Ride-outs, Rallies,Events and Meetings Schedule Click here for the club calendar Rallies & Events Both VSOCXV club and external Click on pic -> For other Events not mentioned above - Click here REGULAR MEETINGS WE MEET THE 4th THUSDAY AT 8pm, 3rd SATURDAY AT 12.30pm (alternating monthly) EXCEPT WINTER, NOV, DEC, JAN AND FEB, WHEN WE WILL USE SUNDAY'S. The Blue Bell Inn - Paddock Wood, Kent at the junction of A228 and Beltring Road practically opposite the Hop Farm. For directions click here See page header for next meeting details. WE ALSO MEET ON THE SECOND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 12.30PM AT Wesons, Horam (social only) 2nd Saturday every month. For directions click here Ride-outs generally occur on a Sunday throughout the year. If the weather forecast looks good for a Sunday please contact Steve on 01732-851831. Checking in on Friday evening is best. Should a ride-out be scheduled, emails will be sent out to members on the Friday - so check your email messages regularly! The latest info on speed camera's For Sussex area Click here For Kent area Click here Sharpen your Riding Skills! Advanced Ride-Outs 2nd Sunday of each month Kindly arranged by Sid at Centre 15 with ESAM (East Sussex Advanced Motorcyclists) The Reid Hall, Boreham Street, (near Herstmonceux), East Sussex Arrive at 9.45am sharp Ride-outs commence at 10.00am and usually finish by 1.00 - 1.30 pm ESAM website Click here for Map We had six VSOCXV members at the last ride-out in July and all said how much they enjoyed the 3 hours or so assessments. Each one of us found out that you can never stop learning to improve your skills. So why not come out with the experts and brush-up on your riding & survival skills? This is a 3 to 4 hour event and ESAM's Advanced instructors will assess your riding skills, so bring a bite to eat and a bottle of water. During the ride ESAM Advanced instructors will make brief stops and point out where you might be going wrong and will give you tips on how to improve your survival skills. ESAM instructors do not charge for their time, but are thankful for a couple of quid for keeping their fuel tanks full. Those wishing to pass the Advance Motorcycle Test at a later date will get all the info they'll need. Those wishing to attend please e-mail: information@es-am.org.uk Highly Recommended reading prior to the above event: The Police Riders Handbook to Better Motorcycling - £11.99 Order on-line HERE JOIN OUR BAND OF BROTHER & SISTERS in a RIDE-OUT or EVENT - NOW! All about motorbike parking issues Click above     Want to join us on regular Sunday rides? Please check the latest status above, or by phone each Friday night or Saturday morning:   Centre 15 Steve Gilman Rideout Manager Phone: 01732 851831     A GUIDE FOR RIDE OUTS I. Always turn up on time 2. Make sure you have a full tank of PETROL 3. Make sure before you leave home that you have money (and tickets if on way to a rally) 4. If the meeting time is e.g. 10.00 am then that means heading of at 10.00 am not arriving at 10.00 and wanting a tea or coffee 5. If a route has been planed then stick to it as last minute changes only cause confusion 6. Always use the Buddy system if the rider behind you stops or slows right down, then you stop or slow right down. If everybody does this then no one should get lost or separated. 7. Always try to stay in the same order, that way the rider in front knows who should be behind them. 8. The lead rider should always stay within the limits of the slowest rider in the pack. 9. Always try and keep to a staggered formation this will help the rider in front of you to see you more easily and also gives you more room to manoeuvre - and ride with your lights on dipped beam AT ALL TIMES! 10. If your bike breaks down and you get separated from the group, and you get your bike restarted, unless you know the route - STAY with your bike. We can easily backtrack to find you! (added by Sid) 11. Always have fun, Ride Safe and Free Contributed by Chris Box    THE RIDE OUT DROP OFF SYSTEM This is a system commonly used in group rides. Understanding the system is important, as everyone needs to do their part to avoid anyone getting lost. One rider, the leader~ will stay at the front and is responsible for navigating the route. And another rider, ‘tail end Charlie’, will stay at the back in last position. These are the only two riders who remain in their position in the group. At every junction, the rider immediately behind the leader stops and marks the junction and indicates the route which the other members should follow. All other riders pass the marker. The marker then re-joins the group in front of ‘tail end Charlie’. This approach involves the entire group, and the marker gets rotated from front to back and gradually moves up to the front again. The method works provided everyone does their bit and doesn’t forget they are in the No.2 position, when it is their turn to mark. Nobody other than ‘tail end Charlie’ should be riding last for any reason. If you want to leave the group you should pull in to the left in a safe, visible position and wave other riders past. When ‘tail end Charlie’ arrives~ he/she will stop and you can then inform him/her that you are leaving the group. Petrol stops: will be determined on the lowest tank range of participants, you are all advised to fill up at these stops. Please arrive with a full tank of petrol and an empty bladder. A roundabout should be marked by parking in a safe visible position on the exit. When going straight through at a crossroads where you don’t have right of way, you may mark it, if you wish. The default action in such a case is to continue straight through. Therefore, if there is no marker when you arrive at the junction you should proceed straight on. If you do decide to mark such a junction you should do so by stopping in a safe visible position on the far side of the crossroads, When you are marking a junction, make sure you park in a position not to obstruct other road users. If necessary point in the direction that riders arriving at the junction should proceed. There is no need when using the drop off system to keep the rider behind you in your mirrors. There is no need to play catch Up. With the drop off system there will be a marker waiting for you at the next junction. When you are the marker, wait for ‘tail end Charlie’ to arrive, even if this takes a long time as there may be traffic problems further back, Then overtake the marker to indicate all are past. He/she should then allow the marker to overtake and rejoin the ride. If you are unsure whether to mark a junction, do it anyway. It is better to mark a junction that doesn’t need marking than not to mark one that does. Ride your own ride, don’t allow yourself to be pulled or pushed along. Enjoy yourself at your own pace. Have fun.