NORTH SECTION UPDATE - August 1999

While settled in the pub drinking the shandies, we thought it was time for a bit of a reminder that there still is the North Section of Dunedin HOG. We've been far too quiet recently, letting the central belt hog (pardon the pun) all the pages.

The section has been quietly going about the usual round of monthly meetings, ride-outs and rallies with a hard core in attendance at most events. Due to the recent spell of fine weather the monthly meetings have usually ended up with a run in the country followed by, yes, a glass of ale in a different pub. Our ride-out co-ordinator ( Hank Willemse) has ants in his chaps and makes sure we get plenty of miles on the scoots. He has also been organising some additional runs on Wednesdays between meetings with brisk excursions through Deeside and Donside being the order of the day……followed by a drink in a country pub.

The last club run was a shortish one of around 25 miles ending up in Muir of Fowlis near Alford at the Muggerthaugh Hotel, which if pronounced properly will produced a half-pint of phlegm. The Italian owner seemed completely unphased at the appearance of a dozen leather clad misfits on loud bikes at an otherwise empty pub. He coped with the sudden rush on cappuccino's and shandies well.

A great deal of attention was paid to a display case which held a cast model about nine inches long of an Italian scooter, I can't recall which make but it ended with a vowel!! He took the model out to let us see how heavy it. It was indeed a fine solid model which had in fact been manufactured in China not America as he had led us to believe. The members who admitted to having had scooters in their younger days will remain anonymous at this point.

Fred Henderson was unable to make this ride-out arriving late at the meeting in a car with his Florida biker gear on (shorts, t-shirt, flip-flops). He gave some lame excuse involving Florida, jet lag and fitting some Vance & Hines pipes to a Soft-tail custom. Speaking of customs, why they don't stop a suspicious looking bearded bloke carrying 10 feet of chrome tubes past them I'll never know.

At least a dozen of us went down to Cheltenham for the rally joining up with six others from Inverness to travel down together from Lockerbie. A decent representation for such a long distance and I think it' safe to say a good time was had by all. Photos of the naked motorcycling are available at the right price. None of the North-East branch took part, mainly because staying this far north breeds an in-built survival mechanism against removing clothes while outdoors.

So that's some of the things we've been up to and depending when this is published we're either looking forward to Aviemore or looking back on it. A short ride up through whisky country to the Highlands followed by sampling the local brews in fine company, what more could anyone want. Oh yes food, music and Harleys.