The MTCV Home Page took 404 hits during April (up 130 on March but it was a 5 week month) and has taken 19,404 since April 1996. We continue to generate new members via the web and our ads in the bike magazines are doing well.
Seen at the April Social Sip: Peter
Philferan, Ian Payne, Ben and Julie Warden, Paul and Jo Southwell, Peter
Pondeljak and Kate Stewart, Renzo Cunico, Martin Hastie and Carmen Debono,
Danny Kosinski, Ron Johnston, Di Welsford and Bruce Saville. It was good to see
Renzo again after 5 months. He is still looking for a bike – at the right price
of course.
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). It runs till the May AGM. The 2003/4 points tally is complete. The top ten points’ scorers are: Ben Warden (88), Pete Weyermayr (54.5), Ian Payne (51), Paul Southwell (47), Liz Oliver (40), Ron Johnston (39), Kate Stewart (37.5), Greg Hales (36.5), Rob Langer (36), and Martin Hastie (34). Paul’s rapid rise up the charts stopped when he missed a few rides. Conversely Ron moved up a few places this month. Interestingly nine of the top ten ride Hondas.
The Points System has been reviewed. Next year (2004/5) the Committee has deemed that more emphasis will be placed on weekends away. So, attending 2 or more days of a weekend event will score 3 points for leading (was 2), 3 for rear riding duties (was 2) and 2 points for participating (instead of 1). This covers events such as the Christmas Camp, Melbourne Cup and Australia Day Weekends, Easter and Queens Birthday long weekends, and other ad hoc events as they arise. Other point allocations will remain the same.
As you may have gathered, this Magazine includes a “Rider Profile” of Ron Johnston and is a tribute to his life and times in the Club. His prolific writing is a fantastic effort. The sheer volume, particularly this magazine, is something the rest of us can only aspire to. Thanks Ron.
Ken
Wright has his Aprilia back on the road, some 5 months since his accident. He
has just returned from 18 days holiday in the Phillipines with Louisa, a good
break after working 7 days a week for 10 weeks.
He loves the place so much that he has purchased a block of land and
will build a “nipper hut”, a small bamboo house, to stay in on future holidays.
They arrived back in
Martin
Hastie used the Emergency Kit when he got a puncture on the Mirboo North ride
earlier in the month. He has generously bought a new pump, plugs and carbon
dioxide canisters to replenish the supplies. The pump works well as I tested it
on the Walhalla ride last Sunday. Thanks Martin.
Rob
Langer has acquired a new BMW R1200GS. It is 30 kgs lighter than his previous
R1150. It appears much the same until you look carefully. Check it out next
time you catch Rob – now even harder! Similarly, new member Nigel Hellyer, a regular for the past
two months on his 20 year old Kawasaki GPz1000RX, has seen the light. He turned
up on the last Walhalla ride with a new (second hand, 25,000 km 6 year old)
Harley Buell. He loves it. It will be interesting to compare tyre wear, fuel
economy, engine life etc with the rest of the members’ bikes.
Ben
Warden’s old Blade burnt out its stator 30,000 km after the last rewind. A low
mileage second hand one solved the problem. In the interim he swapped batteries
with another Blade every 150 km. This occurred near Dalgetty while riding with
a cousins and friends on a five day, 2800 km, Snowy Mountains Epic. He also
managed to lose his red Hallmark bag, it jumping off the rack at 100+
km/h on the Dargo road. It contained his wallet, phone, camera and 5 days of
clothes. It took six blokes half an hour to locate it, as it speared off into
the undergrowth, blending well with the pink barked eucalypts. Ben was very
relieved to find it.