south east biker july-august 2012

The South East’s No.1

Free bike magazineIssue 22: July-August 2012

www.southeastbiker.co.ukJoin us: southeastbiker @southeastbiker

REVIEWS • FEATURES • EVENTS • RIDES • SPORTS

TWO-STROKE HEAVEN

MOTORCYCLE ACTION GROUP

LUDICROUS LEGISLATION

INTO AFRICA

ROB GUIVERON TOP

MOTO3 STAR INTERVIEw

DANNY wEBBMOPED

MADNESSFOR CHARITY

BIKE SALES: 01420 488290PARTS & SERVICE: 01420 488328Petersfi eld Road, Whitehill, Hampshire. GU35 9ARwww.haslemeremotorcycles.co.uk

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QUALITY SERVICING ON SUZUKI, YAMAHA, RIEJUFULL WORKSHOP FACILITIES • MOT TESTING CENTRE

UP TO 200 NEW AND USED BIKES IN STOCK • PART EXCHANGE WELCOME

CELEBRATING30 YEARS

1982-2012

Test rides subject to terms and conditions.

SATURDAY 14TH JULYCALL NOW TO BOOK YOUR TEST RIDE ON 01420 488290

SUZUKI DEALER OF THE YEAR 2011 – AFTER SALES

Haslemere Motorcycles FP 0612.indd 1 21/06/2012 11:48

South East Biker Magazine • www.southeastbiker.co.uk 3

STARTING GRID

WhERE cAN yOU FIND SEB MAgAzINE?South East Biker (SEB) Magazine is delivered to selected motorcycle outlets and businesses across Sussex, Surrey, Kent, London, Essex, Middlesex, Berkshire, Hampshire and Dorset. See page 46 for listings.

We are increasing our circulation every month, so if you missed your copy then subscribe for just £9 per annum and we will post you a copy direct to your door so you will never miss an issue ever again. Just email: [email protected].

www.southeastbiker.co.ukMAKING CONTACTADVERTISING Debbie Tunstill & GENERAL Tel: 01892 610808 ENQUIRIES: Email: [email protected] South East Biker, Wirral Acre, Eridge Road, Crowborough, East Sussex. TN6 2SPEDITOR & PUBLISHER: Nick Tunstill, email: [email protected]: Dean cook, email: [email protected]: Evon Print, Henfield, Sussex© 2012 South East Biker (SEB) Magazine is an independent title and does not endorse the products or services that appear in the magazine. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor or of South East Biker magazine. Reproduction of content is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from the editor or publisher.

COVER IMAGE: Danny Webb.

First of all, apologies

for the front cover

picture of Issue

21, giving the

impression we

were in for a long

hot, drought afflicted, perfect biking

summer! Those long warm sunny

days have yet to appear and the rain

has affected many motorcycling

events and ride-outs. However there is

plenty going on over the next couple

of months to get on your bike and see.

This issue features some local riders

competing in BSB and Moto3 plus

the Bemsee round up. Sam Manicom

tells of his African adventures and

some intrepid moped riders travel

the length of the UK for charity.

Terry Dunn has a nostalgic rebuild of

a classic two stroke and we have as

much information about local biking

events as we can cram in.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, let us

know of any events you would like

promoting and we will do our best

to post on the website, Facebook and

Twitter.

Nick Tunstill, Editor

southeastbiker

@southeastbiker

6 99 Problems Danny Webb charts his

season so far

8 Danny Gets Dirty The Moto3 rider on

his day off

10 Know Where Your Bike Is

A GPS security device reviewed

12 Helmet Review The patriotic Shark Vision R

14 Two Stroke Heaven Terry Dunn rebuilds an

RGV250

16 Jogle4Brad Moped madness in aid of

charity

24 Into Africa Excerpts from Sam

Manicom’s brilliant book

30 Frontline Latest news on the ongoing

struggle against the EU

32 My Kool Blue Dream A Harley dream come true

34 Rob Guiver 2012 Running well in the Triumph

Triple Challenge

36 BRMC round up Club racing season in full

swing

40 South East Events Plan your summer biking

CONTENTS

BIKE SALES: 01420 488290PARTS & SERVICE: 01420 488328Petersfi eld Road, Whitehill, Hampshire. GU35 9ARwww.haslemeremotorcycles.co.uk

Follow us on Facebook. Search for:


QUALITY SERVICING ON SUZUKI, YAMAHA, RIEJUFULL WORKSHOP FACILITIES • MOT TESTING CENTRE

UP TO 200 NEW AND USED BIKES IN STOCK • PART EXCHANGE WELCOME

CELEBRATING30 YEARS

1982-2012

Test rides subject to terms and conditions.

SATURDAY 14TH JULYCALL NOW TO BOOK YOUR TEST RIDE ON 01420 488290

SUZUKI DEALER OF THE YEAR 2011 – AFTER SALES

Haslemere Motorcycles FP 0612.indd 1 21/06/2012 11:48

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=46

You can’t plan ahead for when things go wrong……but when they do, who can you turn to for free legal advice? Easy – contact Access Legal from Shoosmiths

Web - www.access-legal.co.ukEmail - [email protected] Blog - motorbike.access-legal.co.uk

Access Legal from Shoosmiths - Quantum House - Basing View - Basingstoke - RG21 4EX

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Personal injury

Summer isn’t yet upon us but different shades of visors are starting to appear on those sunny days. It is hard not to be blinded by the sun when riding a motorbike when you are using a clear visor and many of us use a tinted visor. So what is road legal? There is some help out there in the form of legislation and guidelines from the Department of Transport. Section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 subsection 3 a and b states that if a person driving or riding a motorbike on a road uses an appliance of any description for which a type is prescribed under this section, and that appliance is not of a type so prescribed, or is otherwise used in contravention of regulations under this section, he is guilty of an offence. The act also includes someone selling such items. The Department of Transport gives simpler guidelines on legal visors. Visors are to have a trademark or trade name on them and should have the words ‘Daytime Use Only’ if they are unsuitable for night time use. They should also have an international approval mark consisting of a circle surrounding the letter ‘E’ followed by the number of the country. In the UK BSI Kite Mark BS 4110:1999 applies specifically to visors.

This ensures that visors let enough light through; visors that let less than 50% light transmission is illegal. Dark tint and iridium visors have particularly low light transmission rates and are normally

therefore illegal. On reputable websites that sell visors there is usually advice on which visors are road legal.

What is the stance taken by the Police?This very much depends on the particular force and officer dealing with the matter. Most will be sensible and will be aware of the guidelines given in the ACPO National Motorcycle Enforcement Strategy (2008).

These guidelines state that if tinted visors are used by motorcyclists during daylight hours, then a police officer should give the rider advice only, on their use. If used during the hours of darkness or conditions of reduced visibility then an officer should check the tint of the visor using ‘Tintman’ equipment where available.

The guidelines recommend a pragmatic approach and only in cases where there is an obvious danger should prosecution be considered.

So the general rules that the police follow are that visors should let through 50% of light transmission (dark and iridium visors don’t) but if you are stopped during the day and you have less light transmission through your visor you are likely to get advice from the officer. However, if you use a tinted visor when it is dark you may face prosecution.

It’s worth taking a sensible approach. I wear a tinted visor on sunny days but also carry a clear one in case of sudden darkness.

LegalCorner

Please call our Helpline on 03700 868686 or visit www.access-legal.co.uk for more information.We also have free guides and answers to frequently asked questions at www.access-legal.co.uk

Are tinted/dark visors road legal? We’re bikers who happen to be lawyers.

120416_mot_SouthEast_A5_dps.indd 1-2 16/04/2012 11:21:39

6 July-August 2012 • South East Biker Magazine

SPOTLIGHT: DANNY WEBB

ProblemsAlthough on paper a serious contender for the Moto3 GP title, Kent star Danny Webb’s run of cruel luck on the Mahindra machine sees him yet to score a point in the 2012 championship standings.Words: Annie Holder. Images: Fastframe Photography

Danny craves “a proper shot” at the Moto3 gP

crown, but a catalogue of technical issues have resulted in 5 DNFs from the first 6 rounds of the 2012 season.

In development terms, the brand new Mahindra/

Oral has a mountain to climb, but Danny can’t hide his disappointment at the run of poor form.

The team are trying everything they can to improve performance, but are definitely on the back foot when compared to Honda and KTM, who’ve had many years of building 4-stroke engines for their off-road bikes, prior to adapting that technology for the new 2012 Moto3 class.

What frustrates Danny most is that his championship position doesn’t accurately reflect his experience or ability. It’s hard to be cruising down pit lane with a broken engine when you know you

should be pushing for a top 10 race position.

Danny remained upbeat in the build-up to his home GP at Silverstone – “It’s a great track, I really like riding there” – with the hope that a UK race could bring the best of British luck to his blighted season.

Encouragingly, Danny’s weekend started well; up to 6th at one stage during Free Practice and finishing Friday’s timed session in a strong 11th. Saturday’s Official Qualifying saw him achieve a solid 21st place, with teammate Marcel Shrötter languishing 14 grid positions behind

on identical machinery.With the Silverstone circuit bathed in race day

sunshine, the home crowd believed that Danny’s fortunes were about to change. He maintained a consistent 20th in the race with the hope of his first finish since Qatar, until the Mahindra’s technical gremlins resurfaced, forcing Danny to retire his machine a heartbreaking 6 laps from the end.

Danny’s wealth of past experience in 125GP racing could prove invaluable in getting him through what is proving to be his toughest season to date. The 21-year-old’s favourite tracks of Phillip Island and Sepang are still to come, and the fortunes of the Mahindra team can surely only improve with more track time, technical data and continued rider input.

Danny is certainly a Moto3 GP title contender, and he’s hungry for success. A difficult season could be just what it takes to prove his mettle. Webb’s rivals better beware – Danny’s biding his time, honing his skills and dealing pragmatically with the challenges and disappointments that can help to define a true champion.

2012 might be Danny’s toughest season yet, but who knows what 2013 will bring?

Cooper Tunbridge Wells

The Ultimate Riding Machine

Cooper Tunbridge WellsLongfi eld Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3UE.Tel: 0845 125 5851 or visit: www.cooperbikestunbridgewells.co.uk* Offer applies to the three versions of the 2012 model R 1200 GS (Standard, Triple Black and Rallye) that are new and fi rst registered to retail customers between 01 June and 31 December 2012 inclusive, subject to availability or until stocks last. The Offer is not available on any version of the R 1200 GS Adventure. BMW Motorrad reserves the right to substitute alternative accessories of an equivalent value. The £1765 value of BMW Accessories is the 2012 recommended retail price including VAT. The standard exhaust and windshield are also supplied to the customer with the motorcycle upon delivery. Accessory fi tting costs may apply at the discretion of the supplying BMW Motorrad dealer.

£1765* worth of accessories with the R 1200 GSLoaded and waiting, the rugged go-anywhere R 1200 GS now comes with an amazing £1,765* worth of complimentary must-have accessories• Akrapovic Sport Silencer – this titanium silencer gives

the GS even more grunt. Weighing in 2.5kg lighter than standard version and homologated for use on public roads and EU-wide, the Akrapovic sport silencer is perfect for those wanting that extra edge

• Scratch resistant Tinted Windshield – look cool, calm and collected with this ultra-sleek tinted windshield

• Large Tank Bag – made especially for the R 1200 GS, the large tank bag is perfect for carrying additional equipment on your unstoppable adventures. The fully waterproof, hardwearing tank bag is as fl exible as they come, with an expandable storage capacity of 13-19 litres

• Set of expandable Vario Panniers – Specifi cally made for the R 1200 GS, the stylish, durable and fl exible Vario Panniers are perfect for carrying luggage on longer journeys. What’s more, using the integrated lever, the carrying capacity can be adjusted from approximately 30 to 39 litres on the right hand side and 20 to 29 on left

• Vario Pannier inner cases – packing and unloading doesn’t get easier with the R 1200 GS inner cases - built to sit within the Vario Panniers. These cases are water repellent, volume adjustable, have foam corners for improved impact protection and come complete with detachable carry strap

To fi nd out more call 0845 125 5851 or email [email protected] to book a test ride.

Cooper BMW SEB FP 0712.indd 1 18/06/2012 17:52

South East Biker spent a morning

chasing Danny Webb around a private Enduro track in Kent, seeing how he keeps race-fit and stays alert between gPs.

The day was hosted by James Burroughs, Freestyle Racing Husqvarna’s

British Sprint & Enduro Championship rider, fresh from successful completion of May’s Scottish Six Day Trial.

Joining James and Danny were top UK comedian and biking enthusiast Ross Noble and his ‘Romaniacs’ teammate and off-roading mentor, ex-Dakar Rally competitor Clive

‘Zippy’ Town. All the action was captured by Steve from Fast Frame Photography.

For more shots from the day: www.fastframephotography.co.uk.

Danny gets dirty!

For information on Danny Webb and his 2012 Moto3 GP season, log onto his website at www.dannywebb.com, or follow him on twitter @dannywebb99.Ross Noble has just returned from a tour of Australia. Follow his exploits on twitter @realrossnoble.‘Zippy’ and Steve can train you to ride off-road at www.adventureridingacademy.com, owned and run by Dakar Rally legend, Patsy Quick.Thanks must go to James Burroughs for hosting the day at his track. Find out more about James at www.jb3.co.uk. Donate to James’ current charity, SERVKent at: www.justgiving.com/James-Burroughs-SSDT

SPOTLIGHT: DANNY WEBB


How does Kent’s top Moto3 GP star spend his downtime? Playing in the mud, of course!

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JW Groombridge FP 0612.indd 1 12/06/2012 13:54


With so many motorbikes being stolen today it makes me think it will

only be a matter of time before mine is. Let’s face it, it could only take a few moments for a couple of men with a van to lift your pride and joy and it’s gone…even from a garage as my cousin unfortunately experienced recently.

When you start to think how much time and money you have spent on your joy, it only becomes a real pain, after your bike has gone, when you realise all the extras aren’t covered on your insurance.

Prevention is the best policy, so even if you had the best security devices to protect your machine, is there a system that could tell you where your machine is after it has been nicked? Yes there is.

I installed a tiny GPS device from MotoTracker. Quite simply it broadcasts GPS co-ordinates to your mobile phone. Because it is slightly larger than a matchbox it can be hidden quite easily and discreetly on your bike.

Apart from buying the device the only other additional cost is a 99p PAYG SIM Card and credit that should last a fair while as it only sends text messages.

I charged up one of the batteries and installed it along with the SIM card. Activating the SIM card was a little challenging but then it was simply a case of registering the device with my phone by sending it an administration text message then it

sent back a confirmation text. It couldn’t have been easier.

MotoTracker comes with a power unit but to test it I hid the device on my machine without

hard wiring the power unit to the bike’s battery only to find after one

day it text me to say the GPS battery was low.

Okay, it needs the power unit for sure but not being

technically minded how difficult could it be to attach it to the

bike’s battery? Ten minutes is all it took. Easy. The power will now be constant without having to worry about ever recharging it for as long as my bike isn’t left standing for many months for the battery to go flat.

All I need to do now is to turn the device on, send it an activation text message then relax. If anyone were to move my machine now, it would send me a text message every two minutes – even if the bike was in a back of a van. I can report its movements directly to the police with its location practically on a live level.

I can even call the device then hang up and it will send me a text message with its current status. Now that’s handy if, for example, my brother would like to take my machine for a ride. I can check on

his location (and speed) without him knowing about it! Now it has more benefits than I initially thought!

Having had it for several weeks now I have had no real issues apart from on one occasion it remembered

Know where your motorbike is after it has been stolen

SECURITY

Unlike our wonderful political leaders I thought I would declare an interest in this product as we are selling it through South East Biker Magazine. We came across this device last year and believe it offers a cost effective, self monitoring tracking system. Our designer Dean Cook bought one and we asked him to give us his appraisal plus another customer from our database. If you are a MAG member, or decide to join, there is a £25 discount on the RRP so we hope to encourage more bikers to join the organisation that protects our biking freedoms.


SECURITY

Protect your bike and valuable kit with the cost-effective MotoTracker Security System. If your motorbike moves, without your knowledge, it will just simply text you.

The device will text your motorbike’s current GPS co-ordinates and speed so you, or the Police, can track it live via Google Maps or a web-enabled phone.The small unit can be hidden practically anywhere on the bike. It works via a Pay-As-You-Go SIM* or your free text allocation by obtaining an extra SIM card from your mobile phone provider. There are no annual fees but mobile phone costs may apply.If you ever want know the current position of your motorbike… it’s quite simple…just call the device and it will text back with its location.Also included in the kit: Two RFID (Radio Frequency IDentity) Microchips and four Anti-Deterrent Anti-Tamper Holographic ID Tags which should deter any motorcycle thief.* SIM Card not included. Optional SIM Card set up service available for £20 including £10 phone credit.

THE KIT1 x GPS Tracker1 x Mains Charger1 x Motorbike Power Unit2 x Back-up Batteries1 x Magnetic Case1 x Waterproof Cover1 x Lifetime registration on the NMPR 4 x Tamper-proof Holographic Tags2 x RFID Microchips that can be read

by scanners used by the Police and Trading Standards.

PLUS: UK based support and warranty.

mototracker.co.uk

Around 80 motorbikes are stolen everyday……don’t let yours be the next!

The complete kit is just £149 plus £3.50 P&P. Optional SIM card fitting and set up service available.

For more information call: 01892 610808Order online: www.mototracker.co.uk or via paypal: [email protected] or send your details and cheque to: ‘MotoTracker’, Friars Gate Farm, Mardens Hill, Crowborough, East Sussex. TN6 1XH

MotoTracker SEB HP Ad 0612.indd 1 19/06/2012 09:13

What biker’s say….ANDREW CRAWlEy“Having had a Harley stolen before, I’m a bit paranoid over this one so having seen an advert in Motorcycle Action Groups’ ‘Road’ magazine I decided to invest in a MotoTracker.

It’s simple to fit, can run on an internal battery or off the bike. Easy to set up and lets me sleep at night... It uses GPS to track location and is highly sensitive. But if, like me, location makes it hard to use the movement setting you can use the speed setting instead. Anytime I want to know where my bike is, I just phone the tracker and it texts back coordinates that I can view on a smartphone map App. And as any thief will be off in a hurry, I will know the instant it moves. An excellent investment.

Problems? The build quality of the peripherals isn’t great, but when the power convertor jack fell apart the Technical Representative drove down the next day with a new unit and was happy to chat for 25 minutes about how to use the tracker effectively. Superb customer service. The power unit is a little bulky to hide effectively on a stripped-down bike but wouldn’t be an issue on a sports bike or tourer and the Tracker is just tiny. Overall it’s just what I wanted, simple to operate and the company care about their customers enough to fix problems instantly. Oh, and the box it comes in is really neat... :-)”

its last activated location when I deactivated it by text before a ride. This only became apparent when I came to reactivate it at my destination. Physically turning it off and on again before activation by text will ensure it has established a fresh location and will be ready to act. I found this didn’t affect it in activation mode when I forgot to deactivate it before riding to work one morning and saw several text messages when I reached the office.

The messages received on my smart phone showed me the time, GPS co-ordinates, speed in KPH, battery strength and Google Maps HTML coding showing the position at the time the text was sent.

Clicking on the Google Maps HTML code took my smart phone through to Maps, which showed the road I was on. On my phone there is a little icon of a person that takes it into street view, this can be especially helpful seeing any potential garages or outbuildings where your bike could be hiding.

So a combination of this GPS device, text messages and a smart phone makes this a formidable system that should be feared by any thief. If your beloved bike is ever stolen you will know about it as it happens.

Is there a downside to this system? Yes. You won’t be able to see the thieves’ faces when they are caught red-handed when the police pull them over.


PRODUCT REVIEW

I know you will read this saying “Oh no, not another Shark helmet review” but Shark

for me is the only helmet manufacturer that suits my very unstable neck. I have tried a lot of other makes AgV, Scorpion, Nitro and hJc but Shark is the only one that has helped me with long hours on my bike, without getting off with a splitting migraine. I saw the new Shark Vision-R Jack ST at the Motorcycle Live 2011 show at the NEc and knew I had to have it.

The Shark Vision-R helmet’s weight is amazing so I didn’t think they could improve on the last model. Speaking to the representatives at the stand they told me, “the Shark R&D engineers created a full face helmet that offers the panoramic view of an open-face helmet, with the ‘widest angle’ currently on the market, combined with the safety of the latest generation of full-face fibre shell. “ This helps the helmet to feel so much lighter, even though it does not weigh any less than its predecessor. It is just so much better balanced, held in the middle the helmet does not move the balance is so good. The previous model felt like it wanted to roll slightly back and that is where the difference shows.

We all know the way that a design can be re-worked so many times before it becomes perfect, but Shark must have worked really hard to improve this so much in such a short time. The back of the Shark Vision-R helmet is slightly cut away so riding a sports bike or a track day it won’t dig in to the back of your neck. I was surprised as I went down a size from

small to extra-small, the shell of the helmet, from the nose to the chin, seems shorter in depth so gives a

real sense of freedom for your neck.

I tried a number of the Shark helmets on at Groombridge Motorcycles’ ladies

night and fashion show evening

back in March. It was a great

opportunity to see clothes being worn rather than just on the hanger as so many garments look better on. There were a wide range of Shark helmets to try and the Vision-R Jack ST just stood out for me.

Another Shark patent is the little black lock mechanism, with no key necessary, the visor lever is situated just under the tinted visor lever, it locks the visor in the anti-mist position. The lock opens the visor just a tiny amount to keep the air circulating. It’s easy to miss the little lever but if you have problems with fogging, make sure you know where it is because it really does work. I know many people with other manufacturers’ helmets have to open their visor with their thumb to stop it misting up and their visors keep closing so they have to repeat the action again and again. The Shark lock does this without it being open too far or the wind opening the visor completely as you ride along. It’s been designed to operate smoothly and easily without having to remove your gloves. It’s such a small, clever way to get ventilation on a hot day too, riding at speed you still need fresh air circulating on which stops you riding with your visor open. The worst thing about having your visor open in summer, is

it leaves your face free for kamikaze bumble bees to hit you in the cheek, which is really painful, as I am sure you all know.

Last September at the SEB Lydden Hill track day, due to my unfortunate high side (a touch of the red mist), my prized Lavillia RSR Shark union jack helmet had to be retired, to my disgust. The Lavillia replica helmet was my all time favourite helmet, I know it sounds stupid to some people but I love the Union Jack design so, when I saw the new designed Shark Vision-R Jack ST,

I knew I had to have it. The new Shark helmet is so

comfortable its now my favourite and people do comment on the design. It really stands out when riding alone with it’s bright white back ground

is hard to miss.The Shark Vision-R Jack ST features are:• Easy fit glasses system.• Main shield injected, New Anti

Scratch // Anti Fog coating guaranteed for four years that can be re-activated.

• Sun shield label UV 400.• Removable and changeable

comfort padding.• Neck pad “PVC Free”.• Chin cover.• Ventilation system with

optimised Venturi.• Sharktooth ready.The price for this great Shark Vision-R Jack ST is £299.99 but I have found it priced at £279.99 with some of our advertisers. There are a number of retailers that advertise within South East Biker Magazine that stock an extensive range of Shark helmets for customers to try. check out groombridge Motorcycles, heathfield; The Biker Store at Blindley heath; helmet city, Tatsfield; getgeared, Leatherhead; and haslemere Motorcycles for a good stock of Shark helmets and tell them SEB sent you.

Fly the flagBy Debbie Tunstill

Helmet City FP 0612 SEB.indd 1 19/06/2012 13:43

July-August 2012 • South East Biker Magazine

RGV RESTORATION

By Terry Dunn

what happened when I got a sudden desire to fill my garage with blue smoke!

People get urges. Bikers get urges. I got an urge. It started simply enough.

Me and the guys had motored up to the VJMc bike jumble at Popham airfield, near Basingstoke.

The VJMC or Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, Hampshire section, holds this annual event so it’s almost exclusively Jap bikes and bits, unlike Kempton Park which is predominantly Brit stuff. So, there we were strolling around taking in the sights and on the lookout for the odd bargain, when my eyes light upon this bike for sale. It was way too expensive but the machine in question was an absolutely mint, bright yellow Yamaha RD400DX. All at once I got all gooey eyed and my

sight got all rose tinted as I start recalling the heady days of 1979-80 when I was the proud owner of an RD250DX. Coffin tank, speed blocks, in bog standard trim and in a rich, deep blue. Cor!

I came to realize that I hadn’t owned a decent capacity 2-stroke in over 20 years. I got an itch as the idea formed, stewed on it for a couple of days then dug out an old photo of me and my RD, and I got an urge. To get a 2-stroke. I loved that RD, even though it eventually helped put me in hospital for two weeks at the cost of some broken bones and one perfectly good kidney. Still, a 2-stroke, eh?

The thing to have after the DX’s and X7’s was of course the water cooled jobs, but I went four stroke with an absolutely gorgeous Honda

400-4, and the rest as they say is history. Still, a 2-stroke, eh?

Now, this urge went onto the back burner but never left me, until a mate who races TZR250’s put me on to a lad called Ollie who had a 250 he had intended to do up. But then he was unfortunately involved in a nasty car smash, suffering a bad head injury, and had not ridden since. That was 2 years ago, so now Ollie wanted to sell.

I wanted a look first and a meet was arranged. He lives with his parents on a small holding and, in the corner of a barn under a piece of old curtain, was this very shonky looking old RGV250.

Flat and bald tyres, rusty chain, aftermarket plastics and a bristle brush paint job were the immediately obvious faults.

14

15South East Biker Magazine • www.southeastbiker.co.uk

“What a heap of …” Ollie put in the key and turned. Nothing.

“Battery’s flat.” I stated the obvious.“Yeah, but it’ll start on the generator.”I give him my best ’oh really?’ sideways glance

while he kicks the thing over. After a couple of prods, unbelievably, it starts! I have no idea what noises I’m listening to among the various whirls and crackles of a V twin water cooled 2-stroke being blipped, but at least it didn’t sound like a handful of spoons in a tumble dryer.

“ Er … seems OK.” I say sagely, and, thanks to that urge, before I know it I’ve parted with £400 for a rusty, ropey, smokey 22 year old banger without even a current MOT. It then took the two of us to push it up onto my trailer with its flat tyres and semi solid chain.

Once back in my garage I cleared the decks then began to dismantle it. At least Ollie had thrown in a Suzuki workshop manual, much appreciated when I found out that Haynes don’t do a book of lies for this model. Cleaning the parts as I went and replacing the rusty or shagged nuts and bolts with stainless ones, it came apart like some 3D Lego model. The power valve, oil pump and carburetor cable system was a bit of a ‘mare (9 cables in all) but on the whole it was fairly simple and actually good fun. A gasket set cost £50 (good grief!) and other than not splitting the cases or pulling out the gearbox, I did a full nut and bolt rebuilt. The after market plastics I refurbed as best I could with £45 worth of rattle cans. The rest was really checking and reassembly. I make it sound so easy but it had its moments and the work took almost ten weeks. Adjust and set of the power valves was an education and I must give a big thank you to the RGV250.co.uk website. They were extremely helpful in places where the manual was less than specific.

Oil seals and odds and ends like the carb choke assembly parts were ordered from Crescent Suzuki in Southampton. Although the man behind the counter at first thought some of the parts I requested might be made of ‘unobtainium’, they always came through and usually got the bits to me in a week or so. New brake pads all round came courtesy of the Kempton Park

bike jumble and after a £200 lay out for a pair of tyres (standard front but 140/60 x 18 rear) we were just about there.

TIME fOR THE fIRST TEST RIDE.I’ll be honest; I was a bit dubious about this. Not that I doubted my skill on a rebuild, but d’you remember my earlier mention of a beloved 400-4? Two years ago

I bought a scruffy example, refurbed it and was really looking forward to taking it for a spin; memories of excitement filled blasts along the A272 all those years ago were still rich in my mind. Well, time, technology and Terry Dunn have all moved on a bit since then. Let’s just say it was a bit of a disappointment and I sold the bike on. There’s some truth in the old saying about not meeting your heroes.

So, off I go on the RGV. It’s small, bordering on tiny, but makes a nice noise. I’ve barely got to the main road when a couple of bikers going the other way give what seem to be serious

nods of approval. I’m beginning to like this!There’s useable power up to 8000 rpm. It’s good

enough for tootling around town and filtering. Then, once on the open road, making sure the engine is fully up to temp, it’s time to give it some revs. At 8000 rpm the power valves open and, whey-hey! Keep it between 8000 and the 11000 redline and this is really fun! With its diminutive size and narrower tyres you can point it where you want to go in an instant, and it will hold whatever course you choose, even if you have to make adjustments mid bend. An R1 slashes through a corner like a cutlass, the RGV cuts through a corner like a dagger!

I discover a great game called ‘exit the bend at eight’. Do this and you catapult out of the corners. It takes off like a stabbed rat and can reach three figure speeds with little effort. My old RD was never like this. Mega!

Back in the garage I check her over and just find a couple of loosened bolts but that’s it. No major dramas. Nothing leaked and nothing fell off. This is a cool machine. Let her bed in a bit and, d’you know, I feel an urge for a trackday coming on.

RGV


ALL FOR CHARITY

It was decided from early on in the planning that with there being such a large number of

us taking part, it would be best if we were split up into groups of similar bikes. The groups were c50’s, monkey bikes, FS1E’s, twist and go’s …and slow shit!

Each group had a designated leader, and all the relevant spares etc were kept together in support vans that were following the groups.

The trip started for me on the Thursday morning when Carly (my other half) dropped me and Darren (one of the other riders who had stayed at our place the night before) up to Clacket Lane services about 6 in the morning to be collected by the minibus.

From here we headed up to Beaconsfield services on the M40 to collect a couple more, then made our way up to Carlisle.

We got there about half an hour too early to check into our Travelodge, but then headed into town for an unexpectedly good night out, you wouldn’t believe how much fun can be had in a Wetherspoons with a bunch of blokes you’ve never met before.

Day two saw us all clamber aboard the minibus again, me complete with pillow liberated from the Travelodge to perch on as the minibus was the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever sat in. We stopped for a couple of breaks but made John O’Groats in good time.

The place is an absolute let down, at that point we realised that we were travelling the right way! If you’d spent a week riding the other way to get there you’d probably feel like hanging yourself when you arrived. I got my tent up while it was still

reasonably dry. Anyway, my bike arrived shortly after with a bunch of others that had been brought up together on a trailer. I jumped on for a quick whizz around the place and ended up in the pub, where we had a quick dinner, a pint of something local and a riders’ briefing. Then off to bed for an early start.

THE RIDE: DAy 1After a quick continental breakfast we had some group photos at the ‘start line’, we got into our riding groups ready to head off. Approximately 134 miles, straight down the east coast on the A9. Some stunning scenery to be seen here, and some big hills!

We all stopped at Dunrobin Castle to get some group photos, which was really nice, before setting off again in our groups trying to cause minimal disruption to the local

Jogle4brad Charity Ride50cc Honda C50s, Monkey bikes and FS1Es to take a trip from John O’Groats to Lands End! Sounds like utter madness but to do it? Matt Teague, a bunch of mates endure the journey for charity.


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ALL FOR CHARITY

traffic. That didn’t stop one of the locals stopping to tell us what a pain in the arse we were, and that he’d had enough of charity groups clogging up local roads....he was towing a caravan and blocking the road while he told us this...oh the irony.

Anyway, we had a couple of breakdowns in other groups, and one girl who had never ridden before went off the road, down a ditch, up the other side and hit a tree stump, sending her straight over the handle bars. She got up, dusted herself off and got back on and carried on, fair play to her!

We headed down across Dornoch Firth, past Inverness and onto Loch Ness. Loch Ness is absolutely huge, and the roads around it are great.

It poured hard most of the day, but we arrived at Borlum campsite to be greeted with hot soup and rolls, before setting our tents up and having a barbeque cooked for us. One of the guys disappeared into the back of his horsebox support vehicle and came out with what looked like a duvet and a desk fan, which he strapped to himself, started up and disappeared off across the next field, narrowly avoiding some power lines. Then he took off and flew over the Loch to get some great photos of the campsite and surrounding area. This is the guy who was to be christened Crazy Bob.

DAy 2Approximately 153 miles! It was cold, and raining hard for most of the day, but the route took us past the rest of Loch Ness, up Glen Coe and past Ben Nevis, and also past Loch Lomond. We stopped for a tea and bite to eat at the Green Welly stop at Tyndrum. Absolutely beautiful scenery again, but was hard to appreciate it with the weather. At the peak of Glen Coe we actually rode up into the cloud, which was pretty cool, and pretty freezing!!

After we dropped down the other side, most of the bikes in my group, the FS1E’s, were suffering with the damp. With the spark plug being directly behind the front wheel, the rain water flicks up onto the plug and lead, and they misfire and won’t run.

We all soaked our plugs in WD40, and I came up with the idea of cabletieing a finger from a latex glove over my plug and lead, which did the trick and kept everything running smoothly.

Towards the end of the route we had to cross the Erskine Bridge, which wouldn’t be a problem in a car, but

for us on our little bikes nearly caused a mass pile up. As you join the bridge, it merges you into the fast lane of traffic coming from the motorway, which was hairy enough on our 30mph machines, but added to that as we reached the highest point of the bridge we were pretty much stopped by the headwind coming straight at us. I thought I was going to start going backwards.

From here it was a short but very wet ride to where we were staying the night, at Bridge Of Weir, near Glasgow.

Hot soup was dished out again, but we had the luxury of a proper building to stay in, one of the guys on the ride had organised his local village hall for us to use, complete with drying room and tumble drier (I wrung my socks and gloves out when I took them off).

We also had the use of a workshop to repair a few bikes that needed attention, and everyone was chipping in sharing tools and parts etc, which was good.

The camp support team made us a cracking chili that night, and most of us slept in the hall, in the warm and dry.

DAy 3Approx 163 miles! This took us through Glasgow, and down through Penrith, with a photo stop at Gretna and over the border into England. But, not before we very nearly had a fight with a very big very angry red-faced Scotsman, who nearly knocked one of our group off his bike on a roundabout, despite the fluorescent yellow hi-viz jacket he had on. The guy pulled over and started fist waving and swearing at us, so we all hopped off the bikes to stand by our mate, and Mr. McAngry’s equally large angry son joined in too. This was quickly resolved when Jurgen (the biggest Swede you’ve ever seen and crazy Bob’s mate) came around the corner into view and McAngry realised there must be loads of us. He told us to “f**k off ootta ma country” before jumping back into his car and disappearing.

Anyway, we had showers on and off, and the riding was going well. My group was mixed ability, with myself and one other guy being the most experienced bikers, so whenever we got the chance we were flat out trying to ring every last bit of speed out of the poor little bikes, then pulling over up the road to wait for the others. The group had settled into a good riding rhythm by now, with everyone finding their feet and a riding style that suited being in a group.

There were some cracking bits of road, especially as


ALL FOR CHARITY

we came into the Lake District. We were held up when our Sat Nav threw a wobbly and decided to try and take us over a mountain track with a 25% gradient, which wasn’t going to happen. This held us up by about an hour, and by the time we worked out where we were, and where we were supposed to be and we rolled into the campsite at Bays Brown Farm in Ambleside, it was pissing hard and pitch black, and getting on for 9.30 at night. I’ve never been so grateful for a cup of hot soup and a bread roll!

After dinner I got roped into fixing broken down mopeds again, and, by the time I’d finished, it was midnight. I couldn’t face pitching my tent in the dark in the pouring rain, for the sake of six hours sleep, so slept in the back of a minibus, with the aforementioned rockhard seats.

DAy 4An easy 135 miles! This took us across the Penines, and was a fairly uneventful day for our group.

One of the riders from another group was given a producer by the Police, and one in another group was taken away in an ambulance to get his face stitched back together after clipping a kerb, going over the bars and face-planting the road in an open-faced helmet. He went home for a good night’s kip (he lived nearby) and rejoined us the next day, but couldn’t ride as his lid was

rubbing on his stitches. He let another rider use his ‘ped to replace one that had died.

We had hail and rain, but finished the ride dry. We arrived in good time at our rest stop for the night at Worksop Rugby Club, where we had a carvery roast dinner laid on for us, the bar was open, and a few of the local scooter club turned out on some nice Vespas and Lambrettas. A local DJ turned up too and put on a northen soul party for us.

DAy 5140 miles, but probably the hardest day for everyone. This was the reason for our detour accross to Nottingham – we all met up and rode into Nottingham hospital as one big group (of around 65 mopeds!) and were greeted by a local councillor, the local press, several hospital managers, the Brads (charity) crew and some of the kids that have come through cancer at the hospital.

We had a few photos taken, and had a speech from Brad’s mum, and then from one of the girls that had come through. There wasn’t a dry eye to be seen and it really brought home why we were doing it, and just made it all seem so worthwhile. Especially when they announced the total at that point was around £28,600. Up until this point, I’m not afraid to say that I’d been doing it for pretty selfish reasons, because it just seemed like it would be a good laugh and a great adventure, but


ALL FOR CHARITY

this was really humbling, and made us all feel like we were really helping to do something positive.

We stood on the site where they are planning to build the first dedicated teenage cancer unit in the country, in the grounds of the hospital. The route from here took us down the Fosse Way (an old Roman road) past Leicester, Warwick, over the M40 into Moreton-In-Marsh, and finally into Cirencester, where we stayed the night at a great old pub built at a canal tunnel.

Brian had arranged dinner and a pint at the pub, which was fantastic, and gave everyone a chance to relax and reflect on the day we’d just had.

My bike exploded on the Fosse Way, which we thought was terminal, but it just turned out to be unburnt fuel due to a knackered spark plug, which had detonated in the exhaust and nearly blew the end of the silencer out! A quick plug swap and It was off again!

DAy 6141 miles. This route took us through Bath, past Shepton Mallet, past Honiton, through Exeter and over the top of Dartmoor. We stopped en-route to visit a bike garage that Brian (the event organiser) had bought an RD50 from, and took a few photos of the bikes outside etc.

One of our group managed to melt his piston on his freshly restored FS1e, but he weighs 22 stone so nobody was really surprised.

As usual, we had rain, but some sun too, so all arrived dry, which was nice. Our home for the night was another pub in Lydford, Devon, where again Brian had organised dinner for us.

DAy 796 miles then 33 miles. We set off after breakfast, with a leisurely jaunt of just 96 miles down to Lands End.

This was pretty much all A30, so not particularly interesting but we covered a lot of ground in good time.

We had previously decided to meet up as a group before Lands End so we could all arrive together, but decided against this on the day due to logistics. Instead we all just arrived in our groups, us being the last group

to arrive, riding in carefully choreographed formation and being met by massive applause from all of the other groups that had gathered to see us all in.

The feeling of seeing Lands End as we rode the last half mile was overwhelming. I was so pleased to have made it, but at the same time I was gutted that it was all over.

We had the usual photos at the sign etc, at which point Crazy Bob decided to raise his moped (a very old Raleigh Runaround which he had pedalled most of the way!) over his head for a couple of photos before throwing it backwards over the cliff! This bloke was a loon. He was then reminded that we still had a 33 mile ride to the Stithians showground where the VW Action Southwest show was being put on to mark the end of the ride. His

mate Jurgen (the massive Swede) recovered it, kicked it back into shape and got it started, and off they rode again…Loons.

We all set off in our groups again to meet up in a Travel Lodge car park, to re-group, and ride the final few miles through the country lanes to all arrive at the showground

together. The looks on the

faces of the locals as a swarm of 65 mopeds came buzzing through the villages was priceless!

We arrived as planned as a group, and received a

very warm welcome from the show-goers who had already made it to Stithians. The show itself was great, not a massive turnout, but that didn’t seem to matter to us, its was great for us all to let our hair down with our new found friends, have a few drinks and dance like idiots. Would I do it again?? In a heartbeat.

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SAM MANICOM: ExTRACTS FROM INTO AFRICA

24

INTO

Africa One day at work, Sam Manicom suddenly realised that he didn’t like his job any more. But then he realised that he didn’t have any responsibilities, at all. He didn’t owe anyone any money and could, with a bit of ‘selling-everything-he’d-got’, gather together enough cash to ride the length of Africa. There was one slight problem though. He didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Within three months he’d learnt to ride and had made it to the edge of the Sahara on a 1991 BMW R80GS – that model because two blokes in his local pub had told him that the bikes were bullet proof, and idiot proof... We catch up with him in an excerpt from his book ‘Into Africa’. He’s down in Tanzania and has just been released from jail following an accident of the type that overlanders pray will never happen.

…Back on the road to the Malawi border again, I had a strange feeling that something wasn’t right so checked my gear and the bike, but all seemed OK. As I was having a drink of water, a voice from behind said, “Where are you coming from?” A simply dressed young man was standing there watching me with his head slightly tilted to one side. I explained the story and he relaxed. he’d been sitting in the shadows of a roadside bush when I arrived and had been watching ever since.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. For some reason it felt quite OK to tell him about the really odd feeling that was still niggling at me. I’d wondered at first if it had been sixth sense telling me that someone was watching, but as the feeling was still there and we were now talking, it couldn’t be that. It felt as if there was something unfinished or something had been forgotten.

I asked him where he was from and Domu talked about his village; it seemed to be quite a long way almost due north from where we were. “It is very remote”, he said, “We virtually never see outsiders there.” It wasn’t far from the edge of the dry interior lands of Tanzania and it seemed that he had set out to find out what went on in the outside world. He was very excited, though trying hard not to show that he was nervous. I recognised his feelings exactly. He’d learned English in mission school, a Scandinavian one I suspected, as his words were accented in a delightfully bizarre way. This reminded me of the first time I’d met a man of Pakistani descent who had been brought up in Glasgow.

As he talked about home, his eyes shone and I realised that my odd mood had gone. Perhaps this



village was reachable. Domu knew what a map was but didn’t understand it, so there in the dust of the roadside he drew a series of instructions, mostly using town names and then land marks. I copied them carefully into my notebook. He also told me that no one had ever been to the village in a vehicle and that he wasn’t sure if it could be done on the bike, but it seemed like a great idea to try. I had enough food and water, and the bike felt amazingly light without either American John or Captain Joseph aboard, so pointing her north I set off. I didn’t have any doubts about making it, which was odd really as I should have done, and normally would have. Henry David Thoreau wrote ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined.’ Looking back, this was just about the first time on the trip that I was going anywhere with complete confidence. It just felt like the right thing to be doing. Maybe the odd sensation had been the desire to leave Tanzania on the buzz of a high of success and not with the edgy feeling of needing to escape the events of the road to Mbeya.

A roadside bus stop hotel housed me for the night in a bare room with a single bed and cockroaches for company. I set off again in the very early morning, happy to have just my own company once more. The landscape had dried out and the previous day had been very warm. Plenty of drink stops combated the heat, the road disappeared and then eventually the sandy track became too soft to ride. If it had been possible to ride in a straight line then perhaps I could have gone further, but the track twisted and curved through the bush. I’d made it over rocky paths and at one stage had followed a dried up riverbed. At this point I could have turned around, but decided



26

to risk hiding the bike in the thorn bushes (with luck I wouldn’t pick up any thorns in the tyres). After brushing away the tyre and footmarks (probably quite uselessly, but it made me feel better), I carried on down the track on foot. From Domu’s drawings it looked as if there was a two-day walk left to do but at least the land was flatter now. Perhaps naively, I still felt total confidence in what I was doing. Fit, healthy and with plenty of food and water, this trip could be done. I stopped to rest in the hottest three hours of the day and in the afternoon the trail meandered me onwards, passing landmark after landmark that were always roughly where they were supposed to be. That night, sleeping under a thorn bush, there were just the sounds of the wind and the silence of a full moon for company. I didn’t see or hear another living thing at all, but my boots did get a thorough shaking out in the morning. I’d read that snakes and scorpions like empty footwear.

By the end of the next day doubt was easing into my mind – the village wasn’t where it should have been. My water supply was nearing the point of no return – if I didn’t turn back soon, I wouldn’t be able to make it back at all. Perhaps I was being stupid but I gave myself another couple of kilometres to find the village. If unlucky, I could still make it back OK. But then, after only another half a kilometre, a straggly bunch of goats let their herder know that there was a stranger around. The startled boy ran off up the track and by the time I’d followed him to the rough-fenced village, the people were expecting me. A group of old men sat outside the largest hut on rough benches, and one kitchen style chair – a badge of rank. All eyes followed me suspiciously as I moved cautiously across towards them. Squatting down to the level of the men on the lower seats, I tried my Swahili. Not an eyelid blinked and not a facial expression changed. English didn’t work, nor did my lousy French and my few words of German (tried with the thought that as this had once been a German colony then maybe one of these older men might understand me) didn’t work either. Not a blink. Resorting to sign language started to get me somewhere. I tried to convey to the man who was

obviously the chief, that I was harmless and would it be possible to stay for a week to learn about his village? I explained about meeting Domu and gave the presents of salt, sugar and soap that I had brought with me. Then I had a strong urge to pinch myself. This really was me, in a village, in the middle of Africa. Months ago, I’d been selling shoes in a completely different world.

Suddenly there were smiles and then handshakes. The men moved along to make room for me to sit

and the other village folk carried on about their business, though they all still had at least one eye on me as they went.

I sat and watched life go by. My parents, who’d worked in Africa for a while, had probably been in a similar situation to this, but a considerable amount less was known in those days about life in the villages. I’d had television documentaries and the National Geographic magazine to learn from. They’d had books whose

chapters had titles such as ‘Heathen Practices’, ‘Cannibalism and Secret Societies’ and ‘Getting to know the Black Man’. The chapter called ‘The Native Love Feast’ had not lived up to its title.

The men around me carried on talking between themselves

and it seemed that one in particular was the main storyteller. He told his stories by talking and by making gestures with hands that looked as hard as leather, as did his feet. His face was lined by creases that bent and flexed as his expressions dramatically changed with each turn in the story. He appeared to be telling the tale of a hunt from days gone by. I was sure that the story had been told many times before, but attention was complete and every so often one or another of the men would excitedly join in for a moment or two. There were satisfied expressions all around as the tale came to an end.

I found myself being part of the evening’s entertainment for the village whilst putting up my little two-man tent. The chief was most impressed and was not too dignified to climb in and lie down. However, he didn’t seem so impressed with the lack of headroom.

Fires were lit and it appeared that a party had been planned; a goat had been killed and was being roasted over the coals. The women of the village had been busy cooking cassava, which was yet another pretty tasteless


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Weald HP 0612.indd 1 12/06/2012 10:24



28

stodge; this one made from a white centred root. They were also cooking a sort of spinach vegetable, which I later found out was the leaves from the top of the cassava plant itself. In a village like this, nothing would be wasted. At last, just after ten we all sat down to eat, the women on mats, the men on chunks of wood and the chief on his kitchen chair. The sleepy eyed younger children ate and were speedily banished to bed, but the men stayed talking until well after midnight, and I was extremely happy when they did finally head for their huts. By then I was almost at falling over stage.

The village came awake shortly after five thirty, leaving me feeling that my eyes had only just closed, but not wanting to miss anything I slid out of the tent to watch. The women were bent over fires making the breakfast porridge, the boys had long gone with the goats and the cattle, and a baby was wailing somewhere. The younger men were up and were already repairing tools or tucking new thatch onto hut roofs but the older men were nowhere to be seen. Scrawny chickens pecked and clucked their way between the huts looking for morsels that were invisible to me. The cocks looked as if they had sucked in their waistlines and were strutting around with measured, stiff legged paces as if regally surveying their domain.

Finally the older men emerged and the maize meal porridge was slopped with all the grace of a school dinner lady into pottery or wooden bowls. As we ate with our fingers, I dreamt of a little sugar or cinnamon or chocolate, or anything to give it some flavour. As a novice, I managed to keep everyone amused with my decidedly inept attempts at scooping. Very messy, and not a job for the bearded!

Sitting with the Mzees outside the chief’s hut again,

the conversations gently flowed once more. The storytellers gave the feeling that some of their tales were being told in my honour and even though I didn’t understand everything, I understood enough to grasp the tale of the great drought when all the game went away and the spring almost dried up. I saw the battle between them and the village next door, and was there when the chief killed a lion as a young man. All told with words, mime and drawings on the beaten earth of the village floor. The days slipped by…

Into Africa is packed with colour photos and pen and ink drawings, and is available on Kindle and in paperback from all good bookshops including Waterstones and Stanfords of London. You can also get signed copies direct from Sam via his website www.sam-manicom.com

But we have news. Into Africa has just been released on i-Tunes as an Enhanced e-book (May 2012). This version includes many colour photos, a significant number of which have never been seen in public before. But not only that, there are video clips with Sam in which he explains some of the feelings about making a trip like this, and more…

There’s more news that we can pass on too. Sam tells us that he’s been receiving a flow of letters and emails from those who are blind, partially sighted, dyslexic, or simply would rather listen to a book than read one. Many of those letters have been from commuters and holiday makers. So, Sam has just finished recording Into Africa at Kite Studio in Cambridge and soon it will be available for download…details to follow or keep an eye on Sam’s website.


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MTS Sussex HP 0312 V3.indd 1 16/02/2012 14:43

July-August 2012 • South East Biker Magazine30

It’s a generally sound principle that we should be proud of, which is why it’s so terribly frustrating to watch legislation being

prepared in Europe that will affect motorcycling so profoundly and yet has absolutely no evidence to justify its introduction.

Some people believe there is no issue with the proposed EU Type Approval Regulation which is due to be voted on 25th Oct 2012, but generally when pressed, the same people haven’t actually read it. Perhaps they believe no riders have ever fitted an end can, remapped their ignition, or changed their sprocket sizes, but I get out and about to a lot of bike meetings and I beg to differ. Part of this EU regulation wants to stop us modifying our power-trains because some Eurocrats believe it’s unsafe and environmentally damaging.

But what about the principle of evidence for these planned laws?

MAG is concerned about the content of these new proposals, but is also deeply concerned about the fact that we are yet to see any evidence to justify their introduction. And if MAG is so off-track and there is nothing to worry about, why did the EU Ombudsman say that the EU Commission has a case to answer? Why does it believe that the Commission seems to have proposed something without

justification and in so doing breached the Treaty of the EU itself?

Why has the UK Government gone to such huge public expense conducting an impact assessment on the EU proposals, and also found that there is no evidence?

Why does the Commission state in Annex XVIII of its own proposal that there is no baseline data available to even establish if there is a ‘problem’ with modified bikes being unsafe or harmful to the environment?

Why has an MP belonging to the party in Government here, formally requested that the UK consider taking the EU Commission to court and why has he been supported by MPs from all other parties?

Why have MEPs written to the EU Commission and demanded to see proof and justification for these new laws?

Why did the Minister for Transport (Norman Baker) state in writing to the Houses of Parliament, May 17th; “The Commission has not published any indicators to support the extension of anti-tampering measures to unrestricted motorcycles as part of their current proposal… The Department’s (DfT) impact assessment could not find evidence to support anti-tampering measures on unrestricted

FRONTLINE

The Legislation lash upApparently we live in a ‘civilized world’, one in which we have faith that our judicial and legislative systems are based on the principle of evidence. It’s why, in some legal cases, the accused get off if there isn’t enough evidence to ensure a watertight conviction. Similarly, most new laws are only introduced to counteract some identifiable problem. MAG’s Paddy Tyson writes…


NEwS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE ACTION GROUP Fighting on behalf of bikers


motorcycles and on this basis the (UK) Government has opposed proposals to extend anti-tampering measures to unrestricted motorcycles” (a form of anti-tampering already exists on restricted bikes up to 125cc).

This proposal has already passed the Committee stage in the EU Parliament. It’s been public for over 18 months. One committee examined it and voted on amendments they wanted to see before presenting their report to the EU Parliament for acceptance. All this without evidence.

Negotiations continue at all levels and all the lobby work has returned the great news that new bikes over 47bhp may now be excluded from the forthcoming laws, which should be welcomed, but what evidence is there that changing the sprockets on a 650 single will damage the environment or be unsafe when doing it to a 900 triple will not?

MAG remains opposed to anti-modification laws, and I am particularly opposed to laws that have no

basis in fact. If legislators get this, a very interesting precedent will have been set and the EU will, I believe, have lost any credibility it may have had.

Our Government continues to fight our corner in Brussels too and as riders and voters we must continue to support them and get our MEPs to fight for us in the EU Parliament. MAG is working on an amendment with MEPs that will be tabled in the EU Parliament to ensure that the wording of Article 18 (anti-modification) is acceptable and unambiguous.

We will not put our heads in the sand and hope for the best. There is no-one else speaking for riders. Join us.

Motorcycles shouldn’t be penalised, but be celebrated as a solution to traffic congestion and poor city air quality. There’s plenty of evidence for that.

Have a great summer.To join MAg visit, www.mag-uk.org or telephone: 01926 844064


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Inta 0111 HP Ad.indd 1 07/01/2011 14:22

READER RIDES


MY KOOL BLUE DREAM

By Tracy Beeden

I used to own a yamaha RD 250 about 28 years ago, then the law changed and I was not able to ride any bike over a 125, so I had a yamaha 125 until

that was stolen and set alight one night! Shortly after that I took my car test and that was that.

While out riding as a pillion my partner’s bike, a VN 2000 Classic, I was thinking of my old RD 250 and how good it felt riding it, I don’t know why it took me so long before wanting another one and once I had made up my mind I was pretty desperate to get back riding my own bike a.s.a.p.

So that week I booked my CBT and started looking at bikes. I sat on a Harley Davidson Sportster 883 and my dream began. Within a week I had completed my CBT at 1066 Motorcycle Training in Bexhill on-sea were I was made to feel very relaxed. Following this I brought a Honda 125 Shadow, a cruiser style which was new to me, so back on the road just after one week. I was enjoying the new experience of a cruiser but this was not enough I really wanted a bigger bike and a full licence. I continued training for my full

licence with 1066 Motorcycle Training who were very friendly, we had fun and made it easy. So on with the plan, Theory test, mode 1 (off road bit) and mode 2 test (on road bit) = full licence. During this time my partner and I went over to Shaws Harley Davidson, which now feels like my home from home as they are very friendly, made me feel so valued and they kept the refreshments coming and remembered just how I like my coffee. I sat on a Sportster 883 SuperLow in the showroom, it felt great, just my size as I am quite short, and I thought what a great looking bike, so now I am feeling excited and keen to get on and pass my test. Before leaving Shaws my partner and I saw a Harley Davidson soft tail Heritage classic and both fell in love with it. He test rode it and agreed a part exchange on his VN. So when looking for a bike for me we end up buying one for him?

I completed my Theory test on 15th June and ordered my new bike on the 17th, a Cool Pearl Blue 883 Sportster SuperLow also having the side panels and belt guard sprayed blue to match the tank and


READER RIDES

July-August 2012 • South East Biker Magazine 33

mudguards with added, saddlebags and windshield, this wouldn’t be ready for 2-3 weeks.

Then on the 15th June I failed my mode 1 test! I felt so gutted, having ordered my new bike and then just failed. However I then passed it a week later on the 26th June and was back on track. Just over another week I passed my Mode 2 on 6th July, I couldn’t believe I would ever get there.

My new bike was not ready for at least another week…this was a long wait. The 12th July – the day had come and I was nervous as I had never ridden such a powerful bike and was so excited because I was going to pick up my new bike. I had not seen what the new sprayed parts would look like on the bike, when I saw it I thought it was just how I imagined it would look like, great and different to the other ones. The saddlebags looked good and the windshield was a quick release one so I could take it off easily as and when I wanted to. The switches and Alarm system were explained. The Harley Davidson ‘Smart Security System’ which meant a hands free

alarm and immobilised ignition system, sets itself 5 seconds after the rider walks away, the rider carriers a Fob which is recognised by the bike. The engine was started and it sounded so sweet, not too loud, the engine had a sweet distinctive Harley purr.

On riding it away, it felt so good I couldn’t believe it, the nerves soon disappeared as it felt like it was made for me, was smooth, and steady, very steady at slow speeds approaching junctions. This bike is great to ride and feels easy, it has a lot of torque, 5th gear only wants to be used when going at higher speeds. Now this was a new experience and more than I had hoped for. I call her my “Kool Blue dream “. I love riding my new bike, the only thing is the road has slightly scraped the exhaust pipe once on the A21 roundabout at Pembury and once on a long sharp corner on the A259 just before Rye, I think the road was a bit high, well that’s my excuse! I’m riding all the time, loved going out for days and riding with others. Not long ago I was wishing the dream, now I’m living the dream…


RIDER UPDATES

ROB GUIVER 2012 THE SEASON SO FAR…

The popular one make race series with riders on identical race tuned machines is featuring at nine of the twelve British Superbike

meetings this year. Rob will be supported by his loyal sponsors from previous seasons, Tom Barrett, Mick carter of Auto Mech services, Paul clark of Vertex Moulding, Mark Roberts - RST/Moto direct and Airoh helmets together with two new welcome sponsors Jamie and gaz Webster of Protein 5, and cMP Telephone Services. Additionally each rider entering the series receives support and back up from the series organisers and T3 racing. you will be able to keep up with Rob’s progress during the season by following him on Facebook and reading his race reports from every round of the championship on his website www.robguiverracing.com or better still come along and support him at the nine BSB race meetings where he will be racing and meet Rob and his team in the Triumph paddock area.

BRANDS HATCH ROuND 1After doing some pre-season testing at his favourite and local circuit Rob felt confident of starting the season well over the Easter weekend on the Indy circuit. The conditions for Race 1 were half wet and half dry. Rob opted for wet tyres, made a good start and was 2nd into the 1st turn, by the end of the 1st lap took the lead from South African series regular Phil Atkinson, going into Paddock Hill Bend. Rob

made a slight mistake and Phil cut back on the run up to Druids, but Rob managed to outbrake him and take the lead back from him. Rob led for the rest of the race and was run close by another former 125 rider Tom Hayward, until the last 2 laps when he managed to pull out a 2 second lead, and eventually won the race by 4 seconds. For Rob to win the 1st race of the season was fantastic but to win it on his birthday made it a dream start on his new bike!

The next day the weather had taken a turn for the worse, track conditions were really bad and there wasn’t a lot of grip. As track conditions were so bad the officials called the 5 lap race a result, and gave awarded half points. This put Rob in 2nd place of the championship 1 point off the lead. Apart from the bad weather it has been a great start to the championship for him.

THRuxTON ROuND 2The 2nd round of the championship later the same week took Rob to Thruxton. Last year Rob won the 125 race here so was hoping to repeat the same performance.

The 1st race was towards the end of the day and by then the track had completely dried up after earlier rain. Rob made a great start and was 2nd into the 1st turn, then dropped down to 3rd mid lap, and got back up to 2nd by the end of the 1st lap. At the end of the 2nd lap Rob took the lead which he held until the end and won the race by over 3 seconds. Rob also set the fastest lap which meant he would start from pole position for the next race. It was a great victory and even though he struggled with arm problems he was happy to make the distance, and was looking forward to the next race.

The second race of the weekend was dry but it was very cold and windy, Rob made a great start and got the holeshot into the 1st turn, but was quickly passed into the 2nd turn by Phil Atkinson. Phil and Rob swapped places for the next couple of laps until another South African rider, James Egan joined them for a three way battle for the lead. It was a very exciting race and the riders swapped places near enough every lap, Rob was starting to struggle with his arms as they were

Rainhams Rob Guiver, after many successful years racing in the British125GP series, takes on an exciting, brand new challenge for the 2012 season by racing a Triumph Daytona 675cc machine in the Triumph Triple Challenge series. By Sally Bly.

RIDER UPDATES


Rain, hail, sleet, snow, high winds, long days, heavy ‘flu and a dislocated kneecap…all in a

week’s work at the world’s toughest trials event.

South East Biker is delighted to report that James Burroughs successfully completed the Scottish Six Day Trial, surmounting gruelling challenges and battling illness and painful injury, raising money to purchase a new bike for the charity SERVKent.

Catch up with James’ SSDT event diary by visiting www.jb3.co.uk.

It’s still possible to donate to a very worthy cause via: www.justgiving.com/James-Burroughs-SSDT. Please give generously, YOU might need SERVKent’s help one day.

A big thank you to everyone who has already donated and to James’ sponsors for their invaluable assistance.

Trials and TrIibulations…WORDS: www.annieholder.com PICTURE: James Burroughs, www.jb3.co.uk

becoming very weak, with 2 laps to go Rob made his move to the front got his head down and gritted his teeth and pushed as hard as he could for the last 2 laps. This big effort managed to pull a 1 second gap to win his second race of the weekend. It was a fantastic feeling and Rob now led the championship by 25 points.

OulTON PARK ROuND 3We went to Oulton Park in Cheshire last weekend for the 3rd round. Oulton is is one of Rob’s favourite tracks and he had been on the podium on every visit to the track over the last 3 years.

On the Saturday the Triumph Triples had one` practice session, Rob managed to get 5 laps in and was fastest overall by a second, it was hard to find a set up only having so few laps, so he was looking forward to Sunday’s qualifying session to get some good track time.

He only had one session on Sunday again, this time the Triumphs were due to have a 25 minute qualifying session. Rob managed to get 6 laps in before it started to rain, he sat the rest of the session out because the track was too wet to go any faster but still managed to set pole position by 1.5 seconds. Rob was gutted though that he hadn’t had a lot of track time over the weekend so far, but was really happy to have pole position for the 1st race on Bank Holiday Monday.

There was drama in Monday’s morning warm up session, Rob ran into Hizzy’s chicane a little bit too hot and decided to take to the grass as he wasn’t going to make the turn. Just as he was about to rejoin the track he dropped the bike on its side on the wet grass. Rob was fine and the bike had only minor damage, The team got the bike repaired with plenty of time before the 1st race. 20 minutes before they were due to go out on track for Race 1, the heavens opened up

and it bucketed down with rain. Rob was a little bit nervous going into the race as he still didn’t have a lot of confidence in the wet, but he got off to a good start and was 3rd into the 1st turn He decided to hold position in 3rd to find out where the grip was and to see what the 2 riders at the front were doing. Half way through the race Chrissy Rouse took the lead from South African Phil Atkinson but, Chrissy crashed coming out of Shell Oils hairpin. Chrissy`s bike was in the middle of the track and Phil and Rob had to go either side of the bike to avoid it. A lap later Rob was confident enough to take the lead from Phil, but he soon passed back, finding a bit more grip than Rob had and he was riding really well. Rob tried to make a pass on the last lap but was just not quite close enough but he was really pleased to have finished 2nd and felt that he had now gained his confidence back in the wet.

The 2nd race was the last race of the day at 5.30, it was very cold but the track had dried up. Rob made a good start and was 2nd into the 1st turn but then took the lead and led for most of the race, with Phil Atkinson right behind pushing hard. On lap 7 coming down into Cascades Rob had problems with his visor misting up due to the weather and couldn’t see. Phil then took the lead.Rob had to lift his visor to clear the mist so that he could see again ! Once he could see again he set about going after Phil and made a pass going into the 1st turn but ran wide and he passed Rob back. Rob managed to pass Phil at Lodge Corner starting the last lap.and then rode defensively, braked as late as he could,and managed to hold Phil off for his 4th win of the year.

lATEST NEWS – ROuND 4 SNETTERTON MAy 25-27Qualified:1st, Race :1st position and 7th position.


BMCRC, Round 4, Oulton Park

BMCRC MICHElIN MINITWINSCOuzENS ExTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP lEADDan Couzens extended his championship lead in the Michelin Minitwins, taking a win and a second place over the Jubilee weekend.

Jones made the start in race one on Tuesday, and led out of turn one and down the hill. But braking downhill into the first left hander for the first time the race leader crashed out.

That left Couzens and Gilbert to get away at the front, but Charlie King, who made an excellent start after qualifying in 10th, soon joined them, and after sitting third until the halfway stage, he fought his way past Gilbert and then Couzens on lap four.

The pace quickened, with King and Couzens breaking away from Gilbert. But 2011 champion Couzens had no answer, and King took the win on the S&S Panelcraft Suzuki, just over a tenth ahead of Couzens.

Gilbert joined them on the

podium in third.In race two the leading three

got away together, with Couzens leading Buxton and Gilbert, and a three way fight for the lead ensued. The order remained the same from start to finish, yet just over half a second covered all three of them at the flag.

Jones, who scored no points in race one and started the second from the back of the grid, did his best to minimise damage, the 15 year old coming through the field to take fourth.

Jones, riding the only Gladius in the field, was up to seventh after just one lap, before getting up to fourth a lap later. But he was unable to chase down the leading group.

Joseph Buxton and Karl Fitt took a win apiece in the Rookie class.

RAPID SOlICITORS NATIONAl JuNIOR CuPfIVE RIDERS ON THE PODIuM IN TWO RACES AT OulTON

The Rapid Solicitors National Junior Cup arrived at Oulton for the

third round of the championship, fresh from action at the Donington World Superbike round. And after two races on the Cheshire circuit, five different riders adorned the podium.

Aaron Maxfield on his MAE Industrial Trucks Kawasaki Ninja 250 that took the win in race one ahead of Grigor, after youthful exuberance got the better of Hill, and he crashed out on the opening lap. Law finished third.

In the second race Hill took the win nearly two seconds from Grigor.

Law looked like he was set for another podium in third. However, he was passed by Thomas Lodge on lap four and Max Alexander passed him on the last lap, relegating him to fifth. Lodge was third.

EDI ASIA fORMulA 400SMORE BAD luCK fOR WElSH IN TITlE HuNTRichie Welsh qualified his Yamaha FZR400 on pole position but going out onto the warm up lap for the first outing,Welsh dropped it

Words: James Sharpe, Photo: Racing Line Photography

BMCRC Round Up


BMCRC

going to the Shell Oils hairpin, and failed to make the start.

That left Martin on the David Simon Tuning Honda CBR400 to take the win after hitting the front on lap three, with Gary Henning second and Andrew Gill third.

In the second race Richie Welsh managed to come through the field to take the race win, ahead of Henning and Martin.

However, Welsh’s DNF and Martin’s two point scores means he extends his lead at the top of the championship to 58 points.

DfDS SEAWAyS yAMAHA PAST MASTERSRECORDS SMASHED AS PARBuRy RETuRNSMark Parbury put in a rare appearance in the DFDS Seaways Yamaha Past Masters, riding the TZR250 his father used to race in the class, and promptly set about beating lap records.

He took the win, and was followed across the line by Michael Russell and Jesse Jones. However, with Russell ineligible in the points, second was awarded to Jones, with Steve King third.

In race two Parbury took off into the distance again, and the battles ensued behind.

Parbury took the win, from King and Pat Herron.

BMCRC PREMIER 1000SCHAPMAN DOuBlE WIN IN PREMIER ClASSBarry Chapman made his first outing in the Bemsee Premier 1000s, and took two wins the class. Chapman took the overall win in race one, ahead of Stock winner Seb Bulpin. Third across the line was the AP Broome Landscapes BMW S1000RR of Chris Barnes.

The third Stock 1000 was Ed Pead in fifth, behind the second Premier 1000, Jordan Simpkin, in fourth. The third Premier 1000 was series leader Michael Neeves, down in ninth.

Daryl Dance was the leading Clubman rider, also BMW mounted.

In race two Bulpin took the overall win on his Stock BMW, ahead of Chapman, who was leading Premier 1000, and Dan Fowler, who was third and second Stock 1000. Jon Waghorn was the third Stock runner in fourth.

James Folkard on his Ducati 848 was the second Premier bike in sixth, with Neeves one place back in seventh, and rounding off the Premier 1000 podium. The leading Clubman rider was Daryl Dance in 15th.

Michael Honey took both wins in the Rookie 1000 class on his Suzuki GSX-R1000, closing the gap on series leader Danny Campion, who was absent from proceedings.

BMCRC PREMIER 600SSIMPKIN AND COOPER SHARE SPOIlS IN PREMIER 600SJordan Simpkin returned to Bemsee action at Oulton Park, and took pole position on his Go Racing Yamaha R6. Cooper got away at the front and took the race win by just over a second. He was chased across the line by Jordan Simpkin, the leading Stock 600. 13 seconds later was Ogden.

Darren Jones and Joe Carnell were ninth and 10th, and second and third in the Premier class, while leading Clubman was Jed Angles on his Kawasaki ZXR600 in seventh.

In the second race Simpkin took the overall race win, just ahead of Cooper, the pair first in the Stock and Premier class respectively. Making up the race podium was Ogden in third.

Ogden was also second in the Stock class, with Steve Murphy fourth and third in the Stock class. Second and third in the Premier class was Jones and Dave Shelvey on his Suzuki GSX-R600 respectively, while leading Clubman was Angles in sixth.

Ben Gallaway and Ben Doolan sit first and second in the Rookie

championship, and shared the spoils over the weekend.

BMCRC THuNDERBIKE uKDOuBlE fOR KEllySeb Kelly qualified on pole and took both wins in the BMCRC Thunderbike class, his first win coming ahead of Tony Russo and Adam Nelson.

In race two Russo was relegated to third, as Kelly took the win from Ashley Buxton by two tenths of a second.

BMCRC f1 & f2 SIDECARSBEll AND BElSEy DOMINANT IN CHESHIRE

Suzuki LCR1000 pairing of Phil Bell and Tony Belsey were dominant in the Bemsee sidecars, the F1 outfit taking both wins, the first by 30 seconds. But as British championship runners, they did not take points.

The F1 win in the BMCRC class was awarded to Cable and Pawsey in race one, and Archer and Grimes in race two.

F2 pairing Miles Bennet and Shelley Smithes were second on both occasions and the leading F2 outfit.

BONHAMS BHGP/WRR lANDSDOWNE CuPENGlISH AND PAlMER SHARE SPOIlSGlen English and Chris Palmer took a win apiece in the Bonhams BHGP/WRR Landsdowne Cup.

English won from Michael Russell and Palmer, and in race two Palmer won from Andrew Taylor and Russell.

what do our members think?Brian “Thank you so much SEB for such a fantastic day. Our group had a great time and we’re already booked for the next three.”

Gary (Novice Rider) “Ken, the instructor, helped me to ride a better lap and I really enjoyed my day with SEB. I will be back ”

Dave (Intermediate rider) “Fantastic day out was good thanks to all of you for making it such a good day for us all. Well done!”

Photography by: www.fastframephotography.co.uk


SEB TRACK DAYS

South East Biker’s track day at Lydden hill circuit in Kent caters for all abilities. The

great value track day is ONLy £90. We offer a great day on an amazing circuit, with a fun, friendly group of riders. If you’re less experienced on track, Lydden is a brilliant place to start your track day career. For seasoned track riders Lydden can test the best of them. Why not make the most of our great British Summer and get on track with South East Biker?

SEB’s track day is not just about what you do on track, it’s a social occasion too. Here are just a few things we can offer on our South East Biker’s track day experience. Spaces are available in Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and the SEB mixed group at the discounted price of just £90, only available with SEB.

WHAT DO yOu GET fROM THE SOuTH EAST BIKER CluB MEMBERSHIP?• VIP registration so no need to

queue.• Discounted rate is excellent

value for money at only £90.• It’s a friendly, social event, ideal

for novices and experts alike.• Our own instructor on hand for a

one to one session .• Instructor has on-board cameras

to film you on track and then a de-brief after which can improve your track day experience.

• Your own unique DVD of your session for only £10, incl p+p.

• SEB’s own Photographer who concentrates specifically on club members.

• We supply fREE drinks, snacks and shelter from the British weather.

• fREE goodie bag, includes

stickers, vouchers and much more. • On hand fREE advice to help

set up your bike ready for the track.

• Purchasing a SEB track day experience gives you FREE membership to the SEB Club.

We know you will have a great time so book now and join in with the fun but you don’t have to believe us, why not hear from some our SEB club members.

You don’t have to own a sports bike to go on track, all makes and styles of bikes are suitable, just check out the great pictures from our last track day.

SEB track days dates are Saturday 21st July and 22nd September. Book now to avoid disappointment as space is limited already. call Debbie on 01892 610808 or [email protected]

Dave getting his leg down, whatever

works Dave!

Former SEB’s editor Pete gets help from Ken, SEB’s

instructor.

Tom Looking professional and very cool with a big smile

behind the dark visor.

Gary a hero who rode 65 miles, rode every session and rode another 65 miles home. SEB’s hero of the day!

Look out guys, here comes Lloyd he’s behind you.

Get on Track with SEB


PRODUCT REVIEW

Service • Repairs • TyresTrack Day Preparations

MOTs by Appointment17 Years Main Dealer Experience Tel: 01825 890313, Mobile: 07710 784876

Email: [email protected]: www.everestmotorcycles.org.uk

Unit 3a, The Oaks Farm Workshops, Framfi eld, East Sussex. TN22 5PN

Bring this advert with you and get a MOT for JUST £25!

Everest Motorcycles HP V2 0312.indd 1 17/02/2012 14:39

April showers turned into the wettest April on record for the UK, so for motorcyclists it was a damp start to the season. June started without much promise and summer seemed to have been the two great weeks we had in March and May. It seemed a far off dream of a Sunday spent riding the lanes, finishing at a pretty country pub and sitting in its garden, in the afternoon sun.

Anyway, after so much rain my winter jacket gave up and started to leak. OK, It’s 4 years old and it needed a bit of care and attention, I thought it could do with help resisting the rain. There are a number of products on the market to waterproof motorcycle kit but the name of one product caught

my eye, Storm waterproof spray in a can. The Bikerstore at Blindley Heath, demonstrated the effect when sprayed on a tissue with the Storm waterproofer, it created a complete barrier, the water formed droplets that just fell off the tissue.

Storm waterproofing spray

is suitable for breathable materials and Gore-Tex products too. I bought two cans even though they say that one can is enough to waterproof a couple of items. I wanted to waterproof was my jacket, trousers and hopefully my gloves. I managed

to do all of those and another pair of gloves, being quite generous to each garment, all out of one can. The can sprays darker so you are able to see the coverage of item and where you are spraying but dry invisible. It must be done in a well ventilated room and they dry quickly but I left them over night. Storm waterproofing (UK) do inform you that the spray may darken some fabrics but on all the surfaces I used it on it made no difference.

A can cost under £8 and it’s worth it so your dry and ready for our beautiful summer weather.

The benefits of using Storm waterproof spray:• Quick drying • Non staining finish • Suitable for all materialsStorm waterproofing products are available at The Bikerstore, Blindley heath or direct www.stormwaterproofing.com/application/waterproof/spray-on-waterproofer-500ml.html

Solving stormy showersBy Debbie Tunstill

South East Biker EventsJULY EVENTS

1 July Battlesbridge Show Essex1 July Goodwood Festival of Speed6 July Lakeside Hammers v

Birmingham7 July Kempton Park Bike Jumble8 July Ham Street Show8 July Southern Comfort Rally

Lodsworth14 July Haslemere Motorcycles

Open Day15 July Brighton MAG Show Shoreham15 July North Weald Show & Sprint21 July Eastbourne Eagles v

Birmingham21 July South East Biker Trackday

Lydden Hill21 July Lakeside Hammers v Coventry22 July BSB Brands Hatch22 July Enduro - Portsmouth Motor

Cycle Racing Club Ltd27 July Eastbourne Eagles v Kings

Lynn29 July Enduro - Sidcup & DMCC Ltd29 July Trials - Basingstoke MCC29 July Huntsman Motorcycle Show

AUGUST EVENTS3 August Lakeside Hammers v Belle Vue

4 August Eastbourne Eagles v Peterborough

4 August Fire Station Bike Day, Crawley Fire Station

5 August TRACK - Grass Track & Long Track - Southend & DMCC

11 August Trials - Braintree & DMCC

17 August Lakeside Hammers v Eastbourne Eagles

18 August Eastbourne Eagles v Wolverhamptom

19 August Enduro - Portsmouth Motor Cycle Racing Club Ltd

19 August Trials - Basingstoke MCC

19 August Bike Megameet and Jumble Popham Airfield

24 August Lakeside Hammers v Peterborough

27 August Kent Chrome and Cruisers Rally Sittingbourne

31 August Lakeside Hammers v PoolePLEASE NOTE: we cannot be held responsible for the information provided on this page. Much of it is provided independently. We suggest you check details with the organisers before making commitments. Further details and contacts

for some of these events can be found at www.southeastbiker.co.uk.For South East Biker Track Days contact: [email protected] you have an event you would like listed then email: [email protected].

September/October entries to be in by 5th August 2012. Entries are limited to first come first in.


Visit: www.perumotorcycling.comor email: [email protected]

NEW FOR 2014: PERU TO BRAZIL

CALL 01424 838618 NOW BECAUSE LIFE IS TOO SHORT

Adventure Peru QPV 0512.indd 1 18/06/2012 10:34

JOIN US FROM 7PMEVERY WEDNESDAY

THE HARROW INN, KENT

ALL RIDERS WELCOME

JOIN US FROM 7PMJOIN US FROM 7PM

ALL RIDERS WELCOMEALL RIDERS WELCOME

HOMEMADE FRESH COOKED FOOD AND A GREAT SELECTION OF BEERS

The Harrow Inn, Harrow Road, Knockholt, Kent. TN14 7JTTelephone: 01959 532168

or visit: www.theharrowinnknockholt.co.uk

THE HARROW INN, KENTTHE HARROW INN, KENT

HOMEMADE FRESH COOKED FOOD

• Reguylar Bike & Car Meets •• Hot Food • Sunday Roasts •

• Relaxed Atmosphere • Clubs Welcome •

The Harrow In 0512 QP.indd 1 23/04/2012 14:42

The Harrow Innharrow Road, Knockholt,

Sevenoaks, KentTN14 7JT

Tel: 01959-532168Extensive menu, great value

with stylish restaurant. Wednesday is Bike night

with special events.


BIKER BREAKING POINTS

SOuTH EAST BIKER BREAKING POINTShere is your quick guide to biker resting points throughout our region.

If you wish to advertise your business here to 1000s of bikers then

call Debbie on 01892 610808 or email: [email protected]

loomies Café

West Meon, GU32 1JX

Whiteways Café

(A29) Bury Hill,

BN18 9FD

Six Bells

Chiddingly, BN8 6HT

The Bell Inn

Outwood, RH1 5PN

Oakdene Cafê

Wrotham, TN15 7RR

Ryka’s CaféMickleham, Box hill,Dorking, Surrey. Rh5 6By Tel: 01306 884454

Rykas Café – the South East’s motorbike riders institution.www..boxhill.co.uk

Wessons Caféhigh Street, horam, heathfield,

East Sussex TN21 0ERTel: 01435 813999

Home of the MAMA Burger

Eat In or Takeaway Welcome

Now Open 7 Days A WeekMon-Fri 7am To 4pm

Sat & Sun 9am To 4pm (Inc, Bank Hols)

Station CaféStation Road, Alton, gU34 2Pz Tel: 01420 82205Opening hours: Mon-Sat 6:30am-3pm. Closed Sun.Late night: Starts end March Wednesdays 5pm-9pm.Take away service available.Try one of our great value for money quality meals.

Kent Motorcycles H’s Café

Dover Road (A2), cT4 6SA

Tel: 01227 832601Opening hours:

Mon - Fri, 7:30am - 3:30pm

Sat 7:30am - 5pm8am to 4pm Sun

Wed is Bike night open until 9.30pm

The Pied Bullhigh Street

FarninghamKent. DA4 0Dg

Tel: 01322 862125Bikes welcome, good food and good company.


TRADE SERVICES

Cooper BMW MotorradLongfield Road, Tunbridge

Wells, Kent TN2 3UETel: 0845 601 8593

New demo bikes available to try. Sales, Servicing, Clothing and parts.

BP Bikes7 high Street, Orpington

Kent. BR6 0JE01689 836679

Service and repair to all bikesBike sales and accessories

MTS SuSSExMotorcycle Training for Sussex, Surrey and Kent

• Taster Sessions • CBT • A2/DAS •• ERS • Advanced • Back to Biking •

• Free Assessments • Ladies Only Days •call us now on 01342 890006

[email protected]

BikeSmartNext to

haywards heath station Tel: 01444 446919

CBT, DAS, ERS with bike and kit hire available. We are an established training centre that can take you from CBT to advanced training.

JAM Sport Motorcycles43 The Street, Wrecclesham

Farnham, Surrey. gU10 4QS

Tel: 01252 718606 SALES, SERVICE, REPAIRS,

SPARE PARTS and MOT’S

Stockists in Enduro, Trials, MotorX

and quality used bikes

J. S. Gedge (Triumph)

10 Silchester Road, St Leonards-on-Sea,

East Sussex. TN38 0JB Tel: 01424 423520

Triumph bikes, quality used bikes and clothing to cope with all weather.

J. S. Gedge (Honda)406-410 Old London Road,

hastings, E. Sussex. TN35 5BB Tel: 01424 423708

The one stop Honda shop.

INTA Motorcycles99-107 Upper Stone Street,Maidstone. Kent. ME15 6hE

Tel: 01622 688727 or 01622 765791

Email: [email protected]

We specialise in quality used motorcycles and are Kent’s leading

motorcycle trials specialists.

Phoenix Motorcycles3a Beeching Road, Bexhill on

Sea, East Sussex TN39 3LgTel: 01424 225224

Quality used bikes available, MOT’s, Servicing, Parts and Accessories


Petersfield Road, Whitehill, hampshire gU35 9ARSales: 01420 488290

Main Suzuki, Yamaha dealer with good quality used motorcycles and

Harleys. Test ride the new GSXR600 or try some of our great 125’s on sale.

Kent Motorcycles Dover Road (A2), cT4 6SA

Tel: 01227 832601Everything Honda, New demo’s

available to test ride, CBF 125, CBR 250 and VFR. MOT’s, Servicing,

Clothing and Accessories.

GetGeared290 Kingston Road,

Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7QETel: 01372 225100

Everything you need under

one roof or check out our

extensive website.

www.getgeared.co.uk

Fastlane Motorcycles88 Priory Street,

Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2AhTel: 01732 363630

Email: [email protected] have a wide range of Used

bikes, Clothing, Servicing, MOT’s, Parts,Track and Race preparation.

ShoosmithsTel: 03700 868788

[email protected] legal advice

Viking Motorcycle Seats

27A heaver Trading Estate, Ash, Kent TN15 7hJ Tel: 07977 874075

Seat modifications, Gel pads,

re-covering and embroidery

www.vikingmotorcycleseats.co.uk

The Biker StoreUnit 2, Systems house,

Eastbourne Road (A22),

Blindly heath,

Surrey, Rh7 6JD

Tel: 01342 458171Wide range of Helmets, large

stock of Furygan, Richa and many

more. Come down and see our

large showroom.

NEW BIKES

uSED BIKES

SERVICING

TRAINING

ClOTHING

MISCEllANEOuS

Kingston Motorcycle Centre

Tel: 0208 549 5335Servicing, MOT’s, Race-Track

Prep and repairs.

CluB WEBSITE CONTACT69 Motorcycle Club, Dover www.69motorcycleclub.org 01304 820181

Associated Sheppey Bikers www.theasb.orangehome.co.uk 01795 870533

Black Phoenix RC, Sittingbourne www.blackphoenixrc.co.uk 07743 427227

Brighton Easyriders www.brighton-easyriders.co.uk www.facebook.com/brightoneasyriders

Brighton Overland Travellers www.horizonsunlimited.com/country/uk/brighton

BSA Owner’s Club www.westsussexbsa.co.uk

Burgess Hill & Distrct Motorcycle Club www.burgesshillmc.com

Carshalton Motorcycle Club www.carshaltonmcc.com 020 8642 0964

Chimaeras MCC www.chimaeras.org.uk [email protected]

Christian Motorcyclists Association www.bike.org.uk/cma/ sw_london.php 07871 960603

Deal & District MCC www.ddmcc.ocatch.com

Eastbourne and District MCC (Trials) www.edmcc.co.uk 07733 050537

East Kent Advanced Motorcyclists www.ekam.org.uk 07092 857898

East Sussex IAM www.es-am.org.uk 01323 849073

Friends & Bikers MC www.friends-and-bikers.co.uk 01634 245349

GEST Hastings MCC www.gesthastingsmcc.co.uk

Gravesend MC www.gravesendmcc.com 07740 341042

Greenwich Motor & MCC 01322 222197

Guildford Motorcycle Club www.guildfordmcc.org.uk 07774 422430

Honda Owners Club, Kent Branch wwwhockent.org.uk 01322 400775 [email protected]

Huntsman Motor Cycle Club www.huntsmanmcc.telinco.co.uk

Invicta Bike Club www.invictabikeclub.co.uk

Kent Advanced Motorcyclists Group www.kamg.org.uk 0844 585 7792

London Advanced Motorcyclists Group www.l-a-m.org 07000 781 103

London Fire Brigade MCC 07931 627213

MAG - Motocycle Action Group (Brighton) www.brighton.mag-uk.org 07780 704357

Merry Axemen The White Rock Underriver www.merryaxemen.co.uk

Mid-Sussex British Motorcycle Club www.msbmc.co.uk

New Life Bikers - Biggin Hill www.newlifebh.org.uk 01959 571667

Reigate & Redhill North Downs MC www.rrnd.co.uk 07793 659176

ROSPA Southern Advanced Motorcycle Training www.rospasmart.com

Royal British Legion Riders Branch (RBLR) www.rblr.co.uk

Sidcup & District Motorcycle Club www.sidcupmotorcycleclub.co.uk

South East BMW www.southeastbmw.com 01634 241215

The Half Moon Bike Club, Half Moon Inn, Cade Street, Heathfield

[email protected]

Tonbridge & Malling MC www.tmmcc.co.ukTriumph Owners MCC Mighty South London www.tomccmsl.co.uk [email protected] Riders MCC www.tsunamiriders.org.ukUFO’s MCC www.ufos-mcc.comWest Sussex Advanced Motorcyclists www.wsam.info 07870 373087Wey Valley Advanced Motorcyclists (WVAM) www.wvam.org.ukWidows Sons Masonic Bikers Ass., S E Chapter www.widowsons-south-east.com


CLUBS

BERKSHIREBRACKNEllBahnstomer BMW Thms. Vlly ... RG12 0SH TriCounty Motorcycles .............. RG12 1NQREADINGHein Gericke .................................. RG30 1EHSlOuGHHein Gericke ........................................SL1 2EJ

DORSETBOuRNEMOuTHCrescent Motorcycles......................BH8 9RT Hein Gericke ......................................BH9 2EGVERWOODCrescent Motorcycles HQ .......... BH31 6AX

EAST SuSSExBExHIll-ON-SEATop Gear Superstore/Phoenix Motorcycles ....................TN39 3LGBRIGHTONChandler’s BMW ............................ BN41 1YHCHIDDINGlyThe Six Bells .......................................BN8 6HTCROWBOROuGHASF Tyres .............................................. TN6 3JZJohn Harris Motorcycles .................TN6 1JSHASTINGSJ. S. Gedge (Honda) .......................TN35 5BBHEATHfIElDJW Groombridge .......................... TN21 0SPHORAMWessons Café................................... TN21 0ERMARK CROSSFreeStyle ..............................................TN6 3PDPEVENSEyJ.S. Gedge (Honda) ........................TN24 6EXlEONARDS-ON-SEAJ. S. Gedge (Triumph) ....................TN38 0JB

ESSExBRADWEllEssex Bikers Centre ......................CM77 8EBBRAINTREECannon BMW Motorcycles .........CM7 3QSHein Gericke ..................................CM77 8GA

CHElMSfORDEssex Honda ....................................CM2 9QP COlCHESTERColchester Kawasaki ........................ C02 8JBfINCHINGfIElDThe Three Tuns Pub ......................CM7 4NRGANTS HIllHein Gericke .......................................IG2 6NQ

HAMPSHIREAlDERSHOTGordon Farley Motorcycles .......GU12 6LFAlTONBahnstomer Alton .........................GU34 3DJ The Station Café / M. Snell ....... GU34 2PZ BORDONHaselmere Motorcycles .............GU35 9ARfAREHAMDestination Triumph .................. PO16 0HDfARNBOROuGHHein Gericke .................................... GU14 6EJPORTSMOuTHHein Gericke .......................................PO1 5ETSOuTHAMPTONCrescent Motorcycles................. SO50 6AAHein Gericke ..................................SO15 1GGWEST MEONLoomies Café ...................................GU32 1JXWINCHESTERAlan Lear Motorcycles ...............SO23 7DW

KENTASHViking Motorcycle Seats ........... TN15 7HJBROMlEyThe Warren ..........................................BR2 7ALCANTERBuRyKent Motorcycles ..............................CT4 6SARobinsons Foundry Motorcycles ...................................... CT2 7QGCHATHAMBowen Moto ..................................... ME4 5ABDEAlThe Adelaide Farm Café .............. CT17 0ATDOVERCoombe Valley Motorcycles .....CT17 0HGEDENBRIDGERed Dog Motorcycles......................TN8 5AYfARNINGHAMThe Pied Bull ....................................DA4 0DG

MAIDSTONEHein Gericke ..................................ME14 2UUInta Motorcycles ...........................ME15 6HERAMSGATEDave Fox Motorcycles .................. CT11 8PJSEVENOAKSThe Harrow Inn ................................TN14 7JTTONBRIDGEFastlane Motorcycles .....................TN9 2AHTuNBRIDGE WEllSBreakaway Motorcycles .................TN1 2RFCooper BMW Motorrad ................. TN2 3UEWEllINGHein Gericke .................................. DA16 3PAWROTHAMOakdene Café ..................................TN15 7RR

lONDONCHISWICKHein Gericke ........................................W4 5YT ClAPHAMInfinity Motorcycles ..........................W4 5YTGREAT PORTlAND STREETInfinity Motorcycles ..................... W1W 5PGHANGER lANEHein Gericke ...................................... W5 3QPInfinity Motorcycles .......................... W5 1ET HIGH HOlBORNInfinity Motorcycles ...................WC1V 6PW KINGS ROADWarrs Harley Davidson ......................... SW6 lEyTONSTONEDouble R Motorcycles ..................... E11 4JTMOTTINGHAMWarrs Harley Davidson .................SE9 4QWSTOCKWEllHein Gericke ..................................... SW9 9AE

MIDDlESExKENTONHein Gericke. ..................................... HA3 8BLMIDDlESExWest London Yamaha ................TW13 6HDRuISlIPDaytona Motorcycles ..................... HA4 8PT

SuRREyBlINDlEy HEATHThe Biker Store/Motorcycle Centre .............................RH7 6JJ BOxHIllRykas Café..... ......................................RH5 6BXCOulSDONDoble Motorcycles... .......................CR5 2NGDORKINGBeaky’s Motorcycles ......................RH5 4QUGuIlDfORDDestination Triumph ...................... GU5 0JAHarley Davidson ..............................GU3 1NAlEATHERHEADGetGeared ........................................KT22 7QEKINGSTONKingston Motorcycles Centre ......KT1 3LGPuRlEyHein Gericke.... ..................................CR8 4DAREDHIllFins Motorcycles ...............................RH1 6ETSuRBITONTippets Motorcycles ...................... KT6 7AWWOKINGWoking Yamaha ............................. GU21 6LJWRECClESHAMJAM Sport ........................................GU10 4QS

WEST SuSSExARuNDElWhiteways Café ............................. BN18 9FDCHICHESTERCMW Motorcycles. ........................PO19 7JGCOWfOlDChalet Café ......................................RH13 8DUCRAWlEyP & H Motorcycles ........................RH10 9RDHAyWARDS HEATHBike Smart........................................RH16 1DNHORSHAMNew Street Motorcycles ..............RH13 5DT WASHINGTONDestination Triumph .................... RH20 4AJWORTHINGKeys Bros Motorcycles... .............BN11 1UG

SEB PICK UP POINTS


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RReeffooaammss && GGeellssCCuussttoommss && RReeccoonnddiitt iioonnss

NNEEWW -- EEMMBBRROOIIDDEERRYY!!!!TT--SShhiirr ttss,, FF lleeeecceess,, CCaappss

VViinnyyllss aanndd BBaannnneerrss2277 HHeeaavveerr TTrraaddiinngg EEssttaattee,, AAsshh RRooaadd,, AAsshh,,

KKeenntt TTNN1155 77HHJJ((NNeeaarr BBrraannddss HHaattcc hh))

NNooww wwiitthh oonn--ss iittee ccaafféé

0077997777 887744007755QQuuaall iittyy CCrraaff ttssmmaannsshhiipp -- DDoowwnn TToo EEaarr tthh PPrriicceesswwwwww..vviikkiinnggmmoottoorrccyycclleesseeaattss..ccoo..uukk

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GIFT VOUCHERS NOW AVAILABLE!!

SEB 11-10:52pp 10/01/2011 17:28 Page 32

GetGeared Surrey290 Kingston RoadLeatherhead KT22 7QE01372 372222GetGeared Leeds5 Regent StreetLeeds LS2 7QA0113 8313223

GetGeared.co.ukOpen 7 days a week

GEAR FOR BIKERSFOR MOTORBIKES

Best Clothing & Accessories Retailer*

2011

Ordering and Paymentis Good/Excellent

95%

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Quality and range of brandsis Good/Excellent

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south east biker july-august 2012

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