Home Photos Club History Bike Show Guestbook

Ray's Reports

Ray reports on bike rallies

Latest report:

  • Rays Trip to scotland 2008

    By Jet setter Ray at 21/09/2008 03:41:46 PM

    SCOTLAND TRIP AUGUST 2008

     

    Friday 8 August

     

    I was finally setting off on my two week holiday to Scotland. Debbie was travelling up in the car as she was picking up a friend in Halifax, while I was going on my Sportster Chop. I planned to stay overnight at my parents house in Gateshead, as my dad had just got out of hospital, before travelling the rest of the way to Aviemore. I loaded the bike up and set off at midday with the waterproofs on as it had been raining. I managed to get 18 miles up the A1 before I got rained on. By 32 miles it was hammering down, but luckily it only lasted for another 10 miles before it settled down to a light drizzle. Eventually after 50 miles the rain stopped. I pulled in for petrol after 125 miles and put a sweatshirt on as I was getting cold. By the time I reached Doncaster the sun had come out and the ride was turning out to be quite enjoyable. I pulled in for petrol at the Washington-Birtley Services after another 115 miles and arrived at my parent’s house just after 16.30 having travelled 250 miles.

     

    Saturday 9 August

     

    Next morning, after watching the weather forecast and seeing a severe weather warning for most of Scotland, I decided to stay at my parents for another night. Just as well, as it started throwing it down for most of the day. I rang Debbie to tell her I would be in Scotland tomorrow and she told me that she could hardly see the road for the rain. Had a quick check over the bike as the tank fixings had worked loose yesterday. Everything was fine and I had just finished when it started to rain again. Packed the tools away and went and had a cup of tea. I then got everything ready for the trip and relaxed for the rest of the day.

     

    Sunday 10 August

    The sun was belting down when I woke up, so after a shower and breakfast, I was on the road by 8.45am. I rode through Newcastle and headed north-west up the A696. Just before Otterburn I had to stop and put the waterproofs on again. By the time I got to Carter Bar and the Scottish border it had stopped raining but was cold. I took a photo of the ‘Scotland’ sign on a huge stone, very impressive. From the border I rode up the A68 through Jedburgh and stopped for petrol near Dalkeith on the southern outskirts of Edinburgh, 96 miles since I had filled up yesterday. I followed the Edinburgh by-pass (A720), it started raining again, and joined the M8 and M9 before heading towards the Forth Road Bridge, the rain had stopped. I was surrounded by a load of go-faster bikes as I crossed the bridge, so I tucked in behind them, not expecting to keep up with them. Going over the bridge the speed limit is 50mph, but,

    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 Perth where I joined the A9 heading north. I turned off at Pitlochry to get something to eat and filled up with petrol again (only 65 miles since the last time). Back on the A9 and heading north I finally arrived in Aviemore. I met up with Debbie and some friends and then headed off to the cottage we had rented, only stopping to park the bike in its holiday home, an old barn just down the road. A trip of 225 miles from Gateshead. We had something to eat and then went out for a quick walk over the big hill next to the cottage. We walked up the hill, sown the other side to Loch Morlich and then back to the cottage by the side of the road. Five hours after we set out, we got back to the cottage, in severe pain; we had walked about 12 miles. It certainly didn’t look that far on the map!

     

    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 Scotland with some of the French guys who had visited our bike show the week before, to arrange to meet up. He informed me that because the weather had been so bad they had decided to cut their losses and had just got on a ferry from Heysham to the Isle of Man for a few days.

     

    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 Grampian Mountains to Rannoch Station. I rode down the A9 and just before Dalwhinnie it started raining again. After putting the waterproofs on I carried on south again. Just past Dalwhinnie I could see a wall of water if front of me, it was pouring down. I turned round and went into town for petrol, where a truck driver told me that it was pissing down all the way to Perth. Plan B came into operation. Head north and get away from the rain. I headed north on a quiet back road, I could see the A9 with loads of vehicles throwing up heavy spray, but I was the only one on this road, fantastic. I carried on through Newtonmore and Kingussie on the A86 before turning onto the B970 and went past the ruins of Ruthven barracks and Insh Marshes. I had a quick visit to Loch-an-Eilein and from there I rode past Loch Morlich to Cairngorm Mountain. What a great view from the base station of the Funicular railway I had. I would go on the railway another day with everyone else. Took some photos and then headed back to the cottage after travelling 80 miles.

     

    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 Nethy Bridge to Speybridge, onto the A95 and carried on north to Bridge of Avon. I then went through Glenlivit, passing the distillery, Auchbreck, Dufftown, Craigellachie, Charlestown of Aberlour and Maryport. I crossed the River Spey and headed south down a very empty back road to Grantown-on-Spey, and then back to the cottage. A short ride of 84 miles

     

    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 Nethy Bridge and then used a back road to get to the A939 and headed of towards Tomintoul. What a fantastic road, up over the mountains and then down again, great! Up to Bridge of Avon and then returned down the A95 to Boat of Garten and back to the cottage, for a short trip of 56 miles.

    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 Nethy Bridge and Grantown-on-Spey once more and up the A939 towards Nairn. We turned off the main road and took more back roads across country to Cawdor, to see the castle, before returning via Culloden Moor, Inverness and Aviemore to the cottage. A round trip of 78 miles this time.

    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 island of Stroma, saw lots of birds and a couple of seals, before returning to the harbour and driving back to the cottage.

    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 Loch-an-Eilean, visited Aviemore and then back to the cottage. It didn’t stop raining all day.

    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 Fort Augustus and took the B862, on the south side of Loch Ness, up past Loch Tarff. Fantastic road again, taking me right into the mountains. I carried on to Foyers and visited the Falls of Foyers for a while before carrying on along the banks of Loch Ness to Dores. I then used back roads, going past Loch Duntelchaig to Farr. I then crossed the mountains to the valley of the River Findhorn. What a road that is. A single track road with passing places, gravel everywhere, grass growing down the centre of the road in places and lots of hairpin bends. I eventually made it but a chopper wasn’t the best bike to do it on. After riding down the mountainside into the valley I passed three fishermen who, by the look on their faces, couldn’t believe that I had crossed the mountain on my bike. I gave them a wave and carried on up the River Findhorn valley. Turning round, as there was only one way out, I rode back to the A9 at Tomatin, where I headed south back to Aviemore, where I stopped for a while as the Thunder In The Glen HOG Rally had just started, so there were quite a few Harleys about. I stayed for a while before heading back to the cottage. A great trip of 144 miles.

    Saturday 23 August

    It was very misty when I woke up but by 8.00am the sun was out and the bike was packed for the trip south. Back to the A9 and south past Perth, over the Forth Road Bridge and round Edinburgh on the by-pass again. I took the A7 turn-off and once past Gorebridge the road turned into a joy to ride, I hit a bit of traffic through Galashiels and Hawick before enjoying the road again to the border near Carlisle. I stopped and took a photo of the ‘Welcome to England’ sign, made out of tin, very cheap. I joined the M6 and travelled south for a few junctions to get me past Penrith, before joining the A6 and turned south again. Through Kendall, Carnforth and Lancaster to Preston, passing the H-D dealer, before picking up the A59. Continuing south I went through Ormskirk and into Liverpool, where I discovered that scouse roads are as bad as London roads. I was getting bounced everywhere. Through the Birkenhead Tunnel and I finally arrived at Debbie’s brothers, where we were staying for two nights. 330 miles in seven hours of riding.

    Sunday 24 August

    Today I did nothing, just sat about recovering from yesterday.

    Monday 25 August

    I set off at 10.00am and took the M53 for two junctions, before turning off onto the A41. Round Chester and past Whitchurch and Newport before taking the A5, past Cannock, Brownhills, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Towcester, passing the H-D dealers, Milton Keynes and Dunstable, before turning onto the M1 at Junction 9 and following it south to London. I arrived home at 3.00pm having done 187 miles.

    A did round trip of 1434 miles and found the roads in Scotland to be in a much better condition than English roads.

     

    Geordie Ray

    West London Harley Riders

  • 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 Slough. Damn! The club was shut. Eddy’s bike was playing up so we had to bump start it to get it going. We made our way onto the M4 and headed west. We took the Newbury turn-off and took the A4 through Hungerford and Marlborough to Avebury, where we stopped for lunch, and to wait for Catweasle & Heather. After lunch we set off again with Grasscutter leading. Through Alton Barnes, right onto the A342, right to Chirton and left onto the B3098 through Urchfont and Erlestoke to Westbury where we stopped to watch some micro-lights flying about. From here we rode to Frome, then onto the A361 to Shepton Mallet. We stopped for petrol and spent about half an hour trying to get Eddy’s bike going again. It eventually started again and we headed up the A37 towards Bristol. We turned left onto the B3135 towards Cheddar Gorge but just past Binegar, Little Ray’s bike started back-firing and flames started coming out the exhaust before it cut out completely. After lots of tinkering we worked it out as either the regulator/rectifier or the alternator. The AA was called and within 20 minutes they turned up. Result. He agreed with out diagnosis so we decided to charge the battery up and get to the site, we could go to Riders of Bridgewater tomorrow. We decided to give Cheddar Gorge a miss and head straight to the rally site. Off up the B3134 to the A38 where we turned right. It was only as an Easy Jet plane took off from a field next to us that we realised we had turned the wrong way. We turned round and headed back down the A38, turned off onto the B3133 and rode through Yatton and Kingston Seymour and finally arrived at the rally site. After paying the entrance fee we found Paul & Anna already on site so we set up the tents next to them. We had some food and then a few sociable drinks. The bands were ok, nothing special and then off to bed at midnight for me.

    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 Valley Of The Rocks. A few of us climbed up to the top of the rocks, what a view from the top, fantastic. My legs were killing me by the time I reached the top. After scrambling back down to the bottom we rode back through Lynmouth and then took the coast toll road, which although a bit bumpy for me on the chop was a great road to take. We stopped in Porlock Weir for a while before heading back to the site. We arranged to meet Ray & Debbie in a pub in Yatton for a meal and to find out how his bike was. It turned out it was the stator which was the problem and had burned out the alternator and regulator/rectifier so they had all been changed and the bike was now fine although Ray was a couple of hundred pounds poorer. After a very good meal we headed back to the site with Little Ray leading the way. He took off quickly and left us, he also missed the entrance road to the site so we all arrived before him. We found out that we had won the Best Club Turn Out which Eddy had accepted for us as he had stayed on site. We headed into the marquee and started drinking. The bands tonight were much better than last nights and there was much merriment. Lots of people were dancing tonight including us. Little Ray eventually turned up about 40 minutes after everyone else. I finally crashed out about two in the morning.

    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 Reading while the rest of us carried on down the M4. At Slough everyone turned off apart from me. I carried on to the M25 and turned onto the A40 towards London. The M25 was full of traffic crawling along. Round the North Circular Road and I arrived home where I unloaded the bike and had a shower. A total distance for me over the weekend of 505 miles.

    Our thanks go to Weston & North Somerset MAG for a good weekend.

     

    Ray Douglas

    West London Harley Riders   

  • West London Bike show 2007

    By the one and only Rayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! at 21/09/2008 03:00:02 PM

    WLHR BIKESHOW 2007

     After all the bad weather over the preceding weeks we were hoping that we would be lucky. The weather forecast was good and it turned out great, it was scorching all weekend. We finished setting up the site on Friday morning and people started arriving, including some of our friends from Europe. We provided food, the bar provided drinks and the music was provided by The Hogs. Lots of people danced the night away and everyone had a great time.

         More people arrived on the Saturday morning. Grasscutter led the organised ride-out to the oldest pub in Britain, which a lot of people went on. Surrey H-D turned up with their stand, and, a couple of bikes for test rides. Various other stalls were also on site. The music on the Saturday afternoon was provided by My Mate Kate, watch out for this band, they are only young but are going places. The bike show prizes were presented by the Mayoress of Hillingdon and she really enjoyed herself again, this was the third year she had been to the show. The auction and raffles raised £2000 for Headway and we also presented a cheque for £700 raised at our Friday 13th Party. Rough Justice provided the music on Saturday night accompanied by lots of dancing and drinking. The raffle on the Saturday night raised £200 which went to the family of Dick, one of our ex-members who had died of cancer a couple of days earlier.

    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 RALLY
     
    I 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 Ray
    West 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 7.30pm on the Thursday night eight bikes with thirteen people on board set off. We rode around the M25 and joined the A3, thundered past Guildford and Petersfield and into Portsmouth, taking the wrong exit off the motorway so ending up going the long way through Portsmouth. We even saw the Portsmouth FC ground. At the terminal we met up with Catweasle and Heather. Once on board and the bikes were secured we retired to the bar. After a few relaxing pints I found a bench seat and even though the bar was still full I managed to go to sleep. I woke up to an empty bar, where had everyone gone? I discovered a few people had also crashed out on various seats around the bar; the rest seemed to have gone to the reclining seats. We went down to a full English breakfast and were then called back to the bikes. Once off the ferry we followed the signs for the motorway and headed west towards Caen. We went over the Pont de Normandie, which was free to bikes, well done to whoever sorted that out. I was leading and was concentrating on the road signs and forgot that Catweasle needed petrol. After doing about 40 miles and not seeing any signs for petrol stations we stopped as Catweasle was on reserve. I siphoned three small coke bottles of petrol out of my tank so we could get going again and managed to get to the next service station. We stopped in Pontorson, near Mont St. Michel, for more petrol, and as luck would have it the station was right across the road from a restaurant so we all trooped in there and had a sit down meal. This was real continental living. Back on the road, as we approached St Brieuc, Nick came past and took the turn off he thought we needed. But as I have said before, when amateurs take over it invariably goes wrong. We had come off at the wrong exit. I took over the lead again and using all my old despatching skills I found the way to the site, which was a horseracing track just outside a place called Yiffeniac. After paying the entrance fee we went and put up our tents. We camped next to Paul who had come over from Plymouth. Once the tents were up we headed to the bar to have a look around. There were a lot of Brits here. We found Paul and Anna in the bar where they were sampling the delights of French wine and were already very drunk. Tony turned up too, coming from a week visiting friends in Normandy. The bands did their sound checks, other people arrived and we carried on drinking. The first band came on eventually and were great, they played some good music and certainly got the crowd……….well, me…. on my feet. I would say their music was Irish influenced, at least I hope it was as that was how I was dancing. Imagine the female dancers in Riverdance……  then imagine me trying to dance like them for some reason…….. you get the picture anyway. Suffice to say, I was very  drunk emotional 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 Cape Frehel for a short while and then rode down to Fort de la Latte. We decided to go back the way we had come as the road was so good and we stopped in Sables d’Or at a supermarket so some people could get supplies. We headed back to the rally site and I was asked to put my bike in the show, at last a club that recognises class. I put my bike in the show then went back to the tent and relaxed for a while before we all headed over to the arena. There were a lot of people here now; a lot of French had turned up after finishing work. The first band from last night opened proceedings again, but the spirit of last night wasn’t with me tonight and I settled for some feet tapping this time. The next band was just one guy playing guitar, harmonica and two drums all by himself, really good. The bike show results were next and unfortunately I didn’t win, maybe they don’t recognise class as much as I thought. The Best Custom was well worth the win, apart from being British it was the best bike there for me. The Best Chop and Best In Show were both from the Custom Bike Shop stand and were on display the previous night on the stand, so no-one else really had a chance. They had both had lots of money thrown at them, lots of chrome, billet ally and metalflake paint. I took my bike back to the tents and by the time I returned to the arena the female stripper was on. She went down very well, in a manner of speaking. Next on stage was a male stripper for all the women and he went down even better then the female stripper, again in a manner of speaking. More drinking followed and then another band came on, who were pretty good. Some guy started dancing who was worse than me last night. I know that is hard to believe but I have to say he had to be one of the worst dancers I have ever seen. Nothing he did was in time to the music we could hear; God knows what music he was hearing. By now it was really cold and I had had enough so I wandered off to bed.

                       In the morning we packed up, had a cup of tea and set off at 9.30am. We eventually got on to the N176, we were all wearing our waterproofs as it was really damp, and headed towards Dinan and Pontorson. The weather got better so when we stopped for petrol a few of us took the waterproofs off. We rode up the A84 and round the Caen Peripherique and turned onto the A13. We then took the Troarn turn off onto the N175 and went through Dozule and into Pont l’Eveque. We followed the signs for Honfleur and stopped in the centre of town at the harbour where we had a meal. We said goodbye to Nick & Helen and Tony & Sandra as they were staying over for a few days, then the rest of us set off to the ferry. Over the Pont de Normandie, not paying again, and into Le Havre, where it started raining just as we were about a mile from the terminal. None of us had waterproofs on so we got wet but carried on. At the terminal, while waiting to get on the ferry, the sun came out and we soon dried off. Once on board we met up in the bar and relaxed. I dozed for a while and we all heard about the bombs in London and Glasgow from the TV. We leave the country for a few days and it all falls to bits!!! Back in England and we all headed off home. I rode back with Grasscutter and Little Ray up the A3 and round the M25. Ray turned off onto the M4 while we carried on and turned onto the M40. Cutter turned off and I carried on round the North Circular Road and got home about 11.30pm. I put the bike in the garage, went into the house, unpacking could wait, and went to bed. A round trip of 640 miles for me.

    Thanks go to the Celtic Brothers for a great weekend

     

    Geordie Ray        West London Harley Riders

  • 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 10.00am. After showing my ticket I rode into the site and found the rest of the club. I pitched the tent and had a beer before we went out on our own ride-out. Before we left I met up with Adam, an old friend of mine from my days with Ealing MAG back in the dim and distant past, who I hadn’t seen since his wedding about four or five years ago. With Grasscutter leading we headed down the M4 to Junction 15. We rode down to Barbery Castle, which is an old fortification where you get great views across the country from The Ridgeway. We had a meal at the café and a quick look around before climbing back onto the bikes and setting off again. We rode to the Crofton Steam Engine Museum, again a beautiful place, right next to the Kennet and Avon Canal. This engine was used to pump water up into the canal to keep it filled up for the canal boats to get over the hills. One we had had a look round we headed down to Hungerford where we stopped for a drink. After one pint we decided to head back to the site before the rain arrived.

               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, France

     

    Geordie Ray 

    West London Harley Riders

  • Super Rally - HOLLAND 2007

    By Ray Douglas at 10/07/2007 10:51:54 PM

    SUPERRALLY 2007 BUSSLOO HOLLAND

     

              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

     A Motorcycle Trip In New Zealand 2006

     

     

    Tuesday 8 August

     

    Debbie and I had dropped our luggage off at a friend’s sister’s house in Auckland, so we crossed Auckland Harbour Bridge in the hire car we had been using for the previous two weeks. We were on our way to pick up the motorcycle we had hired for our last week in New Zealand. We took the Takepuna turn off just over the bridge and arrived at Te Waipounamu Motorcycle Hire on Barry’s Point Road, (www.motorcycle-hire.co.nz), we could have hired a Harley-Davidson Road King but we just couldn’t afford to pay more, this holiday was costing a fortune. I had arranged the hire over the internet and Debbie sorted the payment before we left home, so all we had to do was sign the paperwork and choose our helmets and jackets. Once that was all done we set off with me riding the bike, a Honda 1100 Shadow, with screen and hard luggage, and Debbie driving the hire car, as we had to drop the car at the Auckland Airport rental depot. We had to go back over Auckland Harbour Bridge, heading south this time, and take the airport exit. We finally found the depot after getting lost for a while and emptied the car of all the stuff we would need for the next week. I loaded the bike up while Debbie did all the paperwork for the car, it worked out that we had done 4170 kilometres (2591 miles) in the two weeks we had it, and then we were off, back to State Highway 1 where we turned north again for the third crossing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The views were great crossing the bridge; we had a fantastic view of downtown Auckland.

     

    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 Southern Cross Motorcycles in Kilburn (www.southerncrossmotorcycles.co.uk) and is worth checking out for any servicing etc. I had to get to the Planet Honda shop before it closed to pick up the key to his house so after crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge for the third time we headed north towards Whangerei. Just north of Auckland, State Highway 1 (SH1) becomes part of the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, (this is the tourist route around Northland), the road was pretty good to ride until we got into the hills, and then it became much better. Twisty bends, hairpins, up and down the hills, brilliant. We arrived in Whangerei at 5.30pm and headed straight to the shop. It had just closed but luckily someone was still there so we managed to get the keys off him. We decided to stay in a motel as it was getting dark and the house was about a half an hour ride away still. With not knowing the roads or what the house looked like I didn’t want to risk getting lost out in the sticks. We booked into a motel on the outskirts of town and were directed to the Northcote Club, for a meal. It was just around the corner so we walked there. It turned out to be a workingmen’s club, we signed in, had a couple of beers and had a great steak meal before heading back to the motel, where we worked out the route to the house for tomorrow. 174 miles on the bike today.

     

    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 Reotahi Bay. It was in a fantastic setting, set on a hill looking out over the bay. We unlocked the door and had a look round the place, really nice house it was too. We unloaded the bike and put our stuff in the house.                                                                 

    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 Poor Knight Islands dive sites. We were directed to the Tutukaka Holiday Park and got a chalet for two people. A really nice place and just five minutes walk away from the dive shop. We headed back to Don’s house and loaded the bike up again before setting off back to Tutukaka to settle in to the chalet for the next two nights. 74 miles today.

    Tutukaka Holiday Park

     

     

    Thursday 10 August

                      No riding the bike today as I was off diving.

     Friday 11 August

                       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 South island and they were great places to stay. We rejoined the west coast section of the Twin Coast Discovery Highway on SH12 and headed north. Once again the road was a series of sweeping bends and hairpins. We stopped off in the Waipoua Forest to see Tane Mahuta. This tree is called the God of the Forest in Maori culture. We took the five minute walk to see the tree; it is a Kauri tree and was huge, second only to the Redwood trees in California. After taking a few photos we walked back to the bike. We carried on up SH12 to Hokianga Harbour and the stunning views across the harbour above the small townships of Omapere and Opononi. Once through these townships the Twin Coast Discovery Highway carries on up north to Kaitaia, but we kept to SH12 through Taheke. It was between Taheke and Kaikohe that the Honda went onto reserve. 130 miles to a full tank, I thought I would get a few more miles than that. We were in the middle of nowhere. The road was great but my mind wasn’t really on the road, I was more interested in finding a petrol station. We carried on, passing a few pubs, (where were the houses?) but no petrol stations. We eventually reached Kaikohe after doing the longest 17 miles I have ever done. There couldn’t have been a lot left in the tank. After filling up we grabbed something to eat at a restaurant. Debbie kept reminding me about how much fun it is to run out of petrol. Just because I have done it once before…….ok twice before! It is real Maori country round here, everyone seemed to be of Maori descent, apart from the policeman we saw. Just out of town we turned south on SH1 for a couple of miles before turning north on SH11 towards Paihai. Yet another great road to ride. We arrived in Paihai and found the backpackers hostel where we were staying. A beautiful setting, just across the road from the beach. After signing in we unloaded the bike and put the stuff in our room. We were very disappointed with the room we had been given, no view to speak of and very cramped. It turned out that there was a jazz festival on this weekend and the town was full. We went for a walk along to the Waitanga Treaty Grounds to see the site where the treaty was signed between the British and the Maori which led to the birth of New Zealand in 1840. What a beautiful place it is. We wandered around the grounds for a while seeing all the Maori artefacts including a huge Maori war canoe which was built to celebrate the centennial of the treaty being signed in 1940. We walked back to the hostel along the beach and then booked ourselves onto a trip to Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach tomorrow.

     

    Saturday 12 August

               No riding the bike today as we went to Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach. Fantastic trip.

     Sunday 13 August

               After packing the bike we went and had breakfast. We were heading south today to drop the bike off as this was our last day in New Zealand, we were off to the Cook Islands tomorrow. We set off out of Paihai on SH11 and joined SH1. This road would take us all the way back to Auckland. After travelling 95 miles since filling up on Friday we stopped for petrol again, I wasn’t risking running out again. We also had to return the bike with a full tank so I wanted to keep some petrol in the tank. As we went through one town we saw about 15 Harleys parked up outside a café. One of the club members gave me a wave as we rode past him so at least they acknowledge other bike riders over here. We got caught in a little rain as we entered Orewa so we stopped for a meal. Filling the bike up again, the rain had blown away but another shower came rolling in as we approached Auckland. We arrived at the shop slightly earlier than planned because of the rain. We unpacked the bike, sorted out the paperwork and Marcus, the guy in charge of the shop, gave us a lift back into Auckland to pick up our luggage. 150 miles on the bike. A total of 545 miles on the bike.

     

    The roads in New Zealand are superb, once out of towns they are just about empty, you can go for miles and miles without seeing anyone. Best roads we travelled on (including in the car) in order…….

    State Highway 29 from Tauranga to Waikato. (North Island)

    Pacific Coast Highway around the Coromandel Peninsula. (North Island)

    Desert Road across Tongariro National Park. (North Island)

    Queen Charlottes Drive between Picton and Havelock. (South Island)

    SH1 (Kaikoura Coast Road) from Blenheim to Kaikoura. (South Island)

    SH83 over the Lindis Pass. (South Island)

    SH6 past Lakes Hawa and Wanaka ,over the Haast Pass and up to Franz Josef. (South Island)

    SH6 from Westport, up the Buller Gorge. (South Island)

    Tutukaka Coast Road (North Island)

    SH12 Twin Coast Discovery Highway. (North Island)

     

    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 New Zealand we flew to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and hired a scooter for the week we were there.

    Hired scooter on Rarotonga   

     

    Geordie Ray

    West London Harley Riders  

  • 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 midday. This time we were heading east. Not to the mysterious Far East of China and Japan. Nor to the troubled Near East of Iraq and Israel. No, we were off to that jewel of the Kent coastline, the fabled Isle of Sheppey.

    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 West Farleigh at a pub and everyone put the nose-bag on. After a relaxing hour and a half we set off once again. We picked up the M20 and then turned onto the A249 and then there it was, the fabled Isle of Sheppey. The new bridge was still being built but with the gusts of wind we were experiencing, if it was open it would probably have to have been closed. We found the rally site, the Sheppey Rugby Club, and after paying the entrance fee we went and put the tents up. Nick the News’ Sportster’s clutch had broken right outside the site so that was pushed onto the camping area. It was fun trying to put the tents up with the strong wind that was blowing straight across the site. Eventually all the tents were erected (ooer missus!!!) and celebratory drinks were the order of the day.

             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 Kent region members and arranging for a lift to the nearest dealers tomorrow we locked the container up again and hit the bar. Eight of us later got a taxi into Leysdown. After a fish and chips meal, well we were at the seaside; we found a pub after a quick look at the beach. It was karaoke night and everyone seemed to be about 60 years old. After listening to a couple of people singing we went in search of another bar. We found one just down the road and it was karaoke night in there too. This time everyone seemed to be about 20 years old. I say everyone; there were about 20 people in each pub until we got there. After another couple of pints we got a taxi back to the rally site.

             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