EDITORIAL AUGUST 1980
As this is the last
magazine that I will be doing, smithy decided that I should have the doubtful
honour of doing the editorial on my own. (Not that I don’t do most of it,
anytime.)
During the 18 months
that I have been involved in the mag., I have for the most part enjoyed it,
although it has been a lot of work. It
has given me the opportunity to get to know a lot of the members well. Thank you to the many people who have given
me help and support.
The September meeting,
the Annual General Meeting is almost here.
The highlight of the club calendar.
Election Night and Presentation Night.
It is a pity I won’t be there, but will be in the N.T. somewhere trying
to get golden brown. Club elections I
raved about last month, so I will spare you the pep talk and concentrate on
Presentation Night. Trophies will be
given out for Sports Day and the Day trial and for the Club Member of the
Year. The Club Member for 1980 will
receive the Club’s perpetual trophy, a helmet courtesy of Les Leahy and an
individual trophy supplied by Tom Saville, the Club Member of the Year
1979. And then scoring will start again
for the next year.
For those members who
will not be able to attend the A.G.M, proxy voting forms will be available from
Keith Harris tonight, and should be returned to Ian Taylor tonight or as soon
as possible.
There are several
forthcoming social events in conjunction with the BM Club. Further details are in this mag.
Thank you
Jude
____________________
AUGUST
Sunday 3 LAKE MOUNTAIN. 8.30am KBCP.
9.45 Lilydale.
Sunday 10 ST. GEORGE’S LAKE. 9.30am KBCP.
Thursday 14 BOWLING NIGHT. Details this mag.
Weekend TORRUMBARRY ON MURRAY RIVER.
8.00am leave Ford Factory.
16 & 17 Details this mag.
Sunday 24 PT. COOK. 9.30am KBCP.
Sunday 31 HEATHCOTE MT. IDA FIRE
TOWER. 9.00 am KBCP.
SEPTEMBER
Friday 5 ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING. Club Hall 8.15pm.
Election of Officers, and
Presentation Night.
Sunday 7 LOGAN FOR A RUN. 8.30 am KBCP.
____________________
GOOD NEWS
As of the November issue
the magazine will be in the very capable hands of Faye & Geoff Morgan. I trust that the support and help I have
known will continue for them. Good luck,
Faye & Geoff.
____________________
BOWLING NIGHT 14TH AUGUST
The BMW Motorcycle Club
of Victoria has challenged us to a bowling night on 14th August at
the Northcote Bowl. The address is 166
Victoria Road, Northcote. (Close to club
hall.) The time is 8.30pm and the cost is $1.20 per person plus 35c for shoe
hire.
Come along and make it a
success for our club (by thrashing the a--- off them).
____________________
CAMPING WEEKEND TORRUMBARRY, 16th
& 17th AUGUST
The ride up leaves the
Ford Factory at 8.00am. We are staying
at the Torrumbarry Weir Caravan Park.
Bring everything. Camping fee ??? Overnight vans are available $10 to $12. But to have an overnight van, please see Ian
Taylor at this meeting.
____________________
EVITA
On Saturday October 11th
at 2.00 pm the club in conjunction with the BMW club has booked seats to see
the musical “Evita”. The cost is $11.00
per person.
If you wish to go ring
Vicky Williamson on 359 4841. Seats are
limited, so if you wish to go please ring early.
____________________
Les Leahy holed the
petrol tank of his car literally at the back of Bourke. It’ll serve him right for going in a car.
____________________
CLUB CAPTAIN’S REPORT 1979-80
After Mick’s ride at the
end of last month and no serious accidents for the whole twelve months, I
consider that the club has had a successful year.
It is great to see how
active some of this year’s new members have become – and the noticeable
difference in the riding ability of our members in general.
To those of you who
don’t turn up when they think the ride will be difficult (dirt) you are wasting
a chance to get valuable experience. A
time to test your own and your bikes ability, to know your limitations while
help is available. Then perhaps you
wouldn’t have to listen with envy when another member describes his holiday
adventures, feeling that you could never ride in conditions like that. You could, you know, if only you gave
yourself a chance.
Tom Saville Captain.
____________________
MOTORCYCLE TOURING CLUB OF VICTORIA
BALANCE SHEET &
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 20th
JULY 1980.
Receipts Expenditure
Membership Subs 551.00
MTCV Stickers 104.50
Raffles 254.52 20.00
Oil Account 672.50 549.56
Itineraries 49.44
Hall Hire 120.00
Supper 156.03 121.85
Magazine 126.80
Sundries 1118.60 957.25
Bank Balance 819.81
Oil Stock In Hand 92.00
_______ _______
2856.71 2856.71
TREASURER’S REPORT 1979 – 80
Well folks, here it is
the one you have all been waiting for “The Annual Treasurers Report”. Again this year I am presenting the report
early as I will be up around Katherine enjoying the sun at election time.
Now then the “Club’s”
finances are in good condition. We have
considerably more in the bank this year, due mainly to the collection of
membership subs having gone quite well, there being about 18 members
outstanding, they should have received a letter of renewal by now.
Raffles have contributed
$254 for an outlay of only $20. The sale
of MTCV stickers adding $104.50 to the coffers without cost as they were
accounted for in last year’s figures.
We have in stock Brake
Fluid, Toolkit in a Can, Hand cleaner & chain lube to the value of $92,
also a couple of Geoff Morgan’s MTCV metal badges.
So there it is, any
questions?
Keith Harris Treasurer.
____________________
FRENCH ISLAND. 22/6/80
Whilst the day dawned a
little on the cool side we still managed to leave KBCP with 22 machines. With Keith Harris leading we proceeded down
Beach Road to Frankston. Down around
Carrum, after receiving the customary flash of lights from oncoming traffic,
all steadied down and successfully negotiated the local amphometer (no doubt to
the disgust of the Constabulary). A left
turn at Frankston took us through to Cranbourne and the South Gippsland
Highway.
Between Cranbourne and
San Remo Peter’s Duke ceased twice, the
first time after the front carby decided to go its own way, the second unknown
to the writer as I came across them just as they were about to move off
again. From San Remo we proceeded across
the bridge onto Philip Island and down to Rhyll for lunch amongst the shivers.
(T’was a little chilly).
The service at the
little shop was rather slow, so Peter (Duke) & Craig delved into the
mysteries of said Duke. Removal of the
front pot revealed one broken and one stuck piston ring. As the stuck ring was quite happy where it was
and stubbornly refused to be moved our intrepid pair decided removal of the
piston might make their task easier.
Unfortunately when they attempted to remove a little end circlip they
found it to have exactly the opposite frame of mind to the stuck ring. It very smartly took off across the
road. The result of all this was an Emu
parade, (to locate wayward circlip). We
formed up, tramped across the road, searched every square inch, into the grass
and found nothing.
We had almost given up
when all of a sudden Kevin exclaims “here `tis”. Reckon he had it in his pocket all the
time? Shortly after it was decided that
the Duke wouldn’t be able to get home under its own steam anyway. What to do!, tow it home, (not good with
clipons) mount the front wheel up in the chair frame and drag it home that way
(not a success) on the advantage of a local offer and leave it in his garage to
return with a trailer and carry it home?
Eventually it was decided to settle for the latter.
Arrival of the ferry
signalled a temporary breakup of the group.
A few decided on the ferry trip to French Island, others were heading
into Cowes to get some lunch (sick of the local) while a few headed for the
Nobbies.
Keith, the Duffy’s and
the Morgans decided to stay put. When
Ben (middle sized young Duffy) showed some agitation we investigated to find
Chris (largest young Duffy) up to his crutch in mud (the tide was out you
see). Debra was first on the scene and
dragged him out, minus boots. Phil
dashed into rescue said boots before they disappeared completely, and sunk up
to his knees. In desperation he resorted
to all fours and charged triumphant if a little muddy. Then came the clean up. Phil snarled at Chris and then removed his
own boots and socks, just throwing them on the ground, where upon Andrew
(littlest young Duffy) immediately grabbed very muddy socks and stuffed them
inside the equally muddy boots, transferring some of the mud to himself in the
process. Phil was upset, Chris was
upset, and Ben was decidedly unhappy, whilst Andrew was as pleased as
punch. Phil headed off early wearing
plastic pants, rubber boots and a towel below the waist. I’ll bet he had a cool trip home!
Shortly after, Keith
left to visit a friend leaving only us to await the return of the others. After we had regrouped we had an uneventful
run back to Cranbourne and so we broke up, each to go his/her own way.
All in all a good run,
cool, with a few problems and a few laughs.
Geoff GL & DJP.
____________________
PRESIDENT’S RIDE 29.6.80
THE ONLY CLUB RIDE WHERE
EVERY BIKE WENT DOWN.
Saturday, as I was doing
the final touches to restore my 750 to its original condition after it had so
unfortunately been down the road, Keithy and I were discussing Sunday’s ride,
Mick’s ride. Definitely not the day to
take RS’s knowing Mick and dirt roads.
But Sunday morning when
Jude rang Mick to sing him happy birthday, she asked “What sort of bike, Mick?”
He assured her that his original plan had to be cancelled because the roads
were washed out – so take the RS. We
then ran Keithy and passed the message on.
I should have known better, with Mick and his RS jealousy.
I wheeled the RS out,
but a flat battery had me wheeling it back in, and taking the 750 after
all. Torrential rain and flooded freeway
convinced me that there would be a very limited number of bikes at KBCP. On arrival, surprise, surprise. 14 bikes.
Limited perhaps to the very keen and/or adventurous.
With Mick taking various
routes out of the city, after 15 miles I didn’t have a clue where we were, only
that we were heading in a general direction towards the Mt. Macedon area. Just this side of somewhere Mick threw a
leftie. A couple of hundred yards down
the track, all the bikes were stopping.
A sign “No Road”. But obviously
Mick can’t read – this was where it all started.
Coming over the hill, I
thought ‘Oh My Gawd”. I was confronted
by the sight of bikes sliding left and right, and riders picking their bikes
up. We then gathered at the bottom of
the hill, and as the rear rider (Mark X7) came through, he informed us that 4
riders refused to bring their bikes down that hill. Mick was insisting that someone should go and
tell them that there was no alternative route.
But looking further down the hill, we could see them, Keithy, Ian
Taylor, Kevin and Peter P waiting for us.
(Pikers)
We then proceeded along
numerous back tracks, slipping and sliding all the way till I came to a T
section where a number of bikes had stopped.
Across the road was what could only be described as walking track, going
up the hill. Mutterings of “This is
bloody ridiculous”, “I’m going home”, floated in the air.
But they all came
through eventually. This section was a
bobby dazzler. It was mud, slush, lumps,
bumps, rocks and trees across the track.
It became so difficult that we had to abandon the track and went through
the bush. With the highway in sight,
nothing was going to stop us. With the
minor obstacle of logs and rocks removed, the combined effort of riding and
pushing (by about 6 guys) saw us on the bitumen at the top of Mt. Macedon.
After going down the
road a mile or so, we passed the track that we had originally gone in on. Woodend for lunch. Everyone then de-treed the undercarriage of
their bike and checked for damage. After
removing a leech from my back tyre we had lunch while Mick gave an informative
lecture on the sex life of the ferret.
Craig asked if Mick went around with his head in ferret holes, watching.
We then discussed
whether to go straight home, or continue with this madness. What the heck, it couldn’t get any
worse. Could it?
Yes, with Mick leading
it could. After numerous slippery dirt
tracks, I went down for the second time, in a big puddle. It didn’t last much longer; we arrived at the
outskirts of Melbourne where we broke up.
As a club, that is, not as people.
It was a very enjoyable
day. Quite a challenge. I think the experience gained on a ride like
this is extensive. Some of the riders
had they known what they faced, would have refused to take part. But they coped with each section as it
happened, and everybody came through.
Thank you Mick. Imagine how good it would have been, if he
had planned it.
Tom 750BM.
____________________
PANCAK PARLOUR Saturday 5.7.80
Tom & Jude, Craig
& Chris, Mick, Smithy, Keithy, Brian & Kevin.
We silly buggers who
went, were ripped off and underfed.
$3.90 for one waffle is just an example.
What did make the evening enjoyable were the comments being passed
around the table to anyone who would bother to listen. Incidentally Smithy’s tip for the following
Saturday’s races at Flemington was Phar Lap.
(This was brought on by some fool who offered a tip for the waitress.)
Later that evening we
adjourned back to Tom & Jude’s for coffee and a re-run of the BMW entries
in the ISDT film, again without sound.
These evenings are great
but be prepared to spend some money.
“Burrrrpppp” means good
food in Fagan talk.
Kevin Wing Nut.
EILDON COUNTER LUNCH 6.7.80
Sunday morning dawned
grey and drizzly, and but for the thought of a lovely hot lunch served
in-doors, I would’ve rolled over and gone back to sleep. An hour later after donning numerous layers
of clothes and exchanging encouraging remarks such as “There is a small patch
of blue in the sky dear!” and, “If we don’t go on the run we’d probably only
wasted the day in bed!”, we headed off.
By 10.00am there were
about a dozen or so bikes assembled. So off we all went lead by Keith; such a
hardy lttle band! We headed out along the Eastern Freeway then up the
Maroondah, fairly uneventful. Well,
apart from one little diversion Ian had to make to catch up with one
enthusiastic rider who missed a turn off.
As we entered the Black Spur my “cool” little body became cooler. What a day for a ride – blah! No-one really pushed themselves through the
spur as the road was fairly wet from the rain and slippery with bits of leaves
and ferns.
Arriving at Eildon we
met up with Dave, Tom, Jude and a “prospective member” on a Ducati. The pub was quickly found and
infiltrated. Layers of clothes peeled
off, meals ordered and seats grabbed, we all sat back and engrossed ourselves
in fairly meaningless pre lunch chatter.
On my particular table this included an in depth discussion on the
“limpness” of the lettuce and salad in general.
A few of our more financial members started things off with entrees, the
rest of us having to be content with watching on. By the time dinner actually arrived I was
pretty hungry and unfortunately I found it a little lacking in both heat and
flavour. Disappointed in the chook, Ian
and I promptly delved our pockets and scrounged out enough money for dessert; a
definite improvement in culinary skills, so much so that there was quite a
scramble for my left over cherries! Or
was that just a bad case of sweet tooth on behalf of the major contenders?
After dessert a near
riot occurred when Ian and Keith discovered some gherkins lurking in the
salad. And what a to-do when Keith lost
his under the table! Lunch over, the
pool sharps retired to the billiard room.
Jude and I accompanied them; I mean there’s nothing like a good laugh
after lunch!
Keith and Craig set
about to flatten a ping pong ball pretending to play both ping pong and “hit
the innocent bystander” whilst one club member (obviously with a sleazy
upbringing), assisted by Ian proceeded to abuse the routine workings of one of
the billiard tables. Other would-be Eddie
Charltons included Mick, Dave, Brian and Gary.
We left Eildon at about
2.30 heading through Thornton (quick wave to Greg Moore in the school yard) and
then on to Yea, Flowerdale and Kinglake.
This was a very pleasant ride with slightly milder weather, more scenic
and room for a bit of speed. Afternoon
tea was provided by Kevin at Kinglake but Ian and I headed straight home going
on through Whittlesea, South Morang and Greensborough. A pleasurable day overall.
Lynne (pillion) R90S
____________________
JOSS HOUSE – BENDIGO 12.7.80
Leaving the den feeling
warm, not within a bull’s roar (or is that a lion’s roar) of Bacchus Marsh had
already started to ice over. Couldn’t
believe a man could get so cold, so quickly.
Arrived at the launching
pad only 2 bikes there. They must have
seen those dark clouds, I thought and gone home. Got off the bike and 2 or 3 more pulled up –
got the “pioneer spirit” this club has.
Heading up the road we
stopped at Sunbury to collect some more lovers of pain and then off to the land
of Chang. Tearing up the road at 99.9
Ks, we got to Bendigo around noon feeling a bit peckish. Parked in front of the Town Hall which was in
front of a cafe, very handy that.
Ordered a pie and a packet of “Quick-Ease”, but was out of luck... no
Quick-Ease, so settled for a hot coffee which was hot. Wonder upon wonder!
We then moved off to get
some culture at the Joss House. The Joss
House consists of an Ancestral Hall, the Min Temple and the Caretakers
residence, which is all very interesting and very Chinese – “those people
mazing”.
The troops were then
pointed towards Sunbury, checking first all important gear like electric vests,
but alas one was not working. Tried
every conceivable trick in the book but to no avail. Turning on the ignition solved all the
problems – even Honda 360’s won’t work without spark. Solar vests might be the next trick. The ride back induced more heart beats than
the ride up, finding a turn here and a bend there and even the occasional
corner and was topped off by going up Mount Macedon where everybody enjoyed the
extra drop in temperature.
Stopped at Geoff &
Faye’s home for some coffee and cakes which were gratefully received by all and
then headed for home.
A fun day.
Shorty H650
____________________
DAY TRIAL – THE WINNERS 20.7.80
The points as allotted
were based on the sum total of 1 point per correctly answered question and 1
point per item of equipment, carried on the day, required to repair a
puncture. As can be seen the point
scores are very close; I had anticipated this when organising the trial and had
therefore included a mileage penalty. In
the event of a tie, the neatness of answers was to be the deciding factor.
Unfortunately I stuffed
up the recording of the distances covered by several riders and was therefore
unable to apply my original scoring system.
From the results shown
we have joint winners, Tom Saville/Jude Wallis and Mark Sulot. What the results don’t show is that Tom got
lost, or that Mark travelled on extra 20km before lunch, nor do the results
show that Geoff and Faye Morgan and Ted Marshall travelled a distance closest
to what I had calculated as the minimum and still follow the course.
Other notable
observations having spent several hours studying soggy, screwed up and torn
sheets of paper are as follows;
Mick Fagan travelled
minus 212Km before lunch.
Brian Milesi kept his
sheets in almost pristine condition.
Many thanks to my wife
who conscientiously ironed all the sheets to enable me to read them.
Many thanks also to Ian
& Lynne who stood in the rain for hours observing riders on the observed
section.
And to my parents, a
thank you for the afternoon tea. Much
appreciated.
Ian Budgen 12 Mick 16
Keith Harris 15 Faye Morgan 15
Geoff Morgan 13 Ted Marshall 16
Brian Milesi 15 Tom Saville 17
Dave Sheath 16 Marc Sulot 17
Big D, Peter Dwyer,
Brian Green, Don Gravette and Jan Lees did the full course but did not submit
an entry.
Kevin Robertson, Ray
Thomas and Craig pulled out during the day, but Craig went home and returned in
his car with Christine. They did the afternoon course and came for afternoon
tea. It ws good to see Chris.
Keith Finlay
____________________
DAY TRIAL 20/7/80
Lulled into a false
sense of security by fine weather, about twenty eager trial participants left
the car park for parts unknown. A study
of the instructions was not very revealing about where we would finish up, but
it did involve the Yarra Boulevard, which worried some of our member who have
had the odd tangle with the traffic police.
However, the law were conspicuous by their absence and the first stop
was at the Studly Park Boathouse, to the astonishment of family
picnickers. From here on, it began to
rain heavily and meant the gradual disintegration of the instruction leaflets.
Your correspondents
leaflet blew away on the Eastern Freeway and trying to retrieve paper in the
rain with Kamikaze car drivers on all sided is not recommended. Hence, the idea was abandoned and that
created the problem of where to go next.
No alternative but to open the “Panic Note” which directed the desperate
to Warrandyte. Here, some riders were
found in the local hamburger and eventually we joined sundry soggy riders and
family groups sheltering from the pouring rain at Jumping Creek Reserve. A few cars there with canoes on the roof
seemed a wise precaution, under the circumstances.
Here, we all obtained
new instruction leaflets to replace the illegible ones and proceeded by devious
routes to Montmorency, noting some famous (well, famous to us) landmarks on the
way, e.g. Kangaroo Ground School,
Hurstbridge Railway station and a Done at Diamond Creek evidently ravaged by a
whirlwind.
The cunning organiser
had trapped anyone thinking of ticking answers on the sheet at random by
ensuring that, in some cases, all the answers were wrong! A few surprisingly bad gravel roads later
(the signs 25kph – avoid dust, seemed a little irrelevant) we arrived at
Keith’s parents’ place to welcome coffee and cake. Our thanks to organiser Keith Finlay (and his
parents) for the day. There are quite a
few hours of behind-the-scenes work involved in arranging a trial and it was
very unfortunate about the weather. It
is rumoured that the only way to get good weather is to have a sacrifice, so
start looking around now!!
And who won the
day? Well , it was...Taa Daa!.. Who scored points out of a possible??? Me think it mazing, as they say in the
advertisement.
Peter Dwyer CX 500
____________________
SPECIAL EXAMINATION FOR IRISHMEN OR WOMEN.
1.
What
is the silver dollar make of? (2mins)
2.
Explain
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or write your own name in block letters (5
mins)
3.
Spell
the following CAT DOG BOMB (6 mins)
4.
Name
three saints who were members of the IRA. (1min)
5.
What
time is the evening new at seven? (10 mins)
6.
Give
the approx. number of Commandments given to Moses. (10 min)
7.
There
have been six Kings of England named George. Name the other five (15 min)
8.
Write
down the numbers from one to ten. (marks will be deducted for numbers out of
sequence.) (5 mins)
9.
In
the 1977 Sheep Dog Trials, how many dogs were found guilty? (30 min)
10.
Who
invented Stevenson’s Rocket? Candidates
must not use more than one side of the paper.
Anyone found cheating will receive double marks for initiative.
Peter Dwyer CX 500
____________________
AN AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLISTS VIEW OF THE UNITED
STATES.
When I arrived in the
USA, a Gold Wing rider asked that I let him know what I thought of America. Well.
I thought I would write an article for both the American and Australian
motor cycle clubs to which I belong, and as a consequence, I have included
American terms in brackets as there is likely to be some confusion over
terms. I might add that even the term
“club” is controversial. Whereas it is a
neutral term in Australia, in the US it has negative overtones of “Hell’s
Angels” and the touring clubs prefer to use the term “Association”, but I will
use the term “club” and use it in the Australian sense.
After 21,000 kilometres
(13,000 miles of motorcycling), 1,600 kms of
rail travel (1,000 miles), and probably 800 kms of car travel (500 miles
in an auto), I can assert that the States in which I travelled, viz., California,
Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Washington State (as well
as two brief incursions into Mexico), can be summed up in this sentence:- The
scenery is so fantastic that superlatives cease to have meaning, the roads are
brilliant and the people are the most hospitable and in almost every way
different to how I preconceived them to be.
I had read that America
was superb with natural wonders, but could not comprehend just how varied and
spectacular it really is. America’s
western states were made for motorbikes and there are plenty of them taking
advantage of the country.
Weather and Climate
America is essentially a
very cold country, and while there are areas such as Southern California which
are as warm as Australia, the weather when I was America (March, April and May)
was varied from snow to hot days.
Further, the weather can change so fast in many areas that Melbourne
would never be able to keep up. It only
has four seasons in one day. Utah can do
everything twice, and is very unpredictable.
Warm clothing is essential. Yet it can be hot. It was snowing near Flagstaff and within
three hours ride we had warm weather in Phoenix, both cities being in
Arizona. The secret is that flagstaff is
up very high, and one had to keep a watch on altitude. We reached about 2,500 meters or about 8,500
feet high and it should be said that the altimeter on the new Gold Wing
Interstate is no useless gimmick in the US as it would be here. Due to carefully working out our travel plans
and with much advice from our hosts we managed to avoid the worst weather, and
luck was on our side and we only had four wet days, mostly in Utah, which is
very high up too.
Roads and Freeways
It is most difficult to
describe the roads. The Freeway system
must be the eighth wonder of the world, and it is possible, once on the system
to go anywhere without traffic lights.
The secondary roads also have an excellent surface, but wind and twist
in the mountain country, and that includes most of the country we were in, and
they were really made for bikes. Highway
One, the coastal highway is similar to the best part of Victoria’s Great Ocean
Road, but the two parts of it which I rode,
(and I only saw half of it as it goes through to Canada) have really to
be ridden to be believed. It is vastly
more of a spectacle than anything here with cliffs three times as high as our
Ocean Rd. There were many bikes enjoying
it too. But the mountain roads are also
remarkable as they wind through the mountain passes with the alp-like snow
capped mountains and blue lakes almost always in sight.
The Americans
Americans are often
imagined as wealthy, lazy and gadget mad, owning large cars and enjoying the
easy life without regard for others, people who madly travel around the world
taking photographs.
My finding was that this
picture is far from reality. The
hospitality shown to me was amazing, and it really made my trip. Far from being wealthy, the average American
is worse off than the average Australian.
Collectively, America is obviously a rich and powerful country, and all
the Americans I met were proud of their land, and were most patriotic. What came as a shock to me was the average
folk do not enjoy the good life as easily as do Australians and I came home well
convinced that Australia is really the “Lucky Country” it is said to be.
American salaries are
similar to ours, their prices for food, particularly beef and lamb, are way
beyond ours, and petrol (gasoline) is cheaper here by 10 cents a litre (40
cents a gallon). Taxes are higher in the
US and they have State, local and welfare and unemployment contributions to
meet.
But housing is vastly
more costly than here and I will deal with that separately. But Australians have leave or vacation
conditions and holidays that Americans have never heard of. There is no three months long service leave
every ten years and our paid 4 up to 6 weeks annual leave with a 17 ½ % of
salary loading for the extra costs of vacations contrasts with America where
leave (not always paid) varies from one week to six depending on the years of
service, and not many Americans get more than two weeks leave. Still, there were no strikes when I was
there, and most Americans work very hard, often with two jobs for they need the
cash to pay the high cost of living.
There are no penalty rates which cost our industry dearly (expensively)
here for work done at weekends and public holidays.
Despite the problems,
Americans seem happy, and joke among themselves and they appear to have a great
sense of humour. They have little of our
reserve. Wherever I was Americans would
come up and talk, whether on the street or in the trains. You could travel in a Melbourne train for a
month before someone might speak to you.
You have to “break the ice” here, but certainly not in the US.
American friendliness is
genuine and they have a real sense of hospitality.
Accents and terms
Generally, Americans had
difficulty in understanding the Australian accent. Although one million Australians go overseas
each year (one in 14 of the population), few Americans travel much, and we see
the exceptional ones here. Most do not
seem to have been much beyond their adjoining state. I would venture that most Australians, by the
time they are 25 years of age, would have been to half of Australia’s states
and territories. We have the advantage
of American films, but fortunately Australian films are getting into the US,
even a crazy motor bike on like “Mad Max” was showing when I was in California.
Terms caused
amazement. There is no “fortnight” in
the United States. The word “tea” only
means a drink in the US and not also a light evening meal. That mistake nearly had me starving. When I had been in the US for a fortnight, I
had to explain that I had been there two weeks!
Not many Americans knew
how large Australia is, and one good lady was not too sure where it was. However, most knew about the koala and the
kangaroo, but few realised that the many gum trees (eucalypt) seen in California
were native to Australia. Once I was
asked if we have
“station wagons” in Australia, and I did not have the heart to tell that the
concept was invented in Australia for use in our sheep and cattle
stations. The US term “ranch wagon” did
not really catch on in the US itself.
The different terms
caused great fun and were part of the pleasure of the trip.
American cars
American car ownership
is similar to ours being only marginally more car owing than Australia where
generally the initial licence age is older.
Nevertheless, there are more Japanese small cars, in my observation, on
the US roads than here. The US companies
which here in Australia produce some great compact cars, d o not seem to be
able to do the same thing in their own country. There is an 8 month waiting
list for the Honda 4 door Accord, and there were many V.W. and Honda cars as
well as plenty of Datsuns. There did not
appear to be as many Toyotas as here.
However, the US produced utilities (pick ups) and mobile homes generally
had suffered little from the Japanese.
American Indians usually seemed to own a Ford 4 wheel drive utility, as
I think the roads in their reserves might have needed them.
Americans really look
after their bikes, but the cars were often very old and seemingly in poor
condition as compared with Victoria.
Many had long standing collision damage, even a loss of a head light,
and often cars went un-waxed and uncleaned for long periods. Very old twin pinner Fords were still to be
seen.
America is really a land
of very great contrast, and we did see some superb cars, and in Hollywood
plenty of Rolls Royce but the mix of vehicles showed that not every American
was wealthy.
Police and the Road Laws
As in Australia, each
American state seemed to police its road laws in a slightly different way, and
apart from the State Police (or Highway Patrols) there is the County Sheriff
and his Deputies and the City Police.
California is much like Victoria, and one could do about 10 miles an
hour above the limit of 55 mph (90kph) before they worried, but in Utah Police
were like the Queensland Police which seems to be everywhere. Oregon allowed about 5 mph above the limit
and I was told you do not speed at all in Washington State.
The California Highway
Patrol (CHIPS) do not use radar, thankfully.
Policing standards appear to be very high indeed.
Australia will never
believe how good are the Californian drivers.
They are generally taught at school, and are polite and courteous,
patient and very skilful. If it was not
for their ability, I might not be here now, for they were cheerfully tolerant
of my mistakes. I saw a few instances of
poor driving in Arizona, but it was not typical.
I found it confusing and
far from easy to ride on the right hand side of the road. The freeways are easy, but you have to work
out where you are going to ahead of getting on the road, otherwise it is very
easy to get lost. The roads are very
well sign-posted with plenty of advance warnings. All American roads are numbered like the
major roads here, but Americans refer to their roads by number rather than by
their name, and most have a number and name.
Here, the name is more often used, a mistake I think.
Los Angeles is huge and
has as many people as live in the whole of Australia. With its surrounding counties there are
between 14,000,000 and 22,000,000 in Los Angeles, and no one seemed to know the
exact figure and a census this year might give the answer. Its freeways are fantastic, but it has paid
dearly (heavily) for them, as the downtown area is heavily committed to car
parking, public transport is poor and slow and the smog is horrible beyond
belief. When I was first in the city,
there was no smog and L.A. was fantastic with the ring of mountains around
it. Some of these rise up to 4,300
meters (14,000 feet). With the smog it was hard to see one kilometre ahead and
things just suddenly loomed out of the murk.
It affected my yes, throat and caused me to feel very ill. To get out of it we rode up a canyon road to
over 1,200 metres (4,000 feet). These canyon roads are really great for bikes
on a good day.
American Bikes
The bike scene in the
States we visited differs from one State to another. Generally the dry weather States are the more
the bike States, and there are many bikes in California and Arizona, and far
fewer in Utah.
Bikes are generally very
well cleaned and maintained. Only one
person we met relied on his bike for transport.
A motor cycle is used to travel to work on good days and for pleasure
rides and holiday touring, but with the exception mentioned, every rider also
drives a car. They spoke of driving the
bike! In Australia bikes are ridden,
never driven.
Honda’s penetration of
the market is far greater than in Australia.
Honda has 42% of the total bike market and in the 500cc and over market
the Gold Wing last year accounted for 53% of that market. On the country roads Gold Wings certainly
made up half the bikes, with the remainder being 4 cylinder machines and there
were a few Harley Davidsons. BMW bikes
were not common in Southern California, but were popular in the snow areas and
in Oregon. Around the cities the bikes
are somewhat more like you would see around Melbourne with smaller bikes used
for local travel.
I had my first ride on
an automatic Honda 400, and while its lady owner finds it really enjoyable, I
must confess that I found it difficult as it was so different to the G.L.
Gold Wing riders are a
group in the bike market which does not even exist here in Australia. It is not common for married folk here
(usually with attractive teenage daughters) and who are well established and
frequently well over 40 years of age, to own and ride a motor cycle. Well, the US has this large group of touring
motorcyclists, who I might add, are extremely keen on their bikes, and their
wives share this enthusiasm, and they seem to have chosen the Gold Wing for
their steed.
The bikes are superbly
well ‘dressed’ or fitted out with fairing, panniers (side bags) and top case
(tote box) as well as great sound systems and CB radio. There is plenty of chrome and also plenty of
custom paint jobs. They usually ride
with jet helmets which are colour matched to their bikes. I might add that of the States I travelled
in, only Nevada required a helmet and also required eye protection. In the other states I was in, a full face
helmet was very seldom seen, and this was remarkable to me since they are almost
the only helmet worn here. Vast numbers
of riders (usually on choppers) were seen without helmets, although they were
seen with ear phones to enable then to listen to the music. However, on hot days a few riders wore gloves
or anything more above the waist other than a ‘T’ shirt, and leathers were rare
(and expensive). It was a very different
picture to what is seen in Australia, or in Melbourne, anyway. I doubt if any American ‘dresser’ would make
it from Brisbane to Cairns over Queensland roads, but the excellent surfaces of
the US roads is easy on the equipment and it is also easy on the backside
(butts?) of the riders and pillions and some Americans run up some high
mileages with their spouses while on their annual vacations. How often do you see even young married
couples going out on their bike together?
Here, once a guy is married, his wife does her darndest to get rid of
the bike! I really hope this will change
in the American tradition!
US bike riders come from
all ages and social groups, and I was shown about Hollywood by an elderly (but
fast riding) millionaire on his superb red Gold Wing. I was shown about San Diego (St. James) by a
negro (black) bank manager, who is a real gentleman, and who was most
hospitable. I was amazed to find the
black skinned Gold Wing owners also had black bikes! Amazing, I thought! No racial or colour problems affected the
clubs, or was evident in California, but it may only have been cloaked
over. I found that the black folk were
friendly and interesting to talk with as well.
But I have never seen an Australian aborigine riding a bike yet. For that matter, I did not see a Red Indian
on one either in the U.S.
Australians are familiar
with the great congregation of bikes which congregate in Elizabeth Street,
Melbourne on a Saturday morning, and they have ridden or at least have heard of
the Boulevard, Kew, near Melbourne, where bikes make great use of this fine
twisty road. Well, in the US on the
Mulholland Highway near Los Angeles at about midday, but with extra numbers at
the weekend near the Rock Shop, hundreds of riders congregate to talk or else
to ride on the fine Canyon Roads that are so fantastic. There was every type of bike and rider from
1% to 99% type riders, and they were all getting along without any fuss. Any visitor should make a pilgrimage to this
place. An Australian with a strong
American accent introduced himself, after he had seen our Australian flag. Darren Thackeray was his name and I said I
would call and see his brother in Melbourne sometime. Los Angeles has such fantastic roads for
bikes that it is not surprising to see so many bikes on them. However, I was amazed to see so many of the
now vintage and yet well maintained early model 750 Hondas.
Side-cars are no more
common than in Australia. However
Americans have developed a very useful new toy, the motor cycle trailer. These come in many sizes from quite small and
range up to large units that convert into small houses with sinks, table and
double bed. They have a great advantage
over the sidecar outfit, in as much that after setting up camp, a couple may
abandon the trailer and they have a solo bike with which to tackle the great
mountain roads and passes that make riding such fun in the US. The freeways absorb the cars and this largely
leaves the twisty roads for the bikes.
And there were plenty of bikes. I
usually wave to bikes, but there were so many that I got to the stage that I
just waved to the Gold Wings, but there were just so many of them that even
that become almost a reflex action.
Despite what might have
been anticipated, Americans seem to be courteous to bike riders and at no time
did I suffer any rebuff being a bike rider.
Likewise the road manners of bike riders was also excellent, and while
they often used their size to advantage on the freeways, I did not see any
rider cause any alarm to the car drivers, and the only exception was myself,
and due to my confusion on several occasions I gave quite a few four wheelers a
fright. They were good natured about it
and it is something the reverse of the situation here. I really wonder how the polite American
riders will cope with Melbourne's fast and cut-throat traffic, particularly as
several said they were thinking of coming out here. I would say this that if you hear of any
visiting US rider getting about in an Australian city, remember it is a very
great help to lead the visitor about and warn him of the traffic pitfalls, for
we have far more of those here.
Australians, who ride
throughout the year, would find it difficult to come to grips with the fact
that generally the USA is a cold country, except for the two or three months of
summer and that motorbike riding is a seasonal thing. I was told of many accounts of riders who
were caught in snow storms and thus having to ride with feet out and slowly for
quite long hauls. This is not for
me! No wonder the Americans have well
heated houses or else wish to move to the only warm city, warm that is
throughout the year, and I speak of Los Angeles. San Diego is a great spot too.
American homes
There are many
Australians on tour in the US. Few would
have the very real privilege of staying with the Americans, and this was purely
a result of my membership of the Gold Wing Association. While American scenery is most grand, I found
that the Americans to be hard working, as I mentioned, very interesting
conversationalists and most friendly.
American houses are
quite different to what Australians are used to and by way of introduction, we
here are used to our high home ownership.
(The world’s highest,) brick houses on large blocks of land, superb
gardens, (both private and public), neat clean streets, terracotta tiled roofs,
and the sound of lawn mowers.
Australians, who do not have children, may live in flats
(apartments). These by law will be brick
or concrete with concrete floors and be near public transport. Our farmers generally live in large expensive
new homes with neat surroundings. Our
millionaires live in their Toorak mansions with the large richly tree-filled
gardens, and are somewhat secluded. I
say all this because the American scene, with some interesting exceptions, is
very different.
In the states I
travelled in, there were different types of houses depending on the area, and
San Francisco was the nearest to Australian style.
Generally, American
houses are more fully, and more comfortably furnished than are Australian
houses, and the US ones are almost always air conditioned, and this reflects
the wide shifts of the weather. While
Melbourne houses are heated for winter, air-cooling is usually found only in
the bedrooms, if at all, or else in one living area. The houses here are generally well insulated,
and the relatively mild climate does not need the extensive ducted systems I
found in the US. Nevertheless, while
American houses are beautiful inside, this did not always carry over to the
outside, for the gardens were usually small, and with so many people living in
rented houses or were else working two jobs the outside of houses and the
gardens were no match for Melbourne's neatness and splendour, something one
does not realise until one has seen other places. Nature strips were often overgrown and there
was often a lot of rubbish being blown around.
Even Beverley Hills is no match for the grandeur of Toorak or Sydney's
North Shore.
American houses are
usually built around a wooden frame, as were many flats (apartments), and these
would be covered with a stucco cement.
The roof was usually finished with wooden slats or shingles, something
never seen here. Likewise I did not see
one of the interlocking terracotta tiles which are ubiquitous on roofs
here. Country houses in America often
look really run down, almost like shanties with many derelict cars about,
something that is almost never seen here, thanks to our vigilant health
inspectors. While we have our many
Government houses for families with limited income and large families, there is
nothing here to compare with America’s widespread use of the ‘mobile home’, a
very large caravan (trailer) often make up of several units which are seen in
enormous numbers near every city and town.
Since houses are very expensive and interest rates are high, these
mobile homes are essential to provide housing for the less rich. I stayed in some and found that the people
who lived in them were among the most kind people I had the pleasure of
meeting. Another American oddity is that
in all the new sub-divisions, the builder first encircles the estate with a
high fence, and the result is a lot of little ‘walled cities’ which make the
surrounding streets somewhat bleak.
In all, American cities
have a different look about them, and in contrast to the National Parks are
somewhat untidy, but there were dramatic exceptions which I saw in San Mateo
and San Diego. Generally American housing
standards were far lower than I had expected and were lower than what is the
rule in Australia, a fact which may amaze some Australians until they go
overseas.
General Items
In an overseas trip, it
is natural to contrast what is found with one’s homeland. And so it was with me. I found things which I liked and those which
I did not.
American media is very
local and rarely reports overseas news.
Radio reaches a high standard, but television services are vastly
inferior to Australia’s. Our rival,
Government versus Commercial, systems which draws on programmes from all around
the world would amaze Americans.
Americans have drifted away from TV I was told, and I know why. However, the number of video services would
amaze Australians.
Red meat is very expensive,
and mutton or lamb, which is cheap here, is so expensive in the US that one
lady said she had not eaten lamb chops for four or five years. Kentucky Fried Chicken is very good and about
the same price as here. I lived on it,
along with Hamburgers and ham. Bacon is
a write-off in US, and it was generally over cooked and served in small slices;
very thin slices!
American coffee is
excellent, and once you order it, your cup is continually filled up without
further cost, something which could be introduced here. A glass of iced water is usually served with
any meal, a pleasant touch. However,
soft drinks are always served with a half glass or container of crushed ice and
as a rule it was not appreciated if you asked for no ice, as this would halve
the profits. Take away food (food to go)
is very expensive as is the entrance charges for most things except the
National Parks. With them you can buy a
$10 ticket which is good for all the National Parks for a year.
Tipping is something
which plaques most Australians since it is a practice which is not common here
with our award wages and basic wage.
Frankly, I find tipping objectionable for it allows employers to get
away with paying poor wages. Despite the
rule, that you ‘behave like the Romans when in Rome’, it was much against the
grain to tip when the only service offered was what was expected and paid for,
and was not exceptional. In Australia
only Americans tip for normal service.
Tipping here of course is normally a reward for unpaid or exceptional
service and is not routine.
Public transport is not
as common as it is here, and all the shops in most cities have large car parks,
and there are few parking problems, except in the more public transport
orientated city I found San Francisco to be.
To me San Francisco is a city similar to Sydney with plenty of charm and
yet it is very dirty compared to Sydney.
Its weather is more like Melbourne’s though. If a visitor really wants to see the US
properly and cannot stand an organised tour, then one needs one’s own vehicle,
and while the trains are comfortable, they do not run very often. Also, before you leave Australia, eat plenty
of lamb and mutton as well as beef, but go easy on chicken, ham and hamburgers
or which you will see plenty. They also have excellent fish and fruit. Pancakes are great but forget the bacon.
The Take away (food to
go) stalls are everywhere, and some places like Denny’s are superb, and there
are some good Mexican food stands in California.
Highlights
California Coast Road 1 and
101. This is the real motorcycle trip of
all time. From San Diego to Canada, of which I have seen two sections ...
really tremendous.
Yosemite The greatest scenery I
have seen with great granite cliffs and waterfalls.
The Avenue of The great redwood forests of
Northern California.
the Giants
The Trinity Hwy. 160kms of riverside and mountain
grandeur.
Highway 395 & 89 with the grand Alpine scenery of the
high Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe, one of the most beautiful places we saw.
Weird, Death Valley not that beautiful but really hot and
fascinating.
The Canyon roads if there is a motor cyclist’s heaven,
it must truly be here, among the
of Los Angeles roads which wind through and
over the great mountains which surround the city, several of which reach up to
14,000 feet.
Nevada mostly desert but it
has Reno, Las Vegas with its lights, Carson City, the tiny capital, and half
the mighty Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. (The other half is in Arizona.)
Arizona this is the ‘Grand
Canyon State’ and it is a must to see
...Oak Creek Canyon,
Jerome, Montezooma’s Castle, the Petrified forest.
...All these are fully
of great interest, and some of the roads between Phoenix and Globe are
fantastic rides.
Texas we only saw a
little but it is a big flat state and the only one where petrol (gas) was not
25% more expensive than in Australia.
Utah no wonder the
Mormons settled this rich and magnificent state. The Great Salt Lake...the largest and deepest
open cut copper mine in the world where you look straight down over half a
mile...and some of the best scenery in the USA, eg. Zion National Park, Bryce
National Park, Natural Bridges National Park, and the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
Oregon this is said to be a
wet state where ‘people do not get a sun tan but rather they RUST’.
However, it is lush and very
green with superb mountains and rich green forests. The Crater Lake and the Colliding Rivers
(where two rivers meet head on) are definitely worth seeing. The Columbia River Gorge with its 200 meter
(600 ft) high waterfalls was one of the greatest highlights of my trip, and it
did not rain on me in Oregon at all!
Washington. I was only there for an
hour. The day or so after I left, Mt.
St. Helens blew its top off. I was glad
to be away, but my bike is living about 160 kms away, and I hope it is safe
along with those folks who are caring for it.
Conclusion
The Honda Gold Wing
holds 53% of the 500cc and over market in the USA and clearly has found its way
to the hearts of American motorcycle tourists.
The tremendous roads are the eighth wonder of the world. The freeways and the winding roads make the
USA truly the ‘GOLD WING HEAVEN’ as my host in San Lorenzo so aptly described
it.
Postscript
The USA is a place for a
holiday, after my trip to New Zealand, I have gained new appreciation for
Melbourne. I will never be critical
again of Melbourne’s weather after what they put up with in New Zealand and in
the US. Melbourne is so clean, painted,
trim and spruce that Dame Phyllis Frost and her Keep Australia Beautiful group
seem to have really got somewhere.
Melbourne is truly the Capital of the ‘Garden State’. No gardens in the US that I saw, both public
and private can compare with Melbourne's well kept and colourful vistas.
Contrary to my
expectations, the average Australian is for better off than folk in New
Zealand, and (as a surprise to me) or the folk in the US states I saw. One of my American colleagues here said to
me, “Now you know why I do not wish to return to live in the USA”. I asked him, “With all the beautiful scenery
in the USA, what will I show any visiting US motorcyclist here that would
interest him?” He said, “Don’t despair
while Australian scenery is not so dramatic as in the US, the Australian bush,
the beaches and the tropical coast and the rolling mountains as well as the
Blue Mountains and Sydney really delighted my parents who recently visited from
Florida.” “They had not seen such fine
beaches before”, he added. This made me
even more appreciative of the hospitality afforded me by all the generous US
Gold Wing folk.
I truly hope some of our
touring riders make it to the USA, and with our long vacation periods we
probably will have more chances of seeing the US than young Americans will have
to get here.
I hope Australian riders
will be as helpful to the Americans as they were to all who travelled with me.
Darren GL 1000 x 3
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