Slim Girl loves her

FATTYINTERVIEW

NEW YEARS DAYPARADECHRISTMAS PRESENTRIDE

REMEMBRANCESUNDAY

CHRISTMAS PARTY

WINTER EDITION 2010

PUBLISHED by SURREY CHAPTER UK

Steve Whitmore07828 567957

Rob Every07802 787606 Mark Newman

Tony Fisher07515 488489

Bill Jones07747 786238

Dave Le Beau07739 530296

Dave HaimeOwen Miles

Sandy Kinnear Mark Newman

Andy Pearse Nick Woolgar

Ted Angiolini Steve Hutchinson

Trent Holmes Jane RobertsonJulie Palmer

07989 292777Annette Matthews Linda Redgate

Steve Hutchinson Greg Moon

David Russell Ralph Wilcox Mike Curran David Russell Steve Whitmore

Pete Cameron Vic Walker

Annette Matthews John Greener Sharon ThomasHelen Russell

07836 209290Melanie Every

07527 283462

Robert Hatfield Mick Curran

Dave Smith Simon Wood John Foster Anje Jenvey Anje Jenvey

George Gordon Brian Thomas Carol Jones Dan Jenvey Dan Jenvey

David Greenland Mick Brealey DESIGN & PRINTING

John Hedger Steve Whitmore StevO Whybrow

Owen Miles

SURREY CHAPTER UKC O N T A C T S

SURREY CHAPTER UKPO Box 273 Hampton TW12 3WN

www.surreychapteruk.orgDisclaimer: This publication is not connected in any way with, or endorsed by; The Harley-Davidson Motor Company® The Harley-Davidson Owners Group® HOG chapter #9084, or any of their affiliates. Any trademark or registered names, word, phrase or term is set forth for refer-ence purposes only.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYTo contact the director email

director@surreychapteruk.orgMembers Private Forum

http://forums.delphiforums.com/surreychapterPhoto Gallery

http://albums.phanfare.com/scuk

TORQUE 2009 3

type depressionest 3

DIRECTOR’S driveSteve Whitmore

Since the last edition of Torque we experienced the excitement of our first SCUK Christmas din-ner party at the Mandolay Hotel in Guildford and the Management Team were thinking we’d probably book the hotel again for 2010. How-ever, we are always on the look out for different and better venues and trying to get the best pos-sible value for our members’ money and after a lot of research and debate we have decided that we will be holding our party this year on Satur-day 11th December in the atmospheric Tithe Barn at the prestigious Mercure Burford Bridge Hotel at Boxhill. This is a truly lovely room, the hotel has a fantastic reputation for its food and we have struck a good deal on room prices. So please make a note in your diaries and organis-ers now so you don’t get double booked.

Hot on the heels of the party quite a few of us en-tered the London New Year’s Day parade, (well perhaps ‘hot’ isn’t quite the right word). Anyway, despite the cold start we all had a great time in the bright sunshine joining in with the American and British cheerleaders, bands and floats. While we were having fun entertaining the crowds the TV cameras were rolling and we found out later we were featured on several cable TV channels. So the next London New Year Parade is already pencilled in for our 2011 calendar.

Some other dates I’d like to mention are Dave Smith’s Easter egg ride on 4th April, the Start of Season party on 24th April, Hoggin’ The Thames

on behalf of Headley Court on 16th May, the SCUK Independence Day BBQ on 4th July and our General Meeting in Ripley on Friday 9th July. A list of the events for the next few months are printed in this magazine and the whole year’s schedule is available on our t’interweb site.

Also on the web site are details of our weekend and longer trips away to various parts of Europe. Some are already full or the final booking dates have past. However, there are still places avail-able on several trips and it would be most help-ful to the organisers if you can sign up as soon as possible to any you fancy. If you do not have internet access then copies of the information should be available at our club nights or by post if you send an A4 self-addressed envelope with a large letter stamp to our PO Box.

Members of the Road Crew have just been given new yellow arm bands. They will wear these on ride outs to identify them as Road Crew in case for some reason they have to overtake other members during a ride out. They have also been issued with new zip up high visibility yellow tab-ards as the old ones are getting shabby and the Velcro fasteners are wearing out. Trying to ride a motorcycle while a tabard is flapping in your face is definitely not to be recommended. The new tabards have the SCUK eagle logo on the front, “ROAD CREW” printed across the shoul-ders and our website address around the waist. In almost all European countries drivers, passen-gers, riders and pillions may be fined on the spot if they do not have a yellow tabard available to wear in case of a breakdown or emergency. Our SCUK tabards with the eagle logo, but without the “ROAD CREW” lettering, are available for purchase at £9 each from our merchandiser, Helen Russell. They not only act as an advertise-ment for our club they could save you from a fine and might even save your life, so I highly recom-mend you buy at least one each.

Steve Hutchinson is moving to South Africa to set up a new touring holiday business and has decided he must stand down from his position of Assistant Director. In the past Hutch was Editor of Torque magazine. I am sure I speak for all the members when I wish him the best of luck with his new life and with setting up his new business. He will be back in the UK from time to time and in-tends to fulfil his continuing Road Captain’s com-mitments during those visits.

I have every reason to be very grateful for Steve’s IT skills, his support and the sound advice he has always given me - whether I asked for it or not! I am very proud of the way Steve, Bill and I have worked together always putting the good of the club first ever since the Director’s election back in 2007. Steve will continue to be a valu-able member of the club and I’m very pleased he has agreed to take over from me as Forum Host. I am very pleased to say that Owen Miles has agreed to take over Hutch’s role as Assistant Director. Owen has been a member of the club for more years than I can remember; he has been Torque Editor, Road Captain, Snr. Road Captain and Safety Officer. He is always a contender for having led the most ride outs during the year and he wields an extraordinary BBQ fork as featured at Heron Lake last year. I am sure Owen will con-tinue in his usual enthusiastic manner to progress and promote our wonderful club and Bill Jones and I look forward to working closely with him. Owen becoming Assistant Director has provided the opportunity to make some other changes. I am very please to say that David Russell has tak-en on the role of Senior Road Captain and Mark Newman has become our new Road Skills and Safety Officer. The Road Team are also joined by Derek Melly and the returning Ray Matthews. On behalf of the members I’d like to take this opportunity to say many thanks to you and the other members of the Road Crew for giving up your time and talents to help our great club go onwards and upwards.

It has been a frustrating few months to say the least. I have only been out on my bike a handful of times as the weather has been so bad. As I write this the sun is actually shining and things are starting to look a bit more promising, so I have placed my order for a bacon roll at Newlands, and I am wheeling my bike out this afternoon for a bit of a spin. Even more frustrating is that due to the poor weather, there are very few planned ride outs. This means that we struggle for content for the magazine. So I would like to thank everyone who has gone out of their way to contribute to this issue. Without you there would be a few blank pages. My special thanks to Stevo (pisfat) Whybrow, who forced himself off the beach in Australia to do his bit and pull everything together for us. It’s a hard life eh?

For those of you that visit the Forum website you may have no-ticed there is a new area called ‘Torque Talk’. I will use this to com-municate anything around the Torque magazine to you. It could be a reminder about competitions, write ups, pictures I am looking for, asking for unusual or interesting articles etc. You can also start a new thread in this area around anything you want that has to do with the magazine. You will always get a response. So please check it out every time you log on.

The SCUK forum is a fantastic way of staying in touch with other members who you may not see for weeks or even months due to the bad weather, or just because you are unable to go on ride outs for a while. I remember that I had chatted to (Chelsea) Chris for quite a while and I hadn’t even met him. When I did eventually meet him it was like meeting an old friend. For those of you that do not have a user name for the forum please contact me and I will e-mail you the details of how to become a Delphi Forum member and then log on to the SCUK chat area. If you want to insert some graphics, have the facility to spell check and the use of various other functions on your posts then you will need to upgrade to Delphi Plus. So come on lets get the forum back up and running.

On a more personal note I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Jeff Fallon. I joined the club during the last year of Jeff’s Directorship. From the first day we met he warmly welcomed me and made me feel more part of a large family than part of a club. Jeff is a legend in his own right and will be missed by all that knew him.

Sharon

FROM THE FRONT DESK

TORQUE 2009 4 TORQUE 2009 4 TORQUE 2009 4

Bloody raining again. This was the first thought that passed through my mind as drew the curtains. Being helpful little souls, Manda & I were soon up and about, tying tinsel and bells onto the bike (in the bloody rain). Luckily Newland’s Corner is only 5 minutes down the road from us and as we had run out of milk, we raced along with the thought of a good brew with our chums. The tea was most welcome and so would our chums if they were there, but we had an amusing chat with a soggy, muddy King Charles. After a little while self doubt crept in, as the King Charles had said he had been up there for ages and not seen another Harley, so I called Dave Smith just to check that all was well, to be told “we are meeting at 10.45 you plonker”. We new that really but just wanted to enjoy a quiet cup of tea and a bacon buttie, dressed as snowmen (god, we felt silly on our own).

The sun came out and a large and merry group soon gathered. I will let Dave tell you all about the school part. However, I must add it brought a snowflake or two to my eye to see the look of joy on those kids/teachers/parents faces. I also apologise to everyone for starting off the rides around the playground, but I was trying to recruit a new member into the chapter and his wife said that she had not sat on a large chrome vibrator before. She is now hooked and the last I heard she was her nagging her husband to buy one (a Harley).

From the school we trundled off to The Bradbury Centre, Shepperton. Sadly they had a gastric bug again, and we were unable to go in again. They were very hospitable and laid on coffee and mince pies and allowed us to leer through the windows at the residents. Peter Skelton’s neighbour Yaz who joined us for the day, fell in love with a Red Setter that was also visiting and not allowed in. It made an interesting sight, seeing her trying to stuff a large dog into Peter’s pannier without him noticing.

From The Bradbury, a mass crowd of 5 rolled onto the Min-now pub in Weybridge, were they fed us well and we en-joyed good fellowship with the sun streaming into through the windows. At about four o’clock it was time to get the bill and hit the road. It was now bloody raining again!

A huge thanks to Dave Smith for organising the school trip and to all that attended, without whom it would not have been so much fun.

This is what Christmas is all about.

OwenSRC

Christmas Present Ride

New Years Day Parade

It was with total disbelief that we set off on New Years Day as to how cold it was, But we had agreed to meet Andy Dube and Bernie Vincent in Shepperton at 10.am. Two miles along the road at Fairoaks Airport we felt the front wheel go on the ice and nearly had to turn back for clean underwear. A careful and nervous ride to our first rendezvous followed.

Meeting point no.2 was at Warr’s Harley emporium just off the King’s Road. Now if anyone can tell me why it was named the King’s Rd and World’s End I will buy you pint at club night.Google answers do not count.Seventeen bikes, brave riders and partners met at this World famous dealership.Warr’s was founded on the Kings Road in 1924 by Captain Frederick James Warr, becoming an official Harley-Davidson dealer that same year. At the time the flagship of the Harley range was the ‘Silent Gray Fellow’ which would have cost a princely £85.In 1949 F.J’s son Fred Warr left the Royal Air Force and went to work for his father at the 611 Kings Road store. Although post war business was very tough, by the 1960’s Fred jnr had become Britain’s Harley-Davidson distributor.From those early days up to today, Warr’s has been synonymous with Harley-Davidson and is Europe’s oldest and certainly most successful Harley-Davidson dealership Group. In 2004 at a ceremony in California, Warr’s were honoured by the Harley-Da-vidson Motor Company for outstanding loyalty and dedication to the brand since 1924 - that’s over 80 years worth of Harley sales and service!Today Warr’s Harley-Davidson dealerships are still owned and operated by the Warr family and form a part of the Warr Group of companies.Fred snr’s grand-son, former motorcycle racer John Warr is Warr’s Managing Director. John is also chairman of the UK Harley-Davidson Dealers Association, director of both Chelsea & Fulham and Meridian Harley Owners Groups and a regular participant in the annual London to Brighton Pioneer Run riding his 1914 ‘Silent Gray Fellow’ Harley-Davidson.

It was at Warr’s that I found I had left the flask of coffee in the garage back at home, (bo--ox) with no loo’s available the girls amongst us were in trouble, (and me) as I have a bladder the size of a pea, so I am frequently told. Off to the parade we set for a short ride to The Hard Rock Café, where we all parked up and wandered off to find warm sustenance and have a look at the parade entrant’s. We felt sorry for the youngster’s on some of the floats as they were dressed in real skimpy clothes and were freezing cold. At exactly 1.30pm, as told by our illustrious leader we set off. Andy in his excitement was a good 25yards in front of everyone else and we had to put him on a leash.We are such a bunch of posers.

The crowd roared as we came past and we showed off.Too much showing off re-sulting in an up ended Harley. Now I am not supposed reveal who it was, so as not to cause embarrassment to the individual concerned.It was Pav.!!!!!!!!!!Now as we all know, Harley’s are air cooled, if you don’t move much and keep them running they get bloody hot, Melting wiring and boiling oil again, was a problem. My advice to anyone joining the parade next year is to turn off your engine when stationary. I have done this for two years and have not had any prob-lems with the Fat Boy. The route was lined all the way with thousands of cheering people hanging off lampposts and the many famous landmarks we passed on the two hour journey through central London.The parade was televised to Millions of people worldwide, we had good TV coverage as we rode into the main parade arena waving to the crowds, luckily Pav managed to keep it shiny side up for the cameras.

We all congregated outside the Houses of Parliament to don crash helmets and clothing for the ride home, the police were advised by parliamentary security that they were not happy with a bunch of bikers outside the House of Commons and we were asked to move on asap.We split up in our own directions home, but not before some overheating problems with a couple of the bikes, we bump started Andy’s, (the belt’s won’t snap). If the starter motors get too hot they sometimes will not work. I have this on good au-thority. A great day was had by all (even Pav ha ha ) It is the 25th New Year Day Parade next year, don’t miss it. We won’t.

Mick and Jackie Brealey

TORQUE 2009 6

Ride it RightCompetition

£50.00

We have a winner.

Tony Fisher led a motley crew to the Ride it Right event in Septem-ber, and we decided to have a competition and ask you to put a caption to this picture to try and win a not so paltry sum of £50.00

Here are some of the entries:

Just think if you eat and wash as much as me, we will all look the same! (Bernard Vincent) Michelin Man says: Come here guys, give me a hug, you look tired(Lindsey, Ian and Molly) “Michelle you can send your Minders home; that last mince pie has just blown your chances in the “Miss Harley” Beauty Pageant!”(Charley Harley)

Honestly. All I said was "Blow me."(Robin Howard) Michelin man, for when you’re nearly retired(Steve Varney) They are all good entries. However I feel the winner came from Peter Skelton who just about managed to keep it printable.

Conversation in whispered voices.

Ian What Andy

He’s got one hand on your shoulder and one on mine, yet my bums getting stroked!! Well done Peter, £50.00 will be winging its way to you.

We have a competition in every edition of Torque. All you have to do is enter to be in with a chance of winning the £50.00 prize. As the old saying goes,

You have to be in it to win it.

TORQUE 2009 7

Cheques please to Surrey Chapter UK, PO Box 273, Hampton, TW12 3WN.

Double Rooms with Breakfast £85; Tel: 01737 240125; mention SCUK party for preferential rate.

FOR SALEA couple of quality used bits up for grabs.

Jacket £300.00 ono

Panniers £50.00.

Liz Stanleigh-Turner Home 01243 789930 Mobile 07903433134.

Don't forget the £50.00T Shirt competition

See Annettes Behind the Helmet column for details. Be in it to win it.

TORQUE 2009 8

Many of you already know me but for those that don’t, I would like to say a big hello and I look forward to getting acquainted. I am an estate agent of 26 years service and currently live in Ri-pley with my very supportive and fantastically funny girlfriend, Manda. We love socialising, especially if this involves drinking and in my case eating as well. We have recently bought a bun-galow in the Surrey Hills, which is undergoing a major re-build; so if anyone wants to lend a hand or financially contribute, please let me know.

I have been a member of the chapter since May 1999 and bought my first Harley, a 883 Sportster Customer, from Dock-gate 20 at 3.30pm on the 15th March 1999, two hours after passing my test. I rode with a huge grin on my face, thinking that I was the coolest kid on the block back to Kingston upon Thames, were I was living at the time. This bike lasted all of 2 months before Stacey the slick salesman at Surrey H-D talked me into buying a Heritage Softail. I loved this bike and thought that I would stick with it for the rest of my days.

However, the best-laid plans and all that, returning badly hung over after the Chapter Christmas party in 2001, I popped into the dealership to buy a trouser belt. Wow! That CVO Wide Glide was just way to cool not to sit on. Bang, twenty grand later and still no trouser belt (they said that I would have to buy that separately). I was right, it was a seriously cool bike and I rode it for the next 3 years, through all seasons, all they way down to Barcelona, Venice and anywhere else the road took me. In total, I clocked up 18,000 miles before the winter salts started to knacker the chrome, despite meticulously washing it after every ride. So, it was time for a change again.

This time I thought that I would buy a donor bike and have a go at building a custom. I put a deposit down on an old Evo Fatboy and went off to plan the build but soon the niggle set in and it just did not feel right. I plucked up the courage to go and tell Paul Stevenson, Dealer Principle at Thames Valley H-D, that I had changed my mind. As soon as I walked through the door, he appeared out of his office like my old headmaster and said he wanted to have a word. Tail between my legs, I approached the bench but before I could get a word out, he said that he had removed my deposit from the Fatboy and had sold it to some-one else and instead had put my money on Dr Foxes’ customised Road King Custom, as he felt that it was much more my thing. “Great” I said, “lets have a look”. He replied that Neil Fox was still riding it and he didn’t have any pictures to show me but I was to trust his judgement. Hummmm, this is the same guy that sold me the CVO and wouldn’t chuck in the belt!!? Oh well, I am a laid back kind of a guy and went with it.

In the July a week before I was going on holiday, it was the monthly, Thursday night meet at Bar Vin, Horsham, where the big change over was to take place. Bear in mind, I still had not seen this bike or seen any pictures and I was about to hand over £15,000 and my beloved Wide Glide. It was a lovely summers evening with a great turnout, all those from the club that were there, were dying to see my reaction. I saw this awesome look-ing black bike with wide beach bars coming down the road. Paul was right, I loved it and still do to this day.

HAPPY DAYS My career with the Chapter, as previously stated, started in May 1999, under the Directorship of Albert Rappocelli and within the year, I had become a Road Marshall and editor. Al-bert had been running the chapter virtually single-handed for a number of years and had reached the point that he wanted to step down. Neil Hart took over as Director and I stupidly asked who was going to be the new Editor. The reply came that as I had asked, it was now my new role! There is a moral here!

The newsletter use to be called Flywheel and consisted of a few photocopied monochrome pages stabled together. I wanted to revamp it and make it something a bit special, so I thought up the new name Torque and evolved over the next 2½ years into a full colour magazine, before I passed over the editorship to Paul Churchward.

During my second year, I became a Road Marshall and started my ROSPA training at Lewis police station. By 2001 the club had yet another change of Director and Jeff Fallon took over and the Chapter and we grew from strength to strength, to be-come the biggest and most active in Europe, gaining us the #1 HOG award that year.

The chapter became independent in 2005 and in 2007, Steve Whitmore took over from Jeff as my fourth Chapter Director and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving under them all. I seem to recall that I became a Road Captain, sometime around 2004 and enjoyed this position up to the latter half of last year, when I was promoted to a Senior Road Captain and safety officer. I didn’t really get a chance to get my teeth into these roles, before I was kindly asked by Steve Whitmore to become Assistant Director, which means that I had to re-lease these positions to other members so as not to HOG all the limelight and more importantly enable me to give my full attention to becoming a worthy AD.

That brings you up to date and I look forward to serving you all and if you have any ideas that you feel will benefit the club, I will be delighted to assist in their promotion.

Owen

NEW Assistant Director

TORQUE 2009 9

Gone are those brilliant summer days of riding with the

wind in your face, your favourite cut off flapping like a flag on a windy porch as the sun bakes you a golden brown. The destination and ice cold beer are hours away but who cares as the miles disappear on a never ending road, it's just great being on my bike.

Then I wake up. Fark, it was only a dream. I live in England. My skin is white, my cut off I use to wipe the road grime off my pride and joy. Who wants a cold beer! Its just above freezing outside! The traffic jams and roadworks are the only never ending subject. Well at least I have a free pass to the Custom bike show somewhere deep in the heart of the Fatherland, Germany. Well guess what. It's Thursday night when I get this fantastic news of my win. We will be posting your winnings recorded first class mail tomorrow. What the fark!!! I head off tomorrow.

Now let me put you in the picture. Read local bike mag on a shitty arvo to kill a bit of time. See picture about Nick Gale going head to head with the German contender for a round of the World Biker Build Off in this custom bike show in Germany. I love the Germans, but they always seem to forget two world wars and one world cup. I did not put that down on my entry, as one has to be a bit careful of all this PC bullshit gone made thingy. Anyways so being a POM oops, Englishman, or should that have been from the republic of Great Britain, fark now I am digging a big hole. Where was I anyway! Oh yes, the entry, I tick go Nick Gale, stormtroop their arses.

I had put the competition entry in way back when the sun was still high behind the clouds of autumn at 8pm. Then I never heard a thing. So it's Thursday night and getting a bit of gear ready for this solo road trip. When I say gear, I do not mean drugs.

I set my course on my trusty sat nav. I hope it's not the same brand as the one used by Steve Hutch on our trip to the eastern bounds of western Europe a little time back. Shit!! If is I might just take a road map as back up or I might never get there, as suggested by our mister know-every-model-of-HD-ever-made Mr Platt.

Now if someone is going to all the trouble of a write up in well established biker mag, with a free give away to someone lucky, that being me, why could it not have been posted a little sooner. Twats.

The custom bike show was fantastic. My sat nav never let me down and I didn’t need to use my step back in time paper technology road atlas. Four halls full of quality custom Harleys and accessories to bleed your credit card dry. Ideas ideas, I am after all an ideas man, not to mention all the hot ladies dressed in very little, even though it was cold enough to freeze the nuts off a tractor outside. Girls, I am sure there were some hot lads milling around, now I come to think of it, there weren't. It was just babes, beer and bikes, Sorry. This show is well worth the drive and highly recommended. Next show some time early in December. Get there and see how well our German friends put metal together. Thank goodness they are part of the EU thing or the outcome might have been England three, Germany one, Shit I can’t say that. This PC thing drives me to drink. Speaking of, I think its time for another one. Tea that is.

Turns out the show is worth paying for after all.

StevO

Bad Salzuflen

Custom Bike Show

TORQUE 2009 10

Well this is the first time in four years that I was looking forward to the Christmas party, not because that I didn’t want to spend time with my chums in the previous years but because I was feeling well enough to enjoy it. Have

you noticed that law of Uncle Sodney, every Christmas or major event that you look forward to, you get a cold (man flu), stomach bug or other disabilitating ailment.This year we were going to try a new venue, The Mandalay Hotel, Guildford. It is in a great position, moments from the city centre and a ballroom large enough for everyone to stretch out, its own bar and dance floor. Those staying the night arrived early to take advantage of a bit of late Christmas shopping or early drinking. It was a cold, bright afternoon and after wobbling around the shops for an hour or so sourcing silly presents for our table, Manda & I stopped for some roasted chestnuts and hot mulled wine. Well it was Christmas time and we were feeling festive. Then back to our little dungeon room for a hot soak, more wine and present wrapping before the evenings festivities. Didn’t we all look smart, the ladies dressed in their best frocks and bling, accompanied by a troop of male Emperor penguins. It was more reminisant of a Masonic Ladies night but we soon put paid to that!

After cocktails, we took out places at a dozen or so tables of ten. This is when the frivolity started. It wasn’t long before the aerial bombardment of screeching balloons and salvo after salvo of party poppers started. Some seemed to have an even greater head start than us on the liquid and Mike threw of his cloak of accountant sensibility and blew up a huge phallic shaped balloon and started terrorising anyone within a ten yard radius (they say the quiet ones are the worst). Siobhan looked on in despair whilst the rest of us egged him on. It was time to exchange gifts and Manda was soon sporting a fine pair of Reindeer earrings and I became the proud owner of Churchill’s Christmas cousin to adorn my rear parcel shelf. I didn’t get to see all that was happening on the other tables but by the general volume of laughter, it seemed everyone was enjoying them-selves. However, most were keeping a keen eye of one table in particular, as we were all intrigued to see what Mick Brealey had got Keith, it was about 15’ long and looked like a small roll of carpet wrapped in festive paper. It turned out to be a whip aerial for his truck (which I am sure Keith

found preferential to a small roll of carpet).

The first course arrived and was quickly devoured, which was not my best idea, as there was a fairly long delay before my traditional Christmas roast arrived. One of the many advantages of going out with a petite 4’11” girlfriend is that she doesn’t eat very much. As my parents brought me up not to leave food on my plate and it has been said that Manda and I are joined at the hip, I took my parents instruction at face value and finished her dinner; come to think it, her desert as well!

Now a tip for the wise, don’t eat two Christmas dinners, drink three pints of larger, a bottle of red wine and still expect to strut like John Travolta. I did a far better impression of four-left trottered Pot Bellied pig in a dinner suit (straining). Well I decided it was better to be sociable and

chat, which also gave me more opportunity to drink.

Before we knew it the party was over, lights on, music off, tables cleared and whipped away! Those that still had a thirst to slate made our way up to the main hotel bar. Ummm, interesting, we were promised an exclusive area that seemed to have been high jacked by a disco and a Bollywood party was in full swing. There was an inter-

esting character, who seemed to be the guest of honour, he may have been some actor or something, judging by the many the girls at the party where squealing and flocking round him and the guys where lining up to shake his

hand. I must admit that he was quiet a cool Indian dude with his long flowing dark hair, beard and calm laidback man-nerism. To me, he looked more like a modern day Guru in jeans! It was hot, noisy and we felt like the overdressed parents

at a teenage prom, so after a quick pint and a chaser it was off to bed.

The following morning after a Weight watchers breakfast (that’s another story) it was off home to plan what rides we will be doing for the coming year over a glass or two of hairy dog.

Owen

TORQUE 2009 11

Well this is the first time in four years that I was looking forward to the Christmas party, not because that I didn’t want to spend time with my chums in the previous years but because I was feeling well enough to enjoy it. Have

you noticed that law of Uncle Sodney, every Christmas or major event that you look forward to, you get a cold (man flu), stomach bug or other disabilitating ailment.This year we were going to try a new venue, The Mandalay Hotel, Guildford. It is in a great position, moments from the city centre and a ballroom large enough for everyone to stretch out, its own bar and dance floor. Those staying the night arrived early to take advantage

of a bit of late Christmas shopping or early drinking. It was a cold, bright afternoon and after wobbling around the shops for an hour or so sourcing silly presents for our table, Manda & I stopped for some roasted chestnuts and hot mulled wine. Well it was Christmas time and we

were feeling festive. Then back to our little dungeon room for a hot soak, more wine and present wrapping before the evenings festivities. Didn’t we all look smart, the ladies dressed in their best frocks and bling, accompanied by a troop of male Emperor penguins. It was more reminisant of a Masonic Ladies night but we soon put paid to that!

After cocktails, we took out places at a dozen or so tables of ten. This is when the frivolity started. It wasn’t long before the aerial bombardment of screeching balloons and salvo after salvo of party poppers started. Some seemed to have an even greater head start than us on the liquid

and Mike threw of his cloak of accountant sensibility and blew up a huge phallic shaped balloon and started terrorising anyone within a ten yard radius (they say the quiet ones are the worst). Siobhan looked on in despair whilst the rest of us egged him on. It was time to exchange gifts and

Manda was soon sporting a fine pair of Reindeer earrings and I became the proud owner of Churchill’s Christmas cousin to adorn my rear parcel shelf. I didn’t get to see all that was happening on the other tables but by the general volume of laughter, it seemed everyone was enjoying them-selves. However, most were keeping a keen eye of one table in particular, as we were all intrigued to see what Mick Brealey had got Keith, it was

about 15’ long and looked like a small roll of carpet wrapped in festive paper. It turned out to be a whip aerial for his truck (which I am sure Keith found preferential to a small roll of carpet).

The first course arrived and was quickly devoured, which was not my best idea, as there was a fairly long delay before my traditional Christmas roast arrived. One of the many advantages of going out with a petite 4’11” girlfriend is that she doesn’t eat very much. As my parents brought me up not to leave food on my plate and it has been said that Manda and I are joined at the hip, I took my parents instruction at face value and finished her dinner; come to think it, her desert as well!

Now a tip for the wise, don’t eat two Christmas dinners, drink three pints of larger, a bottle of red wine and still expect to strut like John Travolta. I did a far better impression of four-left trottered Pot Bellied pig in a dinner suit (straining). Well I decided it was better to be sociable and

chat, which also gave me more opportunity to drink.

Before we knew it the party was over, lights on, music off, tables cleared and whipped away! Those that still had a thirst to slate made our way up to the main hotel bar. Ummm, interesting, we were promised an exclusive area that seemed to have been high jacked by a disco and a Bollywood party was in full swing. There was an inter-

esting character, who seemed to be the guest of honour, he may have been some actor or something, judging by the many the girls at the party where squealing and flocking round him and the guys where lining up to shake his

hand. I must admit that he was quiet a cool Indian dude with his long flowing dark hair, beard and calm laidback man-nerism. To me, he looked more like a modern day Guru in jeans! It was hot, noisy and we felt like the overdressed parents

at a teenage prom, so after a quick pint and a chaser it was off to bed.

The following morning after a Weight watchers breakfast (that’s another story) it was off home to plan what rides we will be doing for the coming year over a glass or two of hairy dog.

Owen

TORQUE 2009 12

WORDS from

GHOSTRIDER

Having written 4 articles under the pseudonym “Ghost Rider” I thought it maybe appropriate to ‘out myself’ since I have taken up the position

of “Road skills and Safety Officer” within the club. I will be primarily involved with the Road Crew, arranging Bikesafe, Scene Management Training and helping Marion Mantle with First Aid Training. Once this is completed I will be happy to assist other members who may be interested. I will be more than happy to help fellow members with tips and advice, practical, theoretical and legal.

GOING AROUND THE BEND!

Riding a motorcycle on a road without bends would be very dull, even on a Harley. So we need to make sure we know what to do and in what order to avoid ‘going agricultural’ Going into a bend too fast often results in hurried braking and your approach line being compromised putting you in danger. Reading the bend, assimilating the available information, getting your position right, travelling at the correct speed in the appropriate gear for that speed and accurate use of the throttle will ensure you negotiate the corner safely and correctly.

The following method is the cornerstone of advanced riding.

Information - Position - Speed - Gear - Acceleration

Information Phase On the approach to a corner or bend you should be constantly scanning the road for information, but specifically look for:

The traffic in front and behindThe road surface / weather conditionsThe severity of the bendThe limit point

CORNERING

Position Phase Adopting the correct position on the approach to a bend will maximise your ability to see and react to any hazard as they are presented to you. It is not always the case that the straightest line or ‘rac-ing line’ will the most appropriate as it will be dependant on other traffic. You need to put yourself in a position where you are least likely to come into conflict with other road users. Safety is the overriding consideration. It should be noted that when riding in a group, compromises have to be made in relation to the position you adopt because of the proximity of other riders in front and behind you.

Speed Phase The ability to read the bend is a skill we need to perfect. Reference is often made of the ‘limit point’ this can be best described as the point where the kerb on the right side of the road meets the kerb on the left side of the road. As you enter the bend at the correct speed the ‘limit point’ will move away from you until the road straightens out. If the bend is getting tighter and the ‘limit point’ stops moving or even starts to move toward you, then the bend is tightening up and you are going too fast!! This is when you start trying to grip the seat with your backside!!

Gear Phase Once you have adopted the correct speed, then you need to be in the most appropriate gear to match that speed. This is the gear that gives you the greatest flexibility. The condition of the road surface will influence your choice of speed and gear.

Acceleration Phase Open the throttle smoothly as you negotiate the bend. Providing there are no additional hazards, start to accelerate when the limit point begins to move away from you and you begin to bring the bike upright. You need to power the bike around the bend to maintain your speed as the centrifugal force and gravity will slow you down.

Ride Safe

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How it's Done

TORQUE 2009 13

Ever have one of those nearby days. Out on ya bike, Freezing cold, Hunger pangs. Road side diner, Bacon Butty, Two cups of tea, Twenty miles into No Wheres Ville. Rumble in tum tum.. Butty gone bad. tea overflowing. shit miles to Bogs Ville..... Just get to Bogs Ville. Way tooooo many bits of Quality Harley keep warm clobber on.. The rest is History...........

Boys will be boys!! As most of you know, I joined the club as a social member and for around a year enjoyed the pleasures of the road from the pillion. My focus was always on the scenery, taking lots of pictures, or leaning on Brians back snoozing on a really long run (and a few glasses of wine) Now, as a proud owner of my second Sportster and a regular rider, my focus is more on the bike or bikes in front, watching closely what they are doing and anticipating their moves to avoid any mishaps. It’s quite amazing when we are riding through a town or village, how I know the pace is going to slow down, or the riders in front will get distracted. More so during the summer months, and the girls walk-ing along the road are dressed in less than what I go to bed in (sorry Brian).

It’s really amusing when there are 10 bikes ahead of me and I see all the heads swing to the right, or swing to the left, depending on what side of the road the eye candy is walking. Some of them have obvious grins on their faces. Occasionally, I have to slow down to prevent running into the back of a bike. Or, another amusing one is that all of a sudden the throttles open up and the engines start roar-ing, so the eye candy will look up at them riding by. It makes me smile anyway.

You wouldn’t catch us Ladies of Harley ogling half dressed men on the road side now would you? Sharon Thomas

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Hi Boys, I love a man in nice tight leather, and those big Harleys. Ooh la la

TORQUE 2009 14

Name / Nickname?Jane Robertson

Age ? Mental age: TeenagerActual age: I’m a lady, it’s rude to ask

Name of your partner?James, though he does have a few other names I call him occasionally but they have been censored for the magazine.

Occupation?I had my own business for 17 years in Comms, but currently doing a GAP year. It’s difficult to get motivated for work while I have a Harley to ride, especially with spring just around the corner.

What was your first bike? My first bike was a BSA Bantam D10 in 1977

When did you get your first Harley and what made you choose it? My first Harley was a Dyna Low Rider in 2008. Jim’s first Harley was also a Low Rider and I loved it and after being a pillion for 2500 miles all the way to Italy and back I thought it were about time I got back on the front seat again and I love every moment of it.

What model do you ride now?I now ride a 2008 Fat boy and I don’t mean Jim

What do you like best about it?The best thing about my bike apart from riding her is she has no hand bags, has a beautiful rear end, sounds wicked and has lots of bling.

What do you hate about it?Only drawback cannot get ratted the night before a ride

What do your family and friends think about your ‘Harley Habit’They think it’s great. My son last year passed his bike test after hearing what fun we were having all the time.

Do you have any other hobbies?I have many interest, gardening and cycling are just a couple

What would be your dream holiday/rideTo spend 6 months riding across SE Asia but not on a Harley

How long have you been a member of SCUK and what posts have you held?I joined SCUK in 2007 and currently looking forward to working in my new capacity as a Road marshal

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on your Harley?Bumping into an old friend who also rides a fat boy. We had not seen each other for over 30 years. Hopefully, they will be another new mem-ber joining soon.

Who/what is your favourite artist/band and why?I enjoy all music and after seeing Tina Turner live last year: WOW!!! She is ‘Simply the best’.

What would you like to see SCUK do for members in the next 1-2 years? To see the club grow, and continue to be one of the best clubs around.

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TORQUE 2009 15

Annette MatthewsEHIND THE HELMET Ladies Officer ReportBI would like to welcome all new members and wish everyone a belated Happy New Year.

Our new seasons riding schedule is full of great rides , and super away weekends. Make sure you read up on the away trips itinerary to see what trips you want to do. This is the best way to meet other SCUK members. Then send off your deposit and book it up.

After all that snow and cold weather it got me thinking about riding in the cold weather and things we have to do to try and keep warm on the bikes. Wearing a pair of ladies tights under your leathers. That goes for the men too! Old favorites of course are thermal underwear they are super warm but quite bulky. If you really do a lot of cold weather rides the only thing to wear is the heated stuff. Most available on the internet or in decent motorcycle shops. Most will need to have a socket fitted on the battery to enable the rider and pillion to plug themselves in and out.

I started off with heated Harley grips on my Sportster which worked for three years quite well but not at high speeds. When I changed to my Heritage I had a new pair fitted witch sadly burnt out after a year. Harley said they could not repair them so they were a very expensive mistake. I then purchased heated clothing from the Birmingham bike show three years ago. I have a heated zip up fleece and inner gloves they are very good because they have an on/off switch believe it or not they do get too hot.

(The only drawback is when you get off the bike you tend to look like the Borg from Star Trek with all the leads and wires hanging from your arms). Sharon our editor was telling me her problems about getting the correct heated gear in her size. For men there are a great many heated clothing choices but not so much for the women. A few problems you might find can include the men’s small size are always very big across the shoulders. The women’s small can also be very tight. Anyway here are some of the names available on the internet. Be aware this will cost about £300.00 so ask around and make the right choice before you buy.

Klan

Storm Rider

Moto Brio.com

Gerbing

If anyone can recommend any others please let me know via email.The next problem us ladies have is helmet hair! So here are a few tips to stop us looking like a pin head when taking off our helmets. Wearing the neck tube or Buff over your head and neck helps to keep your hair in place. Cotton skull caps under the helmet are fine a full balaclava can get rather hot. Again, any feedback on what you do would be great so I can pass it on to other SCUK members.

Don’t forget to put” the start of season Party” date in you diary on Satur-day the 24th April .This year the theme will be Cowboys & Indians. Tee shirt competition please let me have those photos of tee - shirts ( The photo showing the back with the dealerships name showing) .

RIDE SAFE Annette Matthews

"COLD HANDS"

TORQUE 2009 16

On a very cold and dank morning, about a dozen bikes arrived at Newland’s, a respectable turn out for a rather unpromising day weather wise. Fortified with the usual brew and butties we headed off through Pyrford, Ottershaw, Chertsey and Staines to arrive at our final destination, the Royal Air Force Memorial at Englefield Green. (This year in plenty of time)!

This was a particularly poignant year with so many of our service personnel in active service and the sad losses that has entailed. The young cadets who were on parade that day, did their professional colleagues proud.

Remembrance Sunday Ride

The excellent service was lead was lead by a wonderful lady padre and everyone there seemed to be moved by her sermon.Julie, our secretary, laid a poppy wreath on behalf of SCUK and several members laid their own wreaths and observed their own personal remembrances.

After the service a few of us headed to the National Trust cafe at the gates of Runneymede for a welcome bowl of hot (ish) soup.

Manda

"Bikers Invade Grounds"STAMFORD BRIDGE

As the trail of bikes turned onto the main concourse of Stamford Bridge and we circled the stadium, the noise of the engines reverberating off the walls sounded as if it would have easily drowned out 42,000 cheering blues fans. But as a Fulham fan, perhaps I’m somewhat biased. Neverthe-less I, nor 15 others were not going to turn down an opportunity to tour this fantastic stadium and take a peek at the backstage areas not usually seen by the football fans.

We began by exploring the seemingly endless museum and seeing the surprisingly full trophy cabinet, as archived footage of momentous games was played around us. After smirking at the old fashioned boots and footballs, we made our way to the heart of The Bridge.As we entered the stadium and climbed the steps towards the seating area, the Surrey Chapter’s logo was suddenly illuminated across all of the advertising boards surrounding the pitch, a technical feat organised by Chris Frazer, the trip’s organiser.

We were given a guided tour of the stadium by a knowledgeable guide and after being taken to the press room and seeing where Chelsea’s manager Carlo Ancelotti frequently hangs his head in frustration, (sorry, but I did say I was a Fulham fan) we progressed into the changing rooms. The Away and Home changing rooms were incomparable, with barely enough room for our group to fit into the former. But a few metres down

the corridor, the Home changing room was built like a palace. The spa-cious room came complete with lockers with in-built air conditioning and ‘bling-box’, physio tables for sore players and even a couple of baths – which, we were dutifully informed, are only to be used by one player at a time due to stringent health and safety laws.

After walking through the tunnel and getting to stand pitch side, my mind wandered as I imagined myself playing on the hallowed turf and scor-ing a blinding goal in the dying minutes of a game. The grass looked like perfectly formed velvet and I was itching to run across it.

A quick stop into the box used by the W.A.G.S (wives and girlfriends of the players) and then onto gaze at the F.A. cup on display before the afternoon came to an end.

I left Stamford Bridge in awe of the stadium and the facilities on offer for the footballers but as we sped down Fulham Road, I smiled to myself know-ing that there’s only really one team in Fulham. Thank you once again to Chris and family for making it happen, Dave Russell for leading and Dave Le Beau for back marking.

ByAaron Moon.

TORQUE 2009 18

March

7th Sunday Horse Play in Essex Steve Whitmore

11th Thursday Club Night

14th Sunday Afghan Heros Ride (Wootton Bassett) George Gordon

14th Sunday Pioneer Run tbc

20th Saturday Foundry HD David Russell

April

4th Sunday Easter Egg Ride Dave Smith Knuckleheads

4th & 5th Sun - Mon Red Marley Hill Climb Bill Platt - Info Only

8th Thursday Club Night

11th Sunday SCUK Bike Safe (12 Places Only) Mark Newman

11th Sunday Dorking Boot Fair & Mystery Rideout Dave Russell Panheads

17th Saturday Juke Box Show Brighton Dave Smith Shovelheads

18th Sunday Ready to Ride Haslemere George Gordon Shovelheads

24th Saturday Start of Season Party Dan & Anje Jenvey

25th Sunday St Georges Day Ride tbc Evos

May

2nd Sunday Berkshire Aviation Museum George Gordon Knuckleheads

3rd Monday Darling Bugs of May Steve Whitmore Knuckleheads

6th to 9th Thur - Sun Euro-HOG Festival St Tropez Info Only

9th Sunday Sparrows Fart Owen Miles Panheads

7th to 10th Fri - Mon Hayling Island Rocks Dave Smith

13th Thursday Club Night

14th - 17th Fri - Mon Spring Fever Rally Bill Platt - Info Only

16th Sunday Headley Court Charity Event ALL RC Shovelheads

21st to 23rd Fri - Sun Trail Riding In Wales Steve Whitmore

23rd Sunday Zero She Flies on the Watercress Line Tony Fisher/Dave Lebeau Evos

29th to 31st Sat - Mon Belgium Waffle Mike Curran

30th Sunday Living Rain Forest Dave Greenland Knuckleheads

CLUB RIDE OUT SCHEDULE 2010

As we always try to be careful with the club’s money we decided to give free Loyalty patches only to full Rider Members on request. Social Mem-bers’ fees are completely taken up on their benefits such as Public Liabilty & Legal Insurance and as some of our rider members do not sponsor a Social Member we think it would be unfair to use their fees to cross-subsi-dise free patches for Social members. So although we would have liked to give Social Members free patches we feel we have to cover our costs by charging £4 each.

If you would like to claim your free Rider Member Loyalty patch then just see Merchandiser Helen Russell at club night or send a pre-stamped, self addressed envelope to 53 Kersey Drive, Selsdon Ridge, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 8SX and please enclose a note confirming the year you joined. If you would like to buy any Loyalty patches at £4.00 each please enclose a cheque payable to S.C.U.K.

Loyalty Patches

As SCUK approaches its glorious 20th anniversary next year the Man-agement Team thought it would be nice for the club to show its apprecia-tion of the members who have been with SCUK for many years. After much debate about who, how, what, when and the cost we have decided to start giving Rider Members a free 5 year, 10 year or 15 year ‘Loyalty’ patch; see the example photographs. We have had to consider an amaz-ing number of tricky issues raised by this seemingly simple initiative and below are some of our deliberations for your information.

The club’s records prior to 2007 are not really complete and if we don’t know someone’s date of joining then we will take on trust the date or year they tell us they joined. If someone had a year or more away from the club and then re-joined only their years of active membership will count. A Rider Member may add on any years they were a Social (Fam-ily) Member. People who are not currently Rider Members will not be given a free patch. Rider Members may purchase additional patches at £4.00 each. Social (Family) Membership has only been available for the last few years but many of these members have been associated with the club for much, much longer and so we decided to allow Social Members to wear whichever Loyalty Badge they consider appropriate. People who are not Rider or Social Members should not wear a Loyalty patch.

TORQUE 2009 19

Jeff Fallon26th October 1952 – 10th February 2010

Jeff joined Surrey Chapter UK, also at that time known as Surrey HOG, in 1996. The Dealer Principal was Simon Danckwerts and Albert Rapacioli was Chapter Director. At the end of 1999 Jeff was made a Road Marshal and in 2000 Albert appointed him a Road Captain. Alongside him in the road crew were some still familiar names such as Owen Miles, John Greener, Vic Wellard Walker and Steve Whit-more. In 2001 Paul Stevenson became the Dealer Principal, he appointed Neil Hart as Chapter Director and Jeff took on the job of Membership Secretary. When Neil Hart stood down in 2002 Paul appointed Jeff Chapter Director.

Jeff worked extremely hard on behalf of the club and kept the role of Membership Secretary. He also took on extra responsibilities such as Gallery Editor, Forum Editor and Webmaster. Things seemed to be going well and the club was expanding rapidly as Surrey HD became the No.1 Dealership in the UK. However, the Dealership began to experience hard times and stopped supporting SCUK financially and provided no more new members. It is widely known that as the Dealer Principals came and went rapidly, their relationship with the club went from bad to worse until eventually DP9, (as Jeff christened him), tried to sack the whole Committee. Jeff was then the right man in the right place at the right time. Thanks to his determined leadership we got through a very difficult couple of years and emerged as the very independent and financially sound SCUK we all know and love today.

In many ways Jeff was a larger than life character. He was full of fun as many of us will remember from the fancy dress parties and trips away like those he arranged to Sitges. He was also a great supporter of Albert’s Geezers of Harley movement which was started in response to the creation of Ladies of Harley. He liked nothing more than to see loads of people enjoying riding their bikes for events like Biffo’s Bash. Of course Jeff had his serious side as well. As Chapter Direc-tor he was privy to many of the members’ personal issues and supported them when he could through difficult times. He spent many hours in committee meetings over the years and during his tenure as Director SCUK we raised aver £30,000 for good causes. Jeff’s passing will leave a gap in all our lives and may he rest in peace. On behalf of all our members we offer our heart-felt condolences to his brother & sister, daughters Gemma and Nicola, Linda his ex-wife and his life partner SCUK member Vicky Brown.

Jeff Fallon26th October 1952 – 10th February 2010

SCUK Life MemberR.I.P