Chain Link
BAM Newsletter Registered Charity no: 1118230 Affiliated to: The Institute of Advanced Motorists IAM Group Number 1258 Issue 40 Jul to Sep 2013
The Dorset Gang & Hosts
Dorset Diary, Devil Worshippers & Events coming up
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 1 The Newsletter of BAM Registered Charity no: 1118230
Affiliated to: The Institute of Advanced Motorists IAM Group Number 1258 Issue 40 Jul to Sep 2013 www.bamo.org.uk
The Riding Season is in full swing !
Dorset Daytrippers ☺
Page 2 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Contents Jul – Sep 2013
Regular Features: Title page 1 Contents 3 Kipper’s Komments (Editor) 4 Club Nights 5 Super Sunday 6 - 9 Associate & Observer Passes 10 Treasure Trove 11 Shop Goodies 43 - 44 Ride Out Calendar 45
Special Items Coalpit Heath Reviews (Riches of your why) 11 Regional news 12 - 16 BAM Buddies – Lost & Founbd 17
Ride Reviews and Roadcraft, Amestry and Back 18 - 21 Ducati Day 22 - 23 Fathers Day ride out 24 - 26 Good and Bad of riding 27 - 31 Devil Wordshippers 32 - 38 Honey Cafe 39 - 42 World of Motorcycling 46 Kessi’s Kapers 48 - 49
BAM Roles & Contact points 47
B&B and Sponsors 50 -
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 3 Kipper’s Komments Martyn Rowbottom
Phew, wish this weather would make its mind up, I’m running out of riding gear either too hot or too cold or too wet….it is summer isn’t it ?
I have seen a few of you out and about on ride outs or the Dorset weekend away or helping out at events and what an array of bikes we have amongst us all which is great for anyone who is not sure what they fancy – just take a peak around a Super Sunday car park !
My poor Tallulah (bandit 650) has been in and out the garage as every time I go out something else goes wrong – nearly lost another tax disk as screw vibrated loose, then exhaust decided to split and the fix was so good it split again behind the fix, doh, and now in my wisdom a few years ago to put a radiator protector on the front of my bike – it was weakened the top of the radiator and now I get rather a lot of oil pouring out at me ….but at least I’m smoking !!!
Coalpit Heath – we have had some great guest speakers lately so see the write ups further in this mag, keep the ideas coming please.
Any chain link articles you would like published please email Martyn via [email protected] the deadline for submissions to be included in the next edition is: 20th September 2013
Ps: I know it’s not long since you’ve seen this one but with only one pair of hands and lots of other things going on as well I’m afraid you had to wait for this one ☺
Articles will be accepted in any format, preferably via an email with any photos of course.
Ride Smart and Be Safe , S.M.A.K.
I’ll be back for breakfast. Articles may also be published on the group’s website and in other IAM groups’ newsletters. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily form the views of myself, BAM or the IAM.
Page 4 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 New Member/ Associate or heard about Super Sundays and want to know more about BAM?
Are you a New Member or Associate and reading this for the first time? Have you picked this up in a local dealership, been handed a business card, and want to find out more about Bristol Advanced Motorcyclists ?
We have a series of social evenings to welcome you to the group.
Our aims are: • To give you the opportunity to ask questions on advanced riding techniques. • To take part in discussions with other people doing skill for life training, test your knowledge on fun quizzes, listen to guest speakers. • To meet and make friends in our group
If you would just like to find out more about the group generally before joining as an associate, then feel free to come along and chat to any of the BAM members.
We meet on 2nd Wednesday evening every month, starting @ 7:30pm
Coalpit Heath Village Hall 214 Badminton road Bristol BS36 2QB
Our next meeting dates are as follows:
th Wednesday 14 Aug 13 Bloodhound SSC th Wednesday 11 Sept 13 Survival Skills th Wednesday 9 Oct 13 Riders for Health th Wednesday 13 Nov 13 th Wednesday 11 Dec 13 Quiz Night + Buffet
Guest speakers – if you have any ideas for next year please contact Pete Michael who is helping co-ordinate these evenings.
Look forward to seeing you there !
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 5
These monthly turn up and get a free ride assessment have been working very well and the green team have everything well organised, even when Martyn’s car failed to start after loading with the BBQ tent and food – a rescue mission by Sue meant we still got there on time and able to feed everyone and no-one was any the wiser. Last month saw 7 new members take up skill for life so come along and see what it’s all about and have some fun along the way ☺
We always have a supply of goodies to buy and BAM kit to order
Alternatively go to page 15 and see the rider days being offered by South Glos a day’s taster session before popping along to us.
Page 6 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Whether you want an assessed ride, a refresher ride for current members, or just to meet up with friends, then • Arrive and park up between 9-9:15am and register your name first • Grab a bacon butty and/or a cup of tea • Get allocated an Observer for your assessed ride and off you go…… • If not observing, then meet the examiner talks and other presentations are taking place at various events, so don’t miss out !
Super Sunday dates for the 2013 year ahead are:
August 4 th November 3rd September 3 rd December 1 st October 6 th
Go on – book it into your diary now !
We have a nice car park full of different bikes – marques, models, colours, engine size – so why not pop along and have a look for yourself.
A BAM warm welcome to everyone who has been along to Super Sunday and signed up for their Skill for Life Course.
Steve Buckley Janis Pasparne Wayland Coles Andy Robinson Tony Cox Tom Siwek Tom Davies Steve Smith Paul Evans Kelly Thomas Nigel Lewin Peter Vill Rachel Mahy Andy Williams David Mohan Steve Williams
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 7 Where is it ? King’s Oak Academy. Brook Road, (off Tennis Court Road), Warmley, Bristol BS15 4JT see: www.kingsoakacademy.org.uk
When is it ? EVERY 1st Sunday of the month (excl Jan) Newbies to arrive between 9-9:15 am
How much does it cost ? It’s FREE on your 1 st visit to a Super Sunday event. Just need a few hours of your time to come along and find out more and have a free review of your skills before committing to anything further.
Under 30 ? - We have spaces available sponsored by South Glos Road Safety Partnership so you get a refund of the Skill for life with a successful pass ☺
Want to split the payments? No problem, we can spread payments via direct debit if that suits your situation.
Benefits of investing in a Skill for Life ? Fun, arrive with a smile, no head butting your pillion, cornering becomes a breeze rather than a struggle to get round, ever hit every red traffic light on your way to work ? SFL can help you plan to try and arrive when they are green ☺
The IAM Skill for Life package contains everything you need to get your riding skills up to speed.
• An initial assessment with an IAM Observer from Bristol IAM group • As many rides as required to get you to 'test ready' standard (typically 6 to 8 rides) • The definitive guide to advanced riding techniques 'How to be a better rider' • Membership of our local IAM bike group, with invitations to group events • Full preparation for your Advanced Riding Test • Your Advanced Riding Test undertaken with a qualified examiner • An IAM Advanced Riding Certificate on passing the test • 12-month membership of the national IAM, which includes: Our award winning membership magazine 'Advanced Driving' Access to a host of membership benefits, privileges and discounts Special insurance discounts and policy cover once you have passed Access to the members-only area of the IAM website (for special events, services and member offers)
PLUS every Skill for Life course now comes with 12 months FREE RAC roadside and recovery cover (£106 RRP) so there has never been a better time to become a better rider!
Page 8 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13
Skill for Life isn’t restricted to 2 wheels, so if you would like to advance your skills when driving a car please contact our colleagues in the
Bristol Advanced Car Group http://www.iam-bristol.org.uk/
Price same as for two wheels @ £139
The Skill for Life courses each consist of 3 seminar sessions that are held at the well equipped and easily accessible BAWA Leisure club Centre in Filton.
THE 3 SEMINAR SESSIONS These are held at the well-equipped and easily accessible BAWA Centre in Filton. The sessions will start at 7.30pm and finish at 9.30pm and include coffee/tea. Police Officers and Group Trainers will give the lectures and you are advised to attend all three sessions to gain maximum benefit from the course
Experience Drive: This is your first opportunity to see the advanced principles of car control in practice with one of the Group's Qualified Observers. The 'experience drive' will take place after seminar two and start from the BAWA Centre
PRE BOOKING for the Seminars is essential Contact: Associates Administrator: associates@iam- bristol.org.uk or phone 07071 201173 or see website
Next 2013 Courses available are scheduled to start on:
Course 4 - 9th October
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 9 IAM - Test Passes Congratulations!
Congratulations to the following associates who have successfully passed the Advanced Motorcycle Test & are now full members of BAM
Associate Observer Associate Observer David Dew Jim Caola
Oz Warren & Phil Parbury & Tim Perry & Terry Farrant Jim Caola Jono Taylor
An extra special congratulations to Chris Alder, Chris Nourse and Rod Sinclair who both collected their GOLD badges upon becoming qualified observers.
Well done everyone !
Page 10 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Coalpit Heath Reviews June 12th - Dr Gregory Haddock
One of our BAM members offered to do a talk on Releasing the riches of your why… A curious title that intrigued those who turned up to find out answers to:- • Discover in just 15 minutes how to extend your (quality) life by 12.2 years • Learn powerful mind techniques to instantly; think differently, behave differently, feel terrific and raise your motivation to be happier and then achieve so much more? • Do you sincerely want to be happy?
Greg started the evening telling us about his history and recovering from bankruptcy and that happiness is not a birth right. There is no Haynes manual on how to change your thinking, emotion or behaviours to put things right or a need to know everything in life - a great example was Einstein who people assume knows everything – who when asked for his phone number says I don’t know it – but it’s in the phone book. You don’t need to know the answer – just be aware of someone who might !
Greg handed everyone a little slip of paper with the numbers 0- 116
0 50 10 0 116
Tear the strip at your current age – the bit torn off is your past and cannot change Tear off the next bit where you which to retire and therefore consider yourself financially stable. This represents tomorrow’s promise Tear off the next bit when you think you will die (most people took a bit longer off this of course, with average life expectancy for females at 81 and men at 72 in the region) This last section is a reminder you can waste anything but time !
So how do you make sure you can maximise the time and not waste it ?
Kaisen approach is to drive for a constant never ending improvement by
Creating big goal (eg why buy a new bike ?) and knowing why (It looks nice, makes me feel good, it’s practical, the right price, convince the other half etc) Breaking into shorter simple steps and having a written plan of how to get there Make sure any action you take is in the right direction of the plan Monitor progress Take emotional Control Ultimately you will get there and in doing save potentially wasted time doing the wrong thing which equates to…..an extra 12.2 years of life ☺
Thanks Greg for an interesting evening
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 11
What’s Happening in the Region ?
CVAM monthly social - August 12 th Mel is giving her ‘lift a bike’ talk and demo at Cheddar valley advanced motorcyclists monthly meeting and BAM members welcome if not seen it or would like a refresher. Hopefully the weather will be nice for a ride down
Bristol Bike Show - August 17 th This annual event for all things bike is taking place in Corn Street – we will have a BAM stand there co-located with our Blood Bike buddies form Freewheelers.
We have a few volunteers. But if you are going to pop down to the show and have an hour or so to spare and relief others on the stand, please let Melanie know so we can sort out time slots etc.
Region 1 meeting – Sept 7 th at WSM Mel is attending but if anyone else fancies a ride down to W-S-M and find out what goes on in the region for cars and bikes then please let Sue Nolan our secretary know to book you in.
Regional Motorbike meeting Sept 21st aka Red Cow 2 After a successful first meeting our Bristol Group are hosting the next event that sees two people from all the motorcycles groups in the region meet up and discuss what’s going on, seek help, find out about things going on in IAM etc but all with a motorcycle focus. Why Red Cow ? – cos that’s the name of the pub we meet in ☺
IAM Motorcycle AGM October 5 th This annual gathering of all motorcycle Groups from across the country takes place at Warwick University and is a good way to meet up with others and find out about strategy from IAM. It is also interactive with a variety of workshops for Groups to input their views and share knowledge etc. Two representatives from each Group usually go so if you want to represent BAM then please put your name forward to Sue Nolan our secretary
Also don’t forget to check out the www.betterbiking.co.uk website for other useful hints and tips
Page 12 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 National Observer Weekend in Llandrindod Wells May 17th-19th For the past two weeks the weather has been atrocious and we were heading into the middle of Wales to spend a whole weekend of riding – wet weather gear at the ready that’s for sure. This weekend was going to be the first one looking at the new IMI accreditation that has replaced the Senior Observer test format with Tim Coulson and Mel going along to represent BAM. We rendezvoused at Tim’s house near Devauden and were obliged to take some lovely twisty fast roads through the valleys and hills – Tim gave away one of his short cuts around the back of Crickhowell so Mel will try to remember that for future as a lovely little road. The threatening rain still clung to the clouds so we ploughed onwards taking it in turns to play who’s in lead before arriving at our destination (via a tour of the lake behind the hotel complete with Loch ness monster), exactly at 6pm as originally intended and still bone dry hooray.
Found a space to park up in amongst the cars and other bikes that had been arriving throughout the day. The Metropole hotel is still looking grand with the sun bouncing off its bright green walls and we soon found our rooms after negotiating the creaky staircase.
In the evening, met up with fellow IAM members in the bar before a lovely evening meal and a catch up with friends. Then to ‘work’ and an evening briefing session and being paired up with qualified SOs or IMI national observers – Mel was with Andy Woodward and Mark Foulds.
This allowed everyone to be mixed up with a member of a different group in order to share experiences and methods used.
So a chat about plans for the morning before crashing out to get a rest as a lot of riding to be done in the morning.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 13 Saturday – and the sun was still shining, great, although not so great if you only have thick wet weather riding gear – today was going to be warm ! After a scrummy breakfast, a bit more of a briefing about what to expect and when to be back more importantly, off we set for a ride out amongst the variety of roads that Mid Wales has to offer, occasionally catching a glimpse of another trio.
We had ‘scenarios’ to test each other eg. timid rider, non observant rider, no gears rider, too observant – sight seeing rider etc etc to see how we applied our current observing skills and what we would do differently.
We also gave a ‘demo’ ride and fed back on each other which is always useful as plenty to learn in life no matter how many riding years you have under your belt.
Back in the classroom early evening and the infamous ‘role play’ of Tim Soper our region 1 motorcycle co-ord being the ‘student’ and John Taylor one of the staff examiners, being the observer. Tim always throws a curve ball so it is interesting to see John copes and always generates a giggle or two.
Anyhow, quick change and evening meal after which most people had exhausted their own battery life so crawled into bed ready for the next day.
Page 14 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Sunday, Mel’s trio were going to practise the Observer / Associate introductions to see what structure is used, if all aspects are covered and how people feel about it or would do differently etc. eg: don’t be afraid to look at prompt card if you use one, make sure the disclaimer is covered, leave route to the last, eyesight, lights, documents etc. LISTEN to the Associate, don’t do all the talking - sounds simple but easy to get distracted and go down a path and forget things. It was useful to share observer kit contents eg. In Mark’s group Observers pay £25 for a specially designed folder/filofax with all their handbook guidance.
From there we felt obliged to go out and find some more roads which Mel did her usual – this looks interesting and found another nice piece of tarmac, plus being a Sunday we witnessed some of the reasons why we are all advanced riders and enjoy the riding without scaring the pants of other road users by blasting by or put ourselves in danger through lack of observation/planning but instead still arrive safely, smoothly and with that sparkle ahead of those other road users and of course with a big grin after doing it on the lovely roads around Wales.
Still the sun shone brightly as we returned to base, said our goodbyes and set off homeward bound to all four corners of the UK.
A well worthwhile weekend, learnt a lot to be fed back to Billy as Chief Observer to factor into our own BAM observer training and looking forward to taking the IMI national observer qualification in a few months time. Mel
example of structured training flowchart
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 15
This year they are offering their 1 day course for free.
It is an introduction to advanced riding. It is not aimed at riders who already have advanced training, but if you are thinking of taking further training why not do this and then if like it and want to continue with more come along to BAM and sign up for the Skill for Life training, or pop along to Super Sunday.
Page 16 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 BAM Buddies - Lost and Found ! Found Harold Wix is a founder member of BAM and one of the instigators of promoting advanced rider training in the Bristol area back in the 1990’s, working with the police force after hearing about unnecessary loss of life by young motorcyclists at the time. For those who attended the AGM you will recall a special Harold Wix trophy is award to a motorcycle member who has contributed to road safety eg: through rides, Group promotion, working with our road safety partners or someone in the background who ensures the Bristol group runs smoothly for the benefit of everyone else. Harold had been out of contact for a while we were keen to locate his whereabouts and ensure all is well and our exiting Club president Tony Oliver was able to track him down and via Norman Dadd our regional representative with IAM we are able to report….. Harold, now 87, is still driving; the bad news is that he has stopped riding his beloved motorcycles with all have been sold, other than a 1903 model that has pride of place in his conservatory. Harold sadly lost his wife Nuala some three years ago and is now living in splendid surroundings in a retirement complex in Amesbury. It was his family who advised him to stop riding but Harold is still deeply interested in all that is going on within the IAM. So Harold – glad we’ve managed to find you and enjoy the club magazine ☺
Lost With sadness we report the loss of two BAM friends in the past couple of months through illness and we send our support to the families and friends of Ian Du Kamp and Nick Faire.
Several members were able to attend Nick’s funeral which was held on bright sunny day with a church full of friends and family and lots of great stories and reminiscing. Janet Faire did the Midnight Walk, a 10 mile event on July 13 th to help raise funds for St Peter’s hospice where Nick spent his last few weeks and she raised a whopping £3388 in the end against her target of £1000. Well done Janet !
One of Nick’s charities he supported was Riders for Health and Elizabeth Dunn from the organisation will be our Guest speaker on October 9th
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 17 BAM Full Day Ride Out on Sunday April 19th 2013 Aymestry and Back...
Ride Leader Simon Whitlock Tail End Charlie Mel with Kessi of course.
Others along for the ride Tim Perry. Rob Armstrong, Russ Herbert, Phil Boobyer, Richard Drake, Martin Flook, Pete McIlveney, Allan McDonald and Doug Clark.
Well, the weather didn't look brilliant. But hey, a long ride is a long ride, and as Rob Armstrong had his own ride coming up, we thought it would be a great way of catching up on the 'Group Ride' experience, as well as a chance to meet some group members in a less frantic environment than a Super Sunday! Simon had had to relocate the start point as the Old Severn Bridge was closed that week end, so Rob and I left the McDonalds at Filton and joined the M5/M4, in plenty of time to get to the Magor Services on the other side of the river. I'd never visited that particular service station before, and peeling off into the car park, I completely forgot to top of my tank, in spite of dire warnings from Simon not to arrive short of fuel! Embarrasingly, I had to sneak off to the filling station, which delayed the briefing, sorry guys... mea culpa!
Simon and several other riders were already on site of course, and over the following 30 minutes our group gradually expanded to 11 bikes. Lots of form filling, meal ordering, mobile number swapping ensured, and then Simon gave a short but thorough briefing.
Everyone had been on rides before, so this was quickly done, so it wasn't long before our little group saddled up and threaded our way out of the car park, Simon at the helm, and Mel, resplendent in Tail-End Orange, followed us out onto the Motorway. 1 stop west and off we came, heading north on the A449. Being towards the rear of the group, I noticed a couple of riders ahead peel off into a lay- by, where there were a bunch of other bikers parked up; trouble was, it was another group!! Embarrassing moment No.2... Back on the road....
Duel carriageways and M'ways are OK, but can get boring, so it was good to see the group turning off onto the first of the smaller roads we were to use.
Page 18 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 This is one of the huge advantages of group riding, you get to use roads that you might never see otherwise, and benefit from the experience and local knowledge of lots of other group members, and the following section I only recall as loads and loads of sweeping, and sometimes very crisp, country corners. With hardly any traffic to speak of, dry roads, although a lot of gravel and mud in some places, it was a joy to be able to concentrate on vanishing points, without worrying too much about where you were going!! With the marker system in full swing, you are not going to get lost, and being able to travel at your own pace, there is no pressure to either keep ahead, or keep up.
Anyway, we all barrelled into Grosmont eventually, for a welcome back stretch and pee stop, and we all agreed that that had been a particularly neat bit of tarmac! And this was only the first stop!
It was not warm, and with the clouds gathering a bit, we cracked on, although not before getting an invite to a Farm Show from a passing Land Rover driver; you meet the nicest people!
The next section was north across country, skirting past Hereford. Here, the roads varied from fast sweepy A roads, to some smaller B roads, with one particular section like no other road I've been on!! It was wriggly enough not to be straight, and rough enough to stop you nailing it, and gravel drifts and mud everywhere, but level enough to see some way along it!! Except for where the field gates where, where it humped and dropped, hiding yet more mud until you were right on it! Definitely enough to keep you awake!
By now the sky was getting quite threatening, so arriving at the Watering Hole Cafe for lunch was not an unwelcome break. The car park was quite sloped, so some care was needed to all get parked up, and then into the cafe. Simon had pre-ordered all the meals. Big slices of buttered bread and tea were on the tables immediately, but the staff were feeding us with our main meals within minutes. The conversation flowed, and on our table we were discussing off road training in Wales. Rob, you should be on commission with those guys...
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 19
At this point, the heavens opened, timed perfectly, as we sat in the conservatory with the rain pouring down outside. Kinda cosy, really! Better still, it had all but stopped by the time we had finished. Some decided to rain-suit up just in case, and on reflection perhaps I should have done to, as my knackered old HG suit is no longer really waterproof!
Onwards! The next leg took us back out into the glorious countryside of the borders, in fact out route following exactly along the Wales/England boundary. The roads were mostly small B roads, alternating open sections, with choppy hairpins over little bridges, through tiny villages, very demanding to ride, but rewarding to ride right!!
Then, and I'll be honest, my favourite bit!! Turning south onto the A483, even though it was a bit drizzly, wow, what a bit of tarmac! Bend, swoop, bend, swoop, overtake, swoop, brilliant!! And of course the bike was getting lighter and lighter as the fuel burned off, so I was quite glad to reach Crossgates for another break, and a chance to top up. Glad I had finally taken Simon's advice back at Magor, because there is no way the Suzuki would have made it this far on one tank...
Next, with the greyest clouds behind us now, we dog-legged down the A44, then off towards Builth Wells, rejoining the A470 north of Garth, and into the old favourite Honey Pot Cafe. More excellent roads, although a little fatigued by now, and a bit chilled, even with several Tee Shirts and jumpers under the HG! The Honey Pot is delightful at any time, but we crowded in and filled several tables, for some excellent coffee and cakes. Always a welcome there! Lovely!
Page 20 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 The conversation of course centred around the bikes, with several comparing notes on little slides on gravel, arriving in the middle of a hair pin bend to find a wet, greasy cattle grid right across it, or dealing with the odd numpty overtake from some other road user, all part of the fun.
And then while leaving, a long conversation with a lady who was fascinated by what we were doing! All part of the PR process...
Last leg. Back on more familiar territory, although taking the route past Llangors lake rather than the more direct main road, Simon's ride kept the interest up to the last!
Back to Magor! Well, we all thought that had been a hoot! A bit cold, a bit damp, but a very enjoyable, challenging and rewarding days work!
Thanks indeed to Simon for putting the route together and leading us over some excellent roads, many of them new ones, for me anyway! And to Mel for sweeping up as Tail End Charlie, although the drop off system works so well, I'm sure she had plenty of time to enjoy the trip as much as everyone else!
So, if you haven't had a go on one of the group rides yet, what are you waiting for! Watch the website notices and your e-mail, and set aside a Sunday to come along.
Tim Perry
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 21 Riders Ducati Day By Andy Coogan The other day a pike of junk mail flopped onto the doormat. Through one of the poly envelopes I could see a picture of a motorbike on it I opened it rather than consigning it unread to the recycling with the rest of the pile. It was from our friends at Riders. One article concerned the Ducati day that they were running on Saturday 12th May. “Would I like to test ride one the Multistrada range?” they enquired. Well I was not really doing anything that morning that could not be delegated so I thought it would be rude not to and as I am actually thinking of replacing my two wheeled bus for something a bit more nimble it might be a useful exercise too.
The booking process was a doddle and all I had to do was bring my driving licence (both bits) and the deeds to my house (only kidding) I arrived at Riders bright and early Saturday morning to see a HUGE red truck parked in the forecourt. Lined up alongside it was a row of unfeasibly clean motorcycles. It all looked rather stunning actually. Sadly that day I had forgotten my reading glasses so I could not read the disclaimer. I could have signed anything! Hopefully I have not signed my house away. My wife would be furious if I have so fingers crossed there.
The ride was in the format of a mother duck procession. Badger led the ride and Dino followed up making sure that nobody fell over. The rides were all at the posted speed limits and overtaking not allowed. This was fine except I got stuck behind Captain Slow’s motorcycling cousin. Despite my best attempts to stay behind him I had to pass when he pulled out onto Hick’s gate roundabout and then slowed in the path of oncoming traffic. Slow is not always safer, particularly on a fast moving roundabout when traffic is approaching.
When I called them to book I told them that I was considering a Honda CB 1300They decided that the closest they had to this bike was a Diavel Strada. OMG what a lovely bike. I had never heard of it before but now it’s my favourite bike. The first thing I want in a bike is a comfy riding position.
Page 22 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Respect to you sports bike jockeys but that is not for me, it gives me a crick in my neck and I don’t like it. The Diavel Strada had a lovely upright seating position and a small but very effective screen to keep the wind off. The instrument panel is very high tech with a LCD display for speed and Revs and a load of other stuff which I also could not read without my reading glasses. There is also a clever thing you can do to switch between sports, touring and urban mode. It’s a bit complicated but the writing on the display was quite big for this function so I was OK.
The heated grips were on “HIGH,” and my hands got uncomfortably hot during the ride but I did not know how to switch the sodding things off. Apparently one has to press the starter button and hold it when the engine is running. After about a second the computer switches between high low and off. This actually means that you have to start the engine before you can switch the heated grips off and on. There must be a reason for doing it this way but it escapes me.
The bike was just gorgeous! When in sport and touring mode the torque from the 1200cc; 160 hp engine was startling. I almost got whiplash from just cracking the throttle open. I could not discern a difference between sport and touring mode but the urban mode restricts the power to 100 hp and makes it a little easier to ride smoothly. Actually it made it spookily like riding my ST 1100 so I quickly switched it off.
I liked just about everything about the bike; its stunning Batmobile like look, the great seating position, the fantastic engine, the lovely burble that the exhausts make, the whole hi tech keyless ignition concept and a hundred other little things as well. Actually not quite everything. The price is a bit of a shocker. I just checked EBay and Riders are knocking them out for £15,750 a pop. A brand new CB 1300 S is only £11,000 and you can pick up a 3 year old CB for half of that. Although the Ducati is a devilishly good machine I can’t see myself splashing out quite that much.
All in all the experience was very positive.
The ride lasted about an hour and took in some of the route I did for my advanced test. When we returned they said that there were spaces on the next ride and we could go out again if we wished. Badger and Dino were really nice guys and there was no selling at all.
They just wanted to show the bikes off and go for a ride.
Can’t wait for the next one.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 23 BAM Ride-Out 16 th June 2013
It was Sunday – It was Fathers’ Day – And it was a great Ride-Out!
So, how did it all start?
The plan was set for a ride out to the south coast (West Bay) – along the cliff tops and then back through rural England; taking in the sights of Stourhead and Nunney Castle on the way home. The jet stream, in contrast, had set its plans to bring in wave upon wave of low pressure systems and buckets of rain into the south of England – particular on Fathers’ Day!
So, a change of plan was needed!
The Met Office rain maps showed the area north east of Bristol would not see the wet weather fronts until very late Sunday afternoon – so that’s the place to go! - And a bit of computer tapping latter - out popped Plan B.
All was now in place – and uploaded onto the BAM forum site.
However, as Sunday morning unfolded, at the start point at McDonalds, we were beginning to wonder if BAM was not really an acronym for ‘ Bristol Aqua-phobic Motorcyclists’, as the turnout was somewhat lower than expected? – But good enough for a ride-out!
John Francomb graciously volunteered to be the ‘Tail End’ and following the customary ride briefing – we were off!
Plan B took us winding our way up through the secluded lanes of Gloucester country side and onto the flood plains of the Severn; following, and from time to time, crossing the picturesque Gloucester and Sharpness Canal; and then on to skirt Gloucester, going north and following the Severn; through Upton; Hanley Castle; and then on towards Worcester.
Lunch was served at Pear Tree Farm – more restaurant than garden centre – and what a lunch! Full roast; carved to order; as much veg and roast potatoes as you like – or as much as you can pile onto your plate. We had planned to eat at the award winning Bell Inn at Welford-on-Avon, but this was too good to miss! Page 24 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Après déjeuner it is was back on the bikes – and let the satnav takes on our way. The thing about satnavs is that we all know they have ‘issues’ – but at the end of the day it is all about trust – isn’t it?
So where did this flooding ford come from? It was not on the Plan!
This turned out to be one of the fords under the care of Worcestershire County Council; located on Walcot Lane, Pinvin – so much for satnavs and trust!
The ford was a bit ‘scary deep’ and with a good flow on it; and the sign did say “Do not cross when in Flood ” – but we did get across – if not entirely in a dignified manner. Having survived that ordeal we were now ready for anything the satnav would throw at us. The mystery satnav led ‘excursion’ continued to take us through some very interesting and quaint places until whatever digital drug it had taken at lunchtime had worn off. This turned out to be at the Bell Inn at Welford-on-Avon. We took a look inside, and yes, definitely worth a visit and perhaps lunch next time.
From there on, until Lechlade, the satnav regained its senses and was back on course. The route took us through countryside reminiscent of France, with its narrow, long straight deserted rural roads; frequently passing through tunnels of trees.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 25 The only thing missing was the sunshine! But who cares? as we had a lovely bit of gentle British drizzle to make up for it. The drizzled continued as we floated through Burton-on-the-Water and onto the ‘Riverside Inn’ at Lechlade; where the sun came out; as did the swans.
Whilst we sat relaxing at the pub, the satnav was again secretly busying itself ‘popping’ more tabs – and the journey back to Bristol was completely free of the agreed ‘waypoints’. So, why bother planning a route, if your satnav is out of its skull??
To conclude, it was a great ride out – full of excitement and mystery – and the club’s new ‘pinkie’ tops worked well – although having the zips at the back is a bit awkward!
Page 26 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 The good and bad of bike racing
Well after all the wait and preparation my first race has finally come round. I would be spending my May bank holiday with Derby Phoenix at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. The weekend started on the Friday night with me getting together all my race stuff, paperwork, overnight bag and the most important food and drink for the two days. After gathering it all together in the middle of my living room all I now have to do is try and get some sleep ready for the long journey on the Saturday.
Surprisingly I managed to sleep ok and woke up feeling ready for the weekend all I need now is the hire van to turn up so I can load everything. Just as I was settling down to my breakfast there was a knock on the door and a lovely man handed over a set of keys to a small transit van. I managed to finish my breakfast and started to load up the van ready for the 3 hour journey along the M4 to pick up the bike. For this year’s races I will be using Anne’s NC30 and the last time I saw it, it was not quite running and needed new tyres and a battery. As I’ve never driven a transit van before it was a bit nerve racking at first but once on the road I settled in for the long journey. Luckily the weather was lovely and sunny with a few showers which I hoped would not be here on the Saturday. As I got almost to reading the gantry sign on the motorway were displaying that the junction I needed to come off at on M25 was closed due to an accident. So a quick pit stop at the services for a map check and I was back on the road.
I eventually made it to Anne’s with not much delay eager to get the bike out and loaded up. Thankfully Anne rustled something up for lunch as I had completely forgotten to have any on the way. Anne and her husband Paul had offered their services as my pit crew which I was so thankful for so once we were all well fed we started to load the bike, all the boxes full of spares, various jerry cans and bits and pieces into the van. With the bike strapped down and the van fully loaded we all set off for the 3-4 hour drive up to Cadwell. I wouldn’t advise doing an 8 hour round trip before a race weekend but the journey home would be shorted as I’d be bringing the bike back home to Clevedon to keep in the garage. We all arrived in the glorious sunshine to a packed paddock. Somehow I managed to find a small area in the main paddock and got the van parked up ready to unload and started to get the bike and myself scruttineered ready for racing on Sunday. We fired the bike up and it sounded brilliant however as I was getting into my leathers the nerves started to kick in as I realised that I was actually about to do a proper race.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 27 Paul came down with me to the shed to see the scary guys who can end your weekend before it’s even begun the scrutineers. There was a bit of a queue as everyone was trying to get sorted out the night before and as I was waiting a few friends who were also racing turned up to wish me luck and steady my nerves. Everything was fine with my kit but I needed to sort out some holes in the belly pan so a bit of fibreglass was borrowed from some friends and I was back to get signed off ready for noise testing in the morning. Once everything was packed up for the night we all headed into Louth for a curry and an earlyish night.
Sunday morning started very early with unloading the van, getting noise tested and signing on and getting my transponder all before 8:30am. I managed to get a spot next to my friend Mike who raced in the 600 class so we unloaded the bikes and got set in for the day. There would be one practice and two races, with my class being the first race out. With the sun shining and it getting hotter and hotter we sat round waiting for practise to start. As it got closer I squeezed myself into my leathers, started the bike up and started to pace around waiting for our call.
Finally the call came over the tannoy and it was off to the holding area and out on track. Wow, the speed was a lot quicker than what I was expecting but I survived my first practise and came back into the paddock with a huge grin on my face. Now for the wait until my first actual race, luckily Mike has been racing with this club of a while so he sat talking to me about how everything is set up so I knew what to expect once I got out there. While waiting Paul had a look at the bike as it was having problems starting from cold. We think it’s to do with the starter motor so that is something I need to look at before my next race.
At this point my brain was going into overdrive trying to remember everything that I had been told and before I knew it I’m back in the holding area about to start the race. We rode out onto track and lined up on the grid for the sighting lap. I managed to complete that lap without embarrassing myself and then it was back to the grid for the start. Before I knew what happened the lights were out and we were off, I was in position 18 out of 36. Starting in that position was a little scary and the feel of all the bikes setting off around you is hard to describe.
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We all piled into the first corner and I lost a few places and everyone started to pull away from me. I settled into just riding my own race and trying to ride the bike hard and enjoy myself. One of the best bits of advice I was told was to breathe and it helped a lot to calm down my brain. As the laps mounted up I could see more and more yellow flags and bikes parked up on the tyre walls. I also had a few racing incidents on track, one going into the Goose neck as another rider came past and we brushed arms and then I decided that the chicane was hopeless and that the best line through it was to cut the corner and do a bit of grass tracking. The grass is surprisingly bumpy but luckily the bike suspension worked well and I stayed on. Just as I was settling into things it was over and the chequered flag was out and I came back to the pits to be greeted by all my pit crew and friends with a big grin on my face.
Unfortunately it turned out that I had jump started so was given a 10 second penalty and I was in last placed. However due to the amount of non-finishers in my class I ended up in eighth place and might have even got some points. Not bad for my first race.
Now I have a bit of time to calm down, have something to eat and wait around until my next race. There is a lot of hurry up and wait on a race day so I had a wonder around the paddock and chatted to a few people to kill a bit of time. Before long I was getting back into my leathers and warming the bike up. Once again the bike had starting problems so a swift bit of precision hammering of the starter motor got it going again.
Back onto the grid again and we were off for race two. This time it was a little more comfortable and I started was starting to hang off the bike a bit more and it all felt quicker until I entered into Barn (the last corner onto the start finish straight) a little too quick. I tried to turn in but I was running wide and in the end cocked it up completely and started heading towards the barrier. Not want to hit that either with the bike or me I tried to steer away from it and at some point the back wheel hit a bump and down I was going.
The next thing I know I’m looking at the sky and a nice marshal is asking me how I’m feeling. To which the only answer is ouch. In some form of bike preservation I think I managed to get my leg under the engine and tank and I felt my right knee Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 29 being crunched under the bike so I really didn’t want to be spring back up and out the way so the marshal got the race red flagged and the doctor was called. Within seconds they had arrived had got me back up on my feet and into the back of an ambulance and on my way to the Med centre.
Once there I was stripped out of my bike gear, thank god I was wearing something decent under them and given the once over. Luckily all that was wrong was a badly bruised knee and as I was waiting for the paperwork to get sorted Anne turned up. I was so pleased to see a friendly face and the first thing I asked was how the bike was, lol.
We got a lift back to my van from the ambulance and as I was sat down to put my leg up and given a hot sweet cup of tea I got the first look at the bike. To my astonishment the bike was fine; there was a slight scuff mark and a small crack on the belly pan. Good knows how that happened but I think that my leg must have been in just the right position to keep the bike off the ground and my leg took all the impact. In order to get back out on track I needed to get signed off by the doctors and as I couldn’t bend it that was not going to happen. Therefore my weekend was over so I made the decision to pack up and head home while I had enough movement in my knee to drive myself back home. With an ice pack duct taped to my leg I started the 4 hour journey home and thankfully my knee was not hurting much and I finally limped into bed around midnight.
By the time I woke up the next morning my knee was very swollen and I was having a lot of trouble moving it but I still had the van to unload. Via the power of Facebook I sent a call out for someone to come and give me a hand and Janet was very kind and offered to come over. Thankfully I got everything in the garage and the van handed back over.
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While resting my knee I could look back on an eventful weekend end and I have to say despite everything it was really good fun and it has not put me off racing again. Once the leg is all healed I'm hoping to be back on the bike racing at Donington on the 22nd June so come up and see me.
I will also be riding over to the TT to watch Anne race in the sidecars so it’s a little busy and not the best time to injure myself.
Lots of thanks must go out to Anne, Paul, everyone else who helped me out with advice or moral support it is much appreciated.
See you all at the next race .
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 31 Devil Worshippers – All Day Ride to Devil’s Bridge From the moment I opened my eyes and saw the sun shining I knew this day would be an epic battle between good versus evil; heaven versus hell; her versus him. As I started the engine and mounted my trusty GS the devil pulled up alongside me; “You look fetching in pink you prissy… that route better be fantastic… you better ride ‘advanced’… better not lose anyone…“ a barrage of evil taunting. I was leading my first ride, and I was nervous. I didn’t have a lot of experience of group riding prior to joining the club and it wasn’t the shortest ride I could have started with; approximately 210 miles. But I needn’t have worried, many hours of preparation had gone into creating the route, and the BAM Leaders Pack on the forum had all the information I could possibly need. I had also shortened the route to give people more time to relax and take in the great scenery. But it wouldn’t be the last time that horny little bugger would have something to say on this ride. The following article captures my thoughts on the ride, plus some inserts from the tail end Mr Tim Perry. The Preparation “Fail to prepare; prepare to fail.” Here are some of the pics from the recon rides.
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Some facts about the prep rides. • Approximately 1200 miles went into preparing the route in all kinds of weather • We were witness to a very strange phenomenon; 10am Sunday morning at the Abergavenny Oasis Café and we had the only bikes in the car park. That was a first! • At least two of the recon rides were greeted with snow o Tim had to remove one of his panniers because it snagged on chest deep snow making it difficult for him to stay on the slither of singletrack tarmac. The GS was revelled in the conditions I’m happy to say • A big thanks to Dave and Dianne Cooper who introduced us to the Elan Valley o Unfortunately Dianne came off her Fireblade onto the snow, fortunately she wasn’t hurt • The fourth trip through the Elan Valley, in perfect sunshine, was all it took to shorten the ride so that everyone could relax and take in the sights; a decision well made • During that 1200 miles I had been attacked by rabbits, sheep, pheasants, and even had a bull (the size of a transit) block our path; its rear leg still caught in the fence it had jumped • I thoroughly enjoyed the preparation and the ride-out The Ride-out 8:30 am Sunday 19 th May Severnview (Aust) Services. The sun was shining, hardly a cloud in the sky, and layers were being removed. 9 bikes had arrived, including myself and Tim the sweeper; also looking fetching in a pink hi-viz. A few Suzuki’s, a few Beemers, a Kwakka, and a Honda made it out for the epic adventure.
With the pre-brief over we set out on the 205 mile round trip via Devils Bridge – from the outset the battle had begun – the road was dry, air clear, visibility excellent, traffic light, and the devil was already making attempts to take control of the throttle hand. If not for the flashes of pink, both in my peripheral vision and as a small dot in my mirrors, and the IAM sticker on my fairing, I have given into temptation; it was great biking weather and I knew every exciting mile we were about to encounter.
First stop was Morrisons Garage Brecon but not before some great Sunday morning riding. Stunning views greeted us from the outset with the valleys between Devauden and Raglan displaying full morning glory; we were off to Devils Bridge, but it would seem Heaven would never be too far from view. The A’s and B’s between Chepstow and Raglan provided the perfect warm-up for what was to come and the a40 dual carriageway between Raglan and Aber gave us an opportunity to regroup.
We had our first casualty at Raglan, where an existing injury forced one member to reconsider and turnabout for home. Personally, I think he just wanted to park up and take in more of those stunning views.
Page 34 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 I kid you not when I say the smell of bacon from the Oasis café almost caused an unscheduled stop, but once again with temptation avoided we continued on….. The road between Abergavenny and Brecon was exceptionally quiet with only a few bicycles and few vans momentarily slowing the pace. The group was small but all of course competent advanced riders; it was fun, fun, fun, from the very beginning.
Heaven shone its glory upon us once again as we exited Bwlch; deep valleys, massive hills, and clear blue skies – yet we still had no idea what further bliss was awaiting.
Before we knew it we were at Brecon at Morrison’s for first stretch of the legs and pee stop. There were more cars here than anywhere else we’d seen so far; in fact I think the whole of Wales had come to visit. Fuel was 5p cheaper than Bristol which is probably why everyone from the surrounding areas was there filling up.
Marking the more difficult points thus far, had not been as big of an issue as I had previously expected, so it wasn’t long before we were clear of Brecon and winding along the very fun and very picturesque B5420 towards Builth Wells. It was WICKED man, winding and progressive; the devil and I were having a chuckle together; even the little lambs, energised by the morning sun, came out onto the road to play. Some of the older one’s even wanted to play chicken and wouldn’t move off the road.
“We wriggled through Brecon and left past the Old Priory, on the B4520, all the way to Builth Wells. This is just glorious, open country side with a perfect ribbon of smooth, well-marked tarmac that swoops and dives over the open countryside. We had to dodge a few sheep, especially one which was licking a road centre line, presumably for the salt. It didn't flinch a muscle as we all trickled past. With the group staying very much together there wasn't much else for this Tail End Charlie to do but enjoy the trip.” Tim.
We encountered the first of many bike groups in the town of Builth Wells, but the crossing of paths didn’t cause too many issues; it was an easy group to lead. After some fast sweeping roads we had our first food stop – second brekky for some, a cuppa and cake for others at The Halt at Doldowlod, Nr. Rhayader, Powys LD1 6NN. It’s very nice place to stop but a little pricey – or maybe I don’t get out enough. I began to worry a little about Tim fearing that the pink hiviz was getting too him; offering to share breakfast with Wayne. Struthe Tim, don’t frighten the boy on his first ride-out.
“This was our first proper break, and several big breakfasts and toasted sandwiches were consumed. The food was good, but Wayne discovered they had a very strict 'swapping sausages for bacon' policy, so he wasn't best pleased. Next time Wayne, we'll share a couple of BIG BREAKFASTS between us; you will find I don't charge anywhere near as much for swapping!” Tim.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 35
From the Halt it was onto the Elan Valley and the reservoirs. They were absolutely spectacular with the still water providing reflections that extended the sky and mountains; something reminiscent of Europe or Canada. There was far less traffic during the BAM ride, than on Good Friday when we travelled the same route over snow. Little ba-lambs kept us on our toes though, enjoying the warmth. It was probably for the best as each spectacular view drew attention from the road. With all of the reservoirs flowing over their walls, there was no other way to describe this part of ride, other than stunning.
Leaving the reservoirs we climbed a little and following miles and miles of sheep lined valleys. We had a brief stop to take in some rather tall waterfalls and what looked like the remains of an old shale mine. Others took the opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection a little way off the road and away from the group. I’m convinced the amount of bends would outnumber the sheep on this journey. Fun is definitely a word I would use to describe it, providing the perfect Advanced Rider playground; safe, legal, and progressive.
Page 36 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Stopping at the Hafod for lunch where we bathed in the sun for an hour enjoying some great coffee and good food – plus a little light aussie entertainment. Although I was grateful for the small group, I did suffer a moment of group envy when large groups road past – but I reassured myself that size doesn’t matter (much).
“This location can be very popular, but we were lucky, with enough space to park up in front of the Hotel, we dived into the bar to order our food, and back out again to sit in the sunshine, with the most impressive view away to the horizon! Very steep hills, forests, and directly over the wall, an almost vertical drop into the valley below. With the actual bridge was off to our right, a walk through the trees, and only a couple of hundred yards to our west the terminus of a steam railway, there is plenty to see and do here if you wanted to make a longer stop of it. There is another restaurant and much bigger car park just to the east a well. The food was very good, quickly served and reasonably priced.” Tim.
Now turning down the hill to the a44 – some tight winding roads keep us smiling and the group together. The a44 was simply spectacular to Llangurig as it has been everytime I have been on it. Fast sweeping bends with views that rival the alps every day of the week. It was here I saw the only squaddy of the day – an unmarked mondeo or focus estate. The group had been stretched out a little at this stage, as we came across more traffic, and great overtaking opportunities. I had a moment of concern, having visions of Tim receiving a ticket; either for wearing too much pink or for wagging the tail a little quickly. Turning left from Rhayadar we head towards Llandridnod Wells. This was a last minute change to add in a bit unfamiliar ground, so I was now taking direction purely from the satnav. When we turned right down what appeared to be dead end I fought the temptation to u-turn and head for familiar roads. Glad I didn’t as we discovered some great little lanes and roads.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 37 Exiting Llandridnod Wells on the a483 towards Builth Wells came as no surprise; one of my favourite pieces of road. After stopping for fuel at Builth Wells we then head towards the Honey Café for some great coffee and even better cake. The a470 that links Builth Wells and Talgarth always has the downhill to home feeling, but the road offers enough variety of bends and traffic, which helps to keep you sharp and focused, as well as disciplined so that you make it home alive and with a clean licence.
“Rolling into the Honey Cafe car park it was time for another break, and we filled several tables before getting stuck into their excellent cakes, tea and coffee. Another place I will have to visit for a proper meal sometime. And yet more tales of tight bends, mods to bikes, comparing crash helmets and so on.” Tim.
As Tim described the Honey Café is a place I had not been to before attending BAM rides, even though I have passed it many times. It’s the one thing I love about being a part of the club. After every ride, I can’t wait for the next opportunity to load the family in the car and return to share the experience with them. The Honey Café is one of those places.
The A479 and A40 from Talgarth to Aber were quiet too enabling us to move quite quickly through and onto the B4598 towards Usk. From here on things became a little less relaxed as the group became entwined with riders that appeared to have been putting in their first ride of the year. The standard of which ranged from over timid to over-stupid. A few of us had a story to tell on return to Aust. Let’s just say that if the white BMW, turning across our path, hadn’t seen us in that last instant and changed course, I fear I would have been witness to a fatality.
The devil would have his last laugh at me on the B4235 from Usk to Chepstow. During my advanced riding mentorship I used this road almost daily to practise. I knew I could ride this road fairly quickly, and for the most part it is difficult to ride at illegal speeds; but there are some tempting straights. But all the way along this road there was this black bike stuck on my tail. I was pretty sure he was one of the group, but I wasn’t one hundred percent; he felt like police.
As Tim and I discussed the ride over a coffee at Aust, I mentioned to him that I had this suspicion that an unmarked police bike had infiltrated the group and had been following me along the Usk Road. We both had a good laugh when he told me that I was right, but that he was ex-police, and he had been with us all day.
It was a pleasure to lead this ride. The weather was stunning and the standard of riding amongst the group resulted in a fun and enjoyable two hundred plus miles.
Page 38 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Half Day Ride Reports: Honey Café 12 th May: By Mike Trembeth.
I’ve enjoyed a number of BAM half and full day rides over the years and therefore felt it was about time that I did my bit and had a go at leading a ride myself. Having listened to a few seasoned ride leaders, I had an idea about the preparations I need to make.
So, my half day ride planning began back in March when I did the first of a number of recces over to South Wales to check out the route, identify suitable places to drop markers (or not, in some cases) and sort out the destination arrangements at the Honey Café. Only a week before my first recce, there had been a lot of snow in South Wales in the mountains, and this was still a half metre deep at the roadside, with a lot of melt water and ice to be negotiated on some stretches. All good fun! In addition, there was gravel and salt in some sections as well.
Anyway, despite this being my first ride as leader and the fact that I was feeling a little nervous, by mid-April I’d completed the ride a couple more times, and felt there was little more to be gained other than brushing up on the Marker System and hoping I could explain this well enough on the day.
Of course, while South Wales offers some fantastic roads, you can guarantee that, in terms of weather, it is never predictable. On top of that, a week or so before the ride I’d checked the old Severn Bridge website which indicated that the bridge would be closed eastbound on 12 th May. Oh well: slight change of plan as to where we would finish the ride.... no problem!
As for the weather, well it’s fair to say that I was very British and checked the forecast ever other hour up until the night before the ride, hoping that at least a few hours of rain-free riding would be available to us during Sunday morning.
So, Sunday morning arrived and I was up early for a quick check of the weather again; I know! Not too bad though. And, a stroke of luck: the old Severn Bridge was no longer closed eastbound. So off I set nice and early for Aust Services looking forward to the ride.
I was actually, the second to arrive, which was good, because at least I had one person to ride with. It can’t be easy to Lead and Tail End Charlie yourself! By 09:20 twelve people had turned up, which was a nice number, and I got on with the briefing before we set off on the ride at 09:30. Thanks to Simon Whitelock who reminded me of a couple of bits I’d forgotten to mention. Also, thanks to Mike Watson who agreed to be Tail Ender. Actually, I think he was definitely up for the “pink”; and it was the weekend after all. As ride leader I failed miserably to persuade anyone to write a ride report. Hence, it was suggested that we should all do a few lines each. So, many thanks to those of you who contributed; you can read these at the end of my part.
The first potential challenge was the Old Severn Bridge and the estuary wind. As it turned out, there was no real issue. We all got across the bridge, off at the first junction, up the link road to Chepstow and turned right off the roundabout on to the A48 towards Chepstow without me signalling for one marker to stop. That was the plan, and it worked. From here we continued on the A48 to the other side of Chepstow and turned left on the B4228 Coleford road. Once out of the posted 30mph, that was where the real fun started. The B4228 has a bit of everything, twisties, some short straight sections and a lot of elevation changes. This section was an altogether good start to the ride taking us up through St Brievals and Coleford and down onto the A4136.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 39 We continued along the A4136 which started out with some fast, open beds that gradually got tighter and tighter as we dropped off the hillside down into Monmouth. At this point, unfortunately, our progress was hampered a little by other slow-moving traffic, mainly caused by an articulated lorry delivering on a Sunday.... shouldn’t be allowed! Without much of a safe place to overtake, we had to sit it out until we arrived in Monmouth.
So, across the River Wye and a left turn onto the A40 for a little stretch down to the slip road (with a quick stop just to ensure the group was still together) for the B4233, which took us out of Monmouth towards Abergavenny. Again, there were some fast, twisty roads to exercise and focus the mind. Traffic was a lot lighter, and we made good progress, only interrupted by a couple of horse riders which gave me a chance to take in the fantastic scenery. Oh, and I did note that the weather was holding up quite well still. Just outside Rockfield there is one neat hairpin turn, which I was ready for and definitely brought a smile to my face.
The B4233 climbs up quite high, and at times, affords some great views across the valleys to the distant Brecons. After some 10 miles of quite narrow twisty roads with a few blind crests for added interest, we eventually dropped down into Abergavenny, meandering through the town on the A40 going towards Brecon.
Once out of Abergavenny, the nature of the A40 allowed the pace to pick up once more, only slowing for Crickhowell. Within a short time we then turned right onto the A479. This road is great, and is well-liked by bikers. The road takes a steady ascent up through the Brecons along some quite fast bends (with the aid of some grippy tarmac) towards the top; and then down the other side into Talgarth. From here is a short hop to the Honey Café just north east of Bronllys where we arrived at about 11.30.
The Honey Café is also a favourite for bikers. It’s definitely worth a visit, not just for the hospitality, good food and service, but also for the fantastic views across the Brecons, Highly recommended! As it was, the clouds were thickening and the forecasted rain looked ominous, so our view across the Brecons was a little bleak. I got chatting to a few guys from TVAM, one of whom happens to be the Chief Observer, (sorry, forget his name) and who passed on his best wishes to Billy and Oz. They were on a weekend away in South Wales and were about to start their journey back having had a good time.
So, for the return journey back to Aust Services, this was an easy option to start off with, in that we took the same route back to Abergavenny. Things were a little damp now; the rain was on and off and the roads were quite wet in places. Once we were on the other side of Abergavenny, following a quick stop to make sure we were still together, we set off again at a good pace along the B4598 to Raglan only to be slowed down by marshals for an approaching peloton. Fortunately, they were well grouped and it wasn’t long before we could pick up the pace again. This section of road is one of my favourites. There is a lovely long, sweeping bend close to where the B4598 meets the A40 roundabout. Across the roundabout into Raglan, and then a right turn to continue on the B4598 back into Chepstow and over the old Severn Bridge to Aust Services.
So that’s it! Again, thanks to all those who joined me. Great company and a great half day ride. If you’re thinking of leading a ride for the first time, then I would highly recommend it. It was an enjoyable experience, especially when everyone said how much fun they had.
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Contribution from others:
Mike Lewin. The attraction of the Honey Café' was too strong and the thought that the weather was only going to be damp from Mid day clenched the decision, it had been some time since I had attended a BAM group ride, but with Mike leading things should run to time, and they did, returning slightly early back to the start point, at Aust, Good choice of roads, and not too much Grit on them, despite Mike's description, the pace was very good and the ride standard very good, although it was Mr Whitelock's exhaust pipe that I followed most of the way there, Was disappointed that Mr Jarvis was not there as the “Who can mark the most times” competition was just not the same without him, Still it was good to ride without having someone in front that you had to Observe.
Thanks to Mike T for leading & Mike W for tail end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Watson. I had the great pleasure of riding Tail End Charlie and finally got to wear the infamous pink hi viz. Thought I could try riding like Espargaro, but, neither me or the bike was up to it.
There was a nice mixture of roads slow fiddly ones and some nice fast smooth ones. When we got to the Honey Café the service was excellent and good value too. Highlight of the day was following the Buell it made a super noise when accelerating.
Thanks for a great ride out. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul Wild It’s not ‘rocket science’, yes I know – I looked it up on the internet before setting out but….. the marker system, first group ride, unfamiliar roads, fellow riders you’ve only just met, rain, wind - just don’t want to mess up - no pressure then! Well actually after a couple of miles that’s right, the pressure dropped off and the smiles took over. Didn’t quite spot the first mark – sorry – but after that it all clicks into place. Anyone worried about their first group ride - don’t. I found the marker system really good at mixing up the pace so you get a variety – couple that with the brilliant Welsh roads, the bacon butty (still don’t know where we went to) and the good company – what could be better – well, the next group ride I guess – just need another pass out. Many thanks to Mike and the group. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Mullins The Honey Café is always a popular venue for bikers, being situated as it is in an area of spectacular scenery and great biking roads. Twelve of us met at Aust services for a 9.30am start in overcast and slightly chilly weather conditions, but fortunately no rain. The route took us on a variety of A and B roads, via Chepstow, St Briavels, the Forest of Dean, Monmouth and Abergavenny before arriving at the café – these roads offered the ideal blend of undulating twisty conditions with light traffic through interesting countryside. On arriving at the Honey Café, they had set aside a separate dining room for us and our food & drink orders were dealt with in a friendly and efficient manner - pity the weather wasn’t inviting enough to sit outside. There was a slight drizzle in the air when we left the café for the return half of the ride, but fortunately nothing to spoil the riding conditions, which again used a number of very nice B roads which we seemed to have pretty much to ourselves. We arrived back at Aust, all safe & sound and on schedule at approx 2pm, after a very enjoyable ride courtesy of Mike Trembeth – many thanks to him for organising and leading the ride. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 41
Mike & Jackie As for us Mike & Jackie: Whenever there is a ride out we can make ie shifts, weather and other activities permitting we like to come along. The weather forecast was only a bit iffy so we were well up for it. Of course the additional lure of a stop at the Honey Cafe at Bronllys proved too much temptation for us to resist. I can't really comment on the route (I'm pillion and only here for the scenery) but the views are truly breathtaking aren't they? Mike and I commented that we had been through Tutshill a couple of times though when we are alone we never really find the variety of routes you guys do. Thanks Mike for a good 1/2 day rideout - thoroughly enjoyable only improved by the great company. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Michael Thanks for taking the time out to sort out this ride. The ride went through some lovely Welsh countryside meandering round mainly A and B roads. Stop at the Honey Cafe was relaxing and the views breathtaking. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Simon Whitelock “Having had an exhausting time recently, it was nice to get out on the bike and with good company. It was great to ride some new (to me) stretches of road and to revisit some I haven’t ridden for quite a few years. Although I left the ride at the Honey Café, I thoroughly enjoyed the half – half day ride. Thanks for organizing and leading, Mike, and to the TEC. On the way back I wasn’t so keen on getting tangled up with a bike race complete with the National (or Welsh) Escort Group. Nor the group of scooter riders who were far too close together – not that that bothered some aggressive riders who rode through us right up to blind bends.” ~~~~~~~~~~~
Roy Demery On a cool May morning, an intrepid group of bikers met up at the Severn View Services for the ride to the Honey café at Bronllys. Proceedings commenced with Mike’s briefing,, first-timers were “buddied up” for the first few marker drops, pink jackets donned, and then the ride set off crossing the Severn Bridge. Leaving the motorway and heading north through Chepstow, the A roads were quickly abandoned and the ride continued on the B4228, leaving Tutshill, the bends soon arrived, climbing up through the trees of Danehill Wood, passing through St Briavels onto Coleford, a short urban section but with great views across to the Brecon Beacons. Text book marking and tail-ending took us through Monmouth onto the bends of the B4233 to Abergavenny then along the A40 and the sweeping bends of the A479, and as the temperature dropped over the last few miles we arrived at the Honey café. Coffee, bacon sandwiches and the like, in our own private room, quickly revived and refreshed, and revitalized we set off to return to the Aust Services, leaving assorted groups of bikers arriving to take our place. Retracing our route back down the A479 to Abergavenny was no less exhilarating,, an encounter with a cycle road race adding to the excitement. Cross country to Chepstow then the cross winds on the Severn crossing providing a fitting finale. Thanks to Mike for organizing and progressively .leading the ride, a very enjoyable trip into mid Wales. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Allan Macdonald Another fine ride out with Mike leading all the way to and from the Honey Café and he even managed to ensure that the weather was fine or at least as good as it seems to get at present. Old Bridge open in both directions! Well done and many thanks to all who came and for your efforts Mike.
Page 42 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Shop Goodies
If you would like to purchase BAM logo kit from the selection below they can be ordered by dropping an email to Melanie, or completing the order form on the website or fill in one Super Sunday or Coalpit Heath.
£14 £18
RS114M Micro Fleece S – 4XL RG122 Regular Fleece S – 3XL
£20 £15
RS37 Body Warmer S – 2XL RS17 Fully Lined half zip fleece S – 3XL
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 43
£30
Hi Viz –front view L – 2XL Hi Viz –Rear view
Plus the usual publications:-
Highway Code £ 2
Not the Blue Book £ 6
The Column (MAG) £ 8 by Kevin Williams RIDER NAME
Little Green Book of £ 9
£16 Advanced Motorcycling by Eddie Lambert-Stoat
How To Be A Better Rider £10
Roadcraft £10 K606 Kustom Kit Polo Option 2 Small M L XL XXL Stickers and pin badges also (36/38) (40) (42) (44) (46/48) available on request.
Page 44 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13
Rideout Calendar !
The calendar for the year is below however that does not stop anyone who wants to arrange an impromptu ride out to a pub during the week perhaps or an extra ride on a Saturday, to step forward – Geoff can help send out emails, or post on the forum so go on, give it a go if you’ve never done a ride out before.
Half Day Rides Full Day Rides
Aug 11 th Oz Warren Aug 18 th Al Budden
Sep 8 th Rob Pepler Sept 15 th Simon Jarvis
Oct 12th Tim Wrighton Oct 20 th James Stewart (note: Saturday)
All rides will have their own individual threads posted closer to the dates.
Keep your eye on the forum http://www.bam-members.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=9 and in Chain Link for further updates.
The rides are open to all BAM members plus Associate members who've passed a pre-test assessment. Ride newcomers always welcome
If you want to lead a ride or have ideas for the 2013 season, then contact Geoff Abraham our rides co-ord @ [email protected]
For those new to group rides and for Associates to join in whilst on their skill for life training, Oz our chairman will also be organising some ‘Associate Rideouts’ so if interested then contact Oz.
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 45 What’s happening in the World of motorcycling?
Race calendar for the season ahead
The BAM MCN fantasy league continues to chop and change with each race and now Martyn has leapfrogged to the lead - poor Mel is being left behind, might have to consider a rider swap at this rate.
Page 46 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13
BAM Roles & Contact Points
Role & email address Post Holder Contact Number Chair Oz Warren 0117 932 7845 [email protected]
Secretary Sue Nolan 0117 952 5170 [email protected]
Treasurer Mel Rowbottom 07918 603 191 [email protected]
Group Membership Alan Davis 01275 372637 [email protected]
Chief Observer Billy Burns 0117 957 2653 [email protected]
(note: A team has merged into B team)
Leader Observer Team B John Crawford 0117 960 8247 [email protected]
Leader Observer Team C Mike Trembeth 07867 672056 [email protected]
Leader Observer Team D Tim Coulson 07778 852946 [email protected]
Group Rides Co-ordinator Geoff Abraham 07870702088 [email protected]
Chain Link Editor Martyn Rowbottom 07879 612 865 [email protected]
Events Co-ordinator Pete Michael 07810868806 [email protected]
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 47 Kessi’s Kapers
Squeaky Hello ! Well I’ve recovered from my soggy bath the other day because I was more a shade of grey than pink from all the bike rides and trips I’ve been on recently
I’ve been fundraising with the blood bikes and got to meet The Stig - scary !!!!! and ride a BIG blood bike
I even dressed up as a pirate for Bristol Rovers family day, and found a perfect bike for me to ride brrrm brrrm
Then to celebrate mum & dads 20 th wedding anniversary we all went over to Disneyland Paris, however I have to report that in transit my best buddies Oscar and Orangina decided to escape with a thief who stole mum’s suitcase from the train.
So if you happen to come across some lost muppets in France (not space!) please bring them home safely
I did manage to cheer myself up though by pinching a ride on a few fun cars – well why not !
Page 48 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Ride outs – let’s talk bikes….. I have been on a few ride outs – the Watering Hole where I played Tail end Charlie and managed to stay dry
Swanage sea front – never been here so it was a nice little trip to get an ice cream and watch the others contemplating going for a paddle even if a bit of a drop into the water. I think Tony was saying me first, me first ☺
More on the main Dorset trip in the next edition as my puddy paws hurt from having to climb on all the Gromits I’ve seen around Bristol – ‘Oops a daisy’ is my favourite and will try to get a picture of some BAM bikes near a Gromit when no one is looking !
See you all on the next ride out perhaps
Kessi
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 49
Go to our website @ WWW.BAMO.ORG.UK
@ http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bristol-Advanced-Motorcyclists/
Update on
It’s EASY… follow the link www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/bam and register as a user the 1 st time , select BAM as the beneficiary, then access your online store from the extensive list of retailers who support this facility, you can even get some extra savings and discounts yourself too.
You can also generate free cash for BAM by using the www.easysearch.org.uk link rather going directly to yahoo or google search engines each click generates 1 /2p for BAM…. It all adds up ☺
Page 50 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Brynteg Guesthouse
Rhayader, Mid Wales, LD6 5EA 01597 810052 07999 866743 [email protected]
Visit Wales Graded ***
• Full Welsh breakfast using local produce • Double, single and twin rooms • Secure parking for bikes • Only 70 miles from the Severn Bridge • Vibrant town in the Welsh Lake District • Excellent pubs and cafes • Brilliant biking roads and superb scenery
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Thank you to our sponsors for their continuing support.
A reminder – if you would like to advertise in this mag it is just £30 with 6 issues a year and a wide distribution network in the biking community - an opportunity not to be missed.
So for 2013 sponsorship, please Contact Melanie on:- [email protected]
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 53
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Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 55 Page 56 Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Mobile 07870 702088 Email: [email protected]
www.graheatingservices.co.uk
Chain Link – Jul – Sep 13 Page 57
Check out details and other tours on www.jthebs.com
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Don’t Forget the Next
Aug 4 th Sep 1st Oct 6 th
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