Central Motorcycle Club

Applecross

Applecross Highland Games weekend is another Club annual outing that never fails to satisfy. This year the road up was dry with blue skies encouraging some enthusiastic riding, some entertainment, and as always a destination filled with promise of thirst quenching alcohol, delicious food, and a party that has to be seen to be believed.

As always the trip had its highlights. It all started before we even got out of Grangemouth. Jim couldn’t get his fuel tank open, and I had forgotten to put the memory card in the camera. A quick spray of WD40 (free advertising) and some vigorous fiddling finally managed to open the tank, and a quick trip to Asda (more free advertising) resulted in a 4Gb card for a very reasonable price. Suffice to say I wasn’t able to take over 1000 pictures that it suggested I had available. I tried, but some people started to get a bit annoyed.  First leg of the journey to Glencoe for fuel did prove that Jims Yamaha did have working brakes, and they were bloody good having saved him from having to explain his riding style in French to some tourist. He missed them by approximately 1 inch.

Our arrival in Applecross was (as always) a relief. After the formalities we got to tent pitching and Tam introduced us to camp beds (from Lidl he thinks).. Bloody bargain if you ask me.  It’s amazing what you can fit on the back of a GS. The rest of us settled for air mattresses. The rest of the troop arrived later in the day, but as always were a welcome sight (and someone else to pick on).  As always, the beer flowed, we got merry and the pictures got fuzzier. Saturday was a mix of weather with some members taking to the roads, some taking in the sights, and others staying in their tents (before the party). The ceilidh was a roaring success as usual, and even encouraged some members to take up pole dancing (or at least that’s what it looked like).

 
Jim and I left sharpish on the Sunday, got to Loch Carron before the heavens opened followed by ever decreasing amounts of rain and an increase in traffic. From Glencoe the blue skies appeared again to bring the weekend to a memorable end. Less members than usual made the trip this year, those who didn’t make it were missed. We hope next year will bring better weather and more members out to spice things up a bit.

Ullapool

Another fine weekend up north was cut slightly short due to weather forecast, but didn’t dampen the spirits for the trip up and subsequent thirst quenching exploits. Although a smaller than normal group managed to make this trip, they certainly made up for it in more ways than one. Arrived at Glencoe for the first fuel stop and Dean asked the simple question “You didn’t happen to see my wallet lying on the road?” after his backpack decided to up and eject said wallet and mobile phone. Danny “HawkEye” did see a wallet about 80 miles back down the road, so he and Dean set off to investigate. The rest of the motley crew fuelled up and headed for Inverness. The roads were relatively quiet with only the occasional group of tourists slowing down proceedings. The sun shone on twisty roads. Ah, bliss.  Once fuelled at Inverness we then turned westwards and headed for Ullapool. We practiced the “StarBurst” at every opportunity and fellow members consistently overtook me when I thought they were miles ahead.

Ullapool was a welcome sight after the light rain made proceedings more interesting over the last stage. It didn’t slow us down any, but made the pub a more welcome sight. Once parked up we sat down to a few thirst quenchers (Molloy even got the round in…) and awaited the arrival of Dean and Danny. Once they did arrive, Danny explained the hero moment when he drove to the exact point of impact for the wallet and they managed to retrieve everything (well, except the SIM card).
The hotel was , well.. dry.  There was no music or bands this time which meant that Molloy had to stand up and entertain the rest of the crew and a few other assorted parties.

The return trip started in misty rain, but soon became dry and fantastic. Avoiding the east coast for obvious reasons we headed towards Achnasheen then down to Strathcarron and Dornie. This time the second Hadden decided to entertain us with the words “I’m losing Oil”. Well, from a Ducati, what could you expect?  Molloy jumped to the rescue with his 300ml bottle of expensive oil (well, he rides a BMW).  As the oil had been leaving a trial on the left of his tyre, every subsequent left hand corner was … an accident waiting to happen, but all credit to Jim, he got it home in one piece (for once).  Although shorter than expected, the roads as always live up to expectations and leave us refreshed and itching for the next outing… which we believe is APPLECROSS.. WooHoo

 2000 - 2010

Central Motorcycle Club has now been going for 10 years and we have got no intention of quitting while we’re ahead. During those 10 years we have seen fellow bikers come and go, some have stayed, and others have sought their fame and fortune elsewhere.  The Club has remained true to its primary goal, which is to have fun when the sun shines, and have a good laugh when the evening rolls in. The bikes may change as the years progress, but the camaraderie always remains the same.  Every member has an equal say in how the club operates and always given an opportunity to make suggestions which would benefit all.

Although last year proved to be less than spectacular with regards to Sunday runs and outings, we’re hoping for a return to the former years when any hint of sunshine resulted in the majority of members taking part in a little weekend trip whether it be a simple Sunday jaunt to blow the cobwebs off the bikes, or a weekend away to take in some nice roads and evening entertainment.

If you’re a biker living in Central Scotland and fancy meeting up, why not come along to a club meeting and enjoy the banter, or even join us on a Sunday run. We are always looking for new blood to keep the fun factor alive.

This year we are introducing some new features to the website. We’re hoping to include video for the first time (bandwidth dependant), public and member only photo galleries (due to some images not being suitable for general population), and hopefully more banter.  

CHAS Easter Run

Again, this year the club teamed up with Forth Valley Motorcycle Club and organised the Easter Run to Rachel House in support of Chas. Although cold and occasional showers, the event proved to be as popular as before and the trip from the Falkirk Wheel to Kinross Services went without a hitch (that I noticed).Bikers and bikes of all shapes and sizes joined in to make it a memorable event for anyone who seen us snaking our way through the towns and villages.

Thanks to all the club members who sought to get up early on a Sunday, put on some fetching Hi-Vis bibs and directed the rest of us into seemingly chaotic spaces in the car park. The rest of us could have a slightly longer stay in bed before braving the elements. As always, the event brought together people from all walks of life just to have a little fun, and raise some cash for those who would benefit most from it.

We will let you know as soon as we hear how much money was raised on the day. I’m sure we brought a smile or two to the families loitering at the side in support of our efforts.

Some photos here