The Magazine for Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists … 64 Summer 2018 Web.pdf'car' man preferring a...

Group No. 2155

Summer 2018 Number 64

Coventry Transport Museum

PS Speicher MuseumThe GS Challenge 2018

Deep South Part 2

The Magazine for Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists

http://www.wvam.org.uk 32 http://www.wvam.org.uk

Intercom Summer 2018

Conversation. Our world goes around on it, news, views, friends, family and ideas. It’s a two-way thing. The throttle is like a conversation with your journey, you’ve got to know when to open it and when to shut it. People who get ahead in life seem to listen a lot, they know when to get information. Why not start a conversation with your bike, listen to what it’s telling you, listen to the road, what it’s going to tell you next? On the road, showing

off is not appreciated, nor is grandstanding or boasting in a conversation. Intelligent selection of a response to what is being said in a conversation is always respected, you are connected to each other. Converse seriously, and thoughtfully with the road, it will respect you.

Our club conversations have been a bit stilted lately, due to our move to compliance with IAM and data privacy. So please bear with us, opt into our emails, and you’ll find the WVAM community is here in this latest issue of Intercom, on the forum, and occasionally in your inbox keeping you in the conversation.

Tim GoodmanChairman

Chairman's Words

Intercom Spring 2018

Test Passes 2

Chairman’s Words 3

Editorial 4

Calendar 5

Keegan's Kolumn 6

WVAM Charity – MND – Mike Riddle Fund 9

Coventry Transport Museum 10

The GS Challenge 2018 12

Deep South Part 2 16

PS Speicher Museum 22

Chief Observer’s Report 24

Committee 27

Contents

Congratulations to the following:

Pass: Peter Brown, Kevin Constable, James Dwelly, Simon Weldon

Advanced Test: Syed Ali, Daniel Bailey, William Karlsen, Richard Ledger, Graham Ledger, Robert Scott, Ken Sutherland, Kevin Tew, Chris Wieland

Local Observer Assessor: Neil Watson

Local Observer Qualification: Mark Billingham, Kate Foster, Andrew Leask, Graham Newton

Test Passes

Tim Goodman

ChilworthShalford

Guildford

Godalming

Shalford Station

Cricket Green

The Sea Horse

A281

A281

A248

New

Road

A248

B2128

Front cover of Caroline MacLean at the GS Challenge 2018

http://www.wvam.org.uk 5

Intercom Summer 2018Intercom Summer 2018

4 http://www.wvam.org.uk

https:/www.facebook.com/weyvalleyadvancedmotorcyclists

http://www.twitter.com/WeyValleyIAM

Welcome to this edition of Intercom.We need more articles from you, the Members to have a vibrant magazine, so let’s get one from the French Trip, the track days, the IOM from those that went as well as those that have promised

but not delivered. We have our regular contributors like Tony who is back in full swing, thanks Tony and also to Jerry who consistently provides us with copy.

EditorialGavin Caddick

From August through to November 2018

WVAM Calendar

Le t us kn ow o f even ts

tha t members may be

i n t eres ted i n !

For further details and updates of WVAM events please refer to calendar section on

the website

Date Name of Event Description Information/Contact Thu 9 Aug ROGs Run Social Ride Forum 10 – 12 Aug Wales, we’re going round the bend Weekend Away Forum Sat 11 Aug Over the Ridgeway to Wantage Social Ride Forum Sun 12 Aug Barry’s Social Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 16 Aug Club Night Club Night Forum 16 – 22 Aug Alan’s Ireland Tour Weekend Away Forum Sat 18 Aug WVAM Full Control Skills Day Training Forum Sat 18 Aug Tim’s Half-day Adventure Social Ride Forum Sun 19 Aug Martin’s Steam to Tetbury Social Ride Forum Sun 19 Aug Associates Only Ride Social Ride Forum Sun 19 Aug Simon Elkin’s Morning Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 23 Aug ROGs Run Social Ride Forum Sat 25 Aug Janet’s Leisurely Ride to Shoreham Social Ride Forum Sun 26 Aug Phil Jones Social Ride Social Ride Forum Sat 1 Sep Tim’s Day Out Social Ride Forum Sat 1 Sep Slow Control Workshop Training Forum Sun 2 Sep Observed Sunday Training Ripley Village Hall Sun 2 Sep Nick’s BreakFAST Ride Social Ride Forum Sat 8 Sep WVAM Full Control Skills Day Training Forum Sun 9 Sep Slim’s Day Out Social Ride Forum Tue 11 Sep CARGO Half-day Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 13 Sep ROGs Run Social Ride Forum 15 – 16 Sep Observer Training Weekend Training Forum Sun 16 Sep Associates Only Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 20 Sep PSA Charity Club Night Forum Sat 22 Sep Associates Advanced Riding Theory Session Training Forum Thu 27 Sep ROGs Run Social Ride Forum 28 – 29 Sep Norton Factory Tour Night Away Forum Sat 6 Oct – 7 Oct Gavin’s Ride to The Wall Night Away or Day Ride Forum Sat 6 Oct Slow Control Workshop Training Forum Sun 7 Oct Observed Sunday Training Ripley Village Hall Sun 7 Oct Nick’s BreakFAST Ride Social Ride Forum 11 – 13 Oct ROGs Crib Trip Weekend Away Forum Sun 14 Oct Phil’s Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 18 Oct Quiz and Fish & Chips Night Club Night Forum 19 – 21 Oct Dash to Devon Weekend Away Forum Sun 21 Oct Associates Only Ride Social Ride Forum Thu 25 Oct ROGs Run Social Ride Forum Sat 3 Nov Slow Control Workshop Training Forum Sun 4 Nov Observed Sunday Training Ripley Village Hall

Data Privacy

WVAM will be following IAM Roadsmart Policy in the application of data privacy. We want to let you "opt-out" if you wish from our forum emails (except your renewal reminder and important club admin matters like AGM notices)

We will not bombard you with stuff, sell you anything, or pass on your data to others, we have a data policy here https://tinyurl.com/ybckkfbq or ask at the membership desk.

You can opt out online by changing your settings on the Forum, at My Controls > Menu> Email Settings> and Un-Click the send me any updates option.

OR email [email protected] with 'unsubscribe me' and your name (in case we do not recognise your email address)

Thanks for being a loyal member of Wey Valley.





Intercom is becoming like waiting for a bus, you wait ages for one and suddenly a couple turn up together. (Only kidding Gavin). There I was thinking I’d got plenty of copy filed and written whilst sitting on some far-flung beach only to find that the cupboard was almost bare. Anyway, as some of you might have noticed I’m back not only at the Club but on two wheels again.

I was tempted by a lovely GSA advertised in Bike Trader that some poor sop had swapped for a Harley up in Glasgow but ended up with a Tiger 800 XC. I mean, how can you swap the best bike in the world for a Harley? (Sorry again Gavin). I’ve just managed to sort out the foot peg heights in relation to the gears and rear brake and I’m now starting to enjoy it at last. Mind you I did manage to drop it while negotiating the car park at Send when it cut out. I thought at first that I’d

stalled it, but it happened again when I was just sitting waiting in traffic in lovely Wandsworth so there’s something not quite right that needs sorting.

Was Wallace (and Gromit) a Hipster?

I suppose thinking about it Wallace could never be associated with that pretentious, over-trendy, indie-rock-loving subculture. He was a little outside the required age bracket, shaved regularly and spoke with the wrong accent. Mind you what does a Shoreditch accent sound like these days?

The only thing they’d have in common is the humble sidecar now making a comeback because of the hipsters’ love of all things retro. According to the Gloucestershire based Watsonian Squire sidecar company founded over a century ago, business is booming and they’re shipping them all over the world.

During the 1950’s there were over a hundred thousand sidecars on British roads as they were a cheap method of transporting the whole family around. With the rise of affordable cars, most UK manufacturers stopped making them and it's only now that Watsonian Squire is having the last laugh thanks to these ‘trendy’ millennials.

After the Second World War ended in 1945 materials were in short supply, but Watsonian Squire managed to track down some RAF fuel tanks from Mosquito Fighter Bombers. The shape was perfect for sidecars, so they started producing them en masse. The design is exactly

the same as it was but now made of fibreglass instead. Demand is so high now, there’s a four-month waiting list, with forty per cent of the orders coming from abroad.

Tony Keegan

Keegan's Kolumn I did have one bolted onto my 650 Tiger 110 in the late sixties as you could ride a bike over 250cc before passing your test and it was easy to unbolt the dreadful thing if you wanted a ‘blast’ up the Great West Road! The L plates stayed on the sidecar and with no ANPR equipped cops around to catch you, and so it was easy to break the rules.

They were bloody awful things to ride though, and I’d often have my mate leaning out of the sidecar like some IOM racer trying to keep the wheels on the ground as we turned left onto Wandsworth Bridge on our way back from college.

Apparently, the current boom in retro bikes like the Triumph Bonneville and Royal Enfield Bullet has attracted a new, younger crowd onto three wheels. Personally, I can’t understand why. Why have all the disadvantages of motorcycling, dangerous, cold and wet in winter, too bloody hot in summer and then lose the ability to filter through all those traffic jams?

According to Dan Sager, of Watsonian Squire “The hipster craze for anything remotely old has really worked in our favour”.

Perhaps we can get them to adopt the ROGs then.

____________

Keyless ignition

I've never been much of a 'car' man preferring a van for most of my life as my means of four-wheel transport. Apologies to any Guardian readers for not using a gender-neutral term for such a statement. You could always throw a mattress in the back and take off for the weekend or pick up your Triumph 110 that had broken down again somewhere between Earls Court and Brighton in the 60's, as it was inclined to do! So, when we hired a Kia MPV, 4x4 for a month recently in NZ I was rather impressed with it. As with most modern cars and bikes, it had the usual electronic wizardry, traction control, anti-lock brakes, heated seats

and something new to me, keyless ignition! ‘Electronic access and authorisation systems’ have been around since the 90’s I believe but this was my first experience of using one.

I have to say that I wasn't sure at first if this was just one of those gizmos that modern manufacturers use to sell their cars but admit in the end I loved it. The car took on a personality of its own. It was like a puppy dog pleased to see you when you got back to where you'd parked outside the supermarket. As soon as it sensed your approach with the keys in your pocket, out popped the mirrors and all I had to do was press a little button in the middle of the door handle and all the doors unlocked. Foot on the brake, press the start/stop button and hey presto the engine started while you fastened your seat belt without even having to fumble in your man-bag to find the key.

The law of unintended consequences can however blight this convenient invention. Motor vehicle safety standards that prevent an automatic car from accidentally moving after you’ve exited the vehicle don't apply to keyless ignition systems. You can't remove the ignition key in a normal automatic without placing the transmission in

‘park’ and there have been cases in the USA where drivers have died of carbon monoxide poisoning after leaving the keyless engine running in a garage. Turning the key off to stop the engine running is such a deeply ingrained behaviour in most drivers that they can forget to push the engine stop button.

If you forget to stop the engine the car can be driven until it runs out of fuel and I was able to test

this by walking away from the car, leaving the engine running with the fob in my pocket, it didn't cut out.

Is it another gizmo? Well, it was certainly convenient, and I got used to pressing the stop

Benton, the cool modern hipster dog and his owner Silas Keyless Ignit ion





engine button never accidentally leaving the engine running. The newer keyless systems are supposed not to work once the ‘fob’ is more than 10cm outside the vehicle which means at least you can't get ‘jacked’ whilst at a petrol station. I always lock my car anyway if there’s no one in the car with me when refuelling. You’ve probably had this system in your company cars for years, me, I only ever had a company push bike ☺

______________

Biking in Australia.

It’s not easy being a biker in Australia particularly if you ride a Harley and wear one of those ‘Chapter’ leather jackets with accompanying tassels and badges. Riding around with a freebie jacket advertising Warr's won’t cut the mustard in Sydney not only with the local motorists but also the Comancheros, the local biker gang. Their little get-togethers with rival clubs are not exactly a quick coffee at Ryka's or Newlands followed by a blast down the A24, more likely a blast from a sawn-off shotgun. One of their previous Vice Presidents, now there’s a fitting title, was shot dead this week in a Sydney suburb having previously been convicted, jailed and then released over the killing of a rival gang member. Obviously, someone was still upset with him.

So, the motoring public already has a negative view of bikers although most of them couldn't tell the difference between a ‘Hardly’ and a Blade. Until 2015 it was illegal to ‘Lane Split’ in traffic, that’s filtering for you and me. Some motorists still take a dim view of ‘making progress’ and I sometimes find myself sitting in traffic (in a car of course) shouting in my head at non-filtering bikers, “Just get on with it”.

Reminds me of my Observing days☺

We’ve been escaping to Australia for the past five British winters and when we first returned to 'Aus' where I lived and worked in the early seventies, I was looking forward to investigating the local bike scene particularly any advance-riding bike clubs. Advanced biking in Australia? It’s an oxymoron, in reality, there ain't none! There are loads of enthusiast clubs from the ‘Riders in Gods Service’ (I jest not) to the usual BMW tourers and Goldwing riders’ clubs but nothing that promotes advanced riding.

You can book yourself onto a motorcycle training course with a local school from novice to advanced standard, but their advertising doesn't exactly inspire confidence in their interpretation of advanced riding. And here’s the advert from the Rider Brother’s ‘Advanced Roadcraft’ course to prove my point.

So, despite the fact that Sydney has the perfect climate in which to be a biker, they’re few and far between. I did see one thing last week that warmed the cockles of my heart. There in the offside wing mirror two sets of piercing headlights. At the next lights even though the lanes were narrow two GS Adventures filtering at low speed, feet up under perfect control arrived at the lights just as they changed, and they were gone before anyone realised they’d been… “lane split”.

Magic!

The Mike Riddle Fund

In memory of Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists member Mike Riddle. Mike sadly lost his life to Motor Neurone Disease on 3rd July 2016, aged 68.

Motor Neurone Disease Association has been voted as WVAM charity for 2018/2019 in Mike’s memory.

Our target is £2000 and to date we have raised £629.25

About Mike by WVAM member Ray Kemp:

Mike was an electrical engineer by trade but was interested in all things mechanical and a very proud family man. Mike was an avid bike rider having owned scooters and bikes since passing his bike test in his teens. With the onset of Motor Neurone Disease he modified the side stand and gear linkage on his Triumph to allow him to keep riding. When this no longer worked for him he bought a trike to keep riding with his walking sticks and then his crutches strapped on the back. Mike was great company on our many trips to France, Germany and Spain etc. he was always happy and joking. One memory that sticks in the mind was Mike drying out his boots with the hotel hair dryer that dryer got a hell of a lot of use for two guys with very little hair. To sum up Mike he was never miserable even during his long and awful illness. He was definitely one of life's gentlemen and a pleasure to have had as a friend.

Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND) is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland dedicated to improve care and support for people affected by MND, fund and promote research, and campaign and raise awareness so the needs of people with MND are addressed by society.

Visit www.mndassociation.org

Motor Neurone Disease Association Registered charity number 294354

Thanks for taking the time to visit WVAM JustGiving page.

https://www.justgiving.com/WVAMcharity2018to2019

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Matt Anning

WVAM Charity

Mike RiddleBiking in Australia

Intercom Summer 2018Intercom Summer 2018


Jerry shares a little of his insight into the Coventry Transport Museum and from the vast number of photos that he has shared with me (far too many to put in this article), this would be well worth a visit or even an organised trip by the club to visit with its amazing history and selection of bikes as well as other forms of transport.

I was up in Barnsley the other week and passing by Coventry made a little detour to visit the Transport Museum there. Fog and traffic jams hampered the journey and it seemed to take forever to get anywhere.

It was worth the effort as the museum has done an excellent job with their new displays. Just walking in was different from the way it was before with a Triumph Trident in a display case and on the wall next to it the names of all the manufacturers that had been in and around the city. The

displays were in order of the eras with the early bicycles, cars and motorcycles put together by manufacturer. Rover, Singer, and Humber being the earliest. You moved through the displays with each decade represented. I did like the one of bicycles that seemed to curve around you and go on for ages. As usual I took lots of photos to record what was there and how the displays looked.

The original Triumph factory was located by the Cathedral and bombed during World War II causing both to go up in flames and destroyed. Because of this I felt that such an important marque would have more representation. It did appear to be a little lightweight with a feature display on the Hinckley Triumphs.

Interesting bikes spotted were a couple of Greeves motorcycles, one with a Villiers twin and the other Triumph engined. Built especially for an ISDT (International Six Day Trials) but interesting enough for others to have done their own versions. Among the long forgotten makes are Lea Francis, Challenge, Revere, Riley, R&H and Hazelwood.

There are so many Coventry brands. William Lyons featured well with Swallow sidecars and his designs for Jaguar cars.

Towards the end of the tour there was, as before, Ted Simon’s Triumph mentioned in his book Jupiter’s Travels and also the BMW that he used on his second trip in his book Dreaming of Jupiter. I have read both and doing long trips is not impossible with only yourself being the limiting factor. Doing them on your own is your best adventure.

Jerry Cox

Coventry Transport Museum

The original Triumph factory was located by the Cathedral and bombed

during World War II causing both to go up in flames and destroyed.

The more you have around you the less you interact with the locals.

Also on display, next to Ted’s

bikes was the outfit of Stanley Glanfield on a Rudge Witworth all British World Tour 1927/8. Something to look up I think. It was a 1927 Rudge Combination. On the 2nd of July 1928, Stanley Glanfield embarked on a world tour on his Coventry-built 499cc Rudge motorcycle combination. The journey was to take him just eight months – covering eighteen thousand miles, passing through some sixteen countries and crossing four continents to pique your interest.

Remember the epic journey of Richard and Mopsa English

who took their Triumph 650cc Thunderbird around the world in just over four years covering over ninety thousand miles in this amazing adventure that they started in 1983. Since my last visit the number of motorcycles on display has been reduced but what they have on display is easier

to see and to understand what the manufacturers were achieving at the time. Something to bear in mind that in this case ‘less is more’.

On the 2nd of July 1928, Stanley Glanfield embarked on a world tour on his Coventry-built 499cc Rudge

motorcycle combination.





Neil Watson

The GS Challenge 2018

An unexpected result for WVAM and one that we can really be proud of once again. Thanks Neil for the article and well done Caroline.____________________________

Not everyone likes BMW, but you can’t ignore the impact that the GS has had on the global motorbike world. Since its first launch in 1980 the GS has grown to become a huge iconic brand in an industry littered with iconic brands.

Apart from the obvious capability of the bike and its broad appeal both on the round the world off-road stage, Gelände and on commuter tarmac, Strasse, the GS has been the subject of some very capable marketing. Right up there with the most established brands in the world BMW have combined a great product with some great brand positioning.

And to reinforce its position as the premier off road machine BMW established the bi-annual, Global GS Trophy taking the brand to the four corners of the world, literally.

To compete you first of all need to demonstrate you can ride by taking part in a national qualifier held at the BMW Off Road Skills School in Wales.

This is a two-day on and off-road event open to all that own a BMW. You do some stuff on your own bike and the more technical parts on one of the school bikes just in case you drop it. Which you do, usually more than once! These qualifiers take place in various formats all around the world and the winners this year were invited to the final in the deserts of Mongolia. All expenses paid!

The event has proved so popular that BMW UK now run an in-between event every other year called the UK GS Challenge. Same basic principle just the prizes are not on the same scale however the skills on display are just as impressive.

This year a hand full of WVAM members were involved in the UK GS Challenge based at Walters Arena in the Brecon Beacons area of South Wales. One of our members who turned up just to spectate was convinced to take up the slack in a friend’s team. Just as well she did because despite the inevitable nerves Caroline MacLean walked away the overall female winner of the 2018 UK GS Challenge, a most impressive feat competing in a field of significant ability,

including the winner from last year defending her title. To achieve this recognition Caroline had to complete an on-road navigation team challenge, including a blindfold walk round a forest holding a full glass of water, six off road challenges on a GS ranging from a slow riding race to several technical hill and ditch exercises, not easy on a big bike!

Big hands up for Caroline! Well done! The only problem, and it’s a nice problem to have if you need one, is that Caroline now has to get herself ready for the main event in May 2019 when she could be competing for a position in the Global Final in 2020. And who knows where in the world that might take her.

Intercom Summer 2018 Intercom Summer 2018

14 http://www.wvam.org.uk 15 http://www.wvam.org.uk

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In this edition we join Tim on the second part of his trip in southern USA with MCI Tours down to New Orleans and back up through Alabama to Georgia again and then on to the Smokey Mountains and the famous Tail of The Dragon at Deals Gap for the finale in Part 3._________

2013. It’s the Hairy Biker’s fault. Travelling the southern states of the US eating local food, riding their bikes, and sampling the musical heritage of Rock n Roll. I had to do it, and a road trip went on my bucket list...

Following the Hairy Bikers Part 2

So far I’ve been to Atlanta, survived the fuel shortage, visited bluegrass country and the land of rusty trucks in the yard, inhaled prime Jack Daniel’s Whiskey. Infused country music, seen the cradle of early rock ‘n’ roll in Nashville, washed down with a dose of Grand Ole Opry and slide guitar. Eaten fresh fried catfish with the cops, Coors beer, and an open-air concert, all before Memphis. Sun Studios, BB King, BBQ cookin’ and Elvis’s Graceland, and then almost ran over a tramp lying in the road...

Memphis was best viewed in the mirrors, and now it’s getting right hot. Late morning we’re on our way to Clarksdale. Easy. Take H’way 61 made famous by Bob Dylan and others. Flat country, big big sky, roads that cruiser owners will tell you Harleys are built for. Well kind of, as long as you don’t want to go fast, and if that’s so, any bike will do. Nonetheless, I’ll admit my Ultra Glide is superbly comfy, the screen keeps the windblast off, but the neat air deflectors and lower vents

allow some badly needed hot air off the road to blow around the rider. Cruise-on, Shades-on, Mesh Jacket-on, Sunblock-on, Vision up. An eighteen-wheeler lumbers down the road ahead, twin diesel stacks making two black

streaks in the sky above. That’s because he’s got the pedal to the metal, and is pulling maybe ninety, there’s a challenge I hear you say… “Nail

it!” Fully loaded panniers and a half-full top box, me and a touring fairing are a bit of a drama to probably 80 BHP, but with a lot of noise and a half-mile run-up, we pass him at what must be close to the Ultra’s top – about 110. Trucker gives me some bullhorn, and we settle down to a gentler cruise. These long-

distance roads are often patrolled by air, so big speeds are definitely risky.

Tim Goodman

Deep South Part 2

Cruise-on, Shades-on, Mesh Jacket-on, Sunblock-on, Vision up.

Memphis was best viewed in the mirrors, and now it’s getting right hot.

'Crossroads' in Clarksdale

Welcome to Clarksdale. Off the highway and into town, stopping in thirty-five degrees heat in a derelict restaurant parking lot. Here it is. The ‘Crossroads’ Eric Clapton wrote about. Legend has it that Robert Johnson did a deal with the devil here at the junction of 61 and 49. The deal was to make him the best guitar player of all time until he died (at age 27). He certainly got famous, but with the wrong people, rumour has it that the husband of one of his many women poisoned him. There’s a little sign, that’s it.

Clarksdale is a broken place; there was prosperity here in the old days, the brick industrial buildings are long closed, with brick walls as rust coloured as the steel frames. With only tumbleweed and memories blowing thro’ the potholed roads leading to the Delta Blues Museum, it’s a good place to get away from the searing heat for a few minutes.

Across the station yard is the aptly named Ground Zero Blues Club looking like a derelict warehouse (which I s’pose it is) but inside there’s food, cold drinks and music. Fried Pickles to start. Maybe next the Gobble Gobble Hambone

Salad, or the Howl-n-Madd Cheesesteak Sammich. Cold. Beer. Coke. Alcohol in this heat? On a bike? Uh Oh.

Outside some of our group get talking to an old guy claiming to have played with Muddy Waters back in the day. Listening to him talk was testimony enough for me, he was

there. It’s at least 36°C, too hot to stand around anywhere and the wise ones have bought several bottles of iced water from the bar. I drink one of mine straight away and put the other in the top box, I know I’m gonna need it.

South to our stop in Vicksburg, miles of flat H’way 49, cotton fields, and a strange smell. I’ve never seen cotton fields before, maybe that’s what cotton smells like.

Fast on my left barrels a light plane fast, and low enough to get you thinking what if...

Aaargh, it’s a crop duster, he opens the taps right over us and drops further to what seems like twelve feet for the cotton field. Smell solved, cough-cough.

Vicksburg: well if I was planning a trip I wouldn’t stop here. An anodyne chain hotel next to the Highway. No food. No bar. Into town is about five miles,

Aaargh, it’s a crop duster, he opens the

taps right over us and drops further to what

seems like twelve feet for the cotton field. Smell solved, cough-cough.

An eighteen-wheeler lumbers down the road ahead, twin diesel stacks making

two black streaks in the sky above.

Ground Zero Blues Club

Ground Zero Blues Club

Muddy Waters





so we make do with the local Taco shop and go to the supermarket to buy some wine. Tip! In a Supermarket wine is max 6% alcohol. Quentin, Wendy and I have the answer, buy twice as much and drink twice as much, worked fine. Natchez, Quentin gets a three-inch nail in his back tyre, luckily discovered as we arrive at a cotton plantation house. Our guides insist on fixing his flat during our tour round. A ‘gone-with-the-wind’ story of fortunes made and lost, family poverty, and survival through the civil war. Humidity and Spanish moss hanging like ghostly beards off the Southern Oak trees. Listening for Banjos yet?

No worries, it’s ‘Pig Out’ for lunch in Natchez, pulled pork, fried green tomatoes, fries, cold-cold coke. Local bikers are amused by our accents, at least they understand me… our Geordie mates might as well have been Russians. The usual where’ya from conversation morphs into a whadd’ya ride and life’s good. They have too many beers for my liking, but hey we’re going the other way.

Last leg this afternoon, bikes and us refuelled, we’ve ninety miles of hot highway to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The worst traffic of the entire trip. Marking system goes completely to shit probably because some of the group’s brain cells are too hot.

Now’s the time I learn 1800cc’s of air cooled V-twin is going to give off a lot of heat… right underneath you. Harley has a partial solution to this. ‘ETMS’ engine temperature management system. When the cylinder head temperature gets too high the system shuts off the fuel and sparks to one pot. Unless you open the throttle. In simple terms, the bike goes from that famous “potato-potato” drumbeat to spud, spud, (sorry). Does it work? Not really, your nuts will be cooked by the time it’s that hot. It’s the only time I’m pleased to see a McDonalds, cold thick shake, cold water, spare bottles for the road. Our route moves onto the elevated concrete highways that snake across New Orleans, stomping straight into the French Quarter, great hotel, parking, beer, shower, beer, out to eat.

New Orleans or N’Awlins as the locals call it deserves a visit, it’s madder than a box of frogs. The infamous Bourbon Street is a pretty tacky American version of Benidorm, full of college kids, a LOT of drinking, loud club music and

uninspired food. For the USA, drinking in the street is almost unheard of, however, drunkenness is zero tolerance by the ever-present cops.

'Pig Out'

Humidity and Spanish moss hanging like ghostly beards off the Southern Oak

trees. Listening for Banjos yet?

'Pig Out'

Away from the main drag, it’s just what I expected, blues bars, and jazz clubs, laid back restaurants serving proper Louisiana food.

Met some great people, like at dinner with a software entrepreneur who changes his business model and becomes a men’s underwear designer! Frenchmen Street finds a great blues bar, cost of entry one beer, easily turns to a few more….

A few yards up the road from our hotel is J&M Launderette used for refreshing my well-travelled kit. It has history. It’s where Cosimo Matassa, the New Orleans studio owner and recording engineer, crafted recordings by Fats Domino, Little Richard, Lee Dorsey, Lloyd Price, Aaron Neville and Dr. John. Staking N’Awlins’ claim as the birthplace of not just jazz, but rock ‘n’ roll as well. Laundry

under one arm, drop into Verti Marte for a Philly cheesesteak and cold beer to take back to the hotel poolside. Steak, Cheese, Onions, Pickles, Chilli Sauce, rammed into a huge Sub.

This is how locals grow large.

In the morning sliding onto the Ultra’s comfortable seat in the cool of the garage and that early morning excitement of somewhere to go. Early morning streets resound with the familiar Harley throb as we’re making our way out of town to see a plantation house in the Mississippi Delta. Sun’s warm and this type of relaxed riding is delightful, admiring glances from locals who recognise H-D as a proper bike (like Chevy is a proper truck).

'Bourbon Street'

'J&M Launderette''J&M Launderette'

'Bourbon Street'

'Frenchmen Street'





Fuel stop, (the HOG used more gas yesterday in the heat) and we stop at the only pump working in a hick-town gas station looking more like a breakers yard. It’s unleaded something, don’t ask. Some local guys sitting on oil drums outside aren’t lookin’ real friendly. It’s cash only here. We have a whip-round so everyone gets $5 of gas. Pay and Go.

Great morning’s ride out sensibly planned to get back to the hotel early. Easy afternoon, then Beer, Old N’Awlins Cooking with Blackened Catfish Platter. And Beer. Night-time downtown there’s fortune telling, tarot cards, and a voodoo air hanging heavy around the mystics sitting outside the graveyard.

We do the compulsory paddle steamer trip, and touristy stuff before checking out and heading through Alabama towards Georgia again.

Quentin, Wendy and I decide to make our own way to the next stop making enough spare time to do the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham before the others get to our hotel. Civil rights is a big, big deal here and the museum photos of young men hanged from lampposts by the KKK just for being black – is as haunting as the plaque recording where seven black children were killed

by a bomb planted at a city centre church. I hope we’ve learned something.

An overnight here in a chain motel and I’m ready to move on North to the Smoky Mountains and the ‘Tail of the Dragon’. See y’all in the next edition...

Fuel stop, (the HOG used more gas yesterday in the heat) and we stop at the

only pump working in a hick-town gas station looking more like a breaker’s yard.

It’s unleaded something, don’t ask.

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Blues Guitar





Jerry once again takes us on a visit to another museum, this time in Germany. As you will ahve gathered, he is the authority on museums so he would be the person to speak to if you'd like to find out about worthwhile museums to visit on your travels...

In the morning it was time to leave the International Citroen Car Club Rally I had attended in the Netherlands. Dry and sunny the tent dried off quickly and by 11:00 am we were on our way. I had fitted a dead switch to the car and forgot to switch it on to run so after a few failed starts I twigged and when it did fire up it left a massive cloud of blue smoke behind as we crawled out of the field and on to the exit road.

Einbeck here we come, tonight will be at the PS Speicher hotel, the Hotel FREIgeist, and a visit to the museum on Monday. It stayed dry and sunny all day going mostly by motorway with the last forty miles on painfully slow country lanes. Tom had taken the shortest route but by no means the easiest. We arrived at 4:00 pm covering two hundred and forty miles with one stop for a break and fuel up. The hotel was extraordinary! There were motorcycles and scooters bolted to the wall that went all the way to the top of the building! There was a nine-cylinder radial engine supporting a glass tabletop and a four-wheeler bubble car pick-up!

After settling in, beer was first on the agenda, while we waited for Dirk to arrive. Dirk is from Hanover, a keen biker and we met up when he visited the London Motorcycle Museum last year. He recommended that I should visit this museum. It has an amazing selection of motorcycles and light cars. All our communications were by e-mail. Texts didn't seem to work that well. He arrived

about 6:20 in the evening, a little later than planned as he had gone to another PS Speicher on the other side of the town. We walked into Einbeck and Dirk related some of the history of the place. Another great evening talking about life, the universe and motorcycles.

In the morning I was ready for a visit to the museum. That was not to be! Museums are closed in Germany on Mondays!!!!! The best-laid plans are nothing if you don't do the research. I expected all large museums to be open seven days a week! I did get to speak to the guys who run the museum, Sascha Fillies and Soren Affeldt. They let me into the foyer for a quick look with a promise that I could get entry at 09:00 am the next day. This was an hour earlier than normal after they had heard that I needed to be back in Holland for Wednesday morning to sort my car out and had to travel Tuesday to get there.

Monday was spent going around Einbeck in search of bargains in every shop and curio. In the afternoon we were back at the hotel where I took lots of photos. I explored every floor seeing some amazing stuff with paintings of famous motorcycle and car racing drivers. There were murals on most walls and little cloisters that have numerous paintings and photos by local artists. There is a

Jerry Cox

PS Speicher Museum

The best-laid plans are nothing if you don't do the research.

fitness centre on the top floor that leads to a roof terrace where they have sand and deck chairs! Late in the afternoon we drove out to fill up with fuel and ended up doing a tour of Einbeck needing Tom to get us back to the hotel.

In the evening we dined at the hotel bar where we had breakfast. Normally we would have gone across the road to the restaurant that is adjacent to the museum but that was closed for refurbishment. The chef entertained us as he took our order and recommended one of his special local dishes. It was an excellent meal that was a good end to what had been an interesting, if not a little disappointing day.

We had to leave by 1:00 pm to go back to Holland so early in the morning I loaded the car for a fast getaway, if you can ever do that in a 2CV. We were at the museum for 09:00 am and greeted by Soren, who we met yesterday and lead to the beginning of the tour where he left us to get on and look around. I took loads of photos and a little later Sascha joined us to show one of the early driving simulators. I had a go in this little car around the streets of Einbeck. I managed to crash it several times and remarked that I might be better on a motorcycle.

The whole museum is an experience starting with a Hildebrande and Wolfmuller and ending up with the latest superbikes over five floors. Most people don’t realise that the Hildebrande has a

steam engine!! There are only a few British bikes on display but there is so much to see. Much is centred around the German built lightweights. The cheap, affordable transport that got Germany moving again after World War 2. The car and changes in the economy had the same impact as it had on the British Motorcycle industry.

There was a large emphasis on the use of these motorcycles from

getting to work to escaping at weekends and going on holiday. Some with scooters and trailers! I liked the display of scooters in a coffee bar setting and mounted on an enormous rotating carousel.

At the end of one hall are the preserved workings of the flourmill that this building used to be. Walking through one hall, the famous Munch Mammoth was on display along with an NSU Prinz car that the engine was taken from. As you would expect there were many TWNs around, Victory, Hercules, Wanderer and Ardle. The ground floor had the shop as well as a display of competition cars and motorcycles including the famous racing DKW two-stroke and a Paris Dakar BMW. The museum has also taken over the local Post Office that is now their administrative centre. From our walks around the town it is clear that the residents whole-heartedly support the museum. There are pictures of racing bikes and cars on garage doors and in alleyways. I contemplate the outcome if there was the same attitude for the London Motorcycle Museum. “If only” – that is the sad part of the UK.

Most people don’t realise that the Hildebrande has a steam engine!!

Bikes and Scooters bolted to the wall





It’s official; the WVAM Observer Team are Star Performers! I am delighted that all the tremendous hard work and effort put in by all our Observers has been recognised by IAM RoadSmart. Our Chairman, Tim Goodman, accepted a Star Performer Award for our training results at the Spring Forum event held in May and he presented the Award to the Training Team at the AGM.

Earlier in the year, we presented all our Observers with an exclusive neck buff in thanks for all their efforts and badges from the IAM in recognition of their observer hours during the year. I must say an enormous THANK YOU for the support I have received from the whole of the Training Team and all our Observers who have worked extremely hard to achieve the goals set out at the start of last year.

Following the year-end AGM, there have been a few changes to the Training Team. Howard Denny has joined the team and taken on a new role as Associate Liaison and he will play a major part in the by new “by appointment” Associate training scheme and he has successfully completed the first new Associates Training Day in July with more to come.

Rick Parish, Tim Robinson and Jim Lucas have all stood down after a great many years of service. I would like to say a special thank you to them for their tireless help and enthusiasm. Rick received the Malcolm Clee Award in 2009 and Tim followed him in 2010. All three of them will still be around for some of our training events and to help out but they can now enjoy a well-earned rest.

Barry Riches will be re-joining the team after a year’s sabbatical and will take over responsibility for Observed Sunday pairings and the Observer Skills Days.

Chief Observer's ReportCrispin D'Albertanson

Penny West was presented with the Malcolm Clee Award this year for not only one of the highest number of observer hours but also for taking over the Dunsfold Full Control Days and expanding the number of events, encouraging more volunteers to help out and listening to feedback and continually improving the events.

I will be looking to recruit new members to the Training Team over the next few months.

We are making progress with the new “by appointment” Associate training scheme. Observers have confirmed their availability to pair up with Associates to complete their training on a one to one basis away from Observed Sundays and the first batch of new Associates have signed up to undertake their training on this basis. The Training Team hope that the new scheme will take some of the pressure off Observers during the busy summer months and reduce the need to double up Associates. Our existing Observed Sunday training scheme will continue as normal but do contact me or any of the Training Team if you are interested in the new scheme or have any questions.

Our next major event is the Observer Training Weekend which will take place at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester over the weekend of 15th and 16th September. We will

repeat the format of last years’ very successful event and invite Associates along to take advantage of two days of intensive training plus a very social gathering for dinner on Saturday evening. The significant change this year is that the training budget will cover the cost of the accommodation. However, all Associates and Observers will pay a £50 deposit which will be returned to them on successful completion of the weekend. There are limited places available on a first-come, first-served basis so be quick to sign up on the sheet at Observed Sundays or contact Nick Robinson to confirm your place or ask for more information.

2018 will definitely be a biking summer to remember with non-stop wall-to-wall sunshine.

I hope you have been taking full advantage of the weather and clocking up plenty of dry miles. Sue and I thoroughly enjoyed the club trip to France which was blessed with uninterrupted sunshine with excellent organised rides to surrounding attractions on the fabulously quiet French roads.

I look forward to the rest of a great summer of riding.

Take pride in your ride.

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LOCAL OBSERVER

3 Shadowing Observed Rides

Open Book Exam During this period

(One Month to complete)

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Must complete within 12 months

ARC= Advanced Rider Course LOA= Local Observer Assessor LOPS= Local Observer Progress Summary




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Intercom Spring 2017

WVAM Committee MembersChairman Tim GoodmanVice Chairman (Vacant)Secretary Phil Jones (Interim)Treasurer Liz GetgoodChief Observer Crispin d'AlbertansonMembership Peter TannerIntercom Editor Gavin CaddickOn-Bike Social Events Rodney RaynerOff-Bike Social Events Sally WebsterMarketing and PR Janet JonesCommunications John BraddickCharity Officer Matt Anning

Club President Mike Davidson

Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists (WVAM) is a club affiliated to the

Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) - Group No. 2155. It has a charitable

status (Registered Charity No. 1050868) and is run entirely by Volunteers.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT: The club always welcomes constructive feedback about all aspects of WVAM activities. Please don’t forget that everyone who helps out the club – right from the canteen through to the Observers – does so voluntarily; willingly giving up their time on your behalf. So, as well as letting us know what you think, we will always welcome more help; go on please, don’t be shy, you know you want to! Thank you.

Readers should note that except for articles written by the Chief Observer or the Training Team, all articles about riding motorcycles and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the club (Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists), IAM or WVAM Training Team policy or recommendation. All other articles are also the personal opinion and responsibility of the author only and not those of WVAM or the Editors.

The Magazine for Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists … 64 Summer 2018 Web.pdf'car' man preferring a...

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