C.H.&.I.R.S.
Chiltern Hills and Imminent Regions Sidecarists 		   


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CAMPING CH&IRS
words by Andrew Ross, images by Barry Lang
As the clouds of war gathered in mid-September, the CH&IRS decided it was safest to head for the hills. Unfortunately they got the wrong hills and ended up in the Cotswolds, not the Chilterns, and as someone pointed out, this was pretty near to the Brize Norton RAF transport base - not ideal if the intention was to get far away from potential military targets.		  
We decided what we needed was some up to date military kit, so we headed for F2 Motorcycles, purveyors of fine Russian (and Chinese) motorcycles. These look great and would no doubt intimidate any opponent into passive submission. Chief purveyor says that he personally rebuilds every new engine before the customer receives it - designed in the 1930s, built in Russia, finished in Banbury. However the big Chinese 750 sidevalve takes the biscuit for me.

The writer has some personal experience of a Russian sidecar (the somewhat lighter Sports version - I am not sure if it is obtainable any more) and can speak for their virtues and vagaries when attached to an old MZ. I have also heard that the modern day Urals can cover many thousands of miles relatively trouble-free in the right hands. They are designed for pottering around on poorly-made roads, so it is no surprise if they fall apart when ridden at full throttle for long periods in our traffic conditions.
  The first camp of the CH&AIRS also happened to coincide with the Charlbury Street Fair. We nearly became the first people to visit Charlbury and fail to find the Street Fair, but we eventually did locate it, had a burger and a pint, enjoyed some quite good Pogues-like folk music and admired a rather small number of carnival floats. Barry, who came along so that his very clean GTR outfit would make other participants feel inadequate about their machines, took several rolls of film, and definitely looked the part with his tweed cap on backwards.   Pogues-like folk band  

This was also the first camp for Comrade Teamleader's new (well, rather old actually) BMW outfit. This bike, we decided, definitely has potential - potential not to break the wiring in the headlamp, potential not to have a fuel leak, not to break the mudguard stay and not to skitter around all over the road. Oh and potentially it could have indicators. Potentially a good outfit. Steve went home clutching the Perseverance in the Face of Adversity Award (or would have done, if there had been one).

  Cotswold scene So by the end we had survived our first Club event, war seemed not to have been declared, and we resolved to do it again. Anybody know a good camping venue perhaps nearer the Club's Chiltern heartlands? Or indeed somewhere that could serve as a winter venue for a cheapish hotel/bunkhouse type event?

More images from this event and many other sidecar images can be viewed at threewheels-uk.com

 
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