This month’s weekday ride out starts and finishes at Café 59 (A59 just west of Bolton Abbey roundabout).

Meet from 9.00 for a 9.30am start.

From Café 59 the route goes passed Bolton Abbey then east to Pateley Bridge, turning north up Nidderdale to How Stean Gorge.

Coffee stop at How Stean Gorge Café

From Lofthouse we’ll take the minor road over Pott Moor to pick up the A6198 towards Leyburn then north west to Reeth.

After Reeth the route follows the minor road left of the B6270 and over the fells to Askrigg.

Lunch at the Crown Inn, Askrigg

The return journey will take us to Hawes then the Oughtershaw fell road down Wharfedale to Kettlewell before turning right near Grassington on the B6265, through Embsay and back to Café 59.

Length is about 102 miles.

The ride out will be lead by David Haywood.

Hope to see you there!

The family of Dave Dobson, whose funeral was held recently, have invited anyone who might wish to make a donation in his memory to do so in support of The Brain Tumour Charity.

Donations may be made via the Just Giving web site. To do so – Click Here

Sincerely,

Doug Masterton

Chair Harrogate Advanced Bikes

Post Script At their meeting on the 3rd August 2017, the HAB Committtee agreed to make a club donation of £100 to this charity in memory of Dave and in appreciation of all the valuable contributions he had made to the club over many years.

Dear friends,

Our monthly Sunday Ride Out on August 20th is going to try something that is different for us and I wanted to give you as much notice as possible. Please put it in your diary but also begin to prepare. It will take the form of what is termed a Navigational Scatter ride.

The idea is that you decide which part of North Yorkshire you would like to ride around, sort out your map and plot your chosen route. The ride will start at 9:30 a.m., at our normal rendezvous at Asda in Harrogate, then proceed via up to a maximum of 7 locations you choose from a list, including one on a list of compulsory places (shown as C1 to C4 on the map). You also plan to end up in the middle of the afternoon, (3:00 p.m. onwards), at the McDonalds’ café, St James’ Business Park just off the Harrogate by-pass where you will check in. The business park is next to the junction between the A658 and the B6164. The total mileage that you will cover will depend upon the route that you choose but is likely to be between 130 and 150 if you go for seven locations.

At the end of this pragraph is a link to a pdf file of the map showing the approximate locations and names of the places you can choose to visit. You can use whatever route most interests you and no account of the mileage you have covered or the time you have taken will be recorded or taken into account in order to decide the winner. This not a race. Your route must include stops for rest and refreshment. At the ride briefing you will be given a list of questions, one for each of the locations on the map. To find the answers you will have to stop and look round at each location you have chosen. The challenges will not be obscure and the rider with the most correct answers will be declared the winner. There will also be a similar question for each of the ‘compulsory’ locations. At the one that you choose to visit you will be able to find the answer. What you will also need to do is to have a scout around and, taking account of the kind of questions on the list, decide what other two or three questions might also have been asked for that spot and identify the answers. These will be used if a tie break is needed to identify the overall winner. The prize will be the fame and glory of having won!

Link to the Map August ride out

This ride out has been inspired by the way that the Welsh National Rally is organised, an event that Andy, Bob and I have enjoyed over a period of more than ten years. It is a super excuse to ride in beautiful countryside on interesting roads and I am sure it will be just as much fun in North Yorkshire. While it might not have the same camaraderie of our normal ride out it is great fun to go entirely at your own pace on a route that you have constructed yourself. It is also just the sort of ride that might tempt your erstwhile pillion passenger to come as well.

Please give it a try. Andy Pratt, assisted by Bob Hill, has planned this ride out and I am very grateful to them both for the hard work put in.

  I look forward to seeing you there.

Doug Masterton

Chair – Harrogate Advanced Bikes

Friends,

Please may I remind you that Sarah Sillars from IAM is to speak at our club meeting on Monday. I am sure that what she has to tell us will be thought provoking and that she will be able to address issues that you may wish to raise.

I hope that you can make a special effort to attend and that there will be a good turn out for this meeting. Please do your best to come. The meeting is at Bilton Cricket Club and starts at 7:30 pm.

Sincerely,

Doug Masterton

Chair, Harrogate Advanced Bikes

Dear friends,

Please remember to put our monthly meeting on Monday 17th July into your diaries. Sarah Sillars HAB Chief Executive has agreed to come and talk to us and I hope as many members as possible will be present.

Sarah asked if there were any issues that we wanted to raise and after taking soundings amongst the committee I have sent her the following:

1. The long-term future for volunteer observers delivering a flagship product like Skills for Life for IAM.
2. Strategies for volunteers to contribute to raising awareness among the younger generation of two wheel users.
3. Evolution of the environment of road usage if and when automated driving becomes widespread and, in particular, how attitudes to motorcycle use might change in such a scenario.
4. The growing community pressure to extend speed limits almost everywhere, whether or not they contribute to greater road safety.

I am sure that the meeting will give us the opportunity to talk about many key issues with Sarah even if she is unable to respond to all my suggestions.

Please do your best to come along to Bilton Cricket Club for 7:30 pm.

Doug Masterton

Chair

Harrogate Advanced Bikes

I have been in touch with Carole Dobson who has given me details of the funeral arrangements for Dave.

The funeral will take place on Friday 14^th July. There will first be a private service for immediate family members at Harrogate Crematorium followed by an event to which all friends will most welcome. This will be held at 1:00 pm in the Calder Room at the Pavilions of Harrogate located at the Yorkshire Showground. Carole and her family will be very pleased to see Dave’s friends and acquaintances from Harrogate Advanced Bikes.

Dave had a large circle of friends and colleagues from North Yorkshire Police, his interests such as HAB and his later work following his retirement. Carole is therefore concerned to receive some indication of the number of people who might attend so she can arrange appropriate catering. I would therefore ask that if any members of HAB intend to come to the celebration of Dave’s life at the Pavilions, to let me know by email using the address below. I will then inform Carole of our numbers.

It will be quite in order to arrive on our bikes.

While this will be a sad occasion, there is much to celebrate about Dave’s life and, in particular, the way he helped so many of our members improve their riding skills. I remember the advice I received from him which was always given with insight, humour and with an overriding concern for my safety. I will miss him.

Yours sincerely,

Doug Masterton

Chair – Harrogate Advanced Bikes

rdmasterton@btinternet.com

The club meeting for June will follow the successful format of that held in May. In the hope that the weather is kind we shall take advantage of the long summer evening to enjoy a short ride to a venue where we can take some refreshments and chat. The Sun Inn at Norwood has been suggested but a decision on exactly where to go can be left until members meet up beforehand. The ride will be led by John Blanchfield Club Vice Chair.

Please arrive at Bilton Cricket Club in time for the group to set off at 7:30 pm.

A previous post of this notice showed the months in the text incorrectly – my apologies.

Doug Masterton

Chair Harrogate Advanced Bikes

The Chief Executive Officer of IAM RoadSmart, Sarah Sillars OBE has kindly agreed to come to Harrogate and speak to us at our regular monthly meeting on Monday 17^th July at Bilton Cricket Club.

I would like to ask all members of the club to make a special effort to come along that evening and afford Sarah the warmest of welcomes. In her relatively short time in post, Sarah has steered some most important developments to the organisation and she is determined to place IAM at the forefront of initiatives to improve safety on UK roads. At the same time, she is seeking to help local groups, such as ours, be as effective as possible as part of the strategy and to make the fullest use of the commitment, interest and experience that volunteer IAM members can offer.

I am sure that she will share her vision and passion to achieve it with us when she comes along but it will also give us all a chance to make suggestions and to air any of our concerns.

The next few years may augur considerable changes to vehicle technology with driverless cars and increasing external management of vehicle speeds and behaviour. The IAM must be an inspired, clear and well informed voice in support of safety and access for two wheeled users of the road networks. With her very varied experience (see biography at end), Sarah brings considerable insight and understanding of the road industry and I am sure that it will be a fascinating evening. Please help make it a good turn-out to show our appreciation of her interest in our group.

Doug Masterton

Chair Harrogate Advanced Bikes

Sarah Sillars, OBE and Hon FIMI, joined the IAM in February 2015.

Her mission will be to improve driving and riding skills and to campaign for legislation to improve road safety.

Sarah joined the charity having overseen the commercialisation of Semta, the sector skills council for engineering and advanced manufacturing.

She has a long and illustrious career within the automotive sector, having been CEO and Executive Chair of the Institute of the Motoring Industry (IMI). They made her an Honorary Fellow and Vice President on her departure in 2012.

Awarded Industry Personality of the Year 2004 and Outstanding Achievement Award 2006 by automotive magazines AM and Motor Trader respectively, Sarah was listed in the UK motor industry’s most influential top ten and the ‘most powerful’ female executive, according to the 2007 AM Power List.

In September 2008 Sarah was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by Bodyshop Magazine in recognition of IMI’s work with ATA in the body repair sector.

She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2008 for services to skills training and the retail motor industry.

Sarah has more than 25 years of experience within the motor and retail industries, having begun her career with Marks & Spencer, managing stores in England and later as Operations Director at automotive management consultancy Anne Gray Associates.

With the aim of inspiring more motorcyclists to ride safely and confidently, Harrogate Advanced Bikes announces a sponsorship initiative for riders age under 30 undertaking the IAM RoadSmart rider improvement programme ‘Skills for Life‘.

The Chair of the club, Doug Masterton, explains what is being offered.

“Young riders in the Harrogate Area signing up for ‘Skills for Life’ with IAM and training under the supervision of our club, can apply to us to request a full refund of their £149 IAM fee if they pass the advanced test before their 30^th birthday. The offer will initially be limited to the first 10 eligible riders who succeed in gaining a test pass.

I am delighted that the club management committee has given its wholehearted commitment to this plan. Over the years, we have helped many riders with their advanced training but we wish to do more and encourage younger riders who often find it expensive to pursue their interest. Safe, progressive, advanced riding is highly enjoyable for riders of all ages and we wish to dispel a myth that Skills for Life is something to which only older or more mature riders aspire.

Our significant financial commitment indicates how much we value Skills for Life in building both enjoyment and safety into our riding. We wish to establish the idea that the government DVSA driving /riding test is but the first step towards becoming a fully competent rider. Skills for Life greatly develops both personal safety and enhanced enjoyment on two wheels.”

Riders should apply to the IAM to undertake Skills for Life via the web site www.iamroadsmart.com 

For the August ride out, the committee has decided to try a new format inspired by such events as the Welsh National Rally. Technically, I believe it is termed a Navigational Scatter Rally and I hope as many members as possible will come along and give it a go.

The details are being formulated but kept under wraps. Before the event a list of places around North Yorkshire will be published together with the starting and finishing points. This will give you the chance to choose your own route visiting a set number (to be decided) of these places. You will have the opportunity to choose a route through some of the most stunning roads and places in our county and decide where you might wish to take your breaks. The distance you choose to cover will be comparable to that of our normal Sunday rides.

On the day, when you register, you will be given a list of questions, one for each location. You will need to find the answer to the questions by visiting the locations you have chosen. At the end of the ride out we will all meet together again, answers will be checked and any tie breaks decided to identify the winner.

The event is being planned by Bob Hill, Andy Pratt and myself and work is in hand to establish the details. There will be no time contest or race and no account will be taken of the distance covered. The event is a fun excuse to explore the roads and countryside but with a sense of purpose. If you sometimes have a pillion passenger, this ride out might be the one they would really enjoy, helping decide the route and finding the answers to the questions as you travel.

Please put the date in your diary.

Doug Masterton

Chair Harrogate Advanced Bikes