Roadholder 370 - October 2018

3 Copy Deadline for Rh371 (Nov 2018) - 10th Oct 2018 Roadholder 370: Oct 2018 NOC Membership Annual Subscription is £19.50 Worldwide. Subsequent years £21.00 or £19.50 if paying by direct debit. Joint membership is just £22.50, subsequent years £24.00 or £22.50 if paying by direct debit. Five year individual membership costs £97.50. Five year joint membership: £112.50 International - eMagazine only: £15.00 The Norton Owners Club is affiliated to the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG): www.mag-uk.org and the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC): www.fbhvc.co.uk Editorial Front Cover: Coupes Moto Légendes 2018 (photo by John Norris) Roadholder 2018 © Norton Owners Club. All content of Roadholder is copyright of the Norton Owners Club unless alternative copyright is acknowledged therein. Reproduction rights, in all formats, MAY be granted on request to the NOC via the Editor of Roadholder. O nce again, the 'Events' pages are becoming depleted as 2018 is now nigh- on 75% history. The September Roadholder included a precis of some forthcoming events for 2019 and 2020. If the weather for this year is repeated for these future summers, we should have some mainly dry events (though thunderous downpours will be likely). I must confess to being no fan (no pun intended) of the scorching conditions we have experienced over the past few months. Riding in full motorcycling gear can be very uncomfortable in such heat; even at 70-80mph, the wind cooling effect can often be insufficient to make riding much fun and there is a tendency to become rather sweaty beneath the leather and Kevlar etc. even with the modern so-called 'ventilation' built into modern motorcycle clothing. Being stuck at junctions and in congested traffic also becomes unpleasant as engine heat wafts up and around the rider (Rotaries are particularly 'good' at this - fine in winter but not so in summer). Unfortunately, such conditions can encourage some riders to go without their protective clothing thus making things a 'bit risky'. One of the most useful items of motorcycle clothing I purchased some years ago (for circa £120) was a 'Summer Jacket' which comprised fabric not dissimilar to a dense(ish) string vest with light, but tough, body armour in the back, elbows and shoulders. It made the jacket lightweight and very comfortable in hot conditions. I haven't seen such a jacket recently and wonder if they are still manufactured; it may be that they no longer conform to the latest safety standards. On the subject of motorcycle clothing, I much prefer open to full-face helmets, the latter of which I find very claustrophobic. I find, however, that good quality open face helmets (Arai, Davida, AGV etc.) are not supplied with ergonomic, effective visors. Some are fitted with flip-up visors that follow the contours of the helmet but promote uncomfortably high wind noise – it would appear that most open face helmet visors are designed as an afterthought without much R&D; this, I suspect, could be due to low market take-up i.e. it's not worth their while. I suppose the alternative is good old fashioned goggles, but my memories of these were back in the early '70s when they steamed-up at the drop of a hat and were awful in rain - perhaps they're better now. I have now notified the DVLA of my change of circumstances due to my leg amputation and await assessments of my ability to drive and ride. With regard to riding, a number of people have commented that they know amputees who can ride their motorcycles with little difficulty but that manoeuvring the machine around in the garage etc. can be the main problem; we’ll have to see … .