Who’s News November 2006
The MSTCV Home Page
accumulated 561 hits during November, up 142 from last month. Total visits
32,636 since April 1996. Feedback about
the Club from members is requested. The Committee is looking to add some
testimonials to the web page so that visitors can get another perspective. Answers to questions like “Why you joined the
Club? What is the best thing about the Club? What do we do better than other clubs?”
or similar is what we are looking for. It can be anonymous if you wish. Send Ben your ideas and thoughts. (So far
nothing received.)
Seen at the November Social Sip on Thursday
5th September: Ben and Julie Warden, Paul and Jo Southwell, Breht
Emmerson and Libby O’Neil, Ian Payne, Danny Hasnat,
Ron Johnston, Mark Rigsby and Bevan
Roberts. 11 people
There are only two white 50th Anniversary T-shirts left, size XXL. The actual size
seems to be one less than indicated. Price: $15. See Peter Feistl with your
money. Collectors’ items for sure. We also have lots
of club Anniversary mugs at $6 each.
The Club Participant of the Year is based on aggregate points accumulated at 1 point per ride, an extra point for leading or being rear rider, and 1 point per magazine article (maximum 2 per magazine). Attending one or more days of a weekend event scores 3 points for leading, 3 for rear riding duties and 2 points for participating.
The top 10 point scores after seven
months of the 2006/7 count are: Ben Warden (58.5), Ian Payne (41.5), Paul
Southwell (39), Breht Emmerson (32), Ron Johnston (30), Ern Reeders (25),
Trevor Harris (21), Joel Haley (20), Lyn Duncan (20), and Cameron Stevens (20).
Some movement this month with Joel (gone to
Front Cover: Mt Baw Baw Ride, Sunday 5th November. From left to right: Bevan Roberts, Paul Punicki, Geoff Jones, Cameron Stevens and photographer Peter Feistl in front. How’d he do that?
President Ian Payne has missed a few rides lately
because of a serious illness. Here is an email I received from him:
Although I had been feeling a bit ‘off-colour”
for several weeks I had put it down as bit of a cold. I thought having annual leave for the few
days after Cup Day to do some landscaping would fix me up. But as the week
progressed I got steadily worse with increased headaches, eyes sensitive to
light, hearing sensitive to noise and skin sensitive to touch! Being a typical
male I just ‘soldiered on’ telling myself “I haven’t got time to be sick; there
are all these red-gum sleepers to be laid.”
By Saturday I was completely stuffed but still went to my
grand-daughter’s concert, then came home and collapsed into bed with a few Panadol. At approx 2 am I woke feeling very uncomfortable
and sat up just as an excruciating pain spread across my chest. I couldn’t
breathe and thought “This isn’t too good but I will try to fight it!” After a
few minutes of struggling to breathe my fingers and toes began to tingle and go
numb, so I woke Kerrie and asked her to call an ambulance.
The MICA guys arrive. Although the ailment had all the symptoms of a
heart attack, I had good blood pressure and a strong heart beat. I was then
bundled off to Monash Medical Centre and hooked up to
all types of machines. It wasn’t until after the chest x-rays that they
diagnosed pneumonia.
This was great as they now could give me a shot of morphine to ease the
pain and start two IV drips (one in each arm) pumping antibiotics into me 24
hours a day. After 4 days in hospital I
was started on oral antibiotics and allowed to go home. This was great as the
Respiratory Medicine Ward is not a very pleasant place as everyone has either
pneumonia, emphysema, pleurisy etc. Plenty of coughing, wheezing, and spitting
– so I was certainly glad to go home.
How did I get pneumonia? Not sure, but having a cold and being a bit
run down didn’t help so when a secondary infection occurred the bacteria in my
lungs multiplied until pneumonia occurred.
It’s now been 3 weeks since I became ill and it could be another month
before I get back to my old self. So the message for us blokes is to take our
health seriously and don’t soldier-on when there are signs
that something out of the ordinary is happening! Ian
Payne.
Lyn Duncan and Martin
Hastie have resigned their positions on the
Committee due to ill health and work commitments respectively. We thank them
for their efforts over the past years and wish them well.
Life member Peter Philferan is back in
The Weekly Times editor, Colin Taylor, contacted me last week regarding publishing an article about the club and its upcoming activities. Together we formulated an article, printed last Sunday 4th December on page 53. Keep your eye out for it.
Club member, Eric Makin who made and donated the
Club’s 50th Anniversary coffee mugs also makes
200 different motorcycle themed
coffee mugs.
For details look up Awesome Mugs on “eBay” at http://stores.ebay.com.au/awesome-mugs
Dave Ward has a new bike – GSXR600. See his article discussing the purchasing decision it in depth.
Breht Emmerson crashed his beautiful blue CBR954 on the Thompson Dam ride, Sunday 19th
November, not far from Rawson. Luckily he escaped with minor bruising and a
grazed arm. He walked away from the crash effectively unscathed, his leathers, helmet boots and gloves all doing a fantastic job, though
only the boots survived the fall. Not so
his bike which holed the engine cover and dropped all
its oil before slamming hard into the embankment. The bike is destroyed with
major cosmetic damage everywhere. As the bike was not insured (huge premium for
under 25s) Breht will take some time out to consider his riding future.
Renzo Cunico
crashed his push bike on the way to the physiotherapist. Like a kid, he was skidding the back wheel on the dirt road getting it all
sideways. Then the front let go. He suffered fairly severe gravel rash
including removing a chunk of his left hand. He couldn’t drive, let alone ride,
for about 3 weeks. He is back riding now though on the Eildon
Ride (Sun 26th Nov) he dropped his bike doing a U-turn at the bridge
near the
Tyres: We are investigating making a bulk purchase of Michelin Pilot Power tyres. The price for a rear tyre will be $225 (RRP $290 for 180, $300 for 190).The price for a front 120/17 tyre will be $175 (RRP
$215) and for a 120/65 will be $170. Price includes $5 per tyre for the club. We expect a two day turn around from placement of order. Please deposit money into the Club Bank
account and forward an electronic receipt to [email protected]. We cannot order until money is received
so please do so as quickly as possible. BSB: 803-143 Account Number: 12764 Account name: MSTCV Put your name somewhere.
Les Leahy was seen riding a new Kawasaki ZZR250 last Sunday at Broadford.
Something about his beloved DR400 motor blowing up and needing something to
ride in the interim while he considers his next “real” bike. I thknkthe idea is that the ZZR will hold its value. I expect
a full expose next month.
The Committee are generating a new itinerary for the period
February, March, April and May 2007. Destinations, leaders, routes all need to
be collated and printed. Any volunteers to lead much appreciated. Please
contact any of the Committee with suggestions.
Email from Geoff Jones re Eildon ride excitement:
Usual problem (incident) for me on rear riding the R1 is
running out of fuel, although I seem to have run out of fuel leading as well. I have added another
(incident) to the list, Deep and meaningful discussion with two TOG members in an
unmarked, dark green Ford Falcon XR8.
Lights in the mirror, you know that feeling, get stopped, off the bike
as they will not shut down the Ford until they are sure I am not about to do a
"runner". Helmet off, hoping my hair is as grey as possible to reflect my age, 60
in 2007, and await the tirade.
First up a discussion about how close I am to the Hoon Legislation
charge; bike trucked into storage, licence long term loss, big fines, left on the
road to find my own way home, etc.
I am 7 km/h under this but am in the 6 month suspension range.
Discussion continued with "Old enough to know better" the theme. My reaction to this was
to agree without question. As the temperature in the sun was rising the heat
was going out of the police approach and they raised the power window to run
further checks on my status as a road user. Window down and the question to me was "Will you pay the fine or
dispute it in court?" My humble answer, of course was “I am guilty.
I am a road menace. I am old enough to know better. You are doing your job.
Grovel, grovel.
1 month suspension, $250 fine, 4 points Last ride day 26/12/6, back on the road
1 month later.
Thank you gentlemen. They take off in the
direction of the ride but do a U turn and head for Buxton. Of course I return their wave and dial on some
"Hoon" speed to catch the group. Now the real hard part: tell Val.
Email from Marty Thompson: In the last magazine, Ian Payne wrote… “Noojee was awash with bikes. From their midst appeared Marty Thompson, (now ZX9 mounted), who stated that they were all heading up Mt Baw Baw and he would catch us later at the Tool Shed. With the thought of all those bikes on the road we quickly abandoned our plans and headed directly to lunch – perhaps just as well, for as we were leaving, an ambulance with lights and sirens blazing came storming down the road!”
I went up to the top with three other bikes. We stopped at the top,
had a rest, and then headed back down. We lost a new ZX6 about 20 corners into
it. It was sort of rideable till oil started pissing
out. We left it at Noojee and returned later with a
trailer. Then about half way down, a guy on a ZX9 sailed straight on with the
back end locked-up and laid it over. His was rideable
thankfully. Then after all that, an older guy on what looked like a late model
Bonnie failed to negotiate a turn and had to be airlifted. Then another guy
went down in sympathy, and that’s what the tin top ambo was for! An interesting day nonetheless. Retrieved the bike and was
home by 7.30 pm.