BMWMCQ Journal April 2020

APRIL 2020

www.bmwmcq.org.au

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC. Established 1958

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.

The Committee President- Paul Hughes Ph: 0409 814 633 President@bmwmcq.org.au 1200 GS / 700 GS

Vice President - Mark Gilbert Ph: 0400 151 750 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200GS / F800GS

Secretary - Tony Gray Ph: 0409 493 605 secretary@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 GS (The Grey Ghost) R 60/6

This Issue - APRIL 2020 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 AGM Minutes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 BMWMCQ EVENTS CALENDAR . . . . 12 NATIONAL MOTORRAD RALLY . . . . . 14 from the pen of jane gray . . . . 15 KARUAH KAPERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 THE HILLS ARE ALIVE. . . . . . . . . . 22 MY FIRST BIKE - PART 2 . . . . . . . . . 24

MARCH CLUB RIDE. . . . . . . . . . . . 27 HUNTER RUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 B2B MUNDUBBERA . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 A QUICK GLANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 ONLINE INSPIRATION. . . . . . . . . . 44 GLEN HOTEL DINNER . . . . . . . . . . 45 BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE. . . . . . 45

Advertisers

TeamMoto - P.43 TeamMoto Springwood - BACK COVER

Treasurer - John Eacott

Ph: 0428 383 826 treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au 2017 K1600GT

Events - Mark Mustchin Ph: 0416 061 638 events@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200GS

Editors - Cindy & Duncan Bennett Ph: 0401 610 671 editor@bmwmcq.org.au Triumph Tigers Records- Greg Gaffney Ph: 0411424 219 records@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT

Tools/Spares - Bill Luyten Ph: 0438 123 747 tools@bmwmcq.org.au R1150 Rockstar - R1200 GS LC

Morgan & Wacker - INSIDE COVER Caloundra Motorcycles - P.40 Northside Motorcycles - P.41 Munich Motorcycles - P.42 Good Wool Store - P.42

On The Cover Peter Ferguson’s trusty steed ready for 2015 Karuah Rally, read all about his and son Ant’s fantastic Karuah Kapers on page 16.

Regalia - Rosi Johnson Ph: 0424 961 597 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au R1200R

Dealer Liaison - Don Grimes

Ph: 0411 601 372 R1200GS; K1300

Club Details BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc.

2. Improving the service and availability of spare parts for BMWs in Queensland using the advantage of a united effort.

Address all correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box 3669 South Brisbane QLD 4101

4. Organising day trips, tours and outings.

ABN 30 351 243 651

Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at the:

Geebung RSL Club

323 Newman Road Geebung A Club Ride is usually held on the first Sunday after the monthly meeting.

BMWMCQ AIMS The objectives of the BMWMCQ are to increase the enjoyment of motorcycling by: 1. Improving the opinion of the public towards motorcycling in general and associated members particularly, by careful, courteous, considerate riding, especially when riding with the Club, and rendering assistance to all road users in difficulty.

3. Decreasing maintenance and running costs by mutual assistance on mechanical problems.

5. Encourage and support Regional Ride Groups 6. Affiliation with other clubs/associations where such affiliation would be of mutual benefit.

DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this Journal are those of each contributor and are not necessarily shared by the Editor, management, and / or membership of the BMWMCQ. The Editor reserves the right to refuse any advertising or delete any material which could be considered or interpreted as questionable, libellous or offensive, without consultation.

WEB SITE Visit: www.bmwmcq.org.au

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Editorial

APRIL 2020

Cindy & Duncan Bennett

Editors’ Report

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mashed out a casual 8,600km in March with 25 riding days out of a total 27 days away. Didn’t even have time to change underpants. This country is bloody huge, we didn’t leave the south-east quadrant. On the plus side, this means you don’t need to ride Russia to see and experience the wide open spaces and some great riding and outback hospitality - those who did the Ride to the Rock last year know exactly what we’re saying!

See you on the road Cindy & Duncan

Lush greenery of Outback NSW

Traffic Jam - South Australia

Celebrating International Women’s Day with a ride!

Submissions for the Next Journal close 28-ish APRIL 2020 VENUE FOR BMWMCQ GENERAL MEETINGS GEEBUNG RSL CLUB 323 NEWMAN ROAD GEEBUNG MEALS OPEN AT 6.00 PM MEETING STARTS 7.30 PM

NEXT MEETING : WHO TF KNOWS!

Committee Reports Paul Hughes

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APRIL 2020

President’s Report

W

elcome to another Club year. A Club year probably unlike any others we have had in our 60 odd year history. It certainly is a very different feeling to usually writing this column.

We are in very uncertain times with no clear path to finalisation. Writing this, I feel like one of the AFL Commissionaires and about to ask you all to take a pay cut. Enough said, we are all adults and we all can access the Government based medical and restrictions advice, so I am not going to repeat any of that information. The situation is very serious, I recommend you listen and take heed of all of the Government’s medical advice and restrictions so we can end this frightening pandemic as soon as possible.

Welcome to the new Committee (list on the inside cover of this journal). I particularly want to thank those members re-elected for this year (many have served for several years in various roles) and also welcome Rosi J, Mark G (back again) and Mark M ( I can see some confusion re whose name is in the minutes with these two…lol).

If the new committee gives even half the fabulous support they did last year, things will be very good.

The Committee is going to meet monthly “virtually” and continue planning events and conduct the business of the Club. When the pandemic is declared over, we can then very quickly initialise events to get us all back together and riding club rides etc.

As far as we are concerned all our events are cancelled until further notice. We have left events in July and further on in the events notices in case we get the all clear well before that. It is unlikely but no harm in being prepared.

The Cane Toad Rally has been postponed until the new date of late August as per the page 8 update.

Let’s hope things are normalised to allow this still to occur. If not, no harm done.

The Clubs Australia National Motarrad Rally in early October is still being planned and we have even this week received further bookings.

The Journal is key to this club so I would ask that you go through those old photos, and stories of past events and write up a short story that we can all enjoy. The Journal will keep us connected as club in these difficult times and at least we can still read about great events that make this club great. No need for us “to make it great again”.. it still is …lol.

The club sponsors are mainly at this stage still operating and I would recommend you support them wherever we can. Many of their staff are friends of club members and they need our support.

Please stay safe and if there is anything the club can do to assist in these sad days please let me know.

Email and phone contact inside the front cover.

Ride often and ride safe.

Paul

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APRIL 2020

Mark Gilbert

Vice President’s Report

Hi All. Firstly, I would like to thank Richard Maher for his service to the club and was happy to put my hand up to give him a break on his desire to step down this year. Well here we are in a unique time; the committee has endorsed a shutdown of activities as specified by our current circumstances. I am sure you were all looking forward to the activities which were coming up as was I, but this is a delay and activities will continue the other side of all this.

So, it’s cleaning and maintenance time, all those jobs on the bike you haven’t had time for, providing you have all you need to do them. A good time to go over your bike check for loose bolts, screws, spokes, etc. How about really learning how to use you GPS, GoPro or other accessories to a deeper level than you currently are able or go through your camping gear and see if you can remove those items which are not essential that you have taken on many trips but have not used.

I will repeat what I have recently put on the Facebook page and elaborate a little. In the coming weeks/months the health system is likely to be stretched by the current crisis. This will not only compromise the outcomes for those who contact the COVID-19 virus but also the outcomes of all others who need to interact with the health system, other illness, trauma, etc. I hope none of you or your love ones have this requirement and encourage that you take extra care when riding, watch out for other road users and only ride if essential during this time.

Stay Safe, Stay Well at a distance Mark Gilbert

A pic of from Part 2 of Mark’s article, read all about his early exploits starting Page 24.

Committee Reports John Eacott

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Treasurer’s Report

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APRIL 2020

Greg Gaffney

Greg Gaffney records@ bmwmcq.org.au

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Committee Reports Records Officers Report

e had a great AGM in March. We saw a good turn out and we filled all positions.

I’m very happy to be Records Officer again for my third year however if there are any members who have a passion for databases please let me know.

It’s disappointing to see so many club and other events being cancelled. Let’s hope everyone stays healthy and safe and we come out of this with a greater appreciation for our friends, family and relationships.

New Members : Klaus & Kerry Zillner KOBBLE CREEK R1200GS Adventure

Les Kearney TEWANTIN R1100S Wayne Michaels DALCOUTH R100RS and R1150GS Adventure

Committee Reports Bill Luyten

A

s most club activities have been put into hibernation including the Service Days, there is still available tools that are COVID-19 free.

The latest I’ve heard, the 1.5M separation doesn’t apply to you and your bike/s, so get in and play while in lockdown.

I also have various Repair Manuals available to borrow mainly for older bikes.

So, during these tough times…… BE GOOD and if you can’t be good,……. BE CAREFUL. Cheers, Bill

Tools for loan

There are special tools available including the GS-911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools.

Special Tools

• Twinmax electronic carburetor balancer (Twin BMW engines) • Vacuumate (electronic synchronization of throttle valves up to 4 cylinders) • Clutch alignment shafts (3 sizes) • Compression gauge (cylinder pressure)

Rosi Johnson

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APRIL 2020

Tool’s Report • Steering head bearing puller and seating tool • Gearbox output flange puller • GS-911 Wi-Fi Diagnostic tool (Wi-Fi and USB Version) • GS-911 3 pin Diagnostic tool (for older bikes) • Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) tool • Enduralast hall sensor tester • Brake bleeding tool (suction bleeding via the brake caliper) • Compression tester

Club Tool Loan: $50 deposit (refundable) for GS911: Tools and spares can be picked up or brought along to the next meeting or Club ride.

Contact Tools Officer Bill Luyten 0438 123 747 wluyten@bigpond .net .au or Club email: spares@bmwmcq.org.au

Regalia

As this is my first month as Regalia Officer, there is nothing to report however there are plans afoot for a Welcome Pack for members and an order form will soon be available also to enable members to order shirts, hats and other Regalia more easily.

In the meantime, if you have any requests just shoot an email to Rosi and she will be happy to look into your request: regalia@bmwmcq.org.au

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APRIL 2020

Tony Gray

Committee Reports Secretary’s Report

Thanks to all members who attended and participated in good spirit at the Club’s Annual General Meeting. It was my privilege to chair the election of the incoming committee for 2020. Welcome back to the ‘old faces’ and a very warm welcome to new members Rosie Johnson and Mark Mustchin and returning member Mark Gilbert. A special thanks to Richard Maher who has taken a ‘sabbatical’ for family reasons. We know Richard’s presence will still be felt strongly in the club this year. Unfortunately our club, state and country along with the rest of the world has been rocked by the current pandemic. May all members keep safe and healthy and come back refreshed when we are able to meet and ride again as a ‘friendly and welcoming’ motorcycle club.

BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 05 March 2020 Venue: Geebung RSL Meeting Opened: Apologies: Minutes of Previous General Meeting: Number of Attendees: Visitors: Treasurer Report: Editor Report: Tools Report: Regalia Report: Records Report: Events Report:

8.25 pm David Whale, Cindy & Duncan Bennett, Maggie & George Rafanowicz, Mal Cramer, Liz Healy, John Allan, Craig Brennan.

Accepted: Geoff Hodge Seconded: Gary Bennett 45 David Drummond (ex member).

Tabled Looking for articles for April Journal. Cindy & Duncan are away during March so April journal may be a little bit delayed.

16 bikes at 29 Feb service day at Rob Wynne’s place. $58 raised for RFDS. Steaks donated by Rob much appreciated.

New Regalia Officer appointed so no report.

233 Financial members.

All events updated on FB and website. March B2B at Mundubbera.

March ride to Maleny this Sunday 8th. Mark Mustchin to lead.

Secretary Report:

Dealer Liaison Report: Vice President Report: President Report: Other Events/Buy/Sell/Swap: General Business Closed:

Question raised on ‘Drinks with Dinner’ - what would members like to see with this event. Bring back options to next months meeting. Register NOW for the Cane Toad Rally. No cost to register. Historic interest mentioned by Life Member Gary Bennett that Paul Hughes has now equaled the longest continuous run as President of the Association.

Correspondence In: Letter from BOQ on rollover of term deposit. New Membership Application from Les Kearney from Tewantin. Qld Govt Form for Annual Return of association. Aust Post renewal of PO Box for ensuing year. BMWTC of NSW February & March Newsletters Correspondence Out: Nil. Reminder about the club library. The 100 year History of BMW has just been added to the collection and is a very weighty volume both in content and size. Advise well in advance if you wish to borrow.

Don concentrates on M@W and Moss St Slacks Creek BMW franchises. Propose a club form for members to distribute at shops.

Nil Member longevity awards to be announced soon. Ian Nye is member #88. Longest serving member to our knowledge.

Dave Hepburn’s 2015 R1200RT is up for sale.

John Eacott mentioned the Nerang Team Moto as providing excellent service. Raffle conducted by Richard Maher.

9.05 pm, next meeting is at 7.30pm Thursday 2 April 2020.

AGM MINUTES

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BMWMCQ Annual General Meeting Minutes March 2020 Meeting Date:

5 March 2020. Time: 7:30pm

Chairman: Apologies:

Attendance: 46 Paul Hughes/Tony Gray Cindy & Duncan Bennett,Maggie & George Rafanowicz, Mal Cramer,

Minutes of Previous AGM:

Liz Healy, John Allan, Craig Brennan.

Accepted: Rosi Johnson

Outgoing Presidents Report:

Outgoing Committee Member Reports:

Seconded: Geoff Hodge Presidents Report included Events report that was handled by the Committee to cover the vacancy in this position. There has been a full calendar of varied events to try to cater for all members. Thanks to the committee for their work this past year and to the members for their support of the club.

Committee members presented their review of the year. GG mentioned there are currently 233 members of the Association.

Cindy & Duncan Bennett submitted a written report which was read by Paul Hughes. Mention was made that C&D will be unable to complete the full year as they will be touring overseas for an extended period in early 2021. New blood is needed in this vital role.

Outgoing Treasurer Report:

VP Richard Maher has announced that he will not be re-nominating for the role this year for personal family reasons. Thanks extended to Richard to his contribution over many years.

Motion to accept the tabled documents moved by John Eacott: Seconded by: Richard de Groot

2020 Committee Nominations:

By Tony Gray

Accepted by the members present.

Nominations received prior to meeting by the Secretary. A call was made to the floor for any other nomination as each position was called. No other nominations were received so all nominees were elected uncontested.

President: Paul Hughes, Vice President: Mark Gilbert Secretary: Tony Gray Treasurer: John Eacott, Records: Greg Gaffney, Tools: Bill Luyten, Regalia: Roswitha Johnson Events: Mark Mustchin Editor: Cindy & Duncan Bennett

Special Resolution:

Dealer Liaison: Don Grimes, Nil

Closed:

8.20 pm

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APRIL 2020

BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar

BMWMCQ Club Events

The current situation around COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and subsequent government mandated restrictions have forced the suspension of all Club activities including rides, meetings, lunches etc until the situation improves and advice is received to allow planned activities to be reinstated.

Advice will be provided on resumption of events via the Club Facebook page and the Website events calendar.

EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR Date 15 - 17 May TBC

Event Location Ruptured Budgie Mingoola via TenterRally field

Contact Moto Guzzi Club of QLD Annual Rally see the FB page for more...

APRIL 2020 BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events for APRIL 2020 - CANCELLED

Datee Thu 02

Sun 05 Sat 18

Fri - Sun 24 - 26 Tue 28

Start 7:30 PM

Event Details Contact Club General Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Meeting Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm.

ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest.

8:00 Club Ride AM 09:00 Coffee Meet- Cafe 63 - Pickering Place, Enoggera up AM

12:30 Cane Toad Toobeah Hotel, Toobeah Rally PM 6:00 The German Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane PM Club

Standard Ride Meeting Places

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C

APRIL 2020

BMW MOTORAD RALLY

ountdown to the BMW Clubs Australia Motorrad Rally is still on!

The sponsors are coming on board for the Rally and planning work continues to make this a memorable event for the Club on the long weekend of 2nd to 5th October at Stanthorpe.

Registration cost is $64.39 per person and includes Rally entry, dinner on the Saturday Night and breakfast on Sunday morning along with a welcome pack including Rally Badge and Sticker along with goodies from our generous sponsors.

Registration bookings are now open directly from the BMWMCQ website (no login required), or just click here and do it right now: www.motorradrally2020.com.au

Accommodation options include camping at the Showgrounds, or your preferred style of lodging in or around Stanthorpe. A list of suggestions is provided on the registration page.

Thanks to our generous sponsors:

FROM THE PEN OF JANE GRAY ONE NASTY LITTLE BUG

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Correction….

JEGMar2020

Our world is going crazy because of one nasty little bug No more welcome kisses, not even a welcome hug There is no rhyme or reason to who this bug will bite No one is immune – rich, poor, young, old, yellow, black or white Panic buying madness across our grocery stores So many anxious people staying put behind closed doors Toilet paper & disinfectant nowhere to be seen Some people’s behaviour just really is obscene Self-isolation is thought to be the best But lockdown is looming if we do not pass the test How long this will last for & how many will succumb Remains to be seen in the days & months to come Keeping your distance from strangers & friends alike Heaven forbid if it stops us from getting out on the bike!!!

In Rosi’s article in the March Journal, the bike her father was riding was referred to as a Pooch 500, but it was actually a Puch 500. We can blame autocorrect for this slip up.

Here is the photo again of Rosi’s Dad on his Puch 500.

A bit of history on the Puch brand - it was founded in 1889 in Austria by Johann Puch who manufactured bicycles, he then branched out into motorcycles as well as early BMX bicycles. The Puch motorcycles were styled much like the BMW’s of the 1950’s and 60’s. Over 38,000 were produced between 1953 and 1970.

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APRIL 2020

By Peter Ferguson, Member No.62

E

ver since I joined the Club, I wanted to go to the Karuah River Rally, near Dungog. Unlike the reports I was given about the Sapphire Rally, held near Warialda in the middle of winter (“you sit in a bare, stony paddock and freeze!”), the stories of clear, tinkling streams in picturesque rainforest piqued my interest – provided I ignored the tales of battalions of rampant leeches if it was rainy!

Over the years, I made several plans to get there, but work, kids, business and life in general got in the way. I nearly got there in 2007, but a lack of friction between my front tyre and a gravel road near Comboyne saw the GS upside down in the middle of the road. After a team effort to make it rideable, I limped back to a motel near Kempsey and waited for Sue to arrive with a trailer to drag me back home.

I eventually broke my Karuah duck in 2015, after we sold the business, and I loved it – the ride in has just enough dirt to keep the wankers away (but rough enough, in 2016, to destroy a six-pack in my pannier!) and the site was as promised, except for the leeches, thankfully. There’s some great bitumen riding to get there, but in 2019 my son, Anthony, plotted us a route with as much dirt as he could find.

And a warning – some of the pics may contain traces of KTM!

KARUAH KAPERS

I waited in the rain at Woodford for him – KTM riders have a habit of being late due to ‘just having to explore a bit of dirt’ on the way to meeting points, and today was no exception. We set off on the back roads to Marburg, via Kilcoy, Toogoolawah, Esk and Coominya. The rain stopped before we hit the dirt around the back of Rosevale and we popped out at Aratula, then to Boonah and on to Rathdowney.

The Lions Road was closed at that stage, so we took the Mt Lindesay Road to the Summerland Way, just north of Woodenbong. After a slight overshoot and compulsory u-turn (Ants respects Club traditions!), we turned south on Cox Rd, which starts with a lovely run through farmland, then a steep, shaley climb up the range to Toonumbar Forest Drive and a great view down the valley from the Murray Scrub Lookout.

A bit more climbing, then it was down to Toonumbar Dam, just west of Kyogle, and back up to the glorious Richmond Range National Park and along the Cambridge Plateau, with stunning views of the coastal plain between Kyogle and Casino.

KARUAH KAPERS

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If you go this way, keep an eye out for the Sundew Lookout on your left. It’s a bit tricky to find, since it’s only signposted from the south, but the views down over the Nymboida valley are worth the messing around. The threat of logging trucks made us wary as we followed Chaelundi Rd to Sheep Station Ck Rd and out on to Armidale Rd just short of Tyringham. We gave a bunch of cruiser riders a bit of a hurry-up along here, but their cornering lines started to get a bit…interesting, so we backed off and enjoyed the scenery, till they stopped in Tyringham, then we pressed on to Fusspots in Ebor

It’s a great dirt strip along the top of the ridge that eventually brings you out on the Bruxner Hwy (g’day mAlone!), where we turned right, then immediately left on Bulmers Rd and into Mallanganee National Park and the Hogarth Range for more great dirt and coastal views, before we dropped down the range and around the back of Rappville, to come out on the Summerland Way at Whiporie. The day was a’wasting, so we made a beeline for the Ulmarra Hotel (well worth a visit if you don’t need to go into Grafton) for a black beer and a meal, while we soaked in the views of the mighty Clarence River.

We can’t have had too many beers, because we were up early to fuel up for the run out along the Gwydir Hwy, on to the Old Glen Innes Rd and then the dirt to Dalmorton. We turned south about 5 klm before the old convict tunnel for another ‘interesting’ climb on Chaelundi Rd to the Gresham Way in the Guy Fawkes River National Park. We tried riding the Gresham way, but found the frilly knickers uncomfortable – probably explains why Phil is always standing on the pegs….

for coffee and burgers.

A quick fang along the Waterfall Way, then a left turn into Kempsey Rd saw us back on the dirt for the stunning descent through Cunnawarra National Park, with views of the Styx River, Georges Ck and then the Macleay River. Parts of this road reminded me of the Old Glen Innes Rd – sweeping river views, towering rock faces and not a lot of room for error.

It’s also a bit busier than the Old GI Rd, so care was necessary.

We checked out the Bellbrook Hotel, but decided it was a bit too hipster for our Scottish bloodlines,

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so we went a bit further down the road and cruised in to the Willawarrin Hotel right on beer o’clock, strangely enough, to find the place jumping!

Black beers in hand, we were accosted by the local barfly, an Irishman who’s lived in the district for 50 odd years and who proceeded to give us a history lesson…..again and again and again….After a few attempts, we managed to pry ourselves away and get up to our room. The pub’s in the middle of a major refurb, so the room was a bit rough’n’ready, but the price reflected that, and, with friendly people, black beer on tap, and a great feed for $12, what’s not to like?

Late in the afternoon, a couple of blokes turned up on GS’s, with wild tales of taking the wrong turn and getting deeper and deeper into the scrub. They turned around and eventually flagged down the local school bus. The driver advised them against proceeding ‘because it’s growing season and trigger fingers could be a bit itchy….’. As we loaded the bikes next morning, the bloke on the 1200 pulled a dismantled cordless chainsaw from a pannier.

Not only was he an arborist, but a bit of a Boy Scout, apparently: ‘You never know when you’ll

KARUAH KAPERS need a chainsaw!’ At least he saw the funny side when he came back to find the publican’s leaf blower strapped to his rack!

We headed west from the pub and turned south into Toorooka Rd, across the Macleay, then right into Warbro Brook Rd (where the GS riders should have gone the previous day) and headed up the range on a good twisty dirt road that got progressively skinnier and more rutted, until we reached the entrance to Willi Willi National Park – aptly named, ‘cause it still gives me the willies twelve months later!

Here’s a tip, if you’re ever talking with Murray Brown about a particular route and he says ‘you’ll have an interesting ride there’, pull out your maps AND FIND A DIFFERENT ROUTE! Here endeth the lesson….

Ants had meticulously plotted our route through here and was looking forward to this section. The track was pretty well-formed, with heavy, overhanging rainforest in parts, slippery in patches, with some pretty steep drop-offs to the sides, which prompted complaints of a lack of traction from the KTM pilot – 100HP, a light flywheel and a heavy right wrist will do that, I guess!

Captain Sensible had no such problems, plodding along in true tortoise fashion, until we got to THE HILL – a short, steep, off-camber decline covered in what my nightmares tell me were bowling-ball sized rocks, but which, in reality, were probably about cricket-ball sized. I seriously considered hitting the kill switch and clutching down in first gear, but after a couple of deep breaths, I rode down as slowly as I could and as fast as I dared.

KARUAH KAPERS

Anthony’s words at the bottom were along the lines of: ‘You know the old dirt bike saying “never ride down a hill you can’t ride back up”?

Well that was it!’. He reckoned he’d been waiting 20 mins for me, hoping I was OK, because he couldn’t come back to look for me. I took that with a grain of salt – the way I was plodding, I reckoned he was there a lot longer than that!

He proof read my drivel and added: “When you’re staring back up a hill, that looks as high as it is long, with your surrrounds a shade of emerald green moss or moist brown leaf matter and doubt building as to whether you can even climb back up on foot, the mind starts doing strange things.

Never have I been so elated to hear the reliable boxer burble of an R100GS. Even the wind in the trees was starting to sound like happy, slappy tappets.”

So, we were committed! The tour guide reckoned we were well past the halfway mark, so we pressed on, hoping the worst was behind us. A few klm later, we met a couple in an old Landcruiser coming up. They told us we were nearly out and the way ahead was indeed a doddle.

Twenty minutes later we came back to civilisation, via a great combo of dirt and seal on Kangaroo Flat Rd, that swooped up and down the hills and deposited us on the Oxley Hwy twisties, in pissing rain on full knobbies – oh joy! Given the weather, and the state of our nerves, Ants decided to leave the planned dirt through Mummel Gulf and on to Nundle for next time, so we cruised on to Ginger’s Creek for a coffee and a look at the maps.

We decided to head to Wauchope for fuel, then come back to Comboyne and make our way to Gloucester for the night. The weather was coming in black behind us, so I put my wet gear on. In the

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true spirit of Murphy, the clouds buggered off as soon as we got going down the hill and I rolled into Wauchope in my own personal sauna.

Tanked up, we high-tailed it back through Comboyne and hit the dirt, only to crest a hill and be greeted by an ominous stack of evil green storm clouds dead ahead. Ants recalled being sideways, two-up, climbing a greasy red clay hill about 5 klm further down this road, so we beat a retreat to Comboyne and waited it out. Turns out that was a good call – the storm dumped about 25mm on the area. We decided to backtrack to the Long Flat pub for the night, in the hope that the rain would clear. Long Flat is another great, bike-friendly pub that should be on everyone’s list – clean rooms, cheap camping on the river, great food and, yes, black beer on tap!

Saturday dawned clear and dry, so we headed back through Comboyne and on to the dirt to Gloucester.

No greasy clay hills were evident, which pleased me greatly, and we rolled into Gloucester for brunch and fuel, then headed for Dungog via the Bucketts Way and Monkerai Road – more great dirt, better than some of the bitumen on Bucketts Way!

We bumped into Charlie Brown in Dungog.

His knee was playing up, so he was on 4 wheels and very kindly offered to cart our booze out to the site for us. No exploding beers this year – bonus!

The rally site was green and lush and devoid of leeches, with the creek a welcome relief from the heat. The usual rally hijinks ensued, fires were lit, beers drunk, lies told, characters assassinated and riding abilities embellished. Somewhere in there we won the Highest Club Attendance Award with 6 members present. Luckily, we didn’t need to call on the reserves, who were back in Gloucester

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commiserating with Bill Allen, whose turn it was to conduct the friction co-efficient test this year – with similar results to my experiment in 2007.

We were out early on Sunday for a quick run back to Gloucester for brekky, then a, ummm, rather rapid run up Thunderbolts Way to Nowendoc, and back on to the dirt, till we popped out on the Oxley just east of Walcha – a great run on excellent dirt through some glorious countryside. Ants had

well and truly done his research! Likewise, the route from Walcha, to the east of Thunderbolts, through Gostwyck and Dangarleigh to Armidale was a great mix of fast gravel and bitumen back roads through some stunning countryside, although signs of the drought were becoming evident.

From Armidale, we headed to the west of the Uni and roughly parallel to the New England Hwy to Guyra, then across and parallel to the highway, north to Glen Innes. Time was getting away from us and skippy time was approaching, so we lit off for Emmaville. A couple of sightings of the hoppy critters in the heavily wooded bits near Emmaville slowed our progress a bit, but we made it to town

KARUAH KAPERS with daylight to spare and booked into the first pub we came across. For some reason, it didn’t look like the place everyone recommends in their trip reports. Turns out, there’s two pubs in Emmaville… still, a room each for $35 a head, reasonable food and, you guessed it, black beer on tap stilled the disappointment. We can always try t’other pub next time.

Next day was the home run and the plan was to head up the dirt to Torrington, then Silent Grove and on to Tenterfield via the Mole River valley. We set off early, but a couple of close encounters of the skippy kind took the edge off my enthusiasm, still, it was another brilliant route with magnificent vistas from the

KARUAH KAPERS

escarpment and some great dirt along the river valleys.

The drought had the area in a vice-like grip through here, with very little grass, no surface water and big old trees showing signs of distress.

I’d love to rerun this route now that there’s been some rain.

After breakfast at the Railway Café in Wallangarra, we decided time was against us, so we ditched the plan to head up the Mt Lindesay Rd and diverted through Stanthorpe, Dalveen and into Warwick via the Old Warwick Rd, bypassing much of Warwick, then running roughly parallel to the New England Hwy again, via some bloody ordinary dirt roads, to the Gatton – Clifton Rd. Ants turned to head through Mt Sylvia to explore the area around Laidley, but, I’m sad to say, I’d had enough dirt for the weekend so I left him at West Haldon and made a beeline for Mt Glorious to meet Sue for a coffee. The café had closed by the time I got there, so I had to make do with a muesli bar and a drink of water, but at least I got to ride home with my favourite riding buddy.

All up, we did around 2300klm and about 40% of this was dirt. I’ve still got the mud maps on file, and, if I can master the tech, I’m happy to forward

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them to anyone looking for a route to the KRR next year.

EPILOGUE: I was having dinner with some friends a few weeks later and mentioned the ride up from Willawarrin to Willi Willi NP, when Sheralyn McGlinchey (whom older members will remember) said, with wide eyes, ‘I’ve been through there – there’s this f#%&*ng HILL, with boulders like footballs!! We went through there at night…I was riding my 900SS!’ It’s all a matter of perspective, I guess…

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By: Duncan Bennett, member No.4171

A

delaide. Capital city of the driest inhabited state in the driest inhabited continent on earth.

Expectations for riding pleasure were correspondingly low.

Having left a moist and sweaty Brisbane in very early March and casually made our way 5,000km to the “do we keep going west, go north (wow, they are a long way!), or home now?” central southern state, we were surprised and glad to get a call enroute from Brian Kowalik, the editor of Flatchat, the very entertaining newsletter of the BMW Owners Club of South Australia. Brian had noticed that we fellow editors were heading into their large riding domain, and very kindly invited us to join the club on a mid-week ride scheduled for 18th March 2020.

We’d based ourselves in Hahndorf upon arrival into the heartland of SA. Claims that German beer and even pork knuckles could be found in Hahndorf hadn’t exactly destroyed its potential for satisfaction of BMWMCQ members, and several Arcobraus and a tidy serve or two of pork belly on our first night ticked a plethora of boxes. Perhaps SA might be OK after all.

Appropriate that we would later follow this without question

Up on the Wednesday ride day, we used the same old preparation routine honed over years of adventure motel riding; discussion about who is showering first and then never deviating from Duncan getting in, Cindy making tea, dressing in the foul-bynow riding gear, getting as much ready as possible, and heading out to find a breakfast somewhere.

We chose an empty café, which had an inversely proportional kitchen response time to the number of diners, i.e. only us present and 25 minutes after order placement not even the orange juice had appeared.

With voice tones becoming hysterical, the breakfast

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE appeared and was hoovered up with the intensity of a Dyson on a priceless diamond earring hidden in the dust motes. But while scoffing, we did both briefly stop with mouths akimbo when a magnificent red BMW R100 rolled past.

Garmin was trusted with getting us to the Tower Hotel in the foothills of the Lofty Ranges. We’d Googled the source of the Lofty Ranges name, because to be absolutely honest we expected they’d been named by the same bloke who’d named Mt Gravatt in Queensland – he’d lost his glasses on his second day at sea on his way out from Cape Town and assumed he was looking at enormous peaks from 100km out. Almost turned out to be true, with Mt Lofty named by Matthew Flinders who was way out near Kangaroo Island when he spied the 727m monster. That we trusted Garmin shows how much we were under pressure to get to the Tower Hotel on time; a bit like trusting a bloke you just met in a railway station toilet to take a cheque made out to cash to your sick grandmother. As always, Garmin did some weird things and somehow we found ourselves on dirt roads, but it did get us there only 15 minutes later than its initial wild guess on the timing, not a bad result.

BMWOCSA meeting place. No fuel, coffee or toilets, but they aren’t important in SA.

We pulled into the Tower Hotel carpark. Only one motorcycle was in attendance – coincidentally a magnificent red BMW R100 owned and ridden by John.

Okay. This is the time when the confession must be made.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE We know that Brian had read the BMWMCQ Journal to know that we’d be in SA, but he hadn’t seen the fine print – both Cindy and I ride Triumph Tiger 800’s.

People think the 1.5m social isolation distance is just a phenomenon of the COVID-19 crisis, but we Triumph riders at BMW events are loving it as we’ve never been allowed to get this close in to others before. After meeting John, and admiring/drooling over his awesome bike, Gerry rolled in on his impressive R1100RS to break the motosocially awkward BMW-Triumph deadlock.

With that social dam breached, Stephen and Brian rocked up on Stephen’s F800ST. Brian’s gearbox was being finished off so his steed was out of action – we sincerely appreciate his efforts to attend and make us both welcome nonetheless.

The discussion on where we were going and who was leading the ride commenced. We had never seen this democratic style of ride leader selection previously – an attendee was suggested as being most suitable based on experience and recent ride leading frequency, and open intellectual debate used to confirm the selection with pros and cons freely espoused. It was a bit like seeing a wildebeest calf carrying a groin injury being selected by a pride of lions. Beautiful to watch, and it was a shame David Attenborough wasn’t there to pass comment on natural selection in action, but nonetheless John was smoothly transitioned into the leadership role.

No-one following an R100S gives way. Ever.

First, we rolled out of the Tower Hotel carpark (which has none of the modern motorcycle meeting place accoutrement of petrol, coffee, or lavatories, but did offer those caught short to stock up on fine wines – impressive old-skool SA motorcycling), and within a couple of minutes we were heading up the ranges on Greenhill Road. Imagine living in Brisbane and deciding to ride up Mt Coot-tha, which miraculously had turned into an 80kmh endless series of twisties overnight, that was how quick it was to get to and how much fun it

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was. Then John took us through the amazing series of micro-climate zones that are hosted in the Adelaide Hills; green and lush, dry eucalypt, rocky and barren, and lashings of grapes and hops. All on fantastic winding roads through small villages, each with more attractive cafes and bakeries than the last.

BMWOCSA poster boys Brian, Gerry, Stephen, and John

After nearly two hours of sheer motorcycling bliss, some of the younger ride members decided that John should lead post-haste to lavatories rather than down another awesome road, and thus emptied, to then re-charge at the Meadows Bakery.

Amongst traditional motorcyclist luncheon of pies and other health foods, we said our socially distant farewells to Brian and Stephen and Gerry, while John then led us very indirectly back to Hahndorf on yet more fabulous roads.

So, Adelaide. Capital city of the driest inhabited state in the driest inhabited continent on earth. And I’m now calling the closest and best motorcycling roads of any capital city in Australia.

Brian and the BMW Owners Club of South Australia members are very thanked for their invitation and hospitality during difficult times – virtual handshakes all around – and must understand that any trips into our state will attract reciprocal privilege, even if they aren’t exactly riding BMWs. Brian did mention that he won the BMW Savannah jacket at the last BMW Motorrad Rally in Stanthorpe, but if this year’s rally hopefully goes ahead at the same location in October, he and the rest of the SA contingent should expect to have a great time but maybe not so lucky as to win anything again.

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By Mark Gilbert My first bike and others on the way to a BMW – Part 2 Part 1 of this article talked about the early years, the Victor Grass Grubber, the Suzuki TM75, the Yamaha YZ80C and the Suzuki RM250Z. Part 2 continues on a bit of a different path but that how life goes some time.

In part 1 I didn’t mention the many rides we had just exploring the local area, this includes the two quarries, one near the orphanage in Queens Rd at Nudgee which has now been turned into the Gateway and one opposite the Nudgee Golf Course.

At these quarries on any weekend you could see about 20+ bikes. This is where we saw a bit of trials and gained many skills just hanging out with my mates. I have a couple of clear memories from this time, one was on my mates’ Yamaha XT500 riding through the quarry with both front and back tyres sliding but still feeling totally in control, a feeling which can’t be beat, the second was riding a bit-sa bike build by my very talented brother-in-law made from the RM250 motor he built for Gaston Rayer when he came to Australia slotted into a frame with almost no brakes. The motor was a frightfully powerful which made for exciting riding.

I will now move on to the next phase of my riding history. I went to Tivoli to watch the racing one day and the motocross sidecars were also racing.

It was the first time I had seen them and thought these guys are insane. At this time the sidecars

MY FIRST BIKE PART 2 were mostly Nortons or other big road bike engines in Wasp or EML frames. Now to this day I don’t know how I got there but a couple of years later I bought one with my mate Peter. It was a Yamaha XS650 bored and stroked to 825cc in a Wasp frame.

The guys riding sidecars in Queensland at the time were a very helpful mob as they wanted to keep the numbers up on the track. They would freely loan parts to keep the competition on the track.

South Australia has always been the big sidecar state. I would say keeping the bike on the track was an effort but what better things could you have to do than work on your bike with your mates. We continued to show up meeting after meeting and eventually winning the perpetual “Consistency in Sidecar Motocross” Trophy.

Riding a sidecar outfit is different to riding a bike in oh so many ways, they are evil handling devices which take some mastery to even get them to go close to where you want them. I recall we used to turn to full lock some time before the corner and wait for the front wheel to pick up the rut at which point there would be a sudden change of direction. On a solo where you put your weight matters, on a sidecar

MY FIRST BIKE PART 2

outfit where two people put their weight matters and even more so for the pillion as they are offset to the side. It took a little while to master the beast and I left Peter on his own on the sidecar sometimes and tossed him away at other times. I remember that we rolled the sidecar quite often and I remember this usually ended up with me under the upturned sidecar with the throttle cables bent over and the motor revving out with the back wheel spinning under my armpit while I waited for Peter get up from where I tossed him come back and hit the kill switch.

We went to the old Rubers Rd dump (Mick Doohan Raceway now) one day to practice cornering.

We were doing figure eights and found we were getting too much wheel spin out of the corners.

So Peter says “I am just going to try something different”, as we came out of the next corner the side car wheel bit in and the bike flipped on the spot doing a complete 360 in the air and landing back on its wheels, I landed some 10 meters away and a short time later Peter landed about another 4 meters further. As we were getting up a young fella rode up and said “are you guys alright I thought you were dead” luckily it was just the clavicle joint and two days off work.

Now before I go into the most spectacular accident with the sidecar I will remind you that all this crashing has been done with full motocross body armour. This crash happened at Stanmore park Beenleigh on a sweeping left-hander with two jumps on it, flat out second gear off the first jump landing facing a little out, only way to pull it

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back with the left hand sidecar is more throttle so at full throttle second gear sidecar hits the second jump with the bike outside the jump. Thrown again this time Peter lands first and I land with his motocross boot in the middle of my back, the sidecar rolls three times and breaks the front end at the triple clamp. I get up and walk away as the body armour spread the impact of the boot across my back instead of in one point.

Riding a sidecar outfit in motocross is a team sport including rider and passenger, the passenger positioning themselves and the rider applying the throttle at the precisely ideal moment. In the years of riding sidecars, we were only able to achieve this precision once at a club day and I remember it well as it all went so smoothly.

Well all fun must come to an end and people started tacking sidecars on to 500cc motocross bikes and the era of road bike-based sidecar motocross was over, and we sold the bike to Vaughan Fletcher cheaply to free up a bit of space.

Sometime while all this was going on I bought a brand new Suzuki DR600 what a lovely bike, still had the RM250Z and I moved to Mt Isa with work.

Arrived in Mt Isa, the Suzuki arrived a short time later the car was still coming so I ducked down to Big Rooster for a Hawaiian Pack for tea wearing shorts, a polo shirt and sneakers.

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MY FIRST BIKE PART 2

On my way back with my chicken dinner hanging from my left hand looking directly into the sun I stopped momentarily at a stop sign and then proceeded across the intersection towards the low bridge on the way home, I didn’t see the car coming on the left, he slammed on the brakes but they had just resurfaced the road and there was loose gravel on top, he slid and bumped my ankle with the bumper (pretty soft) and I launched off the bike landing on my shoulder and almost hitting the car coming to cross the other way. I got up no skin off but a big greasy stain on my shirt where I landed on my dinner. I did do some damage to my knee from the handlebars on the way off. (the bike was fine so all good).

Mt Isa was just the biggest off-road motorcycle playground and through hanging around the bike shop (Bike and Rider) I got to know the Hansen family pretty well.

Rosi and Steve at John ‘O Groats, Scotland Well that’s probably enough for part 2, I know it sounds like I crash a lot but the crashes are the most memorable, there is something about the pain and the scars that cements them in your memory and that is what happens when you race on your limit. Part 3 when next the editors call.

(Editors: we know who/where you are Mark)

MARCH CLUB RIDE

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The March Monthly Ride left the Carseldine Caltex at 8.30.

The route went via Albany Creek, Jinker Track, Bunya Road, Clear Mountain Road, Winn Road, Kobble Creek, Armstrong Creek, Dayboro where we picked up Klaus & Kerry,.

Then heading via Mt Mee, D’Aguilar where we made a quick stop to don wet weather gear.

Woodford, Peachester via Commissioner Flat Road, Bald Knob, Landsborough, Mooloolah via Tunnel Ridge Road. We arrived at Mooloolah @ 11 am for morning tea. Geoff Hodge & John Eacott left us after morning tea.

We departed at 11.30 am and continued on through Eudlo, Palmwoods, Coes Creek, Mapleton, Flaxton, Montville & arrived at the Maleny Hotel at 12.45 where we had lunch. Richard & Wendy joined us for lunch at the pub.

Everyone enjoyed the ride & quite a few made the comment that they had not ridden on many of the roads we took. From Mt Mee it looked like heavy rain where we were heading hence the stop at D’Aguilar to put on wet weather gear but it did not amount to much. We had more light showers on the ride up to Mapleton & Maleny.

There was total of 13 bikes & 3 pillions.

By Mark Mustchin (Ride Leader)

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Of Mates & Bikes & Harvest Wine By: Tony Gray

I

have written in the past of semi-regular trips taken

with my old (and getting older) bike riding mates from Melbourne. The formula is pretty simple.

Our Tour Leader (TL from henceforth) sends out an email with a destination and date in mind and seeks feedback and confirmation of attendance from the group. These trips have taken place in NZ, Tasmania, and many parts of southern and eastern Australia. There are about 10 in the core group with the odd one or two probationers invited along for the ride.

Once the group has responded TL then gives any suggestions due consideration and proceeds with his original proposal. This is the way it has worked and worked well for near 20 years – a benign dictatorship. During those 20 years we have lost one member to an accident (the 2005 trip) and one to the insidious Motor Neurone disease (2014). Each of these losses have been deeply felt but go to reinforce the notion that our time on this ‘Mortal Coil’ (Monty Python*) is limited so enjoy it to the full while you have the opportunity and what better way than riding your bike with your mates.

This year TL had proposed a trip to the Hunter Valley to imbibe of the fine wines and roads on offer and to give some support to our rural communities that had been suffering from the prolonged drought. We had not foreseen the ravages of the bushfires that were to engulf the regions, thus compromising our plans. As it transpired a path was cleared and a narrow window of opportunity presented so all systems were go. I left Brisbane early the morning after the March Club AGM with newly re-elected President Paul. Paul had done a Tassie trip with the boys back in 2016 and was invited back. If he successfully manages a third trip then full membership may be bestowed – at the sole discretion of TL (refer Paragraph one). We gave ourselves 2 days to get to the meeting point at Cessnock while our Melbourne band were taking 3 days to cover a similar distance. Paul was mounted on his 1200GS while I chose Rex my Kwik Kwaka ZRX1200 for the trip – it was his turn.

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We met at an eclectic little café in Jimboomba, Café on Cusack. Judging by the ink on the young Mummy patrons, the adjacent Tattoo Parlour does as good a trade as the coffee shop.

Suitably fortified with caffeine we set off over the familiar route to Kyogle via Beaudesert and the Lions Road. We dropped an hour at the daylight saving State border so it was time for lunch at the bakery where our day’s plans changed. We had intended taking the road through Casino, Lawrence, Grafton and Nymboida then up the range to our overnight stop at Ebor. A group of BMW riders were discussing their options and informed us that the Armidale Road between Grafton and Ebor was again closed. A web check confirmed their advice. The poor buggers there cannot take a trick. The road was closed to bushfires when we tried to pass on our way to the MotoGP in October. When the fires were controlled it was found that some of the timber bridges had been destroyed. Temporary diversions were constructed to allow the road to be reopened (briefly) before the recent floods destroyed the diversions thus reclosing the road.

At time of writing the road remains closed.

Cover for the bikes at Ebor Hotel

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Tea anyone? At Fusspots in Ebor

Several alternate routes were considered with consideration to time but the allure of the Dorrigo/Ebor road won the day. We headed south to Grafton then the back road through Coramba to Coffs Harbour, a brief run on the M1 then inland to Bellingen, Waterfall Way to Dorrigo then the delightful sweeping bends of the Dorrigo/Ebor road in failing light and a bit of dampness. I may bore readers with my passion for this section of road. If you love open sweepers (and who doesn’t?) then this 40km stretch of tar between Dorrigo and the T junction on the Armidale Road out of Ebor will guarantee to put a smile on your dial. The road just flows with beautiful scenery (best left to a passenger to enjoy) with bends marked at 65/75/85 kph advisory speeds.

There are a couple of tighter 55kph bends closer to Dorrigo but those markings are quite conservative. If you know the road well and are an experienced rider then it is possible to hold a steady throttle across the whole length of the road with wide approaches by just adjusting your lean angle to the tightness of the bend. Nothing illegal is necessary just sitting on or about the posted 100kph limit. This was sheer joy on two wheels.

Needless to say when Paul and I pulled into the carpark of the Ebor Hotel/Motel we were tonguing for a beer. We had forgone our regular first night stop at Uralla when heading south to give some business to the good folk at Ebor. The Pub has recently changed hands and the new owner is an easy going ex-grazier type. A shed was made available for the bikes, our share room for $100 provided the usual motel type

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accommodation, the beer was cold and the food was generous and well-priced. Put this one on your list. Another advantage of stopping in Ebor was that we could take in breakfast at the quirky, delightful Fusspots Café. The owner said she had to lay off all of her casual staff as August had been her last regular trading month due to the various catastrophes that had closed the road. In addition Ebor’s major tourist attraction, the Ebor Falls, had the timber viewing platforms destroyed in the fires that had threatened the village. The irony of that fire was that it was deliberately lit by a local person who wanted to create a back burn to protect his illegal cannabis crop. Note also if coming this way that there is no fuel between Bellingen and Ebor. The old Puma Servo in Ebor was reported to be closing for refurbishment. We can safely report that the servo is no more – read refurbishment to be total demolition and new build. It will be a long time before fuel is again pumped in Dorrigo.

Carson’s Lookout without the view

Saturday presented us with the prospect of some more rain as we crossed to Armidale and Uralla on the NE Highway where we continued further south to take in the back roads through Kentucky and Wollun before joining the Walcha Road and coffee fix at the ever enjoyable Café Graze. Walcha is a very popular bike town being at the intersection of the Oxley Hwy and Thunderbolts Way with many accommodation options and cafes to enjoy. It can however be a very cold place at over 1,000m of elevation.

This day we were using Thunderbolts Way as we continued our run south. The weather set

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in with heavy low cloud and persistent rain. The mandatory stop at Carson’s Lookout was taken even though the usual view across the river valley below was shrouded in cloud. As we rolled into Gloucester and to Roadies Café for lunch the rain had left us. What did remain were the flies. Paul had unfortunately (for him and the fly) ingested one of the little buggers and it would appear that all the kin of the recently consumed were out to wreak their revenge. A cork hat would not have been out of place on this trip.

Our afternoon run through the Hunter to Cessnock was a mixed bag. The country is stunning with the verdant green valleys from recent rains traversed by rolling country roads with very little traffic. What can be wrong with that you may well ask? Well it would appear that the good citizens of Stroud, Dungog and Gresford have never paid a rates bill – clearly the local councils and/or NSW Govt have not contributed to road maintenance for decades. Some sections of road are an absolute disgrace. They are a patchwork quilt with what may have been the original road surface no longer visible. This is clearly GS territory but poor old Rex with his shorter travel sports suspension giving my kidneys a workover.

We emerged from the hills at Branxton, crossed the Hunter Expressway and entered the beautiful wine growing regions around Pokolbin on our way into Cessnock to meet up with the rest of the tour group.

BMW R1250RS, Damo’s Ducati 1200 Multistrada, Greg’s BMW F800S and Peter (2)’s Yamaha TDM 900. The boys had just beaten us to the centrally located Cessnock Motel so it was a quick change for us and short walk to the Cessnock Hotel for a night of good food, drink and BS as we caught up with trip details and recent happenings.

Next day was to be a ‘quiet’ Sunday off bikes. After an excellent breakfast at Polina’s Café in the main (Vincent) Street we boarded a minibus for a pre-arranged private tour with Lucky’s Hunter Valley Tours. All of these tour operators have been doing it tough with the falloff in tourist numbers because of the corona virus following hot on the heels of the drought and bushfires. We were happy to be able to push some business their way. Rhonda our driver and guide took us to four boutique wineries, lunch, distillery and boutique brewery. It was a BIG day but we were delivered back to our Motel in time for a refresh before heading off to the Bowlo for dinner and a few more drinks. Monday morning we set off back to Vincent Street for breakfast but finding Polina’s closed on Monday we spread our business to the nearby Mr O kitchen which was again excellent. On our walk back to the motel we dropped into the Holden Dealership (GM had just announced the closure of Holden) where there was an excellent display of some period Holdens from the ‘50s & ‘60s. Where did it all go wrong?

The happy crew on the way to the wineries

The assembled group comprised (as well as Paul’s GS1200 and my ZRX 1200) TL (Peter) on his ageing but reliable 995 Triumph Sprint, Phil’s

Beautiful old Holdens in Cessnock

Cessnock had been good to us but the city is doing it tough. Locally it is commonly called ‘Methnock’ and the Cessnock Jail (750 inmates)

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has contributed to a local area known as ‘Sin City’ where associates/partners/families of the inmates congregate. We didn’t venture there to form a judgment. To us the town centre was clean, the pub/club/cafes were all fine and our bikes went unmolested. The wine growing areas around Pokolbin have excellent facilities and are a match for the wine growing regions of South and West Australia. They will find it hard to recover from the corona virus so will need support in the future. Give it a try.

We left the vine covered hills of the Hunter in the reverse direction that Paul and I had entered two days earlier. Even though the seven bikes strung out we regrouped at any direction change and everyone knew our next destination – no problems were encountered. When we got back to the Stroud Road we turned right into Stroud away from Gloucester and stopped for our coffee break at the ‘Crepe Myrtle’ café in the main street.

Taking over Stroud - Cafe Myrtle Cafe

This is a beaut place on a fine day with outside dining amongst the gardens. This was to be a pretty cruisy day so I suggested a detour to have a look at Australia’s tallest private residence sited just a few km off the Booral-Bulahdelah Road. Girvan Estate is a 10 storey tower sitting atop a hilltop in bushland. From the main road it is hard to identify it as a residence but on closer inspection its intended purpose becomes more obvious. Unfortunately we could not get right to the doorstep because of a locked access gate. It was built as one man’s folly in the early naughties and has changed hands a couple of times since.

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Judging by the deteriorated access road it would appear that it is only occupied sporadically. The residence is 30m tall and includes 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool and tennis court and a whole floor dedicated to a kitchen and dining room.

Australia’s tallest residence

The section of road between Booral and Bulahdelah is better maintained than other sections so a good pace was possible. From Bulahdelah we followed the lakes and coast on The Lakes Way which is a nice scenic road but it does carry a lot of slow moving tourist traffic so care was required. Our home for the night was the Forster Motor Inn, not surprisingly located in Forster. The Motor Inn retains 2 undercover parking bays for motorbikes and it is centrally located within walking distance of the beach/ lake/pub/clubs and cafes. It is also good value but clearly earmarked for redevelopment when conditions are ripe so enjoy it while you can if staying in the area. We took our hosts recommendation to partake of the seafood buffet on offer at the Bowlo. For about $25 it provided excellent value with plenty of variety on offer including fresh prawns and mussels.

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enthusiasts but most are owned by the Kelleher Family who started the museum in Canberra in 1990. Relocation to Nabiac came after 1998. If I were to level a criticism is that there are many very similar models of some bikes (especially ‘70’s Japanese bikes) but no examples of popular models from the same era. Don’t go there on the basis of finding your first bike – you may be lucky but just as much chance not.

All tucked in - at Forster Motel Tuesday morning was overcast with some rain but the hardy souls ventured out for an invigorating swim in the excellent sea baths. Breakfast followed at Tartt Café just near the bridge. I have been to this place a few times and the energetic young staff members are never without a cheery hello and smile. Forster must be a nice place to live. We only had a short ride after check-out to the Australian Motorcycle Museum at Nabiac.

Some of the group had not been here previously and those that had were more than happy to have another look. This is an unusual ‘museum’ in that most bikes on display remain unrestored with no obvious sign that is about to change. There is a lot of motorcycling memorabilia on display along with a few cars to complement the extensive bike range including a couple of very cute little BMW Isettas .

Sea Baths at Foster

The three main purpose-built halls house over 800 bikes with many on loan from local

One of the halls at Nubiac Museum

The ride from Nabiac through to lunch at Roadies Café in Gloucester is over one of the better sections of Bucketts Way – not perfect but able to be enjoyed without destruction of my kidneys. There was still some persistent rain hovering about – never too heavy but of nuisance value and requiring extra care on the slippery roads.

Cute hey - BMW’s of course

The run up Thunderbolts Way with views across Barrington Tops was enjoyable with the

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air getting colder as we climbed. Before Walcha we turned left onto the sign-posted Topdale Road which becomes Nowendoc Road before descending sharply through Port Stephens Cutting on some tight bends on a narrow strip of bitumen. Fortunately there was very little traffic but there is a section of roadworks where part of the road is being widened. Once we got to the valley floor there was a delightful run along a ribbon of smooth country road to the small village of Dungowan. We turned right here to join the NE Hwy just outside Tamworth. A left turn will take you towards Nundle and the Chaffey Dam which is also a delightful ride. Don’t miss these roads when next in the area as they are pure pleasure on two wheels.

The Valley Road below Nowendoc

Our last night together was enjoyed at the Abraham Lincoln Motel - wasn’t he an Australian Prime Minister quipped an unnamed member of the tour party. This motel is opposite the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum at Rydges Hotel but we had all been there before so gave it a miss this time. A walk into the Services Club built up a thirst and appetite so the buffet was again tackled. Not bad but not up to the standard of the earlier offering in Forster. The boisterous group availed of staff member Rachel’s offer to drop us home in the Club’s courtesy bus. A request for a drive around town was answered thus – Oh you want a ‘Mainie’ (being a run down the main street), here we call it a ‘Peelie’ (Peel St being the main street) – and so we all availed of our first Peelie.

Sadly as all things must come to an end,

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after a few great days together we bade each other farewell as the Melbourne troop set sail west to Gunnedah while Paul and I breakfasted in town before retracing our steps up Port Stephens Cutting to Walcha. There is an interesting aside to the reverse run along this road. The sweeping road along the valley floor with no civilisation and naff all side access roads is signposted at a ridiculously low 80kph but as soon as you hit the tight narrow climb up the range the speed limit goes unrestricted. Go figure? Being creatures of habit we landed back in Walcha for coffee at Café Graze. We licked our lips as we left Walcha with the Oxley Hwy laying before us. What a fantastic ride this road offers, it never ceases to impress.

The devastating bushfire damage is patently obvious but the recent rains have injected new life into the trees with green shoots aplenty.

New growth on the Oxley Highway We stopped for a late lunch at Bardi’s Café opposite Timbertown on the edge of Wauchope.

I can safely say that here I enjoyed one of the best homemade steak pies I have ever tasted. I mentioned to our generous host that there was no toilet roll in the customer toilet – that is the 13th roll that has been stolen in three days she quipped. This was at the height of the Great Dunny Roll fiasco that afflicted the developed world.

We had been invited to stay at Chateau Herpich in Port Macquarie and we were happy to accept. Steve and Meredith are wonderful hosts. We regaled to the Blue Whale Restaurant for dinner where we were joined by Darrell & Trish Jordan for a wonderful night of fine fare

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and conversation. The food was excellent. Highly recommended. Steve showed his culinary skills next morning with an excellent cooked breakfast to set us on our way. ‘Sadly’ we had to retrace our path up the Oxley Highway and back to Café Graze for the third time during this short trip.

Playing around on the roads that criss-cross the New England Tablelands is intoxicating. The roads take on an entirely different complexion if heading up or down and so it was with the Oxley as well as our next descent as we headed across to Uralla and Ebor (lunch at Fusspots) then across to Dorrigo and down Waterfall Way. We went back along the Coramba Road from Coffs Harbour to Grafton then north to the Ulmarra Hotel for our last night on the road.

We crossed the Clarence River on the ferry at Ulmarra on Friday morning as some heavy clouds started to build. Some rain was encountered on the ride into Lawrence and onto Casino for coffee before a spirited ride up the Bruxner Hwy to Tenterfield. I caught up with some friends who had newly relocated to Tenterfield before we crossed back into Qld and reclaimed our lost hour of daylight saving time. A visit to see George & Maggie is mandatory when passing through Wallangarra (Maggie’s home-made biscuits yum) and as usual our chatting didn’t abate. We both wanted to get to the Club dinner night at the Glen Hotel so had to press home on the Cunningham Hwy after we left the Yangan & Freestone backroads. We covered just less than 3,000km in the eight days on the road.

HUNTER RUN

What is there not to enjoy about riding motorbikes with friends in this great land we proudly call home?

*The famous Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch. “‘E’s not pinin’! ‘E’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker! ‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies! ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!”

HUNTER RUN

Some more Hunter Run pics including a fine specimen from Nubiac Museum (the one not wearing boxer shorts...)

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A QUICK GLANCE

BMWMCQ

A Quick Glance in the Mirror Back in the 1960’s members of motorcycle clubs wore helmets with coloured stripes on them to identify which club they belonged to. Our Club colours were Black and Blue stripes over the centre of a white helmet. They used electrical tape for the stripes.

Following the weekend Classic Ride to Goomeri, Gary Bennett, Darryl Gowlett and Tony Malone attended a rare get-together of some old Club Members from back in the 1960’s at Mt Glorious Cafe.

The meeting was organised because Lou Bronsveld, who has been living overseas since 1975 made a rare return to Australia.

Lots of interesting stories were told and a few missing pieces of history were found.

Sourced by Gary Bennett #509 From conversations with club elders

Members in the photo are from the left: Ian Aitchison who has held the most positions continuously in the Club history from 1970 - 1977. Lou Bronsveld, the 7th President for two terms. Darryl Gowlett, the 21st and 26th President. Tony Gillett, the 6th President. Tony Malone, the 27th and 29th President for 4 terms. Chris Rawson-Harris, the 4th President for two terms.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

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Ho Ho Ho! Come and celebrate with some festive cheer on Saturday night 4th July at “Midnight at the Oasis”, at Motel Oasis Kingaroy. There is motel style accommodation or camping and cabins within walking distance. There will be led rides (road and dirt) to the venue for the July monthly club ride – details to follow.

Complimentary Nibbles by the pool at 4:00pm, followed by Buffet dinner Turkey and cranberry sauce Roast Beef and red wine Jus Australian Prawns Pork Belly and Apple sauce Selection of Vegetables and Salads Dessert Buffet Selection of 6 mini desserts Tea and Coffee $30PP A hot breakfast will be available on Sunday morning for $18PP Motel Oasis Peppertree Cabins Kingaroy Holiday Park 50 Walter Rd (07) 4162 8008 (07) 4162 1808 Kingaroy Qld 4610 P: 07 41622399 E:stays@moteloasis.com.au www.moteloasis.com.au

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COMPASS CORNER

The Compass Expeditions Ross Mckeand Memorial and reunion ride out, Jindabyne 2020

J

ust before everything went pear-shaped across the globe a group of 60 or so riders gathered in the Snowy Mountains village of Jindabyne, New South Wales, to remember a fallen comrade and celebrate riding motorcycles in amazing places.

The annual Compass Expeditions get together was a great success with a fantastic turn out of past tour participants, friends and family joining us to remember our good mate Ross, who tragically passed away on the 2019 Reunion ride and enjoy a great day of eating, riding and more eating while being entertained by inspirational, motorcycling, world travelling guest speakers.

Cindy and Duncan Bennett amused and entertained the room with tales of their international and local motorcycle journeys including the one that they were currently riding while with us in Jindabyne.

Last week they finally made it home after an 8,526 km loop from Brisbane to Kangaroo Island and back via outback South Australia and NSW. Running the gauntlet of state border closures and travel restrictions along the way!

Also, on stage that night was renowned author and motorcycle traveller Heather Ellis, who continued her story of world travel and discovery on a Yamaha TT600 and her search for meaningful adventure and beauty as told in her second book, Timeless on the Silk Road.

Heather’s talk was inspirational, and heartbreaking and her books are highly recommended “isolation” time reading.

You can read more about Heather and purchase her books here at: Heather-ellis.com The Charity Auction of a couple of packs of goodies sourced from Rocky Creek Designs, Charley Boorman and a selection of Compass Expeditions merchandise raised $1200 for local charities thanks to two most generous bidders – Thanks Michele and Gil for their support for a region that is doing it tough.

After a great weekend in Jindabyne we took the show on the road to tour some of the heavily bushfire effected communities across New South Wales and Victoria as a show of support and to inject some tourist dollars to the region.

Due to the extensive damage that the recent fires had caused and subsequent heavy rains that followed many of the roads and trails remained closed to traffic due to downed trees, wash outs and landslides.

However, we still enjoyed five days of amazing riding and great company from Jindabyne to Batemans Bay, south to Mallacoota in Victoria and then returning to Jindabyne for our final night celebration.

The only road closure that we unexpectedly struck turned into a great ride as the alternate route, planned on the fly, included even better dirt roads than the original.

It was a wonderful week of fun and riding; we would like to thank everyone who participated and hope to see Compass riders at the 2021 Reunion Ride next year.

FOR THE AIRHEADS - and they are many

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MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE It is hard to believe that 2 years have passed since Mark Morrissey of MMM Boxerworks met a young German Adventurer, Sinje Gottwald, and restored her 1994 R100 GSPD. Amidala as Sinje’s bike is known, had travelled 40,000km across Europe, Asia, the subcontinent, China and parts of Australia since leaving her native Germany. The hard life on the road had taken a toll and Mark was required to breathe new life into Amidala.

Subsequently Sinje has continued her motorcycling world odyssey travelling the length of the Americas and then onto Africa. The current Corona Virus pandemic has caused Sinje to take safe refuge in her home country while Amidala has been stored in Senegal awaiting her return.

For Mark the past two years has seen a welcome relocation to newer, bigger, better premises and an expansion of his work load. He continues to track and follow Sinje’s travels and talks to her often. Theirs is a lifelong friendship borne out of a common love of motorcycles, BMW of course.

Take time to read about Sinje’s amazing journey and see the work done on Sinje’s bike in the video made at the time to help friends and family around the world better understand the work undertaken by Mark. Linked also is the Club journal from May 2018 and the story Tony Gray had the pleasure of writing after talking with Sinje while Mark performed his mechanical magic on her bike. https://www.facebook.com/okimototravels/videos/212033082712329/?t=0 https://www.facebook.com/okimototravels http://docs.bmwmcq.org.au/journals/2018/2018_05_Journal.pdf

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ADVERTISING & BMW SUPPORTS

ADVERTISING & BMW SUPPORTS

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Book in for a BMW motorcycle service today with our expert team and you can be confident that Your pride and joy is in good hands.

BMW Motorcycle Tyres & Accessories Planning on hitting the road soon? Stop by our showroom to check out our great range of tyres, luggage bags and riding gear to suit Adventure or Sport Touring.

FREE BMW Motorcycle Safety Inspection Report But perhaps more importantly, be prepared before you head off! Book in for your FREE safety inspection report. This simple check can mean the difference between a hassle-free ride versus getting stuck on the side of the road with no phone coverage a long way from the nearest town.

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Very Useful Services & Cool Stuff

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Phone: 08 9317 3317 Fax: 08 9317 3359 email: munich@iinet.net.au

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From business card to full page, all sizes are available.

The BMWMCQ electronic journal is distributed to members and interested parties throughout Queensland and basically anywhere that has the internet. In addition, the journal is issued to other BMW affiliated Clubs.

Get your message out to people who own, ride and restore BMW motorcycles.

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www.goodwool.com.au

Phone your requests to Don Grimes - Ph: 0411 601 372

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Online inspiration...

ONLINE INSPIRATION

By Cindy Bennett When planning an interesting riding route the days of paper maps are (some might say sadly...) behind us. Although I do like my Hema Motorcycle Atlas and the accompanying book of 200 Top Rides for Australia.

However, the selection of web sites available to plan your individual adverture on 2 wheels is extensive and a few worth mentioning are below. There would be plenty more which I welcome advice from our learned Members about!

First up, Trans Australia Trails (Adventure Rider Tracks) transaustraliatrail.com.au or TAT for short - helps you find tracks for weekend rides or a 3 month round Australia odyssey.

You can also use this site to share your own tracks with others to build the bank of memorable trips on this site. There is also a GPS help section including BaseCamp basics which is a very good resource.

Within Europe, the TET or Trans Euro Trail links a 51,000km GPX route from the edge of Africa to the Arctic Circle, “journeying through some of Europe’s most remote, diverse and inspirational landscapes”!

So use this time to get planning for when we are able to roam free, far and wide on 2 wheels again!

Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) in the USA - ridebdr.com has rider resources and route planning tools for (as the name suggests) great backcountry rides in this wonderful riding destination. Duncan and I have done part of the Washington route which got us off the beaten track well and truly.

March Dinner - Glen Hotel

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James brought his R850R (Duncan’s only BMW) along to say hello. Sadly Duncan missed a fond reunion as we were down Jindabyne way at this time.

The bike certainly looks great and James must be highly commended for his work on “The Beast” as it used to be known - now maybe has to be known as “The Beauty”!

T

he March Dinner ride to the Glen Hotel was one of the last group get-togethers before the restrictions on gatherings came into place.

A small group was in attendance but an enjoyable time had by all who came along.

BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE!

Race to Dakar Charley Boorman Extreme Frontiers Charley Boorman (Racing Across Canada) What If I Had Never Tried It Valentino Rossi (The Autobiography) The Road to Mali Craig Carey-Clinch No Room for Watermelons Ron & Lynne Fellowes Great Motorcycle Tours of Europe Colette Coleman A Motorcycle Courier in the Great War Captain W.H.L. Watson Australia Motorcycle Atlas With 200 Top Rides (6th Ed) Hema Maps Overland Magazines - issue #’s 11; 19; 21; 22; 25; 26; 27; 28 and 29.

Adventure Bike Rider - issue #’s 44; 46; 51 and 53 The Touring Motorcycle Jeff Ware & Kris

Hodgson

BMW Twins Mick Walker BMW Boxer Twins Ian Falloon BMW Motorcycles Bruce Preston A Century of BMW Manfred Grunet & Florian Triebel 2 x On Tour with Compass Expeditions DVDs

The initive is being overseen by Jane Gray and you can communicate with Jane via email at: library@bmwmcq.org.au Arrangement can be made with the librarian to pick up & drop off at the monthly Members meeting.....Editor