Special reports

Bulldog Bash - August 2005

The Bash this year was... wet!  Arrived on a sunny Friday, rode-out on a sunny Saturday morning, stopped for lunch and the heavens opened.  It cleared eventually but rain was never far away so the action on the strip became severely limited.  But never mind, keen bike watchers, we spotted the new MOD stealth chopper and heaven can't wait biker's hearse (see below).

North West 200 - May 2005

So the Irish in the North love their road racing? - you bet they do, including Grannies and children.  And none sums the spirit up much better than the NW200 at Portrush.  But there is more to this ride than just a day at the races - read on>>

Isle of Man TT - June 2004

Well, now this was a real treat - just brilliant weather, sparkling company and TT racing at it's fastest.  Gunning the HOG to (almost) keep up round the 37 and 3/4 mile circuit, I was in good company with Len on his Heritage Softail while the faster shod Irish crew did their best not to make us feel too slow.  

Sherwood Forest Chapter rally - August 2003

Run up to Tattershall Park via the pretty Fenlands and you'll find minor B roads with no traffic, pretty villages, long straight bits of road with sharp bends every now and again and some of the worst road surfaces know to bikers (outside the south of Ireland, that is).

So Jon had his very big, exceedingly black, jolly brand-spanking Ultra there and Sarah and I just had to give it a try - very nice.

And the Sherwood Chapter's party is worth a visit, every time.  Ian, Sarah and myself are the founder members of the All-Day-Fingerless-Gloves group and here you see us discussing glove etiquette (click thumbnail for a more detailed look).  

WSB - Brands Hatch, Kent - July 2003

World Superbikes - but plans are left a little bit last minute, so the only available bike for Paul to hire is a Yamaha 900 Diversion, complete with panniers and tartan pattern Thermos - this did not turn into a love story. Practice and Superpole are run in drizzle which turns to a steady downpour that is destined to last all evening.

Paul suggests we go ahead with the BBQ, which conducted under two golf umbrellas is a brilliant success and on to the unbelievable trail bike display and excellent live band, all in the rain among a good spirited crowd - we had a great time.  Sunshine eventually showed up on Sunday and the racing was exciting and very close.  Another BBQ while we wait for the 100,000+ crowd to jam the exit while we mellow with another char-grilled chicken breast.

BSB - Mondello Park, Dublin, Ireland - July 2003

British Superbikes at Mondello Park in Ireland for the first time and with Glen Richards on the Hawk Kawasaki still sticking it to the 250cc larger, more modern bikes - I told you them ZX-7Rs are magic!

But the best part of the long weekend was that Irish hospitality - Paul & Siobhan with their family who totally adopted us, friends Ivor and Miriam, more friends of theirs, Ian and Brendan - in all, life never felt so good.  On top of that there are some terrific roads with great bends and absolutely bollocks surfacing - a 6' tarmac tit at the apex of a blind bend teaches one to take it a bit easy.

HOG Europe 100th Anniversary rally, Barcelona, Spain - June 2003

Well the venue was good, the bands good and the un-connected Rolling Stones concert fan-bloody-tastic.  But the HOG organisation was pure K**p.  How can an event organiser invite you to drinks on arrival and run out of drink?  For what possible reason could there not be a single signpost to the venue?  Who could organise a thousand bike "parade" round a busy city and not publish the route (OK we got it from a local paper).

But if its the getting there (and back) that matters more than where one's going then this was the best - click here for more.

HOG UK 100th Anniversary rally, Minehead in Somerset - May 2003

A hardly uneventful rally for us, this one.  It begins with what one should never do - shake down a newly rebuilt bike directly the last spanner turn has finished the project and off on a 500 mile round trip.  Actually the spannering held up well (but sadly the newly fitted tyre inner tube did not), so we arrived in Minehead at 10 in the evening after a frantic straight line dash, instead of 4 in the afternoon after a relaxed meander through the very pretty countryside.

But heck, the locals are friendly and so they were - most Mineheadians openly welcome our presence in their quiet little town. Sadly the weather did not welcome us and showers were punctuated by the odd blue & dry spell before the rain-suits were donned again.

There were some good bands and I got the Butlins squits (interesting challenge being to remove rain suit and leathers quick enough to get to the bog in time).

This is the most beautiful  countryside and for spice there is a 1 in 4 gradient hill to climb with a couple of 180 switchbacks.

As we turned for home on Monday morning in the rain, we actually did the first 70 miles in sunshine which is a miracle given that all around was gray and very wet.  Then Paul showed us all how to do a sideways powerslide (speedway style) on a Road King and ram Steve up his Dyna Bobtail ass.  Police, ambulance, camera, action.  Bruises and sexy scars with a "and why did that happen?" later, all are well - save the bikes that'll need some more spannering (sort of where we came in).  Oh, did I mention it rained a lot?

May Day run to Hastings – May 2003

May Bank Holiday has for over 10 years been the occasion of possibly the largest un-organised ride out in the UK, starting at Locksbottom in Kent (close to Bromley).  I joined the run down to Hastings with Paul

I can only guess the numbers of bikers in Hastings to be 10,000+ - basically all Hastings seafront and the central shopping area become a bike park. Paul impressed with a sustained 100+ mph run back to London, just to keep the following Kawasaki rider (me) from getting bored!

To commemorate someone having their driving license returned after a 6 months rest.

So, yet again at precisely 0:01 in the morning on the anniversary of that said day, we fired up the hogs and headed for Brighton through the night.  

Sue, our rally sponsor in Brighton laid on the usual brilliant fried breakfast - which at 04:00 when we're all freezing cold goes down a real treat.  Sue really is the making of this event and our great thanks go out to her (and Woody, the dog).  So here we all are on Brighton seafront in the early morning and what a sunny and warm brilliant day it was.

On to the Surrey HOG jumble and I made a quick visit to box Hill (absolutely heaving) before meeting up with another Harley rider to do a round trip to Canterbury - because with only 4 hours sleep that night, one has to ride to keep awake!  

Roll on summer; Minehead, Barcelona, Dublin (BSB), Brands Hatch (WSB) etc.

Manx Grand Prix - August 2002

The roads here are a race track with some road signs and stuff put up grudgingly so that the inhabitants can drive to work on the days of the year between racing.  It's a Heaven place to ride and everyone here is racing, right down to the locals and including Granny in her Metro doing 90 mph plus the 40 ton truck chasing us round the twisties - they're all at it.

Photos below show me arriving in Liverpool for the 2.5 hour ferry ride to Douglas,  the group posing by the Laxey Wheel, followed by Ivor and Paul getting to grips with the machanicals, while the girls discuss shopping.  Then there's Ivor, cranked over at Creg Ny Ba and yer man again, this time trying to get on his bike after it shrank in a rain shower!

A great time was had by all, in fantastic weather.

The Thames Valley Rally - August 2002

Newbury Race Course for the second year and meet up with old friends and a new one - Bruce the 100 mph water-skier from Down-Under on his Sportster.  The local pub becomes the scene of some heavy biker stuff - the Guinness moustache competition as a warm-up for the customary first night curry.

The next day Steve & Sally discover a new version of hunt-the-sausage involving string and condiments.  After the usual excess of drink and curry, the balmy night is witness to hundreds of farting tents, snoring and the 6:00 a.m. alarm call by "Loud-Pipes" Steve.

Like all good things this one comes to an end with happy memories, especially of "Red Fingers" Ian showing us all why the morning after really can feel that bad - see below him paying homage to booze!

I'm off to the The Manx Grand Prix in two weeks time for a quiet weekend!

Brighton - July 2002

Ross hires a Fat Boy and we do a 200 mile ride through Surrey, Sussex and Kent - 3 Counties, twisty country roads and Brighton in a day.  The weather is great (he recons he brought it over - just like I took the cold to the desert - ha!).

Note the Ogri T-shirt, the English rose looking on admiring our fine dude and Brighton Pier and we did fish & chips at Harry Ramsden's - how posh is that? 

Click here 

Phoenix, Arizona - December 2001

Well my mate Ross said December in Arizona will still be warm enough to ride comfortably - so the fact that it was colder than the UK was clearly going to be my fault!  It's strange, riding through desert while freezing one's nuts off.

And the biker places visited by so many every weekend were deserted - wimps!

But we had a great time and 'twas my first time on a Harley in its native USofA, what a thrill.

Hoggin' the Bridge - October 2001

The Bridgwater Chapter's second Hoggin' the Bridge event was well attended, by my guess over 2,000 bikes were there to cross the Severn bridge, followed by the rather smaller Clifton suspension bridge.

Dano, Steve & Franchesca and Sarah & I found an Italian B&B come restaurant in Wales where the girls (Steve and my daughters) shared a room and did girls stuff until the early hours.

The Thames Valley Rally - August 2001

Newbury Race Course sees us meeting up and we are chuffed to find those good folk from the Sherwood Chapter MIT (Men In Tights).  Sarah helps Dad put up the tent, poses for some pics, does the Ton but never quite manages to spend that twenty quid Dad gave her!  

A ride-out to some fancy old stones past Marlborough finds us scoffing good grub at the biker friendly pub then we blast to Stone Henge for a summer Solstice (isn't that what they call the ice cream? and on to Dock Gate 20 dealership in Southampton.

Our girls spend time deciding who is the Sex God rider; The Italian Stallion Frank Chili gets several votes, as do Ben Bostrom (who won both races) and Gregorio Lavilla. 

  I go to the Ducati stand again and again - have they really brought out a £5,000 entry level bike?  Oh yes and at 65 bhp it ain't going to scorch the tarmac but it's matt black and sexy - I want one, but there again, would I really be happy with it when a 748 is "only" £8,500 and a 996 a mere £10,500!  But hang on a minute - the new Harley V-Rod is going to cost over £14,000.  Better to go for a green Kawasaki?

The heat and racing is obviously too much for this biker - better go for another beer, oh and photograph another promotions girlie for Ivan!

Click here 

So at precisely 0:01 in the morning on the said day, 6 months later, we fired up the hogs and headed for Brighton through the night.  Bacon butties at 2:30 a.m. a little sleep and the seafront in the early morning, then on to Portsmouth seafront and then the old town for lunch.  After some 24 hours of riding, several hundred miles were covered and the spirits lifted for a great 2001 riding season. 

And the bike park for several thousand bikers who had camped the weekend - now where did I put it?

In 2000 we went to the Fenlanders HOG meeting in Norfolk.  On the ride to Cromer, Rob just had to stop and have a Cromer Crab.  Later that evening, while I was about to eat a nice big greasy burger (before taking in some beer and the rock band) Rob's white face in the shower block window and cry for help indicated that the crab was fighting back - an ambulance to hospital and three hours later, our man was fit enough to party.  On the left, Stephen and Rob and me, ready to rock.