Despite the weather forecast we had a good turnout for the August club night with 19 members attending. It was good to see Gabby again, and with one or two regulars missing it was good to see you all. Vic was the only one on a bike, and as it turned out the rest of the evening was dry. That did mean the usual short ride out was abandoned and I do apologise. Best to ignore the forecast in future.
We had a busy July, starting with a tour of the Tendring peninsula, thanks to John Swan and his extensive local knowledge. I travelled roads I had not seen before, and we even made it to Jaywick. Five of us enjoyed our lunch on Clacton sea front.
Six members attended the Maldon club BBQ, which was up to scratch as usual. Several of us belong to the Colne Valley Classic Vehicle club, and the BBQ clashes with our annual bike show so we are torn between the two events.
Once again we had a very good turnout for our July club night at the Alma and nine of us had a nice ride around the local Essex countryside for about an hour before the meeting. We were lucky enough with the weather to conduct our meeting in the garden outside, and Colin and I did our best to keep you all up to date with the club business.
We had a very active riding programme for June, starting with John Swans trip into the depths of Norfolk, and once again after a nice lunch by the green in Diss, we ventured into the wonderful scrapyard hidden away in an housing estate , just down the road. This has to be seen and there is so much stuff there is bound to be something there that you need!
The June 7th club night was well attended with over twenty members, and half a dozen took part in the pre meeting ride around the back roads of Essex after a slight delay for refuelling!
The section had a busy May, and one or two of us who belong to both clubs ,joined the Hadleigh Club ride from the Queens Head, Lower Layham, to the Alma on the 15th.
Our evening run scheduled for the 17th, was postponed because of the rain until the next day, which turned out to be worse. Colin, George and I turned up and were able to organise ourselves for a trip the next day to get Russell's bike going after three years standing.
Thanks to some hard work by all of us we had it running before lunch, and afterwards, a carburettor clean, resulted in the bike starting and running quite well.
History was made late last month when The North Essex Section AMOC had 3 riders entering.
258 has Julian Smith astride a 1967 360 Greeves Challenger, 25 has Vic Sayers - 1972 410 AJS Stormer 510 has Steve Toy - 1969 380 Greeves Griffon.
Vic Sayers returned to the track after a 28 year break but had to share Julian`s Greeves after the recently rebuilt AJS developed problems. Sadly this bike also developed clutch trouble during the meeting, leaving just Steve to enjoy the support of several North Essex Section members present. Steve took a heavy tumble in his last race but being a tough guy is sure to be back.
Vic had good support from family and friends who came down from the Romford area. Hopefully they enjoyed the day as did those who attend regularly.
Colin Smith, Treasurer North Essex Section AJS and Matchless Owners Club
I'm sorry but I forgot to mention the Alma is holding its annual Beer Festival at the end of the month Starting on Thursday 25th May and it finishes with a classic car and bike show on Monday 29th. We usually have several of our bikes turn up on the day and its a nice way of supporting Derick, our landlord who looks after us so well throughout the year. Do come along if you can, there are usually some nice cars and bikes to see.
Once again we had a good turnout for our two rides in April, the first, Mersea Myths, a trip to the excellent Fish and chip shop in Mersea, organised by Colin, it was meant to show that not everyone on Mersea Island had plenty of money, but the general opinion was that the trip did nothing to dispel the rumour! There is a video on the site for those who missed the trip.
The second, to the David Silver Honda Museum in Leiston, was equally well attended. Organised by John Swann it was an excellent day out and the museum is really worth a visit. With some 150 bikes on display starting in the fifties and up to the Fireblade a really amazing display. Lunch in the shadow of the Sizewell Power Station went down well.
The section riding trips finally made a start in March, with a successful trip to the Victoria, which had been postponed a couple of times because of the weather, and also to Duxford. Thanks to Kevin and Peter we had the chance to witness a classic car auction as well as looking a some of the museum exhibits. Another trip will have to be made to do the Museum justice.
There are lots of events lined up in the next few weeks and details can be found in the Events section. We are getting record numbers both for our club nights and the ride outs and Colin and I would like to thank you all for you support. Anyone with any ideas for runs, or events you think we could attend do let us know. In the mean time we hope to carry on in the same vein and hope to see you at some of them. Safe riding Gordon
Please note that the Lunch Meet is now on April 1st at the Wooden Fender Ardleigh, to avoid the Mothers Day weekend .
Good to see such a good turnout last night despite the weather, and better still, some brave souls on bikes. The evenings briefings were kept as short as possible, and it was good to see contributions from both Phil and Julian bringing a bit more excitement to the proceedings. Good to see Phil back on his feet and we hope to see him back on a bike before too long.
The bike rides have not got off to a good start this year, mainly because of the weather and it's not worth taking unnessesary risks. However during the discussions last night, we have two rides confirmed for March and the information is available in the events page. I apologise for putting one up twice, operator error!
PS Kevin very kindly sent a calender to Russell and it was very well received. Colin and I will hopefully pay a visit once the warmer weather gets here.