BMW Touring Club of NSW Newsletter April 2008 BMWTCNSW PO BOX 53 Adorning the cover this month is an image of my new riding mate, RYDALMERE BC “Cutie Pie” the Chihuahua. She’s suitably harnessed and fits very NSW 1710 nicely into the lined glove compartment of my 96 K1100LT. In the first few minutes of her introductory ride, she decided she wanted Website : http://www.bmwtcnsw.org “out” while I was hanging a U turn. There she was 450mm from the Full and Family Memberships welcome tarmac swinging on her bungie chord. She quickly adapted to her situation and sits there looking up at me or sleeps until we stop. Due to last month’s unusual meeting there are no Minutes to present. Treasurer’s Reports haven’t been submitted, no sweat – your Newsletter is chockers with heaps of interesting stuff, once again I ran COMMITTEE out of room. For two months I haven’t emailed members with the website link to PRESIDENT Andrew Le Lievre download the PDF Newsletter. I haven’t had one enquiry. Waddup NSW MCC Representative guys? Is the PDF unnecessary at the moment? Let me know. ED ■ M 0418 220 658 [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT Paul Evans P 0296 742 361 [email protected] SECRETARY Andrew Watson REGALIA Andrew Watson M 0419 255 290 P 0298 963 335 [email protected] MEMBERSHIP SECTRETARY Marie Pennykid M 0428 393 093 P 0247 393 093 [email protected] TREASURER Chris Huddy M 0438 407 146 P 0298 084 645 [email protected] Checkout this rave review on the F800GS, it’s a beauty. page 12 CONTENTS NEWSLETTER PRODUCTION Editor & BMWCA Delegate Malcolm McKay President’s Report 3 M 0432 802 820 P 0249 911 900 New Noise Laws, MCC of NSW Delegate 4 [email protected] Front Number Plate, MCC of NSW Delegate 5 I Love Bikes, Front Number Plate MCC of NSW Delegate 5 MCC NSW DELEGATE Warren Buffett Music for Motorcycling Review, Rob Lovett 6 ASSESTS and ARCHIVES Ride Report Kiama March 2008, Jennie Banks 7 NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION New Members’ Ride Report, Stephen Pauline aka The Trailerman 7 M 0411 076 941 P 0296 224 254 [email protected] Summer Blood Challenge, Warren Buffett 8 Karuah River Rally Ride Report, Henning Jorgensen 10 NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION Tony Conliffe Bike Review, 2008 F800GS 12 WEB MANAGER Roger Martyn Tips and Tricks, be your own mechanic 13 [email protected] There’s A Rally Somewhere & Classifieds 14 Events and Ride Calendar, Bruce Campbell 15 This Newsletter is a forum for all members of the BMWTCNSW. Views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views or BMWTCNSW Classic Register Registrars opinions of The Editor or the Committee of BMW Touring Club of Contact these people if you are interested in older Beemers NSW. Publication of all materials is at the Editor’s discretion. All Northern Region Craig Hancock 1Nimala Ave, Koolewong 2256 content © BMW Touring Club of NSW. P 0243 431 818 M 0419 557 014 [email protected] Your Article in our Newsletter. Send what you would like published Sydney Region Graham Johns, 8B Gunners Mews, Holsworthy 2173 in ms word format or notepad text. Include small versions of images in 0297 310 934 [email protected] the article if you like, but send me the originals as down-loaded from Southern Region John Marquette 174 Thornford Rd, Yarra 2850 your camera. I can then ensure a high quality product. P 0248 297 104 M 0425 280 290 johnm@ goulburn.net.au Join the BMWTCNSW. Download the pdf from our website. Print and fill it out. Send it to the Membership Secretary with your cheque. Our Internet Forum is the place to post messages to other members of your club. Go to the website and click on the e-groups link. From there it’s a simple matter to sign-up, log-on and join in the action; find out stuff about rides, rallies & gossip. http://www.bmwtcnsw.org Please refer all Advertising requests to The Editor. ■ Proudly printed by Kwik Kopy, Wst Ryde. Phone Bruce 0298 046 677 COVER PHOTO, “Cutie Pie” enjoying her ride, photo Ed BMW Touring Club of NSW NEWSLETTER 2 APRIL 2008 I had walked 45mins towards Cooma and stopped, deciding to go back to the bike and wait. I was taking a load of camping gear to Thredbo for the cold Flame rally so I knew I would be G’day – Happy Easter to everyone and here’s to a safe and ok if I pitched the tent and at least I’d be warm. I had passed a demerit free month of riding. junction sign that had been turned around the wrong way as it was pointing towards Braidwood and not Cooma and cussed Welcome to all the new members and thanks to Marie and Paul the local kids whom I blamed for the misdeed. About another for arranging the New Members Ride last month. I understand 500mtrs towards the bike, a car appeared out of nowhere. I had it was such a success that the next “New” event will be a my mobile phone light on and waved him down. He just went camping weekend in the not too distant future. past me but thankfully stopped about 200mtres down the road. I Last month I mentioned I had an “off” and a few good souls walked up to him said hello and told him what happened. Colin were kind enough to inquire as to my health and get the low was a farmer that had been to the sales in Sydney. It was purely down on just what happened. Well a week before the Safari I coincidence he was there at all and he very kindly drove me had a bit of a mishap. On my way to Thredbo, riding along back to the bike - 5kms! I was standing on his tow bar as there roads I have ridden many times before I was involved in a fatal was no room in the cab. We stopped at a T intersection and MVA – Thank god it was the other bloke that karked it!! dropped of his trailer and at that point had a chat and I guess he I admit to many mistakes on the night – where I was, riding thought I was well enough to then go to Cooma hospital. alone, late evening , fatigue etc but that’s what I had done It was only later that it became clear to me why Colin thought I several hundred times before! may have been slightly out of shape. It turned out that that sign I’d only seen two other wombats since leaving the freeway. post had been correct and disoriented after the stack, I had been One peacefully was eating – the other running flat out across walking a not so short 120kms towards Braidwood. the road. That one was a near miss and I thought to myself At Cooma Base they checked me out, full x-rays; head, neck, watch out for number three. My GPS indicated less than 40kms shoulders & spine. It took forever and was bloody cold. The to Cooma so I slowed to around 50 km/h – figuring better to go doctor struggled with some new blood kit which made me slow and enjoy the ride with only about 1km of a short gravel worry but after a while he explained that the Police were on section to go. their way as the accident occurred on a public road. Apparently A flash of red appeared from the left – I thought it was a pig as it’s mandatory to have blood alcohol testing under such it was travelling very fast. I braked hard but it ran into the back circumstances. By this time I was experiencing full on shock. of the front wheel, effectively tripping the bike just like a bull Uncontrollable shivering, and really not feeling so well. Col wrestler in a rodeo. had stayed with me and was a much more attentive nurse than Such was the impact that my bike travelled only about 5mtrs on the medical staff who seemed more interested in the late night its side spinning around to face the other way –the wombat was radio talk back than the latest Wombat Slayer. killed instantly and I was flat on my face in the dirt saying out What I haven’t told you is that my family, who I was on the loud, “fark that hurt”. Spitting the dirt out from inside my way to meet at Thredbo had expected me around midnight. helmet (I couldn’t see because of the dust and grit) I stood up After receiving a call from me which started, “Hi, it’s me, I’m and knew that I was concussed as everything was a blur. ok.” Robyne drove up from Thredbo and arrived at 3am. The It took me about three goes to get the bike up even with one Police still hadn’t arrived and under the new honesty system I “Oh please God” moment. After the impact the bike was still was asked to present myself to give a statement. running so I flicked it off, the clutch had no pressure which Cooma Police took my statement and completed the trifecta. meant that while I could start the bike, as soon as it clicked into Col, Nurse and now Police all said the world was all the better gear, it stalled. At 350kgs plus fully loaded you can’t even roll for having one less wombat.