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NetWriter - Issue 4
Contents: 1. Notes from a messy desk. Well, it's been a little while since I've rumaged through the notes on my desk, what with moving house and all. And trust me, that is not an experience I want to have to deal with again in short order. I think the worst part has been the too-ing and fro-ing between myself, Telstra and the body corp of the apartment building trying to sort out my internet connection (yeah, I'm on broadband) so that has been trying in the least. But enough of my problems, the last month or so has seen some ups and downs in the bike world. Valentino (The Doctor) Rossi has claimed the MotoGP crown, making him the first person to have won the world title in 4 classes (125, 250 500 and now MotoGP). Congratulations to him too. I wonder what he will decide to conquer next, reports have him driving in the WRC in the next couple of years, and from the times he showed in testing it may not be far off the mark. For a guy who races on two wheels on tarmac, he showed amazing pace on 4 wheels on dirt. Something to look out for there. The other highlight (or perhaps lowlight) was Troy Bayliss not winning the World Superbike Championship and handing the crown to Colin Edwards for the second time. I wonder if the fact that Troy will be heading Ducati's MotoGP push next year was in the forefront of his mind more than he would care to admit. And finally, it will be great to see another Aussie, Andrew Pitt, down at the island for the GP. Andrew has gotten a ride with the Kawasaki team for the last 3 races of the season on the new 4 stroke bike, so best of luck to him as he tries to come to terms with it over the next few weeks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Upcoming Events. With summer creeping up and the dry weather certainly making its presence felt, there are a number of events coming up in the run to Christmas. The first event is The Pink Ribbon Ride in support of Breast Cancer. This will be held on Sunday October 27 and leaves from the carpark of the Burvale Hotel (crn Springvale Rd & Burwood Hwy) at 10:00am. Entry is $10 and includes raffle entry, ride badge and entry to Emerald Lake Park which is the ride destination. A large netrider contigent would be fantastic and already I've had a number of people letting me know they will be there to support the cause, so it would be great to see as many there as possible. From November, we have a group ride scheduled every fortnight (3rd, 16th Nov and 1st Dec) so keep your eyes on the site for details of these upcoming rides. The last "event" is of course the Moto GP down at the Island - don't think I need to say any more about that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Last Ride Report. What a glorious day. Blue skies, bright sunshine, WARMTH, the first we have really felt all year. Sunday's ride was scheduled to depart from Cranbourne McDonalds at 10:30, with everyone to be there by 10:15. Needless to say, Jason was the last to arrive at almost 10:30, not surprising seeing he was leading the ride! After a brief talk about what was required by the riders present, and detailing the lead and rear riders and the fact that corner markers would be in use, we all headed out on the first leg through Cranbourne and off into Gippsland. Looking back over my shoulder at one point, I watched roughly 44 bikes streaming out behind me - what a fantastic sight! Our first stop was more of a rest break than anything else, with a number of 250's in our midst (and a few thirsty twins), we relaxed for a few around 80km's out from our starting point, everyone having a chin-wag about the roads so far. Next stop was Trafalgar, roughly another 80km's up the road. It was here that we had the only incident for the day, one of the 250's (CBR250) overshot the corner into town and had to have the bike sent home on a truck. No damage to rider other than bruised pride and shaken nerves. There had been a lot fun on the first stretch, plenty of fast corners, long straights and a couple of chaps who insisted that their bikes went much better with the front wheel in the air!!! Everyone had been pretty well behaved (even the boy racers who did manage to get to one of the towns we passed through well before the lead rider). As has been stated by a number of the riders, the corner marking worked very well, giving those at the front a chance for a bit of a break before the chance to have some fun by chasing the leaders and catching them again. I saw this happen a number of times over the day. It also gave Tony a chance to relax a little, and besides, him being on the ex-cop Beemer, it felt at times like we had an escort... As you would expect on day like Sunday, there were plenty of other bikes out, and I think they must have wondered what was going on when they would pass a few of us, only to see more coming round the next bend... I saw a number of heads being shaken in dis-belief. Lunch was a very casual affair, with everyone heading in the direction their stomach dictated. A number of us invaded the local hotel bistro, and gave the chef a heart attack when she the numbers coming in. Never mind, the food was good and hot, and the drinks cold and refreshing. Just what was needed. The lunch stop lasted about an hour before we headed off once again, this time out the back from Trafalgar and into the Shire of Yarra Ranges behind the Dandenong's. Plenty of good roads, and this time, lots of twisties. I must say, I was surprised that we didn't lose anyone else on one of the sections, particularly with the left hander and the earth wall on the right hand side. Somewhere along here I lost my speedo for no apparent reason, and this was the only other problem that I heard of all day. Final stop, Yarra Junction, again for a drink, a breather, a chat and then off once more. It was at this point that things got a little messy as some people were happy to head off home, others went a different way and some just seemed to lag behind while they were caught up chatting. Never the less, in the end those that wanted to made it to the round-about at the Basin. Here we all said goodbye to those there and started to make our way home. A great day, great weather, great company and a great ride. Congrat's to Jason for the organization, everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Thankyou to everyone that came along, it was great to renew some acquaintances and meet some more of you that I hadn't before. And finally, to Jen, when someone behind you says they are happy to stay there and look at the view, don't blush... It'll only encourage them... Till next time, stay safe and keep it black side down. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. New Partners netrider.net.au are pround to announce the addition of a new partner, the Albatross Cafe, just in time for all the members who are heading to the Island for the MotoGP. Albatross Cafe 20 Thompson Ave Cowes. (next to the lolly shop) (03) 5952 1794 10% discount off your bill upon presentation of your netrider.net.au member card. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Merchandise Available. After plenty of requests, netrider.net.au T-Shirts and Caps are once again available for ordering. http://www.netrider.net.au/merchandise.shtml has the online order form along with images of both the cap and T-Shirt, which are great value quality products. Due to the requirements of production, minimum numbers are needed before thay can be produced and you will see a running total on the website, so the more you buy, the quicker you can get it. Caps are $19.00 and T-shirts are $25.00 ($27.50 for non-members) and all prices include postage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Christmas BBQ. With Christmas fast approaching, we here at netrider.net.au thought it would be a great idea to hold a Family BBQ where everyone can get together, meet, have a chat and enjoy a relaxed day with the whole family. The date for the BBQ is the 14th of December, so stick it in your calenders and we'll see you there for a snag or two. A location has been found and the feasability of holding the BBQ there is yet to be assessed, but we will keep you posted. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Rear Wheel. This months Rear Wheel was recently posted by Martin Taylor, it got a laugh from me, so here it is for your entertainment. A handy guide to Motorcycle Maintenance. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing seats and motorcycle jackets. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age, but it also works great for drilling mounting holes in fenders just above the brake line that goes to the rear wheel. PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. VISE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. OXY-ACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for setting various flammable objects in your garage on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside a brake drum you're trying to get the bearing race out of. WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the workshop, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying. WIRE WHEEL: Cleans rust off old bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar callouses in about the time it takes you to say, "Ouc...." HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering a motorcycle to the ground after you have installed your new front disk brake setup, trapping the jack handle firmly under the front mudguard. EIGHT-FOOT LONG PINE 4x2: Used for levering a motorcycle upward off a hydraulic jack. TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters. PHONE: Tool for calling your neighbor to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for getting dog-doo off your boot. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit. TIMING LIGHT: A stroboscopic instrument for illuminating grease buildup. TWO-TON HYDRAULIC ENGINE HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of ground straps and brake lines you may have forgotten to disconnect. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A large motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end without the handle. BATTERY ELECTROLYTE TESTER: A handy tool for transferring sulphuric acid from a car battery to the inside of your toolbox after determining that your battery is dead as a doornail, just as you thought. AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw. TROUBLE LIGHT: The mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under motorcycles at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off Phillips screw heads. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 kilometres away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a impact gun that grips rusty bolts last tightened 60 years ago by someone in Springfield, and rounds them off. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until next month, keep it black side down.
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