NOVEMBER 2018
www.bmwmcq.org.au
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
Established 1958
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51 Ross St, Newstead, QLD I (07) 3259 5787 morganandwacker.com.au
MorganandWackerBMW
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
The Committee President- Paul Hughes Ph: 0409 814 633 President@bmwmcq.org.au 1200 GS / 700 GS
Vice President - Richard Maher Ph: 0415 111 454 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1150 R
Secretary - Duncan Bennett Ph: 0458 293 569 secretary@bmwmcq.org.au R 850 R
This Issue - NOVEMBER 2018 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 CHRISTMAS IN TIN CAN BAY. . . . . . 6 TREASURERS REPORT . . . . . . . . . . 7 General Meeting Minutes. . . . . 11 CLUB RIDE mystery tour . . . . . . 12 INTO EUROPE WITH TONY - JANE. . 14 SWEET AS, BRO-DUNCAN BENNETT . 23 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 25
REFLECTIONS ON 60 YEARS. . . . . . 26 BMWMCQ Supports. . . . . . . . . . . 28 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 BMWMCQ Events Calendar 2018. 30 EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS. . . . . . . 31 Cupla Adverts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 SWEET AS, BRO-CONTINUES. . . . . . 33
Advertisers
TeamMoto BACK - Cover
Treasurer - John Eacott
Ph: 0428 383 826 treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au 2017 K1600GT 2016 R1200GS Tripple Black
Editor - Dave Hepburn
Ph: 0422 080 524 editor@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT
Records- Greg Gaffney Ph: 0411424 219 records@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT & R 90 S Events -Anita Wyndham Ph: 0414 431 751 events@bmwmcq.org.au F 650 GS
Regalia - Cindy Bennett
Ph: 0401 610 671 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au F 700 GS
Tools/Spares - Bill Luyten Ph: 0438 123 747 tools@bmwmcq.org.au R1150 Rockstar - R1200 GS LC
Caloundra Motorcycles Cafe2U - P.28 Good Wool Store - P.32 Munich Motorcycles - P.32 Northside Motorcycles - P.34 Morgan and Wacker- FRONT Cover
O
n The Cover... +
Just one of the many many castles scattered through out Germany just so Jane and Tony would not get bored with their amazing motorcycling adventures through Europe. It is one hell of a chore but someone has to do it......Right Steve and Rosi?
Sub Committee
• Dealer Liaison / Advertising - Don Grimes Ph: 0411 601 372 • Forum Moderator - Garry Hilton
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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NOVEMBER 2018
Dave Hepburn
Editorial Editor’s Report
I
t has been a month of contrasts …hot dry days then a period of prolonged rain. Great for the garden but bike riding? Not so. I move d to Australia late 1974 and have lived and worked here for the last 44 odd years and they have certainly been very odd years so I guess it should not have been a surprise that this month I suddenly became very home sick. It is all the fault of those bloody Travelling Wilburys the Bennetts, Duncan and Cindy. You see they have just spent 2 weeks travelling by motorcycle around my homeland, see Sweet As, Bro on page 23. Their article and photographs brought back many fond memories of my formative motorcycling days on BSA Gold Star and Gold Flash, Norton, Matchless, AJS, Triumph and my first two wheel machine, a Vespa 125 motor-scooter. Duncan and Cindy have travelled all my old haunts and to add insult to injury confessed to visiting Methven where they had spent their honeymoon some years ago. So what you say…well Methven is where I was born. Went to school and ran away to the air force at the age of 17. All these events stirred up old memories and desire to do it all again with some changes of course, being older but not necessarily wiser. I am very pleased that Duncan and Cindy had such an enjoyable time in my home country. I’m going back at Christmas time for 5 weeks and will hopefully take up with the NZ BMW Group. Speaking of which their URL for the magazine is:
BMWOR of New Zealand (Inc) Newsletter - October 2018
This is your monthly Club Newsletter. Click HERE to open your copy of the October 2018 Newsletter and it will load automatically. Our club has a new Facebook page. Click HERE to go to visit it.
BMWMCQ CHRISTMAS PARTY 1st DECEMBER 2018 Tin Can Bay
Marina Bar & Grill Corner of Oyster Parade and Emperor St, Tin Can Bay, Queensland 4580 see photos above. If you haven’t booked please decide to join us all and have a most enjoyable Christmas for 2018. If you could travel to Coffs Harbour to go 10 Pin Bowling each year for 26 years surely you can manage a trip to Tin Can Bay for Christmas. Details for Accommodation and Bookings are on page 6
VENUE FOR BMWMCQ GENERAL MEETINGS GEEBUNG RSL CLUB 323 NEWMAN ROAD GEEBUNG MEALS OPEN AT 6.00 PM MEETING STARTS 7.30 PM
NEXT MONTH : 7.30PM 6 DECEMBER 2018
Committee Reports Paul Hughes
B
NOVEMBER 2018
5
President’s Report
y the time you will be reading this (if anyone does) I will be somewhere South. Three weeks on the bikes, riding wherever we feel like. Mark and I hope to do some fun rides: Kempsey Armidale red, Barrington Tops, Hill End, Kangaroo Valley, Snowy rides, Hotham, Grampians and Vic Coast. Last year at the same time we did Tassie. The hope is this ride will be as memorable as that one was. No sympathy please… we will battle on and try to enjoy ourselves… I have been inspired by the much longer reports from Tony and Jane of their spectacular four months ride of Europe. Can’t quite make that yet so three weeks will have to do. You can read another update on Tony and Janes wandering in paradise in this journal. I will be away for the next General Meeting and so will Richard ( Vice Pres) on his anniversary week. Have fun Richard and Marie. Therefore, I have the club secretary Duncan Bennett to chair the meeting. Looming up rapidly is the Christmas Party on December 01 at Tin Can Bay. This promises to be a great event, so if you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time. Details are in this journal, on the clubs web page and on our Facebook page. You have until November 17 to reserve your spot. Do it now. I will also be missing the club lunch ride ( get your own way there) to Cooyar Pub. It is a great little country pub with seriously great country food and friendly service. Hope you all made the effort. This pub is part of the history of the club, with many events, nights a plenty and meet ups being performed here. If you haven’t yet got there make sure you do soon. It will be well worth the effort. The 40th Cane Toad Rally has been and gone at Nindigully. A great weekend and well organised by Darrell and Gary with support from trucker Richard. I had a really enjoyable weekend in a 140 year old pub with great friends. The only downside was the Eagles 2 minutes claim to fame. Will never happen again( will it Darrell). Hope to see you all at the Christmas Party. It is going to be quite a night. There are some great rides to get to Tin Can Bay. You shouldn’t miss it. Ride safe Cheers Paul
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NOVEMBER 2018
Committee Reports
ur Christmas Parties are famous for good food and great fun with friends. Raffles and BMW prize winners draw on the night. If you miss this one, you will regret it.
TWO course meal @ $47.50 per head - Dessert extra on the night - Cash bar
We have exclusive use of the covered veranda restaurant and is all weather proof. This is the premium food outlet in Tin Can Bay. Accommodation selections are below. Please book your selected accommodation directly. Ensure to mention you are attending the BMWMCQ Christmas Party to access discounted rates.
Payment for the Dinner Function - 1st DECEMBER 2018
Please pay $47.50 per head by bank transfer to the clubs Bank account BSB 124001 AC 10243020 Please ensure to add in remarks your name and the number of persons you are paying for. Once you have deposited the correct amount Please EMAIL treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au stating details of your deposit. This is an essential component of your booking.
Accommodation
Please book direct at one of these if you wish. 1. Tin Can Bay Marina Villas 0754881800 www.tincanbaymarina.com.au Two bedroom water front villas $160 per night ( if you book as BMWMCQ Ask for Lynda). Minimum number available - Next to Function venue 2. Sleepy Lagoon Motel 07 54880653 www.sleepylagoonmotel.com.au various options from $45 per head up to a 3 bedroom house. 7 minute walk to Function venue. Ask for Peter 3. Kingfisher Caravan Park 0754864198 www.kingfishercaravanpark.com.au - cabins available and some bunk beds - Across the street from the function venue 4. Dolphin Waters Apartments 0754862600 www.dolphinwaters.com.au - Around the corner from the function venue - Min 2 night stay The Committee looks forward to welcoming all members and their family to a great night of celebrations. I have eaten twice at the venue and the food is great, especially the seafood. Please book early as numbers will need to be limited and accommodation can be difficult to obtain at short notice at least within walking distance of the Party.
RSVP FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARTY IS - 17 NOVEMBER 2018
Committee Reports
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NOVEMBER 2018
John Eacott
Treasurer’s Report
An Interesting Article Published in BMWMCQ 1990 08 Journal Sourced by Gary Bennett #509
A past member was looking through some old Motorcycling books he had stashed away at home and found the article below – some menfolk in the club may have been interested back in the 70’s however this is a window into a bygone era.
Motorcycle Tours in Europe 11:34 AM 08/10/18
Cash Basis
Single Swingers Tour
Edison Dye will run a second three-week tour for the first time in 1968. It’s intended for the young single man in his 20’s who wants to see Europe and enjoy himself socially at the same time. A limit of 20 has been set on the number. The gimmick is that each tour member, besides buying his own BMW, will have a European college student (female) ride with him as a guide throughout the trip. Torsten Hallman and Joel Robert, world moto-cross champions, will play host at the start in Brussels, Belgium. Then tour members will ride through Nancy (France), Basel, Geneva, Grenoble, Marseilles, St. Tropez, Isle of Levant, Monte Carlo, the Italian Riviera, Milan, Riva, St. Wolfgang and Munich. Bikes and tour members will be flown back to New York from Munich; the girls will return to Belgium by bus. No prices were available for the Single Swingers Tour. Write to MoTours Travel, Box 3571, San Diego, Calif., 92103 for complete information and application blank on Edison tours.
It’s easy to understand the popularity of the tour. She’s a guide.
BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
Profit & Loss
February 1, 2017 through October 8, 2018 Feb 1, 17 - Oct 8, 18 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Advertising Income Donations Income Event income Interest Received Membership Fees Other Income Regalia Sales Total Income Expense Affiliation Fees Auditors Fees Australia Post / Post Box Rent Badges Anniversary Badges Badges - Other Total Badges Bank Charges Computer maintenance Depreciation Expense Donations Dues and Subscriptions Gifts and Donations Government Charges Insurance Internet Services Miscellaneous Office Supplies PayPal commission Postage Prepaid Expense 60th Anniversary Dinner
5,000.00 1,152.80 3,500.00 544.01 18,193.89 151.00 3,295.05 31,836.75 544.00 1,375.00 191.00 335.10 378.18 713.28 30.00 593.10 1,270.92 453.20 507.41 795.12 304.20 6,075.08 276.12 435.73 707.16 145.28 217.20 3,840.38
Total Prepaid Expense
3,840.38
Printing and Stationery Regalia Cost of Goods Sold Repairs Software Expense Tools Expense Website Domain Expenses Website Hosting Expenses Website Maintenance
542.00 1,894.28 205.00 238.40 977.77 32.89 374.00 7,113.62
Total Expense
29,852.14
Net Ordinary Income
1,984.61
Net Income
1,984.61
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Committee Reports
NOVEMBER 2018
Anita Wyndham
Events Coords Report
I
hope the rain we have had throughout October did not hamper your ride plans too much. I managed to get a ride in, making it to Esk before the heavens opened up which meant that we had a very long lunch. There are a few changes in the program for November. The Sunday Lunch Ride, to Harrigan’s Irish Pub at Jacobs Well, will be held on the first Sunday which is usually our club ride as we will be meeting up with the Warrego Riders at Nanango for an afternoon of go-carting. Details are still being finalised so watch the Club calendar and Facebook event for updates. The coffee morning will be at Smoked Garage, Fortitude Valley. Smoked Garage is Brisbane’s mecca of custom bikes and their new home is situated in a 100+ year old building where there is a workshop in the basement and showroom and café on the ground level. I had coffee and wondered through the showroom at their old location so it will be well worth getting out of bed for this. Don’t forget to RSVP so that numbers can be confirmed with the venues. It looks like there is going to be another good roll-up for the annual Christmas party being held at Tin Can Bay. If you’re intending on coming time is quickly running out to RSVP. Refer to the Facebook event or the Club calendar for details on how to pay – RSVPs are required by 17 November 2018. As usual, all the details for these and our usual events are up on both the Club webpage and Facebook so make sure you check the details of the ride before heading out. If you would like to arrange a ride, send the details to events@bmwmcq.org.au to have them posted into the Club calendar and Facebook Events. Happy riding everyone and remember …. Ride your own ride. Anita
Anita Wyndham events@bmwmcq.org.au
Greg Gaffney
Records Officers Report
I
want to continue to develop our club website. I have mentioned in the past how our website plays a vital role in maintaining our member database, membership application, renewals, forum, documentation and journals in addition to many other important roles. I would still like some feedback on any additional enhancements or functionality you may wish to see on the website. Please email me at records@bmwmcq.org.au
New members in October are: Mick Hill from Biloela riding an R1100R Neil Flottmann from Chapel Hill riding a K100 Mark & Sue Richardson from Greenbank riding a K1600 GTL Raoul Smit from Pullenvale riding an R1100GS and R60/6 Cheers Greg Gaffney records@bmwmcq.org.au
Submissions for the Next Journal (DECEMBER 2018 Edition
Committee Reports Bill Luyten
Service Day
Location:
T
he Club will hold a Service Day on Saturday 03 Nov starting around 0930 at Rob Wynne’s place.
61-63 St Jude Circuit Jimboomba (Just off Mt Lindesay Highway) Oil drain pans, oil disposal as well as a comprehensive tool kit available. We will be providing a Sausage Sizzle and Drinks for a gold coin donation (proceeds to the RFDS). Even if you’re not going to maintain your own bike, come along and help someone else or give your expert guidance/ opinion on how it’s done. There are special tools available (see below list) including the GS-911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools. The club also has various service manuals so let me know if you would like me to bring one along. For those that like to tinker with their bike see listed below the comprehensive bunch of tools available. Still a couple of spares left at a bargain price. Last of the Spares for sale at under Half Price (bargain) Filters - Air R1100s (LX628) x2 @ $5.00ea Brake Pads 520HF (front)- R60, R75, R80, R100 x1 @ $10.00 Tools for loan There are special tools available including the GS-911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools. Special Tools Twinmax electronic carburetor balancer (Twin BMW engines) Vacuumate (electronic synchronization of throttle valves up to 4 cylinders) Clutch alignment shafts (3 sizes) Compression gauge (cylinder pressure) Steering head bearing puller and seating tool Gearbox output flange puller
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NOVEMBER 2018
Tool’s Report GS-911 Wi-Fi Diagnostic tool (Wi-Fi and USB Version) GS-911 3 pin interface Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) tool Enduralast hall sensor tester Club Tool Loan $50 deposit (refundable) for GS911: Tools and spares can be picked up or brought along to the next meeting or Club ride.
The following article was published in the BMWMCQ Journal of May 1980 in the early years of BMW using this amazing lining on our engine cylinders. NICASIL: WHAT IS IT and why is it so good? In the two preceding articles “Something Entirely New” & “Plans & Dreams”, you read about a coating for cylinders called “nicasil”. Here is a description of it: nicasil-coated cylinder liners are superceding the conventional cylinders with cast iron or chromed liners. It has been read about, but little is known about it really. It was first developed by the Stuttgart piston manufacturer Mahle. At first, the conception started with the fast 50cc bikes from Kreidler: a cylinder liner with a revolutionary coating, which increases resistance to abrasion and consequently prolongs cylinder life. While here it sounds like some sort of publicity gag, in actuality it is true and has now taken a firm place in the technology of cylinder construction. The nickel coat, with silicon carbide, is found mainly in high performance motors and in similar fashion, the antiquated cast-iron cylinder had to give way to the aluminium cylinder with steel liners not so long ago. Main reasons for this were lightweight and better heat conductivity. Thermic aspects however, require the steel liner be kept as thin as possible. From this demand arose the chromed liner, an important technological step in cylinder construction. The hard-chrome coat is applied galvanically and has a thickness of about 0.1mm. The great hardness of the chrome hinders the wear of the cylinders, pistons and rings. Nevertheless, the smooth surface of the chrome coat works out unfavourably: for lubrication, the necessary oil film clings badly to the surface. Remedial action can only be taken by artificial roughening of the liner by honing & edging or the use of porous chrome. In the last five years, the cylinders from Mahle, distributed under the name “Chromal”, have been nearly superceded by the nicasil cylinders (the word nicasil itself is derived from an abbreviation of the words nickel, carbide & silicon). So if you see a chromal brand cylinder, it is probably manufactured using nicasil. The nickel-dispersion coat with silicon carbide offers a solution to the most pressing problem faced by engines: wear.
continued bottom of page 27
n) closes on 15 NOVEMBER 2018 - Just soes y’all know!!!!!!
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Committee Reports
NOVEMBER 2018
Cindy Bennett
Regalia Officer’s Report
A
fter spending 2 fabulous weeks riding the South Island of NZ, it is back to reality now. I rode a Triumph Bonneville T100 Black, but on the cooler days I had riding envy of the 700GS Duncan was on - the Bonny didn’t have heated grips or any screen. Toughened me up though, I still have all my fingers and I did enjoy the ease of riding of the Bonny (as a shorter rider!) and it had plenty of power at 900cc.
“A scenic roadside lunch stop”
Just a reminder that there will be a table of club regalia items at the November general meeting so bring along your spare cash and stock up. Cheers for now,
Cindy Bennett regalia@bmwmcq.org.au
MINUTES GENERAL MEETING OCTOBER ... CONTINUED General Business
Past Events Closed:
Paul checked with the TMR for requirements to register his bike for single rider. If the seat cannot be change to a single seat that is OK just remove the pillion foot pegs. Paul obtained a reduction in registration of $174 for his F700GS. Steve spoke about his and Rosi’s recent trip to Europe. Mal Cremer spoke of the trip to Tennent Creek with Mark Gilbert and Mark Mustchin to visit MG’s son. Obi Obi bike show and the Cane Toad Rally 8:35 pm
Committee Reports
NOVEMBER 2018
Duncan Bennett
11
Secretary’s Report
BMWMCQ Meeting Agenda/Minutes 4 October 2018 Venue: Geebung RSL …….. Minutes provided by Greg Gaffney Meeting Opened: Apologies:
7: 35pm
Duncan & Cindy Bennett, Michael John, Don Grimes, John Allan & Bruce Northway
Minutes of Previous General Accepted: Geoff Hodge Meeting: Seconded: Chris Lancaster Number of Attendees:
New Members (Name & MC): Visitors:
Returning Members: Treasurer Report: Editor Report: Tools Report: Regalia Report: Records Report: Events Report:
Secretary Report: Dealer Liaison Report: Vice President Report: President Report:
Month Ride: Leader: TEC: Other Events/Buy/Sell/ Swap:
32 members Nil
Garth Henniker from Jindalee rides an R1200RS which is his 10th BMW
Nil
Cheque Acct $6,543.40 Investment Acct $15,262.90 Total Assets $27,773.08 Nothing to report.
Service day at Rob Wynne’s Saturday 3rd November.
From November a table of stock items will be put out at monthly meetings.
Current Members 252 Greg asked members to log into the website and check their details and their motorcycles. Club ride departing Rathlogan Café, 4 Upper Logan Road, Rathdowney at 9:30am and Heading for Mount Warning Hotel Uki NSW Saturday Coffee run this month at Stalled Expresso 35-37 Collingwood Street Albion on the 20th Sunday lunch ride to Harrigan’s Drift Inn Jacobs Well on 28th. Remember to book for the Xmas party Nothing to report.
Don advised that Tony Ward from Morgan & Wacker will be coming to the Xmas party.
Richard has been pulling bikes apart. He is hoping to take his own on the club ride.
President congratulated Dave on this month’s journal and requested members to compete the Clubs Australia survey in the Editors section. Paul asked for numbers for the Xmas party. Check the FB site for accommodation and pay as soon as possible. Paul thanked Anita for organising the strategy meeting and John Allan for the venue and food. Mount Warning Hotel Uki NSW Richard Maher Frank Hills
Nil
continued bottom of page 10
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NOVEMBER 2018
07 OCTOBER Club Ride Mystery Tour
Richards Mystery Tour advert
omorrows ride will leave the Rathlogan Cafe, Upper Logan River Road, Rathlogan at 9.30am. The Cafe opens at 8.00am so you can have breakfast prior to the depart time. The cafe is within the Rathlogan Olive Grove and the entrance is clearly visible from the road. If you can’t find the cafe from the directions given please don’t expect to be nominated for tail end Charlie duties for tomorrow’s ride. The cafe is situated 9klm up (Route 93 )Boonah Rathdowney Rd off the Mount Lindsey Highway junction. Lunch is at the Mount Warning Hotel at Uki NSW. Daylight saving starts tomorrow in NSW should you be interested. If it is raining tomorrow morning stay in bed.
T
his ride was billed as the Vice Presidents Mystery ride. I can’t think why. I planned it two days in advance! October 7th was the start of Daylight saving in NSW and I had done all my preliminary work clearly forgetting about this important fact. Last time I planned a ride to NSW during daylight saving, we had 30 minutes remaining on the kitchen service before being left alone in the beer garden of the Spotted Cow Bistro at the Victory Hotel in Mooball NSW. Determined not to be labelled a repeat offender I calculated a route allowing those hardy early rising types to fit in a quick scratch around the scenic rim before meeting for breakfast at Rathdowney around 8.00am. A dozen or so hardy souls met at the Rathlogan Olive Grove “Shed Café” for Lambs Fry and Bacon before leaving on time at 9.30am. Charlie Brown offered an alternative route to get back to the Mt Lindsey Highway from the café. The route took us south through the valley with a cracker of a view of Mt Barney and the surrounding farmland. I had no idea of this sneaky detour and I shall be using it again whenever the need arises. We headed on south to the Border gate in the general direction of Woodenbong. I was riding a borrowed 1100GS and was finding it a little difficult to attack
the corners with any gusto. I was given the hurry up by a rider on an F800R and found myself cursing at the agility of this remarkable machine with the same power output of the 1100 but much less weight. I shall be putting this motorcycle higher up my B.M. list (Borrowed Motorcycle) The 800R and I both managed to get around an empty logging truck before the border gate and pressed on into NSW leaving the remainder of riders to pass the truck at their own leisure. Turning east just before Woodenbong we headed for Kyogle via the Summerland way. The road had recently been resurfaced and it was possible to maintain the posted speed limit through the sweeping corners without any fear of penalty. We barely passed another car and the trucks were non-existent on this section of blacktop. Perfect conditions for a Sunday ride. We ducked around the servo just out of Kyogle and headed towards Uki on the Kyogle Rd and the lunch destination, Mt Warning Hotel. This is a nice airy venue the service was really quick and, apart from the Banjo Player on the verandah who scared me with a rendition of the “Deliverance” theme tune it would have been really easy to stop here for the afternoon and watch the goings on with an adult Beveridge in hand. I planned the route to have a minimum of corners, total 6. We lost no-one and made it to lunch at the allotted time well prior to the kitchen closing. I consider that a job well done. After lunch a few of us decided to take the scenic route home via Tumbulgum, Chillingham and the Hinze Raceway before settling down and dodging the wacko’s on the M1 back to Brisbane. We copped a little rain up the Hinze Dam road and Charlie pulled off at Nerang to fill up his R1100GS which he hadn’t borrowed from anyone, leaving the remaining riders to fend for ourselves in the traffic. I managed to make it home in time to see the last 30 laps of the Bathurst Race. Charlie rang around 5ish to say he had made it home and his odometer on the GS was showing 395 Klm’s. Exactly the same figure on the motorcycle I had borrowed. Not bad for a motorcycle over 20 years old with a fat man on board. Let’s see if an F800R can do that!
FROM THE PEN OF JANE GRAY
NOVEMBER 2018
East, O s t , Est, Istocno 5 weeks in U.K. & Ireland, & 2 on IOM It’s time to head East to see as much as we can In Rotterdam, Holland, we saw buildings so strange Big yellow cubes you just want to rearrange Another was a tunnel with apartments in the walls And right through the middle were lots of market stalls In Cologne the Cathedral is a sight to behold So Gothic & grand, over 800 years old We sat by the Rhine with our pizza & beer Then went for a cruise while the light was still clear We followed the Rhine all the way to Koblenz This is where the Rhine & Mosel do blend Along the Mosel there are vineyards galore And castles with history behind every door Through the Black Forest which isn’t black at all We found the best roads & we had a ball The German Alpenstrasse was so beautiful to see Everywhere we looked was as green as could be The North of Italy has such great appeal The giant Dolomites really do look surreal We love Alta Badia, we feel right at home Finding each day another Passo to roam Falzarego, Gardena, Campolongo are a few Wherever you look there’s a beautiful view
Into Austria where we’ve been twice before We love riding here each time more & more Stop at the glacier but the part we love best Is riding up Grossglockner to Bikers Rest Great sweeping roads & tight cobblestones Even up there they were flying their drones Slovenia’s Lake Bled & Ljubljana in the rain But Piran in the sun made up for that pain First time in Croatia, WOW, what a surprise The Dalmatian Coast is a sight for the eyes Crystal blue waters & little coves so steep The water so clear even though it’s so deep
To the Plitvice Lakes, a World Heritage site 12 lakes joined by waterfalls, a beautiful sight In Pula, an amphitheatre, the Romans did build Wild boars on the spit being slowly grilled The old cities of Split & Dubrovnik amaze We wished we’d stayed longer than just a few days
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NOVEMBER 2018
INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane
INTO EUROPE
O
ur 2018 European trip reached a milestone point when we sailed from the UK to mainland Europe. A trip of this scale and duration requires a few milestones along the way to keep focus and not get lost in a long ramble. Ferry crossings provided those milestones for us on this trip. The stages were split between the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Europe to Croatia, Italy to Spain then the final crossing with the bike from Spain back to England. English friends had recommended the overnight ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and as we had done the ferry/chunnel crossings at Calais before, why not? The port at Hook of Holland is close to Rotterdam which was a new city for us. We bade farewell to the many other bikers on the ferry as we set forth on a grey and drizzly day onto new adventures.
Rotterdam is quite a beautiful city with some magnificent architecture with the Cube Houses (designed and built in the 1970’s) and the Market building around the main square standouts. The old and the new meld very well together in Rotterdam. We pushed on across flat and bland country to our overnight stop at Cologne (Koln to the Germans). It has always intrigued me (and I have no answer) as to why cities and even countries have their name anglicised when spoken or written in English? We had spent a couple of weeks ‘house sitting’ a B&B in the Westerwald Region of Germany back in 2012 but for various reasons we never got into Cologne. It is quite an impressive city dominated by its cathedral and its situation on the river Rhine.
The Germans have a well-founded reputation for their love of beer and Cologne is one place where it can be enjoyed freely and openly. We joined the locals with a few takeaways and a pizza for a relaxed evening on the banks of the river. There was plenty of drinking but no obvious signs of drunkenness or loutish behaviour. Perhaps some Australians could take a lesson?
INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane
NOVEMBER 2018
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We were targeting two regions in Germany that we had not previously visited being the Moselle (Mosel) Valley and the Black Forest. The most picturesque section of the Moselle tracks from its confluence with the River Rhine at Koblenz southwest to Trier so those were our overnight stops with a mid-point stopover at Cochem. Distances are not great but there are so many places of interest and side tracks to be taken that it cannot be rushed. The road follows the river edge with multiple crossings by bridge or vehicular ferry if something on the other side caught our attention.
It was a very relaxed and enjoyable couple of days really getting us into the groove of European travel. The river was a very unusual green colour caused by algae blooms occasioned by 2018’s very hot European summer. It usually is a muddier brown like our own Brisbane River. We were intrigued as to how the grape crops were harvested on the very severe hillsides and found the answer in small cog tracked trolleys that are driven up and down the hillsides. Simple but effective. We were also able to catch up with English friends from our 2012 trip who were holidaying just outside Trier.
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INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane
Trier proved to be a surprise in many ways - it has some very impressive Roman Empire era buildings and a much more recent but sinister building - a former Gestapo HQ from WW2. A google translate of the German language plaque reads “in remembrance of the victims whose suffering under the National Socialism began here”. This is the only WW2 era Gestapo building we have ever come across in our European travels and it was quite haunting as we saw it at night on our way home from dinner. A sad reminder as to what levels mankind can sink. Brighter times were ahead as we continued south to the Black Forest and a reputed biker’s road - the B500.
This road became famous throughout the British biking fraternity with bikers planning their trip around this road. Unfortunately like a lot of things in life too much of a good thing can be harmful.
In the case of the B500, the antics of a few has led to a severe curtailment of the speed limits and Police enforcement that would impress even VicPol during the Australian Moto GP. Most of the road is restricted to 70kph max and we saw Police radar under camouflage netting. A nice road but too hard to enjoy. We found many more roads to enjoy in the Black Forest (it isn’t black at all) that weren’t as restricted as the B500. Our route out of the Black Forest led us to the shore of Lake Konstanz (Constance) on the border of Germany, Austria & Switzerland. I had plugged a couple of way points into the GPS and was not paying particular attention when we presented at the ferry port for an unexpected but very enjoyable crossing of the Lake.
INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane We had considered a leisure cruise on the lake but dismissed the idea due to time constraints so this alternative gave the 3 of us another ferry crossing for the princely sum of 10 euro. Money well spent. The lake is huge as we couldn’t see the shore at the end of the lake on a clear day. We hung into the southern part of Germany and were rewarded with one of the best ride days of the trip along the Deutsche Alpenstrasse (German Alpine Road) which was a real treat as it wound high into the mountains along the Austrian border through verdant green valleys and mountains.
Our destination was the Alpine village of Oberstdorf where we had secured excellent off season rates at our B&B. Even though we were now a couple of weeks into the Northern Hemisphere autumn the weather even at these high altitudes remained mild and great for riding. Next day we bade farewell to Germany for this trip as we entered one of our favourite locations, the Italian Dolomites where we were to spend the next 4 days.
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INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane
Our preferred region among many is Alta Badia where you cross over mountain passes entering and leaving the villages and can consume as many mountain passes in a day as your right wrist will allow. The people are friendly there is good food to be had and the Garnis or Guesthouses are picture postcard perfect with their seasonal bright and colourful window box displays. We took the opportunity to slip down to the nearest large town of Bolzano (Bozen) to get some oil for a service on the GG. Repsol 10w40 synthetic cost 25euro (about 40aud) per litre. I won’t ever complain about Brisbane prices again. Fuel in Italy is also amongst the most expensive in Europe at average about 1.75 euro (2.85aud) per litre. The GG is used to getting pampered at home but on a long trip like this she was starting to look more like one of ex Pres Richards stable but she did enjoy her new oil and filter. We could have stayed longer in the Dolomites such is the draw of those mountains but we had a ferry booking out of Dubrovnik on 1 October and it was now 19 September with a lot of ground to cover in between. Time only allowed for a brief stopover in beautiful Austria but the time we had was well spent. We secured a very unusual apartment high in the mountains above Lienz for a couple of nights. The place could be accessed by a tortuously tight and twisting road from Lienz which was 10km long or by chairlift that came right to the door. The apartment literally was built off the chairlift station. When the chairlift stopped operating at 5pm there was almost total silence and we had expansive views across the mountains and the lights of the city below. It was one of the most peaceful places we have ever stayed. We chose to stay near Lienz as it gave us the quick access we wanted to one of the world’s great riding roads, the Grossglockner High Road. This is a National Park road beautifully developed and maintained but it does carry an entry fee to the park but it is well justified. The road is glorious as it sweeps up to the Franz Josef Glazier and past the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. A fork then takes you up a steep and winding cobblestone road to the highest point of the road at Bikers Rest. There are great views as well as a cafe and restaurant. A great place to exchange travel stories with other riders.
The road then sweeps down the side of the mountain to the northern toll station where we turned around and rode it in reverse. A brilliant days riding where the temperature at the top was a balmy 16C where in a past trip we rode through snow in the middle of summer such is the mountain microclimate.
Before leaving Austria we took a chairlift ride up to the 3 borders where Austria, Slovenia and Italy meet. The views are stunning and overlook the valley where our very own Rosi Johnson was born.
Our entry into Slovenia was over the Wurzen Pass where a derelict army tank sits as a reminder of how hard it used to be to cross borders during the Cold War era. Nowadays, the former Yugoslav territory that is modern day Slovenia could not be further removed from its communist past.
INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane It is dominantly a Catholic country where English is spoken as much as Slovene as its economy relies so heavily on international tourism. We stayed in Kranjska Gora an Alpine Village where the bright Garnis could have been lifted straight out of Austria or the Dolomites. The town is at the head of the Julian Alps with a ride up to the Vrsic Pass a must for any red blooded motorcyclist.
The 24 hook turns ascending the pass from Kranjska Gora are all cobblestones. Interesting! The road was built by Russian POWs during WW1 under charge of their Austrian guards. There is a scaled down Russian Orthodox Church on the ascent that was built as a memorial to over 100 of their number who were killed by an avalanche during the road construction. The weather had been kind to us in Europe up to this stage but that was all about to change as we moved south to Lake Bled and Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. Lake Bled is the countries most visited tourist attraction with its stunning blue waters, Castle and Cathedral - that was how we saw it in 2012 but not this time with heavy rain completely changing the outlook.
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The rain had not abated by the time we arrived for our first visit to Ljubljana. We were determined to at least see its world famous Triple Bridge and some of its renowned Baroque Architecture. We found a parking space for the GG a couple of blocks from the Old City Centre with the rain pelting down. It seemed completely logical to me that we should just walk down for a quick look around in our wet weather riding suits complete with yellow safety vests and helmets. We do not carry an umbrella. Jane was approached by a middle aged lady who asked her a question drawing an only English response from Jane. The woman then asked in English if her outfit was for Religion or safety. We are on a motorcycle, we are Australian! Oh Australian she said, smiled, and happily walked away? We still do not know what our Aussie reputation must be in Slovenia? Next stop in Slovenia was the beautiful seaside village of Piran where the sun shone and the waters of the Adriatic sparkled. Slovenia stretches to the sea on a small finger of land squeezed between Italy to the north and Croatia to the south. Piran sits on a tip of land stretching into the Adriatic at the head of the Istrian Peninsula. It is a stunningly beautiful setting for this former Venetian town with a Cathedral on a hill overlooking the main square and a very impressive fortified town wall that once protected the inhabitants from land borne attack.
The waters of the Adriatic are as clear as our own Whitsundays which is very impressive given the large populace that line its banks. Piran also provided the opportunity for a minor service and valve adjustment on the GG. A couple of valves needed a tweak but all else was tight and running well.
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INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane Attracted by the allure of the sea we returned to the coast and the seaside port of Pula where stands a former Roman Arena capable of holding 20,000 people in its day. The Arena is amazingly intact after 2,000 years and still holds many concerts annually. For the cost of a few Kuna (Croatia has not adopted the Euro even though they are a member State of the EU) we were able to walk around the arena with just a few other visitors. It was just on dusk and a beautiful quiet place to stand trying to imagine the Gladiatorial battles that had taken place on this very ground. This was a far cry from what we were to experience at the crowded Colosseum in Rome some weeks later.
We crossed into Croatia and headed inland on the Istrian Peninsula towards a small historic hilltop village I had read about. Motovun came into view but was like a mirage as we couldn’t get to it. Our GPS route was blocked by roadworks and we tried without luck to find an alternative. We returned to the roadworks where the supervisor shrugged and let us ride through and gave us some advice on an alternative track up the mountain. He must have been very impressed by the loaded GG or he had a wicked sense of humour for the track turned out to be one of Duncan’s Farm Roads. It was a tough and gnarly climb. Fortunately there was a sealed alternative on the other side of the mountain that we happily chose for the return journey.
We continued around the peninsula with our nostrils filled with the smell of smoke and roasting pig. Croatians certainly love their pork as at every village there were large wood fired burners at the roadside with whole pigs being roasted over the coals. No we never indulged. Next stop on our Croatian adventure was the UNESCO world heritage site of Plitvicka Jezera or Plitvice Lakes in central Croatia about halfway between the Capital Zagreb and the coastal resort town of Split.
This was one of Janes picks with the sites famous 16 crystal clear lakes (12 upper and 4 lower) that terrace down the mountain serviced by multiple waterfalls. The lakes change with the seasons with autumn providing beautiful
INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane weather for us but being drier the waterfalls were not as intense. It is a complicated place to navigate with pathways, boardwalks, water ferries and shuttle buses providing alternatives to get around. The place is under enormous visitor pressure with coachload after coachload being disgorged every few minutes. Once we found our feet and realised where the crowds were massing we had a great day exploring. It is a very fascinating park and well deserving of its world heritage status. Just dont go there in summer when the crowds must be unbearable. We stayed for a couple of nights near the park where I had a good conversation with our host Ilya who was born and raised in the area. He spoke openly of the war that raged when Croatia split from Yugoslavia with the Plitvice lakes being a jewel that both sides wanted. There was bloodshed in the area and Ilya recalled his memories as a child during those harrowing times as close ago as 1992. It is too easy for us, often so far away from the world trouble spots, to wash over the daily news casts of the latest horrors. To meet and talk with people who are in the thick of those troubles and realize they are just the same as us is quite sobering. Ilya has an older sister in Australia who divides her life between her Melbourne home and the families Croatian property. He also pointed us in the direction of a restaurant run by an old school mate where I had the sweetest most tender grilled squid tubes I have ever tasted. Family and community is very strong with these people. They were extremely friendly and helpful t o us. Their English is good and communication was never a problem. I had studied the map and saw some nice squiggly lines on a road heading back to the coast and this road through rural Croatia did not disappoint. We traversed hills and valleys through remote countryside where time had stood still. It is still very much subsistence living for these people. We saw many houses that had apparently been abandoned whether as a result of the war or circumstance we may never know. The last section brought us over beautifully tight and sweeping roads of the Velebit Mountains down to the seaside town of Karlobag. This area is part of the Sjeverni Velebit National Park which forms a very stark backdrop to the Adriatic Sea.
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What followed for us was akin to a few days traveling along the beautiful Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas but this road runs for a few hundred kilometres. The Adriatic Sea on our RHS provided many photo opportunities for Jane and the GG enjoyed the smooth sweeping bends in warm sunshine.
I managed to enjoy myself as well. Overnight stops at Zadar and Split were both great seaside resort towns blending the old towns dating from Roman occupation with new facilities to accommodate their 21st century populations.
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INTO EUROPE - With Tony and Jane
Our last leg between Split and Dubrovnik provided the only element of concern. Study a map closely (I hadn’t) and you will see that Croatia is separated along this coast where Bosnia pushes out to its only sea border. There is no way around apart from the sea. The unfortunate part was that our Green Card insurance did not cover us for travel in Bosnia. Different forums provided different advice (don’t believe everything on the internet) but the best seemed to be that temporary insurance could be bought at the border. The reality was that we sailed through the border crossing without even a look at our passports, there were no insurance sellers and 10km later we were back in Croatia unscathed. Our Bosnian experience had been very brief indeed.
We spent a couple of nights in Dubrovnik exploring the old town and riding high up into the hills to gain some great views over the city. It is a tourist magnet without doubt but a very beautiful place. It is almost unbelievable that the Serbian Army shelled and mortar bombed this World Heritage site when they had it under siege in 1991 and 1992. Many lives were lost as the UN struggled to resolve anything as unfortunately happens far too often. We bade farewell to Croatia as we boarded the Jadrolinija overnight ferry bound for Bari Italy and the next stage of our journey. Croatia (and to a lesser extent Slovenia) had been a revelation to us and we only wished we had more time to explore and enjoy its many delights. The GG was running like the fine machine she is having clocked just under 11,000 kms to this point.
Tony and Jane Gray
SWEET AS BRO!! - Duncan Bennett
N
Sweet As, Bro
ew Zealand. The international travel Australians do when we don’t want to go overseas. A culture shock rating of zero: but, scenery, gastronomic and riding shock ratings of extreme. Our trip to New Zealand’s South Island had been planned for March but was postponed to very late September. The last time I had been to NZ was for our honeymoon, which was at exactly the same time of year, and we’d had a skiing holiday then. For some reason, no matter the level of experience acquired trying to get freezing snow chains on with rapidly freezing fingers, the weather in the South Island was assumed to be going to be very like SE QLD. Maybe a little colder, perhaps a touch wetter, but the gear inventory was considered good enough to handle the negligible climactic differences expected. The proper BMW winter gloves were locked in the top box of the BMW R850R “Beast”, but the cover was on so getting them would take 3 minutes and was considered too hard; won’t need them anyway. Early into Christchurch airport, one rider of our team had the entire contents of her luggage inspected in quarantine, which filled some time in nicely before a cab into town and stroll about the still-scaffolded city and lunch. The afternoon was spent gathering data on craft brewery sites, and the fun preparation of the gear for the morrow. Day 1 morrow achieved, we were picked up by South Pacific Motorcycle Tours owner Carole Lester and taken out to their base at Kaiapoi, north of Christchurch. After meeting the SPMT team, the arranged weddings with our partners for the next fortnight were conducted. Cindy had chosen Black Beauty, a new Triumph Bonneville T100. I had been swapping photos with my prospective partner Jessica, a 2016 BMW 700GS, for a long time so riding consummation anticipation had been building and I wasn’t disappointed.
Jessica and Black Beauty saddled up and ready to ride
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The program was a GPS-led two weeks around the island, with accommodation pre-booked at good B&Bs. We had never done this style of trip before, but it seemed to cover two of the three big motorcycling questions; where am I going, and where am I staying? The third big motorcycling question of why I didn’t bring winter gloves wasn’t answered, but that didn’t seem important in the glorious clear Canterbury weather.
Robert Falcon Scott, who knew enough about NZ motorcycling to bring his winter gloves The competency assessment was to follow SPMT co-owner Mike Lester down the road and assuming we didn’t crash, Mike would just wave us off and we would keep on going. We didn’t crash, so soon we were on our own under the leadership of Garmin. Garmin’s leadership style was soon made clear at the Waimakariri River; follow me on the precise path I have set, as though we are in a minefield, or else I will punish by confusing you and forcing you to turn around and I will make you do it all again. If we missed a waypoint by a few yards, the incessant demand to do a U-turn initially had us wondering whether we’d somehow missed a turnoff while admiring the fabulous mountain scenery. Artist’s impression of the South Island GPS route
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SWEET AS BRO!! - Duncan Bennett
Our destination was Lake Tekapo, and although there was intense temptation to deviate through Coalgate as I’d run out of toothpaste and was highly self-amused by the thought of buying some Colgate in Coalgate, we decided instead on a lunch stop in our old honeymoon town of Methven. (Well I’ll be damned...you never told me that when we were talking about NZ. Methven..Thats where I was born, went to scholl and partook of various nefarious activities...Nice choice for a honeymoon... Ed) The post-lunch riding was on was nice roads down the plains, with some a bit winding up through Burke’s Pass before getting into Tekapo in the late afternoon. We had a quick stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which had spectacular views of white caps on the lake and clouds on the mountains, before getting to our first B&B. The carpark was a taste of most of the B&B carparks we would experience – no cover, and loose gravel. It was AFL grand final day and we had the long walk into the touristy little town to the pub, amazingly full of Collingwood supporters and with the big game on all the screens rather than the rugby. Day 2 started with a surreptitious de-icing and drying of the motorcycle seats using a B&B towel. We stopped at Lake Pukaki for fabulous views of cloud over Mt Cook, before pushing on to the town of Twizel. It was coffee time so we forced someone to open and make us some raisin toast, before pushing on to Omarama, Otematata, Otekaieke, and Oamaru for lunch. Studiously avoiding the Steampunk Museum because it sounded a bit funky for us, a Sunday pie and a thorough tour of the town looking for the loos were the memorable highlights. While on the topic of NZ town names, it appears the NZ official town naming alphabet is missing about 20 letters and the policy was to always try to start the name with a W, otherwise an H, K, M, P, R, or T must be used. On no account were any vowels allowed at the start except O. W names must always start with Wai, and the result is 30,000 names of places all starting with Wai. Which is really helpful when kind B&B hosts are telling you that the amazing views/hot springs/whatever at Wai-don’t-rememberthe-rest should not be missed, just make sure you take the turn-off at Wai-can’t-distinguish-it-from-the-other20-Wai-names-you-see, whatever you do don’t turn at Wai-tiny-variation-in-arrangement-of-the-same-letters-as-all-other-Wai-names. Next stop on the southern journey was the interesting sounding Moeraki boulders, and the amazingly spherical rocks lying about on the beach and poking out of the cliff did not disappoint. The septarian concretions are 60 million years old, and not between 70 and 79 years old as we first thought when
misreading them as septuagenarian concretions.
Cindy pretending to be dung beetle with a giant stone ball at Moeraki We meandered mid-afternoon into Dunedin, where the trend of our accommodation being a fair hike out of town was repeated. A bit of planning had gone into Dunedin as we were catching up with work colleague Katie and her husband Nev and son Flynn. There was only one dinner option as far as I was concerned; Emersons craft brewery, fortunately closer to us than other craft brewery establishments. It was an excellent choice with sensational beer and cider and food. Day 3 was a repeat of sneaky use of the hotel towel to get the moisture off the seats, before hitting the road south along the coast through Brighton, before joining the main highway at Waihola and stopping for a coffee and an un-recalled type of fruit-infused bread at Milton. Soon after, we rode past Sod Cottage, built in the 1860’s as a stopping place for miners, but we couldn’t stop as we’d only just re-started. We reached the bad weather “plan B” town of Balclutha, but as the weather was close to perfect we kept on south into the Catlins rather than take the feeble rider’s route through Gore.
Cindy spouting forth in competition with a geographical feature
FOR THE AIRHEADS - and there are many
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MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE Each month Mark will endeavor to provide a couple of links to his instructional videos on dealing with all matters pertaining to BMW Airhead Motor Cycles. These are the three links this month to Facebook Video’s: https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/729109397466574/ https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/571279833308549/ https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/1072748069568779/ We ignored the GPS and stopped to take a stroll through the railway tunnel at Tunnel Hill, which is becoming a routine activity for us having had such fun going through the Mt Perry tunnel in Queensland. No chance to get the bikes through this one, which was sensible as it was very slippery and a dead end, efforts to do a loop were stopped by the bog at the other end. We pressed on in the cool but still fine weather to Curio Bay to see the Petrified Forest. A quick lunch of the sandwiches we’d made from the Dunedin breakfast tray, and we wandered down to the waterfront to wander among the petrified logs and stumps which sit in the intertidal zone, miraculously we’d nailed the timing precisely and it was low tide when we arrived. The weather began to turn as we headed into Invercargill, so we didn’t bother heading to Bluff, which at the time we thought was the most southerly point, luckily we didn’t go as we’d already been further south at Curio Bay and Bluff is simply the most southerly town, with Slope Point winning the most south bit according to Wikipedia. Invercargill was a bit confusing, our itinerary said that our accommodation was the Ascot Park Hotel, but the GPSes took us into a suburban street and then stated unemotionally that we’d arrived. There was no sign of a hotel, but fortunately Cindy knew better and said we were staying at the place on the left, the Villa Rouge B&B.
Petrified log at Curio Bay There was no sign of it being a B&B, and I was extremely suspicious that we were just parking in someone’s driveway.
Continued on page 33
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REFLECTIONS on 60 years - gary bennett
BOWLING WEEKENDER 1982 - 2008
T
he Coffs Harbour 10 Pin Bowling weekend was a favourite ride by many from 1982 to 2008. It was a used as a meeting place between the Kogarah Touring Club, NewTech (NSW), BMWMCQ and the Motorcycle Touring Club Qld. New Tech was short for Newcastle Technical College. In the early ‘90s the Ipswich Motorcycle Club joined in with us and not long after the Motorcycle Touring Club ceased to exist. From 1995 onwards it was just us, the Kogarah Tourers and NewTech. The tournament was a good opportunity to socialise with other club members from Brisbane and NSW. You didn’t have to worry about tents, sleeping bags as most people stayed in the same place which was the Hoey Moey Hotel and the Plantation Hotel in the early years then the Matador Motel in the latter years. With a “sparrow fart” start (which is apparently 6:30am) members travelled using various routes to get to Coffs Harbour by the 1pm start of Bowling. The winners prize was to get your Clubs name engraved on the perpetual “Bruce William Taylor” Memorial Trophy. Bruce was a member of one of the NSW Clubs and he loved Ten Pin Bowling.
REFLECTIONS on 60 years - gary bennett
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Bowling alley and the Matador Motel. When the sun began to disappear it was back to the motel for a quick freshen up then off to either the Catholic Club, Dragon Restaurant or the RSL Club (as the venue changed a few times over the years) for a social evening and awarding of trophies. The next morning it was pack up and head off home after having breakfast in a café overlooking the spectacular harbour. In the early years the month before the event we would have a practice match against the Motorcycle Touring Club Qld at the Coorparoo lanes and then on our own in the latter years, which didn’t seem to help our form as we were winners only twice in all those years and that was in 1987 and 2004. I am not sure who started the ride, but Ron Durkin was an organiser in 1984, Charlie Brown in 1986, Neils Holm from 1987 to 1991, Glen Allen 1992, Barry Lines 1993, Tony Malone 1994, Noel Sopeer from 1995 to 2007 and Barb Lindberg in the final year of 2008.
This event ran for 26 years, which makes it the second longest running weekender in the clubs history. Words by Gary Bennett #509 ...Sourced from various ...BMWMCQ Journals 1982-2008...and from conversations with Noel Sopeer and Charlie Brown The minute & very hard silicon carbide is incorporated into the elastic nickel coat by the process of electrolysis, with the silicon carbide reaching a thickness of only 0.003mm. The slower the coat develops, the harder the surface becomes. The hardness of the nicasil coat generally is around 550 Vickers-hardness degrees, which actually is far below the hardness of a chromal coat, which can reach levels of 1200 Vickers. Nevertheless, the wear of a nicasil cylinder is less than a chrome coat. And in addition to the chrome, which must be artificially roughened to reach optimum oil-adhesion, the nicasil requires no such treatment. Except that after the electrolysis, a single honing reduces the coat thickness from about 0.08mmto 0.06mm. Nicasil cylinders are different in appearance from hard-chrome in that they are a yellow-silver colour, while the chrome is a light grey-silver. Along with the high resistance to abrasion, nicasil cylinders also offer thermic advan-
tages: compared to a cast-iron cylinder, heat conductivity is trebled. This alone leads to a 15 degree lower temperature on the cylinder wall. To sum up, let us say that the better wear characteristics and the increased safety against piston seizure are the main reasons for the technical success of the nicasil cylinder. For the motorcycle rider, this has two consequences; hardly any running-in problems and absolute full-power strength. Gerrit Heye (from “das Motorrad”) Thirty eight years later we have learnt that with regular oil and filter changes it is possible to get in excess of 500,000km out of our BMWs and we can’t forget the story in the February 2018 Journal of a K75RT that had done 1.25 million Km’s.
Sourced by Gary Bennett #509
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NOVEMBER 2018
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Date
BMWMCQ 2018 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule November 2018 NOVEMBER 2018
Time
Event
Thur 1
7:30 PM Club General Meeting
Sat 3
9:30 AM Service Day
Sun 4
12:30 PM
Sunday Lunch Ride
Mon 5
7.00 pm Committee Meeting
Wed 21
6:00 PM Hamilton Hotel Social Dinner
Sat 24
9:00 AM Saturday Coffee Run
Tue 27
6:00 PM German Club
Sun 18
TBA
Club Ride
Details
Coordinator
Geebung RSL Club. Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Geebung Qld
Paul Hughes president@bmwmcq.org.au
Coorparoo RSL 45 Holdsworth St
Paul Hughes president@bmwmcq.org.au
Hamilton Hotel, 442 Kingsford Smith Drive, Hamilton Come and enjoy a social night in the company of fellow club members and share a tale or two. There is plenty of parking available. Don’t forget to use your senior’s card for a great value meal.
Anita Wyndham events@bmwmcq.org.au
Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane: Come along and enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. A limited amount of parking is available in the club carpark however, if this is full, parking is available on Duke and Linton Streets. Arrive any time after 6:00pm.
Dave Hepburn
Service Day at Rob Wynn’s place starting at 9:30am. Bill Luyten Location: 61-63 St Jude Circuit, Jimboomba (Just off Mt M: 0438 123 747 Lindesay Highway) tools@bmwmcq.org.au There will be a sausage sizzle and drinks for a gold coin donation (proceeds to the RFDS). Even if you’re not going to maintain your own bike, come along and help someone else or give your expert guidance/opinion on how it’s done. Harrigan’s Irish Pub - Drift Inn Harrigan’s Lane, Jacobs Well Qld 4208 NOTE: As we are planning to join up with the Warrego Riders for a round or two around the go-cart track later in the month he usual led ride held on the first weekend is being switched with the Sunday Lunch Ride. Make your own way there or watch the Facebook event notice to see if there will be a group heading out.
The led ride will be heading out to Nanango to meet up with the Warrego Riders for round or two on the go-cart track at South Burnett Kart Hire. No details at this stage so watch this space for updates.
Smoked Garage 126 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, Qld 4006 Smoked Garage is Brisbane’s mecca of custom bikes - their passion is two wheels: Cafe Racers, Bobbers, Trackers, Choppers. There are many bikes on display in the showroom. Come and join us for great coffee, great food and great company. Note there is no street parking out front however there is plenty of parking in the laneway around the back (Little Street).
Anita Wyndham events@bmwmcq.org.au
BMWMCQ 2018 Events Calendar
Date
Time
Sat 1-2
6:30 PM
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NOVEMBER 2018
BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule December 2018 Event
BMWMCQ Christmas Party
Details
Coordinator
BMWMCQ CHRISTMAS PARTY Tin Can Bay Marina Bar & Grill Cnr of Oyster Pde and Emperor St, Tin Can Bay, Queensland 4580.
Paul Hughes president@bmwmcq.org.au
Refer to the Club web calendar for booking details. Thur 13
7:30 PM
Club General Meeting
Mon 10
7.00 pm
Committee Meeting
6.00 pm
German Club in Lieu Hamilton Hotel on Wednesday
Sat 15
Tue 18
Sun 23
Geebung RSL Club. Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Geebung Qld
Paul Hughes president@bmwmcq.org.au
As there will be no lunch run this month we will head out of town for a brunch. Details will be published once the booking with the venue has been confirmed.
Anita Wyndham events@bmwmcq.org.au
No ride will be organised for December
Anita Wyndham events@bmwmcq.org.au
Coorparoo RSL 45 Holdsworth St
10:00 AM Coffee Run
11:00 AM Sunday Lunch Ride
Paul Hughes president@bmwmcq.org.au
Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Street, East Dave Hepburn Brisbane: Come along and enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. A limited amount of parking is available in the club carpark however, if this is full, parking is available on Duke and Linton Streets. Arrive any time after 6:00pm.
Whilst all details are correct at the time of printing, last minute changes may be required for reasons beyond our control. Please monitor the event details on the club webpage or Facebook for published changes. You would like to organise a ride? Send the details to events@bmwmcq.org.au to have the details posted into the Club calendar.
DATE Fri Sat Sun 1719 May 2019
EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR TIME
All Weekend
EVENT
DETAILS
BMW OWNERS CLUB SOUTH AUSTRALIA
PELICAN RALLY 2019 BIENNAL Rally which will be held at CAMP KEDRON on the Banks of Lake Bonney riday to Sunday 17th to 19th May 2019… more details will be posted closer to the event
CONTACT
BMW OWNERS CLIUB SA PO BOX 193 NTH ADELAIDE SA 5006
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NOVEMBER 2018
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SWEET AS BRO!! - Duncan Bennett We knocked at the door, fully expecting a track-suited and be-slippered mystified person with a half-smoked ciggie hanging from a moist bottom lip to answer. Instead, the B&B world as we understood it was about to change. Noel and Diana were the hosts, not necessarily in that order, and after we’d lugged the gear in, we received the full tour. The entire front of the house was ours to enjoy, and with complimentary wine and beer and truffles there was severe risk of over-enjoyment afoot. After changing we met with our hosts in the kitchen, to enjoy an afternoon tea with a magnificent sweet. The conversation turned to motorcycling, and Diana confessed she had never been on a motored bicycle. As we hadn’t yet had the opportunity to get into the complimentaries, I suggested that no-one could consider they had lived until at least giving it a try. Diana then started the cycle of “no I really couldn’t”, “but I want to”, “do you think I should Noel?” Noel helped by having a vastly superior record of hits on social media posts, so Diana saw a rolled gold opportunity to unseat the Lord of Facebook. The matter became a certainty by me just finishing my sweet and going off and getting everything ready. With Cindy’s helmet and jacket on, and the communicators on, Diana was on the back of Jessica the BMW and we were off out into the country for a quick spin. On our return, trips down to local motorcycle dealerships were already in train, and continual monitoring of the hits on Diana’s Facebook post eventually showed the venture to be a success.
Diana, Queen of Villa Rouge, achieving a social media triumph with a steely look at Noel
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A short wander up the road after Diana’s social media glory saw us at the Buster Crabb restaurant, renowned for seafood, and a huge bowl of mussels and fish were consumed washed down with NZ pinot and IPA. Day 4 started with a spanking breakfast, before packing and mentally practising loading the bikes as it was raining and so getting it wrong meant everything would be wet in the panniers. After a tearful farewell to Diana and Noel (may have just been rain coursing down our collective cheeks), we headed for the morning’s sightseeing in Invercargill. First stop was Bill Richardson’s Transport World, fortunately only 10 minutes away as we were already sick of riding in the rain. The World is a huge shed, divided into separate sheds with cars, tractors, trucks, and motorcycles. The Ford car line-up starting from the 1903 Model A was particularly impressive. Having dried out a bit and warmed with a hearty cappuccino, the next stop was the E. Hayes hardware shop to see the line-up of classic motorcycles including Burt Munro’s, but also because it is phenomenal just as a hardware shop. Our souvenirs from the visit were an H7 globe to replace Jessica’s blown headlight, and an $8 pair of flock-lined chemical gloves which saved my hands from getting wet and frostbitten for the rest of the trip.
World’s Fastest Cindian As it had stopped raining we comfortably headed west along the coast for a bit, until the fingers and toes began to numb which called for a stop at the Orepuki Beach Café, which served up a hearty lunch and a freezing cold coke which was probably an error of judgement given the delicate state of the pinkies. We continued west until New Zealand runs out of flat land, then the road heads north to skirt the mountains and fiords and lakes of the west coast.
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SWEET AS BRO!! - Duncan Bennett ing the road to Milford Sound, which had only been closed a few days previously due to avalanches. Ice was scraped off the seats, and without giving too much thought to the cold we were off. Fortunately, a lot of the road just follows the river valleys, so the altitude only increases near the end, but the mountains lock in the cold dense air which flows from the peaks down across motorcyclist’s fingers. Cindy without hand warmers was really struggling, while even my Burt Munro chemical gloves and full hand warmers couldn’t keep the fingers unfrozen for long, so regular
Tuatapere’s mascot sausage that has been unable to obtain a Working with Children Clearance
After a brief stop to admire the impressive Clifton suspension bridge, in no time at all we were heading through the magnificent mountainous lakes district and into Manapouri, coincidentally located on the shore of Lake Manapouri, before the final push north in the rain to Te Anau, coincidentally located on the shore of Lake Te Anau. After the usual fuelling up in the clearly touristy town, we found the Te Anau Lodge B&B out in the ‘burbs. The B&B was very large by B&B standards and was an ex-convent which had been relocated to Te Anau after the last nuns had been exorcised. After meeting our friendly and helpful host who didn’t introduce himself, and who henceforth was known as Mr X, we festooned every possible hanging point with damp gear while taking advantage of the complimentary wines, then headed into town for
dinner at one of the numerous and rather expensive restaurants. Cock fight protagonists sizing each other up at the Clifton suspension bridge Day 5 was a little bit casual getting started as we had two nights in Te Anau, so no frenzied packing was required. We also wanted to wait for the temperature to climb to something survivable before attempt-
stops were required to thaw before the ability to use brake and clutch levers was permanently lost. Mothers were warning us about chilblains The stops heading into the mountains often included the presence of Keas, the alpine parrot. SPMT had warned us about their desire to rip off ABS cables, brake lines, and upholstery, so one rider was always required to keep an eye on the Keas and make sure they respected the rider’s code of never touching anyone’s bike without asking. One couple at a stop were thrilled to have a Kea land on their hire car so they
could take close-up photos, they were less thrilled when it started to rip the little aerial off the roof.
SWEET AS BRO!! - Duncan Bennett Tourists about to regret not agreeing to the hire car Excess Reduction or learning about Keas Eventually we reached the Homer Tunnel which gave us a chance to stop for chilblain recovery. The stop sign includes a timing device to let travellers know how long they must wait in the avalanche zone, although the slopes appeared to have avalanched themselves out a few days earlier. Once inside, the tunnel slopes down quite steeply, and water running out of the ceiling does little to enhance the comfort levels. The tunnel is also very dark and the headlights even on high beam really didn’t reveal anything, so fortunately we weren’t first so could follow behind a car rather than hit the wall or something. Once out, the road winds down the hill which makes for awesome motorcycling fun, apart from the odd piles of grit which are carefully positioned on the best racing line in the corners. Fingers began working again after 6:52 at the Homer Tunnel entrance Finally a place for a walk to warm up was reached at the Chasm, where a fast flowing creek has cut a narrow channel through some very hard rock. Again, the problem of Keas came up, so it looked like the walk wasn’t a good idea until Cindy had the bright idea of asking the coffee van lady in the car park to mind the bikes. As we were the only motorcyclists heading into Milford Sound that day and probably close to first of the season, there was definitely some value in our novelty. So with a brace of coffees in a brace of slowly warming hands, we managed a quick visit to the Chasm. Whilst on the subject of coffee, a strange cul-
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Cindy with a brace of coffees in the bracing climate on a well-braced bridge Whenever ordering a cappuccino, the barista’s agent, or the barista themselves in the case of van coffee, will ask the customer whether they want chocolate or cinnamon topping. Whether this is the start of a world-wide trend that will one day have a hipsta Barista in New York asking you if you want dried Goji berry or dusted bee pollen on your decaf single source Laotian cappuccino remains to be seen. There is absolutely no way I would have a substance other than chocolate, and initially being asked whether I wanted cinnamon topping felt as wrong as being asked whether I wanted the barista to sprinkle dandruff through the foam, but good on NZ for trying. The bitter cold came to an end as we waltzed into Milford Sound. We were lucky with the weather; it always looked as though it was about to rain but never did. A cruise option was discounted as it was expensive and given our exposure and the fact that it rains for 363.5 days a year in Milford Sound, we took the safer option of a couple of walks, a quick lunch, and a hasty retreat. At least the waterfalls were pumping due to the recent bad weather. Ride misty for me The trip back was a bit of a slog, punctuated by excellent riding up to the Homer Tunnel now that we knew where the grit was in the
corners, the trip through the tunnel itself, and the odd stop to thaw fingers and work the glutes. Back into Te Anau, our first target was a shop that sold gloves, as Cindy had demonstrated that even Gore-Tex couldn’t cope with the conditions.
Cindy Falcon Scott after learning about NZ winter gloves requirement the hard way
tural phenomenon in New Zealand is the cappuccino topping option.
We finished the day with dinner at the Redcliff café including a wild hare backstrap served in an orgy of mushrooms. Once we had broken up the orgy and cleaned up the mess, it was back to the B&B for a few complimentary wines and packing for the next phase of the trip; the west coast, north coast, and east coast which gives a good indication that the South Island of
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