Stapleford Airfield

Sunday 21st August 2022

A nice little sortie to Stapleford Airfield this morning …….. 6 bikes, plus pillions, headed off from the RV at the Fairway Diner, lead by Martin.

It wasn’t long before we had a “missing in action” of one of our riders.  The remaining 5 bikes regrouped only to perform a starburst manoeuvre shortly thereafter….. Leaving the main group of 3 bikes heading off northwards, with the other, now 3, “missing in action” bikes, making their own way to the airfield before all meeting up once more…….

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

 

Museum of Power

Sunday 24th August 2022

A good turnout of members today to the Museum of Power bike show, lead by Chris (and Paul……)

A very hot day, some very nice machines on display, twinned with an odd appearance, Star Wars?!…….

If there was a negative to the day, it had to be the band, the singer, well, just couldn’t!  And maybe next year, we can all take our pom poms and join in……..

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

 

Andrewsfield

24th July 2022

Today’s ramble stopped short of its original destination of Finchingfield, but did include indulging in coffee cake and a look at a rather nice Morgan.

Overtook what looked like the Lamborghini Owners’ Club with 13 cars which looked rather impressive.

Martin Raynor

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

 

Essex Treffen

It’s been a week since the excitement of the Essex Treffen, and what a great weekend it was!  The planning from Chairman Peter Devaliant, committee members and helpers was scrupulous, and resulted in a turnout of over 50 members: including those most welcome from other branches – as far as York!

Prior to Friday’s arrive and chill, effort was made to erect the gazebo and stage at the Dog and Partridge, Brentwood Road in preparation for the Treffen’s featured live band Gunrunner – a rock ‘n’ roll quintet.  Friday’s festivities ensued from 12 noon (when the bar opened) with excellent music from DJ Tim Mercer.  Various Triumphs from all eras navigated the terrain into the camping area, and not all of them remained upright during the weekend’s amusements!

Tasty food and cold beer were available in the charming garden which, backed by open fields, was avery picturesque setting.  Peace in Brentwood was then disturbed at around 6pm by the spectacular voice of Gunrunner’s lead singer Al, leading the ensemble and classic rock tunes late into the evening.  As the sun set on Friday at the Treffen, members either stayed to camp or retreated to their hotels or homes, ready for Saturday’s ride out.

Saturday kicked off with a hearty bacon roll for some, and plenty of free tea and coffee to awaken the senses.  A clear and concise briefing was made by the Chairman in the pub car park, and the most difficult part was deciding whether to have Lasagne or Curry on arrival at the destination – The Horns and Horseshoes Pub, approximately a 25-mile ride away.

The sun was shining, and the route was enjoyable, despite a few road works and some Saturday traffic.  The group was kept together and marshalled well, with plenty of space in the car park for the bikes.  Both front and rear gardens were utilised for sun and shade, and food and drink was served promptly at good value for money.

The return trip back to the Dog and Partridge was just as fun, with an awesome soundtrack from the array of bikes in the convoy.  Whilst the ride out was under way, due to the generous donation of members, Heidi & Co were able to sell many items of biker gear to raise money for the club.  The evening’s club events consisted of a trophy presentation and raffle draw – a big congratulations to the winners.

The second appearance of Gunrunner was just as good as the first.  So much so, a speaker blew, and the music rig was hot!  Highlight of the night, for committed club member Amanda, was the
gentleman who danced the remaining members of the club through the last hour of the band, resulting in a wealth of laughs.

Sunday was packing up day and the end to a successful Treffen.  A special thanks to John ‘the gazebo man’ for contributing to the dazzling efficiency of the close-down.  Let’s look forward to next year!

Mason Hone

23/07/22

For more pictures, please see go to The Gallery

July Pub Run

Wednesday 20th July 2022

The pub run to a new pub for us, the Bricklayer’s Arms  was ably lead by John.  The run was well attended with 11 bikes and some with pillions.

The evening temperature when we left the meeting point at Battlesbridge was still in the mid 20’s and did not really drop off for the return journey, so making for a really great ride…….

Graham Frost

Clare

Sunday 19th June 2022

Today’s run to Clare was a few in numbers but big in fun, with twisty roads, coffee, cake and maybe a cheeky Bacon and Brie

Stopped off on the way back to TTT Motorcycle Village (in Sudbury) for the first time and was impressed of their stock of clean 70’s and 80’s bikes that I grew up with.

Martin Rayner

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

Lavenham

Sunday 12th June 2022

Sunny, scenic ramble to Lavenham today with 7 bikes and 8 able souls – for the first time ever doing that trip, I didn’t get rained on…. so bonus points!

Route posted below and you have got to admire the IOM TT style average speed we established!

 

Poulsons Creative

Saturday 28th May 2020

A few of us went on a countryside jaunt to Poulsons, Maldon this morning.  Nice venue, very chilled, cake and coffee served for consumption on the comfy leather armchairs.

They are not just a creative works company, they do routine stuff too ………. Sandra booked her Bonneville in for the fitment of a new rear tyre whilst we were there…..

Graham Frost

North Weald

Sunday 22nd May 2022

What a beautiful day for a ride!

A lovely bimble through the lanes of Essex to North Weald……….  We stopped at the Red Bus Cafe to take in a small car show.

Several makes of bikes in our team today for the journey, nice to see, everyone welcome.  One member even displaying their individual choice of footwear….

Graham Frost
(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

May Pub Run

Wednesday 18th May 2022

A small, but select band of us met up at the Battlesbridge “bike park” – We numbered 5 persons on 4 motorcycles.  Amongst us was the seldom seen kid, Ian M and Allan who was seeking refuge on board a motorcycle from a family crisis and indeed, there are few better therapy’s than putting some miles down on a motorbike.

We were led at a brisk pace through the rolling rural idle that is Essex to the Compasses, located in the time hamlet of Littley Green.  We were met there by Doug who had, up until now, been stepping out with the Suffolk branch, but they appear to have migrated north so, hopefully Doug will take up with us and we will have the pleasure of his company on some ride outs.

The Compasses is a favourite public house for the branch, due largely to its charming, old fashioned eccentricity – this means, it has barely emerged from the 19th Century, never mind venturing in the the 21st – happily it is able to furnish patrons with card payments!

We, as usual, chatted generally about past adventures and the further adventures we intend to experience.

Only two persons availed themselves of the food option and they both appeared to struggle to eat all the comestibles put before them by the genial mine host.

All too soon, we had to drift off due to cataclysmic predictions of biblical rain in the area – I think we all had our motorcycles tucked up for the night before the said deluge occurred.

We shall return to the Compasses next year and we will meet up on a larger scale in the coming weeks.

Chris O’

 

Revved-up Cafe

Sunday 15th May 2022

Nice ride out to Walton-on-the-Naze today with eight of us on six bikes and more women than men for a change! (written by Jenna R)

Great route, stopping off at Abberton Reservoir and good food from the chippy in Walton.

Cups of tea were a must and the age old question of, to waterproof or not to waterproof was a frequent topic.  Unfortunately, when returning, the heavens gave the answer on the A12

Great route stopping off at Abberton Reservoir and good food from the chippy in Walton! Cups of tea were a must and the age old question of to waterproof or not to waterproof was a frequent topic. Unfortunately when returning, the heavens gave the answer on the A12! Look forward to the next one!
Mason Hone
(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

Brands Hatch

Sunday 8th May 2022

From my point of view, this was our first ride out in clement weather – not too cold and not too hot.  John S took us on a route that largely evaded the motorway both there and on the route back.

We parked up an decided that, as the racing was not really at is most competitive, we would take a wander around the paddock.  This proved to be a brilliant move as the bikes were all stunning.  We saw Velocette’s, Vincent’s, BSA’s, Triumph’s, Ducati’s, as well as a lot of Japanese hardware.

This has inspired the Committee to inaugurate a scheme to buy and run a racing team.  We will be increasing club subs by £20 a month and using some of our club funds to buy a Trident or similar, probably a bit of an affordable basket case to eventually race in the Classic.  Per change to convert to an outfit, so more can be involved.  We propose that when the bike is reasonably competitive we will let members try out as riders – the rest of use will be part of the team, either in the pit or cheering on from the stands, having got in as team member for free.  Tony will provide the van, as by the time the motorcycle is ready to race, he will have retired! Only joking – hope no one had a heart attack at my flight of fancy but, hey, if it was feasible, would it not have been an absolute hoot!!!

Anyway, back to the day…….the rest of the races were great to watch and, I felt, the sidecars were the best fun.

Sadly, all too early, proceedings were brought to a close, as there was a nasty accident on the grid and the emergency services were brought into the action.  Hopefully no one was badly hurt.

So we made our way home, after having enjoyed a day of competitive racing, a good old tyre kick and some enjoyable spring sunshine,

Chris O’

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

Jericho Cottage

Sunday 8th May 2022

A few if us made our way to the bike show at Blackmore today.

It was very busy on the village green – the first show since Covid.

Lots of Triumphs on display, nice coffee and cake, what more could you ask …….

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

 

East Anglian Railway Museum

Sunday 1st May 2022

A nice ride out today to the East Anglian Railway Museum, lead by Martin.

A nice route, away from the main roads through our green and pleasant land.

The Cafe on Platform 2 served the best cream tea this side of Devon, definitely worth another visit.

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

April Pub Run

Wednesday 20th April 2022

A good turnout for the first pub run of the year to the Huntsman and Hounds, Althorne, lead by Martin.

We took a very scenic, sunset route, taking in much of the surrounding countryside before finally arriving at the destination.

Note to self, take an extra layer for the return journey as the temperature had dropped off a tad and, don’t follow Chris back through the lanes as it seems his Bonny has been tuned by Guy Fawkes and throws out the occasional firework!

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see the Gallery – Pub Runs 2022)

Blackwater Pearl Cafe

Sunday 17th April 2022

A very sunny ride out today to the Blackwater Peal Cafe, Mersea Island.

Tony stepped in to take the lead, a nice route through the Dengie countryside and villages.

We were informed the incoming high tide would make getting back off the island a tad wet, so some of us made good our escape, thereby removing the need to practice our various swimming strokes!

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

 

Goldtop

Sunday 10th April 2022

Nice ride out to the Gold Top store near Bishops Stortford today, admirably lead by John.

11 bikes made the trip, collecting a few on route.

Nice venue, some top notch gear, great for an investment piece but you will need to empty your coin jar….

Coffee was nice too, thank you Sandra……

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see Gallery – Sunday Runs 2022)

Stafford Show

 

A few members attended the Classic Bike Show at Stafford at the weekend (3rd & 4th July) and here are some pictures – to see the fully set of pics, please go to the Gallery section on this website.

Slight delay in posting due to me being in Wales with no internet…… Plenty of projects for sale, some members can be seen with their purchase, think it was listed as a non runner, I am sure it will be going soon……..

Graham Frost

 

 

 

                                                               

North Weald

Sunday 27th June 2021

It’s June, where’s the sun?!

Martin lead us to North Weald for a snack and a catch up.  Despite the dull sky, the rain held off aside the odd droplet… A414 between Ongar and North Weald has been re surfaced, or as is the modern way, they have chucked some loose gravel on the surface and hope the road users bed it in!  Still, wasn’t as bad as it looked and there were no spills……

Graham Frost

(For more photo’s, please see the gallery)

Ride out to Clare & Andrewsfield

Well I was going to write about 1 run but having just got back from another run you lucky people are getting a 2 for 1 offering.

 

Firstly, the ride to Clare (06/06/21).  Which was patronised by 9 bikes accompanied by 11 people.  This one was led by myself and was probably one of my better efforts.  Anyway, we left together and arrived together, and I was not goaded into going fast by Dean on his new 120BHP Street Triple, even though he spent much of the run climbing all over my back tyre.

On arrival in Clare, we were directed by a helpful local to free motorcycle parking.  This was shortly after Jenna R had invested £2 in parking charges.  I can honestly say, I have never visited Clare whether by motorcycle or motorcar and it has not been perfect weather.  So after a bit of a chin wag and some sustenance we started to drift back to home.  On this occasion I demonstrated to Dean that the Bonneville is not a slow bike, and it took him several minutes to pass me.

Secondly, the ride to Andrews Airfield (13/06/21).  This ride was populated by 14 bikes and 17 people, so we cut a pretty impressive crew as we rumbled through the countryside. This was though a gentle bimble through the rolling Essex countryside and I must say, we are very lucky to live in one of the most beautiful counties England has to offer.  This was extenuated by the brilliant route concocted by Martin R.  On arrival at our destination we were informed by genial mine host that we were too many in number and would have to go elsewhere for refreshment.  Fortunately, Jenna R had her negotiators hat on and got the landlord to compromise and he allowed us in 1 at a time for coffee etc.  So again after watching aeroplanes take off, including a very nice original looking Tiger Moth and being regaled with aeronautical anecdotes by Rocket Roger and Kevin S. We started to drift homeward.  On this occasion I was one of the first to leave but, I believe, all got back to the bosom of their families safely.

These runs are getting better, more varied and more interesting every year and with suggestions from Michael P as well, we look to be on course to surpass ourselves next year!  So to Paraphrase Steve Mc Queen, ride outs are life everything else is just waiting.

Chris O

Sunday Ride – 9th August 2020

Only mad dogs and Englishmen………

A few of us met up today for a countryside jaunt to Clare Country Park, led by Martin and Jenna…..It was showing 24 degrees when we left Hullbridge, the return journey was showing 32 degrees………a tad warm but a nice ride out…..Thank you Martin.

Someone in the group has clearly been saving their Green Shield Stamps…Check out the new Rocket….

Graham Frost

For more photos of this ride out, please see gallery.

 

Sunday Ride – 12th July 2020

Well now, here we are almost half way through July and this was, arguably, our first Sunday ride, normally we would have been into double figures by now, how strange these times are.

We, as is the norm, meet at the Fairways Café.  We were 14 people and 12 bikes. The group was joined by the welcome appearance of new member, Ray Hicks, on his imposing camouflage green Tiger and joining us, all the way from Central France, Karine on her tough little Honda 250 off roader and she did not seem disadvantaged in having the smallest bike, though it did run low on petrol on the way home.  Karine had come over for the Treffen and had been disappointed to have found it eviscerate from the calendar, but appeared happy to be engaged in one of our Essex odysseys.

Having marshalled our party, after consumption of the traditional tea and bacon sandwiches, we set off to Wivenhoe, near Colchester.  The run was ably led by John S at a pace that suited all.  We made our way through Maldon, Heybridge and off towards Mersea Island but, just as the island loomed, we peeled off to the north and skirted Colchester town centre or at least 5 of us did, as the back 7 missed a turn and made an alternative route to the agreed point by the quay side pub in Wivenhoe.  This did though mean that, in effect, we had travelled as two groups therefore at least paying lip service to governmental edicts.

On arrival at the pub, we found that parking was going to be a problem as there was one of those self elected “Policemen” with his ready catch phrase of “you can’t park there!” so the bikes were put in 2 separate spots, with my bike being left in splendid isolation by the pubs neighbours’ house.  We organised drinks for our party, there appeared no possibility for food so we chatted generally about our bikes and the influence the pandemic has had and will have, on our activities as motorcyclists.  After an hour, we started to drift off homewards.

Another pleasant way to spend part of our Sunday, around good people full of interesting chat and on board some superb motorcycles.  I note. that if nothing else the lock down has given all our bikes a shiny like new appearance.  In the case of Paul V, a newly rescued Bonneville that he has restored from a sorry state of a bike(it had been stored underwater) to a fine example of the marque. It also received the thumbs up from Louise, though she did have the advantage of extra padding, unlike her husband who, like the rest of us, have to suffer the piece of scaffolding board that Triumph have furnished us with.

Bye for now Chris O’.

Sunday Ride – 5th July 2020

A few members set off from a drizzly Battlesbridge to Mersea Island for a spot of breakfast.  The timing was spot on, the weather soon cleared, (the hurricane force wind saw to that), the causeway was clear and the cafe was almost empty. On the way back we stopped off for an ice cream at Heybridge, where social distancing can clearly be seen in action…… Chris was so keen to join us on the ride to show off his re vamped Bonnie that he missed his appointment at the hair salon…… ?  Graham Frost .  

Please see gallery for more photo’s.

September’s Pub Run

As is traditional for the final pub run of the year, it took place in a gathering darkness.  In fact, though on the way to the Ship in West Hanningfield we were treated to a perfect sunset with those beautiful autumnal red hues in the sky that you often get at this time of year.

But to back track a little, we assembled a little earlier than usual to take advantage of what light there was left.  There were 12 motorcycles and 13 people our ranks were somewhat swelled by 2 Triumph enthusiasts from Brentwood (Dave and Chris, see I can remember names) who had attended thinking it was a One Green Bottle evening and they wished to challenge the dominance of the Harley D owners.

We set off all together and made our way up towards The Hanningfields by the conventional route, but soon left the main roads and encountered the twisty stuff on route to West Hanningfields. After the bends there is a long straight that runs alongside the reservoir.  This is, I have to admit, is a point where I suffer a rush of blood to the head and see three figures come up on the speedometer, but when in a group wiser councils prevailed and we all kept to about 60 mph.  Otherwise the only observation of any note was that we encountered a bus coming towards us on a country road after dark!!!  This reminded John Stone of his days as a bus driver and how they routinely drove the good folk of Essex home well into the night.

The pub itself was pleasant with a couple of good ales on tap plus food that some took advantage of.  Otherwise we just chatted about the proposed trip to Normandy, the fact that the weather forecast is poor for our tip to Hinckley, and so some members of the Motorcycle Club will be traveling up by car!!!  Also Martin K voiced his displeasure at the current pressure on the price of oil increasing due to the continuing instability in the Middle East and giving us a historic perspective on the way oil prices fluctuate that is always to the advantage of the producer and not the consumer.

Finally on my departure I found my crash helmet had been trapped by the pub beams by those merry pranksters Malcolm and Tony.  All most amusing but I will be revenged!!!

Chris O’

Triumph Factory Tour Experience

On Saturday 10th August, Paul Brown and I both enjoyed the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience – something we have wanted to do for some time, but lack of available slots to do the tour, holidays, work, family – had all got in the way of finding a date when we were both free beforehand.

Prior to the visit, both bikes checked over and made ready for the trip up. One thing we hadn’t accounted for was the weather! Come the Friday 9th, all weather channels were forecasting atrocious weather for the Saturday, torrential rain and very high winds (gusts up to 60mph), so we decided it would probably be dangerous to take the bikes and opted for the car instead.

We had both booked the 11:30 tour. Looking at Google Maps which suggested a drive time of about 2.5 hours. Add onto that that one has to be in the building ready for the tour 20 mins in advance (else you miss out on the tour with no chance to do it later) and we wanted to stop for breakfast as well (probably about an hour) gave us a rough leave time of 7:30. Knowing how bad the M25/M1 can be at times for traffic, we opted to depart at 7:00 instead.

Come the day, Paul picked me up at 7:00 and off we went for a nice gentle drive to the factory. Weather was as forecast (so our decision to go by car was justified) and we had a nice gentle drive up. So much then for Google Maps suggested drive time, as we stopped for breakfast just a few miles from the factory at just after 9:00!

After a nice fry-up, we went on down to the Factory Experience. As you drive in, you go past the factory itself on the left, 2 big grey buildings that in all honesty, if you didn’t know was Triumph could be anything! On arrival though, plenty of parking space (bikes have their own dedicated car park right in front of the factory entrance) and in we went, registering for our tour, and grabbing a couple of coffee’s in the 1902 Café whilst we waited.

Come 11:30 off we went. First thing was the briefing – no photos allowed inside the factory, Hi-vis jacket provided as well as a headset (which gave excellent reception throughout).

First thing is Goods Inwards. Impressive! Racks upon racks of parts about as long as a football pitch all accessed by fork lifts which whilst “driven” by humans, have computer controlled electronic tracks to run on.

Next are the racks upon racks of completed motorcycles ready to be shipped (Triumph ship on average 400 machines per day). Triumph only build bikes powered by triple engines at Hinckley, so the Speed Triples, Tiger Sports, Tiger 1200/Sports, Rocket IIIs and Daytonas. The rest of the Triumph range are manufactured and assembled in Thailand, which is also where all the tanks and frames are manufactured for UK built machines). All machines made are made to order, and you can tell from the cover where they were assembled – green plastic covering is UK assembled, pink plastic covering is Thailand assembled, and cardboard boxes are bikes which require assembly (so the box contains all the component parts). The reason for this is that for some countries (like Brazil), there is a 100% import charge equivalent to the sale price on fully assembled machines – so it is cheaper for Triumph to build the bike, then de-construct it into all its component parts, put it in boxes and ship it to those countries for re-assembly as they then only pay 2% import tax.

After this one comes to the crankshaft shop. Triumph manufacture the crankshafts for all models they make, not just those made and assembled in the UK, shipping out as appropriate for bikes manufactured and assembled in Thailand. The base crankshaft is moulded in Spain, then shipped to the UK for machining. 1 in 100 is tested within the crankshaft machining line to ensure manufacture and machining is within tolerance.

Next stop is a quick look at the quality testing area for all parts. Here they test random parts, generally 1 in 100 for quality and accuracy (although for MotoGP machines, ALL parts used in the assembly are tested). Then there is a wash room where (apparently) a young lady can go to any part of the production line and take a part which she then takes back to the clean room and washes in distilled water over a filter paper which is then examined under a microscope for dirt. Any dirt and she can stop production/assembly of that part!

Next stop is the machining of crankcases and cylinder heads for those models assembled at Hinckley. Once assembled the final boring and machining of the holes for cranks, camshafts etc. are undertaken to ensure accuracy.

After this you pass through into the assembly line, where first off the engines are assembled. A very efficient computer controlled process, with minimum human intervention, each work station checking the previous work stations work before they undertake their “bit”. Once fully assembled, and prior to the engine being filled with oil, a pressure test to check for leaks if undertaken – Triumph is one of only two manufacturers who do this. Also at this stage, one engine in 100 is taken off to the hot cells for a 24 hour session of (mainly) being run flat out to again check quality.

Alongside (but in a clean environment), the painting of tanks, panels etc is being undertaken. AS mentioned before, tanks are manufactured in Thailand and shipped with just primer on to the UK for painting for those models being assembled in the UK. A 2-pack paint is applied manually, with some very skilled guys painting on the gold pinstripes by hand and, for some of the triples, painting pinstripes on the wheel rims!

Once the engine has passed all its checks etc., then it is time for the final assembly. The final assembly point is directly behind the rack upon rack of goods inwards parts, and at the point where the engine is completed, so comes together the frame, tank and all other parts needed to complete the machine. It doesn’t matter what order the models are being built in, the computer will ensure all necessary parts for that machine are there. The only item not installed at this point is the battery, that’s a dealer installation item.

Finally once the complete bike is assembled, it’s ready to be started and checked. A small elite team of technicians put it on a rolling road and using a special seat  with battery cables (they have one for each type of bike), connect the bike up and run it up to 70mph before passing or rejecting it. Each bike can only be run once, as within the ECU, there is a code which only the dealer gets to know once the bike is delivered which will stop it being started a second time (so preventing bikes that may be stolen from being started).

After that the bike is packed up as appropriate for wherever it is being sent to for delivery, or disassembled as mentioned earlier if being sent to Brazil for re-assembly over there.

All in all a fascinating 1.5 hours experience of seeing how the Triumph factory operates today, and once over, being able to spend some time in the museum there looking back at a range of models from a private collectors’ collection.

Both Paul and I came away having thoroughly enjoyed our experience – a shame that because of the weather we could not have ridden up (especially as my Explorer would have been built at Hinckley), but a great day nevertheless and recommended if you have not been.

Dave Hawke