I was delighted to recently be elected a life member of EAMG. I received this honour for serving more than twenty years on our committee which came about by my volunteering to edit the forerunner of this publication.
I was quite new to the group when a new editor was urgently sought. I didn’t have any relevant experience but didn’t want to see the demise of our magazine. There was no social media then and smart phones as we know them didn’t exist so our magazine was the only regular source of information for EAMG members.
We did have an internet presence but it was just a few pages tacked on to the University of Essex website and wasn’t a reliable way of communicating with members as we were all on “dial up”. Web pages took minutes to load if they had any more than very basic graphics! The only individual with broadband at the time was Mark Bush in Basildon and his interest was gaming, not motorcycles.
Broadband was being rolled out rapidly from 2001, reaching half of us by 2003. During this period, we purchased the EAMG domain name and developed our own website. Snapshots of our early website can still be found on the internet archive
“Wayback Machine” but the technology used is now obsolete so it doesn’t navigate well. Still, it’s a bit of EAMG history that is out there in the great world wide web.
Thankfully, with the help of a number of editors over the years our magazine survived and now sits alongside other medium including Facebook, the Forum and Mailchimp so we are all well informed about the activities of EAMG. The biggest improvement is that now we all get to share our experiences. Post ride, photos are shared, often accompanied by some chat about the ride, whether it be the journey the weather or the lunch time destination. One thing is certain, when not actually on our bikes we still like to talk about the, sharing experiences and EAMG’s various media channels give us plenty of opportunity to do that.
Graham Simpkins, Editor tug@eamg.org.uk
COVER PHOTO
Lunch stop during a mid-week social ride.
The EAMG website in 2002. No front-page photo as it took too long to load!
CHAIRMAN’S PIECE
Dear all.
As I write this it is with a big smile for a few reasons. Firstly, the sun has made an appearance and the roads are pretty much clear of mud and water, what had been a feature of 2025 so far. As such I have got a lot of riding in and quite surprised that not more are out on 2 wheels, and not come across any horses at all.
Secondly, we have our second group night fast approaching in our new home at Notleys Golf club. We got off to a great start last month and the feedback has been 5 star. You may be wondering why we moved, I will explain. A week or so before our normal AGM date we received an email from Channels stating the venue would not be available on that date, nor available after that. However, after a few calls to Big Channels we were able to use it one last time for AGM. After that we needed to find a new venue and quickly. We spent time making a shortlist of places to visit. Notleys Golf Club was the last place we visited and immediately we could see it was the only venue that ticked all our boxes, and they really wanted us too! With nice evenings just around the corner we will be able to make use of their fantastic outdoor areas. BBQ maybe?
Then we also have the Welsh trip coming up. Some 14 of us just itching to get going, new chain and sprockets on for me, just after I get back from Wales its off to Luxembourg, so maybe new tyres needed by then too. I’m returning to Luxembourg in September too.
A few things to remind you of:
We have the chairman’s ride on Saturday 19th April. As already advised it is a charity run, full details on the forum. All donations, which are completely voluntary, in aid of Little Havens Children’s Hospice. VIP we will collect cash on the day or you can donate online to:
Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd.
Acc No : 00791646
Sort : 30 96 94
NB PLEASE CONFIRM IF COMING ALONG by email to chair@eamg.org.uk as we need numbers for our lunch stop at Bressingham Museum. So far only myself and one other have!
We will be looking to do other trips away, maybe just an overnight so all suggestions gratefully received.
I wish you all the best, the one thing we have in common is our love of motorcycling. I was unable to ride from Christmas to mid-February. As soon as i got riding again my mood changed entirely, so let’s get out there and make the most of what EAMG has to offer.
My thanks to you and all who volunteer to keep us going!
Michel Couque Eamg Chairman.
Group Night Presentations
Following the AGM, Michel had just one presentation to make, that of life membership of EAMG to Graham Simpkins for more than twenty years of service to the group, having joined the committee in 2001.
Use this QR code to find EAMG on Linktree where you can access all of our social media channels and the EAMG Shop.
There is also a link to our membership form for those requiring it.
RoSPATestPasses
EAMG Associate/FM Social Ride Sunday 16th February 2025.
With the poor, freezing weather conditions we’ve been experiencing recently it was a case of ‘is it on or off’! 3 – 4 degrees was the start so changed the meet time to 09:30 for 10:00 start. We’re all desperate to get out but we cannot take chances.
Both myself, Alan Burke and Dave Crossley were there early and only expected about 6 at most – in the end there was 14 of us. Original plan was to go to Sible Hedingham and the Corner Cafe, but with the numbers had to change to Perrywood Garden Centre (CO10 0PZ) on A134 the other side of Sudbury.
The plan was to stick to all the ‘A’ roads avoiding back roads with possible icy conditions. So A131/A120 /A131 to Sudbury, joining A134 to Colchester.
Perrywood’s is only about 30+ miles and the first time I’ve been there. Some places we go to are put out by our mass arrival, but we were welcomed in by a lady who couldn’t do enough, even moving tables around to accommodate us all together. Top place.
Due to the proximity, I suggested we go to ‘TTT’ Motorcycles in Sudbury. All agreed. TTT have an eclectic collection of bikes from classics to new Chinese models.
Joe Johal’s Indian and Goldwing are for sale here – remember old Joe turning up for our ride outs on either one. Joe’s riding around in the heavens now.
I’m the worst when it comes to taking pictures of the day so was lucky that Colin Foley had an orgasm over a bike and took pictures when he spotted a bike of his youth – a Suzuki AP50.
It was tempting to take back roads on
the return to Maccy D’s on Regiment Way but it was still 5 degrees so stuck to the ‘A’ roads for safety. The good thing about the ‘A’ roads is that both ways we were filtering past road works traffic and dual carriageway Braintree roundabout – good practise for all.
The other experience is on the dual carriageway (A131) returning and straight lining roundabouts. Your assessment has to be 100% on 360 view before you commit. I was caught by an SUV AMG racing and making very fast progress. You can check your mirrors/blind spot but within a second, he’s coming into conflict with your roundabout straight line – apex to apex. So continual checks before you commit is a priority. If unsure it’s a NO GO. It’s another skill to develop your ‘360 scanning over time’.
Back at Maccy D’s, Regiment Way for a coffee and chat. It was a pleasure to get out as it’s been so long! Mick, Alan and Dave.
A Look Back at March Group Night
March saw the first Group Night in our new venue at Notleys Golf Club. The venue is a little difficult to locate at night along the unlit road but thankfully members did find it. Whether in anticipation of the new venue or the draw of our guests, we had a good turnout for our first meeting in White Notley.
Our guests for the evening were Tony from Dainese Chelmsford and Lars from the Dainese distributor who brought with them a huge range of Dainese products to demonstrate.
EAMG members and a few guests enjoyed the food and drink at Notleys Golf Club. The evening special of Cottage Pie went down very well.
March Group Night
continued.
We took full advantage of the opportunity to try on gear and make purchases at a discount.
In the absence of an official crash test dummy, Stephen Green volunteered for the air bag vest demonstration.
The new venue was very conducive to socialising.
Excerpts from the BMF NEWS ROUND UP – March 2025
Political/Lobbying Update.
The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), along with our key partner the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), recently submitted official responses to the Government’s “Call for Ideas” regarding the planned development of a new National Integrated Transport Strategy. The Government’s consultation, which has included a number of “roadshows” held throughout the UK, some of which were attended by BMF members, offers a real opportunity to place motorcycling front and centre of the Government’s new Transport Strategy. Only by doing so, will the Government be able to fully realise the benefits that motorcycling can offer to a future integrated transport policy, particularly in terms of providing an affordable, accessible and sustainable transport option that will also enable the Government to meet its wider targets in terms of reduced pollution and congestion across its future transport mix.
Lillian Greenwood, The Minister for Future of Roads has also now confirmed that the Government is actively considering options for carrying out a Review of Motorcycle Training, Testing and Licensing, with terms of reference currently being worked out. The BMF and NMC have pushed long and hard for this review in order to open up motorcycling to new riders whilst delivering much needed safety improvements to the current training and testing regime.
In addition, the Government has announced that it intends to publish the first Road Safety Strategy in over a decade; stating that the number of deaths on UK roads has become “normalised” and a fresh approach to road safety is required. Despite overall casualty rates per mile falling by just under 10% between 2013 and 2023, motorcyclists continue to represent a disproportionate number of road casualties with the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on UK roads remaining unacceptably high. Indeed, longer term trends reveal that the rate of progress has slowed since 2013 across almost all incident measures. Ministers have confirmed that in developing a new Road Safety Strategy they wish to work collaboratively with key motorcyclist groups such as the BMF and NMC to make the UK’s roads safer for everyone. They will also look carefully at, and take evidence from, other countries that have adopted a ‘Vision Zero’ approach to road safety to see what has worked well there and what might be incorporated into a new road safety framework for the UK. The intention is for the Government to adopt a “whole system” cross-government approach to this work to deliver the most effective road safety measures as part of a “Safe System” approach.
One safety measure that would make a big difference now to motorcyclist safety is for the Government to allow motorcycles to access bus lanes by default. Already around 50% of bus lanes across the UK are open to motorcyclists, which enables motorcyclists to ride in a safer, more predictable environment away from heavy traffic, including HGVs, and providing improved lines of sight for riders. However, following a public consultation last year on this issue, the Department for Transport (DfT) took the decision not to allow universal access to bus lanes for motorcyclists, claiming that the “safety benefits of allowing motorcycles into bus lanes are not clear” and that “more research” on the potential safety impacts was required. The BMF and NMC have however not given up on this issue and we are continuing discussions with Ministers and officials as part of the wider motorcycle lobby. We are also currently supporting the Motorcycle Action Group’s (MAG) petition calling on the Government to reconsider its decision. We urge all BMF members to sign the petition on the MAG website https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/712763 The aim is to achieve 100,000 signatures at which point the petition will have to be considered for a debate in Parliament. Please sign the petition
