|
Wing Notes |
|||||
|
Newsletter
of the |
|||||
|
|
|
||||
|
May
2007 |
|||||
|
Feeding the
hordes at Mitchell |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
www.auswingriders.com |
Australian Wing Riders Association (Qld) Inc |
||||
|
|
Wing Notes |
|
|||||
|
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION QLD INCORPORATED |
|||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
EDITOR:.............Bevan Bradford Phone: 07 3822 3512 Mobile 0408 714 000 E-Mail: mail @ auswingriders.com Wing Notes is produced with the object
of keeping members informed about matters of interest to AWRA members. A electronic copy of each issue is
available to every financial member of the AWRA. Copies are also distributed to selected
motorcycle dealers in the greater |
Submissions for inclusion in Wing Notes should be with the Editor no later than the Friday following the monthly meeting, i.e.: Friday after the 1st Monday of the month. DISCLAIMER: Although Wing Notes will endeavour to reproduce submissions in their original form it reserves the right to edit submissions as it sees fit. Views expressed in contributed articles in Wing Notes are not necessarily those of the AWRA or the Editor. Wing Notes is produced with care, in good faith and from sources believed to be accurate at the time of writing. |
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
Management
Committee: |
Meetings: |
||||||
|
President Clint Lovell (07) 3398 3437 E-mail: |
Secretary Val Thomas (07) 3848 0498 E-mail: secretary @ auswingriders.com |
Meetings are held on the 1st Monday of every month |
|||||
|
Vice President Rob (Bear) Harriss 0409 052 218 E-mail: RHMRS @
iinet.com.au |
Treasurer Geoff Mead (07) 5529 5034 E-mail: meady @ auswingriders.com |
Next
meeting: Australian National Hotel, Cnr. |
|||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
The big
blue sky of Western Queensland |
Upcoming activities: |
||||||
|
|
|
20th May 21st – 27th May 16th – 17th June AWRA AGM in 15th July Goombungee Ride Don’t forget to book your AGM
accommodation at the Jackie Howe Motel in Accommodation must be booked by the
end of this month to be sure of a bed. |
|||||
|
|
|
The President Speaks…. |
|
The Secretary’s Desk…. |
|
|
Gidday
all, The registration is confirmed, ‘wing’s been
serviced, route planned just have to pack the gear and check the tyres. It’s Ulysses AGM time again and I know a
lot of you are in the same mode. Sadly
there are a couple of younguns just itching to grow up and join the fun. This year will be a little different as instead of
our usual larger group ride, everyone seems to be heading off at different
times and the ride is only a short one.
Well, it should be but the route we’ve planned isn’t quite as direct
as it could be. After all, the fun is
in the ride, not the destination though in this case it’s probably in both. For all those travelling to and from the AGM, take
care, there’s a lot of idiots out there and from what I often see, they are
not all in cars, some of them are our fellow motorcyclists who like to push
their abilities to and sometimes beyond the limit. Don’t forget our AGM in June. Book your accommodation before the end of
the month. This should be a good night
or weekend if you can get away for the Friday night as well. If all that’s done, then Goomburra must be getting
close also. What a life, but I suppose
someone has to keep these places in business. Keep the black bits on the bitumen and the shiny
side up, Bevan |
Hi all, As
my year of President draws to a close I would like to thank the committee for
making my job easy to do. Really, all I
did was chair the meetings while the hardworking Val had to write it all
down, then translate her scribbles for us all. Bevan does most of the work with not only the
Magazine but keeping the membership list updated. Bear was there too, helping out as Vice Presidents
do. Meady kept control of the money. Don’t know how he does it with just an
abacus. Bill was especially busy chasing people up to run
rides and Eric did his bit looking after the regalia. Do we have a surplus of anything Eric? Don’t answer. Thanks guys and also thanks to all those
who stepped forward (with a little shove from Bill) to run the monthly rides
and organise the socials. You all make it a pleasure to be part of this club. See
you on the Road Cheers Clint |
Hello everyone, It has been a hectic month, but not at the
Secretary’s Desk. Firstly, thank you
to my rescuer Charleen for stepping in to cover my duties – again – at the
last club meeting. Hugs as well
Charleen, as we just couldn’t get back in time for the meeting. We had spent the long week-end on Our Annual General Meeting is getting closer, 15th/17th June 2007- keep thinking of
members who you would like to nominate for your committee, and also make your
reservation with the Jackie Howe Motel, Cnr. PalmerinandVictoria Streets,
Warwick. Phone: 0746 612111. Fax: 0746 613858. Trish has confirmed our rates @ $85.00 p.p.
which includes Saturday evening meal, accommodation Saturday night and Sunday
morning breakfast. Meals are buffet
for both breakfast and dinner.
Breakfast includes hot buffet, cereals, toast, juice, tea and
coffee. Dinner roastandveggies,
with a dessert – final options to be discussed soon. Members who are arriving Friday evening, rates to be
advised. BBQ available for evening
meal Friday with burgers buns and salad $9.95 each. Trust all you girls have had a wonderful Mothers Day
– I have. See you all soon, and ride
safely. Safe
riding everyone. ValerieandThommo |
|||
|
After months of planning, (that’s probably
stretching it a bit), the ride day had finally arrived. And what a time the planning had been. Trying to get members to respond with their
accommodation requirements was a real problem. The members that really wanted the ride had
to cancel at the last minute. How did
I get to organise this ride anyway?
I’ve been to Mitchell so many times it’s not funny. It’s just a petrol stop, sometimes, between
the south-east corner of |
We
make Dalby for smoko and a refuel at Like in Dalby, the group breaks to a number of service
stations to refuel, regrouping at the BP for |
|
|
|
|
so this was an opportunity to do it again. I was just silly enough to volunteer to
organise and lead it. What’s so
special about artesian water anyway I thought. In Barcaldine we smelt, drank, swam,
showered etc with it for 12 years. The
|
|
|
lunch. We
strike a few problems with delays in getting lunch, I don’t think they were
prepared for a large group and the coffee machine was inoperative. Eventually, everyone is satisfied and back
on the road again for the last hour to Mitchell arriving at |
Now the cool pool was probably at about 25o
C but when you first got in it from the hot pool, it felt like it was about
10o C. After an hour or so
of soaking, most headed back to the Courthouse Hotel for a few drinks to wash
away the day before the dinner. By
this time, Doug and Preeta had arrived and they headed to check out the spa
with plans to try it out on Sunday morning.
Again, in a small town, the number of us in the bar caused a few
problems for the locals used to getting served a little quicker than the bar
staff could handle. After drinks it was over to the |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
games. In
between shots, Clint fired up the air-guitar and provided the lead to the
juke-box backing group. It had been a
long day and numbers dwindled as everyone headed for bed. A few ports and confirming arrangements for
breakfast ended the night. Clint and Charleen left early Sunday morning, having
to get back to collect Jack and Deane from the |
|
|
unfortunately the dish of sausages and onion gravy
did not get eaten. I doubt there was a
problem, probably just the flavour of the sausages, but no one was going to
take the chance. After breakfast we
lined the bikes up outside the Historic Courthouse Hotel for a photo shoot,
said goodbye to the publican and the Harpers and headed back to Roma to fuel
for the ride home. Fuelled up, we met at the Big Rig café for coffee
and munchies and discussed options for the route back. Deciding to go via a different route we
said goodbye to Fred who decided he would head up to Murgon and we headed south
and then east towards the town of |
|
|
|
|
than the way we went out. A short rest break at Condamine for a drink
and a bit of a look at some local history we were back on the road. Onwards and into Dalby for fuel, after 290
klms the 1500’s were getting a bit low.
A long lunch at McDonalds then it was back through Toowoomba to Goodna
for goodbyes as everyone headed their separate ways. It
was a great weekend and seemed to be enjoyed by everyone. I don’t even think we scared our new
members away. Therese and I even made
it home in time for our son’s cricket presentations which was great. Well Val and Thommo, it was a great
weekend, shame you missed it but I’m sure Val’s birthday party was more
important. I have no doubt it won’t be
7 years before we go again. Bevan |
|
|
12 Rules for the Wing Rider 1. Takeoffs are optional; Stopping is mandatory. 2. Never try to drive farther than your fuel will allow. 3. When in doubt, stay home. No one ever suffered major injuries from a head-on with a remote control. 4. There are good stops and there are great stops. Any stop you can walk away from is a good one. A great one, you can drive your wing away from. 5. Learn from the mistakes of others, you may not live through yours. 6. Your probability of survival is directly and inversely proportional to your angle and speed of arrival to the stopping object. The higher the speed and closer to head-on, the less chance of survival. 7. Never let your Wing take you someplace your brain hasn't spent at least 15 seconds. 8. In the eternal conflict between objects of plastic and steel moving at speed and the ground, the ground has yet to loose. 9. Good judgement comes from experience. Unfortunately experience comes from bad judgement. See rule #3 10. Keep looking around there's always something you missed. 11. Remember that gravity is not just a good idea, it's the law, and one that doesn't break easily. 12. Remember thy Co-rider, they are the bearers of great pleasure if you get it right and even greater suffering if you get it wrong. |
||
|
A quick ride over the Alpine way 20 -21 April 07 It
is not often that your boss invites you to go for a ride over the top of |
We enter Omeo and stay at the Hilltop pub and after
some tall tales we head to bed looking forward to the next day. Saturday arrives with a chilly Omeo morning, with
breakfast completed we head off towards Bright and the firestorm heads off again
all refreshed and ready to tackle the corners, with the two master Gold wings
covering the distance in style and grace we stop at Dinner plans for a coffee
and then head to the top for some photos. After the photos we make our way to the bottom to Bright
and off over to Whitfield for some more corners and the devastation of the
recent bushfires. Our intention was to head towards to Black spur but rain
clouds had other ideas and down the rain came with a stop to don the rain
gear we head into What a great three days of riding. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reg Jeffrey Ride day Sun 22 April 07 The day started as a very cloudy day with the threat
of rain as I head out I have my rain gear close at hand and arrive at Reg
Jeffrey ride day with John and Margret Brak and Steve O’Neil the AWRA
Victoria group was well represented. As we wait three other Gold wings arrive
with another two arriving later. After all the briefings we head into the fog of the
mountains and the fog become thinker and thinker to being the thickest I have
ever ridden in the speed was down to 10 to 20 kms per hour as we tried to
find our way over the hills. We all made it out the other end with no
accidents. We then head off towards Yea for a break and then on
over to Mansfield and on over the black spur and on down to Maroondah
Reservoir for a BBQ lunch and prizes given out. With discussions with the
other Gold wingers we pass on the info of the Association and hope we have
some new members soon. With the day over we head home with goods in hand
and another successful Reg Jeffrey Ride day (sorry no pics from the day forgot the camera) John |
The Seven
Dwarfs The Seven Dwarfs go to the Vatican and, because they
have requested an audience, and as they are THE Seven Dwarfs, they are
ushered in to see the Holy Father.
Dopey leads the pack. "Dopey, my son," says the Pope, "what
can I do for you?" Dopey asks, "Excuse me, Your Excellency, but
are there any dwarf nuns in Rome?" The Pope wrinkles his brow at the odd question,
thinks for a moment and answers, "No, Dopey, there are no dwarf nuns in
Rome." In the background a few of the dwarfs start
giggling. Dopey turns around and gives them a glare, silencing them. Dopey turns back, "Your Worship, are there any
dwarf nuns in all of Europe?" 'The Pope, puzzled now, again thinks for a moment
and then answers, "No Dopey, there are no dwarf nuns in Europe," This time, all of the other dwarfs burst into
laughter. Once again, Dopey turns around and silences them with an angry
glare. Dopey turns back and says, "Your extreme
holiness! Are there ANY dwarf nuns any where at all in the world?' After consulting with his advisers, the Pope
responds, "I’m sorry my son, there are no dwarf nuns anywhere in the
world." The other dwarfs collapse in a heap, rolling,
laughing and pounding the floor, tears streaming down their cheeks as they
begin chanting, "Dopey shagged a penguin! Dopey shagged a penguin!" |
|
|
A man placed some flowers on the grave of his
dearly departed mother and started back toward his car when his attention was
diverted to this biker kneeling at a grave nearby. The biker
seemed to be praying with profound intensity and kept repeating, "Why did you have to die? Why did you have to die?" The first man approached him and said, "Sir, I
don't wish to interfere with your private grief, but this demonstration of
pain is more than I've ever seen before. For whom do you mourn so deeply? A child?
A parent?" The biker took a moment to collect himself, and then replied, "My wife's first husband." |
|
|
|
Bear’s Necessities….. |
|
Jayne’s trivia |
|
Hi Everyone! OK today let’s talk about coolant in ‘Wings. Most people check oils, tyre pressures, fuel etc. including the coolant (well as long as the reserve tank is full and looks nice and green it should be OK). Right, well, yes, maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. The true way to check coolant is with a small tool called a ‘Refractometer’ and a normal multi meter. The two things we are looking for is (1) The correct Glycol/water ratio, which is 50% coolant to 50% water in Goldwings. Correct ratio stops corrosion, is an antifreeze and coolant plus it lubricates seals and shafts etc. (2) ‘Stray Currents’ - Very important to check for stray currents. Easy way to explain is if bike or vehicle has a bad earthing system it may try to find an earth through your cooling system. Easy way to check - Normal - Turn multimeter to 2V DC. Place Positive probe into coolant and Negative probe to any good earthing position on motor. If multi meter reads under .05 you’re OK. If higher, mention this to your ‘Wing service centre and they should know how to fix the problem. In most cases an extra small earth wire added and problem is solved. If not fixed the radiator and all parts of the cooling system can eat away quickly. Most good mechanical workshops have Refractometers and Multimeters. I’m not sure if bike workshops have Refractometers as I am in the car repairs workshop not bike repairs specifically. But, maybe the question should be asked when your service is due with your mechanic. As a free small service to our club members if any one would like me to do this two minute test, let me know and we will catch up at a meeting. Bear |
Well, sorry I missed last month, I try to add some things that are relevant to that month’s holidays etc. Well, between Easter and ANZAC Day somehow it got away from me and I didn’t want to offend anyone....and still don’t. Here we go... Easter eggs- Important to today’s commercial sector, however, the ancient religious devotee, believed that eggs laid on Good Friday could be kept all year because the day itself exercised some charm on the products of the farmyard. Most nations regarded the egg as an emblem of the universe, the work of supreme Divinity. Easter was the time of the solar New Year - the renewal of things - the incubation of nature. On Easter EveandDay the heads of families would take baskets of hard boiled eggs to the priests to be blessed. They would then be taken home and made a feast of as the first fatty or fleshy nourishment after the abstinence of Lent. Hot Cross Buns are a little more obscure with the emblem and religion and these days seems to be mostly a social custom. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - I have been researching this and have come to the conclusion that there is more to it than I can actually sum up for a trivia point. It is no trivia. War is no trivia for anyone. Labour Day - Mid 18th century the stone masons as an organisation starting asking for an “Eight hour day” (48 hour week). Being the most gruelling of tasks the men’s lives were really short lived. They were granted this shorter working day in 1856. On May 12, 1856 there was a procession in Melbourne to celebrate and it has become an annual tradition. In 1879 the Victorian government proclaimed it a paid public holiday. Take care Jayne |
||
|
A man wakes up in a hospital bed after a terrible accident and cries - "DOC, DOC...I can't feel my legs, I can't feel my legs!!! "Well of course you can't silly!", replies the Doc... "I've cut off both of your arms." |
Men are like fine wine: They all start out as grapes, and it’s a woman’s job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd want to have with dinner. |
||
|
Sometimes the good rides are not the planned ones. Charleen and I have been on a couple of rides with friends recently and despite very little planning, they were great fun. The first was with Eddie, I think he’s still a member, but due to his work, we don’t see him at meetings and runs too often. However, on Anzac Day, he was free and so were we so a ride was in order. Only decided the night before. We met at Shell Nudgee and basically did the same ride as the AWRA February ride, through the Sunny Coast hinterland. Turned off the highway at Caboolture, through Glasshouse and up that delightful twisty bit to Peachester. Then on through the Bald Knob road and through to Montville and Mapleton. Then down the range (fine this time) to Nambour and on to Maroochydore for breakfast. Did I mention we left quite early? Then a lovely ride home in plenty of time for lunch and do those things that must be done on weekends in the afternoon. The next one was a sort of practice run for the Ulysses AGM. This year, Charleen and I are taking two bikes and so are friends Camo and Kath. Although Charleen has ridden the GoldWing quite a bit, she hasn’t for a while and Kath is a novice, having recently got her license. So we went on a 200 km ride, again heading to the north and cruising the wonderful and varied roads of the Sunshine Coast. We encountered rain and shine, wet roads, straight and curvy and the girls did very well. We had lunch at the Mooloolaba Fish Coop and afternoon tea at a Glasshouse Mountains café. Another great day and they are now ready and eager to tackle the ride to Coffs next Sunday. So whilst we might not be able to get to all the AWRA rides, although we do try, there is still plenty of riding to do. How about you? Give our editor some work to so. Write in and let us all know what rides you have done in between AWRA ride days. Clint and Charleen |
|
|
Motorcycle Country |
|
|
|
|
|
A brunette and a blonde were speeding down the street when they passed a cop. "Oh no!" cried the brunette. "Is he following me?" "Yep," replied the blonde. "I'm going to drive down this little side road, okay?" said the brunette. "Yep," replied the blonde. "Is the cop still following me?" "Yep." "Are his lights on?" "Yep, nope, yep,
nope, yep, nope..." |
A blonde walks into
the library. She walks up to the counter, SLAMS a book down and screams at
the librarian, - "This is the WORST book I've ever read!" "It
has NO plot and far too many characters!" The librarian looks
up and calmly remarks - "So, you're the one who took our phone
book..." |
|
There's a fellow who
is an avid rider. Actually he's a
motorcycle fanatic. He has not missed a weekend
of motorcycle riding in years. Every Saturday and
Sunday morning he gets up very early and goes meets his buddies for a nice
long ride. On this one morning, he
gets up early, gets dressed, gets his riding gear out of the closet and goes
out to the garage to prepare to leave. While out there it
started raining a torrential downpour.
There was snow mixed with the rain and the wind is blowing at 50
kph. He comes back into the house and
turns the TV to the Weather Channel.
From there he finds it's going to be bad weather all day long. So he puts his bike back into the garage
and comes back inside. He quietly
undresses and slips back into bed where he cuddles up to his wife's back, and
whispers, "The weather out there is terrible." To which she replies,
"Can you believe my stupid husband is out riding his bike today?" |
|
|
Two
Tigers The scene is a dark
jungle. Two tigers are stalking through the undergrowth in single file when the
one to the rear reaches out with his tongue and licks the bottom of the tiger
in front. The startled tiger turns around and says, "Hey! Cut it out,
all right!" The rear tiger says,
"sorry," and they continue. After about another five minutes, the
rear tiger again reaches out with his tongue and licks the bottom of the
tiger in front. The front tiger turns around and cuffs the rear tiger and
says, "I said stop it!" The rear tiger says,
"sorry," and they continue. After about another five minutes, the
rear tiger once more licks the bottom of the tiger in front. The front tiger
turns around and asks the rear tiger, "What is it with you,
anyway?" The rear tiger
replies, "Well, I just ate a lawyer and I'm trying to get the taste out
of my mouth!" |
|
|
Bernie was invited to
his friend's home for dinner. Morris, the host, preceded every request to his
wife by endearing terms, calling her Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart,
Pumpkin, etc. Bernie looked at
Morris and remarked, "That is really nice, that after all these years
that you have been married, you keep calling your wife those pet names." Morris hung his head
and whispered - "To tell the truth, I forgot her name three years
ago!" |
|
AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION (QLD) INCORPORATED
|
|||
|
Date |
Destination |
Ride /
Social Event |
Ride
Leaders |
|
20 May Ride |
TBA |
RIDE CHANGE !! Due to unforeseen
circumstances, the ride leader for this Sunday's ride is unable to
attend. Due to the lateness of this
notification, I am unable to organise a replacement ride, and have no option
but to cancel the scheduled ride. If there are club
members that wish to gather for a ride, meet at the Shell Nudgee at 8.30am,
and decide a destinations and route with those that arrive. Please
accept my apologies for any inconvenience. Safeandhappy
riding. Bill Carter Ride Coordinator. |
Whoever is there |
|
21 to 27 May |
Coffs Harbour |
Ulysses AGM |
Find a group or go alone |
|
26 May Social |
TBA |
TBA For those not
attending the Ulysses AGM - be quick to grab this spot |
|
|
15,
16& 17 June |
Jackie Howe Motel Warwick AWRA AGM |
Friday 15 June –
Optional extra night Saturday 16 June
Meet McDonald’s Restaurant, Warwick Rd, Yamanto at 09.30am for a 10.00am
departure. Book your own accommodation See AWRA website
for agenda. Sunday 17 June -
Breakfast at 08.30am Depart Warwick at
10.00am – Gatton for lunch |
Committee |
|
23 June Social |
TBA |
TBA Be quick to grab this spot |
|
|
15 July Ride |
Goombungee |
Depart 8.30 am
B.P. Blacksoil , Morning Tea at "Spring
Bluff" please bring Morning Tea , to Rimfire winery at McClachan,
lunch at Goombungee "Settlers Arms" Hotel. Northerner's can
return via Kilcoy, Southerner's via Somerset Dam, Brisbanites via Mt.
Glorious, Quite a ride, approx 300 klms Blacksoil to Blacksoil but worth the
effort. |
KevinandMorag |
|
21 July Social |
TBA |
TBA Be quick to grab this spot |
|
|
19 August Ride |
TBA |
TBA |
Phil and Vicki |
|
25 August Social |
TBA |
|
|
|
Ride
Coordinator - Bill Carter – Tel: (07) 5564 8996 e-mail: carterbm @ bigpond.net.au Bill’s a/h mobile 0428
248 160 RIDE DATES; Unless otherwise arranged, rides will be on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and Social rides, the following weekend, with other social events as announced through the year. ** Ride Leaders: Please check the details of your ride and let me know of any changes. Ride leaders are also asked to organise 2 raffle prizes for their ride. Suggested value approximately $10.00 each. Raffle tickets will be made available from Eric Madjeric. IMPORTANT: Even if you have not finalised the details of your ride, just supply the start timeandlocation, the general direction of the ride, and the meal arrangements. *** Ride Leaders:
Please provide a short pre-ride briefing that outlines the basic safety
precautions that we in the AWRA like to observe when riding in groups, and a
little about the ride and the rest stop locations. |
|||
|
PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY ON RIDES: · Each motorcyclist is responsible for at least the following; · The roadworthiness of your vehicle (including trailer) · That you are in a fit condition to control the vehicle, (including trailer) · Make sure you have a full tank of fuel before departing on a ride. · That you obey all the traffic rules and ride in a safe manner. · That you ride in a considerate manner that does not endanger, or unnecessarily inconvenience other road users. · To be correctly attired for safe motorcycling. · To have fun and enjoy the day, and the company. Thanks for all those that have offered to organise rides
and socials; that is what makes this club so great. If you are yet to conduct a ride or organise
a social, please start to plan something so that when your turn arrives you
will be ready. You don’t have to wait to be asked, just let me know. |
|||