Chairman's Chatter

The next Club Committee Meeting will be on 23rd October at Pat Lloyd-Jacob's house. If anyone is interested in coming along to try out Pat's hospitality and to see how we do things with a view to volunteering to help us run the club please contact me.
One of the issues we will be discussing is club night. Some years ago we lost our long term club house and after a few other attempts settled for meeting at South Park. However, attendance's have slowly fallen off and we are considering meeting at a different pub each month. This will give us a chance to try out other venues perhaps with a view to choosing a new permanent one. If you have a great pub to suggest please let one of the committee know.

HOG Fenlanders Rally July 2002

Although camping is not our most favourite type of holiday in the UK, (because of the weather), Sue and I trusted to luck and took the fabled trailer out on its inaugural run at the end of July. The event was a four day HOG rally at Fakenham racecourse. As it happened the weather was absolutely lovely.

In the trailer I had managed to pack the usual stuff we take on the bike tent, sleeping bags, pump up mattress, clothes etc. But the trailer gave us enough extra room for a 6 metre hexagonal gazebo with fly screen sides, a table and two chairs, the biggest frying pan in the world for cooking breakfast, pots, pans, kettle, two stoves, some food, wine and of course lots of beer. I had found out that the camp site had outside power points so I also squeezed in a 500 watt flood light, a string of outside lights and an electric cool box.

I didn't actually weight the heavily loaded trailer, in case I found I had gone over the 150kg limit, but I must say it handled impeccably on the motorway as well as on the A and B roads on our route. I did notice having to brake a bit more heavily due to the extra weight. Also the momentum was a bit more going down hill and of course I had to accelerate a bit more going up hill. On the corners the extra load was no problem at all. It really is easy to forget the trailer doubles the length of the outfit. Oh, and you have to be careful not to park facing downhill into a curb as it can be difficult to move without uncoupling the trailer.

We took our time and no doubt because of that the fuel consumption was actually better with the trailer than when I ride solo! Overall we had a great time mostly because we were able to take some of the bare essential equipment so necessary when going back to basics and becoming one with nature.



Now I wonder if Sue would like an even bigger trailer like the one in the photo?
Steve Whitmore

Wales Trip

Peter Jenkins said to me one Thursday in September "I'm off at the weekend for a trip to Wales with some mates….. Errr, would you like to come?" Now, Harley Davidson's and tupperware torpedo's don't often get to go touring together but the weather forecast was good so I though why not? After informing Sue I was going away for the weekend and asking permission from work, (or was it the other way round), Friday night found me meeting up at Pete's with Mike Reeve and Pete's chum Tim. The four of us set off on the M25, M4 & A4 for Chippenham to stay overnight with Pete's pal Keith. The locals were very friendly and put on an impromptu fisticuffs prize fight to entertain us at Keith's local pub. Mike even found a local who wanted to sleep with him so much he couldn't say no, see the photograph.

Next day it was an early start to Merthyr Tydfil and the friendly Chaplin's hotel which the club has used before. It was nice to find free crossings for motorcycles across the bridge into Wales, (its about time the blighter's running the Dartford crossing saw sense and did the same!). The rest of Saturday was an absolute delight. We rode across the Brecon Beacons via Builth Wells up and across to Aberystwyth along some of the best roads in the country. Long sweeping bends without much traffic and lovely weather, what more could a motorcyclist want?

I managed to keep up with the rice burners most of the time and even shot off past them at one point only to see the speed camera almost too late. Luckily my HD does stop quite well now I've put a 6 mini-pot Billet brake and wider disc on the front. I even had time to spot two red kites circling overhead on the thermals. We had lunch on the seafront and on the road out of Aberystwyth I managed to get photos of Pete and Keith riding a curve, (its a Yankee expression). Then we rode back on a different route to the hotel taking a couple of breaks. At the end of the day after some 250 miles we were tired but very content with the days events.

Dinner in the hotel was very convivial and was complemented by watching the lovely scenery going into and out of a local bar. Later we amused the ladies in the pizza kitchen across the road from the hotel by making hilarious phone calls to entertain them. On Sunday morning it was a bit colder as we followed the "Heads of the valleys road". We paused to take a few more photos including one of me grinding away my foot boards where it almost looks like I had forgotten to put on my helmet! Then we crossed back into England and made it to Keith's in time to watch the F1 Grand Prix.

Thanks to Pete for arranging the weekend and for being kind enough to say I didn't hold you up too much!