“Without two Williams – William The Bastard and William Harley – there would be no 1066. Thanks Guys!”
This is Harold. On a Harley. That’s King Harold Of England of course. There is no conclusive historical evidence that Harold rode a Harley, just strong rumours. However, because the Battle Of Hastings took place very close to our sponsoring dealership (quite possibly in their car park), it seems highly likely. King Harold reputedly suffered an arrow in his eye from one of William The Bastard’s archers, and retired from biking permanently (there is a lesson here – always wear good eye protection). So, because the Battle Of Hastings occurred in the year 1066, and took place near our dealership, and King Harold rode a Harley, deciding on a name for our Chapter was a no-brainer. To the best of our knowledge, we have the distinction of being the only H.O.G.® Chapter in the world – the universe maybe – to have a number as our name.
1066 Chapter started in 2002 following the founding of our sponsoring dealership, Sykes Harley-Davidson, located at Holmes Hill on the A22 approximately 20 miles north of Eastbourne. 1066 Chapter is one of the world-wide family of Chapters of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.®). The Chapter has grown steadily since 2003 and now has some 400 members who enjoy a wide range of motorcycling and social activities. The Chapter’s membership is drawn mainly from East and West Sussex, East Surrey and West Kent, and this territory is informally divided up into 3 areas: West, North and East. Each Thursday every month one area has its own meeting night at a pub in that area, the main Chapter night is held on the remaining Thursday at “The Six Bells”, at Chiddingly just off the A22. Our main riding season is from March until October each year, although there are some rideouts during the winter months, mainly Charity runs near Christmas. The majority of our rideouts take place on Sundays and are very well supported. There are also trips away to destinations in the UK and abroad. During the year there are usually social events such as the Christmas Dinner, Kick-Off Bash and a Summer party – although it varies from year to year. Additionally there are training events such as group riding tuition, and slow riding skills, check rides and so on.
If you would like to become a member of 1066 Chapter, select ‘Membership’ from the ‘Welcome’ menu and click on the ‘Join – Or Renew’ link. There you can download a membership form and you can also find details of our regular meeting nights, you are welcome to come along to one if you want to know more before joining. And of course you will always find a warm welcome at Sykes Harley-Davidson. Click here to visit their web site.
We look forward to welcoming you!
The First Fifteen Years
Our Chapter Historian has put together a history of the Chapter’s life. Click here to read it. We hope you find it interesting, but remember it is a history and does not represent the current state of the Chapter.
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