November tales from the river bank

Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter

Winter’s here. The clocks went back, it’s dark so early and the bike has only been out 5 or 6 times this month.

Do read the Safety First feature that Nick has put together for night riding.

Bernie is now 65, and counting down the days to his retirement. Nick’s started his sixth decade, having celebrated his 50th this month. And Lee is now 40! Wow, what a party, well worth all that planning.

Thanks, Lee!

I’m just listening to the rain outside, pattering on the window, and looking at the title here - Start Your Engines.

Hmm… Now I don’t mind the cold weather (as a lot of you know, I never wear gloves when I’m riding and often, only wear flip-flops), but rain? It’s a big NO from me!

I don’t mind getting a bit wet, but why hasn’t someone come up with the idea of windscreen wipers for bike screens? I can’t see over my screen even though I bought a shorter one. I’m reluctant to cut some off, as has been suggested, because I’m worried that I won’t like riding if the wind’s in my face and makes my eyes water (my makeup runs!). And looking through a screen with raindrops on it, and a visor with raindrops on it, really blurs the vision.

So, it’s a hand over the top of the screen to wipe away the rain every couple of miles and, of course, a reduction in speed. I seem to get wetter the slower I ride and the slower I ride the longer the journey takes.

As I said, I don’t mind the cold but if it’s raining out there I, for one, won’t be starting my engine!

Sue

Inside this issue…

Front cover:

An eager CJ waiting for the new Dealership to open

Page 2

Start your Engines

Page 4, 5

Don’s Words of Wibsdom

Page 6, 7

LOH - Sue’s Scribbles

Page 7

Saturday Social

Page 8 , 9

Lee’s 40th Birthday Bash

Page 10 ,11

Biker Brownies - by Frank Mirtle

Page 12, 13

Meet the Members

Page 14, 15

Calendar

Page 16-18

Italy, 110th Party– by CJ (Part 2)

Page 19

News and Updates

Page 20, 21

Warr’s & Covent Garden - Don

Page 22

Whose bike?

Page 23

Fine Pig

Page 24

Photo Gallery

Page 25-27

Safety First

Back cover:

Meet the committee

November / December

Birthdays Tom Cotsford 28th Nov

21st birthday Congratulations!

Bruce ‘Shorty’ 1st Dec If we’ve missed your birthday please fill in the ‘Birthday List’ at reception.

Happy birthday to you all!

A big thank you to all who have sent copy for this month’s Riverbank Tales: Fiona, CJ, Frank, Don, Sue, Pat, Lee, Nick, Linda and Shirley

Hi everybody, welcome to the November edition of Tales from the Riverbank.

The autumn is definitely with us now, chilly mornings, scraping the car windows free of ice and massive amounts of leaves in the gardens and on the roads. Bikers beware!!

Our club membership is holding steady at 179 members with no new members joining us during September & October. Club-night attendances: in September - 63 and in October - 59.

This normally picks up during the winter months.

Reading Harley Davidson As many of you may have heard by now there has been a small delay in the planning application with Reading Council. It would appear that somebody built a garage workshop, many years ago, not quite where it should have been and a new public footpath needs to be agreed with the council. This will delay building works and delay the opening of Reading Harley Davidson, now expected to be around May/ June.

News from the Lind Group The closure of Norwich Harley Davidson at the end of October was announced by Russ Dacre recently and that an agreement has been reached to purchase Black Bear Harley Davidson in Newmarket as of the 1st November. All Norwich HD business is being transferred to Black Bear Harley Davidson. ICENI Chapter, which has been linked to Norwich HD, will now be supported by Black Bear Harley Davidson who also supports Fenlanders Hog. SOFER Pat, Colin and myself attended a debrief meeting at Harley Davidson’s Oxford headquarters for this year’s SOFER Rally. Other than the usual moans and groans about the price of drinks and the quality of food at some of the clubs on site, it was considered by the committee the rally was again a great success. The success of SOFER 13 was mainly down to the great weather over the weekend which meant the return of the Chapter Challenge games, always a favourite, and the quality of the bands organised for this year’s 10th anniversary celebration. As always, the team of volunteers who help run this event over the weekend need to be congratulated and thanked for their efforts and hard work. If any of the volunteers have not received a 10yr Volunteer Pin I have a limited number available. Also if anybody needs SOFER patches and pins for the last 4 years to make up their collection please ask me for them.

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The NRA has appointed a new Managing Director and Assistant who have both come from an event-organising background based at the Peterborourgh Showground, home of the BMF Rally. Many changes are being made to improve the facilities and accommodation on the site at Bisley. Our SOFER Rally has a future at Bisley for the foreseeable future, for at least the next four years. The Rally site has been booked for 2014 at Bisley and will be held on Friday 1st August through to Sunday 3rd August.

Christmas Celebrations We have a full calendar of Christmas celebrations and events planned over the next few weeks starting with Thames Valley’s first Christmas Party, which is being held at the Calcot Hotel in Reading on the 22nd November, with 45 members booked up for a 3 course Christmas dinner followed by dancing ’til the early hours of Saturday morning.

We have two Toy Runs again this year, the Windsor Toy Run and The Reading Toy Run. Please bring an unwrapped gift for children of all age groups including teenagers who may like make-up and toiletries. It has always been a tradition to wear fancy dress and decorate your bikes, as the public who line the streets to watch the parade love to see the bikes decorated and give us a wave.

Our ladies are, again, meeting for a Christmas Dinner night out on the 13th December.

This year’s dinner will be at the World Turned Upside Down in Reading. If you have not booked and would like to attend contact Sue Brown.

Our Christmas club night is on the 19th December this year and, as well as our club raffle, we have organised a fantastic Christmas Hamper for one lucky winner. Tickets are available at November and December club nights at £5 a strip. Good Luck.

Tables will, again, be set up in the foyer of Sportsable on December’s club night for the distribution of Christmas cards.

Merchandise Some of you may be aware that we have had problems with our new supplier of club merchandise. The supplier was a husband and wife team and I’m sorry to say their marriage has broken down - along with the business. Shirley has been on the case for the last 2 months to find a new supplier and has, at last, has found a company in Slough who can supply us with a range of clothing, and embroider our badge for us. We have ordered a range of samples for you to look at and they should be at club night tonight.

We need to thank Shirley for the hard work and many hours she has put into finding a new supplier who can cater for our needs with the merchandise.

Thanks, Shirley, you are a gem.

On a personal note, can I thank all of you who sent get-well wishes after my spell in Wexham Park Hospital a few weeks ago, following my heart going off into one at some ridiculous speed which I hope has been sorted by changing my medication.

Thanks, it was appreciated.

Don 4

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The Saturday Social at The Dumb Bell was well attended especially as the weather was so rotten.

It was a great opportunity to have a chat and chill out over lunch. It was also grandson Leo’s first opportunity to meet some of his extended Harley family for the first time

The Saturday Socials are an ideal opportunity for us all to meet up between club nights during the winter months when there aren’t any ride-outs planned. It’s not expected that you ride your bike to them but there is usually one brave soldier who keeps the Harley flag flying and braves the elements. The next Saturday Social won’t be until January, given that there are quite a few opportunities for us to meet up already during the coming weeks.

A busy weekend looms with the Chapter Christmas party the day after club night. It was arranged specially on a Friday night so that everyone would have recovered from celebrating by Sunday morning for the Broom Farm Toy run.

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Talking of Toy Runs…

For anyone who hasn’t ridden in one before they are really great fun. All you need to do is bring along a toy for a child, up to 16 years old, preferably unwrapped. So feel free to decorate your bikes and dress up in your Santa outfits, you certainly wont be alone - anything Christmassy goes.

I am still taking bookings for the ladies only Christmas Dinner on Friday 13th December. We are going to The World Turned Upside Down, Toby Carvery in Reading. If you haven’t already booked, please let me know if you would like to come. £10 all in.

Pat is helping me search for a venue for our annual LoH weekend away, so if you have any ideas please let me know.

Sue x

On Saturday, 9th Nov. we had our first Saturday Social at the Dumb Bell in Taplow, organised by Sue B. Sue and Dave, their daughter, Gemma, and their grandson, Leo, Gopher, Sue and Dave K, CJ and Di, Mick, Linda and two of their cousins, Tony and Linda, and Nick, all enjoyed a leisurely lunch at this Harvester Pub. The weather dictated our mode of transport - no one arrived on bikes but it was a most enjoyable way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Look out for the next venue sometime in January.

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Before Frank Mirtle escaped from our winter weather to his home in Florida, he promised to share his Brownie recipe...

Hi, from sunny Florida.

My wife, Sue, baked some Brownies for me to take to SofER this year. Everyone who tasted them really liked them and asked me for the recipe. So, here it is! Get baking and enjoy!

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Ingredients: 350g (12oz) plain chocolate

225g (8oz) caster sugar

225g (8oz) butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 level tsp coffee granules

75g (3oz) self-raising flour

2 tblsp hot water

175g (6oz) chopped walnuts

3 large eggs

225g (8oz) chocolate chips

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 190ยบc/170ยบcFan/gas mark 5.

Grease a 30cm x 23cm baking tin and line with baking parchment. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt slowly with the butter over a pan of hot water stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.

Dissolve the coffee in the 2 tblsp hot water.

In another bowl mix the coffee, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour, walnuts and chocolate chips then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the brownies have a crusty top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin and then cut into 24 squares.

Store in an airtight tin.

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Meet the Members

Spotlight on...

Fiona Goldswain You’re married to Ian; how long have you been together?

We have been married for 28 years but been together for 34 years as it took Ian four years to pop the question! Mind you, I was only 16 when we met so I guess he was waiting for me to grow up or to see if I had staying power to put up with him!!

Do you have any children?

Yes, we have 4. The eldest is 25, the youngest is 16 and they’ve all ridden pillion with Ian. Melissa (the youngest) gaining kudos being picked up from school; Katy (the eldest) went to the Newbury Rally when she was just 15! Elliot did Hoggin’ the Bridge with more than a thousand bikers. That was when Ian nearly wrecked his Buell overheating the engine queuing to cross the Seven Bridge. Our eldest son, Ben, currently rides a Yamaha Dragster 125, pretending it’s a Harley!

In his dreams!

Any pets?

We only have one now, an eclectus parrot called Rojjo, and yes, he does talk and no, nothing rude! We lost a very long-lived well-loved rabbit last November, he was almost 10 years old. We’ve had many pets over the years - other birds, rabbits, hamsters and fancy goldfish, as well as fairground goldfish! I guess that is why our email address is ‘madhouse’.

How long have you been riding motorbikes?

I passed my test two years ago but have ridden pillion with Ian since we met all those years ago. I did ride pillion a couple of times before we met so probably thirty six years.

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What was your first bike?

The Harley I have now is my first bike. It is a ’98 Sportster 883cc. We bought it from Ian’s cousin, Keith, (TV HOG member) when I did my CBT but it was 2 years before I could ride it as it took this long getting around to doing my Direct Access test. Pressures of family life. I have added a few bit and bobs to it to make it mine and I really love it! Ian is desperate to upgrade it to a 1200 and is always looking on eBay for the conversion kit. But it goes fast enough for me just now! I think my favourite addition is the blue LED’s that I had Nij put on for me before last year’s SofER. I think we got a fine for putting up a gazebo to park the bikes under to keep the rain off!

How long have you been a Thames Valley member?

I think I have been a member for six or seven years but as a ‘wife of’ for the first four years.

Any hobbies apart from motorbikes?

I don’t have much time for hobbies at the moment, apart from being a HOG member and going on a few ride-outs and rallies. I enjoy designing and making gold and silver jewellery and had a piece on display at the V&A museum for a short time some years ago. I like baking and if you stop by, you can sample my bread or cakes if you’re lucky. Good and wholesome no fancy icing, though!

Any special Harley experiences?

All my experiences with HOG are special. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and I love going on the ride-outs. It feels great when people stop to watch us go past. I had a wonderful weekend away with LoH in Bognor, we had such a laugh! The parade ride into Weymouth recently was brilliant and so special as we got a special friend Jayne, who had just moved down with her family to Dorset, to ride with Ian. Her husband has just taken the job of Assistant Chief Constable, Dorset Police. That evening she went to an official police event and spent the evening recounting her ride with all the Harley guys - not sure her husband was too impressed!!

Nice getting to know you, Fiona, thanks for the chat!

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November Chapter Christmas Party Calcot Hotel , Reading Friday, 22nd 7:00 - 11:30.

Club Night Thursday 19th, 7:30 Ace Café Bike Day (No Dec. Harley Night ) Monday 29th, 9:00am

Broom Farm Toy Run Sunday 24th, 11:00 - 6:00 Meet Legoland at 11:00 Ace Café Harley Night with Warr’s H-D Thursday 28th, 6:00

January Committee Night Tuesday 7th, 8:00pm

December

LoH Saturday Social TBA

Committee Night Tuesday 3rd, 8:00pm

Club Night Thursday 16th, 7:30

Reading Toy Run Sunday 8th, 12:00

Ace Café Harley Night Thursday 26th, 6:00

LoH Christmas Meal Friday, 13th , 7:30 World Turned Upside Down

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Dates, events, ride-outs and activities Details correct at time of going to print.

Check the website for updates and amendments www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Club Nights

Entries for your Diary 2014

November 21st

Oxford Toy Run 27th April 23rd Cider Rally 2nd - 5th May Big Brum Bash 23rd - 26th May Ireland Bike Fest 30th May - 1st June European Rally Biograd Croatia 2nd - 16th June Wake the Lakes 3rd - 6th July Fenlanders Rally 24th - 27th July Hog n Bog Provience wide 1st - 3rd August Sherwood Rally 15th-17th August Thunder in the Glens 22nd - 25th August Deva Legion Circus Maximus 12th - 14th September

December 19th January

16th

February

20th

March

20th

Mag contribution Deadlines - send to: editor@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

November 14th

Check website for Changes / further details on all events

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December

12th

January

9th

February

13th

March

13th

Continued from Oct. issue…

ROME, 110th The Thames Valley Way

By CJ

Part Two Paul, Trev, Clive & CJ, four guys with their Harleys, riding from England to Rome for Harley Davidson’s Celebration Rally in Ostia to mark 110 years of making Harley Davidsons.

The Rally site was open-to-all and was situated in a Harbour ,full of all types of water crafts. It was made up of permanent shops with car parks on top which Harley utilised for all the stalls, and a Marquee which housed the entire Harley range of bikes, similar to a very large Dealership. Bars and registration for the Ride Out through Rome were also at this point making things easy for all.

Our day was finished off nicely by meeting Paul & Gill Major in the Camp Fabulous bar. This is living the dream having rode all those miles through wonderful scenery with great mates and to top it all meeting great friends from our very own Chapter!

The next morning we were greeted by glorious sunshine, again!

We started each morning by taking turns going to the camp shop to buy breakfast and took turns cooking breakfast which consisted of ham & cheese croissants, oh, and non-alcoholic beer - because we are a responsible bunch, or was it because we didn’t read the label?

After breakfast we made our way to the Rally site and along the way we were greeted by hundreds of Harleys on one side and the ocean on the other. Wow! You could feel the atmosphere just building up and as the days passed the atmosphere just got better and better, with a great mix of Harley bikers and local, family people.

This day was tough, spent eating, drinking and people watching!

And there were certainly some sights to be enjoyed. No photographs available. Sorry. lol 16

After we registered for the Ride-out and collected our Banner we went into the Harley Bar and had the pleasure of listening to some guys jamming, they were great! We didn’t leave it too late before deciding to call it a day.

Yet again we tried Italy’s transport - what a laugh! We tried to get a cab which just didn’t work out, so after chatting with a lovely lady, Michelle, in the mobile Coffee shop, sharing a story of her woes, she very kindly organised, through her cousin, a lift back to our camp.

OK, this was to be one of many highlights of our trip, certainly one to remember. This very friendly guy turned up in a tattered, beaten-up yellow Ford Ka, so we all piled in and off we went. Yes, we did all fit!

This guy was a maniac come womaniser, tooting his horn at every female we passed whilst not looking at the road ahead and with Queen blasting out of top quality speakers, & ICE that could play movies of which his favourite was Porn! His ICE was worth far more than the car, lol. Anyway, we got home safe and looked after our cabby. A happy ending to a great day.

More Sunshine greeted us in the morning and after breakfast we had to go for our photo-shoot, which involved covering up a foreigners Chapter Flag with our very own TV Flag. Trev was left at home doing the chores, we thought, but oh no he wasn’t, he was drinking coffee with Paul & Gill whilst we grafted. We were exhausted, lol, so we spent the day at the pool which was tough with all the mobile scenery around distracting us.

That evening was spent eating and drinking and chatting with Paul & Gill and Kathy from the 1066 chapter.

On Saturday we joined the ride-out, although an expert in this area, Slippy, advised us it would be madness to go because the Italians are mad drivers, which we had already established!

We were undeterred and set off on our trusty Harleys, Paul with his noisy pulley which was, hopefully, going to be fixed that day.

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Go to page 18

Well what can I say? I hope I get to experience something of this magnitude again! Over 3,000 bikes queued up under the shade of trees in a middle carriage way until the Flag carriers were given the all clear to start. We rode past streets lined with hundreds of people armed with cameras, and Police Officers blocking the roads so as we had a clear route. Clive, armed with his Go Pro, filmed Doughnut and me on the entire route. Eventually, we reached the Coliseum.

We had to pinch ourselves here, we were riding through Rome! On one side hundreds of people waving and on the other the Roman Coliseum. Wow, it don’t get much better than this!

Another one for the memories.

We eventually got to our destination which was the Harley Village, so after a nice cold drink Doughnut headed back to get his bike sorted whilst Clive and I took in the sights and, after not so long, set off for home. This time, though, we rode like the Italians (we were not going to be pushed around anymore). What a scream it was, we certainly showed them how us Brits could ride!

In the evening it was going to be another Rally Night. It was very busy and with an incredible atmosphere and sights to behold. We saw Bonnie Tyler, Mike & the Mechanics and met some lovely people from The Lebanon Chapter. H-D had certainly pulled out all the stops with this Rally and the location.

Sunday was to be our planning day because we now needed to book hotels for the homeward journey. This is where our combined skills as a group came in handy, because we made the outward journey look easy, although at times some of us were not required and therefore left to sit on the Chaise Longue so as not to distract the planning that needed to be done. Lol!

Final instalment next month...

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ALL CLUB MEMBERS If your email address has changed since membership renewal PLEASE SEND UPDATE TO WEBMASTER

Raffle tickets for this amazing Christmas Hamper will be on sale at Club Nights, November and December.

Hi everyone, I have now sourced a new, local supplier for our Club Merchandise. There is a huge range of items that will all carry our club logo. I will have samples of these at November club night so please come along and take a look at the goods and browse

CID

ER

RA

LL SE Y: EW E FO R L BSIT E A NE TES T WS

Can you Help?

Windsor Toy Run needs raffle prize donations.

If you have anything suitable, please see

Lee or Don

through the new catalogue.

Order now – in time for Christmas!

Shirley.

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and

After several phone calls from Lee White during the day (regarding the weather) on a very unsettled Saturday in October, the decision was made to go ahead with our ride to Covent Garden via Warr’s Harley Davidson.

Six hardcore members of the Chapter departed from SportsAble at 4:00pm for the ride up the M4 into South West London, to Warr’s.

After riding through a light shower of rain, and dealing with the heavy traffic in Earls Court, we arrived at Warr’s a little damp but all intact.

Following a very warm welcome from the staff, it was time to take a look around the many bikes on display at the dealership. Warr’s is always well stocked with new and second-hand Harley Davidsons and in pride of place on the sales floor was the first allocation of the new H - D Trike, which was generating a lot of interest from most people at the dealership.

Our next stop was upstairs for coffee and a look around the merchandise. Again, a very well stocked sales area with a large range of Harley merchandise.

After an hour or so at Warr’s it was time to say our goodbyes and press on down the Kings Road towards Sloane Square and then on to Buckingham Palace for a few photos outside the gates. (Which didn’t come out very well) 20

From Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden should only be a 15 minute ride away and it really shouldn’t take long to negotiate the traffic on The Mall, Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square. Not quite as easy as that the rush hour was in full swing with every car, bus and taxi fighting for a place in the traffic.

On arrival in Covent Garden, and with a suitable parking place found, it was off to find a suitable restaurant that could seat 10 of us for dinner. TGI Fridays was queuing outside the door so we decided on Nando’s. The waiting time was only 30 minutes which turned out to be only 15 - well worth the wait.

A really pleasant meal and not too expensive.

After leaving Covent Garden for the ride home the group did a short tour of the West End and then headed out through Kensington to the motorway.

Other than the damp start to the ride a nice evening out in London.

Don 21

Whose Bike?

Our ‘Jammy’ photographer, Linda, has been taking candid shots of our bikes when we weren’t looking!

Do you recognise your bike, or that of another club member?

If you correctly identify the bike and owner, you will win a bottle of wine, to be presented at club night.

If there’s more than one correct answer, names will be put in a hat and one drawn out - at club night.

Good luck!

If you can identify this bike, send your answer to Linda, c/o: editor@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk September’s winner: CJ

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Bike: Nick West

Thames Valley Miles of Fun

from Pat Adams - Fine Mistress

The ‘Miles for Fun’ for Barry and I this year were a bit of a disaster!

So, I have to confess the following: I lost (misplaced) my card. (It’s probably in one of the pockets of the dozens of jackets I have. Must have one for every occasion, girls!)

I therefore stole Barry’s card.

I had my (Barry’s) card stamped once for the ride to the Cotswolds - 88 miles.

I thereafter forgot to take my ( Barry’s) card on any of the ride-outs we went on.

I thereafter forgot what ride-outs we actually went on anyway, so couldn’t get my (Barry’s) card updated after the events anyway! (I think its an age thing) For my penance I promise to do the following: I promise to cull the number of bike jackets in my bulging wardrobe L I promise to purchase two Miles of Fun cards for each of us next year (just in case any should be misplaced) I promise to wear my Miles of Fun card suspended on a lanyard around my neck at every Thames Valley ride-out (possible safety issue?)

I promise that I will fill up my Miles of Fun card next year.

Am I forgiven? ’ a fairly forgiving bunch so, yes, we Were forgive you. But not before we impose a hefty fine! Fine mistress - FINED! Muuhaha!

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Night Riding As the winter draws in, I wanted to share some information which will hopefully help to reduce the risk of accidents during the period of our shortest days. For those of us who tend to ride just for pleasure during the summer months, the thought of taking the bike out at night is probably less appealing. However, plenty of people use their bikes all year round, which means at some point they are likely to be faced with riding in the dark. The most obvious issue to contend with is the lack of visibility, although it's not always clear as to the best way to deal with it. The following tips hopefully highlight the key things to remember when riding at night.

Improving YOUR visibility This is really where hi-visibility clothing will add most benefit. A bike has a relatively small profile particularly from the rear.

Wearing hi-visibility clothing will help create a visible outline of the rider and reduce the likelihood of other drivers confusing the lights as part of the vehicle in front. This can be particularly common when there is other traffic.

If you are two up it is most important for the passenger to wear hi-visibility clothing, as it provides most benefit from behind. You should also consider how luggage, such as top boxes and rucksacks, might reduce the effectiveness. Hi-visibility sticky strips can help and are typically better than the reflective panels found on many luggage systems.

When following other vehicles it may be preferable to ride clear of the vehicle in front's tail lights (e.g. by taking a central position) or varying your position in your lane, as this helps to separate you visually from other traffic.

Improving your ability to see Making sure that all your lights work properly and are clean enough to maximise their benefit is a must before setting off in the dark. If you think the headlights on your bike are particularly weak you may want to experiment with brighter bulbs. In general it is normally sufficient to ensure your head lights are clean, free from rust and have good quality standard bulbs.

Don't be tempted to ride with main beam on all the time.

Although you will be able to see better, any approaching vehicle will find it difficult to see, judge your speed or identify how much of the road you are using (this is also true for daytime riding).

It is also likely that they will flip back to main beam to return the courtesy and this won't help either of you get past each other safely.

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Unless your visor is new, it will have lots of tiny scratches which won't help you to see when faced with oncoming traffic, particularly if they don't dip their beam early. Add that to the cooler damper night-time air and increased condensation and you could find it pretty difficult to see. It can often be easier to flip your visor up momentarily, but if you are doing a lot of night riding you will need to replace your visors regularly.

It goes without saying of course that wearing a tinted visor at night is both unwise and illegal.

Even if you have a new visor and bike fitted with particularly good headlights, you will have to accept that visibility will be reduced and this ultimately means you will need to adapt the way you ride

You will also need to be aware that since you are going slower there is greater chance of other vehicles catching you up. They may be incorrectly relying on your general direction and braking points to plan their own driving. If you simply roll off the throttle on the approach to a bend, a following vehicle may not notice you slow down. Here it can be useful to 'show some brake lights' (rather than slowing or engine braking) to highlight the drop in speed.

When cornering your lights typically won't be pointing in the direction of travel, so it's important to have plenty of Adapting your riding lean in reserve. If for example the bend At this point it's worth reiterating the riders mantra about being able to stop in tightens or the road surface alters you may need to react quickly. Although the distance you can see to be clear. cat's eyes increase closer to hazards Night riding reduces both the distance such as bends, elevation changes or and the quality of what you see, which even hedges may obscure ultimately means you will have to ride slower. It will be harder to identify surface problems as well as the general direction of the road, which is particularly important on unlit country roads. Always be prepared to slow down or stop if you really can't figure out which way the road is going, don't guess what you can't see.

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them, so it's important to ride at a speed that allows for this.

Varying your speed and taking regular breaks is really the only way to combat this fatigue. If you have a long night time journey ahead and are unprepared for the cold, make regular coffee stops as this not only gives you a break, but helps you warm up.

Additional hazards The effort required to focus and plan appropriately when riding at night is significantly greater. This is especially true when riding on dark (unlit) country roads.

Apart from watching out for other drivers who may also be suffering from tiredness, you need to keep a look out for wild animals, which are generally more active and a lot harder to see.

Can you see this rider?

Physical Issues It is generally not advisable to ride when you are tired particularly at night.

Night riding over long distances can easily leave the rider in auto pilot mode, where they may not react to hazards as quickly as they would during the day.

This is particularly true for empty motorways that enable constant unhindered speed to be achieved.

It is also worth noting that it gets colder at night even in summer. All this helps to reduce the riders ability to concentrate on the job.

Wear something bright at night Even in built areas you have the risk of foxes and cats, but you are most likely to encounter wildlife on a country road, where you may have been the only vehicle to use the stretch for the last hour or so.

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Don Wibberley Chapter Director Email: director@ director @thamesvallyhog.org.uk thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Pat Adams Assistant Director Email: assistantdirector@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Colin Wilkins Treasurer Email: treasurer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Moyler Secretary Email: secretary@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Fred Cotsford Fred CotsfordOfficer Membership Membership Officer Email: membership@ Email: membership@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Nij Jones Nij Jones Head Road Captain Head Road Captain Email: headroadcaptain@ Email: headroadcaptain@ Thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Nick West Nick West Safety Officer & Safety Officer & historian Historian Email: Historian @thamesvalleyhog.org.uk Email: historian@

Barry Adams Barry Adams Activities Officer Activities Officer Email: activities@ Email: activities@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Lee White Lee White Webmaster Webmaster Email: webmaster@ Email: webmaster@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Knight Sue Knight Editor Editor Email: editor@ Email: editor@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Bernie Meason Bernie Meason Photographer Photographer Email: photographer@ Email: photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Sue Brown Sue Brown Ladies of Harley Ladies Harley Email: of ladiesofharley@ Email: ladiesofharley@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

facebook.com/groups/ facebook.com/groups/ thamesvalleyhog thamesvalleyhog youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1 Linda LindaFriend Friend Photographer Photographer Email: Email: photographer@ photographer@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Shirley Churchill Shirley Churchill Merchandise Merchandise Email: merchandise@ Email: merchandise@ thamesvalleyhog.org.uk

Club Venue: Club Venue: SportsAble,Braywick BraywickSports SportsGround, Ground, SportsAble, Maidenhead,SL6 SL61BN 1BN Maidenhead,