jul_2010

p5Observer

training day

p6Off-

Roading in

Andalucia

p9Three Men

in Five

Boats

p10Millau

Experience

p11Simple

Biking

I N S I D E

MAKINGprogress

Registered Charity No. 1097558

T h e I A M A i m sTo improve the standard of driving (and riding)on the UK roads.

The Advancement of Road Safety.

The Administration of an Advanced Test.

SOLENT ADVANCED

M OTO R C Y C L I S T S

J U LY 2 0 1 0

sam

Chasing theSun inScotland

bike July cov 10:bike jan cov 09.qxd 15/7/10 09:24 Page 2

S A M S O L E N T A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S J u l y 2 0 1 0

P A G E 2

SAMs Out and About


P A G E 3

Wow. Gosh. A new Chairman. What’s that I hear yousay? Something about a mug? Thanks, I’ll have tea withone sugar.

S A M S O L E N T A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S J U L Y 2 0 1 0

OFFICERSChairman: Kevin White

[email protected]

Secretary: Peter Curtis

[email protected]

Treasurer: Scott Turobin-Harrington

[email protected]

COMMITTEE MEMBERSVice Chairman: David Forster

Public Relations: David Forster

[email protected]

Chief Observer: Alec Gore

[email protected]

Membership Secretary: Russ Clark

[email protected]

Club Night Organiser: Wendy Peters

[email protected]

Group Rides Co-ordinators: Tony Eaton & Colin Goble

[email protected]

Skills Manager: Jeff Carter

[email protected]

Further Skills Administrator: Alec Gore

MDU Manager: Tim Bennett

[email protected]

Merchandising: John Parvin

Magazine Editor: Carey Wall

[email protected]

Website: Rui de Castro

[email protected]

VALUED HELPERSSAM Sunday Breakfast: Annie Spicer

Club Night Refreshments: Becci Lunn and

James Norman

Magazine Composition and Publishing: Kim Formhalls

MDU Towing: Jack Laverick

SAM Buddies: Nick Bubb and Sue Demain-Stone

[email protected]

Officers, Committee Members and Helpers

YOUR COMMITTEE

Kevin White

Chairman

Peter Curtis

Secretary

Scott Turobin-Harrington

Treasurer

David Forster

Vice Chairman& PR

Alec Gore

ChiefObserver

Russ Clark

MembershipSecretary

Wendy Peters

Club NightOrganiser

Tony Eaton andColin Goble

Group RidesCo-ordinators

Jeff Carter

SkillsManager

Alec Gore

Further SkillsAdministrator

Tim Bennett

MDUManager

John Parvin

Merchandising

Carey Wall

MagazineEditor

I am still a little shell-shocked after

the result was announced at the

AGM. A big “thank you” to everyone

who turned up, whoever you voted

for. Those who came for the

excellent buffet certainly weren’t

disappointed. But if any came

expecting a punch-up between the

candidates, they were destined for a

big let-down as the candidates get

on famously, and Wendy happily

volunteered to serve on the

Committee as Club Night Organiser

– gawd bless ‘er! I also want to say a

public “thank you” to David for

doing such an excellent job of

keeping the chair warm, so to speak.

So, just between you and I, I was

feeling a little intimidated at my first

Committee meeting. But I needn’t

have worried. We are lucky to have a

keen and capable bunch of guys and

gals serving on our Committee

which bodes very well for the

challenges of the road ahead. To say

to a motorbiking group that the road

ahead will be long and winding is just

asking for comments like “so, go get

your knee down then”. To bikers, a

long and winding road is a joy to be

savoured (or a song to be avoided)

so I am looking forward to going and

getting my knee down.

The job of the Chairman is to lead.

But it helps enormously if he also

knows in what direction to lead. So

I will be spending much of my time

just talking to you all, finding out

your opinions and what you want

out of your club. We all know that

the Club exists primarily to

promote the improvement of riding

standards with the objective of

better road safety. This is not just

the responsibility of our excellent

Observers, it is the responsibility of

every member – to constantly

maintain our skills, and to act as an

example to every other biker and

car driver out there.

But SAM also provides ongoing

training and a social bike club for its

members and associates. We have

seen some excellent presentations

over the last year and have many

more to look forward to. So while I

am talking to you, I will also be

asking for ideas about what else we

could do. We only carry insurance

for skills-related activities at the

moment, but insurance for social

events could be obtained for a small

fee (say £2 or £3 per member)

which would throw open the doors

to a whole range of other possible

activities. Maybe this is something

the club should investigate?

So, lots to do and lots to think

about. Might as well go for a ride

while I’m thinking! See you soon.

Kevin

CHAIRMAN’S chat

bike txt July 10.qxd:bike txt Jan 09.qxd 15/7/10 09:25 Page 2


WHY SAMURGENTLYNEEDSMOREOBSERVERS Observers are the bedrock ofall that an AdvancedMotorcycle Group does. Sadly,without sufficient Observers,there will not be:

• Free Assessed Rides on SAMSundays

• Recruitment of new members • Allocation of Associates to

Observers in a reasonabletime

• Development of Associatesriding standard andpreparation for the IAM Test

• Riding of a standardacceptable for participation inGroup Rides

• A pool of Observers fromwhich to train SeniorObservers

• Further Training – the SAMAdvanced Plus test

Preparing riders for the IAMAdvanced Motorcycle Test andmaintaining Advanced Ridingstandards is the core activity of theclub. For the size of ourmembership (currently 320, ofwhich 107 are Associates) weshould have an Observer Team of10-15%, that would be 30-40active Observers. We onlypresently have 17 activeObservers and 6 active SeniorObservers.

Out of 213 Full Members, why is itthat only 23 feel able help? Is itmodesty – do members feel thatthey can’t aspire to such skills?Observers rarely ask ‘What’s in itfor me?’

Although, actually there are a lot ofrewards to being an Observer: • Improved riding standard for

yourself • Development of your

observation, analytical,communication, coaching andmentoring skills

• Opportunity to progress toSenior Observer and trainpeople for the SAM AdvancedPlus, as well as bringing on newObservers

CHIEF OBSERVER’S REPORT July 2010

INTRODUCING ...Colin Goble Group Rides Co-ordinatorNever even thought about a motorbike until I was 17, and if the idea had

not been kindled by Dad I might still be on pedal power alonetoday. Well, I still try to do a [little] bit, but 1100cc of V-twinpower helps with the up-hills and adds enjoyment.

These days I’m on a Guzzi Breva. After starting small and thenforsaking bikes altogether for 25 years, this is my first “big”bike. However, if being a serious “Biker” means covering 1000’sof miles in all weathers with a tent (etc.) bungeed to the backthen I wouldn’t really qualify.

Toured parts of Ireland (the potholed ones) last “summer” and lookingforward to seeing bits of Scotland later this year – and using hotels, ofcourse!"

• Membership, friendship andsupport of a team ofdedicated, like-minded riders

WHAT IS AN OBSERVER?

The essence of Observer trainingis to impart knowledge gainedthrough the effective use offeedback through coaching andmentoring by following aprogramme. An Observer must becapable of riding theirmotorcycle(s) to a standard higherthan that of the IAM base leveltest standard, promoting“education by example”. TheObserver will guide Associates toimprove existing levels of ability, toacquire new skills, and to developadvanced techniques.

An Observer should have athorough knowledge of the IAMmanual, “How to be a betterrider,” be able to coach andmentor by assessing, identifying,rectifying, and feeding back.Additionally, all Observers shouldhave knowledge of the ObserverTraining Manual, “MotorcycleRoadcraft” and the “HighwayCode”, including basic motoringlaw, and be able to demonstrateany feature of riding skill asdescribed in them.

All current/active Observers mustbe current Members of the IAMand the SAMs.

ARE YOU UP FOR IT?

Even with new recruits toObserving, it could take up totwo years to get us where weshould be as a Group; withoutsufficient volunteers, the future ofthe Group itself, certainly as weknow it, could be in doubt.

I am immensely proud of theObserver team that work so hardfor us now. I am really impressedby the keenness of the six newObservers who have come onboard since last year and of thoseObservers who put in the effortto qualify as Seniors. Nonetheless,we need you and we need youurgently. As our Vice-Chairman isoften heard to say, “Will you stepup to the plate?”

Please contact Alec as soon

as possible if you are

interested and want to know

more.

Alec Gore Chief Observer, SAM

Scott Turobin-Harrington TreasurerI currently ride a Honda Pan European ST1100(Ex Police). I live in Fareham during the week andcommute to my family in Kent at the weekends. Iam also the Chairman of my Company’s (NATS)Motorcycle Club and organise regular ride outsand camping trips for my own club.

Two years ago I organised a trip around the UKvisiting 29 of my company’s sites to raise moneyfor charity. We had up to 12 riders and took 12days to complete the 2,500 mile trip and raised£7,600.


P A G E 5


In line with the desire toensure the Hamble andMeon Valley cell exercisebest practice it wasdecided that periodicguest presentations/training rides should takeplace, primarily given byIAM examiners in aneffort to see whereassociates often go wrongduring their IAM tests.

Adrian Short delivered the first ofthese presentations on 1 May

with Senior Observers JohnsLongland and Parvin present as wellas regular Observers Mike West,Sam Davis and Lee Blackburn inattendance.

The format for the day was to gatherat Mike West’s lovely abode around0900, have an hour or so of chalkand talk before heading out on tothe roads of Hampshire and WestSussex to put into practice whatwe’d discussed earlier. Despite theweather’s best attempts to try anddampen things a cracking ride washad by all with a lovely lunch at ThePartridge Inn in Singleton to give ustime to reflect on what we’dachieved thus far.

In between the lunch and finaldebrief sessions the format used wasvery similar to that used betweenassociates and their observers withus following a set route followed bysome constructive pick-up points tokeep us on our toes. I think that Ican speak for us all when I say thatAdrian’s pointers were a benefit tous all and helped us with ideas acrossthe board. From using white linemarkings as a guide to youraccelaration/gear changes through tosensible use of hand signals (Cue theSwan Lake image at this point!) weall picked us something from the daywhich, surely, is the point.

Many thanks to Mike for use of hisclassroom and the lovely croissantsas well as to Adrian Short for histime and effort during the day. The

Hamble and Meon Valley CellObserver Training Day – 1 May 2010

next such day will see PhilPentelow sharing his wisdom whichI know that I for one am lookingforward to already.

In attendance:

John Parvin – Recently qualifiedSenior Observer

Mike West – Cell Co-ordinator,Observer with the cell

John Longland – Hamble and MeonValley Cell Senior Observer

Adrian Short – Serving TrafficPolice Officer and IAM Examinerfor Chichester Area

Sam Davis – Observer from the cell

Lee Blackburn – Observer fromthe cell

Main points on “whyassociates fail” (oops, I mean,get referred) were:

• Legality – dangerous or duecare incidents such as crossingwhite lines

• Non systematic/ragged riding

• Poor use of gears (too high)

• Positioning

• Lack of progression

• Falling off! (has only happenedonce)

Other helpful commentsmade by Adrian included:

• Consider use of hand signalswhen coming off roundabouts

• As observers, we should attendat least one associate test per

test should be regarded as astepping stone rather than adestination

• Making greater use of theinformation provided by roadmarkings and signage ( JKL todevelop this theme for us at thenext cell meeting).

From the EditorWelcome to the summer edition of Making Progress. Atlong last summer is here and sun-lit roads are calling.This edition has tales and pictures of longer,more adventurous journeys. It seems that someGPS devices prefer smaller roads, adding to thesense of adventure.

I recently went to the Horizons UnlimitedTravellers Meeting in Ripley. This was agathering of travellers who have covered theglobe with bike tracks. One couple had evenridden a Harley in all 193 countries of the world.It was fascinating listening to traveller tales,getting tips from lightening your load by cuttingyour toothbrush in half to changing tyres towhat makes a good photo to cooking roadkill.The people were friendly and the sun shone. Ican thoroughly recommend next year's meetingif you are interested in longer journeys ormeeting the authors of travel books. I hadforgotten just how much I like camping.

When I am on my bike I often sing to myself. Iknow I'm anxious when I find myself singing'Suicide is Painless'. A friend sings 'Jerusalem' -just because she knows the words. Does anyoneelse sing? If so, what songs do you prefer?

The October issue will have articles on summerriding too, so please send in your articles andphotos.

Happy Biking, Carey

year to remind ourselves of theformat and experience

• We should get our associatesabove the required test standardto allow for regression on theday of the test

• Remind associates that the IAM

By By Lee Blackburn


P A G E 6


Lounging with some daytime TV last year I caught anarticle on Life in the Sun of a couple who set up an off-roading company in Spain. Looked so fantastic I quicklyhit the record button and then hunted them down onthe internet. (www.redtread.com).

Off-Roading in Andalucia

Red Tread was set up in 2001 byex Enduro champion Ian

Burgess and his wife Sally. I couldn’twait for David to come home andsee it. Off-roading was notsomething I had ever thought ofdoing before but this so caught myimagination that after someresearch, we made a reservationwith them for a long weekend inJanuary as novice off-roaders.

We flew to Malaga on Fridayafternoon feeling both nervous andexcited, looking forward to 3 daysriding in Andalucia. We settled intothe house and met the other riderin our party - Tim, who was also anovice to off-roading. We were veryfortunate to be only a party of 3 asthey can take up to 12 people.Saturday morning we were kittedout with all the protective gear andgiven our bikes - Honda CRF230Ffor me and CRF250X for David.The 230F had the lowest seat theyhave and I only just managed tomount it. Then we set out on ourfirst challenge - down their verticaldriveway!

Over the 3 days we had some verychallenging riding. The first morningwe were taken to a quarry forsome great tuition on hill climbsand cornering from our instructorTrevor and sweeper Digger. Afterlunch we headed off for a ride inthe hills. We arrived back at thehouse after a very full day, tired butreally looking forward to the nextday.

They were really pleased with ourprogress from day one so over thenext two days we were given somegreat trail rides.

Day two was up to the top ofmMount Maroma (2000m). Sheerdrops weaving around themountain, great climbs strewn withrocks and ruts etc. On day threewe had some even more challengingpaths and great fun following a riverfor a mile or so.

The Red Tread guys were great -really encouraging you to attempt

what you think you can’t do, butthey don’t push you if you really feelunsafe. I did bottle out of a coupleof patches and Digger took the bikethrough for me. One of those waswhere we had to cross a riverwhich had washed away the path.There was a sheer concrete dropdown into a river bed strewn withboulders! David was far braver thanme and had a go but notsurprisingly he did take a tumble.Several times, in sheerdetermination to get up somebouldered climbs I ended up

The bikes were fantastic -it is amazing and thepunishment they can take,what they can clamberover, if you just trust them.

by Lyndsey Pratt

shouting to myself very loudly -KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING, KEEPGOING - over and over until I’dgot up there - it really did work - ifyou let off the throttle you’ve nochance. The bikes were fantastic -it is amazing and the punishment

they can take, what they canclamber over, if you just trust them.As expected I did take severaltumbles and came back with arather good limp but can’t wait togo back again.

The Master Class was conductedby Dave Bruguier and his pupilswere Alec Gore and myself. Theaim was to combine some funwith personal development.Setting off from Stockbridge at09:00 we made our way to theBikers’ Retreat in North Wales -www.bikers-retreat.com. Theroads were varied, challengingand scenic. The weather was fine,although it became a little mistieras we made our way deeper intoWales; at one point we wereliterally riding though the clouds.

Our overnight accommodation ishighly recommended - and as thename suggests, it is completelygeared around bikers. Run by

WALES RAID by Mike West

600 miles on technical and demanding roads, over just twodays. Oh yes, with a Class 1 instructor in your ear saying“drive, drive, drive”. It was superb.

Nigel and Tiv, the food was firstclass and the facilities wereexcellent. The Dolgellau locationcouldn’t be better for motorcyclingroads with a combination ofsweepers, mountain climbs andbreathtaking views – not that wehad much time to take in the views.

As far as realising the aims of thetrip were concerned, it wasdefinitely fun and certainlydemanding. From a personalperspective, it was also good to bestretched and reminded how ourAssociates feel each time we takethem out.

Mike West, Alec Gore and Dave Bruguier take a break on day 2.


P A G E 7

What can I say – two weeks – 3531 miles – 8 Countries– a bike that did not skip a beat – no emails, no phonecalls, just the occasional text message from and tohome!! Good company – good food – a few beers –no border guards and even some sunshine. Some goodroads, some crap roads, some good camp sites andsome not so good, some good beers and some moregood beers.


Poland & Beyond 2010By Nigel Grace

It was a simple route France-

Netherlands-Germany-Poland-

Lithuania-Poland-Czech Republic-

Germany-Luxemburg-Belgium-

France-Home. Visits included

Auschwitz, Treblinka, Colditz and

Vilnius the capital of Lithuania.

Sitting on a bike for many hours a

day is not some people’s idea of

fun... but I kind of enjoy it… alone

with your own thoughts –

punctuated with other thoughts of

Petrol, Mileage, Weather, Arrival

Times and the inevitable body

functions that have a habit of

cropping up when least expected!

All need to be considered, all need

to be dealt with…

I was talking to friend of mine about

this last weekend and he runs many

marathons in a year – “what do you

think about whilst your running” I

asked? “Not a lot really was the

answer – I just enjoy the “now”…..

I had thought of writing a long article

about the trip but I don’t think I

could and still maintain your interest

– unlike Sam Manicom or Lois Pryce

and many others who are able to

write brilliant books about their

exploits. I did however keep a Blog

(http://nigel-grace.blogspot.com/)

which I tried to update daily and

then upload when I could. Just a

short entry of the day’s events and

with photos added where possible –

nothing fancy or philosophical or too

in-depth – just a sort diary entry –

written at the time and then closed.

Maybe one day – the trip will be

longer and even open ended and the

book that is undoubtedly inside us all

will get written. Many thanks to

Steve Davies and Brian Mudie for

their part in this trip and to Dave

Charlton who so very nearly became

part of it too, and to Colin

Hitchcock for his advice and night-

wear fashion tips!!

Young & Hopeful

Training to be an advancedmotorcyclist is something really

special for me; many things standagainst me achieving this goal forexample a short temper with otheridiot road users, exams as I amcurrently a forestry student and onebusy social life.

The reason I decided to take thestep to becoming a better bikercame from 1. my dad passing hisgreen badge back up in Bristol and2. an incident involving myself my

first big bike a Yamaha Fazer 600.Two weeks experience on it + a wetdrain cover + a hedge - need I saymore?

The training for me has not comeeasy. The hours of practice put inreally have paid off - not to mentiona dream of one day owning a gel seat(much nicer on the rear). Alas, I amnot yet at a standard to be able topass my green badge. Hopefullysoon, but being only 19 I think I havetime on my side.

As my training has progressed andmy riding has gotten better it hasopened my eyes to how I was ridingbefore. It still shocks me that I couldhave done some of the things I did.But the course really has given meskills for life and has also taught methat other road users makemistakes just like I used to and howto not get wound up by them.

I hope that someday soon I will bestood up receiving my green badge,making my Father proud and joining

the ranks of the riders that havegone before me.

(Ed Note: Andy’s Father is amember of SAM – Severn AdvancedMotorcyclists).

I was looking through my e-mails when I came across one asking if there was any contribution I couldmake to this magazine, having 10 free minutes for a change, I thought I’d give it a go and write this.

ByAndrew Boyes

Beloved Shiny Bike - Before the HedgeIncident


S A M S O L E N T A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S M a y 2 0 1 0

P A G E 8

S A M S O L E N T A D V A N C E D M O T O R C Y C L I S T S J a n u a r y 2 0 1 0SAM DIARY OF EVENTS FOR 2010

DATE RUN LEADER MEETING / DEPART TIME DESTINATION DIST. GRADE

Tues 13 July Club Night SGCC16 - 18 July Nigel Grace BEM Camping weekend in Exmoor - all welcome

Tues 20 July Committee SGCC

Sun 25 July

Tue 27 July Ev John Goodson 7.30pm Winchester Fishers Pond PH

Tue 27 July Ev Howard King 7.30pm Fareham Fishers Pond PH

W’end 29 July /1 Aug Silverstone World Superbikes

Sun 1 Aug SAM SUNDAY 10 -12 SGCC 1Sun 8 Aug Vince Hall TBA TBA

Tues 10 Aug Club Night SGCC12 -15 Aug Stratford on Avon Bulldog Bash

Tues 17 Aug Committee SGCC

Sun 15 Aug Lou Lucas Tesco, Winnal Lunch at Monmouth 200 3

Sun 22 Aug David Charlton 10am Ower Four Counties Tour 150 3

Sun 22 Aug Popham Airfield Motorcycle Mega Meet

Tue 24 Aug Ev John Goodson 7.30pm Winchester Sarisbury Green Community Centre

Tue 24 Aug Ev Sam Davis 7.30pm Fareham Sarisbury Green Community Centre

Sun 29 Aug Ian Cooper TBA Cheddar Gorge or Wantage (TBC)

Sun 5 Sept SAM SUNDAY 10 -12 SGCC 1Sun 12 Sept Alec Gore 10am Ower George PH, Mere 120 2

Tues 14 Sept Club Night SGCCTues 17 Sept Committee SGCC

Sun 3 Oct SAM SUNDAY 10 -12 SGCC 1Sun 10 Oct Nigel Grace BEM TBA Weymouth beach race

Tues 12 Oct Club Night SGCCTues 19 Oct Committee SGCC

Tues 9 Mov Club Night SGCCTues 16 Nov Committee SGCC

Sun 21 Nov David Charlton 10am Ower Four Counties Tour 150 3

SAM would like to thank each run leader for the time and effort that they will be devoting to the organisation and planning of these runs.

Participants are reminded that they must be familiar with SAM DOC Number 011 and that riding decisions are theirs and theirs alone.

We wish you an enjoyable and above all else, a SAFE ride with the group of other SAM riders.

We cannot guarantee that the details of runs will not be changed before the event. However, every effort will be made to adhere to them.

NOTE. New issues of this list are produced from time to time. Always check that you have the latest issue.

Dates without a Run Leader are available for Green Badge holdersto volunteer to lead a Group Ride. (Note that we can have more thanone ride on a given date provided they are different Grades.) Please contactthe Group Rides Co-ordinators to arrange one

All rides will be conducted in line with Club guidelines as per Docs. 010GGand 011GG

See the updated Group Rides programme at: http://www.solent-advanced-motorcyclists.co.uk

Full details of each run will be announced before the run, via e-mail on SAM-announce. Details will also appear in the Calendar of run/events on thewebsite

Alternatively, contact the run leader; or Tony Eaton or Colin Goble via thewebsite.

One fine summer evening,an associate is getting in somecornering practice around thosetricky country lanes when thebike suddenly splutters and dies.The associate gets off and startstinkering around with differentthings but it won't start again.Suddenly out of nowhere a voicesays "try the carbs mate, theysounded dry".The associate looks around andcan see nothing but a paddock,fields and trees."Go on, it’s the fuel feed I reckon"

says the voice again.The associate looks around andcan only see two horses in a field,one of which is looking at him."Aye, the fuel line is split for sure"says the horse.The astonished associate is tootaken aback to reply but checksthe line anyway and sure enoughit has a split in it."Tape it up and change it as soonas you can" says the horse.Dumbly the associate does it andsure enough it soon starts up.Unsure what to do the associate

blitzes off and pulls in at the next pub.He orders a swift pint and downs itin one still a bit shaken."Steady Lad" says the barman"What’s up with you?""You wouldn't believe what justhappened to me" the associate saysand relays the story of the horse."Hmm, really " says the barman "Wasthis a brown horse then?""Aye" says the associate "Why?""You were lucky" says the barman"the black ‘un knows sod all aboutbikes".


P A G E 9


Three Men in Five Boats 16th to 20th May 2010 – by Graeme Brown

This bike trip took 25years to organise.

The first time my 2 old schoolfriends and I have gone on a

trip on three separate bikes in the25 years since passing our biketests. So where to go that’s hotand sunny and begins with S? Forreasons that escape me the unlikelychoice was Scotland (in particularthe west coast). Craig and I had a4 day bike tour there in 1985 -Ullapool to Oban via Skye on 2Superdreams (remember them?).

It’s possible that, being Scots, buthaving lived in England for over 20years our memories of the driech,sodden, Caledonian conditions haddulled – or that after a few pints ofbeer Craig and I thought “No – itcouldn’t have rained constantly onthat trip 25 years ago”. And ofcourse it didn’t rain constantly then– there was a whole 5 minutes ofremittance when we’d stopped toadmire Gruinard Island (then stillhome to anthrax). The resthowever was streaming hydrogenoxide in biblical proportions.Anyway, considering the law ofaverages, Skye would probably beexperiencing a drought this time.

Our route - day 1, up to LochLomond from John’s home inLancashire. Day 2, on through thestunning Glencoe to the (verymuch on the road to nowhere)Kinlochleven. Over to Tobermoray(if you’ve kids - Balamory) via theCorran and Lochaline ferries. Day 3- Ardnamurchin Peninsular and onto Malaig (Armadale Ferry) via apainfully slow but very scenic singletrack road and on to Uig. Day 4was leaving Skye and on toBraemar via our old home town ofElgin. The final day was down theA93 (a magnet for bikes inScotland) to Perth and on toCraig’s home near Newcastle.

We stayed in Youth Hostels instunning locations (Loch Lomond,Tobermoray, Uig in Skye andBraemar – you can even reserveyour own “family” room) did 5ferries of varying size – the coolestwas the wee Kyle Rhea to Glenelgcommunity ferry from Skye.

And the weather? It rained once –for 5 minutes.

DORCHESTER – With or Without Bl---dy Sat Navby Colin Hitchcock

Sunday 21st Feb.

Never mind the weather, Mike West ishosting a Green Badge ride and aDucati in winter is a rare sight. So itwas that 5 hardy souls met up atLoomies for a good old-fashionedblast. It is worthy of note that therewere 3 Garmins beingused………more on this later!

The lovely café in Dorchester was thechosen lunch venue, and indeed theonly stop apart from petrol, also atDorchester after 100 lovely miles.Mike choose a suitably twisty routeand, whilst circumnavigating Salisbury,decided to ignore some marvelloussensible advice from a qualified MapReading Instructor (I shall remainnameless), threw caution to the windand followed the GSP route. Thisinvolved a private unmade farm track, aDucati getting bogged down andpushed out, and a perplexed rambler

wondering why we were Green Laning onsuch exotic machinery; I put his mind atrest by explaining that we only everfollowed Mike out of curiosity. Tarmacwas eventually rediscovered and much funwas had making progress to a well-deserved pukka biker’s lunch - the platesare only slightly smaller then a Vikingshield!

Thus fortified Mike led us home viaLulworth. Autocom came in handy and wedid the Ranges loop by proxy. This really isa superb piece of road and I heartilyrecommend it to you. Next time I lead aride…follow me, no Garmin required.Through the New Forest we headed forhome. Just as well really as Mike had foundanother green lane stream, I kid you not.

Finally bang on schedule we happilyarrived back at Loomies having had athoroughly good day’s biking, 200 miles ofgood roads, food and company.

Top tip Mike, buy a map!


P A G E 10


Millau Experience

We had a good run down toBourges (approx. 350 miles)

where we stayed the night followedby a second day of 270 miles downto Millau. This took us along amixture of motorway and countryroads to break up the monotonywith some fantastic scenery. It wasgreat to experience motorwayswith sharp bends going through theMassif Central. The roads andviaducts were quite spectacular.The last 30 miles or so were in therain and we arrived at the tollbooths to the bridge where wewere supposed to divert the last 1mile down into Millau. You canimagine we were not amused tofind that the road was blocked andwe had to do a 14 mile detour inthe pouring rain when we werealready knackered!

We stayed at the Cevenol Hotelwhere we had a warm greeting andenjoyed some excellent and wellpriced cuisine (and a few drinks),

The following day we set off for theDargilan Cave high up in LesCauses mountains in the CevennesNational Park. We managed to go“off piste” by following TOM TOMwhich took us up into themountains with some surprisinglytight hair pins and through forests.We arrived just in time for a tour(in French only) but it has to besaid that the pink stalagmites andstalagtites were very impressive aswas the petrified waterfall that issome 100m long and 20m high.They say you can get Notre DameCathedral into this cave and youcan believe them.

We set off on 30th April for a few days in the south of France on the two FJRs. AsAlan and Teresa had such a good time in Spain and Portugal on their FJR in Octoberit was not too difficult to persuade John and Bridget to go along on this trip. It wasto be Bridget’s first foray abroad on a motorbike so it is fair to say she wassomewhat apprehensive.

From there we went to Florac andthen along the Gorges Du Tarndown to Le Rozier and back toMillau. What a fabulous road andno wonder we came across somany bikers. Road and sceneryabsolutely stunning. The FJRs hadto cope with a few miles of gravelroads but no problems there.

Posing in the

cave with

hi-vis

tweedledee and teedledum

wonderful structure – highestbridge in the world, taller than theEiffel Tower. For 15 years or so allthe motorway traffic had to traveldown into Millau and then acrossthe old bridge, no wonder they areso pleased to have this magnificentstructure which opened about 5years ago. It is rare that a manmade structure can actuallyenhance such a beautiful naturalenvironment, but this does. Alan ispleased to point out that the Viaducdu Millau was designed by a Britisharchitect although he does not haveany bridges in his own portfolio!

formed between his double glazedvisor and had to do an emergencystop on the narrow hard shoulderof the motorway with max. 2mvisibility. Hair-raising to say theleast, and when he lifted his visor,only then did he see John andBridget who had also pulled overonly 20m ahead of them. John toohad totally steamed up so heremoved his glasses which helped.The Nolan inner visors wereuseless! Alan removed his totally toprevent ice build up andunfortunately his glasses fell apartas he was cleaning them – lucky hehad contact lenses handy. (Theoptician subsequently said that thatcan only happen in extreme cold!).We agreed that we would pull in tothe next service station to reviewour situation.

We passed a collision where twocars and two bikes had come offthe road – we found out later thatthe bikers has simply slipped on theice but were uninjured althoughtheir bikes had to be recovered.

Alan and Teresa pulled in to thenext station at St. Flour but havingspent half an hour looking around 5buildings including hotels,restaurants and garage all of whichwere closed decided to continue. Ittranspired that John and Bridgethad missed the service station butturned into the next picnic viewpoint which was already a whiteover. There they made the decisionto try to get back onto themotorway before they gotcompletely snowed in. They felthelp would be more forthcomingon the motorway than from atucked away view point. With bothfeet sliding along the road like a pairof skis, John just managed to getback on the motorway thankfully toa slight downhill exit. He felt certainthat he would not have made it if itif it had been up hill.

Once on the motorway theyfollowed some lorries that wereforming sufficient tracks for him tofollow. At one stage there was asnow plough up his backside but hewas not going to or able to pullover into the 3 or 4 inches of snowto let it pass. They plodded onthrough the snow and some 3hours later they made it to a snowfree service station where Bridgetcould hardly get off the bike or stopshivering, John was concerned thather core body temperature had

Gorges Du Tarn

The following day Bridget wassuffering from ear problems due toa not too well fitting crash helmetso the girls decided they wouldhave a day off the bikes. We thenset off to the bridge to admire this

We had an unfortunate experiencewhen we thought the camera withall of the photos so far had been“misappropriated” in a shop butsomehow managed to turn up inJohn and Bridget’s room.

We started our return journey on4/5/10 expecting to take about 4 –5 hours inclusive of stops. It rainedheavily for the first 70 or so miles,this turned to sleet and within notime we were into snow. At onestage Alan had ice that suddenly

Millau Bridges

Continued on back cover


P A G E 11

Simple Pleasures – SimpleBikingBy Jill Kernick


As summer approaches I think

back to last summer’s European

trip which started off on a midday

LD Lines ferry from Portsmouth

arriving in Le Havre early in the

evening with plenty of time to ride

for an hour or so before finding a

campsite. This avoided the

somewhat mundane journey to

Dover and very quickly put us into

holiday mode. Our bikes? Roger

rides a K75S and I was on a Honda

CB500. Having previously toured on

my Bergman 400 scooter I thought

it would be interesting to compare

the two bikes.

With 500 miles to ride to Morzine

in the French Alps where we would

catch up with my son, we decided to

give ourselves three full days riding

to get there at a leisurely pace. With

the often-interesting assistance of

the Tom Tom we usually opted for

the “shortest route” as opposed to

“fastest route” to our chosen

destination or created an itinerary

avoiding all major roads. This meant

that we rode through the villages

and towns rather than around them,

stopping as and when we felt the

need.

Some times we ran out of road and

onto tracks!

We had full European breakdown

insurance but when the alternator

gave up on the BMW and we found

that it would be a three days wait

for parts to come from Germany

Roger decided to have a go at a

temporary repair using some

rubber gas pipe tubing from a local

supermarket. He did a brilliant job

that lasted for 350 miles, enabling

us to pick the part up at our

convenience!

After spending a few days in the

Morzine area we headed further

south and camped near to Bourg St

Maurice, making day trips into the

mountains including the Petit St

Bernard pass over to Italy.

The mountain scenery and riding

was of course spectacular but one

of my favourite finds was the

beautiful rail and road bridge of

Viaduc de Cize Bolozan in the

Rhone-Alpes.

Our route northwards back to Le

Havre took us through varied

French countryside stopping each

night at a different campsite. In

total, our round trip covered 1,800

very interesting miles and led to

thoughts of where to next

summer? Watch this space !

Riding into towntoday, I saw an 'AA'man sitting in hisvan, crying, wailingand banging hishead on the steeringwheel.

I thought to myself,He's heading for abreakdown.


P A G E 12 Help us make progress with a contribution towards the next issue. Pics in jpeg format please.

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the author and publication does not imply endorsement of any article,

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dropped but with a bowl of soup and some dryclothes they set off in the driving rain for thehotel. One Frenchman asked which way theyhad come and called them champions as he hadalso done the trip only a few minutesbeforehand. He thought he was lucky to getout in his car!

In the meantime back at St. Flour, where Alanand Teresa were by now well and truly stuck,the snow was turning into a real blizzardbehind them. In the middle of nowhere (as allthe buildings were found to be closed) Alanand his by now shivering wife were well andtruly in trouble as the bike could not be movedand frankly it would have been suicide to getback on to the motorway during the blizzard.The picture at St. Flour (sic) was just beforethe blizzard – you can see how close themotorway is.

Fortunately the second of only 4 off roadvehicles that passed was the Gendarmes and ithas to be said they were superbly helpful.While sitting with them for about 2 hours intheir warm vehicle they explained in franglaisthat there had just been a 15 vehicle pileupjust south of the service station (somebodyhad been looking over A and T) and that theawaited rescue vehicle could not get throughthe now closed northbound carriageway. Theyorganised another pick up which was to get tothem from an access road into the servicearea. Then to great dismay the gendarmes latersaid there was now another accident and as allother help was at the first two they would haveto part company and leave the intrepidtravellers there in the blizzard to wait for anunknown time for rescue. After what seemedan eternity when Alan was starting to thinkabout building a snow hole to give somecomfort against the freezing wind and snow,help arrived. Now, has anyone tried to get abike which cannot be moved onto a sloping flatbed lorry which is covered in ice – it is noteasy. It was eventually towed on but notwithout a lot of panicking by all concerned.The driver was able to get the bike, Alan andTeresa to Massiac where the snow had cleared.

Millau ExperienceContinued on from p10

There was then a repeat performance of gettingthe bike off the lorry. The only way that thiscould be achieved was by the non Englishspeaking Frenchman who was wearing bootswith good grip in the snow to teach the nonFrench speaking Alan wearing only biking boots(no good for grip on the icy flat bed lorry) howto use the 5 lever controls to get the bike downwhile the driver sat astride it stopping it fromslipping off the back.

The rest of the journey although in the pouringrain was relatively uneventful and Alan andTeresa were reunited with John and Bridget atBourges after 11 hours since setting off. Johnwas fortunate in that he missed the worst ofthe snow and sensibly decided to keep riding tostay ahead of the worst of the weather. In caseany readers are wondering, we jointly felt that itwas best for J and B to continue rather thanwait because they could at least keep safe andremain in contact with A and T with themobiles. No point in having double theproblem.

The following day it rained for the first 30 or somiles and then thankfully stopped. Howeverthe wind was constant, nonstop until we werealmost at Le Havre. It caught both bikes onmore than one occasion and it was a realstruggle to keep to a safe line.

We arrived early at the port only to be told thatwe should return an hour later. When we askedat the booth how we were to get back out wewere told we had to drive through the 9 lanesof on-coming traffic back to the roundabout!Although there was no traffic in sight wethought it best to cross the adjacent lorry lanesand these were also clear and to leave via thedeparture lanes. The little Hitler from thebooth came running out and insisted that thatwas too dangerous and we would have to go theroute she told us – HEALTH & SAFETY HUH!!!

It was good to get home though! By the way,the trip to Germany, Switzerland and thehighest road in Austria has been put on hold forsome reason! Something about “over deadbodies”.

Alan Culshaw and John Hardman

1985, B reg. Honda In-line V4 Magna.

500cc

Imported June 1996, Miles 10,618. Since then

one caring owner, full service/MOT history,

Datatool Alarm, Miles now 18,369,

FOR SALE

MOT until 27/5/11, Tax 12 months from 1/June/10, New Front tyre, New Battery and nearly

new Chain. Hardly ever taken out in the rain, shines & goes like new. A fun bike with a low

seat, I’ll be sorry to part with it. Needs a good owner that will look after it, sorry to see it

go. Reason for sale. Just retired and can’t afford to run all my bikes.

£2000.00p ono

For details call John Hardman on mobile 07958688838 [email protected]

Acknowledgments: John Fox – steady supply ofjokes. Nigel Plant – photos from Indonesia

Baby Bottle Biker


jul_2010

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