Today is Christmas Eve and apparently yesterday, the day before Christmas Eve, is the busiest shopping day of the season – but between 12 noon and 1 pm today will be the busiest shopping hour, as lots of blokes rush out to get their ladies something at the last minute.

This has sometimes been my style in the past and I have also had a fall back system when short of ideas involving a friendly local jeweller, who is always willing to exchange whatever I’ve chosen for something she would actualy like to wear – a bit like buying a gift voucher but you get something in a box, all properly wrapped up in Christmas paper with ribon and a fancy bow. Only takes about 10 minutes start to finish and it probably doesn’t matter what you pick as long as the money is about right for her to choose something nice.

I’ve seemed to be able to get into the right ball park by picking earrings or braclets or necklacey type things by turns so it’s not the same thing each year. And she always seems to say she likes what I’ve chosen for her – although of course I don’t really remember what I did buy her, so I wouldn’t know if she’s gone back to change it or not anyway.  As a fallback plan it’s always seemed to be a fairly safe bet.

This year however I’ve taken a bit of a risk and steered clear of the jewellers altogether in favour of armchair shopping with Amazon. Too late to do this on Christmas Eve of course, unless you can think of a credible excuse for having nothing wrapped up to hand over on the actual day and a printed off copy of an Amozon Order propably wouldn’t cut the mustard.  But with a bit of forward planning I’ve saved myself having to go anywhere near an actual shop this year – except when on escort duty, when I can usually contrive to escape to the coffee shop while she does the browsing. continues………

Dave Partridge is selling his purpose-made trailer which he has used to transport both solo GoldWings and trikes in the course of his AwingAway business but is now surplus to requirements.

This is a one-off single axle design with a payload of 540 kg, so enough to transport a GoldWing Trike yet light and manoeuvrable enough to tow behind a family car.

It has a purpose made loading skid and a fitted winch which makes loading a safe and controlled one-man operation.

Enclosed trailers which will carry a trike are very uncommon and trike owners usually have to resort to using a flatbed open trailer.  This one will keep your trike clean and dry in transit as well as providing a temporary garage when you get there.

By the way this doesn’t mean that Dave is giving up his servicing nad repair business, quite the oppoesite, he’s going from strength to strength.

BMF Show Peterborough - a big, big event

The BMF (British Motorcyclists Federation) to which both the Federation of UK GoldWing Clubs and GWOCGB are affialated, are currently offering Three for Two on all 2012 BMF Show Tickets, so if youwill be going to any of their Shows next year you can make worthwhile savings.

The offer only runs until December 23rd, so you will have to be quick.

The offer is for BMF Members only but this includes all Wingers who are members of Federation Clubs or of GWOCGB, since they are, by virtue of their Club’s affiliation, BMF Associate Members.

As an Associate Member you will need to use your Club’s BMF 2011 Discount Code to get the special deal.   This Discount Code was distributed to Federation Clubs late last year and should have been passed on to all Members but in case you’ve lost it it’s FED11M449.  (The 2012 Code has already been distributed to Federation Clubs as well so make sure you use the 2011 Code for this special offer, it’s still 2011 remember!)

I don’t have the equivalent GWOCGB Code of course but you should be able to get it either from your Regional Rep or from the Club’s General Secretary if necessary.

BMF Show Dates for 2012 are:

BMF Peterborough – 19th – 20th May 2012

Bikefest Kelso – 7th – 8th Jul 2012

Tailend Peterborough – 15th – 16th Sep 2012

For a list of ticket types and prices for all these Shows Click Here.

The On Line booking system is not easy to fathom so once you’ve decided what you want to buy I suggest you buy your tickets over the telephone by ringing 0844 884 5151.

The lines are open Mon-Fri 9-6 and Sat 10-5.

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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.

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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.

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………