www.bmwmcq.org.au
NOVEMBER 2017
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
Established 1958
INTRODUCING:
THE BMW K 1600 B.
The Ultimate Riding Machine
NO DISTANCE TOO FAR. IN STORE NOW
BMW MOTORRAD 2017 MODEL ROLLOUT SAVE UP TO $4,100 ON SELECTED MODELS*
OKTOBERFEST SHOP RIDE FIND OUT MORE OR RSVP. VISIT OUR WEBSITE: morganandwacker.com.au/bmw-news
Morgan & Wacker BMW Brisbane 51 Ross St, Newstead | (07) 3259 5787 morganandwacker.com.au *Manufacturer’s promotional Ride Away price with no other optional extras (apart from those included, if any). Savings amounts cannot be redeemed for cash and have been applied to reduce the manufacturer’s recommended ride away price on eligible products. Offers apply to motorcycles ordered and delivered between 5th October and 31st December 2017 at participating BMW Motorrad dealers. While stocks last and cannot be combined with any other offer. Stock levels may vary between BMW Motorrad dealers. Excludes fleet, government and rental buyers.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
The Committee President - Richard Maher Ph: 0415 111 454 president@bmwmcq.org.au R 1150 R
Vice President - Les Fitzpatrick Ph: 0418 197 709 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 GSA and a few more
Secretary - Greg Gaffney Ph: 0411 424 219 secretary@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT & R 90 S
This Issue -NOVEMBER 2017 Contents:-
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 from the Pen of Merv Bone . . . . . . . 7 September Club Ride Mulgowie Pub. 8 General Meeting Minutes . . . . . . . . 11 Christmas Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 October Club Ride. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sebastian Prepares for Iceland. . . . 15 3 Islands Tour Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Mereedith and Steve in Thredbo. . . 22 Its Not Very Far to Cherabah . . . . . . 23 Argentina with a 36 YO Airhead . . . 27 BMWMCQ Supports . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 BMWMCQ Events Calendar 2017. . . 30 Michael and Ann GS Road Trip . . . . 31 Cupla Adverts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Treasurer - Tony Gray Ph: 0409 493 605 treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 GS (The Grey Ghost)
Editor - Dave Hepburn Ph: 0422 080 524 editor@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT
Advertisers
Records Officer - Craig Brennan
Cafe2U - P.28 Good Wool Store - P.32 HydroTac(R) Lenses - P.28 Motorcycle Adventure Products P.28 Munich Motorcycles - P.32
Ph: 0422 907 934 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au R 100 RT
Regalia - Kellie Wicks regalia@bmwmcq.org.au F 650 GS
Tools/Spares - Geoff Hodge
Ph: 0413 180 101 tools@bmwmcq.org.au F 800 GT + R 51/3
Tools/Spares - Bill Luyten Ph: 0438 123 747 tools@bmwmcq.org.au R1150 Rockstar - R1200 GS LC
Shannons Insurance - P.34 Northside Motorcycles - P.34 Morgan and Wacker- Rear Cover TeamMoto - Front Cover
O
n The Cover... Check out the bunhch of good looking BMW riders. Thank you to everyone who joined us on our 100th Anniversary // #octoberfest shop ride! and thank you to the lovely people at @heisenberghaus for their hospitality.....Morgan & Wacker BMW
Events -Trent Smyth
events@bmwmcq.org.au R1200 GSA and a 92 R100 GSPD
Sub Committee • Dealer Liaison / Advertising - Don Grimes Ph: 0411 601 372 • Forum Moderator - Garry Hilton
Club Details BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc. ABN 30 351 243 651
Address all correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box 3669 South Brisbane QLD 4101 Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at the:
Moreton Bay Sports Club, 175 Boundary St., Tingalpa
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.
2. Improving the service and availability of spare parts for BMWs in Queensland using the advantage of a united effort. 3. Decreasing maintenance and running costs by mutual assistance on mechanical problems. 4. Organising day trips, tours and outings. 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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NOVEMBER 2017
Dave Hepburn
Editorial Editor’s Report
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s I write this editorial I realise how quickly we are coming to the end of the year. There is only 7 Mondays to Christmas Day…Tracy will be so proud I mentioned that…the rest of you maybe not so. When I was very young Christmas took 3 years to come around; now it takes 6 months. In the very near future I will be putting my weekly sojourn to the movie theatre on hold so as not to be encumbered by the hordes of the great unwashed that descend on theatres to watch mind numbing animated fare and “adult” films squarely targeting teenagers. No I’m not talking about those other adult films. During the past month, most of which I spent in Portugal, Spain and Singapore: there I’ve put it out there for those of you wondering when I was going to mention it: you weren’t …Damn; I had a truly great holiday and when possible followed the club antics on face book or to use Charlie’s acronym... hmmm maybe not. I visited a small village of about 150 residence way up in the hills off the Douro River; it been around since the 16th Century and many of the existing stone walls were erected by the Romans 2000 years ago; and there in the middle of the road, in a communications pit, the workers pointed out to us that they had fibre optics for their access to the internet. My question is “do we also have to wait 400 years for decent Wi-Fi cabling?” I see that there has been a celebration by Morgan and Wacker; a 100 year anniversary; as they have provided service and support to the BMWMCQ I took the liberty of saluting their anniversary on the front cover. The Cherrabah B2B was by all accounts a great success and thanks must go to Richard and Wendy de Groot ably assisted by Duncan and Cindy Bennett. The monthly Club Ride was well attended; Fish and Chips for those who have forgotten and the usual suspects attended the Hamilton Hotel and the German Club. A reminder that the Christmas Function will soon be upon us; and whilst the attendance is slightly down on last years,’ we will certainly have a great time. Next year will be a very special year for the club and the committee will be looking for all members who wish to take an active part in the organisation, administration and operation of the planned festivities. I have taken this opportunity to display a couple of photos from my holiday…Enjoy.
Madrid - Spains Largest Bull Fighting Ring Policy Regarding Submissions Submissions to the journal should be relevant to BMW motorcycles and or to the BMWMCQ and its activities. Articles or Letters to the Editor may or may not be published if space does not permit or if the content of the submission and or letter is not considered to be of interest to members or not in the interests of the Club, our sponsors or advertisers. Members are encouraged to use this, our journal; to express views, float ideas or make inquiries of other Club members on technical, organisational or other matters which may benefit the Club and its associates. Submissions should be kept to a reasonable length and maybe edited or published in part only, if the Editor considers it necessary. Note – submissions close on the 15th of each month! BMWMCQ Committee
Committee Reports Richard Maher
H
ello Riders
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NOVEMBER 2017
President’s Report
I write this report the evening prior to jetting off overseas on Holiday. I promised the Editor I would get the report done early as the poor man is always waiting on me to drag my sorry carcass to the computer to document my feeble actions over the past month. Not that I have much to say this month. The sum total of my riding has consisted of commuting to Ipswich on my wife’s motorcycle, I didn’t even manage to make it to the Sunday ride this month and it was almost on my back door. My normal ride has chucked a wobbly after I spent some money on it. The only way to correct the problem is to spend more money on it. That said, its now for sale and hopefully some one will see the diamond in the rough that I saw 12 years ago when I purchased it from Morgan and Wacker with a spritely 70K on the dial. Roadsters are not a rare motorcycle according to BMW’s official production figures, 54K worldwide. The roadster was the most popular 1100 variation. It was produced in greater numbers than both the GS (45K) and the RT (53K) in the European market, but not in the Australian market. The GS numbers were huge in Australia and for obvious reasons, lots of dirt. The Roadsters were big in Europe, no dirt. I guess they had to offer the Roadster here to boost the numbers. Anyway, if you know anyone who wants a Roadster with 160K on the meter, with an 1100S front shock and an RT rear shock and a 1200 Cruiser front wheel and a 1100GS rear wheel and a staintune low pipe; that only gets washed when it rains; Drop me a line. On to more important matters; the committee has undertaken a well overdue upgrade to the website. After searching for a local contractor to perform the necessary upgrades we found one right here in Rivercity. Sounds easy enough doesn’t it! However, it has thrown up other issues as this type of project always seems to do (…in my opinion) Technology has never been my friend. The ability to understand people who speak in computer code also seems to have bypassed me. Thankfully, there are such people, strategically positioned within the committee, to assist. The current gremlin within our website seems to be generating random renewals to members. If you are one of the many who have been annoyed by this action, rest assured we are working on this (well, those who know what needs to be done are working on it) I am as useful to the computer world as an ashtray is on a sports bike. The committee has also sorted out the events for our 60th year which is zooming up on us. I will endeavour to publish these in this journal so you can all see what is planned and what events you are able to attend during 2018. Those of you on the Facebook Thingy, will have seen the re-creation of the infamous Cream Tee Shirt, with the club historic logo; these will be an item available to members during the 2018 years’ events. Anyway, I can’t think of any else to waffle on about before I zip my duffle closed and Uber my way to the airport. The Vice President, Les Fitzpatrick, has been given access to all the secret codes and phone numbers. Les will be chairing the November Meeting. He also has the gavel and I understand he is a really good aim. If you plan on giving him a hard time: Just make sure you keep your helmet on! Sayonara.
Richard Maher president@bmwmcq.org.au
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NOVEMBER 2017
Les Fitzpatrick
C
Committee Reports Vice President’s Report
LUB COMMITTEE STUFF
The committee meeting for October was short staffed again as some of the members were away travelling; so while general discussions were held around a number of issues, we had to hold over a number of matters until we have a quorum. Maybe next month will see us back at full strength. Greg is still working with the software company that is restoring our website and has reported that additional upgrades are required. Some items within the system were outside the scope of the original estimate. Therefore, it will be necessary to approve some additional funding, to complete these works. Fortunately, we are working with a local Brisbane company and the service and feedback has been excellent. I dread to think how well this process may have gone if we had chosen a cheaper offshore company to do this work. I am certain that the end result would have been unsatisfactory as it seems that in this world you only get what you pay for. This kind of work has been carried out by club volunteers in the past at no cost to the club but it has the potential to end in tears; so it is far better if we contract out to professionals. This has the benefits of work being completed in a timely fashion with dependable results. The club then owns the asset and there can be no disputes later with a potentially disgruntled ex-club member. Remember, our core business is riding motorcycles, not writing software.
CHARLIE BROWN’S DUCATI
Over the last few months Charlie Browns, Ducati Pantah has been hiding in my shed as Charlie tinkers away at the restoration. Much to his relief Charlie finally added the Fairing and other fiberglass sections to make the bike complete and it looks fantastic. Finished in Ducati Red with green trims the bike is a credit to his patience and attention to detail. Charlie will be displaying the restored bike at the Laverda Concourse this year and is keen to sell it as he wants to start another project shortly. We had a BBQ to celebrate the completion of the Bike and a few of the boys showed up to share in a birthday cake for Charlie.
ROB WYNN’S WHEELCHAIR SIDECAR
It was good to see Rob Wynn at Charlies BBQ and he tells me that his wheelchair carrying sidecar is almost ready to register. Rob bought an R100GSPD outfit a few months ago and has been steadily modifying it since then. The handlebars have been moved from the normal position across to where Rob can reach them from his wheel chair. The gear shift is now operated by thumb switches and the brake cables have all been extended to hand controls on the bars. Rob has been planning to set up an Airhead GS to carry him and his wheel chair for many years now and I am pleased that his dream is almost a reality.
WORKSHOP STUFF
Trent has been rebuilding his worn out R100GSPD in the shed and work is proceeding well with just a few things left to finish before it is back on the road. Kelly’s Bike engine has finally returned and is being refitted to the frame as you read this. We expect that it will be back on the road soon. It’s been a few months since I pulled it down to have the top end rebuilt. Some parts were hard to get and other projects took precedence but we are back on track so all’s good now. Paul Atkinson came down to the shed and we helped him fit a set of driving lights to his K1600GT prior to his run to Phillip Island for the Moto GP. The newer BMW’s have a complex electrical system and it can be a bit difficult to add electrical accessories.
INSTALLING BMW DRIVING LIGHTS
Whenever I set up driving lights on the older bikes I like to interlock them to the high beam circuit so that when the Head lights are dipped for oncoming traffic, the driving lights also go off. This is a lot harder to do with a bike, like the K1600, as the headlight module wiring is now controlled by a CAN BUS system. What this means is that a power supply and a data line go to a control module in the headlight. When the CPU of the bike sends a command to the head light module, it responds, by enabling or disabling the high beam lamp power supply. It is almost impossible for the average enthusiast to connect into this system to control driving lights. The compromise is to set up a handlebar mounted switch for the driving light control relay and control the lights manually without the interlock. It is best to power the switch from the bikes auxiliary power socket circuit as this is switched on and off with the ignition. This way you don’t walk off and leave the lights on to drain the battery while you enjoy a long lunch in a country pub somewhere.
Continued on page 7
Committee Reports
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NOVEMBER 2017
Tony Gray
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurers Report BMWMCQ Meeting– as at 30 October 2017 Funds Available Business Cheque Account 10243020: $ 5,154.60 Funds Available Premier Investment Account 2249 3654: $14,910.57 PayPal Account : Funds transferred to BOQ Acc on 5 Oct 2017 $ 377.03
Notes:
Total Cash Assets as at 30 Oct 2017:
$20,442.20
The current accounts are artificially inflated reflecting monies held for those members who have prepaid for the Christmas Dinner. One of the problems with the current website is that the automatically generated paypal invoice for dual membership is still reflecting the now outdated $65 annual fee. I have been unsuccessful in changing this to the correct $75 annual fee. If you are renewing a dual membership can you please remit the $75 fee via Bank Transfer to the Club Account or pay Craig Brennan at a club meeting or function. From a personal perspective Jane and I have just returned from a 7 week 12,000km road trip around parts of southern Australia, centering on Kangaroo Island, Tasmania and Phillip Island for the MotoGP. Stories have been written for the magazine that will hopefully inspire club members to get out and enjoy this beautiful country of ours on the best form of transport available, motorcycle. During this trip as has been the case on all of our travels, we are often asked what we do when it rains, snow, gets cold/hot, windy etc etc. Enquirers are often surprised that we do not stop for any weather events and just push on – the weather will always change and if it is particularly bad then there is only one way it can change, for the better. Without the bad days, the good days would not be so good. Think about it!
Tony Gray treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au
Vice President’s Report continued from Page 6 I connect to the power wire at the back of the accessory socket. It is best to solder and insulate a wire with a plug socket on the end. This makes it easy to disconnect the wiring later if you have to strip the plastics off the bike during services. Take a wire from this point to the new driving light switch. From the other side of the switch run back down to a new relay near the battery. Connect this wire to the positive terminal of the relay coil. Connect a wire from the negative side of the relay coil to the negative terminal of the battery. Now when the bike is running the driving light relay can be switched on and off from the handlebar mounted switch. Then, connect a suitable inline fuse to the Positive terminal of the battery. From the inline fuse connect a wire to the normally open (N/O) common terminal of the relay. From the other side of the N/O relay terminal, connect wires directly to the driving light positive wires. I always fit plugs here as it is easier to change out the lights if they get damaged. Then run wires from the negative cables of the driving lights back to the negative terminal on the battery. That’s all there is to it.
NOTES
Always disconnect the battery while doing any electrical work and when the work is completed the last wires that you connect to the battery should always be the negative cables. All BMW motorcycle electrical systems use multi-coloured wires throughout but the GROUND WIRE is always BROWN. Ride Safe and keep having fun.
Les Fitzpatrick vpres@bmwmcq.org.au
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NOVEMBER 2017
Trent Smyth
Committee Reports Events Coords Report
S
o the year is fast coming to a close and on the Event Front we have the Christmas party as number 1of the last major events for the year. We have about 50 or so paid to go: for the remainder who still have to make up their minds, please remember cut off is 14th November so please get you payments in as soon as possible and don’t forget to email me with how you paid, the amount you paid and how many you are paying for please. Now for the coffee morning in November; we are going to do something a bit different and in doing so, provide help and show support to the “little” guys that work on our bikes and keep them on the road. The first one is going to be held at GC Motorrad. I will have more details shortly and the Event will be posted. There is a local coffee shop which I’m going to chat to about supplying coffee for all, to order. This type of event will continue with other workshops next year and will help to introduce all members who attend, to great bike mechanics and where to find them because without our support, these guys may one day shut up shop. Club ride this month is being run by me: end location will be Woodenbong hotel and starting at BP Yatala. This will be my first time doing this and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I would ask that all members start thinking about giving leading a ride; or organising a major event, a go. Think it over; with the 60th anniversary next year, we will have a fair bit going on and I will be looking for People to organise and run these events so please keep that in mind when organising your activities for the New Year. Many Thanks Trent Smyth events@bmwmcq.org.au
O
nly a Biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window. We came across this kelpie and bluey in the back of a Ute in country Victoria. How typically Australian; If they had the chance we are sure they would have jumped on the bike for a ride.Cheers, Tony.
Committee Reports
NOVEMBER 2017
Bill Luyten & Geoff Hodge
Service Day The Club may hold another Servcie Day before the end of the year, still working out a date at this stage. If it all gets too busy with end of year functions or members tripping away we’ll have it early in the New Year. There are special tools available (see below list) including the GS - 911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools.
Contact Tools Officers:
Bill Luyten 0438 123 747 (wluyten@bigpond .net .au) or Geoff Hodge 0413 180 101 (ggilps2@optusnet .com .au)
Club email:spares@bmwmcq.org.au
TOOLS HIRE SPARES AND SALES
There are special tools available:
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 interface Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) tool Enduralast hall sensor tester
Club Tool Loan:
$50 deposit (refundable) for GS911. Tools and spare can be picked up or brought along to the next meeting or Club ride.
Spares Sale at Cost Price
The Committee has decided to not continue selling spares so when our existing spares are gone they will not be replaced.
Spares Still Available Filters - Air
Tool’s Report K Series K1200 (LX628) x2 $16.00ea
Filter - Fuel
K & R Series in line (KL145) x1 $20.00ea
Brake Pads
520HF - R60, R75, R80, R100 x1 $27.00ea G391ST - K1/100RS/1100LT, RS/1200RS, LT R80R, C/850/100/1100/1150 x6 $43.00ea
Spark Plugs
XR5DC (K/R1100) Bosch Super x2 $10.00ea
Tools
Oil filter removing tool - (OCS 1)K/R4V x5 $13.00
From the Pen of Jane Gray TASSIE MAGIC JEGOct2017
There’s a movement in the Clubhouse Sometimes hard to see But one after another We feel the pull of gravity Slowly but surely It seems we all agree There’s nothing quite like it Riding in Tassie Once you’ve sailed the water Across to Devonport And ride onto the island You feel your spirit caught Breathing in the beauty Like a potion of some sort Seeing all the history When children we were taught Valleys and mountains Lots of rolling countryside Forests, lakes and flowers Fill your heart with pride Historic little townships No traffic to abide It’s such a magic island We’re called to go and ride
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NOVEMBER 2017
Kelly Wicks
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Committee Reports Regalia Officer’s Report
othing to report for this month.
CLEARANCE Adventure Satchel was $35.00 now Bucket hats (small only) was $20.00 now Men’s grey polo shirt was $40.00 now Men’s grey T-shirts was $25.00 now Men’s fleece vest Was $35.00 now Ladies grey polo size 12 only was $40.00 now Ladies navy polo with white piping was $40.00 now Ladies fleece vest was $35.00 now
$30.00 $16.00 $ 35.00 $20.00 $30.00 $35.00 $30.00 $30.00
Kelly Wicks regalia@bmwmcq.org.au
Craig Brennan
Records Officers Report
G
reetings Earthlings!!!
The only significant thing to report this month is to comment upon the Membership expiry notices, that have been appearing in some members email inboxes. This has been causing a bit of confusion with both the members and myself. Now that I am aware of the issue I have passed on a message to the website team, who are currently rebuilding the Club’s website, to see if they can find this issue and prevent it from sending false messages. Something may have unintentionally been triggered. As for records itself, it is ticking along as usual and makes for very dull reading. Look forward to seeing you all around the traps. Try to be good!
Singapore at night - from the Swissotel Samford
Submissions for the next journal (DECEMBER 2017 Edition) close on the 15th
Committee Reports Greg Gaffney
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NOVEMBER 2017
Secretary’s Report
MINUTES OCTOBER GENERAL MEETING 05/10/2017
Opened: 7.35 pm pologies: Paul Hughes, Don Grimes, Tony and Jane Gray, George and Maggie, Paul Atkinson, Paul Malcolm. Minutes: Read by Duncan Bennett and seconded by Charlie Brown. President: The Laverda Concours will be on Sunday October 15th and Richard advised stickers were available for members wishing to show their bike. The sticker will save the entry fee of $10. Vice President: Les asked all members to think about committee positions they may wish to fill next year. Les also spoke highly of both the Bellingen Ride and the Cherrabah B2B. Treasure: Tony is still away however Richard read out the report Tony sent through from on the road. We believe somewhere near Cradle Mountain. Funds in checking account $3,491.87, Investment account $14,910.57 and funds transferred via PayPal $1,156.73. Secretary: Greg updated members on the upgrade of the club website. This is a major upgrade because the current version is almost 10 years old. The website includes six plugins which are third party software which also need to be upgraded and configured for the latest version. The upgrade will also address a number of outstanding issues like the correct amount for joint memberships and the automatic notification of membership renewals. Regalia: Kelly was approached by some members suggesting a Secret Santa for the Xmas party. This was briefly discussed but not widely supported by the members due to the remote location. Records: Craig asked members to be patient with the notification of membership renewals as we need to upgrade this process. Currently some members may receive more than one notification. Events: Trent advised members of the club led ride to Cleveland for fish and chips on Sunday afternoon organised by Duncan and Cindy Bennett. Trent once again reminded members to pay for the Xmas party before the deadline of the 14th November. Richard suggested a future Saturday morning event. He will organise a visit to a motorcycle shop at Wacol which has a dyno. We could check our engine horsepower and compare against other similar models. Charlie advised he unfortunately will not be available for the ride to Red Rock NSW due to work commitments and will postpone the event to next year. Raffle: 1st – Carolyn Byrne, 2nd – Mike Hannan , 3rd – Terry Fitzpatrick , 4th - Graham Healey, 5th – Malcolm Cremer, 6th - Jim Bormann Closed: 8.30 pm
A
Hans - Albrecht Muth, a tool maker turned Auto Designer. Hans is the reason why we ride BMW motorcycles today. When he joined BMW in ‘72, primarily to design cars, the BMW Motocycle industry was nearly dead in the water. Hans gravitated toward the motorcycle division of BMW and made a significant impact on the design and production of the R90 and R90s both of which became an instant success at the 73 Paris Auto Show. Hans turned 82 this month (October)
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NOVEMBER 2017
Getting in early - CHRISTMAS 2017
Club Christmas Party 2017
Well it is Christmas Party time once again
We had such a great time in 2015 that we are going to return to Evans Head just across the border again. The RSL Club has prepared a sumptuous feast of Canapés, Main Course and Desert for $46 per head. The party will start with our exclusive use of the Outdoor deck just like last time (with a wet weather alternative up our sleeve). Drinks will be upon consumption as before from our exclusive use bar. There will be the usual fabulous prize giving members draws and lots of music and fun
Accommodation options are below: Mention the BMW MCQ Christmas Party 1.Evans Head the Bowlo Holiday Cabins on 02 66824343 and ask for Margaret 2. Evans Head Pacific Motel: 02 66824318 3. Evans Head North Coast Holiday Park: 02 66824212 4. Evans Head RSL Flats: 02 66824282
I would make accommodation enquiries very soon as the town is filling up. To reserve your place, YOU MUST pay the meal price of $46 per person to the club, by one of the following methods 1. Direct debit to the club bank account BOQ BSB 124001 Account 10243020 2. By cash to the treasurer at a club meeting 3. By PayPal to the club account by using the PayPal app and utilising treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au
In the reference section of each of the above methods please include your surname and XM (and the number you’re paying for). i.e. Hughes XM2
Once you have paid, please email Events@bmwmcq.org.au and let Trent know how much you have paid and by what method please. That way the club can easily track your payments. It will be a fabulous weekend. Some people go for several days, others come on down on the Saturday afternoonIt’s up to you. There will be an “interesting” lead ride down on the Saturday from Brisbane The one thing for sure is it will be a great time
October Club Ride to Lighthouse Cafe The Anti-Bathurst - October 2017 Ride Report
T
he Sunday afternoon Fish ‘n Chip ride is now becoming a tradition; assuming that anything happening a second time is the definition of tradition. The Fish ’n Chip ride, as per tradition, also clashes with some major non-traditional event: last time it was Mother’s Day and this time it was Bathurst. As with Mothers, no-one in the BMWMCQ cares much about cars either, so the turn-out at the Yatala Pie Shop was somewhat more impressive than had been imagined, including a celebrity appearance by Mario and Fiona who had been missing presumed riding Harleys for the better part of a year. The difficulty with the Fish ‘n Chip ride concept is that having Fish ‘n Chip in Woodford or Beaudesert just doesn’t quite feel right. The gentle lap of Moreton Bay waves on the mosquito-infested mangroves is a pre-requisite accompaniment, although it is not as though anything we planned to eat was harvested from Moreton Bay, except perhaps the potato scallops. For some reason people like living Bayside, so the challenge is to avoid endless suburbia which would result in riders starting to fantasise about sitting in front of the telly watching Bathurst. So at 2:30pm or thereabouts the group of 10 bikes headed off toward the Beaudesert - Beenleigh Road, practicing high speed cornering around the Stanmore Road roundabouts before remembering to stop fantasising about Bathurst; Left toward Tamborine, then a right turn onto Veivers Road. This winding road becomes Quinzeh Creek Road, and is through “room for a pony” properties with interesting scenery especially along the creek. Sensibly swinging to the east of Logan Village, we were onto Hein Road which is a gem, winding through the Beenleigh hinterland and eventually coming off the snow-clad top of Mt Warren and into Beenleigh proper. The M1 is the proverbial Great Wall to the Mongol motorcycling hoard. Getting over it and riding amuck through the Mt Cotton hinterland is also restricted by the Logan River, with the bridge alongside the M1 the first opportunity. Cindy and I had taken an amazingly complex reconnoitre ride through Shailer Park, Daisy Hill, Springwood, and Priestdale the previous day, not once touching tyre to M1 pavement. However, only a crack team of corner markers, an average speed of 12kmh and total reliance on the vagaries of
NOVEMBER 2017
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the GPS would perhaps result in navigational success, so with a lot of riders we gave up and decided to use the M1. Armed with instructions about where to get off it, the lane changing ballet that is the Pacific Motorway was completed surprisingly easily and the group had hardly split up by the time we exited onto Miles Platting Rd; So much for my imagined Conrod Straight speeds ensuring I stayed out the front. Through Rochedale and Priestdale, we got onto Ford Road and Avalon Road which is another “room for a pony” area, serviced by a very pleasant road through the pony hiding bush. A right turn; onto Mt Cotton Road, where we could almost smell the fish ‘n chips, then another right turn onto Mt Cotton Road: Which heads toward Mt Cotton. In a bold flanking movement, we took the West Mt Cotton Road branch to experience one of the better near-bay roads, enough winding and big altitude changes to be a lot of fun. Eventually we got to the rest point of Skinners Park on the Logan River, noone missing thanks to some very professional corner marking by the experienced group.
Logan River rest stop before the final thrust into the bowels of Cleveland
Because we’d done the M1 rather than urban Labyrinth, we were a bit early so rather than resting until we’d seen one body float past on the Logan, we decided to wait until we’d seen five before we re-mounted, so all up about 15 minutes. With no navigational challenges remaining, we just went straight up to Cleveland while trying to avoid the main street which gets a bit messy. Just after 5pm we arrived at the Lighthouse Café, with a few who had decided to sneak in a bit of guilty Bathurst meeting us there for a very good turnout. The attendance on such a holy day was very much appreciated and it was a lot of fun.
Duncan Bennett, member No.4171
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Club Laverda CONCOURS 2017
Sebastian Wale - Preparing for Iceland
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IT IS ALL IN THE PREPARATION
miss Europe. Having lived there for the majority of the past 2 decades I have gotten used to their ways and means. I feel a bit like a fish-out-of-water here in Australia I need to get out and ride Europe My Trans-Australis ride was just a warm up. (I have since received my IBA certificate, see below.) I’m planning on something more...something bigger for Europe
To give you a bit of background: in 2010, I rode out of the Middle-east, into Europe and kept riding for approximately 16 months. What a trip! In 2015, I once again had the opportunity to take an extended trip around Europe (3 months) and I managed to travel to Iceland that time. Having never shown any interest in visiting Iceland, It was a bit of an after-thought. I was blown away! What an amazing place. What an amazing ride. I just wish I could do it again. oops...and that’s where it all begins But how do you plan a riding adventure for a country on the other side of the world? To tell you the truth, I’m never sure how I do much of anything. I just eventually get there and get it done. As luck would have it, In 2010 I happened to be mooching around a caravan park, in Greece, taking photos of the Harleys of Europe that had turned out for the annual meet, near Patras.
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That’s when I stumbled across the president of Samhain MC, in N. Germany, Michi. I finished taking photos of their bikes (and was about to move onto the Dutch and their crazy “easy-rider-choppers”) when Michi offered me a beer. He wanted to know how an Australian came to speak fluent German and be staying at the same campground not far from Olympus. My tale began as did our friendship. The binding power of Motorcycles language and German Pilsner prevailed. I’ve spent a lot of time with Michi, his family and Samhain M.C. (his extended family)I even travelled with them for a week to Sweden, staying in Cabins. Naturally, when it came to planning this trip back to Europe, Michi was my go-to man. I tasked Michi with the job of finding, procuring and storing the bikes. He was keen to help and has been an awesome and indispensable resource. Michi was able to find various bikes, talk to the owners, recommend which ones seemed worth checking out, test ride, negotiate, retrieve and prepare them for winter storage. I really wanted an F 800 GS, but it was a bit out of my price range. So after a barrage of emails back and forth, we settled on a boxer, R 1150 GS. There were two in fact, 2001 and 2002. Having mentioned my plans to my mate Scott, he showed interest and I convinced him that it was indeed do-able. Although, I hadn’t planned on them being identical, two bikes the same (or similar) should make things a bit easier. We’ll only need one set of tools, parts will be interchangeable, and servicing should be identical. It also brings with it a certain amount of kinship, recognition and belonging. Having secured the bikes, a couple of items need to be added. I’m a strong believer in the need for protection, engine bars for the R seems mandatory. I’d hate to drop either of the bikes and damage the heads. I would also like to install some GPS mounts and, time & money permitting, extra lights. The bikes came with panniers, which makes everything a little easier. The ride will take place over a 3 month period, June-August 2018 European summer. The first week I plan to work on, service and prepare the girls for our ride. The next week it’s off to Sunny France for a spot of camping with Michi and some of the members of Samhain M.C. Then around the 14th we’ll catch a Ferry from Northern Denmark to Iceland. Despite being summer, I fully expect Iceland to be a little Chilly: The weather, not the people. Why Iceland? Why not? Before 600 AD Iceland was a place only spoken of in Legends and Myths.
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Sebastian Wale - Preparing for Iceland
This was an uninhabited land; known to be settled between 870 and 930 AD; that’s relatively new. It is believed that Irish monks settled (temporarily), around the year 700, fleeing when the Norsemen began to arrive. The Norwegians and Swedes came and settled. Between 850 and 930 around 871 Reykjavik was established. Parliament was founded in 930 1200 Anarchy rules and Norway absorbs the Country. 1397 Danish rule takes over. 1918 Iceland became an independent state of Denmark 1944 The republic of Iceland is established This has been a pretty bumpy history for an Island that lies about 6 days sailing north of Scotland. The ring road was only completed in 1974 Die Zwillinge (The Twins) connecting the whole Island; its towns, villages and the people. One of my goals for this visit is to ride the entire ring road in a 24 hour period, including an off-shoot into the West Fjords. I hope that I can achieve 1600 km and do what few have done before me. Sure, many have ridden around the Island; I did it in 2015 but not many in less than 24 hours. A most amazing place, full of wonder, Waterfalls, Icelandic Horses; Icelanders and like Australia, surrounded by water. There are a few ways to get to Iceland but we will be travelling by Ferry: It’s about 48 hours or so, from Northern Denmark, a part of Europe that’s apart from Europe. On the Return route, we plan to visit the Faroe Islands; the Faroes are closer to Winter sleep - tucked in and ready for bed time. Scotland than Denmark, whose flag they I’d forgotten that you have to lay up bikes for winter; fly, jutting out of the North Atlantic Ocean; And all the preparation that goes along with it. with little to protect the inhabitants from the elements. I have no Idea how people survive in this place, or why. Well, I guess that’s enough dreaming & In July we shall return to mainland Europe and scheming for now, it’s time for action. just because we’ve not had enough of the cold we shall I just hope that I manage to get the plane & head through Denmark, Sweden and Norway, Termiferry tickets booked and soon… nating at Nordkapp, following mainly the E6 and E69 there are supposedly many wonderful parts of this Sebastian Wale road up north. Two that I’m particularly looking forward to My apologies to Sebastian for getting his name riding on are the Trollstigen (Troll’s Path) and the wrong in last month’s magazine…..Ed. Atlanterhavsvegan with its bridge that seems to be launching you off into space.
3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane THREE ISLANDS TRIP – PART TWO
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e left off last time with our departure from Kangaroo Island in cold, blustery damp conditions.
Our intention had been to do some more bend swinging in the beautiful Adelaide Hills but the conditions put paid to those thoughts. Plan B was enacted (you’ve always got to have a Plan B when motorcycle touring) so we set off around the coast to South Australia’s largest coastal city, Victor Harbor. It’s a nice place and not over developed in the manner of anything in SEQ or Northern NSW. The usual stop to put the Coffee Genie back in the bottle and continue along the coast to Port Elliot which is a geographically beautiful location that has clearly been discovered by the retiree set – the bowls club is right on the beach next to the SLSC.
No doubt there are plenty of property developers licking their lips over the prospect of getting their hands on that one. It is not possible to continue by road along the coast from Goolwa at the mouth of the Murray as that big body of water called Lake Alexandrina gets in the way. We circled around the lake then crossed the mighty Murray by car ferry at Wellington before
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continuing our journey east along the coastal Coorong wetlands. Following the Coorong we were exposed to the full blast of the westerly wind and it was severe with the laden Gray Ghost getting tossed about like flotsam on a savage sea. Our goal for the night was Robe where we had a very pleasant stay at the pub back in 2011. Back then a seal frolicking just off the shore had provided us with free entertainment. Sometimes goals have to be reassessed and this was one such occasion. By the time we reached Kingston some 40km short of our goal the severity of the wind had not abated and the rain was imminent. OK we surrender. The Lacepede Bay Motel won our business for the night but not for the offered Bay view room – we reasoned that if we opened a door to ‘enjoy’ the Bay view then all of the furniture would have ended up in the back carpark. A rear budget room did very nicely. The adjacent Royal Mail Hotel provided an excellent dinner – one to keep in mind if traveling through this area.
Refreshed and rested we pushed on next morning to Robe but alas there was not a seal in sight. It is still a very pretty little coastal town and the pub still stands where we left it – next time! Our last port of call in South Australia was Mount Gambier and a compulsory visit to view the Blue Lake which is always a rewarding experience. We encountered a touring couple from Tamworth who were in the later stages of a lap of OZ. Their steed was a massive 6 cylinder Goldwing towing an equally massive camper trailer. Jane was impressed with how the rider ‘paddled’ the whole shebang back out of a carpark while I sometimes strained to push the loaded GG up an incline. I stuck a pin in this inflated balloon by telling Jane the Wing had a reverse gear. We gained 30 minutes on the clock as we re-entered Victoria but stepped back to 100k speed limits and over policing in this draconian State.
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3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane
I don’t want to get on a soap box but Victoria has the most severe policing of road rules and restricted speed limits but their road toll is showing less improvement over time compared to other States. Maybe that Government needs to reassess their policies. Okay off the soapbox and back to the road. We headed inland towards the Grampian Mountains and encountered a group of veteran open topped roadsters taking part in the ‘Wimmera Wander’ car rally. We were to run into some more of these classics of the road when we got into the Grampians. The drivers and passengers were fully into the swing of the rally in period dress some replete with snoopy goggles and leather flying caps.
The Grampians themselves were good but not great from a riding perspective. They are well rated amongst Victorian riders but there are plenty of better bike roads in Vic. We were just outside of the State’s school holidays but there was still plenty of van traffic clogging the roads. Passing opportunities are very limited on the mountain sections.
Some of the views are quite spectacular but to get the best from the Grampians you need to pull on the trekking boots.
You need to get out and hike, something that was not on our agenda. The Great Ocean Road (GOR) beckoned. We cut back to the Coast at the quaintly pretty Port Fairy where the wind was waiting. Warrnambool is an historically significant city along the coast and there is plenty to be seen off the main road.
We hugged the back streets following the coast before we joined the GOR at its western end at Allansford. On queue we passed the first unmarked camera car on the side of the road.
3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane
The GOR stretches over 243km from Allansford in the west to Torquay in the east and is roughly divided between the rugged scenic ‘shipwreck coast’ to the west and the ‘surf coast’ to the east. Before we reached the first of the natural wonders of the shipwreck coast there were some seriously good bends to be navigated through the green pastures. Once we arrived at the first of these natural features, The Bay of Islands, it was a steady succession of stop/ helmet off/ look/ photograph/ helmet on/ ride off to the next stop. This continued until we hit the mother lode, The 12 Apostles, with the visitor centre and massive carpark full of tourist buses and campervans. By that stage we were suffering from craggy coastline overload and were happy to push on towards the surf coast section of the GOR with a couple more roadside camera cars for company. The GOR moves inland for a short section into the lower reaches of the Otway Ranges around the small logging centre of Lavers Hill. Now Lavers Hill presented a literal and figurative fork in the road for us. It was late in the afternoon and a fog that the mountains are famous for, was oozing out of the trees. Take the easy option and stay?
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Push on down to the coast out of the fog? or take the riders option and ride into the mountains and the gloom of the fog into what I knew was a great riders road up to Colac? No decision, Colac it was. Our reward came as we broke through the fog and enjoyed a great ride up through the mountains and a well earned beer in Colac. Next morning we got the chance to do the same road in reverse in beautiful sunshine and re-join the GOR at Lavers Hill. The Surf Coast section of the GOR is widely lauded as a great biker’s road, an accolade I do not accept. Maybe that was true once but now the speed limit fluctuates often at very low levels, it is heavily trafficked mostly with tourists and campervans, most of the road has solid lines making legal passing very difficult and this time there were road works aplenty. It is best just to enjoy the scenery and get your jollies somewhere else.
got a drubbing.
We finished our night at Geelong on the day that Cities AFL team The Cats was meeting the Adelaide Crows in a preliminary final. It was very quiet next morning as we snuck out of a town in AFL mourning after their team
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3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane
Sticking to B & C roads we happened upon a beautiful bluestone pub at Inverleigh just as the coffee worms started to bite.
The pub also offered some delightful pastries so worth seeking it out. We had a few days before we were due to cross to Tasmania and chased the best looking weather to Ballarat, Bendigo, Lake Eildon before taking on some of the best roads in the Yarra Valley.
Marysville has always been a hub for Melbourne bikers as it is sandwiched between the two best bike roads in the region, the Black Spur and Reefton Spur. Jane and I had visited Marysville six months after the devastating 2009 black Saturday bushfires which destroyed the town save for its famous bakery that was miraculously spared.
3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane
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3 ISLANDS TOUR - PT2 tony and jane Meredith and Steve in Thredbo Village Meredith and Steve Herpitch and others in Thredbo Village NSW. aturday ; 2094 Bikers registered this year for the annual Snowy Ride - raising money for Childhood Cancer Research. Its great to see so many bikes in one place and all contributing to a very worthy cause. We completed the day with a delicious dinner at the Baccou Italian Restaurant in Jindabyne. Back on the road again tomorrow.
S
At that time it was undecided if the town would be rebuilt or abonanded. Fortunately the former course was adopted and the town is again a thriving tourist hub. As we ran in towards Melbourne the Gray Ghost chalked up the 150,000km milestone proving again she is an island sort of a girl having passed 50,000km on the Isle of Man in 2012 and 100,000km in similar circumstances to this day when heading into Melbourne bound for Tasmania in February 2016. Our last ride was over the Reefton Spur then through the Yarra Valley whetting our appetite for what lay ahead in Tasmania after another crossing of Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania. The Final Chapter awaits.
Tony and Jane Gray and the Gray Ghost
PS Tony I thought that Window Twankey was a pantomine character from the stage show Aladin......Ed
It’s Not Very Far to Cherrabah – B2B 14 It’s Not Very Far to Cherrabah – B2B No.14
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leasant spring days with cool evenings are causes for riding re-birth, optimism and thoughts of adventure in a bucolic setting; so Cherrabah seemed enough Bush to get Back into for celebration of the 14th B2B event. For some reason the September/October Back to the Bush has become a routine for both a road ride and a GS ride, at least it has for the past three years. Weather normally has something to do with it – nothing seems impossible in early spring. So the forecast for the weekend commencing 30 September was a bit disturbing, with very hot days right through the weekend. At least that is what I’m sure I heard when Cindy was telling me about it. So at the designated meeting time of around 9am, a group of BMWMCQ enthusiasts congealed at the Blacksoil BP, quickly discharging layers of clothing upon arrival in the already very warm day, but then making it bad again with a piping hot coffee. Admiral De Groot (and Richard) were on the magnificent K1600GTL flagship leading the BMW battle fleet on the road tour; while huge numbers (i.e. Cindy and I) were pumped up for GS ride. The paved road tour plan was to go somewhere, no-one really cares where, and arrive in a swarm at Mackaways Café in Harrisville for re-union with the GS riders, and numerous others who had signalled intent to do the second half of the ride en-masse. With Anita boldly announcing that she was going to remove a few more layers due to the heat, those who noted that she only appeared to have a T-shirt on decided it was probably close enough to 9:30am to mount up and head out in the climbing temperature. The road group headed off, I think going west, as the GS group charged down the fabled Wulkuraka Connection Road. We worked our way south through the wilderness of Ipswich suburbia, crossing the Centennial Highway and the Cunningham Highway on Ripley Road before hitting the dirt and moving onto the picturesque Undullah Road. The heat was increasing as we swung onto the Flinders Peak Road, requiring a brief break for re-hydration and the photo shoot for Cindy’s new BMW jacket.
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Poor start for the new BMW Airflow Jacket with no-one to show it off to on the GS ride
The Flinders Peak Road had been trialled with BMWMCQ GS hero Warwick Hunter after the North Tamborine coffee morning, with the objective of finding a path over the ranges and through onto the Boonah side. The GPS insisted it could be done, the nature reserve with a no vehicles sign and locked gates insisted it couldn’t, so Cindy and I knew we’d be just taking a photo stop at the nature reserve gate which provides some excellent views of the Scenic Rim ranges. The temperature was still high, but the climb up to higher altitudes, including the steep and gravelly Teddy Bear Hill at least exposed us to some refreshing breezes at the top.
Cindy keeping cool with a light weight full-face hair helmet at Flinders Peak lookout
After more re-hydration, it was a return to Undullah Road and continuation to Harrisville, successfully bypassing Beaudesert and Boonah before heading north.
Correcting the false plural caused by tardiness at Mackaways Café, Harrisville
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It’s Not Very Far to Cherrabah – B2B 14
On entry into the Harrisville main road, a squad of familiar looking BMW riders passed us going the other way, which indicated that we’d missed the rendezvous at Mackaways Café and the opportunity to show off Cindy’s new Airflow jacket amongst a wider audience. Never mind, we needed yet more re-hydration by this point, so headed into the café for lunch. After an admirable steak sandwich, the GS Rider’s committee convened for a progress meeting. The weather sub-committee report stated that it was too hot to continue slow speed GS riding, with a recommendation to change the strategy to moving as quickly as possible accepted by the Chair. So off we went at high speed, straight up Cunningham’s Gap like the proverbial rats up the proverbial drainpipe. Luckily the drainpipe proverb includes rapid cooling as we reached the top of the pass, and stayed cool on the journey into Warwick where BMWMCQ riders were seen to be entering the Coffee Club like something proverbial going into something else proverbial. Now re-united, comfort was reached with coffee and assorted pastries, before heading about 17km down pleasant country roads to Elbow Valley and the Cherrabah Resort. The resort entry system is fairly novel, requiring the push of a button for the gates to open, giving the impression that we were being monitored from a control room in Canberra. We rode the kilometre or so to the resort on top of a hill and checked in. Still battling moderate heat, we momentarily considered joining Alison in the pool, before deciding that a few refreshments was more in the spirit of a B2B. The dinner was a sumptuous buffet, with the pork crackling entering the food hall of fame with a unanimous score of 10 points, including from the Israeli judge. A few more wines were then had out in the main bar, with Les’ kind offer of a final red to recognise Cindy and my anniversary highly appreciated at the time but less appreciated the next morning. With the winery tour planned for 9am, the committed group was gathered on time with much discussion about how it had been 40°C yesterday and was now 10°C, mainly led by me as I hadn’t thought I’d need a jumper when visiting Stanthorpe. All loaded on the mini bus and with Eugene giving a briefing on the itinerary, we headed north and then turned south-west along the Old Stanthorpe Road, a mandatory GS route designed to force the group to become comfortable on gravel. Having re-appeared on the New England Highway without an “off” at Dalveen, we started the day at Sutton’s Juice Factory at Amiens Road because we were about half an hour too early to start on the wines as they generally only open for tastings at 10am.
Doesn’t say don’t drink wine at 10am, so we assumed we had to
A coffee and delicious treats later, we were back on the bus for the 50m trip over the road to the Heritage Estate Winery, where a riot nearly broke out when it was found that they’d offered tastings from 9:30am.
Richard, Jurgen, Wendy, Don, Cindy, Kate, Linda, Richard, Anita, Duncan, Tony, and Greg, all sober but only briefly
It’s Not Very Far to Cherrabah – B2B 14 Half an hour off the pace already, the group had some catching up to do so the full selection of whites, reds, and fortified wines was attacked with gusto. Explanations that we were motorcyclists so couldn’t actually buy anything caused momentary discomfort, mollified by taking the on-line order form, which encouraged the staff to keep serving. Already feeling a smidgin warmer from some mysterious inner-glow, we piled back into the bus and headed about 500m down the road to Summit Estate Wines. We were already in a routine; start with the sparkling wines, transition onto the whites, leap across to the reds, and coast to a stop on the fortifieds. Those who had peaked early coasted to a stop on the bean bags in the spacious tasting facility.
Fourscore and seven wines ago….
After Summit Estate we decided that we’d had enough wine to deserve a rest on some cheese and sausage at Stanthorpe Cheese in the exclusive and wealthy area of Duncan Lane just off Amiens Road. Having eating a pannier load of dairy fats, we needed to re-balance with tasting of beers at the Granite Belt Brewery, just off Amiens Road out of Stanthorpe. A sampler tray of the beers, washed down with some non-dairy fats luncheon sausage, and we were back on the bus heading to the next winery, Robert Channon Wines out toward Amiens. The details are getting a little vague now. I think we went through the usual whites, including the excellent Verdelho for which the winery is famous, and the next recollection I have is at the Brass Monkey Brewery south of Stanthorpe, where an English Brown Ale seemed the only way to turn the tide. We were honoured to get a tour of the brewery, which was basically a couple of large steel drums and a heater, supported by about 30 years of experience playing with different ingredients.
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We then had tastings of the raw ingredients, which included some evil tasting hops pellets which required some flushing, before getting back on the bus. It was getting late by now, so we only had time for one last winery, yet again out on Amiens Road which was becoming our collective Vietnam. The Castle Glen Winery was less of a winery and more of a huge bottle shop with an acre of beers, wines, and spirits all produced on site. Only the seriously hard cores were still into tastings by this stage, while the rest of us strolled through the aisles and checked out every flavour of alcohol imaginable. Finally, we found ourselves back on the bus and headed off to Cherrabah via the GS route, just in time for a few drinks and once again an excellent dinner. The NRL grand final was a fitting way to end the day, although we only made it to half time before going the same way as the Cowboys and collapsing. Next morning, we were up for a hearty breakfast, or a light fruit platter depending on the individual’s tasting intensity the previous day. The weather seemed a bit unsettled, so our thoughts of doing the GS route back through Carney’s Creek Road were moderated. By the time we were riding through Cunningham’s Gap, the weather was ugly with strong winds heading up, and thick fog down the other side. An early arrival at home was much appreciated by the cat, who wasn’t expecting us until late afternoon. The B2B was great fun, with a good turnout of members for Cherrabah and the winery/brewery tour with a full busload committing to carpet bombing of brain cells. Extra special thanks must go to Richard De Groot, whose efforts in arranging the venues, the riding and the minor details, and whose stories of being a motorcycle police officer and bus driver kept us amused during the hard times of heavy drinking; made the weekend an all-round memorable B2B occasion. To borrow from Winston - never in the field of winery tours have so many been driven to drink, by so few.
By: Duncan Bennett, Member No.4174
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
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ARGENTINA with a 36 year old airhead
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Planning and preparation took a while as my black airhead companion was 35 yrs old and needed a bit off freshening up. Off to see Ray Peake, who essentially rebuilt the engine, gearbox, wheels and suspension. We had already done the electrics, so a bit of grandad axe, and we were ready to go. A few shortish trips to try out packing, adjust suspension (Wilbur’s), check out the new brand of tyres (Mitas) and we were ready.Booked airfreight with QANTAS through a cargo agency in Sydney a ticket through my agent for one year and I was ready to go.
Hola,
W
elcome to Bariloche, Argentina. You may be wondering how and where a 36 yr old airhead from Queensland got to be in Argentina. So let’s start at the beginning! In 2012 I retired after 30 yrs as a firefighter, mostly in Brisbane and decided an overland trip across Russia and Mongolia to Europe would be a great idea. I put the suggestion to my wife who immediately vetoed the bills deal of doing it on the bike, so I suggested our outfit, still no! We settled on taking our Land cruiser and subsequently spent almost 3 years crossing Russia and Europe from Nordkapp to Morocco to Ireland to Turkey and a few points in between. After 18 months, camping started to wear a bit thin (winter) so we sold the Troopy to a friend and bought a Motorhome. Well that now resides with us at home in Stanthorpe after the joys of importation compliance. So what to do next? We built a house on our small acreage and started to settle into retirement. With my 60th coming up my wife recalled the glazed look I exhibited any time a loaded GS passed us on our travels, so she suggested perhaps I would like to ride my bike around South America for a year, solo! After about two seconds of thought out came the maps!
An uneventful ride to Sydney then off to the cargo agent. Sir you have to drain the tank and remove the battery! So I drained down to reserve, after all I had to ride to a servo at the other end, and removed the battery (a pain on the G/S) and left it with them. I flew QANTAS direct to Santiago, and found my Moto Hostel (Hostel Casa Matte) Which is a bikers’ haunt and certainly recommended. After a week I was getting concerned, no bike; thought it was supposed to arrive on the same flight as myself. The agent was getting nowhere with QANTAS till finally they said NO battery, period. As it was a sealed MOTOBAT I can’t see what the issue was but once it was removed from the crate we were in business. Nearly Two weeks had elapsed and the bike was here. Next hurdle Customs. As I don’t speak Spanish this was going to be a challenge! Arriving at airport security I confused everyone, till a truck driver took me in hand and showed me where to collect it, gracias! Next hurdle was the freight depot, a fee to collect the paperwork! Then another for storage, what for two hours? , si sir, no pay no bike! Finally the easy part, the temporary import permit from Customs, 10 min, no fees and I am done! Now the bike is delivered to the car park, no tools on hand and no help offered. Lucky I knew the carton was cardboard and I brought along a knife. Continued on page29
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ARGENTINA with a 36 year old airhead
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After 10 minutes of hacking away there he was no damage, or battery! Lucky I had purchased a new MOTOBAT the day before in Lira street, the motorcycle centre for Santiago. Ok, install battery, press starter, yes it runs! Oh no! It doesn’t! They had drained all the fuel out! That’s ok it’s only a 2.5 km push to the nearest fuel depot! Lucky after a kilometre some security guards saw my plight and went to get a couple of litres for me, no payment accepted. Thank you fellow bikers. So now to negotiate Santiago peak hour, sheer madness but I made it! A further days packing and sorting (why did I bring so much stuff) farewells to fellow bikers and I was off to brave Sunday traffic. Heading North then East I climbed an amazing pass up to the border at about 12000 ft. The bike went well but I certainly noticed it! After a few hiccups at Customs, when I confused them with two passports we were on our way, two countries in one day!
Next goal was Mendoza, where I had a biker hostel lined up, of course Sth America has a maze of one way streets and I got lost. I actually had help from a Harley rider, who escorted me to the hostel. A few days were spent exploring Mendoza and finally getting that compulsory insurance, which I could not buy in Chile.
First stop Uspallata in Argentina, a cheap hostel recommended by a pommie biker, and some dinner in town.
I had spent considerable time driving on the incorrect street of the road, so that did not pose any problems, however working out right of way is another matter! South to San Rafael for a few days and all is going well. So I am to travel the infamous Ruta 40 heading south to eventually reach Ushuaia for Xmas. First thing I discover is that Patagonian winds start North of Patagonia! Imagine changing lanes involuntary every 100m whilst leaning at 30 degrees into the wind! We survived that ok but more was in store! A large road sign appears which indicated replacement road works and a detour, so after 140 km of what can only be described as river rocks thrown down where they wanted a road and let the traffic compact them with the wind still blowing, I decided to call it a day. My first camp, and as you can imagine the wind was still gale force all night and I decided Bivvy bag no tent.
Continued on page 31
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BMWMCQ 2017 EVENTS BRG
BMWMCQ 2017 Events Calendar
NOVEMBER Thursday 2 7:30pm Monthly club meeting Saturday 4 10:00am Ellaspede Dust Hustle TBA Sunday 5 Monthly Club Ride Sunday 12 08.00am Club Laverda Concours 2017 Wednesday 15 6:30pm Hamilton Hotel Dinner Meet Saturday 18 9:30am Sat Coffee Run Tuesday 28 6:30pm German Club DECEMBER Saturday 2 Christmas Party Thursday 7 7:30pm Monthly club meeting TBA Sunday 10 Monhtly Club Ride Saturday 16 9:30am Saturday Coffee Run Italics font denotes event organised by other clubs
Ride Leader / Contact Tingalpa Northgate Dusthustle.com Trent Smyth BP Yatala Cleveland Showgrounds Long Street Kingsfor Smith Drive Ascot GC Motorrad Nerang Woolloongabba Evans Head NSW Services Club Tingalpa Richard Maher TBA
Extraordinary EVENTS Calendar Remember members, if you ‘log-in’ to our Club’s Web Site you’ll find our journal is in full colour take a moment and have a look @ www.bmwmcq.org.au ‘Viewing Tips’ - PDF is best viewed as a Two Page Spread -
Click on ‘View/Page Display and tick ‘Two Page Scrolling’ Be sure both - ‘Show Gaps Between Pages’ and ‘Show Cover Page In Two Page Vew’ are TICKED
Regarding Submissions
Submissions to the journal should be relevant to BMW motorcycles and or to the BMWMCQ and its activities. Articles or Letters to the Editor may or may not be published if space does not permit or if the content of the submission and or letter is not considered to be of interest to members or not in the interests of the Club, our sponsors or advertisers. Members are encouraged to use this, our journal; to express views, float ideas or make inquiries of other Club members on technical, organisational or other matters which may benefit the Club and its associates Submissions should be kept to a reasonable length and maybe edited or published in part only, if the Editor considers it necessary. Note – submissions close on the 15th of each month! BMWMCQ
ARGENTINA with a 36 year old airhead
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Woke up in the morning to find about 3kg of red soil through everything! As I was camped in the municipal campground behind the Police Station, the cop came to see how I fared, not too bad as it turns out. Back onto Ruta 40, which by now was bitumen and heading south. Still windy but towns are few and far between, so finding a campsite or even a hostel can be pot luck. I ended up doing about 350 km, which in those conditions was quite enough, and found a hostel in Zapala. Pricey but, secure parking and the wind was actually getting worse, so bad in fact that the Argentinian bikers and I who planned on a nice dinner were not even game to go out!
A new day dawned, farewells said and head South again, goal; Junin de los Andes. The wind was not so bad but air temp of 4 degrees was no fun, especially when you discover you don’t have the plug for your heated jacket. Junin was a nice small town, famous for Eva Perón. A couple of days were spent there waiting for the snow to clear on the pass. I then decided the low road around the lakes may be a better option, so that’s the way we went. Best decision I have ever made; Llamas, the most beautiful scenery and friendly people, all wanting to know what I was up too! Soon I was in San Carlos de Bariloche and the story continues from there. Nick Hese
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From business card to full page, all sizes are available. The BMWMCQ journal is distributed to members throughout Queensland and is also displayed in QLD dealerships. In addition, copies are sent interstate to other BMW affiliated Clubs. Get your message out to people who own, ride and restore BMW motorcycles. Rates are below. Phone your requests to Don Grimes - Ph: 0411 601 372 Colour - Back Cover
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HEX ezCAN rerun from October Magazine - Bill Luyten HEX ezCAN a brief description, Bill Luyten
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Setting the fuses
A drop-down menu sets the electronic fuse for each output channel. Select the appropriate fuse level for each accessory. The initial fuse settings are preset but can be changed according to your requirements.
Configuring the lights
There is a day-night sensor on the instrument cluster. The HEX ezCAN extends this functionality to the accessory lights so that their brightness can be set separately for day and night, dim and bright . The sun slider (☀) sets the brightness for day riding, while the moon (☾) slider sets the brightness for night riding. Dim Specifically designed for the:
BMW R1200 LC, R1200, K1600 & F800
I mentioned this device briefly at a recent club meeting. The HEX ezCAN is From HEX Microsystems, the developers of the GS-911 Diagnostic Tool. A one switch solution that lets you add and configure accessories with ease and without cutting any wires. It’s simple and easy to fit additional lights, an air horn, accessories and emergency brake lights that make the bike safer to ride. The HEX ezCAN is configured using downloadable software for Windows or Mac.
Configuring accessories
Configure the electronic fuses of the four outputs and select the functions of accessories according to your specific requirements. On the accessory channel, you can also set the delay time-out. Once you switch the ignition ‘OFF’, the accessory output channel will remain powered for the period of your pre-set delay time-out before powering down.
and
bright settings are done individually, hence the two different icons. All lights can be activated or deactivated by holding in the turn signal cancel button (For R1200 LC & K1600) or trip / info button for (F800 & R1200) for 3s (i.e. toggle on and off). If configured, the auxiliary and horn outputs will remain active when the lights are deactivated.
Four additional options for auxiliary lights:
1. Off when turn signal active: Turns the corresponding accessory lights off when a turn signal (indicator) light is active. This prevents the turn signal from disappearing in the brightness of accessory lights. 2. Strobe when horn is active: Strobes the accessory lights when the horn is active. 3. Strobe on “flash to pass”: Strobes the accessory lights 3 times when «flash to pass» is activated by pressing the high-beam headlight flash button 3 times in quick succession. 4. Inverse flashing when hazards active: This flashes the hazards and forward-facing auxiliary lights alternately, preventing hazards from disappearing in the brightness of accessory lights and adding extra visibility to oncoming traffic. 5. 3-Wire Mode (F800 & R1200 only): If you are using three wire auxiliary lights, switch this mode on for dimming to work correctly. Note that in channel configuration 1 & 2 both auxiliary lights turn of when the indicator is on and it is not possible to control the lights separately in 3-wire mode.
Control brightness via BMW Motorrad Multi-Controller (Wonder Wheel / Selector Wheel)
The Multi-Controller can be used to adjust the brightness of the forward-facing auxiliary lights. There is currently no way to dynamically change or adjust brightness of lights from the motorcycles control while riding the F800 and R1200.
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NOVEMBER 2017
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HEX ezCAN rerun from October Magazine - Bill Luyten Setting the time-out of the accessory / Ignition supply
To avoid power cuts to the accessories connected to this output during ignition cycles, use the slider to set the preferred time-out delay.
Choose the configuration of accessories that you would like to install. Open the channel mapping window of the HEX ezCAN configuration software. Use the drop-down window top-right to view different output configurations.
Channel mapping icons explained. For more information see http://hexezcan.com/
NOVEMBER 2017
35
Meredith and Steve in Thredbo Village continued from page 22
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