GoodWood Festival of Speed

HondaUK have generously offered a pair of free tickets to the Goodwood Festival of Speed on its opening day, Thursday 30th of June, 2011.

The tickets will be awarded to the first correct answer (drawn out of the hat) from those received by midnight on Wednesday June 22nd.  So you’ve got just over three days, that’s all.

Please submit your answer by using the  Contact Page.  In the message box on this Page type your answer and below it your name address and postcode, so that Honda can send you the tickets in time for you to make use of them.

The winner will be notified promptly by email and his/her contact details will be passed to HondaUK, so that they can dispatch the tickets in time.  Apart from that no personal details will be passed on, retained or used for any purpose.

You will find the answer to this question by browsing the HondaUK website.

Which Honda engine is so clean that its emissions contain nothing but water?

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GoldWings and Balloons - what a combination!

The recent Bank Holiday was GoldWings North West’s annual visit to Kirby Lonsdale for a camping/B&B weekend in a stunningly scenic place.  This wasn’t the first time we’ve had wind and rain there either but as on previous visits the sun managed to show its face at just the right time on both Saturday and Sunday and we  enjoyed two very successful BBQs.  Despite the weather I managed to get a mostly dry ride in too, so I’m not complaining.

As a biking event it was also something of a first because by mutual agreement we shared the location (Kirkby Rugby Club, a large area with plenty of room) with a gathering of the North West Balloon Club, who were having their 30th Anniversary event.  They were hoping to be flying around 25 hot air balloons from the site over the weekend.

Unfortunately the weather, which was mostly wet and windy – at times very windy – put paid to all of that but on Sunday evening the wind was light enough to allow them to inflate nine tethered balloons after dark to give their equivalent of a Light Parade for the benefit of the locals, a display in which they very kindly invited us to join with our illuminated bikes.

Everyone seemed to think that it was very enjoyable weekend in spite of the poor overall weather and a most unfortunate incident in the early hours of Saturday morning, when our pair of brand new Event continues………

A steam powered Carousel at Llandudno Transport Festival

The Blog was quiet last week, partly because I had poor internet connection while I was away from home but mostly, I’m pleased to say, because I was out riding my bike.

Four couples from my Club, GoldWings North West, were camping at the Llandudno Transport Festival over the Bank Holiday Weekend at the turn of the month and most of us then went on to spend the rest of that week at a campsite near Caernarvon, further along the coast in North Wales.  We were blessed with lovely weather throughout and although we were committed to a static display of the bikes at the Transport Festival, once we got to Caernarvon the shackles were off – and of course the mountains of Snowdonia beconned.

It’s worth mentioning the Llandudno Transport Festival in more detail because it is an unusual – and very enjoyable – event.  Llandudno is blessed with a fairly long promenade at the eastern end of which lie Bodafon Fields, a large open area which owned by the Council and used for various events.

It’s also used for grazing, I suppose as a way of reducing the cost of its upkeep, and so the ground isn’t perfect as a campsite but these fields nevertheless provide an excellent venue for a large event of this continues………

Excellent rally venue

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES

Sean and Jackie Stanhope of Yorkshire Wings are hoping to raise lots of money for Macmillan Cancer Nurses by hosting a camping rally for Wingers at Driffield Rugby Club in East Yorkshire from Friday June 17th to Sunday 19th to which all are invited.

A donation of only £12 per couple/camping unit will cover the whole weekend and everything they make will go to charity.

There are plans for an (optional) short static display in Driffield followed by a ride to to Bridlington, Flamborough and Hornsea.  There will be a charity raffle followed by some entertainment in the evening.

This is an excellent venue on flat, well drained grass with top class modern clubhouse facilities including really nice showers and toilets.  Motorhomes or tents, it doesn’t matter at all – and dogs and BBQs are welcome too.

This will be a relaxed and friendly occasion to which Sean and Jackie hope as many Wingers as possible will attend.  It’s not a “club rules” event and so any Winger will be most welcome, whether they belong to a club or not.

The venue address is Driffield RUFC, Kelleythorpe, Driffield, East Yorkshire, YO25 9DW and you can arrive there anytime after noon on Friday 17th.  There’s no need to pre-book.

For further information contact Sean or Jackie directly on 01377 250669 or 07772 436231 or 07786 993151 or by email to:

jsmdevelopments2009©live•co•uk  (jsmdevelopments2009©live•co•uk)  

'Appy Wanderers, wandering happily

The ever-resourceful Barry Walton has named the next ‘Appy Wanderers Ride Out, which is scheduled for next Sunday. May 15th, the “Captain Cook Ride Out”.   Historical associations and Barry never really struck me as likely to travel hand in hand so maybe his old school History of Yorkshire book fell out of the loft at the right page.  Anyway, it looks like a nice route and it should be a nice ride.

Barry has a ride of about 160 miles with some appetising refreshment stops – including of course Whitby, where they are seriously into Captain Cook and are also rumoured to sell quite decent fish & chips.

Sadly Barry has to work at the day job this coming weekend so leading this ride will be Geoff and Chris Smith.  They’ll be at Skipton, on the cobbles in the square (can’t miss it) until 09.30hrs before setting off promptly for Thirsk.  There Dave, big Derek and the girls will meet everyone in the square on yet more cobbles.

The assembled group will leave Thirsk at approximately 10.30am, to ride through the magnificent North Yorshire Moors, entering at Sutton Bank to ride to Great Ayton, where the famous Captain Cook went to school – hence the historical associations.   Doubtless they teach the kids more modern history there these days, perhaps including tales of derring do featuring the increasingly famous 21st Century Yorkshire explorer of distant European roads, Barry Walton.

From Great Ayton the planned route then heads for Saltburn by-the -Sea and along the coast road to Whitby, from where the famous Captain set forth on his maritime adventures and fish & chips may be consumed.  Then inland over the moors again towards York and disperse on arrival at Squires Cafe, the well famous biker’s meeting place just north east of Leeds.

Barry has been pleased with the turnouts for Wanderers ride outs this year but there is room for more so all Wingers are welcome.   ‘Appy Wanderers is a sort of club but not a club, so friendly banter and riding great roads with like minded people is what it’s all about – so strictly no club politics.

So all Wingers are welcome, no need to pre-book although Barry would appreciate a telephone call if you will be a newcomer.   Barry’s number is 01535 606311

Eventually he was grabbing them in fours

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR AN ENLARGEMENT

So I said to Frank,  “If we wear Hi Viz vests and I carry my big camera, the dolly birds will think we the official photography team.”  He had his doubts but they were soon dispelled.  It seems that the dolly birds who are hired to promote things at biking events are very willing, even keen to be photographed – and they also have a repertoire of off-the-shelf fetching poses into which they can be persuaded to disport themselves on demand.

Of course our success might have been entirely down to Frank’s personal appeal and even if it wasn’t he must have begun to get ideas of personal celebrity potential because he can’t have had as many young women draping themselves all over him for over thirty years.  All I had to do was explain that my friend was very shy and wouldn’t ask for himself, but he would really like to have his picture taken with them and it worked, at least with the professional girls, if I’m allowed to call them such without risk of misunderstanding, every time.

The professionals, i.e. the promotional dolly birds, who seemed to be a particularly abundant supply at this year’s Northwich Thundersprint, are I suppose there for that very purpose.  Posing with ageing continues………

It was great while it lasted!

The Organisers of the Blackpool Light Parade, which has been a popular Event on the UK GoldWing calendar for many years, have announced that they have given up, citing impossible obstacles.

The problem was the traffic along the Promenade which more or less throughout the Illuminations Season turns into a slow stop-start traffic jam.  It is no place to try to keep riding a large group of GoldWings as a Parade.

Even when the event had a Police escort to get through the traffic (which happened up to 2008) it was a struggle to make a proper Parade of the Event and during the past two years it became unavoidably fragmented.  2010 was the last straw when it became impossible to keep the Parade moving at all and riding through the Illuminations, especially on the Southbound leg after dark, turned into something of an ordeal rather than a pleasure.  Unless a better way could be devised it was going to have to be time to quit.

The Organisers suggested to Blackpool Council that there would be commercial value to the Town in continues………

LATEST WEATHER FORECAST IS FOR DRY WEATHER FOR THE PARADE

The Scarborough Light Parade, which attracted a large numbers of Wingers last year, comes up again next weekend, on Saturday September 11th.

There is a static display during the afternoon on the Promenade Roadway, followed by a Light Parade in the evening.

The weather is currently looking potentially a bit damp but the East Coast tends to be drier than elsewhere in UK  so even if some rain is still threatened when weekend comes, it’ll be worth riding over there.  They do very good fish and chips in Scarborough and the local Council is very welcoming to Wingers for this Event.

It’s a GWOCGB Event so there are rules to be obeyed and if you are not a Member you’ll be expected to pay 50% extra, but it’s not expensive anyway, so don’t be discouraged.  There’s an associated social programme at a local holiday caravan park and you can find out more by clicking here.

At the Blackpool Light Parade this weekend, during the Saturday afternoon static display at South Pier, where crowds of people, including lots of children were strolling towards and among the parked bikes, one Winger, pictured here, decided to take the opportunity to give his young granddaughter a ride around the display area.  She was sat on the bike’s tank in front of him and he wasn’t wearing a helmet – and neither of course was she.

These activities were reported to me (as Lead Organiser of the Event) and so I went over to talk to him.  This was only a short time after the incident and as I approached he was sat on his bike preparing to leave.

As soon as I asked him if he had just been giving a child a ride around the Promenade area, politely of course because I needed to check I had approached the correct rider, he immediately came out with a belligerent mouthful, telling me in no uncertain terms that it was his bike and that he wouldn’t have anyone telling him what he could and could not do with it – not that I had got anything like as far as doing any such thing of course,  so immediate had been his angry response.

He clearly was the Rider who had been doing what I had been told about and equally clearly he had no regrets – and no intention of abiding by anyone else’s idea of safety requirements either.  I felt he was continues………

If you’ve been following the Latest News on the BLP Website you may have seen that there are some terrific prizes on offer this year, including five fabulous Honda Wrist Watches, thanks to Sponsorship by Knutsford Honda, and engraved Trophies and embroidered Fleeces too, thanks to Colin Appleyard M0torcycles.

These will be shared between the Best Lit Bike Competition on Friday Evening outside the Warwick Hotel and the Charity Display at South Pier on Saturday Afternoon.

Judging this year will be done by Randy Rodriguez, Captain of the Central Florida Motorcycle Drill Team, and his wife Cat and also by representatives of the Sponsors – who may prefer to remain anonymous so as not to upset any of their customers by not choosing them!

For the latest information click here.

It’s going to be a Great Weekend!