Fancy riding one of these in the French Alps as Honda's guest?

Happy Christmas from Honda with a free smartphone App and a chance to win a place on a free European Tour to try out the new Crosstourer for yourself.

Honda’s all-new Crosstourer, an adventure touring bike which will compete with the BMW R1200GS, was shown at the recent NEC Motorcycle Live Show is due to go on sale in March 2012.  It will be available at £11,475 for the manual version and £12,325 with Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).

To coincide with this launch Honda has released the ‘Go Touring’ free smartphone app, available for both Android and iPhone. It helps users find the best motorcycle touring routes across Europe and the UK, as well as Mobike Hotels and Honda dealers along the way.

Go Touring can also be used to help prepare for tours; it has a handy equipment checklist and a weather forecast function.

Honda is also offering the chance to win a free place on an eight day Epic Tour across Europe, taking in everything from the high speed of Germany’s autobahns, to the stunning coastal roads of northern Italy and the beautiful mountain passes in the French Alps.   Honda describe this as a true money-can’t-buy experience aboard the Honda Crosstourer.

You can fill in an on-line entry form for this tour by clicking here.

The free Go Touring App can be found by searching ‘Go Touring Honda’ in the Android Market or Apple App Store – and if you are into smartphones you’ll understand what that means.

I’ve had a quick go at using it but this was not successful;  this is unlikely to be the App’s fault and it’s much more likely that I will need either a grandchild or a sociable geek to show me what to do.

Victoria of HondaUK viewing this Blog on her IPad. Brains and beauty, poor Bob was completely outclassed

I made it to the NEC after all this year, my troublesome hip having responded well to an injection and a jolly good day out it was too, in the Company of Federation Chairman Bob Summers and GoldWings North West Chairman Ian Duxbury, who kindly substituted for Frank Goodman as male model for my photos of the lycra-clad ladies.  Since Ian’s wife was stuck at home with no transport and serious toothache I thought this was very brave of him.

HondaUK had very kindly offered me some free tickets and so we were met by the lovely Hannah at the gate who handed them over.  Straight to the Honda Stand we then went of course, pausing only briefly to collect a coffee from their splendid Honda Cafe before making a beeline for the 2012 Model GL1800.  A white pre-production model was displayed as one of an arc of bikes behind rails around the back of the Stand but I was nevertheless able to get around the back and do a bit of sniffing about as well as take some photos.

Then the delightful Victoria accosted us with an offer of a prize drawn for one of everything from the Honda range – i.e. one car, one motorcycle, one generator, one lawnmower etc etc for the prize winner and no entry fee.  I’d been wondering what to get Management for Christmas so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the lawnmower will be small enough for her to handle.

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Stylish Coffee bar too

The place to take the wife shopping before Christmas has to be Knutsford Motorcycles, where Paul and his staff will be offering bargain prices on shiny bits for a whole week and a day in early December.

Kuryakyn stuff will be 20% off List and everything else 30% – and these are genuine discounts on normal list prices, not some artificial price, so a real bargain.

A Burger Van will be in attendance on both Saturdays and the Coffee Machine will be free all week, so a hearty welcome too.  Knutsford Motorcycles do of course also have the most civilised ladies toilettes in the motorcycling hemisphere so she’ll be well catered for too.

Knutsford Motorcycles are in the GoldWing Accessory business long-term and they carry very big stocks of Show Chrome, Add On, Superbrace and Hopnel as well as Kuryakyn, all well displayed on wall racks and similar so that you can drool in comfort whilst sipping a free beverage.  This is the place to bring her indoors along in order to drop hints about Christmas presents for the bike.  Alternatively of course you could leave her at home and bring the credit card instead.

Accessory fitting services will be available as usual.

Open 9am to 5pm daily except Sunday 4th December when it will be 11am to 4pm.

For further details ring Paul on 01925 752600 or visit www.knustfordmotorcycles.co.uk

Appleyards Open Day in the glory days of 2001

If you missed the big discounts on shiny bits at Knutsford Honda’s Chrome Crazy Weekend at the beginning of the month there’s a chance to make some Yorkshiremen happy in Keighley this coming weekend by spending your money at Appleyards Open Day instead.

This has been a popular start-of-season meet-up for Wingers for many years and weather permitting there should be a decent turn out this time as usual, although perhaps not quite as many as in the past.

There will be the usual very nice packed lunches, specially prepared by local maidens – well maybe not strictly maidens but very nice local ladies nonetheless and there is a choice of sandwich.  Even better these lunches are free – well, almost free, this is Yorkshire, so you are expected to make a small donation to charity.  Nonetheless Appleyards are generous in laying on this hospitality each year and it always goes down well.  Wingers have been known to eat more than one, or take an extra one home for Tea!

And if the prices of the new stuff upstairs aren’t cheap enough for you there will be the usual auto-jumble of used accessories and left over bits somewhere downstairs to rummage through for a real bargain.  continues………

Eric Warburton and his wife Bridget, proprietors of Knutsford Honda

This is your reminder that it’s Knutsford Honda’s Chrome Crazy Weekend, so the discounts are going to be tempting as Wingers gather for this popular early season Meet.

The weather is supposed to be getting brighter as the day develops, so it’s going to be a pleasant experience meeting up with Winger friends, especially on Saturday afternoon.  If you don’t make that there’s always Sunday, if you can square it with your Mother.

I’ve had one phone call already saying he going later but we’ll see who turns up for our Club rendezvous.  Sooner or later, we’ll be there.

Directions: leave the M6 at Junction 20 and take the A50 towardsKnutsford.  Knutsford Honda appears on left after about 2 miles.

Just one little corner of their huge GoldWing Accessories Showroom

Once again Knutsford Honda will be offering big and genuine discounts to Wingers on their huge stocks of GoldWing accessories at the first Chrome Crazy Weekend of this new season.

No nonsense involving jacking up ticket prices to make the discounts look better, as you might have seen elsewhere, Knutsford Honda plays it straight and the discounts are real.

They also carry the largest stock of GoldWing accessories in UK by far, so even as a browsing opportunity it will be worth making your way there.

It’s easy to get to them (only 2 miles form M6) Junction 20) and there are displays by specialist suppliers as well as catering laid on – what better opportunity will you have this coming weekend to meet up with your old GoldWing buddies and enjoy a bit of company and oggle at the shiny bits, even if you’re not planning to buy any right now.  There’s bound to be something new to look at; there’s new stuff coming out all the time.

The Event runs all day on both Saturday and Sunday so you can take your pick or come on both.  There’ll be a big crowd turning up on both days so to meet different people and to fill your trunk with shiny bits twice and spend a bit more of the kid’s inheritance that they don’t really deserve.  Why not?

No named biking celebrities this time but Eric Warburton, the Proprietor, will be on hand and is always worth a friendly chat – and it’s nice to see the boss supporting Events like this in person isn’t it? And if Eric’s stunningly beautiful niece is on hand to meet and greet again, who needs a biker celebrity anyway?  She was much nicer to look at than Fast Freddie!

So, especially if your biking season hasn’t got going yet, next weekend at Knutsford Honda is definitely something to aim for.

For further details or directions visit their website at www.knutsfordhonda.co.uk

or telephone 01925 752600

GoldWings North West Members with Freddie and Eric

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR AN ENLARGEMENT

There was an excellent turnout at last nights ‘do’ at Knutsford Honda, when World Champion “Fast Freddie” Spencer made a personal appearance and owner Eric Warburton laid on not only an excellent buffet but a bevy of beauties to make everyone welcome.

We arrived very early and had a chance to take some clear photos but the place soon filled up nicely so there was quite a party atmosphere.  Celebrity Freddie turned out to be a really nice, friendly guy with a wonderful Southern drawl and he wandered around and chatted amiably to all comers throughout the evening.

Mixing socially in that way with someone who has won two motorcycle World Championships (250 and 500cc) in the same year doesn’t happen every day.  Mind you Eric’s wife Bridget and his niece Victoria  were quite an attraction too.  And then of course there were the bikes, including Eric’s own immaculate Honda 1978 CB750 and a stunning Honda Rune. continues………

"Fast Freddie" Spencer, MotoGP Legend

Eric Warburton and his Team at Knutsford Honda, the UK’s best selling GoldWing Dealer, invites all Wingers, and indeed bikers generally, to an Open Evening next Tuesday, 8th February 2011, when Fast Freddie Spencer, former World Champion racing motorcyclist, will be  on hand for you to meet and chat with.

There will also be a FREE BUFFET and, for Wingers, their equally attractive GoldWing Accessories Showroom, which carries the biggest stocks of GoldWing shiny bits anywhere in UK.

As a pleasant way to spend a few hours on a winter evening, what more could a Winger ask for?  (Silly question – yes  there will be free drinks as well!)

Fast Freddie is widely regarded as the very best motorcycle racer of the nineteen eighties, when he rode for Honda and good enough to beat both Kenny Roberts and Barry Shene on occasions.  He won three GP World Championships and won 27 Grand Prix races and had 24 fastest laps.  Freddie will be around for the evening from about 5pm until 9pm.   Early birds will be offered a signed photograph but these are in limited supply so don’t be late or you could miss out.

This is not the first time Knutsford Honda have provided an opportunity to meet a top class biking celebrity and scoff some free food at the same time and hopefully it won’t be the last – and of course there are always the bikes, accessories and clothing to drool over too.

Their Showroom is very easy to find, only 2 miles along the A50 towards Knutsford from Junction 20 of the M6 and there’s plenty of parking.  Bikes get to park in pride of place outside the door but there plenty of room for four-wheeled transport too and anyone interested in bikes will be most welcome so bring your friends.

For further information ring Knutsford Honda on 01925-752600

Malcolm's Underground Lair (before tidying up)

The ever-helpful Malcolm Wright and his team live underground at Colin Appleyard GoldWing Centre at Keighley and therefore rarely see sunshine or even proper daylight.  But they nevertheless remain cheerful and welcoming and they have been tidying up and brightening the place up too in the expectation of winter visitors.  I barely recognised it when I called in last week to say hello.

The workshop is still busy, especially building trikes which is more or less a continuous process these days, but they’ve nevertheless put together some winter special offers.  I’d not appreciated they did before now, so I have decided to pass it on.

It’s a range of servicing and other services, including dry storage of your bike all winter if you want it, and collection from and delivery back to your door too if you wish.  And, since presumably even their workshop gets a bit quieter over the winter, they’re offering reduced labour rates on all servicing and repairs as well.

Ideally of course we all ride our GoldWings regularly over winter to keep the oil flowing and the electrics alive, but the idea of getting salt spray from our winter roads in UK anywhere near my bike is a serious discouragement and the thought of trying to ride a GoldWing on snow or ice seems completely crazy – so one way and another, despite the best of intention, I find myself riding only infrequently and sometimes not at all between December and March or early April, then it’s time to turn out for Appleyards Open Day (which is on April 17th in 2011) then off we go again, hopefully with another enjoyable biking season.

So professional mechanic services for under £40 per hour, MOTs for under £20 and winter-long dry storage complete with a charge-up and checkover for under £100 are not to be sniffed at.  There’s even an option to have the bike valeted for you before you either collect it or have it delivered to your door.

Ring Malcolm (or Barry) on 01535 606311 for further details.

Salesman Mike will be on hand to help

Federation Sponsors Knutsford Honda are holding another Chrome Crazy Weekend this coming weekend, Saturday September 25th and Sunday 26th.

There will be special discounts of up to 25% on GoldWing Accessories as well as the usual refreshments and opportunity for a chat.

Knutsford Honda have been working at establishing themselves as a Specialist GoldWing Dealer and their upstairs Accessories Showroom has racks and racks of shiny bits from all the major manufacturers for you to browse through.  They stock accessories for Classic GoldWings as well as for the Gl1500 and GL1800.

They usually have a selection of new and used GoldWings in stock too and they have a flexible and very helpful approach to part exchanging any GoldWing when you buy a new or used one from them.  They also grab every opportunity to offer special purchase GoldWings such as the batch of unregistered 2006 Model Year US Spec GL1800s which HondaUK imported recently.  Knutsford Honda had four of them on on offer.

GoldWings North West will be riding there on Sunday so that’s the day to meet and greet while you’re about it.  Take the A50 East from Junction 20 of the M6 towards Lymm and it’s two or three miles on your left.