WINDS OF CHANGE

The time has come for me to close this blog. I must admit I have mixed feelings about it, but I've made the decision & this will be my last post.

I recently attended a Chapter meeting in which the new committee Director & Assistant positions were announced. Questions were asked by various HOG members & many issues were addressed. I have my opinion on the outcome of the meeting & some issues will not be published here. What I will say though is that new members who attempted to hijack and/or enforce their favoured person for the position of Director, really have alot to learn. Take it from me - your pettiness & idle threats of breakaway will come full circle & bite you in the arse. If your feelings were so strong, why did you not attend the meeting, to which you were invited?

No one forces riders/members to participate in rides - we attend of our own free will. Until just recently, members of the 9710 Chapter have been a multicultural group comprising of anything from riders with 20-30yrs experience, to the new folks who have just started out with their first Harley. I have to say, it's always wonderful to see a new HOG member with his/her first Harley. (Hopefully, I will get to join that rank later in the year - providing HD-USA pulls it's finger out & ships me my much longed for TriGlide!)

However, something that is definitely NOT appreciated, is for a newly elected member of the Committee to threaten another HOG member with expulsion over a disagreement. HOG officers are expected to know & act within the HOG Charter, which clearly explains that officers are expected to encourage membership & safe riding & have no authority to discipline any member in any way whatsoever. HOG members are there because they choose to be, not because they are ordered by HOG officers.

I admit I have not been able to carry out some of the functions as an appointed Editor & I can only apologise. I've had an extremely emotional (past) year, with the death of an incredibly important family member & having to put up with the excruciating & disruptive change of employer & apartment. It does not bode well for HOG when an appointed officer who has not yet officially taken up his position, publicly bad mouths the out-going committee, completely ignoring the fact that the out-going committee increased the numbers on regular Thursday night rides from 4 or 5 to 20 or more, on a regular basis. The out-going committee also organised 2 awesome tours - to Salalah & South Africa, the latter being a first for any HOG Chapter in the UAE.

We can only hope that the incoming HOG Director will take the necessary action to stop the arrogant & divisive rhetoric before it destroys the Chapter completely.

I wish ALL 9710 Chapter members well in the future. May your God go with you & may you always Ride Safe.

Jayne

NEVER TOO OLD

Born to be wild: 100-year-old celebrates her birthday with ride on Harley.

This is the moment a sprightly pensioner shows she was born to be wild with a ride on a Harley Davidson - to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Speed-freak Muriel Woolner - known as Nobbie - was taken for a spin on the red 1800cc bike around her home town.
She hitched a lift on the back of the powerful machine on her 100th birthday to fulfil a life-long ambition.
But the feisty pensioner is no stranger to speed after being told to give up skateboarding by her doctor - aged 75.
Her birthday got off to a flying start when she had a perm in a beauty salon and opened her telegram from the Queen.

She and two friends were then picked up by a local Harley club and given a roaring trip with Nobbie riding pillion to rider Mark Pearcy.
Widow Nobbie, of Bude, Cornwall, said: "It's been wonderful. I couldn't believe all the motorbikes. And the Queen's letter was lovely, she looked beautiful.
"I've always wanted a go on a Harley. I used to love skate boarding. I asked my friend for one so she bought me one. I did it for about two years."

Nobbie keeps active with long walks, gardening, dancing and keep fit classes - which she ran until the age of 82.
Friend Michael Luxton, 67, said: "We're celebrating in a big way. We had a whale of a time. She's a young chicken - she's remarkable."

HARDLY AN ANGEL

He rides motorbikes and has a beard but that's as close as grandfather Bill Singleton gets to being a Hells Angel.
But for U.S. immigration officials, this was more than enough evidence to accuse the 59-year-old of belonging to the notorious group when he arrived in the country for a 7,000-mile sponsored bike ride.
Despite his protestations that he was there to raise money for deaf children, he was interrogated for five hours before being frogmarched by armed guard to a UK-bound plane.

Exactly 24 hours after setting off on what was meant to be a month-long solo adventure, he found himself back in the UK.
Speaking about his ordeal yesterday, the window cleaner said: 'I am absolutely devastated. I nearly broke down when they told me I was going home on the next flight home.
'I'm a good, hard-working, law-abiding citizen trying to raise money for a cause I'm passionate about. I can't believe I'm not good enough to be in the U.S. for four weeks.'
Mr Singleton, from Herpenden, Hertfordshire, wanted to raise money for the National Deaf Children's Society because his only daughter, her husband and his five-month-old granddaughter are all deaf.
He spent more a year planning his 3,000-mile trip between Montana and Alaska and approaching people for sponsorship before hiring a Harley Davidson Road King 1584CC motorbike to pick up in the U.S.
But one thing he hadn't counted on when his flight took off from Heathrow on July 14th was that the notoriously violent Hells Angels were about to hold their annual rally in Montana.
He had just arrived at Denver Airport in Colorado - 700 miles from the rally - when jittery customs officials spotted his beard and decided to searched his bags.
Their suspicions were raised further when they found his wallet, which had a picture of a wolf's head on it - a logo they said was linked to Hells Angels.
A lengthy interrogation followed, during officials discovered Mr Singleton had a previous conviction - dating back 38 years - for assaulting a policeman.
They were then able to use this to send him home as anyone with a criminal conviction who wishes to enter the country needs a visa.
Mr Singleton added: 'I had completely forgotten about the conviction. I hadn't thought about it for decades.
'I got a little drunk and cocky when I was a lad and had a minor run-in with a copper.
'It was just pushing and shoving but because he was a copper I got done. No one was hurt.
'I've been to America twice in recent years, in 2003 and 2007, and went straight through immigration without a hitch, so I never thought there would be a problem.
'I have never been, or never would be a member of the Hells Angels. I'm a member of both Harley clubs but purely to fundraise and organise rides.'
His wife Miriam, 60, an account manager, said: 'It's a ridiculous accusation. My husband is a gentle man. He just happens to love his bikes and the open road.
'He was so deeply disappointed it broke my heart.'
The National Deaf Children's Society said it relied on fundraisers like Mr Singleton.
Head of events Helen Lerwill said: 'Our work is funded almost entirely through public donations, so none of our work would be possible without the commitment of individuals like Bill.
'We wish him the best of luck with arranging the Alaskan adventure for next year.'
The FBI classify Hells Angels as one of the 'big four' outlaw motorcycle gangs and has linked them with widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking stolen goods and extortion.
Members claim 99 per cent are law-abiding and the remaining one per cent give them a bad name.
The immigration department at Denver Airport said it could not comment on individual cases.
A spokesman said: 'The U.S. turns away hundreds of thousands of individuals each year on various grounds of inadmissibility.'

Article courtesy of the Daily Mail

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FESTIVAL OF AWAFI 2009

This is copied direct from a received email:

In the name of Awafi Festival department Tourism 2009 it is my pleasure to invite you to participate in the Carnival of classic motorcycles which organized and
supervised by the Economic Department in Ras Al Khaimah And under the patronage of H.H Sheikh / Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Governor.

We hopefully look forward for your participation event.

It is my happiness to explain some detail about program in this event .
Friday 23/1/2009
The expected number of motorcycle is 200
The assembly point and the start of the carnival/ The entrance of Ras Al Khaimah in front of the public administration of the police traffic department, Ras Al Khaimah
Time / 4:30 pm
Distance of the carnival / 30 km
Route of the carnival / route in the main streets in the Ras al khaimah and it ends to Awafi Festival area .
Site parking / as usual Mr. Saif Hmraein is welcoming you at his please in Awafi . and the parking surrounded with metal barriers to not allowed the public to touch the vehicles . and it will be just for show.

Championship will be organized in the excellence and leadership motorist participation section it will be sort by class, type and teams and the quality of existing leaders.
Everyone is invited to a luxury buffet dinner in honor of the festival management

Feedback
The carnival will support and protect by the of the traffic policemen in the garden with the carnival of the previous.
The management of the festival will list names of all the riders and participants in the carnival to give them a certificate of thanks and appreciation of their contribution to success this event.
We Will be coordinated with the leaders of the groups to delivery of certificates of appreciation to the associate at the end of the Awafi festival 2009.


We look forward for your participation in this event .
With love and respect

Chairman of the Committee on cycling classic

Yahya Al Tahri
050/6114885


بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
أتشرف بالنيابة عن ادارة مهرجان عوافي السياحي 2009 بدعوتكم بالمشاركة
في مسيرة الدراجات النارية والكلاسيكية التي تنظمها وتشرف عليها الدائرة
الأقتصادية بامارة راس الخيمة وبرعاية كريمة من صاحب السمو الشيخ / سعود بن صقر القاسمي ولي العهد ونائب الحاكم . آملين من سيادتكم تشريفنا بمشاركتكم الطيبة
ويسعدني ان أوضح لكم بعض النقاط والملاحظات التي من كونها تساعدكم بمعرفة برنامج المسيرة الكرنفالية للدراجات النارية والكلاسيكية والبطولة المصاحبة لها
الجمعة 23/1/2009
العدد المتوقع 200 دراجة نارية
نقطة التجمع وانطلاقة المسيرة/ مدخل امارة راس الخيمة ومن امام الأدارة العامة لشرطة راس الخيمة ادارة المرور
ساعة الأنطلاق / الرابعة والنصف عصرا
مسافة المسيرة / 30كيلومتر
خط سير المسيرة / الطواف علي الشوارع الرئيسية بالأمارة وأنتهاء بطريق منطقة عوافي السياحية حيث تدور فعاليات مهرجان عوافي السياحي
موقع الوقوف / كعادته السنويه يقوم رجل الأعمال السيد / سيف حمرعين بأستقبال اصحاب الدراجات النارية باستراحته الخاصه بعوافي وتم انشاء موانع حديديه تفصل الجمهور عن ملامسة الدراجات وذلك لغرض العرض وعلما منا برغبة الدراجين بذلك
سيتم تنظيم بطولة في مجال التميز والقيادة لقائدي الدراجات المشاركة علي حسب الفئات والنوعية وللفرق الموجوده وقادتها
والجميع مدعو لبوفيه عشاء فاخر علي شرف ادارة المهرجان
ملاحظات
المسيرة تحظي بدعم وحماية من قبل رجال شرطة المرور بشكل لايوصف ويشاد لهم في ذلك من المسيرات السابقة
ادارة المهرجان ستقوم بحصر أسماء جميع الدراجين والمشاركين بالمسيرة لمنحهم شهادة شكر وتقدير بمساهمتهم علي مابذلوه من جهد في انجاح المهرجان
سيتم التنسيق مع قادة المجموعات والفرق في توصيل شهادات التقدير للمنتسبين لها في نهاية مهرجان عوافي 2009

======

هذا ولكم مني فائق الشكر والأحترام لتلبية الدعوه
وكما نتشرف بكم بفعاليات قادمة
مع محبتي واحترامي
رئيس لجنة الدراجات الكلاسيكية
يـحـيي الــطـاهـــري
050/6114885

ONE ON ONE WITH TLT (THE LOVELY TANYA)

It gives me much pleasure to bring you another in my series of One-on-One, this time with long-term Abu Dhabi expat, Tanya. A couple of things have changed since I first interviewed Tanya - the most important being that her status went from being engaged to married!

Q. Right then Tanya, it's considered impolite to ask a woman her age, but can you give me a rough idea as to how young you are please?

A. I'm 30-something - that's close enough :-)


Q. Where are you from?


A. Calgary, Canada. I've been living in the UAE for 12yrs now.


Q. What do you do for a living?


A. I'm an Office Administrator for a major corporate assurance company.


Q. You recently married Max - sweet! Howzit going?

A. Not bad actually. After being 'independent' for many years, it'll naturally take me a bit of time to adjust to things as 'ours', like 'our' credit card.................hahahaha

Tanya & Max

Something not often seen - Tanya riding pillion with Max!

Q. Do you have any hobbies?

A. Hobbies - well I can rollerblade, ski, dive, iceskate.....shopping - is that a hobby? I also teach my neighbours kids English three evenings a week so I guess that is a hobby. Did I mention I ride a Harley?

*Tanya is also the group coordinator for volunteers at the Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Centre & assists with swimming therapy for handicapped girls each week.

Q. Which bike do you own?

A. I've got a 2005 Road King Custom.

Q. How long have you been riding?

A. I only learnt to ride ast the beginning of 2007! I've never had a driving licence as I can't drive (properly) & I didn't have a licence to ride the bike, but it was love at first sight, so I took lessons & passed my test first time -yay!

Q. So you learnt to handle your bike pretty quickly then?

A. Yes, but I think I've dropped it at least a hundred times!

Q. How did your family react to you riding a Harley?

A. My dad was worried initially, but he rides himself. He just tells me to slow down!

Q. Do you think there's a stigma about riding - particularly a woman riding a motorbike?

A. I think there is in the West, but not here in the Middle East, although some drivers appear to be fascinated that a woman is riding, when they see me!

Q. Have you done anything to your bike - customised it in any way?

A. No, the only work I've had done to it is courtesy of a panel-beater, who sorts out the dents from when I've dropped it! My bike is perfect as it is - I don't need to add to it!

Q. Have you toured with your bike?

A. Up until recently I'd only done trips within the UAE & also down to Muscat twice.......but then last October, I went to South Africa with a bunch of other guys from our chapter, although that was on a Harley rental.

Q. And how did you get on? What was your impression of the country?

A. The S.A. trip was better than I could have ever imagined. It was the trip of a lifetime, perfect weather, perfect company, amazing roads & scenery, friendly people, helpful dealership, awesome food, amazing accommodation, great value for money. Special mention: Robert Liddington, who was brave enough to ride behind me the whole trip!

(Tanya was in a strange country, on a bike that wasn't her own & riding for the first time in her life on the 'other' (right) side of the road. She did brilliantly & only dropped her bike 2 or 3 times, which earned her the nickname of 'Tumbling Tanya! Robert was the 'sweeper' as he filmed the whole trip.)

Q. What's your opinion of the standard of driving in Abu Dhabi?

A. Well, as I don't drive a car, I can't really answer that! As a rider though, hmmmmm, well there was one occasion when I punched the driver of a car, who'd cut me up! It's like (car) drivers here don't take responsibility for their actions...............they ignore the consequences of their bad driving.

Q. What do you think can be done to improve the standard of driving?

A. An enforcement of the rules.

The above photo was taken in the middle of Pretoria, South Africa. If pictures could speak, this one would say "I'm in the middle of the 5 o'clock freak-out traffic, in a strange city, in a strange country. I am not amused & don't p*ss me off!"

Q. Finally Tanya, tell me........................what does your bike mean to you?


A. Freedom! Life! Riding is passion - it makes life great!

At the time of writing & to the best of my knowledge, Tanya's beloved Road King is all poorly & is in the Harley workshop. Mechanical Max did his best to fix it bless him :-)

DEAR ABBY

A very, very difficult question for Abby to ponder:

Dear Abby,
I've never written to you before, but I really need your advice on what could be a crucial decision.
I've suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs...phone rings, but if I answer, the caller hangs up. My wife has been going out with the girls a lot recently, although when I ask their names she always says, "Just some friends from work, you don't know them."
I sometimes stay awake to look out for her cab coming home, but she always comes walking up the drive as I hear the sound of a car leaving, around the corner, as if she has gotten out and walked the rest of the way. Why? Maybe she wasn't in a taxi at all?
I once picked up her cell phone, just to see what time it was. This caused her to go completely berserk. She quickly snatched the phone out of my hand and cursed me hysterically, screaming that I should never touch her personal property, then accused me of trying to spy on her.
Anyway, I have never broached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just didn't want to know the truth, but last night she went out again and I decided to really check on her. I decided I was going to park my Harley Davidson Lowrider next to the garage and then hide behind it so I could get a good view of the street around the corner when she came home. It was at that moment, crouching behind my motorcycle that I noticed a small amount of motor oil leaking through the gasket between the rear head and rocker arm cover.

So...is this something I can easily repair myself or do you think I should take it back to the dealer?