WedMas ter
Sausage time Thunder in the Glens
0 0 5 l a Coast
www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
September 2018
Ed Quarters Welcome to September's issue of the tales from the Riverbank. We are delighted that Thames Valley Chapter and HOG merchandise is now available at the Dealership. This means no more waiting for Clubnight to grab those pins and patches, just pop along to the Dealership and grab what you need. They are holding a comprehensive range of patches and pins including Chapter Top Rockers. I've not been able to ride recently due to a wrist injury (not that type!). Looking at the pages of the magazine, I can see I have been missing out on a lot of great rides. Make sure you check out the TV Times to catch the next Chapter events. I can't wait to get back out there and ride. If you can, grab the opportunity to rack up a few extra miles before Harleyween and the end of this season's mileage program. As always, a huge thank you to all who contributed to this magazine and not forgetting Ann, who every month, proof reads the magazine without credit or complaint. Ride safe and have fun! Andy Our very own "Three Wise Monkeys" to: ons rg.uk i s is o bm og. .uk r su alleyh gmag u o v o y nd ames w.tvh Se h w t w @ at tor edi pload u r O
Inside this issue Front cover
New Members Enroute to the wedding
Page 2
Ed Quarters
Page 4 - 6
Westie Writes
Page 7
HOG Bits
Page 8 - 9
Ladies of Harley
Page 10 - 11
WedMaster
Page 12 - 13
Summer Safety
Page 14 - 15
Convergence Rally
Page 16
TV Times
Page 17
Committee
Page 18
You can bank on us
Page 19
Bike Night
Page 20 - 23
Coastal 500 & Thunder in the Glens
Page 24 - 25
Sausage Time
Page 26 - 28
News from the Cloud
Page 29
Froxfield Fete
Page 30
Poker Night
Page 31
Selsey
Back cover
Clubnight
Welcome to the Chapter
Neil Robbins and Patricia Terry
Neil Robbins
Patricia Terry
Huge thanks to all who have sent copy in for this month's magazine: Lesley, Mac, Chris, Linda, Alan, Nick, Malc, Mike C, Nick E, Cilla, Robin, John, Tony F
Greetings all, How can it be September already? They say that time flies when you are having fun and I guess that is what happened to me this summer. Since I last wrote for the mag we have had our first summer cancellation due to weather. The Summer Surprise ride certainly lived up to its name, we were all surprised by the rapid and “flash-like” change in the weather which led to the cancellation. It is unlikely (due to the kind of event and preparation required) that we will be able to reschedule it for this year and we may have to have another go next year. The Convergence Rally at Cirencester’s Agricultural University was a great weekend. The accommodation was comfortable and good value, campers and RV owners had access to all of the onsite facilities and the food was very good. Entertainment and rides rounded off a really successful rally and a fun weekend. The site was slightly enhanced for our visit as a filmset for TV drama mini-series “Catherine of Aragon” had been erected in the main quad. We had a little rain over the weekend but it really didn’t dampen spirits much. There are rumblings about a repeat rally next year and if they do, you will want to take a close look. It is a really good venue with a well organised program that deserves a visit. The Super Sausage Cafe was the target of the first ride after last month’s Clubnight and what a day we had. A slight change of route due to last minute diversions took us through four counties, right past the Silverstone Circuit and through some really nice countryside. It was pretty busy when we arrived but they seemed to have a system which led to quick service which complimented the “better than average” cafe food. Then there was the Cheese & Chilli festival! I remember this one coming up at a committee meeting in the spring and to be honest as soon as I heard that we
would be supporting this event I was really looking forward to it. The event did not disappoint. The day was mostly dry and fairly warm (some slight drizzle on arrival cleared quickly). We had a good ride and parking right outside the main entrance (Well done Jamie,) and inside the event was packed with (mostly) related produce and goods. A couple of the more unusual add-ins were the Birds of Prey display and show and the human bar football game. The Chapter took full advantage of this and quickly recruited ten volunteers for a bit of fun. It was quite a show which attracted a supportive and excited crowd. Well done to the Thames Valley Massive for stepping up to represent the Chapter in this fun way. Some of our number took the ride up to Thunder In The Glens and a subset of those did the NC500 (North Coast 500 - a 500 mile ride over a few days in that part of the world). Early reports are that the rally was another roaring success and your committee are working on plans to put together a Thames Valley Chapter ride (or rides) to the rally next year. The weather played a positive part in the huge gathering at Reading Harley Davidson for their monthly bike night. Our sister Chapter Hogsback brought a ride in as did neighbouring, Nene Valley among others. As we stare down the barrel of the oncoming Autumn/Winter, let’s take a moment to thank Mike and his team for putting this event on each month. Staff at the dealership give up their time to make it possible and I, for one, really appreciate it! Thank you, Reading HD. A special thanks to Pat and Barry Adams for inviting Chapter members to join them at the growing Froxfield Summer Fete. Mike Connolly took an enthusiastic troop out via some stunning roads to join the festivities. Oxford Chapter also sent some riders out to boost the bike show which was won by Thames Valley member Charles Eve, on his rather fetching CVO ElectraGlide. The party games on the green were a bit like a mini “It’s a knockout” and a few of the lads from the Chapter stepped up to compete in the 3-legged race. Now my understanding is that the 3 legs are made up from 2 people tying a leg together but our guys decided to up the ante. See if you can spot the deliberate mistake here …
We have had trips out to the Wet & Wild centre in Oxford which have both been great fun. I made some new friends when they realised that they could get some serious airtime when launched from the airbag launcher by yours truly! The Watering Hole Cafe at the centre was a refreshing alternative to the nearby biker hangout, H Cafe. Thanks to Karen Watts for arranging the special rates and to Hayley for organising both rides. A good number of our lady riders are preparing to participate in this year Sparkle Tour. Pillions have been included this year in a specially arranged Twinkle Tour for this who want to participate and are not riding (yet!). We will bring you photos and a report next month. Check our calendar for upcoming events including our last Poker Run for 2018 and likely the Dealership’s last Bike night. We are planning a big Halloween (Harleyween) event at Reading Harley Davidson, so dust off those horror costumes and get ready for some fun. On the same day we will be taking your closing mileage for the local and national chapter challenge and to update your mileage on the HOG mileage program. There is still a possibility to join over forty Chapter members in the exodus to Holland for the 2019 Benelux Rally (Hogstock) at the end of May next year. Speak to Nick Ekendahl if you want more details to see if he can squeeze you in. It’s going to be EPIC! Plans are underway to bring you our second Valley Rally in 2019. If you would like to help, can offer some assistance during the build-up, or on the weekend itself (28th to 30th June 2019), please let Jamie or any of your volunteer committee know and we will be pleased to include you in the plans. In closing, I would like to wish you well and look forward to riding with you soon.
Keep the shiny side up! Nick
HOG Bits & Bobs Please join us for Harleyween on October 27 at the Dealership. Mike and his team are going large and are putting up prizes for best dressed. We will have a cake sale supporting Alexander Devine. Regardless of the weather please go large because that’s what theThames Valley massive do! We will also be taking your mileage for the Chapter mileage challenge. It doesn't matter how few miles you have managed, every little helps towards the Chapter totals. More details to follow but this one is not to be missed! Nick E, Activities. Images of Yesteryear. Do you know who this person is? Answers to editor@thamesvallehog.org.uk
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW WE HAD A GREAT TRIP TO ST POL. WEATHER FANTASTIC, BUT ON TRIP HOME AT 6 BELLS ROUNDABOUT DEREK RAN INTO THE BACK OF ME AND DID A LOT OF DAMAGE TO MY BIKE, BUT MORE IMPORTANT HE WAS THROWN OFF AND BROKE HIS LEFT ARM AND 6 RIBS HE IS IN BASINGSTOKE HOSPITAL FOR A FEW DAYS CAN YOU LET THE CHAPTER KNOW FOR ME CHEERS TREV. We wish you both a quick and full recovery.
Hi Ladies, I’m back!! Firstly – apologies for the lack of article last month. Love has been in the air this summer and I have been up to my eyeballs in sugar and spice and all things nice making wedding cakes for friends and Chapter members. I’ve enjoyed the challenge and variety of this year’s wedding cakes – decorations have included flames, flowers, edible sand, angelfish, a huge ginger Persian cat, writing in three languages and a cat litter tray complete with edible poop! I’m glad to be hanging up my apron for a little while, but I won’t be having much of a rest as we’ve so much planned over the next few months. As I write this, I am so excited that I have one week to go before departing on The Sparkle Tour South East. Wanting to take part in this weekend away was one of the reasons I decided to learn to ride as all of the pictures I saw and stories I heard from the ladies made it sound like a lot of fun was being had, and I wanted in on that! By the time you read this article, all of the Sparkle (and one Twinkle!) Tours simultaneously taking place across the UK would have sadly come to an end, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty written in next month’s magazine! So, what is our next big event? Blazing Big Top! Have you got your outfits ready? If the rally is anything like last year, it’s going to be a great weekend! I’m sure you’ve heard the music playing behind the room partition at the last couple of club nights as our ladies rehearse for the talent show. A big thank you to the ladies who have swapped their biker boots for dancing shoes, I’m sure we’ll have a blast on stage…and a celebratory drink after! On 27th October, Reading H-D will be hosting a Halloween event at the dealership. Whilst the details are still being worked out, there is one thing for definite I can share with you…CAKE! We’ll be holding a charity cake sale during the day, so please put the date in your
diaries and bring in your best (ghoulish optional) bakes and empty tummies. If you’d like to help out on the stall for part of the day, it’d be most welcome, so drop me a line. Our ladies weekend away to Camber Sands is creeping up and I’m sure you’ve seen the Facebook posts (or emails) whilst we make our preparations. Please keep an eye out for further communications from me as plans for the weekend develop. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, I’m happy to help. So, I wanted to round this month’s article up with something a bit different. As you may have heard, at the end of August, some of us went to see a show called ‘Forbidden Nights’. Basically, a load of pretty (not beardy bikers like we’re used to) guys showing us how many different ways there are of ripping off vests and trousers. There was something in the show that raised our eyebrows more than the dance routines and rippling muscles. Look who we spotted on stage…. Jason Mangru and Jason Compagno!
Well, that’s all folks for another month, see you soon!
Cilla Thames Valley LoH Officer
The WedMaster
Summer Safety Hi All, As I write this, the weather is still pretty good and I hope we can all continue to enjoy some warm and dry rides throughout September. Over the past couple of months, we’ve had some very hot days (by UK standards) and at times it has been very uncomfortable getting the bike gear on to get out and ride – once riding it has been perfect (apart from traffic jams where both the bike and rider get hot under the collar). This leads in to my topic this month on what to wear when out on the bikes – always a contentious subject I know, but I decided to go there anyway … When I was young (back in the old days) my all year biking gear consisted of jeans, a denim jacket and either DM boots or a pair of Converse. Plus, the compulsory helmet. I didn’t own gloves or waterproofs for the first 18 months of my biking career. In the summer the jacket stayed at home and it was jeans and a t-shirt. After 18 months or so I got given a pair of gloves (gauntlets) for Christmas and acquired a pair of Derri Boots and a waxed Belstaff Trial Master jacket – a fully kitted biker at last. We didn’t have any armour in our jackets or Kevlar lined jeans (not that I was aware of anyhow), that was still to be invented along with CBTs and rider training. Since my return to biking about six years or so back, I’ve always worn gloves, a proper jacket and decent boots – not sure why as all the law requires me to wear in the UK is a crash helmet (and probably underwear for the sake of public decency). I guess that when I bought a bike again I was more aware of the risks and my own mortality. Anyway, back to this summer – the weather has meant investing in a new pair of mesh summer gloves (CE marked for trips to the continent) and thanking Jo at Reading HD for selling me a textile jacket with removable panels to leave just the mesh with extra protection on the arms and shoulders etc. So why am I telling you all this? Well, on a number of Chapter Ride Outs I’ve seen people riding in vests, t-shirts, trainers, sandals and even shorts. HOG don’t dictate what you should be wearing but do advise Road Captains to suggest what might be appropriate and as Safety Officer it is my job to mention any concerns I
may have on safety issues. At the end of the day it is down to each of us to wear what we think is appropriate and make our own risk assessment before each ride – all I ask is that you each weigh up the risks and assess a case of gravel rash against a hot textile or leather jacket before making your decisions.
Remember, ride your own ride, be safe and enjoy it.
John Green Safety Officer.
Ultra Low Emission Zone To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be in place in central London from 8 April 2019. Most vehicles including cars and vans will need to meet new, tighter exhaust emission standards (ULEZ standards) or pay a daily charge to travel within the area of the ULEZ The ULEZ standards are: Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category) Motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category) Euro 3 ÂŁ12.50 per day. Enforcement of the ULEZ will be based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than the age. Generally speaking, ULEZ-compliant petrol cars are those registered after 2005. However cars that meet the ULEZ standards have been available since 2000. If you have a pre 2005 bike chances are you will have to pay! R Check to see if you will have to pay: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/vrm-checker-ulez
Tony Ferrier
Convergence Rally A Convergence; a noun; to meet at the same point. And that's exactly what happened in Cirencester at the Agricultural College, when Thames Valley, Hogsback, Oxford, Rolling Hills and New Forest Chapters met up. A great time was had by all. The accommodation looked like Roman Villas. (Cirencester being an old roman town). The LoH gathering was a great success and strawberries and Prosecco were lovely. Fun and games and chit chat all round. The ride out on Saturday was very well attended with over 70 bikes. The theme for Saturday evening was Hawaiian, thankyou to Cilla for all the Leis. The food over the three days was good and plentiful. Here's hoping we get to go again next year. P.S. Someone even managed to do their park run on Saturday morning!
Linda
Wednesday, 19 September 19:00 Club Night (Closed Event Members Only)
Saturday, 27 October 9:00 – 17:00 Harleyween / Mileage Program
Sunday, 23 September 09:00 A Pocket full of Rye – Esso Garage near Sportsable, for 09:30 depart.
Reading Harley Davidson Friday, 9 – Sunday 11 November
Thursday, 27 September 18:00 Reading Harley Davidson Bike Night
Ladies weekend away – Camber Sands Wednesday, 21 November
Friday, 28 – Sunday, 30 September Blazing Big Top
19:00 Club Night (Closed Event -
Saturday, 6 – Sunday, 7 October 08:00 Ride to the Wall – Esso Garage near Sportsable for 08:30 depart.
Saturday, 8 December
Sunday, 7 October National Motorcycle Museum – Visit on return from RTTW
Friday, 28 - Sunday, 30 June 2019
Wednesday, 10 October 18:30 Poker Night The Fox & Pheasant, Slough, SL2 4EZ
Please check the website for the latest on all rides.
Wednesday, 17 October 19:00 Club Night (Closed Event Members Only) Sunday, 21 October 9:00 Ride to Jacks Hill Cafe (Closed Event) Thursday, 25 October 18:00 Reading Harley Davidson Bike Night
Members Only)
Thames Valley Chapter Xmas Party
Thames Valley Rally
CLUB NIGHTS October 17th November 21st December 19th January 16th February 20th MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTION DEADLINES October 4th November 8th December 6th January 3rd February 7th
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
Chris Smith Membership
Mike Wilson Malcolm Poulter Dealer Principal Activities
https://www.facebook.com/ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Lesley Lederer Treasurer
John Green Safety Officer
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)@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
You Can Bank On Us Hello all, As you may have been aware we have had a lot of issues with our Paypal account this year. Because of this the account has now been closed, and you may have received an email to this effect if you have a regular payment set up to the club. At this point, the Committee have not set up a new Paypal account, but instead are going down the route of payments by bank transfer. This will mean that there are no deductions for admin fees from Paypal and also that we as a club are in total control of the money coming into the club’s banks account. We will have a card reader at club nights for people who want to make payments on the night, it is totally secure and there are no extra charges for the use of it. When making payments please put you Surname in the description along with a brief description of what the payment is for. I have listed below some useful abbreviations to help us to allocate payments correctly. Payment codes MEM MERCH VR XMAS HOGSTOCK
Membership renewal Merchandise Valley Rally payments Christmas Party Hogstock rally
Here are the bank details to which you should be making any payments to: Account details Thames Valley UK Chapter Sort code Account No
60-13-35 86837605
I hope that this will be of some use to you all.
Lesley Treasurer
Bike Night
North Coast 500 & on to Thunder in the Glens.
Sue & Malc Poulter, Jan & I were keen to go to Thunder in the Glens and ride the North Coast 500 in Scotland so this August we decided to combine the two into a biking holiday. Nearly two and a half thousand miles later we survived to tell the tale. We began with a couple of nights in Pickering, North Yorkshire and the North York Moors Railway beckoned on day two. Pickering to Whitby and famous fish & chips at the sea side, what a picturesque trip that was and the steam train was immaculate and very impressive. From Pickering we rode to Goathland on the moors which for those that don't know is where the majority of TV's Heatbeat was filmed, very pretty little village and we couldn't miss a photo opportunity outside Scripps garage. We rode on to Falkirk that day and visited the Falkirk wheel and the Kelpies. From Falkirk we rode west via Fort William and stayed not far short of a west coast ferry terminal called Mallaig. By now we have reached some stunning
scenery and this area in particular had some fantastic beaches with golden soft white sand and another famous railway, the Jacobite railway that runs through Glenfinnan (lovely scotch by the way.) On Friday 17th August we set off from our latest boozer and took the short ferry trip across to Skye, now the weather wasn't great at this stage and Sue in particular was suffering a bit on the ferry. We motored across the island and made our way to the dreaded Applecross Pass. It started so well the weather had dried up a bit it was calm so we set off. After about ten minutes we could see we were going to go into the clouds and they were quite angry. To be frank it was foul, you couldn't see more that twenty metres is was very cold although we were wrapped up, but we soldiered on and made to the village. I'm glad I can tick that one off, I bet it's great on a nice day but that day wasn't nice. We stopped in Gairloch that night had a great meal in a local hostelry and the following day had a drive around the area. Again, we found some lovely beaches and outstanding scenery. We had one more overnight stop and by this time we were right on the north eastern tip of the country. We made our way across the top and spent a couple of night in Thurso visiting the most northerly part of the UK at Dunnet Head and you could look across and see Scapa Flow.
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After Thurso it was on to Avimore basically, travelling down the east coast we decided to take the Nigg ferry, a highland ferry, across the Cromarty Firth to Cromerty hoping to see some dolphins or seals but nobody told them were coming. This ferry was tiny it was just about big enough for an estate car to drive on and reverse off. We had to ride on and turn around, it was a bit hairy but a good little adventure Sue & Jan were having kittens at this stage. We spent a couple of nights at Grantown-on-Spay about 12 miles outside Avimore, on the second day there we went on possibly the best days riding out of the lot. We rode down the A9 to Pitlochry which is all dual carriageway after lunch we rode east on the A924 towards Glenshee and north on past Balmoral through the Cairngorms back to Grantown, absolutely stunning!!! At Thunder in the Glens we were in one of the MacDonalds Hotels so a bit of luxury the rally
itself was awesome some 1500 bikes on the ride out on the Saturday, and that was very pretty route and you could see bikes meandering their way across the glen seemingly for miles. We bumped into Mike Connolly, Ralph Ward, John Colyer, Alan Miles, Alan Parry and his wife Julie and I think everyone had a good time. My tip for next year would be don't forget the water proofs or the mosquito repellant, we got very wet a few times and dive bombed by the little suckers, but was worth it. Your roving reporter
Chris Smith
Dealerships Of The World West Coast Harley-Davidson - Glasgow. Absolutley huge place but closed on a Monday. Alan Miles still dropped in on the way back from Thunder In The Glens to grab us this shot of a Dealership in a highly exotic location.
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Sausage Time. The TV Massive visit the Super Sausage Cafe and sample the fine fare on offer.
News from the Cloud Dear Fellow Riders, As you know, Jane and I got married in early August. What an incredible few months leading up to and including the wedding day! Jane and I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the Chapter members that took part and ensured I arrived into wedded life in style. In particular: The Lads Weekend/Stag Do: Thank you to everyone who organised and took part - it was epic, even having to wear the tutu in public and taking Flossy the Sheep everywhere. She still survives to this day. To those club members that had me stopped at customs for a “search” with a Customs official sporting a very menacing blue gloved hand. To those members that filled my luggage with glitter whilst another member distracted me. I was wearing glitter for days! Our cat joined in when I got home as she jumped into the case before I had a chance to hoover the damn thing out. Result? We had a glittery cat for a few days. The escort ride to the venue on the wedding day - thank you Jamie for organising and those who took part. We’re touched so many friends and riders turned out! You guys were a big hit with our wedding families, guests and the Indian Dhol (drum) performers.
Mark and Cilla for the incredible wedding cake and cupcakes. Our families asked us to pass on their thanks to the Chapter. My parents in particular loved the escort ride. And of course, all those that passed on their best wishes and luck. Thank you all again. And so, to business... Valley Rally 2019 Ticket Pre-Registration Available NOW With Valley Rally 2019 in the works I’m taking the opportunity to review our current website offering and background IT systems. As a result, you can register for tickets for Valley Rally 2019 NOW. You’ll receive an email confirmation and we’ll contact you when tickets are released. We’ve already received registrations from other Chapters so head on over to https://www.thamesvalleyrally.co.uk to register. We’re pleased to announce some exciting new features arriving this Autumn on the Chapter and Valley Rally websites which I’d like to share with you. Here are the headlines: Upload your photos straight to the Chapter or Valley Rally websites Banner exchange and advertising
Photo Uploading Being tested right is the ability to upload YOUR photos from your phone, tablet or PC straight to the Chapter or Valley Rally website. This can be done from wherever you have an internet connection. For example, you could be attending Valley Rally 2019 and upload your photos to the website whilst you’re at the event! As with all new web and phone app we provide, training and help will be available at Reading HD after launch. We’re hoping that your content will complement the already amazing job that our photographers provide for the Chapter. The photographers are integral to this process in that they’ll be reviewing and arranging your photos into suitable galleries as well as taking our more official photos.
Banner Exchange and Advertising A website banner is an image that advertises another website and clicking on the image will take you that website. In return, they must feature our Chapter banner in a similar fashion. Apart from the benefits of “cross advertising”’, both websites are helped in appearing more prominently in search engines such as Google and Bing. We’ll carefully choose selected websites approved by the Committee and place the banners in a non-intrusive area. And we promise, there will be no annoying pop-ups! As always, please contact me if you have comments or suggestions at webmaster@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Ride safe!
Robin
Froxfield Summer Fete The weather set fair and it felt like Summer had returned on Saturday 1st September. What better than a lovely ride from Reading HD to visit the Froxfield fete organised by Pat and Barry Adams. Ten bikes started out from the Dealership and enjoyed a twisty route through Goring and Wantage, passing through Hungerford and ending in Froxfield. Nick West joined us at the fete and adding Pat and Barry's Harleys meant we had thirteen bikes in the static display. Not surprising that TVHog won "Best Bike" (Oxford did have seven bikes in the display). However Thames Valley didn't take the honours in the 3-legged race, wheel barrow race or tug-o-war. Well you can't win everything. Lead was Mike Connolly and tail was Ralph Ward and "Elmo" (pictured) aka Alan Miles
Mike C
Poker Night What a way to spend your 48th wedding anniversary, with great friends at a lovely pub so close to home. The Bird in Hand at Knowl Hill, newly renovated and with lovely choices on the menu. Poker cards being drawn and noted.
Linda
Selsey