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Wing Notes |
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Newsletter
of the |
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July 2008 |
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Riding the
Ulysses AGM Parade in disguise |
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www.auswingriders.com |
Australian Wing Riders Association (Qld) Inc |
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Wing Notes |
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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION QLD INCORPORATED |
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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. |
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Management
Committee: |
Meetings: |
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President Bill Carter (07) 5564 8996 E-mail: carterbm @
bigpond.net.au |
Secretary Val Thomas (07) 3848 0498 E-mail: secretary @ auswingriders.com |
Meetings are held on the 1st Monday of every month |
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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: New Farm Bowls Club, |
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A
Queenslander and a Victorian getting a bit close |
Upcoming activities: |
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17th August Ride to Natural Arch 23rd August Pot Luck Social Dinner 12th – 14th Sept 12th – 14th Dec Qld Christmas Party |
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When I got home last night,
my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive... so, I took her to a
gas station... And then the fight started.... |
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The President Speaks…. |
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The Secretary’s Desk…. |
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Gidday
all, Another month and another magazine. Thanks to Phil and Clint for the stories that I’m sure will keep you entertained. A few more would be good, just lucky Clint had a long tale to tell. Apologies to Rusty and Maree. You will all have to wait until next month for their ride story as the file was corrupted and I could not recover it. Arrangements for Goomburra are in place and the application form is available on the web site. If you are attending, please complete the form so I can make the necessary bookings. As usual, limited spaces are available in the bunk house so get in early. After having it parked in the shed for the past few months, we finally took the trailer out for an almost fully loaded trial run to Toowoomba last weekend. It certainly holds more that the bike but not as much as some of the trailers towed by others but the design and built certainly showed its worth. It passed my biscuit crumb test with flying colours and the shape obviously lives up to the manufacturers hype with only limited effects on the fuel consumption. Roll on September and two weeks on the road. We should even have an opportunity to catch up with some or southern members The last month has not been a good one for motorcyclists
with there seeming to be an unending stream of fatalities on Ride safe and don’t become a
statistic. Bevan |
Hi everyone, I hate to admit it but the last few weeks have been fairly mundane for me. I am not sure if I am still suffering travel lag from our trip, or just wading through all of the things at home that got left undone before and during our trip. Apart from the occasional short ride, poor old Evie, (our bike), has been sitting in the garage wondering when she was going for her next ride. We did have a night out in Surfers Paradise with Phil and Vicki and that was fun as they got to show off their new 1800. Great bike, but a hell of a way to get it. We are very grateful that they are both well and apart from Phil having his little pinky extended like a toff, back to normal. Now that the We had a great club ride with progressive meals today, and I came home with a belly full of great food, (and that’s a lot), and a grin from ear to ear. There is nothing like a ride to lift the spirits. We proceeded from the Gold Coast where we live to The only down side was while we were on a winding country road we were met by a 4WD coming toward us. The road was narrow but room enough for two cars to pass. By the time that I realized that the idiot in the 4WD wanted his and our share of the road too, there was barely enough room to fit a cigarette paper between our mirror and the 4WD. I would like to tell you about my lightning reactions and the superior riding skills that I displayed, but the truth was if he had hit us, it would have happened before we even saw it. We were just very lucky that I had given him the extra room that I had. It is funny what you think of at times like that. Mary and I both thought of sex, and yelled it at the top of our voices. It just goes to show, you can’t be too careful. Every time we get on our bikes there is bound to be an idiot in a car try to take us out. Don’t let ‘em Keep it up Bill Carter |
Hello
everyone, All is quiet and cold at the desk this month. Thommo and I are still feeling the after effects from our colds, which also interrupted our social events this month. Consequently we weren’t able to participate in the progressive ride, and according to all reports we missed some excellent and delicious dishes. Meanwhile, the latest update is please note
the change of dates for our Christmas week-end, which is now on the
Friday/Saturday 12th/ Our committee meetings are being hosted at Ron Mead residence which seems a more central point for our committee members, many thanks to Ron for letting us enjoy his hospitality. However, finding it is quite a challenge for us, even with the refidex, Thommo and I have had to do U turns as we have passed the driveway each time – so far! Our monthly meetings are still at the New Farm Bowls Club, however, securing the catering for the meal has proven too difficult. So our apologies to members who would appreciate a meal. In the meantime, the executive decision has been that there will be some light nibblies available during the meeting, and with Bill’s efficiency at keeping our meetings sensibly short, we can all get home for our supper reasonably early. In the meantime, stay warm and safe riding. Valerie and Thommo |
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Townsville here we come Thursday 22nd May. 1200h –
Leave work, head home, attach trailer, check Vicki is on back and head up to
Rusty and Maree’s for a spectacular meal of Nacho’s. Friday 23rd May. 0830h – Ride
bike out of carport, go to petrol station, fill bike with fuel, back to
Rust’s, attach trailer, check Vicki is on back and follow Rusty and Maree out
of driveway. Rest of day much of a blur till reaching Rockhampton. Check in
at Saturday 24th May. 0830h –
Check trailer is attached, leave caravan park, woops, nearly forgot to check
Vicki, a tap on her leg confirmed she was there. Another blur of a day till
we lost Rust’s, found Clint and Charlene though, willing to do a trade,
better not, don’t want to upset Rust’s, we’ll wait. Soon found Rust’s and on
way to more blur. Blur stopped on arrival at Bowen, couldn’t find
accommodation as Bowen had booked in a sports carnival for the same weekend
(how inconsiderate) had to backtrack 2km to caravan park, not so pleasant
diversion.( have to remember to book next time- naa, won’t happen) Used to
live here in another life so went to check out old house and other memories.
Eat then sleep. Sunday 25th May. 0830h –
Usual checks, all present, more blur to look forward to, but only a short one
today. Till 13km form Townsville then all traffic |
same day, too much for us
young-uns. Sleep then eat. Tuesday 3rd June. 0900h – depart for Wednesday 4th June. 0730h –
Head to docks for ferry ride to Thursday 5th June. 0600h –
Time to pack up again and head for home. Say our farewells to the Rust’s as
they are staying on, and another 3 days of blur to look forward to. Blur
temporarily broken at Another Ulysses AGM finished,
till next year-----maybe!!! Phil and Vick |
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came to a stop, serious
accident had closed road ahead so had to backtrack and go to some place that
held a rock concert there some time back. They must have cleared everything
away because as we rode through Monday 26th May. 0630h – More
of the usual checks and off to the showgrounds. A few hours later and all was
set up for the week. Tuesday 27th May –
Sunday 1st June. Ulysses AGM week. WOW! Monday 2nd June. 0700h – Time
to pack up and head for |
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Too
smart for first grade A first-grade teacher, Ms. Brooks, was having trouble with one of her
students. The teacher asked, ‘Harry, what's your problem?' Harry answered, 'I'm too smart for the
1st grade. My sister is in the 3rd
grade and I’m smarter than she is! I
think I should be in the 3rd grade too!' Ms. Brooks had had enough. She took Harry to the principal's
office. While Harry waited in the
outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation
was. The principal told Ms. Brooks he
would give the boy a test. If he
failed to answer any of his questions he was to go back to the 1st grade and
behave. She agreed. Harry was brought in and the
conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test. Principal:
'What is 3 x 3?' Harry: ‘9’. Principal: 'What is 6 x 6?'
Harry: '36.' And so it went with every question the
principal thought a 3rd grader should know. The principal looks at Ms. Brooks and tells her, 'I think Harry can go
to the 3rd grade.' Ms. Brooks says
to the Principal, 'Let me ask him some questions.' The principal and Harry both
agreed. Ms. Brooks asks, ‘What does a
cow have four of that I have only two of?'
Harry, after a moment:
'Legs.' Ms Brooks: 'What is in your
pants that you have but I do not have?'
The Principal wondered why she would ask such a question! Harry replied: 'Pockets.' |
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Ms. Brooks: 'What does a dog do that a
man steps into?' Harry: 'Pants.' Ms. Brooks: What starts with a C, ends
with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin, whitish liquid?' Harry:
'Coconut.' The principal sat forward with his
mouth hanging open. Ms. Brooks: 'What
goes in hard and pink then comes out soft and sticky?' The principal's eyes opened really
wide and before he could stop the answer, Harry replied, ‘Bubble gum.' Ms. Brooks: 'What does a man do
standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?' |
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Harry: ‘Shake hands.' The principal was trembling. Ms. Brooks: 'What word starts with an
'F' and ends in 'K' that means a lot of heat and excitement?' Harry:
'Firetruck.' The principal breathed a sigh of relief and told the teacher, 'Put Harry in the fifth-grade, I got the last seven questions wrong..... |
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Our
Ulysses AGM Trip. We were able to get a few
days off either side of the 2008 Ulysses AGM so left on the Thursday,
planning to take four days to get to Townsville. Charleen wanted to experience
a long distance ride on her CB1300S so we loaded up the two bikes with plenty
of gear and set out. I often travel up
and down the Bruce Highway, so the first thing we did was head west to
Blacksoil and turn north up the Brisbane Valley Highway. We saw a large contingent of
riders in Ulysses gear take off from Esk shortly after we arrived for morning
tea. Big waves. The weather was fine
and the mid-week riding excellent.
North we went through Yarraman, Nanango and Goomeri before making our
next pit-stop. We had only stopped for
a few minutes when the same large group of Ulyssians overtook us again! Surprised waves from them. We followed later, travelling
easily in the light traffic. AT Ban
Ban Springs we caught up with the big group, who were just turning east
towards the coast. We stayed north-bound
through Gayndah and Mundubbera before finishing up at Eidsvold for the day -
443km. Not a long ride but a really
relaxing one. Eidsvold is a small town
and only has one motel and one hotel-motel.
We opted for the latter on advisement of the servo attendant. The digs were minimal, but adequate. Friday morning was a little
cool. 9 degrees on the Wing
display. And poor Charleen was
suffering a head-cold. We headed out
at about We pulled up at Biloela,
where a $5 scarf was purchased. This
helped a lot with noise and warmth.
From Biloela we followed a road past the Callide power station, even
taking a side road up to a look-out.
Beware, this road is badly corrugated gravel on steep hills. Fun on two strictly road bikes. The view was interesting though. The road back down – scary. Then it was onwards via Cool Road, a narrow
bitumen side road with lots of curves that might have been fun but for the
road’s roughness. Hard to enjoy laying
onto a corner when the bike is bucking like it has just been released from
the chute at a rodeo. Back on highway, we travelled
east towards Calliope and the |
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We had never visited Tannum
Sands, so took the opportunity while we weren’t in a hurry. But this necessitated travelling south on The
Bruce for 13km to Benaraby before turning in to the coast. Our hands nearly fell off from the waving
to all the Ulyssians travelling north.
Pulling up at the Servo, we were accused of travelling the wrong
way. Here we also bumped into friends
Bill and Chris from Stanthorpe, travelling on their brand new Bergman with
trailer. Little did we know this was
the last we’d see of this bike. Through the obviously growing
Tannum Sands we went, |
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then north to But when I put the key in and
pressed the button to go back to neutral – nothing. Both lights remained out. Can anyone see the problem? I couldn’t. I checked the fuses. All OK.
We struggled the bike off the stand, straining my arm muscles in the
process. Still no lights and no
movement. Best to contact a
mechanic. So I rang Meady. His |
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mechanic had just gone out
for lunch and Geoff had no ideas as to how to get the bike to move. A local motorcyclist, and
Ulyssian, offered help, but had no knowledge of Honda Electrics. He did supply the name of the local Honda
shop and went away to get the number, saying he would pass us again shortly
after picking up his wife and if we were still there would offer more
help. Motorcyclists are nice people. Finally, my slow brain noticed
that the kill-switch was in the off position.
I never use the kill-switch so had not done that purposefully, but
must have knocked it with the helmet when resting it on the right bar – as I
always do. Flicked it on and voila!
Lights. Then it was an embarrassing
second call to Meady to explain – while he explained how he would delight in
passing it on. Grrrrr. Sometimes I think my life has a purpose. Showing everyone else how stupid it looks
to make simple mistakes. On the road again and it was a
short run up to Rocky for the night.
We met up with friends Camo and Kath, both on Suzuki DLs, poor things. Saturday was up the boring |
mentioned in the latest ARR
magazine, but when confronted with a damp gravel road, everyone chickened
out. Even the two DLs. Back to The Bruce. Fuelling up at Sarina, who
should pull in but Phil and Vicky.
Apparently Rusty and Maree were up the road with Rusty barking at the
ground looking for Ralph. We carried
on. Just out of Sarina we took a
side road and followed GPS instructions through Then it was on to Proserpine
and then Bowen where we booked in to the very pleasant Whitsunday Sands
resort for a couple of night’s rest. Monday morning saw us on the
road early, joining the throng of motorcyclists heading for Townsville and
the AGM. Caught up with Bill and Mary
in We had decided to try
something different this year. We
looked at the price of |
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was suddenly very loose. I eased to a stop and Charleen pulled up
also. I used her bike to travel back
and forth over the last few hundred metres but couldn’t find the bolt. Bugger.
Out with the tool kit, and guess which allen key was missing. Grrrrr again. Nothing to do but soldier on
and hold the clutch assembly in place.
Pretty soon we got to Carmilla where the mechanic shop was still
open. He located a bolt and gave me an
allen key and all was tight again.
Didn’t want any money, just a chat about GoldWings, but I slipped him
a fiver for his troubles. We met another couple of friends and went off to
find the Sarina Esses, |
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Deb. Mike and Marie were not far away either. I headed off to BCF and picked
up our pre-ordered tent and we set up.
Then it was off to Bunnings to find some mats to keep out the dust. The next few days were spent
having a ball at the venue, meeting up with all our Ulysses friends, some
local friends and generally having a good time. Charleen very nearly won a motorcycle too –
as did Phil. Close but no cigar. After it was all over, time
for the homeward ride. Even upon
leaving the venue on Sunday morning, we had still not decided which way to go
home. There were reports of much rain
to the south. First thing was a visit to |
So, with a sharp eye on the
horizon, we ramped up the speed to get through it as soon as possible. Almost made it too. About half a km from the next
wide bit, along came four road trains.
Nothing to do but go for the gravel.
Luckily at this bit it was relatively dry and so we just bumped along
slowly while the four behemoths thundered past. Then it was back on to two lanes and we
breathed a big sigh of relief. The rain steadily increased
until we got to Capella, where we saw an inviting motel and stopped for the
night. The Bottlebrush Motel has big
rooms and full undercover parking for the bikes. It wasn’t cheap, but the meals certainly
were. Homemade pumpkin soup and a
seafood basket and chips with a help-yourself salad bar all for $10 a
head. Nice. Monday morning it was still
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dry. Down to
Emerald for brekkie and fuel, then head south towards Roma to keep west of
the rains. At Rolleston, we topped up
the tanks and for some strange reason, the GPS re-calculated and took us out
of town the wrong way. I didn’t
realise until it suggested we turn off onto the unsealed Tuesday morning was wet again, but only for a little
while and by |
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By the time we got to |
Dalby for Brekkie, it was dry
and we had a nice run into home via Crows Nest. As I mentioned, after travelling The Bruce so many
times and putting up with all the traffic that usually travels that highway,
it was nice and relaxing to ride the inland ways up and back through Clint |
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What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many
Dirt Roads have been paved. There's not a problem in People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn
early on that life is a bumpy ride. That it can jar you right down to your teeth
sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy
kids and a dog. We wouldn't have near the trouble with our
educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with
other kids, from whom they learn how to get along. There was less crime in our streets before they were
paved. Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or
rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel
shotgun. And there were no drive by shootings. Our values were better, when our roads were worse! People did not worship their cars more than their
kids and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper
or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with
rocks. Dirt Roads taught patience. Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly; you didn't
hop in your car for a quart of milk, you walked to the barn for your milk. For your mail, you walked to the mail box. What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out?
That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time,
roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders
and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody. At the end of Dirt Roads you soon learned that bad
words tasted like soap. Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more
likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole. At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even
locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbour would fill
it with too much zucchini. At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra
springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck; you'd have to hitch
up a team and pull them out. Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new
friend...at the end of a Dirt Road! *by Paul
Harvey* |
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AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION (QLD) INCORPORATED
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Date |
Start Point |
Destination |
Ride /
Social Event |
Ride
Leaders |
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17 August Ride |
BP Stapleton 8.00 for |
Natural Arch |
Lunch Stop still to be decided on. |
Winston |
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23 August Social |
Your Place |
Bill and Mary’s Address on website |
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