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Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group
April 2015
Welcome to TUG Dear Members, In the coming weeks we can expect to see an influx of bikes coming onto our roads. Whilst the annual spectacle of cobwebs being brushed off is good to see, we hope not to see the madness that sometimes accompanies the spring return. Spring, with warmer days and lighter evenings means that bikers who may not have ridden all winter will be back on the roads. We all need to watch out for bikers that may be riding out of their comfort zone whilst they remove the ‘rust’. Ride safe, enjoy & see you out there! Remember please email any articles, pictures or other stuff to cchilds@eamg.org.uk.
Chairman’s Piece
2
Test Passes
4
Membership Info
7
Observer Coordinator
8
Yamaha MT Tour
12
Steam Tug Brent
18
Dates for the Diary
20
Words of Warning
27
Picture Gallery
28
Slovenia & Croatia
30
Events Report
36
Destination Rated
41
Further Training
42
Colin
Editor
What’s happening next?
Log into www.eamg.org.uk, then
Runs and Rides Forum
And follow us on Twitter.
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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CHAIRMAN’S PIECE April 2015
Hopefully by now you should have paid your 2015 Membership renewals. If not, please do so and let our new Membership Secretary, Charlotte Williamson have your renewal forms and subscription fee. At the AGM in February I informed the Group about plans to open a 'Young Rider's Academy' within the umbrella of EAMG to try to encourage young riders to become involved in post test rider training and to allow provisional license holders to dip a toe into the world of advanced training albeit with a DSA test style bias. You'll be pleased to know that this is now well under way with six observers 'signing up' to the scheme in addition to their normal observing duties. We hope to be on BBC Essex radio immediately after Easter to promote the initiative and hope to go live from the beginning of May. We have now taken delivery of radios for the Observers to improve the quality of training that we can supply. This will put us ahead against our fellow 'competitor' groups and should allow the associates to reach advanced test standards far quicker than our current training system. Before they go live however, the Observers have to undergo training in the use of the equipment and how to use them in the training environment and I'd expect these to be phased in by June. In the meantime the Observer team has been busy renewing their First Aid Training and I'd like to thank Phil Jones and Lee at the British Heart Foundation for their help in making the arrangements. The popularity of the mixed ability Social Rides organised by Richard Parker and myself over the last three months has been evident by the number of riders attending the events. It's been great and the ladies have been turning out as well as the guys but despite opening them up to associates as well as full members, the number of associates attending has been disappointing. The last ride to Dunwich on 22nd March had twenty six bikes and was run in two groups but there were no associates present, although two guests interested in joining the Group did come along. Richard is therefore returning to the format of Full member rides only but I
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will continue to run an alternative ride on the same day (work permitting) to a suitable venue but starting from the same start point as Richard. This will give riders a choice of rides on the day. Hopefully some associates may actually be galvanised into actually riding their bikes - after all, isn't that why you have them...... By the time this issue of TUG is available we will have had the Super Sausage run on Easter Saturday. The weather forecast looks good for the day so lets see how many came out to play! Ride safely Chris
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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CONGRATULATIONS Recent Test Passes
Alan Burke 27th February 2015 RoSPA Re-Test (Gold) Examiner Mick Jones
The Advanced Tests: Motorcycle and Scooter Why take the test? - Why should you be interested? You realise that road and traffic conditions are becoming increasingly complex, and machines and riding requirements are constantly changing. Being a good rider means that you never stop learning. Becoming a better rider involves reviewing and adapting your skills to keep pace with change and ensuring that you get the best out of your bike rather than letting it get the better of you!
NEW MEMBERS Recent New Members Steve Enright - November 2014 Neale Gleeson - January 2015 Lee Sussman - January 2015 Stuart Haycock - March 2015 Wayne Purches - March 2015 www.eamg.org.uk
MOTORCYCLE TYRES AND TUBES RIDE IN RIDE OUT FITTED FREE
Car and Van Tyres
All Makes — All Sizes Vintage Classic Modern Road Off Road Race
AUTOSAFE GROUP 1ST CALL TYRESAVE—BIKERS MOTORCYCLES –ASG
Tel: 01621 856 888 Email: autosafegroup@btconnect.com
Autosafe Group—MOT Classes 1-2-3-4- 5-7
RIDEMASTER PO BOX 859 Aylesbury Bucks. HP22 9FJ
T: 0844 888 0999 F: 0844 888 4190
www.ridemaster.co.uk “If you have a crash and it wasn’t your fault we can manage your claim free of charge. That means we will represent you and communicate with your insurance company, the at -fault insurance company, your repairer and, most importantly, YOU to resolve liability in your favour and manage your claim until your bike is back with you, fully repaired. In the unfortunate event that a bike is damaged, bikers may not be aware that once their insurer is notified, the insurer will arrange for their approved repairer to collect their bike. This may not be ideal for a number of reasons, that’s why Ridemaster will work with your chosen local repairer where they know you and know your bikes’ history. Call Ridemaster first and we’ll take the pain out of a bad day.”
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Membership Information Dear Members & Prospective Members, The membership form is on the website or page 22 if you wish to join or if you are renewing. If you have paid up and haven’t received your membership card please let a committee member know. Please also note the feedback form on page 18 it will be most helpful if as many members as possible can fill one in and get them to John Tullett. Also please remember to spread the word about EAMG, recommendation is such a valuable tool and current members are always the best advocates for what a good group this is.
Membership Fees for 2015
New Associate Members
...£55.00 (Includes AGT Training)
Associate Member Renewal
...£40.00 (Includes AGT Training)
Full Member Renewal
...£25.00
Social Member
...£25.00
Full Member Training
...£20.00
(For more information on Full Member Training see page 42)
Membership
Number
Full
119
Associate
43
Social
1
Total
163
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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OBSERVER COORDINATOR John Tullett First On Scene Training Eighteen members of the Observer Team attended a four hour 'Heart Start' course run by the British Heart Foundation on 7th March. Phil Jones arranged this course and Lee, our instructor, combined a high level of knowledge with excellent presentation skills. The course content included: dealing with conscious and unconscious casualties; cardiac arrest; choking; serious bleeding; helmet removal; and defibrillator use. The good news, if any other Group members are keen to attend this course, is that Lee runs it on a regular basis. The other good news is that - unlike some of the other First Aid courses available - there is no direct charge (but if you find it beneficial consider making a donation to a charity recommended by Lee..). So if you are interested please make Phil Jones aware and he will get in touch with Lee. If you do not have Phil's contact number then I will be happy to pass on your details to him. Associate Group Training The February AGT got us off to a good start for the year. With 3 Associates, 3 Full members (signed up for FTFM) and 1 Guest all Observers were able to take someone out for an observed ride. We were hoping for even better attendances at the March AGT, particularly as it was a warm and sunny day. However, while a good number of Full
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members turned up for Speedo Dave's social ride to Dunwich, only 5 Associates (and no FTFM riders!) managed to make it for an observed ride. This was very disappointing and it meant a number of Observers were not allocated anyone to train. Hopefully, things will improve for our next AGT on Sunday, 12th April. The Group has seriously questioned whether we have the correct format for AGTs, as attendances have fluctuated over recent times. We are always open to suggestions on how we can improve attendance levels, so if any Associates have any ideas for how we can attract more members along then I would be very pleased to hear them. Highway Code App I wanted to check my Highway Code knowledge levels prior to my RoSPA retest earlier this year but found it was too easy to look at a rule or sign in the book and convince myself that I knew it, when the information was not necessarily committed to memory. Accordingly, I decided to install a copy of 'The Official DVSA Theory Test Kit for Car Drivers' app which, while not totally bike specific, struck me as offering good value @ ÂŁ4.99 from the iTunes store. This app seems to be well designed and allows you to study the highway code; practise topics (including quick 10 question tests); and run through mock tests (of 50 multiple choice questions). Essex Motorcycle Show The 2015 Essex Motorcycle Show will be returning to North Weald Airfield, North Weald, CM16 6HR on Sunday, 3rd May. If you can spare some time to come and help out on EAMG's promotional stand at this event, then your presence will be very welcome, particularly as a
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number of Group members will be attending Geoff Preston's Ride to France on this date. The Essex Motorcycle Show was held at North Weald for the first time in 2014 and proved to be the most successful show to date, in terms of riders attending (3,000+) and money raised (over ÂŁ5,000 for the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance). The show incorporated the finish point for the Herts Air Ambulance Run and offered around 45 trade stands, live music and Essex Police's launch of the Bikesafe season. June Slow Riding Day RESCHEDULED!! We have had to reschedule our first 2015 Slow Riding Day, due to a clash of dates with a three day Observer training seminar in Wales. This Slow Riding event will now be held on Saturday, 20th June and not on Sunday, 14th June, as previously reported. BMW Club Track Days I included an article in December's TUG outlining my experiences relating to a BMW Club track day in 2014. For 2015 the Club is offering two dates: 13th July at Cadwell Park and 17th August at Snetterton. At the time of writing this column (late March) Cadwell is pretty much fully booked but there are around 30 spaces for the Snetterton date, which I am booked on. So if you fancy attending a 'Ride Friendly' track day that is targeted at road riders - without having to worry about things like track bikes / tyre warmers / slicks, etc. - then you might still be in with a chance of booking this if you get your skates on! There is no requirement for you to ride a BMW but, for 2015, the organisers hope that BMW will reintroduce the
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option for individuals to take bikes from their demonstrator fleet out on track. More details via: http:// www.thebmwclub.org.uk/ sportingregister/
Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me on 01277 623860 (before 21:30 please), text 07570 992801, email jtullett@eamg.org.uk or send me a PM via the Message Board.
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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MY WEEKEND at the YAMAHA MT TOUR By Phil Reader Back in March 2014 I got a call from a friend of mine who had just got back from a trip to Spain, I thought no big deal really until he explained that the trip was eight days of riding bikes and to top it off all expenses were paid, flights, transfers, hotels, coffee stops, lunches, dinners and petrol,’ Wow’!!! I asked how can I get myself on a trip like that? My friend explained that the track day company that he instructs for held the event for Kawasaki Europe and all he had to do was lead a group of Kawasaki dealers on a 240 mile ride out each day for two days, the third day was spent checking the bikes, lubing chains, changing tyres if needed and cleaning them. On the fourth day it all started again with a different group of dealers arriving for the same treatment. I could not help myself, I had to ask if I could get a slice of the action and my friend said he would let the powers that be know that I would be willing to help out (who wouldn’t?), he knows my Biking history well, knows how I ride and thought I would be the right man for the job. Three months pass and I get a visit from my friend asking me if I would like to help out at the Yamaha MT Tour in July, the deal was roughly the same ride bikes for two days leading a group test riders around some lanes near Boxhill, an overnight stay, all expenses paid and to top it off we get paid for the pleasure. Without a moment’s hesitation I said yes, a week later I got the confirmation that I would be needed and everything was booked. Now, I don’t know about you but I had never heard of the Yamaha MT range of bikes so I thought I better do some home work. Thanks to Google I did this from the comfort of my armchair, well the Bikes looked ok and reasonably priced, I read as much as I could stomach before getting bored, I lasted 20 minutes. Riding Bikes is so very much more exciting than reading about them.
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The time had come, it was Saturday 26th July, I drove to pick my friend up and we made our way to Boxhill, most bikers in the South have heard of Boxhill but if you haven’t it is a big Biker meet area, basically a car park with the adjoining Ryka’s café and toilets. Anyhow, we arrived early at around 7am, the Yamaha roadshow truck was already set up and ready for the weekend. We helped get the 30 Yamaha MT 07’s and 09’s unloaded from the massive truck that housed the bikes in between venues, As I was the new guy I made sure I pulled my weight and got stuck in. By 8-30 everything was set for the first day apart from us ride leaders being shown the 16mile route which we will stick too for each and every ride out. The Boss gave us a briefing which included how to treat the test riding public with the emphasis on being in control of the group and make sure everyone kept to the speed limits and showed general good road manners, after all, we were all representing Yamaha. Easy. The 6 of us (Ride leaders) got togged up and chose a bike to ride the route, I chose a white MT 07. We set off out of Boxhill car park and straight away I felt a smile coming on, This is one nice, fun, grunty little bike, it reminded me of my Versys 650 in that it turns really quick, pulls like Thomas the Tank Engine and makes me smile. The route consisted of a good mix of roads, a couple of miles of dual carriageway, a longish stretch of 30 / 40 mph and a lovely little lane that twists, turns, rises and falls through a heath and wooded area. We arrived back at B/Hill and enjoyed a cuppa while we waited for the first pre booked riders. The subject of conversation soon turned to the MT bikes, all 6 of us ride leaders agreed that we enjoyed the bikes and all wanted to get on with the job and get out again. Within 15 minutes we had our 1st group of the day, 18 members of the public were given a briefing and togged up in a high viz vest (why?) , each rider was given a key to the bike that they booked to ride. This time I chose the MT09, bigger and more
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powerful and reasonably good looking and again I started to enjoy myself. We soon got back to Boxhill and yet another group of test riders were lined up ready for the off, I grabbed a key for another go on one of the MT07’s, as soon as we got going the saying ‘Bigger is not always better’ came to mind, with the MT09 and 07, the MT07 was definitely the better bike. For the following 6 hours I was on and off of both bikes, completing lap after lap of the 16 mile test route. The day ended with cleaning and putting the bikes away ready for the morning. My friend, another test ride leader and myself drove to our b&b, had a quick shower then went to dinner. We agreed that the day had been very enjoyable, fortunately uneventful, a great way to get to know a bike and to top it off we were going to do the whole thing again the very next day. Morning all, Sunday 7-30 am, we were once again rolling out the bikes ready for Joe Public to test ride. It seemed to be a little more relaxed than the previous day as we all knew what to do without being asked. The public soon started to arrive, there were hoards of bods turning up on all sorts of bikes, from the exquisite Honda C90 to the most Blinged Harley I have ever seen, they were all there. Our first group were ready for a test ride, once again I jumped on the MT07 and chose to ride mid pack, in front of me was Speedy, a young guy with a need for speed, Speedy needed to be told to slow down, I decided to have a quiet word with him, so while sat a set of traffic lights I held his ignition key and said (in no uncertain terms) if you don’t calm down you will be walking back to BoxHill. This did the trick and he stuck to the speed limits and all was good. The day was going well, uneventful, enjoyable and sunny! Around lunch time I was riding with another group, one poor chap nearly dropped a bike at standstill, he proceeded to have a near miss with a grass bank and tree, I stopped the chap from riding any further and suggested that he took
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time out, I told another ride leader that I was staying with the rider as he needed to compose himself. We sat by the side of the road and I got him talking, I did this because he was shaking like a leaf and was in no shape to ride a bike. He told me that he had passed his test 6 months previously and had not ridden a bike until this test ride. I calmed him down and told him to ride behind me back to Boxhill. It was a slow, safe, steady ride, as we approached the entrance to the car park I could see the Boss standing there waiting for us, he was anxious and followed us to our coned off area. I jumped off my Bike and held the riders bike for him as he climbed off shaking, I then shook his hand and congratulated him on making it back in one piece, I shoved a bottle of complimentary water into his hand and sat him down, I told him not to give up on biking and to go back to the bike school for a refresher course, he agreed that he should do that. Once the chap had left the Boss asked me what had happened, I explained that he had to be stopped because he was an accident waiting to happen (like some of Eamg eh?) and I didn’t want to see him get hurt and (with a smile) more importantly the MT07 get smashed… The event was slowing down, the Billy Bunters were gradually disappearing and we had just one more test ride group to go, with this the Boss called us together and thanked us all for attending, he said that we had all done a great job escorting over 200 test riders, he then turned to me and asked the one question I wanted to hear, “will you come to the event in Spain next February?” He didn’t have to ask twice! That’s enough of this drivel, I have some packing to do, our flight leaves Southend tomorrow morning!!!!
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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0800 083 4422 Quote Ref 1460
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St Lawrence House 2 Gridiron Place Upminster Essex RM14 2BE
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Steam Tug Brent TID No 159 One of 182 tugs constructed of the same design between 1942-46
Tony Seaman
The word tug has a number of different meanings. When applied to say the task of pulling on a rope as in “tug of war” or as laid down in the motorcycling “Police Road Craft and Highway Code manuals” In the event of a tug of war it refers to two opposing teams pulling on a rope to see which is the stronger of the two sides. In the case of the motor vehicle/motorcycle, TUG refers to the Take, Use and Give information from and to other road users so as to make a journey or forward progress as safe as possible. In the case of the Tug Brent it refers to a vessel (vehicle) that uses the water of a river or sea as the roadway to move from place to place and to tow other water born vessels. In the sixties a mate and I became involved in a small boat restoration project on the Thames at Teddington Lock, that boat had a small inboard 4 cylinder side valve marine engine and propshaft but no coupling between the two. The project only lasted a couple of years as I married and move to Chelmsford which made the journey to far (no M25 in those days). The boat was handed back to the mooring owner in lieu of mooring fees but not before I had removed the engine that on inspection proved to be brand new, it was later sold for £70 the equivalent of three weeks wages. I had not long before that, moved from the shop floor into a drawing office, doubling my wages at a stroke. In 2012 I finally retired from active employment and soon found that I was getting fed up with the slow pace of my new life, I was also no longer playing cricket during the summer months. During the September I headed east on the bike to Bucharest, Romania, to meet up with cricket club who were on tour there. My experience of the police treatment was not a happy one in that I arrived in Bucharest as the last of the light was going and due to the numerous one way street/roads I was unable to find the hotel. I did have the use of the “TomTom” but was not totally familiar with it at that stage nor had I heard of the “Tyre Mapping Program”. With the unit not having the road where the hotel was situated in, in its data set, as a result I had to set it to the nearest point I could find on the TomTom using Google Earth before leaving home. I asked the police for help who eventually did lead me to it but not before we had gone up the road systems the wrong way several times and then they demanded 50 euros in payment. It was 10pm by that time and I was
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to say the least a bit p*** off and very tired, having just spent the last two hours trying the find the hotel. The following day I walked the local area and found that the system had in fact got me to within 100m of the hotel but due to the one way system and the unusual angle of the road junctions working against me I could not complete the journey. I returned home via Sofia, Bulgaria, where the Romanian national cricket team treated me very well. 2013 I took a trip to Maldon for the mud race and it just so happened that I came upon the Tug with a “trust banner�. The boat looked in a real sorry state and I thought the best of luck to anyone attempting to repair/restore that heap. During September I again headed east but to Sofia in Bulgaria this time, returning via Skopie in Macedonia, Croatia and the Swiss Alpes although this trip was not without its incidents, but that is perhaps for another time. Later in the year I again visited Maldon and found the regatta on, which lead to me volunteering to help maintain one of the Maldon barges. The following Thursday I went on board and with two others new arrivals were introduced to the other members on board. The day progressed steadily with me working with one of the new lads on the repair of a hatch cover after which I helped with the removal of a very rusty nut from a bilge pump handle. Well I do not know quite what I did or said but at afternoon tea break the boss man said Tony has only been on board 6 hours and he is in charge already, there was a deathly silence when someone commented, he does not know whether to take that as a compliment or a criticism. That evening I left the barge never to return as I was not prepared to be walking around on egg shells all the time I was on board, I also noticed that the new chap who I had been working with made quick exit at the end of the day. Next time more riding and I join the Steam Tug Brent Team. http://www.steamtugbrent.org
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
All Full Member Rides will leave Sainsburys Springfield, Chelmsford, at 9.30am
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2015 April 4th 4th 6th 7th 12th 26th
Super Sausage Run (Provisional Date) BSB Season Starts Southend Shakedown Group Night (Gary Taylor from Riders for Health) AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)
May 3rd 5th 10th 17th 24th 30th 31st
Geoff Prestons Day Trip to France Group Night (Gary Baldwin from Rapid Training) AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) Observer Peer to Peer Ride Full Member Training Isle of Man TT Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)
June 2nd 7th
Diary 2015
20th 21st 28th
Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) Slow Riding Day Boys Toys @ Hylands Park Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)
July 5th 7th 12th
Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride
www.eamg.org.uk
Building, Civil Engineering and Maintenance
Extensions - Garages - Loft Conversions
Blockpaving Driveways - Patios
All Types of Roofing
Carpentry - Brickwork
Water Main and Sewer Repairs and Renewal
Fencing - Replacement Windows (uPVC, Hardwood, Aluminium)
uPVC Cladding, Fascias, Soffits
Underpinning - Landscaping
Painting and Decorating Fully Insured (But not yet Needed!)
For free no-obligation quote, phone Clint on
01621 828276 (Office) 07836 277223 (Mobile) Domestic and Commercial Work Undertaken Insurance Work also Welcome Member of The Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors Flagstaff Farm, Green Lane, Althorne, Essex, CM3 6BQ
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Observer Peer to Peer Ride Full Member Training
2nd
Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride Audrey & Johns Social Ride
August 4th 9th 23rd
September 1st 6th 6th 13th 20th
Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride Air Ambulance Run (Departs from Ford Dunton) Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) Slow Riding Day
Group Nights @ 19:30, AGTs @ 9:15 am
19th 26th
October 4th 6th 11th 18th 25th
Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride Full Member Training Observer Peer to Peer Ride
November 1st 3rd 8th
Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride
December Group Night AGT & Full Member Ride Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)
Diary 2015
1st 6th 13th
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Words of Warning Article borrowed from the Rapid Training spring newsletter
Rapid Training @ http://rapidtraining.co.uk/ A few things to take into consideration when using video cameras & Sat Navs as printed in the recent Rapid Riders Spring Newsletter! The fashion for cameras on bikes continues unabated but I would just offer a few words of caution. While the camera may capture some dozy mongs driving badly around you, it also captures your adventures. Now while as a biker you may feel that your choice of speed on your favourite road is entirely reasonable. Played back on a large screen in your local Magistrates Court will bring on looks as though you were Jimmy Saville’s more evil twin. The retired general and a couple of housewives on the bench will view your exploits with abject horror. So by all means film away but keep it legal! I hope this answers the regular question about why we don’t video our courses. The increasing use of helmet cams and other recording devices is the subject of much debate. For many they have proved to be a double edged sword as the camera footage intended to impress friends is being used to prove offences of dangerous and reckless riding against themselves. Famously last year we had footage on the BBC news of a motorcyclist who lost control whilst negotiating a left hand bend, he crossed to the offside of the road narrowly missing an oncoming car before disappearing into a ditch. How we laughed at his attempt to suggest he had in some way made a choice to miss the car and head for the verge when it was plainly down to good old fashioned luck. And boy was he lucky. (Clip on our Facebook page). I dealt with another case where we were sent a link to some YouTube footage of a motorcyclist riding like a total twat. He apparently thought this was all good stuff which should be shared with those blessed with lesser skills than he. Most will feel that the police did him a favour by removing him from the road, unless of course you were in the queue for a new kidney. What surprised me most wasn’t the appalling riding (I’ve seen a lot worse) but that at the start of the footage he is at home getting his gear on and saying a cheery good bye to his wife and kids. Then the next shot sees him riding at high speed past the houses of this neighbours who presumably also had kids. The level of recklessness seemed out of proportion to the responsibilities that come with being a family man but this is clearly another sign that I’m getting old. See the full newsletter at http://rapidtraining.co.uk/docs/2015Newsletter.pdf
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
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Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture
Gratham Water
March Group Night
www.eamg.org.uk
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Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery
Dunwich - Dave Cardy
Dunwich - Richard Parker
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Slovenia & Croatia, Gems of Eastern Europe Jacques Deklerk D-Day arrived, Kermit on high alert, I was awoken by his hysterical gurgles of joy floating upto my ears from the garage, Kermit was in Defcon 1 mode, or 'Headless Chicken' mode as I call it, eager to play & wanting to test his new Pirelli Gt boots. I finally gave up trying to calm him & decided to start my trip early, taking a leisurely bimble along the back roads of Kent, down to “God's Waiting room” the Eurotunnel crossing before dawn. Where to start? It was an amazing adventure with so many memories, no words & pictures can do it justice, but here’s my best effort……. Meeting up with the Gang in Calais, I found the normal gathering of old faces & some new. The bikes were split into the ‘Progressive’ (crazy/terrorist/racer/cattle class) & the ‘Tourist’ (bimbling/law abiding/premium economy) groups. Kermit bawled his eyes out when I meekly suggested we could go with the Tourist group, try as I might to persuade him, my attempts fell on deaf ears, he promptly went & hid amongst the mad dash brigade & refused to split from them, & so the tour commenced… On days one to three, we travelled through the various less used & less policed back roads of France, the B500 of Germany & into Austria, with the roads getting ever more flowing & scenery changing from beautiful, to chocolate box stunning the further Southwards we went. Weather was generally boiling hot or torrential rain, which often required me to get the condom out – two piece (sometimes) waterproofs. Getting in those things in damp leathers requires gymnast flexibility, & it’s even harder when hot & sweaty, which necessitated removal of the condom, perseverance is the key! Kermit laughed at me each time but wouldn’t help a jot, I warned him I’d have “frogs legs” for his last sup-
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per & put paid to his sniggering! On day three, it was Wet...Wet…Wet…. Bloody wet! Started off raining, carried on raining & rained nearly the whole day. With a number of closed roads that meant detours, the most unusual of which took us literally through a golf course. Luckily there were no golfers out that day, too wet for them I guess, but it would have been funny to see their reaction to a group of 10 bikes happily trundling along the cobbled fairway track. Being the rufty-tufty mad group, we stuck with the original route as far as possible & it was good fun for the most part, apart from a few miles where we had to divert on to a motorway. Zero visibility due to spray, meant it was horrible & we got off it as fast as we could, back to the relative safety of the wet & twisty minor roads. Day 4- Austria to Slovenia It was a cold & wet morning, the “Wild Bunch” decided sense was required & with information from the live webcams on the Grossglockner pass & a subsequent call to the top, it was confirmed that it was -6 degrees. Much as Kermit wanted to ride up there, I convinced him we’d ride the pass on our return leg, this perked him up, he didn’t wish to be the odd one out of the three Zzr’s I’ve owned, not to play on the Grossglockner! Not to completely spoil his day, the gang decided we'd take a chance & go over to Slovenia via the Nochalmstrasse through the Nockberge National Park. This pass is just over 2000 metres high & could have been just as cold, wet & miserable as the Grossglockner, but the biking gods shone down upon our pure souls & after an hour of riding East through to Obertauern, it had stopped raining. We had a great ride through the National park to the foot of the Nochalmstrasse, dodging cows & angry farmers, & had a great dry run up to the top & a great ride down the other side too. Passing across the Slovenian border, the riding gods got chased by policemen, fortunately enough escaping the ridiculous fines on offer, with a little gentle incentive of NO RECEIPT REQUIRED! Suitably reprimanded on we went, with our 'sensible helmets' on, we had a leisurely hour or so run into Bled & our hotel for the next 4 nights. Arriving at 16:00 was nice, giving us all time to relax before dinner.
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Days 5-7 Around Bled Today was a day off for everyone, there's a great deal to see & do in Bled, it's a pretty town made more so by the lovely lake which the town goes to great lengths to, to keep clean & pollution free, no powered boats (apart from a few electric working boats) means it's very clean & clear. You don't need me to give you the full tourist rundown on the place, suffice to say you could quite happily spend 4 or 5 days there without getting bored, & the castle which overlooks Bled, gives great views & is an interesting place - quite a hard climb if you walk up though! After one day exploring this great town, the gang decided they were missing their bikes & a full day exploration of Slovenia & onto Italy we chose. Well what a cracking day, a wee loop of around 130-170 ish miles, taking in probably every type of road surface you can get except motorway. This route included the Vrisc Pass which is about 2000 metres high, complete with 48 hairpin bends. The description of it on the Best Biking Roads website, says that most of the hairpins are tarmac. They aren't wrong, but it was still a surprise to see a lot of them on the North side made up entirely of cobblestones. Thankfully it was hot & dry so they didn't present too many problems. Some spectacular scenery was to be had on the way up & we had a good mix of tight twisty roads, as well as good fast smooth sweepers along by the river. Stopping for lunch at a nice restaurant - www.jazbec.eu stop off if you're in the area, as they had good food & service, & presented everyone with a natty little skull cap thing, Kermit wore his with pride & has kept badgering me for a sword to go with his new, meaner, greener, pirate image! After lunch we had a bizarre encounter with the local police, literally going about 1 mile down the road, before we were pulled in to a lay-by by two policemen in a van, fortunately we were being sensible & Kermit was just pootling along at the time, but it was still a little worrying that they'd pulled the entire group. They then proceeded to hand out bright yellow neck tubes to everyone, we were then sent on our way without so much as a word. Got to say, as I reached the outskirts of any village/town for the rest of the day, Kermit was very conscious of his speed & we both tried to keep well within the lim-
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its – quit normal for myself, but a unique experience for Kermit I must say. The rest of the ride was a further good mix of tight & twisty roads, with fast & sweepy ones sporadically thrown in, until we came to a bit of a diversion caused by a closed road. The only downside was a 2mile long ‘goat track’ of a gravel covered winding downhill path, that included hairpins….not for the fainthearted & character building! The next day in Slovenia was free & some went off to the Postojna Cave www.postojnska-jama.eu/en, a network of 15miles of passages, galleries & chambers, absolutely amazing & the most visited show cave in Europe, with a cave train which takes you deep within to admire the size & splendour of the underground world. Others went to the amazing Vintgar gorge. It was a great day & I covered over 8miles by flip flop, finishing with a large pizza back in Bled to balance out any calories I may have walked off. Day 8- Slovenia to Croatia Time to get out of Bled & head down to our next location in Croatia, just outside the Pilitvice National Park. It was a nice 32 degrees, though for the BMW K1300's on tour it was a struggle, as they wet themselves & kept boiling up all over the place, Kermit quaffed at the Germans, so I reminded him that he too had not had such luck last year, when his Japanese counterparts had designed faulty parts for him! He gave me a glare & in a huff shot off like his back end was on fire. Leaving Bled, we headed to Ljubljana on some nice sweepy fast roads. No problems crossing the border this time, the tarmac improved & the route got lovely & twisty, but there was a curious feel to the way Kermit rode, at first it felt as though his rear tyre had gone really quite soft, but a stop to inspect it proved it was fine, was it his rear shock? Seemed ok! It was as though the rear was sliding around, after a discussion with others who’d experienced it as well, “The Riding Gods” put it down to a coating of dust or sand on the road surface, which was odd, as the front grip felt fine. All in all a good day & we got to the hotel at around 16:00 which meant plenty of time to try & cool down with fluid replacement therapy, by way of litre beer tankards.
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Day 9- Plitvice National Park. Another non riding day today, Kermit stayed in detention for having a tantrum with me, whilst I & some others, went to the National Park by minibus arranged by the hotel. The website http://en.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/ & any pictures don't do it justice; it's a fantastic place to spend a day walking around, spectacular, beautiful & surprising. There is transport to get you around the vast site, you can get a bus/ train thing (a Mercedes Uni-mog coupled to trailers, & there's electric boats that transport you across some of the lakes, but really you need to walk around to get the best out of it. Day 10-11 Crikvenice South West bound, we headed out for 2 nights in the seaside resort town of Crikvenice, a little South of Trieste. We did a sort of U shaped route, taking us along a nice additional 80-90miles or so down the centre of the country, through some very bleak looking landscape & vast areas of open country filled with nothing but trees, rocks & more trees. The roads however were good quality, open, fast & swoopy, ideal for the heat that was at 30 degrees by 10:00am, by the time 45 minutes had passed, we'd covered almost a 3rd of the planned 180 mile route. With ETA at the hotel looking like 14.00 ish, even with a lunch stop, things were looking good, too good, something had to go wrong. Bring in to play that legendary BMW reliability..............(actually this is a little unfair as it wasn't the bike's fault) A stone punctured right through a BMW GT1300’s oil cooler, things didn't look good, but being the practical sort of tourists that we were, we started stripping poor Dave’s bike & came up with a cunning plan. We sourced a suitable bit of hose & set about by-passing the oil cooler completely from the oil circuit, re-piped in a 3 foot length of pipe, we set off at a tourists pace for a half hour or so, before we chanced upon a good lunch at a place that had the biggest barbecue pit I have seen, capable of simultaneously roasting 8 pigs or lambs! Lunch done we carried on heading North West, after a ride past mist covered lakes & a mountain pass, the stunningly beautiful Dalmation Coast road came into view, an excellent ribbon of tarmac road carved into the edge of the coastline. The road surface was mostly good & the scenery amazing, with a 100 mile ribbon of spaghetti to
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play on for a road. Incredible does not do this piece of tarmac justice, it was nonstop miles of superb quality blacktop that was just sublime to ride along. It was still incredibly hot, up to about 34c at one point, which actually made us slow down a little & really enjoy the quality of the road & just dance around the corners , Kermit was in heaven! We all knew this hotel had an outdoor pool & having endured 34 degree heat in bike gear all day, you could hear it calling. The day ended with a mid-afternoon arrival to a patronising welcome from the hotel receptionist who was just doing her job, but was not very considerate of the gangs’ desperation for refreshment & rehydration, followed by a rush on mass for the pool. The hotel was excellent with very clean facilities & reasonably priced quality refreshments, encouraging enough to eat dinner there both nights. Day two in Crikvenice, was spend meandering in the sunshine to the harbour & late afternoon by the hotel pool, with dinner spent reminiscing of the great tour of these two amazing countries of Eastern Europe! Take the opportunity & visit, you’ll not be disappointed. Do opt for built in airconditioning on your bikes, it’ll be greatly needed! Jaques Aka Jaq-ass Ps: I fulfilled my promise to Kermit & let him play up & over the Grossglockner Pass!
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EAMG Events Report! Chris Johnson It has not been a good period for riding. Whilst the weather has not actually been memorably bad, most weekends seem to have been cold and/or wet, Apart from one business trip I have not really been out on the bike apart from EAMG outings, and feel very rusty in consequence. Richard's ride to Grafham Water, which was scheduled for 22nd February, was a case in point. It was cancelled the day before because of potential frosty conditions and delayed until the following Sunday, 1st March. The day was at least bright, but it was breezy and the heated jacket gave good service. The ride was posted as being open to all members but of the 25 or so who turned out for it I think only a couple were Associates. We now have the usual problem, that I failed to take notes and can now remember SFA about the route we took. In truth I suspect that taking notes might not have helped, because Richard's routes, whilst being on an excellent mix of roads etc. etc. are counter-intuitive for me and the way out is a blur before we have finished lunch. I do know that we stopped for coffee at a McDonalds. Coupled with the fact that I am pretty sure that we had a stint on the A14, mainly because I was marking it and missed Chris Reed as back marker. The poor guy ended up dismounting, wandering back to the slip road into view, and waving at me with a certain degree of animation. I disarmed him afterwards by claiming that I had failed to recognise him because he looked slimmer than I had expected. Anyway, the A14 is a plausible road to use for a short stint if you are heading to Grafham Water, and maps, pictures and Google Street View convinced me it must have been at Fen Ditton. If this is not correct, since they all look the same anyway, it doesn't matter too much. We finally arrived at the lake from the West, which was so wrong! The service at the restaurant was slow and, whilst the quality of the food was perfectly acceptable, the portion sizes were not. My chilli con carne could have been de-
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scribed, by the charitable, as bijou and by the less charitable as little better than a dirty plate. Chris Reed had been going to complain that they had missed serving his chicken curry until he moved a chip and found it. It was a long lunch break and, whilst I was bent over my mobile phoning George Brown, who was two feet away from me at the time with his mobile tucked away on his bike, someone noticed my camera and took a couple of pictures of the very grey top of my head. Thanks for that, guys. I do not think the route back had any memorable incidents but I was not present for much of it. At the petrol stop somewhere north of Royston Richard kindly pointed out that we were close to the A10 and I might want to take a more direct route home. This I duly did, and got back home in time to hose down the bike before making up for the very light lunch by polishing off a large steak with all the trimmings, and most of my wife's as well. A week later on 8th March we had the AGT in what appeared to be the school IT teaching centre. John Tipper gave a short talk on overtaking, but prefaced it by explaining the symbolism of the EAMG logo. It seems that the unenlightened thought it was just three coloured squiggles, but afterwards it was obvious that it represented the line one would take round a series of bends. We were even shown a picture of the French road that it was modelled on. Afterwards Dave Cardy announced that the run would be to Dunwich. This was pretty ambitious for a post-AGT run. In the bad old days when EAMG only had a couple of social rides a year, one was the Super Sausage run in the Spring and the other was Bruff & Terry's Fish and Chip ride to Dunwich in the Autumn. There were a dozen of us with Stu acting as back marker, and from the outset it was clear that this was not going to be a traditional route to Dunwich. We headed through Maldon to sneak up past Colchester and then took a route well to the East. There was a stop, at a McDonalds obviously, which I would guess was close to Ipswich but if you told me it was Glasgow I would not really argue. There were some stretches on A-roads, but this was balanced by a lot of unclassifieds. To say there was no central marking on most of them would not be strictly true, but it consisted of a gravel strip rather than white paint. We duly arrived at Flora's in Dunwich in good order. Those who follow these events reports assiduously will know that over the years I have had issues with the 'garden' peas at Flora's. First they were cannon-
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balls, then they improved, then they dropped back, improved again and I can now announce the latest instalment of the ten-year evaluation study; they have regressed slightly, but not spectacularly. Apart from that the meal was very acceptable and, in marked contrast to the offerings the week before, covered most of the plate. When we set off again it was apparent that this was going to be a very traditional post-AGT run. Having ticked the 'crap roads' box on the way out, Dave now introduced the mandatory navigational irregularities. Our initial trip to a petrol station took us on a magical mystery tour round what appeared to be six sides of a square. A little later we had a very fine U-turn. Soon after a roundabout we were led left into a narrow lane, had to perform a multi-point turn there, and then the lead members of the group turned back to the right. I was waiting at the T-junction for an opportunity to follow and could watch them ride to the roundabout, circle right round it, and then head back up past me in the other direction. The bike was angled right on a slope and the traffic was heavy, so it made for a rather awkward left turn. I suspect intervention by the dreaded SatNav (my spelling checker thinks that should be 'Satan'). Although the route back was in principle more conventional, it was a bit quixotic. For example we rode past Needham Lake, without stopping for ice cream, but then instead of turning left to head towards Sudbury we turned right to go up to Stowmarket and then dipped back down from there. It was all very weird and wonderful, but eventually we were all safely back at the Boreham McDonalds. The day had been fine apart from the correctly forecast brief shower at 3pm. Total distance covered 192 miles. A fortnight later, on Sunday 22nd March, Richard organised a run to .... Dunwich! The temperature at Chaos Manor in Sydenham was less than four degrees at the God-forsaken hour when I have to leave, but there was no way I was going to miss a comparative evaluation of the Cardy/Parker takes on the run. Long Johns, woolly vests and rugger socks were donned and I set out on what was otherwise a very fine morning. Near the M25/A12 junction there was even a rainbow, which looked very pretty until I realised what it meant. Fortunately the shower was light and brief, and was the only rain during the day. At Sainsbury's there were 25 bikes, and so two groups were organised, one led by Richard with Geoff as back marker, and one by Chris Reed which had Mike as the sweeper. I chose Richard's group since Geoff's yellow helmet is a great for relieving the 'is this the back marker?' anxiety when you are posted as a marker. The journey out was
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largely an old friend, through Finchingfield, Sudbury (with a coffee stop at Wally's in Acton), and Needham and Wickham Markets, but then we proceeded to Dunwich via Snape. With the limited attention available when one is conscientiously keeping one's eyes on the road, it seemed a rather attractive place; the sort of destination one desperately chose when young for an outing to amuse visiting grandparents. Unfortunately I am now the tiresome grandparent, but perhaps someone will take me there one day. I shall look forward to it. Flora's was the same as it was before. I know you are all eager to hear if the 'garden' pea quality had changed in such a short period. It had, and not for the better. It is possible that a decade of peatracking has reflected, not long-term trends, but merely random variations in immediate supply; an issue with which we are all familiar from those interminable debates on climate change. After four hours I have already forgotten much of the route back. The middle section was the same, but we were lead on different roads until South of Stowmarket, and then after Sudbury had a straightforward journey back through Halstead on the A131. We arrived at the Boreham McDonalds ten minutes before schedule at 15:50. Total distance covered 173 miles (according to Richard) or 177 (according to me). Chris Reed's group had a slightly different, faster, route because there was no way Chris was going to be stuck at the back of a lunch queue. He also had a different petrol stop on the way back, because Richard delayed re-fuelling on our return until Sudbury, and 150 miles is pushing it a bit for some bikes. However we all met up there and created a megagroup for the final stage. I am not aware of either group experiencing any amusing incidents. The big question is of course ... which as the better run? Making a decision here is a Judgement of Paris; whatever you say you are going to make powerful enemies. Richard's run was excellent, with well-chosen roads well up to the standard we have come to expect from his runs. Dave's had a certain charm; there is something about having no idea where you are, and a suspicion that the leader may share your ignorance, which is strangely liberating. In truth they were as different as chalk and cheese, and I am very happy to have attended both. I need to put this report to bed now, since Mary and I are going to try to escape the cold with a brief trip to Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately they are due to have a cold snap there too, with temperatures down ten degrees to a mere 26 Centigrade. I guess we shall have to cope somehow.
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
rst I would like to wish Colin Snow a speedy recovery, following a ‘SMIDSY’ incident where someone ulled out in front of him on his way to the Biker’s Retreat, leading to a broken leg and skin grafts. Hope see you back on two wheels soon! or the benefit of new Associes I would like to clarify at we offer two main train-
bacon_motorcycle@btconnect.com
www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk Open 9am-6pm Mon to Sat
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DESTINATION RATED Ambiance Cafe - St Neots
Riverside Park, The Paddock, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 7SA Open 9am til 6pm 7 days a week. Food 4/5 Plenty of choice on the menu—breakfasts, burgers, lunches, sandwiches & more. Food has been good on all occasions. Service 4/5 Never waited long even when it is busy, they seem to have a slick operation. Price 4.5/5 Lunches around £7.50, breakfast for just under £6 & desserts for £3. Capacity 4/5 Plenty of room for a decent size group and if it’s a nice day loads of room outside as well or relax on the grass by the river! Parking 4.5/5 Large car park outside with ample parking for bikes & cars.
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Further Training Opportunities for Full Members Have you ever wondered if your riding skill is still as good as it was when you passed your IAM or RoSPA Test? Is your RoSPA Retest fast approaching and you feel you’d like a refresher to check that bad habits have not crept into your riding? We are all only as good as the day we are actually riding our bikes. How good our riding was last year or even last month may not be as good as we think it is; complacency can be fatal. EAMG provide two Further Training Schemes for Full Members: Full Member Training (FMT) – One-day training courses available four times a year Further Training for Full Members (FTFM) – Assignment to an Observer for 1 to 1 training These courses are provided to check riding skills haven’t deteriorated, for those wishing to take a higher grade of test such as RoSPA or for those preparing for qualification as an EAMG Observer. Full Member Training Four FMT Courses take place during ‘summer time’ between March and October. Participation is entirely voluntary and those taking part do not have to join each ride. Training is for your benefit and enjoyment; it is not a mandatory requirement that you go on to take a RoSPA test. To ensure the highest possible standard, Observers undertaking this training will hold a current RoSPA Gold certificate. You will not be riding in one large group. Where possible you will be riding with an Observer and one other Full Member giving you the opportunity to have a 'rest' while your partner is being observed. Every effort will be made to match your riding experience, ability and aspirations with your partner, any miss matching being addressed at the first refreshment stop. The routes, approx. 200 miles, will cover a variety of roads and include several debriefing stops and two refreshment stops. Joining details will be sent by email or post a few days before the event. Events this year:
Joining Fee
29th March
24th May
£45.00
26th July
18th October
Contact John Tipper, 8 Carlton Ave, London N14 4UA. Email: jtipper@eamg.org.uk Tel : 0208 360 8590
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Further Training for Full Members You will be assigned to an Observer and rides will be arranged on a one to one basis when mutually convenient. Although not mandatory, unlike FMT, the training will be structured as preparation for a further test such as RoSPA. To apply to join this scheme: Apply to the Membership Secretary either at membership renewal or during the season. You will be asked to pay an additional Membership Fee (details below). Your Application will be passed to the Observer Co-ordinator who will assign you to the first available Observer. Where feasible, geographical location will be considered. You will be expected to pay the Observer a contribution (details below) towards fuel costs. Participation must be renewed annually.
Name: Address:
Post Code:
Tel:
Email: Riding Experience:
Aspirations:
Typical annual mileage:
Machine:
FTFM - 2015 Membership Secretary
Observer Co-ordinator
Teri Olley
John Tullett
tba
jtullett@eamg.org.uk
Additional Membership Fee
Contribution to Observer
ÂŁ20 pa
ÂŁ10 per ride
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982
ESSEX ADVANCED MOTORCYCLISTS GROUP Colin Childs, Editor University of Essex Printing Services, contact Hannah 01206 872822 for more information. Please mention EAMG when replying to advertisers - it identifies you!
http://www.eamg.org.uk Affiliated to the British Motorcyclists Federation Registered Charity Number 1107703
Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with a view that free expression promotes discussion and interest. Any spelling or grammatical errors are the responsibility of the editor and a society that pays footballers more than teachers. Inclusion of adverts is not to be construed as EAMG endorsement, although most advertisers are excellent, but seek personal recommendations.Text Š EAMG 2011. Illustrations Š EAMG 2010, except where indicated otherwise. Group material may be reproduced provided acknowledgement is given to EAMG and the original author.
Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd, Registered Office, St Laurence House, 2 Gridiron Place, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2BE Registered in England & Wales, Registration No. 5258261
Essex Advanced Motorcyclist Group Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982