BMWMCQ Journal November 2019 by BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB QUEENSLAND

NOVEMBER 2019

www.bmwmcq.org.au

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

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2018

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OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.

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

Vice President - Richard Maher Ph: 0415 111 454 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1150 R

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

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

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

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

Don Grimes Ph: 0411 601 372 regalia@bmwmcq.org.au

This Issue - NOVEMBER 2019 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 NATIONALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SERVICE DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 General Meeting Minutes. . . . . 10 ON THE ROAD RECOMMENDATIONS. 11 BMWMCQ EVENTS CALENDAR . . . . 12 KENILWORTHY of lunch. . . . . . . 14 from the pen of jane gray . . . . 15 CANE TOAD RALLY TOOBEAH. . . . . 16 PAUL MALCOLM - GS SAFARIs. . . . . 19 MY FIRST BIKE & FIRST BMW. . . . . 20

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GS REUNIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ON THE TRAIL OF THE INCAS. . . . . 26 B2B CONVERSION; KM TO MILES. . . 32 BMWMCQ CHRISTMAS PARTY . . . . . 34 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 35 VOICES IN YOUR HEAD . . . . . . . . . . 36 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 CLUB MONTHLY & LUNCH RIDES . . . 42 BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE. . . . . . 43

TeamMoto Gold Coast - P.41 TeamMoto Springwood - BACK COVER

On The Cover A Kluster of K100’s at the born-again Cane Toad Rally, read all about the highly successful event in this month’s Journal.

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

Editorial

NOVEMBER 2019

Cindy & Duncan Bennett

Editors (Almost) Report

s we launched into our third Journal, we looked up at our Mark Twain editor’s motivational poster which says: “Get your stories from your contributors first, then you can distort them as you please”. Sound words indeed, Mark. Contribution from everyone is appreciated, this month we see some GS Safari insanity - the answer to the question of why people pay good money to fall off a lot in deep and endless sand, dust the engine of their $35,000 motorcycle, and sleep on the cold hard ground is answered by Paul Malcolm.

See you on the road! Cindy & Duncan

GS Safari Photos: Shaun Terblanche

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 7 NOVEMBER 2019

Committee Reports

NOVEMBER 2019

Paul Hughes

President’s Report

ell I have just come back from 10 days of fantastic motorcycling with great friends in this club. The last 2 days was on the Back to The Bush number 15 to Miles QLD. The trip was based on Cindy and Duncan’s first day out on the “Rock” trip in May this year which I attended. I thought Miles hospitality was so good I wanted other members who hadn’t had a chance to yet sample it, to enjoy some dusty good fun. It turned out to be a great event. Lunch at the Woolshed at Jondaryan and then a camp kitchen cooked baked dinner and dessert, all for $10. Feedback is we should repeat at some stage. Earlier in the week I had travelled 3700 kms in the bike playgrounds of Eastern Australia, with Armidale road closed due to fire and some great dirt alternatives. All the favourites of the Oxley, Putty Road, Oberon to Goulburn and then Braidwood and then some dirt to Cooma. I left the troop in Merimbula to return to make the B2B. Tony, Jane, Mark and Donna went south and I enjoyed Browns Mountain, Crookwell, Bathurst, Bylong Valley and Nundle on the return leg.

I thought the Armidale road from Ebro to Grafton was open but the heavy smoke and patchy fires led me astray when I was greeted near the end by the constable who was very surprised I had ridden through. All turned out well but the fire devastation is marked and up around Rappville the burnt out bush just goes on for kilometre after kilometre. Very sad to see the current devastation to the environment and I can only imagine what Rappville itself must look like. All in all about 4700 km in 10 days of great riding and lots of fun.

Speaking of events this year’s Christmas Party is at Evans Head again. A sumptuous feast is prepared with some excellent riding available on various routes to get there. If you haven’t booked yet hurry up and get some accommodation, pay your dinner fees and let the Treasurer know by email. We will be closing off very soon, so don’t miss out. All of the usual events for November and December will be listed on Facebook and the club web calendar, so don’t miss some great rides and fun events.

Ride safe. For anyone interested, my horrible fluoro orange jacket has been retired again for something a little more sedate. Thank god for that everyone says. It was a bit over the top. Enjoy. Paul

NOVEMBER 2019

NATIONALS

he countdown to the BMW Clubs Australia National Motorrad Rally â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Nationalsâ&#x20AC;? is on!

Less than a year to go now, so each month there will be an update in the Journal to whet your appetite. The basic details are:

W W W

hen:

Long weekend of 2nd to 5th October 2020

here:

Stanthorpe, QLD. Command Central is the Stanthorpe Showgrounds

hat:

Included dinner; displays; local led rides; gymkhana events plus lots more rally fun and frivolity!

Camping is available at the Showgrounds, and if that is not your thing, many and varied options in the town will be available with a list to come. So mark the date in your calendar and watch this space for more information over the coming months, the more the merrier and a great opportunity!

Committee Reports John Eacott 9:24 AM 02/11/19 Cash Basis

NOVEMBER 2019

Treasurerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report

BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc

Profit & Loss

February 1 through November 2, 2019 Feb 1 - Nov 2, 19 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Advertising Income Interest Received Membership Fees Total Income Expense Affiliation Fees Australia Post / Post Box Rent Computer costs Internet Services Software Expense Computer costs - Other

4,400.00 248.45 9,095.84 13,744.29 238.00 195.00 152.90 1,001.20 89.00

Total Computer costs

1,243.10

Government Charges Insurance Brokers fee Insurance GST Policy fee Premium Stamp Duty Insurance - Other

55.35 176.15 78.26 50.00 556.50 55.09 75.89

Total Insurance

991.89

Miscellaneous PayPal commission Postage Prepaid Expense 2020 BMW CA Rally

651.31 153.55 220.00

Total Prepaid Expense Printing and Stationery Telephone Tools Expense Website Domain Expenses Website Hosting Expenses Website Maintenance

99.00 99.00 64.35 20.00 50.12 56.36 91.74 2,695.00

Total Expense

6,824.77

Net Ordinary Income

6,919.52

Other Income/Expense Other Income Donations Income Event income Regalia Sales Tools & parts sales

61.00 735.00 155.00 10.00

Total Other Income

961.00

Net Other Income Net Income

961.00 7,880.52

Committee Reports

NOVEMBER 2019

Greg Gaffney

Records Officers Report

have missed a few events lately, so I am looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

New Members :

Gavin Adsett R850R, Kerry Walker, Neil Godwin R1200RS, Mark Woods, Eden Wooden

Greg Gaffney records@ bmwmcq.org.au

A Quick Glance in the Mirror - Gary Bennett REGISTRATION OF NEW MOTORCYCLES BY MAKE: 1975 (March only) Make

NSW

Vic.

Qld

S.A.

W.A.

Tas.

N.T.

A.C.T. Capital Cities

Total

BMW

DUCATI 20

DAVIDSON

HONDA 755

287

523

280

162

102

KAWASAKI

141

144

167

429

LAVERDA

MOTO GUZZI

M.V. AGUSTA

NORTON

SUZUKI 263

261

258

TRIUMPH

YAMAHA

362

140

252

169

459

1113

31 61

HARLEY- 815

398

2156

981

This of course is only an extract of the complete March list but gives an idea of the ratio of makes registered each month. We have extracted what appears to be the larger capacity machines.

Submissions for the Next Journal (DECEMBER 2019 Edition) close 25 NOVEMBER 2019

Committee Reports

NOVEMBER 2019

Bill Luyten The Club will hold a Service Day on Saturday 9th November at Rob Wynne’s place starting at 0930. Rob has an excellent shed area with plenty of room. Timing 0930-1330 Location: 61-63 St Jude Circuit Jimboomba (Just off Mt Lindesay Highway) Note: some GPSs require the suburb to be “Glenlogan”. Oil drain pans, oil disposal as well as a comprehensive tool kit is available. We will be providing a Sausage Sizzle and Drinks for a gold coin donation (proceeds to the RFDS).

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

Age shall weary them, and the beers condemn...*

Paul Malcolm demonstrating the trend in our motorcycling lives, with everything just getting bigger. *With thanks to Laurance Binyon

Tool’s Report • • • • • • • • •

valves up to 4 cylinders) Clutch alignment shafts (3 sizes) Compression gauge (cylinder pressure) Steering head bearing puller and seating tool Gearbox output flange puller GS-911 Wi-Fi Diagnostic tool (Wi-Fi and USB Version) GS-911 3 pin Diagnostic tool (for older bikes) Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) tool Enduralast hall sensor tester Brake bleeding tool (suction bleeding via the brake caliper)

Club Tool Loan: $50 deposit (refundable) for GS911: Tools and spares can be picked up or brought along to the next meeting or Club ride. Contact Tools Officer Bill Luyten 0438 123 747 wluyten@bigpond .net .au or Club email: spares@bmwmcq.org.au

Committee Reports

NOVEMBER 2019

Tony Gray

Secretary’s Report

BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 03 October 2019 Venue: Geebung RSL Meeting Opened: Apologies:

7.35pm Richard Maher, Anita Wyndham, Frank Hills, George & Maggie, Jim Boreman Minutes of Previous General Meeting: Accepted: Chris Lawrence Number of Attendees: New Members (Name & MC): Visitors: Returning Members: Treasurer Report:

Editor Report: Tools Report: Regalia Report: Records Report: Events Report: Secretary Report: Dealer Liaison Report: Vice President Report: President Report:

Other Events/Buy/Sell/Swap:

Past rides: General Business Closed:

Seconded: Mark Mustchin 25 Nil Nil Nil Current liquid assets $29,010. P&L tabled. Major savings in insurance premium down from $2,600 to $900. Report on Club’s Australia. Club has purchased 20 safety USB sticks for raffle prizes. Journal out and looking for stories. Stories sought on ‘your’ first motorbike. Saturday 9 November proposed at Rob Wynne’s place. RM has said that he will have club shirts available next month. 238 Financial members. 5 new members in the last month. All events updated on FB and website. Expected between 65 100 for the Cane Toad rally this weekend. October run meet at 7.30am at Carseldine Caltex. Correspondence In: Membership Card RTS – please ensure your address is up to date when renewing membership : BMW Touring Club NSW October Newsletters: RFDS Fund-raising Appeal. Not present. Not present. Recall on the GS310 for rust corrosion. K1600 gearbox and R1200 GS brakes. Motorrad Rally Planning is well advanced. Date saver advice has been sent to all BMW Clubs as well as to the NZ BMW club. Battery from Charlie, near new but bike (R1100GS) has now been written off. Lots of 1100GS parts and accessories. Boots from Stuart - Dri Rider Size 41 Euro, only used once, free to a good home. Handle bar raisers for R1200R - Rosi. Geoff Hodge has panniers for RS. Theebine Pub Ride discussed. NZ Ride planned for early 2020. Contact TG for details, also in October Journal. Raffle Prize winners: Jock, Geoff, Greg, Perry, Cindy. 8.25 pm, next meeting Thursday 7 November.

ON THE ROAD RECOMMENDATIONS

NOVEMBER 2019

n initiative proffered up by Tony Gray to members is a list of accommodations encountered on membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; journeys and their evaluation of such fare for other membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; information. The list is below and will be updated each month: so if you have recommendations related to accommodation please pass that on to Tony who will collate and give to me to publish in the newsletter.

LOCATION

PUB NAME

$$$

ROOM TYPE Shared Facilities SelfContained

MEALS

BIKE STORAGE/COMMENTS

Near Grafton

Ulmarra

Uralla

Top Pub

55 one 99 two 50 one 80 two

Breakfast included No Breakfast

Shared Facilities

Railway

Omeo

Golden Age

Cooma

Alpine

45 one

SelfContained Price/head for shared room SelfContained Price/head for shared room Shared Facilities

Cooked Breakfast included No meals

Open but safe parking, good restaurant and location on the Clarence River. Very bike friendly Pub. Excellent Restaurant. Safe Yard. If weather bad then can lock bikes in bottle shop after hours. Good bistro. Centre of town. Lock bikes in bottle shop but not until 9.45pm. Hotel has closed but good Motel with undercover parking in safe area. Dinner & breakfast options very short walk away. Secure gated lockup for bikes but not undercover. Excellent bistro meals.

Bathurst

Knickerbocker

Myrtleford

No Breakfast No Breakfast

Very bike friendly Pub. Excellent Restaurant. Lock up garage just for bikes.

Paul Malcolm GS Safari Photos - Story Page 19

BMWMCQ 2019 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule NOVEMBER 2019

Datee Thu 07

Sat 09 Sun 10

Sat 16 Sun 24 Tue 26

Fri 29

NOVEMBER 2019

Start 7:30 PM

9.30 AM

1:30 for 2:00 PM 9.30

AM 12.30 PM 6.00 PM

6:30 PM

Event Club General Meeting

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

ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. Club Rob Wynne’s 61-63 St Jude Circuit Service Day Jimboomba

Club Ride

Coffee Meet Up

Led by Cindy and Duncan - a now traditional Fish & Chips Ride. Meet at Yatala BP. Dinner from around 5:30pm at Cleveland Lighthouse Café 63 Seventeen Miles Rocks rd Sinnamon Park

Contact president@bmwmcq.org.au

tools@bmwmcq.org.au editor@bmwmcq.org.au

president@bmwmcq.org.au

Club Lunch Tumbulgum Hotel riverside drive Ride Tumbulgum

president@bmwmcq.org.au

Drinks with Dinner if you Like

president@bmwmcq.org.au

German Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Club Social Street, East Brisbane Dinner The Glen Hotel Deck Bar, Eight Mile Plains

president@bmwmcq.org.au

John E getting ready to head off on his Italian K1600 from his villa nestled on 15 acres in Tuscany outside Florence, followed up by his close personal friend Valentino Rossi who has swapped his clunky old Yamaha for a tidy 1200GS.

NOVEMBER 2019 BMWMCQ 2019 Events Calendar BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule DECEMBER 2019

Date Start Thu 7:30 05 PM

Event Club General Meeting

Sat

Club Christmas Party

07 Sun 15 Sat 21

6.30 PM

Details Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. RSL Club Evans Head NSW

12.30 Club Lunch O’Shanley’s Hotel Ride Clifton PM 9.30 AM

Coffee Meet Café 63 at 63 Bowling St Enoggera Up

Contact president@bmwmcq.org.au

president@bmwmcq.org.au

EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 2019

By: Duncan Bennett

he monthly club lunch ride is becoming a major feature in the calendar for many members. Whether lunch ride popularity is due to the freedom of choosing one’s own ride route (GS or tar), or the siren song of a decent lunch in some of south-east Queensland’s best public houses is beyond the ken of we mortals, but a fair crowd usually turns up to enjoy each other’s company while quietly feeling regret that their own route to get there was pretty average compared to everyone else’s. Never mind, there is always the option of a non-stop ride home via Birdsville to get the bragging rights back up.

Is it rude to take a photograph while someone is eating? If so, sorry Tony

KENILWORTHY OF LUNCH Septembers’ lunch ride followed the trend - around 2-4 hours travel for the average member depending upon the adventure levels required, and the option of a quick blast on boring highways to get home quickly for those who had forgotten to mow the lawn on Saturday. The venue was the Kenilworth Hotel, ideally located for the Brisbane/Gold Coast/ Sunshine Coast strip with plenty of excellent ride options to get there and back including Mt Mee, the Obi Obi, Bellthorpe Range Road with its infamous left-hander, Postman’s Track (Aherns Road), the Suicide, Bald Knob Road, and too many others to mention. On the topic of the infamous left hander; having gone full European (driving on the other side of the road) on it a few times, full preparation was made for the 180° turn which looks like a 140° turn on approach - the turn just tightens on itself so your line is completely wrong half way through. Made this time at a scorching 5kph.

The Infamous Bellthorpe Left Hander

Cam finally breaks the legendary V_PRES’s high score simply by dressing like a Harley rider which gets the maximum nonparole period bonus score

Only image ever found of V_PRES

FROM THE PEN OF JANE GRAY

NOVEMBER 2019

PILLION PASSIONS

Never learnt to ride, not really sure why Too many kids and no time to try Now they’ve all flown it’s back on the bike Tucked in behind is just what I like Started when young still only nineteen Rides on his Honda learning to lean Confidence grew once I turned twenty Short rides became day trips aplenty

We’ve ridden New Zealand both North & South We’re going back, of that there’s no doubt USA & Canada so much beauty we saw We’d never hired motorbikes before Our GS has now been to Europe 3 times She performs so well in all types of climes Each adventure just serves to remind Of why I love touring nestled in behind

Traded the Honda for something new Ducati 860 sporty and blue Conti exhaust, oh what a sound! Everyone knew when we came around Ducati’s now idle all neatly covered Patiently waiting to be rediscovered Kawasaki 1200 fits like a glove Purring beneath us is something we love

Hips moving freely from side to side Round mountain corners seeming to glide Out in the country, roads clear as a bell Sniffing the air for that good wholesome smell Often at times thoughts start to stray Remembering things from far away Solving problems both small and large Couldn’t do that if I was in charge

The ZRX was such a success We got a BMW K1200S Yellow and black like a bumblebee Took off so fast he nearly lost me! Although we loved her she just wasn’t right Loaded for touring she cornered too tight Riding through Europe we wanted to do On our R1200GS BMW

Riding in the city, stopping and starting Mindful of fools, weaving and darting Keeping an eye on the traffic in front Sensing the moment he’ll give it some grunt Feeling as one with the bike and the road Hearts really pumping about to explode Although older I now always find Age means little, it’s all in the mind

Riding round England and Isle of Man So much of Ireland, Wales & Scotland Through France & Italy some roads were a test Austrian Alps were where loved the best Back home in Oz the Outback was calling We set off again without any stalling More time for touring, so much elation We’ve ridden all over our beautiful nation

Bike trips are different from a car holiday Riding is the best part of every day Cruising until we’re feeling the need To tuck in tight increasing the speed Nowhere I’d rather be than close behind It’s second nature, comes naturally I find These are a few of my pillion passions Don’t ever try to put me on rations!

NOVEMBER 2019

25th CANE TOAD RALLY - TOOBEAH

By: Gary Bennett No.509

hanging the venue for the 2019 Cane Toad Rally (CTR) was not perhaps the best idea when your attempting to revive a classic rally from years gone by, but when it was all done and dusted, it appears to have been be a master stroke. Graham Healey and I left Brisbane at 9am Friday 4th Oct for the 25th CTR being held for the first time at the Toobeah Hotel 50km west of Goondiwindi. Getting away on time was shaping up to be a challenge as the night before I realised my licence had expired two weeks prior. All efforts to renew online failed, requiring a visit to the Dept. of Transport on Friday morning at 8:30am. Being one of the first customers to be served, then handing over $180 for a five year renewal (outrageous), I was back home at 8:45am and everything was back on track. We rode on the new Toowoomba Bypass and what a spectacular piece of infrastructure that is. We planned on fuelling up in Toowoomba then continue through to Cecil Plains, however there were no fuel stations on the bypass before our turnoff and with enough fuel to get to at least Moonie we continued on. By the time we arrived at Cecil Plains we were getting a bit peckish. The plan was to continue straight through to Moonie however Graham decided to look up Fuel stations in his GPS and there appeared to be a truck stop just north of Cecil Plains on the Dalby road, being ideal to have a feed and get fuel, unfortunately it didn’t exist.

Whoops, too far We rode on until we reached the Moonie Hwy close to Dalby and still no road houses, by this stage I was getting hungry and the bike was getting thirsty. After travelling down the Moonie Hwy for quite a while, eventually we came across a sign that read “Moonie 69km” and my trip computer was indicating my range

as being 30km… oh crap!! Slowing down to 80km (for best fuel consumption) I managed to travel to 12km outside Moonie before the fuel tank ran dry, which reflected the countryside we were riding through. Graham’s R100GS with an accessible fuel hose came to the rescue with a litre of fuel and before long we were off again. After a belly full of food and watering the horses we were back on track to Toobeah via Westmar. After travelling 525km we arrived at Toobeah and were pleasantly surprised to see rally goers already there with tents set up. By the end of the day we had 20 registrations. I was a bit embarrassed we didn’t have badges to hand out upon registration, until I was advised most rallies send out badges after the event. Our rally goers weren’t concerned, but it’s not a practice we will continue in the future.

Even skinny people are allowed to camp at the CTR Saturday dawned and by 10am a steady stream of bikes were rolling in until around 2pm. The flies were unwelcomed guests on the weekend. They were the little sticky buggers proving difficult to move and feeling you had to nearly push them off you. Aeroguard only seemed to work for about an hour, I sent an SOS to Ron Durkin (RTO) to purchase a fly net in Gundy on his way to the site.

What to wear when flies are undone

25th CANE TOAD RALLY - TOOBEAH At 3:30pm the Gymkhana got under way. First up was the “Slow Race”, Mark Gilbert, Don Grimes and Duncan Bennett were flying the flag for our club. Mark and Duncan showed a lot of form, but were the first casualties. Don managed to reach the final but was outwitted by an extremely slow and talented Ron Formella from the “Z owners”. I found out after the race that Ron has won the last four Slow Races he has entered into and displayed a lot of confidence in his riding style.

Ron Formella celebrating his slow race win by covering everyone with dust Then the “Thong Toss”, a typical Aussie event dating back to the convict days. We had six Club members enter the event, with Don Grimes being the ultimate winner.

“The greatest day of Don’s life” With the Gymkhana done and dusted, Richard set up the screen printing and like last year it was well supported. The screen printing is an element retained from the early CTR ‘s. About sixteen shirts were screen printed with the CTR logo and the year for a gold coin donation. Some used a shirt they brought with them, most purchased a Toobeah Hotel shirt and had the logo screened the back. The logo is a simple one colour

NOVEMBER 2019

application and looks great on the shirts. Richard was really under the pump and next year we will assure he has an assistant. The “Rum Hunt” is also something that has been retained from the earlier CTR’s, instead of hiding the bottles of rum in amongst the rocks in a river (like earlier rallies) we hid two tokens around the site, when found, they were presented to Control Central to claim their bottle of Qld’s best… “Bundy Rum”. The awards ceremony which was to start at 5pm in the undercover beer garden, was delayed due to only one Rum Hunt token being found. After a few hints were given, our very own Duncan Bennett found the elusive second token and the Awards ceremony got underway chaired by our President Paul Hughes.

“Longest Distance Rider” won by Hamish Miller who travelled 1053km “Longest Distance Pillion” was won by Kate Farrar who travelled 450km (another triumph for Don). “Oldest BMW” was won by Mick Shearn on a 1984 K100RS. Each of these winners were presented with a $50 Dan Murphy Gift Card. Whilst the awards were being announced a rider with a pillion arrived, they had travelled 617km, there had not been a “Rotten Luck” winner so a $50 Gift Card was presented to the pillion. “Highest Club/Forum Attendance” was won by the K100 Forum, with 7 members attending. They each received a free beer at the bar. Gymkhana winners also received a free beer at the bar. The first Rum Hunt Token was found by Con Schuit. The rest of the night was filled with lots of mingling, conversation and laughter over dinner and a few drinks. There were no campfires lit on the weekend due to the heat. Sunday morning, after a “help yourself” free breakfast of cereal, toast and coffee, most people

NOVEMBER 2019

25th CANE TOAD RALLY - TOOBEAH

were on the road early to beat the predicted high temperatures. Graham and I making the shortest route home of 420km, fortunately it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as hot as forecast, making for a pleasant ride.

The future of the CTR is looking very good, a solid event next year with no last minute changes should restore the event back to being a major rally on everyones calendar. Our focus on simplicity in the organising proved a success this year without the need for a car to transport items and everything taken on bikes. Next year we plan on making further adjustments in the preparation and running of the rally to make it even easier for future organisers. Long live the Toad.

Formal dress is optional at a CTR Future CTRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will be held on the last weekend in April, which will be 25-26th April in 2020. Location to be announced.

CTR Control Central K Bike cluster The Publican told Charlie Brown it had been an extremely tough year for them and the rally was the best thing to happen to them all year. Hearing this gives you a sense of pride that our rally supported a struggling community and in a small way helped ease their burden in a year full of unavoidable challenges.

ON SAFARI with PAUL MALCOLM

aul has participated in four GS Safaris to date since 2017, with two GS Safaris and two GSE (Enduro) Safaris. These have been: 2017 - GSE Cairns to Cape York - ~3,000 Kms 6 days. 142 riders started and ~128 finished on their bikes, with the remainder in an ambulance or other vehicles. 2018 - GS Aussie High Country - Thredbo to Thredbo via Bright, Mansfield, Lakes Entrance, Orbost, Suggan Buggan and Thredbo.~200 riders. 2019 - 25th Anniversary GS Safari - Windsor NSW to Coffs Harbour - 5 days and 3,000kms. ~220 riders 2019 - GSE Mildura to Alice Springs - 88 riders started the grueling trip and we only lost one with a broken ankle and fibula at Arkaroola. The tyre story was more dramatic with 126 tyres replaced and goodness knows how many repairs with tubes.

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Q: “What was the most challenging thing you have faced on any Safari”? PM: On this last one (2019 GSE), when Day 1 and Day 4 were approximately 400kms of sand, deep sand and bulldust (fluffy sand). You were constantly jostling with the bike and forever concentrating on what was ahead. The scenery and the remoteness were just astounding and Arkaroola is always an amazing place.

From Paul’s first Safari in 2017 they have always been on his R1200GS “Brutus”. Although Brutus did not make it to Alice this year when he “failed to proceed” 60kms north of Coober Pedy. Readers may remember the sad photo from the September 2019 Journal.

Yes, this looks like fun Paul Q: What are the highlights of the Safari’s to date? PM: Standing on the northern tip of Australia with 130 other crazies. This really was a bucket list item and what better way to do it than with a fully supported tour? Q: So are there any plans for future Safari’s? PM: I’d like to take Carolyn on a TS, so she can experience the camaraderie and have a ball too! And finally some words of GS wisdom from Paul… • “When you’re riding a churned up track, sometimes the best track isn’t the track at all!” • “Ride hard, sleep easy!”

“I’ll catch up”

NOVEMBER 2019

By: Tony Gray

he year was 1971 and this 17yo had an itch that had to be scratched. A few months punting a Honda step-thru to and from QIT didn’t qualify. My open license had been obtained on a 350cc Suzuki Rebel two-stroke but way back then the British still ruled (at least in my eyes). I desperately wanted a motorbike much to my parent’s lament but funds were short as befitted a cadet draftsman on a pauper’s wage. There was no internet, bike-point or ebay in those far away days so trolling the shops and classified adverts in the Courier Mail was the only way to go. With less than $200 to spend the choice was limited. Every week I would frequent McLeods in Ann St Fortitude Valley with its timber floor, oil stained from the generations of Triumph Trophys, Bonneville’s and BSA Rockets & Gold Stars and their ilk that adorned the showroom. Drool and dream was all that I could do as the price tags exceeded my budget.

My dream was finally fulfilled when I answered a private classified advertisement – she was all black and chrome and bore the famous BSA badge. No this was no Gold Star but a baby brother Fleetstar – never heard of those? Don’t worry most people haven’t. A 250cc four stroke single fitted into the frame and running gear of the bigger brother 441cc Victor. Officially a 1969 model B25FS Fleetstar 250cc made with a lower-compression engine to increase reliability and fuel economy. From memory she cost me about $150, a princely sum when my weekly wage was $25. She came complete with an open face helmet at a time when helmet use was not yet compulsory but was worn to placate concerned

My First Bike & My First BMW parents. The few extra $ I had saved was spent on the mandatory black leather ‘Brando’ jacket and I was ready to terrorise the streets.

In my mind she was the ants pants - she impressed the girls (mostly), went like the clappers, vibrated the fillings out of my teeth and leaked oil faster than she drank fuel. The valve inspection caps in particular were prone to vibrating loose and then spraying oil mist over my jeans. That was well accepted by me but less so for a female pillion who dressed for a run to the coast in a pair of white linen trousers - not a good choice. The BSA was my first motorcycle love and the start of my motorcycle mechanics apprenticeship. She ignited a passion that has burned through 13 bikes (6 still in the shed). There have been Japanese, Italian and German affairs in the intervening years but no other British. There could only be one. I have always maintained a nostalgic place in my heart for that old BSA and keep an eye out for the model at concourse days and museum visits. I was very disappointed not to find one on a visit to the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham when we were there in 2010. Unfortunately when a large part of the museum was destroyed in the disastrous fire in 2003 much of their BSA collection had been lost and was only slowly being replaced. I did find a running example last year at the Isle of Man during the Classic TT event and even found a very shabby example at an HMCC swapmeet at Gatton a few years ago. That particular example had a rather interesting side note. I was at the swap-meet with a friend for a quick look around on the Sunday afternoon when a lot of the punters were winding up and packing away their

My First Bike & My First BMW

NOVEMBER 2019

unsold parts. I spotted this shabby looking BSA Fleetstar still with the chrome tank but the centre panel had been painted purple with a rattle can. It was a bit like looking into the sad eyes of an unloved dog at the pound that just cried out - please buy me and take me home to be loved and cared for.

The $5000 BSA at Gatton The seller was loading some other old parts onto a trailer attached to a beat up old XC Falcon with NSW rego. How much for the Beeza I inquired? Five came the response. I thought about it for a moment and wondered at Jane’s reaction if I arrived home with another old bike but the bike had that forlorn dog look so I thought why not? Would you take four hundred I responded. Displaying faux shock & horror the seller said he meant FIVE THOUSAND $. Now it was my turn to be shocked the only thought that came to mind was to quote Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle - “Tell him he’s dreaming”.

BSA at IOM - 2018 It took me a further 37 years after the BSA before I turned my attention to buying a BMW. In 2008 a friend was selling his well appointed and maintained K1200S

Bumblebee at the Blue Mountains - 2008 and at the time Jane and I were considering our first big overseas bike trip to Europe. I already had Rex the ZRX1200 Kawasaki but he was too much of a sports bike for this intended trip. The price was right and the test ride up Waterfall Way from Coffs Harbour to Dorrigo was alluring so the K found a new home with Rex and Duke our old 860 Ducati. We did one long trip on Bumble Bee to evaluate him as a long haul touring bike. The K was a wonderfully fast sports touring bike, handled long miles well and was light years ahead of that old BSA. Unfortunately the reality of what we would need to carry for several months on the road in Europe and the limited leverage provided by the lower sports biased bars did not go in his favor. After some 10,000 trouble free miles bumble-bee was exchanged for the Gray Ghost, our 2007 GS1200 which was three years old and only showing 11,000km at the time.

Bumblebee’s last ride She has served us well during the intervening 10 years and 175,000km cementing our love for the German marque bearing the Blue & White Rondel.

NOVEMBER 2019

By: Duncan Bennett No.4171

Grammar School reunion is truly the most nerve-racking event to attend. After 10 years, school mates are similar physically and hopefully a touch more mature, after 20 years definitely more mature and in the throes of raising a future intake for the school, after 30 years struggling to raise the cash to keep the intake in the school and keep the grey hair out, but 40 years? Would the ugly dumb kid everyone picked on who had never been to a previous reunion arrive in a Lear jet with a lingerie model on each arm? Would some have had more “work” done than an old airhead? All would be revealed up near Mansfield in Victoria in late September. To quell the rising panic, an ideal distraction was to have a concurrent GS reunion with a well-known old friend, our Gelände Straße mates who have definitely had a lot of “work” done in recent times. So at around lunch-time on a disturbingly warm Friday, we lobbed into Melbourne and gave our taxi driver some much needed Google Maps assistance in finding Garners Motorcycle Hire in Richmond. We introduced ourselves to Trevor who had his motorcycling credentials on full display with a moon boot from “a dirt bike incident”, before our GS reunion with a R1250GS (mine) and a F750GS (Cindy’s).

The Gelände Straße Reunion Trevor went through the operating details for these latest BMW offerings, however many of the buttons and switches are familiar

GS REUNIONS to anyone who has had the pleasure in recent years, and the Thin Film Transistor (TFT) screens looked to be the biggest change, besides the 750 catching up to its biggest brother and sharing all the mod cons including keyless start. Trevor had supplied both bikes with a full BMW luggage set, plus a Navigator VI GPS so in no time at all we were lightly sweating in traditional gear, packed up, and ready to head north. The Navigator VI had been set to our ultimate destination of Merrijig, but for some reason decided that the magenta line was too difficult to draw and so just put up random road names we were meant to follow. This would suffice if we had intimate knowledge of Melbourne eastern suburban geography, but if we’d had the knowledge we wouldn’t need the GPS, so pulled over to patiently explain that if it didn’t give us a magenta line, and damn quickly, it would be soon mounted on the handlebar of a nearby homeless person’s shopping trolley.

2019 R1250GS stuff to muck about with on the left side After battling traffic for a while, we hit Lilydale and the more open roads allowed for some mucking about with the features of our old/new friends. First up was getting the quick shift down pat, a feature on both the 1250 and the 750. Unlike doing it on a manual bike, with pressure applied under the gear lever and a sudden throttle roll-off required under strong acceleration to get the shift up to occur, a very gentle ease-off was all that is required for a smooth change. Going down took a bit longer to figure out starting from the manual skill base of blipping the throttle and pushing down the gear

GS REUNIONS

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The GS (Gorgeous Screen) TFT display compared to an anonymous competitor’s annoyingly reflective TFT display lever at exactly the same time, but all that was required was to ease the throttle off naturally while slowing and the shift down just happened. I now predict that in a few years left hands will go the way of the appendix, the tail bone and male nipples and become a useless human body part. Once out on the highway, the cruise control (identical to the older model) was engaged and the TFT screen could be analysed in detail. One of the big gripes had about the old GS models was the analogue speedo, a dial that took up a lot of space with numbers that were very small and went up to a very stretch target of 240kmh even on a 700GS. No longer, the TFT screen has a good colour range with all the necessary (and some trivial) information and indicators highly visible even in strong sunlight, with the digital speed shown in huge (but I’m legally blind officer) numbers. Getting the fuel gauge up was a bit of mucking about, and we didn’t have the bikes long enough to determine how customisable the screen is but we both loved it and it is identical on the 1250GS and 750GS.

After the mandatory “How’s the serenity?” stop at Bonnie Doon, we made our way to Merrijig and the commencement of Grammar School reunion activities, i.e. drinking and trying to remember names while watching the AFL final on the pub TV. On the Saturday morning following a hearty Merrijig breakfast, we had another reunion function which was fortunately about 5km up a dirt road and allowed some mucking about with the various riding modes on the GSsezzes.

Fuel prices ruining the Bonnie Doon serenity

NOVEMBER 2019

Both the 1250 and 750 had the standard Rain, Road, Dynamic, and Enduro modes, with BMW once again demonstrating that they have the simplest and therefore safest and most convenient riding mode change set-up of all the major adventure bike manufacturers. Triumph have gone from making changing modes difficult on the run and therefore a bit dangerous, to very simple but no longer possible on the run. A recent viewing of a new KTM 790 Adventure review indicated that it was nearly impossible to do on the run, so why they haven’t all just copied BMW’s single button and quick and easy change method has always been a total mystery to me. And it stays in the selected mode even when switched off which implies BMW don’t think us all idiots.

The reading was from GeneSis 1:2 – “And the earth was without form, requiring Enduro Pro..” After a reunion lunch and with weather a bit ugly including rain and very strong wind gusts, it was a perfect opportunity to take a ride up Mt Buller. Deciding that $10 each to allow park entry was criminal but necessary, we hooned up the hill and revelled in the GS rocksteadiness in the wet and tight corners with lots of leaf litter, reaching the carpark for a free shuttle bus to the village. The owner of a 2004 R1150RS with 300,000km on the clock who had watched us pull up gave us good company, and after a coffee we were heading back down the hill to the carpark for a bit of remnant snow play and more test riding. The run down in improving weather further highlighted the stability of the GS on the

GS REUNIONS roads as the speed picked up, before lobbing back to the Merrijig accommodation and preparing for the big Grammar School reunion dinner. Fortunately finding ourselves sitting with an old school friend who now runs French Island Vineyards near Melbourne with her husband who had brought along a case of their excellent product, the evening went incredibly quickly. Her story of getting lost on a school hike amongst giant ferns and one of the girls in her group waking up screaming with leeches in her eyes will take a lot of forgetting.

Cindy powering up Mt Buller on the F750GS The final day was a wander back toward Melbourne via some interesting bitumen and dirt roads, with morning tea at Alexandra and a lunch at the Innocent Bystander winery in the bulging-with-day-trippers Healesville. The joyous ride continued through the eastern burb’s and the mucking about with the GS’s didn’t cease until we finished back at Garners Motorcycle Hire, completely GS reunioned out. In summary, some general pros, neutrals, and cons for the R1250GS and F750GS are: Biggest Pro; the good features of the R1250GS, particularly cruise control, have been applied down to the F850GS and F750GS little ‘uns which was a major source of 700 and 800GS rider (i.e. me and Cindy) whinging in the past. Bigger Pro; the TFT screens are excellent, clear in any light conditions and full of good information including a clear indication of how fast we are going.

GS REUNIONS

NOVEMBER 2019

Big Pro; the bikes look damn cool and handle beautifully and are comfortable on long trips, and Huge Pro; the ease of changing riding modes, although no different to the R1200GS or F700GS, is a key point of advantage for BMW.

stand, resulting in both of us always looking to park on a slight uphill to the left side. The 700GS was notorious for this, and sure expensive feet are available but it is a poor design and makes it hard to get the bike upright.

Pro; the almost idiot-proofing electronics that are installed between the brain-controlled throttle and the tyre contact with the ground, allowing the barely competent yet overconfident numpty to feel in control.

Con; in my ignorant opinion there are too many option layers for the R1250 range, starting with the GS Poverty Pack, then moving up in price order through the GS Rallye, GS Exclusive, GS Rallye X, and GS Spezial, and on a stroll through M&W a few weeks ago there is also an HP. Same again for the GSA so at least 10 to choose from. Some optional things are “addable”, but it is very confusing and risks getting the wrong one.

Neutral; as a sometime R1200GS rider and having done a thorough 2017 GS Experience on one, the difference with 50cc extra engine capacity and no new modes or suspension adjustment or stuff makes a 1250 upgrade of probably insignificant benefit to the hardened GS punter – except to get the TFT screen. Con; this one is a bit left field but the 750GS and 1250GS lean over too far when on the side

Big Con; not the bikes but the luggage, Trevor at Garners said that the BMW luggage we had was worth $3000 per bike and the quality was poor – shutting the side required a lot of lifting and jiggling – Trevor’s complaint not ours but perhaps after market is a better option.

The artistic 1250GS shot across Lake Eildon at Bonnie Doon

NOVEMBER 2019

Compass Expeditions have kindly come on as a sponsor for the Nationals, and as this month’s Journal was a tad light, we asked Craig Jackson if they had a story for us - they are relentless BMW users and they and their clients (including us) have ridden Beemers all over the world - and Craig has kindly obliged....

t was apparent from our first dinner together that this group was going to get along just fine! This is what happens when you have the good fortune to be able to take a motorcycle tour of Peru, Northern Chile and Bolivia with a bunch of riders and pillion passengers who all share a passion for travel, fun, good food, libations and of course riding motorcycles. Riders who are not afraid to love life and live it to its full.

Even before the entree was delivered to the table the die had been cast with a welcome round of Pisco Sours. None declined, which is a great sign of simpatico and this cocktail of Pisco (a type of brandy), lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white became the team’s “Gatorade” for the remainder of the tour. Both Chile and Peru claim ownership as the originators of this delicious aperitif, with Bolivia having its own variant as well, but since the city of Pisco is in Peru, we had to give the Peruvians the credit. Our first ride day took us along the spectacular Pacific coast of Northern Chile and then, what felt like, straight up onto the Atacama plateau and into the desert. Riding along the coastal road was wonderful with the ocean directly on our right and the bare dunes and rugged mountains right beside

On the Trail of the Incas us on the left, we cruised along kilometer after kilometer of sweeping bends that followed the coast. After lunch (I will get to our lunches later) and a fuel stop we made a left turn and started to climb. The perfectly made road wound its way via switchbacks and meandering ascents up into a landscape that simply awed us. I had never witnessed such a lack of observable life in a landscape before. Usually when you are in a desert you will see hardy bushes or drought tolerant grasses perhaps even some gnarled trees along a dry watercourse. Here there was nothing. Nothing but dirt and rock and an unrelenting sun. It is said that there are parts of the Atacama Desert that have not seen precipitation for the past 400 years, or at least as long as history has been recording such things in this part of the world. As terrifying and remarkable as the landscape was, we were safe in the knowledge that our bikes, BMW GSs and Triumph Tigers (that was Craig committing blasphemy, we swear!), were reliable and we had our Compass Expeditions support crew as backup if anything went wrong. We also knew that there was a very comfortable hotel at the end of our amazing days ride, in San Pedro de Atacama.

A day of sight-seeing in and around San Pedro saw us soaking in natural hot springs flowing from deep under the desert to form an oasis of cascading pools, exploring the hippy town, its markets and fine restaurants. In the evening, we ventured out to watch the sunset over an incredible otherworldly, landscape and sip Pisco Sours. From San Pedro we headed further across the Atacama towards Bolivia. The roads

On the Trail of the Incas

NOVEMBER 2019

were well made, sometimes winding through dry valleys, over passes through rugged ranges or later in the day across featureless plains surrounded by snow-capped peaks and distant volcanoes. There was no shortage of photo stops to try to absorb the sensory overload. Our overnight stop was the remote border village of Ollague at the base of the Ollague Volcano.

We had been warned that tonight’s accommodation would be “rustic” and yes it was a basic homestay with bunkrooms and shared facilities but the spectacular location, picturesque “wild west” looking village and excellent home cooked dinner more than made up for the lack of “star rating”. In fact, the simple chicken soup served for starters that evening was hailed as the dish of the tour so far….and we had been eating very well indeed. We did not even lack for Pisco Sours as emergency supplies of Pisco and Pisco Sour pre-mix were produced from bags and top boxes to see us late into the evening. As we had been climbing most of the day, we had reached a height where altitude sickness started to affect some of our jolly crew. The next morning, we were up early to cross the Chile / Bolivia border and there were a few green faces in the customs queue. Luckily the support van was carrying oxygen bottles for just this situation and a few minutes of oxygen boost to the system made all the difference and allowed us all to proceed towards one of the many highlights of the tour, the impressive, Uyuni Salt Lake. While we were at altitude for quite a number of days throughout the tour, this was

the only point where the oxygen was required. Although we all felt the effect of the altitude with shortness of breath, lethargy and the occasional headache, we mostly managed to keep things rolling along by staying well hydrated, laying off the Pisco Sours (to some extent) and with either modern medical means or the local equivalent of a cheek full of cocoa leaves. Once we entered Bolivia the roads immediately became dirt. Bolivia is a much poorer country than its neighbours Chile and Peru and as such the infrastructure, including major roads, are not well maintained and the local drivers also seem to less well maintained along with the roads. In saying that, if you don’t mind a well packed dirt road and can learn quickly to adjust your riding style to “defensive mode” then you will soon begin to enjoy the ride in Bolivia as the scenery just kept getting better.

There was only one section of road works that saw us diverted onto a temporary track. Deep sand is always a concern on a large adventure bike and doubly so when you have not had much off-road experience or are

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carrying a pillion. A bruise here and a scrape there, a little cosmetic damage to a couple of bikes and an adventure to discuss over Pisco Sours that evening was the worst of it. The off-bike day in Uyuni was another gob-smacking overload to the senses with a 4x4 tour onto the largest salt flat in the world, the Salar de Uyuni. We visited a hotel made completely of salt, including the rooms and the bar, the giant Dakar Rally monument (also made completely of salt) and had one of the most surreal lunch stops that could be imagined.

The salt flat is 11,000 sq. km so it did not take long for us to be out of sight of all other people and even the shore of the lake, with a 360-degree view that showed almost no visible horizon due to the reflection from the salt. We sat in a row on small plastic stools and ate local fried Chicken while staring into a most disquieting void. The light and the reflections of sky, salt and water play tricks on your eyes and I am amazed that our local drivers did not get disorientated while barrelling across the expanse.

On the Trail of the Incas Onwards through more salt plains and desert wasteland weaving through mountain ranges and around smoking volcanoes, the next day we headed towards Potosi, which was once one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealthiest cities. On the way however, we had a chance to visit with and help some of Boliviaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most needful children. Compass Expeditions has been supporting the local school at Chaquilla for many years and guests on their tours to the region are encouraged to help out with gifts of school supplies, sports equipment and fresh fruit and vegetables etc. A quick lunch, a bit of street soccer and amusing the kids with the motorcycles and we were back on the road. The landscape became progressively greener as we moved out of the desert and into the mountains. JC, our ever cheerful, helpful and hardworking support van driver was also the designated chef for the tour and how happy we were for that!It never ceased to amaze us that JC could whip up a fresh, healthy and supremely tasty lunch from the kitchen in the back of the van. It was like magic when fresh salads, guacamole, pasta and a selection of cold meats would be produced from what seemed like nowhere by the time we had set up some shade and arranged the trestle tables and chairs. Each ride day his menu was fresh, varied and wholesome.

The people of Potosi have mined silver, tin and other metals from the surrounding hills for over 500 years and in the days of the Conquistadors it was at its height. The silver that was shipped back to Spain helped make that nation rich, it also made Potosi one of the

On the Trail of the Incas wealthiest cities in the world and this can be seen today in the beautiful Spanish Colonial architecture of the city. Our “rest day” in Potosi was anything but, with an exciting visit into a silver mine that still functioned in a very traditional way with miners moving much of the rock and soil by hand with basic tools. It is dangerous work, with no consideration to modern safety standards. A miner’s life in these parts is generally not a long one.

After the mine tour we then took a city tour which showed us around many of the city’s beautiful churches and other colonial era buildings. The finale of the day was witnessing a very solemn Easter procession including a number of brass bands and different community groups marching with statues of their saints and religious icons mounted on the shoulders of dark suited and elaborately brocaded officials. Another unexpected taste of the local culture.

Continuing to climb into the Andes on the way to La Paz we wind and weave upwards across high passes, one at over 5,200 meters and through small villages. The roads

OCTOBER 2019

are sealed but the prevalence of pot holes makes need for concentration paramount. A brief lapse of concentration could end in a very dinted rim if not a spill.

La Paz is a large, busy and slightly crazy city that is nestled in the cradle and climbs up the steep sides of a ring of mountains. The city centre is low in the valley, but the outer suburbs are high above on the rim of a plateau. In between the city looks stacked on top of itself as it climbs up the steep sides of the surrounding slopes.

Out of La Paz we had the chance to take on the “Death Road” day excursion. Having watched a number of YouTube videos of this intimidating road I was keen to match my skill and wits to it. I was not disappointed. I could write a separate story about the experience so in this tale it will suffice to say that I had one of the best days riding I have had for many years on a well-used Suzuki DR650 belting through the streets of La Paz, into the hills and down (and then back up) the epic and nervewracking Death Road. It turns out the scariest part was the traffic

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chaos, at breakneck speed, to get out of the city!

From La Paz we headed towards famous Lake Titicaca. Depending on your preference, this was perhaps our best days riding so far with good sealed roads tightly twisting and winding through the mountains further into the Andes. Lake Titicaca spans the border between Bolivia and Peru, so today we ticked off another border crossing and took a ferry across the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest (or perhaps second highest) navigable lake, then rode around its shore to another colonial gem, the city of Puno. Our hotel on the central plaza of Puno was just a pedicab ride to the lakeside dock where we took a morning tour out on the lake to the visit the floating Uros islands and experience something of the Uru culture. These 120 or so islands are constructed from many layers of reeds and require constant maintenance to remain afloat. They support houses, schools and a community that has traditionally lived on the lake for around 500 years.

On the Trail of the Incas Interestingly the Uru retreated onto the lake in an attempt to avoid being colonised not by the Spanish but by the Inca who conquered the land and taxed the people.

Another unbelievable day of mountain riding through the heart of the Peruvian Andes, more high passes and views that made it hard to concentrate on the incredible road in front of us led us to the ancient heart of the Incan empire, Cusco. Cusco is an old city built on an even older city and this can be seen as you navigate the maze of tight roads and alleys that spread out from the wonderful central plaza. Colonial style buildings are built on the massive Incan stone foundations of the earlier civilisation. The city has so much history that you could spend a week just scratching the surface of all that is there to see. Our day tour of pre-Incan sites around the outskirts of the city gave us an insight into the scale and complexity of each successive era of human habitation of the region.

After16 days of mind and eye-opening experiences and fantastic riding our tour was

On the Trail of the Incas nearing its conclusion, or rather building up to its Grand Finale! The mysterious and majestic lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu had been on my hit list for many years and on my three previous trips to South America I had never managed to fit it into my itinerary.

The anticipation was almost unbearable but our ride from Cusco through the Sacred Valley of the Incas did a lot to take my mind off what I could expect from the following day. The view down the sacred valley from the balcony of an unexpectedly lovely coffee stop, that was literally hanging off the valley wall, set the scene for our ride as we dropped steeply down to the valley floor and followed the fastflowing Urubamba river to Ollantaytambo. This is where we boarded the train for Aguas Calientes and our last night before our visit to Machu Picchu. I almost wished that I had not had that last Pisco Sour as my alarm sounded the next morning at 4.30am. The constant roar of the raging river, a couple of meters below my hotel room balcony, had sent me to sleep, deep and peaceful, instead of keeping me awake as I had anticipated it might (perhaps the Pisco Sours helped there too). A head-torch, camera, snacks and a jacket for the cool misty morning were stuffed into my pack as I headed out the door to join the group who had decided that an hour and a half trek up the Incan stone steps was a better idea to joining the rest of the group in a queue for a crowded bus ride to the entrance to the world famous site. We made it to the entrance, hot and breathless, but just in time to witness the cloud misting away and the early morning light illuminating the splendour

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of the mountain top ruins. Machu Picchu, the ruins of a long-lost citadel, reclaimed from the jungle on this remote and spectacular mountain top are awe inspiring enough. The mystery of why and how it was constructed and even the tale of Hiram Bingham who “re-discovered” the site in 1911 adds wonder and romance to the place.

Our private guide, Ruben, was encyclopaedic in his in-depth knowledge of the site as he led us around all of the major features, filled us in on what is known, suspected and rumoured about the legendary place. My anticipation of visiting Machu Picchu was not misplaced as the experience proved just as wonderous as I had hoped it would be. How often can you say that of an often longed for and finally realised adventure? No anticlimax here! And I can say the same about the Atacama to Machu Picchu (now “On the trail of the Incas”) tour as well. It over-delivered on many fronts with the amazing riding, the seemingly endless highlights, great food and accommodation, professional and ever-helpful crew and of course the genial and amusing company of like-minded friends. My heart-felt thanks to all involved. For more information visit the Compass Expeditions “On the trail of the Incas” tour webpage at: http://www.compassexpeditions. com/tours/on-the-trail-of-the-incas/

NOVEMBER 2019

B2B Conversion; Kilometres to Miles

By: Duncan Bennett No.4171

to train for the anticipated feast at Miles.

he Back to the Bush (B2B) was missed entirely in 2018 due to the sheer number of events available, so No.15 was long overdue. With a lot of enjoyment had on night 1 of the Ride to the Rock back in May this year, Miles was an easy choice to make. The plan was a led ride under the glorious leadership of Paul El Prez from Ferny Grove, or find your own way out there. The former was the choice of many, and a fair crowd of 14 bikes including Paula on her BMW sidecar outfit gathered for the 8:15am kick-off. The route plan and corner marking went very well over Mt Glorious, up to Somerset Dam, and into Esk for morning tea. Then the wheels fell off, with our old favourite Julies at the Rectory closed. No need for panic though, with the Esk Bakery & Restaurant stepping up to fill the internal voids.

BMW Bikers - welcome back to Miles Carbo-ed up, we were back on the bikes and blindly following Paul once more up through Dalby and Jandowae, keeping the speed just right to avoid the seemingly omnipresent constabulary yet maintaining the air flow. A cruise through Chinchilla in the growing heat, and the B2B was

A new cafe experience was required in Esk Refreshments consumed, we were back on the road up toward Hampton, eagerly hoovering up the twisties as we all knew the strong pull of the west tends to straighten them out past Oakey. As per tradition we took the Perserverance Dam road to check the water levels, then popped out briefly onto the New England Highway before heading west once more to Goombungee. Happily turning south just before plunging into the New Acland Coal Mine, we mosied into Oakey and then it was just a short straight up the Jondaryan and the Woolshed for lunch. Shade was becoming a luxury item by this stage with the temperatures climbing toward the 30’s, but the Woolshed was cool enough to allow a big lunch

mentally in sight. As we’d arrived early, we were very fortunate to discover that Miles actually has a hotel right in the centre of town, and even more fortunate that it was open on a Saturday and was licenced to sell refreshing drinks. Once inside, we recalled that we’d been fortunate in Miles back in May in the very same hotel, before forgetting everything but whose shout it was next. Our good fortunate increased with a courtesy bus made available to get the warmed up crew back to the caravan park in time for the main event - the spit roast, more spit roast, okay then a smidgin more spit roast, dessert, and relaxing chatter while the musician fired up.

B2B Conversion; Kilometres to Miles

NOVEMBER 2019

turned out not to be a traditional Miles welcome to BMW riders, rather a Pinking Up Our Town event which had included a twilight bra hanging fundraiser the previous Wednesday evening.

Good heavens, Miles has a pub! Off to bed before the American Honey appeared and took us all prisoner, we were up at a reasonable time for breakfast at the excellent Creek Cafe.

Lucky, as I’d forgotten my mirror covers As per B2B tradition, the home journey was entirely free range so Nic, Margreth, Cindy and I decided on a southerly journey with a coffee stop at Tara, which may or may not have included some dirt roads later on before hitting the fabulous Toowoomba Bypass road and home.

The Grand Fleet at Jondaryan Woolshed On the topic of intimate apparel, Miles was absolutely festooned with brassieres. Trees, fences and buildings were dripping with pink feminine upper-torso undergarments, but as a middle-aged gentleman I didn’t consider it appropriate to ask anyone as to the cause, so had to google “lots of bras” in the privacy of our cabin. After a few false leads into the dark web, it

A big thanks to Donna & Bob at the Miles Crossroads Caravan Park and Cabins for another excellent experience, and to Paul for leading us back into the B2B wilderness.

NOVEMBER 2019

BMWMCQ Christmas Party

BMWMCQ CHRISTMAS PARTY SATURDAY 07 DECEMBER 2019

The Club Christmas Party is being welcomed back to the delightful coastal retreat of Evans Heads. We will be dinning on the veranda next to the river with just a fantastic outdoors setting in exclusive use. Dinner will be a two course Christmas fare at $45 per head with a cash bar: Nibbles prior to dinner with drinks

Accommodation The Bowlo Cabins have once again offered a discount price for bookings at the following prices. 6x Hotel Style Cabins @ $108/night (Sleeps 2, King Bed – can be split, 4x 1 Bedroom Cabins @ $143/night (Sleeps 4, Queen Bed – can be split, sofa bed available on request, 6x 2 Bedroom Cabins @ $179/night (Sleeps 6, Queen Bed – can be split, 2 single beds, sofa bed available on request, 2x 3 Bedroom Cabins @ $233/night (Sleeps 8, Queen Bed – cannot be split, Queen Bed – can be split, 2 single beds, sofa bed available on request, Please ring Zac at the Bowlo on 02 6682 4343. to make bookings. Essential to mention you are part of the BMW group to get discounted price. Also The Pacific Motel has nice rooms and their direct booking number is 02 66824318 Paying for dinner Please pay $45.00 per head by bank transfer to the clubs Bank account BSB 124001 AC 10243020Please ensure to add in remarks your name and the number of pax 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. We have been here before and had a fabulous time so make sure you book your accommodation early and follow the dinner venue booking directions closely. There will be a group ride down on back roads. Some people will go down for two nights, some only on the Saturday. If you’re short of time it is only a short run down the dual carriage freeway to Evans Head.

FOR THE AIRHEADS - and they are many

NOVEMBER 2019

MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE

Each month Mark will endeavour to provide a couple of links to his instructional videos on dealing with all matters pertaining to BMW Airhead Motor Cycles. This month, the never-ending story of ATE swinging callipers: https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/2428484854065690/ https://www.facebook.com/mark.morrissey.96/videos/10219638550375035/

Mark has been very busy but 5035 really is a must see... so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve left it in there

Here is a link to a Youtube clip from Motobob to keep the Airheads in rapture: https://youtu.be/qGzWNQlI_T0

NOVEMBER 2019

By: Cindy Bennett No.4170

elmet communicators, love them or hate them? Many love the solitude inside the helmet with only their thoughts and imagination (disturbing or otherwise) to keep them company, and some even suggest that using communicators isn’t real riding. But as you will see if you bother to read on, I am definitely a fan of this technology. When I first started riding again about 7 years ago I sometimes used my iPhone with earplugs to listen to music but that was mightily uncomfortable and also a bit unsafe due to not being able to easily adjust the volume on the go. And communication with Duncan was restricted to frantic hand signals – there had to be a better way… Our first foray into helmet communicators after about a year back into riding was a dual Scala set. Budget priced and quite effective, they certainly provided an introduction to this wonderful technology. The intercom range wasn’t great and the controls were a bit clunky, but in general they worked well. When we returned from our first overseas ride in Chile and Argentina, we felt we needed an upgrade and after Duncan carried out a lot of research we settled on a dual set of Sena 20S communicators in October 2015. The range was a lot better than the Scala and the sound clarity was much improved as well. These units were very hard-working and went with us on the next two overseas trips, including taking the rigours of the 80 day Africa trip without issue.

The Sena 20S So fast-forward to December in 2017 and in the planning for our NZ trip, which was

VOICES in your HEAD

supposed to happen in March 2018, I mentioned that I would like to upgrade to the Sena 10C unit with the camera functionality. A very generous yet strangely reluctant Santa brought me the 10C, which had a similar buttons design to the 20S, and worked seamlessly with Duncan’s 20S.

The Sena 10C The NZ trip was pushed back to October 2018 so I got quite a lot of practice on the camera and video modes before we left and was rewarded with lots of wonderful footage and “photos from a rider’s perspective” which evoke fun memories of the trip. My key learnings were not to move my head around too much, and to get a better perspective (and not see the bike windscreen and controls), I needed to stand up. My synchronised shutter pushing and stand-up routine got to be flawless! Another feature of the 10C is that when recording in video mode, whatever music you listen to comes through onto the finished movie so my love of hip-hop and R & B classics is a feature mainly only enjoyed by me! However, I did discover when editing the movie with Apple iMovie, you can edit a soundtrack over it which has brought some of my productions to a wider audience. The ability to co-narrate with Duncan on the intercom during the recording is also fun, and one can pretend to be David Attenborough or Joanna Lumley while hitting a pothole and accidentally dropping the F-bomb in a plumby British accent. So of course when were heading to Alaska this year the Sena 10C was duly packed and did a wonderful job for most of the trip, but unfortunately developed an issue where the camera on/off button and shutter located on top of the unit only worked intermittently. This progressed on the last day to not working at all. Duncan took it apart when we got

VOICES in your HEAD

home, and it did work again only sporadically until to my eternal disappointment it died completely as the button had come adrift from the circuit board. A few people have complained of this happening on the Sena help site and it is a poorly engineered part – it is hard to be super gentle when wearing riding gloves. So what to do now? I loved the camera/ movie feature, and while the unit still worked as an intercom and played my funky tunes it had to be replaced. Looking at the newer options the Sena 10C Pro looked to be a good replacement, and even better the Sena 10C EVO. However in late September the EVO had not been released, only being announced the day after Duncan had bought the 10C Pro - typical. So again I got a nice present (wedding anniversary this time!) of the Sena 10C Pro.

The Sena 10C Pro The look and button functions are identical to the original 10C luckily, so no new learning was needed. An upgraded feature of the 10C Pro is the ability to view and download photos and movies onto your phone over wifi. This was a deficiency of the 10C where you had to take out the micro SD card and plug into iPhone/iPad/laptop to download. I noted with dismay however that the on/ off shutter button is identical on the 10C Pro to the failed 10C part. I am now aware of this and use minimal pressure, but this can be tricky when fumbling on the go with the bike gloves on and hopefully we will get more life out of it as Duncan tells me it wasn’t cheap. So, would I recommend the Sena 10C Pro, yes indeedy and hope to get a good few years worth of riding memories with this new unit.

NOVEMBER 2019

Duncan has just bought Prez Paul’s Schuberth E1 helmet, and after thanking Paul for the cleaning and the de-lousing, has had a couple of weeks of use. The E1 comes with a Sena 10U communicator that is marketed by Schuberth and designed to be integral with some Schuberth helmet models, nothing hangs off the helmet and you wouldn’t even know it was there. The buttons are totally different to the other Senas we have had, there are just + and – buttons inside the visor on the left hand side. Having had the Sena 20S for lots of years, the old dog is forced to learn some new tricks with the 10U, which is basically operated by pressing the buttons in a certain order and holding them for a specified length of time, a bit like playing a piano jammed inside a cupboard through the half-opened door while blindfolded and wearing thimbles on your fingers.

The Schuberth Sena 10U Fortunately the basic functions are quite easy to master, and after about a month it does become second nature. So what do we mainly use the helmet communicators for? Number One is listening to music followed by using the intercom when needed (great on gnarly tracks with Duncan up front warning of imminent peril). It is also handy to answer and make calls and of course the photo/ movie feature of the 10C/10C Pro is priceless on weekend rides and longer trips away. Communicators are available for all budgets, and even Aldi has a version for around $60, and although our brother-in-law said it is like having a pie on the side of his head he claimed it worked just fine and was easy to operate. Perhaps a good option for anyone wanting a cheap try.

NOVEMBER 2019

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NOVEMBER 2019

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NOVEMBER 2019

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

Get your message out to people who own, ride and restore BMW motorcycles. Phone your requests to Don Grimes - Ph: 0411 601 372

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NOVEMBER 2019

n 13th October we had the monthly club ride. The 13th is rather late in the month compared to normal, but the action packed events calendar had the CTR to Toobeah on the first Sunday so the club ride was pushed back a week.

The Mary Celeste ride group The ride had been advertised by Ride Leader/Vice President Richard as finishing at a mystery surburban hotel, which led to unworthy and unkind speculation as to whether Richard had no idea where he was going to lead us, but was banking on the safe bet that we would pass a pub around lunch-time.

Those without sunglasses suffered A fair crowd of about a dozen bikes (I forgot to count in direct contravention of the duties of a TEC) gathered at Carseldine on

OCTOBER CLUB RIDE - THE OX a very pleasant Sunday morning to kick the day off with a coffee. After the brief briefing, Richard led us over Clear Mountain, Mt Mee, through Woodford and Kilcoy to Esk where a welldeserved coffee perked us up. Back on the road, we motored along some outstanding roads through Lowood, Marburg, and Rosewood before hitting the Cunningham Highway for the wild ride into the southern suburbs and the Ipswich Motorway. Like a good mother hen, Richard managed to keep the flock together and apart from those who I swear said they were leaving the ride, all arrived at the Oxley Hotel for a very pleasant late lunch. Many, many thanks to Richard for yet another excellent adventure.

Stop the presses - while going through old Boggo Road records we found this, could it be the legendary V_PRES putting his soft tail astride his favourite public nuisance transport?

OCTOBER LUNCH RIDE - Killarney

NOVEMBER 2019

The monthly lunch ride to Killarney Hotel was on Sunday 20th October, and a group of 9 riders attended. Good food and good company as always. - Rosi Johnson

BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE BOOKS AVAILABLE

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

Overland Magazine Overland Magazine The Touring Motorcycle

Issue 26 Issue 27 Jeff Ware & Kris Hodgson

2 x On Tour with Compass Expeditions DVDs

The Club has taken up the initiative of a book exchange facility via the Club. The initive is being overseen by Jane Gray and you can communicate with Jane via email at: library@bmwmcq.org.au Arrangement can be made with the librarian as to pick up & drop off procedures and wew wouold antici[pate this occurred at the monthly Memebers meeting.....Editor

BMW MOTORRAD OKTOBERFEST NATIONAL DEMO DAY MAKE LIFE A RIDE.

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