ITINERARY OCTOBER 1984

7^th DALESFORD If you don’t know where it is, come along and find out.

14^th MINI HA-HA FALLS Near Gelliondale. (Gippsland)

8.00 KBCP

9.30 Hallam

20^th PROGRESSIVE DINNER CANCELLED! See this issue for alternative night out.

5.30 KBCP

21^st ROUTE 2BBQ Exactly that, Route 2 (check your Melways)

10.00 KBCP

28^th MT. LEURA Remains of old volcano, near Camperdown.

9.30 KBCP

10.30 Laverton

NOVEMBER

2^nd GENERAL MEETING Club Hall 8.15pm sharp

EDITORIAL

This month’s issue of GOOD VIBRATIONS is a little disappointing owing largely to the lack of articles. A list of the articles outstanding and the designated author appears elsewhere in this issue.........., that’s how the Editorial was going until an eleventh hour effort by Brenda and Noddy produced 2 more articles – good onya. Thanks also to Ben Bend’em and Peter Dwyer for their efforts on the photo-copier, Ben producing an article I thought you might be interested in, and Peter for producing the new u’beaut mag. Covers.

Now lets’ get serious, all you slack bodies (and other expletives) out there in member land have, due to your lack of enthusiasm, caused the cancellation of one of the clubs greatest social functions i.e. the Progressive Dinner. It used to be an annual event, but now who knows?????

So get with it members, STAND UP and BE COUNTED. On the other hand, as anybody knows it takes a lot of effort to get a group of people motivated, be it motorcyclists or not. I for one can’t see the general membership supporting a committee that cancels out at the merest hint of lack of interest.

WHO’S NEWS

-A new column and seeking printable material.

Rumour has it that a swarm of ferocious mosquitoes has invaded Melbourne’s SE suburbs. A member from Cheltenham was seen recently sporting evidence of an attack of these biting pests.

Congratulations to Craig and Christine on the birth of their daughter, Amanda Jane, born 18^th September. Mother and baby doing well. Father having trouble getting his helmet on.

While 8 of us enjoyed the delights of Ben’s Twisties Mk.3, Noddy and Brenda were fanging it around Winton Racetrack during an open day organized by the Laverda Club. Noddy blitzed the field, lapping 1.13min, while Brenda didn’t actually set the racing world on fire by lapping 1.35min. At the end of the day the results were as follows......

Noddy; 1^st. Novice Class

2^nd . 750 & over Superbike

4^th . 600 & over

Brenda; unplaced – ladies races.

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ARTICLES OUTSTANDING

SIMPSON Darryl Thompson

TREASURER’S TREK Ken Wurster

BEN’S TWISTIES Ted Marshal

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PROGRESSIVE DINNER

Due to lack of interest from you fellows, we have decided instead of the same poor buggers doing all the work yet again, we are having a Chinese Banquet in the “Far East”. The cost is approx £14.15 per head. Destination as stated “In the Far East”. The ride there will be of about 1 ½ hours duration. The club function will finish there, so if you would like to bring a bottle of wine its O.K.

Afterwards the “ragers” are heading back to Brenda’s for coffee etc. As the destination is a secret you will have to let me know that you will be going by the 13^th October. If you can’t make the rendezvous at KBCP by the appointed time I might relent and let you know where we are going ify our story is a beauty.

The food is terrific where we are going, so do come along with the better halves, because we never see them often enough.

P.S. thanks Janet, for volunteering to do Main Meal, but one person does not a progressive dinner make.

SOCIAL SECRETARY: Robyn Duffy.

A SHORT NOTE TO THE MEMBERS

It has come to my attention that certain “innuendoes” and back-stabbing comments are being made concerning the present committee and some of its committee members. These comments come from groundless accusations’ and should remain form where they surfaced. It is reasonable to criticize the committee but these criticisms must be constructive and must not be directed at any one committee member. I will not name names as I am aware of libel laws that govern this country. I can only remind the members that at the last election only one person was nominated for each position on the committee. It is reasonable to say that this shows a certain lack of interest by the members towards this club. With regard to the “Progressive Dinner” I can only say that once again it has been left up to the same people to organise.

At the last meeting when Phil asked for someone to do the “dinner course”, nobody bothered to volunteer. With such obvious lack of enthusiasm, it has been decided by the committee to organise something else that requires a lot less time and effort to run. And just on an ending note remember that if you don’t like the present committee and the decisions that it makes, you can always nominate yourselves at the next elections and run the club the way that you would like it to be run.

BRENDA POLLETT (Assistant Sect.)

BOOLARRA (September 9^th)

Arrived at the car park to only two other riders. The day was overcast, mild, with a few sunny patches expected. Where was everybody? Eventually Ross (leader and Ben rear rider) arrived and we took off along the South Eastern and Mulgrave freeways to Hallam. Here we picked up quite a few more bikes with final count of 14. Present were: Ross GS1000, Ben GPZ550, Janet GPZ550, Ed CB1100F, Mick Fagan R100 (complete with universal tyres), Gary Z1100, Pete GT750 (or was it the Honda?), Brenda 650, Jack on his new K100RS, Danny 2500, Vince and friend (only pillion present)XJ900, Ray GSX750, Mike R100RS, and me 350LC.

From Hallam we cut back to the south Gippsland highway, through Korumburra to Leongatha and then turned off to Mirboo North. The road was full of surprises with the occasional good new surface and some rather old, narrow patches. At least there were lots of corners. There was only one close mishap when a cloud of smoke signalled Danny had wandered off the road for a bit of bush bashing. Ross had planned to take us on a rather indirect route to Boolarra by passing through the outskirts of Boolarra and then returning a few kilometres later to stop for lunch. However only a few people carried out the whole circuit because Ben held up the ride for about an hour with spark plug problems.

After Ross collected the remaining bored corner markers we settled down to a typical club ride lunch and watched as one local performed a wheelie on his trail bike for at least 50 metres along the road.

After lunch, Ross departed and Ben led us around a few more windy roads, criss crossing the Grand Ridge road (but no dirt) and then onto Trafalgar and the Princes Highway where we dispersed. A few of us went back to Brenda’s place to see Mick’s slides of his trip. It was a good days riding and the LC is great to ride in windy roads.

Robyn HEATH RD350

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SNOW RIDE 26^th August

The annual club snow ride to Lake Mountain usually attracts a good attendance and this year was to be no exception, even though the weather was less than inviting. Approx six bikes left the car park and headed out along the Maroondah highway to Lilydale where we were met by quite a few others including the Finlay family in the Pulsar. From Lilydale I led the ride to Healesville under threatening skies and then out to Marysville through the wet, traffic infested, and oil covered Black Spur. Many sections of the Spur have been resealed and widened making it even more enjoyable to ride, even thought every man and his car was taking the family up to the snow.

When everyone had warmed up and finished lunch we continued on to Lake Mountain, through the quite steady rain. We managed to get onto the Mountain free of charge and headed up the road to the top car park. Once we parked the bikes it was time for the compulsory snow fight. Everyone made an effort to become involved and the Duffy children had a great time. It doesn’t take long to get tired when you’ve your full leathers on, and so after we all threw a few snow balls at each other we headed back down the road to Warburton where the ride broke up.

It was a great day except for the task of cleaning your bike afterwards. The road up to the snow is covered with very fine stones which melt onto any hot surface and it means having to spend a lot of time fighting it for a clean machine. Oh well, it only happens once a year.

Garry Lloyd (NODDY)

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RIDE TO HANGING ROCK 2^nd September

Sunday the 2^nd September dawned overcast, with the treat of rain hanging over our heads. Gary and I arrived at the car park around 10.30am, with the ride due to leave at 10.30am. (I love these late starts) with a good turn up of bikes and riders Keith Finlay was elected to lead the ride and Phil Duffy was to bring up the rear. We left the car park and rode up Footscray road heading out to Melton, then onto Bacchus Marsh. From here we went to Gisborne via the Lerderderg Gorge.

At Gisborne we stopped for morning tea and it was decided that Phil would lead form here. He wanted to take us to the “optical illusion” road. We headed up Mt Macedon road where remnants from the “Ash Wednesday” bush fire were still to be seen. We stopped at the optical illusion road where Phil proceeded to show us, with some water that on this road water seems to run up hill. The weather had turned from bad to worse, with rain drizzling from the sky so we continued on. From here we rode onto Hanging Rock. After a long tour of the park we found an undercover barbeque area.

Everybody started to cook and eat lunch. After we finished a few of us decided to get all energetic and climb the rock. Most of us made it to the top, but a few stopped halfway. It was quite windy at the top and the views were good. On the way down Janet shoed us her style at “rock sliding”. When we got back to the barbeque area, it was decided that everybody would make their own way home.

All in all it was a good day apart from the weather.

Cheers

Brenda R65

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WINTON

Sunday the 30^th September was the Laverda clubs Winton rider’s day. Brenda, myself and Tony Clarke, a prospective member left Melbourne at 8.00 for a slow ride up the Hume to the Winton raceway which isn’t far from Benalla. Tony owns a Suzuki X7 and could only sit on 105kms/hr and it was a good thing to with the number of police we saw.

We arrived at the track around 10.00 and after paying our £17 and having the bikes scrutineered we could go onto the track for the first practice session which lasted for an hour. All three of us and about 15 others positioned ourselves on the grid for the first race which was the novice race. Some novice race, there was everything from Honda RS250 to GSX1100 race bikes complete with numbers.

I won this race and was then told that my bike would not be allowed onto the track again until I removed my gear sack rack. It constitutes a danger because someone’s handle bar might catch in it and put him down.

In the 600cc and over race I ran fourth behind a race Katana, a race Kwaka 900 and a Honda 900, that I just couldn’t pass, but not to be outdone I went out to win in the 750cc to open race. I succeeded in coming second behind the same Katana 1100 which was quite an achievement as it was a non-standard piece of work and had much more ground clearance and much less weight. It must have made quite a sight with the Katana being chased by a standard sled.

I was pulling 160kms down the back straight and cornering in the sweeper at 120-130kms which gave me a lap time of 1.13 for the 1.4 mile course. I think I will try to include this day on next year’s itinerary. It’s great fun.

Garry Lloyd (NODDY RACER)

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OUTMANEUVERING RIDER FATIGUE

Getting there can sometimes mean survival. Its late afternoon and you’ve got 250 miles to go before you can snuggle into a motel room bed at the next city. The biggest problem getting form where you are to that 19 inch colour TV, ice machine and hard bed isn’t the road conditions, gas stops or tire wear. It’s fatigue - one of the biggest killers around. When you’re tired, beat, whipped, worn to a frazzle or just plain “tuckered out”, the odds of being in an accident rise dramatically – if you push hard and far enough it’s almost a guarantee that the next bed you crawl into will be at City General Hospital rather than the Holiday Inn.

Fatigue comes quickly when you’re riding a motorcycle – even sooner than it you were driving a car. The sound of wind, tires, chain and passing trucks play an important role in bringing on fatigue. In many cases, the lack of a radio also makes the distance seem farther.

Most riders make the mistake of assuming that because they’re on a bike, the chances of dozing off while riding are nil. Don’t believe it. We have actually been with two riders who have fallen asleep, still held on the throttle and continued on down the road. Both, fortunately, ended up in soft grass medians, but it proved a point. You can fall asleep at the wheel – even if the wheel happens to be handlebars.

Fortunately, there are many ways to keep you alert while travelling. The most common methods of “keeping it on the road” involves an orally consumed chemical stimulant that not only races through the digestive system at an amazingly fast rate, but leaps into your nervous system, bringing the body up to a higher than normal state. The drug? Coffee. Good old American 100-mile coffee. It contains caffeine, a wonderful little substance that keeps truckers and tired folk on the road. If you’re really looking for a “buzz” go to the hard stuff – tea which has more caffeine than coffee.

Pills like No-Doze (but nothing stronger) can keep many riders awake. With “stay awake” pills you come “up” and alert very quickly a d suddenly. You come “down” the same way. If you must use these pills, read the directions thoroughly. They tell you how long a pill is supposed to last before wearing off. Make sure you take the next one on time to avoid the sudden drop off in energy. Better not to use them! Believe it or not, the absolute best way to stay awake is through plain old exercise. If you get off the bike and do some hustling around (more than from the saddle to the throne and onto the coffee shop booth), you can return to a high alert status. And you won’t be racing to the next rest stop because of killer coffee.

The technique of exercising at a stop is used in some parts of Europe, specifically on the high speed autobahn. The rest areas include the standard flush toilets and picnic tables, but are also equipped with chin-up bars, swings, parallel bars, padded areas and in a couple of places a small over track for jogging. It keeps them not only healthy, but alive. Try it at your next rest stop when you’re tired (or even when not, to increase your alertness)

Do a few sit-ups, jog around a bit, a handful of jumping jacks and such. Exercise for at least 15 minutes, or until you start to get small beads of sweat on your forehead. Don’t do a boxer’s training camp workout. You may die of pneumonia when you get back on your bike for a 60 MPH 4-hour run. Just get all the muscles warm, working and awake.

One rider we know hates to exercise to stay awake, but has found a suitable alternative punishment. When he gets drowsy he parks the bike on the shoulder and jogs away for about a quarter mile. Then he stops, walks back slowly to the bike and continues down the road. The only drawback is traffic. They wonder for miles why you were running away from the bike.

Even if the rest stop or the jogging doesn’t appeal to you, there are other exercises (isometrics) that you can actually do while riding. Naturally, you have to be careful not to JakLaLane yourself into a ditch, and these exercises require fairly open road. If you try them while splitting traffic lanes you’ll soon find out how good your medical insurance is.

Isometric exercises are simple on a motorcycle - you simply push and pull against the machine. Starting with your arms, push the handlebars as though you want them to go forward. Pushing on the bars hard for 20 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest and a few repeats will help wake up the upper body. You can ward off cramps of the hands and wrists by squeezing the grips as tightly as possible, then relaxing and repeating alternate one finger at a time if they’re getting cold. Since the exercises increase circulation, they’ll help to warm you – free of charge.

Forearms can be warmed by grabbing the bars securely and pulling upward. This tightens and warms the muscles on the upper arm, from wrist to elbow. There are three basic leg exercises. Make sure your heels are hooked securely on the pegs and push forward with your calf muscles. Then change to a direct downward push, using your upper thigh muscles. The final leg exercise is the best – lift your ear about 2 inches off the seat and remain in a seated crouch. This works the back of your thighs and gives the rear end muscles a break.

Neck muscle stiffness can be relieved by using your left hand to push on your helmet (first forward a few times, then backward) as you counter push with the neck muscles. Shoulders can be uncramped by pushing on the bars, alternating the right and left arm’s pressure to work each side independently.

At all times, the rider must not jeopardize his control of the motorcycle if he performs these exercises while moving. There are many experienced motorcyclists who possess such familiarity with their machine that movements, such as described, do not interfere with either alertness or rider control. Heavily laden motorcycles, or the presence of a passenger are not ideal conditions for such exercise. It would be best for the rider to stop and exercise or take a coffee break to revitalize your alertness before continuing with the ride.

The final and most important muscle you should exercise is your brain. You get tired through a combination of fatigue and boredom. If your brain doesn’t have anything worthwhile to do it wants to shut down for a rest – which could be permanent. We’ve never come across any mental games or brain exercises that will keep you entranced for hours. There are a lot of little games you can play which will break up the monotony. None seem to be much fun for more than 20 minutes.

Riding boredom can affect a hypnotizing effect that a motorcyclist can counteract by alertness. Good pilots, the aircraft type, continually sweep the horizon in a manner that is second nature to their flying. A glance at the instruments, a glance to the left, ahead and to the right, maintains safety and also provides a means to counteract boredom. As pilots like to quote, flying is hours of boredom punctuated with seconds of pure terror, or in other words the flying is standard routine practice until an “incident’ is in the making. Those incidents do not occur that often, but when they do, they have your undivided attention. Good pilots fly ahead of their plane to stay ahead (and alert) to “incidents”. Good motorcycle riders should do the same.

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