Editorial
Your new editor is Peter Barker and he is setting off with
your October’s edition. I’m sure he’ll find this position as interesting and
rewarding as I myself did. I shall of course, continue membership with C.O.C.
and have every intention of riding my Ural Dalesman until either it or I wear
out, so we’ll be seeing some of you here and there, whenever we’re at one of the
rallies. Bye,
Martin.
The R.M.O.A. celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, the Russian Motorcycle Owners Association, this will be celebrated at the upcoming R.M.O.A. rally next month.
More
details can be found on
www.rmoa.multiply.com The R.M.O.A. came into being in 1979 and has been a
very active club enjoying tremendous support from its membership throughout its
thirty year history. Won’t be a dry rally, right?
Martin
Kevin
Alexander (Gautrek) sends
in these great pictures of some wartime bikes and a very rare Kettenkrad
bike/tractor halftrack, taken at a WWII re-enactment (what! ALL of it?)
demonstration. He included this wish list to help complete a project (bottom
left). Far left are a nice Zundap from WWII and top right the Kettenkrad (W’S’mare
beach race?). Bottom right Kevin and his 650 Ural, a classic with its ‘piecrust
wheels’, r/h sidecar and tractor seats.
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The Federation of Sidecar Clubs’s
sidecar rally run by ‘Team Grim’ at Popham airfield, was a resoundingly
successful event, enjoying a huge turn-out of members from all of the
participating clubs. The Saturday Ride-out organised by Steve Lyons was a
staggering event in itself, enjoying brilliant sunshine that lasted the
whole week-end, as remarkably, as it has for the previous two rallies.
This event is a must for those interested in sidecars and Soviet/Russian
bikes. Thanks go to ‘Team Grim’ in inviting us to hold our
AGM at their event, at least their marquee kept the sun off us all! See you next year then! |
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Cossack Owners Club ~ Annual General Meeting
Held at Popham Airfield 19th September 2009
A good turnout for the AGM of 24 members, around 10% of
membership. The draft minutes will be published in full with all the committee
reports in the Winter 2009 issue of Horizontal View, see later!
There are a couple of committee changes to report, see their
details on the front page of this issue.
·
Martin Hall is passing on
the Newsletters editor’s pen to Peter Barker for him to scribe from now on.
Peter has a good record of writing for the club publications, so he is well
suited to his new role. The editor always needs input from members to generate
the publication as well as finding stuff out there on the web, in other journals
and from personal experiences. We wish Peter Barker success and we must give him
the support he needs. We apologise for the lateness of this September issue.
·
I, Peter J. Ballard, am
passing on the membership list administration to Phil & Gina Inman. They have
experience in running administration and businesses so are also well suited.
Yvonne Oades/Dave Ramsden have offered to continue print the labels and post the
publications, for which we are also very grateful, though any offers to take
this over will I am sure be welcomed and considered.
We thank Martin and these new committee members for offering
their time and effort, much appreciated. Both these roles should start in
October 2009. We will endeavour to quickly redirect Newsletter contributions and
membership applications/renewals to the new committee members.
Peter J. Ballard
Kev Alexander
Invites ALL Cossacks owners to join in on this
forum:- www.russianbike.co.uk
Secretary’s Bits
Our lass and I got out of bagging up the last newsletter by
going to Normandy on our bikes. I planned to go on my Dnepr/BMW solo, but
discovered that the gearbox output bearing had gone the day before departure and
had to pay P&O ferries and extra £80 to take my BMW/Ural outfit. The bearing
went due to a bent drive shaft, which I lengthened myself. The prices of the
crossings from Hull have become ridiculous and we’ve sworn we’ll head south for
a cheaper crossing next time.
On the first day on the pontinent the starter motor packed in
so I had to bump-start the outfit for the rest of the fortnight (later
discovering it was only an expired battery), but it was well worth the trip.
Highlights were the remains of the Mulberry Harbour built by the Royal Engineers
at Arromanche to supply the invasion force, the excellent WWII museum at Bayeux
and the Bayeux Tapestry. My army green outfit went down really well with
sightseers – so much so that umpteen people thought they had the right to mount
it, without asking, for photographs.
Since returning there have been other developments. I have
been nattering Mark Dicker of MZ Club fame to sell me a Ural M72 that has been
languishing in his garage for some time, but he consistently refused. Now he’s
bought a new Moto Guzzi he decided to let it go, just at the point when I’d
already exceeded my self imposed two-bike limit by buying a 1961 IWL SR69 Berlin
scooter, which also needs restoring. After some deliberation, and moralising
encouragement by Peter Barker, I decided to have the Ural, and it’s now in my
shed. Soon (or perhaps not so soon) I’ll be able to defend myself against the
critics of my BMW powered bikes as my M72 swallows up the miles. Or so I
thought. On closer inspection it became obvious that the bike has never run as
it now stands. I suspect it was put together loosely some years ago to sell, and
has changed hands several times since to various owners with good intentions,
but very little actual input. The engine bolts have no spacers, neither wheel
has a bearing cover, without which the wheels can’t be properly tightened, and
the cylinder heads only have half the nuts (or bolts) in them. There’s no wiring
or regulator, and the steering is bent. In fact it’s a baggy old basket case,
but I got a spare engine with it, a new set of carbs and a new exhaust system.
However, the buck stops here – it will run eventually.
Bumped into club member Tarka on his Ural outfit at the
Yorkshire Pudding Rally in Sheffield, but no other Russian tackle there. Next
trip is to the pipe championships in Melrose, not everyone’s cup of tea, but we
love the spectacle of all the bands marching down the main street with the drum
majors throwing their sticks as high as the roofs.
Dave Ramsden
Horizontal View ~ Winter 2009
HELP!
I am starting to put together the next issue, although I have some good articles and photos from members (including a striking front cover photo!) to avoid it being bulked up by further reproductions of Ballard’s library of ‘Old Cossack Photos’, I need more stuff, please. We will do all the layout, spelling, grammar of anything you send in. Descriptions & photos of your trials and tribulations, adventures, modifications, rallies are welcomed. Send text in hand written, typed, digital (most formats coped with); photos as prints (we will return), digital by email or on CD or DVD. Thanks in advance.
Peter J. Ballard Horizontal View Editor.