Issue 137 : October - November 2004
Buell City X
Yamaha T-Max
Yorkshire Pudding Rally
Ducati's "Centopassi" Event
Bristol Show
South of England HOG Rally
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Buell City X
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Down South
As a HOG member since 1989 I was becoming bored with the usual run of rallies on the calendar. There are only so many times you can go to a rally and eat, drink, watch silly games, take part (or not) in a bike show and dance to music that is usually too loud and always heavy. A shame as it meant that the one thing we did miss out on was meeting up with old friends from various chapters around the UK who had the same feelings as us, so a new approach had to be found. As Chapter Director of Thames Valley I was one of several fellow directors who had been discussing holding a joint rally for a while but the logistics were complicated. Basically, we were planning to put five groups of "strangers" together to run something that had never been done and needed to find a site, traders and all the other things that go into making a good rally. Well, we took a chance. Invicta, Thames Valley and Oxford chapters all decided it was worth investing in the idea and Surrey and 1066 were more than willing to give all of the assistance they could, so we appointed a Rally Manager and started planning. The NRA in Bisley seemed an unusual type of place for a rally but had all the facilities we needed and the Pavilion manager is a HOG member. All the planning paid off and Friday 8th August dawned bright and sunny. We had all five dealerships represented and around 30 independent traders including Claridon shipping who sponsored the rally packs which included a free beer and bottle opener as well as the usual pins and patches.
The Ride in Bike Show was well attended and there were some spectacular bikes on display. Even the "Silly Games" had some changes and the tug of war was an experience not to be missed. We also noticed that Nigel Villiers and Jeremy Pick were there ... along with Mr Mutch of course from MAG. Some very good rideouts and silly games were also part of the weekend together with of course excellent bands and a firework display that was appreciated by all. (And I thought only kids like fireworks). But most importantly we encouraged members from 23 chapters to join us at the event and the aim to meet up with old friends was achieved. 5th-7th August are the dates planned for 2005 and Mutchie has promised to be there all weekend this time. Perhaps MAG would like a stand to help to increase the membership? Take care & ride safe...
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The South of England HOG Rally
We even managed to borrow the H-D demo fleet for the weekend, which was run by Nij wearing a very silly outfit although his outriders were very professional about the whole thing! AND H-D finance put up a V-rod to be won, all in aid of Muscular Dystrophy.