JULY 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 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
Regalia - Rosi Johnson Ph: 0424 961 597 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au R1200R
This Issue - JULY 2020 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 REGALIA CATALOGUE . . . . . . . . . . 12 BMWMCQ EVENTS CALENDAR . . . . 14 NATIONAL MOTORRAD RALLY . . . . . 16 from the pen of jane gray . . . . 17 AIRHEAD ODYSSEY. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 CORNER MARKING. . . . . . . . . . . . 23 THE GREEN GREEN GRASS TO HOME. 24 BACK TO THE BUSH . . . . . . . . . . . 34 POET’S CORNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Advertisers
TeamMoto - INSIDE COVER Caloundra Motorcycles - P.50 Northside Motorcycles - P.51 Munich Motorcycles - P.52 Good Wool Store - P.52
MIDWEEK CAPERS. . . . . . . . . . . . 36 THUNDER RALLY. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 A QUICK GLANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CHRISTMAS IN JULY. . . . . . . . . . . . 41 TOOLED UP FOR ADVENTURE. . . . . 42 TASMANIA - THE FIRST TIME . . . . . 44 21ST FRIGID DIGIT . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 THE LAST WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE. . . . . . 55
TeamMoto Springwood & GC- 53 TeamMoto M&W- BACK COVER
On The Cover The winning photo of the first round competition - Rob Wynne’s - taken between the Olgas and the WA Border on the Great Central Road on the way to the start of the Canning Stock Route... - Plus lots more incredible Photo Comp photos throughout -
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
JULY 2020
Cindy & Duncan Bennett
Editors’ Report
J
uly is upon us, and the whereabouts of everything Merino/Possum/Baby Rescue Otter has been noted. A new Dririder daily commute jacket has been puchased - the 7 year old one was still basically okay but the linings had disappeared, the house was turned inside out numerous times looking for them to no avail. The fact the the “waterproof” lining was full of holes didn’t help the old jacket’s cause much. We are however truly amongst the most fortunate of riding peoples - winter is our prime time and we can generally still find a few good days in sweaty old summer, imagine being like our friends in Canada with the bikes off-limits for 6 months of the year. Even the Melbourne punters must cast a wary eye over the weather reports, but now we’ve got our unseasonal June rain finished it is absolutely game on. No more excuses will be accepted, you all need to keep the fantastic stories coming. Will definitely see you on the road, Cindy & Duncan Last month we published an email to the editor from Lyn Dyne of the Gold Coast Club, so thought we’d continue the trend with this highly important email from member Nacnud Ttenneb: Dear Editor Cindy, Firstly I love the Journal and appreciate the effort your clearly over-worked and malnourished husband must put in between glasses of South Australian red and going off about something Annastacia said on the telly. However, and I preface this by stating that I have a QC’s understanding of the intent of the BMWMCQ constitution, the lack of focus on Triumph adventure motorcycles in the Journal since the 1950’s is becoming an overwhelming concern to the majority of BMWMCQ members*. There have been reviews of F700GS, F800GS, R1200GS, and R1250GS motorcycles in the Journal, some might even suggest adnauseum, but the silence surrounding the release of world-changing Triumph adventure motorcycles like the Tiger 900 Rally Pro that can turn downtrodden victims living in motorcycle poverty into inspirational legends for the next generation of riders who don’t mind stopping to change rider modes is deafening. I trust that your exhausted husband will address this shortcoming in future publications, Nacnud (address withheld) *Based on a poll I intended to take but forgot because something Annastacia said distracted me.
Submissions for the Next Journal close 28-ish JULY 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 : ZOOM from your couch 7:00pm 2nd July!
Committee Reports Paul Hughes
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JULY 2020
President’s Report
e have made it past the winter solstice and now on the upward trend to that magic time of renewal, Spring. A little way off, but something to aim for. Winter, in my opinion, has this year been pretty mild. The BOM forecast is for a less than pleasing riding winter season but so far it has been pretty good, based on the limited field of geography we can use. Richard de Groot has held up his fine tradition of organising events in deluge’s..lol. The rest of the time has been pretty good.
Congratulations to Kate Farrar, the winner of our third monthly members’ draw. She has won an $100 voucher to spend at one of our Club sponsors. Well done Kate! Congratulations also to Meredith Herpich for winning the second Semester (week 4,5,6) in our photo competition. Selected from one of the many photos on her’s and her husband Steve’s, trips on Beemers. Well done and a great photo. The standard so far has been very high and of course our thanks go to Tony, John, Richard and all the contributors making this a great virtual event. So where to from here?????. I, like many, have been waiting to see what restrictions and border issues will be eased during stage 3 of the HCD. I know the plan but would like to see it implemented if possible. The club is basing their activity schedule on the plan, so here we go. It could change with Government changes to the plan, but I know you will understand if that is necessary. The July General Meeting, will remain a Zoom meeting. You should have received an email detailing the link to join the meeting. I am very happy to announce the plan is to return to Geebung RSL for our August GM on August 4 at the usual times. I am confident we will be able to live stream the meeting to our country members on an ongoing basis from this meeting. Details to follow. On July 12 we have our first “Club Monthly ride” for quite some time. Tony and Jane Gray have organised a sunrise to sunset ride to rival all others. You can come for the whole day or join and leave at various “grazing spots” Tony has designated. Finishes up with dinner at the Glen Hotel. This will be a great day. Christmas in July then follows the next weekend at Kingaroy. Lots of people have registered and we are all looking forward to this. The following weekend is the famous Frigid Digit ride. Camping only this year and it will be a great event. August will be back to “ normal” we hope with a service day, GM at Geebung RSL, A Back to the Bush, The Cane Toad Rally and of course Coffee mornings etc. So the club is back into full on activities with something for everyone. I would mention that booking catering will have to become a much more precise exercise than before to enable venues to allocate seating inside the rules. Therefore it will become mandatory to pre-advise attendance at such events. The state borders should be reopening so the BMW Clubs Australia Motorrad Rally is going to take place on the long weekend in October. This will be a great event with wonderful road and dirt rides, a GS show (40th anniversary), Presentation dinner and a Film night. Make sure you have booked your attendance. I would like to thank all the committee for the hard work behind the scenes during Covid 19. It hasn’t been easy, but some great innovative ideas have meant we have provided entertainment and participation. Lastly, do take care out there. It would appear that the roads are getting more dangerous and the drivers more distracted. I would hate to see any more members involved in accidents. I look forward to seeing you all at some of the above exciting activities. Ride Safe and often.
Cheers, Paul
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JULY 2020
Mark Gilbert
Vice President’s Report
Nothing to say this month, so a picture shall be worth a thousand words:
Congratulations to Kate Farrar for winning the $100 June monthly sponsor raffle draw!
Committee Reports
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JULY 2020
John Eacott
Treasurer’s Report
his month both the Balance sheet and Profit & Loss reports are included.
BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc 4:14 PM
BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc
February 1 through June 5, 2020 Cash Basis
As of June 5, 2020
Profit & Loss Prev Year05/06/20 Comparison Feb 1 - Jun 5, 20 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Advertising Income Interest Received Membership Fees Total Income Expense Affiliation Fees Auditors Fees Australia Post / Post Box Rent Bank Charges Computer costs Internet Services Software Expense Total Computer costs Government Charges Miscellaneous PayPal commission Postage Telephone Tools Expense Website Domain Expenses Website Hosting Expenses Website Maintenance
Balance Sheet
Feb 1 - Jun 5, 19
0.00 195.43 4,117.95
4,400.00 4.22 4,311.74
4,313.38
8,715.96
0.00 660.00 201.00 10.00
238.00 0.00 195.00 0.00
184.67 63.59
152.90 69.95
248.26
222.85
141.00 0.00 72.28 5.00 0.00 214.31 0.00 0.00 1,155.00
55.35 58.46 70.45 100.00 10.00 0.00 56.36 91.74 1,925.00
Total Expense
2,706.85
3,023.21
Net Ordinary Income
1,606.53
5,692.75
Other Income/Expense Other Income Donations Income Event income 2020 BMW CA Rally income Event income - Other
58.00 1,251.00 0.00
27.00 0.00 2,000.00
Total Event income
1,251.00
2,000.00
Regalia Sales Tools & parts sales
0.00 0.00
25.00 10.00
1,309.00
2,062.00
1,309.00
2,062.00
2,915.53
7,754.75
Total Other Income Net Other Income Net Income
ASSETS Current Assets Chequing/Savings BMWMCQ Cheque Account BOQ Premier Investment Acct Total Chequing/Savings Total Current Assets
Jun 5, 20
Jun 5, 19
9,885.05 20,191.34
12,448.10 15,443.71
30,076.39
27,891.81
30,076.39
27,891.81
Fixed Assets Club Banners Property, Plant and Equipment
0.00 0.00
150.40 349.00
Total Fixed Assets
0.00
499.40
30,076.39
28,391.21
0.00
-90.00
0.00
-90.00
0.00
-90.00
0.00
-90.00
NET ASSETS
30,076.39
28,481.21
EQUITY Retained Surpluses Net Income
27,160.86 2,915.53
20,726.46 7,754.75
TOTAL EQUITY
30,076.39
28,481.21
TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Other Current Liabilities Club Event Payments Total Other Current Liabilities Total Current Liabilities TOTAL LIABILITIES
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JULY 2020
Tony Gray
Committee Reports Secretary’s Report
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ife continues in these strange Covid times with some normality starting to return at least to our riding activities. The committee has been very busy planning activities around Covid with Zoom meetings now the ‘new normal’ for so many people. This is hard for technical dinosaurs like your secretary. Other secretarial duties outside of our monthly committee meetings and first Zoom GM have been very limited. The photo competition has been well received by many members and has bought a lot of joy and fond memories during lockdown. If you haven’t got involved in this one then it is not too late – we all have something of note in our motorcycling past that will interest others in the club. Rob Wynne’s photo was a very worthy winner of the first stage vote and at time of writing there is a close competition for the second stage winner (Ed - Meredith has swept all before her.....). Good luck to all nominees and a special thanks to Richard Maher our competition Judge. The monthly member draw has been another popular covid initiative and it has been my pleasure to advise the happy winners – congratulations to Greg, Dave and Kate our first three winners. Hump Day rides have been re-instigated and these have proven to be very popular both with retirees and those able to swing a day off work mid-week. By the time you read this Jane would have completed our led ride on the first of July to O’Reillys’ in the Lamington Plateau. Keep an eye out for future rides in the calendar. The first ‘100max’ ride on 12 July (provided there are no Covid setbacks beforehand) will be a sunrise to sunset ride. If you are an early morning person like me then you will appreciate how beautiful our sunrises are in SEQ. For those who prefer a sleep-in then come and see what you have been missing. Give this one some serious thought, it should be a memorable day. Details are on the Club website and Facebook page. For those who are definitely not early risers then you are welcome to join in at some stage during the day.
“Bumble Bee” at Govett’s Leap, Blue Mountains in 2009
Committee Reports
JULY 2020
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BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 04 June 2020 Venue: Virtual Zoom Meeting Meeting Opened: Apologies: Minutes of Previous General Meeting:
7.10 pm Maggie & George Rafanowicz, Peter Ferguson, Mark Taylor. Accepted: Seconded:
Number of Attendees: New Members (Name & MC): Visitors:
28 Neil Anderson GS310, R1200RT. Brian Floyd R90S, Moto Guzzi 750 S3
Returning Members: Treasurer Report:
Neil Holms Listed in the Journal. Request received from Peter Ferguson for Bank Balance to be included with P&L each month. Noted. Appreciative of the stories that have been received. New acquisitions displayed. No date for next service day yet with the restrictions. Congratulations to the new Grandparents Rosi & Steve. 223 Financial members. Thanks to Greg for all of the hard work behind the scenes. The Zoom meetings etc put extra work onto Greg’s shoulders. Events are to be reorganised when the restrictions abate. Both Competitions running during the Corona Virus Shutdown have been well received. Greg Dunne & Dave Osborne first 2 recipients of the $100 member draw. Judging underway in the first tranche of the photo competition. Week 4 now underway. A few teething problems but now running smoothly. Visited dealers – promotion in play at present for BMW clothing & accessories. Brisbane dealerships report selling plenty of bikes at present. Fuel leak resolved on Mark’s 1200 at Coastline BMW. The limitation on numbers prevents us from restarting meetings at the Geebung RSL. Expect another Zoom meeting for July. Xmas in July moved from 4th to 18th July. Motel is very excited to have us. Frigid Digit is on 25 July. Camping only. Money not collected just yet. Friday 14 August now the Show holiday for Brisbane residents. Planning a long weekend ride with Mundubbera/Dalby as the overnight stops – this is a B2B event. Cane Toad planning complete for 21-23 August. Borders may not be open at that stage. 12 July proposed for the Sunrise to Sunset ride. Poker Run will be raised again as was popular last year. Dave Hepburn’s 2015 R1200RT is up for sale. Tony mentioned a F800GSA for sale by an ex-member in Rockhampton. 2013 model with every extra possible. Asking about $10K. Only privately arranged rides undertaken. General discussion related to noise and poor behavior from motorcyclists in SEQ which is disturbing residents and attracting Police attention. Tasmania may open with free ferry travel and we will write as a club to the Premier of Tasmania in support. May be able to organize a group tour. JE mentioned Blood Bikes Aust who transfer blood products around SEQ. 8.05pm
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:
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JULY 2020
Greg Gaffney
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Committee Reports Records Officers Report
ith my consulting business I have been Zooming almost every day! A lot more zooming on-line than zooming on my bike unfortunately. I’m looking forward to that changing soon. My R1200RT however is about to clock up 100,000Kms and I need to decide on my upcoming service. I usually do my own servicing, but I may go to Morgan & Waker because I won’t have any different size valve clearance shims if required.
Greg Gaffney New Members : George Kulig, William Lottering, Ross Layther records@ bmwmcq.org.au
Committee Reports Bill Luyten Service Day
The Club will hold a Service Day on Saturday 1st Aug at Rob Wynne’s place starting at 0930.
Location: 61-63 St Jude Circuit Jimboomba (Just off Mt Lindesay Highway) Note: some GPSs require the suburb to be “Glenlogan” Oil drain pans, oil disposal as well as a comprehensive tool kit is available. We will be providing a Sausage Sizzle and Drinks for a gold coin donation (proceeds to the RFDS). There are special tools available (see below list) including the GS-911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools. New items added to the club tool kit is Optimate 4 Desulfating Battery Charge/Test Maintainer and Motorcycle Battery Tester
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JULY 2020
Tool’s Report 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) • 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 • Optimate 4 Desulfating Battery Charge/Test Maintainer • Lancol Motorcycle Battery Tester
Repair Manuals
I have various Repair Manuals available to borrow mainly for Club Tool Loan: $50 deposit (refundable) for GS911: Tools and older bikes. spares can be picked up at my place in Springfield. Contact Tools Officer Tools for loan There are special tools available including the GS-911WiFi and Bill Luyten 0438 123 747 wluyten@bigpond .net .au or 3 pin diagnostic tools. Club email: spares@bmwmcq.org.au
Rosi Johnson
H
Regalia Report
i all ,
I have got together an order form for a few styles of Polo shirts , T- shirts, Bags, Hats and Caps. As the order form includes prices and links to all the merchandise it’s easy to order whichever style and color you like. If there is anything else you want me to look into, send me an e-mail and I will gladly look into it. Stay safe on the roads and hopefully I will see you out and about.
Cheers Rosi
regalia@bmwmcq.org.au
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THIS SEASON’S REGALIA
JULY 2020
Lady Shirts
2LPS - $26 65% polyester 35% cotton
Bloke Shirts
210 - $26 65% polyester 35% cotton
2LCP - $27.50 65% polyester 35% cotton
2CP - $27.50 65% polyester 35% cotton
Gender Neutral Hats & Bags
AH695 - $17 Bucket Hat Sandwich Design (with trim)
AH715 - $16 Bucket Hat
7LPI - $29.50 100% polyester
7PIP - $29.50 100% polyester
AH230 - $15 Cotton Cap
Metro - black/charcoal or black/royal - $20.50
ICE Tee - $24.50 Cotton
ICE Tee - $24.50 Cotton “Best riding shirt ever, did Africa and still going” - Dr D. Livingston
AH742 - $17 100% Wool Beanie
AH770 - $17 100% Cotton Beanie
Swiss charcoal- $35.50
THIS SEASON’S REGALIA
JULY 2020
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Club order form for shirts, bags and hats Send this form to daniel@goldstarembroidery.com.au or call Daniel on 0403 150 857 Name: ___________________________
Email address:_____________________________________
If delivery is required an additional fee is charged. Delivery required?
Yes or No:______
Delivery address: ______________________________________________________________________ A minimum 50% deposit is required before the order is started. Payment in full is required if Gold Star Embroidery is to organise delivery. An invoice will be emailed after the order form is received. Shirts: Shirt product code number
Quantity
Size
Colour
Bags: Bag product name
Quantity
Colour
Metro Swiss Headwear: Product code number
Quantity
Size
Colour
Cap AH230 - $15 each Bucket Hat Sandwich AH695 - $17 each Bucket Hat AH715 - $16 each Wool Beanie AH742 - $17 each Cotton Beanie AH770 - $17 each
There are also more colours, shirt styles and fabrics available through Gold Star Embroidery - check out the website at goldstarembroidery and call Daniel - he knows all about BMW regalia!
BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events for JULY 2020
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Datee Wed 1 July Thurs 2 July
JULY 2020
Start Event 10:00am Mid Week Ride to O’Reilly’s 7:00pm
Sat 4 July 8:00am Sun 12 July
5:30am
Sat 18 to Sun 19 July Sat 25 to Sun 26 July
4:30pm 8:00am
Details Meet at Dan Murphy’s carpark, Jimboomba
Contact Tony Gray - Secretary
Email to be sent for link to join the Zoom General Meeting
President Paul
Sunny Coast Coffee Club - Bulcock Beach, Coffee Morning Caloundra
Richard de Groot
Sunrise to Sunset Ride
Mt Coot-tha Lookout
Tony Gray - Secretary
Cindy Bennett - Editor
Frigid Digit
Oasis Motel, Kingaroy (see flyer in this journal for details)
Meet at Mount Coot-tha Carpark Gary Bennett (see flyer in this journal for details)
ZOOM General Meeting
Christmas in July
EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR Date 18-20 September 9-11 October
Event 13th Far Cairn Rally 2020 Thunder Rally
Location Tottenham NSW Nundle NSW
Contact BMW Touring Club NSW Ducati Owners Club NSW
Dave Osborne with his purchase from the member raffle, well done Dave!
JULY 2020 BMWMCQ 2020 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events for AUGUST 2020
Datee Sat 1 August
Start 9:30am
Event Club Service Day
Details Rob Wynne’s place
Contact Bill Luyton - Tools
Thurs 6 August
7:00pm
Email to be sent for link to join the Zoom General Meeting
President Paul
Fri 14 to Sun 16 August Fri 21 to Sun 23 August
8:00am
ZOOM Committee Meeting
Back to the Bush No.16
61 St Jude Circuit, Jimboomba
Billabong Inn Munduberra and Gallery Inn Dalby (see flyer in this journal for details)
10:00am 26th Cane Toad Toobeah Hotel, Toobeah QLD Rally
President Paul Gary Bennett
Standard Ride Meeting Places
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JULY 2020
BMW MOTORAD RALLY
ountdown to the BMW Clubs Australia Motorrad Rally is back on!
The 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, some are doing it tough, in fact Compass Expeditions has folded - very unfortunate but we will pursue other options.
FROM THE PEN OF JANE GRAY
JULY 2020
Dream On JEGJune2020
Remember those times, seems so long ago We’d give a hug or a handshake to people we know Staying at home meant the rat race did slow Now we sneeze or cough into our elbow The days when travel was what we could afford Be it local, interstate or even abroad We simply booked our tickets and climbed aboard Now those planes are grounded & the ships are moored Dream on everybody, for once this does end Will we once more be able to travel and spend? Instead of Zoom meetings could we really attend? Much better than that, could we hug a dear friend?
Tony Gray - Dinant, on the River Meuse. Jane Gray - Road train in the Pilbara, 2016.
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JULY 2020
PHOTO COMP ENTRIES
The first round winner was a very worthy pic from Rob Wynne that is gracing our cover this month. Here are some of the Round 2 contenders sprinkled through the Journal.....
Mal Cremer - Mt Hotham, Baldy Hollow VIC (in a slight breeze)!
Carolyn Byrne - Riding East from Boulia on the way home from
PHOTO COMP ENTRIES
JULY 2020
Mark Morrissey - My favourite pillion!
Jane Gray - Burt Munro Bike Festival in Invercargill, NZ. It was 2015 and our mount was an early 2004 R1200RT.
Paul Malcolm - 17 years ago and a run along the beach south of Grafton.
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JULY 2020
AIRHEAD ODYSSEY
aka My First BMW... By Peter Ferguson, Member #62
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hen I was a slim young daredevil, I did a fair bit of skydiving – as my knees keep reminding me! (In ’93, I convinced a group of Club members to come and try a tandem jump at Toogoolawah. Most of them are still friends. I wonder how many starters I’d get today?) But I digress… In 1978-ish, one of the instructors turned up at the Gatton Drop Zone on his new company vehicle – a stunning new gold R100RS. To me, it was sex on wheels, and I lusted after one, but, there were planes to jump from and fun to be had…but I never forgot that RS. I got my first road bike in 1980, a pearl white Yamaha RD400G, the last of the air-cooled ringdings – great bike, but the front wheel often had a tenuous relationship with the road at the most inopportune times, so, in the interest of my wallet, I traded it for a 4 cylinder Suzuki GS550E – then promptly lost my licence…
After two trips to Bathurst, I traded the 550 on a real tourer – a Suzuki GS850G, shaft drive, fat as a pig, but with one of the best seats in the business. It served me well, but, when we moved to Burpengary in ’83, I was working at Bulimba and decided I needed something with a bit more weather protection (back in those days we had real wet seasons and cold winters!). I had test ridden a 90S at Phil Beaumont’s one day and found it not to my liking, especially when I pulled up at the lights and bashed my shin on the cylinder head. But still the RS lingered in my dreams.
AIRHEAD ODYSSEY In ’85, the CFO approved the funding for a ‘blood-clot’ 1983 R100RS we spotted in Wacker’s showroom. My research told me this was the one – electronic ignition, Brembo brakes, lighter flywheel than the 90S which had barked my shin, with the added bonus that it was drop-dead gorgeous! The 850 was showing its age by then, and leaking oil from the base gasket, so we pulled up about 100 metres from M&W, carefully wiped up all the oil and went and talked nicely with Chris Manteuffel. So began an airhead love affair! Along with ownership came Club membership, and a monthly Journal (printed on paper!) started appearing in our letterbox. Intrigued by the reported antics of Ron The Obvious, Giant, PA, Duck & Dog and others, we went along to a meeting at the Hamilton Hall and were made welcome, although it took a 1300km haul to a Finch Hatton Toad for us to really earn our chops.
JULY 2020
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R100GS from another mate of Andy McLeod, one Richard Maher, but only after I let him have a ride on my Krauser, of course!
Peter Ferguson - Rooney Special Condo 750, 2016
Many happy kilometres later, the blood-clot was written off about 2km from home, by a young man who ‘didn’t see’ me. Last time I saw the blood-clot, it had been repaired and repainted pearl white by one of the BMShop mechanics. With the payout, I bought a later model black RS from a mate of Andy McLeod’s. It turned out to be way less cantankerous than the 83 and I racked up a heap of k’s on it, until my shoulders cried enough and I bought my current ‘bumblebee’
“Our Rally”
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JULY 2020
MORE ROUND 2 PHOTOS
Gary Stirling - Taken on a ride around the Scenic Rim near Rosevale
Richard de Groot - Mundi Mundi Plains, NSW 2003
Michael Ahlberg - Snow, ice patches and intensifying fog - Grossglockner, Austria
CORNER MARKING By: John Eacott
I foolishly made mention of corner marking within earshot of El Prez, and here’s the resulting article, by Royal Direction. (Ed - put a corner marker where your mouth is perhaps?) Corner Marking: simples, yes? Well not exactly as there is more than one player in the game, starting with the Ride Leader. The Ride Leader (RL) should plan ahead when surveying the route and decide where the following rider will be called upon to Corner Mark. The Ride Brief should also cover the expectations of riders to Corner Mark plus establish any riders who aren’t confident to do so, and where they should be in the ride to compensate. When approaching a corner on the ride the RL should indicate to the following rider where he wants a Corner Marker (CM) to stop and should already be indicating left or right. The choice of where to stop then becomes the CM’s responsibility depending on the following points of discussion.
Group Riders, when accepting they will Corner Mark, should realise that they are committing to safely indicate to following riders where to leave the current road. The most important (and often overlooked) first move is to choose where to stop; not at the corner itself, not too close to the corner and not around the corner. Ideally the CM should stop at a distance from the corner where the following riders are able to position themselves to turn left or right as needed, considering the speed of the ride at that point along with road conditions and sight lines.
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As an example, if there’s a right turn needed over the brow of a hill on a blind bend then set the CM well ahead of that hill: not 10 metres before the turn so that following riders haven’t a hope in hell of slowing down, let alone making the turn! Right turns also bring up the safety of the Corner Marker to leave their spot and enter traffic safely to set up their own turn, something that can be positively dangerous if the CM has chosen to stop too close to the junction. What does a Corner Marker (CM) actually do? Having stopped in a safe and appropriate location, it’s time to let following riders know which way to go! A positive waving arm out to the left or right plus the bike’s indicator flashing is ideal, paying attention to the mirror to watch for the riders and the Tail End Charlie (TEC). Keep the engine running, stay on the bike and just check that everyone is turning as required.
Final link in the chain, the TEC will need to ‘round up’ the corner marker. I’m not keen on this being a rigid ‘after you, Cedric’ process since the structure of the corner should be the dictate of who goes first, but it must be covered in the Ride Leader’s briefing so CMs and the TEC know what to expect. TEC should join in the brief and advise whether (for example) a headlamp flash will identify the TEC to the CM, and what the TEC’s expectation will be from the CM. Hopefully you, dear reader, have made it to the end of this discourse and haven’t shaken your head off in violent disagreement. Corner Marking varies from club to club, rider to rider and sometimes ride to ride; but with a little thought we can ensure that BMW MCQ rides will always be marked safely and efficiently.
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THE GREEN GREEN GRASS TO HOME
South by South-west Part 3 By Duncan Bennett, Member #4171
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e left Part 2 having not physically left Part 2. We rose still in Hahndorf on Day 18, breakfasted, clipped the panniers mostly laden with pre-laundry back on the bikes, and hit the road to reach the terminus of the journey, Kangaroo Island, although without the rest of the family flying in as originally planned due to The ‘Rona. Perhaps obviously, a ferry is required to reach the island so the schedule destroyed some personal freedoms, 1pm was the fixed commitment but it is only 1½ hours away so no need for crack of dawn panic. We trundled in a direct line to Cape Jervis through Meadows, Willunga Hill, and Myponga, the last a strange name from an Aboriginal word which apparently means either “divorced wife” or “high cliffs” according to the A-Z of South Australian town names website. Perhaps the meaning became confused when the ex-husband’s statement was being taken down at the local police station. Expectations of a phalanx of quirky cafes in Cape Jervis were crushed on our early arrival into the fairly stark town, maybe the coffee available on the ferry is so good that they can’t compete. After some artistic shots of the bike near the lighthouse, we headed back to the combo service station, pub, and general store for a coffee because it was the only place that looked like it could provide one. It could, and it had a shelf full of toilet paper which was a clear measure of the number of people who ever went in there as some looked like it had been manufactured in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Amused by the constant stream of stories of country youth insanity from the young bloke behind the counter, we headed down to the ferry terminal where the first “social distancing” experience was had. A rope had been put up 1.5m (or perhaps 0.82 fathoms in keeping with ferry units of measure) from the counter (perhaps person-jetty) to keep the customers at bay. Having avoided a back injury stretching for the tickets, Cindy distributed them and we geared up for the 100m ride onto the ferry. Cindy was first on as per motorcycle ferrying expectations, while I was punished for some reason and not
Aquaman at Cape Jervis allowed on until last. The Kangaroo Island ferry turns out to be a non-drive thru, so beware anyone towing a big caravan, you will need to be a very precise backer-upperer to avoid total humiliation.
What about me? It isn’t fair – Ruby’s on and Cindy doesn’t care… Social distancing protocols continued on the ferry with every second seat marked with a cross, which was a bit un-necessary given the total lack of passengers. Almost no homework had been done on Kangaroo Island, so the 45 minute voyage at least
THE GREEN GREEN GRASS TO HOME gave us an opportunity to get some information on where to go and what to see and do. The island is a lot bigger than first thought, about 145km long and 50km wide, with most of the settlements on the northern coast. Cindy had booked a coastal villa at American River, and the availability of stuff there was a bit of a mystery so we decided the ferry terminal town of Penneshaw was ideal for lunching and stocking up with groceries.
Some work while others selfie like a teenager More new social distancing rules were in play at the Penneshaw café, only a certain number of people were allowed to sit inside but again a lack of punters didn’t stress the situation. Groceried up, we hit the Hog Bay Road for the half hour ride to American River. Kangaroo Island was very obviously part of the mainland up until 10,000 years ago and is mainly just normal looking farmland. An interesting historical note for Kangaroo Island is that there were no Aboriginal people at the time the first Europeans and Americans showed up, and probably why there are a lot of kangaroos as they’d had 2,000 years to breed up unmolested and get prepared to threaten motorcyclists. Pulling in to American River, we just missed out on the Oyster Farm shop opening hours, so went to the arranged
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Kangaroo Island Coastal Villas nearby. Expectations of a gushing reception at the front desk of the 14 villas facility were misplaced, there was no sign of anything animal, mineral, vegetable, or front desk. A wander out the front to get the phone number off the sign board, a conversation with someone responsible who was not expecting anyone, and we happily found ourselves the sole occupants of the park in the premier villa. The lack of people meant that there was no queue for the laundry facilities, which we now needed like a patch for a Hole in the Head, which assumes we’d already received a Hole in the Head which we didn’t need. You know what I mean.
American River, neither American nor a river Day 19 was a day of focus. We’d only given ourselves one full day on Kangaroo Island so the usual adventure rider’s habit of drifting along expecting things to literally or figuratively leap out in front of us wouldn’t work. Firstly a blast further west to Kingscote, the biggest town on the island and therefore most likely to have the largest range of coffee establishments. A wander down to the jetty in the dashed hope that something would literally or figuratively leap out, we quickly gave up and repaired to Chocol’ Art & Coffee which seemed promising. While eating the chocol’ (happily discovered to be short for chocolate), drinking the coffee and ignoring the art we spoke with the proprietor who was a rider, and who gave us excellent tips on some “do not miss” places. Flinders Chase National Park to the very west was out due to bushfire damage, so Stokes Bay 50km
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away on the north coast was the best alternative in but to head all the way back to American River, his knowledgeable opinion. as the Oyster Farm Shop closed at 3pm and missing it would have resulted in self-harm. With a comfortable margin, we presented ourselves for lunch and managed to work our way through several dozen oysters and abalini, a snack-sized version of one of our favourite foodstuffs – abalone. A rest back in the villa to help aid digestion, and a trip over to the gin distillery beckoned. The back road via Min Oil Road along the coast was chosen, although quickly abandoned by the party with low suspension due to extreme “Blush Corrugated”, which disappeared 100m after she had turned around and became “Scottish Mist” – officially the smoothest dirt road surface ever The Dirt Roads of Kangaroo Island: invented. The odd patch of “Polar Corrugated” slowed the extreme pace down a bit, resulting in A – “Harsh Loofah” both parties arriving at the Min Oil Road – Hog Bay B – “Scottish Mist” C – “Blush Corrugated” (also available in “Polar”) Road intersection simultaneously. The Kangaroo Island Spirits distillery was the only crowded place D – “Gin Distillery Car Park” The direct road to Stokes Bay was of some on Kangaroo Island we saw – very popular with concern, people had mentioned how ugly the well- the scarce touring punters. Not wanting the trip used roads on Kangaroo Island could get, as most to be totally about spirits, we took a swing past are dirt except between major centres. We needn’t the Kangaroo Island Brewery to stock up on a few have worried, “Harsh Loofah” was our introduction local beers, before gathering dinner ingredients in and probably the least slippery road surface and Kingscote due to the apparent total lack of cooked worst to slide down ever constructed. Stokes Bay food available in American River after 3pm. definitely lived up to expectations, a beautiful spot although with some challenges for beach access for the non-midgets in the party, and like many places we saw during our stay on the island nearly deserted.
The Great Bennett Migration from Kangaroo Island begins Day 20 was the start of the longest migration in the Bennett kingdom, with pairs of engorged Bennetts flying (within posted speed Abalini; small can be beautiful limits, officer) from the autumn abalini feeding We had no alternative after Stokes Bay grounds of American River and heading over
THE GREEN GREEN GRASS TO HOME 2,500km to the warmer north via the South Australian wine drinking grounds. In their freshly laundered plumage, Bennetts travel up to 600km per day between resting grounds (minimum 3-star motels) and are often seen grazing along the way in nice little cafés and even service stations if deep fried dim sims are in fruit. Navigating mainly by Global Positioning System satellites and wildly over-confident guesswork, Bennetts generally find their way but have evolved sophisticated methods to deal with navigational errors, including finger-pointing, blaming anything and everything including traffic and inanimate objects, and long periods of grumpy silence. Biologists now believe that Bennetts undertake one of the more energy efficient forms of long-distance migration and have recorded Bennetts stacking on even more weight over the journey, particularly the males, who eat like they need to be prepared for something strenuous when they arrive in the northern lounging-about grounds.
Signage error – normally bites if not fed Off the ferry, we decided a detour to Victor Harbour was a good idea as we’d already done the road to Adelaide, and we could dovetail it with the lunch schedule. A wise decision, the coastline around to Encounter Bay makes for a great ride, and the King George whiting and chips from the van near the Granite Island causeway sealed the deal. Refreshed, we knuckled down for the slog north up through a warm Adelaide which has few quick bypass options. Breaking out through Gawler, we turned slightly west of north
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after Tarlee and punched up to Clare to finish off the day. Accommodation options were worked over at length, with numerous trips up side roads to find the magnificent boutique and exclusive but cheap apartment motel was yet another figment of Garmin’s imagination. Finally lobbing at the Clare Central, we learned of some of The ‘Rona challenges for providers of accommodation – the motel couldn’t get meat and pasta for the restaurant, less than a third of the toilet paper, virtually no cleaning products – the panic buyers via the supermarkets were getting first dibs. A socially distanced dinner of Kangaroo ravioli with a spanking Clare Valley riesling at the Umbria Italian, luckily the weather was nice as we had to eat outside, and we were back at the motel to help the situation by using as little toilet paper as possible to clean our visors.
Our First Aid and Last “Aid” kits were both replenished at the Jamestown pharmacy Day 21 idea was to migrate to the Flinders Ranges, another important target during the route planning process. Fears that March would be still too hot to visit were unfounded – the days were warm but the nights were cool and the riding conditions generally very pleasant. As it was a Sunday we had to find a nice town to enjoy a coffee, and Jamestown was just perfect even though J-town names are always a bit disturbing, and given the famous Jones’ first name was James then he certainly did a disservice to the good Jamestown folk. Not as
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big as the disservice he did in Jonestown though. Other motorcyclists were out in force, with a big mob of Harley’s crowding another café, and an adventure ride taking off from the middle of the 60m wide main street which looked to have been designed to allow 16 bullock wagons ample room to do a “you-ie”.
Home, home on the Orroroo driving range Next rest was at Orroroo, once humorously refused a post office “because there are only two letters”. The town is just north of the 1865 Goyder’s Line, an amazingly accurate boundary line between land which gets enough rain to grow crops and land which doesn’t, even with modern farming practice cropping around Orroroo appears to be only done in good years. The Orroroo golf course naturally had oil-sprayed ‘greens’, but the adjacent park was very well kept and made for a pleasant stop. After checking out the giant (more accurately just fat) red gum tree just out of town, nearly 11m around the tummy, we continued north into the true outback toward Hawker.
Mr Goyder’s Line was regretfully ignored by some
Hawker was reached at precisely lunchtime, which occurs from when the sun is somewhere requiring a small lift of the head to stare at. Social distancing was casual in Hawker as it is the social norm anyway, so a pleasant lunch was had at the Flinders Food Café well separated from the few other patrons, while the plan was set for Flinders Ranges tourism. We’d originally thought staying in Hawker was the go, but a call to the Wilpena Pound Resort resulted in a better outcome as it is right in the heart of the action. A full bike maintenance was undertaken at the Hawker servo, including 20 minutes trying to weave the tyre air nozzle through the spokes in every possible way to get it to fit over the valve before giving up and buying an elbow connector.
Just when we thought we had everything The scenery improved dramatically as we trundled the 50-odd km to the resort, with the harsh colours of greys, dark reds, greens and oranges peculiar to the Flinders Ranges becoming visible. We pulled into the resort past the service station/grocery/grog shop, not realising at the time how important it would suddenly become. No significant social distancing protocols were in effect at the resort check-in or around the pool or at the bar and there weren’t a lot of people to start with, although we had to book a precise time for dinner to allow all the guests to be cycled through without touching each other. A pleasant dinner and more South Australian wine in keeping with Grand Migration requirements and we called it a successful day.
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Cindy the Younger at the Elder Range Day 22 was just our second full day off the bikes for the trip, and our last. Up at a reasonably relaxed time, the Flinders Ranges walking trails 2D map was studied with Mount Ohlssen Bagge the selected target because it looked a really short distance compared to the other walks. Hatted, shoed, and sun-screened we hit the 6.4km return trail, quickly realising that it only appeared a short distance because most of it was straight up out of the map. By our first rest break we were starting to worry that everyone else had left during the night as we hadn’t seen a single person all day, and like a migrating Arctic Tern which suddenly finds itself all alone in the mid-Atlantic, we automatically reached for the phone to call someone (or another Tern) at random. Turned (Terned?) out we weren’t the last people on Earth, just some of the very few attacking the summit of Mt Ohlssen Bagge that day.
Oh, you answered, which means we’re not the only people left on Earth
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On foot-sore return to the resort, The ‘Rona had taken a full toll in our absence. Suddenly the restaurant could only provide take-aways, and the normal licencing laws weren’t over-ruled so no grog was able to be purchased at the bar. The biggest challenge was determining where “Away” actually starts at a resort, was it just outside in the grassed area, or around the pool? It turned out that Away was our room, which had been superbly designed to prevent guests cooking or eating inside, everyone is supposed to be going up to the restaurant and bar. Who knows what was happening at resorts without a little shop nearby, perhaps temperance, but we could make do after a trip down the road to collect essentials i.e. South Australian wines. Although it was bloody annoying and somewhat ridiculous in the middle of nowhere with hardly any people around, we could only sympathise with the distraught staff trying to implement head office interpretation of ambiguous and constantly changing government rules. Most disturbing news of all was that state borders were announced to be closing – the “who’d be going there in March anyway?” Northern Territory first, with Tasmania and more worryingly South Australia and even Queensland to follow. The race was on.
The first observed breach of The ‘Rona TakeAways Only rule Day 23 plan was to head east with a soupçon of north. The first problem was that there are no roads east from The Flinders Ranges, so the plan had been to back-track a minimum distance down toward how-do-I-spell-andpronounce-that-again Orroroo, leave the bitumen
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somewhere between Cradock and Carrieton, dirt our way across to Waukaringa, and join the main highway at Yunta. The problem was that right from the moment we left the resort the GPS started suggesting things that a Dakar rider with a full factory support crew wouldn’t venture into. After Cradock we cracked under GPS pressure and made a turn onto a road which looked really good, but like marrying a Calvin Klein model with an IQ of 60 we quickly realised initial looks aren’t everything. The road had just been graded so it was nice and flat and the common soft patches of sand weren’t visible. A couple of seriously scary and unexpected front-wheel dives with a half-twist and we decided that 200km of that on loaded bikes was either going to take three days or at least one victim, so turned around after a couple of kilometres in full retreat.
The endless plains suitable for a wide U-Turn just out of Princess Ruby’s reach Back again through that place starting with O and containing r’s and down through Peterborough, we hit the dreaded Barrier Highway. The South Australian border was closing at 4pm, but they were only worried about people coming in so the divided road at Oodla Wirra was party our side and business the other with traffic being pulled over. The Barrier Highway is a notorious stretch of road, combining a bleak landscape and almost no scenery with the remains of literally thousands of dead kangaroos. It is also horribly straight and thus has a reputation for chewing the middle of motorcycle tyres down to the canvas. Not particularly worried about any of that, we did a Yunta lunch while remaining totally isolated
from the caravanners escaping to and from South Australia and rode on through the severely depressing series of ruined hamlets that actually make closing the border merciful.
The Cindy with Some Regrets gets away. Again A mere 50km inside New South Wales we hit the mining town of Broken Hill, with plenty of time to find a motel amongst the streets named for minerals, unload all the gear, and make a visit out to the Mad Max 2 heritage town of Silverton.
The Road Worrier The ’Rona was now having a major impact on our adventure motorcycling routines; by Broken Hill no dining in options were available, and the pubs and bars were closed so no critical study of the locals could be made up close in their natural environment. The new routine was - go to the supermarket to buy stuff like a hot barbequed chook or something that could be heated if the motel had a microwave, plastic plates and crockery, breakfast ingredients, hit the bottlo for take-aways, and back to the motel to
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consume it in the room while trying not to spill it all over the bed or the freshly washed T-shirt.
The Lord Humungus would ignore the closed sign Day 24 target was somewhere to the east of Broken Hill. Out in the back, the “outback” if you will, a ride by consensus strategy is recommended due to the long distances between towns, because if one member of the group wants to push on to the next and one doesn’t, then Duncan will have to back down, a “downback” if you will. The first break was at Wilcannia on the Darling River (we’re at the Darling darling!), and for a remote town it is surprisingly short on service stations. Cruising past the derelict servo, it was up and down the streets trying to find hydrocarbons in the 95 to 98 octane range, before a big queue of vans indicated some potential. Luckily van pulling machines only use diesel so we were royally escorted to our own private bowser, complete with an old local who kept us amused with his stories of life on the Darling, didn’t he darling? Punching on, the dry landscape suddenly became ridiculously green with 3 foot high grass from the rains as far as the eye could see, swarming with goats. At least 200 were grazing disturbingly close to the road for 200km heading into Cobar, adding a bit of excitement to the journey as they aren’t often run over but the occasional goat corpse (gorpse) indicates that accidents can happen. The lush green never disappeared for the rest of the trip which has a major advantage in that wildlife and stock have no need to hang about the road waiting to throw themselves in front of motorcycles.
The green green grass to home Some discussion was held in Cobar over a casual take-away luncheon served on the panniers. North via Bourke, or east via Nyngan? Time was of The ‘Rona essence by now, so with Queensland border closure imminent we decided getting back in sooner was a good idea, perhaps even Cunnamulla that night. Then we checked the map and realised that would make it an 875km day, way outside Great Migration guidelines and into the “inevitable collision with wildlife” time zone. So we compromised on Bourke as the destination, the Darling River Motel to be precise. The new routine of a trip to the supermarket, back to the room to microwave and assemble whatever we’d bought, drink a Kangaroo Island beer (the final one as this had been part of previous routines), and a collapse into bed was completed on schedule.
Derriere Papier trees native to outback roadside stops in flower. The crisis was over.
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Day 25 was a repeat of 24, just 600km further along. The appreciation of how big and empty Australia is comes to the fore when travelling out in the Back ‘o Bourke, although as we were now east of Bourke we could claim the Front ‘o Bourke. Endless grassy plains and occasional towns were the order of the riding, but it takes less than an hour to do 100km so we cover a lot of ground even with regular stops for our “Buns of Natural Rubber” glutes exercise consisting of 20m walks from the bikes while doing clenching and unclenching reps.
Duncan @ Duncan & Duncan Through the nice little town of Brewarrina where the Muddy Waters Coffee Shop was showing exactly how the management of crowds in the social-distancing era should be done – lines on the floor and a one-way system in play – we lobbed into Walgett for a traditional traveller’s lunch of four deep fried dim sims, which should have been five but Cindy ate one.
No Country for New Triumphs Almost completely dimmied up, we abandoned the easterly riding and took up a northeast stance to Moree. Again some discussion at the Moree servo, straight north over the border
to Goondiwindi for the night in the warm bosom of Queensland or keep on east along the more pleasant and less crowded roads to Inverell? Inverell won out as we’d had quite enough highway for one trip, even though the road direction could be described as heading slightly south of east. Inverell turned out to be a good choice, the RSM Club motel was as close to a perfect motel experience as we’d ever had; the centre of town, cheap, huge Wi-Fi bandwidth, big rooms with heaps of space to spread a mono layer of slightly less than pristine gear everywhere, power points out the wazoo, and most impressive of all the best steak of the trip dinners delivered to the room. An interesting side note explained by the manager was why it was an RSM Club and not an RSL (Returned Services League) Club, what did the M stand for? Turns out that most RSL clubs aren’t actually the RSL, but came from when the RSL decided to offer cheap beer and entertainment to returned servicemen in the 1950’s. The clubs are quite divorced from the actual RSL sub-branches these days, so when the RSL was going to close down the club the members bought it and couldn’t use the RSL name so it became the Returned Services Memorial club. Just to make it even more confusing, the Inverell RSL sub-branch holds its meetings at the RSM Club.
Last dirt Day 26 was the ultimate. The ride back into Queensland achieved with no sign of the imagined officials newly graduated from four years training at the Queensland State Border Customs and Quarantine Academy, we coffee’d in Texas and luncheoned in Warwick. The lunch take-away rules
THE GREEN GREEN GRASS TO HOME again had us wondering while waiting, motorcyclists have a serious disadvantage in that they don’t have cup holders (mainly) and half the fun of lunch stops is getting out of all the gear for a while, not putting it back on again to ride 200m to a park and then take it all off again. The venue manager decided that Away was literally just outside the door in the shade, designated by plonking a table down, and earned our undying respect for being a practical country bloke.
Turned out we’d never left Queensland Pulling into home, the fears about being back in the city were at the front of mind – would we be able to buy groceries? How much toilet paper did we have in stock, and why hadn’t we checked the inventory before we left and if necessary bought up big at Cape Jervis? What about all the crowds swarming with The ‘Rona down at Bunnings if we needed to buy hardware? Had the cat become a vector?
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But never mind about any of that, firstly Aquaman and Princess Ruby deserved a loving wash for managing the trip without a single lie-down or maintenance issue apart from one missing and insignificant Ruby bolt replaced on Kangaroo Island which likely wasn’t there when we set off.
As per tradition the South By Southwest series is dedicated our family (not the cat, jury is still out on whether it’s a ‘Rona vector), the old and new friends at the last ever Compass Reunion in Jindabyne, and new BMW friends we met in South Australia who all provided help and especially laughs. As well as everyone in the BMWMCQ, you collectively inspire us to keep going on the adventure rides so we’ll always have better stories to tell than you do. The End.
The proof - official distance 8525.7km from Let’s Go to Whoa
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BACK TO THE BUSH
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n the re-dated Ekka Friday public holiday we will travel to Mundubbera where we will have accommodation at the Billabong Motel and dinner in their restaurant. Next morning after breakfast in Mundubbera we will travel to Kingaroy for lunch and then via Bunya Mountains to Dalby where we will stay on the Saturday night at the Gallery Motor Inn. We will dine at the pub on Main Street. Next morning it is a casual ride back home = a relaxed long weekend! Friday 14th August Billabong Motor Inn 47 Strathdee Street Munduberra 4626 Phone (07) 4165 4533 and ask for Penny and mention BMWMCQ www.billabongmotorinn.com.au
Saturday 15th August The Gallery Motor Inn 128 Drayton Street Dalby 4405 Phone (07) 4662 2300 www.thegallerymotorinn.com.au
Rates: $105 per person and $20 per extra per- Rates: $120 per night, there are also 2 houses son in same room for 3 people @ $200 per night Dinner: 6:30pm for 7:00pm Dinner at pub on Main Street Breakfast can be had there or a cafĂŠ in Eidsvold You are responsible for your own accommodation bookings. Please mention the BMWMCQ when booking. Ride details TBA, there will be a GPS route supplied or you can make your way up in small groups.
POETS CORNER
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It turns out our members are a creative bunch, this month we also received a Japanese Tanka which is a thirty-one syllable predecessor of the Haiku (interestingly, the term Tanka translates as “short song�):
The Way of the Motorbike Sure acceleration; curving mountain road, bell-birds, soft light, tall dank bush; devotion to motorbiking, fluid serenity, inner peace. Michael John (#4432)
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MIDWEEK CAPERS
am reliably informed mid-week rides used to be a staple of the club, with Mike and Pam French being regular midweek ride leaders for several years for the Northern Ride Group. After being released from Covid restrictions, 3 midweek rides have now taken place with a growing number of riders joining in. We have been to Bribie Island (thanks Mark M); Cleveland (Duncan) and Caloundra (Cindy). Below are a selection of happy midweek snaps:
THUNDER RALLY
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MORE ROUND 2 PHOTOS Mark Taylor - Parked this way to stop the incredible wind blowing it off the sidestand.
Merv Bone - Alpine Rally in the Brindabella Ranges near Canberra, June 1984.
SOME MORE ROUND 2 PHOTOS
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Paul Hughes - Glenn Innes, NSW August 2015.
“Established in 1978”
Geoff Hamon - Up Tamborine Mountain.
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10 Years ago........from the July 2010 Journal archives:
A QUICK GLANCE
CHRISTMAS IN JULY - revised date
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Celebrate the ‘Rona Release with some festive cheer on Saturday night 18th July at “Midnight at the Oasis”, at Motel Oasis Kingaroy. There is motel style accommodation ($105 per dbl) or camping and cabins within walking distance. There will be led rides (road and dirt) to the venue – details to follow. IF YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY BOOKED ACCOMMODATION FOR 4TH JULY, KINDLY RE-CONFIRM WITH THE OASIS FOR THE REVISED DATE OF 18TH JULY. Complimentary Nibbles by the pool from 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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Tooled Up - For Adventure By Duncan Bennett, Member #4171
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n the olden days, bikes (and cars) used to come with a wide range of tools, but in this modern era everyone is assumed to ride only to the local shops and live with a tyre shop on one side, their dealer on the other, and an auto-electrician in the street behind. Take the ultimate in don’t-eventhink-about-the-bush spares for cars – the spacesaver tyre or even worse the run-flat tyre and your memories of getting a flat south of Alice Springs and getting it repaired in Perth become a lot fonder. But if you’ve ever seen the movie 127 Hours, you’ll have been inspired to have the right gear for the bike to handle minor inconveniences on the road out in the Back of Beyond Bunnings. So what tools do you need? If the bike never breaks down, nothing falls off or fails, or the battery never goes flat, then none. None at all. Lots of us happily cruise about for years with none, and the reliability of modern bikes and tyres combined with the extensive mobile network coverage means that at worst we’ll be stuck for a few hours by the side of the road on a 43°C day next to an abattoir on nervous pig processing day. So cruising the aisles in Supercheap Auto drooling over tools is starting from the wrong end of the business, you will likely end up with enough kit to replace the final drive on your 1250GS and then realise you need a support Landcruiser to carry it all.
TOOLED UP FOR ADVENTURE
minimalist enough to fit under the seat and into the nooks and crannies of the naked bike. Having the awesome toolkit in the pannier at home under the bed is unlikely to make you or your riding partner feel good about yourself when out past Roma, and it is amazing where you can fit stuff in a small bag. So what are good basics to have? A tool to tighten (or loosen) the battery terminals is a good start. A tyre valve removal tool or even better a valve cap with the integral slotted tool. For those with spoked wheels, one of those 90° valve extensions will prevent the “weave the service station air pipe through the spokes and just get it over the valve enough to let the air out” experience. Being able to take a wheel off is really useful – if you get a nasty puncture you can call an Uber and load the wheel into the back for the trip to the repair shop rather than wait 3 hours for the RACQ. Cable ties, wire, and tape can re-attach the thing that was never meant to come off and can be poked into places everywhere, even into where you’ll need the full tool kit to get them out again. A Multitool like the one the bloke in 127 Hours used to saw his arm off (I’d fallen asleep so didn’t see that bit but got the general idea) is a beautiful thing, especially the rare ones with a ¼” socket drive which allows an infinite number of useful attachments.
The Under-seat Bike First Aid Kit - Part 2 Adventure riding takes the tools requirement up a big notch because you can pretty much guarantee you won’t have mobile reception when something won’t go or falls off, or the RACQ won’t The Under-seat Bike First Aid Kit - Part 1 service sub-Saharan Africa. Even when we have had The basics that will get you mobile enough a support vehicle on our big trips, the bloody thing to get you to mobile reception or the nearest valet is typically hours behind so something that would service BMW Motorrad dealership need to be take 5 minutes to fix indeed takes 5 minutes to fix
TOOLED UP FOR ADVENTURE
when the vehicle finally shows up while the rest of the riding group are onto their fifth schooner at the resort. There is also nothing more frustrating than stepping back from a successful repair to realise you can’t finish the job, think a re-tightened battery terminal but now a flat battery, or a fixed puncture and the tyre simply refusing to self-inflate just because you’re swearing at it. So some practice at home before a big trip or at least a time-and-motion study should reveal any big gaps in the tool bag and allow another wander through the aisles of Supercheap Auto or AMX Superstores for more motorcycle-oriented stuff, or my favourite adventure motorcycle-oriented Rocky Creek Designs. This stuff will be way too big to fit under the seat, however either a home in the top-box or pannier or one of those under-pannier frame lockable tool boxes is perfect.
The Under-seat Bike First Aid Kit - Part 3 Having identical bikes with your riding companions makes life easier, especially for those who don’t carry any tools. But let’s face it, most bikes have similar fastenings these days although European bikes including BMW’s love a nice Torx bit more than the Japanese bikes, so a general kit should cover most fastenings. Triumph bikes are great to base a tool kit on, with just about everything from Torx, Allen, Phillips, and normal hex bolts across a huge range of sizes present. Nothing Imperial thank heavens, but I have shifters in the extremely likely event we come across a disabled Harley. I didn’t miss an “un” there. Another trick I started for adventure riding in the 1990’s was only using heavy duty tubes and putting that controversial green fibrous slime available from just about everywhere into them. I’ve never had a flat while doing that, so I can’t say it doesn’t work, and having had it completely block
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valve stems it does seem to stop air getting out. The general adventure motorcycling jury is out on whether it works, and it does cause some minor grief when you get new tyres as it makes them difficult to balance, but being of a superstitious nature I’ll keep doing it. Most useful thing ever invented? Definitely the mini jump starter because 74% of all “can’t go” incidents involve the battery according to the Duncan Made Up Stuff and Guesswork website. You can recharge all your gadgets while camping, and not only does it eliminate the exhausting option of pushing your bike up a hill just to discover you can’t quite get enough speed to roll start it, but it literally takes 30 seconds to get going*.
Mini jump starter. Don’t leave home without (charging) it.
Three mini jump starter fails in Kilcoy later, the RACQ turned up with their truck starter….. *The 30 second restart naturally assumes your battery isn’t hidden somewhere in the bike where the Minotaur roams, or you ride a Harley which takes direct connection to a 50MW power station to turn over.
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TASMANIA – The First Time By Tony Gray, Member #3905
T
here is a first time for everything and so it was for me and my first visit to the beautiful Apple Isle. There have been many trips there with a variety of different bikes in the intervening years but that first trip holds special memories. I was a fresh 20 year old, Brisbane had just suffered its worst flood in living memory and my parent’s home where I still lived had been inundated. After the big clean-up it was well and truly time for a holiday. The year was 1974. My mount was a K2 750 Honda which was a ‘Superbike’ of the day. Younger brother Stephen was mounted on my old CB350 Honda (I already hated selling bikes back then) and mate Jeff was aboard the short lived and none too popular TX500 Yamaha. Our intention was to camp everywhere (because we were poor), try not to kill each other with our cooking, get to and from Melbourne by the shortest route, sail to Tasmania and see if the locals really did have 2 heads. Plans were sketchy in the extreme; I do not remember even having a map of Tasmania. I thought as it appeared so small on big maps it would be impossible to get lost especially if you had no idea where you were going. I sometimes wonder what my parents thought as they waved us off – they were used to me heading off to Bathurst for the Easter races and other short trips but this was a BIG trip, my bike was loaded to the hilt with tent and
TASMANIA - THE FIRST TIME camping gear and young brother Stephen was still on his Ls’. UMMM what could possibly go wrong? We made Coonabarabran on the first night without mishap and even managed the cold night camping and the tinned food we felt was safest to eat. All was about to change for the worst. It is about 100km, an hour’s highway travel, between Coonabarabran and Gilgandra and as you approach the town there is a decreasing radius right hand sweeper that came onto the old wooden bridge across the Castlereagh River. Stephen was forced wide on the turn by a northbound semi, got caught in the kitty litter on the road verge and rode straight into a timber post. He was pitched off the bike and landed in the middle of the road.
The front end of the little Honda was somewhat compressed. An ambulance took Steve off to the district hospital and some locals helped us get the Honda to a garage. Stephen was to spend the next week laid up in hospital with what was assessed as severe bruising but no breaks – he had been very lucky. Jeff and I set up camp in the caravan park and became regulars at the closest drinking hole that just happened to be the meeting place for the town’s bikies. We made a lot of friends. A favourite late night ‘party trick’ that I remember was for the boys to take off at speed from the Pub about 100 yards to a T junction and pitch into a right hand bend – if
TASMANIA - THE FIRST TIME they missed the bend or chickened out at the 11th hour they proceeded across a paddock at the end of the street. Funny that I do not remember anyone coming to grief on that corner!
The doctor reluctantly agreed to release Steve from hospital but he was DEFINITELY not to get on the back of a motorbike. I realised how remote Gilgandra was when I tried to get Steve and the bike back to Brisbane. There are no direct flights or rail or anything really. One of our new friends helped get the bike to the rail where it went to Sydney and then to Brisbane. Another new mate drove Steve to Dubbo in his EH Holden Ute with Jeff and I following. We put him on a Regional TAA flight to Sydney where he was transferred to a Brisbane flight where our parents met him. There was no turning back for Jeff and me, Tasmania still beckoned. The remainder of the trip was uneventful, we found Port Melbourne, got a day crossing passage on the MV Empress of Australia and sat back to relax on what was the first sea voyage for both of us. The Empress was an Australian built ship commissioned by ANL and delivered in 1965. She was to go on and service Tasmania from the ‘Big Island’ for a total of 20 years. It is worthwhile comparing the size of the Empress with the current Spirit 1 & 2 now plying the Bass Strait (Spirit’s figures in brackets). Length 443 ft (638 ft) Width 40 ft (82 ft)
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Passengers 250 (1400) Car Berths 91 (500). Comparatively she was a very small vessel.
There was very little in the way of planning into how the bikes fitted onto the Empress – find a spot and rope it down. There were a few other bikes on the vessel and before we knew it our tour party of two now numbered eight. Kurt who was from country NSW had an identical 750 Honda to mine and the other five boys, all from Jindabyne, were on an assortment of ‘chookies’ – DT Yamaha, XL and SL Hondas mostly. We hit it off well on the ship with plenty of ales downed and that set the tone for the rest of the trip. There is very little in the way of photographic evidence to record what transpired and that is probably just as well – I am unsure of the ‘statute of limitations’ in Tasmania. There is one photo taken at Table Cape above Wynyard before car parks and barrier fences existed and that is it apart from Hobart:
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We travelled anti clockwise around the Island (still my preference from Devonport), saw Stanley, Queenstown when there really was NO green there, Hobart and Port Arthur and then Georgetown in the north. I have two very distinct memories of the people we met along the way showing what a diverse people were those Tasmanians. On the negative side one park proprietor upon reluctantly agreeing to let us camp produced a double barrelled shotgun which he said he was not afraid to use if we played up – charming. At the other end of the scale we were counting up our drinking money to cover the weekend (no ATM or cards back then) when 2 elderly ladies on overhearing our discussion thought we were skint and offered to give us cash that we could post to them after we got home – what kindness. Hobart was to be the pinnacle of our trip. We did the local sights including a trip up Mt Wellington where one of those moments of youthful exuberance won out over logical thought in another case of ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time’. I once read that the first race between motorcycles started when the second motorcycle was built. Gather a group of motorcyclists together (especially young ones) and the conversation will quickly turn to whose bike is fastest. Kurt and me with our powerful 750cc Hondas clearly won the power stakes BUT what if you couldn’t use that power? A race down Mt Wellington with engines turned off was devised – a ‘Rolly Polly’ race. Now kiddies I do not condone such behaviour, it is quite dangerous and definitely illegal. The Mt Wellington road was in much worse condition in 1974 than it is today but I still shake my head in disbelief every time I ride the road. What were we thinking? Oh you want to know who won the ‘Rolly Polly Race’ – me of course! The Honda was not only powerful but heavy which is an advantage when rolling downhill.
TASMANIA - THE FIRST TIME It is hard to believe now but the first Casino to be opened in Australia was at Wrest Point on the outskirts of Hobart in 1973. A casino was something you only saw in Hollywood Movies so being able to visit one in Australia was something not to be missed. We were somewhat deflated when the proprietor at our caravan park informed us that dress standards applied – jacket and tie. Bugger. We were an inventive lot so we bought a tin of nugget polish to spruce up our bike boots and proceeded into a hire shop in Hobart. What do you want boys? We want eight suits all the same, with shirts & ties. Arrh that would have to be formal wear then, don’t get a lot of call for it here! Group discount for eight and the deal was done. Back at the caravan park all showered and spruced up with clean boots we looked a treat:
Our host took the group photo sitting on our bikes and told us that he had enquiries from other patrons wanting to know where the Band was playing that night? The Blues Brothers Movie was not released until 1980 so we can take credit for being there first. The confusion with a Band was only the start of a very ‘interesting’ night out.
TASMANIA - THE FIRST TIME
We presented at the Casino and joined the queue of some fairly rough looking types in jeans, corduroy jackets et el – certainly not up to the high dress standards that we had set (and expected). ‘Gentlemen’ arriving at reception without a tie were offered a selection of very worn and beer stained neck garments that would have been refused at St Vinnies. When our turn arrived to present our drivers licences to the maitre d’ he enquired if we had just attended a wedding. That seemed like a good ruse so Jim, the good looking one with the shock of blond hair, was quickly chosen as the ‘newly shackled’ and we were in. The story of the ‘wedding party’ passed through the Casino faster than toilet rolls disappear in a pandemic. He didn’t have to put his hand in his pocket for a beer all night – everyone wanted to congratulate him and hear the story – which got wilder as the night wore on. The rest of us were similarly congratulated all claiming to be the best man or his brother or whatever other story was likely to win favour. The attractive female croupiers, of whom there were many, all seemed to be attracted to the ‘newly married’ Jim. It was a cracker of a night and we all ended with very sore heads the next day. This was a highlight of a memorable trip. They say that youth is wasted on the young and I know I no longer have the stamina to keep up with the shenanigans of those days. We made our way
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back to Devonport and had our last fill of Boags at the Elimatta Hotel. I ‘souvenired’ a glass from the pub that safely made it home and lasted many more years as my only Tassie keepsake. We all bade our farewells back in Melbourne and knew we would likely never meet again. No social media, texting or mobile phones to keep in contact. These few faded photographs however remain as proof that it all did actually happen. As for my old Honda she purred like a kitten the whole trip. I eventually sold her in 1977 to buy our Ducati. Those single overhead camshaft Hondas couldn’t be killed and always show up in big numbers at any gathering of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club. I still have a soft spot for them – maybe if I can make some room in the workshop! Footnote 1: My brother Stephen in fact had fractured vertebrae in his back that could not be detected with the old X-Ray equipment in Gilgandra. He was taken off the plane in Sydney in a wheelchair and there was major concern for him getting on his Brisbane flight. When he did arrive in Brisbane he was taken by ambulance to hospital where he rehabilitated before wearing a back brace for the next 3 months. My parents kept this all from me, saying he was fine when I called. I repaired and sold the old CB350 Honda. Stephen never rode again. Footnote 2: After 2 decades of service on the Bass Strait routes the MV Empress of Australia was sold several times, served in different parts of the world and was converted from a passenger ferry into a luxury cruise vessel. Sadly she was sunk in1992 in Malaysian Waters just outside Singapore when rammed by a Taiwanese fishing vessel with the loss of 9 lives. A sad end to a once grand Australian built Ship.
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FRIGID DIGIT
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MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE Who better than Mark Morrissey to cut to the chase and expose the mysteries of all things Airhead, warts and all. Watch these two-part videos about Mark’s method for repairing pulled block stud threads.... And why Helicoils should be listed as dangerous weapons.... Ideal viewing for the average home mechanic, even those sans Airhead, thinking about using Helicoils. https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/1570637499781956/ https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/203698974185371/
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An ode to a quality tour company & Sponsor - Farewell Compass Expeditions :( Cindy Bennett, Member #4170 After returning to riding in 2013, Duncan and I decided that while cruising around our “backyard” of South East Queensland was all good fun - we wanted to ride further afield..... way further. Many sneaky work hours were spent drooling over the offerings from many and varied tour companies, until I very luckily stumbled upon a Melbourne-based motorcycle tour company leading trips to South America - where do we sign up? Our “Southern Lakes Explorer” trip in January 2015 with Compass to Chile and Argentina was a real turning point in our riding obsession, and the Off Road Skills course we did with them prior (led by Dakar legend, Simon Pavey) cemented a loyalty to this small and quality Aussie motorbike travel company. At the annual reunion in 2016 (after partaking in a second Off Road Skills course in late 2015) I asked owner Mick McDonald whether he thought I would be sufficiently skilled now to ride their major expedition of Cairo to Cape Town starting in January 2017.
THE LAST WORD Mick’s answer was in the affirmative and we counted down to this expedition with a mix of excitement and abject terror! This expedition was a life-changing experience for us both, testing both riding ability and personal resilience - especially my broken leg in Ethiopia and Duncan’s broken spokes in Tanzania. We came away from this trip more keen than ever to continue travelling, particularly with Compass and toyed with the 105 day Road of Bones major expedition in 2020. A rethink had us signed up for the inaugural True North Alaska tour instead in June 2019. This turned out to be amazing luck considering the recent events. Again, this trip surpassed all our expectations (except seeing no bears at all...) and we made wonderful friends who we are still in regular contact with a year later. So the news that Compass was closing its doors due to the COVID pandemic was a major disappointment, not just for us travellers but for the passionate Compass team who have enriched our lives in many ways - we wish them all the best and sincerely hope that Compass may one day rise from the ashes.
The end of the Road...Cairo to Cape Town after 3 months and 17,000km
YET MORE ROUND 2 PHOTOS
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Anita Wyndham - Learners day out.
Paul Malcolm - BMWMCQ mob at National Rally, Lake Cargelligo 2014.
Duncan Bennett - “Work” trip in Red Canyon, Utah USA 2015 on a hire F800GS.
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 initiative 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