GWRRA
Chapter EN-A|
Goodwood announces the 2008 Breakfast Club dates and themes Goodwood announces the 2008 Breakfast Club dates and themes FOR ALL YUO BIKERS 4TH MAY LOOKS GOOD! X Following the huge popularity of the 2007 Goodwood Breakfast Club season, the much anticipated dates and themes for the 2008 Sunday morning meetings can now be announced. The Goodwood Breakfast Club will be held on the first Sunday of the month, from March until November (excluding September and October) at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex. The event will once again host a series of meetings with the promise of an eclectic mix of vehicles and a great organic breakfast menu to get the appetite of any motoring enthusiast going. > The Goodwood Breakfast Club was originally launched to huge acclaim in March 2006 and since then each event has attracted an enthusiastic 'petrol head' audience. For 2008, the monthly Breakfast Club meetings will be enhanced with a new set of themes, as detailed below, plus other initiatives designed to appeal to the real motoring enthusiast with a healthy appetite. In addition to some great cars, expect to see some fantastic motorcycles, trikes, trucks and even buses! Enhancements made to the Breakfast Club last summer now make it easier for themed vehicles to park-up on the starting grid of the hallowed Goodwood Motor Circuit, the scene of Britain's first post-war motor race 60 years ago in 1948. Parking for non-themed spectator vehicles has also been improved to get enthusiasts closer tO their breakfast, and some mouth-watering machines. It is now also easier than ever for enthusiasts to savour a delicious and hearty home-reared Goodwood organic breakfast,with more serving and seating positions located along the main Circuit Pit Straight. The first of the 2008 Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings will be held on Sunday 2nd March. As in previous years, admission to the Breakfast Club remains free, and all visitors are welcome. A revised and improved website, dedicated to the Goodwood Breakfast Club (www.Goodwood.co.uk/breakfastclub) will shortly be available on- line, highlighting each monthly theme, as well as a detailed listing of the delicious organic breakfast menu available. Below is a full list of 2008 Goodwood Breakfast Club dates and themes, with a summary of the sort of vehicles visitors can expect to see at this year's events. Date and Goodwood Breakfast Club Theme 2 March: 'Tax-free Sunday - for all road fund exempt (pre-1973) classics' Attracting: Any classic pre-1973 vehicle; cars, bikes, LCVs, etc., pre- and post-War 6 April: 'Modern Sports Car Legends - great drivers' cars, from 1980 to the present day' Attracting: Modern post-1980 sporting marvels, including Lotus, Caterham, TVR, Ariel Atom, Porsche and many more... 4 May: 'Two wheels or more, excluding four - everything from bikes to buses and trikes to trucks' Attracting: Any non-four-wheeled vehicle, including motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers, multi-wheeled commercial vehicles, tanks, etc., no matter how bizarre. 1 June: 'Supercar Sunday - the ultimate performance machines' Attracting: Every form of mouth-watering, high-powered performance exotica - cars and superbikes' 6 July: 'Soft-top Sunday - a taste of the British summer' Attracting: Any open-top car, however roofless 3 August: 'Thoroughbred Sunday - the quintessential pre-1980 sports car' Attracting: All pre-1980 classic sporting cars and motorcycles 7 September: (not held, due to Goodwood Revival) 5 October: (not held, due to Goodwood Revival) 2 November: 'Sushi Sunday - a celebration of Japanese motoring culture' Attracting: Any classic and performance Japanese vehicle, from S800 to S2000; 240Z to new Skyline GT-R All 2008 Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings will be staged from 08:30hrs to midday on the first Sunday of every month, from March to November (excluding September and October). For further information please contact the Goodwood Breakfast Club > Hotline: > Telephone: +44 1243 755060 > Fax: +44 1243 755078 > E-mail: cooked@goodwood.co.uk |
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gems bmf june GWRRA will be at this show GEMS, 7th & 8th June, The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent 'THE SHOW THAT SPARKLES' GEMS is very much a show in its own right, and regularly attracts crowds in excess of 20,000 and with 2 days of action packed entertainment who can blame them? With fair rides, arena stunt acts, a custom show and hundreds of exhibitors GEMS is one of the best motorcycle shows around! The show manages to keep its friendly atmosphere by ensuring that everybody is welcomed and that there is something for everybody. So along side the BMF's varied programme, the Hop Farm also has its own attractions. An adventure playground, animal corner complete with Llamas, Rabbits and Horses and a 'Through the Decades' experience are just some of the highlights on offer, entry will be granted at a discounted rate and will be sure to keep you and the kids entertained. Camping at the show opens 2pm, Friday 6th June and is open to all (discounted for BMF members). There is live entertainment provided on both Friday and Saturday evening and the bar is open until 1am. There fore the more people that stay up the more likely the bands are to keep playing. A disco is provided between each live act so there is never a gap in the music or on the dancefloor! |
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bmf show may 17/18 we will have a club stand at this show if you wist to join us please contact the cd on the contact page BMF SHOW- 17th & 18th May 2008 9am-5pm, East of England Showground, Peterborough As the largest outdoor motorcycle events in Europe the BMF Show has now been running for 25years and 2008 will certainly be the shape of things to come. Every aspect of the show has been put under the spotlight and will be improved to increase attendance and support to secure future campaigning for the BMF. With our new sponsors, Bike Animal, the entertainment is set to blow past events out of the water. Headling on the ‘Bike Animal Stage’ on Saturday evening will be ‘The Damned’, complete with lead singer and fellow bike lover Dave Vanian and of course Captain Sensible. We also have first time BMF’ers ‘Limehouse Lizzy’ and ‘Sisters of Murphy’ and old favourites ‘Hooker’ and ‘Inoffensive’ creating a magical weekend for those who are camping. With the newly built exhibition hall completed we have an excellent location for the ‘Bike Animal Stage’ creating a fantastic indoor venue for our weekend visitors and campers. Moped Enduro back by popular demand, and is already causing a stir amongst entrants now fully booked for the BMF Show and only 8 remaining places for Tail End 2008. If you and your biking comrades are hoping to get involved then download your entry forms on line a.s.a.p and join in the fun. |
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Elm Tree Inn at Ringwood 23 September 2007 Elm Tree Inn at Ringwood 23 September 2007 The Elm Tree Inn, Hightown Road, Hightown, Ringwood.BH24 3DY. Phone 01425 472516 if you want a lunch. We will be holding a meeting in the barn on sunday the 23rd at about 12.15 break for lunch about 12.45, then return to the barn for a guest speaker. |
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October 2007 No planned event October No planned event if you want meet up. contact us on the contact page Chapter Directors mark noy |
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January 2008 Christmas party January Christmas get together if you wish to join us please e-mail us for more info. |
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November weekend 23rd 24th 25th November, weekend and meet,meet up with old and new friends hotel weekend 23rd 24th 25th WEEKEND AWAY for more info e-mail us from the contact page, Chapter Directors mark noy, book with the hotel quote GWRRA to join us The Best Western Russell Hotel is an elegant Victorian style hotel which has been recently refurbished throughout. The stylish hotel restaurant serves European cuisine and all rooms are tastefully furnished with every modern comfort. Ideally located for exploring the Garden of England's fine attractions such as stunning Leeds Castle, Penshurst Place, Hop farm & for the shopaholics the largest shopping centre in the UK - Bluewater.Within easy driving distance of the ferrychannel ports and Euro tunnel • Minutes from M20/M2 • Free use of David Lloyd leisure centre in Maidstone. • Close to Leeds Castle (discount available) • Elegant Victorian Hotel with Garden restaurant & bar • Excellent shopping at nearby Bluewater Shopping Centre • Hair & Beauty treatments at discount prices nearby • Landscaped gardens and sun terraces Address: 136 Boxley Road, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2AE, England Telephone: (01622) 692221 Fax: (01622) 762084 • Parking On Site • Restaurants • Bars • WIFI • No Lift • Ground Floor Rooms • All Public Areas Non Smoking, Limited Smoking Bedrooms For more info visit www.bestwestern.co.uk/Hotels/Best-Western-Russell-Hotel-83749/Hotel-Info/Default.aspx |
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WATSONIAN & ROYAL ENFIELD OPEN WEEKEND WATSONIAN & ROYAL ENFIELD OPEN WEEKEND With the terrible flooding that was occurring across areas of our country we were not sure if this open weekend would go ahead but with regular updates from Tony at Watsonian we were assured that they had remained unaffected and the weekend was going ahead as planned. And what a day out it was we left early in the morning to allow for any route adjustments due to flooding in other areas, with the boys snuggled under a blanket and Erin in her car seat oblivious to it all, and although we saw many flooded fields and one B road that had been closed we had an uneventful journey up. Stopping for a hearty breakfast on the way we arrived at the Watsonian base half an hour after they had opened and were directed to the overspill car park as we were in the car. Walking around the corner we were greeted by an extremely busy main parking area full of visiting motorcyclists on a range of machines vintage and modern. The local IAM group were taking those who wished to out on an observed ride. Jacket helmet and gloves along with a driving licence was all that was required for a Royal Enfield riding experience. Those wanting to try out the fun of travelling in a sidecar were treated to that delight with a chair fitted to an Enfield Bullet 500. I don’t believe there was a let up in the queue all day. Various stands were dotted about for those in need of spare parts and the “stop me and buy one” traditional ice cream bicycle set up did a roaring trade. Those in need of a little more sustenance were able to buy drinks and hot food from a very well set up gazebo covered mobile café and this area proved to be a popular resting spot out of the bright sunshine. The workshops were open to meander through with lots of work in progress, much of this destined for overseas purchasers We caught up with one or two members and non members alike and have to say it was an extremely enjoyable day out. Oh and the bouncy castle proved a big hit with my two lads or do I admit to an extremely older family member having a go too whilst my back was turned, just a pity I missed the photo opportunity! |
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The Taming of...The Sidecar! The Taming of...The Sidecar! So our new purchase of a Watsonian RX4 sidecar had been delivered back from whence it came to the wonderful folks at Watsonian for fitment to our 1500. Said 1500 was duly ridden up for its transformation, with Sally Sat Nav doing a grand job up until Moreton in the Marsh and then throwing a wobbly about finding Watsonian premises. A telephone call with more precise directions solved the problem whereby arrival at the Industrial Estate where they are based was like stepping back in time. The estate comprises of lots of Nissan style huts with woodland beside where the pheasants happily roam undisturbed amongst it all. The site was originally part of an estate belonging to the Churchill family and during the war these buildings were erected initially as a prisoner of war encampment. I understand however that it was never used for this purpose and subsequently became a settlement for Polish immigrants before it finally became the industrial estate it is today. There was no time to stand and admire The Royal Enfield’s and sidecars in the showroom it really was a case of drop the bike off and make a mad dash to the train station back to Worthing to keep any attempt of an arrival time back home at a decent hour. Tony of Watsonian kindly ferried Mark back to the train station with enough minutes to spare to purchase train ticket and sprint to the train. Arrangements were made in the car to collect the outfit just before Christmas and then it was just a matter of waiting. A number of telephone calls later to enquire how the transformation was coming along resulted in a fixed date for pick up. Just before Christmas, they weren’t joking………….. December 23rd!! This time the whole family went up in the car. The weather was less than clement rain, freezing fog and not a spot of sun, ever!! Mark by this time was now visibly nervous. Remember he had never ridden an outfit in his life and now due to the weather conditions was going to be doing so in extremely poor visibility. On arrival Tony warmly welcomed us all and gave us time to view the transformed Wing, first thoughts, it looks BIG, not only did it look big but upon commenting on this we were informed it was big 7FT WIDE BIG!!! No 6.6ft country lanes for us then. Have to confess Mark looked decidedly green as the boys were deciding whether they were going to brave the cold and travel with him or stay in the warmth of the car. Gently reminding them that this was the first time that Mark would have ridden such an outfit and that he would not want to worry about them at the same time as mastering this new style of riding it might be more prudent if they stayed with me in the car. An offer of a cuppa and a personally guided tour of the factory were eagerly accepted. Declans’ mobile phone had never taken so many photographs in one time and he was very quick to point out which one he would like in the garage when he passes his test. Start saving now lad!! Tony took Mark out on the outfit first around the estate to talk him through how it handled and then it was his turn. With the boys and I stood on the side of the road watching he went round again and again and again. An hour later and with the daylight starting to fade he was ready for the open road. With the passing words as we left, from Tony, that Mark would make at least one monumental faux pas on the return journey home and to ring him when we got there the convoy were on their way. I followed behind Mark and think my heart was probably in my mouth as much as his. The weather was appalling and half way into the journey we stopped for a break at the services. He couldn’t feel his fingers they were that cold. After thawing out and a discussion on how it was going he said he felt a little more confident and was starting to anticipate a little as to how it handled, famous last words remember that promise of a monumental faux pas? Upon exiting the services and having just rejoined the motorway I watched the outfit with my dearest astride lurch towards the central reservation from the centre lane. And just as quickly resume its’ centre lane position. The cause I later discovered was throttle related. Monumental faux pas, wife squeaking moment over, the rest of the journey proved uneventful if but extremely cold. Physically drained and adrenalin exhausted we finally arrived home to squeeze it through the gate posts, (yes we had measured the gap before we had the outfit fitted, but we knew there was only inches to spare), it was parked under the car port now to be its new home due to the fact it wasn’t going to go through the garage doorway. A telephone call to Tony to say all was well and a recall of the slight hiccup he had predicted would happen and it was time for bed. Over the subsequent riding months Marks confidence is increasing in riding the outfit and we can explore this wonderful countryside of ours with our family and yes we have even experienced driving down a 6.6ft road, all I can say is it’s a good job the highways agency doesn’t count the grass verges in its’ calculations!!! |
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new CD Hello Fellow Wingers Firstly can we take this opportunity to thank Mark and Christine Bright for their dedication to EN-A and all their hard work in trying to please and entice all of us to get together and attend events, social gatherings both with and without our trusty steeds. Secondly may we introduce ourselves? Many of you will know us by name and face, some I am sure will not. We are Mark and Tiffany Noy who have taken up the challenge of following in Mark and Christine’s’ footsteps as Chapter Director and Secretary of EN-A. To be honest with you we are not quite sure how we got ourselves in this position but as I said before Mark Bright put in a lot of hard work to entice us into taking part in EN-A’s activities and none less so than persuading us it was a task we were more than capable of! We live in Worthing, West Sussex with our young growing family, two boys, Declan who is 13 and Kieran who is 8 and as I type this, our youngest girl called erin born on 20/06/2007. We are rounded off as a family with an extremely loopy Border Collie who makes the occasional trip away with us too. I leave you to work out the maths as to how two adults, three children and one dog get about on our much loved motorcycles!! Read about the answer to this conundrum later. We will endeavour to come up with something at some point that will encourage each and every one of you to join us whether that is for a meeting or just a social gathering. We are under no illusions that we can “please all of the people all of the time” and that EN-A can only survive with your participation. It would be lovely to feel supported in this new venture and if you feel that in amongst your busy schedules with holidays and other commitments that you could attend a gathering at some point through the year we would love to see you. Thirdly we would like to thank John Mundy of Southampton, Hampshire for taking up the gauntlet as our Assistant Chapter Director, enjoy your trip to Billings Montana John. Lastly we would like to wish Mark Bright all the best in his new ventures and again thank both Mark and Christine for all their hard work. Mark, Tiffany, Declan & Kieran Conundrum 1! Here’s part of the answer to the conundrum of before. How does a family of five and a dog get about on a Goldwing?? Well to be fair two Goldwings even our maths isn’t good enough to get us all about on one! Mark and I own a 1997 solo magenta 1500SE and a 1989 Californian Sidecar Conversion, wine berry 1500 trike. Our love of these wonderful machines had seen us out and about with our boys riding pillion enjoying life to the full. That was until a new addition to the family in the form of our rather daft Border Collie Charys, now what? Neither of us liked the idea of kennelling her whilst away and we knew that we were not always going to be able to call upon the family to help out so what were we to do? The answer came in that month’s current wingworld adverts, a DOG TRAILER!! Suitable enquiries were made, now this is a bit of a pampered pet but not £4,500.00 pampered! The cost of importing a Waggy Tails dog trailer from the USA. Further searches revealed another company in Europe who made something similar with an importer in the UK. Sorted we thought. Price, still not that pampered!! Back to the drawing board. Over dinner one evening we threw the challenge to our eldest, you want to be a car designer when you grow up well see what you can do and design Charys a trailer to go behind a solo Wing. Reams of A4 computer paper later, I wondered why my printer was always empty when I went to print anything, we had an initial design. Many evening meals later having discussed the pros and cons and adapting the designs that Declan had drawn we came up with a prototype design. The next stage was finding someone who could work to an 11 year olds drawing and produce a humane and safe trailer to transport Charys to the various events that we wished to attend. We located a sheet metal worker and fibreglass specialist and with much toing and froing by Mark between these very skilled gentlemen over a 13 month period the efforts of everyone involved resulted in a dog transporter they could all be rightfully proud of. Conundrum 2! Here’s the final part of the answer to the conundrum of before. How does a family of five and a dog get about on a Goldwing?? So we sorted the transportation of our pampered pooch only to face another dilemma!! Our family of four was going to become five. As you may recall Mark and I own a 1997 solo magenta 1500SE and a 1989 Californian Sidecar Conversion, wine berry 1500 trike. We were adamant that a growing family was not going to see us going down the road of so many before us, that of having to give up our family hobby and love because of our expected arrival, what to do? Our budding car designer started to come up with ideas for my trike!!! A gentle steer away from that was the order of the day. There was nothing for it; it was going to have to be a SIDECAR!! We researched, investigated and decided a Watsonian Squire RX4 Adult/child chair fitted the bill. A new one was out of the question, so began our hunt for a second-hand chair. Our search ended in Norfolk in September of 2006 with a family as enthusiastic about motorcycling as we were who had ridden outfits of various designs since their children were born, now in their late teens and early twenties and riding for themselves. A weekend away resulted in our purchase of a nearly pristine black RX4 which with a little haggling resulted in it being delivered on our behalf to Watsonian Squire in the Cotswolds ready for fitment to Marks’ Wing. There was just one snag Mark had never ridden a sidecar outfit in his life and my dipping a toe into the water of this sort of experience on an old Jawa was not one I relished repeating, and certainly not in front of Mark!! Could my ever loving husband do it, could he tame the beast of a combination and live to tell the tale, find out in the next edition of EN-A’s newsletter Hello Fellow Wingers Firstly can we take this opportunity to thank Mark and Christine Bright for their dedication to EN-A and all their hard work in trying to please and entice all of us to get together and attend events, social gatherings both with and without our trusty steeds. Secondly may we introduce ourselves? Many of you will know us by name and face, some I am sure will not. We are Mark and Tiffany Noy who have taken up the challenge of following in Mark and Christine’s’ footsteps as Chapter Director and Secretary of EN-A. To be honest with you we are not quite sure how we got ourselves in this position but as I said before Mark Bright put in a lot of hard work to entice us into taking part in EN-A’s activities and none less so than persuading us it was a task we were more than capable of! We live in Worthing, West Sussex with our young growing family, two boys, Declan who is 13 and Kieran who is 8 and as I type this, our youngest is due to be born on 20.06.07, although I can’t confirm girl or boy yet it’s a surprise!! We are rounded off as a family with an extremely loopy Border Collie who makes the occasional trip away with us too. I leave you to work out the maths as to how two adults, three children and one dog get about on our much loved motorcycles!! Read about the answer to this conundrum later. We will endeavour to come up with something at some point that will encourage each and every one of you to join us whether that is for a meeting or just a social gathering. We are under no illusions that we can “please all of the people all of the time” and that EN-A can only survive with your participation. It would be lovely to feel supported in this new venture and if you feel that in amongst your busy schedules with holidays and other commitments that you could attend a gathering at some point through the year we would love to see you. Thirdly we would like to thank John Mundy of Southampton, Hampshire for taking up the gauntlet as our Assistant Chapter Director, enjoy your trip to Billings Montana John. Lastly we would like to wish Mark Bright all the best in his new ventures and again thank both Mark and Christine for all their hard work. Mark, Tiffany, Declan & Kieran Conundrum 1! Here’s part of the answer to the conundrum of before. How does a family of five and a dog get about on a Goldwing?? Well to be fair two Goldwings even our maths isn’t good enough to get us all about on one! Mark and I own a 1997 solo magenta 1500SE and a 1989 Californian Sidecar Conversion, wine berry 1500 trike. Our love of these wonderful machines had seen us out and about with our boys riding pillion enjoying life to the full. That was until a new addition to the family in the form of our rather daft Border Collie Charys, now what? Neither of us liked the idea of kennelling her whilst away and we knew that we were not always going to be able to call upon the family to help out so what were we to do? The answer came in that month’s current wingworld adverts, a DOG TRAILER!! Suitable enquiries were made, now this is a bit of a pampered pet but not £4,500.00 pampered! The cost of importing a Waggy Tails dog trailer from the USA. Further searches revealed another company in Europe who made something similar with an importer in the UK. Sorted we thought. Price, still not that pampered!! Back to the drawing board. Over dinner one evening we threw the challenge to our eldest, you want to be a car designer when you grow up well see what you can do and design Charys a trailer to go behind a solo Wing. Reams of A4 computer paper later, I wondered why my printer was always empty when I went to print anything, we had an initial design. Many evening meals later having discussed the pros and cons and adapting the designs that Declan had drawn we came up with a prototype design. The next stage was finding someone who could work to an 11 year olds drawing and produce a humane and safe trailer to transport Charys to the various events that we wished to attend. We located a sheet metal worker and fibreglass specialist and with much toing and froing by Mark between these very skilled gentlemen over a 13 month period the efforts of everyone involved resulted in a dog transporter they could all be rightfully proud of. Conundrum 2! Here’s the final part of the answer to the conundrum of before. How does a family of five and a dog get about on a Goldwing?? So we sorted the transportation of our pampered pooch only to face another dilemma!! Our family of four was going to become five. As you may recall Mark and I own a 1997 solo magenta 1500SE and a 1989 Californian Sidecar Conversion, wine berry 1500 trike. We were adamant that a growing family was not going to see us going down the road of so many before us, that of having to give up our family hobby and love because of our expected arrival, what to do? Our budding car designer started to come up with ideas for my trike!!! A gentle steer away from that was the order of the day. There was nothing for it; it was going to have to be a SIDECAR!! We researched, investigated and decided a Watsonian Squire RX4 Adult/child chair fitted the bill. A new one was out of the question, so began our hunt for a second-hand chair. Our search ended in Norfolk in September of 2006 with a family as enthusiastic about motorcycling as we were who had ridden outfits of various designs since their children were born, now in their late teens and early twenties and riding for themselves. A weekend away resulted in our purchase of a nearly pristine black RX4 which with a little haggling resulted in it being delivered on our behalf to Watsonian Squire in the Cotswolds ready for fitment to Marks’ Wing. There was just one snag Mark had never ridden a sidecar outfit in his life and my dipping a toe into the water of this sort of experience on an old Jawa was not one I relished repeating, and certainly not in front of Mark!! Could my ever loving husband do it, could he tame the beast of a combination and live to tell the tale, find out in the next edition of EN-A’s newsletter |
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Motor Cycle Monthly mention GWRRA Following heavy coverage of the GWOCGB in the new free paper, Motorcycle Monthly, GWRRA were given a mention on the letters to editor page. Contact details were supplied, and enquiries have already started to come in from prospective new members. Hopefully GWRRA should be listed in Motorcycle Monthly among the many other motorcycle clubs and meeting locations on a monthly basis from now on. |
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Hayling Island Weekender EN-A Chapter Participants have just enjoyed a weekend at the Warners'Leisure "Lakeside" facility on Hayling Island. The weather was too rough for much outdoor sports participation, although some did brave the elements to have a go at rifle shooting. Most were content to use Lakeside as a base for a chill-out break, doing their own activity of choice, and meeting up for meals and company in the evening. Some spent time (and money) at Portsmouth's Gunwharf Quays retail mall, and braved the heights to mount the crows' nest viewing platform at the famous Spinnaker tower. Food and entertainment were as good as usual at Warners, but the companionship oflike-minded individuals was what made the weekend a success. |
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Hi De HI Campers ! In response to questionnaires completed over the past 18 months over 28 households out of 46 who completed the forms said they wanted camping to be available, whether by tent, motor-home or caravan. In additon to one day ride outs and motel-based weekends we will do our best to find camp-sites nearby in 2007. This will hopefully entice those who regularly camp with another GoldWing club to try us out as well. We already have two motel based weekends planned with suggested camp-sites available, and on the late May Bank Holiday we have a camping weekend planned in Sussex. Look at the "EVENTS" area of this site and pencil in some dates to your 2007 diaries now. |
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Joint Chapter Run to the Cotswolds On Sunday July 23rd Chapter EN-B held a day ride down to the Cotswolds. Nine GoldWings and a Valkyrie Rune left the Derby area in patchy rain for the run to the Watsonian-Squire open day at their factory in Blockley. Four more GoldWings from Chapter EN-A made their way independently to Blockley, and met up shortly after the arrival of EN-B. Over 1600 people visited Watsonian over the weekend. Many took advantage of test rides on the new 500 cc electric start models and toured the rather vintage style assembly shop. Both Chapters made their way to Bourton On The Water for a walk around the tourist hotspot, and some found their way to a pub lunch. All in all a very enjoyable and sociable slowly paced day out. |
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Slow Riding Day Five members of Norfolk Wings, four of whom are also GWRRA Chapter EN-A participants, took part in some slow riding education recently. Organised by Lloyd Green, we received instruction from a DSA qualified CBT instructor in the car park of Breckland Council at East Dereham in Norfolk. We rode around several obstacle courses marked out by cones at as slow a speed as possible. This gave us practice in clutch and brake control as well as balance. Intermittent rain storms did their best to dampen our spirits, but we carried on regardless and had a very useful and enjoyable day. |
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Lands End-John O'Groats Charity Ride Branch manager of Peterborough's Marshall Honda Motorcycles dealership, Paul Rudd, has just completed an end to end ride in aid of charity. Having ridden to John O'Groats with Acting Chief Supt. Mick Gipp on Monday July 11th, the pair rode back down south accompanied by Rob Hall from Deafblind UK at midnight on Tuesday, arriving 15 hours and 880 miles later. Paul and Mick both rode Honda ST1300 Pan Europeans for this event. £400 has already been pledged in sponsorship, and £1000 is hoped for in total. The proceeds will be split between British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research. Marshall Honda advertise regularly in the Chapter EN-A newsletter. |
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Visit by Californian GWRRA members. Californian GWRRA members Ken & Sandra Downs have just ended a marathon 24 country tour of Europe on their GoldWing by visiting the home of EN-A CD, Mark Bright and his wife Chris. Ken and Sandra come from Redding in northern California. The couple set off from their home and rode 750 miles to Vancouver, B.C., where they put their 2001 GL1800 into the hold of an aircraft, which also took them to Frankfurt. Arriving on May 20th, they then toured Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Italy again,visiting Rome, Naples, Sorrento and the island of Capri. They continued back up eastern Italy through Venice and Trieste to Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany again, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, France and finally via the Channel Tunnel to England. Mark & Chris took them to a local carnival, and to Sandringham House in Norfolk,before introducing them to the delights of a ploughman's lunch, barbecue and good old roast beef. The Down's departed Gatwick for home on the 28th of June in the afternoon for a well earned rest. |
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BMF Show - EN-B Thanks to all at EN-B for manning the stand at the BMF show - this received from Don Brock Ladies and Gentlemen, Congratulations on a valiant representation for GWRRA and excellent results in the BMF Competition. We are extremely proud of all of the Members within England and the UK Region for your support of the Association. Thank you for all you do in representing all of your Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge and our Association. We are very much looking forward to meeting all of you at European Wing Ding 2007. Cheers and ..... Warm Regards, Don Brock Editors Note: En-B really did us proud, coming 4th from 97 clubs entered in the BMF Club Competition, beaten only by the Honda Owners Club GB, Ducati Owners Club, and the 'might' (and massive membership) of the GWOCGB. A fantastic result considering how small the active membership of GWRRA is in the UK. |
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GEMS 2006 Scorching weather made it tough to be on the GWRRA promotional stand at the Garden of England Motorcycle Show this year. Held at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent, the show is somewhat smaller than the full blown Peterborough affair, but has a laid back family feel which more than compensates. For the second year running, Chapter EN-A members were almost over-run with enquiries about GWRRA, and the life of GoldWingers generally. Several people took away membership applications, and one couple even returned the next day to display their own 1200i. |
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BMF Show 2006 Grey and dismal weather failed to put off the happy band of GWRRA members who manned the promotional stand at this year's BMF Show in Peterborough. Visitor numbers to the stand were down over last year, but did include TV celebrity chefs, Dave Myers and Si King.The damp but upbeat twosome were on site promoting their book and dvd which accompanies the TV series, The Hairy Bikers Cookbook. In the series, the BMW mounted pair tour the world sampling and replicating local culinary specialities. Congratulations are due to stand organiser and Chapter EN-B CD, Mike Brister, who along with regular EN-B supporters, repeated last year's 4th place in the judging of Best Stand, amongst the BMF National One Make Clubs. |
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MCSL magazine recruitment A small section appeared in the May edition of Motorcycle Sport and Leisure magazine, encouraging potential new members to join GWRRA. |
Ringwood-April2006 The weekend of April 21st to 23rd turned out to be one of our best yet in terms of attendance. We had 19 Chapter Participants on site at the Oakdene Holiday Park, St Leonard's, for three nights. Several new faces helped make both the Saturday ride out and the Sunday Chapter meeting enjoyable.Roy and Judi from Dorset, along with friends Clive and Tracy from Taunton, led 10 bikes on the ride out to the Sammy Miller museum at New Milton. Nasty Nail left Clive And Tracy feelin tired and deflated on arrival at Bashley Manor Farm, but a very nice man soon had them pumped up again and full of life.  The Dorset & Somerset Brigade also led us in to Poole for a stroll along the quay area and lunch afterwards. This goes to show just how helpful a little local knowledge and participation can be.On Sunday about 36 of us heard Jim Campbell give a talk about basic maintenance on GL1500's and 1800's, which was well received. We look forward to hearing from guest speakers at future events. The raffle raised £73 for Chapter funds, and we sold £81 worth of patches, stickers and pins.  Chapter Participants and new GWRRA members seem to be popping out of the woodwork at a flying rate on the south coast now. I hope that our visits to other counties will have the same results. We now look forward to meeting more of you at the BMF Show in Peterborough in May. (see EVENTS) |
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Safer Rider Scheme Last year 27 bikers were killed in the Thames Valley area. To combat this Thames Valley police are holding Safer Rider riding assessments at three motorcycle dealers soon. Get your riding assessed by Thames Valley Police at the following locations, and be a Safer Rider. April 1st at On Yer Bike,Aylesbury. 6th May at Abingdon Motorcycles. 3rd June at George White's in Slough. For further information see www.thamesvalley.police.uk/safer-rider |
Peterborough-March 2006 Over forty GoldWing owners turned up on the 19th of March to the Open Day at Peterborough's Marshall Honda Motorcycles. About a third of these were GWRRA members who drove or rode in from the midlands, east anglia, greater London and even from the south coast. The main aim of the day was to view the 2006 model of the GL1800, and secondly to provide Marshall with information which will help them become a premier dealership for GoldWingers to use for servicing, spares and bike purchases. All GoldWingers were given vouchers entitling them to free hot food and drink, and a prize draw was held in aid of NABD. The locally owned and wildly painted trike/trailer combo, "Hot Stuff" was also on show, drawing admiring looks and comments from visitors to the showroom.
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EN-A features in April WingWorld Thanks to District Director Peter Donoghue, some of us have our ugly mugs featured on page 20 of the April edition of Wing World. Peter took some snapshots of us at the Brooklands Museum of Motorsport and Aviation when we visited in January. |
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Lowestoft-Feb 2006 The Chapter weekend break in Suffolk went very well, with comments from everyone about how much they enjoyed it. Eight EN-A couples and some guests attended the Seventies Disco themed weekend at the Warners Leisure location , Gunton Hall, Lowestoft. Most dressed up in appropriate costume for the Saturday night cabaret provided by seventies hitmakers, Heatwave. All attended a Chapter meeting to discuss past and future events. We also made good use of the various sporting and relaxing facilities which were on offer. On Sunday we all took part in a mini-ten pin bowling tournament, organised by the hotel leisure staff. The three night stay was on a 1/2 board basis, with carvery buffet and waiter service at meals. Three cabaret nights were included, and most of the sporting facilities were free too. warners have several similar locations, so we may be able to do something similar again in 2007 if enough Chapter Participants agree. We now look forward to (hopefully) a large gathering of GoldWings at the Marshall Honda open day in Peterborough on March 19th, and good attendance at the weekend break and the Chapter meeting to be held near the New Forest in April. (see EVENTS). |
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BMF Magazine The latest edition of Road Rider, the BMF monthly magazine, has a very well written article on GWRRA. It explains the aims of the Association, and has the contacts for both Chapter's Directors. So more people may be seeking to join, with or without Gold Wing or Valkyrie bikes. Suggest those really interested buy a copy of Road Rider. Visit BMF Website for more information on the BMF |
Brooklands - Jan 2006 Sunday 22nd Jan members of Chapter EN A had their first meeting of 2006, held at Brooklands museum in Weybridge Surrey 20 miles south-west of London, three stalwarts arrived on their bikes whilst the rest of us cowards came by car it was a glorious day but very cold! We had a pre-meeting before exploring the museum Mark Bright Chapter Director EN A receiving his certificate of office from Peter Russell and a picture of all Chapter members who were able to attend.
The museum has a very long a varied history a very early airport, racing circuit,and a war time airdrome.  Early pioneers of flying used the inner section as their airfield whilst a long oval race circuit went around the perimeter with a section of very substantial banking where cars like the four and a half litre Bentleys, Napier-Railton, and many other makes travelled at speeds inexcess of 100mph and maintained laps speeds of 100mph, motorcycle racing was also very popular at the circuit. 
During the Second World War it also served as the assembly plant for the Wellington Bomber and one of the original aircraft that was built there is back there after being rescued from Loch Ness where it has laid on the bottom since it crashed on its way home after a sortie. For those who might be interested visit Brooklands web site www.brooklandsmuseum.com it contains many interesting facts and figures covering Brooklands history . Peter Donoghue District Director EN |
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New Look Website Welcome to the new look GWRRA EN-A website. A couple of things appear to have vanished, but the message board and classified ads will reappear very shortly (once testing is complete). Have a look around, we hope that you find the site easier to use! Note to GWRRA EN-A officers - if you need a new login please contact the webmaster by phone or email |
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Events 2006 NEW LOOK FOR CHAPTER CALENDAR Following the change of officers positions around Chapter EN-A in September, an officers' meeting was held to discuss the current and future state and direction of the Chapter. In essence, we are going to do our best to encourage greater attendance at Chapter events by holding regular monthly meetings of various types around as much of the Chapter area as is practical. We are still going to have weekends away at hotel style accommodation, as well as self-catering and camping venues to cater for all depths of pocket. The EVENTS section should detail most of the planned activities for 2006, which also includes the promotion of GWRRA at the Garden of England Motorcycle Show at Paddock Wood in Kent. ** NOTE that events in the lighter silver font are not Chapter EN-A Events, but are recommended GoldWing related events of interest. Now click on to EVENTS on the top yellow bar to see what is in store for you this year....... |
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Chapter Regalia In addition to the GWRRA Chapter EN-A logo cloth patches, we now have high quality stickers,pennants and a variety of shirts available, all featuring the Chapter EN-A logo. Please see the section 'regalia' for more details |
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GWRRA UK I am pleased to let all readers know that GWRRA in UK is becoming a much sought after organisation, and as such, with the increase in memberships recorded, the GWRRA Chief Executive Don Brock, has permitted United Kingdom to become a Region of GWRRA, in it's own right, to be known as Region UK. The Regional Director is to be Peter Russell, pro tem, as well as being the International Director for Global Affairs. That has allowed England to become a District of UK Region, with others to follow when Chapters are formed in Scotland, Wales, & N. Ireland. The newly appointed Director of District EN (England) is Peter Donoghue, former CD of EN-A His successor is Mark Bright, Chapter Director of EN-A, & Assistant CD is Bill Hurley. The Treasurer now appointed is Ted Temple And the Newsletter Editor is Lynn Dutson. Our Webmaster remains, ever faithfully, Simon Benson. So, please give these newly appointed Officers of GWRRA your support and let them know you are there, by emails or 'phone calls, congratulations being well deserved for the good work they have done, and have yet to do. As members, you all have a voice, and WE listen. Peter Russell, Global Affairs Dir GWRRA |
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Great News It has been decided to put on a European Wing Ding on year 2007. Likely to be from first weekend in August, located near to Berlin or Koln, Germany. Planning for hotels,& campers, with conferences and vendor area. Big "famous" music group booked already. This will be a first, so plan ahead. Working party being formed but volunteers welcomed now. Especially needed will be translators. Americans coming via charter planes. Keep reading the web pages of GWRRA to keep up to date . Peter Russell. Global Affairs International Dir. of GWRRA |
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Honda at the Ace Café 2005 The ACE CAFE in west London had an open day, welcoming Gold Wing riders and Honda owners, supported by Honda UK, on Bank Holiday Monday, 30th May. Peter Donoghue, CD of Chapt EN-A and Peter Russell, Intl. Dir. of GWRRA Global Affairs were there, spreading the good word amongst all those present, and handing out the GWRRA flyers & bar hangers, gaining much interest in GWRRA along the way. Riders came in from far & wide, many already members of GWRRA as individuals, and discussed the merits of having Chapters in their respective localities. Looks like more will be formed by next year. It was surprising to be engaged in much chat with riders of marques other than Gold Wings, who thought the concept of Friendship, Fun, Safety & Knowledge was worthwhile, and would be following us up with applications to join. One couple from New Zealand dropped by, riding a Kawasaki Voyager, and informed me they had been looking for such a group for past 4 yrs of their world tour, and now they have learned we have members acrossd the globe, are planning their return journey, with a new 1800, via Europe, Asia and home. They are here for few months yet, so will be signing up soon.Keep your eyes out for them. |
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BMF Show 2005 Another successful BMF show weekend, especially for GWRRA. Although the wet Saturday kept numbers down,Sunny Sunday turned the attendance figures around. During the weekend, the help from Martyn, (Who provided the inflatable show tents) from TRI,and the Chapter B working party,under direction of Mike, with help from A staff who came along, many visitors came and went away,as fully signed up members, or converts prepared to follow up their applications online.All those who helped are to be congratulated and have my thanks, which has been passsed to HQ. The bonus comes in the fact that the GWRRA stand came 4th overall in the judging, gaining 96% of the score points. GWRRA in UK are having an impact in the 'biking scene, especialy appealing to those without a Gold Wing but are interested in making the conversion. PAN, Bandit & BMW riders particularly were impressed by the general friendliness and willing ability of those present to discuss issues or concerns. I think that went a long way in the point scoring situation that gained recognition from BMF Officials. |