Royal British Legion Riders Branch

The weather was kind again to Colin Appleyard’s GoldWing Centre at Keighley for their Open Day today, Sunday 28th March, although there was a cool breeze and the clouds did build and threaten.  But it didn’t rain.

Maybe this accounted for the strong turnout from the West of the Pennines, where it was sunny and fair.  But the numbers overall seemed lower than last year, although it was still a large gathering of GoldWings and Wingers by any standards.

Appleyards have re-configured their upper floor area to provide increased showroom space and this was a welcome improvement.  There seemed to be much more space and the accessories were better displayed.  Likewise downstairs they had tidied up as usual and the Nosebags (excellent again this year) were well organised but there was also more organisation about the Used Bits Area and there was a part-finished Trike under construction in what is now a dedicated Bay of the Workshop, such is the scale upon which Appleyards are now building (and presumably selling) them.    Maybe it was more spacious and interesting to wander around because there were fewer people there this year but it seemed to me to be a big improvment so congratulations to Appleyard’s Staff for all the work they did preparing so well for their Open Day.

Stunning GL1800 sidecar outfit - candidate for the Exceptional GoldWings series?

Another change was the appearance of another Club stand – that of the Royal British Legion Riders Branch, which formed only five years ago but has had a terrific impact both within the UK Biking Community and on the Legion’s Poppy Appeal.  They only started fund raising in earnest three years ago and this past year have raised over £100,000 for the Legion’s Poppy Fund, which is a staggering amount.

I hadn’t appreciated until I spoke to the bikers on the Riders Branch Stand that you don’t need to be ex-military yourself to join either the Royal British Region or the Riders Branch.  But you get to dress up looking very smart and military if you want to anyway, as those present clearly showed.  Anyone who has an interest in supporting the Branch’s work (in supporting the Poppy Appeal and therefore serving and ex-Service personnel and their families) and in enjoying the Fellowship it provides for Members.

You can even join the Riders Branch if you’re not a rider – and why not?   So Military Wanabies are welcome too, although it’s probably best not to wear SAS badges etc on your leathers unless you really were in the SAS.  (They will probably be able to tell.)

Inviting biking clubs, especially those involved in good causes such as the RBLRB, to  exhibit at the Open Day is a welcome development and added to the interest of the occasion.

Four fork handles

Appleyards Open Day is a primarily a commercial occasion but it’s also, timed as it is at the start of the biking season, quite a social occasion.  Last year the atmosphere was perhaps a little guarded, even a touch strained after the upheavals of 2008, even though everyone was being scrupulously, carefully polite.  This year the atmosphere was clearly much more relaxed and genuinely friendly, which surely all decent Wingers will welcome.  It doesn’t take a genius to work out that there can be no surer way of bringing a friendly club into disrepute, and therefore damaging it, than doing conspicuously unfriendly and disreputable things in its cause.

The presence of a display van from MAG Europe Ltd, who are the sole importers into UK of Kuryakyn Accessories and some other motorcycle accessory brands.  They were at Knutsford Honda’s Chrome Crazy Weekend a couple of weeks ago too.  MAG Europe are not retailers but their willingness to support their Dealers in this way is encouraging. Direct contact with the users of the products they sell will also presumably help them to gather customer feedback – which they are open to, as I have discovered in connection with a quality control issue which will be the subject of another Article on this Blog in the near future.  So far so good; their General Manager Robert Brinkmark is being very open and helpful.  More about that in due course.

Nothing quite like a good rummage through spare bits and pieces

The Used Bits Sale this year seemed to be particularly rich in treasures, including lots of old-stock shiny bits which were being sold off very cheaply as well as bits removed from bikes, clearly much of it in the course of building trikes.

Stuart Feeney was his usual affable and charming self and hopefully this won’t be the last time we see him at an Open Day even if he does retire as planned within the next twelve months.  Barry was visibly hyperactive this year as well as every bit as vocal as usual, with a friendly word (or several) for everyone.  He didn’t stand still anywhere for more than two seconds as far as I could see.  Well done Barry, it all seemed to go very smoothly.