A really good size group gathered at Lilydale Jack looking very happy with his new bike to go on the president’s ride including some quite new faces plus some familiar faces who hadn’t been riding with us all that much recently – Great.  Bill happily took on Tail End Charlie duties and handled it with aplomb.    Brian had done a great job checking out the route earlier in the week.  Once the briefing was done, we rode east.  The town was much busier than usual thanks to the Lilydale Street Fair but that didn’t really affect us.  Brian led us off the Maroondah Highway before we reached the Warburton turnoff and then led us along some delightful back roads and assorted farming country via Wandin North, Yellingbo and Macclesfield to Cockatoo.  We had a corner marking glitch at Cockatoo and the group split up.  Happily it was sorted quickly and we regrouped near Emerald.  We then enjoyed some nice riding through the bush down to Officer.  Then it was south across flat farmland to Tooradin, where we stopped for a short rest break and a chat. We then rode on around Westernport Bay to the delightful park at Coolart Homestead, where we stopped for a BBQ lunch.  Barry, Alayne and Brian plus Margaret and John had gone on ahead and the food was cooked and ready when we arrived.  Thank you all and to our president Brian for organising it all. Several other members had also gone there direct including Vince who is recovering after significant health issues earlier this year.  It was good to see him out and about. We then enjoyed lunch and camaraderie and a couple of hours passed very quickly. The grounds are also well worth a casual walk. Another great day – Thank you all John Cook              

For owners who keep their machines for a long time a very expensive, but avoidable, problem can occur. All brands are susceptible. Modern fuel injected bikes are the type that cost the most to repair. This problem is corrosion, or rust, in the fuel tank. Rusting occurs with moisture, water, in the base of the fuel tank. Assuming the water hasn't got in from a very bad lot of fuel, how did it get there? If you tank is not full of fuel then there is an air gap in the tank. This air contains moisture. At night the temperature drops, the air can't hold as much moisture so condensation occurs and droplets fall through your fuel to the bottom of the tank. Over time the quantity of water grows, the speed of which will be influenced by how empty you leave your tank between rides. Rust begins, gets worse and corrodes the tank. Most fuel injected bikes have the fuel pump/fuel filter unit in the tank and the rust particles can block the filter, ruin the fuel pump and further down the line, if they get that far, can damage injectors. I think you realize this is going to be expensive. The easy way to prevent this is not to leave you fuel tank part filled or near empty between rides or when the bike is in storage. After the ride fill your tank near home then park your bike. No air or moisture gets in. Also you are then ready for the next ride. If out travelling, fill before sleeping. If the bike is to be unused for a length of time it can be left filled or emptied and an anti- corrosion spray applied inside. It's all in your hands. Also if considering a second-hand machine, no matter how good it looks on the outside, open the fuel tank and look closely. This could save you a few thousand dollars.

Annual 3-day ride, leaving from Epping, staying 2 nights in Corryong. See Calendar for details.