Treasure Hunt Rally

The first running of Grim Riders' Treasure Hunt rally took place on Saturday. You can read my report on my website here.

i-gotU GPS Tracker

I know several people who use SPOT trackers to record their rides and have thought the idea of having a record of your rides would be useful. However, SPOT trackers are quite expensive - this is because of their primary use which is to act as a safety device, meaning that you can always get a message through if you are inured somewhere out of mobile phone coverage. Whether you are likely need that sort of support within the UK is something of a moot point.


I had read about other GPS trackers and came across a review of the i-gotU GPS tracker on the gadgeteer's site here. This discusses the use of the device far better than I can do here!


I decided it was worth looking into, especially as I found one on sale in Maplin's in Telford marked at £29.95 (I think it was meant to be £39!). After a few trials I first used it on a ride this week. The only issues I had with the device were firstly where to secure it - it is very small (about 4cm x 2cm x 1cm), and I ended up attaching it with  some dual lock to my right hand winglet; and secondly to get used to remembering to press it each time I stopped to take a photograph. having synchronised the time on my camera with the time on the GPS software I was ready to go.


On my return it was fairly simple (following the instructions I downloaded from i-gotU's website) to upload my route into the Trip software, where it instantly appears in Google Maps, and then import the photographs from my camera into the route - these were time matched so they appear in the correct place on my route. Each photograph is also stamped with the time and the longitude and latitude where it was taken. After creating an account on the Trip website I then uploaded the route and here it is (note route probably looks quite convoluted - this is not because I kept getting lost, but it included visits to several landmarks I cannot show on a public forum!). I particularly like the 3D view, when you click on the Start icon a little motorcycle follows the route round.

Catching Up on Stuff

Okay, it is now April and nearly six months since I last wrote anything in this blog, and I have felt bad about that but increasing time pressures at work have meant what time I have had to spend on motorcycling has been spent either on riding or on building up my website.


So what has happened over the past six months - I will try and list what I can think which will remove my guilt at not having written anything for so long, and at the same time get me up to date:

• there have now been seven Grim Riders newsletters, being sent out to over 160 riders interested in long distance rallies. 
• the charity ride for 2010 was launched with fifteen Battlefields to be visited through the year. Already 46 riders have signed up with nearly £1000 raised to support the work of the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.
• completed the Round Britain Rally for 2009, gaining a Gold Award (am gradually working up to an All-Rounder!). I enjoyed attending the annual dinner in Meriden in February. The RBR for 2010 starts from today, have worked out where (nearly) all the 89 landmarks are for this year. Unlike any other event, the amount of research needed to locate the landmarks seems to take nearly as long as it would to visit them all!
• the first Grim Riders' ride also took place in February with the Winter Challenge on the 6th. The aim for those (few) entering was to visit five landmarks from any one ride, thereby gaining a Challenge Bronze award. 
• on the subject of rides, also added a couple more - the Windmills and Circuits Rides.
• took part in the first rally of the year, the South West Peninsula Spring Rally on 27th March. This was again well run by the South West IAM and I was pleased to see a good increase in the number of riders taking part this year.
• entered the Brit Butt Rally and IBA Ireland's Bally Rally.
• have done little work on the GS apart from sorting out the lights after all the auxiliary light switches stopped working (just wired them into the standard lights on the GS, much simpler!) and having an extra fuel tank fitted on the back of the bike - can now get 44 litres and cover over 400 mile between stops (for fuel at least!).

Fuller details of all these events can be found on the website. Shall try to keep more up to date here from now on!