Following on from Rons posting on the subject here are the machine eligibility criteria for Normandy 2014....

Motorcycles MUST be Allied Forces military motorcycles of the wartime period, presented in a military specification (not civilianised) and be manufactured in an Allied country.
NO Axis motorcycles are eligible under ANY circumstances..e.g. 'captured' or of pre war manufacture by an Axis country, even if supplied to the armed forces of a 'friendly' country.
Bona fide 'impressed machines' will be considered on a case by case basis at the time of booking, but there must evidence of authenticity and they must be presented in a military finish.
To take part in the Guinness Record Attempt (which is part of the event) machines MUST be booked onto the tour. Late entries will be considered individually on the day, but the organisers reserve the right to reject any machine deemed unsuitable...

I hope that clears things up for anyone who is unsure...This information will be included in the 'booking on' information you will receive when the list opens next year...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Hi Ian

Just to clarify the situation as some folks are already planning for 2014

For the 2014 6th June event (Guinness book event) only period militarised vehicles will be permitted to be on the run and all going well enter Arromanches as in 2009. That's clear & understood

We have a 43 ex wd Harley 45 ( now civvy spec) which will travel to France as a holiday to speak with other wd spec machines

on the day of the event I intend to accompany this bike at the rear of the main group with my own m20 and will park this bike (harley) somewhere outside the non parking perimeter we encounter every year at arromanches. We did this on the 65 for 65 with a friend on a modern bike with no problem.
As you can imagine, I can't expect this person to militarise then re- civilianise the machine just for the day/event but do want them to experience the atmosphere of the event due to the unique nature and significance of the 70th anniversary

Fully clear it will not comply with criteria for entry or participation in the "official run", fully clear it will run at the very rear and break away from the group for separate parking on the day.

We are now planning for the event - ferries - hotels etc so once this is is clarified, we can proceed

I'm sure I'm not the only forum member who might have a similar request and hope that I have made my request clear to you as an organiser

I,'ll wait to hear from you - am not looking for special dispensation from clear entry conditions, just clarification on my request in advance

Many thanks

Job

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

I believe that measures are already in place to deal with civilianised machines.



The image is IWM B 11247

Great photo Rik

:-D :-D

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

Hi John...To clarify your point, niether civilianised Military bikes or any civilian bikes are eligible for any part of the 2014 Tour including the Guiness Record Run. All participating bikes must be in a WD specification and finish.
Eligibility rules have been tightened (clarified in more detail) following 65-65, as after discussions it was decided a firm line must be 'drawn in the sand' on machine criteria. Experience on 65-65 demonstrated that the intended limits and spirit of the event will be 'pushed' and exceeded by some participants (and 'non participants' not booked on to the tour but invited on the day by other tour members)..
There will be no exceptions to these rules and every effort will be made to enforce them...
Saying that the roads in France are public roads and anyone can drive where they please..If non eligible bikes wish to follow the run that is their perogative...but we would request they stay a reasonable distance to the rear of the 'Tail End Charlie' who will be carrying a flag to indicate his function....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I hope to have my M20 complete with this event in mind, when do we need to start registering? from what I've read my bike will meet all criteria with ease once fully restored.

email (option): 79aust@sky.com

Hi Julian...Booking on for the event will commence approx. late April 2013 and run until the mid/end of April 2014. I will post details here when that happens. It will also appear in some magazines around then....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

A couple of points.

I understand it may actually be ilegal to run "convoys" in France, and the legal definition of a convoy could be as few as 3 vehicles.

A convoy of just 60 bikes with a couple of bike lenghs between each one will use nearly 1/4 mile of road and need several goes at each set of traffic lights to procede.

We know from previous years that if the convoy leader travels at 25mph the bikes at the back of a 75 bike convoy have to do nearly 50.

Ian and I were discussing an organized run to St Mere Eglise a couple of days before or after D-Day, its the only place at the far American end of Normandy where everyone could find lunch at the same time, we have parked a few dozen there in the past but where would we put 60 bike, or 200 + friends? and on the busiest week the town has ever seen.

2014 will be bigger than ever before, and we are also sharing our locality with the MVT and the IMPS who are usually at Ranville.

The bottom line is we are much more likely to get away with any of this with as few vehicles as possible in a convoy, so having a load of extras at the back everywhere we go will not help, and you may think, well I'm only bringing one mate on a non military bike but what if everyone did?

Isn't the whole point of the exercise for WD bike enthusiasts to ride together?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11@yahoo.co.uk

Hi Rob..It seems to me the French routinely ignore any laws regarding 'convoys' around the D Day period (using their own definition of the word) and they have shown no signs of concern or of changing that stance so far...though you can never say never.
On the 60th they did provide a Gendarmerie escort (which may have been requested/suggested by the MVT) for the 258 trucks and assorted vehicles that came off the ferry in 'one hit', but that was really another magnitude of scale.
I agree with your comments on the runs developing a 'tail' of non eligible machines which by its nature will be impossible to keep seperate from the main group of bikes..'Seperate' I would have thought in this context, inferring a gap of at least 1/4 of a mile.
However, these are public roads so what can we do other than to exclude these machines from the actual runs.
I think this discussion illustrates why criteria are required, as immediately they were posted there was a suggestion that looked to 'bend' the definition of who is taking part and who isn't...We all have a view I'm sure and I don't like the idea that a sufficient number of these machines..if they were to appear..could cause us additional complications, particularly as they are not actually part of the tour. For that reason, personally I don't really welcome or sanction them and agree totally this should be a 100% military event as intended. People are free to observe if they wish to but in my opinion shouldn't seek to take part..even 'by proxy'.. without the correct machine. You can't make rules for things you don't control but I feel it should be incumbent on the individual to respect the priciples and spirit of the tour and what it is trying to do. At the end of the day though, we don't control access to the French road system so I don't feel we am able to do much about it at this point.....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Dear Sirs
Having taken part in the 65/65 you may remember me I was the trades bike RAF blue small front wheel trade sign basket etc , my roll to transport owner to the wash room first thing in the morning ,basket ideal for loo roll , moving on I've been looking forward to our next outing 2014 , I've been fitted with a weblike motor 1942 , as owner has hip issue , As a genuine trades bike , that sat out side our butchers. During the war my claim to fame. The dam Germans bombed it leaving me in need of restoration
please advise if I'm eligible

Hi Ian

Thanks for your reply

I know we have spoken of this off forum before at Stafford, however as time moves on and discussions/planning for the event evolve, I needed to have the fficial line on this, I cannot afford any misunderstandings on this as travel arrangements from Ireland for this person ( you know who) are not as convenient as UK riders find nor are they cheap - therefore my need to plan this well in advance

Official line is good for me, now I know and so do others who might have plans for a partner to attend on a non military machine / compliant etc.

We just got to formulate plan B now, 19 months sounds like a long time, but we might just have to restore a bike within this time, could be fun though

Maybe 2013 for a more relaxed bimble through the countryside methinks too

:-)

Jo'b

email (option): Jonnyob1@googlemail.com

Having organised bike road runs, of a different nature to this, I understand Ian's position completely. I totally agree with his stance, even though it means having to take a hard line with some who support the idea but who don't meet the qualifying criteria. There seems to be an attitude prevalent these days that 'if I want to tag along then I can'. Ok if it is a public highway then anyone, in theory, can ride anywhere and so if some selfish drongo wants to 'butt in' to to the middle, or end, of a column then it can be argued that it can't be stopped. I know from experience that this can lead to dangerous riding practise. A couple of friends of mine are keen to witness some aspects of the tour, in particular the Record Run part. They have already been clued in by myself regarding the 'eligiblity bit' and they accept they will be watching it from the side of a road from various vantage points before blatting off on their own to view from another spot. They will enjoy the challenge of getting ahead by alternative routes and using their bikes' riding qualities rather than tagging on the end and in fact not seeing very much. As much as you might want to tag along on 'enjoy the experience of it', get real - if you are not on a correct bike then you are not part of it at all. And if you keep getting cut up/cut off from the convoy then it will more than likely be quite frustrating. I reckon everyone with similar friends should make a similar suggestion to them i.e. spectate rather than trying to participate. Anything else is well out of order in my opinion. I also reckon that some suitably large slow sympathetic WW2 British 4 wheelers should be recruited to tag along immediately behind the back marker when it initially starts off and then gradually slow down and open up a nice safe gap behind the 'run'. On French roads that should be enough to do the job.

email (option): cruiserchooser AT hotmail.co.uk