Royal Enfield Club of Australia Inc – 2017 AGM Rally Trip Report
By Craig Katen
The Royal Enfield Club of Australia 2017 AGM was held on November 18th at Deloraine TAS, about 50km south of Devonport and about 50 km west of Launceston. We had approximately 48 people registered 10 from NSW, 17 from VIC, 19 from TAS and 2 from the UK. Of the 10 people from NSW 3 dropped out and only Ian Lyons and myself rode our bikes, Bruce and Cynthia Walker and Bill Rice transported theirs and the Penningtons came in their Campervan sans bike.
My journey started as a late entry having recently taking myself out of the workforce and I discovered that Ian was planning to ride down and also stay for the following week’s tour around the island. I thought this would be an opportunity that I should not miss. I quickly got onto booking boat passage and hotels for the AGM and went about investigating the planned ride that Charles Todd was organising. Ian and I decided that we would tag along with their group and not make any formal plans for accomodation etc.
I left Northmead on Wednesday morning and met Ian at a rest stop on the Hume Hwy just past his town of Minto and we proceeded on our way to Holbrook, which was our first night’s destination and where we would meet up with the Walkers and Bill. Having stopped for a pie at Goulburn for lunch, not far along the Hume towards Yass my bike began to splutter and eventually stopped and I found I was out of fuel, Headwinds, lots of luggage, Wide Open Throttle riding and filling the bike on the side stand all contributed to a reduced range. I also had the tank off to run electrical wires to the bars and had not correctly reconnected the sensor cable for the low fuel warning light. As you may or may not know a Royal Enfield does not have a fuel gauge as they usually break down before running out. Having just past the Breadalbane turn off this was the choice for the hunt for fuel. I layed the bike over to eek out the last of the petrol and made it back to the turn off and a bit down the road and she stopped for good. Ian rode into the town proper (what’s left of it) and confirmed the Petrol Station was gone and spoke to a council worker mowing lawns who had a bit of fuel. In the meantime a local resident pulled into their driveway so I walked up to asked them for advice and they had a jerry can and filled me up and advised that it would be best to continue to Gunning which we did. We got to Gunning and refueled and there was a Pub that served Resches next door so we stopped for a refreshing ale before riding on to Holbrook.
The next day we left for Melbourne after having breakfast with Cynthia, Bruce and Bill at the cafe in the Service Centre. The weather did not look promising but was only overcast when we left however not long into the ride it started to rain and we stopped in Wangaratta and refueled and changed into wet weather gear. We encountered some heavy rain exacerbated by spray from large trucks and cars and then stopped at Euroa for lunch and a dry-out. From there the weather picked up and we made it to the meeting point before boarding which was the Local Pub in Bay St. There we met Richard, Patrice, Stuart and Laurie and had a beer and waited till boarding time before making our way onto the boat and cabins and met up with the others in the Bar area on deck 7 for dinner and drinks.
On Friday, after disembarking we assembled at the petrol station around the corner and had a chat about what the day entailed. The plan was to ride to Ulverstone to Trevor and Sue’s place as they had kindly offered to make us all breakfast which was lovely. From there we rode up to the coast through Penguin to Burnie and had lunch.
From Burnie we went on a bit of a tour the long way to Deloraine through some stunning countryside arriving late in the afternoon and then proceeded to our Meet n’ Greet which was held at the Cruzin in the 50’s Diner which was packed with automotive memorabilia that would have been worth a fortune.
Saturday we had the first of our AGM rides and some great old bikes turned up in the motel carpark like a mini historic bike show including Matt Blunt’s beautiful ’63 Continental GT 250, a few old Enfields owned by Mick and some Brough Superiors.
We had our riders briefing and set off for the ride through valleys and over mountain passes to arrive at the Mole Creek Hotel for judging and lunch.
Unfortunately during the ride Cynthia had a spill on a wet slippery corner and had to be taken to Launceston Hospital where she was diagnosed with a cracked rib.
Sundays ride was to the Burt Munro Cafe in Exeter
On Monday a group of us left for the trip around the Island – Charles Todd, Ian Lyons, Jon Hinton, Tim Hinton, Anthony Wright, Don Havelberg and Shelly, Patrice Renaudin, Richard Mulcaire, Stuart McKenzie, Laurie Reeves, Geoff Best, Barry Southern and Eileen, Mal and Sue Mogar, Trevor Marshall and Myself.
We headed north to Stanley and stopped at the Bischoff Hotel Waratah for lunch then to the Stanley Cabin Park
Views from Deloraine
Bischoff Hotel Waratah
Waratah was an old mining town and you can still see some of the relics
There is a chairlift just visible on the left hand shoulder of the “Nut” which is a geological feature at Stanley
Stanley Harbour
On Tuesday we headed south and stopped at Tullah Pub on our way to Strahan and then to Roseberry for fuel.
We stayed at Strahan Beach Tourist Park where it was so hot when we arrived I went for a swim in the warm brackish water a short walk from the campground. A popular place with the locals, there were families barbecuing and kids playing on the beach and in the shallow water.
On Wednesday morning I went for a walk from Strahan Beach around to the harbour and took some photos before we left for the next destination.
We left Strahan and headed to Strathgordon via Queenstown and Derwent Bridge stopping at Ouse for lunch at a truck stop.
This trip showcased the diversity of Tasmania. We had the tropical like bays and inlets of Stanley which were like the Whitsundays,the alpine mountain plateaus like the Snowy Mountains, subalpine rainforests complete with Dicksonia ferns like the Victorian Alps, steep rugged valleys and peaks like the Blue Mountains and then open semi-arid plains near Ouse were like the Monaro .
Pedder Wilderness Lodge was a spectacular place to stay with beautiful scenery and wildlife in abundance.
A quick trip to the end of the road on Thursday morning to check out the Gordon dam was required before setting off back thru the Mt Field National Park and refueling at Westerway and then on to New Norfolk to visit Rick from Mountain Engineering the Royal Enfield dealer there and have some lunch. Laurie had to arrange a new rear tyre which he did with Rick’s help.
This is where the group split up. Half the group headed towards Port Arthur and the other half went to Hobart to a backpackers but due to our accommodation requirements Ian and I stayed in New Norfolk at the Junction Motel which had great hosts and lots of art and succulents around the place. When I asked the owner if the room fridges had a freezer as I had some warm beer in my saddle bags he asked what type and proceeded to swap them for some coldies from his fridge. Later we ordered pizzas from reception and he shouted us another coldie while they cooked.
Friday we went thru Swansea to Bicheno and stayed at Bicheno East Coast Holiday Park where we copped a bit of rain
We stopped at Swansea for lunch but unfortunately the Horny Cray was closed for good but worth a photo all the same.
Bicheno lent itself to some more photo opportunities with the sun coming out after the previous nights rain
Saturday we left Bicheno and travelled through Lake Leake stopping at Campbell Town and had a pie, This is where Ian and I left the group who were going to Longford to meet up with the guys arriving from Port Arthur and then onto the Ross Motorcycle show on Sunday. We headed to Devonport to catch the boat back and bumped into Santa Claus in the marshalling yard prior to getting on the boat
After the boat trip we left Melbourne early and hit the highway in an attempt to make up some time and get ahead of the bad weather that was looming. Forecast thunderstorms skirted around us and after a quick stop for fuel and coffee at Euroa we pushed on and found ourselves in Albury for a late lunch and fuel. Not long and we were stopping again to stretch the legs and refuel at Gundagai by this time it was 4pm and we could either stay or go. The storms persisted around us however we had been lucky and a decision was made to push on as the motel in Gunning did not answer. The clouds blackened as we made another quick stop in Goulburn at about 6pm and a review of the weather showed that the storms were still circling us however being only a few hours from Sydney tempted us towards home. We left Goulburn and rode through one quick torrential thunderstorm to make it home about 730pm for Ian and 830pm for me after a full day in the saddle.
I would like to thank everyone on the trip for the great riding and fun times, Trevor for breakfast and being our sweep rider and especially the organisers Club President Mick Lemon (AGM) and Club Secretary Charles (Road Trip) for such a wonderful experience,
My 5 year old Royal Enfield C5 bike had only just clicked over 10,000Km on the way down to Melbourne and now has over 14,000Km – the total distance on the trip seems to be approx 4,386Km less some local running around – It will have to be a big one next time to top that.
I received a trophy at the AGM for the “Furthest Distance Travelled on an Enfield” having travelled from Sydney’s west to Melbourne and then to Deloraine from Devonport.
The Royal Enfield Club of Australia 2016 AGM was held on September 17th at Temora NSW, about 400 km south west of Sydney and about 600 km northeast of Melbourne. We had 47 people registered 27 from NSW 17 from VIC one each from TAS, SA and WA plus some hangers on.
Jenny and I decided to ride down and as we left the weather didn’t look too bad, it was only slightly raining as we headed along the M4 towards our meeting spot at Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains. As we approached Penrith there was a distinct gap in the clouds and I assumed the weather was localised to Sydney even though the forecast was for some showers.
We arrived early at Glenbrook and went and got a pie whilst waiting for Hugh who lives locally and the Sydney crew Mike, Gerard and Gupreet. We then took off and caught up with Marie at Springwood and proceeded thru the mountains to our morning tea stop at Lithgow. The rain persisted as we crossed the mountains and as we reached the top at Medlow Bath the wind kicked in. I had not brought my winter gloves nor put on a pair of thermals and was feeling it in the legs and hands. As we descended Victoria Pass towards the never-ending road works zone that is Hartley I was able to warm my left hand on the flats and uphills and my right on the downhills by alternatively placing my gloves directly on the head of my engine, however my wet leather clad frozen knees had to wait till we reached Maccas so I could pull on my wet weather pants.
After a cup of coffee we hit the road to Bathurst and then down to Blainey where I went looking for thermal gloves to put under my unlined cold wet leather gloves, After a a few attempts I found some at IGA but alas they were too thick to fit inside my gloves, a waste of $3.75.
We meet up with Doug Bourke who was trailering his Interceptor and Ian and Roger who decided to sleep in and avoid the cold.
Next stop was Cowra for some lunch and a warm up. We pulled up at the Lachlan Hotel which didn’t look very inviting at first glance but after speaking to a couple who had just dined there we decided it was good enough for us and we grabbed a beer and ordered some food where we had the whole dining room to ourselves since it was about 2pm.
Young was our next destination as people needed to get fuel, just a quick stop on the side of the road opposite a service station where we waited for Mike who was going to fuel up at Cowra and waved us on.
Mike never showed up so we rang him and left a message that we had left Young – he rang back but I missed the call and subsequently also lost the group when I tried to answer it and then return the missed call.
I did not fill up at Young as I had a full tank at Blainey and thought I’d be fine, however when we left my fuel light soon started to flash as I did not account for head winds, luggage and two-up riding and after another 20km it came on on solid so we backed off a bit thinking Mike would catch us up. By the time we reached the outskirts of Temora we were doing 70kph and enjoying the scenery of canola fields etc.
We arrived at Temora around 4pm, I dropped Jenny at the Motel to check in and went and refueled where it took over 12 litres.
The Goldtera motel was conveniently located near the main street of town, the Ex-Services Club where the AGM and dinner would be held and the Terminus Hotel where our friday night meet and greet was being held and where a fair amount of people were staying.
The Ride
It was the intentions of the organisers of the AGM to visit the Temora air show on saturday since many had ridden a fair distance to get there, however the traditionalists of the club insisted that an AGM is not an AGM without a ride and that some had trailered their bikes, so a ride was organised to Cootamundra with a Lunch stop at the Family Hotel where the bike judging was held.
Here is a short video of the group Leaving Terminus Hotel for the ride
We stopped at the Family Hotel in Cootamundra for judging and lunch (click on the photos to see larger images)
AGM
The Annual General Meeting was held at the Temora Ex Services Club at 5pm on Saturday followed by a dinner.
Bill Rice was nominated for Life Membership. Proposed by Sir Charles Todd and Seconded by Sir Anthony Wright. The proposal was carried.
Prizes were awarded as follows:
Age of Bike plus age of rider – Sir Frederick Garland.
Best UCE – Mark Reynolds
Best Electra – Ian Lyons
Best Cast Iron Barrel RE – Owen Bentley
Best Non Enfield – Matt Bunt
Best All round Enfield – Sir Frederick Garland
Best Royal Enfield or Best Twin Enfield – not sure actually – Three awards were given Sir Frederick Garland, Mick Lemon, and Sir Charles Todd.
Longest Distance ridden to the AGM on a RE – Bill Rice
Longest Distance ridden to the AGM on a non RE – Graham Morell
Chook Award actually now a Duck Award. To Marie from Winmalee for a slight dropping of her bike.
Passing the Baton. Matt Bunt passed the baton to Laurie Reeves.
The baton was designed by a past Member to be handed over and a track of the kilometres be kept. It is believed that the instructions contained within the baton don’t make much sense.
Jon Hinton and Craig Katen each received a bottle of whiskey as promised for writing the Winter Rally Report for our Newsletter.
As one of the photographers I tried to do a selfie with Bruce but it was all blurry so Thanks Stuart McKenzie for the additional photos and video
T Shirt Competition to identify Members featured on the shirt was won by Doug Bourke out of four entries. Doug won 3 years free Membership.
The weekend before the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride is the Royal Enfield Club of Australia’s 2016 AGM at Temora in country NSW and they are both “long” trips I thought I’d make it more comfortable for us on both rides.
The DGR is a long day in the saddle as the event sees us going all over sydney – well really just from Sydney Uni across the bridge and back – but it seems like a long trip due to the large number of bikes . It’s worth noting that 725 riders have registered and raised $103924 already. This is just the Sydney ride mind you – In 2015, over 37,000 participants in 410 cities in 79 countries raised over $2.3M (US) for prostate cancer research.The goal for this year is $5m USD.
I will take to the bike’s shiny bits with some metal polish before both events to make it look its best and I might also do some facial manscaping myself to try to look even more dapper.
Please check it out and if you can help out and sponsor me it’s all for a good cause – Raising money for men’s physical and mental health
The Temora trip is also an all day ride that is 430 km each way on our route through the Blue Mountains, Bathurst, Cowra and Young to Temora and back.
Trying not to sound like Goldilocks but my original exhaust was “a bit too big and soft” and the one I bought some time back was “a bit too small and loud” this one is just right and will ensure I arrive without industrial deafness.
I also installed a windshield which may or may not protect me from the wind but it just might stop my leather jacket from getting squashed bugs splattered all over it.
My Saddle bags were bursting at the seams from trying to shove too much into them so they had to be repaired.
two-piece rivets are usually crap and either rust out or just come apart and easy fix is two stainless steel washers and an aluminium pop-rivet
Due to a rivet tearing the leather where it was too thin on the edge (cheap and nasty) the stitching had come undone which I had to replace.
In order to do so i had to visit Lincraft and buy all this sewing paraphenalia
It looks impossible to replace the rivet so I will need to rivet in a piece of leather strap on the inside now that it’s all stitched up but finding suitable leather is a problem since that when you buy a leather belt it’s not really leather – some type of papier-mache composite material made out of leather scraps, apple cores and old chinese newspapers I suspect. – that was a waste of $7 and the belt wont even fit me.
Royal Enfield Club of Australia – Hunter Ride 30th – 31st July 2016
The inner city people were meeting about 730am at Motociclo in St Peters, and then onto Royal Enfield Sydney at Burwood to pick up any people along the way.
The plan was to assemble at Windsor for breakfast . It would be then on to Wisemans Ferry, Spencer, Kulnura, Wollombi and finally Singleton.
Space is always precious on a motorcycle and since this is only an overnight trip all we took was a change of clothes and some shoes so we weren’t stuck in our motorcycle gear for the whole weekend.
Our saddle bags can fit one small backpack each side containing our clothes (jeans T-shirt and hoodie) and we have have a tank bag for our personal items – wallet, phone, cap, sunglasses, neck warmer, water etc
I have a small pannier bag containing tools, spare tubes and cables and I added another pannier to the back bar containing our wet weather gear even though it wasn’t expected to rain it is handy to combat the cold. The second pannier works like a backrest for Jenny but also makes it slightly more difficult for her to get on and off with her hip.
Jenny and I loaded up the bike and left Northmead about 8am for Windsor
Immediately I felt the cold and wished I’d put the wet weather gear and my winter gloves on, my jacket has a traditional collar and does not do up all the way which lets a jet of cold air in around my neck and down my back. Naturally cold air pools in low lying areas and in the shadows and you could feel the change in temperature as we rode through these different geographic features, however we we soon in Windsor basking in the sun.
We arrived at the Bridge Cafe and found Gerad having a coffee so we ordered breakfast. Marie arrived from the Blue Mountains and then Ian from the South and finally the city folk Mike, Gupreet, Roger, Jo and Peter.
Cynthia and Bruce (El Presidente) dropped in to see us off which was nice of them.
After breaky/coffee we left for Wisemans Ferry via Wilberforce, crossing on the Sackville Ferry and up through Maroota.
We crossed the Hawkesbury again and proceded along the northern bank of the river heading for Spencer, Being in the shade it was cold and wet with moss on the road in places only getting relief briefly when the road turned north into the sun or stretched towards the river away from the towering mountains and cliffs of the region.
Soon we were in sunny Spencer where we stopped at the General Store for morning tea.
A lovely spot run by a very hospitable bloke who was very keen to have us bike riders and clubs visit his small riverside community.
He told us of bike club nights that they hosted and how they arranged a chef and a BBQ and people ate dinner by the river and he offered to take a group photo for us.
We wound our way up out of the Hawkesbury river country into the Watagans and stopped at Jerry’s Cafe in Kulnura for a quick fuel stop and then to Wollombi for lunch.
Via the Broke Road, through Broke It was not long and we were in Singleton where “MOST” of us checked into the Mid City Motor Inn.
Roger had found another motel down the road but Mike and Gerad chose to book into the Imperial Hotel across the road from our Motel.
I relayed to Mike the phone conversation I had with the Imperial about their rooms and facilities and how I was advised by them to stay at the Mid City Motor Inn across the road.
Mike’s response was something like “Oh No ! at least it was only $20 !”
About 15mins later he and Gerad turned up back at the motel with a room key, Gerad exclaimed “Hallelujah !” as he entered the room and they told us the story of how the first room in the pub had the door kicked in and the second, which was allocated to them had someone already in it and only one bed and that the barmaid had kindly refunded his 20 bucks. All good in the end.
After changing I followed Ian and Peter across the road for a sherbet. and shortly after was joined by Mike and Jenny and Roger where we discussed dinner.
Initially we anticipated eating at the hotel however It was unanimous that we seek alternative arrangements as it was more of a pub bistro than restaurant with Burgers, Surf and Turf and Chicken Parmy on the menu.
Next closest choice was a time-warp to the 70’s at the Motel’s dining room where they also had Beef with a Medley of Seafood, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Garlic Prawns or Pasta Boscaiola…Hmmm
We ended up not too far away at the Pearl Light Palace for Chinese which was beautiful and they even had chopsticks how fancy !
The next morning we geared up and got ready for our return trip down the Putty Rd.
After refuelling we stopped in town at the Grainery for breakfast which was a bit slow as being the only place open they had a bit of a crowd. Excellent food and service though.
The trip down the Upper Putty from Bulga was great I had not done it before on a bike and I really hooked into those bends and managed to make Jenny feel sick on the back which Jo reprimanded me for with just a “look”.
I was full of sausages eggs bacon mushrooms tomato toast and coca cola so I was sort of glad the road opened up for some easy cruising in the middle section.
We stopped at the Grey Gum Cafe for a coffee which is about 90km from Windsor and then back to Sydney
We all travelled independently to Gundagai with people coming from Victoria, Sydney, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and ACT.
The Trip
Some of the NSW group (not on Enfields by the way) left on Friday for a more adventurous route via Nowra, Nerriga, Tarago, Bungendore and stayed overnight in Yass. The bulk of us left on Saturday. The Blue Mountains group travelled by Ute via the Central West to Cootamundra and rode from there. Stewart rode from Bowral as Terry trailered the Penguin which was their accommodation for the weekend. Due to predicted inclement weather ( and lack of space on the bike for winter clothing) Jenny and I also chose the comfortable option of trailering my bike there, which turned out to be an added bonus in the end as a second recovery vehicle. Since we arrived fresh at lunchtime Jenny and I decided to do a quick ride to the “almost” ghost town of Junee where it was difficult to get a hamburger at 2pm on a Saturday arvo!.
Excerpt Part 1 from Jon Hinton’s Report
From the Victorian side to the other side.,,,,Or: On the Road to Gundagai
The members going from Victoria to Gundagai from Melbourne initially had a few drop outs due to relocations and changed circumstance. On the day all we could muster for the ride up were 3 of us who had crossed the Nullarbor together.
Tim, Sir Anthony and I arranged to meet at Kalkallo just north of Melbourne on the Hume. We arranged to meet at about 9 O’clock, knowing that Sir Anthony wouldn’t show up ‘till sometime later in the day. As Tim & I waited around and got a coffee, filled up with petrol, watched the clouds roll in and wondered if this was the Kalkallo that Anthony had suggested, or whether there was another one.
I asked at the service station and the young lady there told me that “No, this is the only Kalkallo”, and so we waited a bit more.
The rain has now started.
Tim & I put on our waterproofs and waited. We watched a group of about a dozen old Holden’s meet up, and leave – maybe on their way to Winton for a fun day.
After a while we heard the noise of an Electra pulling into the servo. Here he was.
Apparently the rain had caused him to pull over and put his camouflage gear on. Probably not the safest way to travel through the woodlands alongside the Hume!!
Once refuelled we headed off north in the rain and trucks and what seemed like the rest of Melbourne leaving town. I had worked out a route that took us away from the Hume and over to Mansfield and Benalla to add a corner into the mix.
We turned off at Tallarook, and it was getting pretty cold and staying wet. I lent Sir Anthony a pair of silk liner gloves for his gauntlets and we moved on, but he was still pretty cold. Tim and I were faring better wearing ‘proper’ motorcycling gear with better insulation, even though Ant had about 7 layers on. On to Trawool and the Goulbourn Valley Hwy. A fair amount is limited to 80kph due to previous accidents, and that may have been good for a wet day. However we couldn’t get rid of the traffic heading to the High Country.
Yea was full – hardly a parking space to be found, and we got rid of a few of the cars as they paused for a break.
It was still damp, and very cold; but at least the heavy rain had finished. We motored on to Mansfield where we stopped for lunch. We found a great bakery which served a good coffee and thawed out. Anthony was feeling pretty worn out by the cold, but he was persuaded to carry on. By this time Charles was concerned that we would take the High Country route and I must admit that I had also begun to think that the destination was more important than the journey on this occasion.
We left town to head up towards Benalla. The original plan was to head across country parallel to the Hume and catch it up around Wangaratta, but we needed fuel at some time, so we headed into Benalla proper and refuelled. We had a quick discussion and all felt that we should just travel on the Hume and get to Gundagai. Our arrival time was working out to be around dusk as it was; never a good time to be riding in bad weather.
The country around here is spectacular – more so in summer – and a great area to ride in if you’re on the back roads. When on the Hume you just wear your tyre square.
The rest of the ride was now completed as a fairly straightforward run in the now dry and cool conditions. We arrived at the Criterion to meet up with all the other members that had found the bar.
The Arrival
After our ride to Junee Jenny and I headed to the Criterion Hotel for the Meet & Greet. We caught up with the NSW guys that had arrived earlier and Charles and Owen from Victoria and Leon from ACT.
Others who braved the weather like Anthony, John and Tim, Paul and Sue, Alastair, Roger and Narelle on the ” Monster Outfit” and the Lyons’ , turned up a short time after the rest of us for a well earned drink.
We then proceeded en masse to The Family Hotel for dinner which was just across the road.
We awoke to a cold and foggy Sunday morning in Gundagai. The ride was scheduled for 10am start which we were thankful of since the temps were below zero overnight which frosted our seats.
Sheridan St on a cold Sunday morning Luckily we weren’t scheduled to depart until 10am.
Ian’s top box was frosty
Alastair’s BMW and my Enfield also copped the frost
The Ride
We assembled across from the Criterion Hotel at around 930am.
Our route was a loop south from Gundagai to Tumut then to Coolac for lunch and then north to Muttama and back down to Gundagai thru Burra Creek.
We headed off for the trip to Tumut and a about half way thru we we behind Stewart and Terry who we following Roger and Narelle on their Harley outfit when suddenly an “object” flew of the sidecar and hit the road and bounced up over Stewarts head, Initially I though OMG Narelle has dropped her camera as on trips she spends more time looking backwards taking photos than facing the correct direction ! When it landed in front of us I realised it was an indicator as it hit the road and sent a spray of orange plastic into the air. It luckily bounced over the ARMCO and disappeared down the embankment. The sheer power of the Harley must have ripped it off.
Morning tea was at Tumut where Mick a friend of Jenny’s who has a motel in Adelong came to meet us and have a cuppa. If we ever decide to hold a rally there we now have accomodation.
Jenny and I heading off from Tumut
Alastair
Tim
Just out of tumut we came across some cows and bulls on the road, one of which took a liking to Stewarts bike and decided to take a closer look which scared Jenny and I for a second time
Mark concentrating on his line
Mike “Ponch” Floyd on his Californian “Highway Patrol”
Lunch was the Beehive Hotel at Coolac where the hamburgers are as big as your head
Just near the red ute in the photo on the right Mike spotted an echidna
The Hinton boys
The Museum
It was then back to Gundagai where Charles had arranged for the Gundagai Historical Museum to stay open late for us to check out an eclectic mix of old homewares, newspaper articles, books, photographs, office equipment and a shed full of both rustic and rusty farm equipment.
We also discovered Ian’s secret weapon and marvelled at how people communicated back in Ye Olde days
The Presentation
Sunday’s dinner and presentation was held at Gundagai Services Club
They provided the club with our own section us being rowdy biker types !
Mark Reynolds won best UCE
Charles Todd – Best British
Ian Lyons – Best Electra
Ian also received an appreciation award for enduring such a long trip and for services as Tail End Charlie which he valiantly offered to do and noted that it’s the only time you’d see him at the back of the pack.
He was in slow-mode due to a rattle in the engine which he guessed is a cracked skirt on his piston. Jokes were forthcoming that he always seems to be “piston broke” !
John Wright – Best Iron Barrell
Anthony Wright finally won something – Most Distance Travelled – or did he ? 😉
We thought there was some nice looking wine on offer from Charles however he gave it to Owen Bentley as some sort of bribe presumably to help fix his bike!
The Town
Such a nice part of the world where things haven’t changed too much
Click on the photos for larger images
There was a truck show in Gundagai on the same weekend, not sure what the Ariel was doing
The Return
Monday morning Jenny and I went for another walk thru town, we caught up with Jon, Tim and Anthony at the Bushranger Cafe and then waited for the Lyons’ whom we had arranged to have breakfast with.
As we sat outside in the sun it was interesting to watch people from the club coming and going from their various abodes, meeting for breaky, strolling thru town, or refueling their bikes before making their way home.
Melissa, Kevin and Ian turned up and we as we ate we discussed the fate of Ian’s “Baby” who had an upset in the internal organs. Eventually he relented and we put her on the trailer next to mine bound for Campbelltown.
Speaking of upsets in the internal organs……
Excerpt Part 2 from Jon Hinton’s Report
From the Victorian side to the other side.,,,,Or: On the Road to Gundagai
On the return trip to Melbourne we left Gundagai on a cold and frosty morning. The plan was to leave at 9 O’clock again, and Sir Anthony called me at about 8am to ask if I was coming out for breakfast. I was impressed. He was up and running.
Tim & I joined him for breakfast to find that while he was no longer in his pyjamas he hadn’t got much further – still needing to pack and refuel his bike. Oh well……..
After brekky the clouds and the mist cleared to leave us with a lovely winter’s day ride. We saw a number of the Club leaving with their bikes to travel back from whence they came as we waited for Sir Anthony to be ready.
We made the decision to travel back the shorter way, and stick to the Hume Hwy. My bike had started to make some interesting ‘clacking’ noises that I thought the hydraulic lifters were making. I had tried to track it down by ‘listening’ with a screwdriver and they seemed to be at the top of the motor and at all parts of the cycle.
By sticking to the Hwy we would save about ~150 kms from the planned alternative.
So off we pottered and we were quite happy to be travelling along at about 100kph. The noises seemed to have abated and all was going well.
Until we neared Wangaratta.
Then there was a loud ‘clatter, clatter – bang’ and my back tyre locked up just as I had overtaken a car, and my companions were catching me up. A quick dive to the side of the road as I pulled in the clutch lever allowed me to coast to a stop with a much seized engine. The kick start lever felt welded to the block. It was obvious I was going no further on two wheels, so I invoked the “Recover My Ride” clause, and waited 2 hrs on the side of the road before being picked up and taken home on a flat bed truck.
The other two had left me to my own devices and so were home just 2 hours ahead of me, having had an uneventful ride home.
Thanks again to Charles Todd and Anthony Wright for organising such a great event
Thanks to Narelle and Jenny for the photos
Thanks to Jon Hinton for the “Victorian Perspective”
Craig Katen Royal Enfield Club of Australia Inc. Member of the Month Report
How long have you been riding?
About 40 years, I started out riding friends mini bikes around 10 years old and eventually ended up with a family hand me down which I out grew and handed back. At age 14 my friend’s parents had purchased a holiday farm property up the North Coast and bought him a Honda XL 125 on which we took turns riding around a scramble track in a paddock. We also used to go exploring around the fire trails and bush tracks in the area which got me interested in Enduro / trail bike riding.
What bike(s) have you owned?
After leaving school I landed my first job with a motorcycle products importer/distributor which eventually became Monza Imports. I used to place the orders for parts and accessories , look after the computer systems and warehouse and quickly became interested in getting a bike .
I bought my first bike, a 1983 Honda XR200R, from one of the guys at work and I got involved in trail riding and Enduro racing.
In 1985 I then purchased a new Honda XR350R which was a mistake, a total pig for racing, 135Kg and 20Hp – soft, heavy and not much quicker than the 200 and after a year or so I realised that to be “competitive” you needed to have a European 2-stroke bike.
The answer was a 1986 Maico GME250 Enduro which for me made an amazing difference. It was fast light and incredibly easy to ride. Weighing 100kg and having 49 horsepower, 300mm/350mm suspension, front and rear disc brakes it was like going from a Nissan Cedric to a Group B Audi Sport Quattro rally car. A proper race bike, It went, it stopped, it handled . I joined a club and raced it in the NSW Enduro Series and I’d dare say it would be competitive even now.
1989 at Watagan State Forest
1989 at Watagan State Forest
Hiatus
A career change, relationship, buying a house, going overseas, friends moving on and a change in hobbies all accounted for a bike sitting in the shed for 15 years and me not riding any motorcycles what-so-ever.
During that period, however I became a keen mountain biker which kept my riding skills up to a certain degree.
Sometime in July 2012, I did a job in Sydney and was passed by a bike that I had not seen before “in the flesh”. It was in military spec so I assumed it was old, it had a single cylinder motor with wartime Harley Davidson looks about it. I followed the bike for a while in the traffic, along South Darling St, across the harbour and lost it about Falcon St.
I have always had an interest in choppers but had become more interested in recent years after watching the American Chopper series, I even bought a classic cruiser push bike with similar looks to the Enfield – black frame with chrome bars / wheels / etc, springer seat and full mud guards as there was no way I could afford the $50k required for a custom Harley.
I considered other classic styles of bikes, Triumph, old BMWs even Ural but it was still out of reach. A friend of mine has a 2005 Triumph T100 Bonneville and I always thought I’d like to get a similar bike one day if I had the money. I had heard of the Royal Enfield brand before and knew a bit of the history (well, enough to know it was originally British but then made in India) They originally made guns and then bikes and went broke like BSA, Norton et al with the Jap bike revolution. So I went on the Internet and started investigating out of curiosity. I had no idea they had been revamped, were imported into the country and available new here as I assumed the bike I saw was a private import and old.
The Enfield seemed to “tick all the boxes” – Classic look and feel, affordable, not too powerful, easy to ride, customisable, no work compared to buying an old bike. After a couple of visits to the local dealer Motociclo who were great , I eventually went on a test ride. No brainer – within a month of seeing one I had one!
After reviving my interest in motorcycling by purchasing a Royal Enfield , and being asked by my son Angus “Don’t you already have an old motorbike in the shed and…. CAN I RIDE IT !!!!! ? ” I decided to restore my old Maico which had sat in the shed under a shower curtain since the 90’s.
After it had been dragged out and dusted off with most parts accounted for and an engine that started after only a few kicks I stripped the bike down, commissioned the brakes to be totally rebuilt , replaced the air filter, chain and front sprocket and here it is. Needs a carby service and new tyres and as you can see the rear guard has gone chalky.
2012 Almost 100%
My old gear still fits !
Pacific Park 2012 First ride in 15yrs
Then I really got the bug and bought the kids trail bikes and me a 2014 KTM 500 EXC Enduro in 2014
Bikes I’ve owned
Mini bike at age 10
Honda XR200Rc 1983
Honda XR350Re 1985
MAICO GME250 1986 – Present
Royal Enfield C5 Classic Black 2012 – Present
KTM 500 EXC Enduro 2014 – present
Have you done any interesting rides and where to?
Having been an off-road only rider for so many years I did not ride on the road except for pre-race tuning and warming up the engine before an oil change. I had not done any real road rides at all until I started coming along to Royal Enfield club rides.
The way weekend rides are organised by the club lends itself to being partner friendly and soon Jenny was interested in coming along too.
We really enjoy the “Ride somewhere – Have dinner and drinks – Stay overnight – Ride home next day” format. Jenny recently had a hip replacement which has made long trips easier but prior to that she had trouble getting on and off and discomfort after about 30mins in the saddle.
On the 2014 Bundanoon trip she had a ride in John Wrights sidecar and last month on the way back from Orange we rode Mike Floyds’ Moto Guzzi California which she almost fell asleep on it was so comfortable.
We are still looking at getting a bigger touring bike to make long trips more comfortable and allow more luggage but until then we are happy touring around on the Enfield.
Do you have any other interests, hobbies which may be on interest to your fellow Members?
In summer we are involved in a Surf Life Saving Club where I am a Nipper coach and Jenny is Nippers Secretary and a SLS Official.
Jenny ,our daughter Emma and I are patrolling members and our son Angus is a Nipper competitor so most weekends are spent working at the club, patrolling the beach or attending surf carnival competitions.
In Spring and Autumn we try to do some downhill mountain biking at Thredbo or dirt bike riding or camping.
In winter we are keen downhill and back country skiers spending time at Thredbo and in Kosciusko National Park
I also maintain an internet blog site www.k10stuff.com.au which I use to chronicle my adventures and sell some gear.
I have included links to some articles of interest. ( this is a work in progress as I am changing hosting platforms and design layouts)
Do you have any special skills which may be of interest to other Members ?
IT Equipment Sales and Support , Website hosting , e-Commerce and Blog site setup
Electronic Security, CCTV, access control systems
Technical writing and documentation
Surfboard repairs
Do you have a ‘wish list’ for bikes you’d like to own in the future?
BMW R1200RT or BMW R1200GS
Ducati of some description
Harley Chopper – if I won lotto and could waste $50K on a garage ornament
Is there anywhere you’d like to ride in Australia or overseas?
On an Enfield there would be 2 destinations – India then England
On an adventure bike Central Australia
On a touring bike down the east coast then to Perth
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