Page 1 The newsletter of the Essex Crusaders, Centre 19, Virago Star Owners Club. March 2013 Issue 206 Contents: 1. C19 Meeting Dates. 2. Rep’s Rambling, Theme night, Wanted. 3. Hot tips from Cougar 4. Membership renewal form 5. Photos 6 First aid for bikers 7/8. Some interesting stats. 8/9. Merchandise 10. Dance flyer 11/12. Ride out list 2013 12/13/14. Military & Flying machines 14. From the Editor. Centre 19 meeting’s dates: March North meeting. 8 pm Monday 4 th March 2013. The Anchor, Upper Street, Stratford St. Mary, CO7 6LW. South meeting. 8pm Monday 18 th March 2013. The Rettendon Bell, Rettendon Common, Main Road, CM38DY April North meeting. 8 pm Monday 8 th April 2013. The Anchor, Upper Street, Stratford St. Mary, CO7 6LW. South meeting. 8pm Monday 15 th April 2013. The Rettendon Bell, Rettendon Common, Main Road, CM38DY
Transcript
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The newsletter of the Essex Crusaders, Centre 19, Virago Star Owners Club. March 2013 Issue 206 Contents:
3. Hot tips from Cougar 4. Membership renewal form
5. Photos 6 First aid for bikers
7/8. Some interesting stats. 8/9. Merchandise
10. Dance flyer 11/12. Ride out list 2013
12/13/14. Military & Flying machines 14. From the Editor.
Centre 19 meeting’s dates: March
North meeting. 8 pm Monday 4th March 2013. The Anchor, Upper Street, Stratford St. Mary, CO7 6LW.
South meeting. 8pm Monday 18th March 2013. The Rettendon Bell, Rettendon Common, Main Road, CM38DY April North meeting. 8 pm Monday 8th April 2013. The Anchor, Upper Street, Stratford St. Mary, CO7 6LW.
South meeting.
8pm Monday 15th April 2013. The Rettendon Bell, Rettendon Common, Main Road, CM38DY
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Rep’s RamblingRep’s RamblingRep’s RamblingRep’s Rambling Hi everybody, I hope you’re all getting ready for the season ahead, bikes all serviced and clean, not that they stay that way for long. Well I have done my first North and South meetings, which went down well, with an amazing turn out at the last meet at the Bell in South Woodham, with 27 of you turning out including our new member Kevin, he couldn’t have got a warmer welcome, welcome back Stuart as an associate, who was a member 5 years ago. Thanks were given to Roger the barman, who said we were always welcome back if things don’t turn out as hoped. I look forward to seeing you all at the new venue, and don’t forget food can be ordered before 20:30. As there are some new bikes how about getting those photos to Bob and updating the member’s bike gallery Ride safe out there. Bruce
Theme night.Theme night.Theme night.Theme night. Jane, who is the landlady at The Anchor, Stratford St Mary has asked if we would like to have a ‘ theme ‘ night at the pub, the theme would be food based and can be anything from an American night ( burgers, steaks, hot dogs etc ) Italian ( ravioli, spaghetti, pasta etc, )bangers and mash, Chinese , or whatever theme people would think is suitable, it can be on a meeting night or another night to suit, maybe a week end, please let Bruce or either of the Deputy reps know if there is any interest. Anything with food sounds good to me.
Wanted.Wanted.Wanted.Wanted.
Screen to fit an 1100 Virago, as I had a coming together with the existing screen, oops. Tel Tony or Dayle 01255 507524 Thanks.
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Hot Tips Hot Tips Hot Tips Hot Tips from Cougar. from Cougar. from Cougar. from Cougar.
For those of you that fancy some cold weather riding in comparative comfort. Check out http://www.maplin.co.uk/ Heated gloves £12.49, heated insoles £12.49, heated jacket £24.99 and heated gilet £19.99. All powered by batteries. I have recently tried the gloves, each one powered by 3 AA batteries. Let me just say that on a recent trip to Boreham my hands were warm and the weather was such that no-one else turned up! It seemed like it was trying to snow, but that might have been my imagination. The battery life is approx 2 hours, and try to remember to switch them off. Try the gloves on with your m/c jacket because they are bulky and you may not get them over your jacket cuffs. Maplins also had a bogof offer with their re-chargeable batteries. If not try 7dayshop.com, for both batteries and chargers + lots of other goodies. Also worth checking out two other sites for their occasional offers of motorcycle clothing and or skiwear. http://www.lidl.co.uk/ and http://www.aldi.co.uk/. I can recommend the long ski socks that come up to the knee........very cosy.
Generally speaking I try and get out as often as I can during the winter, providing the weather is dry. The maximum number of layers that I have worn on the body is eight, yes eight! With 4 or 5 layers on the lower legs and 3 on the upper legs. I reckon I could squeeze another layer on the legs if I needed to, but I've never been cold enough to want to try.
Downsides It usually means giving the bike a quick wash afterwards if it seems the roads have been salted. Your usual cafes can be closed. Watch out for damp, greasy roads.......it's very easy to fishtail, even just changing down a gear. Which can be exciting !!
Upsides Usually there is less traffic around. You get to try different eating places. (Checkout the cafe at the entrance to the pier in Walton on the Naze) Breakfasts taste so much better. Enjoy your riding
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Virago Star Owners Club POSTAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION & RENEWAL
(Please print out this form using the button below)
Personal Details Name : __________________________________________________________________________________________
Please indicate to which VSOC Centre you would like to belong to (one only please).
Centre 1 - Scotland Centre 12 - Thames Valley
Centre 2 - Ireland Centre 13 - North London
Centre 3 - Staffordshire & N. Wales Centre 14 - South London & Surrey
Centre 4 - Northumberland & Durham Centre 15 - Kent & East Sussex
Centre 5 - Yorkshire & Humberside Centre 16 - Solent
Centre 6 - Northwest & Cumbria Centre 17 - South West
Centre 7 - South Wales Centre 18 - Devon & Cornwall
Centre 8 - West Midlands Centre 19 - Essex
Centre 9 - East Midlands Centre 20 - Offshore
Centre 10 - East Anglia
I agree to abide by the rules and constitution of the VSOC
Signed __________________________________________ Dated ________________
Postal Membership fees (Please tick appropriate box):
Full year (1st April to 31
st March)
£17.50 plus £9.00 joining fee = £26.50 Six months (1
st Oct to 31
st March only)
£8.75 plus £9.00 joining fee = £17.75
Renewals: Postal Subscriptions for the year ending 31st March 2012 remain at £17.50 A 'late renewal' fee of £5.00 applies after April 30th.
Any member not renewing by 31st May will be considered to have left the club and will have to Rejoin.
Make cheques payable to the Virago Star Owners Club. Please send to:
M. Bland, Virago Star Owners Club, PO Box 188, Cleckheaton. BD19 9AA
Remember that you do not have to leave the VSOC if you choose to sell your Virago or Star bike ONCE A MEMBER, ALWAYS A MEMBER!
Page 5 Dayle looking as pleased as punch on her recently purchased Virago 1000cc Gold
And Tony’s Virago 1100, re modelled in Medic style, you wont get much in those bags mister !!
Just goes to show that it is never too early to get kids/grand kids on to two wheels , He got stopped for not wearing a crash helmet.!!
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Some Interesting stats here Motorcyclists over the age of 60 are three times more likely to be hospitalised after a crash than younger bikers, a US study suggests. The report in the journal Injury Prevention found that serious chest and rib cage fractures were very common. The authors suggest that reduced bone strength in older adults and their ability to buy more powerful bikes may play a part. Motorbike groups in the UK say they have seen similar trends. Nich Brown, from the Motorcycle Action Group, said: "The number of older motorcyclists in Britain has risen over the past decade - as has the number being injured. Although the numbers are much smaller than the US, the proportion of injury in each age group is similar. "As well as an ageing population, the popularity of motorcycling among older riders with the time and cash to spend means more are returning to biking or taking it up for the first time - for the most part quite safely." The study analysed data between 2001 and 2008 from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) which collects information from 100 US hospitals which have an A&E. During this period about 1.5 million adults over the age of 20 needed emergency treatment due to a motorcycle crash. Bikers over the age of 60 were three times more likely to be admitted to hospital compared with those in their 20s and 30s - and two-and-a-half times more likely to sustain a serious injury. The authors of the study said: "The greater severity of injuries among older adults may be due to the physiological changes that occur as the body ages, bone strength decreases, fat distribution may change and there is a decrease in the elasticity of the chest wall. "Other factors such as a delayed reaction time, altered balance and worsening vision may also make older adults more prone to crashing." They point out that underlying illnesses like cardiac disease, hypertension and diabetes may also increase the rise of complications.
'Keep skills up' Data on motorbike size was not available to the researchers, but they suggested that older adults were more likely to buy bikes with larger engines - leading to more severe injuries.
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Upper body fractures were more common in older adults while arm, shoulder, and hand fractures were more likely in those that were younger. This may be due to their faster reaction times - sticking their arms out to protect their fall, suggests Chris Hodder from the British Motorcyclists Federation. He said: "There are fewer accidents here in the UK than the US - we've had a good rider training programme over the last 40-50 years - while in the US training has been a mixed picture due to its size and differences across states. Also drink-driving is a much bigger problem there. "There are plenty of post-test courses in the UK. If you are coming back to motorcycling it would be good to look out for refresher training. Those that ride regularly should keep their skills up. If you have the money, high-quality chest protectors are also a good idea."
C19 MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FROM STOCKC19 MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FROM STOCKC19 MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FROM STOCKC19 MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FROM STOCK
Gary has in stock the following items: 1 x XXL Short Sleeved T-Shirt £ 10.00 Like the tour shirts, black with club logo on front, but plain back 1 x Large Long Sleeved T-Shirt £ 10.00 In black with club logo on front, Text down both sleeves 7 x Pennants £ 20.00 each 5 x Woolly Hats £ 4.00 each Black with “Essex Crusaders” in white lettering 78 x Club Patches £ 4.00 each 3.5 inch (9 cm) diameter, white with knight on a bike, to sew on
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C19 MERCHANDISE TO BE ORDERED FROM C19 MERCHANDISE TO BE ORDERED FROM C19 MERCHANDISE TO BE ORDERED FROM C19 MERCHANDISE TO BE ORDERED FROM SUPPLIERSUPPLIERSUPPLIERSUPPLIER
Once order quantities can be estimated and colour options, sizing, and price have been finalised the following will be added to our range: Polo Shirts (short sleeve) £15.00 Club logo to left chest, available in either black or white Tour T Shirt (short sleeve) £13.00 Short sleeved, club logo on front, and major events calendar on rear. Available in red grey, or black. Chest Sizes: Small 35 to 37 inch Meduim 38 to 40 inch Large 41 to 43 inch XL 44 to 46 inch XXL 47 to 49 inch Ordering: By Post - Cheque, payable to VSOC Essex Crusaders, with details of your requirements to: Gary McHiggins, 59 Shipwrights Drive, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 1RH. By hand – See Gary at the South monthly meeting and pay cash or cheque. Telephone number would be available on request. By e-mail – we can’t do money on the web (yet) but please e-mail to let Gary know your requirements for non stock items so that he can order from the supplier.
All orders by the end of March 2013 please, no more reminders before that date so if you are going to order anything please do it now whilst fresh in your mind otherwise you know what will happen, and we don’t want that do we !!
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If you have an evening to spare and fancy a night out then please support the above worthy cause, there are 4 bands playing, all giving their services free of charge. Lets see a good showing from C19 please and make it an evening of fun, might even hear ‘Alice ‘ or ‘ Delilah ‘, you never know !!
Ride out list 2013 March 24
th Easter Egg Run Whitstable Kent, meet Marks Tey 9am,
Boreham Services 9.30am, Thurrock Services ( petrol station ) 10.30am and don’t forget your Easter Eggs. April 1
st (Easter Monday) Ace – Southend Shakedown
7th Chigborough Café and on to Goldhanger
12th – 14
th Centre 6 Jumpstart Party, Eccles
14th Oakdene Café, Wrotham
20th – 21
st London Motorcycle Show, Alexander Palace
21st Lunch at the Anchor Pub, Stratford St. Mary
26th – 28
th Dutch SOS Rally, Goirle, Holland
28th Chatham Dockyard (Admission £16-50, Group bookings £11-50,
could check if enough interested) May 5
th Aldebrugh/The Mere, Thorpeness, Suffolk
10th – 12
th Belgium Rally
12th Box Hill onto Newlands Corner
19th Ely, Cambridgeshire
24th – 26th Last Minute Rally.com, Letchworth
June 2
nd Oxford
6th – 9
th International Rally, Finland
9th Layer Marney Tower (Admission £6-00) and Cream Tea in Tiptree,
15th [Saturday] Alan Ward Village Fete
16th Scenic Route to Burnham on Crouch
23rd Silverball Café, Royston, Herts.
28th – 30
th Centre 8 (West Midlands) Rally
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July 7
th Greenwich and Woolwich Ferry
14th Bar-B- Cruise, Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea
19th – 21
st Centre 3 (The Wirral) Rally
28th Flixton Air Museum, Bungay, Suffolk
August 4
th Museum of Power Bike Show, Langford
11th Jousting at Hever Castle, Kent (Admission £15-00, 15 + £12-00)
18th Barton Mills, Mildenhall and Aldeburgh, Suffolk
23rd – 26
th Centre 15 (Kent) Rally
September 1
st Stratford upon Avon
6th – 8
th Centre 5 (Yorkies) party,
8th Air Ambulance, Dunton to Harwich
13th – 15
th Dutch National Rally
15th Ace Café & Greenford Motorcycle Museum, London
22nd Old Felixstowe & Landguard Fort
28th Centre 10 Charity Party, Meldreth
29th Comfort Café Little Abington and Finchingfield
October 1
st Wesson’s Café (Ogri’s), Horam, E Sussex
6th Copdock Motorcycle Show, Suffolk
13th Brightona Bike Show, Brighton
November, Southend Firework Display
Military and Flying Machines,Military and Flying Machines,Military and Flying Machines,Military and Flying Machines,
Well the day started with a bit of confusion. Having heard that there was to be two separate rendezvous points for the two different destinations. And then I heard a suggestion that both run outs were starting from the same point. I was a little confused. So not having a SEAX to clarify the situation I decided to fall back on the regular / normal routine of depart Boreham 10 am. Arriving at Boreham in plenty of time it was good to see everyone, and particularly Harry and friends, who we haven’t seen for such a long time. Peter then informed me that the Boreham meet was for those going to the Museum of Power and that The Upminster contingent were to meet at Thurrock Services at 10:45. So, a quick about face and back down the A130 to try out the new interchange with the A13. All went very smoothly. The new road layout is quite impressive.
Page 13 Arriving at Thurrock in plenty of time I struck up a conversation with two V max riders. They were not young and neither were their bikes. Indeed it looked that they had lavished more care and attention on their bikes than they had on themselves. But isn’t that usually true of most motorcyclists?
So Billy no mates hung around until it was obvious that no-one else was going to arrive. The ride to Damyns Hall Aerodrome was pretty uneventful, through the pretty village of Stifford, towards South Ockendon, Aveley and then through the country lanes. Arriving at the aerodrome I was impressed by the size of the display area. Parking was the usual arrangement of fields. So leaving the bike in the company of a few other motorcycles (Mainly Harleys) it was a short walk into the display areas. Cost of entry £8 for adults, £6 for concessions. The first thing you see is yet another field cordoned off and two lightweight (?!) tanks giving rides around to anyone who pays a modest price. They were churning up the mud, belching out fumes and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Next came the static motor display of tanks, jeeps, armoured personnel carriers, lorries, Landrovers, and goodness knows what else. Next came the trenches. Yes they had sections of trench all over the bloody place. Filled with German troops, American GIs and Brits. Not all in the same trench of course. They gave a fair indication of what it could have been like. I must say that there were more Germans and Americans than Brits. I managed to get past these and into the area of stalls before the heavens opened, and boy did it pour down. It didn’t look as though it was going to stop either, as the thunder and lightning roared all around. So I invested £8 in an army surplus, rubberized cloak! Everyone had sold out of ponchos. But it did the trick, enabling me to have a good look round the stalls when the rain eased a little. You could have bought almost anything there from de-activated or replica weapons, through uniforms, medals, badges and boots. Even the odd military vehicle. The Royal Marines had a gazebo, but I’m not sure if you could have joined up there. The larger static displays included an airship, Royal Navy Merlin helicopter and even a mock up of part of a U boat. Other displays were of small static steam engines and classic cars. Most of the action took place in the main arena. Yet another chewed up field. The displays included a medieval firepower display by two cannons and various enactments of skirmishes from WW2 and Vietnam. There were vehicle parades, tank recovery, kids drill parades and the Hornchurch Drum and Trumpet Corps...Oh, and also a flypast by a Lancaster. What more do you want for your money? The noise was tremendous with all that firepower. The participants were thoroughly enjoying rattling through the blank ammunition. Finally it was time for the really exciting part. Riding out through at least 2” (5cm) of mud. The attendants were excellent. Recommending me to ride down the side of the airstrip to avoid the long muddy car track. But that still left the last couple of hundred metres. I certainly slid a lot, but filtered through the stationary cars until arriving near the exit. Two of the attendants saw me squirming along and quickly rushed to my side. An attendant at the gate held up traffic on the road. So with one person either side and a gentle twist of the throttle, I was out, tottering down the lane. I didn’t
Page 14 look back in case anyone was either sprayed with mud, or had fallen flat on their faces. Best to make a hasty exit. So would I recommend this as a trip out for next year (August 3rd and 4th) yes definitely? Only two real downsides, the food was very basic and expensive, and the bike and boots needed a proper cleansing. Anybody want to buy a rubberized cloak in a nice shade of green? See the website www.militaryandflyingmachines.org.uk, or find them on Facebook.
From the EditorFrom the EditorFrom the EditorFrom the Editor
When renewing your membership can you please ensure that your bike details are correct, this info is logged on to a data base and is sometimes used for statistical purposes. Thank you to all who have contributed this month, it seems to be a bumper edition, keep it coming to [email protected]. If your e mail address or telephone numbers change can you please ensure that Bruce is informed, if it is a change of address please also notify Malcolm Bland so that he can alter the data base and you will continue to receive Clatter and any notifications. Thank you. If you are thinking about doing a rally can you please also think about purchasing your rally tickets in advance as it helps the organisers with ideas of numbers and cash flow, it is also cheaper !! Thanks again. You may have noticed that the writing is bigger, I think they call it the font size !! Well that is so that our older, short sighted members can
read it, you know who you are and is it clearer now !!
