BMW Club Oxford Section Report for March 2018
20thMarch onwards – Venue Change
Our Pub Social is moving home, please make a note of the new address: Tawny Owl, Taw Hill, North Swindon, Swindon SN25 1WR
11thMarch – Bahnstormer & North Oxford Garage Events
BMW New Season Launch at Bahnstormer
Bahnstormer kicked off the season on Saturday with a barbecue and a cut-price sale. The Oxford Section came along with a stand to publicise the Section and tell potential new members about the club. Existing members popped in to have a chat and support the Club while they had a look at the bikes, including the HP4 Race Superbike. Next to the superbike you could see our club video with clips from all the various trips the Oxford section has undertaken both in the UK and abroad.
12thMarch – Indoor Meeting Uffington Village Hall – Riding in Utah Steve Moxey
We had an excellent presentation from Andrew Byatt today at Uffington on the J.O.G.L.E ride (John O’Groats to Land’s End) on trails as far as possible. The total distance was 1,800 miles and three people including Andy and Carla from the TRF and the Oxford Section completed the whole ride. The purpose of J.O.G.L.E. is to raise funds for wounded service people with rehabilitation on motorcycles, some on J.O.G.L.E. and some on special rides on Route 66. So far J.O.G.L.E. has raised about £30,000:-) Well done to Andy for helping such an important cause.
14thMarch – SNR to the AV8 Café
We all met at the Peartree services after some of our members took advantage of a Michael Angelo exhibition at the Ashmolean. Geoff Clough started us off essentially to avoid a large traffic jam on our original route. Always a stunning ride through the Cotswolds taking in the scenic village of Bibury on our way to the ASV8 in stunning early spring weather.
Quite a few people were on the ride from Peartree but another couple of riders joined us at the venue before finally making our own separate ways home.
A wonderful day with a convivial crowd.
14thMarch – Shippon Club Night – Steve Moxey
Excellent evening at the Prince of Wales at Shippon, this was my first time in the new room which is much better, and the food was very good. The highlight of the evening was Alf from Ultimate Ear who was doing free impressions and a 10% discount on orders so a saving of about £40, and it’s much more convenient than finding an audiologist. A number of people took advantage of the opportunity to get some excellent ear plugs, many thanks to Dave Tomlinson for arranging this with Ultimate Ear, we might be able to get them back next year at Swindon or Piddington?
22ndMarch – Diamond Light Tour
Many thanks to everyone who came on the visit to the Diamond Light Source on Thursday, and for all your interest, enthusiasm, and (many) questions. Dr David Price gave us a fascinating introduction to Diamond, and how it produces very bright synchroton radiation, and then David and his colleague Stefania Mazzorana gave us a wonderful tour of the facility and told us about some of the very important science that it enables. A really memorable evening!
Oxford Section Sat Nav Project and Survey
Earlier in the year we announced the start of the Oxford Section Sat Nav Project between the Oxford Section and North Oxford Garage. The aim of the project is to improve our collective knowledge of how to use our Sat Nav’s and to help members get the best from them.
We have produced an electronic newsletter, and now we are working on a booklet supported by a local dealer of top 100 tips. The first of a number of workshops is organised for January addressing some of the issues identified by our members.
Drop me a line if you would like an insight into the results
Future Events: April / July 2018
April 8 Ride out: Tour of the Shires. Depart Sun Inn SN3 6AA 9.30. Phil Carter phil_arctic@btconnect.com
April 15 Ride out: Steve Halliday stevehalliday04@aol.com
May 6 Ride out: Hayes Motor Museum Yeovil Somerset BA22 7LH. Meet 9.30 Newbury Wharf RG14 5AS Noel Robertson noelrobertson@btinternet.com
May 13–30 Andalucía (Spanish trip): Steve Moxey / Dave Tomlinson dave.tomlinson@bmwoxford.com
May 27 Ride out: Bike Shed 2018. Meet 8.00 Peartree services, travel for breakfast at the Ace Café then onwards to the exhibition at Tobacco Quay, Wapping Lane, London E1W 2SF. Chris Bond chris.bond@bmwoxford.com
June 1 – 2 Lechlade Camping Weekend Bridge House Camp Site
Lechlade GL7 3AG. http://bridgehousecampsite.co.ukDave Hawkins 01993 850862 or e-mail maddave02@hotmail.co.uk for more details, please book camping direct with the campsite on 01367 242348
June 10 Ride out: Devils Dyke and Beachy Head. Meet Reading M4 Eastbound Services at 8.30 leaving 9.15Carl Flintcerfsky@sky.com
June 25 Cassington Bike Night: John Broad john.broad85@talktalk.net
July 2 Ludgershall Bike Night: Section stand. Dave & Rosemary Hicks rosemaryhicks@hotmail.com
July 7 – 8 ACU Rally: Carterton Checkpoint. Andy Lawson harvest.moon@ntlworld.com
July 7 – 14 Isle of Man: Staying at the Empress Hotel, Douglas. Rosemary Hicks rosemaryhicks@hotmail.com
July 8 Ride out: Chichester (Tim Peak Space Museum). Leave Chieveley Services 10.00. David Liskhondapan@btinternet.com
July 10 John Wheeler Bike Night: Upton Recreation Ground (previously West Hagbourne). Section stand. Graham Chapple gjchapple@googlemail.com
July 22 Ride out: John Hillier 27johnhillier@gmail.com
July 28 Calne Bike Event: Section stand. John Russ john.russ@btopenworld.com
July 29 Ride out: Nuffield Place, Henley on Thames RG9 5RX. Steve Moxeysteve.moxey@bmwoxford.com
Don’t forget to make a note of the dates from the trifold calendar that you wish to attend into your diaries, we will also be updating the website regularly and posting on Facebook.
Here’s to safe riding and some good weather.
Dave Tomlinson
