FF Mailing list

First Newsletter

Every last one of you that had phoned me after the letter in MCS has written with responses to the questionnaire I sent you.

I am vastly encouraged and so I have taken things further - in haste. The haste was mainly due to the encouragement I received for the idea of meeting at the BMF Rally. Christmas is over and the relies digested. I realised that deadlines approached for booking a place at the event. So I have done the following entirely off my own bat. I very mch hope thayou all approve and we can now get round at leaisure to properly "constituting" the club and making democratic decisions in future.

I have applied for club affiliation to BMF and sent off the the affiliation fee of £30 (this will cover up to 50 members); Over the phone first I got an assurance that there was unlikely to be any problem being accepted urgently. Then I have sent off a booking form for a club enclosure at Peterorough (which is free to affiliated clubs) and paid £14-10 for a table and four chairs. Not a marquee, which would have cost a substantial fee: fingers crossed that it won't rain, and be hardy if it does.

I have asked for our space to be near the MCS stand. MCS would have invited us to their stand, but although that is most kind and supportive, booking a separate enclosure means we shall have a number of free entry passes for bikes and riders. Some of you have told me that you have prior plans for that weekend, but I do nohope that as many of you as can possibly manage it will come along. Apart from "showing the flag" it will be our first get together.

We are well scattered around the kingdom, and I hope that I can persuade one or two other of you later in the year to convene meetings/rides in other parts of the country.

Meanwhile can we carry the club forward by correspondence, please? Here beginneth a catalogue of questions and requests.

Are you happy with the club name? I though and thought and could not come up with anything snappier! Any better suggestions?
Your views on aims, please. I have assumed that besides helping one another in practical ways, we would like to get the bike better known/try to get Honda to put it back on the market/encourage them in any plans for a later better version/enourage other manufacturers to market affordable feet-forward production machines/show other bikers the advantages of this format, etc. etc.
Should we offer membership to owners of any FF bikes? Piaggio Hexagon? Yamah Majesty - if it ever actually appears here?
If you have any photos of you and your own CN (especially in a "scenic touring" context), would you please send them to me to help in gettnig up a display.
Would you feel like sending me £5 towards expenses? To be accounted for in due course, and pending our aggreeing an annual subscription, depending on numbers we eventually recruit and what we want to do.
I should like to include in my next mailing a list of members and I shall assume you are happy with this unless you tell meotherwise. Alternatively, you could have just your name, town and phone number if you say so. Scoot-Tours in USA have sent me a full listing of all their members, all over USA, Canada.
I enclose a further copy of the questionnaire, slightly ammended. Please, if you know anyone else with an FF bike, get them to join. I you need more, feel free to photo-copy, or ask me for further copies. If you come across a CN parked, or are able to speak to anyone else riding one out on the road (there are a few!) please leave the sheet on it or hand it over. I myself shall be doing everything I can to extend the membership, but I don't feel we can affod an extensive advertising campaign!
Please let me know if you can make it to the BMF rally and on which day(s) - I thnk mainly on Sunday when the attendance is greatest - and if there are enough. I'll send you your free entrance pass; If there are not enough I'll draw names out of a hat.

One tip you may find useful, from our American colleagues; It is not necessary, they say to dismantle a pulley to replace a drive belt. After it is put over the driven pulley, force the flanges apart (with a piece of wood, of course, not a metal tool) and this will allow the belt to seat itself far enough down to be passed over the flange of the drive pulley. The American Helix-Tourists - who of course are in the habit of covering vast mileages - apparently think it is worthwhile to carry a spare belt on a long trip.

There are several firms in USA who make rider backrests for the Helix. I have sent for details. Watch this space!

Very best regards to you all.

Ian