Had that welcome thud on the doormat this morning , the mag is out and,impressively, contains a long list of newly joined members - a very positive sign for the Marque. It also contains my letter for which I thank you Mr Editor, I know what I will be reading this evening…enjoy folks 
Yep. 
Like the Triking thingy
Great allegorical article by Steve about Guzzi factions.
Really well penned.
Well done m8y
…
A great read, all the items were quality, particularly enjoyed the philosophical
Beards and Tattoo’s - some really keen human observations in there , well done
to all concerned .
Agree 100%
Great to see a long list of new members and a diversity of content.
Just off to work out how to buy and Triking and a Ghezzi-Brian… 
Have fun
Steve
I like the idea of a Triking, and a while back I had a spare engine and a Windle kneeler outfit and was thinking I might go down the three wheel route again with either that or a Triking (passed my test on my 500 Triumph with a Swallow Jet 80 on the side) but with the heavy traffic on the roads around here these days I don’t see the point any more. Why have a bike and sit in traffic jams?
Great magazine again, well done Roger. It is nice to see so many contributors.
Re Beards and Tattoos.
I have read it three times, I think I know what the author is going on about, it is just that I have never seen the problem in either the MGCGB or the Mayflower MCC which are my main clubs.
The first time I did the Saddle Sore rally at the Lenchford inn there was a brand new Boom Trike which had cost £38K and shortly after Alan Gilmore (who I met for the first time) turned up on his even more expensive Morgan. I did wonder what I had wondered into for a while but then there were also bikes there which probably weren’t worth a £k due to age and use. Both of the expensive vehicles were retirement presents to the owner and I am now in the position to buy both should I want to. Possibly if I were 25 years younger I might have thought it interesting, but not now. Been there, seen the film, bought the t shirt and eaten the cast.
Later in the year I did the Chiltern Rally at Datchworth Green, Suffolk. A police Range Rover went past every 20 minutes because the locals are worth it. But no side. Someone saw my MGCGB shirt and commented (in a friendly way) that the one make clubs weren’t really wanted. Someone else (all strangers to me) said ‘No, the Guzzi club is fine, really friendly’.
On the Saturday I wandered over to watch the cricket on the village club. I am sitting there drinking a beer when about 70 more bearded, tattooed and pierced persons walked over to watch (the blokes were even worse), one of whom I later discovered was a black witch ( like a white witch but believed in a different form of witchcraft). The locals (very posh) just said ’ here come the bikers’ and happily served them beers etc. whilst the 'orrible 'airies made very knowledgeable comments about the cricket.
The day before the rally I mentioned to someone at work that what I was doing over the weekend was going to a rally I had never been to before which be full of people I didn’t know.
‘You won’t enjoy that’ was his reply. Wrong.
Possibly a decent comment on life as it is seen in general but outside of some HD and BMW riders not something I have ever encountered.
But then I am a glass half full type.
Kinds words. Many thanks.
Have fun
Steve
@ Ian - amazing! 
How so?
Who has dissed you inside the club for your choice of vehicle/lifestyle?
Who have you dissed yourself?
I agree with you about where you live but go North 200 miles and the story is completely different.
I am thinking about one for the future.
None! I was referring to the “lifestyle uniform” aspect
Hi Mike, misunderstood your reply so sorry.
I went to 2 DOC meeting in Colchester in 1980. At the second most had come back from the TT and were gloating about all the bent Le Mans with dead pilots at every corner on Mad Sunday. The vitriol was amazing.
They were obviously lying and neither of us bothered going back. This was 4 years before I bought my first Guzzi.
Steve, a modern Triumph owner mentioned early on that he was amazed we allowed him to attend our rallies as we would not be allowed to Triumph ones even if we parked away from the site. He obviously preferred our attitude.
I know of 2 people this century who are members who have never owned a Guzzi and of course there are all those who now ride Triumphs, Ducati’s, BMW’s and HD’s (one is a committee member and one is our sub editor) who are regular attendee’s.
The friendly club, that’s us.
As an aside one of Plato, Aristotle or Socrates wrote a piece complaining about the noisy and disrespectful youth. Where they are allowed to grow up in a non restrictive envoironment it will always be the same and our modern youth are no different. There is no generational divide, just people.
When I finally got my BSA A10 all lovely and back on the road a few years back I looked for a nearest branch of the BSAOC to pop along to. It was at a pub near Colchester, and the next evening event I rode up there on my A10. There were probly at least 30 blokes (and it was all blokes) from the club there, mostly standing around outside enjoying some sunshine. Mine was just one of three bikes in the car park.
Now I’m no shrinking violet when it comes to turning up unannounced but they wouldn’t even give me the time of day. I did get to talk to a couple of the older characters, who complained that they never seemed to do much anymore, and never really attracted any new members. Well quell surprise. I never went back, and have chosen not to have anything to do with any part of the BSAOC ever since.
So yes, out here on the MGCGB side of the fence we are a lot more tolerant generally. But as Steve illustrates – we need to be careful not to be complacent.
I have always disliked the phrase “lifestyle uniform” and have disliked the concept before the distasteful term was coined. I have always been proud of being an individual and have worn what I feel comfortable and safe in. In the early 70’s that was a leather jacket and jeans because I rode a motorcycle, even though I had long hair I considered myself as neither a biker nor a hippy, I was still refused entry to pubs, especially in the West Country, because they disliked both and considered me to be one or the other or both. Unfortunately, in all walks of life there are people who judge others by their appearance, I try to avoid such people as far as I can.
[quote="Chris950s
I have always disliked the phrase “lifestyle uniform” and have disliked the concept before the distasteful term was coined. I have always been proud of being an individual and have worn what I feel comfortable and safe in. In the early 70’s that was a leather jacket and jeans because I rode a motorcycle, even though I had long hair I considered myself as neither a biker nor a hippy, I was still refused entry to pubs, especially in the West Country, because they disliked both and considered me to be one or the other or both. Unfortunately, in all walks of life there are people who judge others by their appearance, I try to avoid such people as far as I can.[/quote]
Never heard of the term before but agree with you totally. Up until recently my choice of motorcycle clothing was dictated by what I could afford and nothing else.
Unfortunate choice of phrase apparently. But not mine (I didn’t make it up).
I was merely remarking how fashion was obviously important to the “bearded, tattooed and pierced persons”, altho we of course don’t bother with that sort of nonsense and just wear what’s practical and comfortable and according to personal taste.
Sorry didn’t want to start a contentious debate.
So beards, tattoos and piercings make people different somehow? I am not the PC police but I must object to that view. If I grew a beard, got a tattoo and had a piercing I would still be me, just as I am without any of those decorations, just as I was with long hair and a leather jacket.
Correct.
We have met so no animosity from me in any way but, why do we need to be careful.
It is like the inspect your inner rapist campaign 3 months ago, I didn’t bother as I don’t have one, nor does anyone I know.
I had a mate in the army whose nickname started with N and ended up with er, with a couple of horses in between.
It was to differentiate him from Whitey Smith in the same way as we had Ugly Jones and Pretty Jones.
Can people still call me Ginger should they wish and are any nicknames based on my large proboscis cruel or wrong?
As you may have noticed all this snowflake, left wing, pc, trendy, innacurate view of humanity gets right up my (large) nasal organ.
And if the Speeling Gestapo want to get in on the act they can do one too,