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Ray reports on bike rallies
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Triple rally 2011
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:36:13 PM
2011 TRIPLE RALLYWe set off from our normal meeting place just after 10am and blasted onto the M25. We then turned off onto the A3 and headed towards Guildford. We turned off at Ockham, made our way onto the A247 and rode down to the A25 and stopped at Newlands Corner for a coffee, and to admire the view. We carried on down to Box Hill and stopped at The Box Tree pub for a meal while we waited for Graham to join us. Once on the road again we rode through Reigate, Redhill and Godstone, before turning onto the A22 and stopping at a pub in Nuttley for a drink. Once we were suitably rehydrated we carried on to Polegate and the services there, where we filled up with petrol and got rid of the excess liquid in our bodies. The sun had been belting down all day so we decided to have a look at Beachey Head before going to the rally site. When we arrived the fifteen bikes became something of a tourist attraction and lots of photos were taken of us. After a walk to the edge of the cliff – where it was very windy – we relaxed with an ice cream before saddling up and riding down into Eastbourne and making our way to the site. Once the entrance fee had been paid we got the tents up and retired to the bar for some social drinking, very sociable as it turned out. The band on the Friday evening were great, they had everyone dancing. I even got up and did some jiving. There were loads of people on the dance floor. Lots of jiving, lots of drinking and lots of talking bollocks. A really good night.At Newlands CornerThe next morning it was pissing it down. After breakfast we decided to give the ride-out a miss, along with everyone else. We jumped on a local bus and went into Eastbourne for the day. The bus ride was good fun as the locals were a bit surprised to see so many bikers on a bus, but some of them joined in the song “The wheels on the bus go round and round” as the driver set off from the bus stop. We got off by the pier and had a walk along to the end and back. It was still chucking it down so we retired to a pub to get wet on the inside too. After a couple of hours we headed back to the site by bus again. I crawled into the tent and dozed for an hour before making my way into the bar for the evenings entertainment. A young band set up and started playing, and pretty good they were too, doing some good covers. It was Lisa and Hoops 13th wedding anniversary so we presented them with some gifts, Lisa also won some stuff on the raffle and some bottles of rum and vodka did the rounds so we enjoyed ourselves again. I eventually staggered off to bed sometime.At Beachey HeadNext day was heavy rain again, so I stayed in the tent until it eased off. After breakfast the rain had stopped so I packed everything up and loaded the bike. Some of the club had already left; some were staying a bit longer, so I set off home with three others. Along to Brighton and up the A23 we rode before stopping at Pease Pottage services as we could see the rain coming on again. After a coffee we hit the road again and made it as far as the M25 before it hammered down again. Going past Heathrow it was four lanes of crawling traffic. Onto the A40 I waved goodbye to everyone and carried on. The rain came down heavier as I was on the North Circular and by Brent Cross I could hardly see the road, it was that heavy. The road itself was like a river, rainwater was flowing across the carriageway in places. I finally battled my way through all the traffic and made it home. I left the bike dripping in the garage, I went into the house and stripped off, all my clothes were soaking, and dived into the shower. At last I felt human again. Next day I unpacked the bike and dried everything off.A great weekend at the Triple Rally.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Summer Soltice 2011
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:34:26 PM
2011 SUMMER SOLSTICE RUNAfter filling the bike up with petrol, I set off round the North Circular Road to Hanger Lane, then onto the A40 and arrived at the football club, where we were meeting for the run. After everyone who was leaving from the club arrived we set off through Beaconsfield where it started to rain. We stopped under some trees to shelter, as we weren’t in any hurry. After the rain stopped we headed off again and my bike started running on one cylinder. By the time we reached Marlow to meet Little Ray, my bike was running fine again, but later after hitting more rain it went back onto one cyclinder. On through Henley, Wallingford and Dorchester in Berkshire, where we stopped at H’s Diner for some food. After having a full English breakfast I visited the shop next door and borrowed some stuff to try and sort out the bike. I removed the plug leads and found water in them again. The electrical contacts onto the coil were rusty, so I dried the leads off, cleaned the contacts and used a silicon spray to try and keep the leads dry. Catweasle turned up while I was doing this, so after he had filled his face we set off again. On through Didcot to Wantage where the sky had turned black so we took refuge in a pub and had a few drinks while we waited for the weather to clear. After the rain had cleared we carried on through Hungerford, on the A4 to Marlborough then turned off towards Lockeridge and finally arrived at Honey Street and the Barge Inn. The ride down here was great, hardly any traffic, at times we were the only vehicles on the road, unheard of around London on a Saturday afternoon, but we were now in deepest Wiltshire. Friends of ours were waiting at the pub and more arrived during the rest of the afternoon, about 45-50 people altogether. We put up the tents and proceeded to party the night away. The only thing to spoil the party was all the hippies and New Age Travellers that were camped in the field. Lots of campervans and dreadlocks everywhere. Some people arrived in a big mobile home and put up a Mongolian Yurt. It was interesting to see how they built it but took ages to pputtogether. The pub let everyone down as they couldn’t cope with all the visitors. They ran out of food and shut the kitchen early; they ran out of glasses, the music was provided by a New Age Traveller and was shit, and, the pub shut at 11.00pm, which went down really well with us lot. Everyone was out of the bar by 11.30pm so we retired to a fire pit where a bonfire was roaring away. The hippies provided more entertainment with guitars, a flute, songs and a few dances. By 2.30 in the morning we had had enough and went to bed. We were then kept awake most of the night by all the singing, people arguing and shouting, very unhippylike really. We were up and packed up by 8am and as we left we made sure that all the hippies heard that we were leaving as the bikes were revved up as we rode around the field. It was ok though, they didn’t have to get up until four in the afternoon so they could go back to sleep. After heading back to the A4 we turned onto the M4 and headed back to London. My bike was still playing up and I got left behind until both cylinders started firing again and then I just stayed at 80 to get to the M25 where I turned north. Back onto the A40 into London and I was home by 1130am. After unloading the bike I took off the plug leads and fitted some spare ones I had and the bike fired up on both cylinders again. I then washed it and put it away ready for the next trip.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Kidds rally 2011
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:33:17 PM
2011 HDC KIDS RALLYWe decided to do this rally as we get on well with the Kids club. We have been to their rallies before and they have come to ours. I had also been to their 10th anniversary rally and as this was their 20th anniversary we thought it would be a good weekend. So, after packing the bike on Thursday morning before work, I was all ready to head off on Friday morning.I woke up before the alarm, I always seem to do that now, set the alarm and then wake up before it. I was off round the North Circular Road by 7.00am as I was hoping to beat the traffic. Near Wood Green I hit roadworks but was early enough to get through them easily. As I approached the A12 junction, more roadworks appeared, but the traffic was a bit heavier by now so it took a bit longer to get through. I turned east onto the A13 and headed towards the M25. Just before reaching the M25 I noticed a cloud of blue smoke behind me. I looked down and saw my rear exhaust pipe was smoking away. After pulling over I discovered that oil was dribbling onto the exhaust pipe from the cylinder head breather pipe. I cleaned it the best I could and carried on, if I made the Channel Tunnel terminal, I would check it out there while waiting for the rest of the club. Once over the Thames I stopped again as the bike was still smoking. I decided to carry on again and as I rode down the M20 the bike stopped smoking. I arrived at the terminal, booked in and made my way to the car parking area by the shops. After a coffee, while I waited for the engine to cool down, and a wander around the car park looking at all the bikes heading to Europe, I had a good look at my bike. I wiped everything down with some tissues; oil covered everywhere, and checked the oil level. If anything there was too much oil in the tank. It seems that I have overfilled the oil tank, causing too much pressure in the engine and it all came out the breather. I removed some of the oil in the oil tank and will see how it goes.At Eurotunnel TerminalThe rest of the club finally turned up and we all got on the next train to France. We filled up with petrol at the first station we came to and then set off down the A16 motorway. I peeled off at Boulogne and thankfully everyone else did too. We then followed the D940 all the way to Le Treport, only stopping for food and a beer just before Eu. We cut inland on the D22 and used back roads to reach Les Grandes Ventes where the rally was taking place. After signing in we put the tents up and were ready to party. Some of us got seriously hammered during the night, so much so that I was not a well man in the morning. It seems that sometime during the night I jumped across a table, landed on the end of a bench seat, which tipped up, smacked me in the head and crashed to the floor, missing everyone while I just carried on dancing. Gerry was very ill all over the inside of his tent while Grasscutter insisted that he hadn’t pissed himself even though all his stuff was wet.Stopped For A BeerAfter recovering for a while we rode into Dieppe for lunch and a look around the market, always worth doing. We then rode back to the site before Grasscutter, Rick and me did a small ride through the surrounding area before returning to the site again. I crashed out for a while before meeting some old friends from France who had turned up. I had a much quieter night, listening to the band, having a meal and after every club had received a bottle of champagne for turning up, which we polished off pretty quickly, watching the impressive firework display. The next band came on but I could hardly keep my eyes open so I went to bed.I woke early and could hear rain on the tent so dozed off again. After finally waking up and having breakfast we packed up, loaded the bikes and set off by 9.00am. We rode to the motorway and headed north eat towards Calais. At the terminal we got straight on the train and off we went to England. Once off the train we set off and found the M20 was closed. We followed the diversion signs and eventually got back to the M20. Once under the Thames, I turned west towards London on the A13 and then round the North Circular again before arriving home by 2.00pm. I checked my bike over when it was in the garage and although there was a film of oil over the right-hand side the oil had stopped leaking, so I dropped the oil and installed the new Oil Scavenger Unit I had bought in America, changed the oil, not putting as much in the tank and the problem was sorted.Another great weekend with the HDC Kids club.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Harley Day Assenede 2011
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:31:43 PM
Assenede Harley Day
2011 HARLEYDAY ASSENEDEI had packed my bike on the Friday evening so at 8am on the Saturday morning I set off around the North Circular Road once again. Along the A13, over the Dartford River Crossing and onto the M20 to Folkestone where I was the first to arrive. I grabbed a coffee and walked back to the bike just as the rest arrived. There were only seven bikes with nine people aboard this weekend as it wasn’t an official club run. As we waited to get on the train we got a little bit of rain but we just shrugged it off as we were going to Europe for a party. Once we had parked the bikes on the train we went all continental, said Bonjour, Guten Tag and Hola to everyone and kissed each other on the cheeks. Who says the English can’t speak other languages? We just need not speak to anyone else all weekend and we would be fine. Once off the train we hit the A16 motorway into Belgium, turned onto the A10 motorway and finally went across country to the village of Bassevelde, after following the HD signs. The HDC Assenede were still setting up in the village centre as the Harley Day is not till tomorrow, but some cold beers were provided for some thirsty travellers.Just arrived in BasseveldeAfter relaxing for a while we rode to the town of Assenede and the clubhouse for more beer and some very welcome food. We returned to Bassevelde and the small field where we were camping, about 500 metres from the village centre, and we put the tents up. Once that was done we walked back to the village, via a pub next door to the campsite, and sampled a couple of beers in various other pubs with some of the HDC Assenede before crashing out sometime in the early hours. We had to drink enough for two nights in one, as we were riding back to England tomorrow afternoon. We did talk to the locals and found that they struggled to understand our attempts at speaking to them, especially me, after the pub-crawl. Next morning we woke up to the sounds of the countryside, a cockerel crowing, wood pigeons cooing and the dawn chorus. We all felt like shooting the cockerel as it was so early. We dozed off again and finally got up and had breakfast, which was provided by some of the local villagers which Rudi, the president of the HDC Assenede had arranged. They wouldn’t take any money for the food either. We packed the bikes and then rode back into the village and parked the bikes up, before settling in for the day. Bikes started arriving, and then a guy started playing his guitar and singing as more and more bikes kept arriving, all the time the sun was belting down. The ride-out left but we had decided not to go on it as we had 250 miles to do later. The second band started up and went down well. Rudi told us that there were about 3000 bikes in the village.Some of the 3000 bikesWe wandered around checking out all the bikes that were lined up all over the village. We got a very small rain shower, a couple of drops really which just cooled us down nicely, but a lot of the HOG members must have thought it was a storm as lots of them left, still it left more room to see the stripper. Very good she was too; the only problem was she got her tits out. Now part of the licence agreement for the show was that the stripper could not show her tits, but show them she did. Rudi waited until her show had ended and she was collecting her clothes before jumping onto the stage to have a word with her, and to his credit he kept his eyes on her face while he was talking to her. Well done Rudi, you were the only guy there who did that. We had bought raffle tickets for a Sportster but it was being raffled at 6pm and we had to leave by 5pm but Rudi told us to check the website for the winner, so at 4.30 pm we headed back to the bikes and started getting ready. We rode back the way we had arrived and finally arrived back at Calais and managed to get on an earlier train back to England. We hit the M20 and while the others headed west round the M25 I headed north to the Dartford River Crossing. I stopped for petrol on the A13 before hitting the North Circular again. I turned off onto the A10 into London, as the road works near Wood Green are horrendous at the moment. Just before getting home there was some light rain again but nothing to worry about. Once the bike was put away, I had a shower and an early night. I checked the HDC Assenede website the next day but some Johnny Foreigner had won the raffle for the Sportster.A great weekend over in Europe once again and our thanks go to the HDC Assenede for putting in some hard work over the weekend and for looking after us so well.GeordieRayWest London Harley Riders
Soltice 2010
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:30:03 PM
2010 SOLSTICE RUNWe met at our usual garage and filled up the bikes. Once everyone had arrived we set off down the M4 to Reading Services to meet everyone else. After saying hello to everyone we set off again and using Grasscutters unerring sense of direction, and his written directions, we headed off into the wilds of Berkshire. We eventually stopped for a drink at a pub in Pewsley. Vince, one of the original members of the club, joined us here, as he lives in Wiltshire now. Once everyone was fed and watered we set off again and soon arrived at the pub, near Templecombe, for the weekend. Once all the tents were up we drifted off to the bar to get a welcome drink. One of the games from the world cup was on the TV so a few of us watched that while others just mellowed out and chatted. The drink had been partaken of during the afternoon and a pool tournament was arranged. Two-a-side for the World Cup of Pool. Omar and me were Colombialand as he is Colombian and I am English. We were magnificent and were undefeated for two games. By then the cue looked bent and the table was not level, as the balls wouldn’t go in a straight line. Eventually after blatant cheating by the other team, which had lots of coaching from the sidelines, and distractions from the onlookers, lots of cleavage on show, we lost the third game. But we were professional about it and slagged them off anyway. Two bands played during the evening and dancing took place. Well, I say dancing, but in a very loose sense as I tried to shake my ‘booty’. Finally I realized that I was very drunk and staggered off to bed.Meeting Up At Reading ServicesNext morning after a huge breakfast we packed up, said goodbye to everyone and set off home. With Big Nick leading we took another scenic route back and passed a hillside with lots of military badges cut into it near Fovant. We stopped and took some photos before heading off again and then it was onto the M4 and off home. What a brilliant weekend we all had.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Scotland 2010
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:27:16 PM
2010 SCOTLAND TRIPSUNDAY 8 AUGUSTAfter leaving the Burning Budgie Rally, I set off north and joined the M25 at Rickmansworth. From there, until I got to Newport Pagnell on the M1, it was all road works, and no faster than 50mph. It seems that all of London and the southeast is being dug up at the moment. After 123 miles I stopped for a cup of tea as I was suffering a bit through working at the rally and not getting much sleep. I was aching everywhere. After filling up with petrol, I set off again and near Derby I hit some drizzle, thankfully short lived, then the sun came out and it turned out to be quite a pleasant ride. As I passed Darlington, it became overcast and I was now getting cold. I stopped again at White Mare Pool in Gateshead, near to my parents house, to fill the bike with petrol ready for tomorrow, rang my parents to tell them to put the kettle on, and a few minutes later arrived at their house just after three in the afternoon. By 9pm I couldn’t keep my eyes open so after checking the weather forecast – rain tomorrow – I went to bed.259 milesMONDAY 9 AUGUSTI had to force myself to get out of bed this morning. After breakfast and packing the bike I headed off towards Newcastle, crossing the Tyne Bridge and picking up the A696. As I passed Ponteland the sun was shining but that didn’t last. At Carters Bar on the Scottish border I stopped to take some photos but a coach tour had just arrived before me and the place was crowded, so I didn’t hang around. On I went, through Jedburgh, Lauder and Dalkeith before joining the Edinburgh by-pass and then crossing the Forth Road Bridge. I started seeing road signs saying “Heavy Rain and Flooding” as I approached Perth, which really brightened my day. Just past Perth I ran into the rain, and it got heavier and heavier. Boy did it rain; I was having trouble seeing the road at times. Just to make things even better, my bike started running on one cylinder. I didn’t want to stop as there was no shelter and the bike might not start again. The A9 was a nightmare, really heavy rain and lots of spray as vehicles passed me. I turned off at Dalwhinnie and used a back road for a while. My bike kept cutting onto two cylinders and then back onto one cylinder, when it hit two cylinders it just took off, meaning I couldn’t relax at all. I finally got to the cottage we had rented just outside Aviemore to discover Debbie wasn’t in. I then discovered my phone’s battery was flat, so I rode into Aviemore and found Debbie having a hot chocolate in a café, so I joined her, as I was freezing and very wet. I took the keys and headed back to the cottage, running on one cylinder all the way back. There is a very rough track that leads to the cottages and it was like riding in a stream. I made the cottage and the bike looked like it had been in a mud fight. I unloaded everything and took the bike to a barn until I could check it out and dry the wiring connections. I then had a hot bath just as the sun came out. Perfect timing!!236 milesTUESDAY 10 AUGUSTThe weather forecast was for more rain but the sun was belting down. We decided to cycle into Aviemore, yes that is correct, a bicycle, but as we got to the outskirts of Aviemore it chucked it down and we got drenched. There must be something about two wheels, rain and me. Cycled back to the cottage and had another hot bath before going to the movies to see Inception.0 milesWEDNESDAY 11 AUGUSTLots more rain today so we had a lazy morning in the cottage. I checked the bike over, it was fine, running on two cylinders again, all the wiring connections looked ok, but the bike was filthy. We drove up to Inverness through the rain and went to the movies again, Toy Story 3 this time.0 milesTHURSDAY 12 AUGUSTMore rain again today so we drove up to Grantown-on-Spey to have a look at the Farmers Show. Interesting to see, and the bullocks are really huge, up close. Rain on and off all day so back to the cottage.0 milesFRIDAY 13 AUGUSTI went on another cycle ride but it started raining again so I turned round and headed back to the cottage. In the afternoon we went for a hike up to the Pass of Ryvoan above Glenmore. A beautiful place with a small loch at the top of the pass.0 milesSATURDAY 14 AUGUSTToday we were off to the west coast, so after loading the car up and leaving it next to the cottage for when we returned, we packed the bike and set off north again. We stopped in Inverness for petrol and discovered that the rucksack was hanging down over the rear wheel. Our cargo net was hopeless. Debbie went off to buy some bungees while I unloaded the bike again. A couple on a Sportster stopped and offered me their spare bungees, but Debbie turned up with some. After sorting out the rucksack we set off again. We got caught in traffic going past Inverness Caledonian Thistle football ground as they were playing Celtic after winning promotion last season. After finally getting past the ground we picked up the A832 and followed it all the way to Gairloch. What a great road, fantastic scenery and hardly any traffic. We rode past Loch Luichert, Loch a Chuilinn, Loch Achanalt and Loch a Chroisg – I don’t know how to pronounce the names, it was hard enough writing them down - before going through Kinlochewe, where the road narrowed to a single track, to Charlestown. We then took the B8021 and followed that road all the way to Rua Reidh Lighthouse, where we were staying for three nights. What a road that was, single-track with passing places, lots of sheep and cows all over the place, it followed the coast most of the way, with some scary sections as it dropped into small valleys and then climbed the other side. At one point as we climbed out of one of the small valleys a car came the other way over the crest of the hill. Both of us had nowhere to go so I just kept on going and he eventually reversed so I could get over the hill. The lighthouse itself is at the end of the road and after signing in and unpacking the bike we had a walk around the headland. What a beautiful spot, although as the sun went down the midgies came out with a vengeance.112 milesLoch AchanaltSUNDAY 15 AUGUSTToday we rode to Poolewe and did a six and a half mile hike around Loch Kernsary, across to the end of Loch Maree and back to Poolewe. The scenery is stunning up there, great views across to the mountains. We then rode along to Cove on a single-track road again. The sun was out and all was right with the world and the views over Loch Ewe were simply stunning. At the end of the road is a simple memorial to the men of the Northern Convoys, as Loch Ewe was used as a staging point for the convoys to Russia during the Second World War. After looking around for a while and enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the place we rode back and stopped in the village of Melvaig, three miles from the lighthouse, for a meal and a drink. Back at the lighthouse we watched a beautiful sunset as the sun went down.60 milesRua Reidh LighthouseMONDAY 16 AUGUSTWe rode down to Charlestown and did a hike up to Flowerdale Falls. As we descended it started to rain and we got wet as we rode back to the lighthouse. We both had hot baths and then packed our gear ready to leave in the morning.30 milesTUESDAY 17 AUGUSTThere had been really heavy rain overnight, and as the bike was parked up out in the open it was drenched. We couldn’t see the sea from the lighthouse as we ate breakfast. We set off back to Gairloch and the water was pouring off the land, across the road and heading down to the sea. The road was flooded in places so it was a pretty slow journey into Gairloch, as the bike was again running on one cylinder. I bought some WD40 and sprayed the coil, plug leads and all the wiring I could see hoping it would help. Just after passing Poolewe the bike died completely. I managed to get it going again but at the side of Little Loch Broom it died again so we coasted into a lay-by. I flattened the battery trying to start it again and as there was hardly any wind the midgies were out in force. I ended up trying to work on the bike with my helmet on, the visor down, my gloves on and waterproofs tightly buttoned up. It was horrendous with all the midgies. Luckily a guy in a car had some jump leads so we managed to get the bike going again. Thank God he was there, as there was no signal on our mobile phones and we had passed the last village ages ago, so we would have been completely stuck. We set off again, the rain had stopped by now and the scenery was fantastic, but I didn’t stop to take any photo’s in case the bike wouldn’t start again. We arrived at the junction of the A832 and the A835, the road sign pointed left to Ullapool and north, or right to Inverness and the cottage. We decided to carry on north. I had planned to do the Lochinver loop but decided against it, as it would be no fun on one cylinder. We eventually saw a signpost saying ‘Durness 19 Miles’. That had to be the longest 19 miles I have ever ridden. We were on a single-track road by now and every time a car came the other way I had to slow down and stop in the passing place and hope the bike wouldn’t die. I had to drop down the gears every time we rode up a hill, and the rear plug lead kept shorting onto my left knee, but finally we arrived in Durness and found our hostel for the next two nights. We had passed a garage coming into town so I rode back later and met up with the guy who ran it. We pulled the plug leads off and they were filled with water, so we stripped them, dried them, cleaned them, cleaned the coil contacts and put everything back together. We also filled the coil caps with grease and the bike has run fine ever since. A huge thanks to the guy who ran that garage. We had a couple of pints that night, as we deserved them.110 milesWEDNESDAY 18 AUGUSTWe decided to visit Cape Wrath, the northernmost point of the mainland of Great Britain, so we rode down to the ferry jetty at Keoldale. The ferry could take about 10 people so we squeezed on and crossed the Kyle of Durness to the other side. We then got on a small mini-bus and set off on the 45-minute journey to Cape Wrath, crossing the MOD bombing area. We wandered around the lighthouse for one and a half hours before returning to the ferry. There is nothing but sea between Cape Wrath and the North Pole to the north and North America to the west. Back at the hostel we decided to walk along to Faraid Head. At the end is a military installation, which is the range finder station for the live bombing range used by NATO countries. This was about a 12 mile round trip with beautiful beaches and scenery. We had another couple of pints, some food and then bed.10 milesTHURSDAY 19 AUGUSTWe had to be out of the hostel by 9.30 so we were up early and ready to go by 9am. We followed the A838 alongside Loch Eriboll and along to Tongue. We were the only vehicle on the road at times, it was great not having to worry about other traffic. Again we were riding on a single-track road and the views were superb. At Tongue we decided to take the scenic route to Bonar Bridge instead of the quickest route. We ignored the A836 to Lairg and carried on along the north coast until we could take the B871 south. We rode alongside the River Naver and as we travelled south an eagle flew past us about 20 metres away. What a fantastic sight. We then rode along the shore of Loch Naver and joined the main road at Altnaharra. We stopped in Lairg for some food, at a restaurant on the shore of loch Shin, with a great view over the loch, where we saw another bird of prey flying low over the loch. We carried on to Bonar Bridge and had our first view of Carbisdale Castle, the youth hostel in a real castle, where we were staying for two nights. Arriving at the castle, we signed in, unpacked and then rode back to Bonar Bridge to get food for the next two days. We then rode along to Croick, and visited the church to see the inscriptions, which were scratched into the windows during the land clearances years ago, as people took refuge inside the church. Riding back to Carbisdale Castle we saw two Ospreys, one flew off along the road in front of us while another sat on a small rocky outcrop but flew away before I could get the camera ready. The castle itself was built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland and is situated on the banks of the Kyle of Sutherland near the village of Culrain.91 milesCarbisdale CastleFRIDAY 20 AUGUSTToday we went on a walk above the castle into the hills before descending to the village of Ardgay and then back to the castle. We walked a distance of about 13 miles, with rain part of the way and then blistering sun later. My feet were sore after this walk. We packed all our stuff up ready to leave tomorrow.0 milesSATURDAY 21 AUGUSTWe packed the bike and took our last few photos of the castle before setting off south again. We rode down to Tain to get some petrol, as I didn’t have much left. I was going to go across country on the B9176 but we were glad we didn’t, as it was really windy. We picked up the A9, headed south to Inverness and down to Carrbridge, where we turned off and used more back roads, going via Boat of Garten, to arrive back at the cottage outside Aviemore. We drove into Aviemore to get some shopping in for the week and saw lots of flyers promoting the upcoming Thunder In The Glens rally along with a few Harleys on the road.82 milesSUNDAY 22 AUGUSTA beautiful day today, so we drove to Grantown-on-Spey and did a 9-mile hike before going to the local Highland Games. Pipe bands, highland dancing, shot putt, hammer throwing, tossing the caber and tug-o-war competitions, all taken very seriously, especially the tug-o-war. It started to rain just as everything was ending so we drove back to the cottage.0 milesMONDAY 23 AUGUSTWe cycled along to the RSPB Osprey Centre at Loch Garten in the morning. We managed to see one of the 3-month old Osprey chicks sitting on a tree near its nest. We were lucky to see it as two others had already left on their migration flights to Africa. We then walked around Loch Garten, and then cycled back to the cottage arriving just before the rain came down.0 milesTUESDAY 24 AUGUSTWet and overcast, so a drive up the A9, passing two young guys on new scooters, loaded up for camping, to Inverness to watch another movie, before heading back to Aviemore for a drink.0 milesWEDNESDAY 25 AUGUSTToday was a six and three quarter mile hike above Braemar up a mountain called Morrone. We climbed 2000ft pretty quickly, I was knackered by the time we reached the top, but the views made it all worthwhile, before a long steady descent back to Braemar. As we drove back to Aviemore I decided I was going to ride these roads tomorrow.0 milesTHURSDAY 26 AUGUSTDebbie went to have a look around Inverness as I set off on the bike. I went through Nethy Bridge, onto the A939 and along to Tomintoul and Corgarff. I picked up the A97 just past Strathdon and then turned left onto a single-track road where the ruins of St Marys Church are. Along this road, I was the only vehicle; nothing else was on the road. I really felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere. I carried on up to Dufftown and took some photos of Balvenie Castle. I carried on up to Craigellachie before heading down the A95 to Grantown-on-Spey and into more rain. I was soaked through as I entered Aviemore, banners everywhere for the rally this weekend, but I carried on back to the cottage.82 milesBalvenie CastleFRIDAY 27 AUGUSTWe rode down the A9 to Blair Atholl before heading into the Grampian Mountains, past Loch Rannoch to Rannoch Station. There was a hotel and railway station there; along with a sign for walkers telling them that Glencoe was 12 miles away to the west. On the way back we stopped at Pitagowan for some food. There were loads of Harleys parked up, all heading to the Thunder In The Glens Rally. Riding back up the A9 it poured down and we got drenched again. We stopped in Aviemore for a coffee and watched all the Harleys arriving for the rally. Back at the cottage we packed our stuff ready to leave tomorrow.110 milesBlair Castle GatehouseSATURDAY 28 AUGUSTAfter saying goodbye to each other, Debbie set off in the car with most of our stuff as I was travelling light, just the rucksack strapped to the sissy bar. With my waterproofs on I followed her down to Aviemore and headed south down the A9. Debbie was going on the motorways to Birkenhead but I was planning on taking the scenic route. There was a lot of surface spray on the road but not much rain. By the time I crossed the Forth Road Bridge the sun had come out at last. Picking up the Edinburgh by-pass, I turned off onto the A7 and rode down to Galashiels where I stopped for some food. Carrying on south I crossed into England north of Carlisle. I was going to take the A7 to Carlisle and then pick up the A6, keeping off the M6 but at the A7/M6 junction it was cold windy, wet and the sky was nearly black. It felt just like a winters day. I decided to hit the M6 and turned onto it. After a few miles the worst rain of the three weeks came down as I travelled through the Lake District. I slowed to 50mph, as there was so much water on the motorway. Car drivers took no notice though and were flying past me. Finally the rain stopped but I hit a huge traffic jam and saw signs saying the outside lane was closed. I worked my way through to find a biker in helmet and full leathers lying in the outside lane of the southbound carriageway, while his bike was on the northbound carriageway. His mates were on the same side as his bike and there were a lot of people standing about. I am not a big fan of go-faster bikes but I don’t like to see that for any rider. I hope you weren’t too badly hurt mate. Heading south, the rain was on and off until near the Wigan exit where it eventually stopped. I took the M56 and then the M53 and finally arrived at Debbie’s brothers house cold wet and aching all over.359 milesSUNDAY 29 AUGUSTDid absolutely nothing all day apart from watch TV lying on the sofa as I was sore.0 milesMONDAY 30 AUGUSTWe went over to Liverpool for the Mathew Street Festival. Saw lots of bands playing in various pubs and in the streets, and, I also saw the Cavern Club where The Beatles started. First time I have seen it. Got slightly drunk before heading back to Birkenhead.0 milesTUESDAY 31 AUGUSTI set off back to London today, using ‘A’ roads as far as possible. I picked up the A41 and went past Chester and Whitchurch, before turning onto the A5 near Telford. I then cut across country, passing Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Dunstable before picking up the M1 at Junction 9. Then it was down the M1 to the North Circular Road and home.184 milesSo three weeks in Scotland. Pretty wet but still hugely enjoyable. The scenery is fantastic; the roads are something else, hardly any traffic, and the north and west coasts are stunning. We had a great time and would recommend Scotland to everyone.A round trip of 1725 milesGeordie RayWest London Harley Riders
New Forest 2010
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:24:50 PM
2010 NEW FOREST RALLYWe met at the usual garage again before heading onto the M4 and Reading services to meet up with all the rest. Grasscutter then took us on one of his famous scenic routes, ending up in a village called Longparish, where we sampled the local hospitality of the pub for a meal and some drink. After everyone had finished we headed further south and finally arrived at the Trojans Sports Club and the rally site. After paying our entrance fee we parked up and set up all the tents. Before I had even finished putting everything into my tent, it was like stepping into a sauna. The weather was scorching, absolutely brilliant. We drifted off to the bar for a drink and watched more world cup games; no one could believe how bad England had been. Some food was eaten and more drink was drunk before the band, Recluse, came on. Very good they were too but especially when there was a guest appearance from ZZ Top. Superb. Spike was extremely drunk and to watch him dance was hilarious and Hoops, one of our associate members, who never dances, done his knee in dancing. Lots of drink was drunk and lots of dancing was danced before I staggered of to bed.After breakfast I lazed about and wandered around the site taking photos of some of the bikes, before getting ready for the ride-out. About 200 bikes headed out through the New Forest and down to Bournemouth for the official opening of Battistini’s new shop. We had a look around the shop, saw the models, looked at the bikes and then the Mayor of Bournemouth turned up and did the official cutting of the ribbon. Adrian then led us lot out of Bournemouth and into the New Forest again before stopping at the Red Shoot Inn.Parked up at the Red Shoot InnWe passed through some beautiful countryside on the way. After a couple of drinks we saddled up and headed off back to the site. I discovered that I had lost my side stand somewhere after leaving the Red Shoot Inn, as I nearly dropped my bike trying to put the stand down. I ended up using a billet breezeblock as a temporary side stand. We chilled out for a while enjoying the strong sunshine before heading back into the bar. A band called Lynchpin played tonight and they were really good too. When the prize giving was announced Sandra had won Best Custom for her Buell Softaill. In the raffle some of the club won prizes and the club itself won Best Turnout. Sitting outside chatting later the temperature dropped and it got chilly so I had a quite early night for a change.After breakfast on the Sunday, I packed up and set off home with Catweasle and Heather. Some had left earlier and some were taking the scenic route later. Luckily I had filled up with petrol on the Saturday so had a full tank to get me home. I said goodbye to Cat and Heather at Reading and carried on to the M25, M40, A40 and the North Circular before arriving at my garage and having to lean the bike against the wall while I opened the door. Another great weekend and well done to the New Forest Region of the HDRCGB.P.S. I bought some stainless steel rod and a couple of weeks later Big Nick heated it up and bent it to shape for a new side stand, but when I arrived at Nicks, there was oil all over my bike. It turned out the oil return pipe had split near the top of the oil tank, so I took it off cut it back and replaced the pipe, and I lived happily ever after….Geordie Ray DouglasWest London Harley Riders
Burning Budgie Rally 2010
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:23:03 PM
2010 WLHR BURNING BUDGIE RALLYI arrived after work on the Thursday night to find most of the work done. After helping out with bits and bobs, putting my tent up and unloading the bike, we relaxed in the club with a few beers. I retired undefeated pool champion after three games and we finally hit the sack about 2.30 Friday morning.After waking up, we finished all the last minute jobs, and then we were ready for all the arrivals. People started showing up about 11am, and then there was a steady stream of people all day. Friends from France, Belgium, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Manchester and East Anglia turned up over the weekend along with our local bike clubs and friends. A special mention has to go to Budgie, Kath and Michael who rode down from Glasgow, leaving at 3.00am, stopping at Baza’s place for a cup of tea and some food and then riding to the site, arriving just after midday. They didn’t see any rain all the way down, whereas a guy who came from Guildford got soaked through.One of the bikes from ScotlandFly set up the disco and played his usual great music, before Replicant came on stage. People danced, people drank and eventually sometime in the early hours, people went to bed.It had rained heavily overnight, but by the time the ride-out arrived back on site the sun was out. The Trashcans played a great set in the afternoon while people were checking out all the bikes in the show, and there were some beautiful bikes on display. The bike show trophies were sponsored by Snob’s Ultimate Customs, and were presented by the Chair of Three Rivers Council after Catweasle and Steve Piper had finished the judging. After the trophies were presented, some good prizes were dished out in the raffle, and that was followed by an auction, with some top prizes on offer. In the evening, Cry Wolf came on stage and played their usual great set. I crashed out about 1am as I was heading off to Scotland on holiday.THE RIDE OUT ARRIVING BACKWhen I woke up, I packed the bike and then helped clear the site. After saying goodbye to everyone, I set off north about 11am for my three weeks tour in Scotland. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the weather wasn’t too bad.Our thanks go to everyone who came and partied with us, especially our friends from Scotland, Manchester, the Isle of Man, HDC Wales, East Anglian Harley Club and our Federation guests from France and Belgium. Thanks also to Snob for the trophies, all the stallholders and everyone who provided prizes for the auction and raffles.See you all again, same time, same place next year.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Den's 60th Birthday Run
By Ray at 04/09/2011 06:20:45 PM
Dennis's Birthday Cake
2010 DEN’S 60th BIRTHDAY RUNFriday 14th MayAfter packing the bike, I headed off to Nick and Helen’s house. After a cup of tea, Kev and Spike turned up so we set off to the garage where we were all meeting up. At the garage we waited for the rest of the travellers. Once everyone had turned up we said goodbye to Gerry and Dan who had come down to see us off. Onto the M25 and south to the A3 before stopping at the Devil’s Punchbowl for a drink and some food. We finally got through the road works and headed onto Hayling Island as we had some time to kill. We found a pub on the sea front and had a drink before aiming for Portsmouth and the ferry. At the pub outside the ferry terminal we met up with the others who were coming down to France with us. It meant that there were now 14 people on 8 bikes. Big Nick and Helen, Den and Steff, Little Ray and Debbie, Paul and Jane, Adrian and Bev, Spike with Becky on the back, Kev, and me on my Sportster chop. Once on the ferry we found the cabins and hit the bar. After relaxing for a while I headed off to bed as I was sharing a cabin with Spike, Kev and Big Nick. After putting earplugs in (I have shared with Nick before and know how loud his snoring is), I drifted off to sleep and never heard them come into the cabin.Saturday 15th MayWe were off the ferry by 8.30 and got out of St Malo, as we had decided to get some miles under the tyres before stopping for food. Once on the N137 we headed south to Rennes, around the ring road and carried on south on the N137. This road would take us just about to our destination in the Vendee area of France. We stopped for food at a service station just north of Nantes, where Bev was very ill. It seemed that one of the grapes that was crushed to create the two bottles of wine she drank on the ferry was dodgy and had given her food poisoning. She had thrown up on the ferry this morning and was still suffering. After a lie down, while we stuffed our faces, she bravely decided to carry on. We rode around Nantes on the ring road with me leading the way again, turned onto the A83 but then came off this road a junction early and got lost. We ended up in a place called Viais, where we had a drink and asked directions. Bev threw up again outside the bar. Once I had worked out how to get back to the route we needed, we set off again. This entailed a small detour on the D937, through Geneston and down to Rocheserviere, where we turned left onto the D753 and rode into Montaigu, where we got lost again. The problem was, my France road atlas was published in 2003 and the roads had new numbers now, so I was looking for road numbers, which didn’t exist anymore. After stopping and working out where we were we headed south again on the N137. In l’Oie we stopped for a drink again and Nick fell asleep at the table, so I videoed him snoring his head off. On the rode again and just south of Chantonnay it started raining, so we pulled over and put the waterproofs on. Five minutes later the rain stopped and that was the only rain we saw for the whole week. Near Lucon we turned left onto the D949 and arrived in Mouzeuil-St-Martin where we were staying. We stopped in the town and found the address of the houses, which turned out to be two minutes away so we went straight there. In the driveway my bike died but started again. We went to put the bikes round the back of the house but the bike died again, I pushed it round the back for now, I would check it out later. Once the houses were opened up we sorted out rooms, unloaded all the bikes, and as we had arranged for food and beer to be on site we relaxed again. After getting the shorts on, as the sun was blazing now, I had a quick look at the bike; the ignition circuit breaker had popped. Reset it and bike started again; maybe it was just the vibration? The houses were great, two big houses with a shared swimming pool, BBQ and a large patio outside with lots of rooms inside. Nick was chef that night on the BBQ while we relaxed some more. In fact I relaxed so much on the white wine that I couldn’t remember going to bed.Sunday 16th MayThe sun was belting down when I woke up so after a cup of tea we decided to go shopping, as all hairy arsed bikers do. We needed more beer after last night…that was our excuse anyway. We also needed more food for the week too. After getting ready off we went… only I didn’t go. My bike kept dying as I tried to pull away. Everyone else went shopping while I checked my bike. After quite a while I heard a faint clicking near the headstock. It turned out to be a damaged wire in the harness behind the headlight. I have run the bike for about 3 years now with no problems at all. The wiring has never caused any problems, it has never caught anywhere, rubbed against anything at all, yet on this trip, it decided to get caught between the bottom yoke and the steering stop. I slit the harness, taped up the damaged wire and then taped up the harness and the bike started again. While out on the shopping trip, both Kev and Den had problems with the alarms on their bikes, there was some type of radio mast near them so they had to push their bikes away from the masts before they would start. Once all the beer and food had been put away we went out on a ride. I was leading and decided that if a road looked good I would take it. Adrian had my atlas in his back box if we needed it. We set off towards Fontenay-le-Compte then turned off the main road and just followed my nose. We went through lots of small villages and ended up in the Foret Dom de Mervent-Vouvant. We crossed a dam with a large lake next to it in the middle of the forest, and then rode alongside a river for a while before ending up in Fontenay-le Compte for a drink. We were worried about finding a bar as all the villages were deserted, absolutely no one was about. Luckily we found a bar open in town and made ourselves at home. After a couple of beers we rode back to the house and more relaxation. We also celebrated Little Ray’s 59th birthday and gave him a cake that we had bought. I didn’t get as relaxed as I was last night though.Monday 17th MayI checked my bike over while the rest went shopping for more beer and a bit more food. We decide to head to the coast today. The plan was to ride past Lucon on the D949 to Talmont-St-Hilaire, then down the coast road through Jard-sur-Mer, St Vincent-sur-Jard and la Tranche-sur-Mer before aiming for Lucon and the house again. Well. That was the plan! Off we rode with me leading again. When we reached Lucon I missed the turning I wanted and ended going through the centre of the town, where I proceeded to get even more lost and ended up miles from where we should have been. Oh well, it all adds to the experience. In Triaize I turned right across to a village called Grues before working my way across to Angles. I saw a sign for les Sables-d’Olonne, which I knew was past where we wanted to be so I took that road and finally came back onto the D949 and Talmont –St-Hilaire. We rode south on the coast road to Jard-sur-Mer where we stopped for something to eat and a drink. It was scorching now and really hot. Two British couples from Birmingham who had retired to France got talking to Nick and Adrian, and had their pictures taken with them, so they could say that they had talked to the Hairy Bikers!Next stop was in la Tranche-sur-Mer where we had another drink and then a wander round the town and down to the beach. We found a pizzeria with the bar and shield logo in the name of the shop, and lots of stickers in the windows promoting different runs and bikes but it was shut. Back on the road again and I worked my way back to Triaze, then across to Chaille-les-Marais, le Langon and back to the houses. Adrian was chef tonight as he made a big chilli. While he was in the kitchen, I got changed and jumped in the pool, and froze. The water was still a little cold. I didn’t stay in too long before getting out and doing some more relaxing. In fact I was in bed quite early, as I was so tired out by all the sea air.Tuesday 18th MayAfter breakfast we got ready for another day out. Just as we were starting the bikes Big Nick discovered he had a flat rear tyre, it turned out to be the valve stem missing. We found some breezeblocks in the storehouse so four of us lifted his Road King while Little Ray placed the block underneath the frame so we could rest the bike on it. We removed the rear wheel and strapped it to Kev’s bike then set off into Lucon to find a tyre shop. We eventually found a small bike repair shop that fixed the wheel straight away, and, as luck would have it, there was a bar just across the road, so we had a quick drink or two to celebrate. Once back at the house we put the wheel back in the bike and Nick went for a quick ride to check everything was ok. Most people decided to stay at the house and sunbathe so only four bikes went out for a ride. We got petrol in Fontenay-le-Compte and then headed off to try and find the dam and lake again. I was unable to find them, but we did find another large lake near a hilltop village called Mervent, with a bar that served pints, so we relaxed there for a while. Back on the road I followed signs for a chateau and found a beautiful ruined chateau with a moat around it, where we stopped and took some photos, before riding through a town called Vouvant, which was an ancient medieval town. We then roared back to the house and jumped into the pool again. It was a bit warmer then yesterday. More relaxation followed.Big Nick, happy his bike is fixedWednesday 19th MayAfter breakfast we set off back to the coast again, this time heading to the Ile de Re. Down the N137 we thundered towards La Rochelle, by-passed the town itself, and made our way to the toll bridge to the island itself. We paid the €2 toll and crossed the bridge onto the island. We stopped for petrol and then made our way to the westernmost point of the island and had a look around. From here we rode into St-Martin-de-Re, the capital of the island. We parked up and found somewhere to eat and have a drink. It is a really beautiful place with lots of restaurants and bars around the small harbour. After our meal we had a wander around the harbour, making our way back to the bikes before setting off again back over the bridge. Once over the bridge we found the motorway we needed, I knew we had to head towards Niort before turning off across country. I found the signs to Niort and then just as we were overtaking some trucks another sign pointed off to the right, five of us made the turning but three didn’t. We pulled over to wait, and after 10 minutes the three came thundering down the slip road ahead of us and disappeared into the distance. Little Ray set off in pursuit but caught my handlebars as he left. The rest of us got caught at some traffic lights then set off after them. Luckily they had turned off onto a side road and we caught up, and had a good laugh about it. I had to tighten up one of my mirrors as it was flopping about everywhere, then we set off again. I checked the map before leaving, and tried to find my way across country. Into Dompierre-sur-Mer and I turned left and got lost again. We went through St-Xandre and Villedoux before making our way to Marans, Chaille-les-Marais and finally to Nalliers, where we bought more beer for tonight and had a drink in the local bar. Back at the house a meal was cooked and drink was drunk, as it was Den’s 60th birthday today. The rest of the club rang from England to wish Den a happy birthday. We had bought a cake from the bakers in town, and she had given us another cake too as a present. The lady we were renting the houses off had also given us a cake for Den so we stuffed our faces, drank lots of beer, wine and spirits, did some dancing and generally enjoyed ourselves immensely before crashing out sometime in the morning.One of Den's cakesThursday 20th MayWe had a morning around the pool while we recovered from the night before. About midday we decided to go on another ride-out. My plan today, was to find a scenic ride along a river, which was on my tourist map. Becky was on the back of me, as Spike was feeling fragile after last night. We set off and after a search and frequent checking of the map I finally found the road I wanted next to the river. Off we rode and it turned out to be one of the bumpiest, potholed roads I have ever been on. I was travelling at about 10mph most of the way as both Becky and me were suffering on the chop. I eventually found a turn off about half way along the route and we stopped in a village called Taugon for something to eat. From here it was back on to the main road and north to St-Hilaire-des-Loges before turning off and heading into the forest again. I found the bar from the other day so we stopped for a beer, before finding the ruined chateau so the rest of the club could see it. From here we rode to Vouvant and stopped to take some photos, before riding through l’Hermenault and Pouille back to the houses, and finishing off the birthday cakes with more relaxation thrown in.Friday 21st MayWell, this was our last day down here so we went to have a look at La Rochelle. We found the local dealer on the outskirts of the town and stopped and had a look around, before heading towards the harbour. Big Nick was leading into town today. Got lost trying to find the harbour. We finally made it after passing the bus station a couple of times. Nick decided to go down a one way bit of road the wrong way to get near we wanted to park, so we all followed. Saw the bike parking area but it was on another one way stretch of road and we were heading in the wrong direction, so Nick again went the wrong way on the road, taking two others with him. There was a cop car up our arses and I didn’t fancy an on-the-spot-fine so I carried on with the rest. We got completely lost and passed the bus station a couple of more times. Finally Paul took over as I didn’t have a clue, and he led us back to the bike parking area, more by luck than judgement I think, where we parked up, had a beer and then wandered around the harbour. It had taken about 30 minutes to go around the corner, as it seemed to be all a one-way system. I wandered off and took some photos before heading back to the bikes. I led as we set off and took it easy, as I didn’t want anyone to miss the turn off again. We stopped in Marans for petrol and hit the supermarket to get a bit more food for tonight’s meal. Back at the house I had a shower and then packed my bags ready for tomorrow as we had an early start. We had a few beers and ran out, so Den and Nick went and got some more, so we could relax again.Saturday 22nd MayWe were all up early and just after 9am we set off, as we had to get to Caen for the ferry by 3.30pm. We hit the A83 and A87 toll motorways to get some miles done, before turning off at Angers and picking up the N162 and heading north. We pulled over at Le Lion-d’Angers for petrol and a quick break, before carrying on north. We followed the ring road around Laval and just before Mayenne we stopped for some food. Back on the road we made it up to a small village called Clecy, where we stopped again for a coffee. The owner of the bar where we stopped had just bought his first Harley three days before, and according to his wife, had a permanent grin on his face. My bike wouldn’t start as we went to leave, so I checked the circuit breaker again, it was fine. Tried to start the bike again and still nothing, so I wiggled the wires in the battery box and noticed the negative terminal was loose. Tightened it up and the bike started. Back on the road we headed off to Caen, and rode through an ancient ruined town, which if we had had more time; I would have liked to have had a good look around. I think it was called Domfront, or something similar. We followed the signs to Ouistreham, and made the ferry by the skin of our teeth. We were the last on board and before we had reached the restaurant on the ship we had cast off and were leaving harbour.We said goodbye to Adrian and Bev on board ship as they were heading in a different direction to us. We stopped for petrol just outside the ferry terminal and said our goodbyes to everyone, before hitting the road back to London. Big Nick led us up the A3 and onto the M25. People started peeling off as they headed home and I was the last on the road, Round the North Circular road and I arrived home at 11.30pm.A great week, a great trip, great accommodation, and a total distance of 1047 miles.Happy Birthday DenGeordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Rays Trip to scotland 2008
By Jet setter Ray at 21/09/2008 03:41:46 PM
Friday 8 August
I was finally setting off on my two week holiday to
Saturday 9 August
Next morning, after watching the weather forecast and seeing a severe weather warning for most of
Sunday 10 August
The sun was belting down when I woke up, so after a shower and breakfast, I was on the road by
they were only doing 40mph. I was being held up, so when I could, I went past them. Once on the M90 the rain started again, but I just carried on at about 60mph, eventually all the go-faster bikes came past me after the rain had stopped and turned off towards the race circuit at Knockhill for the BSB meeting. I guess they can only go fast when it’s not raining. I followed the M90 up to
Monday 11 August
Everyone was having trouble walking this morning so we decided to head to the coast by car. We went north to Findhorn, had a hobble on the beach, and then had a pub lunch, before returning back to the cottage via Lochindorb, it was rainy and cold all day. I rang Tony, as he was in
Tuesday 12 August
I walked to the barn where my bike was and gave it a check over. Everything was fine so I jumped on it and went for a ride. I planned to head south and then west into the
Wednesday 13 August
We decided to visit Cairngorm today so we piled in the car and drove there. We got the train to the top and went out to the viewing platform. The clouds had come in and we couldn’t see more than about 20 feet. We had something to eat and then got the train back down to the base station. We saw some reindeer being fed by the car park and took some photos of them before heading down to Loch Garten and Loch Malachie for a short walk around the lochs.
Thursday 14 August
We decide to have a go at archery and clay pigeon shooting today. I have never done these before so I wasn’t expecting to be any good at it. I also had a problem, as although I am right-handed, my left eye is the dominant one, so I had to shoot left-handed. It would make things even more interesting. My first arrow missed the target completely but I managed to hit it with my next two shots. After being told where to aim, (the point where the rear leg of the target met the ground) by the end of the session I had scored 25 out of 30 with my last three arrows. After lunch we set off to the clay-pigeon shoot. Again I had to shoot left-handed. Out of the 26 shots I hit 19 clays. Now, how long to the London Olympics? I got dropped off back at my bike and went for another ride. This time I headed out through
Friday 15 August
There was heavy rain this morning so we had a lazy time watching the Olympics. We headed out to Carrbridge for lunch and went on a horse-trek in the afternoon. The rain stopped the moment we got on the horse and started again as soon as we got off at the end of the trek. The horse I was riding decided to have a battle of wills with me. It wanted to stop and eat all the time and I didn’t want it to do that. Most of the time the horse won, and I nearly went over its head quite a few times. By the end of the trek my legs were so sore I could hardly move and my hands were red raw. We drove back to the cottage to recover.
Saturday 16 August
Today we moved to our next cottage which was right next to where I had been parking the bike. After packing everything up we dropped off the stuff at the new cottage, had a trip out for lunch and then me and Debbie went out for a ride. We went out through
Sunday 17 August
It was raining again this morning so we watched the Olympics again. By early afternoon the rain had stopped so we went out on the bike again. Out past
Monday 18 August
We drove up to John O’Groats today, straight up the A9. What a great road this is as it hugs the coastline most of the way up to John O’Groats. We went on a wildlife watching cruise across to the
Tuesday 19 August
I was planning on doing some miles on the bike today but when I looked out the window it was hammering down, so we watched the Olympics again, and saw Chris Hoy win his third gold medal. In the afternoon we went for a walk around
Wednesday 20 August
It was raining again today, so we watched more Olympics before going to do some more clay pigeon shooting. In the afternoon we went and watched a sheepdog trial, the dogs weren’t too good, lots of sheep seemed to go everywhere but the pen where they were supposed to go.
Thursday 21 August
Once again I had planned to do some miles on the bike but, once again it was pouring down, so the Olympics were switched on again. We then went on a gorge walk that we had previously booked. We got all kitted up and set off to the gorge which was in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived we discovered that we couldn’t do anything as the water was too strong with all the rain. We got our money back and went back to the cottage. I will have to hope that there is good weather tomorrow as it is my last chance before heading south again.
Friday 22 August
I was up early and looked out the window…….no rain at last. Off I went down the B9152 to Kingussie, onto the A86 and rode past Loch Laggan. I stopped to put the waterproofs on as it started drizzling. At Spean Bridge, I visited the memorial to the Commando’s, took a couple of photos and then set off up the A82 to Fort Augustus, where I took the waterproofs off as the sun had come out. I left
Saturday 23 August
It was very misty when I woke up but by
Sunday 24 August
Today I did nothing, just sat about recovering from yesterday.
Monday 25 August
I set off at
A did round trip of 1434 miles and found the roads in
Geordie Ray
GWR 2007
By Who else - but The world famous Ray at 21/09/2008 03:02:02 PM
GWR 2007
I met Grasscutter & Caroline, Martin & Pam, Graham, Ben, James & Vicki at the football club where our bike show is held. We rode down to meet everyone else at the Spearmint Rhino club in
On Saturday morning I had a wander around the field looking at the bikes and arranged a battery charger for Little Ray’s bike. After the battery was charged up we rode down to Riders of Bridgewater to sort out Ray’s bike. He bought a new regulator and swapped it for the old one. After checking it with a meter the battery was still not charging. The mechanic couldn’t look at the bike until after lunch so Ray decided to stay there while we went on a ride. We would meet up with him and Debbie later. We took the A39 towards the coast and stopped in Dunster for a short break. Took some photos of the castle and some of the sights and then it was back on the bikes and off towards Porlock Hill. I was ready for it this time, and got up the hill with no problems. We rode into Lynmouth and parked up. After lunch we had a look around the town, very nice it was too, before riding off to the
Sunday morning I packed my bike as soon as I got up and then went off to have breakfast. After everyone was ready we set off home. As we had missed Cheddar Gorge on the way down we decided to go there on the way back. We stopped in the gorge for some food and a wander around. With Grasscutter leading again we followed the same roads back to Westbury and visited the White Horse. We rode up to the top of the hill and sat looking out over the valley with a beautiful view of the cement works. Back on the bikes again we followed Grasscutter back to Newbury and the M4. Catweasle & Heather turned off at
Our thanks go to Weston & North Somerset MAG for a good weekend.
West London Bike show 2007
By the one and only Rayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! at 21/09/2008 03:00:02 PM
WLHR BIKESHOW 2007
More people arrived on the Saturday morning. Grasscutter led the organised ride-out to the oldest pub in
Sunday morning was spent saying goodbye to everyone who was heading off home, including the HDC Kids, HDC North Sea Group, Moto Club de Lagos from Portugal, HDC Wales, I.O.W and New Forest regions of the HDRCGB, Winchester HRC and people from as far away as Yorkshire and Scotland. We do have to apologize for the toilets not being open on the Saturday morning, this was due to someone from the football club trying to make a point, rest assured it will not happen again. We would like to thank all the stallholders, all the people who provided prizes, all the sponsors, and especially everyone who turned up and made it such a great weekend.
HDRCGB 50th Sportster Rally
By Mr Ray Douglas himself at 30/07/2007 03:10:42 PM
HDRCGB 50th ANNIVERSARY SPORTSTER RALLYI loaded the bike on the Thursday evening as I wanted to get an early start on Friday morning. I also checked out the weather forecast, shit!!!. Next morning I checked the weather forecast again, shit!!!! again. I rang Graham and told him to put the kettle on as I was on my way.I set off at 09.30am going round the North Circular Road and up the M1. I was getting a lot of road spray by Junction 11 but luckily I had planned ahead and had my waterproofs on. There were a lot of cars and trucks with no headlights on, even in the bad light. By junction 15 it had started to rain and by the time I was on the A43 it was hammering down. I arrived at Graham’s house and discovered that my waterproof jacket wasn’t as waterproof as I thought. I stripped off the wet gear and hung it up to dry before settling back with a nice cup of tea.The phone started ringing as various club members rang up to check the rally was still on. Most people said they would come up on Saturday morning. We watched the torrential rain through the window as we drank more tea and watched the TV. At 4.00pm the rain stopped so we loaded the bikes up, returned to the house to put the waterproofs on and went back to the bikes. It was raining again. We gave it another five minutes and decided to go for it.Off round the A43 and up the A508 towards Market Harborough. My front tyre clipped a small bit of wood on the road, which flipped up, hit me on the shin and then went shooting over my shoulder into the opposite lane. If anything had been coming it would have went straight onto the windscreen. My shin was sore for quite a while.Just as we arrived on site Gerry turned up to so we paid to get in and retired to the bar, not for beer but for some hot food (shepherds pie and chips-very welcome) and more tea. We saw some of the East Coast Harley Club arrive and they looked wetter than us. After stuffing our faces we went and put the tents up. Everything was damp so we returned to the bar. Gary and Wayne turned up next followed by Paul and Anna. We all had some beer to celebrate everyone getting there safely and headed off to bed about 1.00am.I woke up at 7.00am to the sound of rain so I dozed off again. I woke up at 10.00am to drizzle so I got up and went and had some breakfast. Catweasle and Heather arrived next closely followed by Martin and his son. Teas were passed around again. Tony and Sandra turned up; Sandra had come off her bike on a roundabout, sliding into the back of Tony’s bike, mostly superficial damage luckily.Most of the club went into Market Harborough for a look around while I decided to go on the ride-out. A little bit of rain wasn’t going to stop me from riding my bike. We went through Melton Mowbray and in to Ashfordby where we stopped for a cup of tea and biscuits at a grade 2 listed mansion owned by one of Kev Scrivener’s friends. From there we rode in to Oakham for a quick pint before heading back through Uppingham to the site, via lots of back roads.The rest of the club had turned up by now so we went and had a look around all the bikes that had turned up. There were some really nice old bikes on site, the owners should be really proud of them. When everyone arrived back on site I discovered that they had been banned from a pub for eating outside at the front of the pub. Well done for losing lots of money whoever decided that!Lots of photos were taken of the bikes, and then we carried on drinking, getting ready for the evening party. At one point Gerry decided to do some gymnastics by jumping between the tables outside. He managed to do one leap but as he landed on the table his foot slid away and he landed very heavily on his arse. He retired to bed early and as he walked away he did look as if he was suffering. The band was great, they had loads of people on the floor, including me, and luckily they didn’t play any Irish music. Sandra won one of the trophies for her Buell Chop and then the band came on again, I ended up dancing with Becky, Heather and even with Catweasle and Eddy at one point. I finally went to bed around 2.00am.Next morning after breakfast I packed up. Gerry had already left. After saying goodbye to everyone I headed off south. The sun was shining and it was a much better ride home than the ride here on Friday. I got home, put the bike away and then unpacked. Everything was still damp so into the wash it all went. Well done to Kev Scrivener for organising the weekend, you did a really good job mate, hope you organise the 100th Anniversary Rally as well as this one.Geordie RayWest London Harley Riders
Celtic Brothers - Brittany
By the man himself - Ray at 10/07/2007 11:00:18 PM
HDC CELTIC BROTHERS RALLY 2007
We arranged to meet at the garage we use as our starting point. Unfortunately it had been closed due to it being redeveloped, so we had to meet just outside the building site. At
drunkemotional and very tired and finally had to go to bed sometime in the early hours.Saturday morning I was not well. Even a couple of cups of coffee couldn’t help. We decided to go on a ride out, so, after checking the map we headed towards the coast. Back through Yiffeniac, where we stopped for petrol and for some people to get money, then on out to Pleneuf where we visited the beach, which turned out to be a nature reserve and was very picturesque. From here we carried on up the coast through Le Val Andre, where we had a meal next to the harbour, Sables d’Or and on to Cap Frehel. The road up here is superb and the scenery is fantastic. We wandered around
In the morning we packed up, had a cup of tea and set off at
Thanks go to the Celtic Brothers for a great weekend
Geordie Ray
Lion rally 2007
By Ray Douglas -(who Else!!) at 10/07/2007 10:54:24 PM
LION RALLY 2007
I had to work late on the Friday so couldn’t make the Friday night party. I set off early on Saturday morning and arrived on site at
Back on site we relaxed around the tents chatting for ages before going over to the marquee for the evenings bands. We wandered around the stalls for a while before settling down to some serious drinking. By now Eddy and Creaky had disappeared off to the moon, not to be seen until the morning. I didn’t think much of the bands to start with but as the beer went down they did get a little bit better. I finally reached the point where I couldn’t drink anymore so I wandered back to my tent and crashed out.
Next morning, after drinking a much needed cup of tea from Holy Joes and after the mist had burned off I packed up, said goodbye to everyone and headed off home already looking forward to the Celtic Brothers Rally in Brittany,
Geordie Ray
Super Rally - HOLLAND 2007
By Ray Douglas at 10/07/2007 10:51:54 PM
SUPERRALLY 2007 BUSSLOO
I set off at 6.00am on Thursday morning around the North Circular Road, turned onto the A13 and blasted out to the M25. At the Dartford River Crossing I got caught in the tailback to pay the toll but when I got to the front of the queue I was waved through. Nice one MAG, well done on that. Once through the barrier I joined the traffic queue to get through the roadworks. I finally worked my way through the roadworks and turned onto the M20 and set off for the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. I joined the queue to book in along with two other Harleys. It turned out that Wurzel was riding one of them. Once through the barrier we headed off to the terminal where I got some water while Wurzel and his mate went to get a coffee. They gave me a coffee when they returned as they had been called onto the train. We arranged to meet up at the rally site and off they went. I waited for the rest of the club and eventually they turned up. We had missed our train because of the traffic they had hit on the M25 so we were put on the next train.
Once in France we set off on the A16 towards Dunkirk and Ostend, there was a lot of traffic about on the motorway so we sat at 65mph. Down to Gent and then across to Antwerp and around the ring road. We stayed on the motorways passing Breda, Tiberg, s’Hertogenbosch, Oss, Nijmegen and Arnhem before arriving in Apeldoorn so a couple of the club could get some Euros. This was harder than it sounds, as we couldn’t see anything that looked like a bank. We eventually found a garage where they could get some. After that was sorted we headed for the rally site at Bussloo. After paying the €60 entrance fee we went and found campsite 2 where everyone from Britain seemed to be aiming for. We parked up, put the tents up and I met Baza and a few of the other Brits there. After everyone was settled we went and had a wander around to see where everything was. We found the bogs and showers and bought some of the Superrally Tokens so we could eat and drink. We had a meal and made our way to the big marquee and watched the bands. We met up with Jumbo and some of the Slims, so chatted to them for a while and then I woke up in my tent in the morning. Good job we worked out how to get back to the tents, as I couldn’t remember getting back last night.
We went and got breakfast and sat on the beach by the lake to eat it. What a beautiful place this is. Some of the club headed out on a ride somewhere, so I went and had a shower. I came out the shower bollock naked thinking I was in the bloke’s side and there were two women drying their hair, so I said hello and carried on getting dried and dressed. It should be like this everywhere, the world would be a better place. Back at the tents, Martin and I decided to go out for a ride. We left the site and made our way back to Apeldoorn. From there we went via Harderwijk and Lelystad to the coast. We planned on crossing the Markerwaard-dijk. We rode onto the dyke and it was beautiful, the sun was belting down, the sea was shimmering with light and all was right with the world. After 5 minutes of riding at 65mph we were getting cold and we couldn’t see the other side of the dike yet. We stopped at a lay-by and after checking the map we realised how long the dyke was. We worked out where we were and there were still miles and miles to go. To get to the other side was about the same distance we had travelled from the site so we decided to turn back and leave it for another day. Back on land we stopped at what we thought was a burger van, but it turned out to sell fish. Martin tried some raw stuff but I just had a coffee. We got chatting to the guy who ran the van and a Dutch artic driver. It turned out the dike was 25 kilometres long. We were also told that where we were standing had been under the sea 40 years ago, the town we could see hadn’t existed and the dykes in the area had been raised by 3 metres because of global warming. After a couple of coffees we set off back to the site and ended up going through Apeldoorn, which was a lot bigger than I thought on first seeing it yesterday. We stopped at a KFC to use some clean toilets and then headed back to the site. Altogether a nice little trip of just over 100 miles. Back in the tent I tried to have a snooze but someone was fixing their bike nearby, got it going and then let it run for ages. Someone else’s bike’s alarm was going off for a while too so any chance of a sleep was out. Back in the arena we watched the bands again, drinking beer just to have something to do. The AC/DC tribute band was brilliant, the singer even sounded just like Bon Scott. By the time I had finished all my tokens it was about 2.00am so I went to bed.
After breakfast some of the club went on a ride-out again but Nick and me decided to take a look at the bike show. We went into the arena but couldn’t find it. Adz turned up so we had a sociable beer together and chatted. We decided to watch the Girls Wrestling in Oil but we couldn’t find that either. It seems the tank they were using yesterday broke so they weren’t wrestling today. We did manage to see the Alien Voyagers as they wandered around the site though so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. We met up with everyone back at the tents, chatted for a while and then went to see the evening’s entertainment. Some of the bands were good, some weren’t but we all enjoyed ourselves. At one point the stage lighting lit up the crowd and the sight was really impressive, there were thousands in front of the stage.
On Sunday morning the rain hitting the tent woke me up. We wandered down to get breakfast and hung about till it stopped. We decided to visit Arnhem so nine bikes set out. We went to Oosterbech first and visited the Airborne Museum. It really shows how everything went wrong for the Allies on Operation Market Garden in the 2nd World War, well worth the visit. We stopped and had a meal at a restaurant, very nice it was too, and then went into Arnhem. We found the bridge, which was the subject of the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’ and stopped at the monument under it. We then rode over the bridge, turned round and went back over it. It sounded as though the Waffen SS were back in town from the noise we made. From here we headed back to the rally site. Tony was leading the way but when you let amateurs lead they invariably go wrong. Tony headed off the wrong way to Apeldoorn with three others while I took the correct way and went back to the site.
We all took the piss,sorry, we were very sympathetic when they turned up. After a while we all headed back to the arena, deciding to take it easy tonight as we had to be up early and on the road by 9.00am for the long ride back home. That idea lasted all of two beers. I even ended up dancing again. Catweasle and me went for a wander sometime during the early hours and a young lady came up to us. She said that she was special as she had a special armband, which got her in for free. That’s nice we thought. She then gave us a list of prices of things we could do to her, very reasonable we thought. Then some bloke turned up who said he was her husband, we shook his hand then she said she didn’t know him. Then some other guy turned up who said he was her boyfriend, we shook his hand, she didn’t know him either. There were also a couple of guys hanging back who were watching what was happening so we decided that it was time to go. We said goodnight and headed off back to our separate tents, we are just good friends after all.In the morning I packed up and loaded the bike and while waiting for the others Martin, Heather and me went to get breakfast. We came back with two box loads of them so everyone had a breakfast before we set off. Back to the A1 motorway and off we went. Down the A50 to Arnhem, Nijmegen, Oss and s’Hertogenbosch where on the A59, just past s’Hertogenbosch James’ Sportster broke down. We carried on to the next services while a few stopped with him to help. It looked like it might be the ignition module had packed in. Nick rode back on a Helen’s Sportster to change modules but by then Catweasle had arranged with a local farmer to store it on his farm until the following weekend. The rest of us set off again but Sandra’s bike broke down. Luckily it turned out to be a loose battery connection so that was sorted and we set of again. Past Waalwijk on the A59, we turned on to the A27 and thundered past Breda and on to Antwerp. Round the ring road we went, down to Gent, and up to Dunkirk where we stopped for a meal at a services. While all this was going on James and Vicky climbed on the back of other bikes and they met us at the services near Dunkirk. So we were all together again. Off we went and arrived at the train terminal. Once through check-in we got on the train and relaxed. We arrived in England to very heavy rain. We stopped at the garage to fill up and all the waterproofs were put on. Everyone was making their own way home so we said goodbye to everyone and Graham and me set off. Up the M20 the rain was so heavy it was hard to see the road at times, cars with no headlights on didn’t help either. We hit a load of traffic because of what looked like a serious crash; a couple of coaches were parked on the hard shoulder with about four ambulances with them. We finally worked our way past all the traffic and headed off again. I checked my mirrors but Graham had disappeared. I pulled over and waited for 5 minutes getting wetter and wetter but there was no sign of him. I decided to head off and phone him when I got home. It turned out he had lifted his visor as we passed the crash and his glasses had got wet. Now he couldn’t see very well as his glasses and visor were covered in water. He had to pull over to dry everything off. I eventually reached home and unloaded the bike. There were two pools of water in my panniers and even though everything was inside bin liners, my clothes and sleeping bag were drenched. I threw everything in the washing machine and went and had a long hot shower to warm up.
A round trip for me of 894 miles and a great weekend too. I have to say well done to the HDC Nederlands for all their hard work, and for putting on such a good Superrally
Geordie Ray
West London Harley Riders
Trip to New Zealand 2006
By Geordie Ray at 22/04/2007 10:05:31 PM
Tuesday 8 August
Debbie and I had dropped our luggage off at a friend’s sister’s house in
I had arranged with a friend of a friend to stay at his house near Whangerei in the Northland region of the North Island of New Zealand. This guy, Don Plane, runs
Wednesday 9 August
We were up early but relaxed for a while as we didn’t have too far to go to get to the house. When we left the motel we headed back through Whangerei to the centre of town and then took the Whangerei Heads road out of town. The road followed all the small bays right out to the ocean. We missed the turn off we needed, glad we didn’t try this last night, and ended up at the end of the road. Any further and we would have ended up in the sea. One car looked as though it had tried to do exactly that, it was perched on some bollards at the end of the road, wheels completely off the ground. We turned around and headed back the way we had come. We finally found the turn off we needed and made our way to Don’s house in a small place called
Outside Don's House, Whangerei Heads
We decided to go and find a place called Tutukaka, as I would be diving with a company called Dive! Tutukaka as soon as I could arrange a time. We set off back to Whangerei, timing how long it took us. Once back in Whangerei we took the coast road toward Tutukaka, again timing how long it took us. What a great road, the views out to sea were fantastic. Once in Tutukaka we found the dive shop and parked up. We had taken just over an hour to get there. I booked my dives for the next day, unfortunately this meant that we couldn’t stay at Don’s house as it would mean getting up about 5.30am to get to the dive shop in time to get the boat out to the
Thursday 10 August
No riding the bike today as I was off diving.
After packing the bike and returning the keys for the chalet back to reception, we called into the garage and filled up with petrol before setting off back to Whangarei, to return the keys to Don’s house back to the Planet Honda shop. Once that was done we cut through town again and set off on SH14 towards the west coast and Dargaville. At the i-Site information office we booked our accommodation in a town called Paihai for the next two nights. We would be staying at Captain Bob’s Beachcomber Backpackers hostel. We had been staying at the backpackers hostels during our time in the
Saturday 12 August
The roads in
State Highway 29 from Tauranga to
Desert Road across
SH1 (
SH83 over the
SH6 past Lakes Hawa and Wanaka ,over the
SH6 from
If you get the chance to go to NZ you have to go. We enjoyed every minute of our trip. I now want to do the whole thing again, but on a bike. From
Hired scooter on
Geordie Ray
Cornish Rally
By Geordie Ray at 06/07/2006 02:20:59 PM
KERNOW HARLEY RIDERS RALLY 2006
Only some of us met at the usual garage on Friday morning. Catweasle was moving house so would be down later on today. A couple of guys had gone down to Devon on Thursday to stay with friends on the way so we would all meet up at the rally site. At 9.20 am we set off. Grasscutter had worked out a scenic route for us to take. We headed down the M4 and came off at the Newbury exit. Down the A34 we went and joined the A303 just before Andover. Past Stonehenge we travelled, and just before Wylye the belt on Den’s bike snapped. A quick call to the breakdown service and they were there within the hour. Once the bike was loaded on to the breakdown truck and Den’s stuff had been redistributed around the other bikes, we set off again, with Den on the back of Gerry. Den’s bike was on its way home and arrived safely later on that day. Travelling west once again we turned onto the A372 and headed across to Bridgewater and the Riders shop where we met Deadeyes and Lainey. After a short break we set off again, Deadeyes heading direct while we took the A39 coast road. What a fantastic road this is. Past Minehead, then across Exmoor and down to Porlock we rode. Now I had been warned about Porlock Hill but it still surprised me. I made a right mess of getting up the hill. I dropped down to second gear before the turn, got round the bend, realised I needed first gear but I couldn’t get the bike into first gear. I ended up stopped part way up the hill in second gear. Fat boy came past me on one side while Nick and Helen came past on the other side. I could see all sorts of chaos in my mirrors, with cars and bikes backing up. I tried pulling away in second gear but the bike wouldn’t have it so I let the clutch out and crashed it into first gear with a horrible sound of grinding gears. Off up the hill I shot without looking back, I didn’t want to see what I had caused. At the top of the hill we pulled in to a scenic viewpoint where it was pointed out to me that I was a crap rider, although in more words than that.
The view from up here was beautiful. If anyone has never ridden this road before you really should do it. You will not be disappointed. We carried on past Barnstaple, Bideford and Bude, rejoining the A30 at St Columb Major. Heading west again down the A30 we past Deadeyes and finally made it to Camborne and the Rugby Club where the rally was being held. After getting our tickets we put up the tents and hit the bar for a well earned pint of liquid refreshment. We met up with some of our European friends from the HDC Big Twin Espania and sampled some of their Sangria. Said hello to Essjay and the rest of the Kernow clan. Did lots of drinking and a little bit of dancing and then it was 2.15 in the morning and bed time.
Next morning we had breakfast and chatted while we waited for the ride-out. We all set off at 11.00 and headed back to the A30. Down towards Lands End we went but turned off to St Just. We then followed the coast road through Pendeen and Zennor to St Ives where we parked up. We found a bar and watched the seagulls stealing everyone’s ice-creams, wandered around the town for a while and then headed back to the rally site. We had to get back to watch the England v Portugal game. I tell you, if I worked the way the England team take penalties I would be sacked. And they get about £70,000 a week for screwing it all up. After the match was finished we went and sulked for a while. I went and had a look around the bike show; there was some very exotic machinery on show. In the early evening there was a show by some local belly-dancers, very good they were too, they certainly went down well with the crowd, and even the enthusiastic amateurs who they got to join in did well. The raffle was held and some of us won some prizes and then the bike show trophies were handed out. The winning bikes must have cost a fortune to build. The Rosie Walters band came on after that and they went down very well. I crashed out around midnight which meant that I missed the topless female body surfing. All the blokes seemed to enjoy that, I was told next morning.
Sunday morning after breakfast I packed up and was ready to leave by 9.00am. Some of the club were staying down for a few days while others were heading home up the M5 and M40. After saying goodbye to everyone Catweasle and me set off up the A30 taking it steady. We caught up and past Grasscutter and Little Ray who were taking another scenic route home. The weather man had forecast thunderstorms today but we didn’t see any rain at all. We did get slightly wet by spray kicked up by car tyres so it must have rained sometime. We went up the M5 for a short while at Exeter and then turned off onto the A30 again. Up past Honiton, Yeovil, Wincanton and Amesbury we rode. We stopped for a cup of tea at a Little Chef and met the head guy from B&H Motorcycles who had been at the rally with his stall. He was taking his son up to London. We chatted for a little while and then set off again. The sun was belting down now so my jacket came off. Blasting up the road some flying insect hit my arm while we were travelling at 65mph. Shit did that hurt. Straight away my arm came up in a lump and there was blood there. It felt like a sting, and even today as I write this, four days later there is still a big red mark on my arm. We turned on to the M3 and made our way to the M25. We turned north and I turned off onto the M40 and London while Catweasle carried on round the M25. Round the North Circular Road and I was home by 3.00pm. A distance of 680 miles over the weekend; and what a weekend it was. Everyone had a great time and really enjoyed themselves. The weather was great, the ride-out was superb, the beer flowed and the belly-dancers danced. The only downside was England getting beaten, but even the Kernow lot couldn’t sort that out.
Our thanks go to Essjay and the rest of Kernow Harley Riders for putting on a great weekend.Geordie Ray
West London Harley Riders
H-DC BREDA
By GEORDIE RAY at 21/06/2006 10:47:03 AM
HDC Breda Rally 2006
We had arranged to meet at the Eurotunnel train terminal at about 12.30 to see if we could get on an earlier train. After a last minute panic to find my passport, I loaded the bike, locked up and was on the road by 10.30. I was expecting to be the first one to arrive as the rest of the club would have to stop for petrol because of the Sportsters and their small tanks. After a very enjoyable ride down to the terminal, I was indeed the first to arrive. Everyone turned up and we settled down to a long wait as a train had broken down earlier in the day and everything was delayed. Catweasle had forgotten to bring his reference number for his ticket, even though I had insisted on everyone not forgetting them. After talking to the help desk everything was sorted out and he had his new ticket. There was no chance of getting on an earlier train as the place was crowded. Finally our letter was called and we went and queued again at the barriers. After being held for ages in the sun we were let on to the train. Does anyone know why motorcycles are always the last ones to be let on? The train set off 2 hours late, which meant there was no chance of watching the Holland world cup game at the site.
Once off the train we stopped at the first petrol station and filled up. Nigel and me led the way onto the A16 motorway and headed toward Belgium. We lost Deadeyes again straightaway as we sat at a steady 70mph. Past Dunkirk, Veurne, Ostend and Brugge we thundered, stopping for petrol just before Ghent. Just outside of Antwerp, Sandra broke down, Catweasle and Paul stopped while the rest of us carried on to the next services. Sandra, Catweasle and Paul eventually turned up, along with Tony, who had stayed with Deadeyes for a while. The problem was a snapped battery cable terminal. We set off round the Antwerp ring road and turned onto the A1 motorway. The Hoogstraten slip road beckoned so we came off there and followed the signs into the centre of town. The road through town was closed so we followed the detour signs and finally found some H-D signs. We arrived at the site and paid the 20 Euro entrance fee and then set the tents up.
Next stop was the stall selling the beer tokens and then the bar. We met up with a lot of our friends, the HDC Wrecking Crew, the HDC Kids, the HDC Breda, the HDC 74, the HDC North Sea Group, and the HIC Switzerland to name a few. A lot of the Dutch guys were smashed already, no doubt celebrating Holland’s win. The first band I saw was a thrash metal band, their heroes must have been Motorhead as most of their songs sounded just like them. Sometime during the night Nigel and I decided it would be a great to ride naked around the marquee. After all the beer we had drunk it certainly seemed a good idea at the time. Off we went back to the bikes where we stripped off, but like all real men we kept our boots on, and jumped on the bikes, then jumped off very quickly as the seats were so cold. They were covered in condensation as the temperature had dropped. We got back on the bikes again and set off for the marquee. About half way there my bike died but as Nigel was leading he carried on. I finally worked out that I hadn’t turned the petrol on. Of I went again but by the time I got to the marquee Nigel was already inside. I entered the marquee to hear everyone cheering Nigel so I had to fight my way around. Near the back of the marquee I gave it a bit too much on the throttle and the back wheel slid away and down I went. A few people helped pick the bike up and I set off again. I left the marquee where I came in and went back to the tent. Nigel wasn’t there; he turned up as I finished getting dressed. He had gone round the marquee twice. After dressing we went back to the marquee where no-one recognised us with our clothes on. One female member of the HDC Breda came over and asked who we were. I explained what we had just did and she said “Very good, it livened up the place but no-one could see anything” I tried to explain how cold it was but she wasn’t having any of it. The next band was a rockabilly group and had everyone dancing. Deadeyes turned up at 11.30pm, this must be some sort of record 13 hours to do 140 miles. I finally crashed out sometime in the morning.
When I got up in the morning we sat about in the sun reminding each other about what had happened last night. After breakfast some of us went out on our own ride out to the coast. It took a while to find the sea but we eventually got there, via Breda, Roosendaal, Bergen Op Zoom, Krabbendijke and Goes. We then rode over one of the flood barriers and stopped for a drink halfway over where we watched some boats going through the sea locks. We headed back to the site and after 7 hours and 200 miles we arrived. What a great ride we had, the sun was belting down all the way. After relaxing for a while we had some food and then hit the bar again. I promised myself that I would take it easy tonight. That lasted for all of an hour. After more dancing and singing during the evening, Big Nick and I ended up sitting around the bonfire talking shit but sounding really interesting at the time. About 4.00am I went to bed.
We had arranged to set off at 10.00am so after having a quick shower and grabbing breakfast we packed the bikes. At 10.00 we set off, all apart from Paul, who wasn’t ready. We told him we would be at the petrol station filling up. After twenty minutes Paul still hadn’t shown up and it looked as if everyone was ready so off we went. We found out when we got to the train terminal that we hadn’t seen Nick still filling up and we had left him behind. We got on the motorway again and headed towards Antwerp. Nigel led us around the ring road but to the north this time and we ended up having to pay a 5 Euro toll. This was the same price as cars; I think MAG Belgium need to do some work there. At the first petrol stop we discovered that some of the club were missing, Big Nick, Helen, Tony, Grasscutter, Nick the News and James were nowhere to be seen. They did have directions to the terminal though. Arriving at the terminal we finally got through check-in and relaxed in the terminal. Grasscutter had problems with his ticket. According to the woman on the desk he couldn’t be here as there was no record of his entry. After taking all the documentation to the desk it was finally worked out that because Catweasle didn’t use his reference number when we came out somehow the numbers were mixed up so Grasscutter had to get a new ticket printed. All this was done just in time for us to head to the train. Back on home soil we stopped at the petrol station and then we all headed off home. Fatboy and I went through the Dartford Tunnel; I turned off onto the A13 towards London while Fatboy carried on round the M25 to Northampton. I arrived home bout 5.30pm, unpacked the bike, had a shower, something to eat and had an early night.
A total distance for me of 688 thoroughly enjoyable miles. Our thanks go to the HDC Breda for putting on a great rally. The weather was scorching all weekend and we all enjoyed ourselves.Geordie Ray
West London Harley Riders
KENT First Run Of The Season
By Geordie Ray at 04/06/2006 10:41:33 AM
Pitch & Put Party 2006
We all met at the usual place, the garage just off the M4 and set off just after
We got onto the M4 and discovered that we had already lost Deadeyes on his new trike. We turned onto the M25 and opened the throttles up a bit and thundered round the M25. We turned off onto the A22 while Colin and Gina carried on round the M25 on his trike. We would see them at the site. We stopped in
We decided to try and fix Nick’s bike before the rain started but it was so windy that we had to find some cover. We got one of the shipping containers that were on site unlocked and pushed his bike into one of them. We adjusted the clutch cable but it just kept letting go so we took off the primary case to check inside. Everything looked ok so we pulled the clutch adjusting plate off. Everything ok still. After a bit of head scratching Nick discovered that the adjusting nut had stripped its thread. At least we now knew what was wrong. After talking to some of the
Gerkin were the band on the Friday night and I was reluctantly forced onto the dance floor. Di’s knee gave way on the dance floor during the night, she just couldn’t keep up with me, so had to be carried out to her tent. A few more dances came and went and I ended up crashing out about
As we arrived back on site I saw that the bike show was open so I stopped and put my bike in the show. There were a few club bikes in the show already. After the show closed I parked my bike next to my tent and headed off to the bar. The Caretakers were setting up as the big screen was showing the Eurovision Song Contest. Most people were watching it to see the band from
I woke up about
West London Harley Riders would like to thank the Kent Region of the
Geordie Ray
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