2014 lakeside poundlife

Pond Life Lakeside Chapter of the Harley Davidson Owners Group. Chapter No 7958

xxx始

2014

Number 3

Lawrence Scourfield with 108 Chapter rides under his belt, leaving the Chapter and heading back to Wales.

In this issue: Directors Cut From the Head Road Captain Chapter Challenge 2014 Excel Motorcycle Show Maldon Military Museum A Personal View of Route 66. Pt 2 Chapter Ride Awards Information on Overseas & Multi Day Tours From our Sponsor Whats on

Our Sponsoring Dealership

Chapter Sponsored Charity

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 1

Pond Life Chapter Director Joe Borgia

Assistant Director & Communications Officer Marcus Simeoni (Slack) comms@lakesidechapterhog.org

Treasurer Steve Winters

Assistant Director Geoff Suter

Head Road Captain Malcolm Fewtrell (Duke)

Web Master Gary Bransgrove

Chapter Secretary Melanie Smith

Ladies Of Harley Shilpa Bransgrove

Membership Secretary Roger Dawkins Magazine Editor Kevin Hall (Chewy)

Events Officer John Scott

editor@lakesidechapterhog.org

Events Officer Victoria Scott www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 2

Pond Life Directors Cut Hi Folks , I hope you are all keeping well.

So the weather has improved a touch this month but still not great. Having said that our ‘weather dependant’ rides have all gone ahead, maybe with the odd tweak here and there but they all went ahead and all very well attended, I must say. I have also received a lot of very positive feedback on these rides. Thank-you for this feedback as it lets us know if we are putting on the right rides (or not) and thus far it has all been positive. A big thanks to the road crew for all their hard work in organising and executing such interesting rides.

Make sure you check out the events page in this issue to make sure you don’t miss out.

Bikers Loft is all booked up now. I think there is only 1 spare bed in a shared room left if there is still anyone interested. Other than that its all fully booked. If you have booked, make sure you have got your Eurostar booked for the times given to you in your confirmation email from Slack.

limiting conditions throughout Essex. These teenagers tend to fall into the gap between Hospices that care for young Children and those that look after Adults and feel that they don’t ‘belong’ in either. Please check them out at www.thejshospice.org.uk and see what they do for yourself.

AN IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES…….

Saturday 22nd March is Chapter Membership Renewal Day. It is also the 14.5 model year launch day so come down to the dealership and see the new bikes. There’ll be a live band and food too and you can pick up your new membership packs.

Also on the day the new Hoodies will be available. These can be pre-ordered and paid for now at the dealership (see me or Mel) or you can use the Paypal option on the web site (please ensure that you put your name and what you are paying for as the reference).

Price STILL £40.

See you all soon Ride Safe Joe

The voting is now in for your nominations for the Chapter Charity for 2014 and the lucky organisation to receive our support this year is ; The J’s Hospice Thank-you to everyone who took the time to vote. The J’s Hospice does some really fantastic work with young adults with life www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 3

Pond Life

-70’s look and feel, which I am glad to say does not include trouble with people who ride motorcycles. I just hope they don’t think that ‘baggers’ are over sized scooters.

Editorial Here we are again, another issue of Pond Life and what can I say about the weather, is this the start of the good riding times? I have had the Road King now for 6 weeks and I am just about to book its first 1000 mile service. I never thought I would do this mileage so early in the year.

Its a shame that the South of England Rally has been cancelled, it was one of the must go to ones. I hope a new venue can be found, but can you transfer the feel?

Well thats it for this month, Until next time, enjoy life and stay safe.

Chewy, Editor

I sold my old 1978 FLH (Shovel Head) last year, I had done over 150,000 miles on it in.

Thats not a massive amount of miles when you think I had the bike for over 30 years. But during that time it was in storage for 12 years while I was working overseas. I must say that I had some great times on the shovel, but nothing can compare to the new Road King for eating up the miles.

editor@lakesidechapterhog.org

Yvette is getting on well with the Softail Deluxe and even surprised me by riding over to the dealership and meeting me there. She had a great time and really enjoyed the ride.

She has got me worried, as when ever I look in the mirror at her, she always has that big biker grin on her face.

Normally when I’m out riding, if I see another biker I will usually give them a nod or acknowledge there existence, but just recently I get ignored by most sports bike riders and I have been surprised by the number of scooter riders who wave or nod. There a quite a few scooter clubs in the area and a lot of the people I have seen are recapturing the 60’s www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 4

Pond Life

HEAD ROAD CAPTAIN’S RAMBLES (or A Ditty from ‘The Duke’)

The mornings might be a bit frosty at present, but hopefully you have seen a change in weather with more sun, less rain and temperatures due to rise over the next few days. I noted a small debate on Facebook the other day about whether Spring had officially started, but would suggest that it is down to a matter of definition, as it can depend on whether you are looking at the meteorological, astronomical, solar-reckoning or even other calendar-based definitions (see Wikipedia for more detail). For some it is to do with equinoxes, but for the Met Office Spring starts on 1 March, so let’s be hopeful and pray that the sight of the first daffodils means that winter has gone.

What winter?? We might have had rain of epic proportions that would have done Noah proud, but we have hardly had a hard winter, in that there have only been a couple of mornings that ‘Er Indoors has had to scrape the car windows, no days when she has had to go out to breath on the bike’s seat to warm it up for me and no snow. I hope that’s not the ‘kiss of death’ and that we will not have a really hard spell later in March and then into April – it’s happened before.

I know that many of you have ridden through the winter; that much has been evident by the turn out at the rideouts, which have been well supported. There are some, I know, who have been working on their Harleys over the winter and are now preparing them to be back out soon, and (I suppose) a few who only ride when it is sunny and warm. The good news is that the sun is shining through the office window and the clocks go forward at the end of the month (0200 on Sunday 30 March), so the evenings will draw out even more. That means a ride home in the light most evenings.

By the beginning of March Lakeside Chapter had already achieved 5 well-supported rideouts. Not remarkable, unless you realise that some chapters only plan a formal ride once a month (and miss out December), so do only 10 or 11 rides per year, therefore 2 months into the year we will have done almost half of their annual totals. I have even read of one chapter who don’t do their first ride of the year until the end of March!! I am now convinced that the ‘Weather Dependent Rides’ worked well, in that we could have cancelled if required, but in the end we changed the odd day, but still kept them all in, which gives the Chapter flexibility to get the rides in, no matter what the weather throws at us. We also had a couple of normally programmed rides, in that some of us went to Excel for the M/C show and Mike K led a ride to the M/C Museum last weekend.

Over the past few editions of Pond Life I have tried to explain how the Road Crew produces the Ride Calendar. Because of changes beyond our control, like the weather and other external factors, it will never be set in concrete and is a work-in-progress.

For instance, we had the first weekend in August planned as a ride to a Rally, but we recently heard that because of conflict with Bisley, the 6 organising chapters of the South of England Rally (SOFER) have cancelled this year’s event, leaving us with a gap in the programme. We will discuss this, and other changes, at the forthcoming Road Crew Meeting and I will endeavour to make sure that the Ride Diary that is produced with the Magazine is as up to date as possible. By the way, SOFER should be back next year (2015) at a different venue.

Having explained what we do, I thought it might be handy for you to know who all the Road Crew are.

The decision as to what Road Crew the Chapter has is up to the Director/Sponsoring Dealership, in that having a Road Captain is at his/her discretion and is one of the optional Officers of the Chapter; the compulsory ones, in accordance with the HOG Chapter Charter, are Director, Assistant Director, Treasurer and Secretary. The optional ones are listed

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 5

Pond Life in the Charter. Lakeside, like most Chapters, made the decision it would have a Head Road Captain, Road Captains and Road Crew (sometimes called Road Marshalls in other chapters). Other than me as HRC, we have 7 Road Captains (all who have completed the HOG/H-D Road Captain Training Course at H-D HQ in Oxford) and 11 Road Crew.

They are as follows: Head Road Captain Road Captains

Road Crew

Malcolm ‘Duke’ Fewtrell Marcus ‘Captain Slack’ Simeoni - Gary ‘Gaz’ Bransgrove Mike Keogh - Gary ‘Sloth’ Richards Scott ‘Scotty’ Weeks John ‘JJ’ Scott - Mike Cook Joe ‘The Director’ Borgia - Colin Curtis Brian Davis Graham Healey - Paul ‘Hoggy’ Hogwood Tony Parkin - Bill Price Malcolm Seedhouse - Melanie Smith - Geoff Suter - Grant Weisz

The Ladies of Harley Rep also sits as a member of the Road Crew Committee, so Shilpa Bransgrove works with us, so that the Ladies events are covered.

The balance seems about right, but people do come and go, so personalities do change a little over the year. In fact, with Lawrence ‘Basher’ Scourfield having left the Chapter for the Welsh pastures a couple of months ago, I have just invited Grant Weisz on to the Road Crew, so he is our newest member.

You may note that there is only one female rider (Mel) in the Road Crew and she has been there right from the start; I would be delighted to have a wider representation of the ladies, but it is up to the female riding members of the Chapter to speak to me and say they would like to take part.

You will have noticed that most rides are led by Road Captains, but we do have Road Crew who will take their place at the front. These rides don’t just happen on the day and the Road Captain will have taken time to research and plan the ride, recce the route, prepare the itinerary (which has to be sent to me) and the

Brief for the day. The recce will include fuel stops, food venues, entrance fees and alternative routes etc.

Then on the day, the Road Captain gets there early, does the admin, gives his Brief and then leads the ride, which I can assure you is not just sitting at the front and watching his sat nav. Road Captains are looking at the route, traffic, road signs and conditions, plus what is happening behind him. On a big ride he has to think about keeping everyone together; not an easy task if the ride is into London. If it’s a long ride, then he is looking at fuel and meal breaks, plus there are comfort breaks, not to mention changing road conditions from motorways to A roads etc and country to town or city. If the ride is abroad and over a number of days, then there is considerably more to think about, as you have to be aware of other countries laws (speed, breathalysers, helmet reflective strips etc) and you will be riding on routes that are planned, but not necessarily fully recced, plus you have to get everyone to the hotel at the end of the day.

Believe me, short rides take work, but a ride across Europe (Rome for instance) can be hard work and it’s meant to be the Road Captain’s holiday as well. Have a bit of sympathy – they are doing it for you and they all do work hard, do it for free and try to do the best they can. They certainly have my thanks.

On Sunday 23 March there will a session of Group Rider Training and this is aimed at the whole Chapter and the aim is to give a detailed brief on how we ride, covering staggered riding, 2nd man drop-off, overtaking etc etc etc and then going out on a ride in the Essex countryside to practice those skills. We all need to practice our skills and none of us should ever think we don’t need further training and practice, in order that we don’t get into bad habits or think we know better than we actually do. That is why it is Group Rider Training – it is for all of us that ride in a Group. It is not just New Rider Training, although anyone who is new to the Chapter should be encouraged to come and take part to learn how we ride, but is for all of you, no matter how many miles you do each year or who else you ride with. This will be the Lakeside way.

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 6

Pond Life I ended last month with the Chapter Challenge and will do the same this year. On Saturday 22 March we are having a big day at the Dealership, which will include Membership Renewal, sign-up for the Chapter Challenge, a belated St Patrick’s Day with a band, food etc and a Dealership Demo Event. This is the time to come in to renew your membership and to hand in your Chapter Challenge form (see separate article in Pond Life). The uptake in 2013 was dismal and we want to do much better this year. Entering isn’t difficult – you write down your mileage at the beginning of the Challenge in March and again at the end in October and we will even do the maths for you.

Please make a big effort this year and let’s get Lakeside recognised in Chapter Challenge 2014. This year it is worth something because that nice man Garry (Brand Manager) is going to tempt you with a prize for the highest mileage worth considerably more than the patch I had for highest and lowest mileage!!!!!

Ride Safe (rubber side down) Duke Head Road Captain 

Well I Never.

A biker and his ole lady are shopping in their local Tesco. The biker picks up a case of Miller Lite and puts it in their cart. 'What do you think you're doing?' asks the ole lady. 'They're on sale, only £5 for 24 cans', he replies. 'Put them back, it's a waste of money', she demands, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along, she picks up a £10 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket. ‘What do you think you're doing?' asks the biker. 'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' she replies. The Biker retorts: 'So does 24 cans of Miller Lite and it's half the price.'

A nasty old biker named "TAZ" walks into a bank and says to the woman at the teller window "I want to open a damn checking account." The astonished woman replies, "I beg your pardon, sir. I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" "Listen up, damn it. I said I want to open a damn checking account now!" "I'm very sorry sir, but that kind of language is not tolerated in this bank. "The teller leaves the window and goes over to the bank manager to inform him of her situation. The manager agrees that the teller does not have to listen to that foul language. They both return to the window and the manager asks the old biker, "Sir, what seems to be the problem here?" "There is no damn problem," the man says. "I just won 50 million dollars in the damn lottery and I want to open a damn checking account in this damn bank!" "I see, " says the manager, "and is this bitch giving you a hard time?"

An engineering student is walking on campus one day, when another engineer student rides up on a shiny new Harley.

"Where did you get such a functional bike?" asked the first.

The second engineer replied: "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes, spread her arms wide and said: "Take what you want."

The second engineer nodded approvingly: "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit." 

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 7

Pond Life CHAPTER CHALLENGE 2014 Registration for 2014 Chapter Challenge will take place at the Membership Renewal Day. To register with your starting mileage: 1.

Download the registration form 2.

Print, complete and have the form endorsed by Lakeside as your H-D dealer 3.

Return the form to the Head Road Captain of Dealership, who will forward details to HOG Member Services

To take part: Competition Process 1.

Each Chapter Challenge participant completes a H.O.G.® Mileage Programme form showing the starting mileage.

2.

Give form to the Chapter Director, Chapter’s Sponsoring Dealer, or Head Road Captain. List of participants will be completed and forwards original form(s) to the H.O.G.® Member Services and also emails the National Chapter Challenge Coordinator a list of all participants whose form(s) were submitted to H.O.G.® Member Services for processing. Only forms dated 15th March (the Chapter Challenge start date) or later will be accepted.

3.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator acknowledges receipt of the emailed list to the Chapter Director, Chapter’s Sponsoring Dealer, or Head Road Captain.

4.

H.O.G.® Member Services processes each form submitted, takes a digital copy of all Mileage Forms received, and posts hard copies of the forms to the National Chapter Challenge Coordinator.

5.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator emails the Chapter Director, Chapter’s Sponsoring Dealer, or Head Road Captain and H.O.G.® Member Services acknowledging the physical receipt of forms.

6.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator enters participant details onto the database spreadsheet and retains the original forms on file for future reference.

7.

By 31st October (the Chapter Challenge closing date) each participant's final mileage should be entered on the previously saved copies of the Mileage Programme Form on which the participant's starting www.lakesidechapterhog.org Page 8

Pond Life mileage was recorded. Completed forms should then be forwarded to H.O.G.® Member Services and an email sent to the National Chapter Challenge Coordinator with the final list of participant forms sent.

8.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator acknowledges receipt of the final email list to the Chapter Director, Chapter’s Sponsoring Dealer, or Head Road Captain.

9.

H.O.G.® Member Services processes each participant's form, taking a digital copy and posting the hard copy forms to the National Chapter Challenge Coordinator.

10.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator emails the Chapter Director, Chapter’s Sponsoring Dealer, or Head Road Captain and H.O.G.® Member Services, acknowledging physical receipt of final forms.

11.

The National Chapter Challenge Coordinator enters the final details onto the database and files the original forms.

NOTES TO PARTICIPANTS 1.

Only one form should be used per motorcycle.

2.

More than one motorcycle per rider can be entered.

3.

Only rider, not pillion passenger, mileage counts toward Chapter total.

4.

Registration forms can be sent anytime between the opening and closing dates and ideally would be sent as soon as possible following the start date to ensure the database is as up to date as possible.

NOTE: For miles to be included in the Chapter Challenge, participants must have a valid and active UK or Ireland HOG membership 31st March to 30th November 2014. Registration to participate in the Chapter Challenge will automatically enroll you into the H.O.G. Mileage Programme or update your mileage records if you are already enrolled.

Full details are on the H.O.G. UK & Ireland Events Card.

Achievement Awards to be presented to Chapters for: • Greatest number of miles accumulated • Greatest number of participants • Greatest average number of miles travelled per participant An Achievement Award will also be presented to the individual participant who accumulates the greatest number of miles during the Chapter Challenge period. That rider will also receive a £100 voucher, redeemable at any authorised H-D® dealer in the UK. Chapters will be awarded additional points for submitting an amusing group photo of at least five Chapter members displaying their Chapter patches taken at one of the eight H.O.G.® gallery events specified by (Chapter Challenge photo opp) in the event list. Photographs should be submitted via e-mail to the Chapter Challenge Coordinator: chapterchallengecoordinator@gmail.com

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 9

Pond Life A personal view of an organised trip down Route 66 in May 2006. Part 2 Day 5 Clinton OK – Amarillo TX 27866 – 28056 (190 miles) Off at 8am after breakfast and a few miles down the road we stop off at Elk City another museum on the history of the area, we arrive before it is open. It has two buildings dedicated to the history of route 66 and the rest of how the area was developed.

Out on the route again we arrive at a part of unused road of the original route. We stop for photo opportunities and a ride up and down on the road; the road has grass growing through it and bushes overgrowing the section. After our ride, we were back out on a later alignment the road is snaking across towards the state of Texas. We pass our first snake today it was a Common Prairie Rattlesnake. We leave Oklahoma and arrive in the town of Shamrock Texas, Oklahoma looked big but Texas is starting to look bigger. Texans go for a different type of oilrig in the field they seem to cover the pumps up and no moving parts can be seen. With our first stop in Texas for dinner and the portions, seem to have bigger, if that was possible.

After lunch, we paid a visit to a 1930’s art deco petrol station that has been restored to its original beauty, and very impressive it is. It looks fabulous with twin

towers one smaller than the other and everything you would expect for that era too good to be a petrol station. As we travel along, we are seeing more and more derelict buildings where people have just upped and left everything. There are advertising signs from the past still left in the windows of diners and a number of abandoned cars and trucks going all the way back to when the road was first brought into existence, it is an amazing sight to see all this history just left at the side of the road to rot.

We stop off in McLean to visit the Devils Wire (barbed wire) Museum, who would think that there are 450 patents for the stuff, thought only 50 types are commonly used. This tamed the West and brought an end to open ranges. Just down the road is a Philips 66 petrol station, it is very small one roomed building, with aging petrol truck parked at the side, whilst there we saw very little traffic and you could well have been back in the 20’s or 30’s. By travelling down the roads, we are showing how much the old road is still in existence despite attempts to kill it off. However, mainly single carriageway roads and parts paved over with highways we are keeping very close to the original route. Some parts are well maintained, whilst other parts are not.

Oklahoma was big but Texas looks even bigger and the road just travels on and on out of sight. It has been a good days riding, we stopped to get a view of the big country and hopefully the photographs when linked together will give some idea of the vastness of it all. We must have been looking over 50 miles or more to the horizon. The bike is great to ride; it is comfortable for mile after mile, hour after hour of riding. Though it shakes rattles, rolls, the gears are clunky, and you have to take the key out or they will be shaken out, IT IS GREAT. So far, we have covered over 1,200 miles and it is still as comfortable as day one. Tonight we went out to the ‘Big Texan’ for a meal; we had a ride to the restaurant in a Limo with Texan Longhorns on the bonnet (or hood if you want to be American about it). This place has a challenge to anyone willing to take it on, eat a 72oz steak together

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 10

Pond Life with side salad and jacket potato within an hour and you get it free. On arrival a woman was halfway through her attempt at this feat, and oh yes you have pride of place in the restaurant to eat it so everyone is looking. She failed and did not look too good as she made her way out carrying her doggy bag. Then we had a young lad have a go and not only did he do it, he done it in half the allotted time and his prize for eating all this was a huge chunk of fudge cake. Just thinking about it makes me queasy. Tomorrow’s start is 8am and it is likely to be a long day, we also have a time change and gain an hour.

Day 6 Amarillo TX – Santa Fe NM 28056 -28366 (310 miles) Early start for breakfast but sleep through the alarm for 5 minutes first time on this trip that I have needed the alarm to wake. Breakfast was complimentary but took forever to be served, others that came after us had theirs first and gone before we saw ours and it was only scrambled egg on toast. Therefore, it was a bit of a rush to eat it and get out to the van to pack the bags, having arrived in time for a leisurely breakfast it failed to be that.

On the road at 8am and first stop a short while later at the Cadillac Ranch, where the owner has planted 9 cars nose down in the soil as a symbolic gesture to the end of an era. Over the years, visitors to the site have covered them in graffiti. We have a photo opportunity and then it is off on the road

sweeping across the plains of Texas. The road undulates for the next hour or so and soon, we reach Adrian the midway point on Route 66, 1139 miles each way so we stop for a coffee in the 1950’s diner that is there gathering for a group photo. From there it is just a short hop across the road to a Philips 66 gas station and there meet with a hostile reception. This is the first negative attitude we have encountered on the trip (and the last). Therefore, if you plan to travel that way it a gas station to avoid, there are others not too far away. After this encounter, we carry on Route 66 at times crossing over or under the parallel highway.

In places, grass and weeds grow through the surfaces, at one point the road just came to a dead end at a fence and no sign of the road, so we turn around and pick another part of the road. We are passing more and more places that have been abandoned, as if some great disaster hit and the population vanishes. We start a stampede of cattle as we ride by.

The road scenery begins to change the plains are giving way to bluffs they are rising out of the ground ahead of us and the road is starting to climb ever upwards. Soon we are riding through cut outs in the bluffs, going across bridges that run over dry riverbeds. Gates appear in fences with ranch names but no sign of a ranch. We arrive in New Mexico; the landscape has changed from the open ranges of Texas to the more barren and beige of New Mexico. The grass is brown, soil is a light brown to terracotta, and we stop for lunch and have gained another hour by crossing into New Mexico. After lunch, the road begins to climb and climb the altitude shown on town signs we are now 3000 feet above sea level, it is climbing in gentle undulations it is no problem for the bike. We go over a brow of a hill and the road stretches before us into the horizon, as we descend before the next rise. Cattle are appearing along the roadside more and more now. Eventually we hit the plateau and the country spreads out before us, the gentle undulations have given way to flat roads, we are on the way to Santa Fe. We had two ‘Wind Devils’ (similar to tornados but

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 11

Pond Life caused by heat rising from the ground in a swirling motion generally not too much of a problem but have been known for the larger ones to lift livestock off there feet), one after another today. First was not a problem as it was going in the same direction as us in a field, the second one started to come across the road as we passed but fortunately, we all passed before it reached our side of the road. However, black clouds are looming and we stop to put on rain gear before carrying on towards the threatening storm. We arrive at a gas station to fill up just as the rain starts and the lightening starts to strike the hillsides. We take shelter in the gas station to let the storm pass the lightening is hitting the hillside regularly about every 30 seconds, strike after strike. Not something, you would want to be caught out in the open with. The storm passed right overhead and eventually cleared away the rain easing, so we started again for Santa Fe about 50 miles away.

The road went rolling through the hills up and down up and down, some good riding and nice scenery shame about the rain, first time it had rained in about a year according to the locals at the gas station. The rain stopped and breaks in the cloud let the sunshine through, as we came down into Santa Fe we could look to the left and into the valleys below. We rolled into town and entered a different world; streets are narrow compared with the rest of the towns we have passed through. The architecture is very Spanish; you could well be in parts of southern Spain or even Mexico. Buildings are coloured terracotta or pinks it is a stunning place with a small square in the centre of town you would never imagine that this was the State Capitol. I had a stroll around the town in the evening and it has a very Aztec feel to the stores especially in the jewellery and pottery. Tomorrow is a day of rest and shall explore some more and take some photos.

Day 7 Santa Fe (0 miles) Today is a day off a chance to do your own thing; the rain has stayed with us overnight and continues in the occasional heavy downpour during the morning. A

chance to send some more post cards and get them posted. Spent some of the morning have a stroll around the square and visiting the oldest mission in the USA founded around 1610. However, beneath the mission are ruins of an older dwelling dating back to 1300 and it is believed to be the ruins of the local Native Americans that lived here. It would appear not all Native Americans lived in tepees; many tribes lived in small villages. The afternoon has arrived, the rain has stopped, and the sun is coming out every so often, during my walk I notice that the mountains nearby still have snow on there peaks. The area is known for the number of artists that live and work in the area and it has the third largest gathering of artists in the world behind Paris and London. Many of the works of art are on display in the numerous galleries and museums in the town. The local tribe set out market everyday in the square selling there goods, apparently they draw lots everyday as to where they are going to set up there wears, most of it is silver jewellery and at a very good price.

Day 8 Santa Fe – Gallup NM 28366 – 28577 (211 miles) Left the hotel in Santa Fe at 8am, wind our way through the narrow streets of the centre of the city, and get out onto the Highway 25 once again. Ahead is old route 66, it is dual carriageway for most of the way to Albuquerque where we plan to have breakfast, the last 10-15 miles is the single carriageway road we have come to love so much. The dereliction is still prevalent at the side of the road, the landscape is still changing it is getting more and more like desert now.

The soil is light coloured sand, brown grass and a few shrubs pass a dead coyote at the side of the road and pull into Albuquerque. Here you can really imagine the stagecoach coming into town, besides paved roads the centre cannot have changed much since it was first built. Breakfast is in a small cantina just off the town square, the food is good and reasonably priced, though I must admit some of the breakfast menu had some strange offerings.

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 12

Pond Life A quick stroll around the town along the board walks outside the shops complete with hitching posts, the quality of leather goods are excellent and the prices low. Still not a lot of room on the bike for such extras, would have to get a second suitcase to go home with

things. We make a stop for gas and then a few short miles we stop off at the Rio Grande for a photo opportunity, the ground is pure white sand and is held in place by tall long grass. Back on the bikes again and the temperatures are getting up into the high 20’s, we are riding across the plains now and have mountains all around us. Red buffs rise out of the ground, some fun is had with the road as we have come across some decent bends cut through some small bluffs and it is a chance to practice, as these are the first real bends we have had in a long time. We cross over dry riverbed after dry riverbed the scenery is changing again rocks rising from the ground signs of volcanic activity long ago. We have a train running parallel with us for a while until we stop off in Grant for a break, and I get a chance to text home for an update on my daughter, during the ride, my mind has not really been on the scenery or the road. The train passes us by and continues on its journey towards or next destination. Leaving Grant we travel across a flat landscape, we have bluffs to our right, rising up you can imagine the canyons and the Indians riding out across the plains, it is like scenes from the movies only in improved colour, this is real cowboy country.

destroyed so many livelihoods and devastated so many towns. Arriving at Gallup at an early hour 4pm, we get our rooms and I ring home for an update and told to carry on with the trip as things are going all right at home. So with this bit of news I go for a dip in the hotels pool, the first time on this trip that we have had time to get in a pool, our last stop did not have one. Feeling a bit more refreshed and happier with the situation at home, I feel that I can relax a bit tonight.

Our tour guide has arranged for us to have a meal out at El Rancho, which is famous for the number of film stars that it had staying there during the heyday of Hollywood, whilst making films nearby. We are being picked up in a limo again tonight and transported to El Rancho an amazing place built in 1930 and has all the grandeur of that era, sweeping staircase and loads of highly polished wood. The evening was great and the people so friendly after the meal we had another ride back in the limo with outriders; we said our thanks and goodnights and waved them off.

Day 9 Gallup NM – Williams AZ 28577 – 28842 (265 miles) Another fine day and we set off with the sun beating down, first port of call is gas and then onto the highway, old Route 66 has been overlaid or torn up.

As we travel along the highway just to our right there is a herd of horses roaming free on the parallel road.

We are still travelling over desert, and have been for the past couple of days.

The route takes us through the National Park of the Petrified Forest, as we stop at the entrance our first problem of the trip rears its head, one of the bikes has a serious oil leak it is coming out of the exhaust.

Arrangements are made for later that day to get it looked at.

We are now free to travel through the park at our own pace for the next couple of hours; it is 28 miles long and is at a height of 5826 feet. We can stop and look at the views over the Painted Desert, walk around ancient ruins from the 13th century and look at the

It is quite amazing how the re-routing of Route 66 www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 13

Pond Life petrified forests, trees that have been turned into stone. You can see the features of the trees, its bark the age rings, most are just small chunks but there are also a couple of large logs.

We are now in Arizona and stop at Holbrook at the Wigwam Motel; you can sleep in the comfort of your own concrete wigwam. After a photo opportunity, we carried onto Winslow made famous by an Eagles song, and ‘stood on the corner in Winslow Arizona’ which is the junction of South Kinsley Avenue and East Second Street. A J. C. Penny store that was on the corner has burnt to the ground with just the storefront standing and remains in a very dangerous condition. The paintings on the storefront wall are great and make you take a second look.

once lived and farmed some 800 years ago. Again, this is a National Park situated 7000 feet up and the walk is testing to get to the caves, bring oxygen. We are off again but another small mishap someone has forgotten to take the disc lock off and takes a tumble to the ground, no injuries just embarrassment and some minor damage to an indicator. Bike picked up and we roll on into Williams around 6pm, quite an eventful day, the scenery has changed we are now in mountains with forests have replaced the desert it has been another warm day. Diner in the hotel have beef spare ribs and wish I had chosen the smaller 3 ribs as opposed the 5 rib, but get through them slowly.

Mike Keogh

Leaving the town behind us, we take a small detour while that bike with the oil leak goes onto to Flagstaff, we stop at Walnut Canyon where early cave dwellers www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 14

Pond Life Excel Motorcycle Show Sunday 16 February 2014 Who said the sun shines on the righteous? They were certainly right. Arriving at the Pond at 0915 on what has got to be the best day of the year so far, we found that there were already several bikes there ready for our annual ride to the Excel centre for the Carole Nash MCN motorcycle show. As we stood around chatting, drinking coffee and eating bacon sarnies, more arrived until we had almost filled the space beyond the gates, that were still waiting to be opened.

together. Taking the North Circular turn off we keep to the left hand lanes and follow the signs for City airport. Easy cruising down and then turning right to follow the road that runs parallel to City Airport. We keep on this road and follow the signs for bike parking at the Excel centre. Everyone arrives safe and happy and we park up inside one of the halls.

We then split into various groups and head off to the exhibition halls for the show. Busy day as there seems to be several other exhibitions going on today as well.

We spent about three hours wandering around, looking at all sorts of bikes, clothing and other accessories. We also visited the stands of those offering tours to gather some info for future trips.

We personally didn't enjoy this year's show as much as last years, but then we guess these things happen.

The it was back to the bike for a lovely sunny ride home. Three Chapter rides completed this year and all in lovely sunshine, feel a theme coming on here.

At briefing time there were 27 of us on 23 bikes, great turn out. The weather was glorious, clear blue skies and a big yellow thing that we haven't seen much of this year. The early morning frost had gone and we were in for a good day.

Briefing completed and we were on our way. Straight from the Dealership to the A13 and straight into London. Traffic was light and despite the big group we managed to keep a fairly tight formation. It really is an amazing sight looking in the mirrors and seeing headlights stretching out behind you. Passing Dagenham and into the speed restrictions. First set of lights are green all the way as we approach and we get about half the group over before the dreaded red that stops the rest. We slow the speed of the leading group to allow the others to catch up and we are soon back

Malcolm and Lorraine Seedhouse.

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 15

Pond Life MALDON COMBINED MILITARY SERVICES MUSEUM After going on the road captains course way back in September the only ride I’ve had the chance to lead was The Military wives choir bus on London Poppy Day &, as much as it was my pleasure to do so, leading the bus didn’t put all of my training to the test. So, it’d been a long time coming but it was time to get into the thick of it & organise my first ride from start to finish.

First stop for me after getting my weather dependant ride date in the ever full diary is to find somewhere to tempt the chapter from their nice warm homes.

Some fairly extensive internet searching eventually led me to Maldon Combined Military Services Museum, & a visit made several weeks before the ride confirmed the venues availability to “provide the goods”.

After finding a suitable venue next on the list is to find an enjoyable route because, for me at least, there’s nothing like a twisty country road but after visiting the museum it was very apparent that more than an hour is required to take in what it has to offer so the ride would have to start out with the dreaded A13 & have a bit of the good stuff in the last half to give everyone a chance to get round once there. Route sorted & road crew confirmed I decided that on my 2nd recce ride I would ask the crew along & this for me serves several purposes: 1) it gives the

crew a chance to see the route before the event, 2) the extra eyes on the route itself can show any hazards that may have been missed that are noteworthy & 3) having extra people with you when riding a route tends to lean you towards a group riding pace giving you a good idea how long the ride will take on the day. Hoggy as sweep, Bill Price as Tail end & Colin Curtis were all invited & came along for the 2nd recce. All seemed well, I’d found my drop off spots & we even found a potential group photo opportunity on the way.

The Friday before my ride comes around & unfortunately the weather isn’t cooperating & with a forecast of heavy rain & high winds expected by midday the decision is made to call my ride off until 23rd Feb. Now although it was only a couple of extra weeks away the 23rd seems to take forever to arrive & the weather looks good to go so it’s on.

As a ride leader there are certain points that are required to be in your ride brief, keeping it “brief” is just as important & quite difficult when covering all of the bases so hopefully it wasn’t too painful. The ride goes well & without issue but I decide to leave the photo op. as time was getting on so a couple of us went back & got the pic on the way home instead (We’re such children).

When we arrived a quick reshuffle of the bikes & a group photo with the museum staff loving every minute & in we go for an organised talk & a spot of tea. If you didn’t make the ride you missed a good one & I can only recommend you make the time to visit because this really is an amazing museum.

Attended – 20 Lost – 0 Broke down –0 Injured – 0 Arrived – 20 Bonus!

That’s all from me now so stay safe & keep it legal & if you can’t, don’t get caught!

JJ www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 16

Pond Life Lakeside Chapter (7958) Membership Enrolment/Renewal Form and Release First Members Full Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Email Address ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile ------------------------------------------------------------Joint Member Name (if applicable) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Email Address ------------------------------------------------------------------- Mobile ------------------------------------------------------------Address ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post Code -------------------------------------------------HOG Membership No(main member) ------------------------------------------------------- Expiry Date ---------------------------------------HOG Membership No(joint member) -------------------------------------------------------- Expiry Date ---------------------------------------Current Chapter Membership No ------------------------------------1. I have read the Annual Charter for Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Chapters and hereby agree to abide by it as a member of this Dealer-sponsored chapter. I recognize that while Lakeside Chapter is chartered with H.O.G. it remains a separate, independent entity solely responsible for its actions.

THIS IS A RELEASE - READ IT BEFORE SIGNING

I agree that the Sponsoring Dealer, H.O.G., H.O.G. Chapter Officers, Harley-Davidson Inc., Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Harley-Davidson Europe Ltd, and any of its corporate affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (hereinafter, the "RELEASED PARTIES") shall not be liable or responsible for damage to my property occurring during any H.O.G. or H.O.G Chapter activities and resulting from acts or omissions occurring during the performance of the duties of the Released Parties, even where the damage is caused by negligence (except willful intent).

I understand and agree that all H.O.G. members and their guests participate voluntarily and at their own risk in all H.O.G. activities and I assume all risks arising out of the conduct of such activities. I release and hold the "RELEASED PARTIES" harmless from any loss to my property which may result from my participation in H.O.G. activities and events. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MEANS THAT I AGREE NOT TO SUE THE "RELEASED PARTIES" FOR ANY DAMAGE TO MY PROPERTY ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR CHAPTER DUTIES IN SPONSORING, PLANNING OR CONDUCTING SAID EVENT(S), EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF WILFUL INTENT BY THE RELEASED PARTIES. Nothing in this disclaimer is intended to release any party mentioned herein for any liability for injury or death caused through that party’s negligence.

By signing this Release, I certify that I have read this Release and fully understand it and that I am not relying on any statements or representations made by the "RELEASED PARTIES".

I further understand and agree that: -

2. The Chapter promotes safe riding on its rideouts. When I am a rideout participant: a) I am responsible not only for my own safety and b) I also have a duty of care to fellow riders and all other road users, and c) If I am considered by the Road Crew to be riding unsafely, I may be asked to leave the rideout and will promptly do so if requested.

3. The information contained herein will be held on a database maintained by Lakeside Chapter, will be used for Chapter business only, and will not be divulged to any third party outside H.O.G. 4. If I join Lakeside Chapter as a full member, I must be a member in good standing of H.O.G. and, to continue to receive the benefits of Lakeside Chapter membership, I must maintain my membership of H.O.G. at all times without interruption. If I fail so to do, my Lakeside Chapter membership benefits may be terminated immediately without any refund of Chapter dues.

MEMBER SIGNATURE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DATE ------------------------------------------I am happy to receive Newsletters, Ride-out updates and other Information by email Please tick: New Member Renewal If Renewal, Lakeside Chapter Membership No ……………..

Single Membership - £25 Joint Membership - £30 Membership is Annual and runs from April 1st to March 31st. New members, joining after October 1st pay half the yearly fee.

Membership fees may be paid by cheque or cash. Please make cheques payable to Lakeside Chapter

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 17

Pond Life Saturday 22nd March

ŚĂƉƚĞƌ DĞƌĐŚĂŶĚŝƐĞ ŽŶ ^ĂůĞ Θ ŚĂƉƚĞƌ ŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ ƐŝŐŶ ƵƉ͘ ^ƚ͘ WĂƚƌŝĐŬƐ ĂLJ ĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ

 

 To all the Ladies of Harley, it’s time for us to help raise a little cash for the chapter charity.

On the chapter membership renewal day, we want to have a cake stand selling slices of cakes / cupcakes for £1 each to raise money for the charity.

SO as I’m no Mary Berry in the kitchen I need your help :O) If you would like to participate & bake a cake or cupcakes for the event please let me know on LOHlakeside@gmail.com as soon as possible so I can plan the day accordingly, all cakes will need to be at the dealership by 10am on the day if possible to give us enough time to sell them or alternatively you can drop them off at my house on Friday 21st.

 Keep smiling everyone :o)

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 18

Pond Life Lakeside Chapter Ride Awards As most of you will know we operate an Awards Programme based on the number of official rides you attend. When you sign in before a ride not only does it assist the Road Captain and Road Crew to know who is on the ride but it is used to log the number of rides you have completed. No sign in – no ride award!. The ride is official if it has a Road Captain and Crew and it has been briefed in accordance with H.O.G. rules. Once you have completed 10 Rides you are presented with your Ride Award Pin Badge and “10” stud. Next step is your “25” stud followed by “50” and so on. Each month we’ll publish the ride totals so you can see where you stand.

Here are the Awards totals as at 5th March 2014;

Scourfield Lawrence Seedhouse Malcolm Simeoni Marcus Seedhouse Lorraine Davis Brian Davis Jan Fewtrell Malcolm Keogh Michael Healey Graham Mummery Colin Allen Roger Suter Geoff Fewtrell Fiona Coghill Colin Parkin Antony O'Leary Stephen Richards Gary Scott John Bransgrove Gary Hedges Lawrence Bickford William Newton Shaun Borgia Joe Edwards Corinda Allen Grant Hedges Patricia Borley Gary Scott Victoria Squibb Harry Collins Steve Bunting Colin McLean Duncan

108 89 87 84 80 78 71 62 57 56 53 53 52 51 49 48 48 44 42 42 41 41 40 40 39 38 37 37 37 36 35 35

Smith Melanie Griffin Martin Cooper Rosie Knowles Michael Hogwood Paul McLean Sarah Payne Simon Harrison Wendy King Peter Borgia Leila Bransgrove Shilpa McKay Ian Oliver-Hall Carolyne Smith Brian Quested Chris Prior Mick Scott Roy Hunter Bob Isaacs Terry Metson Dudley Canty Steven Price Bill Robinson Terry Darvil Wendy Brown James Brown Pam Evans Jennifer Gray Brad Johnson Paul Quested Jan Stanford Trevor

34 33 31 31 30 29 29 27 27 26 26 26 25 25 24 23 22 21 21 21 20 20 19 17 16 15 15 14 14 14 14

Green Colin Isaacs Lisa Allen Dawn Bacon Peter Collins Kathy Curtis Colin Mace Steve Robinson Mick Curtis Chris Hall Kevin Jonas Anthony Woods Julie Cooper Richard Dawkins Roger Dotson John Jonas Linda Metson Ann Moore Martin Mummery Sue Spence Richard Bacon Caroline Dawkins Tracy Henry Peter Mackintosh Alan Mackintosh Lesley Pellicci Joe Pike Graham Robinson Alan Winters Steve Cook Mike Katz Mike

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8

Page 19

Pond Life Chapter Trips and Rallies Here’s some information on the Chapter’s forthcoming overseas trips to France, Belgium, Germany, USA and even exotic Scotland! These events require action now as venues/hotels/events get booked up early and space runs out. If you have any queries email comms@lakesidechapterhog.org or contact the detailed organisers directly.

Cider Rally 2nd – 5th May Cider Rally is Happening! Great News if you have already paid for accommodation. The Rally was in jeopardy after the owners of the holiday camp went into administration. Pontins have purchased the site and guaranteed that the Rally will go ahead as planned over the May Bank Holiday weekend. This is one of the best Rallies of the Season featuring some great live bands including Devious and plenty of scenic rideouts. If you are thinking of going then you better get your skates on! You can find all you need here http://bridgwaterhog.co.uk/en/pages/ default.aspx

Bikers Loft - 24th – 26th May We have visited the Bikers Loft near Ostende for the last 2 years running and this year our visit falls over the late May Bank Holiday Weekend 24-25-26th May. For those of you that don’t know it it’s a unique Biker focussed Hotel set in the countryside. The rooms are quite basic but warm and comfortable. The showers and toilets are a few steps away from your room in the central area where you also park your Bike! A doorway leads to the main Bar with a large seating area where there will also be a band performing on one of the nights.

Smokers even get their own vented greenhouse to smoke in rather than being banished outside. We depart from the Dealership on Saturday 24th at 1000, riding down to the Channel Tunnel and heading to the Bikers loft via a scenic ride through the French and Belgian countryside. Sunday will involve a late morning start on a rideout to Bruges with a gentle run down by the Sea on our way back to the Tunnel on Monday. This is an ideal introduction to European Riding for those wanting to tackle bigger rides later in the year. Booking has closed but you may still be able to come if you wish. Email comms@lakesidechapterhog.org for more info.

One Day Run - 20th – 22nd June Fancy challenging yourselves to a long one day ride of around 450 miles? The ride is an organised event by the Bridgwater Chapter and Malcolm Seedhouse will be leading the Lakeside Chapter contingent again this year. The event starts in Lowestoft (most Easterly point of England) at Sunrise and we ride to Lands End (most Westerly point) by Sunset on Saturday 21st June, visiting dealerships at Newmarket, Oxford, Bridgwater and Plymouth. It is not a race, just ride and enjoy. A few Chapter Members did this event last year and had a great ride. Details of this year’s event are now on the Bridgwater chapter web page. At the very bottom of the page follow the following link. http://bridgwaterhog.co.uk/en/pages/default.aspx

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 20

Pond Life We will be staying at the Premier Inn Lowestoft on Friday 20th June, link: http://www.premierinn.com/en/ checkHotel/LOWFOX/lowestoft Due to limited accommodation at Lands End we will travel back in land about 18 mile to Hayle and stay at the Premier Inn there for Saturday 21st June, link http://www.premierinn.com/en/checkHotel/HAYLOG/hayle We will then return home on Sunday 22nd June.

Hamburg Harley Days 3rd – 7th July The Chapter will be attending the H.O.G. Hamburg Harley Days Rally being held over the 4th July weekend.

Captain Slack and Malcolm Seedhouse will be organising our trip to one of the largest inner-city motorcycle Rallies in Europe. We depart the UK on Thursday 3rd July staying overnight in Arnhem arriving in Hamburg on Friday afternoon. Following two nights of live bands, custom bike shows, parades, trade stands and everything Harley we depart on Sunday 6th July for the beautiful City of Cologne where we will overnight. Monday 7th July will see us depart for dear old blighty. Hotels will fill up fast but we have selected the Mercure Hamburg City as our suggested Hotel which is only 200 metres from the main Rally site. Currently they have double rooms available at an advance booking rate of £118 per room per night. Malcolm has been scouring the deals available and there are cheaper rooms out there but none of them offers the convenience of being so close to the action and has no Tube/Bus/Taxi fares to add in to the equation! Entrance to the Rally site is free but if you are unsure whether you want to go or not you can always book a flexible rate which you can cancel later if you decide against it. Let Captain Slack know if you are coming or are thinking about coming so he can make sure you are kept updated about crossing times and other info. Total return distance from the Channel Ports is just over 1,000 miles on toll free roads. Here is a link to the Hotel http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1163mercure-hotel-hamburg-city/index.shtml Book your Eurotunnel crossings as follows: Outbound Folkestone- Calais 3rd July 2014. 0820 crossing Return Calais-Folkestone 7th July 2014. 1550 crossing Hotels en route book as follows: Arnhem Hotel Thursday 3rd July http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/gb/en/arnhem/zymex/hoteldetail Cologne Hotel Sunday 6th July http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3744-ibis-koeln-messe/index.shtml

Thunder in the Glens Rally 21st – 25th August Scotty Weeks and Malcolm Seedhouse will now be leading a ride to Thunder In The Glens in August. Although this is the same weekend as the Le Touquet ride we wanted to give the members a choice. If you are interested in attending then we suggest you register and book accommodation asap as it sells out fast.

We will depart on Thursday 21st August with an overnight stay on the way to Scotland. Arrive in Aviemore for TITG on Friday 22nd and depart on Sunday 24th for a scenic ride through Scotland with an overnight stop, before arriving back home on Monday 25th August.

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 21

Pond Life Registration for the Rally is now open at www.dunedinhog.net click on the TITG Registration icon. Then click on New Registration icon. This will take you to a page where you can enter your details. Please read the terms and conditions on this page as well. Please note that payment is by PayPal for online registration, by post for cheques.

Once this is done you will receive an email from PayPal confirming payment and giving a Registration number. You will also receive an email from Dunedin Chapter explaining the next steps and a link. Click on this link and follow the steps on the email. You can then send the E-Ticket to your email address. When you have this E-Ticket it will give you the telephone number for making the hotel reservation and also contains your E-Ticket number which you will need for the reservation.

There is a choice of hotels at the venue as displayed on the Dunedin Chapter web page, with varying costs. It doesn't really matter which you book as they are all within easy distance of each other and it will be easy to arrange meeting points within the grounds. We are currently looking to book the Aviemore Inn as our first choice, if not then the Aviemore Academy. It is personal choice based on facilities, availability and cost. For the rest of the journey Scotty and Malcolm are working on the detail of the route, it will be scenic and not direct and will let you know the detail closer to the date. However they have decided where the overnight stops will be on the way up and back.

Thursday 21st August Premier Inn at Newcastle Gosforth/Cramlington. Use the following link to book: http:// www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/NEWMOO/newcastle-gosforth/cramlington Sunday 24th August Premier Inn Dumfries. Use the following link to book: DUMSOL/dumfries

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/

Le Touquet Ride 23rd - 25th August This year Gary “Sloth” Richards is doing a two night trip to France, leaving on Saturday the 23rd and returning on Monday the 25th of August. We will base ourselves at the Hotel Hermitage (Montreuil-sur-Mer ) for both nights, this will save all the packing and unpacking of the bikes just for an overnight stay. Sloth has contacted the local Opale Shore Chapter to see if they would like to meet us and maybe organise a ride out on the Sunday.

The Hotel has given us a bit of a discount, so a double or twin room will be €100 per night including breakfast with a single room at €90 per night including breakfast. We will have the same secure parking as we had last year. You are of course free to make your own accommodation arrangements if you prefer. For those wishing to stay at the Hermitage, Sloth has reserved a number of rooms. To confirm your booking they will need a €60 deposit before the end of February. Sloth is happy to collect the deposits in Euro and will confirm and pay the hotel. He'd like to collect the money at the next natter night on the 12th February.

Please e-mail Sloth at gary.richards@southessex.ac.uk confirming full names of those staying and the type of room required.

The train crossings are:Outward: - 13.36 on the 23rd Homeward: - 16.36 on the 25th Please let gary.richards@southessex.ac.uk know when you have booked.

USA 2016 Lakeside Chapter is looking at the possibility of planning a major ride in the USA in 2016. This is very much at the discussion stage at present, with no firm details, but 2016 (rather than 2015) was chosen as it will be expensive and we wish to give the maximum number the chance to save for it.

There are a number of Chapter members who have ridden in the US, so you might want to talk to some of them, but there are loads of alternatives of where, when and who with. If you are interested, please email your interest www.lakesidechapterhog.org Page 22

Pond Life to Duke at: roadcaptain@lakesidechapterhog.org So far Duke has had responses that would mean, if they all went, we would have 21 bikes and 31 people.

Remember, there is no obligation implied by letting Duke know that you might be interested; this is simply to give some idea of potential take up for planning and discussion – next step will be to meet and look at some finer detail. So if you are thinking about it, get that email off to Duke as soon as possible.

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 23

Pond Life !"#$%&&'(#)$*+#$,-*./000$

!"#$%&''$("')$!

*+,! !"#$%&'())&"*%+&,*-&"#&.(#/&0%&%1/&2103%/4&)%"4/&"4&(#&3/4)"#&0%& %1/&!/0./4)1(35&&6&)/./27"#&"#&)(8/)&04/&090(.0,./+&,*%&4/'/',/4&& %1/-&04/&)"&2"".&%10%&%1/-&:"&;0)%5!

-'./0$12$345$"56$-'./0! www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 24

Pond Life From the Pond Side. Our Sponsors View.

Hi All, The Bootsale went fantastically well, way better than any of us had anticipated, massive thanks to all who made it on the day. As you know we were “testing the water” so we did not invite any traders along as we were unsure if they would be busy enough to make the day viable for them, well, without a doubt we will be inviting traders along next time! So many people attended that parking was an issue, by 9.15am the car parks were full as were the grass verges at the front of the dealership, it looks like this will be an issue every time so best advice is to get here early. Next Bootsale will be Sunday 21st September and we will have traders and more stand space available so if you know a trader who would like to attend ask them to give me a call on 07880 844987 Our next event will be the 14.5MY (Model Year) launch evening on Thursday 20th March, pop in between 6pm and 8pm to see the latest models, sample some of Duncan’s Chicken Curry for free and if you are tempted to trade up to a new bike we have planned some very advantageous offers for you that are only available on the night, full details here….. http://www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk/pages/ events-gallery/lakeside-h-d-events-calendar.htm? action=item&id=20 Following closely after the launch evening we have a very busy Saturday 22nd March planned, the Lakeside HOG Clubhouse will be open for the annual membership renewal day, plus there will be some fantastic new Chapter merchandise available, plus a gift from Lakeside H-D to collect when you renew your membership. Meanwhile to make the day go with a bang, we will have a Live Band, Demo Rides and Free Hot Food available. Don’t miss this day, it promises to be buzzing! More details here…. http://www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk/pages/

events-gallery/lakeside-h-d-events-calendar.htm? action=item&id=7 ***STOP PRESS*** We have managed to secure two very special 14MY CVO’s due to arrive over the next couple of months, the first is an awesome CVO Deluxe and the second is a CVO Road King which is absolutely stunning and I am really tempted myself!

See details of both bikes on our News Page here… http://www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk/pages/ news/news.htm You may remember that in the last issue I wrote that we were to attend a day with Harley-Davidson, the HDCX customer experience day was excellent and I was very proud of how the whole team got involved.

We put together a wish list that we have prioritised and are beginning to work our way through, the first task is the completion of the “move round” of the Accessories and Merchandise wall racks, this will enable the creation of a proper customer lounge upstairs which will include a display of Chapter merchandise and an information area with photos etc of what we get up to as a Chapter. The move round will also enable us to display a wider range of goodies downstairs plus Mel will have more room to store faster moving parts near the service counter so this should speed up the time it takes to locate parts. This will be happening Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th March and we hope to keep the upset to an absolute minimum. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see in our customer lounge please let me know and we’ll do our best!

Dani, Ryan, Amy and Heather have been busy adding lots of products to our Special Offers page in the online shop, check them out before they go……. http://www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk/shop/ online-store/special-offers.htm Very pleased to report that Joe and the sales team are very busy and we have already reached and surpassed

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 25

Pond Life the H-D target for March on new bikes, used bikes are going well too and we are always on the lookout for good quality used Harley’s, so if you are thinking of upgrading now may be a very advantageous time to do so! Give Joe a call today It’s great to see that the decent weather is making a return (finally!) and needless to say Mel and her team in the workshop have had a surge in bookings over the last week or so, the guys are getting very busy, so please, to avoid disappointment if you would like a service or spring ready to ride check carrying out call her on 01708 805055 as soon as possible so we can ensure we take care of our Chapter members as a matter of priority, you can also book online here… http://www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk/pages/ service/service-booking.htm That’s about all for now, hope to see you on Saturday 22nd if not before, as always, if you have any suggestions/ comments please call me on 07880 844987 or email me garry.knowles@lakesideharleydavidson.co.uk

See you soon, Ride Safe, Garry 

Would you believe it?

In Heaven Gabriel came to the Lord and said, "I have to talk to you. We have some Harley riders up here who are causing problems. They're swinging on the Pearly Gates, my horn is missing, and they are wearing T-shirts instead of robes; there's BBQ sauce everywhere, especially all over their T-shirts; their dogs are riding in the chariots, and chasing the sheep; they're wearing Dew Rags and Baseball Caps instead of their halos. They refuse to keep the stairway to heaven clean, and their boots are marking and scratching up the halls of wisdom. There are sun flower seeds and hot wing bones all over the place.

Some of them are walking around with just one wing;

they refuse to walk and insist on bringing their "Hogs" with them." The Lord said, "Bikers are Bikers, Gabriel. Heaven is Home to all my children. If you want to know about real problems, call the Devil."

The Devil answered the phone, "Hello --- hold on a minute." The Devil returned to the phone, "O.K., I'm back. What can I do for you?" Gabriel replied, "I just want to know what kind of problems you're having down there." The Devil said, "Hold on again. I need to check on something." After about 5 minutes the Devil returned to the phone and said, "I'm back. Now what was the question?" Gabriel said, "What kind of problems are you having down there?" The Devil said, "Man, I don't believe this ... Hold on." This time the Devil was gone 15 minutes. The Devil returned and said, "I'm sorry Gabriel, I can't talk right now.

Those damn Harley riders have put out the fire and are trying to install air conditioning."

These two fleas are sitting in Edinburgh. One is shivering like crazy, saying "that has got to be the coldest ride I have ever had in my life!"

"How did you get here?" asks the other flea.

"I was in the moustache of some guy riding his motorcycle down the motorway."

"That is no way to travel to Edinburgh" says the flea.

"Here is what you do. Go to the airport and find a lounge. Have a sip of someone's drink so you are relaxed. Find a really pretty girl and crawl up her leg and under her dress. Go inside her panties and you will find a nice warm place to curl up and fall asleep. The next thing you know, you are in Edinburgh! Remember that for next time. We will get together next year and you can tell me how it went!"

The following year, the two fleas are back in Edinburgh and the first one is shivering like crazy. "That is the coldest f*%#in' ride to Edinburgh I have had in my life!!!"

"What happened to the advice I gave you last year?"

"I did everything you told me to do! I went to the airport and found the lounge. I had a sip of someone's drink and I was good and relaxed. I saw this gorgeous girl so I crawled up her leg and under her dress. I went into her panties and found this warm, furry place to curl up and fall asleep. The next thing I knew, I was in the moustache of some guy riding his Harley up the motorway!!"

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 26

Pond Life





                                                            

                                                

                                    

                 

              

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 27

Pond Life

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 28

Pond Life

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 29

Pond Life Date

Event

Location

Information

2014 Wed 12 Mar

Open Event All Welcome

Natter Night

22/23 Mar

Membership Renewal Weekend

Club House

Sat 22 Mar

D'ship Demo Event/St Patrick's Day

Dealership

Open Event All Welcome

Sun 23 Mar

Group Riding Training

From Lakeside

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Tue 25 Mar

Chapter Committee Meeting

Sat 29 Mar Sun 6 Apr

Club House

London by Night & Spitalfields Diner From Lakeside Historic Greenwich

From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack to Lead Closed Event Duke to Lead

Wed 9 April

Natter Night

Sat 12 April

Jammy Devils: Tiptree Jam Museum

From Lakeside

Closed Event JJ to Lead

Sat 19 April

Easter Egg Run

From Lakeside

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Southend Shakedown (BH)

From Lakeside

Closed Event Mike K to Lead

Mon 21 April

Open Event All Welcome

Sat 26 April

Road Crew Meeting

Sun 27 April

The Need for Speed Mercedes Benz World/Brooklands

Tue 29 April

Chapter Committee Meeting

2,3,4,5 May

Cider Rally (Bridgewater)

Sat 3 May

Dealership Bikers Games Event

Club House From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack to Lead

Club House From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack to Lead

Dealership

Open Event All Welcome

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 30

Pond Life Date

Event

Location

Sun 4 May

Colchester/Essex Bike Run-Air Ambulance

From Lakeside

Sat 10 May

Down Below: St Clement’s Caves Hastings

From Lakeside

Information tbc

Closed Event Mike K to Lead

Wed 14 May

Natter Night

Sun 18 May

Take to the Skies: Mosquito Museum (London Colney)

From Lakeside

Closed Event Gaz to Lead

Bikers Loft (Belgium)

From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack to Lead

24,25,26 May Tue 27 May Sun 1 June Sun 8 June

Open Event All Welcome

Chapter Committee Meeting Moonraker with Holly Goodhead: James Bond

From Lakeside

Closed Event Malcolm S to Lead

Go south to Leeds: Leeds Castle

From Lakeside

Closed Event Sloth to Lead

Tower of London (June or July)

From Lakeside

Wed 11 June

Natter Night

Sat 14 June

Superhero tour of Essex Castles

Sat 21 June

Longest Day Ride

20,21,22 June

Club House

Open Event All Welcome

Hoggin’ the Hayfield Rally (Great Western)

From Lakeside

From Lakeside

Chapter Committee Meeting

Club House

Sat 28 June

Road Crew Meeting

Club House

Hamburg Harley Days (Germany)

Closed Event Duke to Lead Information Only

Tue 24 June

3,4,5,6 & 7 Jly

Closed Event Slack to Lead

From Lakeside

Closed Event JJ to Lead

Closed Event Slack to Lead

Sat 5 July

D'ship Independence Day

Open Event All Welcome

Wed 9 July

Natter Night

Open Event All Welcome

Sat 12 July

Hinckley Classic Motor Show

Sun 20 July

Multi Chapter Charity Event

Tue 29 July

Chapter Committee Meeting

From Lakeside

Closed Event Sloth to Lead TBA

Club House

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 31

Pond Life Date Sat 9 Aug Wed 13 Aug

Event

Location

Up the Old Salt: Dungeness Old Lighthouse

From Lakeside

Ah, Shiver me Timbers: Chatham Historic Dockyard

Sat 23 Aug

D'Ship BH Bonanza Weekend

Dealership

Le Touquet and Beyond (France)

From Lakeside

Tue 26 Aug

Chapter Committee Meeting

Sat 30 Aug

OK Diner Run

Sun 1 Sept

Closed Event Mike K to Lead Open Event All Welcome

Natter Night

Sun 17 Aug

23,24,25 Aug

Information

To the end of the Pier and Beyond: Southwold Pier

From Lakeside

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Closed Event Sloth to Lead

Club House From Lakeside

Closed Event JJ to Lead

From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack to Lead

5,6,7 Sept

Trip Out Rally (Non-HOG)

Sat 6 Sept

Road Crew Meeting

Club House

Sat 6 Sept

Dealership Birthday Bash

Dealership

Open Event All Welcome

Sun 7 Sept

Dealership North Weald Event

North Weald

Open Event All Welcome

Wed 10 Sept

Natter Night

Open Event All Welcome

Sat 13 Sept

10-Pin Bowling & Brick Lane Bagel Ride

From Lakeside

Closed Event Slack/JJ to Lead

Sun 21 Sept

Sea, Ships & Old Relics: Portsmouth Heritage

From Lakeside

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Tue 30 Sept

Chapter Committee Meeting

4 & 5 Oct

RTTW & Copdock Show

Wed 8 Oct

Natter Night

Club House From Lakeside

Closed Event Sloth to Lead Open Event All Welcome

18 & 19 Oct

Hoggin' the Bridge

From Lakeside

Tue 28 Oct

Chapter Committee Meeting

Club House

Sat 1 Nov

Road Crew Meeting

Club House

Sun 2 Nov

Rideout tbc - Weather Dependent

From Lakeside

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Closed Event Mike K to Lead Page 32

Pond Life Date

Event

Location

Thur 6 Nov

London Poppy Appeal

From Lakeside

Sun 9 Nov

Remembrance

Wed 12 Nov

Natter Night

15 & 16 Nov

D'ship - Coach to M/C Live NEC

Sat 23 Nov

Rideout tbc - Weather Dependent

Tue 25 Nov

Chapter Committee Meeting

Club House

Sat 29 Nov

D'Ship Super Santa Saturday

Dealership

Sun 7 Dec

Rideout tbc - Weather Dependent

Information Closed Event Slack to Lead

Open Event All Welcome From Lakeside

Run by Dealership

Wed 10 Dec

Natter Night

Open Event All Welcome

Sat 20 Dec

Toy Run

From Lakeside

Closed Event Duke to Lead

Sat 27 Dec

Christmas Icy Blast Ride

From Lakeside

Closed Event JJ to Lead

Tue 30 Dec

Chapter Committee Meeting

Club House

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Page 33

Pond Life Tel 01708 805005 Web

Brand Manager Garry Knowles

Senior Technician John Fisher

Service Warranty Administrator & Driver Sean Murphy

www.lakesideharley-davidson.co.uk

Business Manager & Director Lakeside HOG Chapter Joe Borgia

Senior Technician Richard Auton

Service Advisor Melanie Smith

Sales Executive Shaun King

Parts Advisor Ryan Hurley

Merchandise Manager Heather Whittaker

Parts Advisor Amy Blackman

Merchandise Sales Advisor Danielle Bryne

www.lakesidechapterhog.org

Sales Executive Wayne Vincent

Van Driver/Valeter Ivan Waters Page 34