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NetWriter - Issue 2
The official netrider.net.au newsletter.

Contents:
· Editors Note
· Member of the month
· Donation Thankyou's
· Phase III protest report
· The Icicle Ride report
· Benalla protest
· Spanner Day
· Netrider Goodies
· What YOU want
· Sponsor/Advertiser referrals
· Membership referral
· netrider.net.au Bio
· Competition Announcement
. Sponsors
· The rear wheel



Notes from a messy desk:

Another month has passed, or a little more, and some things have changed
(finally, my bike arrived), some have stayed static (my desk is still a
mess) and yet others are in the process of going to either of these. We
have made a few changes to the format of the newsletter for this edition,
and we hope that you like them. One of the most obvious changes is that I
get to have a bit of a rant right at the very start , just like you'd
find in Two Wheels or AMCN. So this month, rather than dwell on what has
occurred with the $50 levy, or those crazies in tin tops that try to make us
part of the road toll (hmmm, wonder if Citylink can put an E-Tag on that?),
I thought that I'd share with you the joy of being back in the saddle after
an extended period away.

2 weeks ago, on the Friday afternoon, Ralph from Peter Stevens in Elizabeth
Street called, "Matt, when do you want to come in and finalise the paperwork
for your bike?"
"I guess that all depends on when it's going to be ready mate", I said.
"It is", was his response.
Dead silence on the phone for the next 15 seconds as my brain tried to
believe what my ears had heard. It was here, right here just a few
kilometres away, and I could go and get it! Needless to say, I was there in
a flash, and at 5:30 that night, was gently punting my new Buell home.
After 4 years out of the saddle, I have learnt a couple of very large home
truths. While the mind is willing, and the body is certainly capable, when
someone says, you never forget how to ride, they forget to tell you one
other thing. You may not forget how to ride the bike, but you remember what
it was like before you stopped. I know that my confidence is high, and
being confident, I want to ride as well as I used to. The skill level just
ain't there yet, and while I know that, sometimes the body seems to forget.
Now I have no one else to blame but myself, yet the funny thing is, and
maybe it is a racial memory or something akin to it, but at times, when the
mind lets go, the body does still know what to do all too well. Yesterday,
a
quick squirt out to Warrandyte and up to Kangaroo Ground was in order, and
while I know that road well, it amazed me just how much the body remembered
it too. I know I pushed harder there than I have on any other road, and I
felt more comfortable on those bends (yes, even the decreasing radius, off
camber suckers) than I never have before. I guess what they say about the
bike is true; it makes a good rider great, and a great rider superb. With
Honda putting their "Bring-a-Buddy" program into action, I can't wait to get
there next month, along with fellow netrider.net.au member Dale C. And be
assured, a report on that day will certainly follow. Now, I better go clean
up this desk.

Matt Allgood.


Member of the Month.

Starting from today, we will be having member of the month. To help us
decide who should get this wonderful award (just like the ones you see at
McDonalds) we need your help. Please, fill in the details below and send
it back to us, this will help all the other members get to know you, and
give you your 15 minutes of fame (or infamy) as well.
Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Lives:
Works:
Occupation:
Current Ride:
Riding experience:
Previous Rides:
Drinks:
Smokes:
Music:
Best Ride:
Worst Ride:
Motto:
If you have any problems with the details, then check out Matt's bio further
on in the newsletter for ideas. Send your bio to webmaster@netrider.net.au
along with a photo of yourself or your bike.


Donation Thankyou's

Donations
Netrider.net.au is a volunteer-run organisation and as such we have no funds
to rely on. By donating to Netrider, you are helping us cover the costs
involved (postage, printing, etc.). We do not make any profit from members
or advertisers. All monies collected are put back into the running of
Netrider.net.au.
We regularly have merchandise available for sale, which is our preferred way
of raising money, with all monies being returned to members.


Contributors
A big thanks to the following members for their donations to
Netrider.net.au. To ensure privacy, only their first name and membership
number are displayed.
Duane 417
Martin 283
Mick 215
Mark 22
Michael 53
Piotr 140


How to Donate
Direct Deposit:
Account Name: "Netrider"
Bank: Bendigo
BSB: 633 000
Account: 116904798
Bank Cheque or Money Order:
Make payable to "Netrider.net.au"
P.O. Box 2013
Rangeview
Vic. 3132
If using a bank cheque or money order, please record your membership number
or details on the back.
If using direct deposit, please advise netrider@netrider.net.au so that we
can add you to our list of contributors.


Phase III protest ride.

With the weather on both Thursday and Friday being as bad as it was, you
could be forgiven for thinking that Saturday would have been along the same
lines. While it was chilly, at least the rain stayed away for us. 9:00am on
a Saturday is not the best time for a lot of us (usually because of Friday
night's...) but there we were, rugged up against the chill, standing out
front of the CLOSED Vic Roads office in Carlton.
Riders drifted in over the course of about an hour, and numbers totalled
around 60 bikes with up to 70 riders and pillions. A decent number
considering the previous days weather and the report for that day as well...
Once again we had the Harley Hearse in attendance, displaying the "Bury the
Bike Tax Bracks!" slogan. A huge thanks must go out to all of those people
who printed flyers for distribution. From what I saw, we must have had
somewhere near 4000 of them, which is great work.
Vic Roads must think that motorcyclists are the bunch of "thugs" as
portrayed in the media, as they had hired 2 Chubb security guards to be on
the premises from 8:30 that morning until we left! Well done VicRoads! Not
only do you not understand what it is we are fighting for, but also you have
no concept of the people involved. So go ahead, spend OUR money on
protecting a property that was never in danger in the first place...
Perhaps, you may actually listen to what we, the riders are saying rather
than blocking your ears and closing your eyes in the future.
10:15am and we departed Carlton, with John Karmouche and the hearse in the
lead, and headed to Bracks' back yard - Williamstown. The ride was without
incident, and all the pedestrians along the way certainly took notice of us.
As the lone car in the throng, it was interesting to see the attitude of the
other car drivers at the time. Most were happy to sit back and let us have
the way, though there were a couple that drove in a way that worried me,
pushing and shoving past bikes as if they were not there and shouldn't be...
Education people, and the lack of it I saw was astounding! And yes, for
those of you that were wondering why I was in a tin-top, well, I am waiting
on delivery of my NEW bike.
Arrival at Williamstown and parking out front of Bracks' electoral office
gave us a great Photo op. A big thanks to Marty H for the pics he has taken
and posted.
Flyers were distributed to the riders and we all wandered the streets of
Williamstown, making the locals aware of the issue and the promises that
their local MP has broken.
Coffee's and a chat were then the order of the morning and the majority of
riders made their way down to the strand for just this.
Thankyou to all of you that attended and helped us in this phase of the
protest. Once decisions have been reached in regards to Phase IV, and there
is some news coming on this very soon, we will let you know.

The Icicle Ride - report

It's with a huge grin on my face that I announce that Netrider.net.au won
this years annual BMW Motorcycle Club of Victoria Icicle Ride for the most
attendee's from a club/group! WooHooo! The win belongs to all
Netrider.net.au members who went along for the ride, and huge thanks goes to
each of you. We snared the win, and large trophy, from the Christian
Motorcycle Club who have won the award for the last 3 years running. The
Icicle ride is a BMWMCCV annual event that is open to all riders and clubs.
Running from midnight to dawn in the middle of winter, it's not for the
faint hearted or summer days riders.

There are generally 3 stages for the ride, with every rider given directions
to the next meet point at each stage. It's not a race, but a braving of the
winter elements as you make your way to the next stop and the fine
appreciation for coffee/soup/bread and a BBQ breakfast at the end of the
final stage as the sun rises. For each person, it's a sense of achievement
and accomplishment, with the badge you receive at the end proudly displayed
as a token of kinship with the 150+ other crazy's that joined you on the
night.

The night started earlier than midnight, with about ½ of the group meeting
at Dandenong Pancake Parlour for some fine tucker before the night started.
With Drizzt chaffing at the bit to get going not long after coffee's, we
arrived at the official meet point shortly after 11pm. Within the next 45
mins or so, some other well known (and a few that will become well know)
faces joined us. 15 in total as we pulled out from the servo with directions
in tank bags and made our way for Phillip Island. Yours truly was nominated
by all as the leader (sucker!) to read the directions and be the tail light
beacon for others to follow. With the rain reminding us that it was around
on a few times, we arrived in search of the soup and bread. Stage 2 was
Leongatha, Korumburra and Warragul, with the rain and fog on the Grand Ridge
Rd between Korumburra and Warragul showing us all just why you have to be a
dedicated and certified crazy to do this ride. Visibility was 5-10 metres
with most people just following the tail light of the bike in front for most
of the way. If it wasn't the fog outside, it was the fog or water on your
visor keeping the sight at bay.

Coffee and a rest in Warragul was much appreciated with the main topic of
conversation being who's going to take the freeway home and seek the comfort
and, more importantly, warmth of their bed. When crunch time came, everyone
soldiered onwards to start the last stage, with one rider unfortunately
inflicted with severe numbness and lack of feeling in the hands having to
enjoy the warmth of the support vehicle and it's bike trailer. Going via
Noojee, Powelltown, and Yarra Junction, we arrived at Lilydale Lake for the
final point after was the most challenging and coldest part of all.
Tiredness, slippery roads, and 2 degree's temperature meant we were all
happy to reach the breakfast line-up. A large gum tree with a snapped off
branch covering most of the road was the excitement for this stretch, with a
few of us stopping for a photograph shot and wondering if any cars or the
support vehicle would make it through the smallish gap.

Enjoying the bacon and egg rolls, sausages and bread, coffee/tea for
breakfast after collecting our badges everyone alternated between eating,
more eating, drinking, chatting, and pushing their way into the heater for
necessary defrosting. Presentations were shortly thereafter with
Netrider.net.au being announced as the most attended club/group - WooHoo!!
Cold, but with huge smiles for our achievements, group photo's were taken
around our trophy before good-byes and everyone headed for home. Some said
they'll be back next year for sure, but just as many saying never again.

Once again, thank-you to everyone for coming along. We hold the trophy until
next year, when we have the right to defend our title under what I'm sure
will be the renewed strength, numbers, and vigour of the Christian
Motorcycle riders. Hopefully we too can prevail with more numbers and once
again be victorious. It's all up to you!!! If the BMWMCCV have given us the
trophy by our spanner day next month (they have to engrave it), then you're
more than welcome to come along and take a look at it. Bring your camera.
Cheers,
Jason

Benalla Protest.

Nth and Nth East Victorian country motorcyclists are getting together for a
mass protest ride on their local ALP minister, Denise Allen MLA.

Mt. Beauty resident and rider John contacted Netrider.net.au to advise that
a large party of riders from the Albury/Wodonga region, Mt. Beauty region,
and Wangaratta region will be converging on Benalla for a large protest ride
on the ministers office to hear speeches and present a petition that has
been going strongly in the area thanks to the support of local motorcycling
retailers.

Netrider.net.au appreciates the support of country motorcyclists for protest
rides on Parliament house and calls upon all Melbourne riders to join us for
the ride up the Hume Hwy to Benalla to help pack their streets and show yet
another politician that we are serious. The Melbourne meet details are...
Date: Saturday, 3rd August
Time: 8:30am meet for 9:00am leave (sharp!)
Place: McDonalds/Mobil service station (map) 1603 Sydney Rd,
Campbellfield(Approx. 2km Nth of the Western Ring Rd)

All riders will be meeting at a central point on the highway, before riding
a short distance into Benalla as one big group.

Netrider.net.au have organised an exciting route, off the Freeway, for the
ride back home to Melbourne for all participants with properly structured
leader, tail-ender, and corner markers. Details will be provided at the
above meet point on the morning.

If anyone would like to meet us along the way or go directly to the meet
point, please email us at netrider@netrider.net.au for further details.

Spanner Day.

Netrider.net.au have secured a venue for their very first Spanner Day, a day
where members can come along, talk to other members about problems or issues
they may be having with their bike set up, and perhaps resolve some of them
as well. Please remember, you will be required to bring your own tools if
you wish to work on your bike on the day. The date and venue for the first
spanner day is:

Saturday August 17th
Spanner Day
28 Acheson Place
Coburg
11am till 2pm
(With short ride after - weather permitting)
Hope to see you all there, tool kits at the ready!


Netrider Goodies - What we have and what you want.

STUBBY HOLDERS

Netrider.net.au are pleased to announce a new item that may be purchased
from our range of merchandise.
The good old stubby holder is now available. With summer coming up and lots
of cans or stubbies that need to be kept cold, we at netrider.net.au would
like to keep your fingers warm and insulated from that all too familiar
chill.

They are available in one colour (black) with our logo printed in white/red.
They are priced at $6.50 plus $2.50 for postage (up to 4 in the one parcel).

Your fingers are begging you to, do it for your fingers.

You may place your order at http://www.netrider.net.au/merchandise.shtml
Payment details can be found at the above address as well.

Thank you for your continued support

CAP PURCHASES

Netrider.net.au would like to thank all of those members that purchased a
baseball cap. The profits from the caps are all put back into
netrider.net.au and used to keep this organisation free to you the
motorcyclist.

We have had some terrific feedback regarding the quality of the caps. This
was made possible by spending a lot of time talking to potential suppliers,
visiting them and viewing samples of their work to ensure that you receive a
good quality item.

There are a handful of caps still available so if you want one, you better
get in fast if you care to secure one.

I you do miss out, and you are not in an extreme hurry for one, simply place
your order and once we reach our minimum quantity required we will do
another run.

Once again, thank you for your continued support


WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Netrider.net.au have done very well so far in guessing what merchandise our
members would like to see next. Caps and Stubbie holders have been done.
Going by the poll that a lot of you have answered at the website, T-shirts
are next in line.

Once the T's are done, the other items on the poll are pretty much even in
votes. So we would like you, the members, to tell us what you would like by
sending us an email at netrider@netrider.net.au with your item preference.


Sponsorship/Advertising referrals.

As you all know, netrider.net.au is a non-profit, volunteer organisation
that relies on funding from members, as well as from advertisers to enable

us to keep our commitment to you. Part of that commitment is to

get suppliers on board who will provide you, the members, with
discounts or privileges that other, non-members, do not receive. As such,
if you know of anyone who you think would benefit from advertising on
netrider.net.au, or think that they may be able and keen to have a ready
made customer base (and what company wouldn't) for their products or
services, then please send their details to netrider@netrider.net.au and let
us know. Any information that you pass on to us is for the greater good of
you, the other members and motorcycling in general and we will certainly
follow up any leads that you can provide us.


Membership Referral.

Do you have friends who ride? Do you know someone that is interested in
motorcycling? Do you think that they should know about netrider.net.au?
Let them know all about us via the referral page. That's right, you can
send your friends, colleagues or family an email directly from the
netrider.net.au
site. Go to: http://www.netrider.net.au/recommend.shtml This link will only
work for
a short time as the page will be relocated to the bottom of the current
membership
application form.


Netrider.net.au Bio.

While most of you know of the guys behind netrider, and some of you will
have met some of us, we thought it worthwhile to give you all a little more
in depth information on each one of us. The first of our bio's is on Matt.
While you will have seen his name attached to posts, articles and of course,
this newsletter, he is probably the least known of the group, so here we go.

Name: Matt Allgood, aka Tamen.
Age: 31 (though we all do wonder at times).
Lives: Prahran
Works: South Yarra
Occupation: Systems Administrator for a clothing retailer.
Rides: Buell XB9R Firebolt (otherwise known as "the tractor" or "Massey").
Riding experience: 11 years.
Previous Rides: Kawasaki G4 ag bike, Yamaha SRX250 single, Suzuki GSX750F
Drinks: Bourbon, but only the good stuff
Smokes: Far too much, but usually PJ Supers.
Music: Mainly rock with some jazz and blues thrown in.
Best Ride: Down the GOR, back wheel in the air after grabbing a handful,
changing down, getting the back wheel back on the deck and getting round the
corner - just one of those days when you are in the groove.
Worst Ride: Getting hit by a Ute doing a u-turn while I was a pillion on a
mates bike.
Motto: May you always get what you want, but never what you deserve.

Next month you will learn a little more about the bald guy called Vic.



Netrider.net.au Competition Announcement!

Yes, the time has arrived, and netrider.net.au are proud to announce their
very first competition. This competition is open to members only (so if you
want
in, join up - it's free!). For our first give away, netrider.net.au has
been given a Bugvisor, proudly supplied by www.bugvisor.net. A bugvisor is
a Non-acrylic helmet visor that never fogs, glares or scratches. It is
suitable for most full-face helmets.

To win your very own bugvisor, all you need to do is tell us your best
excuse for getting out and going for a ride. Email your excuses to
netrider@netrider.net.au. We will choose the best excuse and the winner
will receive the very first bugvisor.


Sponsors

Sovereign Security & Safety Service
phone/fax 9852 4012
Mobile: 0411066868

Incite Graphics
www.incitegraphics.com.au

BugVisor
www.bugvisor.net

Please support our sponsors, without them, keeping netrider.net.au free
would
be even more challenging than what it is now.


The Rear Wheel.

To finish off this month's newsletter, I have been thinking about the role
that bikes play in relationships, and how it can be hard to spend as much
time with them (the bikes) when you need to spend time with your partner.
This of course led to the inevitable "why bikes are better than partners".
So here we go:

Why bikes are better than partners:

A bike doesn't worry if you don't spend time with it every day.
A bike won't crack the shits if you go out without it.
A bike doesn't mind if you ride other bikes.
You don't need to talk to you bike before you take it for a ride, or explain
to it why you don't want to take it out.
Your bike will turn over first time, at the touch of a button.
Your bike won't complain if you let your mates ride it, and you are more
than happy to watch them ride yours while you ride theirs.
You can have more than one bike at a time and none of them will complain.
A 3some is never a problem (you, your friend and your bike).
You can leave your bike with other bikes that it doesn't know and it won't
complain while you chat to your mates.