eamg tug december 2014

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Welcome to TUG

December 2014

Chairman’s Piece 2

Test Passes 4

Membership Info 7

Observer Coordinator 8

NEC Show Report 12

Moto Word Search 17

Dates for the Diary 20

Bikers Crossword 21

Membership Renewal 22

Picture Gallery 28

BMW Club Track Day 30

Events Report 35

Crossword Answers 41

Further Training 42

Destination Rated 44

Dear Members, Christmas is almost upon us, so I and all the other committee members would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and hope you enjoy the festive break! Just a note to all to remember that membership re-newal is fast approaching so please fill out those forms and get your renewals done & dusted! On another note, I really have struggled to put this issue together through lack of articles, unfortunately if this continues I will have to hang up my Editor’s boots as being Writer, Compiler & Editor is an impos-sible task so please don’t let this be the case.

Remember please email any articles, pictures to [email protected]. Proper bikers ride all year! Colin Editor

What’s happening next?

Log into www.eamg.org.uk, then Runs and Rides Forum

And follow us on Twitter.


Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since 1982

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CHAIRMAN’S PIECE December 2014

With 2014 drawing to a close, it is maybe the time when the

vast majority of riders hang up their gear and cover up their bikes for winter. In reality, its actually quite an enjoyable time of year to be riding and keeping skills honed for the start of 2015. Sure, you have to be smoother and slower than in the warmer months but you can still really have a great time on your bike right through the winter so take the opportunity of any Group rides to get out, with like-minded members, and enjoy yourselves. If you’ve asked Santa to deliver a new bike for Christmas, you could do a lot worse than ask for a Yamaha MT07. At the September Slow Skills Day, Jane Houghton invited me – and everyone else she could cajole – into having a go on her new MT07. I have to say that it was a pure delight to ride slowly – well balanced, punchy power delivery, light, agile and according to Jane, lots of fun to ride on the road, far better than her Tiger 800 in fact. I was so impressed by its easy handling that we’re considering getting two of them as additional DAS bikes to add to our XJ6 Yamaha’s. It’s easy to see why it has been voted Motor-cycle of the Year 2014. Marc Marquez may well have won the MotoGP 2014 Championship but for me, the rider of the year was Valentino Rossi. Coming back to Yamaha and having to completely change his riding style to suit the new M1 Yamaha, he took the fight to the new ‘Aliens’ in the second half of the season and beat them, includ-ing his team mate Jorge Lorenzo. Watch out in 2015! Rossi was the only rider who could put Marquez under enough pressure to produce cracks in his ar-mour. If the Yamaha is the equal of the Honda straight out of the blocks in Qatar then 2015 could be the most enthralling year in the ‘history of MotoGP according to Valentino’. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see him Champion again!!! Going forward into 2015 we will be looking for a volunteer to take over one of

Chairman’s Piece

December 2014



Teri Olley’s roles – that of Membership Secretary. If we have anyone who would be able to give us a few hours a month to help in the smooth running of your Group then please let me know. Finally, it is the season of goodwill, so please let me, on behalf of everyone on the Committee, wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year. Ride well, Ride Safely Chris Reed Horsepower is no substitute for Brain Power!

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Congratulations!

Paul Poulton 30th October 2014

RoSPA Test (Silver)

Examiner Mick Jones

Observer Peter Richbell

Geoff Preston 16th November 2014

Observer Re-Test

Senior Observer Assessor John Tullett

Mark Gilder 15th November 2014

RoSPA Test (Gold)

Examiner Mick Jones

Observers Peter Richbell & Jill Winn

Paul Smith 4th September 2014

RoSPA Re-Test (Silver)

Examiner Mick Jones Observer Phil Jones

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Membership Information

Membership Number

Full 119

Associate 43

Social 1

Total 163

Dear Members & Prospective Members,

The membership form is on the website or page 22 if you wish to join or if you are renewing.

If you have paid up and haven’t received your membership card please let a committee member know.

Please also note the feedback form on page 18 it will be most helpful if as many members as possible can fill one in and get them to John Tullett.

Also please remember to spread the word about EAMG, recommendation is such a valuable tool and current members are always the best advocates for what a good group this is.

Membership Fees for 2015

New Associate Members ...£55.00 (Includes AGT Training)

Associate Member Renewal ...£40.00 (Includes AGT Training)

Full Member Renewal ...£25.00

Social Member ...£25.00

Full Member Training ...£20.00 (For more information on Full Member Training see page 42)

www.eamg.org.uk

OBSERVER COORDINATOR John Tullett

I would like to start by wishing Peter Richbell a speedy recovery from his recent accident and hope that he is able to return to two wheels very soon. Committee

The next AGM will be held at the Group Night meeting on Tuesday, 3rd February 2015 and there will be at least a couple of posi-tions to fill, so if you would like to give something back to the Group and help others by joining the Committee then your assistance will be very gratefully received. You might think I

am jumping the gun by mentioning this now, but for the Membership Secretary po-sition the busiest time of the year coincides with renewals during December & Janu-ary. Accordingly, it would be ideal if this position could be filled now! If you are potentially interested in joining the Committee but are not sure what this entails then please have a word with any current member of the Committee. Slow Riding Day Our Slow Riding Day on Sunday, 28th September was well attended with 15 members and 1 guest par-ticipating. With 10 Observers on hand to assist, we were able to run a wide range of activities. Due to resurfacing work on the main Dunton Track over-running we relocated to the Special Surfaces Track and this suited our requirements very well.

Ian Cranston added to his collection of 'Slowest Rider' t-shirts by winning his heat in a time of 36 seconds and the final in 34.08. Stuart was busy taking pictures & film clips and some of these images should be



included in this issue of TUG. A special mention to Graham Simpkins who arranged access to the Special Surfaces Track for us. Full Member Training (FMT) The FMT to Diss, held on 19th October, proved very popular and attracted 10 par-ticipants. This has secured the future of FMTs for 2015 and details of the four dates planned for next year should appear elsewhere in this issue of TUG. FMTs cater for all levels of riding ability from someone who has just passed an ad-vanced test through to the most experienced rider. John Tipper takes great care in matching ability levels and aspirations when finalising the allocations for these events. Associate Group Training (AGT)

October's AGT was well attended with 8 Associates and 1 Guest, which showed a marked improvement over the previous three months. Sadly, in November (with admittedly a slightly damp start) we were down to just 1 Associate! Obviously, the clash with Remembrance Sunday had an impact - along with the Ring of Red remembrance ride around the M25 - but it is rather concerning that some riders seeking to improve their skills appear to be prepared to let a

little precipitation impact upon on their training. Fortunately quite a few Full mem-bers were able to hear Mick Hewitt's interesting presentation on Filtering before departing for their social ride. New Members As an independent Group we are more dependant than most on word of mouth recommendations to attract new members. Thanks at least in part to a good num-ber of test passes this year, we now have a situation where we have spare Ob-server capacity and no waiting list of new members to be assigned for 1-to-1 train-ing.

www.eamg.org.uk

Therefore, if you know of anyone who might potentially benefit from joining EAMG then please introduce them to the Group as it is an ideal time to join. We will be very happy for any Guests to attend a trial observed ride at an AGT if they wish to check out what we offer before making a commitment to join. Further Training for Full Members (FTFM)

A number of Full members have signed up for FTFM, at a cost of £20 on top of the standard membership fee. Nevertheless when you con-sider the level of 1-to-1 training on offer, which is tailored to suit your specific requirements be they preparing for a RoSPA test/retest or ad-dressing specific aspects of your riding, I would have expected more individuals to make use of this facility.

Again, as with the situation for Associates mentioned above, we currently have spare Observer capacity and if you sign up for FTFM you can be assigned for 1-to-1 training with a RoSPA Gold qualified Observer straight away.

Test Passes I try to maintain a record of all test passes within the Group but do not receive any information from either RoSPA or the IAM, so inevitably some details might slip through the net from time to time. If you would like to see your test details in-cluded in TUG then please send them to me and I will forward them to Colin for publication. Should any members have any training related queries then please contact me on 01277 623860 (before 21:30 please), text 07570 992801, e-mail [email protected] or send me a PM via the Message Board. John Tullett



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In the unfortunate event that a bike is damaged, bikers may not be aware that once their insurer is notified, the insurer will arrange for their approved repairer to collect their bike. This may not be ideal for a number of reasons, that’s why Ridemaster will work with your chosen local repairer where they know you and know your bikes’ his-tory.

Call Ridemaster first and we’ll take the pain out of a bad day.”

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NEC SHOW REPORT By Colin Childs This year’s show was eagerly awaited & much preparation had gone into finding a place to stay that would keep the woman at home happy, well as you know she also happens to like motorcycles so that worked out just fine with a combination of a great Hotel & Spa & a day at NEC enjoying a great selection of new bikes. I had a shopping list too, more on that later. Triumph Rather sedate by comparison to some stands Triumph seem to be at a bit of an impasse, with Yamaha & the MT range seemingly hitting the Street Triple hard it was really

a case of offering a re-vamped Tiger 800. It looks like a great improvement on an already great bike but I just can’t help feeling that they need to hit back hard with some serious new offerings, to avoid falling behind.

BMW As usual BMW have lots to offer with the GS, S1000RR, R1200 RT but also new offerings as in the new R1200 RS a bike that will be a competitor to the Z1000SX & the S1000R a roadster version of the S1000RR. Suzuki The Suzuki GSX-S1000 is the new naked offering from

Suzuki and is based on the new GSX R1000 K5, a faired GSX-S1000F version also debuts. A little late to the party but with excellent heritage we await the first re-views in the monthly magazines. Other bikes include a new V-Strom 650XT Adven-ture, Updated Bandit 1250SA & a faired Inazuma.

Yamaha Great to see Yamaha back in the game with their biggest & best stand I have seen for some time. A superb year has resulted in a fantastic range of bikes & the new R1 really was attracting a lot of attention, I’m looking forward to a test ride - it looks great, the R1M even more so! The new MT-09 Tracer also appeals as it looks like a great all



rounder—a faired version of the MT-09. Other bikes attracting attention were of course the MT-07, MT-09, YZF-R3 Ducati The Italian marque cements it’s position as the Ferrari of the bike world with the Panigale 899 & 1299 looking abso-lutely georgeous, Italian design at its best. The 899 even looks & feels comfortable - I feel another test ride coming on. The Multistrada has had a design update with a host of revisions too. The front end looks a little more beak like so I’m a little unsure about that but its still a great bike. Ducati are pushing the Scrambler, a return to basic mo-torcycling with a simple engine, two wheels & handle bars! Honda

Lots of Goldwings, lots & lots! The Honda stand seemed busy but I think this was mainly for a sneak look at the new RCV - a bit pricey for my pocket but a thing of beauty! The new VFR800X was also featured, a bike that has a whole host of revi-sions but remains unsure of what it should be called! Other models featured included the NC750, Honda Vultus, CTX 1300, VFR 800 & VFR 1200. Kawasaki

The Kawasaki stand was heaving, like Yamaha they have a great line-up. The new Versys 650 & 1000 models have had a bit of a facelift much for the better, in my opinion & they also feature the new panniers as on the Z100SX! The range includes the Z1000, Z1000SX, ZX-10R, ZX-6R & lots more but the star of the show was definitely the H2 & H2R. I reckon the looks are like marmite - you either love

them or hate them, me, I want one it, looks fabulous & I would love to see what that supercharger feels like. KTM A range of off road bikes features as always & the new RC390 & 390 Duke are at-tracting lots of attention. For adventure lovers the forthcoming 1050 Adventure offers a smaller, lighter alternative to beast that is the 1290 Adventure. Other bikes

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such as the Super Duke & the RC8 remain in their range for 2015. Other brands at the show included Aprilla, Harley Davidson, Victory, Indian, Norton, Royal Enfield, Ariel, CCM, Moto Guzzi, EBR & the upcoming Chinese manufacturer WK so plenty more to see! After having a good look at the bikes it was time for a bit of shopping, first on my list a radiator & oil cooler guard for my Suzuki SV 650 & one for Jane’s MT-07, Beowulf visited and purchase made for a grand total of £60 - will fit those at the weekend as a previous hole in my last SV’s radiator almost cost me a packet. I also spotted a new offering to replace my usual purchase of muck-off cleaner, Pro

-GreenMx, a salt free bikewash with no harsh or corrosive elements which can be left on the bike to dry before being washed off. I’ll report back if the claims are true see it at www.pro-greenmx.co.uk.

Visiting lots of tour companies had got the brain ticking for next year, but Jane has her heart set on the Nepal tour which has it’s base at Everest basecamp - hmmm not sure about that one as it involves more than one flight there & one back! Looks like a real ad-venture though. Personally VFR New Zealand is my choice but I might lose that battle. Final purchase of the day was an add-on to my excellent Abba stand. A cross member

bar that provides stability along the length of the bike so that the front can be lifted as well as the back by way of a ratchet strap that attaches to a spindle on the back

of any motorcycle, a great idea that solves getting both wheels of the ground if you don’t have a lift or centre stand. By the time you read this the show will be over and if you have never been, make sure you go next time, as there is lots to see & lots to buy. The next show is the London Motorcycle Live in February.

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"Where did you get such a functional

bike?" asked the first. The second engineer replied: "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes, spread her arms wide and said: "Take what you want." The second engineer nodded approvingly: "Good choice; the clothes probably would-n't have fit."

< This takes it to a new level!

www.eamg.org.uk

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December 2nd Group Night - Christmas Quiz Night 7th AGT & Full Member Ride 14th Full Member Ride 14th Toy Run at the Ace Cafe (Information Only) www.acecafeevents.com

2015

January 6th Group Night - Natter 11th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) February 3rd Group Night - AGM 8th AGT & Full Member Ride 22nd Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 22nd WSB Season Starts 13—15th Motorcycle Live London March 3rd Group Night - AGM 8th AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) 15th Observer Peer to Peer Ride 22nd Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 29th Full Member Training 29th MotoGP Season Starts April 4th Super Sausage Run (Provisional Date) 4th BSB Season Starts 7th Group Night 12th AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) 26th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) May 5th Group Night 10th AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) 17th Observer Peer to Peer Ride 24th Full Member Training 30th Isle of Man TT 31st Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)

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June 2nd Group Night 7th AGT & Full Member Ride (9.15 Start Moulsham School) 14th Slow Riding Day 21st Boys Toys (Provisional Date) 28th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) July 5th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 7th Group Night 12th AGT & Full Member Ride 19th Observer Peer to Peer Ride 26th Full Member Training August 2nd Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 4th Group Night 9th AGT & Full Member Ride 23rd Audrey & Johns Social Ride September 1st Group Night 6th AGT & Full Member Ride 13th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 20th Slow Riding Day October 4th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 6th Group Night 11th AGT & Full Member Ride 18th Full Member Training 25th Observer Peer to Peer Ride November 1st Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am) 3rd Group Night 8th AGT & Full Member Ride December 1st Group Night 6th AGT & Full Member Ride 13th Richards Full Member Ride (Depart from Sainsburys, Springfield 9.30am)

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Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery

September Slow Riding Day

October Group Night



Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery ■ Picture Gallery

NEC Motorcycle Live

Kings Lynne Run

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BMW CLUB TRACK DAY by John Tullett Earlier this year I spotted an article by Robert Bensley, the Sporting Secretary of the BMW Club, publicising three track days to be held in 2014. The article sug-gested that you should consider choosing the BMW Club for your track days if you primarily ride on public roads. The reasons 'why' included:

Non-profit making day with a “club” feel, run by enthusiasts; Entry restricted to significantly less than the number of bikes allowed on the

track at any one time, providing more space than on a commercial track day;

Entries being restricted to road bikes only, which the Club has found means fewer stoppages to maximise available track time;

Instruction, help and assessment available to all participants at no extra cost; Comprehensive safety briefing, with emphasis given to faster riders to look af-

ter the less experienced on track; And a full programme and timetable for the day, including guidance and advice

for newcomers, issued in advance to all participants.

The days would be open to all riders on any make of bike, providing that the rider has a full motorcycle license, wears full leathers while on track (zipped if two-piece) and the bike is road legal in every way. I was suitably convinced and signed up for the 18th August date on the Snetterton 300 circuit. Initial preparations all went well with a comprehensive participants handbook arriving in the post that provided full details of: the day's objectives; the

timetable; flags; marshal hand signals; track layout (including guidance for each corner); and do's & don'ts. Unfortunately, an electrical hitch was thrown into the works when my Fireblade ex-pired just outside Dereham during an Observer peer-to-peer ride on 17th August. It seemed certain that this was a charging issue (again!) as all display information disappeared from the clocks a few miles before the bike finally stopped. I must thank Geoff Preston who went beyond the call of duty by sacrificing his own partici-



pation in the return leg by staying with me until the RAC van and then the recovery truck arrived. As I was slowly travelling back home in the recovery vehicle it began to dawn on me that the breakdown had actually been a blessing in disguise because if it had happened the following day I would have just about reached Snetterton before the bike ground to a halt - and I would have had to settle for being a spectator. It just goes to show the benefit of having breakdown cover and that a second bike is es-sential, as I was able to press my VFR 750 into service for the track day! The only downside of a 7:30 sign-on was that I had to get up at 4 a.m. but it is amazing how effective an incentive a track day is to encourage me out of bed. I settled into the 'EAMG' pit with Sarah & Nick Jackson and ex-member Andy before heading off to noise checking. A nearby rider on a Panigale 899 appeared a little anxious but crept in under the 102db limit. In comparison my VFR was embarrass-

ingly quiet.

The compulsory riders briefings started at 08:30 and were comprehensive but re-

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laxed and good-humoured, consistent with the 'ride friendly' BMW Club rationale. Some aspects of the briefing were almost diametrically opposed to what you would expect for a standard track day. For example, you were told to use your mirrors and if you saw a rider catching you in the corners to let them pass you on the straights (to avoid holding them up). Having previously ridden the 3-mile long Snetterton 300 circuit only once before I opted to join the Cautious group to maximise my opportunities to ride 'Ducks & Drakes' laps with an instructor during the first two sessions. This involved each rider following the instructors lines for a lap before dropping to the back of the group (almost like sitting behind Richard Parker on an EAMG social ride). We were split into small sub-groups of 2, 3 or 4 riders, depending on experience levels and I was paired with a K1300S, a classic Boxer Twin and a Suzuki Bandit under the guidance of an instructor with endurance racing experience on an R1200S. Mysteriously the Bandit disappeared after just one session. Most lines

seemed to make sense immediately with the exception of taking a wide exit to the right from Hamiltons before returning to the left before Oggies. We were advised that this was to prepare for later as our pace increased and the instructors were right, as it was surprising how quickly you could enter Hamiltons with a little prac-tice.

In the early sessions over-taking was strictly re-stricted with passing only on the left on the Bentley & Senna straights but we were gradually given more freedom as the day pro-gressed. Nevertheless, overtaking into corners or between Brundle & Nelson and Corams & Murrays was

strongly discouraged (with any overtake deemed to be dangerous by marshals

potentially incurring a black flag). The first two sessions provided a very good framework for gradually exploring ac-celeration and braking limits, without having to worry about things like poor road surfaces, oncoming traffic or speed limits. I must say that despite not being the

fastest or lightest bike the VFR acquitted itself very well, even if it did bounce off the rev limiter a few times when accelerating through the gears on the straights.

Just as we stopped for the lunch interval some really dark clouds appeared on the horizon but, amazingly, they skirted around the circuit and the track stayed dry for the whole day. In total each group enjoyed seven 20 minute sessions during the day. Our group did not experience any interruptions to recover fallen or broken down bikes (I am sure it was just a coincidence but I did not see that many Fireblade's around....).

The closest to an 'incident' I was aware of in our group was when the K1300 rider approached one corner a little too enthusiastically and took to the grass - he obvi-ously decided against trying to reach the rougher ploughed areas as he was not on a GS! The day flew by and all too soon I was queuing to pick up my CD of pictures and heading off to Attleborough to refuel. The only small negative I noticed was that the number of spare Instructors available seemed to mysteriously reduce in the



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afternoon. This was not a major issue to me but could have been if you were spe-cifically aiming to take advantage of further instruction.

I would certainly recommend visiting the Snetterton 300 circuit if you have not tried it before as it offers a challenging mixture of corners and some reasonable length straights. The facilities have also improved by leaps and bounds over recent years. The BMW Club (visit www.thebmwclub.org.uk then select 'Registers' & 'Sporting') is, in my view, also well worth considering if you are planning to attend a track day.

I felt the day offered good value at £120 and I will certainly be keeping a lookout for their 2015 dates. Next time I hope my Fireblade - complete with new stator, regulator/rectifier & battery - will be able to make it too!



EAMG Events Report! Chris Johnson

On the 12th of October we had an AGT. It started

a little uncertainly, since we were locked out, and when finally allowed into the grounds our usual room was occupied by a Christian Group which

seemed to be rehearsing a rock musical. Still, it was good to see Snowie back on a bike again; one bearing an uncanny resemblance to the ma-

chine written off in his accident, but with the addi-tion of 'glimmering' running lights. We

were finally allo-cated the room above our usual one,

and Chris Reed gave an impromptu talk on Junctions. This devolved fairly quickly into a discussion of the acci-

dent video posted on the Forum re-cently, and the evils of daytime head-lights. In deference to Chris I refrained

from pungent expression of my opinions on the matter. After the talk there were six of us to take a ride to the Black Horse at Stratford St.

Mary. It was a fine day which became

progressively warmer. With such a small group we used the Buddy, rather than Marker, system (do not

make a turn until the guy behind you can see you doing it) and arrived without mishap or U-turn. Fortunately

the publican at the Black Horse seemed to be in a rather better hu-

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mour than he had been during my recce.

The plan for the return was just to scut-tle back along the A12, but John (? - rid-ing a white VFR) announced that if I

could get him back to Bures he knew a more interesting route back to Chelms-ford. I do love an interesting route, and

so the three with something better to do with their lives took the A12, and the

rest of us duly made our way to Bures (one tiny U-turn) and then had to cast about a bit to find the relevant road there (another slightly less tiny U-turn) but once Parsonage Way

had manifested itself we had a pleasant ride back through Earles Colne, Coggeshall and Tiptree to Maldon. I wasn't quite sure why we were led down into the dead end at the jetty there but it was pictur-

esque enough, I had never been there before, and a U-turn later I was on my way home. It didn't start pouring until I had arrived safely, so I shampooed the bike and let the pure rain rinse it off. That

London rain is actually a suspension of soot particles in a mixture of dilute nitric and sulphurous acids is something I prefer not to dwell on.

Richard's Full Member Ride on 26th October was to Kings Lynn. A

southerly wind kept the tempera-ture at about fourteen degrees and it was a dry, overcast day; ideal for

an autumn ride when a low after-noon sun can make forward vision

difficult. Richard announced that, although he had not actually vis-

ited the proposed lunch venue, Geoff Preston had sorted out

something on his SatNav and would switch from back marker to leader after we had fuelled up

on the outskirts. Chris Reed paled visibly at such a casual ap-proach to a serious matter, and

even I rather nervously asked Geoff if this was the same Sat-

Nav which had misbehaved so badly on our USA trip. He reassured me that it was a new one. We set out promptly at 09:30 with a creditable twenty bikes and picked

up a couple more en-route at the Sainsburys petrol station and Downham Market. The coffee stop on the outward leg was at that great favourite, The Green Wellie in Chatteris. We then were into the

typical Fens roads, with clear views through the bends encouraging brisk progress, and the bumpiness of some of the roads keeping it in check. Soon after Chatteris some minor delay meant that I was trying

to catch up with the head of the group when I hit an uneven stretch, and could amuse myself by looking down at the country below and wondering if I should have brought an oxygen mask. Fortunately the

bike remained reassuringly sta-ble under both takeoff and land-ing.

Kings Lynn is a historic town, with a seaport and many inter-

esting buildings. Apart from passing under an ancient arch

we saw nothing of this, since the lunch venue was in a retail park. Good cheap food, prompt



www.eamg.org.uk

service, plenty of immediately adjacent parking space; what was there not to

like? History is so yesterday. On the journey back we stopped at another great favourite, Walkers Burger Bar at

Barton Mills, and then ended the run at the Cock Inn in Boreham at 16:45. The fading light meant, in my case at least,

that the final 'sling the bike around' stretch had to be taken a little cau-

tiously. It was a most successful run, de-void of incident, and everyone enjoyed it hugely. Total distance 210 miles, plus

another 95 for me as a punishment for living in a silly place.

I missed the AGT on 9th November; compulsory attendance at my youngest daughter's birthday lunch. I believe that Spider was supposed to have had a ride organised after

it. I believe that there was a ride organised by someone. The only thing I know for certain is that pleas for more information fell on stony ground. Otherwise it has been a lean couple of months for out-

ings. I did attend an FMT on the 19th October. An excellent run out to Diss, with ten pupils, which was reassuring since the previous two

FMTs had been cancelled for lack of

interest. It is good to have a health check on one's riding. I was caught out lingering in the Triangle of Death

on one occasion, a real newbie error, and was also cautioned because ap-

parently performing a long block over-take by shouting 'Geronimo!' and do-ing a passable imitation of a space

shuttle take-off is not the nuanced approach to the manoeuvre that an Advanced Rider should take. Since the TUG deadline is looming ( I

have not been told when it actually is, but it is definitely very immi-nent) let us bring this report to a graceless conclusion.



First I would like to wish Colin Snow a speedy recovery, following a ‘SMIDSY’ incident where someone pulled out in front of him on his way to the Biker’s Retreat, leading to a broken leg and skin grafts. Hope to see you back on two wheels soon! For the benefit of new Associ-ates I would like to clarify that we offer two main train-

[email protected]

www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk

Open 9am-6pm Mon to Sat



First I would like to wish Colin Snow a speedy recovery, following a ‘SMIDSY’ incident where someone pulled out in front of him on his way to the Biker’s Retreat, leading to a broken leg and skin grafts. Hope to see you back on two wheels soon! For the benefit of new Associ-ates I would like to clarify that we offer two main train-

Across

4. Surtees

6. Barcelona 8. Kevlar

10. Fireblade 11. Straightlining

12. Tinmouth

13. Qatar

BIKERS BREKKIE Answers

Down

1. Shaft

2. Dunlop 3. Collier

5. Snetterton 7. Kawasaki 9. Marquez

13. IPSGA

www.eamg.org.uk

Have you ever wondered if your riding skill is still as good as it was when you passed your IAM

or RoSPA Test?

Is your RoSPA Retest fast approaching and you feel you’d like a refresher to check that bad

habits have not crept into your riding?

We are all only as good as the day we are actually riding our bikes. How good our riding was last year or even last month may not be as good as we think it is; complacency can be fatal.

EAMG provide two Further Training Schemes for Full Members:

Full Member Training (FMT) – One-day training courses available four times a year

Further Training for Full Members (FTFM) – Assignment to an Observer for 1 to 1

training

These courses are provided to check riding skills haven’t deteriorated, for those wishing to take

a higher grade of test such as RoSPA or for those preparing for qualification as an EAMG Ob-

server.

Full Member Training

Four FMT Courses take place during ‘summer time’ between March and October. Participation is entirely voluntary and those taking part do not have to join each ride. Training is for your bene-

fit and enjoyment; it is not a mandatory requirement that you go on to take a RoSPA test. To

ensure the highest possible standard, Observers undertaking this training will hold a current

RoSPA Gold certificate.

You will not be riding in one large group. Where possible you will be riding with an Observer

and one other Full Member giving you the opportunity to have a 'rest' while your partner is be-

ing observed. Every effort will be made to match your riding experience, ability and aspirations with your partner, any miss matching being addressed at the first refreshment stop. The routes,

approx. 200 miles, will cover a variety of roads and include several debriefing stops and two

refreshment stops. Joining details will be sent by email or post a few days before the event.

Events this year:

Further Training Opportunities for Full Members

Joining Fee

29th March 24th May

£45.00 26th July 18th October

Contact John Tipper, 8 Carlton Ave, London N14 4UA. Email: [email protected] Tel : 0208 360 8590



Further Training for Full Members You will be assigned to an Observer and rides will be arranged on a one to one basis when mutually convenient. Although not mandatory, unlike FMT, the training will be structured as preparation for a further test such as RoSPA. To apply to join this scheme:

Apply to the Membership Secretary either at membership renewal or during the season. You will be

asked to pay an additional Membership Fee (details below).

Your Application will be passed to the Observer Co-ordinator who will assign you to the first avail-able Observer. Where feasible, geographical location will be considered.

You will be expected to pay the Observer a contribution (details below) towards fuel costs.

Participation must be renewed annually.

Name:

Address:

Post Code: Tel:

Email:

Riding Experience:

Aspirations:

Typical annual mileage: Machine:

FTFM - 2015

Membership Secretary Observer Co-ordinator Additional Mem-

bership Fee

Contribution to

Observer

Teri Olley John Tullett

tba [email protected] £20 pa £10 per ride

EEE S S E XS S E XS S E X AAA D V A N C E DD V A N C E DD V A N C E D

MMM O T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T SO T O R C Y C L I S T S GGG R O U PR O U PR O U P

Colin Childs, Editor

University of Essex Printing Services, contact

Hannah 01206 872822 for more information.

Please mention EAMG when replying to

advertisers - it identifies you!

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Affiliated to the

British Motorcyclists Federation

Registered Charity Number 1107703 Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group Ltd, Registered

Office, St Laurence House, 2 Gridiron Place, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2BE

Registered in England & Wales, Registration No. 5258261

Disclaimer and Copyright Notice: The articles published herein do not necessarily represent

the views of the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group. They are the opinions of individual

contributors and are published with a view that free expression promotes discussion and inter-est. Any spelling or grammatical errors are the responsibility of the editor and a society that

pays footballers more than teachers. Inclusion of adverts is not to be construed as EAMG

endorsement, although most advertisers are excellent, but seek personal recommenda-

tions.Text © EAMG 2011. Illustrations © EAMG 2010, except where indicated otherwise. Group material may be reproduced provided acknowl-

edgement is given to EAMG and the original


Promoting Excellence in Motorcycling Since

DESTINATION Rated

Carousel Cafe, Kings Lynne

After a fabulous ride with Richard Parker, Geoff Preston took over to lead us to the Carousel Cafe

on a retail park in Kings Lynne. Tidy, clean with plenty of seating and decorated for Halloween. It

was a real surprise and definitely worthy of a future return visit.

Open - Monday to Saturday 8.30am til 10pm and Sunday 8.30am til 5pm

Food 4/5 Delicious well cooked food & drink. Great milkshakes.

Service 4/5 No quibbles our food, lots of it was served with a smile and fast.

Price 5/5 Two great meals for a tenner - what more can you ask for!

Capacity 5/5 Comfortably fitted us all with plenty more space in and out-

side.

http://www.eamg.org.uk/

eamg tug december 2014

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