AGM

Minutes of the AGM held on Saturday 12 January 2019

Unusually, Swinn took notes but doodled a lot - such that he couldn’t read what he had written. As usual most of the following is pure dross and fabrication but readers can be assured there is a smidgen of truth in every item.

So, the usual cautions re: accuracy, misrepresentation, misunderstandings, attempts at humour and innuendo and the author’s deteriorating memory - and any resulting offence caused thereby.

Introduction: Another change of venue this year: The Ace Café, North Circular Road, Stonebridge Park. London. Ken had booked the venue in his drive for variety, equality and inclusion - and to encourage the expanding number of international travellers to attend. A table for 12 at 12am had been requested. 14 members turned up.

This legendary venue, selling mugs of tea for only £1 is the ideal place for older people to stay warm and eat hearty meals (everything with chips) and reminisce about their motorcycling exploits in pre-motorway days. The writer thought the Ace was smaller than he imagined – given its popularity and variety of events hosted.

Our meeting coincided with a gathering of a Scandanavian Car Club (SCC) gathering.As far as the writer could see, other than bar and kitchen staff, and the fleeting visit of Ken’s granddaughter, no one else on the premises was under the age of 60.

There was a distinct ‘atmosphere’ between ourselves and SCC who were conducting their own meeting on adjacent tables.

There having been at least two pedants amongst attendees who questioned whether a 12am start was actually possible (antemeridien ending just before 12) the meeting was delayed until 14.00hrs (24 hour clock) to be on the safe side.

Ken was appointed chair and Swinn secretary to the meeting.

Attendees: Roger S, Martin J, Steve W,  Dave I, Ken N, Keith S, Peter L, Mark E, George H, Arthur S, Simon S (part), John J, Peter W, John M.

Apologies: Eldon J (Tasmanian holiday) Mike M (wife unwell). Roxy (unwell). No news of Rob G, Chris B or Phil D. Peter K could be excused having attended the impromptu EGM 2.

Ken welcomed John M who had been a student at Manchester around 1971 and had the misfortune of owning an Ariel Arrow at that time. This had broken down on a UMIST motorcycle Club run and nobody had stopped to help him. He had not been seen since, presumed lost in Derbyshire. Exiled to France, and now owning a reliable Thai-Hinkley Street Twin he lived in the same area as Mark E and had met some members on their jaunt down to Mark’s Place last September. Ken presented John with a Club badge to mark his enrolment.

As last year, this was another well-attended gathering with numbers exceeding places booked. Following food, and general chit-chat, there was a period of upheaval as the Ace manager re-arranged tables for the formal meeting. Although noisy, the arrangement was reasonably effective considering the general loss of auditory faculties caused by wind noise over the years and the general ageing process. Attempts by Ken to smooth-talk SCC members proved unsuccessful.

Doubtless encouraged by the un-seasonably warm January weather, 5 members arrived on two wheels: George by bicycle, Arthur S on his Townmate, Peter L by BMW 1200, Peter W by Honda VFR and Steve W by ST1100 Honda.  Swinn, Martin, Ken, Roger and Dave had travelled by train. Roger had couch-surfed at Ken’s place to break the journey on the way down. The accommodation savings had enabled him to upgrade to First Class. Mark and John had flown in and stayed in a local hotel. Dave had couch-surfed with them - also to keep costs down.

John J arrived with his arm in a sling looking for the sympathy vote. Rather than as the result of a motorcycling accident his injury had been caused by a routine carpel tunnel operation and not deemed sufficiently heroic to qualify.

In the writer’s view Pete L and Steve W looked by far the youngest and least jaded amongst us.

Throughout the proceedings the chairman left the meeting to empty his bladder at roughly 15 minute intervals. He managed to sustain these interruptions by visiting the bar on each occasion to replenish his glass before returning.

Minutes of the last meeting:

Ken had thoughtfully distributed these beforehand and they were taken as read.

Matters arising:

No news of Swinn’s Velo flywheels.

Due to time constraints the award of the Edale ‘get you home kit’ Trophy had not been made in 2018. However, in the interim, Roger had revealed the correct answer but asked Swinn to ‘stick it somewhere safe’ (whatever he meant by that) until this year.

The Trophy included an historic map of the Edale Green Lanes route, a compass and what appeared to be a similar device to that used to transfer the petrol from one bike to another on that run. Roger advised that the original belonged to Mike M and it was his last one but, given the situation and in true Bike 71 tradition, he had (reluctantly) sacrificed it. Roger asked Swinn, the fabricator of said trophy if he had been embarrassed, as a pensioner, to buy another device to commemorate the original. Swinn confirmed that the item was a replica and the foil wrapping only contained a 25mm ‘O’ ring which, at Roger’s time of life, might prove more useful than the real thing. (For information: the xxxland chain of shops offers a pack of 12 for £1. They have a range of uses and, gladly, are now calibrated in eu litres rather than uk gallons).

Agenda:

EGM 1

There had been another very successful trip to see Mark last September. Those that made it were asked by Ken to make a short presentation on various aspects:

John J: The Brough Factory.

Being an owner of several ‘real’ Broughs he found the visit to the French enterprise to be interesting in that the new motorcycles were being made in the tradition of the originals. That is, an amalgam of bought-in parts with a number of in-house parts designed to enhance exclusivity. This obviously contributed to their very high price. He had ridden two models and been impressed with Spanish-made engine and transmission.

With the dearth of skilled panel beaters, the manufacture of the iconic petrol tank was of particular interest. The new tanks were sandcast alloy – and inevitably thicker than required. The castings were then CNC machined to the required profile and thickness.

He didn't think he would be buying one, either to ride or as an investment.

Dave I; Camping.

Dave had ridden down with Ken and camped on the way. Due it being the end of the season only a limited number of sites were open. On the second night, when they were desperate to find somewhere, Dave had a serendipitous encounter with a Lithuanian Regina. Our two travellers received a warm welcome and her attentions were much appreciated. She was keen to explain that her husband was the proud owner of a Reliant 3-wheeler and was familiar with the needs of old codgers on the site.

Peter L: Roads

Peter’s trip down had been uneventful and he commented on the traffic-free D roads. Official speed limits were low but the Gendarmerie was too busy dealing with Yellow Vests to bother enforcement. As an aside Steve W thought that a second Revolution was unlikely and that the present unrest had more of a Les Miserables atmosphere to it.

Mark E: Food

Mark commented that the locally cooked offerings were excellent and on occasions it was possible to dine out properly for the price of a sandwich. Memorable meals, and fine local wines had been enjoyed by his visitors on a number of occasions.

Ken: Drink

Ken spoke at length about local craft beers and in particular the Leffe. John M politely advised him that this beer was of Belgian origin.

EGM 2

Clearly distraught at a lack of communication about the event, Ken asked Swinn to explain.

This being a Select sub-committee to examine the availability of spares for European bikes in future he thought Ken's protestations were unwarranted. Anyway he would have been sunning himself in the South of France at that time.

However, he could report that he, Peter K and Martin discussed the matter over a very pleasant lunch in the Oulton Park restaurant, following which they had walked around the circuit comparing the facilities now to those in place during the Mike Hailwood era.

(Rob G, who is still working full-time, was also invited but had been unable to attend as, along with other Civil Servants, all leave had been cancelled before Brexit).

Scrap value

Other than Ken’s race-proven titanium denture there were no changes but, with metals prices exceeding inflation, scrap value was thought to be better than money in the bank. Roger hoped to get another knee replacement shortly to double his investment. John M reported corrosion in many areas and thought that he would have to pay someone to take him away.

In the writer’s view this item offers little scope for elaboration and his suggestion is that the previous Ailments item, which was only abandoned at the last meeting due to time constraints, be reinstated. 

This comment also applies to the Employment status section as there are worrying signs that certain members are seeking re-employment. Roger, for instance has been doing some delivery work. He claims that the money isn’t very good but has recently swapped his Porsche for a Jaguar.

Furthest distance travelled by motorcycle during the year:

Steve W claimed the prize having undertaken a round trip of some 4000 miles on his trusty Pan to the FIM rally in Lithuania.

General update on bikes owned, in use, news since last year;

Martin was riding less and less, partly due to his CB500 suffering extensive elemental separation but also as, what had been assumed to be vibration white finger, had been diagnosed as a trapped nerve in his neck brought about by the bike’s riding position. He was thinking of following Swinn’s example by buying a more upright bike.

John M had recently upgraded from a 900 Bonneville to a 1200 Street Twin. The immense torque of the 1200 made ‘progress’ a real pleasure.

George H kept a low profile throughout the meeting but confirmed he had found his D1 engine.

Roger S, having decided he would never ride round the world, had sold his bland 250 Honda trail bike. The replacement, a KTM enduro machine, was proving a headache as insurers felt that pensioners and hooligan bikes didn’t mix. He had managed to find a firm who would insure him on a 3^rd party only basis and spent the (comprehensive cover) balance on some matching ‘designer’ off-road gear. His future plans included the purchase of a Harley which he’d heard about ‘at the pub’. He had not seen the bike but his offer had already been accepted. (What happened to your R1100s?)

No change for Arthur and the Yamaha Townmate was still his favourite bike. His only repair this year was to apply another layer of Gaffer Tape to its seat.

Over the years Arthur’s bare-chested trips in freezing fog on his R69 have become legend and it was clear that he had many more tales to tell. Interestingly, he thought the ‘rally in the snow’ was at Great Yarmouth. There had been similar admiration for George’s remarkable night time escape from Edale on his D1 Bantam. This was on unlit, closed, snow- covered roads and against the advice of Mountain Rescue  - simply to fulfil a commitment the following day.

Perhaps a George and Arthur ‘ tale telling special’ next year?

No change for Steve and it was good to hear that his Pan was in such good fettle.

Mark, no change. He was looking forward to seeing everyone at his place again this year.

Peter L no change - and the Trident is currently being prepared for his next trip down to see Mark. The engine is part-dismantled to cure an oil leak from a pushrod oil seal. Roger thought he may have recently acquired a part that would fit and would be prepared to sell it. The Trident's barrels were currently being wet-soda blasted. The writer is keen to learn how successful this proves to be. Peter also confirmed that his pacemaker battery was good for another year.

Following Swinn’s successful sales on ebay Dave had, at long last, decided to sell his Velo (in bits). He claimed there are at least 11/2 bikes and he knows where everything is - but it is unclear whether the lucky purchaser will find himself with one complete bike and half of one as spares or two x three-quarters complete bikes with lots of difficult to find parts to source. Based on current ebay results he hopes to achieve at least £15,000.

In Roxy’s absence Peter W took on the role official photographer. (The excellent results have been posted elsewhere). He had abandoned his previously remarked upon Rizla papers in favour of a more modern e-cigarette and found the blackcurrent and raspberry flavour particularly pungent and to his liking. Unfortunately, it also produced an uncharacteristically large quantity of smoke which made discreet use an ongoing problem.

No change for John J. It had been a busy year with Brough related activites. In addition to the Diamond Jubilee owners club rally he had been responsible for taking well-heeled Brough Owners on various tours.

Ken had bought another BMW, this time a single cylinder 650 XCountry like Dave’s. Little progress had been made on his Stevens Velo as he had spent far too much time making special tools and stands to make it easier to work on. Even though he hadn’t.

Swinn had finished his Velo MOV and it was now parked in his conservatory in readiness for Spring. The Viper he used as a student is being resurrected for use on the road and should be ready for Ken’s planned Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2021. Swinn/Dave/Swinn’s k75s had been sold as he also found it too heavy for him now - but he still thought it the best bike he had ever owned. Bought as a non-runner the bike had been refurbished on a no-expense-spared basis for continued use. Despite at least 4 attendees having been aware of the intended sale there were no takers. John J in particular, and perhaps more familiar with the Dave’s usage of the machine, would only take it for spares and provided it was free. Swinn was therefore pleased that the ebay sale had exceeded expectations and was sufficient to cover his costs (and provide a small ‘profit’). Interestingly, the successful bidder came to view the bike but had not asked to hear it running. Swinn later questioned him about this as he thought it unusual. The purchaser replied that he had made his assessment purely on the appearance of the machine and the tidiness of the garden which he thought was also a reliable indicator (whereupon Mrs Swinn claimed half the proceeds). Presentation is everything.

At this point Martin left to catch his train. Also Peter L as he didn’t like riding in the dark. (Does anyone, anymore?).

AOB:

Another trip to see Mark in September was muted. Mark to confirm.

Mark’s idea for everyone to travel down to his place and then on to Portugal was met with limited enthusiasm as it added at least another 1000 miles to the trip.

An alternative would be to travel by sea to northern Spain and on to Portugal from there. John J said he would rather walk than have to sail across the Bay of Biscay again.

Ken reminded the meeting that 2021 was rapidly approaching which marked the 50^th anniversary of the inauguration of the UMIST Motorcycle Club. (In Swinn’s view and probably Peter L’s too the 50^th Anniversary is due next year as he knew the Club was already in place before the 1971 intake). A grand event was planned: accommodation at Chandos, Roger to ride up and down the staircase at UMIST from ground to archway level, lemonade in the students bar, everyone to come on their old bikes or ones of a similar age, period dress: waxed cotton, de rigeuer white Everoak Grand Prix helmet (mark 9 racing goggles optional), there would be entertainment, dancing in the streets……………the opportunities were endless. The event would be opened by John Cooper who he would invite when sending him a Club badge. His excitement was palpable and he intended to take it on as his personal long-term project.

Next meeting

To be arranged. If London again possibility to combine with trip to London Motorcycle Show at the Excel. Usually mid-February.

The meeting closed at about 3.30 and attendees posed for group photos in the car park.

Postscript:

For the first time, the food bill went undisputed as meals were ordered individually on a PAYG basis. Tips were also the responsibility of each diner.

Wib's photos. Click to view