New Forest Branch - Newsletter December 2001

Chapter Director

Les Williams

www.NewForestHOG.org

Hello Everyone

That's the AGM over with for another year. Thanks to all of you who came along and for those who couldn't make it, here's the bare bones of what occurred. I thanked Simon and Richard for their efforts on the committee. They are replaced by Phil, our new road captain and Bob Long who won the vote to become the area rep in the West.
The rest of the committee stays the same. I then asked for a show of hands to affirm if the club wanted me to continue as your director. I didn't have to do this, but felt it gave you all a chance to speak up if you fancied a change. So thanks for the support. I also asked if you wanted the same big events for the year after next, (We book all venues 12 months in advance.) again the result was carried with nobody voting against.
The clubs finances were the next item. The new Limited Company has done well in its first 6 months. It has sent a £2,000 deposit for Warmwell and has £700 in the bank once you take away our VAT, liability. The clubs membership account has £13000 in the bank, you have to take away the £3,000 we have to pay the MS people for our Wheel Appeal. (They've been paid the rest) Also take away approximately £4000 being advance membership income, which leaves approximately £6,000 of useable money. The club needs this to support our events ie. Deposits and to make up any shortfall on an event. When you consider Spring Fever costs about £40,000 to have a £6,000 cushion is about the minimum required, so all in all, we have put right last years losses and added a bit to the pot for a rainy day. This is mainly due to Jane getting the membership back to where it should be and Anne's hard work in doing all the bookings for the main events so thanks girls!
I also thanked Mike Caddick for the web site, which has been updated, and my doing crew Richard, Claire, Jim and Anne, Paul, Ross and Diane for helping me with the rally entertainment and organisation. Steve Royal was thanked for his efforts with the Wheel Appeal, which is almost there, and I thanked the rest of the committee for their efforts throughout the year. Especially Chris who has put in a lot of time over and above the newsletter, helping me with all the fliers and booking forms for our events.
The meeting was then made an open discussion. The two main points were firstly, the speed of ride outs and whether marshals should always be used and that we should have all new bands at each event. I explained that I mix new with old when booking acts so that we can be sure of a good night every time and that to get the best price, I give bands 2 or 3 bookings at the same time and this satisfied the person who raised the question.
It was suggested that each road captain should make his own mind up as to speed of rideout and whether to use marshals or just second man marking. They have organised the ride and as each one has different merits it was felt it should be their choice. I had to admit that I don't go on the rideouts because they go in the wrong direction and it means with the 100 miles just to get to and from the start point, when you add the rideout it makes it a longer ride than I have time for, plus I like to go quicker than a rideout allows. I took a bit of flak about this, but what the hell! I pointed out that I went to Bridgewater, The Knot Rally, Manchester, Swindon Rally, Thames Valley Rally, Canterbury Dirty Habit Rally plus our seven events and Dr Bob covered the natter nights, a fair amount of rideout and most of the rallies I didn't go to.
So between us I think we do ok and most people in the room agreed, so I closed the meeting and thanked him upstairs that it was over and I ain't got to do it again for another 12 months.

Don't forget that, The Winter Ball tickets make a great Xmas pressie and you can sponsor your Friends & family.

See you at the Christmas Party Luv & Kisses ! Les.

Director's News and Views
Hocus Pocus Party
HOG meets Great Bear
EDITORIAL

Hocus Pocus Party

Saturday night arrived and into the Winchester venue filed every conceivable character from the Hammer House of Horror film sets, hell bent on celebrating in the Halloween fashion, many were even in fancy dress!
I was impressed by the obvious effort and time invested making or putting together many of the costumes exhibited by the vast majority of partygoers. there was a particularly spiffing Dracula and Black Cat, Big Rodge looked the business as an Executioner, wielding the mother of all choppers and Melvin (mad as a box of monkeys) was superb in his Chainsaw Massacre outfit, complete with blood-soaked severed limbs and free-revving petrol-driven chainsaw.
The food (included in the ticket price), Chicken Korma and Vegetable Curry was given the thumbs up by the revellers, as was the Rum Baba's, Chocolate and Strawberry Gateau's for pudding, all served up with military efficiency and the minimum of fuss.
The discounted price bar (all drinks £1.00) was under siege throughout the evening by the guzzling hordes, for once taking pleasure in buying big rounds for their chums. Rob Paston was on form as usual, filling the dance floor with jiggly bobbly bodies of the three different genders, John Menetrier is quite obviously the product of some badly-gone-wrong genetic twiddling, probably before they got a lab fridge! Nasty nasty legs, put me right of stockings!
The frolicking continued on into the wee-small hours of Sunday morning and then we went home to bed.

A good nights entertainment and the icing on the cake, another £266.00 towards the Wheel Appeal, nice one people.
Thanks go to John and Christa Clutson, John, Val and Pauline for helping to set up the hall throughout Saturday and all the party-animals left at the end who went into tidy-up mode, packing away, sweeping up and leaving the premises as we found them, it is appreciated and you never know they just might have us back.

UNCLE FESTER 354

Director's News and Views
Hocus Pocus Party
HOG meets Great Bear
EDITORIAL

HOG MEETS GREAT BEAR

Fifteen years ago I took my last salute & hung up my flying hat, whilst still a teenager I had taken the Queens shilling and joined the Royal Air Force. When you leave school you think you know it all, no one can tell you anything. But the world of work comes as a shock, always being told what to do and the armed forces go further - you are told how to think! I was educated to believe in the principles of democracy, a cause that I may fight to protect. You lucky lot could sleep safe in your bed whilst I patriotically patrolled the blue skies, keeping those reds behind the wall.
The world's climate is so different now, more mellow, more understanding. I am (slightly) less likely to shoot a Russian on sight, which is luck for my girl friend, born in Moscow and now living in Bournemouth. She travels freely (with visas of course) between countries and cultures & last month I was invited to meet the family.
As you may imagine after my military 'training' this could be a different and daunting experience. Firstly a disappointing but realistic fact - I wasn't going to Moscow on my bike. It may only be about 1600 miles and in summer that's not too difficult - in winter it's impossible and impassable. The distance is not the problem, Russia is not a country that a tourist - on a Harley Davidson! Can safely travel through. Actually getting to the border, let alone across it would bee a major accomplishment (a Harley isn't exactly ideal for cruising through Poland!) You can think I'm being a little negative here but until you see Russia - (and not just the tourist city of Moscow) and speak to the people. You can not understand the reality of a poorly paid and corrupt Police-force and armed, get mugged, robbed or hijacked in the middle of nowhere, and try the Police for help and sympathy, oh and I forgot something else obvious - Maybe you get lost, what will you do? Ask directions? Check the map? Ever tried to read Russian? A phrase book doesn't help much… The road hardly suits Harley's velvet ride suspension- in fact I'm not sure how a big trial bike would survive the constant canyoning and street lights? May be even a little white paint on the road may help keep up on the hard stuff at night.
So any way, I flew to Moscow & was met at the airport, what should I have expected? This was the land of the Lada! A car that wouldn't pass an MOT before it got to it's first service-Culture shock number one- Russian cars.. In the light day the 'enemy' seemed like me-human! Culture shock number two Poverty! Russian is a country that has run out of money the suburbs are unfortunately very run down, everything seems to need cleaning, repairing and repainting. The roads & buildings obviously see very little maintenance. Moscow it self is a lot better, but apparently a quarter of the entire country's budget goes to the capital. (Looks better for the tourist I guess.)
I did the tourist bit and enjoyed it Red square, the Kremlin, the whole route including the Ministry of funny walks. (sorry- changing of the guard) I bought a set of Russian dolls (with Harley painted on them) I also got a furry hat and a navy belt buckle (swapped with an ex sailor for an H-D belt- buckle). All the people I met were friendly and welcoming - not the hostile adversaries as depicted in the military training films. I had been a witness to a propaganda system that infected me with blind predjudice, like most Westerners since the 50's and of course the Russians have their anti-west education also.
My girlfriends grandfather was a red army general with 40 years experience of the wonderful communism and through a shared bottle of vodka we talked politics and I saw that he believed that Russia was defiantly a better when it followed Lenin's ideals.
My real agenda was to find Russian bikers particularity the elusive and very rare Hardly Dangerous species. Saturday night in front of the university, overlooking the city is the place where the local bikers meet but I really had to smile at the unlikely assembly. It's difficult to imagine, there are no custom bike shops to buy your bolt-on goodies, no shows or magazines to inspire the custom bike builder, and a used Sportster could cost 10 years wages.
Now try to imagine chopped urals and cossacks with everything home-made! There was one Harley an early 883 and the eccentric owner was 'Leader of the pack' for sure. The free riding Russian biker is a patriot though.
On the Monday we visited the 'Night-Wolves' A very serious bunch, a club not at all like HOG. They have a fortress (that's the best way to describe it) on the outskirts of Moscow where they build the new wolf motorcycles a (slightly modern Ural). I didn't think it appropriate to ask why they favour the out-of-date flat twin but may be it's a similar passion felt toward an old v-twin design or a lumpy parallel twin (or even an over complicated multi pot).

The 'Night-Wolves' are also the guardians of the only Harley dealer in Russia. But don't expect too much here, for such a vast country 6-8 bikes for sale and a couple of clothing racks. I got myself the T-shirt of course and paid for it in Stirling, could have used dollars but roubles were never mentioned. A long way to go for a T-shirt but the shop and it's surrounding made the visit memorable, like being on the set of a mad max film.
The bikers here have no fear or respect for the law, most bikers don't wear the mandatory helmets as the Police ignore them, they haven't enough money for bribes or they can easily out-run the cops in their Lada's.

The language is different, the alphabet is different, but the bikes and interests are the same, go take a look at Harley-Davidson in Moscow

http://www.harley.ru

and for a variety of pictures and interesting links, visit :-

www.biker.ru

Director's News and Views
Hocus Pocus Party
HOG meets Great Bear
EDITORIAL

Seasons greetings one & all,

I think the AGM went very well, congratulations to Phil Chadwick & Bob Long the 2 new committee members. We all look forward to working with you both.
As it was said at the AGM, some of these newsletters are packed with articles & some are just a few flyers, well as you know in the winter we don't get out a lot, then nobody writes in & you get a small newsletter. So if you want interesting articles & good pictures SEND THEM IN! After all this your rag.

Winter Ball tickets make a good Xmas present and are available from Les or Dockgate 20. This event really does brighten up the winter blues, £18 for a great evening's entertainment & ya hot supper, what more could you want? Coupled with the fact that it goes on till 2am! You certainly get your moneys worth.

Steve is going for post Christmas walk on the 28th December why not join him? Want more details? Read on.
L.O.H. look out for The Winter Ball coffee & sticky bun afternoon, more details to follow. A few LOH ride-outs next year. Now I know Val has led a sheltered life! She really would like to know what you ladies want to do or where you want to go. Give her a call, she doesn't bite, not when she's got her teeth out anyway!

Web-site. This is being constantly up dated, so check it out & leave your comments on the message board. Want to see more photo's on the web? Sent them to me & I'll get them up for you.
The membership & standing order forms should be up soon.
The address for Jane is:-
The membership Secretary, New Forest HOG. P.O. 309, Winchester, SO22 4WP

The address for me is:-
The Editor, NEW FOREST HOG c/o TONGHAM POST OFFICE, 82 THE STREET, TONGHAM, FARNHAM, SURREY, GU10 1AA.

This address can also be used for all LOH stuff & anything for Steve Royle.

See you at the Xmas party, Chris Springle.

Director's News and Views
Hocus Pocus Party
HOG meets Great Bear
EDITORIAL

NEW FOREST HOG BRANCH - Newsletter December 2001
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Created December 2001, last updated 12 January 2002