapter’s 20th anniversary approaching fast, the Dealerships birthday, and the fabulous Valley Rally shortly afterwards next month is going to a complete blast. Make sure that you do not miss out. If you haven’t got your Valley Rally tickets and don’t have an excuse at least as good as Fred’s, then you don’t have long to grab yours.

Things are getting a little busier as I have taken on the Assistant Director role, and so I am looking for some help with this fine magazine. It really doesn’t need to be a chore, but you do get out of it what you put in. Full information, hardware and software support is available (if required) if you are interested in being part of this fine publication. If you would like to find out more about what you could do in the role of Assistant Editor, please let me know. to: Ride safe and have fun!

Andy

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Inside this issue

Front cover

Birthdays Alexander Devine Hospice Visit

To comply with uncoming legislation and to make sure our records are up to date, if you would like to appear in the

Page 2

Ed Quarters

Page 4 - 6

Westie Writes

Page 7

Hogstock

Page 8 - 9

Ladies of Harley

Page 10-11

Alexander Devine Visit

Page 12 - 15

How We Ride

Page 16

TV Times

Page 17

Committee and Supporting Officers

Page 18 - 23

Clubnight

Page 24

Dealership Update

Page 25

Readers Rides

Page 26 - 27

RHD Bike Night

Page 28 - 29

Ride to Southampton HD

Page 30- 31

The Cider Rally

Back cover

The Valley Rally

magazines birthday listing, please email us with your name and birthday.

New Members Please welcome the following new members to the Chapter: Mark Flaherty Mark Hall Carl Bothma Sergiu Seling Craig Baycroft

Huge thanks to all who have sent copy in for this month's magazine: Fred, Chris S, Cilla, John G, Mike, Sue M, Mac, Jamie & Nick. :-)

Hi All, Welcome back to Tales from the Riverbank. Many of you will have witnessed an epic event at our last Clubnight. John Green led a band of merry men and women to our new venue for regular Chapter meetings.

The Burnham Cricket Club became host to our Chapter for the first time in grand style. Over forty bikes joined the ride in from either Reading Harley Davidson or SportsAble to make it one of the biggest single rides we have done. To add to that, twenty-seven other bikes and their riders rolled in to swell the total attendance to a huge 112 attendees on the night.

Absolutely amazing!

The unprecedented numbers meant that our hosts failed to provide food to everyone on the night which they were disappointed about. To be honest, nobody could have predicted such a big turnout. We hope that you all enjoyed the new location and that earlier fears about the car parking surface were not as bad as some had predicted. There are some areas where the surface is particularly loose and so we would recommend continued caution when arriving and leaving.

Even with such numbers, the venue and staff coped well. Those who arrived in the ride met with a bit of a queue but we thank you for your patience. Well done all.In addition to the regular menu, the management at the new site will be putting on some specials. Watch this space.

Some of you will notice that the venue has a TV on the wall which we may be able to use to show videos or photo slideshows. If you have anything of interest which you would like to contribute please let us know.

So, what about other notable news?

For those who were not previously aware, a dear friend and past officer, Sylvia Pritchett has been very unwell recently. During her illness, Sylvia remains

positive and still tries to get to some of our Chapter events. I would like to offer my support and that of the Chapter in any way which we are able to both Sylvia and Don Pritchett who will continue to be a much-loved part of our group through these difficult times for their family.

Also, I cannot let this month’s Mag go out without a “shout out” to Jason C (our dealer rep) at the dealership. He is a one-man membership recruitment machine!

I heard that he even tried to get one of our friends from a big local MC to join!

Apparently, our chapter is considered “too hard core” … hehe, now I know that someone was pulling my leg! Well done Jason …we are loving your work.

Our recent visit to Alexander Devine (see page 10) was also very successful and very well attended. The weather was great and we managed to get over twenty-five bikes out on the ride to the Hospice. Hayley led the group on the short ride from the dealership and we managed to capture some drone footage which we will share shortly. A whirlwind tour of the new facility was both informative and very impressive.

On this visit we presented the takings from a year of raffle profits, just over £1,200. This brings our total contribution to almost £10,000 over the past few years support. Whilst the hospice is now built and largely furnished, they still need financial help to provide the supporting services going forward. A huge thanks to all of our members who have and continue to innovate with new ways to support this great and truly worthy cause.

One of these is under way as I write this article. Our very own Jo Green is out there on her ride, setting another first for Thames Valley and the Iron Hog Challenge. Jo is riding to become the first Female Solo Rider to complete the challenge. I have seen the Facebook following and I join them in adding my best wishes for a safe completion and pleasant return back to the Thames Valley.

If you didn’t make it along to the Beer and Skittles evening after the Alexander Devine visit you really missed a treat. We had great fun with the usual mix of a few bevvies and great company. The Prescott Hill climb was cancelled in the week before due to heavy rain and bogged in parking fields. Instead, Ralph led a great ride out to Bibury in the Cotswolds.

Hayley West completed the second of her qualifying rides, this one to the Departure Lounge near Alton in Hampshire. It was well attended and ran without incident. John Green will be looking to qualify after his run out to Farmlands.

Whilst we are still waiting at the time of writing, you will know by Clubnight. Good luck John, Again, at the time of writing, I am just back from this year’s Cider Rally. As always, a great rally put on by our friends at Bridgwater gave us yet another opportunity to meet up with friends from both inside and outside of the chapter. Those not attending Cider Rally joined Jamie McLaughlin on his scoot down to Southampton Dealership to celebrate another birthday for their dealership.

We have recently announced plans for the Chapter to attend the 2019 HOGSTOCK rally in the Netherlands. Details are on the next page. Don’t delay, the first few days have shown high demand and rooms are limited.

We are still able to apply for more rooms at this year’s Convergence Rally so if you are interested reach out to Malcolm or one of the other Activities Officers.

We are starting to finalise the finer details of our very own Valley Rally which is fast approaching. We are now well over 160 tickets sold and still growing. We will shortly be gathering names of volunteers who wish to help at the rally. Come and join us, it’s gonna be fun!

Our ride and social calendar can be found on page 16 of this magazine and our online calendar will have the most up to date information for your convenience.

Keep it rolling!

Nick

The Thames Valley Massive head to H.O.G.STOCK. Why not join The Thames Valley Massive as we head to Holland?

Back to the 60’s!

LOVE - PEACE - & ROCK’N - ROLL Four days fun, music & ride outs Including the Ultimate Biker Parade The rally runs from the 30th May until 2nd June.

Leaving from Sportsable, departure is planned for the 29th May from Folkestone to Calais, aiming for 8am train, with lunch enroute in Belgium, and then continuing the ride via Breda to Amersfoort in Holland. (Timings to be arranged. Option to stay over the night before closer to the tunnel.)

Return is planned for the 3rd June aiming for the 5pm train from Calais to Folkestone.

Six-person bungalow costs £25 per person per night (includes everything, tourist tax, bed linen, cleaning, etc).

Total accommodation £125 per person (based on six sharing) Four-day access pass £65 per person Rally pack £20 each (exchange rate may vary) Want to join Thames Valley for this great rally?

To confirm your space, we need your full name, email address, mobile number and t-shirt size if a rally pack is required together with non-refundable deposit of £100 to be paid by 21st May. Any questions please speak to Nick Ekendahl and the Activities team (activites@9746.co.uk), or visit www.hogstock.nl

Another adventure with The Thames Valley Massive awaits you.

Hi Ladies, What a busy and exciting month it’s been!

As I type, Joanne Green is whizzing around the UK on her bike Dixie to become the first lady to complete a solo Iron Hog. She’s doing a grand job and I am enjoying watching her progress and seeing all of the Facebook updates and pictures.

A true inspiration and who knows… maybe in the future we’ll have more of our ladies completing their own Iron Hog! As I type this, she has reached Durham and has another three dealerships to visit today. Best of luck!

We are very much looking forward to welcoming Joanne back to Reading on Saturday 5th May – on International Female Ride Day. We have a number of activities planned, including a scenic ride on what is forecast to be a glorious day and refreshments provided by the ‘Men of Harley’. Something to look forward to reading about in next month’s magazine.

In April, we had two qualifying Road Captain rides led by Hayley – both of which were thoroughly enjoyable. The first was to the Alexander Devine Children’s hospice.

After a pleasant ride on a lovely warm day, we arrived at the hospice for a very informative tour of the building. It certainly gave me plenty of food for thought about the families that will need to use this service and made me feel proud of our Chapter for the contribution we’d made.

The second ride was to the Departure Lounge Café which was very well attended and provided a great opportunity for us to have a relaxed Sunday afternoon catch up. Needless to say that both rides were a success and no doubt you will join me in giving Hayley a big WELL DONE! as one of our new lady Road Captains!

Rally season has begun! Many of us attended our first rally of the year which was

the Cider Really in Weston-Super-Mare.

It was a cold, soggy and blustery ride down but all of that all of that was quickly forgotten after several ciders and bumping into many HOG friends.

There was also a great Ladies of Harley reception complete with a male piñata that some of the ladies took great pleasure in hitting with a stick with PLENTY of force - it looked rather therapeutic! All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable weekend was had by all and I look forward to attending again.

So, what have we got coming up? Following a suggestion from one of our ladies, I have arranged a motorcycle induction session to have a go on a 125cc bike. We have filled our first session with ladies from our Chapter, but if this is something that interests you, please drop me a line and I will add you to our next session.

This is not limited to ladies, we can also can include gents and approved guests.

We also have something non-bike related for our ladies in August…’Forbidden Nights’ – a male entertainment act which includes singing, dancing, acrobatics, fire eating and erm…stripping. I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun!

Lastly, I have registered us for the Blazin’ Big Top talent show! Plans are being made for our act and I will be sending out details in due course, so watch this space if you’d like to take part.

Well, that’s all folks for another month, see you soon!

Cilla P Thames Valley Ladies of Harley Officer loh@9746.co.uk 07525 462186

Alexander Devine Hospice Visit

How We Ride Hi All, As Safety Officer I’ve had a number of questions from some of the Chapter Members about why we ride as we do – so with the start of this year’s riding season upon us (hopefully) I thought I’d run through some of the basics as a reminder for the more long-term members and an intro for some of our newer members.

This was originally planned for the April mag but didn’t make it through the editor’s cut, and at the time of writing the weather was still pretty wet, but after the first ride out being cancelled I did get out over Easter on Mark Peck’s qualifying ride to Whiteways Café near Arundel, and hoped to start putting some miles on the new bike over the coming weeks.

I must have been out a bit because at Easter it had about 600 miles on it and it’s now on approx. 2,000 after a 230 mile run to Wolverhampton and back last night.

Here’s to more (dryish at least) ride outs – next one being my second qualifying ride on Sunday.

What is a Stagger Formation?

Where the road is wide enough members are encouraged to ride in a ‘stagger formation’ where the rider behind the leading Road Captain (who is not part of the formation) will ride to the left of the lane with the rider behind them riding to the right of the lane nearer the crown of the road – this enables each rider to have a better view of the road ahead and in the case of an emergency stop minimises the risk of a collision with the rider in front of you.

When stopping at junctions and traffic lights if you move up in the stagger so that your front wheel is along side the rear wheel of the bike in front of you the group will take up less space on the road and cause less inconvenience to other road users.

Where the road is narrow or unsuitable for riding in a stagger (parked cars, road works, pot holes, gravel etc) then you should change to single file, dropping back to leave a bigger gap between you and the rider in front.

Trikes within the ride do not stagger, for obvious reasons, but the stagger should continue behind them. Each trike within the ride will usually have at least one

‘marshal’ behind them to assist with drop offs if needed.

You should not overtake during a group ride unless the rider in front indicates that they want you to pass them.

Distances – How far behind the bike in front should I be?

In general, remember the saying ‘Only a Fool Breaks the 2 Second Rule’ and stay at least 2 seconds back from the rider in front of you.

The rider behind the leading Road Captain (the Second Man) should leave a bigger gap in front of them of 3 or 4 seconds (but not enough to let a car in) to allow more time to position themselves for a drop. If the ride moves from stagger to single file then remember to drop back a bit further.

How does Second Man Drop Off work?

On a group ride the lead Road Captain will ‘drop’ the ‘Second Man’ (which may be a lady before anyone pulls me up over the term) at points during the ride, junctions, roundabouts etc, to mark the route for the following ride, which may be some distance behind.

The Road Captain will indicate where and which side of the road you should drop and as long as you feel it is safe to do so you should stop and indicate with a clear arm signal which way the ride has gone.

When the ride passes you look for the Sweep / Tail rider who will have been pointed out at the briefing and will be wearing distinctive Hi Viz and prepare to rejoin the ride before him / her. If the Sweep / Tail passes you they will slow and indicate for you to overtake them to get back in to the correct position.

If you are not comfortable with a drop you are asked to make, the rider behind you should take the drop in your place. There may be times that a trike is the second man and they are dropped in a similar manner, however if the road is not wide enough the following marshal will take the drop and the trike will pull over where it is safe to do so and re-join the ride ahead of their marshal.

It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you do not leave your drop point until the tail / sweep has collected you – no matter how long this takes.

What if I want to leave the Ride part way through?

If you want to leave the ride part way through, it is important that you do so in the correct manner.

You should pull in to the side of the road, where it is safe to do so, and wait until the tail / sweep arrives, then signal to them that you are leaving the ride, then do so once they have passed.

If you just leave in the middle of the ride you may find the rest of the ride following you home for dinner!

What is the Buddy System?

The Buddy System is only used occasionally on short rides with less than half a dozen bikes.

The lead Road Captain will not carry out any drop offs and each rider must ensure that the rider behind them (their buddy) can see when the ride changes direction.

In effect, the rider drops theirself off and rejoins the ride again when their buddy comes along.

The Road Crew Each ride is led by a Thames Valley Road Captain and has a minimum of tail rider (Sweeper) who is also a Road Captain. The tail rider will be wearing Hi-Viz to make him/her easier to pick out and will sit back from the end of the ride enough to allow the ‘dropped’ rider to re-join the group in front of them.

In addition, there may be Road Marshals buddied up with any trikes to assist with drops.

The Road Crew will carry out a briefing before each ride – if you are unsure please ask any questions before the ride starts.

Remember, ride your own ride, be safe and enjoy it.

John Green Safety Officer.

Wednesday, 16 May Club Night (closed event)

Friday, 15 – Sunday, 17 June Hogs in the Hayfield

Saturday, 19 May Ride to the Reading H D Birthday bash

Friday, 15 – Monday, 18 June Welsh Weekend

Sunday, 20 May A Ride to The Armoury (closed event)

Sunday, 17 June Ride to Maidstone H D

Thursday, 24 May Reading Harley Davidson Bike Night

Wednesday, 20 June Club Night (closed event)

Friday, 25 – Monday, 28 May V I P Party Red Rose Chapter Chill out weekend

The Valley Rally

Thursday, 31 May Ace Cafe Harley Night (open event)

The Convergence Rally

Friday, 1 Sunday, 3 June Ireland Bikefest Saturday, 2 June Holyport Fair Sunday, 3 June Ride Sunday Monday, 4 – Tuesday, 12 June Euro Festival, St Tropez Saturday, 9 June Froxfield Beer Festival Wednesday, 13 June Poker Night 18:30 Lands End, Twyford, RG10 0UE

Beaconsfield Town FC 29th June - 1st July 2018 www.thamesvalleyrally.com

Royal Agricultural University Cirencester 10th August - 12th August 2018 Please check the website for the latest on all rides.

CLUB NIGHTS June 20th July 18th August 15th September 19th October 17th MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTION DEADLINES June 7th July 5th August 2nd September 6th October 4th

2018 Officers & Committee

PRIMARY OFFICERS

Nick West Director

Andy Tunley Assistant Director

Sue Moyler Secretary

COMMITTEE & SUPPORTING OFFICERS CLUB VENUE Burnham Cricket Club Memorial Ground, Taplow Common Road, Burnham, Slough, Berks, SL1 8LP

Priscilla Peck Ladies of Harley

Andy Tunley Editor

Mike Wilson Jason Compagno Dealer Principal Dealer Rep

https://www.facebook.com/ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Lesley Lederer Treasurer

John Green Safety Officer

Chris Smith Membership

Malcolm Poulter Activities

Robin Sasson Third Wednesday of every month 7:00pm Webmaster

Fred Cotsford Activities

Nick Ekendahl Activities

Jamie McLaughlin Mark Peck Hayley West Head Road Captain Social Media Officer Charities Officer

Linda Friend Photographer

Alex MacDonald Jamie McLaughlin Photographer Photographer

Email any committee member at (position held)@9746.co.uk

Club Night - April 18th 2018

"I just got home from what i think was probably a landmark Clubnight at the new venue. I was very impressed. I saw some chatter online about the concerns with parking surface but honestly i feel that people had either not seen it or had not ridden to site. I joined the ride in and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was a little late to order food and unfortunately they had run out but that is not surprising considering the numbers present.

I read about the recent troubles last week and I know that a few of my friends at the club wanted to show our support for the chapter I am sure that I am not alone in appreciating all of the hard work that you and your committee put in to make these things happen. I for one, get a huge amount out of the club. My personal situation means that I can only offer support by simply turning up, but that may change in the future.

I am sure that there was a lot of effort, and for my part, very worthwhile too. The venue seems perfect.

During the summer months, do you think it would be possible to do several rides to the venue ?

Perhaps 3 or 4 smaller rides from different locations ? so that it spreads the load a little for the caterers.

For what its worth, I have been a member for over 10 years and this has to be the very best clubnight i have attended .

Thank You"

"I just wanted to touch base and say what an amazing evening last night was!!

I know that a lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes to find a new venue let alone dealing with committee changes and day to day dealer/chapter life business. Whilst these problems you would have preferred not to have, it has somehow cemented the Chapter in a very positive way - last night was unique, one to be proud to be part of and I just wanted to Thank you both for all that you do (and have done) in leading the committee and chapter forward."

Mike's Bit So finally, the sun has decided to honour us with its presence. This has given everyone the shot in the arm they needed to get their bikes out and roadworthy.

Don’t forget to give your bikes a thorough once over if they have been standing for a while. Tyre pressures are a must, and if you are unsure of anything like tyre depth or brake pad wear, just pop down to the Dealership and we will get someone to give it a quick once over and report back.

If you are in need of an MOT please be aware we are booking a few weeks in advance right now, so as always, plan ahead.

The nice weather has given us the opportunity to join in with some Chapter rides and especially the ride out to the new improved club venue in Burnham.

Thank you so much for the invite, it was just fantastic to be part of a new chapter in the Chapter.... What a fantastic evening, a huge turnout and fun, noisy ride out to the clubhouse. I know the Dealership Team were pleased that they could join you all, and the great welcome that we were all extended.

Bike Night has started with a bang, the night stayed dry and we were all treated to some wonderful entertainment by the 'Briefcase Blues Brothers' who seemed to have an endless supply of energy and funky moves.

Next time my Valeter says he is tired I will remind him of his performance on 'Bike Night'.

Hopefully you would have seen the New Sportsters in the Dealership. If not and you and are excited to see how they look and ride, come and see us. Back to the '70s..

Looking to the future we have our Birthday Party coming up on May 19th and again you are all welcome, and can I just say in advance many thanks for the Chapter's assistance on the day.

May 24th is the second 'Bike Night' with the fantastic 'Bottle Kids' supplying the sounds; I must remember to book the weather.

Sunday June the 3rd is 'Ride Sunday' and hopefully the Dealership will be putting together a ride which unfortunately I won't be able to attend as I am at the TT. Then on June the 8th we have the 'Rebels Ride' show at the Grosvenor Casino in Reading, which is always a great event.

Come and join us or just say "Hi" at any of these days out, as we would love to see you.

Sue Moyler What year & Model?

2017 Softail Slim S Have you named your bike?

Of Course! She was Black Betty but this is popular for a black bike so I changed it to Bessie in deference to my lovely Mother in Law How long have you had her?

Since July last year What made you buy it?

Being ‘vertically challenged’, the Slim was a perfect size for me but still with the ‘look’ of my then ride, a Fat Boy. I was drawn to the Slim every time I went to the Dealership so it was only a matter of time! Then I saw the all black Slim S & I was finally persuaded to part with my beloved Fat Boy & I don’t regret it.

What Mods has she got?

So far: saddle bags, rack, tall sissy bar, engine bars & covers & a screen. Not forgetting the addition of Harley Dawg’ a present from a friend What Mods do you plan for the future?

I’m about to change the bars & mufflers (as she’s too quiet!), no other plans at the moment but I’m sure I’ll think of something J What do you especially like about her?

Everything! She’s perfect for me height wise but chunky & with plenty of poke, just love riding her.

Favourite Ride Out you’ve had on her It’s still early days on her but I would say the ladies Sparkle Tour; looking forward to the 2018 South East Tour with the lovely Jo in charge & our ride to Prague for the 115th Anniversary.

On previous bikes well, it has to be Route 66 on my Dyna Custom. Over 25 glorious years in the saddle (just received my 25 year HOG member patch) there have been many memorable rides & rallies at home & all over Europe; Rome, Ireland Bike Fest, Faaker See, One Day Run to name but a few & I look forward to many more.

Bike Night

Ride to Southampton Dealership’s Birthday Bash Whilst some were at the Cider Rally, some of us decided to head down to support the Southampton dealership’s birthday bash on Saturday 28th April.

We met at the BP fuel station on the A33, south of Reading as it can accommodate thirty plus bikes for a ride out. In the event it was a damp day (ok rainy) and numbers were slightly less with a total of five bikes and one trike made up of Jamie (leading), Robin, Nick, Rod and his better half, Alan (tail) and me at the back. (I do hope I haven’t missed anyone) After a quick coffee and ceremonial hopping around the forecourt trying to put waterproof trousers back on we set off for a scenic ride via Basingstoke, Overton and Stockbridge, then down through Romsey to Southampton.

Jamie decided to use the buddy system rather than second man drop off with so few bikes and got away with it, although Alan decided to do a very thorough job at the back and even checked out a dead end road in case Rod had got lost down there.

It wasn’t packed at Southampton Harley, maybe the rearranged Cider Rally affected the turnout but the rain had stopped, the band was good and there was the opportunity to get a hair cut, beard trim or tattoo if you fancied it. Their in-house café was busy, we queued for a coffee and a couple of the group ventured across the road to the golden arches in search of further sustenance.

After a good look round and a natter Nick remarked that we should go to the beach as we were so close – Southampton docks aren’t noted for the vast stretches of sand and after a brief discussion we decided that Hayling Island was the best option.

Rod had already done a runner and Robin suddenly remembered he was getting married this year and was supposed to be planning it (I think he’d told Jane he was only popping out for a paper) so he said he was heading off home. Nick (remember the beach was his idea) then said “oh in that case I’ll ride back with you” which left three of us to go for a paddle in the sea. As soon as we left the petrol station next to the dealership Alan’s brake lights decided to stay on so he headed off back to Reading.

This left just two of us to ignore the sensible option of calling it quits and going home and head off through the centre of Southampton (on match day) towards Hayling. After a few miles of filtering and having a ‘who has the loudest stereo’ competition we got to the motorway and continued to Hayling.

We parked up in the sun, had a coffee, took a selfie to prove we were there and headed off home.

A good day out and another couple of hundred miles on the clock.

Beers & Skittles April 14th saw the TV Massive gather at The Greyhound in Eton Wick, for a great evening of beer, banter and skittles. Fred laid on a great evening's entertainment.

Cider Rally 2018 Mostly, shamelessly ripped off of FaceBook