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Stylish or what!

Following a hugely successful Light Parade in Llandudno this year, the Federation Club’s premier Light Parade moves to Southport for 2012!

A plan was hatched some time ago that GoldWings North West and GoldWings North Wales, the two founding Federation Clubs, would take turns to hold a Light Parade in September to continue the spirit and fun of the Blackpool Light Parade when that could no longer continue and so for 2012 we have another new Light Parade Resort to look forward to experiencing.

Jeff Thornton of GoldWings North West is the Lead Organiser and he confirmed to his Club Meeting last Sunday that all the fundamentals for a great Light Parade Weekend are already in place with a keen and cooperative Town Council, excellent cooperation from Merseyside Police and a cracking venue, the 154 bedroom Prince of Wales Hotel on Lord Street, the Town’s main street, in Southport.

The Light Parade Website will be updated shortly and booking information which has continues………

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.

I’ve run quite a series of articles over the past few weeks dealing with some of the history and other background to the decline of the GoldWing Owners Club of Great Britain (GWOCGB) and while they’ve attracted plenty of interest and I still feel that those who are thinking about renewing their GWOCGB membership are entitled to know the score, the Blog has perhaps been getting a bit too political of late.

We’re approaching Christmas, so I have decided to call a halt to coverage of club politics for the time being in favour of something lighter and more entertaining.  I will be pulling or modifying some of the recent articles for the same reason – although not, I hasten to add, as a retraction of any kind.  I have always taken some trouble to establish the accuracy of what I have revealed and that still stands.

The viewing figures for the Blog show, as they always seem to do, that revelations and analysis of club politics is popular reading so I will continue to cover it but I was starting to get unnecessarily personal in some of the criticism I had written and that was a change of style which I’m not comfortable with, so as well as taking a break I’ve removed or modified (or will be doing so) a few things accordingly.  If you haven’t read all the recent stuff yet and want to do so you’d better be quick!

So for the time being at least, unless newsworthiness or other provocation dictates otherwise, I will be steering clear of GWOCGB’s problems in favour of more seasonal and entertaining fayre.  Sadly that won’t mean that GWOCGB’s problems have gone away of course and there are unfinished and newsworthy stories which I will probably cover as they come to fruition.  But I’ll try harder to focus on issues rather than individuals from now on.

It’s the run up to Christmas, we’ve all got to get the decorations up and think about the presents (other than bike bits) which we should have bought by now but haven’t, so I’ll give politics, or at least the contentious side of things, a rest at least until next year.

Happy Christmas to all my Blog readers, whatever your club affialtions or aspirations might be and however you prefer to pursue your own GoldWing interests.

***

Dave Partridge, who over the last couple of years has established a new type of local and mobile GoldWing servicing and repair service, AwingAway, has circulated his customers and friends with this Christmas Greeting, which I thought was a nice idea and worthy of passing on.

He does his bit for the GoldWing community by volunteering as the Federation’s Technical Adviser, in which capacity he’s been answering all sorts of questions, including in foreign languages, so well done Dave.  And thank you on behalf of UK Wingers for your unfailing helpfulness.

With a GoldWing engine, would this fit the Rules?

Lots of bikers, and lots of Wingers, like to combine their motorcycling hobby with camping; it offers social opportunities which are broader than simply gathering for a meal and a few drinks in a hotel after a day’s riding on tour – and of course camping can be significantly cheaper than other ways of getting accommodation when you are away from home territory.

Indeed camping will have been associated with motorcycling way back when motorcycling was the working man’s affordable transport rather than a predominantly recreational vehicle, so it was natural to try to make use of the bike, and especially sidecar combinations, for family outings and holidays too, including going to bike club camping gatherings – all of this long before GoldWings came on to the scene.

Camping gatherings would therefore have been the natural way for Wingers from different parts of the Country to get together and why from its earliest days, GWOCGB formed as a camping-based Club.  And for some Wingers camping with other Wingers might even have been and still be the sole or main reason for buying their GoldWing, which they might never have used for the long distance touring for which the bike was designed.  A substantial number of GWOCGB Members still look forward, above all else, to their season of WingDings and the annual major gathering, the Treffen, where they can meet up again with familiar faces, enjoy a bit of group riding and maybe get some new accessories and some technical help or advice, but above all enjoy the company of like-minded friends. continues………

GL1800 - 2001 Model Year

Honda (UK) has recently been informed by Honda Motor Europe of a safety recall for the 2001 to 2012 year model Goldwing (GL1800) although in Europe, only 2001- 2010 year models are affected.

The exact fault is that the secondary master cylinder compensator port may become blocked, resulting in potential rear wheel brake drag, and a temperature increase on the rear brake, exceeding specifications.

What has caused this? A combination of small free play of the secondary master cylinder piston and large push rod angle, coupled with primary seal swelling, may block the compensator port of the secondary master cylinder.

The ‘fix’ for this problem will be that the dealer will inspect the secondary master cylinder with an inspection tool and if brake drag potential is detected, the secondary master cylinder will be replaced with an improved one which has a slightly different angle.

A total of just over 160,000 machines globally are potentially affected (with approximately 20,000 of these being in Europe), although, a total of 26 cases have been reported as showing symptoms in the US market but there have been no incidents at all reported in Europe.

Approximately 1,800 UK specification registered machines are affected, although until Honda (UK) receives further information from the DVLA, we do not know the total number of machines that may be affected in the UK as this will also include some US specification machines. Any US specification machines in the UK would be included in the recall and be attended to by the Honda (UK) dealer network.

In terms of the process, VOSA have recently approved the recall and provided authority to DVLA to release customer information to Honda (UK) of owners whose machines may be affected and we hope to receive this information in the coming weeks. During this time, Honda (UK) will be sending a recall notification to our dealer network early next week and so at present, our dealer network would not be fully aware of the situation, which is something some of your blog followers have experienced during their visits to some dealerships. Once Honda (UK) receives this information from DVLA, letters will then be sent out to all relevant customers notifying them of the recall and the action for them to take. We anticipate customers will receive this letter from Honda (UK) early in the new year.

In the meantime, Honda can confirm that the motorcycles are safe to ride as the symptoms only manifest themselves under very specific conditions.

However if customers do have any concerns they should contact Honda (UK) on:

0845 200 8000

Fiona Cole, Corporate Affairs,  Honda (UK)

Nothing to panic about but Honda America has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that a potential defect relating to motor vehicle safety exists in the secondary master cylinder on certain 2001-2010 and 2012 model year GL1800 motorcycles.  This safety recall is likely to be declared by HondaUK in due course.

Note that the following details are from the American declaration and the inspection and repair procedure which HondaUK adopt may vary from this, depending on the view of the UK Authorities.  As far as safety recalls are concerned, the manufacturer has to secure the approval of the national safety authorities for the inspection and repair action.

Owners will be sent a letter inviting them to make an appointment with a Honda Dealer to have their bike checked and/or fixed.  Because this is a safety recall, i.e. the fault could affect the bike’s safety,HondaUK  will apply it to all affected GL1800s registered in UK, including parallel imports.  HondaUK  are allowed to get the names and addresses of the owners from DVLA in these circumstances, although having used them to issue the recall letters they are not allowed to keep them.

Nature of the potential fault:

The compensating port hole inside the secondary master cylinder (part of the combined-braking system) can become blocked due to either stacking of tolerances in manufacturing and/or sufficient swelling of the primary pressure cup inside the master cylinder.

If the compensating port hole becomes completely blocked, the rear wheel brake caliper can drag after the rider releases the brake input. If this occurs, the rear brake temperature and pressure progressively increase. Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash and continued riding with the brake engaged can generate enough heat to cause the rear brake to catch fire.

This doesn’t mean that there is a high risk of unexpected severe braking or a fire, just that there is enough of a potential risk for Honda to have to do something about it.

Inspection and Repair

Honda Motorcycle Dealers will inspect the secondary master cylinder of all affected motorcycles.  If an inspection indicates that the compensator port hole can become blocked due to this problem, the Dealer will replace the secondary master cylinder.   These inspections and repairs (if needed) will be carried out free of charge.

Target dates for all American GoldWing owners to have received their letter is the end of January 2012.  Honda America has apologised for any inconvenience this creates, but feels the safety of our customers is the highest priority and encourages every customer to contact their dealer to schedule an appointment upon receiving the SAFETY RECALL letter.

HondaUK is expected to do something similar without unnecessary delay although their timescale might be determined by how quickly they can secure the approval of the relevant UK Authorities.

HondaUK have a very good track record when it comes to handling this sort of thing – as good as if not better than Honda America.  There is no indication as far as I can see that anyone needs to stop riding their bike until the inspection has been carried out although any rider does notice dragging of the rear brake it would obviously make sense to investigate rather than ignore it.

You can contact HondaUK’s Motorcycle Customer Relations Team on 01753 590510.

Honda C90

A new month, winter should be here by now but isn’t really –I’m in Lancashire and, incredibly, it’s not raining, although it did rain yesterday.  The reservoirs are low and the media are running a story about the likelihood of hosepipe bans as soon as Spring appears.  And the economic forecast are still very gloomy.

Climate change, global economy out of control, these are peculiar and unpredictable times.  How can anyone predict which motorcycles will sell best in five or more years time, in order to start designing and building them?

But the Honda Motor Company, in spite of the Japanese tsunami and consequential cash flow problems, might once again be in the process of pulling off a very clever stroke indeed.    At least that’s what Kevin Ash is saying in this week’s Motorcycle News, and he strikes me as the sort of motorcyclist who has a brain as well as horny kneecaps.  I should point you towards the MCN rather than steal his thunder by re-writing his article for my own Blog so I’ll suggest that to youbuy copy straight away, before they run out.

MCN’s circulation drops off markedly, indeed I’m told by the retailers that its sales in shops halves it the off season but I was given a subscription as a Christmas present last year so my copy arrives by post every Wednesday morning throughout the year.  And a very good read it mostly is – much better than getting another round of socks and hankies.  I suggest you start dropping hints.

Anyway back to Honda’s clever idea.  Partly it’s getting three different sorts of two-wheelers out of one engine and frame, but mostly it’s about moving away from a high-revving continues………

GoldWings North Wales are taking part in the annual Llandudno Christmas Parade this coming Saturday and extend an invitation to any other Winger to join them in riding in the Parade.

The invitation to take part came from the Mayor of Llandudno on the back of the huge success of the Llandudno Light Parade.

The GoldWings will bring up the rear of the pedestrian Parade in a stop / start type of ride, backed up by a police car to ensure the safety of riders and spectators.  Due to this formation, there is no restriction on the number of bikes taking part. It’s also on closed roads, so there is no restriction on “parade lighting”.

It doesn’t matter whether you belong to a club or not, this is simply an opportunity to have a bit of fun and show off your GoldWing to some appreciative people. There is no fee for taking part.

All you need to do is turn up at the main Train Station in Vaughn Street, Llandudno for 3.30pm at the latest, where you will be directed by the marshals.  The Parade starts at 4pm, will last approx 40 minutes and will return to the start point.

Ideally, participating GoldWings should be well-embellished – so get your Christmas lights and decorations out early and stick them on your Wing! There’s no need to go overboard of course – something modest like this will be quite sufficient:

If anyone needs further info they can telephone Nigel Mackintosh on 01244-819797.

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.

continues………