Sep 2008 Issue:
Bubba’s Thoughts.
Hi Wanderer's
By the time this comes out we should be into spring finally it has really been a long winter and a cold one, for the first time ever for me I rode in the snow well not quite in it but it was visible.Eds was used to seeing the stuff and commented that's why we left Scotland to get away from this but I thought it looked very pretty,Bah Humbug it was bloody cold and I don't give a rats about pretty.
It has been a reasonably quiet month not a lot happening the Caltex seems to be drawing it usual crowed every Saturday; we are still getting our 40 to 50 bikes even on a cold day. I have noticed that our rides seem to be attracting larger number's lately even in the colder months I can only think that we are going to get larger number's in the warmer months this is great but in saying this I think we need to start thinking about breaking the groups up if they get up around the 30 mark. So please be prepared to lead a group and be prepared to play tail end Charlie it is a lot easier to lead a group of 15 than a larger group it is also a lot safer etc.
Ray Worthey and John Humm are organizing a charity run to collect for the St John's Ambulance it will be run on the 5th of October so make sure you can be there Ray & John are putting a lot of planning into this John will be leading and Ray is handling the BBQ for lunch there will be a gold coin donation for lunch with all proceeds going to St Johns Werribee branch
I am sure Ratty will be there he definitely owes St John by now (-: but seriously make the effort guy's and Gals it will be a fun day, if you have anything you feel like donating for an auction let me or Ray know as we may even have a little auction as well.
Remember keep practicing your skills ride when ever you can and most of all enjoy your riding.
Ride safe.
Bubba
Ride Report
Saturday 16 August 2008
Bendigo Meet the Neighbours
A little drizzle, overcast skies, warm bed with coffee & toast. Am I going to get out and face the world? You betcha! Got a call from George "See you at the Tyre Kick".
12 bikes, 13 lovely Wanderers departed the Highway Lounge bang on 9am, farewelled by a small but encouraging group. With me out the front and George tailending, we headed up Ballan Rd to The Marsh where Glenn & partner joined in and then on to Gisborne where Joe & partner joined in, total of the tape was 14 bikes and 17 heads! So far so good, weather held and we even had patches of sunshine. Following a 5 min (literally!) stop at Gisborne, we headed up the Calder, round the new bypass section where we found ourselves confronted with a set of traffic lights stuck out in the middle of nowhere!!!
Onward to Blasters Cafe and a warm welcome from President Maria, the Socialiser and the Bendigo (Central Victoria) Ulysses. Following much discussion (mostly about bikes!!) and a warm coffee, we meandered down to historic Maldon (along with a few Bendigoians?) where the group wandered into the township and had lunch at various places. Chicken Parma, chips and vegies went down really well, courtesy of the local pub.
Maldon is a really historic place, history steeped in the goldfields that surround. The township itself is a little like stepping back 100 or so years, the facade of the buildings virtually untouched, almost like being locked in a time warp. It is the home of the Motorcycle Emporium, used to have a shop front type garage that you could spend heaps of time in, but like all things modernised, it is now totally on line and closed to the public.
Said our farewells to Maria and the crew and headed south through Newstead towards Daylesford, all going well at this point. Got to a fork in the road and halfway through, suddenly realised I should have turned right. Everyone turned around okay and (Note to self, large smack on head needed!!!!) continued on to Daylesford. Here the ride concluded, goodbyes were said, people thanked and we all headed for home, still in a group.
The run down from Daylesford to the Western Hwy was the chosen route and about halfway down, a Green bike with a yellow clad rider flashed by and was never seen again....till Werribee!!!! Home at 3.40pm, total of the Speedo was 350 km. Special thanks to George for Tail ending, John (Blue Napoleon) for the photo's and those that rode on the day because without you all, it's only a ride, not the great event that it was..
Thanks also to our hosts, President Maria & the Central Victorian Ulysses, a truly great bunch. To those that didn't make it this time, keep an eye on the Rides Calendar, there's more to come.
Okay...free advert time. On the 10 - 12th October is the 11th Golden Dragon Rally to be held at the Tarnagulla Reserve, organised by our hosts, the Central Victoria Ulysses Branch
Chris Thomas
Sunday 24 August 2008
I was running a little late & arrived at Hoppers Macca’s right on 9.30. I was in my car, and dressed accordingly as I was to understand there was no ride , just a coffee & a catch up, in particular with ‘big Ron’ who had just returned from his extended break in sunny Queensland. Jealous you might say, but as Ron said, here we were in cold old Melbourne, but riding, whilst conversely here he was in sunny Queensland with no damned bike …. So who was better off. It’s a matter of perspective I guess.
Anyway, I arrive looking for a coffee, it had been a tough morning (I had to get out of bed & it was cold), to find Tracey, Stewart, Ron, Robyn & , a nice surprise, John (T2) all hanging around outside chatting. Robyn & T2 were ready to ride & everyone was surprised I had arrived by car as I’m normally on my bike. So a quick round trip of home, petrol station & back to Macca’s & a rushed half hour later I was all geared up & ready to go. Tracey, Ron & Stewart all adjourned to Macca’s whilst the three of us, (Doug/Dodgy, T2/John & Robyn) headed off into the CBD, Elizabeth St to be precise, to do a bit of catch- up on the market place, that is, latest models, prices , our wish list etc.
John was in the lead & a good job he did too, or at least until we got to Flinders St then he thought he would get to Elizabeth St the ‘quick way’ i.e. via every traffic jam & building road works site there was. Oh, well, we live & learn. We finally turned into Elizabeth St out of Collins & as we crossed Little Bourke St T2 pulled up onto the footpath. ‘Silly bugger’ I thought, he’s missed the precinct by a block & a half, but no, in fact his bike had died. So he walked his bike up the footpath to Peter Stevens & to cut a long story short it was his battery…. gone to bike heaven. Some $70 later he was mobile again. Most fortuitous the bike died where it did & not half way up the Bridge or similar.
We adjourned for a coffee across the road to recover then did the rounds, Triumphs, Honda’s (no Harley’s) Ducati’s & the new Victory store which is just a few meters down from Ducati. An enjoyable discovery tour. We then hit the road again along the eastern freeway to the Chandler Hwy turnoff, a quick left then left again & off around the Yarra Boulevard arriving at the’ Boat Shed’ café for a pleasant lunch overlooking the river.
Good company & a myriad of conversation topics later we were off again, back tracking along the Yarra Boulevard, & onto the freeway heading east. Once again our intrepid leader demonstrated his multitasking capabilities, i.e. reading & riding at the same time, yep, straight onto the new toll way, followed by a shrug of the shoulders & a flippant hand in the air suggesting a “ ah, hello, um…..ooops”. Nonetheless we soldered on despite the challenges presented to Robyn & I finding our way into the environs & twisty roads of Warrandyte & enjoyable it was too, transversing less familiar roads of good bitumen & lovely scenery. As an aside, as a club we must invest some riding time in this region.
Gradually our front wheels turned towards the west as we made our way back towards the Westgate. We ultimately found our way back onto the Eastern Fwy (without incident … thanks T2, a departure from the days norm!!!!) & followed thru’ around past Melbourne Uni. T2 & I ventured onto City Link whilst Robyn continued along Racecourse Road toward Footscray & home. Shortly after John took his leave & turned off into the city for a rendezvous whilst I alone continued on to Hoppers, a drink of petrol & home, feeling good about the day.
For my part, a most unexpected day given I was only expecting to have a coffee. A goodie, an intimate threesome where we all got to know each other that little bit better, & sharing that common interest of riding & most importantly sharing it together, with friends. Ah, what a life……
Doug (Dodgy)
FLYING VISIT TO CAIRNS –Another Hans On Adventure.
9/09/86 to 16/09/86
Seeing I was on leave recently I decided to go north for a few days. Left home at Altona at 0600 on Tuesday, 9/09/86, with the odometer on the just 5 months old K100 RS on 26,258 km.
I decided to go up inland for a change via Shepparton, Tocumwal, Narrandera, West Wyalong for lunch then on to Dubbo and Narrabri where I arrived at 1605 after the various stops for fuel and refreshments. The actual riding time for the 1100 km that day was 8 hrs 40 mins ( Ave. 127 km/h ). On this first day had only two ‘hairy ‘times. One with a ‘blind’ Land Rover pilot and the other with a stray sheep that was determined to cross the road as I approached at 180 clicks in the back blocks of NSW…I put up camp in the Narrabri Caravan Park for the night. The weather was very cold leaving Melbourne but after Tocumwal started to warm up and later became quite warm.
Next morning, Wednesday 10/9, I left Narrabri at 0615 and rode on to Goondiwindi for brekkie. Then to Warwick, Toowoomba, Kilcoy, Nambour and then to my friends property near Pomona, Qld. Where I arrived at 1400. Today travelled a leisurely 768 km with riding time of 6 hrs 20 mins after the various stops. (Ave. 121.3 km/h ) The weather was fine and warm all day and the roads reasonable. I stayed there for the night.
The following morning Thursday, 11/9, I left there at 0645 and headed for Gympie, Gin Gin, Gladstone, etc where soon after I came across a young fellow pushing his heavily laden and broken down Honda XR 500 or similar along the road towards me. After stopping he told me he had been to the Gulf Country and was returning to Sydney with a mate when his bike snuffed it. Apparently his ‘ mate’ told him he’d see him later and left him…Nice friend. As at that time I had been sitting behind a Police Car for the last 20 km at least keeping me honest, I actually welcomed this stop.. As it turned out I then towed him about 15 km to Mt.Larcom where I left him at a garage. It was now very hot and the guy was very grateful.
I then continued on to Rockhampton for lunch, then Mackay, Bowen, Ayr etc to Townsville where I arrived after the various stops at 1800.. Today travelled 1222 km…Riding time 10 hrs 5 mins. ( Ave. 121.2 km/h )
I again put up camp in a Caravan Park mainly for the amenities and relaxed. The weather again was very warm except early in the morning when it was very cold..The roads so far have been good although quite rough bitumen was also encountered..The scenery changed constantly and in the sugar cane areas tractors pulling trailers often posed a hazard as they suddenly darted out from plantations and crossed the road. This happened more then once. The countryside is mainly flat but approaching Townsville it became more hilly and scenic.
Next morning, Friday, 12/9, left Townsville for a day trip to Cairns (375 km one way ). Travelled north via Ingham, Tully, Innisfail etc and arrived in Cairns at 1000. Very nice country up here. Weather very warm but noticed very black clouds approaching from the east. Had a good look around the town and bought some souvenirs…stayed there for a few hours then rode to
Mareeba, Atherton, Ravenshoe and back to Innisfail. There are many scenic spots in this area including many waterfalls and some nice ‘twisties through Jungle like hills in the Atherton Tablelands. There are a number of companies that run day trips in the area and I am sure that a few days in this area would be most enjoyable. But my visit was to be shorter and I ended up back in Townsville for the night. When I got back to Townsville that afternoon I had a good look around there as well, Castle Hill and the Harbour areas. This is also an interesting place. The weather was still warm. After dark settled down and relaxed…
Next morning, Saturday, 13/9, left there at 0600 and headed back down south stopping at Porkupine, Sarina, Marlborough, Beyne River, Childers. Stopped here and there for refreshments and other reasons. At Gympie I got a strange feeling and slowed down, and lo and behold there was a Radar Trap but by now I was legal and didn’t get pulled up. I arrived back at my friends property at 1705 after riding 1218 km that day in excactly 10 hrs riding time. ( Ave. 121.8 km/h ) No worries with my bum so far. The bike is comfortable and hasn’t missed a beat..weather very warm and the road surfaces quite rough at times. There are areas where there is just nothing to see for many k's’ and at times quite boring...Again settled in at my mates place and relaxed. Stayed there all day Sunday as well.
On Monday morning, 15/9, left there at 0600 and headed south via Nambour, to Brisbane in early morning traffic. Then along the Gold Coast..lot of traffic…weather warm, overcast and windy ( headwind ) on through Tweed Heads, Grafton, Kempsey where I had to stop and put on my waterproof pants as it started to rain. Again after refreshments headed for Newcastle by now in pouring rain and into a continuous headwind. The weather is actually not very pleasant at all.
I noticed that the wet roads were quite slippery on at least two fast bumpy corners, left handers where my front tyre lost grip. After Newcastle the rain eased a little but not the wind and now I noticed quite a lot of Police activity (Radar ) in cars.. I was lucky as on nearly every occasion the boys in blue were already booking someone else and I am proud to say that on the whole trip I was never stopped by Police…Just lucky I suppose.??
Approaching Sydney it again started to rain and then, due to weather conditions, decided not to continue down the east coast but go down the Hume for a change. After tea at a Kentucky Fried in Liverpool I ended up in Mittagong. When I say I ended up there I mean I got sort of lost and ended up on some back roads where at one stage I nearly got cleaned up by a herd of about a dozen Horses in the dark right on a bend. After my ticker had slowed down again a few minutes later, a Fox, also feeling lucky, darted out from the darkness in front of my bike but like a lot of wild animals, changed his mind about crossing all the way, turned around and came back while I was still recovering from the first evasive action. Anyway, finally found my way out to the freeway and reached Mittagong after travelling 1212 km that day.. Riding time 13 hrs ( Ave. 93.2 km/h ) Booked in to a Caravan Park and hired an onsite Van for $13.00. I thought I deserved a comfortable bed for the last night. After a welcome shower etc. sat down and made further notes. Riding today was not at all pleasant due to the weather and the extra concentration due to traffic and Police etc. made it quite tiring overall. It was very cold now so lit all the burners on the stove in the van to warm things up and it did wonders. Actually left one on all night. I think I got my money’s worth in Gas consumption alone.
Tuesday morning, 16/9, left Mittagong at 0605. It was freezing and foggy in places. My first stop was in Yass to thaw out and breakfast. I thought I would be safe from the law until at least 0800 but I saw the first Highway car at 0625. I kept my eyes open and also looked up for ‘suspect’ planes on some of the longer stretches. Saw quite a few Radar Cars until I arrived in Wodonga at 1015. I stayed there until 1425 with relatives and for lunch etc. On leaving Wodonga on the last leg to Altona, it was pouring rain all the way to just short of Craigieburn. It was quite a fast run home, as door to door it took just under 3 hours for the 315 km arriving at 1715. Today travelled 770 km from Mittagong .Riding time only 6 hrs 25 mins (Ave. 120 km/h)
Total distance for trip…7116 km …Fuel used …432.57 its …Fuel consumption…16.45 km/lt,…Cost..Fuel $ 232.94...Souveniers $ 34.00, Accommodation $ 26.00, Food/ drinks $ 41.00 Total cost.. $ 333.94
Considering the high Ave speeds I feel the fuel economy was very good. The bike never missed a beat and the only damage sustained was more ‘chipps’ in the paintwork. I saw a lot of this country flash past on this trip. At the time of writing, 8/10/86 the bike is now 6 months old and has travelled 36,500 km without any problems. It feels like it is just run in. … And I never had to lube the chain once yet BECAUSE it has Shaft Drive… Makes life a lot easier.
Bowling Night
Friday the 22nd of August was the annual ( well we did it last year) Westage Wonders ......No not a spelling mistake! Bowling night.
52 bowlers in total . Another great turnout guys, Well done! Great to see the younger folk there too.
A well organised event by the social committee as usual.
No injuries were reported except maybe a couple of bruised egos and maybe some creaky bones and one sore backside......Now who could that have been???
A fantastic night was had by all................So here are the results
Top Male Wonder was Andrew with 380 and Top Female Wonder was Deb with 240 (no we didn’t HUSTLE!!!!)
Lowest Male Wonder was Rob with 123 and Lowest Female Wonder was Mags with 139
Awards donated by Shane
Teenage Male award went to Scott with 254 and Teenage Female award went to Courtney with 173
Well done!
Tommy’s Corner
Little Billy asks his dad for a telly in his room. Dad reluctantly agrees. Next day Billy comes downstairs and asks,"Dad, what's love juice?" Dad looks horrified and tells Billy all about the birds and the bees. Billy just sat there with his mouth open in amazement. Dad says, "So what were you watchin'?" Billy says, "Wimbledon."
My friend Daryl was in a cowboy bar with his feet propped up on a table. He had the biggest boots. The woman asked the Daryl if it's true what they say about men with big feet being "well endowed". Daryl just grinned and said, "Shore is, little lady. Why don't you come on out to the motel room and let me prove it to you?" The woman wanted to find out for herself, so she spent the night with him. The next morning she handed him a $100 bill. Blushing, he said, "Well, thankee, ma'am. Ah'm real flattered. Ain't nobody ever paid me fer mah services before." "Don't be flattered," she said, "Take the money and buy yourself some boots that fit."
Quasimodo goes to a doctor for his annual checkup. "I think something is wrong with your back," the doctor says. "What makes you say that?" Quasimodo asks. "I don't know," the doctor replies. "It's just a hunch."
Gossip Column
Shhhhhh You Didn't hear this from me! (Gossip Column)I hear a recently unemployed wanderer has found a new love of cooking....His specialty is 14 litres of soup and spag Bolognese.......still waiting for my dinner invite, so is everyone else hehehe
I hear the bowling night went down a hit just like the prez......A note to self.....ball goes down the alley not yourself...I will leave this one to you to turn naughty!
Oh I also hear a certain Rat now has or should have shares in “mortein” and the ambulance service.
Please email me any goss you have..........My source will stay confidential........for a price $$$ hahahaha
Get to Know you "Rick"
30 Second Grab: I grew up in Newport and went to Willy High. When I finished school, I worked at Royal Insurance for 5 years before going on to Teachers College in 1978. I was a teacher for almost 26 years, but now work as a truck driver. I have lived in Werribee for 20 years and have been a proud member of Westgate Wanderers for 4 years. I have been riding motorcycles for over 36 years and hope to continue for a quite a few years yet.
Ok so who’s next??? Email me your profile and pic of you and your bike! debbie.do@bigpond.com
Until next month Take Care and Safe riding.
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