Members Recommendations

Hi, I have had some excellent service from a mobile mechanic who has fixed the problems on my 535.

He came over to me and diagnosed the problem, sourced a second hand spare part to save me money, fitted the piece and carried out a first class job.

I would like to pass on his details as he may be of service to other members.
best regards,
Steve Hagger

Russ Thomas
Based in Rothwell, Lincolnshire
Tel: 01472 371155
Mob: 07940 752 606

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Hi,
If you require a Service, Repairs or a MOT in the Scarborough area I can strongly recommend Grip Cycles they recently Serviced my Dragstar 650A Classic. The premises and workshops are spotless highly recommended.

Grip Cycles and Motorcycles
5 Orchard Court
Dunslow Rd
Scarborough
Nth Yorkshire
YO11 3UT 01723 586565
www.gripcycles.co.uk

Cheers Brian (centre 5 member 6182)

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Hi, For a good services (and a laugh) HALIFAX MOTORCYCLE SERVICES! www.halifaxmotorcycleservices.co.uk
Cheers
Tony

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If you are in the Welwyn Garden City, Herts area, why not give Duncan at BikersRealm a try for any servicing or repairs. He offers a good service at a good price. He looks after my Dragstar 650 and both he and the bike have not let me down
Address: 16 Little Ridge, Ridgeway, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 2BH
Tel: 07729 232591
website: www.bikersrealm.co.uk
Cheers, Mick (Mem No. 5036)

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Cheap Mot’s for club members in the Blackpool area £20.00 rolling road for brake testing great guy to get on with biker himself ACACIA MOT’S, CHISWICK GROVE BLACKPOOL Tel: 01253-791177 he also does tyres the guys name is Dave Curwood.
David E Ogden
Member centre6 number 5683

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Hello there. I’m in Nottingham and I have found a real good chap named “Ado” who has had 24 years experience in the bike service industry and he has now gone on his own at VERY reasonable prices. He has totally re-built my 650A classic inc re-spray and at a great price. I will recommend him to ALL bikers.
Contact “Ado” on 07906 823 667. He’s in Ilkeston and I tell you he will look after you.
Cheers all, Woody.

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P & C Motorsport in Gainsborough have provided me with excellent servicing, loads of free advice. I can fully recommend this garage to all for used bike sales, servicing and repairs.
P & C Motorsport. Bridge Rd, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 1JU
Phone 01427 613300 (From Ian Hagger)

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Servicing of Viragos – great man called Les from La Moto in Wigan, Lancashire. 30 years+ really knows his stuff totally reliable and very cost effective. Tel Les on 01942-497602 (From Roger – C6)

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Hi everyone my name is Steve Gaskell and as a new member of region six I would like to recommend a garage that I have recently used in Standish near Wigan. The name is Parkes Standish Motors and is run by Colin & Alan who are both bikers themselves and from what I have seen have the ability to cover most repairs and also MOTs. Apart from that they are both really nice guys who speak your language. Their Telephone number is 01257423740. I hope that they might be of service to you. (From Steve Gaskell)

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Below are the details of a mate of mine, Paul Lord, he looks after and services my bikes and he is one of the best I have come across in many a year. Anyhow, I was round at his place over the weekend and he was servicing one of those big Jap Cruisers, I was surprised because I thought he only serviced sports bikes, but no he does Cruisers as well.

Can you do me a favour and pass his name on to members of your club and tell them he comes highly recommended for a good job at a fair price and you know the jobs been done proper, no corners cut like at the Main Dealers.

Other satisfied customers include John Burnell and Bob Corbin.

REDLINE SPARES

Servicing and repairs on all makes of motorcycles.
Also parts e.g. Chain and sprockets, brake pads,
plugs filters etc.
PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS.
No VAT charges.

Tel Paul on: 01253 722478
Mobile: 07745007554
14 Smithy Lane, Lytham St Annes.
Callers by Appointment

Best Regards Stan.
(From Stan Porter)

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I can wholeheartedly recommend MAC MOTORCYCLES for excellent work and a really friendly attitude! They have recently worked on my XV750 and put it back on the road for £52. (Others had quoted ridiculous sums of money!!). They can be found at 180 High Street, Tooting, SW17 (Opposite a large Mercedes Dealership) and can be reached on 020 8672 4631. (From Phil Taylor)

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If you need to get your bike serviced and live within striking distance of Horsham, West Sussex, then I’d suggest you use Turn One Motorcycles.  They’re very friendly, helpful and reliable.  And they won’t rip you off!  Give them a ring on 01403-276969. (From Anne Hodson)

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If you need good service and sales at a very good cheap price (a new XVS1100 Drag Star at £4999) try KJM SUPERBIKE. Wrightington, nr Wigan. They are on the web www.kjmsuperbike.co.uk. Ring them on 01257451656. They sell a lot of Drag Stars, Wild Stars etc: I have found that they are friendly, helpful and reliable. Nothing seems to be to much trouble for them. I have been there 4 times in the last 6 months for bikes for myself and 3 of my family. (From Nigel Pargetor (daddy) member no:4105)

 

If you need to transport your motorcycle, why not use a Biker who transports bikes. I highly recommend the services of Stuart Goodman from Avit Delivered, he’s based in the Bristol area near the M4/M5 and transports around the UK. Check out his services out on https://www.avitdelivered.co.uk/, he can also be located on Facebook too. Contact details 07702 529189 stu@avitdelivered.co.uk (from Sharon Bower C17)

Pension Williams in the Black Forest, Germany

Pension Williams
www.pension-williams.com
Tel: 0049 (0)7842 2853
Fax: 0049 (0)7842 2850
Email: info@pension-williams.de

After seeing the advert on the VSOC website we contacted Angela at pension Williams who was very helpful and secured our booking without taking any money from us.
Six of us traveled from the Moselle Valley to the Black Forest to be be greeted warmly by our host David (Angela’s husband).
He had moved his car so we could put our bikes next to the entrance of the Pension (where he normally parks his car!) and under cover but it is a quiet residential area so you have no worries at all about the safety of your bikes. After a welcoming, complimentary drink and chat we were shown to our rooms which were spacious, clean and excellent views over the town of Seebach. We had a dip in the indoor pool whch is very inviting after a hot day travelling on the bikes.

David and Angela provide snacks such as sandwiches and soups at very reasonable prices or you can have a 10-15 minute walk to the local town where there are a few restaurants to choose from. There is a self service bar for beers and wine at reasonable prices within the Pension if you want to ride into the town for a meal and then come back to have a few beers which is what we did. David and Angela made out stay very enjoyable and would certainly recommend them to any bikers wanting to use this as a base whilst exploring the Black Forest.

Due to being members of the VSOC they also gave us a 10% discount which was great and made our final bill at the end of our visit that little bit less frightening. We had an excellent time so please give them a try if you are thinking of going to the Black Forest.

Thanks from,
Jo and Steve Smith (Centre 6)
Mick and Chris Bradley (Centre 6)
Pat and Royston (Our well traveled Moto Guzzi mates)

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Biker Friendly B&B in Norfolk

Lynn and I rent out rooms at daily and weekly rates in our converted Granary in Stoke Ferry, Norfolk.
We particularly welcome bikers and have secure off-road parking.

If you want to know more, give us a ring on 01366-502116 or e-mail on theoldgranary@hotmail.com
We look forward to hearing from you, Brian & Lynn

Many Thanks, Brian Perrett (3702)

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It would be great if you would list this site, www.dartleisure.co.uk A great base for some fantastic riding. Regards, Ken Hands

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Contact: Mick and Vanessa French
La Colombarie
81140 Cahuzac sur Vere
France
Tel: 0033 563 33 98 85
E-mail: mickfrench@wanadoo.fr
web site: http://just-cruisin.monsite.wanadoo.fr

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We are Warner’s Farm, Wimbish (Home of the Wimbash- that goes back a few years). We now do B&B. We have 2 ensuite rooms, 1 double and 1 twin. Breakfasts are legendary and guests have the use of the swimming pool. As member nos. 0009 and 0810 we know what VSOC members need, however we are prepared to ignore that and just provide comfortable beds, big breakfast and friendly service. We are ideally situated for Centres 6, 3, 8 and 7 going to Harwich Ferry.
We also offer good discounts to members.
Phone Netty or Chris on 01799 599525, 07989562316 or 07811162432

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Last weekend me and my wife took a ride down to Lyme Regis. We had a good journey and a good time there. It is a very interesting town. We stayed at the Manaton B&B in Hill Road, Lyme Regis, tel 01297 445138.

It is run by John and Glenda. They told me that VSOC members will be very welcome. We had a very comfortable stay.

I think it will benefit other members to have the option of a good place to stay if they are in the area.
PS £55 per night for a double room. (Bill Vine – centre 19)

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Callington, Cornwall. Ensuite B & B.
1 Double Room
Off road parking
Secure parking for bikes at rear
All town amenities within walking distance
Ideal for touring Devon & Cornwall
Strictly NON Smoking
Phone Pat:- 01579 389226
From Nigel Pargetor (4105)

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Biker Friendly Accommodation, in France

Large renovated farmhouse, situated in Aquitaine (SW France).
1/4 hr ride to the beautiful Aquitaine coast (Arcachon, Pyla)
Nearest town: 1 mile away on the river Garonne, is the medieval market town of La Reole, with good bars and restaurants. Also nearby are Leisure Lakes, Tennis, Golf, Fishing and Grass track racing.
Other nearby historic towns include; St Emilion, St Macaire and Bazas.

The house is surrounded by countryside and has the following amenities:
Ground floor:-

Large lounge (Inc Sky TV, Stereo etc.).
Fully equipped kitchen / dining area with open fireplace. (Fridge freezer, Microwave, Washing Machine etc.).

1st floor:-

2 x “Triple” bedrooms. (Each with double and single bed).
1 x Family room (double and 2 singles)
W.C.
Shower

Duvets, and linen provided (Towels on request). Gas central heating
Large gardens, with terrace, furniture parasols, BBQ, slide and swing.
Private swimming pool 11 x 6m, fully enclosed with sun beds and parasols.
Secure covered bike parking and repair facilities.
Best route: Brittany Ferries – Portsmouth to St Malo.
Very cheap flights available: Manchester to Bordeaux. (www.bmibaby.com)
Prices per week (self catering):
Up to 4 people £500
Each extra person (above 4), £100 each.
We will strive to do our utmost to ensure you have a pleasurable and memorable holiday.

Contact by telephoning Edgar and Sheena 00 33 556613908
or Dave and Joy 01704 578208.

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B&B in Arromanches, France. Unbelievably biker friendly, does proper breakfasts, (I’m not knocking croissants but sometimes the body yearns for bacon!), and has secure covered parking for about nine bikes. You can find them on www.normandybeach.co.uk and email adrian@normandybeach.co.uk also cox.adrian@wanadoo.fr If you’re planning to visit France were you can sit at relatively high speeds 90-100 mph with minimum or no traffic, and the foods …..well French, and the booze is ….well mostly wine or cider or beer, give Adrian an E. He’s about an hour from Cherbourg and I almost forgot, he’s English and the accommodation is pretty spectacular as well. (From Dave Twissell, Paignton, Devon. VSOC #3551 via VSOC Online Forum)

I don’t know if it is of any use to anybody holding a rally in the coming months or years, or even the VSOC. I have found a really good company for embroidered patches. Good, fast & reliable.
They are;

i4c Publicity Ltd
3 Broad Street,
Foleshill,
Coventry,
Warwickshire.
CV6 5AX
http://www.i4cpublicity.co.uk/
Telephone: 0800 298 3226

Ride safe, It’s a jungle out there,
Ray Nicholson. Centre 15.

For Bike to Bike and Rider to Pillion Communications systems I thoroughly recommend www.intaride.com When I was learning to ride my Virago my husband got me one of their Bike to Bike systems so that he could coach me through roundabouts and generally offer help and advice when we were out on the road. Since passing my test I have had a full system fitted to my Dragstar 650, which lets me listen to music on those long journeys, as well as talk to my pillion, to my hubby on his bike and to other bikes. Intaride were great, offering not only first rate equipment, but a full fitting service.
Thanks, Sian.

Whilst Camping on the Tyddyn Du Campsite which is sited halfway between Dolgellau and Barmouth, last weekend, a number of us took the short walk to the Café Bontddy which is run by a fella named Ian Clows, who just happened to be from Cannock in the West Midlands. We had a great breakfast (all cooked fresh) and a social chat with Ian in his comfortable café whilst taking shelter from the torrential rain dumped on us by that hurricane in September 2011.

If anyone from the VSOC is passing down the A496 through Bontddy village, the café will be on the left just after the Halfway house. Ian will make any biker visiting welcome!

If you have an organised run out to Barmouth and there will be a number of you wanting food, Ian can be contacted via email i.clows@yahoo.com to make specific arrangements

Jem – Centre 8

Stainless Steel Spokes at Brickwood Wheel Builders

Old Brickwood Farm
West Grimstead
Salisbury
SP5 3RN
tel: 01722 712701

Send 1 of each as a template, stating how many required (9 each of the small & 18 of the large – for the XVS650 rear wheel). They say about £45 all up delivered for a set with nipples. Then find someone to relace your wheel (or be brave and do it yourself!!) (Jon Bevan)

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I feel I need to let the Club know of this product I bought at the NEC this year.

I ride with a full face during winter and struggle to keep water off the visor like most riders also some stuff for water repelling ruins the coatings on my visors.
I bought a bottle of visor proof from Grin Factor and boy does this work! No damage to the visor and even freezing fog does not stand a chance – water just beads and runs off in the wind.
Check out www.grinfactor.com £6.99 inc P&P. This is great stuff! (Regards Rob – Centre 8)

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Hi All. I would like to tell you of a company I found by accident while searching the web for replacement screens for my Royal Star. They are called Cee Baileys www.ceebaileys.com They are located in California USA. They make windshields for many different types of bikes as well as other useful bits. I ordered a replacement windshield for my Royal Star, they make them in various heights and also offer tinting. The price I paid for a 24 inch one was 90 dollars and 31 dollars shipping via Fedex priority overnight. They have a distributor in the UK called Woddies bike emporium but their prices are in sterling. I suggest if you want one go directly to Cee Baileys you pay in dollar. The quality of the part was as good ,if not better than an original manufactured part. If you have any questions you can email me at adecasey@eircom.net  Ade. (Centre 20 Ireland)

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Hi, just thought I’d let you know about the excellent service I have received from VisorsWorldwide.

http://www.visorsworldwide.com/
Telephone – 01481 712662
Fax – 01481 700221
e-mail – sales@visorsworldwide.com

They managed to supply me with a road legal tinted visor for a helmet that most other suppliers had never even heard of, and recently when one of my visor fixings disappeared as I was riding to work (what loctite?!!!) they were kind enough to locate and supply me with a full set of replacement fixings, including posting them to me, absolutely free of charge! I cannot recommend them highly enough. They can get hold of a lot more than is listed on their website too, so give them a ring! (Gareth & Jackie)

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Just thought I would drop you a note about NRP Carburettor Diaphragms who have just repaired my 535 units. I got one fixed last year but it came un-glued in the week and I also found a small hole in the other one. Sods Law!! Mind you it did get some stick on the trip to Prague. Anyway, Andy at NRP is very obliging and repaired both for me on Saturday, only charging me for the new unit. He is situated actually in Victoria Station in Manchester, not on the tracks, but pretty close in a lockup as you walk into the station approach. Very handy for me living in Eccles. He also has a leather repair and alteration service in the same place (think this is his main business) which may be of interest to club members as well. You can find him at www.nrp-carbs.co.uk . He also does Air cut-off valves, Fuel tap kits and Float valve repair kits. (Bob Aldham)

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Lamba Motorcycles in Carshalton, Surrey have been giving me a 10% discount on spares/Yamaha accessories over the late few years, they are also pretty helpful if you have a problem. (Alan Stephens # 1803 Centre 14)

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Customlids. Great site with great prices on clothing, lids, gloves, boots etc also lots of accessories (give them a bell & they’ll bend over backwards to help if it’s not on the site) is Custom Lids contact details as follows:
web page: www.customlids.co.uk
address: Custom Lids, 247-251, Westgate Road, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE4 6AH
tel.: 0191 232 6454
e-mail: sales@customlids.co.uk
contact: Neil or Malcolm (both really helpful!!)
LADIES – great site for us too – lots of small sizes!!!!!  (Annya Stevens)

Just a quick message to let the other members know of a bike breakers I have recently used. They provided a fast and efficient service. The part was ordered on Saturday morning and arrived, well packaged on Thursday morning with loads of bubble wrap. So that’s the part AND a stress reliever FOC, ha ha ha….

Project Bikes Ltd

Units 5-7 Great Northern Road
Eastwood
Notts
NG16 2TD
tel: 01773 765051
(GIBBO – Centre 15)

Doug Taylor Metal Finishing Co. Unit 7,Knightcott Ind Est, Banwell, Somerset. BS24 6JN.
Douggie’s a good old boy who does a superb job! email: sales@dougtaylormetalfinishing.co.uk
Tel: 01934 820454 or fax: 01934 824058
(Bill Harding C17)

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2 recommendations: Firstly, M.A.D. products. They sold me some greatly discounted exhausts for my Dragstar. They look good & sound awesome! + £30 cheaper than anywhere else (they were Highway Hawk). Secondly, M.A.D. products. I went to the Beaulieu Motorcycle Festival in July (fab day, got burnt to buggery!).  I bought some Highway Hawk Mirrors in good faith from a stand (bargain price!) but the sun must have got to me as he did a lucky dip when he said “Dragstar – no problem!”.   When I got home they didn’t fit!! Ah ha!, I thought, got the bag with the phone number on! It was a bag from a reputable dealer in Glasgow! who said “Beaulieu, where is that?” when I explained it was about as far south as you can go he laughed even harder! and then became very interested about his carrier bags! Anyway, I spoke to MAD and they ordered me 2 new stalks for less than £8 !!! Thank you (Nigel, Solent Branch)

www.ashfordchroming.com
Ashford Chroming and Metal Polishng
“The Home of Metal Finishing In Kent”
Contact Martin Webb
Mobile: 07798946071.
Direct Office Line: 01233 660879.

Hi guys, below you will find a link (Facebook only) to a company who do all your stainless nuts and bolts ( they did mine and I was very happy with turn around)

If you need any or would like to change yours, you can get in touch with them and they will bring to the rally, or they could measure up and you can order at the rally, they are there for the Saturday only. They are very helpful, so you can ring them and enquire and also state its for our rally in August  so please pass onto your members.

https://www.facebook.com/SapphireMotorcycles/?ref=page_internal

(TC Ride safe, Bruce Thompson)

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I recently made contact with a lady who runs a small engineering company that also does very high quality work for Formula One clients. Carole’s late husband was a biker (2 Harley’s…what can one say?), so she has a interest in helping fellow bikers with their one-off or small quantity engineering job needs. Website is www.chmartin-eng.co.uk and she can be contacted on 01493 394948 (Great Yarmouth) or email martin.eng@talk21.com (From Martin Yates)

Ever tried getting bike insurance for a 17 year old?

I hadn’t until now. With my oldest turning 17 the [ugg!] scooter is on its way out and a 125 will be arriving shortly.

Dad of course gets to pay for the insurance ….. HOW MUCH!!!

Each phone call was more depressing than the last. Finishing the round of the usual brokers/insurers I’d come up with nothing under £1137=15 (TPF&T), even my own favourite Wicked Quotes couldn’t save me. After what I’m used to paying for my two bikes, I was breaking out in a cold sweat (“what the F*** am I going to do now”). A couple of Google searches later and I’d found a list of bike insurers, which included ‘eBike insurance’.

Result! (sort of) the quote was a little over £400 cheaper than the next best – I’m off the intensive care list. Another year’s no-claims and, hopefully, renewal date won’t be a repeat trauma (more an outpatient job).

Here’s the link: http://www.ebikeinsurance.co.uk/

Regards, Iain From (Iain Richards Memb No. 4979 – C:12)

Further to the posting in here for eBike, having just bought a brand new V Star, there have been a few insurance companies fly into fits of panic over anything not imported by Yamaha UK.

eBike looked at it and said “No Problem” and even added V Stars to their drop down list of bikes.

Got my vote! (Gyro)

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Great insurance company called Wicked Quotes. Got TPF&T in SW9 for £82 with £150 excess – not bad when you consider the next best quote was £128.10p from Bennett’s who I’ve been with for 3 years now & they couldn’t match it.
You can contact them on 0870 419 0430. (From Annya Stevens)

Hi , the guy listed below has got the best and cheapest leathers of all types in Norfolk. They make and sell them through three outlets in Norfolk.
NORFOLK LEATHER CENTRE. 106, Regent St. Great Yarmouth, NR30 2AE. Phone 01493 851029. Also Lowestoft 01502538882 and Cromer 01263 519734. His personal phone number is  07956 227770 Raja Sajjad Ayub (Sarji.) He is a great guy, so if you need leathers, just call him. Hope you find this of help. (From Barry, Centre 10, Norfolk)

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There is a little leather shop called M.C. Handmade, opposite Halfords in Chatham that is very reasonable for leather goods.  He had a set of throw-over saddle bags for £60 he also does repairs and is very helpful. The address is 18 Batchelor Street, Chatham, Kent ME4 4BJ Tel: 01634 830008. (From Ron Abbott)

Hello

I tried to buy some touch up paint from a Yamaha dealer but he said it was no longer available. He said that he would not be able to supply paint for any Yamaha that had been out of production for 5 years.

After an extensive search I found: www.rsbikepaint.com

The paint I needed wasn’t in their massive range of 25,000 colours. I loaned them a mudguard for a few days and they created the pain I wanted.

Other Virago / Star owners might have use of their services. I thoroughly recommend them.

Regards – Andrew Gadd

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DH Kustoms – Unit 13, Meadow Lane, Loughborough Call 07799-366641

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Stuart (Sam) Hughes made a lovely job of my bike which won best Custom at the North Star Rally, information can be found on his website at: www.bikeart.co.uk (C14 Member –  Alan Johnson)

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Four Aces: I have just had my tank and fenders airbrushed on my Dragstar 1100 and I have been asked by several members who have seen it if I could give them the details of the guy who did the work for me. The total cost to take the bike to bits, spray the tank and fenders with a mural and then re-build the bike was £750.00 CASH it would have been 17.5% higher if I paid by any other method.

Four aces v twin
Unit 12
Sycamore centre
Eastwood Trading Estate
Rotherham
South Yorkshire
S65 1EN

Telephone 01709 362666

They are open Mon to Sat 09.00 to 17.30

If anyone rings them ask for Mervin
(From Paul Green)

Having searched and failed miserably to get a new genuine screen for my Virago the boat part company below came recommended.
I looked up the part number, saw it was listed with them, and laughing placed the order expecting to be told it wasn’t available.
Imagine my surprise when it arrived 2 weeks later at a cost, including postage from the States of £35.
(£60 less than the last one I bought in the UK from a Yam dealer.)
It seems as long as you have the actual part number they can, and are very willing, to help.
http://www.boats.net
OutdoorNetwork Corp.
730 Highway 27 North – Lake Placid, FL 33852 US  (From Alan Johnson (AJ) C14 Rep.)

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In regard to an advert for 2 side covers for a Virago XV750 I found a man in the States who has and can get them. He seems to be able to most things he has a Part Number list for Yamahas.
The guy’s name for virago parts is Glynn R. Davis,  45OO Printers Court, White Plains. MD 20695 USA.
His email address is gdavis@grdcycle.com
Phone Number is US 001-3018430144.
If you go on USA eBay lookout for grdcycle2646. Hope he can help others. Cheers Dave.

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I hate to give away my Virago secrets, but here it is… I have a 1984 XV700 and get all my parts from www.greenscycle.com It is a motorcycle graveyard for all make and models of bikes. Every part that you could think of and engines as well. It is located in Millwood, Ky in the USA. From (Matt Duncan)

Bootleg Bike Seats are a part of Preston Car Trim, a company that’s been operating in Preston since 1979.

We are a small family run business with a reputation for good quality at reasonable prices and, with over 35 years of experience in crafting interiors of the highest quality backing up that reputation, continue to keep our customers biking happy!

They did my seat and Kevin’s on his Raider and are doing Steve’s Raider next week. They do a fantastic job and are good value. Check out the site.www.bootlegbikeseats.com/  (Janet Butterworth)

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Motorcycle Seatworks, 366-370 Woodside Road, Wyke, Bradford. BD12 8HT. Tel 01274 604672. Website www.motorcycleseatworks.co.uk If you have a seat which requires re-foaming, recovering or altering then please call Damon who will be pleased to carry out the work for you. He can also convert seats into King & Queen if required. (From Howard, Yorkies webmaster)

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Hi Guys (and gals) Just to let you know I have found the best “seat repairer” in the business. Give Lee a call on 07977874075 and he will travel within M25 area. Just did a beaut recovering job on my Corbin seat for £45. He tells me has never charged over £50! Brilliant guy, and can even do “Flag of St George” if needed! (From Jim Freeston: Centre 14)

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Trev Marsh, Mansfield. I knocked up a back rest to stop Sue from flicking off the bike and could not think of any way of covering it to make it look as if it “fit”. I took it to Trev Marsh in Mansfield and he did it in two days. No Problem! He also re-upholstered and covered a Honda seat very reasonably. So give him a call for your seat cover needs phone/fax 01623 654165 Home 01623 640317 (From Malc – Kirkby)

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Bantaskin Bike Seats. I recently had a seat recovered by these guys and they did a great job of it. They have a range of colours and will tackle any seat – I have seen a’Corbin’ they did.  The cost is around £50 +p&p for a standard Virago seat. If needs be they even do a 24hour turnaround at no extra cost.
Phone :- 01324638981
Mobile :- 07833711547
From Tom Brady (stumpytom)

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Brilliant upholsterer who is also a biker!!! Alterations to seats, saddle bags etc. Contact: Gary Hubbard, Unit 1DE Cumberland Road Trading Estate, Loughborough, Leics.  LE11 5DF. Tel 01509 267166 or 07970 267747. Great service – cheap too (from Brad)

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Motorcycletyres UK. I spoke to their tech guy Mark regarding repairing a puncture – and they are expert! Gave me really good advice. Bottom line is – never use sealant for a permanent repair!! Use a mushroom repair for a simple nail in tyre job.

www.motorcycletyresuk.com

Probably the best tyre specialists in the UK
Sid Meyer (Centre 15)

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I can recommend MTS on Little Tennis Street, Nottingham for tyres, balancing and of course fitting. Owner is Tim, a bike racer himself so he knows a thing or two about the essential black rubber bits.
Can be contacted on 0115 941 3333 or 07973 521006. Very reasonable prices and a good cuppa as well! Try him.
Ian Philips

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I would like to highly recommend Alan at Watling tyres in Gillingham, Kent.

Sound advice, good service and very reasonable prices from a real bike enthusiast, and his electronic balancing machine can handle bike wheels.
Alan Johnson (AJ) Centre 15

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I must recommend the shop below for their ride-in, ride-out tyre fitting service. Continental Milestones fitted to my XV750 inc. balancing for just £140.00. Pity they are Honda Agents but we can forgive that for the brilliant service. (Brad, Centre 9)
Twiggers Motorcycles
30 Nottingham Road
Loughborough
Leics. LE11 1EU
01509 263967

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K W Motorcycle Tyres I understand you are after good tyre fitters and suppliers, well I think I may qualify. My name is Karl, I’m based in Weston Super Mare, in Somerset, and fitting and supplying bike tyres is my business. I’ve been working for myself for 4 months now, and I’ve already had over 150 customers. I worked for a couple of national companies where I received training from Avon and Dunlop. I did my apprenticeship in a main dealer bike shop as a mechanic. I decided to set up on my own because after working in these places I felt that the bikers I met were feeling conned with parts, service, insurance and tyres. I’m a biker myself and wish that everyone tried riding a bike at least once in there life. So I wanted to do my bit and did what I know best sell and fit tyres at a sensible price, I haven’t done much advertising, most of my customers have been recommended by other customers. I work from home so I’ve got very few overheads. I also don’t charge for wheel removal , valves or balancing I’m not tied to any manufacturer so I can offer unbiased advice on most makes and patterns after establishing needs. All my prices are inclusive so what I say is what it is. I’ve invested a lot in getting the right equipment because a biker and his machine should be given the respect they deserve. I can put a pair of Bridgestone’s on an XV750 (100/90/19h g535 front, and 140/90/15h g536) for £145 ride away price if interested then give me a call on 01934 642615 or 07751 381111 between 9.30 and 5.30 I also do out of hours fitting at no extra cost and at a time to suit. Thanks for your time and look forward to hearing from you soon.

For all your welding needs. Ali, steel, cool ali-ark (tig welding), aircraft coded standards. Motorcycle (new, classic, off road ) and general repair work. He is a top class welder and will travel if needs be, he is also a biker. Contact Bob Crudgington on 01489 790 196 or mob 07752 383 624 or email annezog@aol.com (From Michael Cunliffe)