Thames valley February 2015
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Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter .FEBRUARY 2015 Hotline: 01753 578616 www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
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Transcript of Thames valley February 2015
Magazine of the Thames Valley HOG Chapter
.FEBRUARY 2015
Hotline: 01753 578616 www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Sue
I want to say a big THANK YOU to Doughnut and CJ. After three month of asking our members, you, to send in a few words about your favourite ride/rally of 2014, they are the only two that have taken the time to do it. THANK YOU boys :) A couple of weeks ago, my computer started turning itself off in the middle of me doing something. My computer holds all my information - including the club magazine! So, each time I started it after that, I saved what I could to a memory stick. Then we went to John Lewis and bought a new computer before it went kaput, completely. The cost of a new computer isn’t that bad but, because everything is updated, all my old software wouldn’t work with the new system. Which meant buying all new software. Ouch! Around £1,000 lighter we came home with a new computer with all the things needed to do all the things I need to do. Of course, with the threat of becoming redundant, my old computer decided to behave itself and has run properly ever since. But watch this space - Once I learn how to operate all the new software, lol, the new version of Publisher, Photoshop… the mag will benefit and, hopefully, have a new look!
You will see the new Committee on the back cover; I hope you all enjoy your time working for our club! I would like to say, on behalf of all the members, a big thank you to the people who give up their time to do things so that others can enjoy. Fred, Sue B, Shirley, Bernie and Nij - thank you for all the years you gave to making the club work so well for the enjoyment and pleasure of the membership.
Inside this issue…
Front cover: Ride-Out!
Page 2 Editor’s thoughts
Page 4, 7 Director’s Update
Page 8, 9 LoH - NEW Sue’s Scribbles! :)
Page 10, 11 Heart and Soul Rally
Page 12, 13 Meet the Members
Page 14, 15 Calendar
Page 16 Bernie’s Birthday
Page 17 News and Events
Page 18, 19 CJ’s favourite ride of 2014
Page 20 Doughnut’s favourite rides, 2014
Page 21 Lakeside H-D
Page 22, 23 News, Events and Adverts
Page 24 SofER - Info
Page 25 Photo Gallery
Page 26, 27 Just for Fun Back cover: Meet the Committee
Feb/March
Birthdays
Diane Earley 4th Mar
Ralph Ward 5th Mar
Happy birthday to
both of you!
----------------- And
Happy 40th Anniversary
RUBY, to Dave & Sue Knight 22nd Feb
Thank You ALL who have sent copy for this month magazine: Doughnut, CJ, Sue D, Sue B, Hazel, Don, Tony and Linda, Pat A & Linda
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Hi Everybody,
Welcome to February’s edition of Tales from the Riverbank.
January has been and gone, very quickly. The riding season is only a month or so away and it’s time to start thinking about planning our rally season for the chapter. I have asked the question many times of the members, what events and Rally’s would the members like to attend during 2015? So far, no feedback has been forthcoming. At our last committee meeting we discussed Rallies and have come up with a plan for 2015. Most of us have already booked the Cider Rally on May 1
st,
always a great start to the year and very well attended by Thames Valley. The Boys’ Weekend away this year will be at the Fenlander’s Rally on July 23
rd.
July 31st, the Chapter will be going north to the Heart & Soul
Rally in North Shields. August 14
th is our own SofER Rally in Hickstead.
And the last rally of the season, September 25th, is the
Blazin’ 20s in Weymouth. Information about booking and attending these events will be posted on the website and on the notice board at club nights. Since last club night we have celebrated Bernie Dodds birthday at the Catherine Wheel in Henley on Thames. I believe around 40 or so members attended which made a great Saturday Social venue for a get together to celebrate Bernie’s Birthday - photos page 16. Thirteen of us drove round to Lakeside Harley Davidson the other Saturday for a day out together, where the staff made us very welcome, as always, supplying hot drinks and doughnuts for everybody - photos page 21. We finished the day off in a local Brewers Fare for lunch and a chat.
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Back in January I attended the Directors’ meeting in Edinburgh
with other Directors and Dealer Principals from around the country.
Our journey up to Scotland became a complete disaster for many
reasons which I will not bore you with. The bottom line is, we missed
our flight and ended paying twice the amount to fly up to Edinburgh
later on the Friday.
During the meeting, the Marketing team spent some time talking
about The Custom Kings project that the Dealerships are involved
with. Each dealership will customise a 48 Sportster which will be
displayed in their dealership and judged by the public and a team of
independent judges. The winning 48 will then go on display at the
NEC Bike show in November. Many of you will have seen dealership
48s on Facebook and at the dealerships.
Harley Davidson currently have 40.9% of the touring market and a
large marketing campaign for 2015 is planned to give riders of other
brands a chance to experience riding the Harley Davidson’s range of
Tourers.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists has joined the list of benefits
available to HOG members, offering discounts on Skills for Life
training courses. After passing the course you will receive a year’s
free RAC cover, a further 7.5% discount on top of the 5% discount
you already receive (if you are insured through Harley Davidson
Insurance Services) and finally a Patch & Pin from HOG.
At this year’s Directors’ meeting, wives & partners were invited to
join us for the weekend. Tania, Mike Wilson wife, Ray Shepherd and
Hazel spent the day in Edinburgh sightseeing, eating and trying out
some of the local bars.
Thank you Ray & Tania for a great day out in Edinburgh. Hazel xx
News
Ticket sales for the SofER rally have now topped 700, only another 1300 to go. The planning of the Rally is now in its advance stages. At our last meeting we were able to view the final design of the new patch and pins for the 2015 Rally and take a look at Tee shirt designs with the new patch and SofER logo printed on them. It’s all looking very exciting for 2015. The camping area is known as The Runway at Hickstead and when you see it you will be amazed at the size of the area allocated for camping. We should be able to get all the chapters and their members camping together. Reading Harley Davidson
I have just recently managed to call over to the site of the new Dealership in Reading, to see how the site is progressing and also try out the George Pub opposite, which is due to have a major redecoration and refit next month - just in time for the opening of Reading Harley Davidson! As you can see from the pictures, the steel frame is now up and the concrete floor slabs are laid. At this point in the construction you can get a good idea of the size of the building and how it’s going to look when finished. The roofing sheets were due to be fitted at the start of last week to cap the structure off and start to make the building water tight.
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Project for Gopher
“What can I say?” At last club night I asked for your help to construct a downstairs toilet at Gopher’s home to help with the process of getting him back home with Lynn, from hospital. I am amazed at just how many people have come forward with offers of help and donations of building materials to get this project off the ground. To date, Gopher’s front garden has been dug up by Bernie Dodds & Chris Smith to install the new sewer pipe from the house to the main drains. Mick Friend has started moving pipe work ready to install the new loo and basin. Ray Shepherd has been building walls and putting door frames in to form the new, downstairs bathroom. Nick has been sorting the electrics out and has been overseeing the project with Frank, who came to us to help. So many members have come forward with materials and to offer their time and their help. This has been a great response which I can only thank each and every one of you for your kind help. A great team effort! “Well done Guys”
Don Director
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Hey ladies! Welcome to the LOH page :-) I'm Sue Dodds and as some of you may be aware I'm your new Thames Valley Ladies of Harley Representative. I'd just like to thank Don and the committee members for accepting me.... WOW, what an honour! HUGE thanks to Sue Brown for her tremendous support and encouragement over the past four years, it's been great fun. Well done girl x I will do my utmost in the role and continue to fly our flag. Well, there was me thinking January would be a quiet month for the Club - and a good chance to start the diet ... wrong :-) Early January, on a pretty cold, blustery Saturday morning, the Road Crew met at Stafferton Lodge to discuss and plan this year's riding calendar (after a hearty break-fast of course) - of all the riders that attended, one came on her bike, well done Toni! It snowed quite heavily for a few minutes during our meeting... Sue B braved the weather to take a pic in the car park. (See photo gallery - Ed) You can check out all the upcoming ride-outs, socials, rallies etc on the website calendar. Later that evening the ladies, that were able to attend, met up to enjoy a New Year dinner, also at Stafferton Lodge... we had a wonderful evening, plenty of laughs, more than enough to eat and great company. Good fun was had by all..even our lovely, young, blushing male waiter lol. We also had the opportunity to say goodbye to Sue B (in her LoH role) and as a token of our appreciation, Linda (Jammie) presented Sue with a gift from all the lady members and a touching poem that she'd written - time to get the hankies out. Well done Linda for organising this & thank you Sue B for booking & arranging the evening. LoH are very fortunate (especially on our lady exclusive events, lol) to have our photographer Jammie to capture such special moments, often with help from innocent onlookers :-) :-)
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Oh yes, even though it wasn't a LoH event
(although he'd probably like it to be ;-) ) my
hubby, Bernie, had his 56th birthday on Sat
24th Jan, and after he posted an "open"
gathering at a Henley pub on Facebook, he
was blown away when so many dear friends
joined us in celebrating the day - thank you!
The nights are getting lighter & I'm starting to
smell spring in the air (unlike him indoors, who
can't smell a thing ) Not long before we'll
be back on our bikes, whether it be front or rear seat :-) More good news is that it won't
be too long before our new dealership in Reading opens either .. whoop whoop
Girls : a date for your diary - Sunday 26th July (while some of the boys are away,
the girls really ought to play) please try'n keep this date free… more details to
follow.
If you have any ideas and suggestions for venues, activities and socials etc I'm
always at club night for a chat or drop me a line -
Am looking forward to seeing all that can make it on Saturday
for the next social at The Royal Oak , Knowl Hill, near Maidenhead.
Bye for now,
Sue x
ps Sue B, do I wash the LOH flag & if so at what temperature (ha ha)
WOMEN WHO BEHAVE SELDOM MAKE HISTORY ;-)
Ladies, if you wish to be included in the LoH email list for updates, upcoming
events, ideas etc, please go to our Thames Valley website :
http://www.thamesvalleyhog.org.uk/ ... then click on "Ladies of Harley"
scroll to the bottom of the page & click on the pink envelope to join …
I promise I won't bombard you !
ps Thanks, Lee White, for your time in setting this up.
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This year Thames Valley Chapter will be attending the Heart & Soul Rally. The Geordie Chapter have organised this rally since 1997 when the chapter was first formed, with 1,000’s of attendees from all over the UK and Europe. For 2015 they are back with a bang, a new site and a fresh new look to the event but with the same welcoming Geordie spirit. Dates: Friday 31
st July to Sunday 2
nd August 2015
Location: Percy Park Rugby Club, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE30 2BE Tickets: Pre-ordered Rally Ticket to include T Shirt and Goodie Bag - £35 or just £30 for a basic ticket. I have included a list of suggested accommodation but hotels are getting booked up so don’t leave it too long. The Premier Inn, Coble Dene, North Shields is probably the nearest hotel. Double rooms are available for £118 plus the usual extras. It is also near to the Royal Quays Factory Outlet shopping centre so ideal for a bit of shopping, girls! If you are looking for a more traditional hotel you may like to try The Royal Hotel in Whitley Bay, Double rooms there are from £80 per night including breakfast, or you can have a room with a sea view for £115 per night. The chapter will be organising a ride out to the Rally - watch this space for more details. To buy your tickets go the www.heartandsoulrally.com We are also looking at attending the New Forest Chapters Blazin’ 20s Rally, 25
th – 28
th September, Sea View Holiday
Park, Weymouth. Tickets are on sale now at £70 per person including accommodation. More details to follow or log onto www.newforesthog.co.uk to book your tickets now. Pat Adams Assistant Director
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Accommodation with food
Dorset Arms
Dorset Avenue, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear NE28 8DX
www.dorsetarmshotel.co.uk
Grand Hotel
Grand Parade, Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear NE30 4ER
www.grandhotel-uk.com [email protected]
Tel: 0191 293 6666
Hadrian Lodge Hotel
Hadrian Road, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 6HH
www.hadrianlodgehotel.co.uk [email protected]
Tel: 0191 262 7733 / Fax: 0191 263 0714
Martineau Guest House
57 Front Street, Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear, NE30 4BX
www.martineau-house.co.uk [email protected]
Tel: 0191 2579038
Premier Inn
Coble Dene, North Shields, Tyne & Wear NE29 6DL
www.premierinn.com
Tel: 0870 8506 348
The Newquay Lodge
52 South Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear NE26 2RQ
www.newquay-lodge.co.uk [email protected]
Tel: 0191 253 2211
The Park Hotel
Grand Parade, Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear NE30 4JQ
www.parkhoteltynemouth.co.uk
Tel: 0191 257 1406 /Fax: 0191 2571716
The Royal Hotel
13-17 East Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear NE26
1AP www.royalhotelwhitleybay.co.uk
[email protected] Tel: 0191 252 4777
[email protected] Tel: 0741 4444 668
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Tony & Linda Robson
How long have you been together? Linda and I met when we were both 19, just 5 years ago. (only joking, it was 1971!). Linda was a young audit clerk in Newbury and I was a Flying Officer in the RAF based at Thatcham (ground branch so not really Biggles!). Do you have any children, pets? A son and daughter, two grandchildren, a cat, 4 guinea pigs and 2 rabbits. How long have you been riding motorbikes? Forever in my dreams, but bikes proper since Linda bought me a riding course for my 40
th birthday.
What was your first bike? Honda 600 sports bike. When did you get your first Harley? About 5 years later after progressing (enjoyably) through a series of Kawasaki cruisers. The first Harley was an old Electra Glide sport (predecessor to the Road King) which spat fire and flame owing to a constantly malfunctioning carburettor.
Thanks for the chat!
What do you ride now? I have two Harley’s – A Heritage and a Deluxe, (I know, I meant to sell one but you know how it is...) a Honda Transalp (on permanent loan to son) and custody of son’s Sportster. How long have you been a Thames Valley member? Since the Maidenhead days – joined HOG in 1998. Any hobbies apart from motorbikes? Yes, I’m mad on all things French (speak the lingo and go whenever I can). Also love history particularly military. Linda shares these obsessions (sometimes under sufferance!) and also is passionate about animals – especially rabbits, guinea pigs and cats!
Any special Harley experiences? Really fascinating ride to Colditz Castle in Germany with Oxford Chapter (hiss), fantastic Route 66 trip with son, and many other enjoyable excursions in France and Belgium with TV HOG. Anything else about you that’s interesting/unusual? Now you’re asking! Linda and I spent 18 years or so travelling around at the behest of the RAF, moving house 13 times before settling in Winnersh (so far) when I joined what was then ICL (now Fujitsu). Both of us are now relishing the prospect of retirement in the next year or so, hope-fully more time for Harleys!
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February
Saturday Social Sat. 21st 12:30
The Royal Oak,
Knowl Hill, RG10 9YE
Ace Café
Thurs 26th
18:00
March
Committee Night Tues 3rd, 8:00
American Legends
Parade Sunday 8th 18:00
Wimbledon
Meet S’Able time tba
Saturday Social Sat. 14th, 12:30 pm
Venue tba
Cobwebs Ride
Sunday 15th, 10:00
Newlands Corner
Club Night
Thurs, 19th 7:30
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April
Easter Egg Run Sat 4th
10:00
Bilbury Trout Farm
Mon. 6th
9:15 S’Able
Club Night
Thurs 16th, 7:30
Sat Social 11th, 12:30
Mar. Cont. Military Air Museum
Middle Wallop Sun 22nd 10:00
Meet S’Able
Club Night
Thurs 18th 7:30
Ace Café
Thurs 26th
18:00
(Cobwebs Ride) Contingency plan ;)
28th or 29h if previous
ride cancelled
Club Nights
March 19th
April 16th
May 21st
June 18th
July 16th
Mag contribution
Deadlines
March 12th
April 9th
May 14th
June 11th
July 9th
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
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Entries for your Diary 2015
Cider Rally - 1st -4th May
(Club event)
Harley-Davidson Euro Festival
Grimaud, St-Tropez
7th - 10th May
Chill-Out Weekend
22nd - 25th May
Ireland Bike Fest
29th May - 1st June
Fenlanders Rally July 23rd
Heart and Soul Rally
31st July - 2nd Aug
SofER Aug 14th
Blazin’ Twenties
25th - 28th Sept
Check website for Changes / further
details on all events
An unusual birthday party invitation was issued
via Facebook. A video of Bernie, playing his drums,
asking for his Chapter friends to join him for a
birthday lunch and drink was posted.
Around 40 people joined him to celebrate his special day.
Race for Life
2015
Hi Ladies, I am doing Race for Life
again this year, my fourth time. It’s a great event, for a great cause, so why don’t you come along and join me on Saturday 6th June at 11.00 am? It's 5k, and it’s held at Windsor Race Course. Don’t worry if you don’t like to run, I’ll be walking. It takes roughly an hour to complete. You will need to register on line at:
raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org I would grateful if you can let me know nearer the time if you are joining me so we can arrange a time to meet. Thank you, Yvonne Cotsford [email protected]
Thank you
I just wanted to say a great big THANK YOU for the
lovely surprise gift that you gave me at the ladies dinner
last month.
I am not sure what I shall spend the vouchers on just yet
but it will probably involve sparkle and bling one way or
another
It has been an honour being your LoH rep for the last
four years and I am overwhelmed at your generosity and
kindness. Love Sue XXX
2014 was a good riding year for me especially
considering I had a Heart Op in the March which did not hamper the plans I had
made to cover all the countries that make up this great
Island of ours. I covered a total mileage of over 8000 miles by the end of the riding season, my best to date. These miles took me to the following places:- The Lake District , (Boys Weekend) England. In Scotland, the fantastic TiTG Rally, and in Wales the now regular Paul Major, aka Slippy, weekend away. And lastly, my Favourite Ride of 2014 goes to the Ireland Bike Fest Rally in Killarney. It all started with me purchasing a new Glide in March so as to do some serious touring. This is the heaviest bike I had ever ridden or owned and was going to be a test of my strength for long journeys after my operation. The Glide did not disappoint; it carried me and Di in comfort over some of the best roads and views I’ve seen any- where. It’s not called a Glide for nothing, It’s easy to ride and to live with - an absolute pleasure! We rode with another couple, Paul & Julie, which is a great thing to do, sharing miles & memories. Our journey was blessed with good weather, which is always a pleasant bonus, and upon arrival in Killarney we met up with more good friends from the Thames Valley Chapter. To add further to this, the Irish hospitality made the Rally a great place to be, and the beautiful Irish scenery was diverse and breathtaking, which can only stay with you. So all in all a Win/Win of a trip, and year. Bring on the 2015 riding season! CJ - Life is No Dress rehearsal -
My favourite rides 2014:
Early June 2014
On our way back to Dublin after
a great Ireland Bike Festival we
took the R440 through the Slieve
Bloom Mountains near to Kildare.
It was a fantastic motorcycling
road, winding up through the for-
est on what seemed like freshly
laid tarmac as smooth as silk, not
a car in sight, the smell of pine
forest and so very, very peaceful.
Then, in early September, we
went on Hadrian V-Twin’s Alpine
Adventure which included a few
days to visit The European Bike
Week in Faaker See. We travelled
along some incredible roads with
the amazing, contrasting scenery
of the stunning Alpine passes, all
forests and green fields, against
the breathtaking Dolomite
mountains, all rocky and colourful.
Both Fantastic experiences.
Doughnut.
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Editor’s note:
How strange that both ‘Favourite Ride’
reports chose Ireland, and both sent in
the same photo!
It must have been really special.
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Hi, To all Chapter Members. Do you work in a company that would like to be associated with SofER? The South of England Rally (SofER) will take place on 14 -16 August 2015 at the International
Show Jumping Ground at Hickstead, West Sussex. For ten years, SofER has been the biggest H.O.G.® Rally in England and the new venue shakes off all sorts of limits we had outgrown at the old site. Detailed plans are underway for a 2015 rally that is designed to exceed the expectations of record numbers of Chapters from the UK and the continent. Included in those plans are new and significant opportunities for corporate sponsorship. Such sponsors will have unprecedented access to a unique and vibrant audience of thousands, as well as the opportunity to associate their brands with the global icons of Harley-Davidson® and H.O.G.® Many Chapter members in 1066, Hogsback, Thames Valley and Oxford work in companies that might appreciate the association. Are you one of them? If so, let us know by emailing [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> in confidence and we will arrange to come and explain exactly how we can help each other. One way or another, we hope to see you there!
Dik Gregory, for the SofER Organising Committee
The lone bike in the car park at the Road Crew meeting, in the snow…
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The airplane was about to crash, and there were 4 passengers left,
but only 3 parachutes.
The first passenger, Rick Perry said “I’m the governor of the great
state of Texas, and I have a great responsibility, being the leader of
millions of people, helping lead our state to prosperity…” etc.
So he takes the first parachute, and jumps out of the plane.
The second passenger, Hillary Clinton, said, “I am the future first
female President of the United States, and I am the smartest woman
in the world.” So she takes the second parachute and exits the plane.
The third passenger, Billy Graham, says to the fourth passenger, a
10-year old boy scout, “I am old and frail and I don’t have many years
left, so as a Christian gesture and good deed, I will sacrifice my life
and let you take the last parachute.”
The boy scout said, “It’s okay! There’s a parachute left for you.
The ‘world’s smartest woman’ took my backpack.”
World’s Smartest Woman
Pat Adams Asst. Director
PRIMARY OFFICERS
Nick West Asst. Director
youtube.com/user/ tvwebmaster1
Club Venue:
SportsAble, Braywick Sports Ground, Maidenhead, SL6 1BN
facebook.com/groups thamesvalleyhog
Colin Wilkins Treasurer
Sue Moyler Secretary
COMMITTEE
Third Thursday of every month
Don Wibberley DIRECTOR
Email: director(assistantdirector)@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
Email: treasurer/[email protected]
Sue Dodds Ladies of Harley
Sue Knight Editor
Lee White Webmaster
Chris Smith Membership
Barry Adams Activities
Toni Charles Activities
Linda Friend Photographer
Chris Earley- ‘CJ’
Photographer
Email any committee member at (position held)@thamesvalleyhog.org.uk
