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Welcome to Strapzagram #3 Andy Strapz launches in the US. Recently Chris of Eurotech Motorsports, asked me to travel to the Indianapolis Powersports Dealer Expo in late February, to help him launch Andy Strapz in the US. I’m pretty happy with the results and I’m sure good things will come from it as the Yanks drag themselves out of the economic shit. Arriving late on a Wednesday night, to zero degree temperatures, speedway city was clothed in thick blanket of snow. At the hotel I was helped by a very attentive and err.. stereotypical African American bell bloke and finally, gratefully settled into my hotel room. Being my first trip to the US, I had to sample the delights of a diner, so next day I wandered the streets away from the main block, found just the right place and joined the queue, tray in hand. Having paid something like $17 for a meal that needed a fork lift to get to my table, I waded through as much as I could while simultaneously wondering how the Marines at the adjacent table felt about life. Later that night I found the Slippery Noodle, which anyone who has an interest in the Blues might know of. It was open mic night and ticked along nicely, lubricated of course by local craft beers, an obligatory burger with potato crisps and the ubiquitous pickle. The last act was an absolute blow out. Some unassuming Afric...black guy got up and just slew the crowd. What a find! That and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - mmmm. After work on Saturday night I was taken as a guest to the St Elmo Steak House which was founded in 1902 and has been a landmark ever since. Without ordering, a huge prawn cocktail arrived topped with hell fire horseradish sauce, nice but a bit odd. Anyway, was it ever a feast! Steaks so huge I needed a periscope simply to hold a conversation with someone on the other side of the table. One evening I walked the streets while it snowed just to experience a city and its beauty. From the steam rising from the vents in the road to the twinkling lights in the bare street trees - it was terrific and gave me an idea, Marilyn Strapz! Thanks to the daring and iPhone skills of Grant from Draggin’ Jeans here it is (see picture above). At the close of the show I was able to simply swan out of the venue with a glib “I have a plane to catch” avoiding the dramas of the dreaded bump out, which is usually a tedious dismantling of everything you spent hours putting together just a few short days previously. Before I left one of the silliest moments of the trip occurred. I rang the airline’s help line to inquire whether the planes were still operating. It had snowed all night and numerous airports had been closed throughout the US during the week I’d been there. The bloody thing was automated as you’d expect and didn’t understand the boy from down under until I put on my worst Seppo accent. I then worked my way through the voice menu to extract the information I needed in a series of American accents from deep south to New Yorker (the best I could come up with anyhoo). More dramas came as I approached Indianapolis International in a cab. The snow fell faster, coating all the planes, the runway and tender vehicles and just to add spice to the mix, the emergency sirens sounded to evacuate the terminal.. terrific! Later while watching the plane being sprayed with de-icing fluid I really just wanted to get off and have Scotty beam me home. Looking back, it was a whirlwind trip that we’re hoping will lead to great things as a first step in Strapz world domination. Sure there’s plenty of competition in the shape of some big name good ol’boys, but we’re confident that Aussie ingenuity and quality will win the hearts, minds and hopefully wallets of our Yank mates. All we have to do is keep doing what we do best. Cheers, Andy Sit up straight and pay attention class! This time I want to talk at you about speeding. We all know that hitting hard things at any speed is a bad thing to do. Unfortunately, the Wasters of Public Funds have become addicted to the growing pile of cash from speed fines at their disposal. Like all addicts they will rationalise, manipulate and lie to maintain an aura of comfort that comes from a secure and continuing supply. Speed, like the dingo a few years back, gets a bad rap. Yes, Johnny I have just been booked, go to the top of the class. No Johnny I wasn’t on my bike. I was on my way to the Ulysses AGM in the south west of WA fer cry sakes! I was towing a trailer behind the mighty Vito after driving 3000 uneventful kilometres. I was pulled over by Sgt Revenue and informed that I was not allowed to tow a trailer at 112 kph in WA, despite the state limit being 110. He duly booked me and snaffled two points into the bargain. Didn’t you see the “big blue sign at the border?” My argument was what “big blue sign”. As ya do, I stopped at the border on my way home and took a photo of the sign. I did see it but dismissed its message. I’m not a truck towing and over 12 ton was my thoughts as I passed it the first time. Bbzzzzzzzzzz, wrong answer Strapz. A number of trailer towing Ulysseans got done in a similar way. Many doing the usual and pushing that extra 10kph above the limit thereby pushing them into big tax and more points lost. The cynical part of me is convinced that the WPF bastards have set this up as a “Welcome to WA” tax for the grey gypsies. They have plenty of spare cash ‘cause they are on holidays. There are more friggin’ signs on the Nullarbor that inform us that WPF are such wonderful bods because they spent a few million on this or that road upgrade. .Come the revolution... From our Trip Here are some of our own photos from Vietnam, can you believe how much stuff they can fit on a scooter? And of course... The weather isn’t always perfect when you’re on holiday, thank goodness for Thermalz and under gloves and Rain-off over gloves to keep the cold at bay! For those that are interested there are 4 short videos of our trip at youtube.com/allmoto Damien Kingsbury A few people have said ‘That’s a pretty big claim.’ And it is. In the middle of last year when Rae and I were in Cambodia on our honeymoon (amazing how these things can turn out, eh?), our mate Groff was group e-mailing our gang, the Lemmings Motorcycle Club (motto: ‘Death Before Courtesy’), about what a fabulous time he and Julia were having riding motorbikes in northern Vietnam. It was hot, then, being the middle of the northern summer, and we were all baking. I e-mailed something like ‘Why don’t we all go?’ and there was a flurry of enthusiasm about creating a major diplomatic incident, starting a small war, gun-running, smuggling highly illegal contraband across borders and all of the really good fun stuff that is so often missing from international travel these days. Over a period of weeks, or possible months, this banter coalesced into an actual travel plan, and in early January, nine of us headed off for Hanoi. We had arranged to rent a bunch of motorbikes from Offroad Vietnam, a guide for whom would take us on a tour through the relatively remote mountains of that country’s north-west. The bikes in question included a brace of older Honda XL125s, a few GL160s and one XR250 for me, on account of me having Rae on the back and being desirous of a few extra horsepower. Vietnam places enormous taxes on bikes over 200cc, so it cost a bit more, but it was worth it. By the way, Vietnam is perhaps the most motorcycle friendly country in the world, with about 95 per cent of all travel by motorbike, and about 90 per cent of all heavy transport also by motorbike. We saw everything carried on the back of motorbikes including, at one point, even another motorbike! In the gang was Rae and myself, Groff and Julia, Guido and Margaret, Andy Strapz and Janette, and Groff’s younger brother Stewart, who nobody except Groff actually knew, but who turned out to be a funnier, slightly less bearded version of Groff. Julia found their likeness very confusing, possibly on purpose. We started by heading west out of Hanoi, which is a major industrial city, through some lovely valleys and into the lower reaches of the mountains. It was here that we encountered out first fog, or cloud, for it was winter and we were heading up high. Having sweltered in 40 C, Groff has earlier argued that all we would need was light clothing. Having been in Hanoi in winter before, I suggested a bit more. I was right. It was cold. As we climbed into the mountains the fog, which happens to be quite wet, also got quite thick, and already modest speeds were reduced to about 20-30 kmh. Coming into our first stop, I noticed a diesel slick on the road and pulled to one side. The others in our group followed, but a bunch of Vietnamese ignored my frantic gestures and four crashed in quick succession. We pulled in that night at a home-stay in Mai Chau, which is a popular point for overnighters from Hanoi given its relatively close proximity yet remarkable mountainous scenery and paddy fields combined with Tai ethnic group local colour. As with all of the trip, after a day of riding on a mix of rods and tracks, dodging pigs and water buffalo and getting glimpses of stunning mountains and valleys through the clouds, each ride ended with an excellent meal and several thousand beers with good friends. Oh, and we also discovered the delights of Hanoi Vodka (cheap) and the horrors of Da Lat mulberry ‘wine’ (expensive). From Mai Chau we skirted near the edge of the Laos border to Son La, crawling up and then racing down impossible mountain ranges. At Son La we came across a trip of young Englishmen riding horrid, unreliable little Russian-made Minsk 125 two-strokes. They had shipped their bikes from Hanoi up to Sapa near the Chinese border and then ridden down, without proper riding gear. Two had never even ridden bikes before; they were soaked, cold, broke and squabbling. As we saddled up the following morning, I shook hands and offered them sincere wishes of good luck. Grant sidled up to me. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said sympathetically. ‘They’ve got the smell of death about them.’ Last we saw of the English chaps was when one pulled into the petrol station we were topping up at, with one of the others arguing that it wasn’t necessary as they could get petrol at the next town. We had just come the way they were going. There were no petrol stations, or petrol, for a very long way. Our trip took us out into the area of some of the famous battles around Dien Bien Phu, which was where the Vietnamese defeated the French in 1954 and ended that unfortunate period of colonial mismanagement. Apart from some colonial architecture and a penchant for baking bread, not much good came of that particular historical episode. Our next overnight stop was at a nice hotel at Lai Chau, having traversed more cloudy mountains, dining at restaurants that specialised in dog (satay mutt, sweet and sour pooch, stir-fried hound) and somewhat rarer animals, one of which tried to bite me on account of it still being alive. The villagers were saw along the road must have been placed there by the Vietnam Tourism Commission, so colourful and authentic-looking were their traditional costumes. After cresting the aptly named ‘Heaven’s Gate’, at around 2,500 metres (300 metres higher than Mount Kosciuszko – and this is the pass between the mountains) we rode down to the touristy but beautiful European Alp-like town of Sapa. Here we encountered all sorts of ‘adventurers’, including more on Minsks and an American woman who looked like a victim of domestic violence. We were about to have her boyfriend until we learned that she fell off her bike every time she saw an unmade road, of which there was a plentiful supply. From there we rode up to the Chinese border, had a few drinks and contemplated the diplomatic incident we were all so keen to perpetrate. A high speed run en masse across the bridge dividing the two countries should have done it, but someone had handed out the sensible pills and instead we turned south, with three more days riding ahead of us to Hanoi. The next morning, Rae and I stopped at a little road- side stall where the men were smoking water pipes and drinking very bitter ‘tea’. We also had a pot of ‘tea’, after which I grinned like a maniac and Rae giggled for the next several hours. I think the emphasis might have been on the ‘pot’. Beyond that it was more of the same; mountains, rough roads, livestock, colourful locals, too much to eat and drink and the usual banter that accompanies the end of any ride with a bunch of professional liars and a few million drinks. It was, in all, a brilliant ride through fascinating, spectacular country, visiting or passing through the villages of no fewer than about eight or nine distinct ethnic groups, a few fast downhill runs sliding on knobby tyres and just generally traversing some of the most stunning countryside I have ever seen. And all with a group of mates who were there to share it at each day’s end. No mobile phone reception, no lap-tops (okay, Guido had one but it was well hidden) and nothing to do but enjoy. So yes, it is a big call, but it was the best holiday I have ever had. I loved it. For anyone interested, Offroad Vietnam offers an exceptional service for a reasonable fee – look them up on the web. And if anyone wants a few minutes sampling of the trip, please feel free to visit the short Youtube video sites at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgwqJT9Yq-g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVNkTXbu7iU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8U6qWAXByU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI1EAEONMAU Feature Product A really useful thing! A two sided, hinged pack. About 5 litre capacity. Janette loves this little baby, she takes it everywhere. It fits neatly inside our Expedition Panniers and keeps all your toiletries in one bag. Little things get lost easily in a large space so its nice to have a little bag with everything in one place. Which is extremely convenient when you go off to the shower or bathroom. With a wet and a dry side you can store liquids like shampoo and toothpaste separately from your jocks and socks (or any other delicates – J). • Keep your clothing and toiletries organised. • Inside one side is clear pvc, the other is bonded mesh. • Use one side for clean, the other for damp and dirty gear. • PVC backed nylon fabric slips easily in and out of luggage. • Hangs from clothes hooks in bathrooms and hotels. • Made from Black PVC Backed Nylon Our price $40 April 24 2010. 11th annual Morriset swap meet. From 6am at the Morriset Showground, located 1 hour north of Sydney on the F3 (30 mintes south of Hexham). Sites $15, lookers admission $3. Friday setup from 3pm. Camping $10. No bookings. All welcome. No glass. No dogs. for more info phone Darren 0249712404 ah. 0408232376 bh. 17th-18th April 2010. 25th Anzac Rally Griffith, NSW. Griffith Classic Motorcycle Club PO Box 1918 Griffith NSW 2680 Check the website for details. http://griffithcmcc.org/anzac%20rally. htm 17th-18th April 2010. Booborowie Pub Run. Booborowie Hotel, Booborowie, SA. Entries to The Secretary SA Tourers MCC PO Box 186 North Adelaide SA 5006 Aidan 0419 867 947 or 08 8346 4071 http://www.mrasa.asn.au/pdf/boobpub.pdf $10 limited number of badges. Prepaid entries close 14th April. Free camping, free breakfast, historic towns nearby. Good country counter meals. Info and entry form at the link. 18th April 2010. Auto Italia, ACT 10.00am to 2pm Auto Italia ACT. On the Patrick White Lawns in Parkes, between the National Library and Lake Burley Griffin. Italian Cars Association ACT Inc. PO Box 1119 Canberra City 2600 Bike Contact Michael Fuller email [email protected] Scooter Contact Nico Wright email [email protected] $5.00 motorcycles and scooters/$10 cars. Pre- registration not required; simply bring your vehicle and be directed where to park, then register your vehicle, and enjoy the event. Registration makes you eligible to enter a wine raffle which is drawn prior to the presentation of awards. Entrants are requested to position their vehicles between 8.30 am and 9.30 am. There is no movement during the display. The featured marque this year is Alfa Romeo, to coincide with the centenary of Alfa. 23rd-25th April 2010. Monarchs Motorcycle Club Sidecar Rally, VIC. Carters Beach, approx 9kms from Strathmerton. Signposted. Pre-paid entries: make cheques/money orders payable to Monarchs Motorcycle Club Inc. PO Box 220 Chelsea VIC 3196 $25. Limited badges, pre-paid entries only guaranteed a badge. Pre-paid entries close 16th April. Entry includes one full colour badge and ten raffle tickets. Usual awards and naturally, raffle. Additional badges only $7.50 for pre-paid entries. 23rd-25th April 2010. Tumut Valley Riders MC 23rd Autumn Leaf Rally, NSW. Camp grounds and hall at Tumorrama, approx 35kms east of Tumut on the Wee Jasper road. Tumut Valley Riders MC Inc PO Box 583 Tumut NSW 2720 Enquiries 0424 042 275 (between 7pm-8pm) or email [email protected] or web http://www.angelfire.com/in/tvrmc $20. Live band in hall Saturday night and huge bonfire. Water and firewood available, gymkhana Saturday afternoon. Fully catered by APEX (carnivore food, beer, premixed drinks), from noon Saturday until Sunday breakfast. Trophy presentation on Saturday night. No bad attitudes, cars or glass on site. 23rd-25th April 2010. 34th All British Rally VIC. Campbells Creek Sports Reserve approx 5kms from Castlemaine. The BSA Motorcycle Owners Association http://www.bsa.asn.au/pdf/events/abr/ ABREntry.pdf All you need to know at the link provided. Onsite camping, firewood provided. Semi- organised run to Maldon on Saturday; pre-pay your entry and lunch is included. Casual concours Sunday morning an award presentation; awards in twenty classes including Hard Luck. Fully catered; bar on site, tea, coffee, soft drink, burgers etc and meals provided by local service clubs. Band on Saturday night. 23rd-26th April 2010. Laurel Hill Forest Lodge Anzac Weekend Ride, NSW. Laurel Hill Forest Lodge, 6kms south of Laurel Hill, 14kms north of Tumbarumba and 23kms south of Batlow. Margaret Barlow 02) 6362 8023 or 0428 835 866 or email [email protected] $60 per person per day includes dinner, bed and breakfast as long as there is a minimum of twenty people. Stay 1-3 nights; your choice. BYOG. Each block of about 4 to 6 rooms has a bathroom and common room, with tea and coffee. 30th April-2nd May 2010. Roaming Swagman Rally,SA. Melrose Showground. Lefty 0412 767 975 or 08 8633 1516 a/h Mark 08 8634 4377 or Chesty 0418 845 148 http://www.mrasa.asn.au/pdf/swagman_2010. pdf $20. Back to basics. Onsite toilets, firewood and water supplied. $20 Swagman T-shirts/$35 Swagman windcheaters. Please order beforehand so they will be ready for you at the rally. 1st-8th May 2010. Long Ride for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Begins in Sydney and finishes in Darwin, with riders coming from every state in Australia. Prostate Cancer Foundation ‘Phone 02 9438 7000 email [email protected] or web http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/ LongRide2010 Choose from five different routes to Darwin. VIC, NSW and QLD riders meet in Charleville, SA, VIC, NSW and QLD riders meet at Tennant Creek and Katherine when the WA riders arrive and to complete a memorable ride. You can make a donation online too. 7th-9th May 2010. Loaded Dog, NSW. Tarago Showground on the Tarago-Braidwood road, Tarago. Jim or Lynne 0432 215 072 or email [email protected] Pre-paid entries cheque/money order to JW Wadsworth PO Box 311 Fyshwick ACT 2609 or email for account details and pay by direct deposit $15/$20 inc badge, camping and lucky gate prize. Day trippers $5 badge only. Free coffee and tea. Usual trophies, raffle. Catering by the Tarago Show Society (highly recommended; the grub was the best last year), from Saturday lunch to Sunday breakfast. Cars for downed riders only by prior arrangement. Toilets and showers onsite, no glass, no attitudes, no dogs. 8th-9th May 2010. Not The Great Escape Rally II, SA. Marrabel, not far from the Marrabel pub. Signposted. MRA SA Inc Harald 0421 289 741 http://www.mrasa.asn.au/pdf/NTGER2.pdf $0 entry, 0 badge. Just a back to basics gathering of old and new friends. Counter meals available at the pub. 14th-16th May 2010. Ruptured Budgie Rally QLD. Just over the border on private property near Mingoola, (turn right before you get there), approx 60kms west of Tenterfield on the Bruxner Highway. For the GPS enabled the coordinates are: S28 59.286 E151 31.390 Moto Guzzi Club QLD email info@ motoguzziclubqld.org web http://www. motoguzziclubqld.org/ Our%20Rally.htm $20 inc badge/$0 under 15yo; 0 badge. Plenty of camping space, most of it rocky, dirt track and creek crossing to get in, fully catered from lunchtime Friday to Sunday breakfast. Usual and unusual rally awards. Always a good rally! 14th-16th May 2010. Stinger Rally, QLD. Mt Fox (south west of Ingham) at the Lions Club camping ground opposite the school. MRA Townsville. Richard Ewer 0429 498 752 or email mra_tsv@ hotmail.com or web http://www. mratownsville. org.au/index. php?page=stinger-rally $10 inc badge and camping for the weekend. Toilets and hot showers. Fully catered. BYO mug. Tickets for meals can be purchased at the bar. Meals available from Friday night through to the hung over Sunday morning brekky. No BYO as there will be beer and cans of spirits available. All money goes to the great locals and their town to keep the place running. No attitudes, no cars. Please complete and return the entry form here http://www.mratownsville.org.au/ uploads/Rally_Entry_Form_Version_2010.doc Saturday 15th May 2010. Sidecar Club Promotion and Picnic Day, NSW. Prospect Reservoir, from 10.00am. Email Dave Mead [sidecarclubsydney@hotmail. com] or contact Ruben 9547 2885 or Rick 048823963 $0 entry. It is a free entry event with sausage sandwiches and drinks for sale. If you have a passion for motorcycles and an interest in sidecars join the club for a family club ride and picnic day. Ride to Prospect Reservoir and enjoy some good company and meet fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. Bring a picnic lunch and share stories. There will be plenty to see both new and well loved so come and have some fun. Sat May 22nd, 2010. Vic. Motorcycle & Hotrod Show Flanagans & 81 Nomads Support Crew 1st Annual Motorcycle & Hotrod Show Flanagans Hotel, 139 Main st, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. 12:00 noon. Over 20 Catagories, Trophies, Live Bands, Food & Drink 22nd-23rd May 2010. Wanbi Pub Run, SA. Wanbi approx 120kms from Murray Bridge on the Loxton-Karoonda Raod. Meeting points Eagle on the Hill for 10am departure and Murray Bridge servo for 10.40am departure. Prepaid entries to Z Owners SA PO Box 74 Park Holme SA 5043. Phone Tony 08 8298 7762 or Mick 0432 260 001 or web www. zownerssa.com flyer here http://www. mrasa.asn.au/pdf/ Wanbi.pdf $25. Prepay and reserve a badge as there will only be 200. Camping sites close by. Fully catered by the pub. Saturday $2 sausage sizzle lunch. Roast dinner and cooked Sunday breakfast. Live band “Junk Male’ playing rock and roll from 8 until late. Raffle with great prizes, rally trophies, bonfire. May 23, 2010. Ray Owen Classic Motorcycle Show, Concours and Motorcycle Swap, At Teese Pavilion, Beaudesert Showgrounds. Qld. Organised by the Historical Motorcycling Club of Queensland, Tambourine Mountain Area. Enquiries: email kateandfi[email protected], or phone (07) 5545 2081. Gates open 6.00am. Judging 6.30am- 10.00am. Presentation 12.30pm. The Historical Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc Fid Michalik, Coordinator Ray Owen Classic Motorcycle Show. 20-22 Chalmette Drive, North Tambourine QLD 4272. 07 5545 2081 or 0428 815 785 or email kateandfi[email protected] $5.00 motorcycle swap/$2.00 public admission/$1 pensioners/$0 children under 12. The event is open to all motorcycles manufactured until 1980 Concours and 1982 Classic. If you have a pre 1982 motorcycle in the back of your shed, that other motorcyclists would be interested in, why not dust it off and enter it in the concours or show? It doesn’t have to be in fully restored condition, as we have an award for the “most interesting” motorcycle in each class. There will also be a swap meet at the event and we are inviting members of the motorcycle trade to set up trade displays. Sat 29 & Sun 30 May 2010. Vic. Historic Winton 34th Historic Winton, Benalla A weekend of non-stop racing featuring over 400 historic racing cars and motorbikes from the 1920s to the 1980s. Celebrations include 100 years of Alfa Romeo and the 60th year of the local A7 Club. Highlights are the ever- expanding Special Interest Car Park and Classic Car & Bike Club displays, and a group of ‘Depression Era Aussie Ferals’, non-restored but still running and registered. Historic Winton is conducted by the Austin 7 Club with assistance from the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association Vic. www.historicwinton.org 5-6 June, 2010. The Ararat Motorcycle Club 39th Emu Rally, Victoria. Held at Chinaman’s Track Picnic Ground, Mt. Cole via Warrak, near Ararat. BYO everything. Plenty of camping area and on site toilet. Gas BBQ available. $15 entry per person. Limit of 75 badges. Post entries to Ararat Motorcycle Club Emu Rally, PO Box 35, Ararat VIC 3377. Phone Greg 03 5352 4957 or Wally 03 5352 2850. 12th-14th June 2010. 41st Annual Alpine Rally ACT. The site is on private property approx. 8 kms up the Brindabella Valley Road on the eastern side of the Goodradigbee River, just follow the signs. Henning Jorgensen PO Box 1477 Geelong VIC 3220 For more details ‘phone (03) 5222 8070 or 0457 034 488 or email [email protected] $16/$20. Pre-paid entries close Monday 31st May. All motorcyclists are invited to be part of this rally. Don’t forget to bring some Alpine memorabilia to share; photos etc, and don’t forget the towel for the hot bath in the bush. Usual rally activities, and presentation 9am Sunday. As an encouragement for younger riders to attend this and other rallies, the three youngest riders under 22 years of age will either have their pre-paid entry fees refunded or given free entry on the day. Excellent idea H! For alternative (and more challenging) routes, one could consider travelling via Wee Jasper, Long Plain, Rules Point, Brindabella, Broken Cart, Tantangara Dam or Sue City, etc. Please obtain detailed maps. Please note; responsibility for any loss or damage to persons or equipment will not be accepted by the organisers or land owners. This is a motorcycle rally; cars not admitted. 11th-14th June 2010. 14th Annual Wintersun Run VIC. Olympic Park Motorcycle Complex, 11th Street, Mildura. Ulysses Mildura Branch Phone Shane 0408 214 642 or Darryl 0417 621 021 Rig 0427 274 998 or email wintersunrun@ gmail.com $15/$18 inc badge/$5 day pass. Free coffee, tea or soup in the club rooms on arrival. Fully catered, toilets, showers, firewood provided. Trade stalls. Friday night social in the club rooms with live music. Saturday afternoon gymkhana with prizes, bonfire, rally awards, raffle draw and band. Sunday morning guided district tours culminating in lunch. Junior Speedway Winter Series starts at 11am. 25th-27th June 2010.5th Annual Casper Rally NSW. Bummaroo Ford camping area, beside the Abercrombie River, between Taralga and Black Springs. SCUM Tourers Andy 02 4422 3096 or Dieter 0402 396 838 or email [email protected] $15 inc badge and raffle ticket. Back to basics; BYO drinks, food and cooking gear. Onsite toilet, drinking water and firewood provided. Supplies available at Oberon or Taralga. Usual rally awards, but something new for the 25th; a competition for Best Club Banner, so make sure you bring yours! Good raffle with great prizes held Saturday afternoon. Friendly rally in great country. Bring the warm clobber; it does get nippy. 2nd to 3 rd July 2010, 2010. Up the Creek Rally Held by MOTA Held at the Jung Recreational Reserve, Great Site, under the Gums, Fully Catered, Gymkhana Sat arvo, Band Saturday Night, Raffles. Usual rally awards, Limited badges, Entry Fee $15 pre paid $20 on the day. Cheques payable to M.O.T.A Post entries to MOTA, PO Box 561, Ballarat, 3353 Enquires to Marie 0417113675, Greg 0353852846, Kevin 0417231143 Fri Jul 2nd, 2010 [QLD] W.O.G.S. in the Bush Rally The biggest and best rally in Nth Qld. 45km NW of Mackay First weekend in July 2-4 Fully catered, Great camping sites by the river Gymkhana, Usual rally awards. Entry (includes Badge). Prepaid $20 At the gate $25 Come to W.O.G.S in the bush & head to Townsville the following weekend for the V8 supercars. Calendar of Events Motorcycle rallys, racing, swap meet, shows, social and fund raising events only will be listed here on a quarterly basis. If you have a genuine motorcycle event that contributes to motorcycling in a positive way and you wish to promote your event send a brief description to us at [email protected] including date, cost, contact details and location. We of course reserve the right to edit or omit content. Juice’s commuter week I have just begun commuting to the city again after a longish break. This week I have followed about 60 people (not for long, mind you) doing more than 10km UNDER the speed limit, in the right hand lane. What? I have had one person STOP in the middle of a main carriageway to give me road safety advice. Of course I gave her some advice of my own. And I have had two people SLOW DOWN to 10km in the main right hand lane while they decided whether to pull into the right hand turn lane or not. And if I flash you don’t get mad at me, it means GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU IDIOTS! Why is it that motorcyclists are targeted as the weak link in the road safety campaigns when we have to undergo training, while car drivers can get into a car and learn with no minimum hours, no proof of competency, with anyone who holds a licence, and probably will learn all their bad habits as well. (Actually, one of those 60 people this week was an L plater.) A motorcyclist has to (and I think this is a good thing) undergo rider training for a set amount of hours before a licence is issued and prove their competency. A car driver can simply turn up to do the test with no qualified instructor hours. Shouldn’t this be mandatory for all drivers to have a minimum amount of qualified instructor hours? What started me thinking about this? I just got my bike rego papers and in it were two brochures. One about how the motorcycle levy is being spent and one about having your say on motorcycle safety in Victoria. The Victorian Motorcycling Survey is being conducted for VicRoads by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research at the University of Adelaide. I am going to take the survey and make sure they know what I think needs to be done, I urge you to do the same. http://mc-survey.com/ Ahhhh! For the tranquility of countryside Vietnam. Well, that's about all I could dredge up for now. I hope you enjoyed it. Please get involved and send me photos or contributions, events, tests or product reviews. Talk at you in a couple of months. Strapz Inna Pakz A place for the finer things... Suspect Suspension Rob Smith Getting ready for a big trip is without doubt one of the best parts of the entire gig. All the dreaming, planning and map examining, all the researching, reading and bureaucracy; not to mention all the talking, is now translating into choosing, buying, fitting and doing. Personally I love it; it’s a kind of traveller’s foreplay to the romance of the road. Some people spend a fortune on big ticket touring rigs like BMW’s ubiquitous (common) GS and fair play to them too. If we had a dollar for every GS we’ve seen, we’d be somewhere a long way away, where English is a second, third or 90th language and the menu is unrecognisable. The truth is of course, you can tour on anything and lots of people deliberately choose the most unlikely machines simply to add to the challenge. However, it doesn’t matter what you choose, if you don’t prepare properly, you’ll end up by the side of the road or worse, wondering why the world hates you, or lying in a bed somewhere wondering why your motorcycle hates you. Any and every motorcycle relies on its suspension to stay glued to the planet and to give you an easy time in the saddle. The amount of weight you add to the machine and where you put it will have an effect, especially if you’re packing a pillion. Consider this, when you sit on an unladen motorcycle the weight distribution is about 50/50 between the wheels and that’s how it handles best. Obviously things change when you add some weight - like a pillion. Throw in some luggage and now here’s the scary part; any weight you add rear of the axle will effectively multiply by about 3 to 5. (Which is why we design our luggage to sit over the axle or low and near the axle.) The way this translates when you ride is that apart from the reduction in suspension travel and the loss of comfort and ride quality, you’ll get excessive weight transfer to the back under acceleration, reduced contact and steering grip at the front and massive amounts of load on the front under braking. Most standard suspension has done its best work by about 10,000 kays, simply because the polymer based oil in the shock loses its viscosity and therefore it’s damping characteristics. The nature of touring is hard on machines, and for less than $200 you can get your standard suspension serviced with new and better quality oil. For less than the price of a big name aftermarket shock you can get a spring and damping tuned to your needs. A suspension upgrade tends to get overlooked by many a lot of the time. Sure you can get away with it most of the time but you’ll have enough to think about on the road, without the nagging feeling that your bike handles badly, your back is killing you or your pillion is waiting for you to stop long enough to beat you to death with a shock absorber. More next time... An extreme little scooter we snapped in Malaysia recently. G’day, How’s your driving week been? Better than mine I hope. Things have changed on the road in the last 5 years or so. #@*$&*@! I knew it! Swearing is a good thing. In an article recently published in the Melbourne Age, a bunch of Pommy University geeks conducted a study to look at the role of swearing and pain perception. The World changing research saw 64 volunteers plunge their mits into a bath of iced water while uttering obscenities or non offensive words. The profanity wielding cohort withstood 40 seconds longer in the beer cooling slush than the nice guys. That proves it – swearing is good for you. Isn’t science grand? So, fuck off, see you next time. Note the big diesel slick, the only way to stop the locals “Scooter Skating” was to impede their path with solid objects. http://www.andystrapz.com/products. php?page=3&PCID=55 Friends Tiernan Turner and Matt Kendall took a three month tour of Latin America on motorcycles, starting in Baja California and finishing in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. They shot the trip in 1080p video and were supported in part by Andy Strapz. Follow the link for a glimpse of the trip of a lifetime and to find out more about their full length feature film. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534686 From Baja to Rio
