A group of us went for a ride to the ever popular Loomies Cafe in mid February. It was the first Sunday ride out of the year when the temperature was above 5 degrees. The weather forecast said it would rain, but it turned out dry and the rain did not start until after we got home. With plenty of room in a warm cafe, it all felt like luxury after some of the rides we had earlier in the year. Here are some photos of the ride.
Below is the report published in the March 2025 issue of Nacelle, which covered Branch activities in January 2025
With a few bright days at the end of January and the first appearance of snowdrops in the hedgerows, spring is finally in the air. By the time you read this I hope winter is a dim distant memory. But we’ve been making the best of the dark evenings and held our annual Bring & Buy sale in mid-January. If you were there I hope you grabbed a bargain. I know an absolute bounder who snaffled a rare Smiths instrument, less said, the better. A good evening with a presence of over 40 members.
A fortnight later saw Richard Wheadon present a talk on his role within the TOMCC; that of Machine Registrar. Richard described the necessary forms to be completed in the pursuit of obtaining a registration, either repatriated machines requiring age related plates or a “home” barn-find with an old-style log-book to retain an original registration. He touched on dubious stampings and emphasised the importance of doing your homework on the machine before parting with your hard earned cash. He further explained how matching numbers had become so desirable, that the temptation to doctor numbers to match one another, now appeared to be on the rise. So, branch members, hope for another presentation by Richard on fakes; perhaps next year.
March’s presentation will be by John Bottomley, VMCC, on “The development of Ducati Racing machines” and will held on 6th March.
Meanwhile, weekly ride-outs continue, albeit it’s been a little nippy…
Bibendum
John Bottomley will be giving a presentation to the TOMCC Berkshire Branch and invited guests on Thursday 6 March 2025, starting at 8pm at the BCSA.
In his presentation he reviews the 500ccc world championship from 1947 until the introduction of the MotoGP format in 2002 and traces the winning machines and the increase in engine performance.
He shows how Ducati fits into this picture and picks up the academic background of the key Ducati designers and the design aspects they introduced. He concludes with a look at as much of the technical detail as he has gleaned regarding Capirossi’s 2002/3 MotoGP bike.
In addition, he answers the question of why they had to put GPS on the bikes. I didn’t know they had. Did you? Come along and find out.
The Branch AGM was held on the 13 February 2025 at the BCSA. There were 32 members in attendance. Here are some photos from the meeting.
The existing committee were re-elected to their existing roles with the exception of the Runs Coordinator role, which became vacant. Therefore runs will be organised by a number of different people going forward See here for more details of the current committee.
We are having a Lunchtime Bike Meet on Saturday 3 May 2025 from 11am to 4pm at the BCSA. It’s a great opportunity to meet other riders, see their bikes and have lunch and a drink . All motorcycles and riders are welcome.
A wide range of food and drink will on sale in the club house.
A collection will be taken for Blood Bikes , which is a charity which uses volunteer bikers to deliver vital supplies like blood to hospitals. See here for more information about Blood Bikes.
See here for details of the venue.
See here for pictures from one of our previous Lunchtime Bike Meets.
This event is organised by Fleet Lions Club. See here for more information.
Motor Cycle Action Group (MAG) has announced that 5-6 July 2025 will be marked as a Riders’s Resistance weekend to get across five key messages as shown above. There will be events all over the UK and these may also additionally focus on local issues, such as access to parking. See here for details from the MAG national organisation.
There will be protest ride on 5 July 2025 in Reading organised by Thames Valley MAG in as part of this weekends event. See here for more details.
The front cover of the February 2025 issue of Nacelle, the Triumph Owners’ Motorcycle Club Magazine, featured a picture of Berkshire Branch Vice Chairman, aka Bibendum, with his well used 2007 Triumph Scrambler taken on a ride-out between Christmas and New Year. The picture was was in stark contrast to typical magazine covers showing shiny bikes. The bike was pretty filthy and Bibendum was dressed like he was going on an arctic expedition. But it did illustrate a point. The Berkshire Branch go on ride-outs throughout the year, even on very cold winter days. There is no pressure to do so. Many of our members only go on rides in warm dry weather and we all probably prefer riding in the summer. But some of us get withdrawal symptoms if we go more than a week or two without going on a ride, so we brave the freezing conditions throughout the winter. In fact, with the right kit on, riding in the cold when its dry is a lot of fun. So if you’re the sort of biker who can’t bear to give up riding just because it’s winter, you’ll feel at home at the Berkshire Branch. Our Club nights continue all year, every Thursday evening as well, whatever the weather, but in the winter most people do come to those in cars. We’re not completely mad !! See the full magazine cover below.
In January 2025, Richard Wheadon, the TOMCC Machine Registrar gave an presentation to the Branch at a Thursday Club Night. Although it was a cold winter evening, around 40 people turned out to hear him talk about his work as TOMCC Machine Registrar. He explained the process for registering an old bike for the first time with the DVLA, such as a “barn find” with an old style log book or an import from abroad. Part of that process is to obtain a certificate from a recognised authority, such as the TOMCC. He also gave some fascinating insights into his work. Lots of people in the audience took advantage to ask him questions and there were further discussions continuing after the formal part of the evening finished. Here are some photos of the event.
Below is the report published in the February 2025 issue of Nacelle, which covered Branch activities in December 2024
Happy New Year! I guess I should have started last month’s report with this, but I’m sure you’d have read the report before Christmas had even taken place, so that would have been a little previous.
December started with the Reading Toy Run which many branch members either attended or marshalled. The weather could have been kinder, but it’s winter, what do you expect?
Mid-month and the Christmas buffet at the BCSA saw nearly 70 members and plus-ones enjoying a great evening together. The raffle had some tremendous prizes and if you were lucky enough to win, then I’m sure you were well pleased.
By the time you read this the Table-top Bring & Buy sale would have taken place, did you snaffle a bargain there?
However, more importantly, on 13th February the branch AGM will take place and it has to be said that we need more committee members. So why not put your name forward? The role that really needs filling is Runs Co-ordinator, so if you’d like to lead any runs, why not have a go? This could be a role filled by more than 1 person. I know it would be difficult to outshine Zorro, who has done a fabulous job, but he’s also the Treasurer and needs a little slack cut. Help and assistance would of course be given in any role, so please consider serving on the committee. Do I sound like I’m begging? You betcha!
Bibendum
