August 2011 - Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists

Essex RoSPA Advanced Motorcyclists
RoSPA Riders Magazine
Issue 14
August 2011
www.rospariders.co.uk
In this issue:
Classifieds I
2
Editorial
3
Meetings etc.
4
Group activities
4
Committee
4
Membership Report
5
Anti-corrosion
6
Rise of the Robots
6
Biking weather
7
Memorial ride
8
Long weekend
9
European tour
13
Lifesavers – again
22
Who is it?
23
What is it?
23
Member Profile
25
Testing & Training
28
Intrepid Rospariders
9
Members’ small ads 29
Dates for your diary 30
Classifieds II
31
Inside: Jaques
shares his view
on weather, but
it’s probably
best that we
don’t ask about
this…
Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists
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RoSPA Riders Issue 14
August 2011
Classifieds I
Total Advanced Training
Advanced motorcycle training
email: totaladvanced@tiscali.co.uk
Phone: 07813 167749
Based in Essex, we provide professional advanced
motorcycle training for London and the South East.
We offer a range of post-test courses from ‘back to
biking,’ which is aimed at confidence building,
through to riders wishing to undertake the highest
advanced qualification; namely, the RoSPA Gold.
The Chief Instructor, Mick Jones, is a highly respected and qualified
retired police motorcyclist holding advanced IAM and RoSPA Gold
qualifications. He is a Driving Standards Agency qualified instructor
and a member of the Driving Instructors Association. He holds a
Diploma in advanced tuition and is currently a Regional RoSPA
Examiner and a Bike Safe Assessor. Training will be conducted by
Mick in person or other suitably qualified instructors.
We provide excellent tuition and use state of the art technology with a
camera bike filming the training. For a small fee, a personalised DVD
can be produced for riders to view their achievement. Total
Advanced is the only training company recognised by Equity Red Star
Insurance who will discount riders who achieve our advanced
accreditation qualification.
Prices range from £50 - £160 for a full days training.
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Editorial
Hello again, and welcome to the 14th edition of RoSPA Riders magazine.
Someone once said that a day without sunshine is like a day in Manchester.
It seems like we‟ve been living in Manchester a lot recently. What
happened to the summer? An early spring and bone dry for months, then
one long dull day after another. I got a long weekend in that entailed a dry
run to our destination, a dry(ish) day for a rideout, a thoroughly wet day
when we were confined to barracks and then a bright but cold day in
which to ride home via a ferry. Where‟s the fun in that?
Smurf reports some good membership figures this issue. That is encouraging,
but the Committee is well aware that there are several associates on the
waiting list and that this can get frustrating for them. If I can add my two
pen‟orth here, all we would ask is that those potential Gold standard riders
be a little patient with the club. We try to ensure that there are enough
tutors to go round but also to ensure that those you are allocated to are
providing the quality that we all expect and deserve. In the meantime, we
don‟t want those tutors the club does have available to become too
stretched by taking on too many associates. They are all volunteers, after
all, and we all know how much it would cost if you obtained the training
commercially!
If there are any club members who feel they would like to attend Tutor
training (even if it is just to see if it suits them) please make yourselves known
to any committee member and we will take it from there.
I have received some feedback regarding the magazine and it is welcome,
but I still don‟t know what you think of the styling – that includes graphics,
typeface, colour (for the downloaders amongst you) and editorial. Does the
grammar work? A preposition is a bad word to end a sentence with, I‟m
told. And never start a sentence with a conjunction is also good advice. In
the absence of criticism, I shall just keep calm and carry on.
I am getting some nice pieces for publication now. Thank you to all those
contributors. I have had to hold over a couple of pieces for next time as I
wanted to do justice to them, but it doesn‟t constitute a full magazine yet!
Next magazine will be in October, so sharpen your quills and let me have
some articles based on the last of the summer rides.
… Ed
Disclaimer Notice: The articles published herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclist
Group. They are the opinions of individual contributors and are published with a view that free expression promotes discussion and
interest.
Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists
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RoSPA Riders Issue 14
August 2011
Meetings etc.
Group activities
Group social
night
19:30 on the 3rd Thursday of the month, February December.
Essex Police Sports Pavilion, St Margaret's Road,
Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6DN.
Group annual
dinner
Christmas dinner? Bah – humbug. Join us on the 3rd
Thursday in January for an evening of variety: chicken
chunder, posh nosh or bargain burgers? You choose.
Propose a venue and we‟ll vote on it!
Group social
rides
09:30 on the 3rd Sunday of the month, 9:30 a.m. at
Boreham (BP) Services, CM2 5PY
If there are any changes or additions, meeting places
and/or times will be announced at Group Night. For
most up to date information, please see our website
and/or our newsletter.
Newsletter
Advertising
Please contact the Editor to change contents.
Personal small ads are free to members. Please send
them to the Editor.
Committee
Chairperson
Ashley John
chairman@rospariders.co.uk
Secretary
Sandra Murphy
secretary@rosparders.co.uk
Treasurer
Solveig Hart
treasurer@rospariders.co.uk
Membership
Sandra Murphy
membership@rospariders.co.uk
Training
Paul Collins
training@rospariders.co.uk
Publicity
Kevin Stranks
Webmaster
Steve Webb
web@rospariders.co.uk
Ride co-ordinator
Richard Parker
followme@rospariders.co.uk
Newsletter editor
Steve Webb
news@rospariders.co.uk
Members
Gary Carter
Raffles
Peter Layley
Phil Reader
Deputy training officer
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Membership Report
Our membership figures are at an all-time
high - mainly because we had a massive
89% of last year's membership re-join, but
also because we've welcomed 20 new
members already this year. No doubt
these figures will rise as we have the Ford
of Britain event on 3rd September and will
be manning a stand at Harwich for the
Essex Air Ambulance run on 11th
September.
Unfortunately all this means we currently
have a long waiting list of Associates who can't commence their training. If
you are an associate who has an allocated Tutor but you are unable to get
out for training at the moment, please let me or your Tutor know so that I
can put you on hold. We can then free up that Tutor to take out people
who are keen to get started.
For those of you on the waiting list - plans are underway to increase the
number of Tutors within the group, so bear with us a little longer please.
Membership figures as at 8th August are:
Associates: 35 Full: 47 Total: 82
Welcome to the following new members:
Graham Childs, Lynn Childs, Mike Collier, Peter Dines, David Robertshaw,
Andrew Lee, Ian Humphries
Congratulations for the following test pass:
Richard Whitford – Silver
Tutor: Smurf
Examiner: Mark Anderson
Don't forget to let me know if you have recently passed your test (this
includes retests).
Smurf
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Anti-corrosion
In the last magazine I asked „what do you use to prevent corrosion?‟
Jacqes DeKlerk
answered: For the general protection of anything metal, I
frequently use WD40 (5 litre with spray gun costs £14:99). For the full Monty
anti corrosive treatment of all metal parts, I have found ACF50 to be king. I
treat my bike to a 3 times yearly strip down and spray. A 5 litre container
costs £98; however, for the average user, a 500ml bottle will more than
suffice. Developed by the aircraft industry, specifically to protect Aluminium
sub-frames, it is an active thin fluid film, which penetrates corrosion deposits
where it chemically emulsifies and displaces the electrolyte. This isolation
process keeps the corrosion cell deactivated for up to a year.
I came across it many a year ago working as a mechanic, and found that
on the 60-80 tonne tractor trailer combinations sent to the docks at Durban
and in DaarE Salaam, it vastly reduced the decay of the expensive rigs.
It reduced the maintenance costs over 2 years on 22 rigs by over 40%
(according to the accounts department)
Thanks for that Jacques. I do have some ACF50 and I do use it on some of
the metal parts but the bits of the Mana that suffer badly are those where
the paint has been applied badly or inadequately primed. The corrosion
has begun in places that are inaccessible to be cleaned without
dismantling the bike and then, once gaining a foothold, there is no
stopping it. – Ed
Rise of the Robots
Kevin Warwick is a leading thinker on how the
future will look and his areas are artificial
intelligence, cybernetics and robotics. His most
famous piece of research – Project Cyborg –
projected him into the limelight in the late 1990s,
when he implanted a computer chip into his
nervous system that could record and read his
emotions and experiences. He has been
working on using intelligent computer methods to predict the onset of
Parkinson‟s disease, so that it can be prevented by means of a deep-brain
implant. His rat-brain robot – using artificially grown rat-brain tissue – drives a
robot round a laboratory which helps us understand more about how our
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brains work, and even to develop treatments for diseases such as epilepsy,
Parkinson‟s and Alzheimer‟s disease.
In his teens Kevin Warwick owned several motorcycles that he used to race
around at „ridiculous speeds‟. For the young Warwick, this was the universe
in one machine: “When you think about it, there are the electrical and
hydraulic systems, pneumatics, fuel and the whole mechanical side of it. If
you can understand how a motorcycle works you probably know 80 per
cent of all you need to know in science, quite possibly life.”
Extract from the IET magazine Engineering & Technology … Ed
Biking weather
…and choices!
There is no such thing as bad weather; only bad choices,
We make choices every second we ride our metal horses, ensuring we
reach our journeys ends safely,
But what about before we climb aboard?
When the sun shines and dry roads do call, choose when to twist the
throttle.
When the roads are damp and there‟s a gentle breeze, let it refresh your
mind and exercise restraint.
When the sky is gloomy, the rain does start to fall and the wind braces us up,
account for the change.
When the silver liquid drops bounce off the road, our fingers become numb
and rivers start to flow, caution will do us well.
If we struggle to see and the wind and rain blows through our bodies, it will
chill our minds, so why chance the journey?
Our choices can lessen our problems, as they will lessen if we think before,
during and after our rides.
No problem can withstand our continual assaults of sustained thinking!
Jaques deKlerk
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Memorial ride
The Jane Wilson Memorial Run by Geoff Preston. (ROSPA/EAMG)
Here I am at 9.00 o-clock on a Sunday morning 3rd July at the Boreham BP
Service Station filling up with what is now a better investment than Gold
Krugerrands. This completed, I roll on round to the Maccy Ds parking area to
meet up with lots of fellow riders from all three of the Chelmsford advanced
rider groups who are assembling for the Jane Wilson Memorial ride. Before
the off at 9.30 there‟s time for meeting up and chatting with friends, some of
whom I haven‟t seen in a long time.
It‟s getting time to go and John Warren calls everyone together for a
briefing, there‟s a reminder of why we are gathered and the significance of
the day and of the many and varied ways we all will have of remembering
Jane whilst enjoying the experience of this group ride.
I join a group of some ten to twelve riders led, on a progressive ride, by Tye
on his beautiful Red ST 1300, don‟t ya just luv „em? We are the first group to
leave. We enjoy a well led ride with just one small detour into a small
housing estate (those goddamn satnavs) in good riding conditions across
Essex, Herts and Bedfordshire to the Super Sausage Cafe at Potterspury on
the A5 North-West of Milton Keynes. Here, a great array of bikes are formed
up with riders glad to be able to de-robe and cool down and get stuck into
some seriously unhealthy grub. I am lucky some good friends, Doug and
Maz, very kindly share their packed lunch with me and I am the grateful
recipient of a delicious salmon roll.
From here it was individual‟s choice of how to proceed back, I and three
others from EAMG decided to ride across to a Trout farm for lunch in a little
place by the name of Bibury, down by Cirencester, in Gloucestershire in the
Cotswold Hills. We enjoyed a tasty lunch of baked fresh trout (yes, more fish,
the gills will soon be forming) whilst basking in the heat of the afternoon
sunshine. We eventually extracted ourselves from this decadent indulgence
and headed back to the joys of Essex and London. When I reached home I
had covered the best part of 300 miles.
It was a great day out and the number of folks who turned out was a fitting
tribute to the memory of Jane; she would have loved it.
I joined this ride, too, but on one of the intermediate sections. I was surprised
how slowly it progressed, although the route was interesting and varied. We
met up with one of the faster groups who were waiting for their back
marker who had got lost (apparently couldn’t keep up, and had gone
home) - Ed
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Intrepid Rospariders
Social ride - 17th July 2100 – by John Parker
John stepped in at the last minute to help out Richard, who had other
commitments – Ed.
We met at Boreham and everyone was early. The weather promised to
deteriorate but, fingers crossed, it would happen more towards the
afternoon. The ride was to be a short one so hopefully we would escape
the afternoon‟s precipitations.
We did a roll call and decided who the sweeper would be. I was the leader
for the day and had my „ology‟ with me. I mumbled the service of the
morning - you know - always ride within your comfort zone and exceed the
speed limits (I think it goes).
We three then set off full of expectations. John P, K1200s Andy, Blackbird
and Ian, GS.
We proceeded along the A414 to Ongar; a bit more traffic than I expected,
then north through Dunmow to Haverhill.
From Haverhill we took the A143 and our caffeine in Tubby T‟s café and
watched the young people walking past on their way to visit their partners
at Highpoint prison nearby. Last week Paul [not our Paul] told me that this
was called the conjugal rights visit. I don‟t know how he knew. Hmmm…….
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Refreshed, we travelled to Horringer and turned south down the B1066 [that
date should mean something to me; I am old enough].
We then tried to drive through Long Melford, only that day someone had
decided to close the road for their local summer fete [only no one had
asked me] but, no worries, we took the detour and headed south to Bures.
The Swan at Bures provided us with victuals and mead [Suffolk you know].
We ordered our food in the lounge bar but, as the tables there were laid
out for lunch, we asked if we should sit in the public bar. Once settled, some
bright spark asked if our food would be cheaper in there, however, we only
received a quizzled look. Might not be able to return to the Swan.
From Bures to White Colne we passed fields where beautiful vibrant purple
crops (Phacelia tanecetifolia) were growing, a delight to view.
We had decided that if the rain became any more persistent we would cut
short the ride at Kelvedon and take the A12 to our respective homes. Guess
what.
My thanks to my fellow travellers who are too many to mention and to Andy
of EAMG who kindly showed me the route, and later went through its
idiosyncrasies over the phone.
John Parker
Horringer has never crossed my consciousness before (like a lot of things, I
s’pose) but I shall have to go there now – Ed.
Long weekend
By Steve Webb
We have been going to Holland on and off for decades to stay with friends
and I have always baulked against taking the bike owing to the inordinately
large number of kitchen sinks that we always seemed to take with us – that
and the fact that we often took in two or more countries/hotels on the
same trips and the constant packing and repacking might be tedious.
This year though, we headed out there on the Breva with the intention of
taking in some scenic rides around the Münster/Osnabruck area. It
occurred to me that I was not sure about the Dutch rules for filtering in
traffic and asked our host for guidance. He referred me to a Dutch website
that laid out the rules in a plain and simple way (the Google translation left
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a lot to be desired, but I sorted out the translation quirks). Basically, it says
don‟t go more than 10 kph past traffic and keep an eye out for bored
drivers opening doors. Similarly, it implores drivers to make room for bikes,
don‟t go walkabout in stationary traffic & keep an eye on the mirrors.
Interestingly, it makes a case for bikes being allowed through as it eases
tension and reduces congestion. Good for the Dutch authorities!
Most recently, our trips to the area have consisted of shortest distance
between two points (motorway) and then, whenever possible, to take cycle
routes if and when we went out. It has been a long time since I experienced
the side/back roads and I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the
general uptight nature of the road markings. You could drive for miles on a
stretch of road with a view to infinity and there would be a continuous
stretch of widely spaced double white lines the whole way. Where the lines
were broken, it seemed that it would allow one to overtake a milk float but
precious little else. I don‟t remember it being like this when we travelled
across country more frequently some years ago. I was also unfamiliar with a
green strip between the double lines that signified an increase in speed
from the blanket speed limit of 80 kph, to 100 kph. Call me a cynic, but if
you have a narrow road with double lines the whole way restricting width
further and a lane full of slow moving traffic, what‟s the point? Maybe that
IS the point…
Our host, Johan, pumped up the tyres on his elderly Transalp, adjusted and
lubricated the chain, Wilma squeezed into bike gear she hadn‟t worn for
decades and off we went. We visited a couple of decent biker‟s haunts
that were some way better than yer average biker caff over here. Much as
I like a bacon sarnie, it is nice to be offered the chance of brockwusrt and
kartoffelsalat. The Biker‟s Farm at Bulden was great. Plenty of space in nice
surroundings.
The weather prevented us from doing any long rides but the foray we did
make over the border to Germany also disappointed as the mandatory
(decreasing) countdown speed limits on the approach to any bends that
were halfway interesting rather took the fun away. Never mind. I‟ll have to
go further south next time and do it properly!
As an aside, there is no need for the equivalent of MoT testing for bikes in
Holland (which is presumably why Johan has more than his share of
maintenance problems) and I was horrified to realise that Johan‟s Subaru
Forester costs about €55 per month to „tax‟. Diesels are even more
expensive. Hmm…
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The venue at Felsenmuhle
(below) was a little unusual,
and a nice welcome stop.
The only problem was the
apple tart with whipped
cream spoiled my dinner – it
also added insult to injury by
putting inches on my
waistline!
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European tour
Recollections of a trip by Pete Layley
2009 saw one of our sons attaining the ripe old age of forty! He doesn‟t set
great store by getting legless, so instead of a party to celebrate he wanted
to repeat his first European tour on his bike. He had done one a year earlier
accompanied by one of his mates. This time however he wanted to take his
wife along, and “hey Mum and Dad, you‟ll come too won‟t you?” His elder
and younger brothers (sans more sensible spouses) were enticed along as
well and just for good measure, the same mate from last year, as well as the
one he went through school and rode 50‟s with.
The company was to be as follows…… Pam and I on our ST1100, No.1 Son
on a Thunderace, No.2 Son and his wife on a BMW 1150 GS, No.3 Son on a
Guzzi 750 Breva and No.2‟s two mates, Pete and Doug, both on BMW 1200
GS‟s.
On the date selected, 7th
June, a very gloomy and
wet morning we all met
up at Chez Layley and
set off for the Tunnel. Not
a pleasant ride down to
Folkestone, but better
weather
greeted
us
when we emerged from
the Tunnel in France.
So; eight people, six bikes
and needing four hotel
rooms for each overnight
stop. Having done a bit of this over the years, I was a bit uneasy about
having to find four rooms every night. Four vacant rooms normally means
bigger hotels, means bigger money, unless you pre-book. Pre-booking
means knowing where you‟re going to be each night, not easy when you
only have a rough idea of where you are headed!
So as not to have too early a start, Nancy, an easily doable first night
destination had been chosen. For our first night I had pre-booked, on that
there „tinternet, a Campanile. I did it through ViaMichelin, which I tend to
use on the PC for general route planning. It uses „booking.com‟ for hotels
and we got the rooms for a very reasonable €54 (for two persons including
breakfast).
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Our route then took us on down through the Black Forest; been there twice
now and don‟t find it particularly attractive – gloomy damp twisty roads
under an umbrella of (leaky) pine trees. For our second night we ended up
in Switzerland in a town called Winterthur; not a lot that I recall to
recommend it, apart from a passable Ibis Hotel. I think my opinion of the
town might have been coloured by the fact we arrived after too long a
day at about 18:00hrs in the tail-end of the rush hour. This was our downfall –
eight tired edgy people and a hotel to find, but we coped; after a beer we
were all talking again and it all seemed OK. So much so, that we decided
to have a look at the Stelvio Pass the next day. Now I have been over the
Stelvio a couple of times before, but perhaps not quite this early in the year,
or perhaps spring was a little late in 2009!
All seemed to go well at first on our route through Klosters and on toward
Sluderno at the north end of the pass. However, in Switzerland one has to
buy a Vignette to use the motorways. Their motorway signs are green,
whereas ours are blue and other road signs blue instead of our green. We
didn‟t want to use any motorways, so had bought no vignettes.
Unfortunately the vignette is not only needed for motorways, as most other
useful roads seemed to carry the green signage as well!
So a very tortuous route evolved. We got there eventually and took off up
towards the top of the pass. Initially the road winds up through forest, with
longish (100m?) straights between the hairpins. Gradually one emerges from
the trees to bare rock and eventually snow and then as the gradient
increases, the straights get shorter. They have very thoughtfully numbered
all of the hairpins on the way up – forty in total as I recall! All went well until
eight from the top, and then coming around a bend we were confronted
by a snow-slip across the road.
It had obviously recently happened as there were just a couple of locals
stood there scratching their heads and wondering what to do, fortunately
we had Pete and Doug with us, a couple of steadfast ex-squaddies. Soon a
party was detailed to scuff and stamp a passage through the snow,
enabling us the go on our way leaving the locals still scratching their heads.
In hindsight though, one can‟t help wondering the outcome would have
been if that slip had occurred a few minutes later as we were passing.
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As we carried on toward the summit, we suddenly encountered a blizzard;
snowflakes 20mm across fell, almost obscuring our vision. As we went over
the top and started our descent, the snow stopped to be replaced by thick
fog/cloud, I was going to say low cloud, but I suppose at over 3000 metres
that really doesn‟t apply. Visibility was down to about 10 metres and we
were descending through the many tight hairpins. The Garmin came in
useful at times to show which way the road was going! We all had PMR
radios and it was quite entertaining listening to the lads (all around 40)
giggling like schoolgirls as they worked their way down, all completely
invisible to us and each other. As well as this I was getting a certain amount
of „feedback‟ through the intercom from the back seat. „Mother Hen‟
becoming increasingly more concerned over the wellbeing of her three
little „chicks‟ in front of us!
Eventually we arrived absolutely worn out, after again, much too long a
day, at the little town of Bormio. Bormio is, basically, a centre for skiing in the
winter and, I suppose, in the summer, for walking. We arrived mid-way
between the two, when all the hoteliers were on their holidays. Eventually,
however, we found the four star Hotel Sant Anton and, with no one wanting
to go any further, we thought it doesn‟t matter what it costs, this is it! It was
more of an appartel really; the rooms were huge with a little kitchenette
and in a similar way to a caravan, a built in table and chairs that would
convert to either another double bed, or two bunks. Pete and Doug
managed to negotiate a great deal, it cost only just over €110 for two
people, dinner, bed and breakfast. The dinner actually cost €10 each and
was a classic Italian five-course!
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The little town of Bormio is worth a visit, as well as the Stelvio. There are quite
a few other passes within easy reach so, if Alpine passes and hairpins are
your thing………. The end of May, beginning of June is prime time for this
really, most of the passes are open and the hotels quiet, so good rates are
available.
The little lass who was wearing a blouse working behind the bar when we
got there, was our dinner waitress in a white jacket, and then in the morning
in a black waistcoat, she over-saw breakfast. Over dinner she told us that
“My lover, he too rides the moto” (I do wish I could type in an Italian
accent) and told us about the passes nearby. So instead of heading
straight down to Sondrio and on to Lake Como, we took in the Passo di
Foscagno and the Passo del Bernino and St Moritz on the way.
No.2 Son remembered that the previous year, somewhere along the road
that borders the west side of Lake Como, they had stopped for lunch. Well;
he said he remembered! The road is built up and heavily trafficked all the
way down the side of the lake and as you can imagine it made a delightful
run on a very hot afternoon and we never did find the place! We were
eventually heading round the bottom of the lake to Lecco to pay homage
at the Guzzi factory and hopefully visit their museum, but ran out of time
that day. Shame really, if we had cut down the east side of the lake on the
dual-carriageway through the tunnels then we would have been there by
mid-afternoon!
Now there is a common theme developing here, we ended up (again) late,
hot and bothered looking for a hotel. We finally found one at Monguzzo,
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between the feet of Lake Como. It was clean but a bit basic and
unfortunately couldn‟t do dinner. So, armed with the trusty Garmin, set off
on foot, down to the little village in search of food. The first place had some
do on, so couldn‟t take us. Then following Daniel (called after the male
voice of Garmin I use, a man‟s voice telling me where to ride, so as not to
get confused with the woman‟s voice thru‟ the intercom telling how to
ride!) we set off up out the other side of the village and down this little track
to another restaurant. No.3 Son, by this time ravenous, had a good lead on
us and by the time we arrived had negotiated a table despite the fact that
this place had a private party on too. We had a great meal and then set
off back to the hotel. Now I don‟t know if you are familiar with parts of rural
Europe, but there can be very little ambient light. At night it is dark, very
dark, literally can‟t see a hand in front of your face dark. Finding our way
back to the village down the track was very tough. The only light came
from hundreds of Fireflies in the bushes on either side. I have seen fireflies
before, but never anything like the number there.
Next day we set off again heading for the Moto Guzzi works. The place is
just sort of tucked in at the side of the road in the town. Occasionally the
big steel gate would open to let a bike or a van in or out, but that was
about it. The museum is only open in the afternoon. “Oh, if only we‟d taken
the direct route!” No.3 Son posed for the obligatory photo (Guzzi Works.jpg)
and then we continued on our way.
We cut across country, up the side of Lake Maggiore heading for the
Simplon Pass back into Switzerland.
Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists
RoSPA Riders Issue 14
Lunch was taken at a truck stop – forget your UK transport
huge. Massive loose surfaced (deep joy!) parking area full
vans. The place was heaving. Once seated the waiter
perturbed that unlike the truckers, we only wanted ONE
courses on offer and NO BEER or WINE?
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August 2011
café, this was
of trucks and
seemed very
of the many
Having traversed the Simplon both ways a couple of times I think it‟s
probably my least favourite of the alpine passes. The surface on the Italian
side is generally poor and of course populated with Italian drivers and then
once over the top into Switzerland, the descent is through a series of
narrow, wet and dark galleries. It‟s a way of getting from one side to the
other, but personally I think that the Grand St. Bernard or even the Mont
Blanc Tunnel are more scenic.
We eventually (oh no, another late one) arrived in Sion and found another
Ibis hotel. This one we liked. Actually the Ibis chain are generally of a good
standard, not too expensive and the food reasonable, as long as if you‟re in
Switzerland, you like Rösti!
We set off in the morning secure in the knowledge that we didn‟t have to
find a hotel that night. Pete has some American friends, Ken and Barby (no
– really, although she doesn‟t wear pink) who had invited us for a BBQ and
booked a hotel for us nearby. They live in a suburb of Geneva called
Prevessin, should have been nice and easy, but more later…..
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As we hadn‟t covered many alpine passes so far on this trip, it was felt that
a couple more would be in order! So, from Sion, over the Grand St. Bernard
down into Aosta
and then over
the Petite St.
Bernard
down
into Bourg St.
Maurice. On the
way down from
the top of the
Col we passed
through
La
Rosiere. In the
winter, when the
pass is closed La
Rosiere is a ski
resort. No.3 Son and spouse go there every year. Pam and I have been
backwards and forwards over the Petite St. Bernard several times and
discussions have been held between us and No. 3 and his spouse to the
effect of “no that can‟t be a road, there‟s a ski run there”. So it was quite
interesting for No. 3 to see it without snow and have lunch on the terrace of
their favourite café. We also got to see some of the locals: real St. Bernards.
From Bourg St.
Maurice we cut
up over yet
another pass, the
Col de Roselend,
across through
Ugine and up to
Annecy. A few
years earlier, at
the end of
another very long
day, Pam and I
were held up for
some 30 minutes up on this Col, waiting for a farmer to move his cows
across the road into a mobile milking parlour!
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August 2011
There was nothing to be done; you can‟t take on a herd of 50 cows, even
on a Pan. By the time we eventually got away there was a little queue of 3
or 4 of us all waiting patiently (or not, in our case) for the road to be
cleared. However, on this occasion we had a clear run up over this narrow
little road. On the latter stages, descending down towards Ugine were very
fortunate not to meet any oncoming traffic, because getting past them
would have been very difficult without taking to the grass.
After a short break alongside the very picturesque Lake Annecy, we
attempted to set off when No.1 Son‟s Thunderace decided that its
immobiliser would play up. I think in the end we had to move the bike up
the road a little, (probably away from some source of radio transmission?),
but eventually we got on our way. Arriving in Prevessin, the Première Classe
hotel was entered into the Garmin and away we went, secure in
knowledge the Ken and Barby‟s was just round the corner. Now came the
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rub, apparently there were two of those hotels in the town, and guess what,
we had the wrong one! Eventually this was sorted out and we finally
checked in around 20:00hrs that night, then of course it was a quick wash
and back into bike kit to ride over to K and B‟s for the BBQ.
Next day, as we still hadn‟t really had enough mountain riding,
accompanied by groans from the back seats, we set off up through the
Jura mountains and on toward Dole on the N5. There we picked up the A31
Autoroute to Chaumont where we took the N67 to St. Dizier. By this time
Pete had found that he had lost his wallet, apparently on the Autoroute it
came out of his pocket and nearly removed Doug‟s head, exploding all
over the road! Recovery being 21mpractical/impossible, and in order to
make sure all his cards and stuff were cancelled, Pete decided he would
make all speed for home and not stop over in France for the last night. With
Doug as back up they left us mid-afternoon heading directly for Calais and
the Tunnel.
I love that stretch of the N67, it runs parallel and sometimes next to the River
Marne, offering some nice scenery and beautiful sweeping bends. When
travelling south, I always look forward to getting to Reims, leaving the
Autoroute, getting onto the N44 and thence onto the N67. Passing through
Châlons-en –Champagne, Vitry-le-François and St. Dizier. Apart from the
relief from the boredom of following the Autoroute via Troyes, I can always
kid myself that it is a short cut!
Yet another Ibis hotel was home to the Layleys (but this time with French
food) for the last night. Although sad at not having our two compadres with
us, it was quite pleasant to be just the family group and to reminisce over
dinner about the events of our trip.
A brisk run back to Calais the next day, through the Tunnel and home. Eight
days away and 2,250 miles covered.
Any downsides? How could there be? Eight days spent with my wife, on my
bike, with my sons, and mountains thrown in as well.
Any discoveries? Yes. Although they were at the time, 42, 40 and 37 years
old, they are still mum‟s boys and there were constant comments through
the intercom about were they OK?, look out for this one, or don‟t go too
fast – I can‟t see ………
Any Useful Tips? Yes. Start looking for hotels at 16:30 (ish). Carry a torch for
eating out at night.
Peter Layley
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August 2011
Lifesavers – again
A view; by Chris Gardiner
Dear Steve Colin makes some interesting points about lifesavers and I certainly
sympathise with him over the increasing stiffness in the joints with old
age. It‟s not only the neck that gets stiff, climbing off the bike after riding for
an hour or so now requires a certain amount of planning to preserve back
and knees.
I think the answer to Colin‟s implied question of ”Do we really need
lifesavers?” depends on the bike you are riding. Last year at the Bikesafe
event I had a ride on a bike (I think it was a Ducati) whose mirrors were so
useless that the blind spot behind the bike was nearly 100%. Fitting blind
spot mirrors would have made hardly any improvement to the view so
regular head turns were essential; it was almost like riding the bikes of sixty
years ago, they generally didn‟t have any mirrors so one got used to turning
the head before any manoeuvre.
My old Yamaha has very good mirrors and no blind spots when stationary
but, being a parallel twin, vibrates badly at certain speeds at which points
the mirrors are fairly ineffective. So on this bike the lifesaver may or may not
be needed depending on the speed.
The CB500 has good mirrors with minimal blind spots and these can largely
be overcome with a small movement of the head while continuing to look
forward. However, I still use life savers, partly out of habit because
Observers over the years have complained if I did not use them and partly
because there are some circumstances, for example when joining a
motorway, where it can be difficult to judge the speed of traffic using the
mirrors alone.
I fear that lifesavers may be a carry-over from decades ago when bikes
generally did not have mirrors and today the lifesaver may be optional,
although from what I have seen of the mirrors on some bikes lifesavers
cannot be abandoned entirely.
Chris Gardiner
Thanks for the feedback Chris - Ed
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RoSPA Riders Issue 14
Who is it?
Well? Any idea?
Answers to news@rospariders.co.uk
And, would you know? No-one guessed at last
week‟s picture of Gary Carter. Am I making it too
hard?
What is it?
Here‟s this edition‟s puzzle pic:
Answers to news@rospariders.co.uk.
Please let me have your submissions
The answer to last edition‟s puzzle pic: A dual
purpose Presta-Schraeder tyre pump adaptor
head.
No-one guessed correctly. Perhaps this month‟s will
be easier…
And Whose bike is this?
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RoSPA Riders Issue 14
August 2011
ERAM REGALIA
If you would like to buy a polo shirt or sweatshirt embroidered with our
group logo please speak to Steve or Elke at group night, or post a
message on the forum of www.rospariders.co.uk
Polo shirts at a reduced price of £9.50 – sizes M, L, XL and XXL
Sweat shirts are £12.50 – sizes M and XL
Other sizes can be ordered. All colours available as long as it’s black!
Buying and wearing the Regalia is for a good cause as it supports
Advanced Motorcycling which we all love. Thank you for your support!
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RoSPA Riders Issue 14
Member Profile
Name? Jaques.DeKlerk
Age? A mere born again teenager of 37.
Nickname? Jaq-Ass the bumbler.
Occupation? Clerk of Works.
How many bikes do you have? Alas, only the one.
How many bikes have you owned? Five, including the current machine.
At what age did you first ride a bike? Around 5-7; a 70‟s monkey bike.
What was your first bike? Suzuki 600S Bandit K3.
Did you own a bike you wished you had kept? GSF 600 teapot - ugly but
underrated and easy for a novice to master.
When did you obtain your licence? June 15th 2005.
Does your partner ride pillion? Well my son and partner in crime, Zane, does
from time to time.
Best bit of Kit? There are many, but the most useful must be the pinlock visor
inserts.
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August 2011
Do you have any biking ambitions? To continuously learn and improve and
then pass this onto others.
What is your favourite road? There are many and many more to find. One of
the notable roads is the A272 between Winchester and Petersfield.
Favourite biking destination? Hotel Simonhof Grossglockner Austria.
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Favourite holiday destination? Currently Cape Town and the surrounding
regions, but there are always new places to discover.
When did you join ERAM? December 2009.
How did you hear about ERAM; Via Smurf the Navigator.
What made you join? I wished to progress to RoSPA.
Had you previously taken any advanced training? Yes, the IAM.
If so, who was your tutor? IAM was Chris Reed, RoSPA was Smurf.
What is the best advice you have received? If in doubt don‟t!! Treat each
road you know as if you‟ve never ridden it before.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? There
are many; some of the current interests I have are: die cast 1:50 scale model collecting. I also enjoy
listening to a variety of music and walking in the
country etc.
If there were dreams to sell, what would you buy? Happiness and stability for
my son and fewer bumps on life‟s journeys for friends and family.
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August 2011
Are you happy with your current choice of bike and why? 50/50 - It fits me
like a glove, but on tight twists and turns, with the power and weight, it can
be a handful. It may be my heavy wrist though.
If you had the chance, what question would you ask the next victim of this
column? What is it that drives you on in life?
Testing & Training
RoSPA Advanced Tutor Training
Tutor training will be provided by the Groups Advanced Tutors on a
structured three day programme. Interested Gold and Silver RoSPA Riders
can train to become approved tutors and share their skills and experience
by helping to train associates.
This is a worthwhile exercise and has many benefits other than the obvious
ones. It may be that you haven‟t ever considered tutoring others and,
possibly, you don‟t think you are suitable for the task. Please don‟t let that
put you off
give it some consideration. You may well find that you
have hidden talents and that you find you enjoy helping others to
become as good as you are
after all, you will have obtained a Silver or
Gold in the first place!
Talk to Ashley John, Paul Collins or Phil Reader at a group night or contact
Paul on his public email address: training@rospariders.co.uk
Test ready?
Has your tutor advised you are test ready? If so, Smurf has a supply of test
application forms.
You can also obtain these from RoSPA HQ or download from the website.
The full link address is:
http://www.roadar.org/info/application_form_2010v3.doc. If you are not
reading this on a PC, go to www.roadar.org and follow the link.
If you submit your application through the Group, ERAM can claim £3 from
HQ towards Group funds. Please make a cheque out to Essex RoSPA
Advanced Motorcyclists for £54.
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August 2011
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Members’ small ads
That page heading is not a euphemism! It is an opportunity for you to sell
those unwanted items, or plead for where you might be able to buy those
hard to find items (or hope someone will take pity on you and offer them for
free, á la Freecycle…)
Wanted
Small motorised bike – anything considered (even a moped). Contact
Steve: news@rospariders.co.uk
For sale
Anything you think you might get rid of. Go on. Make some room in the
garage/workshop. You know you want to.
Interlude:
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August 2011
Dates for your diary
Date Event information
Aug
Sep
Date Event information
6-7: British Superbikes Brands
Hatch
7: Bikemeet 2011, Museum of
Power, Langford, CM9 6QA
13-14: MotoGP Brno, Czech Rep.
20-21: Donington Park 8 Hours
Endurance
27-29: MotoGP Indianapolis,
USA
27-29: British Superbikes
Cadwell Park
3-4: MotoGP San Marino
10-11: British Superbikes
Donington Park
11: Essex Air Ambulance run to
Harwich
17-18 : Goodwood Revival.
www.goodwood.co.uk
24-25: World Superbikes Imola,
24-25: British Superbikes
Silverstone
24-25: Le Mans 24 Hours.
Got any dates you want to add,
remind or tell me about?
news@rospariders.co.uk of course…
Don’t forget! Sunday 11th September
The Essex Air Ambulance Motorcycle Run
2010 raised a record...
£36,000
...for the life-saving helicopter in 2010!
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Classifieds II
01702 338843, or philhreader@aol.com
Keys cut for bikes, cars and domestic
Motor cycle physical security products
Locks and safes supplied and fitted
Advice freely given
Also:
Baglux
20% off
products:
Tank bags, tank covers and accessories
Essex Rospa Advanced Motorcyclists
RoSPA Riders Issue 14
Page 32
August 2011
Paul Collins is Chief Instructor and owner of his own advanced rider training
school Perfect Control. The school specialises in advanced riding skill tuition
and all post-test motorcycle rider training. Using radio communications,
Perfect Control give on-road, real time tuition, with advice and correction
given at breaks in road sessions, skills check sessions, briefings and session
critiques. Structured training courses are: Back-2-Bikes, skills improvement
training, DSA enhanced rider scheme, advanced riding techniques and
training to RoSPA, IAM & DIA standards. Perfect Control offers great
opportunities for riders of all abilities to improve their skills and continue their
development.
CONTACT DETAILS:
www.perfectcontrol.co.uk
Mob: 07941 803043
Email: rockape.pc@virgin.net