Gallery
Finchingfield Ride out – Tuesday 22nd September 2020
This event was organised by Maurice Riley.
A lovely bright summers morning dawned and luckily with the rule of 6 in place we had a good turnout at Fourwentways services for our run to Finchingfield. After investigating Adrian’s total loss oil system upgrade we finally set off at 10:30am, new Beeline safely mounted on the handlebars.
Our preplanned route started well, missed the first turning completely! Automatic re-routing luckily kicked in and after a quick (nobody noticed) left we headed in to Hildersham, then using only B or C roads through Linton and Bartlow and over to West Wratting, looping round to Brinkley everything seemed to be going well, Carlton Green and Little Thurlow were left in our combined dust and 40W oil.
Sowley Green and Barnardiston safely navigated before the use of waypoints really showed their advantage, having missed a right at Hundon the Beeline insisted we take the next right up the road we should have come down, round the route back to Hundon and back passed the somewhat bemused delivery driver that we had passed 5 minutes earlier.
Onwards to Clare and Ovington, Tilbury (not the docks!) and Great Yeldham felt our combined thunder, then disaster, road closed (should have checked for roadworks that week!) Slight detour round and through Barr Hall after a comfort break then Gainsford End and on to Finchingfield.
After just under 50 miles and 2 hours we were met at the common by other members of the club who didn’t want to risk the long ride, for a socially distanced picnic for a couple of hours.
The route back to Fourwentways was planned for all who wanted to go that way on or in what they brung, and/drop off along the way should they wish, through Thaxted, Saffron Walden and Linton and took an hour, 29 miles, averaging a massive 27.3mph, Barry eat your heart out!
Setting off from Fourwentways service station.
Finchingfield in all its glory with the gang of six plus a few!
Adrian inspecting his new total loss oil system … if there’s oil under it then there’s oil still in it!
Adrian’s first official outing with his whizzy all new DIY electric starter system and then back at Fourwentways, ending the trip with a welcome cuppa.
Surrey NOC event at Rykas Cafe, Box Hill – Sunday 6th September 2020
This event was organised by John Blades of Surrey NOC and was open to all NOC branches.
Nick Harwood represented the Cambridge branch.
The weather turned out well, albeit a bit chilly, and I headed around the M25 the previous day to freeload on friends in Dorking before the NOC event! Despite Covid restrictions, the event was packed with people from the NOC and also the Ducati OC. There was a great selection of Nortons (the Best) and a few interlopers (the Rest) in the form of some nice Ducatis and the usual eclectic mix of locals and biker gangs (oops, clubs) that frequent Rykas!
The Cafe was open for the usual burgers and coffee which on a cold sunny day went down quite well!
The (mostly) Norton line-up:
There were some nice examples of Commandos and a smattering of other models:
Some of the other bikes at Rykas:
Histon Motorcycle Show – August 2019
Congratulations, Andrew on winning the ‘Best Classic and best Bike’ awards at the Royal British Legion show in Histon.
Little Gransden air show – Children in Need- August 2019
Sunday morning dawned misty but that soon burned-off and it was still quite early (08.30) when 8 bikes met close to the destination and rode-in en masse to much turning of heads in admiration (I like to think!).
We were exceedingly grateful for the shade provided by our gazebo during the day, as it was incredibly hot again (about 34 degrees). At least it wasn’t raining like last year and we had some very interesting chats including with one of the pilots after his most spectacular air display (that’s you Peter Bouchert!)
Its hard to associate all this with a motorcycle event – but sometimes it just all comes together !
Cambridge branch put on a very impressive display of bikes as usual, and as importantly, we enjoyed our day out together, as always. Thank you Trevor for organising it.
Trip to Orford August 2019
At the quay in Orford looking across to Orford Ness.
Commandos in Honfleur 2019
Howard and John had to escape the heatwave of central France by going firstly to northern Brittany instead. Here parked on the quay in the very picturesque port of Honfleur and later opposite the chateau at Chinon on the Loire.
Royston & District MCC Bike Show, June 2019
Well, what a wash-out it was, after perfectly sunny weather the day before and on the day after, but on Wednesday 19th June – it was just torrential!
As such, getting there turned-out to be a very wet affair for those of us on bikes, and after setting-off in the dry too…but we were undaunted and set-up the smart Cambridge branch gazebo. Cambridge branch members are an intrepid lot and we had a very impressive line-up of bikes considering the weather, as you can see in the photos: we had models throughout the ages, the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s – missing the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s but then came-in again with a 2015 model! If the weather had been dry, we’d have had the 1940’s represented with Andrew’s amazing WD16H RAF bike and mannequin Christian, but wisely he thought better of it ! We were certainly the best turned-out one-make club displaying…and we should be pretty chuffed with that considering!
Due to the weather, the number of stall holders was markedly diminished and sadly supporters were largely absent too, maybe 500 instead of the usual 3000+ which is such a shame, as the evening improved weather-wise and was dry. Looking for positives, fewer visitors meant that you stood a much better chance in the raffle – and indeed Mike won a great prize of IAM training up to and including taking the test !Another positive is that a Norton won the Best European Bike trophy – it was a modern Norton, all carbon, shiny and new!
So in conclusion, a rather damp event, but one which is so worthwhile supporting and no doubt we’ll be back next year with an even better one-make stand, flying the flag for the Cambridge branch of the Norton Owners Club!
Royston & District MCC Bike Show, June 2018
Andrew and Ann showed their RAF spec 16H along with Kristophe the manikin in full regalia: this exhibit got a lot of attention, especially with it being the RAF centenary. John Wilkinson rode his very shiny Commando, which he has owned for the past 39 years. Mike Wright bought his ‘even shinier than it was last year’ 88 Dominator! Adrian displayed his mostly aluminium Commando special and the still warm ‘flying tea-tray’ aka the EEK! Racing Norton sidecar, freshly returned from racing at the ZZ Races in the very north of Holland last Saturday.
Stan won the Norton Owners’ Club ‘Best Classic Award’ on his immaculately restored Vincent Rapide. A perfect evening in flaming June!
Colin’s Lands End to John O’Groats Freddy Farmer Carity ride, May 2018
Colin road to Lands End and then all the way up to John O’Groats on his 500 Dommie, raising money for Freddy Farmer’s, children’s charity. https://www.freddiefarmerfoundation.org.uk Bike slightly heavy at the back, slightly light at the front but splendid scenery and fabulous weather.
Solo from Santander to Cambridge, May 2017
Stopped for a rest after crossing the Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin, one of the most fun stretches of road ever and a must for every Norton rider. Pyrenees in the background.
Norton Rally, August 2016
For the story of Howard and John’s experiences at the Norton Rally in Kendal, see the November issue of ‘Roadholder’ –
https://www.nortonownersclub.org/html/archive/rh/347/index.html#20
RDMCC charity bike show at Meldreth, June 2016
INOA Rally, Asheville, North Carolina 2015 – complete with roadside repair!
National ‘Slate Rally’, Caernarfon 2015
Adrian and Theresa’s wedding Donnington track day
Haddenham Steam Fair 2015
Cambridge branch trips to the coast….
….and elsewhere!
We don’t only ride on sunny days… …and we don’t only ride Nortons!
Some tasty bikes spotted at shows we’ve been to
Eek Racing in action
Receiving the Bill Barrowcliff Trophy for the best turned out sidecar at the Southern100 races in the Isle of Man. We also managed 9th and a 10th place in the races, a good result for the only Norton.
