FEBRUARY 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 - Richard Maher Ph: 0415 111 454 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1150 R
Secretary - Tony Gray Ph: 0409 493 605 secretary@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 GS (The Grey Ghost) R 60/6 Treasurer - John Eacott
Ph: 0428 383 826 treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au 2017 K1600GT
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 Regalia & Dealer Liaison
Don Grimes Ph: 0411 601 372 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au
This Issue - FEBRUARY 2020 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 NATIONAL MOTORRAD RALLY . . . . . 6 SERVICE DAY REPORT . . . . . . . . . . 9 General Meeting Minutes. . . . . 10 BMWMCQ EVENTS CALENDAR . . . . 12 AGM NOTICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 from the pen of jane gray . . . . 15 AGM 2019 MINUTES ETC. . . . . . . . 16 ALOHA nineT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 TWO x TEN x SEVEN . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Advertisers
Morgan & Wacker - INSIDE COVER Caloundra Motorcycles - P.38 Good Wool Store - P.38 Northside Motorcycles - P.39 Munich Motorcycles - P.40
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? . . . . . 26 CHRISTMAS PARTY 2019. . . . . . . . 31 THE LOVEWELL PROJECT . . . . . . . . 33 B2B MUNDUBBERA . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 35 FIRST RIDE of the NEW DECADE. . . 36 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 ONCE UPON A BMW. . . . . . . . . . . . 42 BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE. . . . . . 43
TeamMoto Gold Coast - P.41 TeamMoto Springwood - BACK COVER
On The Cover Jolly’s Lookout - the first BMWMCQ event of the year and a magnificent display of hardware was lined up....
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
FEBRUARY 2020
Cindy & Duncan Bennett
Editors’ Report
T
he first journal in our 62nd year (the club’s, not ours). A big year ahead, we have nearly a month of riding planned in March ultimately to Kangaroo Island, so will miss the 2020 AGM. In 2021 we will be gone for 3½ months so will need someone(s) to step in at some stage - it really is quite good fun and the editor holds absolute power. We can even write things like “you fuuling touch my BMW and I’ll fuuling kill you” and no-
one can stop us! See you on the road! Cindy & Duncan
A
s editors we are avid readers of our quality Australian motorcycle magazines, and occasionally we spot something that catches our eye.......
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 : 7.30PM 6 FEBRUARY 2020
Committee Reports Paul Hughes
W
FEBRUARY 2020
5
President’s Report
elcome to 2020. I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and are now ready for an active riding and club year.
The Christmas Party was a great weekend and I would like to thank Judy Mortimer for donating the costs of the decorations . Judy wanted the costs to be donated to the RFDS instead of being reimbursed to herself. The decorations were fantastic at Evans Head (and have been for several years).
This year is going to be busy with some major events already planned and booked in the Calendar. We have the Motorrad Rally in Stanthorpe in October , the Cane Toad Rally in April, Christmas In July is making an appearance and of course the Frigid Digit in the last weekend of July.
Our first Back to the Bush is scheduled the last weekend of March at Mundubbera. Stay posted for a camping weekend or two in there. On top of that there is service days, dinners, social nights, general meetings etc etc. A pretty full program with something for everyone. Check it the details out on the Facebook page or the events calendar on the club website. The Annual General Meeting is on March 5th. All the paperwork is in this journal and has been up on the club website for a week or so. Please come along and show your support for the club and its activities.
The Motorrad Rally web page is complete and open for bookings. Big thank you to Greg Gaffney for all his great work on this and many other IT projects along with his duties as Records Officer. Not many can do as much as Greg does and we are very appreciative of that.
Lastly Mark Mustchin and I got to see much of the devastation of Northern and Central NSW over the break period. Very sad to see the damage to the environment as well as the wildlife. Great to see re-growth taking place already. Admittedly what we saw pales compared to further down south. We all are saddened at the lost of life and property. If you are aware of anyone the club could assist in any small way please let us know. I think travel to the areas once the fires are out and spending money in their local economy will be a major help. Lastly during the year we expect to introduce “length of service” awards to members along with special awards celebrating member success. Something to look forward too. Ride often and ride safe. Paul
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FEBRUARY 2020
T
BMW MOTORAD RALLY
he countdown to the BMW Clubs Australia Motorrad Rally is on!
The sponsors are coming on board for the Rally and planning work continues to make this a memorable event for the Club. 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
W W W
hen:
Long weekend of 2nd to 5th October 2020
here:
Stanthorpe, QLD. Command Central is the Stanthorpe Showgrounds
hat:
Displays; local led rides both road & GS; gymkhana events; movie night; street parade PLUS MUCH MORE!
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.
Committee Reports
FEBRUARY 2020
John Eacott
4:26 PM 09/01/20 Cash Basis
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Treasurer’s Report
Our accounts are solid and a check has been booked with an auditor after the end of our Financial Year, to be presented at the next AGM. We currently have Donations of $891 which we anticipate topping up to be able to give a four-figure donation to the RFDS before the club year is finished. Other income and expense generally relate to the 2020 BMW Motorrad Rally. The Miscellaneous expense of $651.31 relates to costs incurred for the Cane Toad Rally, the Biscuit Run, Poker Run, ICE Emergency USBs and various trophies. BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc
Profit & Loss
February 1, 2019 through January 9, 2020 Feb 1, 19 - Jan 9, 20 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Advertising Income Interest Received Membership Fees Total Income Expense Affiliation Fees Australia Post / Post Box Rent Computer costs Internet Services Software Expense Computer costs - Other
4,400.00 250.62 10,917.64 15,568.26 476.00 195.00 152.90 1,001.20 89.00
Total Computer costs
1,243.10
Gifts and Donations Government Charges Insurance Brokers fee Insurance GST Policy fee Premium Stamp Duty Insurance - Other
1,536.00 55.35
Total Insurance Miscellaneous PayPal commission Postage Printing and Stationery Raffle Expenses Telephone Tools Expense Website Domain Expenses Website Hosting Expenses Website Maintenance
176.15 78.26 50.00 556.50 55.09 75.89 991.89 651.31 187.30 220.00 64.35 90.31 20.00 149.12 56.36 91.74 4,235.00
Total Expense
10,262.83
Net Ordinary Income
5,305.43
Other Income/Expense Other Income Donations Income Event income Regalia Sales Tools & parts sales
1,236.00 2,000.00 210.00 10.00
Total Other Income
3,456.00
Other Expense 2020 BMW CA Rally
1,321.00
Total Other Expense
1,321.00
Net Other Income Net Income
2,135.00 7,440.43
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FEBRUARY 2020
Greg Gaffney
Committee Reports Records Officers Report
W
e have on-line registration for the Cane Toad Rally in April available on our BMWMCQ website. You won’t even need to login. From the website click on Cane Toad Rally or go to canetoadrally.com.au and you will see some great images going back to the 80’s. You’ve got to check out the size of the cane toad in one of the photos. You can also Register for the Motorrad Rally 2020 to be held in Stanthorpe in October from our BMWMCQ website or by going to motorradrally2020.com.au
Greg Gaffney New Members : Nil records@ bmwmcq.org.au
Submissions for the Next Journal (MARCH 2020 Edition) close 25-ish FEBRUARY 2020
Committee Reports Bill Luyten Once again, we are holding a service day Saturday 29th February between 9:30am and 1pm at Rob Wynne’s enviable workshop shed at: 61-63 St Jude Circuit, Jimboomba
So start thinking about what you may want to do and get the bits ready. Maybe an oil and filter change, a bit of troubleshooting with plenty of advice from our club members or just hook up the GS-911 diagnostic tool and check if all’s good down under. As usual there will be a sausage sizzle lunch and drinks with gold coins donation to the RFDS. Listed below there are a comprehensive bunch of tools available.
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
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FEBRUARY 2020
Tool’s Report • • • • • • • • •
valves up to 4 cylinders) Clutch alignment shafts (3 sizes) Compression gauge (cylinder pressure) 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)
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
Print this page out and cut off the nomination form and bring it to the AGM, positive and dynamic people are what makes the BMWMCQ a great club!
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Committee Reports
FEBRUARY 2020
Tony Gray
Secretary’s Report
A brief report on the Secretarial activities for 2019 before this year’s AGM. In these electronic days the humble written letter has largely passed into the pages of history. The Club maintains a Post Office Box as our registered address and we still do receive and send some mail but for the most part the internet is our pathway to the wider world. The role of the club secretary is an easy but enjoyable activity that provides access to our members for a range of reasons. I have enjoyed meeting and mixing with members both new and old. The very large shadow that passed over the club this past year was the sad loss of our dedicated and much loved jovial editor Dave Hepburn. Dave’s loss was felt especially by the committee who missed his presence and valued contribution at our monthly committee meetings. The Club (and committee) is extremely fortunate and profoundly appreciative in having the ‘Dynamic Duo’ Cindy & Duncan jump into the breech and continue Dave’s legacy in producing a high quality journal on time every month. I have advised Paul that I am prepared to renominate for the secretary role for 2020 but if there are others in the club who would like to nominate for the role then I would be more than happy to brief them on the responsibilities entailed. My thanks to the other members of the outgoing committee of 2019, it has been my pleasure to work with you all.
BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 06 December 2019 Meeting Opened:
7.32pm
Apologies:
Michael & Ann Ahlberg, Bill Luyten, Graham Healey, Steve Johnston, Andy McLeod, Mark Taylor, Mark Mustchin, Donna Wiltshire, Maggie & George.
Minutes of Previous General Meeting:
Accepted: Rosi Johnston Seconded: Cindy Bennett
Number of Attendees:
27
New Members (Name & MC):
Nil
Visitors:
Nil
Returning Members:
Nil
Treasurer Report:
P&L tabled. $8,900 in Cheque Account. Net Income $8591 for 2019 year. $1321 used of the $2,000 seed funding from Clubs Australia for 2020 Motorrad Rally.
Editor Report:
Prizes distributed for the Xmas Bike dress-up.
Tools Report:
Excellent Service Day at Rob Wynne’s place.
Regalia Report:
All old stock at discount prices. Cindy showed example of what we are getting from our embroidery supplier. Good quality and only $7.
Records Report:
233 Financial members. 2 new members in the last month.
Events Report:
All events updated on FB and website. Canetoad Rally 25/26 April 2020.
Secretary Report:
Correspondence In: email request on membership for special rego. Touring Club NSW Nov Newsletter-includes a tribute to Ken Dyne. Completed Membership Form + RTS of membership cards. Correspondence Out: email response on membership for special rego. Complaints on-line to Aust Post over RTS letters – 3rd time this year.
Dealer Liaison Report:
Thankyou to M&W and Julie for the prizes for the National Rally. Formal letter to be sent.
Vice President Report:
Class 1 reflective stickers provided.
President Report:
Ride report on the Bruxner Hwy after the recent fires. National Rally website has had a lot of work done - thanks to Greg Gaffney. There will be a dedicated FB site for the Rally. If members have ideas for rides or activities then raise with a committee member.
Other Events/Buy/Sell/Swap:
BMW Airflow jacket - size 54 (Don). Charlie has lots of GS 1100 parts for sale off his wrecked bike.
Past rides:
Gary Bennett ride on R9T and Scrambler. Hard in the suspension but a lot of fun.
Closed:
8.35 pm, next meeting 7.30pm Thursday 9 January 2020.
Committee Reports
FEBRUARY 2020
11
BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 09 January 2020 Meeting Opened: Apologies: Minutes of Previous General Meeting:
7.35pm Richard Maher, Maggie & George, Dennis Greenfield, Darryl Gowlett. Accepted: Passed over as minutes not yet distributed Seconded:
Number of Attendees: New Members (Name & MC): Visitors: Returning Members: Treasurer Report: Editor Report: Tools Report:
Regalia Report: Records Report: Events Report:
Secretary Report:
Dealer Liaison Report: Vice President Report: President Report: Other Events/Buy/Sell/Swap: Past rides: General Business Closed:
40 Nil Nil Mal Price P&L tabled. $7,440 net income YTD. Reimbursement to JE for BMW History Books x 2. Articles looking good for Feb and now looking for articles for March. Discussion on K1100 that BL has been helping a member to repair. Suggested that Geoff Hamon be suggested as a contact for info on the K1100. Also the GS911 for older BMWs has been returned to BL and is again available for loan. All old stock at discount prices of $2 a T. Paperwork in next journal for the embroidered T shirts and Caps. 234 Financial members. Nil new members in the last month. If changing membership from single to dual or vice versa then advise Greg beforehand. All events updated on FB and website. Canetoad Rally 25/26 April 2020. Booking system on the website. Karuah River Rally may be moved to Dungog Showground due to fire bans in the National park. Check their website for updates. Breakfast at Jolly’s Lookout this Sunday. To be followed by a led ride to Gary McCoy’s Café at Cooyar for lunch. Travel via Esk, Ravensborne, Crows Nest. 190km 2.5 hours so have a full tank. Complete the loop by returning via Yarraman & Blackbutt. Details subject to change dependent on weather (rain predicted). Correspondence In: Invitation & entry forms from BMWMCV on 45th anniversary rally in May 2020 at Maldon Vic. Notice of pending expiry of ‘Cane Toad Rally’ name registration with ASIC. Correspondence Out: Nil. Reminder about the club library. The 100 year History of BMW has just been added to the collection + 3 new BMW specific books donated on the night by Mal Price - thanks Mal. Turnover of staff at Team Moto Slacks Creek. New staff keen to do a promotional night with the club. N/A. Report on southern members but none affected by the bushfires. $238 paid to Clubs Australia for yearly membership. BMW Airflow jacket - size 54 (Don). Charlie has lots of GS 1100 parts for sale off his wrecked bike. Medium Vector 2 helmet (Anita). GS Pro Boots (Paul). Nimbin ride (Charlie). Paul & Mark week ride south. Heavy smoke encountered during ride around Brisbane Valley last Sunday. Gary McCoy’s cafe is now closing Tuesday & Wednesday. 8.25 pm, next meeting 7.30pm Thursday 6 February 2020.
BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule FEBRUARY 2020
12
Datee Thu 06
Sun 09 Sat 15 Wed 19 Sun 23 Tue 25
FEBRUARY 2020
Start 7:30 PM
8:00 AM 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
Event Details Club General Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Meeting Road, Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm.
Contact president@bmwmcq.org.au
Club Ride
president@bmwmcq.org.au
Coffee Meetup Dinner with Drinks
ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. Meet at Carseldine Caltex, 1754 Gympie Rd Carseldine The Coffee Club, 70 Bay Terrace, Wynnum
president@bmwmcq.org.au
Hamilton Hotel, 442 Kingsford Smith president@bmwmcq.org.au Drive Hamilton. Roadworks are nearly finished! president@bmwmcq.org.au The Bull & Barley Inn, 61 Eton St, Cambooya
12:30 Club Lunch Ride PM 6:00 The German Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane …Come along PM Club and enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. A limited amount of parking is available in the club carpark however, if this is full, parking is available on Duke and Linton Streets.
president@bmwmcq.org.au
BMWMCQ Rides - Regular Meeting Places
FEBRUARY 2020 BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule MARCH 2020
Date Thu 05
Start 7:30 PM
Event Club Annual General Meeting
Sun 08
8.00 am
Club Ride
Fri 13 Sun 15
Sat 21
Sat Sun 28-29 Tue 31
6:00 PM
Dinner with Drinks
12:30 Club Lunch PM - Ride QLD time 9:30 Coffee Meet Up AM 8:00 AM 6.00 PM
Back to the Bush
The German Club
Details Contact Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman president@bmwmcq.org.au Road, Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. president@bmwmcq.org.au
TBA
The Glen Hotel, 24 Gaskell St, Eight president@bmwmcq.org.au Mile Plains Mount Warning Hotel, 1497 Kyogle president@bmwmcq.org.au Rd, Uki NSW CAFE 63 938 Brunswick St New Farm
Mundubbera
president@bmwmcq.org.au
president@bmwmcq.org.au
Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture president@bmwmcq.org.au Street, East Brisbane …Come along and enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. A limited amount of parking is available in the club carpark however, if this is full, parking is available on Duke and Linton Streets.
EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR Date Friday 7th Feb
Event Karauh River Rally
Location Dungog NSW
Contact NSW BMW Club
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FEBRUARY 2020
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice of Annual General Meeting of the BMW Motorcycle Club Queensland Inc. The Annual General meeting of the Club will be held at
Geebung RSL, 323 Newman Rd, Geebung Qld 4034, at 7:30PM on March 5th 2020.
The Agenda of the meeting is as follows: 1.
Acceptance of the 2019 AGM minutes
3.
Presentation of the Financial accounts
2.
4.
Management Committee Reports
Election of Committee members for 2020
Special Resolutions 1.
Any Special resolutions presented under the rules of the Constitution (30 days notice)
The General Meeting for March 2020 will follow the AGM. Tony Gray Secretary BMWMCQ
FEBRUARY 2020 FROM THE PEN OF JANE GRAY 5 LINE FLIRTATIONS II
Every month I will endeavour To write something funny or clever Putting pen to paper In this rhyming caper Capturing thoughts whenever
He was an old man from the scrub Who was such a terrible grub His hair was so greasy He really was sleazy All he needed was a bloody good tub She was a young girl from the coast Who was definitely wilder than most She was feisty & flirty She loved to get dirty Of her antics she’d often boast There was an old lady from Ipswich Who everyone thought was a witch Nowhere in her past Were there spells she had cast But her nose had a terrible twitch A happy young couple from Boonah Loved snuggling under the doona They’d jostle & jiggle And gossip & giggle Sleep came later rather than sooner An old man out in Boggabilla Loved a good “who-dunnit” thriller He’d watch every scene With hearing so keen For clues as to who was the killer There was a young girl from Mt Isa Her friends all tried to advise her But she wouldn’t listen She kept cussing & hissing Till finally they all despised her An eccentric old man out in Alice Decided to build a beautiful palace
Made from red dirt and rock Lots of locals did mock But really they meant him no malice A cheeky young lad from Quambone Tried to play the trombone The notes that he hit Would make your ears split His whereabouts now are unknown There was a girl from Tumbarumba She was such a sweet little number Her moves were so smooth As her worries she’d soothe Every day as she danced to the rumba There was an old man from Bulga Who at times was incredibly vulgar He’d spit on the floor Then bash on the door And stomp his way out in the mulga She was just a little embarrassed And hoped she wouldn’t be harassed When her beach towel fell She was “au naturel” The mademoiselle from Paris Juan & his best mate, Cisco Danced every night at the disco The music would thump As they’d prance & pump They had fun in San Francisco Leprechauns & pots of Guinness Bring out the larrikins within us Temple Bar in Dublin The music is bubblin’ Irish craic will always win us Tomorrow is a brand new day For all to work, rest or play Whatever you do Please don’t be blue May the sun melt your troubles away
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Annual General Meeting
FEBRUARY 2020
BMWMCQ Annual General Meeting Minutes March 2019 – GEEBUNG RSL Meeting Date: Chairman: Apologies: Minutes of Previous AGM: Outgoing Presidents Report: Outgoing Committee Member Reports: Outgoing Treasurer Report:
7 March 2018. Time: 7:35pm Paul Hughes/Tony Gray
Cheryl Abbott, Maggie & George, Steven Johnson, Les Fitzgerald & Kelly Weeks Accepted: Geoff Hodge
Seconded: Mark Mustchin
Steady as you go year, refer to article in journal for further detail. President thanks all committee for doing a fantastic job in 2018. Committee members presented their review of the year.
Treasurer and Clubs Australia update.
John Allan challenged treasurer reports and Office of Fair Trading verification prior to meeting. Anita Wyndham and Frank Hills raised depreciation queries/issues which were detailed by John Eacott in response.
General discussion on modern accounting standards, no action or resolution. 2019 Committee Nominations:
Motion to accept the tabled documents: Greg Gaffney
Seconded by: Mark Mustchin
Nominations (nominee, vote outcome) President: Paul Hughes, ELECTED
Vice President: Richard Maher, ELECTED Secretary: Tony Gray, ELECTED Treasurer: John Eacott, ELECTED Records: Greg Gaffney, ELECTED Tools: Bill Luyten, ELECTED Regalia: No nominations – HELD OVER Events: No nominations – HELD OVER Editor: David Hepburn, ELECTED Special Resolution:
Dealer Liaison: Don Grimes, (nominated Paul H; seconded Geoff H) ELECTED
1. To approve the offer to issue Life Membership to Gary Bennett PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Closed:
8:45pm
Annual General Meeting
FEBRUARY 2020
17
BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc. Proxy Form I,
(member name)
of _______________________________________________________ being a current financial member of the BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc. (‘the Club’) hereby appoint _____________________________
of
(name of proxy)
_________________________________________________
or failing him/her, _____________________________
of
(name of alternate proxy)
______________________
______________________
as my proxy to vote for me on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting of the Club to be held on 5 March 2020 and at any adjournment thereof.
Signature:___________________________________ Date:________________________________
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FEBRUARY 2020
By: Duncan Bennett No.4171
R
iding all 50 USA states has long taken up a large volume of the list bucket for Cindy and me. Quick retraction; that statement is a total fabrication and only just occurred to us as something we could achieve having now ridden both non-contiguous bits - Alaska and Hawaii - in 2019. With Washington, Idaho, Montana and Utah already conquered on the mainland it seems that it will be a quick doddle to finish the other 44 off. The week long family holiday in midDecember with children and grandchildren was used as a front to tick off the Hawaiian ride, as well as doing a few other things including a trip to the Gun Club smack bang in the middle of Waikiki to tick off a true bucket list item – firing an AK47. Travels especially into Africa and South-East Asia have shown how rife these assault rifles still are in the world, a tragic testament to an incredibly fit-for-purpose and robust design with its famous “banana” magazine first developed in the USSR in 1947. After our son Tim and I sort of shared 60 rounds (I fired 50 rounds and Tim grudgingly got 10 when my shoulder started to hurt), the list was removed from the bucket and the AK47 item was crossed off.
Is it Gangsta to shoot your own shirt? With spending of time with the family successfully marginalised, the first task was to find a motorcycle hire establishment of repute. Which turned out to be more difficult than expected due to the almost binary nature of the available bikes on Hawaii – if we wanted a scooter or a Harley we were fine, but otherwise the pickings were slim. One establishment had a good range of BMW’s,
ALOHA
nineT
but the constant refrain throughout their reviews were; never answering the phone, never being open, and possibly being permanently closed, so I decided a physical visit strategy to potential hirers was required. Walking into Chase Hawaii Rentals in downtown Waikiki, an easy 7.62mm AK47 bullet flight from the Gun Club, the flavour was naturally H-D but a nice Triumph Speed Twin parked out the front created a more hopeful scenario. A quick check of their motorcycle inventory list revealed that their website had not been recently updated; happily a solitary BMW R nineT Urban GS had wedged itself into a space between the Harleys, Indians, and Triumphs.
Santa on a trike outside any business is a guarantee of quality The deal for my ride of the R nineT and a Triumph Street Twin for Cindy was done quickly, and the date was organised around weather and family activity constraints. Hawaii has some good stuff to do to kill time around motorcycling events – the Kualoa Ranch was visited to see the scenes of many big film moments including the log that Sam Neill and kids hid behind as a Tyrannosaurus Rex charged over the top in Jurassic Park, the Arizona memorial is a must at Pearl Harbour, and
ALOHA
nineT
the Hanauma Bay snorkeling was surprisingly good even with the crowds of tourists flogging the water to a foam.
Newtons 2nd Law: Force = mass x acceleration. Law of No Helmet: Idiot + Crash = Brain Injury So up early on Saturday, we arrived at Chase precisely at the 8am opening time in light drizzly rain, bearing some cheap “one size fits all” plastic ponchos to counter the poor weather rolling into Waikiki from the mountains to the north-west. Some small people on big Harleys were first out, before we had our turn doing a minute inspection of the bikes and photographing everything to prevent potential bogus hirer claims as had happened once before with a motorcycle rental outfit who tried to charge Cindy US$1200 for a new BMW 700GS front rim. Helmets are not required in Hawaii, but having crashed/fallen off and becoming a Newtonian physics demonstration numerous times I know that falling from 1.7m (assumed seated and stationary) my head will be travelling at roughly 5.8m/s when it hits the unforgiving surface and the impact force will be 45kg, equivalent to getting hit in the head by a smaller item of Cindy’s checked in luggage, so we naturally got helmets.
Just one pancake. The USA strikes again. East looked better than west, so with a simple
FEBRUARY 2020
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“go that way and turn left at the lights” from a Chase staff member I set the trip meter and we were off. Having no idea about navigation we sort of wandered through the ‘burbs, unfortunately going the wrong side of Diamond Head, but no time for back-tracking so we just launched on the short freeway out to a café for an early morning refreshment.
So balanced I could get off and run alongside The R nineT was already impressing me; it sounded cool which counteracted my very uncool cheap Hawaiian totally non-protecting shirt and handled very well as all beasts bearing the lowdown weight of the boxer engine are apt to do. The intermittent nature of the speedo was a concern, it had come on for 1.5km but then settled solidly back on zero. The ABS and traction control lights were flashing when the speedo didn’t work, and a test of rear braking and a slide on the slick wet road showed the flashing meant the ABS certainly wasn’t working, and I wasn’t game to test the traction control by whipping the R nineT’s 108 horses into a lather coming out of a wet corner. Having reached peak carbs with a pancake of a diameter close to the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb crater off to the west on Bikini Atoll, we were back on and heading around the coast road. Navigation was now simply to stay as close to the water on the main roads as possible. The speedo on the R nineT still refused to work, and a stop at a scenic viewpoint to check the fuse box was unsuccessful as we couldn’t work out where the fuse box was. The rain was now constantly threatening but it seemed to have become stuck on the mountains, so no need to deploy
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the “one size fits all” ponchos as we cruised past the imaginatively named Sandy Beach and into Waimanalo. Flashing lights alerted us to a police road block, the speedo decided not to push its luck with the authorities and so started working again just as we rode into a detour which ended in a total traffic blockage. Attempting some Urban GS riding through Waimanalo Hawaiian Homes got us a bit further up the queue but the hold-up was still a mystery, so the bikes were abandoned while we headed to the highway to discover the cause. A humungous parade was discovered, with floats and marching everythings extending as far as the eye could see.
Northern Plains Indians suddenly regretting their wardrobe choices in the Hawaiian humidity No end of “if we just rode around that police officer and through that creek…” scenarios were run with another parade victim who has many bikes including one in Port Moresby PNG, but we were trapped. Eventually becoming desperate, Cindy approached the constabulary and was informed that the end of the parade was nigh, so we hurried back to the bikes. Exploding from the Waimanalo morass, our next navigational landmark were the major freeways that come over the mountains directly from Honolulu and join the coast road we were on. The second one – the John A Burns Freeway - was at the end of a long straight section of road, so with little traffic around us there was a bit of again-failed speedo troubleshooting going on. The poking and tapping were interspersed with occasional glances up at the upcoming lights, until about 50m away from the intersection at 45mph the lights were noted to have changed from green
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to non-green, a shade normally described by chromatology experts as red. Without ABS there was a bit of a panicky back wheel skid on the slick wet road, with pressing/grabbing levers quickly abandoned to avoid a front wheel skid, but luckily a Plan B appeared which was to head through the lights to the breakdown lane alongside the surprised drivers turning in from the John A Burns.
The dark path of the righteous GS Urban rider The coast then reappeared and the cruising continued up it. Apart from the lack of speedo and life-saving braking accoutrement, the bike was good fun to ride and Cindy was enjoying the 900cc Street Twin along the unchallenging roads. Following the lengthy parade delay it was heading on for luncheon, so I was starting to look for options, and then Cindy just disappeared. The lack of communicators was suddenly regretted, where on earth had she gone? I slowed, then slowed more, then stopped. A few approaching Harley riders caused interest until their casual riding position, near nakedness, and lack of lifesaving helmet accoutrement confirmed they were not Cindy. So, I turned back the way we had come from, past a likely looking lunch region, and tried hard to remember where I’d last seen her. A motorcycle coming up from behind was ignored; I could truck no distractions looking for my wife who may be in distress, until it became obvious that the now wildly signaling motorcycle was my wife. With telepathic misunderstanding all that is ever achieved between us without communicators, I turned again and followed meekly until we pulled up at North Shore Tacos.
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A magnificent taco and something else Mexican inevitably involving soft flat bread and chillied-up meat with beans and guacamole later, we pushed a bit further north until north ran out.
As far north as one can get in Oahu without venturing up Nudist Colony Road The crowds were built up along the famous stretches of surf on the north west coast, and heaviest at the epic Banzai Pipeline which had the professionals in session. No time for watching people smash themselves onto a reef though, we needed to do some hard riding and push down the middle of the island to make sure we got the bikes back to Waikiki on schedule. We’d managed to get 13km after leaving the coast when a navigational snafu caused a correction, and to get back on the correct road we needed to ride through the Green World Coffee Farm carpark. We never made it past the shop. After medicinal caffeine boosting via the range of coffee and tea tastings on offer, we selected some product for the unfortunate few stuck back at home, then prepped for the foul weather loitering in the valley to the south. The cheap “one size fits all” plastic ponchos finally got their opportunity, and with tightening of the loose bits there was early confidence that the typically low travel speeds mandated on Oahu roads would not cause the ponchos to act like spinnakers. After the coffee kicked in, we’d decided that we had heaps of time to get over to the west coast and still make it back to Waikiki before Chase Rentals closed, so off we set. Almost immediately, the road opened out into a freeway and the speed limit opened out to 50mph. The cheap “one size fits all” plastic poncho was just hanging on, but then we hit the H1 heading
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west. The speed limit upped to 60mph, and soon the cheap poncho became like that scene in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, a smidgen embarrassing and under no circumstances was eye contact made with other motorists or their children staring out the back windows and pointing. Pulling into a western Oahu suburb to remove the shredded ponchos, we didn’t have to hold a chair in demography and social statistics at the University of Hawaii to note that the western side of the island seemed a lot seedier than the east, so parking in a side street encouraged rapid de-ponchoing before heading to a nice open spot in Waianae District Park with clear lines of sight.
Everything and everyone was “on” at the Green World Coffee Farm Photos were taken of the excellent views down the Oahu coast to the south, but not without a property rights issue starting due to the photographer’s close proximity to a homeless man’s dwelling. Having promptly alerted Cindy to a potential ownership dispute by loudly stating “I told you to keep away from my stuff!”, her natural temptation to browse through his selection of grubby plastic bags and containers was resisted.
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Negotiation led to a good-faith settlement which resolved any future emotional distress claims by Cindy placing a confidential number of empty water bottles in the aggrieved party’s shopping trolley of recyclables, and we were on our way once more. Having escaped the south west coast, it was then a straight blast east back up the H1 to Waikiki, with a stop for fuel and learning how on earth to open the keyless fuel cap and twice relearning how to estimate required pre-purchased fuel volume. Further scrutiny of navigation aids (maps.me app – very useful) was required to work out how to re-discover Chase rentals, but with 15 minutes to spare we successfully arrived back, able to legitimately tick off our final noncontiguous United State.
Urban GS goes west
According to the R nineT odometer, we clocked up 23 miles getting around Oahu Although we had loads of fun and it was well worthwhile, Oahu is unlikely to ever get into an adventure motorcyclist’s top 10 for “must do” rides, even counting the fantastic scenery. There are a couple of twisty sections on the island which were good, but the distances are short, and the traffic can be heavy. The Road to Hana (RTH) on Maui looks amazingly twisty with its 600 bends and people rave about it, and if going over to Hawaii again I’d certainly be thinking of Maui on an R nineT. Preferably with a working speedo. Western Oahu view, boundary homeless gent’s estate just out of picture
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TWO x TEN x SEVEN* By: Merv Bone No.3663 * With thanks to Tony Gray for the title idea from the December Journal
L
ike most good rides it starts with someone saying “Lets go to ???”. In December 2018 old mate Allen said “Lets go to the MotoGP races at Philip Island in October 2019 and then a trip around Tasmania”. “OK I’m in” said I. I sent Al the route I did in 2016 of some great rides thanks to our club members who had gone before me. Ah the good old days, just the two of us out riding the highways like we did almost 50 years ago. By January back came an email of the Tassie route and itinerary and “I’ve invited Strop and Kersley” two more old riding buddies. Great news. Over the next 9 months our group had expanded to 10 as more people found out about the GP and Tassie. On Wednesday 23rd October we (Phil Grisham, Dennis Greenfield and I) rode south to Tamworth via Warwick then Stanthorpe where I was amazed that the rural fires people were able to save three houses while the bush was blackened all around. A visit with George and Maggie, coffee and freshly baked Anzac biscuits, my favourites yum. Many thanks Maggie. Tenterfield, Armidale to Tamworth was very dry, warm and little traffic made for a good run. That night a meet ‘n greet with the other riders from Tamworth Classic car and bike club at the Longyard Hotel.
Thursday 24th. Our group was now 8 as we travelled to Muswellbrook to pick up Strop and Kerz. Strop knows all the great back roads and led us (now 10) out through Bylong, Wollar, Cooyal to Mudgee then more back roads to Cowra. The pace
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was quick until we got the flash of headlights of the police radar ahead. The lone Highway Patrol car up the side road. The NSW boys are a tricky mob, within 5 km of that HP another BMW HP vehicle was working left and right catching people who thought they were safe. Kerz says they sometimes work in 3’s. Friday 25th. Today we split from the group as Al had to meet his son at Gundagai. Phil, Dennis, Greg (a Spyder rider) and I headed south to Bright. Ian Sayce plotted a great ride into the GPS for me via Tumbarumba, Granya, Bonegilla, Mt Beauty into Bright. All back roads that follow the Murray river and anything that resembles a mountain. A great ride with the weather now overcast, cool and the countryside green unlike all of NSW. Bright brewery was our watering hole while we waited for the other group to arrive, a must do when down here.
Saturday 26th. What was the weather like at Mt Hotham, BOM, calls to several lodges, Dr Google finally an answer, 1°C, raining and lots of snow overnight. “Not going that way” said Strop, “I’m going to see the Weary Dunlop memorial at Benalla” and off we rode in our group of 10. From Benalla Dennis had a route plotted via more twisty back roads through Alexandra and Warburton - I think. My GPS was saying go right, his said go left and eventually we arrived at Inverloch. It was a big day, cold, windy and some rain. Qualifying for the MotoGP had been cancelled, it was that bad. The beer and food at the pub that night was very enjoyable and by now we were discovering our group had some real characters like Dave the dirt track racer in his faded purple full leathers, and Strop a Bathurst road racer with a dry country wit. Both whom like to play in the mountains if you get my drift. Sunday 27th. Race day, up early and a 1 hour ride to the track parking at the Lukey Heights car/bike park. A short walk to the entrance and down to the stand to find our seats. It was cool, dry and a slight breeze. The usual parade of heroes and an air show and then a short 10 lap GP qualifying for grid positions that had been cancelled the day before. Phil, Dennis and I were seated together and as the Moto 3 & 2 races were on we took a walk around the track. Turn 11 we found Tony and Jane
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on the fence line. Your secret is out Tony :). Turn 12 is Strop and Kerz’s favourite place. Back to the stand for the GP and it was perfect as Vinales crashed on the last lap in front of us which gave Jack Miller 3rd place. A fitting end to a great days racing at Philip Island. The ride off the island is well organised and we were back in Inverloch in under an hour.
TWO x TEN x SEVEN a gale and then the rain. Deloraine and Christmas Hill raspberry farm for fresh cream, jam and the best scones in Australia was Al’s call. YUM. Our second time there this trip. Al returned to Lonny while Dennis and I rode to Cressy to catch up with Bruce Jackson (ex BMW club member) and a quick oil change on my very dirty GS. After that I took Dennis up the Poatina S bends to 1100 metres to play in the snow. The temp on the dash of my GS was flashing 2°C, Yep a bit cold up here. I will let Dennis write a story of his 1st thoughts of Tassie and fill in the gap. (Editors - we’re checking the emails daily now Dennis).
Monday 28th. Some of our group returned home leaving 7 of us to travel to Melbourne for the smooth crossing to Tasmania that night.
Tuesday 29th. Now the fun begins. Twelve days of great twisty roads, lovely scenery, bikers paradise. A must do once in your life but it does come at a cost and I don’t mean money. One female Harley rider paid with her life while we were there. One of our group crashed at about 60 km/h on a wet slippery road, lucky no injuries just a small amount of damage to his Vstrom. Tassie has very changeable weather conditions and we had it all. While Tony and Jane were in the south it was fine and warm. For us in the north it was blowing a gale, rain and on the mountains snow down to 800 metres. Yes, November and snow. It was cool, 6 to 15°C most days, rain, hail, sleet and snow but over all the good days out weighed the bad and we were ably to travel the great roads of Tassie. Dennis did a great job of plotting the routes for each trip and everyone did as much or as little as they wanted. Some wanted to ride and some wanted to sight-see then each night catching up at the pub over a meal telling their stories of the days event. The only ride we didn’t complete was the ride around the Great Lake, it was too dangerous. Al, Dennis and I started out from Launceston and by the time we got to Westbury it was 6°C, blowing
Saturday 9th November. We disembark the Spirit of Tasmania in Melbourne. Our group split - some going east and Al, Mike, Dennis and I travel north to Seymour in the rain and a warm 6°C. Mt Hotham covered in snow down to 500 metres over night, bugger :(. The Hume Hwy to Albury and then onto Wagga so Al could visit his daughter. Mike continued riding as he had to be back in Tamworth by Sunday. Sunday 10th . Our group of 3 continued north on the Newell Hwy arriving in Gilgandra that
TWO x TEN x SEVEN afternoon. Yes I know - how boring - but some time you just have to do the k’s to get to the next fun point in your life. Old mate Charlie came into Al’s and my life when we were first riding in Gunnedah almost 50 years ago. He was 10 years older than us, full red beard and riding a 750cc Norton Commando. A real character and could have been a pirate in another life. We found Charlie working on his MG TC and his Norton was off to one side in the shed. Time for a beer so off to the Royal Hotel 79 paces away. The stories flowed as did the beer then food was required along with more beer and by 8pm the barman/owner called time, as we were the only people left in the pub. The 183 paces back to Charlie’s in the warm night air was refreshing and the difference in temperature compared to down south is staggering.
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FEBRUARY 2020 TDAMC Tasmania 2019 Itinerary Day One - Monday 28 October Depart on Spirit of Tasmania from Melbourne 7:30 pm
Day Two - Tuesday 29 October Disembark Spirit of Tasmania at Devonport 6:30 am
Day trip to Dove Lake and return to Devonport - travel time 2h 54m (173 km)
Night 1 Accomodation - Devonport Day Three - Wednesday 30 October Day trip Paradise/Liena loop via Sheffield and return to Devonport - travel time 2h 19m (131 km)
Night 2 Accomodation - Devonport Day Four - Thursday 31 October Travel Devonport to Queenstown via Somerset - travel time 2h 26m (196 km)
Night 3 Accomodation - Queenstown Day Five - Friday 1 November Day trip Zeehan/Strahan loop and return to Queenstown - travel time 1h 48m (123 km)
Night 4 Accomodation - Queenstown Day Six - Saturday 2 November Travel Queenstown to Hobart via Derwent Bridge/Hamilton etc - travel time 3h 50m (270 km)
Night 5 Accomodation - Hobart Day Seven - Sunday 3 November Day trip to Strathgordon and return to Hobart - travel time 4h 50m (340 km)
Night 6 Accomodation - Hobart Day Eight - Monday 4 November Day trip Kingston/Huonville plus Geeveston/Tahune and return to Hobart - travel time 3h 15m (195 km)
Night 7 Accomodation - Hobart Day Nine - Tuesday 5 November Travel Hobart to Bicheno via Richmond/Conara/St Marys - travel time 3h 20m (150 km)
Night 8 Accomodation - Bicheno Day Ten - Wednesday 6 November Travel Bicheno to Launceston via Falmouth/Derby/Scottsdale - travel time 3h 25m (235 km)
Night 9 Accomodation - Launceston Day Eleven - Thursday 7 November Day trip Longford/Miena/Deloraine loop and return to Launceston - travel time 3h 20m (235 km)
Night 10 Accomodation - Launceston
Day Twelve - Friday 8 November Travel Launceston to Devonport via E Tamar Hwy/BeaconsÞeld/Frankford - travel time 1h 45m (123 km)
Depart on Spirit of Tasmania from Devonport 7:30 pm
Day Thirteen - Saturday 9 November Disembark Spirit of Tasmania at Melbourne 6:00 am
Distance to all accommodation destinations Distance for all day trips Total Distance (to all accommodation destinations plus all day trips)
Monday 11th. Charlie fired up the Norton and rode out of town with us for about 5 km and with a big wave we said goodbye and continued on to Coonabarabran with Al turning right towards Gunnedah and home to Tamworth. Dennis and I rode the Newell Hwy to Moree, now a hot 32°C and very dry. We booked into the Gwydir Carapark & Thermal Pools to enjoy a relaxing soak in the heated artesian water. It was a fitting end to a few weeks of riding for our ageing bodies. We can recommend this place, 5 pools, 28, 34, 35, 37 & 39°C, just magic. While soaking in the pools we found out that the bush fires were creating havoc on the coast and the New England with roads closed everywhere so our choice to come inland was by accident the correct one. After 5 hours of relaxing and chatting in the pools it was time for diner at the Amaroo Tavern just down the road. A great night sleep was had. Tuesday 12th. Up early and rode to Gundy for brekky. A ride around town as Dennis had
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worked out there in the 70’s. The bypass and new bridge was a big improvement since I was last here. On to Inglewood and Karara where Dennis turned left to go home via Ma Ma Creek and Gatton while I went to Warwick for 2 days. The Cunningham Hwy & Gap was closed for 2 weeks due to the fires and I returned home the same way as Dennis. In just over 3 weeks we had travelled a total of 6727 km. Riding through rain, hail, sleet, snow, dust, smoke and had some fine days as well. Temps of 2°C to 35°C not counting the wind chill factor. Ah, the joys of riding a motorbike and would we do it again, you bet, in the blink of an eye.
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By: Tony Gray
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iding a motorcycle exposes us to the elements – yes rain, hail or shine, if you are out on your bike then you are going to experience Mother Nature at her best and her worst. Editor Duncan very eloquently described in the December journal an otherwise routine club run to Gympie that was turned into a war of attrition by a sudden and violent Queensland summer storm (even though it was spring). What is common about stories of confronting the elements on our bikes are that they are always more enjoyable in the re-telling than in the experiencing.
There is a big difference in how you handle weather depending on the circumstances at the time: – On tour with a destination and deadlines then you are likely to confront severe weather head on and suffer the consequences. – Sitting at home and considering going for a ride then you are unlikely to ride off in a heavy downpour. Generally speaking, motorcycles in this country are owned as a secondary form of transport, for fun and pleasure. If it’s too hot or wet then there is usually a car in the garage. If however you are appropriately attired with a bike in good condition then there are not many weather circumstances that will stop you going for a ride. At this time of the year in the northern hemisphere most motorcycles are tucked up for the winter hibernation like a bear as road conditions are not conducive to a nice Sunday ride. Interestingly here in the southern hemisphere many motorcyclists shun their motorcycles for the opposite reason – it is too bloody hot to ride. Perish the thought that our beloved motorcycles would ever become like our distant cousins – the boaties. Their boats sit forlornly waiting for the perfect weather day but when/if that day ever arises they have to work or visit the mother-in-law or mow the grass et al. In the interests of getting more members out on their bikes more often here is a brief list of some of the more interesting rides Jane and I or just I have had on bikes confronting every form of weather imaginable. We have lived to tell the tale so survival is achievable and you will have good stories to share over the next rally fire while sucking from a bottle of green steam.
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? 1. The Cold. There is no reason these days to suffer hyperthermia on a motorcycle. There are space age synthetic materials available, as well as heated everything and fairings, to keep you toasty but that has not always been the case. My earliest memory of being frozen on a motorcycle was my first longish overnighter to Ebor on the NE Tablelands on my CB350 Honda. It was a pleasant June day when I left Brisbane dressed in jeans, short dress boots and ‘Brando’ leather jacket. I had taken the effort to wrap one of Mum’s bed blankets in my swag ‘just in case’. My memories of that trip are of a crystal clear sky with stars so bright, fresh caught trout cooked over an open fire AND being so frozen that I almost fell off the bike. Early days on Harry Honda
2. The Wet. Jane and I were heading to Brest on the west coast of France and ran head long into a weather front straight off the North Atlantic. We never quite made it into Brest as visibility was reduced to near zero when we happened upon one of those cheap Euro chain hotels with an automated self check-in. We spent the night drying out clothes, eating snack food from the vending machine and using the free WiFi to find somewhere dry for the next day. Our chosen location with sunny icons was 800km south (somewhere we had never heard of or intended to visit but it was dry). The 800km was traversed next day in heavy rain for the first 400km then high winds before we burst into sunshine where we had a great few days in the charming village of Lauzun. No photos were taken that day due to the horrendous conditions so I have included what was an equally wet day hiding under an overpass on an Italian autostrada. I do not recommend
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? being on an Italian autostrada when it is raining, or any other time to think of it – the Italians along with the French are very proud of their reputation of being lunatics behind the wheel (or bars) and deservedly so. Sheltering on an Italian Autostrada
3. The Heat. I was on a run with a couple of mates along the Sapphire Coast of NSW (scene of some of the worst bushfires as I write) during a very hot February. Even on the Coast it was in the 40’s so we decided to head inland and up Brown Mountain to the high country. Bad mistake. The gauge on my mates’ bike recorded 50°C in the bush out back of Bega cut off from any sea breeze. After ascending Brown Mountain we were stopped at roadworks – how long we gotta wait? At least 15 minutes came the reply from Mr Lollipop. I realised the soles of my boots were starting to be absorbed by the soft bitumen so we moved the bikes off road and began to disrobe in the little shade to be had at the roadside. The first schooner in the bar at the Alpine Hotel never touched the sides that day.
Steal the the Lollipop and we’ll make a break for it
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4. The Wind. During our Lap of Oz while in WA, Jane was lured by the attraction of the very rare and beautiful wreath flowers inland from Mullewa. The flowers were indeed very beautiful but several occurrences conspired against us that day to create the perfect storm. We only learned of the flowers existence over a morning coffee, they were located down a dirt road well inland from our intended path, there was a severe weather front heading in from the Indian Ocean and most importantly I had already paid for that night’s accommodation. Now those readers who have any Scottish blood coursing through their veins will appreciate that this last point needs to be taken very seriously. We could see the ominous black clouds moving quickly toward us as we just managed to clear the dirt road before the rain, lightning, thunder and very strong wind struck. Suited up with heads down we pushed straight into the storm. The Grey Ghost was pushed all over the two-lane country road which fortunately was devoid of any other traffic (can’t understand why?). We only had a mere 300km to go before reaching our overnight destination at Cervantes. WA wreath flowers with gathering menace
When we hit the coast and turned south the cross wind tried to blow us off the road and the Indian Ocean looked very upset indeed – nothing like the glossy tourist brochures. Then just on sunset there was a narrow crack in the weather and we were presented with the most stunning
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double rainbow seemingly right at the roadside. Magnificent indeed and combined with the wreath flowers this made for a very memorable trip. 5. Sleet. Ah sleet, rarely encountered but never forgotten. There is nothing quite as cold as sleet. It gets into your bones as my Grandma was wont to say. Jane and I were touring NZ’s North Island. We had both been to NZ previously but had never seen the top of Mt Taranaki (formerly Mt Egmont) without cloud cover. We were determined to correct that anomaly. Our B&B host assured us there was ‘a good chance’ of clear weather the next day. His optimism was misplaced. We woke to another day of drizzle. Ah this is only low cloud we were assured. Head up to the visitor centre as you will get a clear view from there. Our Suzy with the first drops of snow
Now the visitor centre on Mt Taranaki is just below 1,000m altitude and this was May, late autumn. As we ascended it got colder and colder as we arrived in the carpark of the visitor centre totally devoid of visitors. A staff member stuck his head out of the heated café at the sound of the big Suzuki’s rumbling 4 cylinder engine and asked if we wanted a coffee. Is it going to snow I asked? It snowed down to 1100m last night (as we could see just above us) but it won’t snow now came the cheerful reply. The offer of coffee was declined as indeed it did start to snow. Now the approach road was steep, wet and mossy. I didn’t fancy adding frozen to that equation so we remounted and headed off. The nice fluffy snow quickly turned sinister as it degraded into sleet. Riding into sleet is akin to being hit in the face with a slushy but without the flavouring. We repaired to the only place we could find open at that early hour, a surf shop on NZ’s famous Surf
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? Highway at Opunake Beach. There was a slight irony in us sitting in a surf shop surrounded by posters of perfect wave barrels and bikini clad beach babes under a blazing sun while we dripped ice onto the polished timber floor while cupping a hot coffee with both hands. Down the mountain on greasy frozen roads
6. Snow. Because we live in the sub-tropics the sight of snow is a rare and welcome occurrence, even on a bike. We have ridden in snow in Tasmania, the Southern Alps and NZ but our most memorable experiences of riding through snow have been in the Northern Hemisphere. Top of the tree would have to be our crossing of the Beartooth Mountains between Montana and Wyoming. The Pass is at an elevation of 10,947 feet (it is the USA after all) and is only open for a few months of the year totally dependent on the weather. Those snow ploughs do a good job
We approached the mountain from the eastern (Montana) side and the small town of Red Lodge. Information we had was that the highway was still closed but we aimed to get as high as we could
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? and hopefully to Vista Point Lookout at 9,190 feet. Our luck was definitely in that day as the road literally opened up before us as we and several other bikers were the first to cross for the summer season. The snow walls were metres deep and the road a running stream of snow melt. Spectacular and memorable. The road snakes across the plateau
Time to ponder - temperature only 3°C
7. Hail. On a bike hail is without doubt the most dangerous weather phenomena you can encounter. Seek shelter and get out of it as quickly as possible. I was riding up through Cunningham’s Gap on a reasonably fine day when I rounded a bend and got belted in a sudden and violent hail storm. There was no shelter so I pulled off the road and draped my body over the tank and instruments of my pride & joy – a bevel drive Ducati. The fury of the hailstorm only lasted a few minutes but my back took a pounding through my leather jacket. The helmet looked after my melon. Fortunately damage was limited to some bruising but the Ducati came through unscathed – an experience I
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would not seek to repeat. I dare say I have no photo of that calamitous event so instead have included a photo of the Ducati with a youthful Jane deep in Tasmanian snow. The Ducati survived the hail but suffered a snowman on his tank
8. Fog. The main problem I find with fog is that you can’t see. Other than that it’s a bit damp, may be cold, may be humid and it makes the road wet. Jane and I were staying at a lovely flat in Switzerland and Mike our ex-pat English host had offered to take us on a ride on some of his favourite roads away from the main tourist routes. Unfortunately the weather was not playing ball, we could wait no longer and set forth late morning into a wet and dreary landscape. Now as you are no doubt aware Switzerland is full of hills, mountains in fact, and in very little time we had ascended above the cloud line into heavy cloud. Not long after Jane took this picture of the rear end of Mike’s R1200R it thickened to the stage where I was blindly following no more than a red glow. Blindly following Mike’s tail
Abruptly the red glow turned off the road to what turned out to be a carpark but for all I knew Mike had just fallen off a thousand metre high cliff. He proudly proclaimed that there was a
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magnificent view from here across a beautiful lake – APPARENTLY. We just had to take his word for that. This second photo is included to show that there was indeed good riding to be had on some lovely Swiss roads below the cloud out of the fog:
The one thing about these various weather experiences on our bikes is that they just make those perfect days with clear skies, a gentle breeze and warm temperature so much more enjoyable. If all days were like that what would be your benchmark? Could such days possibly just become mundane? What are your weather stories – we would all like to hear? Editors: We thought you’d never ask Tony, so; 1. The Cold Although the ride into Deadhorse Alaska last year was tough as it was just above 0°C, our last day riding from Kaikoura to Christchurch on our October 2018 NZ trip was easily the worst - if we didn’t have to get the bikes back we would never have set off. It never got over 5°C and never stopped raining, with those cold trickles of water relentlessly finding their way under the GS Dry suit and the hands (Cindy’s bike without warmers) and knees frozen solid. Only 200km, but I swear it took 2 years to get to there.
WEATHER! WHAT WEATHER? 2. The Wet A few readers might remember this, it was a jaunt led by Dave Pidcock out to the Linville Pub for lunch a few years ago. We’d got near the United servo out past Kilcoy, and it started raining. The rain was Darwinian in intensity - anyone who has been up there in the wet will know what I’m talking about. Instantly saturated, couldn’t see a thing, riding along what seemed to be a river. Most sensibly pulled over, but it didn’t matter. Washing day was in full swing at the Linville pub - clothes and gear gaily hanging from anything resembling a hook. 3. The Heat Riding in the heat is one thing, as Tony suggests stopping is another. Crossing into Namibia from Botswana in March 2017 was brutal, lucky there was a hose at the border crossing, with Cindy making continual trips to re-hose down and fill water containers for a sweating group of victims.
4. The Wind The strongest gusts we’ve ridden in were in southern NSW near Cooma, but the equatorial high desert in northern Kenya was the worst I’ve ridden in. It was like being belted with a Nerf bat for 3 hours.
CHRISTMAS PARTY 2019 The 2019 BMWMCQ Christmas Party held on December 7th at the RSL Club in the excellent resort town of Evans Head was once again a great success, in no small part due to the skills and generosity of Judy Mortimer whose decorations were stunning. Small packets of chocolates were
the piece of resistance (some loose French there), particularly for those who accidentally ate one of the pine cones. A great night was had by all, and heartfelt thanks to all involved in the organisation.
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CHRISTMAS PARTY 2019
Do I really have to explain why a K1600 is better than yours?
Cindy remembering something about turning into a pillar of salt if she looks.
The decorations close-up:
THE LOVEWELL PROJECT
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he January Coffee morning location was on top of Mt Gravatt, or as some call it; Mt Cravatt - the highest fashion peak of the Neckwear Range. Disinterested observers could have been excused for thinking the group that turned up represented the Brands of Mixed Wagons Motorcar Club Queensland (BMWMCQ), with only serious hard-core types turning up on two-wheeled conveyances due to the frankly brutal weather that had struck the south-east overnight. Once inside, the trauma of outside was quickly forgotten in the open and roomy cafe, with the acoustics designed to cope with screaming patrons trying to alert someone at the other end of the table that the doubledecaf single-source mocha latte balanced precariously on the hovering waitress’ forearm might be theirs.
and an outdoor deck overlooking Brisbane’s southside and beyond. Renegade Roasters coffee (with a special Lovewell blend, also available to purchase at the cafe) is on pour and is served alongside a tasty selection of sweet treats including chocolate brownies, gluten free caramel tarts, white chocolate tarts and more, many of which are made on-site by Hope Chicks. The Hope Chicks are women who want life change from addictions and or the sex industry. Not only does The Lovewell Project Cafe provide dignity, confidence and fun for the Hope Chicks while they reintegrate into the workplace, but all the café profit goes directly to helping the women at Hope (Hope Chicks) - hence the Lovewell Project is “changing the world one woman at a time one coffee at a time”.
The cafe has a serious side supporting the excellent service, quality, and brilliant views: The LoveWell Project is a social enterprise, profit for purpose café partnered with the Hope Foundation (changing the world one woman at a time, one coffee at time) in one of Brisbane’s best locations with stunning views over Brisbane. Perched atop Mt Gravatt Lookout, this cheerful café is furnished with recycled tables and colourful chairs, offering indoor dining
It is certainly one of the better coffee locations we’ve been to, and some twisty roads getting to the top don’t hurt its appeal either.
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B2B 16 MUNDUBBERA
BMWMCQ B2B 16 - MUNDUBBERA Accommodation:
Saturday March 28th
The Billabong Motor Inn, 47 Strathdee St, Mundubbera
Please ring Barry on 07 4165 4533 to make bookings. Essential to mention you are part of the BMW club to get a discounted price. The motel has a restaurant and bar and some great GS and road riding around the area. Link to the Motel website is: https://www.billabongmotorinn.com.au/
FOR THE AIRHEADS - and they are many
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MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE
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Each month Mark will endeavour to provide a couple of links to his instructional videos on dealing with all matters pertaining to BMW Airhead Motor Cycles. This month, Mark is all about gearboxes, those mysterious portals between engine and wheels: 5 speed Airhead gearboxes... How does the oil get around? Part 1 of 2 a bit of a look at how gear boxes go together. Part 2 of 2 walking round a gearbox rebuild. The black art… Part 3 of a walk around a 5 speed gearbox
And our love for Motobob continues, this time it’s BMW going hard in the USA against HD and Indian with the R18 1.8 litre boxer...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlUmfZYGaBs
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By: Tony Gray
1st CLUB RIDE of the NEW DECADE
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he Club’s traditional first ride of the year is a self-catering breakfast run to Jolly’s Lookout on Mt Nebo. For many years we have shared this date and venue with members of the Vintage Car Club of QLD (VCCQ). The VCCQ title their event as the Virgin’s Breakfast which is somewhat questionable as most of their members are septuagenarians at best but they are a friendly lot with some magnificent vehicles to display. This year the weather was a bit sketchy so many of their members kept their pride & joy in the garage. Nevertheless there were many fine pre-war examples of the 4 wheel art on display. This particular Sunday morning in January is also popular with the guys & girls from the Historic Motorcycle Club who have their breakfast at the Red Cedar Park on the western side of Mt Glorious. Now I am not one to point the finger of blame at a Triumph Tiger Bonneville or an Aston Martin but the road up the Mountain on wet roads was dotted with oil patches so cornering lines were constantly adjusted. What is the old saying about English Bikes – they don’t leak oil, they are just marking their territory.
Our Club had a good turnout considering the patchy weather forecast with at least 15 bikes + one car (name
withheld to protect the guilty editor: but if you have a magnifying glass handy...). It is a lovely spot for an early breakfast ride and on that particular morning we were treated to an ever changing vista as the clouds formed and disappeared amongst the valleys and hills of the D’Aguilar Range. The roll call for the post breakfast ride presented six riders plus Jane as the sole pillion. With the small group I chose not to employ a corner marking system but just a regroup at key junctions and for each rider to keep the next rider in view. It worked a treat.
We continued west over Mt Glorious and down the Northbrook Parkway passing many period bikes heading home from the HMCC breakfast. Sixties period Triumphs were common but the range of bikes varied from Japanese 2 strokes to war time WLA Harleys. Our route turned right at the T junction at the bottom of the range then
1st CLUB RIDE of the NEW DECADE around Lake Wivenhoe and back into Esk for those requiring fuel. The delightful Esk/ Hampton road was next where we struck the first of many fire damaged sections within the Ravensborne National Park. We turned off before Hampton for the twisting run around Lake Cressbrook and Perseverence Dam onto Crows Nest. These sections of forest were severely fire damaged.
Club Legend 1 to Club Legend 2: “I’ve never heard of it either, but someone tells me it is called a ‘brake’”.
The last leg of what was a 185km trip was along the New England Hwy to Cooyar and lunch at Gary McCoy’s delightful Café. Gary is a diminutive character who sports a Mohawk haircut but don’t let that look deceive you. He is a motorbike rider and ex world class racer extraordinaire to which some of the memorabilia around his café attest. Gary’s career stretched over 17 seasons from 1992 to 2009 in both World Championships and World Superbike Championships where he secured wins in the 125cc and 500cc classes as well as World Superbike. His riding style on the 500cc two strokes earned him various nicknames including the Sultan of Slide, Mr Squiggle and the Slide King. I well remember
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watching him ‘draw’ a perfect black line between turns 11 and 12 at Phillip Island as he spun up and slid the rear wheel of his Yamaha. He was a very talented rider in an era with many of the all-time greats including Doohan and Rossi. Charlie Brown had joined us for lunch having ridden there direct from home still very much enjoying his 1200GS. The weather had been kind to us with temps in the mid 20’s and cloud overhead but no rain. That continued for a while after we left Cooyar to complete a circuit through Yarraman, Blackbutt, Kilcoy and Woodford. David and Charlie made their own way home from Cooyar while the rest of us continued through some light rain showers around Moore on our way to a coffee stop at Woodford. Jane and I had led the ride throughout the day but Paul Hughes left Woodford in front and right into an RBT station. He was again relegated to his rightful place behind. I have never known anyone with such a magnetic attraction to members of the constabulary. We completed what was a great ride day with a crossing of Mt Mee under some cloud and then Dayboro/ Samford and home. Thanks to all who contributed to the first ride of the ‘20s decade either at the breakfast or on the ride.
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FEBRUARY 2020
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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. Phone your requests to Don Grimes - Ph: 0411 601 372
Good Wool Store Pty Ltd 49 Queen St BERRY 2535 P 02 4464 2081. F 02 4464 3344
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By Richard Maher My First BMW Motorcycle, 1983 BMW R65LS.
W
hy did I choose a R65LS as my first BMW? Well the answer lies in my timing. With money burning a hole in my pocket in about 1994, I went looking for an R80GS. I had been to the Car and Bike show in Brisbane (remember those?) at the EKKA and had seen the BMWMCCQ Stand at the show with a R100GSPD on display. I really wanted one of those but I figured a R100 GSPD was too big for my step back into motorcycling. My previous motorcycle a Honda CX500 Custom was a unique and relaxed (translation: awful) motorcycle and I didn’t want to commit to anything to big and powerful. An R80 GS was the obvious choice.
Searching the Trading Post, I found one and only one for sale in Brissie for $5000. I rang the number repeatedly for several days without answer. The bike as located at Acacia Ridge said the ad. It is painted Metallic Blue and has panniers. I drove around Acacia Ridge in the hope that I’d get lucky and spot it in a garage somewhere. No luck. The only other small BMW in the trading post that week was a red R65LS owned by a lady who lived on the Goat Track at Mt Glorious. I made the call and we arranged to meet the following weekend. She warned me about the driveway and said I should park on the track and walk up to the house. Pfft. I had a Daihatsu Rocky Diesel 4WD, no snotty driveway was going to get the better of me! Persistence paid off and the third attempt saw me happily at the top of the driveway. First thing I saw in a lean-to against the house was a Metallic Blue R80GS. WTF? Next to the GS was the R65LS. The owner wandered out, very impressed with my ability to get all the way up the driveway after three attempts. She had heard me coming for 15 minutes. Meet and greet over I asked her how she managed to get the LS up that driveway? She replied in a laconic manner. Years of practice!
She had purchased the GS two weeks’ prior and was looking to get rid of the LS as it was surplus to her needs. I figured if she could get it up the drive way it must be a sturdy little machine indeed. After a test ride I smacked down $3500 cash and took it for a ride along the ridge. It was a magnificent ride. With a full face helmet on you could not see
ONCE UPON A BMW the instruments. The bike had bar end mirrors and scooting along at speed you could not see the bike; I was zooming along with no reference to the machine under me. Very Trippy.
Richard with son Andrew So begun my slippery slope into Airhead ownership. I rode the bike several times to Sydney. I did more than one Bendemeer weekender on it. A Ruptured Budgie Rally and a run to Goondiwindi to see a friend. It was a cracking little bike. The Staintune pipe fell off one midwinter night in Tenterfield. I had to wire it on with some fencing wire stolen from the kids playground behind the servo. The centre stand pivot was worn so I took it off. Then the side stand broke. I realised I could park it in the gutter and lean the barrel on the kerb. Handy in the City, not so much out in the country. I had a cut down shovel handle I could wedge into the engine crash bar while I was riding and then invert when I needed to stop. The shovel handle was also used to warn off idiots who got a little to close. This was well before road rage was invented.
I wore out the clutch centre enroute to the BMWMCQ 40th Anniversary at Lake Cressbrook and never made it to the event. I discovered Chris and Trish at the BM Workshop. I learned a lot by asking questions. Sometimes (many times) Chris told me to go away and stop annoying his staff. I replaced the clutch all by myself. Eventually I found the BMWMCQ Tent at the Laverda Bike show one year and was promptly relieved of $20 by Joan
ONCE UPON A BMW Hore to join the Club. (I went riding with Joan last week) I learnt to replace the barrel gaskets and push rod tube seals at a club service day under the guidance of Andy McLeod (Andy and I still get into trouble on a weekly basis). The LS spent a lot of time on the bike bench in Andy’s garage. This is probably where my weakness for borrowing other peoples’ motorcycles came from. Andy always had something to borrow while mine was being fixed.
Richard with a Japanese tourist - (Eds: WTF?) It was a magnificent motorcycle. Despite tiny handle bars it was great on dirt roads. It could not keep up with bigger BMW’s on open roads and
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 Magazine Issue 11 Overland Magazine Issue 19 Overland Magazine Issue 21 Overland Magazine Issue 22 Overland Magazine Issue 25
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it had no fairing. It would do ridiculous speeds flat out but only for a minute or two. 120-140kph was its sweet spot. I mentioned this to Chris at the BM Workshop that I had done some impressive speeds. He told me to be careful as the 65’s had a habit of fracturing the skirt on the pistons due to excessive speeds i.e.: trying to keep up with K100’s and R100s.
Doubling my brother one day he smacked me on the helmet and said it sounded like mums’ singer sewing machine when we were doing about 90kph on the riverside expressway. I had the bike prior to meeting my now wife Maree. When we were dating we used to go out to research local cafés on the R65LS. My son learnt to pillion on the R65LS (he now has his own motorcycle) who ever came to visit us from around the world got a trip around Brissie on the R65LS. That motorcycle was a part of my life and BMW’s are still a part of my life. I would have another R65LS in a heart beat. I mean I would actually spend my own money on buying one and not borrowing one.
Overland Magazine Issue 26 Overland Magazine Issue 27 Overland Magazine Issue 28 The Touring Motorcycle Jeff Ware & Kris Hodgson BMW Twins Mick Walker 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