Nene Valley Chapter Chapter No. 9946
NEWS @ NENE Summer 2014
Director Martin Dickinson
‘So Bad’ [email protected]
07740 871983
Assistant Director Dave Burridge ‘Brumbo’ [email protected]
07768 166490
Secretary
Maria Lapsley [email protected]
07984 122581
Treasurer
John Nicholas [email protected]
07808 648575
Editor
Chris Lapsley ‘Slow Hand’ nenevalleyeditor@
btinternet.com 07709 205571
Webmaster ‘Road King' Scot Haynes [email protected]
07970 421716
Safety Officer ‘The Reverand’ Steve Harris
steve@harris 1509.freeserve.co.uk
07779 877131
Activities Officer Dave Burridge ‘Brumbo’ [email protected]
07768 166490
Head Road Captain Mike ‘Mikey’ Ivers
[email protected] 07950 947681
Ladies of Harley Officer Jan Harter’
[email protected] 07913 071242
Merchandising Officers Mike & Jacqui Wakelin
[email protected] 07989 975444
Historian
Vacant Position
Photographer
Vacant Position
Nene Valley Chapter Page 3
DIRECTORS DRIBBLE Summer 2014
Over the last couple of months, although I have not been able to ride, I have where possible turned up to Jacks Hill to see everyone off. The number of people attending the rides, as well as the overnight trips has been a pleasure to watch. It doesn't seem right watching you all ride off into the distance whilst I get back on the car. At the time of writing this I am still unable to ride but by the time it goes to press I will have had a couple of rides, as long as the bike is back, which I have just had a call to say it will be. Once again there seems to have been some ventures over the water, with members heading down to Barcelona and then on to Orval, and a few doing the European rally in Croatia. I also know there were a few heading straight to Orval. Let's help Chris out and put pen to paper and share your experiences with other members. It great to hear other people experiences and it also wets the appetite for those thinking about planning a trip into Europe. So far I have got Belgium planned on 1st October to meet up with a couple of hundred Belgium riders then St Tropez next May, which has had a good take up. Setting up the Club run award in 2004 I never imagined that there would be members that would get to the 300 point mark. Along with Tal we now have Chris Ringer who has achieved the prestigious landmark, well done Chris. As I'm sure some of you out are aware we have had a problem with the website but hopefully by the time you read this the problem will have been resolved. I know Scott has been working on it but the problem and issues are far bigger than expected. At the moment I am not sure whether we will need a total rebuild, which if so could be fairly costly. Every year at the AGM the opportunity arises for members to put themselves forward for positions on the committee. The committee at present has been together for a number of years and it is always good to inject new ideas. If there is anyone who is interested in ANY of the roles on the committee could they please let either myself or Maria Lapsley know.
Don't forget our rally next month. If you haven't already got your tickets time is running out. I would ask you all, if possible to support the rally as there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make the weekend the success it has always been. Hopefully I will now be in a position to ride alongside some on you in the coming months, so until then stay safe and enjoy this great riding weather. Martin
Nene Valley Chapter Page 4
Editor’s View Point Summer 2014
Anybody know any companies looking for a full time motorcycle tour planner & guide – I’m your man. 37 Years of working in the power & electrical engineering business will come to an end in a couple of months time. That aside the riding year is going great – and in one more month � ……. well more about that in September. In the past few weeks we have had the Cream Tea Ride, the Vulcan Bomber Ride, the Weston Cider Ride, Salcey Forest Ride and the Solstice Ride – all in great weather conditions. The only fly in the ointment was the cancellation of Rickie’s Breakfast ride due to heavy rain. This issue captures some these events article and or photographs. The weather got so hot on the Solstice ride that when it came to filtering through a traffic jam some bikes were cutting out or very close to it any way. Hope you got yours sorted Paul. Groups have also been further afield to St Tropez, Croatia, Spain/Belgium etc. I’m looking forward to some good articles from these adventures. Alan Lee has been sending me regular photos of him, Marilyn, Panda, Mike & Bronwen Sharpe plotting
their progress down to Croatia. I include one for now but Alan will be providing a more detail review of this trip for the next issue.
After a very pleasant ride into Hereford on Pasty’s Cider ride we finished at the fuel station in Chipping Norton. After a chat and farewells I turned round to my bike and noticed how slick my rear tyre had suddenly become. On closer inspection there was a large cut / flap of rubber and regular splits all around the central portion of the tyre following what was left of the tread. Luckily it was a dry day but I still had about 40 miles to go to get home. This I managed without drama so it was straight on the phone next day to get Vixen booked in for a replacement and photographs send to the dealership because I had only done 2000 miles. The tyre had been fitted in February and normally I would get about 10,000 out of a rear. The upshot was that although clearly the tyre was defect in some way, Harley do not warrant tyres as they have no knowledge of how the bike has been ridden, the tyre pressures used etc. etc. However, Robin Hood had seen even worse before, one where the tyre had delayered
(still Harley would not take responsibility) but as a good will gesture they supplied a new tyre at cost and fitted it for free. Together with my 35k service, new front disc, rear brakes, fluid etc. it turned out to be an expensive weekend ! Any one wondered what has happened to our past road captain Owl. Well I have it on good
authority that since giving up work he has become a member of the cloth !!
Here’s a little teaser for you – what model, year & owner ? Don’t forget, there is no emag in July and as I am away during August � there will be no mag that month either. September’s printed mag will be bumper issue, all those oversea’s rally articles and in particular details of what happened out rally (which unfortunately Madam Sec. & I will not be able to attend) Until next time ride safe and ENJOY Summer. Cheers
Chris Lapsley, “Slow Hand” Editor
Last date for contributions to the September printed Edition : SAT 23rd August 2014
email :- [email protected] or phone me on 07709 205571 or 01455 450463
Nene Valley HOG Chapter (Editor) PO Box 9277 LEICESTER LE9 OBT
Nene Valley Chapter Page 5
Ladies of Harley Officer Summer 2014
You will be reading this after our AGM so I hope that a) you
came and b) you enjoyed the evening.
So, here we are in July. This month I am keeping my fingers
firmly crossed for dry weather.
The “Have a go at Archery” day is Saturday, July 26th. Many
people expressed an interest when I first proposed the idea
and I have a list of those people. We are limited to a
maximum of 40 people so those already on my list will be
given first priority but I would appreciate confirmation by
second week of July that you are still interested. Anyone else
who is interested please let me know and I will ascertain if
there is space. Please keep your eye on the website for any
last minute news.
Bob the Bus has kindly volunteered to lead us to the venue in
Edlesborough with Mike Sharp and Mike Wakelin tailing. We
will be meeting up at Jack’s in Towcester to depart from
there at 10 o’clock. The ride is about 30 miles heading south
down the A5, around the Leighton Buzzard ring road and
then turning right off that on to the A4146 which leads to
Edlesborough, passing through the villages of Billington and
Northall first. Sparrow Hall Farm is on the right as you enter
Edlesborough from this direction and Silver Arrow Archery’s
range is at the end of the drive.
Starting at 11.00 will have a couple of hours of shooting, with
coaching, ending with a fun competition. We will then ride
down to the Travellers Rest about a mile away, for some
lunch.
The cost for this event is £10 per head (not including lunch)
which I will collect at the start of the ride, or if anyone prefers
to meet us there, before the start of the action.
People on the list:
� Richard Smith
� Pete and Hazel
� Peter Scriven
� Dave and Maggie Allen
� Mike Sharp
� Chris and Julie R
� Kiwi and Mrs Kiwi
� Steve and Di H.
� Gerald and Mira
� Mal Haynes
� Anne and Colin B
� Jackie and Mike W
� Chris and Maria
� Gary and Paula
� Paul and Sue W
� Rickie Ann
� Shani and Chris
� Jacqui Gray
� Dave Bowen
� Bob Rhoades
� Dave and Carol R
� Jason Higgins
� Babs and Billy
� Oh, and me!
That makes 38 so there is room for a couple more people as
things stand at the moment.
So, as I said, fingers crossed for dry weather as this will be
very difficult to rearrange owing to commitments that the
archery clubs have during the summer months.
Take care.
Jan
Nene Valley Chapter Page 6
Mikey’s Natter Summer 2014
Another busy few weeks. It's been great to see the variety of
events over the last few weeks. We have visited the Vulcan
Bomber at Wellesbourne, been to the Malvern’s for a great
ride, the Ace, Salcey Forest and had our Solstice weekend.
We have also had members all over Europe at various rallies
and travels to Spain. Quite a lot went to St Tropez, Croatia
and Orval and closer to home a number went to the Iron
Horse Rally at its new location (with good reports, one for the
bag next year I think) and some poor souls went to the Big
Brum Wet bash and got pi**** on!!!
By the time you read this we will have also been to the
Wootton Beavers Ride where the kids just love to see and sit
on the bikes and ask us
lots of questions, and our
June trip to the Ace Café
Harley Night
You will have seen in last
month’s Natter that I
borrowed Tal’s bike, due
to mine needing
some shocks etc.
Well Becks bike was first reserve for a ride but it was
being serviced and there was a challenge, sooooo.. I
borrowed one of Nutty's bikes for the Wellesbourne
ride... Cheers guys. A very worthwhile vodka donation
gave me the loan of the XR1200 sporty, mmmm I need
an every day runner. This is a good thing with Harley
Insurance as it lets us ride other Harleys fully
comprehensive.
We have seen quite a lot of people out and about and keen
to rack up their points on the club run award. Which reminds
me, some of you will have seen on the web site that Chris
Ringer has also hit his 300 points Club Run Award. Well done
Chris, we have not been
able to celebrate with him
yet as he is always out, the
chapter is certainly at its
best when it rides. But we
will do when he stops for
just a minute. Now our very
own Captain Pugwash has
racked up a 275 total.
We only had to cancel one event over the last few weeks or
so, which was Rickie’s breakfast ride, which was a good call as
the weather was pants, but it will be rescheduled in July so
watch this space.
We have got one heck of a lot to look forward to in July. On
5th we have the Independence Day ride to Sulgrave Manor
which looks great
fun. This will be a
great networking
event and a chance
to
meet with an
American Chapter
who wish to meet
with us. We have the Newport Carnival on the 6th and we
have been asked to lead in as a Chapter. Then on the 13th
July we have Groundhog taking us to some Gorges, then on
the 19th we may have Rickie’s breakfast ride, more info to
follow, and on the 20th Mike Sharp is leading his Secret
Island Ride out. We also have the Have a Go Archery Ride,
the Peak District ride and the Ace... ALL in July. If that's not a
great plan for us all, I am not sure what is.....I know people
have said it before, but talking to new members recently who
have been members of other chapters, they say we do more
in a month than most chapters do in a year and July is such a
great example of this, so let's
see lots of us out and about.
I might miss a couple of these as
I may go on an impromptu road
trip to Switzerland, more to
follow, as I am riding with an ex
bike surveillance rider and there
are always Mikey’s moments.
I am also pleased to say that we
are as always on top of our points and pins, I have always got
the record with me at club night so if you have any questions
please let me know. Also, if you are off to some obscure rally
that's not part of our normal calendar then please let me
know.
As well as being busy thinking about rides etc., I am also
personally getting excited about our trip to California, it's
coming around so fast. Whenever we go on a road trip Becky
always keeps a diary and has promised to do this for this trip
so hopefully there will be lots of great memories and stories
to share when we are back and also advice for future trips.
We have other chapter members on big road trip on Route
66 so ride safe ( I hope your fellow Geordie doesn’t get lost)
Lastly we have missed Martin out with us since his operation,
but he's back this month...I can’t promise any dodgy fields sir!
Well until next time, have fun and ride safe.
The chapter’s at its best when it rides, rallies and parties.
Mikey HRC
Nene Valley Chapter Page 7
RCs & Rides Spring 2013
Join us in a short ride to Sulgrave Manor to celebrate American Independence Day, we will also be meeting
an American Chapter who are looking forward to meeting the local chapter from the Sulgrave area that’s
us!!!
This is a insert from their website.. In our centenary year we are going to make our independence day
celebrations bigger than ever so save the date now. The battle reenactment group are already booked and
preparations are under way for our AngloAmerican day of fun.
All American Barbecue, Harley Davidsons, Cheer Leaders, Live Music, Childrens' Activities, Exhibition of
Native American Artifacts, New George Washington Exhibition, The Battle with live Musket Fire and as much
Mississippi Mud Pie as you can eat. Some activities carry an additional charge but you can still come along and
have a lovely day without the need to spend any more than your entrance £3.50 adults, £1.50 children, £10
Family (2 adults and up to 4 children)
Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Tel: 01295 760 205
So get out those American flags, it sounds like a great event.
Chris Fawcett - ‘Jedi’ Email : [email protected] 07964 775677
Becky Ivers ‘Becks’ [email protected] 07901 716385
Mike Sharp [email protected] 07748 913326
Rickie Anne Gee Email : [email protected] 07969 809662
Andrew ‘Pasty’ Pugsley [email protected] 07971 903581
Neil ‘The Ambassador’ Harrison [email protected] 07810 870167
Bob ‘The Bus’ Rhoades [email protected] 07817 700958
Head Road Captain Mike ‘Mikey’ Ivers [email protected] 07950 947681
Chris Lapsley ‘Slow Hand’ [email protected] 07709 205571
Mick Gray ‘Badger’ [email protected] 07946 299447
Chris Ringer [email protected] 07897 729749
Mike Waklein – ‘Groundhog’ [email protected] 07989 975444
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 8
Secret Island Ride Summer 2014
TheSecretIslandRide
Sunday20thJuly2014
LeavingJacksat09:30am
For those that don’t know the Secret Island at Waltham
Abbey is steeped in military history, it’s more commonly
known as the Royal Gunpowder Mills. Yes this is the place
where the explosive stuff was made!
The oldest group of buildings on site, Walton’s House, the
mixing house and saltpetre melting house were constructed
soon after the government’s purchase of the works in the
1787. Walton’s House was named after the last private
owner of the works. Despite its domestic appearance it
seems to have been constructed as a purposebuilt office
building. Various additions were made to the original two
storied structure.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it was used as an
office. It now houses the Archive and Study Centre. The
mixing house was where the gunpowder ingredients
sulphur, saltpetre and charcoal were mixed ready for the
lengthy process of incorporation. The building alongside it
was for a melting house where saltpetre was melted for use
in gunpowder manufacture. From the 1780s it was prepared
concentrated and crystallised in a refinery whose remains lie
beneath the junction of Highbridge Street and Beaulieu Drive.
Cordite propelled the millions of shells fired by the British
Army during World War I. Vast quantities were needed and in
1914 the national product jumped from 3,600 to 16,000 tons.
The Royal Gunpowder Mills entrance building (H7), situated
on the Great Hoppit, was built in 1904. It was a ‘cordite
drying stove’. Steam pipes ran through the whole building to
supply the heat to dry the cordite. The earth traverses which
surround the building were built to contain the blast in the
event of an accidental explosion.
But there’s also loads of stuff to do whilst you are there :
1) Test Range where you
can try your hand at
launching, catapulting,
shooting and firing a
variety of air and water
rockets, rocket cars,
cannons, and air soft rifles.
Explore the history of
technology through time
with a series of your own
test range trials.
2) The Rocket Vault from tank busters to rocket motors
used to launch satellites into space – see some of the secret
rockets worked on at Waltham Abbey in our brand new
exhibit.
3) The Armoury is a
comprehensive collection
of small arms and militaria
recently acquired,
catalogued and redesigned
by The Royal Gunpowder
Mills
And much more !!
There’s a café on site for a spot of sustenance.
Our ride leaves Jacks Hill at 09:30am and heads straight
down the A5 with a second pickup at the Esso garage just
before the M1 at junction 9 at about 10:15am. The route
then takes us across country past Redbourne, St Albans,
Hatfield and Hertford there is a 15 minute fuel stop (about 62
miles) at the junction of the A414 and the A10 where we
head south towards London on the A10. Just past Cheshunt
we turn left towards Waltham Abbey arriving around
11:30am.
There is of course an entrance fee to the Secret Island, they
start taking group bookings once we get over 20 people so
please let me know on the website if you’re coming. When I
get an idea of numbers I’ll try to negotiate a group rate but
current full adult price is £9.50 per adult.
The return route will start at 3:30pm and will be all motorway
M25, M1 and the ride will officially finish at the Milton
Keynes Junction 14 exit which should be no later than
5:00pm.
If you want to know more try visiting the Royal Gunpowder
Mills website http://www.royalgunpowdermills.com
Mike Sharp leading, Becky & Mikey tailing
Nene Valley Chapter Page 9
NV Gallery – Cream Tea Summer 2014
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 10
Come Ride the Dragon II Summer 2014
After the preplanning, the preriding, visiting hotel and lunch
stops, and arranging menus; April 25th was fast approaching.
The only thing left was the weather – not much preplanning
possible there !!
Then bang – the unexpected happened and Maria was taken
ill while we were on a long weekend break in Berlin and well I
think you all know the story, but it was then touch and go as
to how long she would be in hospital and how quickly she
would recover. The day before departure and it was clear
Maria would not be able to ride up to the lakes, however,
with a few walking wounded going by car there were options.
Maria decided to leave it as long as possible to see how she
felt and with Ange and Di travelling up to the hotel on the
Friday evening and back on the Sunday morning – this turned
out to be the best solution.
This meant for the
first time I was going
to lead a long ride
without my copilot
and general goffer.
On the other hand,
the bike would not
include the usual
clutter of 6 pairs of
shoes, optional night
wear depending on
weather, mood,
cold/warm – and no
straighteners, or
curling tongs etc etc.
Friday morning and the forecast was for rain moving north
and time wise it looked likely we would stay ahead of it.
Although a bit damp at Jack’s everyone’s spirit was high and
all were eager for the long weekend riding. Riding north it
was foggy and cool. By the time we headed west into
Yorkshire and round the bottom of the Dales the rain had
caught us up. We were lucky though as it never really got
heavy.
Lunch stop was
with ‘the boys’ at
a real biker café –
‘Dusty Bluebells’.
Actually they had
tried to man up a
bit by renaming it
Stride Wood
after the
surround
woodlands of
Bolton Abbey. It was all very …well quaint – coloured tea
pots, nice sarnnies, pasties etc. but lunch took a bit longer
than planned. The
Boys did shut the place
just for us – so a few
keen walkers had to sit
and wait outside in the
drizzle until we
decided to leave.
We were further delayed due to some foreign driver
managing to plonk his car upside down on top of a dry stone
wall – don’t ask – couldn’t work out how he did it!!
Arrived at the hotel to find our walking wounded already in
the bar or having spent the afternoon chilling in the pool and
spa – so as soon as I could get my riding togs off I went and
did the same.
The hotel are great at looking after us. Menus had been
sorted and no one else was in the hotel. We had all 30 rooms
and no other groups were using the other smaller function
room. (not like 2 years ago when the Masons were in !).
Good food, plenty of beer (although the Wainwrights didn’t
last long !!) and everyone was heading upstairs – some for
rampant sex (Gary & Paula) others just knackered.
Meanwhile me, Pasty and the Rev had to carry out a lone
midnight vigil waiting for the girls to arrive.
Saturday morning – light rain – but the forecast was for sun
by 10:00. After a mutiny the night before the Saturday ride
start time was put back to 09:30 (light weights) – but that did
allow more time for a full Cumbrian breakfast (superb
sausages & black pud, supported by the full works). Had to
do a quick reccie for a new fuel fill up spot as road works had
closed my start road and access to the filling station.
Anyway, by the time I was back the sun was trying to break
through and everyone was getting ready. As happened 2
years ago, Mike & Jackie Wakelin disappeared only to
reappear as a dragon & maiden in distress !! they looked
great – especially as they rode the first half of the day in
costume – head gear and all. Brilliant. Lakeland must have
wondered what the hell was going on.
Come Ride the Dragon II Summer 2014
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 11
After a stop at Asda (sorry Mikey – no Morrisons around that part of town) it was down a little bolt hole of a road to avoid the road works and off we went : Back way into Windermere (great twisty road), on to and over the Kirkstone Pass (epic ride), down to Ullswater – with a coffee stop on the steamer pier at Glenridding. On up and over to Keswick and down through Borrowdale, up and over Honister Pass (avoiding a cycling event using the same pass)
along the side of Buttermere and Crummock Water, then round and over Whinlater Pass and back down to Keswick again for lunch stop. Quick chat with the
Road Burners MC who were on a ride from their rally site in Maryport, then the afternoon route took us down past Thirlmere, Grasmere, Rydal Water to Ambleside. From here it was over to Hawkshead and up Hawkshead Hill and down along the ‘Quiet’ side of Coniston water. Finally a run back around to our start point, fuel and back to hotel for more beer & food. The sun stayed out for most of the day and not a drop of rain !! brill. Even though I done a preride briefing, it was a bit like being out with the kids –
“are we there yet” or similar was a very regular question at every stop. Sunday morning and this time the start time stayed at 09:00 as we had a long way to cover. Again, after good brekkie, check out the hotel, say good bye to Madam Sec. the sun was out. A detailed preride briefing was intended to do away with the “are we there yet”. We headed off out of Kendal toward the Yorkshire Dales and Wensleydale in particular. The road out of Kendal and over to Sedburgh and beyond is great –
twisty, scenic, narrow etc. and at that time in the morning – empty – apart from Sheep ! The only problem was the cloud came down and although it stayed dry – the temperature dropped considerably. Anyway, after a coffee stop at Aysgarth Falls and onto the east side of the Dales it did warm up again. The route from here was to go further east to Selby then down through North Lincolnshire and a quieter country run (as opposed to the motorway) down to Retford and the edge of Sherwood Forest, into Leicestershire, round Leicester and the ride finished at LFE Services on the M1. The sun came out for most of this leg and it was only getting close to Leicester that the clouds came over. A big thanks to all those who took part and made the weekend a great one. Also thanks to Becky, Mikey, Jedi, Groundhog, Bob the Bus & Mr Ambassador for tailing duties over the long weekend. To be honest, I was absolutely shattered when I got home Sunday evening and that first beer went down a treat. I was also lucky in that the moment Vixen was put in the garage, it chucked it down with hail for about 15 mins. Hope all others with further to go didn’t get too wet. Until the next one……. Slow Hand
Nene Valley Chapter Page 12
Oh – the Joy of Biking ! Summer 2014
A Trip to The Netherlands
The adventure started the previous weekend in a twelve mile
traffic jam into sunny (in fact swelteringly hot) Wales. Whilst
filtering through the traffic (bad planning by Slow Hand) into
the country where sheep can only hope to be slaughtered for
food my bike started to falter and give me the jitters. People
with far more know how than me come up with, bad fuel,
loose wires, broken throg sprockets, etc, etc.
Unfortunately it was not until the following Wednesday I
could not get upto NVT to have a diagnosis; which inevitably
turned out to be bad and presumably expensive; however to
add to this we were booked onto the 23.15 ferry from
Harwich to Hook of Holland. The sensor that was needed was
in Newmarket. I left home at 2.50 pm. Left Black Bear at
16.05 on the return journey and arrived through the rush
hour to NVT at 18.05 whence Dave proceeded to take fifteen
minutes to fit the new bit in the correct place. Assured that
all was well I set off home to pick up luggage and wife.
We left home at 7.30 and chased all the way, surprisingly
past Newmarket, to Harwich having quickly showered packed
and eaten nothing since breakfast. We arrived in plenty of
time so why we were panicking I do not know; got on board
found our cabin and then went for a meal and a small bottle
of red. Our long weekend break had started.
Six thirty on Thursday saw us disembark into a long stream of
lorries and stupid English people driving over the middle of
the road, but, worse of all roadworks. This meant that my
carefully planned route was thrown completely into disarray
as the roads I wanted were closed and no diversion signs. An
hour of going around in towns where I could not find a sign
for the direction I wanted the Bluetooth was getting very hot.
Eventually heading on the right road in the right direction I
calmed down only to find us having a lovely ride around in
Amsterdam; certainly not in the original plan. This did not
dissuade us although I did refer to Holland as something alike
to a toilet with nasty bits in, aloud.
Not to be defeated we carried on and did make it to our
friends place in Den Helder. This turned out to be a pleasant
town where all ages ride old fashioned bicycles as the
landscape is so flat. What very nice people the Dutch are and
they did not mention too often about our football team; not
that I care a wooden clog.
On the Saturday a friend of the family, young chap mad on
cars and bikes, came around. He decided to change our plans
of going to the maritime museum to taking us to the HD
dealership in Alkmaar, some forty five kilometres away. He
turns up in full racing leathers on a Suzuki 650 something. I
warn him that he will have to slow down a bit for me and my
pillion to which he agrees. We go off along some beautiful
coastal road seeing the seaside towns missing the cyclists
(just on more than one occasion) and every now and then he
stopped to allow us to catch up. On one stretch of road he
takes the opportunity to jump in between vehicles on a
regular basis, I have to do the same as I have absolutely no
idea where we were geographically. I note the police bike
race past us and joke that he is after Mikey (no not that one).
There they are stopped a little way up the road so I pull in
fifty yards past to wait. In behind me pulls up a VW van and
out steps the politest policeman you could never want to
meet. He explains to me about not overtaking on solid white
lines and I retort by saying you can do this in England, Blah,
Blah, Blah, pants on fire. That did not work, even saying that
the police bike had overtaken me so I thought it was OK. Even
Mikey pleading that I was only following him did not save me
from a 237 euro fine – the maritime museum at this point
looked very attractive. The dealership was like all of them lots
of used bikes, new sportsters and merchandise, nothing
exciting; did not even get a free coffee.
Sunday night saw us reversing the sea journey and arriving
back in jolly old blighty have covered just over 500 miles. Got
to add here that the boats and cabins were really
comfortable and user friendly and luckily the North Sea was
not unlike Caldecote lake on a calm day. I will not go on
about the food and German beer we found but needless to
say back on salads and green tea for a while.
Paul and Sue Whiting
TSSM’s – a cautionary tale by Jon Page
John Nicholas asked me to write this after a recent problem
with my bike. (I thought those of you with modern Harley’s
might appreciate the heads up – John N)
I resigned from my job at the end of May, and found myself
with a little time on my hands. Inevitably I got out and about
on the bike given the sunny weather and decided to bimble
down to Oxford Harley for a shufti and to order a couple of
spare parts.
John and I with a couple of mates are booked on our
European tour in early July, so it was good to get a few miles
in and reacquaint myself with the joys of filtering down the
A34, which was rammed even for a June Friday. The bike was
Oh – the Joy of Biking ! Summer 2014
Nene Valley Chapter Page 13
behaving nicely after a couple of minor technical issues fixed
as ever by Dave and Jules at Northants V Twin. I had a pair of
Kuryakyn spots mounted on the front bar (which look
brilliant) but the bike kept popping fuses – turned out it was a
crimped cable, now mended.
I pitched up at the Oxford dealership and had a good natter
with the folks there, got the bits I needed (a couple of spare
blade fuses and windshield bushes) and pushed off round
Oxford via Witney and Bicester.
Then the speedo stopped.
Not a flicker. I pulled up a junction and the engine stopped.
Indicated to turn, restarted the engine, and carried on – as
did the indicator – no selfcancel.
Nightmare.
This happened again whenever I had to stop, even blipping
the throttle made little or no difference. I got home safely
and as you might imagine rang Northants V Twin.
The lovely Jules answered the phone.
“Jules, me bike’s bust!”
“Don’t worry Jon, I’ll get Doctor Dave for you”.
Dave gets on and I describe the symptoms.
“It’s your TSSM.”
“What the chuffing Norah is a TSSM?”
“It’s the Harley security module and we can’t fix it, it needs
specialist software and is bloody expensive”.
At this point I can see my European trip go down the toilet.
It’s less than two weeks away, it’s a Friday evening, and it’s a
techie gremlin.
I ring Oxford Harley. Service bookings are backed up for
weeks and the service manager is on holiday that afternoon,
so noone can help me. I ring Black Bear and speak to
someone who knows what a TSSM is.
“Get the bike to me, will have a diagnosis in 15 minutes, but
these TSSM’s are rare and on a two to three week lead time.”
Panic.
The bike is not safe to ride so I call Dave again and ask if he
can trailer my bike to Black Bear on Monday morning.
“No problem Jon, I’m at a wedding tomorrow but text me
anyway and we’ll get it across for you.”
I live thirty five miles south of Stenson Street so this is no
small favour!
I ring John and say I’m now a doubtful for the trip.
This is the point in my cautionary tale where those of you
who know Harleys and TSSM’s will knowingly chuckle and
wag your beards.
I went onto the forums. I typed in “TSSM problems” and all
sorts of stuff came back. This is the link that saved my bacon:
http://www.hdforums.com/forum/dynaglide
models/659844tssmtrouble.html
This is what it said:
“We tend to overlook the FOB. If you’re on the road
somewhere and that battery takes a ****, you better hope
some kind of a store is around that has a battery. The same
goes if you're away from home and you lose that FOB, your
trip is done!”
And here, just for fun, is a picture of the TSSM. Note the key
fob! Incidentally, TSSM stands for turn signal security
module.
Inside each key fob is a CR2032 lithium battery. They cost
£0.78p from Tesco or £3.00 for a party pack. The CR2032 in
my fob conked out while I was enjoying the sunshine.
I changed both batteries and got back on the bike for a short
test run. Surprise, surprise – speedo good, engine good,
indicators good. Suddenly everything works!
I ring John. The trip is back on, the rideout to Wales on
Saturday is back on. I describe the fix. John asks that I write it
up as a cautionary tale.
The moral of the story – keep CR2032 batteries with you as
spares and before a big trip make damn sure both fobs have
fresh batteries in them. Or bad things might happen.
Jon Page
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 14
Vulcan Bomber Ride Summer 2014
A beautiful Sunday morning and a warm ride down to Jacks
Hill. 7.30 in the morning and no thermals, no thick clothing &
no water proofs.
Jedi had planned an early start
so we could ride over to We llesbourne Airfield in plenty of
time as it was l ocals open day to the airfield & on site
museum. However, Jedi had arranged for us to see the Avro
Vulcan Bomber XM655 and the preservation society people
would be on hand to show us over the bomber and explain its
history.
After an hours ride
through the countryside
we parked up in the
airfield. Unfortunately,
the open day meant it
was busier than usual so
we would not be able to
get the bikes or some
bikes parked up in front
of the Vulcan for photos.
After being put in small
groups to go off with the
preservation people we
spent a couple of hours
climbing up into the
cockpit and having various explanations given us of its
history, stories and how they preserve the aircraft.
Avro Vulcan B.Mk2 XM655 was third from last of the Vulcan
bombers produced for the Royal Air Force, being delivered in
late 1964, and was part of the UK's nuclear deterrent force
throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It is now owned by
Wellesbourne Airfield, and is looked after by 655
Maintenance and Preservation Society (655MaPS) which is a
volunteer organisation of Vulcan enthusiasts.
XM655 is one of the few Vulcans remaining in ground running
condition, the only one with the most powerful of the engine
variants (Bristol Olympus 301s) and 655MaPS aim to keep it
running for as long as possible. The aircraft systems are
powered up and exercised regularly, engine ground runs are
carried out several times every year, and a "Fast Taxi" event
is carried out every summer to show off the aircraft and raise
funds to support its preservation.
XM655 is maintained by a
small team of skilled and
dedicated volunteers, many
of whom are exRAF, (some
even exVForce personnel
and one of whom actually
worked on XM655 in service),
who give up their Saturdays
to preserving XM655.
The Vulcan has a particular
interest to me as my Dad worked for Hawker Siddeley /
British Aerospace at Bitteswell (now Magna Park on the A5).
As a kid, when they flew in for maintenance (or the Red
Arrows etc.) or out after refit, my Dad would let me know
the time so I could cycle up the A5 and watch from outside
the airfield fence, as the crew usually did a little display for
the workers before heading off. Saying this on the day, it
turns out Mike Wakelin’s Dad did exactly the same. When
my Dad was alive his shed was full of aircraft rivets, bolts and
all sorts of stuff from the planes – including a V Bomber
fibreglass nose cone as a large flower pot. Turns out Mike’s
Dad had the same stuff. Small world.
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force (RAF)
aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the
United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known
officially as the Vforce or Bomber Command Main Force. The
bombers, whose names all started with the letter "V" and
which were known collectively as the Vclass, were the
Vickers Valiant (first flew 1951, entered service 1955), Avro
Vulcan (first flew 1952, in service 1956) and Handley Page
Victor (first flew 1952, in service 1958). The VBomber force
reached its peak in June 1964, with 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans
and 39 Victors in service.
Vulcan Bomber Ride Summer 2014
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 15
For long range operations, tanker variants of each
were developed. When it became clear that Soviet
missiles could successfully bring down high flying
aircraft, the V bomber force changed to lowlevel
attack methods. As a result the Valiants were
removed from service after problems with fatigue
in their wings became apparent; a planned low
level variant of the Valiant did not progress
beyond the prototype.
The V bombers were to carry the GAM87 Skybolt,
an airlaunched ballistic missile, to update their strike
potential as new innovations in the Cold War made
their early style of operation less viable; however
Skybolt was cancelled by the US and the Royal Navy
became Britain's main provider of the nuclear
deterrent, using UGM27 Polaris intercontinental
ballistic missiles from nuclear submarines in the
1970s. While the V bombers no longer held
precedence in Britain's nuclear strategic planning,
superseded by aircraft such as the SEPECAT
Jaguar and Panavia Tornado, which carried
smaller tactical nuclear weapons, the Avro
Vulcan would be perhaps best remembered for
its conventional long range bombing raids during
the 1982 Falklands War. The Valiants had been
used during the Suez Crisis as conventional
bombers. Victors had been deployed to the
Malay Archipelago as a deterrent during the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation but were not
used in missions. Usage of all V bombers as
weapons platfor ms, nuclear or conventional, ended in
1982.
After we had all squeezed into the cockpit 4 at a time –
(the crew of 5 had no space to move around on a 16,000
mile flight say to bomb Port Stanley – apart from laying
down on the bomb aimers window in the bottom) it was
off for lunch at the pub a few miles down the road and a
relax out in the garden. On the way we passed through
Loxley. In the reign of Henry II and Richard I, a knight
named Robert Fitz Odo lived in Loxley, Warwickshire. A
1665 drawing of Robin Hood’s grave resembles a grave in
Loxley. There is no evidence that Fitz Odo was ever an
outlaw and no evidence that the Loxley grave is his, but
this is just one of the possibilities for the real Robin
Hood…… anyway..
Thanks Jedi, a nice chilled ride out in great company –
finished off sitting in the sun at home with a large cold
one!
Slow Hand
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 16
St Tropez Euro Festival Summer 2014
For those of you who haven’t been to this rally here’s a little
taster of what it’s like for those that have been here’s a
reminder of what it’s like.
In total 13 members went to the 2014 rally, we went in small
bunches this year going all sorts of different routes, my group
Bob Rhoades, Paul Whiting, his mate Goff (on a protype
Harley Boxer) and me went down via Orleans and the Millau
bridge and back via Route Napolean, started Saturday arrived
Monday mid Afternooon. Chris Ringer after his ride to the
Cider Rally and Henley Cream Tea ride started a couple of
days later avoided
all motorways, took
back roads that
don’t even show on
the map and
arrived on
Wednesday
evening. Clive and
Tracey Rayner set
off early, arrived
before all of us…
just to make sure they had enough time to cook the Nene
Valley BBQ on Wednesday evening. Mike Fletcher and Jane
Nash rode down through Switzerland just to visit a restaurant
at the top of the Schilthorn..romantic!! John and Jackie
Nafzger started two days earlier than us had a four day break
in the Dordoigne …. Chill out riding. Colin & Sue Barnard went
down via Annency ….. it was a bit wet I understand. Jim Thom
just rode down and back on his own… that Lone Rider patch
says it all. Just goes to show that bikers are an adventurous
prepared to go in any direction to get to a party.
The rally itself is held on the largest mobile home site La
Prairies de la Mer, which is right on the beach in Port
Grimaud. Our
group had two
mobile homes
between us, very
comfortable
with all mod
cons, even air
conditioning.
When we arrived
on Monday our
first job was to
stock up with supplies from the onsite shop. Then we walked
around the site to get our bearings, although it didn’t start
for three days already the rally was starting to take shape,
the sound stage was up on the beach, HD dealer trade tents
were up along the beach front, the Harley bar opened up just
as we walked by…. Had to stop for swift liquid intake. The
trader area at the back of the site was starting fill up. Monday
evening we went
into Port Grimaud
for a drink at
Heskeths bar and
meal at an Italian
restaurant.
Tuesday dawned
bright sunshine, a
little breeze and a
snow storm of
floating tree seeds. Today we headed off to St Tropez
proper, an interesting ride with a six mile filter into the
centre of the town, apparently this is normal every day. After
parking up we all wandered along the harbour front to the
Irish bar for a Guinness or two. By 2 o clock we had soaked up
enough atmosphere, taken a few photos then rode back to
our site for an afternoon siesta. This evening we found the
Guinness Mecca of Port Grimaud Monroes, great beer and
super food, this was to become our regular nightly watering
hole. Happy Hour from 7:30 – 8:30 meant a few pints could
be bought at less than £3 per pint led to a very happy
evening.
Wednesday it was off on a ride to Monaco. Paul’s nephew,
Jason, lives there and we planned to meet him for lunch. An
hour and halfs’ ride got us there about 1ish, we had a hell of
a job finding parking spaces but eventually we found a whole
bank of empty motorbike parking slots under a bridge. Paul
phoned Jason to let him know we had arrived and to come
and meet us. Whilst the call was going on a bloke and his son
came over to explain that the reason the large number of
parking slots were available was that at 2pm the local tow
away truck came round to pick up the bikes, take them to the
local pound that charged 140 euros to get them back as this
night the Monaco football team were playing a match and we
had parked in restricted match day parking slots. Jason
arrived and saved the day by finding us free parking right
down on the harbour. As is normal though Bobs V Rod didn’t
like it by the harbour, bike immobiliser dislikes wifi, but we
manage to sort it out by pushing under a tunnel which
obscured the wifi signals and hey presto bike started. Well
what good organisation to be in Monaco on this day because
it was the build up to the Historic Grand Prix taking place on
Friday, so Jason guided us down to the circuit and we
wandered freely around the pits admiring some of the
famous grand prix cars, there were Aston Martins, Allards,
Ferraris, BRM’s, John Player Specials, Marlborough Mclaren’s
and Maserati’s what a great sight these all made all along the
harbour in Monaco. After a good wander about is was back
to the bikes and back to Port Grimaud. John, & Jackie, Mike &
Jane, and Colin & Sue had arrived. Tonight we had all been
invited to Clive and Tracey’s Nene Valley BBQ. Chris Ringer
arrived just as the BBQ started
St Tropez Euro Festival Summer 2014
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 17
, James Thom turned up as well. Clive and Tracey surpassed
themselves this year with roast Pork and roast Beef, as well
as the normal BBQ, and for desert Tarte du Pommes ….alright
Apple Tart …..we were all stuffed by the end.
Thursday the start day of
the rally, first all off to
registration to get
armbands, then first full
check out of the trader
area. After the arduous
shopping trip it was
decided that a little
beach side bar time was
required so we found a super table with mixed sun and
shade right on the edge of the sand and settled down beer
and rose wine for chilled session of people watching, and
general blokes banter. By 1:30 it was pizza time …. Five big
ones tomato, cheese, herbs, fried egg in the middle and
chips sil vous plait …. More beer and wine. At 3:30ish it was
time for more trader visits, I bought 4 tee shirts on a deal
won a prize. I had to fish in a paddling pool for a
duck with a hook on its head, much as I tried the
hook just wouldn’t catch the duck as I was trying
to impress the young lady in the bikini who was
manning the fishing site, in the end Paul helped by
putting the hook though the ring on the top of the
duck whilst I distracted the young ladies attention.
I won three posters …. Two will be available as
raffle prizes at our rally in August. I’m keeping the
signed one to put up in my garage!!! After a short rest
following our exhausting day we headed for Monroes for
Happy Hour, this was the night when after the first couple of
pints before 8:00 it seemed the rest of the chapter arrived
and proceeded to order rounds of Guinness during the happy
hour, at 8:25 the barmaid still had 27 pints of Guinness to
pour and we all had at least 4 pints each lined up on the
table. After
finishing the drink
and eating another
great meal we all
headed off to the
beach for the
Aerosmith tribute
band, what a super
band very tight,
and very realistic.
Friday is Custom Show day in the village of Grimaud, so we all
headed of planning to arrive at the village early enough to get
good parking….. wishful thinking! We eventually got parked
down a side road but with an uphill walk back to show area
itself. The show is held in the town square and there were
some very good bikes to see. We heard later that the best
Sporster (see photo) was won by Sam Wood, the bike had
been partly prepared by Dave Barringer at Northants V Twin
…… small world! We had a nice little NV lunch at a local
patisserie baguettes, quiches and raspberry tarts. Back to
the site for a few drinks and a siesta before heading off to
Monroes for another night of Guinness and evening meal
before heading back to the beach to watch Bonnie Tyler …..
very old skool.
Saturday was a mixed day of a little ride to the local
dealership… about 20 miles each way, lunch in St Maxime on
the way back, trader area visits, buying the odd item this
time, and an afternoon of rest to get our bodies ready for the
evening bash, whilst progressively emptying the fridge of
most of the food and drink. Our evenings were now set out
off to Monroes for a few Guinness’s and evening meal then
off to the beach to watch the nights band, tonight was Eric
Burdon and the Animals. This bought back lots of memories
of festivals and smokey night clubs in the late sixties and
early seventies. Eric sang his classics finishing with House of
the Rising Sun…… not quite as good as I remember him but
still who cares he’s a real blues
singer. After the show it was into
the Harley bar for a bit of shaking
to the Bogus Brothers, wishing
those that were leaving on Sunday
a safe trip back and finishing off
with a few early hours beers then
bed.
Sunday this was the day when the site emptied, the trader
area stands were mostly gone or well down the route of
going, the sound stage was in the process of being
dismantled. This was bike cleaning day before setting off
home on the Monday morning, completely emptying the
fridge of food …. John & Jackie were staying until Wednesday
so in the evening we gave them the remainder of our
supplies. Evening was again at Monroes, low Guinness intake
tonight as riding in the morning our last meal in Monroes was
a bit quieter than the previous few but still enjoyed as much
as usual.
Monday morning we set of at 8:00am and headed for the
Route Napolean and home our Euro Festival was over.
This is not the complete story of all the laughter, the fun, the
riding at the rally as a lot of it was done in a bit of a blur. But
there is no doubt this is one of the best rallies on the
European calendar, always the first, always in early May……
So get on your bike and come with us next year!!!!!
Book your interest with Martin now so we can get the best
deal on accommodation as soon as the rally dates are
announced.
Mike ‘Sharpie’ Shape
St Tropez Euro Festival Summer 2014
N e n e V a l l e y H . O . G . C h a p t e r Page 18
Nene Valley Chapter Page 19
Humour Corner Summer 2014
TRAINS Alex Salmond's colleagues decided it would be a worthy gesture to name a railway locomotive after him. So an official went to the National Railway Museum at York, to investigate the possibilities. "There are a number of locomotives at the NRM without names" a consultant told the official, “but they are mostly freight locomotives." "Oh dear, a freight locomotive is not very fitting for a party leader," said Sir Humphrey. "How about that big green one, over there?" he said, pointing to the 'Flying Scotsman'. "That one has already got a name" said the consultant. "It's called 'Flying Scotsman'." “Couldn't we rename it?" asked the official. "I suppose for Alex Salmond it might be considered," said the consultant. "That's excellent", said the official, "So that's settled then...let's look at renaming the 'Flying Scotsman'. How much will it cost? Remember we can't spend too much, given the expenses scandal!" "Well", said the consultant, "Why don't we just paint out the 'F'."
JET FUEL Shane and Phil were a couple of drinking buddies who worked as aircraft engineers in Melbourne, Australia. One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do. Phil said, 'Man, I wish we had something to drink!' Shane says, 'Me too. Y'know, I've heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz. You wanna try it?' So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of high octane booze and get completely smashed. The next morning Phil wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels. In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects. Nothing! Then the phone rings. It's Shane. Shane says, 'Hey, how do you feel this morning?' Phil says, 'I feel great, how about you?'
Shane says, 'I feel great, too. You don't have a hangover?' Phil says, 'No that jet fuel is great stuff no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often..' ' Yeah, well there's just one thing.' 'What's that?' 'Have you farted yet?' 'No.' 'Well, DON’T 'cause I'm in New Zealand ' I Like this one !! A Dog Named DICK ! (check out his back !)
Date Event Location Information
July 2014
Fri 4th Nene Valley AGM Night Towcester Rugby Club
Sat 5th American Airforce Ride Sulgrave Manor ‘So Bad’ Leading – in this magazine
Sun 6th Carnival Ride Newport Pagnell ‘Becks’ Leading – Leaving Jacks 11:00
3rd
– 6th
July Wake the Lakes Kendal RFC Check Out Red Rose HOG website
Wed 9th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
Sun 13th Ride the Gorge Cheddar ‘Groundhog’ Leading – Details to follow
Sun 20th Secret Island Ride It’s a Secret …….. ! ‘Sharpie’ Leading – Leaving Jacks Hill 09:00 details in this issue
Sat 26th Haveago Archery Edlesborough Bob the Bus Leading – Leaving Jacks Hill 10:00 – details inside
Sat 5th High Peak Passes North Derbyshire ‘Slow Hand’ Leading – Leaving Jacks Hill 09:00
Thurs 31st Harley Davidson Night Ace Café London Check website for confirmation and details
August 2014
Sun 3rd Ice Cream Ride Lincolnshire ‘Bob the Bus’ Leading – Details to follow
Wed 6th Classic on the Common Croxley Green ‘Sharpie’ Leading – Details to follow. Afternoon ride
Sun 10th Seaside Ride TBA ‘Panda’ leading – Details to follow
Wed 13th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
15th – 17
th August NV Rally Towcester RFC Details to follow
22nd
– 25th
August Thunder in the Glens Aviemore Check out Dunedin HOG website
Thurs 28th Harley Davidson Night Ace Café London Check website for confirmation and details
Sun 31st Dads Army Ride Thetford ‘Mikey’ leading – Details to follow
September 2014
Sun 7th Chilli Ride Waddesdon Manor ‘The Ambassador’ Leading – Details to follow
Wed 10th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
12th
‐14th
Sept Circus Maximus Rally Chester Check out Deva Legion H.O.G Chapter website for details
Sat 13th Disco Boat Ride River Thames ‘Bob the Bus’ Leading – Details to follow
Sun 21st Ring of Fire Ride TBD ‘The Ambassador’ Leading – Details to follow
Thurs 25th Harley Davidson Night Ace Café London Check website for confirmation and details
Sun 28th Food Stop Café Ride Bridgenorth ‘Groundhog’ leading – Details to follow
October 2014
Sat 4th RTTW 7 and The Return National Memorial Arboretum ‘Mikey/Slow Hand’ – Details to follow
Wed 8th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
Sun 12th Brightona Brighton ‘Bob the Bus’ Leading – Details to follow
Sun 19th Hoggin the Bridge TBD
Thurs 25th Harley Davidson Night Ace Café London Check website for confirmation and details
November 2014
Sat 1st Halloween Ride (Provisional) Forest of Dean ‘Groundhog’ leading – Details to follow
Wed 12th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
Sun 9th Remembrance & Baps Bletchley ‘The Ambassador’ Leading – Details to follow
December 2014 Wed 10
th Club Night Towcester Rugby Club From 7.30pm
Disclaimer: The Editor accepts no responsibility for the views and comments expressed in this publication. All views and comments contained are those of the individual
contributors and not necessarily those of Nene Valley H.O.G®, Harley Davidson
®, their agents, or authorised dealers. All H.O.G.
® Logos and marks are used under licence
in accordance with article X of the current H.O.G.® Annual Charter for H.O.G.
® Chapters.