We had 6 riders for Sunday. Sam, Nick, and I arrived first. Soon after two Cruisers came in. This was Michael on an Indian and his son on a Harley. Both very spotless bikes and also interested in joining. Alf D. was joining us at M/tea at Korrumburra. Despite the forecast we expected good conditions. An easy run saw us through Druin to Korrumburra. We also noted the growing spread of the viral reducing speed signs. Korrumburra's bakery proved a welcome spot to get rid of the early morning chill. Alf brought us up to date on local news and some of his overseas adventure. Sth Gippsland was at its beautiful best and we enjoyed the the mix of curving roads available before arriving in San Remo. Michael and son also had fun as well as finding some of the roads, new to them, challenging. As Alf mentioned to them : You get better and gain experience when you ride with a group. San Remo was busy and sunny so we split for lunch choices. Coming home was all fine on the highway until near Pakenham where we were dumped on by a single cloud. Thanks to Sam for being rear rider and riders for coming.

Sunday promised fine weather but a shower upon arriving at Lilydale threw some doubts on this. Not to be deterred the brave Ride Leader, me, promised fine conditions for the rest of the day and so it stayed. 16 riders came. BMW Ringwood had loaned a brand new, 0 km, latest model BMW 1300 RS for our use on this club ride. It is a magnificent machine and is available at Ringwood should anyone wish a test ride. Chris Jefferies is the motorcycle manager. Chris has a long history with motorcycles and can help you. I do thank BMW for their trust and generosity. I did a 120 km familiarization ride on the Saturday afternoon so I wouldn't get lost with all the features that this bike has. Our first section to morning tea went Yarra Glen, Kinglake, Whittlesea, Wandong, Kilmore then Lancefield. 3 more club members joined us there. Lancefield was filled with a large Car show. M/T over we were off along the Burke and Wills track to Mia Mia taking the track through the farms coming out on the Bendigo side of Heathcote with a short 5 km ride into town. This is a good track to use as rarely does it have traffic and there is plenty to keep you focused. Heathcote is an excellent town to visit as there are a number of ways in and out and very good facilities. After lunch some chose to leave for their way home. Some chose keep riding the longer and more interesting way through Nagambie, Seymour, Yea, Glenburn and Yarra Glen. Around Yarra Glen the traffic almost came to a halt and it took time and patience to get through it. Thanks to all riders for coming on a lovely sunny day and having a fun, safe time. Thanks to Sam for taking rear rider duties. Sadly Monday morning early I had to hand the 1300 RS back to BMW. It really is a great ride. My 1250 RS does the sport/touring duties well. The 1300 RS does the touring well but the surprise is how it pushes the sports side way out there. The steering, handling, suspension and engine response are amazing. It plays the sport bike role so well. Back on my bike, leaving the dealership, turning in their drive, truly I thought I had a problem. My bike didn't want to turn. Yes my front tire is worn but I wasn't aware of this issue when I left the bike there on Saturday. I checked my tire pressures. All correct. The reason was I had been riding The 1300 RS and it tips into corners so easily and stable that I now had to adjust back. Try it. You'll be surprised.

A perfect winter's day encouraged 20 of us out to enjoy it. We had 2 visitors, Graeme ( ST1300 Honda ) and Barry ( Triumph Cruiser ). Colin and Pat were just back from their overseas touring. Yarra Glen, Buttermans Track, Arthurs Glen, Whittlesea, Wallen and Romsey got us to Morning Tea at Lancefield. Steve Bailes was feeling a little off colour so departed for home. Pat's very reliable Triumph threw a hissy fit and decided it didn't want to go further and refused to start after M/T. Thank goodness for Total Care Insurance. From Lancefield it was off to Pyalong, then close to Broadford, turning left to go back in the Seymour direction and into Seymour at McDonalds for lunch. Lots of sunshine and 16 degrees C made it very pleasant. Lunch over different riders took various ways home. Most chose the way through Highlands back to Yea, the Break O'Day Rd to Glenburn, Yarra Glen, Lilydale and home. It was disapointing to find some of the roads leading to Seymour being now limited to 80 kph, down from 100, despite improvements to the surface and still carrying very little traffic. These roads had been posted 100 kph for decades. Thanks to Jack for taking Rear Rider duties and thanks to all the riders who made it an enjoyable and safe day.

A poor forecast for the day but, using the most proven method of poking the head out of the door first thing, showed the day was OK. Wet road but not raining. Showers were forecast for the afternoon but we would be near home then. Only Jeff and Cevat awaited me at Lilydale. It was another BMW only ride. With so many of our members overseas at the moment we do need an effort from our locals to keep ride numbers up. Lilydale to Wandin, left onto the Coldstream - Woori Yallock road, Yarra Junction, Noogee State Forest and Neerim Sth for morning tea. There is very little traffic and the roads are drying out. Break over and it is onto Warrugal, via Nilma and Korrumbuura next. The bakery was closed due to local electrical works so the Fish and Chip shop was chosen for food. Dry roads greeted us after lunch with us taking the Poowong, Lang Lang way home. From Lang Lang we could see the afternoon showers coming and these commenced near Pakenham. For the rest of the way home it was damp roads and light showers. We three enjoyed the ride staying close together, no need for rear riders or corner markers on what proved to be a mild mid winter's day. Temperature : 10 - 12C. Thanks Jeff, thanks Cevat.

A warm morning with the possibility of showers later greeted 8 riders for the start in Lilydale. Jack, Sam, Colin, Cevat, Gary, Jeff, Steve and myself. It was great and very needed to have Steve there on the Gold Wing otherwise we could have been mistaken for a BMW Club outing. Neerim Sth was our morning tea stop, getting there via Coldstream, Woori Yallock, onto Lousatia Rd, into the back of Yarra Junction, Powelltown and through the Noogee State Forest. From the strong winds on Saturday night there was bound to be lots of leaf and branch litter on the roads and so it proved. From the start we were aware of this and rode accordingly. Lots to look out for, some to dodge and some large pieces taking out half the road. Neerim Sth was departed in the direction of The Old Sale Rd. This is a bitumen farm access road, narrow, twisty, overhanging trees and so lots of fallen litter. It keeps you concentrating. Leaving that we come back onto the excellent surface of the Nilma, Warrugal road. Crossing the Freeway in the Korrumburra direction, we continue on that until we turn left at Seaview for entry onto the Grand Ridge Rd. Once again we were back into a narrow, twisty road with overhanging trees and lots of litter down. The up side is, it's a fun road to ride, you mind stays on the job and there was almost no oncoming traffic. Mirboo Nth reached, we all agreed that the Grand Ridge Brewery was the place for lunch. The menu and prices were good, servings were large ( Jeff found the Senior size was plenty). The food was well presented and tasted fine. We should do it more often. The waitress intimated the they may not be there much longer. Business must be slow. Lunch over it was onto thoughts of the weather and showers on the way home. It seemed we couldn't avoid them. We took the road to Trafalgar to emerge onto the Freeway. At Yarragon a couple of us stopped to add waterproof gear or seal up our Summer jackets as the showers were heavy and also there were some very visible lightening strikes. The showers eased near Druin with an easy run back into Melbourne. An enjoyable safe day on some challenging roads. Thanks to Sam for being Rear Rider.

A clear blue sky, 13 riders at Lilydale to start and 2 more to join at Jamieson. Bikes were mostly BMWs with also some Triumphs, a Honda and KTM. The easy ride to morning tea was out through the Black Spur, going right at Taggerty and stopping at Thornton for M/T. Brendan mentioned he may go a little further before turning back. Soon after we were turning right onto the Eildon-Jamieson Rd. This road, for those who haven't ridden it, is 61 kilometres of almost constant corners and would be amongst the most challenging bits of bitumen in Victoria. Reefton is small compared to this. Small sticks were on the road in places and did get your attention as you were leaned over and the wheels moved. Not a problem really, just an attention getter. We came upon a small tree fallen across the road, easy for us to pass on the dirt, not so for a car. Just before Jamieson there is a good lookout spot viewing over the lake so we stopped for a few minutes using the opportunity to phone Pat and let him know we were nearby, meeting him and Wayne soon after. The road towards Mansfield and Buller opens out from here allowing more relaxed riding but still with enough corners and views to enjoy. At the entrance to Mt Buller we had a stop to get the group back together. Vinnie's bag had come open loosing some contents on the road. Fortunately this was spotted by another of our riders and contents returned. Also we had a late rider arrival on Jack's previous BMW 1200 GSA. He had been late for our start. The Mt Buller road proper is a good upward winding road, mostly smooth and in good condition. Traffic was light. At the top facilities were open with a roomy Cafe and plenty of parking so we opted for lunch there. Temperature up top was a lovely 21 degrees while down at Mansfield level 34. Brendan was still with us. He was enjoying the roads so much he stayed. I think everyone else agreed with him. Lunch over it was off to Mansfield for a fuel top-up for most of us. Mansfield to home was done by staying on the Melba through Bonnie Doon, Yarck and Yea. It was hot for the return and we were into Lilydale soon after 4.00pm. Thanks to those who came making it an enjoyable and safe outing.

Monday 27 January is also a Holiday in Victoria. For those of us going on the ride this allows us to stay an extra day if wished for and return on the Monday. Some of us now plan to do this. If you want to stay the extra day around the mountain roads please update your accommodation details wherever you are staying. Also perhaps you would like to contact me so I can have an idea of how many are coming.

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.

Eight riders came for today's ride, Andrew, Colin, Jack, Jeff, Nick, Pat, Sam and Terry. It was almost like a repeat of our last weekend's ride, 7 BMWs and 1 Triumph. To commence our cornering and braking practice quickly we went Healesville, Chum Creek Rd, Myers Creek Rd and around the back to Yarra Junction, Noogee State Forest and to Noogee for morning tea. Along the way there were many other motorcycles about and the Highway Patrol were ensuring that the riders behaved as well as us regards the speed limits. Morning tea done, we turned right near the Noogee pub towards Neerim Nth and on through Neerim, Neerin Sth arriving at Druin. Druin to Poowong, turning left and on to Korumburra for lunch at the Bakery. The Sport Bike Riders Club ( A club I used to ride with during 80-90s ) were there and it was good to meet some old faces. Like mine, theirs are older now too. Plenty of seating was available so lunch was relaxed. Temperature and conditions were ideal for riding, 18-20 degrees. Lunch over, the return ride was via Poowong, Nowra, Lang Lang and joining the traffic on the Bass Hwy back into Melbourne. From Cranbourne it is turning into a bit of a mess with the new road directions, many new suburbs and lots of traffic lights. I think John Cook is correct. It is better to turn off sooner and come in via Pakenham. Thanks to our attendees and to Sam for being rear rider. WE STILL NEED MORE OF OUR MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR RIDES AND PARTICULARLY TO HELP BY OFFERING TO LEAD A RIDE ONCE OR TWICE DURING THE YEAR. THE CLUB IS STRONGEST WHEN ALL MEMBERS JOIN IN.

Seven riders, Sam, Jack, Colin, Terry, Nick, Kal and Andrew turned up. Perfect riding weather was forecast. Six BMWs and a Triumph. Beginning from the north of Melbourne the route was Wallan, Wandong, Broadford, Seymour, Avenal, Longwood, onto the Freeway and the Service Centre north of Glenrowan for morning tea. Two kms from the Service Centre we turned right to wine country through Oxley, Myrteford, Yackandandah, arriving at Tallangatta for lunch. After lunch we were into the fun roads, Granya Gap, the river road, stopping briefly at Tintalda to get our breath back and completing the day at Corryong. The rooms at Court House Hotel are good, a step up from the Victoria at Tallangatta, $80 for a single and we all agreed it was a better choice. Corryong seemed extremely quiet. Day 2 began with Breakfast at a Corryong cafe and off towards Tumbarumba and right onto Elliot Way into the mountains. Close to Kiandra 2 brumbies were close to the left of the road. I passed them and saw a herd of them higher up on a slope. Watching my mirrors I saw the first 2 horses had moved closer onto the road edge and were much close to the oncoming riders than comfortable, Kal particulary. We gave it a plus experience as sometimes you never see the wild horses. On to Adaminaby, my own personal choice as best piece of road in Australia, and thankfully empty of traffic except for some other motorcyclists enjoying it. Morning tea there and onto Jindabyne for lunch. We made easy progress through Dalgety and arrived at Bombala mid afternoon. Six of us were booked into Heritage Guest House with Terry elsewhere. The Guest House is very comfortable and friendly. Our large room at the top acted as the social centre for the stay. A bonus there is a good restaurant for evening meals. Day 3 was off to the NSW coast. Pambula first through a tight forest road, onto Bermagui using the Princes Hwy, an excellent piece of road with light traffic, stopping for morning tea there. Tathra, not far away, was lunch. Bega and the Cooma Rd was our route back to Bombala. Weather proved interesting, going from cool and grey at beach level, to sunny, very windy and hot once we climbed into the hills. The last section near Bombala the wind was almost gale force blowing the bikes around. Some relaxation followed by a nice meal finished a fine day. Day 4 everyone was up by 6.00am. Breakfast was finished soon after 7.30am and we were on the bikes by 8.00am. Staying at the Guest House is always enjoyable, we thanked them, and plan to be back. A none stop run to Bairnsdale for morning tea and fuel was easy, almost no traffic. Again we decided to go none stop to home via Bengwardon, Statford, Maffra, Heyfield, Yallourn Nth, Druin and home. I was home exactly at 2.30pm leaving plenty of time to clean-up and relax. Thanks to all for making a most enjoyable trip. Leaving the day before and returning the day before the Melbourne Cup weekend ended proved a good choice with very light traffic found out there. It made our travels easy.

Eleven riders presented for Sunday's ride, Colin, Peter ( M Guzzi ), Peter ( Benelli ), Steve, Sam, Nick, Gary, Cevat, Vaughan, Terry and myself as leader. Once again BMW dominated bike choice ( 7 out of 11 ). A fine day ahead promising good riding. The route to morning tea at Yea was Yarra Glen, The Goat Track to St Andrews, Kinglake, onto the Melba Hwy, right turn to Murrundindi then Yea. A surprise for us was some our our members coming through Yea already, returning from the Odessey at Wangaratta. Gary and Peter ( Guzzi ) left us there. Gary was off to visit Vince Green and advised later in the day that Vince was on a steady improve. Morning tea over it was off through Highlands, a slight U-turn to get back on the Yarck road and then Alexandra. The Acheron exit from Alexandra is still not possible as the bridge ( after 2 years ) is still not repaired. Parking in Alexandra was easy, and some "For Sale" signs on windows indicated business was slow there. Lunch over, our simple return choice was the Maroondah Hwy. The Black Spur presented some slow traffic, the boredom broken by coming up on a gorgeous Red C6 Corvette. Healesville was busy as usual. Most of us were home by mid afternoon, just in time to catch a couple of hours of a boring end to Bathurst Supercars. Thanks to all riders and Sam for once again for rear rider duties. An enjoyable, incident free day.

Ten riders presented for the ride. Jeff Pav came for a brief stay to give us his latest health/ bug situation before heading home. Gad was a visitor with a very smart Club Permit BMW 650, suitably stripped and repainted. He used our ride as brief testing run for the bike as it was only recently put together. We hope to see him again. Gad and I had met previously on one of the BMW shop rides. Carlo and Terry were good to see as they often find it hard to get away from the working life. John had come from the western side of town and Paul from the Whittlesea area. Our route was Wandin, Woori Yallock, Yarra Junction, Powelltown, Neerim Sth for morning tea. Conditions were dry, improving and windy in places. M/T over we went left onto the Nilma-Warragul road then left onto the Old Sale Rd running through to Trafalgar and Yarragon. Going left out of Yarragon took us past Ellinbank and into Warragul for lunch at McDonalds. Rather than spend too much time on the freeway we continued through Warragul onto Neerim Sth again turning left to Jindavic, Labertouche, the M1 and home. Thanks to Sam for rear rider duties and everyone for a good trouble free ride.