Motorcycle Maintenance Q&A with Paul Nobbs

Paul Nobbs Motorcycles of Sutton (near Ely) are once again hosting a free Q&A session uniquely for CAM Members & Associates on Saturday 24 February from 1pm to 3pm, with Paul on hand to answer any & all of your questions regarding bike maintenance

Paul established his business in 2002, has 30 years’ experience servicing motorcycles and is known for his expertise and honest advice. Previous Q&As with Paul have been greatly appreciated by attendees, so whatever your current level of mechanical know-how, why not sign up and gain insights from a professional?

As the workshop has limited space, attendance is limited to 10 participants. If you would like to bone up on motorcycle maintenance, learn how to ready your bike after te winter lay-up or simply tension your chain correctly then please use this link to request a place. Paul is not charging us for this session, but there will be a collection tin in aid of EAAA

Paul enjoys a challenge, so come armed with questions!

Sunday ride to Café33

Mark Fox & Steve Rowdon respectively lead & tail our next Group-organised ride, which heads to Stradishall on Sunday 4th February. Requests for places are coming in faster than food orders at Café33, but might get one of the remaining slots using this link

Mark describes the route from Shell Fourwentways: we’ll head east through Linton before turning south towards Castle Camps and then Cornish Hall End. We’ll loop around Haverhill, up to Sturmer & Kedington, then follow the A143 to our breakfast stop at Café33 in Stradishall

After breakfast we will resume our northerly direction through the Suffolk countryside to Moulton & Kennett, then cross to the Norfolk Brecks and a run through the King’s Forest, eventually taking us to Elveden. We’ll then turn for home, initially with a quick blast down the A11 to Mildenhall and then a tootle along the base of the Fens through Fordham, Burwell & the Swaffhams until we reach Stow cum Quy, where we will finish the ride

This ride is limited to 12 riders

Group-organised ride to Burton Latimer

Following hot on the heels of a successful reconnaissance ride, Keith Tremeer provides the following description of the route he will be leading (with Nick Harwood bringing up the rear) on Sunday 21st January to Burton Latimer in Northamptonshire:

The ride will depart at 9:30am from BP Arrington roundabout on a route along country lanes through Wrestlingworth, Gamlingay, St. Neots, Stonely & Rushden to the breakfast stop at Bosworth Garden Centre’s Aspen Café in Burton Latimer. After breakfast riders retrace the outward route as far as Rushden, then head to Yielden, Little Staughton, Great Barford, Gamlingay & Little Gransden before finishing close by Caxton Gibbet services after a total distance of around 90 miles.

Please note: the Aspen Café has recently introduced a £5 deposit per person to assure a reservation. Ride leader Keith does not feel it is fair to request this from participants, given the midwinter possibility that the ride could be cancelled at short notice, and therefore this ride is limited to a total of 12 participants, a number the Café should be able to accommodate on a walk-in basis.

Request a place  |  Limited to 12 participants  |  Events Calendar for full details

Places available on this Friday’s ride

With frost forming yesterday evening Paul Norman reluctantly took the decision to postpone his winter ride scheduled to depart this morning. With temperatures looking promising throughout Thursday evening & night, Paul has rescheduled to this Friday (12 January). Some of those who had planned to take part are not able to make the new date, and therefore there are now places available on this ride

Except for the new date, the details of  Paul’s outing are unchanged:

This rideout starts at 9.30 am from the Shell Services at Fourwentways. The route takes us into Suffolk with a short coffee stop in Needham Market, after which we head across to Wickham Market, Aldeburgh and lunch at The Kitchen@Thorpeness 
Our return ride heads through Diss, then back down to Bury St.Edmunds to finish in Newmarket at around 3.30pm

Total distance ~135 miles  |  Ride limited to 6 bikes + ride leader
Booking now open: email Paul directly to request a place

The first Group-organised ride of 2024

Book now to join Patrick Ryan & Alan Triggs on 2024’s first Group-organised ride – an outing to Pearces Farm Shop & Cafe on Sunday 7th January

Heading off from one BP petrol station on the east of Cambridge we follow a circular route, ending a few miles west of Cambridge at a second BP at Childerley Gate. We’ll mostly keep to B-roads as we wind through pretty North Essex villages, getting as far east as Radwinter on our way to the breakfast stop just north of Puckeridge. The breakfast menu caters to all tastes, and includes granola with blueberries, yoghourt & honey for those starting the New Year with healthy resolutions

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

After breakfast we have a second short spell on the A10 back to Buntingford before following smaller roads into Herts & Beds. We get as far west as Potton before heading eastwards once more on our way to Childerley Gate. The journey is 82 miles in total.

Departs BP Newmarket Road, Cambridge at 9:30am
Limited to 12 participants: use this link to request a place

Christmas Quiz solutions

Shortly before Christmas we posted the CAM Christmas Quiz – 80 motorcycle-themed questions to puzzle over during the festive season. Unless anyone claims differently, the impressive 53 correct answers racked up by trivia mastermind Nigel Goss at the Christmas dinner is still the score to beat

Check your own performance with the official answers here

Book now! Sunday ride to Shuttleworth

Book your place now! Rescheduled because of ice a week ago, Keith Curtis’ rideout to Shuttleworth is clear for takeoff on Sunday 17th December. The departure point & the route Keith will be using are unchanged…

Heading out from Caxton Gibbet we make our way through Yelling, Graveley and the Offords to cross the A1 at Buckden.  Following a series of B roads we skirt the edge of Bedford before crossing the A421 and pass through Great Barford before turning off and making our way along some minor roads to our breakfast stop at The Shuttleworth Runway Café (menu). The outward journey is ~41 miles

After breakfast we have a shorter ride back to Caxton Gibbet. Skirting Shefford and passing through Henlow Camp, we will bypass Potton and take the back road out of Gamlingay. Heading through Longstowe we pick up the A1198 to our finishing point in a layby a stone’s throw from where we began. Cognisant of the potential for inclement weather and lower temperatures at this time of year, this is a shorter ride, with the return leg ~32 miles

Departs Caxton Gibbet, Sunday 17th December @ 9:30am
Use this link to request a place. Ride limited to 12 participants

Christmas dinner 2023

The festive season isn’t upon us just yet, but it is approaching and our Events Coordinators Nigel & Catherine have been busy organising Christmas dinner for Members, Associates & partners. The venue this year is The Old Crown in Girton, which they have booked for the evening of Thursday 7th December. Our festive dinners have been popular, successful events in previous years and we look forward to seeing many of you & your partners there
You can view The Old Crown’s Christmas menu here. The cost per person is £42.90 for a 3-course meal (this includes a service charge, but excludes drinks). If you would like to attend please download the booking form. With your choices made, email your form to events@cambsiam.org.uk
Don’t forget to follow the simple payment instructions to complete your booking!

Be sure to arrive before 7:30pm to enjoy your complimentary glass of Prosecco (or alcohol-free alternative) before taking your seat for dinner!

Full details in the Events Calendar

Sunday ride to Debden Barns (November 19th)

Many thanks to ride leader Mark Fox for his description, reproduced below, of next Sunday’s Group-organised ride to Debden Barns.

Starting from  McDonalds Caxton Gibbet we head south on the A1198 before turning to Steeple Morden and on to Therfield, crossed the A505 on our way. After Therfield we cross the A10 heading to Barkway, where we drop south to Hare Street and then make our way across country, via Clavering & Newport, to Debden Barns for breakfast at the Elder Street Café (appropriately located alongside not one, but two, antiques shops)

After breakfast we head towards Saffron Walden and Wendens Ambo to join the lovely B1039 to Barley. There we will turn for home (passing through too many villages, so bask in the glow of the first two thirds of the trip). The route is via Newton, Haslingfield & Comberton before a short burst back up the A1198 to Caxton Gibbet

The roads are suitable for a late autumn ride whatever the weather. Mindful of the need to keep Catherine happy (she’ll be shadowing tailer Nick Harwood) I cut out the gnarly sections suggested by my SatNav (including an actual green lane and an unfordable ford!)

Request a place  |  Limited to 12 participants  |  Events Calendar for full details

MotorcycleLive 2023

Update: Keith Tremmer’s ride to the Birmingham NEC
is now scheduled for Friday 24th November

The UK’s flagship motorcycle show, MotorcycleLive is supported by the very best of the industry and this year upward of 25 major bike, accessory & clothing manufacturers will be represented. The show prides itself on offering the first UK viewing of all newly launched models and there will be bikes of all genres & ages to be sat on, inspected, photographed & discussed with the exhibitors

MotorcycleLive 2023 runs from 18th to 26th November, and Keith Tremeer has once again proposed an outing for CAM Members to the show. Read on for Keith’s description …

The small group heading to MotorcycleLive have settled on a date: Friday 24th November. We will depart the Cambridge area at 8:00am, taking a scenic route to Birmingham (with a breakfast stop along the way) to arrive at the NEC by midday, when everyone will be free to browse the show at their leisure. A group return ride (on a more direct route, but not the M6!) will leave at around 4:00pm – but participants will be free to return independently if they prefer. The total distance is expected to be ~190 miles
Please click here to email me (Keith) ASAP if you would like join this rideout. Tickets cost £25 when purchased online, which includes a £2 booking fee (this rides to £31.00 when purchased on the day). Tickets are valid for any day, so we have the flexibility to choose (collectively or individually) the best day of the week in terms of weather. The NEC offers free motorcycle parking in a covered area