Paul & Christine's Long weekend in Scotland (Friday May 3rd - Tuesday 7th May 2013)

This was arranged by Honda Owners Club [Northumberland Branch]  5 months ago were we where ask if we would like to go on tour in Scotland , the hotels and bed& breakfast were arranged by the secretary, Graeme, which was a challenge at times for him to find enough rooms for 12 people to stay all together .

Friday morning was going to be an early start at Ponteland, so we rode up to Newcastle on Thursday and stayed overnight at a Travel lodge.

The next morning we met up with 4 people, 3 bikes at Dobbies Garden centre at 7.30 am then set off on the A689 towards Earlston for a breakfast stop and fuel where we met 2 more bikes. 

Leaving Earlston and 25 miles later we met up with 2 bikes , 4 people at the A720 Edinburgh City by-pass heading towards the Fourth Bridge, the group now complete 8 bikes 12 people and rain.

Crossing the Firth of Forth we headed North onto the M90 stopping at Kinross Services, leaving Kinross we had a quick run through to Perth and off towards Scone Palace and Glen Shee were we stopped at the ski lift for leg stretch. [Top Gear were filming at Glen Shee]   

Leaving Glen Shee we climbed up The Lecth and had a comfort stop at the ski centre, then descending to Grant on Spey and on towards Aviemore, joining the A9 to Inverness. [Rain came down in bucket’s for the last 20 miles] 

 First night’s meal [Still raining]

Saturday Morning  after breakfast  we left Inverness  [Roads wet ,but no rain]  carried on the A9 crossing over the  Black Isle heading towards Wick  for lunch and fuel stop,  leaving Wick on the A99 towards John o’ Groat’s, then following A836 towards Castletown for our next hotel.

Sunday morning started off dull but dry after breakfast, leaving Castletown on the A836 heading towards Thurso and onto Durness on the A838 [Coco Mountain hot chocolate manufactures] for a comfort break, then through Scourie to Unapool A894 for lunch. 

We took the A385 to Ullapool  where our motel awaited us for the night, unfortunately for some - 5 mile from Ullapool we picked up a 1.5 inch screw in the back tyre, no phone signal, us back marker, out came the puncture repair kit. At least it was dry for a change!

Luckily we were doing the drop off system and a passing motorist saw a bike parked at a junction and raised the alarm, as 2 friends came back to find us Christine got a lift to the motel and I was followed to the nearest garage for some more air.

Monday, checked tyre, went for breakfast, left Ullapool via the A835-A832 to Gairloch, then onto the A896 to Applecross for lunch.  After lunch we went up Applecross pass [just wide enough for a minibus, yes we met it at 20% incline] then onto A890 , followed by A82 through Glen Shel, and onto Shean Bridge for our last night.

Tuesday, leaving Shean Bridge heading towards Fort William A82, passing Lock Linnhe, to Glencoe where we stopped at The Green Welly Stop [Tyndrum] for a comfort break.

 Leaving the Green Welly A85 we took a quick detour to Dochart Falls.

Rejoining the A85 we the travelled on the A84 to Callander for lunch, then onto the M90-A720-A68 to Jedburgh, stopping at Lauder for a comfort break, from there we continued to Ponteland and home.

Distance travelled 1168 miles.

Had a great weekend, apart from the weather:,snow, sleet, rain and the wind trying to blow you off the bike going up the east coast at times.

Tips

1. Not all hotels, bed & breakfasts take credit cards, cash only worth so it’s worth checking before you set off.

2. Petrol prices £131.9 per litre - £155.9 per litre [ouch] but better than pushing your bike, how far can you ride before needing petrol?

3.Puncture kits not everyone carries them, not everyone likes them, no phone signal, flat tyre , no repair kit , 50 miles in the middle of Scotland?

4. Drop of System it worked on our trip, it could have been a lot different if it was not in place.

P.Dowson

BSB 26th May - IAM offer, 20 places available.

Following the success of the recent IAM suite offer at the recent BTCC (touring cars) event at Donington Park I now have a cracking offer for the British Superbikes day on Sunday 26th May.

I have twenty tickets for a hospitality suite at Donington on the 26th May to include entry, parking, tea and coffee and full circuit access for just £45 each. A huge saving on the usual price.

Use the suite as your base for the day and have a memorable day watching the Superbikes in action.

I need twenty confirmed bookings before I can confirm the price with the circuit. If you want tickets please email me on paul.woozley@iam.org.uk by this coming Saturday. Open to non member guests too. I'll then confirm with you and take payment before the event.

DAM invades Heighington!

The first Tuesday evening ride out of 2013 was led by Paul Dowson on a pleasant, typically rural Durham, route to end up in the village of Heighington for Fish, Chips and some banter on the village green.

The ride was extremely well attended with 38 bikes from Committee Members, Observers, Associates and potential members joining up at the Bowburn Hall car park.

 

The sight in my mirrors of 38 bikes following Paul was very impressive and I hope we can continue to have good turnouts for the future planned rides, and maintain the very smooth drop off execution which was impressive to watch in action tonight.  Even more impressive was the fact that the number of marked turns on Paul's route exactly matched the number of bikes!  Impressive planning!!

Speeding, Insurance and the popularity of bikes.

 Thanks to Paul Dowson for this information: 

Bikers count the cost of speeding  

  
Being caught speeding could lead to a huge rise in the cost of motorbike insurance, on top of the minimum £60 fine and three points on their licence, bikers are being warned.
For young riders in particular, a conviction for speeding or other motoring offence can lead to a sharp increase in the cost of insurance.
For riders under 20, a single conviction will increase premiums by more than 60 per cent on average, to just over £1,000 a year, according to Confused.com's database of motorbike insurance quotes.
Motorcyclists in their thirties will face costs around 18 per cent higher – £303 as opposed to £257.

Older riders fare better

For older riders, however, the impact of speeding conviction is much less drastic.
Those in their 40s would see the typical average cost increase from £167 to £172.
But riders aged between 50 and 60 would not be affected, with their average premiums remaining at £156.
Alex Higgs, motorbike insurance manager at Confused.com, says soaring car insurance costs are leading young people in particular to opt for motorbikes and scooters.

‘New-found freedom’

Higgs says: "Bikes are a much cheaper way to get around. But young riders shouldn't let their new-found freedom go to their heads and drive too fast or recklessly.
"On average, a teenager with a motoring conviction will have to pay an extra £400 the following year versus one without.
"It’s worth considering that the fine for being caught speeding isn't just £60, it's effectively £460.
"So, tempting as it may be to push your bike that bit harder, is it really worth the extra cost?"

New registrations up

Figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association show that new registrations of scooters – the style of motorbike most favoured by cash-strapped youngsters – was up almost 12 per cent in 2011 compared to the previous year.
The increased popularity of small-engine bikes is thought to be at least partly due to the all-time high insurance costs faced by newly qualified car drivers.
The Confused.com Car Insurance found that the average male driver aged between 17 and 20 was paying £3,730 a year for a comprehensive policy.
Women in the same age group face yearly premiums of £1,960.
These rates are significantly higher than the typical cost of insuring a motorbike, which is £621 a year for those in their teens, and £535 for those in their twenties, according to Confused.com figures.

Cheaper cover for scooters

But being caught speeding is not the only way to increase the cost of cover - the type of motorbike also has a large bearing on insurance premiums.
More expensive and powerful models cost far more to cover than mopeds and scooters due to the potentially greater damage they can cause, as well as the fact they would cost more to repair or replace.
For example, a teenager wishing to insure a Yamaha YZF-R1 superbike would typically pay almost £6,500 a year for cover, while annual premiums on a Kawasaki ZX-6RR Ninja would be more than £5,000.
At the less powerful end of the scale a Honda SH 50 City Express would cost about £213 for a rider under the age of 20 to cover, based on quotes

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Road Closure Warning - Bowburn Services.

The first Sunday ride out will be this coming Sunday (14th April) from Bowburn Services [9:30 for 10:00 start].

I haven't planned the route yet (keeping an eye on the weather forecasts, again) but be warned that there are road closures from 7pm Friday 12th through to 6am Monday 15th for the carriageway leading from Bowburn roundabout to the Services.

This means that you'll have to approach from the Thinford direction to reach the services - as far as I can make out the services will still be open during the roadworks.

Let's hope for some reasonable weather and a good turn out!

2013 Egg Run

Well, we managed to Caterpillar our way to Darlington (some very rapid learning taking place en route ) and then back to Durham (slicker caterpillar) to assist Durham Police with their annual Easter Egg Run.

I'm not sure of egg run numbers, but 20 DAM Observers formed the marshal team for this year working closely with Durham and Cleveland Police riders to ensure the event went smoothly as ever.

Thanks to all who attended, and thanks to the Observers for giving up their time.

Apologies for the quality of the picture, it's taken from Ali's phone - many more, and better, pictures to follow as they're uploaded to the Bikewise site.

Eggs & Caterpillars...

Those of you who have ridden the Easter Egg Run in the past will have noticed the key role that the DAM Observer Team plays in the Marshaling of this ever popular event.

We are asked to support Durham Police Motorcycle Section in ensuring the safety of the run by holding traffic at junctions whilst the run goes through.

In previous years, once the Marshals have held the junction & the run has passed, they have to "make progress" past the run to hold a junction ahead of the run.  This necessitates the Marshals passing the complete run, watching out for oncoming traffic, wandering Egg Run bikes and any other moving hazards!

So this year, we're going "Caterpillar", a system used by the Police for bicycle marshaling and other escort duties.

Each bike releases the bike in front and moves on when he or she is released by the bike following, the theory is simple (at least it looked like it on Ali's flip chart) and it is elegant when done smoothly, but we'll be first timers on the Egg Run - in at the deep end!

YouTube shows us the Police & National Escort Group showing how it should be done during the Tour of Britain cycle race.

North Yorkshire - 95 Alive

The York & North Yorkshire Road Safety partnership have launched some YouTube videos highlighting the risks of some of the North Yorks most popular roads - have a look; well presented and relevant.

Their YouTube channel is NY Rides.

THINK!

Car drivers are being urged to see the person behind the helmet and take longer to look for motorcyclists in the latest THINK! Motorcycle Safety Campaign.

The £1.3m campaign, timed to coincide with the anticipated spring increase in motorcyclists’ return to the roads, encourages drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists and think about the biker, not just the bike.

Motorcyclists account for just 1% of traffic but 19% of deaths on Britain’s roads and 30 bikers are killed or injured in collisions at junctions every day.

The campaign was informed by casualty data which showed that a motorist pulling out in front of motorcyclists is a major cause of deaths and injuries; and wider research showing that drivers are more likely to notice motorcyclists on the roads if they know a biker themselves.

In 2011, 5,609 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured with 74% of these occurring in collisions involving another vehicle. 69% of these casualties happened at junctions. The numbers of incidents increase significantly during March and April as improved weather encourages more motorcyclists onto the road.

The THINK! Campaign targeting motorists will run from March to May with messages delivered through radio advertising and in petrol stations when the call to action is more closely linked to the behaviour THINK! is seeking to change. Wider awareness will be generated through TV video on demand advertising, targeting younger drivers in particular.

"timed to coincide with the anticipated spring increase in motorcyclists’ return to the roads" - so the government thinks we're going to be out on the roads soon!!