Tales From The Riverbank

Magazine of the Th ames Valley HOG Ch apter

2. Biker Gang

FEATURES

Your 2012 Chapter Committee

Don Wibberley

Pat Adams

Chapter Director

Assistant Director

director@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

assistantdirector@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Colin Wilkins

Sue Moyler

Chapter Treasurer

Chapter Secretary

treasurer@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

secretary@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

4. Start your engines Editor, Sadie Clarke

6. Words of Wibsdom In the Director’s Chair with Don Wibberley

8. Chapter Diva’s Ladies of Harley news and updates from Sue Brown

14. Get your motor running Activities and rideout calendar

10. Head out on the Highway New Forest Rideout

18. King of the Road Meet Spencer Clarke

22. Head out on the Highway Rideout to Hever Castle

24. Rallying Around South of England Rally 2012

28. Fines Pig

Barry Adams

Nick West

Activities Officer

Activities Officer

activities@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

activities@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Lee White

Fred Cotsford

FACEBOOK

VIDEOS ONLINE

Webmaster

Membership Officer

Stay in touch, visit our Facebook page facebook.com/groups/thamesvalleyhog

Chapter and other videos on our channel youtube.com/user/tvwebmaster1

webmaster@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

membership@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Brown

Shirley Churchill

Ladies of Harley

Merchandise

ladiesofharley@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

merchandise@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

“Bulldog” (Bernie)

Linda Friend

Photographer

Photographer

photographer@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

photographer@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Nij Jones

Sadie Clarke

Head Road Captain & Safety Officer

Editor & Photographer

safetyofficer@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

editor@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

16. Chapter Chatter

Who owes money this month?

General news and information

Hello folks and a warm welcome to your August club magazine.

Well thank goodness for a week or so of some nice weather at the end of July! That pesky jet stream finally decided to move north to where it should be and left the sunshine in its wake - giving us all a chance to get the Harley‟s out without the risk of a drowning or playing at constant shower dodging. It‟s not been entirely dry, but a minor improvement is always welcome!

It wasn‟t looking too promising for SOFER back in the middle of July and the organising committee‟s had to make the decision to cancel the Chapter Challenge due to a waterlogged field. But thankfully some sunshine and decent temperatures gave the ground chance to dry out enough to make camping a more bearable experience. And it stayed mostly dry for the weekend, just a few overnight/morning showers to dampen the occasion.

If you didn‟t make it to SOFER at the beginning of August then you missed a fantastic weekend.

There‟s a general write-up of the rally on pages 24-27 to give you an overview of what went on. I‟m sure everyone else that went will have their own version of events, what they got up to and personal experiences of the weekend.

As for the rally itself, thanks should go to all the members of the organising committee from the joint Chapters for all their hard work and efforts to make such a great event happen each year. Next year is SOFER‟s 10th year, so it promises to be even bigger and better than ever!

It‟s looking like the event is now starting to outgrow it‟s current home at Bisley. There were a few rumours that the organising committee are looking into possible new sites for the future. This is just rumour at the moment - I‟m sure Don will make any necessary announcements at the appropriate time, should this actually be true.

Get in touch with the Editor: Email editor@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Tell me what you want in YOUR club mag. All suggestions, ideas and contributions to TFTRB are always welcome!

Features In this month‟s issue you get the pleasure of reading all about my husband! He‟s has loads of bikes in a relatively short spell of riding and three Harley‟s already. And just last week he was looking again at yet another different one.

Hopefully his interview is still relevant by the time this magazine comes out and he hasn‟t gone and changed things all over again. One day he might actually get a bike and keep it, but I doubt that will be any time soon!

Get involved I‟m still on the hunt for more articles for the mag. I don‟t have much planned yet for the forthcoming issues so if you have anything you want to share then please get in touch. As I‟ve always said, you don‟t have to be good at writing as I can do all of that for you. You don‟t even need a computer - just come and talk to me and I‟ll sort out the rest. Alternatively, if you spot something amusing somewhere or find a good story that you think other members might like, then send it to me or let me know on club nights or at a rideout.

Birthdays Sue Brown celebrated her Birthday at the beginning of the month as did Tony Ferrier yesterday (15th August). Tomorrow night John Colyer reaches a milestone and where life begins (or so I‟m told!). Hope you have a fantastic day John. Next month there are Birthdays for Russell Lovelock on 3rd September and our own Chapter Secretary, Sue Moyler on the 15th. Best wishes to everyone mentioned and if anyone has been missed off, then apologies - it means that none of your friends or family bothered to ask for you to be included! LOL. If you do want to get a birthday or special occasion mentioned (either your own or someone else‟s) in the club mag then just let me know.

Keep it rubber side down!

Sadie

If you were at SOFER then you have probably already seen this, or saw the stall these were on.

If you weren't, then hopefully you‟ll appreciate the quite uncanny resemblance of these two characters to two very well known Chapter members...

Spot the difference!

And the source of much amusement was the fact that Clive brought a second tent to Sofer just for a single portaloo! That joke was to remain for the whole weekend and beyond - the inspiration behind the picture on the front cover of this magazine!

SOFER 2012 Another fantastic SOFER Rally, even with the problems the committee have had to deal with which included relocating the outdoor stage, the Ride in Bike Show, parking spaces for the large campers and camping pitches on to dryer areas, we seem to have pulled it off again this year.

As in previous years the site build started on Wednesday and takes two days of hard work putting it together ready for Friday.

This year was Pat‟s first year at organising the banding side of the operation for Friday and Saturday morning, you did a great job Pat, along with all the other members of Thames Valley who did there stints on the gate over the weekend, many thanks to you all.

Welcome to the August edition of Tales from the Riverbank.

Well that‟s another SOFER Rally been and gone and what a mental weekend it‟s been.

It will take most of us two or three days to get over this one!

Since July‟s club night Dave & Sue have organised the ride down to Burley in the New Forest. For a change we had a beautiful clear day with sunshine something we haven‟t seen much of lately, to ride down to Burley stopping at Stockbridge for tea and sticky buns on the way down.

Again nearly thirty bikes joined the ride from SportsAble which made the day even more enjoyable. Thanks Sue & Dave for a great day out.

Membership Our membership currently stands at 112 Full members and 60 Affiliated which is up on the previous month‟s totals with 76 attending our last club night.

Looking at the hundreds of photos in the galleries on the website, Friday & Saturday night in the ball room seems to have been the place to be, with many of you joining State of Quo with your own air guitars - well done guys you have should have been on stage with Quo! Our Saturday night Happy Hour was a great way to meet up with everybody and old friends for bit of a social, with drinks and nibbles, before venturing up to the Pavilion for Saturday nights entertainment and the firework display.

On Friday night I bumped into an exmember in the ballroom. He asked what the hell I had done to Thames Valley as he had never seen so many of our members enjoying themselves so much at a rally. I‟m glad we have moved on from those days.

I need to thank all of you who gave up your time over the weekend for the site build, banding and organising Thames Valley‟s area on the camping field. Without you Thames Valley and SOFER would not happen and we would not have the fun & good times together that we have on these weekends. Next year‟s SOFER will be a special event as it will be the 10th Anniversary - let‟s look forward to 2013!

Activities A date for your Calendars, this year‟s River Boat will be on the 24th November and will be our Christmas Party. The riverboat will sail from Windsor this year, more details to follow soon.

The 5th RTTW takes place 6th October.

Pre-registration is advised but not essential as we are organising our own ride to the National Arboretum through the Cotswolds and Warwick, rather than going with an organised ride of around 250 bikes from Cherwell Services.

We are still looking for ideas and events for rides during the later part of the year, if you have any thoughts, contact Nick and Barry.

That‟s it from me for this month.

Carry on riding safe and having fun - it’s the best!

Don Wibberley Director

Living the Dream!

I am sitting here writing just hours before taking my most exciting trip ever… to date that is.

As many of you will know Dave and I are off to America with a few fellow Chapter members on a road trip covering around 2,500 miles. I have been looking forward to it for so long and can’t believe it has come round so quickly.

If anyone had said to me four years ago that I would be riding across America on a Harley I would have thought they were totally bonkers! It just goes to show one of the benefits of joining a Chapter is meeting new friends and we have certainly done that.

Given that I have left it so late to write some words for the magazine I will keep it short. SoFER was just fantastic! It was great to see so many ladies on the LoH ride out on Friday evening. The sun was shining and the cup cakes and champers afterwards was very welcome.

I was joined on the ride by Fiona, who I believe was a LoH SoFER rally virgin! So well done Fiona for entering into the spirit and donning some red, white and blue.

Sadly Pat was unable to join the ride as her bike developed a problem, but it didn’t prevent her from joining in the celebrations.

Hope everyone has a great August. See you in September.

Happy riding!

Sue LOH rep ladiesofharley@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Thanks to Axel from Hogsback for some of the LoH pictures

Burley & Lymington Rideout. Sunday 22 August 2012

Dave does it again! This was yet another stunning route in fantastic weather, with a great turnout, all safely led by Dave Brown on only his second official rideout since his Road Captain’s training.

After so much disappointing weather over recent months, it was nice to finally see some decent spells of sunshine and a chance for everyone to get their bikes out and join a Chapter ride. Once again, Dave Brown attracted quite a gathering, with 25 bikes in total leaving SportsAble to head off down to Burley in the New Forest.

The first part of the journey was a short hop down the M4 to junction 11 to join the A33 towards Basingstoke. Just off the motorway, there was a rolling pick-up where 3 more bikes joined the group, taking the total for the day to 28.

The route bypassed around Basingstoke and its endless network of roundabouts - a good opportunity for Dave to test his drop-off skills as the group split in several places. But once out of the built-up area and onto meandering country A roads, the gaps were mostly closed up and the group were able to enjoy a trouble-free ride to the first stop of the day at Stockbridge.

There was just about enough space in front of the police station to squeeze 28 bikes in and then go disturb the rural population by invading their coffee shops and quaint little tea rooms! There was ample time to enjoy refreshments and a bite to eat, plus a quiet wander around the sleepy village and feed the hungry fish in the freshwater stream.

12.30 and time to head off again, down through Romsey and a quick fuel stop some 65 miles into the journey. At this point, Spencer discovered his rear light wasn’t working, but continued at the back of the pack in the hope of being able to run some repairs once at our destination.

Just as with his previous rideout, Dave picked a stunning scenic route and some lovely country roads as we ambled on towards the beautiful New Forest and the small town of Burley.

The fine weather brought out the day trippers and tourists and so it was a busy ride through the New Forest - not helped by the livestock freely roaming the countryside. But the loose cattle and ponies seemed largely unmoved by the rolling thunder of 28 Harley’s passing through, as if we were just a minor inconvenience in their pleasant rural world!

Once at Burley, an empty coach park provided our place to stop and time for Spencer to investigate his light problems. Sadly, he was not the only casualty as Pat was victim to a nail in the rear tyre, which was slowly deflating and ultimately ended her riding for the day. Her trip home was on the back of a trailer, but at least she was able to enjoy the lovely sunshine as she waited for recovery.

While everyone else went off to explore the pretty town of Burley, have lunch and enjoy some retail therapy, Spence and Sadie sped off to Southampton Harley Davidson for rear light repairs. Despite the parts department being closed, they were able to supply a new bulb and the problem was cured, much to Spence’s relief.

With rear light reassembled, they decided not to waste their day and head back south towards the coast to meet up with the others that had decided to make the trip to Lymington..

Being the start of the school summer holidays, the town was busy. With decent weather being such a rarity this year, a spell of sunshine and warmth meant that everyone had come out to enjoy the boats and an ice cream. Thames Valley Chapter were no exception! A few followed Dave and Sue from Burley and once parked up, enjoyed a nice stroll through the narrow cobbled streets and bustling shops.

Sadie and Spencer opted for a nice cold drink and ice cream while Nick found himself a spot to soak up a few rays! Some time later in the afternoon, everyone started making their own ways home after yet another stunning day out with the Chapter. Thanks go to Dave and his crew for all the organising, leading and marshalling - another job very well done. Bring on the next one!

Details correct at time of going to print. Check the website for updates and amendments: www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

AUGUST Amberley Harley Day Sunday 19th MEGAMeet at Popham Sunday 19th

AUGUST cont.

Harley Night Ace Cafe, 6pm Thursday 30th

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER cont.

OCTOBER cont.

III Rivers 10th Anniversary Rally SportsAble 10am, Ride to Norfolk Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd

Harley Night Ace Cafe, 6pm Thursday 25th

Harley Night Ace Cafe, 6pm Thursday 27th

NOVEMBER Remembrance Day Ride Sunday 11th

Brackley Festival of Motorcycling 9.30am SportsAble to Brackley Sunday 19th

Ride for your life HELI-BIKES at H-Cafe, 9am www.helibikes.co.uk/eventsnews.html Sunday 19th

Blazin Saddles New Forest Rally Seaview Holiday Park, Weymouth Friday 28th - Monday 1st (Oct)

Chapter Club Night SportsAble 7.30pm - 10pm Thursday 15th

Thunder in the Glens Aviemore, Scotland Friday 24th - Sunday 26th

Peak Riders Lightning Rally MFN Thunder Valley, Nottingham Friday 31st (Oct) - Sunday 2nd (Sept)

OCTOBER Ride to the Wall 4 9am SportsAble to Staffordshire Saturday 6th

Broom Farm Toy Run Windsor Legoland Windsor, 11am for 12 depart Sunday 21st

Harley Night With Warr‟s HD at the Ace Cafe Friday 24th

Brooklands “HOG” Day 9.30am SportsAble to Brooklands Sunday 9th

Poker Run Venue TBC, 7pm Wednesday 10th

Ace Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe & Covent Garden Rideout Meet old dealership Slough, 10.30am for 11am depart. Parking at Hard Rock & Covent Garden limited so you MUST REGISTER to come along Sunday 26th

Poker Run Venue TBC, 7pm Wednesday 12th

Chapter Club Night SportsAble 7.30pm - 10pm Thursday 18th

Chapter Club Night SportsAble 7.30pm - 10pm Thursday 20th

Hoggin the Bridge SportsAble to Chepstow Sunday 21st

Harley Day & Buell Bash With Warr‟s HD at the Ace Cafe Sunday 26th

Riverboat Xmas Bash Windsor. Details to follow Saturday 24th

DECEMBER Reading Toy Run SportsAble to Foster Wheeler for 1pm depart. Timings TBC Sunday 9th Chapter Club Night SportsAble 7.30pm - 10pm Thursday 20th

Congratulations to Bernie Bulldog and Nick West on completing their training and getting their Road Captain‟s Qualifications. Head Road Captain and Chapter Safety Officer, Nij Jones, presented them both with their Wings and hi-vis vests at the last Club Night.

Congratulations to you both - two great additions to our team!

This coming Sunday (19th), the club are taking a rideout to the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling, which is a charity event to celebrate all genres of motorbikes. There‟s loads going on throughout the day so well worth a visit. Tickets are £5 (under 16‟s free).

The ride will leave from SportsAble Maidenhead at 10am with pre-flight briefing at 0950. The ride is approximately 50 miles and will take in the lovely Chiltern Hills via High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Thame and Bicester. We should arrive at Brackley for around 11.40. Tony R will lead the ride with Bulldog tailing. There is no formal ride back but Tony will be happy to have some company on the ride home - details of which will be given on the day.

Sunday 19th August is a busy day for events. As well as Brackley Festival, there‟s also the Harley Day at Amberley Museum and Mega Meet in Popham Airfield (just west of Basingstoke). Check their websites for times and entry costs.

Bank Holiday weekend features a Harley Night on Friday 24th and then a Harley Day & Buell Bash on Sunday 26th, both at the Ace Cafe. See our club website for details

The next Poker Run will take place on Wednesday 12 September. At the time of going to print, the venue was still to be confirmed, so please make sure you check the website for details. Thanks to everyone that made it to The Pineapple in Dorney earlier this month.

Hopefully you‟re developing quite a decent poker hand by now!

Website & Forum

On Sunday 26th August, Bank Holiday weekend, we‟re planning a trip to Ace Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe & Covent Garden.

Meet at the old HD dealership in Slough at 10:30 for 11am departure. We will go to Ace Café first then leave Ace at about 12:30 pm to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch just after 1pm.

Then on to Covent Garden at about 3:30pm. The ride back is about 4:30 to 5pm, all dependent on weather of course. We will need to organise parking at Hard Rock and Covent Garden, so you MUST register to join this rideout. Sign up at club night or email activities@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk to reserve a place.

Numbers may be limited so places will be first come first served AFTER club night (the paper list gets priority!).

Don‟t forget to make use of our new website. Keep up to date with all the latest news and events and have your say by logging into the forum.

Club Night Dates (and Magazine contribution deadline dates) September 20th October 18th November 15th December 20th

(13th) (11th) (8th) (13th)

Nickname: Cue Ball Star Sign: Libra Home town (place of birth): Bracknell Currently living in: Still in Bracknell Significant other: My wife, Sadie Car you drive: I have a Fiesta that Sadie uses as she needs something reliable and safe for her daily commute. I use my Harley for work Favourite music: Rock Favourite TV: Sons of Anarchy, cycling, footy What you do for a living: Postman Pet hates: Late people and lazy people Claims to fame: I‟ve met David Jason and also Simon Williams (from Upstairs Downstairs) Hobbies (other than Harley): football, mountain biking, road cycling, movies, music, pub & socialising Ambition(s): To ride all of Route 66 and also ride all over the Alps

This month TFTRB talks to Spencer Clarke to find out a little bit more about his biking history, as well has the three Harley’s he’s owned in less than two years...

Tell us about your motorcycling history I don‟t really know what got me into motorbikes – I just woke up one morning and decided I wanted to get a bike licence. I passed my test in May 2001. I‟ve had quite a long list of bikes as I never keep them for very long – 6 months is about the average I think! Here goes...

Honda CRM 125 Suzuki Bandit 600 x 2 Yamaha FJR 1200 x 2 and an 1100 Suzuki Djebel 600 Scrambler x 2 Honda CBR 600 x 3 Kawasaki ZRX 1100 Kawasaki ZX9R and ZX7R Triumph Tiger 900 Yamaha TTR 250 Yamaha Banshee 350 Quad Yamaha FZR 1000

When did you first buy a Harley and what made you go for one in the first place?

I always wanted to have a Harley, but never thought I‟d ever really get one. After I sold my last Bandit, Sadie & I started looking again at bikes and we spotted a pair of Sportsters at The Motorbike Shop in North Camp. This was back in August 2010. I sat on a 1200R and loved it. It was a 2006 model in metallic blue with matt black engine. I didn‟t think I‟d get the finance on it, but when I applied, they came back with a deal and just 2 weeks later, the bike was mine. I picked it up in the worst torrential downpoor and rode it home, but I didn‟t care. I loved it. To date, that is the longest I‟ve ever owned a bike – 18 months.

What modifications did you do to it?

The bike only had 1600 miles on the clock when I got it and it was pretty much standard from the factory. So first thing was some loud pipes to make it sound more like it should do. I got some drag style end cans for it off Ebay. Next was a stage one, which Nij did for me and after that I just carried on doing loads to it. I think in the 18 months I had it, I put on at least 5 different sets and styles of exhaust – when I sold it I‟d put black exhaust wrap on with some loud chrome end cans. I also changed the seat and put sissy bar on, plus all the usual other accessories all over it. I liked the matt black so kept that theme on most of the bike with some nice chrome additions to finish it off.

Below: 2006 Sportster XL1200R – left with black wrap and chrome end cans, middle with badly fitting Hooker Rebels and right with Santee exhausts. Three of the 5 different sets & styles of exhaust.

Have you owned any others since that one and your current Harley?

Yes. After pressure from people to trade up and get on something bigger than a Sportster, I bought a 2002 Dyna Super Glide from Oxford HD. I got a good deal on my Sporty and got the Dyna at a decent price, so it seemed like the right thing to do – even though I had never ridden a big twin, nor taken the Dyna for a test ride! At first I really liked the Dyna and the extra power and smoothness it gave me. I even liked the massive apehangers it came with!

What changes did you make to the Dyna?

Again, I spent loads on doing things to the bike to make it how I wanted it. It already had a stage one and a Wide Glide front end fitted, but I had to change the pipes that were on it. I put some V&H slip-ons on, plus had a hypercharger fitted by Nij. I bought chrome engine casings, belt guards, grips and pegs. I changed the mirrors to some different ones, but didn‟t like them so went back to original Harley ones. Where the Sportster had gone through exhausts, the Dyna went through seats! I hated the one it came with, even though it was an expensive after market Harley leather seat. At great expense I put a brand new single seat on, but that eventually went and I went back to a double seat. I think in the end I bought and sold 5 seats in the time I had the Dyna.

Why did you change to a third different Harley?

I hated the Dyna by the time I got rid of it! I had issues with the clutch all the time, despite having a brand new heavy duty one fitted, plus new cable and I even changed the apehangers to fatboy bars to see if that cured the problems. In the end, I just couldn‟t get on with it. I also found the handling too much like hard work and I had no confidence in the bike at all – especially in the wet. By the time it went, I wished I hadn‟t traded my old Sportster for it. That bike was a mistake. I know people have Dyna‟s and they really love them, but they‟re just not for me and I wouldn‟t have another.

“I like the lifestyle that comes with owing a Harley and being part of the Chapter”

Tell us about your current Harley and what made you choose that particular model.

I‟d pretty much had enough when I decided the Dyna had to go and even considered not getting another Harley at all. But in truth, I like the lifestyle that comes with owing a Harley and being part of the Chapter. So I had a look around to see what I could afford. And I always liked the XR1200‟s – I nearly bought one from the old dealership in Slough instead of my first Sportster.

I decided to test ride one at Oxford HD and as soon as I rode away on it, I knew that was the bike for me. I almost bought their demo bike, but being a weekend, I had to wait a day or two for the decision on finance. In that time, I started shopping around for other models and was convinced by Sadie that I‟d be better off going for an older model and not getting myself stuck with unnecessary finance. I saw a bike in East Sussex and asked if they would consider a straight swap with my Dyna. The said yes and in the week and a half I had to wait before I could pick it up, me and Sadie took a ride down to the shop check it out, plus I wanted them to make sure they were happy to take my Dyna once they‟d seen it. The following week, we rode down there to pick it up – my black 2008 XR1200.

When did you first become part of Thames Valley HOG Chapter?

This is the first and only Chapter I‟ve been in. My brother-in-law (Andy Wayte) is a member and he told me about it and said we should join. And so here I am! Been a member about 16 months now.

Do you have any particular likes/dislikes/ memories from being part of the Chapter?

The people make the Chapter what it is I think.

It‟s nice to meet like-minded people and make friends. Plus the rideouts are a good opportunity to get out and go to new places. I‟ve been on some brilliant rideouts and have had some top days out – can‟t really pick out one in particular. I would always like to see more Sunday rideouts as I have to work most Saturdays. Glad to see there have been more this year, but unfortunately the weather has ruined most of them!

Test Test riding riding the the XR1200X XR1200X at at Oxford Oxford HD HD Any modifications to your current bike...

There wasn‟t really much done to this bike when I picked it up – apart from a nice set of Scorpion end cans. I‟ve since put a stage one kit on – Remus Powerizer and K&N air filter. I‟ve just changed the Scorpions for a set of ASBO‟s, plus put some other finishing touches on it. I have plans to do more with it – you never just buy a Harley and settle for what you have (yes, even the plastic ones! Lol)

How long do you anticipate owning a Harley for? Any plans to change model or buy an additional bike?

Until my first Sportster, I never kept a bike longer than 6 months. As I said before, that was the longest I ever kept a bike. The Dyna lasted only a few months, but fingers crossed, so far the XR1200 is doing well! I like this bike and can see me keeping it for quite a while.... unless a nice Vrod Muscle tempts me to move on!

What particular special memories do you have from any of your non-Chapter trips?

Of course, last year‟s trip around France I loved – not so much the first couple of days as it was just flat and the weather was rubbish. But when we got to Millau and then to the Alps it was really good. Some of the routes we rode were awesome and seeing a stage of the Tour de France was superb.

I‟ve been on a biking trip around Northern France many years ago with a mate and that was good fun. Other than that I‟d say probably my trips to the coast that I used to take on my own some years ago now. I‟d get up and head off most Sunday mornings for a cuppa and bacon sarnie by the sea somewhere and still be home before 11am!

Friday dawned - officially the start of the rally and any threat of showers seemed to have largely passed by as wave after wave of Harley Davidson‟s thundered into the venue - ably checked in and banded at the gate by our own Thames Valley volunteers.

The camping grounds slowly began to swell throughout the day. Attending Chapters claimed their spot for their arriving members to pitch their canvas, whilst others milled around grabbing every spare inch of ground to call home for the next two nights.

The 9th South of England Rally, 3rd-5th August 2012, Bisley National Shooting Ground, Surrey, England This year‟s South of England Rally once again attracted thousands of HOG members and their guests to the National Shooting Grounds at Bisley, for what proved to be yet another fantastic event and a huge success for the organising Chapters.

The Thames Valley Chapter certainly did their bit on both the organisation side and the partying side of the event. Our complete allocation of tickets was sold out in advance and there were plenty of willing volunteers ready to do their bit to make proceedings all run smoothly.

Thankfully the weather had seen some improvements in the week or so leading up to the rally, allowing the camping areas to dry out enough, ready for the masses planning to spend their rally nights under canvas.

Quite a few of the Thames Valley team pitched up at Bisley ahead of the official opening day to help with the site build. Most were able to stay on the Thursday night, ready for the rally-goers all arriving en masse at the gates on Friday. Lee (White) spent an uncomfortable Thursday night in his car - seemingly quite unimpressed by the noisy pipes and mice creating havoc in his cabin!

The afternoon provided a good opportunity for everyone to say hello and have a catch up on the latest news and gossip around the campsite. There was also plenty to look at in the traders village and lots of bargains to be had. It was nice to see Maidstone Harley Dealership with their merchandise, and a chat with their friendly staff resulted in an invitation to the Chapter to pay a visit - with the promise that Invicta would lay on a warm welcome with coffee and donuts. They‟re open Sunday‟s too, so perhaps a good opportunity for the activities officers to organise a rideout?

Friday afternoon was also the day for the Ladies of Harley Rideout. The theme this year being Diamond Jubilee presented a great chance to get all patriotic with red, white and blue - also quite appropriate during the London 2012 games and Team GB at their height of winning Gold medals! Pat had a problem with her bike, so the Thames Valley flag was flown by Sue B and Fiona, who dressed up brilliantly for the occasion (see pages 8 & 9). The rideout took in a nice route to Guildford Harley Davidson and back, with cakes and champagne all laid out for their return to Bisley.

The warm sunny evening provided a good opportunity for Chapter members to gather around the camp site and chill out with drinks and laughter. The barbecue was provided for those that wanted to cook their own food, whilst others went off for a meal or a curry before the serious fun began.

Saturday morning didn‟t see much improvement in the weather as most woke to gloomy clouds and showers. But the fresh air was probably welcome in helping to clear a few foggy heads after the previous night‟s exuberances. The weather didn‟t improve much until late morning, making any planned rideouts a rather damp affair. But brightness returned for the afternoon in perfect time for judging the weird and wonderful creations in the Ride in Show.

After folk had finished with their various arrangements for dinner it was time to gather for the Friday night entertainments back at the Pavillion. Once the bands outside had finished, attention turned to the ballroom inside and the main act of the night - State of Quo.

Even if you aren‟t a Status Quo fan, you couldn‟t help but enjoy the atmosphere, especially once Spencer climbed the front barrier to „conduct‟ the crowd. There was no shortage of drunken head-banging and air-guitars until the band concluded their set late into the night.

Friday night was a chilly night under canvas with heavy overnight rain, but hopefully most consumed enough alcohol so as not to notice too much!

As there was no Chapter Challenge to occupy everyone during the latter part of the day, it was left to the bands outside the Pavillion to provide the afternoon‟s entertainment until it was time to meet up back at the club gazebo on the camp site.

With no official barbecue provided by the Chapter this year, it was decided that instead of food, members would be treated to a „Happy Hour‟ of free drinks and Nibbles. Don brought the beer while Bernie D provided the musical entertainment (including fart machine).

Pat (Adams) decide to hold a best male bum contest, but we think it was just an excuse to go around having a good grope!

Trev was judged to be the lucky winner.

With so many Chapter members all gathered, it provided a great opportunity to get some new snapshots of all the girls and all the boys all together and Pat the chance to say a few words of thanks to Chapter Director, Don, for all his hard work over the recent months with the rally organising committee.

Once the free beer had mostly been consumed it was time to head back to the Pavillion for the rest of the evening‟s music.

We were treated to tunes from DJ Trigg until the Chillbillies came on stage at 9pm.

Most of the Chapter members grouped together in front of the Pavillion and were having a thoroughly good time drinking, dancing, laughing and socialising until the fireworks display began.

As always, the SOFER organisers delivered a fine display to celebrate the rally and another hugely successful event.

The remainder of the night was given over to more live music as the Chillbillies finished off a fine set, followed by the fabulous Katy Shotter in the ball room and DJ Rockin Rob Paston until the early hours of the morning.

When Sunday dawned it was time to think about packing up and heading home to face the post-rally blues that would inevitably follow. Huge thanks must go to all the organising Chapters and those on the organising Committee, plus all the staff and volunteers that make the whole event possible every year. Watch out for 2013 - it‟s the 10th Anniversary of the rally and it promises to be something extra special!

SOFER Clive for parading around in his boxers CJ for threatening the Editor - twice!

Doughnut for putting his jeans on too early Clive for joining in with Doughnut Spencer for saying “you can‟t beat a good gobblin” Clive for bringing a pee tent Fiona & Ian for bringing a gazebo just to park their bikes under Shirley for eating weed Doughnut for being unable to open the cool box and embarrassing the whole Chapter Clive for trying to blow up his airbed with the electric pump on suck not blow Clive for waking up half the campsite in the middle of the night Dave for being picky Stumpy for admitting he‟s not had a fine for a long time Sadie for using naughty language Doughnut & Dave for not noticing for over an hour that Trev was not there CJ & Doughnut for going to the toilet together, like a couple of women Doughnut for having pissy feet Pat A for confusing a Breville with a Dremel Barry for questioning why the photographer was taking a photograph Clive & Trev for locking their helmets to their bikes outside Sainsbury‟s and not having the key Lee for actually moving out from a chalet and into a tent Bernie D for giving Clive a beer shampoo Pat A for wearing her pants over her tights at the LOH Tea Party. Wonder Woman, or is it Blunder Woman?

Clive for falling over on the dance floor Gobby Dave for not having a very good aim!

He missed again - was that because he was pissed?

Offenders should pay up at the door please.

Some still have to pay for previous months too!

Million Mile Monday - two that got missed Don for leaving his tail man in the toilet at the fuel stop Sue B for following Frank and leading the pack the wrong way Last month Sue Dodds for not doing her waistcoat up and having it flapping around while she‟s riding Spencer for asking for credit for his fines Newbie Mike for being outside when Don introduced him at club night Doughnut for claiming ignorance to try and get out of all his existing fines Don for his wife winning his own raffle prize for him Don for pleading with Gopher not to grass him up