The Journal The BMW Club magazine January 2015 £2.50 2 The BMW Club Journal January 2015 The Editorial Team Editor: Stewart Lowthian, 29 Wagg Street, Contents The Journal Congleton, CW12 4BA. 01260 279 126 [email protected] From The Editor’s Desk ................4 Features/Articles: Peter Wright. features@ President’s Platform ...................5 January 2015 bmwclubuk.net Torque Reaction ......................6 Torque Reaction: Paul Nadin, 49 Berkshire The Official BMW Club within the UK and Drive, Congleton, CW12 1SB. 01260 279 443 Lost in France. 13 Republic of Ireland [email protected] Through the Americas: Adios Ushuaia ....19 Mutual Aid: Maurice Weldon, 21 Lawnwood www.thebmwclub.org.uk Drive, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, S63 9GD BMW Rear Bevel Drive Unit Set-up . 22 General Enquiries: 0800 0854045 07752 904 334 [email protected] FREEPOST: THE BMW CLUB Past but Present.....................24 Commercial Display Advertisements: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Jim Bruce, The Firs, Bayview Crescent, German Jottings .....................25 Broadford, Isle of Skye IV49 9D 01471 820 The Social Scene ....................27 408 [email protected] Small Business Advertisements: Charles The Sections........................28 Knight, 4 Homelands, New Road, Porchfield, Around the Compass .................30 Isle of Wight, PO30 4LS ,01983 520 847 07521 695 992 [email protected] Diary of Events ......................32 Section News: Steve Foreman 07770 827 574 Section News .......................35 [email protected] Correspondence on any Journal matter not covered Diary of Events: Bob Barker. diary@ Mutual Aid (Club member ads)..........42 by the officers listed here should be sent to the Editor who will forward it as appropriate. For general Club bmwclubuk.net Small Business Advertisments ..........44 administration and membership matters please see the Around The Compass: Bob Barker (see list of Club officers on this page. above). For problems regarding distribution of The Journal, Club/Section Display Ads: Piers Kurrein. club. please contact your Section Membership Secretary. [email protected] Should there still be a problem then contact the National Membership Secretary whose contact details are listed on this page. The Editor reserves the right to alter/amend any item or image submitted to The Journal. Such amendments will usually only be to make an item more readable or easier to understand. Submission of items/images will be taken as acceptance of this condition. We (The BMW Club) are the owner or licensee of all Intellectual Property rights in this publication. You may not copy or distribute its contents without the express written permission of Brian Johnson, c/o 10 National and other officers Events Logistics: ourselves or the original author. President: Mike Warrilow. 32 Fairthorne Way, Saffron Road, Tickhill, Doncaster DN11 9PW. The BMW Club is the Trading name of The B.M.W. Shrivenham, Oxon, SN6 8EA 01793 782 428 01302 743 032 or 07950 319 197 events@ Motorcycle Club Ltd; Registered in England; Registration [email protected] bmwclubuk.net Number 4261129 whose Registered Office: c/o Veitch Secretary: Anita Johnson. c/o 10 Saffron Road, Marketing/Commercial Sales: Position Vacant Penny LLP 1, Manor Court Dix’s Field Exeter Devon England EX1 1UP Tickhill, Doncaster DN11 9PW. 01302 743 032 Sidecar Register Secretary: Position vacant. DISCLAIMER: The BMW Club Journal accepts for [email protected] GS Register Secretary: Position vacant. publication articles and letters written in good faith; Treasurer: Jim Lepley. 7 Landale Gardens, Assistant Secretary for America: Position however, the views expressed in articles and letters Burntisland, Fife KY3 9HN 01592 874 592 vacant. which are published are not necessarily those of the [email protected] 100,000 MILE AWARD: Jason Goodwill. 01847 Editor of The Journal or those of The BMW Club or its officers or members. Social Secretary: Jim Bettley. 1 Green Walk, 893 935 [email protected]. Fareham, Hants. PO15 6AZ 07920 147 908 The information, including advice and suggested Webmaster: Nick Fearn [email protected] modifications published in the The BMW Club Journal [email protected] Technical Officer: Mike Fishwick. Sirgon, has not been approved, tested or otherwise checked Membership Secretary: Bob Barker 88 Browns 24250 Daglan, France. technical@bmwclubuk. by The BMW Club Journal or The BMW Club. Before Bay Road, Islandmagee, Larne, Northern net acting on information, advice or suggested modifications Ireland, BT40 3RX 028 9338 2558 or 07770 published in The BMW Club Journal you should always Forum Administrator: John King. forum. 746627 [email protected] obtain technical advice, and if appropriate have a [email protected] Tool Hire Secretary: Mike Delacoe. 4 professional motorcycle engineer carry out the work for Forum Address: http://forum.bmw-club.org.uk you. Charwelton Road, Preston Capes, Daventry The BMW Club Journal and The BMW Club cannot NN11 3TA 01327 360 945 toolhire@bmwclub. Vice-Presidents: Cliff Batley [email protected] accept liability for any loss, damage or claims occurring org.uk 01787 372 901 as a result of any modifications or work or other action Cath Broughton. 17 carried out on the advice or based on the suggestions Merchandise Secretary: Graham Walker 21 Whitehouse Ave, Strawberry Hill, Northampton NN3 5HL 01604 given in any article or letter published in The BMW Club Burnhope, Durham DH7 0AJ 07931 710 991 416 896 [email protected] Journal and (save for death or personal injury arising [email protected] See Merchandise advertisment for contact from The BMW Club Journal’s negligence) all such Alan Orme [email protected] 0115 times. liability is hereby excluded. 946 9542 The BMW Club Journal is published for and on behalf of Vintage & Classic Register Secretary: Peter HQ Register Secretary: Dick Boyd, Stewart The B.M.W. Motorcycle Club Ltd. Ardron, Plantation Farm, Caistor Rd., Market Place, South Road, Garmouth, Morayshire The BMW Motorcycle Club Ltd, The BMW Club Journal, Rasen, Lincolnshire. LN8 3JE. 01673 844 519 IV32 7LX 01343 870 389 hq.sec@bmwclubuk. it’s Editor and Officers accept no liability in respect of [email protected] loss or damage occasioned directly or indirectly as a net Sporting Register Secretary: Robert Bensley, result of the publication of any advertisement in The Delegates to other organisations Oak Tree Farm, Heath Road, Banham BMW Club Journal or Website. BMF: Jeff Dymond, John Lewis, Mark Dutton NR16 2HS 01953 888 415 robertbensley@ This month’s cover photograph is of FBHVC: Position vacant btinternet.com John Ottoway’s R 1200 GS at Combe Robert Safety officer: Colin Bembridge. 02089 538 807 Vehicle dating & DVLA enquires: Gibbet Inkpen and is the winner of the [email protected] Freeman 169 Creek Road. March. Cambs. PE15 8RY 01354 656 569 [email protected] Oxford Section’s 2014 photography contest. January 2015 The BMW Club Journal 3 From The Editor’s Desk Welcome to the new Journal send them to me. If you’ve changed a regular meeting then Bob Barker will also Although most of this edition has been need to know to keep the Diary of Events done very recently it’s been a long time correct. in planning. Some of those plans have Putting The Journal together, like worked as well as I could have hoped and everything that volunteers do to make the some of them have turned out to be akin to Club what it is, doesn’t happen in isolation. following the 1952 edition of a road atlas: Every one of us has (I hope) a life outside the forward to seeing the Register revived (and fascinating but leading nowhere. I arranged BMW Club. I wondered in my November if someone wants to do the same for the GS to finish the December edition a few days editorial how much longer I would be Register then these pages are available to early to give me as much time as possible Editor and as yet I haven’t reached a announce it). One of our points of contact to work on the new A4 layout and it was conclusion. What I do know is that, having is, of course, the content of The Journal. as well that I did, but not for the reason I lost one holiday when our tour operator Producing the Vintage Register Newsletter had in mind. The day after the December went into liquidation and having lost her three times a year was something I enjoyed edition was confirmed for printing we lost mum, Gillian needs a holiday so as soon as doing, but some at least will remember Gillian’s mum and family took precedence possible we’ll be going somewhere warm for my observation of a couple of months over amateur publishing. I ended up doing as long as we can afford. In the meantime, ago regarding the dearth of material for what I could (mostly trying to lay out while I wonder, if any member wants to put it. My thanks to Steve Bodiley and Bruce feature articles) on an antiquated laptop their head over the parapet and stand next Preston for responding with material that sat in my father-in-law’s front room a long April I’ll be happy to answer any questions will be appearing very soon. Rather than way from home with a copy of The Daily on the subject and if it ends up that there’s hoard vintage material for the occasional Telegraph as the best mouse mat I could more than one candidate then that’s good binge edition my feeling is currently that improvise . for democracy. feature articles should appear as the come I’m an evolutionist rather than a to me, giving them the same standing as creationist: things don’t jump into life in a The Vintage and Classic Register every other feature and, subject to having moment.