I hope all is well with everyone and you’re enjoying this spell of summer weather. I have just come back from two weeks holiday in the UK & Wales which is why it’s been a bit quiet from me, the weather was glorious, we spent a lot of time riding the bike in Wales, some beautiful roads in that part of the country and boating up and down the Thames.
As you will have seen in
Steve Ropers post, tomorrows first Wednesday of the month ride out has had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, he has moved the ride to the following day Thursday 3rd July. On the subject of rides, the weather has been great, I know there is the temptation to not want to wear all your gear, while this is of course your choice, the dangers are still ever present, we will always advise from a safety point of view you wear the appropriate clothing when on the bike as the Chapter cannot accept any liability to injury you may suffer by not wearing appropriate clothing if involved in an accident during a ride, please ride safe at all times.
We have a number of female riders in the Chapter, which is great, but we do not have and from what I believe never have had a female road captain, so would any of you fancy being pioneers, creating Essex Chapter history and being the first group of female road captains to join our team, if you would, then please get in touch with Dodger or myself and we’ll be more than happy to give you any further information you need to be part of the team and plan the odd ride.
I look forward to meeting up with all who are going on Simon’s Euro Ride to Zeeland on Friday, Simon has planned this ride with meticulous detail to ensure everyone has a memorable experience and a truly great time, please ensure you read all the information he has sent to you. Simon has liaised with the Central Chapter in Zeeland who will be taking us out for the whole day on Saturday eventually arriving at Goes HD. Please be reminded, we are a large group of very nice Harley riders, however, there will also be other guests staying in the hotel, who may feel intimidated by us, there may also be young children, please be mindful of your actions and how these may be interpreted by others, especially in the bar area as there is no other place to eat and drink locally, so we will all be sharing the same space, we are after all, all representing The Chapter. Simon thank you in advance for all the work you have put into this truly great event.
The rally is fast approaching and if you haven’t booked your rally ticket yet, can I please request you do this as soon as possible, the hotel will be needing numbers from us imminently to ensure we not only cater for the right numbers, but also ensure we cover any dietary requirements people may have, if you have booked already can you please let me know via email [director@essexchaptergb.com](mailto:director@essexchaptergb.com) what your particular dietary requirements are i.e. Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Pescatarian etc. if do not receive this information from you, you will be served the same as everyone else so really important, we also need to ensure we have plenty of time to sort rally bags, t-shirts and other rally goodies, so if you can get that booked in that would be really great, we would really appreciate it if you paid via BACS transfer as this avoids charges when you pay via the website, the rally form is on the website and very easy to complete. remember you don’t have to stay in the hotel if you live locally or wish to stay elsewhere, you can just book your rally ticket, The ticket cost for this year’s rally is £65.00, this includes a 3 course Banquet Dinner on the Saturday evening, we will have a band on the Friday night The Lowdown and the usual DJ, raffle, bike show and Saturday ride out. Also due to a number of enquiries about day tickets for the rally and I am pleased to inform you that we will be offering day tickets to members, these will be for the Saturday only and cost £55, which will include the ride out, the Banquet Dinner and evening entertainment, if you would like to buy a day ticket please purchase via BACS using ref: Rally Day Tkt.
If you have registered on the website yet, can you please do so, it only takes a minute. This registration is completely secure, so you don’t have to worry about the information you provide. Please follow this process:
Go to the website at [
www.essexchaptergb.com](
https://www.essexchaptergb.com/) and click on account, you will see two boxes, one stating Log-in the other Register, using the register box on the right please enter your email address into the box marked email address and please click the checkbox that you want to receive the newsletter as this will help us get the info out there then click register. Once you have done this a link will be sent to your email address to set up a new password, once you have opened the link and set your new password you will be complete, now add your address in the address section this contains your membership number which we need to collate all the information this is the important bit as we can group the members from the guests you still have access to all areas of the website but it will as I said before make it easier to complete purchases etc. If you know anyone who does not use Facebook can you please pass this information to them so they can register too, also if you know anyone who is having difficulties accessing information, please direct them to any one of the committee members who will be more than happy to assist.
If want or need any Essex Chapter merchandise, which includes top rockers for your cuts, any ESX patches or t-shirts etc, then please contact Claire Clarke our merchandise officer at [merchandise@essexchaptergb.com](mailto:merchandise@essexchaptergb.com) Claire will be more than happy to take your orders and despatch your items out to you as quickly as she can.
Regarding the ride out WhatsApp group can I please just politely remind everyone that this group is for information only, please do not post any pictures or comments on it, please just post all your pictures and comments on our Facebook page or your own socials, we need to ensure that the ride out WhatsApp group remains an important tool for ride out information or late cancellations, so when you see it has a message you know it is important and will need to be read, Steve has in his message reminded everyone the rules for the group so please if you unsure reacquaint yourselves with them. If you would like to be part of the Rides WhatsApp Group, please contact Steve Roper via WhatsApp on 07868734695 giving him your name and phone number and he will happily add you.
Another reminder there is now a ride out form on our website, if you would like to plan or book a ride please use this form to do so, the form will go directly to our Events Coordinator who will check it doesn’t clash with any other events, but if you can check this yourselves before submitting that would be really helpful, Paul will then authorise it and pass to Eddie our Webmaster to upload onto the calendar.
As previous you will have seen our Head Road Captain Dodger has been in contact with Firebike and some safer riding course dates have been made available, please be advised though, if you book and fail to turn up you will be charged, so make sure you can attend if you book as places are limited. To book yourself on to the course, contact Andy Stroulger FireBike and P2W Safety Manager on Tel 01376 576204 or Mob 07789 652243.
A Road Captains role within the club is an important and valued one, but you don’t have to be a Road Captain to organise a ride, so come and get involved and let’s start filling that calendar with loads of great rides, we look forward to and welcome hearing from you. If you think you could support the Chapter with either becoming a Road Captain, lead a ride or just want to find out more details please contact: Dodger our Head Road Captain, you can email him at: [hrc@essexchaptergb.com](mailto:hrc@essexchaptergb.com) or contact him on his mobile: 07547 898363, or just chat to any member of the committee or a Road Captain when you see them.
The AGM has been booked and will be held on 26.10.2025 at Hatfield Peverel Village Hall from 12nn-3pm, I know it’s a little way off but if anyone is interested in joining the committee please do feel free to complete a nominations form which can be found on the website and in the files folder on Facebook, all positions will be up for consideration. A bit nearer the time I will request members send me any questions they may have, if I have them in advance it will assist me in being able to give a succinct answer there and then otherwise, I may have to get back to you.
For now and as always, if you have any queries, questions or concerns you wish to raise with either myself or the committee, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will aim to provide feedback as soon as practicably possible, additionally, this is your club so please feel free to offer any suggestions you may have that may appropriately support the club in being the best it can be.
All the best for now and I hope to see you on the road or at one of our planned events over the coming months and during riding season.
1st and 3rd of the month Wednesday ride outs are now up on the calendar on the website.
Simon’s Euro Tour: Friday 4 July 2025 – Sunday 6 July 2025. Meeting up with Delta Chapter in Holland. Places still available.
13.07.2025 Dodgers ride to The Combined Military Museum, meet Boreham 10am
Essex Chapter Rally 2025: Friday 25th July 2025 – Sunday 27th August 2025.
Our 2025 Rally is being held on the weekend of Friday 25th to Sunday 27th July at Marks Tey Hotel, London Rd, Marks Tey, Colchester CO6 1DU
Fordham Classic Vehicle Show 10.08.2025 meet time and venue TBA.
AGM: 26.10.2025 1pm-3pm Hatfield Peverel Village Hall, Maldon Road, Hatfield Peverel, CM3 2HP.
The Cricketers every first Tuesday of the month
The Lodge every second Thursday of the Month
Poulsen’s every 3rd Saturday of the Month
The Eagle every fourth Friday of the month
Paying for an event/membership by BACS
Name: Essex Chapter GB – Account: 70331768 – Sort Code: 30-92-93
When making a payment please add a description/reason. i.e. membership renewal or Cricketers meal so it can be easily seen what the payment is for. Also add your name or ESX Chapter membership number.
